GOD MADE MEDICINE

You probably are wondering what medicine God has made, well I will tell you. God made HERBS! I am so glad that God made herbs, they have so many different things that you can use them for, here are some of their uses.

They are good for you if you have allergies.

Right know my Dad has allergies and my mom had allergies just a couple of days ago and I have given her several herbs and know she is all better from her allergies for now. Here is a list of herbs that help with allergies:

Yarrow

Blue Violet Leaf

Alfalfa

Mullien

Nettles

Echinacea Leaf

Elderberry

Eucalyptus

These are just a few of the herbs that help with allergies.

One thing that I do is heat 2 cups of water and put a few drops of Eucalyptus Essential oil and have dad or mom (whoever has allergies ) put a blanket or towel over their heads and hold the water with essential oil under their nose for 5 minutes, it helps clear their sinuses.

I also like to put some Eucalypts leaf in a potpourri pot with water and have it on all day.

Here is a list of other herbs and some of the things that they are good for.

Peppermint

Helps with stomach aches and headaches.

Lavender

Helps you relax and helps with headaches.

Licorice Root

Helps sore throats and helps if you are losing your voice. (Horse Throat)

Bee Pollen- One time my sister cut her thumb and it would not stop bleeding so I gave her some Bee Pollen tea and in a couple of minutes her thumb stopped bleeding.

Red Raspberry Leaf

Helps with labor pains and other female pains. (Remember there are some herbs that you cannot take when pregnant)

Orange peels

Help with bronchitis and you can also dry them and make vitamin C powder by grinding them.

Cloves

Help with mouth sores, just put a whole clove on the sore and soon it will heal it, it might sting for a minute and you might have to do it a couple of times but it will heal it.

Cinnamon

Is very good for your teeth, it help you keep your teeth health and can help you not to have cavities. You can steep a cup of tea and put a cinnamon stick in it and when you are done drinking your tea take your cinnamon stick out and eat it.

Dandelion

Yes, it is that weed in yard and along the roads and well almost everywhere, it really is a herb that has many uses. You can use all parts of a dandelion, the leafs, stem, roots and flowers, they are best to be picked before the flowers open. Here are some of the things that dandelion helps with:

-Lowers blood pressure

-Helps build energy

-Helps with weight lose

-One of the best liver cleansers

-Used to treat skin disease

-Used to help cancer, Diabetes and helps with digestion

-It helps with fevers.

Ginger

Can help relieve congestion and helps with fevers and helps you relax and relieve achy muscles, it also helps remove toxins from the body, helps you with digestion and is good for relieving motion sickness or morning sickness.

Horse tail (also known as shave grass)

No, you do not just go and cut some hair off your horses’ tail and make some tea, but you can use this plant called horse tail and it is good for helping your nails and hair to grow and also strengthens them.

These are only a few of the herbs that God has made and there are other herbs that help with some of the same things and there are a lot of other herbs that help with different things.

I think that most people would be surprised to know that a flower in their garden or in the front yard might really be an herb. God made these herbs so we can use them to help us stay healthy,

People in the Bible days did not have medicines like we have today. Their medicines where made out of herbs, they would also use herbs to put on their dead before they were buried, they would also use herbs to season there food and they would use them to put on their burnt offerings to God.

I love to use herbs and I like to learn about them, I hope that many people will try to find herbs and use them. You can use them for so many things and you can find so many books on how to use herbs.

I hope you will want to learn more about herbs and their uses and why God made them for us to use.

Here are some of the books that we use:

-Practical Herbalism

-The Herbal Body Book

-The Herbal Home Remedy Book

-Herbal Healing for Women

-The How to Herb Book

-Family Herbal

We find our herbs and most of our books at Bulk Herb or Mountain Rose Herbs.

Wisdom From the Word Wednesday

Light...1 John 1:5-10

The Message—

God is Light---in Him is NO darkness at ALL

“This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.”-1 John 1:5

James 1:17 calls Him the Father of lights—in Him is NO variation or shifting shadows. Can we even begin to imagine how “BRIGHT” God is, if there is NO darkness at all around HIM? He is so bright that he totally dispels ALL darkness. Of course, His light is more than just light for the eyes. It is light for the soul, as well. His light illuminates our hearts and shows us where sin is hiding. Since God is light, we would expect Jesus also to be light, as He and the Father are one.

