AR blog

The time has come!

2010-06-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

Hi there!

I've switched to Wordpress.com....yes. I finally did it!

So here's the new blog:

www.abigailrosy.wordpress.com

Hope to see y'all there! :)

Etsy finds! :)

2010-04-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

Here are some random things I saw on Esty.com just right now...

Alphabet Letter Tiles in bright colors

This Dress

This hat

These really amazing reusable sandwich bags

Chocolate Cake, anyone?

2010-04-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was reading this fantastic cookbook that has brought me much joy(it contains my all-time favorite truffle recipe, which I'll have to share with you once I get some more chocolate). And guess what I found??

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE!!! :)

It contains no gluten and sugar. I find that a lot of chocolate cakes can be really dry(Like, it clogs up your throat unless you soak it in milk. Overnight. Ick.), especially if they're healthy.

Well, as you might know, I am eating gluten-free because I've had joint problems for a few years. And eating gluten-free holds symptoms at bay if one has anklosing spondylitis(arthritis that affects the back, arms, hands, feet, etc). I also got my blood tested and found out that I have an extreme deficiency in Vitamin D(my level was 54, it's supposed to be about 250)- and the result of Vit. D deficiency is joint pain, among other things. So that's probably much of the reason, but because I was getting results with eating gluten-free as well, I decided to keep going with that just in case.

Anyways, I got a bit off-track there. Where was I? So. I'm eating gluten-free, and also sugar-free because, well, sugar is pretty much poison. haha :)

And this cake is JUST perfect! It makes me happy. :)

So, without further ado, as you requested, my friends, here is the recipe!

Flourless Chocolate Cake(Gluten-free, sugar-free)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

8 ounces(squares) unsweetened chocolate, chopped into small pieces

5 large eggs, separated

Pinch of sea salt

1 cup light(or blue, or amber) agave nectar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Lightly butter or oil a 10-inch round cake pan.

2. Place the butter and chocolate in a double boiler and melt over lightly simmering water, or in a saucepan. Stir well to melt the chocolate completely(but don't burn!)

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, salt, 3/4 cup of the agave nectar, and the vanilla extract. Set aside.

4. With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 1-2 minutes. Gradually drizzle in the remaining 1/4 cup of agave nectar and continue to beat the egg whites until stiff and glossy, but not dry, approximately 1-2 minutes.

5. Stir the egg yolk mixture into the chocolate mixture, then gently fold the egg white mixture into the chocolate, until no white streaks remain.

6. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 75 minutes(1 hr 15 min), until cake is set. Remove from the oven and turn out the cake onto a large plate. Carefully invert again onto a cooling rack so that the top side is up. Cool until just warm. Slide the cake onto a serving plate using 2 large spatulas.

7. Serve warm with any combination of sauce*, whipped cream**, and ice cream.

*Hot Fudge Sauce(Gluten-free, can be vegan)

3/4 cup light/blue/amber agave nectar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

2 tbsp unsalted butter(or substitute)

1/3 cup heavy cream(or substitute)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a small saucepan, bring the agave nectar to a boil. Decrease heat to medium and simmer for 2 minutes. 2. Stir in the water.

3. Return to a boil and add the cocoa powder. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

4. Add the unsweetened chocolate, butter, and cream and bring back to a boil.

5. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

This sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks; to serve, just warm in a saucepan on low(or microwave for 1 minute), stir well, and serve.

**Agave Nectar Whipped Cream(Gluten free, too!)

2 cups heavy cream

5 tbsp light/blue/amber agave nectar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Pinch of sea salt

1. Beat all ingredients with mixer until stiff peaks form, approximately 2-3 minutes. Can be stored in fridge for 2-3 days.

Tip: My Gram often adds cream of tartar to her whipped cream, to thicken it.

I was going to try the fudge sauce and whipped cream, but I didn't have enough unsweetened chocolate, and I didn't know that we had cream. So...if you try it, can you let me know how it turns out? Thanks! :)

Nothing but the Blood of Jesus

2010-04-02T12:05:00.000-07:00

This Friday we remember the day upon which the Blood of the Lamb of God was spilled, poured out for the forgiveness of our sins. When we come to know the Lord and confess His Lordship over us, we are washed in the blood of the Risen King- Jesus. His blood washes us from all iniquity- and because we are covered in the blood of Jesus, we are justified, redeemed, and passed over. We are cleansed from our inherited sinful nature.

"And the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt."

-Exodus 12:13

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; Whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His Blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed."

-Romans 3:23-25

"for this is My Blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins."

-Matthew 26:28

"In Him we have redemption through His Blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us."

-Ephesians 1:7-8a

"And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."

-Hebrews 9:22

"knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the Blood of Christ."

-1 Peter 1:19

"The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean, sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more then will the Blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God?"

-Hebrews 9:13-14

Oh, praise the Lord for His unmerited love and grace towards us!

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

For my pardon, this I see,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
For my cleansing this my plea,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Nothing can for sin atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

This is all my hope and peace,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
This is all my righteousness,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Now by this I’ll overcome—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus,
Now by this I’ll reach my home—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Glory! Glory! This I sing—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus,
All my praise for this I bring—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

If you were at our house tonight, this is what you'd be served.

2010-03-20T19:15:00.000-07:00

Creamy Alfredo(this is a favorite of ours- and it's vegan too!)

1/2 cup raw cashews
1 tbsp unbleached white flour
1 tbsp all-vegetable chicken-flavored boullion
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder(we never put this in because we never have it/can't find it)
1 1/4 cups water
1 tsp basil

1. Pour cashews, flour, seasoning, onion powder, and salt into blender/food processor. Add water and blend until creamy.
2. Pour blended mixture into saucepan and bring to a slow boil.
3. Add basil and remove from heat.
4. Ladle over cooked noodles(fettuccine, etc) or serve with steamed broccoli pieces. You can top with white cheddar cheese if you so desire.

Salmon
1. Prepare your salmon.
2. Slather butter on it- generously.
3. Sprinkle brown sugar all over.
4. Shake dry mustard on top
5. Squeeze lemon juice over all.

OR, after butter, cover the salmon with onion slices. We sometimes do half the salmon with the brown sugar/mustard stuff, and half with the onions.

Anyway, I'm in a food-making mood so I expect you'll be seeing more recipes on here.

Greek Salad

2010-03-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

Salad:
-1 Tomato
-1 cucumber
-A bunch of fresh sprouts
-A handful of fresh, organic olives
-Feta cheese, however much you like

Dressing:
-1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
-1/8 cup cold-pressed olive oil
-A couple shakes of oregano
-Garlic, to taste

Mix...and eat! Quick and easy!
(Makes enough for two servings)

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

2010-03-16T22:29:00.000-07:00

What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.

O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
O how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

"There is none like the God of Israel, Who rides the heavens to your help,

And through the skies in His majesty.

The eternal God is a dwelling place,

And underneath are the everlasting arms;

As He drove out the enemy from before you..."

-Deuteronomy 33:26-27

Provision and Protection Essay Contest Winners Announced!

2010-03-03T20:53:00.000-08:00

Over at Vision Forum, they've announced the winners of the writing contest!

Here is my favorite essay, which won honorable mention.

So...if you so desire, why don't you check it out? :)

Have a good day!

Happy Valentines Day! :)

2010-02-14T18:55:00.000-08:00

Bless you with a happy day resting in the Father's vast, immeasurable, love for us!

Click to view "Love is Here" by 10th Avenue North

"See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him."

- 1 John 3:1

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God."

