Rejoicing in Redemption

In Honor of my Brother Who Is Now...

2011-12-20T20:57:00.000-08:00

Courting!!

We would appreciate your prayers.

Anyway, this is an article, which I unfortunately do not have any record of where I acquired it, that I thought would be helpful things for my brother and his 'lady' to consider, as well as any others of you who are also courting someone. (Note: I do NOT recommend dating like many of the examples used did.)

10 Ways to Be Marriable
by Suzanne Hadley

A few years ago I was visiting my parents when I caught my mom with some interesting reading material: Marriable by Hayley and Michael DiMarco. She divulged a few of the book's insights and assured me that I was on track. When you're working toward something, whether obtaining a degree, succeeding in a career or finding a life partner, it's not a bad idea to study how others have done it — and done it well.

With this in mind, I informally interviewed a dozen married couples to find out what drew them to their spouses and what made them stick around. These 10 characteristics rose to the top.

(Note: Some names have been changed to protect couples' privacy.)

1. Contentment. When Nathan met Kelsey, he noticed her beautiful smile and the fact that she was satisfied with her life. "She wasn't desperate to get married," he says. "Kelsey had two plans for life: one that included a spouse and one that did not. That told me that she was content with whatever God brought her way."

Jessica caught Jim's attention the moment she walked into the room. "She acted differently than most people — reserved and modest, not showing off her obvious beauty," he says. As Jim got to know her through the outdoor activities they enjoyed doing together, he noticed her self-assurance. "She wasn't looking, but she wasn't resistant either. I got along with her very well, and it seemed that she wasn't trying too hard to be the person I wanted."

2. Initiative. Josh found many things to love about Danielle, including her stunning auburn locks, but the thing that most caught his attention was that she was living her life with purpose. She had graduated from college and was succeeding in her career as an exhibition design assistant at a big city art museum.

"Some girls I knew were sitting around waiting for this wealthy, good-looking man to take care of them," Josh says. "Danielle was living life to the fullest and that attracted me to her.

"I thought, If a girl is sitting on the couch at home all day at her parents, will she sit on the couch all day as my wife? In Danielle, I could see a glimpse into the future and knew she would carry the same passion and energy she had for God, our church and her job into marriage. As it turns out, I was right."

Similarly, Gretta, who was friends with her husband, Jay, for three years before they began dating, noted his work ethic. "He was determined to do well at whatever he set out to do," she says. "He was reading books on relationships, talking to trusted married friends and seeking wise counsel. I saw in his work life how he wanted to excel. He would do whatever it took to get the job done, and he applied that same determination to our relationship."

3. Kindness. Johanna was first attracted to Paul because of the friendliness and kindness he showed to everyone, not just her. "And I thought he was a hottie," she adds. After they were married, Johanna discovered that Paul's kind heart extended to financial generosity as well. "He gives way more than the standard," she says.

4. Consistency. Kelsey knew she wanted to marry Nathan when she was grocery shopping with him for a dorm section event in college. They weren't even dating. "I thought to myself, I could shop with Nathan for the rest of my life!" Kelsey knew Nathan for two years before they began dating. "He was consistent," she says. "He was the same person no matter who he was around or what situation he was in."

5. Optimism. Gavin and Jamie met while working together at the same church. "I guess it was natural I would take a second glance at someone who was my age, cute and single," Gavin says.

But once they began dating, he discovered something else. "She'd lived through some rough times growing up (like me). Yet somehow, she'd come out on the other side with a remarkably positive attitude about life and an unshakeable faith."

Even when Gavin lost his job, and thought that might end their relationship — "Who wants to date a guy who just lost his fulltime income, right?" — Jamie was supportive and encouraged him in the next step. That pattern has continued into their marriage.

6. Commitment. When Josh began attending Lindy's church and quickly committed himself to the worship and leadership teams, Lindy was impressed. It was also a "happy coincidence" because she was on the same teams, which meant they got to see each other three times a week. Josh demonstrated the same kind of dedication as he pursued Lindy for marriage. "He's a man of integrity who knows how to make a commitment," she says.

7. Spiritual Passion. Krista believes God told her to marry her husband, Craig. "I quite willingly agreed!" she says. "When I was growing up, my mom told me to pray for a husband who is passionate about God. I did, and I got him! I am able to respect Craig because he listens to God and obeys His voice."

From the first time they met, Melissa loved Brock's green eyes. The kind of guy who would buy her a trinket she liked or plan a fun outing together, it was Brock's devotion to Christ that ultimately won Melissa's heart. "His desire to know Jesus and develop a closer relationship with Him was evident through the dating process," she says. "He has a very strong commitment to the Lord."

8. Humility. Christine met her husband, Mike, via their blogs, and eventually moved to Australia to marry him. Among his many good qualities, Christine says of Mike: "He is open about his flaws and sincerely repents of his wrongs. I can see his tender heart constantly being shaped by the Holy Spirit to become more like Christ."

Josh's humility "really got my attention," Danielle says. "I'd been around a lot of men who were full of pride, who never gave heartfelt apologies or thought they were wrong. Josh had a humble spirit, and I really loved that about him." She's discovered that this humility also allows Josh to be a good leader of their home.

9. Faith. Shy and reserved, Sarah might have never talked to Andrew if he hadn't sat by her at a college ice cream social and struck up a conversation. But as she got to know him, she noticed his deep trust in the Lord. "I knew Andrew would make a good spouse because of his commitment to being a godly man and the way he trusted the Lord for all of his needs. That was a trust that I saw the Lord rewarding time and again as He provided exactly what we needed at the moment."

10. Perseverance. Rebecca and her husband, Kade, had a long, difficult engagement. "I experienced so much grace, love and truth-telling," Rebecca says. "I felt completely valued and loved in a way I never had before, and I saw Kade persevere in the challenge of relating to my parents, who didn't like him."

Mike heard about his wife, Jessica's, "brains and beauty" before he ever even met her. When they did meet, he was hooked. But five months after they began dating, Jessica went on a year-long mission trip to a country with limited Internet and phone access. While she was away, Mike got up at 4 a.m. many mornings to chat with her online, spent a fortune on calling cards and even visited twice, staying for two months in the summer.

"Then I knew he would not only support my dreams but join me in them," Jessica says.

"Throughout our relationship, Jessica was committed and loyal," Mike adds. "We had a saying 'up and to the right' (like the trend you want to see in the stock market). As time passed our love for each other continued to grow. Marriage has its ups and downs. Being able to make it through the downs is what strengthens a relationship."

Each of the above 10 characteristics was mentioned again and again — by people who know. This list is certainly not comprehensive, but based on the fact that most of the couples interviewed have been married for between five and 10 years, these qualities seem to be good indicators not only of "mate" potential but of success in married life.

Getting married and staying married isn't always easy, but solid character is a good foundation for both.

Pepsi Uses Aborted Fetal Cells In Flavor Enhancers

2011-11-15T11:10:00.000-08:00

Pro-life groups call for Pepsi boycott over aborted fetal cell lines
by Rebecca Millette
lifesitenews.com

LARGO, Florida, May 26, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Scores of prolife groups are calling for a public boycott of food giant, PepsiCo, due to its partnership with Senomyx, a biotech company that uses aborted fetal cells in the research and development of artificial flavor enhancers.
LifeSiteNews previously reported on Senomyx’s partnership with major food corporations, most notably PepsiCo, Kraft Foods, and Nestlé.
Pro-life watchdog group, Children of God for Life (CGL), is now joined by major pro-life organizations calling upon the public to target PepsiCo in a boycott.
Pepsi is funding the research and development, and paying royalties to Senomyx, which uses HEK-293 (human embryonic kidney cells) to produce flavor enhancers for Pepsi beverages.
“Using isolated human taste receptors we created proprietary taste receptor-based assay systems that provide a biochemical or electronic readout when a flavor ingredient interacts with the receptor,” says the Senomyx website.
“What they do not tell the public is that they are using HEK 293 – human embryonic kidney cells taken from an electively aborted baby to produce those receptors,” stated Debi Vinnedge, President for CGL, the watch dog group that has been monitoring the use of aborted fetal material in medical products and cosmetics for years. ..

Click HERE or the title to continue reading.

Nice Guys

2011-10-31T07:58:00.000-07:00

"The honorably faithful man, who knows which side he is on, has been replaced by the nice guy. Outwardly, the nice guy is accommodating, docile, and equivocating – the man who never judges anything or anyone. Inwardly, he is paralyzed by fears and will surrender anything to cling to his artificial life of selfish peace and affluence.

The artificial men of our time have artificial minds that guarantee ignorant passivity. They have forgotten that men have the duty to develop their capacities to discern and act. As for enemies, they have little to fear, because passive men are no threat to evil. Evil can advance without resistance."

Geoffrey Botkin, Will the Legacy of American Manhood Die with Dick Winters?

14 Reasons Why Rick Perry Would Be A Really, Really Bad President

2011-08-17T11:51:00.000-07:00

Supporters of Texas Governor Rick Perry are not going to like this article at all. Right now, Republicans all over the United States are touting Rick Perry as the "Republican messiah" that is going to come charging in to save America from the presidency of Barack Obama. Many believe that if Rick Perry enters the race, he will instantly become the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Perry certainly looks the part and he knows how to give a good speech, but when ordinary Americans all over the country take a hard look at his record, they may not like what they see.
The truth is that Rick Perry is a big-time globalist, he has raised taxes and fees in Texas numerous times, he has massively increased the size of government spending and government debt in Texas, he has been trying to ram the Trans-Texas Corridor down the throats of the Texas people and he tried to force young women all over Texas to be injected with the Gardasil vaccine. No, Rick Perry is not going to save America. In fact, he would likely be very, very similar to both Bush and Obama in a lot of ways.

Right now, Rick Perry is trying to portray himself as a "good conservative" so that if he enters the race he will be accepted by Christian conservatives. If Rick Perry did win the Republican nomination, he would have a great chance of winning the general election because he would very much be an "establishment" candidate.

But before Republicans get too excited about Rick Perry, there are a whole lot of things that they should know about him.

The following are 14 reasons why Rick Perry would be a really, really bad president....

#1 Rick Perry is a "big government" politician. When Rick Perry became the governor of Texas in 2000, the total spending by the Texas state government was approximately $49 billion. Ten years later it was approximately $90 billion. That is not exactly reducing the size of government.

Click Here to continue reading

Beyond the Mask

2011-08-13T12:52:00.000-07:00

How to Recognize a Godly Man

2011-08-07T18:42:00.000-07:00

I recently found this article/list and thought it was so good I would share (at least some of) it with you. I mostly like how they include several Scripture verses with each one.

Click the title of this post to read the full list on His Heartheat for Women

A godly covenant man who takes that covenant seriously and walks in obedience.
Deuteronomy 28:1-2 “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you on high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God.”

A man with no desire for his own glory.
2 Corinthians 10:17 “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord”.
Romans 11:36 “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”

A man on God’s mission.
Luke 12:31 “Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you”.

A visionary who is going places.
Habakkuk 2:2 “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.”

A tested, tried and proven man.
James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
2 Timothy 2:15 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

A man on pursuit of righteousness.
2 Timothy 2:22 “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”

A prayer warrior and Biblical scholar studious in the Word of God.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.”
2 Timothy 2:15 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”
Psalm 119:11 “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”

A man that soweth to the Spirit.
Galatians 6:7-8 “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

A God fearing man who delights in the commands of the Lord.
Psalm 112:1-2 “Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.”
Deuteronomy 6:5-9 “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

A man who has God at the center of all things.
Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me”.
Psalm 146:1 “Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”
1 Chronicles 16:11 “Seek the LORD and his strength; seek His presence continually!”

A man of faithfulness.
Luke 16:10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”

A man whose intentions are pure.
1 Peter 1:22 “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart.”
Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

A man who will seek and take counsel.
Proverbs 15:22 “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.”
Proverbs 11:14 “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.”

A man of lowly spirit who lays down his life.
Proverbs 29:23 “One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.”
Colossians 3:3 “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

A man who is self-controlled.
Proverbs 25:28 “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.”

A man who won’t prematurely awaken love until it’s evident that God’s purpose is to make you one flesh.
Genesis 2:24 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

(Emphasis Added)

Ist Century Christian Greeting

2011-08-04T21:20:00.000-07:00

My siblings and I recently attended the West Coast Christian Worldview Conference and while there one of the interesting things I learned that was new to me was this 1st Century Christian greeting. On Sunday mornings little children would run through the streets crying "Christ is Risen!" to call the brethren to worship and, as they passed, the brethren would reply " He is Risen Indeed!" This was also used in personal greetings as well as a way to identify other believers.

I think it is a really neat greeting which we should begin using again- its part of our Christian heritage. I may begin using it in all my post, and it might be neat if you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, would use the response when you leave us comments. What do you think?

Pastor Abshire's church, Highlands Reformed Church, uses this greeting every Sunday morning. Does your church use it, or do you know of any others who do?

Cake Decorating - My Second Cake Ever

2011-07-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

This is only the second cake I ever decorated, so I was very pleased with how it turned out. Many thanks to the instruction of my sweet Mother and Wilton's Cake Decorating book. :) I made it for Mrs. Rachel Loscar's bridal shower back in March. The delay in posting is due to a lack of pictures till now. :)

Top view: Needed to be rotated counter-clockwise slightly as the carnations were more on the top left and bottom right than in the middle how it appears. It doesn't show up very well in this picture but besides the carnations I also put a lot of intricate vines with delicate little light purple flowers on it. Oh, and the green bow is holding to wedding rings.

