I cried the night President Obama was elected.  I felt that America, as l’ve always known it, was in danger.  Now I know that my feelings were justified.  America has lost stature in the world.  There is great division between citizens, encouraged by the leadership of President Obama.  The overall “light” of America has dimmed.  This is sad!!!

A few days after the election I was praying for the country.  Because of comments from the new President, I felt that there was a possibility that the views of Christians wouldn’t be protected. Especially on social issues.  Little did I know how different it would be.

That day in prayer, God gave me the words to a song.  Most of the time, I share a song immediately but after writing this one, I felt that I needed to “put it away” until the time was right for it to have the impact that God wanted it to.

Here’s a recording, just Debby and me with Tammy videoing.  It’s not professional, it’s just so that the words can be heard and it is a message to Christians that is to TAKE A STAND!

Lyrics to I WILL TAKE A STAND:

VERSE 1:These days that we’re living in are filled with violence and sin

The world has denied King Jesus Christ

We’re told we can’t stand and have a word of prayer

We cannot display, the 10 commandments there..

CHORUS:  I will take a stand with His strength I’ll raise my hands

I will not deny my king in the presence of enemies

I will take a stand no matter where I am

I will not bow down to man, I will not deny my King

VERSE 2 But soon the world will see, they cannot deny the King

And expect His blessings, in the land of the free

They can take away my rights and bind my hands and feet

But I will be steadfast in worship of Christ the King.

___________________________________________________

In 2008 when this was written, it seemed somewhat farfetched that we might be challenged to Take a Stand as Christians.  Now we have had, in this country, people shot for proclaiming Christ. We are challenged when we pray at a football game or school events.  We are being told we must participate in events that go against our faith if we are in a business that serves the public.  We are called “ignorant” when we don’t agree with KILLING BABIES.  This is the time for Christians to Take a Stand for God!

2Timothy 2 :12 “If we deny Him, He will also deny us.”.

1 John 2:23. Whoever denieth, the Son the same hath not the Father, but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father.

ENJOY this beautiful fall weather.  Family photos are great with the vibrant color.  Find a way this week to TAKE A STAND.

So it’s fall and the leaves are turning.  I have already scheduled some photo sessions.  I love fall photos.  Here is one of my granddaughter.  Enjoy!

This past week I heard someone say that you need to KNOW how you will react before you are put into situations where you will have to react.  You should know yourself and plan how you WILL react not how you should or how you wish you would.  So here’s some questions to ask yourself:    If confronted by a person with a gun, what WILL you do?  If an authority figure asks you to do something immoral what WILL you do?  If our country demands we give up our right to bear arms, what WILL you do?  You must know where you stand BEFORE you are asked to take a stand for or against an issue. And ultimately, if our government demands we denounce our true God or our Savior, Jesus Christ?  Will you deny him or will you TAKE A STAND?

From the first Democratic debate……   On Monday, Hillary gave a speech saying a president needs to be the president for ALL the American people, however when asked in the debate who are the enemies she has made that she is most proud of, her answer was the Republicans.  So my question is…… are Republicans not American citizens to be represented by the president?  Just one of the many questions that the debate left in my mind.  In all my life, all the Presidents before this one (OBAMA), I never heard them call the people who are members of the other party, enemies.  It would certainly be more helpful for Hillary to call out our real enemies, such as ISIS the Islamic terrorists.

An update on my 49 in 49.  One of my 49 goals is to workout this year on a consistent basis.  Eric and I joined Chesterfield/ Doling Family Centers.  I finally got over the horrible cold I had and started walking this week. What a great time I have had walking and worshiping.  Thank God for His strength to fulfill the goals He put in my heart.

