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See our BLOG PAGES for a list of our products!

We hope that you will show support to your local craftsmen, farmers and the like by supporting US this Holiday Season for Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas gift giving.

All our products are now listed on the pages with links at the top of the page.  We have many gifts that can easily be shipped flat rate. Our products can be combined in gift baskets and boxes to make awesome and welcomed gifts.

 Thank You for your support!

GLUTEN, What do we do with it????

Are you Gluten-Intollerant?  Celiac? Have friends that are?  Want to know more?  Is it a Fad?  What you should know!

The Truth About Grain

We want you to join us at a 'come as you are' on-line event that you can view on your own time!

This event will give you the truth about gluten and how it reacts in your body, how to shop, what to look for, and how to ask the right questions when you go to the restaurant!

Join Us for This SUMMIT ON GLUTEN!

Gluten-Free Almond Quinoa Breakfast

Gluten Intolerant?  Wondering what to have for breakfast?  The Healthy Apple has a great recipe for you!

"Sit down, take a few extra minutes to savor your first meal of the day before you rush out the door it’s not every day you get to enjoy a tasty quinoa breakfast, is it?"

Check out this great recipe!

http://thehealthyapple.com/2013/08/26/gluten-free-almond-quinoa-breakfast/

What is a CSA?

HERITAGE HARVEST HOMESTEAD BEGINS CSA PROGRAM FOR 2014

What is a CSA?

See Our Page - Click Below

Community Supported Agriculture

Eating well on a Budget

Can you believe the typical food budget for a family of four is upwards of $700 a month?  I don't know how many of you can do that but I know I can't.  One of my strategies is my habit of doing a "what's in my refrigerator check".

Lots of times life happens and my menu gets changed.  Imagine that! So I end up with veggies or fruits that need eaten.  Statistics show that of that $700 a month about 30% is thrown away?  I could eat well on that 30%, so I try to keep a close check on what's in the frig or freezer that needs eaten.

Another great hint is to create your own ingredients.  What?  Last night I needed Tahini and you will see in my recipe conversion that I made my own, which is often easy and much less expensive.

So, I needed something for some broccoli and had chicken breast in the freezer last night.

I found a Ina Garten recipe for  Noodles with Chicken and Broccoli.  I knew I needed to:

1. Reduce the recipe to 2 plus a 8 month old who HATES commercial baby food (and that's another post).
2. Had to change some ingredients for the babies pallet and needs.

See how I changed the recipe to not only make it Gluten-free but friendly for our family, too!  

Szechuan Noodles with Chicken and Broccoli

Serves 4  
***NOTE*** I made this ahead, placed in refrigerator and put together in 15 minutes at supper time.

2 whole (split) chicken breast - I used a free range organic chicken (see Notes #3)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher or good Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (see Notes #2)
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 cup sesame seeds
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
3 tablespoons Gluten Free Soy Sauce
3 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
1 tablespoon local honey or coconut sugar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
6 ounces gluten free spaghetti (I used Ancient Harvest Quiona)
*we encourage you to buy all your fresh produce from your local farmer*
2 cups broccoli florets (stems see Notes #1)
1 scallion (green onion) sliced diagonally using the white and green parts
1/2 red bell pepper, julienned (can use green but red is sweeter)
 
Directions:

Peach Cake

It's a perfect time of the year to enjoy such a nice cake!  Of course, whenever I find a recipe that I think will be lovely I have to adapt it so, sorry Barefoot Contessa, this recipe is now GLUTEN-FREE!


picture from www.foodnetwork.com

Fresh Peach Cake

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 scant cups 'Better Than Wheat' Gluten-Free Flour Blend
1/2 teaspoon Guar Gum
1/2 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large, ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
3/4 cup chopped pecans.

Water Wise Tips

Dear Gardening Friends, Here’s some tips to help you garden smarter, save water, and reduce your water bill!

