Hen and Chicks

* santa claus - the great counterfeit *

From a friend's pile of book giveaways, DS3 picked up a gem.   Small and unassuming, this little 20+ page booklet is packed with wisdom and a scriptural comparison on all of the ways that the mythical santa claus seeks to take the place and personal attributes of Jesus Christ as his own.

I'll run through just a few for you:

Jesus Christ is eternal - no beginning and no end.  Rev. 1:8,  Isaiah 9:6,  John 1:1

Jesus Christ is omniscient (all knowing).  Heb 4:13

Jesus Christ sees all things.  Psalm 139:12,  Ps. 33:13

Jesus Christ hears our petitions.  Phil. 4:6,  Matt. 7:7

Jesus Christ desires that we be 'as little children' with a trusting faith.  Luke 18:16,  Mark 9:36-37

Jesus Christ has power over all creation.  Col. 1:16,  Rev. 4:11  (He once made a donkey to talk, Numbers 22, guided the actions of a large fish, Jonah 1:17)

All have sinned, there is only one who is sinless - Jesus Christ.  Romans 5:12

We know where Jesus Christ lives (in his Father's house) but we cannot find it ourselves.  We must wait for him to return.  John 7:34

Jesus Christ, in His glorious ressurection, will have hair of purest white.  Rev. 1:14

Jesus Christ, in His glorious resurrection, will be clothed in red.  Isaiah 63:2

Jesus Christ rewards those who have faithfully served him.  Rev. 22:12

These are only 11 of the 37 points presented in this booklet, which goes into wonderful details on the Lordship of Christ and how satan has perverted those attributes to lead people astray into worshipping and serving an idol.

One last thing while we are near the subject;  Do you know what the heathens, worshippers of Baal, did in their worship?

2Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

3For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

4They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

5They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.

May we not be deceived by idols, not distracted by seasons and celebrations that have little to do with the life and purpose of Christ.  May we be focused on Christ each day, worshipping him in Spirit and truth, giving thanks to the Father for his Son, his sacrifice, and his promise of eternal life to them that are called according to his purpose.

For more information on this booklet, part of The Lost-Cause Series, please visit The Preaching of the Cross.

* father & son: a love story *

I saw this amazing video at Connie's Smockity Frocks - Please be prepared to cry at how amazing and beautiful this is.

Here is the story behind this father's love:

* may the LORD mighty God bless and keep you forever *

A sweet moment of the Duggar family singing  - to the tune of "Edelweiss"

http://www.visionforum.com/hottopics/blogs/dwp/2008/05/3629.aspx

I hope you enjoy it!

* the great state of california and homeschooling *

A few places to turn your attention just in case you haven't heard enough about the hullabaloo going on in California and one of our illustrious rogue judges:

Jesse Paine (husband of Crystal Paine) gives an analysis at BiblicalWomanhood

Jonathan Lindvall points our attention to God in this very good article at Crossroad/Kjos Ministries

and click "Continue Reading" below for a continuation of this post which contains a letter from the Principal of Sunland Christian School, the ISP in which the Long family were enrolled.

* keeping on track *

Here are a few links that I've visited lately - things or places that are helping to keep my mind focused on my purpose (to glorify the LORD by joyfully serving my family), and on those things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praiseworthy.

Dr. S.M. Davis preaching on the Attitude that No Lady Should Have - http://www.biblepreaching.com/davisattitude_mp3.html

Steve & Terri Maxwell's Dad's Corner and Mom's Corner - http://www.titus2.com/corners/

Stacy McDonald's Blog - http://www.yoursacredcalling.blogspot.com/

My prayer is that you would be encouraged and challenged in your own walk with Christ.

Blessings to You -

* money, usury, enslavement *

Oh my, oh my .  .  . 

If you are interested in the way our country works, the history of our money system, and a thorough lesson in economics, then I will refer you to this excellent video of The Money Masters @ Google video.

