Holly and the Ivy

Throughout the Celtic lands of Brittany, Cornwall, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, holly and ivy were symbols of victory won. Holly, representing masculine triumph, and ivy, representing feminine triumph, were often woven together as a sign that men and women need one another. Homes were decorated during Advent with both—often woven together—as a picture of the healthy family under God’s gracious providential hand.

(hat-tip to George Grant)

Sleigh Rides

Mimicking the supposed pattern of pastoral care practiced by Nicholas of Myra, the sleigh ride—particularly on Christmas Eve—gradually was woven into the joyous celebration of Christmas. Beginning in Scandanavia, spreading to Germany, England, Scotland, and finally New England, the sounds of the jingling bells, the tramping of horses through the snow, and the brisk wind through the trees became essential elements in provoking the Yuletide Spirit.

(hat-tip to George Grant)

Never fear!

I am in the middle of writing several posts in my new series. Unfortunately, my laptop is in the repair shop, so I have extremely limited internet access. Once I get it back, expect a flurry of posts (hopefully).

What have I gotten myself into?

I am hesitantly going to start a series of posts. Hesitantly, because I've never done something like this before, and I don't know if I'll be able to stick to it. Really, my life isn't busy enough. I ought to be able to make time for this, right? We'll see....

So here's the theme; the life of Christ. I'm going to start with history leading up to Christ's birth, till he is finally born on Christmas day, then follow his life till his death on Easter. Scripture, quotes, and exegesis.

This first post is kind of a cheat actually. I didn't write this next part. It came from George Grant's blog. But I thought it was appropriate.

"The holiday season—what we generically just call Christmastime—is actually a long sequence of holy days, festal revelries, and liturgical rites stretching from the end of November through the beginning of January that are collectively known as Yuletide.

Beginning with Advent, a time of preparation and repentance, proceeding to Christmas, a time of celebration and generosity, and concluding with Epiphany, a time of remembrance and thanksgiving, Yuletide traditions enable us to see out the old year with faith and love while ushering in the new year with hope and joy.

It is a season fraught with meaning and significance. Unfortunately, it is also such a busy season that its meaning and significance can all too easily be obscured either by well-intended materialistic pursuits—frenzied shopping trips to the mall to find just the right Christmas gift—or by the less benign demands, desires, wants, and needs which are little more than grist for human greed. The traditions of Yuletide were intended to guard us against such things—and thus, are actually more relevant today than ever before."

God and Evil from Iron Ink

"God is not the author of evil simply because whatever God sovereignly determines to come to pass, cannot, by definition, be evil. Since God is good, all that God does is good. If God has not declared that it is evil for himself to metaphysically cause evil, then man is evil to say that it is evil for God to do so. Joseph implicitly confessed that God caused the evil that was visited upon Joseph (Genesis 50:20) but Joseph was wise enough to see that the same action that God caused and that his Brothers caused was differentiated by the reality that God’s metaphysical causation of that evil was for good while the his Brother’s temporal causation of that same evil was for evil. The difference was motive. Do not miss here that God caused the “evil” but because God caused it, it was an evil that was intended for and resulted in good.

I would contend that this is why God is not the author of evil. God is not the author of evil because it is literally impossible for a divine being to do or cause anything that is evil. God has ordained whatsoever comes to pass and because God is good whatsoever that comes to pass, is a reality for which God cannot be charged as the author of sin."

--Pastor Bret McAtee on Iron Ink

Blessed beyond comparison

Just getting around to posting this. I hope to do one of these every month, sometime. Hopefully, they'll get longer and longer. :)

Good Things 10-28-10

1. Not having to rake the leaves because the wind blew them away

2. Friends who text you in the middle of the night

3. Getting woken in the middle of the night by a text that says you are loved

4. Finally getting that chord progression right on the guitar without looking

5. A family of believers who are united by one belief

6. Someone who agrees with you in the midst of a crowd who disagrees.

7. Someone who cares for you even when you screw up

8. Siblings not blood-related

9. The smell of fresh herbs on your hands

10. Music that says exactly what you’re trying to say

11. Dancing

12. The funniest sister in the world

Reformation Day 2010

Ok, so I'm a little late, Reformation Day was October 31st. But I did want to post something anyways. Here's a bit from Wikipedia about the day.