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."-John 8:12

And to take it a step further, since Jesus is light, when we are joined with Him we become the light of the world, we also become children of light.

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”-Matthew 5:14-16.

“...but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.”-Ephesians 5:8b-13

Read the rest of the verses in this chapter (1 John 1:6-10). Each of these verses begins with “if”. If we are living...

In the Light...
-then we are walking in the light (“Come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.” Isaiah 2:5)
-then we have fellowship with one another
-then Jesus’ blood cleanses us from all sin (“who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds” Titus 2:14)
-we are confessing our sins (“I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"; and You forgave the guilt of my sin.” Psalm 32:5)
-our sins are forgiven
-we are cleansed from all unrighteousness (“who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds” Titus 2:14)

In the Darkness...
-we are walking in darkness (“Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."John 8:12)
-we are lying and not practicing the truth (“and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word.” John 8:55)
-we are saying we have no sin
- we are deceiving ourselves
- we are without the truth (“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44)
-we are saying we have not sinned ("What is man, that he should be pure, or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?” Job 15:14)
-then God’s Word in not in us

Are you walking in the Light or the darkness?

Are You an Admirer or a Follower of Christ?

"And Christ's life indeed makes it manifest, terrifyingly manifest, what dreadful untruth it is to admire the truth instead of following it. When there is no danger, when there is a dead calm, when everything is favorable to our Christianity, then it is all too easy to confuse an admirer with a follower.

And this can happen very quietly. The admirer can be under the delusion that the position he takes is the true one, when all he is doing is playing it safe. Give heed, therefore, to the call of discipleship!

If you have any knowledge of human nature, who can doubt that Judas was an admirer of Christ? "

~Kierkegaard

Here is a quote that Ann Voskamp's blog today. To read her article in it's entirety go to Holy Experience.

Free Audio Book Website

If you need a book and can't afford it or would just like to read it once, I found this great web site. Actually, you don't even have to read, it has audio books for free. Every kind of book you can think of. It is called Free Audio Books. I was able to down load, dozens of books that are either hard to find or out of print. I found it because I was trying to find an audio Bible. (I was able to find it there.). There are children books, history, fiction, non-fiction, religion, philosophy, mystery, adventure, and lots more. Take a look for yourself. I know you won't regret it.

Multitude Monday

31. A personal Saviour

32. newly made clothes

33. croaking frogs

34. budding trees

35. creative children

36. tenacious husband

37. blustery winds

38. the sounds of hymns being sung during chores

39. the smell of fresh baked cookies

40. taking thoughts captive before words are spoken

Home by the Eshes

This beautiful song was written by one of the 12 children of John and Sadie Eshe. The parents and four of their children, plus a son-in-law to-be and a grandson and two friends were killed in a crash two days ago. This song was written after their oldest son died in an accident while a missionary over seas a couple of years ago.

Please pray for the remaining family members. Here is a link to an article about the accident.

Bathroom Renovations Week 3

Here we are at week 3 of our bathroom renovation. Things are moving much slower now. (I didn't realize how much work was involved getting a floor ready for tile.) Ralph worked really hard yesterday. He did a lot of measuring, then more measuring, then he did some more measuring. He wanted to make sure he got the measurements just right. He knew we only had a set amount of sub-flooring (and didn't want to have to purchase any more), so he got the measurements right before cutting. You know the old adage, to measure twice and cut once. Well, he took that to heart. We didn't have the "right" tools, so he did a GREAT job of improvising. He had to cut a hole in the middle of this sub-flooring that is made of a cement product (so it was really hard). He drew out the size of the hole on the flooring, drilled some holes around the circle then used his grinder to "connect" the dots. He had it almost perfect the first time. Believe me, I was REALLY impressed with his precision. He only had to enlarge the hole ever so slightly on one side so it would fit perfectly. Then the rest of the cuts were pretty easy after that. (Before he put the pieces in to make sure they fit, I vacuumed the floor to have it free of any debris.) He did a "dry" fit, then put the cement down to keep it in place, put the flooring down, screwed it to the floor and taped the seams. It was a hard job, but for the first time of ever doing this, and without help, I might add, he did an AWESOME job!!

Here are a couple of photos of the floor.

Doesn't it look awesome!?!

