Facebook Page is Up!

I've got the Facebook page up! I've yet to post anything to it but feel free to join if you would like to see PLENTY of pictures and read about what is happening in our world.

I will probably be updating 2-4 times a week, depending on how busy we are and what news we may have. The busier we are, the MORE content we will have. So give us a LIKE and enjoy!

The Porter Homestead Blog

Let me know if this link works.

https://m.facebook.com/home.php?refsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com%2Fhome.php%3Fref%3Dbookmark&refid=8&ref=bookmark&_rdr

Change of Plans!

Since I've been having so much trouble with this site, I've decided to take the steps to have my blog as a FaceBook page that anybody can join. It just seems much simpler and it will able me to post all the pictures and content I want.

It will go by the same name; The Porter Homestead Blog

Updates may be daily, but will most likely be 2-4 times a week.

Sorry for the hassle.

Shalom and Yah bless.



I'll try to have the page active this week.

Priorities

So tonight I am going to do my best to post a load of pictures. It all depends on how early I can get my little girl to sleep.

Pictures of the garden, the bees, and anything else that has happened that is if interest.

Shalom and Yah bless

End of the Blog?

Obviously I haven't been doing a good job of updating the blog. For those of you that have been following me on FB, you've been receiving regular updates almost daily about what is happening on our small "homestead".

Yesterday I deactivated my account on FB. A few things provoked me to do so. First was all the anti-Israel sentiment coming from the supposed "Christian" side, second was the growing number of "anti-messiah messianics", third was an important friendship of mine suddenly dying. The last one was what really did me in.

I'm really not sure what to say. Lately I've been dealing with a bit of anxiety, I'm not sure what's been feeding it but it's only gotten steadily stronger over the course of time.

It's making it difficult to engage socially. I find myself being facetious and snarky. These aren't the traits I want to convey to the public. I'm going through this alone and am praying the end is near. How can one ask for help when one is uncertain of the exact problem.

It isn't depression.

I'm still keeping up on my projects here; both the large garden and starting my tool company.

I recently acquired a drill press and a bench grinder, I'm eager to get a wire-wheel for it.

Even better;

 I'm to the point now that I will be purchasing lumber for my bench in the next week or two.

I'm just waiting on the lumber company to figure out how much they'll have after filling current orders.

This is very exciting. I'll be very satisfied to not only be making tools but to also be generating an income.

I'm not sure if this is a farewell message or what this is; I just feel like it's going to be a long time before I really feel settled down again, and maybe I won't ever feel that way.

It's amazing how someone can come into our lives just briefly and completely affirm who we perceive ourselves to be. Completely in every way, good and bad.

I'll probably post something once every month or so like I have been, out of guilt.

If by any chance in the near future I'm making tools, I'll do my best to post some pictures.

Please send some prayers my way in Yah's name, I'm feeling some emotions that I'm not very familiar with.

Shalom and Yah bless.

June's Update

It has definitely been too long since my last post.

We've had a world of projects we've been working on.

We tried making sauerkraut; it failed.

We are in the process of making wine; we have to wait 6 months to know if that failed or not!

I've been working two or three nights a week making my quarter acre garden a reality. It's looking nice. It's a little over half done.
It's struggling a little bit this year, but next year I think it will really take off. Th weed suppression of the woodchips is incomparable to any other method. It's almost maintenance free. There is the occasional blade of grass here-and-there but they are easily removed by simply wiggling my finger around the base of the plant and tracing the roots all the way to the end. The chips make this so easy; it's effortless. I simply pull it out once I've found it's end. That's it.

There hasn't been any sewing in this house in a while. We've been very busy between maintaining friendships, keeping house, the garden, our daughter, meeting for sabbath, not to mention work!

When this garden gets established, I will find myself with much less work to do; it will feel odd. I may have time to maintain this blog, lol!

I've forgotten to mention our bees! They are sooo healthy it's great, they really love our buckwheat.

 Did I ever mention I grew buckwheat?
Well we did and aside from the Johnson grass growing right through it in a localized patch, it did great.

I've been dealing with some rabbits lately, I'm having to relocate them. They love my beans a bit too much. I thought I only had three that were eating in my garden but I am beginning to suspect there may be close to a dozen in the local area.

Great things are happening in life and it can be a bit overwhelming at times. I'm thankful to be in the will of Yah. I am thankful for all the people in my life and for the new people I am meeting. A single person can transform your life forever.

I think this is all the post for now. And as usual, "I'll try to ad photos later". Right....Sure...

No really, I mean it.

Shalom to all and Yah bless you

Yeshua and a Homesteading Community

It seems lately that there has been an uptick in the number of messianics that are curious about the ways of the land; that is, homesteading in a communal way.

