Every February and sometimes March we look forward to the arrival of new baby goats in the barn.Most births are routine with the mother goats surviving labor unscathed and birthing healthy offspring who amazing stand up and nurse soon after birth.But other times there is trouble of one kind or another requiring a human to intervene and assist the new mother goat.
February 13th. Bill went out to the barn as usual to find our three year old Lucy licking off two big healthy bucks. The two instinctivly nosed their mother's udder finding her soft teats. They eagarly suckled their first warm milk. I love Lucy! She is not a big milk producer but she is "no muss and no fuss" when it comes to birthing babies. She pops them out, cleans them off and has them up and nursing, by the time we get to the barn. I think she likes her privacy too!
Our ten year old goat Sarah is a big milk producer and a one man goat! She likes my husband Bill and no one else. With me and anyone besides Bill she is flighty as a deer and always wary. It was February 15th. about 5:30pm. Sarah began labor. Bill cancelled attending a meeting thinking Sarah would give birth that Wednesdy night. One hour turned to three as the night continued on. No sleep and fifthteen trips to the barn Sarah produced two healthy bucks 10:30am Thursday morning. She needed only a little assistence.
Ironically while Bill was attending Sarah he heard a small blat directly behind him ! There was my twelve year old pet goat Myda with the head of a baby protruding from her! The infant was blating; calling for help! It was in trouble, stuck in its mother! Never have we had that experience before!
Bill gently pulled the new baby from her mother.The only female born this year is a beautiful fawn color with long floppy ears like Myda's.
Trouble was Trouble wouldn't nurse! Yes; we named her Trouble because that is what she is turning out to be! Myda's pride was evident as she deliriously gazed at her newest and last progeny; for this will be her last kid.
We tried showing Trouble the teat. We had to open her mouth and squirt milk in but she wouldn't suck! We gently rubbed her nose with a thumb while rubbing her chin with fingers applying just a little pressure. This sometimes encourages sucking.
Her survival was at risk here but she seemed more curious about everything around her than the immediate need of nourishment. New mother's milk is important to baby goats. The colostrum contains antibodies that help protect the new kids from disease and builds their immune system.They really need this new milk. It was another long night of trips to the barn trying to get Trouble to nurse.
At a day old I suggested I should bottle feed her. Since I hate throwing things away I still had baby bottles from when my grandson used them 23 years ago. After a thorough wash and scalding I filled a five ounce bottle with four ounces of warm mother's milk. Craddling Trouble on my lap, I wrapped my left arm around her and stuck a finger into the side of her mouth. My right hand slipped the nipple in and squirted milk. She wouldn't such at first so I gently nassaged her nose. Just like she had a light bulb moment she suddenly started sucking on her own! That first feeding she barly drank three ounces of milk.
Everyday there after she improved and by three days old she drank 11 ounces of milk. Bill continued to put her to nurse on her mother also. Now at 11 days old she will take hold of the teat and suck if a human holds it out to her. Myda's udder is big as are her teats and hard for new kids to latch on to. Each day Trouble improves her nursing technique a little. When Bill goes to the barn she will come to him and then return to her mother and wait for his help. Not a perfect scenario but a vast improvment!
Trouble loves to play with her brothers and instigates; what else but trouble! All the little ones are nibbling hay now including Trouble.
"All is well that ends well." My Grandma used to say.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Christianity in the Buff - A Strip Search of the Bible
There are so many ideas about religion a person could get very confused about what is right and good or just plain mis-leading.Especially now with the doomsday prophecies popping up all pointing to the end of 2012 for the the world to end; a person really needs to examine what they believe. My husband Bill is a lay-person. The following is what he wrote to help some people gain a simpler approach to understanding the Bible.
"Christianity in the Buff- A Strip Search of the Bible "- written by Bill Rose .
Introduction;
Christianity comes in many styles. There is the formal wear and then the more casual wear. There is the working wear and then the lounging wear. But, what would Christianity look like if it was stripped down to its birthday suit?
Would bare Christianity, stripped of its religious clothing, have any appeal or would it be too bland for the palate of the masses? Would many be reaching for the salt shaker to dress it up? If Christianity is an acquired taste , then the palate may have to be retrained.It sometimes takes a health crises to change our eating habits and to develop new tastes. Will we also need a spiritual crisis to rid us of our religious garb and to acquire a taste for the plain and simple? Could there be an easier way?
This writing will attempt to be that way by reducing Christianity down to its essentials, stripping away its many disguises and answering some of the most important questions ever asked. This not intended to be an "all you need to know about Christianity." It should be treated rather as a framework to understanding the good news of the Bible.
Since only humans have the capability to question their existence, religion is exclusively a human endeavor. It began when man started to deify and appease the forces of nature. Since these deities were far-removed, man evolved religion and religious rituals to bridge the gap between themselves and the divine. Every religion has its own brand, from chants to charms, from mantras to meditations, from penance to pilgrimages,from sacraments to sacrifices.
Unfortunately, the idea of a harsh stern God has carried over into Christianity. The fear of God and His wrath has often been used to scare people into repentance and to whip Christians into shape. But all these efforts to gain access to God only encumber the relationship that God wants to have with man.
What is the nature of that relationship and what does God want from us? Why did God make us in the first place? Why didn't God just settle for a relationship with the animals? He could have saved Himself a lot of trouble. Every Christian should ask themselves these questions. Unless we understand why we are here and what God is doing, our religious road can take many turns. The answer to these questions bring everything else in the Bible into perspective. Without that knowledge, Christianity is just another religion, a balm for the underdog and a club for the oppressor.
The religions of this world cannot answer these questions because they are cut off from the only source, the inspired word of God. Christians recognize the Bible contains the essential information that we need to fulfill our quest. However, the Bible does not contain all the information that we can learn on our own. It does not for instance, tell us the how and when of creation.That is something for science to explore. It does though tell us what lies outside of the scope of science., the "Who and Why". It is this "why" question we will explore.
THE CREATION STORY
The Genesis account has sprouted a number of differing views on creation.There is of course the traditional take of the account, sometimes called the young earth theory. Then there is the progression theory in which the days become eons. Many Christians on the other hand believe that God used evolution as a means of creation.
One very interesting view is the appearance of age theory. This theory suggests that the earth and universe were created already showing age, just like Adam and Eve were created as adults. And then there is the re-creation or gap theory. Except for the traditional view, all these theories try to explain creation in light of science. But, what if the account was never intended to align with science.
A closer look at the Genesis creation account will reveal it was written with form and structure, but not in chronological order. For instance, on day one God created night and day. Yet He did not create the sun, moon and stars until day four. Moreover, the style of writing is more poetic than narrative. The creation account was simply intended to counteract the existing pagan creation accounts and establish who created all these things that others worshipped.
The Bible account begins with these words; " In the beginning God created the heavens and earth." This bold statement is something that science is unable to disprove. While the creation account does not oppose modern science, it does refute the theory that man evolved from animals.The creation account distinguishes between animals and man. It states simply that God made animals after their kind. In other words, they were created to reproduce within their species. On the other hand, man was made in God's image. Moreover, he was put in charge of God's creation. It is a responsibility that Christians need to take seriously.
When the Bible says we are made in God's image, it does not mean that our physical features are exact replicas of God's externals. After all, God is spirit. He is neither defined or confined by physical features. Nevertheless, we share many of God's emotions.Man can be moved by the beauty of a sunset or a beautiful piece of music.We can be moved to express affection or to express sorrow. And in a limited way, man shares God's creative abilities.
But these physical traits are only the beginning of what God wants to share with us. Our physical creation was just the start of the process of making us in His image. The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:49; "And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven." God wants us to share in His glory. Jesus referred to this in His prayer just prior to His arrest and trial. He said," Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world."[John 17:24] Years later Paul wrote in Romans 8 verse 17, "Now if we are children [of God] then we are heirs--heirs of God, co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory."
There are many other scriptures in the New Testament that confirm God's desire to make us in His image and to welcome us into His family.In that same prayer in John 17, Jesus talked about the intimate relationship that He had with His Father and His desire to include us in that embrace. In speaking of Jesus, the apostle John wrote in John 1:12, " But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God." And in Ephesians 1:4-5 Paul wrote, "For God chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will."
So it is clear that from the very beginning God wanted mankind to be His family and share a close and intimate relationship.But didn't the first man and woman already have that status at creation? The traditional view is yes and the Garden of Eden story is the evidence of their fall from that exalted standing with their creator. But is there more to the story?
THE GARDEN OF EDEN STORY
The story of the Garden of Eden is one of the best known stories in the Bible. It is the subject of numerous jokes and cartoons. It is also the source of the universally accepted Christian doctrine of the fall of man. Most Christians treat the story as a narrative. But what if the story was intended as a parable, which by definition is a story with a side by side or parallel meaning? Could God be telling us something here that we otherwise could not know?
In this story Satan is symbolized as a serpent. The serpent was a common symbol of evil and had qualities similar to Satan. And considering that the name Adam in this account is the exact same Hebrew word for man, it is safe to assume that Adam in the story represented all mankind.
The symbolism does not stop there. The two trees are also symbolic. One of those trees was called the tree of life. There are many references in the New Testament to Jesus as being the way to eternal life. John 1:4 says, "In Him was life and that life was the light of men". "And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son does not have life." [I John 5:11-12].So this tree of life represented trust in and reliance on Jesus Christ, our creator [John 1:3 & 10].
The other tree that is a vital part of this story had a strange name. Just like the tree of life, it was not a common everyday fruit tree.It was called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and it was a deadly tree.We could call it the tree of death. Just as the tree of life represented dependence on our Creator and His character, the tree of death represented independence from God's guidance and reliance on human nature alone to decide what is good and what is bad. So right from the beginning God gave man a choice. human nature or God's nature, death or life.
The fact that man had a choice shows that man did not already possess eternal life. This is confirmed by verse 22 of Genesis 3. God said that because man had chosen to be independent from Him , he must not be allowed to eat of the tree of life and live forever. It is clear then that the first man and woman were subject to death from the very beginning. In that respect they were no different than animals. The difference is that God had something better in mind for us.
That brings into question one of Christianity's most cherished and widely held beliefs, that the opposite of eternal life is eternal life in hell. This does even make sense logically. It is like saying the opposite of light in one room is light in another.
God told the first man and woman that if they chose to live apart from Him, they would die. Satan scoffed at the idea. Was God talking about physical death? Genesis 2:17 seems to indicate immediate death, yet Adam and Eve lived a very long time. Since eternal life was something they had to choose and they were not created with it, Adam and Eve were already on a collision course with physical death. Therefore the death spoken of in Genesis 2:17 had to be spiritual death for all eternity.
How does this view square with the other scriptures on the subject? One of the best known scriptures is John 3:16. The Greek word that is translated "perish" is in direct contrast to eternal life.Another well known scripture makes that contrast very clear. Romans 6:23 says; "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
The sin of Adam as mentioned in the fifth chapter of Romans, was less about eating some forbidden exotic fruit and more about total rejection of God's way of life. When Adam and Eve chose to live their life independent from their Creator, they rejected eternal life. The absence of life is death, just as the absence of light is darkness. After rejecting God's direction and opting to go it alone, God gave them their wish and literally told them that they were on their own. And that is where the story of the Garden of Eden ends. But there is much more to this story.
The story of the Garden of Eden gives us insight in how our adversary the devil thinks. What could have motivated Satan to get involved in the first place? Satan knew he had already blown his chance to be part of the God family. And he must have known that man was destined to replace him. His thinking must have been, "If I can't have it, no one will have it." His attitude showed up later when Adam tried to pass the buck. Today, Satan is still broadcasting those same attitudes. But these insights into human nature are in sharp contrast to what this story reveals about God's nature, His way of thinking. It tells us about His long term strategy for bringing mankind into His family.It gives us the framework to understanding the rest of the Bible. It explains why there is so much suffering in the world. It keeps us centered on our purpose in being and prevents us from going down rabbit trails that lead nowhere productive. But all of this is missed if the Genesis account is taken literally. Could this be part of the reason Christian beliefs cover such a wide spectrum?
The most important lesson that this story teaches is that God wants us to trust Him. The story is all about trusting God and the consequences of not. It illustrates one of the most profound scriptures in the Bible, Proverbs3: 5-6, " Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will direct your paths." Adam and Eve believed Satan's lie that they didn't need God, that they could figure things out for themselves. Instead of trusting God, they leaned on their own understanding.
The consequence of their choice was to reject God's guidance and to forfeit the gift of eternal life. In other words, they were on their own. And this explains why there is so much suffering in the world today. Alone, without God's direction, mankind has been messing up and putting his foot in his mouth ever since. The story of the Old Testament is the story of man struggling alone without God's input, making bad choices and suffering the consequences.Some of the saddest words in the Bible are found in the last verse of Judges, " In those days there was no king over Israel and every man did that which was right in their own eyes."
Could not all of this heartache been prevented? Surely God must have known the thoughts that Satan was putting in Adam's and Eve's head. Satan told them that God was holding out on them, that they didn't need God. Why didn't God step in before this went so far? We know from the book of Job that Satan can only operate within the boundaries that God permits. If this was a part of God's plan from the very beginning, the idea of a disappointed God going into damage control is absurb.
