Letter to the Editor

I don't know if anyone noticed, but I got a letter to the editor of the Oklahoman published in the Sunday Oklahoman.  I had responded to an article in a Wed. paper two weeks ago in which Oklahoma schools were given a "D" grade overall.  The thing that made me the most upset was that Sandy Garrett never once took responsibility as the leader of the dept. of education. She just gave excuses.  What really made me mad was that we got an "F" in "truth in advertising," which means Sandy Garrett had the numbers manipulated to make them not look so bad.  She is definitely responsible for being dishonest about the achievement scores Oklahoma students got.

I was somewhat hesitant to send this as I figured my name would be out there and I am a certified teacher in Oklahoma.  I will probably never be able to get an education job in the public schools in this state, not that I would ever want one there at this stage in my life.  When I got home, the phone rang and this guy asked if I was Faith Braswell who had written the article in the paper.  I guess I wondered what he would say if I admitted that I was.  Well, I went ahead and said yes.  He said he really liked what I said and agreed 100%.  He mentioned that there is an article in the paper about students in several universities being punished for cheating.  He said, "Sandy Garrett cheated and I want to know what they will do to punish her."  Anyway, he said he wished I would write again.  Well, it was a pretty unique experience.  I must admit I was a bit nervous about it.  Ron really encouraged me to send it, so I did.

Faith

VOM

Yesterday I went with Ashley to see where she works with Voice of the Martyrs.  We had returned from a fun visit with Luke and Julie in Omaha, and before I returned to Yukon, I went to this place of ministry to see it and participate in their weekly chapel service and enjoy a guided tour.  I don't know how to describe what I felt when I walked into the building with Ashley, except to say that I felt as if I were on holy ground.  For years now, I have prayed for the persecuted church on almost a daily basis in my quiet time.  Now I was in the very place where the organization that serves them does its extremely important work all over the world.  I felt so privileged to be there and to hug and to shake the hands of those who do the main work, including my own daughter.

One of the pictures of the many that I saw was in the building on the wall.  It was a close up of a woman in a country where it is dangerous to become a Christian and be counted with Christ's followers.  The woman was obviously singing in a praise service with other believers.  She was raising one of her hands in praise to the Lord.  But what really sticks with me is what she was doing with the other hand.  It was placed around her neck.  I might not have noticed it so much, except that the tour guide brought it to our attention and explained what that meant.  She said that this is significant and many believers praise with one hand in the air and one around their neck to witness that they are praising God even though they know that even in that service, they could be invaded by enemies of the Gospel and could be called on to suffer greatly for praising the Lord, or even give their life.  The hand around their neck is a witness that they realize the cost and are willing to pay it with their lives if need be. 

I hope I will never praise God again in the same way and remember this picture that I have seen.  I have been challenged to pray more and to write letters to prisoners from my prisonalert web sight that I hear from periodically.  I have not been as faithful to that ministry as I should have been.

It may sound silly, but I took some pride in the fact that the headquarters of this wonderful organization is right here in the state of Oklahoma.  Thank you, all of you who work there, and Ashley especially.  I am proud in the right way that you are doing this work.  God bless all of those who are on the front lines serving the persecuted church through the ministry of Voice of the Martyrs.

FAITH

puzzles

Over Christmas, we all went to the Wasielewski's for a Christmas party.  This is an annual event for Philip and his Yukon circle of friends.  However, this Christmas there were fewer people in town to attend, so they called and invited our whole family to come.  One of the things they also have at this party is a puzzle to work, and in the past Philip would sometimes stay the whole night until the puzzle was put together.  Well, we did not stay very late, but when we got home Ashley and I went to Walmart and got a puzzle for our family to put together.  It was a lot of fun. 

Since then Ron and I have put together 2 1000-piece puzzles and we are working on our third.  I've been thinking a lot about why this is such an enjoyable thing and also how working puzzles is similar to life.  I guess I do a lot of thinking while I work puzzles.  Working puzzles forces you to be very observant and to look at details.  It really helps you to see the differences in pieces that actually look the same.  One of the things that really strikes me is that sometimes you need to get away from the puzzle to be able to work it better.  Life is like that.  Sometimes when you come upon a difficult situation, it is best to back away and come back to it later to have a different perspective.  Another thing about puzzles is the team work.  Sometimes when Ron and I are working on the puzzle at the same time, one of us may get a bit frustrated because we feel like we have looked at every piece and the piece we are looking for isn't there.  Then the other of us looks and finds it quickly.

