It was a beautiful day out yesterday to head outside and take some pictures at the park!
Filed under: Pictures, family | Tagged: fall, family pictures, park | 2 Comments »
Should Christians Celebrate/Participate in Halloween?
Posted on 1, November 4, 2009 by Kira
The Devil And Halloween
by John D. Morris, Ph.D.
“Neither give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:27).
Halloween has long been claimed as the high, holy day of Satan worship. This is the day when witches and warlocks gather to praise their leader and extend his work on Earth. Festivities are marked by unprecedented evil and blasphemy, with blood sacrifices and hedonistic practices playing prominent parts.
To far too great an extent, Christian families participate in the same, with children (and parents, too) dressing up as demons, ghosts, skeletons, wizards, etc. We can only surmise how much pleasure Satan derives from this deception.
Satan, we must remember, is the “adversary . . . (who), as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (I Peter 5:8), and many times he disguises himself as “an angel of light” (II Corinthians 11:14). We are to “resist (him) steadfast in the faith” (I Peter 5:9), for, “resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
Although Satan is acknowledged to be “the prince of this world” (John 14:30), his doom is sure. “The God of peace shall bruise [literally crush] Satan under your feet shortly” (Romans 16:20). He will be “cast into the lake of fire and brimstone . . . and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).
Until the realization of that ultimate victory is gained, our mission on Earth is to “turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God” (Acts 26:18).
Accordingly, let us strive to see that his harmful influence is thwarted on this, his special day. The children of each community need protection from the evil influences boldly swarming this night. May we, ourselves, not fall prey to his dark deceptions, and especially in the lives of our children, may we focus their attention on the Light, instead. JDM
http://www.icr.org/article/devil-halloween/
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HALLOWEEN
By David N. Taylor (The Storehouse Church)
It’s History and Origin
Three hundred years before Jesus was born, a civilization of people called the Celtics lived throughout the British Isles, Scandinavia, and Western Europe. They were a common group, much like many segments of society today, but they were controlled by a secret society of priests and pagans called the Druids.
The Druids were satanists who worshipped and served the demonic god of death – Samhain (pronounced Sa-man). These satanic priests literally controlled people’s lives through the mechanism of fear, and much death, disease, and destruction came upon the Celtics as a result of the Druids and their practices.
Each year on October 31, the Druids celebrated the eve of the Celtic new year in honor of their pagan god, Samhain. The “Festival of Samhain,” more assuredly called “The Festival of Death,” was officially known, and is still recognized today by all satanists, occultists, and devil worshippers as the eve of the new year for witchcrafts.
Anton Lavey, author of “The Satanic Bible” and high priest of The Church of Satan, says there are three important days to satanists: 1) their birthday, 2) April 30, and 3) THE MOST IMPORTANT DAY – HALLOWEEN.
Lavey says it is on this night that satanic, occult, and witchcraft powers are at their highest potency level, and any witch or occultist who has been having difficulty with a spell or curse can usually achieve success on October 31st because Satan and his powers are at their best that night. October 31st, Halloween, is the eve of the new year for witchcraft. The World Book Encyclopedia says it is the beginning of all that is “cold, dark, and dead!” When you send your little children out to go “trick-or-treating”, you’re actually telling them to celebrate all that is cold, dark, and dead!
Trick-or-Treat
The Druid priests would go from house to house demanding all sorts of strange foods for their own consumption and to offer later to “Lord Samhain” at The Festival of Death. If the village people would not give them the foods demanded, they would speak a demonic curse over the home, and history claims that someone in that family would die within the year. Thus you have “trick-or-treat”!
The Druids would carry with them a large turnip, which they had hollowed out on the inside and carved a face on the front, to represent the demonic spirit they depended upon for their power and knowledge. This spirit is called “a familiar spirit”. (See Acts 16:16-18) The turnip, lighted by a candle from within, was used as a lantern for the Druids as they went from house to house at night. Now, it was believed by the Druids that their familiar spirit would inhabit these turnips and assist them in carrying out the spells spoken over the homes and lives of those refusing the Druids’ demands.
When this practice came to America in the 8th and 19th centuries, turnips weren’t that prominent, but we did have a vegetable native to this country that was soon substituted for the turnips. That’s right – the pumpkin. The name given to the spirit which inhabited the turnip was “Jock,” and upon arriving in America it became “Jack, who lives in the lantern” or “Jack-O Lantern”.
As you can clearly see, there is NOTHING Christian about Halloween. It is today what it has always been – a day dedicated to the devil.
What Should Our Position as A Christian Be?
