Iron Sharpening and Earthen Vessels

"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." Prov. 27:17

Whenever I read this verse, I automatically think about the Iron Sharpens Iron Conferences. The ecumenical ministry offers conferences to men and women, with their goal being to mold the Christian's worldview, and encourage them to become leaders in their family, community, and nation. 

If you were able to pick up the Dominionist overtones in this ministry description, you know that their intentions aren't completely honorable. Christian worldview is an element of Dominionism, and it is tied to the way Christians think about political involvement - and politics has nothing to do with being a Christian.[1] [2] Believers are essentially being used as pawns to support a political viewpoint to gain votes. 

The Lord Jesus Christ didn't want his followers to become involved in the affairs of this world. We can observe this when He told Pilate:

"My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from here." John 18:36 (KJV2000)

In John 15:19, the Lord tells us that believers are not of the world, implying that there should be separation between the affairs of the world and how the Christian lives in the world system. 

Imagery develops a physical battle, not a spiritual one. 

Satan's Conspiracy
When I first started the Kindred Spirits Journal nearly 10 years ago, I didn't know a thing about Dominionism, the New Apostolic Reformation, the ecumenical synthesis through Reconstructionism, Communitarianism (the Third Way) through the Emergent/Missional movement, Freemasonry, and all the other evil deceptions that have infiltrated the institutionalized Church. As I did research for my journal articles, I stumbled upon these movements within the Church. Each new discovery about how the Word has been twisted ever so slightly and used for the preparation of the New World Order (and the Antichrist), has been one punch in the gut after another. I began to realize how we've been completely fooled by the face of the institutionalized Church, with its books, seminars, and preachers.  They all tote and sell exactly how we are to think, act, feel, and our involvements.

As many of us have tried to warn our loved ones concerning the apostasy in the Church, many have rejected our attempts as foolishness. When our warnings to stay away from the apostates preaching and materials aren't heeded, it subsequently causes them to be sharpened by the iron instrument of the Enemy, leaving them to be none the wiser.  

Even though each of us is thankful that the Lord has opened our eyes to the lies, the end result if often the whittling away at our perspective of the power of God. It can go as far as believing that the Lord really isn't in control at all. But at the same time, we know that the mission of the Enemy is to keep men in ignorance so he can succeed with his plan. Ultimately he spares no pain to keep men from the truth. Not only concerning the conspiracy, but also the Gospel.

Standing alone in our viewpoints and understanding is a lonely place to be. It can at times seem to be a burden. For His glory, God uses earthen vessels to carry the light of Christ with the message of the Truth. The Bible says:

"But we have this treasure (the Gospel) in earthen vessels (the Christian), that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body." 2 Cor. 4:6-10

Then in verse 17 of the same chapter:

"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;"

Having your eyes open to Satan's conspiracy may seem at times to be an affliction. But God has an excellent plan, and He needs His people to be awake. The Church must survive this next step in His plan, and he has appointed us as His messengers.

Related Post
In Times of Loneliness

In Times of Loneliness

"The loneliness of the Christian results from his walk with God in an ungodly world, a walk that must often take him away from the fellowship of good Christians as well as from that of the unregenerate world. His God-given instincts cry out for companionship with others of his kind; others who can understand his longings, his aspirations, his absorption in the love of Christ; and because within his circle of friends there are so few who share his inner experiences he is forced to walk alone."[1]

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." Isa. 41:10

Removing the Invisible Walls: Humility

"...to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men." 
 Titus 3:2

Living in the countryside has caused me lose perspective of how the rest of the world lives. I'm presently visiting with my family in New York, where I lived until joining the military at the age of 20-years old. In the small town I lived in, which is situated about 45 miles north of New York City, the majority of residents were once entirely white. Since 9/11, it has turned into quite the international community, with people from nearly every race and cultural background. It seems nothing like it once was.

Although times have changed, there is still a tendency to treat the newcomers within this formerly white residential community like second-class citizens. Our country is the product of an utopian-minded social experiment intended to be a melting pot for a purpose, but there is a right and a wrong way to act within the melting pot...especially for a Christian. Since the fruit of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control - then it should be reflected through our humility and kindness to all men - not just to believers.

You may think that this sounds strange coming from someone who teaches separation, but we can still be separate and be peaceable, gentle, showing humility to all men.  The Word has instructed us to not be yoked to unbelievers, but that's not what I'm talking about. The Word also teaches that we need to be separate from those who teach [Biblical] falsehoods, and I'm not talking about that either. The local population is made up of people who are unbelievers and those who teach falsehoods, but we can still be respectful, and model this respectfulness to our children. How on earth will we be able to win the lost if we snub them? Isn't this more of the undercurrent coming from the world's way of doing things, than it is coming from Christ's way?

If we are truly changed by the blood of Christ, then we need to live outside of the spiritual synthesis that is being created, yet sensitive to the fact that our fellow man is lost. When we remove ourselves from the world's political and social mold and do as Jesus would have us do, suddenly the conflict of the dialectic dissolves. We don't need to contribute to the problem.

