I love to bring people into a organic Christian family so they can see a more complete picture of Christ

from = http://www.alanknox.net/2012/01/sharing-our-life-in-christ-together-and-the-mission-of-god/

Rod says:

I was a part of a small group for a while where one of the brothers worked at a rescue mission. He brought many people from the mission into the group. There they received a visible expression of Christ. They saw people loving each other, caring for each other in a way that couldn’t have been expressed by a single missionary. They got to see a loving family in action.

I love to bring people into a organic Christian family so they can see a more complete picture of Christ than I as an individual can show them. Christ presents himself through many gifts and no one person has them all. A one anothering community can show love-preaching only tells about love.

“God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know it's me.”
~ Author Unknown

:o)

Marc and Angel Hack Life - Practical Tips for Productive Living

Do little things every day for others. Sometimes those little things occupy the biggest part of their hearts. You can’t be everything to everyone, but you can be everything to a few people. Decide who these people are in your life and treat them like royalty. - via http://www.marcandangel.com/

seen on FB

Neil Cole

RT @joshuasherman: When we understand that the church is people, we quit inviting people 2 church & invite them 2 meet Jesus. #organicchurch

LOVE this song!

Compulsory Community

Compulsory Community - http://thesidos.blogspot.com/2012/01/compulsory-community.html

Take action on your behavior.

“As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behavior. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to become. Take action on your behavior. Too many people want to feel, then take action. This never works.”
~ John Maxwell

we need to become competent, capable and confident researchers.

"As regards knowledge, we need to avoid approaches that imply that everyone needs to know the same bank of information and that learners of the same age need to know identical things. Subjects--the staple diet of schools--are only a minor part of the toolkit of knowledge and are declining in importance and, in any case, learning the toolkit does not constitute an education. We do, however, need another kind of knowledge to be effective in the modern world--to know how to find out, to learn, relearn and unlearn, and how to manage our own learning. In other words we need to become competent, capable and confident researchers." by Roland Meighan in the essay Restructuring Education So it Works for Kids and Society from the book Life Learning: Lessons from the Educational Frontier

Why is it so hard to find organic church life?

Alan Knox (http://www.alanknox.net/2012/01/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-find-organic-church-life/) has been exploring this question.  And I love the answer one of the commenters left:  (There were many great comments on this post)

Jeanne P says:

Yes. I think you have nailed it.

Here is a copy of my post from this morning at Cerulean Sanctum:

May I suggest that going about “finding” a church like this is the wrong approach?
If God has planted a seed of desire in your heart for this community fellowship, then start sharing it with other Believers that you already know and love–people you have real relationships with. When you discover that someone is likeminded, then invite that person to dinner–break bread with him–and then talk some more. Start exploring what the Bible says about New Testament gatherings…basically you are doing a Bible Study but you are doing it together as you seek to learn what God has designed specifically for the two of you so it’s incredibly relevant to your lives as you figure out what to do next. Wait a minute…in sharing what the two of you are doing suddenly a third person who longs for the same thing becomes a part of the conversation, and your little Organic Church grows a tiny bit.
(What I will call for the sake of this discussion) “My Organic Church” grew just like this–organically. People who love Jesus, love each other and are longing for a different way to worship, fellowship, and grow. So we came together and just “do it.” We don’t advertise, we don’t invite anyone to come, it’s just people who love Jesus and love each other trying to be “iron sharpening iron” and live out our walks together. We are deeply involved in each other’s lives in what I would call a New Testament fashion.
It may surprise you to know that we all still attend “church” on Sundays and not even the same one, necessarily. But to me, “church” is really what this little group of Believers do together during the week in our own homes and what we do on Sunday mornings is more like Paul speaking at the Temple. It is a place to share Jesus with some Believers and some Un-Believers, to encourage the greater Body of Christ, etc. But “church” is what happens in our own homes as we break bread together in this tiny fellowship.
You don’t “find” a church like this and start attending. You let the Holy Spirit lead you to others who are searching for the same thing and then you let HIM grow it into a unique little gathering. Each little organic church will be different, led by HIM to be what it is meant to be to those Believers who join together to participate.
I think key to this is that you look amidst the relationships you already have. The people God has already drawn into your life for just such a purpose.
Just my 2 cents…
Jeanne

 

Wayne and Brad at “The God Journey” had a great podcast this week about “Seeing people as People” that I think kind fits in with this discussion as well.

http://thegodjourney.com/2012/01/27/seeing-people-as-people/

Seeing People as People

Brad’s been listen to the relationships versus religion raps on YouTube and Wayne’s been reading Tattoos of the Heart and the two converge in a lively discussion about how we view people. Do we treat others as individuals and love as people even if broken or lost, or do we see them through the grid of us versus them relationships that makes us more prone to poke them in the eye with our own need for self-validation. As long as we need people to fill up something in us, we use them even if we don’t mean to. By finding our acceptance and worth in him, we will not view people based on our needs, but rather engage them as loved children of a gracious Father, whether they know it yet or not. That invites us into the space Jesus enjoyed, the freedom to love people for who they were, not how they would fit into his plans.

Professors dropping out of traditional institutions to start new learning opportunities

Professor Thrun Drops Out of Stanford

“

As we move into the future, knowledge becomes less attached to intuitions.  When the printing press came along, knowledge was freed from the depths of the human mind and reproduced on a page.  Then came libraries, which allowed anyone to access that knowledge. Wikipedia now puts  vast amounts of knowledge online.

Wherever it is found, that knowledge can usually be traced to a source.  That source is most often a person associated with an institution—the United States Government, or Harvard University, for example.  Rarely does a person stand as their own authority without using an institution as validation.

This is one reason why change has been so slow in higher education—professors are still tying themselves to intuitions.

Until now.

”

Click this link to read the complete article -http://networkedblogs.com/tlc6d

We crave things we neither need nor enjoy.

“We really must understand that the lust for affluence in contemporary society is psychotic. It is psychotic because it has completely lost touch with reality. We crave things we neither need nor enjoy.” - Richard Foster

this quote reminds me of Stumpy

"To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter... to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring - these are some of the rewards of the simple life." ~John Burroughs

be a voice

Be a Voice.
Not An Echo.
An originator.
Not an an imitator.
Be a creator.
Not an impersonator.
Be you.
Not anybody else.
You are unique
You are Extraordinary
God made you this way.

by: Lessons Learned In Life

the value of weakness

Austin-Sparks.Net

It is those who, most conscious of their own weakness, exercise the greatest faith in the Lord as their strength, who open a way for the Lord to make the greatest measure of that strength manifest in them. The hindrance to the Lord's strength in us is our own strength, so often. The way for His strength is our weakness... http://www.austin-sparks.net/english/003750.html

Austin-Sparks.Net - The Value of Weakness

www.austin-sparks.net

Community / Organic church / People

Why is it so difficult to find organic church life? - http://www.alanknox.net/2012/01/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-find-organic-church-life/

 

No Time for Organic Church - http://eric-carpenter.blogspot.com/2012/01/no-time-for-organic-church.html

 

Seeing people as people - http://thegodjourney.com/2012/01/27/seeing-people-as-people/

The Original S.U.V.