We've only got .80 of an acre, that's right, less than 1 acre! And I can tell you unquestionably that granted there are no municipal codes against it, 1 acre is plenty enough to keep two people busy.

Now that the seasons have finally changed and warmed up, we've got several projects moving along.
Elizabeth has her Warre Hive filled with bees! I've been busy at every opportunity getting this massive garden going. I sewed a quarter acre of buckwheat! Tonight I am in the act of getting our herbs and tomatoes in the ground.

Now is a good time for me to apologize for a lack of photos, if you'd like you can add me on Facebook, just let me know that you've seen this blog! My FB has a multitude of photos, also it's much easier to answer questions. Just look for Michael McCartan.

So now that you know what we are up to, let me tell you about what we could do additionally if there were no codes. We could have enough chickens to feed our family through the year. We could also have as many orchard trees as we desire(18+). We could also potentially have an area set aside for ducks, that'd be nice. There is enough room for a wash-house 15x15'. There is also enough room for a sizable greenhouse say 14x30'.
And you'd probably want a garden shed, large enough to dry onions and garlic and a two-story is optimal of about 12x12', anything larger than that is fine but there comes a point where it stops being a "shed".

I wouldn't want to do too much more than this as it could become a little difficult to manage the property efficiently.

Back to the messianic point, I'm not surprised that the majority of us are not familiar with the more menial tasks of homesteading. There seems to be about 5-10 percent of us though that have taken to homesteading in a serious manner.

There are regular talks of establishing a "messianic community", from what I understand there is atleast one community of such believers around here.

I would encourage an establishment of a community after an "amish model". Everyone would own their land, be horse and buggy, and have a trade they could perform on or near their land, and an avoidance of fuel-powered-machinery as well as electricity would be encouraged. At the very establishment of said community everyone would have to be on the same page on all matters and there would vitally need to be a bishop or person in charge of religious tasks in some capacity.

The difficult thing for most people to understand about this communal style is this, you are no longer "American" in terms of the modern understanding. You are no longer a part of the materialistic population. You are fully separated(holy). You are at that point entitled to begin your new culture that is not based on tv shows or radio programming, you are free to not only liv by what the scriptures say but to also start new traditions.

For some people this change in dichotomy is foreign, but I think to best illustrate the point think of it like this.

Imagine going out in public the first time you are wearing homemade clothing. I can assure you that even if your new clothing is expertly made, you will still feel awkward not blending in to every "American scene". When I first began to change my wardrobe I almost felt embarrassed in public. I was wearing clothing that fit my convictions but that I had not grown up with in my dresser. After going out in public the first few times, it was much easier. I began to see things differently. It was nice that people took what they saw of me for granted. When they saw me, they knew that I was a follower of Yeshuah/Yahushuah. They would apologize for cussing or would dress more modestly. Complete strangers would come up to me and just start talking about God. I've had women stand beside me and start singing church songs to get my attention, that was odd but I knew what was happening. My point is that if I dressed like an "American", I would have been a Christian in camouflage and none of those conversations or situations would have happened.

For the last 100+ years in this country people have gotten used to buying their clothing and trying to look like everyone else, that is not being a "peculiar people" and it is also not being set-apart(holy).

Think of the people I am referring to when I say, Muslim, Sikh, Indian, Jew, Buddhist monk, nun.
Every one of them brings a distinct picture to your mind. Now what comes to your mind when I say Christian? Perhaps a person with a cross on a t-shirt comes to mind. That seems a bit shallow to me. If the only difference between "us" and "them" is a cross on t-shirt we really are missing the mark.


 My point is not that believers should all look the same. I strongly speak against that. Personality is a vital part of every person born. My point is that if your clothing is homemade that people will not be able to miss it. That as a Christian you will have that distinct cultural impression on those seeking His face. We are to be a shinning light, how can we do that in camouflage in such a dark world?

It is only fair to let you know that when my family  began this journey that we went through many changes in our wardrobe to find what truly matched our identity. I tried several different types of broadfalls(pants with no zipper) and Elizabeth Ann went through (and still is) a variety of dress patterns to find what makes her happiest in her identity. Clothing is a very personal subject. The scriptures spend a lot of time talking about it. There is a reason that clothing is an important topic. What you wear is a billboard to the public telling them everything they want to know about your convictions and your ethics.

We are to be separated and as such, we will unavoidably stand out.

It is when we try to blend in with our Levi's that we forsake our calling.

When you change your wardrobe to one that everyone identifies as being Christian;

That is when materialists start to take notice and some if not most will avoid unnecessary interaction with you. Some will ask questions, but as soon as they have their answers they are promptly on their way.


I've gotten off on a tangent, but that needed to happen. I know there is someone reading this that feels it is addressed to them; maybe that's you.