You may want to re-think your own racial and cultural integration...the invisible walls that you have unknowingly erected. I'm not trying to help erase injustices in the world, but I am trying to awaken those who are unwilling to see the bigger picture. Just as the song says:

Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Black and yellow, red and white
They're all precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world.

Christians were meant to be salt and light to the world, not arrogant, disrespectful, and proud. Matthew Henry describes my point best when he wrote:

 "It is the misery of sinners, that they hate one another; and it is the duty and happiness of saints to love one another. And we are delivered out of our miserable condition, only by the mercy and free grace of God, the merit and sufferings of Christ, and the working of his Spirit." 

Let your life be a demonstration of His love.

"I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore." Psalm 86:12

Amen.

Further study on humility. 

Upcycling a Nescafé Coffee Container

 

Sometimes it just seems a shame to throw away some of the unique packaging that manufacturers have been creating. Last night I saw a very clever idea that I wanted to pass along. It involves a Nescafé coffee container.

Nestle has chosen to package its instant coffee brand in a curvy plastic container, rather than a glass jar. The top closure is a flip-top lid on hinges, which means it could later be used for food storage when its been emptied.

Once the labeling has been removed, the bottle is semi-transparent. It can easily be refilled with rice, Quinoa, barley, beans, or a grain that isn't easily kept in your pantry. Tape the label on the jar that provides the cooking instructions, and you're good to go. One less container to fill up the landfill.

Hearty Italian Sausage Soup

What you need.

1lb Italian sausage, ground
1 onion, medium-sized, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp olive oil
2 Herb-ox granulated Chicken broth packets made with 2 cups of water
1 extra cup of water
1 15 oz. can Great Northern Beans
1 14 oz. can Great Value Chili-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup spaghetti sauce of your choice
1 cup Rotini pasta, uncooked
1 1/2 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup grated Mozzerella cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Premium Saltine Crackers

How to make it.

1. Cook sausage, onions and garlic in oil in large saucepan, stirring frequently.
2. Add next 4 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Stir in pasta; cook 8 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in spinach; cover. Let stand 5 min. Serve in bowls and top with Mozzarella cheese. Serve with crackers and a green salad.

Prep Time: 10 min.
Total Time: 40 min.
10 servings @ 1 cup each

This was a delicious soup. I found it on the side of the Premium Saltine Crackers package. The picture above doesn't do it justice. The recipe above was modified by using Herb-ox chicken broth, and spaghetti sauce. The only reason why I added the spaghetti sauce was because I didn't have a second can of stewed tomatoes for the double recipe. It made the broth thicker and richer.

I doubled the recipe above and it provided hearty servings for 7 adults.  We all loved it.

How to Make Sauerkraut

My mother-in-law made her own sauerkraut and it was absolutely delicious. Making sauerkraut is something you don't see anymore, and it's not that hard to do.

In the following video, the Extension Office out of the University of Alaska show you how to properly make sauerkraut. It takes into consideration the food safety factor, and it's very thorough.

Instructions are provided for making a huge batch and for making quart-sized batches. You should watch both, especially if you plan to make smaller batches. The small batch method begins at 21:22 on the counter.

(YouTube link)

Some recipes recommend adding caraway seeds and other ingredients, so you'll want to consider these as well. Good luck!

Wood Ash: The Organic Soil Amendment

If your home is equipped with a wood-burning stove or fireplace, you will be pleased to learn that once the fire burns out, there is a good use for the wood ash in permaculture and organic gardening. Wood ash should never be considered as waste, but rather as a useful organic resource. As long as you follow a few simple rules, it can be used to benefit your garden in three ways: as a fertilizer, a soil pH amendment and a pest repellent.

As a fertilizer: Wood ash is a good source of potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and aluminum. It also typically contains less than 10% potash, 1% phosphate, and trace amounts of micro-nutrients such as iron, manganese, boron, copper and zinc. It replaces many of the macro- and micro-nutrients removed from the soil during plant growth and harvesting. When the soil pH is maintained at a proper level, productivity would be enhanced by using wood ash as a soil amendment. The exact chemical make-up of the ash varies according to the wood type. For example, hardwood ash contains a higher level of potassium than softwood ash. If you were to compare it to a commercial fertilizer, wood ash would probably gauge about 0-1-3 (N-P-K). 

As a soil amendment: Wood ash contains a good percentage of calcium carbonate, an ingredient in garden lime. If your soil is very acidic (with a PH of 5.5 of lower), wood ash can improve the pH and thus create a remedy for excessively acidic soils.  Adding wood ash raises the pH, which can be beneficial to some plants but can interfere with the growth of others. It should be avoided around acid-loving plants like rhododendrons, blueberries or potatoes, which would probably get scab disease if the pH were too high. On the other hand, raspberries flourish if given a good mulching plus the occasional addition of wood ash. 

