A Tribute to Dewayne Block

This tribute was posted to the Standing Stone Honey Products Facebook page this week.  Something you find with a home business is that many people have helped in getting you to where you are in your endeavors.  It's not just money that is important in a business, but the encouragement to keep going on.  Dewayne was one of the people who gave me encouragement on a regular basis.  

A Tribute To Dewayne Block

     As this new year begins, I want to acknowledge the help and encouragement of a friend who tragically passed into eternity last year. Dewayne Block became a friend of mine soon after I began participating in the Homer Farmers Market. He was an older gentleman in his early eighties. He lived by himself just down the street from the farmers market. For his age, he was very active. I became accustomed to seeing him walk up the street week after week to the market. He would come directly to my table of honey bee products. Then we would chat, and he would tell me story after story.

     Dewayne didn't have much money. He told me once, laughing, that he went to the bank to withdraw cash so he could get some products from me, but learned he only had $3, so he thought he better not take it out right then! He was a handyman for his landlord, and was given a discount on his rent for his work. One month he informed me that his bills were less, and he would be getting more products from me. He looked for opportunities to use my products as gifts for his family.

     People have complemented how nice an oak display is that I set products on at the farmers markets. Dewayne made that stand. One week he promised that he would make a display for me. Another week he came with that beautiful piece of craftsmanship. It is a gift that I cherish.

     One year, upon learning it was my birthday, Dewayne left the market and came back with some muffins for me. The week before Dewayne died, he came to the market looking for me. I wasn't there, but my Dad was there in my place. Dewayne informed him that my birthday was coming up! It was a pleasant surprise that he had remembered.

     Dewayne was known for being a handyman, and was often seen working on the apartment he was renting. One of the primary things he talked about with me was the many jobs he had throughout his life, and the interesting people he worked with. He called me up a couple times to see if I could help him with some of his projects. Dewayne was a pleasure to work with on those occasions.

     I learned of the fire that took Dewayne's life the day it happened from a customer at another farmers market. The fire had closed Main Street, and the building was a historic one. I learned that there was a man unaccounted for that evening, and presumed dead. As more details emerged the next couple days, I became convinced that it was my friend, Dewayne, that died in the fire. After a few days, it was confirmed that it was Dewayne that had died. Someone told me they had heard that he almost escaped because emergency personnel found him near a window. It was figured that he had responded too slowly because he was hard of hearing, and had taken his hearing aids out for the night. The fire happened around 3 AM. The fire was started from another resident that was making methamphetamine.

     I take comfort that Dewayne professed Jesus Christ as his Saviour. I had shared a Christian booklet with him and asked if he was a Christian. He assured me that he was. Dewayne couldn't drive, but made efforts to walk several miles to a church fellowship. Sometimes people from the church he attended would see him walking to the assembly, and they would stop and drive him the rest of the way.

     It is still easy to think about Dewayne coming up that sidewalk. Dewayne is going to be missed. He certainly had a part of making this business a success because of the powerful encouragement he gave.

-Ron

The following is a poem that Dewayne copied by hand from an old book at the library. He knew I would like it because it was about bees. He gave me his handwritten copy, and read it to me. Perhaps it will be a blessing to you also:

The Wild Bees' Home

Wild Bees' of the wood are we;

  But our Hives you must not see,

Here behold our Happy Home,

  Where we labor, where we Roam;

Brooks that on their shining bosoms

  Catch the overhanging Blossoms;

On the banks all bright with clustering flowers.

  Here is where we pass our hours.

Seldom on this solitude,

  Does a Boy or Girl intrude.

Let the children fly their kites, and play their games,

  While we make them Honey Day and Night,

The children, all are happy at their play,

  While the Bees' flit from Flower to Flower,

While on to make sweet Honey every Day.

-Unknown

When is it Right to Die?

J.J. Hanson is an advocate for life.  He gave me permission to
take this picture of him and his wife as a photographer was
taking their picture.

     Assisted suicide goes by a number of terms that work as euphemisms like: death with dignity, mercy killing, the right to die, etc.  Last year, I heard a news program from a local television station where local people gave their thoughts on assisted suicide.  People sent their comments by email.  Most people seemed to side with assisted suicide.  Those that were against assisted suicide made it clear that they thought only God should determine when a person should die.  One woman found herself divided on the issue.  She said that her mind told her that it was wrong, but her heart told her it was right.  She might be helped to understand that she can't depend on her "heart" as peoples' hearts are "deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked."  When these subjects are presented, the tendency is for people to depend on their feelings rather than firm principles established by the Creator and a "sound mind."  Others use their mind to justify evil things as their understanding is "darkened."

      Last month, I went to our state capitol to join with hundreds of other freedom loving people to learn state issues and to share truth.  The event was organized by New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms.  A topic that is important in our state at this time is assisted suicide.  A number of people, including myself, carried signs through the state capitol to announce our opposition to assisted suicide.  There was a speaker, who was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.  His name is James "J.J." Hanson.  J.J. has started an organization to combat assisted suicide called the Patients Rights Action Fund. J.J. was diagnosed with the same type of cancer that Brittney Maynard had.  Brittney was popularized by the media because she decided to commit suicide after learning her diagnosis.  The media tended to praise her as a hero instead of lamenting her hopeless outlook.  The voices she heard were saying, "You can't beat this."   She succumbed to those voices and propagated hopelessness to many people.  J.J. determined that he would beat the cancer.  J.J. fought depression himself, but had people that supported him, and found hope. He recognizes that cancer will likely come back, but he is grateful for every day he has with his family.  He knows that not one of us is guaranteed another day, but each day is a gift.