Sissy made the punch and I made the Orange Spice Cake with chocolate whipped cream icing.

This is my favorite picture- the lighting in this photo is how we had it the whole evening, very soft and low.

Manners or The Art of Beautiful Living

2011-04-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

"Social Graces (manners) teache(s) you how to respond to all situations and all people with love, patience, kindness, and always with an open heart full of joy. You can master which fork to use with what course and the proper way to handle introductions, but what remains is that the real lesson is the importance of radiating love to all you meet, no matter who, no matter where, no matter when.

Social graces are how we choose to handle oursleves and are our tools in unearthing the wonderful and peaceful beauty that resides in all of us.

Manners are universal and are the very epitome of humane interaction."
~Social Graces by Ann Platz and Susan Wales

" Good manners spring from just one thing- kind impulses."
~Elsa Maxwell's Ettiquette Book by Else Maxwell

(Emphasis added)

Who Is Your God?- A Method for Identifying Idols

2011-03-09T15:42:00.000-08:00

I am listening to a sermon by Sean Harris of Berean Baptist Church on "Loving God Through the Renewal of Your Mind" (from SermonAudio.com) and he made this striking statement-

"...(W)e are not loving God with our minds! 4 hours watching sports, 10 minutes watching or reading the Word of God; ya know what that says? I love sports more than God! Pure and simple, no argument about it, the Idol in my house is ESPN. And that's who I worship, I worship it every time. Is there something wrong with sports? No there's nothing wrong with sports, but just go ahead and journal your week and see how many minutes and hours you devote to sports, and how many minutes and hours you devote to anything relating to Christianity. Chart the two and decide for yourself who (G)od is."

It might be extremely beneficial, and I am saying this to myself, to do just that- Chart out your week as you go to log how much time you spend on what and see, are you putting the Lord first? Is He really your true love? Or is someone/something else taking the place He should have in your life? What does your heart/mind dwell on the most? the Lord? He is our treasure, and if we are not thinking on Him the most, then something/someone has become an idol.

Humbly Your Sister in Christ,
Miss Mell

Black, White, and Gray Choices

2011-01-26T15:55:00.000-08:00

Well, HELLO to everyone! It's been a long time, I know, and so I'll say a belated Happy New Year! Events have been quickly coming and going in our house, which is the main reason for my long absnece from the blogosphere, but here I am again!

I only have a short quote for you today, but one which, when I read it, struck me very keenly. I've always been told that I am a very, "Black and White" kind of person, and for the last several years I have adamantly declared that, "I don't believe in gray" (that is, in gray choices) because I believe that there is a Biblical principle, if not a command, that either directly, or through application, addresses every area and subject in this life. For the entirety of my life, or at least since I was mature enough to have much understanding and make independent choices, I have approached everything with the view that, because Christ is the Truth, and He is the supreme being and author/creator of everything, there IS an absolute right and/or wrong response/action/answer to everything/for every decision you are every called to make; that everything is ONLY BLACK AND WHITE and GRAY DOES NET EXIST with the Lord. Yet, despite that I have still on occasion had things come up which were, "gray" that were really hard to answer.

When I read this quote last night, it blew me away, because it changed my understanding of BLACK AND WHITE, and well as GRAY. Rushdoony (the author) affirms in this quote the existence of gray, (something which I denied because I did not want to be enslaved to what I believed to be a "relativistic" notion; I wanted to have something absolute off of which to base everything I did at all times, and thus gray was very unpalatable to me), yet liberates us from it's "quick sands" of uncertainty which would like to swallow us up in relativity or supposed "amoral" choices, and places us once again upon the firm foundation of the ABSOLUTE by putting BLACK AND WHITE, not in terms of RIGHT OR WRONG, but in terms of FAITH OR UNBELIEFE!! It placed the choices, or how we make them, in a totally different light than I'd ever seen before. It removed them from the plain of black and white/right or wrong moralism, to the far superior, solidly founded, and defensible plain of RIGHTEOUSNESS. Read for yourself, and then let me know your thought in the comments!

~Miss Mell

"Our choices are rarely black and white ones; we rarely have the luxury of an absolute choice. But we do have the continual opportunity to make decisions in terms of an absolute faith, however gray the immediate situation...For the moralist, it is important that he stand in his own self righteousness...For the godly man, who stands, not in his own righteousness but the righteousness of Christ, his own purity is not the essence of the matter but that God's will be done."

The Institutes of Biblical Law- The Ninth Commandment, 1. Tempting God
by R.J. Rushdoony (quoting himslef from, 'Intellectual Schizophrenia, Culture, Crisis and Education')

12 Days of Homeschool

2010-12-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

What Means Holiness?

2010-12-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

During one of my sermon searches, I came across this sermon by someone I'd never heard of, but the title looked like the makings of a good sermon and it was definitely a topic that needs much attention in our present culture. So I bookmarked it and didn't give it much more thought until a few days later when I needed something to listen to while washing the dishes.

As I listened, the Lord used it to answer and clarify many of my old, unanswered questions as well as prick my heart. This is now become my "Highly Recommended Listen of the Week" from SermonAudio.com!

What Means Holiness? by Derek Carlsen of Covenant Reformed Church

“Holiness is not separating ourselves from life in this world, it is separating ourselves from sin, and sin is any thought or action that is not in submission to God’s word, which means we are expected to do everything in the way God has said, that’s holiness. You want to be holy, you do everything in the way God has said.” ~ Derek Carlson~ Covenant Reformed Church

Eye Service

2010-12-17T06:00:00.001-08:00

" ...as a class employees do their best only when the eye of their employer is upon them. It is eye-service which they render; they do well because their employer is looking on....some people are faithful only when they are watched. None of this class are on the way to success. They may be able to keep soul and body together by their service, but they will never posses the highest type of manhood and womanhood. They may be respectable, but they will never be influential. Eye service has no high standard. It is really aimless, since it is anxious to please only the observer. It is devoid of principle; it may be one thing, and seem to be another, and nothing can be said in its favor. It blocks the way to success."

Gaining Favor with God and Man, Chapter 31-Eye Service by William M. Thayer (Emphasis added)

How to Climb the Ladder of Fortune

2010-12-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

As I usually post things more applicable to the young ladies, I wanted to post something for my brothers in Christ this time; when my Dad read this to us at the dinner table the other night I thought it would be particularly good for you, my brothers, though my sisters can benifit from it as well.

" James Holford climbed the ladder of fortune to the topmost round. When he stood at the bottom, in his boyhood, he imagined how he could go up. One replied, 'Why, my dear boy, it is all luck. I have gone part way up several times and fallen back, and I have given it up. Luck is against me.' Another said, 'It is not so much luck as it is scheming. In these times only the schemers get up.' Still another answered, 'It is patronage that does it. You must have some relative or friend to help you up, or you have no chance.'
James had good sense enough to resist all such twaddle. He believed that there was no chance for a boy like him except by personal fidelity.... In twenty years he was at the head of a large, profitable business of his own, and a little later he stood upon the topmost round of the ladder. Eye-service never accomplished such a feat, and never can.
After the triumph was won, Holford said to the young men: 'The steps from the foot to the summit are not many, but each had a name which must be distinctly known by all who would seek to climb. The first step is faith, and without this none can safely rise; the second, industry; the third perseverance; the fourth, temperance; the fifth, probity (and this latter quality made eye-service impossible); and the sixth, independence. Having obtained a position thus high on the ladder, the future rise is easy, for faith will have taught the climber never to doubt or despair, industry will have kept him from vice either in thought or deed, perseverance will have shown him how easily difficulties are surmounted when calmly met, temperance will have preserved both health and temper, probity will have insured respect and given stability to the character, and independence of spirit, while it will give dignity to the man, will certainly gain the admiration of the world."

Gaining Favor with God and Man, Chapter 31- Eye Service by William M. Thayer (Emphasis added)

Womanly Work

2010-12-13T20:32:00.000-08:00

" It may not seem to be womanly to scrub floors, wash dishes, scour paint, and do many other things which good housekeeping enjoins, but all these things may be done in a manner that proves them to be honorable and elevating. When floors are scrubbed and dishes washed with the same fidelity that prayers are said, the work is womanly in the highest degree."

Gaining Favor with God and Man, Chapter 31- Eye Service by William M. Thayer

A Little Potato Humor

2010-11-18T11:48:00.000-08:00

"Remember the Madagascar"- Remember the Cosmetic Industry

2010-11-04T14:32:00.000-07:00

When the movie Amazing Grace came out in theaters it was one of the first that our family has ever gone to see in theaters due to the usually poor quality of movies shown. But Amazing Grace was exceptional and had a lasting impact on me and my family. I remember particularly that, though most everyone in the theater was brought to tears, it had an even stronger impact on my father who sobbed because he could see the correlation between the fight against slavery in William Wilberforce's time, and the fight against abortion in our own; the only difference being that murdering innocent babies is a much more horrific crime than enslaving people.

One line in the movie was deeply impressed upon my mind- Remember the Madagascar- I will never forget that line. I will never forget it because it will ever remind me of several things- of the bondage which sin brings, of the deliverance which the Lord offers from that bondage, of the horrific things which men do who are under bondage to sin (such as enslave other men or murder babies), of the great cloud of witnesses who preached Christ crucified and fought for liberty in the spiritual as well as physical realms, and, what is having a more direct and present effect upon all of us today, of the millions of innocent babies who are being murdered -4,000 every day- the American holocaust which is taking place because of our nations abandonment of God's law and becoming slaves to idols.

Today I will be sharing with you some information concerning one of the products of abortion, but I will do it using a portion of the script from Amazing Grace adapted for the subject.

Caution: This information is very disturbing and is not suitable for young children. If you are underage DO NOT continue reading until your parents have previewed and approved it.

Click the title of this post to continue reading.

"Ladies and gentleman,
this is a slave ship. The Cosmetic Industry.
It has just returned from the Abortion clinics
where it bought thousands of pounds of dead babies' bodies and processed them into cosmetics.
Before it started buying the murdered babies, they were thrown away as trash and devoured by dogs.
That smell (the perfume in your non-organic cosmetics) is the smell of death.
Slow, painful death.
Breathe it in. Breathe it deeply.
Take those handkerchiefs away from your noses.
There, now.
Remember that smell!
Remember the Cosmetic Industry!
Remember that God said "Thou Shalt not kill"!

(emphasis added)

For more information go to: Cannibalism Through Cosmetics

Why do Great Nations Fail?

2010-11-03T21:35:00.000-07:00

Martin Luther Larger Catechism (on the Sixth Commandment) - Modesty and Marriage

2010-10-29T06:00:00.001-07:00

In some of the comments that I have received on previous posts the opinion has been expressed that serving the Lord was more important than preparing for marriage, and in another case that the monastical life was chosen by some in order to serve God by even rejecting/depriving oneself of the 'good' in this world. I have always contested that a person IS serving the Lord by preparing oneself for marriage (so long as doing so does not become an idol which replaces the Lord) and that the monastical life is not Biblical nor is it necessarily more pleasing to God or help the person serve Him better. The following quote by Martin Luther gives a Biblical basis and solid explanation supporting the beliefs that I hold on several points, and even expounds further upon the subject in areas which I have not even attempted to speak on as of yet. Thus I thought it would be beneficial to my readers if I published it here. Enjoy!~ Miss Mell

"These commandments now (that follow) are easily understood from (the explanation of) the preceding; for they are all to the effect that we (be careful to) avoid doing any kind of injury to our neighbor. But they are arranged in fine (elegant) order. In the first place, they treat of his own person. Then they proceed to the person nearest him, or the closest possession next after his body namely, his wife, who is one flesh and blood with him, so that we cannot inflict a higher injury upon him in any good that is his. Therefor, it is explicitly forbidden here to bring any disgrace upon him in respect to his wife. And it really aims at adultery, because among the Jews it was ordained and commanded that every one must be married. Therefor also the young were early provided for (married), so that the virgin state was held in small esteem, neither were public prostitution and lewdness tolerated (as now). Therefor adultery was the most common form of unchastity among them.

But because among us there is such a shameful mess and the very dregs of all vice and lewdness, this commandment is directed also against all manner of unchastity, whatever it may be called; and not only is the external act forbidden, but also every kind of cause, incitement, and means, so that the heart, the lips, and the whole body may be chaste and afford no opportunity, help, or persuasion to unchastity. And not only this, but that we also make resistance, afford protection and rescue wherever there is danger and need; and again, that we give help and counsel, so as to maintain our neighbor's honor. For whenever you omit this when you could make resistance, or connive at it as if it did not concern you, you are as truly guilty as the one perpetrating the deed. Thus, to state it in the briefest manner, there is required this much, that every on both live chastely himself and help his neighbor to the same, so that God by this commandment wishes to hedge round about and protect (as with a rampart) every spouse that no one trespass against them.

Therefore God has also most richly blessed this estate (marriage) above all others, and in addition, has bestowed on it and wrapped up in it everything in the world, to the end that this estate might be well and richly provided for. Married life is therefore no jest or presumption; but it is an excellent thing and a matter of divine seriousness. For it is of the highest importance to Him that persons be raised who may serve the world and promote the knowledge of God, godly living, and all virtues, to fight against wickedness and the devil.