We won't be doing anymore work for a couple of weeks, as Easter is next week and Ralph will be working the entire weekend, so won't have any time to work on the bathroom. So look for more updates in a couple of weeks.

Decreasing Into His Purpose

I read this devotional the other day, from "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. This is a very powerful devotional. I hope you take it to heart.

"He must increase, but I must decrease." John 3:30

If you become a necessity to a soul, you are out of God's order. As a worker, your great responsibility is to be a friend of the Bridegroom. When once you see a soul in sight of the claims of Jesus Christ, you know that your influence has been in the right direction, and instead of putting out a hand to prevent the throes, pray that they grow ten times stronger until there is no power on earth or in hell that can hold that soul away from Jesus Christ. Over and over again, we become amateur Providences, we come in and prevent God; and say--"This and that must not be." Instead of proving friends of the Bridegroom, we put our sympathy in the way, and the soul will one day say--"That one was a thief, he stole my affections from Jesus, and I lost my vision of Him."
Beware of rejoicing with a soul in the wrong thing, but see that you do rejoice in the right thing. "The friend of the Bridegroom...rejoiceth greatly because of the Bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease." This is spoken with joy and not with sadness--at last they are to see the Bridegroom! And John says this is his joy. It is the absolute effacement of the worker, he is never thought of again.
Watch for all you are worth until you hear the Bridegroom's voice in the life of another. Never mind what havoc it brings, what upsets, what crumblings of health, rejoice with divine hilarity when once His voice is heard. You may often see Jesus Christ wreak a life before He saves it. (see Matthew 10:34)

A Biblical Alternative to Socialized Health Care

I received this email from Doug Philips, of Vision Forum.



"Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses. (Nehemiah 4:14)

Summary: This week the United States took one more significant step towards greater government control over the family with the passage of President Obama’s neo-Marxist health care initiative. The implications for medicine, entrepreneurship, and the Christian family are far-reaching. In the wake of this devastating news, Christians must stop and reevaluate their approach to health care. It is the purpose of this email to present you with a practical, affordable and Christ-honoring solution to the present crisis in the form of Samaritan Ministries."

Self Government or Statism:

The Battle for the Family
The defining cultural issue of this generation is the battle for the Christian family. At stake is the definition of marriage, the meaning of manhood and womanhood, the preservation of a godly seed, and the future of a multi-generational vision of victory in which our posterity will continue to enjoy the blessings of liberty.

Christians Must Not Become Welfare Junkies
This battle must take many forms. We must proclaim truth from the pulpit, disciple our children around the table, model Christ in our households, and even “stand with the enemies” in the very gates of the land without fear (Psalm 127). But there is another oft-overlooked, but crucial component in a wise strategy of defense for the Christian family — we must reject the welfare junkie mentality, stop looking to the state as our provider, and look to God to work through His people with private-sector solutions to real problems.

Two Theories of Salvation
The Bible indicates that it is the duty of the people of God who make up the Church, not the State, to meet the needs of the Church. Though we have a duty of love and charity toward all men (1 John 3:17, 18), our first obligation is to the household of faith (Galatians 6:10), and those directly within our jurisdiction of responsibility (1 Timothy 5:8). Those who fail to provide for their own are deemed “worse than infidels.”
A key difference between Christianity and humanism is our soteriology (our view of salvation). Christians believe that man’s basic problem is sin. Humanists believe man’s basic problem is his environment. Consequently, humanists advocate salvation through legislation. The idea is that the State can save man through education, wealth redistribution, or other environmental changes. This view of the messianic state — the state as savior — is at the heart of President Obama’s socialized medicine initiative.

The Christian Duty of Self Government
Christians, not the federal or state government, are to care for their own, including widows and the fatherless (James 1:27). One reason for this is that such care is given in the name of Jesus Christ and for His sake. A second reason is that long-term giving must come with accountability. A third reason is that God has ordained the state to wield the sword as a minister of justice (Romans 13), not to become a welfare agency.

