This Month's Devotion Challenge

To lay aside all TV and popular teachers, including those who are sound teachers, set aside all the books, work books, DVDs, CDs, positivity cards, popular quotes hung around our house, cars and work spaces and simply spend time in the Bible.

 Everyday only the Bible. If you accept this challenge, I'd like you to come back after September 5th and report how much you've learned, changed and grown. I'll do the same. See you then and look forward to hearing from you! God bless!

My Home

Growing up in the Detroit area, most of even what I knew about the largest city in Michigan consisted of crime, the Big 3 (car companies), Motown, Canadian borders separated by the Detroit River, fun festivals and what I learned from Eminem and Kid Rock songs. I'm sure I learned more in school, but I don't remember it...like Spanish class. I can ask for tacos in Spanish and that's about it.

Detroit has been in the movies a lot lately as people rally to help rebuild the city to its former glory. It's also extremely cheap for movies and TV shows to be made here. But there are a lot of very interesting facts about Detroit most people, including Detroiters, probably aren't aware of outside of other famous reference names like Motown, The Motor City, The "D", Hockey town, "Paris of the Midwest, and Rock City....

1. Founded in 1701, Detroit is probably most famous for the music of Motown where many music legends started like Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson (and the Jackson 5), The Supremes, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, etc. In modern times, most notably, Eminem, Madonna, Ted Nugent and Kid Rock.

Did you know that Detroit is also the birthplace of Techno? Detroit is where techno originated underground by "The Godfathers of Techno", Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson in the 1980's. Techno is mostly associated with European style music when in fact it started right here. DJs and partiers from all over the world converge on the city to celebrate it's birth every Memorial Day weekend at the Electronic Music Festival in Detroit.

2. The Great Salt Mines that run beneath the city and downriver area where it's estimated there is enough salt under the Detroit area to last 70 million years. You may see Morton Salt canisters sitting on your local grocery shelves. Once in a while you may hear the faint sound and vibration of dynamite beneath your feet as miners blast their way through the massive salt deposits.

3. Detroit is the only place in the 48 contiguous states where we can look South to Canada.

4. Detroit held the first ever radio news broadcast.

5. Detroit had the very first concrete roads paved in the world and the first freeway (The Davison)

6. Detroit was Michigan's capital from 1805-1847.

7. Detroit was captured by the British in the war of 1812, but recaptured a year later.

8. Its first Mayor, John R. Williams, spoke only French.

9. Detroit hosts some of the most beautiful mansions dating back 200 years and exquisite French architecture in the world.

10. Detroit built the first auto tunnel connecting two countries.

11. Coney Island Hot Dogs are not native to New York, but Detroit.

The Christian And Prozac

The Gospel According To Prozac

Whatever the case may be that a Christian considers taking Prozac, careful thought and a whole lot of prayer need to go into the decision. Though Prozac is wildly successful at treating many mood problems, we  also have to be careful of the "quick fix syndrome" in our society.

It would also be wise to study how others have dealt with severe depression without the aid of a drug, such as Charles Spurgeon and the Prophet Elijah. Suffering is a part of our Christian walk and God uses suffering to teach, mold us and create us into the image of Christ.

Whatever the case may be if you are taking this drug to treat depression, OCD, anxiety, etc., the goal should not be to block the problems we have with Prozac so we can live "happy" and indifferent to the real underlying problems, but to learn how to deal with the underlying problems aided by Prozac so we can eventually handle them without the need of a mood altering drug.

Stress, depression and anxiety all use up serotonin in great quantities that Prozac balances. More importantly than taking medication to alleviate the low levels, one must consider why they are depressed, stressed and anxious to begin with. More often than not, there are many other ways of calming and restoring healthy levels of serotonin. There may just be a gaping, festering wound caused by sin in our lives that we use Prozac to cover up like a band-aid.

Before taking this drug, please consult the Lord and His word first and foremost. Then speak with your Pastor. While it's nice to have a quick fix, in the long run we only do more damage to ourselves.

Recommended Reading: He's At The Door

Help Free 27 Million Held In Slavery

Love146.org

An Epidemic Of Terrible Times

"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,  treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people." 2 Timothy 3:1-5

During a visit to my local salon for a trim, I over heard a mother telling the hairdresser that her two daughters loved "Jersey Shore". There were two little girls playing with a basket of toys in the seating area where I was. They couldn't have been more than seven years old. As the two played on their knees with dolls and bickered over them, I realized they were that woman's kids. She confirmed it when she yelled at them from her chair, where she was getting a cut, to stop fighting.