Therefore I have always taught that this estate should not be despised nor held in disrepute, as is done by the blind world and our false ecclesiastics, but that it be regarded according to God's Word, by which it is adorned and sanctified, so that it is not only placed on an equality with other estates, but that it precedes and surpasses them all, whither they be that of emperor, princes, bishops, or whoever they please. For both ecclesiastical and civil estates must humble themselves and all be found in this estate as we shall hear. Therefore it is not a peculiar estate, but the most common and noblest estate, which pervades all Christendom, yea, which extends through all the world.

Now, speak of this in order that the young may be so guided that they conceive a liking for the married estate, and know that it is a blessed estate and pleasing to God. For in this way we might in the course of time bring it about that married life be restored to honor, and that there might be less of the filthy, dissolute, disorderly doings which now run riot the world over in open prostitution and other shameful vices arising from disregard of married life. Therefore it is the duty of parents and the government to see to it that our youth be brought up to discipline and respectability, and when they have come to years of maturity, to provide for them (to have them married) in the fear of God and honorably; He would not fail to add His blessing and grace, so that men would have joy and happiness from the same.

Let me now say in conclusion that this commandment demands not only that every one live chastely in thought, word, and deed in his condition, that is, especially in the estate of matrimony, but also that every one love and esteem the spouse given him by God. For where conjugal chastity is to be maintained, man and wife must by all means live together in love and with entire fidelity. For that is one of the principle points which enkindle love and desire of chastity, so that, where this is found, chastity will follow as a matter of course without any command. Therefore also (St.) Paul so diligently exhorts husband and wife to love and honor one another. Here you have again a precious, yea, many and great good works, of which you can joyfully boast, against all ecclesiastical estates, chosen without God's Word and Commandment." ( excerpted form the Appendix to The Beauty of Modesty by David and Diane Vaughen. Emphasis added)

Announcing....

2010-10-18T11:56:00.000-07:00

The (Re)Launch of my health blog...

Come join us as we explore the Biblical principles for properly stewarding the temple of the Holy Spirit, encourage our Brothers and Sisters in Christ to present their bodies as living sacrifices to the Lord, ready and equipped for His use, and share information about how we can practically apply those principles to our lives!!

Click the image above to visit us at Ye Are Not Your Own!! See you there and The Lord Bless You!

~ Your Sister in Christ,
Miss Mell
SoJoy for the Lord! ~

The Beard

2010-10-10T12:24:00.000-07:00

This post is mostly for our Brothers in Christ though our Sisters in Christ could benefit as well, and I hope that they will share it with the gentlemen in their lives. It is a very interesting sermon by Pastor John Weaver of Dominion Ministries about the Biblical significance of a man's beard. Last evening my best friends and I were talking about tattoos and beards and what the Scriptures say regarding them, and this morning the Lord providentially, as I had to stay home from church due to a sore throat, lead me to this sermon when I was searching for something by Pastor Weaver to listen to.

BTW, as a general rule I HIGHLY recommend Pastor Weaver's teachings. They are more Scripturally based than any sermon by almost any other pastor, teacher, or preacher that I have ever heard.

The Beard, It's Historical and Biblical Significance

May the Lord bless the Body of Christ with a resurgence of beards on our Brothers in Christ!!

Gianna Jessen Abortion Survivor in Australia

2010-09-27T22:39:00.000-07:00

Part 1

Part 2

This one made me cry :'(

2010-09-21T20:03:00.000-07:00

Today a friend of mine had a birthday, and as I have been sick for the past week, I decided to try and find a cute little video of a birthday song for her instead of trying to serenade her myself with my frog filled vocal chords. As I was browsing through a few videos, I came across this one. Now, I am not a big fan of rap, but I liked this because of the message. Watch, be moved and think.

Update

2010-09-16T13:16:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while since either my sister or I have blogged so I thought I'd better give a brief update.

My younger brother and I have been adjusting to the new schedule of taking a few college classes together- namely weight training and welding. Yes, I know, they sound like rather odd classes for a young lady to be taking, but there's a definite and good reason for it; and NO, if you are a new reader and don't know me by now, I am NOT a feminist. Hopefully I will be publishing a post about an incident relative to my classes and feminism soon.

Besides those, I am currently trying to finish my course in becoming a Certified Biblical Health Coach through the Biblical Health Institute; I have two modules and a test to finish before I get my certificate- Anatomy and Physiology, and Coaching. I would appreciate your prayers that I will be able to absorb and retain the information so that I will do well on the test.

When I have finished my Biblical Health studies I will either begin a Biblically based program to become a certified Community and/or Clinical Herbalist or a Biblically Based Midwifery Training Program. I am very excited about them but need more prayer to help decide which one the Lord would have me do. They both would essentially be the equivalent of getting a 4 year degree, but are self paced and mostly online so I can do it out of the comfort of my home and still serve my family as well. I don't think though that I will be able to do both right now, so it's a matter of choosing which is more important and which one I could use to serve the Lord and my family better with.

In the area of homemaking skills/preparing for serving the Lord and/or marriage, I have been playing seamstress for friends and family as well as designing houses and farm layouts. One of my dreams is to build my own home, not for the purpose of having my "Dream House" but for the purpose of having a home equipped with the necessary things, structural aspects, and space to enable my (future) husband and I to raise a God-fearing, homeschool, large family that is entrepreneurial, and has a multigenerational vision. Since those kinds of families for many years have not existed or at least not been functional, homes nowadays are not designed for them and are consequently very lacking in their design. Of course, I will be happy with whatever home the Lord and my husband provide for me. It never hurts to be prepared however and could be very beneficial if for no other reason than just because thinking about these things could help when looking at houses to purchase. This too, I hope I will be able to make the subject of an upcoming post.

My family and I are looking forward to attending the Old Paths Christina History Conference in Kaweah, CA in a couple of weeks. (One of my seamstress jobs is to make a Civil War era skirt and hoop for the Civil War dance that they always enjoy hosting at the end of the conference). While there we will have the pleasure of meeting and listing to lectures by Chuck Baldwin as well as a missionary, Peter Hammond, and of course the wonderful Pastor Weaver from Georgia. We would be delighted if you could join us!

Besides that, I will be passing the Biblical age of adulthood in a couple weeks as well. It is very sobering to realize that after that point I will never be a youth again; I pray that I have used my youth for the glory of God and to prepare me for the responsibilities that come with adulthood.

Lastly, but certainly not least, my family and I are spending every last moment we can make with our dearest and best friends, who have been such for the last 14 years,- the Maurer family- as they are moving to a more freedom loving state in about 3 weeks. Though it is very difficult to see them go, it is obvious that this is the will of the Lord for their lives and we rejoice with them in the blessings that He is showering upon them and pray for His continued guidance and protection. Please pray for our family though- we will miss them dearly.

So, my dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, that is my, not so brief, brief update. Thank you for reading and I pray that you will stay with us through what may be rather sporadic posting over this very busy time of our lives.

Rejoicing in His Redemption,
Miss Mell

A Tongue Twister

2010-08-30T14:10:00.000-07:00

Do you remember some of those tongue twisters that people for many years have enjoyed trying to say "10 times fast" ?? Such as 'She sells sea shells be the sea shore' or, 'What noise annoys a noisy oyster? A noisy noise annoys a noisy oyster.' Well, in the course of a conversation with my sister the other day we came up with a new one for you. It's not very long, but her goes!

Civil War Silver Ware - say THAT 10 times fast! :)

Enjoy! And let us know what your success is: how many times you can say it OUT LOUD without getting tongue tied or twisted up!

Trust

2010-08-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

" All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all that I have not seen." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You may trust the Lord too little, but you can never trust Him too much." ~ Anonymous

" Beware of despairing about yourself: you are commanded to put your trust in God, not in yourself." ~ Augustine of Hippo

"We trust as we love, and where we love- If we love Christ much, surely we shall trust Him much." ~ Thomas Benton Brooks

The Geography of Jobs (Updated) - TIP Strategies

2010-07-28T12:55:00.000-07:00

The Geography of Jobs (Updated) - TIP Strategies

"Don't Look Down On ME!"

2010-07-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you've all heard this phrase before, "Don't look down on me!". People say it often as a way of defending themselves when they feel 'judged' or as a way of evading something or making an excuse when they feel guilty. In my experience I've noticed that people respond in that manner most often when someone (especially a family member) makes some statement about what they would like to do with their lives/family (future) that's different from what the other person is doing or has been leading/allowing in their family/lives.

Now, the Scriptures are very plain that we should not be 'looking dow' on one another, in the sense that we despise that person for what they are, because we are all fallible humane beings saved by grace and thus have nothing to boast in except the cross of Christ. We are commanded to honor our fathers and our mothers and also to honor all men. But simply desiring something better for your future family/children does not imply that you are 'looking down' on what your parents, family, or friends gave you/the life they led, that you are judging them, or condemning them for their actions or who they are (given that your body language and voice do not show an attitude of contempt) .

I believe that when someone who lives a more, 'down to earth' lifestyle exclaims, 'Don't look down on me!' to another person that expresses a desire for a little more 'gracious living' (as Edith Schaeffer puts it)- for their family to be more meek dignified and seek those things described in Phillipians 4:8. the Down-To-Earth person is actually the one showing an attitude of contempt and they are displaying a great deal of pride in, "WHO I AM!" or in their more 'fun' ( Webster's 1828- common, base, vulgar) lifestyle. This pride is the most dispicable kind of pride because it is a pride in 'natural/normal' humane nature;humane nature which without the grace of God and sanctification is wicked and vile, thus it is a self righteous pride in a nature which is naturally opposed to God and His righteousness. The D-T-E person accuses the other of 'looking down' on them as a way of justifying themselves, when they are actually the ones 'looking down' on the other person for desiring something better.

As Christians, we should always desire to live purer more sanctified lives; to be Semper Reformanda Corum Deo- Always Reforming Before the Face of God. Thus, when we are formulating a vision for our future and how we believe the Scriptures tell us to disciple our children, we should not be content with bringing our children up the same way we were. We should want our children to be able to 'look down' on us.

WAIT!! Before you get all up in arms, let me explain what I mean. We should want our children to be able to look down on us, not in the sense that they despise or have contempt for us, as that goes expressly against Scripture, but in this sense: that each generation of Christians has labored to show themselves approved of God and be faithful servants to Him for His honor and glory, that they by the grace of God, in advancing the kingdom of God, have provided and stronger foundation for their children to build upon so that their children are 'standing on their shoulders' so to speak, and thus 'looking down' on them.

We should be able to look down on our parents, and our children on us, in that we are looking down the ages of time, looking back over His story, and seeing the mighty hand of God in their lives and ours which brought us to where we are. As Pastor Morecraft says, 'History in linear, it is not cyclical as the world will try to tell you', everything that happens in History is part of God's plan to bring to pass His will to it's final goal. Thus, every event builds upon the preceding event; and so must every life build upon the one that came before it (in Christ). As the fallible humane beings that we all are, we need to have the humility to admit our mistakes, endeavor to disciple our children so they will not make the same mistakes, and rejoice with them when we hear them professing ideas about how they would like to improve upon what we imparted to them by reforming there lives in areas that we did not. We should rejoice with them when they look down on us and our meager beginnings, see our faults and how the Lord has continued to sanctify us, learn form those things, take the lessons they learned, and apply them to their lives.

When we see our children looking down on us in this manner, we should take heart and rejoice in the fact that God in His providence has graciously used us as the means by which our posterity are able to be on 'higher ground'; as the instruments by which our children were saved from many mistakes and heartaches; and ultimately we should rejoice in knowing that the Lord used us as the means by which our children, and their children, and their children's children will be brought closer (as far as their position in history goes) to the glorious end which the Lord is preparing in which every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Making a statement such as, 'Don't look down on me!" whenever someone expresses desires which, though they made no reference to or judgements of you, perhaps prick your conscience, can have detrimental effects upon that person and all who are seeking to reform their lives for the glory of God; it can be either a great discouragement or source of conflict, division, and alienation in the body of Christ. Our children, and other brothers and sisters in Christ, should not be held back from being further sanctified due to our own sin and pride in 'who we ARE'. Certainly, we want to be grateful and content with where the Lord has us, and rejoice in His provisions, but complacence and passivity, or an unwillingness to change, should never be an excuse for not striving for purity, peace, gentlness, humility- in two words- greater sanctification.

Being 'Down to Earth' is good in a sense that it helps remind you of your humaneness and need of the Saviour, but going over board with it to the point that you become prideful of and glory in it, and indignant of anyone who wants something better for their family/children, could keep you from 'rising up to glory' so to speak.

We are to be in this world, but not of if; to take dominion over this earth, be fruitful, multiply, subdue it, and occupy till He comes; but we must remember that we are only stewards and pilgrims, this is not our permanent residence, and thus we must not be so satisfied with being 'Down to Earth' that we make somewhat of an idol out of that to the point that we 'look down on' (in the sense of having contempt for or are judging unjustly) anyone who doesn't want to always be just 'Down to Earth' but wants rather to rise up to glory.

Christ came down to earth, yet he did not wallow and glory in that- His focus was on things above and his higher calling thus he maintained the character of the King of Kings. So it must be with us; we are called to be princes and priest and yet servants thus we should maintain a character and attitude befitting to both; not so prideful (in a pharisaical manner) that we are self righteous and despise where the lord had us or has others, but also not so prideful in 'who we ARE' or our humaneness/lowliness that we have contempt for those who seek to continually reform for the glory of God.