Senate Health Care Bill Exempts Health Care Sharing Groups
The health care bill that was passed Sunday night by the U.S. House of Representatives, often referred to as the Senate bill, contains a provision that exempts members of health care sharing ministries from the bill’s requirement for individuals to purchase health insurance. This is the bill that president has now signed.
Every freedom-loving American, parent, and Christian should be concerned about the effect this bill will have on all the American people, our health care system, and the economy, if the provisions of this bill are actually implemented. While many of the provisions will take effect soon, the individual and employer mandates to purchase health insurance are not scheduled to take effect until 2014, after the next presidential election. We need to continue to pray for God’s intervention in this situation. But, we should act prudently now.

What is Samaritan Ministries?

More than any other successful piece of legislation in the history of America, President Obama’s bill promises to reshape the nature of medicine, creating disincentives for medical freedom, penalizing physicians and medical providers for excellence, and opening greater avenues for control of the family. Christian parents need a practical and meaningful alternative now. That alternative is Samaritan Ministries.
The highly professional executive team at Samaritan Ministries is made up of deeply committed Christian professionals (some are personal friends of mine) who understand that it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. And the candle they have lit is burning bright.
Samaritan Ministries is not an insurance company. Samaritan seeks to meet the needs of the saints through Christians helping Christians. For more than a decade, Samaritan Ministries has been the “shared medical assistance program” of choice for thousands of families. Their track record of support and satisfied members is simply superior. This is a medical assistance provider that is run on Christian principles, by Christians, for Christians. More than just an outstanding alternative to the overwhelming costs of insurance programs, Samaritan Ministries is a means of strengthening individual families and the Body of Christ through a program of personal responsibility, prayer support, and shared financial needs. The benefits of being a member of Samaritan are strong, and the cost is extremely reasonable. In fact, Samaritan families pay a fraction of the typical costs to insure a family through an insurance provider.

Do Yourself a Favor — Investigate This God-Blessed Option
The mission of Vision Forum is to encourage the rebuilding of the Christian family. Samaritan Ministries makes my life, and the life of the families at Vision Forum, easier by standing beside us (and we beside them) in the advancement of this mission for the glory of God. They bless us by helping families with healthcare needs, by modeling a godly vision of Christians helping Christians, and by providing cost-effective, excellent alternatives to the exorbitant expense of modern healthcare.

Mention Vision Forum when you sign up and receive The Politics of Guilt & Pity, a life-changing book on Christianity and private sector solutions to economic and healthcare troubles.

With gratitude to the Lord for the executive team and the faithful families who have wisely and successfully managed Samaritan Ministries for more than a decade, I want to invite you to learn more about them at SamaritanMinistries.org or by calling (888) 2-OTHERS. Moreover, as a satisfied subscriber to Samaritan Ministries and a Christian brother who is deeply grateful to them for their principled efforts to work within the Body of Christ to provide crucial financial medical assistance, and to oppose the continued socialistic extremes of our nation’s civil magistrates, I am pleased to wholeheartedly recommend this Christ-proclaiming, family-defending ministry to my brothers and sisters in Christ. There is no doubt in my mind that God has raised Samaritan Ministries up for such a time as this.
Persevero,


Doug Phillips
President, Vision Forum Ministries

Mother Furious After In-School Clinic Sets Up Teen's Abortion

This is just the beginning of 'big brother' being in charge of our health care, now that we will be getting, er forced to have universal health care. As parents, we won't have a say in our children's health care, especially those who choose to send their children to the public schools.

See this article here.

Wisdom From the Word Wednesdays

I am hoping to start something new next week. I am going to call it (at least right now) Wisdom From The Word Wednesdays. I have been doing an in depth study of 1st John since about November and today just started a study in Ephesians. There is SO much meat in these books. I won't share everything I am learning, but I will share bits and pieces of what I have learned. I would encourage you to also be doing an in depth book study from God's Word-if you aren't already. I would love to hear what you are learning from God's Word and how it is changing and shaping your life.

Biblical Submission and How Godly Women Do It

"There are many paradoxes in the Bible:
~the last shall be first... ~the greatest of all is the servant of all... ~if you lose your life, you will find your life, to name a few. And submission is another one of these paradoxical things.

Some people think submission implies weakness, doormat-ishness. Actually, the reverse is true: submission is hard and it takes great strength of character. It's not the weak women who submit
respectfully, it's the strong ones. In submission we find strength and favor with God.

Isaiah 30:15 “For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel,
"In repentance and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength."

Psalm 33:18 “Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy.”

