Statement of Faith

There have been a lot of posts about this Blogs of Beauty Awards. Someone found where you had to agree with the Nicene Creed if you were being nominated for this award. Mrs. B, from Be Not Conformed, pretty much summed up the gist of this creed and I agree with her whole heartedly on her stance. I'm not going to make any more comments about it because I feel that she and others have done a pretty good job at taking a stand on this issue and I'm just going to say that I agree with my sisters on this matter.

However, I would like to share the words to a song that our choir sings at church. It's called Statement of Faith. This is the chorus and I do believe these words when I sing them!

I believe that Jesus, is the Holy Son of God
He came to earth and lived a perfect life
I believe He bled and died upon a cruel cross
and there He made the perfect sacrifice
I believe He rose again and that He lives today
And soon He's coming back to earth again
More than just a CREED, this is what I believe
Jesus is the only way.....................
THIS IS MY STATEMENT OF FAITH!

Mark Them. Avoid Them!

In recent months and even a little further back, we have had some wolves in the church that have stirred up a lot of trouble, lies, and heartache. When these times come to mind, I find myself asking, "Lord, why do these people do these things? WHY??" Well, I want to draw attention to Today's Bible Verse located in my sidebar. If you read this post after the 30th of June, then you'll miss it. But today's verse is, "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple." Romans 16:17-18.

OK, now I know this is referring to people who come into the church and try to teach something other than what we know as to be the TRUTH according to scripture. We've actually had that happen at our church, as well, with a Calvanist. Thankfully that was taken care of before we joined. But this verse sort of settled it all for me concerning ANYONE causing strife in the fellowship of the believers.

First of all, we're to mark them. Now, that doesn't mean we're to take a paintball gun and shoot them with yellow or orange paintballs, no matter how good that might make us feel. And when I see my Pastor carrying the burden of these wolves, I want to shoot them with SOMETHING! But alas, that is not what it means. It simply means that we are to mark them in our heads and minds, to know what they are. If you do mark someone with a paintball gun, don't bring me into it. Thanks!

Second of all, we're to avoid them. You can be cordial to them, but you don't have to yoke up with them. Be sure to avoid conversation with them for the mere purpose of not letting Satan use them to fill our head with lies, worry, and doubt. I've had this happen to me in the past and it's not a wonderful, joy-filled feeling. And let me just say, that if you find yourself in a situation where someone is telling you things that may cause a disruption in the church, don't run to someone else in the church and ask what you should do. Go straight to your Pastor. How can he lead his sheep if he doesn't know what's going on in the pasture? God has placed him as the shepherd over that particular flock and he should always be aware of what is going on so that he can have opportunity to deal with it before it gets out of hand. Is there anyone out there in the ministry that would disagree with that? Mainly those in pastoral or pastor's wife positons?

The last part of that verse really put it all in perspective for me. I told you that I ask the Lord why these people do such things. Well, it's because they're not serving the Lord. They're serving themselves. And they use their words and "...fair speeches to deceive the hearts of the simple." That word simple there, means trusting. People who trust the deceivers, thinking them to be something they are not.

So! Mark them and avoid them. When you do these two things, you'll be less likely to fall for the good words and fair speeches.

That's what I got out of this verse today. Do you have something to add?

Before And After

Tammy, from Tammy's Times, inspired this post a few days ago when she blogged about cleaning out her cabinets. Then looking back at my Kitchen Survey post it sort of all came together to this....Matthew 23:25-28, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them many be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness."


On the Kitchen Survey post, several of you told me how nice my kitchen looked. But all you saw was the outside. What you didn't see was the hidden mess within my cabinets. But I knew it was there and I knew I needed to clean them out. So today I spent the better part of the day cleaning out cabinets among other household chores that have been neglected lately.


And just like my cabinets, there are things in all of our hearts that no one sees. We go to church and everyone looks at us as though we're this great Christian, and we let them believe that without ever confessing our faults one to another. But deep within ourselves, we know the hidden secrets. The dirty spots. The cluttered messes of sin that have crept in without anyone knowing.


We keep the doors to our heart closed so that no one can see what we really are. What would they think of me if__________________(you fill in the blank.)



But there is a way to clean these sins from our lives. Proverbs 28:13 says, "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." WOE! WAIT A MINUTE! Forsaketh? Every Christian knows well what confession is, but forsaketh? Let's see......