The answer to the question of why God did not intervene is all about making man into His image. It is all about adopting man into His family, the kind of close intimate relationship that Jesus spoke of in John 17:20-26. He prayed for those who would believe in Him, that they might enjoy the same unity and oneness that He has always experienced with the Father. That unity comes from complete trust. Trust is a mutual feeling of affection and confidence towards one another. Without trust there can be no relationship. But, feelings of affection and trust cannot be forced, nor can they be programmed in as instinct is in animals. They must come by choice. God is creating children, not robots.
This story of the Garden of Eden tells us much about the nature of God. It teaches us about the love of God and patience of God. In the story God allowed Adam and Eve, who represented all mankind, to really mess up. He stepped back while they exerted their independence. God knew that mankind would only learn to trust Him after man had exhausted all his attempts to do things his way. God was willing to wait. He knew from the very foundation of the world what it would take for man to understand the depth of His love. God knew He would have to demostrate His love by coming down to man's level and submitting Himself to His own creation. He knew that He would have to absorb the consequences of man's mistakes. But none of this could happen until God first let man go. So the story of the Garden of Eden is the story of God letting man go his own way. This is; " not the story of the fall of man". Rather, it is the story of the beginning of the process of making man in God's own image. That is why the proper understanding of this story is so vital to understanding the rest of the Bible.
THE NEED OF A MAKEOVER
What God declared very good in the last verse of Genesis one was only the physical creation of man. In I Corinthians 15, verses 45-46, the apostle Paul wrote," And so it is written, 'The first man Adam became a living being.'The last Adam became a life giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterwards the spiritual." In this passage Paul was talking about the resurrection. He said that flesh and blood would not be a part of the resurrection. Instead he said that we would exchange our physical bodies for spiritual bodies[verse 44].
That poses a very important question. If it was God's purpose from the beginning to create us to be like Him, to be spirit members of His family, why did God even bother with the physical? Why didn't he simply bypass the physical altogether and begin with the spiritual? The answer seems obvious. God wants us to be part of His family because we choose to be. He doesn't want rebellious children. So God is giving us a choice. His way or the goodby way, life or death.
When God created mankind, He gave us human nature. Human nature is not entirely bad. After all, didn't God declare His creation good? It is human nature that separates us from animals. Animals have their own nature. But, human nature is not complete. It is not complete because God created us to have His nature.
Paul contrasts our human nature with God's nature in the eighth chapter of his letter to the Romans. In verses 5-8 Paul wrote, " Those who live according to their human nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit [ God's nature] have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The human mind is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace, because the human mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the human mind cannot please God.
In I Corinthians 2, verse 11, Paul said this, " For who among man knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him?" In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God." And in Isaiah 55: 8&9, God says , " For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
It is clear then, that without God's nature, His Spirit within us, we will never achieve the purpose for which God created us. This is the lesson that God was teaching throughout the whole of the Old Testament.The creation of the nation of Israel, rather than being an end in itself, was simply a means of getting that lesson across, that life without guidance of the Holy Spirit would only result in death. And that was despite all the blessings of a gracious God.
WHY THE OLD COVENANT?
Our Bible is divided into two sections. There is the Old Testament and then there is the New Testament.They can be more accurately called the Old and New Covenant. Since over half the Bible comes under the heading of Old Covenant, it is important that we understand its purpose, its makeup and why it failed.
A covenant is an agreement between separate parties. God made more than one such agreement throughout the Old Testament. There was the covenant that He made with Noah. Later God made covenant agreements with Abraham, Iaaac and Jacob. The covenant that God made with the fledgling nation of Israel is the covenant that we know as the Old Covenant.
Of all the people in the world at that time, why did God choose these people to associate His name with? God was first of all honoring the covenants that He had made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He was also using these people to hold up His name to the other nations. Less understood is the fact that God wanted all people to know that human nature alone would not produce happiness, peace and fulfillment.
What happened in the Garden of Eden did not happen unexpectedly. Similarly, God knew that if He gave man enough rope, he would find a way to hang himself. And just as He started man out in a garden paradise, now He fed and protected the new nation of Israel. He didn't want them to have any reason to come back later and say, "If only you would have given us a chance!"
The Old Covenant agreement that God made with the new nation of Israel was a purely physical agreement. It was physically doable, if they had the will. God stated His part of the agreement and made very clear the people's part. As His part, God promised to provide them with land, security, prosperity, health and long life. For their part, they were to keep His commandments.
The Ten Commandments are the codified summary of the terms and conditions of the Old Covenant. They are referred to as "the covenant". [Exodus 34:28, Deuteronomy 4:13]. Because they were based on God's spiritual law of love, many of the principles are applicable today. But, it is important to emphasize that they were not a spiritual law. They were humanly achievable. Moreover, the Ten Commandments were a temporary code designed exclusively for the nation of Israel.
This view is very different from the popular view that assumes that the Ten Commandments are God's great moral and spiritual law, separate from the cvil and ceremonial laws, which were later abolished under the New Covenant agreement. They forget that the nation of Israel was a theocracy. It was government by God through His representatives. There was no separation of church and state. The moral, spiritual, civil and ceremonial laws, were a package deal.
Why did the Old Covenant fail? The writer of Hebrews in the third chapter, quoted from Psalm 95. There the reader is told not to ignore God's voice as their ancestors had done, despite all the miracles they witnessed. The reason they went astray is that they did not know God's thoughts and His ways. In other words, they were being led by their own human nature rather than God's nature.
The prophet Isaiah asked his hearers why they were spending their time and money on what does not satisfy. The he told them to seek God while He is in their thoughts. He told them to forsake their ways and turn to their Lord and He will have mercy on them and make an everlasting covenant with them. Then in verses 8-9 of Isaiah 55, he gets right to the root of the problem. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways." So in these few verses Isaiah uncovers man's problem and discloses the solution.
The prophet Jeremiah also forecast a new kind of covenant that God would make with those who would turn to Him.It is addressed to the houses of Israel and Judah, but the writer of Hebrews applied this prophecy to Christians. This covenant was going to be different than the former covenant. Under this covenant God was going to wipe their slate clean and instill His thoughts into their minds.This was going to be a total makeover and the start of a new kind of relationship.
Many years passed before these prophecies were fulfilled. During that time Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews went into captivity. It was not a glorious time in Jewish history. But good news for all nationalities was just around the corner.
JESUS THE MAKEOVER ARTIST
The gospel of Matthew states that Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy about a virgin bearing a Son called "Emmanuel", which means, "God with us."John's gospel begins," In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." And in verse 14 it says,"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." Jesus is God in the flesh. He is God with us. In this, the Christian God is unique, meeting man at his level. Other religions keep their god at a distance.
When Jesus came to live amongst us, He took on all the limitations of the physical body. He literally became God with us. Why did our Creator take the drastic step of lowering Himself to man's level and submitting Himself to the resentment and fury of His own creation? The answer is that God wants to win our hearts and minds. God wants more than our obedience. He wants our affection. God could enforce our obedience and many Christians look upon the Father as the great enforcer. But, God knows that if He has our affection, He will also have our obedience. Jesus' death on the cross was the greatest demostration of love that the world has ever seen. Such a display of love invites a response.
At the very beginning of His ministry, Jesus announced in Nazareth that He was the fulfillment of yet another of Isaiah's prophecies. He said that God's time of waiting was over. He said that He came to preach good news to the poor, freedom for prisoners and the oppressed, and recovery of sight for the blind. Jesus was talking about releasing mankind from man's way of thinking.
Jesus' message while He was here on earth is best summed up in the Sermon on the Mount. He began with, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for their's is the kingdom of heaven." Eugene Peterson's Bible in contemporary language renders that verse this way. " You're blessed when you are at the end of your rope. When there is less of you there is more of God and His rule." In short, that is what God has been doing since creation. He has been letting mankind reach the end of his rope because He knows that only then will man reach out for His direction.
The entire Sermon on the Mount as found in chapters 5 through 7 of Matthew was probably a collection of Jesus' teachings. Jesus was introducing a new order, a new way of thinking.The Beatitudes became the "new attitudes". This new order would turn man's value system completely on its head. As Jesus later said in Luke 16, " What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight." Jesus said it was more blessed to give than receive.He said we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Even king David, a man after God's own heart, didn't understand this concept[read Psalm 69, verses 22-28]. In short Jesus was introducing God's way of thinking as opposed to man's way. [Isaiah 55: 8&9 ] God's way is the way of life. Man's way is the way of death.
Jesus focused a lot on the "way". He said that broad was the way that leads to death but narrow the way that leads to life. He said that He was the "way", the truth and the life.Even Jesus' handling of the Sabbath day shows us that the "way" was more important than the day. Later on, the Christian life was referred to as the "way". [ Acts 9:2, 19:9)
For the entire span of man's time on this earth, God had let man alone to follow his own way, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. All that time God had withheld the tree of life [Genesis 3:24]. Now Jesus was reintroducing the tree of life. Jesus was that tree. He was the "way of life". Jesus said that no man could come to the Father but through Him. All of man's quests are obtainable through Him alone.
Only Jesus can make us over in God's own image. This is more than just a facelift. This is a complete change. When we have had enough of the consequences of doing things our way and surrender our way for His way , Jesus begins working on us from the inside out. We will start to see things through His eyes. His thoughts will become our thoughts and His ways will start to become our ways.
As our relationship with Jesus grows we will become more of the family unit that Jesus talked about in John 17. We will become the children of God. In I John 3:1-2, the apostle John wrote, " How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."
When Jesus as a human being was on this earth, He was limited in the number of people He could reach. But, when Jesus was crucified and went back to the Father, He sent the Holy Spirit who would impact countless thousands of people all over the world across two millenniums.
THE CHURCH
On the night He was betrayed, Jesus tried to prepare his disciples for what was coming. In one of the most misapplied passages in the Bible, Jesus told his disciples not to be troubled by the events that would happen in the days and weeks that lie ahead. He said that in His Father's house there were many dwelling places.Jesus said that He was going to prepare a place for them and then He was coming back to receive them to Himself.Was Jesus really talking about preparing a place for them in Heaven?
This conversation began in chapter 13 of John's gospel. Jesus told them He wouldn't be with them much longer. He said that where He was going ,they couldn't come.What was this place Jesus was preparing for them? The same Greek word for "house" is translated "household"in I Timothy 3:15 and was applied to the church of the living God. In Hebrews 3:6, we are told that we are God's house. And in I Peter 2:5, Peter wrote that we are being built into a spiritual house.
It is clear from the rest of chapter 14 of John what Jesus was talking about. He told them in verse 18 that He wouldn't leave them as orphans; that He would come back to them. He said that they would see Him but the world wouldn't. In verse 23 Jesus told them that God would make His dwelling place with them. He told them again not to be afraid, that He was coming back to them. He told them that the Father was going to send another Counselor, the Holy Spirit. In chapter 16, verse 7; Jesus told them that unless He went away, the Counselor, the Spirit of Truth wouldn't come.
The Holy Spirit did come just as Jesus said, seven weeks later on the day of Pentecost. And this began the Church. The church began with an impressive display of power. The wind was a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew word for wind can also mean breath and spirit. And fire is a symbol of the divine presence. God appeared to Moses in the burning bush and later descended on Mount Sinai in fire.
Unlike Jesus' birth, over three thousand people from all over the Roman Empire witnessed this event. This begs the question, "How did all these people fit in the upper room and in the narrow surrounding streets?" When it says they were all together in one place, it probably was the temple area known as Solomon's Portico. That was the scene of much of Jesus' teaching [Matthew 16:55, John 10:23]. There was a large crowd present because it was the day of Pentecost. The message that Peter preached that day was of the beginning of a new age and a new relationship with God by faith and grace. [ Joel's prophecy, Acts 2:17-21}.
The response that day was tremendous. Many of the Jews from away were so excited that they were reluctant to return home and they soon went through their savings for the trip. The local people then opened their homes to these fellow Jews and shared what they had, including meals. The breaking of bread referred to sharing a meal, not to taking communion.After all, the disciples themselves were still processing all that had taken place. Instituting something new was farthest from their minds.
The teaching opportunities that followed the day of Pentecost were not orchestrated. There was no big advertising campaign. Instead, God by way of the Holy Spirit, set up these timely events to gain maximum exposure. And just as the returning pilgrims took the good news of Jesus Christ back home with them after Pentecost, the persecution following Stephen's murder further spread the gospel as the Jerusalem church scattered. The spreading of the gospel and the expanding of the Church really was the work of the Holy Spirit.
It is important to understand what the Church is. Paul taught very clearly that the Church is the body of Christ and we are that body,Jesus being the head. Therefore, the Church is the body of believers in Christ. It is made up of all those who have surrendered themselves and their way of thinking and opened their minds and hearts to receiving Jesus' way of thinking. The Church then is not a man made institution, governed by a constitution and supported by a menbership roll.
Therefore, when we use the word "Church" we must differentiate between the physical entity and the spiritual counterpart. When Paul said in I Corinthians 15 that the physical body preceded the spiritual body, he touched on a pattern that God has followed from creation. If there is a physical church, there is also a spiritual church. In the same way, physical marriage is a pattern for our spiritual marriage. Physical circumcision has been replaced by spiritual circumcision. The physical Sabbath rest is a shadow of our spiritual rest in Christ.And just as we need physical food, we need spiritual food.
This pattern is important to understand because it permeates all that God is doing. The old physical covenant has been replaced by the new spiritual covenant. The exclusive physical Israelites have been replaced by the inclusive [ of all nations of people] spiritual Israelites who comprise the spiritual temple, making the physical temple redundant. All this leaves one to wonder why all the interest today in restoring the ancient nation of Israel and rebuilding the temple. Are they going to bring back the physical sacrifices as well?
