Click on the photo to get to additional natural family blog food entries.
MEAL PLANNING:
This summer I will be teaching our four oldest children some basic meal planning and food budgeting.
Our experiment is going to include five days of lunch prep for each child. Michelle, Allison, Jeffrey, and Andrew will each be given five days and $100.00 to prepare a five course meal for our family of seven.
Hatch children in December of 2005
Each meal will include an appetizer, salad, soup, main dish (w/ protein, carb and vegetable), and dessert. Each serving must contain at least 25 grams of protein and the meal must cost less than $20.00 to prepare for the whole family. The children will be encouraged to use our food storage for basic ingredients, but will be required to do most of the cooking from scratch – with just a little help from mom.
I will continue to prepare breakfast and a light supper during the month of July, but the point of this experiment is to take our cooking/teaching to a higher level in terms of nutritional content and staying within a budget.
Paul works from home and most of us like to eat our main meal in the middle of the day, so this month of July is an ideal time to have our adventures in cooking.
Click on this photo of Ben to read about our thanksgiving vacation food adventures last november.
Ben helping in the kitchen.
Click on this link to read about how the children helped prepare thanksgiving supper.
Jenny Hatch
Author Jenny Marie Hatch
Sunday School Lesson – Repentance
Here is the text of the lesson I will teach in the morning to my sunday school class. I teach from the Gospel Principles lesson manual and the class is usually made of of new converts and people who are investigating The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Last week we had two investigators, one new member, and six missionaries attend class and it was a good discussion. I’m hoping for a similar class tomorrow.
Jenny Hatch
Repentance
Chapter 19
31110, Gospel Principles, Unit Six: The Gospel of Jesus Christ, 19: Repentance, 122
Faith in Jesus Christ naturally leads to repentance. There has been the need for repentance in the world from the time of Adam to the present day. The Lord instructed Adam, “Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence” (Moses 6:57).
We All Need to Repent
We come to earth for the purpose of growing and progressing. This is a lifelong process. During this time we all sin. We all have need to repent. Sometimes we sin because of ignorance, sometimes because of our weaknesses, and sometimes because of willful disobedience. In the Bible we read that “there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not” (Ecclesiastes 7:20) and that “if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
What is sin? The Apostle James said, “To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). Another Apostle described sin as “all unrighteousness” (1 John 5:17).
That is why the Lord said “all men, everywhere, must repent” (Moses 6:57). Except for Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect life, everyone who has lived upon the earth has sinned. Our Heavenly Father in his great love has provided us this opportunity to repent of our sins.
Discussion
• Why do all people need to repent?
What Is Repentance?
Repentance is the way provided for us to become free from our sins and receive forgiveness for them. Sins slow our spiritual progression and can even stop it. Repentance makes it possible for us to grow and develop spiritually again.
The privilege of repenting is made possible through the atonement of Jesus Christ. In a way we do not fully understand, Jesus paid for our sins. President Joseph Fielding Smith said of this:
“I have suffered pain, you have suffered pain, and sometimes it has been quite severe; but I cannot comprehend pain … that would cause the blood, like sweat, to come out upon the body. It was something terrible, something terrific. …
“There was no man ever born into this world that could have stood under the weight of the load that was upon the Son of God, when he was carrying my sins and yours and making it possible that we might escape from our sins” (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:130–31).
Repentance sometimes requires great courage, much strength, many tears, unceasing prayers, and untiring efforts to live the commandments of the Lord.
Discussion
• What does the word repentance mean to you?
How Do We Repent?
Elder Spencer W. Kimball declared: “There is no royal road to repentance, no privileged path to forgiveness. Every man must follow the same course whether he be rich or poor, educated or untrained, tall or short, prince or pauper, king or commoner. … There is only one way. It is a long road spiked with thorns and briars and pitfalls and problems” (The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 149).
Discussion
• Why must we repent of our sins?
We Must Recognize Our Sins
The first step of repentance is to admit to ourselves that we have sinned. If we do not admit this, we cannot repent.
Alma counseled his son Corianton, who had been unfaithful in his missionary calling and had committed serious sins: “Let your sins trouble you, with that trouble which shall bring you down unto repentance. … Do not endeavor to excuse yourself in the least point” (Alma 42:29–30). The scriptures advise us further not to justify our sinful practices (see Luke 16:15–16).
We cannot hide any act of our lives from ourselves or from the Lord.