I looked up the word forsake in the Thesaurus and here are some words that would help us to understand its meaning: abandon, cast off, chuck(I like that one), desert, disclaim, disown, drift away, forgo, give up, kiss goodbye*, leave, leave flat*, quit, relinquish, renounce, repudiate, resign, set aside, spurn, surrender. Need I say more on "forsake?"
The last part of that verse says that when we confess and forsake our sins, we will have mercy. God is full of mercy. I'm so glad of that!
We should all confess and forsake our sins. It is only then that the mercy of God cleanses the hidden places of our heart.

Search me, O God,

and know my heart today;

Try me, O Saviour,

know my thoughts, I pray

See if there be

some wicked way in me:

Cleanse me from every sin,

and set me free.

~J.Edwinn Orr and Maori Melody

Pigeons, Babies, And Old Friends

OK, before I get busy writing about our day and sharing pictures, I wanted to let you know that Part II of Purified Seven Times will be on its way soon. There were so many "goodies" in Pastor's sermon tonight that I just could not write it all down in my notes and asked him if I could get a copy of his notes. He kindly obliged. So I'll be getting that hopefully tomorrow if I see him.

Now! On with today....

Justin was expecting a friend to show up here that he hasn't seen in a couple of years so while he stayed here with his Dad to prepare for his company, Hannah, Harrison, and I went to the Library and Museum. The animal spotlighted for this week was the homing pigeon. We watched a 45 minute documentary/story on a pigeon and his owner, had a quick time of Q&A, and then Mr. Saegar let us pet his pigeon. He does not name his pigeons because he has over 300. UGH! He belongs to a local pigeon racing club. Here in the south, the only racing we're actually aware of his NASCAR. So, I was going to ask him questions like, Do you paint their feathers bright colors and give them numbers? or What company does your racing pigeon represent? Tide? Quakerstate? Dupont? But I had friends there and didn't want to embarrass them. Aren't I nice?

This is a little girl that lived next door to us up until a few months ago. She and her Mom and sister showed up just as the presentation was beginning. That's my Hannah on the right.


From left to right is Sis Pam, Sis Tammy, Naomi, Cheyenne, and Caleb. Isn't Caleb dashing in his new glasses?


After we left the museum, we went to the library for a bit and then I took the kids to Love's Fish Box for lunch. I like the set up here in their restaurant. They don't have waitresses. You place your order and get a number along with your cups. While you fill your drinks and get your table, your number is called over the intercom. They pack your dine in order in a take out box and rolls of paper towels, instead of napkins, are on the table. I like that. It's different. And as always, it was very good.


We got home and prepared for Celine and her new little baby sister. I've asked permission to share the new baby's picture, so you all get to see her now. That's Celine on the left and Hannah holding the baby. The baby is doing very good. Growing like a flower and she always has that freshly washed and lotioned baby smell. I love that smell.


Hannah held her most of the time that she was here.


Here she is wide awake. Isn't she just the cutest little thing?


She was actually smiling here. She smiles a LOT. And I'm telling you it is NOT gas. The child smiles constantly.


Just shortly after Celine and the baby arrived, Justin's friend showed up. His name is Brandon. He was also a neighbor that moved away and called to say that he was in town to see his Grandparents and wanted to know if he could spend some time with Justin today. He and Justin picked up right where they left off. Both a little older. Both a little more mature. It was good to see him.

And then of course we had Wednesday prayer meeting and it was so good. I'm really enjoying the Bible series.

Good Manners In Introductions

A good manner often succeeds when the tongue has failed. - Magoon

I am not sure that I know who Magoon is, but he said a mouthful there. Sometimes my mouth runs away with me, but if I have good manners, they usually cover up where my mouth has made a mess. :)

There are right ways and wrong ways to make introductions. If a boy or girl is being introduced, he or she should acknowledge the introduction by saying, "How do you do, Mrs. Smith?" or just, "How do you do?"

If a stranger comes to your home or school and is introduced to you, it is proper to add to "How do you do?" some expression of your pleasure at the meeting, such as, "I am pleased (or glad) to meet you."

If making a former introduction, it is proper to speak both names distinctly as: "Mrs. Smith, may I present Miss Davis?"

