The strep runneth over

We are now in the 4th round of strep throat for the season and the Tank has just become our 4th victim. I was the first one to catch it this time, then Tweedledee and Tweedledum. I really hope the Bug doesn't catch it. The Tank has been the most pitiful.

On the upside I am loving my new grocery shopping system! Everyone has to go over to www.theobsessiveshopper.net and check out everything she has. I got boxes of Fiber One bars for 50 cents each! And I'm going to go stock up on my favorite shampoo (Herbal Essences) at Rite-Aid for $1 a bottle. I know, I really have got to pare down my expensive tastes.....

Another high note, I found someone to help me get my house in order (literally). I've never been a great housekeeper but lately it's gotten really out of control. Tom, I apologize profusely again. I'm convinced that I could get rid of half the stuff in our house and everyone would function just fine. We start pitching next Wednesday and I hope to post the progress as it is made. I hope everyone else has a great week!

Not my best work ever...

But it was better than a zero.

For this week, write about a half-page each (no more than one page total) on the books of Daniel and Esther. You will need to answer how each book helps to shape Israel’s life and faith, especially given the difficulties they are facing. Why does Esther not mention God? Why is Daniel located in the writings rather than in the prophets? Include some reasons why you think each book is important and its reason for being included in the Scriptures.

I think that the difficulties facing Esther and Daniel were essential for the Israelites to continue in their faith throughout their trials at the hand of those who reigned over them. Both the stories of Daniel in the lion's den and Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego being cast into the furnace show the power of God to those who believe in him doubtlessly. To have continued faith when faced with a den of hungry lions or being burned alive, shows remarkable encouragement and puts the daily trials for someone else into a different perspective. I think that Daniel is included in the scriptures to show the Israelites that God does not forget any of his children. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego were most likely seen as ordinary men, yet God protected them when they showed absolute faith in Him.

I think that Daniel is included in the writings, and not with the prophets, because the stories it tells are not foretelling of the future. They don't predict a great destruction that will take place if the people don't listen to what Daniel has to say. They are stories of faith and absolute obedience to the Lord. I can speak from personal experience that following dietary guidelines is easy when you are with peers of the same belief. But when you are the minority and must withstand pressures to forego what you believe to be right, it is much harder to stand your ground. I was never faced with imminent death, but it can seem that way when you are a teenager.

The story of Esther shows the Israelites that God rewards those that do not deny their faith, even when faced with death. Not everyone who refuses to deny their religion may be saved from physical death in this life, but they will most certainly be saved from a spiritual death if they have a pure heart with real intent. Esther had to survive a physical death so that she would succeed in saving the numerous lives of those, her people.

I think that the story of Esther is important because it shows loyalty to one's faith and God. I think that Esther's belief is so implied by her actions that deliberate mentioning was not necessary. The story talks about her being a Jew because those are "her people" that she must save. Esther's story shows courage when the easy thing would have been for her to keep silent and not risk her own life. She was rewarded for her courage by not only saving the lives of her fellow Jews, but her own life was spared by the king.

Job

The book of Job is the only book in the Hebrew Scriptures where the main character is not a patriarch or an Israelite. Briefly summarize the book of Job, noting the main ideas it contains. Then state why you believe it is included in the Scriptures, despite Job not seemingly being a part of Israel. What value does it add to the Hebrew canon? Would there be a “hole” without it?

Job was a man who was described as "perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil." He was perfectly faithful to God and had everything that would define wealth at that time, a wife, children, animals, land and friends. Satan wants to make a wager with the Lord that Job is only so faithful because of all the goodness he has in his life. God agrees to test Job and let him become subject to the Adversary. Job loses everything but his wife. His children and animals die, his body becomes covered in boils and his friends forsake him. But in all that happens to him, he never loses his faith in God. He never blames God and turns away from Him.

I believe the story of Job is included in the scriptures because of the hope and reassurance it gives to its readers. Even though Job does not seem to be a part of Israel, he still shows his faith in God. In the case of Job, God really had become silent but we know that in our darkest hours we are not alone. We always have God there, waiting for us to talk to Him and ask for His help.

I believe there would be a "hole" without the story of Job. In no other story in the Bible does a person lose everything, through no fault of his own, and not curse God. Job's losses were not the result of bad choices that he had made. He was tested because of his goodness and love for the Lord. What other story teaches us of the faith that we are capable of even when we have been afflicted physically, spiritually, psychologically and temporally?

The value that the story of Job adds to the Hebrew canon is equal to the value of the story of Adam and Eve. The book of Job not mentioning Abraham or Moses does not reduce the value of its message. The lessons we can learn from Job's trials are just as essential as those we learn from the prophets, if not more so. The story of Job shows us a man who does not have any prestige in the government or as a leader of the people. He is a common person who is living the way he was taught, most likely by his parents and other family members.

Jonah essay

Pick one of the minor prophets (or two if there is not enough information in one), and write a page summarizing the prophet’s message. Include his target audience, date of composition, and, if possible, where the prophet lived. Include in your paper if the prophet’s message was personally meaningful and how.

One of the most well-known stories of the Old Testament is that of Jonah. In addition to having his own book in the Old Testament, he is mentioned previously in the second book of Kings. In chapter 14, verse 25 reads that the king of Israel, Jeroboam II '….restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath unto the sea of Arabah, according to the work of the Lord, the God of Israel, which he spoke by the hand of his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was of Gath-hepher.' Gath-hepher was located in the tribe of Zebulun according to Joshua 19: 10-13. According to monastic tradition of area, this town is now El-Meshed, a present Arab village which is located three miles northeast of Nazareth. Because Jonah is mentioned at the time of Jeroboam II we can place his lifetime at 788 B.C.

Jonah is commanded by God to go and preach repentance to the people of Nineveh, which was a great city in Assyria. Jonah was not surprised by the fact that he had received a call from God, but in where he was to go. Jonah was a Hebrew and the inhabitants of Nineveh were Gentiles so for Jonah to be sent to the heathen enemy and give them a chance for repentance went against everything that Jonah had been taught of his people. The thought that everyone was given a chance to repent, and not just those who were God's chosen people, was shocking for him and very difficult for him to follow.

Jonah boards a ship bound for Tarshish, which was in the opposite direction of Nineveh. God sends a great storm, threatening the ship and every life on it, and Jonah offers himself to be thrown overboard because he knows that he is the reason for the storm. The other men on the ship plead with Jonah for any other answer before finally giving in to him. Even after they do so, they plead with the Lord to forgive them for what they view as the shedding of innocent blood. Jonah is swallowed by a whale and sits in its belly for three days. Jonah offers a sincere and meaningful prayer of repentance to God and vows that he will fulfill the mission that had been given to him. The whale is directed by God to expel Jonah onto the dry land.

Jonah enters Nineveh and cries repentance to them, proclaiming that in 40 days time that they will be destroyed if they do not change their wicked ways. Everyone in Nineveh believes Jonah and repents, dressing themselves in sackcloth and ashes to show their humility. Jonah is furious that God has forgiven them their trespasses, not understanding God's love for all of His children. God provides a gourd for Jonah to give shelter from the sun and heat of the desert. During the night God causes a worm to enter the gourd, destroying it and creating pity for the gourd from Jonah. God then asks Jonah how he can have pity for a plant whose creation he had no part in, but none for thousands of God's children who had never been taught right from wrong.

The lesson to be learned from Jonah is that our charge is to be humble and charitable to all of God's children. Regardless of their knowledge of Him or not.

'Cause I know you're loving this

Christians tend to quote Isaiah because they believe he was predicting the coming of Jesus as Messiah. Three favorite passages are Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7, and 52:13-53:12. Read these passages in context, and write a one page paper stating whether you believe Christians are drawing proper conclusions and why.

I believe that Christians are drawing the correct conclusions about the stated scripture passages. Part of a prophet's job is foretelling future events whether they are for the good of the world or seem catastrophic. Isaiah 7:14 can be cross-referenced to Matthew 1:23 in which Matthew states, "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." There is an additional reference confirming Isaiah's prophecy in the Book of Mormon, in the book of Alma. In Alma 7:10 it states, "And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even a son of God." This can be compared to Luke 1:35, "And the angel answered her, and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6) This can be compared to Luke 1:32-33, " He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end."

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief….he was despised and we esteemed him not." Isaiah 53:3 is prophetic of how Jesus was received when first beginning his ministry on the Earth. Jesus was rejected when he began preaching at the synagogue in his hometown. The local people did not think he was anything special for they only knew him as Jesus of Nazareth, a carpenter, the son of Joseph. "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed." Verse Five foretells of the crucifixion that will happen and that only through the atoning sacrifice of Christ can we be saved and given eternal life.

"He was oppressed, and afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep, before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off from the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken."." Verses seven and eight go on to continue the description of what Christ was to endure before being crucified, in that he did not receive a fair trial and given to the mercy of the people by Pilate.

101 in 1001

Is there a term for snatching ideas from other blogs? In scrapbooks it's called *scraplifting*. Anyway, here is another one that I read and thought it was just too fabulous to pass up. You set 101 goals to be accomplished in 1001 days. It works out to be a length of almost 3 years which is my speed when it comes to getting things done. I don't know if I can actually come up with that many goals but I think I can turn it into a perpetual list so that it comes out to 101 in the end. So here goes! :

Me - Physical

• Lose 2 pounds and repeat 20 times.
• incorporate exercise into my daily life, even if it's taking an extra trip up and down the stairs
• take a Pilates class so I can be more effective while doing my home video
• Take better care of my skin
• Wash my face twice daily
• paint my nails weekly, even if it's clear polish

Me-Spiritual

• start daily scripture study again
  
• Keep up with Gospel Doctrine reading assignments
• Read Ensign cover to cover each month
• complete Visiting Teaching each month
• reinstate regular temple visits with DH
• read "Jesus the Christ"
• read "A Marvelous Work and a Wonder"
• read "Preach My Gospel"
  
• be a more active member missionary
• invite 5 friends to church

Me-Miscellaneous

• increase typing speed
• post regularly on my blog
• date night at least 2 nights a month
• learn to make soap
• learn to weave baskets
• expand bow-making knowledge to include woven headbands
• declutter the office
• delcutter the garage
• learn to make an awesome pumpkin roll
• be better about writing Thank You notes
• clear out recipes I don't use
• rotate food storage
• establish 3 month supply
• make 72-hour kits
• read "The Chronicles of Narnia"
• read "Gone With the Wind"
• watch "Lord of the Rings"
• buy "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" and learn how to make more than sandwich loaves and Irish Soda bread
• continue taking online courses
• develop writing skills by taking courses and/or seminars
• have a square foot garden of vegetables I buy most in the freezer section
  
• stay on top of housecleaning regimen so it doesn't build up and drive me nuts

Kids-to do for them

• say yes more often
• begin homeschooling
• start chore rotation
  
• be more like Michelle Duggar and less like Kate Gosselin
• have daily family scripture study
• have FHE

See! I'm only up to 43. I'll have to keep brainstorming.

Kindness Swap Closed

Thank you to everyone who has chosen to participate in my swap! I have enough people so now I need everyone to email me your address so that I can send the items out as they get made.

I got to have a fantastic, solid-2-hour, uninterrupted nap this afternoon and now I can't sleep. How in the world did this happen, you ask? Well, DH's sister had a show choir performance and he took the three big kids to see it while the Bug was napping. I took advantage of said nap and laid down to *read*. So, you all get to reap the rambling benefits! Of course, whenever I'm awake so is my stomach. So, now I'm hungry and having a bowl of delicious Honey Kix. I've heard that people who get restful, regular sleep also weigh less. I think I've found the connection...

For everyone that I did not get to send emails to, I found this fantastic website on a fellow blogger's page that makes food storage fun and easy. I know, food storage and fun are not words you expect to find in the same sentence. But this really, really is! Go to this page





I'm personally in love with their newly improved 3 month food calculator. I've tried doing the same thing on my own and honestly, it's been too long since I took an Excel course for me to make everything work right.