We Must Feel Sorrow for Our Sins
In addition to recognizing our sins, we must feel sincere sorrow for what we have done. We must feel that our sins are terrible. We must want to unload and abandon them. The scriptures tell us, “All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and … have truly repented of all their sins … shall be received by baptism into his church” (D&C 20:37).
We Must Forsake Our Sins
Our sincere sorrow should lead us to forsake (stop) our sins. If we have stolen something, we will steal no more. If we have lied, we will lie no more. If we have committed adultery, we will stop. The Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith, “By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them” (D&C 58:43).
We Must Confess Our Sins
Confessing our sins is very important. The Lord has commanded us to confess our sins. Confession relieves a heavy burden from the sinner. The Lord has promised, “I, the Lord, forgive sins, and am merciful unto those who confess their sins with humble hearts” (D&C 61:2).
We must confess all our sins to the Lord. In addition, we must confess serious sins, such as adultery, fornication, and robbery, which might affect our standing in the Church, to the proper priesthood authority. If we have sinned against another person, we should confess to the person we have injured. Some less serious sins involve no one but ourselves and the Lord. These may be confessed privately to the Lord.
We Must Make Restitution
Part of repentance is to make restitution. This means that as much as possible we must make right any wrong that we have done. For example, a thief should give back what he has stolen. A liar should make the truth known. A gossip who has slandered the character of a person should work to restore the good name of the person he has harmed. As we do these things, God will not mention our sins to us when we are judged (see Ezekiel 33:15–16).
We Must Forgive Others
A vital part of repentance is to forgive those who have sinned against us. The Lord will not forgive us unless our hearts are fully cleansed of all hate, bitterness, and bad feelings against other people (see 3 Nephi 13:14–15). “Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin” (D&C 64:9).
We Must Keep the Commandments of God
To make our repentance complete we must keep the commandments of the Lord (see D&C 1:32). We are not fully repentant if we do not pay tithes or keep the Sabbath day holy or obey the Word of Wisdom. We are not repentant if we do not sustain the authorities of the Church and do not love the Lord and our fellowmen. If we do not pray and are unkind to others, we are surely not repentant. When we repent, our life changes.
Elder Kimball said: “Repentance means not only to convict yourselves of the horror of the sin, but to confess it, abandon it, and restore to all who have been damaged to the total extent possible; then spend the balance of your lives trying to live the commandments of the Lord so he can eventually pardon you and cleanse you” (The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 200).
Discussion
• Discuss the steps of repentance.
How Repentance Helps Us
As we repent, the atonement of Jesus Christ becomes fully effective in our lives, and the Lord forgives our sins. We become free from the bondage of our sins, and we find joy.
Alma recounted his experience of repenting from his sinful past:
“My soul was harrowed up [troubled] to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins.
“Yea, I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell; yea, I saw that I had rebelled against my God, and that I had not kept his holy commandments.
“… So great had been my iniquities, that the very thought of coming into the presence of my God did rack my soul with inexpressible horror.
“… It came to pass that as I was … harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy … concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.
“Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me. …
“And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more. …
“And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!
“… There can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy” (Alma 36:12–14, Alma 36:17–21).
Discussion
• Read Alma 36:10–28. Discuss the agony Alma suffered while remembering his sins; discuss also his repentance and how forgiveness brought him joy.
When Should We Repent?
The prophets have declared that “this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God” (Alma 34:32). We should repent now, every day. When we get up in the morning, we should examine ourselves to see whether the Spirit of God is with us. At night before we go to sleep, we should review our acts and words of the day and ask the Lord to show us the things for which we need to repent. By repenting every day and having the Lord forgive our sins, we will experience the daily process of becoming perfect. As with Alma, our happiness and joy can be sweet and exquisite.
Discussion
• Discuss how difficult it is to learn something new all at once. By contrast, discuss how easy it is to practice each day until we gain mastery. How is this like repentance?
Additional Scriptures
• Matthew 9:10–13; Luke 13:3; Ezekiel 18:30 (repent or perish)
• 2 Corinthians 7:9–10 (godly sorrow)
• Mosiah 4:10–12 (steps to repentance)
• Isaiah 1:18; Mosiah 26:28–32 (repentance brings forgiveness)
• D&C 58:42 (sins remembered no more)
• 2 Nephi 9:23 (repentance necessary to salvation)
• 2 Nephi 2:21 (repent while in the flesh)
© 2006 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Healthy Families Make A Healthy World!
Health Care Extortion – more difficult than changing political parties
This morning I read a story about a black man who has written a book detailing the difficulties he encountered when he changed political parties.
