Is the End of Marriage in Europe the Future of America?

·       

M Bob Moeller and Stephen Briggs on with Host Nancy Turner on This is the Day! Monday, March 28, 2011.

Marriage rates have been dropping in Europe at a dramatic rate.

·        In some Scandinavian countries the marriage rate is now between 20% and 30%.

·        England recently recorded their lowest marriage rates in the modern era.

·        The same pattern of declining marriage is occurring in the United States as more couples are choosing to live together rather than marry.

·        While divorce rates are dropping in Europe it is primarily due to fewer people getting married.

·        There was a time when traditional marriage was the foundational step before engaging in sexual activity, conception pregnancy, childbearing, parenthood, and raising children.

·        Now the reverse is happening in Europe and our nation following a pattern set in Europe:

a)  The large scale introduction of contraceptives (such as the pill) in the 1950’s and 1960’s disconnected the link between conception and traditional marriage.

b)  The introduction of free love in the 60’s disconnected sexual activity from traditional marriage.

c)  The introduction of abortion on demand in the 1970’s disconnected the link between pregnancy and traditional marriage.

d)  The introduction of no-fault divorce in the 1970’s and 1980’s and the resulting dramatic rise in single parent households disconnected the link between raising children and traditional marriage.

e)  The introduction of artificial reproductive technology in the 1990’s disconnected the link between child-bearing and traditional marriage.

f)  The introduction of living together and same sex partnerships in the 21^st century is working to finally disconnect sexual activity, conception, pregnancy, childbearing, parenthood and raising children from traditional marriage – a possible precursor to the final end of marriage in the U.S. as our foundational social, legal and moral institution.

·        What can Believers do to see this Trend Reversed?

           

a)  Pray for God to send a Third Great Awakening to our Land (2 Chronicles 7:14)

b)  Learn the foundational principles of marriage as taught in the Scripture which are:

            Marriage is God’s gift and foundational design for the human race (Gen. 2:20-25)

           

            Sexual activity is designed for the covenant of marriage (Exodus 20:14; Hebrews
             13:4)

            Conception is designed for the covenant of marriage (Proverb 5: 15-23; Psalm
             139: 13-16)

            Pregnancy is designed for the covenant of marriage (Gen. 4:1; Matthew 1:19-21)

            Child-bearing is designed for the covenant of marriage (Hebrews 12:8; John 8:40
             -41)

            Parenthood and raising children is designed for the covenant of marriage (Psalm
             127:3-5; Colossians 3:18-21)

            Ultimately, marriage is the image of Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:21-33)

c)        Be willing to speak up in defense of God’s design for marriage (John 14:3)

d)        Let your marriage reflect Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:21-33)

                                                                Bob Moeller on air

                                                                Stephen and Melissa

Cheryl's St. Patty's Day Breakfast

4 cups hashed brown potatoes, refrigerated or frozen, loose pack 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded 1 cup bell pepper, chopped 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese 1/2 cup onion, chopped and 1 cup cooked asparagus, cooked and blended 9 eggs, beaten 1 cup light cream, or half and half  (or I use skim milk) Thaw potatoes, if frozen. Then press the potatoes between paper towels to remove excess moisture. Pour 1 cup olive oil in 11" x 13" pan and push around.  Arrange potatoes evenly in the bottom. Bake uncovered in a preheated 400° F. oven for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° F. On top of the potatoes in the pan, layer Monterey Jack cheese, sauteed onions and peppers, and Swiss cheese. Sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper.  In small mixing bowl, combine the eggs, blended cooked asparagus, and light cream or skim milk. Pour egg mixture over potato, veggies, and cheese mixture in pan. Sprinkle heavily with Lawry's Seasoning Salt.  Bake uncovered in the 350° oven about 25 minutes, or until the center appears set. Makes 6 servings.

Ten Things Super Mom can Teach the National Football League

Many Moms look with chagrin at the all the hard-hitting physical contact and injuries that occur in the game of football and wonder, “What’s the attraction in this for men?” After all, if the NFL would only listen to Mom they would learn…

1.  To talk out their issues and problems instead of shoving, pushing, and tackling out there on the field – fighting never solves anything.

2.  To stop whispering in the huddles; it only makes the other team feel bad to know they’re being talked about.

3.  The real Super Bowl is the big white one in the bathroom.

4.  There’s no point in wearing a clean uniform if you only intend to get it dirty – furthermore it is only polite to walk, not run when you’re in a crowd. And stealing the ball from someone who is playing with it is always wrong. Why do people cheer when that happens? It only encourages bad behavior.

5.  Those men wearing black-and-white striped shirts and carrying whistles should      use their handkerchiefs instead of throwing them down on the field.  And why do they carry yellow ones?  They don't match anyone's outfit.

6.  Those men floating up there in that giant Goodyear balloon should come down right now before it pops. Besides – they are cheating-they’re trying to see the game without having to buy a ticket.  Shame on them!