Ok, so one last thought… Our responsibility as a Christian is to spread the message of God.  Matthew 28:19-20.  Go ye therefore teaching all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  We are to be fishers of men.  We can have all the “ministries” we want, but the most important is to love others and tell them about salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ.  I hear a lot of Christians that complain about others who say bad things about them or in some way hurt their feelings, or attack them because of their ministry.  Well, I am not sure why they complain about it, that is what we are told  will happen.  If you are just wanting others to praise YOUR ministry and proclaim how wonderful YOU are then you have the wrong idea.  The ministry is to bring Glory to God, not you or any man.  It is not for us to worry about who likes us or what they say about us.  Our mission is to do what God tells us to do and He will handle the rest.  Believe me, He is far more capable than we are to deal with the naysayers.  And we don’t need to continually be threatening that God will take care of the ones who speak bad about us if we are in His will.  Just rest in the knowledge that He is taking care of everything and remember the verse in Matthew 5:11, Blessed are ye, when me shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.  God has it covered.

Have a great week and find a way to Take A Stand!

Wow!!!  What a picture.  These are my cousins on my mom’s side.  You know through the years, we have all taken different paths in our lives.  But when we see  each other, we are ALWAYS cousins.  No, we won’t always agree and we are each strong in our opinions and beliefs but, we will ALWAYS be cousins.  Family is so important and I have been blessed.  I am closer to some than others and know some better than others.  In the end, with all differences set aside, we will ALWAYS be family.  Like it or not……..Just Kidding.  Love you all.

Now for complete separate direction……there was a shooting in a college last week where Christians were targeted.  I would hope that I would be brave enough to Take a Stand.   I pray daily for God’s strength and I know that He has a plan for me.  So with that said, I am sure that as time goes by it is highly likely that Christians will be targeted and at some time and place we will all need to Take a Stand and state whether we are followers of Jesus Christ or not.  Draw off of the strength of other Christians around you also and join together to be a support to each other.  Let’s pray for the families in Oregon and in all other countries where Christians are persecuted.

Last thought, Dr. Ben Carson has taken a lot of criticism for a statement he made when asked how HE would react if in the situation of a mass shooting.  He stated that he wouldn’t comply with the shooter and he would encourage the others to join him in rushing the shooter.  If you know you are going to get shot, the whole group of you might as well join together and try to minimize  the loss of life.  He can’t shoot everyone at once.  This is exactly what my husband has said since the Virginia Tech shooting.  I think a lot of people feel this way.  Just watch the media tear people apart for stating an opinion.  Dr. Carson is a threat in some areas to Democrats and even establishment Republicans.  I wish people would listen to all statements from someone instead of just taking small portions.  I am not decided on a candidate yet.  We should listen to all use common sense in what our reactions to statements are.

A warning to all who listen to the NBC, ABC, CBS, MSNBC and sometimes CNN and FOX, you have to watch the full speeches to see the true meaning of statements.  You need to do your duty as a citizen and not expect the media to do your job of researching for yourself.  And pray that God will show you the best choice.

Find a way to Take A Stand this week on a subject that means a lot to you.

On September 23,1966 I was born in Branson, Mo on Yom Kippur.  It was also a Year of Jubilee.  This year on September 23, 2015, I turned 49.  It was Yom Kippur and this is also a Jubilee Year, a time of celebration and freedom and a time of restoration.  If you aren’t familiar with these special days and years that I mentioned do some research and you will realize that we are living in special times.  In observation of this 49th year of life I am inspired to celebrate the life that God has given me, my family, friends, and also the talents and blessings He has given me to use for His glory.   I will celebrate the freedom found in a life touched by God’s grace and forgiveness. A time of restoration and rest.  Personally, a time of quietness daily to hear God speak to me and to heal old wounds and restore His peace and joy to my soul and those around me.

Some big changes are on the horizon and I know that God is leading and guiding me and my family.  I can only imagine what He has in store.

I have made a list of 49 actions to take throughout this year.  I have prayed for guidance on each one and while I may share some of them, there are some that are private and I will keep them that way.  I do ask that you keep me in your prayers that God will lead and guide me.

