Father seeks right to cut ties with child he didn’t want
Guess he should have thought of this before having sex with his girlfriend.
Allowing the Drug Companies to Poison Our Children
In case if anyone was wondering wether or not Big Pharma runs the world….here is some more evidence.
Home School Burnout, Part 3
More measures to combat burnout
NIH Mulls Pros, Cons of Elective C-Sections
I’m sure they will mull and mull and mull some more and then nothing will change. Who has the incentive to change the C-section rate? Only parents who are fed up with the status quo.
Renowned Bird Flu Expert Warns: Be Prepared
Be prepared for at least ten days, with three months of self-sufficiency a great idea!
Youth indoctrination update
I love Walter Williams!
Murdoch Hails ‘Empire of New Knowledge’
New Knowledge, new empowerment, the internet is setting the world FREE!
2 more women die
after abortion pill
Deadly drugs
Docs Loading Kids With Powerful Psych Meds
And more deadly drugs….
Jenny Hatch
Author Jenny Marie Hatch
Final Thoughts for the day – Spring Break
Today was busy. My children are home this week for spring break. In the past I have had them use vacations to learn how to cook. This time we decided to put them to the test. We offered them each $25.00 to do a day of cooking. They could either use that money to purchase food ingredients, or they were welcome to keep the money and use ingredients we already have on hand to make the meals.
Today was Andrew’s Day to cook and he decided to keep his money. So we had pancakes for breakfast, home made bread sandwiches for lunch, and pasta for supper. I try to always keep certain ingredients in our food storage so that these sorts of meals are always available without going to the store.
I think the rest of the children will decide to keep the money and use food storage to cook with. Which is just fine with me. We were going to give them some spending money this week to use to go to movies with friends or blow at the mall, which Allison did this afternoon, might as well get some cooking out of the effort. It keeps the vacation nice for me, to not have to make three meals a day for everyone.
I went to work out at the rec center this morning and had a nice two hours to myself.
We also had a lesson on The Fall of Adam and Eve for Family Home Evening, taught by Paul. Ben insisted we sing head, shoulders, knees and toes for the song, as he does every week, and we enjoyed a wonderful Boston Cream pie for a treat. I did my usual laundry and dishes, took a nap, and cleaned the main part of the house. Paul did the supper dishes, and we watched 24 – really good episode. Now, I am trying to come up with something “spiritual” to write about, and can’t think of anything profound and so I will say goodnight.
Jenny Hatch
Healthy Families Make A Healthy World!
Final thoughts
I’ve decided to write a final wrap up of my thoughts for the day, every day. This is a difficult time for me to write. I am generally surrounded by my family, as I am now, with a multitude of distractions (even as I was booting up the computer and waiting for movable type to load, I had two interuptions). Sometimes I feel like my writing is really bad, but so often it is just because I am distracted and simply don’t have time to edit, and re-edit and re-edit to get it where I would like it to be.
If you would like to read some things that I have re-edited and written to the point where I really feel happy with what was on the page, please read one of my books, or some of the columns at my web site. For this Blog, and especially for these nightly wrap ups of the day, I will write quickly and just share what is in my heart. Without worrying too much about spelling, grammer, and word usage.
Paul and I went to the Denver Temple on friday night. It was such a sacred experience, as it always is. I have been struggling with my health these past few weeks, and on friday was not much better. I told him that I wanted to take a nap on friday afternoon, and when I woke up, I would let him know if I was well enough to attend the temple.
So often these sorts of things are tied to spiritual warfare. I am convinced Satan will stop at nothing to keep the saints out of the temple and physical ill health is surely one of the ways he distracts us from doing what is right. While I was sleeping I had a dream, and I just knew that I had to go to the temple no matter what and participate in the prayer circle. Father in Heaven let me know that great healing would be mine if I took the time and effort to attend the temple.
And it was! I felt the spirit wash over me as I participated in the endowment session, and especially during prayer, so that by the time we were finished I felt a lightness in my heart and a wholeness to my being that was tangible and significant.
These past few years I have been working through some serious trauma that I experienced during my childhood and early adult life. The tender mercies of the Lord have been made manifest over and over during this time in a variety of ways. Once during my pregnancy with Ben, I was processing out some pain from being sexually assaulted, and I was so frustrated that it was taking so long. In absolute frustration I called out to God and asked him to just bring it all up….NOW, so that I could just be over it and move on to bigger and better things in my life.
