Who Killed Jesus?

There was a day, as I took my walks abroad, when I came hard by a spot for ever engraven upon my memory, for there I saw this Friend, my best, my only Friend, murdered. I stooped down in sad affright, and looked at Him. I saw that His hands had been pierced with rough iron nails, and His feet had been rent in the same way. There was misery in His dead countenance so terrible that I scarcely dared to look upon it. His body was emaciated with hunger, His back was red with bloody scourges, and His brow had a circle of wounds about it: clearly could one see that these had been pierced by thorns. I shuddered, for I had known this Friend full well. He never had a fault. He was the purest of the pure, the holiest of the holy. Who could have injured Him? For He never injured any man. All His life long He went about doing good. He had healed the sick. He had fed the hungry. He had raised the dead. For which of these works did they kill Him? He had never breathed out anything else but love and as I looked into the poor sorrowful face, so full of agony and yet so full of love, I wondered who could have been a wretch so vile as to pierce hands like His. I said within myself, "Where can these traitors live? Who are these that could have smitten such an One as this? Had they murdered an oppressor, we might have forgiven them. Had they slain one who had indulged in vice or villainy, it might have been his desert. Had it been a murderer & a rebel, or one who had committed sedition, we would have said, "Bury his corpse. Justice has at last given him his due." But when Thou wast slain, my best, my only beloved, where lodged the traitors? Let me seize them, and they shall be put to death. If there be torments that I can devise, surely they shall endure them all. Oh! what jealousy, what revenge I felt. If I might but find these murderers, what would I not do with them. And as I looked upon that corpse, I heard a footstep and wondered where it was. I listened and I clearly perceived that the murderer was close at hand. It was dark and I groped about to find him. I found that somehow or other wherever I put out my hand, I could not meet with him for he was nearer to me than my hand would go. At last I put my hand upon my breast. "I have thee now," said I, for lo, he was in my own heart. The murderer was hiding within my own bosom, dwelling in the recesses of my inmost soul. (CH Spurgeon - The Early Years)

Isaiah 53 v5 'He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, The chastisement for our peace was upon Him & by His stripes we are healed'

Astronomy Project

Just thought I'd share a pretty cool model of the solar system which the kids made - I'm learning more than they are atm.

Salmon for Supper

After fishing for months, for little in return, D finally caught the big one last night - a 6lb 7oz Wild Atlantic Salmon.

Invasion of the Pumpkins

Several months ago I chopped back the pumpkin plants thinking it would contain them - bad move - they retaliated & took over the whole tunnel to the detriment of everything else planted. Davey has banned me from planting them next year but I'll probably sneak 1 or 2 plants in anyway! Going to try my hand at pumpkin pie & soup tonight.

Slave Labour

Almost 81 & still working like a Trojan - I don't think he'll ever retire! Dad's latest project is laying a path to the polytunnel with the help of his young apprentice.

Update on the Good Life

One of the hens was sitting on 18 eggs. Don't think she could cope with that many so we've moved her to the small ark on her own & have left just 8 eggs for her to sit on. The Jersey Giant is clocking under the hen ark for the 4th time - the last 3 times her eggs have disappeared in spite of her sitting faithfully on them. As there have been no sign of egg shells, I assume that Shadow has got into the pen & eaten them. We're hoping to get a boar soon for Holly to try & get a litter of piglets before Christmas. 6 Black turkeys are on order so we hope to get them in the next week or two. Sweetcorn has reached the roof of the poly tunnel & pumpkins are taking over the rest of the poly tunnel. We're going to plant potatoes tomorrow - we're a couple of months late but it'll be an experiment to see if they still grow. Might try a few in the poly to see what happens. Not sure that I'd like to live the Good Life for real but it's nice to try & imitate it in some small way!

Impending Sex Education for 4 Year Olds

As a mother of 5, the only questions that I can recall being asked about the facts of life are:
1) Where do babies come from &
2) How do they get out of your tummy.

"Questions that only the education system can handle & we'd better start teaching them at 4 years old or our children might grow up not being able to handle relationships!!"

I wonder who has decided, once again, to raise issues that are not really anything to do with concern about our children but rather from their own desires to see our children taught that their perverse way of life is acceptable & that those who oppose their views are narrow minded & religious fanatics. The above questions can be & have been answered for centuries by loving mothers in a way that the child's natural curiosity is satisfied without the child being bombarded with facts that are really not necessary. This new debate, which I have no doubt will eventually find it's way into the curriculum unless Christians start taking a stand. One reason given for the impending changes are that nowadays children are watching things on TV that may be confusing for them. No one has yet said that as parents we ought to be overseeing & protecting our children from watching anything on TV that needs an explanation. Today's children are being exposed to things that no other generation has been exposed to - men with men & women with women. Personally, my stomach turns if anything like that were to pop up while turning over programmes - I certainly don't want to have to explain it to my child or have it taught to them as normal when it's very much abnormal. Even if people don't believe in God, nature itself shows that women were made for men & not men for men. Britain used to be a great country but not anymore - I wonder what catastrophes are in store for it in the future.