Official Worship Signals according to Tim Hawkins. LOL!

Robin Sampson quoting Wayne Jacobsen on FB:

Robin Sampson

The battle of trying being good enough and trying to earn approval from God is wide spread in the church. We speak of “not earning by works” but there seems to be a lot of score keeping going on. Our busyness and volume of our good works can drown out the still small voice of God. Adam and Eve lost sight of God’s love and made a real mess. The thing is, we can’t make God love us any more or less. He loves us with a perfect love. Keeping our eyes on His love–Christ is what it is all about. –Wayne Jacobson sums this up well in "He Loves Me:"
"Religion offers us the illusion of earning acceptance, but it is only a cheap substitute for the reality of life in him. God’s desire is to engage us in a life-changing relationship. He knew the ‘life-changing’ would come only out of the relationship. Thus he demonstrated his love for us before we did anything to make ourselves worthy of it.
By doing so, he wanted us to stop trying to earn it and just live in light of it. What would you do today if you knew God absolutely loved you? God knows the answer to that question will lead you further into his life than the strivings of religion ever can.
The key to living a productive Christian life is not waking up every day trying to be loved by God, but waking up in the awareness that you are already his beloved... As you grow increasingly certain that his love for you is not connected to your performance you will find yourself released from the horrible burden of doing something for him. You’ll realize that your greatest ideas and most passionate deeds will fall far short of what he really wants to do through you.

I think I have ended up where I needed to be…

Living small: when home is a 150-square-foot RV

 

Bakari Kafele invited us into his tiny home: a 150-square-foot RV where in a month, he uses about 500 gallons of water and 40kwh of electricity. Original content here: http://faircompanies.com/videos/view/living-small-when-home-is-a-150-square-f...
For more details on Bakari's RV home see his blog post: http://faircompanies.com/blogs/view/living-small-how-to-choose-an-rv/

The will of God

Love this!
"You may bounce off a lot of closed doors, but that is God’s way of forcing you into His opened one. You see, the will of God is not primarily a place. The will of God is not, first of all, for you to go there or work here. The will of God concerns you as a person. If you are the right you, you can follow your desires and you will fulfill His will." -John MacArthur

Loved this essay about books

Owning Books

by William Lyon Phelps

The habit of reading is one of the greatest resources of mankind; and we enjoy reading books that belong to us much more than if they are borrowed. A borrowed book is like a guest in the house; it must be treated with punctiliousness, with a certain considerate formality. You must see that it sustains no damage; it must not suffer while under your roof. You cannot leave it carelessly, you cannot mark it, you cannot turn down the pages, you cannot use it familiarly. And then, some day, although this is seldom done, you really ought to return it.

But your own books belong to you; you treat them with that affectionate intimacy that annihilates formality. Books are for use, not for show; you should own no book that you are afraid to mark up, or afraid to place on the table, wide open and face down. A good reason for marking favorite passages in books is that this practice enables you to remember more quickly, and then in later years, it is like visiting a forest where you once blazed a trail. You have the pleasure of going over the old ground, and recalling both the intellectual scenery and your own earlier self.

Everyone should begin collecting a private library in youth; the instinct of private property, which is fundamental in human begins, can here be cultivated with every advantage and no evils. One should have one’s own bookshelves, which should be free and accessible to the hand as well as to the eye. The best of mural decorations is books; they are more varied in color and appearance than any wallpaper, they are more attractive in design, and they have the prime advantage of being separate personalities, so that if you sit alone in the room in the firelight, you are surrounded with intimate friends. The knowledge that they are there in plain view is both stimulating and refreshing. You do not have to read them all. Most of my indoor life is spent in a room containing six thousand books; and I have a stock answer to the invariable question that comes from strangers. “Have you read all of these books?” “Some of them twice.” This reply is both true and unexpected.

There are of course no friends like living, breathing, corporeal men and women; my devotion to reading has never made me a recluse. How could it? Books are of the people, by the people, for the people. Literature is the immortal part of history; it is the best and most enduring part of the personality. But book-friends have this advantage over living friends; you can enjoy the most truly aristocratic society in the world whenever you want it. The great dead are beyond our physical reach, and the great living are usually almost as inaccessible; as for our personal friends and acquaintances, we cannot always see them. Perchance they are asleep, or away on a journey. But in a private library, you can at any moment converse with Socrates of Shakespeare or Carlyle of Dumas or Dickens or Shaw or Barrie of Galsworthy. And there is no doubt that in these books you see these men at their best. They wrote for you. They “laid themselves out,” they did their ultimate best to entertain you, to make a favourable impression. You are necessary to them as an audience is to an actor; only instead of seeing them masked, you look into their inmost heart of heart.

living water

Austin-Sparks.Net

Jesus does not say that whoever believes in Him will have a well of water there. He said, “He that believeth, out of him shall flow rivers of living water.” Now do you see how the first leads to the second? You cannot give to others what you haven’t got in yourself. If rivers of Living Water are to flow out to others, then you must have it in yourself first.... http://www.austin-sparks.net/english/books/003763.html

This quote by Nancy Leigh Demoss is perfect to explain the first and second Beatitudes.

(Robin Sampson posted this on FB today)

Proud people focus on the failures of others and can readily point out those faults.

Broken people are more conscious of their own spiritual need than of anyone else’s.

Proud people have a critical, fault-finding spirit. They look at everyone else’s faults with a microscope but view their own with a telescope.

Broken people are compassionate – they have the kind of love that overlooks a multitude of sins; they can forgive much because they know how much they have been forgiven.

Proud people claim rights and have a demanding spirit.

Broken people yield their rights and have a meek spirit.

Proud people are self-protective of their time, their rights, and their reputation.

Broken people are self-denying and self-sacrificing.

Proud people desire to be served – they want life to revolve around them and their own needs.

Broken people are motivated to serve others and to be sure others’ needs are met before their own.

Proud people get wounded when others are promoted and they are overlooked.

Broken people are eager for others to get the credit, and they rejoice when others are lifted up.

Proud people are self-conscious; they worry about what others think of them.

Broken people are not preoccupied with what others think of them.

Proud people are concerned with appearing respectable; they are driven to protect their image and reputation.

Broken people are concerned with being real; they care less about what others think than about what God knows – they are willing to die to their own reputation.