1Timothy 1:18-19 “…wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith”

Knowing we have obeyed, we have a clear conscience. Letting someone else in control makes it seem we have no influence over anything. Submission gives us great influence with our husbands. It's our best hope to win our husbands when they are in error. Your motive is not manipulation of Him but obedience to God. You obey regardless of husband’s response.

These two things will help us submit: 1. taking every thought captive to Christ's submission and obedience to His father's will. 2. realizing that our hope is in God to bring His will to pass and make all things work together for good for us. "

Here is an excerpt from a night of teaching by Victoria Botkin. To read the entire article, go to the Seppi Blog.

They also have notes from her other nights of teachings, "All About Eve"
and "All About Love"

Sometimes a picture…

…is worth a thousand words.


"Breaking the Sabbath is far more offensive than breaking the Constitution. May God help this nation." “Posterity: you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it.” John Adams

(I got this from Family Reformation.)

Multitude Monday

21. SPRING TIME

22. Helpful daughters

24. A servant's heart

25. Rain to prepare the soil for planting

26. Notes from my oldest daughter

27. Calls from my son

28. Holding my husband's hand

29. My husband's diligent work

30. A playful puppy

What Our Future May Hold With the "NEW" Health Care

What we may have to look forward to with the new universal health care. A paraphrase from the health care proceedings tonight:

"Monies have been provided for tens of thousands of new IRS agents, but not one dollar for more doctors or nurses. So your prenatal care may come from a turbo tax agent."

Bathroom Renovations Week 2

Here is the progress we have made to date.

We painted

Here is the old light (when Ralph took it out, it said it was not to be used in wet or damp areas. What was it doing in the bathroom then?)We removed the old light and did some patch work

Put in new light. Doesn't it look great!?! (this one specifically said it was made to be used in the bathroom)

We sealed the floors, prepping them for putting in the new sub-flooring, then the tiles.

The Vision of a Thirteen-Year-Old Young Man (revisited)

Almost Two years ago I shared this story about a young man who had a dream to build a home for him and his future family. Here is the story.

This Is the House That David Built
by Doug Phillips

"What are your boys doing today? Plugged into a video game? Watching television? Hanging out with fellow teenagers?

He was only thirteen years old when he approached his father with a vision to build his very own home on the family property. Earlier that year his father had called for a father and son conference. The mission: Come up with a five year game plan to help his son David redeem the time for the glory of God.

Now, after years of listening to his father encourage him to redeem the time and prepare for his future marriage and life work, something took. David decided that there was no time like the present—to build his very own house!

But that was not all. David made it clear that his mission was to build the home. This would mean that when God sent him the woman of his dreams, David would be ready to take action, to provide for her and to have a family. The decision to build a home meant tough choices. And David acknowledged that he was making a conscious choice to forgo teenage years of a dating culture, team sports, and entertainment, in exchange for making sacrifices for a woman and a future that would be years away.

So David went about the business of personally studying the building codes, of meeting with the county planning department, and of learning the nuts and bolts of putting together a great architectural plan. David wanted to take the bull by the horns and learn and lead every aspect of the project. And after some thought, his father let him do just that.

One of the benefits of the sweat and effort is that the project has forced David to think very specifically about his duties as a man, and the way he hopes to express love for the future family he hopes God will give him. This means thinking about the size of the closet his wife will need, anticipating the number of bathrooms necessary for a growing family and a home given to hospitality.

David is now sixteen, and the vision of a home is quickly becoming a reality. With a little help from his friends, and three years of perspiration, savings, hard work, and planning, David’s dream home is inching ever closer to completion.

Standing before this amazing structure built by the hands of a sixteen-year-old boy, three things came to my mind. First, fathers have a duty to encourage their boys to invest their time wisely. Dads will either guide their sons to make noble time investments, or sons will squander the precious years of their youth on the activities that will mean precious little to them in twenty years. Second, boys need to make choices. They can invest their time in worldly folly or godly dominion. Both choices tend to yield dividends—but not of equal value. Third, the power of a positive example is stunning. I could not but help to thrill as I watched my own boys start to dream big dreams as one of their dear friends and peers proved that his dream was attainable.

Down with the game boys, up with the sheet rock! May God give us boys of decisive manly action who will someday be fathers of faith and fortitude."

Well, that was almost two years ago. Today he is 18 years and getting married. He won the heart of a young woman and today is their wedding.

