Book Review: "THE HAMMER OF THE HUGUENOTS" by Douglas Bond

Douglas Bond is one of my favorite authors, and has been since, shortly after discovering my Scottish roots, we discovered and read his Crown & Covenant Trilogy, followed by his Faith & Freedom Trilogy.

In preparing for our upcoming 7th Annual 'Night Of Reformation' get-together, I just finished reading Mr. Bond's latest book, The Hammer of the Huguenots, and, I must say, Douglas Bond never ceases to amaze me with his wisdom and insight into Reformation history and the abillity to make it come alive for me...urging me to dig futher into my own family history and imagining what it must have been like for those that came before me. Even though I have Huguenot history in my own family (my fifth great-aunt, Catherine Sherrill was married to General John Sevier, who was of French Huguenot descent), it is an area of family history that I had never thought to investigate before. The Hammer of the Huguenots was so good! Through it's pages I was spiritually humbled and, in the flesh, I am now challenged to dig deeper into the roots of my own extended Huguenot roots.

In The Hammer of the Huguenots Douglas Bond tells the story of Phillippe, a quiet, hard-working, sixteenth-century shipwright apprentice, who, as full-scale war is breaking out in France as intense religious conflict, finds himself entangled in the trouble whether he likes it or not. His closest friends have defyed the state church by embracing the gospel proclaimed by church Reformers and Phillipe must make a choice. 

As with all of the previous books that I've read of Douglas Bond's, Mr. Bond has skillfully woven fact and fiction together drawing me into the pages of the book...into the setting and time period. So much so, in fact, that during the final chapter of The Hammer of the Huguenots, as Phillipe comes to a realization of the choice he has made, I found myself in tears. I could actually feel his heart.

Bravo, Mr. Bond! I never get tired of reading your books and I am anxiously looking forward to whatever is next! 

Blessing To All,
~Rebecca

Homemade Natural Air Freshener

Ingredients For Making Your Own Natural Air Freshener

I love Fabreeze and have used several bottles of it over the years, but I do worry about the harmful effects of chemicals in products like this one, especially when using it on furniture and/or carpet where our skin touches it.

After reading an article about the dangers of Fabreeze this morning, I decided to try my hand at making my own natural air freshener and am quite pleased with the results. I decided to share the recipe here.

To make your own air freshener you will need:

• 1 tbsp of baking soda
• 2 cups of water
• 10 drops of essential oil (I used lavender)

Mix the baking soda and essential oil in a bowl with a fork to keep the oil suspended in the water. Pour the mixture into a clean spray bottle and top off with the water. Shake before every use.

Blessing,
~Rebecca

NEW! Frost Flowers Unit Study

Frost Flowers

Warm days, chilly nights, falling leaves, pumpkins, and bonfires! There's no doubt about it! Autumn is here! But before long tempertures will drop, the days will grow short, and wintery weather will be upon us. Sometime between now and then (usually around Thanksgiving) the most wonderful natural phenomenea will occur! FROST FLOWERS!

While frost flower usually occur only for a short time, here in southwest Missouri, last year weather conditions were such that the frost flowers were on from early November until well after the first of the year, and I had an absolute ball observing and studying them. As a result, I wrote a unit study on frost flowers and am thrilled to be able to share it with you this year before the time that frost flowers occur comes.

The unit study tells what frost flowers are (and aren't!), explains how they are formed, when and where they can be found, and offers ideas on how to further you and your family's study into areas beyond natural science. The study comes in a printable, full color, PDF format and the cost is only $5.00.

If you and your family would be interested in purchasing a copy of my 'Frost Flowers' unity study just send an e-mail to me at proverbs31heart@yahoo.com. Thanks so much!

~Rebecca

Recipe: Taco Soup

Autumn is here and this cool, cloudy day has me thinking about warm soups, stews, and casseroles! One of our favorite soups of all time is Taco Soup and I've got a pot of it cooking on the stove right now!

Taco Soup

TACO SOUP

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef (I use ground turkey.)

1 envelope taco seasoning (I make my own. I'll share the recipe below.)

2 cans whole kernel corn, undrained

2 cans chili beans

2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained

Cook ground meat, add seasonings, corn, tomatoes, and beans. Simmer. Serve with tortilla chips and shredded cheese. Delicious! <3

HOMEMADE TACO SEASONING MIX

2 teaspoons instant minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper
1/2 teaspoon instant minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl until evenly distributed. Spoon mixture onto a 6-inch square of aluminum foil and fold to make airtight. Label. Store in a cool, dry place. Use within 6 months. Makes 1 package (about 2 tablespoons) TACO SEASONING MIX. To make additional packages increase ingredient amounts proportionately.