     One thing that occurred to me is the fact that many people who support assisted suicide are strongly against the death penalty for criminals.  They make a lot of noise about the botched lethal injections that have happened, yet the poison that is used on death row convicts is the same poison they use to kill people with assisted suicide.  To say this mildly, it is inconsistent, and in truth it is hypocrisy.

     Another concern is the position this puts doctors.  Doctors have the reputation of helping preserve life.  Legalizing assisted suicide  would change the role of many doctors to that of destroying life. In Canada, the medical schools are changing the curriculum to make way for assisted suicide which is scheduled to become legal there this year.  Among the courses that will be changed will be those dealing with medical ethics. 

     What it boils down to is that God is the giver and taker of life.  Without His sanction, life should not be taken.  Life cannot be devalued without sour consequences which many cannot foresee.  Call it unintended consequences.  History has shown repeatedly that those that hate Wisdom love death. 

     The state of New York is a primary place the assisted suicide proponents are aiming to change to embrace death for those that desire it.  It is still suicide even if it is assisted, and assisting suicide only lays the guilt of this awful crime on more people.  While many are suffering, to open assisted suicide as the solution is not going to help as all of human life will be devalued in the process.  Those that suffer need to have genuine care.  It is my hope that we will address real solutions to human suffering rather than seeing people as animals that can simply be destroyed once they have lost functional value.  Human life is a gift and has intrinsic value.

      

http://liveactionnews.org/marine-diagnosed-with-same-cancer-brittany-maynard-chose-life-instead/

Home Business Ventures

One of my brother's bird houses and a wooden bird he carved.

     Home business ventures are becoming more popular as technology makes it possible to do many things from home that were not possible years ago.  Some people may be looking for some ideas, or just some inspiration to make something happen.  I hope to be able to provide some inspiration for someone who has had this desire, but doesn't know where to start. 

     To start a home business you need a product or service to provide that is of value to others.  It could start with growing a pumpkin seed in your back yard.  It could be a skill that you are able to teach others like the use of a popular computer program.  It could be a service like cleaning out gutters, or walking dogs.

      I remember years ago, when I was a teenager, Dad had an idea of starting a lawn service business.  He had an old lawn tractor, and a trailer.  He made an ad with Mom's help, and put it in the classifieds of our local newspaper and we waited to see how many responses we might get.  We received one.  It was a number of miles away, probably around 15 miles.  We knew we were not going to make much money from the venture, though gas was cheaper back then.  We decided to do it anyway as a way to start our venture.  Dad figured it would be good to add up our expenses over time so we could figure out if it was worth making a trip like that.  He knew that there was the added cost of wear and tear on the equipment.  The venture was also a way we could work together as father and son.  The neighbors to the place where we mowed saw our work and asked if we could mow their yard also. That's something that is true of many businesses.  The customers come more from word of mouth or from watching the work being done at their neighbors than they do from costly advertisements.

      The venture didn't last long.  We once found it hard to get our payment, and the man of the house decided at one point it might be worth mowing himself. The neighbor didn't need their yard mowed after we had cut down some extremely high grass that they were unable to do.  It was a good experience despite it being so short lived.  Dad and I took turns using the riding mower which was fun to ride when it worked.  Sometimes our maintenance time seemed to be as much as our mowing time.  The push mower was good exercise, and for me, any amount of money was a great thing.

     It is great when people can do something that they really like and sell it.  Often times the product a person likes to make just doesn't have a market demand.  I think the lawn business could have really taken off if we knew how to market it because a large portion of the population has a lawns,  and many people don't have much time to work on them.  We also tried another venture that probably had much less demand even if we marketed it better.  Dad had a scroll saw, and we would make lots of cut out ornaments with it.  I remember making some wooden chipmunks of my own design and painting them with some delicate features.  We went to a craft sale and tried to sell the various wooden items our family had made.  We probably hardly came away with more than the cost of setting up our table.  Dad really enjoyed working with pine wood and a scroll saw, and the whole family seemed to find some enjoyment from it, but it didn't seem to have much of a market.  I was so happy that one of the few things that sold was one of my wooden chipmunks.

      My younger brother also had a love of producing things with wood.  There were barn ruins behind our house that had lots of barn board.  It was kind of like the idea of finding diamonds on your own property instead of searching for them abroad.  My brother came up with the idea of producing bird houses and feeders with that wood that would otherwise go to waste.  He did some marvelous work.  We took some of his bird feeders and houses to a local festival to sell them.  His handiwork received some good compliments, but few were sold because people at festivals have a hard time carrying things very far.  Once again, the trouble was marketing.  I knew a young man who was very successful at selling some fancy bird houses, but an advantage he had was that he lived in a densely populated area.

     Today I have a home enterprise of selling honey bee products.  When I first started beekeeping I remember a man from the honey industry say that you didn't have to worry about marketing honey because honey sells itself.  Such did not seem to be necessarily the case, and after years of producing honey I came to recognize that one of the areas of weakness for the business was marketing.  I made it a fervent prayer that I could learn to market my products.  That prayer was granted especially on a local basis.  For how rural our area is, the amount of honey that I've been able to sell has been tremendous.  It could be better, I'm sure, and it will need to be if I am to succeed in the future.  One thing that helps with marketing is to believe in your product.  Another is to be very familiar with it, and to share what qualities it has with others.  I went to local farmers markets with brochures that I had made, and told people how good honey is. Many people really don't know how good honey is.

      I've watched people go week after week at a farmers market trying to sell craft products that don't seem to sell.  They've had some great products, but they were at the wrong place.  Some don't mind as they are retired and vending gives them something to do.  People at farmers markets are mostly looking for food.  When selling a product, keep in mind who it is that you are selling to, and try to go where they are at.  People that are looking for crafts to buy are often thinking of getting them as a unique gift for someone.  The place for this is often a craft fair, or holiday event rather than a farmers market.  Even if you find that your product isn't received well at one place, don't get discouraged right away.  Some products need to be seen a number of times before people think of their value.