Proud people keep others at arm’s length.

Broken people are willing to take the risks of getting close to others and loving intimately.

Proud people wait for others to come and ask forgiveness when there is a misunderstanding or a breach in a relationship.

Broken people take the initiative to be reconciled, no matter how wrong the other party may have been.

Proud people have a hard time saying, “I was wrong, will you forgive me?”

Broken people are quick to admit their failure and to seek forgiveness when necessary.

Proud people compare themselves with others and feel worthy of respect.

Broken people compare themselves with the holiness of God and feel a desperate need for His mercy.

Proud people don’t think they need revival, but they are sure everyone else does. (In fact, right about now they are making a mental list of the people they think need to read this book!)

Broken people continually sense their need for a fresh encounter with God and a fresh filling of His Holy Spirit.

(Nancy Leigh DeMoss’ Brokenness: The Heart God Revives.)

Open tabs…. (computer needs to restart)

1.  new blog: 'last word' God's biggest statement concerning you was Jesus.  http://www.graceisforsinners.com/god/the-last-word/

2.  when to judge - http://www.graceisforsinners.com/life/when-to-judge/

3.  Kari Jobe http://karijobe.com/#!/ss:facebook

4.  Christians and Government http://thesidos.blogspot.com/2012/01/christians-and-government.html

5.  does our way of life impair community? http://thesidos.blogspot.com/2012/01/does-our-way-of-life-impair-community.html

6.  where are we “the church”? http://thesidos.blogspot.com/2012/01/where-are-we-church.html

7.  some simple thoughts on church gatherings http://www.alanknox.net/2012/01/some-simple-thoughts-about-our-church-gatherings/

8.  missing the church http://jlawson23.com/2012/01/18/missing-the-church/

9.  people want real examples of organic church - http://www.alanknox.net/2012/01/people-want-real-example-of-organic-church-life/

10.  we choose this life - http://www.wechoosethislife.com/

http://www.wechoosethislife.com/search/label/Unschooling

11.  living the good life no matter what the check book says - http://frugallysustainable.com/2012/01/day-19-living-the-good-life-no-matter-what-the-checkbook-says/

12.  unschooling lifestyle - http://www.unschoolinglifestyle.com/

13.  koinonia killers - http://thegodjourney.com/2005/09/29/koinonia-killers/

14.  koinonia cultivators - http://thegodjourney.com/2005/10/07/koinonia-cultivators/

 

Okay, I think that is it. 

food for thought… to ponder over…

Christians and the Government - http://thesidos.blogspot.com/2012/01/christians-and-government.html

I love the idea of an intentional community

Here is one I found online:

http://www.thevardo.com/dancingbones/

Welcome to the new & official website of the Dancing Bones intentional community. We, as a community, are a work-in-progress and so is this site... enjoy the flux! :)

Place: We are located in the Baker River Valley of New Hampshire at the entrance to the White Mountains. The land is 40 rugged and heavily wooded acres. There are presently six individually owned residences, two of which are in the final stages of construction. A 16x16 cabin functions as community building with shared kitchen, shower, laundry, guest room/library and pantry. A 48x48 covered platform enables us to comfortably host large groups for open-air functions. There are also several tent platforms peppering the land for those wishing to camp.

Identity: Here we focus on simple and sustainable living. Our buildings are low impact and tend to be low cost. We share our lives day to day, giving support to one another and grow stronger as a community.

There are pictures to view at their website.

And one of the cabins is for sale: http://www.wildabandonskinworks.com/cabin/

Wow

First I was dying to finish high school and start college. And then I was dying to finish college and start working. And then I was dying to marry and have children. Then I was dying for my children to grow old enough so I could return to work. Then I was dying to retire. And now I am dying and suddenly realize I forgot to live.
~ Author unknown

help others

“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.” Dalai Lama XIV

Things Our Mothers Taught Us

PROTEIN BREAD:

Maria Mind Body Health

CRAB BLT

PROTEIN BREAD:
6 eggs, separated
1 cup unflavored egg white or whey protein
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 tsp onion powder (optional)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Separate the eggs (save the yolks for a different recipe...creme brule???), and whip the whites for a few minutes until VERY stiff (I use a stand mixer on high for a few minutes). Slowly fold in the whey protein and onion powder if using. Then slowly fold in the cream cheese into the whites (making sure the whites don't fall). Grease a bread pan and fill with "dough." Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Let completely cool before cutting or the bread will fall. Cut into 12 slices. I keep this bread in the freezer at all times to make sandwiches.
NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per slice)
White Bread = 80 calories, 15 carbs, 1 fiber, 3 g protein
"Healthified" Bread = 60 calories, trace carbs, 6 g protein

FILLING (per sandwich):
1 slice natural smoked bacon
4 oz canned crab
1 TBS Spectrum Mayo
1 slice tomato
Handful of leafy greens
NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per sandwich)
Traditional BLT = 350 calories, 34 carbs, 28 g protein
"Healthified" BLT = 330 calories, 4.8 carbs, 34 g protein

we keep reliving the garden story…

Robin Sampson (via FB)

From all our beginnings, we keep reliving the garden story… Our fall was, has always been, always will be, that we aren’t satisfied in God and what He gives. We hunger for something more, something other….We look at the fruit and see only the material means to fill our emptiness. We don’t see the material world for what it is meant to be: the means of communion with God….I hunger for filling in a world that is starved…(One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp)

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Mat 5:6

Family

seen on FB:

Neil Cole

RT @bradmckoy: "Denominations gather around agreement, families around fathers & mothers. What kind of church do u want?" via @billjohnsonBJM

This song is so powerful. Even in our sin, God calls us beloved.

'every secret, every shame, every fear, every pain.. live inside the dark. But that's not who we are, we are children of the Day'

"We are the light of the world
We are the city on a hill
We are the light of the world
We gotta, we gotta, we gotta let the light shine"

 

"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” -John 13:35

Nick Vujicic

I just got the book that Nick Vujicic wrote called “Life Without Limits”.  I am so looking forward to reading it.  This video shows a bit about his story.

 

 

http://www.amazon.ca/Life-Without-Limits-Inspiration-Ridiculously/dp/0307589730/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327443906&sr=8-1

mind your own business…

seen this on FB today:

Did you know "mind your own business" is biblical?!

"Study to be quiet, and to do your own business; and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you." 1 Thessalonians 4:11.

When you are in the final days of your life, what will you want?

When you are in the final days of your life, what will you want?

Will you hug that college degree in the walnut frame?

Will you ask to be carried to the garage so you can sit in your car?

Will you find comfort in rereading your financial statement?

Of course not.

What will matter then will be people.

If relationships will matter most then, shouldn't they matter most now?

