Post-Independence Day, 2011

A little over 300 years ago, a War for Independence was fought against the British Empire; Britain conceded the defeat, and a nation celebrated its own birth. Years before that, however, men from many corners of Europe and the British Isles left their homelands in search of an elusive freedom. That search brought them to a land completely devoid of the amenities to which they were accustomed, and occupied by people who were more foreign to them than were the Orientals on the other side of the known world. There, surrounded by the dangerous and unfamiliar, the seekers found what they sought: the freedom to worship and teach as they believed was right, without the fear of soldiers knocking down their doors and delivering them up for harsh sentences.

Dad's Trip to Publix Today

A while back, Dad offered to go shopping for me at Publix on his way home from work in the evenings. Generally, I prepare a little baggie of coupons and shopping list, and hand that over to him the prior evening. Most of the time, he has no problem at the register and comes home with this little grin on his face - along with several items that were decidedly not on my list. As far as Mom and I can tell, he just hates to leave Publix without handing over seven or eight dollars more than I had planned on; usually, the extras include iced tea and a Cuban sandwich, even if he is on his way home to dinner.

Free Vitamins at Publix!

Starting Saturday, June 25th (that's tomorrow!), Publix will have their newest Green Advantage Buy flyer available at their stores (in the turnabout near the front where you find the weekly sales ad). Inside that flyer, you will find Publix store coupons for $6 off two Sundown Naturals Vitamins. Use that coupon with two $1 off one Sundown Naturals manufacturer's coupons to get a total of $8 off two bottles of vitamins. Many varieties of the vitamins are $3.99 or less, which makes them free!

The Green Advantage Buy flyer also has coupons and sales for really cheap feminine products (two packages of regular size pads for $.19!). For more details, check out my post at A Little Lower Than Free.

The Stumbling Block and Rock of Offense: The Offense of the Cross

The Stumbling Block and Rock of Offense is nothing more than the fact that we, Mankind, are incapable of reaching perfection of self and surroundings on our own. In fact, if we have anything to do with it, then all is lost.

The "offense of the cross" which Paul speaks of in Galatians is the acknowledgement that perfection must come and does come from a source outside of ourselves. All men - Jew, Gentile, whatever divisions you may see in the world - balk at such an idea; so they stumble over and around the fact, rather than resting on the Corner Stone of the foundation of God's perfect existence.

Check out these verses:
Psalm 69:22
Isaiah 8:13-15
Jeremiah 6:21
Romans 9:30-33 with Galatians 5:11
I Corinthians 1:22-24
I Peter 2:4-8

Publix Trip and ConAgra Rebate

About three weeks ago, I began seeing some hubub about a great deal at Publix with ConAgra items. A few days later, I found a ConAgra brand coupon booklet in Publix containing several Publix coupons and a great rebate! The rebate stipulates that you purchase $50 worth of groceries at Publix, with at least half of that purchase being select ConAgra brand items.

Well, last week's Publix ad had Hunt's Ketchup (24 oz.) and Peter Pan Peanut Butter (13-16 oz.) on sale for BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE. I was able to get rain checks for each of those, so that I could wait for some other coupons to arrive from eBay. Once those coupons arrived...I went to Publix!