     Don't be afraid of starting small.  Debt is something that causes many businesses to fail.  By starting small, your mistakes are likely to be less costly.  "For who hath despised the day of small things?" Zech. 4:10.

     A business can start with putting a sign outside your house telling what service or product you can provide.    It can start with telling your coworkers, family, and friends what you have to offer.  By talking about your business aspirations you can get advice from others, knowledge of pitfalls in that venture, encouragement, and even possible sales leads.  This is a subject I could go on and on with as I've spent a lot of time studying it, but I hope these thoughts helped the wheels spin for someone.

Christian Freedom Under Fire in Norway

     I just signed a petition to tell the government of Norway to return children back to their natural and rightful parents, Marius and Ruth Bodnariu.  I'm requesting all readers of this blog to sign this petition. Please go to this link: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/christian-family-persecuted .   It is very easy to do.  This is an issue that must not be ignored because of the ramifications of  the government of Norway not hearing outrage over it.  There have been protests throughout the world for the Bodnariu family that had their children stolen from them simply because they are Christians.  They have done no wrong.  The charge brought against them is that they are "too Christian."  
You have an opportunity to express your thoughts on the petition.   My comments are the following:
"This is outrageous.  Children belong to their parents.  Send them back!"  Several people have already signed it and made comments since I have.   Let's keep up the momentum.  At the bottom of this post are video clips that show protests and some of the deep felt concerns for families in Norway.  You can do your own research on this subject.  It is my hope that many more people sign the petition and that protests would continue throughout the world.

      The children were seized without prior notice from the parents in November of 2015.  The children were put up for adoption.  There are five children, and one that was only three months old when they were stolen from their parents.  The children were split up into three homes. 

     One video on this subject brings up the popular poem by  Martin Niemöller who was a Lutheran pastor that spoke of the cowardliness of German intellectuals that would not stand against Hitler.  The poem goes like this:

"First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."

     Something you can also do is make this family a prayer request in your church.  Prayer changes things.  This is part of a spiritual battle and must also be fought that way.  

     Please forgive the poor English grammar contained in the following video.  Those that made it had a heart to share real concerns.  It is not just about the Bodnariu family, but others also that had children snatched from them.

     The following radio program by Janet Parshall interviews a lawyer who has been speaking up for parents like Marius and Ruth Bodnariu for a number of years.
http://moodyaudio.com/person/76578/marius-reikeras

You can learn more from this website:
http://bodnariufamily.org/

Freedom From Death

"O death, where is thy sting?"

   There are many freedoms to learn about, but ranking near the top must be the freedom from death.  Death is the common denominator for man.  The good, bad, rich, poor, big and small must face death.  Many of us have been shielded from it by our culture as it is not pleasant to think about.  From the Bible we see it as an enemy and intruder, but not the victor.  "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"

     Something that comes to my attention again and again lately is the thought of the need to evaluate my life in the light of eternity.  Scripture says, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Heb. 9:27).  These thoughts change how we act in everyday decisions and change our values from the earthy to the heavenly.  It makes the saying, "The best things in life aren't things," have a richer meaning. 

     "What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Sometimes not much. For some it may be little more than a passing pleasure or a bowl of pottage. Yet an inward knowledge lets us know that there are things worth giving all we have and even dying for.  Jesus Christ gave an illustration of that when he said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."  Then he did it.  He gave his life for His own, and then showed His victory over the grave.

  Isaac Watts, a master hymn writer, shared how the more educated and less educated people have the same promises when facing death.  He shared these words with a friend just before he died:

  "I remember an aged minister used to observe, that 'the most knowing and learned Christians, when they come to die, have only the same plain promises of the gospel for their support as the common unlearned;' and so I find it.  It is the plain promises of the gospel that are my support; and I bless God, they are plain promises, that do not require much labor and pains to understand them."

   One plain promise from Christ to believers is His words "because I live, ye shall live also."  He is the first fruits of this promise.  The last enemy will be death and the following promise will be fulfilled:
"I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction..." Hosea 13:14.


 The following is a video that gives some of the last words of a large number of people.  The emptiness of those that scorned Christ is seen.  You can also hear the messages of hope from those that took Christ at His word. 

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death." John 8:59

Shemita Pototoes!

These are just a few of the potatoes that came up voluntarily.

     Last year was a great year weather-wise in our area.  The garden did quite well even without the attention it needed.  Our family had lots of red potatoes that came up voluntary from the year before.  They produced bushels of potatoes.  Dad called them Shemita Potatoes.  The name does not completely fit because the ground was plowed, but was a fun reminder of a Jewish practice that was popularized last year.  The Shemita is an agricultural practice to let the land rest for a year in a cycle of seven years. The Shemita would be the seventh of the seven years.  By letting the land go fallow for a year it was a reminder of needed rest, and it benefited the land.  It is the opposite concept of a lot of modern farming where there seems to be little rest for the land.  Minerals are taken out of the soil and not returned.  What is added back is often just three necessary nutrients, but trace minerals are left out.  The plants we eat can only provide the nutrition that they find, and if it is not available, people suffer a deficiency of important nutrients.

A number of these pole beans came up from last year.

      Potatoes were not the only things our family was able to enjoy that came up voluntarily last year.  I had some pole beans that planted themselves and came up in the spring.  This is the first time that this happened for me.  I sheltered them from frost and they did very well.  Not much more was done with them as I found myself busy with farmers markets and other work throughout the growing season.  For weeks on end, despite much neglect, I was able to eat these beans.  Often, after coming back home from farmers markets, I would take a walk up to the fence and just snack on the voluntary beans.

This wild apple tree was so full of apples that it pruned itself.

