Here in the United States we are living through what I find to be one of the more disgusting times of the year...the shopping frenzy that begins the day after Thanksgiving and will continue until the New Year. Personally, I like to shop for Christmas gifts for my family and friends online as much as possible, or to make gifts when appropriate.
I know some people who have, for one reason or another, dismissed Christmas pretty much altogether. I comprehend their stated reasoning, but it saddens me, nonetheless, and I cannot agree. Outside of Revelation, where else in Scripture do we find the Heavenly host appearing, thousands of them perhaps, and singing praise and glory to God in the highest except at the birth of the Babe in Bethlehem? The angels celebrated the birth of Christ...and I do, too. I completely understand the disgust at the commercialism of Christmas, and the materialistic sewage that permeates everything around us. I hate it, too. I know Scripture doesn't speak to us of decorated trees and frosted cookies. These are the cultural traditions of men. But this is the time of year when the unsaved world finds themselves "celebrating" a day that exists because Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. We have a unique, once-a-year platform to share with those around us precisely what Christmas is. My family feels that our participation gives us an opportunity at this time of year to reach out to a world that is desperately empty and seeking, to people who are trying so hard to find that "meaning" in Christmas that they perhaps knew 40 or 50 years ago but that is now lost, and they cannot find it because all they have are the stores and the stuff...and they are longing for something more. We have the opportunity to show them something else.
So, about 5 years ago, we made a change in our Christmas, in order to bring the focus back to where it should be, and to demonstrate to our unsaved relatives, in a tangible way, a different kind of Christmas. May I say, it has made an impact on everyone. Instead of getting caught up in shopping for gifts at the malls, we decided to give gifts that would change lives, in honor of those for whom we bought gifts. We purchase and give the "gifts" in the name of Jesus, praying that He would bless the actual receiver of the gift (a stranger to us in this life) as well as the loved one in whose honor we purchase the gift. Here are three of the life-changing gift options that we like to give as Christmas gifts to our family and friends, as well as to our own children:
For Christian relatives and friends:
Give the gift of partnership in providing God's Word to unreached people-groups, in their own native language, with Wycliffe's Gift Catalog. Bob Cresen, President of Wycliffe Bible Translators, USA, writes, "You will find 18 opportunities to be involved in sharing the Good News this Christmas— the Good News of the birth of Jesus Christ. That wonderful message still needs to reach many people in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and Latin America who, much like the people of Bethlehem on that first Christmas night, are still waiting to hear the Good News message. What an incredible privilege God has given us to bring them the message of salvation in the language that speaks to their hearts!"
For both saved and unsaved relatives and friends:
Help Operation Smile provide life-changing surgery for children with facial deformities...this is a dramatic Christmas gift to give in honor of your own loved family members, and is one of my favorites! One year, we purchased one complete surgery for a child for $240 and "gave it" to each member of our extended family (there were 8 family members and friends who "received" this gift...our budget at that time was $30 per person/couple). Other times, we've purchased a smaller portion of a surgery, and have given that as the gift.
OR...
Give the gift of partnership with Heifer International in providing the way for a lifetime of food, income, self-sufficiency, and community for people in need. What fun for your loved ones to open your gift card and find out that, thanks to you, they've given a water buffalo to a needy family in Africa!
Each year we give a gift of a Heifer animal to our children as one of their Christmas gifts.They love to learn what kind of animal they're getting each year! More imporatnatly, they've learned the truth of the old saying, "'Tis better to give than to recieve." Heifer makes "giving" just as much fun as "getting."
If you and your family are looking for a better way to "do" Christmas, don't just throw away the entire holiday...throw away the world's intrusion on it, and get back to a practice of using what you have to bless someone in need, to give of your abundance (if you live in the US and have a warm home and food this November/December, then you have an abundance compared to the rest of the world...watch some of the videos I've provided) and change the life of another soul you will never meet this side of Heaven. Ask God to use your gift to open that person's heart and mind to the Good News of Christ's coming to Earth to save them, and ask Him to send a believer to that person to share this wonderful news!
