The Shepherds' Journey

Homey Happenings

2010-03-08T11:30:00.004-06:00

Tractor repair

Kelley Rose and Jay-El made this cherry pie. Thank you for dessert!

Bookbinding

Art

At one of our former houses, we had a hill in our backyard that was rather steep. We enjoyed hours and hours of fun sliding down this hill on big pieces of cardboard or on bigwheels. Just within the last few days, the children have discovered that this slope across the driveway from our house is perfect for riding down. Such fun!

Some of these wheeled toys are more challenging than others...

Playing atop the hill

The Sabbath was Made for Man

2010-03-08T10:57:00.004-06:00

Here is a sermon by Scott Brown of Hope Baptist Church that I listened to yesterday, entitled "The Sabbath was Made for Man." It is the first sermon in a five part series--here is the link on SermonAudio for all five sermons.

I may post more sermons regarding the Sabbath because this is a subject I am currently studying.

Click here for the sermon's page and then click the green "Play" button.

The Singing of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs in the 21st Century

2010-03-01T01:04:00.003-06:00

I have had an unusually busy week and was unable to listen to any sermons after the Lord's Day last week, but I have been wanting to listen to this particular sermon for probably two weeks now.

"The Singing of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs in the 21st Century," by Ethan Foltz, deals primarily with music and the church. He discusses how to evaluate different types of music: whether it be folk, country, pop, rap, rock, or others, these two main rules apply: 1) Evaluate the composer/performer's motivation, and 2) evaluate the effect it has on you.

While at most points I agreed with Mr. Foltz completely, there were other parts that were like choking on spinach. While ultimately nutritious and healthful, they were hard to swallow. I am a soundtrack aficionado. I love listening to film scores that are written well and/or are engaging, such as A Beautiful Mind, Cutthroat Island, Gods and Generals, and Pirates of the Caribbean. But I will have to evaluate the music I listen to. What is the message of Pirates? Is it to promote unlawful and illegal activity (and in some cases occultism)? Or how about Gods and Generals and Gettysburg? The music to both of these films accompany historical battles and seek to promote nobility and heroism. In some cases, the music is soothing and relaxing, and conveys the emotions of joy, sorrow, peace, and nobility. But there are other cases that are harder for me (right now) to determine, such as The Terminal. This score is set to a romantic comedy where the protagonist is a foreigner trapped in a U.S. airport terminal. There appears to be nothing wrong with this music. It is meant to convey emotions of sorrow, joy, humor, and love; and the score is technically clever and well done (but rather dull to listen to, in my opinion).

But I agree with Mr. Foltz on many, many occasions, especially concerning the Contemporary Christian Music scenario. To listen, click here (and then click the green "play" button).

What is Lawful on the Sabbath?

2010-02-21T22:04:00.004-06:00

Due to an unusually hectic week, I have only heard just over half of this sermon, but it is very good. In this sermon, Mr. William Einwechter of Immanuel Free Reformed Church he teaches about the Sabbath--what the Levitical Law has to say about it; what the Pharisees thought; and how the Sabbath has changed in different ways with the coming of Christ.

Click here for the SermonAudio page.

(Then click the green "Play" button.)

Question and Answers Session

2010-02-14T22:16:00.000-06:00

While my father and I were working together to paint a room in our house, he was playing several sermons by Paul Washer. Here is one he played--the Q&A session for the "True Discipleship Conference." Even though this is a Q&A session, I found it to be enlightening.

Click here for the SermonAudio page; then click the green "Play" button.

Kyle's Recommended Links

2010-02-14T12:45:00.005-06:00

What About Me?

On the Visionary Daughters blog, Elizabeth has posted an article on "Biblical Principles for Girls in Difficult Situations." While directed toward girls, I think young men can benefit from the article just as much, as there are many of us who are in "difficult situations" as well.

When we were in our mid teens, we befriended several high school and college girls of diverse backgrounds – some from Christian families, most not. As we got to know them better, it became more than just our friendship they sought: they couldn’t stay away from our home.

