Just Say No To The Ministers of Molech

Life matters. Because it matters to me, I am following Holly's example and posting this Randy Alcorn blog post. Despite the Grace-Covers-Licentiousness doctrine speaking to the contrary, we will face a day when we will individually need to stand at Yah's judgement throne and give account. That Day compels a lot of my choices on a day-to-day basis, and my choice for President is included. Instead of seeking to "send a message to the RNC", I choose to send a message to the unborn with my vote. To not vote, is to vote for Obama. To vote for a third party candidate is to vote for Obama. McCain leaves a lot to be desired, but it is the best choice I have that I believe will actually have a chance at getting elected. When I check "McCain" on the ballot, it will be a vote against Obama and a culture that encourages infant sacrifice. I urge you to consider your answer to Yah on That Day as you cast your vote.

Edit: I am not technologically adept enough to imbed this whole post without making everything else on the blog be out-of-whack, so I am posting a link and a quote. Please don't write this off. Please go read this post at Randy's blog:

I'm Not Voting For A Man, I'm Voting For Generations Of Children And Their Right To Live by Randy Alcorn

"Every Christian should take these teachings seriously. Is the unborn an innocent human being? If you claim to be prolife in the historical meaning of the word, then your answer is yes. Is abortion the shedding of innocent blood, the taking of human life created in the image of God? If you say you are prolife, your answer must be yes. (Please do not redefine the meaning of the word prolife and say "I'm prolife" if you're really not.)

So, is the candidate’s stand on the issue of shedding innocent blood important enough to disqualify him as a candidate? Yes. While a single issue can’t qualify a candidate, it can disqualify him. In my opinion, this issue clearly disqualifies Barack Obama, just as it disqualified Republican Rudy Giuliani.

I don’t think someone is a good candidate just because he is prolife. But he cannot be a good candidate unless he is prolife. Personally, if he is committed to legalized child-killing, as a matter of conscience I must vote against him."

Tabernacling Fun!

We are in the midst of the biblical Feast of Tabernacles, and have been sharing with friends some photos of our celebrations! We wanted to share with you as well, and invite you to share stories of your celebrations on your blog or in the comments below. If you post about this, please add pictures if you can, and post a link below! This feast lasts for seven days, plus a bonus eighth day, so even if you had wanted to do something for this, and have not, there is still time! I encourage you to go out and put up a sukkah (tabernacle) and enjoy the beautiful Fall weather with the children!

I'll not post about the details of what the Feast of Tabernacles (also called Sukkot or the Feast of Booths) is all about, because Lisa has already done such a great job of all that. But,  if you have ever thought:

~Why would a Christian want to celebrate those "Jewish" holidays? (hint: the Scriptures call them Yahweh's holy days)

~that Pentecost originated in the book of Acts (hint: Pentecost is the Greek name of an already established biblical feast on which exact day the Holy Spirit came)

~that Yeshua (Jesus) spoke of Living Water in an isolated incident (hint: it happened during the Feast of Tabernacles water pouring ceremony)

~or wondered what activities you could do to help your children (or yourself) understand end-times prophecy(hint: Yeshua (Jesus) fulfilled all the Spring feasts during His first coming on the exact days of the feasts, and the Fall feasts prophecy His second coming in detail)

then you would benefit from studying the biblical Feasts.

Our home group has planned to be together five times during this week long celebration. Our first gathering was yesterday, and here are some shots of our get together, including my girlfriend's sukkah.



Some of the ladies listening intently to some teaching. There is nothing like praying, worshipping and sharing around a campfire.



That's Mr. Visionary in the cowboy hat with Babydoll in his lap, and the Engineer in the black sweatshirt.



The "worship team" having a fun moment.



My girlfriend's sukkah ~ with a woman's touch... so pretty.

At our house, we did not build a "traditional" sukkah, but instead, relied on the Strong's definition of Sukkah, which included the word "tent". Erected on the deck, high above the ground because of my irrational fear motherly concern about the bear, the kids call this our Sukkah City:



Oops...I didn't get the hanging leaves and gourds above the tent in the picture.



***I think the boys win the "Best Decorated Sukkah" award.***

We sleep in our tents all week, and if we had a larger sukkah, we'd eat in it all week. A quick trip to the dollar store helped us get supplies for decorating our sukkot. We have a Mom, Dad and twins tent, a girl tent, and a boy tent.  Mr. Visionary was glad he did not witness the kids and I folding our king sized (real bed) mattress in half to squeeze it into our tent. If you have never wrestled a mattress with your kids, I highly recommend it... it was a hoot. I can not figure out why Mr. Visionary rolled his eyes at me. It is not that I am a sissy... I did this for the twins. Really.

So anyway, post about your celebrations, and leave us a link! It will be fun to go on a Sukkah Tour!

Oh, Stink.

I just accidentally deleted the twins' birth story that I had been thinking through and editing for two months. How disheartening. I'll start again soon.