"Don't look down on me!" is one phrase which should never exit the mouth of a child of God.
1. Because we have NOTHING to boast in or be proud of outside of the grace of God and His righteousness.
2. Because we are to be servants which are the lowliest of the low.
3. Because we are to be humble, and a phrase like that shows a great deal of pride and/or a guilty conscience instead of heart that is willing to receive instruction and exhortation to the edification of body and soul.
4. Because we realize that the other person is as fallible as we and thus anything in their lives which may be greater than ours is the grace of God and we should rejoice in that and encourage them in it.
5. Because we are to be living sacrifices and a phrase life that shows an unwillingness to change our lives for the glory of God.
6. Because we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart mind soul and strength and have no other gods before him and a phrase like that indicates that 'your' life is more important to you - ithas become an idol.
7. Because if we truly are serving the Lord with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves, and we have a clean conscience before Him, then we will have no reason to offer up a defensive phrase such as that but will rather jump for joy at the honorable desires of another person.

So if you are ever in a situation where you are tempted to say, 'Don't look Down on Me!', stop yourself and say rather, 'Praise the Lord that they can look down on me!', and pray to the Lord that when they do, they see Christ in you.

The Road to Serfdom

2010-06-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Mises Daily: Friday, June 25, 2010 by Thomas J. DiLorenzo

"Every economy has its contradictions …. What counts is results, and there can be no doubt that the Soviet planning system has been a powerful engine for economic growth." — Paul Samuelson, Economics, 1985 edition

"Contrary to what many skeptics had earlier believed, the Soviet economy is proof that … a socialist command economy can function and even thrive." — Paul Samuelson, Economics, 1989 edition

"The Road to Serfdom was 'inaccurate innuendo about the future'." — Paul Samuelson, 2009

When Friedrich A. Hayek published his classic book, The Road to Serfdom, in 1944 he was loudly denounced by academic statist apologists in England, where he resided at the time, and in America. In the preface to the 1976 edition of the book Hayek noted that a prominent philosopher even denounced the book despite admitting that he had not read it! But average citizens did read it. The book was a gigantic success in America, quickly selling over half a million copies. Millions of copies of a condensed Reader's Digest version of the book were also sold and widely read.

The court historians in academe were not concerned about Hayek's age-old warnings about the dangers that centralized political power posed to liberty and prosperity, for they intended to be beneficiaries of that power as well-paid advisers to the state. Millions of average citizens were not as enthusiastic, especially Americans who, during the war, had experienced oppressive and confiscatory taxation, the slavery of military conscription, government-imposed product rationing, pervasive shortages of basic staples, and endless bureaucratic bungling.

Hayek's motivation for writing The Road to Serfdom was the shocking speed at which so many Europeans — especially in Germany — had simply forgotten all that they had learned over the centuries about the virtues of a free society, the need for limitations on government power, the dangers of centralized power, and the workings of capitalism as a worldwide network of mutually advantageous exchange. It only took a couple of decades of socialistic sloganeering to persuade Germans to abandon their classical-liberal roots and embrace Big Government of the worst sort.

Hayek was deeply concerned that the same despotic ideas were also becoming more and more popular in England, America, and in other countries. As the above quotations of MIT's Paul Samuelson demonstrate, much of America's educational "elite" was enamored with Soviet communism and central planning. Samuelson even went so far as to say in his textbook, which was by far the biggest seller of its day, that "it is a vulgar mistake to think most people in Eastern Europe [during communism] are miserable."

Continue Reading at The Ludwig Von Mises Institute.

And join me taking The Road to Serfdom: Despotism, Then and Now
a five week course given by Thomas J. DiLorenzo going through Friedrich A. Hayek's, The Road to Serfdom.

The "Negro Project"

2010-06-25T08:57:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting, though disturbing and heartbreaking article, but something that everyone needs to know about; Margaret Sanger's Racism against Negros (amoungst others).

On this day in 1939, Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood announced the organization’s new “Negro Project” in response to requests from southern state public health officials—men not generally known at that time for their racial equanimity. “The mass of Negroes,” her project proposal asserted, "particularly in the South, still breed carelessly and disastrously, with the result that the increase among Negroes, even more than among Whites, is from that portion of the population least intelligent and fit.”

Go Here to continue reading: Margaret Sanger's Racism
or click the title of this post to access Dr. George Grant's blog.

Just Something to Make you Think...

2010-06-18T11:31:00.000-07:00

The Present = The last day of your entire life and the first day of the life you have yet to live.

Miss Mell

Acquiring New Agrarian Skills

2010-06-14T22:18:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, at the request of our father, my sister, younger brother, mother and I had the opportunity to learn a new agrarian type skill from some friends of ours who have a farm- butchering chickens. In the process we also learned some about the commercial method of growing and processing chickens, and recognizing a healthy chicken. After doing this and learning what we did we never want to eat chickens from the store again.

Anyway, the following pictures take you step by step through the process of butchering chickens.

Beware, these are not for the squeamish as they are somewhat graphic and thus they may not be suitable for young children, those with delicate constitutions, or sensitivities to blood.

But first, just something cute...

Little Miss S with her baby ducks! They followed her around as though she were their Mama. Absolutely adorable!!
I hope that if I ever have children someday they will be able to have little animals (chickens, ducks, sheep, goats, dogs, cats...maybe even calves!) follow them around as though they were Mama or Papa. :)

Now, after you pick out and catch your chicken you must...

(click the title of this post to continue reading)

Hang them up or place them in a killing cone. Our friend's chickens were too large to fit into the killing cone so we hung them up. Hanging then up-side-down makes the blood rush to their heads so they kind-of go into a coma which lessens the pain they feel when you...

...slit their throats.

The chickens have to hang for three minutes before they bleed to death completely. This one has been sprayed off with water.

Once dead, they are dunked in hot water to make the feathers release.

Plucking the feathers

Some of the feathers haven't emerged yet so they have to be pulled out with tweezers.

Now you remove the feet.

Then the oil sack is removed. You have to be very careful not to puncture it so the oil doesn't get into the meat.

Next cut off the head leaving most of the neck so you have something to grad onto later when you remove the neck.

After that the next step is to make a slit down the back of the neck so you can get your hand in to remove the gullet.

The tube in her right hand is the air tube and it is amazingly thick and hard to cut through. The other tube is the esophagus which is tissue paper thin in comparison.

This is the gullet. It was not easy for Michah to get to. Mine was very large- the size of a baseball and thus easier to get my hand around but I had to be very careful not to puncture it because if I did it would not be very pleasant! Usually the chickens are starved the night before so they do not have to much waste in their systems. Michah's was but mine wasn't.

" EEeeewww!" (the gullet)

Now that the gullet is out the neck can be cut off.

And here comes the fun part (haha).

To remove the insides you startybe cutting around the vent. You have to hold it because it is connected to the bowels which you do not want to cut.

Then you slice through the skin and fat- being careful not to hit the intestines- to open up the body cavity.

Once you've made your opening you must put your hand inside, moving up along the rib cage, to detach the mucus membranes from the skeleton of the bird. Then you can simply pull all of the guts out.

(the lungs)

After the guts are out you have to go in again and scrape your fingers along the back ribs to get the lungs out. They are very spongy feeling.

Last of all you rinse your bird out and off, chill it either in ice water or a cold room, and then drain it for 20 minutes. Then you can place it in the refrigerator for a couple days to age after which time it is ready to eat or be frozen.

Oh, just for laughs...

Poppey Chicken!! (Hehe- must have been fed some spinach scraps! )

Any one want to try next time? ;)

This is definitely not something that I would ever be jumping up and down excited about doing, but at least I know that in the case of me ever having to do it out of necessity, or in the case that I do end up living an agrarian lifestyle, as I wish, I will be able to butcher a chicken. (Though neither Michah or I actually killed our birds- we just did everything else.)

What new things have YOU learned lately?

Feminine, Feminist, Feminazi

2010-06-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

This article was written by Abigail @ Pearls and Diamonds. It really struck me. She does an excellent job of delineating the balance between true godly womanhood and what so many call 'femininity'.

So click on the title of this post to visit her blog and read it; then come back here and tell me what you think!!

Raising Homemakers

2010-06-04T09:11:00.000-07:00

Here's a new site that is excellent. In case you didn't notice I put their button on the side of my blog.

They are having some wonderful giveaways this week. Check them out!

First Giveaway - several different books

Second Giveaway- Homestead blessings DVD set

Third Giveaway- Raising Maidens of Virtue

Fourth Giveaway- Evenings With Victoria Botkin

Developing Love and Compassion In the Home

2010-06-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

" Often one is asked, 'How does one get children to have compassion and love for others?' One important way is by demonstrating love and compassion in action, not just talking about it. I do not mean organizational action but humane care, in taking time, thought, energy, imagination, and creativity to fulfill some total stranger's need. Nothing can be given in a 'course of study' which can substitute for the day to day observation on the part of the children in the home of a mother or father who truly treat human beings as humane, and not machines. It is of course costly, in time and energy. ' What a waste of time!' some might remark. But the 'waste' is what brings forth the most amazing results, many of which are hidden from us in this life, results in others living in and sharing the home; and results in unknown strangers, too."
Edith Schaeffer- The Hidden Art of Homemaking ~ Chapter 8, Food pg. 131

From my own experience, the loving actions of someone in or outside my family, the little deeds in which they employed their talents and creativity to show care and thoughtfulness for those around them, with- I might add- a joyful attitude that conveys a spirit of willingness and not obligation, have impacted me more than all the times I have received verbal instructions and lectures having no actions behind them. It's just like the old saying, 'Actions speak louder than words.'

Learning how, unless you already have (though I tend to think it is a lifelong process) or have a natural tendency towards it, to show love and compassion, treating humane beings like humans, in the day-to-day actions of how you go about your work and arrange and tend your family and home, takes time and consistent effort; this is another reason for young ladies to stay home and prepare for marriage. They (we/I) have a prime opportunity to learn these things before they have as many of the distractions, frustrations, business, and weariness that naturally comes when two sinners are united in Holy matrimony, and especially when they birth more sinners who have not yet received the grace of God.

I plead with you, young unmarried ladies, stay home under the protection of your God given family, the discipleship of your parent(s) and church family, and diligently seek out how to prepare for marriage and home-keeping. It is not a light duty which can be easily learned as soon as you 'fall in love' and decide to marry, but is a profession, nay indeed a calling established by the Lord, which is the noblest that a women can ever have. Thus, think ye not that you ought to prepare for it with even greater diligence and effort than any of the careers which the world has to offer? Be not allured into the glamor of the world and it's temptations, or even those things which claim to be of God and yet do not agree or follow His Biblical laws and principles.

The family is the foundational institution of society and today it is falling apart. Please help restore and reform it by not being drawn into what the world has to offer and what society thinks that a woman 'ought' to be doing, but by following God's word and the examples of godly women in the Bible.

" But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: ...The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands that the word of God be not blasphemed." Titus 2:1,3-5

" I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully." 1 Timothy 5:14

Countering the Destruction of the Home...

2010-05-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

" I feel very strongly that this modern fear of the home becoming non-existent can be countered only if those of us who want to be sure our little spot is really a home take every practical measures to be sure that it is just that, and not a collection of furniture sitting in some sort of enclosure being protected from wind and storm. Of course, humane relationships make a house into a home: either the relationships within the house, or the welcome and understanding that guests find. Humane relationships depend upon communication.

But this communication takes time. It is helped by atmosphere, and the atmosphere is helped by the 'things' which are arranged with love and with an expression of creativity in a visible form."

Edith Schaeffer- The hidden Art of Homemaking~ Chapter 7, Flower Arranging, pg. 99

Thus, I might add, another reason for young ladies to prepare for marriage- part of that preparation includes learning how to make a house into a home in order that the atmosphere (house) may help the relationships which develop in it become strong, loving, and godly.

The Need for People to Fulfill Some of Their Talents in the Home

2010-05-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

"We hear these expressions or read about them in magazines or newspapers- The Age of Plastic, Family Life Disintegrating, Drug Threat Increasing, Pollution, Divorce on the Increase, Home Becoming an Obsolete Word. Is there anything that can be done about these titanic problems? What can I do about it? What can you do?

Of course the answer is a deeper thing than reading a book or putting a rose beside the bed or lighting a candle or throwing a log on the fire. Of course there has to be a real base for our own lives and for our ideas and morals. Of course we have to have a purpose for our life, and know that answers do exist, and that there really is someone 'at home' in the universe, a Person to give the answers, who has spoken and to whome we may go for advice and guidance. Of course there is no easy push-button answer, even for those who do have a base and do have assurance as to their relationship with the God who is there. Even deep and understanding Christians are still overwhelmed with the changing circumstances which surround them in bringing up a family today.

But this book is about (the) 'Hidden Art' (of Homemaking), and the need of people who are in communication with the Creator to recognize their creative abilities and fulfill some of their talents in day-by-day life. And this is relevant to our depersonalized plastic age. I think it is valid to say that there must be some actual changes and practical additions made to the day-by-day lives of many Christian families. This means starting when children are little, and not suddenly expecting to start with an almost adult teen-ager to give him in one year all he or she has missed during the past fourteen years. What I am talking about means taking our responsibilities and capabilities seriously. It means feeling that our ability to do something should be used in some way to make family life fun, and to enhance the relationships of people living together. To do this means working at it. A good marriage does not just fall out of a tree by itself. A good family life and understanding, warm,rich, happy relationships within a family do not just spring up without someone working at it, someone who is not putting himself or herself first.

