Our Family's "Food Manifesto"

Since the joining together of our two lives as one, Jonathan and I have found ourselves increasingly burdened to deepen our understanding of food and its impact on human health. To some degree, we had each been interested in health before, but in the last 19 months as we have wrestled through health challenges that our family faces and as we have sought to better determine the values that direct the way we farm, Jonathan has come to the point where he believes that a large part of the dominion work God has given him is not just to grow food, but to help others pursue wise stewardship of the health that God has given them. Of course, any time you get involved in reformation work, it must begin at home. As a result, we sat down and wrote out a basic guideline explaining our understanding of food and it's impact on the body based on the study we have done. My next goal is to start mapping out the baby steps we plan on taking to help us reach our goal.

I wanted to share with you what we've written. A lot of these principles are based on the work of Weston A. Price, Mary Enig, and Sally Fallon.

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As Christians we are called to be wise stewards of the bodies and resources God has given us.

In respect to diet this means seeking to nourish our family's health using foods in their most nutrious and natural state, as directed by wisdom.

Basic Standards and Guidelines

• Dairy - Enjoy raw (milk, butter, cheese, etc) and fermented (yogurt, kefir, cream, etc). Avoid pasturized, homoginized and low-fat. Pasturization kills beneficial bacteria; homoginization exposes fats to rancidity and oxidation. Low-fat usually contains powdered milk as a thickener; powdered milk is processed using high heat and high pressure, conditions leading the the development of free radicals which damage DNA/RNA.
• Animal Protein - Grassfed, free-range, pastured (some grain feed is fine). Avoid heavily grainfed, confined animals as these often have E.coli issues, Omega 6/3 imbalances and transfats. Use fats from pastured animals (duck, goose, chicken, lard and beef tallow) for high temperature cooking as they are saturated fats which remain stable at high temperatures.
• Grains - Whole form and properly soaked (to help break down phytic acid). Avoid refined grains as these have been stripped of their nutrients and "fortified" with synthetics whose safety has not been proven.
• Oils - Use expeller-pressed, unrefined oils (such as olive and coconut) as this method of extraction protects them from rancidity. Avoid oils processed at hight temperatures and pressures (i.e. canola oil, etc). Avoid dhydrogenated fats (shortening and margarine).
• Sweets - Enjoy fruits in moderation. Stick to minimally processed/refined sugars (such a raw honey, rapidura/sucanant, maple syrup). Consume only minimal amounts of fruit juice. Avoid refined sugars (white and brown, corn syrup).
• Preservatives/Preservation - Use preservation methods that protect the food's nutrients (such as lacto-fermentation, some canning, freezing, dehydrating and cold storage). Avoid foods preserved with nitrites and nitrates (such as commercial lunch meat) as they have been linked to cancer of the esophagus, stomach, large intestine, bladder and lungs.

As in everything there are/will be some inconsistencies and practical restraints in application (such as budget!).

The 2011 Season has begun!

(Rows of Garlic Plants at the Field; photo curtesy of my Man)

It's hard to believe the new farming season has begun! The garlic planted last fall is coming up beautifully and yesterday Jonathan planted 3.5lbs of onion sets. Friday is scheduled for getting the potatoes in the ground, all 600 lbs of them! We've spent the last week cutting the potatoes, so far we've made it through half of them. Jonathan hired his siblings to do about 250 lbs and we will finish the last 50 ourselves.

The CSA checks have been coming in and we've nearly reached our goal of 45-50 shares for this year! It's always exciting to see which of our members are returning and who our new members will be. We have our steadys - faithful members who've stuck with us for the three years that we've been operating a CSA. It's usually pretty easy to tell when we've received one of our steadys' applications in the mail, because which ever of us comes in, bearing the mail is typically grinnng ear-to-ear, "Guess what? Kathy's back!" :-)
I really enjoy returning members because as the seasons come and go you get to know a little more of the person behind the share. One member whose been with us for 3 years now always brings us a morale boost, she's so enthusiastic about our produce and the hard work that Jon puts into growing it. We've also come to realize that she can't stand beets! Because of this, we try to find ways to give her options of getting other produce in place of her beets (carrots, for example). Another member, who originally organized the CSA and asked Jonathan to provide the produce for it, has been an amazing souce of wisdom and know-how when it comes to marketing and thankfully she and her husband have been very gracious to freely share their time and the knowledge they have as an effort to help support us.

