The Opportunity

A Psalm of Praise and Exaltation

2011-11-28T20:11:00.000-08:00

"Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation."
~ Psalm 95:1 ~

"By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
And all the host of them by the breath
of His mouth,
He gathers the waters of the sea
together as a heap;
He lays up the deep in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the Lord;
Let all the inhabitants of the
world stand in awe of Him.
For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.
The Lord brings the counsel of
the nations to nothing;
He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.
The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The plans of His heart to all generations."
~ Psalm 33:6-11 ~

Fall down on your faces with humble adoration,

Giving glory to the King of kings!

Praise the Almighty all you nations!
Give tongue to His power and might!

All creatures live in awe of the Holy One,
The Ocean storms and the raging wind cease
at the sound of His voice,
By the Lord's will kings rise and fall,
All is done by Him,
And not happens without His doing,
The Lord shows mercy to those who fear Him,

In everything God's marvelous works are shown
from generation to generation!
Amen

A Psalm By L. C. Bryan

The Inadequacy of Man and the Sufficency of God

2011-11-11T13:06:00.000-08:00

Once in a while I thought I'd post some Bible study notes on here for all of you to "mull" over. So read, research, study, and of course leave a comment!

Mark 7:32-37 is the story of a man who was deaf and dumb and was healed by Christ. But the part that I fixated on was verses 34-35. "Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him "Eph'phatha," that is, "Be open." Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly."

Those verses started me thinking. Without Christ what do we truly have?
What wisdom do we have? Save by the mercy of God.
What joy do we have? Save through Christ's sacrifice and grace.
What mercy can we truly show? Without first receiving mercy for our unforgivable wrong toward our Creator.
What love can we have for others? Without the example of Christ for the unlovable.

So how can anyone have wisdom without God who is the fountain of wisdom?
How can anyone have joy that's not based on worldly possessions, without having Christ as their eternal joy?
How can anyone truly have mercy on others around them unless they first receiving mercy for their sin?
How can anyone show love toward others unless Christ, the God of the universe showed it first toward those who didn't deserve it?

We our sinful nature rebels against anything good or just. All our "good deeds" are as worthless as plastic coin. Our selfishness and pride are so deeply ingrained in our souls that nothing we do or say would be truly good or just without Providence and His word. Incapable we truly are without God first changing us to be more like Himself, who is the only One who can do all things right.

Here are some references that I found:

Wisdom ~ Colossians 2:2-3, 1 Corinthians 1:24-25, 1 Corinthians 1:30, Exodus 31:3, Ephesians 1:17.

Joy ~ John 15:11, Job 20:4-5, Psalm 16:11, Psalm 35:9, Psalm 51:12, 1 Thess. 2:19-20, Isaiah 12:2-3, John 16:22, Rom. 15:13, Gal. 5:22-24.

Mercy ~ Matt. 5:7, Psalm 31:7, Psalm 57:10, Psalm 103:8, Gen. 39:21, Psalm 100:5.

Love ~ Gal. 5:22-24, Col. 3:14, John15:9,12, Isaiah 63:7-9, Jeremiah 9:24.

I know there are many more verses that would apply as well so feel free to share what you find! I'd love to hear about it!

This Years Farm

2011-11-09T01:05:00.000-08:00

I hope you all enjoy these pictures as well as the music! Please feel free to leave comments!

Guess What I found...

2011-11-07T12:36:00.000-08:00

Before you watch this slide show you might want to click on the button below that says youtube. You can see everything in more clarity on there.... Enjoy!

Making A 180...

2011-10-20T13:19:00.000-07:00

A Parody of Our Modern Church Service...

2011-09-06T14:42:00.000-07:00

My mom found this video that I think shows a very accurate, yet disconcerting view of many churches in the States and Canada.
No longer do we sing songs of praise and adoration with meaning to our Savior. No longer do we hear sound biblical doctrine preached from the pulpit. Our focus is no longer on what is being said and if it is consistent with the Bible, but rather we look at how fun and lively the music is or how engaging the preacher maybe. Not to mention the Sunday schools and youth groups. As long as our children might be enjoying them we don't seem to mind how little learning they're getting vs. play time. Does the pastor teach on the meat of the Word? Or does he continually talk about how "Christ loves everyone" and gives a very warm and cuddly evangelistic speech that has everyone in tears? Is the Christian church really growing stronger in Christ? Or are we making Christ a mockery by allowing watered down preaching in our churches? Producing young adults that are still babes in the Lord even at the age of 18 and 20 because they did more "fun" stuff then real study of their Bibles when in youth group and Sunday school. Could we give a confident answer on the doctrine of salvation or have conversations on biblical topics? How often do you hear young adults talk about the Bible? How often do you and your friends talk about God and His word?
Watch this little skit and let me know what you think:

Taking Every Day Captive

2011-08-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

"Yet, if at any stage of life you feel you're "flying by the seat of your pants," taking each day as it comes without having anticipated it, planned for it, shaped it, and prayed over it, then take time off and get back to poring over your goals. Then you will control your days, instead of letting them control you."

~Anne Ortlund~

'Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.'

~ Proverbs 29:18~

Some "Wise" Words from Pooh and His Friends...

2011-08-11T12:41:00.000-07:00

Here are some "wise" words from a much beloved character Winnie-the-Pooh....

"They're funny things, Accidents. You never have them till you're having them."

~ Eeyore~

"When setting off on an Expotition, be sure to bring Provisions. Or, at the very least, things to eat."

~ Pooh~

"A Proper Tea is much nicer than a Very Nearly Tea, which is one you forget about afterwards."

"Poetry and Hums aren't things which you get, they're things which get you. And all you can do is to go where they can find you."

~Winnie-the-Pooh~

Plans for Our 2011 Garden and My New Flower Garden!

2011-07-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's that time of year again! Planting and planning, sowing and growing. We're planing to sell most of the vegetables to a local farm stand this year. Our greenhouse was re-built with new plastic this spring, as the plastic tore off in a wind storm last year.
Also, God has blessed us with another greenhouse for free! It's a small 6'x8' aluminum framed greenhouse and very sturdy. Though it came in June, I'm putting it to work by using it for my extra tomato plants. This Fall I hope to grow some vegetables through part of the winter in it as well.

Here is our list of vegetables and new herbs for this year:

Shin Kuroda Carrot

Sterling Onion

Alisa Craig Onion

Lancelot Leeks

Golden Zucchini

Black-Seeded Simpson Lettuce

Dragon Carrots

Jericho Lettuce

True Lemon Cucumber

Healthy Sweet Pepper

Yugoslavian Red Butter head Lettuce

Danvers Carrots

Amish Snap Peas

Longfellow Cucumber

Blondkopfchen Cherry Tomatoes

Red Iceberg Lettuce

Moon Glow Tomato

Winter Luxury Pumpkin

All of these vegetables are heirloom vegetables and most are organic. We've bought from two seed companies in the past few years and have had great success with them. One is Seed Savers Exchange and the other is Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. I've gotten all my herbs from them as well.

We have many more herbs, but these are the "new" ones for this years' garden...

German Thyme

Sweet Genovese Basil

Epazote

Fern leaf Dill

Garlic Chives and Onion Chives

Sweet Marjoram

My new project of the year and one I hope will bring in a bit of capital is my cut flower garden. I have been working on making little garden plots all over our farm. Not an easy task, but I have been able to create 3 spots with the help of my dad. I now have a triangular bed next to the house. My "lily" bed about 8'x 3'. A long raised bed 12'x2'. And lastly a 56'' x 3'/6' bed which was not really planned. My dad took apart a rock wall which was rather crooked and not very pretty and cut it back by about 2-3' and lengthened it by about 30'....

Then with my brother's help rebuilt the rock wall and making it a total of 60' long!

Dad went and bought some decorative wood edging and I created the bed. We found a wonderful deal on compost so we tiled it in and it was ready to go!

Well, not quite... I found that it is not very easy to use every square inch to the best advantage when you're dealing with a 60' long bed! So my solution... string and popstickle sticks. That right! You take a yard stick and measure each foot out with a popstickle stick. Then taking the string you tie one end to popstickle stick and the other to the one opposite. Needless to say it took me awhile to finish that project!

Here is what I hope will grow this year:

Pygmy Torch Amaranthus Hypochondriacus

Twinkle Blue Blush Lithianthus

Peacock Orchid Gladiolus

White Gladiolus

Autumn Beauty Helianthus Annuus

Baby's Breath Elegans Alba Grandiflora

Bunny Tail Grass Lagurus Ovatus

Green Tails Amaranthus Caudatus

Teddy Bear Helianthus Annuus

Velvet Queen Helianthus Annuus

Valentine Helianthus Annuus

Grandiflora Mixture Sweet Peas Lathyrus Odoratus

Bells of Ireland Moluccella Laevis

Color Mixture Pincushion Scabiosa Atropurpurea

Butterfly Weed Asclepias Tuberosa

Black-Eyed Susan Rudbeckia Hirta

Italian White Helianthus Debilis

Cosmic Red Cosmos Sulphureus

Rainbow Mix Coleus Hybridus

White Oriental Lily

Blue Hydrangea

Shasta Daisy

Love-Lies-Bleeding Amaranthus Caudatus

White Musk Mallow Malva Moschata
(a native of England)

Pink Musk Mallow Malva Moschata
(a native of England)

Grapette Oriental Day Lily

Oriental Poppy Mix Papaver Orientale

Red Pygmy Border Dahlia

Brenda Jordan's Heirloom Cockscomb

Stella de Oro Oriental Border Lily

Scarlet Flax

I bought the dahlia, white glad, and peacock orchid at Holland Bulb Farms. Many of the other plants where from Seeds & More. While I splurged a bit and bought some a couple from England, Shaggy and the Oriental Poppy mix from a place called Plant World Seeds.