My only other point I have to make about messianics and their desire for a communal style homestead is this, it's a lot of painful hard work. I enjoy it, but some people might not. And others might despise their niche in the family. Last night I worked in our garden with a headlamp from sundown to sunrise at 8am. I felt achy but satisfied.  When I was done, I had planted two 12' rows of tomatoes, two 12' rows of peppers, I had planted a grid of herbs 7x15', I had planted 6 rosebush starts, I had also planted two 12' rows of sweet potatoes. I also finished raking the last quarter of the field I had sewn with buckwheat.

It was a night of dedication that I can still feel in my feet, back, and joints, but the rewards will be enjoyed months down the road.

I was able to take many things off my to-do list, but there is still plenty that needs to be done. I want to get my polebean trellis up ASAP, and I have another tray of tomatoes that need to go in the ground. I'm hoping the weather will cooperate later today. Oh and I also want to get my cucumbers in! On and on and on it goes! But the food won't have chemicals in it and it won't come from Walmart.

If there is ever an economic crisis, I won't have to worry about grocery stores. As long as I can liv and pay my taxes, my family and I will be alright. Of course that's a whole other conversation.

I think a point worth making, is this, this movement/community needs as many people as possible for it to survive. And every individual has their niche. For some people, they are the workhorses, others edifiers, others cooks, mothers, bishops, farmers, tradesmen. The list goes on and on and on, and EVERYONE is NECESSARY! All ages, all personalities. Some are meant to crunch numbers, sew clothing, others are just meant to make people smile. Others are meant to watch children so new parents can catch up, others are needed to keep tabs on widows or the fatherless.

I think you get the idea, a healthy community is a dynamic community. The only things I think members need to agree on are  that the scriptures are the foundation and that as such an agreed upon cultural identity is imperative for cohesion. That'd simply mean that all people in the community would meat on the sabbath and that there would be a set standard for dress, clothing is an unwritten Language that says who we belong to in society.

Busy Busy Busy

So last week we had some fellows come over and help us with our back field. They helped to burn it and also disced and tilled it. We still have grass poking up but it will be easy to address with a mattock.

A few days ago Elizabeth and I planted 72 row feet of potatoes. I'm hoping our crop is productive enough that we can try "clamping" as a method of preserving. "Clamping" is where you harvest your crop and lay down straw, you place your crop ontop of it and then cover it up with more straw and earth. Supposedly it's what the Irish did/do I'm not sure how their variables are different.

I Finally finished clearing a 45x90' area of grass clods and rocks today. I'm still looking at doing that much, again. I've got a wheelbarrow now and things are going considerably faster. I had only been using a rake and fork.

Tomorrow's priority is to contact arborists in the area to see if they need to drop woodchips in our area.

This garden is making me feel younger, I'm so thankful for that. I couldn't find anything to shake me out of feeling double my age, even after having been home for nearly a year.

In other news, last night I took the opportunity to attempt adjusting the belt on the treadle sewing machine. I was quite discouraged at how loose it had "just" become, even though it had been left alone. So I clipped off a quarter of an inch from the end, pierced it with an icepick, attached the staple and checked the fit. It still wouldn't engage. After repeating the process three times I had perfection. I was so eager to see Elizabeth Ann try it out but something about waking her up at 2am just didn't seem wise. Needless to say, when she did try it out it took a little getting used to but now she can't wait to find time to use it. We have countless yards of material ready to be used : )

I've got machines!! A new Grizzly table saw and a Grizzly jointer. I'm ready to use them but the outlet are absent.

My neighbor has experience putting 220 electric outlets in his house. Pretty soon we'll be doing that for my machines. At the moment they are second in priority to the garden. I'm ready to build my planemaking bench but some dust needs to settle.

I'm very happy with where we are at, things feel correct. Occupationaly, spiritually, and just around the house.

We are getting ready to put some seeds in the garden : ) Beans, peas, onions, maybe leeks and shallots, and we are assessing when kale is ok to plant.

Monday and Tuesday we went to a local meeting where a Hebrew Roots speaker by the name of Brad Scott talked about a variety of topics but his emphasis was on unity in the movement. We were very happy to of gone, even if we were both exhausted from other activities.

I know I need a way to get more photos on here, they're important for context.

I think we will start posting content on the Sabbath since we find our hands empty only that day of the week.

Shalom,

Praying blessings for all of you in our Father's name.

Back To Eden, Shofar, And Maybe A Greenhouse

Oh I am so eager to get to work on our back field. After a very harsh Winter, that is probably not over, I am chomping at the bit to get out there and do something.