Each year, as the applications roll in we find ourselves feeling very burdened and determined to be worthy of the trust and partnership of our members. This year is certainly no different in that regard, we spend our time discussing areas where we need to improve, tossing ideas back and forth as to how we can make and implement such improvements. We wonder what the season will be like, what challenges the weather will hold, in what size force the bugs will show up, if we'll be able to get the irrigation up and working (something we've had problems with for the last 3 years, hopefully it will work better this year as we've moved to a new location with a better water source!), how to keep on top of the weeds, etc.

May the Lord's blessing be on the labor of our hands!

And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

Psalm 90:17

Sabbath Musings, Part 2

"And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made." Genesis 2:2-3

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I had always been under the impression that the command to honor the Sabbath had passed away under the Old Covenant, and that since the church was under the New Covenant we were on to "bigger and better things". I confess, I am no theologian. God-fearing men, much wiser than myself disagree passionately as to how we are to interpret and apply the scriptures of the Old Testament in the New Testament era; however, God has made clear to us that all of His word is inspired and profitable for doctrine (2 Tim. 3:16-17) meaning that the OT couldn't have just been for Israel with no application for the church whatsoever or else why did the Lord stir Paul to declare it profitable for the use of the Church?

Looking Back
As a basic foundation for this study we need to understand that Jesus Himself declared that the law would not pass away until all had been fulfilled, for He had not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17-19). Texts such as the book of Hebrews make clear to us Christ's fulfillment of the Levitcal priesthood and the sacrificial or ceremonial laws and passages such as 1 Timothy 1: 8-11 declare that the judicial and moral law still maintains it's authority over law-breakers. I'm afraid that to go into much more detail on that is beyond the scope of this study. But the question ought to be asked, where does the Lord's day fall into in the midst of all this? I used to believe that all the law had "passed away" and certainly without a doubt the ceremonial; at that time, I thought that the sabbath was part of the ceremonial law and therefore had most certainly been fulfilled; somehow, I was under the impression that 9 of the ten commandments still applied execpt the 1 almost smack-dab in the middle.

Fulfilled?
The ceremonial law consisted of types and foreshadows of things to come, particularily of atoning work of Christ as well as illustrative of man's utter depravity and is inability to appease the righteousness of God by his own merits. Did the keeping of the sabbath have anything to do with the above? What is it's purpose, what is it's foundation? Let's look at the passage in Exodus:

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God . . . for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: where fore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." Ex. 20:8-11

Interestingly enough, the foundation on which God based the sabbath day was His own example of work and rest during the creation week. Looking back to that time we read,

"and God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made." Gen. 2:3

Prior to the giving of the Mosiac law, God had determined a day of rest (and I think the argument can be made that He also established it as a day of worship at that time), which means that even if all the mosiac law had passed away/been fulfilled the sabbath would remain, as its foundation was established before Israel was instructed at Mt. Sinai.

Context Clarifies
Consider also the position of the fourth commandment; in the first four commandments God gives specific details regarding worship: the 1st commandment fixes the object of worship ("I am the Lord thy God. . . thou shalt have no other gods before me"); the 2nd gives the means ("Thou shalt not make any graven image. . . thou shalt not bow down thyself to them nor serve them"); the 3rd explains the manner ("thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain" i.e. worship is to be given with reverence and fear); and the 4th establishes the time ("Six days shalt thou labor . . . but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God.")
Why would the object, means and manner of worship still be in place and observed by the Church and yet the time somehow done away with?