The photo above is a picture of me last year around this time.  I had lost 67 pounds and with God’s help I had overcome some really crippling fears and anxiety attacks.  I have been able to do things this past year that I couldn’t even imagine, thanks to the comfort of the Holy Spirit in times of high stress.  I am so thankful for that.  This past few months I have had some surgical dental work done that required I eat a basically soft or liquid diet.  Needless to say, that along with a three family deaths in the span of a week, I lost focus on my diet and have gained back a lot of the weight I lost.  I am not defeated, I know God will help me again just as He did before.  So my first goal in my 49 in 49 is to lose 49 pounds.  I know it is doable and I will succeed.  I ask your prayers in that endeavor.

Ok, another of the 49 is to publish a blog weekly on Wednesdays.  Why???   Well, we are entering into a time of preparation for another presidential election  I know that God is in control and in the end, He will have His victory, however, while we are here, we are to carry on.  When President Reagan was shot, I was a teenager in high school and it captured my attention.  I was drawn to the news coverage.  Since that day, I have always felt like I need to be informed about what is going on in our country.  Not just the day to day, back and forth to work, but the workings of our government and the cultural changes that are taking place all around us.  I know it is easier to not pay attention and just live in our own little sphere and block everything out.  We are coming into times when Christians are being persecuted and it will only continue to increase as the time draws nearer to the time of return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

So, I will be writing entries about the political issues and candidates that I see that as important.  It may not impact anyone, but I feel it is something that I want to offer.  I am an unapologetic Christian Conservative!!!  I believe as Christians we are to use our voice to stand up for God in the public forum.  To state boldly what we believe, no matter the consequences.  For years God has dealt with me in this area.  I had a confirmation of my feelings a couple weeks ago when I attended a Joyce Meyer’s conference in which she taught on “getting off the fence”.  To stand up for what is right.  There is black and white, right and wrong, good and bad.  There are absolutes and as Christians we can no longer compromise.   Political correctness and unconditional tolerance has helped promote social and moral decay in our country.  It sounds cold and hard hearted but it is biblical that in our relationship and our Christian walk we are not to be lukewarm….we should be hot or cold, He wants us to make a clear choice (Revelation 3:15-16). We cannot be a fence sitter.  We must Take A Stand.

When Christians take a stand there are accusations of hatred from those who disagree with our beliefs.  God has let us know that we will be unpopular in our stance for Him.  However, we have the Holy Spirit inside us to give us the strength to stand.

God has also told us that we are to above all “love our neighbor as ourselves.”  The key to winning others to Christ is to be Christlike in our approach.  It is possible to take a stand and also share the message that God accepts us right where we are and then upon our confession of our sins and our belief in His Son, Jesus Christ, He will infuse us with the strength to live for Him.  Then we can overcome through Jesus Christ.

In the next year, I will be sharing what God puts in my heart about issues and candidates.  Once again I am a Christian Conservative and so if that is offensive to you, you may want to choose to not read, however, I would hope that you would read with an open heart and at least be inspired to find information for yourself on the issues.

Until next week, God Bless You and find an opportunity to TAKE A STAND!

So in 1986 on March 21 a chilly day, Eric and I got married.  We had dated for years and we were ready to make the commitment to each other to stay together forever.  I am so glad that God placed Eric in my life and that even when I didn’t make the best decisions, Eric stayed by my side.  He loved me even when I didn’t really deserve his understanding and love.  Isn’t that just like God?  Now, don’t get me wrong, Eric is far from perfect, but as far as humans go, he’s the closest I know.

I thank God for sending Eric to be my husband, the father of our children and the person that I get to spend my life with.  I love him so much more and better with each passing year.  You learn what true love as you go and very rarely is it what you thought it was when you were first married.

I think that I agree with the statement that Matthew said to Mary on Downton Abbey, “I won’t be happy with anyone else as long as you walk the earth.”  That is absolutely true.  I now know that my life is just as it was meant to be. I am proudly and happily Mrs. Eric Malicoat.  I wouldn’t trade a minute of the time we’ve been married, which by the way is 29 years, 10,585 days, 254,040 hours, 15,242,400 minutes, and over 914 million seconds.  WOW.  I love you, Eric and I always will.