During dry spells, a heavier soaking 2-3 times a week is more effective than a light daily watering. Hand watering allows you to inspect each plant and quickly spot any concerns. Inspect all hoses for leaks and make sure all connections fit tightly. Improve your soil with lots of organic matter. This slows down the transpiration of water, giving plants longer to take in what they need. Before you plant, mix in extra compost, shredded leaves, compost manure, or peat moss. Install a drip irrigation system. Drip irrigation minimizes evaporation loss and easily saves up to 60% of the water used by a sprinkler system. Plan for different beds to be on separate water timing schedules depending on their particular water needs. A soaker hose also applies water slowly and evenly to the root zone, minimizing water loss. Mulch well. Mulch reduces evaporation, helping to retain water and can greatly reduce weeds. For best results, cover your beds with 4-6 inches of organic matter such as compost, bark, shredded leaves or newspaper, grass clippings or straw. Add one more inch of mulch each year. Water early in the morning or late in the evening. This maximizes water penetration and minimizes evaporation. Water beds and lawn infrequently, but slowly and deeply. This encourages roots to grow deeper and is more effective than frequent, shallow watering. Control Weeds. Weeds compete with other plants for water. Conserve on water by weeding diligently. Design for your plants watering needs. Choose plants that are native to your area and drought tolerant. Group plants together with similar watering needs. Reduce the size of your lawn. Turf grass is extremely water and labor intensive. Mow high and often, leaving the clippings. Consider letting your lawn go brown during the warmest season, but still water at least once a month. Prune. Pruning strengthens plants and makes them less water-dependent. Harvest as soon as veggies and fruits are ripe. Discard spent or diseased plants ASAP. Collect Free water. Use a water barrel to capture and store chemical free water for gardening.   From:  Charley's Greenhouse and Garden [newsletters@charleysgreenhouse.com]

Common Mullein - Weed or Medicinal Herb?

Today’s featured plant is Common Mullein, Verbascum thapsus.

Common Mullein is also known as Great Mullein, Aaron’s Rod, candlewick plant, flannel plant, flannel leaf, lungwort, feltwort, cowboy toilet paper, shepherd’s staff, velvet dock, woolly mullein, torch plant, torches, miner’s candle, big taper, blanket mullein, “Hig candlewick”, “Bullicks lungwort”, “Hare’s-beard”, “Ice-leaf”.”Beggar’s blanket”, “Moses’ blanket”, “Poor Man’s blanket”, “Our Lady’s blanket” or “Old Man’s Blanket”.

(There are more names, but this list is getting pretty long already.  Do you get the impression this thing is pretty widespread?)

Range and Identification of Common Mullein

Common mullein is native to Europe, but it is now found on every continent except Antarctica.  (As I said, it gets around…)   The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service provides a range map, but it’s really found pretty much everywhere in the U.S..

The plant is known as a colonizer of open disturbed soils.  The Wisconsin DNR lists it as an invasive, but they have an awful lot of plants listed as invasive. Okay – non-native – still, it’s been around so long, does it really matter at this point?  They do say it can be invasive in the plant detail page, but I haven’t found that to be the case in my area.  It prefers dry, sandy soils, but can grow (really HUGE) in rich garden soil, and even grow in marginal soils such as chalk and limestone.  It can be found in neglected meadows, forest openings, pastures, fence rows, roadsides, and industrial areas. (WI DNR)

Plant height is 2-6′ (60-180 cm) (the happy monsters in my garden last year were pushing seven feet).  The leaves are large, oval and fuzzy.  As you can see in the photo below, a large happy specimen in my garden has leaves larger than my shoe, which is a size twelve.   Leaves are 12-15 inches long (or longer) and covered with velvety hairs.  When the flower stalk emerges, leaves cling directly to the stalk – there are no side branches.