To Be Continued in Part 3

Weekly Planning

Organization and time management, two elusive aspirations - or, at least, seemingly so. A couple months after Elise was born, I was so incredibly discouraged by my lack of ability to keep our home in perfect order, prepare meals, grocery shop, care for our little girl, help my husband with his business, nuture our marriage, and find time to rest my exhausted, nauseated, pregnant body. Jonathan  suggested I go and spend some time visiting with his mother and glean some wisdom in this area. I had a wonderful time talking with her, and Jonathan was right, having been a wife and mother for over thirty years, she had some pearls of wisdom for me. One of my favorite nuggets of counsel that she shared the value of using  a weekly schedule. She pointed me to the "Little House on the Prairie" book series and reminded me of how Ma Ingalls had a day for each of her tasks: Monday was laundry, Tuesday was ironing, Wednesday was Mending, Thursday was Churning, Friday was cleaning, Saturday was baking, Sunday was for rest. As my mother-in-law pointed out, when we don't have a set standard for our day and what we desire to accomplish, it's very easy to be overwhelmed by all the "needs" that are around us, staring us in the face. And once we find ourselves overwhelmed, it's hard to focus and get things done.

Purposeful Weekly Planning

Armed with counsel I set out to give each day a responsibility:
Monday is laundry
Tuesdy is kitchen (i.e. menu planning, food preparation and grocercy list making, organization)
Wednesday is Projects
Thursday is Shopping/Errands
Friday is Deep Cleaning (i.e. mopping, bathrooms, etc)
Saturday is Preparation for the Lord's day
Sunday is a day of rest!

One advantage with having my tasks divided by days is flexibility. For example, let's say that on Tuesday Jonathan is going out to run some errands and he wants me to come with him and do my shopping on the same day so that we can conserve gas. Not a problem, I can take a look at the rest of my week and figure out which day would be best to switch and turn into my kitchen day. However, I do try to get back onto my regular routine the next week.

Hindrances and Challenges

I have found that one of the quickest ways to get off track is to begin a new day with a disorderly home. One of my goals is to have the house picked up and straightened each night before I go to bed. Dishes need to be done, toys put away, clothes away, any projects I had out need to go to their homes, any straightening of couch pillows or throw blankets, etc. Believe it or not, this can be a lot more challenging than it seems, or at least, it can be for me. I find that I have one major pitfall in this area: The temptation to "take a break". While a break is good and needful, if I sit down, I tend to get distracted and/or I realize how tired I really am and lose all motivation to get back up and do any tidying. Some days it's a matter of "going to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways and be wise". I try to motivate myself by remembering that the virtuous woman, "looketh well to the ways of her household", and that in the end, giving just a little bit more of myself before my day is done will be a blessing when I wake the next day and face my tasks with a clean and orderly environment to work in.
          
Another challenge comes when I begin a new day with the previous day's projects incomplete. I try to fix this by paying attention to which days I am most likely to have an overabundance of work that will flow over into the next day. To illustrate: for me, it makes sense to have my project day follow my kitchen day. The projects that I have are ones that I can take my time with, such as putting together Elise's baby book, working on mending Jon's jeans, sewing projects . . . you get the idea. Because of this, I am able to handle other tasks, or even switch the focus of my day for that week, to pick up where I left off Tuesday. Also, Saturday, as preparation for the Lord's day tends to be a simpler day and therefore can handle any overflow from Friday.

Establishing God-Honoring Priorities

We do have to be careful not to overdo it and compromise our health or safety. I am constantly learning to decipher those days when I truly cannot, or better yet, should not push myself for the sake of my physical health. There are those days when the body has taken all the beatings it can safetly bear; on such days, it's best to do a quick tidy and go rest. By way of example, on such days I might just confine all the dishes to one counter, wipe down the others and not worry about anything else.

Other days, we may find ourselves going through seasons of sickness. We are just now working our way out of one such season right now. Elise had a fever, ear problems, and respiratory difficulties last weekend. Guess what? The dishes sat unattened, sweeping wasn't done, that's okay! I am working on catching up now, and I must add, that I am incredibly blessed with a husband who has been helping to restore order and get laundry under control as well!

