Deeny's Simple Joys

What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Are many Ministries preaching a truncated gospel?

2012-01-26T14:07:00.003-05:00

To many Fundamentalist Churches, Evangelical Churches and many Campus Ministries, this is how they lay out the Gospel.

1) acknowledge that we are all sinners in need of God’s forgiveness.

2.)recognize that only God can save us.

3.) acknowledge Jesus Christ died on the Cross for our sins and to bring us to God.

4.) the final step is that each individual accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior to be saved.”

But is this the entire Gospel or is there a little more to it?

Saint Mark begins his account of our Lord's life: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ". (Mk 1:1). "Gospel" means literally "good news." The first four books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark , Luke, and John) are called gospels because they announce the "good news of great joy" (Lk 2:10)- the coming of a Savior. God himself in the flesh.

But what exactly is the substance of this "good news" that must be preached?

St. Peter's first sermon, which is preached on the day of Pentecost (see Acts 2:22-40), summarizes Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. Then he instructs his hearers: Repent, and be baptized… for the forgiveness of your sins" (2:38).

In this address the notion of "faith alone" does not appear at all. Instead the gospel preached is the proclamation of who Jesus is and what he has done. Salvation (including God's forgiveness of sins) comes to hearers through their response of repentance, baptism, and a subsequent life of obedience to God. When Saint Paul preaches the gospel, he makes the same kind of proclamation and calls for the same kind of response (see Acts 13:16-41; 1 Cor 15:1-11).

According to Scripture, then, the gospel is: a proclamation of the life, death and resurrection,and ascension of Jesus Christ which calls for our response of repentance, baptism and a life of obedience to God.

What is the Biblical View of Salvation? Because God is just and loves justice, if we hope "to see his face"-- that is to live with him in friendship- then we ourselves must become "upright," as he is. The First Letter of Peter puts it this way: "Be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct, for it is written, 'Be holy because I am holy' " (1:15-16).

How do we become Holy? We cannot save ourselves, and we cannot earn heaven on our own. Rather, we are saved by grace--God's merciful aid, given to enable us to become holy as he is holy. It's an absolutely unmerited, free gift of God, made possible through our redeemer, Jesus Christ and his atoning death on the cross for us.

By Grace Alone absolutely but NOT by Faith Alone.

Certainly, our faith in Christ's power to transform us is essential to our salvation by God's grace. But a mere intellectual assent to the truths of the gospel is not enough. Scripture insists that faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (see James 2:14-26) The only place in scripture where the words "faith alone" appear together is in James 2:17 where scripture emphatically states one is not saved by faith alone.

When we are justified (literally, "made just") by God, he doesn't just declare us righteous as a kind of legal fiction so that we can escape eternal punishment. Divine justification actually wipes out sin and provides supernatural, renewing infusion of his power. By cooperating with grace, we become holy, fit to live with him forever.

In this way good works, and the transformation of character they contribute to and reflect, are indeed necessary for salvation. (see also Mt 7:16-23; Mt 16:27; 25:31-46). "To the obedient," he promises, "I will show the salvation of God" (Ps 50:23).

The Gospel Presented in Every Catholic Mass

2011-09-07T17:50:00.000-04:00

I have heard of zealous ex- Catholics who then discovered Christ outside the Church say they never heard the Gospel (at least the way it is presented by many Fundamentalists) when they were in the Catholic church.

For me, being an ex-fundamentalist, this was one of the first things I recognized in the Catholic Mass. The Gospel is preached in every Mass. It just amazes me how anyone can miss it.

The Gospel from a Catholic viewpoint is actually the whole of Christ's life and teachings-- not the truncated version that Fundamentalist present which leaves a lot out.

However, according to many Fundamentalist Churches and Campus Ministries, this is how they lay out the Gospel.

1) acknowledge that we are all sinners in need of God’s forgiveness.
2.) we recognize that only God can save us.
3.) acknowledge Jesus Christ died on the Cross for our sins and to bring us to God.
4.) the final step is that each individual accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior to be saved.”

The Gospel is Preached in Every Catholic Mass

1.) “First, we acknowledge that we are all sinners in need of God’s forgiveness.

Catholics start every Mass with a public declaration of our own personal sinfulness and look to God for forgiveness.
After the Greeting, the Mass continues to what is known as the Penitential Rite.

“I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault. In my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do.”

It is here in this section that each Catholic/Christian states publicly that he or she is individually a sinner- not merely in a general sense, but specifically in thoughts, words and deeds. You can’t get much more complete than that.
The priest reaffirms this confession of sin by praying,

“May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.”

And the whole congregation says “Amen,” that is, “I believe.” The priest continues.

“Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy,”
and finishes by saying;

“Lord show us your mercy and love. And grant us your salvation.”

2.) We recognize that only God can save us.Catholics look to God alone to save us

“Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us, you are seated at the right hand of the Father, receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father.”

Likewise, the doxology spoken just prior to communion reads,

“Through him, with him, in him; in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is your, almighty Father, for ever and ever.”

3) The third step is that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for our sins and to bring us to God.

Every week Catholics proclaim that Jesus died for them.
If Catholics don’t believe what they are praying, they ought not to be publicly proclaiming it. Since we can’t read the dispositions of other people’s hearts, we ought not to judge whether they truly believe what they are saying.
The Profession of Faith reads,

“For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate.”

In the Eucharistic Prayer 1, the priest prays

“Remember [Lord] all of us gather here before you. You know how firmly we believe in you and dedicate ourselves to you. . . We pray to you, our living and true God, for our well-being and redemption . . . Grant us your peace in this life, save us from final damnation, and count us among those you have chosen.”

The prayer ends with an appeal to God for salvation through Jesus Christ

“May, these and all who sleep in Christ, find in your presence light, happiness and peace. For ourselves, too, we ask some share in the fellowship of your apostles and martyrs . . . Though we are sinners, we trust in your mercy and love. Do not consider what we truly deserve, but grant us your forgiveness. Through Christ our Lord you give us all these gifts. You fill them with life and goodness, you bless them and make them holy.”

Similarly the second Eucharistic Prayer proclaims,

“Dying you [Jesus] destroyed our death, rising you restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in glory. . . Have mercy on us all; make us worthy to share eternal life with Mary, the virgin Mother of God, with the apostles and with all the saints who have done your will throughout the ages.”

Likewise, Eucharistic Prayer 3 reads,

“All life, all holiness comes from you through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, by the working of the Holy Spirit . . .
Father, calling to mind the death your Son endured for our salvation, his glorious resurrection and ascension into heaven, and ready to greet him when he comes again, we offer you in thanksgiving this holy and living sacrifice. Look with favor on our your Church’s offering, and see the Victim [Christ] who death has reconciled us to yourself . . .
May he make us an everlasting gift for you and enable us to share in the inheritance of your saints . . . “

Lastly, the fourth Eucharistic Prayer reads,

“Father, you so loved the world that in the fullness of time you sent your only Son to be our Savior . . .

In fulfillment of your will he gave himself up to death; but by rising from the dead, he destroyed death and restored life.”

In this prayer, the congregation proclaims the mystery of faith

“Lord, by your cross and resurrection, you have set us free. You are the Savior of the world.”

4) the fourth and final step is that each individual accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior to be saved.

Catholics accept Jesus into their hearts initially and then reaffirm that at every communion. It is here that all those who are prepared to receive Jesus Christ walk up to the front of the church but they don’t just believe in Christ or merely ask Jesus into their hearts, they receive that same Christ who died on the cross on Calvary into their mouth and into their stomachs — body, blood, soul and divinity.

Yay My Blog is Back after a glitch that was redirecting it.

2011-09-07T10:50:00.002-04:00

Yay My Blog is back after a glitch that was redirecting it.

By Grace Alone But NOT By Faith Alone: Justification by Love in Scripture

2011-05-23T07:49:00.000-04:00

I was reading through some of my old notes and came across this. It is very well written and one of the clearest explanations of justification as taught by the Bible and the Catholic church. Unfortunately I do not remember where I got it or the original author or poster, but I have looked up the references mentioend and they are correct.

Justification by Love in Scripture

When one considers the course of history, the event with the greatest impact is clearly the coming of Jesus Christ. However, second only to this would appear to be the Protestant Reformation of the 16^th century. The changes that this period caused in the world were far reaching, encompassing almost all areas of human thought and life. Many direct results of the Protestant Reformation are still coming about through the ripples of history even today. Indeed, this makes perfect sense to any person of faith. All the world exists because of His act of creation, and everything that exists operates according to the blueprint with which He made it. Given this, it is obvious that any change in the relationship mankind has with God will have a dramatic impact on the relationship mankind has with himself.

As has already been alluded to, while we can recognize the Reformation to be the cause of so many changes in the world, the Reformation was itself a change in man’s understanding of his relationship to God. The real causes of this change in understanding are many, and are the matter for another discussion altogether, but it will suffice, and indeed be requisite, for our purposes to look to two primary principles lying behind it: Sola Scriptura, and Sola Fide. Sola Scriptura is the overarching term for what is now a variety of beliefs all of which concern themselves in at least some way with the idea that all truths about God are to be derived from the Holy Scriptures alone, apart from any Tradition. This was called the formal principal of the Reformation, because it gives form to the rest of the objections raised by the Protestants against the Catholic Church. An overview of this concept can be found here. Similarly, Sola Fide is the doctrine which holds that man is justified – that is, made right with God - by faith in Christ alone, apart from any works. This was given the title of the material principle of the Reformation, because it is what the Reformation was made out of, practically speaking. It is with this idea that we are now concerned.

This point is a critical one indeed, as it pertains directly to the eternal destiny of all the souls of the world. Christianity has the notion of salvation as its very core. It is the only religion in the world, to my knowledge, based upon the principle of the forgiveness of sins. The two destinations of Heaven and Hell, in either of which each and every soul will spend all of eternity, really lie at Christianity’s core. The entire reason for one being a Christian, at least in a very real and practical way, is to escape the eternal suffering of Hell and reach the eternal happiness of Heaven. Thus, how one actually is justified is of the greatest importance; if one misses this, he misses the entire point of Christianity.

Unfortunately, there are a great many teachings on this matter in Christianity today. Up until the Reformation, the Catholic Church, in Her councils and Traditions, was recognized as the source of all true teaching. Even those in the East, who were separated from the Church, did so almost entirely for matters of obedience, rather than any substantial doctrinal matters. Today, the Eastern churches share virtually all beliefs with the Catholic Church, albeit using sometimes very different terminology. The point to this is simply that after the Reformation, new Christian groups began to spring up - slowly at first, and then more and more rapidly – teaching any number of different and conflicting doctrines. The central idea of justification was not immune to this phenomenon.

As a result, not only are their various views on the matter, but the ensuing debate over these views has left many with even very erroneous ideas about what a given group actually teaches. Matters of Christian doctrine are of the utmost importance, and so believers naturally strive for truth. Christ said that He Himself is the truth after all, and thus out of true love for Him, people, seeking to avoid the slightest hint of error, tend to in any discussion misunderstand opposing viewpoints. Particularly, it is common for those seeking Truth Himself to argue themselves into a misunderstanding. When one group disagrees with another over some matter, the fear of making the slightest error in understanding easily leads to an emphasis on the points disagreed over, which can often distort the true meaning of the opposing view. Even those defending theirown view can easily grow to misunderstand it in the same way. Because the Catholic Church has been questioned more than any other Christian group, it is not then surprising that countless people misunderstand what She actually teaches, including Catholics.

This is especially true of the question of justification. The conversation between Protestants and Catholics over this so central a matter of the faith has grown to be recognized as the debate between the adherents to the doctrine of justification by faith alone and the adherents of the doctrine of justification by faith and works. This terminology has been even further emphasized because the Scriptural verse in which the Catholic Church finds Her primary defense against the Protestant doctrine of Sola Fide happens to mention works: “You see then, that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone” (Jam 2:24). The real argument however, is between the concept of justification by faith alone and the concept of justification by faith and love, not works. With that being said, it is the purpose of this article to present the Catholic Church’s true teaching on the matter of justification, drawing from the Councils and teaching documents of the Church, and presenting Scripture’s teaching on the matter systematically alongside.

In the beginning, man was created in justice. Mankind had communion with God, and no animosity existed between them. The Scriptures teach that the state of justice, which justification restores to man, consists in knowing God. In John 17:3, Jesus defines eternal life itself as knowing God: “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” John also indicates this in his first epistle, where he uses the terminology of ‘knowing God’ to explain being in a state of justice before God (for example, see 1 John 2:3-4). When Jesus describes the condemnation of the unjust souls in Matthew 25, He does so on the basis that they were not known by God. In Genesis, we see that Adam and Eve did know God. God placed them in the garden, where they walked with Him. They were not afraid of Him, and they believed and trusted Him. They had a communion with Him. For this reason, the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that, “The first man was not only created good, but was also established in friendship with his Creator…” (#373).

Adam and Eve were also created without the need to die, a need that only came through the sin of Adam, as the apostle Paul teaches in Romans: “sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin” (5:12). It was through this first sin that man lost his friendship with God, and that death became a necessity for all men. The Council of Trent - which was called to respond to the Protestant Reformation and which is the most authoritative document of the Church’s on the matters of justification - teaches that with Adam’s sin, he “drew upon himself the wrath and indignation of God and consequently death with which God had threatened him…” (Session 5, #1). The Church also teaches that this new state of being affected not Adam alone, but all of his descendants (Trent, Session 5, #2). The Scriptures convey this point in Romans, in which Paul writes, “one trespass led to condemnation for all men” (5:18), and “by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners” (5:19).

Adam and Eve, as their punishment, were cast out of the garden in which God dwelt, and therefore lost friendship and fellowship with God. In the chapters of Genesis following the fall, Adam and Eve were still aware of God’s existence, but they were still not in a proper relationship with Him. They believed in Him, but they did not have a relationship with Him. They no longer knew Him, but merely knew of Him. In Genesis 5:24, when Enoch is taken up to Heaven, it is described as Enoch walking with God, as Adam and Eve had in the garden. Abraham, the great Old Testament saint whom both Paul and James use as an example of justification, is described as being a “friend of God” (2 Chronicles 20:7, Isaiah 41:8, James 2:23). The Book of Exodus explains that, “the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” Adam and Even knew of God, but Enoch and Abraham and Moses knew God; they were in God’s justice, which consists of knowing God. This is a critical point which will be returned to later, so please make a particular effort to keep it in mind.

