Blessed Motherhood

Dear Jeannie

2011-09-21T08:50:00.000-07:00

I am still here, albeit without electric or frequent computer access. We are trying very hard to get both so as soon as we do I will be back posting. Thinking of you (and everyone I used to connect with here) and looking forward to that (hopefully) soon day when I can again share my heart.

Amy (motherofmany)

Believe it or Not....

2010-11-19T09:16:00.000-08:00

I'm still here! Not in Ohio here, but on the planet here. It has been quite a trying year, but we are blessedly settled in our new home. I have many stories and pictures to share as soon as we can get our phone installed so as to have internet access. As it turns out, I will not get the long-hoped-for sattelite connection due to availability, but after everything else we have endured it seems trivial.

I don't want to give too much away because there are too many details that need to be provided with each story, but sufice it to say we have been carried by the Father to a land of milk and honey. We did spend the first night in our new home October 1st, so for those of you holding your breath about my dream of being in a tent for the first snow, you can relax! As excited as I was, there was still an adjustment period. I am closer to the road than I've been before and it was quite loud at first, even with minimal traffic. We are also the proud owners of the highest point in the area, though for a while it seemed we were perched on the edge of a cliff! But more about all that later. Thanks so much for your prayers and I look forward to sharing all that the L-rd has done for us!

Shalom B'Shem Yeshua,
Amy

Heed the Warning

2010-09-11T09:36:00.000-07:00

On this day of remembrance, I think it timely that I share a letter with you about coming judgments. We have turned our backs on Israel and we will pay for it. We cannot fix the country, but we can cover our own families. If you would like a copy of his 2012 video (or any of his videos) but cannot afford it, leave me a comment with your address and I will get it to you. I feel it is that important.

Next Major Shaking Is At Hand
A Prophetic Warning From Norm Franz

Received: August 7, 2010
Published: September 7, 2010

Greetings in the Name of Yeshua (Jesus) our Messiah. I hope this message finds you all well and blessed in the Lord (Yahweh).

Those of you who know me and have heard the prophetic words and teachings the Lord has given me over the past 20 years, know that I’m a straightforward end time voice, who generally interprets current events and spiritual phenomenon in the light of God’s prophetic word. This approach has kept our ministry from conjuring up soulish prophecies and high-minded declarations that sound good (tickle the ears), but have a poor track record of fulfillment.

The accuracy at which our ministry’s prophetic words and teachings have come to pass is not because I am anything special, but because of the biblical model God has shown me for prophesying truth in the last days. Many years ago, the Lord told me that I was to always bring HIS WRITTEN WORD (the Torah, the Prophets and the New Covenant) to the table, because His Word could speak for itself. All I had to do was prophetically connect the dots in a way that allowed His whole Word to flow in unity with itself, and He would do the rest.

He made it clear that I was not to embellish on His Word or make up stuff from my own guesswork like so many prophetic ministries are doing today. He told me that, if I would yield to His written Word and let it establish my doctrine rather that twisting His Word to fit my own doctrine, His Holy Spirit would show me a clear picture of the last days. As I have been faithful to follow this model to the best of my ability (not perfectly I’m sure), God has been faithful to give me what most consider a clear vision of where we have been, where we are now, and where we are going in the future.

I point this out only for the purpose of giving those who do not know me or the work of Ascension Ministries a basic understanding of our approach to end time prophetic ministry and to our highly accurate track record of prophetic words and teachings. Both, of which, I am truly grateful to God for and give Him all the glory.

My Last Major Prophecy

In April 2006, I did a prophetic teaching entitled “Mercy and Judgment: God’s Love and Discipline of America”. In that teaching, I explained the specific details of why 9/11 and hurricane Katrina were judgments on America for its transgression of God’s laws. I used Scripture verse after Scripture verse to explain the type of judgment it was and why it would continue until America repented. I also gave specific details about how the next judgment coming on America would be a financial judgment of Wall Street, and how that judgment would spread throughout our economy, as well as many other economies around the world.

Consequently, 16 months later (August 2007) the subprime mortgage crisis hit Wall Street and all but collapsed America’s financial system. Since then, this financial crisis has crushed America’s economy and dominoed throughout numerous other economies worldwide just as the Lord revealed it would.

Another Major Shaking Is At Hand

About a month ago (August 7, 2010) during Shabbat service, the Lord gave me a prophetic word that I will share in a minute. For me, this word just reiterated some prophetic teachings that I had given in the past. The reason I waited to share this with the church at large is because I wanted to make sure I was hearing a fresh word (or a real time reiteration of a previous word) from the Lord. In other words, I did not want to give a prophetic word that was simply a soulish regurgitation of past prophetic teachings with a “Thus says the Lord” in front of it. This is the path that often leads to giving prophecies from our own spirit and/or soul realm like the false prophets of ancient Israel did (Jer. 14:14; 23:26; Ez. 13:2-6, 17). The Apostle Peter pointed out that this same phenomenon would repeat itself within the New Covenant Church, and I just want to make sure that I do not go there (2 Pet. 2:1-3). In fact, I think we should let this serve as a serious warning to the many prophetic ministries that have fallen into this trap today.

With this preface, I feel compelled to share the prophetic word and subsequent understanding that I believe God implanted within me on Saturday, August 7, 2010:

“All order is about to be lost. Financial order, civil/political order, family order, and religious order. Society is about to be thrown into financial chaos and war. So Prepare! Prepare! Prepare! Prepare in spirit, prepare in soul and prepare in body. Prepare mentally, prepare emotional and prepare physically, for the next great shaking is about to come upon this world’s order of things. Repent and prepare your hearts for yet another shaking is about to remove more of what can be shaken, so that more of what can not be shaken may remain. So Return! Return! Return! Return to Me” says the Lord, “with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might, and walk in My ways and not your own. Return to me and I will return to you, and I will save you and deliver you, and you will not be shaken in the troubling days ahead.”

First I want to say that, as I received this word and have meditated on it over the past month, I sensed that it was the same type of word that God gave Israel just before Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon rose up and took them captive. It’s important to note that Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon was the New World Order (world government) of its day, and God used it to bring judgment upon Israel for turning away from His Commandments. In the same manner, I believe that God is allowing the end time New World Order of Globalism (Mystery Babylon) to rise up as a tool of judgment on the West (including Judeo-Christian America), because it has turned away from God’s laws just like Israel did.

Ultimately, Globalism (Mystery Babylon) will subdue the whole world, but right now it is leveling out the West and redistributing power, wealth, military strength, etc. to the East. This is the geopolitical shift from West to East that a number of geopolitical analysts have spoken of over the past couple of years. Prophetically, it is just like the time Israel’s power, wealth and military strength transferred to the East when it came under Babylon’s rule for transgressing God’s Law and refusing to repent.

It is also important to note that, like ancient Israel, nothing is going to stop this judgment from coming, because we are past the point of no return with regards to the world system. Yes, there are times when God postpones or even reverses a judgment when the people repent and pray like with Nineveh and the principles of Jeremiah 18:7-9. However, there are also times when, no matter what the people do, God still returns the consequences of their sin back upon them in the form of a judgment (Jer. 2:17; 4:18; 7:16; 11:14; 15:1).

Therefore, let me be clear about what God is saying in this regard. “Judgment is coming on the current financial, political and religious world order and everything else that has rejected God’s laws, and nothing is going to stop it. True repentance (returning to God’s ways) and prayer can postpone it, so that we can continue to sound the alarm and prepare ourselves for when it does come, but nothing is going to stop it.”

“For those who turn back to God’s ways and pray in line with His Word, He will raise them up above the nations and bless them even during His judgment of the nations (Deut. 28:1-14). For those who pray, yet fail to keep God’s laws, their prayers will produce very little, and they run the risk of being judged along with the nations (Pr. 28:9; Is. 1:15; 1 Cor. 11:32). In other words, if we pray and return to walk in loving obedience to God’s Commandments, He will protect and shield us from the full impact of this judgment and keep us until the day of Jesus Christ (Yeshua the Messiah). If not, our house will collapse under the weight of the shaking along with the nations”.

Timeline of this Judgment

It is important to note that the Lord gave me this word three days before the biblical month of Elul which began on August 10, 2010. The month of Elul is the month of teshuvah (repentance) before the biblical New Year of Rosh Hashanah starts on Tishri 1 or September 9th of this year. Tishri 1 also begins the Fall Feasts starting with the Feats of Trumpets (Yom Teruah), followed by Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles).

Just as the Spring Feasts celebrate Messiah first coming as Savior, the Fall Feasts celebrate His second coming as Judge and reigning King. Consequently, as we prepare for our annual observance of the Fall Feasts, Elul represents a special season of reflection and repentance, where we allow God to search our hearts and see if there is any wicked way within us. Traditionally, the way in which we respond during Elul determines what the year ahead will bring regarding blessings and cursings.

With regard to the global scale of this particular prophetic word, since there has been little or no repentance in the world, I believe God has impressed upon me that this year’s Feast of Trumpets marks a new season of judgment. That is not to say that something catastrophic is going to happen on Tishri 1 (September 9, 2010), but that it is a time when God is going to release a new season of consequences/judgments on an unrepentant world.

I also believe the Lord has show me that this shaking/judgment will be poured out over the course of the next two to three years much along the timeline I gave in the “2012 And Beyond” teaching. In that teaching, I clearly explained why 2012 is not the end of the world like so many are predicting it is. However, I also point out that the later part of 2012 could easily be a critical period when various financial, social, political and military crises crescendo at the same time, causing events that might look like the end of the world. I also point out how a series of global crises hitting in quick succession could provide the perfect atmosphere for establishing a New World Order that gives rise to the antichrist . No one knows the exact timing of this, but I believe the timeline in “2012 And Beyond” is pretty sound.

I am humbly seeking the Lord for more details regarding specific events within this coming judgment as well as the timing of those events. If, and when, the Lord gives that to me, I will share it with the body of Messiah as He leads. In the mean time, please pray that I hear the Lord clearly and keep a right spirit within me.

Return to the Lord

In all of the confusion about what is happening in the world, and whose prophetic word said what, and whose word is right, and what we should do about it, there is one mandate which is clear throughout all of it, and that is to “Return to the Lord.” I believe the best example of what this is supposed to look like is when King Josiah returned to serve Yahweh with all his heart, soul and might. He did this by restoring God’s commandments in his personal life and reestablishing the Torah throughout the nation of Israel. As a result, God declared that Josiah became the greatest King to have ever lived (2 Kgs. 23:1-25).

In the same manner, Yeshua (Jesus) reestablishes this principle of keeping God’s commandments in the New Covenant Church as a sign of greatness in His kingdom:

18 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law [Torah] until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 5:18-19)

In this regard, Jesus (Yeshua) the Messiah is calling His people (the church) to be great in the kingdom of heaven by returning to Him and His ways, so that He might return to us... Amen!

In God’s Love,
Norm Franz
A Messenger of the Covenant

The Little Things

2010-09-10T08:32:00.000-07:00

Now that I have a little time, I want to go back and post about a topic that was on my heart 2 weeks ago. I seem to be having the same conversation with many different people and decided I had to state my case as it were, so even if you've heard it before bear with me. The topic is broadly about Torah observance, but very specifically about eating clean and unclean foods. To address this, I'll have to post the verses from Matthew 5 that I have posted so many times before...

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

I don't remember reading that verse when I was 'churched'. I certainly never heard a sermon about it. When I ran across it in my attempts to prove that the law was done away with, I was stunned silent. There it is as clear as day: it is not done away. Everything has not been fulfilled, heaven and earth have not passed away, not a jot or a tittle are gone. Yet I still hear so many arguments about how unimportant these words really are so long as our "hearts are right". But I want to know how blatant disregard of the words of the Messiah can coincide with a right heart. We are told he did so many things that the world couldn't hold the books, yet he made sure these words were canonized. Apparently they are important.

I do agree that one will not lose their salvation based on eating the wrong foods. But he doesn't say it is a salvation issue at all- it is a matter of how great a servant you are. Don't believe me? read this:

"He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much." Luke 16:10

What we eat does matter because it is one of the 'small' things. If we cannot be trusted to obey in the little things, how can we be trusted to obey in the bigger things? If someone worked for you and could not wash the dishes properly, would you then give him the job of washing your fine china? You wouldn't because he has not proved that he can be trusted.

I also quite often hear the following verse as an answer to why someone continues to eat that which is unclean:

"Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand." Romans 14:4

First, I want to know why this verse only works one way. If it does imply that someone can be convicted in his own heart that pork is OK, why then does it not cover me from attack by believers who call me legalistic, a judaizer, self-righteous, and deluded? It is OK to judge the servant who obeys but not the servant who does not? Secondly, this verse is taken out of context. The discussion is about those who chose not to eat meat at all because of the issue of foods that may have been offered to idols in the marketplace. These verses in no way cleanse that which the Father called an abomination.

As to the argument that "I do not feel convicted about that issue" my question is whether they feel convicted about anything Yah says. Does the Holy Spirit really have to come down and personally invite you to obedience? If you feel in your heart that abortion is OK, does that negate the Word? Feelings and convictions can be a dangerous thing- test every spirit. Of course Satan would love to 'convict' us of our freedom from the law. Personal convictions have to line up with the Word or they are FALSE SPIRITS!!!!!!

One of the students in my homeschool co-op class came to me months after we had a debate over unclean foods with this verse and said to me that since each of us should decide what is right, he decided pork was OK. I asked him if he had the same liberty to determine if adultery and murder were OK. I pointed out that he was using a verse out of context and he had no answer for me.

Another lady pointed out 1 Timothy 4 where it states that in the latter times people will come and teach that we cannot eat some foods (meaning me) and that Paul says here that all foods are consecrated by prayer. But if we look closer at what this passage actually says, her argument falls apart.

"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."

Firstly, the idea of some animals being clean and others not is NOT a doctrine of the devil- Yah himself determined this. Secondly it says they command others to abstain from meats- I don't command anybody to do anything, the Word does. I am just reminding. This is not some rule I made up myself. Third, the passage says that what God created to be food should be received with thanksgiving. He created things for different purposes and marks that which was clean from the beginning- Adam and Eve had to be covered by a blood sacrifice and He did NOT use a pig. Lastly, we see that the food we eat is sanctified by the Word and prayer. In other words, it is sanctified if it is in line with the Word and we pray protection against anything that might have been in contact with it that is unclean (I am speaking more of evil spirits, like the meats sacrificed to idols or animals used in witchcraft, etc.) If your food is listed as food in the Word and you pray when you eat it, thanking the Father for providing it and cleansing it from whatever you don't know, you're covered.

I want to list one more verse that I think leaves the matter without further wiggle room. In Isaiah 65-66 the L-rd tells us of things to come when he creates the New Heavens and New Earth. He speaks directly of those who pretend to be holy but who are not following his commandments...

"A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick; Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels; Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day."

"They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD. For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory."

These verses are not speaking of the Muslims- even they know better than to eat the unclean thing. These are people who call themselves holy, who claim to walk after the L-rd, and who are a smoke in his nostrils because of their thoughts and actions. They believe they are working the bigger things, but the truth is that they cannot follow even in the little things. They are strong-willed and try to tell the Master what they will and will not do. It is rebellion.

So I ask you that if you do eat pork and shellfish to examine the reason why. Is it because you truly believe in spite of these verses that the L-rd has changed his mind about what is clean and unclean? Is it because of your own lack of studying on the subject? I certainly don't argue those who's husband had made a declaration that they will continue to eat those foods, but I would ask them if they are secretly relieved, or are they praying that the Father will show their husbands the truth? If your husband were convicted that pornography was OK, would you be pleading with Yah to change his mind?

Going back to the passage in Matthew 5 for a minute I want to tell you of an example of how big this little issue can be. We decided to order Chinese one night and I was looking over the menu when the lady taking orders told me that it would be cheaper to order the family pack than so many individual entrees. I said no thank you because we do not eat pork. She asked why, and I told her that the Bible gives us a list of the foods our G-d approves and pork and shrimp are not included. She had never heard such a thing. I don't know how many believers she had taken orders from, but she had never heard of a Bible-believer abstaining from foods. I'll take my life in my hands here and say that those who professed to be followers and ordered pork were teaching this woman to break the law, and Yeshua warns that anyone who leads others astray will be called least in the kingdom. You cannot be called great when you cannot be trusted with the little things.

"Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

L'Shana Tova

2010-09-09T09:34:00.000-07:00

May your year be sweet!

Boot Straps

2010-09-08T10:56:00.000-07:00

So, regardless of my desire to curl up in a ball somewhere and feel sorry for myself, there is much to be done. Our camp is buzzing with activity. In this picture you can see several projects going on at once. We made 2 1/2 gallons of elderberry syrup for flu season, dehydrated squash and tomatoes to put in soups this winter (wherever we are), and made several batches of my green tomato salsa.

Elderberry Syrup (my version)

Wash elderberries and pluck off stems. Put in crock pot and just cover with water. Leave on "warm" and NO HOTTER overnight. Strain through cheesecloth and a strainer, then mash berries with a jar of water to get the rest of the juice out. Pour 2 cups each into quart jars and add 2 cups sugar each (I know honey is better, but I don't have that much honey right now) and then add 1/2 cup vodka. Mix vigorously. I like the plastic lids for this as they don't rust or fall of when you open it. Store in a dark, cool place. For dosage, we give the kids 1 tsp. every 4 hours. Double for adults.

The Best Laid Plans

2010-09-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

This is the one part of my camp-out plan that did not work. We had moved the washer to the back porch before we moved anyway since it flooded the house twice, and we just hooked it to an appliance extension cord and the garden hose. We had cold water, but it worked out great. I planned to do the same in camp since we have electric and water, but we forgot how rusty the barn water is. So I am lugging laundry to the laundromat every 4 days and spending a fortune to wash. We do have clothes lines up when the weather cooperates. We haul water for dish washing and drinking from my folks every day, which is eating up gas, and the delay on moving makes me concerned that we will run out of the money we set aside for camping. We have money, but if we must take from the other funds we will be crossing something off the list for the new farm (like sheep or cows, which is the whole point of farming) so I am trying to come up with some more creative ways to make things work. I looked into a small water filter system, but it cost a fortune as well. Such is life!

When G-d has Other Plans

2010-09-03T10:28:00.000-07:00

I did not come back and blog over the weekend as I had planned. We did go sign papers at the title office, but were told that for some reason the bank would not allow closing yet. We spent a great deal of time trying to find out why and discovered that the purchaser had not completed the terms of the loan for the bank to release the money to us. Our auction was June 12th. The agreement stated the purchaser had 45 days to close the sale. We were patient with the delays and then found out that we are on our 3rd bank with this buyer. It isn't a matter of not having the money, but of not liking the bank terms. They started the process over twice without ever telling us. Now they are playing around with this bank and their terms. We had to call the Amish man who is selling us the farm and tell him, and he is not sure he is willing to wait, especially since we don't have a clue when or if they will ever get their ducks in a row. So we wait. I didn't pray for patience, but the Father has a reason and I must believe He has not forsaken me. As much as I tried to be brave, I did break down and cried for the morning. I ended up with a migraine, which kept me off the computer. We now have to wait for an answer from our seller, and if he OKs the wait, we have to pay for another months' rental on the trailer we are using to store/move our household belongings, figure out a plan for feeding our family with the fall rains making electrical usage dangerous, and determine if Ohio must be notified of our homeschooling intents or if that should just wait until we move.

We parked ourselves at my [parents' house today. We had some bananas that needed made into bread, some eggs that needed boiled for quick lunches, and it is raining. It matches my spirit, though the flame of hope is not dead.

In perspective, none of us is terminally ill, we are free to pray/school/live where we choose, and we have food to eat so long as we can figure out a way to cook it. If I could see what He sees, I wouldn't be afraid, but since I see through a glass darkly......

Shabbat Shalom!
Amy

Good News

2010-08-25T15:22:00.000-07:00

We got a call today that we can come in Friday to sign papers for the last sale, which will close Monday!! There's still a ways to go as the money has to be transferred first to a third party title agency since we are doing a 1031 (I think that's the number) and then to the current owner, who then has to send the money to the man he is buying from and move out of the house so we can move in. But it's progress!!!!

Hello to my new friend who wanted to remain anonymous- no problem just leaving a comment and just telling me to not post it. Thank you for your encouragement and blessings to you as well!

I have several posts in my head but no time tonight so I'll be back over the weekend.

Shalom!
Amy

SNOW!?!?!?

2010-08-22T08:33:00.001-07:00

The moving process seems to have ground to a halt as we wait for the banks to finish their paperwork. I was panicked when the lady at the Title agency told me her estimate for closing was the end of September, but last night Gary and I both dreamed we were in the tent when snow started to fall. Please don't let that be prophetic! I would love a miracle where we are in our new house for Rosh HaShannah. And for Sukkot, we will gladly sleep in a house just for the novelty of it!!!!!!

Blessings!
Amy

Camp Privy

2010-08-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

*sorry- can't figure out how to flip pictures either!

I was already researching composting toilets for the new house as there is no indoor plumbing when I found out we would be boondocked at the old farmstead. I found a smaller version for the campsite that will also work when we get to the house.

*sorry- can't figure out how to flip pictures either!

I found privacy tents in the camping section on Amazon and bought two of each of the two models that looked best. I am glad as each worked the best for the purpose I intended. The tan is good for a bathroom. It has a pocket to hold a roll of paper at just the right height and has windows to allow ventilation. The light color keeps it from getting as hot as the green, which are our showers. I bought 6 solar shower bags and a galvanized tub at Tractor Supply which serves as the bathtub for the kids. The tent was not designed to hold the shower bags, however (the box to the shower showed it hanging from a tree) so we had to take the old swing set and put it on blocks to have something substantial to hold the weight of 10 gallons of water. The nice things about the green tents is their darker coloring makes them non-transparent. They also have a skinny pouch up high, which works for shampoo and would never work for TP.

The showers aren't bad at all as long as you do it before sundown, as they are not insulated to retain the warmth.

My Camp Kitchen

2010-08-15T15:50:00.000-07:00

My darling husband made me nice camp kitchen complete with electricity since we are near the barns and can ruin a line. I have my crock pots, and electric skillet, coffee maker, and a microwave if needed (though I don't like it and won't use it unless there is no alternative).

He also made me an island out of old lumber so that the space on the picnic table isn't taken up by appliances. I bought two of the plastic drawer storage units to put dishes, spices, and paper products in. We have some regular dishes and some disposable, depending on what we are eating.

We bought a gas grill finally, partly because we thought we would need it when the rain prevented electric cooking, and partly because our new house has not electric or gas, so until we get ourselves a plan, we will be cooking on the grill. The camp experience is a good transition for us.

We like corned beef or pot roast hash, but I had to get creative with a camp recipe. Here's what we liked:

Camp Hash
1 lb. corned beef or roast beef from the deli
1 bag seasoned fries (if you are a celiac, try Alexia or Ian's)
1 white onion
3 tbsp butter

Sautee onion in butter until soft. Add diced meat and diced fries and cook until browned. Serve with fried eggs (or no eggs if you are like me and would rather pass).

Out of the House

2010-08-15T15:13:00.000-07:00

* updated with correct photos- using my mom's computer and a new camera!

The way the auction went, the land was parceled off and auctioned separately first, then there was the chance for someone to buy the whole thing at once for a higher price. The house ended up going by itself, the farthest building lot went by itself, and the remainder of the farm went as a chunk. Unfortunately, the buyer for the whole farm (who has the money but wanted to finance some of it since his sons and grand kids will be running it and he wanted them to work for it) has been going to different banks trying to finance as much as possible. This means a big delay for us, though we had to be out of our house by July 30th. So we are camped at the farm that belonged to my in-laws in our fancy tent. Until further notice..... though we did have our attorney call and he was told by the bank that the loan is now approved as the buyer had to just bite the bullet and put more down.

Unfortunately, since he is the source of most of the money, we cannot buy our new farm until his purchase closes. The title office told me end of September. I'm trying to be positive about it, but the fact that we are now without a home if the sale would fall through has me concerned. We could always move to the apartment above the milk house, though it is about 800 square feet.

So until we know for sure, we are camped. It is almost like a mini homestead because we planted winter squash up there in the spring thinking we could get them on one of the trips back. We also have our ponies and three new goats (one milking) and I've been making elderberry tinctures/syrup and processing tomatoes because they won;'t wait.

I Promise!

2010-08-02T14:59:00.000-07:00

Pictures comeing soon- and I have a lot to share!!!! Had to order a new camera but still have smoe of the old. Once we get things sorted out I'll be back with all kinds of interesting info!

Shalom!
Amy

Another Step

2010-07-03T05:34:00.000-07:00

Today is our farewell party. It may sound snotty, but I wish it was over. I understand the concept of having a chance to see everyone before we go, some of whom we will likely not see again. But it feels like attending your own funeral in a way! I just can't explain it properly. I think I am impatient to get to our new home and get started on everything we have planned, and to me a 'goodbye' party is looking back. I've gotten to a point where I don't really care to look back all that much. In the packing for the move, I purged a great many items from my past. Stuff like trophies and ribbons, certificates and programs from the multitude of school activities over the years. Part of it that I am so far removed from that person now. Part of it is I know life is short and I don't want to either waste time dusting mementos or be remembered by them. I want to be present and active. Holding on to the past isn't where I want to be.

Hopefully pictures soon!

A Drastic Shift

2010-06-22T05:20:00.000-07:00

I have for a while now intentionally been sporadic in my posting, hoping some people would grow tired and move on. I'm not out to offend anyone, but I found myself in the midst of battles I never wanted to be part of. I tried to be a peacemaker or voice of reason, but it was pointless. There truly are people who have nothing better to do all day than sit and criticize others. I want no part of that. I'm accountable for every minute of my life, and I don't want to answer for that waste, even if my intentions were good.

I was also hoping to dwindle the numbers down to those who are my friends and are interested in more than controversy because my life (and therefore my blog) are about to take a drastic turn. I plan to document (as much as possible) our move and all that it entails. We have bought an Amish farm, which means no electricity and no indoor plumbing. I'm actually quite excited about the whole thing! I've dreamed of these chances for years and now that they are about to happen, I don't want to get caught up in someone else's argument about temporal nonsense. I'm still perfectly open to discussion, but hoping it will be an honest attempt at understanding rather than a trap to use my words against me.

Anyway, enough of the 'crap'. I don't currently even have a computer as mine died and I am using my mother's, but it is on the list to purchase as we will need it for school. I'm going to do my best not to say where we are moving to as part of the reason we are relocating is to get away form the biological families of our kids. And speaking of the kids...the blog still says it is about motherhood, and while I cannot erase the fact that I am a mother of RAD kids, I want to focus now on the Blessed part of the title. There is so much to do and see and try in our new homestead that I want to look back and read. I'll still be honest about our challenges, but hope they become less of a reality.

So, for those who are still with me or those who might find us along the way....welcome to our journey.

Helpmeet to Whom?

2010-06-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I got a hold of a copy of the book by Debi Pearl Created to be His Helpmeet. I had heard a great deal about it on blogs and in homeschool groups. I have to confess to not really reading it, but simply skimming through the letters that were sent in and the answers given to them. I didn't directly disagree with anything said, but the book in general put my guard up, so I just set it aside and forgot about it.

This spring we received some boxes of hand-me-downs, though often there is more than clothing included in the boxes we get. There was a box of sewing materials which I gave to my oldest daughter. What I didn't know was that a copy of Mrs. Pearl's book was underneath the material, and my daughter took it upon herself to read it without permission (not only do we have a general rule that the kids are not to read books without our permission, we have a specific reading moratorium on this child because of the consequences of her reading books we had forbidden and the spiritual warfare that ensued). We found out this latest disobedience when she went 'off the reservation' and we found her journal on her bed- a signal that she wanted us to read it. In it she talked about how awful I was as a wife and how she wasn't going to be anything like me when she got married. She was instead going to do what Debi Pearl recommended in her book. So I had to take the time to go back and read the entire book.

Obviously if you have read anything here before you know I am a Bible literalist and agree with what it has to say on every topic- including the submission of wives to their husbands. I am glad to know that so many women are embracing the truth of the family as the Father designed it. I won't even go into the typical "I don't agree with everything the author says" because that is a given with any book aside from the Word. In fact, I don't want to write a review at all since I am busy packing and taking care of moving details. Instead, I found a blog that covers my concerns with the book in detail, so I'll leave this link as my opinion on the whole matter.

I do want to say as a blanket statement that marriage is never one size fits all. I found myself defending my actions to a girl who cannot/will not obey or honor her parents, yet she is already sure that she will be a better wife than I am because she will not 'tell her husband what to do'. And while I don't want to go into detail about what she is referencing (gleaned by laying with her ear to the wall and listening in on our every conversation) I will say with confidence that I do reverence and yield to my husband. What a girl who has never been married cannot understand is that each marriage is unique. If a man is aware enough to know that he is prone to melancholy and he asks his wife to 'snap him out of it' when he begins to doubt his abilities or his faith wavers, she is not only obedient to do so, she is loving! Obviously there is a right and wrong way to approach such a matter, but it is not for anyone else to determine her 'taking initiative' is wrong (whether it be the author of a marriage book or a girl looking for anything on which to judge her mother). I could give several other examples, but the point would still be that as long as a man and woman pattern their marriage after the Word, nobody else on earth has the right to judge that marriage.

Created to be His Helpmeet? Yes. But who has the right to determine what that should look like besides the man to whom I am helper?

PS- I would like to recommend instead The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace. We did a study on this at church and it was much more balanced and helpful.

If Wishes Were Popsicles...