"According to Philipp Melanchthon, writing in 1546, Luther "wrote theses on indulgences and posted them on the church of All Saints on 31 October 1517", an event now seen as sparking the Protestant Reformation."

Sola Scriptura (by Scripture alone)
Sola Fide (through faith alone)
Sola Gratia (by Grace alone)
Solus Christus (in the finished work of Christ alone)
Soli Deo Gloria (to the Glory of God alone)

"A Vagabond Song" by Bliss Carmen

There is something in the autumn that is native to my blood--
Touch of manner, hint of mood;
And my heart is like a rhyme,
With the yellow and the purple and the crimson keeping time.

The scarlet of the maples can shake me like a cry
Of bugles going by.
And my lonely spirit thrills
To see the frosty asters like a smoke upon the hills.

There is something in October sets my gypsy blood astir;
We must rise and follow her,
When from every hill of flame
She calls and calls each vagabond by name.

Good quote

"It is the love of God for the Christian which causes them to fear Him, while for the pagan it is their hate of God which drives them to fear Him. Undoubtedly, both these fears are born of the same thing; respect for his sovereignty, yet each of the fears are born of a different verb and therefore are totally different.
The first, the fear born of love, is not the fear of punishment but the understanding of His Sovereignty and His Awesomeness. It is a fear that finds its beginning in reverence and awe, causing the Christian to praise God daily for His loving-kindness and mercy. Pouring out into every aspect of life, this fear assists the Christian to be sanctified.
The second is a fear twisted and tortured by hatred, for fear is a Godly passion. It is the fear of punishment and the recognition of the eternal damnation to come. This hate-driven fear is what causes a man to fall farther and farther into the path of darkness. Constantly bringing death and mayhem wherever it goes, this fear can only be conquered through Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit."

Visionary

Sometimes, we miss the meaning of a song when we sing it, so try reading it.

Be Thou My Vision

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
be all else but naught to me, save that thou art;
be thou my best thought in the day and the night,
both waking and sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word,
be thou ever with me, and I with thee Lord;
be thou my great Father, and I thy true son;
be thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.

Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight;
be thou my whole armor, be thou my true might;
be thou my soul's shelter, be thou my strong tower:
O raise thou me heavenward, great Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise:
be thou mine inheritance now and always;
be thou and thou only the first in my heart;
O Sovereign of heaven, my treasure thou art.

So funny! This played before WALL-E in theaters

Pixar.Short.Presto.2008.BluRay FULLHD from SUNKO on Vimeo.

Polycarp - A Father of the Christian Church

We learned a little about Polycarp in our Christendom class this morning, so I looked up more about him and this is what I found.

"Polycarp is a celebrated figure in the history of Christianity. A direct pupil of the apostle John, Polycarp lived between 70 and 155 A.D., connecting him to both the biblical apostles and the age of the early church fathers. Several ancient sources document the contributions of Polycarp to Christianity, including his letters written to the church at Philippi, in which he encourages the members to remain strong in their faith and to flee from materialism. He also instructs the members in the proper handling of financial dishonesty that was creeping into the church. Polycarp served as the bishop of the church at Smyrna (modern day Izmir), and was recognized as one of the early combatants of Christian heresies. He rejected the teachings of Marcion, an influential heretic who tried to create a "new brand" of Christianity by redefining God and rejecting Old Testament teachings. In his well-known thesis, Polycarp combats Gnostic heresies that were beginning to spread throughout the Christian church.