Here is a link to his book Coming Out of the Republican Closet. And here is an interview with Reginald Bohannon conducted by John Hawkins.
Some telling points from the interview:
“Bohannon soon discovered that he was conservative. Not wanting to disappoint his family and bring ill-repute on them, Bohannon chose to keep his political viewpoints to himself.”
“Tell us about that. Why would being conservative disappoint your family and “bring ill repute on them?”
Reginald Bohannon: Well, for one, 90-95% of blacks vote for the Democratic Party and my mom was — and still is — active with the Democratic Party in Lexington, North Carolina. If I..came out and told her that I was a Republican, she would…get (called names) and so would I — Uncle Tom, sell-out, Oreo and things of that nature.
So, once I did find out that I was conservative …I didn’t want the name calling and I hadn’t gotten up the courage to come out of the closet at that time. Once I learned more about conservatism and educated myself through talk radio, columns, and books, that gave me the courage to say, “Yes, I am conservative and I do vote for Republicans.”
I appreciate this mans courage. I have observed similar courage in the lives of people I know and love. For example, I observed first hand the intense pressure my brother in law experienced when he decided to leave his Assembly Of God Congregation, where he served as Youth Pastor, in order to get baptised into the LDS church. The rejection and pressure was real from friends and family. And caused this person I love incredible pain.
I believe similar pain is associated with a change in political parties and applaud all closet conservatives who have the courage to come out to family and friends.
This story was juxtiposed by another story I read this morning about a mother who decided to pull her child to safety and out of the clutches of what I believe is the most hard line, all powerful, and tyrannical cult in our country. What other religion, party, group, or assembly could get away with this sort of offence?
When one changes religions or political parties, the rejection can be intense, but few would find it cause for charging the individual with a crime. But when one decides to leave the church of Modern Medicine run for your life, cause Big toxic pharma Brother is gonna git cha.
Tina Marie Carlsen has just experienced the nightmare that “happens regularly” according to this Seattle Times article.
Just listen to the language:
“When Tina Marie Carlsen smuggled her 9-month-old son, Riley Rogers, out of Children’s Hospital & Regional Medical Center hours before his scheduled kidney surgery last week, it was the culmination of a long and intense battle with doctors over how to treat her child.
Carlsen wanted to explore alternative treatments. But hospital officials, who believed they were running out of time, finally went to court to have Riley taken from her custody.
Monday, after an Amber Alert and police manhunts, Riley was back in the hospital and Carlsen was in custody, charged with second-degree kidnapping.
It’s a situation that sends chills through many parents — and doctors alike. How can a parent who objects to medical treatment of her child become a criminal?
Even though going to court to take custody away from parents who refuse treatments for their children is always a last resort, it happens regularly, said Dr. Doug Diekema, interim director of the Treuman Katz Center for Pediatric Bioethics at Children’s.”
I would like to suggest the idea, that as difficult as it is for non-conformists to change political parties, religions, or even food preferences, the most difficult change in our society, the one wrought with the most intense psychologial pressure, scrutiny, and repercussions is in fact standing up to the Medical Monopoly and claiming your rights of self determination for and in behalf of your children.
I have termed this self determination Family Sovereignty
Our society is in a sorry state when a mother is charged with kidnapping her own child (with Amber Alert!!!), thrown in jail, and her nine month old child taken from her arms just so doctors can practice their voodoo allopathic drugs and surgery.
This mother should have all charges dropped, her child placed back in her care, and she should be supported in choosing and paying for whichever natural remedy she feels will best serve her child.
Why?
Current Medical dogma is rift with incompetence and long term side effects that are deadly and dangerous to families. The total number of deaths caused by conventional medicine is an astounding 783,936 per year. It is parents who have to live with the long term consequences of health care decisions, it is parents (or taxpayers) who pay the bill, and so it should be parents who make the decisions for and in behalf of their little ones.
The article ended with these sobering words from the doctor:
“McCormick said some otherwise good parents just have a “blind spot” when it comes to medical decisions for their child, and Diekema agreed:
“That doesn’t make them criminals, and it doesn’t make them bad parents,” he said.
“I think it would be awful if someone went to jail. I don’t think it’s the appropriate approach in these cases. This is where mercy needs to balance justice a little bit.”
I wonder what Dr. McCormick would think of my lifestyle?