Elizabeth and I have considered two options to get compost to our field. The first and best option is to talk with our neighbor behind us and see if he will allow us access through the back. If he does, I will be able to haul more weight at a time because I won't have to worry about driving over underground pipes. The second option is to construct a gate that faces our street. I'm not encouraged by this option as even the best caution can't prevent something from happening. We have both gas and water lines out front. If I have to go that route I will be limited to a 5 cubic yard dumptruck. That means I'd have to do as many as 150 loads to cover our backfield. I'm not saying no to doing that, but you can believe that if I'm able to minimize my loads by a factor of 1/3, that I'm going to do all I can to make it happen. I'd much rather do 50 loads than 150. I'm praying that Elohim bows His ear to hear us-as the Psalms say.


If I am able to start picking up loads this week or next, then our compost will have approximately two months to compress and decompose. I expect that should be enough for us to have a fair start by May 1st. Last year at that time, we had snow. So we are trying to play it safe with the frost dates.


We purchased a shofar! And I know exactly what you are thinking! A What??!


A shofar!


It's the horn that was blown around Jericho that brought the walls down. When the Scriptures talk about "blowing the trumpet", this is what it is talking about. For us it's a daily reminder that our walk with YahWeh didn't start 2,000 years ago, but rather-when time started. It's very easy for saints of today to see themselves as something completely separate from the Israelites, but the truth is in the Scriptures. The Scriptures are express about what changes happened from Old Testament to New. Interestingly a lot of the changes that todays Christians have made-aren't found in the NT.


I'm talking to myself here a lot too. I'm still finding what I believe on all this. For me, somethings just didn't add up until I changed my perspective, then it all made sense-all of it. It's just coming around to the full picture that is taking a bit of time-because we are essentially talking about a shift in culture.


I am thankful for the Scriptures.


A GREENHOUSE!


Yep, that's what we have committed to making. It will be 14'x30' and is supposed to cost somewhere between 500-1,000$. We'll see about that part. Regardless, it will be worth every penny for starting seeds and possibly growing greens in Winter.


It is simple, it's basic construction is of pvc-pipe and 6-mil poly-plastic.
Here is the link to what motivated us.


http://www.fiddleheadfarmers.com/1/post/2012/05/simple-greenhouse-plans.html


Hoping you all have a blessed week! We really need this to be a productive one. Growing season is coming way too soon.


In the name of our Saviour Yahushuah ha Mashiach, Yah bless.

Too Long

I'm not doing a good job of keeping this blog updated lately, which is a real shame because we've had plenty to talk about.


Whether it's the new Warre hive that Elizabeth Ann has, or it be her new Janome treadle sewing machine, our venture with sprouting seeds to eat, new tools, Kilner canning jars, the list goes on and on. We've recently started purchasing real cows milk from a different source, their breed is Holstein. Needless to say, I'm not impressed with the milk or the cream. The flavor is not there that is in Guernsey. I'll leave it at that. These people considered my recommendation and I hope they pursue it.
Apparently the couple have been doing their dairy operation for about a year. From what I understand they are doing it the right way. Grass fed cows, no antibiotics, growth-hormone, etc. I'm eager to see what becomes of their operation, from all appearances it is working very well for them.


We have some cheese making materials like rennet that we are looking forward to using, but.......


we are, of course, waiting till the Guernsey's show up.






We have several long lists of things that need to happen in sequential order, but the point of the lists are two main priorities. The first is to get the Back To Eden garden established, and the second is to prepare the garage for woodworking machines. Slowly but surely the processes is steadily gaining speed.


Later today I expect to be picking up some gates that will able me to dump loads of chips in the back field. That will be a real game changer. I'm ready for it to happen, it's been a long time coming.
Our aspiration is to Can three years of food from this years garden. It's a lofty goal, but with the world looking the way it is, who knows what will happen and when?


So


Once the back field is established, or at least brushhogged, then we can get a garden shed back there and empty our garage of our gardening utensils.


Speaking of "later today", I'll also be picking up the insulation for our attic over the garage. This should help us abundantly to insulate the rest of the house, being as the attic is all one room. This will also assist in keeping the garage a more consistent temperature and humidity.


I'm eager to receive my woodworking machines, but I have to be prudent. These are serious machines that I could potentially own for a decade or more and that will take up a sizeable amount of the garage. I need to know for certain that the garage is insulated and secured sufficiently so that I won't be exposing the machines to excess exposure.


Ordering the machines depends on how rapidly we are able to get the back field ready.


And once the gardening clutter of the garage is organized into the garden shed, obviously the garage will be organized and clean, I can order the machines that ultimately are intended to help me build my workbench that will help me to build these hand planes. These machines I expect will teach me more about accuracy and fine measurement than I ever thought I could learn. Very good lessons that I hunger to learn.

Are You Amish?

This is a question that Elizabeth and I get asked frequently when we go out in public. We don't take offense from it. We know that many people around the country are not familiar with the other anabaptist groups and are also unaware of the various differences between the multitude of Amish communities.
















