More is Taught Than Thought! :)

Nearly every evening last week, Dad, Sarah, Leah, Anna, Benjamin, and I went to a Hunter's Education Class in our county. I had not initially had much of an interest in going...10 hours of my evening-time out of the week seemed a lot. But Dad desired me to go, and so I did, wondering what exactly I could get out of the class. It ended up being great for several different reasons, not the least of which was to rumple up my romantic mind to more out-doors-ish, adventurous things! :) I actually grew interested in tracking, archery, muzzle-loading guns, and other things! Who ever would have thought that? ;) It seemed a thing more in Sarah's line of giftings. Believe me. That girl keeps me going! I am the dreamy-eyed, romantic, creative sister, and Sarah's practicality, sensibleness, and common sense, keep my feet on the ground and my head aware of what's going on in the here and now! :) Thanks Ce-Ce! :) Any-whoo! There was one part during the last night of the class that almost made me laugh out loud in pity! That sounds contradictory, but it is not! I promise! You see, it was the section on ethics, and the poor guy up front was making things terribly hard by trying to be politically correct, and stumbling all around the meaning of the word when for me, a Christian, the answer was so easy. The question: "What are ethics?" Here are several of the answers the course came up with:

• "Ethics is a concept that seeks to answer questions about what is good or bad, right or wrong, and what makes up a moral system."
• "An ethic is a body of moral principles or values associated with a particular culture or group."

• "The sum of our individual ideas of what is right equals a code of ethical conduct...."

Really? Oh dear. Then we are all in big trouble! I truly was sitting in my seat struggling not to giggle. All these things explanations dance around the "Big, bad, idea" of right vs. wrong. The last one especially is rather shocking...the sum of our individual ideas of what is right? Mercy on us! As I talked it over with Dad later, we were both shaking our heads. I think even Anna could have given the instructor the bottom line for ethics: For one example, take Deuteronomy 5:32-33:

"Therefore be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord you God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess."

I don't know who you are, but that passage clearly states that God has commanded some things right, and some things wrong. His word is very explicit in telling us His ways. So I can only laugh at how hard some people make it to define "ethics". Jesus came to teach us the Father's ways, and standards, and all someday will answer to those. I think as Christians, we sometimes take for granted how easy some decisions are. We have been told what is right, and what is wrong. The world still struggles, each person on their own, to reinvent the wheel! Basically, that hunter's course was suggesting that ethics are relativism. I recall a friend speaking of a young man she had had a conversation with. This gentleman did not believe that was a real "right and wrong". My friend asked him, okay, so how do you know what to do and not to do? The young man answered, "Well, when I do the right thing, I feel good!" (emphasis added)
One major problem with this fellow's argument- in it, he acknowledged that there was a "right thing". Poor guy! He knows deep down that there is a "right" thing, but he just makes it difficult by ignoring the fact that there is already a written "moral code" in God's word Going back to the hunter's course, another point bothered me: each culture and group has their own ethics? Doubtless they meant well, trying to merely get the idea of hunting-ethics across. But really. If in my culture, I said stealing was okay, then when I went into your culture, and you said it was wrong, you couldn't prosecute me in any way because my idea of wrong was different than yours? Oh boy. That doesn't sound like any form of "correctness". That sounds like anarchy!
So I'm sorry if this turned out to be a bit of a rambling post! I just felt that I ought to share the cool lesson I learned while attending a class that had nothing to do with it! :) -Rachel

We're Wanted!

It all began this fall. When the leaves began to change and the nuts began to ripen, then They awoke. With stealthy feet and masks of innocence they sent their spies into our woods. Four-legged creatures that bayed and ran across our fields and sent terror into the very soul of our dog Licorice. But Dad was staunch and refused Them what They wanted. We are now on Their "wanted" list. They enjoy free reign over all the land on either side, and wait with greedy eyes until we are caught off guard to grab our land from us. We are safe nowhere. At the gas station their minions are found. Everywhere we go They know us. Alright, maybe the fact that we drive a beaten up blue 15-passenger, and that we have so many girls and we all wear skirts helps distinguish us, but it is scary. Yesterday we were walking down the road and one of Them asked, "Ya'll those people in the big house down Garrison?"
What could we answer but a meek, "Yes."?
Last week They gave us a venison ham and tenderloin. Although the picture of neighborliness was perfect, we were not fooled. Their spies were swarming through our woods yesterday: along the edge and deep inside, their howls rising to terrorize the prey They are after. And last night, They tried a most desperate measure: In the middle of our Thanksgiving dinner They dropped off two deer's worth of meat for us! Now I am no longer sure if They just want our land. Perhaps they are after something more- our dog, our hens? Maybe even a bride? ;) (I was totally kidding about the latter)
Maybe I'm just nervous because of all Their gunfire. Maybe I don't like venison? Maybe They are in reality just being kind? I don't know, but I have a feeling that until They have persuaded Dad to let Them run their spies across our land, it won't get any better.

(Dramatized by Rachel)