- 1 John 4:7

picture from:
http://vanessaleighsblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/the-power-of-the-cross.jpg

Decreasing...

2010-01-23T19:04:00.000-08:00

Often when I read John’s Gospel, there’s one verse that jumps out at me. It’s found in chapter three, verse thirty:

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”

This time, instead of just admiring it and leaving it to it’s own self, I decided to study it.

Decrease is defined in Webster’s 1828 dictionary* as:

“DECREASE, v.i. [L. To grow.] To become less; to be diminished gradually, in extent, bulk, quantity, or amount, or in strength, quality, or excellence; as, the days decrease in length from June to December.

He must increase, but I must decrease. John iii.

DECREASE, v.t. To lessen; to make smaller in dimensions, amount, quality or excellence, &c; to diminish gradually or by small deductions; as, extravagance decreases the means of charity; every payment decreases a debt; intemperance decreases the strength and powers of life.” (Italics mine)

Lets look at some of these points. Decrease means to:

-become less,

-be diminished

-lessen

-made smaller in...excellence

The first step to take in our journey of decreasing ourselves and increasing Him(Jesus) is to look at the Lord.

When we turn our eyes from looking at ourselves, to looking up at the Lord, any supposed greatness in our lives pales. We see how great He is, how amazing, how majestic, how much more He is than we are.

Isaiah found this out:

“And one called out to another and said ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory. And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.

“Then I said, ‘Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”**

Calvin says in his Institutes:

“It is evident that man never attains to a true self-knowledge until he has previously contemplated the face of God, and come down after such contemplation to look into himself.”

Once we have looked on God’s glory, we cannot think ourselves to be glorious or worthy of fame and honour. The example is told of a man standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon, staring out into that great creation, and then, folly of follies, sticking out his chest and declaring, “Look at me! How amazing I am! How lofty! How great!”

It’s just too ludicrous- we cannot, in our right mind, after beholding the Lord’s goodness, faithfulness, glory, and majesty, stand in awe of anything but Him.

C.J.Mahoney, in his book Humility (which I highly recommend), suggests that every time we are prideful, we lift ourselves up against God and say that we are greater, more important, etc. That is definitely not decreasing and lessening ourselves!

When we are in the process of decreasing, we increase Him. As less and less of me is left, more and more of Him is in me and my life. “You cannot serve two masters,” says Jesus, and although He was referring to money, the same can be applied in our study of John 3:30- I cannot serve myself and God at the same time. Someone must defer. And it cannot be God. It must be me!

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,” -1 Peter 5:6

*if you can’t afford to buy Webster’s 1828 dictionary, like me, you can still use it- check outwww.1828-dictionary.com - yay internet!

**Isaiah 6:3-5

God bless!

Abbie :)

Daydreaming(and the dangers thereof)

2009-11-26T14:09:00.000-08:00

painting by Morisot, from www.dl.ket.org/.../morisot.julie-dreaming.jpg

I just read an article on emotional purity by Brooke Wayne . Here is the beginning paragraphs that I thought were particularly good:

"The dream of a prince coming at last to ask your father for your hand in marriage holds a mixture of yearnings, hopes, and trepidation (as the possibility might seem so slim) and these dreams can almost be intoxicating for young women. In that time of youth before marriage, hopes of that romantic relationship can be so strong that many young women begin spending time—in fact, great quantities of time—thinking and dreaming about their “prince,” just who he will be, or what he will be like, or how he will come. At surface glance, these daydreams might seem harmless enough, but sadly, they are often tearing down the young woman’s strength to remain emotionally pure, and in fact, could be pictured as the pretty flower beds leading down the wrong path of romantic loves outside of marriage.

What is this concept of emotional purity? It is reserving the affections of romance, not giving your heart and thoughts over to another to whom you are not married (or committed to marry). It is living in each aspect of your personal and private thought life—your dreams, hopes, thoughts, eyes, conversation, with the utmost of purity before the Lord. As 1 Timothy 5:2 indicates for the young men to treat the young women as sisters, the young women should treat the young men as brothers, not as possible romantic pursuits, even if only in the mind."

Guarding of the heart and mind is a day-to-day thing...it is NOT easy. I don't think it ever(the path is narrow that leads to life)is...
But know this: God is bigger than our weaknesses. With Him nothing is impossible- and He has given us His Holy Spirit to help us! Isn't He so good to us?!! :)

Philippians 4:7-8,
Matthew 5:8,
Psalm 46:1,
John 14:16

God bless!

Happily Ever After?

2009-11-11T09:31:00.001-08:00

I just read an excellent, thought-provoking article by Steve Riddell on his blog. Mr Riddell talks of the Disney cliche "and they lived happily ever after"- but he challenges us with the thought that perhaps the purpose of marriage isn't to make us happy, but holy.

And how true it is! If the purpose of marriage, according to God's word, was to make us happy, then I think it would be perfectly fine to find a new spouse whenever you get tired of your present spouse. However, the Scriptures tell us differently... but, have no fear- I won't ruin it for you, read the article yourself.

May God bless your week!

Some thoughts.....

2009-10-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

Occasionally I like to do an assignment from a program called Polished Cornerstones. I don't know if you've heard of it before, but I highly recommend it. It's a study on what the Bible says about women, etc.

Anyway, my Polished Cornerstones assignment today was to study the Proverbs 31 woman. One of the categories was what that chapter says about her relationship with her husband.

I kind of expanded on it, taking what I found and drawing from other sources in the Bible.

She does him good and not evil all the days of her life- BEFORE and AFTER marriage. She prepares for marriage by praying for him, by not obsessing about who he may be and when he may come, by keeping her body and mind pure, etc.
He trusts her -She guards their relationship, as a keeper of the home; He will have no need of spoil because she guards their money carefully; He has no lack of gain; She guards their time, her mouth, and he can trust that she will follow him and won't argue with or shut down everything he suggests or says!
She is a woman who fears the Lord- and as a result, so that the Word of God(Jesus) is not dishonored, she submits to and follows her husband in the Lord. She is a keeper of the home and loves her children, too. Her home and family is her major priority.
Her husband is seen in the gates- she promotes and builds him up; helping him to advance God's domain. She is not seeking places of leadership in the gates, etc, instead, she supports her husband in all God has called him to do and be. As she does that, she is being what God has called her to be. :) She encourages him, helps him, and builds him up. As a result, her works praise her in the gates. Behind every great man is a praying/supporting woman.
Her husband praises her and acclaims her. God knew it was not good for him to be alone- her husband needs her, loves her, protects her, and cherishes her!

More to come!

God bless,

Abbie :)

[Edit: Okay...so I haven't posted the "more to come." that's because I got sidetracked! SOOO...just so you know. Thanks for reading!]

Applesauce

2009-10-10T12:50:00.000-07:00

Yummm....fresh applesauce!
It was so easy to make:

Juice apples in Champion juicer without strainer.
Put product(applesauce) into a bowl and eat!
For a bit more flavor and sweetness, drizzle with raw agave nectar and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Random News

2009-10-03T10:27:00.000-07:00

It's been such a long time since I've written anything! My apologies :)
Just thought I'd give you a headsup on what we've been doing lately. Here's a recent family photo for your enjoyment.