Welcome, Mercy!

Miss Mercy Anne Maranantha Pennington

It's 3:44 a.m. and we have just welcome another new granddaughter into the world! Miss Mercy Anne Maranatha Pennington was born at 2:50 a.m. on July 31, 2015. She weighs 7 lbs. 15 oz. and is 20.5 inches long. Papa and I will be taking Mercy's siblings to the hospital in the morning to meet her for the very first time and Nana cannot wait to get her hands on her! Another granddaughter is expected within the week. Praise the Lord as blessings abound! 💗

"The new-born babe is a fresh act of God. He is the latest revelation of God's creative handiwork"  ~ S. D. Gordon.

My Wedding Ring

My Wedding Ring

My wedding ring is simple, but it's got a complicated story.

We bought our rings back in 1988 from my husband's cousin who is a jeweler in Kansas City. (We actually picked them out at my husband's uncle's kitchen table.) John's ring was a plain gold band; mine a gold band with three small diamonds across the top. At the time we bought them, my husband promised that for our 5th-year wedding anniversary he would buy me a "real" set of rings. At our 5th-year wedding anniversary, he said he'd shoot for the 10th, at the 10th he said he'd shoot for the 20th, at the 20th he said he'd shoot for the 25th. When the 25th came and went...I gave up. I knew it wasn't going to happen.

What I didn't realize was that, because of all that, for years, I had been allowing an underlying bitterness to develop within myself towards my husband and it was not pretty. I loved him, but I always felt angry towards him...aggitated...irritated...and I was always hoping against hope that those long-awaited wedding rings would materialize. I was so busy thinking about the rings that I had lost focus about the marriage.

Around year 7 I lost one of the diamonds in my ring. At that point I put it away in my jewelry box and didn't think much more about it. Over the years, every now and again when I'd be in the box to look for something else, I'd pull it out and try it on. After the first or second time of trying it on, it no longer fit. After that I never tried it on again.

Fast forward...

July 4, 2015 - I had gone to my jewelry box to find my patriotic earrings. I wanted to wear them to our daughter and son-in-law's where we had been invited for lunch. When I opened the lid to my jewelry box, there was the ring...ugly gaping hole where the diamond had been missing for years..and all. I immediately thought, "I wish I had a wedding ring."

In my spirit I heard, "You do have a wedding ring."

I paused and thought, "But it's broken."

I heard, "Fix it!"

"But...it doesn't fit!"

"Try it on!"

So I did! And it fit!!!

All of a sudden my heart was overflowing! All the anger and bitterness melted away and I realized what a ninny I been all those years. It wasn't about the ring! It was about what the ring represented! It was about the marriage! OUR marriage and all that we've been through during the past 27+ years that we've been married. As I thought about all of this, I had an idea! And then I became very, VERY excited!

I wore the ring for a couple of days...missing diamond and all...but my husband didn't notice it. I contacted his cousin...the one that we had purchased the ring from back in 1988...and asked him how much he would charge to repair it. He said that there was no way that he could give me an estimate without taking a look at the ring and told me to mail it to him...which I did...but I didn't tell my husband any of this.

Instead, I wrote him a 5 or 6-page letter telling him of all I had gone through over those silly, non-exisitant wedding rings, apologizing for the underlying bitterness and anger, and offering him forgiveness and freedom of having to come up with the long ago, promised set of wedding rings. I didn't even want them anymore!

As I told him...THIS is the ring that represents US. THIS is the ring that we picked out at his uncle's table, THIS is the ring that we picked up in a place that was very near and dear to our hearts in the early days, and THIS is THE ring that he put on my finger on our wedding day! THIS is the ring that I want and, even if he did get me another set at this point, I wouldn't wear them!

Long story short, John's cousin did a beautiful job of fixing the ring and, I don't know if I should say this or not, but he didn't even charge me to do it. The only thing he asked was that I pick the ring up in person...which I did...without John knowing about it until later. And the cousin has no idea how much this meant to me and what a huge part he has played in a, nearly, 30-year-old story!

When John noticed the ring on my finger, I gave him the letter that I had written. Needless to say, he was TOTALLY overwhelmed. We both cried and rejoiced in all that the Lord has done, and IS doing, in our marriage.

The point is...it wasn't about the ring. In reality, it never was! It was about broken promises and unforgiveness. And now it's ALL about the marriage, the power of forgiveness, and being content with what you've got! I'm so thankful for the ring that I've got! And I'm even more thankful for all that it represents!

Until Next Time...
~Rebecca