I am Jericho

I am Jericho

A land pagan and full of sin

My walls tower like the souls within

This Joshua wants me so I stand up proud

These walls will not tumble no matter how loud

The crashing of the pots and jars crumble at my feet

My heart is rebellious, I am on the throne, I am on the seat

The horns begin to blare

He circles me as I stare

Fall, I will not dare

I will leave Him in despair.

CRACK!

Here comes the attack

There is no turning back

I am soon to be sacked

This man is on a mission

Breaking my walls without permission

My sin is dying, along with my volition

Killing all that is me and my tradition

He makes me His city, I am the Promised Land

I was in His thoughts even before He made man

I was set on His heart before I even knew

That conquering me was something He was set to do

The dust of the battle has settled down

I was a lost city now eternally found

I am captive to Him forever bound

I am His and there’s no sweeter sound.

I am Gomer

Something for Valentine's Day:

The story of Gomer and Hosea always impacts me because it is the story of all of us. All of us are Gomer, the unfaithful. God made Hosea marry and love an unfaithful and wanton woman as a symbol to show His faithfulness to His people regardless of their sin.

Below is the promise that God made to His people after they were unfaithful to Him. After she (Israel) left Him for other "lovers", after she prostituted herself, after she was used and abused, after they tried to sell her and no one wanted her. IN THAT CONDITION, after the Lord allows her to wallow in her sins, He says this to her:

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
and bring her into the wilderness,
and speak tenderly to her.
And there I will give her her vineyards
and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth,
as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.

“And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband’, and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’ For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. And I will betroth you to me for ever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.
“And in that day I will answer, declares the Lord,
I will answer the heavens,
and they shall answer the earth, and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and they shall answer Jezreel, and I will sow her for myself in the land.
And I will have mercy on No Mercy,
and I will say to Not My People,‘You are my people’;
and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’”

We are Gomer, we are the unfaithful, but the Lord still loves those that are His. On this Valentines Day, if you are His, know that He loves you even if you are not loveable. Know that He is faithful, even if you are not. It is not about you, but about Him and His glory.

I want a Hallmark Card for that!!

Nordic Tosca Cake

  This is a delicious cake. It is not overly sweet and would go perfect with a good cup of coffee.


I got this recipe from the Nordic Bakery Cookbook. What a superb book! You can purchase it by clicking on the link above!







Ingredients for cake:4 Eggs
3/4 C plus 2 tbsp Sugar
1 C of heavy cream
6 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and then cooled
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 C all-purpose flour

Tosca Topping
5 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 C sugar
1 tbsp brown sugar (the brown sugar is not part of the original recipe, I added it and it tasted great!)
3 tbsp heavy cream
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 C slivered almonds

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Mix eggs and sugar with electric mixer until foam like and almost white. This takes about 10 minutes

Add the cream, melted butter, and vanilla and fold in gently

In separate bowl, sift the baking powder and flour together and then fold into egg mixture

Pour mixture into prepared cake pan (I used a 9 in. cake pan, but I believe a springform pan would have been better)

Bake for 30-35 minutes (mine was done in 27 minutes)

While cake is baking, make topping. Put all ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat, stir to mix and bring gently to a boil.

Remove cake from pan and pour topping

Why I am Voting "NO"

On January 15, 2013 the county where I live in (Lyon) will be taking a vote on whether to allow the selling of alcohol in its stores, gas stations, restaurants etc. As a Christian, I want to express why I will vote "NO" to the selling of alcohol in the county where I live.

First of all, I want to strongly state that alcohol in itself is not a sin (Psalm 104:14-15). Jesus' first miracle was turning water into wine, providing the guests with more to drink.(John 2:1-11). Solomon in his writings in Ecclesiastes (9:7) recommends to us to eat, drink and be merry and even Paul recommended Timothy to mix some wine into his diet to help with his stomach. (I Timothy 5:23). My flesh wishes that Jesus never drank, but the Scripture is clear, Jesus drank wine as did most Jews who were not under the Nazarene law. He was even called a drunkard and glutton by those that hated Him (Matthew 11:19) (Just for clarity's sake, He wasn't either of the two.)  Therefore, we must see and admit that alcohol is not a sin, to do otherwise is to twist Scripture.