At our home, they were able to be part of something they did not have. Some of them had never even seen it before. We had an intact, happy family. We had an involved, loving father who protected and provided for us. We had a mother who was an example of godliness and femininity. We had a family that worked together toward an important goal that involved us. While our friends struggled to know where they were going, who they were supposed to be, and where they fit into an egalitarian, dog-eat-dog society, we were discovering a world of stimulation, fruitfulness and purpose within God’s family economy. These girls felt the difference.

Click here to read the full article.

State of the Nation 2010

This Tuesday, 16 February, Mr. Ken Ham of the Creation Museum will be delivering his "State of the Nation" address live over the internet.

Click here for the official post.

"Start Here" by Alex and Brett Harris

These two twins, sons of homeschooling pioneers Gregg and Sono Harris, launched a few years ago a movement geared toward young people called "The Rebelution," which was designed to exhort "teenagers" to rebel against the low expectations set by culture. They encouraged us to go above and beyond, to "Do Hard Things"--their motto and title of their first book.

With "Do Hard Things," they attempted--successfully--a "Book Bomb." The goal of the bomb was to spread the message by giving away one copy of the book for free for each copy of the book bought online. They got to #5 on Amazon's sales rank.

With their new book, "Start Here," they're at it again. "The Amazon.com Book Bomb will coordinate hundreds of people all ordering Start Here on the same day — Tuesday, February 23rd — raising the book to a place where thousands of new eyes (and hearts) will be exposed to its message."

Click here for their blog post.

The Story of Trajan

2010-02-10T15:11:00.004-06:00

Today I finished a new (old) book that my mother gave me called "The 26 Letters." Written in the 40s by Oscar Ogg, this book is a fascinating journey through the history of the English alphabet, from ancient cave paintings, through the Phoenecians, Greeks, Romans, the Medieval times, to the mid 1900s. It covers how the lowercase letters developed, the history of the printer's mark and colophon, a description of Johannes Gutenberg's work with printing, and other delightful topics relating to the development of type and writing.

One especially enthralling aspect of the book was the history and description of "Trajan." Trajan, while it may be overused (or over-overused) in the film graphic design industry, is still one of the great fonts of history.

No finer Roman capital letters are to be seen anywhere than those inscribed on a stone tablet on the pedestal of the great column erected by the Emperor Trajan in Rome about the year 113 of the Christian era. The simple harmony of the lines and curves and the grace and good taste of the fine proportions have caused them to serve as models for more than eighteen hundred years. While the letters J, U, and W were not members of the Roman alphabet, they are drawn in the style of the Trajan alphabet and included with it here [in the succeeding pages of the book] to make it complete.

It is indeed thrilling to look at these capitals, for they have the very breath of free artistry in them. Many designers have tried to determine a way to a better set of proportions. Many changes in the shape have been tried. Many mechanical methods of writing and drawing have been invented. But no one has yet succeeded in making a Roman capital alphabet which is more beautiful, more easily written, more honestly arrived at than these fine old letters.[1]

Here is a sample of Trajan (click to view larger).

Aside from a small amount of evolutionary teaching (primarily in the first two chapters or so) and an unnecessary immodest historical drawing or two, the book is highly recommended.

[1] Ogg, Oscar. The 26 Letters (New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1948), p.119.

How to Defend the Faith by Loving Your Wife

2010-02-07T15:13:00.004-06:00

Today's sermon is delivered by Mr. Geoffrey Botkin of the Western Conservatory of the Arts and Sciences. Back on the first Saturday of January, he started this nine-week course titled "Saturday Morning Online Mentoring". During about an hour and a half on Saturday mornings he is teaching men (and their sons, who are welcome to listen in) about important topics in today's culture. He also spends time answering questions that have been sent in. For those who are interested, it's not too late to sign up! For $49 you can listen live on the remaining three lectures and have access to the archives where the mp3s of the other messages and their PowerPoint slides are stored. Click here for more information.

These lectures have been a blessing to me, and to be honest with you, I am rather sad that they are coming to a close.

The first message, "How to Defend the Faith by Loving Your Wife," was delivered Saturday, 2 January 2010, and has been made available to the public for free download.