I had the direct impression from the Lord that if I were to have all of the distress manifest at once, that I would not be able to handle it and more importantly, my baby would not be able to handle it, and would probably miscarry. From that experience I learned patience and trust in my Father in Heaven, that he would help me through the traumas and completely heal me.
These past few months I felt the familiar feelings of more junk bubbling to the surface of my being. Lots of physical distress, some depression, and fleeting images and sensations. To call it a “Memory” is such a dis-service to what it is. When one hears the words memory, they think of the video of their fifth birthday playing on a screen. Sexual abuse memories are so much more and are encompassed and defined by a whole host of sensations, images, and feelings.
I suppose what has surprised me the most in this healing is simply that Heavenly Father keeps his promises. In the scriptures he has promised that he will not allow us to bear more trials than we are able to carry. Sometimes he has carried me to the very depths of my being in terms of capacity as I have moved down this healing path. But he has never allowed me to experience more than I was able to, and he has allowed me to be enabled to live my life and take care of my family, while moving ahead with the healing. I have had days, weeks, and months where I did not even think about the traumas and abuse. During these busy seasons, he knew I just could not deal with it, and so I believe he helped me to suppress it a little bit so that I could do my life.
At other times he opened up windows of opportunity where I could move through and heal the damaged parts of my soul without being completely incapacitated. As I look back on these seventeen years of life, I can see the patterns and the grace of his wisdom in allowing me to heal a piece at a time. At this time I also have to acknowledge the love and patience of my husband as he has been a loving and supportive companion to help me through this time. Paul is a true saint, and I will be forever grateful that he was willing to stand by me during the dark days and the difficult times of our marriage. As in all marriages, we have had a couple of extremely difficult and overwhelming days. Living through experiences that left us numb and void of feeling because we were so overwhelmed by what we had felt.
I was violently raped about a year after we were married. I had no memory of this experience until twelve years later. Yet it cast a pall over our lives and left us reeling at times so badly that all we could do was cry out to Father in Heaven for relief from the emotional pain. During these years we experienced enough light and love with our children being born and the hope and joy they brought into our home, that we were able to hold our marriage together and keep the faith. But it was not easy.
When those memories started to surface a couple years ago, I told Paul what I was remembering and he simply wept. Then he expressed his deep sorrow, and that was enough. He knew he could not fix those damaged places in my soul, only God could do that, but his acceptance and love before and after my memories surfaced allowed me to let the Lord heal me in his own way and time.
Why write about this now? Well, I believe with the healing I experienced friday night at the temple that I have finally purged the last of the trauma out of my psyche. Time will tell if this is the case, but I feel different. I feel whole, peaceful, and at rest. The fire of agitation that has burned in my heart for my whole life has gone down to a low flame. I woke up on saturday morning refreshed, happy, hungry, and filled with good humor and light.
My lungs are clear and I feel so happy to be alive. It is such a blessing to take a full breath and feel the oxygen filling my cells up with healing energy.
In class this morning as we talked about the Atonement, the spirit was so strong. I just felt the love of the savior wash over me during the class as we talked about what his sacrifice meant to all of humanity. And as I listened to the testimonies of the good people of my ward, and then went to choir practice and sang the amazing Easter music that we are preparing for our Easter program, again, I felt the Love of Jesus Christ wash over me. How great is His Wisdom and His Love as he works to heal us as individuals, families, and nations. In his own perfect timing he pulls us out of the depths of darkness that we may find ourselves in, often through no fault of our own, and he gives us comfort and peace.
I would be so remiss if I did not publicly acknowledge the vital roll he has played in my life thus far. And on this day, this perfect day, when I have felt his spirit over and over and over again, I just want to shout out to anyone who is listening, “I know that my redeemer lives!”
I plan to use this nightly blogging to share the spiritual things of my heart at the close of each day. Thanks for listening.
Jenny Hatch
Healthy Families Make A Healthy World!
Sunday School Lesson – The Atonement of Jesus Christ
I’m really excited about teaching this lesson this morning. I believe it is the most important lesson I will be teaching all year. The Atonement of Jesus Christ was the most important event that has ever taken place on this earth, and is the key to the salvation of all of mankind.