That being said, God has given us many gifts for our enjoyment, one of them being alcohol.  Unfortunately, man being the sinful being he is, will always twist and pervert the gifts that God has blessed us with. Always!
 The prophet Jeremiah mentions man's heart as being sick and deceitful (17:9). Jesus tells us that out of our heart comes evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, and adultery (Mark 7:21). Even in sin we were born (Psalm 51:5)! Paul elaborates and restates certain parts of the Psalms and parts of Isaiah that say that there is NOT one good person (Romans 3:10-18) Not one! Therefore, we must agree that man is inherently evil. That man does not err on the side of good, but on the side that is bad. Making alcohol legal isn't going to make man a better person, he can't become better in himself. None of us can, it is only through Jesus' blood that man is made righteous (Romans 5:9) Even if our intentions are good, man will always find a way to rebel against God and pervert that which is good.

God knows us, even more than we know ourselves and that is why He has constructed boundaries regarding His gifts.When it comes to food, God warns us not to make our stomach our god (Phillipians 3:19). When it comes to sex, Jesus commands that it be between one man and one woman (Matthew 19:4) and for our enjoyment. The book of Proverbs advices spouses to enjoy each other (5:19) and even Paul (a celibate) advices married couples not to go too long without sex (I Corinthians 7:5) and let us not forget the whole book of the Song of Solomon. So again we see that God has given us good things to enjoy but we see that man has made it into a mess. With food, we see the rising of disease and obesity, the enslavement of people on diets and the weariness of counting calories. With sex, we see struggling single mothers, disease, heartache, abortion, homosexuality, incest, rape and loneliness. With alcohol, we see the rise of violence, depression, loneliness, spousal and child abuse and suicide. We take what God has given us and twist it, thus adding to our pain and suffering. We take the things that are meant to give us a taste of His glory, and make it our god. We allow the creation to take the place of the Creator.

God's Word warns us plenty of times of the outcome of drunkenness (Galatians 5:19-21). Jesus warns us of the trap it is and ties it with depression (Luke 21:34). It takes away understanding (Hosea 4:11), impairs our judgement (Isaiah 28:7), it brings poverty (Priverbs 23:20-21), and sadly it keeps us from inheriting the kingdom of God (I Corinthians 6:9-10).

But I want to add another warning the Bible gives clearly and it is to those that do not have a drinking problem like me. Paul speaks about this in I Corinthians 8 and 10. In these passages Paul is talking about food or drink sacrificed to idols and the freedoms found in mature Christians. (This is perfect example for me because I am very strong when it comes to abstaining from drinking alcohol, but pathetically weak when it comes to over-eating) As a mature Christian, I am free to eat and drink and to enjoy God's gifts, but NEVER at the expense of my Christian brothers and sisters. Just like my thinner Christian sisters (with no eating disorders) shouldn't make it easy for me to sin with food by telling me to eat and eat and be merry; I shouldn't either make it easy for my brothers and sisters in Christ when it comes to drinking. As a mature Christian I need to worry about the good of others before I think of myself. (I Corinthians 10:24) - In other words, me being able to buy my beer after mowing the lawn is not as important as helping my Christian brothers or sisters who struggle with alcohol. We don't invite a struggling glutton to a buffet, just like we don't invite a struggling drunkard for a drink. (Romans 14:21) It is hard to see the weaknesses of others and it is very easy to be selfish, but again Paul warns us to watch out for the weak and if we cause them to sin, that that sin is a sin against Christ. (I Corinthians 8:12)

Besides several statistics that speak of the rise of violence, theft and abuse that spring forth from alcohol (all of which is spoken of in the God's Word. For other references see: Proverbs 20:1, 23:29-35, Isaiah 5:22; I Corinthians 5:11; many more)  We must be our brother's keeper and not make it easy for man to indulge in their sin. Habakkuk 2:15a tells us: "Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink". That verse then mentions how that is like pouring our wrath over them so we can see their nakedness (or their debauchery) and laugh at them.

Are there people out there that are responsible drinkers that just want to enjoy life differently than me? Yes, of course. But the Christian cannot use the defense, "Why should I suffer because others do not know how to drink." On the contrary our mind should be, "I would rather suffer not being able to drink because others don't know Him the way I do".

That is why I CANNOT knowingly  look the other way and vote YES, knowing that I have provided a stumbling block to others.

If alcohol remains illegal to sell, I will praise God and continue to try to be a light to this dark world. If alcohol becomes legal to sell, I will praise God and continue to try to be a light to this dark world. Either way alcohol will not affect me, but it is not about me. It is about Him first and others second. We are all accountable for our actions. I pray that the Holy Spirit leads you in your decision on whether to vote yes or no on the selling of alcohol.

