Wanna Be a Steader!

Daily Devotion 336

Posted by Sister Lori
04:34, Tuesday, December 2, 2008 .. Posted in Devotions and Bible Study .. 0 comments .. Link

December 2

Commitment

Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass.

Psalm 37:5

To commit myself to someone brings accountability and responsibility. It means to bind oneself: I am obligated to; I have pledged. Are we willing to commit our lives, ways, plans, and future to God? How about a commitment to the brotherhood? Is it possible that Satan has succeeded in blinding our minds to the blessing commitment can bring to our lives? Perhaps the most important commitment is being totally honest with God and man. If we have not learned that, we will find it very difficult to be committed in other areas as well. An older man once said that because of his upbringing he could say, “I would rather die than lie.”

The story of a Spanish explorer, Cortez, who landed at Vera Cruz in 1519, can teach us a lesson about commitment. He began his conquest of Mexico with a small force of 700 men. Upon landing, he set fire to his fleet of eleven ships. His men on the shore watched their only means of retreat sink to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. There was now only one direction to move—forward into the Mexican interior to meet whatever might come their way.

We too must purposely destroy all avenues of retreat as Christ’s disciples. We must resolve that whatever price is required to be His follower, we will pay it.

Daniel B. Miller, Middlebury, IN

It is better to not promise, than to promise and not keep it.

Bible Reading: 1 Peter 2

One Year Bible Reading Plan:

2 Peter 3

Ezekiel 45, 46

Used by Permission of Vision Publishers

PO Box 190, Harrisonburg, VA 22803

Phone: 877-488-0901

E-Mail: [cs@vision-publishers.com]

The World's Best Cornbread~

Posted by Mommaofmany
01:10, Tuesday, December 2, 2008 .. Posted in Bread .. 0 comments .. Link

~according to Mother Hen. I'll be taking her up on the offer of this recipe soon.

The World's Best Cornbread

1 cup Sugar (!!!)
1½ tsp Salt
½ C Butter, softened
1½ tsp Vanilla
3 Eggs
3 C Flour
1 T + 1½ tsp Baking Powder
1 C + 2 T Cornmeal
2 C Milk

Preheat oven to 400°, spray 9×13 w/oil. In a large bowl beat together sugar, salt, butter & vanilla until creamy. Stir in eggs, one at a time.

In a separate bowl mix flour, baking powder and cornmeal. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture alternately w/milk. Beat well. Bake 30-35 minutes. Best stuff in the world!

A God Thing

Posted by m j
12:49, Tuesday, December 2, 2008 .. 0 comments .. Link

A God Thing.

I am seeing more and more of his hand work and ways. Last night we discovered that our one female golden Gracie is pregnant!!! We are so happy. She was breed to our new golden male Alex. We want this so bad. You see both dogs are service dogs. We have 2 families we want to help out with their puppies. The both have children with special needs, where a service dog can help out. My daughters and I train service dogs.

Last night Tammy and her hubby one of the parents prayed that Gracie was going to have puppies. That was night we discovered she was. See a God thing.

Another was they were looking for a new place to have the children with special needs to ride horse. Another God thing, because we have been praying about that for over a year. See another God thing.

God sure is a great. He puts us together to help one another.

God Bless, mj

Oh Joy!

Posted by blessed mom
12:22, Tuesday, December 2, 2008 .. Posted in A Thankful heart .. 1 comments .. Link

Today I had a conversation with a friend who is not a Christian ~ this friend has tried on various occasions to persuade me to accept the teachings of their church ~~ this person knows me well and paid me the most precious and lovely compliment a believer of the Lord Jesus could ever be told...... it has made my heart sing for Joy an I just needed to share it here with you all because so many of you love my Jesus as much as I do and will understand!!

This person told me that " born again Christians like me and another Christian they know were content with Jesus and not looking for any thing else" ....... oh dear reader -- can I just tell you how my heart lept for JOY when this friend shared this with me????

Oh that I would always be content with my Jesus..... oh that I would always have such closeness to Him that I would never feel the need for "religion" or "other teachings" outside of what He has given us in His word...... oh, how that made my heart sing!

One of my favorite songs is Shout to the Lord by Hillspring ........

My Jesus, My Savior,..... Lord there is none like you...... all of my days, I want to praise.... the wonders of your mighty hand....

My Jesus, My comfort.... tower of refuge and strength....let every breathe, all that I am.. never cease to worship YOU.......

Shout to the Lord, all the earth let us sing... power and majesty praise to the King......

The mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of YOUR name ....

I sing for joy at the work of your hands, forever I'll love you forever I'll stand....

nothing compares to the promise I have in YOU.........

Praising Him!