How Not To Celebrate Rosh Hashana

The feast days of YHWH often leave me with profound lessons about the Messiah and insight into His plans for us. This year, however, my lessons from Yom Teruah (Rosh Hashana) were of a more practical nature.

My currently having nine sick children and one very sick husband compel me to offer this advice. On the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashana) , when observing the command to blow the trumpet:

DO NOT SHARE THE SHOFAR!

Next year, Yah willing, we will have one designated shofar-blower. And we'll disinfect the thing when it's over. I'm just sayin'.

Daily Doings

What I did today:

~nurse babies, change babies, burp babies, hold babies, nurse babies, rock babies, walk babies, carry babies in sling, nurse babies, comfort babies, kiss, love and snuggle babies, make my bed before dinner, pray for more sleep...

The little lady formerly known as Baby A.

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What I did yesterday:

~nurse babies, change babies, burp babies, hold babies, nurse babies, rock babies, walk babies, carry babies in sling, nurse babies, comfort babies, kiss, love and snuggle babies, make my bed before dinner, pray for more sleep...

The little lady formerly known as Baby B.

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What I did the day before that:

~nurse babies, change babies, burp babies, hold babies, nurse babies, rock babies, walk babies, carry babies in sling, nurse babies, comfort babies, kiss, love and snuggle babies, make my bed before dinner, pray for more sleep...

 

 

Rinse and repeat retroactively to the twins' birth date.

It is a good life. I'm just sayin'.

A Childbirth Prayer

As I was thinking over what I wanted to share about the twins' birth story, I realized that I wanted to back up a bit and share this prayer that a close girlfriend gave me a few days before the girls were born. This prayer plays a part in the story, and I didn't want the birth story post to be too long.

My girlfriend found this through what the world would consider a lucky chance encounter, but I believe she was led to it by our Father. I'll always appreciate her scribbling it down on a borrowed scrap of paper and remembering to pass it to me. Thanks Lillian.

On the Approach of Childbirth

Before she labored, she was delivered;
Before her pangs came, she bare a son!
Isaiah 66:7

Fear not, worm of Jacob,
O people of Israel,
For I will help you.
Isaiah 41:14

The hard, painful hour of delivery draws near,
And in the midst of the pains and fears
That course through me
This fervent prayer rises from the depths of my soul--
May it ascend to you, Eternal Parent!
With every pain, with every pang that seizes me,
My words die on my lips.

Only your name, Yahweh, remains alive on them
They utter this cry alone: Yahweh, my Elohim!
You who are my shield and my protector,
My comfort and my rescue,
The one who dampens my fears and my fright,
The one who embraces me in hope,
The one who is my strength--
Oh, as I raise my tearful eyes up to you, Parent of All,
May it draw your compassion down to me.

Let your mercy shelter me,
So these birth pangs do not overtake me,
So I am able to bear them with courage and strength.
Oh, that your parental grace
Might guide me safely and securely
Across this awesome threshold.
All-Compassionate One, shorten my suffering.
Let me soon achieve the joyous goal of this labor--
Let me soon enjoy a healthy, strong baby.
Yahweh, do not now recall
All my sins and missteps in life!
Forgive me and pardon me now
For all my failings before you.

In your compassion and mercy, may it be your will
That I give life to a precious new being.
Preserve my life, and be with me,
For all my hope and trust rests in you. Amen.

Two Beautiful Girls!

Ahem... a drumroll, please?

I am so sorry it has taken so long to update everyone. I had NO idea life would be in such an uproar after the twins' arrival. It has been mostly a good uproar (you know, outside of sleep deprivation and hormones swinging wildly), but WOW, how wonderful it has been!

This is a quick update to let you know that the twins have arrived safely and soundly. After weeks and weeks of praying that they wouldn't come too soon, I began to wonder if they were coming at all.

They were born Friday evening, August 15, at exactly 38 weeks gestation.

Baby A  ~  6lbs. 12 oz., 19 inches long

Baby B  ~  7 lbs. 6 oz., 21inches long

 About 20 minutes after Baby B was born. I'm smiling as I realize that it is really over... we made it.

 My beautiful reward after a long wait. Baruch attah Yahweh! Thank you, Abba!

 

I think I have finally emotionally processed the birth story enough to be able to write it out... I'll try to post it soon. But then again, if the dating of this announcement is any indication... don't hold your breath.

My Wedding Day Ride

The whole affair was a pretty haphazard business. At my tender age, experience was dreadfully lacking. In a months' time I had graduated from high school, turned 18, bought a house and was about to be married. Still in the blush of my youth (batting eyelashes here), I had only witnessed one wedding ever. Ever. And it was only a month before my own. Not much help.

So much of it was patched-up and thrown together at the last minute that any original plans were long forgotten. The night before the wedding, when asked, "Where are the programs?", my answer of, "What are programs?" should have been a sign that all was not well in the planning department. After breaking into the church past midnight to create and print the programs (we had permission, but no keys), the next morning was nothing less than zany. All those visions of a leisurely breakfast saying goodbye to the family were not to be. Instead, folks were rushing hither and yon and the phone was ringing off the hook. When it was my turn to take a shower, things were just settling down a bit.

Stepping out of the shower, it was eerily quiet in the house as I realized I was the only one there. It seemed that everyone assumed that someone else was taking the bride to the church. Mr. Visionary had my car, and there were no other cars home. No one was answering the church phone, and those were the days before everyone five years old and over had their own cell phones. After a half hour of frantic and futile phone calls to find someone (anyone) to drive me to the church, I finally gave up. My best laid plans were long since wrecked, and my last minute I'll-Think-Myself-Out-Of-This-Bind efforts failed as well. I was down to, "Father, if you want me to be married today, you'll need to send me a ride," which is really where I should have started.

Mr. Visionary reminded me of this story this afternoon, as I was nervously trying to think myself out of another bind. My desire for a home birth this pregnancy was overruled by nature of it being twins. No midwife would attend a twin birth at our home, forty minutes from the closest hospital, and I wouldn't feel comfortable with it, either. However, a hospital birth requires planning in the area of childcare and transportation for the laboring woman (namely Me). Therein lies the rub.

Mr. Visionary works a minimum of an hour away from home four days a week. My midwife and OB have both instructed me not to mess around, and to expect a quick labor. My labors aren't terribly long anyway (usually six hours or way less), and twin labors are known for being much shorter than "normal". If I should labor while Mr. Visionary is at work, I will need someone to take me to the hospital and someone else to stay with the children. Both of these somebodies will need to be fairly close to where I live, which is a huge obstacle in itself- I don't have many friends that live close.

My worrier nature wants to remember that my labor with the Dreamer was just over two hours, that I am already dilated several centimeters, that my first childcare plan will not be available because of her having a boatload of company coming in this week, and that I cannot drive while in labor. That is just the beginning of my list. I can think of plenty more while laying awake timing contractions.

Back to the wedding day story. When I finally gave back to Yahweh the burden of deciding how it would all work out, it did. The phone rang, and some friends from out of town were calling to see if there was anything they could do. They picked me up, and the show went on... on time even.

Mr. Visionary reminds me that the same will happen in this situation -Yahweh will provide... and that it too, will be right on time.

Encouraging News

There are many factors to which I could attribute the good news: a healthy diet, plenty of rest, good hydration, those wonderful homemade vitamins, the blessing of midwifery care, or a host of other miscellaneous factors. My heart tells me, however that there is only one factor in the end. Yahweh has been merciful to me, and His grace is abundant.

Yesterday's ultrasound showed that our babies are 5lb 3oz, and 6lb 6 oz at 34.5 weeks. Do the math if you would like, or take my word that it is a lot of baby to be carrying around. At this stage, they usually put on about a half pound per week each, but I'm trying not to think of all that. Add in the extra two pounds for two placentas, and I don't wonder at my being so tired... or my walking like a duck... a barefooted duck on sharp gravel, even.

I am weary of waiting, but eager to have these babies "cook" as long as possible. When I am exhausted, and wanting labor to begin (but feeling guilty because it is too soon), the only comfort I have is knowing with a certainty that Yahweh is in control. I was reminded of this anew last night, as my sister in law was rushed to the hospital for an emergency c-section because of toxemia. He declared the end from the beginning, and He himself knit these little ones together in my womb.

The timing is all His. I was sure last night that I would have accidentally started labor because of stress, but it was not to be. You see, as I was resting, and looking out the window, a full sized black bear just walked by my window. While my boys were outside playing in the yard. I ran to the door, screamed for the boys, then almost fainted when they walked casually in mentioning that the bear was only 12 feet from them.

I don't have a lot of experience with bears (read that NONE), and never thought I'd need it where we live (we are not that rural, you know). But, as a shameless plug for homeschooling, my kids educated me after the fact that black bears aren't dangerous if you just stay out of their way. They found this out on their own just from reading all the field guides we have laying around. If they were in "school" all day, they never would have had time to educate themselves or their Mom on this important matter.

So, let the record show that I can now scratch off of the list black bears walking through the front yard as a possible means of starting labor. Now we know.

I'll keep you posted on any new developments... or anything else we can scratch off said list.

My sister in law & Me comparing belly sizes. She was 36 weeks here, and I was 32 weeks.

Bill & Tracy, Congratulations on a beautiful baby girl! You done good, Momma!

Quick Update

My best intentions keep getting overshadowed by either the size of my belly (which is measuring 47 cm.) or my lack of energy, which is why I haven't posted anything. My computer was also out of commission for a few weeks, but that is not a great excuse because I could have used Mr. Visionary's.

Anyway, I am at 34 weeks and counting. Counting contractions, counting trips to the potty, counting the minutes that go by while I lay wide awake at night trying to sleep... counting down the days.

All is well with Momma and the babies: weight is great, blood pressure is great, etc. I have an ultrasound tomorrow morning to check these little folks' weight, and I will update better afterwards. Really. I will... if Yahweh wills it and the creeks don't rise.