She then went on saying that her girls never missed an episode because they scream if they do and she DVR's all the episodes so they can watch them as much as they want. As they went on to discuss how the hairdresser herself was a huge fan, I looked back at the two little girls playing on the floor and was aghast.

I don't have a TV. My husband removed them from the house when we got married, but I know what Jersey Shore is. They're all over news sites and youtube. I have a feeling, judging by how popular the show is, that she's not the only mom raising her kids on shows like that. What can Jersey Shore possibly teach kids let alone adults? Why in the world would any parent want to expose their kids to such debauchery? Garbage in, garbage out. Because of this diet of trash fed to us our entire lives, and because we're taught "self-esteem" to greater extents than math and a writing, we wonder what is happening to our society.

We wonder why there's so much depression, suicide, drug use and violence among our youth. It's because we are a nation of narcissists and we inundate our brains, and our children's brains, with narcissism. Several studies have been done all over the world and found narcissism is an epidemic throughout the world especially among women and teens.

Shocked by the extent to which mothers are violent towards their own children in this nation? Narcissism: a deep sense of entitlement, overblown estimation of self, extreme selfishness and pride. Researchers found it gained momentum during the 70's. Can we really be shocked about that? People all over the world are not just displaying narcissistic traits, but full blown NPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder). NPD is extremely dangerous to those around the disordered person.

America is fast becoming The home of the brave narcissist. We are cultivating it in ourselves and our children. NPD has a nasty backlash. Have you ever dealt with someone who has NPD? I have and it's downright horrific. NPD is exactly what Paul described to Timothy about the last days.

Instead of hindering the propensity of narcissism in all people and instilling a sense of right and wrong, we're cultivating it, flooding our kids and ourselves with the lie that we deserve the best, are entitled to whatever we want because we're so special, materialism, self esteem, dangerous pride and all sorts of depravity.

We tell ourselves and our kids that our own happiness is much more important than others. If it makes us feel good then we should be free to do. Raping makes a rapist feel good. Should he be allowed to do it then without consequences? Our extreme selfishness and quest for our own happiness at the expense of others does tragic harm to everyone despite the lie, "I'm not hurting anyone by it." It's changed society as a whole world wide and raised up an epidemic so depraved, so evil, we can only view it correctly in light of end time Biblical prophecy.

For further reading:
Narcissism Epidemic
Parents Partially To Blame
Narcissism On The Rise 

Take the Narcissistic Personality Test

I scored a '5'. What are your scores?

Sexual Abuse - It's Time To Speak

In our country alone, 1 in 3 girls will have been sexually abused in some way by the time they're 18. 1 in 7 boys by the time they're 18. A majority of the abusers are known by the victim. Be paranoid as parents. Most of the time the ones we thought we could trust with our kids are the very ones abusing them.

In our blame shifting society, everyone is quick to diagnose someone with having a disorder to excuse atrocious behavior with a kid. How about they're just evil? How about they knew what they were doing was wrong? Why else would they hide it? We don't hide something we think is right. Why else would they lie about it? Why else would they put the terrible burden on the child when they're the adult and know better? Because they know exactly what they're doing and they know it's W-R-O-N-G. They can stop themselves. They can prevent it. It's not an instinct like breathing. They know exactly what they're doing and many times will groom a child, sometimes for months, to abuse them. The abusers would like everyone to think it's a disorder therefore, the load of his/her responsibility is lightened. It's not an accident. They certainly don't feel bad about it otherwise they'd stop doing it.

Sexual abuse comes in many forms and all are damaging. If you are someone who was sexually abused you need to understand it was not your fault. Nothing you did was your fault. Nothing you did or could ever do provoked anything. There is absolutely nothing specifically wrong with you that you were so heinously treated. It's your abuser who is wrong. It's your abuser that is heinous. You were manipulated, guilt tripped, deceived and threatened because they're evil. No other reason.

Don't let what a monster did to you dictate the rest of your life. Don't let what that evil person did to you determine your future. Since it wasn't your fault, why are you blaming and torturing yourself for it? Stop worrying about what will happen to the abuser (no matter who he/she is), your family, your friends, their family, their friends, etc. Who is bearing the brunt of this monster? You are. Don't let him get away with it. Sexual abuse is one of the most under reported crimes in the country. Don't believe the hype that it's hard to prosecute. It's hard because no one comes forward and turns them in. On average, a sexual predator will have abused over 200 kids by the time they're caught for the first time.

If it's too late for you to tell someone about what evil was done to you, it's not too late to step in and try to stop him/her from abusing other kids. Please do something if you know. They will always offend again.