Polycarp's greatest contribution to Christianity may be his martyred death. His martyrdom stands as one of the most well documented events of antiquity. The emperors of Rome had unleashed bitter attacks against the Christians during this period, and members of the early church recorded many of the persecutions and deaths. Polycarp was arrested on the charge of being a Christian -- a member of a politically dangerous cult whose rapid growth needed to be stopped. Amidst an angry mob, the Roman proconsul took pity on such a gentle old man and urged Polycarp to proclaim, "Caesar is Lord". If only Polycarp would make this declaration and offer a small pinch of incense to Caesar's statue he would escape torture and death. To this Polycarp responded, "Eighty-six years I have served Christ, and He never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?" Steadfast in his stand for Christ, Polycarp refused to compromise his beliefs, and thus, was burned alive at the stake.

Here is a portion from the book Walking on Water by Madeleine L'Engle. She can be a little strange at times, but also brilliant, as in these two paragraphs.


Robert Lindner, author of Rebel Without a Cause, The 50 Minute Hour, etc. Concludes in Must We Conform? That society today shows all the clinical symptoms of psychosis. This isn’t the first time that a civilization has suffered from collective insanity, but one of the gravest dangers is the loss of the distinction between vision and delusion. Far too often today children are taught, both in school and at home, to equate truth with fact. If we can’t understand something and dissect it with our conscious minds then it isn’t true. In our anxiety to limit ourselves to that which we can comprehend definitively, we are losing all that is above, beyond, below, through, past, over that small area encompassed by our conscious minds.

The result of this artificial limitation is rebellion. The destructive rebellion is the most apparent—the alarming rise in the number of juvenile delinquents, the school dropouts, the continuing dependence on drugs. But there is also constructive rebellion on the part of our kids, as in their rediscovery of fairy tale, fantasy, myth; needle-work, and stained glass and ceramics; dancing and singing and baroque music; surely their passion for the Pachelbel canon is a passion for order in a disordered world. And they love the combination of order and delight in a Bach fugue.

Good Advice.

1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say no to projects that won't fit into your schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.
5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and declutter your life.
7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.
10. Take one day at a time.
11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.
12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
15. Do something for the Kid in you every day.
16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.
17. Get enough rest.
18. Eat right.
19. Get organized so everything has its place.
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
22. Every day, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.
24. Make friends with Godly people.
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good 'Thank you Jesus .'
27. Laugh.
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
32. Sit on your ego.
33. Talk less; listen more.
34. Slow down.
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before. GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU.

I thought I would share some pictures from around our place.

Here's Sarah with her 'I'll-smile-and-let-you-take-my-picture-if-you-really-want' face.

Magnificent basil plant in our front flower garden.

Row of fall lettuces my mom put in, also in the front yard.

Chickens in the front yard, right where they don't belong.

"Moving along..."

Peaches with her chicks

Part of our overrun garden, which my mom has been clearing out.

My garden! Tomatoes and Basil.

Some of my beautiful tomatoes, which need to start turning red now!

Red on the maples already?! :-)

This one always turns early.

Peach tree.

Peach...yum...

Walnut tree

You would think we were gearing up for a bonfire? ;-)

And the blueberry farm across the street.

FIXED!

Yay! I figured out how to fix the design of my blog!!! Like???

Blog design?

My blog design seems to be messing up, and I was wondering what you guys saw. When I view my blog in Firefox, the design is a dark gray. When I view it in Internet Explorer, it's the flower design that I'm trying to apply. Just wondering if its the same for my readers?

Parisian Love

Just found this gorgeous song...