7.  It is really not nice to pour a bucket of Gatorade on that poor man standing on the sideline – the clipboard he’s holding is probably the homework he's been working on the entire game.  Now it's all wet, and the teacher will make him stay after school and do it all over again.

8.  Coaches should know when they a player is given a "time out" in a game that the player should be made to sit in a corner and think about what they have done wrong.  They shouldn’t let them back on the field until they say they're sorry. A two-minute time out just isn’t enough time to teach a lesson.

9.  You don’t give the player supper if he comes in one more time with his uniform all dirty.  

10. If they would only read Gentlemen’s Quarterly that would know padded shoulders went out in the 1980’s.

Cheryl's Super Bowl Italian Chicken Sandwiches

Wow! Just like Chicago's Italian Beef Sandwiches, but made with Chicken

Italian Chicken Sandwiches

Ingredients:
5 lbs. fresh chicken breast,
boneless and skinless
1 16 oz. bottle low-fat Italian dressing
1 package (envelope) Italian dressing
seasoning dry mix
2 Tbsps. oregano
1 jar of giardiniera (Italian pickled
vegetables)

Preparation:
Place chicken breasts in crockpot. In a
separate bowl, combine low-fat Italian
dressing, Italian dressing seasoning dry
mix, and oregano; pour over chicken.
Cover, and cook on low for 6 hours.
Remove chicken, and shred with 2
forks, forming strings. Return chicken to
crockpot. Cover, and cook on low for 2-4
additional hours.
Serve meat with juices on a cut Italian
roll. Garnish with giardiniera if desired.

Help, Mom's Stuck on Spin Cycle CD and Mini-Book by Cheryl Moeller

Great Gift idea for sisters, moms, grandmoms, and friends for Valentines' Day.  Order here on the right side.

My Crockpot is my Best Friend: The Elves and the Shoemaker

       In the Grimms Fairy Tale, The Elves and the Shoemaker, elves come in the night and make a pair of shoes which the shoemaker sells for more than his asking price the next day.  The elves come the next night and make 2 pairs of shoes with the additional leather. The shoemaker buys leather for 3 shoes and stays up to find the elves making the shoes. The shoemaker and wife make clothes for the elves the next day, and the elves are pleased to find clothes, and continue making shoes. They all live happily ever after.

    There's nothing like waking up to steel-cut oatmeal in your crockpot.  Everyone can add on their fav topping. Andrew, Brent, Robby, and MacKenzie like brown sugar.  I like raisins.  Bob likes blueberries and Megan likes her's plain.

       My crockpot is one of my best friends.  I love it.  It's like having my own personal elf.  Who else makes a person's life easier and is so so patient and willing to listen? :)

       My brilliant home tested and family loved recipe is four cups of water to one cup of steel cut oats.  If you are making regular oatmeal, it's two cups of water to one cup of oatmeal.  By the way, I throw in an extra cup or two of water in either type of oatmeal when making it in the slow cooker.

       If you want to add a little more protein, add 3-4 beaten egg whites, also to the recipes above.  It makes a custard texture and keeps you going until lunch time.

       Sleep well and wake up to the heavenly aroma of oatmeal floating throw the air. And, live happily ever after.

10 Reasons Mom Gets Distracted in December

During the holidays, dads are thinking about playoff games, and kids are dreaming about vacation, but Mom’s mind is definitely somewhere else…

1.. While everyone else stampedes through stores at 4:00 AM the day after Thanksgiving to buy this year’s most popular toy, Mom is still trying to remember where she hid last year’s most popular toy.
2. While everyone else is trading fruit cakes, if Mom says yes to one more Christmas party where they are yodeling “Jingle Bells,” she’s going to become a fruitcake.      

3. While everyone else is posing for a Christmas picture, Mom is praying that the photographer won’t notice she’s wearing two different colored flip flops. (The dog has hidden one of each.)
4. While everyone else is sporting a giant red Santa hat, Mom is taking a pass this year after last year’s fender bender when she was mistaken for a stoplight.
5. While everyone else is using the Advent calendar to count down to December 25, Mom is counting down to January 5 — and the full body mud spa treatment she promised herself.

6. While everyone else is wearing Christmas sweaters with monstrous reindeer, Mom knows that they actually make you look like a mobile Christmas bulletin board.

7. While everyone else is bragging in their Christmas letters about their kids’ Ivy League educations, Mom is glad that her children have finally quit itching after running into a bad patch of poison ivy last summer at camp.

8. While everyone else is enjoying delicious roast turkey on Christmas Eve, Mom knows she burned her poor bird and must glue sliced turkey pieces from 7-Eleven® onto a basketball — and hope no one notices.
9. While everyone else is asking Santa for toys, games, and clothes, Mom is missing from the picture due to her request for 10 minutes to herself, a clean towel, and a bathtub with no plastic submarines floating in it.

 10. While everyone in Washington D.C. is taking a break from politics, Mom is encouraged by her husband to run for Congress with all the new bills she has introduced into the house.