Last Week...

Well, we got my grandfather moved from the nursing home he was at which was not providing the quality of care he needed as well as having to deal with behavioral issues of other residents with more advanced Alzheimer's.  He is at a smaller place with only 10-15 residents, so it is more like a home setting with a lot more one on one attention.  We felt so much more comfortable there!  The move was on Friday.  I went by and saw Gaga on Thursday after my cleaning job and packed up as much of his things as possible with the help of their head housekeeper.  I then headed home, and Mommy, Daddy, and I went to the new place to decorate his room and get his clothes all in place.  We wanted it to be homey when he got there.  He has done great at settling in so far.  Appreciated continued prayers that all goes well.

We had our Shabbat gathering today, and the fellowship was so sweet!  We enjoyed a great midrash and yummy food too. 

Plus we've been getting a superb response to Purify 2013 - Retreat for Hebrew Roots Singles.  I'm so excited about it!  The question is going to be will we max out our space with the all the response we're getting?!?!  So if you want to come, sign up now to insure your spot!

Well, I'm heading to bed...  Laila Tov to all!

Being a Daddy's Girl

When we say the phrase “Daddy’s girl”, we often think of a young daughter who is close to her father and beloved by father.  I do however believe there is a deeper meaning and concept that we need to draw out of this.

First of all, What is a Daddy’s Girl?

·         A Child who is innocent and carefree.

·         She fully trusts her father to provide for and protect her.

·         She delights in his presence.

·         She knows she is chosen.

Does this concept sound familiar to you in another relationship?  If you said our relationship with Yahweh, our Heavenly Father, then you spoke rightly!

A healthy earthly Father and Daughter relationship is meant to mirror our Heavenly Father and Daughter relationship.  It should also prepare us for a healthy marriage.  Why?  Let’s look at the four areas I mentioned above in more detail.

1.  Innocent and Carefree – we are to be free of evil and sin.  This is represented by the clean and pure innocence of a young child.  The carefreeness comes about as a result of our full trust in our Father to provide for us.  Which directly relates to point number two.

2. She fully trusts her father to provide for and protect her.  A young child with a Healthy Father and Daughter relationship does not worry about where her next meal is going to come from.  She does not worry about her clothing or that mean person.  Her daddy will take care of that!  She has this complete trust and dependence upon her Daddy.

3.  She delights in his presence.  This relationship is reflected by how she lights up when her Daddy enters into the room.  She is totally enthralled by his presence in the room.  He is the center of her world.  Daddy can make anything brighter!

4. She knows she is chosen.  She is her Daddy’s daughter.  No one else can have that position.  It was a position she was born to and chosen for.  It is something that can never go away, so she is very secure in her position as her Daddy’s daughter.

If a woman has this as her basis of life, it builds a strong foundation for life.  She has the building blocks in place for a wonderful deep relationship with the Messiah as well as a foundation for a healthy marriage.  Relating each of these concepts from the Daddy Daughter relationship to marriage, you see that the Innocence and Purity represents how she has kept herself for her marriage both physically and emotionally.  She is carefree as she has not had to worry about her future as a daughter of her father and her Heavenly King, why should she start now?  She trusts her father now her husband to provide for and protect her.  She delights in his presence which would include honoring and respecting him and knows she is chosen by her beloved husband.  

Can you see how important the Daddy Daughter relationship is to the health of our future?  What God intended for our early years translates into a healthy and wonderful future.  I can truly say I have been blessed by a wonderful Daddy who has fulfilled and provided a fabulous Daddy Daughter relationship. 

Hurricane Sandy and More...

Well, Hurricane Sandy has come to visit.  Thankfully being in Ohio, we were not in the coastal area which got so hard hit.  We had about 200,000 up near the Great Lake lose power, but only about 5,000 in the Columbus area.  So far, we still have power - Praise Yahweh!  None of the animals have wanted to go outside today as it has been this awful mix of rain, snow, and sleet with high winds.  We have enjoyed being inside by the woodstove which we fired up for the first time this morning.  And some hot tea too! 

