Christian Families are Best for Culture

-eastern rural Iowa 

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"Stable natural families would be, by far, the best anti-poverty, anti-crime, and pro-education program. 

Thus, Christian sexual morality is integral to social justice because it protects and promotes family formation and flourishing. 

It is not an idiosyncratic or arbitrary religious decree or practice but, instead, is rooted in human nature and ordered toward our good and the good of those around us. 

Its truth and beauty are manifest in loving and enduring relationships, grounded on oaths sworn and upheld, rather than the fickle flux of day-to-day desires. 

This commitment provides a solid foundation for an enduring intimacy between man and wife."

-Nathanael Blake

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Train up your children in the LORD

 -Kinsman

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"Religion in a Family is at once its brightest   Ornament and its best Security."

-Samuel Adams (1780)

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Proverbs 22:6, 17-21

..."Train up a child in the way he should go,

Even when he is old he will not depart from it...

...Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise,

And apply your mind to my knowledge;

For it will be pleasant if you keep them within you,

That they may be ready on your lips.

So that your trust may be in the Lord,

I have taught you today, even you.

Have I not written to you excellent things

Of counsels and knowledge,

To make you know the certainty of the words of truth

That you may correctly answer him who sent you?"...

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A Happy Anniversary! I miss them so!

My Parent's, Kenneth and Roberta;  

my Father's parents, Ezra and Willhelmina; 

my mother's mother, Mildred, 

1950.

A precious couple; 

a loving mother and father.

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Joy is in Its Season

Autumn is such a lovely month.

All the harvests, all the changing of colors, the fresh clean air, and all the memories of families throughout the years.

All the baking, the autumn recipe aromas, the clearing out of the yards, and the cleaning of the house to decorate for autumn. The pumpkins from your garden which surprise you, and the placing of them on the porch.

All the get togethers with friends, specials church suppers, autumn drives to see the trees, and field trips with other seniors...

Autumn is Joy in Its Season!

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The Love of Family

~PLUGGERS 

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Thankful for my safety in Jesus!

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Romans 10:9-10

 ..."if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."...

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Glory to the LORD!

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The Most Extraordinary Thing

Psalm 127

"Unless the Lord builds the house,


They labor in vain who build it;


Unless the Lord guards the city,


The watchman keeps awake in vain.

It is vain for you to rise up early,


To retire late,


To eat the bread of painful labors;

For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,


The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,


So are the children of one’s youth.

How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;


They will not be ashamed


When they speak with their enemies in the gate."

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Joys of Life

 Memories...

What is Your Most Important Career?

Genesis 2:22-25

..."The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. 

The man said,

"This is now bone of my bones,


And flesh of my flesh;


She shall be called Woman,


Because she was taken out of Man.”

For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, 

and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed."

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A Legacy: Family

The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, 

king of Israel:

To know wisdom and instruction,


To discern the sayings of understanding,

To receive instruction in wise behavior,


Righteousness, justice and equity;

To give prudence to the naive,


To the youth knowledge and discretion,

 

A wise man will hear and increase in learning,


And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,

 

To understand a proverb and a figure,


The words of the wise and their riddles.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;


Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Hear, my son, your father’s instruction


And do not forsake your mother’s teaching;

 

Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head


And ornaments about your neck."...

Proverbs 1:1-9

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You Are To Love on Your Family Right Now

2 Timothy 4:1-5

"I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:

preach the word; 

be ready in season 

and out of season; 

reprove, 

rebuke, 

exhort, 

with great patience 

and instruction.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."...

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Survivors

"We are all the descendants of survivors. 

Our grandparents and great-grandparents fought in wars, persisted through economic turmoil and didn’t give up. 

Whatever happened to them, they didn’t see themselves as the victims. 

They were strong, not because they postured on social media, but because they got up whenever they were knocked down. 

They had their grievances and resentments, but they didn’t build their lives around them.

Survivors are motivated by love and duty. 

They understand that there is more to life than their own pain. 

They redeem their suffering by making their lives matter. 

That is the essence of the human ideal. 

It’s how nations and families are built." …

-Daniel Greenfield, A Nation of Victims is Doomed to Fail.

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Titus

...2 "But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine

Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance.

Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.

Likewise urge the young men to be sensible; in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.

Urge bondslaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

3 Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.

For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.

But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. 

These things are good and profitable for men.

But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.

Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned."...

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Bedtime Stories

ROSE is ROSE 

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How about a Long Walk?

 ROSE is ROSE

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Time is so precious. Don't' waste it.

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"Her Mothering Centered on Family"

Years ago...almost forty years ago I happily went to apply for a library card in our new town. As young mother I was excited and ready to begin checking out books for myself and my children.  

Instead of the simple task of signing up I was bombarded with loud questions about my identification. I had my driver's license for that state, but the belligerent librarian demanded another form of ID which was a student identification or then, louder, a work identification.

"Don't you even have a work identification card?" She belted out.

All these years have gone by now, thankfully,  with other towns and another state in which no one else has had a problem with just a drivers license.

I think back now and wonder if college classes even then were teaching that staying home to raise your own children was unthinkable.

This came to my mind today as I read an obituary of a 93 year woman. She had a full and beautiful life with her husband of 71 years. As I continued to read I learned all about her from this beautifully written obituary. 

She and her husband were One and they raised all their children with love, enjoying grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The one line which was so significant to me says it all:

"Her mothering continued as grand and great-grandchidlren came into her world which centered on family."

What a beautiful testimony of a godly woman's life!

Titus 2:3-5

..."Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored."...

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A Properly Situated Family

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" Contrary to popular opinion, the most important characteristic of a godly mother is not her relationship with her children.  

It is her love for her husband.  

The love between husband and wife is the real key to a thriving family.  

A healthy home environment cannot be built exclusively on the parents' love for their children. 

The properly situated family has marriage at the center; families shouldn't revolve around the children."

-John MacArthur

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The Summer Snowman

This is a classic children's book - most probably not in any library now - although it should be. 

A simple story of family and community. It is a treasure if you can find one. 

Does anyone remember it?

Our own Summer Snowman now in the freezer waiting for July Fourth :o)

This one is very unique snowman with chocolate chips for buttons and eyes, a piece of cheese for the nose, and pussywillow sticks for arms  :o)

Reminiscing

 

internet photo

Time has flown, but I remember a happy, safe childhood.

Thankful.

In her own hand

 One of my favorite recipes from my mother:

Can you tell this recipe has been used for 45 years?

About ten years ago I covered it with contact paper to preserve it.

Another recipe from my Grandmother in my mother's hand:

This one I photo copied from a piece of paper I just found in my mother's hand writing, and so I replaced my greasy hand written one from 45 years ago. A treasure from two precious women in my life!

2 Timothy 3:14

"...But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it..."

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Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I have such happy memories from my childhood of special St. Patrick's Day cards from my Scottish grandma.  It wasn't until I was older when my mother would laugh at the cards we received and explain that her mother thought it was so funny to send them because she was Scottish. 

This is why I enjoy making and sending St. Pat. cards.  :o)

Just Another Day for Us!