The last point, which frankly, is probably most important is prioritizing my husband and his needs above having a tidy home. And to meet those needs, whatever they may be, with joy and without being distracted about the dirty dishes.

Pressing On

I don't have everything "under my belt" in regards to carrying out my daily/weekly tasks. I am still learning how to best manage my time so that I am not frantically trying to make my grocery list Thursday morning before heading to the store (for me, I tend to draw serious mental blanks if I do this) :-)
While I am not perfect, while I can't offer years of wisdom and experience, I do hope that my feeble efforts can encourage and inspire others in the quest to be a wise manager of the limited time that God has given us.

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"So teach us to number our days,

that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."

Psalm 90:12

Vintage Remedies Giveaway!

Interested in some tools to help you care for your family using

the natural means God has given us in creation?

Vintage Remedies is giving away 3 monetary gift certificates and five copies of their book,

"The Kitchen Herbal". I highly encourage you to go check it out and enter the giveaway!

Sabbath Musings, Part 1

I wasn't born into a Christian household and neither were either of my parents; both dad and mom came to salvation after my brother and I had joined the family. As new converts, we were starting with a completely blank slate: pretty much all of Christianity was foreign to us and we were like dry sponges: we soaked up every bit of knowledge and instruction we could get our hands on.

It seems to me that the majority of the Church in America is dispensational in theology, so it's no surprise that the first church we joined, and subsequently every church we've been in since, was dispensational and as such it was this thinking that shaped our understanding of scripture, it's application and interpretation. A good chunck of the Old Testament was thrown out the window, labled as "Applicable to Israel Only" and one precious truth/doctrine that was thus discarded as "fulfilled" was that precious teaching of scripture regarding the Sabbath. We based our belief on Romans 14:5,
                                ^"One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind"

We basically believed that Romans 14:5 taught that so long as we were "persuaded" we had no biblical obligation to observe the sabbath as a day of rest from our labors. Of course we were not to forsake the gathering together of ourselves (Heb. 10:25) and so we attended church on Sunday, but it wasn't uncommon for us to stop at the store and pickup goat feed or groceries, or even go out to eat on the way home. We also often used Sunday like any other day of the way to get chores done, specifically ones that required dad's help as he had the day off. So we had a 7 day work week of sorts.

And then, I met, fell in love with, and married Reformed Baptist, Pennsylvania farmer.

Jonathan, using his oft quoted principle for undertanding the scriptures, "the clear must interpret the unclear, not the other way around" helped me to understand that Paul was not speaking of the Lord's day in Romans 14:5.

In this series on "Sabbath Musings" I am hoping to show you what Paul was referring to in Romans 14:5 and why we are still to observe a day of rest and worship based on the scriptures. Will you join me?

Communicating with our Children

Elise and I are home from the gathering of the Church this morning as neither of us are well. Jonathan and I thought it would be wisest not to expose Elise to any more germs than necessary during this time so that her body can focus on healing itself.

I've been listening to the Bradrick family's messages on "Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World" this morning while my baby girl is napping and, wow! have I been so challenged and encouraged in my role as a mother! Specifically I've been listening to Susan Bradrick as she talks about the training of children from birth to 3 months, which while I missed that opportunity with Elise I plan to take advantage of it with this new little one that we are expecting in June :-) Although, the point needs to be made, that while Elise is past the ideal time for the training that Susan lays out, she still needs these basic truths to be structured into her life:
- Establishing Communication/Relationship
- Time for Mommy and Daddy to be wrestling in prayer for the wisdom to discern her personality, her strengths, weaknesses and her sin nature so that she can be trained rightly.

Susan shares how we build a relationship with such a tiny, helpless infant by communicating with them through talking, not at them, but with and to. For example, rather than just giving instructions, or talking for the sakes of hearing ourselves talk, speak things such as, "Oh, you woke from your nap! Mommy is so happy to see you awake and cheerful. Why don't we change your diaper?" etc. It is sharing our thoughts, ideas and desires with our children.
We communicate not only through words but through our tones and responses, our actions, the world we 'create' for them, family relationships, music, scheduling, etc.