Here is what I found out since putting together this post....

1. Chickens do not help your garden grow. Instead they enjoy tilling newly planted vegetables and flowers and tearing what's left to shreds.

2. Slugs have an obsession when it comes to eating. They do not just nibble they demolish. Nothing up here in the Pacific Northwest of Washington seems to stop them. Two choices are left; go hunting for them on and around the plants in late evening and early morning. Or get hot pepper wax spray. I did both.

3. However far apart the seed packet tells you to plant something, plant it closer. I found that out with my flower gardens. Most of these plants I've never seen first hand before, let alone grown. Making it difficult to calculate the distance between the plants.

The plants have yet to notice that it is July and they need to start producing flowers and fruit. We harvested some peas and were able to sell over a two dozen heads of lettuce, as well as some dill, basil, marjoram, and thyme so far. But like most things, when you want it to hurry up it always seems to take forever. I think they know this quote from Winnie-the-Pooh, "Rivers know this: There is no hurry. We shall get there some day."

Seeing these plants grow and marveling at the complexities and diversities between them, I think of Psalm 19:1-4a: "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their sound has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world."

The Spacious Firmament on High

By Joseph Addison

The spacious firmament on high,

With all the blue ethereal sky,

And spangled heav'ns, a shining frame,

Their great Original proclaim.

Th' unwearied sun, from day to day,

Does his Creator's pow'r display;

And publishes to ev'ry land

The work of an Almighty hand.

Soon as the ev'ning shades prevail,

The moon takes up the wondrous tale,

And, nightly to the list'ning earth,

Repeats the story of her birth;

While all the stars that round her burn,

And all the planets in their turn

Confirm the tidings as they roll,

And spread the truth from pole to pole.

What though in solemn silence all

Move round the dark terrestrial ball?

What though no real voice, nor sound,

Amidst their radiant orbs be found?

In Reason's ear they all rejoice,

And utter forth a glorious voice;

For ever singing, as they shine:

'The hand that made us is divine.'

From the nature we see around us...

To the awesome power of storms...

We can see God's boundless mercy, as well as His infinite might!

Blessed Are The Meek

2011-06-23T20:03:00.000-07:00

Today I read a little devotional which I thought explained Christian meekness so well.

The Meek of the Earth

By Henry H. Morris, Ph.D.

(From Days of Praise June 26th 2011)

"Seek ye the Lord all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgement; seek rightness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger." ~ Zephaniah 2:3 ~

This phrase, "the meek of the earth," occurs three times in the Bible (Psalm 76:9, which promises their salvation; and Isaiah 11:4, which assures them justice). Our text promises deliverance from God's wrath.

"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" Matthew 5:5, said Jesus, referring to the promise of Psalm 37:11: "But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."

There are many other similar promises: "The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way" Psalm 25:9. "He will beatify the meek with salvation" Psalm 149:4, so we need to put on "the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price" 1 Peter 3:4.

That meekness is not weakness is made clear from the first use of the word in the Bible. " Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth" Numbers 12:3. Moses was strong and courageous, but also deeply humble and self-sacrificing; a man of prayer and trust in the Word of God, willing to defend it at all costs. The Lord Jesus defined meekness in terms of His own human character: "Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart" Matthew 11:29.

A meek spirit enables a Christian to maintain composure in the face of opposition, to accept adversity without complaint; promotion without arrogance; demotion without resentment. It produce a peace which no trouble can disturb and which no prosperity can puff up. Therefore, as our text commands: "Seek meekness!"

The Irony of the World's Thinking

2011-03-11T09:20:00.000-08:00

‎"Of course, much of the world would agree that being a housekeeper is acceptable as long as you are not caring for your own home; treating men with attentive devotion would also be right as long as the man is the boss in the office and not your husband; caring for children would even be deemed heroic service for which presidential awards could be given as long as the children are someone else's and not your own."

~Mrs. Dorthy Patterson~

Herb-Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables

2011-03-07T12:45:00.000-08:00

This is one of our favorites this winter. One thing I found I didn't really like was the rosemary leaves. To me they are like sticks. So I prefer ground rosemary, but you may like it whole.

16 cups assorted vegetables pieces such as;

cubed eggplant, zucchini, onion,

carrots, peppers, sweet potatoes,

butternut squash, and potatoes.

1/2 cup Extra Virgin olive oil

4 cloves of Garlic

4 tsp. ground Rosemary leaves (or whole)

2 tsp. Salt

2 tsp. Tarragon

2 tsp. Marjoram
2 tsp. Pepper
1 tsp. Garlic salt
1 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

TOSS vegetables with oil, salt, pepper, and herbs

Place in two 15x10x1-inch pans.

BAKE at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender,

stirring once or twice during cooking.

SPRINKLE with cheese.

Makes 8-12 servings

Why I started this blog...

2011-02-28T12:45:00.000-08:00

Some of you might wonder, "why did she name her blog 'The Opportunity"? Well, it all started with this poem and others like it.
Opportunity
By Edward R. Still
This I beheld, or dreamed it in a dream:-
There spread a cloud of dust along a plain;
And underneath the cloud, or in it, raged
A furious battle, and men yelled, and swords
Shocked upon swords and shields,
A prince’s banner wavered, then staggered backward hemmed by foes.
A craven hung along the battle’s edge,
And thought, “Had I a sword of keener steel –
That blue blade that the king’s son bears– but this
Blunt thing!”– he snapped and flung it from his hand.
And lowering crept away and left the field.
Then came the king’s son, wounded, sore bestead,
And weaponless, and saw the broken sword,
Hilt-buried in the dry and trodden sand,
And ran and snatched it, and with battle-shout
Lifted afresh he hewed his enemy down,
And saved a great cause that heroic day.

After I had read this I thought about how much we have changed from the way in which the Reformers and Puritans lived. How we have strayed so far from having that straight line drawn between right and wrong, godly and sinful. We, as Christians, should stand up for our faith, not run when the battle gets hard or looks like we will loose! What kind of example are we to the world if we just shrug our shoulders and say "we'll just live and let live"? Did Christ do that when He spoke to the Pharisees? No, very much the opposite. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." Matthew 23:27

So what then should we do as His ambassadors?

For myself I enjoy writing and talking about issues and at times a bit too much. So I chose to have a blog where I can share what God has put on my hear. I hope this blog is an encouragement and exhorts you in your God given roles. Please feel free to leave a note or thought. Is there something that you disagree with or something that you would like to hear my opinion on? I'd love to hear from you!

I hope you all enjoy my Opportunity.

Lay Hold of Christ

2011-02-27T13:51:00.000-08:00

By L. C. Bryan

Laying down our sins at His feet

Aiming for Christ's higher calling
Yielding to whatever He wills us to do.

Honoring His holy name all life long
Over all things God's word is truth
Leaving all the world's lusts behind
Delighting always in God's glory and power.

Offering up praise to the Holy One
Forever laying aside wanton pleasures.

Chosen from the beginning of time
His word we are to spread throughout the world
Rejoicing through all adversity in Him who concord death
Irresistible grace while still dead in sin
Sustained by the blood of the Lamb
Taking all our sins to the cross.

What a Godly Keeper at Home (Or Housewife) is Not

2011-02-21T12:57:00.000-08:00

By Stacy McDonald
(An excerpt from Passionate Housewives Desperate For God)

A godly keeper at home is absolutely not a lesser human being, a mindless robot, or a placid doormat under submission to all men; rather, she is created in the very image of God and equal worth and value compared to man (Genesis 1:26-28). She is the crown of her husband (Proverbs12:4, a helper suitable for him (Genesis 2:18). Because she trusts God's wisdom in establishing perfect order for His creation, she willingly submits to her own husband as unto the Lord (Ephesians 5:22-24).

In God's economy, the godly housewife is no man's slave or piece of personal property; for her worth is “far above rubies” Proverbs 31:10. Nonetheless, she eagerly admits to being Christ's slave, which paradoxically makes her free indeed (1 Corinthians 7:22). She laughs when she hears rumors that she is an oppressed victim of a male-dominated dictatorship, because she knows that god's will is perfect and his Word timeless. Her place in society isn't ruled by the culture, but by God's unchanging and eternal Word. By His grace, she has no desire to question His ways (Isaiah 55:8); on the contrary, she rests in them.

Hardly childish or unintelligent, a godly keeper at home opens her mouth with wisdom (Proverbs 31:26) and her husband and children praise her (Proverbs 31:28. She has opinions and ideas, and uses them for god's glory—not her own. She takes joy in being a helpmate to her husband so that her “husband is known in the gates” Proverbs 31:23 and so that his heart “safely trusts in her” and he “has no lack of gain” Proverbs 31:11.

Though the counterfeit lure and charm of the seductress seeks to deceive and entice the housewife's husband, the godly woman's garden is filled with fragrant spices and delicious fruits (Song of Solomon 4;16). As she ravishes her husband's heart he sings of how her love is better than wine and her scent finer than expensive perfume (Song of Solomon 4:9-10). She is a “fruitful vine” at her husband's table Psalm 128:3, and the fruit of her body is blessed (Deuteronomy 28:4).

Far from being a household drudge chained to her stove, the godly keeper at home is “like a merchant ship; she brings her food from afar” Psalm 31:14. Proverbs 31 reveals to us how a godly housewife impacts her community in various ways—feeding the poor, making purchases for the proper running of her household, dealing in wisdom with employees, and selling her homemade hoods. She is known in the community and honors her husband by representing him well while in public, yet her hub of productivity and her primary focus is the place she most loves to be—her home.

The godly keeper at home wisely governs the household that God places in her care so that prudence ad sound judgment rule her decisions rather than covetousness or folly. Though she may wear pearls and high heels, she realizes that “charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised” Proverbs 31:30.