The early church had no recorded membership roll. They were expecting Jesus to return during their lifetime and viewed themselves as sojourners. These early Christians remained tightly connected to their communities, friends and relatives, and it was through these connections that the church grew. The church did not stand out from the culture around them, except inwardly they were being transformed by the Holy Spirit. Paul encouraged the church to comply with the customs of the day.
The early church was not highly structured. That came later with the emergence of the professional clergy. Instead, the entire membership was involved in the work of the church. The various offices were there to help each member flourish and to enhance the health of the church as a whole. The early church was modeled after the local Jewish synagogue and, up until they were forcibly banned around 80 AD, it was there that they met on the Sabbath day. Nowhere throughout the New Testament is there an example of the church meeting on any other day or in a building specifically built for that purpose.
The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ has not changed in two thousand years. But, life styles and customs have. What are the implications for the church today and what about the future?
EXPOSING ALL
A quick look at the Christian Church today might lead one to say that God likes variety. However, a closer examination would reveal that many Christian beliefs and practices simply do not mix. Many have drifted a long ways from the early church. That is why it is so important that each one of us examine our own beliefs and practices to see if they conform to God's purpose for our being. It is easy for a person to get sidetracked by unfounded convictions. The writer knows because he has been down that road.
The weekly day of worship has turned into a rabbit trail for some Christians. And yet, Jesus' treatment of the Sabbath day shows us that He was far more concerned about the "way" than the day. He even told the Samaritan woman at the well that the Father was seeking those who would worship him in spirit and in truth, rather than in a specific location. When the writer of Hebrews in the fourth chapter spoke about a Sabbath rest for God's people, was he thinking about the rest that Jesus said He wanted to give to all the weary and heavy laden? Paul certainly indicated in Colossians 2, verses 16-17, that the Old Testament Sabbath was but a shadow of the real thing. The relationship that God wants with us is twenty-four seven, for all eternity. This much we do know, that the weekly Sabbath is a temporary thing because all time as we know it will cease the moment we take our last breath. Why sweat the little stuff?
Clinging to a specific Sabbath day is only part of the larger issue of rules and required behavior that can divert us from a genuine relationship with God to an assumed relationship. Besides creating a false sense of righteousness, it leads to judging and disunity. Jesus rebuked the Jewish establishment of His day for this very thing.
Christians who have grown up with rules often point out that without rules to govern our conduct we will slip into licentiousness. The apostle Paul addressed this whole question of freedom from the yoke of legalism and the descent into indulgence in the fifth chapter of his letter to the Galatian churches. He suggested in verse 15 that legalism was opposed to love and encouraged tearing each other apart. He said that the solution was to live by God's Spirit. God's nature will control our nature as we start to see things through His eyes. When our thoughts give way to God's thoughts and our ways to God's ways, rules will be unnecessary [verse 18]. We don't need a map of rules because we have a personal guide, the Holy Spirit.
In verse 22-23, Paul lists the fruits of the Spirit. He reiterates that these fruits are not the products of rules.Then in Colossians 2:23, he states very clearly that the rules are worthless in restraining sensual indulgences.
Some would argue that rules are necessary to spell out the difference between right and wrong. But Hebrews 5:13-14 says that mature Christians have progressed beyond the milk of rules. By digesting spiritual food they have trained themselves to discern good and evil. Leaning on rules only impedes maturity.
Good parents know this when it comes to their children. When children are young they need rules to protect themselves from harm. Our role as parents is to train and guide them in right conduct until they are mature enough to make right descisions. As they come to understand our values and our concerns, we relax the rules.
The role of the church is very similar. Mature Christians take on the parent role for the babes in Christ, nurturing them until they are able to discern right from wrong. But these Hebrew Christians were unable to fulfill their role as teachers because they themselves were still tied to rules.
Closely connected to rules are rituals. Rituals are multiple layers of clothing that can slow down and even hinder our walk with God. Some Christians prefer more layers than others. Is our God big on formalities and rituals? Does He want a prescribed form of worship and repetitive prayers? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said we are not to use meaningless repetition when we pray, hoping to be heard for our many words. Is He impressed with our penance and sacrifices? On at least two different occasions Jesus quoted Hosea 6:6, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." Does God take pride in our magnificent Cathedrals? Unlike His disciples, Jesus was not dazzled by the temple's splendor.
Does God want us to constantly seek out a new spiritual high? The apostle Paul, who himself had experienced inexpressible things, urged the Corinthian church to excel in spiritual gifts that build up the church. He said that the greatest gift of all was love.It is important that we examine our own rituals and spiritual practices. Are they beginning to replace and masquerade as the real thing? Do our rituals make our relationship with God a stiff formality or an estatic encounter? These are questions only individual Christians can answer.
One very heavy garment that nearly every Christian has come to accept as standard attire is that God's grace expires at death. It is very heavy to bear for those whose loved ones have never shown any interest in Jesus Christ. The prospect of these loved ones suffering eternal torture is to horrible to think about.
The good news is we can cast off this harsh attire. It is neither in keeping with God's nature, nor can it be supported by scripture. It is the farthest from God's mind to inflict anyone with eternal torture. And why would death be a barrier to Jesus' ability to save? After all, Jesus' had already conquered death and now lives outside of time and space.Many people live and die without ever knowing the love of God. Can they consciously reject someone they never knew? And for those who do, the consequences are clear,eternal death, not life in a torture chamber.We can be certain that the fate of those who die without ever knowing the only name by whom we can be saved, is consistent with God's mercy and kindness. Some forgotten author wrote, "But men made God's love too narrow by false limits of their own, and they magnify His vengeance with a zeal He will not own."
There are other costumes that some Christians have been duped into wearing. One of them is the health and wealth gospel. Whether deliberate or from ignorance, the Old Covenant promises of prosperity, security, health and longevity are added to the New Covenant. The better promises of the New Covenant are a right standing before God and an eternal inheritance. Jesus did not promise His followers a life of ease [ John 16:33]. The New Testament makes it very clear that God is far more interested in our relationship than our physical well being.
Another very popular costume is end time prophecy. Some ministries drape themselves in it. Scriptures are being stretched and shrunk to fit. And it can all be exciting stuff. But, all of these end time prophecies are focussed on physical events. And because God's purpose for our creation goes beyond the physical, it would be safe to say that God is far more interested in our relationship with Him than in saving our fleshly necks.The purpose of prophecy is to encourage us to hang in there, that no matter what happens, God is in charge. He simply wants us to trust Him, that He knows what He is doing.
And that is how this writing will end. just like it began, with God giving mankind a choice, to trust Him or trust in man's own descision making. He is giving us the same choice today. We can trust God and what He has in store for us, or we can trust in the many layers of traditions, doctrines and practices that man has piled on over the years. These layers often hide from view pure religion which is to look after the most vulnerable and to keep oneself undistracted by the world's values. [ James 1:22]
Paul told the church at Ephesus to no longer live in the futility of their thinking , giving themselves over to sensuality. Instead, he advised them, " to be made new in the attitude of their mind and to put on the new self, created to be like God in tue righteousness and holiness." [Ephesians 4:23&24].
This change in thinking comes from the Spirit of God living in us, leading and controlling us [Romans 8:9]. This transformation is instigated by the Holy Spirit who launches us on our journey of trust and reliance upon God.He clothes us with Christ [Galations 3: 26-27].
With Christ's clothing we don't need additional religious clothing. We don't need to recite some formalized religious prayer to be accepted by our God. The Holy Spirit already knows our heart.
In this journey we will learn to stop leaning on our own understanding. We will look to our personal guide, the Holy Spirit for our direction. We will become the kind of person God is looking for, "a person simple and plain, reverently responsive to what I say."[Isaiah 66:2], Eugene Peterson's " The Message". We don't need the cloak of religion. We don't need to dress up Christianty. It is very palatable as it is.
"Christianity in the Buff- A Strip Search of the Bible "- written by Bill Rose .
Introduction;
Christianity comes in many styles. There is the formal wear and then the more casual wear. There is the working wear and then the lounging wear. But, what would Christianity look like if it was stripped down to its birthday suit?
Would bare Christianity, stripped of its religious clothing, have any appeal or would it be too bland for the palate of the masses? Would many be reaching for the salt shaker to dress it up? If Christianity is an acquired taste , then the palate may have to be retrained.It sometimes takes a health crises to change our eating habits and to develop new tastes. Will we also need a spiritual crisis to rid us of our religious garb and to acquire a taste for the plain and simple? Could there be an easier way?
This writing will attempt to be that way by reducing Christianity down to its essentials, stripping away its many disguises and answering some of the most important questions ever asked. This not intended to be an "all you need to know about Christianity." It should be treated rather as a framework to understanding the good news of the Bible.
Since only humans have the capability to question their existence, religion is exclusively a human endeavor. It began when man started to deify and appease the forces of nature. Since these deities were far-removed, man evolved religion and religious rituals to bridge the gap between themselves and the divine. Every religion has its own brand, from chants to charms, from mantras to meditations, from penance to pilgrimages,from sacraments to sacrifices.
Unfortunately, the idea of a harsh stern God has carried over into Christianity. The fear of God and His wrath has often been used to scare people into repentance and to whip Christians into shape. But all these efforts to gain access to God only encumber the relationship that God wants to have with man.
What is the nature of that relationship and what does God want from us? Why did God make us in the first place? Why didn't God just settle for a relationship with the animals? He could have saved Himself a lot of trouble. Every Christian should ask themselves these questions. Unless we understand why we are here and what God is doing, our religious road can take many turns. The answer to these questions bring everything else in the Bible into perspective. Without that knowledge, Christianity is just another religion, a balm for the underdog and a club for the oppressor.
The religions of this world cannot answer these questions because they are cut off from the only source, the inspired word of God. Christians recognize the Bible contains the essential information that we need to fulfill our quest. However, the Bible does not contain all the information that we can learn on our own. It does not for instance, tell us the how and when of creation.That is something for science to explore. It does though tell us what lies outside of the scope of science., the "Who and Why". It is this "why" question we will explore.
THE CREATION STORY
The Genesis account has sprouted a number of differing views on creation.There is of course the traditional take of the account, sometimes called the young earth theory. Then there is the progression theory in which the days become eons. Many Christians on the other hand believe that God used evolution as a means of creation.
One very interesting view is the appearance of age theory. This theory suggests that the earth and universe were created already showing age, just like Adam and Eve were created as adults. And then there is the re-creation or gap theory. Except for the traditional view, all these theories try to explain creation in light of science. But, what if the account was never intended to align with science.
A closer look at the Genesis creation account will reveal it was written with form and structure, but not in chronological order. For instance, on day one God created night and day. Yet He did not create the sun, moon and stars until day four. Moreover, the style of writing is more poetic than narrative. The creation account was simply intended to counteract the existing pagan creation accounts and establish who created all these things that others worshipped.
The Bible account begins with these words; " In the beginning God created the heavens and earth." This bold statement is something that science is unable to disprove. While the creation account does not oppose modern science, it does refute the theory that man evolved from animals.The creation account distinguishes between animals and man. It states simply that God made animals after their kind. In other words, they were created to reproduce within their species. On the other hand, man was made in God's image. Moreover, he was put in charge of God's creation. It is a responsibility that Christians need to take seriously.
When the Bible says we are made in God's image, it does not mean that our physical features are exact replicas of God's externals. After all, God is spirit. He is neither defined or confined by physical features. Nevertheless, we share many of God's emotions.Man can be moved by the beauty of a sunset or a beautiful piece of music.We can be moved to express affection or to express sorrow. And in a limited way, man shares God's creative abilities.
But these physical traits are only the beginning of what God wants to share with us. Our physical creation was just the start of the process of making us in His image. The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:49; "And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven." God wants us to share in His glory. Jesus referred to this in His prayer just prior to His arrest and trial. He said," Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world."[John 17:24] Years later Paul wrote in Romans 8 verse 17, "Now if we are children [of God] then we are heirs--heirs of God, co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory."
There are many other scriptures in the New Testament that confirm God's desire to make us in His image and to welcome us into His family.In that same prayer in John 17, Jesus talked about the intimate relationship that He had with His Father and His desire to include us in that embrace. In speaking of Jesus, the apostle John wrote in John 1:12, " But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God." And in Ephesians 1:4-5 Paul wrote, "For God chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will."
So it is clear that from the very beginning God wanted mankind to be His family and share a close and intimate relationship.But didn't the first man and woman already have that status at creation? The traditional view is yes and the Garden of Eden story is the evidence of their fall from that exalted standing with their creator. But is there more to the story?
THE GARDEN OF EDEN STORY
The story of the Garden of Eden is one of the best known stories in the Bible. It is the subject of numerous jokes and cartoons. It is also the source of the universally accepted Christian doctrine of the fall of man. Most Christians treat the story as a narrative. But what if the story was intended as a parable, which by definition is a story with a side by side or parallel meaning? Could God be telling us something here that we otherwise could not know?
In this story Satan is symbolized as a serpent. The serpent was a common symbol of evil and had qualities similar to Satan. And considering that the name Adam in this account is the exact same Hebrew word for man, it is safe to assume that Adam in the story represented all mankind.