Awkward Alert

A topic came up recently in the women's group I belong to that was pretty sensitive. What started out in almost a whisper of confusion, shame and embarrassment became not only interesting, but relieving. The woman who brought it up truly felt as if she was the only one. She worried that opening up would end in her being ostracized, yet she carried around a burden of confusion and guilt because she wasn't sure if it was sinful. I figured I'd write about it because I realized there's probably many women who've felt the same way.

I'll try to be as dignified as I possibly can with this, but I may fail miserably. You might find the topic gross/weird or you may laugh and say to yourself "been there, done that girlfriend!" You're more than welcome to sit across the room, talk about me and stick gum in my hair. In any event, it appears to be one of those things that happens, but no one really wants to discuss for fear of being the weird girl with the funny glasses on the play ground.

Whether you breast feed/fed or not is really irrelevant. If you've been pregnant then you know about milk production. It's a miracle, weird, painful and annoying all at once. If our husbands haven't fully discovered this wonder of God by watching us nurse then they've discovered it during intimacy.

Some men are turned off by it, some find it erotic, others appreciate its value to sustain life while others find it nurturing and comforting for them. They feel it's a deep bonding experience with their other half. Breast milk certainly wouldn't be harmful for an adult, but rather healthy. Weird? Creepy? Maybe, but what I've found in my own research is it's pretty common and there's nothing to suggest it's sinful.

There are a couple of places in Scripture that alludes to a husband drinking from his wife. It can be taken literally or figuratively, depending on how we apply it to our spiritual relationship with Christ or physical relationship with our husbands, which ultimately reflects Christ as well.

"Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe.
May her breasts satisfy you always; may you ever be intoxicated with her love. Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?" Proverbs 5:18-20

I believe it's entirely up to the couple. There's some who believe milk should only be used to feed a baby. For a man to also drink from his wife is somehow depriving the baby of food. From my own experience, Darian always gets his fill with plenty left over so a famine is never a problem for me. There's some who find it gross and that's perfectly fine. As long as it's exercised in the confines of lawful marriage then there is no sin involved. To each his own, but more importantly, as Believers, we are family and shouldn't carry around burdens out of fear of being ridiculed. We're here to edify, help, pray, bear with and comfort one another safely and lovingly.

*End awkward moment*

The Cheapskate Wife

I've become quite the cheapskate. I'm starting to concern my husband and the number of eye rolls I get a day are increasing. Even though he's lived in the States a long time, he was under the impression most American girls were frivolous with money, anticipated a problem after we got married and kept track of the bottom line obsessively.  Except, I've become the one hounding him about spending and he's a bewildered.

 I spent 45 minutes recently in a home decor warehouse digging, pulling, pushing, rolling and fighting my way through a massive pile of area rugs to get the most bang for my buck. Sure I looked ridiculous. Sure those watching thought I'd lost my mind, but all the sweating, climbing and wrestling paid off when I found a 12' X 20' area rug that matched my decor for 50 bucks!

Oh ya! That's right! On sale buried under most of the others that were marked for $300 and up!

High 5!

Man...did I gloat after all of Sharb's whining and insisting he'd gladly spend hundreds on a rug just so his pregnant wife would get up and stop looking like she was wrestling a crocodile. Not only did I gloat over my find, but unearthing that treasure inspired others to dig through that mountain. Hey it pays to take your time and look.

The Proverbs 31 wife helped her husband by caring for their home and those dependent on her in responsible, smart, frugal ways.  I always use her as a spiritual example in the home. Well that also includes materially so I'm on a mission.

I haven't resorted to separating two-ply toilet paper to make two rolls yet or started dumpster diving for dinner, but being cheap has immediate and long term advantages. When one considers living in terms of eternity, the less and less worldly one becomes. In these hard economic times, saving money and living within one's means is not only paramount, but it shouldn't have taken a monetary meltdown for us to realize this.

Being a cheapskate is also less wasteful. No, I'm not one of those "Go green" fanatics, but taking advantage of everything God's provided for us to live is honoring to Him. For example...


12 Ways To Use Eggshells

 Recyclable Crafts

Easy Compost Pile At Home

There are tons of ways to save money and also be healthy. In our society everything is about speed and convenience and we're paying the ultimate price for it economically, physically, mentally and worst of all spiritually.

Foraging is becoming increasingly popular not only because food is so expensive, but for the tremendous health benefits as well. Did you know eating a cup of dandelion greens has far more vitamins and minerals than anything we can buy in a store? We see them as bothersome weeds, but they're known as a miracle food in most other countries.

