Justin taking pictures

We have an old digital camera.

We allow justin to take pictures with it.

Here are some of his shots.

me at the computer

The invisible bunnies are playing.

Milo

Diego's fishing bridge

Milo

Deigo's bridge again.

Milo..can you sense a favourite object yet?

And Milo.
THIS was actually one of the first pictures Justin took on his own.
Pretty good isn't it?

My Helper/My Hindrance

It started off with him helping me rinse veggies, and...... well....things degenerated from there.
He had fun though and was kept busy.
This little boy with a cold had been SO busy playing and helping mommy and was JUST starting to get a little bit whiney, this kept him happy for another 20 minutes while I finished digging carrots.

he then proceeded to make a mud Milo and then to play the handprint game (that's where he puts muddy handprints all over the place).


afterwards he had a bath in what he calls his outside bathtub.

I was pleased...as he had been COMPLETELY filthy!

God's Bounty

There are a few times during the year that I feel God's bounty and goodness to me.

1. in the spring when my tulips and daffodils bloom.

2. in the summer when I harvest from my gardens.

3. Christmas/Easter when I consider all what God did for me. Blows me away sometimes.

Right now God's bounty in the result from my gardening is high in my mind.

I like gardening but I'm not worried about keeping all weeds out of my garden. I look at weeds as opportunities to feed the bunnies greens so letting them grow a bit doesn't bother me. :) I don't frequently till, water or otherwise fuss to much. I plant it and basically remove big weeds when them grow.

I don't worry about early starting plants a whole lot. I move things around, I grow things too closely together and yet..... God chooses to bless me every year. :)

Check out the bounty from God this year.


The size of this potato I credit to one thing...beyond God's bounty and seeing as God has allowed me the distinct pleasure of raising them....bunnies and their offal.

Bunny Power!

Big potatoes!

I've never had a potato that large before!
Justin dug it out for me.
His response"good thing I had my digger tool mommy."
Took him a good minute to get it out. :)

And check out my tomato patch!
NOTE: this after I trimmed it back!
I lopped about 1 foot off the top and
two feet on the gardens' side and 6 inches of the composter side.


Normally my tomatoes experience a fair amount of die back.
So my habit of planting close has no negative repercussions.
This year....No die back.
It's been very strange.

As a result I've been getting LOTS of snails/slugs and Some End rot on my tomatoes.
NOT appreciated. So today I said...I'm clipping you back.
Hopefully I clipped enough to get rid of the end rot.
The slugs/snails will soon meet Mr. Beer in a Saucer.

I may need to trim back more........

Oh for the bunnies this>>>
(the bucket of greens)

Oh...for those who want to experience the joy of bunny power in the garden I have good news for you. There is a group called Bunny Power for Gardens. You can sign up and then look for bunny people close to you with fertilizer that they wish to dispose of.

Harry Potter and the half-blood prince

Jim and I decided to have a quiet day out yesterday.
With my cold and having not a whole lot of energy, it was a good plan.

Justin had fun at gramma's.

It was a good movie.
Are there things they could have done better? yes, you get that with any book/movie adaptation. But overall, a good movie....as good as a movie can be when one of the favourite characters dies.

This one I wouldn't mind owning some day.

Justin Made this

He made this at Vacation Bible School. Theme was SonRock Kids Camp.
it was held at the Exeter CRC.

Christian Carnival Posted

Entries are posted in scattered order of arrival. :)
Let me know if I missed you.

Crossroads: Where Faith and Inquiry Meet posted this entry entitled Atonement Theories.

I am more and more convinced that the answers to life are contained in the Atonement. But, recently, the "usual" substitutionary atonement theory has been questioned. So then, the answer of what is the foundation of our faith and our life--the Atonement, becomes a question - which Atonement?

I'm reading a book which sheds light on various theories, entitled The Nature of the Atonement, edited by James Beilby and Paul R. Eddy. The book presents four atonement views, explained by a backer of the theory, with the others writers answering.

Jim Wallis, Fascist? is the title of our next post submitted by Humane Pursuits.

Cliff May has a piece on NRO today on fascism, in which he argues that if we want to talk about modern fascism, we should really be talking about Osama bin Laden (not George W. Bush or Barack Obama). However, while May is fairly persuasive linking “Islamists” like bin Laden with the Nazis, I think he falls far short from linking them with fascism itself (which is far from synonymous with Nazism). For example, the main correlations he draws are racism, sexism, terrorism, and genocide – none of which is inherent to fascism.