The symbolism does not stop there. The two trees are also symbolic. One of those trees was called the tree of life. There are many references in the New Testament to Jesus as being the way to eternal life. John 1:4 says, "In Him was life and that life was the light of men". "And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son does not have life." [I John 5:11-12].So this tree of life represented trust in and reliance on Jesus Christ, our creator [John 1:3 & 10].
The other tree that is a vital part of this story had a strange name. Just like the tree of life, it was not a common everyday fruit tree.It was called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and it was a deadly tree.We could call it the tree of death. Just as the tree of life represented dependence on our Creator and His character, the tree of death represented independence from God's guidance and reliance on human nature alone to decide what is good and what is bad. So right from the beginning God gave man a choice. human nature or God's nature, death or life.
The fact that man had a choice shows that man did not already possess eternal life. This is confirmed by verse 22 of Genesis 3. God said that because man had chosen to be independent from Him , he must not be allowed to eat of the tree of life and live forever. It is clear then that the first man and woman were subject to death from the very beginning. In that respect they were no different than animals. The difference is that God had something better in mind for us.
That brings into question one of Christianity's most cherished and widely held beliefs, that the opposite of eternal life is eternal life in hell. This does even make sense logically. It is like saying the opposite of light in one room is light in another.
God told the first man and woman that if they chose to live apart from Him, they would die. Satan scoffed at the idea. Was God talking about physical death? Genesis 2:17 seems to indicate immediate death, yet Adam and Eve lived a very long time. Since eternal life was something they had to choose and they were not created with it, Adam and Eve were already on a collision course with physical death. Therefore the death spoken of in Genesis 2:17 had to be spiritual death for all eternity.
How does this view square with the other scriptures on the subject? One of the best known scriptures is John 3:16. The Greek word that is translated "perish" is in direct contrast to eternal life.Another well known scripture makes that contrast very clear. Romans 6:23 says; "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
The sin of Adam as mentioned in the fifth chapter of Romans, was less about eating some forbidden exotic fruit and more about total rejection of God's way of life. When Adam and Eve chose to live their life independent from their Creator, they rejected eternal life. The absence of life is death, just as the absence of light is darkness. After rejecting God's direction and opting to go it alone, God gave them their wish and literally told them that they were on their own. And that is where the story of the Garden of Eden ends. But there is much more to this story.
The story of the Garden of Eden gives us insight in how our adversary the devil thinks. What could have motivated Satan to get involved in the first place? Satan knew he had already blown his chance to be part of the God family. And he must have known that man was destined to replace him. His thinking must have been, "If I can't have it, no one will have it." His attitude showed up later when Adam tried to pass the buck. Today, Satan is still broadcasting those same attitudes. But these insights into human nature are in sharp contrast to what this story reveals about God's nature, His way of thinking. It tells us about His long term strategy for bringing mankind into His family.It gives us the framework to understanding the rest of the Bible. It explains why there is so much suffering in the world. It keeps us centered on our purpose in being and prevents us from going down rabbit trails that lead nowhere productive. But all of this is missed if the Genesis account is taken literally. Could this be part of the reason Christian beliefs cover such a wide spectrum?
The most important lesson that this story teaches is that God wants us to trust Him. The story is all about trusting God and the consequences of not. It illustrates one of the most profound scriptures in the Bible, Proverbs3: 5-6, " Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will direct your paths." Adam and Eve believed Satan's lie that they didn't need God, that they could figure things out for themselves. Instead of trusting God, they leaned on their own understanding.
The consequence of their choice was to reject God's guidance and to forfeit the gift of eternal life. In other words, they were on their own. And this explains why there is so much suffering in the world today. Alone, without God's direction, mankind has been messing up and putting his foot in his mouth ever since. The story of the Old Testament is the story of man struggling alone without God's input, making bad choices and suffering the consequences.Some of the saddest words in the Bible are found in the last verse of Judges, " In those days there was no king over Israel and every man did that which was right in their own eyes."
Could not all of this heartache been prevented? Surely God must have known the thoughts that Satan was putting in Adam's and Eve's head. Satan told them that God was holding out on them, that they didn't need God. Why didn't God step in before this went so far? We know from the book of Job that Satan can only operate within the boundaries that God permits. If this was a part of God's plan from the very beginning, the idea of a disappointed God going into damage control is absurb.
The answer to the question of why God did not intervene is all about making man into His image. It is all about adopting man into His family, the kind of close intimate relationship that Jesus spoke of in John 17:20-26. He prayed for those who would believe in Him, that they might enjoy the same unity and oneness that He has always experienced with the Father. That unity comes from complete trust. Trust is a mutual feeling of affection and confidence towards one another. Without trust there can be no relationship. But, feelings of affection and trust cannot be forced, nor can they be programmed in as instinct is in animals. They must come by choice. God is creating children, not robots.
This story of the Garden of Eden tells us much about the nature of God. It teaches us about the love of God and patience of God. In the story God allowed Adam and Eve, who represented all mankind, to really mess up. He stepped back while they exerted their independence. God knew that mankind would only learn to trust Him after man had exhausted all his attempts to do things his way. God was willing to wait. He knew from the very foundation of the world what it would take for man to understand the depth of His love. God knew He would have to demostrate His love by coming down to man's level and submitting Himself to His own creation. He knew that He would have to absorb the consequences of man's mistakes. But none of this could happen until God first let man go. So the story of the Garden of Eden is the story of God letting man go his own way. This is; " not the story of the fall of man". Rather, it is the story of the beginning of the process of making man in God's own image. That is why the proper understanding of this story is so vital to understanding the rest of the Bible.
THE NEED OF A MAKEOVER
What God declared very good in the last verse of Genesis one was only the physical creation of man. In I Corinthians 15, verses 45-46, the apostle Paul wrote," And so it is written, 'The first man Adam became a living being.'The last Adam became a life giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterwards the spiritual." In this passage Paul was talking about the resurrection. He said that flesh and blood would not be a part of the resurrection. Instead he said that we would exchange our physical bodies for spiritual bodies[verse 44].
That poses a very important question. If it was God's purpose from the beginning to create us to be like Him, to be spirit members of His family, why did God even bother with the physical? Why didn't he simply bypass the physical altogether and begin with the spiritual? The answer seems obvious. God wants us to be part of His family because we choose to be. He doesn't want rebellious children. So God is giving us a choice. His way or the goodby way, life or death.
When God created mankind, He gave us human nature. Human nature is not entirely bad. After all, didn't God declare His creation good? It is human nature that separates us from animals. Animals have their own nature. But, human nature is not complete. It is not complete because God created us to have His nature.
Paul contrasts our human nature with God's nature in the eighth chapter of his letter to the Romans. In verses 5-8 Paul wrote, " Those who live according to their human nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit [ God's nature] have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The human mind is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace, because the human mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the human mind cannot please God.
In I Corinthians 2, verse 11, Paul said this, " For who among man knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him?" In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God." And in Isaiah 55: 8&9, God says , " For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
It is clear then, that without God's nature, His Spirit within us, we will never achieve the purpose for which God created us. This is the lesson that God was teaching throughout the whole of the Old Testament.The creation of the nation of Israel, rather than being an end in itself, was simply a means of getting that lesson across, that life without guidance of the Holy Spirit would only result in death. And that was despite all the blessings of a gracious God.
WHY THE OLD COVENANT?
Our Bible is divided into two sections. There is the Old Testament and then there is the New Testament.They can be more accurately called the Old and New Covenant. Since over half the Bible comes under the heading of Old Covenant, it is important that we understand its purpose, its makeup and why it failed.
A covenant is an agreement between separate parties. God made more than one such agreement throughout the Old Testament. There was the covenant that He made with Noah. Later God made covenant agreements with Abraham, Iaaac and Jacob. The covenant that God made with the fledgling nation of Israel is the covenant that we know as the Old Covenant.
Of all the people in the world at that time, why did God choose these people to associate His name with? God was first of all honoring the covenants that He had made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He was also using these people to hold up His name to the other nations. Less understood is the fact that God wanted all people to know that human nature alone would not produce happiness, peace and fulfillment.
What happened in the Garden of Eden did not happen unexpectedly. Similarly, God knew that if He gave man enough rope, he would find a way to hang himself. And just as He started man out in a garden paradise, now He fed and protected the new nation of Israel. He didn't want them to have any reason to come back later and say, "If only you would have given us a chance!"
The Old Covenant agreement that God made with the new nation of Israel was a purely physical agreement. It was physically doable, if they had the will. God stated His part of the agreement and made very clear the people's part. As His part, God promised to provide them with land, security, prosperity, health and long life. For their part, they were to keep His commandments.
The Ten Commandments are the codified summary of the terms and conditions of the Old Covenant. They are referred to as "the covenant". [Exodus 34:28, Deuteronomy 4:13]. Because they were based on God's spiritual law of love, many of the principles are applicable today. But, it is important to emphasize that they were not a spiritual law. They were humanly achievable. Moreover, the Ten Commandments were a temporary code designed exclusively for the nation of Israel.
This view is very different from the popular view that assumes that the Ten Commandments are God's great moral and spiritual law, separate from the cvil and ceremonial laws, which were later abolished under the New Covenant agreement. They forget that the nation of Israel was a theocracy. It was government by God through His representatives. There was no separation of church and state. The moral, spiritual, civil and ceremonial laws, were a package deal.
Why did the Old Covenant fail? The writer of Hebrews in the third chapter, quoted from Psalm 95. There the reader is told not to ignore God's voice as their ancestors had done, despite all the miracles they witnessed. The reason they went astray is that they did not know God's thoughts and His ways. In other words, they were being led by their own human nature rather than God's nature.
The prophet Isaiah asked his hearers why they were spending their time and money on what does not satisfy. The he told them to seek God while He is in their thoughts. He told them to forsake their ways and turn to their Lord and He will have mercy on them and make an everlasting covenant with them. Then in verses 8-9 of Isaiah 55, he gets right to the root of the problem. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways." So in these few verses Isaiah uncovers man's problem and discloses the solution.
The prophet Jeremiah also forecast a new kind of covenant that God would make with those who would turn to Him.It is addressed to the houses of Israel and Judah, but the writer of Hebrews applied this prophecy to Christians. This covenant was going to be different than the former covenant. Under this covenant God was going to wipe their slate clean and instill His thoughts into their minds.This was going to be a total makeover and the start of a new kind of relationship.
Many years passed before these prophecies were fulfilled. During that time Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews went into captivity. It was not a glorious time in Jewish history. But good news for all nationalities was just around the corner.
JESUS THE MAKEOVER ARTIST
The gospel of Matthew states that Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy about a virgin bearing a Son called "Emmanuel", which means, "God with us."John's gospel begins," In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." And in verse 14 it says,"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." Jesus is God in the flesh. He is God with us. In this, the Christian God is unique, meeting man at his level. Other religions keep their god at a distance.
When Jesus came to live amongst us, He took on all the limitations of the physical body. He literally became God with us. Why did our Creator take the drastic step of lowering Himself to man's level and submitting Himself to the resentment and fury of His own creation? The answer is that God wants to win our hearts and minds. God wants more than our obedience. He wants our affection. God could enforce our obedience and many Christians look upon the Father as the great enforcer. But, God knows that if He has our affection, He will also have our obedience. Jesus' death on the cross was the greatest demostration of love that the world has ever seen. Such a display of love invites a response.
At the very beginning of His ministry, Jesus announced in Nazareth that He was the fulfillment of yet another of Isaiah's prophecies. He said that God's time of waiting was over. He said that He came to preach good news to the poor, freedom for prisoners and the oppressed, and recovery of sight for the blind. Jesus was talking about releasing mankind from man's way of thinking.
Jesus' message while He was here on earth is best summed up in the Sermon on the Mount. He began with, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for their's is the kingdom of heaven." Eugene Peterson's Bible in contemporary language renders that verse this way. " You're blessed when you are at the end of your rope. When there is less of you there is more of God and His rule." In short, that is what God has been doing since creation. He has been letting mankind reach the end of his rope because He knows that only then will man reach out for His direction.
The entire Sermon on the Mount as found in chapters 5 through 7 of Matthew was probably a collection of Jesus' teachings. Jesus was introducing a new order, a new way of thinking.The Beatitudes became the "new attitudes". This new order would turn man's value system completely on its head. As Jesus later said in Luke 16, " What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight." Jesus said it was more blessed to give than receive.He said we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Even king David, a man after God's own heart, didn't understand this concept[read Psalm 69, verses 22-28]. In short Jesus was introducing God's way of thinking as opposed to man's way. [Isaiah 55: 8&9 ] God's way is the way of life. Man's way is the way of death.
Jesus focused a lot on the "way". He said that broad was the way that leads to death but narrow the way that leads to life. He said that He was the "way", the truth and the life.Even Jesus' handling of the Sabbath day shows us that the "way" was more important than the day. Later on, the Christian life was referred to as the "way". [ Acts 9:2, 19:9)
For the entire span of man's time on this earth, God had let man alone to follow his own way, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. All that time God had withheld the tree of life [Genesis 3:24]. Now Jesus was reintroducing the tree of life. Jesus was that tree. He was the "way of life". Jesus said that no man could come to the Father but through Him. All of man's quests are obtainable through Him alone.
Only Jesus can make us over in God's own image. This is more than just a facelift. This is a complete change. When we have had enough of the consequences of doing things our way and surrender our way for His way , Jesus begins working on us from the inside out. We will start to see things through His eyes. His thoughts will become our thoughts and His ways will start to become our ways.