This past weekend, my parents got to get away for the first time just as couple in a long time.  I hope it was a refreshing time for them...  With me being an only child and us being a close family, we mostly do things as a family, but this was good for them.  I stayed home, and my friend, Nicole, came and spent the weekend with me.  We enjoyed relaxing, talking, watching a couple of movies (Flywheel by Sherwood Baptist Church and Sense and Sensability a Jane Austin movie).  We even went out for pizza after Shabbat!  That was a fun treat. Our neighbor down the road milked the cow for us as I haven't been really involved in the care of the cow ever since I got gored by our steer 2 years ago.  That steer is in the freezor; however, I just haven't gotten back in the routine of going out and helping.  We had a good weekend, and everyone was refreshed.  :) 

Then, this week so far, I've been getting all my schoolwork done on schedule which makes me a happy camper!  As well as other items on my to do list.  Well, I will close now and finish up the last few things before enjoying some family time tonight. 

Update on the farm, bakery, family, congregation etc...

Well, I guess it is time for an update on the farm, bakery, family, congregation...

The farm is doing well.  We have our two cows, a calf, chickens, and even a hen setting on her eggs, so we are hoping for baby chicks in a few weeks!  We also have two many kittens...that we need to find homes for.  We've been working to get our girl kitties fixed; however, we have a neighbor who has an unfixed male...so that doesn't help matters!  Daddy's bees are doing well...even though we lost part of a hive to wax moths.  The whole hived died out, but part of the bees moved in with another hive to make it stronger.  The two remaining hives are doing well, so that is good news. 

Our family bakery has been BUSY this summer.  We were working 16 hour days most of the summer with only Shabbat off.  It is nice to be slowing down now.  I did make a website for our bakery which you can check out at www.bakery.restorahtionfarm.com.  I guarantee you will be drooling!  You might even place an order.  :)

My family is doing well.  Daddy has been busy with architectural work plus the bakery and farm.  Momma has been too.  All the changes with Gaga (my grandfather) were hard on her, but she's done well.  Now, just to get her eye pressure under control.  Her eye pressure has been and is incredibly high and causing her extreme pain today. We went to the eye doctor, but the eye drops the doctor gave Momma aren't helping. My dad went to the pharmacy right before Shabbat for the only other medication which might help, but I know prayer works...so please pray for a miraculous lowering of her eye pressure!  That is our main family concern....

Our congregation is doing well.  We grow and change in numbers, but our core group stays steady.  We are busy preparing for our gatherings on Yom Teruah (Feast of Shofars often incorrectly called Feast of Trumpets) and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles).  I'm really excited about both!  They are always special times.  

Well, I will close now and wish everyone Shabbat Shalom!

Catching Up

Wow!  It has been way too long since I have posted on here.  I am planning to do my best to get back to blogging twice a week from here on out...but sometimes life just happens!

First of all, thank you to those who took the time to read my article that I wrote for Money Help for Christians last month.  It was part of the Money Help for Christians Writers Challenge.  Depending on how many Facebook shares, Tweets, and Google+ shares my article received determined my placement in the final standings.  And I'm very excited to say that with your help, I won the contest!  Thank you all so much.  If you did not get a chance to read the article, please click here to read it.

Our family hosted our congregation's Shavuot Weekend Gathering with Brad Scott as our guest speaker.  We had about 50 people in attendance for the weekend, and everyone had a fabulous time.  The food was delicious, the teaching was loaded with truth, and the fellowship was sweet.  I just posted a memory video to YouTube.  You can watch it by clicking here.  I've also posted pictures which you can see by clicking here.