Perhaps Love
by John Denver


Perhaps love is like a resting place
A shelter from the storm
It exists to give you comfort
It is there to keep you warm
And in those times of trouble
When you are most alone
The memory of love will bring you home

Perhaps love is like a window
Perhaps an open door
It invites you to come closer
It wants to show you more
And even if you lose yourself
And don't know what to do
The memory of love will see you through

Oh, Love to some is like a cloud
To some as strong as steel

For some a way of living
For some a way to feel

And some say love is holding on
And some say letting go
And some say love is everything
And some say they don't know

Perhaps love is like the ocean
Full of conflict, full of change
Like a fire when it's cold outside
Thunder when it rains
If I should live forever
And all my dreams come true
My memories of love will be of you

And some say love is holding on
And some say letting go

And some say love is everything
Some say they don't know

Perhaps love is like the ocean
Full of conflict, full of change
Like a fire when it's cold outside
Or thunder when it rains
If I should live forever
And all my dreams come true
My memories of love will be of you

8-3-10

Sitting under the stars, cool night, all still.
Looking up, at ten thousand stars reminds me of going to the planetarium, seeing the world as God sees it.
Now, looking up, I see it all again but smaller.
Big Dipper, Orion's Belt - I remember you.
And the Milky Way - a white streak across a black sky.
And look there...lightning in the West, though the sky is clear.

John Calvin quotes

"There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice."

"True wisdom consists in two things: Knowledge of God and Knowledge of Self."

"However many blessings we expect from God, His infinite liberality will always exceed all our wishes and our thoughts."

"A perfect faith is nowhere to be found, so it follows that all of us are partly unbelievers."

“Build a man a fire and he will be warm for a day; set him on fire and he will be warm for the rest of his life.”

“You must submit to supreme suffering in order to discover the completion of joy”

“God tolerates even our stammering, and pardons our ignorance whenever something inadvertently escapes us - as, indeed, without this mercy there would be no freedom to pray”

>:P

Hormones...yuck.

Blah

I feel a really strange urge to post something. Perhaps something about myself. I never post anything about myself. Perhaps it's because I don't think people will be interested. Perhaps it's because I don't want this blog to turn into a diary.

Just a bit moody (again) today. Just want an easy fix, like Motrin. I know better than that, though. And I'm tired too. But it will all pass, as it always does. Low to high, high to low.

What else is there? I love my life, but it feels like there's something waiting for me. I hate it when that happens, because I'm not good at all at figuring stuff like that out. I can be a bit dense sometimes.

Maybe it's just the weather. Bright warm sun would be nice.

I feel like going out and taking pictures. Somehow that is becoming part of me. Capturing moments. Capturing pieces of joy. I took that picture of myself at the top. Did a bit of editing with Picnik. I think it turned out pretty well.

Well, that's all I have to say right now. At least it's another blog post. Updating give me a feeling of accomplishment.

1. The Ten Indians by Agatha Christy (finished) : My second Agatha Christy, really good.

2. The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer : My second time with this book, is about how to be creative in everyday life.

3. Reflections on the Psalms by C.S. Lewis : One should always be reading Lewis

4. Cross of Christ by John Stott : Recommended by a friend, have yet to begin it.

5. Living for God's Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism by Joel Beeke : VERY good book

6. The Everything Guide to Herbal Remedies by Martha Connors : Have yet to begin

7. Healing with the Herbs of Life by Lesley Tierra : My second time with this book, has some really good information

8. Prescription for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis Balch : Book for school, very long and detailed.

Hard Words, Necessary Words

Recently, I read the book Easy Chairs, Hard Words by Doug Wilson. This blog-post is mostly my notes which I took while reading, organized in an orderly fashion. If the content of this post interest you, I would highly suggest the book. It was very easy to read and understand.


God knows all and has predestined all. (Isaiah 46: 9-10) He has even decided who is elect for salvation and who are not. (Ephesians 1: 5) But the accusation here is, "If I am elect, then my sins won't damn me, and if I am not, then all the good works in the world won't save me." (From Easy Chairs, Hard Words) How is this fair? And how can we still be held responsible for our actions? Or as Romans 9: 12-14a says, "It was said to her, 'The older shall serve the younger.' As it is written, 'Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.' What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God?"