Yesterday, I decided ask a status question of my female friends on the subject of a woman president. My question was, would you vote for a woman for president just because she’s a woman?  The reason for my question was two-fold, one I was listening to all the Hillary Clinton news of the day and so I started thinking about her suitability for such an office and two, to see if I had many friends who would just lock step with the “we are women, we must stick together” mentality of some women.

I should have known that most of my friends are their own people with their own convictions,  We all have our standards that we use to base our decisions on,  I loved that my friends that answered were very strong  in their responses,  As a conservative woman, I have often felt that my opinion didn’t matter to those women who were more interested in pushing the agenda set forth by liberal feminists.  I love that ALL women can make up their own minds.

I had one male responder to my question and his advice was to ask my male friends if they would vote for a woman.  I don’t want to speak for him but the way I understood his question was to say that most men would not be willing to vote for a woman.  I know that there are many men that wouldn’t vote for a woman no matter what and that is their choice.  I do have more faith in my male friends that they would not just dismiss a qualified person with their same values due to gender.  I have a lot of conservative male friends and contrary to the liberal line that they are against women, I don’t see it that way and I know some that are much more open to  a woman in office than their spouses.  I don’t assume that all men are against women.  That may have been true in the past, but not among the men I know in this day and age.

So as I said  earlier, I started thinking about this question after watching Hillary Clinton give a totally unbelievable news conference that made me feel like she actually believed  that we are too stupid to question her.  I don’t trust her.  Especially with the future of the United States.  She doesn’t make eye contact and doesn’t handle situations well and is a part of the past.  Her ideas are old and stale and don’t represent me.  Here’s a couple photos that are just a sample of how reading her body language tells that she is not honest and gets hostile very easily.  The first is from her news conference yesterday and the second is her moment before a congressional committee on Benghazi where she got frustrated with answering to “we the people” about the events surrounding the Benghazi embassy attack and the killing of four Americans.  Her response, “At this point, what difference does it make”? Well I think that it means a lot to the families of the men who died and to the citizens of the American people that she worked for.  That is an issue to consider when wondering if she is the correct person  for the presidency.

I have been blessed to have wonderful strong women in my life and I don’t know who it is at this point, but I know that there is a woman out there that would be a great choice for our first woman president if that is in God’s plan.

Recently Eric and I went on a trip to California and decided to drive the 17 Mile Drive on Monterey Bay. I, of course, had to get my own photographs of the most photographed tree in the United States, The Lone Cypress. It was fun to take photos of a famous landmark.

I’ll share more in the future of other sites we visited. It was a beautiful trip.

There is nothing I enjoy more than capturing LIFE for families and friends.  I have always loved helping people preserve their precious moments in photos.  For a few years I have been blessed to capture many people and moments from behind my camera lense. I would love to offer my services for special life events, birthdays, proms, anniversary celebrations, maternity, engagement, weddings. I like to work mostly in a candid photo style with some posed also. I like mostly outdoor, on location with natural lighting. If you have an upcoming event and would like a photographer there, contact me at my email, elmskm@mchsi.com.  I would love to talk with you and see if we could capture your event in the way precious memories should be preserved. Since every event or photo session is unique, according to what is wanted, I will let you know the costs in a private email.  Look for some samples of my work on this blog.  With spring coming there will be some special opportunities for photo fun, schedule your time soon.  I look forward to capturing your important events as forever memories

I was asked the other day about my opinion on the August 5 Primary Election. I had not studied the issues at all, so I was honest and said I hadn’t been really paying attention. It wasn’t that I am not interested, it’s just that I have been busy with life, just like all of you. So I spent a day listening to interviews and reading articles by and about the issues and candidates. THESE ARE MY OPINIONS AND DECISIONS. DO NOT FEEL OBLIGATED TO TAKE MY WORD FOR IT, DO SOME OF YOUR OWN RESEARCH AND FORM YOUR OWN OPINIONS. YOU MAY NOT AGREE WITH ME AND THAT’S OKAY. So, here we go.