My family is staying busy with our home based bakery as well as the family farm.  My mom has been struggling with high eye pressure which when it is high is causing quite a bit of discomfort.  Please keep her in your prayers.  We appreciate it!  Also, we had a calf (Midrash) born on the farm about a month ago to Maggie, our cow.  You can see a picture of him by clicking here.   And we even slipped in time to take in a Paul Wilbur concert.  You can see picture by clicking here. 

I was recently interviewed for Walkabout - Interviews with Members of the Messianic Family, an internet radio show.  I was able to talk about quite a variety of topics including Biblical Finances, my ministry, our family farm, my trip to Israel, and the Messianic Youth Camp that I serve at every summer.  You can hear the interview by clicking here.  Due to a technical error, the first few minutes of the hour long interview were lost.  That was the part where I talked about the importance of finances from a Biblical perspective, being debt free, and having a spending plan.  The live audience did here this portion; it's just not on the recording.  The host, Susan invited me back (probably late Fall time frame) to talk more about finances.

Next month, I will be going out to Oklahoma and again serving at Camp Yeshua, the largest Messianic Youth Camp in the US.  This is always a treat and blessing to me personally as well as encouraging to see the impact made in the next generation's life.

I had the privilege of recently interviewing Brad Scott of Wildbranch Ministries at my congregations recent Shavuot (Pentecost) gathering. His words of insight into the Hebrew Language, walking the Torah walk, and training up the next generation makes this a definite do not miss! Plus he coins a new term just for my interview.  Please check it out by clicking here.

Well, I will close now and blog again soon!  It's good to be back!

Fun and More Fun...

Well, these past few days have been busy yet fun.  We enjoyed baking as a family on Wednesday.  I especially enjoyed making the Challah bread which is my specialty.  :)  Then on Thursday, I went with my Dad to help him with his bread class at the LEI Institute on the OSU Marion Campus.  He did a fabulous job teaching and got rave reviews on his class.  We also sold really well on our baked goods including selling out of my Challah!

Then that night and Friday, we got the house cleaned, errands run, etc in preparation for Shabbat.  Shabbat was very relaxing.  We enjoyed listening to Bill Cloud speak at Monte's Erve Shabbat Service on Friday night.  Then on Shabbat, we listened to a couple of messages by Brad Scott who will be speaking at our congregation for Shavuot.  We also got a family walk in too!  It was a good and refreshing day.  

On Sunday, the young people of our congregation went bowling! Nicole, Joseph, and I had a lot of fun.  Joseph royally beat us girls even though we did our best to give him a run for his money.  I figured out that I had not been bowling in about 10 years, and it was so good to be back in the "game."  :)  We ate supper at the cafe there.  Their taco salad was as amazing as a remembered which was the best taco salad I have ever eaten!  Then we bowled one more game (our third game) and headed to the ice cream parlor for desert!  :)  Nicole was able to come home with me and spend the night.  We enjoyed the girl time.  We are very close...like sisters...and had not been able to spend quality time together with our schedules in the last few weeks...so we were more than ready for it!

Sunday and Monday, I caught up on things around the house which made me feel good.  Then on Tuesday, I had my house cleaning job which went well.  I ran by the library on my way home, got a shower, and then went grocery shopping with Momma!  We went up to see Gaga after supper.  He had pneumonia right now; however, since he has been back on his antibiotic, he has been doing so much better.  With him being 87, we are always very concerned when he gets sick and have to be very proactive in making sure he is taken care of.

Today, I met one of my board members for lunch, and we brainstormed for the ministry as well as worked on where do I want to focus on.  That was very helpful.  I came home for some other pending work items...then I've been working on my book.  Now, I'm heading off to go gather the kitties and go for a walk with my mom! 

What a week this has been so far. I've tried to put a whole week into 3 days!!! One of my best friends (Ellie) who lives in Wisconsin will be arriving in just a couple of hours and spending the next 5 days with my family. Her 5 younger siblings are coming as well, so I know we'll have a lot of fun together. This also means our family will go from 3 people to 9 people!