"There is rhythm to being a farmgirl. It is the rhythm of working hard when there is work to be done. It is the rhythm of finding joy in the "doing" of the work. It is also the rhythm of slowing down to enjoy each moment."
~Rene Groom
To join the Fun of Friday FarmGirls@Heart, please include a link to my blog in your post, or grab one of my FFG buttons for your posts and to place in your sidebar! You can grab code HERE.
I'm so excited! Today we will bring Christine and her family with us up north into Wisconsin to visit our favorite Christmas tree farm, CaPaul's. We will hike into the rows of evergreen trees with our saws, and pick out just the right trees. Then we'll let our teenage and college age boys get down on the ground and saw through the trunks, and then carry them to the shaking and netting areas. We will sip hot apple cider, and visit the touristy "Cheese Haus" down the road. Then we'll get back on the highway for the 3 hour drive home, which will be lengthened by a wonderful stop for dinner at Cracker Barrel.
Good fellowship, good fun, good food, all with good friends. What a gift!
Here's how to join the fun:
1) Grab an FFG (Friday FarmGirls) Button for your blog and post it in your sidebar so others can join with you. I have 6styles you can choose from, and you can get code HERE.
2) Write your post and publish it on Friday...be sure to put your FFG Button at the top of your post, and link it to my blog ( http://www.illinoislori.blogspot.com/ ) so your friends will know where to come to join in each week.
3) Add your name and the URL of your post to the "Mister Linky" provided at the end of my post each week.
4) Leave me a comment, and visit the blogs of the other participants listed and leave them comments as well. If you visit and leave comments, you'll be visited and receive comments...it's as simple as that!
Can the American Family Farm survive? YOU will make that decision. Every time you run a barcode across a grocery store scanner at the checkout lane, and it makes a little "blip" sound, that's a vote for the kind of food you want your store to sell.
Does a rural farmer in another country feed his family this week, or do they starve and lose everything they have to a corporate giant here in America? YOU will make that decision. Every time you run a barcode across a grocery store scanner at the checkout lane, and it makes a little "blip" sound, that's a vote for the kind of food you want your store to sell.
Does the power of the American pharmaceutical industry continue to grow and take over more medical schools, veterinary schools, medical "research," and thus negatively impact your health and the health of your family with greed for money as their motivation? YOU will make that decision.Every time you run a barcode across a grocery store scanner at the checkout lane, and it makes a little "blip" sound, that's a vote for the kind of food you want your store to sell.
Will you put food that God created on your table with praise and thanksgiving to Him, or will you put genetically-modified, disease-causing "food-product" on your table, with all the baggage of the worldwide fallout from the practices of corporate agriculture attached to it? YOU will make that decision.Every time you run a barcode across a grocery store scanner at the checkout lane, and it makes a little "blip" sound, that's a vote for the kind of food you want your store to sell.
Can the small, American Family Farm survive? YOU will make that decision.
Please watch this film trailer, and then click the links below it, as you have time,
to view the short episodes of this important film:
As you are blog-hopping this week and weekend, stop by here and click to view some "Webisodes" from The Farmers' Film. Take the time to learn about what is happening here and around the world as a result of American demand for cheap food. Our appetites and demands come at an incredibly high cost. I do not believe God will accept "ignorance" as an excuse when we stand before Him to give an account of our actions. We must know what our choices are doing to our brothers and sisters here and around the world.
Please...share this post on your blog or other pages. Help spread this message.
"There is rhythm to being a farmgirl. It is the rhythm of working hard when there is work to be done. It is the rhythm of finding joy in the "doing" of the work. It is also the rhythm of slowing down to enjoy each moment."
~Rene Groom
To join the Fun of Friday FarmGirls@Heart, please include a link to my blog in your post, or grab one of my FFG buttons for your posts and to place in your sidebar! You can grab code HERE.
