This was today's work.
It was a satisfying project.
Who Should Christians Vote For?
Elections are not about individuals. They are about platforms, ideology and theology. Christians are to be about their Father's business, all the time. God ordained marriage between one man and one woman. He created them, male and female. He knits humans together in their mother's womb. People are created in His image, they are special, and to end innocent life is murder, no matter the gestation, age, race or creed. There are more black unborn children murdered annually via abortion, yet this is not talked about as our nation ramps up equality debates. Woe to those whose hands shed innocent blood or who turn a blind eye and align with those who do, directly or indirectly.
To corrupt children is wicked. Telling them they are not the gender they clearly are corrupts them. Woe to those who do such things or turn a blind eye to such treachery.
God ordained the family, a married father and mother, to raise their own children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Therefore, the family, as the example of Christ's relationship with the church, is to be holy. It is to be an example of loving order and different, but complementary roles. This is not negotiable for those who claim to follow Christ. God created and designed men to be the priest, provider and protector of his home and family. Some of the most unhappy women I know are those who have chosen to ignore this truth. Women are not designed to carry their family, and we see the results in the stress and lack of contentment those who do, exude. Wives are to be a suitable helper to their husbands, and there is such freedom and joy in this. Sadly, women have largely bought in to the lie that this is oppressive. We see the results. The happiest women I know understand and embrace this truth.
God is the head of society; not the government. This is a foundational difference between the political parties in America, and if Christians won't stand for it, who will? Foundations built on the government are controlled by a corrupt entity that shifts. A foundation built on Christ is unshakable and will not shift with the corrupt schemes of men.
Satan is using COVID and shameless fear mongering to make people lose sight of this and other matters far more important than if we will get a virus
We Are All Going to Die One Day. This is apparently news to some people.
What is the bigger danger for people? Living, possibly unsaved and never getting COVID, even if that means not worshiping God, not using our gifts to bless the church, being isolated and lonely, and suffering severe economic repercussions, or living life and being reasonably careful but not shutting ourselves off from the world and getting COVID?
Closing people off from each other is a sure way to slow the spread of the gospel. It is a sure way for fledgling Christians to be cut off from their lifeline, the church and the fellowship of believers. This results in weak believers who can be duped by the schemes of the devil and their own flesh. Being closed off ensures we as Christians are not blessing others. Does the Lord not determine our days, virus or no? Let it not be said of those who belong to Christ they loved their own lives so much that they refused to worship and serve the Lord as we're told to do. Let us be an example to those coming after us of what it means to follow God during hard times. Let us be an example of living out Romans 12:1-2. What if all the missionaries loved their lives to the degree Christians in America apparently do? It is not a contradiction to be thankful for life yet not stay closed off from the world because of a virus that nearly everyone under 65 years old recovers from! Give adults the option to put their own life at risk--this is freedom. There are plenty of elderly who would rather risk getting COVID, even if it means possibly dying from it, rather than live shut off from their loved ones. People need to be touched by other people.
Those with plenty of money can afford to think the economy doesn't matter. They can afford to think shutting down the world is the only answer, not seeing how the economy is really PEOPLE. When it is all about us, isn't that what we call selfish and short-sighted? We can say that living broke, not providing for our kids, hiding out in povery is better than being dead, but let's remember that the recovery rate for children and healthy adults is around 99 percent. How weak have we become as a people? For crying out loud, again I remind us that death IS coming for us all. This is NOT the bubonic plague, people. Even if it was, people need to eat. The government is no one's savior.
How should a Christian vote in the upcoming presidential election? In a way that aligns with what God has outlined clearly in His word. On issues we want to claim He is silent on, vote on the issues He is anything BUT silent on.
Plant-based Green Smoothies
There are many ways to skin this cat. You won't find our variety at a retail store, but it is packed with nutrition. I share it and bid you, good health!
To the pitcher of a high speed blender, like a Vitamix, add, in this order:
1 cup unsweetened dairy free milk**
2 T chai seeds
Large colander half full of romaine, kale, collards, chard or mixture. Can also simply fill Vitamix carafe nearly full of greens (2/3 full)
1/2 c unsalted white beans*
Whole banana
2 cups frozen fruit
For a green colored smoothie, choose fruits like pineapple, mango, strawberries, or peaches. It is ideal to have berries daily, and for a more palatable hue, go with blueberries and cherries. Those are a delicious mixture with the addition of cacao powder.
Shown is the volume for a double batch which involves a preblend of greens before fruit.