I have had a lot of fun on Sunday and Monday helping Daddy get his bee hives painted and ready for his bees which arrive on Friday. This will be his first year keeping bees, and we are all excited about that and being able to produce our own honey. It has been fun helping him get them all set up. I've even helped build the frames for the bees to build their honeycomb on.

Sunday evening I mowed the yard which was the first time I've done it in the past couple of years. When we first moved out here, I did all the mowing. We then realized that my back was getting aggravated with all the mowing due to the type of damage I had done about 8 years ago when I fell on the ice...so I had to stop and give it time to heal properly. It is now totally manageable, so I was glad to be back mowing! (For those of you who are wondering...I fell on the ice 8 years ago when we were building our house. We did not realize the extent of damage done until 2 years later I developed headaches and an occasional migraine. A friend recommended a chiropractor. I started doing that and between that and massage therapy, I rarely have any trouble. The key for me is to be physically active and not just work at the computer all day! It is amazing how Yahweh provides us with natural healing methods.)

This past week, we got to have some really good friends over for lunch, and we had a great time fellowshipping that afternoon. Besides that, I had two days of cleaning jobs, and we celebrated the last day of Unleavened Bread. Since that fell on Friday, it meant we had two Shabbats back to back - the High Holy Day and then the weekly Shabbat.

Well, I had better go now. We're going to get an Angel Food Cake on, then I've got to run over to the Township Hall for the Zoning Board Meeting which I'm on, and then Ellie and her siblings should be here!

Passover 2012

We had an amazing Passover. So beyond words! You could truly sense the spirit of Yahweh there. Our family has been busy preparing for the past two or so weeks. We had a four page to do list which kept us quite busy...shopping, ordering the lamb, finding the various supplies, coordinating, etc.

Friday morning dawned a bright and clear day - a day perfect for us! Aunt Daria and her grandchildren (Matthew and Ashley) came over about lunch time. Momma and Aunt Daria worked on the Matzah ball soup. The children and I finished gathering everything we needed. We had told anyone who wanted to come help to come from 2pm on. So by about 3pm, we had three super helperes in Richard, Paul, and Tamara. They, Matthew, Ashley, and I headed to the hall to set up the tables, decorate, and get all the Seder elements all put out. We were joined by Glenn at the hall...and soon after, Joseph got there. That gave us plenty of guys to move th heavy wooden tables and many chairs to get it set up as we liked it for Passover. We would be having 32 people for theSeder.

More and more of the congregation continued to join us and help us get setup. The many hands made work light! We were fully set up and just doing the final little things and fellowshipping after just 1 hour and 45 minutes. Daddy was at home grilling the lamb which was once again so tender and flavorful! All of the food was very good - lamb, matzah ball soup, lentils, beans tomatoes and rice, fruit salad, veggie tray, salad, coleslaw, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, cheesecake, coconut macaroons, fruit punch, plus all the Seder yummies like Charoset! I could hardly sleep that night for being full!

Daddy lead the Seder. To was his first year doing so. He had been the reader the past town years which was excellent preparation for him. He did a fabulous job. He was well prepared, and you could tell so. He was also very relaxed.

Then Gary who is part of our congregation was the reader as well as taught the meaning of some of the key words using Paleo Hebrew. That was very fascinating. The entire Seder went very smoothly. Ashley found the Afikomen for us, so we were able to complete the Seder! :)

I have put up on my Facebook some of the photos and set it up where you too can see the pictures. To do so, click here. I will close now and wish you a wonderful Feast of Unleavened Bread.

When's Shabbat???

