Star String Lights on Bed Headboard

My friend had some cute star string lights draped across her headboard on her bed and I was in love and set out to find some to match my decor.  I found these beautiful metal silver stars with a brown cord at Bed Bath & Beyond for $12 and I love it!!



What I've Been Up To

I've been cooking a lot of recipes from one of my anti-inflammatory diet cookbooks and here is a recent one the whole family loved:



I spent a week doing a deep decluttering of our bedroom, and ended up with bags full of things to give away!  The only thing I didn't go through was under my bed because I got hit with either the flu or a really bad cold.



When my parents came to stay with us for 5 weeks in September, my dad cleaned out my old garden beds (I no longer garden) and planted tulip bulbs.  In one bed he did rows and the other he planted them in a shape of a cross.  What is so amazing is that they are growing big and looks like they may even open their blooms on Easter - how cool would that be?  I guess we will check them tomorrow and see.  I weeded the garden bed with the cross tulips but haven't weeded the other one.



Other than that I'm spending my time keeping house, raising kids, homeschooling and working on my health.  I would like to share videos of new ways I've learned to cook, natural medicine that I have delved deeply into and experienced amazing results and even all about how physical therapy is what most people need more than exercise.  Lots I would like to share but a lot of more needful things that I must do may not allow for much time - we will see how the next few months go.

Holiness - Separates and Unites

I was reading over some things by A. Philip Brown II and this was so amazing I had to share.  I don't know who this man is, nor therefore do I agree with everything he writes, but he has some good stuff and this was most especially good.

Holiness is both a negative and positive principle in relation to the Body of Christ. There is no true unity, biblical unity, that does not have truth as its center and holiness at its gates. Holiness separates and it unites.

Separation
I. From the World
II. From False Teachers and Factitious Men
III. From Disobedient Brethren


Is it not interesting that what those who emphasize unity decry the most–separation– is the very means by which Scripture says unity is to be preserved?

Notice his last statement about separation - those who put a big deal on uniting are the same ones who cry out against those that separate - they are actually crying out against unity!  Who wouldn't want to separate?  Those that want to remain of the world, under false teachers or those with itching ears (tell me like I want to hear it preacher) and those who willfully are disobedient against God in separating from disobedient brethren and thereby are disobedient themselves.  They will mock those that separate as the Bible instructs, yet they are mocking God and despising those that are good.

He states the purpose of separation is purity of the gospel, preservation of unity and protection of saints, preservation of unity among the brethren, protecting the purity of the Body of Christ and that the disobedient brethren may be ashamed and repentant of his sin and return.

So if we don't separate as God instructs from these things (world, false teachers, disobedient brethren) - we are therefore, in essence, destroying the purity of the gospel and the Body of Christ and the unity and protection of the saints and ultimately are partakers in the disobedient brethren's demise for eternity because we deny him the shame, for which his sin should bear to draw him to repentance!  You can become the very reason someone doesn't return to God because you don't let them feel the sting of shame for their sin.

This is why those that don't want holiness do all 3 of the things that holiness requires separation from!  They UNITE with the world.  They UNITE with the false teachers.  They UNITE with the disobedient brethren.  They do the opposite of what true holiness does and thereby, they reveal they are not of God.  So think about that the next time someone you know gets a stink about separation - they are looking to unite back with what they were once separate from!  It won't be long they will show their true desires, which is to be unholy.