Unsweetened flax milk with added protein and unsweetened soy milk are the highest protein non-dairy options**
Vegan Eggplant Parmesan
I think it is kind of funny how vegan dishes will borrow their traditional counterpart names and just add 'vegan' to the front end. I guess it helps battle confusion, but it is still funny to me!
This dish turned out pretty tasty. I took a picture when a lot of it was gone since I was debating on sharing it, not due to taste, just time....
Vegan Eggplant Parm for Two:
You'll need a medium eggplant, 2 portabello mushrooms, Italian breadcrumbs, non-dairy milk, no sugar added pasta sauce (I used Simply Ragu), nutritional yeast, vegan mozzarella shreds. Of course, substitute what you want based on how you eat. This can handle gluten free crumbs or dairy if desired.
Peel and cut the eggplant while baking the portabellos (just put them on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees till not watery--about 20-25 mins). I cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and then slice it. Dredge the eggplant in non-dairy milk then coat with breadcrumbs. Lay on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray and then lightly spray the tops of each one. Bake in 350 degree oven for at least 20 minutes or until soft. I just eyeball this as I keep moving forward with the other meal components (since often I'm making a non-vegan dish simultaneously).
When the eggplant and mushrooms are finished, do the assembling!
On an oven proof plate, layer one portobello, 4 eggplant portions (will equal 2 circles, so 4 half circles), sprinkle nutritional yeast, then top with as much pasta sauce as you like. Follow with vegan mozzarella shreds. (I rarely use cheese substitutes but like to keep some on hand occasionally--this was a good use for them!) Pop this back in the oven for ten minutes or until cheese melts.
Serve with steamed broccoli. Enjoy!
Final Sermon on Final Justice: The Return of Christ
I finished listening to this 3 part sermon series, Final Justice the Return of Christ, today while working out. If you are a believer, I think you will find it VERY encouraging. It is dreadful what unbelievers will experience, and that should encourage us to keep witnessing to those the Lord has put in our path to witness to. It is uplifting to know that God is sending Jesus back for those who have repented of their sins and have trusted Christ's payment for their sin. He sees what we endure and He will help us suffer for righteousness sake.
The reality of the mass carnage that will occur when the final judgment occurs, and the birds of the air being called to eat of the carrion...it is wild and terrifyingly powerful of God. Pastor MacArthur is talking about the largest bird migrations and how they occur over Israel....After the birds have eaten the remains of all the wicked the Lord has killed, it will take 7 months to bury the remaining bones and debris. What is shocking is that prior to this destruction of the wicked, the people will still not repent, but will want to hide and have the mountains fall on them! The lengths people will go to so they can remain in their sin, and not repent, are always shocking to me. This world is so wicked. Come, Lord Jesus, come!
Roasted Beets and Herbed "Goat Cheese"
This was a more involved dinner than I'll typically make for the Mr. and me, but I've wanted to try something different. This involves a bed of a soft lettuce topped with blanched asparagus, roasted beets sliced thin/med, a simple homemade vinaigrette, tofu herbed "cheese", and walnuts. I needed a little more fresh dill...thankfully, I had some micro dill poking up near where the full size had been earlier this summer so it at least looked like it had dill :).
We also enjoyed a fruit salad that my son made. He placed it inside the honeydew rind.
The kids had a simple baked ziti with whole wheat noodles, a grated yellow zucchini, beet greens from 3 beets-finely chopped, ricotta/cottage/parmesan cheese, nutritional yeast, bought marinara sauce.
Parenting Beyond Elementary School
Something we've noticed as our kids have aged, is that many parents stop parenting in the teen years. They relegate themselves to loose over-seers, and as the kids reach 18, the influence the parents have is much less than it could be. Our youth pastor also realizes the importance of parents continuing to truly be involved, and parent up through all the high school years. Kids turn out better when Dad and Mom keep doing their job until their kids are grown.
As with educating your children, have the end goal of your parenting in mind. Do you want your kids to have a strong connection to family? Then make home the heart of daily life, don't have them over other people's houses regularly. It always saddens me when a family farms their kids out to other homes on a weekly basis. The unraveling of the parental influence is apparent. There should be a comfort, safety, and nurturing of family time together, consistently.
Eating dinner together, every night, is an important part of fostering the stability and security a home should bring children. The vast majority of these meals should be around the table where discussions can naturally happen. Take the time to ask questions and bounce thoughts around regarding culture, society, politics, problems...but laugh and just chat, too! Having a weekend tradition of something the family does on Friday or Saturday night is a great way to help kids ward off peer pressure and bad influences. You can include a friend or two to what the family is doing, but try to have several of these each month where it is just your core family. This way one weekend night is occupied with something important to do, which is helpful for a lot of kids, whether introverted or extroverted. It offers protection while capitalizing on needed time to rejuvenate together (like a mini-vacation).