-- Max Lucado

before you speak - THINK

"Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. " James 1:19

what you are now choosing…

“Your thoughts and beliefs of the past have created this moment, and all the moments up to this moment. What you are now choosing to believe and think and say will create the next moment and the next day and the next month and the next year.”
~ Louise L. Hay

loves you enough to help you unpack :o)

Everyone you meet comes with baggage, find someone who loves you enough to help you unpack.

Life Off the Grid

Life 'off the grid' isn’t so hard for University of Calgary professor

Victoria researcher travelling the country studying Canadians who have chosen to go off the grid

By Jamie Komarnicki, Calgary Herald

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/Life+grid+hard+University+Calgary+professor/6035298/story.html#ixzz1kIeHY6Tf

gardeners

“We can think of ourselves not as teachers but as gardeners. A gardener does not grow flowers; he tries to give them what he thinks they need and they grow by themselves.” ~ John Holt

the first…

but LOVE and I….

"They drew a circle that shut me out
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout
But love and I had the wit to win;
We drew a circle that took them in."
-Edwin Markham

Why Getting Our Kids Involved in Politics is Important

http://parentables.howstuffworks.com/family-matters/getting-kids-involved-politics.html#mkcpgn=fbtlc1

Note to me–go back and read this

What Not To Wear - http://thesidos.blogspot.com/2012/01/what-not-to-wear.html

open tabs

 

1.  3 Ways to Spot Symptoms of Costochondritis - http://www.livestrong.com/article/13233-spot-symptoms-costochondritis/

2.  Chest Pain and Fibromyalgia  -- http://www.fibromyalgia-symptoms.org/fibromyalgia_chest_symptoms.html

3.  Costochondritis - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costochondritis

4.  What’s a Girl to Do about Boys Set (2 Books 3 CDs)  -- http://www.visionforum.com/browse/product/whats-a-girl-to-do-about-boys-set/

5.  Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage (dvd sets I want to buy) - http://shopping.laughyourway.com/?utm_campaign=nav&utm_source=lyw&utm_medium=web&utm_content=shop

6.  Home Education in the UK: a report from a girl who lived it -  http://skipping-school.com/?p=805

7.  How do we edify others?  -- http://www.alanknox.net/2012/01/replay-how-do-we-edify-others/

8.  The Beekeeper's Apprentice: Or On the Segregation of the Queen/A Novel of Suspense Featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes -- http://www.ecampus.com/beekeepers-apprentice-segregation-queena/bk/9780312427368&referrer=frgl?gclid=CO-uyduI5K0CFUHc4AodJDbptA

9.  Free To Be Loved  -  http://www.beyondtheboxpodcast.com/2012/01/free-to-be-loved/

 

“Walk with me and work with me — watch how I do it.” ~Jesus

Matthew 11:28-30

The Message (MSG)

^28-30"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me — watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."   ~Jesus

Christian Community

Loved this post that Alan Knox wrote:

The Church: Not an ideal but a divine reality

http://www.alanknox.net/2012/01/the-church-not-an-ideal-but-a-divine-reality/

Count On Me

seen on FB via “http://www.facebook.com/yesicanwrite.blog”

‎"Learning is not something that is done to us, or that we can produce in others. An education is not something we 'get'...it is something we create for ourselves, on a life-long basis. The best learning--perhaps the only real learning--is that which results from personal interest and investigation, from following our own passion." Wendy Priesnitz

"Knowledge is an interconnected web of information and insight and doesn't easily submit to subject divisions and grade levels. In my experience, optimum learning occurs when the learner can ignore such arbitrary constraints and venture where her pursuit takes her. Keeping the world whole and not dicing it up into 'manageable' pieces extends to boundaries between work and fun, between learning and other activities." by Wendy Priesnitz in the essay Taking Risks & Breaking Rules from Life Learning: Lessons from the Educational Frontier

Loved what Wayne had to say in this post…

LIVING IN THE MOMENT - http://lifestream.org/blog/2012/01/19/living-in-the-moment/

a snippet:

“He invited us to follow him, not follow a set of rules or rituals. We can only do that where a growing relationship with him is helping us begin to sense his whispers in our hearts and his nudges toward the people or things he wants us to engage, and those we can pass by without obligation. The longer I walk this journey the more clearly I see that daily following him defies any set of guidelines we try to force on any particular situation.”

Learning to Live in the Father’s Generosity

Is God Bigger Than Your Bank Account?”   podcast - http://lifestream.org/blog/2012/01/20/learning-to-live-in-the-fathers-generosity/

Unless we put relationship first and free each other to be their own life in God we’ll never discover the real joy of God’s kind of community.

Excellent Podcast -  http://thegodjourney.com/2012/01/20/relationships-first/

 

Relationships First

Charlie shares a wonderful story about how this podcast has opened some doors at his work. Then Brad and Wayne interact with other emails about creating community that offers a safe environment by putting relationships first, as a family does. Too many times a genuine move of God gets curtailed by those who seek to “steward” it, but only end up in a misguided attempt to control it. In the end what might have begun as God’s gift ends up possessing them just like the ring of power in the Lord of the Rings. Though well-intentioned they change the dynamics from sharing real friendships to trying accomplish a task and then relationships are destroyed. This fits Marshall McLuhan observation that “We shape our tools, and then our tools shape us.” Unless we put relationship first and free each other to be their own life in God we’ll never discover the real joy of God’s kind of community.

knowledge…

"It's obviously impossible to learn more than even a tiny fraction of the accumulated knowledge that exists. It seems to me that the great thing about having so much to learn is that there's plenty to go around--every person's 'tiny fraction' can be unique at the same time that it overlaps with other people's fraction. Our lives are short, so why learn about anything unless it's necessary or meaningful?" by Sarabeth Matilsky in the essay What is Education? from Life Learning: Lessons from the Educational Frontier

So today when you pray, ask God to give you only what you need for today.

seen on FB:

Project Inspired

God doesn't want to see us burdened and weighed down with the cares of this life, He wants us to come to Him with our cares. So today when you pray, ask God to give you only what you need for today. Don't stress out worrying about tomorrow or next week, God's got those taken care of. Let's concentrate on today and ask God for what we need to make it great!