The plea for women to have 'time to be themselves' or 'time for fulfilling careers' is overworked. All that happens is that the psychiatrist get more patients than ever before. If people were less anxious to join a drama club or some other 'fulfill yourself' activity and used their talents right in their homes, they would not only be more fulfilled when the children were two years old and they were capturing their attention with vivid and original ideas, but when the same children were eighteen years old they would not be wringing their hands so tragically at the complete lack of communication with them."
Edith Schaffer ~ The Hidden Art of Homemaking, Chapter 10 pg. 153-154
(emphasis added)

For the unmarried ladies out there- we can not expect to have good marriages, if/when the Lord blesses us with them, if we are not preparing ourselves for them. And likewise we can not expect to be good mothers if we are not preparing ourselves to be mothers and learning all that we possible can now about wife-hood and motherhood. If we are off pursuing other careers and not preparing for the station which we were originally created to fulfill, we will have a much more difficult time being godly wives and mothers. Do NOT be fooled- you won't be able to suddenly learn everything that you need to know in the short amount of time after marriage and before you start having children. And learning how to be a wife and mother from scratch while having to be those things will result in much more difficult relationships and hardships. Learn how to fulfill/use your capabilities and talents in/for the building up of a godly home and, like Edith said, you will be more 'fulfilled' when your children are two, have better relationships with your children when they are grown, and the joy of knowing that you have used your talents in the service of the King of Kings raising up a generation to love and serve him and take dominion for His Kingdom and glory, instead of serving yourself or satisfying the demands and opinions of mammon.

As Much Holiness...

2010-05-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

" To the Puritan, true faith was both domestically satisfying and earth-shattering. Even preaching and prayer without discipleship and stewardship was fruitless. There was as much holiness in a mission of godly homekeeping as there was in the mission of godly preaching; for at the cross of Christ, everyone had the same first duty to God and the like duty to their fellow man, even though they were called to differing stations. Thus, the hand at the cradle would be no more profane than the one at the pulpit if both were seen in the dignity of their like callings of God. "

Dan Ford - In the Name of God, Amen ~ Book 2: Chapter 3- The Biblical Mandate
(emphasis added)

A Verse from a Sunday Morning's Hymn

2010-05-23T18:33:00.000-07:00

On Jordan's Stormy Banks

No Chilling winds, nor poi-sn'ous breath,

Can reach that health-ful shore;

Sick-ness and sor-row, pain and death,

Are felt and feared no more.

I am bound for the Prom-ised Land;

I am bound for the Prom-ised Land.

Ooooh, who will come and go with me?

I am bound for the Prom-ised Land.

Important! Your Food is Assaulting You!!

2010-05-19T18:22:00.000-07:00

Puuuuulll----EEEEEEZZZEE!!! Check this site out and read the articles about GMOs - Genetically Modified Organisms- they are seriously affecting your health and the health of those you love!!

About GMOs @ Non-GMO Shopping Guide.com

Facebook Sucked them in, Now the World Knows You!

2010-05-17T17:12:00.000-07:00

Here is an interesting article about Facebook and more particularly how private it really keeps it's users information. If you are a Facebook user you will want to read this.

Facebook's Gone Rogue; It's Time for an Open Alternative

Green thumbs? We are trying

2010-05-10T23:03:00.001-07:00

Courtyard area with herb garden and potatoes

Potatoes

Mostly herb garden (contains: potatoes, radishes, beets,

salad greens, lettuce, basil, cilantro, oregano,

chamomile, dill, and several volunteer tomato plants)

Artichoke and squash

Two flower plants, oregano, tomato plant, and an almond tree.

This box contains: squash, beets, cilantro, tomato plants, basil,

parsley, jalapeño pepper, another pepper, kale,

broccoli, onions, and lettuce.

Here we have artichoke, chamomile, and beets

A better shot of the lettuce...it's pretty.

More kale and onions

Onions and flowers.

Praise the Lord for His provisions.

Response to Comment on 'What our Father Taught us Abut Boys- Part 7'

2010-04-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Due to the length of my response, and the fact that I believe this to be a very important issue, I have decided to publish my response to a comment by one of my readers on this post, as a regular post.

Hannah said..."It amuses me that you think I am unclear on this issue. I am perfectly clear that Jesus Christ said, "...in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage...." (Matthew 22:30) Therefore, what matters is the things of eternity, not the things of earth, and marriage is a thing of earth. Further, Paul told the unmarried Corinthians that it is better to remain unmarried. (I Corinthians 7:8) I'm not speaking against marriage. If the Lord wills, I would love to be married someday. But I don't think it's as important as you seem to think it is.I find it sad that the only references you pointed me to are the words of men. Reading wise words from godly men and women is wonderful; but you did not cite even one Scripture reference. Like I said, there is not very much spoken to unmarried women in the Bible. The fact that God is mostly silent on the issue tells me that it is not extremely important. What He stresses again and again is loving Him and knowing Him--and that applies to all men and women, married or not.I do not wish to further this discussion, because I am afraid that I'll say something unloving. Can we just agree to disagree? It is not a matter of life nor death, heaven nor hell. :)"March 27, 2010 8:31 AM

Hannah,

With malice towards none and charity towards all, I find myself compelled to respond to some of your remarks in your last comment, though I am not expecting, or asking, you to continue this discussion against your will.

First of all the verse that you first referred to was taken out of context, and though I agree with you that what ultimately matters is the things of eternity, that specific verse is not really speaking to this isssue. Christ was giving an answer to the Sadducees and pharisees who were trying to trap him with a foolish question about a woman who was widowed and remarried multiple times. The pharisees knew that people are not given in marriage in the resurrection and the sadducees didn't even believe in a resurrection so their question about 'who's wife will she be' in the resurrection was really a stupid question. Christ was not making any statements about how we should approach the subject of marriage here on earth.

Secondly, though there are very few verses in the bible which DIRECTLY speak to daughters on the subject of marriage, you have to consider the fact that all the verses which address women in general, and children, INCLUDE daughters.

Thirdly there is a biblical precedent set through the many accounts of the holy women of the bible that the majority of women WILL get married. Thus, through those and the multitudinous verses speaking about proper stewardship, we can, using proper biblical hermeneutical principles, deduce the biblical principle that women should prepare for marriage.

Fourthly, in Proverbs 31:12 it says that the virtuous woman "will do him (her husband) good and not evil all the days of her life." This obviously includes the period before marriage. If a woman does not prepare for marriage, then when she gets married there will be a long time of her having to learn all the things that she did not learn before, which can, and will bring much hardship and heartache to the marriage; this is NOT doing her husband good all the days of her life. ( I have personally seen examples of this.) Whereas, by preparing for marriage, when she does enter that holy estate, she will be able to put her skills to immediate use and thus bless her husband and do him good all the days of her life. "Her children will rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excelleth them all." Proverbs 31:28-29
The inference here in that last verse is that she learned the things mentioned previously concerning the virtuous woman when she was a DAUGHTER. She prepared herself for marriage and thus was a blessing to her whole family; and that also effected the community shown by the verse that says ' Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth amoung the elders of the land' (Pr. 31:23).

Fifthly, I pointed you to other materials for the sake of brevity in my response, and also, which I should have made more clear, because those materials are based off of Scriptures(and use many) and biblical principles, the authors have studied this issue for many years, and are able to expound upon it from a biblical perspective for better than I.

Six, your assumption that God is mostly silent on this issue just because there are not many verses directed explicitly to unmarried daughters (if you consider only verse which specifically name 'unmarried women/daughters') is very fallacious; the Lord has much to say about marriage which includes all the aspects- before, during, after, how, where, when, why, etc.

Seven, your underlying assumption when you contend that women should not be preparing for marriage but serving the Lord, is that young ladies cannot prepare for marriage and serve that Lord at the same time, and/or are not serving the Lord by preparing for marriage. This assumption is also very fallacious as shown to some degree by the Proverbs 31 woman. She prepared for marriage and served the Lord through it- her husband was able to be a godly leader in the community because of her preparation, her family was blessed which is one way of serving the Lord, and her servants were as well. She was giving a godly testimony through her lifestyle. She is also declared to be a woman who fears the Lord in verse 30 which is also an indication that she served the Lord as it is declared all throughout the old testament that those who fear the Lord will serve him.

Now, to your question, once again with malice towards none and charity towards all, I humbly submit to you that I cannot agree to disagree because to do so would indicate to you, and any who may read this, that this subject is not one of any great importance and people can have differing opinions on it and it will make no substantial difference. This is not so.

First of all, there is a definite truth on this subject; either one of us is absolutely right and the other wrong, or both of us are partly correct; but it is not a neutral subject. (Which of us is correct is for the Lord and His word to decide, I am certainly not presuming to make that judgment.) To say that anything is neutral rather than truth or error, is to say that that thing is above God; for if it is neither righteous nor wicked, then it is not subject to being judged by God's righteous standards and thus is outside of His realm of authority. I hope that everyone would agree with me that for anything to be outside of God's realm is impossible. Thus, there is nothing which is truly neutral; not this topic nor any other. There are certainly things which vary as to their degree of importance are there are varying degrees of righteousness and wickedness, but nothing is neutral therefore I cannot treat it as such.

Second, the subject of whether or not ladies should prepare for marriage and whether or not they can serve the Lord at the same time is of great importance. For one, it reveals some of what a person thinks about marriage as a whole- before, during, and after-; two, as marriage on earth is a reflection of the marriage between Christ and his bride, the Church, what someone believes about marriage as a whole is very important as it also indirectly reveals some of what they believe about Christ's relationship with the church (which is an eternal thing); and three, it is also very closely related to the subject of feminism which, though it will not immediately effect your physical state of being dead or alive, it has a great effect upon the state of the souls of men and is a heretical occult doctrine which has lead many women astray, to the damnation of their souls and destruction of their bodies. So YES, it is essentially a matter of life and death, heaven or hell.

Lastly, I would like to explain that I had no doubt that you were perfectly clear on what you believe concerning this subject; but some of the things you said indicated to me that you do not fully understand my, and the Botkin ladies, position on this subject. This is very understandable as, in this culture which has for the last nearly 200 years been divorced from nearly all the biblical ideas, principles, and commands concerning marriage, it is, for most people, a concept which is difficult to grasp at the first re-introduction of it. I read many materials and searched the scriptures for several years before I fully understood the subject. It's not that it's really hard to understand so much as it is that the influence of herectical and occult ideas in our culture have darkened most people's understanding of this subject; just as they have also done to many of the essentials of the gospel.

Part of fulfilling the dominion mandate is reforming the culture by restoring biblical ideas and thoughts into the minds of the people of God in EVERY area of life. That is all I was attempting to do by posting tips which may help young ladies fulfill their God given roles.

You also have to consider my post in light of the previous six post as they were merely all notes from one CD. The Botkin ladies made the points that girls are not ready for marriage until they learned these things in order to help girls think, 'OK, (if) I'm not ready for marriage yet, (then) so this is ONE MORE reason to not look upon the young men as marriage material, but to treat them as brothers in Christ.'

Let me re-emphasis that I FULLY agree with you that we should be, 'loving Him and knowing Him' ABOVE ALL ELSE; but it does not follow that if we are we cannot also be, and should not be, preparing for marriage.

Respectfully your Sister in Christ,
Mell

Top Ten Reasons Why Organic is a Better Way to Grow

2010-03-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

1.      It protects future generations’ health. The average child receives four times more exposure than an adult to at least eight widely used cancer-causing pesticides in food. The food choices consumers make today will impact their children’s health for tomorrow.

2.      It protects water quality. Water makes up two-thirds of our body mass and covers three-quarters of the planet. Despite its importance, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates pesticides, some cancer-causing, contaminate the ground water in thirty-eight states, polluting the primary source of drinking water for more than half the American population. From the farm to the grocery store, organic growers and processors use practices that eliminate polluting chemicals and nitrogen leaching, and thus protect and conserve precious water resources.

3.      It preserves topsoil. Soil is the most revered tool for organic production. Farming organically respects soil as the foundation of the food chain. The soil is built through natural means, such as composted manure, rather than relying on synthetic fertilizers, and by planting diverse crops. The Soil Conservation Service estimates that over three billion tons of topsoil are eroded from American crop lands annually. The cause? Intensive mono-cropping and chemically-intensive practices.

4.      It meets stringent standards. Organic certification standards are the public’s assurance that their food and products have been grown and handled according to strict sustainable procedures without persistent toxic chemical inputs. Today’s consumers can find a diverse spectrum of certified organic products on supermarket store shelves from snack foods and dairy products to cotton clothing and outdoor gear. Until the federal guidelines for regulating the use of the term “organic” are in place, “certified organic” is the only assurance consumers have that products are genuinely organic.

5.      It reduces potential health risks. Many EPA-approved pesticides were registered long before extensive research linked these chemicals to cancer and other diseases. Now, the EPA considers sixty percent of all herbicides, ninety percent of all fungicides, and thirty percent of all insecticides as potentially cancer-causing. A 1987 National Academy of Sciences report estimated that pesticides might cause an extra 1.4 million cancer cases among Americans over their lifetime. In California, five of the top nine pesticides used on cotton are cancer-causing chemicals, according to the Pesticide Action Network North America.

6.      It protects biodiversity.   The loss of a large variety of species (biodiversity) is one of our most pressing environmental concerns. Many organ growers have been collecting and using heirloom seed varieties for decades. On the other hand, many conventional farms still grow hybridized vegetables and fruits, bread for uniformity, ease of shipping and cosmetic appearance. Such “modern” concerns have ignored the value of preserving a diversity of seed varieties, and therefore a more balanced ecosystem.