Dispelling the Myth

2011-02-11T19:26:00.000-08:00

Stacy McDonald

(Excerpt from Passionate Housewives, Desperate For God)

'Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is price is far above rubies'

Proverbs 31:10

   In the 1970s, the pro-feminist bestseller Stepford Wives turned the traditional housewife into a mindless, husband-pleasing, yes-woman who was literally heartless—because, come to find out, she was actually a robot. The message was clear: a woman who faithfully serves her family, loves pleasing her husband, and joyfully takes care of her home (from home) is not a “real person,” but a contrived fantasy of her overbearing and selfish husband.
   Instead of treasuring women and properly utilizing their gifts, our culture has attempted to discard the beauty and uniqueness of biblical womanhood and create an emotionally androgynous power-woman whose worth is measured only by the degree of her ambition, the shape of her body, and her money-making potential. Rather than women renouncing this affront to their dignity, amazingly, the slaves are demanding their slavery!
   In place of the glorious picture painted for us in Scripture of the passionate keeper at home, a hollow counterfeit has emerged—a desperate image concocted and promoted by Hollywood stereotypes, magazine models, and women's self-help books.
   The rise of the Internet has only added to the confusion. As women have gravitated to the web en masse, they have met a flood of men and women of all backgrounds and persuasions propounding conflicting notions of what it means to be a woman. The cacophony of ideas and teachings that today's Christian women must wade through as they contemplate their rightful place in God's created order can be simply overwhelming.
   Of course, the challenge of determining the meaning of true biblical womanhood is not unique to our time. While today's women may be bombarded with more media steams than their counterparts of previous generations, biblical femininity has always been an unusual quality. This is what led king Lemuel's mother to observe, “who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.” Proverbs 31:10. Virtuous women have always been rare, and oh, how precious they are!

The Wicked Always Despise the Godly

2011-02-09T05:30:00.000-08:00

'The wicked hate the godly; there is enmity between the seed of the woman and the serpent Gen. 3:15. As in nature there is an antipathy between the vine and the bay tree, the elephant and the dragon. Vultures have an antipathy against sweet smells: so in the wicked there is an antipathy against the people of God; they hate the sweet perfumes of their graces. It is true the saints have their infirmities; but the wicked do not hate them for these, but for their holiness; and from this hatred ariseth open violence: the thief hates the light, therefore would blow it out.’
Thomas Watson

Books That You too Might Enjoy!

2011-02-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

I just noticed that it's been almost 3 years since I've posted some books that I've enjoyed reading. So here are a few that I've read and enjoyed!

First up is Hostage Lands By Douglas Bond. Mr. Bond has done a wonderful job writing true Christian historical fiction. Not at all like those "Christian" historical fiction books that all focus around "true love" and how the guy can marry the girl. No, these books are using real times in history and bringing them to life with fictional characters. Also every book is full of Christ and His word.

Prisoners of the Sea By Florence M. Kingsley is wonderful! I just finished this book last month and loved it. It's a fictional story of the Huguenot persecution in the 17th century. I don't want to give away the story line but a group of shipwrecked people end up on an island with mysteries around every corner. Who built the lovely château and gardens? Where did everyone go? It's a wonderful story of adventure, courage, trusting in God no matter what, and never compromising our Christian morals.

The White Knights By W. E. Cule is another Lamplighter book that I have greatly enjoyed! It is about a young boy and his sister in England who's parents are missionaries in China. The boy, Horace was interested in knights, shining armor, and battles as most boys his age normally are. Through time he is mentored by the pastor in the town. Slowly he learns that he too can be a knight, righting human wrongs and saving the day. It's a wonderful book to read aloud to younger children as well as to just your self!

I must say this is my favorite poetry book of all time!
Worthy is the Lamb - Puritan Poetry In Honor of the Savior Edited by Dr. Don Kistler & Joel Rishel
This book has the best collection I have seen yet! Men that most have never even heard of, yet their writings are of such God honoring, praise rendering, soul humbling poems that one can't help but look to Christ through them! I have posted a few poems from this books in the past year and I hope to post more of them this year. If you don't have the book, get it! It's worth every cent!

Then there is Passionate Housewives, Desperate for God By Stacy McDonald and Jenny Chancey. This book I'm in the middle of reading right now and enjoying it very much! I hope to post some portions of it throughout this year. It covers many of the topics, from a true keeper at home to what women were made to be and do vs. men. All based on God's word.
It's easy to read and understand. If you're married, have children, going to have children, or even a young single women, this is a wonderful book of encouragement, reminders, and soul satisfying trues of the Christian woman's place, goals, and duties.

I have enjoyed reading this book. I have yet to read all of the articles that it contains. It has such a wonderful selection of subjects that anyone who wishes to grow stronger and delve deeper in the Word would enjoy it. I've posted a couple of the articles this last couple of weeks and later this year I'll make sure to add a couple more.

Do you have some of these books? Please feel free to comment on this post and share what you enjoyed about that book!

Here are a few of the best places to get good true Christian books ~

Lamplighter who sells only reprints of long lost Christian literature. They also just started making some of those books into dramatized audio books which I think are amazing! I have 4 of them so far and found them to be well acted, good sound, and very good in recreating the books their copied from.

Banner of Truth is a wonderful resource for adding godly books to your bookshelf. You'll never see more amazing works form some of the greatest Puritans, Reformers, and men that gave their lives for spreading God's Word.

Vision Forum has lots of books for the whole family and individuals to read! You can find books on family health, starting a farm, raising God fearing children, what to look for in a possible spouses for your children, history from a biblical prospective, beginner books on reading, historical fiction for young and old alike, and much more!

Start your own library of good Christian books! You'll be amazed at how much you'll learn and grow as a godly man or women when you fill your mind with wonderful Christ honoring books!

The Presentation of The Gospel and The Doctrine of Grace

2011-01-31T06:30:00.000-08:00

Iain Murray

“Preach Christ and leave doctrines alone,” has been the popular outcry. As though it were possible to declare who Jesus is, and the necessity and nature of conversion, without teaching doctrine! Beneath such a statement there lies the common delusion that it matters not what a man believes so long as he rests on Christ in some vague way. We are here concerned to assert that not only doctrine in general, but the doctrines of grace in particular are necessary for a correct presentation of the Gospel. We mean such doctrines as fallen man's total inability, the sovereign mercy of God in election and the almighty work of the Holy Ghost in conversion. Now the objection which confronts us is one which is widely accepted by evangelicals, namely that whatever be the truth of these doctrines, they have no essential place in the preaching of the Gospel, they are not necessary for Scriptural evangelism. There can be no question that this commonly accepted view has governed the presentation of the Gospel fro many years, yet when we stand aside for a moment from the opinions of our times and look back across the centuries, we are met with the plain fact that this view is in reality a radical departure from the evangelical witness of former generations. We are not therefore raising this matter in a controversial spirit byt out of the conviction that the spiritual barrenness of our days, the withdrawal of the powerful operations of the Holy Ghost, the widespread absence of the fear of God among the people, may well be related to this variance in our presentation of the Gospel.

Now of course the only way to ascertain whether such variance does in fact exist is to examine some church history. Let us then direct our attention to periods when the Spirit of God was mightily poured out upon people under the ministry of the Word. How was the Gospel presented in such times? Under what kind of doctrines were multitudes savingly converted? We will look at three perio9ds during the last 300 years when the operations of the Spirit in great power have been in evidence.

Between the years 1625-1630, there was a widespread revival of serious religion in Scotland, wrought through preaching attended by the authority of the Holy Ghost. Five hundred persons traced their conversion to one sermon preached by John Livingstone in 1630 at Kirk of Shotts. At Irvine, multitudes under deep concern for their souls attended the preaching of David Dickson. “Few,” says Howie “were more instrumental in this work than he.” On Monday evenings (being market day) Dickson preached to large congregations, many coming in from the countryside. This was accompanied by such distressing, then saving effects, that a revival known as the “Stewarton sickness” broke out in the area. Listen then to something of Dickson's preaching; from his text 2 Timothy 2:19, he concludes: “that the doctrine of election and reprobation is a doctrine which may be safely taught and propounded unto people, albeit men say it should not be meddled with, because (say they) “it makes some men despair, and others become careless what they do.” I answer, let God make an answer for His own doctrine, who has commanded us to teach it... The apostle says boldly, the election obtained it and the rest were blinded. Would Christ have propounded this doctrine if it had been dangerous? Therefore we oppose to such canal men, secure sleepers in sin, this doctrine of Christ and His apostles, clearly set down in scripture. Let non take offense at this doctrine, for Christ's sheep will hear His voice and if any will startle away, let them go... This doctrine is a strong attractive to draw back those who are fallen in error or vice, that they lie not in it; for this doctrine forces such men to turn to God, or else, to take on the name of reprobates... It is a doctrine meant for this age, wherein God is mocked and blaspheme by the lewd lives of those who are called Christians, to tell them that they must either turn to God, or take home with them those black tidings, that they are vessels of dishonour, fitted for destruction. This doctrine is very needful to put men to their decisions; and yet it condemns not a man to hell presently, who is lying in sin; but it tells him that there are some elect who will come home; and some reprobate, who will not come home. Therefore, if a man be elect, albeit for the time he be a deboshed villain, this doctrine will serve him for the third and last summons: for when he hears that he must either quit his sinful courses, or have no portion with God, presently he must resolve, I will renounce my old lovers, my uncleanness, worldliness, and turn in to God, and seek a covering to hide my vileness, and a garment to make me beautiful in the eyes of God. This effect will this doctrine work in the elect.”

Such was the preaching which accompanied the great Scottish awakening of the seventeenth century.