(Once again from Doug Philip's blog.)

"At the ripe old age of eighteen, David Brown is getting married. It happens today. And his story is amazing.

When he was thirteen he approached his father about a young lady named Monica. They began a conversation that would take them through a five years journey of honor, hard work and generational thinking. Along the way, this young man physically built his own home, which he owns debt free, he carefully followed his father’s guidance, and he won the girl of his dreams.

And there she is—-the happy bride at her wedding rehearsal."

Go to Michelle Malkin to see what this is about.

Spring Cleaning 2010

Well, our spring cleaning officially begun a couple of weeks ago. We started with the yard. Ralph mowed for the first time since last fall, the girls pulled some weeds, I sprayed some more weeds with weed killer and did a little trimming of a bush in the front yard. I also emptied the soil out of our large pots into the raised beds and cleaned some algae off of the front rails.

But this spring cleaning will be different then the others we have had so far. "We" (really Ralph is doing most of the work) are doing a bathroom renovation. This will be a first for us. Ralph has already taken out the sink and cupboard and towel racks, next will be the toilet, then the sub-floor and light fixture. We have already purchased the new sink and cupboard, toilet, light fixture, towel racks and tiles for the floor. I will take some photos of the process. I already have one of the before photos, but haven't loaded them onto my computer yet. It is an exciting prospect. One down fall though is, under the sub-flooring is mold and mildew (the big reason for the renovation) and we are both allergic to it. Ralph will wear a mask as he takes up the sub-floor and I will get in and clean the underneath with bleach and whatever else we think will work.

Stay tuned for photos and updates as this progresses. We have a goal of having it finished by Easter!

(Here are the photos I promised.)

HAPPY
SAINT PATRICK'S
DAY!!!

Garlic

In October, we planted 50 garlic cloves in our garden beds. October may sound a little late for planting, but we planted the garlic in the fall because that is the way it grows around here. The plants are growing tall and should be ready to harvest sometime next month or early May, depending on what the weather is like. We should have almost enough garlic to last a whole year, but some of it we will save to use for planting this fall. We prefer growing our food, to buying it in the store.

So what do we use garlic for? Besides adding it to food for flavoring, it has many medicinal purposes, as well. Here are a few things that we use it for:

1. Allergies
2. Arthritis
3. Cough and cold

The list above are just a few of the things it is good for. If you are interested in find out more things it is good for, get the book "Practical Herbalism" by Philip Fritchey.

(I learned all of the above from my Mom. She is a great teacher. I love her!)

Exploring the Evidence for Creation

by Henry Morris III, D.Min , The Institute for Creation Research

"Wisdom enables us to understand reality. Through wisdom we have discovered a set of scientific laws that elegantly express reality in the language of mathematics. Whenever man learns the logic of the universe, man is (in essence) "thinking God's thoughts after Him." A correct "understanding" of understanding, therefore, is that we humans discover (and implement) wisdom; we do not invent it.

In particular, the cause of our universe coming into being, and of its continuing to operate as it does, is a dynamic display of the Creator's wisdom, some of which we can scientifically discover and understand. When we do, it is like walking in the footprints of someone who previously walked through a snowdrift."

Morris III, H. 2010. Exploring the Evidence for Creation. Acts & Facts. 39 (3): 4-5.

To read the article in its entirety, go to Act & Facts.

Secular Articles On Homeschooling

Here is a series of articles, my husband found, written by a secularist on why they home school their children.

Here is the first, "Confessions of a Homeschooler", second, "Homeschooling: How We Do It", and third, "Why Our Kids Don't Go to Kindergarten".

It just goes to show that the Christians are not the only smart ones removing or never sending their children to public schools.

Secular Homeschooling

(Here is a secular perspective of homeschooling.)

by Deborah Markus, from Secular Homeschooling

1 Please stop asking us if it's legal. If it is — and it is — it's insulting to imply that we're criminals. And if we were criminals, would we admit it?

2 Learn what the words "socialize" and "socialization" mean, and use the one you really mean instead of mixing them up the way you do now. Socializing means hanging out with other people for fun. Socialization means having acquired the skills necessary to do so successfully and pleasantly. If you're talking to me and my kids, that means that we do in fact go outside now and then to visit the other human beings on the planet, and you can safely assume that we've got a decent grasp of both concepts.

