Learning from the Past

I remember cringing through my Medieval History course at my public college.  It was my first glance at the history of the church through a Secular University textbook and lecture.  Every class that discussed the church's past made me wonder what everyone else was thinking. Were they thinking, "Yeah, those Christians were pretty messed up."  Or, "That's why I don't want anything to do with Church."  It was the only class I remember feeling like I was walking on eggshells when I wanted to ask questions because although I didn't mind standing for what I believed, the history of what I believed seemed almost, well, unbelievable.

Years later, I have now completed a course in the history of the church for my ministry class.  This class gave a fair view of the good, the bad, and even the ugly of church history.  It covered the initial spreading of the Gospel at Pentecost to the abuse of power from popes, kings, and even monks.  The history of the church may be messy but at the end of the day what blows my mind is that no matter how humans have failed, God's Word cannot be stopped.  In every period of the churches history there have been those individuals that raged  against the machine. Those people who knew the gospel for themselves that I believe kept the truth of God's World alive.  I think that aspect is key.  Yes, the history is messy but there is something that proves to me that the Word of God is powerful!  You see that Christianity experienced some of it's greatest strides once the Bible was mass printed in a language common people could understand.  Reformers like John Wycliffe, John Hus, and Martin Luther stood up against church corruption and humanistic theology.  These reformers looked at the Bible for themselves and the Holy Spirit showed them that what was going on didn't line up with God's original intentions for His children.  Because of these few good men, Christianity has come to be a relationship based religion rather than a belief people carry around in their back pockets available for use when needed. 

It leads me to wonder who will be the reformers of our time.  In America, we certainly don't face any terrible religious injustices.  We are not forced by the government to believe in a particular way and our church and state are "separate".  However what I see on the horizon in my generation are people who are starting to discount the Word of God and trade it for seeking spirituality however they can get it.  Sort of a new-age feel to what people believe.  God is everywhere, in everything, and is everyone (whatever that means).  People sit in corners of coffee houses and "discuss" what they "think" about theology, dogma, and God.  They share, discuss, and even debate about all kinds of topics of faith. But at their core, these are people's opinions.  As you can see from the history of the church, when you step away from the Word of God and following what it says, you get people leading with false doctrine such as the idea of indulgences.  Opinions don't set drug addicts free.  Opinions don't raise the dead or heal the sick.  Opinions are a lazy religion that lead to a powerless future church.

But if the history of the church can be so messed up and yet survive with the reformers who step up, it makes me wonder if I can make a difference.  Can I be a reformer?  As I write children's ministry curriculum it makes me ask myself, how can I encourage the kids that are growing up now to realize the power and importance of the Bible?  How can I communicate the unlimited wisdom and power from God's living Word?  But as long as I'm in the Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to teach and encourage me, I know that I can make a difference.  And although I probably won't end up in church history textbook like Martin Luther, I'm going to do my very best rage against the machine of scriptural apathy.  I'm going to use what I have to make a difference for the future of our faith.

Using Cloth Diapers

My mom has always encouraged me to use cloth diapers once I have a child.  Well, at 33 weeks pregnant I'm working my way there.  I think the most exciting part about using cloth diapers will be that they are much more convenient now than they were back in the 80's.  There are so many options, anyone could get confused.

But I have spent many hours researching this topic and have come to a decision about what to buy. 

Recently Bumgenius brand diapers came out with a 4.0 version that is supposed to fix a lot of issues that people previously ran into with their diapers.  Here is what I ordered and why.

I ordered 6 Bumgenius one size pocket diapers with velcro, and 6 Bumgenius one size pocket diapers with snaps.

Why?

• Pocket diapers reportedly dry faster than all-in-ones (AIO) that have the pad sewn in.  It's a little extra work to remove the pad inside the pocket and then re-stuff after washing, but I felt it was worth it to have diapers dry quick so they are ready when I run low.
• One Size so that they last the life of a child in diapers as well as any siblings that may come along behind them.
• The 4.0's evidently have easy access to the elastic around the thighs which means if the diaper elastic wears out, you can replace it.
• These are made in the USA.
• Velcro- Negatives
• It sticks to other diapers in wash.
• It wears out much faster than snaps and you end up having to replace it.
• Velcro looses it's stickiness (which I read happens often when you line dry them all the time.  If this happens, putting them in the dryer can remove some of the particles from the hook and loop material and fluff it up making them sticky again.
• Once baby figure out he/she can remove the diaper, velcro doesn't stand much of a chance.

• Velcro- Positives
• Dad's who are new to cloth can dig these a little easier.
• When baby is squirmy they are easier to put on.
• Velcro gives you a better fit in most cases because you have lots of flexibility in how much or how little to attach it.

• Snaps-Negatives
• Dad's may have a hard time with this as it is more time consuming.
• Wiggly babies can cause frustration when trying to put them on.
• You can't always achieve the "perfect" fit because you are limited by where the snaps are pre-placed.

• Snaps- Positives
• These rarely wear out for the life of the diaper.
• Most babies would have to fight pretty hard to take these off themselves.

• They have a slot cover that prevents leaking at the stomach area.  This I "think" means less blow-outs. 
• For more info, visit the site. http://www.bumgenius.com/one-size.php

I  bought my diapers on diapers.com because they had a Buy Five get One Free sale that made them more like $14.95 each instead of $17.95 each.  I believe this sale happens several times a year through bumGenius. 

