“We have a telling bit of evidence of the closeness of music to life in ancient Israel in Numbers 21:16-18…. Music, from its simplest to its more complex forms, was basic to man’s life because it was, like life, God-centered. The point of Psalm 33:1-5 is that we sing to the Lord because His word is right, all His works are done in truth, and His government, justice, mercy, and grace are so gloriously right and perfect that song is the covenant man’s ever new response.” – R.J. Rushdoony (The Institutes of Biblical Law vol.2: Law and Society pg. 443)
R.J. Rushdoony on Music
Ron Owens quote on Music
“Many today insist that music is amoral, that there is nothing innately good or bad about music itself. They say it is neutral, and only its use determines whether it is good or evil. To a degree this is true, but in a very real way music ceases to be neutral the moment those little black-and-white notes begin to be woven together to produce a certain combinations of sounds that result in the message or world-view that the composer of the music wants to get across. The music itself becomes a statement, even when words are not attached to its message. ” – Ron Owens (Return to Worship, pg. 138)
Categories: Music, Quote, Theology
Tags: Composition, Music, Quote, Rebellion, Ron Owens, Western Civilization, Worldview
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R.J. Rushdoony on Respecting Authority
“If we invalidate authorities on the evidence of any sin or error,we guarantee anarchy. It is necessary to respect authorities even when they are wrong, and to seek redress or change in lawful ways. To be intolerant of errors and sins in authorities is to posit ourselves as the unerring judges and juries.” – R.J. Rushdoony (Sovereignty, pg. 379)
Reformation of Food and the Family Conference
Please Come!
Cha-Cha playing outside
While I had the camera out to take pictures of the garden I also took a few pictures of my Husky (Cha-Cha)…
Categories: Dog, Family Stuff
Tags: Cha-Cha, Dog, Off-leash, Pet Safe, Playing, Siberian Husky, Underground fence
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Gardening and Spring
It was decided we would venture into gardening this spring! My Poppa did a significant amount of gardening until a few years ago and we decided it was time to do it again. Thus the planning began. We decided to start “small” this year; we’d only plant corn, potatoes, peas, green-beans, carrots, onions, watermelon, squash, garlic, tomatoes, chives, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and peppers. With The Backyard Homestead under one arm and The Veggie Gardener’s Answer Book under the other we began. We plotted out our garden today and planted our first few set of crops. It’ll be exciting to see how it goes!
Ron Owens Quote on Allegiance to God
“The issue in the first commandment is one of allegiance and loyalty. What is the ultimate loyalty of your life? For every believer, it should be an unquestioned loyalty and commitment to the living God who delivered us from the slavery of sin and brought us into the freedom of His Son. Such an allegiance to the One who had redeemed us will cause us to reorganize every area of our lives – our actions, work, recreation, social activities, church, and family – around what He tells us to do. It will dictate how we live. The… standard by which we are to measure our lives is the commandments of God. He will stand for no rivals. We cannot servce, We cannot worship both God and the gods of our culture. And we should not be trying.” – Ron Owens (Return to Worship, pg. 21)
Harriet Wheeler Commits herself to God
While browsing the shelves of the public library my eyes caught the subtitle of a book “Letters of… a missionary wife.” Intrigued I picked it up not expecting much from it. To my surprise I read the name of the author of the letters and recognized it as a missionary that had lived among the Ojibwas Indians in the 1840′s (I recognized the name from S.R. Riggs’ Protestant Missions in the Northwest). While flipping through its pages I came upon the following Covenant. Written by Mrs. Harriet Wood Wheeler on the occation of dedicating her life to the work of the mission. Here is what she wrote:
“Almightly and most merciful God, the author of my bring and the preserver of my life, I desire at this time, with the deepest reverence, humility and self-abasement to present myself before thee, sensible of my utter unworthiness to appear in they majesty’s presence, especially on such an occasion at this; eve that of entering into a solemn and everlasting covenant with the King of kings and Lord of Lords. But this gracious proposal is from thee. Thine infinite mercy and condescension have opened the way, and thy grace, I trust, has inclined my heart to accept the terms of that gracious covenant according to which I would now heartily surrender and consecrate myself wholly to thee, to be thine forever. I acknowledge myself a great sinner and, with a penitent heart, beseech thee to be merciful to my unrighteousness, and forgive all my sins through the atonement and mediation of they dear Son, in whom are all my hopes of acceptance. I beseech thee to pardon and receive they prodigal child, who desires nothing so much as a place in thy family, and to be entirely devoted to thy glory. And yet such is the exceeding sinfulness of my heart and life that I cannot approach this solemn transaction without trembling. But convinced that it is but a reasonable service, I do this day, in the presence of witnessing angels, make an entire and heart surrender of myself to thee. I yield to thee my mortal body and all its members, faculties and sense to be henceforth wholly employed in thy service and resigned to thy will. To thee I also surrender my rational and immortal soul with all its intellectual and moral powers, to be sued, directed and disposed of, according to thy holy and sovereign pleasure. I also surrender and consecrate to thee all my time, property and influence, accounting myself thy servant bound to improve all to thy glory, and submit all my interests and desires to they management and direction. At the same time, I renounce all other Lords which have had dominion over me and choose and avouch the Lord Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to be my God and portion forever. I take and own God, the Father, and my Father in heaven, engaging thus the aid of his grave to love and obey him as such, and humbly pray to be owned and blessed of him as a daughter of the Lord Almighty. The Lord Jesus Christ I accept as my only Redeemer and Savior, beseeching him to wash my polluted soul in the fountain of his blood and make me a meek, exemplary follower of him till death and then receive me to his everlasting kingdom. The Holy Ghost I also avouch as my Enlightener, Guide, Sanctifier and Comforter entreating him to make my heart the temple of his residence, to shed abroad a Savior’s love there, and to leave and enliven all my devotion and bring every thought and desire into subjection to the divine will.