Dad and the boys have been hard at work on our *new-to-us house* and are making it look soooo beautiful. :) When we move in, I will try to post before and after pictures!
In the beginning(or middle?) of August I developed carpal tunnel and tennis elbow from my violin playing so haven't been able to play since then...God must have something else for me to do right now, I can only figure. Hopefully, Lord willing, I will be able to pick up the violin again sometime this month. Or next.
Mum and I have been researching healthier eating habits and I'll try to post something on that too. We've been trying to cut out most meat, sugar, and processed foods.
Oh, and we made a HUGE book order which I am really excited about :) Books ordered include ones by Martin Luther, George Meuller, John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, Saint Augustine, R.C. Sproul, and some fiction by A.A.Milne, Sir Arthur Conan Dyle, Baroness Orczy, and Charles Dickens, to name a few!

So anyway, there's some random news about our family.
God's blessings and peace!
Abbie

The Lord is Good!

2009-08-23T14:45:00.001-07:00

Aren't we so blessed with the King of Kings, Who reigns and rules supreme and sovereign over the universe, but Who also loves and cherishes us and desires for us to have a joyful relationship with Him? :)

Have you ever desired an older brother? I have for a while now. I have several friends who have older brothers, and watching them and their interactions, I just SO want an older brother! (Don't get me wrong- I reeeeaaaally love my younger brothers!!)
Then just the other day my Mum reminded me of the wonderful, amazing fact that Jesus is our older brother!

One of my greatest desires is to be a wife and mother. Of course with that desire comes the great temptation(and giving in to temptation) to obsess over being a wife especially. Another amazing fact: Jesus is our husband! How precious and wonderful! He is my lover, my protector- thank You Jesus!

Recently I was quite a disheartening situation with some friends- and God, through my mother(as He often speaks to me, through my parents) reminded me of His wonderful love for me and that He is my friend. How wonderful!

And lastly(but definitely not least!) He is our father! Whenever we may be having hard times with our earthly fathers we can run to our Heavenly Father.

I just wanted to share this with you because God has been showing it to me lately. It is so important to be wholly satisfied with the Lord and trusting in Him- because if we're not satisfied with Him and Him only, we will never be truly joyful and satisfied. I love to think of being satisfied as the warm, rosy cheeks of a baby after nursing. So satisfied and full! This is the wonderful, blissful satisfaction that Jesus gives us when we trust in Him and lean fully on Him.
We cannot be look to man(whether in form of a husband, friend, sibling, or father) to provide this satisfaction, safety, or joy- because they are human, and to put such unrealistic expectations(that they would be able to fill our needs) is wrong...God is the only one that will ever be able to fully satisfy us and give us wonderful contentment!

Praise the Lord!

Love,
Abbie

P.S. Keilah E has started a blog called 101 Days of Praise. I encourage you to visit it!

Photo Tag!

2009-07-18T13:35:00.000-07:00

Okay...Keilah tagged me, so here I go!
I have to post the sixth picture in my sixth photo folder. Here it is:
It's my Dad, signing the papers for our new house! :)

The Pearl of Great Worth

2009-06-26T18:29:00.000-07:00

Some of you may be wondering if perhaps you've come to the wrong blog, but you haven't(unless, of course, you weren't looking for Becoming Proverbs 31 in the first place).
The reason for my blog-name-change is, well, I've been thinking. And what I've been thinking is there is a lot more to Biblical womanhood than just Proverbs 31. So, now, the focus of this blog is seeking God's Kingdom in every area of life. Not simply seeking to be like the Proverbs 31 woman, but totally forsaking all the world may have to offer to purchase the Pearl of Great Worth(one of Jesus' parables).
Now you know! :)

God bless!

Modest Clothing...

2009-02-03T14:14:00.000-08:00

I have found some (new to me) modest clothing places!

Here they are- enjoy!

http://koshercasual.com/ (Jewish, I think)

http://www.junees.com/

http://www.diviinemodestee.com/ (I think this might be Mormon)

http://www.hannahlise.com/

http://www.limericki.com/ (not all of this is modest)

http://www.jenclothing.com/ (definitely Mormon)

http://www.shadeclothing.com/?utm_source=affiliate2&utm_campaign=affiliate

http://www.mikarose.com/

http://www.vintagehem.com/ (slips that lengthen your skirts' lengths)

http://www.greatlengthsshorts.com/

http://www.makeitmodest.com/onlinestore/scripts/default.asp?idaff=86

http://www.tznius.com/ (Jewish, I think? Nice dresses)

http://www.liliesapparel.com/ (some nice dresses)

http://www.modestworld.com/products.asp?cat=9 (has some nice skirts)

http://www.simplymodest.com/ (really inexpensive!!)

http://www.christa-taylor.com/

There's a few for you. :)

A Request

2009-02-02T12:32:00.000-08:00

Is there anyone out there who could fulfill my requests? I'm looking for as many as possible...so tell your friends and family please!
I need...

1. Fairly short answers to these questions:
Why do you want to be a wife and mother?
What do you love most about your father?
What do you love most about your mother?
What do you love most about your brother(s) and/or sister(s)?

2. Photos of:
Joyful siblings together
Father/Daughter
Mother/Daughter
Sisters
Little girls together
You doing everyday, productive things :)

So...if you can help me in this way, I'd much appreciate it! Thanks so much.
Blessings!

Oh...please email your pictures or answers to:

weightofglory@gmail.com

America

2009-02-02T12:23:00.000-08:00

Well, we're in America! This is our first real family vacation, so we're super excited.
This weekend was spent in Washington. We started out on Thursday morning and spent that night in Maple Ridge with our cousins. Friday we drove into America. At the border we took opportunity for a True Homeschooler Moment(aka THM) and sang 'O Canada' before crossing. That night we spent with a host family from a Household of Faith Church in Seattle. If you don't know what HOFCC is, please check out their website...
www.hofcc.org

These people are so amazingly gracious and hospitable...and have been SUCH blessings! We had such a great time. Under my Blog list you'll find some new blogs... Keilah's Photos and Ophelia's Blog are both from the Seattle area.

Saturday we drove onward to Vancouver WA. On the way we stopped at Krispy Kreme where we saw the donuts being made. Good thing I'd already ate a donut before seeing how they made them, because I doubt I would've after. It was disgusting. So unhealthy! We met some other HOFCC folks who are so sweet too. In fact right now we're staying with a family with four children, and they have had us last night and night prior.

Sunday we went to a HOFCC in Gresham. There I got to meet Christa Taylor(www.christa-taylor.com) and some other girls who were so friendly and welcoming. Sadly I didn't get to meet Mrs. Harris(Gregg Harris' wife), who was there with two of her younger sons.
After shared meal at Gresham, we left to go back to Vancouver WA, where we churched at another HOFCC. It was great, too, and we stayed for the shared meal. Finally we headed back to the Swanson's home(our host family) and spent the evening with them before crashing on our slumberspots.

Some good books I brought along or found here:

A Christian's Secret to a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith
Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss
Be Fruitful and Multiply by Nancy Campbell

Well, so long. Hopefully I'll get some pictures up soon!

Slay or Strength?

2008-10-14T12:49:00.001-07:00

That which doesn’t slay me, strengthens me.