     Another free food for us was some wild apple trees on our property.  We have a number of cultivated apple trees that did not do much of anything last year, but the wild trees did great with little pest trouble.  We made lots of cider with the wild apples.  My sisters made apple sauce and dried apples for snacking.  One wild tree was so full of apples that it had a large branch break off causing the tree to essentially prune itself.

     These free foods are a small reminder to me of God's grace that comes without merit.  There are so many object lessons found in nature if we take the time to look.

Planned Parenthood's Bullying Tactics

      For a number of weeks last year (2015), there were a number of undercover videos that were released that exposed Planned Parenthood.  It was evident from the videos that a number of Planned Parenthood's top employees would be willing to sell unborn baby body parts which remains illegal in the United States. The Center for Medical Progress released the unedited versions of their videos around the same time as the edited.  They have been falsely charged of heavily editing the videos to distort the meaning of the Planned Parenthood employees.  The full videos are available to anyone to see on You Tube.  Editing is necessary for any videos like this to see the important segments.  They were not edited to take people out of context.    Planned Parenthood would not let its reputation be damaged without a fight, and they announced that they would file a lawsuit.  When I learned this, I sent the following letter to our local newspaper:

     In an effort to squelch public outcry to its barbaric acts and stop future disclosure, Planned Parenthood just announced that it will sue the group that released videos that indicated that Planned Parenthood sold baby parts illegally.  A couple of young men decided to reveal the true nature of Planned Parenthood.  They formed a group called the Center for Medical Progress.  The Center for Medical Progress released a number of videos where they did undercover interviews with some of Planned Parenthood's top employees that expressed a willingness to sell human body parts.  The videos became very popular on You Tube.   Many people became aware that their tax money goes to this national abortion provider and have asked that this end immediately. 

     The real tragedy is not that unborn baby parts are sold illegally, but that unborn babies are being killed legally.  The young men that exposed Planned Parenthood had the purpose of sharing truth, and their voices should not be stifled. These men do not have much money, but they have a heart for the unborn and those that don't have an ability to speak for themselves.  Planned Parenthood receives millions of dollars in taxpayer money every year.  Planned Parenthood, which is suppose to be a non-profit organization, has a CEO that has a salary of over $400 thousand.  Planned Parenthood does not need millions of dollars of our tax money to promote their ideal of death on demand.  Let's give the money back to the taxpayers, or at least give it to those that would receive unwanted children into their homes.

     I knew when I wrote this letter that some have claimed that taxpayer money that goes to Planned Parenthood does not go toward abortion, but other expenses of Planned Parenthood.  This is smoke and mirrors.  If money goes toward paying Planned Parenthood's light bills they have more money to apply towards abortion.  If someone sent money to support a terrorist group, but specified that the money was not to go toward the direct killing of civilians, the benefactor would still be supporting the killing of civilians.

      Shortly after I wrote this letter, the Center for Medical Progress and Planned Parenthood were in the news again.  I was listening to the news on a local Christian radio station when I heard that Planned Parenthood was found innocent of selling fetal tissue by a grand jury in Texas, but two people from the Center for Medical Progress were found guilty for wrongdoing.  I questioned what I heard, and wondered if they had really done something wrong, but that sense of disbelief of what I heard remained with me.  When I was able to dig deeper into the issue it was obvious that they were falsely charged.  One thing that shows the complete incongruity of these charges is that they were charged with buying and selling fetal tissue which is the very thing they were trying to expose!  They were also charged with producing artificial driver's licenses, or false IDs.  This would be necessary to produce the undercover videos as Planned Parenthood would not freely give this information to them.  While some may find fault with their method, it is obvious that their intention was to save unborn babies from wholesale slaughter.  Those that indicted these young people follow the same mindset as those that sent the people who saved the Jews in World War II to prison and death camps.  Killing people and harvesting their property was legal, but those that produced false IDs to save a few innocent people were considered lawbreakers to be punished.

     A couple of Cornell law professors, Sherry F. Colb and Michael Dorf wrote an editorial for CNN and expressed that even though they support the work of Planned Parenthood that they found "the prosecution of these citizen journalists, however self-styled, deeply disturbing."  They recognized that the prosecution of these young journalist could chill undercover journalists everywhere.

    Why do I write this?  It was a concern that others will unjustly question the integrity of the journalists from the Center of Medical Progress and discount the value of their hard work.  Their work is not in vain, and neither is the work of anyone who makes their voices heard. We will not be silent till we see the unborn granted the right to life.
 

Plans for this Blog

  Wow.  I was hoping to write more this winter as the winter is quieter for me than other times of year because of my vocation.  The days have turned into weeks and the weeks into months and no posts have been made.  Starting this week, I hope to put a break to the break and start posting at least once a week. Any more than once a week will be a bonus from my standpoint.  This is just a goal, but it helps to make goals, or things might not happen at all.  It also helps to let others know what you are planning as it leaves you with some accountability and sometimes encouragement or counsel in fulfilling your goals. This is the time of year when writing is more possible, and I plan to make it happen.  If there is a take away from this short post, it would be the value of setting goals.  It has been said, "If you don't know where you are going, any train will get you there."  I'm starting to see the value of a calendar.  At the same time I don't want to get so goal oriented that I'm not available for those that need help. 

      Some of you have been long-time subscribers to this blog, and I want to thank you for reading my thoughts, and finding these posts to be of value.  I want you know that your readership is appreciated. Keep me in your prayers.  The issues covered here are sometimes heavy, but I believe they are necessary for understanding the times we live in.  The purpose of this blog is to promote freedom that is not to be repented of, but leads to real joy here and in the life to come.

