A Moment in Proverbs 8/08/09

Proverbs 8:13

The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the forward mouth, do I hate.

Teaching our children to hate evil means we have to be ever watchful of how evil is presented in our society. We need the Lord to open our ears and eyes so we might be aware of the dangerous messages so cunningly presented to our children. Have you watched a show, read a book or been at a playgroup and noticed pride, arrogancy, lying, and other behaviors of evil? It is important to use those moments carefully as training sessions. Talk about the seven things God hates (Proverbs 6:16-19), talk about the blessings of fearing the Lord (Psalm 1 and many other passages); give your children practical ways to avoid evil. Proverbs 4: 15 instructs us to: “Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it and pass away.” This is a task that keeps us attentive to the voice of the Lord. The good news is that we don’t have to do this in our own strength! Psalm 10: 17 Lord, thou has heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear.

Lord, prepare the hearts of your people to receive wisdom! Open our ears and let us hear! For Lord, we can do nothing without you! Keep us from evil for your Glory and our good! Amen.

M.O.M.'S Kitchen- Cheesecake

CHEESECAKE

This is one of our family favorites. I was taught many years ago under the sweet attention of a dear Sister (Mrs. Dana Jones). She shared not only her culinary secrets with me but Spiritual Truths that have remained with me for years!

Crust:

1 cup of Graham Crackers- crushed

1/2 cup of butter

1 Tbs of chopped nuts (we prefer pecans)

* Combine all crust ingredients mixing well. Then press into the bottom of your spring form pan.

Filling:

3 8oz packages of cream cheese (I prefer whipped cream cheese)

1 1/2 cup of white sugar

4 eggs

2 Tbs of vanilla

Lemon Rind

* Beat all ingredients together until smooth. There should be no lumps. Pour over the crust in your spring form pan and then bake at 350 degrees for 45 min. I put a pie pan of water under the cheesecake to help prevent the top from cracking. Once done, take out of oven and let cook for 15 min. while it is cooling make your topping.

Topping:

1 pint of sour cream

3/4 cup of white sugar

* mix together until nice and smooth. Then pour over your cooled cake in the spring form pan. Return to oven for 15 min at 425 degrees.

Eating:

We let this cool for some time and then remove from the spring form pan. We place it nicely on our cake plate with a lid and tuck it into the refrigerator for the evening. I personally think there is nothing that tastes as yummy as warm cheese cake however, my family begs to differ. They like their cake firm and cooled. In fact, we have discovered if we let it sit for a few days the flavors have developed into something marvelous!

If you try this recipe let me know how you enjoy it. It is a very mild, light and delicious cheesecake! Enjoy!

A Moment with M.O.M.- Modest Swimsuits

I realize that summer is almost over however, I couldn't help but share with you about our new modest swimsuits. For years, we have looked at the variety of sources for modest swimwear but had never made the investment financially. I have prayed and waited for the last two years regarding this issue. I personally witnessed the Lord provide these treasures for some sweet friends. Knowing that He is no respecter of persons, my heart was fixed on waiting for His timing. Two weeks ago, my husband came in the room to talk to me about the children’s baptism that he is planning in September with my father. Without a single word from me he said, “I really want the girls and you to have some modest swimsuits. I don't want them to wear the shorts and shirt they have." I was so excited and the girls eagerly went to work looking online for the perfect resource for our family. The girls soon found a precious family that could make the suits we wanted, to the specifications we wanted, and within the price range that we wanted! How blessed we felt when our new swimsuits arrived. The house activity stopped and each of the girls grabbed their suits to try them on... even I ran to my room to try my new swimsuit on. We had fun taking photos of each other, giggled, thanked the Lord and then waited eagerly for my Joe to arrive home so we could show him the new gifts he gave each of us!

If you are looking for modest swimwear I would encourage you to visit, Meant to be Modest. Our transaction could not have gone any better! This Sister was timely and considerate to meet each of our needs. If modest swimwear is a new concept to you, take some time to pray about it and ask your husband for his opinion. The Lord will lead you perfectly!