Teaching kids to find satisfaction the family and home goes a long way to developing people who are secure, and who have their own identity. Within the home, kids are free to really become who they want to be, rather than imitate those they are around. This value has to start when children are still in elementary school. It can't be decided once they've already been allowed to go over so and so's house once or twice a week for years...then rebellion will likely set in.
Why does any of this matter? It depends. If you are looking forward to your kids growing up and doing their own thing, with you as an afterthought, it might not. If you don't really care if your kids think about the world and life like you, it might not, and I realize not everyone cares about that.
What I've been able to see, however, is what I want for my family as the years progress: grandparents who are very involved with their grandchildren, and thus, their adult children. There is a lot of time given by the grandparents to make this happen, since everyone knows younger families are busy. That said, a high value was placed on nurturing the core family relationships while the kids grew up, and then those adult children have also protected and valued that. It brings a beautiful closeness that I want to have with my grown children and their future children, Lord willing.
Often we expect from people more than what we've earned, so to speak. I mentioned this in a post a few years ago, when people rather demand a higher place in your life than they've worked for...those who pour into us will in turn receive the best of our time and attention. It is human nature. Position alone does not get us what we long for, position demands without giving, or putting in the time. I want to avoid that dynamic with my grown children.
Take time now to be close your kids, and during the teen years, when they want to pull away, draw close to them and show them how to be secure and happy with their family as the core relationship. They will value that later, and when you are older and fragile :), you'll appreciate it!
Fall Garden Sept 2020
We were blessed with much success this past spring, so I decided to replant more kale and lettuce in the hope of saving money and time this fall. We've often, OFTEN, spent more on a garden then our yield, but the greens made up for a lot of that waste! Plus, I don't have to go to the store a few times each week to restock us.
I've got some Swiss Chard hanging on but don't know how long it will last. This side yard has been as versatile as the inside of our house, which has been an amazing space for our 14 years of homeschooling and working from home. I love rooms that can be repurposed and rearranged for various life stages. God has been good to us in this way, in spite of my wanting to move for about a decade on and off. (hangs head in shame).
Finally content and seeing how we've been in just the right place for this season...I give you, the expanded side yard garden. Previously the pine tree forest, bunny home, chicken run and vinca nursery.
Updated Fall Garden and Finished Drain Project Sept 2020
I treated the arborvitaes with something for spider mites today. Misty enjoyed going to True Value with me! Thinking I misdiagnosed the issue, and hoping a few will
recover.
Twelve curly kale and twelve Bibb lettuce.
Dug out to direct water straighter through the hole.
All the dirt has fresh grass seed now. Everywhere you see dirt, picture seed! It isn't showing up.
Expanded raspberries and newly enlarged greens garden for fall. Half is for raspberries and the front half closer to the house is for the greens.
Roofie rab getting some needed grooming.
The Dying Arborvitae Row, Mulched...but Not Forgotten, Sept 11, 2020
Even the dog can't believe it...
I've treated with insecticides, thinking the issue was leaf borers. To protect against the kind of drought we had this summer, I pulled out the extensive Periwinkle and other plants and will just keep it mulched.
But I just read an article about spider mites and how they take over in hot, dry conditions, often starting the death spiral. The guy who wrote the article initially posted in 2011 but has updated through the years. First thing tomorrow, I'm doing a white paper test. Regardless, I'll either treat with Neem oil or Fung-Onil. Seven isn't helping, and may be harming if it is mites. Ugh. Losing a privacy hedge is not cool.
(Arborist said heavy rains after the drought saturated the soil, which is rich and heavy, causing root rot. I watered during drought, probably too much. Soil smelled bad and roots were small. Trees went from lush to clearly browning and thinning in two weeks. By 4 it was evident we were in a difficult spot. Evidence of root rot was trees could be pushed and moved by Arborist, and he isn't a big guy. I moved a few trees to different locations in our yard and they are doing ok but don't look good and never will look as they did. Hindsight--wish I moved trees in row much faster once it was clear a couple were dying fast. Update: 6/2021)
Revelation 19: Final Justice: The Return of Christ
Final Justice: The Return of Christ (3 Sermons)(if you just want the sermons without my waxing uneloquently, here is the link!)