7.      It keeps rural communities healthy.   The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) predicted that by the year 2000, half of the American farm production would come from only one percent of farms (commercial, corporate farming). Organic farming may be one of the few survival tactics left for the family farm and rural communities. Many organic farms are independently owned and operated family farms of less than one hundred acres.

8.      It provides a safer, healthier habitat.   Organic agriculture respects the balance demanded of a healthy ecosystem, and thereby provides a healthier environment for those living beings in closest contact with the farm: farm workers and natural wildlife. A National Cancer Institute study found that farmers exposed to herbicides had six times more risk than non-farmers of contracting one type of cancer. Field workers on conventional farms, due to their direct exposure, are the most vulnerable to illness as a result of pesticide use. Organic farms eliminate that risk by excluding harmful pesticides and other chemical inputs from their practices. Organic practices encourage wildlife by including forage crops in rotation and by retaining fence rows, wetlands, and other natural areas. Removing synthetic, toxic inputs helps to make an organic farm a lively place.

9.      It supports a true economy. Organically grown foods may seem more expensive, but retail prices are deceptive because conventionally raised and priced food represent only a fraction of the true cost. Current conventional food prices do not reflect the costs of federal subsidies to conventional agriculture, the cost of contaminated drinking water, the cost of loss of wildlife habitat and top soil, or the cost of disposal and clean-up of hazardous waste generated by the manufacturing of pesticides. Consumers can pay now, or pay later. Buying organic food and products now is a direct investment in a more sustainable environment.

10. It makes food taste great. Legendary restaurant chefs across the country, from California to Washington, D.C. will tell you—organic foods taste better! Why? It’s common sense. Well-balanced soils grow strong, healthy plants, which in turn make vegetables and fruits taste great. Organic food is not coated with pesticides or sprays, which make food taste bitter. True flavors, like those from an organic vine-ripened tomato, are not just for chefs and fancy restaurants. They are for all who care about food and food taste. 121

(Excerpt from Biblical Health Institute Independent Study Program Key 1: Eat to Live)

A Ten Year Project Completed!

2010-03-25T17:09:00.000-07:00

This small quilt was started ten years ago in a quilting class that I took. At the time it was not finished and then got folded away in a box. Over the last ten years it has gone from house to house to house and I only managed to add a couple of squares to it.

Finally, a couple weeks ago I decided it was time to finish it. I completed it today, and though it is by no means perfect, nor as large as I had hoped to make it ( I ran out of fabric), I am very pleased with it.

Don't know exactly what I'll do with it as it is quite small- any suggestions? Perhaps it'll be a wall hanging or a changing blanket for the baby girl I hope I will someday have. :)

Obama Surrendering Internet to Foreign Powers

2010-03-16T09:47:00.000-07:00

Check this article out. Just click the title of this post. I found it in the US~Observer yesterday.

What Our Father Taught Us About Boys- Part 7

2010-03-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

Girls Are Not Ready For Marriage Until they Have Learned -

How to love and respect and man in spite of his faults
How to trust an imperfect humane being with their lives
How to communicate with a man
How to order their lives around another person
How to accept the burdens that a man places on them cheerfully
How to adore, reverence, and esteem a man who's faults they see clearly every day
How to trust their heavenly Father to lead their earthly fathers, and their earthly fathers to lead them

Trust and respect is what builds up and emboldens a man

To Prepare to Be a Wife-

Learn to be grateful for your father
Try to understand why God made you his daughter and not another man's daughter
Love the unique blessings and challenges that come with being your father's daughter
Appreciate his strengths - discipline your mind to think first of his qualities before his frailties
Be content in his protection, provision, and leadership
Pray for you father and talk to him about what you are praying for him
Be known for caring about the things of the Lord above the things of the world- this will guide you in all your relationships.

What Our Father Taught Us About Boys- Part 6

2010-03-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

Tips on Keeping Your Heart and Mind Pure and Singlemindedly Devoted to One Man

Pray the the young men you know and their future wives
Think past the time of courtship to the eternal perspective - remember, courtship is a time of getting to know them as humans and men are not reservoirs of romance
Don't assume that every attention paid to you is a mark of intention, it may just be a brotherly/ gentlemanly gesture
Keep interaction with young men within the family context and avoid any private or very personal interaction - try to avoid conversations that are about them or us personally, but keep it on intellectual topics; i.e. history, philosophy, science, art, theology etc.
Avoid influences that stir the heart and mind prematurely and tempt you to fantasize over men that are not and never will be your husband- music, movies, novels, or imaginations.
Cleanse yourself by the washing of water by the Word-

Immerse yourself in Scripture
Fill your mind with something bigger than yourself
Replace your thoughts with God's thoughts
" your dreams and desires with His will
" feelings and needs with His commands
Love the reality that God has created for you
Embrace the life, family, century, and work that He has called you to here and now

7. Keep the lines of communication between your parents and you wide open

Don't always wait for them to come talk to you
Father's need to tell, but daughters need to ask
Don't assume that all your problems are their fault

The attitudes you develop now will effect you the rest of your life.

To all My Garden and Food Loving Friends...

2010-03-10T18:42:00.000-08:00

Here is something very unique that y'all may like to take a look at.

Hydroponic Gardens!! Growing your food in a sort of farris wheel!

http://www.omegagarden.com/

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/08/hydroponics-omega-garden.php

(Note: the tree hugger link is just another link to information about this machine. I am NOT a tree hugger!!)

What Our Father Taught Us About Boys- Part 5

2010-03-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

What Relationships with Boys Should Look Like

Girls should be able to have the kind of relationship with boys that would befit co-laborers in the cause of Christ- one that would encourage both in their Christian walk and work
Young men are not the young ladies very own personal chums- they are the whole families friends
They should talk about serious things and be united in a holy cause that is bigger than themselves - when they are, it will help them to treat each other as brothers and sisters in all purity
Girls should be sisterly, friendly, natural, gracious, yet still be dignified and discreet; they should not be chummy, familiar, and as intimate as they are with their girl friends.

--Tips--
-Talking to young men is good because it is iron sharpening in a way that is not with other young women; getting the perspectives on life of young men will help young ladies who someday want to be married to a man understand them better.

- The principles on interacting with young men are the same for all ages: think of them as brothers, look out for their best interest, and love then as such in all purity.

- When choosing companions, take into account the 'Fool, fool' factor- their spiritual maturity and if time with them would be edifying.

-Develope a state of mind, heart, and affections that is self controlled and faithful to one man.

- The concept of purity has to do more with the present state of the heart, mind, and affections, so if you have messed up in the past do not think that all is lost.

What Our Father Taught Us About Boys-Part 4

2010-03-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

How to Have a Sisterly Attitude

A sister should look out for her brother's best interest
She prays for her brother and his future wife and family
Treats him with respect in a way the builds him up as a man
Understands that he is an imperfect human being with flaws and weaknesses that should be treated with charity, patients, and understanding- we are flawed as well and would want them to treat us that way
A sister should realize that our brothers ought to be seeking first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness, as are we, and we should not willfully distract them.
Our relationship should encourage them in focusing on God and their manly endeavors.

--Tips--

1. Don't talk to them just for the sake of talking to them if you don't have anything of any importance to say-
-Girls tend to set the tone for the interaction, and
-Young men tend to unconsciously defer to what the young lady seems comfortable with- what level of familiarity, formality, seriousness, or levity, So
-Girls, you get what you ask for (through your behavior and speech) as far as how you are treated

2. Treat them like they have brains, feelings, and intelligence.

What Our Father Taught Us About Boys- Part 3

2010-03-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

How to Act Around Boys

Teach Girls the right attitude towards boys-

--Boys are People too--

They have feelings, emotions, and purity they are trying to protect too, and have to answer to God for everything they do and say with you on judgment day; that should put the fear of God into our hearts and cause us to not want to do anything that would put a stumbling block before them.

--The Key--

Treat boys as Brothers with all purity.

If your attitude is other than sisterly it will really show!

--Mistakes Girls Make--

1. Being foolish with boys- flirting

2. Being so shy and uncomfortable and trying to act as though they don't exist

--Both attitudes come from a failure to think of them as brothers in purity; instead girls are thinking of them as "marriage material" or just someone to be used for sport.

What Our Father Taught Us About Boys- Part 2

2010-03-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

Two Vitally Important Things to Remember When Interacting With Young Men

1. Girls are Vulnerable- They have an inbuild desire for attention, protection, admiration, and love and their heads can be easily turned by the first boy to offer these things.

2. Men are Vulnerable- Women have a lot of sway over them: they can encourage them in godliness or sin, to lead in the right way for God's glory, or the wrong way for Satan's glory. Remember, David- the most righteous man in the Bible, Samson- the strongest man in the Bible, and Solomon- the wisest man in the Bible, all had a weakness for women and were caused to stoop to murder, unfaithfulness, and idolatry by them.

What Our Father Taught Us About Boys- Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin- Part 1

2010-03-02T11:00:00.000-08:00

Here are some notes that I took from the CD that the Botkin Ladies produced, "What Our Father Taught Us About Boys". I HIGHLY recommend that you listen to it, but till then, here's a little taste (in this post and the following) of what it speaks about.

As little girls are already thinking about marriage and boys from the time they are toddlers, Fathers should be teaching them how they should think about and behave around boys etc.

They should teach them:

--The woman's created purpose
--How girls should understand boys
--How to interact with them
--Why marrriage was created and how
--Why it's important and glorious
--Woman was created for the man to be a helper to him
--That she is to follow, complement, complete, support, submit, and respect him
--To pray for a godly husband if that is what the Lord has in His will for her life
--To save themselves for 1 husband and be faithful to him right now wherever she is in life
--When she gets married, her father will be transferring his authority over her to another man, and
--Until then, her father will be protecting her heart for her husband

The Philosophy of Charles Haddon Spurgeon

2010-02-17T10:41:00.000-08:00

' If a pastor or preacher is going to be true to his calling today, he must bewilling to adopt the philosophy of the late, great Charles Haddon Spurgeon,who said, "The more prominent you are in Christ's service, the more certain are you to be the butt of calumny [slander]. I have long ago said farewell to my character. I lost it in the earlier days of my ministry by being a little more zealous than suited a slumbering age. And I have never been able to regain it except in the sight of Him who judges all the earth, and in the hearts of those who love me for my work's sake." '

An excerpt from:

"Spiritual Wickedness In High Places"

By Chuck Baldwin

February 17, 2010

This column is archived at:

http://www.chuckbaldwinlive.com/c2010/cbarchive_20100217.html

The Star of Bethlehem

2010-02-12T22:43:00.000-08:00

First of all, let me make it clear that this The Star of Bethlehem is not a 'Christmas' movie per se, nor is it a film about astrology. It is, however, the product of a man in whose heart the Lord placed a desire to understand the mystery of the Star of Bethlehem, who searched the Scriptures as a faithful 'Berean' to know what God says indeed concerning the stars and the Star, signs in the heavens, and how we should study and regard them.

The information presented is absolutely astonishing and it confirms the Scriptures (to name a few concerning only one point which it addresses) which say,

Revelation 13:8:

   "⁸Andall that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are notwritten in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation ofthe world." (emphasis added)

1 Peter 1 : 18-20
"18Forasmuch as ye know that ye were notredeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vainconversation received by tradition from your fathers;
   ¹⁹But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
   ²⁰Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,"

(emphasis added)

Please read and carefully consider the information presented on the website and I would encourage you to purchase the DVD - excellent production, amazing information, encouraging in the faith, convicting to the soul, and strikes awe deep into the heart of the viewer by displaying and explaining the wonderful works of our faithful Creator Jehovah!

http://www.bethlehemstar.net/

Vision Forum's "Uplifting Family Movies"

2010-02-05T14:57:00.000-08:00

Browse

Winter Movie Night Pack (7 DVDs)

•	Pendragon: Sword of His Father (DVD)
•	Pilgrim's Progress: Journey to Heaven (DVD)
•	Mysterious Islands DVD
•	Behind The Sun (DVD)

•	The Widow's Might (DVD)
•	Time Changer (DVD)
•	Treasures of the Snow (DVD)

'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus

2009-12-24T12:06:00.000-08:00

'Tis so swet to trust in Jesus, just to take him at his word
Just to rest upon His promise, Just to know " Thus saith the Lord"

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I've proved Him o'er and o'er!
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! O for grace to trust Him more!

I'm so glad I learned to trust Thee, Precious Jesus Savior Friend;
And I know that Thou art with me, wilt be with me to the end.

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I've proved Him o'er and o'er!
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! O for grace to trust Him more!

Civil War Era Dancing - Kaweah 2009

2009-12-11T19:01:00.000-08:00

The Ladies line up for the dance

The Gentlemen waiting for the Que to begin

"May I have this dance?"

Josh leading his lady to the dance 'floor'
( Josh is a friend of Eric Hovind- he works with him in the Creation Science Ministry)

Forming the circle for the dance
With a little laughter too :)

Grand right and left

"Ah! Where is my next partner??"

Cute little Sarah!!

"Spin your partner round and round"

Courtesy turn

Best Friends with Sheriff Mack in between

Cuteness itself
A gentleman with his little lady :)

Lining up for the Virginia Reel...

( one... two... three... four... five... six... seven... eight...)

right hand turn...