I don’t believe in allopathic prenatal care. I give birth at home. We don’t allow our children to be vaccinated. If one of my children developed a kidney infection or some other type of blockage related infection, I would seek help from our herbalist and chiropractor with the understanding that blockages are best dissolved using holistic means rather than surgery, which causes scar tissue, and drugs which simply cause more toxicity in the body, especially in the eliminative organs.
Blind spots?
We choose to live a Natural Lifestyle and have largely apostatized from the Church of Modern Medicine. Does our non-conformity make us criminals? Bad parents? Or place us in the “Medical Negligence” camp?
Or are we simply exercising our rights of self determination for and in behalf of the children we have thoughtfully and prayerfully welcomed into our home?
Those doctors, social workers, police, and judges who have decided that they know what is best for family life need to realize that increasing numbers of Americans simply don’t want to purchase what they have to sell. Rather than criminalizing our lifestyle choices and deciding for us how our health care dollars are spent these medical professionals need to realize that they are simply one of the many and varied forms of healing in the marketplace and they may or may not be chosen at any given time to help in the cause of healing a sick child.
It is the height of arrogance and tyranny for this sick system to be imposing itself on free americans to such a degree.
It used to be called extortion when a person obtained money or property from another through coercion or intimidation. Now it is just good medical care. Parents not only have the threat of losing custody of their children, they now have the piling on effect of having to pay all the medical bills, legal fees, time away from jobs, not to mention the mental anguish of being separated from beloved children.
The medicos are so confident that their one little slice of the healing pie is the be all and end all in a world of healing that includes Homeopathy, Chiropractic, Naturopathy, Midwifery, Herbs, Essential Oils, Aryuveda, Massage, Nutrition etc.. that they don’t have the humility or the decency to realize that drugs and surgery are just one way, and often the worst way, to heal a problem in the body. It is time for the Monopoly to be broken up and real freedom of choice to take back its place in the lives of everyday Americans.
Jenny Hatch
UPDATE: Baby has surgery
“SEATTLE
An ailing 9-month-old baby had surgery Friday to insert a catheter that will allow for future kidney dialysis. His mother had tried desperately to prevent the surgery, seeking to pursue alternative natural treatments.
Earlier Friday, a Tacoma judge refused Tina Carlsen’s request to block the surgery. Carlsen, 34, of Sumner, spent five days in jail after she took her son, Riley Rogers, out of a Seattle hospital on June 22, prompting a two-day statewide Amber Alert.
She was freed from jail Thursday but still faces trial on a charge of second-degree domestic violence kidnapping. She could face a maximum year in jail if convicted.”
Jenny
Healthy Families Make A Healthy World!
Denver Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
On tuesday my husband Paul took our three oldest children down to the Denver Temple to perform Baptisms for the Dead.
Jeff recently turned 12 and so it was his first time attending the temple. I stayed home with our two youngest sons, but I prayed a couple of times for Jeff. Prayed that he would feel the spirit and that his heart would be touched by spending some time in the House of the Lord. I also prayed that he would get a sense of the importance of temple work, and how beneficial these proxy ordinances are for those who have passed on.
When he came home I asked him to tell me about the experience and he said it was “the best day of his life”. He told me that he had never felt such peace in his heart.
I just cried as he shared this with me. Tears of joy. It is such an amazing experience to observe my children maturing spiritually.
Here are some photos of the Denver Temple that I took the last time I attended a few weeks ago.
For me, attending the temple gives me respite from the cares of my day to day life. I can walk into the temple and leave the world behind me and focus on the things of eternity. Paul and I both feel so blessed to live close to a temple.
Jenny Hatch
Healthy Families Make A Healthy World!
Sunday School Lessons from the past few weeks
These past few months have been a time of decision making for our family.
We decided not to sell our home.
We are getting our basement finished.
We bought a Puppy named Sammy.
I had a wonderful break from Blogging and have spent some quality time organizing and preparing our home for a team of workers to come in and finish our basement. We had to get all of our food storage out of the basement, and all of us are now sleeping on hundreds of pounds of food in the form of boxes with six #10 cans in them. Our bed is up on three layers of boxes and I almost have to jump to get into bed.
I plan to gradually get back to blogging, it is still going to be a somewhat chaotic and disorganized summer with six weeks of construction to live through plus all of the various activities and plans we have made for summer.
Here are links to all of the sunday school lessons I have taught since starting my blogging break for those of you who would like to read them…
Priesthood Organization
The Lords Covenant People
The Church of Jesus Christ in former times
The Church of Jesus Christ Today
Faith in Jesus Christ
It’s nice to be back!
Jenny Hatch
