Washington DC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We recently went to Washington DC for a quick getaway. I love history so this was a perfect trip for me. I love my country and I am proud to be an American!! I gasped audibly when I saw the Lincoln Memorial as we were getting off the elevator. I stood in awe as we viewed the flag that inspired the Star Spangled Banner at the Smithsonian. I cannot believe it has been preserved for all these years. I will never sing the National Anthem the same way again. The National Archives which hold the Constitution, The Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, the freedom documents my friends, this is who we are as a nation.

We also saw some famous american pop items; the ruby slippers, ,love those shoes!! Archie Bunker's chair alongside Edith's, a show that changed television. We were able to go to a Washington Nationals baseball game, beautiful new stadium and they played the NY Mets.

Enjoy the photos and remember we are free.

He is Risen!!!!!!

You have to go through Friday to get to Sunday. Today is Resurrection Sunday. The above clip is a little lengthy but it is the most important part of the story. The Christian faith is like no other, you see, we serve a risen Savior. Jesus is alive, we do not worship a dead god.

A few song quotes;

Because He lives,
we can face tomorrow...

Hallelujah, Jesus is alive
Death has lost it's victory
and the grave has been denied.
Jesus lives forever, He's alive!!!

He lives, he lives
Christ Jesus lives today.
He walks with me and talks with me
along life's narrow way.

Celebrate today my friends, He has conquered the grave.

He is risen....
He is risen indeed!!

Good Friday

Good Friday, what's so good about it? It's good because it is the gospel, the good news, Jesus died for you. It's good because it is the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. No visual today just a reminder of the power of the blood, below are Matt Redman's lyrics to;

Nothing But the Blood

Your blood speaks a better word
Than all the empty claims I've heard upon this earth
Speaks righteousness for me
And stands in my defense
Jesus it's Your blood

What can wash away our sins?
What can make us whole again?
Nothing but the blood
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
What can wash us pure as snow?
Welcomed as the friends of God
Nothing but Your blood
Nothing but Your blood King Jesus

Your cross testifies in grace
Tells of the Father's heart to make a way for us
Now boldly we approach
Not by earthly confidence
It's only Your blood

We thank You for the blood
We thank You for the blood

We praise You for the blood
We praise You for the blood

Nothing but Your blood
Nothing but Your blood King Jesus

Without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sins. Hebrews 9:22

Jesus Washes the Disciples Feet

Holy Thursday, Maundy Thursday, The Last Supper they all mean the same thing. The Thursday before Good Friday, the last supper with the disciples and the washing of the feet. Maundy is derived from the Latin word for "command", so Maundy Thursday refers to the command that Jesus gave his disciples to love and serve one another. Should we observe this day, the Bible neither commands nor forbids. To me the point is this; Love one another and serve one another in humility and not just on one day, throughout our lives.

In the video clip Jesus is celebrating the Passover with his disciples and all of the sudden he wants to wash their feet. Listen closely to Peter, I love this scene. This is also the first hint that Jesus knew that Judas would betray him.

For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not great than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. John 13:15-17

The Power of Words

Love this!!!!

Happy Passover

Thought this video was great.

Disclaimer: I do not know anything about Aish.com

Palm Sunday

Easter is fast approaching so I thought I would take the next two weeks and highlight the reasons why we celebrate and the various meanings and traditions. Being a visual learner, I will attach videos to go along with text. The videos will be taken from The Gospel of John movie, which in my opinion, is the best that has been done and it is a word for word translation. There is nothing added and nothing taken away. Production quality is excellent as well as the acting. You can rent it on Netflix, you will not be disappointed and if you have never read the gospel of John, you will learn a lot.

Why Palms? - The laying of palm branches indicates that a king or dignitary was arriving in victory, they also spread their coats (which you will not see in the video, the Gospel of Matthew tells us this info, you are watching the Gospel of John.
(This could be our equivalent of "rolling out the red carpet")

Why a donkey? - Fulfillment of the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly, and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.
-Zechariah 9:9

Also note in the Gospels of Matthew 21, Mark 11 and Luke 19, Jesus told his disciples this;

Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.
-Matthew 21:2

Go into the village opposite you; and as a soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it.
-Mark 11:2

Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here.
-Luke 19:30

Luke also tells us that the multitude were praising and rejoicing God in a loud voice. Some of the Pharisees told him to rebuke them. I love what Jesus tells them,
"I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out." - Luke 19:40
Could you imagine, the very stones would cry out!!!

