i Create

     I am passionate about photography and everything that goes with it...photo editing & restoration, scrapbooking, et. There is something about capturing the light and a tiny glimpse of time in a creative way.  I also love anything I can make myself from grinding wheat to make our bread to making deodorant.  If I can avoid buying it at the store I probably have a recipe for it.  Frugality and self-sufficiency make me immensely happy.  I believe it is a good use of the resources that God in trusted to me and the benefits to my family are endless.  I will admit I also enjoy the shock value of going against society's main stream.  It is fairly safe to say I have an enormous and ever increasing list of hobbies.

     Looking at all this I have come to appreciate my spectacular creator in a whole new way.  I realize, however, that I must be careful of modern day idolatry.  The "worship" of anything that could monopolize my time and pull my focus away from Christ and HIS agenda.  Another recent worry of mine, and one that I believe to be far more subtle, is these "high places" I've been reading so much about in the New Testament.  All through Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles it mentions the high places. 

"Although he did not remove the high places, Asa's heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life."
                                                                                                                                          - I Kings 15:14

In I Samuel 9:12 there seems to be nothing wrong with these altars that were set on a hill for sacrifice and worship.  The central sanctuary was not functioning as the ark of the covenant was separated from the tabernacle at that time.  Worship at the high places was later condemned because it provided a means for the entrance to pagan practices in Israel's religious observances.  (See also I Kings 3:2-3)  It is obvious now that it is not OK to sacrifice and worship here and yet how can one's heart be fully committed to the Lord except that you ignore these high places?  Is there something in my life that is not really idolatry but still just a pretense to following the Lord?  I say that I am doing something for Him but my motives are wrong?  How, in my life, might I be appearing to be worshiping the Lord but really just using the site of a borrowed idol?  It has really been worrying me!  For now, I am taking heart in 2 Chronicles 15:15b, "They sought God EAGERLY and He was found by them."  Still, something I will be praying about and researching a little more.

The Wonderful World of Smoothies

     So you can't get your kids to eat their veggies?  Mine happen to love them!  Atleast if you combined all of their personal favorites you might have a decent variety!  We have at least one smoothie a day to sneak in extra nutrition.  I have one for a snack or a meal to curb my sweet tooth and keep my wieght down.  Here are some of the goodies we add to our smoothies besides frozen fruit:

Kefir

     I love using kefir as the base for our smoothies because it is one of the most nutritious probiotic available. Kefir is an ancient cultured, enzyme-rich food filled with friendly micro-organisms that help balance your “inner ecosystem” to maintain optimal health and strengthen immunity.
It tastes similar to plain yogurt, and it contains beneficial yeast as well as the friendly ‘probiotic’ bacteria found in yogurt, but is more nutritious. When used regularly, the naturally occurring bacteria and yeast in Kefir combine symbiotically to help balance your intestinal flora and boost your immunity. You can make your own quite easily with kefir grains and milk.

Greens

     Adding fresh greens can assist in boosting energy, building your immune system, detoxing impurities, and loosing weight. Greens are rich in magnesium and alkaline minerals like calcium and are superb in their Omega-3 unsaturated fat content.  Believe it or not, greens are one of the richest sources of protein. I have used spinach predominately as it is easy to add without affecting the texture. I can add half of head of spinach and it blends in well with all the frozen fruits. 
     Spirulina is another good "green" option.  It is a blue-green algae that grows on freshwater ponds. Spirulina is 55-70 percent protein by weight and considered my many to be the greatest plant source of usable protein and is rich in B vitamins and gammalinolenic acid (GLA).  I currently add 1 tsp to a smoothie.

Flaxseed:

    
     Flaxseed is one of the richest sources of omega-3 fatty acids and fiber, which is important for keeping the arteries clean, the heart functioning, and the immune system in good health.  Flax will improve your immune system and is also beneficial for healthy skin and hair. Flaxseed can easily be made into an egg and fat supplement in your baked goods as well. Flax seed is also available in an oil form but we find that the taste is quite strong. We love adding flax seeds to our oatmeal, smoothies, muffins, et.  Easily grinds up into a fine powder with a coffee grinder.  This is what I give Ashton in larger quantities to help regulate her bowel.  It will promote high energy as well. 

Bee Pollen: 

     Bee Pollen is a complete protein, containing all 22 amino acids, and has a higher concentration of the eight amino acids essential to human health than most other forms of protein. It contains high levels of 27 minerals, enzymes, and coenzymes; vitamins B1, B2, and B6; niacin, pantothenic acid, and folic acid; vitamin C; and the fat-soluable vitamins A and E. Recommended dosage is 1-2 teaspoons per day. Use in moderation as 1 teaspoon represents 4.8 billion grains of pollen! Works well to combine in blended drinks.

 

Coconut Oil

- Protects against heart disease, cancer & diabetes
- Acts as an antioxidant in its resistance to attack by free radicals,
protecting against degenerative diseases, in general.
- Protects from a range of infectious diseases.

We consume coconut oil regularly in smoothies, in baked goods, and for sauteing and cooking , as well as in household and toiletry recipes.


I recommend buying the large bags of frozen fruit and experimenting with different combos.  My current fav is peaches and cream (with cinnamon) and spinach!  I promise you won't taste the greens at ALL!...happy shake making!

Decisions, decisions...

‎"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth" Luke 11:2. AS IN HEAVEN, SO IN EARTH. This is God's plan. He wants His will to be accomplished in our home, just as it is in heaven. He wants the atmosphere of heaven to be the atmosphere of our home.  Those words come at just the right time.  I feel like I'm standing on the edge sometimes, waiting on my life to begin.  We have some life changing decisions coming up in our near future and I keep waiting and praying and wondering what will happen.  I keep putting things off but life is NOW, I have a job to do NOW!  I guess if I was honest with myself that feeling of waiting stems from feelings of discontent.  Discontentment stems from a lack thankfulness.  No wonder I am nervous and anxious about what comes next!  Today I will just sigh and take a step back to look at all the good my God has done for me.  What would he have me do TODAY.  That will be my focus.  Joy = thankfulness...feeling better already!

Ever notice how rare true friends are?  I mean the kind of person you completely trust.  They would never think less of you for exposing your weaknesses.  They would love you unconditionally and give of their time and energy without thought to the cost.  I have been more than blessed to have met a few people throughout my life that fit this description.  Sometimes though I wonder if I should allow the Lord to be enough for me and not burden others with my everyday frustrations or ongoing challenges.  I was reading Exodus 17:11-12 and Numbers 18:1-7 about the intricate support system that God set up for the leadership of the Israelites.  It ultimately proved to lead them to victory.  God meant for us to experience spiritual victory as well.  He delights in it.  When we refuse to allow anyone to share in our personal battles we risk negative consequences. One being that we often lengthen the battle and we cheat others from sharing in our victorious joy!  I recall the overflow of joy that has spilled on to me by those in my support system.  We have laughed, cried, prayed, and worked hard together.  They have taught me the meaning of sound advice.  I hope I have been there for them as they have been there for me.  We are a gift to one another.  See also Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, I Corinthians 12:7, and Hebrews 10:24

Can I raise these children to be what God says they can be?

     God has laid on my heart a desire to raise these three precious gifts to be more than what this world says that they can be.  I sometimes truly fear the outcome of my efforts.  How can I teach my children thankfulness, obedience, attentiveness, a hatred for sin, to never retreat, submission to authority, respect, courage, a love for serving others, and a host of other godly characteristics?  When I start to dwell on my own imperfections and the current crop of teenagers (even some raised by well meaning parents) it is often enough to send me into an anxiety attack!  How do we walk a way pleasing to the Lord and pass on a legacy of faith and a destiny for greatness when our own examples are sadly lacking?
     I have been reading in 2 Samuel and 1 Kings.  King David was a man of worship, a man after God's own heart.  He was promised an unending dynasty, yet he and his children after him did not fulfil their covenant obligations.  This led to the eventual division of the kingdom and exile, not to be restored until the coming of Christ.  His children, as a majority, were spoiled and selfish.  They missed out on many of the Lord's blessings.  An example of what I believe was one of David's key mistakes is found in 1 Kings 1:6, "His father (David) had never interfered with him by asking, 'Why do you behave as you do?'"  So yes, he gave instructions to his son, Solomon, for success but he failed to train them in obedience or discipline them. 
     Raising children is a daunting task no matter what.  God's promises, however, are always true.  "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.  Then you will be prosperous and successful." -Joshua 1:8
     So I am encouraged to be obedient and do my best.  Yes, it is hard, hard work.  But today I will choose to trust Him where I fall short.  After all, he has been doing great things long before any of us were created.  More importantly he desires to have a relationship with us where we are in constant communication with him, bringing our needs, sharing our fears, praising him with our gratitude.  He did ask me to take on this responsibility and to do it with abundance and joy.  He also equipped me for it, no matter how inadequate I feel.
     Today's challenge and promise..."Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Phil. 4:6-7

Husband's Obsessions, What's a girl to Do?

Debi Pearl wrote a piece about men's obsessions.  http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/articles/general-view/archive/2010/december/02/obsessions/  It was really good and so very true.  Most of the article just made me laugh…I am so there! I thought about how this related to me.  I have been married for nearly ten years and we have three children. Our son is 8 and our girls are 4 and 3. My husband is 100% “Mr. Command Man” and as ex-Special Forces and current Federal Agent, he is nearly all drive and very little compassion for weakness. His determination amazes me! The man is 5’6”, 115 lbs and I have yet to meet anyone who can keep up with him! Combine that with his unwavering convictions and I have come to realize that our country could use more men like him. It wasn’t always this way. My husband’s obsession is hunting and everything that goes with it. From scouting and tracking to loading his own ammunition with exact precision. He hunts every know species that he is allowed to. There is no such thing as the “off season”. I won’t begin to describe to you some of the problems we have had, you can imagine. I tried all the “common approaches”. Somewhere along the road God convinced me to build my marriage His way. He introduced me to an older woman who mentored me in submitting to my husband. A precious friend gave me a copy of “Created to be His Help Meet”. The Lord taught me to smile, listen, learn, and look for the good. His solution for my husband’s obsession? Put your 5 week old in a back pack and go with him! No, I can’t say that I liked freezing, walking myself to exhaustion, or sitting perfectly still for hours only to come home to cleaning dead animals and then start on MY chores. I thought about the alternatives though. Now I can’t imagine life any differently. Funny how God changes your heart! What do I get out of it? I would sit here way to long listing all the benefits but to start, I have gained a husband who desires his family near him as much as possible. Who brags to his buddies that his wife can “process a big game animal in 2 hours and out shoot you any day of the week”. Who comes home and treats me like his best friend, telling me all of his news and plans. Our children learn priceless lessons in the field, love the outdoors, and think their dad is “the best daddy in the whole world”. When I don’t have a tag to fill I get to practice my own hobby, photography.
I believe God loves to fill our cup to overflowing. It has been my experience that he asks us to step outside our comfort zone so that we are put in a position to trust and obey. On a daily basis I am challenged to my core but I can honestly say that I have never been more thankful. So where were we on Christmas day while everyone else was drinking wassail and opening presents? Bundled up in a our boat with our children, our dogs, and our shotguns…duck hunting! What an adventure!