The most common complaints about anyone taking a stand against Halloween is (#1) – “You’re trying to take all the fun out of little children’s lives,” and (#2) – “You’re trying to make something out of nothing, because we don’t believe in that stuff.”
Now listen! Just because you don’t believe in something does not mean that it’s not real. I know some people who don’t believe we’ve ever landed a spaceship on the moon. They believe that those television pictures are just made up. But, tell me something. Does that change the fact that man has walked on the surface of the moon? Of course not! Facts are facts regardless of what some people choose to believe. Just because you don’t visualize Halloween as “really” demonic and as something dangerous to your life, does not keep you or your children from Satan’s intended desire which is to instill FEAR!, DEATH!, and DESTRUCTION! into people’s minds.
Think about it. What is Halloween besides fear, horror, ghosts, witches, goblins, and devils? Just because you don’t “worship Satan,” does that give you the right to train your children to serve him one night out of the year in the name of fun? That’s what we do if we allow our families to participate in common Halloween practices.
The Bible says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” (Proverbs 22:6) How can we righteously instruct our children in the ways of Halloween when everything about Halloween is of the devil? The Bible says, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) It further states, “Perfect love casteth out fear.” (I John 4:18) Does Halloween cause our children to be at peace, or does it cause them to become terribly afraid? Remember going through the “house of horror” at the Halloween carnival at our school or church when we were growing up and the fear that gripped us as we felt and heard all kinds of mysterious things? As adults today, maybe it’s funny, but to a little child it’s terror that causes nightmares and very unpleasant memories when alone or in the darkness of night.
The Bible says, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a Believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are temples of the Living God. As God has said, “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore come out from them and be separate,’ says the Lord, ‘touch no unclean thing and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,’ says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)
Why should Christians not honor Halloween? Because it is paying homage to the devil. It’s the spirit behind Halloween which makes it wrong.
“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them”. (Ephesians 5:11)“Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord, and abhor those who rise up against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”. (Psalm 139:21-24)“Anyone who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” (James 4:17)“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
If we really desire to honor the Lord in our lives and family, then we must teach our children concerning the truth about Halloween, and provide them with an alternative to “trick-or treating”. Don’t just take away the bad, give them something to take it’s place that will honor the Lord instead of honoring the devil.
God desires for children of all ages to have fun, but fun at the expense of serving the devil is not fun at all.
How Did It Get Into The Church?
When Constantine became Emperor of Rome, he made a law declaring Christianity (which was Catholicism at this particular time in history) to be the official state religion. Having been recently converted by a tremendous martyr of that time, Constantine was zealous in his new- found faith and demanded as emperor that everyone become a Christian or face the penalty of death. This was the old “throw them to the lions” that the Christians had been facing for years. Well, you can imagine what happened. The church was flooded with pagans. Not converts, but rather pagan people forced to join the Catholic Church or lose their lives for defying the Emperor. As this happened, the priests and especially the Pope faced some serious problems. These people were bringing all their pagan practices and ideas into the church including “The Festival of Samhain”. They wanted – no, demanded – that this festival remain a part of their lives.
Since the church was unsuccessful in getting the pagan practices out of the people, it was decided to sanctify some of them. Especially this October 31st ritual called “The Festival of Samhain”. In the 9th century, the Pope declared a new day to be celebrated by the church on November 1st, called All Saint’s Day. This day is in honor of all the martyred saints of the church, and October 31st became the eve of All Saint’s Day. Now, the church contended, the people could still have festival on October 31st because November 1st was a holy day.
The Mass said on All Saint’s Day is the “All hallowmas” and over the years the evening before became known as “All Hallow’s Eve – All Hallowed Eve – All Hallow E’en – and finally Halloween. But, the problem was that nothing changed. The people didn’t lay down their pagan rites and worship of devils for this “new eve” established by the church. They didn’t have prayer meetings or worship services to thank Almighty God for the saints already gone. What it was in the beginning, it now still is. Halloween is a day that honors and promotes all that is cold, dark, and dead. When you start making preparations for a “Halloween Party,” you don’t go to the store and purchase pictures of Joan of Arc, the disciples of Jesus, or any other Christian saint. You look for ghosts, witches, black cats, ghouls, etc. Halloween is a day for devils – not saints. What the Pope attempted to do in the AD 800’s backfired, because in making “All hallowmas” holy, Halloween became recognized by the church as a religious holiday, and nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, all Halloween is and ever will be is “The Festival of Samhain,” the Lord of Death. Halloween has no roots in the Church, but is firmly rooted in the occult, witchcraft, and satanism.