I leave you with this passage in Ephesians 5:18-20:
 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,  making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,  speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.


Filled with Him (not wine), :-)

Anna

Thanksgiving Skit - Axe and You Shall Receive

I couldn't find a good Thanksgiving skit, so I decided to make one up. Feel free to use this skit and if you do, let me know how it went. Just please remember to give credit where credit is do. God bless. 

A good verse to read at the beginning is:

 Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. ~ I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Axe and You Shall Receive

Written by Anna R. Tobey

Characters:

             Pilgrim

             Turkey 1

             Turkey 2

             Turkey 3

             As many other turkeys as you like. They are all background turkeys and don't have speaking parts,   they just make turkey noises.

Props:

             Axes

             Handkerchief  for Pilgrim to blow his nose

             Some leaves for turkeys to forage

Stage Set Up:  This skit takes place in the woods where a Pilgrim is hunting turkeys with an axe to celebrate Thanksgiving dinner. 

SKIT BEGINS: 

Left side of Stage: Turkeys gathered together in group. All are foraging and making silly turkey noises. The extra axes are hidden behind the group of turkeys.

Right side of Stage: Pilgrim walks slowly towards the turkeys. He is holding his axe high ready to strike. Make this part suspenseful taking one step at a time very slowly.

Pilgrim: (accidentally sneezes) Ahhhh Ahhhh Ahhhh Chooooooooo!

Turkeys immediately stop making noise and look towards pilgrim

Pilgrim: (sheepishly) ohhhh ummm hello!?!

Turkeys are all staring silently, just blinking

Pilgrim: Uhh . . . . What a beautiful fall day! Don’t ya think?

Turkeys continue to stare. One of them finally answers.

Turkey 1: What are doing here?

Pilgrim: Nothing. What are YOU doing here?

Turkey 1: (sarcastically) Foraging

Pilgrim: Great! I hope you guys have been eating a lot!

Turkey 2: Why?

Pilgrim: Oh no, um, no reason. It’s just good to be fat!

Turkey 2: Why?

Pilgrim: Umm, gee, I don’t know. Just cuz. You know, just in case you need to feed someone.

Turkey 3: That doesn’t make any sense

Pilgrim: (yells in excitement) It does for me!

Turkey 3: What?!

Pilgrim: Nothing, nothing. Can you guys turn around?

Turkey 2: Why?

Pilgrim: Because you’re just so cute and I can’t do this if you’re looking at me!

Turkey 2: Do what?

Pilgrim: (Yelling) KILL YOU!!

All Turkeys: GASP!! (one faints)

Turkey 1: (surprised)You want to kill . . . .us?

Pilgrim: YES!

Turkey 2: But . . . but, why? (fainted turkey gets up)

Pilgrim: Because I want to eat you!

ALL Turkeys: GASP!! (same turkey faints again)

Turkey 2: But . . . but why?

Pilgrim: Because it’s Thanksgiving and that is what we do!

Turkey 1: What is Thanksgiving?

Pilgrim: (sighs) It’s a time when we remember to tell God what we are thankful for.

Turkey 1: What does that have to do with us?

Pilgrim: I don’t know. It’s only once a year. Come on! Turn around!

Turkey 3: (disbelievingly and shaking his head) So you are only thankful . . . ONCE . . . a . . . year?

Pilgrim: Well, um. No. I mean, yes. I mean, I don’t know.

Turkeys: (all turkeys begin making disapproving noise) tsk tsk tsk

Turkey 1: (scorning) And you kill a turkey as a sacrifice to your once-a-year-thankfulness. I would figure that God (pointing to Heaven) doesn’t like to be thanked only once a year.

Turkeys: (turkeys begin making disapproving noises again) one yells out “AMEN!!”

Turkey 2: Maybe you need to think about this more. Look at us, we are thankful EVERYDAY to God. (Pilgrim looks down in shame)

Turkey 3: He provides for our food (Pilgrims slumps more)

Turkey 2: Our shelter (Pilgrim slumps more)

Turkey 1: Our baby chicks (Pilgrim slumps to his knees)

Turkey 3: (righteously) Thankfulness is what we do everyday, not just once a year.

Turkey 1: And we certainly don’t KILL anything to celebrate our thankfulness.

Pilgrim: (still on his knees, covers his face and begins crying and loudly speaking) You’re right! All of you!! I’m sorry little fat turkeys! Only once a year do I celebrate with thanksgiving. (determined, blows his nose, and stands up) I will go home today and count my blessings. God blesses me EVERYDAY and I’ve never even thanked Him.