FOR THE REST OF THE STORY GO TO 

COMMONSENSE HOME

Roasted New Potatoes and Green Beans

I loved the recipe I posted last week and wanted to try it but there are just two of us plus one that eats tiny bites so I needed a smaller recipe.  I wanted to pare this with green beans fresh from the garden so I just added them to the mix.  This was served with my mini meat loaves that I keep in the freezer for quick meals .........YUMMMMM

8 ounces small new potatoes (cut in 1 1/5 inch pieces if they are bigger than this)
1 cup fresh green beans
1/2 small onion, sliced top to bottom
1 tomato, cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic, mashed but still in skin (keeps it from burning)
1/8 teaspoon Chili Flakes
1 teaspoon herbs de Provence
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper

Wash your hands and mix this all together until all the vegetables are coated with olive oil.  Place on a baking pan. Roast together at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and cook for 25-30 more minutes (stir after 15 minutes).  Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon chopped chives and cook another 5 minutes.  SERVES TWO (double or more for your family)

Gardening With A Baby

I have to admit there were years where I didn't garden.  Those years were when my children were under 2 years old.  It was just to busy of a time.  Now that I'm in the over 60 crowd I never in a million  years thought I'd have a baby when I planted this huge garden (size of two city lots).  Then eight weeks ago our 6 month old granddaughter, Gabriella Nicole (Gabby), joined us.

What to do?  Well we've hired a helper for the garden and need to hire another one, but Gabby does enjoy going to the garden for short periods of time.  I would hire a helper to keep Gabby occupied but since she is still in 'foster care' here that requires all kinds of background checks and the like just get get a sitter for her.

So as a way to encourage you, my readers

Food Preservation - Choosing a Method - Cabbage

Our ancestors devised many methods of preserving their harvest out of necessity.  They did not have the luxury of having fresh food shipped, sometimes thousands of miles, to the grocery nearest them.  Nor did they have freezers that would hold the food cold for months at a time (except in the coldest climates where it was kept in attics or outside).

Food Preservation includes many different methods:  Canning, Freezing, Dehydrating, Cooked and Frozen as meals, Smoking, and Fermenting to name a few.  When choosing a method or methods to use for a particular fruit or vegetable coming out of your garden or bought bulk at your local farmers market you have to decide how you are going to use this product and primarily how you prefer to eat it.  There is no sense dehydrating everything if you don't like reconstituted dried foods or canning if you hate, well canned peas for example.  Sometimes the way you use that particular food will dictate how you preserve it.

Today we are going to talk about cabbages, because cabbages happen to be something that I recently took out of my garden and need to preserve.  So, first I have to decide, how am I going to use this product?  

Why I Have a Pantry....Full

Some Food "Storage" for Thought ~ Pantry Series

photo source

Thoughts on Preparedness...

“Food security is not in the supermarket. It's not in the government. It's not at the emergency services division. True food security is the historical normalcy of packing it in during the abundant times, building that in-house larder, and resting easy knowing that our little ones are not dependent on next week's farmers' market or the electronic cashiers at the supermarket.”

~ Joel Salatin, Excerpt from

Folks, This Ain't Normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens,

Healthier People, and a Better World

"And let them gather all the food of those good years that come,

and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.

And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine,

which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine."

~ Genesis 41:35-36

"There be four things which are little upon the earth,

but they are exceeding wise:

The ants are a people not strong,

yet they prepare their meat in the summer…"

~ Proverbs 30:24-25

"Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

Provideth her meat in the summer,

and gathereth her food in the harvest."

~ Proverbs 6:6-8

“It is not often that a man can make opportunities for himself.

But he can put himself in such shape that when or if the opportunities come he is ready.”
~ Theodore Roosevelt

“Prepare for the unknown by studying how others in the past

have coped with the unforeseeable and the unpredictable.”
~ Gen. George S. Patton

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
~ Benjamin Franklin

"The prudent see danger and take refuge,

but the simple keep going and pay the penalty."

~ Proverbs 22:3

Recommended Reading: 

Should a Christian Practice Food Storage?

