Heroes and Idols by Andrea Schwartz

Parents are always looking for role models for their children. Whether it is a sports figure, musician, political leader, or other public figure, the temptation is to motivate by means pointing to an exemplary life. The problem is that often those lives are not exemplary and much of what is known about them is crafted fiction...



The example of a woman in my church comes to mind. This young mother makes it a point to assist families who are sick or bedridden. She finds time to help them by babysitting, cleaning, or providing transportation. She ...donates her time and effort as she sees a need. She is also extremely fun to be around. Her desire and willingness to put her faith into action makes any association with her a benefit to all who know her. In the process of serving, she becomes an excellent role model for the young women of the church.

The Bible condemns the worshipping of idols (in whatever form them appear) and discourages seeking out heroes. Rather, the designation given to those who put their faith into action is simply -- the saints. I have described one such saint and know that the building of the Kingdom of God will come from just such persons.
http://the-homeschool-life.blogspot.com/2009/12/heroes-and-idols.html

Daniel Garcia ~ Tabitha Wales Wedding Celebration

Gathering

Greetings
Bridesmaids used the same fabric, but
chose their own pattern and optional headcoverings.
Each carried a small lantern.
These ladies later served lasagna dinners and cake to the guests.
Waiting for the Groom

Travis tells their story
Both fathers spoke graciously of the newly weds.
after the bride and groom read their vows
each had written for the other.
Rings had been exchanged at the betrothal ceremony earlier.
Warm Congratulations

Finally here
Daniel has prepared a place for her.
He is ready to leave his family and begin another.

Daniel knows he has a treasure.
He understands that she will miss her family and
promises to bring her back to gather with family and friends here.

John blesses his son and daughter-in-law.

Parents of the bride and groom

In every wedding, two cultures come together.
Daniel was from California,

but now lives in Missouri.

Tabitha & Daniel


Groom's Parents
John & Melody, Tabitha & Daniel

My David ~Esther

Serven / Loomis California Reception

Mom and Dad were able to attend Steven and Rebecca's

California wedding reception

They were blessed by conversations.

We thank God for this couple.

Steven's example of the patience is a blessing to all of us.

Rebecca made her own dress with the help of four patterns and

"a bit of thin air."

Jo's family

Steven's uncle, standing next to him, told great stories of discipling Steven.

Once as a young chap, Steven asked a question about games.

His uncle advised him to read a computer program manual

and design his own.

Steven did.

Steven and Rebecca leading to the first dance.

There are not many pictures because Mom and Dad joined in. :)

Concrete

Pour Day #2


"He built those forms like they were for a bridge."

The Sump

Timothy has worked with his father since he was six. Now he heads up the company.

Whenever we say "Wow that was a lot of work!" Timothy says, "It was fun."

November

Reading with Fiona

Dinah regales us with stories of Quantrill of Missouri,

a dignified, well educated northern teacher turned guerrilla fighter

during the War Between the States.

Seppi Bros method of stringing Christmas lights.

Rushdoony's Flight from Humanity

Seppi premier of The Mysterious Islands

Concrete Plans

Best friends for 26 years

Mom and Dad working out construction problems together

Still a team

Reformation Day

October 31st is Reformation Day!

John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim's Progress was this year's Reformation character.

Pastor made up a couple of games around Bunyan's life and after a candlelight dinner,

everyone watched a film on Bunyan's life.

All who can try to dress up like the 16th century.

Reformation Ladies

Evidence of 6th Century Irish Missionaries in America

Steven & Rebecca's Day Not Soon Forgotten

Marcus' Daughter

Joe Morecraft III

Wedding Prayer

http://servenclan.blogspot.com/2009/12/day-not-soon-forgotten.html

Accident takes the lives of two Southwest Virginia women | TriCities

Please join us in praying for two families from R. C. Sproul Jr.'s church, who lost their mothers two days ago. These ladies leave behind their husbands and 18 children between them.