NEVER will a rock cry out in my place, He is worthy of all our praise! Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the Name of Lord.

How He Loves Us...

David Crowder has an interesting and unique voice. Here he is in this video live at KLOVE radio station. Ignore the chit chat in the beginning and listen to the song.

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. John 15:13

Oh, how he loves my friends, how he loves.

Pia is going home??

What??? Sorry America, you got it wrong. Pia is one of the best singers on the American Idol show. I will say that I think what happened is people (me) did not vote for her because everyone assumed she would stay in the competition. I did not vote for her, sorry Pia.

And the beat goes on...

Go Green!

We talked about organics, let's talk about green cleaning. I have started to try to go green with laundry detergent, dish detergent, cleaning my kitchen floors(I use a wonderful steamer, no cleaners just very hot steam) and vacuuming with a HEPA vacuum. It's not just about the environment, it's about the toxicity in the cleaning products that are on the market. Your health is at stake. So today in my local newspaper, The Record, they had great information about getting started and creating your own cleaners. I will be clipping this info and posting it on my fridge along with the previous post about organics. Here is what the paper posted;

Getting Started
Remove shoes when inside (we do this!! So many germs on your shoes)
Use portable air filters
Use filters for tap water and shower (We use Aquasana shower filters, chlorine inhalation is very bad for you, this takes out the chlorine not to mention the other crud in the water, we also use this at our kitchen sink for purified water, also by Aquasana)
Switch to natural cleaning products (Expensive but worth it but you can make your own)
Dust and mop regularly, use a vacuum with a HEPA filter(We use the vacuum)
Green plants naturally detoxify the air (Need to get more plants)
DO NOT WRAP OR REHEAT FOOD IN PLASTIC. (My caps, this is so bad for you, it has been studied that possibly breast cancer comes from a certain plastic that is heated and gets in your food)
Don't reuse plastic water bottles (Same reason)(We use stainless steel containers for our water) Look at the the recycling numbers on the bottom; Nos. 1, 2,4 and 5 are considered safe
-Kara Yorio

Do it Yourself
Air Freshener
Boil cinnamon and cloves and let the steam circulate
Put 1/2 cup of borax at the bottom of garbage pails (I like this idea)
Place a box of baking soda in the fridge to absorb smells(A time tested idea)

All Purpose Cleaner
Mix 1 tsp. borax, 2 TBSP. vinegar or lemon juice, 5 drops of essential oil and two cups of hot water (Vinegar has so many uses!)

Floor Cleaner
Vinyl floors: mix 1/2 cup of vinegar, 1/4 cup borax and 1 gallon of hot water (we use the steam cleaner on our ceramic tile)
Wood floors: Use a vegetable soap such as castile soap or Murphy Oil Soap

Furniture and Floor Polish
Mix 2 parts olive oil, 1 part white vinegar and essential oil for scent
Mix a few drops of lemon juice for each pint of mineral oil

Glass Cleaner
Mix 1/8 cup white vinegar 1 cup of water and use a spray bottle

Mold and Mildew Cleaner
Mix 1 tsp borax, 3 TBSP white vinegar and 2 cups of hot water. Spray on surface and scrub off mold. To inhibit mold growth, spray a few more times, but do not wipe off. (I am going to try this)

Tub and Tile Scouring Powder
Mix 1 cup of baking soda and 1/2 cup of borax, sprinkle on area and scrub with warm water

Source: "Cleanse Your Body, Clear your Mind" by Jeffrey A. Morrison, M.D.

**Please note that I have not read the above book, the above tips were posted in the newspaper and I thought valuable information about natural cleaners. I do not know anything about the book or the author.

Go Green, your health depends on it!!!