I also went ahead and got bumgenius brand HE powder detergent for the diapers since I want them to last as long as possible.  These was least expensive on diapers.com.

My good friend also bought me a few blueberry brand diapers and swaddlebee's which I am excited to try out.  They have super adorable wet bags for on the go and diaper pail bags. 

So I hope this helps all of you out there looking for a cloth diaper to invest in.  I guess I'll find out in few months whether they are worth all the research!

Joining a food Co-Op.

I have been interested in joining a food co-op for several years now. I have heard so many good things about them. Recently, I received an e-mail newsletter from Bread Beckers stating that they were going to join a produce co-op that would deliver to their store and that customers could join. I explored the web site for "Natures Garden Deliver
ed" and thought I would give it a try.

The produce is mostly organic and if not, it is natural/local produce. I chose to have produce delivered every other week because it will be for just 2 people and I don't want it going bad. On Friday morning I went by and picked up my box. Opening this box was like Christmas morning! I mean, you kinda know what's in it because you can set your preferences and there is a label with the list of contents, but the produce is beautiful!


My husband doesn't really get on the organic train because he really doesn't believe that it makes that big of difference. However, he grabbed one of the beautiful banana's and took two bites, looked at me and said, "you know this tastes like a real banana." I'm thinking, "it is a...real banana..." But then he says, "You know like when you get something that has a banana flavor, like Laffy Taffy and you think, this doesn't taste like a banana, this banana taste like banana flavor." I think he is about to come around.

This week I have made green beans, potato soup, mashed potatoes, and guacamole out of what I got. What I really hope comes from my experiment is that we will eat a greater variety of fruits and vegetables in our diet. I love cooking so it is challenging me to get out of my dump it from the can, or pour it out of the steam-able freezer bag routine. If you have the time, I highly recommend giving a co-op a whirl. Thus far, I'm really liking it.

The Netti Pot for your...well.... snot....

Okay, so for years I have heard rave reviews on the sinus clearing Netti pot. My mother tried to tell me about it and I have been terribly skeptical. My number one reason is that I cannot imagine pouring water into my nostrils and that turning out well, ever. I mean, as my friend put it best, I have to hold my nose when jumping in the pool. I hate that burning sensation of water running from your nose to your throat. It always makes me choke.

However, after a day of feeling like my sinus cavities were stuffed with marshmallow fluff including a just overall hazy feeling, I decided to break down and buy one from Target. Mine was around $13.00.

I got the thing home and followed the directions as closely as possible. I have to admit, I felt a little ridiculous pouring a plastic tea pot full of saline solution through my nostril and waiting for it to come out the other nostril while holding my head over the sink. At first, it just filled up my nostril then started running down my throat. I coughed and spewed it. Then I read the directions again and leaned my head further forward over the sink. Second time was a success. You feel a slight pressure pushing through the top of you sinus cavity and then water begins to (in my case) drip out of the other side.

Then you switch sides. Once you have done this you just blow your nose and all the bad stuff comes out. It is now several hours later and my nose is completely cleared out and I am breathing with my mouth shut. So I totally think that this, combined with a little prayer worked!

I shall use the Netti again.

As far as using it on your children, I would read the directions carefully. My mother has used it on my 8 year old nephew but honestly, I can't imagine a kid being able to do it correctly without totally gagging when they swallow a bit of saline solution.

Apple Pickin' Tips!

Last Friday my best friend and I drove to Ellijay, GA to pick some apples. It was a beautiful day for traveling and the leaves had started to change. Ellijay is about 40 minutes from my house and we left around 9:30 AM. Traffic was a breeze. But here is the catch. If you actually want to enjoy going to Ellijay, take my advice all you stay at home ladies, GO ON A WEEKDAY! Weekends are going to get you stuck in traffic. Also, if you want to enjoy the experience, don't go on the weekend of the apple festival usless you love crowds, traffic, and your husband wanting to turn around as soon as he see's the 2 miles of cars ahead attempting to turn into an orchard.

Our plan was to can...yup...that rhymes.

So we did a little research. Here is some valuable info we discovered before and after going...

1. Determine what apples you want (since different apples are used for making different things) and check online to see when they are in season in that area.
2. If your going to can them in some way, ask for the "drops", "seconds", or "culls". These are super cheap (or even free if you hit the right orchard) and are the not so pretty apples. The ugly applings if you will. But they taste great and you get way more for way less.
   
3. Go on a weekday.
4. Call ahead and make sure that the orchard you are driving to offers "picking" during the weekdays. (We found that the orchards already had the reject apples bagged and ready to sell. We did not have to pick any.)
   
5. If they make fun of your GA Tech sweatshirt...just go to the orchard down the street.
6. If your looking for a very "theme park" like experience at your apple orchard, look for one with a fancy schmancy web site.
7. My friend and I visited about 5 orchards and discovered that the best ones were the ones in little shacks with small orachards behind them. We got everything that the other "big" fancy orchards had at around $1 less per item. And we knew we were helping these small business owners out which I kinda like (especially after the sweatshirt incident).
8. If you are going to an orchard with live music, bring yourself an umbrella because there may not be any shady seats left.

I hope these are helpful! Happy fall adventures!
Apple butter canning...to be continued!