Loomis family 2016 in review

In keeping with the example set by friends on Facebook, this little update will be short and sweet.

Sixteen things the Loomis family did in 2016:

1. In January, Stephanie was able to present with one of her academic idols, Donna Alvermann, at the JoLLE conference at the University of Georgia. Stephanie enjoyed the four conferences she attended, but especially loved the opportunity to connect with friends, make new friends,  and meeting her research partner of the last two years in person for the first time.
2. In March we hired a herd of goats to clear out 15 years worth of English ivy in our backyard. It took four days, but they took the yard back to to ground. Of course, they didn't eat the roots and we'll have to do it again in a couple of years, but it was fun.
3. The Anderson girls are still part of our lives. After ten years, they may as well be family. We love them!
4. Watching Maddie grow from infant to baby to toddler with personality took over most of our free time. We are grateful for technology that allows video chats!
5. Corinne, working as an Emergency Department nurse at Children's Health Care of Atlanta, still found time to run. We love hearing from people we know who interact with her about how good she is at her job.
6. Stephanie enjoyed using MARTA to commute to classes at Georgia State University. She completed 12 courses in 2016  she works toward a PhD in Teaching and Learning.
7.  In July we said "Good bye" to our sweet Dolce, who took ill and was gone before we could begin to process life without her. Lexi continues to amaze us. At 13, she can hardly see or hear, and she has lost most of her teeth, but she is always happy when we are home. Puccini, the Italian Greyhound, turned 6, and continues to be a dog with a cat's attitude toward people.
8. During the summer, Caty Mae toured with the drum corps group, Spirit of Atlanta. She changed her major from music education to early childhood education, but percussion is in her blood, and she loves to perform. We love watching her. Drum Corps finals were in Indianapolis, so we traveled to watch Caty Mae and the corps. Of course, we had to tour the Indy 500 track. Stephanie remembers listening to this race on the radio in the early 1970s- starting the race before church and coming home after church for the last few laps. The tour and the museum are fantastic, even for non-racing fans.
9. Brian did a fair amount of traveling with his job at NASCO, mostly to New Jersey. 
10. Kennesaw State Football was a fun way to spend Saturdays through the Fall. Of course, our favorite part was the Marching Owls.
11.  Brian was pleased to see that he still fit into his fraternity letters!
12. Hurricane Matthew sent Mike, Carrie, and Maddie to Marietta for a week, where we celebrated Maddie's first birthday. She had her official party after flood waters receded.
13. Brian found a new hobby in buying, restoring, and selling vintage fountain pens.
14. A massive oak fell in the yard, taking out several trees with it and clipping the corner of the house. No major damage to the structure, and Stephanie, as any self-respecting artist would do, strung Christmas lights along it.
15. Christmas was spent in a Hiawassee cabin where everyone could gather, play games, and read- mostly books to Maddie.
16. Mike and Carrie moved to Tennessee, which meant Ama and Poppa got some bonus time with Maddie. 

There was time for art and fitness in the middle of everything, even when it seemed like work and school took over every minute. We are grateful to be strong and healthy, with independent and self-sufficient adult children who still like hanging out with us! 

We look forward to a 2017 filled with family, music, art, and learning. Blessings to you who read this. May we all remember that, no matter what is happening in the world around us, God is on his throne and He loves us incomparably.

Brian and Stephanie

Maddie says, "2016 is all done!"

What message?

What is the message?

If evangelicals continue to follow the path of “lesser of two evils”, how can we ever hope to have influence over wicked policies and increasing secularism? How can we purport to be seekers after Truth when we purposefully choose one evil over another? This is not a moral option.

Evangelicals who cite Nero or Henry VIII as examples of evil rulers whom God used for His own purpose neglect to consider that neither of these were voted into power by their subjects. In fact, the one time the people DID choose a king, God was clear that it was a bad idea to choose a leader who met a certain standard set by humans. They chose Saul, and that ended badly. God then chose David, whose moral choices were often misguided, but his heart sought after God.

In this particular election, we are faced with Saul or Jezebel. Do we choose based on history? Do we choose based on image, as in the case of Saul? Do we choose based on experience, as in the case of Jezebel? Neither seeks after the heart of God- by their own admissions. One seeks after the heart of progressivism, with its embrace of abortion, liberality, and anti-Christian policies. The other seeks after the heart of the angry and the business of the world. One may seem acceptable to some, while the other is acceptable to others. Neither is a good moral choice, yet both call on some form of “righteousness” that the other is lacking.

No matter what the outcome of this election may be, there will not be a godly person in leadership. Whomever is put in place will be divisive, seeking first the kingdom of self, the promotion of personal power, and the continual belittling of the US Constitution and Declaration of Independence.