But Romans 9:14b- goes on to say, "Certainly not! For He says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.' So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy."

So obviously, it is not up to us who God elects and who God damns. It is "according to his good pleasure" (Eph. 1:5 again) that he has decided. So, how can sinners be held responsible and punished for their sins when it is God who foreordained it all? (1 Peter 2: 8) As Romans 9: 19 says, "You will say to me then, 'Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?'"

Paul answers in the next few verses, "But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, 'Why have you made me like this? Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory..."

As another example; Acts 4: 27-28, "For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done." And Luke 22: 21-23, "But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table. And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!"

Christ's betrayal and death were predetermined by God, for God's glory and our justification. But killing an innocent man was still sin. The people of Israel were still guilty for Christ's death. Just as we are still guilty for sin we commit, even when God has foreordained it.

Now it might seem here that we have no choice (free will) at all. Here I would like to quote Easy Chairs, Hard Words again. "We have come to that subset of God's eternal decree which we call election. It is here that we most desperately want to reconcile God's choices with man's freedom. But it is also here that the task becomes impossible, for the simple reason that at this point man has no freedom....How can we reconcile a non-existent attribute of man (the freedom to make a moral choice) with the sovereignty of God? There is nothing to reconcile. When God calls a man, He creates freedom. When we become Christians, God is not violating our moral freedom--He is creating it. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."

We are the characters in God's story, and He is the author. Another quote from Easy Chairs, Hard Words; "'If the finite Shakespeare can produce, by his will, fictional characters who have all the freedom necessary for their 'level of existence,' then why cannot the infinite God create real individuals, with real free agency, without surrendering His control? Because God's resources are infinitely greater than Shakespeare's, He has the power to write history and create characters who have true freedom.....without having His characters write the play."

I would like to close with Deuteronomy 32: 4. “He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.” Whatever charges we might have against Him, we must remember that He is the ultimate Good.

HER PLEA

HER PLEA.
by Ethelwyn Wetherald

Tread lightly, lightly, eager feet,
For every footfall when we part,
And every footfall when we meet,
Awakes my heart, awakes my heart.

Speak shyly, shyly, pleading eyes,
The yearning message you impart,
For all your questions and replies
Are in my heart, are in my heart.

Steal softly, softly, sweetest tone,
The tender springs from which you start
To flow into mine ear alone
O'errun my heart, o'errun my heart.

Love gently, gently, Love of mine,
Through all the years where'er thou art,
For every quick'ning thought of thine
Doth stir my heart, doth stir my heart.

Quotation

"A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government." - Edward Abbey



"A Christian must always be ready to defend his God against his church." - Rachel Bacon

Time to Say Goodbye

Time to Say Goodbye
(it's the song that started playing on my blog)

When I'm alone
I dream on the horizon
And words fail
Yes, I know there is no light
In a room where the sun is absent
If you are not with me
At the windows
Show everone my heart
Which you set alight
Enclose within me
The light you
Encountered on the street

I'll go with you
To countries I newer
Saw and shared with you
Now, yes, I shall experience them
I'll go with you
On ships across seas
Which, I know,
No, no, exist no longer
With you I shall experience them

When you are far away
I dream on the horizon
And words fail
And yes, I know
That you are with me
You, my moon, are here with me
My sun, you are here with me

I'll go with you
To countries I never
Saw and shared with you
Now, yes, I shall experience them
I'll go with you
On ships across seas
Which, I know,
No, no, exist no longer
With you I shall experience them again
I'll go with you
On ships across seas
Which, I know,
No, no, exist no longer
With you I shall experience them again
I'll go with you

I with you

Napoleon

One French Republican, by writing and analyzing, has produced the following:–

Which, being arranged in the form of a sentence, gives, ‘Napoleon on o leon leon eon apoleon poleon‘–which is the Greek for ‘Napoleon, being the lion of the people, was marching on, destroying the cities!‘

– Appleton Morgan, Macaronic Poetry, 1872

I made it!!!!!