2010-05-22T09:14:00.000-07:00

Last Night, I was contemplating the silliness we often call wishing. If only we had the power to change _____________ (fill in the blank), the world would be a better place. I was thinking how much easier it would have been if I had been called to the dog ministry instead of the adoption ministry. Rehabilitating dogs is so much easier. I have so much experience in this area, and so much success. Why then would the Father lead me to a ministry that is so much harder and for which I was completely unprepared? If only they were dogs...

We've never gone and picked out a pet. They always arrive here. Either someone drops them off or someone asks us to take them (and the 'for a while' seems to be forgotten very quickly). Often these animals are being given away because of some perceived defect. They are too rowdy, or too aggressive, or simply too needy (i.e. eat to much). And I have never rejected an animal that has found its way to my door. I am too soft hearted and inclined to the case of the unloved. We have experienced a season of loss here with our pets, and while it is so sad to have an animal go, especially if they were sick or in pain at the end, I can look back at those experiences and feel that we did wonderful things for those animals.

One, our Siamese cat, passed away after a fight with a UTI that we just couldn't knock. He was born here. Someone dropped off a pregnant cat (again) and she had kittens under the porch. It was storming terribly one night and I heard a kitten screaming even above the thunder. I couldn't let it go, so I ran out in the storm and crawled under the porch. The other kittens were fine, but this little white one had crawled into puddle and was struggling to keep his face above the water. Their eyes were not yet opened, so he was in peril. I had to really crawl through the mud to get to where they were nested, but I did finally get that kitten, and the others, and brought them into the house. I dried them off and set them in a box in my bathroom. Their mother showed up at the door the next day and I let her in. When they were old enough, I sent them all back outside...except the white one. He seemed to know I had rescued him and was exceptionally friendly to me while his siblings hissed and ran. Only when he got older did we realize he was a Siamese mix and just how beautiful his markings were. He was such a good friend when I was sick or upset. Cats have a sense about those things.

Even the pets that we have left were rehabilitation cases. Our dog is a chow mix who just showed up when we were building our house. In fact, one of the contractors stopped to check the well and because we were not here, she grabbed him by the ankle. It didn't break any skin, but he called the dog warden just the same and they came out to get her. I had a choice- let them take this dog I did not even know, or to save her. It would require a special license as she was classified as a vicious dog, but as I looked into those eyes I saw a dog who was just trying to earn her place in our home, so I adopted her. In such a short time, she was different. I was strict but kind, and the consistent gentleness allowed her to stop being on guard all the time. She still watches out for us, but she is NOT a vicious dog. People laugh at the man who told everyone not to come here or risk being eaten alive by our Cookie. When we tell her someone is OK, she rolls over and asks them to rub her belly. So vicious!!!!!!

Why can't kids be that easy? Why can't consistent gentleness fix what happened to them? I found myself wishing it was just like rehabilitating a dog. Good food every day, love with boundaries which create safety and security, and welcome arms. In fact, I was thinking, I have been able to help others' kids. I have over the years done daycare or babysitting for people whose kids were out of hand. Just a few days at MeeMee's house, and those kids were different. They knew better than to pull any tricks here, though they didn't fear or hate me for it, either. They came to love and appreciate the safety of the boundaries and to understand that as long as you are within them, MeeMee is one of the funnest people in the world. They would miss me over the weekend and run in the door on Monday. I have something of a reputation of being able to transform kids while still being someone those kids truly adore. Why is it so much easier to help others' kids and not my own?

I suspect the answer lies somewhere in the fact that with the other kids and even the animals, I did not take the problems personally. I was not nearly as invested as I am with my kids because I am fully responsible for them. At the end of the day, no one will look at me if those other kids turn out wrong. No one will judge me by my ability to fix or not fix a broken animal because of the abuse they suffered before. But I know that children are a mother's heritage, and also a glimpse into who she really is that she cannot hide or cover up. If my kids are thieves when they grow up, people will look at me as having been lax in teaching them to respect the property of others. If my children are violent, the suspicion will be on me that I did not teach them to control their emotions. Someday those kids will be a reflection of the deepest, most secret parts of my life, and that is a lot of pressure! I think that pressure has caused me to want perfection. And the tension created by that drive makes me all the more likely to 'freak' when they screw it up.

So I sit and waste my time wishing changing kids (who are made in the image of G-d and are therefore complex and precious) was the same as taking a stray dog and teaching it to trust again. If only......

Interesting Visitor

2010-05-13T11:46:00.001-07:00

The census lady just left. I was perturbed that she came in the first place because we filled out the form and sent it back, but I wasn't surprised she came because all we answered was the number of people in our home on April 1. Nothing else. By law, we are not required to answer anything else. They try to scare you into submission by threatening fines or jail for not complying, but I did comply. It just wasn't to the level they wanted. I find it very telling that nowhere in any of the census stuff that is mailed out do they tell you directly what you are required by law to answer. So it went like this...

Census lady: Hi, I'm (I wasn't paying attention) from the census (she showed me ID) and I have a few questions for you. Is this (insert address)?

Me: Yes.

Census lady: And you were living here April 1st? This is not a vacation home?

Me: (Stifling giggles) It is the primary residence.

Census lady: And how many people were living here on April 1st?

Me: 9

Census lady: And your name is?

Me: Nope.

Census lady: Pardon me?

Me: No. I won't give my name. I'm a constitutionalists and by law only have to answer the number of people living here.

Census lady: So you're refusing to answer?

Me: Yes.

Census lady: Can I get your name then? (Tricky!!!)

Me: Nope.

Census lady: OK then. At least you were polite about it (I can imagine someone like my brother with a chew in and his hat sideways, packing heat on both sides, answering like that- poor lady probably would have keeled over).

Yeah, I saw all the advertisements. I know that to be a good citizen I should answer all the questions so we can get enough bridges and better schools, but I pay taxes for them, and the tax info along with traffic studies are enough to determine what is needed. Besides, I don't use public schools and I REALLY don't believe my filling out the census form in detail will improve them.

Why I Hate Mother's Day

2010-05-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

I am bumping this post from 2008 as it is just as applicable today. The money is super tight until we get moved as we have to fix things up here and put the earnest money on the new farm as well as pay recording fees and other expenses associated with selling and buying, but I am in desperate need of clothes. I always put it off, hoping to lose weight and buy clothes in my goal size, but I realized that I had nothing decent enough to wear even to the attorney's office to sign papers, so my two middle girls talked me into buying a skirt, two shirts, and a nightgown when we were at the store. As nice as it was to have two of the kids finally wanting to see me blessed on Mother's Day, the other extreme was waiting at home from the daughter who feels this gift will eclipse her birthday next weekend, especially since we already said no to a DQ ice cream cake ("So there's money to buy you something, but not me!?!?"). With adopted kids, it is often 2 steps forward, one step back, or more accurately two kids forward, one stationery, and one running for the hills behind you. But I am not complaining- I know in spite of all this just how blessed my life is. ;)

Why I Hate Mother's Day (May 9th, 2008)
Pretty strong words, I know. There is just no other way to explain my revulsion for this 'celebration'. For most mothers, it is surely a day or pampering, honor, and warm feelings. In our house, it is instead a reminder that I am not really the mother to 6/7th of the children who reside here. The little kids would never think to make that statement, but their older siblings make it for them. Without fail.

At the store, if anything is mentioned by the kids about buying a card or gift, it is generally intended for their birth mother. I said before that I would never begrudge my kids the memories of their mom, and I am always willing to send what they wish to her so that they don't feel the need to 'choose'. But when I overhear my husband in the next isle cajoling someone about buying a card for me, and I hear the "I don't want to" it makes me wish I had the power to un-do the current calendar. Even if 4 kids are perfectly happy with me as their mother, it only takes one to ruin the mood. Just one kid sitting cross-armed at the restaurant in protest of anybody even thinking to pretend that you are a mother worth honoring will kill the day. I find each year that the approaching day makes me more and more tense. This year I had an emotional meltdown on Thursday, which still leaves 3 days of suffering after it.

My husband allows me to buy something for myself, but it feels like I am cheating. Gifts on Mothers' Day are supposed to be from the kids who are so grateful to have the mother that they do. It feels like one more instance of pretending for me. Friends wish me a happy day and our church usually passes out bookmarks to all the mothers, but as far as a personal celebration, I would just as soon fast-forward to May 12th. It is, for me, a farce.

I said this not to dampen the joy of anyone else's special day, but as a little reminder that not every mother is so greatly appreciated. If this is your first Mother's Day as a foster/adoptive mother of RAD kids, you have my sympathy. If you are a 'real' mother who is the recipient of flowers, jewelry, lunch, cards, and most importantly adoration this weekend, remember that you are especially blessed. Some mothers have the full time job without the benefits.

The Result of Fracturing Scripture

2010-05-08T10:09:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I was scrolling through my news feed from Christian Post and was surprised to see a headline about Jennifer Knapp admitting she was gay. I’ve never been into the ‘in’ music of the day, but there was one song of hers on a cd my brother made me that I really liked, so while I knew little about her, I still felt the drop in my stomach at those words. I am an adult, capable of making the decision that if someone doesn’t follow scripture, I cannot follow them (1 Corinthians 11:1), but there are surely many young people right now deciding that since they really like Jennifer Knapp, and she is gay, that being gay is OK. I am hoping Berean Wife writes about this, because she has done great posts before about the genre of music labeled Christian and what a trap it can be.

I want to bring up something else that was in a subsequent interview Knapp did with Christianity Today.

"CT: What about what Scripture says on the topic?

Knapp: The Bible has literally saved my life. I find myself between a rock and a hard place—between the conservative evangelical who uses what most people refer to as the "clobber verses" to refer to this loving relationship as an abomination, while they're eating shellfish and wearing clothes of five different fabrics, and various other Scriptures we could argue about. I'm not capable of getting into the theological argument as to whether or not we should or shouldn't allow homosexuals within our church. There's a spirit that overrides that for me, and what I've been gravitating to in Christ and why I became a Christian in the first place."

When we make any part of scripture obsolete by declaring it culturally relevant, done away with, or expired, we bring the whole of the Word under a cloud of doubt. She has a very good point here- people are using verses against her choices while making choices themselves that can be argued against from scripture. The conversations go something like this:

"If G-d's law is forever, then we shouldn't eat pork, right?"

"No, we are free to eat whatever we like because Jesus came to abolish the law."

"If he abolished the law, then we can get tattoos, right?"

"No, tattoos are still wrong because they hurt our witness."

"So as long as people see us loving others, we can do whatever we like in private?"

"Well, Jesus established his law for us to live by that was a reaffirmation of all but one of the 10 commandments."

"So we only need to follow the 9 applicable commandments and love others and we're good?"

"Since we have been given freedom in Christ, we have even more of an obligation to the essence of the law. For instance, in the old law we were commanded not to commit adultery. Jesus said that wasn't enough, that we also had to keep our eyes and minds from lusting because that would be the same as adultery."

"So he did away with the law, except for parts, and those parts are more complex than the original commands?"

"They aren't more complex, they're just more spiritual than the old law. The old law was a governing system for the Jews. The new law regulates the inner man who is saved through faith as the New Testament declares."

"So we only follow the commands of Jesus and the New Testament writers. Does that mean a woman should wear a head covering?"

"No. That was a cultural command that applied to those people in that time. It no longer applies to us."

"So there are even parts of the New Testament that we do not follow?"

"Yes. The only commands Jesus gives are to love G-d with all our heart and to love our neighbor as ourselves."

"So essentially, homosexuality is no longer a sin because it doesn't hurt anybody and you can still love G-d and your neighbor, regardless of their gender?"

"No. Jesus specifically teaches against homosexuality."

"So we follow the 9 commandments, the New Testament teachings (except those deemed to have been cultural) and some of the Old Testament laws. How do we know which are current and which are not?"

"G-d has promised to write his laws on the hearts of the believers who have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them."

"But if you have two believers who are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, yet they have different opinions on whether something is sin, say drinking wine, who is right?"

"Well, obviously one of them is wrong. We know that drinking is a sin, so that person is in error."

"Where does the Bible say to abstain from alcohol?"

"It doesn't say that outright, but we can glean that from the essence of the scriptures."

"So under Jesus, the laws of unclean meat are gone but now we have a prohibition from alcohol which isn't commanded directly but gleaned from the essence? I thought we were free in Christ to consume whatever we wanted?"

"Those verses refer to food, not drink."

WHO CAN FOLLOW ALL THAT?!?! No wonder there are so many denominations and sects and division even within themselves?

If the Word is susceptible to timelines, cultures, and interpretation, we don't truly have the Word of Yah. What does the Bible itself have to say about whether it is timeless and applicable forever?

"The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times." Psalm 12:6

"The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever." Isaiah 40:8

"As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him." Psalm 18:30

"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." 1 Peter 1:23

"For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth." Psalm 33:4

"And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Timothy 3:15-17

"What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it." Deuteronomy 12:32

"...and the scripture cannot be broken" John 10:35

"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:11

"But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? Seeing thou hatest instruction, and casteth my words behind thee." Psalm 50:16-17

"Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word." Psalm 119:9

"For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven." Psalm 119:89

"Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever." Psalm 119:60

"Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." Proverbs 30:5-6

"And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail." Luke 16:17

"I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word." John 17:6

"For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." Romans 15:4

Tylenol in your Toes?

2010-04-30T17:30:00.000-07:00

I really thought I would not be blogging anything else until the move is done, but because this came up as a result of the moving process, I thought I would share while it is fresh in my head.

Quite often foster/adopt kids will hoard. With my kids it is especially candy since I won’t buy it for them. Candy was used as the bribe to keep them quite about the sexual abuse. They equate candy with love, but it is a warped twisted sick pedophile kind of love, so I won’t allow that trigger so long as I can help it.

I’ve talked about the necessary evil we endured last spring when we put the 4 kids in public school. It was necessary because we were getting a lot of pressure that the reason they acted out was that we smothered them by never letting them out of our sight. We also needed to document their academic abilities since they refused to do ‘schoolwork’ at home (I am an unschooler through and through but we have to have enough to put together a portfolio). It was evil because I knew it would do nothing that everyone else seemed to think it would, and it was worse than I could have ever imagined.

Aside from the ‘little’ stuff, like our oldest reading books that we had specifically asked her not to (wizards and vampires) and bringing back up the demonic influences from her past, we had ‘big’ stuff like drugs, theft, and violence. Our son specifically started to steal money from us again, which I assumed was to buy candy in the lunch line since public school make a profit by getting kids hooked and raking in the cash. It turned out he was also buying drugs. He was obviously stealing more money than we had imagined, and it wasn’t just from us. He was beating up little kids on the bus and taking their money, taking money from the teachers and students in the classroom, and borrowing money from 6th grade loan sharks. We still don’t know it all but what we do know is a staggering amount.

He would bring those drugs home and hide them, then sneak out at night to get them. We have gone through countless alarms on his door and window, but he always finds a way to dismantle them. When we bought the mother of all security measures, he started going out his little sister’s window and giving her ‘candy’ in exchange for her silence. Only it wasn’t candy.

I said all that as a precursor so that nobody thinks I am taking every little dropped paper or wrapper and going to extremes. It has also been going on for years and is not limited to candy or medicine (my daughter had a thing for the silica gel packets in the shoes at Wal-Mart). I want to share with you some of the VERY ODD places I have found things stashed….

*hole at the end of the drive, where he could ‘tie his shoe’ to cover what he was doing
*my flower bed at the end of the drive, triple bagged in Ziploc to keep it dry and free from bugs
*just inside the dryer vent on the outside of the house
*inside the furnace duct in the bedroom
*under the carpet in the corner of the bedroom
*in the bottom of the trash can in the bathroom
*taped to the underside of the dresser drawer
*inside movie cases
*inside teddy bears
*inside a slit in a bedspread
*in a hole in the drywall behind furniture
*in a hole carved in the bedrail
*in an ear
*in the underwear (that were currently on the person)
*hidden between the toes
*in someone else’s coat pocket
*in someone else’s purse
*in the gravel parking lot at church
*under the lining of the shoe

And you may be wondering how I could be so foolish to allow my kids access to things, especially tools to carve holes in the wall or furniture, but I didn’t. We started out trying to ‘let them just be kids’ but when it got to be a safety issue, we buckled down and have slowly had to get stricter until right now there are two things allowed in the room of a repeat offender- a bed and a Bible. Even having a bureau (my three B’s) was too much because it was so easy to hide things in and too much to search every day. They would pull nails out of walls to use as tools. They would get past the alarms and steal tools and hide them for future use (you can fit screwdrivers inside a floor furnace vent and have them not be noticeable, amazingly). And while there are many who think the stripping of privileges is the cause of the behavior, we alone know the progression of things that have occurred here and that being permissive makes them worse. I’m also against giving prisoners computers, TVs, and Gameboys. When you reward bad behavior, it will continue. Negative reinforcement.

So I am already formulating plans for the new house. First, blessedly, there are no furnace vents. There is no carpeting. The bedrooms are all second story (no more slipping out the window so easily in the night). There is a door at the top of the stairs that will be locked at night. Nobody can get downstairs without permission (and for those who fear fire safety, remember that not only are they more likely to die from the drugs than from a fire, there will be fire ladders in the rooms with mechanisms attached to tell us if they have been used).

All school items will go in the room being designated as a school room (downstairs) and no one will be allowed in that room without permission. There is a very large pantry (my dream finally come true) and it will have a lock on it. We’re not talking about kids being hungry and needing something to eat so they take an apple. This is eating the baking chocolate and drinking the maple syrup. There will still be food available for the kids, but not the trigger foods. We have also moved away from common pharmaceuticals to homeopathy, but even that will all be locked in a closet with a deadbolt.

And lastly, there will be a LOT of physical work to do. This will give the kids a release for all those frustrations, make them hungry enough to not starve in an attempt to chose the menu, and hopefully sleep very soundly at night. This move is the answer to many years of prayers for me. I had a vision that getting back to the farm lifestyle we lived when we got married, but in a much more rural setting, would be the thing to bond our family and heal many wounds. I’m excited for the chance to give it my all. The idea that no one there knows our kids or their story will hopefully preserve us from sympathetic intruders. And maybe the fresh start will allow them to make the choice to shed their pasts that they have so far not been able to do.

But I will not drop my guard. I will not stop checking the nooks and crannies. I will not suddenly allow visits to the neighbors’ houses. This is war, and if it takes living like we’re in a boot camp for the rest of my days to save my kids, I’m going to do it.

The Battle for the Bible

2010-04-12T16:58:00.000-07:00

Are the Inspired Scriptures Enough?
Tim Hegg • TorahResource • March 2009

We’ve all had the experience of traveling to some place new and trying to find directions to a given location. With map or directions in hand, we look intently for street signs and road markers as we try to find our way. Then we come to an intersection where we must turn either right or left, and discover that our directions are not as specific as we had hoped. For a moment there is a bit of panic! People behind us are honking their horns, wishing we’d move. But which way should we go? Left or right? For a moment we feel lost, and glancing at the directions we’ve received, we wish they had been more specific!

As followers of Yeshua who have come to love and appreciate the Torah and are striving to live out the Torah in our daily walk of faith, we have come to just such a crossroad. There are voices encouraging us to turn this way or that but what we really need to know is this: which way will take us to our desired destination? That destination is nothing less than our ability as individuals, congregations, and communities to sanctify the Name of God upon this earth by walking in the footsteps of our Messiah, Yeshua. We do this by living out a sanctified life unto God and by exalting the risen Lord, Yeshua, in our daily activities—by demonstrating His will in our marriages and families, our relationships, our work, our entertainment, and even our relaxation.

The intersection at which we are now standing is one that will determine our way more than anything else, and it is this: is the Bible, the 66 books we have received as the inspired, infallible, inerrant word of God sufficient to be our road map in all matters of faith and practice (halachah), or do we need something in addition to the Scriptures in order to sanctify God’s name in our world, to know His will for us—to know how we should live righteously in this present age?

In 2003 Mark Kinzer wrote a paper for the Hashivenu Forum entitled “Messianic Judaism and Jewish Tradition in the 21st Century: A Biblical Defense of ‘Oral Torah’” in which he argued that the written Torah is not sufficient in and of itself, but that the Oral Torah, the compiled traditions of the Sages throughout the ages, are also necessary for discerning God’s will. In Kinzer’s book Postmissioinary Messianic Judaism (Brazos, 2005), he reiterates and expands on what he had written in the Hashivenu Forum. At the beginning of this chapter, under the sub-heading The Insufficiency of the Written Torah, he makes this bold statement (p. 236):

Is the written Torah sufficient for instructing the Jewish people in how to live as individuals, families, and local communities? While it is certainly foundational and indispensable, it is not sufficient. The Torah requires a living tradition of interpretation and application if it is to be practiced in daily life.

This statement and the following pages that seek to substantiate it, are in concert with Kinzer’s overall purpose in the book, which is to find a way for Messianic Judaism (as he defines it) to be accepted within “wider Israel.” Obviously, a theological position that would give supremacy to the written Scriptures (including the Apostolic Scriptures) over the traditions of the Rabbis (the Oral Torah) could never be accept by Orthodox Judaism. But as Michael Brown has shown, rejection of the Living Torah (Yeshua) is the obvious key difference between so-called Messianic Judaism and present-day Orthodox Judaism, and this presupposes the rejection of the Apostolic Scriptures, which interpret the Tanach as prophesying about Yeshua as the true and long-awaited Messiah.(1)

Many of us who have read Kinzer’s work in the past were not overly surprised by his radical positions, and felt the critiques of his book that appeared shortly after its publication had sufficiently shown its shortcomings. What is alarming now, however, is that his position on the insufficiency of the Scriptures is gaining acceptance among other messianic ministries. In recent dialogs I have heard messianic leaders voice the opinion that God gave to Israel the responsibility and authority to be the judge, protector, and definer of the commandments contained in the Scriptures. That means that Kinzer’s view of the insufficiency of Scripture is gaining traction among an increasing number of messianic teachers, for if Israel is to be the definer of the commandments, it means that a person cannot know how to obey God’s commandments unless he or she consults the traditions of Israel. Or to put it another way, if Israel has been given divine authority to define how the commandments are to be obeyed, it means that the Oral Torah, the traditions of the Sages (in all of their diversities) are to be received as having some measure of divine authority.

If that position is not alarming to you, it should be! For if divine authority is accorded to the Oral Torah (which is the position of rabbinic Judaism since ancient times([2]) as God’s will for how the commandments are to be obeyed, then your Bible is not enough. You’ll need to start studying the Mishnah, Talmuds, Midrashim, and ultimately the Shulkan Aruk in order to find out exactly how to obey God. Of course, when you do, you’ll discover that there is no such thing as “the Oral Torah.” Instead, you’ll find out that there are actually as many “Oral Torahs” as there are Judaisms.

However, when Paul wrote to his disciple, Timothy, he reminded him about the sufficiency of Scripture, the very Scriptures that had led him to faith in Yeshua:

… that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Messiah Yeshua. (2Tim 3:15)

For Paul, salvation consists in far more than having one’s sins forgiven. Salvation also includes sanctification, becoming conformed to the person of Yeshua—walking as He walked. And Paul states that the “sacred writings,” are able to give wisdom that leads to this salvation.
He then goes on to write:

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2Tim 3:16–17)

When Paul speaks of the Scriptures, he’s talking about the written Torah, not the Oral. And he makes it clear that the Written Scriptures are “profitable” for reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. The Greek word translated “profitable” is ophelimos which means “good,” “beneficial,” “useful.”

Then note what Paul writes in regard to the use of the Scriptures: “that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” In English, the word “adequate” seems minimalist, that it is enough to get by. But that is not what the Greek word means that lies behind this translation. The word is artios and means “to being well fitted for some function, complete, capable, proficient, i.e., able to meet all demands.”(3) The NIV has a better translation: “thoroughly equipped for every good work.” For Paul, the Scriptures are absolutely sufficient to train the follower of Yeshua in living out every mitzvah (good work).

Surely the rabbinic literature, as well as the Pseudepigraphal and Apocryphal writings, are valuable for historical data and backgrounds to early Judaisms and Christianities, and they often contain valuable insights into the Scriptures themselves. But they are, like other commentaries, the thoughts and writings of men and women. They are not the inspired Scriptures, and they do not carry divine authority as do the Scriptures. Marking this distinction, between what is divinely authoritative and what is not, is paramount to maintaining a biblically based, Yeshua centered, Torah observant life of faith.

So when you start hearing teachers giving credence to the rabbinic writings or even to early Christian documents (e.g., Shepherd of Hermas, the Didache, the Apostolic Constitutions) as though they are authoritative or give us the definitive interpretation of the Scriptures, beware! If you are told that your obedience to God’s commandments is not complete unless your halachah conforms to this rabbinic dictum or that rabbinic tradition, watch out! You are being led down a slippery slope that ends in submission to the traditions of men as having equal authority with the Scriptures. Rather, like the Bereans of old, who “received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so,” put everything you hear against the infallible word of God. What conforms to the Scriptures, accept; what does not, reject. Let the word of God be your sole authority for knowing what pleases God. A person determines if a stick is crooked by putting it next to a straight stick. Let the Bible be your straight stick.

Yeshua Himself warned His disciples and us about how the traditions of the elders could set aside the very commandment of God (Matt 15:3). In doing so, He was not negating all of the traditions of the elders, for it is clear that He followed many of these traditions and taught His disciples to do so as well. But what He did teach was that the traditions of the elders must be subservient to the word of God—the traditions do not have divine authority in and of themselves. Therefore, the Scriptures and the Scriptures alone are to be the final authority in all matters of faith and halachah.

Bucer’s words contain a sobering contemplation for us: “A man is rarely to be found, who pays an excessive attention to human inventions in religion, who does not put more trust in them than in the grace of God.” Let it not be so of us! Let us cling to God by faith in His Messiah, Yeshua, and prize the inspired Scriptures as worthy above all other literature to lead us in the paths of righteousness for His Name sake.

--------------------------------------
(1) Michael Brown’s paper, “Is a Postmissionary, Truly Messianic Judaism Possible?” is available at:
http://realmessiah.askdrbrown.org/Read/Entries/2008/12/11_IS_A_POST-MISSIONARY_TRULY_MESSIANIC_JUDAISM_POSSIBLE.html

(2) See the opening of Pirkei Avot.

(3) BDAG, ad. loc.

Blessed Passover

2010-03-29T20:48:00.000-07:00

Oh, what a wonderful night it was. We invited three other families to celebrate with us and there was such a joyous spirit in this place. I forgot to take any pictures, so I will have to use a stock photo again (which I'm sure is preferred to a picture of my stacks of dishes). Thank you, Father, for such a gift as the Passover Seder.

"Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." 1 Corinthians 5:8

"But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem.." Acts 18:21

"Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." Ephesians 2:11-13

Fractured Word: Part IV

2010-03-24T07:03:00.000-07:00

Identifying ourselves with the Jews is for some people a terrifying idea. After all, they reason, the Jews are the ones who killed Yeshua. But that is not the real root of the problem (and PS everyone who ever sinned, which is all of us, are responsible for the death of the sacrificial lamb). Replacement theology is not even the heart of the matter, but rather a result of it. The real issue is that throughout history people have despised the Israelites. Adonai told them this would happen and it was a direct result of their hatred for Him. The Jews, as his chosen ones, are the scapegoat for that hatred.

This is why, despite the fact that we still keep the majority of the Torah laws, the ones that were seen as specifically setting the Jews apart from their neighbors are the first thrown out. These include the celebrating the Feasts of the Lord (and they are called that, not the feasts of the Jews), dressing so as to be immediately recognizable as part of the elect, and the behaviors that set apart the chosen by what they do or don’t do.

The heresy that we should try to assimilate into society so as not to be instantly recognizable comes from misinterpreting Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9 that he became like the people he was trying to win in order to convince them. What he is saying is that he put himself in their mindset so as to understand what it was they would argue against. It makes no sense for Paul, an apostle, to ‘become’ a sinner in behavior in order to convince sinners to repent. He was merely considering the position of each person so as to know what would speak to their hearts.

Never are we told in all of scripture to be like the world. Yet the excuses abound- to make us more approachable, to show that believers can still have a ‘fulfilling life (as if salvation wasn’t a million times more fulfilling than the latest fashions), to exhibit our freedom in Christ to do as we wish. As we read before, we are not free to do as we wish. We have died to the law of sinful nature to become SLAVES of righteousness. We are not told to be covert in our evangelism but to be BOLD. Scriptures tell us specifically to come out and be separate.

“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” 2 Corinthians 6:17

Wow- not only are we supposed to be separate, we are also supposed to not touch that which is unclean. How do we know what is unclean? If you search the word ‘unclean’ at Biblegateway, you will find a list of 8 pages of passages. The first 6 are from the Torah, where Yah tells people what is appropriate and not appropriate for them as His people. The New Testament passages that discuss uncleanness refer back to the OT passages!!!!! The word used for unclean here is akathartos, which is translated as religiously defiled. We don’t have a New Testament list of what things are religiously defiled, but we do have an Old Testament list, and a note from Paul about that Old Testament list:

“…thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

Too often we look at what the Father gave as a gift to the Chosen People and agree that it is full of wisdom, but refuse to admit that it is forever because then we have to align ourselves with the Jews who observe it. As I was writing this, the perfect example of what I mean was brought to my attention. In the latest issue of No Greater Joy magazine, Michael Pearl discusses the dangers of genetically modified foods. I completely agree with his statements that they should not be used as food. What threw me for a loop was his backing from the Word for this premise that genetically modified anything is a sin because it is changing Yah’s original design. He uses the Old Testament! As could be predicted, he starts in Genesis and how we were made in the image of G-d, who made the plants to be perfect food for us (there was no sin, which meant no death, so we did not eat meat then). But then he goes to the Torah and quotes the prohibitions against sowing diverse seeds in a field and breeding two kinds of cattle together. If the law has been done away with, how can we be guilty of sinning by breaking it? Yah did not create things a certain way until the redemption of man and then plan on us changing the DNA of what he created. He made things perfect in his wisdom, and by changing them we are telling him we are wiser than he.