The next period when the soul-saving effects of the Gospel were so gloriously displayed was t the time of the New England revival. Jonathan Edwards, the foremost instrument in this movement has left us a full account of it, and of the sermons which he preached at that time, in his works. New England had flourished in the seventeenth century under the Gospel ministries of several eminent Puritans, but early in the eighteenth a marked decay in piety and seriousness became evident. “Mirth and jollity” and vain amusements began to engage the young. Concerning the year 1734, Edwards wrote, “Arminianism seemed to appear with a very threatening aspect upon the interest of religion here. The friends of vital piety trembled for fear of the issue. Many who looked on themselves as in a Christ-less condition seemed to be awaked by it, with fear that God was about to withdraw from the land, and that we should be given up to heterodoxy and corrupt principles; and that their opportunity for obtaining salvation would be past.”

Yet, as Edwards says,this event led to wonderful consequences. Despite the censure of some he began to oppose these errors in his preaching, and it was attended with a very remarkable blessing of heaven to the souls of the people. “In the latter part of December” (1734, Edwards' narrative continues) “the Spirit of God began extraordinarily to set in, and wonderfully to work amongst us... a great and earnest concern about the great things of religion, and the eternal world, became universal in all parts of the town, and amongst all persons of all degrees, and all ages...religion was with all sorts the great concern, and the world was a thing only by the bye. The only thing in their view was to get the kingdom of heaven. It was ten a dreadful thing amongst us to lie out of Christ...the number of true saints multiplied; the town seemed to be full of the presence of God: it never was so full of love, nor of joy, and yet so full of distress, as it was then... This remarkable pouring out of the Spirit of God extended from one end to the other of this country.” This is but a brief extract of the amazing account Edward gives, we are chiefly concerned with the doctrine preached at this time. “The drift of the Spirit of God in His legal strivings,” writes Edwards, “seemed most evidently to be to bring persons to a conviction of their absolute dependence on His sovereign power and grace... I think I have found that no discourses have been more remarkably blessed, than those in which the doctrine of God's absolute sovereignty, with regard to the salvation of sinners, and His just liberty, with regard to answering prayers of natural men have been insisted on... As to those in whom awakenings seem to have a saving issue, commonly the first thing that appears is a conviction of the justice of God in their condemnation. In giving an account of this, they expressed themselves very variously; some that they saw God was sovereign and might receive others and reject them; some, that they were convinced, God might justly bestow mercy on every person in the town, in the world, and damn themselves to all eternity; some that if they should seek, and take the utmost pains all their lives, God might justly cast them into hell at last, because all their labours, prayers and tears cannot make atonement for the least sin...some have declared themselves to be in the hands of God, that He may dispose of them just as He pleases.

Whatever Minister has a like occasion to deal with souls under such circumstances, I cannot but think he will soon find himself under a necessity, greatly to insist upon it with them, that God is under no manner of obligation to show mercy to any natural man... It appears to me, that if I had taught those who came to me under trouble, any other doctrine I should have taken a most direct course to undo them. I should have directly crossed what was plainly the drift of the Spirit of God in His influences upon them, and blocked up their way to that humiliation before the Sovereign Disposer of life, and death, whereby God is wont to prepare them for His consolations.”

In 1745 similar effects followed David Brainerd's evangelistic ministry among the Indians, resulting in a widespread revival. Scores of instances similar to the following could be quoted from Brainerd's narrative—“Those whom I have reason to think in a Christless state, were almost universally seized with concern for their souls. It was an amazing season of power among them, and seemed as if God had 'bowed the heavens and come down.' So astonishingly prevalent was the operation upon old as well as young, that it seemed as if non would be left in a secure and natural state...numbers of men and women, old and young, might be seen in tears, some in anguish of spirit...so that there seemed here a lively emblem of the solemn days of accounts; a mixture of heaven and hell, of joy and anguish inexpressible.” concerning his presentation of the Gospel Brainerd writes, “Those doctrines, which had the most direct tendency to humble the fallen creature, to show him the misery of his natural state, to bring him down to the foot of Sovereign Mercy, and to exalt the great Redeemer— discover His transcendent excellency—were the subject matter of what was delivered.” Brainerd records the effect of these doctrines upon numerous individuals; he is assured of conversion of one man for “his heart echoes to the soul humbling doctrines of grace, and he never appears better pleased than when he hears of the absolute sovereignty of God.” A woman who had long quarreled against God “because He would, if he pleased, send her to hell...was brought to a comfortable calm, and seemed to be bowed and reconciled to divine sovereignty; and told me 'she now saw and felt it was right God should do with her as He pleased.' Others,” continues Brainerd “were refreshed to find that love to God in themselves, which was an evidence of His electing love to them.”

Finally let us look briefly at the revival which began at Kilsyth in Scotland in 1839, and which spread to other parts of the land. The occasion of the outbreak of this awakening was the preaching of William Burns on the text Psalm 110:3, “Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power.” Burns tells us that the heads of his sermon were these “I. The person spoken of—they are God's elect—those given to Christ of the Father. II. The promise of the Father to Emmanuel regarding those persons— 'they shall be willing.' III. The time of the promise—the day of Emmanuel's power.” In opening his discourse Burns insisted on man's inability to will what was pleasing to God, “it is the crowning part of man's depravity that his will is opposed to the will of God... this is the state of the fallen soul by nature; and therefore, my friends, when God brings back in His infinite love the souls of His elect people, He makes them willing.” At the end of this sermon while he was pleading with the unconverted to close with God's offers of mercy, the Spirit of God descended upon the people. “During the whole of the time that I was speaking, the people listened with the most riveted and solemn attention; but at the last their feelings became too strong for all ordinary restraints and broke forth simultaneously in weeping and wailing, intermingled with shouts of joy and praise from some of the people of God. The appearance of a great part of the people from the pulpit gave me an awfully vivid picture of the state of the ungodly in the day of Christ's coming to judgment. Some were screaming out in agony; others, and among these strong men, fell to the ground as if they had been dead...”

Now what do all these quotations prove? They demonstrate that these doctrines have been predominant in times when God mightily honoured the preaching of the Gospel.

It remains for us to briefly summarize some reasons why these doctrines are essential to Scriptural presentation of the Gospel. The natural man is content to live “without God in the world” Eph.2:12 until he sees the dreadfulness of his condition and the desirableness of conversion. This discovery comes to him by the apprehension that he is a creature of God, could to obey His Law in every point, yet because of his sin unable to do so. His duty to meet God's righteous claims is the same as when God created him perfect and holy; his inability is a proof of the fall and of his sin. He is still a creature and has not lost his responsibility, but as a sinner he is now “not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” Rom. 8:7. He has lost his ability to obey God. Guilt and helplessness are the causes of the sinner's misery, and only when he comes to self-despair does he start to “fear God which is the beginning of wisdom” Psa. 111:10. Pride is the grand obstacle to conversion, and nothing more humbles man than to realize that he depends upon the sovereign mercy of God, and that Christ alone is able to save him.

Man's sinful inability applies equally to the commands of the Gospel. Faith and repentance are his duty, God has commanded them just as He has commanded the Law; but he can no more believe and love Christ than he can believe and love God—which is the first commandment. The natural man is no mere able to decide for Christ than he is able to decide to keep the Law. Therefore while the preacher is to exhort men to believe on Christ, he is at the same time to plainly declare that conversion is a work of Divine power. Saving faith is a gift of God (Eph. 2:8) and not to teach this leads to the fatal error of accepting a mere profession of assent to the Gospel as a sign of salvation. There is a 'temporary faith' Matt. 4:16-17, and there is the faith of devils who believe and tremble (James 2:19). “The faith of God' s elect” Titus 1:1 is of an entirely different nature and origin; it involves a renewal of the whole person; God makes a new creature, implants new principles in the soul—hatred of sin, love of holiness, desires for heaven. To teach that a soul has a saving faith before these marks of his “calling and election” (2 Peter 1:10) by God are evident, leads to Antinomianism, carelessness, and the eternal delusion of multitudes. Unless these truths of God's Sovereignty in conversion are taught, Luther rightly says, 'every man will bolster himself up with a delusive home pf a share in that salvation which is supposed to lie open to all; and thus genuine humility and fear of God would be kicked out of doors.” In conclusion we would assert that unless the doctrines of Grace underlie the presentation of the Gospel, a true view of the glorious nature of conversion is impossible. Edwards tells us that prior to the revival in New England there had been “a great deal of talk about conversion and spiritual experiences,” but when persons became the subjects of conversion they declared their former idea of it was “brought to nothing... they have seen themselves brought down, and become nothing, that free grace and divine power may be exalted in them.”

Creating a hope chest...

2011-01-27T22:05:00.000-08:00

Creating a hope chest is not that hard to do. It's exciting to look for things that you know you'll need when your married, such as, serving dishes, books, cooking utensils, furniture, table cloths, etc. Or maybe you would like to have a certain theme in your future home and you want to collect things to fit that theme.

In this day and age we women have lost the desire to be wives and mothers. To look forward and plan for a future home and new responsibilities. We look at that role as a secondary plan, an after collage plan, or not even a goal. Yet, who are we to tell God when we will or will not be marry or what we should be or not be? He has everything planed out for our lives and as women our biblical role is to support our fathers and brothers (when we're not married) and if God so blesses, to support a husband someday. We're use to that fast pass "All I care about is now" attitude. Yet, in the "old days" (grandparents or for some great-grand parents time) when women were raise with the goal of being a wives and mothers someday.

They worked on creating a hope chest, such as; baby cloths, quilts, pillows, dishes, etc.

So I thought it would be fun to share with you some of the things I've been collecting over the years for my future home. Maybe this will encourage you ladies out there to start your own hope chest. You don't need to have actual wooden chest, you can put things in a plastic storage container(s) or in a closet.

Be creative!

When I turned 19 my mom and I went to a nearby flee market for a girls day out. When we were there I fell in love with a set of dishes. Now I never looked at dishes as something to buy before but that set was a keeper! Then I found a hutch. It had leaded stain glass windows and was beautiful! Mom said I could get it, so we put it on layaway. That day was the start of my hope chest or in this case hope hutch.