I vote Republican

US House of Representatives
Billy Long or Marshall Works
I am going to vote for Billy Long simply because the only thing I can find out about Marshall Works is that in 2012 he ran as a Democrat. I am sorry, but I don’t trust a person that has run as a Democrat for years and now changes to Republican. Besides if he had a record that would convince me to vote for him, it would be easy to find on a Facebook page. Like it or not, it’s Billy Long for me.

I vote for State House Rep 130
Jeff Messenger or Loren Hunt
I listened to interviews and I will vote for Loren Hunt because after listening to them both, I identified with Mr. Hunt more. I think Messenger is probably ok, however there are enough questions that I couldn’t find satisfactory answers for on Messenger. Basically, they both claim to be conservatives.

Greene County Commissioner
I want to vote for Jerry Fenstermaker, however, I think I will vote for Bob Cirtin. I think he is more of a “establishment” choice, however after hearing interviews, I feel safe with that choice. Mr. Fenstermaker has “turned around” troubled departments in private businesses and public offices.

Clerk of Circuit Court
Thomas Barr, Tony Bleau, and Michael Carr
I will vote for Michael Carr mainly because I couldn’t find much info on others and I have name recognition of Mr. Carr. He has been around Springfield for many years and I feel out of these choices, he is the strongest candidate.

Collector of Revenue
Leah Betts, Brooke Hobbs, Cynthia Baldwin
I am going to vote for Leah Betts. She is currently deputy and I wasn’t convinced by the interviews of Hobbs and Baldwin that make me believe they would do the job better. I also thing Hobbs tone has been a little too aggressive and I couldn’t find anything on her private life which does matter to me. Baldwin seems nice but just didn’t inspire confidence in her ability.

Greene County Auditor
Cindy Stein or John Dittrich
I am going to vote for John Dittrich. I have read articles about delayed audits and after listening to an interview of Cindy Stein who is the current auditor, I didn’t feel she answered for those delays. She seemed to talk around the issues. Mr. Dittrich has been a fraud examiner and I think it’s time for new blood there.

It would take a book to explain all the amendments so I will tell you my vote and a very brief explanation, however, if you don’t know enough information, I am of the opinion you should either not vote or err or the side of NOT amending our state constitution. A constitution should only be amended when necessary.

Amendment 1 – THE FARM AMENDMENT
NO – This is unnecessary and the language is way too vague. It could actually allow interpretation that would be more damaging and allow too much control from courts and government.

Amendment 5 – Deals with Gun Issue of Conceal and Carry
NO – There is also vague language in this that could affect veterans with mental issues. It is actually unnecessary. Without more info I must vote no.

Amendment 7 – 3/4 Sales Tax TRANSPORATION
NO – This is actually in a sense an issue of double taxation. Also the taxes would be controlled by an unelected commission, therefore oversight would be very difficult and really, do we need another tax?

Amendment 8 – Veterans Lottery
Yes – Why not? I mean if you believe that the “Education” Lottery has really given all that they could to Education then why not think that the Veteran’s Lottery will actually help the Veterans. To me this is kinda like buying into a scheme but if I am going to have to choose, if there is even a possibility that it could help the vets, then I must vote YES.

Amendment 9 – Privacy in use of Electronic Devices
YES – This adds to the right to expect privacy even on electronic devices. I am always for more privacy.

This is a very quick summary of election issues. Once again, look at all these and make up your mind. This is just what I am doing. PLEASE, TAKE SERIOUS YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE AND USE WHATEVER SOURCES AVAILABLE TO YOU TO MAKE YOUR CHOICES. PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR COUNTRY AND THAT GOD WILL LEAD YOU ALSO.

The color outside is beautiful and you can feel the excitement for Halloween. Make sure the kids are safe and for all who are in neighborhoods, slow down and pay close attention to excited youngun’s!! Although Halloween isn’t my favorite holiday, I do love the costumes. Enjoy!