Faith & our Founding Fathers

2 Chronicles 7: 14-15

" If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

"We whose names are underwritten..having undertaken for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and honour of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia."

The Mayflower Compact (Nov. 11, 1620) 

"Winthrop and his colleagues believed that their errand was not merely a scouting expedition: it was an essential maneuver in the drama of Christendom:  these Puritans did not flee to America;  they went in order to work out that complete reformation which was not yet accomplished in England and Europe."

Historian Perry Miller

"Those who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants."

William Penn

"Either you'll be governed by God, or by God you'll be governed!"

Benjamin Franklin

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ."

Patrick Henry

"We have staked the whole future of American civilization not on the power of government, far from it.  We have staked the future of all our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God"

James Madison, 4th President of the United States

"The highest glory of the American Revolution was this; that is tied together in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity."

John Quincy Adams, 6th President of the United States

"God has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christan nation, to select and prefer Christians for their rulers."

John Jay, first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

"I, do profess Faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ is own Son, and in the Holy Ghose, one God blessed for evermore, and I do acknowledge the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine Inspiration"

 State Constitution of Delaware's Oath for the House or Burgess State Assembly

" We submit our persons, lives and estates unto our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords and to all those perfect and most absolute laws of His given us in His Holy Word."

Rhode Island Charter of 1683

"Sir, we are not weak if we make proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power.  The millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us."  "There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us."  " Forbid it almighty God!  I know not what course others may take; but as for me, Give me liberty or give me death."

Patrick Henry

Above quotes taken from "The Second Mayflower" written by Kevin Swanson

" Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

1st Amendment ~ United States Constitution 

(Note: it does not say Separation of Church and State (that phrase was in a letter Thomas Jefferson wrote years later).  It does say the Congress shall not establish a religion.)

Our great country was founded on Christian principles by Christian Men.

If you want to know the truth about the Heritage of our Nation ~ read their papers, letters, correspondences.  Do not rely on the re-written Politically Correct history books that are in the schools today. 

Daybook

For today...

Outside my window...beautiful, sunny skies ~ temps in the 30's

I am thinking...about Shelby, Marie, & Gregg

I am thankful for...prayer

From the kitchen...baked hamburgers, mashed potatoes & gravy, green beans ~ one of Greg's favorite meals

I am wearing...khaki skirt, red knit shirt, slip on tennies

I am creating...Psalm 23 cross stitch, finished large center square ~ now onto the smaller squares all around it.

I am going...to keep seeking the Lord's wisdom & guidance

I am reading...finished 2Kings yesterday  ~ now reading 1 Chronicles

Also reading about gardening ~ specifically herbs

I am praying...for Shelby's dr. appt. today ~ she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis yesterday and there could be more going on.  (Shelby is the friend that went to Honduras with us last year and she is my friend Marie's "Just Call me Rie's" daughter)

From the schoolroom...biology worksheets on Respiration, Algebra, Spanish, Language, Reading, Scripture Memorization, Bible Drill Practice, crafts

I am hearing...cars driving, children talking, fingers typing

Around the house...crafting, puppies playing, some kitchen remodeling (took out the old stove & microwave ~ not to make that space into a cabinet), planning garden, discussing the future

One of my favorite things...talks with my children

A few plans for the rest of the week...Bible Study, movie night at church, Sunday School party at our house

Pictures to Share...

John Deere Tractor Cake the girls made their Daddy for his birthday, they did a great job!

You can read more daybook entries at 

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Mexican Chicken Soup

I wanted something different to do with chicken this morning.  I looked in my trusty "Fix It & Forget It Cookbook" and found several tortilla soup recipes.  I started with their concept and put a Donna spin on it!  It is a Keeper!  Everyone liked it!

 Donna's Mexican Chicken Soup  (for the crockpot)

4-5 chicken breasts cooked, cooled, and cut up

1/2 teaspoon garlic

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup salsa (we used mild)

45-50 chicken stock

3 can Rotel tomatoes (we used mild)

Put the garlic and butter in the crockpot, turn it on low and let it start cooking.  Then add the rest of the ing. Set the temp to Low and cook for 8 hours.

Top with crispy tortilla strips and cheddar cheese...enjoy.

For the crispy tortilla strips, you cut flour tortillas into thin strips and place them on a greased cookie sheet.  After the sheet is full, spray the strips lightly with cooking spray & put in a oven set to 375 degrees for 5-8 minutes.  They will get lightly brown.  

This is yummy...and oh so easy.  The recipe probably serves 8.

Greg thought it would be good with oyster crackers also.  Or you could use the little crumbles at the bottom of your chip bags, just something to add a little crunch.

I found the cool bowls at the Dollar Tree.  We got 8 and they are perfect to serve soup in!

Multitude Monday

Counting my blessings...

801.  peaceful Super Bowl Party ~ at home, with Greg

802.  finally feeling better after 2 weeks

803.  children that like to listen to Christian music and not "modern" stuff

804.  singing praises to the Lord

805.  Sunday afternoon naps

806.  a husband who is a hard worker &

807.  wonderful provider &

808.  fulfiller of dreams &

809.  great listener &

810.  supportive of our homeschooling &

811.  passionate about missions

812.  has a heart to make lives of a group in Haiti better (this is also a God sized prayer request ~ Greg wants to build or have built a well at the Orphanage they will be visiting in July ~ the Lord will have to work out the details & provide the funds)

813.  has jumped on the "expand our garden" bandwagon

814.  has provided a budget amount for buying plants & trees for our home

815.  loves me!