Foraging Weeds For Healthy Eating
Edible Wild Plants With Pictures

Just by canning food we not only save a lot of money, but it's far better and healthier than buying in grocery stores. Convenience is extremely expensive and detrimental to our health. Fruit orchards in your area often times will throw perfectly good fruit away simply because an apple has fallen on the ground and can't be sold to the public under our strict food laws. Visiting these places, you may find you can get these things for free or dirt cheap. Use what you want then can the rest. Did you know most honey sold in the stores has been processed to death and has almost none of the pollen and good bacteria that has all of the medicinal value? Many processed foods have very little health value and suck up your grocery money.

Dumpster Diving has also become extremely popular and has now spread from college students to the middle class. There are also Dumpster Diving Meetup Groups Check for your own area. Dumpster diving behind department stores, outlets and even grocery stores can yield big payoffs. Not to mention "shopping at the big store", or rather, curb finds.


As Christians we're called to live simply with our focus on spreading the Gospel, running the race and eternity to come, not what we can grab in the world before we're dead. We can take nothing with us anyway. For further reading to start your own "cheapskate" journey, check out these links for ideas...

Fifty Tips For Frugal Living

Christian Simple Living

The Dollar Stretcher

As Numerous As The Stars

When I first started this blog it was for the purpose of posting pictures from a trip to Jordan so friends and family could view them whom didn't have an account on Facebook or Myspace. For some time it was just a personal blog for personal writings of not much of anything important and a way friends and I could be our usual goofy selves. I had no idea it would grow to what it's becoming.

I appreciate those who have taken the time to comment, contact me through email and regularly come to read. Hearing from brothers and sisters in Christ from all over the world has been such a blessing to me and encouraging.

From North and South America to the UK, Europe, Malaysia, and Indonesia. To my sisters from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan Nepal, countries I've never even heard of to all over Africa. You are always in my prayers. I and others are always praying God grant you strength, grace, wisdom, meet every need and cause you to grow in love, faith and in knowledge of Christ.

 "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you" Philippians 1:3

In all of you have I found, though having no biological brothers and sisters, that God instead blessed me with spiritual siblings as numerous as the stars. He has blessed you with the same. Though you may look around and see no others who've come to the faith as you have. Though you may feel alone and frightened, you are not alone. We're never alone. We're all in this together to the end with the Bridegroom and you aren't forgotten by God or others who lift you up in prayer before the throne continually. So the next time you feel alone look at the stars above you and consider.

Keep fighting the good fight. Stand firm in the faith. What God began in you He will bring to completion. He is a shield about you and the lifter of your head (Psalm 3:3). Even in all of our struggles, fears, floods, crucibles and pain...

"For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, 'Do not fear; I will help you.'" Isaiah 41:13

He will never forget you, never forsake you and is your treasure on earth and in heaven. If God is for you there is no one who can stand against you. (Romans 8:31)

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!" Isaiah 49:15

You are loved by our Father and Redeemer and by me as well. May God richly bless you and keep you until He welcomes you home. Merry Christmas beloved of the Lord.

"All-American Muslim" Show Losing Sponsors

Boston Globe Story

If you're unfamiliar with this new TLC reality show, camera crews follow five Muslim families around in Dearborn, MI as a means to show the American public Muslims are no different than the average American family. I beg to differ. Moving swiftly on! Sponsors now have pulled their money from the show following protests: Lowe's Home Improvement, Kayak.com, Bank of America Corp. and Sears Holdings Corp.

Shoharam - My Husband

I can't believe how big our little man is getting! Among other things, he takes after his daddy in size. He's gaining weight and growing so fast it blows me away. He's 2 1/2 months and  such a ham! He laughs and smiles all the time and talks to us with all kinds of noises. He also sleeps up to 7 hours which is such a relief. I caught him recently lifting his head from the bed. I gasped and said "what are you doing?" and he just gave me a big gummy smile and put his head back down. He's so adorable!

The first time he ever started laughing he was in his little seat. Our cat chases me around a lot and will run sideways at me on his toes with his back hunched and tail bushed out. Squig did that recently and Darian just started laughing and laughing and wouldn't stop. It was so insanely cute it made me laugh hysterically and cry all at once. Darian's not much of a cryer except if he's hungry or needs a changing. Other than that he's full of big smiles, laughter and baby talk. I can be having a bad day, but the minute he smiles at me it all melts away. Sometimes while he's nursing he'll stop, look up at me and get this big grin on his face. It so funny.

I've noticed something that's totally me...his smile. One side of his mouth turns down slightly just like mine. Up until recently, I couldn't find a single thing. He was all Sharb and everyone calls Darian "Sharb's mini me". He's also lightening in skin tone, but his eyes seem to be darkening. I didn't notice until I looked through all the pictures I have of him from birth to now. I had no idea that would change, but his hair...black as ever and he's still a huge fan of thumb sucking. Everything about him is so surprising and fun. I'm still amazed that we could make something so beautiful and perfect.