Saying the word "present" there sounds so formal for these days, doesn't it? What word do you think you would use in its place?

When introducing a special speaker where there is a head of assembly, say: "Mr. President (or Chairman, or Madam Chairman, if a woman), I have the honor to present Mr. Mason."

A boy or girl should always introduce a friend to his or her parent by simply saying, "This is my father (or mother), Mr. Wilson."

When making any introduction, always use a pleasant tone of voice and smile. And always speak clearly making sure to pronounce the names clearly.

When introduced to another person, always appear to be glad to make their acquaintance. This will help make the other person feel at ease. Also, be sure to include him or her in any conversation at the moment.

Well bred boys or men always rise when being introduced or presented to men or women. Girls and women do not rise unless being introduced to an older lady or distinguished or elderly man. If a boy is introduced to a girl, she may keep her seat.

A bow on the part of the girl or woman should always be acknowledged with a return bow.

I don't think I have ever been bowed to, but I think I'll bow to someone this evening at church. Try it to see what kind of response you get and let me know.

In this country, when men or boys are introduced they usually shake hands. Girls and women may do so, although it is not usually done. If a boy or man is introduced to a girl or woman, it is her privilege to offer her hand if she wishes. Should a man offer his hand, however, then the courteous girl or woman accepts it.

In taking leave of a new acquaintance, the courteous boy or girl says, "Good-bye; I am glad to have met you," and may shake hands. It is proper for the man or boy to reply with a "Thank you" and a few words expressing a hope that they shall meet again. The girl or woman does not add anything to the "Thank you."

I'm planning on putting these into practice soon. How about you?

I've been adding

I've added some links to the sidebar for the Good Manners posts and also the posts for the Faith Baptist Senior Moments. My goal is to spotlight a senior from our church at least once a month. More if I can. Also, I'll be doing more posts on Good Manners for Young Americans. Mainly because there has been so much interest in them. So I just wanted to make you aware of that.

I was going to go to bed when Bruce left for work tonight because I was so exhausted this afternoon. I had another one of those late nights where I didn't get to sleep until 4:30 a m. That kills me every time. You'd think I'd stop doing it! But I was able to get a nap, thanks to my HIT. Homemaker In Training. I picked that term up at Heather's blog, Just Laugh, and thought it was cute. My HIT, Hannah, is 11. She fixed pasta alfredo with chicken and mushrooms. It was very good.

Thank you, Hannah!! You're such a sweet daughter and I love you.

Greer Campmeeting

This is our choir at the Greer Campmeeting. I had it on the youtube website, but was able to figure out how to put it directly on to the blog. I feel much better about that.

A Few More Campmeeting Pictures

The musicians tuning their instruments. That's the back of my Mother's head there in the brown and blue striped dress.


Pastor Goodman talking with Sis Nancy. The man you see there sitting down and the lady you see sitting next to him (isn't the back of her head lovely) is Brother Randy and Sis Kelly Ross. They are the ones that run the Teens 4 Christ Ministry on the Internet.


A few of our church orchestra made it to play at the meeting. Hannah is on the end in the brown sparkly vest there in front. Justin is the second head to the right on the back row. LOL

Greer Baptist Campmeeting

I always upload my pictures backwards as to when I took them so that they're in order when you view them. But Blogger won't let me upload any more pictures, so I guess this is Part I but really Part II. Anyway, enjoy these few pictures and I'll post some more when Blogger allows.

Caleb, Harrison, and Nicole playing in the wood shavings off the floor. Oh what fun!!


Before the meeting started, Pastor and Brother Joe Arther greet each other.


Let's begin the meetin!


Praying around the alter to get the meetin started. This was just one side. I love to hear a lot of men praying. Someone remarked that they knew someone who didn't like it because it sounded like a lot of confusion. To the human ear, they would be correct, but God hears and understands every single word being prayed.


Sons of Faith were asked to sing tonight. They sang "And Now I Know" and "So Good." They did a great job. They'll be working on a CD this week. They're looking forward to that.



Who has their Bible tonight??