Ten Reasons to Prepare a Pantry

Preventing Problems in Your Garden

The best way to prevent problems in  your garden is by building your soil to promote plant health.

Applying Compost

Whether you buy it of make your own, make a habit of adding compost to your soil often.  Here's how:

• Before planting, incorporate compost into the top inch or two of your veggie garden beds and places where you grow annual flowers.
• Use compost as mulch or side-dressing in all your garden beds during the garden season.
• Spread compost as a mulch over the root zone area of established trees and shrubs.
• Spread a 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch layer of fine compost over your lawn after aerating it.

from THE ORGANIC GARDENER'S HANDBOOK OF NATURAL PEST AND DISEASE CONTROL, a Rodale Organic Gardening Book, edited by Fern Marshall Bradley, Barbara Ellis and Deborah Martin.

Can You Grow Your Own?

With continual exposes showing manufacturers using foul ingredients in our food supply anywhere from cancer causing chemicals to pink slim in ground beef, glued steaks and now horse meat in ground beef in a famous fast food chain in Europe one has to wonder............



On top of all that food is becoming more and more expensive, prices are higher and packages are smaller.  This is going to date me buy how many of you remember how big of a Tootsie Roll you used to get for a penny?  That's just the tip of the ice berg.

I don't know about you but I don't care to eat all the additives, especially the horse meat in my food, thank you very much.

Many times in my life well meaning people would ask me why I worked so hard growing and preserving my own food.  My reply consistently was, "Even if it cost more and takes more time I do it because I want to know what is in my food."  So, for 40 years I have grown my own food in various formats.  I want to share with you bit by bit how I did and what I've learned over the years and

I Want To Challenge You To Grow At Least Part Of your 

Annual Food This Year

The goal is to choose what food products you think you can grow with the amount of space you have and see just how much nutritionally dense food you can grow for yourself and your family this year.

What is Nutritionally Dense Food?

Recent studies have shown that foods grown from hybrid seed have 25% less nutrients than Heritage or Heirloom seeded foods.  Additionally, GMO or Genetically Modified Foods have been shown to cause a multitude of disease and serious genetic malformation in the animals and humans that eat them.

Buy your Food From A Local Farmer You Know

When chain stores (even famous organic food stores) are caught selling conventionally raised foods labeled as organic to customers to get higher profits you need to know and be able to trust the grower of your food. Be careful and know where your food is produced.  There is no real entity inspecting 'organic' foods from China or some other countries for that matter.  USDA only inspects a tiny percentage of the products coming into this country!

Farmers Markets are great places to purchase 'local food'.....maybe.  Our family has grown food for farmers markets for almost 30 years and have seen just about everything, especially people purchasing produce from a local grocery wholesaler that was grown hundreds and hundreds miles away and then selling that same produce at much higher prices after having labeled it a organic and locally grown.

ASK, don't assume because it is sold at a Farmer's Market that it is Organically grown.  Will your grower allow you to visit their operation or actually encourage it?  The old saying still goes,

Let the Buyer Beware

So, Where do you start?  Initially my first litmus test is that I buy only food that is as close to the way my God, the creator, first created it.

I also encourage you to start slow.  So this month I'm asking you to take a hard look at what you buy and the amount of space you have.  There are so many ways to now grow a lot of food even on a patio deck.  In Russia folks are often given a 40 x 100 square foot lot.  They put up a small living quarters and then grow 85% of all their food for the YEAR on every spare inch they have left.  Can we not do the same?

So whether you are a beginner with a small space, already have a good amount of space or are looking for a place we'll show you what you need and how to grow it in the smallest space possible.  We are also going to share with you how to store for winter and cook for health.  The greatest part is that you can do this and have a full-time job or perhaps do this so you can keep your spouse home with the kids.

Join us! Let's Talk about it!