It's easy to see how someone unfamiliar with anabaptists would directly associate us with the Amish.
But here is something I perceive that many people don't know about the "plain folk", that is, we identify ourselves by the way we dress. It's a way of saying, "I belong to this or that community".


When a multitude of plain communities are living side-by-side it is a way to prevent awkward situations but also to preserve a communities distinct identity amongst the mass of plain folk. Just attend an auction and you'll quickly see how many different groups are present.



What kind of awkward situation could potentially arise?





Well consider this.


The Old German Baptist Brethren practice the "holy kiss", also known as "the salute". It stems from several verses in the New Testament that we understand to be a command.
The Biblical references are:

Romans 16:16, 1st Corinthians 16:20, 2nd Corinthians 13:12
"Greet one another with a holy kiss."

1st Thessalonians 5:26
"Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss."

1st Peter 5:14
"Greet one another with a kiss of love."



Now from what I understand and have seen there are some Amish communities that don't observe this. So if an OGBB man mistook an Amish man as a fellow of his community, you can imagine the awkward fall-out from trying to "greet him".



This is just one simple example.



The various ways in which subtle differences of standards are applied would include, but are certainly not limited to:

Colors of materials used, both jean material and shirt/dress material
Buttons vs Pins or hook & eyes
Cuts of a pattern, especially for dresses
Length of dresses
Tightness of jeans
Hat brim width
Hat color
Mustache or no mustache
Hair cut-for men
Beard length-some groups trim, others don't
Covering style-for women




Elizabeth and I are much less restricted in our freedom of dress. I strongly believe that an individual should be able to dress as they desire as long as they are modest and not following the fashions of
"the world".

The few things that Elizabeth and I are consistent with would include:

Her covering-we are happy with it and see no reason to change it. It fulfills its purpose and is attractive. It is not a typical anabaptist covering but we feel strongly that it is more Biblical than what is typically seen. We often have brethren bring this up in conversation. We try not to "beat them over the head with it". I don't need to tell them something that they can see for themselves. Many of them agree with us but don't want to be "the nail that sticks up that get's hammered back down". Being contrary is antithetical to the foundation of many anabaptist beliefs. We are starting fresh, without a heritage, so we have no family to worry about offending.



My hat-It's a simple straw hat, but I'm happy with it. I'd like to learn someday to make one for myself. Isn't that the homesteader tendency? When I leave the house I have it with me 99.99% of the time. I do remove it during prayer, meeting, and worship in accordance with 1st Corinthians 11.



My beard-It's simple to me. I just let it grow. I maintain it as proper hygiene determines and that's about the extent of it. I do have a mustache and always will, I do trim it. A man has to eat. I have wondered though, if I didn't, would it grow as long as my beard? Makes me chuckle.

The mustache is my red-flag to the Amish and Mennonites that I am not part of their community. The Amish strictly hold that no man is to ever have a mustache in their community. Interestingly I held myself to this standard before I learned that there were some "Brethren" communities that did the same thing as me. I'm not Amish and I don't pretend to be. That being said, people still mistake us. For me the entire beard issue comes down to a simple precept.

God created nature, "work with nature, not against it". What a waste of time and money shaving is. Not only that, but the early Christians taught that a man that shaved his face was effeminate, in other words, that he was trying to look like a woman! To me, shaving your beard is akin to telling God that he designed your body incorrectly, that you know better than him. He's our creator, I'll trust his judgment on the issue.






All of this to say, No, we are not Amish. But from the outside looking-in it can certainly appear this way. We describe ourselves as anabaptist and feel that this is an adequate way of identifying ourselves. There will be a time when we are horse-and-buggy, if the Lord tarries, and even then we will still have a separate identity from the Amish. For one, we would not believe that our buggies would need to be black or our farm wagons John Deere Green. Our freedom in Christ allows us to be free of such legalism.

An individual can be plain (or as I prefer, simple) and still "fulfill their identity" while simultaneously cultivating a culture of cohesion. The Amish disagree with this idea. That's why we could not join them with a clean conscience.


There are many different dynamics to this that Elizabeth and I are so accustomed to that we no longer are cognizant of all the vantages. Some of the small details we skip over unawares and other larger details we take for granted to be self-evident.


All that to say, if you have questions-just ask. Email us privately or message us on here and we'll be content to answer anything.


Shalom

News!

Ok, so I thought that I would be posting a whole bunch about raising Abigail and so on, then the Holy Day came and of course threw everything off track.

Well, here's all of the life changing news from our world.

First, our cursed truck sold! Woo Hoo! Now we can really start our lives afresh.
This means I can now start building my woodworking bench for plane making.
It also means we have the capitol for starting our Back To Eden garden, I'm excited.
We've got our seeds all selected, now it's time to order them.

The truck really was holding us back from doing many things.

Anyway, on to better things!