From the good folks at Mother Earth News comes this recipe:
Grilled Pumpkin with Rosemary and Sea Salt
"My backyard grown sugar pie pumpkins are finally ripening up in spite of the steady rains we've been experiencing here in the Pacific Northwest. A few of the pumpkins ended up being somewhat small and weren't worth the effort to process into pumpkin puree. So, what to do with these little guys? I wanted to do something new and, not having grilled pumpkins before, I was quite excited to give it a try.
During grilling, the sugars in the pumpkin caramelize. The combination of sweet and salty, coupled with crisp rosemary, will give you a different way of thinking about pumpkin. After trying this, you just might find yourself dreaming of expanding your pumpkin patch next year.
Make sure you use sugar pie pumpkins or the equivalent for this recipe — you really don't want to eat a jack-o-lantern type pumpkin as they are stringy. If you aren't growing your own sugar pie pumpkins you should be seeing them available in stores and farmers markets this month or, better yet, make a fun trip out of it and head out to a U-pick pumpkin farm. Don't forget to pick up a few extra for making your own pumpkin puree for pies and breads later in the year." Grilled Pumpkin with Rosemary and Sea Salt Sugar pie pumpkins (preferably on the small side) Olive oil Fresh rosemary, chopped Sea salt
1. Heat grill to medium-high.
2. Wash and cut the pumpkins vertically into 3/4 inch slices. Remove the seeds and stringy parts. Brush both sides of each slice liberally with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and rosemary.
3. Place the slices on the grill for about 5 minutes a side or until dark grill marks appear. Turn and grill the other side until you can easily pierce the pumpkin slice with a fork. You want to make sure that the pumpkin is tender.
4. Since some of the salt tends to fall off during the grilling process, serve with a small dish of additional sea salt.
From Food Network .com comes this yummy soup: Thai Pumpkin Soup Soup:
3 cups coconut water 3.5 ounces coconut meat 10.5 ounces sugar pie pumpkin, seeded and cubed into 1-inch squares 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander 3/4 tsp salt 3 black peppercorns 1 clove garlic, chopped 3/4 tsp curry paste, or more to taste 2 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1/3 cup almond milk
Garnish: 1 recipe Marinated Portobello Mushrooms, below 1/4 cup coconut cream (not to be confused with coconut milk) 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped 2 scallions, thinly sliced
To serve, pour soup into warm soup bowls. Place 2 teaspoons of the marinated portobellos in the middle of each bowl. Decorate each soup with coconut cream, cilantro and scallions.
Marinated Portobello Mushrooms: 1 tbsp shoyu (Japanese soy sauce) 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp water 1/2 tsp ginger, minced 1 portobello mushroom, gills removed, cut into small dice
Combine the shoyu, olive oil, water and ginger in a small bowl. Add the mushrooms and marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Drain mushrooms and use as directed.
1) Grab an FFG (Friday FarmGirls) Button for your blog and post it in your sidebar so others can join with you. I have 6styles you can choose from, and you can get code HERE.
2) Write your post and publish it on Friday...be sure to put your FFG Button at the top of your post, and link it to my blog ( http://www.illinoislori.blogspot.com/ ) so your friends will know where to come to join in each week.
3) Add your name and the URL of your post to the "Mister Linky" provided at the end of my post each week.
4) Leave me a comment, and visit the blogs of the other participants listed and leave them comments as well. If you visit and leave comments, you'll be visited and receive comments...it's as simple as that!
Click the graphic above to join me and our lovely hostess, Ruth,
for Tea Talk each Thursday!
I'm having...Green Mountain's Pumpkin Spice coffee in my plain white mug. I'm feeling... Grateful to God for the many answers to prayer we've received this last week...a perfect internship with incredibly knowledgable and successful organic lamb producers for Bryan, acceptance and a HUGE scholarship offer to a top engineering school for Nathan...and more opportunities now in view on the horizon. On my mind... so many things on my "to do" list, so little time in which to get them done! Also on my mind... Knowing that Bryan will be gone next spring and summer, we're figuring out how to transition his very successful home and market business so the customer base isn't just dropped. Brother Nathan could take it, but he may have a great summer job offer coming, Lord willing, at an engineering lab. More prayer :-)
My theme verse for November:
‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD,
‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’
(Jeremiah 29:11)
My silly dog, who always likes to come to Tea Talk.