.

Novemeber 19th Sharb and I will be celebrating our first wedding anniversary. I look back over this year and so much has happened, the biggest being Darian's birth. Getting married is really only the beginning no matter how long a couple's been together. Everything changes and there's always a lot of ups and downs as you get used to each other.

Having a baby has brought us even closer and introduced new bonding experiences and also stress into our relationship. No relationship is ever perfect. When two very flawed, sinful people are joined together you dream and hope for perfection, but learn to compromise and understand we'll always fall short.

This year has been fun, full of blessings and difficult at times, but I don't think I could have ever asked for better.  Sharb's my knight in shining armor and that someone I least expected. He walked into my whirlwind of a life and took a sad, confused, emotional wreck of a cast off, pulled me up and brushed me off. He's never been afraid. He was the stabilizer in the earthquake around me. When I was at my lowest God knew exactly what I needed and sent Sharb in. I still look back to that day we met in a tiny office and I'm blown away. I never would have dreamed the quiet and shy guy that sometimes helped me teach an "English as a 2nd language" class (because I didn't know what I was doing) would be the one. We always think we have it all figured out, but we never factor in what God has planned and who He has waiting for us.

Sharb's been all the things I've needed the most even if I didn't want them at the moment. He's been a father, brother, best friend, partner, protector, defender, biggest supporter, comforter, stabilizer, teacher and, at times, boss lol. He's been a provider and assumed responsibility for me when no one else did. If I had nothing excep him I wouldn't have a reason to worry or lose hope. He's been the only person in my life that no matter what happened I always knew everything was going to be alright simply because he was there.

He's a good father and it gives me so much joy to watch him with his son. I absolutely adore seeing Darian smile and make noises when Sharb plays with him or when Darian looks for him when he hears Sharb's voice. Darian's blessed to have a good example of a man in Sharb and I thank God for the example and relationship Sharb has with his own father that can be past on to our kids.

Sharb and I have had our battles and we're sure to have many more throughout our life as we continue to learn, grow and be changed. There's been times we looked and acted more like enemies than mates, but he's always been a man and it makes me proud to say he's my husband.

Because of everything he's done for me and has been to me it's a gift from God to be the, "wife of his youth" (Proverbs 5:18-19 as he likes to quote). To give him the best of me when he's never given me anything but the best of him. A long time ago I wrote a list of 101 things I loved about him and to have added to it after all this time would have taken far too long.

You've been my hero and will always be. I'm so proud of you.

Dooset daram aziz. Joone mani. Man bedoone to nemitonam zendegi konam.

Time Away

"Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them." Psalm 127:3-5

That scripture has a lot of meaning for me these days!

I won't be writing for a little while. We have a lot going on with little Darian and trying to get some things done to the house before winter sets in.

I went to the doctor Friday for my postpartum check up. Going by questions my doctor asked and the answers I gave, he needed to do a pregnancy test. To our surprise he gave us the news that I was pregnant....again. Already. Ya I know.

Apparently Sharb and I have a lot in common with rabbits. We're estimating I'm about 2-3 weeks along. To be sure, they took blood and I got the call this afternoon. It's official.

I know someones yelling, "Girlfriend use PRO-tection!" I've heard it already from friends. I think I'd actually need something like barbed wire lol. Ah I gotta bust Sharb's chops a little over this...

I wanted to try for another soon, but not quite this soon. Just recently I was telling my husband I wanted to try for another in a few months or so because I'd like my babies to be close in age rather than far apart. Well...Voila!

Once we recovered from the shock (and Sharb stopped sweating) we're good with it. It'll be hard, that's for sure, having 2 babies in diapers, nursing and not even a year apart, but it's God who gives life and takes away. Children are a gift and we're blessed to receive from Him. I know what it's like to grow up alone and definitely don't want that for Darian. If anything were to happen to us they'll have each other. God willing, maybe a few more later.  Maybe I'll have a little girl this time :)

I'll leave you for a little while with a couple of videos. One on educating, training and disciplining children by Paul Washer. The beginning is especially helpful to young, unmarried Christian women as to who is responsible for her when she has no husband?  The second is "A Biblical Husband And Family"



Be back as soon as things slow down. God bless!

Avoid Being Idle

"An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. .." Proverbs 31:10-31  

Fall has arrived! The trees are changing and losing their leaves, the days are getting shorter, the grey clouds have moved in and linger for days, the autumn winds are constantly howling outside and beating against our homes and the last of the sun's warmth is fading fast. Soon, we'll be buried in snow and arctic cold. For those of us who are stay at home mom's or who can't work outside the home, we can find ourselves battling idleness day after day.