Elizabeth Ann was gifted a Warre Bee Hive! The game of life is really on.
I've assembled it, We'll try to add photos soon.
She was also given a new dress with an apron, it looks great.

In other news, she's also started a new sewing project. We have photos of that too!

I personally have several blog postings that are ready to publish as soon as I get a few more pictures.

I'm praying you all have a very happy, healthy, and restful Sabbath this evening.
We are meeting a family here in our own town, a rare treat for fellowship!

In the name of Yeshua ha Mashiach (Yeshua the Messiah)

Michael McCartan

Pain

I learned something tonight that hurt me terribly.

A great friend in my youth, a person though younger than me by atleast five years, always seemed more grounded and wiser than me, has left the flock and has also become a part of the homosexual agenda, it appears that he cohabitates with a man that he seems to be in a relationship with.

This struck me with shock.

The last I had known about my friend was that he was attending college in St. Louis to become a youth pastor. He had many connections and friends doing what they could to support him, let alone a home church that was very happy for him.

I'm not certain what happened between then, a number of years ago, and now.

When we spent time together I wondered to myself what his family would look like in the future. What kind of spectacular wife he would have. How much more accomplished his children would be than even him. These things won't happen. That hurts. I counted him as an altruistic friend that was always benevolent.

Like I said, I'm not sure what happened between then and now, as we haven't been in touch for a while. I always expected him to come back to town, but he hasn't. He's still in St. Louis. I know he has many more people in his life who's opinion's and feeling's matter much more than mine, however I can't shake the hurt. In a youth group that didn't always look to the light, he was a reliable leader that knew holy from unholy.

I can't condone sin. But I do love my brother in Christ, even as a sinner. We are all sinners and fall short of the grace of Yah. But He has mercy and has afforded us salvation through Yeshua.
I will always have love in my heart for this friend of mine.

I had been thinking about the topic of homosexuality and if I wanted to address it on this blog. Many people think ( especially in this "modern" age) that to reject sin is to reject the sinner. What some people don't consider is that it is possible for ourselves to be rejected by the sinner. When I learned of my friends decision, it compelled me to post this blog. I pray that my words are not abrasive and that although they may be received with dissuasion from this individual, that he will still consider my love and appreciation for the place he took in my life while we were young.

I've not been active on my FB for what has been several years so this has only now come to my attention. As it has come to my attention, and the technology we have today is a new thing, I am struggling with what I should do about a friendship I felt in my heart. Should I remove him as a friend and send a clear message? Or do I keep him and continue to pray for him? Granted if I am to say anything about my hurt, he is prone to take me off of his list of friends. I believe I have made a decision but I will wait on it for a week or less, depending on correspondence over the course of this week.

At the end of the day, I know this: Yah would not accept it, and He would chastise him for his immorality.

I don't feel it's my place to chastise said friend. Though maybe that's me being weak as a Christian.

My hurt comes from seeing that in this world that a great holy leader has been lost, and that in the world to come I won't see him at the gate. From all appearances his heart is not repentant. Though he does still have a vast amount of content on his page with regards to his church. Some people have responded to him in less than holy ways, albeit those same people are not what I would consider followers of Yeshua as of today.

I know that this individual is intimately familiar with the Word of God and that what I am about to write is nothing new to him. But to have a clean conscience I have to write it anyway.

Leviticus 18:22 KJV

Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

or more clearly from the NLT

Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin.

And here is a more vivid illustration from an outspoken Paul.
Romans 1:18-32 NLT

18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.* 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.

28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. 31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. 32 They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

 

 

 

Also,

 

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Don't you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people-none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (NLT)

 

1 Timothy 1:8-10 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine ... (ESV)

 

 

These verses are not written in hate. They are holy scripture. I do not hate my brother for losing his private fight with temptation. The Word says that if we hate our brother, he have not the love of the messiah. In fact that verse, 1st John 3:15 equates hate to being a murderer. I love my brother, and that is why I petition his choice.

 

 

 

I can't help but battle at the same time with a commandment that I am not fully versed in, that of shunning. I know that it is scriptural, through and through, but not having examples of holy shunning makes it a little difficult to follow a safe path with it.

 

Here are the verses regarding shunning. A topic I have avoided till present and may be able to better elloquate in the future, but certainly not at present.

 

I was going to just quote 1st Corinthians 5:11-13. But after reading the chapter, the entirety should really be read.

 

From Matthew 18:15-17 NIV

15 "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

 

The Word of God truly is clear on the matter.

 

I don't blame my friend for looking at the world the way he does. Things have changed drastically in the last thirty years. I'm not sure how youth these days can try to stay pure with all of the evil around them. There are so few people even from my generation that are pure, not to mention the fact that more and more of the people that were pure at one point in time, have now fallen by the wayside. It hurts and it is genuinely sad. And many of these people would still call themselves saints, even though they choose to no longer "be separated" from "the world".