Jenny Hatch
The Atonement
Chapter 12
31110, Gospel Principles, Unit Four: Jesus Christ as Our Savior, 12: The Atonement, 71
Jesus Christ “came into the world … to be crucified for the world, and to bear the sins of the world, and to sanctify the world, and to cleanse it from all unrighteousness; that through him all might be saved” (D&C 76:41–42). The great sacrifice he made to pay for our sins and overcome death is called the Atonement. It is the most important event that has ever occurred in the history of mankind: “For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; … yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement” (Alma 34:9).
Discussion
• Why did Jesus come to the earth?
The Atonement Was Necessary for Our Salvation
The fall of Adam brought two kinds of death into the world: physical death and spiritual death. Physical death is separation of the body and spirit. Spiritual death is separation from God. If these two kinds of death had not been overcome by Jesus’ atonement, two consequences would have resulted: our bodies and our spirits would have been separated forever, and we could not have lived again with our Heavenly Father.
But our wise Heavenly Father prepared a wonderful, merciful plan to save us from physical and spiritual death. He planned for a Savior to come to earth to ransom (redeem) us from our sins and from death. Because of our sins and the weakness of our mortal bodies, we could not ransom ourselves (see Alma 34:10–12). The one who would be our Savior would need to be sinless and to have power over death.
Discussion
• Compare our earthly bodies to a hand with a glove on it. Take off the glove. Explain that this is like physical death—the spirit (the hand) and the body (the glove) are separated.
Be not Afraid
by artist, Greg Olsen
Christ Was the Only One Who Could Atone for Our Sins
There are several reasons why Jesus Christ was the only person who could be our Savior. One reason is that Heavenly Father chose him to be the Savior. He was the Only Begotten Son of God and thus had power over death. Jesus explained: “I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again” (John 10:17–18).
Jesus also qualified to be our Savior because he is the only person who has ever lived on the earth who did not sin. This made him a worthy sacrifice to pay for the sins of others.
Discussion
• Have class members discuss the reasons why Jesus was the only one who could atone for our sins.
Christ Suffered and Died to Atone for Our Sins
The Savior atoned for our sins by suffering in Gethsemane and by giving his life on the cross. It is impossible for us to fully understand how he suffered for all of our sins. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the weight of our sins caused him to feel such agony and heartbreak that he bled from every pore (see D&C 19:18–19). Later, as he hung upon the cross, Jesus suffered painful death by one of the most cruel methods known to man.
How Jesus loves us, to suffer such spiritual and physical agony for our sake! How great the love of Heavenly Father that he would send his Only Begotten Son to suffer and die for the rest of his children. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
Discussion
• Ask class members to imagine themselves in the Garden of Gethsemane as witnesses of the suffering of Jesus Christ. Have someone read the account in Luke 22:39–44.
The Atonement and Resurrection Bring Resurrection to All
On the third day after his crucifixion, Christ took up his body again and became the first person to be resurrected. When his friends went to seek him, the angels who guarded his tomb told them, “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said” (Matthew 28:6). His spirit had reentered his body, never to be separated again.
Christ thus overcame physical death. Because of his atonement, everyone born on this earth will be resurrected (see 1 Corinthians 15:21–22). Just as Jesus was resurrected, our spirits will be reunited with our bodies, “that they can die no more … , never to be divided” (Alma 11:45). This condition is called immortality. All people who have ever lived will be resurrected, “both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous” (Alma 11:44).
Discussion
• Refer again to the hand and glove. Explain that because Jesus Christ atoned for our sins, all people will someday be resurrected. (Put the glove on your hand.) Our bodies and our spirits will reunite.
The Atonement Makes It Possible for Those Who Have Faith in Christ to Be Saved from Their Sins
The Savior’s atonement makes it possible for us to overcome spiritual death. Although all people will be resurrected with a body of flesh and bone, only those who accept the Atonement will be saved from spiritual death.
We accept Christ’s atonement by placing our faith in him. Through this faith, we repent of our sins, are baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and obey his commandments. We become faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. We are forgiven and cleansed from sin and prepared to return and live forever with our Heavenly Father.