My "hope chest" is now overflowing with all sorts china and serving wear.

This is the set that I found at the flee market. It's from Pfaltzgraff called Naturewood.

Since then I have collected bits pieces at Goodwill, antique shops, and flea markets.

Wedgwood is hard and expensive to find.
This was a unique find at a Goodwill that my mom found for only (drum roll please) .99 cents!

Another find from my mom (not Wedgwood) but very cute.

What designs or patterns would you like to have in your future home?
I enjoy the old Winne-the-Pooh and Beatrix Potter stories, so I thought I'd decorate my nursery with Beatrix Potter and Winnie-the-Pooh stuff.

This Christmas my brother, Mom, and Dad refurbished Mom's old hope chest for me to use.

This is the most unique thing I think I own. My mom found it last year for my birthday. If anyone can figure out what the third glass shaker is for please let me know!

You can collect china to add that delicate feminine touch to your future home...

Or something fun, yet practical...

Maybe you like more of a country style...

Another thing I've collected a bit of is stoneware. I really like baking bread and muffins in it, so when I was able I would buy some here and there. Sometimes I even found some at flea markets!

I find that we always need a plater to put things on and when it is decorative it adds to the table.

Serving dishes are nice to have when you have friends or family over.

If you enjoy sewing, knitting, or crochet, why not make quilts, pillow cases, hand made pot holders, or baby cloths?

I also like to collect old books. My Mom bought many old books through year, many of which my brother and I have enjoyed!

You can also collect informational books that you would like to use for when you have children. I have been slowly getting good poetry books, good cookbooks, history books, biographies, good fiction books, etc. for when I have children and start homeschooling them.
What about good children book that you enjoyed when a child? It's amazing what comes to mind when you start brainstorming!

Maybe you have fond memories of playing dress-up with you siblings. Why not collect some dresses, hats, gloves, and so on for your own children to play with some day?

Or maybe not that long ago....

Get inventive!
Another thought to pass on to you young ladies, 'what would be something that you could have that would bless your future husband?' It could be collecting things that would make the dinning room table decorative at dinner time. Or maybe it's not items but skills, such as knowing how to do finances and bookkeeping.

What ideas do you have? Feel free to share your ideas and suggestions. I'd love to hear them.

Search The Scriptures

2011-01-20T09:15:00.000-08:00

John 5:39

By Iain Murray

The attitude of a man to the Scriptures is indicative of the state of his soul before God. The language of a Christian is, “O how I love Thy Law.” He desires to Treasure the Word of God more “than thousands of gold and silver” Psalm 119, whereas the ungodly are marked out as those who have no delight in the Law of the Lord, and such “shall not stand in the judgment.” Psalm 1. Believers, like Joshua, are commanded to search and meditate in this Book day and night Joshua 1:8, but those who fail to tremble at the authority of this Word Isaiah 66:2, and carelessly despise its divine origin, “shall be destroyed.” Proverb 13:13. Judge the state of your soul by whether you have learned this fear of God, and His Word, “which is the beginning of wisdom.”

But not only may the temporal and eternal condition of individuals be judged from their regard of Scripture, there is also no surer test of the state of the visible church than the prevailing attitude towards of the Bible. The prosperity of the church is invariable in proportion to her valuation of God's Word. The Reformation in the sixteenth century is clear proof that the church flourishes when the Word is exalted. Consider the Reformers' view of Scripture. Luther affirmed “That he would not take all the world for one leaf of the Bible.” And Luther proved his regard for God's Word by his knowledge of it. During his early ministry, he tells us, there was not verse in Scripture which if quoted to him he could not instantly place! Ridley knew by heart the whole of Paul's Epistles. Beza, when over 80 years of age, could relate exactly all the Psalms and the Epistles in their original. Such a hunger to know Scripture was not confined to ministers. During the reign of Henry VIII (while the possession of any portion of the Bible was punished by burning at the stake) an English farmer gave a whole cartload of hay for only one page of James' Epistle! Many of the English martyrs, though only laymen, were able at their trials mightily to use the Scripture they had memorized in answering their adversaries. How greatly did the cause of God prosper when this attitude to The Word of God prevailed!

On the other hand, when the church is in a declining, and powerless condition, the cause will always be found to be connected with an absence of true and deep knowledge of a true and deep knowledge of Gods Word . Never for four hundred years in England , perhaps, has the Bible been so little known in the church—even in evangelical church— as to-day. The direct result is that the visible church is in a desperately low condition. But as few will be prepared to accept that ignorance of Scripture is the characteristic mark of the religion of our times, let us confirm the statement by some proofs. When a low view of Scripture prevails it will always betray itself by certain definite marks. Three of these marks we will consider.

Error is regarded as comparatively harmless, and the importance of purity of doctrine is minimized.
This is sure mark of ignorance. Error, heresy, and ignorance of Scripture are soul-destroying things. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Hosea 4:6. “That the soul be without knowledge, it is not good.” Proverbs 19:2. It is a fearful threatening, “they shall die without Knowledge.” Job 36:12. Ignorance makes a man the object of Divine wrath. Christ shall come “in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God,” 1 Thessalonians 1:8. Eusebius records that the aged Apostle John so feared heresy, that he refused to enter a building when he learnt that the heretic Cerinthus was inside, saying “Let us depart lest the house wherein the Lord's enemy is should fall on our heads.”
Where shall we go to-day to find men who have such a view of the importance of sound doctrine? Is the doctrine of men who are allowed to join in on evangelistic campaigns examined? Are converts told not to go to certain churches? Do not young men preparing for the ministry attend Colleges where the Word is not purely taught? What is all this but a disregarding of God's displeasure over error, and a failure to recognize that where error prevails there God's judicial blindness reigns. Errors are God's bullets with which He destroys gainsayers— “O stand not where God's bullets fly,” Says Gurnall. “Take heed what ye hear!” Mark 4:24, Proverbs 19:27.

Lack of desire or concern to grow in knowledge becomes evident.

Man was made a rational creature, and endowed with noble faculty of understanding in order to know God. The result of the Fall was to remove from his mind any saving knowledge of God— “There is none that understandeth.” Romans 3:11. The great purpose of redemption is nothing less than to restore men to a knowledge of God, “This is life eternal, that they might know thee” John 17:3, and only by this means is a man able to glorify and enjoy God forever.

While all regenerate persons, all believers, have a desire to know God, they have it in varying degrees of strength. We can unmistakably test the measure of our desire by our diligence in studying Scripture—for by this Book alone can we increase in a true knowledge of God. Who can doubt that the seventeenth century Puritans were the greatest searchers, expositors, and preachers of God's Word our land has ever seen? The great power and force of their ministry lay in the tremendous emphasis they put on a profound understanding, of the Scripture. The biographer of the mighty Puritan Oliver Heywood (whose ministry affected much of the north of England) says, “He spent much of his time in his study. It was his custom to rise at an early hour.... he was assiduous in the pursuit of knowledge.” Heywood himself recorded in his diary, “I prize learning above all sublunary excellencies, and I might have been more useful had I improved my time better therein—Proverbs 10:14, 'Wise men lay up knowledge.'”

John Cotton, the great leader of the New England Puritans , lived under conviction of that sacred precept, “Give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.” “He rose early, and commonly studied twelve hours a day, accounting that a scholar's day.” (Brook's Lives of the Puritans).

Likewise of Thomas Manton it was written, “His great delight was in his study.” The prolocutor the Westminster Assembly, William Twisse, when dying cried with his departing breath, “Now at length I shall have leisure to follow studies to all eternity!” The consuming passion of the Puritans was to know God. “To know Him,” records the historian Macaulay, “was with them the great end of existence.” They therefore unceasingly searched the Scriptures, and advanced far beyond any other generation of Englishmen in their ability to unfold their contents.

The duty of giving all diligence to add knowledge to faith, is laid by God upon all believers. 2 Peter 1:5. Listen to Jonathan Edwards exhorting his hearers—“We should make growing in knowledge a great part of the business of our lives...There is no doctrine of divinity whatever, which doth not some way or other concern the eternal interest of every christian. The Scriptures were written that they might be understood: otherwise they are not instructions... we can receive benefit by no more of the Scriptures than we understand... You all have by you a large treasure of Divine knowledge, in that you have the Bible in your hands; therefore be not content in possessing but little of this treasure. God hath spoken much to you in Scripture: labor to understand as much of what he saith as you can.”

A concern such as this to grow in knowledge is markedly absent amongst the generality of professing believers to-day. Superficiality abounds in every direction. Shallowness is excused as simplicity. Sermons that require no diligent preparation suit the taste of congregations that are not accustomed to girding up the loins of congregations that are not accustomed to girding up the lions of their minds. It is presumed that the contents of Scripture concerning God, His simple, the whole revelation of Scripture concerning God, His Being, Attributes, and Purposes, is a subject that the minds of prophets and angels can only “search” and “look into,” 1 Peter 1:11-13; a subject that staggered the understanding of the Apostle Paul so that he could only cry out, “O the depth” Romans 11:33, and call the Gospel a “great mystery” 1 Timothy 3:16. This attitude towards Scripture always prevails amongst those who are no longer babes in the truth. “Religion itself is a deep mystery,” says Richard Sibbes, “it requires a great deal of learning.” Listen again to one of the greatest Puritans, John Owen—“ Do not suppose that you have leaned anything of God in Christ, of the mystery of His grace, unless you see therein such evidence of infinite wisdom, goodness, holiness, love, in all things so suited unto the eternal glory of God and advantage of your own souls, as that you may admire, adore, delight in them, and cleave unto them with a holy, prevalent, unconquerable love. When you do so, then will you be established in the truth.”

