His older brothers have taught him well!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Front seat wars...the never ending battle!
How it usually starts...
An appeal to the authorities: "She sat here on the way up"!!!
Big sister wins out!
Jeremiah goes to Dallas!
"Hey everyone...I'm here"!
"Checking in sir."
"You're not showing any reservations under that name"??????
And the winner is...
On Friday, the Smithe family (or at least most of us) along with our good friend Kristina headed up to Dallas for the state level Sons of the American Revolution oration contest that Sophia was involved in. We rolled in Friday afternoon, and the kids spent several hours in the hotel pool before we headed out to a Chinese buffet for dinner. Then we were off to the hotel gym, complete with every exercise machine imaginable, to work off our dinner!
The contest took place around noon on Saturday. There was an audience of about 200 people, including Ross Perot (he was being presented with an award for outstanding patriotism and presenting an award to an Eagle Scout)! One at a time the five contestants were ushered in to give their 5 to 6 minute orations. Then the judges spent about half an hour deliberating in a nearby room.
The fifth place winner was announced, then fourth...third...second...that left only first place to be announced, and Sophia realized, much to her surprise, that she was the only contestant left!!!
We are so thankful to see how the Lord has honored her for her faithfulness to boldly proclaim His truth. All praise and glory to Him!
Now on to the national contest (July 7-11 in Winston-Salem, NC)!
Before the Contest
Gearing Up!
After the Fact
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
First Annual "Intern Baking Extrvaganza"
Pecan Pie Bars by Jon
Dutch Apple Pie by Kurtis
Chocolate Muffins by Dustin
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies by Benjamin
Welcome from the contest administrator. "We must be disciplining the next generation to bake so that if devastation should come to our country, our Interns will be trained and ready to deliver outstanding and appetizing baked goods that appeal to the stomach."
The big moment! From left to right: Benjamin, Jonathan, Dustin, and Kurtis.
The distinguished judges.
First you smell...
Hmmm...
Then you taste...
"Pass it down."
The "Stab"...
Not the generally approved way to eat a muffin.
Casting his vote.
Smile for sweets!!!
The winner struts up to receive his prize!
Presentation of the trophy.
An emotional acceptance speech.
The administrator commented "In the end everyone's a winner!" Then John, who won 1st place, said, "Hey! that means everyone's a loser too!"
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Soli Deo Gloria!
Sophia had the opportunity to participate in a local oration contest hosted by Sons of the American Revolution. After passing first at locals, she moved on to the regional competition which took place several weeks ago. There she was able to deliver her oration to an audience of about 50 people, and after a long deliberation by the judges was again chosen as the winner. She will now be competing at state level on March 26th in Dallas.
This has really been an encouraging experience for Sophia because due to the extremely controversial and distinctly Christian nature of her oration (which is a revised version of an essay she wrote), she never expected to win anything. In entering this contest she was determined not to compromise or appear vague on any point, but rather to boldly state the truth. So the fact that the Lord has blessed her, and has allowed her the opportunity to share His truth with hundreds of people in Dallas is very thrilling.
Below is her oration (a revised version of the essay "On Liberty and Tyranny in America" which we posted several months ago). Stay tuned for a video clip of Sophia delivering her oration...
On Liberty and Tyranny in America
By Sophia Smithe
"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"1 In these simple, yet profound words, Patrick Henry powerfully articulates one of the defining principles that would shape the United States of America: Liberty; freedom from illegitimate coercion. It was for the sake of this principle that General George Washington led an army of patriotic soldiers to march, despite impossible odds, against the tyrannizing British invaders who were destroying the freedoms handed down to the colonists by their courageous pilgrim fathers. Throughout the early history of our country, we can observe countless examples of heroic men who fought and died for liberty, and we too must contend for it’s preservation in our own day.
Just after sunrise on April 19, 1775, the first shots of the American Revolutionary War were fired on Lexington Green. The colonists had collectively determined that due to the oppressive acts of tyranny by the government of Great Britain, they would no longer be bound by its rule. By unjust taxation and intrusive acts, Britain had repeatedly trampled on their God-given liberties and they would tolerate it no longer! The war for independence would last eight long years, and during that time many bloody battles would be fought, claiming the lives of thousands of brave colonists. However, they would ultimately succeed in throwing off the shackles of tyranny, and would then go on to establish a new government based on biblical laws of freedom and justice, in which they believed, as Jefferson’s immortal words put it “that all men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”2
Due to the courage and conviction of our founding fathers, we Americans have enjoyed a measure of freedom that few countries have ever experienced. However, our 21st century American liberty is now being threatened with a new tyranny, one from within our own government as it seeks to control the people through socialistic policies.
The founding fathers understood that government should have limits, and consequently set boundaries within the Constitution that would prevent any one person or group from possessing coercive powers over the people. Constitutional Attorney Douglas Phillips, Esq. recently stated: “The Tenth Amendment reads: ‘The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.’. What does this mean in plain English? It means this: The federal government is not our nanny. The federal government is not our mother. The federal government is not our doctor. The federal government is not the high priest of a new religion. And, ladies and gentlemen, the federal government is not our Savior! That designation is reserved to one person only, the Lord Jesus Christ…”3
Regrettably, through a slow and steady process, our government has overstepped its jurisdictional bounds and is seeking to dictate and control nearly every area of our lives. The freedom and liberty of Americans is in serious jeopardy! History proves that unless we grasp the importance of standing for liberty, we can be assured that we will ultimately suffer failure as a nation.
Why is it that we are seeing this massive drift away from our biblical foundations of freedom and justice? It is because we have rejected the ultimate giver of those laws.
Even as recently as 1982 in an official pronouncement, Congress stated that the Bible “inspired concepts of civil government that are contained in our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.”4 In fact, when we examine our founding documents, we notice more citations from the Bible than any other source. Yet, sadly, gone are the days when, as the U.S. Supreme Court stated in 1931, we can boldly say “We are a Christian people.”5 The reality is simple: We cannot and will not have liberty unless we surrender ourselves to the giver of true liberty. In a joint proclamation, John Adams and John Hancock said, “We recognize no Sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus!”6
The future of our nation depends upon us rising up in this critical time and fighting for those liberties that made our country great. We must do as our founding fathers did and not consent to live under the rule of tyrants who would seek to abrogate those freedoms. Our Declaration of Independence recognizes that in the face of tyranny, it is the duty of the people “…to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”7
In speaking of the importance of fighting for our freedom, President Ronald Regan powerfully said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”8 Amen. May we always fight for liberty, so help us God.
2 The Declaration of Independence. 1776.
3 Phillips, Douglas. “Alamo City Tea Party: Phillips Calls Attendees to Honor our Fathers and Seek the Lord.” Vision Forum Ministries. 17 April 2009. Vision Forum. 4 Jan. 2011
4 DeMar, Gary. “America’s Christian Heritage.” Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003.
5 Ibid.
6 Founding Fathers Quotes. 19 Feb. 2007. EadsHome Ministries. 4 Jan. 2011.
< http://www.eadshome.com>.
7 The Declaration of Independence. 1776.
8 Levin, Mark. “Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto.” New York: Threshold Editions, 2009.
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