The Marriage Debate is Far From Over

     I recently sent a letter to our local newspaper about the Supreme Court's decision  to redefine marriage.  It was similar to the post about marriage I posted on this blog.  There were a number of comments posted on the online edition of the paper.  One man made the argument that the Supreme Court made the final decision and the debate is ended.  This man's thoughts represent the thoughts of many people. I mentioned this to a number of friends and their response was similar to what I thought.  If the decision had gone the other way, we know that it would not be the end of the debate.  If the Supreme Court had voted one vote differently we would have heard lots of debating from those that oppose genuine marriage.

     There were no winners in this court decision.  Why do I say this?   There was a lot of celebrating outside of the court building when the decision was made, but the celebrating was for something that will bring the celebrators their own destruction and the destruction of the country. The White House was made a mockery before the world by projecting a symbol of deviant diversity on it.  In a figurative way, they celebrated the chains that bind them are made to appear more fashionable. Making this distortion to appear fashionable makes their chains all the more formidable.  Those that are making these new laws are destroying the very fabric of our society.  They are ripping away the very foundation of the freedoms they experience today.  Marriage is one of the foundational institutions of a country.  By counterfeiting marriage it weakens the country.  When anything is counterfeited the counterfeit fights against the value of the genuine.

      The main point I would like to share here is that the debate has not ended.  One deciding vote by nine unelected judges does not change the importance of sharing the truth of genuine marriage. In fact, it should goad us on in sharing why the reasoning behind this unprecedented change is not founded on good logic. This is a very sensitive topic because it effects people we care about.  The importance of this topic is such that I believe the cost of ignoring it is greater than any ostracism that would come from sharing the truth.  It might be hard to think on serious things, but it is the right thing to do.  I like this quote from John W. Gardner:  "Moral seriousness does not resolve complex problems; it only impels us to face the problems rather than run away.  Clearheadedness does not slay dragons; it only spares us the indignity of fighting paper dragons while the real ones are breathing down our necks.  But those are not trivial advantages."  The real decisions do not come from nine unelected judges, but start from the dinner time conversations that take place all across America. It has been said "Freedom rings where opinions clash."  There is a real effort to stop the freedom of speech.  A newspaper in Pennsylvania said it would not publish letters endorsing traditional marriage.  They received a barrage of protests and slightly changed their policy saying they would still publish letters for a short time after the Supreme Court's decision to redefine marriage. I would encourage those who want to see freedom ring to write to your local paper or a blog that covers serious things, and let them know that there are people who believe that marriage is still one man and one woman.  There are a lot of paper dragons out there taking the attention off from the matters that are really important.
   
     All four dissenting judges gave written dissent opinions which is highly unusual.  These men gave solid reasons for their dissent.  Justice  Scalia, the longest serving justice on the Supreme Court, gave a logical and impassioned dissent.  Justice Kennedy gave the majority opinion and his reasons are widely recognized as being weak and based on emotion.  His arguments largely were based on the idea that marriage is just about love which was addressed on this blog.  There is a lot of information available which confirms the value of genuine marriage which is a big plus for those that want to weigh in on this landmark decision.  History and biological fact are on the side of proponents of genuine marriage.  The debate is far from over.

A Defense of Marriage

Why Defend Marriage?
     At the time of this writing, the Supreme Court of the United States of America will be deciding whether to change the definition of marriage.  I believe an outcome in favor of changing the nature of this age old institution will cause great confusion and spell great ruin to our country.  This writing is an attempt to share why I believe marriage can only be defined as the union of one man and one woman.  There is a sense in my mind that the things shared here are self-evident and that it is only because of a mass campaign to distort truth that this subject would even become a serious debate in our country.

Marriage According to the First American Dictionary
     The first thing I'd like to share is the traditional meaning of marriage.  Noah Webster, who wrote our first dictionary, gave a straight forward definition of marriage:

  Marriage: The act of uniting a man and woman for life; wedlock; the legal union of a man and woman for life. Marriage is a contract both civil and religious, by which the parties engage to live together in mutual affection and fidelity, till death shall separate them.

Marriage According to Jesus
     There are those who say, "Which definition of marriage shall we take?  There are lots of definitions."  Why not take the definition of the author of marriage?  The definition that God gave is really not that complicated.  In fact, Jesus spoke some very clear words about marriage.  He was asked a question about divorce from the Pharisees, and he answered the question by giving the definition of marriage.  He started out His discourse on marriage with the question, "Have ye not read that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?'" 

Marriage According to an Old Bible Dictionary and a Warning
     I have an old Union Bible dictionary from 1837.  I looked up marriage to see the definition they had.  After carefully opening the old brittle book this is what I found:

 Marriage (Matt. xxii.2) is a divine institution. (Gen. ii.21-25). It is also a civil contract, uniting one man and one woman together in the relation of husband and wife."

     The first reference given in this old book is a parable that Jesus gave. Jesus begins the parable by saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son."  Marriage is a picture of things heavenly.  After explaining five reasons for marriage the old Union Bible dictionary gives this warning a little further in the entry:

 "No sins are more frequently and pointedly condemned by the Bible, than such as violate or impair the sacredness of the marriage relation; and nothing is wanting to raise this to the highest, purest, and most sacred relation in which two human being can stand to each other, but obedience to the precepts of the Holy Scriptures on this subject."

Why Marriage?
     The second issue I'd like to share is the reason why marriage was instituted.  Noah Webster gives this reason within the definition of marriage by writing this:

"Marriage was instituted by God himself for the purpose of preventing the promiscuous intercourse of the sexes, for promoting domestic felicity, and for securing the maintenance and education of children."

     The reasons for marriage which are described above are self evident.  The first was to encourage a life long bond between the sexes as opposed to people jumping from relationship to relationship. It was naturally assumed that people would know that that men and woman were made for each other.   The second is happiness within the home.  When things are done in God's order there is a happiness that comes with it. The third reason is the welfare of the children .  Parents are to provide children with their physical and educational needs.