Overall I was amazed at how much we communicate without even realizing it! I was inspired to really put forth the effort to redeem my time with my daughter and communicate to her in all of life the goodness of God.

I hope to come back and address a few more of her points in detail, they were just so good! However, right now, Elise is up and  in need of her mommy. . .

Organization and the (infamous) ToDo List

The “ToDo List” and I tend to be the best of friends and worst of enemies. Since I am not the task driven, Type A personality, well organized kind of person I need a list to keep me focused and organized. Being the artistically-organized-wanna-be that I am I tried putting together a “Housekeeping Notes” journal but, while it may be useful to some people, I tend to hardly look at it, there's too many dividers and various notes that I find overwhelming. I've tried make notes on scrap pieces of paper, but those seem to either get lost or I forget to throw them away when I am done which leaves me with useless, messy paper piles - particularly on my night stand.

Enter the "1 Subject, 70 Sheets, College Ruled Notebook"! It fit well within my budget (a whole .50 cents!) and my personality. I just make up my daily todo list, which I don't lose since it's bigger and heavier than a single piece of paper and then I get to it. I don't have dividers for the books I want to read, projects I hope to accomplish, company I need to have over, menu planning, etc. because although those are good, I tend to get lost in so many categories. I am better off just looking at my bookshelf for something to read, looking around my house for my never ending list of projects, flipping through the church directory or walking around the 'neighborhood' for people to have over. The one category that I do have a separate paper for is menu planning. While I am still working on learning exactly how to menu plan successfully I am convinced that it is a worthwhile skill and that it will (eventually) save me time and money. 

How do/does you/your family stay organized?

If you are the "keeper of your home" what does this look like for you?

If you are a daughter, how does your mother do it? How would you theoretically like to implement the principle of organization in your own home some day?  

Take the Challenge to have a "Missional Homemaking" Perspective

One of my favorite homemaking and natural health/living blogs is "Passionate Homemaking".
Lindsay Edmonds, a woman passionate about glorifying God and speaking the truth of the Gosple.
I love reading what she has to share, I am always inspired in my role as a wife, mother and homemaker. The care and graciousness with which she communicates what she has learned and is learning about being a wise steward of what God has intrusted to her is uplifting.

Recently Lindsay spoke at a women's conference on "Missional Homemaking".
I highly encourage you take the time to listen to it and then go and seek wisdom from the Lord as to how you can apply the 12 points she outlines.

Wordless Wednesday: Blueberry pie

August is. . .

sweaty field work under a hot summer sun.

potato harvest

canning sun ripened tomatoes and peaches.

laundry flapping in the wind

apples from the neighbor to be made into applesauce

                                  green stained feet from walking through damp, freshly cut grass

Time to remember, rededicate

                                                      pray, and prepare for a new year. . .