If these laws still apply, where do we draw the line? Well I would argue that we draw it right where the Word says to- the only Torah laws that are no longer binding are circumcision and sacrifices for sin. Yeshua himself said he did not come to abolish the law, he came to fulfill it, and until heaven and earth pass away we will not see the completion of the fallen state of man. So long as there is still sin, there must still be a law to convict of sin.

Yah has not abandoned the Jews in favor of the Gentiles- he has opened salvation to the Gentiles through the Jews:

“And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.” Romans 11:17-21

We are grafted into Israel, not the other way around. And we are warned that we better not act superior to the root of the tree.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” Romans 1:16

And Paul calls those who keep the commandments Jews, not Christians:

“Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”

And judgment is reserved for those who call themselves Jews, but are not. Does this mean Christians who are trying to keep the law? Certainly not! As believers grafted into the root, we are now co-heirs with the believing Jews. We are adopted Jews because of the opening of the covenant. This judgment refers to those who are of the synagogue of Satan- those who claim to belong to the body yet do not according to the Word.

“I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan." Revelation 2:9

“I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” Revelation 3:8-10

If we are to be grafted into a family, should we not take on the attributes of that family? Would an adopted child who is haughty and refuses to lower herself to the status of her adopted family been seen in the eyes of the L-rd as righteous? As for me, I am grafted into that family and gladly associate myself with it (though this is a thorn in the flesh of the non-believing Jew, just as it was intended to be in order to bring them to salvation). I gladly dress so as to be instantly recognized as part of the elect. I touch not the unclean thing because I want to be acceptable in the sight of the Father. I keep the Feast of the L-rd both as a reminder of what He has done for me and as preparation for the Feasts we will celebrate together in eternity. After all he has done for me, can I even begin to think that keeping his commandments is a burden? Heaven forbid!!!!

Open for Speculation

2010-03-23T07:33:00.000-07:00

The following is from an email a friend sent me, and it was such good thinking material I had to share it:

"1) The spirit behind the health care bill - these people KNOW and BELIEVE in the power of satanic dates. The last time they tried to pass the health care bill was Dec. 24. It passed Sunday March 21. The average American assumes they are trying to "catch us" when we are not paying attention, but I think it is much more sinister than that. I think these dates have to do with demon worship. - Dec. 24 can be construed as a sacrifice to Saturnalia and the Federal Reserve Act passed on that day so many years ago! Sunday is not the Sabbath, no matter what Glenn Beck says about it, and these people believe in special powers on the spring equinox and the sun.

2) The next few weeks will probably pass without nothing more than health care debate, BUT Bibi is going to be visiting Obama and given our past history with the top 10 FEMA disasters being directly correlated to pressuring Israel to give up her land, I am watching that meeting carefully.

3) Will Israel go ahead with the planned Passover sacrifice on the Temple Mount? Will it only be one sacrifice? Or will daily sacrifices continue on the Sanhedrin's mobile alter? WHO will stop this?"

I truly believe the Health Care bill is a way to move us closer to the mark. I have seen numerous commercials lately about having all your health data on a chip in your body so that doctors can better help you in an emergency. It's not true- they have protocols that tell them what to do in an emergency. It's like trying to convince people that they need to spill all their private info in the census so that the government knows how many bridges to build- they do traffic studies for that! If we mandate health coverage, the next logical step is to mandate record chips so that the health care can be spread around evenly. And evenly is going to mean capping some people’s usage (i.e. letting them die after so much coverage because they are using more than their fair share).

This fit into what I wanted to post about today as I had an experience myself that I wanted to share with government-sponsored Health Care. We do not go to the doctor as often as most families I know. I don’t like invasive procedure, chemically-created drugs, and the invasion of privacy that accompanies most visits anymore (they scanned my driver’s license last time! I didn’t know they were going to or I wouldn’t have given it to them. I thought they were just checking to see if I was really who I said I was to avoid insurance fraud) In this county, foster children who are adopted receive a Medicaid card until the age of 18. I have no problem with this idea because the children were wards of the state, and because of medical issues (known and unknown) a lot of people don’t want to take on the responsibility for kids whose medical history and genetics they know nothing about. It is a fair trade off to give those people complete medical coverage for those kids. Remember, too, that many of these kids have been exposed to drugs in utero and have long-lasting consequences of it.

I have to say, though, that as much as I appreciate having free coverage for them (which truly does cover everything ‘in theory’) there is always a price to pay for something free. For instance, it seems that Medicaid tries to deter people from using their benefits by making them chose from the sub-par. The frames we are allowed to select at the eye doctor's office are ridiculously ugly. They are very thick, orange plastic. Good luck finding anything that is not as big as your child's whole face. We finished the eye exam and the assistant handed the charts to the lady who fits frames and writes up orders for glasses. She was all smiles and cheerful until she looked at the chart. "Oh, Medicaid." And I'm not kidding, she pulled out a cardboard box from under the desk with our frame choices in it.

This is not just one office. We have had the same experience at three different optometrists in the time we've had the cards. We also went to a free vision clinic sponsored by the county (because when you first get the kids, law requires you to get all kinds of medical checks done on them, but nobody will take the vouchers that are used until the kids are officially in the system). You could seriously tell who went to that clinic because the doctor put an eye patch on at least one kid in every foster family that year. We would see one another at the store and know who had been to that clinic because of the ugly maroon eye patches with cartoon characters on them. When we finally got a medical card and went to a real doctor's office (they doctors are always nice, just not their staff) he said he didn't know why they insisted on doing that to kids. Apparently he had been the recipient of many of the eye-patch gang and couldn't find a single one of them that really needed the patch. It made me wonder if we weren’t part of some government-sanctioned experiment carried out on the poorer people because they didn’t have the resources to fight it. It’s happened in the past in this country.

The dentists aren’t much better. This is where I sat for hours while the kids' teeth were addressed. You can probably guess that in a home where mom and dad are busy doing drugs and the kids fend for themselves, oral hygiene is not a priority. I knew the kids would need several appointments to get their mouths fixed, but the amount of wait time was crazy. One morning we arrived at 8:20 for an 8:30 appointment. When the doctor hadn’t shown by 9:30, I said we were leaving and the staff got nasty with me. The office was not very clean or orderly because, being free medical care, it was manned by dental students. If you ended up in chair #1, people would brush past you the whole time because in order to get to the other rooms, they had to walk through yours. Sounds perfectly sanitary to me! And you CANNOT have white fillings if you are on Medicaid. I said I would pay the difference because I don’t want the kids to have mercury fillings. They said no. I said I would pay the whole bill myself and they said no. Medicaid patients cannot have white fillings unless they are the front teeth, and then it has to be approved. Luckily it was all in baby teeth and will be gone sooner or later.

And the pharmacy is always a nerve-wracking experience. Try having a new baby who doesn’t know you and is scared out of her mind AND has a double ear infection, and the pharmacist says he doesn’t want to give you the prescription because he hasn’t been paid by the county yet for the last 2 foster kids' prescriptions he filled. WalMart is giving away antibiotics now! They are not that expensive. It's just sickening.

Then yesterday I tried to make an appointment with our new doctor (we keep getting switched because, like with the dentists, you get people fresh out of medical school who can’t afford a private practice). You join the 'group' and get whoever is a part of it when you show up. Our latest doctor in the practice is great and we really like him, so we wanted to stay with him. The receptionist told me I could not get an appointment with him because the name of the primary physician on our card was different than this doctor's name. It had never been a problem before- in fact when I tried to change the card I was told it didn’t matter who was listed as physician, we could see anybody who takes Medicaid. The kids have been seeing this guy for two years, every time we went in (which isn’t often, but still consistent). I asked her what I needed to do to get an appointment because it was for a sick child, and she said to call the insurance company and have them fax over a paper stating they were changing the name on the card.

So I called Medicaid and after waiting in line for 24 minutes, my call was answered (sometimes I get the recording that says, no joking, "We are so busy we will not be able to answer your call at this time. Please call back another time"). When I explained it all to the insurance lady, she said we could no longer see that doctor, or anyone in that group, because they were at their quota and no more cards could be printed with the group’s name on them. I told her we were already patients there, but it made no difference. She offered to find me a new doctor, and after searching available pediatricians in our area who take Medicaid, she found one that's an hour and a half drive, and one that's an hour drive. Not only would I have to drive too far away for the kids who most often needs seen because of medical issues, I had the choice of having kids at two different practices OR trying to find another doctor with 7 openings. I really hope we move soon and I don’t have to worry about it. We ended up using the MedCenter, which drives Medicaid crazy because it costs them too much money, but then they need to get rid of their stupid rules!

This is what we have to look forward to with government insurance. The stories from Canada about people dying while waiting for help are not a joke. The government does not truly care about you the way they say they do. I have no issue with reforming some of the stupid things going on with insurance, but here’s evidence that a government-mandated system will not fix the problems! It is going to get worse, and I truly believe it is all a cover to carry out their demonic agenda.

So, anybody want to weigh in on this thinking?

Let No Man Judge You

2010-03-17T16:32:00.000-07:00

Tonight the kids were doing their daily Bible reading and they completed the book of Colossians. I felt the need to post this example as well, since it is quite often used to abolish the law.

"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body: not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh." Colossians 2:14-23

I just wrote about the fact that during the time of Messiah, criminals were crucified along side a list of their offenses that led to the death sentence. Yeshua was crucified for claiming to be the King of the Jews, and that was why the sign hung above him saying as much. This is what is meant by the list of ordinances that was against us being nailed to the cross, because he took on our sins and was crucified for them. This does not mean the Torah law was nailed to the cross- the word for ordinances here is cheirographon, which means record of debts. Our list of sins was nailed to the cross.

Further proof that this is not talking about abolishing the law of God is found throughout this book, starting in verse 8 where he opens this specific passage with a warning not to let men lead us astray with traditions and rudiments of men. In verse 15 he says that Yeshua exposed the doctrines of men as a fraud and triumphed over them, and that segues into verses 16-21 where specific examples are given of what those false doctrines might look like. He is not referring to the Torah laws, because he concludes this list by calling them "the commandments and doctrines of men"!!!!!!!!! Yah wrote the Torah, so he is clearly not referring to the OT here.

The very last verse in chapter 2 tells us without a doubt what we are discussing- the practices of worship different people adopted. Some fasted twice a week, some gave a specific amount to the poor on holy days, and some 'mortified' their bodies by abstaining from wine or rich foods on holy days. Paul is saying these isn't anything intrinsically wrong with these ideas, but that no man can tell us how to celebrate the Holy Days except the Lord. Let no man judge you doesn't mean we are all free to do what we want, but rather that we are only required to abide by the Word and not what others have added to it.

Take the time to read through this book and check the cross-references. It is much easier to see the stream of thought in the whole of the scriptures rather than fracturing the law into applicable and not applicable (though Paul already said this is not so in 2 Timothy 3:16).

Shalom B'Shem Yeshua!
Amy

O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. Psalm 119:97

Those Foolish Galatians

2010-03-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

In pretty much any discussion about keeping the law, Galatians comes to mind, and rightly so because Paul used very strong words with the Galatians believers. But is he really saying what most people think he is saying?

Unfortunately I don't have the time to devote to another full post on this topic, but I want to give a link to a very good study on the subject. This is again another good example of why an accurate translation of the scriptures is so important. The changing of the meaning of even a single word can cause great division in understanding.

In short, Paul tells the Galatians church (former pagans who were being deceived by the Gnostics to adopt pagan rites, the Rabbinical law, and some Christianity in disguise) that they make Christ of no effect if they rely on observing the law (big and little, meaning the traditions of the priests). I think we all agree on that. No one was ever saved by keeping the law (not even the Israelites of the OT). Salvation comes by grace through faith. But then Paul says clearly that it is not the law itself but our sinful nature that condemns us,

"Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law." Galatians 3:21

I also think we need to look outside this one book and see what the rest of scripture says about the law. Here are just a few:

"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." Romans 3:31

"Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace" Ephesians 2:15

"Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." Romans 7:12

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:17-19

"For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified." Romans 2:13

We have not yet received the fullness of Christ, or we would be perfectly sinless. Therefore, we are still in need of laws. The difference is that before we had the Spirit in us, we had the written law to show us what sin was. Now that we are spirit-filled, he will write the law on our hearts (the same law as is evidenced by the number of times the apostles and the Messiah himself reference the Torah). He cannot write on the hearts of those who do not belong to him. The law was not created 430 years before Jesus, it was written down 430 years before Jesus. The law was in effect before that- how else would Cain have known that killing Abel was sin, how would Noah have known which animals were clean and unclean when he filled the ark, or how would Abraham have known that the sacrifice must be without blemish? The law was written down because the generations continued to fall away form the Father and were not passing the word onto their sons, who had turned to follow the idols of Egypt and were corrupted at heart. The law is a reflection of who God is, and that never changed from the very beginning when sacrifice was needed to cover the sin of Adam and Eve.

Fractured Word: Part III

2010-03-16T10:08:00.000-07:00

"Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy." Exodus 20:8

Kids are taught the 10 Commandments very early in Sunday School. They are also taught that of the 10, this is the only one that no longer applies. How can some of the law apply and some of it not? I was taught that it is because Yeshua did not list the Sabbath when he recounted the commandments in the New Testament. One example of the 'partial retelling' is when the young man asked Yeshua how to inherit eternal life. (Note that he did not say “Say the sinner’s prayer, be baptized, and you’ll be free from the law”. Yeshua instructed him to keep the commandments. If he were about to abolish the law, would it be fair to send someone away with the instruction to keep the commandments? But that’s another topic)

“Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.” Mark 10:19-22

Yeshua did not say to keep the Sabbath here. Yet he also did not tell the man to have no other gods, to not use the name of the Lord in vain, or to not have any graven images. The law can be divided into two themes (as Yeshua did himself in Matthew 22) that of serving God and of serving man. If we love the Lord first and our neighbor second, the whole law is fulfilled because every one of the laws either instruct us in our relationship with the Father, or with our neighbor. Yeshua knew this man’s heart and that his problems stemmed from a lack of love for others. He reminded him of the commandments regarding his brother because while he was not outwardly breaking them, he was inwardly sinning by refusing to love and care for his brother, which was the point of the law. This is not a very good argument for abolishing the Sabbath.

Perhaps that is not the example you would use. Let’s look at Mark 2:27-28…

“And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.”

If we back up a few verses, we see the Pharisees accusing Yeshua of breaking the law by eating grain plucked in a field on the Sabbath day. The Pharisees were trying to trap him, but they were doing it with traditions and not the law. If He truly were breaking the law, they would have had reason to arrest him. They followed him around looking for a reason and could find none. He was not breaking the law, but only traditions, which were made by man and therefore not holy, not binding, and not really common sense.

What he says is that the Sabbath was created to give us rest, not to make us fretful over what we are allowed and not allowed to do according to the rules of others. He does NOT say that we no longer need a Sabbath or that he (the one who authored the law from the beginning) is now abolishing the Sabbath. If Yeshua was himself breaking the Sabbath, He was not without sin and we are doomed because his sacrifice would count for nothing unless he was sinless. It is not the actual law that is in question here, but again the layer of traditions added to the law that made it a burden. He is not declaring that as Lord of the Sabbath he has the right to break it. He is saying that as Lord of the Sabbath he knows what the Sabbath is and is not. It makes no sense to tell the author of something what his own words mean.

I cannot find a single verse that back up the idea that the Sabbath has been done away with. Some believe, however, that rather than being abolished it has been moved to Sunday. The reasoning being that is that Yeshua was raised from the grave on Sunday, and that the apostles met together on Sunday, so obviously Sunday is now the Lord’s day. Let’s look at the resurrection first…

“And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment. Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.” Luke 23:56-24:3

There are two important things to consider about this passage. One is that they arrived early on Sunday and did not find his body. It does not say he was raised on Sunday. It says they rested on the Sabbath as per the commandments, and went early on the first day of the week and found him gone. Secondly, even if he were raised on the first day of the week, it doesn’t say therefore we now celebrate the Lord’s Sabbath on the first day of the week instead of the last. It makes no sense to rest on the first day of the week when we have yet to do the week’s work that would require rest. Yah did not rest on the first day of creation and then work the rest of the week. He created everything in 6 days, then rested from his work on the seventh day (his number of perfection). He did this before there was sin, so resting on the seventh day was not a result of sin.

Maybe it isn’t because he was raised on the first day of the week (since the Word does not say that) but rather the meeting together of the apostles on the first day of the week that tells us we ought to change the Sabbath. After all, many Christians refuse to shop or dine out on Sunday because they are requiring others to work on the Lord’s Day. Let’s look at those verses:

“Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and smith unto them, Peace be unto you. John 20:19”

Well, this verse certainly doesn’t support the theory that we observe a Sunday Sabbath as demonstrated by the apostles because they were hiding from the Jews and did not even know that Yeshua was resurrected yet! They weren’t meeting together on the new holy day, they were in hiding, unsure of what to do next since their teacher was gone.

“Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.” 1 Corinthians 16:2

If we read this verse in context, Paul is instructing each man to set aside money (not collect it, which would give an implied meaning of their meeting together) on the first day of the week so that when he arrived there would not be need to come together and take up a collection. The idea of the collection plate is very new, as the example of the widow and her mite shows. Monies collected for the temple were not collected on a specific day, and they were placed in a box so that no one could know what another gave. That’s why the rich man had to make a big deal about his giving, because if he dropped it in the box, nobody would know it was his or how much he had given. So saying this verse supports a Sunday Sabbath because they were taking a collection is using the new to explain the old- it doesn't make sense.

“And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. Acts 20:7”

This verse says they met together to break bread and Paul preached to them. It does not say they were worshipping or that it was the Lord’s Day or the New Sabbath (though note that in the verse before it they were still observing the feast of unleavened bread!) but simply that they met together and he used the opportunity to teach them. Maybe we are supposed to just read between the lines that the Sabbath has been changed to Sunday since they new believers did not worship on the Saturday Sabbath. Or did they?

“And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.” Acts 13:42

“And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.” Acts 13:44

“And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.” Acts 16:13

“And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.” Acts 18:4

Perhaps, though, they were simply observing the Sabbath in order to reach the Jews (and, oddly enough, the Greeks as well) and once the church was established the new Sabbath was to take effect. Why, then, isn’t it any of Paul’s letters to the churches that the Sabbath was changed? They did not have copies of the New Testament because there was no such thing at the time, so they would not have been able to read between the lines that the Sabbath was now Sunday. And what about the future? Do we have any information about the Sabbath in the End Times or in Eternity?

From the book of Isaiah, regarding things to come on the great and terrible day of the Lord when his kingdom will be established forever in the New Jerusalem:

“Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.” Isaiah 56:1-7

“If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” Isaiah 58:13-14

“For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.” Isaiah 66:22-24

Fractured Word: Part II

2010-03-07T13:32:00.000-08:00

Food and the restriction of it was the very first issue between man and Yah. Yah said not to, and man decided otherwise. Satan planted the seed that forbidding oneself from what was pleasurable was not truly what Adonai meant when he put man in the garden. Satan does the same thing today with the Word- planting doubt in the minds of men. Here are the examples….

In Mark 7, Yeshua has a confrontation with the Pharisees about the disciples eating without washing their hands. In their tradition, this meant they were unclean and thereby defiled the food they touched, making it unclean. Yeshua defends his apostles by saying the Pharisees are holding them to traditions, not law. He is not condemning the practice of washing the hands, but rather the enforcement of those traditions on the same level as the law created by the King of Heaven- in other words, pretending that man’s wisdom can be of equal weight to the Father’s. Now read verse 19.

Does your Bible say that by answering this, Yeshua declared all foods clean? If it does, you have a corrupted Bible. This verse was not in the original texts. By ‘contemporizing’ the Word, the devil has been able to slip in what he likes and eliminate what he wishes. If you have never studied it, do a search on the differences between the Alexandrian and the Antiochan texts. You will likely find many different opinions, but keep in mind 3 things as you read: 1.) Yah promised to preserve his word for us forever, so there has to be a right and a wrong set of scrolls if they differ so much, 2.) According to Romans 3, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of Yah (and where is Alexandria vs. where is Antioch?), and 3.) nowhere in scripture is Egypt spoken of in a good way, so why would the very Word be sent to Egypt? This slight of hand by the devil is the basis for most believers putting things in their mouths that the Father calls an ABOMINATION! He doesn’t say they aren’t really good for you, or that they have to be handled carefully to make them clean, HE SAID NO!!!!!! And once again, man has determined (based on the counsel of the devil) that Yah did not really mean that.

It is important to remember this key verse in Mark 7, because it will be reference point as we go through the other verses that are central to the question of whether we are still to separate clean and unclean foods. The next of which will be Acts 10 where Peter has a vision. In this vision he sees a sheet being lowered from heaven and hears the voice tell him to kill and eat. But what was on that sheet was a mix of animals that Peter called unclean or common. The voice says not to call what the Lord has made clean common. Many argue that it would seem pretty clear that the Father was sanctifying all meats here. But even after awakening from the vision, Peter did not understand it. He did not awake and understand that all foods were now sanctified. He did not understand the meaning of the dream until he went to the home of Cornelius, and the meaning that came to him was not that all foods were now declared clean. The meaning was that Yeshua had died to sanctify the Gentiles, too, and that the Jews were not to treat them as inferior. Yeshua did not die for animals, so how could his death sanctify meat? Yet that’s not the only lynch pin in this passage.

In verse 14, Peter declared that he had never eaten anything common or unclean. Peter was still observing the law! Surely if Yeshua had declared all meats clean back in Mark 7, this apostle who was himself the one chosen to preach to the Jews (Galatians 2:7) would have know about it. He was a constant companion of the Lord himself! So along with Paul we now have Peter keeping the law long after the resurrection.

Acts 15 is also commonly quoted as evidence that believers were not required to keep the law. When the Jews tried to force the issue of circumcision of new believers, the council in Jerusalem met to decide how to handle it. They wrote a letter to the new believers that said they would lay no heavier burden on them than to abstain from fornication, from blood, from strangled meats, and from meats offered to idols. But there are some major questions to ask if the interpretation of this verse says what it appears to at first glance. The first would be why the Jerusalem counsel had the authority to supersede the instructions to eh Messiah himself! If Yeshua declared all foods clean in Mark 7, why were these apostles creating new restriction on the believers? If all foods were now declared clean, that would include blood, foods offered to idols, and anything strangled, right?

It is also odd that we teach new believers not to steal, lie, murder, and a host of other things when this letter clearly says all they had to do was abstain form these 4 things. We must be missing something in this interpretation of the passage. We need to go back and examine the whole letter. If we read past the part where it lists the 4 things to abstain from, there is a verse that says “For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day.” In other words, they would learn the rest as they went. Most of the new converts were coming out of pagan religions where ‘worship service’ consisted of strangling an animal, offering the meat to an idol, drinking the blood, and the fornicating with the temple prostitutes. This was their jumping off point, not the whole of their instruction.

How about these verses from Colossians 2:
“Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” (16-17)
“Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not); Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?” (20-22)

The first one seems to say that we ought not let anybody judge us for anything that we do, whether it be what we eat or what holidays we celebrate, but to understand it in context, we need to keep reading. The verses following that say that we are no longer subject to ordinances, but it says specifically those rudiments based on the COMMANDMENTS AND DOCTRINES OF MEN. Men did not make the law, Yah did. We are not following the laws of men when we observe the Torah. It also says that observing the Sabbath and new moon festivals ARE a shadow of things to come, not were a shadow of things that did come. They were still future events when this letter was written. If the law were done away with when Yeshua supposedly declared all foods clean in Mark, he would have written to them that those laws were a shadow of things that had already been fulfilled and no longer binding.

1 Timothy chapter 4 talks about food and the role it will play in the End Times. Paul warns here that false doctrines will circulate which will mislead people about their right to eat meat. The word used in the Greek is brōma, which means solid food and not specifically meats. When I read this verse, I think of all the different diet gurus who have rules which prevent people from eating eggs, milk, bread, and a host of other foods that they declare to be unfit for human consumption even thought the Word says otherwise. There are many such false doctrines running rampant through churches everywhere, and even prophets for profit who sell their own eating plans and supplements rather than the gospel.

Going further in, we find the exhortation expanded to say that “every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.” (4-5)

We have two contextual clues to examine here. The first is where it says every creature of God. This could mean every creature God made, but what does it mean that the food is sanctified by the Word? Do we have to rub the Bible over our meats to sanctify them? Remember that this verse was written long after the resurrection, and is part of a set of letters in which the reader is told that ALL the scriptures are profitable for doctrine (and there was no New Testament at the time). The food is sanctified by the Word when it is in line with what the Word calls food. If we throw out the law and just use the New Testament to decide what to eat, this verse makes no sense. Nowhere in the epistles are we given instructions for sanctifying our food by scripture and prayer. The creatures of God listed in Leviticus and Deuteronomy are those acceptable for sacrifice- the clean animals.

Finally, I want to go back to the Old Testament for a look at what Yah says about those who follow his ways. Contrary to false teachings, the whole of OT prophecy has not been fulfilled. We have yet to see the war of Ezekiel 38 or the Antichrist of Daniel’s vision. Isaiah also has prophecies in the back that have yet to be fulfilled. One of them, found in chapter 65, talks of the day in the future when He will judge the world and what He says about those whom he will accept and those he will not. In verse 4 we read that there will be those who do what is right in their own eyes, including eating the flesh of things the Father specifically called unclean, and yet these rebellious people would call themselves holy, and to Him they are a stench.

The Opposing View

2010-03-07T13:08:00.000-08:00

As I tried to catch up on blog reading today I realized my friend Berean Wife has some recent posts about the topics I have been doing a series on. While hers is not a series, and we don't have side-by-side comparisons as we wrote our posts without knowing the other was doing the same, there are some verses discussed that are identical, so if you would like to read the other side of the topics regarding the Law, head on over.

I have learned that I do best when I write, then leave it for a while and come back to edit, so I will be posting the rest of the parts of this study as I get around to editing them. Thank you to all who expressed good wishes at seeing me back to blogging- it's great to be loved!!!!

Shalom,
Amy

Handmade with Love

2010-03-02T14:03:00.000-08:00

Last fall, we had discussed the fact that there was too much 'junk' coming into this house by way of cheap toys and goods made in China. We had a discussion with the kids about how buying from China was supporting the communist regime that was martyring fellow believers as well as not paying a living wage to workers and providing them with safe working conditions. We have been buying fair-trade coffee and spices through our co-op for a long time, but the purchase of other items that were not 'fair-trade' seemed counter-productive. Plus, the cheap stuff was not lasting and we worried about things like lead contamination and other chemical poisonings.

Our kids, known to really get on a band wagon if they like the tune, committed to not buying anything from China anymore. They even suggested we ask our extended family to give the money they would spend on gifts to missions. So we sent out a letter explaining why we refused to buy from China anymore and asked people to either makes homemade gifts or give the money in our honor. It went over like a lead balloon. Still, we stuck to it and the few people who went along with it ended up loving it. My brother and his son made Joe a walking stick with his name branded into it. His wife, who is very creative, made the girls all manner of frilly things that they adore and cherish. My best friend made me a hand-painted ceramic plaque if the 10 Commandments.

We bought a case of cds from Evan Levine and gave them as gifts, so the money went to support his family in Israel. We also made some handmade items to go along with the cds. Gary brewed homemade pops in 6 flavors, and it was really good if you drank it right away (we followed the directions but some of the bottles exploded after a few weeks and when we researched it with the Encyclopedia of Country Living, she warns of just that and says to drink it right away). I made homemade candies using the Enjoy Life chocolate chips that we buy in bulk (fair trade) and they were a real hit! We found a template online for a small candy box, and for the adults I made 6 different candies in mini cupcake papers. They looked just like a box of Whitman's! The kids got candy bars which I made by melting the chips and pouring into a new soap mold (it said handmade or natural, both being correct) and then adding rice krispies, peanuts, or caramel to the warm chocolate. We wrapped the bars and made our own labels, and they were quite impressive!

Still, after the holidays I was a bit despondent that more people didn't embrace the hand-made gift idea, especially in this economy. I seemed to once again be a weirdo with a weirdo idea. But then I got a wonderful handmade gift in the mail from my dear friend Bren. She had called to talk about anything and everything, and asked me what colors my kitchen were. I told her I didn't really have colors, it was more of an old time general store (or like the inside of Cracker Barrel). She made a mat for my table, and even without any colors to go by, she made it to match my tableware PERFECTLY!!!!!!!!

I was so blessed by that gift...but she wasn't done! She secretly put my name up for a random act of kindness, and yesterday I opened another surprise package to find this wonderful clothesline mini quilt. I had no words- just tears of appreciation. The card said it was a hug, and it truly felt like one. Thank you to Linda for the precious gift (in the exact colors to match my wall- how do you people DO that?!?) Incidentally, Bren was blessed right back by receiving an unexpected hug herself! Yah is so good to us to give us one another.

So now my vigor for the handmade is renewed. I have been working on perfecting my own recipe for hand cream (which my husband says truly smells good enough to eat) and I think I've finished tweaking my lip balm recipe, so next Hanukkah I will be masking skin care baskets for everyone (and not having to worry that they don't explode;). I'm already looking forward to having produce to share and learning to crochet properly so I can give a washcloth with homemade soap to every bride-to-be (all my cousins seem to be getting married). And as Linda said in her note, when you are making something for someone, you pray for them and think of them with every stitch. Isn't that a million times better than communist junk?