Please be warned that it is over 3 hours long but it is broken up into 27 segments, so watch a segment or two as your time allows.  If you have young men and women in your home aged 13/14 and up this is an excellent economics primer with plenty of history and information for a more in-depth personal investigation as you or their interests desire.  I know that we had several great discussions last night in our home as a result of watching this.  This is also a most excellent example of why our LORD commanded us to be in no man's debt, Romans 13:8, because The rich ruleth over the poor and the borrower is servant to the lender.  Proverbs 22:7

If you want to know more, or would like a copy of this video for yourself, then here is the place -- TheMoneyMasters.com

* links for Mrs. G *

Here are some of the things we were talking about yesterday:

Sue Gregg  Homepage -

Blender Batter Pancakes/Waffles -  Which is #1 of her Whole Foods Cooking Lessons and here is where I blogged about it - delicious-good-for-you-no-flour-whole-grain-pancakes

Read here for an explanation on the how's and why's of soaking your grains - The Two Stage Process

Lunches & Snacks Cookbook - which I will be using with DD as part of year one of Training Our Daughters to be Keepers at Home and is specifically written for teaching children not only cooking skills, but identifying kitchen tools, proper preparation, nutrition and more!    Be sure to click on the Book Preview button to see the whole introduction of the book, the index of recipes, cooking with children, and several of the recipes in the children's section of the book.  Great Stuff!

Here is Mrs. Miller's Crock Pot Cooking Recipes where you will find the Crock Pot Lasagna that we so successfully used last week - and we've tried the Hawaiian Chicken, too.  Both were terribly simple and better than expected.  (Note: Since trying this, I realized that you can use ANY lasagna recipe, if you have a favorite, and make it in the Crock Pot.  All you need to do is add a little more water to the sauce.  It really was a fix it and forget it meal!)

Here is the Baked Oatmeal recipe, from Mrs. Hooper, that we have enjoyed several times now, and that  DH liked even though he's not an oatmeal person.  :-)  (Note: For the purpose of soaking the grains - Two Stage Process above - I use half cultured buttermilk in this recipe and I increase the regular milk just a bit so that I have a little over 1 1/4 c. total.)

Something else for you to think about -- I've started using Coconut Oil in my baking.  Here is Mrs. Gregg's brochure on the Benefits of Coconut Oil and which kind you should buy.

Lastly, I would simply encourage you, as time allows, to explore everything in the left side bar of Mrs. Gregg's main page (link at the top of this post).  You will hopefully learn a LOT.  And to encourage you to USE your scrapbook table that was so lovingly set up for you and so Mr. G will see that it's a nice thing and not just taking up space. ;-)  Right?   

Love to you, Dear Sister (in Christ)!

* who's teaching whom "

"The aged women likewise, that they be in behavious as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."         Titus 2:3-5   

"It is imperative to understanding the precise directive in this passage to acknowledge that the qualities of discretion and chastity are to be fostered in Christian 'young women.'  This is not a suggestion, but a command.  Furthermore, this mentoring is to take place within the church family.  Such deportment is rapidly becoming extinct in the passion-driven culture which has swallowed up the vast majority of our youth.  .  .  .

"Pastors bear a large share of the responsibility if they lack courage and conviction to proclaim the whole counsel of God to the sheep they are charged to nurture.  Christian parents, also weakened by the relentless pressures of a society drunk with the liquor of licentiousness, have sacrificed chastity as a priority for their daughter's appearance, while desparately hoping that somehow she will retain it in her heart.  Solomon describes this malady in Proverbs 11:22, 'As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.'

"The solution to the decay of these priceless qualities in young ladies is offered in a very simple church program to supplement the teaching of the Christian home.  The older godly women are to teach the younger women principles of conduct befitting a Christian lady.   THIS DOES NOT REQUIRE  A FLAMBOYANT YOUTH LEADER OR A TIME-CONSUMING ADDITION TO THE CHURCH'S ALREADY OVERCROWDED SCHEDULE.  Titus 2:3-5 can be fulfilled first by example, then by casual and homey discussions as ladies assume their God-given directive to mentor younger women.  Quite simply, it is to be a natural outgrowth of the church family's care for one another.

"Instead of a biblical model however, the church has opted for a secular one in which youth are portioned off into age-based groups, generally led by a young man, and provided with an entertainment-oriented method of instruction.  This produces three undesireable outcomes:

"(1) By grouping those who lack spiritual maturity together, an environment of immaturity is created, working against the very goals Titus 2 establishes.