I could NOT understand what this preacher's name was. McBright, McBride, Macbride, etc...I wish I could have understood. They said it several times and I never could make it out. I need to clean my ears out. But regardless of what his name was, the man could PREACH! He preached out of Matthew where the woman's daughter was posessed by demons and she asked the Lord to have mercy on herself because her daughter was vexed with demons. One of the things that got me, and he wasn't really even preaching on this, but it was the attitude of the disciples when this lady approached Christ. Read the story. Matthew 15. And when you do read the story, look at the attitude of the mother when Christ calls her a dog! It's really amazing and makes you stop and think.


Of course there were refreshments after the service. Pizza, hotdogs, sodas, and snacks. Baptists can't get together without a refreshment following. :)


Here's Justin after he ate and Mrs. Plank. She's one of our Senior Saints. She was a little girl in Germany during WWII. I'll be highlighting her as one of my Faith Baptist Senior Moments posts soon.


Here's Jennifer pretending to eat Jonathan's ice cream cone. YUM! She'll probably kill me for putting this on the blog, but then she's a pretty good sport about such things. Jonathan gave her a preengagement ring a couple of weeks ago.

The Original White House Cook Book

A few years ago, my Mother gave me a coffee table book called The Original White House Cook Book. It's a nice thick book and though it has no real SET recipes, it is loaded with the kitchen history of the White House and little tid bits to make life easier and more pleasant "back in the day."

I thought some of these things were interesting and thought you would too. For instance, I like to use Infusium on my hair. Just run to Wal Mart, pick up a bottle, and head on home. But "back in the day" they would make their own "hair wash:"

One penny worth of borax, half a pint of olive oil, one pint of boiling water. Pour the boiling water over the borax and oil; let it cool; then put the mixture into a bottle. Shake it before using, and apply it with a flannel. Camphor and borax, dissolved in boiling water and left to cool, make a very good wash for the hair; as also does rosemary water mixed with a littel borax. After using any of these washes, when the hair becomes thoroughly dry, a little pomatum or oil sould be rubbed in to make it smooth and glossy--that is, if one prefers oil on the hair.

I'm assuming this is when the excuse of "I'm washing my hair that night" came into existance. What do you think?

And here is why Mary Kay does so well on their facial products. Imagine having to make this complexion wash to clean your face:

Put in a vial, one drachm of benzoin gum in powder, one drachm nutmeg oil, six drops of orange-blossom tea, or apple blossoms, put in half pint of rain-water and boiled down to one teaspoonful and strained, one pint of sherry wine. Bathe the face morning and night; will remove all flesh worms and freckles, and give a beautiful complexion. Or, put one ounce of powdered gum of benzoin in a pint of whiskey; to use, put in water in wash-bowl till it is milky, allowing it to dry without wiping. This is perfectly harmless.
Cream cures sun-burn onsome complexions, lemon juice is best on others, and cold water suits still others best.

Flesh worms? EWW! Is there anyone that can explain that one?

Tough Love vs Spanking

I got this in an email today and thought it was worth sharing.


~ Tough Love vs. Spanking ~
(a psychological conundrum)

Most of America's populace think it improper to spank children,
so I have tried other methods to control my kids when they have one of "those moments."

One that I found effective is for me to just take the child
for a car ride and talk.!

They usually calm down and stop misbehaving
after our car ride together.

I've included a photo below of one of my sessions
with my son, in case you would like to use the technique. Just scroll down to view this very effective technique.

What I Wake Up To

I've seen several posts on what people see when they wake up in the morning so I thought I would do the same.

If I wake up on my left side, I see my dresser and the beautiful shutters my hubby made for me last year. Aren't they pretty? On my dresser I have a lamp that was given to me by a friend, two pictures of me and Bruce, one of which you can't see, a victorian figurine, clock, votive lamp, and several candles. My favorite candle there is the Home Interior Baked Apple Candle in a Jar.

If I wake up on my right side, I see our closet doors. For those of you who know me, you know I like and have to count things by twos and fours or just count things in general. When I wake up in the morning and see my closet doors I count the blocks by four several times before I get up. ....I know....CRAZY. But that's just me. :) Now EVERYONE knows my secret.

Fried Green Tomatoes...Mighty Good Fixins!

Living in the south is the closest place to Heaven on earth. Just one reason for that is because we have some of the best cookin the world. When we have a main dish there's always a variety of "fixins" to go with it. Tonight while eating supper with my Mother-in-law and Bruce's Aunt Sue and Aunt Dessie, we started talking about fried green tomatoes and I wondered if there was a recipe on the Internet for it. Guess what? There was! Now that everyone is blogging about their vegetables and such, it's obvious that this would be the best time to try out this recipe. If you're not a southerner, you'll wanna be after you taste these mighty good fixins!