After this first sin, man is unable to reconcile himself to God. The Council of Trent teaches that all men are “unable to liberate themselves and to rise from that state” of being unjust before God (Session 6, Chapter 1). Christ is the only path to a new relationship with God, as the Scriptures teach: “his Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). This teaching is so abundant in Church documents so as not to require a reference. Justification is this reconciliation with God which man by himself cannot achieve. The Council of Trent defines justification as “the transition from the state in which one is born a child of the first Adam, to the state of grace and adoption as children of God (see Romans 8:15) through the second Adam, Jesus Christ our Saviour” (Session 6, Chapter 4).

Another key point on which all agree is that man is justified by Grace alone. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains what Grace is:

Grace is favor, the free and undeserved help that God Gives us to respond to his call to become children of God (John 1:12-18, 17:3), adoptive sons (Romans 8:14-17), partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-4) and of eternal life. (#1996)

Grace alone saves men, because Grace is a free gift of God without which no man can be saved. The Council of Trent teaches that Grace is the only means by which any person is saved. It is a passage worth quoting at length:

The council moreover declares that in adults the beginning of justification must be attributed to God’s prevenient grace through Jesus Christ, that is, to his call addressed to them without any previous merits of theirs. This, those who through their sins were turned away from God, awakened and assisted by his grace, are disposed to turn to their own justification by freely assenting to and cooperating with that grace. In this way, God touches the heart of the human being with the illumination of the Holy Spirit, but one is not inactive while receiving the inspiration, since one can reject it; and yet, without God’s grace, one cannot by one’s own free will take one step towards justice in God’s sight (Session 6, Chapter 5).

Thus it is seen that only by Grace may a man be justified. The teaching does emphasize man’s free will, because man must accept God’s grace. The Scriptures teach this, such as in Acts, wherein Stephen insists that the people “always resist the Holy Spirit” (7:51), or in Matthew, where Jesus says He has long desired to gather the people of Israel but they were “unwilling” (23:37).

Nevertheless, the teaching that man must cooperate with Grace does not detract from the fact that by Grace alone may one be justified, as the Council goes on to insist that “without God’s grace, one cannot by one’s own free will take one step towards justice in God’s sight.” It further establishes this in Session 6, wherein the first Canon, which is considered to be of the level of infallible dogma by the Catholic Church, declares the absolute need for Grace in the strongest possible terms:

If anyone says that, without divine grace through Jesus Christ, one can be justified by one’s own works, whether they be done by one’s own natural powers or through he teaching of the Law, let him be anathema.

What’s more, Grace is far more than a mere help or assistance of some kind. The Catholic Church teaches that it is Grace alone which saves us. Canon 2 condemns the idea that “divine grace is given through Jesus Christ only in order that one may more easily live justly and merit eternal life…”

In fact, the Catholic Church goes so far as to teach that man cannot even believe in God without Grace. The third Canon of Session 6 declares,

If anyone says that without the prevenient inspiration of the Holy Spirit and without his help one can believe, hope and love or be repentant, as is required, so that the grace of justification be bestowed on one, let him be anathema.

This is the same teaching as the apostle Paul offers in his epistle to the Ephesians. It is chapter 2 verses 8 and 9, a passage that Protestants often cite against the Catholic Church: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Even a man’s faith, the Church declares along with Paul, is a Grace of God, rather than something man has done himself. Nevertheless, man must cooperate with this Grace, and must not resist or reject it, as the Council and Scriptures teach, some of which teachings have been cited above.

Up until this point, there is a large degree of - though imperfect - agreement between Catholics and Protestants. The differences are not important enough to the present discussion to elaborate on here. Suffice it to say that, up until this point, there is a general agreement on the need for salvation for all men, and on the inability of man to reconcile himself with God. All agree that Jesus Christ came, God in the flesh, to die for man’s sins so that men may be reconciled to God through Him. He is a man who knew God better than any other, because He Himself was God, and so He is the mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). All agree that man is justified by grace alone. All agree that man is justified by faith, as the Scriptures make it so plain that this is the case.

The disagreement arises over whether man is justified through Christ the Mediator by faith alone or not. The primary difficulty can be summed up by referring to two verses. Protestants cite Romans 3:28, in which the apostle Paul states that “we hold that man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” Catholics respond with James, who insists “you see that man is justified by works, and not by faith alone.” The basic resolution of this problem has been written on extensively, and is readily available elsewhere. While it is a worthwhile, and indeed important, study to undertake, this article seeks to approach the issue from a perhaps more important, and certainly less frequently approached, standpoint

The problems is that the traditional disagreement poses the doctrines of salvation by ‘faith alone’ and ‘faith plus works’ against one another, as if ‘faith plus works’ is the doctrine of the Catholic Church, while Her official teaching does not contain this emphasis on works. In fact, the most official Catholic statement concerning James 2:24 is one which teaches something Protestants are inclined to agree with, at least in part. Chapter 10 of Trent’s 6^th Session teaches on the increase in justification that man may receive once He has already been justified:

When ‘faith is active along with works’ (James 2:22), [the justified] increase in the very justice they have received through the grace of Christ, and are further justified, as it is written… ‘You see that one is justified by works and not by faith alone’ (James 2:24).

Most Protestants would agree with this insofar as it means that faith and good works done by those already justified earn greater Heavenly rewards. However, the Church does not teach that this verse means that works themselves justify a person apart from faith, or apart from the Grace of God, as is evident from the passages of Trent cited above. Many Catholics, because of the arguments over works had with Protestants, unfortunately believe that this is what the Church does teach.

The true teaching of the Church is at the same time much more complicated and much more beautiful. It begins with the idea that justification is not only external, but internal as well; Protestants most often disagree. To the Protestant, justification is merely a decision whereby God declares man not guilty in view of the offering of Jesus Christ. Man is still unjust in fact, but God accepts him into Heaven anyways, because of the sacrifice of Christ. Martin Luther explained this idea by use of an analogy. He compared sinful man to a pile of dung. By faith in Christ, the Savior would cover this dung with snow. Beneath the snow, the man was really still dung, but God would look at the man as if he were really snow. This idea is known as imputation of righteousness because it holds that Christ’s righteousness is merely imputed – assigned - to the justified. At last we come to this point, which is really where the entire disagreement lies.

The Catholic Church’s teaching is that righteousness is infused – really put into – the justified. It holds that man is not only forgiven in justification by some assignment of Christ’s righteousness to them, but he is also made righteous inside. It is the difference between covering the dung with snow and actually turning the dung into snow. This teaching can be found in the Council of Trent:

…justification itself… is not only the remission of sins but also the sanctification and renewal of the interior person through the voluntary reception of grace and of the gifts, whereby from unjust the person becomes just, and from enemy a friend, that one may be “an heir in hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7). (Session 6, Chapter 7)

Immediately, the statement that justification makes men the friends of God jumps out, calling to mind the earlier point that justice is in some way equivalent to knowing God.

Of course, it is true that nobody is good except God alone, as Jesus teaches in Matthew 19:17, which is why the means by which a person is made righteous is by the infusion of the Holy Spirit and the virtues which He instills in men. Trent speaks to this in Chapter 7 of Session 6, teaching that in justification “’God’s love is poured through the Holy Spirit into the hearts’(Romans 5:5) of those who are being justified and inheres in them.” The quotation that Trent makes here is one of the strongest teachings in the Scriptures on this matter, and it will be returned to later. However, there are many other Scriptural presentations on this point. God prophesied this through Ezekiel:

I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules” (36:26-27).

Paul teaches in Romans that the justified are actually “made righteous,” (5:19), not just declared to be so. In Ephesians he writes that the justified “put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (4:24). In Colossians 3:10, he writes that the justified “have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” It is important to notice all of the references to the image and likeness of God; this helps to indicate that man is not merely being forgiven, but is being restored to what he was before the fall, when he was created in the image and likeness of God (see Genesis 1:26). At this time, man was truly free of sin and was internally righteous; he was “very good” according to God (see Genesis 1:31).

Paul gives a tremendous amount of teaching on this matter. In his letter to the Ephesians, he provides a rather concise presentation of it:

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (3:14-19).

Here we see that the Holy Spirit works in the “inner being” of the justified, causing Christ to dwell in his hearts. This causes him, through faith, to be rooted in love, which enables him to know Christ and His Love which is put within him, which is, as Jesus taught, the very nature of eternal salvation (John 17:3). It is for this reason that he provides a test for believers in his second letter to the Corinthians to see if they are within the faith: “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (13:5) Those who are in the faith have Jesus Christ dwelling within them, and only those within the faith are justified.

Paul goes on to provide even more extensive teaching on the inner change of the justified in his second letter to the Corinthians. In chapter 5 verse 17, the apostle teaches that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” This shows beyond all doubt that man’s sins are not merely covered up, but he is literally changed into something new. In chapter 4, he teaches that that “our inner nature is being renewed day by day” (verse 16). This is a restatement of a more in depth point which Paul makes in 3:18: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”

This is the very same point that James makes when he says that “man is justified by works and not by faith alone” (2:24). As we do works day by day in Christ, our justification increases and we are more and more transformed into the image of Christ. Our share in the virtues infused by the Holy Spirit increases, and we grow to deeper faith, greater hope, and more complete love. Protestants may have difficulty with this point, because most often they do not view justification as something which can increase; to Protestants, a man is either justified or he is not. The Church teaches otherwise, and the multiple passages cited here provide good evidence for Her understanding. Indeed, if this understanding is not correct, then James really does contradict Paul in teaching that a man is justified by works. Justification is understood by the Church to be a true inner change, as these passages indicate. If the link between all of these things is not yet completely clear, it will be after examining the true center of the entire process of justification, and indeed the center of everything: love.

The Scriptures are very, very clear that man cannot be justified without love. John, in whose gospel Jesus equated eternal life with knowing God, writes in his first epistle that “whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (4:7-8). In 1 John 3:14, he teaches that “Whoever does not love abides in death.” St. Paul, along with the Council of Trent, identifies justification with being made children of God, and John teaches that it is the love of God which makes us His children: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are” (3:1). Recall two of Trent’s teachings on justification that were mentioned above. First, justification is the transition to being adopted as a child of God (Session 6, Chapter 4). Second, justification occurs when the love of God is infused into the soul (Session 6, chapter 7). In this verse, John explains that the love that God gives us makes us His children, encompassing these two teachings beautifully. John further speaks against loving the world, warning that if one is to do this “the love of the Father is not in him” (2:15) This warning makes sense because the state of being justified consists of having the love of God in a person. The examples from this epistle could be multiplied.

St. Paul also speaks extensively of love. As has already been cited, he teaches that God’s love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). In 1 Corinthians 2:9, he says that the rewards God has in Heaven are “for those who love Him.” He writes to Timothy that women will be saved “if they continue in faith and love and holiness” (1 Timothy 2:15). Perhaps the strongest statement in the entire Scriptures concerning love comes from Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:2, where he writes, “if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” This, beyond all doubt, proves that man cannot be saved by faith without love. The chapter ends with Paul teaching that “faith, hope, and love abide, but the greatest of these is love.” The Council of Trent teaches on all of this, in the 7^th chapter of Session 6:

For faith without hope and charity neither unites a person perfectly with Christ, nor makes one a living member of his body. Therefore, it is rightly said that “faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead” (James 2:17) and unprofitable, and that “in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6).

This last passage cited by the Council shows what Paul means throughout the rest of Scripture when he speaks of faith: a faith that works through love.

In Galatians 6:15, he makes a very similar statement which ties everything together: “For neither circumcision is of any avail nor uncircumcison, but a new creation.” The new creation that the apostle Paul speaks of over and over in Scripture is a new creation of faith working through love. Faith working through love is the means by which men are returned to the image and likeness of God, the righteous state that they were in before the fall. It is the means by which man is brought to know God once more, and thus to inherit eternal life. It is the means by which man is brought to become children of God. It is the means by which man is justified. Justification, then, is not a matter of faith and works, but of faith and love.

When Paul speaks of faith, he refers to a faith that is open to acts of love - one that loves God and neighbor. Faith without works is dead because faith without love is dead, and real love is something that works. When Paul says that man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law, he means a faith that is open to love, not a mere intellectual belief. Paul makes this clear in his famous teaching on what love is in 1 Corinthians 13, which he gives for the purpose of illustrating what this love is that he is nothing without:

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

All of these things that love does are works. Indeed, there are more works that love might do, such as works of charity, but love is at the very least consistent of these things. The love Paul speaks of, the love that he teaches must accompany faith for justification, is a love that works. The Church does not teach that this is human love, but, as the Council of Trent and the Scriptures teach, is the love of God poured out into man’s heart. It is itself Grace, but it is a Grace which must be accepted, and without which man cannot be justified.

Adam and Eve had faith, but not the kind of faith Paul speaks of. They had the faith of intellectual belief. They believed in God, but they did not know Him, because they did not have a faith open to Love. This intellectual belief is the same as James teaches concerning the demons, writing, “even the demons believe – and shudder!” (2:19) As John teaches in his first epistle, God is love (4:8), so to have love is to know God. They had belief in the same way as the demons which James teaches about when he writes, “even the demons believe – and tremble” (2:19). The demons believe God, and they believe in God, but they do not love God, so they do not know God, so they are not justified. This was true also, at least for some time, of Adam and Eve after the fall. Abraham believed God, and he loved God, so he was justified. The same is true of Moses. They were the friends of God.

This is also, consequently, why the Catholic Church is so concerned with the commandments and with sin. John writes that when we know God, we keep His commandments (1 John 2:3-4). Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). St. Paul also stressed the importance of keeping the commandments, for this same reason. Just as he wrote that in Christ, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love,” (Galatians 5:6), he also writes that “neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God” (1 Corinthians 7:19). Thus we see that when Paul speaks of faith, he means a faith that loves, and thus a faith that is obedient, not an intellectual belief alone, and so he says that Christ seeks “the obedience of faith” (Romans 1:6, 16:26).

Paul’s teaching here both clears up an interesting confusion that seems to exist in his writings, and enlightens us as to the connection works have to love that causes James to write so highly of them. On the one hand, the apostle says that Christians are not bound to a law on several occasions (see Romans 7:4, Galatians 2:19, and others). On the other hand, he also writes that the law is not cancelled but upheld. For example, Romans 3:31 he writes, “do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.” The harmony between these two verses lies in his teachings that by loving, we keep the law. “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8), he commands, and again “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Galatians 5:14). Here he quotes Jesus, who gave as the two commandments that we must follow to love God, and to love our neighbor (Matthew 22:36-40), teaching that these two commandments encompass all that the Law and prophets had taught before. Paul explains the same thing in Romans 13:9-10: “The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” James agrees with Paul, writing, “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well” (2:8). If love is in keeping the commandments, this is why James writes that “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (2:17). One who loves will express that Love in works, and so a faith without works is a faith without Love, and a faith without Love is dead.