Freak accident takes the lives of two Southwest Virginia women TriCities

Peroxide

This was a fwd from a friend, Dr. John Toth written by Becky Ransey of Indiana (a doctor's wife), and I want to share it with you.

1. Take one capful and hold in your mouth for ten minutes daily, then spit it out. No more canker sores and your teeth will be whiter without expensive pastes. Use it instead of mouthwash.

2. Let your toothbrushes soak in a cup of peroxide to keep them free of germs.

3. Clean your counters and table tops with peroxide to kill germs and leave a fresh smell. Simply put a little on your dishrag when you wipe, or spray it on the counters. (Wouldn't it be nice if restaurants would do this?)

4. After rinsing your wooden cutting board, pour peroxide on it to kill salmonella and other bacteria.

5. I had fungus on my feet for years until I sprayed a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water on them (especially the toes) every night and let dry.

6. Soak any infections or cuts in 3% peroxide for five to ten minutes several times a day.. My husband has seen gangrene that would not heal with any medicine but was healed by soaking in peroxide.

7. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water and keep it in every bathroom to disinfect without harming your septic system like bleach or most other disinfectants will.

8. Tilt your head back and spray into nostrils with your 50/50 mixture whenever you have a cold, plugged sinus. It will bubble and help to kill the bacteria. Hold for a few minutes, and then blow your nose into a tissue. (really good one!)

9. If you have a terrible toothache and cannot get to a dentist right away, put a capful of 3% peroxide into your mouth and hold it for ten minutes several times a day. The pain will lessen greatly.

10. And of course, if you like a natural look to your hair, spray the 50/50 solution on your wet hair after a shower and comb it through You will not have the peroxide-burnt blonde hair like the hair dye packages but more natural highlights if your hair is a light brown, reddish, or dirty blonde. It also lightens gradually, so it's not a drastic change. (hmmm!)

11. Put half a bottle of peroxide in your bath to help rid boils, fungus, or other skin infections.

12. Add a cup of peroxide instead of bleach to a load of whites in your laundry to whiten them. If there is blood on clothing, pour it directly on the soiled spot. Let it sit for a minute, then rub it and rinse with cold water. Repeat if necessary.

13. I use peroxide to clean my mirrors. There is no smearing, which is why I love it so much for this.

I could go on and on. It is in a dark bottle so it will not be degraded by UV. No home should be without it! With prices of most necessities rising, here's a way to save tons of money in a simple, healthy manner!

Dr. Fuhrman warns:

DO NOT take multivitamins that contain folic acid
and If you are pregnant, DO NOT take prenatal vitamins.

Folic acid supplementation is dangerous - especially for pregnant women

In a 10-year study,^1,2 scientists found that women who take multivitamins containing folic acid increase their breast cancer risk by 20-30%.

Even more alarming are the associations between supplemental folic acid during pregnancy and death from breast cancer,³ and asthma and respiratory tract infections in children.^4-5

^{http://webmail.aol.com/29644-212/aol-1/en-us/Suite.aspx}

"The Mysterious Islands" Challenges Darwin by Regina Seppi

A recently released documentary challenges Charles Darwin on “Ground Zero” of evolution: the Galapagos Islands. Led by Vision Forum founder Doug Phillips, the expedition covers the territory and animals Darwin visited and studied nearly 200 years ago, but comes to a very different conclusion.

Majestically filmed by award-winning Jon and Andy Erwin of Erwin Brothers Motion Pictures, the 90-minute documentary is told through the eyes of 16-year old Joshua Phillips, exploring with his father the world Charles Darwin wrote about.

The Mysterious Islands feature a lavish display of exotic animals in their native habitat including 150-year-old tortoises, flightless Cormorants, Blue Footed Boobies, and an albino whale shark, all seemingly without a normal fear of man. The tour guide related that he hadn’t seen such a rich display of animal life in 25 years.