"She is like merchant ships; she brings her food from afar.  She rises also while it is still night, and gives food to her household, and portions to her maidens.  She considers a field and buys it; from her earnings she plants a vineyard.  She girds herself with strength, and makes her arms strong.  She senses that her gain is good; her lamp does not go out at night."  Proverbs 31: 14-18

Recovery

Grandma Farmer is doing much better now since the revision of a previous knee replacement mid January.  I don't have a laptop computer so I've had to wait until I was able to sit at the computer for reasonable periods of time to be able to write blogs.  I've got tons of ideas in my head for future blogs to you, my favorite readers.

If you want to hear about growing your own food, serving nutritionally packed foods to your families and so much more stay tuned.  What's more tell your friends because we're going to get discussing so many great ideas for all of you!

Make Your Own Gluten-Free Baking Powder

This is got to be one of the simplest solutions for Gluten-free living yet!  So simple it just takes two simple ingredients and a fork.......and your done in seconds!

Why bother?  The best reason is that you control EXACTLY what goes into your baking powder.  No worries of some hidden contaminate, aluminum (that your body has trouble processing, tends to build up in your body and is implicated in Alzheimer's), or genetically modified corn products.

There are two ways to go here and I'm going to offer both to you:

This Week With Grandma Farmer

SORRY I'M LATE!  You can play catch-up with the Bible Reading or just start where you are!

One of my TWENTY WISHES for 2013 (see: Creating Goals for 2013) is to read through the Bible Chronoligically in 2013 and to read two books a month.

This weeks Bible Reading:

January 6: Psalms 6, Proverbs 6, Genesis 18:1-21:7
January 7: Psalms 7, Proverbs 7, Genesis 21:8-23:20, Genesis 11:32, Genesis 24:1-6
January 8: Psalms 8: Proverbs 8, Genesis 25:1-4, 1 Chronicles 1:32-33, Genesis 25:19-26, Genesis 25:7-11
January 9: Psalms 9, Proverbs 9, Genesis 25:27-28:5
January 10: Psalms 10, Proverbs 10, Genesis 28:6-30:24
January 11: Psalms 11, Proverbs 11, Genesis 30:25-31:55
January 12: Psalms 12, Proverbs 12, Genesis 32:1-35:27

I'm still Reading:




THE NEW ANSWERS BOOK: Over 25 Questions of Creation/Evolution and the Bible by Ken Ham


Let me know what you are reading!

Shelfishness Keeps Us From Growing Spiritually

　

Everybody is bound to be selfish at one time or another. It’s just typical of human nature. From the time we were able to want something, our selfish nature has been hurting other people, sometimes with little gain or satisfaction to us. A selfish person ends up losing friends or loved ones because no matter how intelligent or charming or talented a selfish person may be, selfish people are hard to maintain a personal relationship with.

And the amazing thing, truly selfish people don’t even know they are being selfish. They would never consider the possibility that they are selfish. Some people think selfishness is a good thing and that if you follow the example of Christ and put the needs of others above your own, you’re a sucker and a fool. But all who would live a godly life, one in which we are becoming more each day like our unselfish Savior, need to view selfishness as something to deal with seriously.

As always, let’s start with a definition.

Definition: Webster’s Dictionary defines a selfish person as one "concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself." A secondary definition is: "seeking or concentrating on one’s own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others."

The apostle Paul describes people in the end times as "lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy" (2 Timothy 3:2). If that doesn’t describe the world today, I don’t know what does.

The word Paul uses is philautos (fil’-ow-tos). It’s made up of two smaller words: philos (fee’-los) meaning "to be friendly with" and autos (ow-tos’) meaning himself or herself. Together the word implies being friendly with oneself.

Caution:We have to distinguish between self love and selfishness. If I counseled you to "love yourself" would you have a negative reaction to that? Of course you would. Maybe the word "egotistical" came to mind. But I’m not asking you to be self-centered or selfish. I’m asking you to respect yourself, protect yourself, take care of yourself. And that’s a biblical thing to do.