"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you." -1Peter 5:6-7

I so want their album! Aston

http://www.facebook.com/astonclassical?sk=info

Aston’s musical vision is as simple as it is breathtakingly beautiful: to present modern classics like no one has ever heard them before. They take contemporary hits and classics and re-arrange them into classical form; their arrangements include current hits such as Lady GaGa’s ‘Telephone’ and Rihanna’s ‘Rude Boy’, as well as classics such as Kylie’s ‘Confide In Me’ and Coldplays ‘Viva La Vida’. Quite simply some of the biggest and most loved songs in the history of pop and rock music, radically rearranged and delivered afresh by a virtuoso outfit of young classical musicians.
The six members of Aston, aged between 23 and 24, have come straight out of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, the most distinguished music school in Australia.
2010 was a huge year for Aston. After being confirmed as the house band on Seven’s new ratings smash The Matty Johns Show, Dan from the band decided to put a recording of Telephone on youtube. In just two weeks, the track had 700,000 views online, was blogged by the infamous Perez Hilton, became the most viewed Australian music video of the year and earned the band a legion of fans from around the world.
What began as a side-project amongst a bunch of students created an instant buzz that’s led to ASTON recording a debut album and now preparing to take their unique modern classical sound out to audiences across Australia and the rest of the world.

Their YouTube Channel -   http://www.youtube.com/user/astonmusic?feature=watch

 

interesting information about vitamin D

a few learning posts I read this morning…

 

1.  British Columbia-The Best Place to Unschool?

http://worldschooladventures.com/2011/05/24/british-columbia-the-best-place-to-unschool/

 

2.  Don’t Rush Me, I’m Learning!  -  http://worldschooladventures.com/2012/01/16/dont-rush-me-im-learning/

 

3.  Five Things We'll Miss About Our Year Of Travel

Our year of traveling together as a family is rapidly coming to an end and although in many ways we are looking forward to going home, we can’t help but be a bit wistful about leaving behind certain aspects of the past year.

What will we miss? - http://with2kidsintow.blogspot.com/2012/01/five-things-well-miss-about-our-year-of.html?spref=tw

 

4.  Other Unschooling articles to check out - http://worldschooladventures.com/category/unschoolingworldschooling/

by the way that we live

"We don't change people’s minds by the words that we speak, we inspire change in their hearts by the way that we live."
~ Author Unknown

It is moments like this…

It is moments like this that I really love home education.  Right now my kids are busy downloading and listening to information that they are all of the sudden interested in.  Jordan mentioned he wanted to know more about trigonometry and was checking out lectures via the iTunes U app I posted earlier but wasn’t really connecting with what he found.  So I introduced him to the Khan Academy website and now he is listening to the lectures there and watching the video tutorials.  Deanna found a treasure of animal lectures and more at the iTunes U app and has been downloading some so she can listen to them tomorrow.  How cool is that? 

It is moments like these that all my fears of not following the regular education route fly away and I know my kids will be okay even though we have chosen the road less travelled.  :)

George Lucas tells how to figure out what our passion is…

"...people ask me, well, how do you know what your passion is? I say, well, when you sit down to do something at 7:00 in the morning, you get hungry and you go get something to eat at 7:00 at night. That's your passion. That's what you love. Find something around that that you can make your career."
- George Lucas

iTunes U app

With the new iTunes U app, take free courses anywhere you take your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Explore more than 500,000 lectures, videos, and books from more than 1,000 universities and K-12 schools around the world.

Download the new, free iTunes U app now.

Source: facebook.appstore.com

“And I think to myself: this was supposed to be my big year! The year I got off my butt and did all those Big Things, made plot points in my life, etc., etc....”

Great post to be read here - http://memoirsofacollegerebel.blogspot.com/2012/01/year.html

“

And as this list came into fruition I realized: every day can be THE Day of My Life.  You fill life with a million little "aha" moments and you get art, wired substance reaching to a thousand hearts, almost suddenly, what-will-you-do-with-your-hands (I never know what to do) and there is your life, every second of it is that second, and there it happens...

What.  What can I do with this second, minute, hour, day, week, month, year, in that order?  So what if I want to know everything?  All I have is the position of the sun or the moon in the sky and not a moment before or after.  

”

What’s for you won’t pass you by…

Read this post the other day - http://www.sarahwilson.com.au/2012/01/whats-for-you-wont-pass-you-by/

I liked the letter she includes from John Steinback to his son about finding love. 

_______________

John Steinbeck on Falling in Love: A 1958 Letter   --- http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/01/12/john-steinbeck-on-love-1958/

The Church

from this website - http://www.iamsecond.com/questions/where-does-church-fit-into-all-of-this/

Tony Evans

The best way to understand the church is an American embassy. America has embassies all around the world and they’re in foreign territory but they're ruled by the laws of the homeland. All embassies are sovereign territory, they do not belong to the country they're in, they belong to the country they're from. The church is God's embassy in history, reflecting the values of eternity in the locality of earth. The job of the church is not to provide merely weekly inspiration. It is to manifest how God would address an issue if God, Himself were personally here addressing it, since we're His body. So the question is not "Did I like the sermon and did I like the songs?" That's not enough. It is, "How is God addressing the hurts of the people? How is He being a mother to the motherless and a father to the fatherless?" He's creating surrogate parents through His people. "How is He addressing the issue of the poor, how is He the collapse of society? He's providing fathers for those who don't have them, as male mentors. In other words, the role of the church is to be the visible, physical expression of God's activity. If all you get is a sermon and song, well you can get that from a radio or television broadcast. What you can't get is life on life touch and that's what the people of God should be providing.

Why We Live in Community–Free pdf Ebook

http://www.plough.com/ebooks/whycommunity.html

Everyone’s talking about "community" these days, but in this classic manifesto, Arnold (a founder of the Bruderhof Communities) argues that it can be lived. Discussing the pillars of real community--self-sacrificial love, honest relationships, and the joy and unity that arises from both--he does not prescribe step-by-step solutions or offer easy "answers." But he does describe the great "adventure of faith" shared by those who are willing to trade isolation for companionship, and he will further inspire those who are already traveling the road of community.

Henri J. M. Nouwen: One of the most challenging statements on community that I have ever read. Its radical God-centeredness makes it not only very demanding, but also very inviting, comforting, and reassuring.

 

I think I may read this soon.  :)

______

review of the book: http://thesidos.blogspot.com/2012/01/book-review-why-we-live-in-community.html

“Eberhard Arnold realized that living in the sort of community that the Bruderhof communities do is not necessarily the calling of all Christians nor do I agree with all of his points (although the ones I do have issues with are more pragmatic than Scriptural) but it does raise for me some troubling questions. Most importantly, why don’t we live in community? Could it be that we love our autonomy, our freedom, our wealth and possessions more than each other? Is the idea of that sort of closeness and openness in this life scary to people who affirm in theory that sort of relationship in eternity? Perhaps most troubling, could it be that we fear living community in whatever shape it takes because we don’t really believe what we read in the Bible, just as we don’t seem to believe so much of what Jesus taught or how He lived or what He commanded? Is it just easier to live lives of religious observance and to find ways to nitpick and divide from one another so that we can justify our disunity? These are troubling questions but they are hammering me.”