I agree with this statement; please allow me to defend my view.
Let us pretend there are two women. Both are in the same predicament: they are married to drunkards, are weary from ‘living’ in their terribly poor conditions(they both dwell in the slums), and to provide for their children, do laundry for those in better financial circumstances than they.
The first woman, her name being Polly(meaning great sorrow), is a Christian in the sense that she believes in her Lord Jesus, who has saved her from her sins. But, she doesn’t read her Bible often, and knows nothing therefore of her Savior’s plan for His followers- that they have hope! As a result, she is a bitter woman, who despises her husband and his addiction, complains about her children being so terribly burdensome, is always wishing and wishing and wishing for a better life, and who simply longs for the end of her life.
The second woman, allow me to dub her Betha(meaning life), is a Christian who studies her Heavenly Father’s Word. She knows a lot of it by heart, and has found that Jesus came to give her abundant life. She avoids complaining, knowing that it could very well slay her, and drag her down into the deepest of pits, like her poor friend Polly. She pities Polly, because she has such a hard life and always looks so ragged. She loves her children, and is glad she is able to support them and not ill. She avoids looking into the past and future and wishing she could have a better life instead of the one she has- really, her life doesn’t seem so bad compared to those around her.

Both women are going through the same thing, but each has chosen a different way to react to her circumstances. One chose to believe it is a punishment, disgrace, and horror. She wallows in her depths of self-pity and the expansive mud of her shallow dreams. Polly, for it is she we are talking of, does not know her Savior’s true wishes- that she would live an abundant life.
Betha, on the other hand, has laid hold of a great promise we have been given- that Jesus has come to give us life! She believes that the trials she goes through are simply God’s chariots that carry her to the higher places. She knows that although her husband is sinning, his sins are, once they touch her, are God’s will for her life. Betha rejoices in everything, and although her life is hard, the hardships are dimmer in the light of God’s hope, which overshadows her circumstances and gives her strength for each day. Because she has hope and feels like her life is not that terrible, she can help those around her who are even in perhaps the same circumstances.
So you see, that we can let our circumstances slay us or strengthen us by the choices we make- we can believe God’s promises for our lives, or sink far into the wallow of promises broken and dreams dashed.
It is a choice we all have to make sooner or later.

This was a school assignment for a program we're doing by Sonlight, called History of God's Kingdom. I recommend it.

My Heart Belongs to Daddy

2008-10-04T17:40:00.000-07:00


"If I invite a boy some night
to dine on my fine fin and haddie,
I just adore his asking for more,
but my heart belongs to Daddy.

(Chorus:)
Yes my heart belongs to daddy, so I simply couldn't be bad,
yes my heart belongs to Daddy,
Dad dad dad, dad dad dad, da da dad.
So I want to warn you, laddy,
though I know that you're perfectly swell,
that my heart belongs to Daddy,
'cause my daddy - he treats it - so well."

                         -Cole Porter(1938ish)


Does your heart belong to your daddy? There is such safety
and wonder in giving it to him to care for! It is most precious
when a girl entrusts  her heart to her godly father,
who in turn keeps it until the wedding of his daughter-
when her heart is given by her father to her husband.

The Art of Being Cheerful

2008-09-25T21:16:00.000-07:00

A genuine smile never ceases to brighten one’s day. Think of the last time you were flashed a joyful smile, ‘for no reason.’ No doubt it prompted you to smile, too!
What does it mean, this ‘cheerful’ existence? According to Encarta Dictionaries, the word cheerful is 1) happy and optimistic; 2) bright and pleasant...causing people to feel cheerful; and 3) willing and unresentful...complying. WorldBook likewise defines cheerful as being 1) full of cheer; joyful; glad; 2) bringing cheer; pleasant; bright; and 3) willing.
So we know what ‘cheerful’ means. But now the question is: how? How exactly do we be cheerful, pleasant, optimistic, joyful, bright....? How do we go about bringing joy to others?
May I propose to you that, when done through the Holy Spirit and the way the Bible says, being joyful is simple. I must add: note that I said simple, not easy. It is absolutely not easy to rejoice always, as 1 Thessalonians says. Definitely not- but, Biblically, it is very simple. The Word maps it out continually and simply for our reference.
Of course the first step is having our LORD Jesus in our lives, and giving Him control over anything. When we fully surrender every single little bit of our lives, right up to the spiritual state of this world and right down to our morning schedules, we will be most joyful. There is no joy in constantly worrying, moping about wishing for what can’t be. It’s just that simple.
When we are not worrying about the past, present, nor future, we can concentrate on serving Him and bringing His joy and hope to the world. That is another thing that helps us be cheerful- focussing on the hope He has given us, of eternal life with Him! There is truly nothing on earth that can compare with that. That hope overshadows anything in our circumstances!
We also need to abstain from complaining. Or, let me rephrase that accordingly: we must not touch complaining with an one-hundred foot pole! It is perhaps one of the most widely-used tactic that the devil uses to cause us to stumble. When we complain, we drag ourselves down. It brings us low and more prone to being attacked! Philippians 2:14-15 commands, “Do ALL things without grumbling or disputing, that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world...” If we are abstaining from complaining and grumbling, we will be bright- a shining light- in this dark world! Please note that one of the definitions of cheerful is bright. Cheerfulness is a light! It shows the world that being a Christian is not a lifeless, joyless existence. It is life!
Another important point to remember is that self-pity is not godly whatsoever. It is complaining’s mother. Before complaining comes self-pity, and before that comes pride! Pride breeds self-pity because we think to ourselves, I am worth more than this. Or, I don’t deserve this! The fact is, we all deserve worse than we get! For, ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...” Self-pity wonders why we are ill or why it had to happen to us. It questions God’s will. No doubt you have heard of the ‘pity-party.’ That is precisely what the world wants us to have! A pity party in which we focus on ourselves and not those around us, who are in need of a Saviour- our LORD! We wine, we grovel, we complain. We grumble and seep farther and farther into the sticky mud that only God can get us out of. It is related to that ‘Me-ism’ religion the world is encouraging. It’s all about you! You don’t deserve that. And so on.
We must consider ourselves blessed! There is no room for self-pity, complaining, or any of that, when we remember that we are so blessed! Instead of complaining about the fact that we are ‘stuck in this stuffy home all day’ or ‘mocked continuously,’ we should stop and think about those in other countries who would give their right arm to have a roof over their heads, who live in cardboard boxes and who worry about being shot at when they wake in the morning. We should think about those who watch their children starve to death, who have seen their parents murdered before their eyes, who are constantly on the run escaping from those who would seek their deaths. It certainly puts our circumstances into a different perspective! Suddenly we have nothing to complain about. Suddenly we feel ashamed that we would even complain! Note that, however, if we can find nothing to be joyful for, there is always the fact that we are alive. Well, I assume that you are alive if you’re reading this. Take a breath! Feel your pulse! How fortunate, how blessed we are, and how amazing it is that God has given us life! Or if we are dying, how blessed we are that He would want us home to be with Him!
Now we come to the next question: Why would we want to be cheerful? Is there any point to it? Why should we?
Firstly, we are commanded to. James 1:2 says, ‘Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials.’ On the word of Galatians 5:22, ‘...the fruit of the Spirit is...joy...against such things there is no law.’ 1 Thessalonians 5: 16 commands us to, ‘Rejoice always;’ This should be reason enough for us to be cheerful! After all, if our good Lord says to, then we very well should rejoice in everything! And yet He has given us more Biblical reasons to be cheerful.
Secondly, God gives us joy! Isaiah 52:9 declares, ‘Break forth, shout joyfully together, you waste places of Jerusalem; for the LORD has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem.’ He has redeemed us! He has comforted us! He has saved us! What a reason to rejoice! Again in chapter 51 verse 3, we are told, ‘Indeed, the LORD will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places...Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and sound of a melody.’ The LORD is truly our comfort in whatever happens to us! Whatever comes our way, we can rejoice and rest in Him and His comforting arms! Praise Him! Psalms 21:6 also says, ‘For Thou dost make him [the king] most blessed forever; Thou dost make him joyful with gladness in Thy presence.’
Thirdly, cheerfulness brings healing! How amazing! I have found Proverbs 17:22 to be true- for it states, ‘A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.’ Indeed, in illnesses, when I keep a joyful spirit and thank the LORD for His goodness to me and even for the illness I would be experiencing, it has brought healing quicker and even helped me feel better! I repeat, how amazing!
Our fourth question, as we come to it now, is When are we to be cheerful? Why, always, of course! For in Philippians 4:4 we are commanded to, ‘Rejoice in the LORD always; again I will say, rejoice!’ In 1 Thessalonians 5:16, as I already have quoted, we are told, ‘Rejoice always.’ They are strong commands! In Philippians, Paul, who was inspired by God, knew it was an important point, so he emphasized it- Rejoice...again, I will say, rejoice!
Always? Could it be? But yes! Always. What does always include? Well, every second of every minute of every hour of every day of every...and so on and so forth. Does this include the sad times? Some would say not, but that’s quite unlogical! Of course ‘always’ would include the sad times! And they would include the good times! The hard times! The frustrating times! The painful times! The delightful times! The depressing times! The terrifying times! Every little bit of time on this earth that the LORD blesses us with, we are to praise Him! We are to rejoice!
I suppose this calls for another definition- this time, of rejoice. According to Encarta Dictionaries: 1) be happy, and 2) make somebody happy. WorldBook says, 1) to be glad; be filled with joy...and, 2) to be joyful at. So we are to be joyful at every circumstance! We are to be glad and be filled with joy! How wonderful a command! It is ever so much more delightful to rejoice than to complain, and to have joy rather than sorrow!
Here is another query to close with, my friend: Where are we to be cheerful? I guess everywhere! For if we are to rejoice always, that would mean wherever we are!
This means at home- where we perhaps least feel like rejoicing, when there are dirty diapers to clean, or wailing babies to soothe, or screaming children to be gentle with, or school to do, or laundry to do, or people to serve, or fights to calm, or relationships to fix, or any of those other ‘distasteful’ things!
This means at church- where there is perhaps strife, or irritating folks, or dissensions, or people who hate you, or unbiblical principles.
This means at work- where you are perhaps weary of doing it, but it has to be done, or where there are unkind people, or disasters, or unpleasant experiences.
This means during everywhere- where you are hated, or kicked, or hit, or spit upon, or despised, or ignored, or persecuted, or unloved, or rejected, or abandoned, or disregarded, or disrespected.
“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” As Philippians 4: 13 and 19 say, when God gives us a command to do, He supplies for us the grace. He has given us the grace and strength to do this. He supplies all our needs when we obey Him! We cannot dust off this command, to rejoice always, simply because we think we have no grace for it or we have not been convicted. We simply obey!
Our LORD has given us immeasurable hope and love and grace. How wonderful is He who has delivered and redeemed us!
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Give thanks to the God of gods, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.
To Him who alone does great wonders, for His lovingkindness is everlasting...
Who remembered us in our low estate, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.
And has rescued us from our adversaries, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Who gives food to all flesh, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Give thanks to the God of heaven, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Psalm 136