Here’s what the bible says.

Leviticus 19:18 "Never seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone, but love your neighbor as yourself." Now, you can’t love your neighbor as yourself unless you love yourself too.
 Matthew 19:19 "Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself."

Mark 12:31 "The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these."

Luke 10:27 "The man answered, ‘"You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind." And, "Love your neighbor as yourself."’"

Romans 13:9 "For the commandments against adultery and murder and stealing and coveting—and any other commandment—are all summed up in this one commandment: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"

Galatians 5:14 "For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"

James 2:8 "Yes indeed, it is good when you truly obey our Lord’s royal command found in the Scriptures: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"

Well, you get the picture. It’s not that we are not to love ourselves; we are to love ourselves by taking care of our body and mind, making sure our heart is right with God, feeding and exercising both body and mind. "For no man ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and carefully protects and cherishes it" (Ephesians 5:29). We are just not to love ourselves to the exclusion of others or show love to our wants and our desires to the detriment of the wants and desires of others. We are to put their needs above our own needs.

Isn’t that exactly what Paul said Jesus did in Philippians 2?

"So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:1-8).

That, my friend, is the most self-less act in the history of the world. It is the quintessential example of putting the needs and desires of others ahead of our own needs and desires.

But I know what you’re saying: "I’m not God; I have difficulty doing that." Well, you’re right. We all do.
Developing Selflessness

 
So what are some things we all can do that help curb that natural tendency toward selfishness and develop the character of selflessness just like Jesus? From what I glean from the Bible, let me suggest a few very practical things.
1. Check your own heart.
If you detect more than a little selfishness there, confess it to God for what it is—sin. "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

2. Look for ways to help other people. Anticipate their needs and feelings so you can meet them at the point they have them. You can always tell helpful people because

you don’t have to tell helpful people you need help. Look around you. At the needs of your family. Do you have parents who need to feel loved and appreciated in their aging years. Call them. Tell them you love them. Anticipate their feelings and don’t be selfish. Bring them some joy.

3. Listen to people when they talk. It sounds so simple, but we are so bad at just lending a sympathetic ear or paying attention when people talk to us. We are selfish that way. If you consciously listen to what people have to say, you might both learn something and put yourself in a position to be used by the Lord to help them.

4. Don’t interrupt people when they talk. Let them finish their sentence. Don’t trump their story by interjecting your story. After all, their story may actually be more interesting to everyone than yours. You don’t always need to be talking. Did you know that you never learn anything while talking, except perhaps the accurate perception that no one is listening. Don’t interrupt. That’s selfish.

5. Compliment people. Do you know how thirsty some people are for the tiniest compliment? Perhaps it’s been weeks or months since they’ve had one. Be sincere, but show the love of Christ in the way you notice things about other people and compliment them.

6. Show kindness to all people.

Even the least of these, Jesus says. Being kind doesn’t cost you anything. It doesn’t diminish you in any way. It doesn’t take cash to be kind, but it takes a lot of character. Paul said to the Romans, "Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor" (Romans 12:10). To the Ephesians he said, "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4:30-32).

7. Be on time. One of the most frequent acts of selfishness is being late. It presumes on the time of others and shows a lack of discipline on your part. It frustrates your friends, it disrupts the church service, and at work this act of selfishness could get you fired. It’s just as easy to be on time consistently as it is to be 10 minutes late consistently.



Some Biblical Conclusions about Selfishness
First

, the antidote to selfishness is love. Genuine Christ-like love breaks the cycle of selfishness. Paul says, "Love seeks not her own" (1 Corinthians 13:5). Selfishness can only be broken when we stop loving ourselves more than our neighbor. We are to love our neighbors as ourselves and put their needs ahead of ours.