Idleness is addressed in several places in the Bible and we're told to avoid it. Idleness not only tempts us to sin, but is the cause of a lot of sin and depression. When we get bored and are idle we tend to over eat, become sick easily, slipping into depression, stressed out, dredging up old memories and marinating in them for hours on end, complaining, in and out of bad moods, laziness, gossipping with friends, sitting on the internet, watching way too much TV, etc.

Winter commonly breeds depression, but this can be avoided with keeping ourselves busy and soaking up sunlight while it's available. Going outside for a short walk or even just to stand in the sun for a few minutes (especially during midday) allows us to soak up some vitamin D from the sun even on cloudy days, which directly impacts the emotional center of the brain.

Outside of the seasonal changes, idleness anytime can be deadly. There is truth in the old saying "Idle hands are the devil's workshop".

"Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not." 1 Timothy 5:13

"or even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies." 2 Thessalonians 3:10-11

In modern times, we don't have fields of crops that need planting, care and harvesting. Canning and storing food is no longer necessary. We can buy clothes cheaply rather than having to make them. Cooking can be done in 30 minutes or less and we've found ourselves with more free time than we can stand. Therefore, we find ourselves getting into all sorts of trouble or worse watching Jerry Springer.

 "Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy." Ezekiel 16:49
Man was made to be laborers. It's unnatural physically and mentally to be idle even in the work place. Part of the reason the West battles so many illness and diseases is due to lack of physical labor and "life of ease". We have diseases and illnesses, both physical and mental, killing us at high rates that are rare in 3rd world countries. The root cause is idleness.

For us women, there are a number of things we can do to keep us busy and productive especially during the winter months. Learning the old ways, even though we don't need to anymore for survival, has tremendous benefits and I'll throw out some suggestions...

Learn how to can food. Plant a vegetable garden in the Summer and in Autumn can them. It's not difficult, it's time consuming. If you didn't plant a garden this year then fresh vegetables and fruits can be bought cheaply and canned just as well. Canning jars and lids can be bought cheaply also at places like Target and reused. If you don't want to keep the food for yourself give it to others in need.

Save big projects that can be done during the winter for those short, cold, depressing days.

There are so many crafts that can be made at home and make excellent gifts, opportunities to make extra money or can be given to the needy such as homemade soap.

Learn to sew. You don't need an expensive sewing machine to make something. There are several stitches by hand that are just as nice and strong as a machine's and they only take a few minutes to learn via the internet. If you want to sew with a machine then check out second hand stores, flea markets or Craig's List for cheap sewing machines. Patterns for all sorts of things and fabric are cheap. It's also easy to make your own pattern. None of this is hard, it's time consuming and that's what we're after anyway. It's amazing the things that can be made using old and new material from curtains to purses to clothes. Have an old dress or skirt you can't wear anymore, but love? Use the fabric to make something else. If you don't want to make things for you and your family, then make them for others in need. A great example of this is a charity called "Little Dresses For Africa." A group of women make dresses for little girls in Africa from pillow cases.

Make a memory quilt from old material that can be past on as a sort of heirloom. Quilt making it surprisingly cheap and time consuming. You can get good material on discount and pay next to nothing. Or you may have an old quilt that can be refurbished. Buying a good quilt for winter months is expensive. Making your own is cheap and better made than a store bought quilt.

Learn to crochet. Crocheting is very easy. If I can do it I know anyone can. New patterns can be quickly learned from the internet and it's amazing what can be crocheted from some yarn and a needle. Multicolored blankets in soft yarn are awesome gifts especially when they're hand made or they can be given to the homeless.

Learn to make jams and jellies. My sister in law makes different homemade jams and I love walking into her house and smelling the strawberries, grapes or some other fruit being cooked down and prepared for jars. She's offered to teach me and I'm going to take her up on it. Making jam can also be looked up on the internet, is fairly easy to make and it's so much better than anything you can buy in the store. Afterwards they can stored for use, given away as gifts or given to the needy.

 Outside of learning new activities to keep your hands and brain busy, there are a lot of ministries we can get involved in such as collecting mittens, hats and gloves for homeless or needy families. Volunteering at soup kitchens (who always need help), volunteering at women's shelters or teaching other women a craft that you've mastered. You can take classes for something new and interesting at your local community center or community college cheaply or even free.

Not only does God expect us to stay busy, but we were made to keep busy. It's a sure way to beat depression, over eating, warding of sin, providing for our families and helping those in need. The benefits of avoiding idleness are enormous. Happy Fall!

 

Dos And Don'ts

A friend of my husband's thought Sharb might need some helpful tips on parenting once the baby arrives.
To view larger...
http://media.ebaumsworld.com/mediaFiles/picture/575675/1054232.jpg

Campus Crusade For Christ Drops "Christ"

http://video.foxnews.com/v/1072879438001/prominent-christian-ministry-drops-christ

I was involved with this ministry and dropped out because I found them becoming more and more worldly and less and less Biblical. Their latest attempt "to reach the lost" actually doesn't surprise me. They've been on this road for some time. The excuse they offered for dropping "Christ" from their well known ministry name is weak at best.

This is an example of compromising with the world under the guise to reach the lost. Did Christ ever compromise to seek anyone? Did He ever try to please the world in order to bring in sheep? Not once did He ever. Instead of sticking to foundational doctrine and trusting Christ to bring the sheep in, as Scripture assures He'll do, they throw off that millstone "Christ" that offends so many and hinders their work in order to reach those same people for that millstone. A great example of American Christianity.

They've now openly chosen to amuse the goats all the while claiming it's for Christ. I can only hope this ministry repents. In the mean time they've lost all future support of my household until they do and get back to Bible basics and the Christianity of the Bible.

A good article about CCC's name change..Westminster Seminar

Feeding Sheep Or Amusing Goats?

An evil is in the professed camp of the Lord, so gross in its impudence, that the most shortsighted Christian can hardly fail to notice it. During the past few years this evil has developed at an alarming rate. The devil has seldom done a more clever thing then hinting to the church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people with a view to winning them. From speaking out the Gospel, the Church has gradually toned down her testimony then winked at and excused the frivolities of the day. Then she tolerated them in her borders.

Now she has adopted them under the plea of reaching the masses. My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is no where spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the church. If it is a Christian work, why did not Christ speak of it? "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15) and provide amusement for those who do not relish the Gospel. No such words are, however, to be found. It did not occur to Him. Where did entertainers come in? The Holy Spirit is silent concerning them.

Were the Prophets persecuted because they amused the people or because they confronted them? The concert has no martyr role. Again, providing amusement is a direct antagonism to the teaching and life of Christ and all His Apostles. What was the attitude of the Apostolic Church to the world? You are the salt of the world not the sugar candy. Something the world will spit out not swallow. Had Jesus introduced more of the bright and pleasant elements to His teaching He would have been more popular. When many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him, I do not hear Him say, "Run after these people, Peter! And tell them we will have a different style of service tomorrow. Something short and attractive with little preaching. We will have a pleasant evening for the people. Tell them they will be sure to enjoy it. Be quick, Peter! We must get to the people somehow!"

No, Jesus pitied the sinners, sighed and wept over them, but never sought to amuse them. In vain will the epistles be searched to find any trace of the Gospel of amusement. Their message is, "Therefore, come out from among them and separate yourselves from them. Don't touch their filthy things." Anything approaching amusement is conspicuous by its absence. They had boundless confidence in the Gospel and employed no other weapon.

After Peter and John were locked up for preaching, the church had a prayer meeting, but they did not pray, "Lord grant unto Your servants that, by a wise and discriminating use of innocent recreation, we may show these people how happy we are." No, they did not cease from preaching Christ! They had no time for arranging entertainments! Scattered by persecution, they went everywhere preaching the Gospel. They turned the world upside down. That is the only difference from today's Church.

Lastly, amusement fails to effect the end desired. Let the heavy laden who found peace through the concert not keep silent! Let the drunkard, to whom the dramatic entertainment has been God's link in the chain of their conversion, stand up! There are none to answer. The mission of amusement produces no converts. The need of the hour for today's ministry is earnest spirituality joined with Biblical doctrine, so understood and felt, that it sets men on fire.

Lord, clear the church of all the rot and rubbish the devil has imposed on her and bring us back to Apostolic methods.
- Charles Spurgeon

What It Truly Means To Follow Christ

The first time I ever saw this video I was a Muslim. I remember being absolutely blown away by the Preacher and his message. It was the first time I'd ever heard of Paul Washer and ultimately it was this man God used to plow the soil of my heart to be brought to Christ later. "The Shocking Youth Message" that stunned hearers all around the world in its entirety...



Shocking Youth Message - Paul Washer from I'll Be Honest on Vimeo.

My "Christians Calling Other Christians 'Pharisees'" Rant

Ever hear the phrase, "While you're pointing at another person there are three fingers pointing back at you?" Now, with that being said...

