Money Changers in the Church

Leading up to the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus, which is this coming Sunday, April 12th, we have been reading all the scriptures in the Gospels concerning the last week before Jesus was crucified on the cross. The reading started with Palm Sunday which was Jesus' triumphant entrance into Jerusalem and the remainder of the week will be what happened the week He was cruisfied and will end with His glorious resurrection on Sunday.

Yesterday we read about Jesus casting the money changers out of the Temple of God. He was mad! He ran everyone out that was buying and selling in the Temple, he even over turned their cash registers. The people were celling doves to the people in preparation for Passover, which by the way, starts tonight at sundown. This was a very important celebration for the Jewish people, remembering their deliverance out of the terrible bondage and slavery they were under in Egypt. God miracleriously delivered them from the death angel, if they had the blood on the doorpost of their homes. This was the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak, and the Pharaoh released God's people. Moses lead them out and this is when they crossed the Red Sea, yet another miracle.

In a couple of weeks there is going to be a craft show and lunch at the church to raise money for a mission project. My question, is this right? Anyway, Hubby has made three bird houses he plans to have at the craft show.















The big white one is a replica of the Fayette County Courthouse, the oldest courthouse in Georgia. Our church is in Fayette County, so this should be a really big hit, it's one of a kind, I'm sure. The green house has been painted to look like an antique finish, all cracked and the little Americana house has an American flag painted across the front of it. The roof is covered with dollhouse shingle. This is a wonderful collection of really nice bird houses, but is it right to sell them at the church?

Comb Back Chair

Hubby has been working on this comb back chair for the past months/year and has finally finished the construction. He's going to put a milk paint finish on it before moving it into the house.

We have a problem Houston. Where are we going to put this chair? I just walked through the house and counted eleven (11), yes eleven chairs he has made. I don't know where we are going to put this cone back. The others are scattered all over the house--four are around the kitchen table, and the others are in the living room, foyer and bedrooms. We would love to sell four of the Windsor bow backs that are scattered all over the house. They would look really lovely in some one's home with their antique looking finish.

Hubby cut the tree(s) down to get the wood he used to make the spindles and legs. He did buy the seat blank, which was nothing more than a thick square of wood, from a specialty lumber yard in Newnan, GA. He had to carve the seat out, which is a lot of hard work! You need green wood to make the spindles and legs, so they will turn well on the lathe.

He's going to put a nice antique looking finish on it. We had to make a special trip to Highland Hardward http://www.highlandhardware.com/ to buy the milk paint he is going to use. It's always fun for both of us going to Highland Hardware. I love their book section, Hubby likes the tools, well I have purchased a tool or two myself there as well.

He amazes me at what he can make from a green tree.

IT'S SNOWING HERE IN THE SOUTH!

Coming out of

church!

Coming through downtown of "Gone With The Wind" territory.

I know, I know for all of you people up north, this is not a big deal, but for all of us that grew up here in the deep south, y'all, IT'S A BIG DEAL.

Do you know what happend when we have three snowflakes? Everything closes, people do a run on all the grocery stores and it's like a ghost town!

This morning before church we heard thunder, then we had some sleet and it continued to rain. We went on to church in the rain with a little snow mix here and there. We chatted with friends and made our way to our "regular" seats. If we are standing we can see outside, but when we were seated we couldn't see a thing, so I "excused" myself for a minute, made my way around to the opposite side of the building from where we sit and politely opened the blinds on the doors from the auditorium to the foyer. We had a straight view of what was happening outside. It was SNOWING and I means it was snowing hard. During church we got about an inch of snow, please don't laugh y'all, that's a lot of snow for us. Even the pastor made a comment about what was happening outside. It was not my intention to bring to HIS attention that it was snowing, but he did mention something about what has been happening outside.

This is what what happened while we were in church! We have never seen snowflakes this large since we went snowmobiling in Yellowstone National Park. It so reminded us of how beautiful all the snow was and how large the flakes can be. They must have been about half the size of my hand.

Almost home!

The roads are covered with slush, but the temperature has been right at 34 degrees all day, so that slush will turn to ice when it gets dark and that is a another story. It's almost 6:00 p.m. and we are still getting snow. We already know that all the schools and probably many businesses will be closed tomorrow. I suspect the roads will be pretty bad in the morning as the forecast is 25 degrees tomorrow morning, but it is suppose to be sunny with a high of 45 degrees. Hopefully, the roads will be okay after the sun gets up, because I tell you the people from here do not know how to drive on snow covered roads, and most of the yankee transplants don't know either!

You have to understand that when it snows here in the south, everything STOPS! Everyone thinks they are going to be unable to get to the grocery story for DAYS, so there is a huge run on all the grocery stores for bread and milk. I always wondered why not stock up on everything else while you are there. So very quickly the shelves are stripped of all bread and milk. I would think you would need something to go between those pieces of bread.

My dear friend that lives in northern Virginia just called me, and she is stuck in Jacksonville, FL and is trying to get back to Virginia. Many flights have been cancelled and she already knows she will not be getting out today. The airline told her tomorrow morning, we shall see.

Finally, we are home!

Today is my nieces birthday and she was really excited that we have all this snow on her special day. She was really excited. I think that's pretty special as well. Happy Birthday, Lizzie!

18th Century Canteen

Hubby bought a new wooden canteen and has turned it into an antique looking item. It arrived lilly white, but as you can see he has worked his magic and turned it into a canteen that looks like it is out of the Revolutionary War battles fought here in Georgia. On the opposite side he carved,

2

CPL. K.... L....

Ga. Bn.

