2012 January

$50 Vision Forum Giveaway

By Jasmine Lucero on January 22, 2012 34 Comments

~~~~~~~~~Congratulations Caroline! You won the $50 Vision Forum gift certificate!!!~~~~~~~~~~

Last night my oldest daughter and I attended a meeting for her upcoming graduation. In just over 3 months my husband and I will be graduating our oldest daughter and first homeschooled student. I can’t begin to describe the emotions that fill my heart when I ponder this thought!

My mind starts to wonder and think of all the things I have not taught her, that I have somehow missed. Then I am reminded of one of my very favorite quotes:

Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel. ~Socrates

What a great metaphor used to describe our role as a homeschooling parent. How freeing it is to know that I don’t have to choose everything to put in my daughters vessel, I just have to kindle the flame. My goal is to teach my children to love learning!

This week we had the chance to review one of Vision Forum newest products, WWII: D-Day and the Providence of God Study Course. This history course covers much of the history surrounding World War II and the D-Day invasion. The study set includes 4 DVDs, 1 MP3, and a study guide with questions and Bible verses to memorize (that pertain to the learning for that episode).

When we received the course in the mail, the kids were a tad bit disappointed that I didn’t get the zip line to review. I was excited because I have a 14 year old who loves making movies, especially “war” movies. We haven’t studied much on World War II, so I was hopeful that this would fill the gap (here I go again trying to fill that vessel).

The older kids and I sat down to watch episode one (there are 7 in all), and I had to keep pausing the movie to explain or talk about different topics the film was covering. I was surprised by how attentive the kids were and how thought out their questions were. The film is shot in Europe, and I felt that this helped to bring the topics to life. Having lived in Europe twice, it is such a different understanding when you can see the old cobblestone streets where prisoners were marched along versus the modern streets here in the states. I loved that much of the series was shot on location.

We haven’t worked our way through the entire series yet, but so far the kids and I are learning so much. Kendra was working her way through the Civil War, but after watching episode 1 she asked if she could pause the Civil War and learn about World War II. She then went on to read Number the Stars by Lois Lowry and Hitler by Albert Marrin (flames being kindled…I love it!). Everyday she has something new to tell us about Adolf Hitler.

$50 Vision Forum Giveaway

I know that many of you would absolutely love this study course. I am so thankful to Vision Forum for the opportunity to review it. I am even more thankful that they are going to give one of you a $50 gift certificate! $50 can go a long way at Vision Forum right now–there is a great sale going on until the end of January.

Entering the contest is easy…

1. Visit the Vision Forum website and tell me in a comment below which product you would like to get with your $50 gift certificate.

2. Share this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter and leave me a comment letting me know you did so.

3. Like Ponder the Path on Facebook or subscribe to Ponder the Path by email (and make sure to leave me another comment to let me know).

Contest ends Friday, January 27th at midnight. I will choose a random winner and announce the winner on Saturday morning.

Note: The above links are my affiliate links.

Filed Under: Homeschool Tagged With: featured, history, Vision Forum

Should Christians Use Herbs? (part 2)

By Jasmine Lucero on January 19, 2012 3 Comments

In my first post on this topic, I discussed what is considered an herb and where all true healing comes. Remember, the herbs themselves possess no power in themselves to heal. They are merely substances that encourage the body to do what it was designed to do more efficiently.

In this article, I will cover herbs in the Bible.

Herbs in the Bible

A couple of years ago, my children and I read a book entitled Galen and the Gateway to Medicine by Jeanne Bendick. Galen was a Greek physician employed by the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, continuing in service through the Emperor Septimius Severus. Galen was born into a wealthy family, thus allowing him to study at the Temple of Aesculapius and later travel to Corinth, then to Alexandria to further his studies. What is fascinating about Galen is that his ideas and medical practices were largely unchallenged for more than a thousand years. In fact, his ideas concerning the balance of the four humors (from his study of Hippocrates) led to the popular practice of blood letting, which unfortunately led to the death of George Washington just 200 years ago.

Another interesting fact about Galen is that he lived only a few short years after the time Christ lived on the earth. There was another physician living during this time period, perhaps better known to Christians. This was the beloved physician, Luke (Colossians 4:14), author of the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. We don’t have record of Luke’s medical practices. However, we know that as a physician in the first century, the only “medicine” available to Luke would have been herbal medicines. Part of the duties of a physician at this time were compounding herbal medicines for their patients.

As I began my herbal studies, I wanted to know what the Bible had to say about this topic. One thing that was impressed upon my heart as I read the Word, was that Christians as a whole, have distance themselves so far from God’s original designs that they often don’t recognize them as part of His blessings to us. This can be seen in many areas of our lives. For instance, until the last 100 years or so, no one questioned whether or not they would breastfeed their child. If you wanted your child to live, you nursed them. The only other option was finding another nursing mother who would nurse the baby for you if you couldn’t. So you see, there was never a question in these women’s minds debating which was best — breast milk or formula. They knew that the Lord has marvelously created their bodies to provide for their young.

The same can be said for their healing practices. The Bible speaks in several places of medicines.

Pro 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

Jer 30:13 There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines.

But what were these medicines? What was it that was used as medicine?

In Luke 10:34, we see the good Samaritan binding up wounds with oil and wine. The wine would have provided antiseptic properties, while the oil would have served as a healing salve. In several places we see that the people used balms, ointments, and plasters as medicines (Jerimiah 8:22, 46:11, 51:8; Isaiah 1:6, 38:21). Perhaps the most telling verses are in Ezekiel and Revelations where we see the Lord providing leaves for medicine.

Eze 47:12 And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.

Rev 22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

I have tried to compile a list of specific herbs listed or named in the Bible. This is a work-in-progress, as I am sure there are many I have missed.

aloes Num 24:6, Psa 45:8, Pro 7:17, Son 4:14, Joh 19:39
anise Mat 23:23
balm Gen 37:25, 43:11, Jer 8:22, 46:11, 51:8, Eze 27:17
bay tree Psa 37:35
calamus Exo 30:23
cassia Exo 30:24
cinnamon Exo 30:23, Pro 7:17, Son 4:14, Rev 18:13
coriander seed Exo 16:31, Num 11:7
cummin Isa 28:25, 28:27, Mat 23:23
fitches (fennel) Isa 28:25, 28:27
frankincense Mat 2:11
garlic Num 11:5
hyssop Psa 51:7
juniper 1Ki 19:4-5, Job 30:4, Psa 120:4
mint Mat 23:23, Luk 11:42
mustard 13:31
myrrh Pro 7:17
rose Luk 11:42
rue Luk 11:42
saffron
spikenard Jn 12:3
wormwood (hemlock) Jer 23:15

Next in the series…What is permissible before God?

Filed Under: Natural Health Tagged With: Bible, featured, herbalism, herbs

7 Tips on Letting the Lord Lead

By Jasmine Lucero on January 16, 2012 2 Comments

On Friday I spoke a little about planting seeds, or putting ideas into motion. As I mentioned in that post, I have a shelf full of notebooks where I write down all my ideas. It seems that I am very rarely short on ideas, but my time and resources continually limited. So what is a busy mother to do. Obviously we can’t do it all. And there are so many “good” things we would like to do!

But what we ought to do is let God lead.

The answer to our dilemma is very simple in theory, but can sometimes be difficult to implement.

I mean, how do we know whether it is the Lord’s will for us to be involved in xyz project?

1. Pray and search the scriptures – I put these two together, because I have seen so many people choose one over the other. How many times I have heard “well, I prayed about it and have peace about doing it” when the very thing they want to do go against Scripture. We must remember that the heart is deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9) and we are to lean not unto our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5).

2. Seek wise counsel – This might mean talking to your husband about your ideas or maybe a Godly older woman. You and your husband may need to seek further counsel from church elders or others in the field that your project pertains to. Seeking wise council is different from just going around getting everyone’s opinion on what you should do. Rather, it is finding people who will pray for you and honestly seek the Lord’s face concerning your situation. Sometimes they may offer a solution very quickly, pointing out something you hadn’t seen before. Other times it may take some time to discern where the Lord is leading.

3. Is there an open door? – What doors has the Lord opened for you? There have been many times when I just felt like I needed to do something, but everywhere I turned it seemed that the doors were being shut. I know that there will be times that we have to persevere and continue to push through hardships, but when we see a door that the Lord has shut we should not try to push through in our own strength.

4. Is it our season? – To everything there is a season. Just because the Lord has said no at this moment, doesn’t necessarily mean it is no altogether. Sometimes it is just not the right season for the project. For me, I don’t do very good at keeping on top of things when I am pregnant. I forget things. I am tired. I am sick. I just can’t get things done. I know that when I am pregnant, it is not a time for me to get involved in extra projects or activities, especially ones that require diligence from me.

5. Does the project build or add to our ultimate goals? – Many times I have had to ask myself this question. Looking at the overall picture of my goals, either short-term or long, does this add to those goals. There are times that choosing a project to do may not have directly affect our goals, but it’s impact may help us indirectly. For instance, I am learning Adobe (illustrator, indesign, photoshop). I don’t have a desire to become a graphic designer, but several of my other goals can be enhanced by the skills I am learning.

6. Will taking on this project cause me to not do the jobs the Lord has already given me, or not do them well? – This is a biggie! I have several hats that I must wear. If I add another job to my list, will it increase my load so much that I can’t get my other things done. As I have thought about what direction to take my blog in, one thing has been clear to me. I don’t need to create things to blog about. I try to just write about the things I am already doing or working on.

and lastly…

7. Have a willing heart – If you get into a project and realize that it is not where the Lord would have you, have a willing heart and be ready to give up the project. There is no shame in bowing out gracefully when the Lord has made it clear that this is not for you. Sometimes the Lord allows us to get involved for a time, and then pass the torch on to others. Sometimes we have just made a mistake and gotten in to something we shouldn’t have. Whatever the case may be, we need to be willing to follow the Lord’s guiding.

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Need more tips on letting the Lord lead? Check out the other High Five Moms and see what they have found to help them…

Brandy at The Marathon Mom

Keri Mae at The Happy Home

Stacy at A Delightful Home

Andie at Happy Andersons

Filed Under: Ponderings

Why I Want to Go to the 2:1 Conference

By Jasmine Lucero on January 12, 2012 5 Comments

Do you have a shelf to put your brain on? I do. I call it my “thinking shelf”. It is full of notebooks and binders filled with my thoughts. I don’t journal, as that would take steadfastness and routine. I am working on keeping a schedule and persevering to complete the tasks I begin, but it doesn’t come natural. So I don’t journal.

No, this shelf is more random. When the thoughts start pouring into my head, I try to capture them on paper and then (hopefully) put them in an appropriate binder. I have binders on my “thinking shelf” organized pretty much like I have my blog organized. I have herbal notebooks, soapmaking, quilting, ponderings, homeschool–all filled with ideas.

I would love to have the time to bring all these ideas to fruition, but right now these ideas are seeds. I have stored them away, hoping to plant them one day.

Over the past few months I have been blogging, the Lord has allowed me to take out a few of these seeds and plant them tenderly in the soil of Ponder the Path. It has been so exciting to see the first tender shoots appear. Seeing life spring forth from the ideas you have planted.

There have been times though, that I want to plant more, but I must be patient and nurture the tender plants that are before me. There are times I get discourage as I wait on the plants to bear fruit, but then I remember that I must wait for the plants to become strong or they will not be able to bear the weight of the fruit. There are even times when I look around at what others have planted, and I long to see the growth in my own garden, but I must remember that they have planted long ago. They have nurtured and cared for and learned to tend to their gardens.

Why I want to go to the 2:1 Conference?

Titus 2:1 But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:

As a wife, a mother, a sister, a daughter, a friend, and now a blogger, it is very important that the seeds I plant bring glory to the Lord. As I become an “aged woman” (and what a blessing it is!), I want to make sure that my behavior becometh holiness, that I am a teacher of good things, and that I don’t blaspheme the Word of God.

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

Blogging is a new realm of teaching for me, and I need to be sharpened. I need to be challenged and encouraged by other “aged woman” (pardon me for calling you all “aged”–you look beautiful!).

So I am praying that if it is the Lords will and timing, I would be able to attend the 2:1 Conference this April.

Filed Under: Ponderings

Should Christians Use Herbs? (part 1)

By Jasmine Lucero on January 12, 2012 13 Comments

When I was a little girl, we spent our summer days playing outside. I don’t remember ever putting on sunscreen, so sunburns were inevitable. We’d come in beet red and parched, and my mom would always have us break off a piece of aloe vera to rub over the burn. We didn’t like being all gooped up with the slimy aloe vera, but it was all we knew to do to ease the sunburn. I never thought of my mom as an “herbalist” using “alternative medicine”. She was just a mom doctoring up her kids.

Fast forward 30 plus years, and here I am trying to do the same thing to my kiddos. Over the years, I never once questioned whether my mom’s use of aloe vera on us kids was the Christian thing to do or not. Subsequently, I never once questioned whether my own home remedies were “Christian” or not. Now don’t get me wrong, I love the Lord and I want to live righteous before Him. I had just never thought about the possibility that treating my children with herbs could be seen as unbiblical by some folks. In fact, herbalism has often been wrongly labeled not only unbiblical, but occultic and paganistic.

With much prayer and study, I hope to dispel these falsehoods. The question presented is this, “Is it permissible for Bible believing Christians to use herbs for health and healing?” My goal in writing this series is to help others see that God has provided herbs as a blessing to man. And not only are they a permissible form of medicine for Christians, they are often a preferred form of medicine.

What is herbalism?

As I get into the details in this series, I want to make sure that I define a few terms so that we are on the same page. When I use the term herbs, I am referring to plants and their constituents including roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruit, seeds, and in the case of trees, bark. I would also include honey and bee products as well. Although they are not considered herbs by definition, honey, pollen, propolis, and beeswax are all created with the help of plants derivatives and have many healing properties.

There are many practices that are often lumped in together with herbalism, but I want to make a clear distinction here. Herbalism does not include homeopathy, iridology, acupuncture, reflexology, muscle testing, and many other alternative forms of medicine. I will not be covering these practices in this article. Honestly, I have not done a great deal of research into these practices. I personally don’t feel at peace with using these types of therapies.

To sum it up, herbalism is simply using plants as medicine.

Where does true healing come from?

All true healing comes from God the Father. He has provided healing medicines and knowledgeable people to work as His hands and feet, but our faith should ultimately rest in Him and His sovereignty. This is a concept that was made real to me as I begin to study herbalism and use herbs to treat my family. For years I took my children to every well baby check up, made sure they had every shot on time, and didn’t hesitate to give them antibiotics for every illness that came up. In my mind, I was taking an active role in my child’s health. I would even go so far as to say I took pride in my care of my children.

What I didn’t realize was how much faith I was putting in doctors and immunizations and antibiotics. Sadly, I don’t remember ever praying that the Lord would protect my child from measles or whooping cough. I took it for granted that the immunizations I allowed them to receive would be their protectors. I didn’t have the same fervency in my prayers that I acquired once I started treating my children at home. I realized the error I had made in trusting in man and not the Lord. I still have much to learn in this area. I am so thankful that the Lord is gentle and long-suffering in teaching me His ways!

Next up…

Part 2: Herbs in the Bible

Filed Under: Natural Health Tagged With: featured, herbalism, herbs

Tutorial: Quilt Binding (Video)

By Jasmine Lucero on January 10, 2012 2 Comments

Having trouble binding your quilt? In this video I walk you through binding a quilt. You may also want to check out my earlier post on quilt binding here and here.

Filed Under: Handmade, Videos Tagged With: featured

Learning to Ride a Bike (without pedaling)

By Jasmine Lucero on January 4, 2012 2 Comments

Years ago with our first two children, we did what most parents do. We bought them bicycles with training wheels. We followed them around as they tried to master pedaling the bike, trying to keep them from falling over each time they hit a bump with the training wheel. Then when they were “ready”, we took off the training wheels and ran behind them as they wobbled along.

When our third child was three years old, a friend showed me a bike she had bought for her son. It was some kind of European training bike. It was basically a small bike without any pedals. She said the idea was to let the kids learn to balance first, without having to think about pedaling. Once they learned to balance, they can ride a regular bicycle without any problems. The proof was in the pudding, as it wasn’t long before her son was riding around on a regular bike without training wheels.

I told my husband about this nifty (and expensive) bicycle. Being the handy man he is, he quickly whipped up our own model. In no time at all, our three year old was riding around just like a big kid! Same story with child number 4. Now child number 5 is learning to balance. Although he is not thrilled about us taking off the pedals. He thinks he needs pedals to go fast like Lightening McQueen. It won’t be long until he gets them back.

Filed Under: Homeschool Tagged With: balance bike, featured

The Great Cheese Ball Link Up

By Jasmine Lucero on January 2, 2012 2 Comments

One of my favorite memories of Christmas time is the cheese balls my grandmother and great-grandmother would make every year. Us kids would sit around snacking on them, waiting on Christmas dinner to be done.

There were two cheese balls that I remember very distinctly. One of the two I make every year for Christmas, or any other time we need a special snack. I changed up the recipe a bit from my grandmother’s recipe. I added in the cheddar cheese to give it a bit more substance–and to make it last longer!

Pecan Pineapple Cheese Ball

Ingredients

8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. cheddar cheese, finely shredded
small can crushed pineapples, drained
2 tablespoons bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon Lawry's season salt
1 cup pecans, chopped

Instructions

Mix all ingredients, except pecans.
Roll into ball.
Roll in pecans until covered.
Chill until firm.

http://ponderthepath.com/2012/01/02/the-great-cheese-ball-link-up/

The other cheese ball I grew up eating was a mystery cheese ball. I asked my grandmother for the recipe a couple of years ago, but she didn’t have it and couldn’t remember how to make it. This Christmas I was determined to find a recipe for the mysterious cheese ball. I googled and googled. None of the recipes sounded like the one I remember.

Then one day I received an email from my aunt saying she thought she had found the recipe online at Homesick Texan. This would make sense, as I am sure this recipe was probably passed around the state where I grew up.

By omitting one of the ingredients, I had found the winner!

Chili Cheese Ball

Ingredients

2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded
8 oz. package of cream cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp minced onions
1 tbsp chili powder

Instructions

Mix all ingredients except chili powder.
Roll into ball.
Roll in chili powder.
Chill until firm.

http://ponderthepath.com/2012/01/02/the-great-cheese-ball-link-up/

Seeing as how I love a good cheese ball, I thought it would be fun to collect cheese ball recipes throughout the year (in preparation for next years festivities!). If you have a cheese ball recipe, please link below so that we know where to find the recipes. Make sure the link goes to the recipe post and not your homepage.

Filed Under: Nutrition Tagged With: cheese ball, featured, snacks, texas