Month: July 2016

Not Teaching, Teaches.

by ladypbwiggins

When you teach nothing you have taught!

Patrica B. Wiggins 2016

How do our children learn what is important? How do they learn the value of human life? How do they learn values? How do they learn who they are? How do they learn to learn?

If the parent does not teach them in the first three years of their lives, they will learn from whatever social stimuli they experience. They will except it as truth because the parent didn’t teach them anything else. So when we teach nothing, we basically tell them everything else is okay. Their values are not yours. Human life is reduced to less than a pet’s. How do they know what is important and how do they learn boundaries? When you teach nothing you teach they have not value. Their lives are not important.

Who am I? If you don’t teach me, I won’t learn about my family. I won’t learn my ancestral heritage. What is my anchor? “They say”, the neighbors, the street say who my family is. Most times they dwell on the negative and that’ s all I know. If you don’t teach me, I will be who “they say” and let them imprison me with negativism and lies.

It is reported that by age 3 the child’s brain is developed and character is formed. He/she is who they are going to be. Waiting until they are preschool age to begin teaching academic and social foundation is about 4 years wasted. The foundations should begin being laid at conception. Babies can hear as their auditory system begins to develop so read to them, talk to them, explain things to them, play a variety of music. That is true head start. Now that the process has begun, an alert little person will join us. This is not the time to stop communicating.Speak to the child the way you want him/her to speak? Expose them to books, and musical instruments. Endure the bang.

Teach me, who I am. Teach me my family values. Teach me my history. Teach me to value myself and others. Teach me that I am capable of learning and being creative. Teach me to read by reading to me. Teach me how to learn. Ask me things that cause me to think and ask Why? It’s not only the teacher’s job. It is first yours and then theirs. If you teach me they will do a better job.

Teach me, please.

Don’t let me learn the wrong things because you didn’t teach me.

The Kingdom is At Hand?

by ladypbwiggins

For a long time  some terms used in the Bible puzzled me. This is one of them. From a Christian perspective I knew or thought it was referring to the presence of Jesus the Christ but John the Baptist was not a Christian. Christ wasn’t even a Christian. They were both of Hebrew birth, Jews. They both went to synagogue, read  or heard the scrolls read, learned the Torah and the Prophets. So what did this term mean to them? I have read some theologians thoughts that they were referring to Daniel’s prophecy regarding the kingdom that was eternal that would destroy all human kingdoms. I can imagine in light of Roman oppression this would be, certainly be something the Jewish nation would be looking forward to.

I did  a word study, of course, and this is my understanding of the phrase. The reign or rules of God is here. You would think that would not be necessary to say to a group of people whose very national existence is based on the rules of God. Apparently something was missing. Just like many of us today, we know the rules of our beliefs but we do not apply the rules in our daily lives. We pick and choose what we want to obey and then get mad at God when we don’t get what we want or things don’t work out as we planned. So it seems, Y’shua came to teach how to truly live the rules so that God rules. If this were not so, would John have preached, Repent or Reform? Would Yshua have said Repent or Reform? Some things needed to change.

This declaration simply states for me that God is in charge and if we claim to be His, then His rules need to be lived daily. Yshua the Living Word of God showed the difference between what the Pharisees and Priest taught and lived and what God intended.

So change your way of thinking (Repent) for the rule of God is here.

Here, right now.

Live accordingly.

Necessity Brings Joy

by ladypbwiggins

So now what is that crazy woman talking about? Necessity brings joy. Sometimes when you have a need, the satisfying of that need brings greater joy than you expected.

Here’s the deal, Saturday, I ran out of almond milk. I had no cash. I didn’t want to u20160716_132308 (2)se a credit card for a gallon of milk. I looked around the pantry and saw that I had some cashews. I had been meaning to try making cashew milk. This seemed like the perfect time. It is simple. Put the cashews and water in a blender and let it rip. In minutes, there was milk.

I looked in  my vegan cookbook to get an idea of the ratio of cashews to water for a reasonable milk consistency. It was 2/3 cup of whole cashews to 4 cups of milk. That seemed like a lot of water for so few cashews so I increased it to a full cup of cashews. To my surprise I stumbled upon cashew cream. I did some research on the uses for cashew cream and discovered I had solved another dilemma I was facing. This cashew cream provides the creaminess and consistency I needed for both these projects.I wanted to make vegan ice cream without making a sugary syrup for a sorbet. This will be my substitute. I also needed a sour cream impostor to try in a new cornbread recipe I found. I will try adding vinegar to the cream to sour it. I’ll let you know the outcome.

