Saturday through the iPhone

I've been working A TON over these last 1-2 months, but we did manage to get out for a nice nature walk at local place that I like to take to pictures.  Can you believe our whole family has never been here together?  I come here often and sadly never get the kids here too!  It was a bit chilly but no one seemed to mind much.  I purposely did not bring my camera, but the photographer got the best of me and I pulled out my iPhone anyway.  Some things never change :-)

the daniel fast: one week in

Once I got past the insane headache of the first day-and-a-half (the one that 4 ibuprofens barely dented), I started to feel pretty good!  And now that my body has been void of all sugar, caffeine, chemicals and meat/animal bi-products ... well I actually feel amazing!  I have tons of energy and am sleeping great.  Even on the days that I wake up early, I can still go all day.  Of course I am still craving coffee and all of my normal foods like crazy.  Ohhh, coffee!  I have realized that if I could just have coffee, I'd be a happy camper.  Did I mention I miss coffee?

I do miss cheese too ... and bread.  And eggs.  LOL.  All of the normal foods that I am still preparing for my kids ... the ones that I get to smell and salivate over.  All while my diet is fairly bland and boring.  It's working for me though ... and this oatmeal is getting me through.  It's delish.  Of course I had to get used to the taste without sugar, but oh I love it now!  Oatmeal, raisins, banana and cinnamon.  Yum.  I could take or leave the rest of this diet, but this oatmeal will stick with me.

Go vote!

No matter what your beliefs, I hope everyone got out and voted today!

The kids on the front porch before leaving to vote, sporting their Mel's Crocheted Creations hats..

Defend the cause of the fatherless

Today is Orphan Sunday.

It's a day when churches around the world recognize the terrible orphan crisis the world faces ... all of the children that will go to bed hungry tonight, without someone to hug them or kiss them goodnight.  Many of these children will die from disease or starvation. The number of children living in these wretched conditions is unfathomable to us because of the comfortable American bubble we live in.  It is so easy to ignore.  But Jesus does not want us to ignore them.  It is written throughout the Bible that we are to defend the cause of the fatherless:

"Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed." Psalm 82:3

"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unsustained by the world." James 1:27

"Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause." Isaiah 1:17

"And the King will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'" Matthew 25:40

I could go on ... there are countless other verses throughout the Bible that teach it is our responsibility.

Orphan care does not always equal adoption.  Although a part of the way our family cares for orphans is through adoption, it does not look the same for everyone.  Here are several ways you can get involved in orphan and widow care that don't involve adoption (in no particular order):

1. Pray for orphans around the world.

2. Make a donation to one of the many organizations that care for orphans.

3. Sponsor an orphan.  If you need help with an organization to work with, please shoot me an email at livingouthislove@yahoo.com.

4. Host an orphan in your home for several weeks through organizations like New Horizons or Welcoming Angels.

5. Support a local adoptive family through prayer or by helping with babysitting or taking them meals.

6. Find a local group home to volunteer your time with.

7. When shopping or buying gifts, shop with a purpose by patronizing organizations or businesses that donate a portion of income to orphan care.

8. Visit orphans around the world with Visiting Orphans.

9. Consider becoming a Safe Family for emergency help to families in need to prevent more children from becoming orphans.

10. Support a local foster program with needed donations.

11. Become a foster parent.

If you aren't already, would you please prayerfully consider how you can help orphans too? Even if it is in the simple act of prayer, everything is helpful.  As Christians, we are all called to care for the fatherless, let's show orphans that we really do care.

"We love because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19

(Come find me on Facebook!  And if you have been blessed by my blog, would you mind taking just a few seconds of your time and click on the 2 links below?  You don't need to do anything except click each button once (you can click once a day!).  Each click is a "vote" that allows my blog to be seen by other homeschool and adoptive families so I can help them too!  Thank you so much for blessing me with your help, may God bless your day!)

the daniel fast

Today, DH and I start a 21-day Daniel Fast.  It's pretty much fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  Think of the vegan-ist vegan diet.  No meat.  No cheese.  No milk.  No coffee.  No crystal light.  No sugar.  And absolutely no chemicals or preservatives.  That makes the grocery store ... eh, limiting, at best.  Especially given the food and drink (goodbye 3-times-a-day caramel cappuccinos) that I am accustomed to consuming.

So wish me luck.  And if you've done the Daniel Fast, I'd love for you to share recipes you've enjoyed!  I am excited but also a little worried about how my body is going to react in the short-term.  In the long-term though, I am happy to cleanse my body of a few Earthly desires and pray that it helps me to glorify God more.  So maybe this is more of a Daniel Diet?  Either way, I will be doing a Daniel Fast devotional during this time but if you have any other suggestions for Bible reading material, please let me know!

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31