"Parenting is a Marathon and not a Sprint." Wise words from Israel Wayne. I had the blessing of meeting Israel Wayne last summer at a family homeschool camp retreat. A very down to earth person, he has a lot of wisdom and he is not afraid to speak the truth about things. Having been homeschooled himself and now a father of 8, he brings a lot of good advice to the table.
Full-Time Parenting, A Guide to Family-Based Discipleship, takes the thoughts you were already thinking about parenting but maybe, could not fully express and puts it into words with biblical scriptures to back up the concepts he addresses.
As I read this book, I found myself saying, "yes!" "yes!" and "yes!"
Full-time Parenting is a book for parents who not only want to nourish their children physically, but spiritually and emotionally as well. How do you deal with "Perfect Family Syndrome" or how can you keep your marriage strong? How do you teach purity or deal with our children being bombarded with technology? Do you have your children work with their hands and eat properly? Do they have structure in their life? Reading time together? Family worship time?
Negative Peer Pressure? No problem! How about no peers to worry about?!
This is not another psychology self-help book but will help you think from a Biblical point of view. Yes, some of his views are not the norms of society, but after studying various families' lifestyles and their outcomes, I believe this book may make you think outside the box. He also gives some ideas on why he thinks some children jump ship and what you can do it about it.
A great resource to keep on your shelf and read time and time again.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this e-book from Family Renewal in exchange for an honest review. To obtain your own copy, order here: https://www.familyrenewal.org/shop/full-time-parenting-e-book/
Friday, January 2, 2015
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Our testimony booklet is here!
http://www.jews-for-jesus.org/store/catalogsearch/result/?q=matched+by+messiah
They wrote up my husband and my story of how we met and got married after knowing each other three weeks as well as how we met our Messiah. A lot of the miracles were taken out due to space. I still would like to raise the money to publish a full version of my testimony which I have already written out. I was thinking of self-publishing it but need about 3000 to get it done right. In the mean time, feel free to order and read this wonderful book. Note, none of the proceeds go to Cyril or I but do go to the ministry of Jews for Jesus who were the ones who published the booklet and put a lot of time into editing it. Very thankful for the hard work they did in getting it together. Esp Ruth Rosen.
They wrote up my husband and my story of how we met and got married after knowing each other three weeks as well as how we met our Messiah. A lot of the miracles were taken out due to space. I still would like to raise the money to publish a full version of my testimony which I have already written out. I was thinking of self-publishing it but need about 3000 to get it done right. In the mean time, feel free to order and read this wonderful book. Note, none of the proceeds go to Cyril or I but do go to the ministry of Jews for Jesus who were the ones who published the booklet and put a lot of time into editing it. Very thankful for the hard work they did in getting it together. Esp Ruth Rosen.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
Happy and Healthy Kids in a Crazy World?
April 17, 2007
All my life, I grew up thinking that someday, I would "be somebody." We, women are taught from the time we are in elementary school that we can be anything a man can be and more. Then, we spend thousands of dollars, time and energy in universities studying for a profession. We may even get to work in that profession for a while. But once we have children, everything changes……..
Yes, we can continue to work and many women do for various reasons BUT something suffers. Usually BOTH work and homelife are compromised. In addition, women are stressed, tired and their health is at risk. Now the choice that I was blessed to choose (because I know some have no choice) was stay home and be there as much as I can for my children.
A woman is so excited when she has a baby. As soon as she is pregnant, she looks forward to having that child in her arms. What she doesn’t realize is how much her life changes after that baby. From waking up in the middle of the night to feed that child repeatedly, to changing stinky diapers, to running in and out of the shower quickly because the baby is crying for you, to not being able to even go to the bathroom alone–it is an adjustment to say the least. One, most of us are not prepared for. In addition, most of us don’t live near our families anymore. Personally, living on the westcoast is across the continent from my parents in NYC. However, even those that do live near our family have a hard time getting along with them around the children. Why? Because our parents learned things differently then we did and do things differently.
My mother didn’t breastfeed at all. She was told formula was superior. She can’t understand why I would breastfeed. She thinks I am "crazy." My grandmother-in-law was taught to let babies cry because it’s good for their lungs, even when they are newborn and hungry! One family member says to make the child finish everything on their plate and the other doesn’t. One grandparent wants to give the child candy to make them their friend and the other is complaining how "chubby" the child’s getting.So how can we produce happy and healthy kids in a world that doesn’t even know what that looks like? Stay tuned as I share more ideas…….
All my life, I grew up thinking that someday, I would "be somebody." We, women are taught from the time we are in elementary school that we can be anything a man can be and more. Then, we spend thousands of dollars, time and energy in universities studying for a profession. We may even get to work in that profession for a while. But once we have children, everything changes……..
Yes, we can continue to work and many women do for various reasons BUT something suffers. Usually BOTH work and homelife are compromised. In addition, women are stressed, tired and their health is at risk. Now the choice that I was blessed to choose (because I know some have no choice) was stay home and be there as much as I can for my children.
A woman is so excited when she has a baby. As soon as she is pregnant, she looks forward to having that child in her arms. What she doesn’t realize is how much her life changes after that baby. From waking up in the middle of the night to feed that child repeatedly, to changing stinky diapers, to running in and out of the shower quickly because the baby is crying for you, to not being able to even go to the bathroom alone–it is an adjustment to say the least. One, most of us are not prepared for. In addition, most of us don’t live near our families anymore. Personally, living on the westcoast is across the continent from my parents in NYC. However, even those that do live near our family have a hard time getting along with them around the children. Why? Because our parents learned things differently then we did and do things differently.
My mother didn’t breastfeed at all. She was told formula was superior. She can’t understand why I would breastfeed. She thinks I am "crazy." My grandmother-in-law was taught to let babies cry because it’s good for their lungs, even when they are newborn and hungry! One family member says to make the child finish everything on their plate and the other doesn’t. One grandparent wants to give the child candy to make them their friend and the other is complaining how "chubby" the child’s getting.So how can we produce happy and healthy kids in a world that doesn’t even know what that looks like? Stay tuned as I share more ideas…….
Home All Day--Now what?
April 18, 2007
I remember when I quit my job to stay home with my children. I would call my husband a thousand times through out the day just to hear an adult voice. Then, we joined the YMCA mommy and me classes. That was fun with the first child. We would sing songs, do parachute time, do swimming. But when you have more then one kid, it can get pricey to go to gymboree, music and gymnastic classes. Also, the older child doesn’t seem to enjoy sitting around 1 yr olds singing itsy bitsy spider. And mommy and me swimming? Well, that’s out of the question at this point.So does a mom do with her children who are too young to be schooled? Here are some helpful ideas! Feel free to post your own!
We start our day by playing music. We change the music often. Sometimes its worship songs. Other times, it’s aerobic cds from when I used to teach aerobics. Sometimes, it’s the freeze dance. I try to time how long we listen. At least a half hour. We dance around, do aerobics, jump on the bed! Yes! If I could afford it, I’d buy a trampoline, one for each of my children! Sometimes, I let my 4 yr old be the aerobic teacher. She tells me what to do and we do it. This is one way to praise the Lord and get your exercise in!
Next, we lie in bed and read a children’s bible. Now sometimes it’s not in this order. Sometimes we read our bible first and dance second, depending on our mood.
Third, we eat breakfast. Oatmeal with soy milk, cereal with soy milk, fresh fruit, egg beaters with veggies and once in a while pancakes. I try to have my daughter help with the prep process.
By now it’s almost 9:30AM. Time to dress and shower.Then, what? Here are some ideas:
Coloring, art projects, playdough, blocks, puzzles, games, books, hide and seek, freeze dance again, cars for the little one, dolls for the older one, gears, gears, gears, lincoln logs, ball, volleyball, soccer, ride a bike, do an exercie video, play a computer game (the learning kind) or go on an outing….Parks, museums, the zoo, the beach, walk around the neighborhood with a paper bag and find things, indoor play structures, music classes, mommy and me at the parks and recs, the library, playdates with friends.
1 PM–time for the little ones nap and quiet time for the older child. This is my favorite time to read a bible, a book, a devotion and just rest!
3PM–have a snack and time to clean the house. I usually will pick one room and try to get it tidy as can be. The kids love to help, esp when it comes to laundry. Teach them young!
Now, it’s time to prepare dinner. Again, the older one can help. The younger one may have to play pretend kitchen.After dinner, you got bathtime, book time prayer time and bedtime! It goes quickly!