Back to the milk. I used the ratio suggested by the experienced vegan and was rewarded with a good tasting cashew milk. There are no preservatives, no sweetener, no added anything. Two and two/thirds cup of cashews will make a gallon of milk.  What makes this most appealing is no added cost for  cream.

For you who like a little coffee in your cream, this is a healthy, tasteful preferred choice to the coffee creamers you buy in the store. I don’t usually add cream to my coffee but I tried a little. It was very good and flavorful.

So the necessity for almond milk provided the joy of cashew milk and cream. It was a good day.

 

Night Person Shifting

by ladypbwiggins

I have just read SimpleLivingOver50’s post “The Morning Person“.All my life I have been the night person. I did my best work after everyone else went to bed. I cleaned my house. Washed my clothes. Paid my bills and enjoyed precious moments of peace and quiet. The world was sleeping. I had my most creative moments around 2 A.M. It seemed the juices began to flow and I found solutions for problems, made the best and most efficient plans , did some creative writing, and sewing. Then something happened. Was it because I crossed that 50’s boundary?

Now I awaken, lately, about 4:30 A.M. All of the things I enjoyed at night have shifted to morning. I resisted at first but now I am accepting it and learning to enjoy it. Maybe my creative juices will begin to flow at 4:30 while it is still dark and the world is still sleeping and before the sunrise interruptions begin. Those interruptions, birds singing and such, are enjoyable but they are sometimes overshadowed by the awakening of mankind to a new day.

Am I becoming “The Morning Person?”

Did God Condone Slavery?

by ladypbwiggins
Context determines the understanding of so everything. The other day I was told the Bible condoned slavery. Several scriptures were cited on which this understanding was based. At that moment I knew it didn’t but I couldn’t speak to those specific scriptures. I also knew that those scriptures were used to justify slavery in the name of Christianity in this country. I told her to consider until I could better discuss this that “I believe everything in the Bible is true but not everything is God’s truth.” I meant I believed it was a true accounting but not reflective of God’s principles, intent, or standards.

God’s principles are the truths “that serve as the foundation for His system of belief or behavior or for His chain of reasoning.”

So I went back to those scriptures to read ithem in context.  Then I went to an Orthodox  Jewish website to get the Judaic perspective. Sometimes we lay our Western perspective on the statements made or things done by other cultures. This usually leads to a misunderstanding and fallacious arguments. This is the site if you would like to read it for yourself. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/slavery.html

How is the word slave defined? The word slave is translated from the word Hebrew eved and that means worker or servant.

Leviticus addressed several categories of slavery. The one that pertains to non-Hebrew servants are called aliens. So what is the status of non-Hebrew slaves (servants). (If you go to this website there are a few Biblical reference that you may be unfamiliar with. These books carry different names in the English Bible but the content is unchanged.)

  1. Member of the household and share in the household benefits.
  2. Property of master forever unless the person is redeemed or freedom is bought
  3. Must adhere to Mosaic law
  4. May purchase property of their own
  5. May inherit the master’s estate
  6. Can purchase own self’s freedom
  7. Killing of a slave is punishable in the same way killing a freeman would be punished even if the master kills him.
  8. Master may not rule ruthlessly over slaves
  9. Master shall not mistreat them; shall not wound them 
  10. The workload should never exceed physical strength
  11. A fugitive slave must not be returned to his master
  12. No one can be kidnapped and sold into slavery. That’s a capital offense.

There were consequences to the master who violated these rules.

As you read this list I hope you see that the practice of slavery as we know it and as we observe it in other cultures was not the intent of God. He specifically set forth guidelines that with the exception of being owned for whatever reason, the person was not to be mistreated and is cared for by the master as other family members are treated. One of the Hebrew theologians even said that slavery was not God’s plan because we were created in His image and He would not desire to enslave His ultimate creation. My paraphrase.

As you might expect, there were periods where even the Hebrews wanted to behave like the other nations but that was eventually stopped and slavery became basically extinct in that culture.

