The Watchman Awards #7 - The Best of 2007

This week's first place article is written by a college student named Jamie Kiley and is entitled "Don't Give Us The Vote." I have never found or read any article speaking of the anti-suffrage movement in the early 1900's until this one and was absolutely amazed that someone would tackle the subject. Although I figured they existed, I never knew about any female organizations that opposed suffrage. It was an eye opener and I highly recemmend the article!

In last week's post, I told you all that I had an announcement coming up in the near future. I then made that announcement in Monday's post entitled The Greatly Anticipated Announcement. I let you all know on that day that I would be leaving for Basic Training for the United States Army in early February. The responses to that post were so overwhelming. Everyone has been so eager to lend their support, prayers, and advice. The response has been much more positive than I could have ever expected. Thank you!

Please continue to be in prayer for my wife and I as we prepare for military life. I am working out almost everyday. I used to run and bicycle a lot in High School and was in awesome physical shape at that time. I have been working very hard to get back into shape in preparation for the military. I am up to running between five and six miles per day without being sore. I am also working aggressively on increasing my ability to do push-ups and sit-ups. I am open to any recommendations for increasing the effectiveness of my work-outs. Again, thank you to everyone!

While I am in Basic Training, I will not personally be able to update my blog. That, I think, is obvious. My blog will, however, get updated. My wife has agreed to post the letters that I send to her. I hope to send her at least one or two letters per week. Minus anything of a personal nature, my wife will post the letters verbatim so that all of our friends and family will be able to keep up with my training.

I will, however, be unable to maintain my Watchman Awards though I would like to. I have decided to offer an open ended invitation to anyone who might be willing to post a list of three great blog articles on my blog for me once per week. You would be welcome to write some information before the list as I often do, but you certainly wouldn't have to. If anyone would be interested in doing this please let me know and I will add you to the list of people who are allowed to post on this blog. If you are interested, either leave my a comment below or send me a personal message via my email which can be found on my profile at the side. Thank you all and God bless you!

And now for our feature presentation...The Watchman Awards!

1st. Jamie Kiley: Don't Give Us The Vote - "'What?' you say. 'There were women who actively fought against suffrage for themselves?!' Yep. And the movement wasn’t an insignificant one, either. In fact, the Antis, as they were known, enjoyed a high rate of success up until 1917, when suffragists starting pushing for a federal amendment to the Constitution instead of working on a state-by-state basis."

2nd. Missionary Insights: How Is Your Vision Of God? - "Today, many see God wearing a Hawaiian shirt and wearing flip flops. As one popular preacher described him in a book, "They see the 'man upstairs,' or their 'buddy.'" How we view God is very important because it is directly tied to how we serve God. Yes that’s right...your view of God does determine how you will serve God. The devil has done a good job at painting a distorted picture of God, and it has affected Christianity today."

3rd. Maranatha: Love and Reverence - "Marriage does not bring with it a 'bed of roses.' This cliche has been used so much but have we ever thought about its meaning? Roses need to be planted in just the right soil, have just the right amount of watering and sunshine, and continually need pruning if they are to grow healthy. One can see the difference between neglected roses and a rose bush which has been meticulously cared for. A good marriage takes years of nurturing by both husband and wife. Starting marriage off equally yoked with a desire to serve the Lord together is a wonderful start. But the key to a good and successful marriage begins with Eph. 5:33...Love and Reverence."