God's Reason For Marriage
   In Malachi 2:15 we learn the reason God has for marriage.  There we read that God made marriage that He might seek a godly seed. Because man was made for God's glory it would behoove us to honor the Creator's purpose for marriage.  We live in a day when many of the rulers and people of the land are against the Lord and against his anointed.  They say, "Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us."  They say, "We will not have this man to reign over us."

Pragmatic Reasons, Including the Consequence of Judgment

     There are many good reasons that the definition of marriage should not be changed from a pragmatic viewpoint. Of particular concern is that fact that promoting the union of people of the same gender will leave children without a father or mother.  This is a denial of the value that a man and woman bring into the family unit.  It has long been acknowledged that it is a hardship for a child to lack the role models of a father and a mother.  Why would there be an encouragement to deprive a child of the protection of a father and the nurturing of a mother? Another reason to not change the definition is that it would be a huge experiment with no previous knowledge of the long term consequences.  Even the ancient Greeks and Romans, who practiced all kinds of licentiousness, knew better than to play with the meaning of the age old institute of marriage.  While I believe that the government should have a vested interest in keeping the traditional definition of marriage because it makes sense to not play an experiment of this magnitude on the population, the more important reason is that we should not dare to contradict God's design in this most fundamental institution.  To distort the meaning of marriage is to invite judgment much like the makers of the Titanic which said, "Not even God can sink this ship." The manner in which God judges is not always immediate in all of its scope.  In a poem entitled "Retribution" Henry Wadsworth Longfellow describes the way God often judges:

Though the mills of God grind slowly; Yet they grind exceeding small; Though with patience He stands waiting, With exactness grinds He all. A New Idea - Reinventing the Wheel      Do you remember seeing illustrations of how carts might have had square wheels, but as man got smarter he learned that a round wheel was more efficient?  I doubt man ever had square wheels, but it seems like redefining marriage would be like trying to reinvent a wheel to be square instead of round.  Here in New York, there was an effort years ago to redefine marriage in our state.  It was first rejected by the New York Court of Appeals before becoming law by the legislature.  The reason it was rejected by the court was stated in these words: “The idea that same-sex marriage is even possible is a relatively new one. Until a few decades ago, it was an accepted truth for almost everyone who ever lived, in any society in which marriage existed, that there could be marriages only between participants of different sex. A court should not lightly conclude that everyone who held this belief was irrational, ignorant or bigoted. We do not so conclude.” Hernandez v. Robles, 7 N.Y.3d 338, 361 (2006). Will Marriage Change?      Marriage will remain one man and one woman united for life no matter who seeks to redefine it.  William Cullen Bryant observed, "Truth, crushed to the earth, shall rise again."   Like as a rose that is just as sweet by any other name, genuine marriage will shine as a testimony against counterfeit marriage because the nature of both carry their own actions and fruit.  An old riddle would apply here.  If you called a tail a leg on a four legged dog, how many legs would it have?  Answer: It would still have four because the tail would still be a tail even if you called it a leg! The Beauty of Authentic Marriage Marriage as God designed it is beautiful because He does all things well.  God gave the first marriage to Adam and Eve.  The marriage was created before any sin entered the world. Jesus showed his power to create with his first miracle during public ministry of turning water into wine at a wedding.  God chose marriage as an example of the nearness and the dearness of his relationship to the Church.  The bride of Christ, which is the Church, waits with eagerness for that time of being united with Him forever.                                         In this video which is less than three minutes, Allen                                         Keys defends traditional marriage in a debate with                                         then Senator Obama.  

The Benefits of Stinging Nettle

      Many people find stinging nettle to be  a real nuisance.  I did too, but have since found it to be a blessing in disguise.  My first experience with stinging nettle was as a boy.  My mom liked roses, and Dad had planted a miniature rose on the edge of our property.  I remember the name of the rose was "Robin Hood."  It was a very tiny rose bush.  Being it was planted on the edge of the property, and my parents were so busy, the little rose bush had been neglected and had weeds growing all around it.  The weeds were very tall and thick, and I think it was a little bit of a surprise that the little rose was even alive.  Dad determined to help that little rose from its plight.  It was a pretty significant undertaking because of the magnitude of the wild plants around it, but he had help. Yes, he had me to help.  I tried to be a help, but soon found that the plants I was pulling stung my hands awfully.  I told dad, but he didn't seem to believe the nettles stung that bad, and wanted me to continue.  He was pulling the same plants, but didn't seem to feel a thing; at least nothing like I did.  Dad worked at a lumber mill at one time and often used hand tools in the garden.  His hands had become very callused, and he couldn't feel the nettles well at all.  He urged me to continue.  For me it was torture, and I started to cry.  He sent me to the house.  I ran to the house and washed and washed my hands with water trying to relieve them of the burning.  A short time later, dad came up also.  After weeding a while longer some of the nettle got between his fingers where they weren't callused and he had a little bit of an idea of what I experienced.  He washed his hands also, and apologized for having me pull them without protection for my hands.  This was my introduction to stinging nettle.  I've since learned to like it, and because of this experience, respect it.

      For years, I've studied herbs because of the many uses they have.  It is my belief that there was a plant created for every common aliment of man.  In fact, there was the tree of life that God made that had qualities to keep man alive indefinitely.  This healing tree was taken away from man because of man's rebellion towards his Creator.  We have many plants that have wonderful healing qualities, but none like the tree of life.  I believe the stinging nettle is one of the best plants available to man today.  While many search abroad for hidden treasure, the diamonds often lay buried in their own backyard.  I believe this is the case with stinging nettle.