So the question is why was slavery even allowed?

God knew Israel would eventually forget that they had been slaves and treated terribly at the hands of the Egyptians. Therefore, He gave them rules that would remind them of that experience. I believe God basically said, “If you are going to participate in this, this is the responsibility you have for caring for this person.”

So I can say emphatically, “No,  God does not condone slavery.”

This is a man made construct born out of the evil hearts of mankind.

 

 

 

 

Sorghum – What Is It?

by ladypbwiggins

When i was a little girl, I loved to visit my great-grandparents in the country. That is what city folks called the very rural areas. I especially loved Sunday morning breakfast. My great-grandmother, Momma Lula, served “from scratch” biscuits, homemade butter, eggs from her hen house and some kind of meat. Now, the meat was either bacon or sausage that my great-grandfather’s friends had smoked and seasoned from their slaughter season or chicken from Momma Lula’s yard. Yeah, the raised them for meat and eggs. But the days that were the best was when Daddy Bush went to get the sorghum syrup from another farmer.  He had to walk a mile both ways to get the syrup. That was good eating with those hot biscuits. I never knew sorghum could also come in the form of flour.

I ran across a recipe for waffles using gluten free flour and I decided to substitute sorghum flour for the one listed. I also changed the milk to almond milk and the vegetable oil to coconut oil. The outcome was quite pleasing and they weren’t green.

Recipe

2 eggs    1 3/4 c almond milk     1/4 c coconut oil     2/3 c sorghum flour

2 Tbs Agave Nectar         4 tsps baking powder          1/3 c potato starch

1 3/4 tsp xanthum gum      1 tsp salt20160716_103545

Mix it all up and put in the waffle maker. In the picture you will see so
me waffles are darker than others. That’s because the darker ones were cooked at a higher setting. They were crisper. So set your waffle maker to the crispness you desire.

About Sorghum

It was probably used as flour before syrup. This ancient grain as it is being described was widely used in Africa and Australia. It has many health benefits. It has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant properties. It is high in fiber, B-vitamins and protein. According to the World Grain Council it is the 5th most important flour in the world and the 3rd in the USA. So for what was it used in the USA? Animal feed and fuel. Once again we treat our animals better than ourselves. It seems only those with wheat allergies or gluten sensitivities were aware of this flour and its nutritional benefits. I also like the fact that it is non-GMO. Being gluten-free is another plus. Diabetics, cancer patients and cardiac patients may benefit from the eating of sorghum flour. Caution, like any other grain, don’t over indulge. Even with all of its nutritional benefits some people cannot tolerate it.

It is suggested that it be used in combination with other gluten free flours, such as potato or in recipes where a small amount of flour is used because it does not have a good rising ability. Flatbreads here I come.

I am going to try some other recipes I have found that use sorghum flour. I am not quite ready to give up bread completely, so healthier alternatives are definitely on my radar. If you have any other suggestions, please share.

You Talking About Me?

by ladypbwiggins

It is believed Malachi prophesied after the exiled Israelites had returned home and the wall  and the Temple had been rebuilt. Sacrifices had been resumed. They seemed secure but were still under Persian dominance. The people had become disillusioned because some of the prophecies of wealth and independence had not been fulfilled. The prevailing thought was “God did not love them so why serve Him?” The priests who were responsible for the spiritual well-being of the people were now corrupt. They did not teach the people the laws of God. They did not insist that the people obey the laws of God. The sacrifices to God had become less than their best and had become just something to do to say we observed the ritual, but did nothing to reverence God. Why sacrifice if what you are sacrificing is defective or of poor quality?. And they stopped tithing.

As I read about these conditions, I felt Malachi could have been talking directly to us. Many of us are disillusioned and don’t believe God loves us. We don’t see His promises being fulfilled in our lives or so we think. Church is just something to do to check off the box.Oh and what beautiful buildings they are.  Many of us who say we believe don’t really reverence God. We don’t give Him our best. We give Him inferior sacrifices and complain about tithing. We, too, have corrupt priests, preachers, pastors. They don’t teach God’s laws or guide us to righteousness. They teach “getting all you can and give it to me.”

Here is the LORD of Host’s answer through Malachi to Israel and to Us.

I do love you. You are still here. I haven’t destroyed you.