“It’s the defining issue at the defining moment,” explained producer Doug Phillips, who planned the expedition in 2009 because of two key anniversary dates that occurred during the year — the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth on February 12 and 150th anniversary of the original publication of his Origin of Species on November 24. “I said ‘we’ve got to go to ground zero.’ We’ve got to go to basically the Jerusalem of the evolutionary worldview.”

http://thenewamerican.com/index.php/reviews/movies/2432-review-of-qthe-mysterious-islandsq-on-darwin

How to Give a Speech - Dr. George Grant

One of my students asked what steps I go though when I am preparing a lecture or a talk or a sermon or a speech. Obviously, the first thing I have to do is make certain I have something to talk about--I need to master the material, do the reading, wrestle through the ideas, allow the concepts to enlarge in my thinking, consider the various opposing views, and arrive at some Biblical worldview conclusions regarding the subject. Then and only then am I ready to start thinking about constructing a presentation.

But, once that is done, what guidelines do I try to keep in view as I start pulling my thoughts together?

Here is what I told him:

1. Have just one point.

2. Frame that one point with a strong introduction and a well-crafted conclusion.

3. Have a strong outline for everything in-between.

4. Use pithy or funny or poignant quotes—or perhaps peculiar facts that you can then hang each of your points upon.

5. Just be yourself--don't try to inject or project some other persona.

6. Don't read the talk--but don't memorize it either.

7. Have fun.

"A lecture should proceed apace from knowledge to understanding to wisdom--offering insights, delights, and always some element of surprise. Oh yes, and its passion should be outdone only by its brevity." Arthur Quiller-Couch

http://grantian.blogspot.com/

Mother’s Milk: Ideal Nutrition for Human Babies

Protein is a prime example of how human milk is unique nutrition for human babies. Human milk is low in protein, at least when compared with the milk of other species, especially cow's milk. This isn't a nutritional deficiency; there are good reasons for this. Human infants are designed to grow slowly. While it's important for humans to develop strong bodies, even more important is brain development and the learning of social skills. The experiences that shape the brain come from close contact between mother and baby when baby is held and carried. If human infants doubled their birth weight in less than 50 days the way baby calves do, and then continued growing, how could their mothers carry them and talk to them and keep them close? Baby cows need to learn where to find the best grass in the meadow; baby humans need to learn how to work with others so that everyone's needs get met.

Read full article at Charis Childbirth: http://www.charischildbirth.org/newsletter/1109/page3.htm

Thank you to Emily http://doulaemily.blogspot.com/ for posting this article.

Let All Things Now Living ~ Song of Thanksgiving

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Ash Grove, Traditional Welsh Melody
Lyrics by Katherine K Davis

Let all things now living
A song of thanksgiving
To God the creator triumphantly raise.
Who fashioned and made us,
Protected and stayed us,
Who still guides us on
To the end of our days.
His banners are o'er us,
His light goes before us,
A pillar of fire shining forth in the night.
Till shadows have vanished
And darkness is banished
As forward we travel
From light into light.

His law he enforces,
The stars in their courses
And sun in its orbit obediently shine;
The hills and the mountains,
The rivers and fountains,
The deeps of the ocean
Proclaim Him divine.
We too should be voicing
Our love and rejoicing;
With glad adoration a Song let us raise
Till all things now living
Unite in thanksgiving:
"To God in the highest,
Hosanna and praise!"

