Exodus 16:32--- Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I brought you out of Egypt.’”


Monday, May 28, 2012

In The Presence of The Light

In the Presence of The Light by Kate Austin
oil on board


Quiet your heart.
Relax. Move Slowly.
And find peace while speaking to your Creator.

This is artist, Kate Austin's message in the painting above.
This oil painting is what I've been picturing in my mind as I pray lately.

Kate's image beautifully portrays how I feel when I stop and speak with the Lord.  It just glows with peace, like I do after unloading EVERYTHING onto Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always,  pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Let's just read that again for good measure.  It's the secret to a joy-filled life of contentment.  We don't want to miss it. Not even for a day.

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Children of the Light

"Children of the light"
Painted by : Cornelis Monsma

Does this painting move you? 

Wow, it mesmerizes me. 

It's inspired by a portion of scripture from the Bible; Colossians 1:9-14.  The painting doesn't mesmerize me nearly as much as the scripture below does.  Colossians 1:9-14 renews my strength!  It excites me and gives me hope!!!!!  And the painting above, in a small way, shows how the scripture makes me feel...all sparkly and warm, accepted and belonging, forgiven and showered with love.

Colossians 1:9-14 (NLT)

So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.


We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.  For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.


AMEN AND AMEN.







Thursday, May 24, 2012

The Vaccine Book



I have a "motherhood" library; books that have educated me and taught me how to be a mother.  I rarely go with the flow.  I will only sometimes follow popular mothering culture.  I have chosen to read and research each mothering genre for myself, and from there, make informed decisions for my children.  The mother has the final say, and we may choose the path that provides the optimal health and welfare of our own babies. 

YOU are the Mother. 

The mother deals with the late night consequences of each decision.  The mother carries the heart-burden of every step of childhood care, education and development.  Do not let someone else make decisions for you and your babies.  The doctor will not be there to comfort your child in the middle of the night while she's reacting badly to a medication or vaccine.  Teachers, day care providers, coaches, speech therapists, friends and acquaintances all feel they have a say in your child's life.  They all feel they know what you need to do.

You know what to do.  Thank them for their advice.  Go home, pray over the decision, and read everything you can find on the topic in question.  Educate yourself, and then make a 100% informed decision for your precious babies.

I have friends and relatives all over the broad spectrum of childhood vaccinations.  Some of the women in my life do not vaccinate their children at all, and some give their children the vaccinations that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends.

I am in the middle.

I truly recommend reading The Vaccine Book by Robert W. Sears, M.D., F.A.A.P

Dr. Sears has no agenda--no official position on vaccines at all.  This book is simply an "encyclopedia" of each of the vaccines that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends. 

In the book, for each and every vaccine, there is a short easy to read paragraph that will answer each of the following questions or topics: ( Let's use the vaccine for Rubella as an example).

What is Rubella?
Is Rubella Common?
Is Rubella Serious? (sometimes the potential side effects are worse than the actual disease)
Is Rubella Treatable?
When is the vaccine given?
How is it made? (in monkey kidneys, aborted fetal tissue etc.)
What ingredients are in the final vaccine solution?
Are any of these ingredients controversial?
What are the side effects of this vaccine?
Should you give your baby this vaccine?
Reasons to get this vaccine.
Reasons some people choose not to get this vaccine.
Travel considerations
Options to consider when getting this vaccine
The way I see it.

Believe me, you will love being educated on this topic.  For most vaccines, my worries were allieviated.  For other vaccines, I decided to spread out the vaccination schedule to give my child's immune system "a break" inbetween diseases.  Dr. Sears provides vaccination schedules ranging from the exact AAP schedule, to only getting a few of the vaccines that cover diseases that are still around the US today.  No matter what your course of action will be after reading the book, at least you will be thoroghly educated.  Then those who pressure you to not vaccinate, and those who pressure you to vaccinate according to the AAP, will be put at ease when you let them know you have read up on every ingredient in every vaccine, and you know excatly what you're doing with your babies. :D  It's quite freeing!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

The Crossway Fujimura Bible Project

I have a passion for illuminated manuscripts.  I studied them in college extensively, and then visited the actual Book of Kells at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland.  I am an artist and I am a Christian.  Illuminations of the Bible, for me, are an overwhelmingly beautiful fusion of my two loves.   