3 Quit interrupting my kid at her dance lesson, scout meeting, choir practice, baseball game, art class, field trip, park day, music class, 4H club, or soccer lesson to ask her if as a homeschooler she ever gets to socialize.

4 Don't assume that every homeschooler you meet is homeschooling for the same reasons and in the same way as that one homeschooler you know.

5 If that homeschooler you know is actually someone you saw on TV, either on the news or on a "reality" show, the above goes double.

6 Please stop telling us horror stories about the homeschoolers you know, know of, or think you might know who ruined their lives by homeschooling. You're probably the same little bluebird of happiness whose hobby is running up to pregnant women and inducing premature labor by telling them every ghastly birth story you've ever heard. We all hate you, so please go away.

7 We don't look horrified and start quizzing your kids when we hear they're in public school. Please stop drilling our children like potential oil fields to see if we're doing what you consider an adequate job of homeschooling.

8 Stop assuming all homeschoolers are religious.

9 Stop assuming that if we're religious, we must be homeschooling for religious reasons.

10 We didn't go through all the reading, learning, thinking, weighing of options, experimenting, and worrying that goes into homeschooling just to annoy you. Really. This was a deeply personal decision, tailored to the specifics of our family. Stop taking the bare fact of our being homeschoolers as either an affront or a judgment about your own educational decisions.

11 Please stop questioning my competency and demanding to see my credentials. I didn't have to complete a course in catering to successfully cook dinner for my family; I don't need a degree in teaching to educate my children. If spending at least twelve years in the kind of chew-it-up-and-spit-it-out educational facility we call public school left me with so little information in my memory banks that I can't teach the basics of an elementary education to my nearest and dearest, maybe there's a reason I'm so reluctant to send my child to school.

12 If my kid's only six and you ask me with a straight face how I can possibly teach him what he'd learn in school, please understand that you're calling me an idiot. Don't act shocked if I decide to respond in kind.

13 Stop assuming that because the word "home" is right there in "homeschool," we never leave the house. We're the ones who go to the amusement parks, museums, and zoos in the middle of the week and in the off-season and laugh at you because you have to go on weekends and holidays when it's crowded and icky.

14 Stop assuming that because the word "school" is right there in homeschool, we must sit around at a desk for six or eight hours every day, just like your kid does. Even if we're into the "school" side of education — and many of us prefer a more organic approach — we can burn through a lot of material a lot more efficiently, because we don't have to gear our lessons to the lowest common denominator.

15 Stop asking, "But what about the Prom?" Even if the idea that my kid might not be able to indulge in a night of over-hyped, over-priced revelry was enough to break my heart, plenty of kids who do go to school don't get to go to the Prom. For all you know, I'm one of them. I might still be bitter about it. So go be shallow somewhere else.

16 Don't ask my kid if she wouldn't rather go to school unless you don't mind if I ask your kid if he wouldn't rather stay home and get some sleep now and then.

17 Stop saying, "Oh, I could never homeschool!" Even if you think it's some kind of compliment, it sounds more like you're horrified. One of these days, I won't bother disagreeing with you any more.

18 If you can remember anything from chemistry or calculus class, you're allowed to ask how we'll teach these subjects to our kids. If you can't, thank you for the reassurance that we couldn't possibly do a worse job than your teachers did, and might even do a better one.

19 Stop asking about how hard it must be to be my child's teacher as well as her parent. I don't see much difference between bossing my kid around academically and bossing him around the way I do about everything else.

20 Stop saying that my kid is shy, outgoing, aggressive, anxious, quiet, boisterous, argumentative, pouty, fidgety, chatty, whiny, or loud because he's homeschooled. It's not fair that all the kids who go to school can be as annoying as they want to without being branded as representative of anything but childhood.

21 Quit assuming that my kid must be some kind of prodigy because she's homeschooled.

22 Quit assuming that I must be some kind of prodigy because I homeschool my kids.

23 Quit assuming that I must be some kind of saint because I homeschool my kids.

24 Stop talking about all the great childhood memories my kids won't get because they don't go to school, unless you want me to start asking about all the not-so-great childhood memories you have because you went to school.

