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posted by Michael on 11/26/09

Happy Thanksgiving! I am rejoicing in the grace of God poured out on us this year in respect to our honeybees. We were able to harvest enough wildflower honey to supply our big family until next year’s harvest, and still have some to sell. The bees stayed semi-busy through the part of the summer that is often dry. Toward fall, however, I realized that some of the hives really needed more food supplies for winter. I fed them back some of the valuable harvested honey as well as some sugar syrup and now they seem healthy and sufficiently prepared for winter. The honey was valuable, but I am committed to giving the bees what is best for them.

I heard a different story from other beekeepers. Some of my beekeeping friends reported no honey in their hives at all and little to no harvest. “I wish I had started feeding my hives a lot earlier” said one. When I went to the state meeting I heard the same reports from other beekeepers. My gratefulness for what God had provided was increasing. Then I began to hear about the honey crop nation wide. I read reports like “second poorest honey crop in the beekeeping history of Iowa”, and “in most parts of the country, a horrendous year for honey production”, and “perhaps the lowest estimate of a honey crop ever”. The most recent report was that “some are saying this may be their poorest honey crop on record”. Yikes! We might not have harvested as much as we would have liked, but I am feeling very grateful that God has blessed us so much. I was happy to hear that despite the low honey harvest in general, the overall health of honeybee colonies is reported to be good. It sounds like most beekeepers are carefully looking out for their bees.

There is always hope for next year. “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”

8 Comments » | posted in Possessing the Land

posted by Donald on 11/26/09

No, the first day of hunting season is not a state holiday in West Virginia–but it was a time for celebrating when the Lord provided two deer for us. As Monday drew to a close I had another cause for thanksgiving too–a variety of birds enlivened the vicinity of my tree stand and reminded me of the times birds are mentioned in Scripture. One bird that flew over was a bird I had identified only recently. In the past it was natural for us to pass it off for a crow. Then it struck me one day that the bird’s call was not crow-like at all, rather a rolling ‘k-r-r-r-o-c-k’, the call of a Raven. While hunting I had the chance to verify a second field mark: it’s long tail. A double-check with Peterson’s field guide provided a few more clues: mountain forests, expanding range southward. . . . There were more identification marks to look for such as it’s flight pattern and wing shape so I’ll look forward to making many more observations on a bird that I should have noticed before now!

1 Comment » | posted in Possessing the Land

posted by Robert on 11/24/09

Here is the radio interview with Daniel about the National Bible Bee. It was hosted by Family Life Today. Enjoy!

Family Life Today MP3 (25 min)

Leave a Comment » | posted in Family News

posted by Donald on 11/19/09

 Understanding is the ability to differentiate. You know that you understand when you are able to tell the difference between two given objects or ideas that have surface similarities. Now, in the “age of indefinition”, it is imperative for us to understand the following three terms for they are indeed different.

Definitions follow the Random House Dictionary, College Edition

Socialize–”1. to make social; make fit for life in companionship with others.  2. to make socialistic; establish or regulate according to the theories of socialism.  3. Educ. to treat as a group activity. . . .  4. to associate or mingle sociably with others.”

Sociable–”1. inclined to associate with or be in the company of others.  2. friendly or agreeable in company; companionable.  3. characterized by or pertaining to companionship with others.”

Socialism–”1. a theory or system of social organization that advocates the ownership and control of industry, capital, land, etc., by the community as a whole.  2. procedure or practice in accordance with this theory.  3. (in Marxist theory) the stage following capitalism in the transition of a society to communism.”

Notice that “socialization” by definition can bring both positive (definition number 1) and negative results (definition 2). Secondly, notice that “sociable” has no negative connotations at all–Being friendly and developing the skills of communication and thoughtfulness for others is a virtue, acknowledged by all civilized peoples. I hope that all of us are growing in that area. “Socialism” is a subtle danger to beware of. In theory it is perfectly idealistic because it is based on the lie that man is without sin. But in reality, if you think about it, socialism should actually need no single leader or any government control. What then is the motive of those who are so eager to introduce it to our country? We would logically conclude that it is for control, not service. They will speak of serving the people as long as it helps them to achieve their end and expand their control. Then once they gain enough power they use that power to take control and socialism becomes communism. Notice now that the second aspect of “socialization” in it’s very definition, definition 2, serves as the lead-in for socialism.

The next time you hear someone mention socialization, see if you can differentiate whether it is being used honestly to describe the virtue of sociability or as a cloak for socialism.

7 Comments » | posted in Politics

posted by Michael on 11/17/09

This Thanksgiving one of the biggest things I am grateful for is family harmony. It is so important for members of a family to love one another. It is not only important for the well being of the family members, but for the ability of society to function as a whole. Family life shows everywhere else.

• I’m grateful that my brothers and sister receive rebuke and instruction from each other, and also know how to wisely give it. Even more importantly they know how to receive it from their parents.
• I’m grateful that when members of the family are away, we still enjoy keeping in touch with each other on a frequent basis.
• I’m grateful that we express emotion to each other and really care about each others’ feelings.

I didn’t fully realize what a blessing it was until this summer when Mom and Dad were away and it was just five brothers (three were teenagers) here at the house with more responsibilities than usual. When I looked back and realized that we had lived and had fun together with no jesting or poking fun at each other, never a single fight or even an argument or any hard feelings the whole time, I was amazed.

Later on I overheard a conversation that showed me how much my brother could not stand the thought of family members saying hateful things to each other. That just stuck with me.

A third thing that I noticed was that after my younger brother’s victory at the National Bible Bee competition in DC, I never heard anyone tease him about it or envy his success – he’s just the same brother he has always been, as if nothing had changed.

This fills me with such thanksgiving because I know some of what it has taken to achieve this harmony. It is not a natural thing and cannot just happen by accident. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

4 Comments » | posted in Family News