Free Money Finance presents us with God's Stimulus Plan and Living Below Your Means.

Here's a piece by Robert Morris (author of the excellent book The Blessed Life: The Simple Secret of Achieving Guaranteed Financial Results) called God's Stimulus Plan. In it he says that for Christians, God is our source of life, not the economy, not the government, and not our money.

Spiritual Battle?And The Cost Of Not Engaging In It comes to us from Blog.Bible-Verses-Insights.com.

What is a spiritual battle? Spiritual battle is real. Battles behind the scenes of everyday life are connected to the outcomes in our physical world. Many times I had forgotten the reality of spiritual battles, and wondered why things happened they way they did.

New Mercy gives us How's Your Heart. And if you want to know why she said the following....go read her post! :)

Hurrah for improvements, however small.

What a Jerk! is presented by In Him We live and Move and Have our Being.

Next time I run into someone I know to be a jerk based on past history, though, I hope to remember these words:

and to know what those words are....go to the post! What a Jerk!

Christian Personal Finance shows up with this question What is the purpose of your money?

What are you on earth for? Millions have read Rick Warren’s Purpose-Driven Life and found a sense of purpose. Have you found purpose in a certain career, position, or situation? What is the purpose of your money?

The Importance of Spiritual Gifts is Expounded upon at eInquistive.

In other words, all Christians have at least one, but likely many, spiritual gifts. Gifts are manifest in different ways through different individuals and all gifts are of divine origin. It is through our gifts that we are all members of the body of Christ, yet serving different functions.

Dokeo Kago Grapho Soi Kratistos Theophilus Gives us Rank Speculation and Circularity.

I am very much interested in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. I suspect that you are also.

Chasing the Wind offers us Faith and Deeds. If you want to know why I pulled this out, you'll have to read more.

Charles Schultz often touched on religious themes in his cartoons. You might remember his Christmas special years ago, where Linus recited the meaning of Christmas from the book of Luke. Charles Schultz taught bible study into the 1980’s, and many of his cartoons were thought to illustrate bible scripture. His illustration for our study today, the second half of James 2, shows Snoopy shivering outside in the cold. Charlie Brown says to Linus, “He looks kind of cold, doesn’t he?” And Linus says, “Maybe we’d better go over and comfort him. So they walk over to Snoopy, wearing their warm coats and mittens and hats and Charlie Brown says, “Be of good cheer, Snoopy!” Linus also says, “Yes, be of good cheer.” And then they walk on by.

I Want to be Like Charles McCoy has been produced by Who Am I?

I love reading and hearing the biographies of men like Charles McCoy who were not just willing, but eager to spend and be spent for the souls of others (2 Cor. 12:15); men and women who counted the cost and gladly gave all they had to follow Christ (Luke 14:25-33). I love those stories because they stir a deep longing in my own heart to do the same.

Theology for the Masses tenders this post "a story I told" for us.

If we can say anything at all about our culture, it’s that we love stories. Look at our movies, our television, our sports, our gossip (talk radio, celeb magazines, sometimes our ‘prayer requests’). We are captivated by the power of the Story. And so for just a few minutes tonight, I want to look at a story from the Gospel of John. It takes place the morning of Jesus’ resurrection, and involves Mary of Magdala, one of Jesus’ closest followers. She and a couple of Jesus’ disciples go to visit his Tomb and find it empty. The other disciples leave, and Mary stays, weeping.

Homeward Bound proffers A surprising Scripture on the Saints.

There are passages in the Bible that don’t say what we expect. They sometimes take us by such surprise that we don’t read them correctly.

Parableman presents us with John Owen on Limited Atonement.

My insistence is that limited atonement doesn't imply that there's no sense in which the atonement doesn't extend to those who do not attain salvation. The atonement covers all in the sense of being an offer available to all. It just actually covers only those who avail themselves of it.

Ignorant Historian shows up with A case for Civil Discourse.

Civility…that’s a good word, no? Then why is it sorely lacking from political debate in this country?

Christian Orthodoxy proffers a Review of The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud.