Doreen Irving, who was the ruling witch of Western Europe and the British Isles and was the mistress of the high priest of Satan over that same area, is now a born-again, spirit-filled Christian. She says, “If Christian parents had any idea of what Halloween really is, they wouldn’t even mention the word around their children.”
Filed under: Convictions, FYI's, Religions/ Cults | Tagged: All Hallow's Eve, Celtics, Druids, Halloween, history of Halloween, John D. Morris, lit pumpkins, Satan, should Christians celebrate Halloween?, spirits, the Devil, The Festival of Death, trick-or-treating, worship | 2 Comments »
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
Posted on 1, November 3, 2009 by Kira
These muffins are an absolute favorite in our house!! We make ours with whole wheat flour, and they turn out wonderful, extremely delicious…and just might make you jealous. 
Ingredients:
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1 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
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1 cup sugar
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1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
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1 teaspoon baking soda
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1/4 teaspoon baking powder
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1/4 teaspoon salt
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2 large eggs
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1 cup plain pumpkin (1/2 of 1 lb can)
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1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
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1 cup (6 oz) chocolate chips
Mix together in a large bowl first six ingredients.
Mix separately the eggs, pumpkin, butter and chocolate chips. Pour wet over dry.
Pour batter in greased muffin tins, or use liners. Bake 20 minutes or until puffed and springy to the touch in center.
Note: We always triple the recipe using a 29 oz. can of pumpkin, decreasing the sugar to 2 cups (succanet sugar works well), adding ground flax seed and using 1 bag of mini chocolate chips. We sometimes use all whole wheat, and many times grind up spelt berries and oats with the wheat berries. Both turn out excellent!! After they are cooled we freeze them.
Filed under: From the Kitchen | Tagged: chocolate chip muffins, muffins, pumpkin muffins, whole wheat muffins | 2 Comments »
Kamut, the Wonder Grain?
Posted on 1, October 12, 2009 by Kira
The Facts (From “Breakfasts” by Sue Gregg):
~ It’s wheat, so it acts like wheat in all recipes, including yeast bread recipes. It has the necessary gluten content to give light and tender results.
~ It is 20-40 % higher in protein than whole wheat, slightly higher in 8 of 9 minerals, considerably higher in magnesium and zinc, and up to 65% higher in amino acids.
~ The texture is lighter than whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour, kamut-oat waffles are the lightest ever tasted, and it makes wonderfully textured Kamut Bread.
~ Many people sensitive to wheat are able to eat kamut without allergic reaction. At least two controlled studies have demonstrated that 70% of those with negative responses to wheat can enjoy kamut products. If you have similar allergies, consult your physician.
~ It is easily digestible, yet since it is higher protein and higher in fat than wheat, it is considered a higher energy food.
~ The same amount of kamut can be used in any recipe without altering the quantity of any of the other ingredients, or changing the baking temperature. New recipes are not really needed for kamut.
~ It has its own unique taste, not at all like whole wheat. The baked goods are lighter in color, a psychological plus for persons attached to eating white breads.
I will be posting up coming Kamut recipes and sharing the results, so stay tuned. 
Filed under: FYI's, From the Kitchen | 2 Comments »
Got a Cold? Breathe Better and Cough Less with…
Posted on 1, October 11, 2009 by Kira
Now that we’re into Fall, *ahem*, the cold and flu season, you can most assuredly count on catching some form of sickness or another. Yes… accompanying all of the wonderful experiences fall brings each year… sadly, THIS is one of them.
My family and I have already begun to contract our share of “the season”, involving the terrible head-cold, sore throat and light fever. Being the germ freak that I am, I tried everything in my power to avoid it, but, when it’s running through your family… you better face it, it’s pretty much hopeless.
You see, when the youngest two of my siblings catch a cold, we can be certain that they will not sleep through the night. This is unfortunate for my mom, who is the one up dealing with all of the sniffling and moaning, and coughing and groaning coming from the two rooms next to hers. (Kelly and I have our rooms in the basement, lucky for us).
Last year my mom happened to get the email below from my grandma. It said that Vicks Vapor Rub would stop the coughing when applied to the soles of your feet. Well, it just so happened that Ryan and Kristina had a cold at the time and couldn’t sleep because of their cough. My mom thought she had nothing to lose, so she went in and rubbed it on their feet (actually we used Breathe Better Rub) which is similar, put their socks on and would you believe, they went to sleep and quit coughing. The next night she did the same thing and they slept through the night. The third night she forgot Kristina’s feet and while my mom was in bed she could hear Kristina coughing and coughing. My mom went into her room and while she was still asleep rubbed the Breathe Better Rub on her feet, put socks on and covered her up. Five minutes later, no more coughing. Strange but true.