Ingredients

-4 green tomatoes, thickly sliced

-1/2 cup all purpose flour

-1/4 cup yellow cornmeal

-1 egg

-1/3 cup milk

-salt and pepper, to taste

-Oil, for frying

Directions

-Preheat oven to 200 degrees

-Mix flour, corn meal, salt and pepper in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat egg and milk until combined.

-Over medium heat, add enough oil to cover bottom of frying pan by about 1/4" deep. Dip sliced tomato into egg mixture covering both sides.

-Place prepared tomato into preheated frying pan. Cook each side of the tomato until golden brown and crusty. Keep fried tomatoes in preheated oven until ready to serve.

More Good Manners......

Per request of Tami from Mamma's Quiet Time, here are a few more entries from Good Manners for Young Americans.

The elderly are special people to me and so I have chosen entries from the chapter titled Good Manners With Older People. Now, I'm sure this is not intended JUST for the elderly, but children today need to learn respect and courtesy toward the older generation. This, of course, is my humble opinion. :O)

Rise when older people enter the room and see that they are comfortably seated before you sit down. Be especially courteous when conversing with older people. Never interrupt them.

Pupils, either boys or girls, who happen to be at the door when a teacher approaches, open the door for the teacher, and, should the teacher be carrying anything heavy, boys offer to carry it. Always stand aside for an older person to pass through a doorway.

When you get to school, go at once to your seat; get to work immediately without the teacher having to tell you!

The books and papers on a teacher's desk belong to her or to the school. You have no more right to read any writing she may have left on her desk than you have to read other people's letters.

Do not answer a question addressed to some one else. Do not make fun of another's mistakes. Remember, He who laughs at other's woes, Finds few friends and many foes!

Always rise when addressing your school teacher, principal, or Sunday School Teacher. I thought that one was interesting because this was a school text book and they made reference to the Sunday School teacher. That was good.

Opening the door for a young lady or older person, is an act of a gentleman.

Ok, this is my favorite one for the day. This one needs to be taught to ALL children today. Everytime my kids go away from me I always tell them, "Remember your name." In other words, what people see in your actions reflect on me and and your dad. But more importantly, it refelcts on Christ.
Do not cast a poor reflection on your parents and school by failing to be courteous in all situations.

Turn Your Radio On!

I'm so thrilled! If you don't have your volume on, turn it up now! Teens-4-Christ radio has graciously allowed me to put their radio on my blog. THANKS, y'all!! This is music from our church, other meetings they have attended and some of their favorites. I hope you all enjoy it. I definitely am!! There are a few people who haven't been able to hear and it is because they have dial up. Sorry.

Good Manners For Young Americans

I recently purchased an old text book called Good Manners For Young Americans at a yard sale. I have this thing for old text books and usually purchase them if they have a copyright before 1940. This one has a copyright date of 1932 and I thought it would be fun to share a few entries of the things they were teaching in our school system at that time. This is taken from the Chapter titled Good Manners in Public Places. HA! I'd like to see how children today would react if our schools brought these text books back into the classroom.

Care for your finger nails, your face, your hair in your room at home, not in any public place. After making your toilet as well as you can, forget it.

There is no other place in which the spirit of courtesy seems so lacking as in our trolley cars, elevated trains and subways. In getting on a car, stand aside, and let those who are infirm or older precede you. Always rise to give your seat to a much older person, to a cripple or to a mother with a child.

OK, this one is my favorite. I'm a gum chewer so now I feel ashamed.....But I'll still probably stop at the convenient store on my way to church Sunday and purchase some spearmint chewing gum.

Never chew gum in cars or in other public places. If you must chew gum, let it be within the privacy of your own room.

Bruce and I have noticed that with this generation of children there is absolutely no respect for the adult strangers they come into contact with. Not necessarily YOUR child. I'm speaking of this generation in general. We get frustrated when we wave at a youth and they look at us like they could throw a rock through our car.

Greet parents of your friends or older people of your acquaintances with a pleasant, "Good morning, Mrs. S$mith." "Hello!" is not a courteous greeting to an older person.