We have been so blessed that our LORD, who reigns over all, would consider and remember us, in our lowliness! What a wonderful reason to be cheerful!

2008-07-25T09:13:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken by my younger brother T, who is an AMAZING photographer and valiant young man of God.
I was busking at my paternal grandparents' garage sale, and we made a fair amount to be donated to some Mexican orphans!

Marriage

2008-07-12T18:24:00.000-07:00

Recently we attended the wedding of a life-long friend and her new husband.
At some portions it made me cry...like when she promised to submit to his leadership, and when he vowed to love her. So Biblical, so unheard of these days! (Ephesians 5, 1 Peter 3)

Marriage is truly, Biblically, sacred.
What God has joined, let no man separate!

Great Birthday Party Activity!

2008-07-12T18:20:00.000-07:00

Sand Jars!

What do you need?
-A Cool Jar for each child
-Colored Sand- we bought ours cheaply at a local have-all bargainy type of store. I think you can make your own, but I don't know how!

Pour sand into jars in layers!

Easy, fun, and takes up about half-an-hour of time at the party.

Blog of Note!

2008-07-12T18:15:00.000-07:00

I'd like to introduce to you my dear brother

JMJ!

He is a wonderful friend
and my closest-in-age brother.

At thirteen years old, he is a young man of God who believes that the Word of God is relevant in every area and that it should not be dismissed as cultural.

Please, if you have time and wish to read some worthwhile posts that will encourage, inspire, and provoke you, check out his blog!

www.thenotebookpages.blogspot.com

Thanks!

The Tongue

2008-07-10T20:24:00.000-07:00

Matthew 12:34b -37

vs. 34b "For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.
vs. 35 "The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good, and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil.
vs. 36 "But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.
vs. 37 "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

Romans 10:8-10
vs. 8 "But what does it say? 'The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' -that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,
vs. 9 "That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
vs. 10 "For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."

What can we find from these verses?

1. What comes out comes from within.

2. We will have to give an accounting for every word we speak!
James 3:2-12 "The tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity" "The tongue...defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life/existence, and is set on fire by hell." "no one can tame the tongue, it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison."
We need to think before we speak! Every word we say must come through the 'door of love-' if we are loving, we will not let out words that are unkind, impatient, ungentle, unedifying, cruel, nor words that put others down or critisize them or may have a negative effect on the way they live and think from hence forward.
For every careless word we will have to answer! Yikes- this brings more drastict weight to the matter. We need to carefully guard our tongue!

3. By our words we are justified, or condemned.
The Saving Word is near us, in our mouths- we can choose heaven or hell by the words we speak. We can choose to live or die by the words we speak! We must acknowledge Jesus as Lord and believing in Him- voice our belief in Him- and thus have our place in heaven. If we do not, then naturally we will spent eternity in hell. It's really that simple!
We can choose to live a good life- life abundantly- or life that is not God's best. We need to speak into our lives according to what the Bible says- confess over ourselves that we are made righteous through His sacrifice for us, confess the Scriptures. "The love of God in me is patient, kind..." or "I am growing in wisdom and in favor with God and man...", to name a few examples. We can make or break our lives by what we speak. If we speak, "Oh, it's going to be a terrible day today and I will be grumpy the whole day" then guess how our day is going to be?
Proverbs 18:21- "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit."

Unconditional!

2008-07-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

Recently the topic was brought up amongst my brothers and their friend. Basically, the sum-up is:
If a girl ain't gonna be a lady, then there ain't no way I'm gonna be a gentleman to her.

Well, I'd like to introduce a thought. No, I'd like to show you a principle, even, a command straight from the Word of God on this matter.

Our lives are to be lived unconditionally. Everything about them should be unconditional.

"and trust in the LORD." - Psalm 4:5b.

"And He said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your GOD with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind...The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.' "
-Matthew 22:37-39

I see that nowhere in the scriptures does it ever imply,

"and trust in the LORD, but only if everything's going OK, life is stable, and you're not scared."

nor does it say,

"You shall love the Lord your GOD, when you want to, when you feel like it, when He's blessed you and when you feel like obeying and serving Him...You shall love your neighbour- but only those that love you back, and you don't have to love the annoying, mean, cruel, unreasonable, neighbours."

Does it say that? I should say not! How about this verse,

"Appeal to...the younger women as sisters, in all purity." -1 Timothy 5:1-2

May I ask, my friend, if it says,

"Appeal to...the younger women as sisters, in all purity, but only if they're acting as young women and not like cows, only if they're being ladies."