As our relationship with Jesus grows we will become more of the family unit that Jesus talked about in John 17. We will become the children of God. In I John 3:1-2, the apostle John wrote, " How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."
When Jesus as a human being was on this earth, He was limited in the number of people He could reach. But, when Jesus was crucified and went back to the Father, He sent the Holy Spirit who would impact countless thousands of people all over the world across two millenniums.
THE CHURCH
On the night He was betrayed, Jesus tried to prepare his disciples for what was coming. In one of the most misapplied passages in the Bible, Jesus told his disciples not to be troubled by the events that would happen in the days and weeks that lie ahead. He said that in His Father's house there were many dwelling places.Jesus said that He was going to prepare a place for them and then He was coming back to receive them to Himself.Was Jesus really talking about preparing a place for them in Heaven?
This conversation began in chapter 13 of John's gospel. Jesus told them He wouldn't be with them much longer. He said that where He was going ,they couldn't come.What was this place Jesus was preparing for them? The same Greek word for "house" is translated "household"in I Timothy 3:15 and was applied to the church of the living God. In Hebrews 3:6, we are told that we are God's house. And in I Peter 2:5, Peter wrote that we are being built into a spiritual house.
It is clear from the rest of chapter 14 of John what Jesus was talking about. He told them in verse 18 that He wouldn't leave them as orphans; that He would come back to them. He said that they would see Him but the world wouldn't. In verse 23 Jesus told them that God would make His dwelling place with them. He told them again not to be afraid, that He was coming back to them. He told them that the Father was going to send another Counselor, the Holy Spirit. In chapter 16, verse 7; Jesus told them that unless He went away, the Counselor, the Spirit of Truth wouldn't come.
The Holy Spirit did come just as Jesus said, seven weeks later on the day of Pentecost. And this began the Church. The church began with an impressive display of power. The wind was a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew word for wind can also mean breath and spirit. And fire is a symbol of the divine presence. God appeared to Moses in the burning bush and later descended on Mount Sinai in fire.
Unlike Jesus' birth, over three thousand people from all over the Roman Empire witnessed this event. This begs the question, "How did all these people fit in the upper room and in the narrow surrounding streets?" When it says they were all together in one place, it probably was the temple area known as Solomon's Portico. That was the scene of much of Jesus' teaching [Matthew 16:55, John 10:23]. There was a large crowd present because it was the day of Pentecost. The message that Peter preached that day was of the beginning of a new age and a new relationship with God by faith and grace. [ Joel's prophecy, Acts 2:17-21}.
The response that day was tremendous. Many of the Jews from away were so excited that they were reluctant to return home and they soon went through their savings for the trip. The local people then opened their homes to these fellow Jews and shared what they had, including meals. The breaking of bread referred to sharing a meal, not to taking communion.After all, the disciples themselves were still processing all that had taken place. Instituting something new was farthest from their minds.
The teaching opportunities that followed the day of Pentecost were not orchestrated. There was no big advertising campaign. Instead, God by way of the Holy Spirit, set up these timely events to gain maximum exposure. And just as the returning pilgrims took the good news of Jesus Christ back home with them after Pentecost, the persecution following Stephen's murder further spread the gospel as the Jerusalem church scattered. The spreading of the gospel and the expanding of the Church really was the work of the Holy Spirit.
It is important to understand what the Church is. Paul taught very clearly that the Church is the body of Christ and we are that body,Jesus being the head. Therefore, the Church is the body of believers in Christ. It is made up of all those who have surrendered themselves and their way of thinking and opened their minds and hearts to receiving Jesus' way of thinking. The Church then is not a man made institution, governed by a constitution and supported by a menbership roll.
Therefore, when we use the word "Church" we must differentiate between the physical entity and the spiritual counterpart. When Paul said in I Corinthians 15 that the physical body preceded the spiritual body, he touched on a pattern that God has followed from creation. If there is a physical church, there is also a spiritual church. In the same way, physical marriage is a pattern for our spiritual marriage. Physical circumcision has been replaced by spiritual circumcision. The physical Sabbath rest is a shadow of our spiritual rest in Christ.And just as we need physical food, we need spiritual food.
This pattern is important to understand because it permeates all that God is doing. The old physical covenant has been replaced by the new spiritual covenant. The exclusive physical Israelites have been replaced by the inclusive [ of all nations of people] spiritual Israelites who comprise the spiritual temple, making the physical temple redundant. All this leaves one to wonder why all the interest today in restoring the ancient nation of Israel and rebuilding the temple. Are they going to bring back the physical sacrifices as well?
The early church had no recorded membership roll. They were expecting Jesus to return during their lifetime and viewed themselves as sojourners. These early Christians remained tightly connected to their communities, friends and relatives, and it was through these connections that the church grew. The church did not stand out from the culture around them, except inwardly they were being transformed by the Holy Spirit. Paul encouraged the church to comply with the customs of the day.
The early church was not highly structured. That came later with the emergence of the professional clergy. Instead, the entire membership was involved in the work of the church. The various offices were there to help each member flourish and to enhance the health of the church as a whole. The early church was modeled after the local Jewish synagogue and, up until they were forcibly banned around 80 AD, it was there that they met on the Sabbath day. Nowhere throughout the New Testament is there an example of the church meeting on any other day or in a building specifically built for that purpose.
The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ has not changed in two thousand years. But, life styles and customs have. What are the implications for the church today and what about the future?
EXPOSING ALL
A quick look at the Christian Church today might lead one to say that God likes variety. However, a closer examination would reveal that many Christian beliefs and practices simply do not mix. Many have drifted a long ways from the early church. That is why it is so important that each one of us examine our own beliefs and practices to see if they conform to God's purpose for our being. It is easy for a person to get sidetracked by unfounded convictions. The writer knows because he has been down that road.
The weekly day of worship has turned into a rabbit trail for some Christians. And yet, Jesus' treatment of the Sabbath day shows us that He was far more concerned about the "way" than the day. He even told the Samaritan woman at the well that the Father was seeking those who would worship him in spirit and in truth, rather than in a specific location. When the writer of Hebrews in the fourth chapter spoke about a Sabbath rest for God's people, was he thinking about the rest that Jesus said He wanted to give to all the weary and heavy laden? Paul certainly indicated in Colossians 2, verses 16-17, that the Old Testament Sabbath was but a shadow of the real thing. The relationship that God wants with us is twenty-four seven, for all eternity. This much we do know, that the weekly Sabbath is a temporary thing because all time as we know it will cease the moment we take our last breath. Why sweat the little stuff?
Clinging to a specific Sabbath day is only part of the larger issue of rules and required behavior that can divert us from a genuine relationship with God to an assumed relationship. Besides creating a false sense of righteousness, it leads to judging and disunity. Jesus rebuked the Jewish establishment of His day for this very thing.
Christians who have grown up with rules often point out that without rules to govern our conduct we will slip into licentiousness. The apostle Paul addressed this whole question of freedom from the yoke of legalism and the descent into indulgence in the fifth chapter of his letter to the Galatian churches. He suggested in verse 15 that legalism was opposed to love and encouraged tearing each other apart. He said that the solution was to live by God's Spirit. God's nature will control our nature as we start to see things through His eyes. When our thoughts give way to God's thoughts and our ways to God's ways, rules will be unnecessary [verse 18]. We don't need a map of rules because we have a personal guide, the Holy Spirit.
In verse 22-23, Paul lists the fruits of the Spirit. He reiterates that these fruits are not the products of rules.Then in Colossians 2:23, he states very clearly that the rules are worthless in restraining sensual indulgences.
Some would argue that rules are necessary to spell out the difference between right and wrong. But Hebrews 5:13-14 says that mature Christians have progressed beyond the milk of rules. By digesting spiritual food they have trained themselves to discern good and evil. Leaning on rules only impedes maturity.
Good parents know this when it comes to their children. When children are young they need rules to protect themselves from harm. Our role as parents is to train and guide them in right conduct until they are mature enough to make right descisions. As they come to understand our values and our concerns, we relax the rules.
The role of the church is very similar. Mature Christians take on the parent role for the babes in Christ, nurturing them until they are able to discern right from wrong. But these Hebrew Christians were unable to fulfill their role as teachers because they themselves were still tied to rules.
Closely connected to rules are rituals. Rituals are multiple layers of clothing that can slow down and even hinder our walk with God. Some Christians prefer more layers than others. Is our God big on formalities and rituals? Does He want a prescribed form of worship and repetitive prayers? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said we are not to use meaningless repetition when we pray, hoping to be heard for our many words. Is He impressed with our penance and sacrifices? On at least two different occasions Jesus quoted Hosea 6:6, "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." Does God take pride in our magnificent Cathedrals? Unlike His disciples, Jesus was not dazzled by the temple's splendor.
Does God want us to constantly seek out a new spiritual high? The apostle Paul, who himself had experienced inexpressible things, urged the Corinthian church to excel in spiritual gifts that build up the church. He said that the greatest gift of all was love.It is important that we examine our own rituals and spiritual practices. Are they beginning to replace and masquerade as the real thing? Do our rituals make our relationship with God a stiff formality or an estatic encounter? These are questions only individual Christians can answer.
One very heavy garment that nearly every Christian has come to accept as standard attire is that God's grace expires at death. It is very heavy to bear for those whose loved ones have never shown any interest in Jesus Christ. The prospect of these loved ones suffering eternal torture is to horrible to think about.
The good news is we can cast off this harsh attire. It is neither in keeping with God's nature, nor can it be supported by scripture. It is the farthest from God's mind to inflict anyone with eternal torture. And why would death be a barrier to Jesus' ability to save? After all, Jesus' had already conquered death and now lives outside of time and space.Many people live and die without ever knowing the love of God. Can they consciously reject someone they never knew? And for those who do, the consequences are clear,eternal death, not life in a torture chamber.We can be certain that the fate of those who die without ever knowing the only name by whom we can be saved, is consistent with God's mercy and kindness. Some forgotten author wrote, "But men made God's love too narrow by false limits of their own, and they magnify His vengeance with a zeal He will not own."
There are other costumes that some Christians have been duped into wearing. One of them is the health and wealth gospel. Whether deliberate or from ignorance, the Old Covenant promises of prosperity, security, health and longevity are added to the New Covenant. The better promises of the New Covenant are a right standing before God and an eternal inheritance. Jesus did not promise His followers a life of ease [ John 16:33]. The New Testament makes it very clear that God is far more interested in our relationship than our physical well being.
Another very popular costume is end time prophecy. Some ministries drape themselves in it. Scriptures are being stretched and shrunk to fit. And it can all be exciting stuff. But, all of these end time prophecies are focussed on physical events. And because God's purpose for our creation goes beyond the physical, it would be safe to say that God is far more interested in our relationship with Him than in saving our fleshly necks.The purpose of prophecy is to encourage us to hang in there, that no matter what happens, God is in charge. He simply wants us to trust Him, that He knows what He is doing.
And that is how this writing will end. just like it began, with God giving mankind a choice, to trust Him or trust in man's own descision making. He is giving us the same choice today. We can trust God and what He has in store for us, or we can trust in the many layers of traditions, doctrines and practices that man has piled on over the years. These layers often hide from view pure religion which is to look after the most vulnerable and to keep oneself undistracted by the world's values. [ James 1:22]
Paul told the church at Ephesus to no longer live in the futility of their thinking , giving themselves over to sensuality. Instead, he advised them, " to be made new in the attitude of their mind and to put on the new self, created to be like God in tue righteousness and holiness." [Ephesians 4:23&24].
This change in thinking comes from the Spirit of God living in us, leading and controlling us [Romans 8:9]. This transformation is instigated by the Holy Spirit who launches us on our journey of trust and reliance upon God.He clothes us with Christ [Galations 3: 26-27].
With Christ's clothing we don't need additional religious clothing. We don't need to recite some formalized religious prayer to be accepted by our God. The Holy Spirit already knows our heart.
In this journey we will learn to stop leaning on our own understanding. We will look to our personal guide, the Holy Spirit for our direction. We will become the kind of person God is looking for, "a person simple and plain, reverently responsive to what I say."[Isaiah 66:2], Eugene Peterson's " The Message". We don't need the cloak of religion. We don't need to dress up Christianty. It is very palatable as it is.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Cost Of Living Keeps Rising- So Keep Down Sizing!
The question always is;" When the cost of everything keeps rising how can the consumer afford to keep up and pay living expenses?" The answer is for the average person is ;"You can't." The price of housing, autos, food, clothes, insurance. telephones, lights and medicine keeps increasing.
Here where I live the mininum wage is already $10 and hour and soon to increase to $10.25 an hour. Small businesses can't afford many full time employees to whom they pay wages, plus contribute to Canada Pension, vacation and unemployment benefits. Small family businesses find it more profitable for family members to put in longer hours rather than hire outsiders. The big box stores like Walmart hire part time help to who they pay wages but not other benefits.In the meantime living costs keep esculating. So no matter how much a person earns they seem to be always running behind finacially.They can't keep up with the necessities of life.
Now what is the solution to surviving in this expensive but lagging economy? The position my husband and I take is everytime goods and services increase we CUT BACK OUR SPENDING so our cost of living does not change.
Every time power rates are increased we use less power.Currently our power bill runs $42 every two months. Most people we know spend $100- $200 every two months for power.Not everyone would take the drastic steps we do to reduce their electric bill but we make sacrifices.
We use where possible low watage bulbs. No lights are on in daylight hours except when needed for reading.No lights on in rooms not being occupied when it is night.