Fractured Word: Part I

2010-03-02T13:48:00.000-08:00

Ask anyone who believes we no longer follow the law if it is OK to commit adultery and murder, and they will look at you as if you have 2 heads. After the stunned silence, you will likely hear one of two explanations as to why we follow some of the law and not all of it- either that Yeshua reiterated the commandments that still apply, or that we are now only bound to follow the spiritual or moral laws. The problem with this argument, though, is that we are still being bound to a law, so their verses that say the law is abolished must either be inaccurate or completely off. If we are free from the law, we should not have to follow any part of it, right? I can’t find the verse that says we only follow the commandments that are repeated in the New Testament, but if someone else can, please explain to me then why Yeshua, Paul, Matthew, and the others constantly quoted from the Law and the Prophets? People asked what they should do or how they were to act, and they were referred to the Torah every time.

Take a look at a list of the 613 Mitzvah, or laws. I have to point out here that this is not a strictly scriptural list because it follows rabbinical interpretations, like no mixing meat and dairy, when the scriptures clearly teach against such a separation in Genesis 18:8. Still, it’s easier than going through and writing them all down yourself! Go through the list and see if you can pick out which ones are sticking issues with the church today.

First, we eliminate the ones where we offered sacrifice for sin as Yeshua was himself the once-for-all sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:12). That is clear-cut and any believer in the Messiah can agree on that. But the easy part of it ends there.

Next we have to consider the sanctification procedures and temple instructions. There is debate about whether these are still in place, but the argument isn’t really important right now because we do not have a temple. Whether or not we should still offer incense or offerings, present ourselves in Yah’s house on Holy days, or make a vow (all of which Paul did and advocated in Acts), we cannot do any of them because we do not have a temple to do them in. These things were commanded to be done a certain way and time or not at all. It wasn’t a sin not to do them in itself, as David’s absence from Saul’s table when the new moon came demonstrates (Saul assumed he was unclean for whatever reason). There were times in the history of the Chosen People that they were either without a temple altogether, or were in captivity and could not get to the temple.

We have also specifically eliminated the need for circumcision, though many a Christian still does it with their sons for various reasons. The New Testament said it was not necessary as a sign of being grafted in, and that doing for the express purpose of trying to earn salvation through the law was blasphemous, but we are never told we are not permitted. In fact, Paul took Timothy and had him circumcised. So while we are not commanded to be physically circumcised, we are commanded to be spiritually circumcised, so this law has not been done away with but rather fulfilled through Yeshua.

There are several sections in the list of Mitzvah that reference how we should act toward others. Most of these are not specifically reiterated by Yeshua, but he speaks to the essence of them by saying that the second greatest commandment is to love our neighbors as ourselves. If we love our neighbors, we would not think of doing any one of these things to them, and we know that breaking any of these would be a sin. The same is true of the list of forbidden sexual practices. Yeshua did not go through this list, either, but we all know that each of them is a sin.

The agricultural commands are adopted by smart farmers today, once again proving the truth of the Bible's words even before people understood the reasons behind them. It makes sense not to cut down a tree that is bearing fruit, and I cannot think of an instance of anyone ever doing such a thing. In fact, when you purchase a home, having fruit bearing plants is a selling point. We have also learned that land needs to be allowed to lay fallow in order to keep it form being depleted. Usually the plot to be given a ‘Sabbath’ rest is turned over to pasture, which fertilizes it and allows the topsoil to settle and prevent erosion. We do not leave the gleanings for the poor since trespassing laws make it unappealing for them to come gather them, but we give them to shelters and groups who feed the poor. And the idea of working on shares comes right from Deuteronomy.

Lastly, when it comes to our appearances, conservative believers (and I don’t believe there can be any other kind, even just using the OT) still adhere to these commands. Women and men do not cross-dress in church meetings, piercings are seen as a distraction to our living visible witness, and even in ‘freedom in Christ’ churches tattoos are preached as taboo.

Really, when it comes down to it, there are very few of the ‘old laws’ that Christians do not follow today. Specifically, they include not eating unclean foods, observing a Saturday Sabbath, and dressing specifically in a way that identifies us as believers.

Why these? If some of the Word still applies and some does not, isn't the Word itself broken?

continued in Part II

The Law of Righteousness

2010-02-05T14:27:00.000-08:00

As you know (or may not know) I am a fan of Ray Comfort and his method of evangelizing. I have also met him and he is very genuine. I do not know Ray’s full opinion on the law as it pertains to believers, but I want to talk about his approach in reference to a discussion going on in a few places on the net (probably more than I could count, but I meant on the blogs that I read). I do want to say, too, that I haven’t read the others’ posts yet because I don’t want to try answering their objections while trying to outline my own basic premise. So this isn’t an answer to what others have written-merely my own explanation.

I should first give a quick overview of how Ray’s approach works. Ray comfort, Kirk Cameron, and their School of Biblical Evangelism promote evangelizing by using the law. In other words, rather than give a person the ‘feel-good’ gospel in which there is no brokenness over sins, we ought to show them first the laws of Yah and how they are guilty of breaking them. If you were to ask someone if they were a good person, 99.9% of them would say yes. We all fancy ourselves good people, and often because we compare our lives with those around us. But what is the definition of a good person? So by going through a few of the Commandments, you will have someone who admits to breaking God’s law.

Only when the person understands that they are guilty will the gift of salvation mean anything. As an example, Ray talks about a boy who speeds through his hometown at 65 mph. The people are appalled and quickly pass a law making the speed limit 30 mph. When he comes through town again going 65 mph, he is cited for speeding and taken to court. The judge, his father, knows that justice calls for punishment regardless of their being related and fines the boy $3000 or imprisonment. The boy has no money and is carted off to jail. He is distraught. Later, the jail doors are swung open and the boy is told that his father has sold his own valuable possessions to pay the fine. The two embrace, weeping, and walk out of the jail with a new love and connection between them.

Ray’s counterpoint to the story is this: imagine the boy being pulled over and told that his father just sold his valuables to pay the boy’s $3000 fine. He doesn’t know what fine you are talking about because he doesn’t know he has broken the law. The gift of redemption means nothing to him (the way the feel-good gospel does to those who hear it) and he is not thankful because he has not faced the consequences of his wrongs.

Now, taking off from where Ray’s story stops, what would you think of the boy if he were in jail and his father came in and freed him because he had paid the cost for him, and the young man said “Gee, thanks dad. That’s was nice of you” and then proceeded out the door, into his car, and through town at 65 mph?

YET THAT IS THE VIEW MOST CHRISTIANS HAVE OF OBEYING YAH’S LAWS!!!!!!

For a list of reasons too long to go through here, many believers feel they are freed from the law. Nobody, ever, has been saved by the law. That is a misconception taken from the root of the ‘freedom in Jesus’ blasphemy. Yes, we are free in Jesus. But what does that freedom look like?

“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Romans 6:16

“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” Galatians 5:13

“For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.” Romans 2:13

“Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” Romans 6:18

I was telling a friend that last weekend we watched The Ten Commandments. Charlton Hesston, as Moses, stood at the foot of the mountain with the law in his hands. The people grumbled that they didn’t need a law because now they were free. He answered them that there can be no freedom without the law. We know this to be true. We have many freedoms, but we wouldn’t really be free if the law did not restrain others from harming us. Imagine if someone’s idea of freedom was watching you burn alive, trapped in your house. The law is a protection.

As parents, we expect our children to obey us. What if your little one said to you “I don’t have to obey you because as your son, I am free from your rules”? As our children, we expect them to obey us. Their obedience does not make them ours any more than their disobedience would make them illegitimate. The obedience isn’t what makes us heirs- it is our reasonable service.

I’m not really sure, even after years of holding the ‘freedom’ view myself, what in the law is so terrifying to people. Obviously the sacrifices have been fulfilled in Yeshua. We cannot perform the purification rituals as we have no temple (BTW, there were periods in the history of the Israelites where there was no temple- does that mean they were lost as well?).

The next topic I want to consider are the few but common parts of the law that Christians stumble over.

Uh.....

2010-02-05T13:16:00.000-08:00

I'm Back?
Hello, Again?
Long Time, No Blog?

I'm not even sure anybody still checks in here except for those of you who have left me comments (and I sincerely apologize for just getting to them today). But between a hankering to write some things that are on my heart, and some requests for articles, I have a list of things to do here and so I have returned. Besides, I think it is good to take a break from anything that starts to feel like a distraction.

Last you heard from me I was going to start dwelling on whatever was lovely...and then my camera broke. Well, the camera is working again and I have a lot of lovely pictures but no desire to go back and load them all, so I’ll save them to use in the future if the need arises. One great part about living the life you want to live is that there are always photo ops!

Our lives certainly aren't any less hectic. In fact, we will be listing our farm and if it sells, we will be moving. This has been a very long and tough decision. We've gone back and forth, made lists, flipped a coin, prayed (though not enough), and sometimes sunk to arguing over it, but the fact is that we want to farm and you can't farm in the suburbs. It's funny to consider this the suburbs, but unfortunately there are plenty of people who want to live in the 'country' but treat it like a gated community. The land we rented to grow crops on has disappeared and now giant sprawling houses stand in the middle of perfectly good farm fields. The land that is left to rent is so scarce that prices have jumped and we can’t afford it. And lastly, with Gary’s illness and hospitalization 2 years ago, we got so far behind that it became necessary to sell our best 40 acres to pay off the house and get back on our feet. We now own no tillable acreage, though we have plenty of wooded land. And the 'snobification' of the area has created a near-Nazi zoning board who are after us and our 'farm junk' ceaselessly. It is more than my nerves can take.

Many of you (if there are any of you still around) also know that we have had issues with the biological mother of 2 of our kids. It is bad enough to be a legitimate reason to move in itself. I think there isn’t a one of us who wouldn’t benefit from a fresh start somewhere that is still farm land. We have even gone to look at real estate (which is a step, because we have been looking at farm listings online for over 2 years) and think we know where we want to end up.

So that's the news for now. I'd just like to take a minute to remind everyone that we are even closer now to the return of the Messiah, and that time is short to reach those not already sealed in His blood. Spread the Good News while there is time.

Lactose Intolerant Fix

2009-10-03T16:02:00.000-07:00

Just when I said I wanted to focus in the things that are lovely in life, my computer decided not to recognize my camera and therefor refuse all attempts to download. But it has been lovely, and I do have pictures to share whenever I get that figured out.

In the meanwhile, I have something to share with those who cannot tolerate milk. We have been going crazy trying to figure out the milk issue. Long before he met me, Gary drank milk form the bulk tank and didn't have a single problem with it. After we sold the cows, though, we started to buy milk from the store and I quickly ran into trouble. His troubles started later, and Mags was never able to drink milk, but I read several items about the issue being the pasteurization and not the milk. Apparently, there is a bacteria in milk that is necessary for the digestion of it, and pasteurization kills it. It is impossible to find raw milk to buy, since it is illegal in this state to sell it and there have been an unbalanced number of undercover set-ups on poor dairy farmers. And we don;t want to buy a cow until we figure out if it will work. Goat milk is easier to digest for everyone, and therefor the milk of choice for those with milk problems, but it is harder to make cheese and butter out of. So we had a dilemma.

I had read (and found) that lactose intolerant people could handle yogurt and aged cheese just fine, and that got me to thinking. What I finally decided to try was to get the gently pasteurized milk available from Frankferd Farms, add 1 cup whole milk yogurt per 1/2 gallon and shake vigorously, and allow to sit for 24 hours. So far, we have been able to drink it without any trouble at all (though it took some getting used to because of the mild yogurt acidity).

Just thought I'd pass that in in case anyone else needed the info. Of to spend the night in our sukkah. Chag Sameach!

Yom Teruah (day of sounding the shofar)

2009-09-18T14:32:00.000-07:00

It's almost here!
(camera on the fritz, so no picture of me tooting my trumpet)

My Dear Blog Sisters,

L'shanah tovah tikatevi v'taihatemi (May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year)!

"That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise!" Ephesians 1:12-13

"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

"Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name." Revelation 3:11-12

Amen! Come, L-rd, Quickly!!!

Whatever is Lovely

2009-09-16T17:26:00.000-07:00

It is easy in times like these to get bogged down with the heavy things of life. So I want to spend some time focusing on the things in my life that are lovely, both as a reminder to myself, and perhaps as encouragement to everyone else. With the garden producing so well this year, the leaves changing (my favorite time of year), and the cooler air calling for the reintroduction of all those gorgeous sweaters, I have so much on which to feast my eyes and refresh my heart!

Doggin' Over Dogma

2009-09-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

"Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Mark 7:7

When we discuss a church teaching the traditions of men as doctrines, I think Catholic or Episcopalian. I think Amish as well, since a person can lose their status in the church and risk hell for doing something the church has not allowed, even if the church ends up allowing it later (like using a gas lawn mower). But as I am an equal opportunity offender (i.e. pointing out error no matter who it belongs to) I really need to discuss the problem of holding to traditions in the evangelical and independent circles of the body of believers.

First, I want to say that I do not think anybody will be let into or kept out of heaven based on their beliefs when it comes to secondary doctrines. Secondary doctrines, to me, are the ones that are NOT stated as being required for salvation. We see in the Word (Acts 2, Romans 10, etc) that what is required is belief in the sinless life of Yeshua and his death to pay for sin, then his resurrection and ascension. Those are the three that you absolutely must hold to for salvation because we are saved by grace through faith in Yeshua as the one who has conquered sin and death. The rest are certainly important, but even in Revelation when addressing the churches, Yeshua says each one has done things right, but that they have also got some of the doctrines wrong. So if we know no church has it all right, and we know no person is always correct, why do we have churches throwing people out because of disagreements over things that are not about salvation or the working out of faith in daily life?

The first tradition I want to tackle is one I have encountered mostly in conservative Baptist churches, and it has to do with the two words. By that I mean that parts of the Bible are still applicable and others are not. You already know I believe the law is for us because Yeshua said that the law would not pass away until heaven and earth passed away (which hasn’t happened) and that anyone who teaches others not to obey the law will be least in the kingdom. There are a lot of people from every denomination who believe the law has been done away with, and as will be the theme here today, the reasons are more that the church has taught them this way than any actual Biblical commands. But I won’t even get into all that right now. What I want to address is the church that teaches the law has been done away with, and yet holds parts of the law against people. This is called a double standard, or my little name for it, the issue of two different words, as in subjective obedience.

If you walk into a conservative Baptist church as a guy with a pony tail, you will be gawked at. If you try to place membership, you will likely receive a lecture about your hair, if not an actual refusal to give you membership unless you cut that hair. While I agree with the premise because they are applying 1 Corinthians 11:14 which says it is shameful for a man to have long hair. Yet, I do not see the same application of the same chapter regarding women put into force. I believe it to say a woman out to wear a head covering, mostly because the word in Greek means a piece of cloth. But even if the church truly feels that reference is about hair, why are they allowing women (and often the pastor’s wife) to be church members with short hair? I have heard it argued that the Bible does not say how long the hair must be, and that is true, but it also does not say how short a man’s hair must be. Yet I know of churches (especially the ones with schools attached to them) who will send a boy home from an event or outing if his hair touches his collar. Brother Mike, who writes those study books I love so much, says himself that he will not allow a man to participate in church functions unless his hair is within their guidelines (determined by man and based on opinion, but still used to prevent someone from participating in the L-rd’s work). So parts are enforced and others are not?

Well, that’s a New Testament command and some churches believe that men, as the spiritual heads, are more accountable than women. So let’s look at another example. Those same conservative Baptist churches teach from the pulpit that getting tattoos is a sin. This is based on Leviticus 19:28. Yet they will serve ham at the church potluck after services the same day, which is in violation of Deuteronomy 5:5. These believers will argue with you that they have freedom in Christ to eat whatever they like (and the rebuttal to that is way too long to insert here), but my question is then why don’t they have freedom in Christ to get tattoos? Why are parts of the OT applicable and others not? The same is true of churches who require their men to be clean shaven. I have no idea where they get this traditions from, because not only did men in the OT have beards (Psalm 133, Samuel 21:13, Ezra 9:3), it was a shame not to (2 Samuel 10). And Yeshua himself had a beard which was ripped out as part of the torture and humiliation he endured on the way to the cross (Isaiah 50:6).

To broaden the paddle some and not just pick on Baptists, let’s consider the traditions of Christmas and Easter. You will not find these words in the King James Bible. These were not holidays appointed by Yah. In fact, they were pagan celebrations that were adopted into what became the state religion of paganism with touches of Christianity. They were means of worship to false gods, and now they are offered up to the Father. He warns us repeatedly not to learn the way of the pagans, and not to offer up strange fire (he must be worshipped in spirit and in truth, not however we see fit). Yet the church the world over calls these the two ‘holiest’ days on the calendar. But that doesn’t jive with what Adonai himself calls the holiest day, also known as Yom Kippur (Leviticus 23). Not only does he declare that he will destroy any who do not observe it (which he does not say about the other feasts) but also that it is to be celebrated forever. Do you believe Him when he says forever? I have heard it argued that forever doesn’t mean forever in the Bible, but that means that we won’t be in heaven forever, or that He was not in existence forever. Two words- it’s really forever when we want it to be, but when we don’t, it’s a limited forever (explain that to me). So we have told Yah that we don’t think his feasts are important anymore, but we conjure up feasts of our own choosing? Are we in the place of the father that we can do such a thing? And yet, I have been called legalistic for observing what the Creator of the Universe established rather than what the pagans established.

Lastly, I want to look at the tradition of the pre-tribulation rapture (and I'm not going to put the scriptural debate here as it can be found several other places, including in my archives). Those who believe in it are accusing those who do not of abandoning the faith, even calling the denial of it the great apostasy of the end times. Yet the Bible does not say we will be spared from tribulation. Far from it. We are given signs to watch for, told what we will endure, and promised blessings for staying true to the end, whether alive or martyred. For ever scripture that may be used to imply that we will not face tribulation, there are two more promising persecution of the saints. Where they read between the lines that we are not present, I read the actual word where white robes are given to those who were killed for their faith in the tribulation. There is also required a great deal of presupposition required in the pre-trib stance in order to make the verses read the way the supporters claim they do. For someone like me who was raised in a church that did not teach this doctrine, those verses are used out of context (and necessitate the conjuring of other non-scriptural doctrines, like different resurrections and different raptures) and still don’t really say that we will be whisked away before the tribulation. Despite that, I am not willing to claim that I have the correct interpretation because we are warned that no man knows the day or hour (meaning we also can’t declare for certain where in the timeline we are taken up), but also because the understanding of all this was sealed up in Daniel until it was time to reveal it. We disagree on other doctrines as well, but without the anger and bitterness that accompanies the lambasting of those who change their understanding of the timing of the rapture. We are only promised that we will be spared the wrath (Romans 5:9). So why are people so adamant that they will not face anything hard?

This tradition is not truly born out of scriptural interpretation, but of another source. People are willing to attack others as heretics over something no one has full revelation of because they are not really willing to die for their faith. Nowhere in the history of the called out ones were believers spared from trouble. They were run out of town, hunted, burned, crucified, torn apart by lions, and scattered to the four corners of the earth. If the Father did not spare even the apostles, who were highly favored, or the establishers of the early church (who did NOT believe in a pre-trib rapture, BTW), then why would He be so specific to spare the current church? In reality, though, He is not sparing the current church. How many in Iran, China, Pakistan, and India are dying for their faith every day? It would seem then that He would only be sparing the Western church? The truth is that the core problem is an entitlement attitude and having such a high standard of living. Americans are the majority if this group, and they claim their suffering will gain them rewards in heaven, but they don’t have any idea what suffering really is. It is not our own self-consciousness when we say grace over our meal in front of co-workers, or even the separation of church and state in our schools. Real persecution is having your life taken away for passing out Bibles. Real persecution is being forced to choose life at the expense of your soul. We don’t want to face the trials listed in the Word, so we take anything that makes us uncomfortable and call it persecution. But our ‘victories’ over these persecutions feel hollow for a reason- how can we stand before the throne and hold up name-calling as persecution when we are standing next to someone who watched their entire family slaughtered and still did not deny the faith? If we will not face any trials, why are warned throughout the Bible so that we be not deceived? If we are going to be kept from tribulation and then raptured away before anything bad happens, then many of the scriptures do not apply to us:

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33

And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Mark 13:13

So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer. 2 Thessalonians 1:4-5

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 2 Timothy 2:3

And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. Revelation 13:7
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. Revelation 21:7-8

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Matthew 5:11-12

29...Again

2009-09-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy with the garden and getting ready for homeschooling that I have hardly had time for more than just answering emails and checking bloglines (sorry to those of you who have had comments sitting in limbo forever). Oh, well!

Today was my birthday. When I was young, my mother told me that a lady never reveals her age past 29, so the year I turned 29 I told the kids I would not get any older- just yearly renew that same age. Well, since I got it from my mom, it only makes sense that she does the same. She had a birthday last week, and when she stopped by and we wished her a happy birthday (and she said again that it was her 29th), our middle girl said, "Granna is 29, too. Are you guys twins?" We had a good laugh over that one!

I think things will start to get very interesting in the next two months. Either we will see very big prophecy milestones come to pass, or we will know for sure that we are not quite where many of us think we are on that timeline.

We've been watching a lot of dvds while we string the beans and fold the laundry. For those who were studying and discussing the demon/aliens connection, I recommended the dvd Report From Roswell by Norm Franz. In that video he referenced a longer and more in-depth study on the subject called Globalism, Iron Mountain, and UFOs. It is not available on his website- I had to go to Prophecy Club to get it. But it was completely worth it. I would also recommend Bob Cornuke's video Search for Mt. Sinai- Mountain of Fire. It gave me chills. I can't wait until they make a video about finding the shipwreck of Paul- the audio interviews were inspiring.

And now, back to the preparing, including the upcoming celebration of Rosh Hashanah.

Shalom!
Amy

New World Religion?

2009-08-18T07:21:00.000-07:00

"They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised..." Romans 1:25

Worshipping creation is not a new phenomenon. It wasn't even new when Yeshua walked the earth (read Jeremiah and other OT writings). The difference now is the nearly mandatory nature of it, and how so many in the church are assimilating. Especially our kids.

We have very basic TV, and we have that only because with farming, the weather forecast is essential (though they seem to be so inaccurate these days- Yah confounding the wisdom of the 'wise'?). Part of that basic package is the Disney Channel. When I was young, I would ask to spend the night with my grandma on the weekends because she had the Disney channel. I loved the movies, old and new, which were for the most part wholesome entertainment. I have seen a very sad slide into inappropriateness in the modern Disney programming, and last night was the topper.

In what I thought was just a music video by some of the Disney Channel's biggest stars, teens were singing a song about saving the planet from global warming with such passion and zeal, it looked exactly like a worship service. The lyrics were akin to 'This Little light of Mine' and 'It Only Takes a Spark'. The call was to rebel against the grown-ups who say kids can't make a change in the world by registering your name and pledging allegiance to the planet. The singers were beating their chests, closing their eyes, and raising their hands. One time the singer even reached her hand forward to the audience, essentially inviting them to help her end the agony that comes from being environmentally irresponsible.

It made me sick. Talk about proselytizing! Environmentalism is one of the fastest ways to lose your kids to the world. If we allow them to participate in events to 'save the planet', we are essentially telling them the one who created it is not able to keep it as he has promised, and we create a chasm that makes reconciling what they hear in the pew with 'reality' impossible. Rather than looking to the scriptures to see what will happen, they begin to look to the media. We make the Word a book of fairy tales by forcing it to compete with the popular and the cool.

I have written before about the church we left when the balance of actual Bible preaching was replaced with environmentalism, and the crux was a sermon about Rachel Carson (if you don't know who this is, you aren't much of an environmentalist- and you didn't go to college in the 21st century). Even after we left, we still received the newsletter, and in one 12 page issue I counted 11 articles or announcements about going green, including the whole front page of Notes from the Pastor. Not once was there a mention of sharing the gospel. In fact, the message of environmentalism fits very comfortably with the trend in churches to make all missions about compassion and enriching people's lives. Compassion is essential. Being good stewards is fine. BUT THESE HAVE REPLACED THE TRUE CALL OF THE CHURCH TO GO INTO ALL THE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOSPEL. What good is a new well to a village if they are all dying in their sins? How compassionate are we to address the temporal and be silent on the eternal?

This shift of focus is indicative of the world-wide call to address the supposed issues plaguing the planet. It is now part of our politics and even our laws. It is now something we fund whether we like it or not, as our tax dollars pay for much of the legislation commissioning studies to cut down on carbon emissions or reduce the human footprint on the planet. Some very radical environmentalists even propose killing off humans in order to save the planet. With someone willing to die for a cause, it is obviously their religion. What else is man willing to die for except what he believes in? And they are using our children and our churches and our government to make this set of beliefs mandatory, if not yet enforced in practice, at least by criminalizing the morality of those who do not agree. I'm sick to death of commercials where young children have to instruct their stupid fathers (because mothers are protected by feminism) on the new way of doing things from purchasing a light bulb to finding a green appliance.

All this makes me wonder if the one world religion of the last days will not be based on, if not centered around, the planet. There is nothing new under the sun, so the corruption of religion we have seen before will be the corruption we see again. It is also such a prevalent idea that many who call themselves believers are completely wrapped up in it, making the deceiving of the elect very easy to accomplish. We have to fight this religion of Mother earth. If the only thing our kids see is about saving the planet, that will be the core issue in their hearts, and it is not hard to imagine a generation that will have forsaken the scriptures completely for the traditions of men. It is essential to teach our kids the Bible first and most so that they are able to weed out the humanism that shows up dressed in a choir robe.

Building Trust...Again and Again

2009-08-12T18:29:00.000-07:00

I haven't told anyone except my close circle of friends, but so that you can grasp the issues we're talking about here, I will (without using names) give you an idea why building trust can be so hard. We got a call about three weeks ago that the biological mother of our oldest 4 had died. She had been stabbed in the head by her live-in boyfriend in a fight over drugs. The person who called was a friend of hers, but not someone I know at all, so I looked the story up online and found all kinds of links to it (it hit even big news sources). They only said she had been flown to a hospital and was in ICU, but they were older articles, and unless they did a follow-up, I had no more info. To make matters worse, the friend asked if I knew where her mother was currently living because until they found a family member, no info (or body) could be released.

We felt it important to let the kids have some tangible evidence of her death if at all possible because of other times when they were left hanging. Many of the people connected to their past have a tendency to blurt things out in front of them. Three years ago we ran into a cousin who said "Did you hear ______(biological father) is dead? Got himself shot. Always knew it would be something like that". We hadn't heard anything at all about or from him since the visitation stopped, so it was a complete out-of-nowhere announcement. The kids were very upset. We tried to verify the story but never could find out if it did happen, and every once in a while they ask if we've heard anything back. It has left a giant question in their minds that has to be answered. We knew telling them of their mother's demise without some kind of proof would just deepen the lost feeling, but because of those people blurting things out in front of them, we decided we better tell them anyway.

It was tough to say the least, trying to be honest without scaring them, and letting them know what happened without too many details. They all cried, though the youngest two readily admitted they didn't remember anything about her or even what she looked like. It was a stressful situation which got ever more stressful when I started to try and find a death notices or funeral arrangements in order to give them the closure I was looking for...and couldn't find anything. I started following what little info I had and finally got a hold of patient information at a hospital where I was told she was still listed in serious condition. STILL? I was shocked to hear she was there at all because we had been told she was dead! Even weirder was when I called back two days later and was told she had been discharged! Turns out she was moved to a nursing home, but even that took a week to find out. So we had to tell the kids that, no, she wasn't in fact dead. Talk about creating a problem! These kids have enough trouble trusting us, which is why I have promised them that I will never lie to them about anything. But to look at this from their perspective, we did lie. They probably thought I made it up just to be mean or to try and get them to forget her. I mean, what are the chances of adults just being mistaken over something like THIS?

And as with every issue, it spills over into everyday life. One of the kids will have a spider on their pant leg and I'll say "Wait, you have a bug on you". But even after I remove it, they have to check themselves to make sure I really did remove it- even to taking the pants off to check. Or if I say "I didn't put the bowls away yet", they still go to the cupboard first, and then say "I was just checking". Now imagine the trust issues after you've been told your mother died only to find out it wasn't true. Sadly, all we can do is continue to be honest Abe with them, always proving that I meant what I said about not lying. And every situation will have to be weighed, because while there is the chance of us giving them wrong info based on what others say, I think the impact of hearing it from a stranger in public is even worse.

Foster Kids Rule the World

2009-08-04T09:01:00.000-07:00

Odd title, isn’t it? But it has been on my mind (and in my face) for about a year now, and in sticking with my promise to be honest about all the facets of fostering/adopting, I thought I ought to share.

When kids are taken into custody by the county (though the removal has to be done by a police officer), they are suddenly and acutely aware of a whole different dimension that exists in our society. It is the dimension where adults take everything a kid says as gospel truth. It is, in a way, a necessity, because you can’t really expect parents to be forthcoming about what has gone on in their home when you have just taken away their kids- especially if they face charges as a result. Still, the initial placement into care and the subsequent physical examination, psychological evaluation, and general ‘kid-glove’ approach of the whole foster care team send a very loud silent message about who is running the show when it comes to foster care. Everyone shows such pity for the kids, often giving them a ‘free pass’ on their behaviors. The kids pick up on this very quickly.

To complicate matters, the people caring for foster kids (i.e. foster parents) have a very limited scope of authority over them. They must get approval from a casework supervisor before having the kids treated at an emergency room (even if it is just for strep throat), are required to follow the county’s determination on education for the child, and cannot discipline the kids unless the disciplinary action is within the county guidelines. As I mentioned before, it is important to maintain the role of birth parents as the authority, because the goal is to send the kids home. It does create, however, an environment where no one is truly in full authority over the kids. The birth parents have say on haircuts and school activities, but can’t even take their kids home at the end of the day. The caseworker sets the visitation schedule and oversees the foster parents, but does not have daily interaction with the kids. The foster parents do the leg work of daily care, but are scrutinized on a constant basis. It gives the kids ultimate control, because all they have to do is play the authority figures against one another.