France 11 June - 26 June

Planned to update my blog while we were away in France but we couldn't get an internet connection. We got the boat from Larne - Cairnryan on 11th June. Friday we visited Howletts animal park, near Dover, where 'Roar' is recorded. Took Dover - Calais boat & arrived at 10pm - the time had moved forward 1 hour rather than back, as I had thought, so it was a bit of a panic as we realised we were in France with no accommodation booked. Fortunately, after 45 mins of driving around Calais (praying) trying our best to not go unto a road that lead directly to Paris we came across a site near the boat. The guy had just locked up but he agreed to reopen & let us stay for the night. Next day we headed around the coast & spent the next 4 nights in various campsites. Euro Disneyed the Thurs & Fri (Davey's 50th birthday). Had Davey's birthday dinner in the Euro Disney car park sharing 3 sandwiches, crisps & sweets. Visited Val d'Europe (supposedly largest shopping centre in Europe) on the Sat. Next few days were in campsites then we got the train into Paris & visited the Louvre (to see the Mona Lisa), L'Arc De Triumphe, River Seine & the good old Eiffel Tower. When we asked the kids which part of Paris they enjoyed most they said feeding the birds in the park - nice to know our efforts to educate the children are going so well! Travelling back through England we stopped for a surprise visit with Dave's brother. Took the kids to Eureka & next day (Paul's 8th birthday) to Bronte Land. As with every holiday, it was good to get home to see the green, green grass of home.

Blogging Your Life Away

It's 5.30am & already I've spent 1 hour on the internet - checking & sending emails. When I wake up early it's often the 1st thing I do. Recently, I decided to spend less time - maybe just checking in two or three times per week. So far, so good. Then this morning I decided to refine 'my favourites list' & came across an old blog which I go into from time to time. What she has to say hit home - even though I spend alot less time blogging & surfing than I used to, it still takes up too much of my time. Time which could be better spent as anyone who visits me will know :-)
I'm not going to stop blogging - I plan to spend some time touring over the next few months & want to document it but I think Cindy's advice is good & sound. www.dominionfamily.com

Weight Watch

Having re-read my New Year resolutions, I have to report that I've broken them all except the weight loss one. Doing quite well at the moment & I do have to Dec 31st to complete it.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 - 1st stone
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2 stone 5 lb to go!

Goats, cat, turkeys.

Mischief & Rosie (2 goats) arrived at the beginning of Sept for Mick's Birthday.

Bobby (fat, ginger, non-mouse catching, tail-less , lazy tomcat) was bought from the animal sanctuary in Antrim. Don't know how the kids managed this one as I dislike cats & he's a particularly nasty tiger. He gets thrown out every morning & within 10 mins is purring at the door to get in again. If he made an attempt to chase mice I might have grown to like him. At the moment it's a battle of wills & if I don't win he's out on his ear. Turkeys - was going to put a photo of them on but since they've been & gone thought it was pointless. We got them from a commercial place at 12 weeks & reared them for Christmas. Fed 100% organic feed & totally free-range I thought they would make a good dinner - they were just as bland & tasteless as any other turkey. As a chef on TV before Christmas said, " They're ugly when they're living, ugly when they're dead & worse when they're cooked". I'm inclined to agree with him but never being one to quit I'm going to buy some Bronze in the Spring & try them. If they're not tasty then it'll be fillet steak for Christmas from now on!

Happy New Year

"How we spend our day is, of course, how we spend our lives"
Annie Dillard

New Years Day just wouldn't be complete without a few New Years Resolutions :
1) Well, considering my blog has been unattended to for 4 months, I suppose I'd better start by committing to updating it at least once per week. It's a good way of talking to yourself without anyone thinking you're nuts.
2) New Years Day is always special - a fresh start, a time to review past achievements & set out new ones. Yet everyday given to us is special, a time to enjoy our families & friends & yet the busyness of life seems to often drain our time spent doing things we really want to do. So this year I am going to try to make the 1st day of every month an extra special day - a day for a special dinner with tablecloth, candles, flowers & invite someone over for dinner who I wouldn't otherwise take the time to have. So watch out - it might be you!
3) To be on time or even early for any necessary appointments. (No snide comments allowed). This is probably the hardest one.
4) To drag IB out for a walk everyday & refuse to accept any excuses from her for not doing so!!!
5) To reach my target weight of 9st 10lb by the end of the year.

The list could go on but I'll leave some for next year, if I'm still alive & kicking.

Weight Watch

Slow but sure.
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Check out this blog ( www.janne.cc/blog/ )& go into 'The Incredible Shrinking Woman' section to view photos of her before & after. An inspiration to me.