To see a complete, tutorial-linked list of all the step-by-step lessons in my Journey Into Nourishing Traditions, simply click the photo-icon above.
Want a button for your blog's sidebar so you can quick-click your way here for the latest lessons? Grab code HERE.
Oh boy, I'm out of bread now! My last batch of 6 loaves has been consumed...so off to my NT cookbook to look for bread recipes.
Uh-oh...there's a fly in this ointment...seems there's a digestion problem with today's wheat, even organic, fresh ground, which is what I have. Sprouting seems to be the answer! This will take a while for me to wrap my brain around, which is why I have a 2 part post on this. Guess I'll just bake a couple loaves of my regular whole wheat bread instead of my usual six, just to get me through the next few days while I learn this new stuff!
I've read the NT recipes, and read the commmentaries, and I understood everything there. But then I went to the instructions about how to sprout grains (pp 113-114)...and I found them lacking. For a complete novice like me, I think Ms. Fallon needed to be a little more detailed.
A little aside here: isn't my bookmark pretty? A sweet young lady known about bloggyland as "PollyWolly" made it for me! She chose colors that would match my blog, and the teapot charm because she thought it went with the Thursday Tea Talk posts I do for Ruth's meme! She made sure it was long enough for my NT cookbook. Here is a closeup photo of the darling charm...thank you, Miss "Polly!"
Now...back to my problem with figuring out the procedure for sprouting grains...
Fortunately, my source of much "Nutrition in the News," Mike Adams (aka "The Health Ranger") from Natural News sent just the video I needed today!
It's only 1-1/2 minutes long, and gives the visual demo of what Fallon says in NT. Now I get it!!!
I need to purchase some screening for the top of my quart jars before I can get sprouting, so I'll post part 2 of this in a few days. In the meantime, here's the video:
It's been a whirlwind of a last few days. Let's see...here's what's happened:
Made a dinner for a friend in need
Attended an all-day "Young Adults" Conference (homeschool-related) with my sons
Learned that a sweet young lady from Georgia, whom I just love, is being courted! (PTL, Joanna!)
During the conference, Bryan took an interview call from a prime farm at which he was praying to land an internship for the spring semester...and learned that they decided to accept him! So he'll be off to New York in March through May!
Hosted a party...a BIG party on Sunday...did we have 100 here? Had to be close...I'm not sure
Learned this afternoon that Nathan has been accepted at Illinois Institute of Technology...and has been offered a little over half-tuition scholarship!
Yeeee-esssssssss! We're going out to Famous Dave's to celebrate tonight. I'm so tired, I might just fall asleep in the restaurant! Praising the Lord for His goodness and blessing upon my boys.
"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."(Phil. 1:6)
I love Tuesdays. On Tuesday, we get to sleep in a little bit. Bryan's first class isn't until noon, so I can enjoy having him here with us for breakfast. Nathan and I do not have to go anywhere for anything on Tuesdays (at least this semester), so there is no rush to get out the door.
Today is the perfect day to be a Tuesday. This is the view out my kitchen window:
I didn't sleep in today. Instead, I got up, emptied the dishwasher, put a kettle of water on to boil for oatmeal and tea, and then I built a fire in the fireplace and lit some candles. I enjoyed a steaming hot cup of tea, and enjoyed this still, quiet morning with the Lord...and my dog :-) When the boys finally came downstairs, this was the atmosphere of our home:
Soon, my still, quiet kitchen was filled with sounds of happy chatter and clattering dishes accompanied by smells of bacon and pancake syrup. The dog took her place by the table to wait for the fatty bits of bacon which we always toss her way.
I will keep the homefires burning all morning, and will encourage Nathan to bring his laptop down here, by the warm fireplace, so he is not holed-up in his room on this wet, grey day.
My Heavenly Father is about to do something in the lives of my children...I can feel the "stirrings." For months now, we've been in His "waiting room." I have always found God's waiting room one of the hardest places for me to be. My sons have gotten a taste of that room, too, over the last few months. Major changes in their futures are on the horizon...the possibilities have all been in view, but only from a distance.