Thus, the Church teaches that Love is required for salvation, along with faith, and that love of God requires the keeping of the commandments. The Council of Trent presents this very concisely in the 7^th chapter of the sixth Session of Trent:

For faith without hope and charity [Love] neither unites a person perfectly with Christ, nor makes one a living member of his body. Therefore, it is rightly said that “faith without works is dead” [James 2:17] and unprofitable, and that “in Christ Jesus neither circumcision not uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love” [Galatians 5:6, 6:15]. This is the faith which, in keeping with apostolic tradition, the catechumens ask of the Church before reception of baptism when they ask for “the faith that gives eternal life,” a life which faith without hope and charity cannot give. Hence, they immediately here Christ’s words: “If you would enter into life, keep the commandments” [Matthew 19:17].

However, it is important to stress the Church’s teaching that this Love, and in fact even the faith that man has in Christ, is no doing of his, but of Grace alone:

…nothing that precedes justification, neither faith nor works, merits the grace of justification; for ‘if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise (as the same apostle says) grace would no longer be grace [Romans 11:6] (Council of Trent, Session 6, Chapter 8).

It is only by the Holy Spirit pouring the Love of God into man’s heart (see Romans 5:5) that man gains it, and it is only as a free gift that it is given, based on the merits of Jesus Christ on the cross. As Trent teaches here, Faith too is a gift of Grace, a virtue which man cannot have without Grace. Jesus teaches this when He says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44). In 2 Corinthians 4:13, the apostle Paul writes of the “Spirit of faith,” as it is the Spirit which gives faith to us. As has been presented above, the same apostle teaches that faith is a gift, rather than the doing of man, in Ephesians 2:8-9.

Thus, the Church teaches that faith alone is insufficient for salvation. The interesting thing is that many Protestants today agree with the general understanding of the Catholic Church, even if not in its entirety. One phrase common in Protestant circles is that faith alone saves, but not a faith that is alone. The statement seems to fall short logically, because it faith alone by definition excludes any other factor with which it would not be alone. It also falls short Biblically, because both Paul and James indicate that faith, in the sense of intellectual belief, is not sufficient without love. This is why a far more accurate Protestant concept of the matter is one which holds that faith, if it is an intellectual belief, is insufficient, whereas faith, if it is a living faith that works, is. Perhaps the most accurate understanding in Protestantism is the need to accept Jesus Christ into one’s heart, as the Church teaches, and the Scriptures provided demonstrate, that salvation requires the Love of God to be poured into the heart by the Holy Spirit, which can only happen when one willingly consents. There are still differences, many subtle, between the two understandings, and it is very important that these are not ignored, as Paul taught that any erroneous gospel is accursed (see Galatians 1:8). It is fitting, then, to end with the words of God, and the words of Peter, the prince of the apostles, as he encourages us on the journey of faith:

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:5-11, emphasis mine).

God Bless,

Holy Week in Two Minutes

2011-04-18T17:10:00.004-04:00

Holy Week In Two Minutes: A brief description of the week

Why I'm Catholic: My Studies in Clearing up the Misconceptions that I had about the Catholic Church

2011-03-17T14:08:00.001-04:00

The Dark Side of "Once Saved Always Saved" or Assurance of Salvation

2011-02-20T13:17:00.004-05:00

This was originally posted here on the The Trail Home's blog written by The Trail Home
(This is not my personal study but does express my viewpoint very clearly)

Note: The doctrine of "Once Saved always Saved" also known as "Assurance of Salvation" or "Eternal Security"

THURSDAY, JULY 10, 2008

The Dark Side of ‘Once Saved Always Saved’

“For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Gen. 3:5 (KJV).

Malcolm Smith (a charismatic Episcopal priest) used to call the words of this verse, “ye shall be as gods”, ‘The Lie’. The idea being that wanting to be ‘like God’ is the foundation of Original Sin. And what could be more ‘being like a god’, than having the knowledge of who goes to Heaven and who goes to Hell.
The ‘doctrine’ of ‘once saved, always saved’ (OSAS), otherwise known as ‘eternal security’ was a teaching I found hard to abandon when I crossed the Tiber. It is an enticing philosophy that attracts people into a web that is hard to get out of. Behind the doctrine, of course is the teaching that you and I can ‘know for sure’ that our destiny is Heaven. Or as fundamentalist preachers love to put it: ‘you’re as sure for Heaven as Jesus Himself!’ Catholics shrink from such statements as they smack of the sin of presumption.
But this doctrine has a dark side. If I can ‘be sure’ who is going to Heaven (those who repeated a sinners prayer), than I can also be sure who is going to Hell (those who have not). This ‘knowledge’ of who is destined for Hell not only plays into the ‘Lie’ (using Malcolm’s language), it also plays into a destructive psychological pattern.
A former Pentecostal pastor once recounted a strange service he attended once. The preacher was giving a sermon on Hell and began to name those he was ‘sure’ are either in Hell, or headed there. “They’re going to Hell! They’re going to Hell! They’re going to Hell!” the crowd began to chant over and over in a bizarre fashion.
There is a strange and sick satisfaction people have in ‘knowing’ their enemies are ‘burning in Hell’. It gives them a feeling of ‘justice’.
When some of the writings of Mother Teresa were made public, it revealed she had gone through (as St. John of the Cross did) a ‘dark night of the soul’.
Fundamentalists had a gleeful feeding frenzy. I remember one fundamentalist almost giddy with excitement: “See! This proves it! Mother Teresa is in Hell!!”. It is extremely important to fundamentalists that Mother Teresa be in Hell. If Mother Teresa is not burning in Hell, that would make their belief/doctrine false; hence she must be burning in Hell.
For extreme Calvinists, this gets into their theology that a portion of humankind is ‘predestined to Hell’. A recent survey found 60% of born-again Christians say people were going to hell because they didn't have the "right beliefs." Whose beliefs are right is dependent upon the person you are talking to. Catholics are told (many times with glee) that it is ‘certain’ they are going to Hell.
It reflects a lack of compassion, hope, and love. It feeds into a person’s unforgiveness and bitterness toward another. In dehumanizing them with the curse of “They’re going to Hell,” it relieves them of any responsibility.
The Pharisees of Jesus day had a saying (from ancient Jewish writings): "There is joy in Heaven when a sinner drops into Hell." Jesus turned that around and said: "There is joy in heaven when a sinner repents."
The Pharisees believed in a kind of ‘OSAS’. Obviously Jesus did not.
“ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”
The Lie.

May Thurner's Syndrome My DVT and PE Story

2011-01-21T11:17:00.015-05:00

May Thurner's Syndrome

Back in August I ended up in the hospital for 7 days with an occlusive DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis which in layman's terms is a blood clot in the deep veins) From my groin (maybe abdomen too can't remember now exactly all they said) all the way down my left leg which then caused a pulmonary embolism.

The last week in August started I guess as normal. A few days earlier in the middle of the night I tripped and smashed my knee into the tiled garden tub. It was late at night and dark . I didn't think anything of it. It was sore. I noticed the next day the knee was swollen. It didn't really hurt all that much. I did a web search that said there are a lot of veins around the knee and when knees get hurt they tend to swell then veins just reroute. It was minimally sore and I could walk on it. I really didn't give it much more thought than that.The next Wednesday I was at my son's High School freshmen orientation, and as I was going up the stairs at his new school, I felt something go in my back and then felt back pain. I figured I had twisted it wrong or threw my back out again. I told my son that it was sore enough that I wasn't going up and down the stairs. He needed to find all his up stairs classes and then we would go down and find all his down stairs classes. Friday my back was still sore and mild pain seemed to be radiating down my left leg. Again I just assumed it was related to pulling something in my back. I went to My son's marching band practice at school. It was outside on the field. It was very hot that day, I also had been doing errands earlier and hadn't eaten or drank much. After it was over, walking from the field back to the band room, I started to have trouble breathing. I felt woozy and like I was going to pass out. I again ignored the symptoms and concluded I was dehydrated and maybe a touch of heat stoke. I made it to the band room and sat down in the air conditioning. After about 20 minutes I felt better. Not a 100% better but better and I drove him home. Actually friday night my back was feeling better. Saturday morning I got up early to run to the store to get stuff to make a salad for the marching band's family picnic later in the morning. The sax section was suppose to bring salads. My leg and back were still sore, but not excruciating sore. There was no major pain. I hobbled around the grocery store, got what I needed, and then drove home. That is when the leg started really hurting. I got home and couldn't walk on the leg. I hobbled to the couch. I knew the band picnic was a no go. Leg was super swollen. My husband was worried we might not be able to get my jeans off but we did and I put on a pair of loose fitting shorts. OK finally time to see a doctor. However in the past 30 years the only Doctor I had seen was my OB/GYN for yearly check ups. I didn't have a general practitioner. Always meant to get one but procrastinated. I am 46 and I procrastinate well. So it was off to the emergency room. My biggest concern was I couldn't walk on the leg. I didn't know what a DVT was or that it could cause Pulmonary Embolisms. The expression ignorance is bliss comes to mind. Well they took one look at the leg in the ER and sent me down the hall to the ultra sound lady. The result, I had a massive DVT. Since I was breathing heavy and the fact I told them that I almost passed out Friday night, they then sent me for a Cat scan with some dye stuff. Result came back that I indeed had a pulmonary embolism and I was very lucky it was small. The ER Dr. said that the standard course of treatment was to send me upstairs and put me on heparin. However I had a complication. When they did the CT scan they noticed a retro-periteneal hematoma. Basically internal bleeding in my lower back region. Since they didn't know wether it was an active or inactive bleed they said they couldn't put me on heparin. So instead they were going to put in an IVC filter (Inferior Vena Cava Filter) which they did. Later that evening the Vascular Surgeon came in to look at my leg and the situation. Side note he had to inform me that he was paged out of a Tampa Bay Bucs pre-season game to come see me. Anyway he took one look at the leg , said the IVC filter could clog and that my leg was so severe, that bleed or no bleed, I needed to be put on heparin or I might lose the leg. He said that problem out weighed the other problem. To this day no one has said that the internal bleed was related to the DVT or what caused it. Anyway they put me on Heparin. I was sent to ICU. I got no sleep that night.

The next morning they sent me for another CT scan to look at the bleed to see if it had grown being on the heparin. It had not grown so it was determined it was an inactive bleed. That was a good thing. However during the CT scan they noticed some abnormalities in the uterus. Now the C word came out. I won't go into that one but they brought in a gynocoligist and all that turned out negative no cancer some fribroids and non cancerous cyst.

All the time I am waiting for the swelling in the leg to go down and wondering when I would be able to walk again. The Doctors kept asking me if I had any recent major trauma like being in a car accident, falling down stairs etc. I told them no only hitting my knee on the tub. They brushed that aside as not a big enough trauma. Asked if I was on Birth Control or any hormone therapy. Again I said no. I haven't been on any hormones except for 3 months way back in college. I was asked if I had been on a plane recently. I haven't been on a plane in over 20 years. They asked if I had been bed ridden recently. Well obviously no, but I am a computer nerd and had been spending long hours on the computer working on my recipe data base. Nope they said that wouldn't do it. They kept saying I was too young and healthy for this. Which I though was amusing because I am 46, not all that young, and a bit overweight.

After 7 days they sent me home on lovenox injections till the coumadin kicked in. The vascular surgeon said I needed to wear a compression stocking on the left leg. They told me I needed to get a primary care physician right away to monitor the coumadin and they recommended one to me. I love, love, love my new primary care doctor by the way. I was also told that I needed follow up appointments with the Vascular Surgeon and Hematologist. My leg was still swollen and I couldn't walk on it. They told me the swelling might not go down for a month or more. Oh great I thought. How am I possibly going to get around, go grocery shopping etc.? Well actually that was not a problem, I have a great group of friends that were willing to help in that area if needed. I have had more Dr's appoinments in the last 5 months than I have had in 30 years.

The swelling did take about a month to go down. The left leg if you measure it is still bigger than the right, but by just looking at it you can't really tell. Jump ahead 3 months and all the tests the hemotoligist ran came back negative. I have no genetic blood disorder. The Vascular surgeon had since done more ultrasounds and the leg clots were gone so the hemotologist said it was time the IVC filter (Inverior Vena Cava Filter) to be removed. He said if they leave them in too long they are harder to get out, and if they can't get them out then you have to be on coumadin for life. I was told I needed to be on coumadin a standard 6 months minimum for the DVT PE incident. Ok the thought of being on coumadin for life was not in my plan and having non original equipment inside of me didn't thrill me either. So I was scheduled to have the IVC filter taken out in Dec. So far through all of this and up to this point no one had mentioned May Thurner's Syndrome as a possibility. I was simply an enigma and they told me they didn't know what triggered the clots. They said that when they take me off the coumadin, if it happens again then I would be on coumadin for life.

Early this past December I went in to the hospital for the IVC filter removal. Prior to this of course I had to be off the coumadin for 5 days and was put on fragmin injections. As I understand it fragmin is similar to lovenox but you only need one shot a day. I am an expert now at self injection, although when they first told me I had a major anxiety attack. I went into the hospital (out patient) for the IVC filter removal. I then met the Doctor who was going to do the procedure. He is an interventional radiologist. Earlier at the hospital they did more ultrasounds to make sure the clots were gone.The Interventional Radiologist, said it was a go for the procedure but on the ultrasound, although the major clots were gone, there appeared to be some residual clot in the pelvic or groin area. I can't really remember exactly what he said . All I got out of that was there was some residual clot. He said It didn't look like much so the IVC procedure was still a go. He would go in and look at what was there, clean it out, fix any problem and proceed with the IVC filter removal. I asked him about the possibility of the IVC filter getting stuck and he said 98% of the time they can get them out with no trouble. The other 2% sometimes they have difficulty because the filter is out of position or gets stuck in the side of the vein. Still no mention of May Thurner's Syndrome or putting in a stent. He simply said that if there turned out to be a problem they would fix it.