To illuminate something, literally, is to fill it with light.  The goal of filling a book of the Bible with artwork, is to "fill it with light" and beauty; to illuminate it.--Not that the Word of God needs illumination.  It doesn't need artwork or pictures to make it anymore profound.  The illuminations are simply beautiful for the sake of beauty.

The Book of Kells is probably the best example of original medieval illuminations.  In medieval times, illuminations of the Bible, or of prayer books, were done not on paper, but on stretched and dried skins of sheep or young cows.  It took approximately 30 sheep to make one collection of illuminated gospels or one large prayer book.  Only royalty, or the very wealthy could own even a single book at that time in history.

This page of the Book of Kells contains the Chi Rho monogram. 
 Chi and Rho are the first two letters of the word Christ in Greek.
photo credit: Britanica






Makoto Fujimura is an inspirational and extremely talented Japanese Christian painter. In 2011 he created The Four Holy Gospels: an exquisitely designed edition of the four canonical Gospels in the English Standard Version, published in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the King James Version (KJV) Bible in 1611. 


The finished product is breathtaking.



Fujimura has taken his unique artistic talent and created a modern illuminated manuscript of  the four gospels; Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  Exquisite. 
















 To learn more about the Crossway Fujimura Bible Project, you can visit the website here.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Homemade Baby Food Made Easy


I made just about all of Luke's baby food when he was a baby and now I'm doing the same for Sophia.  It's all about getting my food budget to stretch a little farther. I can't afford to purchase all organic pre-made baby food, so I just make it myself!   I don't need to make nearly as much this time around though, because Sophia eats like a bird (and is still gaining about 2 lbs a month)!  5 minutes of nursing and she's done and fine for 3-4 hours.  1/2 jar of food and she's disinterested.  It's so surprising for me, because Luke would consistently nurse for 30 minutes straight and down two jars of food at each sitting!

I keep my baby food making very simple. 

I only have three guidelines : Organic and Easy and Cost Effective

To fit into those three guidelines, I keep my food selection for the babies very limited.  I only make and feed them the following:

-carrots
-sweet potatoes
-peas
-mango
-apples (I don't make these anymore...I purchase large jars of organic non-sweetened apple sauce)
I don't make apples because it is more cost effective for me to buy organic non-sweetened apple sauce at Trader Joes than it is for me to purchase organic apples + peel, cook, blend and jar them.

This time around with Sophia I may venture into chicken and rice and bananas.  I'll keep you posted if I do.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

Baby Food Jars---I started by purchasing about 30 jars of baby food so I could have the jars for future use.  Luke ate the food, I removed the labels, and used goo-gone to remove all the sticky left behind. (I love goo-gone and my one bottle has lasted me two years so far and it's only half gone.)

Your Usual Pots and Pans--No need to purchase any special cooking pans

Immersion Blender--I asked for this for Christmas right after Luke was born.  I got the Cuisinart CSB-77 Smart Stick Hand Blender with Whisk and Chopper Attachments, and I absolutely love it.  But any immersion blender will do just fine.  I also use my immersion blender for making all my smoothies and soups (cauliflower soup, etc).  It's one of my most-used appliances.


CARROTS AND PEAS

Wash carrots. Cut stems off and discard. Chop carrots and boil them in a large pot on Medium High heat for about 20 minutes.  For peas, just pour frozen peas into boiling water.  Pour off most of the water and save in a large Pyrex measuring cup (this water has vitamins and minerals in it).  Use a hand immersion blender to mash and blend the carrots or peas into smooth baby food.  Add back the drained carrot or pea water to attain desired consistency.  Spoon into baby jars.  Let cool for 15 min.  Put lids on and place in the freezer.  Pull out and thaw in the refrigerator as needed.  The peas tend to have a rough texture compared to store-bought baby food peas.  I'm going to experiment with dried split peas to see if I can achieve a smoother consistency.  I'll keep you posted.

SWEET POTATOES

Wash potatoes and stab each with a knife about 8 times.  Line a baking sheet with tin foil for easy clean-up.  Place potatoes on the foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour.  Let cool for 15 min.  Cut open and scoop potato into a bowl.  Discard skins.  Add filtered water to the potatoes while blending them with the immersion blender to attain desired consistency.  Spoon into baby jars.  Let cool for 15 min.  Put lids on and place in the freezer.  Pull out and thaw in the refrigerator as needed.