Things we humans have in common:
24 hrs in a day
7 days in a week
the need for nourishment
the need for sleep
the need for love- to give and receive it
the need for work
the need for God
Some may argue the last point, but the Bible is clear that without being born-again, no one will spend eternity in Heaven, rather they will spend it eternally separated from God in Hell. (John 3:7) Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, whatever a man sows, that he will reap. (Gal 6:7)
In this life we all have the same number of hours in a day. We all choose how we will spend that time. If none of it is spent as God says, why would we think we will be with Him after death? If there is no desire to be with God now, why would it be expected to be with Him forever? He is holy, righteous and just, and He has standards in order to be in His presence. We must be washed clean by the blood of Jesus Christ, figuratively, in our hearts which have admitted we are sinners, and we humbly seek His forgiveness. The evidence is that we then conform our lives to align with His standards as best we can and as the Holy Spirit enables us. A life marked by open sin is a life not submitting to God. (1 Cor 6:9-11)
Everyone can fit in time to read the Bible, pray, listen to a sermon, or listen to the Bible. The age of technology has made it very easy and accessible to find Truth. It has also offered innumerable distractions so we can amuse ourselves to death--literal spiritual death.
Take time to listen to this sermon series. It will be worth it. Remember, the anti-Christ will perform a false resurrection and will use that to lead many who are unable to recognize the truth, astray. Religion, no matter how sincere, cannot and will not save anyone.
Final Justice: The Return of Christ (3 Sermons)
Then There Were Three...A Tadpole Tale
Dying Arborvitaes....Moving and Trying to Save, Sept 7, 2020
I've mentioned our afflicted, once beautiful, arborvitaes. Planted almost 5 years ago, they looked really good until the start of this August. There was a little brown here and there, but nothing to worry about. Just the normal stuff that goes with these trees.
We came home from vacation, and something drastic had happened. I'm assuming the exceedingly high temperatures, coupled with no rain for six weeks, weakened them. The leaf borers, that had likely caused the browning, moved in stronger, and despite pesticide action, consistently, a month later we're at a critical juncture. Even the steady rains we were having throughout August did not help.
It is likely the point of no return for at least one. Even if the others recover, they will never look as lush and green as before.
It reminds me of our spiritual health. Those times we're cruising along, happy, but neglecting God, will weaken us. The scorching silence of not communing with our Savior will be taking a toll. Darts the enemy had thrown, which didn't impact us much, suddenly become able to do greater damage. Even if we suddenly they're ourselves into the Word, serious damage, with consequences, may be our lot. There is simply no fixing neglect. The evil of the enemy, Satan, is oft unseen, so those of us in Christ must be vigilant to remember 1 Peter 5:8-10. 8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 [a]But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your [b]brethren who are in the world. 10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
In another part of our yard, we've had two young arborvitaes. They have been relocated to the front yard next to the new Steed's Hollies. Before destruction comes, they are now in an optimum location. All of these trees have had any competing plants removed, have been fertilized, and have been heavily mulched. It is like when we cut back on TV and start doing a Bible study during the week.
Jesus Christ is coming back, friends. We who are His should be preparing ourselves. Those not in Christ must be told that there will come a day when it will be too late to be saved from eternal damnation. Religion will not save, only the truth found in God's word will.
Want to be Holier?
Great sermon today from Evangelist Wayne McCray entitled, 'Your Response Matters to God".
Do you want to grow in personal godliness?
Do you want to nurture a closer relationship to the Lord?
This message will point out how to accomplish those goals. Here is a hint, no one falls into holiness.
Something on my heart to share: there is no prize for attending church, or listening to a sermon, then picking it apart. Trying to show others (particularly children) the errors or shortcomings, if not done carefully and with discretion, can actually teach them to not have faith. Church hopping sends the message that there are no worthwhile churches, which teaches kids that they won't find a church either when they are grown and searching.
God is very clear that believers are to be accountable to a church regularly. We are to assemble consistently and use the gifts He has given us to serve one another. In Revelation we see many churches and the problems, but they were still churches. Faithful people can be found in even bad churches. We should find the best we can and plug in. Perhaps we are the problem more than the doctrine or people that rub us wrong. Is it possible we hide behind our critiques, thinking they offer a more valid excuse than they do, for our lack of participation?
Obstacles may be opportunities to persevere and prove our faith. We should seek unity on the major tenets, and not try to change whatever church we're a part of. A spirit of division, or looking for a church for reasons other than growing in faith, are red flags. People who claim to be Christians, but who are not active members of a gospel preaching church, should give us pause if we are following Christ. Our close friends should be striving in the same direction as we are, and regularly checking their beliefs against God's truth, changing their opinions or beliefs when necessary.
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; Phil 2:12
Retaining Walls
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-- unless indeed you fail the test? 2 Cor 13:5
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