If you are a good citizen, you will, of course, not throw trash or paper into the street, but will carry it to cans provided for the purpose. BOY, wouldn't it be nice if we saw more of that?

American boys and girls should take enough pride in their own property and in the property of others to keep things in order.


They've stopped teaching these things in our schools, but we still have the right to teach them in our home.

Kitchen Survey

I found this on another blog and thought I'd do it too. So, thanks Tori, for the idea. :) If you'd like to check out her blog, which I have enjoyed very much, just click here. She's a Missionary wife in Croatia and I can tell she's a sweet lady and someone I would love to meet one day!

1. How many meals does most of your family eat at home each week?
I cook pretty much all week long. We only go out if we're going to be out during the supper or lunch hour or if Bruce and I go out on a date.

2. How many cookbooks do you own?
44 published including the Food and Family Magazines I spotlighted a couple of posts back, 1 homemade handwritten recipe journal with my favorite recipes given to me by my mother, mother-in-law and friends, and one homemade notebook of recipes retrieved through emails and websites.

3. When you cook, do you follow the recipe pretty closely, or do you use recipes primarily to give you ideas?
I usually follow closely when baking, but for the most part, I change things here and there to my family's liking.

4. What's your favorite kitchen task related to meal planning and preparation?

Probably using the food processor or any of my pampered chef products. That's always fun.

5. Do you plan menus before you shop?
Not really. I know the things we like and just try to keep stocked up on certain ingredients that I know I'll be using. If I know I'm going to follow a certain recipe, then I'll write down what I need before shopping.

6. What are your three favorite kitchen tools or appliances?
Food processor, PC rolling pin, PC can opener and also the PC stone....I know, that's four. But there are many more I enjoy using.

7. If you could buy one new thing for your kitchen, money was no object, and space not an issue, what would you most like to have?
Probably the PC utinsel caddy. My drawer is so full and I really need one to hold my stuff. That would be great. Not very exciting, but that's what I would get.

8. Since money and space probably are objects, what are you most likely to buy next?
I have no idea. I'm pretty content with my kitchen at this time. :)

9. Do you have a separate freezer for storage?
No, but I would LOVE to have one. That would be so great!

10. Grocery shop alone or with others?
Sometimes I go with my kids, but usually I go alone.

11. How many meatless main dish meals do you fix in a week?
Breakfast is the only meal we don't have meat unless I cook breakfast. And that's not often. Our other meals always have meat. We're a meat and potato kind of family. All except Harrison. He's an herbavore.

12. If you have a decorating theme in your kitchen, what is it? Favorite kitchen colors?
I used to do cows, but that got old. So I mooooooved all my cows to a consignment shop and decorated in florals. I don't really have a favorite "kitchen color" but my kitchen is pink and I LOVE the color pink.

13. What's the first thing you ever learned to cook, and how old were you?
Betty Crocker cake. I THINK I was 11 or 12.

Purified Seven Times Part I

A few weeks ago, Pastor Goodman mentioned that he wanted to do a series on the King James Bible and how it has been translated seven times to perfection, and needs not to be translated ever again. Other translations are wrong and have not been ordained by God.

I've been looking forward to this series so much and have decided to do a post on it. So be watching the Wednesday evening or Thursday posts. When you believe something, you should know why you believe it. And this is something that is important to me. I've always read and used the KJB because I was brought up on it. My Daddy always said, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" So I'm looking forward to this series and I hope you will enjoy the posts on them. I pray the Lord will guide my fingers as I do them and the Light of the WORD will be magnified.

Pastor began his series with a little history. So here we go....

Psalm 12:6 says, "The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times." If you want to know what God thinks about His WORD, just look at the first part of that verse. He says they are PURE words.

The King James Bible is the seventh translation and the number seven, when seen in the Bible, is the number of completion and perfection. Again, see the verse above! Neat, huh?? There were 47 men that translated this version and these men voted 47 to nothing that it was perfected.

The Roman Catholic Church suppressed the translation of the Bible except in Latin, keeping people in the dark concerning the scripture. Hence The Dark Ages.