MANGO
I purchase bags of frozen mango from Trader Joes.  I let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator.  Pour them into a bowl and blend with immersion blender.  Add filtered water to attain desired consistency.  Spoon into baby jars.  Put lids on and place in the freezer.  Pull out and thaw in the refrigerator as needed.

These methods will work with pears, berries, apples, and many others!  Experiment!  I use only these limited foods because I like to keep it simple and I can buy them organic and make them into baby food for less money than buying them as organic pre-made baby food.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

What a Mother Must Sacrifice

The talented Ann Voskamp, a homeschooling mother of six, and author of a phenomenal book titled, One Thousand Gifts, also writes a blog called "a holy experience".  I read this piece of hers, below, a year or two ago and it moved me deeply.  I cannot read this without breaking into tears...every. single. time.  It is perfect for Mother's Day.  It makes me yearn for my own mom and it touches me as a mother myself.  This Ann Voskamp KNOWS motherhood; what it gives, and what it takes from us. 

I printed several of these and tied them up with a yellow ribbon and gave them to some of my friends who are mothers.  For all of you who I cannot give a ribbon-tied copy to, here it is on my blog today for mother's day.  I hope it brings you peace and contentment like it does me.


Houses may be bought, built, or borrowed.

But homes can only be made, and that with bits of ourselves.

Or so the ducks told me.

They told me without a sound, just simply as they preened and nestled, a painting, oil on canvas. The children press in close too, for a better look at Alexander Max Koester’s painting Ducks, and I read aloud the caption below the brushes of color.

Mother ducks pick feathers from their chests to line their nests.”  (Koester’s painting: Moulting Ducks)

I pause and the children gaze thoughtfully at a clutch of plump white, blizzard of feathers fallen down. But it’s those words that mesmerize me: “pick feathers from their chests, to line their nests.” Eyes fixed on a duck breast puffed, mother plunging beak in deep, I question wondering self: “How else did you think nests were lined?”

With leftovers. With feathers discarded, the molted, the not-so-necessary feathers. I thought mother ducks picked feathers up from what was laying about, scraps, lining nests with what simply could be mustered after the fact.

But no. (Is that only the way of human mothers?) No, a mother duck plucks each feather out from the heart of her bosom, warm and soft.

She lines the nest with bits of herself. The best of her, from the deep spots.

She cups her young in her sacrifice.

Children pull at the corner of the page, anxious to see the next painting, and, reluctantly, I move on. But for weeks, part of me lives among Koester’s ducks. (Koester, captivated, painted dozens of duck paintings throughout the course of his life. I’ve come to understand.)

Days later, I am scrubbing out the arches of muffin tins after breakfast, the clock ticking insufferably loud in my ears, time running down. Children need books and learning, and I’m tuned for the expected chime of the doorbell, a service personnel’s scheduled visit. And the words rise near to the surface, “I don’t have time for this! No muffins tomorrow morning!”

Pluck.

The words sharply sink. And I, learning, line this nest with a feather. Not a leftover. But one decidedly plucked. The service man meets me with muffin tins still in the sink, and a circle of happy young. Whose tummies next morning fill with another batch of muffins. I will make time.

As the sun’s perfect globe of glow sets nears the horizon, these boys, glint in eyes, recalibrate vacuum cleaner to fire socks. Weary, I have food to find, laundry awaiting escort, math sheets to mark.

They fire sock cannons.

And I Pluck.

Bellies jiggle, peals of giggles, as old mother chases after future men, wrestling them down, tying them up in tickles. We warm here in laughter. It feels good, wild and alive. So again they fire, and again I pluck with feathers of my time, bits of me, and we pile high, one atop the other, nesting down into sacrifice, soft and small.

Some feathers for this nest, the parts of me and time I have sacrificed, have hurt, pain of the plucking lingering long. But why speak of the details? And was it really sacrifice, or just this too-tender skin? It’s done, it was necessary, it was for something better. Some nights, when all sleep, I feel along the hidden bald patches.

There are times, too many, when they call, “Read me a story?” “Wanna play a game with me?” “Can you come help me?”