Dear me! What is the catastrophe here?
It is that we are adding to the Word of God. You can see clearly above and in the examples prior that I added some almost humorous phrases. But...only...you don't HAVE to... et cetera.

"I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book;"
-Revelation 22:18

We cannot make additions- "But actually if they aren't being ladies, you don't have to treat them gently." or "But actually if you don't feel like it, you don't have to submit." etc.
This is a dire sin! We cannot even touch it with a ten foot pole!
The verses in the Bible stop after commanding us to not lie. Period. We CANNOT add "But..." It CANNOT happen! The LORD, in His commandment to love our neighbour as ourself, said exactly that, and stopped there. Period! We cannot add more to these verses, even in our heads, or our mentality, or our actions.

As you can see in the verses above, the way we live needs to be unconditional. We cannot base our trust in God on the conditions around us. We cannot base our love for others on the way they act or the condition we or they are in. We cannot base how we treat others on the way they act or don't act.

"Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into accound a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails;...."
-1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

Please bear with me as I beg you to notice: Love is patient not only when it feels like it! Love is kind not only when it feels like it! This is a major point and needs to be exercised in our daily life!

Submission as a woman cannot be conditional- "Oh, I can't submit to him because he's such an ungentle man."
Love as a man cannot be conditional- "Oh, I can't love her because she's so unsubmissive."
Marriage cannot work that way. Obviously! If it worked that way, no one would do anything and the marriage would end up most likely like the marriages of those in the world: ended.

So please, as you take your next step, remember to be unconditional.
The greatest example of unconditional love is that of our Savior's!

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

We are to be imitators of Christ. If His love is unconditional, so should ours be!

Happy Canada Day!

2008-07-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

(Sorry, this post is one day late-Canada Day was yesterday, on July 1st.)

According to one of our calendars, Canada Day is also known as Dominion Day. When I found out yesterday, I was quite excited and have used that term ever since when speaking of the celebration of our country's confederation on July 1st, 1867.

Canada's motto, in the beginning, was "He[God] shall have dominion from sea to sea." (Zechariah 10:9) It was changed, however, a bit ago, to "From sea to sea."

Dear me. As Billy Graham's daughter once pointed out when asked why God lets all these troubles happen: God is a gentleman. He does not force Himself on us. Our nations have kicked Him out of our governments, our schools, our families, our marriages, our lives, and even our churches- and it's no wonder these school shootings, these millions of abortions, etc, have happened.
The choices of those before us to change our roles in the family, church, and country, the choices to expel God's truths from school and to teach only the lies of the devil, the choices to say that the life of an eagle is more valuable than the life of a precious baby- all these choices and many more have gravely affected the way this generation views things and lives.

"In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." -The Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy(from a Seventh Generation laundry soap bottle).

Is every decision we make today going to affect further generations for God's glory? Or is it going to affect their worldview, their children -or will they even have children?
There is so much going on now-a-day that could have been prevented by simply not bowing to feminist lies, by keeping God's truths in school, by keeping His values as national principles. We as part of His body need to be living out His truths and His love to those around us so future generations can be changed for His glory.
When making decisions that glorify our Savior, we need to remember:

"For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding." (Proverbs 2:6)
Every little bit of wisdom in every decision we make is from Him. The Book of James says that this godly wisdom is pure, among other things. It will never induce wrong decisions. God gives wisdom freely to those who ask(James, as well).

We also need to remember that God has not forsaken us. If anything, we have forsaken Him! He will never leave us.
"For the LORD loves justice and does not forsake His godly ones;" (Psalm 37:28a)

This is my favourite verse, which basically sums up what we need to remember during these dark days where sin runs rampant in our nations:

"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

As you celebrate Dominion Day and then also Independence Day on the 4th- remember that He has overcome and in Him we have victory!

Keep our nations, our governments, and our authorities in prayer. Our nations need to get back their godly heritage and values that they had at the beginning!

This photo was taken from a google photo search, which in turn took it from darklightwrites.wordpress.com, a website I do not necessarily endorse.

A Poem

2008-06-01T17:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Sir,

One day you asked me, “What will you do?”

But my earnest reply was scorned by you.

“A mother, sir, and wife and a mother.”

For how could a woman want to choose any other?

You see, sir, a career for a woman of God

Would truly be unbiblically odd.

Our Savior has purchased us, we were meant for so much more

Than working as a lawyer or serving in some grocery store.

What is the appeal, if I may so ask,

Of working outside at another man’s tasks?

What is to be longed for in a woman’s career,

When maternity leave is but only a year?

When a mother is gone all day at all hours,

And dishes and laundry above her head towers

And her children are stuck with a poor makeshift mum,

As she sits in her office making nary a sum.

Where is the joy in forever being out,

Always missing the lovely things(without a doubt)

-Her child’s first word, her baby’s first laugh,

Please, my dear sir, please, do the math!

Is it really worth it, losing your child,

Letting him grow up revolting and wild

All for the sake of making some money

When she should be home caring for her honey.

Is it really worth it, losing her man,

Not caring for and serving him, tilling another land?

All for the sake of pressure from her peers

Which says her fulfillment is in her working years.

Well, dear sir, that you’ll see truth, I pray!

Being a mother usurps a career any day.

God says in Titus that so Him we don’t dishonour,

Women are to keep their homes and on His word ponder.

There is no higher calling for a woman ever

Than to be her husband’s helpmeet and to love him for forever

Than to guide and care for her babies and train them too,

Surely there is nothing more fulfilling- oh, and it is true!

I’d rather be at home beneath my husband’s love

Than out gallivanting about and saddening my Father above.

I’d rather all the true godly riches in my home today,

Than to lose my family as I scramble for a meager pay.

I’d rather invest my time in something durable like gold,

Than in flitty fluff or feathers, truth be told.

My time will go to tending my darling’s land

Rather than toiling beneath another woman’s man.

My goodness how the reward is great, I say!
When mothers stay at home and pray.

When women do not leave their spiritual roof

For a work which soon makes the family aloof.

Why should women have to pay

For Adam’s sin, as well as Eve’s, if I may?

Horror of horrors it would truly be,

For me to bear the double curse, you see.

Why should a woman leave her nest,

For something which is not the best?

Answer me, please sir, what do you think?

To worldly ‘standards’ shall I sink?

No indeed! For I will be more than content

Serving in my husband’s tent

No silly, worldly careers shall I chase after,

No! I long instead for sweet children’s laughter.

How exciting will it be when…

There is a runny nose to wipe(again)

A scarped knee to bandage, a wounded heart to kiss,

A lesson to give, a yummy meal to fix.

When I am called the blessed name

“Mama” or “Mummy”, ‘twill not be a shame!
When I have a dress to sew, or a sock to mend,

When I worry once again and upon my knees do bend,

When a child runs to me with tears upon his face,

And I must cuddle him with a mother’s grace.

When we move and everyone is sleeping in our van,

When a toddler happily races to take my hand.

When a daughter takes upon herself her wedding veil,

When we hear of a new baby the precious first wail.

When I watch my little son hug his little brother,

When I am scorned because I am a mother,

When I gaze upon a contented sleeping child,

When upon our many offspring do others smile.

When I try to sleep but am woken by a princess’ cry,

When I am joyful and content and others wonder why.

When that question comes, I’ll say it’s only by God’s grace

That I have not strayed from His commands nor have I turned my face.

You will see, good sir, that while others listlessly roam,

I will be the happiest woman because I stay at home.