Living Simply: Some Initial Steps to Discovering What Really Matters

http://www.strawbale.com/living-simply

The acquisition of knowledge…

The acquisition of knowledge doesn’t mean you’re growing; growing happens when what you know changes how you live. People seldom do things to the best of their ability; they do things to the best of their willingness. - via http://www.marcandangel.com/

-38 around these parts…. brrrrrr!

A discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool's eyes wander to the ends of the earth. ~ Proverbs 17:24

“The particular Hebrew word translated as "discerning" in the verse is very common in the Tanak. It has the idea of considering a situation carefully, studying all the options, pondering possible courses of action, and then choosing the best course. By contrast, a fool pays no attention to anything around him but blithely lets his mind wander, and so stumbles from one predicament to another.”

quoted from - http://hearts-in-training.blogspot.com/2012/01/wisdom-in-view.html

Temple Grandin Seminar today

The Ranch took their crew of young workers (Jordan, Deanna, Josh, Johanna, Nicole and Denise) to a seminar (Understanding Cattle Behaviour to Improve Handling Importance of Reducing Stress During Handling)at the Olds College today – (http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/EFE.nsf/all/DF6A9B1C5032CE8D872579210061A9E1/$file/FFGA-workshop.pdf).  I can’t wait to hear how it went.  This will be a great follow up from the “cattle whispering” course Wes did with them last year.  Plus we watched the movie about Temple Grandin and today they will get to see her in person.  So cool!

 

Wednesday January 18, 2012
Alumni Centre at Olds College
9:30 - 4:30
Dr. Temple Grandin
Understanding Cattle Behaviour to Improve Handling
Importance of Reducing Stress During Handling

One of the most beautiful songs! Psalm 23 sung by a woman in labor

Seven Lies about Homeschoolers

abandon your slave shack

This line jumped out at me from this blog post:

“Sin is a micromanaging slave owner welding a whip of guilt and threats of condemnation.”

Read more: http://www.graceisforsinners.com/life/abandon-your-slave-shack/#ixzz1jlOdhJAR
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives

When you desire a life without struggles…

When you desire a life without struggles, remember that oaks grow strong in harsh winds and diamonds are made under pressure.

from the book Life Learning: Lessons from the Educational Frontier

"Human beings are learning creatures. Babies come out of the womb curious and ready to learn. They immediately begin to explore and learn about their world, without our persuasion. Later, they learn how to walk and talk without being artificially motivated. They don't take a course. They don't 'goof off' while learning these skills because they're bored or the 'work' is too hard. They are not marked, tested, graded or nagged to practice. They just do it. They are motivated by wanting to do these things well, like bigger people." Wendy Priesnitz, in the introduction entitled Learning in the Real World, from the book Life Learning: Lessons from the Educational Frontier

God does not wait for the world to get ready, He enters right into the mess.

Excellent post from Katie: (found via FB: Katie blogs again over at incourage: God says, "I'm here now, and I am ok with the mess because I am here for the messy.")

When You Think You Are Not Ready

http://www.incourage.me/2012/01/when-you-think-you-are-not-ready.html

12 Reasons I Have Decided to Read One Book Per Week

“I like reading. Each time I read a new book, I am stretched as a person. I am forced to embrace a new thought and evaluate my life against it. I am taken to new places and enjoy conversations with new people. I am inspired, entertained, and invested into. I become a better person because of it… I just wish I did more of it. That’s why I’ve taken this occasion of a new year to purposely resolve to read more books.”

from the blog post:

12 Reasons I Have Decided to Read One Book Per Week

http://www.becomingminimalist.com/2012/01/16/12-reasons-to-read-books/

I want to raise adults…

1.  “If there is one thing our society is lacking these days, it is Responsibility.  Responsibility for our own actions.  Responsibility for our own consequences.  Responsibility for our behaviors, emotions, and reactions.  All too often it is someone else’s fault or someone else’s job.  In fact, so many people have outsourced their responsibilities to the point there is no one left to take responsibility for anything.”

2.  “I want to raise adults.  Real adults.  Adults who are responsible, discerning, and purposeful. Christianity encourages maturity.  It encourages seeking and searching, growing and learning.  It encourages not just reading the Scripture, but doing the Scripture.”

 

these quotes are from the blog post: “I am raising adults” http://raisinghomemakers.com/2012/i-am-raising-adults/

my favorite quotes from this post highlighted in pink

 

EcoSalon’s favorite quotes about minimalism, downsizing, and living small. - http://ecosalon.com/30-best-quotes-on-living-small/

Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. -William Morris

As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness. -Henry David Thoreau

Poverty is my pride. -Muhammed

With a few flowers in my garden, half a dozen pictures and some books, I live without envy. -Lope de Vega

You know you have reached perfection of design not when you have nothing more to add, but when you have nothing more to take away. -Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Live simply so that others may simply live. -Elizabeth Ann Seton

Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life, and the labors of life reduce themselves. -Edwin Way Teale

Small rooms or dwellings discipline the mind, large ones weaken it. -Leonardo Da Vinci

Simplicity is an acquired taste. Mankind, left free, instinctively complicates life. -Katharine Fullerton Gerould

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction. -E.F. Schumacker

The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less. -Socrates

The simplest things are often the truest. -Richard Bach

Less is more. -Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like. -Will Rogers

If one had taken what is necessary to cover one’s needs and had left the rest to those who are in need, no one would be rich, no one would be poor, no one would be in need. -Saint Basil

One can furnish a room very luxuriously by taking out furniture rather than putting it in. -Francis Jourdain

Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art. -Frederic Chopin

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. -Hans Hofmann

There are two ways to be rich: One is by acquiring much, and the other is by desiring little. -Jackie French Koller

One of the advantages of being born in an affluent society is that if one has any intelligence at all, one will realize that having more and more won’t solve the problem, and happiness does not lie in possessions, or even relationships: The answer lies within ourselves. If we can’t find peace and happiness there, it’s not going to come from the outside. -Tenzin Palmo

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. -Confucious

We go on multiplying our conveniences only to multiply our cares. We increase our possessions only to the enlargement of our anxieties. -Anna C. Brackett

You say, ‘If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied,’ you make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled. -Charles Spurgeon

Any half-awake materialist well knows – that which you hold holds you. -Tom Robbins

The intention of voluntary simplicity is not to dogmatically live with less. It’s a more demanding intention of living with balance. This is a middle way that moves between the extremes of poverty and indulgence. -Duane Elgin

If one’s life is simple, contentment has to come. Simplicity is extremely important for happiness. Having few desires, feeling satisfied with what you have, is very vital: satisfaction with just enough food, clothing, and shelter to protect yourself from the elements. -The Dalai Lama