So onto the surgery/ procedure. The procedure was initially suppose to take about 45 minutes of course mine turned out to take 3 1/2 hours. I almost ended up part of the 2% but I am glad the Dr. was persistent and got it out. After the procedure, in my groggy state, the Dr. proceeded to tell me that I had May Thurner's Syndrome and that they put in a stent which should fix the problem. He then explained that without it I would most likely have more DVT's. He gave only the briefest description of what MTS was. I do remember him mentioning that because the problem was fixed I could probably get off of the coumadin in 4 months. Then he gave me my follow up instructions. Good thing he wrote all that down and gave it to my husband cause it all went in one ear and out the other. After I got home I started thinking about it and although I was relieved I finally had a diagnosis, it in turn brought up a ton of other questions. Being the computer geek that I am, I immediately began looking it up on the web.

Anyway- As of now I am totally asymptomatic- No pain, no swelling, Left leg is slightly bigger than the right but you can't tell just by looking. However the Dr's are not all in agreement about stopping the coumadin. Apparently there is only a 50/50% chance of the iliac staying open even with the stent. It could become occluded again. So who knows? Also venous stenting (unlike artery stenting) has only been around since about 1995 and there are no long term studies.

Menu Plan Monday Jan 17th- Jan 23rd 2011 with Weight Watchers New Points Plus and Recipes

2011-01-17T13:21:00.006-05:00

Menu Plan Monday Jan 17th- Jan 23rd 2011 with Weight Watchers New Points Plus and Recipes
Click on Recipe Titles for recipes

1. Baked Penne with Meat Sauce 8 PP
Green Beans

2. Pizza Night 4PP to 6PP
Tossed Salad

3. Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore 5 PP
Peas
Sugar Free Jello Fruit Salad

4. Slow Cooker Salsa Swiss Steak 6 PP
Whole Wheat Noodles
Lettuce Wedge and Light Blue Cheese

5. Honey Mustard Pork Chops 5 PP
Roasted Vegetables
Roasted Dijon Potatoes

6. Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas 6 PP

Mexican Rice

(Velveeta Isn't as bad nutrtionally as you think click here)

7. Yankee Pot Roast 9 PP
Pot Roasted Veggies
Honey Wheat Roll 3 PP

Meal Plan Monday Jan 10th- Jan 16th 2011 with New Points Plus and Recipes

2011-01-11T11:34:00.006-05:00

Meal Plan Monday Jan 10th- Jan 16th 2011
with Weight Watchers' New Points Plus and Recipes
(click on Recipe Links for Recipes)

1. Italian Beef and Lentil Stew 5PP
honey wheat roll 3 PP

2. Pizza Night 4 PP

3. Beef and Beer Chili 8 PP

4. Ham and Velveeta Casserole 8 PP
mixed vegetables 0 PP
(Velveeta Isn't as bad nutrtionally as you think click here)

5. Orange Crumb Baked chicken 7 PP
mashed potatoes 1/2 cup 2 PP
green beans

6. Split Pea and Ham Soup 6 PP
french bread 2.5 PP (3 inch piece)

7. Cuban-style pork and Sweet Potato Slow Cooker Stew 7 PP
tossed salad 0 PP
honey wheat roll 3 PP

Perfect Low Calorie High Fiber White Bread from your Bread Maker, 2 Points Plus per serving

2011-01-09T15:16:00.009-05:00

The Most Perfect Low Calorie, High Fiber White Bread made totally in the bread maker.
I have been searching and experimenting to make a quality Light, Lower Calorie, High Fiber Bread at home and I have finally done it.
Only 2 weight watcher points plus per 1 ounce serving! Awesome.

Sorry two slices eaten before I took the picture!

The Recipe:

(you need a digital food scale for this recipe- accurate weighing is key)

Hi Fiber Basic White Bread from your Bread Machine

(2 Points Plus per 1 oz serving on weight watchers' new points plan)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recipe By: Deana

Serving Size: 20

You can buy Hi-Maize Corn Fiber From King Arthur Flour

Click here for Super Health benefits of Hi-Maize Fiber

Ingredients:

9 ounces water

10.5 ounces bread flour

3.3 ounces hi-maize corn fiber

2 teaspoon vital wheat gluten

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons dry milk

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 Tablespoons butter

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast Or instant yeast (bread machine yeast)

Directions:

Directions

In the Bread Maker:

Put water in bread machine.

Mix all dry ingredients (except yeast) then pour gently on top of water

Push butter pieces into flour around the sides.

Make a little well in the flour to put yeast.

Don't let yeast touch liquid ingredients.

Start Bread machine on Basic setting

When your Bread Machine is finished baking, enjoy the most Beautiful Perfect Soft Fluffy Healthy Low calorie High Fiber Bread from your Bread Machine that you have ever had.

Notes:

1/9/20 accidently made I think with 3.45 ounces hi maize corn fiber- Soft yummy maybe slightly lower rise?

Nutritional Information:

2 points plus per 1 ounce slice.

Most of my cut slices actually weigh .75 ounce so two slices comes to 1.5 ounces total for 3 points plus for two of my cut slices- the same new points value of the light loaves in the grocery store)

Servings: 20

Serving size 1 ounce

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 82

Total Fat: 1.26g

Cholesterol: 3mg

Sodium: 178mg

Total Carbs: 17.35g

Dietary Fiber: 3.23g

Sugars: 2.21g

Protein: 2.47g

Health Benefits

My Thanksgiving Cookies and My First Cookie Bouquet

2010-11-21T13:24:00.002-05:00

My Thanksgiving Cookies and My First Cookie Bouquet

A Discussion on Assurance of Salvation between a Protestant and Catholic

2010-11-19T08:20:00.001-05:00

Just a Discussion I moved from the comment section of one of my posts to make it it's own post.

joel in ga said...

Doing research on justification and came across your post. Thanks for such a lucid explanation of the RC view. I am fresh from reading Robert Farrar Capon's Between Noon and Three and note a sharp contrast between his Luther-like view and the RC view.

What comes to mind in particular is that when one's own love or works partly become the source of one's acceptance with God, you will never be quite sure where you stand with God, for you will never know if you have loved enough to be justified. That's not a comforting thought for one to take to one's deathbed. It would seem therefore that Luther's view offers a joyful assurance that it is not available from the RC perspective. Any thoughts?

November 14, 2010 8:25 AM

Deeny said...

(1st Half)
Hi There Joel,
I am not sure what you mean by "when one's own love or works partly become the source of one's acceptance with God" . How are works the "source" of ones acceptance? Works are not the source- God is the source. I believe in God and accept Jesus for my salvation. I have "Faith in Him". I have Faith in what he says and his promises. Works are not the source of that faith, God's grace is. God draws all but not all accept. However faith and grace aren't stagnant. You cannot just verbally or intellectually say you believe because faith is demonstrable. Because of my faith I have works, they go hand in hand are are inseparable. James Chapter 2.
I love this parable by jesus, Luke 7 36-50, because it so clearly shows that faith is inseparable from works. In this passage many works by this woman were sited. No where does it mention that she had faith, believed, or accepted who Jesus was. She didn't make a verbal proclamation. She showed up unannounced at the Pharisee's house and standing behind Jesus she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. those actions, which are works, all showed that she knew who he was, repented and believed. Jesus forgave her sins and said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Her faith was demonstrated by her works.

Why won't I be quite sure where I stand with God? I am very sure of where I stand with God. I have absolute faith in God and His plan for salvation and that is most comforting. I don't have to worry about how much "love do I need to show" I just need to show love. I can pray to be more loving with each and every day. The simple point is that I am following God's command to love my neighbor. It is because of my faith that I desire to love my neighbor and God. It is not a matter of quantity but the condition of the heart. What is absolutely clear though is that those who only have a verbal faith but have no works of charity are considered goats by Jesus and will not receive heaven. Jesus is quite clear on the matter in Matthew 25:31-46. Because I have faith in Jesus and I believe his words, I will try to include works of charity (not to be confused with works of the law) into my daily walk with him.

November 14, 2010 8:23 PM

Deeny said...

(2nd Half)
Now from practical experience, I am a Catholic convert from fundamentalism. I attended churches that taught eternal security for over 20 years in one form or another. In those churches that preached "once saved always saved" they were never truly sure they, or anyone else was truly saved. Here was their problem-- A truly saved person was supposed to have a transformed life and that is true. But here is the problem-- They really didn't have a way of dealing with sin once they were "saved". Problems arose when they fell back into sin or struggled dealing with a sin. In those fundamentalist circles you could only backslide so far till you and every one around you questioned whether you were really "truly saved". So the individual has to get saved over and over again and in some cases re-baptized until it finally sticks.
   Even from the Calvinistic viewpoint a "truly elect person" will persevere to the end. If they don't they weren't "truly saved or one of the elect". How many of us have known strong wonderful Christians who have in the end had a crisis of faith and fallen away. I have heard it said well they weren't "truly saved" then-but to themselves and everyone around them for years believed they were living for the Lord and saved. If they could have a crisis of faith so could I. That is in the back of the minds of most fundamentalist Christians I know, so they really (in practical terms) don't have the assurance that they claim.
   So from a Catholic viewpoint a Christian who is in a state of "saving Grace" is saved meaning heaven. Jesus paid the price for our salvation on the cross a gave us the path to salvation. We recognize Jesus as God and rely on him and his plan for our salvation. Yes our sins are initially wiped clean and we become a new creature in Christ and are transformed. But as we walk with him and stumble in sin we can continue to be forgiven if we repent and are contrite at heart. Future sins are not forgiven in the past automatically like some churches teach. I had a Baptist preacher preach that at the moment you were saved all your past present and future sins were forgiven. Now, in reality, he didn't truly believe this because he also preached that if your sins in the future are too big, well then you weren't actually saved in the first place.

   From a Catholic viewpoint the only way a believing faithful Christian can be denied heaven is to not be in a state of saving grace which means to be in a state of mortal sin. That means to willfully and knowingly commit a grave mortal sin. Most faithful Christians aren't in the habit of committing a mortal sins, and if they do, they are well aware of it. At that point they can continue in that sin which will inevitably separate them from God and God's grace or they can repent with a truly contrite heart and be restored. Once they repent with a truly contrite heart sanctifying grace is restored. So Yes I have total assurance of my salvation/heaven and thankful to God that my past sins are forgiven and that my future sins can be forgiven with repentance and a contrite heart because I know I am bound to stumble.
Ok there were my thoughts on the matter.
Sincerely, Deeny

November 14, 2010 8:24 PM

joel in ga said...

Thanks, Deeny, for your thoughtful reply. What I was aiming at in my question was the dual requirement articulated in the post, that justification is a matter of "faith and love." I took such statements to mean that, in order to be in a state of grace, and specifically, accepted and forgiven by God, one must first show love. If so, the question arises, How do I know if I have showed enough love to be in a state of grace?

Or is any amount of love sufficient? In James, Abraham is regarded as justified by works for performing but one single work.

As you have also noticed, there is a widespread and often painful lack of assurance among Calvinists and Baptists (I am neither btw) about where they stand before God. Your reply is full of personal assurance, and that is as it becomes any Christian, but the Council of Trent decreed the uncertainty of grace. At best, a Roman Catholic may persuade himself that he is "probably" in a state of grace. (Catholic Encyclopedia, "Sanctifying Grace")

November 16, 2010 7:29 PM

Deeny said...

Part 1

Roman Catholic may persuade himself that he is "probably" in a state of grace. (Catholic Encyclopedia, "Sanctifying Grace")

Hi Joel, Wow your posts are short and concise and mine always seem to get lengthy. I am just a mom and not a scholar and speak mostly from my experiences. If you read The First and second half of my Faith Journey you will get more of a sense of where I have been and how I got to the point I am at now. You Don't have to read it cause it is rather long too. I only mention it because as I said I write from my experiences and those experiences have shaped my viewpoint.
First Half of My Christian Faith Journey and Christian Testimony
My Faith Journey to the Catholic Church from Fundamentalism/Evangelicalism
The short version - I was Raised Anglican, Became an Evangelical/Fundamentalist in College, spent time in a couple different Evangelical, Fundamentalist and even Pentecostal denominations before spending many years as a Southern Baptist before becoming Catholic.

November 17, 2010 10:29 AM

Deeny said...

Part 2

Now to your statement above--- Actually I can be about as positive of my salvation as any human can be.-
Even Paul did not claim an infallible assurance, either of his present justification or of his remaining in grace in the future. Concerning his present state, he wrote, "I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby justified. It is the Lord who judges me" (1 Cor. 4:4). Concerning his remaining life, Paul was frank in admitting that even he could fall away: "I pummel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified" (1 Cor. 9:27). Of course, for a spiritual giant such as Paul, it would be quite unexpected and out of character for him to fall from God’s grace. Nevertheless, he points out that, however much confidence in his own salvation he may be warranted in feeling, even he cannot be infallibly sure either of his own present state or of his future course.

I believe (being an ex-Baptist) that there are many Baptists who have a false sense of security.
Regarding the issue of whether Christians have an "absolute" assurance of salvation, regardless of their actions, consider this warning Paul gave in Romans 11:22; "See then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off"
The Bible has scriptures that say genuine assurance is possible and desirable, but it also warns us that we can be deceived through a false assurance. Jesus declared: ‘Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord" shall enter the kingdom of heaven’ (Matt. 7:21)."

November 17, 2010 10:29 AM

Deeny said...

Part 3
Related to the issue of whether one can know with complete certainty that one is in a state of salvation is whether one can lose one’s salvation. Even if one could not lose one’s salvation, one still might not be sure whether one ever had salvation. Similarly, even if one could be sure that one is now in a state of salvation, one might be able to fall from grace in the future. The "knowability" of salvation is a different question than the "loseability" of salvation.

One can be confident of one’s present salvation, and one can be confident that one has not thrown away that grace by simply examining one’s life and seeing whether one has committed mortal sin. the tests that John sets forth in his first epistle to help us know whether we are abiding in grace are, in essence, tests of whether we are dwelling in grave sin. For example, "By this it may be seen who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother" (1 John 3:10), "If any one says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen" (1 John 4:20), "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3).

November 17, 2010 10:30 AM

Deeny said...

Part 4

Likewise, by looking at the course of one’s life in grace and the resolution of one’s heart to keep following God, one can also have an assurance of future salvation. It is this Paul speaks of when he writes to the Philippians and says, "And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6).
This is not a promise for all Christians, or even necessarily all in the church at Philippi, but it is a confidence that the Philippian Christians in general would make it. The basis of this is their spiritual performance to date, and Paul feels a need to explain to them that there is a basis for his confidence in them. Thus he says, immediately, "It is right for me to feel thus about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel" (1:7). The fact that the Philippians performed spiritually by assisting Paul in his imprisonment and ministry showed that their hearts were with God and that it could be expected that they, at least in general, would persevere and remain with God.

