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A Garden Home, No. 183
Jeremiah 29:5, “Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.”
The first home was built by God. The predominant thing about this home is that it was a garden. It was called the garden of Eden. ( Genesis 2:7, 15) The word Eden means delight. The first home was a prototype of all homes to come. Consequently, God wants our homes today to also be places of delight. We should seek to make our homes lovely, whether small or big. Of course we know that there is more to a home than the beautiful architecture and the décor. A beautiful looking home can have a cold and hateful atmosphere. A little hut can be filled with the atmosphere of heaven. But there is something we must take notice of. The first home was a garden. God wants our home to be more than brick and timber. He wants it to be a garden, too. The garden was part of God’s plan for the home. It adds beauty to the home, but it also supports the home. The Knox translation of the above Scripture states it clear, “I would have you… plant yourselves gardens of your own to support you.” We often forget about gardens today because every kind of food we need from anywhere in the world is available at the local supermarket. We don’t really need a garden, or do we? I am a great believer in keeping to the plan that God established in the beginning. I believe that part of our homemaking ministry is to help feed our family from the home garden. It provides for the family. It saves money. The nutritional benefit far surpasses any vegetables or fruit you can purchase at the supermarket. Most of them are sprayed with chemicals, and even if you could afford to buy organic vegetables, how long have they been sitting on the shelf? There is nothing more wonderful than to go to the home garden, harvest vegetables straight from the plants and prepare them for the meal immediately. This is the ultimate plan. “Just a minute,” you exclaim. I can’t have a garden. I live in an apartment. This doesn’t relate to me.” Or maybe you live in a high rise. How can you have a garden? Even if you do have room for a garden, there are still challenges to face. When we moved to our land over seven years ago, we had plenty of room for a garden, but we still couldn’t grow anything. Our soil consisted of clay and stones. We had to purchase dirt which we protect by keeping it in raised beds. I keep replenishing my earth with compost and manure. I have a compost bucket under my counter where I save all peelings and raw scraps. If you don’t have room to grow a garden outside, you can still grow herbs and vegetables in pots on your verandah or deck. You can grow herbs in pots on your windowsill. And if, for some impossible reason, you can’t do this, grow some sprouts! Grow something. Bring greenery into your home. Make it a garden. Make it a delight. There are many Scriptures relating God with gardens. Where did God fellowship with Adam and Eve at the end of each day? In the garden! ( Genesis 3:8-10) Song of Solomon 8:13 tells us that our Heavenly Bridegroom dwells in the garden. It was in a garden that Jesus was crucified, laid in the tomb and rose from the dead! ( John 19:41; 20:15-16) Isaiah 51:3, says, “For the Lord shall comfort Zion... and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody.” (cf. Genesis 13; 10) This is talking about God’s garden! We should also have Nancy’s garden, Susie’s garden, Debbie’s garden and so on. What about your garden? Love from NANCY CAMPBELLPRAYER:“Thank you, Lord, for showing me that a garden is part of the home. Please show me the best way to grow a garden in my situation. Amen.””AFFIRMATION:Gardening is God-like.
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You Are A Life Giver!
God is the originator of life. He loves life. It is precious to Him. And wonder of wonders, He has given to us women the awesome privilege to conceive life, to nurture it in our womb and birth it into the world. A new life! It is a life that is not only destined for this world, but also for eternity. What joy! Oh yes, I’ll admit it takes sacrifice, but it is the most powerful thing that we can do as a woman. Everything else we spend our time on in this world will one day be left behind, but if we lead our children to know Jesus, we’ll take them into heaven with us as well as the future dynasties that follow. To bring life into the world is not something we do today and it is gone tomorrow – it is a forever work. Even if a little child leaves this earth before we are ready for them to go, we will have them forever in eternity. And eternity is the real world!
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Help! What Should I Feed Our Children?
One morning you open your front door to get the newspaper and stumble over a beautifully wrapped package. In amazement you open this gift and find nestled inside a pure, white bunny. Around its neck is a little note that reads… “This is a special gift from heaven for you. I want you to take care of it for me. I trust you to make sure it grows big and strong. From your heavenly Father.” Wow! After receiving this gift, I’m sure you’d be off to the library to research the best food to feed your bunny.
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An Age Old Tradition
Those of you who have received Above Rubies for awhile know that I love eating raw foods and encouraging you to include lots of them in your family’s diet too. I am always searching for new ways to boost the enzyme pool in my family as enzymes are our true measure of age and health. Well… I have just learned a way of preparing raw foods that greatly multiplies the enzymes and throws in naturally occurring probiotics to boot. This stuff is amazing and it is dirt cheap, as cheap as a few cabbage leaves.
Our Daily Bread
It has now been three years since our family of six children have been to the doctor for an illness or have had to take antiobiotics. How has this happened? Three years ago God began to speak to me about the Above Rubies woman from Proverbs 31:27, "She looketh well to the ways of her household and eateth not the bread of idleness." I almost laughed at that statement, "the bread of idleness". Who could be idle with six children, home schooling, household tasks, serving my husband and running a home business! There never seemed to be an idle moment in our home. But a further study of this verse opened my heart to new understanding. The words, "looketh well" come from a Hebrew word meaning, "to lean forward, to peer into the distance, to keep the watch." The wise woman looks ahead to see what lasting effect today's activities may have on her future and the future of her family. As she peers into the distance she considers the future and outcome of her children. She trains them accordingly. She does not worry about tomorrow but plans her steps as she observes and waits on the Lord's direction.
Have You Tried Tofu?
Throughout the years of raising our six children, I have sought to keep them on a basically healthy lifestyle. I have never used white sugar or white flour. I ground my wheat and made my own whole grain bread. We rarely used packaged goods and kept to home-made fresh foods. However, living in the dairy country of New Zealand and then Australia, we still ate meat and a high percentage of dairy products. I was still ignorant of the affects of these foods upon the body.
Guidelines For Optimum Health
To maintain a healthy lifestyle and optimum physique, proper eating is essential. However, did you notice the heading? It says ‘guidelines’, not rules! Everyone is different. Some people eat foods that are marvelous for their system that others can’t tolerate. God has made such a vast variety of foods that if one doesn’t suit us, there will be another food that supplies those same nutrients. That’s why we all eat different foods in different countries and yet all survive.
Why Vegan Recipes?
The recipes that you will find here are all Vegan. That means they have no meat or dairy products. Now just a minute. Don't turn off. You'll find some great recipes here. Plus, I'm not saying that you shouldn't eat meat. I don't have a Biblical premise for saying that. The only warning the Bible has about meats is that we should eat the clean meats, fish and fowl. Even then, you are not under law, and you can eat what you like. However, I believe that God didn't give health laws just for the sake of it. I believe that if we keep to God's dietary laws and eat only the clean meats and fish, we will save ourselves from diseases and will have His protection. God, who created the animals, knows which are the safest for us to eat.
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