Mommy, Teach Me

With schools starting back next week, I've been trying to prepare myself for back to 'homeschool'. I've read some good books over the years but it always helps to freshen ones mind with new material. While browsing I came across 2 sites which I liked - www.mommyteachme.net & www.mommylife.net . I ordered both 'Mommy, Teach Me' & 'Mommy, Teach Me to Read' from www.Amazon.co.uk . I'm reading both at the same time (as one does) & they've been an inspiration for me. They're the type of book I wish I'd read years ago (as with most home education books) as if I'd known there was such a thing as home ed when I had my 1st 2 children I would never have sent them to preschool or school. There are still folk out there in N. Ireland who don't know that they can teach their children at home & can do so with very little difficulty. There is nothing mystical about being a teacher & regardless of what teachers think it's not only teachers who can teach. Check out the above sites if you get a chance & take time to read the 'My Story' section in the latter one.

'THE RIGHT PATH IS THE ONE THAT WHISPERS EVEN WHEN THE REST OF THE WORLD IS SHOUTING ABOUT ANOTHER'
Barbara Curtis (Author of above books)

Hedgehog

The boys found a hedgehog in Polepatrick (our local cemetry - sounds morbid but it's actually a really nice place for a walk - not too many graves yet) so we took it home in a box ( which is what the British Hedgehog Association recommends if you find one during daylight) & are feeding it dog food. It seemed lethargic at first but seems to be coming round & is eating lots - probably thinks it has found a 4 star hotel. Will post a photo of it later.
EDIT: fed & watered it for 3 nights - it has disappeared much to the disappointment of the children & we didn't manage to capture it on camera.

Camping

It would take an eternal optimist to purchase a tent in this country but that's exactly what I've done. Why? Because I can't afford the luxury of a motorhome. I can dream but it just aint gonna happen in the foreseeable future, so tenting is the next best thing. Maybe it'll make us feel more at one with nature. I'm itching to get touring around Ireland so since it's been raining for the last 4 months I've predicted that it just CAN'T continue into Sept & Oct. So we're starting off our school year on the 1st Sept with a geography tour. Now, don't be thinking that I'm putting off doing Maths & English - this is going to be an educational tour - I don't want anyone to get the impression that this is going to be a holiday!!
Our tent, which is hopefully enroute is here http://www.belltent.co.uk/4_meter_deluxe_version.htm

'Ocean' Deep Inside the Earth

Scientists analysing more than 600,000 seismograms of earthquakes travelling through the earth have found evidence of a 'vast water reservoir' beneath eastern Asia. At least the volume of the Artic Ocean, it is the first time a body of water so large has been found deep in the mantle. The Bible says that at the beginning of Noah's Flood 'the springs of the great deep burst forth', indicating that the floodwaters came partly from deep underground. Perhaps this newly discovered 'ocean' is all that remains, although the structure of the inside of the earth is still a mystery.
www.livescience.com 28th Feb 2007 Article taken from Creation Magazine vol29 No3 http://www.creationontheweb.com/

My Favourite House

No I haven't lost my marbles just yet. It is in a state of disrepair but it's situated in one of the most beautiful & rugged locations in Donegal. In the winter it would be completely desolate (actually in the summer it could be desolate too) & it's not up for sale but every summer I drive around Atlantic drive & look to see if anyone has done anything with it. It's obviously over 100 years old & how anyone lived there in those days is hard to imagine. Even now it's quite isolated but when transport & roads were inadequate it just makes me wonder how stark life must have been. Must try to find out more about it's history next time we're there.

There are just hundreds of miles of sea between it & America.

Tannaghmore Gardens - Lurgan

One of our favourite places in the Lurgan direction. It has a farm, play park & an innovative garden. We visited recently & had to talk Paul out of kidnapping a cat - a rather fat & friendly cat. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

IS IT NOTHING TO YOU

One day during the 1930's, a man named John Griffin who controlled a railway drawbridge over the Mississippi river, took his son to work with him. After putting the massive bridge up, Griffin was eating lunch when suddenly he heard the whistle of the Memphis Express roaring towards the crossing. Leaping from the observation deck he ran to throw the control switch. Glancing down, his heart stopped! His son had fallen into the gears, trapping his leg in the cogs.

Desperately he tried to devise a rescue plan. But there was no time. His son was down there but there were 400 passengers on the train! Griffin knew what he had to do. Burying his face in his arm, he pushed the master switch just in time to lower the bridge into place as the train thundered across.

Then, raising his head he looked into the passing windows with tear-filled eyes. There were businessmen casually reading the newspaper, ladies sipping coffee and children eating ice cream. Nobody even looked at the control room, or glanced down at the great gearbox. In agony Griffin cried out, 'I sacrificed my son for you people. Don't you care?' But as the train rushed by nobody heard the anguished father's words.

As we consider the cross where God sacrificed His Son for each of us, He's asking, ' Is It Nothing To You, All You Who Pass By?' (Lamentations 1 v12) Our question then becomes: 'What then shall I do with Jesus who is called the Christ? (Matthew 27 v22)

Excerpt from The Word For Today - free issues are available for the UK & Ireland www.ucb.co.uk