The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things. -Elise Boulding

Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you. -Lao Tzu

I bet most of us have experienced at some point the joys of less: college – in your dorm, traveling – in a hotel room, camping – rig up basically nothing, maybe a boat. Whatever it was for you, I bet that, among other things, this gave you a little more freedom, a little more time. -Graham Hill

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. -Hans Hofmann

quality time

Quality time is found in the unexpected moments of life.
It's not defined by the hour,
but simply by our devotion one to another.
~ Time-Warp Wife

Watched this video this morning --- wow!

questions to ponder and discuss

[ love ]
1. How do you define love? Please share any life experiences that have influenced your views.
2. How is love defined and described in God’s Word?* If you painted a picture to help someone understand
it, what might you paint? Here are some verses to consider: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and 13, John 3:16-17, John
15:12-13, Romans 5:8, John 14:21, Galatians 5:14, Luke 10:25-37, and 1 John 4:7-21.
3. How willing are you to live by God’s definition of love and the importance He places on it?
Are any changes necessary in your life?
4. Is loving people easy or hard for you? Does it sometimes depend on their behavior?
5. Do you ever believe people can’t love you because of choices you’ve made? How does that make you feel
about yourself? Them?
6. How do you respond to people you love who don’t love you back? How would you like to respond? What
might it take?

[ faith ]
7. How do you define faith? How is it different from hope? Please share any life experiences that have influenced
your views.

8. How is faith defined and described in God’s Word?* How important is this kind of faith to you? Here are
some verses to consider: 2 Corinthians 5:7, Hebrews 11:6, Romans 5:1-2, Romans 10:17, James 2:26, Galatians
3:21-27, and Matthew 9:2.
9. What does genuine faith produce?*
10. What things positively or negatively affect your faith in God?
11. Is faith that a pilot will fly you safely to your destination easier or harder for you than having faith in God
and His Word? Why?

[ sin ]
12. How do you define sin? Please share any life experiences that have influenced your views.
13. How is sin defined and described in God’s Word?* If you painted a picture to help someone understand
it, what might you paint? Here are some verses to consider: Romans 8:5-8, Romans 5:20-6:2, Romans
6:20-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Colossians 2:13, Proverbs 28:13, James 4:17, 1 John 1:8, Romans 7:17-20, and
Romans 3:19-24.
14. How willing are you to live by God’s definition of sin and the importance He places on it? Any changes
necessary?
15. Why can God not be in the presence of sin? What are some other consequences of sin? Do these motivate
you to not sin? Is there anything else that would motivate you? Please explain.

[ forgiveness ]
16. How do you define forgiveness? Please share any life experiences that have influenced your views.
17. How is forgiveness defined and described in God’s Word?* What pictures come to mind? Here are
some verses to consider: Colossians 3:13, 1 John 1:8-10, Matthew 18:21-22, Luke 17:3-4, Ephesians 1:7-8,
and Matthew 6:9-13.
18. How willing are you to live by God’s definition of forgiveness and the importance He places on it? Any
changes necessary?
19. Do you believe that some things are unforgiveable? And that some things are so minor you don’t need to
ask for forgiveness? How has this affected you? Any changes you want to make?
20. How can we forgive others? Ourselves? How does prayer help?

[ reconciliation ]
21. How do you define reconciliation? Please share any life experiences that have influenced your views.
22. How is reconciliation defined and described in God’s Word?* Here are some verses to consider: 2 Corinthians
5:18-20, Romans 5:11, Romans 12:18-19, Colossians 1:19-22, 1 Corinthians 1:10, and Proverbs 28:14.
23. How willing are you to live by God’s definition of reconciliation and the importance He places on it? Any
changes necessary?

24. What about your relationship with God? Any reconciliation necessary? What has God done to reconcile us
to Him? Considering this, what should be our response to Him?
25. Are you aware if you need to reconcile differences with anyone? What has stopped you? Would you be
surprised if God opened the door to reconcile a relationship you once thought to be irreconcilable? How
might you respond?
26. How can we respond when we want to reconcile with someone and that person isn’t interested? Any
advice for others?

Questions from: Reconciliation Movie Discussion Guide - http://www.reconciliationmovie.com/Reconciliation_Study_Guide.pdf

How would I answer these questions?

All About Your Spiritual Life and Beliefs
Please respond to the following questions on a separate piece of paper:
1. Describe your relationships with God and Jesus, and how those relationships are growing.
2. What do you think people believe about Jesus as a result of knowing you? Why?
3. How would you explain salvation to a camper?
4. Tell us about your relationship with Christian community – do you have accountability, discipleship or mentoring
relationships? Are you involved in ministry?
5. What is the Bible? We'll agree that it's important ... but why?
6. What is (are) your spiritual gift(s)? What leads you to that conclusion?

Responses to the video Jesus>Religion

 

1.  Olivia responded on her blog “Why I Love Religion BECAUSE I Love Jesus” - http://www.hernoblecharacter.com/2012/01/why-i-love-religion-because-i-love.html

 

2.  Kevin wrote “Does Jesus Hate Religion? Kinda, Sorta, Not Really” - http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2012/01/13/does-jesus-hate-religion-kinda-sorta-not-really/

and

Following Up on the Jesus/Religion Video  - http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2012/01/14/following-up-on-the-jesusreligion-video/

 

3.  article from Voddie Baucham Ministries on whether or not Christianity is a "religion." http://www.gracefamilybaptist.net/voddie-baucham-ministries/blog/christianity-religion-2012-01/

"I understand what people are trying to say when they eschew the term religion. The goal is to assure skeptics that we are not offering dead ritual and empty tradition. The goal is to paint a picture of a vibrant life with our Lord, Jesus Christ. I get that. However, I do not believe that it is wise, or necessary to commit logical fallacies, and make trite, nonsensical arguments in order to do so. Arguing that Christianity is not a religion is like arguing that America is not a country. I believe honest, thinking people laugh when they hear some Christian trying to be hip and relevant by saying something as asinine and illogical as, “I’m not talking about religion... I’m talking about a relationship.” Enough already with the play on words. It’s not our job to make Christianity cool. We just need to make it clear. Unfortunately, since this “Christianity is not a religion” business is out of step with the English language, the history of the Church, and common sense, it compromises the clarity and the integrity of our message. I praise God for the fact that we have a religion and a relationship." ~Voddie Baucham

The 3 C’s of life

CHOICES, CHANCES, CHANGES – you must make a choice to take a chance or your life will never change.