I learned of the Bartimaeus trilogy, by Jonathan Stroud, from a list of ten fantasy series to get you over Harry Potter Withdrawal. The author of the list claims Stroud’s series is actually better plotted than Rowling’s, so this week I picked up The Amulet of Samarkand from the local library.

Bible SEO presents Jesus Heals the Leper - the Unclean. This is a bible study on Mark 1:40-45 it's worth a study.

DetentionSlip.org gives us some differences in Church and State: schools divided. have no clue what snippet to pull so will just leave it as is. :)

A is for Abortion is the post given to us by Kerintian's. Hard to pick a snippet, but perhaps this might tweek your appetite to read more:

I don’t want to be judge, jury and executioner but I have speculated that the same people who defend abortion with gritted teeth and clenched fists are also the same people who cry against the inhumanity of the death penalty. Would they be the ones defending the man who murders from the hangman’s noose, the lethal injection or the electric chair while supporting the premature death of the unborn child by methods far more cruel and imaginative? (I mean when was the last time a criminal was torn apart limb from limb with a vacuum cleaner?) Do they defend the right to live of the murderer on death row because deep down they know they have to – because they are guilty of the same thing?

Jevlir Caravansary gives us The God-Talk Club and the She-Bears. If that title doesn't intrigue you enough to want to read more, this might help:

“You don’t know that one?” exclaimed Mac. “That’s a skeptical staple. A Christian says ‘God is love’ and you say ‘But what about the she bears?’ I’m going to have to revoke your skeptic’s license.”

08-15-09 is the post presented to us by Thoughts and Confessions of a Girl who Loves Jesus.

Thanks to this new method of studying and meditating on the word, I am able to remember to count it all joy when I am faced with different trials.I am hiding the word in my heart.

Civil Submission in 1 Peter and the Contemporary Context comes from for the Sake of Truth.

Recent posts regarding the command for civil submission in 1 Peter has provoked a bit of discussion about the contemporary application of the command. In this post, I would like to (1) reflect generally on civil submission in the contemporary context and (2) reflect on the American context of civil submission, especially as it relates to the US Constitution.

Jody's Devotionals shows up with this post Political Words.

Politics has become an increasingly dirty business. Is it possible for a Christian to be in any way related to the methods or tactics of managing local, state, or national government without becoming soiled? If my email inbox is any indication, I would say “No”! Offering an opinion on a policy is “giving to Caesar”. To attack a person personally, is “giving to me” instead of God.

Towards Recovering a Theology of Natality and Flourishing is given to us by Hundie Jo [dot] Com.

We see it in the verse in Zechariah: after God saves his people, he wants them to flourish. How exciting and hopeful is such a theology! Salvation theology is the life-giving infants’ milk of Hebrews. Theology of flourishing comes after, it is the meat and potatoes of our adulthood. Now that the danger of sin has passed, God frees us to be who He wanted us to be.

For His Glory has produced The Older You Get.

"They" say, the older you get the less you know. I guess I'm officially getting old because I now believe and understand that statement.

We all have our nice little boxes that explain how life works and should function. Then life throws us scenarios that don't fit into one of our boxes. Now what? Do we throw away our old boxes or do we create a new box to put that scenario in?

Endurance and Partnership Needed presented by Fish and Cans.

After the author of Hebrews reminds his audience that they are to fear the living Lord God and to remember that sin is not to be taken lightly he now goes on to remind them about how they've endured hard things for God. He reminds them of their confidence, their compassion and their joy.

What they need now is some endurance. Endurance to finish what God has placed in front of us. God doesn't want us to shrink back from what he allows in our lives, but simply continue on. Confident in our salvation, joyful in challenges.

Christian Men-Christian Warriors shows up with Hello-I Am a Slave.

In my day to day job, I live for the introduction. There is much in an introduction. Think about it for a minute. In someone’s introduction, you could easily determine the following (even if it were over the phone):

• Age – help you make inferences about how they are interpreting what you are saying.
• Nationality – easily determined by accent or dialect
• Job Title – may help you understand what motivates this person like ego, thrill of the kill, or the numbers
• Last Name – again, a little about the heritage and perhaps, depending on the town, you could tell some about their “rank” in society

As you can see, there is a lot you can discover about a person in their introduction.

A True Believer's Blog puts forward "Your Jesus Is Too Safe" blog tour.

