I knit socks.  And I love it.

On another note, I made some delicious Indian food this weekend.

I wanted to snap some photos but alas my camera ceases to operate. (Why is it when you can least afford to buy something, everything . . . and I am not exaggerating . . .breaks down?).

I can post the recipe for the Chicken Tikka Masala I made.  It was yummy.  Even the kids enjoyed it served with rice and naan.  (Editorial:  Because I am trying to eat healthier I substituted (I know this sounds like an awful substitution) one can of fat free evaporated milk for the heavy cream.  It works!)

Hmm, yummy.

I close with this quote from singer Lecrae:

Anxiety lies to us and says “there is no more grace left.  If it doesn’t happen now there’s no more hope left.”     God’s grace is sufficient.

Happy Tuesday!

Anyhow, in a moment of desperation, as I was googling for the secret of parenting strong willed major understatement children I stumbled upon this book by Dr. Kevin Leman.

We used to own basset hounds who are the animal equivalent of the strong willed child.

We’d read the dog training books but always in the back of my mind I’d think to myself, “but you’ve never owned a hound dog”.

That accurately reflects my feelings about conventional human training books.

I digress.

I read Chapter One of Dr. Leman’s book yesterday morning.  Folks this isn’t rocket science.  Nothing he said is new.  Our parents if you’re a 101 years old like I feel today used the techniques listed in the book because pretty much they’re common sense.

I can pretty much sum it up like this.  Don’t waste your time discussing or arguing with your kid.  You lay out your expectation and if they don’t follow through, there’s a natural consequence of the defiance.  When the kid balks at the natural consequence, you ignore them (unlike some parents who might be strong willed themselves and have an overwhelming desire to beat the kid in each and every debate . . . )

Here’s how it played out in my home yesterday.  Mother to unnamed child:  “You need to stop that behaviour right now or you will forfeit baseball tonight.”  Of course unnamed child has to continue antics one more round so that unnamed child perceives themselves to have won the battle.  End of event (which happened at noon).

All afternoon unnamed child is sweet as honey because, of course, he heard the threat and just in case parent is considering actually following through I’ll make parent forget by being charming.

Dinner time:  “Will I be going to baseball?” asks unnamed child.  “No,” mother replies lovingly.  “What, why not?” beautiful unnamed child queries.

Now here is where it all changed.  I did not get sucked into any further conversation with child.  The kid knew why and me responding with any answer would just open up the whole affair to a debate.  I sealed my lips, which is not necessarily an easy feat for me.

Dad left with other child.  Unnamed child pleaded and begged.  I ignored the pleading and begging, went on to make my tea and offered the clearly sad and teary eyed child dessert.  (Initially child refused dessert.  Oh well, more for us.  Of course unnamed child quickly came to their senses.)

Fourty-five minutes after others left for game, unnamed child came and gave me a hug.

In summary,  I did not loose my temper engaging in a battle with kid.  I followed through with the consequence (which was heart breaking for me) and the evening ended in peace.

The idea is unnamed child will get the picture and know that parent will follow through with consequence next time.

Off to read Chapter two because I’m no dummy.  . . you can teach an old dog  new tricks but it takes a lot of effort.

The trouble with life is I have way too high expectations.

Take for example the telephone message left at our house Tuesday night by our internet service provider.  Apparently we are loyal customers and deserve only the best so to make us feel special, that provider was going to super boost our internet speed by giving us super duper hyper speed internet access.  (Honestly, when I finished listening to the message, it sounded kind of bizarre so I phoned my brother to ask him if there even was such a thing.)  Anyway,  you know what they say, it if sounds too good to be true. .  .  fast forward to the next morning.  I get up at the crack of dawn to follow my usual morning routine.  After reading my bible, drinking my coffee I usually check my e-mail etc.

No internet.  I guess my system couldn’t handle super duper hyper speed internet.   People, this was 5 a.m.  My service provider doesn’t start answering their phone until 7 a.m.  Can you imagine two hours without internet service?

It doesn’t end there.  90 minutes on the phone with the techie.  Plug this in.  Unplug this.  Turn on.  Turn off.  IPconfig this IPconfig that . . . dead.  I was becoming a bit forlorn and anyways had only had one cup of coffee during the first 3.5 hours after awakening.

“Well ma’am (boy does that make me feel old) I’ll have to send a tech and lucky for you I can schedule an appointment right now (I felt a twinge of hope with the words “right now”).   Right now turned out to be the next day, late in the afternoon.  Two days without internet!?

Oh come on.  I mean how was I going to eat without the internet.  After all I wouldn’t know how many points I had consumed.  And what about paying my phone bill?  Yeah, that would teach the provider a lesson.  And how would I know what all my cyber-space buddies were up to that day.  Or pick up some quotes of the day.    Or know what everyone is reading . . . and knitting.  I mean what if I need a new pattern today . . .  or someone has a question I can’t answer.

I hung up the phone with the techie who congratulated me on being “so very patient”.

I pressed send/receive one more time.  Just in case. . . IT WORKED!  I had contact with the outside world.

And today you all get to hear of my woes.

Interestingly I saw this article this morning . . . maybe not having internet would be a good thing?

Happy Thursday!

Owen goes on to comment on four objections:

(1) “If we take away the rational grounds on which we believe the doctrine of Christ to be true and divine, and leave only evidence which can be discerned by those who believe, how can you begin to convince unbelievers?”

Owen goes on to describe the process by which man is awakened to the truth of God.  Usually the Holy Spirit works to regenerate a man through His word either through preaching or teaching not by compelling arguments meant to persuade someone into believing.