 

In a day of self-worship steeped in materialism and church buildings that are more entertainment centers than institutes of salvation, where is a stray sheep to turn? When the media barrages the public through a bullhorn trifecta of radio, TV, and internet-todays churches whisper from across town to turn from sin. When I look at today's generation turning from Christ, I don't judge them, I could easily be one of them. Their falling away is not their fault. I know who the liability rests on, and I know in all my soul that those same individuals would never hold themselves accountable, much less lift a finger to save said soul.

 

Today's generation has nothing to contrast materialism with, it is what they believe to be "normal", it is "their normal". Individuals of age, have it as their responsibility to enlighten today's generation that there is a choice, and that every decision they make-whether it be which shoes to wear or whom to associate with- is a decision that they have complete control over. That popularity is not the answer, but rather integrity and perseverance.

 

I'll end this with Matthew 7:15 KJV

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

 

Take heed to whom you listen. Not all in the church are saints.

Reusable Diapers

 

Diapers are gross no matter how you go about it. I'll do what I can in this post to help you out the most I can.

Elizabeth and I tried two or three different brands of diapers. We tried out two different styles. One where the pad is snapped onto the diaper and then tucked into the cloth of the diaper, sort of like a blanket (these are called pocket diapers); and another where the pad is folded and tucked into the diaper, so that it's only being held by material at the front and back of the diaper (these are diaper covers). We purchased them through Green Baby Bargains.

Green Baby Bargains has one sale a day in regards to various children's items (educational, toys, household goods, etc.). Elizabeth has purchased all of my diapers this way and have saved quite a bit of money. Do your research on what you think will work best for your family and then watch for sales while you are expecting. We started with two dozen diapers and have recently purchased a dozen more. You can make it on 24 diapers but around the six month mark, we started having to wash daily.

 Elizabeth purchased a package of Seventh Generation disposable diapers to begin with due to the meconium issue. We have heard it is hard to get out of the reusables. This was also a blessing as we were both exhausted. The other newborn issue is that she thought the diapers would fit because Abigail weighed over 8 pounds when she was born and the diapers are for 8-35 lbs. They didn't! Abigail is very tall and slim. It took about a month for her to fit and so she will be watching for a few dozen newborn diapers to add to our collection.

I'll start with pictures of the ones I dislike.

I dislike them for more than one reason. First The pad has to go between two layers, so when it's all soaked, you have to pull it out. Eww. Secondly, because it has a snap, you also have to unsnap it, even when it may be brown, double eww. And thirdly, THEY LEAK!!!, even when you double the layers, they are still likely to leak. You never have to double the other diapers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The only nice thing about these diapers, is that the snaps are multi-colored. You would think that it wouldn't be that big of a help in any way, but it actually is-especially when your child needs to be changed at night. The brand is called Lulabye-Baby.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The inside of this diaper is adept at collecting random hairs in it, no matter how clean your house is. If you have a hair floating around in your house, you will find it here stuck in the material.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That yellow circle is where the pad snaps in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can see the male part of the snap at the top of the pad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is one pad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here are two pads.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The pads stuffed into the diaper. The hole where you see the pad sticking out of is how you are able to tug the pad all the way through to the end of the diaper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is one of two kinds of pads for the other type of diaper we have. This specific one is the one that I prefer. They are called Indian Prefolds. It's not too large, is relatively hands-free once the diaper has been used, and dries a bit easier than any of the other pads of this style that we have tried. You can get organic cotton ones for around $2.50 a piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This kind is guaranteed to work, albeit, it's a little larger and a bit thicker. There is an absorbent side (bamboo) and a non-absorbent side (cotton). These sometimes don't dry as well as the Indian Prefolds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diaper Safari brand!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is what I was talking about when I said the pads were held by two pieces of material at the front and back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fold One.

 

 

 

 

Fold Two, then flip over, and

 

 

 

 

 

 

Voila!

 

 

Abigail never gets diaper rash. We strictly don't use any chemicals/powders/lotions or any other "thing". We only use baby-wipes. Babies naturally have soft smooth skin, they don't need our help. Her skin is only rough on her knees now lately because she's crawling all over the house. Let nature work for you.

 

 If your child is crying there is a reason! Hunger, sleep, or wet diaper, or a need for love/security-this last one is frequent.

 

Many times your child will cry because they just want to be held.

 

 Don't listen to those people that tell you that you are spoiling your child because you hold them when they want to be. There is a time and an age when you have to expect them not to be in your hands all the time, but that time is no sooner than when they can walk and understand what you are saying, otherwise you are just fighting with nature. Touch is the language that children understand the quickest. To touch a child is to love them.

 

 

 

I never thought about one of the facts of a homestead: Raising babies!