Studies of Scripture

Elise drifted off to sleep while nursing and beside me, my husband had also, exhausted from six full days of laboring in the field. I slipped out from my place, nestled inbetween them, and headed into the office. The thought came that I ought to take advantage of this quiet moment to study scripture and pray. I retrieved my Bible and went to check my nightstand for my journal. As I walked softly beside the bed I saw the little face pucker, the mouth draw into a pout and a cry escaped the tiny lips followed by another and another, in rapid sucession.                                  -There goes my afternoon; -   
I picked her up and whisked her to the living room where we wouldn't disturb daddy. Laying her on the couch beside me I decided to try and let her fuss it out, and while she fussed, I pondered what to study, where in the scriptures to read. It soon became evident that she had not intention of sleeping. I held her, but she would not refused to be comforted while mommy was sitting, so I walked, until her eyes closed. Gently she was laid back down and I settled in with my Bible, Strong's Concordance and the Expository Greek dictionary, Lord, what shall I read, where in these 66 books of the cannon of scripture do You want my soul to feed?
John 3:16 came to mind. I've been pondering the Calvanistic doctrine of Particular Redemption (or Limited Atonement), searching the scriptures, wanting to be convinced for myself of what the Word teaches. What does it mean, God so loved the world that He sent His only Son? Does it nullify my understanding of limited atonement. Elise's cries fill the still air. With a sigh I walk with her, trying to soothe her. We sit in the rocking chair.  No, God's love for the world (greek: Kosmos) doesn't mean He died for all the world, it just means He loved the world. Elise is settled and back on her make shift bed in the living room, Lord, how do I go about studying the teaching of scripture in regards to the atoning work of Christ? Hebrews 9. Hebrews 9? Gary Martin read that passage in preparation for partaking of the Lord's supper this morning. I don't remember anything particular being said about who's sins were atoned for. . . With my daugher at last sleeping I began to read. At first the Inspired Word explains how the symbols of the first covenant pointed to Christ and the new covenant. But then I came to verse 28, "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Many. What word is that? Poloos, many. Used throughout the gosples to refer to the multitudes that followed Christ. I.e. it refers to a group of people, not all people. Hmm,
The sound of my husband reading Psalm 127 to my again awake daughter fills my ears; I still have more studying to do, more to meditate on, but I am thankful for the direction the Spirit has pointed me in.

One Year Anniversary

Hard as it is to believe, it has been nearly a year since we got married. In fact, our anniversary is this Sunday! My how things have changed since we said, "I do".
We are going away this weekend, to Western PA, so I've spent my day prepping food for our trip and caring for Elise. I'll post more either later tonight or when we get back. Right now I've got to get back to work before my little one wakes up!

Wordless Wednesday: My Man

Photo Credit

Introducing Susan Elise Einwechter!

Today, June 15th, marks my official due date. However, instead of waiting on pins and nettles for my little one to arrive, I am rejoicing in my precious daughter's tenth day of life outside the womb.

Our little Susan Elise Einwechter was born June 5th at 2:42pm.

Call Your Senators!

I received this e-mail from the ParentalRights.org:

"Today Is the Day - Call Now!
As we announced last week, Senator Jim DeMint on Tuesday introduced S.R. 519, a resolution urging the President not to deliver the Convention on the Rights of the Child to the Senate for its advice and consent. Now it is time to make phone calls. We need 34 co-sponsors of S.R. 519 in order to end the threat of ratifying the CRC for the immediate future. And we need you to call your senators and get them on board.

We are not the only ones who believe this is a critical time for the Senate and the CRC. According to the minutes of the Feb. 19 meeting of the Campaign for US Ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, our opponents believe they “had 60 Senators assessed as supporters of ratification, 27 opposed and 13 in the middle” as of 2009.

What is more, the Campaign announced on April 27 that they were “launching an initiative that verifies EVERY Senator’s position on U.S. ratification of the CRC,” essentially asking their supporters to call their senators and urge their support for the Convention.

But now it is our turn, and we’re not just taking a survey. Please call your senators and urge them to cosponsor S.R. 519, the resolution opposing ratification of the CRC. Here is all you need to do:

Visit our Resolution Status Board, a new web page designed to track our quest for 34 cosponsors.
Look up your state. If your senator is a cosponsor, he is highlighted. If not, his phone number is provided.
Call your senator(s) and tell them the following in your own words:

“I oppose the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child because it interferes with my family and violates the principle of American self-government. Whatever laws we need to protect children should be made by American legislators, not international committees. Please cosponsor Senate Resolution 519. Thank you for your time.”

You can also read the resolution for more ideas of what you might say when you call.

Then, pass this on to all of your friends and family and urge them to do the same.

Only the proposed Parental Rights Amendment can permanently end the threat to families posed by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, but S.R. 519 can postpone any risk of ratification for the next couple of years, protecting parental rights long enough to get the amendment passed. Please call now, before you close this email. The future of our nation depends on you!"