“God created man in His image. Ever since then, man has sought to return the favor.” – I’ve seen the comment attributed to Mark Twain, to George Bernard Shaw, and (my favorite) St. Augustine. In any case, the statement holds true in light of how many of us view Jesus.

Rey's A point presents his opinion in My take on the Health reform bill.

I spent a week reading through the massive (1017 pages-pdf warning) Health Reform Bill, HR3200, and I’ve noted areas of personal interest. This post will not be exhaustive (sorry; that would be impossible), but it will list (1) things that I thought the Bill did a good job with, (2) areas of personal concern and (3) areas that I don’t know what to make of. Before closing the post, I’d also like to (4) address areas where people have been flipping out followed by (5) some personal general concerns and hopes looking forward.

All in all, some good reads.

Today I did.....

11 jars of plums.

9 jars of applesauce

3 bags of turnips

2 bags of carrots.

3 bags of corn.

I also sold one bunny.

Played with Justin.

Cleaned out the van. Helped my hubby though not as much as he would have liked.

Did some gardening --- even got it watered!

Talked with the neighbour (Bob) ... he was a sweetheart and sprayed my weeds behind the rabbit tent (after I mentioned that he could if he wanted to). STUPID government saying we can't buy weed spray anymore!!!!!!!!!!!!

That was a job!

I moved the rhubarb bushes yesterday. They were where we're going to put the new rabbit shelter. (thanks Jim for catching that typo)

Boy...was that a job. the first set was easy enough, but THEY weren't well established and old.

The second set...wow....that made my whole body ache by the time I was done digging them out. I don't think I'll be sledge hammering today! (rueful smile)

The roots were HUGE (as in 4 inches round and long and going UNDER the shed). Did the best I could with that one!

Another in the same set was a good two feet round...ended up dividing that into three sections simply so I could move it. Didn't get all the root from that go round, so hopefully they will survive. I moved them to the end of the privacy hedge. now to remember to water them for the next two-three weeks. :) At least with the move I was able to well fertilize them with rabbit compost! :)

Update to prayer

Chantal is home again.

She's happy to be home but very tired.

Continued prayer appreciated!

thanks!

Endurance and Partnership Needed

Continuing on in Hebrews 10 we find these closing words:

³²But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, ³³sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. ³⁴For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. ³⁵Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. ³⁶For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. ³⁷For,

"Yet a little while,
and the coming one will come and will not delay;
³⁸ but my righteous one shall live by faith,
and if he shrinks back,
my soul has no pleasure in him."

³⁹But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

After the author of Hebrews reminds his audience that they are to fear the living Lord God and to remember that sin is not to be taken lightly he now goes on to remind them about how they've endured hard things for God. He reminds them of their confidence, their compassion and their joy.

What they need now is some endurance. Endurance to finish what God has placed in front of us. God doesn't want us to shrink back from what he allows in our lives, but simply continue on. Confident in our salvation, joyful in challenges.

I have to admit...these words from verse 33 caught my attention: "sometimes being partners with those so treated".

This week I went over the Holly's site, while there I learned about a ministry that a young lady is involved with over in Uganda. Since then I've been thinking and praying for that ministry. This young lady works hard physically and emotionally with a bunch of girls, hopefully showing them the reality of who God is. It's not an easy job.

Then I think about Christians all over the world that are persecuted for their faith....I'm compelled to pray for them.

In doing so....I hopefully make their load a little lighter, and hopefully encourage them even though they know me not. God knows, and as part of a larger family we have to care, it's part of what families do. Let's remember that we are partners. We do share in what happens with our fellow believers. let's keep on praying! (and acting as God so leads).

The Fear of the Living God

wow....last time I had a chance to sit down and do devotions was July 8, not good. I do need to refocus my priorities! (granted there were three weeks of holidays sandwiched in there, but still...NOT good). But then I was in Hebrews 10 talking about how we are to encourage each other.

Read these words:

²⁶For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. ²⁸ Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. ²⁹How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? ³⁰For we know him who said, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." And again, "The Lord will judge his people." ³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (bolding mine)

and was immediately convicted in my spirit.

wow....that puts a whole new light on recurring sin doesn't it?

If we KNOW that what we are doing displeases God (aka is SINFUL) and we keep doing it, Jesus died basically for NOTHING! At least that is how that line reads to me. So let's not do that. Let's not fall into the hands of an vengeful angry God.