3. The Lack of praise and spiritual joy becomes apparent.

When believers are little acquainted with Scripture this mark is always manifested. The Word of God is the ground and foundation of true joy and praise— “These things write we unto you that your joy may be full.” 1 John 1:4. The Word was written for a purpose. There is no such thing as joy in the Holy Ghost apart from the knowledge and belief of God's Word— “Believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” 1 Peter 1:8. The only way for a believer to be established in a joyful assurance is to know his privileges and exalted position to which God as raised him in Jesus Christ. Satan's constant work is to keep us ignorant, or make us forget the dignity and strength that we have. Truly, Sibbes says, “A Christian is a more excellent creature than he thinks.” “Unacquaintedness with our mercies, and our privileges, is our sin as well as our trouble,” writes John Owen. “We hearken not to the voice of the Spirit which is given to us 'that we may know the things that are freely given to us of God.' 1 Corinthians 2:12. This makes us go heavily, when we might rejoice.”

Let us then ask how much spiritual joy is to be seen to-day and we shall immediately be able to judge how much or little the Scriptures are known. Oh, who is not aware that in most evangelical circles, carnal mirth, frivolity, “foolish talking and jesting” Ephesians 5:4, are accepted as signs of a healthy Christian life, and have replaced joy in the Holy Ghost! We read recently in a well known Christian newspaper the report of a campaign meeting o a man who is now being acclaimed as a leading evangelist— “He pummeled the audience into warmth and enthusiasm. He cracked jokes about the Cup ties. More singing....more jokes about the Cup ties. Everybody singing and laughing...” How could such 'evangelism' as this flourish except amongst people who are grossly ignorant of Scripture! True spiritual joy is accompanied by deep seriousness. The soul is overpowered by eternal realities and walks in the fear of God. That this work of the Spirit is rarely to be seen is a sure mark of the neglect of Scripture.

We have thus far been largely considering some evidences of the ignorance of Scripture that abounds in our times. We could summarize the conclusion to be drawn in such words as these— “Not one in a hundred read their Bibles to be called reading.” The subject could be much enlarged, but what we have said is sufficient to establish in our minds that the first requisite to a diligent study of the Bible is this:— We must be convinced of the necessity of searching the Scriptures. And this conviction will not be impressed upon us until we seethe perils of ignorance, and the desirability of knowledge— “Blessed is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.” Proverbs 3:13-14. We must aroused to walk contrary to the spirit of our times and fear to be infected by the prevailing attitude to the Scriptures. It is hard to live in the midst of a plague and be kept unaffected.

A brief application remains. We can draw from the solemnity of our days arguments to increase our diligence in the Scriptures. Just as Egypt was made to know the worth of light by the want of it Exodus 10:21-24, and just as a sick man learns the value of health by the absence of it, so God makes men value His word by sending a famine for it. Contempt of the Word is punished by judicial blindness, so that though men may still possess the Scriptures and read them (as the Pharisees and Sadducees did at the time of Christ), they are given over to blindness and a true understanding is removed from them. John 12:39-40. The famine is a famine “of hearing the words of the Lord.” Amos 8:11, that is God removes those who truly expound it. Unless God in mercy reverses His present sentence against us, there are surely awful judgments ahead. “How guilty (in neglect of Scripture) our English nation is, is too manifest to write, and what we have cause to expect for it, I tremble to write.” Three centuries of God's longsuffering have passed over the land since Elnathan Parr wrote those words. It may be that now our guilt has reach its limit. “I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing...Now will He remember their iniquity, and visit their sins.” Hosea 8:12-13.

But the children of God need not fear the future, “For wisdom is a defense.” Ecclesiastes 7:12. They who have let the Word of Christ dwell in them richly in all wisdom Colossians 3:16 will be like Joseph who while there was time and opportunity laid up stores for the time of need. Believers shall overcome the world and the devil, “By the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.”

Our Farm this last year

2011-01-19T17:00:00.000-08:00

Our very high energy filled, high jumping, extremely smart and can get out of almost anywhere dog, Sherlock. He's part Whippet and part Australian Shepherd. So he has the speed of one and the brains from the other.

Our first year trying to grow watermelons in our greenhouse.

It worked but not as well as we had hoped. Maybe this coming spring we can try again.

The greenhouse over flowing with tomato plants, peppers, basil, and nasturtiums!

We tried 5 types of peppers and surprisingly the cayenne peppers grew the best.

The beans had a hard time during the spring and early summer but the ended up taking over the entire planter!

Our strawberries grew like weeds and we got strawberries even through September!

I think we had almost to many cucumbers. We had about 16 vines and they went crazy. I think the whole family had their fill of Greek salad.

Last year I finally saved up enough money to buy 18 ducks. They arrived late in March on a rather cold and stormy day.
We had a pin in the "Duck Mansion" all ready for them. We counted them and found we had one extra! I bought them sexed so I didn't end up with more males then I needed. I ordered 11 Khaki Campbell ducks (those are the brown ones) and 7 Welsh Harlequins (2 drakes and 5 ducks). After we counted them we found out that there was an extra one. Later that one turned out to be a female!

That day we lost power twice and had to put them in the house where they could stay a bit warmer. Late that night we lost power again and my dad and I ran out to load them up and bring them into the house again. It was an adventurous first day to say the least. But after that everything settled down a bit.

This is them at 3 or 4 weeks old. So big already!

And then.....

What happened?

They all grew up! They are about 5 or 6 months old here.

Dad and Matt did a great job building the pond. I don't know how they would have survived with out a place to swim.

This one is a bit odd. I don't have a name for her but she has a little "egg" shaped bump on her head.

When we drain the pond they love the little creek it makes as it goes out to the back woods. Lots of little goodies to find.

Meet one of my two Welsh Harlequin drakes: Carwyn
I thought I'd named all my Welsh Harlequins Welsh names or at least something from the English Isles.
My other WH drake has more reddish brown on his chest and his name is Gwalchgwyn

The Khakis don't have any names because try as I might I can't tell them apart.

This is Lucy. I don't know when we first notice that her bill was twisting but it was when they were about a month old. She is a lot braver then the rest, though smaller. Lucy can't eat pellets since she can't move her top bill. Yet she seems to be enjoying life.

This is Margret. The other Welsh Harlequin ducks that I have named so far are Gwyna or Gwyneth, and Juliet.

Our Rhode Island Red Rooster. Contrary to what most people say about roosters and Rhodies in particular, I have yet to have a mean rooster. We got two white roosters this year and gave one away, then we found out that we also had two Rhodie roosters and a Buff Orpington rooster. So we kept one Rhodie and the Buff. They all seem to get along very well.

Our white rooster is one of the sweetest of the three roosters on the farm.

Our one almost solid white hen. We still don't know what she is, but she knows how to get out of almost any area we put her in.

One of our Silver Lace Wyandottes

This is Cloe our only Easter Araucana. She lays almost olive green eggs.

I hope to post more pictures of Providence Family Farms soon! So stay tuned!

Hallelujah Chorus in a Food Court?

2011-01-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

I saw this right before Christmas time but never had a chance to post it. It is wonderful to hear the Scriptures sung like that. It is very well done and hope you all enjoy it!

An Article to Consider

2011-01-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

Here is an interesting article in an age when feminism was becoming more and more the standard for a woman, yet this article has some very true and insightful guidelines to follow.

In case this is hard to read in spots I have transcribed it:
Housekeeping Monthly, May 13 1955
The Good Wife's Guide

- Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favorite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.

- Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.

- Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

- Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.

- Gather up school books, toys, paper, etc. and run a dust cloth over the tables.

- Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will think he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

- Prepare the children. Take a few minuets to wash their hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair, and if necessary, change their cloths. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, minimize all noise of the washer, dryer, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

- Be happy to see him.

- Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your in your desire to please him.

- Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first- remember, his topics of conversation are more important then yours.

- Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.

- Your goal: Try to make your home a place of peace, order and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in both body and spirit.

- Don't greet him with complains and problems.

- Don't complain if he's late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this a minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.

- Make him comfortable. Make him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

- Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

- Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgement or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

- A good wife always knows her place.

   Now there is obviously some things that wouldn't be right for a husband to do.
If my husband went somewhere to eat or a place of entertainment for work then that would be understandable. But if not then I could see a problem with that. Yet, it's best to save that discussion for after he's had a good meal and rest.
   The other one that didn't seem quite right was the second to last one. "Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness."
   Now they are correct that he is the master of the house, but that he is always going to do or say what is right isn't biblical. We men and women are all sinners, so we don't do what is fair or truthful save through Christ and even then we stumble. But if there was a problem in that realm, that too could wait until dinner is over and a bit of quiet time is observed before bringing up that subject.
   This article all in all is a good guide line for what a man likes to see or not see when he comes home from a hard days' work. We as the women of the house need to make sure we make our home a place of relaxation and enjoyment for the men when they come home. Send them off to take a nice hot shower, get them something special to eat, or whatever they like to do to relax and unwind.
   Picture coming home after running tons of errands all day with the children home working on chores. But when after being gone all day you find that the dishes are still sitting where everyone put them after breakfast with more added to the pile, the house yet to be vacuumed or even picked up, trash is in need of removal and even the beds haven't been made.
   Now change it around, picturing how you would feel in that moment, but instead with your husband coming home to see disaster all around him. His wife is frustrated, a child has just been spanked, another coming close to the same disciplinary action and dinner has yet to be thought of. It's the same feeling.
   I know our family has the same problem. We've had this scenario and similar ones happen more then once and it never helps dad relax or made any of the situations better. Though I'm not the wife nor mother in the house, I am the eldest and the only daughter, so it is up to me to make sure we have an idea of what is for dinner and dessert. I need to make sure things look organized, counters are clean, laundry is going, my room is cleaned up and maybe have something ready for him to snack on. (My dad is always hungry when he gets home, so a snack is a must for him. Unless of course dinner is on the table and ready to be eaten.) It's a hard habit to start and keep going. But when everything is ready and organized the way it should be, you do feel ready to relax with everyone else and enjoy a good family-time together.