To the priests, et al. I am not pleased with you. You bring me defective offerings and I will not accept them.

Paraphrase: You despised my name among the nations. You profaned the offering.You gave to me less than your best and I won’t accept it.

I am a great King.

My name (my position, authority and character) will be reverenced.

 

 

When Enough is Enough

by ladypbwiggins

God’s Grace is not a new thing. From the very beginning, Yahwe has shown grace to mankind. When Adam sinned, He could have let him stay in the garden, eat from the tree of life, and live in separation from God forever. Can you imagine being spiritually or emotionally separated from someone you’ve enjoyed a peaceful, loving, fulfilling relationship with, but still in their presence, forever? Grace and love placed him in a position to be potentially forgiven and potentially having a restored relationship with his Creator.

When mankind decided to build a staircase to heaven, Yahwe could have wiped them out but when He decided enough was enough, He confused the languages instead.

The prophesy of Malachi tells the priests of Israel that God is not pleased with them. He gives them a warning of what would happen if they did not change their behavior. Essentially, when He had enough, He would send His messenger to alert them to His coming and His judgment. Grace.

When John the Baptizer and Y’shua came on the scene, grace abounded. Have you every wondered what specific sins might have been committed by the people that John so passionately cried out for the need for repentance? Have you ever wondered why Y’shua was so hard on the religious leaders? Everything enumerated in Malachi was being done in Israel at that time. Was it the first time? No. Why now? God decided He had Enough. When it is enough warning comes and then the judgement.

Grace gave the religious leaders three and a half years to change their way of thinking and their behavior. When enough was enough, Y’shua was crucified and then resurrected; the judgment.

So what was Israel doing that required Malachi’s warning? Stay tuned.

My Heart Hurts

by ladypbwiggins

My heart hurts. I went to bed last night hurt and angry about the continued killings of black men. I watched the videos to make my own assessment and I found no justification for shooting Alton Sterling multiple times in the chest. He was already subdued. Philando Castile did not appear to pose a threat, yet he was shot with his child in the back seat. I felt like I was back in the Jim Crow south where lynchings could happen just because …. Then there was the white kid lying on the ground and then was shot. Why?

I awaken this morning to the information that a peaceful protest turned violent because someone decided to take their anger out by shooting several policemen. There was no reason for that anymore than there was for shooting those men.

America what are we becoming? We might as well be in Afghanistan or Syria. We worry about ISIS but it is us who are destroying this country. We are terrorizing ourselves. If they just wait a little while we will self destruct and they won’t have to do anything. We cannot continue like this.

Ignorance opens the door for Fear. Fear makes it easy to Hate. Hatred breeds Hatred.

Let’s try reasoning with each other.

Let’s try understanding each other.

Let’s try not repeating the negative past.

Let’s try living out what we say we believe as a nation.

Let’s admit we have a systemic problem. The rest of the world already knows it.

Let’s try loving each other even when we disagree.

Let’s stop killing each other.

My heart hurts for us.

 

Involuntary Muscle Moments

by ladypbwiggins

Have you ever experienced an involuntary muscle moment? What is that? We have muscles that function continually without us giving them any thought. In fact we take them for granted. We expect our brain, heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, and kidneys to function. We freak out when they don’t.

I have been going through my daily activities at an almost primal instinct level.  Just what’s necessary for us to survive. My creative thoughts have been scattered and unclear. My desire to experiment in my lab (kitchen) has been high but my physical will has been almost non-existent. Biblical research became an effort rather than enjoyable. My sofa became home, at least that’s where I wanted to be. So what has changed?

REST. SLEEP. REST and Floridix. a plant based liquid iron supplement.

Fatigue finally took control. Additionally, I had become quite anemic. I went to bed each night but rarely got “restful” sleep. I have spent several afternoons taking naps. I am on my way back to MY normal. My brain is actually having ideas. Yesterday, I went back into the lab. Amazing what a little rest can do. Next I think I will try the other R. Relaxation. Real relaxation. For me, that is resting while I am awake.

I am moving back into Voluntary Muscle Moments. Moments that require thought; inspire thought; creative thought; living thought.

Hooray for Rest and Floridix.

P.S. I know God had me but my condition was caused by a lack of rest. He placed that in my responsibility bucket. So it is my responsibility to take the rest that he told me to.