This past summer brought the season of "search, pray, and apply" into their lives. Then came "wait."
And wait...
And wait...
Finally, we are entering the season of "hear." Soon, it will be the season of "go." It is as though we have all been collectively holding our breath, waiting for someone to tell us to "exhale," and we now see him coming toward us with his instruction. He has not arrived yet, but we see him coming. He is on our street!
God's waiting room...this is the place of character development for our young adults, and of continued character development for us as parents. It is so easy to "run ahead of God" and try to work out the details of life by ourselves to satisfy our impatience, to allay our fears when such important things are yet unsettled, and it is so hard to say "Yes, Lord of my life, I will be still, and know that You are God, and I will wait for You to move before I do."
My Abba, Father is stirring. Life is stirring. The answers to concerns about the future are about to be revealed. I can feel it...I will rest in Him, and wait for Him to reveal His will. I will teach my sons to do the same, as we pray for His desires to be our desires.
Click the graphic above to join me and our lovely hostess, Ruth,
for Tea Talk each Thursday!
I'm having...Vanilla -Hazelnut coffee in my Einstein Bagel's travel mug. I'm at the community college with Nathan today, we're hanging out here doing homeschool stuff until noon, when we'll be visiting with his former German professor over lunch. She's been kind to write letters of recommendation for Nathan to the colleges at which he's applying. I'm feeling... Peevish. This place (the community college) does that to me...I hate it here! I prefer being in the insulated "Christian bubble" of my home and my circle of friends. Here (and right now, as a matter of fact), I sit immersed in the world with all of its foulness. I wish I had brought along headphones so I could blast Christian music into my ears. The conversation of the students sitting ten feet from me is so repulsive, I want to duct tape their mouths...or my ears. But we are in a place with good WiFi, and Nathan is doing his online Advanced Physics class right now until noon, so we're stuck here today until we can go to the cafeteria for lunch. At least he has headphones on and is engrossed in 6 kg blocks travelling at 4.25m/s that collide with 0.8kg blocks sitting on the edge of a 1.25m tall table with no friction...etc., etc., etc.. On my mind... College looming large for my youngest son. The applications are in (we just need one more letter sent from his professor), and - LORD willing - he'll know what his options are by the end of this year. Also on my mind... The spring internship search for my oldest son. We've made contact with several pasture-based, organic sheep farms that we found online which offer internships. Praying that God would make our intuition and senses very keen and sharp, so we would make moves oh so carefully! The internet can show exactly what we want it to show. Bryan will need to live wherever he interns for nine weeks. So we need to be careful, and we need God to guide us all the way.
My theme verse for November:
‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD,
‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’
(Jeremiah 29:11)
My silly dog, who always likes to come to Tea Talk.
Sunny is still limping, but not quite as badly. However, her front leg is now acting a bit funny, probably because of putting extra weight on it due to pain in the hind leg. Nonetheless, she still seems happy!
Yesterday was Halloween. We don't get many trick-or-treaters at our house, usually, though in a kid-filled neighborhood like ours it's always surprised me. Our street is long and it curves, and we're up at the end of it, so I think the kids prefer staying close to the main road going through the neighborhood, where they can see many, many streets. It makes no difference, mathematically or in reality, but costumed kiddies don't think that way. Perception is everything to them!
Anyway, I did need to stay near the door early on, as that's when they tend to come, so I decided to finally start on a project that's been looming large over my head for months...selling off my used homeschool curriculum.
I set up a photo area on my dining room table (right by the front door), and photographed the first box of stuff that I've had sitting in the storage closet for way too long. I've uploaded that to my Photobucket, and after I look up current retail prices, I'll decide on sale prices and edit that information onto the photos. I hope to get this all done by Thursday evening (I can do it while Nathan is at Math Team practice, I hope).
I still have a few more boxes to photograph and get through, but I really want to get it posted for people who may need things for the winter/spring semester.
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