Gloria

Holidays

Posted by April M
11:44, 2008-Dec-1 .. 0 comments .. Link

I know, I know, I am suppose to be getting ready for the holidays. I just don't have an interest this year in decorating, or Christmas cards, or a tree, or shopping. We are planning a simple holiday. I am sewing (or oldest daugther is) a variety of things for the children - special blankets, pajamas, and dress up clothes. I have purchased 1 special gift for almost each of the children. I have two more to go. I have purchased a couple of group gifts that they will enjoy or that we needed.

For Christmas my mother and her husband will be coming from Hawaii. My sister who lives an hour away will join us with her family. We will do our traditional formal Christmas Eve dinner followed by Christmas morning brunch. I enjoy the cooking and planning that goes in to these special meals. We will be focusing on the true meaning of the holiday and celebrating the birth of Christ our savior and redeemer. However, I am not joyfully anticipating the other activities.

It seems like I have so many real projects to feel my time that I don't care to fill my time with activities that don't add value to our home and family. I am having difficulty seeing how changing out decorations for ones with a holiday flavor makes any sense. I love Christmas cards, but just didn't start early enough this year because of all the other things going on. I'll catch up next year with everyone. I'll probably send an email blast update on our family.

Projects that I am interested in include, a farm theme quilted wall hanging that I am working on with daughters, a quilt for my bed that I am almost done piecing together, clothes we are sewing, dish towels we need to sew, and rag rugs. I posted in my money saving tips below that we are going to make some rag rugs. We have identified some pink dresses that we need to recycle that we are going to use as our first attempt at a rag rug. So far it is coming along nicely.

Homemade Christmas Gift for the Neighbours and Teachers

Posted by Rachel
10:02, Monday, December 1, 2008 .. Posted in The Homestead .. 1 comments .. Link

Every year I like to give something to the teachers who take the special classes that my children go to.

Mainly the Ballet, French and Art teachers. Because we're having a homemade Christmas this year - not just due only to economising, but also just for the challenge of it (remind me to start earlier next year LOL). I'm also hoping to give these to the neighbours as well.

Every year we have a tradition of Christmas Wassail in our family. It is something that I brought back with me from America and I have a wonderful recipe for it. I love the spicy aroma that fills the house while it is brewing in the crock pot. I've been reading up about Wassail and the tradition of giving it is to bring good cheer and wishes to the recipient. It originated in England, but I believe it's now more popular in the USA. You may remember the Christmas Carole that goes,

Here we come a wassailing
Among the leaves so green,
Here we come a wandering
So fair to be seen.
Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail too,
And God bless you and send you a happy New Year.
And God send you a happy New Year. — Somerset, 1871

(They sing it on the movie Little Women while carrying a hot brew of Wassail to a poor neighbour).

So today I have been making my special (non-alcoholic) Wassail and poured it into the bottles for our French and Art teachers, who we will be visiting tomorrow when we go into town. I did of course help myself to a little tea-cup of it while I made the tags and tied the ribbons. :o)

I found a lovely little vintage picture on the internet with the greeting, "With kindly greeting let me say, I think of you this Christmas Day." I glued it onto a homemade tag and on the back I wrote out the words to the above carole and what Wassail is (I don't imagine many New Zealanders are very familiar with it), explained how to heat it, and then signed it from our family.

I'm so pleased with how it looks and how inexpensive it was to make. The bottles cost me $3.95, and the cost of the actual Wassail was only the cost of the juice, as I had the spices already on hand. The ribbon was just some I had in my ribbon box and the tag cost nothing at all - only time to make it. I hope that our teachers will enjoy it!

I have been tagged!!

Posted by m j
09:44, 2008-Dec-1 .. 0 comments .. Link

I have been tagged !!

Rule~ 1. Link the person who tagged you.

Rule~2. Post the rules on your blog.

Rule~3. Write 6 random things about yourself.

Rule~ 4. Tag 6 people at the end of your blog.

Rule~5. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their Blog.

Rule #6 ~ Let the tagger know your entry is up.