25 Here's a thought: If you can't say something nice about homeschooling, shut up!

Multitude Monday

11. Christian Friends

12. A very talented husband

13. Teachable children

14. Sunshine

15. Blue sky

16. Cool crisp morning air

17. Running water

18. Sewing machine

19. Lots of fabric

20. A newly made wool shawl

The State of the Nation

by Ken Ham

"One of President Barack Obama’s mantras—one that he has stated many times publicly—is: “Whatever we once were, we are no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers.”¹

In particular, note the phrase, “Whatever we once were.” This is in recognition of and support for the fact that America today is quite different than the America of yesterday. The rest of his quote states that America was once Christian as a nation, but no longer today. What has happened?

Certainly, this great nation has massive economic and other problems. But the greatest problem in the country—one that underlies America’s present difficulties—is a spiritual one. Sadly, even the church, by and large, does not recognize this change, much less knows what to do to restore the biblical foundations in this country."

To read this article in its entirety go here.

Extra Thankful

I know this is not Monday, but I had to write about how thankful I am for my two younger daughters. My allergies have hit me pretty hard this year. I was even in bed for a day last month. My two daughters stepped up and took over the household chores. They did all my chores, as well as their own. I am so thankful that they have learned to do all the household chores so I don't have to be concerned about them if I am not feeling well. I am also thankful for their servants hearts. Besides doing my chores and theirs, they also made all the meals (from scratch) and gave me my tincture regularly. So here I am again suffering from allergies and they are splitting my ironing between themselves, washing their own laundry (by hand) and getting me my tinctures.
Thank you, God for two very special young ladies. I am truly blessed.

What You Really Need When Life Is Loud

Here is another great thought provoker from Ann Voskamp at Holy Experience.

Five Reasons to Regularly make Silent Retreats in the Day:

1. In Many Words are Many Sins:

“When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.” (Prov. 10:19)

2. All Strength Has its Roots in Silence:

“In quietness and trust is your strength." (Isa. 30:15) As the strength of God that came into the world to save us emerged from 9 months of silent gestation in a womb, from three days of silent waiting in the tomb, so words that emerge from silence have strength.

“And this righteousness will bring peace. Yes, it will bring quietness and confidence forever.” (Isa. 32:17)

3. In silence we cease Living Reactively and begin to Live Reflectively:

Much of our lives aren’t lived from the inner to the outer, but only in reaction to the outer world – our words and actions are reactive to outer stimulus, outer noise, outer distractions. In silence we learn to not live reactively, but reflectively – a still pond listening for God, a quiet life reflects His ways, reflects His heart, reflects Christ’s actions.


4. In Silence We Face the Canyons:

In the quiet, without the noise of distractions, we begin to hear the cry from the chasms of our hearts, begin to hear the depth of our need for love, affirmation, community. In a world where it all too easy to fill the gorges of our pain with people and noise and activity, it is only in silence that our neediness draws us to God for His healing.


5. Silence is an exercise in Humility:

Author Michael Casey writes,

“ [Constant talking] restricts our capacity to listen, it banishes mindfulness and opens the door to distraction and escapism. Talking too much often convinces us of the correctness of our own conclusions and leads some into thinking they are wise. It can be a subtle exercise in arrogance and superiority. Often patterns of dependence, manipulation and dominance are established and maintained by the medium of speech.”

Quote from Richard J. Foster

Our adversary majors in three things: noise, hurry, and crowds. If he can keep us engaged in "muchness" and "manyness" he will rest satisfied.

Multitude Monday

Here is my first entry for Multitude Monday.

1. Salvation

2. Praying husband

3. Blessing of 4 children & a Son-in-law

4. Health

5. My Bible

6. A Home

7. Freedom to Worship

8. Early morning walks with my family

9. Fresh ground flour

10. Clean laundry

Are You Afraid of Silence?

"Is there not more silence in our lives because we are afraid?

Afraid that when we aren’t talking, aren’t connected, aren’t piping in on conversations around tables, water coolers, comment boxes, aren’t messaging or emailing …. that we don’t matter. That we will be forgotten.

That we’ll become invisible.

And maybe more than anything else, we want to be seen, known."

To read this entire article go to Holy Experience by Ann Voskamp.

A Silly Song

Here is a song by Victoria Jackson, that she sang at a tea party last week. Thank you to Stacy McDonald for the tip.