The world would say, "why bother I've had just as hard of a day as he has. Probably worse!" But as a Christian we are meant to serve others, even when we'd rather not.

"Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen."

1 Peter 4:9-11

I'd love to hear what you think about this article! It has much food for thought don't you think?
I hope to be posting more with this next week so stay tuned!

The Baby Conference

2010-09-04T10:45:00.000-07:00

The Baby Conference Audio Album from Vision Forum on Vimeo.
This is a life changing conference that makes you really think of your stand on abortion, having many children, taking care of your aging parents or grandparents, and if what you believe is really what God says is right.
You can buy this at Vision Forum on MP3 or CD.
Or you can download this entire set on bluebehemoth.com
This Conference will change your life! These issues are serious and effecting our lives today. This world has fallen so far away from God and the Word. No longer are things black and white but obscured by this corrupt world.
It's time to change our world views to what God says is right not what the world approves of.

"Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.

“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’" ~Matthew 25:34-40~

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,

The Fruit of the womb is a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

So are the children of one's youth.

Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;

They shall not be ashamed.

But shall speak with their enemies in the gates."

~Psalm 127:3-5

"And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."
~Colossians 3:17~

What is happening to our churches?

2010-07-30T22:11:00.000-07:00

Segregation from Leclerc Brothers Motion Pictures on Vimeo.

This is a serious problem that I also have seen happen over and over again as well. It's time to change the way we teach, raise and train our children. The time is now! We are not of this world, just in it and it is time to stop trying to appeal to the world ("...Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." James 4:4) and to start to "Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6
Now is the time to change our churches before more of our children go astray because of the worldly views that we have allowed to grow in our churches. Let us not look back in 5, maybe 10 years to see the very name of Christendom a laugh and considered not but another religion by our very own children! Something they deride and reject as foolish childish stories!

Parents, Pastors, Elders,

The Time Is Now!

Don't wait until tomorrow for tomorrow never comes. We have but a moment on this earth to do God's will, let us not loose our children to the world through our own laziness.

"Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord! Who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed."

Psalm 112:1-2
"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has a quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate."

Psalm 127:3-5
May what David stated be something we can be proud to claim as true with our families as well!

What Is The World To Me? By Georg M. Pfefferkorn

2010-07-17T15:42:00.000-07:00

VS.

What is the world to me,
With all its vaunted pleasure
When Thou, and Thou alone,
Lord Jesus, art my Treasure!
Thou only, dearest Lord,
My soul’s Delight shalt be;
Thou art my Peace, my Rest—
What is the world to me?

"Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
My body also will rest secure...
You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand."
Psalm 16:9, 11

The world is like a cloud
And like a vapor fleeting,
A shadow that declines,
Swift to its end retreating.
My Jesus doth abide,
Though all things fade and flee;
My everlasting Rock—
What is the world to me?

"Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
And look on the earth beneath.
For the heavens will vanish away like smoke,
The earth will grow old like a garment,
And those who dwell in it will die in like manner;
But My salvation will be forever,
And My righteousness will not be abolished."
Isaiah 51:6

The world seeks to be praised
And honored by the mighty,
Yet never once reflects
That they are frail and flighty.
But what I truly prize
Above all things is He,
My Jesus, He alone—
What is the world to me?

"All flesh is grass,
And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever."
Isaiah 40:6-8

The world seeks after wealth
And all that Mammon offers,
Yet never is content
Though gold should fill it coffers.
I have a higher good,
Content with it I’ll be:
My Jesus is my Wealth—
What is the world to me?

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Matthew 6:19-21

The world is sorely grieved
Whenever it is slighted
Or when its hollow fame
And honor have been blighted.
Christ, Thy reproach I bear
Long as it pleaseth Thee;
I’m honored by my Lord—
What is the world to me?

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."
John 15:18-19

The world with wanton pride
Exalts its sinful pleasures
And for them foolishly
Gives up the heavenly treasures.
Let others love the world
With all its vanity;
I love the Lord, my God—
What is the world to me?

"But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them."
Hebrews 11:13

The world abideth not;
Lo, like a flash ’twill vanish;
With all it gorgeous pomp
Pale death it cannot banish;
Its riches pass away,
And all its joys must flee;
But Jesus doth abide—
What is the world to me?

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever."
1 John 2:15-17

What is the world to me?
My Jesus is my Treasure,
My Life, my Health, my Wealth,
My Friend, my Love, my Pleasure,
My Joy, my Crown, my All,
My Bliss eternally.
Once more, then, I declare—
What is the world to me?

"Truly my soul silently waits for God;
From Him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be greatly moved."
Psalm 62:1-2

"He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen."
1 Timothy 6:11

The First Blast of the trumpet Against The Monstrous Regiment of Women

2010-06-18T00:33:00.000-07:00

This is a must see for everyone who thinks being feminine is just looking it or even if you don't see anything wrong with women being in authority over men! This DVD explains the problems with today's thoughts on equality and women's right to do as men do. Watch and see the disaster that us women have created by acting and believing in such a way as to destroy the very things that God puts highest of all...

'The 16th century reformer John Knox wrote his famous tract "The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women" to oppose a notorious European female tyrant who sought to stamp out biblical Christianity in his beloved Scotland. Today, the feminists are our monstrous regiment! This film calls women back to a life filled with joy and beauty that can only be found by following God's Word.'

"Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."

1 Peter 3:3-4

"...in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve."

1 Timothy 2:9-13

"Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything."

Ephesians 5:22-24

"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 complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Our Sword and Our Guide

2010-06-17T23:36:00.000-07:00

There is a wonderful blog that posts quotes daily of J. C. Ryle:
jcrylequotes.com

Here is one of the most recent postes. It is a wonderful reminder for us Christians to be steadfast in the Word lest we stumble or loose our way....

"We must to be diligent readers of our Bibles. The Word is the sword of the Spirit. We shall never fight a good fight, if we do not use it as our principal weapon. The Word is the lamp for our feet. We shall never keep the king’s highway to heaven, if we do not journey by its light. There is not enough Bible-reading among us. It is not sufficient to have the Book. We must actually read it, and pray over it ourselves. It will do us no good, if it only lies still in our houses. We must be actually familiar with its contents, and have its texts stored in our memories and minds. Knowledge of the Bible never comes by intuition. It can only be obtained by diligent, regular, daily, attentive, wakeful reading."

Oh, that we be as David in Psalm 119:10-16,

"With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!

Your word I have hidden in my heart,

That I might not sin against You.

Blessed are You, O Lord!

Teach me Your statutes.

With my lips I have declared

All the judgments of Your mouth.

I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,

As much as in all riches.

I will meditate on Your precepts,

And contemplate Your ways.

I will delight myself in Your statutes;

I will not forget Your word."

God's Creation Shown in Architecture

2010-03-22T13:22:00.000-07:00

I found this wonderful article in one the Answers magazines. I thought you would enjoy the amazing handy work of our Creator as well as all the history this article contains. If you don't get the Answers in Genesis magazine I strongly encourage you to order them. They are full of wonderful discoveries as well as in-depth information on God's creation.

One Leg Up On Architects

By Don DeYoung

When it was completed in 1889, the Eiffel Tower was hailed as a marvel of man’s engineering. But its basic design was actually borrowed from the work of an ancient designer – the Creator, who engineered the human femur.

To show off the latest advances in technology, France hosted a world’s fair in Paris in 1889. Organizers held a competition among architects to propose daring new structures to commemorate the grand event. One French engineer, Gustave Eiffel, went to an unusual source for new design man anatomy, Herman con Meyer.[1]

In the 1850s, Meyer had studied the human femur, or thighbone, which connects to the hip. This bone, the largest in our body, has an unusual off-center ball joint that fits into the hip socket. For strength, the bone’s curved head has many internal bone fibers, called trabeculae. These bone fibers crisscross each other in layers and are precisely aligned to withstand the varying forces of tension and compression. As a result of this ingenious design, the femur efficiently supports and transfers the off-center weight of the person. The femur’s ball joint may look awkward, but it functions superbly for a lifetime of movement unless bone disease interferes.

Swiss engineer Karl Cullman later generated mathematical models of the femur design.[2] In the late 1860s he noted that the trabeculae fibers closely resembled the struts and braces used in buildings. Architect Eiffel then took these ideas and designed his famous Eiffel Tower, the tallest structure in the world at that time, to be built with a minimum amount of iron for maximum strength. The outward flares at the base of the tower resemble the upper curved portion of the femur. The internal wrought-iron braces used in the tower closely follow the design of trabeculae within the femur.

In the early 1860s, engineers realized that the human femur is made up of mathematically precise, crisscrossed patterns of fiber (called trabeculae) that reduce the bone's weight while giving it maximum strength against multiple forces. This exquisite design inspired the architect who designed the Eiffel Tower.

The Eiffel Tower has been a Paris Landmark for over century. Including its antennas, the tower reaches a height of 1,063 feet (324 m), or 81 stories. The tower marked the entrance to the 1889 exhibition and was originally built as a temporary structure. Competing architects scoffed at the tower, calling it an eyesore and prediction that it would collapse under its own weight. However, it remains today, over a century later, a Paris landmark. It is the destination of millions of tourists annually.

The Eiffel Tower today is considered a work of art. A true marvel of human engineering, its elegant design was originally based on God’s design of the human body. As Psalm 139:14 declares, "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well."
[3]

Dr. Don DeYoung is chairman of physical science at Grace College, Winona Lake, Indiana. He is an active speaker for AiG and has written 14 books on Bible-science topics. Dr. DeYoung is currently president of the Creation Research Society with hundreds of members worldwide.