I just do a lot of thinking about everything when I work a puzzle.  I got the book Prayer by Philip Yancey for Christmas.  I've been reading it a lot today.  But his writing is so thought provoking that I have had to take breaks and just think about what I have read.  So I've been taking my breaks working the puzzle and meditating on what I have read.

I think working puzzles is really a great thing to do.  When the kids were young I started very early helping them to learn how to put puzzles together.  I guess it is valuable because you are learning a certain kind of problem solving skill.

Work a puzzle today!!!!!!!!!!!

FAITH

puzzles

Over Christmas, we all went to the Wasielewski's for a Christmas party.  This is an annual event for Philip and his Yukon circle of friends.  However, this Christmas there were fewer people in town to attend, so they called and invited our whole family to come.  One of the things they also have at this party is a puzzle to work, and in the past Philip would sometimes stay the whole night until the puzzle was put together.  Well, we did not stay very late, but when we got home Ashley and I went to Walmart and got a puzzle for our family to put together.  It was a lot of fun. 

Since then Ron and I have put together 2 1000-piece puzzles and we are working on our third.  I've been thinking a lot about why this is such an enjoyable thing and also how working puzzles is similar to life.  I guess I do a lot of thinking while I work puzzles.  Working puzzles forces you to be very observant and to look at details.  It really helps you to see the differences in pieces that actually look the same.  One of the things that really strikes me is that sometimes you need to get away from the puzzle to be able to work it better.  Life is like that.  Sometimes when you come upon a difficult situation, it is best to back away and come back to it later to have a different perspective.  Another thing about puzzles is the team work.  Sometimes when Ron and I are working on the puzzle at the same time, one of us may get a bit frustrated because we feel like we have looked at every piece and the piece we are looking for isn't there.  Then the other of us looks and finds it quickly.

I just do a lot of thinking about everything when I work a puzzle.  I got the book Prayer by Philip Yancey for Christmas.  I've been reading it a lot today.  But his writing is so thought provoking that I have had to take breaks and just think about what I have read.  So I've been taking my breaks working the puzzle and meditating on what I have read.

I think working puzzles is really a great thing to do.  When the kids were young I started very early helping them to learn how to put puzzles together.  I guess it is valuable because you are learning a certain kind of problem solving skill.

Work a puzzle today!!!!!!!!!!!

FAITH

Goodbye, Cocoa

Well, Ron and I took Cocoa to the vet today after making the decision over the weekend that she needed to be put out of her misery.  It was not an easy decision as she was basically part of the family for 13 years.  I guess I will never forget the day we got her.  We had had to make the painful decision of getting rid of another dog that just needed a big piece of fenced in land, which we did not have.  We found a good place for that dog, but it was hard to say good-bye to Dusty.  So we went to Pet Finders in Edmond to find another dog.  It was near Thanksgiving and Mom and Dad Braswell were out here visiting us.  We had a station wagon at the time, and I will always remember Ron and Dad driving in the driveway and seeing Philip and Cocoa in the seat all the way back.  Cocoa was always Philip's dog.  The woman at Pet Finders said Cocoa was her favorite, because she was smart and nice.

In spite of the hair we had on the floor to vacuum and Cocoa's annoying bark and it taking for ever for her to avoid the skunks out in Surrey, she was really a great pet.  She liked pizza and could smell it coming in through the garage when Ron brought it home.  One time Ron brought it in and then left to go into the bedroom before we ate and Cocoa sat next to the door of the bedroom whining because Ron was the one who would feed her his pizza crust.  What a dog!  She also had the softest fur ever and I would sometimes take off my shoes at the end of a busy day and rub her stomach with my bare feet and it made her feel good and me feel good.

I won't go into why we had her put to sleep but it was very hard for me to put her outside after she had been an inside dog.  Then we couldn't even get her to come on the porch and sleep.  So she was alone in her misery as well, and that made me feel pretty sad.

I do think that God shows His love to us by bringing things into our lives just for the enjoyment and pets are one of those things.  He certainly provided a pet that really fit into our family by giving us Cocoa.  Thank you Lord.

I