Click here to listen.

Examine Yourself

2010-01-30T22:37:00.011-06:00

Lord willing, I will try to start posting every Lord's Day a sermon--either an audio clip or an article--that I have heard recently that was particularly edifying. Entitled, "Examine Yourself," by Paul Washer (director of the HeartCry Missionary Society), this message helps one to determine, biblically, "Am I saved?" He uses the passages 1 Corinthians 13:5 and 1 John to make his case.

Click here for the audio file.
(Click here to download the mp3 to your computer.)

Windy the Pack Mule

2010-01-28T20:30:00.001-06:00

(No worries, the burden didn't stay on longer than about two minutes. The backpack kept sliding off.)

12

2010-01-27T22:10:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday, Jay-El! We love you!

Colorful Play

2010-01-25T23:58:00.000-06:00

Here's Kaleb's set-up. The firemen are hosing down tall buildings that were set ablaze by the arsonist clowns.

Sunset at Our Doorstep

2010-01-24T22:02:00.001-06:00

This stunning sunset was a gift from the Lord at the end of our day.

Sunday Afternoon Popcorn

2010-01-24T21:08:00.001-06:00

A Small Bit of Schoolwork

2010-01-22T23:52:00.000-06:00

Copywork

Geography

Scripture Cross Stitch Project

2010-01-22T23:18:00.001-06:00

Over the past couple of weeks I have been working toward trying to get more Scripture passages up around the house to adorn our walls. Seeing as how I have many such passages, and several of them are very long (Genesis 1:1-2:3, for example), I'm not sure yet how to create the different projects that will allow me to frame large blocks of text and have it look attractive. (Some ideas are bead work, and, much more complicated, handmade paper with hand printed words.)

However, some of the smaller verses can easily be cross stitched and framed. With that in mind, I headed up the creation of the verse patterns and the obtaining of the proper materials, and am outsourcing the actual cross stitching to Kelley Rose.

I realized that it would be very tedious and difficult for me to draw up each of the designs by hand on graph paper, so I ran a couple of quick searches on the internet and found this free program in particular.

Here is a screen capture of the program. Here's the link for the lettering.

The materials

Here Kelley Rose is getting ready to start on the project.

Stay tuned!

Music Review: Gods and Generals

2010-01-22T22:30:00.001-06:00

I first saw the film Gods and Generals when my father took me to the theater. I enjoyed the film as an experience, but it wouldn't be until 2005 when I truly understood and appreciated it.

While a review of the film is not the goal of the post, I believe I should say a word or two about it. In an age when almost any war film made within the last sixty years or so is rated R for violence, language, or content even worse, this film is surprisingly mild, despite its PG-13 rating. The film (which is based on the novel by Jeff Shaara) focuses heavily on General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson as a father, a general, and a spiritual leader. Unfortunately, for reasons of being "too religious" and "pro-Southern," the film did poorly at the box office, from what I understand. Being over three hours in duration didn't help its case, either. Reportedly, director Ron Maxwell strove to keep the violence in the film to a minimum, and I am grateful for his effort. The battle scenes are mild in their depiction of blood and violence, compared to other war films. The bad language is, comparatively, almost nonexistent. There are parts when the story could have been sped up, but overall, the film is well done. Here is a much more detailed review of the film as a whole, and here is a review on specifically the historicity of it.

The score is also well done. Composed by John Frizzell (the primary composer for this score, who previously wrote for mainly B-rated horror flicks) and Randy Edelman (the composer for this film's sequel, Gettysburg), the score for Gods and Generals is a beautiful collaboration of ethnicity and the conventional orchestra. I will briefly write about notable songs on the album, but for those interested in more detail, this review will be helpful.

"Gods and Generals," the first score cue on the CD, is a magnificent orchestral rendition of one of the several great themes in the score. My favorite part is the climax, about a minute into the track, where the entire orchestra plays the theme, complete with percussion and bells. (Bells can be very effective in music.)