There are many Christians who have long lived the Christian life and whose characters are marked with profound spiritual joy and peace. Such individuals can look forward with confidence to their reception in heaven.

Such an individual was again Paul who, writing at the end of his life, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day" (2 Tim. 4:7-8).

November 17, 2010 10:30 AM

Deeny said...

Part 5

The same is true of us. We can, if our lives display a pattern of perseverance and spiritual fruit, have not only a confidence in our present state of grace but also of our future perseverance with God. Yet we cannot have an infallible certitude of our own salvation, as many Protestants will admit. There is the possibility of self-deception (cf. Matt. 7:22-23). As Jeremiah expressed it, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it?" (Jer. 17:9). There is also the possibility of falling from grace through mortal sin, and even of falling away from the faith entirely, for as Jesus told us, there are those who "believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away" (Luke 8:13). It is in the light of these warnings and admonitions that we must understand Scripture’s positive statements concerning our ability to know and have confidence in our salvation. Assurance we may have; infallible certitude we may not.

For example, Philippians 2:12 says, "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." This is not the language of self-confident assurance. Our salvation is something that remains to be worked out.

PS: This is Just FYI- It is a silly pet Peeve of mine and Catholics who don't know better all the time refer to themselves as Roman Catholic too but
technically there is no such thing as "Roman Catholic". Technically There is no such thing as a Roman Catholic Church it is Simply Catholic- The Latin Rite. There are several different rites. The term "Roman" Catholic to refer to the Latin Rite Catholics of the Catholic Church started during the Reformation as a slur. Although it is not usually used as a slur today by most people it still bugs me.

Have a great day,
Sincerely, Deeny

November 17, 2010 10:30 AM

Deeny said...

Sorry Guys if you got emailed this in multiple parts on the Blog - It said my posts were too long but then published some of them anyway. So it probably sent this to you in different parts some being repeated. I deleted the extra posts on the blog but they probably were already sent automatically.
So oops- I apologize for all the extra email.

November 17, 2010 10:37 AM

joel in ga said...

Deeny,

You are quite the theologian, and your status as a godly wife and mother only enhances your grasp of practical divinity. I'm not sure your interesting reply addressed the points I had in mind, but it would seem that Protestants and Roman Catholics approach the subject of assurance differently. (By the way, I add the adjective "Roman" not at all as a pejorative, but simply to convey the thought that the great communion headed by the Bishop of Rome is but one part of the Church catholic.)

My observation has been that Calvinists, Baptists, and Catholics do not believe in the forgiveness of sins--how shall I phrase this?--unconditionally. (I'd rather say, "by grace alone" instead of "unconditionally", but since "grace" is understood differently by RC's and Prots, I refrain.) In other words, forgiveness is attained through God's grace and some work on our part. That is, certain conditions must be fulfilled before one may believe his sins are forgiven. For many Baptists, they must first sincerely ask Christ into their heart. Many Baptists struggle because they are unsure if they ever rightly asked Christ in. Catholics believe love and good works must accompany what they believe about Christ, therefore, given the impossibility of knowing whether one's love and good works are sufficient, the Catholic's assurance of forgiveness is at best a probability, as the Catholic Encyclopedia is not bashful about saying.

But we are invited to rejoice in the Lord always. That surely presupposes a forgiveness that is bestowed by pure grace, over and above and apart from anything we do, for, who can worthily magnify the Lord if he believes no more than that his sins are probably forgiven? The best assurance, I find, is simply to believe that Christ is our Redeemer, and therefore we are forgiven. If I understand history correctly, that is the messsage of the Gospel that launched the Reformation, in its Lutheran expression anyway.

All the best.

November 18, 2010 7:23 PM

Deeny said...

Thanks for the Kind words Joel - Sometimes i think I talk in circles or that I can't make what I see clearly in my mind clear on paper. and that only I can see what I'm trying to convey. I also have a tendency to ramble.

On Nov 18, 2010, at 7:23 PM, joel in ga wrote:

My observation has been that Calvinists, Baptists, and Catholics do not believe in the forgiveness of sins--how shall I phrase this?--unconditionally. (I'd rather say, "by grace alone" instead of "unconditionally", but since "grace" is understood differently by RC's and Prots, I refrain.)

Your observation is somewhat correct- The Church teaches that we can be saved only by God’s Grace. Absolutely By Grace Alone-- But Not By Faith Alone-- We have Forgiveness available to us only because of God's Grace but One has to cooperate with that grace.
Romans 3:28 is a key verse in the differences between traditional Protestants and Catholics. You will notice that Paul says a man is justified by faith (pistei in Greek). When Martin Luther translated the letter to the Romans into German in the sixteenth century, he added the word alone —but alone is not in the original Greek text. The phrase "faith alone" does occur in the New Testament: one time, in James 2:24. There the inspired apostle denies that justification is from faith alone. "You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone."

And I will contend no one, not even the apostles has or had the %100 percent assurance that you are talking about because future sins are not automatically forgiven and no one can be %100 percent certain about what will happen in their future or what they will do. Paul certainly wasn't. Catholics don't look on salvation as a one time moment event but a path ,or journey one begins and need to stay on to the end. They look at Salvation as an ongoing process.

You said >> The best assurance, I find, is simply to believe that Christ is our Redeemer, and therefore we are forgiven. If I understand history correctly, that is the messsage of the Gospel that launched the Reformation, in its Lutheran expression anyway. <<

Now you said "and therefore we are forgiven" My question to you would be forgiven of what? All past sins? I can agree that all past past and present sins are forgiven when we become Christians. I can agree that the debt for all our future sins has been paid but that we need to repent and make amends to receive that forgiveness.I would call that cooperating with grace. Are you saying when we commit sins in the future that we have no need to repent of them since they are already forgiven? I have heard it preached (again a Baptist Preacher) that even "repentance is a work" and therefore for a saved Christian it is not necessary.

Our Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T15:22:00.000-04:00

My 2010 Halloween Cookies

2010-10-30T16:34:00.001-04:00

Update: On Miracle Baby Samuel Born With Thanatophoric Dysplasia, Turns 5 years old!

2010-09-18T13:41:00.009-04:00

Update Samuel Turned 5 on Aug 2, 2010 and is still doing awesome things. He now is in school, well the teacher comes to him, but still really cool. He uses switches to operate his computer and toys.

Other More Recent Pictures from about 2009 to present (11/2010) not in any order.

_______________________________________________________________________

(new update: of 11/10/2009 A few weeks ago Spirit FM 90.5 aired their story. Here is the audio Story/ Interview that aired)

8/2/2009 Hey it has been a year now since I wrote this. Samuel turns 4 tomorrow Click here to see my new post and new pictures

Click Here to Read A News Article on Samuel and Watch A video done by Catholic News Agency

Checkout Samuel's Newest Update 1/16/09 His Trip to Disney & Sea World

8/1/2008 Update on Baby Samuel

He was born a Thanatophoric Dwarf. It is Also called Thanatophoric Dysplasia. It is a condition considered incompatible with life. Only 3 have ever been known to survive into early childhood. Well Samuel is going to make number 4. Samuel Turns 3 years old on Saturday and miracle of miracles he is breathing on his own off the vetillator for short periods of time. Another thing, according to doctors he was never suppose to be able to do. Check out his website where his mom keeps a journal. Feel Free to Sign his guest book and wish him a very happy 3rd Birthday. I know he and his family will appreciate it greatly and please keep them in your prayers.

Yeah to Samuel and his Family.

This is Samuel.

Samuel's Website

Welcome to Samuel's WORLD PREMIER YOUTUBE Video!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_Q92MC8plU

Hope you enjoy it and laugh along!!

Tags: long-term thanatophoric survival, living thanatophoric dwarf, thanatophoric dwarf turns 3, laughing and happy child with thanatophoric dysplasia

Random Pictures of My House at Random Times

2010-09-14T11:03:00.003-04:00

Random Pictures of My House- Taken at random times. Note In-laws in the family Room Playing WII. Rooms Shown; Kitchen, Family Room, Dining Room, Living Room, Master Bedroom and Master Bath, Computer and Sewing Nook in corner of Dining Room. Sorry no pictures of the 1/2 bath guest bath or any of the upstairs which includes 3 more bedrooms another 1 1/2 baths and a loft area that is the Game/Pool/ Playroom area. The master bath is very very dated and a hodge podge of blues and green- One day we will remodel. The bed and dresser in the Master Bedroom are over 100 years old Victorian antique past down to us when my parents past away.

My New Recipe Reader and Cuban Chicken and Yellow Rice Recipe

2010-05-18T19:05:00.003-04:00

With My Mother's Day Money I bought a frivolous toy. Ok it is not a toy and I love it. I have had recipe software on my computer for years and have an extensive collection of recipes. However my computer is not in the kitchen and I always had to print or write out my recipes off the computer to have them in the kitchen. Ok for what this gadget cost I could have bought a lot of ink and paper. However it is like a Kindle for the kitchen and I can put all my recipes on it. It is designed for the Kitchen and sticky fingers and kitchen spills and can be easily cleaned off. I didn't like using my ipod touch in the Kitchen cause I figured I would ruin it some how. Here is my Demy Reader.

They have a Cool Site (that is free) where you can post and share your recipes and organize them online and you don't need a reader. Feel free to Join- Befriend me if you do.

Here is one of my Recipes that I uploaded to the site- Now I can Make a Cool Digi Recipe Card to add to my Blog-
Go Ahead and click the tabs :-)

Chicken and Yellow Rice

Authentic Cuban American Recipes: Chicken and Yellow Rice, Cuban Bread ...

See Chicken and Yellow Rice on Key Ingredient.

Awesome Smoked Baby Back Ribs Recipe and Method

2010-05-16T08:51:00.014-04:00

Awesome Smoked Baby Back Ribs Recipe and Method.

I used a Method called 2-1-1

Anyway it was a hot boring Saturday and I knew I wanted to grill something. I went to my
neighborhood grocery and they were having a 2-day special sale. I was planning on a sirloin
steak, but then I saw them- Baby Back Ribs on sale for $3.99 a pound. Ok that may seem like
a lot but they usually run $8.00 to $12.00 a pound. I have never ever made Baby Back Ribs
and have in the past always gone for the much cheaper but also much fattier Pork Spare Ribs.
So this was going to be my Saturday challenge. I researched recipes on the web. Most wanted
me to boil or braise the ribs first. This seemed sensible but I really wanted to smoke them on
my smoker. I read one article that was totally against boiling the ribs. Would you boil a steak
first? Of course not. The article claimed boiling leaches all the flavor out of the ribs. That
seemed logical to me.

The article then went on to describe a 2-1-1 method on a smoker for the Ribs. This method
is low and slow. The smoker temp should be maintained around 225 degrees give or take 25
degrees. 2-1-1 refers to hours. Cook ribs 2 hours with dry heat and smoke, then cook 1 Hour
wrapped tightly in foil so they can steam and become tender then cook 1 more hour back on
the grill on indirect heat. Mop with BBQ sauce during last 15 minutes of cooking time.

OK this was going to be my plan. I was going to try the 2-1-1 method on my good ole
(has seen better days) Char Broiler Grill/Smoker.

Step 1: Remove silvery membrane from back of two slabs of baby back ribs. Click Skim and Trim to
see how to do this.

Step 2: Take regular yellow mustard and slather all over ribs. Next rub your dry rub all over ribs.

This is the dry rub I used. I always make a big batch and keep a bottle of it in the pantry.

All-purpose Barbecue Rub Recipe

Recipe By: From Beer-Can Chicken by Steven Raichlen (Workman Publishing)

Yield: Yield: about 3/4 cup

This barbecue rub may be used on poultry, pork, seafood, and all varieties of meat. You can vary the heat level by using hot paprika instead of sweet. Try it with the interesting Beer-Can Chicken recipe.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup coarse salt (kosher or sea)

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup sweet paprika

2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Put the salt, brown sugar, paprika, and pepper in a small bowl and stir to mix.

Store the rub in an airtight jar away from heat and light; it will keep for at least 6 months.

Then warp ribs in plastic wrap and put back in the refrigerator for at least an hour (This is all I had time for today) But you could probably let these marinate up to overnight and they would be even better. I will do that next time when I plan better and it isn't a spontaneous thing.

Step 3: Prepare your smoker. I have a Char Broiler Smoker with an off set fire box. I am using Hickory Wood chunks for smoking because that is what I have on hand. The ribs need to cook low and slow.
Prepare the coals for a 225 degree fire. Soak your wood chunks and place appropriately for smoking.
I place mine on a grate above the hot coals in the fire box.

Step 4: Here is where the 2-1-1 Begins
Place Rib Slabs on grill grates (you can place a drip pan underneath the grate and ribs if you like).
Now cook and smoke low and slow for 2 hours.

Step 5: Now take the ribs off the grill and wrap loosely but completely in foil with a little

water or beer. I used a foil pan and about a half cup or so of flat warmed Micholob Light Beer.

Then place the foil pouches or pan back on the Smoker/Grill. Close lid and keep the temp

around 225 degrees. No need for smoke at this point - just heat. Leave on there like this for 1 hour.

Step 6: After the last hour has past take ribs out and place on grill grates. You are going to continue cooking them with dry heat for 1 more hour at 200 to 225 degrees. No need for smoke at this point. During the last 15 minutes Brush both sides of ribs with your favorite BBQ Sauce.
Store bought sauces I like are Sweet Baby Ray's, or Bull's Eye Original

Or from Scratch

Basic Barbecue Sauce

Recipe By: Steven Raichlen

Ingredients:

2 cups Ketchup

1/4 cup Cider Vinegar

1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce

1/4 cup Firmly packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons Molasses

2 tablespoons Prepared Mustard

1 tablespoon Tabasco Sauce

1 tablespoon Your Favorite Barbecue Rub (or the Basic Barbecue Rub)

2 teaspoons Liquid Smoke (opt)

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a nonreactive saucepan and bring slowly to a boil over medium-high heat.

Reduce the heat to medium and gently simmer the sauce until dark, thick, and richly flavored, 10-15 minutes.

Transfer the sauce to clean (or even sterile) jars and store in the refrigerator. It will keep for several months.

Here Is A Digital Recipe Card: You can Click the

Tabs at To to See the Recipe or try the buttons

at the bottom to Save or Print the recipe

Awesome Smoked Baby Back Ribs

The best ribs I have ever had- See my blog ...

See Awesome Smoked Baby Back Ribs on Key Ingredient.

I Made Traditional Sides To Go With The Ribs

My Potato Salad

Corn on the Cob

and Cuban Bread

Jephthah’s Sacrifice of His Daughter (Judges 11:30-40): Did God Sanction It?