Hey! I'm doing fine! The worst part was the IV in the arm, but I was only aware of that for a minute or so before drifting off. I remember waking up and walking out and trying to send a text message to my friends to tell them I was ok, and having a hard time doing that. After that, I don't remember the drive home, which consisted of stopping by the store, stopping by McDonalds, and picking my brother up from the library. Got home, lay down on the couch, and slept for about two hours. Woke up and felt pretty good, just a bit woozy. Can remember everything after that. :) Watched "You've Got Mail" and "Rear Window" last night. I'm mostly up and about today, but probably will do a lot of resting on the couch. Plan to go to L'Abri tonight! And, I'm very thankful to have avoided the "chipmunk" look! (:P to Christian *hehe*) Thank you all so much for all the prayers!

Prayers please.

I'm having my wisdom teeth removed Thursday at 2 pm. This is my first surgery, and I'm pretty scared of needles. Here's the rundown--laughing gas, then an IV in my arm, then shots in the mouth. I just hope that I'll be "out" by the time they get to my mouth.... I'm planning on being up and around by Friday, as we have L'Abri that night. Then Saturday we have an open house and I'm thinking of going to Titanic again. So I'd appreciate prayers! Thanks!

Wonderings???

If you had to lose either your voice, your hearing, or your sight, which one would you choose? And why?

Quote for today...

"Raining all night; sometimes soft, sometimes loud; like a choir's song"

- Anonymous

Follow me...

I was totally excited the other day, when I got on Blogger to find that I now have 4 followers! Last time I had checked, I only had one. Thanks, people!

Sharing my lunch with you...

Today, for a late lunch, I made myself a green smoothie and a cup of rosehip tea. I thought I would share them with fellow Bloggers as some friends have expressed curiosity in the green drinks I have started making.

For the green smoothie, my first ingredient was lettuce. Spinach will work just as well, and actually does not affect the taste at all in my opinion. But lettuce was all we had in the house today. I usually just put a cup or so of water in the blender first, so that it does not end up really chunky, but we had orange juice in the house so I used that instead. Water is just fine if you have that. The juice did add a very nice fruity flavor.

We are stocked up on frozen bananas and blueberries in our freezer, so those are what I usually use. I also found a couple frozen strawberries too, which I threw in. I found that they changed the color to a deep red, instead of a very muddy green. Also, one thing I have found with frozen bananas is that the flavor does deteriorate in the freezer over time. I think we have cycled through all our old ones now and I have been enjoying the taste of the fresh ones.

Next, I throw in a teaspoon of kelp powder, which is especially good for females who tend to need the iodine that most seaweeds contain. I get mine from a small health food store in Grand Ledge called Wild Oats. I got 0.46 lb and it was only $1.61, but it will last me quite a while. One teaspoon a day is fine. The powder has a strong seaweed smell, but you can’t taste it at all in the drink.

Then, I went outside to collect greens from the yard. Dandelion leaves are good for cleaning out your body. I picked 3-4 smallish ones to use. They do add a very distinct bitter flavor, so be sure to pick the smaller ones, and only use a few. Last Sunday, I tried making a green drink with dandelion as the main green, and it turned out so nasty, that I had to throw it all out. So do be careful how much you put in. The orange juice did blend really nice with the dandelion taste. If there is a chance that the leaves could have gotten sprayed with pesticide from neighboring fields or they grow close to the road, I wouldn’t use them.

Last, I picked a couple peppermint shoots that were coming up in the flower bed. Peppermint is overall good for just about anything!

I also got dried rosehips from Wild Oats on my trip there today. I have been struggling with a cold due to stress and lack of sleep from Seussical show week. Rose hips have a TON of Vitamin C in them. I found that they actually taste like dried tomatoes! The tea had a slight tomato soup flavor to it, but not nasty at all. I didn’t add honey, it didn’t really seem appropriate with the tomato. ;) Drank it all down, and so hopefully I will be feeling better soon!