The Savior tells us, “For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer … even as I” (D&C 19:16–17). Christ did his part to atone for our sins. To make his atonement fully effective in our lives, we must strive to obey him and repent of our sins.
Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Council of the Twelve gave the following illustration to show how Christ’s atonement makes it possible to be saved from sin if we do our part.
“Let me tell you a story—a parable.
“There once was a man who wanted something very much. It seemed more important than anything else in his life. In order for him to have his desire, he incurred a great debt.
“He had been warned about going into that much debt, and particularly about his creditor. But it seemed so important for him to do what he wanted to and to have what he wanted right now. He was sure he could pay for it later.
“So he signed a contract. He would pay it off some time along the way. He didn’t worry too much about it, for the due date seemed such a long time away. He had what he wanted now, and that was what seemed important.
“The creditor was always somewhere in the back of his mind, and he made token payments now and again, thinking somehow that the day of reckoning really would never come.
“But as it always does, the day came, and the contract fell due. The debt had not been fully paid. His creditor appeared and demanded payment in full.
“Only then did he realize that his creditor not only had the power to repossess all that he owned, but the power to cast him into prison as well.
“ ‘I cannot pay you, for I have not the power to do so,’ he confessed.
“ ‘Then,’ said the creditor, ‘we will exercise the contract, take your possessions and you shall go to prison. You agreed to that. It was your choice. You signed the contract, and now it must be enforced.’
“ ‘Can you not extend the time or forgive the debt?’ the debtor begged. ‘Arrange some way for me to keep what I have and not go to prison. Surely you believe in mercy? Will you not show mercy?’
“The creditor replied, ‘Mercy is always so one-sided. It would serve only you. If I show mercy to you, it will leave me unpaid. It is justice I demand. Do you believe in justice?’
“ ‘I believed in justice when I signed the contract,’ the debtor said. ‘It was on my side then, for I thought it would protect me. I did not need mercy then, nor think I should need it ever. Justice, I thought, would serve both of us equally as well.’
“ ‘It is justice that demands that you pay the contract or suffer the penalty,’ the creditor replied. ‘That is the law. You have agreed to it and that is the way it must be. Mercy cannot rob justice.’
“There they were: One meting out justice, the other pleading for mercy. Neither could prevail except at the expense of the other.
“ ‘If you do not forgive the debt there will be no mercy,’ the debtor pleaded.
“ ‘If I do, there will be no justice,’ was the reply.
“Both laws, it seemed, could not be served. They are two eternal ideals that appear to contradict one another. Is there no way for justice to be fully served, and mercy also?
“There is a way! The law of justice can be fully satisfied and mercy can be fully extended—but it takes someone else. And so it happened this time.
“The debtor had a friend. He came to help. He knew the debtor well. He knew him to be shortsighted. He thought him foolish to have gotten himself into such a predicament. Nevertheless, he wanted to help because he loved him. He stepped between them, faced the creditor, and made this offer.
“ ‘I will pay the debt if you will free the debtor from his contract so that he may keep his possessions and not go to prison.’
“As the creditor was pondering the offer, the mediator added, ‘You demanded justice. Though he cannot pay you, I will do so. You will have been justly dealt with and can ask no more. It would not be just.’
“And so the creditor agreed.
“The mediator turned then to the debtor. ‘If I pay your debt, will you accept me as your creditor?’
“ ‘Oh yes, yes,’ cried the debtor. ‘You saved me from prison and show mercy to me.’
“ ‘Then,’ said the benefactor, ‘you will pay the debt to me and I will set the terms. It will not be easy, but it will be possible. I will provide a way. You need not go to prison.’
“And so it was that the creditor was paid in full. He had been justly dealt with. No contract had been broken.
“The debtor, in turn, had been extended mercy. Both laws stood fulfilled. Because there was a mediator, justice had claimed its full share, and mercy was satisfied” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1977, pp. 79–80; or Ensign, May 1977, pp. 54–55).
Our sins are our spiritual debts. Without Jesus Christ, who is our Savior and Mediator, we would all pay for our sins by suffering spiritual death. But because of him, if we will keep his terms, which are to repent and keep his commandments, we may return to live with our Heavenly Father.
It is wonderful that Christ has provided us a way to be healed from our sins. He said:
“Behold, I have come unto the world … to save the world from sin.