Please, take a moment to call your Senator. One freedom/responsibility that we must cherish, preserve and exercise is Government by the People! If we are not faithful to exercise this responsibility it will be taken from us.

The Blessing of Children

To a degree, ignorance is bliss. One of the challenges of approaching 'mommy-hood' coming from a large family where I was pretty involved in the care of my younger siblings is to remain positive and upbeat about child rearing. That's not to say that I do not rejoice in the coming of our child, for I do! However, you must understand, I not only remember the glorious wonder of holding a newborn child, I also remember what it's like to have the baby screaming in your ear and being unable to get him to calm down! I remember the sweet feelings of tenderness as a little tike crawls into your bed in the middle of the night because he had a bad dream, I remember the blessedness of snuggling close and comforting them and I know what it's like to wake up 2 hours later drenched in urine because aforementioned little one wet the bed. I remember the pleasures of being handed a fistful of flowers for the "sweet, sweet Monique!" and I remember the same child going into hysterics later when they hurt themselves, refusing to let you see the injury, lest they let go of the wounded finger and bleed to death! I remember the feeling of satisfaction when the young one you've been helping teach finally understands how to work a math problem: their little face lighting up with confidence. I also recall the times of weeping and whinning and gripping and down right refusal to even look at their math book. I remember the victories of hearing a little one read for the first time, and the challenges of trying to keep their attention on the sound of the letter "A" rather than the mouse that they just saw dash under the couch!

One of the qualities that the older women are commanded in Titus 2 to teach the younger women is that they "love children". Frankly, I see why. It's easy to happily coo over the new baby at church when you hold them while they contentedly sleep, it's a completely different ball game to be happy while you change a baby's diaper blow out and then rush into the kitchen to discover you've burnt supper while you were at it! 

I believe that children are, among other things, a tool God uses to help sanctify us. The needs of children and the demands of raising them up to be God fearing adults takes us to the absolute end of ourselves which means we must learn to throw ourselves on the sovereign grace of God and humbly walk with Him in full reliance on His spirit!

I know that there is much in my life that is in need of God's refining fire; I believe one tool He will use to surface and deal with these issues is my children.

All this to be said, I do genuinely believe that children are a blessing from the Most High, a reward, as Psalm 127 tells us. Children are, in many ways, our hope for the future. The little baby who currently delights in kicking my ribs will one day be a rosy faced, curious tike who will one day grow to be a man or woman who must take his stand with the enemy in the gates (Ps. 127:5) The children that God gives us, each with their own unique gifts and abilities, must be molded and prepared for the day when they are sent forth as arrows into the midst of the war that rages all around us. They must be ready to take a stand for the suffiency of scripture, the Holiness of God, the wickedness of sin, the truth of the gosple, the glories of biblical family life, the roles of men and women in the home, church and civil sphere, the biblical and constitutional limits of government, and whatever other areas become a part of the bloody battlefield on which we fight.

I want to make the most of each season that my children go through. I want to delight in looking into the eyes of my baby for the first time and treasure that memory, and I also desire to learn to delight in looking for grasshoppers in the field even though there are a thousand other things that need done. I want to joyfully pour out all that I am, even though I know it will be harder and more exhausting than I can probably imagine.
Most of all, I want to see children through the eyes of Christ who declared "suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven." (Mark 10:14). I want to treasure them, knowing that it was God who knit each child in the womb, it is His eyes that look into the secret place, beholding and delighting in the creation of a child. It is God who gives each child an eternal soul and has already recorded the days alloted to that little one (Ps. 139). It is God who declared that children are a blessing, that one purpose of marriage is the conception and raising up of godly seed (Mal. 2:15, Gen. 1:28, Ps. 128:3).

As I look forward to the future I feel both excitement and trepidation, but I am confident that although children require a lot of hard work and sacrifice, they are indeed a good gift from God to be recieved with joy.

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". . . be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess

the gate of those which hate them."

Genesis 24:60

Relief Work in Haiti and the Power of the Gosple

Here is an amazing article-simply a must read!