Turkey 2: Don’t worry little Pilgrim. God is a forgiving God. Go home and love Him

Pilgrim: (sniffing) Can . . .can I get a hug?

Turkey 1: Of course! (smiling and opens arms wide) (then seriously) Just put the axe down first

(Pilgrim puts axe down and then goes over to hug Turkey 1)

Pilgrim: (begins to cry hysterically)

Turkey 1: (petting the pilgrim’s head) There, there. Don’t worry about it.

Pilgrim: I am so ungrateful

Turkey 1: Yes, yes you are, now go and make things right with God

Pilgim: I will little fat turkey. (looking to the sky) I will.

(Pilgrim runs jubilantly towards the exit)

(short pause, Turkey 1 goes over to pick up axe)

Turkey 1: (turns around and faces the turkeys) Works every time! (Turkeys separate to reveal a stack of axes.Turkey 1 goes over and places the extra axe on the stack)

Turkeys: (start making their turkey noises again)

The Case for the Real Jesus by Lee Strobel - Book Review

I have now read all of Lee Strobel's "case" books. Like the others, "The Case for the Real Jesus" is set up as a dialogue between the interviewer (Strobel) and the interviewee.

This one was by far a lot easier to read than "The Case for a Creator" or "The Case for Christ". "The Case for Creator" was a really tough book to read because of the amount of scientific and biological information. Strobel interviews super intelligent men that are bordering geniuses in their fields and some of the jargon is hard to grasp. So it was a breath of fresh air that "The Case for the Real Jesus" wasn't so tough to read.

This book combats a lot of new questions that have lately arisen within the past couple of years regarding Jesus. It also helps in rebutting against post-modernist and universalists.






Here is a list of the 6 challenges Lee Strobel stresses in his book:
 1. "Scholars are uncovering a radically different Jesus in ancient documents as credible as the four Gospels"
2. "The Bible's Portrait of Jesus Can't Be Trusted Because the Church Tampered with the Text"
3. Part 1: "New Explanations Have Refuted Jesus' Resurrection"
    Part 2: "The Cross Examination"
4. "Christianity's Beliefs about Jesus Were Copied from Pagan Religions"
5. "Jesus Was an Imposter Who Failed to Fulfill the Messianic Prophecies"
6. "People Should Be Free to Pick and Choose What to Believe about Jesus"

If you have asked your self any questions regarding the statements listed above, then this book is going to help tremendously.

I do recommend that this book be read by Christians that are firmly founded in their faith and love the Bible. I will be blunt regarding the 2nd challenge about the Church tampering with the text. Reading this chapter, I found out that Mark 16:9-20 was most likely added on later and not by Mark. Although, these particular verses are most likely true, they were still not written by the original author. The person who added these verses most likely thought that Mark finished his Gospel to abruptly and decided to elaborate on what else had taken place after the women saw Jesus. Granted, there is a footnote in everyone's Bible pointing out this truth, but it never registered completely as it did when I read "The Case for the Real Jesus". I also found out John 7:53 - 8:11 was also most likely added on later and not added by John. The story probably happened, but by the time it was written down it was probably already aggrandized, as most history is if written to many years after the actual event happened.

This information does not in any way prove that the Bible is fallible. On the contrary, the verses cited that are in question, do not change any doctrine or theological core. The essence of the Bible is never lost or compromised, it just adds to our knowledge of all our Bible has gone through, and how it is still an alive and authoritarian teacher.

Warnings: It can shake your faith briefly. But we must remember that all Biblical knowledge brings glory to the Father.
Pages: 277
Rating: 7.5 out of 10 stars - The book can get a little boring towards the end. The dialogue and the physical details can also get a bit frustrating.

If you would like to order this book, click here.

The Rise of Mommy Porn

Few passages in the Bible are as graphic and sexually explicit as Ezekiel chapter 23. This chapter is full of the details of the depravity of two women - sisters, which represent the nations of Samaria and Jerusalem. I want to comment on this chapter because there is much we can learn from it given the current female movement of "mommy porn".

Chapter 23 of Ezekiel is an allegory of two sisters named Ohola and Oholibah. I found it very interesting that the names of these women derive from the word "tent" or "my tent" and it insinuates a place of worship. Both these women prostitute themselves and revel in their lust. They are used, abused, and defiled and they seem callous to what these men do to them. Ohola is spoken of first. Her children are taken from her, she is then shamed and then killed with a sword. Seeing how her sister is shamed and murdered, you would figure that Oholibah would learn, but on the contrary, she follows in her sister's footsteps and becomes even more depraved than her sister and took her degeneracy even further. Through the middle of the chapter God speaks to her and tells her what the consequences are because of her lewdness. Her children are impacted, her body is impacted, her mind is impacted, and ultimately her relationship with God is impacted. This is a chapter full of disgust, sadness, sorrow and death.