     One of the reasons I was sold on stinging nettle is the fact that it is one of the plants that are an indicator of rich soil.  Plants like different types of soil, and if you see stinging nettle growing somewhere of its own accord, you can be pretty confident that the soil under it has lots of nutrients.  To me, it only made sense that if the soil is rich in minerals, the plants that grow in it must also share more nutrients.  This goes against the entire medical establishment and current agricultural practices.  The idea that what we eat makes a difference in our bodies health is a counter cultural idea.  I'm open to a lot of counter cultural ideas because I believe a lot of what is happening in our culture is totally backwards.  

     Years back, after seeing the lowly nettle as a friend, my belief in its value for nutrition was confirmed more from a booklet on a magazine rack at a check out counter at a grocery store.   Seeking to avoid the gaudy and sleazy publications, my eyes fell on a little booklet that gave the tip that a tea made from stinging nettle and peppermint could help those suffering with arthritis.  Stinging nettle removes uric acid from the body relieving the body of arthritic pain.  It also contains significant amounts of magnesium and iron.  One thing you will notice when you make nettle tea is that is has a vibrant green color.  This is because of the chlorophyll that it contains which makes it a commercial source of green dye.  I believe the green, chlorophyll is healthful for the body.

Other Uses of Stinging Nettle:
 

     As mentioned, stinging nettle is a source of a natural dye.  The fiber in the stalk of Stinging Nettle was traditionally used for producing a linen-like cloth.  Even the name "nettle" is derived from the term "textile plant."  The leaves are also known to be a good fertilizer.  It is used as an early spring potherb, and can be cooked like other greens.  I've dried and powdered the leaves to add some nutrition to other foods.  If you are looking for a good tea substitute, I think Stinging Nettle fits the bill.  It is my opinion that the mineral content of the tea gives it a smooth taste, without the astringency of regular tea. It is best to harvest stinging nettle in the spring as the leaves are more tender, and it is considered better to harvest it before the inconspicuous flowers bloom.

     Most the time, I harvest Stinging Nettle without gloves, but I am careful how I pick it.  I make sure to not grab the plants between my fingers where the skin is more sensitive.  I've found the broad part of the leaves don't seem to sting as bad as the stems.  I'd recommend wearing gloves for those who are unfamiliar with it.    It is a plant that requires some respect.  It is also a welcome part of spring.

More Bumper Stickers!

   A while back, I wrote a post about bumper stickers.  It was pretty fun to write. It looks like a lot of people liked reading it too.  As I drive, I make some effort to read the bumper stickers on the cars surrounding me.  Sometimes they make me smile.  For example, there was one that said, "I'd rather be driving..."  I had a hard time making out what else it said.  Then as I got closer, I noticed it was an advertisement for a local golf course.  He'd rather be driving at the such and such golf course.  It was a fun play on words.  There seemed to be an added element of humor to it because the traffic was heavy and slow as we waited for the traffic lights to change. 

     Many of the bumper stickers I see come from the small city of Ithaca.  There are a number of "Ithaca is..." bumper stickers that have a green background with white print.  I mentioned the "Ithaca is Gorges" sticker last time.  A long while back, there was one that said "Ithaca is Not George's."  This was referring to a former president here in the United States.  If I had to pick an "Ithaca is..." sticker it would be an "Ithaca is Zone 5."  Perhaps it would be primarily avid gardeners, like me, that would appreciate that sticker.    It was a creative local business man, who owns a plant nursery,  that came up with that one.

     "Birth Control Prevents Mini Vans" was on a car touting lots of bumper stickers.  This sticker promotes the fallacy that children are an unprofitable drain on resources and the environment.  In contrast,  there is no greater and valuable asset than children.  The idea that children are not worth sacrificing for is destroying the value system of many, and leaving us with a more solipsistic environment.  Yes, children take resources, but there are not enough resources available to equate to the value of one child.  You can exhaust the resources of every bank in the world and one child is of more value by far.  Worth less than some mini vans and the resources they take?  As someone I know likes to say: "Really?!"

  Here comes a sacred cow of the day: "COEXIST."  This bumper sticker is very creative.  The word "coexist" is a representation of many religions on this sticker.  Each letter is formed as symbols of different religions.  For example, the "c" is a star and crescent which represents Islam, while the "t" looks like a cross representing Christianity.  Its meaning is more than meets the eye.  It is not about just living in peace with other religions.  The idea conveyed is that one religion is as good as another.  This is a sacred cow of the day, but it simply is not true.  It makes nonsense of logic. Christianity is exclusive in nature because Christ made it clear that He is the only way to the Father.  To put other religions on the same level would violate the first two of the Ten Commandments which say in essence: "No Substitutes!"

     Following the same vein is a bumper sticker that said, "God bless the whole world, No exceptions."  God does make His sun to shine on the good and the evil, and sends rain to the just and the unjust, but He makes it pretty clear what nations will be blessed.  "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD" Psalm 33:12.

     Here is a bumper sticker that made me think: "When injustice becomes law, Duty requires rebellion."  That is deep.  There are a lot of injustices today, and people put up with them.  The saying seems to be attributed to Thomas Jefferson, but there is no new thing under the sun.  It was ideas like this that made it possible for America to be established.  There could be an idea that rebelling is fashionable.  This, I think, is the other side of the ditch from the apathy we see.  Because God is the highest authority, there are times that obedience to God makes some ordinances of man irrelevant. 

     "Jesus Saves!"  This bumper sticker is on the car of someone I know.  It's pretty short, but it means a lot more than it looks.  I remember riding in a car by a church building with a boy.  There was a sign near the building which said, "He is Risen!"  The boy said, "That's a funny sign.  It doesn't make any sense."  You see, he didn't know Who it was talking about.  Many people do not know who Jesus is or who He is saving.   Many people that say that they know who Jesus is, don't know what He came to save them from.  Oh, there is so much wrapped up in that little slogan: "Jesus Saves!