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father which is in heaven." - Matthew 5:16

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this: To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction and to keep himself unspotted from the world." James 1:27

"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin." James 4:17

I've been on a sort of necessity fast from blogging for the last few weeks, but hopefully now that things are "slowing" down I should be on a little more often. Jon and I went down to Ohio with friends for the Cincinnati Homeschool Convention. Our friend, Scott, was a vendor there. We helped man the table and also had the opportunity to attend some of the lectures and spend time looking around at the curriculum tables. In time, I hope to share some of what we learned. 

I have recently started doing some research on food/health and I am planning on writing perhaps a bi-weekly post on whatever it is that I have been studying. My dad often stressed the importance of making informed decisions, not blind or biased ones and that is surely needed in the area of health and food!

Jon and I have been married 8 months now! It is so hard to believe! Time has just flown by. . .

Well, I am off to start supper preparations-Lord willing, I am going to make a rhubarb pie for dessert to surprise my hubby!

Placenta-Brain

Monday I had a midwife appointment. I am now 28 weeks along, only 12 weeks left to go! Well, give or take a few, depending on whether or not the baby is early or late :-)
While chatting with the midwife I asked if there was anything I could do to help myself better remember things. She burst out into pleasant laughter, "Placenta-brain!" she said "No, there's nothing you can take for that!" So, at least I have a diagnosis, it's not simply "I'm going crazy!"  :-)
Entering the 7th month was like running into a brick wall, all the sudden I went from feeling good to feeling tired, almost all the time and to having the most terrible time trying to remember anything! I have been very blessed most of the pregnancy. Although I had to deal with nausea, I didn't experience terrible mood swings, unbearable exhaustion, or anything like that. I think I've had 2 or 3 emotional instances since entering the 3rd trimester. Thankfully, I have an incredibly compassionate husband :-) Even though he doesn't quite understand the "it's nothing you've done, nothing you haven't done, nothing I can think of is wrong I just feel miserable" bursting into to tears, he's been good just to hold me and let me cry.
Enough cons, the pros of being in my 3rd trimester far outweigh them! The baby is now happily kicking my ribs, but still not big enough for it to hurt, so I am enjoying the continual reminder that there is a little life growing in my womb.  The heart beat is holding good and strong, it's a fast heart beat and there is an old wives tale saying that a fast heart beat indicates it's a girl. . . we'll see :-) Jon and I are looking forward to holding our little one and we are both confident that it truly won't be long-time is just flying by so quickly!

Interesting tid bit from a book I borrowed from the midwives, called "The Birth Book" by William and Martha Sears. Did you know that according to childbirth historians when women began transitioning from home births to hospital births the maternal death rate from childbed fever went up? Why, you ask? Because at that time the now standard procedure of handwashing wasn't  practiced by doctors, one can only imagine what kind of germs were spread that way! Interesting, isn't it?

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THOUGHTS ON BEING A HELP MEET

I have been reading in Ezra for my daily devotions the last little while and yesterday I read something I thought I would share. In chapter 9 the Princes of Israel come to Ezra and inform him that the people have sinned by taking foreign wives. When Ezra hears the news he is overwhelmed and after rending his garment and plucking out his hair in grief, he sits before the Lord all day in astonishment. At the time of the evening sacrifice he falls before God and begins an intercessory prayer of confession. After a time a man by the name of Shechaniah comes to him, confessing the sins of the people and declaring that they are ready to put away their wives according to the law. Verse 4 stood out to me, "Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee, be of good courage and do it." As the spiritual leader (Ezra 7:1-5 he traces his line to Aaron) it is his responsibility to begin the work, Shechaniah recognizes this and exhorts him to undertake it. But he also states his support of Ezra and his promise to stand behind him and help with the work. When I, as a wife, see an area of responsibility that God has given my husband that perhaps is overwhelming or that he is lacking in, the proper response is not to try and wrest that leadership from him but to say "I will stand with you, be of good courage and do it". The response should be one of unconditional respect, love and support, laboring with him in the work.