“Therefore, whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God. Behold, for such I have laid down my life, and have taken it up again; therefore repent, and come unto me ye ends of the earth, and be saved” (3 Nephi 9:21–22).
Discussion
• Read Acts 2:38. What must we do to show that we accept the Atonement?
• Read Doctrine and Covenants D&C 19:16–17. What is the penalty for those who do not accept the atonement of the Savior?
Additional Scriptures
• Alma 34:9–16 (Atonement necessary; sacrifice of God)
• Romans 5:12–17 (by one came death, by one came life)
• Helaman 14:15–18 (purpose of Jesus’ death)
• Articles of Faith 1:3 (all may be saved)
• 1 Peter 1:18–20 (Jesus was foreordained)
• Matthew 16:21 (Jesus’ sacrifice was necessary)
• Luke 22:39–46 (Jesus’ suffering in the Garden)
• 1 John 1:7 (Jesus cleanses from sin)
• 2 Nephi 9:21–22 (the Savior suffered for all people)
• Mosiah 16:6–8 (resurrection possible only through Jesus)
• Alma 11:40–45; Mormon 9:12–14 (all to be resurrected)
• Isaiah 1:18 (sins shall be made white)
• 1 Corinthians 15:40–44 (description of the Resurrection)
Healthy Families Make A Healthy World!
Whole Wheat Organic Waffles
I make a double batch of Whole Wheat Waffle dough almost every week. Everyone at our house loves to eat waffles, and Waffles are the most requested “breakfast in bed” birthday meal. (My family chooses a day’s worth of food to help us celebrate). Waffles, Whipped Cream, and Strawberries are usually first choice.
I serve waffles for supper sometimes, and I like to have dough in the fridge for our children to cook themselves when they are hungry. I have used Kamut and Flax, Barley, Brown Rice, Spelt, Red Wheat, and Rye to make waffles, but my all time favorite grain to use is White Wheat. It is simply delicious.
Whole Wheat organic Waffles
Here is my recipe for a double batch of Whole Wheat Waffles
8 Organic Eggs
1 Quart Enriched Rice Dream Rice Milk
1 Cup Olive oil
1/4 Cup Brown Rice Syrup
6 Cups Organic White Wheat Flour (fresh ground)
1 Tablespoon Sea Salt
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
First I separate the egg whites and whip them up in my mixer on a high speed.
Whipped Egg Whites
Then I grind up about five cups of Organic White Wheat in my Electric Wheat Mill.
Organic White Wheat
Fresh Ground Whole Wheat flour.
When you take the time to grind your grains fresh every day, you start to live the principle of Daily Bread. As in Give us this day our Daily Bread! This has a couple of benefits for the family. One, the oils in the grains (Wheat germ oil in this case) are not rancid. Once a whole wheat berry is cut, the oils in the grain go rancid in about twelve hours. Two, the flavor of the food is incredibly good. Three, the moisture in the grain stays intact making whatever you cook delicious and moist.
After whole wheat flour has sat around on a shelf for a couple hours, days, or weeks, it is a dried out, rancid package of overpriced bran. The bran is healthy and beneficial to the diet, but the rancid oils create anti-oxidents in the body, and the food created from this flour does not taste very good. For maximum nutrition, daily grinding, baking, followed by eating the foods fresh and hot out of the oven are the ideal for whole grains. Nothing can prepare you for how good these foods taste when they are cooked this way.
Whip the egg yolks until smooth and then add in the Rice Milk.
Olive oil added into the mixer
Brown Rice Syrup contains B-Vitamins and is a nice sweetner to add into baked goods.
Mix the leavening (Soda and Powder) and Salt with the flour and slowly add it into the liquids in the mixer.
Fold in the egg white and gently mix the dough. Then I put this huge batch of dough into two plastic covered containers. One goes right into the fridge, and the other I use to make breakfast with. Any leftovers go back into the covered container and it is ready to use for a couple more days.
The dough that sits in the fridge is actually more tasty after a couple days of fermentation, aligning well with Weston Prices principles for proper preparation of grains found in Sally Fallons Nourishing Traditions cookbook, which is one of my favorites.
Be Kind to your Grains
Cook the dough in any waffle iron, and then serve with fresh fruit, butter, maple syrup, and any toppings you enjoy!
Jenny Hatch