Tips: Sometimes my kids get wound up in the bath at night and I give them one during the day.I find my daughter cleans her room better in the morning then at night.
Rod and Staff makes great preschool workbooks!
Hallellujah Acres makes cleaning products that are hazard free.
Lovetolearn.com has really fun toys! I just found out about them. We just bought a game on manners good for ages 5 and up. They have moon shoes that have trampolines on them–on my wishlist!
Kids are happier when they get sunshine and exercise. When they pray and read the bible too!Programs with child programs for the young: MOPS International (Mothers of Preschoolers.org and CBS, Community Bible Study). I LOVE CBS! It’s a bible study for people of all denominations and has a great children’s program! http://www.juiceplus.com/+rg67124
We start our day by playing music. We change the music often. Sometimes its worship songs. Other times, it’s aerobic cds from when I used to teach aerobics. Sometimes, it’s the freeze dance. I try to time how long we listen. At least a half hour. We dance around, do aerobics, jump on the bed! Yes! If I could afford it, I’d buy a trampoline, one for each of my children! Sometimes, I let my 4 yr old be the aerobic teacher. She tells me what to do and we do it. This is one way to praise the Lord and get your exercise in!
Next, we lie in bed and read a children’s bible. Now sometimes it’s not in this order. Sometimes we read our bible first and dance second, depending on our mood.
Third, we eat breakfast. Oatmeal with soy milk, cereal with soy milk, fresh fruit, egg beaters with veggies and once in a while pancakes. I try to have my daughter help with the prep process.
By now it’s almost 9:30AM. Time to dress and shower.Then, what? Here are some ideas:
Coloring, art projects, playdough, blocks, puzzles, games, books, hide and seek, freeze dance again, cars for the little one, dolls for the older one, gears, gears, gears, lincoln logs, ball, volleyball, soccer, ride a bike, do an exercie video, play a computer game (the learning kind) or go on an outing….Parks, museums, the zoo, the beach, walk around the neighborhood with a paper bag and find things, indoor play structures, music classes, mommy and me at the parks and recs, the library, playdates with friends.
1 PM–time for the little ones nap and quiet time for the older child. This is my favorite time to read a bible, a book, a devotion and just rest!
3PM–have a snack and time to clean the house. I usually will pick one room and try to get it tidy as can be. The kids love to help, esp when it comes to laundry. Teach them young!
Now, it’s time to prepare dinner. Again, the older one can help. The younger one may have to play pretend kitchen.After dinner, you got bathtime, book time prayer time and bedtime! It goes quickly!
Tips: Sometimes my kids get wound up in the bath at night and I give them one during the day.I find my daughter cleans her room better in the morning then at night.
Rod and Staff makes great preschool workbooks!
Hallellujah Acres makes cleaning products that are hazard free.
Lovetolearn.com has really fun toys! I just found out about them. We just bought a game on manners good for ages 5 and up. They have moon shoes that have trampolines on them–on my wishlist!
Kids are happier when they get sunshine and exercise. When they pray and read the bible too!Programs with child programs for the young: MOPS International (Mothers of Preschoolers.org and CBS, Community Bible Study). I LOVE CBS! It’s a bible study for people of all denominations and has a great children’s program! http://www.juiceplus.com/+rg67124
Some more health tips to lose weight and keep it off
I read the book "Healthy at 100" and it helped tremendously!
There has never been a culture that is vegan. The four cultures who live over 100 eat either fish or drink raw goat’s milk. I put wild salmon into my diet, some organic yogurt, and eggs(free range). I ended up going on the rawfoodbootcamp diet and have lost almost 20 pounds. However, with the holidays, I haven’t been motivated to get on the scale.
Things that have helped me to keep the weight off:
1. When hungry, eat raw!
2. Up the cardio–walk an hour a day or do 60 min cardio video like a walk video by Leslie Sansone
3. I just watched a dvd made by a dad how to stay fit at home. I think it’s called Weightless Fitness. So I incorporating quats, lunges, abs, push-ups, seated wall squats, tricep dips and calf raises to my work out every other day and have noticed a difference
4. He recommends doing at least 4 cardio blasts during the hour work out where you can hardly breathe such as jump rope or jumping jacks
5. When I eat just fruit for breakfast and a salad for lunch-I do the best!
Finding Contentment
I wrote this article and started sending it to publishers.
This article was eventually published in Above Rubies magazine. A free magazine that inspires mothers to be who they are meant to be!
Before I was married, there was always this longing to find a man to fulfill the need I had to take away my loneliness. I didn’t have a good relationship with my family so that need for a man to love me was even greater than most.
After meeting and marrying my soul mate in Hawaii, we settled down to a happy life in California. “Happily ever after” right? Well, on most days. But now there was a new concern—what happened to all of my single friends?Suddenly all my friends who were single were not spending the time with me that I would have liked. Soon, God brought more married couples for us to fellowship with. Somehow though, I still wasn’t complete. According to these new friends, we hadn’t arrived yet because we had to have the dream home and the children to go with it. My husband wasn’t ready to settle down with a home yet and we were seen as odd or out of place.
After being married for a while, God blessed us with children despite being told I was infertile. First a beautiful daughter, Gabriella and then three years later, a son, Daniel. At first, the work of taking care of a baby was overwhelming. Again, it seemed my old friends who didn’t have children stopped coming by. If I couldn’t talk to them at 10 PM at night about their relationship problems, I guess I wasn’t good enough to be friends with them by their standards. But again, God brought me some new beautiful friends to spend time with. These friends had children like me. I thought I had finally arrived until…..
These friends started getting to their third, fourth and fifth children and I still could not get pregnant after two. Is something wrong with me? Why the sadness of heart? I have two beautiful children and a wonderful husband yet I thought I needed more. My friend on the other hand was content with one child but not content with her living situation. She thought she needed a much bigger house for her smaller family.Then, there’s the friend with the two children, dog and the picket fence, but now they can’t make their budget and she has to find a job. Another friend is married with two children but wished her husband acted differently.
Suddenly, I found God bringing single friends into my life again and they were able to minister to me more than any other. One friend said it best. “Yes, I want to get married, but I don’t want to make it an idol. My focus needs to be on God.” This got me thinking! I had the husband and two children yet still wanted more. I was not content. Was I making having children an idol just like my friend made having a house an idol or a single person could make getting married an idol? I had never felt so convicted.
Also, the grass is always greener on the other side. Recently, a friend said to me to that she was so sick of people looking down on her because she was single. I almost laughed when she said that because in my circle, stay-at-home moms are always complaining that they are sick of people looking down on them because they stay home and don’t work.
Then there was an article I read recently about a working mom who was envious of her stay at home, homeschooling mom neighbor to find out that her life wasn’t all it appeared to be from the outside. Then, there’s the homeschool mom who envies the woman who gets to dress up in fine clothes and actually have money to get their hair and nails done.
My Pastor tells a story of a man who wanted new shoes but was thankful for the shoes he had when he saw a man across the street with no feet! It seems our human nature is to be discontent. Maybe it’s all the commercials, billboards, and movies telling us that we are not complete unless we have a body like Barbie, brains like Hillary Clinton, new cars, the “dream” home, all those new computer toys and the list goes on.
It is funny to read my daughter’s storybooks that were written a long time ago and see how excited a child got to receive a doll as a present. In one book, the child uses corn on the cob in place of a real doll and she could only look at her sister’s doll with jealousy.
Where has our society gone? Is this spiritual dilemma unique to our society and time or has it always been so?The Bible has a lot to say about contentment which tells me it is something God knew we would struggle with:
1 Tim 6:8 “If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.”
1 Tim 6:6 says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
Phil 4:11-13“Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me”
Ps 23:1“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.”
Psalm 17:15,"As for me, I will behold Thy face in Righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness"
"Be content with your wages" (Luke 3:14).
There are many more scriptures than this. The bottom line is that in this time of recession, the American “dream” may just be that—a dream for many. Or was it ever a reality to begin with? We have been much more blessed than others in third world countries. What have you thanked God for lately?
I can thank God for many things but the most important thing I am thankful for is having a personal and living relationship with Him daily—knowing that He is there in times of uncertainty and even when things don’t go the way I would like it to go. He is a God of peace.
Being a Jewish believer in Jesus, many Jewish people ask me, “If Jesus is the Messiah, why didn’t He bring peace?” The answer is easy. He did bring peace for those who want it. It’s peace that lies in the heart, knowing that no matter where you are, God is in charge. Peace and contentment go hand in hand. When we start looking at others and what they have, we will lose our peace quickly. Maybe that’s why one of God’s Ten Commandments is “thou shall not covet thy neighbor?”