We have no clothes dryer but dry clothes out side and indoors on drying racks in inclemet weather.
With my wood cooking stove gone I have to bake in an electric oven. So baking is once a week as is cooking roasts or turkey or chicken which is seldom. Chickens and roasts can also be cooked in slow cooking crock pots. I bake for the week and freeze things to use all week long. Same for meat when we have it; leftovers are froze for other meals.
We have a big freezer and it is in the back of the house where there is no heat. In the summer we open doors to let cool breezes come through.We moved our fridg to a dining room that we don't heat in the winter. It is colder there so the fridg runs less now saving electricity.
For hot water we use a 12 gallon electric heater mainly saved for baths or dishes. When the wood stove is going I keep two tea kettles on it for hot water for dishes . I wash clothes in only cold water. The washer is an apartment size automatic with four water levels.I only wash once a week.
We have a computer that my husband likes to write on but it is not connected to the internet. It is also unplugged from the wall when not in use. I use the internet at the public library for free.
Our TV and radio are on power bars that are turned off when not in use.
We have lights in the barn that are only used when it is too dark to see.
When food costs rise I buy only basics from the grocery store like flour, oil, oats, honey, yeast, baking soda, nuts and olive oil. Sometimes I buy cheese when it is on sale. $50 a month will cover grocery items, toilet tissue, dog and cat food.I need milk every day and milk is expensive here at $7.15 for four liters which is about 140 ounces. I spend about $50 a month on milk when the goats are dry in the winter time.
We don't own a vehicle because neither of us are safe to drive with vision problems.We used to have a vehicle and always chose small trucks or cars, mainly Toyotas, which were less expensive to fill up at the gas sation.
We should have fire insurance but don't as it it cost pro-hibitive for us because our house is over a hundred and eighty years old! Instead we are careful with the wood stoves and keep the two chimneys clean.
Life insurance we also don't have as my husband is considered high risk. A better idea than giving an insurance company huge premiums is to have a savings account for emergencies such as death; with funeral expenses.Or have an emergency account to use if there is a job lay off or loss.
My husband has medicine needs so money is needed for that. For the most part we practce preventative medicine where ever possible. Canada has a health care system funded by taxes but it is not always efficient.There is a huge need for more doctors and nurses which is creating months of waitng to see a doctor and many hours in emergency rooms.Right now in the southren part of Nova Scotia there are more than 3,000 people without a family doctor! So unless you have a life threatening illness trying to stay healthy and avoiding doctor care is the way to live.
I buy clothes second hand at the local Salvation Army store. Anything else we need I barter for or look for on free cycle. We reuse and recycle anything we can.
The point of all this is; everyone has different needs for themselves and their families. So sit down with your family and write down needs and expectations of the family as a whole and individually. Seeing it all written down on paper will make it more clear where spending can be downsized or cut out altogether on some things.No one likes giving up things they like doing or owning. But the times we live in requires cutting back spending in order to keep living life with less stress.We all need to learn to live within our means whatever those means are.
Most important get rid of personal debt such as credit cards and lines of crdeit as soon as possible.Make a plan to pay off your debts and then stay out of debt for things that are not really needed like new furniture, the latest technology and cruises no one can afford right now. Houses, cars to go to work in and education may be things you need to make payments on and in some countries medical bills and insurance. Other wise save up for what you want and pay cash. Debts can drown even the most frugal person.
Food is also increasing so garden if you are able. If not shop with coupons but only for things you really need. A bargain is not a bargain if you don't need it! Eat vegetables and protein but eat simply.The less processed food you eat the healthier you will be.Drink good water instead of pop.
The bottom line is when prices inflate and rise on consumer goods, food and utilities; stop and take check of what you pay for everything. Then find ways to deflate your spending but still live a happy healthy life.
Here where I live the mininum wage is already $10 and hour and soon to increase to $10.25 an hour. Small businesses can't afford many full time employees to whom they pay wages, plus contribute to Canada Pension, vacation and unemployment benefits. Small family businesses find it more profitable for family members to put in longer hours rather than hire outsiders. The big box stores like Walmart hire part time help to who they pay wages but not other benefits.In the meantime living costs keep esculating. So no matter how much a person earns they seem to be always running behind finacially.They can't keep up with the necessities of life.
Now what is the solution to surviving in this expensive but lagging economy? The position my husband and I take is everytime goods and services increase we CUT BACK OUR SPENDING so our cost of living does not change.
Every time power rates are increased we use less power.Currently our power bill runs $42 every two months. Most people we know spend $100- $200 every two months for power.Not everyone would take the drastic steps we do to reduce their electric bill but we make sacrifices.
We use where possible low watage bulbs. No lights are on in daylight hours except when needed for reading.No lights on in rooms not being occupied when it is night.
We have no clothes dryer but dry clothes out side and indoors on drying racks in inclemet weather.
With my wood cooking stove gone I have to bake in an electric oven. So baking is once a week as is cooking roasts or turkey or chicken which is seldom. Chickens and roasts can also be cooked in slow cooking crock pots. I bake for the week and freeze things to use all week long. Same for meat when we have it; leftovers are froze for other meals.
We have a big freezer and it is in the back of the house where there is no heat. In the summer we open doors to let cool breezes come through.We moved our fridg to a dining room that we don't heat in the winter. It is colder there so the fridg runs less now saving electricity.
For hot water we use a 12 gallon electric heater mainly saved for baths or dishes. When the wood stove is going I keep two tea kettles on it for hot water for dishes . I wash clothes in only cold water. The washer is an apartment size automatic with four water levels.I only wash once a week.
We have a computer that my husband likes to write on but it is not connected to the internet. It is also unplugged from the wall when not in use. I use the internet at the public library for free.
Our TV and radio are on power bars that are turned off when not in use.
We have lights in the barn that are only used when it is too dark to see.
When food costs rise I buy only basics from the grocery store like flour, oil, oats, honey, yeast, baking soda, nuts and olive oil. Sometimes I buy cheese when it is on sale. $50 a month will cover grocery items, toilet tissue, dog and cat food.I need milk every day and milk is expensive here at $7.15 for four liters which is about 140 ounces. I spend about $50 a month on milk when the goats are dry in the winter time.
We don't own a vehicle because neither of us are safe to drive with vision problems.We used to have a vehicle and always chose small trucks or cars, mainly Toyotas, which were less expensive to fill up at the gas sation.
We should have fire insurance but don't as it it cost pro-hibitive for us because our house is over a hundred and eighty years old! Instead we are careful with the wood stoves and keep the two chimneys clean.
Life insurance we also don't have as my husband is considered high risk. A better idea than giving an insurance company huge premiums is to have a savings account for emergencies such as death; with funeral expenses.Or have an emergency account to use if there is a job lay off or loss.
My husband has medicine needs so money is needed for that. For the most part we practce preventative medicine where ever possible. Canada has a health care system funded by taxes but it is not always efficient.There is a huge need for more doctors and nurses which is creating months of waitng to see a doctor and many hours in emergency rooms.Right now in the southren part of Nova Scotia there are more than 3,000 people without a family doctor! So unless you have a life threatening illness trying to stay healthy and avoiding doctor care is the way to live.
I buy clothes second hand at the local Salvation Army store. Anything else we need I barter for or look for on free cycle. We reuse and recycle anything we can.
The point of all this is; everyone has different needs for themselves and their families. So sit down with your family and write down needs and expectations of the family as a whole and individually. Seeing it all written down on paper will make it more clear where spending can be downsized or cut out altogether on some things.No one likes giving up things they like doing or owning. But the times we live in requires cutting back spending in order to keep living life with less stress.We all need to learn to live within our means whatever those means are.
Most important get rid of personal debt such as credit cards and lines of crdeit as soon as possible.Make a plan to pay off your debts and then stay out of debt for things that are not really needed like new furniture, the latest technology and cruises no one can afford right now. Houses, cars to go to work in and education may be things you need to make payments on and in some countries medical bills and insurance. Other wise save up for what you want and pay cash. Debts can drown even the most frugal person.
Food is also increasing so garden if you are able. If not shop with coupons but only for things you really need. A bargain is not a bargain if you don't need it! Eat vegetables and protein but eat simply.The less processed food you eat the healthier you will be.Drink good water instead of pop.
The bottom line is when prices inflate and rise on consumer goods, food and utilities; stop and take check of what you pay for everything. Then find ways to deflate your spending but still live a happy healthy life.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Eat Well-- Stay Well- -Save Money too!
I am the first to admit we are in a minority of people who are able to produce most of what we eat. Looking at my monthly grocery list you will only find organic whole wheat flour, larged flaked rolled oats, honey, demmera dark brown sugar,skim milk powder,dark atleast 70% chocolate,peppermints, olive oil, sunflower or corn oil, black pepper, cayenne pepper,popcorn for the air popper, white and apple cider vinegar, mustard,pizza sauce, tomato paste, mayonaise, whole grain pasta,nuts, bananas and a few other things like toilet paper, Ivory Soap, Sunlight soap, Borax and baking soda.I don't buy all these things every month as we don't run short of them all at the same time. My rule is to spend a maximum of $50 A MONTH TOTAL at the grocery or health food store. Everything else we grow or produce at home or do without.
We grow some fruit like raspberries, black berries, rhubarb, gooseberries, red and black curaants and grapes. The good thing is these fruits reproduce every year once established. We haven't grown apples as our climate seems to be too mild along the coast for them to do well. There is a wild apple tree or two in the woods which seem to survive and we pick wild apples where we can.We also trade vegetables for fish and apples.
We grow all our vegetables such as; potatoes, carrots , turnips, cabbage, broccoli, squash, celerex [ which is root crop that taste like celery but keeps all winter in cold storage]; red beets, onions, garlic, tomatoes, green and red peppers, parnips, corn,spinach, Swiss Chard, green and dry beans and peas.We also keep goats for milk, cheese, yogurt and meat and hens for meat and eggs.
Not everyone can grow so much but most people who have a house and lot can grow a garden and have a small green house. Much can be grown in small spaces. Berry bushes and rhubard beds need not take up alot of space either.
If you are a renter possibly your landlord would let you establish a small garden on his or her property. If not it is also possible to grow herbs and some vegetables in planters.
The point is every bit of food you produce for yourself or family is less you have to spend at the grocery store.Everyone has to adjust how much they can produce according to their circumstances.
If you are someone who doesn't have a space to grow anything or are unable too for some reason then you need to learn to shop the least expensive way possible.
The vegetables I showed in the pictures are from our last year's garden.The meat was goat meat. Added to that were red beets frozen tomatoes and parsnips which didn't get into the pictures. It is winter time where I live so our diet is different than in the spring and summer when we have fresh greens like spinach and chard.
With the basic vegetables of potatoes, turnips, cabbage, squash, carrots,beets, parsnips, frozen tomatoes, canned broccoli, onions and garlic we had meals for all week. Added was one rib roast,goat cheese, eggs, oats for breakfast and flour for bread and biscuits.
Everyday is oatmeal for breakfast with cinnamon.Snacks are either an apple,air popped popcorn or nuts.
Day 1; I cooked the ribs with onion and garlic,4 liter [quart] pot of potatoes with skins on, a whole squash,a whole large turnip, 4 carrots and 6 red beets for our main meal.We usually have our main meal at noon but this could be supper also.I deliberately cooked more than we needed so there would be left overs.
Supper for us is light and most always the same for us. My husband usually has homemade whole wheat biscuit or bread with melted goat cheese. I have an apple.
Day 2. I removed some of the left over meat from the ribs and cut it into small pieces. Using the broth from the meat which already had onions and garlic and black pepper into it;I added a liter [qt.] of canned broccoli, some of the left over potatoes, turnips, carrots and frozen tomatoes to make a four liter [quart] pot of stew. Along with whole wheat biscuits this was our main meal. The left over squash made two pies.Pie was dessert.
Day 3. The remaining carrots were ground up along with the cabbage to make cole slaw.I only use enough mayonaise to make the cabbage and carrots easy to swallow. This makes atleast a 2 quart bowl full. We each had a dish full with cold sliced left over beets, 2 boiled eggs and warmed up left over potatos and biscuits. Squash pie for dessert.
Cole slaw will keep several days in a tightly covered container in the frige. I prefer a glass bowl rather than plastic. Also when grinding a lot of cabbage and carrots to store I only add mayonaise to the portion we eat each day.Shredded cabbage and carrots can also be frozen and thawed and then the mayonaise added.
Day 4. We ate more stew, cole slaw and biscuits and squash pie.
Day 5. I cooked the parsnips, mashed them and stirred them into a batter which consisted of whole wheat flour, eggs, sunflower oil, cinnamon, skim milk powder and water. The batter was dropped by 1/4 cup amounts onto a hot iron skillet and cooked like pancakes. Along with the parsnip pancakes we had more squash pie.
Day 6. We ate the last of the stew with whole wheat biscuits and last two slices of pie.
Day 7. I cooked the remaining four potatoes from the basket in the picture.With them we had the last of the cole slaw and sliced beets.At supper we ate the last of the parsnip pancakes.
We also drink herbal tea, water and milk when we have it.Our diet is simple, plain as we don't use butter or margarine. We often put black pepper and parsley on our potatoes with a little olive oil.
If we didn't have a garden I would buy vegetables like potatoes, beets, turnips, carrots, parsnips, squash, cabbage, onions and garlic. Also canned unsalted tomtoes or paste . whole grain pasta, brown rice and dry beans can be found at the grocery store. Peas and geen beans are fresher bought frozen.