If you're someone who goes against the grain in Christianity, if you're someone who doesn't follow popular teachers or popular teachings and find yourself in debates with other professing Christians who do follow them, you'll likely be called a Pharisee. If you haven't yet, you will be. When I say "going against the grain" I mean you stick with what Scripture teaches and not with what's popular or who's popular where Scripture gets spun, twisted and distorted to suit itching ears. Following the herd may be beneficial in the animal kingdom, but it spells death for a professing Christian in a sinful world where Satan has dominion.

Let's call it as it is...calling someone a "Pharisee" is a character assassination attempt to get the opposition to simply shut up and to have others ignore them. Those guilty of using this word as an insult, use it as a means to call another "legalistic". If you study scriptures and start taking a stand against the rampant heresy in modern American Christianity, you are viewed as legalistic.

Without getting in depth on Pharisees, I want to point something out to professing Christians who throw this word around whenever they're faced with opposition to a popular teacher or teaching... The Pharisees were extremely popular in their day. They were highly esteemed by the Jews and their teachings were followed by the masses.

"Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets." Luke 6:26

What Jesus taught was not popular and it still isn't. He was not followed by the masses and anytime He was they were looking for materialistic provisions and quickly deserted Him. Only a very small few followed Him after being healed. It was His message that led people to salvation. Everything Christ did was offensive because He pointed out the truth. The truth is never popular. It never has been. The truth got Christ crucified. It got Isaiah sawed in half with a wooden saw. It got Peter's wife crucified while Peter was forced to watch and then he was crucified upside down. It got John the Baptist beheaded. It got Stephen stoned. All of the Apostles except John were murdered for the truth. Most of the Prophets were murdered for the truth...all of them for an unpopular message. The truth has a high cost. If you're following a teacher or message because it's popular you're on very dangerous ground.

The Pharisees totally rejected Christ's message that lined up with everything the Pharisees spent their lives learning and taught yet never came to an understanding of any of it. They should have known it. They should have known Him and they didn't. They had the Scriptures. They had absolutely no excuse, yet they still rejected Him and got their masses of followers to reject Him as well and demand His blood. All the while totally believing they were on the path of godliness and serving God, skipping along happily behind the ever popular Pharisees.

If you don't study your Bible, if you follow someone simply because  they call themselves "Christian" or it makes you "feel good" while calling others "Pharisees"...I know of no other way to put this then to say "STOP IT!" You don't know what you're talking about.

You should know it. You should know Him. You should know and have a relationship with this God of yours! Not any old kind of relationship or whatever suits you and your lifestyle...the one He requires based in and on Scripture. You have the Scriptures and if, still, you don't study for yourself and willingly allow some popular "Christian" teacher with their popular messages to lead you by a hook through the nose then you have no excuse.

Gates of Hell: The Abortion Film the Left Does Not Want You to See

 Abortion is genocide especially in the black community. Watch the new movie "Gates of Hell" trailer at the link...
http://www.pjtv.com/s/GI3TGMA

Letter To Our Soldiers

All in rows are small white rectangular headstones engraved with the names of men who died in service to our country from the present all the way back to WWl. For Memorial Day morning at this Detroit cemetery, a group of veterans will play the bagpipes, as they do every year, marching the curving and twisting lanes until they reach the soldiers graves. A Priest will follow to bless the graves and pray over them. F16s will do a flyover in remembrance and small American flags will be placed at each headstone honoring the fallen soldiers for their service. And I'll be there to take part at a distance in the solemn memorial and once the others have left I'll place my own small flags on graves as well.

As we approach Memorial Day I began thinking about the baby I'm carrying... a little boy and wondered if one day, when he grows up, if he'll want to take the path of a soldier. I wondered how I would feel if my own son left home to serve. Even as I imagined being sick with worry, counting the days until he came home, hoping and praying he makes it home, I already knew I would be so proud of him. It's a nobel calling, indeed, to literally give of one's life willingly to protect this nation. It takes a special kind of person. Our soldiers, many of them 18 years old, choose to offer their lives, sacrifice going to college, partying, hanging out with friends, getting jobs and having fun to fight for and protect us. How selfless are they? At 18 years old they know they may never make it home alive, but they volunteer and go anyway.

I have a friend who joined the Marines straight out of high school and served a tour in Afghanistan. This goofy guy I've known for years, hung out with, fought with, went to school with and got in trouble with suddenly became my hero. You all are. I can't think of anyone I admire more than a soldier. When I see one on occasion I have to stop and look at them in awe because even though I don't know them I'm so proud of them.

To all my heroes serving or whom have served, thank you for your service, thank you for your lives and sacrifice. You are loved and remembered no matter where you are or what time of year it is. It's because of you we, as a nation, are who we are and have all that we have. It's because of you our military is the finest in the world. I'm always praying for you and hoping that every single one of you return to your families safe. God bless...