I want to focus on Oholibah now and what happens to her. I want to talk about what she does and how she ends up because I believe this allegory of this idolatrous nation, can help us understand what sexual immorality can lead to.

The story of Oholibah begins in verse 11. She sees her sister murdered and doesn't learn from Ohola's experience. She sees her children taken from Ohola. She sees the men strip her naked and then sees them run her through with a sword. As women, we have also seen it. We have seen the woman who is abused and returns to her abuser. The woman who committed adultery and shattered her family. The woman pursuing love in all the wrong places while neglecting her children. The woman addicted to sex and one-night stands, longing for a true relationship. We have seen it, but what do we do with what we see? Oholibah doesn't learn and maybe even thinks that what happened to her sister, won't happen to her. The problem is that she ends up fornicating with the same men that killed her sister! But look at verses 14 through 16. She sees men portrayed on a wall and lusts after them. Women, she is looking at pornography! She sees that they are handsome and virile and she craves them, she wants them, she yearns for them. Ladies! What are our eyes looking at? With books out like "50 Shades of Grey" and movies like "Magic Mike", the story of Oholibah rings clear. God abhors ANYTHING that causes us to lust, because what is lust but another form of idolatry. So Oholibah sees her pornography and lusts after these men. She goes after them and they in turn release their lusts on her. At first, she seems disgusted in herself. That is what one usually feels at the beginning of any sexual sin. At first it makes us feel dirty, but practice makes perfect and sooner than later, the conviction of the Holy Spirit is gone. Oholibah continues with her mess. She forgets that what she does impacts her children. She even gives up her children to false idols. Her entitlement is more important to her. She feels she deserves to feel free and liberated and it costs her her children. Then after all her fornicating, after all her sin, after she does all her filth, she goes to church - or in this case synagogue. She goes to worship God and doesn't find Him. She turns to booze and soon becomes depressed. What she thought was her liberation, ended up being her enslavement. The Lord let her destroy herself. He gave her what she wanted and released her to her sin. What is so sad about Oholibah is that she was His. She belonged to our Lord and acted like an unwanted orphan.  She is ruined and becomes desolate. She ends up being murdered also. Ladies, this is serious. What we allow ourselves to let in, impacts us.

I know many might think what harm can a movie or a book make. I have heard plenty of times that Satan's greatest weapon is to tell people he isn't real or that sin is no big deal. This is precisely what Satan wants you to think, after all a fictional book is no big deal because it's not real. Well, pornography isn’t real, but it affects our marriages. TV drama is not real, but affects our youth. Violent video games are not real, but it affects our children. Magazine pictures are not real, but they affect our self-esteem.The list goes on and on. What we view, what we see, what we read affects our heart and mind. Jesus mentions it several times when He speaks on the inner self. If you hate in your heart, it is murder. If you lust in your heart, it is adultery. If anything replaces your love for Him, it is idolatry.  If you want something that is not yours, it is coveting. What goes on in our heart and mind is excruciatingly important. So much so that it nailed Jesus to the cross.

Ladies, anyone who reads or views this kind of mess unrepentantly and calls herself a Christian is just like Oholibah. She is prostituting her mind and heart. Remember Oholibah means "my tent". What is our body and mind? It is a dwelling place of the most High.  I Corinthians 6:19 says that we are not our own and our body is His temple. 

"50 Shades of Grey" is a depraved romance novel that uses pain and torture as a means for arousal. Is this the equality that women have fought for? To be used and abused for the arousal of a man? Is this supposed to be romantic? Is this how Jesus loved His bride? Just because a woman wrote this book does not mean it is okay to read. And just like Oholibah, this filth impacts your mind, your children and above all your relationship with God.

Ezekiel 23 ends with this warning: "So I will put an end to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not imitate you.You will suffer the penalty for your lewdness and bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord. ”

Let us learn from Oholibah and not imitate her and remember that her despair spiraled out of control when she saw the images on the wall; when she had feasted her eyes on those lewd things. Let us make a covenant with our eyes (Job 31:1) and think of pure things (Philippians 4:8). The risks and the consequences are not worth it.