Thinking about this for a moment.....God ...creator of the universe, the one who put EVERYTHING into motion, set everything in place, who demands holiness from us, who can open up the ground and swallow people whole....do I really want to make him angry with me by negating the work of his beloved Son?

NOT!

But so often I don't even think about it. I do things wrong and offer up a quick..sorry God...sometimes really meaning it, and sometimes it's more like I'm covering myself. Oh that I might always mean it and want to be changed by the Holy Spirit working within me. Oh that I might always remember that my actions have affect and that deliberate sin is NOT a good thing and not to be taken lightly.

Ah my Lord God....please keep my heart convicted.

The beach on Tuesday

I had promised Justin that if it didn't rain today I'd bring him to the beach for a swim.

Sunny this afternoon, Jim heading off for the evening, and I was fed up with working around the house and dealing with a boy demanding that I only do stuff with him. :) So off to the beach.

Boy oh boy were the waves high. When swimming I love waves like this. I love diving over them.

Couldn't do that AND watch a boy child so I spent 45 minutes with Justin in the water teach him to jump high when the waves come. He did pretty good and when he didn't he'd get a face full of water. Which he didn't like....helps with the learning curve. :)

Then 45 minutes of playing in the sand. We had supper at the beach, played some more and then headed home. Tired lad, started to put himself to bed at 8 p.m. (He NEVER puts himself to bed). Good to see a tired lad. :)

Prayer for my sis-in-law

My brother John is married to this nice lady named Chantal. They've been married at least 15 years now...possibly longer (I don't track those things well).

Chantal has had on-going health issues for the past year or so.

In May they did surgery, we thought they fixed the problem. She was recovering well though quite tired often yet.

Two days ago she was rushed to hospital with a ruptured cyst on an ovary.

Yesterday (late) they removed that ovary and the tube. And at last report she was recovering well.

Please pray for her continued health and recovery.

Thanks!

Vacation Report

We're back from Holidays now for about five days. I'm feeling rested up! Most of the trailer is clean, the rabbits are back home, and the skunks are caught.

Time to catch up here a bit.

Our basic plan for the three weeks of holidays were....camp Thursday to Monday, be home Tuesday/Wednesday (to do laundry, gardening and give the buggy a chance to sleep in) and repeat.

Weekend one we went to Fanshawe Conservation Area in London. There is a folk festival held every year in London called the Home County Festival that Jim and I like to attend. Justin now likes to attend it as well. He fell in LOVE with music from the Funky Mama's! :) He enjoyed the magic and bubble machine of Dickie Bird. If I could remember which groups Jim and I enjoyed I'd list them as well. Perhaps my hubby dear will refresh my memory. I know there was a fellow that we bought a CD from...plays really good music. And there was a lady group as well. Anyways, here the link to all the performing artists. :)

Second weekend...off to Bronte Provincial Park. Here they have a pool and a red play barn that our son enjoys (we enjoy the pool too). :) On Saturday Jim went off to get a brake controller put on the van. Some fellows that he met on-line offered him a free one...all he had to do was supply the drinks! So he left us for the day. Justin and I did well on our own. Our camping neighbours had children at a lovely age for playing with, so even though we got rained out for a spell (wow did we get a lot of rain in about an hour - this after light rain for about 2 hours or so) Justin still had a lot of fun. Puddles are excellent places to float boats! :)

Third weekend, we added my Neice Marisa to our entourage. We headed off to Ottawa to the Ottawa Municipal campground. The AAC nationals were on this weekend and Jim and I were volunteering at it. Marisa took excellent care of Justin on Saturday for us, and then on Sunday Justin wanted me to hang out with him so Marisa went to volunteer instead. We all had a good time. Mosquitos were abundant at the campsite and led to lots of questions along the lines of "why did God make mosquitos?"

Justin, Jim and I had an excellent time away.
There was a bit TOO much rain for our liking....we had rain the entire time we were away.
We came back to dry ground and plants that needed watering.

I did for the most part manage to stay on top of our gardens at home though and managed to peas and beans in the freezer. Learned that the local coons have discovered our corn patch. We got five cobs off thus far...I think it will be a continuing battle!

Jesse from Jesse's Hilltop rabbitry took good care of my bunnies and I'm very appreciative of his efforts to manage my herd. :) I even came home with three of his bunnies as he is downsizing his herd.