With much love,

Mrs. Joseph Wood

You can find the banner and link to Modest Swimwear on our left hand sidebar or you can go to: Meant to be Modest- www.meanttobemodest.com

A Moment in Proverbs 8/07/09

Proverbs 7:2

Keep my commandments and live, and my law as the apple of thine eye.

Many people who profess Christ as their Lord fail to see the importance of keeping His commandments as the "apple of thine eye." In fact, many can not even tell you all of the Tten Commandments much less in order. I strongly believe that many have taken the grace that was given so freely and used it as an excuse to become Spiritual Sloths!

I encourage you to train your children in His commandments by talking of them daily. Often encourage them to recall and recite them to you while doing daily activities. Write them and post them in the home so that you can keep them ever before you. A fun idea we have done in the past goes along with the next verse:

Proverbs 7:3

Bind them upon thy fingers write them upon the table of thine heart.

To help us write them upon the table of our hearts (memorize the Ten Commandments) we have written each commandment on paper and attached to each finger with party ribbon. The children love the color of the party ribbon and you can tie it onto their fingers and then curl it so that they can still do things with their hands. Girls especially love this as their hands are all decorated up! If you have boys just chose some fun 'boy' colors. Mine especially like green, black, and brown. Have fun while you train your children in His commandments.

Remember, Psalm 1: 1-2 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night.

May you be blessed!

Mrs. Joseph Wood

MOM'S Mailbox- Preparing our hearts to Homeschool

Hello Friends!

How is everyone? I pray that your homes are abounding in His blessings and your hearts are steadfast on His purpose! It's been awhile since I posted due to a transmitter going out on our Satellite. I have had many questions coming into my inbox and hope to share a variety of them with you here. Lord willing, I will be able to post devotion later today as well as some reviews on products our family has been enjoying!

First, let's answer some of these questions!

Question: "Jeanette, can you share what your family does for homeschooling?"

Answer: Well, now that is a very BIG question in a very short sentence! :-) We have been homeschooling 'officially' for the last 17 years however, since we believe education begins at birth I think we should get full credit for last 21 years! Our homeschooling days have been a reflection of the transformation process that was, is, and continues, in my husband’s heart and mine. When we first started homeschooling we used the Weaver curriculum but soon discovered that the day to day outline wasn't what worked in our home. In some instances my son wasn't challenged by the day activities and in others he needed five days of instruction for what they had listed in one day. With prayer, the Lord taught me how to go to Him daily for my teaching plan. My heart was encouraged as I witnessed the fruit of my obedience. Throughout the years and with multiple learning styles, I have learned what works best for our family may not be the best in your home! However, I have posted some questions to consider as you create a homeschool to glorify God:

1. Have I presented my request to the Lord, waited for His answer and then obeyed His voice or have I got caught up in doing what others do?

2. Do I seek, and prefer, the wisdom of the Lord and my husband or do I seek reviews, friends, conferences, and the 'experts' for their opinion first?

3. If the Lord returned at this very moment would I be found teaching what would be eternal?

4. Do I keep my heart surrendered to His plan and not my schedule?

5. Have I learned to wait for Him to complete the good work He has begun in each member of the family or am I trying to force my timing?

6. Am I teaching my children diligently or am I being lazy in my efforts?

7. Am I steadfast and consistent in my training/teaching or do I waiver under adversity? Do I grow weary with the long journey?

8. Have I considered, prayed about and responded to the unique needs and talents of each child?

9. Am I living within the means of my blessings or am I buying things I 'think' we need but honestly can not afford?

10. Have I carefully chosen to do what was best for our family and not just 'signed up' for all the good activities, trips, and groups available?

Question: "How do you determine what is appropriate reading material for your family?"

Answer: This answer is a little easier for me to share. You may find however, that it isn't as clear as you need. If you have specific questions please email me and I will do my best to share details that can help you. For our family, we use Philippians 4:8 as our guide. If it is not pure, lovely and of a good report then it is highly unlikely that it is truly necessary in our home library.

Question: "What program do you use to help with Scripture memorization?"

Answer: We don't use any programs for Scripture memorization. We simply memorize chapters and books of the Bible using the KJV. I have encouraged the children to not only memorize verses but to memorize chapters and books so we can recall complete passages.