The Easy Road of Deception

I've recently started canning.  This is not simply a foodie pastime, although I do enjoy cooking.  It is about living a more intentional lifestyle.  Modern conveniences come at a price.  Our own great-grandparents would be ashamed at how little we can do!  

I'm not talking about surviving in the wild or building a log cabin with your bare hands; I'm talking about simple things like baking bread, sewing a shirt, or knowing an herbal remedy for headache.  We've allowed ourselves to become so entitled that most of us wouldn't know what to do if we had to live a week without electricity - myself included!

Beyond this, much of the processed food available in stores today is full of GMOs, harmful pesticides, loads of added sugar (to which we have become addicted), and lacks full flavor.  We are robbing ourselves and our children, and we're blind to the consequences.

Our current lifestyle is not sustainable.  It is very likely that these simple life skills will become necessary within the next several years.  I am learning them now, rather than waiting until the situation becomes more desperate.  I encourage you to do the same!  We will all be able to bless each other if we each learn a few key skills.  

We have become so isolated in our culture of modern convenience, but the time is coming when community will be necessary for survival.  No one can do everything.  If you can grow and preserve food, and your neighbor can sew and do woodworking, you can depend on each other.  I have already found that if I share my home-baked wheat bread or fresh strawberry jam, my neighbors and friends can't wait to share their garden produce or homemade re-fried beans with me!

The key is this: it is so much easier to deny the need, to stick your head back in the sand and pretend that everything is just going to continue the way it has "always" been.  This is foolishness; the easy way is a deception!  Our current lifestyle is NOT the way it has always been!  We are living on the edge, and if you take an honest look, you will see that it is crumbling under our feet.  

Here are some skills you may want to consider learning:

Growing a Garden

Raising Chickens

Preserving Food

Herbal Remedies

Woodworking

Sewing

Baking Bread

Making Soap and Candles

Water Purification

Please share any other skills you may think are important. Happy Learning!

Parenting with a Purpose

I recently read an excellent article in my favorite magazine, Above Rubies*.  Nancy Campbell urges parents not to settle when it comes to raising children.  Many of us just try to survive the teen years, believing that we are victorious if we manage to produce children who have escaped the dangers of the world.

Is that really good enough?  Shouldn't we instead be striving to raise children who reveal the love of God to the world - who shine light into the darkness?  If we train our children to go on the offensive, we won't be cowering defensively hoping to avoid a catastrophe.
So, exactly HOW do we accomplish this?

• Through fervent prayer for the hearts and minds of our children to be turned to God.  
• Fill your home with God's word - read it aloud, display favorite verses, practice memorizing Scripture together, listen to Scripture-based music . . . there is no such thing as too much truth! (John 8:31-32, 2 Tim. 3:14-17)
• Surrounding our children with a community of families who are training up a generation of strong, well-grounded young people.  Get away from compromise!  (1 Cor. 10:14; 1 Thess. 5:22)
• Modeling a faith-driven life for our children and involving them in hospitality, service and decision-making.

Don't be afraid to make tough decisions that your children may not initially appreciate: what kind of media enters your home, who your children can hang out with, how you will celebrate holidays, etc.  The reward for the way you train your children is priceless!  It will affect the quality of their lives, their friends and neighbors, your grandchildren, and the world!  

We CAN raise up children who will have an impact on the world!

*Subscriptions to Above Rubies are FREE!  I highly encourage you to subscribe today!