I would avoid canned veggies that are heavily salted. Canned fruit is alright if packed in water.Buy locally grown and canned fruit if possible. Some countries use alot of pesticides and those are concentrated in canned fruit.
I would buy fresh vegetables and greens like lettuce, spinach, chard, tomatoes, garlic and onions from local farmer's markets in season.
Purchased meat is a real problem for me because I know too much about how animals are raised and slaughtered. Many people would be vegetarians if they knew how the packaged meat reached the supermarket! However if you must have meat try to find locally produced meat. Otherwise learn to make meals with soy T.V.P. which taste like meat or go meatless.
For us we only eat meat from animals we raised and buthchered ourselves. However most people can't do that. Most of our meals are meatless. This year my husband never butchered a goat for ourselves and we are using up what meat was left from previous years. If butchering depended on me doing it there would be only meatless meals!
To sum it all up grow and produce any food you can.Everyone is in a different situation. If you must buy look for bargains in stores and buy locally grown food in season from farmer's markets.Stick to basic natural food and avoid most canned and frozen foods except frozen peas, broccoli, corn and green beans.Avoid ready made frozen dinners , prepackaged foods, and things like cookies, cakes, candy [except dark chocolate] and prepared cereals.Buy whole grain breads on sale and freeze the loaves or make your own.Use coupons only for healthy foods you would normally buy and use.
Times are tough, money tight so stick to basics. Eating well will help keep you well and save on medicine and doctor bills.
We grow some fruit like raspberries, black berries, rhubarb, gooseberries, red and black curaants and grapes. The good thing is these fruits reproduce every year once established. We haven't grown apples as our climate seems to be too mild along the coast for them to do well. There is a wild apple tree or two in the woods which seem to survive and we pick wild apples where we can.We also trade vegetables for fish and apples.
We grow all our vegetables such as; potatoes, carrots , turnips, cabbage, broccoli, squash, celerex [ which is root crop that taste like celery but keeps all winter in cold storage]; red beets, onions, garlic, tomatoes, green and red peppers, parnips, corn,spinach, Swiss Chard, green and dry beans and peas.We also keep goats for milk, cheese, yogurt and meat and hens for meat and eggs.
Not everyone can grow so much but most people who have a house and lot can grow a garden and have a small green house. Much can be grown in small spaces. Berry bushes and rhubard beds need not take up alot of space either.
If you are a renter possibly your landlord would let you establish a small garden on his or her property. If not it is also possible to grow herbs and some vegetables in planters.
The point is every bit of food you produce for yourself or family is less you have to spend at the grocery store.Everyone has to adjust how much they can produce according to their circumstances.
If you are someone who doesn't have a space to grow anything or are unable too for some reason then you need to learn to shop the least expensive way possible.
The vegetables I showed in the pictures are from our last year's garden.The meat was goat meat. Added to that were red beets frozen tomatoes and parsnips which didn't get into the pictures. It is winter time where I live so our diet is different than in the spring and summer when we have fresh greens like spinach and chard.
With the basic vegetables of potatoes, turnips, cabbage, squash, carrots,beets, parsnips, frozen tomatoes, canned broccoli, onions and garlic we had meals for all week. Added was one rib roast,goat cheese, eggs, oats for breakfast and flour for bread and biscuits.
Everyday is oatmeal for breakfast with cinnamon.Snacks are either an apple,air popped popcorn or nuts.
Day 1; I cooked the ribs with onion and garlic,4 liter [quart] pot of potatoes with skins on, a whole squash,a whole large turnip, 4 carrots and 6 red beets for our main meal.We usually have our main meal at noon but this could be supper also.I deliberately cooked more than we needed so there would be left overs.
Supper for us is light and most always the same for us. My husband usually has homemade whole wheat biscuit or bread with melted goat cheese. I have an apple.
Day 2. I removed some of the left over meat from the ribs and cut it into small pieces. Using the broth from the meat which already had onions and garlic and black pepper into it;I added a liter [qt.] of canned broccoli, some of the left over potatoes, turnips, carrots and frozen tomatoes to make a four liter [quart] pot of stew. Along with whole wheat biscuits this was our main meal. The left over squash made two pies.Pie was dessert.
Day 3. The remaining carrots were ground up along with the cabbage to make cole slaw.I only use enough mayonaise to make the cabbage and carrots easy to swallow. This makes atleast a 2 quart bowl full. We each had a dish full with cold sliced left over beets, 2 boiled eggs and warmed up left over potatos and biscuits. Squash pie for dessert.
Cole slaw will keep several days in a tightly covered container in the frige. I prefer a glass bowl rather than plastic. Also when grinding a lot of cabbage and carrots to store I only add mayonaise to the portion we eat each day.Shredded cabbage and carrots can also be frozen and thawed and then the mayonaise added.
Day 4. We ate more stew, cole slaw and biscuits and squash pie.
Day 5. I cooked the parsnips, mashed them and stirred them into a batter which consisted of whole wheat flour, eggs, sunflower oil, cinnamon, skim milk powder and water. The batter was dropped by 1/4 cup amounts onto a hot iron skillet and cooked like pancakes. Along with the parsnip pancakes we had more squash pie.
Day 6. We ate the last of the stew with whole wheat biscuits and last two slices of pie.
Day 7. I cooked the remaining four potatoes from the basket in the picture.With them we had the last of the cole slaw and sliced beets.At supper we ate the last of the parsnip pancakes.
We also drink herbal tea, water and milk when we have it.Our diet is simple, plain as we don't use butter or margarine. We often put black pepper and parsley on our potatoes with a little olive oil.
If we didn't have a garden I would buy vegetables like potatoes, beets, turnips, carrots, parsnips, squash, cabbage, onions and garlic. Also canned unsalted tomtoes or paste . whole grain pasta, brown rice and dry beans can be found at the grocery store. Peas and geen beans are fresher bought frozen.
I would avoid canned veggies that are heavily salted. Canned fruit is alright if packed in water.Buy locally grown and canned fruit if possible. Some countries use alot of pesticides and those are concentrated in canned fruit.
I would buy fresh vegetables and greens like lettuce, spinach, chard, tomatoes, garlic and onions from local farmer's markets in season.
Purchased meat is a real problem for me because I know too much about how animals are raised and slaughtered. Many people would be vegetarians if they knew how the packaged meat reached the supermarket! However if you must have meat try to find locally produced meat. Otherwise learn to make meals with soy T.V.P. which taste like meat or go meatless.
For us we only eat meat from animals we raised and buthchered ourselves. However most people can't do that. Most of our meals are meatless. This year my husband never butchered a goat for ourselves and we are using up what meat was left from previous years. If butchering depended on me doing it there would be only meatless meals!
To sum it all up grow and produce any food you can.Everyone is in a different situation. If you must buy look for bargains in stores and buy locally grown food in season from farmer's markets.Stick to basic natural food and avoid most canned and frozen foods except frozen peas, broccoli, corn and green beans.Avoid ready made frozen dinners , prepackaged foods, and things like cookies, cakes, candy [except dark chocolate] and prepared cereals.Buy whole grain breads on sale and freeze the loaves or make your own.Use coupons only for healthy foods you would normally buy and use.
Times are tough, money tight so stick to basics. Eating well will help keep you well and save on medicine and doctor bills.
Friday, January 6, 2012
World Ends In 2012 Or Does It?
2012- How strange that sounds! I am aware the doomsday prophets are predicting the end of the world by December of this year. I just don't believe it!
My Grandma who raised me was born in 1880. She would be 132 years old if she were alive! My Dad was born in 1907. That would make him now 105 had he lived past 80 years! The two pivitol people who were part of my formative years have long sinced passed away but the lessons I learned from them are as much a part of me now as when I was a child.They also had heard of dates set in their lifetimes for the end of the world. Every time one of those predicted dates came and went Daddy would say," Well the world didn't end so I had better get up and go to work! We still need to live another day."
I was fortunate to have had a Grandma who was born in the horse and buggy era and lived in a log cabin with a dirt floor.She gave me first hand accounts of life in the 1800's as well as the early 1900's. It was like living with a living history book. Grandma experienced the "simple life" of farming and living off the land right through to the first automobiles,tractors, airplanes, telephones,electricity, washing machines, electric stoves, telephones,advances in medicine, computers and space ships. After she saw the first spaceship on TV blast off to circle the globe her only comment was; "Whatever will they think of to do next?" She was simply overwhelmed by it all. She didn't want to live to see anymore and graciously went to sleep and back to God at age 85 years.
I wasn't quite eighteen when Grandma died and left us but everything she taught me stays with me today.Now into my 66th year I see how quickly technology is advancing and more than ever see the importance of keeping my own life simple both in my thinking, physically and spiritually.
Some dooms dayers try to escape this world by trying to turn time backwards in their lives.They think the past was better than the present and future if there is one.They don't realize people of past generations had their own problems to deal with.
I don't advocate going back in time even if it were possible because the past held a lot of misery for many people. Many folks died young of various diseases that are now eradicated. The old cemeteries are full of gravestones of those who died young of disease and at child birth.Modern medicine has made magnificent strides in the 20th and now 21st centuries.Still the passing decades have also brought on new health concerns that were unheard of in the past.Scientist continue to look for cures for modern health woes.Medicine is so much better now than in the past generations.Many doctors are becoming pro-active teaching preventative health care. The medical field has defintely improved from Grandma's time and even in my life time.
Other people think folks were better in times past and less violent. History says differently witnessed by wars and fighting down through the centuries. I do not believe people are worse today than in Grandma's time or when I was young. I do believe human nature has been the same since Adam and Eve. The capacity for evil as well as good has always been present in people.
People who want to go in a time machine back to the past like to sometimes point out there was less crime back "then" whenever "then" was. That may be true simply because there were less people on the globe and less opportunity for mad dictators and others to try to destroy the world we live in. Fire arms were less available and most people were not planning on killing their neighbors whetether locally or half way around the world.
However trying to reinvent the society around us won't work. Nor will isolating oneself and family in communes completely cut off from everyone else in the world waiting for the world to end. It is what it is. You can't go back in time and we must all learn to adjust and live in this world and hopefully use our time here to make it a better place for our children and grandchildren to live.That must begin with each person finding a way to make someone elses life better. It must start with people building strong families with moral guidelines. Children and the young persons today are the future of tomorrow.
I like talking to teenagers and know some really fantastic young people. All too often we hear about the bad kids who make headlines. Less often we hear about the good kids doing fund raising to help the needy, or inventing new things or excelling in music and the arts.There are teens hoping to find a cure for cancer or aids. There are in this world young people who care about others, care about the environment, care about the planet they have inherited from their parents. There are still parents instilling these values in their children. Technology defintely has its place but values are what is really important for a society to continue to grow and thrive.We should as a society be focussing on building strong families instead of figuring out how to escape the possible predicted end of the world.
I learned much from my Daddy and Grandma about living off the land, survival, not wasting anything and how to make do and be thankful for what little I did have. But more important I learned about God and how we are all made in His image. I learned that God wants a relationship with each of us and we have a future after this life.
I learned values from both Daddy and Grandma and that more important than acquiring things was how we treat those we come in contact with in our daily lives. It is people who are important in this life.I learned that we all have a responsibilty to care for the earth and the people who live on it. Individually we can each do what is within our means to do as the opportunity arises.Collectivly it will make a difference.
The dooms day prophets predict the end of the world by December of this year. They will build the hype, make money selling people ideas or things that are susposed to help them escape the proposed nuclear destruction of planet earth.Don't buy into it. God promises in His word; the Bible to intervene before mankind destroys the world and everyone in it. The world and people will survive.
As humans we should be busy taking care of our families and others when we can.We don't need to waste our time physically preparing for the end of the world. Let God worry about survival of the earth and the people on it. After all He created it all for His glory.God loves this world and its people. He will restore all things in due time. Christ will return and save this world from destruction. In the meantime we must keep on living another day.
My Grandma who raised me was born in 1880. She would be 132 years old if she were alive! My Dad was born in 1907. That would make him now 105 had he lived past 80 years! The two pivitol people who were part of my formative years have long sinced passed away but the lessons I learned from them are as much a part of me now as when I was a child.They also had heard of dates set in their lifetimes for the end of the world. Every time one of those predicted dates came and went Daddy would say," Well the world didn't end so I had better get up and go to work! We still need to live another day."
I was fortunate to have had a Grandma who was born in the horse and buggy era and lived in a log cabin with a dirt floor.She gave me first hand accounts of life in the 1800's as well as the early 1900's. It was like living with a living history book. Grandma experienced the "simple life" of farming and living off the land right through to the first automobiles,tractors, airplanes, telephones,electricity, washing machines, electric stoves, telephones,advances in medicine, computers and space ships. After she saw the first spaceship on TV blast off to circle the globe her only comment was; "Whatever will they think of to do next?" She was simply overwhelmed by it all. She didn't want to live to see anymore and graciously went to sleep and back to God at age 85 years.
I wasn't quite eighteen when Grandma died and left us but everything she taught me stays with me today.Now into my 66th year I see how quickly technology is advancing and more than ever see the importance of keeping my own life simple both in my thinking, physically and spiritually.
Some dooms dayers try to escape this world by trying to turn time backwards in their lives.They think the past was better than the present and future if there is one.They don't realize people of past generations had their own problems to deal with.