Well, today is Wednesday which means Shabbat is only 2 days away, and I can't wait. I truly love my weekly time with the Creator worshiping Him and learning more about Him. I am reading through the Bible on a yearly plan, and it is my first time reading through the whole Bible in my Complete Jewish Scriptures version. (I've read through the Bible before, just not this version.) And I have to say that the Scriptures are coming more and more alive for me. Just this week as I'm reading in Exodus as I was reading the account of the Red Sea Crossing, it truly dawned on me that Yahweh had told the children of Israel, I'm going to have you go camp at this location, the Pharaoh of Egypt is going to come and chase you, but I'm going to show myself even stronger than I did in Egypt. Then when the Pharaoh comes chasing them, they start complaining. I had always thought it was a fear reaction, but in reality it was a lack of faith! Yahweh had already told them what He was going to do and how He was going to show Himself even stronger than in Egypt! Wow did that really strike me!

I'm also really enjoying working on Commandment Keepers for Richard Rives. If you have not been there, please check it out. We've got a weekly Torah Commentary on there now too thanks to Mike Clayton! As well as videos, poems, and articles! Something for everyone. Watch it each day as we post 2 new articles every day.

I've also updated my family's webstore and expanded it. We've got a new series of workbooks done by my dad, Terry Boutet, on Discovering Your Freedom in Yeshua HaMosiach. Also, we've added 100% pure essential oils at a very reasonable price - Lavender, Lemon, Peppermint, and 4 Thieves are just some of them!

And in the evenings, my family has been enjoying reading together or watching a teaching video near our warm wood stove. I've also been enjoying getting back to Scrapbooking. Right now, I'm finally doing my trip to Israel from November 2010! :)

Sukkot was Amazing...Sukkot was Amazing...Sukkot was Amazing!!!!

Sukkot was absolutely amazing! I've been to 4 Sukkots including this year, and this one was the best of them all. It began by friends of ours coming up from Georgia on Tuesday. It was nice to be able to spend time with them. Then on Wednesday, Daria who is like an aunt to me came.

Thursday was when it all really began. We were busy getting the Turkey cooked for our Thanksgiving dinner which was our traditional opening meal. Then Daddy went to pick Richard Rives (our speaker) up from the airport. We really enjoyed having Richard here. He is a quiet and humble man with a huge heart for serving YHVH. You can check out his work at www.toolong.com.

We got all the food cooked and ready...then we all headed over to the Township Hall which we had set up earlier in the day. We fed 28 people at supper. Then we had a community wide event with Richard speaking on Biblical Archeology and the Biblical Covenant. We had 46 people in attendance for that. Jacob (who is 16 and my younger "brother") was there with his family. They had been planning to Sukkot with us; however, due to some health issues, they weren't going to be able to. Jacob and I were both very disappointed. We were washing dishes and discussing that. He told me, "I tried to talk my mom into letting me come up and camp that week, but she wasn't sure about me inviting myself." I told him, "I talked to my mom about you coming up for the week, but she wasn't sure how comfortable your mom would be about that." So we went to his parents together, and by the end of the night, it was planned that they would come up on Monday as a family and leave Jacob to stay until Thursday! Then we would later get it extended to Friday...then Shabbat. It was wonderful having him here. We had so much fun!

Anyway back to the chronology. Richard spoke on Friday and Saturday sharing about his archeology digs including finding Noah's Ark! He also explained the pagan origins of much of mainstream Christianity and how we need to return to the Truth of the Scriptures. It was very good! Plus I'll be working with Richard on a project called Commandment Keepers. More will be coming about that soon. Daddy took Richard back to the airport early Sunday morning for him to be able to return home, get his family, and head to speak at 3 more Sukkots!


Sunday was a relaxing more laid back day as we were all tired out after the busy weekend. We also lost our weekend folks and were down to our core group which was 14 of us. We had over doubled our core group from last year's Sukkot as well as tripled our weekend group. My chiropractor came and spoke on Living Well for the First 100 Years that afternoon.