Cont. Line

That is Corporal (CPL.) and his name, 2nd Georgia Battalion, Continental Line. The back side reflects all the battles fought in Georgia (one of the original colonies). Savannah--1778, Kettle Creek--1779, Briar Creek--1779.

This will be added to the collection of accouterments he has already collected, to include all the appropriate clothing. Well, I have the clothing as well and the necessary accouterments necessary to prepare meals.

These items are left over from our days of reenactments (living history). They were fun, but we retired after the surrender at Yorktown of General Cornwallis to General George Washington. That was an event of a lifetime. Over 4,000 reenacters. President Regan attended the event as well as the President of France. For some reason the English weren't too excited about the event and failed to send a representative.

3-D CHURCH

How cool is this? 3-D in church of all places. The kids loved it, so did the big kids. Our pastor was making a life application point in his sermon that required the glasses.

Please Pray

Please pray for two young women, Mish Weiss and Leah Friedman.

Leah had heart valve replacement this week. This is one of several valve replacements she has had during her short life. You see, she is only 19. She is very, very ill and needs our prayers. You can follow her blog, which is being maintained by friends at the moment. This young lady has a lot spunk and flight in her, but she is currently in a coma. PLEASE PRAY!

http://leahmetermaid.blogspot.com

Mish is an American living in Israel serving in the IDF. She is currently on sick leave recovering from a bone marrow transplant because she has leukemia. She is progressing slowly, but she is progressing. Please pray for her recovery and patience. She is chomping at the bits to get out of the hospital--she's been there since last July in isolation because of her compromised immune system. She wants to be with her dear friend Leah, but can't until her blood counts reach a certain point.

http://mishweiss.blogspot.com

These are two precious young ladies and I am asking you to pray for both of them.

BRIEF FACTS ON THE ISRAELI CONFLICT TODAY

This information came to me in the form of an e-mail from a friend at church through another friend that has moved away. How funny is that? These are some fact most people need to know about this conflict. I just did a cut and paste, can you believe I have those computer skills?

Benjamin Netanyahu gave an interview and was asked about Israel 's occupation of Arab lands -- his response was "It's our land." The reporter (CNN or the like) was stunned -- read on.

Here are overlooked facts in the current Middle East situation. These were compiled by a Christian university professor. BRIEF FACTS ON THE ISRAELI CONFLICT TODAY.... (It takes just 1.5 minutes to read!!!!) It makes sense and it's not slanted. Jew and non-Jew--it doesn't matter.

• 1. Nationhood and Jerusalem. Israel became a nation in 1312 B.C.E. Two thousand years before the rise of Islam.
• 2. Arab refugees in Israel began identifying themselves as part of a Palestinian people in 1967, two decades after the establishment of the modern State of Israel .
• 3. Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 B.C.E., the Jews have had dominion over the land for one thousand years with a continuous presence in the land for the past 3,300 years.
• 4. The only Arab dominion since the conquest in 635 C.E. Lasted no more than 22 years.
• 5. For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital. Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even when the Jordanians occupied Jerusalem, they never sought to make it their capital, and Arab leaders did not come to visit.
• 6. Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in Tanach, the Jewish Holy Scriptures. Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the Koran.
• 7. King David founded the city of Jerusalem. Mohammed never came to Jerusalem.
• 8. Jews pray facing Jerusalem. Muslims pray with their backs toward Jerusalem.
• 9. Arab and Jewish Refugees: In 1948 the Arab refugees were encouraged to leave Israel by Arab leaders promising to purge the land of Jews. Sixty-ei ght percent left without ever seeing an Israeli soldier.
• 10. The Jewish refugees were forced to flee from Arab lands due to Arab brutality, persecution and pogroms.
• 11. The number of Arab refugees who left Israel in 1948 is estimated to be around 630,000. The number of Jewish refugees from Arab lands is estimated to be the same.
• 12. Arab refugees were INTENTIONALLY not absorbed or integrated into the Arab lands to which they fled, despite the vast Arab territory. Out of the 100,000,000 refugees since World War II, theirs is the only refugee group in the world that has never been absorbed or integrated into their own peoples' lands. Jewish refugees were completely absorbed into Israel, a country no larger than the state of New Jersey.
• 13. The Arab - Israeli Conflict: The Arabs are represented by eight separate nations, not including the Palestinians. There is only one Jewish nation. The Arab nations initiated all five wars and lost. Israel defended itself each time and won.
• 14. The P.L.O.'s Charter still calls for the destruction of the State of Israel. Israel has given the Palestinians most of the West Bank land, autonomy under the Palestinian Authority, and has supplied them.
• 15. Under Jordanian rule, Jewish holy sites were desecrated and the Jews were denied access to pla ces of worship. Under Israeli rule, all Muslim and Christian sites have been preserved and made accessible to people of all faiths.
• 16. The U.N. Record on Israel and the Arabs: of the 175 Security Council resolutions passed before 1990, 97 were directed against Israel.
• 17. Of the 690 General Assembly resolutions voted on before 1990, 429 were directed against Israel.
• 18. The U.N was silent while 58 Jerusalem Synagogues were destroyed by the Jordanians.
• 19. The U.N. Was silent while the Jordanians systematically desecrated the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives.
• 20. The U.N. Was silent while the Jordanians enforced an aparthei d-like a policy of preventing Jews from visiting the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.

What can you do? What will you tell your grandchildren what you did when there was a turning point in Jewish destiny, an opportunity to make a difference?

START NOW- Send this to other people you know and ask them to send it to others, Jew and non-Jew--it doesn't really matter.