“And now, O Lord, behold I am thine; oh make me a faithful servant, a willing and obedient child. Use my for thy glory as seemeth good to thy sight. Put me among thy children and number me among thy peculiar people. Feed and nourish my soul from thy bounteous table and clothe me with the robe of salvation prepared by the labors and sufferings of thy dear Son. While I live enable me to live wholly to thee, performing the duties and fulfilling the obligations of covenant vows, oh, let not they loving kindness depart from me nor thy covenant of peace be removed; but grant me evangelical repentance and faith in Christ, and then save me from all my backslidings and by every fall make me more humbly watchful and prayerful, that my path may be as the rising light, which shineth brighter and brighter to the perfect day. And when my warfare shall be accomplished, my work on earth finished, receive me to thyself in that time and way which shall be most for thy glory. Only grant, I beseech thee, that amid peace of God ruling in my heart and be enabled to employ the last breathings of morality in thy praise. And when this clay tabernacle shall be returned to the earth from which it was taken, and this immortal soul, now engaged in covenant with its Maker, shall have entered on the retribution of eternity, should this memorial meet the eye of survivors, may it prove an instrument in the hands of the Spirit of awakening and saving such as are impenitent and of quickening to greater care, diligence and zeal such as have taste that the Lord is gracious, that they may be prepared to join with the covenant people of god, who are before the throne, in ascribing blessing and honor and glory and power unto him that sitteth on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever. Amen.” – (Woman in the the Wilderness pg. 23-24. 2010)
Categories: History, Quote, Theology
Tags: A.B.C.F.M., Harriet Wheeler, Missionary, Native American Missionary, Ojibwas
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Book Review: Queen of the Home
We live in a culture that devalues women and the impact that Godly women have on a society. The world tells us we must all run off to college, get a “real” job, and have a career, even if that means leaving husband, children, parents, etc. in the care of the state. But is this true? Is a career the most important thing in our lives? How high we climb up the corporate ladder? Or how much we make a year? I do not believe that this is what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches a much different picture of womanhood; a woman who rules her home well, who delights in the family God gave her, and who is resourceful, diligent, kind, etc. (Prov. 31:10-31, Titus 2:3-5, etc.).
As an unmarried young woman still living under my parents’ authority, I often get asked the question “So what do you want to do with your life?” The response of “I’d like to be a wife and mother” gives way to many smiles and giggles that seem to say, “The poor naive thing. She’ll learn differently someday.” It’s not because of the easiness of the path that I desire to go this way, nor because of its great earthly rewards. God has given women an influence in life that nothing can replace: to influence a coming generation and train them to be Kingdom builders; to train them to be people who will go out and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the masses.
In the midst of the confusion over what true womanhood is, who is willing to stand up and proclaim the true nobility of womanhood or give the true picture of what the Bible teaches? This book does nothing short of that. It beautifully portrays and explains what true, noble, womanhood looks like; the kind of womanhood that the Bible speaks of. Queen of the Home is full of beautiful little essays, poems, and quotes explaining and showing what a high calling the vocation of Biblical womanhood is. This book asserts truly, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” This book gives a word of encouragement to wives, mothers, grandmothers, and daughters alike, calling women from all stages of life to grasp hold of the vision of Biblical womanhood and fulfill our God-ordained role.
I would highly recommend this book. I was immensely blessed and encouraged by it and would encourage you to read it as well. Available from Vision Forum.
Categories: Family Stuff, Review
Tags: Biblical Womanhood, Books Review, Femininity, Queen of the Home, Vision Forum, Womanhood
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