Now my mom thinks ahead and puts it on their feet the first night they get a cold. However, the other night my mom was woken up by Ryan who was coughing like crazy. (She had forgotten his feet.) She went in there, lathered the rub on the bottom of his feet, covered them with socks, and within minutes he was sleeping peacefully. My mom highly recommends this and has found nothing else that has worked so wonderfully as Breathe Better Rub..
You might want to keep this in your medicine cabinet this year.
Breathe Better Rub – the all-natural herbal rub that clears sinuses, relieves nasal congestion, and alleviates breathing discomfort (and stops the coughing). It consists of the ingredients: Rosemary oil, Lavender oil, Peppermint oil, Eucalyptus, Menthol, Camphor oil, Beeswax and Canola oil.
Here is a copy of the email my mom received:
VICKS VAPOR RUB – COUGHING Email
VICKS VAPOR RUB
During a lecture on Essential Oils, they told us how the foot soles can absorb oils. Their example: Put garlic on your feet and within 20 minutes you can ‘taste’ it.Some of us have used Vicks Vapor rub for years for everything from chapped lips to sore toes and many body parts in between. But I’ve never heard of this. And don’t laugh, it works 100% of the time, although the scientists who discovered it aren’t sure why. To stop night time coughing in a child (or adult as we found out personally), put Vicks Vapor rub generously on the bottom of the feet at bedtime, then cover with socks. Even persistent, heavy, deep coughing will stop in about 5 minutes and stay stopped for many, many hours of relief. Works 100% of the time and is more effective in children than even very strong prescription cough medicines. In addition it is extremely soothing and comforting and they will sleep soundly.
Just happened to tune in A.M. Radio and picked up this guy talking about why cough medicines in kids often do more harm than good, due to the chemical makeup of these strong drugs so, I listened. It was a surprise finding and found to be more effective than prescribed medicines for children at bedtime, in addition to have a soothing and calming effect on sick children who then went on to sleep soundly.
My wife tried it on herself when she had a very deep constant and persistent cough a few weeks ago and it worked 100%! She said that it felt like a warm blanket had enveloped her, coughing stopped in a few minutes and believe me, this was a deep, ( incredibly annoying!) every few seconds uncontrollable cough, and she slept cough-free for hours every night that she used it.
If you have grandchildren, pass this on. If you end up sick, try it yourself and you will be absolutely amazed at how it works.
Filed under: FYI's, Health and Beauty, Reviews | Tagged: breathe better, Breathe Better Rub, cold, cough less, coughing, dry cough, flu, stop coughing, Vick Vapor Rub email, Vicks Vapor Rub | 1 Comment »
Zucchini Recipes
Posted on 1, October 7, 2009 by Kira
We don’t grow zucchini ourselves, but we have some friends of ours that do, and they end up with QUITE a bit of it. They were kind enough to give some to us (thanks Maureen!) There are many uses for zucchini. It can be shred and put into salads, can be cut into strips and be included in a veggie dip tray…I could go on, but here are a few of our favorites.
Here is a quick, last minute throw-together recipe that turned out very appetizing.
We simply sauted Vidalia onions in extra virgin olive oil, added sliced zucchini, salt, and freshly ground pepper. When done, topped it with shredded parmesan cheese.
This cake was a hit! Very rich, moist, and chocolatey… without all the guilt.
Ingredients:
- 1-3/4 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-1/2 cups whole wheat flour *
- 1/2 cup baking cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup 1% buttermilk
- 2 cups shredded zucchini
- 1 cup (6 oz) miniature semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted (optional)
* You can purchase your whole wheat from the store, or like us, we purchase our wheat berries in bulk and freshly grind them right before baking. This time we used hard and soft white wheat berries, along with spelt berries and flaxseed. We grind it all together and use this as our whole wheat flour.
In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar and oil on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the eggs, applesauce and vanilla; beat 1 minute longer. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating just until blended. Stir in zucchini. (We actually pureed it with the buttermilk so that little picky eaters couldn’t detect that zucchini was in it)
Transfer to a 9 x 13 inch baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.
Here is another zucchini recipe: our whole wheat zucchini bread – moist and delicious!
You can find the recipe to this bread in another one of my posts HERE.
If any of you know of some really good zucchini recipes, feel free to share! I’d be interested in trying them!
Filed under: FYI's, From the Kitchen | Tagged: fried zucchini, recipes, whole wheat, whole wheat chocolate cake, whole wheat zucchini bread, zucchini, zucchini recipes | 3 Comments »