Left hand turn...

Both hands...

Do- se- do...

Sashay down...

Sashay back...

thread the needle...

A little Pastoral direction :)

Bliss!!

Back to the top...

Turn around...

Under the arch...

Back we go...

The End!!

( This happens to be the ONLY good picture of my civil war dress that I sewed)

The Lordship Church ladies say, ' Goodnight!'

God's Covenant with Abraham

2009-12-09T16:27:00.000-08:00

" The Idea of covenants was pervasive throughout both Testaments and presented in several ways. The Old Testament Hebrew term that translated into English as "covenant" was "berith", which could be used in describing many types of committed agreements between parties....one the the most significant covenants involving God and man was the unconditional berith promise that God Himself made to Abraham. God thereby sealed His pledge by way of a berith engagement of "cutting" a covenant. He utilized a ritualistic rite of dividing a beast in two and passing through the parts to dramatize that their covenant was irrevocable. The graphic parts symbolized that if one of the parties violated the terms of the covenant, he was as much as dead- as if he were the carcass split in twain. The Genisis marrrative described how God, beign infinite, represented Hinself in passing through the parts:

And it came to pass, that when the sun went down and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. In that same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river the river Euphrates. (Genesis 15:17-18)

Because God unilaterally engaged Hinself in an unconditional promise to Abraham, the Genesis narrative illustrated His covenant promise in such a manner that God's representative presence alone passed through the divided beast. God alone made the pledge signifying to Abraham that He would be as much dead if He failed to perform on His promise, having sworn upon His own sovereign integrity. By singularly passing between sacrificial animals as a sign of His solemn promise, God made a pledge that was to the complete benifit of Abraham with no performance required by him in return. God, as sovereign, granted an infinite surety in His promise which demonstrated His sovereign grace to Abraham as well as unto his most distant descendants. That berith was a defining moment in the Bible's covenantal narrative. Because God was divine and could not lie any more than He could die, His promise demonstrated an infinitely secure, unbreakable oath and an irrevocable, covenantal engagement with man."
~ Daniel J. Ford~
In the Name of God, Amen
Book I Christianities Covenantal Inheritance:
The Covenants of the Testaments - The Hebrew Ideas of Covenants

(emphasis added)

Kaweah- Conference Speakers and such...

2009-12-09T09:01:00.001-08:00

Pastor Weaver- Excellent as always :)

Lance Seppi

Adam Brink

Sheriff Mack

Eric Hovind- Very Corny, but not as much as his father :)

WHAT?? OOooo!

The Lunch Line-- There was a large number of people in attendance!

Lunch!
I love going up to Kaweah for the conference- it's always SO beautiful there!

Kaweah B-b-q: Friday Night Oct. 2nd

2009-12-07T12:11:00.000-08:00

Mr. Huey- guarding the meat

MMmmmm...

Our Arrival

Fellowship

Dinner

You...ate...it...all...

I... can't...believe... it

:) The End

Kaweah Beauty...

2009-12-04T13:29:00.000-08:00

On the way to Kaweah...

Down by the river outside of the cabins where most of the saints from
the Lordship Church at Ridgecrest stayed...

Flashback to Kaweah- Old Paths Christian History Conference-Oct.3 & 4 2009

2009-12-04T10:25:00.001-08:00

Now that I have finally accumulated some good pictures from this event (that have not already been used), I will be posting some about it. Actually I will be posting several post about it as I received a multitude of photos from my last pic donor. :) Many thanks to Josh for all the good pictures!

Flu and Onions...Intersting, but Who Knows?

2009-11-30T16:18:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago I had to go to the dentist and while sitting in the lobby I was talking with Mr. S. and the clerk. The subject of flues came up and the clerk said that a friend of her's sent her this email regarding the subject. I don't know how credible it is, but we followed it and so far it has worked. Give it a try and see what you think! ~Mell

" Flu

In 1919 when the flu killed 40 million people there was this Doctor that visited the many farmers to see it he could help them combat the flu. Many of the farmers and their family had contracted it and many had died...

The doctor came upon this one farmer and to his surprise, everyone was very healthy. When the doctor asked what the farmer was doing that was different the wife replied that she had placed an unpeeled onion in a dish in the rooms of the home, (probably only two rooms back then).

The doctor couldn't believe it and asked if he could have on e of the onions and place it under the microscope. She gave him one and when he did this he did find flu virus in the onion. It obviously absorbed the bacteria therefore, keeping the family healthy.

Now, I heard this story from my hairdresser and AZ. She said that several years ago many of her employees were coming down with the flu and so were many of her customers. The next year she placed several bowls with onions around in her shop. To her surprise, none of her staff got sick. It must work...( And no, she is not in the onion business.)

The moral of the story is, buy some onions and place them in bowls around your home. If you work at a desk, place one or two in your office or under your desk or even on top somewhere. Try it and see what happens. We did it last year and we never got the flu...

If this helps you and your loved ones from getting sick, all the better. If you do get the flu, it might just be a mild case...

Whatever happens, what have you to lose?
Just a few bucks on onions!!!!!!!!!!! "

Just a note, some ideas that we had were to use the onions in fall decorations or in a basket with other things like potatoes, yams, pumpkins, instead of just having onions sitting randomly around your house. The greatest part of it all is that they don't even have to be peeled, so you won't have to worry about teary eyes! :)

Garbage In, Garbage Out

2009-11-24T20:32:00.001-08:00

Quote

2009-11-23T20:24:00.001-08:00

"You'll never undercut socialism without undercutting it's hold on the child and it's hold on the mind religiously." R.J. Rushdoony

Mormonism Simplified

2009-11-04T08:52:00.000-08:00

Here is a link sent to me by a friend about Mormonism. It is very revealing. After watching this there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Mormons are NOT Christians.

Be ware- you may not want young children to watch this video.

Banned Mormon Cartoon

The Mysterious Package... My Most Recent Sewing Project...A Set of Blankies for Baby Ari !!

2009-11-02T12:29:00.000-08:00

The edge of one of these blankies is pictured here in this post

Yellow and gray backs with special stitching

A closer look...

Distant farm scene

can you see the frog and mouse?

or the turtle and the mouse?

happy bunny with neck tie :)

surprised bunny with hair bow

observant bunny with neck tie ^-^ >-<

A Great Post from Doug's Blog

2009-10-31T09:35:00.000-07:00

Click Here, or on the title of this post, to see a great post about fathers and sons.

A Mysterious Package...

2009-10-29T10:08:00.001-07:00

Can anyone guess what this Little Package is? And Where was it produced?
( those of you who I've already shown can't tell- yet =] )

What the Bible says about Men Like Karl Marx

2009-10-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

Here are some quick quotes from Karl Marx just to show what kind of man he really was...first from when he professed Christ...

" Through love of Christ we turn our hearts at the same time towards our brethren who are inwardly bound to us and for whom He gave Himself as a sacrifice."

Then later, after he sold his soul to Satan...

" I wish to avenge myself against the One who rules above."

"Embracing me, the world will dumbly pass away
And sink down to utter nothingness,
Perish with no existence that would really be living,"

" Thus heaven I've forfeited
I know it full well
My soul once true to God
Is chosen for hell."

" To the end of destroying all religion, Mark was joining the Devil to take as many millions of souls as may be persuaded by the power of his writings and influence of Satan, to the bottomless Pit."
~Lionell A. Luckhoo~ The Devil and Karl Marx

" The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of man is a demand for their real happiness." ~Marx in ' Criticism of Hegel's philosophy of Law'~

" Marx has a destructive spirit. His heart burst with hatred rather than with love towards men." ~Mazzini~ Karl Marx by Raddatz

And now what Scripture says...
Isaiah 28:14-19

" Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
Because ye have said, WE have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone , a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report...For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perezim, He shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that He may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act."

Time and Prayerlessness

2009-10-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

Here's a good post from another blog that we follow. Just click on the title of this post to go to it.

Our First Sunday in the New Church Building

2009-10-26T16:22:00.000-07:00

Church Family

The Congregation

Pastor Warren Luke talking with Mr. Loscar who made him a very nice pulpit!

Mommy with Baby Danika

The Little Kids

Rubber-band wars: thanks to Eric Hovind!

Me with baby Danika- She is so precious!!

Our New Church Building

2009-10-25T17:22:00.000-07:00

For those of you who read our blog and don't live in town, I thought you might like to see what the Lord has been doing in our local church.

This was the main part of our new church building as I first saw it. Several of our men had already gone in and torn out cubicles. There was still a LOT of work to be done though!

This is the fellowship/kitchen area. It needs total reworking too!

The room that is to be the nursery...

And here is everyone talking after the first viewing of would be our new church building! :)

After much discussion everyone (the parent's mostly that is) came to a decisions as to what kind of chairs, carpet, tables, etc. we would need to purchase.
At least, we THOUGHT we knew what we were getting...

From Dust to Glory

2009-10-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

But God had something else in mind. He decided to bless us with these free pews!!

Boy were they dirty though! These pictures to not do justice to how much dust there was on the pews!! They looked as if they had been sitting outside for thirty years! lol! The Lord removed a financial burden but required that we be willing to put in some physical labor...

With just a little bit ;-) of blowing with the air compressor, sweeping, vacuuming, wiping, and wiping, and wiping (someone guessed that we were wiping off layers of dust from before they went into storage!), washing with lots of soapy water, and oiling, and oiling, and oiling we managed to make this...

Look like this...

The Lord be praised, after working from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm we finally had the church ready for services the next morning!

Here are some of the other things that were done that day besides the pews

Cabinets

Windows

Painting

Kitchen cleaning

Vacuuming (notice the new carpet) and arranging the pews

Cleaning Bathrooms

Trying out the temporary Korg (keyboard)

Yaking :)

Resting

And showing it all off the our elderly couple, the Eklers. :)

And this is the finished product!

Soli Deo Gloria!!

A Good Reminder...

2009-10-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

Due to a comment made by one of our readers I was reminded again of how important it is to always keep a proper mindset when engaging in, or promoting, any form of entertainment/amusement.

Webster's 1828 defines entertainment in several ways:

1.The receiving or accommodating of guest, either with or without reward. The hospitable man delights in the entertainment of his friends.

3. The amusement, pleasure or instruction, derived from conversation, discourse, argument, oratory, music, dramatic performance, etc.; the pleasure which the mind receives from any thing interesting, and which holds or arrest the attention. We have rich entertainment in the conversation of a learned friend.

7. That which entertains; that which serves for amusement; the lower comedy; farce.

I found it interesting that it is listed first as being a form of hospitality, second as being something which exercises the mind, and lastly as being a kind of base amusement. Far too often many people today seem to think of entertainment as Webster defined it in #7, and I don't really think that they consider whether or not that is godly, or consistent with Christian behavior. Yet, all throughout Proverbs we are instructed to seek wisdom and forsake foolishness and in the New Testament we are instructed exactly as to what kind of things we ought to be thinking on (Philippians 4:6-8). The Bible does not give us license the participate in any kind of entertainment just because it is, 'fun'. We (I) need to remember that everything we do is supposed to be for the glory of GOD and for the advancement of the Christ's kingdom- to take dominion over the world for the crown rights of Jesus Christ-, not for our own entertainment. I pray that all the body of Christ would ever only pursue the kinds of entertainment as defined in Webster's first definition, and in some cases third, - those which are consistent with Biblical instruction concerning Christian behavior- and would ALWAYS shun those specified in the end of the 7th definition- those which are not glorifying to God, edifying to the church, or advancing the Christian faith.

I do have on the side of my blog a short something concerning this matter but think it is often glanced over, so I will quote it again here.

"Entertainment Standards

First, I would like to say that our standards for anything ought to always come from the Bible. The verse that I usually refer to is Philippians 4:8. But it can also be helpful to have a standard that is more specifically defined as long, of course, as it agrees with Scripture.
I found the following in a book written by a Christian author, by the name of Harvey Newcomb, and thought that it was pretty good. ~Mell~

Entertainment/Amusement's Purpose:
1. To store the mind with useful knowledge
2. To cultivate a correct taste
3. To make salutary impressions on the heart

Guidelines:
1. Always have some definite object in view
2. Think as you read (watch/listen)
3. Redeem time for it "

3 Day Survival Packs

2009-10-14T08:17:00.001-07:00

Here's our list of what to put in a fanny pack for a three day survival kit. We got it from a lady at a Hunter's Safety class and are making up one for each member of the family.

Pencil and notepad (small)
Needles and thread (you can buy packages at Wally World of 12 small spools of thread)
Compass
5 hour candle
12 hr. Light stick (Available at Emergency Essentials)
Waterproof matches (small boxes available in the camping section at Big 5)
Fire starter
Lint
Signal Mirror ( made of stainless steal- if you get glass it may break)
Signal Whistle
Poncho
Emergency blanket
Waterproof pouch (we didn't get this, will just use the PVC bag)
PVC bag
Safety pins (at least 10 if not more, but don't need a whole box per pack)
Knife
Fish hooks
Fishing line
Nylon rope
Nylon cord (at least 25 feet each of cord, rope, and fishing line)
Trail tape
Snare wire (we couldn't find this)
Antiseptic pads
Adhesive strips (or tape)
Sterile pads
Bandages (we just guestamated as to the quantity that would be needed for three days on first aid items)
Splint tape (make sure to get small rolls of any items that come in rolls- you don't have a lot of space in the fanny pack)
Sunscreen (can find small containers in the travel section of the cosmetics area at WW)
Bug Repellent (small spray-on tubes in the outdoors area)
Salt packets (found at any local restaurant)
* High Energy Gel Packs (need a minimum of three per pack)
Survival guide
Wildlife guide
Tracking guide (we just stuck with the Survival guide for now, can get the other two when you go outdoors for the specific area that you are going to be in)

* I didn't like what our outdoors store had in the way of High Energy Gel packs, ( it was mostly a bunch of sugar and other really bad junky stuff) so we went searching Online and found this recipe for making your own.