I was tagged by : http://www.homesteadblogger.com/avravounou/

6 Things about me :

1. I love animals and have many.

2. I am a young grandma. I am 39 years old with 2 and 1 more on the way.

3. I did not know how to cook or clean when I moved out on my own .

4. I love to grow veggies and can them.

5. My husband never know if we will have a new critter in our house when he comes home, .

6. I love to read in bed snuggling one of my dogs.

People I am tagging:

1. is : http://www.homesteadblogger.com/profiles/walkinginhisgrace/

2. is : http://www.homesteadblogger.com/profiles/kjprice616/

3. is : http://www.homesteadblogger.com/gabbie427/

4. is : http://www.homesteadblogger.com/hopefulheart/

5. is : http://www.homesteadblogger.com/abigasfarm/

6. is : http://www.homesteadblogger.com/countrygirlsheartstr/

That is all . Hope I did it right. God bless, mj

Advent Day 1 - December 1st

Posted by ~Rebekah~
10:00, Monday, December 1, 2008 .. Posted in In The Readers Den .. 0 comments .. Link

Scripture Reading

Creation: Genesis 1:1-31; 2:1-4

Suggested Symbols: Sun, moon, stars, animals, earth

Advent- The Story Of The Jesse Tree

Posted by ~Rebekah~
09:36, Monday, December 1, 2008 .. Posted in In The Family Room .. 0 comments .. Link

The Story Of The Jesse Tree

Jesse Tree Graphic Designed by Shalfleet

The Jesse Tree is named from Isaiah 11:1: "A shoot will spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots." It is a vehicle to tell the Story of God in the Old Testament, and to connect the Advent Season with the faithfulness of God across 4,000 years of history. The Branch is a biblical sign of newness out of discouragement, which became a way to talk about the expected messiah (e.g., Jer 23:5). It is therefore an appropriate symbol of Jesus the Christ, who is the revelation of the grace and faithfulness of God.

The Israelites through the descendants of Abraham were chosen by God to be a light to the nations. When they were imprisoned by the Egyptians, they cried out to God for deliverance from their oppression. And God responded: "I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt, and I have heard their cry . . . I have come to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them to a good land" (Exod 3:7-8). And so He entered history in a marvelous way to deliver them and bring them into a place where they could worship God and serve Him in peace and joy instead of serving Pharaoh in hard service. God promised to be with them and to be their God, and they would be His people.

But as they settled into the land that God had given them, "they forgot God, their Deliverer, who had done great things in Egypt" (Psa 106:21). As they grew secure in the land, they began to believe that "my power and the strength of my own hand have gotten me these things" (Deut 8:17). Even though God had raised up godly leaders like David, later kings and religious leaders served their own interests, and the people began to worship the false gods of the land. They even gave offerings to the idol ba’al, supposedly the god of rain and fertility of the land, thanking him for the prosperity they enjoyed.

But God grieved because "she did not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the wine, and the oil, and who lavished upon her silver and gold that they used for ba’al" (Hos 2:8). God had "planted [them] as a choice vine from the purest stock" (Jer 2:21) and had expected them to grow and flourish and carry out His purposes in the world. But they had degenerated into a wild bush with worthless fruit.

Because they had forgotten God, they also forgot the call of God to "do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God" (Mic 6:8). God sent prophets to warn them of the consequences of failing to be His people. Amos warned them to "seek me and live" (5:4). Through Jeremiah, God promised them that if they would turn from their wicked ways He would bless them and be with them in the land (7:5-7). But he also said: "Take heed, O Jerusalem, or I shall turn from you in disgust, and make you a desolation" (6:8).

Some of the people longed for new leaders, a new "anointed" (Heb: meshiach; Eng: messiah) shepherd king like David who would help them to become what God had called them to be. But most of the people would not listen. They continued to worship the idols of ba'al. They continued to cheat the poor, steal from each other, neglect the needy, and do all manner of evil.

So God let them go their own way and suffer the consequences of their choices. The Babylonian armies came and destroyed the temple, the city of Jerusalem, the land, and took the people into slavery. The choice planting of God that had such promise, that God had tended so carefully and encouraged to grow, was cut down and became a mere stump (Isa 5:1-10).

But God did not give up on this people! Even though they had disobeyed, even though they had forsaken God for other gods, even though they had miserably failed to be His people and to let Him be their God, the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob still loved them. He had made a commitment to these people that He would not allow to be undone even by their rejection of Him.

He had already told them this through the prophets, but they had not understood then. Jeremiah had promised a day when God would again plant and build (31:28). And Isaiah had spoken of a time when God would cause a new shoot, a new king, to spring from the cut-off stump of the lineage of Jesse, David’s father (11:1). During the Exile, suffering under the consequences of sin, they had little reason to suppose that God would do anything new. Still, the old promises echoed across the years, even if they could not believe them or even understand them.

In spite of their failures, in spite of their inability to envision a future beyond exile, there came a time when the prophets again announced a new thing, proclaiming "good tidings" to the people: "Here is your God!" (Isa 40:1-11). The Exile was ended! God would bring back to life a nation that was already dead (Eze 37). Long ago they had been slaves in Egypt, with nothing they could do to change their condition, and yet God had chosen to deliver.