The man we're looking for

won't be obsessed with us; he'll be "obsessed" with the Lord. And his love for us will pale in comparison to his love for the Lord and the things of the Lord. If he's the right man, he will be careful with our heart … And our guiding focus won't be a hedonistic passion for one another --but an all-consuming passion for Christ. Our life's focus won't be on each other -though I know we'll love each other dearly -it will be on kingdom work.
~Jasmine Baucham
http://joyfullyathome.blogspot.com/

Sovereignty

The source of law in any society gives us the god or sovereign of that society…Where and when the churches fail in their task, no constitution and no law can prevent the destruction of freedom and order… God defines Himself in these words: “I am the LORD, I change not” (Mal. 3:6). The state also says it is our lord or sovereign, but a constantly changing one…If the triune God is alone Lord or Sovereign, then all concerns are religious and public. -R. J. Rushdoony

Emotional Pornography

“Why should an unreal female be exciting, and a far better and real woman not be so? The key is the essence of imagination: the fantasy woman is totally the creation and creature of man, whereas the real woman is God’s creation and creature. It is essential to imagination to create a man-made world and a man-ordained decree of predestination. It is the essence of sin to demand such a world.” R.J. Rushdoony

What is emotional porn and how do we protect our young people?

R.J. Rushdoony points out, “Because ours is an age with a will to fiction, the role of imagination is extremely important. Men who will not be governed by God’s word will not be governed by reality, because reality is not of their making. God having created all things, reality reflects the mind of God, not man. Hence, it is the essence of sin to resort to imagination to escape God’s law world.”

Here is the ultimate question for those of us who delight in being titillated by unbiblical violence, unbiblical death, unbiblical spiritualism, and unbiblical romance – even when it’s “just pretend”: Are we are of the spirit, or still of the flesh?

Pornography is not simply about pictures. At its core, pornography starts with,

1. A desire to use people as self-gratification machines, and

2. A preference for man-made reality and man-made people over the real thing. These hold as much temptation for women as for men, though romance novels often ...

http://visionarydaughters.com/2009/11/how-twilight-is-re-vamping-romance#footnote10

UPDATE -- Victory in Huntsville! After initially denying our request, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center has agreed to host a screening of "The Mysterious Islands" on November 25. Read more at Doug's Blog, and find out how you can attend!

The following is a trailer

for "The Mysterious Islands," available on DVD and IMAX in select cities.

I Cor. 11 Headcoverings

You'll know when we have reformation

when the women wear headcoverings to church.

"I need all the power I can get!" ~Dinah

[Scripture declares it as

power on her head.]

Wearing one does not make one godly.

It is the heart that matters.

Audit the Fed Attached as an Amendment

“I was pleased last week when we won a vote in the Financial Services Committee to include language from the Audit the Fed bill HR1207 in the upcoming financial regulatory reform bill. As it stands now, if HR 3996 passes, because of this action, the Federal Reserve’s entire balance sheet will be opened up to a GAO audit. We will at last have a chance to find out what happened to the trillions of dollars the Fed has been giving out…”

Click here to read the full article: http://www.house.gov/paul/index.shtml

Father RUNS to his Prodigal Son

Man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart. I Samuel 16:7b

“God Looketh on the Heart”

By Nathaniel Darnell

A certain young man once sent a young lady a letter to ask if he could court her. The lady replied in the negative. A few days later, however, the young lady approached the young man and asked him if she had hurt him by her reply...

http://perseveroblog.com/?p=3514

"There is no hope for the future of America

until the hearts in the homes of America

recognize Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords,

individually and nationally." Becky Morecraft

“There is a time to be born and a time to die…

a time to embrace and a time to

refrain from embracing.” from Ecclesiastes 3

These times are not in our hands.

A man’s sin does not mean he should have died earlier,

though it is easy to feel that way.

His sin does not move God off His throne.

Lord willing, it will show others the cost of sin

and make them hate it all the more.

Power Struggle

The French kicked out the Huguenots.

A hundred years later,

during the French Revolution,

the most faithful Catholics were slaughtered.

Those people

whom the Communist Bolsheviks persecuted,

tortured, confined in the gulags,

committed to the insane asylums

were the very people that were blessing society.

Small Beginnings

Dad: Hey guys, I think those trees need water back there.

Victor: Those trees aren't on life support.

Dinah: Don't despise the day of stunted trees.

I guess you guys pulled the plug on them a long time ago.

Victor: The good part is they don't feel any pain.