2010-05-12T12:09:00.001-04:00

The story of Jephthah's sacrificing his daughter in Judges Chapter 11 has always bothered me. Funny how no church I have ever been to (as far as my memory goes) has ever preached on that story.

While browsing online today I came across some interesting commentary that shed some light on this troubling difficult to understand passage of scripture.

Jephthah’s Burnt Offering Sacrifice of His Daughter (Judges 11:30-40): Did God Command or Sanction It?

http://socrates58.blogspot.com/2009/06/jephthahs-burnt-sacrifice-of-his.html

And this one

If anyone is interested.
http://www.chastitysf.com/q_jephthah.htm

Menu Plan Monday May 10- May 16 Weight Watchers' Friendly

2010-05-10T10:48:00.010-04:00

I skip the rolls and sometimes skip or go easy on the starchy complement side dish, but I feed a big
hubby and a 22 year old special needs son and a teenage son who are skinny and need the extras.

Monday
Sugar Free Jello and fruit Salad
Crockpot Salsa Swiss Steak 5pts
Dinner Rolls

Tuesday

Lemon Chicken Pasta 7pts

Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Wednesday

Honey-Mustard Pork Chops 4pts

Herbed Brown Rice

Corn on the Cob

Tossed Salad

Thursday

Peaches and Cottage Cheese Salad (Canned peach half with cottage cheese in the hollow)

Orange-Crumb Baked Chicken Thighs 6pts

Oven Fries 3pts

Green Beans

Friday

Deana's Cheese and Veggies Pizza (Can also make a pepperoni version) 6pts

Tossed Salad

Garlic Bread Sticks

Saturday

Marinated Tomato Salad

Orange BBQ Chicken and Grilled Vegetables 6pts

Buttered Noodles with Parmesan Cheese or Herbed Rice

Sunday

Festive Lettuce Salad

Sassy Meat loaf 6 pts

Peas

Low fat mashed potatoes

Dinner Rolls

Austin's Italian Chicken Pasta Bake -Kid Friendly and Weight Watchers Friendly

2010-04-15T09:36:00.003-04:00

Austin's Italian Chicken Pasta Bake 8pts
This is a great dish for kids, but also adults who want to serve something kid friendly but have something they can also enjoy while on Weight Watchers or another healthy eating plan.

I created this dish for my 13 year old. Austin requested a baked pasta dish with chicken and spaghetti sauce, similar to the baked chicken pasta at Pizza Hut, but in a red sauce not white. I didn't have any spaghetti sauce on hand but had canned tomato products in the pantry so I created this quickie spaghetti sauce. I divided the 13 X 9 inch pan into 6 servings for 8WWpts. These were really good size servings but you could have divided the dish into 8 servings and still had a nice size serving for 6 WW pts

Austin's Italian Chicken Pasta Bake 8pts
INGREDIENTS
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green pepper
14.5 oz. diced canned toamtoes, (1 can undrained)
8 ounces tomato sauce, (1 sm. can)
6 ounces tomato paste, (1 sm. can)
1 cup water
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoons dried basil
1 Tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut in about 1 inch pieces
1 Tablespoon canola oil
8 oz penne pasta, dry, cook according to package directions
6 oz. mozzarella cheese, part skim milk
METHOD
Spray bottom of Large sauce pan with cooking spray and saute onions and peppers till soft. Add to pan diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, oregano, basil, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Can also add a little garlic powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Meanwhile bring cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. Heat a medium skillet with oil. Cook chicken pieces in oil to lightly brown and cooked through. Preheat oven to 350. Combine cooked chicken, the cooked drained pasta sauce with the tomato sauce you have simmering on the stove. Spray a 13" X 9" baking dish with cooking spray. Fill casserole with your chicken pasta and sauce mixture. Heat 10 minutes in preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes then sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and continue cooking till cheese is melted and everything is hot and bubbly about another 10 minutes. Serve hot with garlic bread and a salad or green beans.

NUTRITION FACTS

Servings: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 394
Total Fat: 9.27g
Cholesterol: 59mg
Sodium: 752mg
Total Carbs: 43.92g
Dietary Fiber: 4.69g
Sugars: 9.89g
Protein: 32.64g
Rating

Source: Deana Course: Main
(6 servings)

Boating on the Big Lake

2010-04-11T09:54:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a beautiful spring day. Just a wonderfully perfect day. I packed a picnic lunch and we took the boat out on the big lake.

My Backyard Vegetable Garden Endeavor: Part 5

2010-04-08T10:58:00.003-04:00

My Backyard Vegetable Garden Endeavor: Part 5

Things are growing nicely. The pepper plants, however, are growing very, very slowly. Do green pepper

and jalapeños grow slow normally? Something is making holes in the leaves of the broccoli, but I don't

see anything. The lettuce, carrots, and spinach are growing fast. And 3 out of the 5 tomato plants I planted are finally taking off.
Two, however are still small?

The Amazing 1 pt Breakfast

2010-04-08T08:35:00.000-04:00

The Amazing 1 pt Breakfast

If you don't like veggies I can't help you. I had some white mushrooms, fresh asparagus and spinach in the refrigerator. I weighed out 2 oz each (yes I weighed them on my trusty WW food scale) which is a lot of veggies. Sauteed them in a pan sprayed with some cooking spray. Then cooked up 1/2 cup egg beaters and made an omelet out of it. It was huge and when I calculated it on the WW site it came to just 1 WW point. Wow that is a lot of breakfast for 1 pt. (Ignore the date on the photo- It really was this morning. Every time I recharge the camera I have to reset the date)

My New Blog: Deeny's Weight Watchers' Journey and Food Journal

2010-04-07T16:03:00.002-04:00

Deeny's Weight Watchers' Journey and Food Journal

This is my new blog that is devoted to losing weight and then maintaining with the Weight Watchers' program. I did it once before and hopefully I can do it again. Blog will contain my progress, food journal, tips, recipes, my thoughts and anything else that might be related.

Confessions of a Backslidden Weight Watcher's Receptionist

2010-04-06T06:29:00.001-04:00

Me and Hubs, Christmas 2004 I am about 117lbs (up from my rock bottom of 108).

That is me on the left in 2005, and would you believe I thought I was heavy there.

That is me reuniting with a friend from Junior High. We spent the day at Hollywood Studios. I am the - Well you know- This is a picture at my heaviest weight, which I am still at by the way. The above picture was taken last Spring 2009- I really hate that picture.)

The above photo is the whole family last Dec 2008. One of very few full body photos I have since gaining weight. PS: I hate the haircut in the above photo too.

Here is another more recent one of me sitting in front of the computer. I avoid the camera like the plaque now so I don't have many full body shots but you can tell through the face.

Confessions of a Backslidden Weight Watcher's Receptionist

I am 5' 1" and 3/4 (just a smidge under 5' 2"). I grew up thin near the bottom of my weight range around 98 to 102 lbs, put on some weight after college when I got married but maintained around 112 to 115 lbs. Then in my late 20's, after 2 children, I put on about another 10 to 15 pounds. Then the weight exploded after child number 3. In my mid thitries, I got up to 172 pounds at the age of 37 and my 20th High school reunion was coming up. In about November 2001 I decided to go to Weight Watchers. Yes I decided to go the week before Thanksgiving of all weeks to start. Weight Watchers was and still is an awesome flexible workable program, but you do have to work the program to get results. It does take a conscious effort. Well the program worked really well and I steadily lost on average of 1.3 to 1.5 pound per week. It was more per week in the beginning and less per week as I got closer to my goal. I had lost 50 pounds by July 2002 and was at my goal of 121. Just in time for my 20th high school reunion. It was wonderful. Well my next goal was to make life time after 6 weeks of maintenance which I did around August 2002. Through maintenance I lost about another 5 pounds or so (Back then you could lose in the maintenance phase even if it was discouraged. Now I don't think they allow you to go too far below your goal). Anyway after goal I was aksed if I would like to work for them and I said yes. It was a great part time job for a stay at home mom. Not a lot of money, but I figured it would keep me motivated and help me to maintain the loss. The job was very flexibile and I could work the hours I wanted. I was not a WW leader because I really don't like getting up in front of people, but I loved being a receptionist. Receptionists weigh in people, do the record keeping, and the keep track of the meeting paperwork and sales etc. To work for WW you have to have lost weight with them and reached lifetime and then stay within your weight range for your height which is a pretty big range. For 5'1" it was like 106 pounds to 132 pounds. Well by January of 2003 I was down to the bottom of my healthy weight range around 106 to 108. Scarily thin. I have pictures somewhere. I had a pair of size 1 jeans would you believe? But the weight started slowly coming back on. Hey I thought, 132lbs is a long way away from 108lbs right? I have a huge cushion! I thought I would never be back at the high end of my weight range again, let alone over it. I stopped being fanatical about tracking and weighing my food. I was regularly exersicing but then came the summer of 2004. We had back to back hurricanes. -We weren't hit directly, but were skirted by at least 3. It seemed every couple weeks there was a warning and up went the plywood boards. Somehow that interrupted my going to the YMCA for workouts and I never got back into the habit of going again. I started really putting the weight back on in 2005. I let 5 pounds become 10 then 15 and well you know. It did not come on all at once, but slowly. I would maintain for awhile then let a little more creep back. Hey I was a busy mom. Then in 2007 I was back up to the top of my healthy weight range at 134 lbs. Actually that is 2 pounds over the weight range for my height. Now my WW job was in danger. You need to be at a healthy weight to work for them. The higher ups at WW are very nice and they went through the program just like me. They were willing to help in anyway they could and were not judgmental, but the weight couldn't keep creeping up. Eventually I was put on suspension to get it under control but since I was too embarrassed for gaining the weight back, I quit. That was a very, very bad idea because once I did that, in my head I kinda rebelled and proceeded to put on close to 50 more pounds from 2007 to present.

So here I am at (confession time, lowering my head in shame, drum roll please, 184 pounds). Meantime while I was gaining, my SIL who is my height and was very heavy after she had her baby went to weight watchers and was losing. She lost what I had gained. She went from big to looking fantastic and I went from fantastic to being big. She is struggling a bit now and she challenged me to get back on the wagon so to speak. I don't want to get down to the bottom of my range again. It is too hard to maintain, but I need to at least get back down in my healthy weight range.

So that is where I am at now. Boy did I want to pig out on leftover lamb this morning. But my SIL reminded me on FB of the challenge so instead I had a breakfast of 2 slices Whitewheat Bread for 1 WW point, 1 T. of light cream cheese for 1WWpt, I hard boiled Easter egg. and an orange. Total point for breakfast 5. I am going to have lamb for lunch but I will weigh it and count it.

So I may try to post my meals and WW recipes here daily. I have all the knowledge and know how. Been there did that. Now I just need the accountability again.

(Oh and why don't I actually go back to a live meeting you ask?- Well embarrassment. I worked with most of the leaders and receptionists in the area and they have not seen me at this weight. I know they would be accepting and caring but I'm not ready to go back at this point. Maybe if I lose 20 pounds first. )

I decided I didn't want to bog down this blog

with my Daily Weight Watcher's Food Journal

so I created a new blog just for my Food journal.

My Weight Watcher's Food Journal

My Easter Cake Masterpiece

2010-04-03T11:27:00.007-04:00

I made and decorated this cake all by myself from Scratch- I think it turned out awesome! Not bad for a beginner- I have only taken one Wilton decorating course. :-)
This is a Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese frosting.

Carrot Cake

INGREDIENTS
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ cup water
1 lb. carrots (8 to 10 medium carrots), peeled and shredded on a box grater or in a food processor (about 2 3/4 cups)

METHOD
DIRECTIONS
(Notes: For Easter I used my Cross pan - I used no nuts in the recipe because i have a picky 13 year old. I baked the cake in my Convection oven at 325 for 60 minutes. Once the cake was out I did not cut it or layer it)
Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter three 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment paper, and butter parchment. Dust with flour, tapping out excess. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and nutmeg.
Beat butter and sugars with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat 3 minutes. Add vanilla, water, and carrots. Beat until well combined, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture, then finely chopped pecans.
Scrape batter into prepared pans, dividing evenly. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around edges of cakes to loosen, and turn out cakes onto rack. Turn right side up, and let cool completely.
Using a serrated knife, trim rounded top of 2 cakes. Place one trimmed cake, cut side up, on a serving platter. Spread 1 cup frosting over cake. Top with second trimmed cake, cut side down. Spread 1 cup frosting over cake. Top with remaining cake. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides. Gently press coarsely chopped pecans onto sides of cake. Refrigerate 1 hour (or up to 1 day, covered) before serving.
First published

Source: Martha Stewart Modified by me

Cream Cheese Icing
(Notes: You won't use all the Icing.)
INGREDIENTS
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
8 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (about 2 lbs.)
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
METHOD
In medium mixer bowl, cream butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add sugar one cup at a time and milk. Mix well. Beat on high until smooth (only 30 seconds to 1 minute). Thin to ice cake smooth; use full strength for piping borders.

Do not use light cream cheese or butter substitute. If margarine is used, icing will be softer.

Source: Wilton
(About 5 1/2 cups of icing.)

My Easter Dinner Menu with Recipes Weight Watchers' Friendly

2010-03-29T10:48:00.006-04:00

Easter Dinner Menu

Easter Salad 1 WWpt
Peppery Popovers 2 WWpts
Baked Asparagus 1 WWpt
Sweet Peas with Mint 1WWpt
Greek-style Leg of Lamb with Yogurt Sauce 7 WWpts
Yogurt Pie Strawberry Flavor 3 WWpts
Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese Frosting
(So I can use my cross shaped cake pan
Carrot Cake not so WW friendly)

Click here for Recipes.

My Backyard Vegetable Garden Endeavor: Part 4

2010-03-28T08:21:00.014-04:00

My Backyard Vegetable Garden Endeavor: Part 4

We had a ridiculously cold winter that I wasn't expecting, and I planted my little seedlings probably too soon outside. We didn't have any "real" freezes but many nights in February it hovered around the freezing mark. Seems my garden overall did not grow much in February. Now Finally in March some things are doing well, some mediocre and a few things just didn't make it and I am going to have to start over.

Sad tomato plants- Slowly growing. Maybe they'll take off now that it has warmed up.

Carrots, green bean plants, lettuce, and broccoli are doing very well.

Zucchini on the right doing mediocre and to the right of that two very tiny cucumber plants barely still hanging on.