I have yet to meet a foster kid who did not take advantage of this situation. That is not, however, an indication of the depravity in which they were raised, because not all kids are being abused or neglected. Foster care comes about for many different reasons, and even kids whom you might classify as having a ‘normal’ family life will play the system. The Word says that foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, and it is so true. Give that foolishness fuel, and it will manifest in even the best of kids. Sadly, adopting those foster kids does not really change anything. The names on the birth certificate change, and the caseworker is no longer a regular visitor, but the kids have not forgotten the way you as foster parents were under the thumb of the system. They will continue to try and test the boundaries, knowing they have the fall-back of crying wolf to get them out of it if they push too far.

Here is an example: You adopt a child who was the center of attention at home. I mean seriously the center of attention- to lengths I will not disclose here. The child is removed from that home and sent to you along with her siblings. You, not understanding the unspoken rules of the home they lived in, give equal attention to all the children. The golden child becomes enraged and decides to use your lowly status against you. She begins to refuse to eat in an attempt to get attention that is being misdirected to other children. You ignore the behavior, knowing that to engage her is to start down a road you cannot come back from. She continues to refuse to eat, testing to see if you will give in eventually. You hold your ground, knowing that to give in to her now is to set up a life-long meme in her mind of using threat to get what she wants (the threat is getting you in trouble and having all the kids removed from you, and they know this well because every time they see the caseworker she asks if they are happy in your home and if they feel safe). Just when she is about to give up on this method of terrorism, the doctor notices that she is not even registering on the growth chart for her age, and gives you instructions to feed her whatever she will eat. Because you now have the threat of being in trouble with the doctor who can make a call to child services and turn you in for ‘abuse’, you have been put under the heel of a child. Life becomes a living nightmare as you take the child grocery shopping, watching her fill the cart with donuts and chips and cookies, and you scramble to not only pay for a whole different set of food, but to try and keep the other kids in your house from mutiny over the fact that their sister gets to pick and choose and you are making them eat squash and salad and baked potatoes. She is getting that special attention she felt belonged to her after all.

But I haven’t even told you the worst part, yet. There is a double-edged sword when it comes to society and the ‘it takes a village’ mentality. When that child becomes sick from lack of vitamins and fiber, and starts to gain weight to the point of being fat, you are responsible for that as well. Parents in general are walking a tightrope anymore, but it is especially true for foster/adoptive parents whose kids have no loyalty to them and who will manipulate any situation for personal gain. Parents have had their children removed because they are too small and have no muscle tone, and parents have had kids removed for being overweight and unfit. And everyone involved knows that if they come to take the neglected child (because that’s what they classify underweight/overweight kids as) they take ALL of your kids and ask questions later. I’ve had the kids say to me at times ‘if you get in trouble for _____, they’ll take Maggie and Chloë too’. It is a taunt. Sadly, it is very true.

Then you have the time when kids get older and begin to think of themselves as adults. I do not believe in teenage rebellion as a physical phase of life but rather a cultural phenomenon. Too many kids in other countries go through the teenage years without rebellion for it to be a biological change. Instead, we have made kids rulers of their own world when they are not ready to make adult decisions, and the result is a constant struggle between them and the parents who cannot control them yet are still liable for them. This cultural disease we have created is ten times worse in foster/adopted kids because they have nothing to lose. They are fully aware of the fact that you cannot physically make them do anything, and they exploit it. Here’s another example:

Your 13 year old daughter does not want to do anything. I mean literally anything. She says she intended to spend her summer in bed reading. You say no, because not only is that not fair to anyone else, but it is not healthy to stay indoors all the time doing nothing. You try your best ‘member-of-the-family, we need teamwork’ speech, and assign a list of chores for each kid. Because she is the oldest, you have given her the task of mowing the lawn. She doesn’t want to mow the lawn, so she sabotages the job- mowing down your sapling trees, missing large strips of grass, and finally running over a rock which breaks the mower and gets her out of the job completely. So you assign her the job of weeding the garden because, after all, she does eat. Well, you should have known better, because she feigns stupidity and pulls up the plants. OK, fine. Maybe letting her work inside will be better. You ask her to sort the laundry and put it in rooms (we let everyone fold their own, so there wasn’t even folding involved). She puts things in the wrong places on purpose and when you come in to check, there is still a pile of clothes in the living room but she is in bed reading. You are about to blow like Krakatoa at this point, but try diplomacy. You ask her what it is that she would like to do, besides reading, since she is a member of the family and needs to contribute. She says cooking. Well, you can’t just turn her loose in the kitchen because she has no experience, so you leave the outside work to come in and make lunch together. The menu says Salisbury steak and mashed potatoes, so you ask her to start peeling the potatoes. She is clearly miffed, and cuts so much off that the potatoes look like water chestnuts. When you ask, you are informed that she just wanted to stand at the stove and stir. By this point, you’ve had it and inform her that she is not going to tell you what she will and will not do. She starts to throw a tantrum, which scares the baby because why would someone as big as that be acting that way? So you say ‘go throw your fit in the barn where you won’t scare the baby’.

So off she goes to the barn. She is gone all day and doesn’t come back, but you figure she is letting off steam the way she does when she ‘needs to be alone’. Dark falls, and you can see her in the haymow from the yard, but she still will not come home. It’s a stand-off, and again, your common sense says that if you give in, you will be setting her up for a lifetime of believing the way to handle a situation is through threat (that, and your husband demands that you not go get her because she has, in effect, run away from home and has to come back on her own). Lucky for you, your neighbor happens to have just finished her degree in social work and finds your child hanging out the barn window wailing like a baby. Long story short, you get a call that your daughter does not want to come home and that neighbor spends the night debating about whether or not to report you to child services. So guess who has gotten her way as far as lying in bed and reading all summer? Because of the same threat that if we get in trouble, everyone will be taken away. YET, come fall when she has a vitamin D deficiency and we take her to the hospital with a violent flu, we will be responsible.

Foster kids rule the world.

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy.” 2 Timothy 3:1-2

“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient, Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents.” Romans 1:28-30

“And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.” Matthew 10:21

Brother in Arms

2009-07-30T16:56:00.000-07:00

It hasn't happened yet, but I am sure I will hear considerable back-lash for saying it is fruitless to pray for this country anymore. Many of the people who feel that way are those who believe America, like the Church, is not the receptor of Yah's wrath, so nothing bad can happen to us. Unfortunately, those who hold to this view are the first to lose their faith when something does go wrong. But alongside them there is a group of people, like my brother the soldier, who are willing to risk their lives to defend the freedoms we have and to keep us safe from all enemies. This is such a noble sacrifice that I do not want to give anyone time to believe I am belittling it. Rather, it is the government we now serve (though it is supposed to be the other way around) who make void the long history of personal valor. And I want to explain why so that you see I am not at ALL against the premise of what our country is supposed to be.

Firstly, we are no longer a republic. We were never a democracy, though many use the term democratic to refer to the US. What we are now is an oligarchy. We have thousands upon thousands of young men and women willing to risk their lives because they understand that if we do not meet the enemy on his turf, he will meet us on ours. YET, those thousands of soldiers do not make the decisions regarding their deployment and service. Those decisions are made by the elite few (definition of oligarchy). I have yet to know a soldier who went to Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Kuwait, who felt it was unnecessary. I'm sure there are some (there are also soldiers who sign up to get the free education and are then shocked when they are called to active duty), but the military personnel I have heard discuss the situations say we NEED to be there. If it were up to them, we would continue to be there for however long it takes. Not so with our messiah monarch. He has determined their risk is pointless and has promised (in order to get elected) to pull them out by an arbitrarily appointed date.

The idea with a republic is supposed to be that an elected body does the legwork for the masses, based on what they desire. Congress and the Senate quit caring long ago what the people want, and instead have decided it is their duty to decide for us because we don't know enough to make decision for ourselves. The 'stance' of America on such things as the war on terror, the nation of Israel, and the role of the government in such things as the economy and health care are FAR AND AWAY from the views being promoted and pushed upon us by the elected few. We are no longer really free, and unless a revolt overthrows the entire city of DC (and that would be tough because they have taken away our right to bear arms) we are destined for ruination.

Secondly, Yah never spared a nation from judgment based on the holy people within it. He did make that offer to Lot, though it proved his point of why there was no need to save the nation. Instead, he told Lot to get out, thereby assuring his safety. Other times, he brought judgment down hard on the nation while protecting those who belonged to him. This was true in Egypt. He didn't stop the plagues because His people were there, but put a shield around them so that the plagues didn't touch them. A third scenario is that he allows His people to be captured, but he goes along with them into captivity in order to fulfill his plan. Daniel was allowed to be carried off to captivity. Joseph was allowed to be taken into captivity. Both men were instrumental in saving the elect from that position in which they found themselves. Other time Yah allowed His own to be killed while standing up for the truth, thereby proving that his promises, while sometimes covering this life, are meant to be eternal and that he alone can conquer death in order to fulfill a vow.

I can forsee all of these scenarios as possibilities in out nation's future. By all means, pray for the military who is keeping us from toppling over that line into world chaos. Intercede for those in government who have no taste for politics and are truly trying to serve the L-rd and the people. Stand up for what is right- demonstrate, send letters, make calls. My point was only that our government has become so corrupt, and many of the people who voted them into office are now so depraved, that to ask for further mercy on our nation is futile and sinful. If the point of discipline is to bring people back to the truth, who are we to see them wandering away and ask that they not be corrected? If the soldiers are willing to risk their lives to save another, shouldn't we be all the more willing to risk our temporal bodies for the eternal salvation of many? Truly, what is the motive for putting off discipline if not for one's personal comfort? Even if we manage to take back the reins of the nation, if we do not turn away from the sins that have put us here, we are making our 'way of life' a priority over obedience to the Father. Either way, the only answer for believers is to come out of her. We must be separated from the system of this world if we do not want to be partakers of her punishment.

"And if they be bound in fetters, and be holden in cords of affliction; Then he sheweth them their work, and their transgressions that they have exceeded. He openeth also their ear to discipline, and commandeth that they return from iniquity. If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures." Job 36:8-11

Baruch Haba B'shem Adonai

Judgment

2009-07-29T12:56:00.000-07:00

Whether you agree with it or not, the truth of the Word says that the loving Father chastises his children. The church used to agree with this statement, and only seems to have turned away from the wisdom of it after the advent of modern psychology, which taught parents that their children knew what they needed and should be gently guided through life rather than instructed in righteousness and 'chastened betimes' to save his soul. Now we are so preoccupied by the idea of damaging someone's self-esteem, we never correct. Even our judicial system is a joke. Because of budget cuts, and overcrowding as a result of our lack of morality in putting to death child murderers and the sexually depraved, criminals are being freed in California (I am not picking on one state- they are just the only ones being honest about it).

This news should not be a surprise, though, in a nation where 'freedom' has become about fulfilling the lusts of our flesh regardless of the effect it has on others. What surprises me are the number of people calling for prayers for our nation and our president. Why?!?! Or have they not read the scriptures, which clearly tell us that if He has sent judgment on a nation to try and turn them away from their sin, he will not hear their prayers until they have turned away form those sins?

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; THEN will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

He also warns the prophet Jeremiah not to pray for a nation that is in rebellion, because he will not listen!

"Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble." Jeremiah 11:14

We are facing our judgment for what we have done, and no amount of praying or patriotism or wishing is going to do anything to stop the scourging of the Father until the people realize what they are doing and STOP! That does not mean that we should stop praying altogether, but if you are praying for mercy on America you are not being heard.

Every time we as a nation receive discipline, our answer is to increase our rebellion, which only brings more judgment! In a horrible news story this week, a mother was found to have eaten parts of her newborn baby. The discovery of this scene has reportedly severely impacted those officials who had to collect evidence. Everyone asks the 'unanswerable' question of why, but they do not really look for that answer in the place it can be found. Rather than turn to the Father for guidance, they have likely already declared it a result of post-partum depression and placed the woman on anti-depressant (if not anti-psychotic) drugs. Some even utter that all-too-familiar phrase 'How could God let this happen?' I can give you a few answers right from God himself:

"And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God...

But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee...And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee...The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter, and toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates."

In fact, if you read through Deuteronomy 28, it reads like a laundry list of our news headlines for the past 50 years, and the future doesn't look very promising! Well, those words were written for Israel and not us, right? First, Hebrews clearly says that we have become part of Israel by our grafting in to the olive tree. Secondly, if you want more proof, how about other books of prophecy that we believe are playing out before our very eyes?

"And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them." Jeremiah 19:9

"They have dealt treacherously against the LORD: for they have begotten strange children: now shall a month devour them with their portions...When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound. For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him." Hosea 5:7, 13-14

This warning in Hosea speaks of the tribe of Ephraim, and while I'm not going to get into the whole two-house theology, it is true that Ephraim is a type of the church by representing the adopted gentile sons. And doesn't it sound just like America to find ourselves in sickness, and rather than try to figure out where that sickness came from, we run looking for a cure-all to get rid of it. If we don't know why something happens, how can we prevent it from happening again?

What are we under judgment for? To start with, we have turned away from the commandments of Yah. People are living sinful, decadent lives and still claiming to be christians. So we're guilty of sin and blasphemy. We made the last election about securing our way of life (money) rather than about protecting life (so there, too- why are we surprised at a news story about a mother killing her child when it happens thousands of times every day?). We are murderous and without natural affections. We have turned our backs on Israel, our 'mother' nation, and even taken up collections to help the Palestinians fight the Jews in our churches!!!!!!! But my personal opinion on when we crossed the point of no return was when Obama, who represents us, stood up and summarily declared that America is not a christian nation. The favor we received in the past, our very establishment as a country, were based on obedience to the Word of the L-rd. We have now forsaken our first love and turned to idols.

It should be no surprise that a self-declared godless nation turns to depravity. Without truth, good and evil become ambiguous terms. The Chinese have begun to make a soup from fetus parts. This 'delicacy' is reported to have many health benefits, and sells for $40 a serving.

(If you are fasting for Tisha B'Av, this is not only something else to mourn over, but something that should help you lose your appetite). Within this article is reference to another scriptural instance of eating children (2 Kings 6). What is the ultimate outcome in that book of history? Captivity. Why is America absent from prophecy? Some speculate that we are too far away to be present for the 'final showdown' except by military presence. Others feel we may be the New Babylon spoken of. I believe we are absent because we will not be a sovereign nation in the end! We have been disciplined repeatedly, and rather than learn from it, we have set our hearts against the Father. We have declared we do not know Him, and thereby sealed our fate.

Don't waste time praying for this country. Rather, heed the warning we have been given:

"Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." Revelation 18:4

The Breaking Dam

2009-07-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

Well, for someone who hasn’t felt like posting for so long, I’ve got ONE LONG POST to put up today. It is truly like a breaking dam, because it is a culmination of things that I have been noticing and studying for about a year. And they all go together, so there’s no way to talk about just one at a time. Bear with me, too, because it will be difficult to bring these things together on paper the way they come together in the lightning fast brain. There will surely be moments when you wonder if I have begun to write fiction, but I hope to make it cohesive by the end.

The first thing I want to mention is the scriptural command for testing a prophet to see if he/she is truly from the Father or not. There are two criteria, though many people stop at the first. Deuteronomy 13 says that a true prophet’s words will be proven. In other words, if he says something is going to happen, it does. But that is not enough, because even the demons can give someone a prophecy and then make it come true. The second test is to make sure that what the prophet says and does lines up with the Word. If a prophet says something will happen, and it does, but then he tries to lead you away from the Bible, he is a false prophet. This is important, and we’ll come back to it in a bit.

Next is something I have been discussing with Laurie for a while (I am just referencing where the topic came up- she does not necessarily agree with anything I am saying here). We have both noticed a trend recently in Hollywood to use movies with certain amounts of prophecy in them. The problem is that usually there is a little tiny bit of something from the Bible followed by a ton of anti-scriptural claptrap. At first I speculated that it was merely to draw people and their money to the box office because prophecy is currently a hot topic, but now I believe it is part of the whole deception of the end times. Some of the movies we discussed were The Day the Earth Stood Still, Angels and Demons, and Knowing (and now the previews for 2012 due out in November). Anybody with a passing knowledge of scripture can likely pick out the connotations in these movies. The disturbing part is that those who aren’t acutely knowledgeable in the scriptures can very easily be led astray. This is another reason is it VITALLY IMPORTANT that you know your Bible.

One very prominent idea in the movies and media right now is that of alien-led exodus from the planet. The premise is generally that we have destroyed the earth through our actions (global warming, pollution, religious based wars, etc.) and the aliens must come down and either save us all, or ‘rapture’ a select group to start over on the new earth. Norm Franz has a DVD called Report From Roswell: Unraveling the UFO/Alien Phenomenon that I think every believer truly, truly needs to see. It is only $14 at his website, or it does have permission to copy on it if someone has a machine that can make copies (mine only does CD’s). In this DVD, Norm uses the lens of scripture to examine things such as the alien autopsy, ufo sightings, and different cults that believe that aliens are our gods. Many of these cults have an end-times theology of aliens coming to earth to rapture us away!

What interested me in this video in the first place were all the recent blog discussions of aliens and how they could be demons. Most specifically was the discussion Ace had about the mating of the ‘sons of God’ with the daughters of men in Genesis 6. This discussion was a great example of why when we don’t understand something, we need to go back to the original languages. There is already so much confusion and so many false teachings because of the many Bible perversions that are sold (I’m not picking on anybody, just stating a fact). If you read this passage in the Hebrew, the translation is ‘heavenly beings’ or those who dwell in the realm beyond earth. This understanding is important for 2 reasons. First, we know they were not ‘christians’ because as I wrote last year, we did not have the power to become the sons and daughters of Yah until after the once-for-all sacrifice of the Lamb (John 1), who was called his ONE and only begotten son. Instead, a good way to explain it would be to compare the phrase sons of God with the phrase sons of man (or in this verse, daughters of man). The difference between them is the realm in which they dwell. Because some languages have only one word, like son, while others have several variations with different meanings, there can be something lost in the translation. That does not mean that the scriptures are translated in error, only our ability to understand them fully is at fault.

Secondly, we see here that they mating of these two created offspring. Anybody with any creationism training knows that two different species cannot mate together. Even before I knew what evolution was or was old enough to be concerned, I remember a Sunday school teacher saying that two species cannot mix, and this was good evidence that we were created special and stayed that way. The reason this is important is that many heresies were formed from the theology that Yah could not impregnate a woman, so that Yeshua was either fully divine or was fathered by someone else and Yah just orchestrated it. Obviously the sons of God, or celestial beings, looked like humans. This will be important later on, too.

In this discussion over at Ace’s blog, it was mentioned that many reports have been made by women claiming to have engaged in intercourse with (and sometimes being impregnated by) aliens (or demons). The importance of the head covering is discussed by Paul to be for the benefit of the angels, or heavenly beings, and the discussion went along the lines of wondering if that were to do with this joining of the two. The head covering serves as a sign that you belong to Adonai and are therefore off limits, so to speak. There is no indication in the scriptures that the sons of God cannot tell the difference between men and women, thereby necessitating a sign. Rather it would seem that in this explanation, the covering is a sign of belonging to Yah and his order of things, which makes you ‘untouchable’.

Remember also that Satan was at one point a good guy and that when he fell, he took 1/3 of the angels with him. If the theory is correct that what people are seeing as aliens are actually demons, or fallen angels, it poses some questions. When we talk of demons looking like aliens, or vice versa, we get a picture in our minds of weird looking creatures with big heads and black eyes, and it makes you wonder why anybody would want to have intercourse with something like THAT! Why didn’t the women in the Bible run screaming from the sons of God? Why didn’t the babies come out looking like science fiction characters (because the only difference noted in the Bible is that they were giants)? Why would someone today want to have intercourse with an alien?

And then I saw something in these Hollywood movies that made complete sense to me, kinda connecting the dots. In one, the aliens (demons) disguised themselves as humans. They were walking around just like everyone else until the end, when they took off the masks and ‘surprise’, it’s really aliens. There are plenty of people who say they are believers but who don’t know the Word, or who have mixed cultural Christianity with so many other things that there is no longer a label for it, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if they believed that ‘God’ sent aliens in a spaceship to rapture them away (2 Timothy 4). But what about those who do know, because we are told that the deceptions will be so great that even the elect might be led astray. It’s hard to imagine church people lining up for a UFO ride, believing it was scriptural. But then I re-read 2 Corinthians 11, where we learn that Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light. Can he take on any disguise he wishes? What if the alien suits are the disguise and the demons really look like people, and will reveal themselves as such when they stage their own second coming? How else would you explain masses of people being deceived into thinking the devil was really the Christ himself (Matthew 24:5)?

Many, many people are expecting a rapture from this earth. Could it be possible that Satan will come first, posing as the Messiah, in the very same way? But surely we would know Jesus if we saw him. Well, how would you know? By the pictures painted hundreds of years after his death? By his charismatic personality and the miracles he performs? How will you really know him? What if the deception is crafted to look different to each person? The false messiah might look like the Mahdi to Muslims, the Maetraya to New Agers, and whatever people are expecting or believe in, including aliens. And he may look like Jesus to those who think they know him but don’t. We will know him as a true prophet if what he says happens, and if he follows the Word. In the same way, we will know the counterfeit by his failure to agree with the Word.

Not only do we need to know the scripture to know the signs of His coming, but we need to know the scriptures so that we can detect the fake! If Satan comes in disguise, he will still tip his hand by going against scripture, because he is by definition the lawless one. I have read recently that there is noting to prevent the return of Christ, but I disagree and think this is a dangerous heresy. We are given a list of things that must happen before our Christ returns. There are events like an increase in earthquakes, famine, and wars that are the beginning of birth pangs, but those have been happening all along. They can be hard to pin down as fulfillment of prophecy, and unfortunately many will see anything close to one of these occurrences as a sign. But we have also been given very specific, one-time events to tell us for sure of the times we are in. If we don’t know these, it can be easy to fall for what is given as a counterfeit.

BEFORE the return of Christ....
1. 2nd Thessalonians 2 says the son of perdition had to be revealed before Yeshua will return. I have not yet figured out how this works in with the pre-trib rapture theory (one of the reasons I don’t agree with it), but it fits perfectly with people believing the first thing that arrives on earth being the saviour. We know that false christs will arise first based on the chronology of Matthew 24.

2. Yeshua said that we will see the Abomination of Desolation before his return (Matthew 24:15-16). That means he will not show up and go to Jerusalem to the place of sacrifice first- the antichrist will. The antichrist will set himself up as the one to be worshipped rather than giving glory to the Father. There is also a warning that many will flee to the wilderness in Judea once the false messiah is revealed. If the true Messiah of Israel came first, what reason would there be for any of them to flee?

3. After the revealing of the antichrist, there will be tribulation like has never been before (Matthew 24:21-22). There will be no mistaking that we are in the tribulation. It also says the days must be shortened for the sake of the elect. If we have been raptured away to heaven, why does it matter to us how horrible things are on earth? Obviously, we will be here, both because of this promise that time will be shortened for our sakes, and because this sign happens before the return of Christ.

4. After the tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not shine (Matthew 24:29-30). The stars will all fall and the heavens will be shaken. We need to be careful of trying to fit something into this description that doesn’t go, because even the false christs will be able to perform signs. Yeshua’s signs will not happen until the signs above have happened (23-25).

5. Yeshua said when he returns, it will be like a flash of lighting across the sky that everyone will see at once (Matthew 24:26-27). He specifically said not to believe those who would say he is in one place or another. I used to think that we would all see it at once by TV, but that doesn’t make sense because the Bible says EVERYONE will see him coming. What about those without TVs? I think instead that the TV will be a means of deception, broadcasting the arrival of others in specific places, and people will go ‘here and there’ to see him. Yeshua specifically said not to do that.

Given the number of ‘prophecies’ being circulated that aliens will come to earth to save us one way or another, and the expectation of many of the Messiah's imminent return, the ideas of Satan coming in a disguise and leading people to believe he is the true Messiah is not much of a stretch. Especially since so many don't know what to look for other than 'perilous times'. Rather than avoid these movies with false prophetic messages in them, I think we ought to know what delusions are being presented so that we can avoid them ourselves and hopefully help others who might be deceived. Unfortunately, many in the church believe one of three things about demons:

1. They are not real.
2. They are real, but do not exist in our realm.
3. They exist in our realm, but cannot touch or affect us.

All three of these theologies are wrong. To prove it, read 1 Peter 5:8, Ephesians 6:11, and James 4:7. The devil and his army are real, and they are working feverishly to try and take as many away from salvation as they can (Revelation 12:12, 13:7). What easier way to deceive the world than to take the little bit of knowledge they have of something and twist it into a shape they don’t recognize as darkness? Satan has long taken that which Yah made and tried to counterfeit it...why would the Second Coming be any different?

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

2009-06-30T17:09:00.000-07:00

I have been reading a lot about this document from Home School Legal Defense lately, and what I have read has all been scary in that it would not only take away the rights of the parent, but also of the US to determine child safety laws. Those who are pushing it in the US say it would not jeopardize homeschooling, but it is happening right now in the UK. Anna has some posts about it already, so to avoid duplication, I will just put up links.

Warning from HSLDA
Who to contact
Is your congressman a sponsor?

I did try to call Ambassador Rice, and the phone is still off, so I went looking for the address of the UN building. Here is the address, and the letter I sent if you would like to copy it (obviously you might need to take out the foster parent part). I dated it July 4th and will wait to mail it then as I felt that the perfect day to send off my opinion on the idea of giving away American freedoms.

Ambassador Susan Rice
c/o United Nations
1775 K Street Suite 400
Washington, DC 20006

July 4, 2009

Dear Ms. Rice,

I am writing to you regarding my serious concerns over the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. As a foster parent, I certainly have a great deal of regard for the protection of children and their rights to safety and happiness. What I disagree with is the notion that our nation, pioneers in the advancement of child protection laws, educational standards, and equal opportunity, would need to take a step backward and join a convention that would not only supersede US law, but have absolutely no benefit to our society whatsoever. The Child Protection system in our country is not broken. What is broken is the ability of parents and teachers to keep kids safe because of those who already do whatever they wish with no regard for the rights and safety of others.

In the US, we see the ill effects of advancing the ‘rights’ of children who do not have the maturity to make such consequential decisions. Already we have schools full of children who cannot be controlled because they have learned that those is authority do not have the power to make them behave. The CRC gives a child the right to refuse to follow any rule or regulation that he may find ‘stifles’ his creativity. Were we to adopt the CRC, the stripping away of parents' rights to train their children would leave all of society very similar to that of many High Schools, where the few adults present are token caretakers and the children, not mature enough to be responsible and yet protected by their right to free expression, would be free to engage in whatever behaviors they desire. And who will take responsibility for the outcome? Surely not the parents, whose very rights to teach those children right and wrong have been relinquished to the UN!?!?

You have stated that the failure of the US to ratify this convention would be a disgrace. What would be a true disgrace is the handing away of US sovereignty to the UN for no purpose other than making nice. If you personally desire to be ruled by a patron, move to Europe and one of its many EU member states. Leave to the US, the birthplace of freedom and countless great reformers, the determination of what is best for the best. We fought for our independence….it is not yours to give away.

Lover of Freedom,

Amy *****

I also contacted my congressman and told him he needed to step up like many of the other Ohio congressmen already did and protect what is not broken. If you read the studies and statistics, the problem is not with parents stifling their kids' creativity. The problems are in homes where the parents are either absent or too permissive. Giving kids a bill of rights will only increase the problems tenfold!

The Staus of Blessed Motherhood

2009-06-22T20:12:00.000-07:00

As any of you who have read here for long know, I have considered deleting the whole blog for some time. I believe the hour is late and there are grave issues to be watched closely. As a mother of young children, I don't have the time to devote to researching and reporting on these issues as they ought to be covered. I also feel the need to start pulling back and concealing as much as we can about our life.

I was also faced with a feeling of exposure when someone connected to my kids' past found my blog and was using the information found therein in a way that filled me with fear. It can be hard to remember that they are ours forever and legally adopted with no one who can lay any claim to them, but as someone who struggles with the everyday attachment issues, having anyone feel they still own any part of those kids shakes me harder than I care to admit.

The decision has been made, in conjunction with my husband, to leave the blog here, as we use cards for witnessing that bring people to this page and the gospel message. There are also many who ask questions about fostering/adopting that are easier answered once than repeatedly. We have deleted a great many posts in order to protect our kids and their schedules better. We also know that fostering and adopting kids is a calling, and regardless of the number of days left on this earth, there is a need for networking among those of similar convictions. As the world becomes more rebellious and decadent, our kids will be more drawn to the behaviors and people they were removed from.

I apologize for any broken links or missing explanations. Feel free to point them out and I will correct them as best as I can.

Lastly, the only true questions, and what everything I have ever written here points to, is where are you headed? Can you truly close your eyes and pretend that what is going on around you is merely coincidence? The is ONE true and Holy G-d who has laid out the end from the beginning for any who are willing to listen. Do not kid yourself about your standing with Him. He is only merciful to those who have accepted his offer of atonement- the blood of the Lamb. Don't wait until it is too late to find out you are lost.

Shalom,

Amy- mother of many

Fireproof

2009-02-22T02:01:00.000-08:00

We watched the new movie Fireproof last night, and it left me with a stomach ache that is still present this morning (even after Tums and water). I won’t give away the plot, but the gist is that when marriage gets hard, people find out what real love is- because it is not based on feelings. Real love is the choice to do what is best for someone regardless of whether they have earned it. It was a kick in the stomach to me for more reasons than the obvious.