Miracle Shampoo!

2008-04-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

Amazing Praise Story!
God is SOO good.

Well, a while ago, my Mum picked up this good deal at Winners- it was a bottle of scrumptious-smelling(peach? mango?), light orange, beautiful delicious shampoo, by Bed Head. Great deal, and we all absolutely LOVED the stuff.
So, God told her to give it away. At first we were (especially me, sadly) very reluctantly and suggested, well, we can give her something else! Some other kind of shampoo. But, God said we must give her our best. So, we did.
Anyway, so, today, Mum went to get her hair cut at a salon run and owned by her childhood friend and husband. Afterwards, while she was paying, suddenly, out of the blue, the husband pulled up these two huge, gigantic, amazing GALLONS of the same kind of shampoo we'd given away. We were flabbergasted and amazed, needless to say, and to say the least.
Well, I am so grateful for God's grace. He is SOO amazing!
He gave to us more shampoo than we gave, and way more than we ever expected to receive back! WOW.

Above is the picture of our miracle shampoo. :)

My bathing suit!

2008-04-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

I made a bathing suit today! Finally, after so long of searching, I have a modest bathing suit!
Previously I've just worn a bikini beneath a tank top with shorts. But, I outgrew mine, and so decided to make mine! Praise God.

The pattern can be found at the "modest swimwear" link to the right beneath the clothing headline.
(Sorry for the sideways picture. Hope you don't get a neck kink!)

-Quote-

2008-04-14T17:08:00.000-07:00

Good Afternoon!
A dear friend gave me a quote by Noah Webster in his book The Original Blue Backed Speller.

"Is a young woman devoted to dress and amusement? Is she delighted with her own praise, or an admirer of her own beauty? Is she given to much talking and loud laughter? If her feet abide not at home, and her eyes rove with boldness on the faces of men- turn thy feet from her, and suffer not thy heart to be ensnared by thy fancy.
"But when thou findest sensibility of heart joined with softness of manners; an accomplished mind and religion, united with sweetness of temper, modest deportment, and a love of domestic life- such is the woman who will divide the sorrows, and double the joys of thy life. Take her to thyself, she is worthy to be thy nearest friend, thy companion, the wife of thy bosom."

The woman of this quote is worth being! Surely she is a Proverbs 31 woman.

A Young Lady

2008-03-08T14:15:00.000-08:00

Being a true young woman of God means having the ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit(1 Peter 3:4). This means a lady is not loud nor rowdy. When she plays in a boyish, unladylike manner, it is not permissible. When a girl is a young woman of God she, with the help, of course, of the Holy Spirit, is gentle, kind, and altogether lovely and loving. She loves being a young woman and is excited about her future life as a wife and mother(but is not obsessive about it). There is a certain air about her, this young lady, but not an arrogant air- rather, a sweet, lovely, humble air that alerts those unbelievers or other Christians to a different young woman- one who has chosen to turn from the unladylike mannerisms of this age's females, and has accepted God's often-shunned plan for women- to be virtuous women, gentle women that shake the world as they stand by their husbands, as they serve God in their households from the day they are born.
Here are 26 Things that you will find in a true Christian young lady(not necessarily in this very order):
1. She is gentle.
2. She is not loud nor manly nor boisterous nor rude.
3. She takes more care of her internal self that her external self.
4. She abides by the Word of God- she knows the Word and obeys it.
5. She is becoming more and more prepared for godly womanhood- as a wife and mother, a keeper at home.
6. She loves and serves and respects her father, living as his embassador(not his helpmeet- that's her mother's job.).
7. She is her mother's helper, serving her mother daily and watching so that any work which she could do does not fall upon her mother's shoulders.
8. She is seeking God and His will for her life.
9. She does not obsess herself with young men, and rather than noticing merely a young man's external self, she looks at his internal self.
10. She prays for a godly husband, and prepares herself to serve and honor him.
11. She cares for others' needs before her own. When she cares for herself, she does not primp and prod to try and change her looks. Instead, she enhances her beauty not by slathering on make-up as other girls may be fond of doing, but uses cosmetics, if any(make-up is not sinful), to enhance her God-given beauty. She is not obsessed with her looks.
12. She dresses modestly, taking care that she looks neither frumpy nor immodest. She knows that everything in her closet should glorify God.
13. She lives her life as a worshipful Song for her Savior.
14. She guards her mind, eyes, ears, and heart from anything shameful that does not glorify God, and takes care that she does not read unwholesome books, articles, nor does she spend time on unwholesome sites, nor does she gossip nor listen to it.
15. She loves her siblings and encourages them in their spiritual and physical lives, being kind and gentle to them- not their mother, but their sister.
16. She does not let any unwholesome thing leave her mouth and does not laugh at off-color, gross, or cruel jokes. Neither does she gossip. She guards her mouth and makes sure everything she says is edifying.
17. She regards others as more important than herself, and is always ready to learn new things. She isn't a 'know-it-all.'
18. She is a good friend- firstly she choses them wisely, and she listens to them, edifies them with her words, and does not spend time with lukewarm Christians as far as she is able(Notice that Jesus did not spend time with the religious, lukewarm Christians- He spent time with the sinners, and those that sought after Him. So should we- we should be lights to the unbelievers and to those around us.).
19. She serves the elderly and treats them with honor. This means rising when they enter the room.
20. She flees temptation. This means she avoids being in awkward circumstances with young men(being alone together, etc). She flees from every evil.
21. She is mannerly and graceful.
22. She is not hot-tempered nor irritable, and does not slander anyone, nor does she call others cruel names.
23. She is not grouchy nor moody, but with joy and cheerfulness brightens others' days.
24. She loves to spend time with God, and does so regularly in prayer, fellowship with Him, listening to Him, and studying His Word.
25. She does not waste time.
26. She does not judge anyone who is not on the same journey as her and who has not come to the realization of God's true plan for young women.

May God bless you!
This excerpt was taken from "In Pursuit of Graciousness: Notes on Christian Young Womanhood," a book of mine currently in working progress, hopefully to be published one day. :)

Quakers

2008-02-26T20:55:00.000-08:00

I had to do some research on Quakers as an extra assignment-thingy for school. I found them quite interesting, and some sites I visited are...
http://www.quakeranne.com/
http://www.quakerjane.com/
http://www.quaker.ca/
http://www.thorn.pair.com/earlyq.htm

Here it is!
Quakers

The Society of Friends began in 1647, when George Fox, the son of Anglicans, at the age of nineteen, began to think there must be more to life than the Church of England’s ritual religion. He was nineteen at the time, and for the next four years traversed about the country, searching for the truth, which he hoped to gain from the priests, churches, and preachers that he consulted.
George Fox could not find hope and truth in any of the current European religions. Puritanism was, according to him, a religion devoid of hope that believed primarily in a judging, cruel God that demanded religion. The Church of England was made up of wealth-chasing leaders, meaningless rituals, and everlastingly repeated ceremonies.
In his search for truth, one day, Fox, who knew the Word of God like the back of his hand, heard a Voice that said, “There is One, even Jesus Christ, who can speak to thy condition.” Fox had finally found the truth. After he heard, or realized (whichever it was), he made four ‘conclusions’ related to the true Christian faith:

a) That what Jesus said, “Lo, I am with you, even to the end of the age,” (Matt 28:20) was true, and that his Savior had risen as the Bible said and is always with us.
b) That, as http://thorn.pair.com/earlyq.htm says, “a Christian is not necessarily someone who has his/her name on a church membership list or who has done something religious. The mark of an authentic Christian is a changed life. A Christian is someone who has been transformed from death to life in a firsthand encounter with Christ. ‘In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.’ (John 1:4)”
c) That the Church is not the building, nor the place of meeting; it is, in truth, the ones that meet and are united in the Word of the LORD.
d) That the success of preachers and pastors in serving the LORD is not based on any degree or education, but on how dedicated and serving they are, and how they make the LORD and His ways real to the congregation.