At that time, the scripture was read by only the clergy of the Catholic Church and there were only fragments of it circulating. John Whitcliffe, a former Catholic priest, began to translate the scriptures into English, by hand. Sometimes on wooden paper. Can you imagine? There were no printing presses so in order to get the WORD out, he had to hand write it. Anyway, Whitcliffe was inspired by a man name Peter Waldo. He was a leader of a group of Christians known as the first AnaBaptists. They preached against baptizing babies into salvation, among other things, which made them outlaws in the eyes of the Catholic church. They would hide in caves and anywhere else they would be safe. Around 500 Bibles were in translation and circulating when they were seized and translated back into Latin by the Catholic church.

Baptist are not protestant. They were never part of the Catholic church which means they never had to protest anything. They just preached the truth and ran for their lives because of it. We just wanted a Bible!

When these AnaBaptists were hiding in the woods, Pope Innocent VIII smoked the woods to draw out the Christians and slaughter them. This day, called The Saint Bartholomew Day, was established to be a holiday and celebrated among the Catholic church. It is still celebrated in the Catholic Church today. This Pope wasn't so innocent, was he?

300 Christians were slaughtered so that their blood soaked the ground and the people who watched and participated in these slaughters were walking on soft ground of bloody mud.

Besides being burned at the stake, did you know that Christians found reading the scriptures were arrested by the Catholic church, tied by their hands and feet, and were slowly sawed in half? Some of them, and their children, were wrapped in animal skin soaked in water and thrown into the woods to be mauled and eaten alive by wild animals. If they were left alone, the heat from the sun would dry the skin and it would contract to suffocate them. All because they wanted to read the TRUTH. And most Christians today won't even carry a tract on them to share with someone else.

I'm thankful for the men, women, and children that died for my Blessed Old Book!

The first translation was finalized in 1384. There are six more to come!

Recipes, Recipes, And More Recipes

Are you constantly looking for recipes that use every day items found in your cabinet? Well, look no more! I've been receiving Kraft's Food & Family magazine for a long time now. And I just love this magazine! I've kept every one of them and use the recipes in them often.

If you're interested in receiving it in the mail, just go to Kraft's website and sign up for it. It's free and comes several times a year. I really think you'll enjoy it. I know I do!

Hannah's Father's Day Poem

I say it's her poem, but she actually copied it. Hannah loves to read poetry so I wasn't surprised that she found one on Fathers and wanted to share it with her Daddy for Father's Day. She found a typewriter in Justin's room that had been tucked away and exposed this weekend. She was curious as to how it worked. She quickly figured it out and said, "Mom, is it OK if I use this little machine to copy a poem for Dad?" I got so tickled at that. Have we come so far in technology that our children don't know what a typewriter is? Well, anyway, I thought that was cute. Here's the poem.

Fathers Are Wonderful People

Fathers are wonderful people

too little understood,

we do not sing their praises as often as we should.

For, somehow, father seems to be

the man who pays the bills,

while mother binds up little hurts,

and nurses all our ills.

And father struggles daily

to live up to his image.

As protector and provider,

and HERO of the scrimmage.

And perhaps that is the reason

we sometimes get the notion,

that fathers are not subject,

to the thing we call emotion.

But if you look inside Dad's heart,

where no one else can see,

you will find he's sentimental,

and as soft as he can be.

But he's so busy every day,

in the grueling race of life,

he leaves the sentimental stuff,

to his partner and his wife.

But fathers are just wonderful,

in a million different ways.

And like our Heavenly Father,

he's a guardian and guide,

someone we can count on

to be always by our side.

Just A Few More

Justin with my parents.

My niece Taylor and Hannah....They're the same age but Hannah's a little short for her age...so that explains the height difference.

Justin and his best friend Jeremy. They would NOT cooperate with the picture taking and when they wanted to I told them an emphatic NO and posted this one! HA! Oh, they had been jumping on the trampoline so that explains the obvious. LOL

Happy Birthday, Justin

The cake!

The ceremonial ritual of blowing out the candles!

Reading the card that Taylor gave him.

Reading a card from Grandparents!

Paw Paw with Hannah and Taylor

The Grandmothers!

The proud Dad.

Justin dipped me for sugars. I could have DIED!

The proud Mama (me) and her baby boy.

Hannah bought Justin a new UNC hat. GO TARHEELS!

Hannah giving Justin a Birthday hug while Harrison waits for his. Ohhhhh, how sweet.
Justin wanted money so we're going shopping later today.