"(2) Youth are isolated from the very ones scripture says are to be their models and mentors.

"(3) The spiritually mature are denied access to those whom they are scripturally admonished to teach, by the very structure of church programs which are supposed to be facilitating that same biblical instruction!

"This is not to imply that there are no positive outcomes, but that the process we are following is not conducive to the results scripture says we are to seek.  Age-based grouping does not originate from biblical patterns but from secular, educational psychology.  That fact alone does not make it wrong, but where it conflicts with what we find in scripture, we who profess to follow scripture should do so, regardless of what the 'experts' say.

"A return to biblically-based standards of modesty, decency, and propriety, along with the methods to achieve them, are a life or death priority for the 21st century church and family.  We must nurture and protect the virtues of innocence and purity, in ourselves and our children, lest we lose their hearts to a culture which is eager to fatten itself on their (our children's) spiritually decaying remains."

David Kidd, The Fall and Rise of Christian Standards

* finding some roots *

     Have you ever made a family tree?

Well, that's what I've been doing the past few days.   Attending my husband's family reunion a few weeks ago whetted my appetite for some real family history.  So I pulled out a folder that my father sent me a few years ago with information on the paternal side of my family.   The internet is a wonderful thing and I found some great stuff to help me make some order out of the names and dates jumbled across a sheet of paper that, until now, represented the sum total of information about my Grandfather's family.

I used FamilySearch.org and found an amazing amount of information.  With about 8 hours of work, entering in names and information, I have traced our family back 8 generations (from me), spanning a few centuries and a few continents. 

But I have to tell you what really got me hooked and wanting to know more, more, more.

It was this photo, which I just fell in love with. 

These are my great-great-grandparents, Anna & Cornelius.    I was captivated by the sweetness of her face and his intensity.  And I wanted to know more.   I found out that the family of my maternal great-grandmother were Mennonites who in the 1700's fled persecution in Germany for the promise of land and freedom from military service in Russia.  They settled in what became known as the Molotschna Colony in the Ukraine.  There they lived for over an hundred years until they immigrated to America in the late 1800's with hundreds of thousands of others the world over.  They lived in a sod house in North Dakota, homesteaded in Texas and then finally moved to California.

I also traced my paternal grandfather's family, which turned out to have very similar circumstances.  I found and connected name after name and was pleasantly surprised to find that they also came to America in the late 18th century, from Russia, when they as Lutherans had fled Germany in the early-17th century.   The exciting part - for me and the children - was when we finally laid out all of the information and found that we had gone back to their great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather in Germany BEFORE they had immigrated to Russia! 

A little trivia:  There were lots of George's, a few Jacob's, and an amazing amount of Johann's!  Several Eva Elisabeth's, Margaretha's, and Catharina's, too.  I told the children that I'm making up a list of family names for them to choose from when they begin having families of their own.

I now get to flesh out a few of the details and put it all in order so that I can send it back to my father.

The best part is sharing all of this with the children and whetting their appetites for knowledge of family and faithfulness and places and times and real history.  If we don't pass on that heritage, how will they know?

note:  if you like it, the cute family tree above can be found here - Click the Link - for your children to fill out as you share a little of your family's history.

* christian fellowship *

"Until I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine."

--1 Timothy 4:13

In an effort to get the work of the Lord done we often lose contact with the Lord of the work and quite literally wear our people out as well. I have heard more than one pastor boast that his church was a "live" one, pointing to the printed calendar as a proof -- something on every night and several meetings during the day....  A great many of these time-consuming activities are useless and others plain ridiculous.

"But," say the eager beavers who run the religious squirrel cages, "they provide fellowship and they hold our people together."

To this I reply that what they provide is not fellowship at all, and if that is the best thing the church has to offer to hold the people together it is not a Christian church in the New Testament meaning of that word. The center of attraction in a true church is the Lord Jesus Christ....

If the many activities engaged in by the average church led to the salvation of sinners or the perfecting of believers they would justify themselves easily and triumphantly; but they do not.  ...many, perhaps most, of the activities engaged in by the average church do not contribute in any way to the accomplishing of the true work of Christ on earth....

From A. W. Tozer, That Incredible Christian, 136-137