So now, in the midst of their failure and hopelessness, God had again entered history as Deliverer. They would have another chance to be His people, not because they had earned it, no more than they had deserved it the first time; but simply because God in His grace had chosen to forgive.

They returned to the land. But across the years, they again struggled to obey and live up to their calling. They would never again slide into the worship of false gods. They had learned that lesson. But the great kingdom that they dreamed of restoring remained only a dream. They had hoped for a new king like David to lead them into a glorious future in which they would rule the world. They hoped to throw off the control of the Greeks and later the Romans and become a great nation. But it didn’t happen. And they became disillusioned and discouraged.

So, they again hoped for God to raise up a new king, a new messiah, to deliver them from the oppression of the world. They longed for peace and deliverance from the tyranny of a sinful world. The prophets again brought the word of God to them, and promised a newness. Even though they struggled to understand and believe, they held onto the hope that the same God who brought slaves out of Egypt, and who brought exiles out of Babylon, could bring Messiah into the world!

We know the rest of that story. God was faithful to that promise, and a new King was born in Bethlehem. So we can exclaim with the old man Simeon: "My eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared before all people, a light of revelation to the nations, and for glory to your people Israel!" (Luke 2:30-32).

But we also know that the world is still with us. Even though we can have Peace and Joy through the presence of Jesus Christ, we still long for deliverance from the oppression of sin in the world. We long for the full reign of the King, and the Kingdom of Peace that He will bring. So, while we celebrate the birth of the Branch, the new shoot from the stump of Jesse, we still anticipate with hope the Second Advent, and await the completion of the promise.

The Jesse Tree helps us retell this story, and express this hope.

December 1, 2008

Posted by Chimicole
09:25, Monday, December 1, 2008 .. 2 comments .. Link

Well now.. this year is almost gone... slipping by as quietly as it came....

I finally got the tree up and running....had to go to the store twice for lights, but that was ok, cept they had the ones we wanted, and we had already bought the very last box! DH fixed em up for me though... he's good like that.

She's only partially finished in this pic.... and my camera just doesn't do it justice, but you get the gist, I think.

I've not slept at all today (and worked last night). Well, maybe a 15 minute catnap about 3pm. I've been trying to work on an apron for my mother in law for Christmas, but it is wanting to argue with me, so I set it off to the side, and told DH that I would try again after about 4 days sleep! LOL! I did finish more gingerbread men to hang on my tree though!

Here I am, don't I compliment the tree nicely? :)

Dh has to drive to Ky again tonight. I'll miss him, but I think I am going to crawl in bed and sleep the time away. He didn't get much rest today because we went and toured the christian school we are wanting the children to go to, and then I came home and started on the tree. He'll be a tired pup tonight. Keep him in your prayers that he comes home safely, ok?

As I said, we went and checked out the school today, and Abi LOVED it! She is so excited! I had to fill out a scholarship paper to see if we qualify for financial assistance, and we do, but we just have to wait and see how much. I am going to turn in the paperwork tomorrow, and the lady that spoke with us and showed us around, told us it is a possibility that the children could be in before Christmas. How cool would that be?

Logan's really not that shy, but he wanted to say that he really loved the school too! Especially the part of getting to play basketball next year! Wa-Hoo! :) He saw the gym, and the outside play area. We think we may start him in 4th grade again this year, and if he gets ahead, well..... GREAT! But we feel that he needs the little extra help another year can give him. And truthfully, I don't even think he realizes it. He's just so excited! He's already asking for button down shirts and cargo pants (no jeans allowed!). So we'll see.....

Then we have Amelia. 15 going on 30. Miss "I-know-everything-and-you-can-tell-me-nothing". She doesn't want to go to this school BECAUSE she would have to wear dresses a few days a week. No negotiations, no talking, just instant storm cloud brewing. DH and I didn't feel that she would be able to contribute anything toward her education by grumping and fussing and having a general bad attitude every day, so we are keeping her home and letting her continue her studies as before. She'll be alright. Unfortunately, she thinks as so many children do these days, that her little $190 paycheck every two weeks is going to keep her in an apartment and food and clothes for the rest of her life....

And thus is the life and times of the Hatfield clan.

{ Last Page } { Page 1 of 5 } { Next Page }

About Me

I really do wanna be a steader! It would fulfill my life-long dream to live in a log home...we already have the plans picked out, just waiting for the LORD to make the way. Can't wait to learn from everyone, so keep those blogs coming.

Take the Quiz here!

VIOLET

You surround yourself with art and music and are constantly driven to express yourself. You often daydream. You prefer honesty in your relationships and believe strongly in your personal morals.

Find out your color at QuizMeme.com!

What type of Mother Hen Are You?
by Montessorimom.com: Educational Resource