And this mother refuses to pluck. Something, some task, someone (me?), rates as more pressing, more important. I deem our nest acceptable just as it is. I don’t want to sacrifice more of me.

Then comes the pecking, the scratching, the squawking. With feather lining wearing thin, the nest chafes hard. We hurt and cry. Nests need feathers deep.

Someone must pluck.

When will I learn that down sacrificed settles and soothes?

For scraps won’t suffice. Snippets of time, leftover me, a trinket, a diversion, tossed.

Mother ducks don’t line nests with feathers, dirty and trampled, the molted and unnecessary. Why would I? Nests need feathers fresh, warm with mother’s life.

Night descends and calls children to dreams. I lead them to their bed-gate, arms and legs under quilts worn from the ride. I read stories, stroke hair, say prayers. Prayers to Him who plucked hard from His own heart.

A sacrifice, staggering and true, for love of His very own. We learn love from His laid down.

Tired heads nestle into pillows, pillows of down.

On feathers plucked, we rest.

The original Koester painting, “Moulting Ducks,” is part of the collection at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle www.fryemuseum.org

Saturday, May 12, 2012

I Prayed For This Child


1 Samuel 1:27     
"I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him."


My brand new baby girl, Sophia Genelle, is officially 6 months old.  What a sweet six months it has been in our home!  Sophia was born 9 lbs 7 oz; healthy and happy.  What a miracle!  Between Luke and Sophie's pregnancies, I had a miscarriage at 11 weeks.  (on a side note, I also had a miscarriage before Luke at 6 weeks) 


Since Luke was a c-section and this miscarriage was happening only 7 months after the surgery, my doctors recommended I have the miscarriage naturally.  The bleeding started at 7 am on a sunny June day.  I was visiting my mother at the time.  The bleeding was like a faucet turned on low.  The pain was ripping and unbearable.  I was terrified.  The Lord carried me through it.  By noon, nothing had changed, but the pain got worse, so my brother drove me to the ER in the next town over.  I was given pain medication and they were able to calm me down.  I then bled from the first week of June until the middle of October everyday. 


I was certain I had lost my fertility and that something was permanently wrong.  It was a long and emotionally painful 4 and 1/2 months, but it brought me so close to the Lord.  I got to the point of complete surrender and acceptance of my circumstances.  If I was to suffer like the woman who bled for 12 years in the book of Mark, I was ready for it.  It felt so lovely and freeing to accept that I may just have one little boy, and what a miracle he was! 


Recently, I learned from a midwife that it is normal to bleed for several months after a natural miscarriage occurring past the 10 week mark.  I would have loved to have that information before my trial, but I wouldn't have leaned on the Lord as much I don't think if I knew all the facts.  I hope this bit of information will bring some peace to any of my readers who might be going through something similar.


When the bleeding stopped, I still prayed with a open heart for another child.  In February of 2011 I became pregnant and I was so surprised.  I had become so content with my current situation in life, I was completely taken aback at the prospect of the gift of another child.


And now she's here.  I'm filled with immeasurable joy and thanksgiving that the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.  So many times he has told me "No" and this time, after a lot of lessons learned, I got a yes. 


"Who can question the ways of the Lord God Almighty?" is what I need to keep telling myself. 


Job 38:4-41 (the Lord said to Job)

4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
6 On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone
7 while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels[a] shouted for joy?
8 “Who shut up the sea behind doors
when it burst forth from the womb,
9 when I made the clouds its garment
and wrapped it in thick darkness,
10 when I fixed limits for it
and set its doors and bars in place,
11 when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;
here is where your proud waves halt’?


12 “Have you ever given orders to the morning,
or shown the dawn its place,
13 that it might take the earth by the edges
and shake the wicked out of it?
14 The earth takes shape like clay under a seal;
its features stand out like those of a garment.
15 The wicked are denied their light,
and their upraised arm is broken.


16 “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
or walked in the recesses of the deep?
17 Have the gates of death been shown to you?
Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?
18 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?
Tell me, if you know all this.


19 “What is the way to the abode of light?
And where does darkness reside?
20 Can you take them to their places?
Do you know the paths to their dwellings?
21 Surely you know, for you were already born!
You have lived so many years!