Hope you enjoyed this descriptive narrative of my lunch!

Fall and Spring

by Ethelywn Wetherald


From the time the wind wakes
To the time of snowflakes,
That's the time the heart aches
Every cloudy day;
That's the time the heart takes
Thought of all its heart-breaks,
That's the time the heart makes
Life a cloudy way.

From the time the grass creeps
To the time the wind sleeps,
That's the time the heart leaps
To the golden ray;
That's the time the joy sweeps
Through the depths of heart-deeps
That's the time the heart keeps
Happy holiday.

The Human Touch

by Spencer Michael Free

’Tis the human touch
in this world that counts,
The touch of your hand and mine,
Which means far more
to the fainting heart
Than shelter and bread and wine.
For shelter is gone
when the night is o’er,
And bread lasts only a day.
But the touch of the hand
And the sound of the voice
Sing on in the soul always.

Resurrection Day

“And so they stood on the walls of the City of Gondor, and a great wind rose and blew, and their hair, raven and golden, streamed out mingling in the air. And the Shadow departed, and the Sun was unveiled, and light leaped forth; and the waters of Anduin shone like silver, and in all the Houses of the City men sang for the joy that welled up in their hearts from what source they could not tell.” Pg. 941 LotR

and -
“’Gandalf! I thought you were dead! But then I thought I was dead myself. Is everything sad going to come untrue? What’s happened to the world?’ ‘A great Shadow has departed,’ said Gandalf, and then he laughed, and the sound was like music, or like water in a parched land; and as he listened the thought came to Sam that he had not heard laughter, the pure sound of merriment, for days upon days without count. It fell upon his ears like the echo of all the joys he had ever known. But he himself burst into tears. Then, as a sweet rain will pass down a wind of spring and the sun will shine out the clearer, his tears ceased, and his laughter welled up, and laughing he wprang from his bed. ‘How do I feel?’ he cried. ‘Well, I don’t know how to say it. I feel, I feel’ – he waved his arms in the air – ‘I feel like spring after winter, and sun on the leaves; and like trumpets and harps and all the songs I have ever heard!’ Pg 930 LotR

and -
“The days that followed were golden, and Spring and Summer joined and made revel together in the fields of Gondor. And tidings now came by swift riders from Cair Andros of all that was done, and the City made ready for the coming of the King.” Pg. 942 LotR


Compare to Matthew 28: 5-8
“And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.”

Day before Resurrection Day

“And so they stood so, their hands met and clasped, though they did not know it. And still they waited for they knew not what. Then presently it seemed to them that above the ridges of the distant mountains another vast mountain of darkness rose, towering up like a wave that should engulf the world, and about it lightnings flickered; and then a tremor ran through the earth, and they felt the walls of the City quiver. A sound like a sigh went up from all the lands about them; and their hearts beat suddenly again.” Pg 941 LotR

Good Friday

“Over the city of Gondor doubt and great dread had hung. Fair weather and clear sun had seemed but a mockery to men whose days held little hope, and who looked each morning for news of doom. Their lord was dead and burned, dead lay the King of Rohan in their citadel, and the new king that had come to them in the night was gone again to a war with powers too dark and terrible for any might or valour to conquer.” Pg. 937 LotR

“’Well, this is the end, Sam Gamgee,’ said a voice by his side……’For the Quest is achieved, and now all is over. I am glad you are here with me. Here at the end of all things, Sam.’” Pg. 926 LotR


Compare to Luke 23: 46-48
“And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, 'Certainly this was a righteous man.' And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned.”