Gary and I have had quite a rough patch lately. I will tell you that the stress of ironing out the details of the problem we’ve been working on for over a year are the precursor, but we also both know better than to use our spouse as a rug-beater. The movie was a reminder more than a shocking awakening when it comes to us, though, because we’ve discussed before that even when things get rough or we aren’t ‘feeling it’, we committed ourselves for life. What surprised me is how convicted I was by the movie over my attitude toward some of my children.

In watching the extras on the DVD, the director said a certain scene was the crux of the whole movie, because the main character (played by Kirk Cameron) realizes that the frustration he feels over his wife’s rejection is exactly the same way he has been relating to the L-rd. He cannot show her real love because he has not experienced it himself.

Ouch.

As much as I might argue in my head that our kids should feel gratitude toward all that we have sacrificed for them in order to fully accept and understand what the Father has done for them, the fact is that in my own mind, they don’t deserve such grace because they have not earned it. In light of what we saw last night, I am faced with one of two choices: either I haven’t experienced that unearned love myself and therefore don’t understand it, or I have and am being stingy in offering it to others. That is not a mirror I like looking in to.

I have let myself become a barren desert when it comes to one child in particular, and know fixing it will be excruciatingly painful. I have even thought to myself lately that I will not be in heaven because I cannot forgive her (Matthew 6:14-15) but have to honestly consider if being able to hold my grudge is worth the cost of my own forgiveness (and for so much more). Because I am so utterly addicted to the Father, there really isn't an option. I will not come before him like the man who was forgiven a large debt and yet refused to forgive another's debt.

More on the Nadya Suleman Story

2009-02-12T11:42:00.000-08:00

The more I read, the angrier I get, and I have not been able to get ahold of Anne Curry to let her know how discriminatory I felt her interview was in comparison to the other families who have had multiples, so I'll just put it here and hope some of those people who can't seem to say anything nice will at the very least know that the whole world does NOT in fact agree with their tirades.

First, for clarity, I do not agree with many of the decisions Ms. Suleman made. I am completely against IVF, as I wrote before, because it gives the doctor too much god-power. He could be throwing those embryos in the trash while pretending to implant them in order to force you into more cycles and more money. He could sell some of your embryos to someone under the table. He could use his own sperm without your knowledge. And don't give me the 'doctors live by ethical guidelines' speech, because you're the very same people who are condemning a doctor for implanting this woman to begin with. I believe in the sanctity of marriage and the sanctity of family- that both should involve a man and a woman, committed for life. And yet I find myself defending this woman against the culture of which she is a product. The culture that said you can have whatever you want and you don't have to do it the way it has always been done.

So, say someone wants a big family. Life-long dream. No progress the traditional way (married and trying to conceive), so we move to the advances in science to see if they can provide a solution. We do W+X and get Y, which is a baby. Repeat 4 more times, and get Y (except once when it results in YY). So we have a precedent here of W+X equalling Y. Even the margin of error resulted in only YY. So for a sixth time we do W+X, and get YYYYYYYY. Even people who work in statistics and probability will tell you there was no way to know that was coming. We have created a way to fiddle with the human body in order to get what we couldn't before- surely you had to figure somewhere it was going to backfire. You can't even buying an appliance without a warning that if you use it in a manner other than what the manufacturer intended it for, he will not be liable for what happens to you.

Then I keep reading comments about how a single, unemployed mother should never have that many kids- one is enough. Whoa! (so much for a woman's right to control reproduction, BTW!) If the problem is that she can't possibly care for all those children and give them what they 'need' (read: everything advertised on TV)because she is not working, then why subject even one child to a life of doing without? Feminism's jagged pill is that you have the right to demand whatever the world says is normal, but anything beyond that and you're on your own. If it is an ethical dilemma, what impact does the number of kids have? She would be just as 'unfit' to one child as to 14, no? So you're willing to pay taxes to support a woman with one kid, but that's the cut-off? You people are deranged.

On to the financial arguments. Ms. Suleman is currently living off of student loans. I'm still waiting for the point here. You mean that is different than the thousands of couples who take out loans to pay for IVF, or for overseas adoptions in countries who have made babies a commodity? That's different than someone who has a life long dream of living in a prestigious house getting a loan to pay for it? We are currently bailing out those people and their pie-in-the-sky mortgages, but the only person we can blame for such a 'scheme' is the lady who's dream was kids instead of a house? This is America- when we can't afford what we want, we charge it. We get what we want now and agree to pay for it later. And while we're talking about the financial aspect, isn't investing in kids a better risk than commodities? Kids appreciate. They will grow in value as they become old enough to work. Houses and cars depreciate. At least her investment makes logical sense! And she is using those loans to get the degree that the world has said she cannot succeed without.

Well, her house is too small. Does anybody remember the house the septuplets went home to? Or better yet, the homes our great-grandmothers not only raised large families in, but gave birth to those families in? If someone had 12 kids in an 800 square foot cabin today, they'd be taken away! Jimminy Cricket, we're sure lucky our government finally went against its own constitution to determine for us what is best, because we sure don't know ourselves. Of course, there would have been nowhere to put the kids taken into custody 200 years ago, because all the neighbors lived the same way. No wonder they were so miserably unhappy and our nation suffered a lack of inventors and heroes.

And finally, our country has 'progressed' to a point that people can condemn one another without ever meeting. Countless ~~quacks~~ psychologists have been paid to consult media moguls on the mental health of Ms. Suleman. Without any kind of clinical sessions or testing, they have given diagnoses ranging from an unhealthy preoccupation, to schizophrenia, all based on an hour long, edited interview with a journalist who focused on her own presuppositions to determine the questions. An interview with a woman who had just been through the most exhausting and terrifying experience of her life, both emotionally and physically. Bringing the argument full-circle to the first argument I made, in America, sanity is now subjective. G-d preserve us.

In Defense of Large Families; Revisited

2009-02-11T06:36:00.000-08:00

I find myself amazed at the timing of my previous posts to what has become nothing short of a media circus over Nadya Suleman, the mother of the set of octuplets born in January. I feel we as believers need to be standing up for this mother of many, and finding ways to offer assistance in any way we can. Some of the reasons why are similar to the post I wrote previously when so many were in an uproar over the Duggars having #17 (yeah, that long ago). There is quite a lot of talk going on about how the doctor should not have 'let her' get pregnant again when she had six children at home. If we begin using a limiting rule for some families, it won't be long before we are right behind China is controlling people's reproduction. But there are also some specific things I think we need to consider in this situation.

First, we need to be thankful that Ms. Suleman was willing to carry her babies, even at the risk of her own life, instead of employing selective reduction. When Jamie Lyn Spears announced her pregnancy, many mommy blogers wrote in her defense because she did not decide to end what most saw as an inconvenience rather than a human life. The same argument applies here. Both women were in less than ideal situations, and thought they made choices we don't agree with, the fact that they did not abort demands our thankfulness.

Secondly, there is something of a double standard when it comes to accepting multiples in America. The McCaughey septuplets were heralded as miracles, and their parents were not publicly attacked for not choosing to reduce. The Gosselin sextuplets were heralded as miracles, and their parents were not publicly attacked for not choosing to reduce. I have seen interviews with both of those families where they were asked if their choice to use fertility treatments was maybe irresponsible because of the risk of so many babies, and both families gave an unequivocal no, because the odds were so, so slim that it was never a consideration. The chances are higher for a woman pregnant with one baby to have complications than for a woman to end up carrying six, seven, or eight viable embryos. It's like saying people are irresponsible for going outside when there is a 1 in 1,000,000,000,000 chance they will be hit by a meteor.

Third, Ms. Suleman did not do anything sneaky or untruthful. The doctor did the procedure. And while many are upset that using 6 embryos was unethical, it would seem this was the same plan they had used for the previous pregnancies. None of those pregnancies produced more than twins, and that only happened once. Even with the chance there that all 6 might develop, no one could forsee two of them splitting into twins. How can we criticize someone for something even the medical community did not see coming? One doctor interviewed for his 'professional criticism' said he never implants more than three embryos, but if you use the same standard he is using to condemn this woman, he is just as irresponsible, because those three could divide into six, which is exactly how many were implanted into Ms. Suleman. Double standard.

Finally, the money for the IVF cycles was earned through working, where Ms. Suleman undoubtedly paid taxes. Why is it so crazy then that she be getting back some of that tax money in the form of support for her children who have special needs? People are willing to pay taxes to create 'special' schools to ship the 'special' kids to, but not to help support the home they live in? I totally don't understand that reasoning. Social Security may not be something we agree with or like, but the fact is that we are paying into it, and so long as it exists, we have a right to use it when we need to.

What it boils down to is this mother is being unfairly attacked because she wants children instead of a lifestyle, she sees many children as a blessing and not a burden, and she is not wealthy. But compare those criteria to the two previous families mentioned with multiples, and they are the same. What gives?

She is single.

And in what has to be the biggest hypocrisy in the news today, the country that told women they did not need men to raise a family has turned on a woman who decided to live just that. "Well, she shouldn't be getting donations because she chose to have the kids". As did the Gosselins and the McCaugheys. Even the media is biased- the same Anne Curry who grilled Ms. Suleman does cheerful yearly updates on the McCaugheys. In reality, the best sponsors for this woman would be the National Partnership for Women and Families, the ACLU, or the National Organization for Women- the very organizations who demanded her right to have children without a partner. But we all know how fickle they are, both demanding protection for that right to chose to be a single mother, and simultaneously expecting every responsible woman to have an abortion in a case such as this. You have to fit into the mold they created.

No, the support should fall to the church as a collective to take in this woman who so valued life as to preserve it at all cost. Churches should be finding a suitable house for this large family and offering not only to be round-the-clock feeding helpers, but also protectors, acting as a shield between the violent world and this young family. No one had a problem doing it for the other miracle babies.

***Just a note, I love both the Gosselins and the McCaugheys and in no way wish to criticize them or the support they were given. I merely think it ought to be just as liberally applied when the circumstances aren't what people want them to be.

Homemade Lysol

2009-01-27T11:12:00.000-08:00

With this being the time of year for sickies, I've been re-examining the stuff I use. Hand sanitizer and antiviral spray are great for times when you cannot easily get to a sink and soap (like at the fair or the zoo) or after using a public restroom (those things are SO not clean). But using them frequently can cause a host of problems, including hampering the ability to fight germs if the alcohol kills the good bacteria in the stomach and mouth. So while I'm not throwing away the sanitizer and I still carry a can of Lysol in the car, I wanted to find something that would work without so many side-effects. I was researching homemade hair treatments- of all things- and came across this tidbit of info about vinegar and peroxide:

Vinegar mixed with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is used in the livestock industry to kill bacteria and viruses before refrigerated storage. A chemical mixture of peracetic acid is formed when acetic acid is mixed with hydrogen peroxide. Vinegar is being used in some Asian countries in an aerosol spray to control pneumonia. A mixture of five-percent acetic acid and three-percent hydrogen peroxide is commonly used.

A few years ago we had a group of missionaries come and stay with us, and they brought the rotovirus. I had never experienced it before (or since, hallelujah) and found myself spraying the crib mattresses and the bathtub several times a day with either Lysol or bleach water. Both were offensive to the nostrils (because no matter what kind of fragrance they try to add, that stuff still stinks) and I'm sure a menace to the septic tank and the material being sprayed. Peroxide can discolor some materials, so be cautious, but generally when we're talking about sickie germs, it's the bathroom where they congregate most.

Buy an empty spray bottle and label it so that it does not get used for anything else. Then mix

1 part 5% white vinegar
1 part 3% peroxide
if you want, a few drops of fragrance

Turn the nozzle until it is the finest mist you can get. Spray on surface and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Wipe off if desired (like the toilet seat, not only because no one wants a wet tuchus, but also so you don't get it on clothes and discolor them).

Stupid Books

2009-01-06T13:23:00.000-08:00

I feel like a real heel writing this after Jeannie's supportive comment, but I have promised her to always be truthful about all of it so that she doesn't not go into it blinded like we did. Sometimes I really wish I could turn back time and change the decisions I have made in my life. Most notably (and guilt-causing) is the adoption of the four oldest kids. Nice people don't think that way- or at least they never admit it. What kind of a monster could regret taking on children who so desperately needed them? A monster who is completely wrung out and not even half way done.

When we realized in December that we were at the end of our rope with some of the kids and decided, against everything we believe in, to put them in school, we had a decision to make. Either we warn the teachers what is coming and by default give the kids the sympathy that allows them to get away with everything (as happened every time before) or we say nothing and allow the teachers to think we are just the worst parents possible. We decided on the latter, though we understood there came with it the risk that the teacher would be so concerned as to contact Child Services and there is always that nagging fear that they will remove all the kids while they sort it out. But we knew the other way had reaped only trouble, as the teachers would turn psychiatrist/social worker and try to force on us their opinion of how to parent these kids.

Always the victim, Nellie faked unintelligence on the placement exams, which landed her right back in third grade. I thought finally she was seeing the consequence for her actions, since she was bored already the first week. But she quickly found a way to make it work for her- continue playing dumb and you get special attention from the reading specialist, the math specialist, and the room mother/volunteer. And I know it is pride that made my first concern in all this that the teacher was secretly cursing both of us and homeschooling in general for creating such a dim-witted child. So with that bee in my bonnet, everything that has come up since has perturbed me to an all new level.

There are some Christian marriage guides that I own and have given to others as wedding gifts. I don't agree with everything in all of them, but find enough good to make them worth reading. I never agreed that it was necessary for a marriage to have 'weekend honeymoons' as often as possible. After all, no where in the Bible is there an example of parents leaving their kids with someone else while they took a romantic trip. Thousands of marriages survived without vacations. But when I read it this time, I was livid. Well, isn't that requiring a lot of people who have no one who can and or will care for their children? After all, I sent my boys to my brother's' house for one night last week and have had nothing but problems since. What if you don't have the money to go somewhere? Is your marriage doomed? This idea started to make me so mad I was ready to go toe-to-toe with the author. Or at the very least burn his book.

Then came the whole years-long discussion about moving. We've talked about how it might benefit the kids, but decided it wasn't going to benefit them enough to make it a priority in the decision. Our kids are likely going to turn out the same whether we give them a 'fresh start' or not. Then last night on a show I have started watching, the family announced they were moving and the reason was it was best for the kids. So I'm a selfish hypocrite, am I? Is what's best for the kids really the most important factor in determining the resat of your life? (all rhetorical- this family doesn't even know we exist) One of the hazards of this job is thinking the whole world is out to judge me.

And perhaps I should stop reading altogether, because I found myself weeping over Little House on the Prairie. I allow myself the luxury of reading these books in the winter, when the outside work is limited and there are many dark hours of the day. The way those girls not only respected but obeyed their parents made me jealous and angry at the same time. Why can't kids be like that anymore? Especially when they were rescued out of such evil circumstances? It it simply what Paul prophesied, that kids would be less and less obedient as time drew to a close? Is it all the pressure of society with the 'takes a village' crap and kids knowing the world will intervene on their behalf??? I don't know, but I can never see Nellie acting like Laura Ingalls and it ticks me off. There's a character in the later Little House books, Ida, who is adopted and is so thankful to have a family, she never asks for anything and is always cheerful. Instead, I have the true character we named her after- Nellie.

Down with books and happy endings! Seriously.

PS- at the risk of your own life, do not send me comments about how kids never really behaved that well. I have studied history enough to know what I'm talking about.

Shocked by the Bible is Awesome!

2008-12-31T12:04:00.000-08:00

Laurie is my online BFF, because she always challenges me and leads me to just what I had been searching for. I had not told her of this honor being bestowed upon her before, but now I am making it public because she has saved me so much trouble! Her recommendation of the book Shocked by the Bible interested me, so I ordered it. It was on back order so it has just arrived. I am now going online to order more copies. See, this book covers many, many of the topics I have been trying to hash out (for lack of a better term) with friends and family who are convinced that we have gone off the deep end. Contained within the pages of this book are many truths which I have long believed, with references and wording so precise, I will now just give copies of the book to those who think we are mad (read: legalistic).

For example:
*we sleep when we die rather than going straight to heaven
*Jesus did not declare all meats clean
*Adam and Even did not eat an apple (well, maybe, but the Bible doesn't say apple)
*Jesus made appearances in the OT (good grief- just read the first three chapters of Genesis!)
*Easter is in the Bible, but not how many think
*God was not The Father in the OT (which goes hand in hand with the misconception that we are all God's children)

And then there are some I didn't know (or forgot):
*God gave hemorrhoids as a punishment
*people were resurrected from the dead in the OT
*the Ten Commandments were written on the front and back of the stone tablets
*God has a body

I found the book for $15.63 at Amazon (thought it won't be signed by the author like the one I ordered) and plan to get enough copies to cover the first set of people on my list.

Honest and Up-Front

2008-12-11T19:58:00.000-08:00

Today we found ourselves somewhere I hoped to never be- at the public school, filling out enrollment forms. Not for everyone, but it is still a failure in my eyes. I am completely and fundamentally against public schools. I agree that they are a danger zone for foster/adopted kids, especially. And yet, there I was.

I agree that at this point in time like no other, giving the government control over any aspect of our lives is opening us up for a mess. But we felt backed into a corner. Because some of the kids are still so angry about the adoption, they refuse to do what we ask. Oh, they’re behaved in public because we won’t tolerate anything else. They aren’t even openly defiant at home- they will stare out the window, drooling as if they have no clue what I am talking about. I didn’t really worry about it- I’m a 3 R’s is plenty kind of mom, anyway- as long as they have the basics and can function, I don’t care if they never learn Algebra. I’m also not a worksheet mom or a five-hours-at-the-table mom. The only time I worry about worksheets is when we have to put together portfolios for the certified teacher to go over. But that was one of the problems- for three years now we have had to scramble, beg, and bribe to get the kids to do enough work at the very end of the year to have something to show for it. The teacher was starting to feel uncomfortable signing off when they showed so little progress.

Then we come to the eating- Nellie has been starving herself again, only to go somewhere else and eat like she hasn’t seen food in weeks. The exact same kind of food. She does this to try and control me because it worked before- she got the doctor to question the other kids about discipline and made me a slave by saying I was to give Nellie whatever she wanted, so long as she would eat. We stressed over that because we know the case workers remove all kids from a situation and then ask questions. It would be beyond what I could handle if they took Mags and the two babies just because Nellie was attempting a coup. But because she knows that, she has started using food as a weapon against me by threatening to starve if she doens't get what she wants. Then she makes her face look pitiful and moans a little, and someone verbally attacks me while scurrying to find poor Nellie something to eat. With her initial entrance into school, there is the risk of someone falling for it like just happened to us at our homeschool group. But I am hoping that the excitement and attention of being the new girl will carry her through until the teacher figures her out better, and that will in turn insulate the other kids from her need to rule.

I know that we will be opening our home up to the possibility of swearing, drugs, humanism, and who knows what, but the alternative has left our daughter with constant stomach aches and headaches because of all the stress. We have also lost a whole year on her- I was reminded of a promise I made to her, and I said I would follow through once I got Nellie straightened out. Here we are, a whole year later and nowhere closer to that end. Meanwhile, I have ceased to have a baby in the house and suddenly realize I have a very mature toddler. I no longer see the sense in sacrificing many to save one.

But I think most terrifying is the risk to my marriage. We’ve discussed this problem from the day the kids arrived her nearly 7 years ago, and for the last year Gary has pushed to put the hardest kids in school. I have always managed to talk him out of it, for the above reasons and more. But after another stunt by Nellie this week, we found ourselves screaming at each other in such a tone that I feared for our marriage. He is, after all, my priority both because it is the covenant that we carry with us all of our lives, even after our children are grown and gone, but because if we dissect our oneness, what do the kids have to model their marriages after? I finally had to stop. Just stop and yield. I told him it was his decision and I would support him. And he decided.

I made it to the car after signing all the papers before the tears finally escaped my tight hold on them. All the more heartbreaking was the reactions of the kids in question- one wept bitterly, promising to do whatever we asked in exchange for one more chance. The other two were excited, recalling the fun they had at school when they were there before:

“Remember when we would run up and down the isle of the bus and the driver would have to stop?!”

“My teacher always had a bucket of candy in her desk, and when I would ‘forget’ my lunch money, I would go get it and put the candy in my pocket!”

“If we find some money we can buy candy bars in the lunch room!”

“If you tell the teacher you don’t feel good, she’ll send you to the nurse. Then just tell the nurse it’s because you didn’t get any breakfast and she’ll go get you something to eat form the cafeteria!”

Not only have I failed, I have wasted my time. They may one day realize how great they had it here, but I can’t keep emptying myself trying to reach that end and leaving the other 4 kids with nothing because I’m all wrung out.

Two for One!

2008-12-07T19:28:00.000-08:00

I like to check the clearance racks at K-Mart every few months because they carry lines that tend to be more modest. Unfortunately what I found was a whole lot of skirts for $1 each, but they were sizes 3X and 4X, and they were too short to be modest on me even if I took them in. Still, I thought they were worth it for the material alone, and then suddenly I got one of those light bulb moments (you know, where you say 'Hey!' out loud, and the lady next to you backs away with her eyes as big as saucers).

So I got two of those skirts and brought them home. I turned them inside out and put the oldest two girls in them. Then I pinned them to fit all the way down and sewed them. It took all of 2 minutes. Then I cut off the extra, and fitted them to the younger two girls and pinned and sewed them. Viola! Four skirts. Even if you add a generous 25 cents each for thread and electricity, I still got them for 75 cents each. The girls love them- they wanted to wear them all down as 'under dresses' (I think they meant petticoats). And of course, as is built into the female DNA, as soon as they put them on, they had to twirl!

Reaching Our Kids

2008-11-28T09:59:00.001-08:00

We have had the discussion here and other places about just how to approach salvation in children, as there seems to be an awful lot of 'conversion' going on at VBS that ends up producing no fruit. I have told my children to not raise their hand and say a prayer, but rather when they feel something stirring, come to talk to us. I have known too many adults who struggled with the state of their salvation later.

Berean Wife has an article posted that is the best I have read yet when discussing the way to evangelize children. It is certainly worth the read- if you're busy, print it out and carry it with you to use during a down moment in your schedule. It should be required reading for parents.

The Same Day

2008-11-11T06:16:00.000-08:00

I did not write this because I wanted to have myself a pity party. I wrote it to help those of you who are considering foster/adoption to understand what may be in your future. I was totally blindsided by it, even though I had all the classes. Nobody is this honest in a classroom, especially when they need families so desperately. I'm not telling you not to do it, but just preparing you for what could be. I pray that it's not.
________________________________________________

Have you ever read The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder? I hadn't read it until a few years ago even though I had read the Little House books a lot when I was young. Somehow it wasn't in the set we were given and I didn't know it existed until we were making a genealogy chart for the library as a homeschool project. Now I read it at least once a winter, if not twice, because it is a reminder of how much I have. We have enough food to feed us, and if we were to run low, there are many ways to get more. I also enjoy the 'snowed in' feeling that winter affords, not having to worry about taking the kids out and having them try their manipulation. But rather than the peaceful break I am expecting, I find myself disgruntled almost immediately.

In the Long Winter book, Laura finds that being snowed in makes every day just like the previous, until time blends into a slow half-waking monotony. She finds every day to be just like another, and soon forgets even what month it is. I can really relate to that feeling, and it isn't just during the 'snowed in' months, but throughout the year, Regardless of what we try to do to make things different, it always feels like the same day. And rather than facing months of blizzards, I am facing years until the 'spring' comes.

Every morning starts the same, with the same kids who have been disciplined for getting out of bed and making a ruckus...getting out of bed and making a ruckus again. Because they cannot be quiet and stay out of others' things, we made a rule that they have to stay in bed until we get up. It's not like they're lying there until 11:30 or something, but they survive on SURPRISINGLY little sleep and as soon as those eyelids fly open, it's time to horse around. So that being awoken in the dark by banging and scratching puts me in a bad frame of mind right away. There are three who have real issues with keeping their hands to themselves, and I don't mean in the tickle and pinch kind of way. I have found them choking one another and tying things around one another's throats. So we have three kids who really need to be in rooms by themselves, plus four other kids and us, and only four bedrooms. The answer is that we are constantly moving people around, building divider walls to try and separate them (which they destroy by boring through the drywall and hurting one another anyway). The result is that the 'angry juices' are already flowing first thing in the morning.

Next comes the bathroom time, which costs a great deal of time. Because one child gets kicks out of using others' toothbrushes just to gross them out and be in control of their emotions, all bathroom time must be supervised. They resent being watched, so they will drag it out, or worse, pretend to have to go just for the attention of me sitting there staring for 20 minutes while other kids jump up and down with their legs crossed in the hallway.

We move on to breakfast, and any meal time is suffering here. We wait to see who will eat what is served and who would rather starve as a means of trying to control. But here it is not a matter of just eat it or go hungry until lunch. One of our kids specializes in getting people to feel sorry for her, so if she doesn't think she's getting enough attention, she'll starve for days and then someone from the general public sees her and freaks out. And as many times as I've tried to explain it to people, they just don't get it. One lady at our co-op went to the directors because she was concerned with the way we were 'treating' this child, both because she had to stand in the corner at school and because we weren't concerned enough over her poison ivy (which she rubber on her face INTENTIONALLY to get her way with sympathy). So we determined she wasn't ready to be in a group setting (after Bren had to help talk me down from sending her to public school just because I didn't want to be around her anymore) and my mom was available, so she stayed there (which doesn't happen very often but I was desperate). Turns out she ate like a horse, and it was all the foods she's been refusing to eat here. Of course.

Then it's on to school and the 'who wants to play dumb' game. Some days they are into it and fly through things so fast I can't keep up. Other days they are perfectly content to stare out the window and pretend the work is in Chinese. We take a break for recess, and then I have to pull out my metal list of who is grounded and who isn't, because the tire swing and riding bikes are off limits to those in trouble. This is also when I am most likely to fight with Bubby. He's a good boy, but his mental capabilities have been severely affected by fetal alcohol. We had to take him out of the speech/physical/occupational therapies he was in after the adoption because the county is in the middle of a transition, so Medicaid is still in his old name and wouldn't cover services (and yes, we have spent hours on the phone trying to rectify it, but until the county computer gets completely updated, there's nothing they can do). So taking what he did in therapy and what I know just as his mom, I make him do some therapy...which he hates. Some days he's compliant, some days he cries the whole time, and some days he falls into a crumpled heap on the ground and refuses to move. He isn't trying to be trouble, but he doesn't understand that by this point I've had all the stress anybody needs for a day.

Then after lunch is lay-down time. I generally look for something at his point to steel me, like a Bible verse or praise on someone's blog. But when some of the kids fall asleep, others silently go through their drawers and eat chapstick, steal stickers, or use a sibling's sock as either a handkerchief or toilet paper (another reason I will not do reusable tissues or TP unless it's absolutely necessary- they don't need permission to do it once or they'll do it forever). So half the time after-nap is spent disciplining again.

Then it's time to try and get some cleaning done. It is so hard to clean up after 9 people when only 2 of them can be trusted to help. Totally aggravating. But in order to make the others work, I have to stand over them, they move at snail's pace out of rebellion, and my entire day is gone. So they generally stand in the middle of the kitchen (out of reach of any food) while I work around them. By dinner time, I am spent. It's all I can do to get the food served without falling asleep. The dishes generally go in the sink for morning, and we head off to bed. I had tried putting them to bed and working for a while afterward, but because I was at the other end of the house, they would get up and go in my room to steal things, or try to strangle one another, or play in the bathroom until there was a flood. It's just easier to go to bed when they do so I can keep an ear of them. And after 5 hours' sleep, they're raring to go again. The same day over and over.

I used to make appointments for myself to get a break, since Gary gets to get out of here on a daily basis. I would plan to go to the movies every 6 or 8 weeks. They have a Tuesday special, and afterward I would go to McDonald's and get the chicken strip meal (with Buffalo sauce and coffee, of course). But I can't leave the house anymore, because those same three kids have started really taking advantage of Gary's near deafness and have pulled some really dangerous things with him just two rooms away because they know he can't hear them. It also doesn't work to get babysitters, because no babysitter is savvy enough for these kids. Our son told the babysitter once that he needed to go throw up and wanted to be alone, so he went in our room and shut the door. He went through our dressers and stole money and also broke my big jewelry box (a gift from my darling that meant a LOT) so we don't hire babysitters. It also doesn't work to send them elsewhere, because they get so wound up by being given free reign that they are uncontrollable when they get home.

So now I am a prisoner in this cycle that never ends. Every day is the same. I can't go anywhere without the kids, and when I take them somewhere, somebody interferes and we end up at home again, anyway.

Large Family Wisdom

2008-11-04T12:29:00.000-08:00

I don't have the slightest idea how to embed a banner, so you'll just have to settle for an old-fashioned link. If you have any tips, share them. If you don't, there's lots of great idea booty up for grabs. ;)

Homemade Chili Podwer

2008-11-03T14:01:00.000-08:00

I've always made my chili 'from scratch', though in the beginning I used canned kidney beans and later canned chili beans. When we discovered Mag's sensitivity to soy, we had to switch to dry beans. As time goes on, we seem to get deeper and deeper into the meaning of made from scratch, both because of hidden food ingredients that can cause an allergic person to become very ill, and because we are working toward being self sufficient.

Making-it-from-Scratch Monday

Homemade Chili Powder
dried chili peppers, ground

This is so ridiculously simple it is almost not worth posting, but sometimes the simple things still scare us because we're sure they must be complicated. You can make chili powder from any dried hot peppers, though cayennes and Tabascos do make a really nice powder. Around here the food dehydrator gets used nonstop during the harvest season, so I thread my chili's on lines to air dry. Then when needed, throw a few in the spice mill (which is a $10 coffee mill that I bought during the holiday sales last year) or use a mortar and pestle (which I love, but I think I love owning more than using it!). My old chili recipe is here and here's a wheat-free cornbread. I love soup weather!