[1] P. Forbes, The Gecko’s Foot: Bio-Inspiration (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2006), p. 208

[2] D. W. Thompson, On Growth and Form, edited by J. T. Bonner, first published in 1917 (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1961).

[3] Answers Magazine Oct. – Dec. 2009 p.58-59 written by Dr. Don DeYoung

Glass Music

2010-03-16T22:14:00.000-07:00

Meet A New Member Of Our Family

2010-02-12T11:07:00.000-08:00

This is Sherlock our new puppy!

The story of how we got him might seem a bit crazy but after all you are talking about the Bryan family!

The story begins with Patches's death in December. After that our other dog Samuel has been very lonely. So in January we started looking for a dog to keep him company. After a month of looking (half heartedly at times) mom found a pup of about 10 months old. He is half Whippet and half Australian Shepherd. Kind of an odd combination I know but we fell in love with his photo and his price... free!

Then we looked at where he lived, Goldendale, WA. Where? Well, we where wondering the same thing. So we googled it and found out that it was in Eastern Washington almost to the Colombia River. About a good 4 hour drive for us! Now at this point you would think, "oh, well" and start looking else where. After all there's lots of puppies out there!

Well, we did find two other dogs that were in our area but one owner didn't answer and the other was going to get back to us later that day. So mom called the person in Goldendale to see if the puppy was still available. He was and all the arrangements to pick him up the next day were set.

We were all excited and called dad at work. The planning and packing for the following days trip.

We made a few bathroom brakes on the way back...

Samuel and Sherlock are getting along fine but Sam just doesn't know how to play.

Not more then a half hour after we told dad about the new dog the phone rings. It's the gal calling us back about her dog, a cute two year old purebred Border Collie and guess what? She was also free. So after a long talk in which she told my mom how little time she has had to spend with the dog and the small yard she was in, she asked my mom how much room we had. "We have 5 acres." Well an enthusiastic "really!!" was heard over the line and we were hooked.

So tomorrow we go to pick up our third dog. The Border Collie is a girl and will need to be fixed but right now we just need to figure out where we are going to keep all these dogs!

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into a "normal" week in the Bryan Family. Nothing ever seems to get dull around here.

I hope to post pictures of our third dog soon!

A Forgotten Word - It's Meaning

2010-02-12T10:20:00.000-08:00

So what is vampyrarchy? All of you had some very interesting answers and not that far off.

Here is the definition...

"Derisive description from the 1820s for a parasitic group of politicians."

That's right even back in the early 1800s they had names for money "sucking" politician!

King Solomon said it well when he said, "nothing is new under the sun." (Ecclesiates)

I hope to have some other long forgotten words for you in the near future so stay tune!

A Forgotten Word

2010-02-06T11:15:00.000-08:00

Can you tell me what this word means or what you think it means? I have but one rule, no researching! That includes the internet!

I'll give you all until February 10th to think up some hopefully interesting ideas!

Route 66 Skirt Pattern Giveaway!

2010-02-06T10:33:00.000-08:00

Yes that's right! Check out Femininefarmgirl.blogspot.com and enter to win a free Route 66 Skirt Pattern! This offer ends on Monday the 5th of February, so enter now!

Check out other clothing found at:

http://www.mariemadelinestudio.net/

What a Queen Had To Say On The Matter...

2010-01-12T16:16:00.000-08:00

I hope you all enjoy this quote from Queen Victoria of England back in 1870. After reading this I wished I could have talked with her! What a woman!

" I am most anxious to enlist everyone who can speak or write to join in checking this mad, wicked folly of 'Women's Rights', with all its attendant horrors, on which her poor feeble sex is bent, forgetting every sense of womanly feelings and propriety. Feminists ought to get a good whipping. Were woman to 'unsex' themselves by claiming equality with men, they would become the most hateful, heathen and disgusting of beings and would surely perish without male protection. I love peace and quiet, I hate politics and turmoil. We women are not made for governing, and if we are good women, we must dislike these masculine occupations. There are times which force one to take interest in them, and I do, of course intensely"

Queen Victoria 1870

Celebration of God's Mercy and Forgiveness

2009-12-24T21:56:00.000-08:00

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it...

He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

John 1:1-5,11-13

His Wounds, Our Cure

Matthew Hale

The Prince of Darkness, flushed with vict'ry

In our first parents' first apostasy,

Usurped a lawless sovereignty on man,

Revolted thus from his first Sovereign.

And though by that apostasy he found,

Under the chains of death, his vassal bound,

Yet to secure his empire, he overspread

The world with darkness, and thereby did lead

His captives as he please. Thus he bears

His rule usurped near four thousand years;

Except some small confined plantation,

within a family or nation.

But now to put a period to this reign

Of this usurper, and reduce again

Man to his just subjection, 'tis decreed

That man from this subjection shall be freed.

And this not by the absolute command

Of an immediate pow'r, nor shall the bands

Of angels, glorious hosts, engaged be

To rescue man from this captivity.

But God an unsuspected means intends,

And yet most suitable unto this end.

Sin stained our nature, and the serpent's wile

Did man of innocence and life beguile;

By man his head is crushed; the lawful Lord

Unto His creature man to his life restored;

A virgin's Son is born; this rising sun

The world's enthralling darkness overruns.

A Child to us is born, whose innocence

Our nature's spot and stain doth purge and cleanse;

His wounds, our cure; His bonds, our liberty;

His death becomes our life, our victory.

"But made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord."

Philippians 2:7-11

Puritan Poetry

2009-12-15T10:15:00.000-08:00

The Puritans have been poorly portrayed as stern, legalistic, and in general an over bearing group. But in reality a more God honoring people there never was. The poetry that came from them is amazing! I was lent this book for some research and found it to be treasure trove!

Here is a couple of poems that show how fully they trusted in God as their Lord and Master. I hope these poems inspire you to look more fully to God as the merciful, gracious Saviour that He is.

Election - Sovereign and Free

Behold the potter and the clay,

He forms His vessels as He please;

Such is our God, and such are we,

The subjects of His high decrees.

Doth not the workman's power extend

Over all the mass, which part to choose

And mold it for a nobler end,

And which to leave for viler use?

May not the sovereign Lord on high

Dispense His favors as He will,

choose some to life, while others die,

And yet be just and gracious still?

What if , to make His terror known,

He lets His patience long endure,

Suff'ring vile rebels to go on,

And seal their own destruction sure?

What if He means to show His grace,

And His electing love employs

To mark out some of mortal race,

And form them fit for heav'nly joys?

Shall man rely against the Lord,

And call his Maker's ways unjust,

The thunder of whose dreadful word

Can crush a thousand worlds to dust?

But, O my soul, if truths so bright

Should dazzle and confound thy sight,

Yet still His written will obey,

And wait the great decisive day.

Then shall He make His justice known,

And the whole world before His throne

With joy or terror shall confess

The glory of His righteousness.

Isaac Watts

From The Psalms and Hymns of Isaac Watts

The Glorious Gospel of the Blessed God

What wisdom, majesty, and grace,

Through all the gospel shine!

'Tis God that speaks, and we confess

The doctrine most divine.

Down from His starry throne on high,

The almighty Savior comes;

Lays His bright robes of glory by,

And feeble flesh assumes.

The mighty debt that sinners owed,

Upon the cross He pays;

Then through the clouds ascends to God,

'Mid shouts of loftiest praise.

There He, our great High Priest, appears

Before His Father's throne;

Mingles His merits with our tears,

And pours salvation down.

Great God, with reverence we adore

Thy justice and Thy grace;

And on Thy faithfulness and pow'r

Our firm dependence place.

Samuel Stennett

From The Works of Samuel Stennett, D.D.

Patches

2009-12-14T19:51:00.000-08:00

Our beloved pet Patches died early this morning at the ripe old age of 13. She was my brother's first dog and my dad's little girl.

We got her when she was almost a year old back in 1996. She was very energetic and always talking!

Here are some pictures of Patches through out her life with us...

Our first year with her...

Our first hike...

Her favorite game was holding a stick or even more impressive a tennis ball in her paws while laying on her back. Then with an expert aim she would drop it right into her mouth.

She was a wonderful dog and we're all going to miss her.

Our Very First Egg!

2009-12-07T14:38:00.000-08:00

One of our Silver Lace Wyandottes just laid her very first egg! Hopefully the rest will follow her lead and start laying. This is our first time owning chickens so finding your first egg is REALLY exciting! I guess the first eggs are always small so at first mom didn't even see the egg. Hopefully, they will start producing larger eggs soon! 'Tis a brave chicken that will lay in only 18 degree weather! I hope to post more on our chicken project soon!

I'm Selling My Horse

2009-11-29T21:57:00.000-08:00

$700 OBO

To good home with good pasture land only. Polish Arabian Mare, 26 yrs. grey with pedigree and titles.

Great with little children!

She really needs a place where people will ride her and give her good exercise. A good beginner/intermediate horse with lots of spunk! She has had a lot of different training through out the years; from jumping and English riding as a young thing, to a therapy horse for handicap children and trail riding, to just riding to and from an arena and in fields.

Ashley is an easy keeper if she has grass to eat and maybe even another horse to keep her company. She has never worn shoes and just needs a simple trim once ever two – three months.

She comes with all the things you’ll need to get started. Everything has been kept in good condition:

A synthetic western saddle only two yrs. Top of the line.

Two saddle blankets well kept

Bridle w/bit

Two horse blankets;

One light weight

One winter blanket

A halter

A nearly new adjustable helmet

A lunging line in great condition.

Lunging whip in great condition

Washing tools

Tool box

Up to-date on vaccinations

Hoof picks

Curry comb

Hard brush

Main & tail comb

Salt block

Hay rack

Equine antiseptic spray

Hoof conditioner

Fly spray

Fly mask

and Tack room hangers

If you are interested please leave a comment on my blog with your e-mail and questions and I will reply via e-mail.