Palm Sunday

“Thus came Aragorn, son of Arathorn, Elessar, Isildur’s heir, out of the Paths of the Dead, borne upon a wind from the Sea to the kingdom of Gondor; and the mirth of the Rohirrim was a torrent of laughter and a flashing of swords, and the joy and wonder of the City was a music of trumpets and a ringing of bells…..But before all went Aragorn with the Flame of the West, Anduril like a new fire kindled, Narsil re-forged as deadly as of old, and upon his brow was the Star of Elendil.” Pg 829 LotR

Compare to Matthew 21: 8-11 -
“And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.”



“When he had looked on the faces of the sick and seen their hurts he sighed. ‘Here I must put forth all such power and skill as is given to me,’ he said." Pg 845 LotR

and -
“As he followed Gandalf and shut the door Pippin heard Ioreth exclaim; ‘King! Did you hear that? What did I say? The hands of a healer, I said.’ And soon the word had gone out from the House that the king was indeed come among them, and after war he brought healing; and the news ran through the City.” Pg 848 LotR

and -
“At the doors of the Houses many were already gathered to see Aragorn, and they followed after him; and when at last he had supped, men came and prayed that he would heal their kinsmen or their friends whose lives were in peril through hurt or wound, or who lay under the Black Shadow. And Aragorn arose and went out, and he sent for the sons of Elrond, and together they laboured far into the night. And word went through the City; ‘The King has come again indeed.” Pg. 852 LotR

Compare to Matthew 21:15 -
“And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.”

and Luke 7: 20-22-
“When the men were come unto him, they said, ‘John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?’ And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight. Then Jesus answering said unto them, ‘Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.’”

Youtube channel

I now have a Youtube channel! My user name is Rakie1991. I uploaded a very funny video which my mom and I made last Sunday. We had so much fun! And I think it turned out pretty funny! :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRdT7x4n9KU

Courtesy of Dr. George Grant

Post-Health Care Reform Resolves
1. Pray more. 1 Thessalonians 5:17
2. Listen first. James 1:19
3. Work harder. Colossians 3:23
4. Serve others. Galatians 6:9
5. Defend life. Proverbs 24:11-12
6. Grumble less. James 5:9
7. Do justice. Amos 5:24
8. Love mercy. Micah 6:8
9. Walk humbly. Proverbs 15:33
10. Rejoice always. 1 Thessalonians 5:16
11. Trust Jesus. Revelation 19:6

In light of our nation's situation....

MY ORDERS.

My orders are to fight.

Then if I bleed, or fail,
Or strongly win, what matters it?

God only doth prevail.

The servant craveth naught
Except to serve with might.

I was not told to win or lose,—
My orders are to fight.

Lenten prayer

by Me

Die, die to yourself,
And to everyone else;
Die to the life you've been given.
Give yourself up
To the pain and the death
In the journey that leads to the Cross.

Look, look at yourself
And give up all hope
of courage and strength within.
Turn outward your gaze to the Christ of the Cross,
For life with abundant joy.

March 16th, 2010

March 16th, 2010

Sitting outside, with my back against the house,
Sipping warm, creamy chai; the spice
Of winter lingers in my mouth,
While the sun warms my bones.

Gentle breeze lifts my paper
Blackbird calls from the edge of the pond,
Which has no ice on it now, well,
A little bit far down there.

The sun tingles on my skin
So white, could I get a tan
Sitting here five minutes more?
Not yet, I have to thaw first.

A hen and rooster are scratching in the dirt
He tries to tackle her and she runs off
Fluffing her feathers in disgust,
But perhaps she likes him just the same.

"Poem"

Poem
by Wendell Berry


Willing to die
you give up
your will. Keep still
until, moved
by what moves all else, you move.

Pictures for a Librophiliac

http://curiousexpeditions.org/?p=78


So, so beautiful!

R.J. Rushdoony

"History has never been dominated by majorities, but only by dedicated minorities who stand unconditionally on their faith"

Elinor Dashwood....of course :)

You are Elinor Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are practical, circumspect, and discreet. Though you are tremendously sensible and allow your head to rule, you have a deep, emotional side that few people often see.

Take the Quiz here!