Before getting started, it’s always best to get a soil test done. Applications should be limited to a level that maintains the soil pH for the plant you intend to grow. If your yard or garden soil has a pH of 7 or higher, you should avoid using the wood ash amendment.

Ash can be mixed directly into the compost pile or worked into each layer of compost as the pile builds up. Wood ash can be incorporated directly into the soil in the springtime and lightly worked into the top layer around plants that benefit most from a boost of potassium, calcium, and pH.  

As a pest repellent: Wood ash helps to eliminate soil invertebrate like slugs and snails. You can also place a little ash around the base of your plants to discourage surface feeding pests. Once ash gets wet, it loses its deterring properties. Continual use of ash, in this way could increase the soil pH too much or accumulate high salt levels harmful to plants – so easy does it.

Common uses for a bucket of ash are:

• Sprinkle some ash on your lawn. Applied lightly and followed by a good watering, ash will benefit the grass and it fosters the growth of clover in the lawn. If you’re accustomed to using limestone, apply twice as much ash as lime for the same effect.
• Use the ash to make a tea for tomatoes. Put five pounds of wood ash in a permeable cloth or burlap bag; tie it shut and lower it into a 50-gallon garbage can that is filled with water, as if it were a giant tea bag. Let it sit for about four days; then dip the tea out with a watering can and pour a cupful around your tomato plants once a week, as soon as they begin to flower. Most crops can use a potassium boost, but especially tomatoes.
• Spread ashes around the base of hardwood trees, returning this valuable product to its source. Apple trees, in particular, love this treatment. A bit of ash from an occasional fire makes a good end-of-winter gift for a favorite tree.

Wood ash is not a miracle fertilizer, so you should be aware of the following.

• Do not apply ash to newly germinated seeds because it contains too many salts for seedlings.
• Do not add ash with nitrogen fertilizers, such as: ammonium sulfate, urea, or ammonium nitrate. These fertilizers produce ammonia gas when placed in contact with high pH materials such as wood ash.

As you can see, wood ash application can supply additional nutrients, but could also cause plant damage if misused. Using wood ash is just another way we can use the organic matter around us to supply organic amendments to our garden soil and improve this valuable resource.

The Homestead Blessings

The West Ladies will show you how to get started on your own garden. This edition is one small part of a homesteading series. Several of the episodes from the collection are loaded on YouTube, each on a different homesteading skill. Many of them are just short excerpts, but all of them look very good. The following is from the Art of Gardening.

(YouTube link)

For the subject titles, or to purchase the series, you can find them on the Franklin Springs Family Media site and on Amazon.com.

I was able to locate the following episodes on YouTube:

Holiday Pies
Basil
Planting Garlic

The McCormick Pepper Grinder

A pepper grinder is a mill for grinding black peppercorns. When you add freshly ground pepper to any dish, it will provide a fuller pepper taste to your meal.

Black pepper is native to south India, and is extensively cultivated there and elsewhere in tropical regions. Currently Vietnam is the world's largest producer and exporter of pepper, producing 34% of the world's Piper nigrum crop as of 2008.

Dried ground pepper has been used since antiquity for both its flavour and as a medicine. Black pepper is the world's most traded spice. It is one of the most common spices added to European cuisine and its descendants.[1]

Grinders come in different styles, many of which I've been unhappy with. I've purchased a few nice looking grinders, only to have it break within a week. It wasn't until I found this grinder that I was completely satisfied.

This is the 1.24 ounce size. It's the same size as other McCormick herb bottles. The bottle was meant to be disposable, but I've heard that you can refill them by yanking the cap and bottle apart, along with a slight twist.

I recently found the 6.7 ounce size bottle. It looks the same size as the one above, but the bottle is quite large in comparison.

It will revolutionize your cooking!

Creamy Potato Soup

This recipe is an adaptation of one I found on AllRecipes.com.  I added more potatoes and onion, and less bacon. It's the best potato soup I've ever tasted. The bits of bacon were like delicate morsels of goodness. My kids absolutely loved it!

Ingredients

5 slices bacon
1 medium onion, cut in half, then sliced thinly
5-6 cups diced potatoes

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

2 1/2 cups milk

salt to taste

ground pepper to taste (from a pepper mill is best)

1 tsp of dried dill weed (or Tarragon) 

Directions

1. On a cookie sheet (with sides) that is covered with aluminum foil, cook bacon at 375 degrees until crisp (about 13 minutes). Remove bacon, and set aside on paper towel. Drain all but 3 tablespoons bacon fat from the pan.
2. In a soup pot, brown onions in bacon fat over medium heat until onion is tender. Add butter for additional moisture.
3. Add potatoes, and just enough water to cover. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to ensure it doesn't cook dry.
4. In a separate saucepan, stir together soup and milk until smooth. Add crumbled bacon, salt and pepper (a sprinkle), and dill weed to milk mixture. Heat through, but do not boil. Combine the milk mixture with the potato mixture, then stir well.
5. Before serving, taste the soup and decide if it needs more salt and pepper. 
6. Serve with salad and dinner roll. Serves 6.