There isn't a right way to become educated

"There isn't a right way to become educated; there are as many ways as fingerprints." John Taylor Gatto

the day your life truly begins

The best day of your life is the day you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. This gift we call life is all yours. It is an amazing journey full of choices, and you alone are responsible for the quality and direction of it. This is the day your life truly begins. - via http://www.marcandangel.com/

How to live simply in a 39 foot RV — From Louise Hornor

http://unclutterer.com/2008/05/19/how-to-live-simply-in-a-39-foot-rv-from-louise-hornor/

Have you heard about “I am second”?

“I am Second

Inspiring the Revolution of Second.

I am Second is a movement meant to inspire people of all kinds to live for God and for others. Actors. Athletes. Musicians. Business leaders. Drug addicts. Your next-door neighbor. People like you. The authentic stories on iamsecond.com provide insight into dealing with typical struggles of everyday living. These are stories that give hope to the lonely and the hurting, help from destructive lifestyles, and inspiration to the unfulfilled. You’ll discover people who’ve tried to go it alone and have failed. Find the hope, peace, and fulfillment they found. Be Second.”

http://www.iamsecond.com/

THE GAPS DIET - Natural Digestive Healing

The GAPS diet seems to come up a lot in my web surfing.  What is the GAPS diet?

1.  http://gapsdiet.com/Getting_Started.html

2.  Overwhelmed by the GAPS Diet? Help Has Arrived! - http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/overwhelmed-by-the-gaps-diet-help-has-arrived/ (The GAPS Diet is the best approach for healing the gut and putting autoimmune disease of all kinds into remission that I have ever come across.  That being said, the 6 months to 3 years that folks need to be on GAPS to reverse these conditions.)

What does the GAPS diet address?

3.  Here is a brief list of some of the symptoms and disorders that are very often related to the gut, and that have been greatly impacted by the GAPS diet:

ADD, ADHD, learning disabilities, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, asthma, bed wetting, thrush, finicky eaters, chronic ear infections, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, type-1 diabetes, chronic cystitis (bladder infection), colic & eczema.

http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2010/02/the-gaps-diet-what-it-is-and-why-you-might-consider-doing-it.html

4.  GAPS Diet Progress Report – 8 Weeks  -- http://www.butterbelle.ca/gaps/gaps-diet-progress-report-8-weeks/

 

from FB:

“Living On A Dime

So I went to my $2,000 cash only doc today and here's what he found out. I have:
low iron,
gluten allergy
major insulin problems (no sugar or substitutes)
2 major bacterial infections ( 2-6 months of antibiotics)
major yeast overgrowth (2-6 months of yeast meds.)
low Vit. D and C
Other than that I'm doing good! LOL No wonder I can't get off the couch and feel mostly dead instead of semi-alive most days!
I have to go on this horrible diet (GAPS) but after that he said I should start feeling better...if I live through it!! hehehe”

“Janelle Clark i know lots of people doing GAPS - its worked amazing!! even healed some symptoms of autism/ASD”

“Sal Keith We have been on GAPS for 10 months. It is a big learning curve, but it is easier now. On one hand, it is expensive, on the other hand you can't really eat out - so you save money that way. There are great resources: healthhomehappy.com, realsustenance.com, thespunkycoconut.com, nutsonline.com - to name a few”

quote

“The great thing is, if one can, to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions in one’s ‘own’ or ‘real’ life. The truth is, of course, that what one regards as interruptions are precisely one’s life.”
—C.S. Lewis

Just Another Birthday by Casting Crowns

This commercial isn't real, neither are society's standards of beauty.

This is a must see. We all know the truth, but visual reminders like these are important. And if you have young pre-teen or teen girls in your life, please share this video with them!

Open Tabs

 

1. Preparing Teens for their adult life

Google Search Links

Developing Life Skills in Teens - http://middleearthnj.wordpress.com/tag/preparing-teens-for-adulthood/  (love the name of this website – MIDDLE EARTH: partnering with youth for responsible adulthood)

 

2.  My new printer (maybe?) - http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=66%2C240%2C309,2903&webid=358114&affixedcode=WW

 

3.  Free punctuation worksheets - http://englishforeveryone.org/Topics/Punctuation.htm

 

4.  Jordan wants to sign up for these online guitar lessons.

http://www.jamplay.com/

http://www.learningguitartoday.com/2011/01/save-on-jamplay-with-these-current-jamplay-coupon-codes

 

5.  Dr. Scholl’s custom fit orthotics (they have one of these in Red Deer at London Drugs) - http://www.footmapping.ca/index.html

 

6.  Multigenerational Living Articles - http://www.togetheragainbook.com/

 

7.  What Einstein, Twain, and Forty Eight Other Creative People Had to Say About Schooling -  http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201107/what-einstein-twain-and-forty-eight-other-creative-people-had-say-about-sc

**some of my favorites**

“I hated school. Even to this day, when I see a school bus it's just depressing to me. The poor little kids.” Dolly Parton

“How could youths better learn to live than by at once trying the experiment of living?” Henry David Thoreau

“He was so learned that he could name a horse in nine languages; so ignorant that he bought a cow to ride on.” Benjamin Franklin

“Education is the period during which you are being instructed by somebody you do not know, about something you do not want to know.” Chesterson

“It is among the commonplaces of education that we often first cut off the living root and then try to replace its natural functions by artificial means. Thus we suppress the child's curiosity and then when he lacks a natural interest in learning he is offered special coaching for his scholastic difficulties.” Alice Duer Miller

“School is where you go between when your parents can't take you, and industry can't take you.”  John Updike

 

8.  Financial Notebook - http://dittledattle.blogspot.com/search/label/Financial%20Baby%20Steps

 

9.  Brock Health Administration - http://www.brockhealth.ca/enroll.php

perfect love

Perfect love is perfect self-forgetfulness.
Hence where there is love in a home,
unselfishness is the law.
Each forgets self and lives for others.
~ J.R. Miller

Plan Your Free Online Education at Lifehacker U: Spring Semester 2012

What Is Lifehacker U?

“Whether you're in school and getting ready to head back for the spring semester, or you're out of school and just want to keep learning and growing, there are an incredible amount of free, university-level courses that become available on the web every school year, and anyone with a little time and a passion for self-growth can audit, read, and "enroll" in these courses for their own personal benefit. Schools like Yale University, MIT, Stanford, the University of California at Berkeley, and many more are all offering free online classes that you can audit and participate in from the comfort of your office chair, couch, or computing chair-of-choice.

Some of these classes are available year-round, but many of them are only available during the a specific term or semester, and because we're all about helping you improve your life at Lifehacker, we put together a list of courses available this spring that will inspire you, challenge you, open the door to something new, and give you the tools to improve your life. Grab your pen and paper and make sure your battery is charged—class is in session!”

http://lifehacker.com/5875092/plan-your-free-online-education-at-lifehacker-u-spring-semester-2012