A Real Haunted House

2008-11-02T13:22:00.000-08:00

I've been silent on the topic of Halloween. There are three major opinions in the world of Christians- to celebrate it and therefore take away its power, to celebrate it in a completely different way, or not to touch it because it is not only pagan in origin but glorifies demons and their master. I've run the gamut of emotions on this one, from looking forward to trick-or-treat as a kid, to disapproving highly of the candy as a mother of kids with food issues (and specifically candy issues), to thinking it was a horrible thing for any believer to be involved in because of the anti-biblical meaning of it. Still, I didn't share my opinion on it much because it seemed to be a matter of contention and everybody was talking but no one was listening. This year, however, I decided to share a completely different view on the whole topic because there are just so many people who have no idea.

picture deleted

This is a picture of my oldest daughter. If you have read my site much, you know she came to us at the age of 6 as a foster child. We went through a 2 year case plan where the stated goal was to return her (and her 3 siblings) to their parents. Everything was headed in that direction, including weekend visits with their mom, when it all fell through and they ended up in the permanent custody of the state. Obviously, we adopted them. It has been 4 years since our finalization, so they have been here a total of 6 years.

Now, look over her right shoulder and you will see a trailer. That trailer is where she lived when she was taken into care. It wasn't in the field next door then- it was on a pad down the road and around the corner from us. Her father was renting it from our neighbor who has about 12 trailers as a source of income. Shortly after she was brought here and her father taken to jail, the trailer was moved to this corn field as it was no longer habitable. And there it sits.

Every day for 6 years, she has had to look across the fence at the house where her innocence was stolen. Every day she has been reminded of what was done to her that she could not control or get away from. It is, in reality, her own personal haunted house. It was a prison, a cage, in which she was made to act a wife and mother while still just a baby. Sometimes she has victorious moments over it, recalling the rescue that brought her to us forever and how Yahweh used that move to introduce himself to her through her foster/adoptive parents. Sometimes it is a scar that cannot be soothed. She will point to a window and say, "That was the living room." And in the silence I recall the horrors she has told me that were done to her there, in that 12X8 hell. She is not the only one who remembers and is affected, but as the oldest she bore the brunt of the atrocities.

People often argue with me that dressing up and going out are good, clean fun that would help the kids to 'get over' the traumas of their previous home. Those poor fools don't have the slightest idea what they're talking about. My kids have faced real demons. They were trapped in a haunted house for years only to have it parked right next to them once they escaped. They had men in masks molesting them so as to avoid being identified. Glorifying all that is evil in the world would be a slap in the face. It would be downplaying what happened to them and what is happening to others this very minute. And that is why we don't celebrate Halloween- we're living it every day through the evil seared into the memories of our children.

A Year of Grace

2008-10-25T11:36:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we had a really fun day. It was movie day in both of my classes at our homeschool co-op (which was good because I had no voice!). I made the kids popcorn and they all seemed to really enjoy the movie (both classes watched the same movie because it was relevant to both lessons). Then we went on a field trip to a neighbor's corn maze, which was such a blast! We had a hay ride and the kids got to climb on the round bales (though I can't figure out the lure of that since we do both at home). After the field trip some of our co-op friends followed us home and the kids all played on the swings while the adults talked. It was such a blessing because there is a family that I have been meaning to get to know better, and they were here. We made everyone hot cocoa and the kids gave a tour of the home farm (the stuff by the house- not the entire farm!).

When our friends left, we came in and had a cake and watched a movie. The cake was a celebration of the 1 year anniversary of the finalization of adoption with our two youngest. I thought about that year and how different it was compared to our other experiences. The year after finalization with our oldest kids was horribly hard and sad and just so much work because it was a realization for them that they were never going home. It was such a bad year, I gained 50 lbs because the only way I could handle that constant deep pain was to medicate it with food. Even then I hadn't learned to fully lean on the Father. It was also a year of transition because as their parents, we had legal rights to do as we saw best, so they were withdrawn from public school and brought home. It was a hard adjustment on everybody. It was just a difficult year no matter how you looked at it.

This year, though, has been a year of grace. There have still been the everyday bumps, but not the long, hard transition we faced before. I often remark to Gary that our baby was the grace after so many years of turmoil. Aside from a few small medical concerns, she has been just like we had born her ourselves. She knows no other parents. She has no emotional baggage or disorders. She's just a breath of fresh air after all those years of feeling like we were drowning. Don't get me wrong, she's a ball of energy and gets into so much mischief you'd swear she had to have help. But this year has been blessedly 'normal'. Even with bubby, who does remember some things and has so many residual physical affects of what happened to him, we transitioned without a pause because he was young when we got him and he had been here so long already that it was just all he knew.

I feel like Job, after the testing, when he received ten times what he'd had before. Sometimes the crowns in store for us at the end of the race are presented before we expect them. ;)

"But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain..." 1 Corinthians 15:10

Dr. Mom's Natural Remedies

2008-10-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

Many of us are interested in do-it-yourself anyway. I have dreamed of living like Laura Ingalls did since I was a girl. But now it is less of a dream and more of a necessity, both for secular and spiritual reasons. Having awaken yesterday to my first sore throat and plugged up nose of the season, I though about those great old home remedies. And because I love it when others share (I end up learning so much!) I thought I’d share my list.

Homemade Medicines

Homemade Cough Drops- OK, I read a medical article once about cough drops (don’t ask- really long day and nothing else to read). The point is that you can’t cough and swallow at the same time. It is also true that true sugar syrup in cough drops will coat the throat as is dissolves and is swallowed. That is why many throat drops are just sugar and flavoring. You can get cough drops with menthol in them, which helps to open the throat and make breathing easier. It also slightly numbs the throat, suppressing the urge to cough. So you can take a candy recipe like this one and make it whatever flavor or herbal infusion you like (and use whatever sweetener you prefer), or you can add in some spearmint oil or menthol if you can afford it!. Be very careful with essential oils and use only a tiny amount!

Homemade Cough Syrup- This one is really easy. Mix lemon juice, honey, and water into a syrup and store in the fridge. Just like cough drops, the real effect comes from the coating of the throat. A cough that does not originate in the lungs comes from the phlegm in the throat benign disturbed. The best thing to do is get rid of it. Meanwhile, something sticky will help to smooth it back down. And unlike medicines, you can’t really take too much of this (though you might take enough to make you vomit!)

Homemade Tinctures- There is a whole field of study on this, and I’m not going to even attempt to cover it here. Julie has some great recipes and links. The only thing I would add (and it may be in there already) is not to buy your herbs at the grocery store if you can help it. Frontier sells them online, and they are of medicinal quality. With something like this, look for the company that does only one thing and does it well.

Homemade Decongestants-My favorite decongestant is the Spearmint/Peppermint Tea from Mint Brook Meadows. It is so strong, it clears me right up. It is also not something you can overdose on! There are many Chinese and Indian spices that will help to clear the sinuses. Wasabi comes to mind, which I love on my sushi. Horseradish will also do the trick. Onions can help, too. Think of something that makes your eyes water, and then try it.

Homemade Poultices-A poultice can help when you have really congested lungs. The old standard was a mustard plaster, but I found this mom’s recipe for a less odd smelling one and it sounds great!

Homemade Antibiotics- The best anti-germ foods I have heard of are onion and garlic. Raw is best because it is fully potent. In the winter when we have tea every morning, I dice up a garlic clove and mix it with honey on a spoon. Down the hatch. I got that idea from Heather and it really does work both as a preventative and as a cure.

Homemade lip balm-- take some beeswax or coconut oil and add a few drops of olive oil. If you want, you can add essential oils, though be aware that oils will burn when applied to really chapped lips. It is better to apply this before going out and therefore prevent the chapped lips altogether.

Homemade lotions-- Use coconut oil, olive oil, or grapeseed oil for really rough spots. Right now we use this, because we can get it wholesale through our co-op. We’ve never tried anything better. Having a natural lotion is also a must for us because some of our kids would lick the lotion off their hands because it smelled like something good. It is also reassuring to me knowing what is on their hands is natural since we wash hands many times during the day to prevent spreading germs. I would hate to use something chemically over and over on anybody, let alone babies!

Disinfecting and Preventing

Hands- Wash, wash., wash those hands. Make sure to get under the finger nails and the backs of the hands too, since these are very germ prone. I do not recommend antibacterial soap, both because it dries you out faster, and because it kills anything. It is also good when anybody has the sniffles to wash their face at least three times a day. Kids have a tendency to schmear when they wipe their noses, and that stuff is sitting there looking for somebody to contaminate.

Hot water- this is an age-old way to handle sickness, and it works. Not only do I put my dishes through the dishwasher with a hot rinse to help prevent spreading germs, I also assign colors (cups, bowls, plastic silverware) for use throughout the year, so that if two forks are sitting side by side on the table, we know who’s is who’s. We do generally spray the tub with bleach once a day when there is sickness going around. A mild solution will still work well. Allow to sit for 10 minutes and then rinse with very hot water.

Bodily fluids- There is a reason Yah told us LONG ago to wash in running water and to keep sick people away from others. Most illnesses are spread through bodily fluids, be it from one end or the other (yuck, I know). This is when I do agree with buying disposable. We stock up on cheap tissues and toilet paper, because were we to use cloth for these, I would not only have a mountain of washing during an epidemic, but it can also spread to the laundress of the day. My opinion is that into the paper and into the trash is worth the cost to keep the germs at bay. If you absolutely cannot buy paper, many dollar stores do still sell handkerchiefs for about 25 cents a piece. These can be washed in bleachy, hot water. I would recommend marking each with the owner’s name and not allowing borrowing.

Airing out a sick house- It used to be the custom to whitewash a house of sick people. The lime in the paint was a disinfectant. We whitewashed the inside of our barn annually until we sold the cows. But that is not a really practical solution anymore for houses. A doctor once told me you should open up your windows for 15 minutes a day regardless of the weather. It also helps if you have infusers or a vaporizer that can spread menthol or lavender oils in the air. The oil attaches itself to the germs and either kills them or makes them heavy enough that they fall to the floor.

Sick Foods

Chicken broth is known as a sick food for good reason. It helps to heal the body as well as provide a readily absorbed source of calories. If you are not sick to the stomach, adding vegetables can make it a hearty lunch.

Here’s Dr. Weil’s recipe for garlic broth, which oddly enough was in my inbox this morning (daily recipe mail). I’m linking because he has more info about garlic on this page.

Ginger ale does settle the stomach better than plain water because of the ginger. Sometimes carbonation helps as well, but most ginger-ale from the store is corn syrup and artificial flavoring. Carla Emery has a recipe for brewing your own pop, and many health food stores have their own versions, but you can make it cheaper at home. Keep a supply of carbonated water on hand (club soda, seltzer water, etc, preferably in small cans rather than a large bottle) and cook up a batch of ginger syrup. There is also a recipe for ginger water in the Little House Cookbook that uses vinegar and brown sugar.

Another kind of drink that is good for sickness is a tonic. If you can get a hold of some raspberry shrub or montmorency cherry syrup, mixing these with carbonated water makes a very light drink that has a LOT of vitamin C as well as the many medicinal properties of these fruits. I get mine here, and if you look under the concentrates section, they discuss the cherry. They also have a ginger syrup I haven’t tried yet. Eggnog is good when the trouble isn’t in the stomach. And of course teas can be both a drink and a medicine, as discussed previously.

Popsicles were one of our favorites growing up, especially for sore throats. When we had our tonsils out, we had heard the whole ‘all the popsicles and ice cream you want’ rumor, but it wasn’t true. Ice cream, made of milk, would cause phlegm, so we couldn’t have any. We were allowed all the popsicles we wanted, but they had to be banana because other flavors would discolor the throat and make it hard to tell if we were bleeding. But even banana are often corn syrup, artificial flavors, and dyes. Instead, freeze some fruit juice or ginger ale in an ice cube tray covered in plastic. That way you can stick a toothpick in each square. You can also buy popsicle molds. I have the Tupperware set my mom bought years ago. These smaller portion pops are good for littles. Big kids can always have 2.

Salt- It is strange that salt settles the stomach, but that’s the trick behind saltines. With stomach illness, it is actually better to avoid starches when possible. So just swallow a pinch of salt. This works well for breaking up mucous in the throat, too, as that stuff consist of salt and water at a very thick ratio. Salt followed by lots of fluids break it up easily.

Anybody got an old time remedy they'd like to share?

Pumpkin Recipes

2008-10-21T14:32:00.000-07:00

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the kitchen.....

Attack of the killer Pumpkins!

With the apples and processed out of the way, the table just didn't look right. So we loaded it with pumpkins. We had offered to clean out a nephew's pumpkin patch so we could use the leftovers for chicken feed. But we found some really nice gems hiding under leaves and grass, so I am going to bake and process them and roast the seeds for eating. Pumpkin seeds are one of the BEST foods you can eat. And you can't beat free! It seems a poetic justice since my pumpkins were killed by my chickens when I couldn't keep them in their yard.

Also, people think you absolutely cannot eat carving pumpkins. Wrong. First, there used to only be one ind of pumpkin. The new strains grown specifically for pies have a higher sugar content, but you can sweeten any pumpkin puree for pie filling (plus they're less likely to be genetically engineered). I'm going to try drying some as well, which is what the Indians did with them. Then they put them in stews.

So, a day late, but...

Making-it-from-Scratch Monday

Sausage Pumpkin Soup
1 gallon stock (mine was beef because we just had a pot roast)
1/2 cup barley
1/2 cup rice
2 cups apple juice or cider
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/3 cup honey or sugar
1 tsp (or more if you love it like me) nutmeg
1 small butternut or 2 cups cubed pumpkin

Dump it all in the crockpot and go to bed. In the morning, turn it on low and cook until squash is soft. To serve, I ladled into my new anniversary dishes (more about that later) and topped with sliced venison sausage and coconut. The kids adored it.

Still the One

2008-10-17T15:04:00.000-07:00

10 years. It doesn't seem like long, yet my life before is a fading memory.

In that time we have been through the death of two parents and nearly a third, sold our herd of cows, had a baby, built a house, adopted 6 kids, three major health crisis, one court fight, more broken cars/appliances/plumbing/electrical than I care to remember, and a continual changing in our spiritual direction.

The funny thing is, when we got married we already felt like it was us against the world. Everybody was really against it at first. I was 22, he was 42. People kept saying it wouldn't work (except my dad, and he was the one person besides Gary that I really wanted on my side). So for our wedding, we picked Shania Twain's Still the One. It's amazing how much more it means now.

Still the One
Looks like we made it
Look how far we've come my baby
We mighta took the long way
We knew we'd get there someday

They said, "I bet they'll never make it"
But just look at us holding on
We're still together still going strong

You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're still the one I want for life
You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss good night

Ain't nothin' better
We beat the odds together
I'm glad we didn't listen
Look at what we would be missin

They said, "I bet they'll never make it"
But just look at us holding on
We're still together still going strong

You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're still the one I want for life
You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You're still the one I kiss good night

I'm so glad we made it
Look how far we've come my baby

The Bible and Bread

2008-10-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

In the discussion about the Bible and milk, Jenn asked a very good question- what grains did people eat for bread most often in the Bible? It was a great question because I knew about it! It’s also a great question because it plays right into prophecy about the Son of Man.

Many grains are mentioned in the Bible, but the two most common are wheat and barley. Wheat was more expensive, so barley was the staple grain of all but the wealthiest families. It’s hard to imagine now when we live in a time and place where bread is so cheap and plentiful, but consider the prophecy from Revelation 6:6 that one measure of wheat or three measures of barley would cost about a day’s wages. Wheat is also much more susceptible to disease and weather, as was witnessed by last year’s shortage.

In Exodus 29:2, it was wheat flour that was used in the ceremony to consecrate the priests. Wheat makes a finer flour and a smoother loaf than does barley, so it would suit that the best was used for this special event. Yet another festival that is all about bread, Passover and the accompanying Days of Unleavened Bread, requires only that the bread be unleavened. It does not specify a kind of grain. Interestingly, the time of the Passover meal coincided with the barley harvest.

In Ezekiel 4:9, we see a recipe for the kind of bread to be eaten during the prophet’s symbolic paralysis that was to parallel the future of Israel. This bread was made by mixing barley and wheat as well as lentils, millet, beans, and spelt. The interesting thing is that rather than just a single-grained bread, even the poor man’s barley, this bread has multiple ingredients. There are many ideas as to why Yahweh gave this recipe (to symbolize the famine brought on by siege, to symbolize that the rich and poor and everyone in between would suffer, etc.) but it is worth noting that spelt is easier to digest, and often those with only a wheat allergy and not a complete gluten intolerance can eat it without any trouble.

Because Yeshua was a poor man, saying once that he didn’t even really have a home (Matthew 8:20), he would most likely have eaten barley bread the majority of the time. He was also often accompanied by others who needed to eat, and feeding a crowd would likely rule out wheat breads. We know for sure once instance when he was feeding a large group and he used barley loaves:

“When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.“ John 6:5-13

For the sake of space I won’t put down every verse with the word barley or wheat in it (barley- 35 times, wheat- 52 times), but if you check it online, you’ll see barley was most often mentioned as an everyday, anybody bread.

Now, as to prophecy and the Son of Man and how that relates to bread. I remember hearing this first a few years ago when a speaker from Chosen People Ministries came to our church. I was so amazed and overwhelmed by the symbolism in absolutely everything Yah has ever done, my only reaction was tears.

The Feast of Firstfruits (Lev. 23) was when a sheaf of barley was brought into the temple and waved by the priest. This was kinda asking Yah’s blessing on the harvest by bringing Him the first of the barley as an offering.

The spring schedule of feasts goes like this: first is Passover on the 14th, then the Days of Unleavened Bread start the 15th, and the Feast of Firstfruits is the 16th, all right in a row without a day off. Yeshua fulfilled all the spring feast with his first coming, and will fulfill the fall feast with his second coming. But that still isn’t quite as clear unless you study these things in-depth. So we’ll look at the comparisons-

*Yeshua’s death as a sacrifice was fulfilled in Passover. He became the Passover lamb for us once for all by allowing those with His blood upon them to be passed over by death, the wages of sin (of which we are all guilty).

*Yeshua’s burial fulfilled the Days of Unleavened Bread. We know yeast, or leaven, was compared to sin many times in the Bible. Leaven is a symbol for sin, and during the Days of Unleavened Bread, we are to get rid of all leaven from among us, the way Yeshua was hidden from us when he was in the grave for three days and three nights. His burial is the symbolic burying of sin.

*Yeshua’s resurrection fulfilled the Feast of Firstfruits, when He was put before the Father as an offering on our behalf. He was the choicest of the fruit of the womb, the spotless and perfect offering required by the Father. He is referred to many times as the firstborn of the Sons of G-d, or the first fruit.

But there’s more. 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits comes Shavuot, or the Feast of Weeks (known in Greek as Pentecost). This is the day traditionally used by the Israelites to commemorate the giving of the law to Moses. Yeshua fulfilled this one, too. He fulfilled the requirements of the law for us, and on the Pentecost after His resurrection he gave to us the key to the new covenant- the Holy Spirit, whom the Father told us long before would be the way He would write his law on our hearts.

So that’s my short answer to what the Bible has to say about bread. It is not only a primary food source but also a frequently used symbolic image for so many different things. There’s the mystery bread called manna that the Father sent from the heavens every day when the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, the symbolism of the Last Supper in which Yeshua tells us that the bread is his body that would be broken for us, and the coming together of the churches to break bread as a way of building their intimacy with one another and the Father.

But this is my favorite:
“For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.’ Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, ‘I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” John 6:33-35

Amen. Come, Lord, quickly.

Sukkot

2008-10-16T11:12:00.000-07:00

"Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD. On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein." Leviticus 23:34-36

Finally! Blogger would not let me on to my own site for 2 days, so only my scheduled posts got up. Turns out when I ran the C-drive cleaner, it erased a lot of threads that connect bloglines and the blogs that are listed. I think something similar happened to my own blog link.

I only have one picture to share this year. Since we are sans a tent, it's a camp-in. It has also been a very rough time as the militant child is in a downward spiral again. It's hard to resign yourself to it just being the way it is, but the joy of the festivities has been pretty well sucked out for me.

We took back the popcorn balls and caramel apples from the Halloweeners. We're also thinking of taking a quick weekend trip, so that would count, too, right?

Wise Counsel and Diet

2008-10-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

When it comes to food, what is the right answer?

I have run into this kind of discussion more than once lately and had a few things I wanted to add. There are so many different opinions on what we should be eating and they can easily become overwhelming. So how do we figure it out?

We can all agree that the OT has explicit lists of things to eat and not to eat, correct? Whether you believe that has been done away with or not, you agree it's there. It was either OK, or it was not. There wasn't a grey area when it came to the scriptures and food. Now to a specific topic I have seen lately- milk. Double Nickel had a post about it (and I'm not picking on her here, it just happened to be at her place that I found the best link to the discussion). The premise of it being whether or not we should be drinking milk from other animals.

Aside from the debate about organic/non-organic, or hormone free versus milk factory products, it was stated that humans are the only animal that consume another animal's breast milk. I have heard that argument several times before, that it is not meant for us, and consuming it causes a host of problems (and again, I'm not picking on anybody here, just using that example).

I agree that what is done to our foods, and specifically milk, is not only crazy but has lasting and dire consequences. But I also know that God designed our bodies to process milk and He gave it to us as a food source:

He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree. Genesis 18:8

So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey..Exodus 3:8

...Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk. Exodus 23:19

He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him with the fruit of the fields. He nourished him with honey from the rock, and with oil from the flinty crag, with curds and milk from herd and flock and with fattened lambs and goats...Deuteronomy 32:13-14

They also brought wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain, beans and lentils, honey and curds, sheep, and cheese from cows' milk for David and his people to eat. For they said, "The people have become hungry and tired and thirsty in the desert. 2 Samuel 17:28-29

You will have plenty of goats' milk to feed you and your family and to nourish your servant girls. Proverbs 27:27

....and there are many more- just find a Bible concordance and look up the word milk.

These aren't even the implied kinds of instructions in the Bible- it is explicitly stated that milk and its byproducts are for our consumption.

Now, I understand and completely agree that there is a huge increase in the number of people who are either lactose intolerant or completely dairy allergic (I am one of them). But I see that as a result of the fall and continual corruption of everything on earth (which is why even the ground cries out for deliverance). There is also a great increase in wheat allergies and gluten intolerance, but that doesn't mean God did not intend for us to eat grains. Sin causes everything to deteriorate, including our bodies and their ability to gain nourishment from foods. What might be a perfectly tolerable food source for someone else might cause us to become ill. THAT is what I believe is meant by verses like:

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. 1 Corinthians 10:23

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink...Colossians 2:16

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. 1 Timothy 4:1-3

Every one is certainly entitled to skip the dairy if they so chose. There are also people who cannot eat meat because of stomach issues. What bothers me is the attitude that we were never meant to consume it. Clearly the scriptures say otherwise. Mankind has made up many 'traditions' that are taught as 'doctrine' when it comes to our diets. I remember liking the diet guru of the day, Susan Powter, because she promoted legumes and whole foods. But because her sons were severely allergic to milk, she agreed with the evolutionists that we have only started to consume other animals' milk in very recent times. Completely contrary to scriptures.

Then there is the issue of eating Biblically kosher. I understand that some read the verses in the NT to mean we can eat whatever we want now, and I'm not going to get into that again here, but it confounds me that the same people who promote the freedom to eat pork and shellfish are condemning others for consuming milk and cheese. Completely confounds me (again, not the attitude taken by the ladies in this discussion, but elsewhere).

Too many people who call themselves Christians are totally ignoring the Bible and following what man has determined is right. Just as the Spirit prophesied.

Breakfast Tacos

2008-10-13T16:37:00.000-07:00

I've never had a breakfast burrito, but my husband has and he said they were OK. Well, I have put him as well as Mags on the gluten-free diet because the more I learn about it, the more I believe that's the source of the problem. That man sneezes six times when eating a bowl of raisin bran! Not to mention the tummy aches and other..issues.. so I decided to try my own version of it with corn tortillas.

Making-it-from-Scratch Monday

Breakfast Tacos
corn tortillas (yours or boughten)
onions
peppers
salsa
sour cream
eggs

Start by dicing the onions and peppers (I use two dishes because some like it hot, and some are wimps). For each taco, saute a spoonful of peppers until soft, adding onion about the middle so they don't burn. Then pour a scrambled egg over the pepper mix and scramble like regular. On a different griddle (or in the oven) warm a tortilla. Place the eggs mix on the tortilla and top as desired. My darling tried it with a leftover piece of turkey bacon and said it rocked! Apparently the corn lends its own flavor as well, so I am way better than McDonald's.

The picture is of my serving. I am going without carbs, so I just got eggs with bacon and hot peppers. It was tolerable. I said once that it would be great if it weren't for the eggs!

Homemade Vinegar

2008-10-06T15:44:00.000-07:00

With all these apples, we have several projects going on at once. Today I had the three middle girls washing apples, the oldest cutting and cooking for apple butter, the boy juicing, and I was looking for the best to cut into rings for drying. Also part of the plan is to use every part of the apple, so we make vinegar from the cores and the pulp left after juicing. Finally, the excess pulp and apple bits left from vinegar are fed to the chickens. The chickens give us eggs and fertilizer (and eventually meat). Full circle sustainability.

Making-it-from-Scratch Monday

Apple Cider Vinegar
apple peels, cores, pulp, whatever
some kind of sugar
water

Use a crock or glass jar. This is like kombucha or fermented vegetables- metal reacts and plastic absorbs. Place your apple bits, water, and sugar in. I didn't measure anything, just made sure to leave heads space to accommodate bubbling. Stir. Cover with cheese cloth. Stir once a week. First it will smell like wine, then it will smell like vinegar. I took mine out today after about 3 weeks, and it smells so great! It's a slow process, unlike store vinegar, but the results are worth it. I have a three gallon crock, and in the end I got a gallon and a pint of vinegar.

Incidentally (and because it's my blog ;) here is a picture of my darling. He was gone today doing honor guard at the funeral of their former fire chief. George had also been friends with Gary's dad and farmed many, many years ago. He is one of the last of their generation left around here, so the attendance was more than half firemen, but it was still something he felt honored to do. I don't know, though- looking at him makes me feel like I'm gonna burst into flames! I'm probably his #1 customer!

Apple Mad

2008-10-03T17:59:00.000-07:00

My husband was raised in a family where the whole 'apple a day' thing was taken very seriously. It is a near emergency if we have no fruit in the house. As comical as it is sometimes to hear him defend his position, I know I am truly blessed to have a man who's 'daily habit' is fruit, of all things. Last year our apple trees didn't do so well, but this year they are everywhere. So we're spending the next few days processing apples. Here is a pile on the big table. That's not even all of them.

We don't spray at all. I would rather have apple scab (freckles) than ingest poison. The very best have already been wiped and packed in layers of sawdust to keep in the root cellar (under the house). The rest will be sorted and graded for sauce, butter, juice, and drying. I also just picked up 2 bushel spaghetti squash, 2 bushel butternut squash, 2 bushel sweet potatoes, and 150 pound of red potatoes. Everything is getting packed away in the larder, and I love that feeling.

You Tell 'Em, Ray

2008-10-02T06:32:00.000-07:00

You know how much I love Ray Comfort. (Did I tell you about the time we were taking pictures and I said, "Let's standby this tree", so he stood behind it and stuck his head out? That guy is so funny). I love that Ray loves everyone the way Yeshua does. He can find love and concern for the soul of someone like Bill Maher, who I would personally love to see under the heel of Yah's foot. We really should strive to be as compassionate and forgiving as Ray, who is striving to be as compassionate and forgiving as the Father.

Maher Mockery of Muslims May Backfire

In Religulous, due to be released in 500 theaters this week, comedian Bill Maher travels to numerous religious sites, such as Jerusalem, the Vatican, and Salt Lake City, interviewing believers from a variety of backgrounds, including Jews for Jesus, Christians, and Muslims.

Best-selling author and TV co-host Ray Comfort said, “I don’t blame Bill Maher for mocking religion. Manmade religion has left a trail of destruction throughout history--from the Roman Catholic Inquisition, its famous Crusades against Islam, and pedophile priests, to hypocritical Protestant ministers and money-hungry televangelists. I can see why he took the trouble to make the movie. In one sense, it’s overdue.”

However, the author said that although the film is bound to be popular in the U.S., it may badly backfire on Maher. Comfort said that in 2007 he befriended the atheist who received national attention for encouraging other atheists to post videos of themselves blaspheming God. "I emailed him explaining that Muslims translate the name ‘God’ as ‘Allah,’ and suggested that he rethink what he was doing. Muslims killed a number of people for merely publishing cartoons of their prophet Mohammad. I also reminded him that author Salmon Rushdie is still hiding in fear of his life for his Satanic Verses. All it would take is a report on Arab television that Americans were making videos blaspheming Allah and saying, ‘And I am not afraid,’ to stir a response. After I sent that email, the blasphemy challenge seemed to disappear very quickly.”