The fifth cue, "Lexington Is My Home," is briskly paced, compared to the previous tracks on the disc. About one minute into the track, the two primary instruments, the piano and fiddle, join in a duet with the rest of the orchestra in the background. The result is very pretty and is one of my favorites.

"No Photographs" is the fifteenth track on the CD and is uncharacteristically fast and bouncy. Essentially, the main theme throughout the piece is the beginning of "My Heart Shall Not Fear", but played much more quickly. A pizzicato rhythm plays throughout the entire piece, giving it its light, joyful feel. I have included the track below--if it doesn't play after a minute or two, try again later. Sometimes the program seems to be slow.

"VMI Will Be Heard From Today" is a strangely dark piece of music. While I can understand the context of the film (the Confederates staging a surprise attack on the unsuspecting Federals and subsequently destroying them), the music as it stands alone is eery and, towards the end, chaotic. This music successfully creates the uneasy feeling of impending doom and the execution of the battle plans. I think this cue may possibly--but I do not have any proof for this hypothesis--hearken back to Frizzell's previous horror work.

"Let Us Cross Over The River" is the scene when General Jackson is in bed dying of pneumonia. A very contemplative, sorrowful song, but well done.

"The Soldier's Return" is the finishing touch to the score: it is both mournful and hopeful at the same time, I think. It serves well as an epilogue.

Overall, the score in all of its various flavors (except for the "VMI" track as noted above, and two songs at the beginning and end of the CD by Mary Fahl and Bob Dylan, respectively) is a wonderfully composed work which I highly recommend.

Uh... Oops.

2010-01-18T18:05:00.003-06:00

This is what happens when someone preheats the oven without first removing the bucket of scraps we collect for the chickens. (We store it out of sight during the day while it's being filled.)

Chicken Bucket Casserole

Making Sugar Cookies

2010-01-18T15:30:00.003-06:00

Texas Longhorn

2010-01-18T14:50:00.004-06:00

More Vent Fun

2010-01-17T16:00:00.003-06:00

Homey Happenings

2010-01-16T21:00:00.002-06:00

Jalena standing over the warm vent

Hamming it up and having fun watching her skirt inflate

A current family project

Working on bean soup ~
Don't forget to soak them overnight first!

Mom Learns to Make Oven Bread

2010-01-15T23:00:00.009-06:00

We've made our own 100% wheat bread for some time now, in an effort to save money. I say "we" meaning quite specifically Jay and the girls.

However, while they've all done a perfectly fine job following the recipe that was suggested to us, the end result was typically much too dense and, in all honesty, not as flavorful as we would have liked. Often the loaves would be doughy, also.

I set out to find a new recipe for whole wheat bread. I kept finding recipes that used part whole wheat and part all-purpose, but I wanted a bread that was 100% whole wheat. Once I added "100%" to my search for "whole wheat bread recipe", I found one right away.

Until now, I'd been somewhat detached from the breadmaking efforts, genuinely too busy with other homekeeping tasks, but now I was interested in pursuing it. It was a very good thing for me to come to this point -- after all, I'm the mother of this home and it was high time I learn how to do this!

Some of my ingredients

Katie's specialty is machine bread. She taught me how to use the mill and here she is helping me with the flour.

Kelley Rose's specialty has been the oven bread. She sweetly led me through the mixing process, while I did the actual steps.

Here's the bread rising.

Well knock me over with a feather. It worked!!

I coated the tops with butter like my dear grandmother used to do and we enjoyed it later with hot Corn Chowder. The bread was not doughy or too dense and it had a wonderful and satisfying flavor. (This isn't particularly to my credit, it was simply a better recipe.)

The recipe seems to be a winner. Once I make it several more times myself and get proficient at it, I do plan to delegate the job back to my lovely assistant, Kelley Rose, so I may continue focusing on some bigger-picture family goals. Meantime, it will be nice to know the Lord helped me acquire personal experience with this homekeeping responsibility.

Band of Brothers

2010-01-13T20:00:00.001-06:00

Little Gifts

2010-01-12T11:00:00.001-06:00

From Katie, a new pink scarf for Blessing

Now it's time to knit something special for Sunny.

Thank you, Katie!