Romaine lettuce and spinach doing well. Wish I had planted some more. Parsley and sage doing well. Other herbs slow growing and the basil didn't make it at all. I'll have to try again with the basil.

Here is an old earth box I had from an older gardening endeavor. I took the plastic cover off and with just the rain we had (and no effort on my part) Garlic Chives and Parsley have emerged all on their own.

Deana's Recipe Collection now with WW points: formatted for MacGourmet

2010-03-24T11:44:00.009-04:00

Presenting My New and Improved Online Recipe Collection

Deana's Recipe Collection

I am updating many of my tried and true recipes with nutrition info and WW points.
New Category which will be updated daily as my diet progresses Nutrition Calculated Recipes

The program that I use is MacGourmet and it lets me publish my recipe collection online. If you have MacGourmet recipe program, then at the bottom of each recipe you can drag the icon directly into your program to input the recipe into your MacGourmet program. However copy and pasting still works for other programs.

Hi friends (Waving at you )
I know many of you are watching your weight or are doing Weight Watchers like me- Well I love to cook and to create my own recipes, so that leaves me with the daunting task of figuring out what WW points my recipes have and taking the time to nutrition analyze them. That is what I am slowly trying to do now.

Many of my tried and true recipes have Weight Watcher's points calculated and some have nutrition info but it is haphazard. I have just started going back to Weight Watchers and I have a new nutrition analyzer on my MacGourmet program that I am using to calculate the nutrition and WW points for many of my tried and true recipes. I am also tweaking my recipes to be healthier. As I try the recipes and calculate the new nutrition and WW points (cause every little change or brand of ingredient changes that) I am adding them to a new folder that I added in the contents called "Nutrition Calculated Recipes"- I know real original. When brands are important to the nutrtion info I have treid to list the specific brand. Sometimes it doesn't matter though. Eventually this file should grow daily as each day I'll be adding to the file.

Also note this is a recipe collection -- Yes I have snagged recipes from all over the internet from individuals and commercial sites- In most cases I have tried to document the original source but also most of the recipes I have tweaked or modified in some way to accommodate my family's likes and specific ingredients that I buy. My understanding is that recipe collections don't exactly follow standard copyright laws and as long as I don't copy any thing in it's entirety or verbatim then it is ok to have in my personal collection. I have not stolen or plagiarized for profit or with any malintent so I think I am ok -- if you know otherwise let me know.

Also please comment or contact me if you want to share any recipes, have any ideas or like any of my recipes. Comment here on the post or email me at deenyflowers@gmail.com.

And please share your favorite or special Weight Watcher's recipes that you have with points.
I love to try new recipes. Any Easter recipes? I think I am going to make leg of lamb for Easter- hopefully I can make that Weight Watcher friendly.

Should we Celebrate Easter or Resurrection Day?

2010-03-17T11:02:00.007-04:00

Back when I was a fundamentalist Christian and young, I thought how awful it was to celebrate a Christian holiday of remembrance with a pagan name and pagan symbols. However upon further study this is what I discovered. Which came first the pagan goddess Oestre or Easter? I have read conflicting accounts. "Easter", in old English, was a word that meant spring or springtime. It was not a specific day. Several accounts say the goddess was named after the word for spring, but even if the season was named after the goddess so what? Yes the word became associated with the Christian Resurrection because Christians remember Christ's Death and Resurrection in the springtime. The word "Easter" is only used in English speaking countries. In most of the rest of the Christian world they use the word Paschal derived from the Hebrew word Pesach for the Jewish passover.

So Easter is a word with pagan roots. Well England was pagan before it was Christian and many English words have pagan roots.

Look at it this way:

Most Christian go to church on Sunday and have Sunday School. No one sees a problem with that, but "Sunday" is a word with pagan roots. It is the Sun's day not Son's day. "Thursday", is Thor's day. "Friday" is Frie's day. "Saturday" is Saturn's day. They are named after pagan gods. Should Christians rename all the days of the week? Should they not have Sunday service or Sunday school? They are only words.

Now onto bunnies, and spring eggs etc. God made the spring. Spring is a time of renewal after winter. Plants bloom, animals are born. Yes little bunnies, flowers, chicks are all signs of spring. Can we as Christians not marvel at God's creation and abundance and renewal in the season of spring? Can a Christian not have any of these symbols around because at one time, long ago, or even now some pagan religion also used these as symbols? I love God's creation giving him the wonderful credit he is due.

Gen 1:31. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

I can enjoy the spring that God made and all the wonderful symbols of spring.

Acts 11:9 "The voice spoke from heaven a second time, 'Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.

So I no longer struggle with Easter. I see no conflict.

12 Weeks of Our Favorite Family Dinners

2010-02-27T13:54:00.019-05:00

Several blogs I have looked at lately (and you all know which ones they are LOL) have been posting 8 weeks worth of dinner menues. So here is mine and it is a 12 week rotation. Many of the meal plans I have looked at assign a different type of main course for each day such as beef, chicken, fish or veg. Mine is organized a bit differently. For instance, for Sunday dinner I like to have a big roast or pasta meal usually so I can have leftovers to use for other meals. Monday is usually crock pot day but not always. Tuesdays are usually kid pleasing or fairly easy meals to throw together. I try to have no more than 3 red meat meals a week (You'll will notice that some weeks have 4 red meat meals but then are usually followed by a 2 red meat meal week- It averages out to 3 per week. It probably should be less but my family likes red meat and I just don't have a big enough repetoire of meatless meals. To reduce the red meat meals you could substitute vegetable meat substitute crumbles such as Boca or Morningstar farms, or use ground turkey in place of any ground beef recipes. Saturday I like to grill or cook outside if possible so most Saturday meals can be prepared outside on the grill. Friday is for fish or mostly vegetarian meals. I say mostly vegetarian because most of my vegetarian meals are not 100% vegetarian. I try not to have a pasta meal next to a rice meal, and I try not to have any same kind of meat 2 days in a row. I use to do a pizza night once a week, but have cut that back to every other week. Darling son gets plenty of pizza through school lunch, scouts and youth group to give him his weekly fix of pizza.

This is just a master rotation list. I do not stick to this, I just use it as a guide. As you can see this master list doesn't take into account nights when we eat out or have leftovers piled up or holiday meals. It is just used as a jumping off point. Also, I have not included all the vegetable and side dishes that I usually serve with the main dish.

This is just a chart of the main dishes. Yes I do serve vegetables and or salad with most meals unless it is a casserole or one pot dish that has the vegetables included.

Most of the Main Dish Recipes Can be Found in

My Online Recipe Collection

Click the chart to enlarge it.

My Backyard Vegetable Garden Endeavor: Part 3

2010-02-14T17:01:00.008-05:00

My Backyard Vegetable Garden Endeavor: Part 3

I finally got the first raised bed planted outside. Some of my seedlings seemed a bit small yet to be planted outside, others were huge. I have another raised bed that I will try to get planted next weekend. This bed has green beans, carrots, broccoli, zuchini, green onions, spanish onions, roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and green peppers. Seems way too many plants for such a small bed but that is what the square foot garden info said I could plant, so we will see how it does. I also hope it doesn't go down to freezing next week. Lows may be in the upper 30's according to the weather report.

My Backyard Vegetable Garden Endeavor: My Growing Babies- Still not planted outside yet

2010-02-12T11:57:00.007-05:00

This has been a cold winter for Florida- We should be having highs in the 70's. Still a bit cold with lows lately hovering just above freezing about 33 and 34 degrees. THIS IS FLORIDA!! Today is totally dark, gloomy and stormy/rainy. Hopefully can maybe transplant my little guys outside this weekend. Still the lows are going to be fairly low with highs only in the 60's. My babies are beginning to outgrow their little starter peat pots.

My Backyard Vegetable Garden Endeavor: My Seed Babies

2010-02-05T10:46:00.015-05:00

I am starting a vegetable garden in my city backyard. Actually since I am in an older neighborhood, I have a bigger backyard than the modern subdivisions, but it is still a backyard. I want to say that our house sits on a lot that is 120 X 90 feet, but I am not sure that is right- Those are just the numbers that stick in my head- That might have even been our old lot. Anyway, I have grown a few vegetables before with minor success, but I have always purchased the plants. I have never grown anything from seed. I also bought two rasied bed kits. Each Kit builds a 7' x 3.5' raised bed. I priced it out and it was cheaper than buying the wood and simpler for me to do than building my own. Because I never really gardened and only have a shovel, hubs bought me a garden fork that I asked for. He bought me a much nicer and sturdier one than I had originally picked out. Trust me, I am clueless on gardening and garden tools- So with the help of the internet and some knowledgeable friends and online buddies this is a new hobby for me. I need a hobby and this is also very practical. Well it will be pratical if it is successful. Tomorrow, weather permitting, I am going to try to prep the area and ground where I am going to put the raised garden beds. Wish me luck.

So here is the beginning of my endeavor and here are my seed babies. Aren't they cute. The broccoli was the first up, followed by the cucumbers, then tomatoes, the Spanish onions and green onions are just now making an appearance and a few of the carrots. No sign of the bell peppers, zucchini, or cantaloupe yet and I planted them all last friday. I just planted romaine lettuce, green beans, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, oregano and basil yesterday so none of them of course have sprouted yet.
So I will continue to post updates with lots of pictures as this endeavor progresses. It either will work or not. :-)

Day at The State Fair & Cracker Country

2010-02-04T16:06:00.018-05:00

(Click on the above picture to learn what a "Cracker" is.

Just a beautiful Day in The South spent at the State fair and Cracker Country.
I am an original "Cracker". My Dad's side of the family came to Florida long before it was a state and is one of the original Florida Pioneer Families. (I know: I have the genealogy and a certificate that says so. ) My Dad's side of the Family originally settled in Clay County. :-)

Utility Room Remodel: No More Icky Concrete Floor

2010-01-27T09:08:00.017-05:00

Yeah No more icky concrete floor- This is not the full remodel of my Utility Room but it is a start- Eventually we will get the new shelves up and the folding table but for now it is a start. Hubs finally tiled the icky concrete floor that I have been living with for at least 4 years. We aren't very speedy with home improvement projects.

Icky concrete floor. Those will be the new tiles.

Brand new washer and dryer. My old set died. I should have taken a picture of my old ones before they were hauled away but I didn't.

Had to get the laundry caught up before the project could start. Reminds me of the comment Milehi Mama said about her dryer throwing up in her bedroom. Mine well threw up in the living room LOL

Hubs cutting tile with the borrowed tile saw.

Placing the tile or gluing them down-- Whatever it is called in tiling talk.

Now for the grouting. Was worried the grout we picked was coming out too dark but it lightened to what it was suppose to upon drying.

Hubs hooking my new washer and dryer back up.
Very nice!!! No More icky concrete floor. :-)

Why have my hubs and I stayed together for close to 24 years mostly happy and contented?

2010-01-26T10:09:00.003-05:00

Why have my hubs and I stayed together for close to 24 years mostly happy and contented? I don't really know, and as I said what has worked for us, worked for us because of who we are. I cannot comment on anyone else's marriage. These next things are only things I am speculating about but certainly aren't rules to live by or anything.

First hubs and I come from similar backgrounds growing up. We both came from loving and stable families with no divorce. My parents passed away young ( at the ages of 54 and 55) but were happily married. Not in a giddy lovey, dovey way but in that contented satisfied way. Just very comfortable with each other and the daily routine. Not overly affectionate. I would say the same for my in-laws. My husband is less than a year older than me so we share the same nostalgia, likes and dislikes. We both came from church going families. He was raised in a non-denom fundamentalist church. I was raised in a conservative Anglican church (I became a fundamentalist in college). I thought when I started attending the Catholic church, that was going to be a big issue because my very fundamentalist husband had some very fundamentalist misconceptions about the Catholic church in the beginning, Through lots of prayer, bible study, lots of discussion amazingly my husband has become a very devout Catholic (Better than me). So that is just an amazing plus that we still share the same faith and are on the same wavelength. (I wrote alot about that in My Faith Journey to the Catholic Church from Fundamentalism/Evangelicalism http://deenyssimplejoys.blogspot.com/2008/06/my-faith-journey.html)

We were married relatively young right out of college so we both did not have a lot of baggage coming into the marriage. We shared basically the same dreams and goals when we got married and still do. We believe an ideal marriage should last and are both committed to that- Divorce isn't seen as an option. (I realize in other people's situations it may be necessary for a multitude of reasons, but for us it really isn't an option. However, things have never been really bad between us either). Not counting normal everyday squabbles, we have only had about 3 major knock down drag out fights in almost 24 years. In maybe the heat of the worst fight the "divorce" word might have come up. I can't really remember. He has never hit me in even the worst fight but he has pinned me against a wall. Probably our worst fight came in our 7th year of marriage. My parents both had terminal cancer and I was working full time teaching then. So there was a lot of stress at that time. I remember throwing a plate at him (I really can't remember what started the fight it was back in 94). Then I remember him locking himself in the bedroom to get away from me. I had a screw driver and made several holes in the door at which he climbed out the bedroom window. Anyway he came back a few hours later- I had calmed down, he had calmed down- we probably talked most of the evening- Actually, I think we wrote our grievances down on paper because talking still wasn't happening. But eventually worked it out. Then because we felt so guilty that we traumatized the kids, DS was 7 and DD was 5, Hubs took off work the next day and we took the kids to Disney MGM studios where we proceeded to traumatize my poor DD even more cause all the rides we went on seemed to include fire. Anyway that was probably our very very worst fight. We have had about 2 other bad fights. So at least when we have had bad fights the children have seen us get through it and make up. Neither one of us can hold a grudge and I have learned if I let things go Hubs will calm down in time. Now lets see marital intimacy. Hubs has an active drive and well mine has waxed and waned over the years. Right now I have zilch drive and I attribute that to possible peri-menopuse and the fact I have gained all my weight back and feel terribly unattractive in the bedroom. However Hubs drive has not waned and apparently my weight is not an issue. He says he still sees me as the same girl he met in college. (Ok we know that sounds like a sweet line but he is only saying that to get nooky) So we do get into some squabbles over that. Guys do feel neglected, uncared for and unloved if they are not getting it enough in most cases. I know TMI but hey it had to be mentioned. I feel unloved if I don't get enough attention. We have some silly marriage tapes of the secular variety called "Women are from Venus and Men are from Mars" have you heard of them? LOl But they do have some insightful advice and have some wisdom on how to communicate better. We also have a secular book called Why Men Don't Get Enough Sex and Women Don't Get Enough Love http://www.amazon.com/Why-Dont-Enough-Women-Love/dp/0671689770
There are some good insights there too.
Now with all that said - I have no idea how I lucked into a wonderful guy and if something were to happen to him I don't think I could find a better replacement. I would say we have our super happy fun times but the majority of the time it is contentment. We don't have trust issues. We make sure to have date nights and do fun things with each other. We have the same philosophy in child rearing (I call it the Cosby philosophy after the Cosby show in the 80's). The goal is for them to be happy and independent and moved out of the house. It's all about getting the house back LOL. Anyway Bottom line is I am extremely lucky and don't know why we beat the odds- but I certainly count my blessings everyday.