Comfort warns that Hollywood has gotten away with mockery of Christianity, but many Muslims aren’t so tolerant. “How will they react to a movie that critics describe as ‘a blasphemous detonation of all things holy’? Even Maher’s casual jesting with his Jesus could be offensive to Muslims, who believe Jesus was a prophet. Imagine if the movie catches the attention of Arab news, which reports, ‘American Comedian Mocks Allah in Popular Movie.’ Already, the International Herald Tribune’s lead article was titled “Maher vs. God.” The movie’s website www.lionsgate.com/religulous/ links to a site that has a Muslim symbol with the word "Bastard" beside it. While that site has a sense of anonymity, the famous comedian doesn't, as his face is easily recognizable. I wouldn’t want to be in Maher's shoes, or even in the seat of a theater that upsets Muslims. We are living in volatile times. We don’t need this sort of thing right now--religious intolerance. I seriously suggest that he postpone the release date, and do a little last-minute editing.”

The Canadian Press said that Maher “dissects organized religion, but he's doing it in his laceratingly funny, typically sardonic way . . . But Maher undermines his arguments at the end when the tone turns sharply serious: He tries to make a connection between religion and all the wars and violence in the world, and he does it with the same kind of certitude he just got done condemning others for having.”

Comfort added that he also believes Maher is straining at gnats and swallowing a camel with his movie. “He is speaking the truth when he talks of religion’s trail of destruction. But religion comes in second when it comes to committing atrocities down through the ages. Atheistic communism is number one. It is responsible for more than 100 million deaths. The problem isn’t religion or atheism. It’s human nature. That's what needs to change.”

Comfort is the author of Hollywood Be Thy Name (Bridge-Logos), which looks at Hollywood’s history of blasphemy and why it is so out of step with mainstream America. It explains why movies such as Religulous wouldn’t have made it to the box office before the 1950s, and what it was in 1962 that opened the floodgates to unrestrained blasphemy.

Why You Haven't Heard From Me

2008-10-01T06:35:00.000-07:00

This one's gonna be long, so get a cup of coffee.

I haven't been commenting much lately. I could blame it on Word Verification, since I can't ever get through that with my dial-up connection. I could also blame it on Bloglines, since having that service has saved me many hours in click-and-search, but it also means I have to click away to get to commenting boxes. I could also blame it on my hectic schedule, thought to be honest I find myself retreating to my bedroom more lately, which is where the computer lives. I think I'm just off right now and those things are just convenient covers (except the word verification- I can't comment even if I want to. I have tried repeatedly to ask for the recipe for those amazing hamburger buns, to no avail ;). The change of season always brings a mixed bag with it. Autumn is my very favorite time of year. There is no more exciting prospect to me than walking in the windy, chilly air while the leaves fall all around me. But it is a reminder of things past for my kids, and they have a tendency to 'go off the reservation'.

I think my least favorite of the complications that come with adopting older, hurt kids is the way they can get you to doubt your own sanity. No kidding here. Some call it the drive to survive, some say it is a result of being abandoned, I say the Bible says it best, but these kids have a real propensity to lying.

My son tried to say it was a compulsive thing, that he couldn't control himself. I told him that if it was compulsion he would be lying about every single thing, like rather than dad being outside working on the tractor he would say dad drove to town or dad is in his office. He only lies when it would benefit him to do so, which means it is not a compulsion but a calculated choice.

I begin with the foreknowledge that they lie, and I am not easily deceived. I have come to know the physical indicators of their untruthfulness, such as the big, blinking eyes or the rubbing of the hands. I am also keenly aware of their biggest temptations and most frequent offenses. And Yah gives mothers a sense of things that is truly amazing and mostly accurate. So you would assume I have the advantage. Now I'll give you some examples.

I walked over to the sink to wash my hands in order to start dinner. I bought and installed a stainless steel soap dispenser into the sink, which is great so that I can get soap even if my hands are greasy from making hamburgers (just use the back of the wrist to push it down). I give the thing a squirt, and soap shoots up and all over everything. It has been filled too full. I also notice that my dish soap bottle is nearly empty, and it was brand new two days ago. No one has permission to fill it. So I think back. The soap bottle was full at lunch. Since then, the only one who has had access to the sink was Joe, when I asked him to empty the dishwasher. While he was doing this job, I left the room for two minutes, which is not only time enough, but also an open invitation. His greatest temptation is to touch things he has been told not to touch.

I learned long ago not to ask them a direct question, because they immediately lie in defense of what they consider an attack. Instead, I ask in a way that is not answerable by yes or no. Joe was outside with Gary working on cow fence, so I sent Gary a page and said, "Ask Joe to tell you what he did with the soap dispenser." When they came home, Gary reported that Joe said he pushed it down too hard once when I said he could use it. Word game. First, he is bringing up a totally different incident. Not a lie, but he knows this is not what I'm talking about. Second, he is trying to manipulate Gary to his side of the story by putting out the premise that he had permission to do something and therefore should not be in trouble. So we go in the house and stand by the sink. I explain to Gary that within 4 hours' time, the dish soap bottle has been nearly emptied and the dispenser is overfilled (and we all look at the mess made by the soap being shot out like a geyser). I explain further that Joe was the only one in the kitchen between lunch and dinner. Joe immediately scrunches up his face and starts crying really loudly (another attempt to manipulate the situation). When Gary asks him why he is acting like a 2 year old, he yells (another lying indicator of his) that he did not do it.

This is where my stress level goes through the roof. On one hand, he is the only one who could have done it. But I start to doubt myself, like maybe the soap bottle wasn't really full at lunch, or maybe it got knocked in the sink and spilled, or (then I nearly faint) what if I filled it and forgot?!? By this time Joe is on the floor on his knees (dramatics, an indicator, but also one that has been used when he wasn't lying, so it throws me off, too). He is crying, his hands folded, begging Gary to believe him that he did not do it. Having fallen for the cover before only to be humiliated later, I say "No, Joe, I believe that you did it and your body language backs me up." He wails even louder (mind you, he's 11 years old) and Gary sends him to his room until we get it sorted out. I know sending him away is not how many would handle it, but by this point I was so mixed up I had to have time to think.

So we put the other kids at the table and serve them dinner (the baby was way overdue for bed because she skipped her nap) and then we call Joe out to the dining room to talk (the dining room and kitchen are connected, so we are only across the room from the others kids). Joe looks over at the other kids, who are eating, and says he did it. He over filled the soap dispenser. Then he gets red in the face and angry. I ask what that is all about, and he says he really didn't, but I forced him to admit it because I wouldn't accept the truth (I should never have let them watch Anne of Green Gables). So then I am past upset, sick to my stomach over the prospect of accusing a boy who was not guilty and coercing a flase confession. Gary sent him to eat his dinner and I went to bed, seriously worried that I was having a stroke because my head hurt so bad.

In the morning my oldest asked me why I was so upset last night. I told her what happened and that I apparently was way off in my sixth sense. She says, "Oh. I walked into the kitchen yesterday while you were in your room and saw Joe pouring soap into the dispenser. I figured you told him to since he was doing dishes." So when Joe and Gary come to the kitchen, I have Kayla repeat what she said to me. Joe was incredulous. When Gary asked him if it was true, he said yes. Now, this is actually a surprise, because more than once when a kid reported seeing something, Joe accused them of lying. When he says this, I make him look the person in the eye and say "You're a liar". Half the time he can't do it, but half the time he does it and then we have the stress of sorting through who is lying about lying. Kids without a conscious will willingly let a sibling stand in the corner for false witness while they eat breakfast without a blink. Are you starting to understand why these incidents are so hazardous to my health? That whole Brady Bunch episode where the kids cover for Peter and he can't live with himself for it may happen with normal kids, but not these kids.

So Joe admitted that he did it. Gary asked why he lied the night before, making his mother out to be a false witness as well, and he said because if he told the truth he wouldn't get supper (more manipulation). Gary said Joe knows better and that he is trying to shift the guilt by getting false sympathy (have I trained him well or what!?!). Now I'm not only mad about the mess and about him touching what he is not supposed to touch, but also the lying and manipulation, especially since I went to bed thinking I was wrong and had falsely accused a kid and misread the signs.

So I am even more steeled not to not believe them when I am convinced they are lying, right. The next incident is the case of the shoes that never existed. It was time for the kids to go to 4-H, and I told Kayla to put on her tennis shoes. She was trying to wear the new sandals that we bought earlier, but I think that's a REALLY bad idea. She says "What tennis shoes? My new ones?" Obviously I would not mean the brand new shoes, either. So I say, "No, Kayla, you're going to a barn yard to work with animals. Wear your old tennis shoes." To which she replies "I don't have any old tennis shoes."

OK, I know it is possible to get Alzheimer's in your 30's. It's very sad and not common, but it is possible. So I immediately think "I need to go to the doctor's and be check out" because I remember distinctly sending her to the store with my mother last year when I was sick, with money for new tennis shoes, and they were white with a pink stripe (because I asked for white, and my mother called from the store and said all they could find was white with a pink stripe and was that OK). So I say "No, I mean the shoes with the pink stripe". Kayla says "I've never had shoes with a pink stripe." OK. I must be remembering the phone conversation with my mother differently. Wasn't it a pink stripe? Where is that neurologists' number anyway?

I was about to say I must be wrong and she'd have to wear her new tennis shoes when I suddenly get this overwhelming feeling in my body. It's a terrifying feeling, like being possessed by something, and I can't seem to turn my head to look at her. Before I know it, I growl "Go get your old shoes!". She's walking back and forth between the front door and the back door, crying, looking for these shoes that never existed. I'm getting more and more scared by the physical changes in my body and think, on top of my Alzheimer's, I must be having a nervous breakdown.

Gary finally comes in the room and asks what is going on. I tell him, and he says "Kayla, they're outside." She is back in 30 seconds with the shoes (and not looking me in the eye). I asked her why she was telling me she had no shoes with a pink stripe, and she said because she wanted to wear one of her new pairs of shoes. She was not only willing to lie (and allow me to doubt my own sanity) but also to hide the shoes outside with the work boots in order to manipulate the situation to her liking. My only answer for the weird physical experience was the fight between the Holy Spirit and demonic influences. So I'm even more convinced to follow my own instincts when it comes to the kids, because they obviously have not out-grown the lying phase, right?

Now to incident three. Nellie is not allowed to touch the cats because she has been violent and mean with them before. Once she put a cat in a lunch box and closed it, and if I hadn't gone into the room to get socks for her sister, the cat would have died because we were leaving. When I let the cat out of the box, it was wet and panting very hard, barely breathing at all. She has also picked cats up by the tail (at the age of 9!) because she thought it was funny. So she is not allowed to touch cats. Period.

We were outside gathering things from the garden for lunch. We have several raised beds scattered around the yard, and I was about 100 feet away from her. She was helping Kayla clean out a bed to be re-planted, so they were tearing out vines and turning the soil. I looked over and saw her hitting a cat on the back with the trowel. I got up and started walking toward her, and she stood straight up with the trowel behind her back. Yeah, like I didn't see it in her hand. The cat ran away before I got there. I said "Why are you hitting a cat? You know you are not allowed to touch cats because you are too rough with them?" She answers "I wasn't. I was digging and the cat came over by me, but I was only trying to break up this clump of dirt." I'm thinking maybe my eyes are deceiving me. After all, I was across the yard and looking at her sideways. It is possible that it was an optical illusion. So I ask Joe to go grab the cat for me. He brings it over, and sure enough, the cat has black stripes along its back (white cat, dirty trowel). So I raise my eyebrows at Nellie, as in "What the heck!?!" She pops out that lower lip and starts the puddle of tears, saying "I was afraid you wouldn't let me work in the garden anymore if I told you the truth." Oh, gravy. More manipulation. More shifting guilt. So I take away the trowel and tell her to sit on the bench until we are done.

Obviously by now, you can see that when I get that feeling that they are lying, they are. No matter the subject, they are willing to make me doubt myself if it works to their gain. So, once again, I resolved myself to no longer doubting that little voice (or the giant possessive spirit, depending on the situation) and stick to my guns.

Incident four. The kids are sitting at the table doing school work. Gary had just returned form the Med Center where he got the prescriptions that I had to go get filled. I told Gary to set the prescriptions on the table while I gathered the checkbook, the mail to go out, and my library books (he wanted to grab a shower before I left). When I picked them up again, there was doodling on the top paper. I had also seen Joe with a small blue paper in his hand. So I ask why there are doodles on Dad's prescription (no more yes or no questions, remember). He says "I don't know. I didn't do it." I say "Joe, I saw you with the paper in your hand, and there are doodles on it." He says "I was just looking at it. I didn't do it." I say "I saw you with the paper, and you have proven to be an unreliable witness before. Stand in the corner." So he goes wailing to the corner while I sit and ponder whether he will ever be able to just control himself. Joe continues the wailing, and I begin to get mad at the manipulation he seems so fond of employing.

Gary finally gets out of the shower and asks why Joe is wailing. I tell him, and Gary says, "Oh. I doodled on the paper when I was waiting for the receptionist to finish with another family." GrrrrrrrrEAT!!!!!!! I disciplined a kid who wasn't guilty. I got him out of the corner and apologized through his accusing glare. I went to town and got two McChickens and ate them while I cried over what a terrible job I am doing raising these kids.

If I had to put a percentage to it, I would say it's less than 3% of the times that I discipline someone when they are actually innocent. I think it's even lower than that, because we have had many a "hahaha, remember last year when you felt bad for grounding me from the pool party? I really did eat the whole bag of candy when you were on the phone" revelation. But even at 3%, chances are they get away with more than 3% that I don't know about, so it evens out, right? Yet that rare incident when I am wrong causes me to doubt myself every single time. These incidents all happened in a matter of two days. One time I was wrong. One. But since then I have been afraid to stick to my gut when it comes to figuring out who is lying and who is not. Autumn is hard here.

So I've been pondering the answer. It is not to just let them go. Believe me, I've tried that. It would be a lot easier. Correcting them takes so much time and energy. But then I come across passages like Ezekiel 3:17-21, or Romans 13:1-5, or posts like this phenomenal one, and I know why in my soul I cannot look the other way while while my kids sin. They will be subject to rules and required to give credible witness all their lives; most especially before the Throne. If I teach them that it is wrong and they do it anyway, I am not accountable. If I give up because it is easier, I am accountable.

I'm one of the first people to balk at a gospel message that God accepts us just as we are, because scriptures say repeatedly that he will not accept us unless we repent- turn from sin. The Bible says that we must not be lawless if we are to partake of the wedding feast in the New Jerusalem. Yeshua says if we love him, we will keep his commandments. So when I constantly ride my kids for their wrongs, I am not being a mean mom. Quite the contrary. Still, it is hard to get past the three percent and be assured in my ability to discern through the Spirit. It causes me to step back and be less assertive out of fear. And so, I have been quiet. That and Word Verification.

Rosh Hashanah Pie

2008-09-29T12:38:00.000-07:00

It is traditional to eat apples and honey for the Feast of Trumpets, but when you have little kids it can get messy (and they can get a bellyache really fast by eating more honey than they should in all the excitement- Proverbs 25:16). So one good answer is to make an apple pie with honey, or Rosh Hashanah Pie.

Making-it-from-Scratch Monday

Rosh Hashanah Pie
1 double-crust (your favorite recipe)
1 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp granulated white sugar

Filling:
12 apples- peeled, cored, and sliced
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg (or more- I LOVE nutmeg)
1/4 cup margarine or butter (1/2 stick), melted and cooled to room temperature
1/2 cup honey

Preheat oven to 325*. Place bottom crust in pie pan, pricking with fork (or using whatever you use to prevent puffing). Brush lightly with melted margarine or butter. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons white sugar. Bake for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Toss sliced apples in flour mixture. Drizzle with melted margarine or butter, and then honey. Place apple mixture in pie pan and cover with top crust (I like lattice on an apple pie). Bake until crust is done (45 minutes- 1 hour).

On a less meme-themed note, this season has me very thoughtful...and quiet. I have much to say, but it's not time to say it yet. Bear with me.

I find myself hoping I am wrong about a post-trib rapture and looking for a return truly in the twinkling of an eye. Yet when I think that way, I am reminded of all those who would not go with me.

That's all I have for today. If you are looking for some info on the Feast of trumpets, here are a few good links:

Light of Mashiach
Parashat Yom
Teruah/Rosh Hashana
Dancing
The Story and History of Rosh Hashanah

Shalom,
Amy

The Hand of Yah

2008-09-28T07:29:00.000-07:00

This is an email update I got from Menorah, a Messianic ministry in Denver. We are part of their prayer team and have gotten prayer requests over the past month as they prepared for a Muslim outreach day on the college campus. Here is the update sent out yesterday as to the outcome of the week. I don't have space to list all of the concerns that were prayed over, but they ranged from weather to the college adminstration putting up SEVERAL roadblocks, and it was all cleared away by the hand of the Master.

Thank you Jesus, we serve an awesome God!!
September 27, 2008

Shalom Prayer Partners,

What a week that only happened because God answered all our prayers and even the prayers we did not know we needed
to pray! Thank you all so very much for partnering with us in this way!

God gave us the favor we needed with both campus administrations, so much so that it was obvious God intervened!

The weather was not just good but perfect with beautiful Colorado days and evenings, not even a hint of rain!

God softened hearts to hear...
My very first conversation Monday morning while setting up was with a Muslim women from Libya who had just received a
phone call from her friend in Libya whom she described as a strong Muslim women. Her friend was telling her how much she now
hates not only Muslims in her country but Islam too. They got disconnected and the young women standing in front of me told me
she was feeling the same way and looked up and saw us and knew she was surpose to talk with us about this. Talk about God's
timing in preparing a heart to listen! The rest of the day proceeded in this manner and all we could think about was the goodness
of God! If you think about it please continue to pray for all these hearts that heard the beautiful Gospel message these
four days, that they will submit to the call of Jesus for their hearts!!!! Each day God sent lots of open hearts all day long to
share his love with and also opened wide the door into Muslim hearts to want to also take the wonderful literature our Professor/
Pastor Scot had written. We will soon have them available on our web site along with a Video that was made of the two evenings at
Denver University.

On Tuesday we had a stage and a sound system that filled the Aurtaria campus air ways with the praises of Jesus in five different languages,
Farsi, Urdu, Arabic, Hebrew and English. I knew it would be awesome but it was much more than that! We all felt the presence of God
descend down on that area of the campus in a most powerful way! After the music began students started coming to ask for prayer and
some with tears of joy and thanksgiving expressing their shock and excitement over having such a bold and powerful witness for Jesus taking
place in such a public space on campus! We are sure some of the students did not really know why they stopped but were just drawn by the
Spirit of God!

Pastor Daniel was powerful in his testimony of Jesus and explaining the differences in the Koran and Bible. Reuben and others also gave
testimony intermixed with music and questions and the one on one conversations that took place all day. We had at least 10+ volunteers all
day sharing Jesus with people. One ex Muslim man from Iran who was at first reluctant to share his testimony changed his mind and was so
encouraged by God he decided to share his powerful testimoney again! Seeing Jews, Iranians and Pakistanis on stage together loving Jesus
and each other was a beautiful picture of True Christianity! Pastor Daniel also had many private one on one and with groups of two and three
at a time conversations with Muslims. He is such a wonderful and powerful scholar and knows the Koran and Hadiths extremely well that it
was a joy and blessing to our heart seeing this man so full of Jesus having these wonderful scholastic conversations all day with Muslim students!
Needless to say we were all exhausted by the end of these two days but our spirits were soaring and looking forward to the next two days at
Denver University! We were praising Jesus on campus from 9am to 6pm!

At Denver University God provided our Muslim speaker, Taj, for the following two evenings. We soon discovered that he represented the
very liberal view of Islam that seems to prevail here in America because Islam is still a minority in the States. Pastor Daniel brought out the
suras in the Koran and attempted to force him to talk about what the Koran and Hadiths actually teaches in these areas he was trying to avoid.
He wanted to talk more about the moral equivalency issues (subpossively in his mind). The format for the D.U. event made Daniel shine in his
expertise and Reuben did a wonderful job as the moderator. We know the people who attended were blessed and the Muslim hearts that were
open had to be filled with truth that we pray leads to Salvation in Jesus. After these two powerful evenings Christians shared with overflowing
excitement about all they learned and even the Muslims asked if we could do it again!! Pray especailly for Taj and his salvation.

God also opened many doors for further ministry and opportunities to continue conversations with the students we met at the outreaches.
A Messianic Jewish student at D.U. came to the events who has a heart for evangelism and has started a prayer group on the D.U. campus.
They have been praying and now they want to partner with Menorah in this. We are going to begin with weekly prayer and Bible study together
on campus and an outreach for Sukkot coming up mid October. This is an answer to a long standing prayer of ours to begin a time of prayer
study and outreach with Women on the D.U. campus.... We are praising Jesus for the timing of this answer to prayer! Another answer to prayer
is that through this outreach God also provided Menorah with an ex Muslim from Liberia that wants to work weekly with Menorah on our campus
outreaches, is this beyond awesome or what!! Please pray for Colleen and Tony as we begin working together for Jesus!!!

We also plan to continue our friendship with Pastor Daniel and his wife Mariat and their ministry out of Australia, Ibrahim Ministries
International. Only God knows what the future holds in this area. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with them and count them a wonderful blessing
from God and hope God let's us partner together with them again. They are a couple that God has and is using in a mighty way to advance His
kingdom. They still have some very sensitive travel ahead of them before returning to Australia so please continue to remember them in prayer.

If you want to continue to pray for us, you can pray for our ministry as the Lord opens doors locally and internationally and for many people to
trust in Jesus for the free gift of Salvation He offers to all! Please let us know if you would like to remain on our special prayer team.

Thanks again for your partnering with us in prayer and support through this exciting time. We pray you too are rejoicing in all
that God did!

Excited about serving Jesus,
Reuben and Donna

Stuffed Grape Leaves

2008-09-22T13:53:00.000-07:00

We sometimes get these from the deli for very special occassions (they're $7.99 a pound!). I decided to scope out a source of grape leaves and try making them myself. It was surprisingly simple, and sooooooo not expensive. You can stuff them with just about anything, but I like the rice and herb stuffing best because it is simple and authentic.

Making-it-from-Scratch Monday

Stuffed Grape Leaves
20 grape leaves
1 lb. rice, cooked
1/2 cup parsley
1/2 cup mint
garlic powder to taste
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tbsp salt

Blanch leaves in boiling salted water for 30 seconds. Place on a plate to drain and cool. Put salt, herbs, and oil in food processor and blend into a paste (add water if too dry). Add the rice and blend just until mixed.

Place a grape leaf green-side down and remove stem. Make a roll of rice stuffing that reaches across all but 1 inch of the broadest part of the leaf. Place at the base of the leaf and fold bottom up. Fold sides in and roll the rest of the way. Steam in a steamer for 10 minutes and pack in freezer bags. These freeze well. Serve coated with olive oil.

Owl's Nests

2008-09-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

You know when you're really in the mood for Cracker Barrel, but the hurricane winds take out power and you're stuck at home trying to devise some way to feed the kids and make up for the disrupted plans? One of the reasons we like Cracker Barrel's Eggs in a Basket is because they use sourdough bread. Wal-Mart sell big, square loaves of sourdough (which we often find on the clearance bread rack and freeze) so I had the bread handy. Because the loaf is so big, I put in 2 eggs, and we started to call them Owl's Nests (because they look like owls, obviously). It did help ease the "sorry we couldn't go camping OR rent a movie OR ride our bikes, all thank to Ike" blues. ;)

Making-it-from-Scratch Monday

Sourdough Owl's Nests
1 loaf square sourdough bread
butter
eggs
cast iron griddle
camp stove or fire pit (or if you're fortunate enough to have electric, the top of a gas or electric range)

Slice the bread a bit thicker than sandwich slices. Cut out two holes with a cookie cutter or small glass. Butter one side and place on the griddle. Butter the top quickly and add the eggs. Cook to desired doneness (this will require playing with the heat level) and turn over.

Hooray for natural gas running through the back yard! I was able to use my stove top (though I had to use matches to light it because the igniter is electric) rather than trying to fight the wind and rain outside.

No-Wheat Cornbread

2008-09-09T07:23:00.000-07:00

I had a beautiful picture of this all planned and when I returned to the kitchen the pan was empty. I guess that's as good as any review. As always, I listed the kinds of items I use, but you can use whatever you like. There will be no problem of you do not use Lactaid! This is a modified favorite for the kids who can't have wheat.

Making-it-from-Scratch ~~Monday~~ Very Early Tuesday

No-Wheat Cornbread
1 3/4 cups corn flour (called Masa at Sav-a-Lot)
2 tbsp shortening
1 can creamed corn (I just plug my nose while it is dumped in)
2 tbsp. butter (Earth Balance)
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar (turbinado)
2 eggs
1 cup milk (Lactaid)
1 tsp lemon juice

Put butter and shortening in pan (I use cast iron) and place in oven. Preheat oven to 350* as well as cast iron skillet just until butter melts. Swish around to coat pan. Measure out the milk and add the lemon juice to it. Let sit for two minutes. Meanwhile, mix well Masa, sugar, baking powder and soda, and a pinch of salt. Add can of corn (yuck!), eggs, and soured milk. Mix together with melted butter/shortening (ideally this would be ready to add just when you need it, but the skillet does not have to be a certain temperature when mix is poured in). Bake until firm in middle and lightly brown.

We eat ours with chili, or (as I discovered) right from the pan when mom's not looking. This isn't as crumbly as regular cornbread so it works well for picnic or packed lunches.

Mayo and Dressings

2008-09-01T15:25:00.000-07:00

Not only are homemade dressings better for you in general because they don't have chemicals, artificial preservatives, and mystery fillers, it is also the easiest way to accommodate for allergies. Since many dressings call for mayo, which most often contains soy oil, a good place to start is homemade mayo with whatever oil you prefer (olive is heavenly!).

Making-it-from-Scratch Monday

Homemade Mayonnaise (I got the recipe off the Internet somewhere, but they're relatively the same)
2 egg yolks
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon powdered mustard
1/8 teaspoon sugar
Pinch cayenne pepper
4 to 5 teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar
1-1/2 cups olive or other salad oil
4 teaspoons hot water

Beat yolks, salt, mustard, sugar, pepper, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice in a small bowl until very thick and pale yellow. It's great if you have a stand mixer because you don't have to try and hold the bowl while mixing and pouring. Add about 1/4 cup oil, drizzling in very slowly. If the oil is added too quickly it will separate. Beat in 1 teaspoon each lemon juice and hot water. Add another 1/4 cup oil, drizzling slowly. Beat in another teaspoon each lemon juice and water. Add 1/2 cup oil in a very fine steady stream, beating constantly, then mix in remaining lemon juice and water. Do this until all your ingredients are added.

From-Scratch Ranch
In a large zip-lok bag, combine the following:
1/2 cup dried chives
1/2 cup dried parsley
1/4 cup dried dill weed
1/4 cup garlic powder
1/4 cup onion powder
1/8 cup salt
1/8 cup ground black pepper

Shake really, really, really well (like while you watch the news or something) and then when you want dressing, add 1/4 cup dry mix to 1 1/2 cups wet ingredients (either half buttermilk, half mayo, or half sour cream half mayo for dip, or all buttermilk for a thinner dressing, or any combination you feel like. There is no law when it comes to dressing). Now, think about the best dressing you ever had- Parmesan Ranch? Throw in some parm cheese. Peppercorn Ranch? Add in some fresh cracked pepper. Bacon Ranch? Sorry, can't help you there. Just kidding! Bake turkey bacon on cookie sheet until very crispy. Chop into tiny bits either with a food processor or with a knife. The more you play with it, the better you'll know what exactly you like. If you make one you don't like, use it for potato salad or macaroni salad where it will get muddled by other flavors.

Homemade Italian Dressing
1/4 cup white vinegar
3 Tbs. water
2 tsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. onion salt
1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 cup oil

Mix together herbs, vinegar, and water until sugar is dissolved. Add oil and shake well. This can also be personalized. Use red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar. If you like, add in peppers, tomatoes, and onion chopped very fine in the food processor.

I haven't made these, but here are recipes for French, Thousand Island, and Sweet-n-Sour dressing, in case they're your favorite!

The Family Nobody Wanted

2008-08-29T14:56:00.000-07:00

As I sit in limbo, waiting for the ~~still small~~ loud and obvious voice from above, I thought I'd share what I did with my evening and night.

A friend sent me this book about a year ago and I just now go to reading it. Mostly because it was lost behind my entertainment center! :( Her mother had found it after searching a while, because she had read it a long time ago and it reminded her of my family. And was she right! I ended up reading it in one night. I laughed out loud so many times, and Gary would ask me what it said, and when I would read it to him, he laughed, too. It was like our life had been lived by someone else 40 years ago.

Apparently there was a Reader's Digest article and Life Magazine photoshoot done of the family. I'm going to look for them. It would be very neat to see the family and read how things turned out.

*****

YouTube video of the Doss couple on You Bet Your Life

Life Magazine 1951 Article about the Doss Family (there is also a 1952 issue with a story about the family after they won a contest and recived a house full of furniture and appliances)

Reader's Digest Article with photos

Still searching for the 'grown up' pictures

Green Tomato and Olive Salsa

2008-08-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

a day behind, but....

Making-it-from-scratch Monday

I bought something similar to this last year at Wal-Mart and we took it camping. I really enjoyed it, so I canned a bunch of my own version when the tomatoes had to be brought in green to keep them from frost. It's really good if you like salty/tangy things like tomatoes and olives. Great with multi-grain chips (hefty enough for a bulky salsa).

Green Tomato and Olive Salsa
8 large green tomatoes
1 large jar salad olives (you're gonna chop them up anyway- why pay more for fancy stuffed?)
2 tbsp. granulated garlic
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 habanero peppers (optional)
large white onion

Wash and core tomatoes. Quarter and process in food chopper until diced fine. Pour into a large bowl. Drain olive liquid into bowl and then process olives the same as tomatoes. Dump in bowl. Repeat with onion (and peppers if adding). Add garlic and oil to bowl and stir until well mixed.