22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow
or seen the storehouses of the hail,
23 which I reserve for times of trouble,
for days of war and battle?
24 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,
or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?
25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
and a path for the thunderstorm,
26 to water a land where no one lives,
an uninhabited desert,
27 to satisfy a desolate wasteland
and make it sprout with grass?
28 Does the rain have a father?
Who fathers the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens
30 when the waters become hard as stone,
when the surface of the deep is frozen?


31 “Can you bind the chains[b] of the Pleiades?
Can you loosen Orion’s belt?
32 Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons[c]
or lead out the Bear[d] with its cubs?
33 Do you know the laws of the heavens?
Can you set up God’s[e] dominion over the earth?


34 “Can you raise your voice to the clouds
and cover yourself with a flood of water?
35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?
Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who gives the ibis wisdom[f]
or gives the rooster understanding?[g]
37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens
38 when the dust becomes hard
and the clods of earth stick together?


39 “Do you hunt the prey for the lioness
and satisfy the hunger of the lions
40 when they crouch in their dens
or lie in wait in a thicket?
41 Who provides food for the raven
when its young cry out to God
and wander about for lack of food?


Job 39:1-30

“Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?
Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?
2 Do you count the months till they bear?
Do you know the time they give birth?
3 They crouch down and bring forth their young;
their labor pains are ended.
4 Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds;
they leave and do not return.
5 “Who let the wild donkey go free?
Who untied its ropes?
6 I gave it the wasteland as its home,
the salt flats as its habitat.
7 It laughs at the commotion in the town;
it does not hear a driver’s shout.
8 It ranges the hills for its pasture
and searches for any green thing.


9 “Will the wild ox consent to serve you?
Will it stay by your manger at night?
10 Can you hold it to the furrow with a harness?
Will it till the valleys behind you?
11 Will you rely on it for its great strength?
Will you leave your heavy work to it?
12 Can you trust it to haul in your grain
and bring it to your threshing floor?


13 “The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
though they cannot compare
with the wings and feathers of the stork.
14 She lays her eggs on the ground
and lets them warm in the sand,
15 unmindful that a foot may crush them,
that some wild animal may trample them.
16 She treats her young harshly, as if they were not hers;
she cares not that her labor was in vain,
17 for God did not endow her with wisdom
or give her a share of good sense.
18 Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,
she laughs at horse and rider.


19 “Do you give the horse its strength
or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
20 Do you make it leap like a locust,
striking terror with its proud snorting?
21 It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,
and charges into the fray.
22 It laughs at fear, afraid of nothing;
it does not shy away from the sword.
23 The quiver rattles against its side,
along with the flashing spear and lance.
24 In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;
it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.
25 At the blast of the trumpet it snorts, ‘Aha!’
It catches the scent of battle from afar,
the shout of commanders and the battle cry.


26 “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom
and spread its wings toward the south?
27 Does the eagle soar at your command
and build its nest on high?
28 It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night;
a rocky crag is its stronghold.
29 From there it looks for food;
its eyes detect it from afar.
30 Its young ones feast on blood,
and where the slain are, there it is.” 

Job 40:1-23

The Lord said to Job:
2 “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
Let him who accuses God answer him!”
3 Then Job answered the Lord:
4 “I am unworthy —how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth.
5 I spoke once, but I have no answer
twice, but I will say no more.”
6 Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:
7 “Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.
8 “Would you discredit my justice?
Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
9 Do you have an arm like God’s,
and can your voice thunder like his?
10 Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,
and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.
11 Unleash the fury of your wrath,
look at all who are proud and bring them low,
12 look at all who are proud and humble them,
crush the wicked where they stand.
13 Bury them all in the dust together;
shroud their faces in the grave.
14 Then I myself will admit to you
that your own right hand can save you.
15 “Look at Behemoth,
which I made along with you
and which feeds on grass like an ox.
16 What strength it has in its loins,
what power in the muscles of its belly!
17 Its tail sways like a cedar;
the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.
18 Its bones are tubes of bronze,
its limbs like rods of iron.
19 It ranks first among the works of God,
yet its Maker can approach it with his sword.
20 The hills bring it their produce,
and all the wild animals play nearby.
21 Under the lotus plants it lies,
hidden among the reeds in the marsh.
22 The lotuses conceal it in their shadow;
the poplars by the stream surround it.
23 A raging river does not alarm it;
it is secure, though the Jordan should surge against its mouth.