After George Fox found the truth, before long thousands of others joined him in this abnormal practice of having a true relationship with God and serving Him whole-heartedly. The people of this new faith called themselves Friends because of John 15:15, where Jesus says He calls us friends and makes known to us what His Father tells Him. They became also known as Quakers, because some said they, well, quaked, when one delivered a message from God or in the presence of God.
The women dressed very plainly (based on 1 Tim. 2:9-10). For the most part, women wore black or grey, with white or black(or grey, I suppose) capes and headcoverings. They dressed very modestly. [Some examples of 'back-then' attire and 'now' attire(which isn't much different in some cases) can be seen at the 'Quaker Anne' and 'Quaker Jane' sites above.] Men dressed plainly as well, and most often had beards. There was a definite distinction between men and women, unlike some cases today (yikes-sometimes it can be hard to tell!).

Sadly, there was a dry spell in which some strayed from Fox’s original found truth. Basically, they began to focus on the minor things instead of on the LORD’s truth and message. Hence, the whole movement nearly fell apart in the early 1700s.

In North America, Rhode Island was supportive of them and for a bit, around half of the population of Rhode Island was Quakers. In Maryland, which Lord Baltimore had established as a colony for escaping English Catholics, the Quakers and whoever else wished for religious freedom were given exactly that- or ‘Liberty of Conscience.’
In Massachusetts, which was strictly Puritan, persecuted the Quakers heavily and without relent. They whipped them as they were dragged through town, cut off their ears, bored holes through their tongues, branded the letter ‘H’ for heretic on them, and inflicted all kinds of wicked and altogether ungodly tortures, as well as being banished! Then, the governor, John Endicott, decreed that anyone who returned after being banished would be killed. Four Quakers were hung, one being a woman, named Mary Dyer, who was the first woman to die in North America because of what she believed in. There is a statue of her on Boston Common, reminding Americans to be thankful for what their ancestors went through for religious freedom.
Seventeen Quakers purchased East Jersey for a place for Friends to live in where they would not be persecuted. Here, they found refuge and peace.

When William Penn received Pennsylvania as payment for a debt from King Charles II, and also the land of Delaware(which the Duke of York threw into the deal), he met with some Indians and established a treaty with them, the only treaty between white men and Indians that was never broken, as a French philosopher pointed out later on. In this treaty, he bought land from the Indians.
In Pennsylvania, Penn established the ‘Frame of Government,’ which was based primarily on the Quaker beliefs yet gave freedom to all religious groups. Later, when the leaders of the United States gathered to make the Constitution, they used a lot of these principles. It was very good that the Founding Fathers didn’t use Puritan principles, or they would have had a state church.

The Quakers tried to be consistent with the faith in all they did, including business and day-to-day living. They were the first Christians to release all their slaves, and were prompted to do so by John Woolman. A Friends couple, William and Esther Tuke, opened a home for the mentally ill, which was contrary to the harsh and cruel conditions such citizens were kept in during that time in England. They believed the disturbed should be treated in a kind and loving way, which was most definitely abnormal in the times where such people were poked fun at, treated harshly and cruelly, laughed at, and degraded.
Elizabeth Fry, in the early 1800s, was a Quaker woman who cleaned up the English woman’s prison in London’s Newgate Prison.
Quaker grocer Joseph Hires developed Root Beer as an alternative for alcohol for his customers.
The Rowntree and Cadbury families, who were also Friends, got into the business of chocolate and cocoa, et cetera, and sold hot chocolate as an alternative for the alcoholic drinks their peers were fond of.
Thomas Dimsdale, a Quaker doctor, was summoned to Russia to show them the vaccination for smallpox, and people consider Joseph Lister, also a Friend, to be the leader of antiseptic surgeries.

Today, Quakers have meetings all over the world. I find it humorous that Americans now find Quakers old-fashioned, ridiculous, snobby, and religious, when they were the ones that, thanks to them, Americans are not persecuted for their beliefs.

Note: I do not endorse quite a few of Quakers' beliefs. They do have some strange ones! But there have been some great Quakers and I decided to do an article on them

Abby :)

Squeaking Wheels

2008-02-24T16:23:00.000-08:00

Today, because my two-year-old sister seems to have a very bad case of food poisoning(she's thrown up, since last night, approximately every 1/2 hour, the interlude becoming wider as of late), I have been reminded about giving thanks in everything, as 1 Thessalonians 5 reminds us. Oh, and about complaining. I have no reason to complain about anything-about the fact that we still don't have a home of our own after seven/eight months of living with our grandparents, about the fact that my sister's sick, about the fact of anything- because Jesus suffered SO much more. I have no reason to complain. It's ridiculous, really, complaining. Today, during our family church service(we couldn't attend church because of my sister), I spoke on complaining. Basically, when we complain, we're saying, "God, you're not doing a good enough job." or "Everything You've done for me? Isn't any good." I read a quote saying,

"The squeaking wheel doesn't always get the grease. Sometimes it gets replaced."

I wouldn't want to ride a horse that, with every step it took, with every place I directed it to, let out a loud complaint and whined and grumbled. I wouldn't! That horse would be succumbed to discipline, and un-use for quite some time. In the same way, why would God want to use me, or someone else, if I(or that other person) am complaining about every step I take, or every where God takes me?
I read in The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel this story, which I'll put into my own words:
Compare God and us to a human and a bear. You'll agree with me that the difference between God and us is much greater than the difference between a human and a bear. Say this human comes upon a bear one day in a forest, and the bear is stuck in a trap. To free the bear and save its life, the human has to inflict pain upon the bear- has to push him deeper into the trap, has to perhaps even sever a limb. All through these trials, the bear hates the human. Why is he being so cruel? Whatever for am I being inflicted? He doesn't realize, however, the outcome of the pain. But the human does.
Think of it this way: God sees from above and we see from the road ahead, dimly, with limited vision. God sees the big picture, say, and He knows what the outcome will be!
It's as if we are driving down a winding road that never seems to end, and we are tempted to turn back. But someone, whom we are on the cell-phone with, who has already travelled this road and is waiting at the end of it for us, keeps telling us, "No, no, keep going!" because he knows that five minutes down the road from where you are is the destination. We cannot despair and complain when tempests and trials come, because it is all part of God's great plan for our lives, and my friends, frankly, it is nothing compared to what Jesus suffered for us.
Complaining drags people down. When one complains about others to others, it is gossip. When one complains about God to others, it is endangering to the others' faith- because they could hear the complaints and think, Why is God doing this? I thought He was good! and could very well lose their trust in Him.
When we don't complain, and give thanks to Him in everything, we are trusting that God knows what He's doing! To not trust Him is an insult, as my brother pointed out while he shared this morning.
My brother told the illustration of a giant. This giant is strong, powerful, and has killed many enemies. If he was at your side protecting you and enemies came, you would no doubt trust him. But you could only trust him if you knew his character. The better our relationship with God, the better our trust in Him. If we don't trust Him, we doubt His promises to guide us, lead us, protect us, save us.
Let's not doubt His character! Let's give thanks in everything, because we know that all things work together for good.
God bless!