I am so sorry! Not that a ton of people read my blog, mind you, but for the faithful few that do, I apologize for not posting something new lately. Things have been hectic of late. If you want to read some exciting things about what is going on here at Good News Mission, click on our Prayer Letter link to the left and read our latest. All of our prayer letters are written by Sarah, my wife, and I think she does a great job. If you aren't on our email list and would like to receive our Prayer Letters, leave us a comment with your email address, or contact us at tink38570@yahoo.com and we'll put you on the list.

Have you ever heard the expression "If it were a snake it would have bit you?" Well that expression would have fit me perfectly the other day. I receive a homeschool newsletter once a week and one of the contributors is Todd Wilson, a homeschool dad. I had read his contributions before but had not really paid any attention to anything else. Well, I was doing a search for Christian Thanksgiving stories, and what should turn up, but the Familyman Ministries site. Familyman Ministries is a great site primarily for Dads written by (you guessed it) Todd Wilson. There had been a link to his web site in the homeschool newsletter every week, but I had never clicked on it. DUH!

Anyway, Todd's site is great. He has a lot of suggestions on how Dads can spend valuable, Christian, time with their families. One of the things he does every year is have Family Advent Nights during the Christmas season. I liked the idea so much that the Tinkels are going to start the Family Advent Night tradition this year. And, this is all Dad's doing. I'm not enlisting Mom's help for anything. I'm doing all the planning myself. Todd's site lists everything that you need to do, and even sells advent craft kits to go along with it. The NOEL window hang shown above is one of the crafts. The kits aren't very expensive, but our meager budget isn't going to allow us to buy them this year. I have asked a crafty friend to help with that part of the planning. I wanted to let you all know about it in time for you to possibly start the tradition with your family as well. Write and let me know how it went, and I'll let you know how ours went in a future blog.

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Ok folks. The program that I use to write my blog gives me a place to put what mood I am in when I post a new entry and then they add an icon that represents that mood. In my last post I was in a celebratory mood, and I thought the icon was a firecracker. After looking at it a couple of times, I now think it may be a lit cigar. If it is a lit cigar, please forgive me. I do not smoke and do not condone it. If it's a firecracker, then...whoopee...let's celebrate! Take a good look and let me know what you think - a firecracker or cigar -  and I'll make sure that next time I'm more careful! Have a good week.  

(That is just a smiley face isn't it? I'm not seeing things again am I?)

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Mood:  celebratory

It's official! We are now Vision Forum affiliates! I have told you about Vision Forum in the past, but now, if you click on Vision Forum any where on our blog and end up purchasing from them, you will not only benefit yourselves by buying good, wholesome family products, but you will benefit us as well. Many of you have supported us financially over the years, and many more of you have pledged to pray for us regularly. Some of you have wanted to support us financially, but have not been able. Now there is a way that you can support us and do your Christmas shopping at the same time! Hopefully there will be other companies that we will be affiliating with soon, so check back regularly. I give you my pledge, that any company that we affiliate with will have family oriented products that you can feel safe in buying. Thanks for all of  your help and support.

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Mood:  sad

A great era in the history of the presidency has come to an end. God Bless you Rev. Graham.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Billy Graham's work as a pastor to presidents is coming to an end, but he is praying for Barack Obama as the nation's next leader begins his work, Graham's son said Friday on the aging evangelist's 90th birthday.

Franklin Graham said in an interview that his father's mind remains sharp even as his body continues to fail. But the preacher who has counseled every president beginning with Eisenhower is not in line to mentor Obama.

"My father feels like his time and day for that is over," Franklin Graham said. "But he would certainly like to meet (Obama) and pray with him."

Graham's views of the world are still respected in White House circles. Republican presidential candidate John McCain visited Graham at his mountainside home during the campaign, and Obama tried to meet Graham but wasn't able to do so because of the preacher's poor health.

Click here to read the rest of this article by Mike Baker, an Associated Press writer.

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Mood:  on fire

Much has been said, now that the election is over, about how we must unite as a country - how we must support our newly elected president - how we must be proud of our country for what it has done in this election. I want reunification. I want peace in this great nation. I want hope. I sincerely pray that their will be reunification, peace and hope in the United States.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:9, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God." In my humble opinion, (and this is my humble opinion), I believe that God wants us to fight peacefully. That may seem like an oxymoron. How can we fight peacefully. We can fight for what we believe in a peaceful manner. We cannot resort to violence in order to prove our cause. We must fight in a way that is honoring to God.

Although we must fight peacefully, and although I am proud of my country, I cannot unify with the way our country is going. I am thankful that three states voted to define marriage as a unity between one man and one women but, there cannot be unity in our country when the agenda of our senate and congress (and possibly our future president) continues to promote immoral lifestyles. There cannot be peace in our country when the blood of innocent unborn children (and some half born and dare I say some even fully born) is still being spilled. I cannot be proud of the American people if they continue to allow our leaders to take all references to God out of our schools and government and revise God out of the great history of our nation.

I know that this blog entry may be controversial, but I do not apologize for stepping on any one's toes. My toes and the toes of others who have been apathetic about the direction our country is going have needed to be stepped on for a long time. It is time for us to get down on our knees and pray for our country. Pray for our future. Pray for our newly elected officials. Pray that we will fight peacefully for what God says in His Word that we should do. Pray that our country will once again recognize our Godly heritage and turn back to Him. Pray that our city, county, state, and federal leaders will make prayerful, Godly decisions. That is the only way that we will have true unity in our country, true peace in our nation, and true hope for the future of America.

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