As for me, choose for yourself for whom you will vote, but I refuse to be party to the continued degradation of the Church in the Western world. I will not choose Saul or Jezebel. I will exercise my privilege to be part of a representative democracy, but I will not be belittled or shamed into compromising my integrity. I will vote my conscience and I will seek the heart of God regardless of the state of the nation in which I live.

Been "arting" between semesters

Art matters.

Photos mine
Fonts: Font Squirrel
Gradient: devirose81

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness?

  Judges 17:6 At that time there was no king in Isra’el; a man simply did whatever he thought was right.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty , and the pursuit of Happiness.

I still remember singing these words at Compton Junior High School at a Spring concert in 8th grade. At the time, those inalienable rights were assumed and not really questioned, at least in my mind. In the years since, however, much has changed. The USA is angrier, more polarized, and even the most basic assumptions of the Declaration of Independence are being questioned.

Life.

Never before in my memory has the issue of life been so controversial. From abortion laws to end of life rulings, the definition of life itself is under question. When is life valuable? When is life real? When is life? The abortion rights lobby has become so strong that even the Supreme Court of the United States obeys its commands, even when the end result is likely to mean harm to women who go to legal-but-unregulated centers. That is not health care. That is politics. Death with so-called dignity is glorified in pop culture books and movies, even as the laws in this country are altered to remove penalties for those who hasten the death of another. With the two extremes of life rendered unworthy, is it any wonder murder rates are alarming? If there is no value to life at its beginning or end, what gives it value in between? Why are we surprised at mass shootings or suicide bombings when as a culture we have so devalued life that some bizarre thought of personal gain is sufficient excuse to take lives from the innocent?

Liberty. 

Personal liberty used to mean freedom to practice one's religion, speak in public, and engage in business. This is no longer the case. Religion, and the practice thereof is either banned from the public square or so belittled and scorned that practicing becomes difficult. When free expression of religion means not offending the non-religious, there is no longer free practice of religion. Freedom from religion was never part of the Founding Fathers' purpose. They were deists and theists, not opposed to religious expression. Liberty also meant civil discourse. Not sit-ins on the floor of the House of Representatives, not shout-downs of opposing views, and not being quieted by fear of reprisal or threat from an employer. None of these are liberty. As for commerce, once upon a time, if people wanted to make a statement about a business practice, they simply took their business elsewhere. Word of mouth was sufficient. Today, photographers and bakers lose businesses because they choose to hold their Christian moral stances above profit. I say Christian, because so far, only Christian businesses have been targeted. No other religious group or minority group is affected, even if they engage in the same practices. The laws passed to force Christian businesses to accommodate values systems with which they disagree are not essential services. In no case has there been no other option. And in no case has anyone suffered physical harm. It is political bullying, nothing more. And it is a denial of liberty for those businesses to practice according to their beliefs. There are still signs on doors saying, "No shoes, no shirt, no service". How long will those be allowed to stand?

Pursuit of Happiness

This is the first of the slippery slopes in definition changes. The pursuit of happiness does not guarantee an outcome of happiness. How is happiness defined anyway? Reportedly wealth does not equate to happiness, nor does power. Yet these are the two things most people seem to desire above all else. And when they don't get it, they cry for equality of outcome, saying that it isn't fair that some people have much and others have little. But if wealth and power aren't the keys to happiness, what does it matter? Granted, the past practices of government have limited the ways of pursuit for many, and that must be rectified. But how can it be made right when expectation is equality of outcome rather than the opportunity to pursue an individualized outcome? Happiness looks different for each individual; no amount of wealth redistribution can change that.

So what went wrong? Why is there such a feeling of unrest, distrust, and outright anger among Americans in 2016? I believe the answer is also in the Declaration statement: they are endowed by their Creator. When the idea of a Higher Power is removed from the minds of humanity, the chaos of culture always results. All the great empires of the world: Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome, Britain - each of these fell when the power of human will trumped the worship of god. The USA was founded on Judeo-Christian principles that included reverence and respect for a Divine Creator. Removing that ideal left a vacuum that is increasing filled with power-hungry people whose desire is for the self to become like god. When humans take on the role of the divine, truths are no longer self-evident. In fact, truth itself becomes questionable, and society returns to the chaos of self-determination without any idea of community. It is not new or unique to the US; it is what is common to humanity. And so it goes. Unless this nation returns to a reverence and respect for the Divine Creator, it is on a path to disintegration.  Unless truth once again becomes part of the dialogue in the public square, deception will reign. Truth and justice must again become American ideals in order for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to once again become inalienable rights for each of us.

Need to create.

I made this for my friend, Dr. Tuba Angay-Crowder.