Second
, selfishness dies the moment we willfully choose to obey God and not our own desires. Isaiah bears God’s warning about selfishness in the first chapter of his prophecy, verses 19 and 20. "If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

Third
, the self-interest that we all have that’s a good thing (caring for our body and mind), becomes selfishness only when we refuse to conform to what we know God’s Word says about selfishness. Once we discover we are being selfish, we are obligated to change our habits or the sin of selfishness is compounded by the sin of disobedience. "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin" (James 4:17).

Finally
, forsaking selfishness and replacing that attitude with holiness and godly living is too big a job for all of us. We need superior help. Fortunately we have superior help
in God. Psalm 56:11 says, "In God I have put my trust" and 1 John 4:4 reminds us, "he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."

Selfishness is a widespread problem, but it doesn’t have to be your problem. The minute you detect a selfish attitude or action, do the right thing.  Confess it to God as sin. Repent from the harm your selfishness may have done to others. Ask God to forgive you. Go to those you have hurt with your selfishness and apologize seeking their forgiveness too. Ask the Holy Spirit to help take selfishness away from you. You can win this battle. Just be sensitive to how you are treating others or ask you friends to clobber you on the head when you are being selfish so you don’t have to be guessing. Let the blood of Jesus wash the stain of selfishness from your life.




TAKEN IN IT'S ENTIRETY FROM A MESSAGE BY DR. KROLL FROM www.BackToTheBible.org
For the remainder of the messages in this study go here:  http://www.backtothebible.org/index.php/Extras-What-Keeps-Me-from-Growing.html
 
 

The Grandma Farmer 2012 Top Post of the Year

We thought we'd check and see just what the most popular post of 2012 was!  We were not surprised because this recipe is EXCELLANT!

If you missed this post click on the link below and make these great muffins!

 

Gluten Free Cinnamon Bun Muffins


The Favorite post for December 2012 was:

Creating Goals for 2013 - Making My 20 Wishes List

This Week with Grandma Farmer

One of my TWENTY WISHES for 2013 (see: Creating Goals for 2013) is to read through the Bible Chronoligically in 2013 and to read two books a month.

This weeks Bible Reading:

January 1:  Psalms 1, Proverbs 1, Genesis 1:1-3:24
January 2:  Psalms 2, Proverbs 1, Genesis 4:1-6:22, 1 Chronicles 1:1-4
January 3:  Psalms 3: Provers 3, Genesis 7:10-10:5, 1 Chronicles 1:5-7, Genesis 10:6-20, 1 Chronicles 1:8-16, Genesis 10:21-30, 1 Chronicles 1:17-23, Genesis 10:31-32
January 4:  Psalme 4, Proverbs 4, Genesis 11:1-26, 1 Chronicles 1:24-27, Genesis 11:27-31, Genesis 12:1-14 and Genesis 12:24
January 5:  Psalms 5, Proverbs 5, Genesis 15:1-17, Genesis 15:27

This week I've started the book:

WEEKLY CHECK-UP

Our pages above contain information about us. One of the pages is the DAILY GRACE page which contains the following WEEKLY CHECK-UP which is a great way to check-up on how you are doing in your walk with CHRIST.

Listen to this great tune while reading this!

WEEKLY CHECK-UP

I hope you will find this Check-up something that benefits you and that you use often.

 

Answer the following with "mostly true", 'somewhat true' or 'not true'.

 

My Walk With Christ:

• I have had regular times alone this week with God in prayer and in His Word.

• I have taken the time to meditate on what I have read and have fully obeyed what He has commanded.
• I talk to God and am conscious of His presence throughout each day.
• I prepare my heart for worship before I walk in the door at my Church on Sunday morning.
• I anticipate being with God and the body of Christ as we worship together each Sunday.
• I am involved with some Kind of Bible Study with other believers that stimulates my walk with Christ.
• I have confessed all known sin in my life to Christ and have turned from it.
• My life is regularly characterized by the fruit of the Spirit.

My Fellowship With the Body of Christ: