I just read an article in the St. Louis Metro Voice, a newspaper that we get from church. The name of the article was "House agrees to muzzle Pastors with 'Hate crimes' Plan". It was talking about this new federal "hate crimes" bill that the house approved on April 29th. This bill is basically to try keep Christians from speaking out against this so called "alternative lifestyle" that these people have chosen (that's right I said "chosen", no matter what they say about "being born that way" it's not true, no one is made that way). The article said that the bill "will provide special protection to homosexuals but leave Christian ministers open to prosecution should their teachings be linked to any subsequent offense, by anyone, against a "gay"." Sounds like an attack waiting to happen to me. Oh sure its to "protect" people, yeah right, it's just allowing more junk and problems run unchecked in our society. Also according to a Texas representative, it will divide the country into "groups of more favored versus less" favored groups of people. I agree with that because once someone has protected status, anything you say or do toward them gets twisted into a supposed attack on them, giving them an opportunity to charge people without question. Look at this for example, "In Philadelphia several years ago a 73 year old grandmother was jailed for trying to share Christian tracts with people at a homosexual festival." If that is not persecution I don't know what is.

The other day I was shopping with my mom and I had on a T-shirt that had three crosses and the verse Phil 4:13 on it. When I saw it a mirror in the dressing room I got to thinking about what that shirt could do. I mean it pretty much says what I believe right there for the world to see. It made me think, what could happen in a few years (if even that long) from wearing that shirt or one like it? I started to think: Am I willing to take that persecution, whether it's being laughed at or being thrown in jail like Paul? I would like to think that I would take a stand for my faith, wear the shirts, and spread the word in the face of potential persecution. But I guess I won't know, and really none of us will, until we're put in a situation like that. We can only hope and pray that we'll be strong enough when that storm comes.

You know, we hear about these things that are happening in our world, sometimes we see it with our own eyes, and yet it still doesn't seem real, like we have to be dreaming because those things don't happen anymore, right? We read stories about persecution in the early church. But in our minds that's where it stays; in the early church, in stories. We need to prepare ourselves for whats coming up. Will we stand up for our faith or will we cower in a corner? Is our faith strong enough to keep us going or will we run the other way like Peter when things get tough?

Down on the farm

Well it's ben a while since i was on here and I can't seem to think of anything to write so I've decided to put up pictures of a bunch of the critters on our farm so here they are.







This is Annie, she is a 5 year old Nubian dairy doe. We've had her since she was 2 weeks old. She is a goat you do not want to cross, if she doesn't like you, watch out.

This is Cassie, Annie's first Daughter. She will be 2 years old on June 4. In March she became the mama of 2 pretty little does, who went to their new home the day before Easter and have now been adopted by a mama sheep.

Here are Cassie's girls, Penny and Nickel

This is my Tennessee Walking Horse, General. I've had him for 3 years and I think he is around 25 years old. He may be getting old but he sure doesn't act it. Once he jumped over a 3 foot electric fence and paid the neighbors a visit.

This is Cinnamon, my Quarter horse mare. She was 3 years old on Febuary 9. She is the horse I would like to barrel race in a few years. I think that she would be good for that because the other horse has to gallop hard to keep up with her when she is hardly trying to run.

And last but certanly not least, Here is Peter. He is a 3 year old Boar buck, and he has sired 10 kids, out of which only 2 were boys.

I heard my parents talking today about some land that Dad had found pretty cheap down in Ellington Missouri were allot of Rayfields are from, they were talking about what they would do if the country, in my words, goes caploowy. It's hard to think about what it would be like if the country did dissolve, if it all broke apart. It's scary but I think it's going to happen, and probably in the next 50 years at most. If you look back through history at all the "great nations" you can see that no matter how powerful they were they still came to an end. Take Rome for example, it thrived as a very powerful empire for hundreds of years then as it got closer to what we now call the Fall Of The Roman Empire, it's leaders became more perverted, the people in power looked more to there own needs than the nations, and crime and murder was running ramped. Strange how that sounds just like now isn't it? That's not the only country that became so messed up either, all throughout history you can find examples of things like this. Take Sodom and Gomorrah, even though they didn't fall on there own being destroyed by God and all, they were really messed up. Come to think of it, aren't all nations made by and destroyed by God? He just isn't always that easy for people to see without looking deep.
As I write this I wonder, what will happen? Will our country join the long line of powerfull nations that have been brought to their knees, and or desroyed because they strayed to far from God? How will people react when they realize what's happening? Will they turn from there ways, or will they continue to pretend like nothing is wrong?

Wow! It's already March 5, 2009, that just seem so crazy to me how fast time goes. I rememeber it seemed like not to long ago I was all exited about turning 15, now forget that I'm turning 17!! that is so weird to think that in less than 5 months I will be less than a year from graduating and allready starting to take college classes. wow its allot to think about. but realy realy cool :D

Love Is

Love is.

People talk about it like it’s something to be thrown around, like it’s just a word.
But it’s not; it’s something special between two people.
It’s not just thinking someone’s hot or cute.
It’s caring about another person more than yourself.
It’s not held to the circumstances of “I’ll do this if you do that”.
It’s about always being there for them no matter what’s happening.
It’s when they’re hurting, you feel it to.
It’s a bond built on trust and faith in God, trusting that your faith will get you through anything life throws your way.
It’s having patience with them when the world tells you it’s not worth it.
It’s being kind even when they’re not.
It’s wanting to protect them from everything and knowing you can’t.
It’s choosing be with them when you could be doing something else.
It’s sitting together watching TV and just enjoying their company.
It’s being best friends and not just lovers.
It's a choice not a feeling.
These are the things that make it real, not just good looks or being cool.
Because those things will be gone in no time.
But it’s these things that will stand the test of time.
It’s these things that make it Love.

January 20, 2009

The chains of yesterday surround me; I yearn for peace and rest I don’t want to end up were you found me. And it echoes in my mind, keeps me awake at night… ”
–East and West. Casting Crowns

Seems like today all I can think about is the past, all the things I wish that I had done different. Even though I know you can’t change the things that have already happened, I still find myself going over things from the past weeks wondering if I had done something different, if maybe, just maybe things would have turned out another way. So I have to keep reminding myself that “All things work together for the good of those who love Him.” Everything happens for a reason, nothing is by chance, and just because we might not see that reason at the time doesn’t mean it isn’t there. So when the reasons for the way things are happening don’t seem clear, look to God for help. Don’t try to rely on yourself because that’s not what we were designed for, we were made to need Him.

“Sometimes the sun stays hidden for years, sometimes the sky rains night after night, when will it clear? But our hope endures the worst of conditions, it’s more than our optimism, Let the earth quake, our hope is unchanged.”
-Our Hope Endures. Natalie Grant

It's been a bad day; you’ve been looking back, and all you can see is everything you wish you could take back. All your mistakes, a world of regrets, all of those moments you would rather forget.
I know it's hard to believe, Let me refresh your memory.
Yesterday is history, and history is miles away. So, leave it all behind you. But let it always remind you of the day, the day that love made history.
You know you can't stay right where you fell. The hardest part is forgiving yourself
But let's take a walk into today, and don't let your past get in the way.
Would you believe that you are history in the making, in the making? Every choice that you are making, every step that you are taking, every chain that you are breaking, History is in the making.
-History. Mathew West