"Sissy's Song" by Alan Jackson, expressed in American Sign Language

 PRAY!!!! Bad fire near our house. Possible person trapped inside. It is really bad lots of tankers and engines etc...shutting down highway etc. PRAY!!!!

There's a fire at the JR Cycle Shop in Ephrata Township. That's on Route 322, near the Wal-Mart. Route 322 is closed right now.

Update: Shortly before 5:30 p.m., units were dispatched to JR's Cycle Shop at 840 E. Main St. in Ephrata Township for a report of a fire with possible entrapment.

When firefighters arrived, the front of the building was enveloped in heavy flames and smoke, Pioneer Deputy Chief Vernon Schmuck said.

The owner of the business, who was thought to have possibly been inside, was quickly accounted for, he said.

Fire crews mounted an exterior attack and attempted to battle the blaze from the unaffected rear of the building, Schmuck said.

"(But) as we were setting up it kept feeding, and we just couldn't get ahead of it," he said.

Schmuck said the building appears to be a total loss, but he could not provide a damage estimate late Wednesday. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

About 100 firefighters from seven departments battled the blaze in below-freezing temperatures. Haz-mat and EMS units also were at the scene.

Here is a picture that we took of it today

East End Speed and JR Cycle Shop were completely destroyed in the fire

Here are a few pictures from the family gathering at Grandma K's

This is Grandma K. She is Hubby's Grandmother.

Here is Hubby

Here is S

A picture of C

Here is W and if you look in the  mirror you can see a bit of me

Hubby and all of our little ones

Hubby's father

There are just a few pictures. Hope you enjoyed seeing them.

Blessings and Shalom

A post that many may not expect from me. I read something today where someone was talking about "horrible Muslims and their call for Jihad."

Jihad seems to be a very  misunderstood word. 

Jihād is a noun meaning "struggle."

Jihad appears frequently in the Qur'an and common usage as the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of Allah (al-jihad fi sabil Allah)"

"Fighting for the Cause of Allah (Jihaad) ".Sahih al-Bukhari 4:52:41

"O you who believe! Choose not your fathers nor your brethren for protectors if they love disbelief over belief; whoever of you takes them for protectors, such are wrong-doers. Say: if your fathers, and your children, and your brethren, and your spouses, and your tribe, and the wealth you have acquired, and business for which you fear shrinkage, and houses you are pleased with are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and striving in His way: then wait till Allah brings His command to pass. Allah does not guide disobedient folk."
(Quran 9:23, 24)

Mahatma Gandhi's struggle for Indian independence is called a "jihad" in Modern Standard Arabic.

Granted Jihad can mean violence but it does not always mean violence.

"And strive (Jadihu) for Allah with the endeavor (Jihadihi) which is His right. He has chosen you and has not laid upon you in the deen (religion) any hardship..."
(Quran, 22:78)

Jihad of the heart (jihad bil qalb/nafs) is concerned with combating the devil and in the attempt to escape his persuasion to evil. This type of Jihad is regarded as the greater jihad (al-jihad al-akbar).

Jihad by the tongue (jihad bil lisan) is concerned with speaking the truth and spreading the word of Islam with one's tongue.

Jihad by the hand (jihad bil yad) refers to choosing to do what is right and to combat injustice and what is wrong with action.

Jihad by the sword (jihad bis saif) refers to qital fi sabilillah (armed fighting in the way of God, or holy war), the most common usage by Salafi Muslims and offshoots of the Muslim Brotherhood.

When faced with two competing interests, it becomes jihad to choose the right one

    "Aisha, wife of the Prophet asked, 'O Messenger of Allah, we see jihad as the best of deeds, so shouldn't we join it?' He replied, 'But the best of jihad is a perfect Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah).'"
    (Sahih Al-Bukhari, No. 2784)

The Qur'an permits fighting to defend the religion of Islam and the Muslims. This permission includes fighting in self-defense and for the protection of family and property.

Islam never tolerates unprovoked aggression from its own side; Muslims are commanded in the Qur'an not to begin hostilities, embark on any act of aggression, violate the rights of others, or harm the innocent. Even hurting or destroying animals or trees is forbidden. War is waged only to defend the religious community against oppression and persecution, because the Qur'an says that "persecution is worse than slaughter" and "let there be no hostility except to those who practice oppression" (Qur'an 2:190-193). Therefore, if non-Muslims are peaceful or indifferent to Islam, there is no justified reason to declare war on them.

The Qur'an also says, "Let there be no compulsion in religion" (2:256). Forcing someone at the point of a sword to choose death or Islam is an idea that is foreign to Islam in spirit and in historical practice.

I really hope this helps clear up the whole thing with Islam, war and Jihad. Any Questions? comments? Anything to add?

I pulled a muscle in my abdomen and it hurts a lot (really bad). You don't realize what all you use those muscles for until you pull one.

So if you could keep that in your prayers for a  quick healing I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you

Update: Still in pain

Here is some December Fun!!!!!

Here are some more pictures and videos of the snow...including the children playing in the snow. Enjoy

First the two videos and then the pictures

 

So there are the Saturday Afternoon pictures and videos. Hope you like them. It is supposed to continue to snow until Sunday noon-ish.

Kids Craft Basket Gift Idea
Craft kit: Fill a box with:
colored paper
crayons
stickers
pipe cleaners
buttons
pom-poms
glue
scissors
kid sized craft apron (recycle one of dads shirts)
sparkles