My New Washer and Dryer

2010-01-21T09:40:00.004-05:00

My new washer and dryer. They are both awesome, but the dryer is phenominal. I have never had a dryer that dried this fast. My bed spread was dry in 34 minutes! In my old dryer it would have taken an 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Lighter loads use to take at least an hour. I guess in 20 years I never had a good dryer and assumed that was just the norm. This dryer dries faster and things are dry in less time than it takes to wash a load- I use to always have to wait on the dryer. Oh and another cool thing instead of a beep at the end to let you know the wash or dryer is done it plays a little tune. Ok I am in washer and dryer heaven :-)

This is my utility room. I purposely did not take a picture of the yucky concrete floor. Hubs is in the process of tiling it- Ok so far he has only borrowed a special saw to cut the tile from a friend and done some measuring but I am hopeful by the end of the month to finally have a floor in the utility room plus some new shelves and a folding table. If it gets finished I will post pictures of the newly remodeled utility room.

Our Christmas 2009

2009-12-27T09:12:00.002-05:00

Christmas Eve at Our House

Christmas Morning at Our House

Christmas Day Dinner at my Brother-in-law and Sister-in-law's House

My Orange Tree in December

2009-12-11T11:27:00.008-05:00

Hi my friends, I know many of you are gardeners and homesteaders. I am neither, but I do have my one Orange tree in my back yard. I basically neglect it but I think hubby did actually fertilize it once or twice. Other than that the poor tree is on its own. So while many of you are under a blanket of snow I have lovely oranges on my orange tree. Oh and My doggies- Sadie the Min Pin, and Roxie the Maltese. :-)

Sporting Clays: Family Fun

2009-12-01T14:50:00.012-05:00

OK I had No idea what to title this post. I was going to title it the family that shoots together stays together but decided against that. Here are some pictures of us out at a Sporting Clays place. Richard and I ride around in the golf cart and the rest of the family shoots shotguns at these clay things that they pretend are different types of game such as squirrels or rabbits or birds. Different stations have contraptions set up to throw these clay things at different angles and speeds and things. Someone pushes a button and the machine thing shoots the clay round thingy and the person with the shotgun at the station of course tries to shoot it. That is my explanation. Since I have no desire to shoot I just take pictures. It is fun just being out in the woods.

Quality of Life Issues: Life on a Ventilator does not mean a painful or poorer quality of life.

2009-11-25T08:39:00.012-05:00

Quality of Life Issues: Choosing Life on a Ventilator, Is it Selfish? Is It Giving Others False-Hope? What do you think?

(First I acknowledge every case is different and the choices are tough- I want to pass no judgment on peoples choices. I do believe , however, people are not always given all the true facts and make decisions without complete knowledge.)

I received this comment on my blog-
The commenter accused Samuel's parents of being selfish and giving others false hope.

Anonymous said...
I simply have to ask. How is this choosing life? My son also had TD. My husband and I chose to do the best, unselfish, and humane thing in the world which was let him go. Why put your son through such a horrible life to satisfy your need to parent? Yes, I completely understand what it is like to have to go through what you went through; however, your giving people false hope. These children have no quality of life and never will even if they survive past the 48 hour mark. They will never smell a rose, play in the leaves, or feel the warm sun on their little faces. They will only ever know a machine breathing for them, the pain of several needle sticks and procedures just to sustain a heart beat. And for what? Answer that for me, what?

November 24, 2009 11:51 PM

Dear anonymous I truly feel for your loss. I can never know what is is like to make those decisions you and my sister-in-law faced. No one can fault you for the decisions you made out of love, caring, and compassion. I am in no position to tell anyone that their personal decision was right or wrong. It was best for them at the time. My original response was a gut reaction to your comment on my blog. After re-reading my response, I thought maybe the tone might have come across as harsh or judgmental, which was not my intent at all. My quarrel is only with the medical establishment and others that want to say what quality of life is worth living. I want to let others know that life on a ventilator is not a bad or painful way to live. We have come so far from the iron lungs of the past. Please accept my sincere apology if my original response came across as unloving, or uncaring or judgmental in any way. That was not my intent. Sincerely Deana

My Original Response back to the above poster:

Anonymous first off I am not the mother-- I am the Aunt. Second you are so mistaken on everything you just postulated. Samuel has a wonderful quality of life- Did you not look at the pictures? He laughs, he smiles, he plays, he has favorite toys he loves to look at himself in the mirror, he interacts. He even has a teacher who comes and works with him and he can push buttons and operate a computer. He has been to Disney World, and Sea World and to the beach, He has felt the sun and the breeze on his face, tasted the wonderful taste of all kinds of food including candy, and smelled the roses. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law take him for walks (the ventilator is portable) They take him to church regularly. They take him over to family and friends houses. You were told that these children would have a poor and painful quality of life but that is not the case. You were lied to. My sister-in-law chose to have him ventilated so he could survive. if God want's to take him home he can certainly do so on the ventilator. And miracle of miracles he has been off the ventilator for up to 4 hours (but it might have only been 2- I am not sure I don't remember what my SIL told me) So who knows. No-one has allowed these children to live long enough to actually know what their potential is. My sister-in-law was told he would not do almost all the things he is doing. And for what you ask?- For life the simple joy of life and for hope. Maybe his life is meant to give others hope. You sound like you were given no hope for your little one and made decisions accordingly. Samuel is 4 years old now who knows how long he will continue to live and thrive .

Here are the links to the many blog posts I have done on my nephew Samuel with many pictures and a video that show his quality of life.
(In order from most recent at the top to oldest post at the bottom)

Chose Life Story, Samuel living with Thanatophoric Dysplasia

Update: On Miracle Baby Samuel Born With Thanatophoric Dysplasia, Turns 4 years old!

Samuel's Belly Laugh (you tube video)

Update: Sam a Surviving 3 1/2 year old Thanatophoric Dwarf has Fun at Sea World & Disney

Update: On Miracle Baby Samuel Born With Thanatophoric Dysplasia, Turns 3 years old!

Love, Hope and Miracles; Miracle Baby

Pride is the Opposite of Loving Your Neighbor: My thoughts on spritual pride.

2009-11-16T10:27:00.005-05:00

Wow Wow Wow my insight for today.

I needed to write it down before it disappeared from my mind.

I was contemplating the sin of pride and had an "a ha" moment. I was reading and this popped out : Pride is the opposite of loving one's neighbor. I never actually thought of pride like that before. Pride = a desire to be more important, more special, or attractive than others, failing to acknowledge the good work of others, and excessive love of self. Dante's definition was "love of self perverted to hatred and contempt for one's neighbor. Hmm this led into my thinking about spiritual pride (which I have been and still am guilty of from time to time). I truly never equated pride with not loving my neighbor. To feel superior and/or spiritually superior to anyone is pride. The feeling I am special or better than you because I am a Christian or a better Christian than you or I am a more faithful Christian, or I am more pleasing to God because I do this or that, is not just pride but it is hating your neighbor. Even the thought, "I'm saved but I am not so sure about you" is very prideful and presumptive. Ok sorry for the sermon, I didn't mean to be preachy or anything just my "a ha" moment.

I also realize it is almost impossible to be completely humble and not the slightest bit prideful. I certainly am very prideful in many areas. Pride and humility are on a sliding scale and as one increases the other decreases. The best I can hope for I think is to keep them in relative balance and hopefully not let pride completely take over.

It is also way too easy for me to spot the spiritual pride of others, probably since I have been there and done that. I also think that pointing out the spiritual pride of others is a way of being prideful too. It is kind of a catch 22, so I need to stop myself when I find I am doing that, which is all too often. I can look back and say wow I have come a long way in this area looking back on 20 + years and I need to remind myself that others may be struggling with their own spiritual pride and they will grow and improve in the area too. I need to be concerned with my spiritual pride and progress alone, take out the plank in my eye.

How to Make and use an Advent Wreath at Home in Family Devotions

2009-11-15T12:28:00.006-05:00

(parts of this taken from other websites)

My Advent Wreath (not homemade)

Here are some other pictures of advent wreaths

Make an Advent Wreath at Home

Did you know that Advent wreaths were originally used
in the home? They didn’t become popular in churches
until the middle of the twentieth century.
You can make an Advent wreath with either four or five
candles.

How to Make an Advent Wreath
To begin, put four candles on a wreath or at least in a
circle. Traditionally the candles are purple, because in
antiquity, purple dye was very expensive and it was the
color of royalty. We use purple for Advent because it is
the season of the coming of the King. If you can’t get
purple candles, you can substitute blue ones. You can also
make one of the candles pink if you like—technically, it
is rose colored. The Pink Candle is put traditionally in the 3rd week spot. The third candle, usually for the Third Sunday of Advent, is traditionally Pink or Rose, and symbolizes Joy at the soon Advent of the Christ. It marks a shift from the more solemn tone of the first two Sundays of Advent that focus on Preparation and Hope, to a more joyous atmosphere of anticipation and expectancy. Sometimes the colors of the sanctuary and vestments are also changed to Rose for this Sunday. If you have a fifth candle, it goes in the center of the wreath and it should be white and is the Christ candle.

How to Use Your Advent Wreath
The idea is to use the wreath in conjunction with worship
services or personal or family devotions on the four
Sundays in Advent. You light candles at the beginning of
each service and snuff them out at the end.
• On the first Sunday in Advent, you light the first
candle. Have your service, then snuff out the candle.
• On the second Sunday in Advent, you light two
candles, first the one from the previous Sunday, then
the second one. Have your service, then snuff out the
candles.
• On the third Sunday in Advent, you light the two
candles from the previous weeks, in the order you lit
them before, then you add the third one. Have your
service, then snuff out the candles.
• On the fourth Sunday in Advent, you light the three
candles from the previous weeks, in the order you lit
them before, then you light the fourth one. Have your
service, then snuff out the candles. You should get a
stair-step effect, since each candle is a different
length by now.
If you have a fifth candle in the center, then on Christmas
Day you light the four candles in the order you lit them
before, and then you light the center candle. Have your
service, then snuff out the candles.
You notice how I emphasize snuffing out the candles at
the end of each service? This has absolutely no liturgical
significance whatsoever, but it is vitally important and
you must not leave it out. It prevents the candles from
burning your house down.
I recommend that you snuff out the candles, rather than
blowing them out. The reason is that if you blow them
out, you might spray hot wax over everything.
Prayers for Use with the Advent Wreath
When you use an Advent Wreath in personal or family
devotions, you can use whatever scriptures and prayers
you like. If you need a point of departure, here is
something to get you started. Please don’t take it as a set
form. You can use different readings, you can modify the
prayers, and you can add hymns, carols, or other prayers
as you like. (Here are some Other Suggestions for Advent Readings and Songs)

On the First Sunday in Advent
• Light one purple candle
• Read Isaiah 60:2-3
Lord God, we light this candle to thank you for your
Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who is the light of the
world. We who have sat in darkness have seen a great
light, the light of Jesus Christ, our salvation. We give
you thanks and praise in Jesus' name, because he
lives and reigns with you in your glory, and in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

(Opt) Sing: O come, O come Emmanuel

On the Second Sunday in Advent
• Light two purple candles
• Read Mark 1:4
Lord God, we light this candle to thank you for your
Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who is the way. We who
like sheep have gone astray have found the way to
you through Jesus Christ. We give you thanks and
praise in Jesus' name, because he lives and reigns
with you in your glory, and in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, Amen.

(Opt) Sing: Come Thou long expected Jesus

On the Third Sunday in Advent
• Light Two purple candles and the Rose Candle
• Read Isaiah 35:10
Lord God, we light this candle to thank you for your
Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who brings us great joy.
We who have walked in the shadow of the valley of
death have found life in the resurrection of Jesus
Christ. We give you thanks and praise in Jesus' name,
because he lives and reigns with you in your glory,
and in the unity of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

(Opt) Sing: Joyful, joyful we adore thee

On the Fourth Sunday in Advent
• Light all the purple candles and The Rose Candle
• Read Isaiah 9:6-7
Lord God, we light this candle to thank you for your
Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who is the Prince of
Peace. We who live in discord and strife have found
peace in the promise of eternal life, through Jesus
Christ. We give you thanks and praise in Jesus' name,
because he lives and reigns with you in your glory,
and in the unity of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

(Opt) Sing: Come Thou long expected Jesus

On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day
Remember, it isn’t Christmas Eve until sundown on
December 24!
• Light all the purple candles the Rose Candle and the white candle
• Read Luke 1:68-79 and Luke 2:1-20
We praise you, Lord God, because on this day, your
Word became flesh in our Savior Jesus Christ, was
born of a woman, and walked among us as a man.
Help us to imitate your incarnation, by manifesting
our faith in our conduct as well as in our speech. To
you, O Lord, we give our honor, praise, worship, and
love, in the most holy and precious name of the One
who is born today; because He lives and reigns with
you in your glory, and in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
Amen.

(Opt) Sing on Christmas Eve: Silent night
On Christmas Day: Hark, the herald angels sing, O come all ye faithful

Chose Life Story, Samuel living with Thanatophoric Dysplasia

2009-11-10T09:58:00.009-05:00

As most of you know my nephew Samuel was born with a condition called Thanatophoric Dysplasia which is a condition that is considered incompatible with life. My Sister-in-law and brother-in-law went against Doctors wishes and did not have a therapeutic abortion. A few weeks ago Spirit FM 90.5 aired their story This is an audio file of that story that aired on Spirit FM.

Here is the audio Story/ Interview that aired

Here is a link to some pictures of my nephew Samuel
Update: On Miracle Baby Samuel Born With Thanatophoric Dysplasia, Turns 4 years old!

Samuel's Caring Bridge Website

Tags: long-term thanatophoric survival, living thanatophoric dwarf, thanatophoric dwarf turns 3, laughing and happy child with thanatophoric dysplasia, Living with thanatophoric dysplasia, surviving thanatophoric dysplasia, living on a ventilator

Our Halloween 2009 plus Our Pumpkin carvings

2009-11-01T10:27:00.008-05:00