Only The Experts

Who Are the Experts?

     We live in a day when "expert" advice is given a high value.  Often the qualifications for the expert are primarily based on the schools the person attended and the degrees earned relating to a field. A true expert does not necessarily have degrees or come from a school that is reputable.  There is no question that for determining quickly if a person is an expert in a field that those qualifications would at least indicate a familiarity with the field he is in.  To get the best advice takes more work and more time than checking the letters printed behind a name.  We could make a difference between an expert and an authority on a subject.  An expert would imply experience in the subject, while being an authority in a matter would imply a broad knowledge in it.  We also would define an authority as one who has power over us.  For my purposes here, the terms of experts and authorities will be used interchangeably. Some people perceive our rulers are experts in the things that the citizen need most.  We want knowledgeable and wise people governing the land, but who is it that determines who is wise?  Thomas Babington Macaulay, a British historian said, "And to say that society ought to be governed by the opinion of the wisest and best, though true, is useless.  Whose opinion is to decide who are the wisest and best?"  We know that majority opinion does not necessarily mean an idea or person is wise.  Some of the worst decisions for leadership have been determined by a majority.  Some of the worst forms of art are enjoyed by a majority. There needs to be a reference point to know what is wise and best.  There is also the consideration that when evaluating a person that every person has many qualities that can not be measured by man made tests.

The Need for Experts
    
     If you are going to have heart surgery, you don't want an amateur surgeon to be working on you.  Most of us wouldn't even want a novice dentist working on our teeth.  We need experts.  The world would not be very nice without them.  If you are making a search  for information on the Internet, you want the information of an expert or someone who knows what he is talking about rather than lots of unfounded opinions.

The Danger of Trusting Experts

     The problem comes when people feel they need experts for everything.  Today, we have some people that say that parents can't make medical decisions for their children, only experts can do that. There is a subtle impression that only experts can make medical decisions, only experts can invest wisely, only experts can tell people what their vocation should be, only experts can understand issues of science, only experts can make laws, and on and on it could go. C.S. Lewis made a good observation when he said, "For who can endure a doctrine which would allow only dentists to say whether our teeth were aching, only cobblers to say whether our shoes hurt us, and only governments to tell us whether we were being well governed?"

     Because "experts" have the trust of people, the natural guard that people put up is not there.  If so-and-so said so, it must be true.  I think of Dr. Benjamin Spock.  He had a book that out-sold every other book in the non-fiction category other than the Bible.  Dr. Spock had a saying for mothers that went like this: "You know more than you think you know."  I think there is a lot of truth there in regards to mothers that care about their children.  It sounds the very opposite from what you would expect from an expert.  Experts often like people to know how much they don't know.  Parents trusted Dr. Spock for his parenting advice for childcare because he was recognized as an expert.  One bit of advice he gave was that mothers should lay their babies face down.  The idea behind it was that if you lay them face down that they would be less likely to drown in their own spit up.  It is now believed that this advice is wrong and thousands of babies may have died because of being smothered by having their faces down.  People were taking "expert" advice, but it failed them.
  
The Result of Specialties Because of Experts

     There's an old saying that went like this, "Jack of all trades, and master of one."  It was originally a pretty positive saying. Someone changed it to say "Jack of all trades, and master of none."  Today we see very few Jacks of all trades, but lots experts of one specialty.  As a corporate and welfare mindset besiege us, and fewer people have a trade, many have made it their aim in life to figure out how to get other people to work for them. Butler D. Shaffer, professor at Southwestern University School of Law, observed this about the State when he said, "The State has had a vested interest in promoting attitudes that would tend to make us skeptical of our own abilities, fearful of the motives of others, and emotionally dependent upon external authorities for purpose and direction in our lives."  People will need to work for other people and get advice from authorities, but there seems to be a lot more bosses and "experts" than what are needed.   We can be glad that there are those that have a specialized skill, but there are perspectives that a man with general skills has that a specialist doesn't.  A general family doctor might not have the ability to do everything a specialist could, but he can likely see many things that a specialist couldn't.  Parents might not have all the information that an authority in child training might have, but they know their own children better than any authority or expert.
  
Maneuvering in a World of Experts

     Sometimes we just take the word of experts because we don't want to do our own homework.   Sometimes we simply don't have the means to figure things out ourselves.  It would behoove us to make decisions with the help from many counselors. 

"Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety" (Proverbs 11:14).
 

  There are things that we can figure out without being an expert in every field.  Where we see "experts" diverting from tried and true principles we would be wise to think long and hard before taking their advice. G. K. Chesterton wrote about not taking a fence down unless you know why it was put there in the first place.  We live in a day when "experts" are suggesting a lot of things that contradict tried and true practices.  A lot of good fences are being pulled down. In the end I think we will be asking:

"Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" (I Cor. 1:20).

     In the first paragraph of this post, I mentioned we need a reference point to know what makes a person wise.  This reference point must be the Bible because it is there that we find divine wisdom.  As I thought on this subject, a verse resurfaced more than once: "...let God be true, but every man a liar..." Romans 3:4.   In maneuvering in a world of experts, it would be a good practice to see if the places we are getting advice from, no matter how esteemed they are, line up with principles found in Scripture.

Encouragement to the Non-Professional

     While we could get the idea that only "big" people can see big or good results, God uses normal or "little" people that look to Him to do big things.  Jesus chose people that were recognized as being "unlearned and ignorant men" of the day to be His disciples.  The wisest man in the world, Solomon, acknowledged his lack of wisdom before being granted it.  David, a young man, not trained in war, was the one to take on Goliath.

"But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

That no flesh should glory in his presence" (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).

 

 Take courage, and ask for wisdom.  Wisdom says, "I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me" Proverbs 8:17.

 

May God grant us wisdom to know when and where to get advice.