Make Your Own Survival Power Gel

Note on Fanny Packs: When we got our fanny packs we got ones that had two water-bottles attached, one on either side. You don't have to get that kind but it makes it easier to carry water with you.

My Birthday

2009-10-08T13:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm still alive so I naturally had another birthday this year; it just happened to be last week. :) It was a beautiful fall day, balmy and breezy. The Lord has, and continues to bless me greatly; I just pray that I would use each year, (and indeed every hour of every day) for His glory and not mine or anyone else. I enjoyed having some of my friends for dinner and Gestures afterward. My sweet friends blessed me with a few gifts - two were practical gifts to prepare me for my future. The other two I would like to show off--- they are so beautiful!!

Oh, the best gift that I got though was the birth of my niece the day after my birthday!

The shawl was made by Rachel

And my sweet best friend, Lyssy, gave me the hat.

Should a been a model! ...hehe...jk :)

(In case you can't tell, the hat has a large bow on the side of it.)

Many thanks to everyone who made my day wonderful, (including all those who sent emails etc.)!

I love you all! May the Lord bless you!

( Publisher's Note: Pictures not taken on my birthday)
Photographer: Miss Michah

Jordan Dough Boy

2009-09-17T22:05:00.000-07:00

What we do at our house for amusement!! ^_^

I Don't Feel Sorry for Me

2009-09-15T12:21:00.000-07:00

Last week I had someone tell me that they feel sorry for me because my parents are controlling my life. They said, quote, “There is a point in everyone's life that they, one, need their parents to let go and let them live their lives and two, their children need to stop being afraid to make that step to live on their own. You are letting your parents control your life. There are some things that you just won't learn staying at home.”

If I look at things from their perspective, this person has a few valid points, but it still gets me, because I know what is behind that kind of thinking. It is true that there comes a time in everyone's life that their parents need not hold on as tightly as before, because each person needs a chance to “spread their wings” in a manner of speaking, but I do not believe that God really intended us to “live our own lives.” In all reality, we should be living our lives, first and foremost, for the Lord, and second, for those around us. When we buy into the mentality that our parents need to “let go and let us live our lives,” it tends to create a very selfish and an, 'I can do this without you' attitude in many.

People feel sorry for me and think that I am not and can't make my own choices and decisions about things just because I have made the choice to stay under my parents roof until I get married. I'm sorry people, but just because I have made the choice to stay under my parents roof and am over the age of 18 does not mean that they are controlling my life and that I can't think or make decisions for myself!!

My parents have raised me to think for myself, to be able to make decisions for myself and not depend on them for everything. I choose to remain under their direction and counsel until I get married and am very thankful that they are giving me the privilege of continuing to learn from them until then. My parents have knowledge beyond my years that I can benefit and glean from while in the home. I see staying at home as an opportunity to continue learning how to be submissive to those in authority over me and bless my family as well. At this point in my life, my father is the man who the Lord has placed over me to lead, direct and protect me. Why would I want to give that up just so I can “live my own life?” I am preparing to one day be a wife and mother and I see no better way to do that than to serve my father and family here at home. I am extremely blessed to still have the opportunity to learn from my mother and glean from my fathers wisdom.

In today's society, young adults are encouraged to break away from their parents at the soonest possible time in order to live their own lives. The family has been broken apart and torn down because everyone must go their own way, do their own things, and have their own friends apart from the rest. This is not what God intended. God intended family to be close knit and strong as a body. I do not believe that this can properly happen if each one must, “live their own life.”

I don't feel sorry for me, I feel blessed.

Quotes To Make Us Think

2009-09-09T20:21:00.000-07:00

"One of the most pressing task confronting the communist party in the field of propaganda, is the conquest of Hollywood!! The supremely important propoganda unit, until now, the monopoly of the ruling class. We must rest it from them and turn it against them."~ Trotsky early 1920's

“To prepare society for psychological control, the very soul of the individual must be destroyed in its youth by disturbing it with evil via forced schooling and media.”

"One must act immorally in order to transform evil into good, by doing evil things you accomplish the good." ~ György Lukács

An article from the Hoover Dam

2009-09-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

On our way back home, way stopped by the Hoover Dam and this was an old article under glass on one of the tables. Tried to find the date when it was published, but to no avail. This was from the time of the Depression.

Cure for U.S. Ills

"The solution to the present unemployment situation at the moment, lies in carrying out the campaign started some time ago
in the effort to restrict employment to 'one breadwinner in each family,'and it is my firm conviction that if this were
put into effect in Nevada, it would go a long way toward alleviating the present condition!"

This was the statement made here this morning by Nevada federal employment director, Cross, who has just completed his
monthly survey of the state.

"IN EVERY CITY of any size in the state there is a real unemployment problem," he declared. "In each one of these cities,
there are as many married women working as there are local residents out of employment, and in nearly every instance, the
husbands of these women are earning a wage which is ample to meet all their needs. In some families there are as many as
four or five on regalar salaries, while next door is a family as large with no one able to locate the work so necessary
to make both ends meet...

Hmm, kinda seems like how things are today.

Illegal Immigrants: Potential Convicts, or Converts?

2009-08-29T12:38:00.000-07:00

In my studies recently an idea occurred to me concerning immigration (legal or illegal) which, (since there is no new thing under the sun) used to be practiced at least in its basic form, but for the last several hundred years has been quite neglected. The subject was re-introduced to my thoughts as an area needing consideration after a conversation with a friend of mine concerning illegal immigrants, but the idea came to me while listening to Rushdoony in his Critique of Modern Education.

During Rushdoony's lecture he was telling of the days of the Puritans, of how England used to send all it's criminals to the American colonies, and how despite that, they staid primarily Evangelical. Why was that? It was because of the Puritans post-millennial eschatology and strong belief in taking dominion over every area of life for the crown rights of Jesus Christ. The Puritans viewed the boatloads of criminals and prostitutes as potential converts to Christianity and thus evangelized them. Their evangelistic efforts and countless ministries amongst the heathen peoples that were sent to them were the major things which preserved the Christian society in this land for several hundred years. That Christian society later became the foundation for the formation of the government of the united States of America. Without it, the liberties that Americans have enjoyed for 200 years would never have been possible.

Today in America there is an increasing flow of immigrants crossing the border, many of which are illegal. This flood is causing many problems- it has brought with it much crime, injustice, increased taxes, many of the illegals consume our jobs, steal and destroy our property, and fill our hospitals to name a few. But what is the Christian community doing about it?

I hear many complaints, against them and our slothful, wicked, and incompetent government; but what are we doing about it?
I see many people fostering ill feelings towards these people and suggesting that they just be rounded up and sent back across the border; but what are we doing about it?
I feel much tension in the air concerning the problem of illegal immigration, all the way from the individual level to the federal; but WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT IT???

The Jehovah's witnesses are doing something about it - they are evangelizing; that's why a majority of the Jehovah's witnesses are Hispanic.
Our socialist, pagan government is doing something about it- they want to legalize the illegal immigrants in order to get their votes.
The Educational Giants are doing something about it- they want to put them through school and college to turn this great mass of people into a strong socialistic, easily manipulated, political mob.
The individual business owners are doing something about it- they are encouraging illegal immigration because its cheaper to hirer them.
The drug cartels are doing something about it- they are making lots of money off of them by holding them for ransom in their horrible human trafficking practice or getting them involved in the drug market.

But what are evangelical Christians doing about it??

Why aren't we obeying the dominion mandate and evangelizing them instead of letting some occult have them?
Why aren't we teaching them our constitutional laws from a biblical perspective instead of letting our humanist government have them?
Why aren't we teaching them English so that we can then each them Christian principles of individuality instead of letting the communist NEA have them?
Why aren't we teaching them biblical principles of finances so they won't be taken advantage of, locked into the debt system, and paid slave wages?
Why aren't we helping them through the process of becoming legal and them helping their families so they won't be caught by the wicked drug lords?

In Short, WHY AREN'T EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS FOLLOWING IN THEIR PURITAN FATHER'S FOOTSTEPS AND VIEWING NEW IMMIGRANTS AS POTENTIAL CONVERTS TO CHRISTIANITY, INSTEAD OF POTENTIAL CONVICTS?

Convicting video...something to think about

2009-08-25T20:28:00.000-07:00

Resident Seamstress...

2009-07-01T17:22:00.000-07:00

Well, since my last sewing project turned out well, I have now become my family's Resident Seamstress! It is very convenient to have someone in the family that can sew -- I can make or alter almost anything which keeps us from looking like ragamuffins and spending a fortune besides!! The best part of it is that, since I enjoy doing the work part of it, my family and I get the pleasure of seeing our clothes fit well, and it frees us from slavery to the often immodest fashion trends, it is a double/triple blessing to me and my family!

I have already sewn some skirts and capris and am presently doing alterations for my mother and sister before we leave on a long trip, part of which will be spent visiting the author of this blog. We had a very enjoyable visit with him back in March and thought, since we are going to be in his part of the country, we'd give him a visit!

But, due to this Trip, I will not be (and haven't much anyway) blogging for some time, so --

Farewell! Have a great summer!

Commencement 2009

2009-06-04T12:10:00.000-07:00

Mrs. S. reading Mr. S's speech (he was sick) to Katie and Tim

Daddy praying for me after his speech and before presenting my diploma

Giving my speech

Rache giving her speech

The gentlemen chatting

My sweet (adopted :-) ) Aunt Janie

AH! It's SO delicious!

Guest

Bubbu cracking everyone up - again ;)

Slideshow

The reception was very pleasant

Tim and Katie- brother and sister

Graduate's display table

Having fun with helium- squeaky voices :)

Graduates- Rache, Tim, Me, Dito, and Katie

End of the day with the wind in my hair

The Lord really blessed our Commencement Ceremony and the reception too- it was a very pleasant event!

P.S. - More pictures also at: http://melodys-notes.blogspot.com/2009/06/homeschool-graduation.html

Revealing of the Masterpieces

2009-05-27T16:09:00.001-07:00

Rache in Chocolate Charm and me in Purple Murphy

Graduation Venture part 1

2009-05-26T13:10:00.000-07:00

Your love makes me sing for joy!

Most beautiful pianist I know

Epic

"I'll fly away"

Beauty and best friends...what could be better?

Twirling beauties

Shoulda been models

Crossing a new bridge in life

Friends

Beautiful

Radiant

Cute

Pristine

A touch of class

Maiden and protector

Hollywood

Graduates!!

2009-05-26T00:22:00.000-07:00

Three carefree graduates!!

Announcement 2...

2009-05-20T17:38:00.001-07:00

Rache's dress (which I'm calling Chocolate Charm) is finished!!

Announcement...

2009-05-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

My dress (which we are calling Purple Murphy) is finished!

Almost there!!!!

2009-05-19T08:22:00.000-07:00

The dresses are almost done!

5/19/09 Progress Report-

Mell's Dress:
1. Lining is in
2. Zipper is in
3. Sleeves are in
4. Hem is surged

To Be Done:
1. All seams completely ironed crisp
2. Lining re-tacked to zipper properly
3. Lining tacked down
4. Hem turned up and topped stitched
5. Center decoration designed and sewed
6. Dress washed

Rache's Dress:
1. Lining is in
2. Zipper is in
3. Sleeves are in
4. Hem in surged
5. Neck line is fixed

To Be Done:
1. All seams completely ironed crisp
2. Lining tacked to zipper
2. Lining tacked down
3. Hem turned up and top stitched

Hopefully, if Murphy will behave himself today, Rache's dress should be completely done before lunch time and my dress should have at least numbers 1-4 done today! Would also like to get # 5 done on my dress, at least partly, but we'll see how that goes. # 6 won't be done on my dress until tomorrow almost for sure.

Yippeeeeee!!!!!!!!!

2009-05-14T21:24:00.000-07:00

We made a LOT a progress today on our dresses despite Murphy's attempts to thwart our plans! Both of them are completely fitted and surged, including the linings!! :D

Next is zippers, attaching the linings, sleeves, and lastly hems. Am getting SO excited! ( We just might meet the deadline after all!)

Oh, besides those things, for my dress I get to design a special part! Will be fun!

Check ya later!

Progress...

2009-05-14T06:34:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm making progress on my dress project. It is now in the fitting stages; I'm hoping to be done with that stage on my dress today, if nothing else goes wrong. Murphy* has been sticking really close to me every time I touch my dress, which has delayed it's completion considerably. But, the Lord has been kind enough to help me overcome most of my problems, though the dress is by no means flawless.

Rachel's dress so far IS flawless; Murphy doesn't seem to like her so much! :) Her's is in the beginning stages of fitting and will hopefully be past that by Saturday, if not before. The deadline for finishing both dresses is coming up really fast so it's ALL HANDS ON DECK and candles don't get blown out till well into the night.

It's all exciting, frustrating, and I CAN'T WAIT TO BE DONE!!

More later. God Bless.

* Murphy's Law- anything that can go wrong, will.