May 2009 bring the peace and contentment you need for your given circumstances and may “God supply all your needs according to His riches.”
Note: After writing this article, I did get pregnant with our third blessing! God is good!
After meeting and marrying my soul mate in Hawaii, we settled down to a happy life in California. “Happily ever after” right? Well, on most days. But now there was a new concern—what happened to all of my single friends?Suddenly all my friends who were single were not spending the time with me that I would have liked. Soon, God brought more married couples for us to fellowship with. Somehow though, I still wasn’t complete. According to these new friends, we hadn’t arrived yet because we had to have the dream home and the children to go with it. My husband wasn’t ready to settle down with a home yet and we were seen as odd or out of place.
After being married for a while, God blessed us with children despite being told I was infertile. First a beautiful daughter, Gabriella and then three years later, a son, Daniel. At first, the work of taking care of a baby was overwhelming. Again, it seemed my old friends who didn’t have children stopped coming by. If I couldn’t talk to them at 10 PM at night about their relationship problems, I guess I wasn’t good enough to be friends with them by their standards. But again, God brought me some new beautiful friends to spend time with. These friends had children like me. I thought I had finally arrived until…..
These friends started getting to their third, fourth and fifth children and I still could not get pregnant after two. Is something wrong with me? Why the sadness of heart? I have two beautiful children and a wonderful husband yet I thought I needed more. My friend on the other hand was content with one child but not content with her living situation. She thought she needed a much bigger house for her smaller family.Then, there’s the friend with the two children, dog and the picket fence, but now they can’t make their budget and she has to find a job. Another friend is married with two children but wished her husband acted differently.
Suddenly, I found God bringing single friends into my life again and they were able to minister to me more than any other. One friend said it best. “Yes, I want to get married, but I don’t want to make it an idol. My focus needs to be on God.” This got me thinking! I had the husband and two children yet still wanted more. I was not content. Was I making having children an idol just like my friend made having a house an idol or a single person could make getting married an idol? I had never felt so convicted.
Also, the grass is always greener on the other side. Recently, a friend said to me to that she was so sick of people looking down on her because she was single. I almost laughed when she said that because in my circle, stay-at-home moms are always complaining that they are sick of people looking down on them because they stay home and don’t work.
Then there was an article I read recently about a working mom who was envious of her stay at home, homeschooling mom neighbor to find out that her life wasn’t all it appeared to be from the outside. Then, there’s the homeschool mom who envies the woman who gets to dress up in fine clothes and actually have money to get their hair and nails done.
My Pastor tells a story of a man who wanted new shoes but was thankful for the shoes he had when he saw a man across the street with no feet! It seems our human nature is to be discontent. Maybe it’s all the commercials, billboards, and movies telling us that we are not complete unless we have a body like Barbie, brains like Hillary Clinton, new cars, the “dream” home, all those new computer toys and the list goes on.
It is funny to read my daughter’s storybooks that were written a long time ago and see how excited a child got to receive a doll as a present. In one book, the child uses corn on the cob in place of a real doll and she could only look at her sister’s doll with jealousy.
Where has our society gone? Is this spiritual dilemma unique to our society and time or has it always been so?The Bible has a lot to say about contentment which tells me it is something God knew we would struggle with:
1 Tim 6:8 “If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.”
1 Tim 6:6 says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
Phil 4:11-13“Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me”
Ps 23:1“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.”
Psalm 17:15,"As for me, I will behold Thy face in Righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness"
"Be content with your wages" (Luke 3:14).
There are many more scriptures than this. The bottom line is that in this time of recession, the American “dream” may just be that—a dream for many. Or was it ever a reality to begin with? We have been much more blessed than others in third world countries. What have you thanked God for lately?
I can thank God for many things but the most important thing I am thankful for is having a personal and living relationship with Him daily—knowing that He is there in times of uncertainty and even when things don’t go the way I would like it to go. He is a God of peace.
Being a Jewish believer in Jesus, many Jewish people ask me, “If Jesus is the Messiah, why didn’t He bring peace?” The answer is easy. He did bring peace for those who want it. It’s peace that lies in the heart, knowing that no matter where you are, God is in charge. Peace and contentment go hand in hand. When we start looking at others and what they have, we will lose our peace quickly. Maybe that’s why one of God’s Ten Commandments is “thou shall not covet thy neighbor?”
May 2009 bring the peace and contentment you need for your given circumstances and may “God supply all your needs according to His riches.”
Note: After writing this article, I did get pregnant with our third blessing! God is good!
Baby Shower Blessing
I also got published in a mother magazine called "Bonded Together." The article is about doing a Baby Blessing instead of a Baby Shower. I sent in pictures too but for some reason they didn’t post the pics.Here’s the website:http://www.bondedtogether.org/
Fun things to do on a rainy day
The other day, the children and I sat around watching youtube videos of homeschoolers. It was quite funny but some of them were not so good so be careful before you click play. See how many stars it got first. If you want to be more cautious, Godtube has great videos. Our favorites are "the 12 crazy days of Christmas" and "Dad I am watching you." We also like the homeschool family song based on the Adam’s family song.
Other things to do on a rainy day for our family:Play board games like Candyland or Allowance.
Play cards like Go Fish
Toss around a balloon or ballColor (Find pic of things they like online such as cars for boys and princesses for girls)
Build BlocksBake a pie or cook a new meal in a recipe book
Take a bubble bath
Put on some good music and dance, exercise or jumprope
Play hide and go seek
Count money or rubberbands
READ!!! We are currently reading Little House on the Prairie and Peter Rabbit.
Other things to do on a rainy day for our family:Play board games like Candyland or Allowance.
Play cards like Go Fish
Toss around a balloon or ballColor (Find pic of things they like online such as cars for boys and princesses for girls)
Build BlocksBake a pie or cook a new meal in a recipe book
Take a bubble bath
Put on some good music and dance, exercise or jumprope
Play hide and go seek
Count money or rubberbands
READ!!! We are currently reading Little House on the Prairie and Peter Rabbit.
My Testimony
I thought it is only appropriate to have my story of how a Jewish girl from NY came to believe in Jesus on here so here it is: (the very very very short version). My book should be coming out soon!http://www.jesusforjews.org/local_people/rhonda_gordon/
Nation Changers!
Today, I saw a bumper sticker that read, "Cats not kids" Isn’t that sad?
Will the cats take care of that woman in her old age?
Also today, in a bible study I was a part of, the leader got up and said the lesson was so difficult because it was about God’s blessings on Abraham’s son,Isaac and his brother’s grandaughter, Rebekah. She didn’t have any grandchildren and it was hard for her to teach this.
One thing I learned from my lesson was that Abraham only had one son but God used him mightily. (Not including Ishmael) His brother had 8 sons from his wife plus 4 sons from another woman. Acc to that society, Abraham’s brother should be more blessed then Abraham but for God He only needs one to use powerfully. In this case, he used both families powerfully but in different ways.
For those of us with lots of children–wow–you really are Nation Changers!But for those (such as myself) struggling with infertilty or a smaller family size, God can still use ONE person to change the world. His power is greater than we are! I love what Nancy Campbell taught at a seminar–it takes one to cast out 1,000 demons and 2 to cast out 10,000 demons so imagine if we raise up our families to be prayer warriors how we can change things!!! God bless all of you nation changers!
Will the cats take care of that woman in her old age?
Also today, in a bible study I was a part of, the leader got up and said the lesson was so difficult because it was about God’s blessings on Abraham’s son,Isaac and his brother’s grandaughter, Rebekah. She didn’t have any grandchildren and it was hard for her to teach this.
One thing I learned from my lesson was that Abraham only had one son but God used him mightily. (Not including Ishmael) His brother had 8 sons from his wife plus 4 sons from another woman. Acc to that society, Abraham’s brother should be more blessed then Abraham but for God He only needs one to use powerfully. In this case, he used both families powerfully but in different ways.
For those of us with lots of children–wow–you really are Nation Changers!But for those (such as myself) struggling with infertilty or a smaller family size, God can still use ONE person to change the world. His power is greater than we are! I love what Nancy Campbell taught at a seminar–it takes one to cast out 1,000 demons and 2 to cast out 10,000 demons so imagine if we raise up our families to be prayer warriors how we can change things!!! God bless all of you nation changers!
Article on Contentment
http://www.womenregainingstrength.com/This website has my article on contentment but not sure how long they keep it up for.
Beware of Home Businesses
Beware of Home Businesses–wow I am convicted!
February 14, 2009
WOW, after I posted about burn-out, I found this amazing article that a friend posted! From A Woman Who Fears The Lord website. She makes some important points to ponder before we decide to invest in a home business.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Beware of Home Businesses! (or the danger of a working mother!)
*NEW*I hope the title did not give a false impression that I’ll be giving the ins and outs of how to start and run a home business. What I desire to impart on these pages are the difficult lessons the Lord taught me during the 10 years my family ran Christian Curriculum Cellar from our home. My prayer is that my loss will be your gain.
Before I begin sharing I want to make something very clear. IF you and your husband are currently running a home business and IF your husband has ASKED you or has made his wishes clear that he wants you to CONTINUE running the business then PLEASE do not read any farther. BUT… If you (alone) are interested in starting a home business and if YOU (alone) feel that your family could use the extra money and if YOU (alone) think that your children could benefit in helping you run a home business then PLEASE continue reading.
I began a home business in the cellar of our family home nearly 16 years ago. We called ourselves Christian Curriculum Cellar. The business steadily grew and became very successful. We shipped books across the United States and to missionaries in other countries. We owned the business for 10 years before selling it to a lovely Christian home schooling family.
I was often asked before I owned CCC to help young mother’s with curriculum planning. I remember the day perfectly that I had just come home from helping a young mother choose her curriculum and plan for the coming school year. I mentioned to my husband, as I reentered our home, that I wish there was a way I could make a little extra money doing what I loved. He offered $100.00 to help begin my dream. I knew there would not be a paying market for curriculum planning services but I thought that our area could definitely benefit from a used home school book business…. and a way we went!
Now, if you read over the above paragraph you probably missed two key factors in the start of our home business. The first one was my MOTIVATION behind starting the business and that was to make a `little extra money’. My main motivation in starting CCC was because I was not CONTENT with my husbands wages. Were we making the payments on all the bills? Yes! Were we going without anything our family really NEEDED? No! We had food on the table, clothes on our back and our bills were being paid on time. My main complaint was a lack of money to purchase gifts for my immediate family for their birthdays and the holidays. Most of our pennies were accounted for with little left over. In my lack of contentment I thought … if we just had a little bit more… then I`d be content!
The second key was that the starting of the business was MY idea. My husband was not suggesting that I find some kind of business to make ends meet. He was content with my role in the home. The whole idea, temptation and lack of contentment had originated in me. I had it set in my mind that I MUST give gifts to my family whether my husband thought it important or not. Gift giving was extremely important in my family and was associated with love. Instead of resting in God’s providence and submitting to my husband’s leadership I sought to meet my own needs by making a ‘little extra money’.
Sixteen years ago the home school circles and magazines all promoted home businesses as THE ultimate in family training. It was part of the `perfect home schooling family’ ideal and if you wanted the BEST for your family you would find a way to start one. Everyone, so it seemed, was wanting to find a way to `bring their husband home.’ We were given many stories of family’s who were successfully running a home business and all the benefits that they had gained. Most of us bought this lie `hook, line and sinker’. I call it a `lie’ because years down the road I was able to talk candidly with many home business owners and many shared the burden that their businesses had caused their families and the time the business had stolen from training their children. Mothers were worn out, exhausted and full of regrets. They felt trapped. Children were resentful of the time the business demanded of their parents. I knew of a few home businesses that `seemed’ to be doing well but they had been started as a result of the husband’s initiative and on his talent, not the wife`s.
I remember one afternoon my youngest son coming down the stairs of our cellar while I was working on cataloging the books and cried, "Mom, when are you going to sell all these books?" He was probably about 10 at that time. He was upset that I was spending so much time on the business. I heard his cry but found myself confused as to what was ultimately best so I continued. Hadn’t the `experts’ said that this was best for my family? Wouldn’t the extra money bring some added relief to my family? Wouldn’t my children benefit from learning a trade? I remember thinking that things would get better and smooth out eventually. By the time I realized the effects of my `distraction’ my husband had already put a lot of money into the business. He did not feel that we could just walk away from it without getting back what we had invested. So, for the next 5 years I muddled through the best I could. I was overwhelmed from the work load. It was many years before I could afford to have someone work part-time in the store. The workload of the business mainly fell on my shoulders. At the same time I was running the business I was also finishing up home schooling my older 2 children and trying to get my younger one through high school. Along with those duties I was expected to tend to my husband’s needs, keep my home clean along with all my other household duties, keep an acre of land and oversee the care of the few pets we owned. I also did the dispatching and accounting for my husband’s trucking business. I began having health problems about 5 years into the business. I developed hernias from all the lifting. I also began having, what I thought to be, heart problems. It felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest and I had difficulty catching my breath. I went to the Dr. and after running a battery of tests he concluded it was not my heart but good old fashioned anxiety! I was suffocating under the weight of my own workload.
Eventually, after 10 years, we were able to sell the business. I even dreaded selling it because I knew the amount of stress it would put on the next family. We found a family where the husband was the one who wanted to own the business and his wife would be helping. We felt comfortable with this arrangement knowing that the husband was initiating the purchase. They seem to have handled the stress well and are doing fine and the business is thriving. We were thankful to find such honest and godly people to hand over our customers.
So, here I am nearly 16 years later since CCC began and I finally believe I am at a place where I can write about my experience objectively. Many ask if I miss running the business and I never hesitate when I quickly answer NO. I miss my customers but I never miss the burden of all that came with it. This is what I share with mothers who ask if I would recommend starting a home business… don’t do it unless it’s your husbands command!
As you read the list below I’d like you to notice that what I lost in running a home business were actual commands in Scripture. These commands were God’s specific will for my life. Because I `added` a home business (not God’s command or my husband’s) I squeezed out time to perform God’s specific commands. We have examples of women in Scripture who sold things and made money so we cannot say it is a sin for a woman to do so. But, we see no where in the New Testament that a woman is commanded to work outside her home or run a home business or even earn a living. Titus 2 says that she is to be guarding/keeping the home along with all the other commands found elsewhere in Scripture ( to use her gifts in the local church body, feed the poor, clothe the naked, love her children, wash the feet of the saints, be hospitable, love her husband, help the weak and on the on the list goes).
I’ve compiled a short, incomplete list under "How Should a Godly Woman Spend her Days". Husbands ARE given the command to provide for their household but wives are NOT given this command. 1 Tim. 5:8. If I am fulfilling all KNOWN specific commands (and who can say that they actual are?) then I doubt there will be much time left to pursue other interests. What I LOST in running a home business: * I neglected using my spiritual gifts in the local church. Eph. 4:10- 14 * I neglected fellowship with other believers in my church. Acts 2:42 * I neglected to meet the needs of the poor, widow and orphan in my church body. James 1:27, Matt. 25:36 * I neglected keeping my husband as a high priority. Everything runs second, third and four to keeping a business ALIVE. A home business can become a living, breathing nightmare (I once thought it was a dream) that has the potential to overtake every area of your life. Gen. 2:18.
Priorities become muddled and the business becomes #1 because it SCREAMS the loudest. The roles became reversed between my husband and I. Because I was struggling with the workload my husband became MY HELPER. No longer was I coming beside him and asking how I could be HIS helpmate but he was coming alongside me and asking how he could help ME. I was created to be his helper not the reverse.
Gen. 2:18 I neglected loving my children in a true, biblical way. There was little time to talk and share with each other. Every bit of time was spent working while the mother becomes more of a drill sergeant than a tender, nurturing caregiver. The mother is in `survival’ mode with nothing left to give to relationships because all has been given to the business. You can lose touch with your children’s hearts if you are overburdened with a heavy workload. I lost my younger son’s heart and it`s taken years to regain it. Quality of home school education was also lost. Titus 2:4 What I learned:
* I LEARNED TO BE CONTENT with my husbands wages. When it looked like the Lord and my husband were going to allow me to be released from the business I remember asking the Lord to help me never forget this lesson. I would much rather find ways to cut back on living expenses to live within our means that to wander from my most important priorities in order to have a `little extra spending money’. I’ve learned that contentment rarely comes by addition but by subtraction of our desires.
* I LEARNED TO BE CONTENT WITH MY LOT IN LIFE. I want to always remember that whatever money has been given to our household, through my husband’s labor, is GOD’S assigned portion and to be content. Ps. 16:5 If we are lacking it may be because I we’re wanting something that is not a necessity. As much as I love my immediate family, it was not worth giving up my highest priorities just to purchase gifts.
* I LEARNED TO KEEP FIRST THINGS FIRST. There are specific commands found in Scripture for a Christian woman. These must become a priority. IF there is time left over then she is allowed to pursue secondary things. (See upcoming article on KNOWING GOD’S WILL. Lord willing!) It’s been a long, hard journey which has consumed over a decade of my family’s life. I am so thankful that the Lord promises to work ALL things together for my good and His glory. (Rom. 8:28) He is our REDEEMER, not only in salvation but in all things. God has used my weaknesses and failings for good in spite of all we lost. He is a truly merciful God! Georgene Girouard Copyrighted 2006. You may copy this article in it’s entirety. Please include the website address. A Woman that Fears the Lord
Taken from this webpage http://www.awomanthatfearsthelord.com/
February 14, 2009
WOW, after I posted about burn-out, I found this amazing article that a friend posted! From A Woman Who Fears The Lord website. She makes some important points to ponder before we decide to invest in a home business.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Beware of Home Businesses! (or the danger of a working mother!)
*NEW*I hope the title did not give a false impression that I’ll be giving the ins and outs of how to start and run a home business. What I desire to impart on these pages are the difficult lessons the Lord taught me during the 10 years my family ran Christian Curriculum Cellar from our home. My prayer is that my loss will be your gain.
Before I begin sharing I want to make something very clear. IF you and your husband are currently running a home business and IF your husband has ASKED you or has made his wishes clear that he wants you to CONTINUE running the business then PLEASE do not read any farther. BUT… If you (alone) are interested in starting a home business and if YOU (alone) feel that your family could use the extra money and if YOU (alone) think that your children could benefit in helping you run a home business then PLEASE continue reading.
I began a home business in the cellar of our family home nearly 16 years ago. We called ourselves Christian Curriculum Cellar. The business steadily grew and became very successful. We shipped books across the United States and to missionaries in other countries. We owned the business for 10 years before selling it to a lovely Christian home schooling family.
I was often asked before I owned CCC to help young mother’s with curriculum planning. I remember the day perfectly that I had just come home from helping a young mother choose her curriculum and plan for the coming school year. I mentioned to my husband, as I reentered our home, that I wish there was a way I could make a little extra money doing what I loved. He offered $100.00 to help begin my dream. I knew there would not be a paying market for curriculum planning services but I thought that our area could definitely benefit from a used home school book business…. and a way we went!
Now, if you read over the above paragraph you probably missed two key factors in the start of our home business. The first one was my MOTIVATION behind starting the business and that was to make a `little extra money’. My main motivation in starting CCC was because I was not CONTENT with my husbands wages. Were we making the payments on all the bills? Yes! Were we going without anything our family really NEEDED? No! We had food on the table, clothes on our back and our bills were being paid on time. My main complaint was a lack of money to purchase gifts for my immediate family for their birthdays and the holidays. Most of our pennies were accounted for with little left over. In my lack of contentment I thought … if we just had a little bit more… then I`d be content!
The second key was that the starting of the business was MY idea. My husband was not suggesting that I find some kind of business to make ends meet. He was content with my role in the home. The whole idea, temptation and lack of contentment had originated in me. I had it set in my mind that I MUST give gifts to my family whether my husband thought it important or not. Gift giving was extremely important in my family and was associated with love. Instead of resting in God’s providence and submitting to my husband’s leadership I sought to meet my own needs by making a ‘little extra money’.
Sixteen years ago the home school circles and magazines all promoted home businesses as THE ultimate in family training. It was part of the `perfect home schooling family’ ideal and if you wanted the BEST for your family you would find a way to start one. Everyone, so it seemed, was wanting to find a way to `bring their husband home.’ We were given many stories of family’s who were successfully running a home business and all the benefits that they had gained. Most of us bought this lie `hook, line and sinker’. I call it a `lie’ because years down the road I was able to talk candidly with many home business owners and many shared the burden that their businesses had caused their families and the time the business had stolen from training their children. Mothers were worn out, exhausted and full of regrets. They felt trapped. Children were resentful of the time the business demanded of their parents. I knew of a few home businesses that `seemed’ to be doing well but they had been started as a result of the husband’s initiative and on his talent, not the wife`s.
I remember one afternoon my youngest son coming down the stairs of our cellar while I was working on cataloging the books and cried, "Mom, when are you going to sell all these books?" He was probably about 10 at that time. He was upset that I was spending so much time on the business. I heard his cry but found myself confused as to what was ultimately best so I continued. Hadn’t the `experts’ said that this was best for my family? Wouldn’t the extra money bring some added relief to my family? Wouldn’t my children benefit from learning a trade? I remember thinking that things would get better and smooth out eventually. By the time I realized the effects of my `distraction’ my husband had already put a lot of money into the business. He did not feel that we could just walk away from it without getting back what we had invested. So, for the next 5 years I muddled through the best I could. I was overwhelmed from the work load. It was many years before I could afford to have someone work part-time in the store. The workload of the business mainly fell on my shoulders. At the same time I was running the business I was also finishing up home schooling my older 2 children and trying to get my younger one through high school. Along with those duties I was expected to tend to my husband’s needs, keep my home clean along with all my other household duties, keep an acre of land and oversee the care of the few pets we owned. I also did the dispatching and accounting for my husband’s trucking business. I began having health problems about 5 years into the business. I developed hernias from all the lifting. I also began having, what I thought to be, heart problems. It felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest and I had difficulty catching my breath. I went to the Dr. and after running a battery of tests he concluded it was not my heart but good old fashioned anxiety! I was suffocating under the weight of my own workload.
Eventually, after 10 years, we were able to sell the business. I even dreaded selling it because I knew the amount of stress it would put on the next family. We found a family where the husband was the one who wanted to own the business and his wife would be helping. We felt comfortable with this arrangement knowing that the husband was initiating the purchase. They seem to have handled the stress well and are doing fine and the business is thriving. We were thankful to find such honest and godly people to hand over our customers.
So, here I am nearly 16 years later since CCC began and I finally believe I am at a place where I can write about my experience objectively. Many ask if I miss running the business and I never hesitate when I quickly answer NO. I miss my customers but I never miss the burden of all that came with it. This is what I share with mothers who ask if I would recommend starting a home business… don’t do it unless it’s your husbands command!
As you read the list below I’d like you to notice that what I lost in running a home business were actual commands in Scripture. These commands were God’s specific will for my life. Because I `added` a home business (not God’s command or my husband’s) I squeezed out time to perform God’s specific commands. We have examples of women in Scripture who sold things and made money so we cannot say it is a sin for a woman to do so. But, we see no where in the New Testament that a woman is commanded to work outside her home or run a home business or even earn a living. Titus 2 says that she is to be guarding/keeping the home along with all the other commands found elsewhere in Scripture ( to use her gifts in the local church body, feed the poor, clothe the naked, love her children, wash the feet of the saints, be hospitable, love her husband, help the weak and on the on the list goes).
I’ve compiled a short, incomplete list under "How Should a Godly Woman Spend her Days". Husbands ARE given the command to provide for their household but wives are NOT given this command. 1 Tim. 5:8. If I am fulfilling all KNOWN specific commands (and who can say that they actual are?) then I doubt there will be much time left to pursue other interests. What I LOST in running a home business: * I neglected using my spiritual gifts in the local church. Eph. 4:10- 14 * I neglected fellowship with other believers in my church. Acts 2:42 * I neglected to meet the needs of the poor, widow and orphan in my church body. James 1:27, Matt. 25:36 * I neglected keeping my husband as a high priority. Everything runs second, third and four to keeping a business ALIVE. A home business can become a living, breathing nightmare (I once thought it was a dream) that has the potential to overtake every area of your life. Gen. 2:18.
Priorities become muddled and the business becomes #1 because it SCREAMS the loudest. The roles became reversed between my husband and I. Because I was struggling with the workload my husband became MY HELPER. No longer was I coming beside him and asking how I could be HIS helpmate but he was coming alongside me and asking how he could help ME. I was created to be his helper not the reverse.
Gen. 2:18 I neglected loving my children in a true, biblical way. There was little time to talk and share with each other. Every bit of time was spent working while the mother becomes more of a drill sergeant than a tender, nurturing caregiver. The mother is in `survival’ mode with nothing left to give to relationships because all has been given to the business. You can lose touch with your children’s hearts if you are overburdened with a heavy workload. I lost my younger son’s heart and it`s taken years to regain it. Quality of home school education was also lost. Titus 2:4 What I learned:
* I LEARNED TO BE CONTENT with my husbands wages. When it looked like the Lord and my husband were going to allow me to be released from the business I remember asking the Lord to help me never forget this lesson. I would much rather find ways to cut back on living expenses to live within our means that to wander from my most important priorities in order to have a `little extra spending money’. I’ve learned that contentment rarely comes by addition but by subtraction of our desires.
* I LEARNED TO BE CONTENT WITH MY LOT IN LIFE. I want to always remember that whatever money has been given to our household, through my husband’s labor, is GOD’S assigned portion and to be content. Ps. 16:5 If we are lacking it may be because I we’re wanting something that is not a necessity. As much as I love my immediate family, it was not worth giving up my highest priorities just to purchase gifts.
* I LEARNED TO KEEP FIRST THINGS FIRST. There are specific commands found in Scripture for a Christian woman. These must become a priority. IF there is time left over then she is allowed to pursue secondary things. (See upcoming article on KNOWING GOD’S WILL. Lord willing!) It’s been a long, hard journey which has consumed over a decade of my family’s life. I am so thankful that the Lord promises to work ALL things together for my good and His glory. (Rom. 8:28) He is our REDEEMER, not only in salvation but in all things. God has used my weaknesses and failings for good in spite of all we lost. He is a truly merciful God! Georgene Girouard Copyrighted 2006. You may copy this article in it’s entirety. Please include the website address. A Woman that Fears the Lord
Taken from this webpage http://www.awomanthatfearsthelord.com/
A Message from David Wilkerson
A message written by David Wilkerson, who wrote the book "Cross and Switchblade."
Subject: AN URGENT MESSAGE
I am compelled by the Holy Spirit to send out an urgent message to all on our mailing list, and to friends and to bishops we have met all over the world.AN EARTH-SHATTERING CALAMITY IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN.IT IS GOING TO BE SO FRIGHTENING, WE ARE ALL GOING TO TREMBLE-EVEN THE GODLIEST AMONG US.
For ten years I have been warning about a thousand fires coming to New York City. It will engulf the whole megaplex, including areas of New Jersey and Connecticut. Major cities all across America will experience riots and blazing fires-such as we saw in Watts, Los Angeles, years ago. There will be riots and fires in cities worldwide. There will be looting-including Times Square, New York City. What we are experiencing now is not a recession, not even a depression. We are under God’s wrath. In Psalm 11 it is written,"If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (v. 3).God is judging the raging sins of America and the nations. He is destroying the secular foundations.The prophet Jeremiah pleaded with wicked Israel, "God is fashioning a calamity against you and devising a plan against you. Oh, turn back each of you from your evil way, and reform your ways and deeds. But they will say, It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart" (Jeremiah 18:11-12).In Psalm 11:6, David warns, "Upon the wicked he will rain snares (coals of fire).fire.burning wind.will be the portion of their cup." Why? David answered, "Because the Lord is righteous" (v. 7). This is a righteous judgment-just as in the judgments of Sodom and in Noah’s generation.
WHAT SHALL THE RIGHTEOUS DO? WHAT ABOUT GOD’S PEOPLE?
First, I give you a practical word I received for my own direction. Lay in store a thirty-day supply of food, toiletries and other essentials. In major cities, grocery stores are emptied in an hour at the sign of an impending disaster.As for our spiritual reaction, David says, "He fixed his eyes on the Lord on his throne in heaven-his eyes beholding, his eyelids testing the sons of men" (v. 4). "In the Lord I take refuge" (v. 1).I will say to my soul: No need to run.no need to hide. This is God’s righteous work. I will behold our Lord on his throne, with his eye of tender, loving kindness watching over every step I take-trusting that he will deliver his people even through floods, fires, calamities, tests, trials of all kinds.Note: I do not know when these things will come to pass, but I know it is not far off. I have unburdened my soul to you. Do with the message as you choose.God bless and keep you.In Christ,DAVID WILKERSONDW:bbm 3-05-09 Here, in an earlier message, he’s talking about the rough times coming up in America, not just economically, racially, and within the moral divide – but deeper down, between God’s people (those that fear him) and non-God fearing people…
PRAYER IN TROUBLED TIMES
In perilous time like these, is the church powerless to do anything? Are we to sit and wait for Christ to return? Or, are we called to take drastic action of some kind? When all around us the world is trembling, with men’s hearts failing them for fear, are we called to take up spiritual weapons and do battle with the adversary? The prophet Joel saw a similar day approaching Israel, one of "thick darkness and gloom." According to Joel, the day of darkness that was approaching Israel would be one such as never seen in their history. The prophet cried, "Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come" (Joel 1:15). What was Joel’s counsel to Israel in that dark hour? He brought this word: "Therefore.saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping and with mourning: and rend your heart and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him.?" (Joel 2:12-14). As I read this passage, I am most struck by two words: "Even now." As gross darkness fell over Israel, God appealed to his people: "Even now, at the hour of my vengeance-when you’ve pushed me out of your society, when mercy seems impossible, when humankind has mocked my warnings, when fear and gloom are covering the land-even now, I urge you to come back to me. I am slow to anger, and I have been known to hold back my judgments for a season, as I did for Josiah. My people can pray and petition for my mercy. But the world won’t repent if you say there is no mercy." Do you see God’s message to us in this? As his people, we can plead in prayer and he will hear us. We can make requests of him and know he will answer the sincere, effectual, fervent prayers of his saints David Wilkerson
Subject: AN URGENT MESSAGE
I am compelled by the Holy Spirit to send out an urgent message to all on our mailing list, and to friends and to bishops we have met all over the world.AN EARTH-SHATTERING CALAMITY IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN.IT IS GOING TO BE SO FRIGHTENING, WE ARE ALL GOING TO TREMBLE-EVEN THE GODLIEST AMONG US.
For ten years I have been warning about a thousand fires coming to New York City. It will engulf the whole megaplex, including areas of New Jersey and Connecticut. Major cities all across America will experience riots and blazing fires-such as we saw in Watts, Los Angeles, years ago. There will be riots and fires in cities worldwide. There will be looting-including Times Square, New York City. What we are experiencing now is not a recession, not even a depression. We are under God’s wrath. In Psalm 11 it is written,"If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (v. 3).God is judging the raging sins of America and the nations. He is destroying the secular foundations.The prophet Jeremiah pleaded with wicked Israel, "God is fashioning a calamity against you and devising a plan against you. Oh, turn back each of you from your evil way, and reform your ways and deeds. But they will say, It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart" (Jeremiah 18:11-12).In Psalm 11:6, David warns, "Upon the wicked he will rain snares (coals of fire).fire.burning wind.will be the portion of their cup." Why? David answered, "Because the Lord is righteous" (v. 7). This is a righteous judgment-just as in the judgments of Sodom and in Noah’s generation.
WHAT SHALL THE RIGHTEOUS DO? WHAT ABOUT GOD’S PEOPLE?
First, I give you a practical word I received for my own direction. Lay in store a thirty-day supply of food, toiletries and other essentials. In major cities, grocery stores are emptied in an hour at the sign of an impending disaster.As for our spiritual reaction, David says, "He fixed his eyes on the Lord on his throne in heaven-his eyes beholding, his eyelids testing the sons of men" (v. 4). "In the Lord I take refuge" (v. 1).I will say to my soul: No need to run.no need to hide. This is God’s righteous work. I will behold our Lord on his throne, with his eye of tender, loving kindness watching over every step I take-trusting that he will deliver his people even through floods, fires, calamities, tests, trials of all kinds.Note: I do not know when these things will come to pass, but I know it is not far off. I have unburdened my soul to you. Do with the message as you choose.God bless and keep you.In Christ,DAVID WILKERSONDW:bbm 3-05-09 Here, in an earlier message, he’s talking about the rough times coming up in America, not just economically, racially, and within the moral divide – but deeper down, between God’s people (those that fear him) and non-God fearing people…
PRAYER IN TROUBLED TIMES
In perilous time like these, is the church powerless to do anything? Are we to sit and wait for Christ to return? Or, are we called to take drastic action of some kind? When all around us the world is trembling, with men’s hearts failing them for fear, are we called to take up spiritual weapons and do battle with the adversary? The prophet Joel saw a similar day approaching Israel, one of "thick darkness and gloom." According to Joel, the day of darkness that was approaching Israel would be one such as never seen in their history. The prophet cried, "Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come" (Joel 1:15). What was Joel’s counsel to Israel in that dark hour? He brought this word: "Therefore.saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping and with mourning: and rend your heart and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him.?" (Joel 2:12-14). As I read this passage, I am most struck by two words: "Even now." As gross darkness fell over Israel, God appealed to his people: "Even now, at the hour of my vengeance-when you’ve pushed me out of your society, when mercy seems impossible, when humankind has mocked my warnings, when fear and gloom are covering the land-even now, I urge you to come back to me. I am slow to anger, and I have been known to hold back my judgments for a season, as I did for Josiah. My people can pray and petition for my mercy. But the world won’t repent if you say there is no mercy." Do you see God’s message to us in this? As his people, we can plead in prayer and he will hear us. We can make requests of him and know he will answer the sincere, effectual, fervent prayers of his saints David Wilkerson
Good book for children...
If you are looking for a book that is really encouraging, I recommend–Missionary Stories with the Millers! Feel free to add your favorites!
Conversation on a Yahoo Grp about Health and Fitness
"Here are some of my responses to different health questions. I cut and pasted. I am by no means an expert but I have read almost every nutrition book out there now! (Well, if that were possible).
"I just wanted to say I ordered two exercise videos recently for those days I can’t get outside for walks or to the gym. One is really hard and intense and just a great workout! It’s called The Firm The 500 calorie workout! The other one that is also fun is Jazzercise Live Total Body Dance Workout! I was getting So sick of my Leslie Sansone videos and they never got my heart rate up."
"It’s so funny, the more you read, the more you realize that there’s not much that is okay to eat!I mean, when you read Cousens book, the bottom line, is greens and beans and nuts. When I talked to Furhman last yr, his recommendation–greens and beans! Even Mercola says on his website he eats 90% raw greens!
Anyway, this morning, I juiced vegetable juice for the first time in a LONG time and I felt fabulous! In fact, I still feel GREAT!!!I did kale, apple, beet and added in two overflowing t-spoons of Spurilina that I bought a long time ago from bulkherstore.com which are the children of the Pearls. I would have added celery or cucumbers plus carrots but didn’t have any. The Kale did not juice that much so I wouldn’t recommend it again. Maybe collard greens would be better?
Well off to services. Actually, I am late. My husband went to a homeschool dad’s breakfast and never came home yet! It’s also his b-day today. Again, I feel fabulous after juicing.
I am taking a PCOS supplement that has that CoQ in it and also Bs and Ds.Ds are usually low this time of year.
Oh and what Trish said about Barley Green, Hallelujah Acres sells Barley Green and rec taking it for breakfast and two times a half hour before lunch and dinner. I used to do that all the time and I was slimmer back then. I have been thinking of purchasing some again but just haven’t had the money or time to get online and do it. Cousens rec either barley green, spirulina or chorella. Some high protein greens in your breakfast juice or smoothie."
Answers to questions about nails breaking and bones: 1–Furhman says that finger nails get weak from washing all those fruits and veggies. Are you using gloves? I also heard sesame seeds? I heard that’s good too.Not sure about 2 but if you think you are not getting enough protein (which is rare in America), then eat beans and nuts and seeds.For 3, I thought taking calcium is actually worse for you. I saw it on a Furhman video once how he showed that taking calcium makes you leak it out.
Hallelujah Acres has a search section too. By the way, I just finished reading the book, There is Cure for Diabetes by Gabriel Cousens. He is a famous health guru in Israel that people go to for healing. He is extremely New Age and out there spiritually. Here’s what he does with people.
First week:Vegetable Juice Feast (mostly greens and a beet or carrot and some high protein greens like spurilina)
Second week: Continue with juicing but add in salads and soups
Third Week: All of above but a little bit of low gylcemic fruit like berries and apples. Some grains in moderation: beans, oatmeal, millet.
He says to stay away from olive oil because it has a bad affect on cardiovascular health! He rec other oils like sesame, coconut, red palm. (be careful with too much coconut oil or it’s bad for high blood pressure) Flax oil is good but you have to be careful it doesn’t go rancid.
Rec 80% raw. Says to stay away from dairy, soy and meat. Dairy causes cancer (acc to China Study), soy has links to cancer and meat is too acidic. (I don’t believe eating meat is a sin, just telling you what his book says). His diet is different in what I have been doing in many ways: 1-On raw food boot camp, I ate all the fruit I wanted. Here, he is saying low glycemic fruit only in moderation. Not more than two fruits a day.2-He says seeds, nuts are really good for you. But he still wants you to limit your fat to 15-20% a day. On raw food boot camp, I wasn’t allowed any nuts or seeds.3–He says to stay away from the cooked grains at least initially (but then in his recipe section has tons of recipes with beans and one with oatmeal!) I knew that whenever I ate wheat, I would get headaches.
He says for insulin resistance to def stay away from wheat! So these are all good eye openers for me! God bless in our search for health." Rhonda Gordon
"I just wanted to say I ordered two exercise videos recently for those days I can’t get outside for walks or to the gym. One is really hard and intense and just a great workout! It’s called The Firm The 500 calorie workout! The other one that is also fun is Jazzercise Live Total Body Dance Workout! I was getting So sick of my Leslie Sansone videos and they never got my heart rate up."
"It’s so funny, the more you read, the more you realize that there’s not much that is okay to eat!I mean, when you read Cousens book, the bottom line, is greens and beans and nuts. When I talked to Furhman last yr, his recommendation–greens and beans! Even Mercola says on his website he eats 90% raw greens!
Anyway, this morning, I juiced vegetable juice for the first time in a LONG time and I felt fabulous! In fact, I still feel GREAT!!!I did kale, apple, beet and added in two overflowing t-spoons of Spurilina that I bought a long time ago from bulkherstore.com which are the children of the Pearls. I would have added celery or cucumbers plus carrots but didn’t have any. The Kale did not juice that much so I wouldn’t recommend it again. Maybe collard greens would be better?
Well off to services. Actually, I am late. My husband went to a homeschool dad’s breakfast and never came home yet! It’s also his b-day today. Again, I feel fabulous after juicing.
I am taking a PCOS supplement that has that CoQ in it and also Bs and Ds.Ds are usually low this time of year.
Oh and what Trish said about Barley Green, Hallelujah Acres sells Barley Green and rec taking it for breakfast and two times a half hour before lunch and dinner. I used to do that all the time and I was slimmer back then. I have been thinking of purchasing some again but just haven’t had the money or time to get online and do it. Cousens rec either barley green, spirulina or chorella. Some high protein greens in your breakfast juice or smoothie."
Answers to questions about nails breaking and bones: 1–Furhman says that finger nails get weak from washing all those fruits and veggies. Are you using gloves? I also heard sesame seeds? I heard that’s good too.Not sure about 2 but if you think you are not getting enough protein (which is rare in America), then eat beans and nuts and seeds.For 3, I thought taking calcium is actually worse for you. I saw it on a Furhman video once how he showed that taking calcium makes you leak it out.
Hallelujah Acres has a search section too. By the way, I just finished reading the book, There is Cure for Diabetes by Gabriel Cousens. He is a famous health guru in Israel that people go to for healing. He is extremely New Age and out there spiritually. Here’s what he does with people.
First week:Vegetable Juice Feast (mostly greens and a beet or carrot and some high protein greens like spurilina)
Second week: Continue with juicing but add in salads and soups
Third Week: All of above but a little bit of low gylcemic fruit like berries and apples. Some grains in moderation: beans, oatmeal, millet.
He says to stay away from olive oil because it has a bad affect on cardiovascular health! He rec other oils like sesame, coconut, red palm. (be careful with too much coconut oil or it’s bad for high blood pressure) Flax oil is good but you have to be careful it doesn’t go rancid.
Rec 80% raw. Says to stay away from dairy, soy and meat. Dairy causes cancer (acc to China Study), soy has links to cancer and meat is too acidic. (I don’t believe eating meat is a sin, just telling you what his book says). His diet is different in what I have been doing in many ways: 1-On raw food boot camp, I ate all the fruit I wanted. Here, he is saying low glycemic fruit only in moderation. Not more than two fruits a day.2-He says seeds, nuts are really good for you. But he still wants you to limit your fat to 15-20% a day. On raw food boot camp, I wasn’t allowed any nuts or seeds.3–He says to stay away from the cooked grains at least initially (but then in his recipe section has tons of recipes with beans and one with oatmeal!) I knew that whenever I ate wheat, I would get headaches.
He says for insulin resistance to def stay away from wheat! So these are all good eye openers for me! God bless in our search for health." Rhonda Gordon
A nation that doesn't honor children...
April 5, 2009
I am sorry. I saw this in another blog and had to repost here because it was very interesting…
Japan – This is What Happens to a Nation that Does Not Value ChildrenPosted in Quiverfull
This Major World Currency Is About to PlummetBy Tom Dyson "I had no place to stay and I wanted the police to take care of me," said the 79-year-oldJapanese woman. She had just slashed two people with a knife so the police would take her to jail. A "gray" crime wave is sweeping Japan. According to the UK‘s Independent, people over 65 years old make up 10% of Japan‘s prison population, the highest rate of incarceration for pensioners in the industrialized world. Another source reported Japanese pensioners were responsible for one in seven arrests last year, up from one in 25 a decade ago. The surge in "senior crime" is so dramatic, the Japanese government recently earmarked$80 million to build special wards at three prisons to accommodate the elderly. They arefitting these prison wards with metal walkers and support rails. Japan has the second-lowest birth rate in the industrialized world. The birth rate to sustaina population is 2.1 per woman.
In Japan, the birthrate has fallen below 1.2. Japan‘spopulation fell for the first year in 2005. By 2050, if trends continue, Japan‘s population will fall by 20%.
The other problem is life expectancy. It‘s going up in Japan. So the elderly are becoming the largest segment of Japan‘s population. Right now, 20% of Japan‘s population is over 65 years old. By 2050, 40% of Japan‘s population will be over 65 years old. In the U.S., the "65 and up" population makes up about 12% of society. "Gray" crime is one bi-product of Japan‘s demographics. Here‘s another byproduct in thesociety that ages and shrinks at the same time: It‘ll bankrupt the Japanese government.First, there‘s a much smaller workforce to pay taxes. The economy shrinks. Businesses pay less tax, too.
Second, the elderly consume social security, health care, and pensionresources. These are costs to the government. As the senior population rises, theseliabilities increase. The elderly don‘t pay income taxes. Since its recession began 20 years ago, Japan‘s government has plowed trillions into itsbanking system via numerous bailout programs. In the last six months, for example,Japan‘s government has authorized three stimulus plans totaling around $100 billion. Thismonth, the Japanese government will give every person in Japan a check for 12,000 yen…about $120… to stimulate the economy. This program will cost the government another $20 billion. And this week, the Japanese prime minister suggested the largest bailout plan yet…putting the Japanese taxpayer on the hook for another $200 billion.
As a result of all this spending, the Japanese government has built up the world‘s mostcrippling debt load and budget deficit. Right now, the government of Japan owes $7.8trillion to creditors. That‘s $157,000 per person. This year, it‘ll have to borrow another $1.1 trillion to make ends meet. Government debt to GDP is the ratio economists use to compare the indebtedness ofcountries. The UK has a government debt-to-GDP ratio of 48%. The U.S. has a government debt-to-GDP ratio of 75%. Japan has a government debt-to-GDP ratio of 187%. Now Japan‘s economy is a shambles. For years, the Japanese have relied on exports tosupport their economy… but exports have dried up. In the last six months, Japan has lostalmost a quarter of a trillion dollars from the decline in its exports. In January, Japan‘sexports plunged 47%… producing a $9 billion trade deficit. This is Japan‘s first trade deficit in 13 years and its biggest deficit in 25 years. When you consider the debt, the bad economy, and the coming population problem, it‘s clear the Japanese government will never pay off the money it owes.
I am sorry. I saw this in another blog and had to repost here because it was very interesting…
Japan – This is What Happens to a Nation that Does Not Value ChildrenPosted in Quiverfull
This Major World Currency Is About to PlummetBy Tom Dyson "I had no place to stay and I wanted the police to take care of me," said the 79-year-oldJapanese woman. She had just slashed two people with a knife so the police would take her to jail. A "gray" crime wave is sweeping Japan. According to the UK‘s Independent, people over 65 years old make up 10% of Japan‘s prison population, the highest rate of incarceration for pensioners in the industrialized world. Another source reported Japanese pensioners were responsible for one in seven arrests last year, up from one in 25 a decade ago. The surge in "senior crime" is so dramatic, the Japanese government recently earmarked$80 million to build special wards at three prisons to accommodate the elderly. They arefitting these prison wards with metal walkers and support rails. Japan has the second-lowest birth rate in the industrialized world. The birth rate to sustaina population is 2.1 per woman.
In Japan, the birthrate has fallen below 1.2. Japan‘spopulation fell for the first year in 2005. By 2050, if trends continue, Japan‘s population will fall by 20%.
The other problem is life expectancy. It‘s going up in Japan. So the elderly are becoming the largest segment of Japan‘s population. Right now, 20% of Japan‘s population is over 65 years old. By 2050, 40% of Japan‘s population will be over 65 years old. In the U.S., the "65 and up" population makes up about 12% of society. "Gray" crime is one bi-product of Japan‘s demographics. Here‘s another byproduct in thesociety that ages and shrinks at the same time: It‘ll bankrupt the Japanese government.First, there‘s a much smaller workforce to pay taxes. The economy shrinks. Businesses pay less tax, too.
Second, the elderly consume social security, health care, and pensionresources. These are costs to the government. As the senior population rises, theseliabilities increase. The elderly don‘t pay income taxes. Since its recession began 20 years ago, Japan‘s government has plowed trillions into itsbanking system via numerous bailout programs. In the last six months, for example,Japan‘s government has authorized three stimulus plans totaling around $100 billion. Thismonth, the Japanese government will give every person in Japan a check for 12,000 yen…about $120… to stimulate the economy. This program will cost the government another $20 billion. And this week, the Japanese prime minister suggested the largest bailout plan yet…putting the Japanese taxpayer on the hook for another $200 billion.
As a result of all this spending, the Japanese government has built up the world‘s mostcrippling debt load and budget deficit. Right now, the government of Japan owes $7.8trillion to creditors. That‘s $157,000 per person. This year, it‘ll have to borrow another $1.1 trillion to make ends meet. Government debt to GDP is the ratio economists use to compare the indebtedness ofcountries. The UK has a government debt-to-GDP ratio of 48%. The U.S. has a government debt-to-GDP ratio of 75%. Japan has a government debt-to-GDP ratio of 187%. Now Japan‘s economy is a shambles. For years, the Japanese have relied on exports tosupport their economy… but exports have dried up. In the last six months, Japan has lostalmost a quarter of a trillion dollars from the decline in its exports. In January, Japan‘sexports plunged 47%… producing a $9 billion trade deficit. This is Japan‘s first trade deficit in 13 years and its biggest deficit in 25 years. When you consider the debt, the bad economy, and the coming population problem, it‘s clear the Japanese government will never pay off the money it owes.
What's true? Having discernment!
I remember when I first became a believer in Y’shua (Jesus) that I didn’t know what to believe about certain issues. My Pastor taught you could never lose your salvation and the gifts are for today. My boyfriend at the time, a Pastor’s son of another denomination taught that you can lose your salvation and that the gifts have ceased! Who was right?
I asked my friend from Thailand and what did he say…"They are both wrong!" He said you can lose your salvation and the gifts are for today!
So how do you know the truth? How do you know if what your church is teaching is true?
READ THE BIBLE! Read it for yourself.
Don’t let other people determine your destiny! It won’t be them standing before you and God. It will be you standing before Him. Don’t take teachers, Rabbis and Pastors word for things! Read it yourself from cover to cover!
Don’t give up till you get the whole book through.I found it easier to start reading from the New Testament and then make my way to the Old Testament but also, one year read 4 chapters from the old and 4 from the new each day getting the entire bible through in a year.It’s never too late to start– that is, unless you are on your deathbed!If you have doubts about the Bible being true, some good books to read are: The Case for Christ and Evidence that Demands a Verdict.E-mail me for more book suggestions! I have lots esp for Jewish people!
I asked my friend from Thailand and what did he say…"They are both wrong!" He said you can lose your salvation and the gifts are for today!
So how do you know the truth? How do you know if what your church is teaching is true?
READ THE BIBLE! Read it for yourself.
Don’t let other people determine your destiny! It won’t be them standing before you and God. It will be you standing before Him. Don’t take teachers, Rabbis and Pastors word for things! Read it yourself from cover to cover!
Don’t give up till you get the whole book through.I found it easier to start reading from the New Testament and then make my way to the Old Testament but also, one year read 4 chapters from the old and 4 from the new each day getting the entire bible through in a year.It’s never too late to start– that is, unless you are on your deathbed!If you have doubts about the Bible being true, some good books to read are: The Case for Christ and Evidence that Demands a Verdict.E-mail me for more book suggestions! I have lots esp for Jewish people!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