1 Corinthians 2:4-5 (ESV)

⁴and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, ⁵that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Owen explains that in the New Testament the disciples preached the doctrines of scripture divinely imparted to them.  The preaching of these words along with God’s divine power makes His word effectual for salvation.   People are not converted by external arguments.

(2) “Either the evidence that Scripture is the Word of God is so clear that everyone must assent to it, or the evidence must lie in the working of the Holy Spirit in the minds of those to whom it is proposed.”

The work of the Holy Spirit is necessary to bring men to believe the truths of scripture.  It is by faith we believe.

(3) “If this is true, then no-one can be obliged to receive Scripture as the word of God who does not have faith.  And none have faith except those in whom it is wrought by the Spirit of God.”

Owen confirms that the work of the Holy Spirit causes us to believe.  “We ought to see the evidence and believe, even if we cannot, without the work of the Spirit.”

(4) “If true divine revelation is so clear, why are certain books of the Scripture received as canonical and others rejected?”

Owen explains that all books of Scripture are filled with divine characteristics and criteria sufficient to distinguish them from other books.  The New Testament confirms the Old Testament scriptures. “And concerning the New Testament books, there are no claimants, nor were there ever any, that present any difficulties to anyone’s faith.” (p. 47)

So Chapter 7 was a re-cap of the previous six chapters.  I found it quite interesting and worthwhile to read.  Obviously I’ve only touched on the key points but Owen’s explanations throughout the chapter were illuminating.

This ends Part 1 of the book.  Part two is entitled:  Understanding the Mind of God.  If you haven’t been reading along this might be a natural starting point.

This probably has something to do with the fact that my mind has been consumed with deeper things.   Things that don’t necessarily feed the soul, although they do provide a certain amount of comfort (until your pants no longer fit).  No, the thing that has been consuming me is the idea of kettle corn. Yup kettle corn has been forefront on my mind.

Yesterday I scored a (okay two) bags of the stuff that someone had to talk about at lunch on Sunday.  I can rest now (which is the only thing I can do after gorging on the stuff).  I have now tasted delicious, sweet and salty, kettle corn.

I’m not even going to look at the phone number on the bag.  This was a treat  . . . starting tomorrow (can’t waste the other bag we already own) it’s back to air popped popcorn.

I was going to report on the status of my New Year’s  “lose weight” resolution.

Maybe next week.

Here are two articles I read this morning:  (1) Keep on keeping on, and (2) The glory of plodding. I found both to be an encouragement.

Speaking of popcorn, someone mentioned a new business in town selling kettle popcorn.  I have a love hate relationship with kettle corn.  I’ve eaten it and really enjoyed it and then sometimes not so much.  Anyway, due to my obsessive compulsive personality type I couldn’t get this out of my mind and decided I had to try and find a recipe.  Which I did.  Do you know that  mixture of oil, sugar and popcorn kernels set on a hot stove has a high probability of burning. . . especially if the phone rings right in the middle of the experiment.

The result of test recipe one:  yuck.  Ditched it in the trash.  But because I had already decided I needed a sweet and salty popcorn and time was ticking (and I didn’t think my husband would have appreciated a second burned pot of corn) I made an old standby that my kiddies really enjoy.  Pop yourself a bowl of corn (I use a hot air popper).  Melt some butter and mix with an equal amount of honey.  Pour over corn.  Salt.  Enjoy.  Very yummy.

I hope no one suggests anything today . . . I’m still trying to figure out the kettle corn thing . . . I should probably just go buy a bag.

Happy Monday.

. . .if Scripture proves itself to be the Word of God as the sun proves its existence by light and fire by heat, do not all who read Scripture admit that it is God’s Word?” (p.33)

Owen begins by highlighting the three ways one typically can accept a statement to be true:

1. An instinctive understanding of right and wrong.

2. Through reasoning.

3. Faith.

Owen goes on to say God reveals himself to use in those three ways.

1.  “Man has an indelible sense of God’s being, authority and will.”

Romans 2:14-15

¹⁴For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them

2. God makes himself known to us by our use of reason.  God reveals himself to us in nature and through his providence.

3. “Faith is that power of our souls by which we are able to assent to the truth put to us upon testimony.”  Earlier chapters already show us that scripture reveals to us who God is.

Hebrews 11:1

¹Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

I thought it interesting when Owen points out that the above methodology would not contradict itself.  That is faith backing up faulty reasoning or faith that goes against instinctive physical understanding rests on a faulty foundation (and should result in questioning of what is being presented).

Owen expounds on the three principles of how we come to accept truth and then goes on to talk about the power of scripture, namely: to bring conviction of sin; the power to enlighten man’s mind; the power to bring a sense of awe to man’s mind; and the power to give strength and comfort.

Owen’s description of God’s control over our consciences was thought provoking.  “God has so kept conscience to himself that no human power can possibly enter into it or control it in any way.” (p.40)  He goes on to say that scripture enters our conscience convicting us of guilt or giving us peace.

1 Peter 1:6-8

⁶In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory. . .

Scripture brings strength and comfort.

New week:  Chapter 7 The Kind of Assurance Scripture Brings.

Complain less and pray more & the world could change, or at least we’ll be better enabled to deal with it.  Lecrae

Hmm, complain less . . . there’s a thought.

Need help for your problem of indecisiveness?  Wash your hands.

And here’s one more.  Are Christians meant to live in guilt?

Happy Wednesday!

Here’s a video that made me laugh although sadly it’s not too far off the mark.   Sunday’s coming

So on Friday I finished reading the Old Testament.  That means I have the rest of May and all of June to read through the New Testament if I want to reach my goal.  I am looking forward to re-reading the whole thing but taking it slower and reading my study notes alongside the scripture reading.

Well off to the races . . . (that’s nice language for another day with a household of teens). . .