How to know if you are a Christian

Have you ever thought "Am I really saved"?  I guess at some point, lots of folks have questioned their salvation or faith.  I will say this, without getting too preachy, your salvation is a very personal issue.  You are the only one who knows if your faith is real.  No one else can tell you, if you're saved.  Just because your Mama, Daddy or Grandma is a Christian doesn't mean you are, its a life changing decision that you personally make.

Evidentally, many people question their salvation because the John McArthur Study Bible has 2 lists for you to consider.  The lists are as follows...

List One

  Evidences that neither Prove or disprove ones faith

A.  Visible Morality  Matt. 19:16-21 and 23:27

B. Intellectual Knowledge  Romans 1:21 and 2:17

C.  Religious Involvement  Matt. 25: 1-10

D. Active Ministry  Matt. 7: 21-24

E.  Conviction of Sin  Acts 24:25

F. Assurance  Matt. 23

G.  Time of Decision  Luke 8: 13-14

List Two

The Proofs of Authentic Christianity

A.  Love for God  Romans 8:7

B.  Repentance from Sin  1John 1:8-10

C.  Genuine Humility  Matt. 5: 1-2

D. Devotion to God's Glory  1 Corinthians 10:31

E.  Continual Prayer  James 5: 16-18

F.  Selfless love  1John 2:9, 3:14, and 4:7

G.  Separation from the World  1John 2:15-17, 5:5

H.  Spiritual Growth  Ephesians 4: 12-16

I.  Obedient Living   1Peter 2: 13

J. Hunger for God's Word   1Peter 2:13

K. Transformation of Life  2 Corinthians 5:17

If list One is true and List Two isn't true in your life, there is cause to questions the validity of one profession of faith.

If List Two is true, then the 1st list will be also.

There are lots of folks in churches that are very active, involved, there everytime the door opens,  leading Sunday School classes and ministries that realize "they aren't saved".  Some sit there for years, Sunday after Sunday, and know they don't have a relationship with the Lord.  It takes lots of courage for these people to humble themselves before the church and the Lord, and make a Profession of Faith.  I've seen this happen in our church 2 times in the last 9 months.  

Here is a little bit more from Thomas Watson (a Puritan Pastor/Writer)

1.  Do you cry out at sin, being burdened with it, as an exceedingly bitter thing?

2. Do you fly from sin, as from the face of a deadly serpent?

3.  Do you cry out from the insufficiency of your own self-righteousness?

4.  Have you cried out to the Lord Jesus to save you fully & completely?

5.  Do you see more worth & more merit in 1 drop of Christs blood to save you than in all the sins of the world to damn you?

6.  Are you tender of sinning against Jesus Christ:

7.  Would leave all the world for His sake?

8. Are you willing to give your life for Him?

9.  Are His Saints (fellow believers) precious to you?

10.  Is Jesus precious to you?

We watched both of these messages on "Wretched".  

It does give you cause to think...ponder...pray!

"Drive by Theology"

Greg found "Wretched" with Todd Friel on the radio and we have all been listening to him.  This radio show is a Christian show and Todd regularly "digs" through the in's & out's of other religions and faiths and takes it all back to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He is very systematic in his approach and backs it all up with scripture. Besides the radio broadcasts, there is a television show that is shown on some Christian channels.  For Christmas, Greg wanted "Drive by Theology" ~ 40 something short lectures to listen to on your way to work.  And for his birthday he wanted "Drive by Church History".  We bought both of those and are slowly working our way through them with the kids at night.

Our first lesson was on Systematic Theology which is developing from scripture a framework for understanding the principals for any situation.  The Bible has a lot to say about children, love, idols, getting along with our neighbors, etc.  But we have to find those verses so we can grasp what the Lord is trying to teach us or tell us.

It is very interesting that the Bible was written over 1500 years, by 40 different authors, in 40 different genres, and in 3 languages (Greek, Aramaic & Hebrew).  And it all flows together, never contradicts itself, is consistent in its message & comes from the mind of God.  We need to "seek to be Mastered by the Bible, not master it". 

Here is my big new term "Plenary Inspiration".  Which simply means the entire Bible is inspired by God.

We've done the first 6 lessons, so we have lots to learn.  Katie, Will & Amy are doing this with us.  We are all looking up the references and trying our hardest to take notes...sometimes they fly through the verses and we have to pause to catch up.

See ya next time for more adventures in theology!  (I've been listening to Adventures in Odyssey with Amy!)

Daybook

For today...

Outside my window...drizzly & nasty.  The temp is in the 50's & dropping down into the mid 20's tonight.  

I am thinking...that I love cozy days at home

I am thankful for...a servants heart in my husband & children

From the kitchen...Katie is baking bread.  Pork Chops & rice plus vegies for dinner tonight

I am wearing...clothes

I am creating...still working on 23rd Psalm, I've got the large center square with the Good Shepherd & sheep almost completed ~ then onto the rest of the picture.  Then I've got 4 cross stitch projects lined up behind it, so I will be busy for several months.  

From the school room...Algebra, Biology, Language, History, Spanish, lots of Home Ec, crafts

Katie is studying for her Psychology CLEP exam (she's now got 18 college credit hours!)

I am going...to work on being content ~ enjoy where I am, while I am there, and not want to be somewhere or do something else

I am hearing...rain outside, cars, the mixer

Around the house...life

One of my favorite things...microwave rice heating bags ~ works great on sore ribs from coughing so much!

A few plans for the rest of the week...Theology lessons with Greg, bible study, dance & sewing classes, cold weather

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