Then on Monday morning, our toilet got stopped up. When Daddy went to plunge it, Daria saw water coming out of our laundry room. It was backing up our emergency drain in there. We called the plumber who told us what to check to determine if it was a plumbing line issue or a septic tank issue. It turned out to be the septic tank was full, so we needed to have it pumped. We called the company that our regular plumber recommended. We explained that we were hosting Sukkot with a house full of people, and they came in 1 hour to pump us out! So we were barely without a bathroom. Plus everyone pitched in to help us get cleaned up. It made a large job very manageable.

That afternoon, Mike taught a class on Introduction to Essential Oils. Jacob's family got here soon after lunch and joined us for the class. Then that night, we enjoyed being out around the campfire and fellowshipping. I also taught my first ever Davidic Dance Class. It went really well, and I was very pleased. I taught Old Friend and Dance with Me in this class after explaining the basic steps. Later in the week, Jacob and I would learn how to do the couples version of Dance with Me in order to show and explain to the dance class. It was nice to have my brother do it with me, and we got it down really quick. I'd have to say that is one of my crowning dance achievements. :)


Tuesday, Mike led the morning and afternoon sessions. Then he and Elaine (who are from GA) had to head on towards home due to them moving the end of this month. That evening, Daddy led the midrash on Nehemiah's Wall, and we watched Facing the Giants. Wednesday, Paul led our morning and evening midrashes. We did dance class that afternoon as we had been doing it each afternoon. Thursday morning, we had our breakfast brunch of eggs, hash browns, pancakes, fruit, turkey bacon, and cinnamon rolls. Boy was I full after that. Then Paul and Tamara had to head on home. They have animals and were only able to get animal care through that day. We did an evening midrash. Then we got down to my family, Daria, Jacob, and Joseph. Jacob's family would be coming on Shabbat...so we enjoyed just being "family." Daria also went and got her grandkids to come out and visit. Ashley and Matthew seemed to really take to Jacob and I. We got to be the "big sister and brother" to them. I really enjoyed them! Friday afternoon, Daddy led a midrash on "Are you sitting on your trunk - A Study of Rachel?" which was very good. Then Shabbat evening, Joseph headed for home. And after that Jacob and his family left. I was really sad by now. It was too quiet in the house! Daria and her grandkids stayed a bit longer and left Sunday after lunch. Then it was back to us. That was nice yet sad at the same time.

Now, I've begun the countdown to the next Shabbat Gathering, planning a youth/young adult outing, Passover, Shavuot, Camp Yeshua, and next Sukkot!!! :)

You can see pictures at http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2354569377588.130923.1050784025&type=1&l=8c13a693d3.

I Have the World's Best Daddy!

My daddy took me out to Dinner on Sunday at Applebee's, so we could have special Daddy Daughter Time. We call it our "date time." We left right after 11am and were gone until about 1:30pm. That was a wonderful time of just talking and laughing together. We got the special which was 1 appetizer and 2 entrees. For our appetizer, we got Honey BBQ Wings which were the best wings I've ever had. Then we both got the steak with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. It was a good meal, but the company made the food pale in comparison. My daddy has so much love for me.

You know someday I want to marry, but as a good friend put, "Jocelin, there aren't many men out there like your dad, so I don't know if you will find one like him." Well, Yahweh, I'm holding out for the "younger version of my Daddy!"

Eggville!

Eggs on the farm are fun - check out this family of eggs. The one in the middle is a normal size egg. The one on the left is our smallest ever egg at 15 grams. The one on the right is our biggest one yet at 130 grams. It's fun to see what Daddy brings in from the chickens each day!

A Special Daddy!

I have a very special Daddy! I haven't been faithful these past couple of weeks about blogging on here due to family medical issues. Between my grandma, my adopted "Uncle Mark," and my grandpa, we have spent 3 nights in the ER in the last 9 weeks.

Well, yesterday, Mommy and I were coming home from being with Nana and getting her to eat. We walked in and Daddy has these beautiful mousse cups ready and waiting for us! They not only looked beautiful, but they tasted super too! And the thought that went into them was so special. :) I have the world's bestest Daddy...and sorry folks, he's already taken!