I don't advocate going back in time even if it were possible because the past held a lot of misery for many people. Many folks died young of various diseases that are now eradicated. The old cemeteries are full of gravestones of those who died young of disease and at child birth.Modern medicine has made magnificent strides in the 20th and now 21st centuries.Still the passing decades have also brought on new health concerns that were unheard of in the past.Scientist continue to look for cures for modern health woes.Medicine is so much better now than in the past generations.Many doctors are becoming pro-active teaching preventative health care. The medical field has defintely improved from Grandma's time and even in my life time.
Other people think folks were better in times past and less violent. History says differently witnessed by wars and fighting down through the centuries. I do not believe people are worse today than in Grandma's time or when I was young. I do believe human nature has been the same since Adam and Eve. The capacity for evil as well as good has always been present in people.
People who want to go in a time machine back to the past like to sometimes point out there was less crime back "then" whenever "then" was. That may be true simply because there were less people on the globe and less opportunity for mad dictators and others to try to destroy the world we live in. Fire arms were less available and most people were not planning on killing their neighbors whetether locally or half way around the world.
However trying to reinvent the society around us won't work. Nor will isolating oneself and family in communes completely cut off from everyone else in the world waiting for the world to end. It is what it is. You can't go back in time and we must all learn to adjust and live in this world and hopefully use our time here to make it a better place for our children and grandchildren to live.That must begin with each person finding a way to make someone elses life better. It must start with people building strong families with moral guidelines. Children and the young persons today are the future of tomorrow.
I like talking to teenagers and know some really fantastic young people. All too often we hear about the bad kids who make headlines. Less often we hear about the good kids doing fund raising to help the needy, or inventing new things or excelling in music and the arts.There are teens hoping to find a cure for cancer or aids. There are in this world young people who care about others, care about the environment, care about the planet they have inherited from their parents. There are still parents instilling these values in their children. Technology defintely has its place but values are what is really important for a society to continue to grow and thrive.We should as a society be focussing on building strong families instead of figuring out how to escape the possible predicted end of the world.
I learned much from my Daddy and Grandma about living off the land, survival, not wasting anything and how to make do and be thankful for what little I did have. But more important I learned about God and how we are all made in His image. I learned that God wants a relationship with each of us and we have a future after this life.
I learned values from both Daddy and Grandma and that more important than acquiring things was how we treat those we come in contact with in our daily lives. It is people who are important in this life.I learned that we all have a responsibilty to care for the earth and the people who live on it. Individually we can each do what is within our means to do as the opportunity arises.Collectivly it will make a difference.
The dooms day prophets predict the end of the world by December of this year. They will build the hype, make money selling people ideas or things that are susposed to help them escape the proposed nuclear destruction of planet earth.Don't buy into it. God promises in His word; the Bible to intervene before mankind destroys the world and everyone in it. The world and people will survive.
As humans we should be busy taking care of our families and others when we can.We don't need to waste our time physically preparing for the end of the world. Let God worry about survival of the earth and the people on it. After all He created it all for His glory.God loves this world and its people. He will restore all things in due time. Christ will return and save this world from destruction. In the meantime we must keep on living another day.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Awaiting New Year--2012 !
It is down to the last day of 2011 as I reflect back to all the changes 2011 has brought to our lives. One big change for me was the demise of my loved and faithful wood burning kitchen stove. I know it is only a thing but that humble wood range cooked our meals, heated bath water and made a noble attempt at keeping us warm many a long cold winter. It also kept many a preemie baby goat warm with the open oven. Our house will never be the same again.
The old Enterprise had its beginning about 1940 a whole six years before I was born! It was mainly an oil burning key-mac stove before coming to our home twenty years ago. Burning oil instead of wood is possibly why this stove had such a long life span. All things have an end and the end finally came two weeks ago for my beloved stove. It had gone beyond the point of any more numerous repairs. It was no longer safe with its many holes and cracks. Still I hated to see the end of my faithful friend.
I couldn't bare to see it demolished and wasn't present when my husband dismantled it piece by piece to be sold for iron scrap. He only saved the copper water boiler as a possible way to heat water in the future.
I returned home to find my once very reliable and practical kitchen range replaced by an efficient wood heater stove resting stately on granite slabs. It has been cold the past few days and the new stove does throw an emense amount of heat into the house keeping the three rooms we live in toasty warm. Like my husband says the new stove will make those long winter days more pleasant and we won't have to stoke it with wood so often.
With wet eyes and a little regret I still wish for my old kitchen stove. The smell of golden fresh baked bread, cookies and pies linger faintly in the air. True the new stove can boil water and simmer stew on its surface but there is no oven! Nothing bakes bread as good as a wood burning kitchen range.
Does this mean my job as chief baker is over too! Am I also to be replaced with a newer version? Could it possibly mean my husband no longer likes home baked bread? That's not likely! Or is he just tired of cutting wood for two stoves and has simlified things by closing off much of the old house and having just one heater stove in the kitchen. Before it took a heating stove and the kitchen stove to keep us warm when those cold northwest winds blew off the Atlantic. With French doors in place between the kitchen and dining room there is one more buffer against the wind and elements.Now we will be warm and cozy on the south side of the house.
What ever the thought I will still miss my old stove. You served us well. RIP. Hope everyone has a wonderful New Year- 2012
The old Enterprise had its beginning about 1940 a whole six years before I was born! It was mainly an oil burning key-mac stove before coming to our home twenty years ago. Burning oil instead of wood is possibly why this stove had such a long life span. All things have an end and the end finally came two weeks ago for my beloved stove. It had gone beyond the point of any more numerous repairs. It was no longer safe with its many holes and cracks. Still I hated to see the end of my faithful friend.
I couldn't bare to see it demolished and wasn't present when my husband dismantled it piece by piece to be sold for iron scrap. He only saved the copper water boiler as a possible way to heat water in the future.
I returned home to find my once very reliable and practical kitchen range replaced by an efficient wood heater stove resting stately on granite slabs. It has been cold the past few days and the new stove does throw an emense amount of heat into the house keeping the three rooms we live in toasty warm. Like my husband says the new stove will make those long winter days more pleasant and we won't have to stoke it with wood so often.
With wet eyes and a little regret I still wish for my old kitchen stove. The smell of golden fresh baked bread, cookies and pies linger faintly in the air. True the new stove can boil water and simmer stew on its surface but there is no oven! Nothing bakes bread as good as a wood burning kitchen range.
Does this mean my job as chief baker is over too! Am I also to be replaced with a newer version? Could it possibly mean my husband no longer likes home baked bread? That's not likely! Or is he just tired of cutting wood for two stoves and has simlified things by closing off much of the old house and having just one heater stove in the kitchen. Before it took a heating stove and the kitchen stove to keep us warm when those cold northwest winds blew off the Atlantic. With French doors in place between the kitchen and dining room there is one more buffer against the wind and elements.Now we will be warm and cozy on the south side of the house.
What ever the thought I will still miss my old stove. You served us well. RIP. Hope everyone has a wonderful New Year- 2012
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Home At Land's End-- December- 2011
November came and went with only one snow fall which melted the next day. The rest of the month and December have been unseasonably warm until today! It is blowing gale winds as the temperature plummets!
I was in town this afternoon and observed a small elderly woman trying to cross the street in the cross walk. She would almost make it and then be blown back into the street. In one last desparate attempt she grabbed a light pole on the side walk and precariously clung to it afraid to let go! Drivers observed but I was on foot and reached her latching onto her arm. On inquiring to where she wished to go she pointed to a white SUV! I helped her to the passenger door but she preceded to inch around the vehicle clinging as she reached the driver's door! Surprised I held the door and safly deposited her inside! What a HOOT!! All I can say if you weigh a 100 lbs. or less drive a big heavy vehicle so you don't get swept away by gale winds!
It has been a busy month on the farm but the work is finally finished until Spring. Thank goodness is all I can say as my poor husband is wore out! He keeps telling me he is going to make things easier but he has worked awfully hard to get to easy!
While still suffering unknown pain in his shoulder and arm he managed to get in all the cattle beets, remaining vegetables and clean up the garden. He finished cutting wood and we stored it undercover before the snow starts so we will have dry wood to keep us warm.The butchering is done and meat sold as well we sold our buck goat.We are only wintering four does this season.With only 12 hens and fewer goats barn chores will be easier this winter.
In the house Bill put down plywood on the old living room floor and put up a new ceiling. With everything painted it is bright as well as draft free. He also installed french doors between the kitchen and dining room. We won't need to use the wood stove in the dining room unless we have company this winter. Next he repaired two walls in the bedroom and built a much needed closet. His final work is to take out the wood burning kitchen stove and replace it with a heater stove. It is a sad good-bye to my much used kitchen stove but is is wore out after 65 years of service in another house and ours! The air-tight heater stove will last us the rest of our lives.
I am hoping as the last of the work is finished Bill can have a long winter's rest as he well deserves it. People keep telling me we have a simple life but most fail to realize how much work it is to maintain that simple life. It certainly has its rewards but as we get older we do need to make the work easier.
From the pictures you can seem our holiday decorating is done! It may look simple and understated to some people but we like it that way. To us this season is about family and friends and a reminder of the Savior who was born.
We try to avoid all the commercialism that seems to dominate this time of year and keep things relaxed and simple. Too many times I have heard people say they are stressed during holidays.For me that would take the joy out of the celebration. For us our only wish would be to have the children and grandchildren come home. We still don't know if that will happen though with everyone living far away.
I did spend the weeks leading up to Christmas helping gather food and things to pack Christmas hampers for those less fortunate. Our local Salvation Army distribtes hampers every year to those who request them.Other local churches work with and support their efforts. We also fill shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child every year. This season to me should be about giving to help those in need . It is a good feeling knowing you can help brighten the day of someone else.
We try also to avoid the religious controversary surrounding Christmas with some folks disputing the fact Jesus was not really born on December 25th. as that was a day of pagan celebration originally. The important thing is Jesus was born as God's Son and came into this world to save all humanity from sin.So Christmas not being Jesus' real birthday is not important. It is the event of His birth and later death and resurrection that matters.God looks on the heart when He judges people. The hearts of millions of Christians are focused this season on the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ the Lord. We here at Land's End wish everyone a Merry Christmas Holiday Season.Also to our Jewish friends we wish you a very Happy Hanukkah!
I was in town this afternoon and observed a small elderly woman trying to cross the street in the cross walk. She would almost make it and then be blown back into the street. In one last desparate attempt she grabbed a light pole on the side walk and precariously clung to it afraid to let go! Drivers observed but I was on foot and reached her latching onto her arm. On inquiring to where she wished to go she pointed to a white SUV! I helped her to the passenger door but she preceded to inch around the vehicle clinging as she reached the driver's door! Surprised I held the door and safly deposited her inside! What a HOOT!! All I can say if you weigh a 100 lbs. or less drive a big heavy vehicle so you don't get swept away by gale winds!
It has been a busy month on the farm but the work is finally finished until Spring. Thank goodness is all I can say as my poor husband is wore out! He keeps telling me he is going to make things easier but he has worked awfully hard to get to easy!
While still suffering unknown pain in his shoulder and arm he managed to get in all the cattle beets, remaining vegetables and clean up the garden. He finished cutting wood and we stored it undercover before the snow starts so we will have dry wood to keep us warm.The butchering is done and meat sold as well we sold our buck goat.We are only wintering four does this season.With only 12 hens and fewer goats barn chores will be easier this winter.
In the house Bill put down plywood on the old living room floor and put up a new ceiling. With everything painted it is bright as well as draft free. He also installed french doors between the kitchen and dining room. We won't need to use the wood stove in the dining room unless we have company this winter. Next he repaired two walls in the bedroom and built a much needed closet. His final work is to take out the wood burning kitchen stove and replace it with a heater stove. It is a sad good-bye to my much used kitchen stove but is is wore out after 65 years of service in another house and ours! The air-tight heater stove will last us the rest of our lives.
I am hoping as the last of the work is finished Bill can have a long winter's rest as he well deserves it. People keep telling me we have a simple life but most fail to realize how much work it is to maintain that simple life. It certainly has its rewards but as we get older we do need to make the work easier.
From the pictures you can seem our holiday decorating is done! It may look simple and understated to some people but we like it that way. To us this season is about family and friends and a reminder of the Savior who was born.
We try to avoid all the commercialism that seems to dominate this time of year and keep things relaxed and simple. Too many times I have heard people say they are stressed during holidays.For me that would take the joy out of the celebration. For us our only wish would be to have the children and grandchildren come home. We still don't know if that will happen though with everyone living far away.
I did spend the weeks leading up to Christmas helping gather food and things to pack Christmas hampers for those less fortunate. Our local Salvation Army distribtes hampers every year to those who request them.Other local churches work with and support their efforts. We also fill shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child every year. This season to me should be about giving to help those in need . It is a good feeling knowing you can help brighten the day of someone else.
We try also to avoid the religious controversary surrounding Christmas with some folks disputing the fact Jesus was not really born on December 25th. as that was a day of pagan celebration originally. The important thing is Jesus was born as God's Son and came into this world to save all humanity from sin.So Christmas not being Jesus' real birthday is not important. It is the event of His birth and later death and resurrection that matters.God looks on the heart when He judges people. The hearts of millions of Christians are focused this season on the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ the Lord. We here at Land's End wish everyone a Merry Christmas Holiday Season.Also to our Jewish friends we wish you a very Happy Hanukkah!
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