It's all relevant I guess, another aspect of life on the farm.

Well, this may start a tick of writing more about Abigail. Raising her is beautiful, I love it. She makes us so happy and she really is much easier to raise than what we had been led to expect.

Part of homesteading is saving money everywhere we can, we figured out that it would cost about
 20$ a week to buy disposables. However our total monthly water bill for the month is only 50$ and we spend approximately 24$ a year on detergent. Recently our purchase of a dozen Diaper Safari covers and inserts cost us 118.40$ with shipping on GreenBabyBargains. If you were to three dozen, it would be around 350$. The savings are clear. Abigail will use these and so will her next sibling. I'm not sure how long they'll last after that.

 

I'm going to have to start those postings now. They're at the ends of my fingertips.
I'll space them out over the next weeks or so.

 

I pray to our heavenly Father that He bless you abundantly with peace and grace that can only come from a relationship with Yeshua our Messiah.

 

ASK QUESTIONS BELOW

Michael E McCartan



Lord and James

 

 

 

 

 

I'm not sure who will find this information useful but here is something you may not be familiar with.

The word that is commonly translated from both Greek and Hebrew as “Lord” is actually the Hebrew word “Yah”, as in “Yahweh”. This is interesting to me, so out of curiosity I cross-referenced this with a Bible I have that is written in Pennsylvania Deitsch. I wanted to know what the German plain-folk translated it as, to see if they felt it had a modern equivalent.
I was actually surprised to see that they didn’t translate it as anything! It was written as Yah in the Hebrew and it remained Yah in the Pennsylvania German.

 

Yah is the Hebrew name for the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

I’m not sure what you can do with this knowledge but I still think that it is worth knowing.

 

 

Hallelujah, meaning "Praise Yah!" or "Praise God!", is not a comment towards God himself. It is a declarative exclamation telling the worshipers of Yah to praise him! This really changes the dynamic of worship. It takes things from being as simple as simply saying "Praise God", to actually having to be more proactive and to have to think of ways in which to praise Him.
 

 

 

Another factoid; there is no such book as the book of James.

It is actually the book of Jacob, or Jakobus in Pennsylvania German, I’ve also cross referenced this with a translation to Hebrew, I can’t remember the way it was spelled but it was clearly a version of Jacob.

Why was the name changed?

Because King James was a very vain man and he wanted a book named after him. Plain and simple.

I hope this helps you in some way.

Plain Things

For those of you that are unfamiliar with plain culture and are unsure of how plain folk look at the world, there is a new periodical that might help to open your eyes.

It's called "Plain Things".

It's published every so many months by a group of anabaptist living in Kentucky.

Here is a website with information about subscribing. There is no prerequisite to subscribe. Anyone is able to.

http://www.scrollpublishing.com/store/plain-things.html

I pray that Yah blesses you in all that you do and that you always keep your eyes on Him through whom we have salvation, our savior Yeshuah our Messiah.

A Word From George

“I do recommend and assign Thursday ... next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.” –George Washington (October 3, 1789)

The Lord Gives Providence!

I've told you all about how my family is doing a "Back To Eden" garden.

Well like many things, I get distracted by watching my daughter during the week and on the weekends I'm rushing to get everything done that I couldn't do because my hands were full.

Well one of the things I have forgotten to do, is source genuine woodchips.

It's easy enough to do, just call your local arborist and they'll be happy to dump them wherever you want them. I've had my list of distractions though.

I have taken the trouble to source compost. I should be able to get lots and lots of it. I'm very blessed that I can get it from one of the local municipalities for just the cost of renting a dump truck.

All of that to get to this point.

Today before Elizabeth was even ready to go to work, a man knocked on our door and apologized for the inconvenience as he told me that his trailer had acquired a flat tire and that they needed a place to park it. He asked me if in front of my house was ok. I'm a hospitable man, so I said sure! It's really no matter to me as long as Elizabeth is able to get out of our driveway.

Well some hours passed and I noticed that the trailer was still out there.

More time passed and I heard some noise coming from the trailer. I noticed that the trailer had a ditch digging machine on it. I figured they laid lines or pipe of some sort.

As I was looking out at the scene I saw a pickup truck parked behind the trailer that said something about "Tree Service". Immediately I jumped on the opportunity. Right in front of my house was a chance to secure many loads of woodchips, and I didn't even have to make a call.

I had a good conversation with the owner of the company. We looked at both sides of my house and decided which one was best for a heavy truck to drive on. He told me that sometimes I might see him once every two weeks, and that sometimes I might see him four times a day.

I'm not sure how large his trucks are that haul large loads of chips but from the way he described them, they sound pretty large.

I'm not sure when he'll expect to deliver his first load, but regardless, I have some preparing to do.

I need to have the back field mowed and tilled!

From what I understand, it doesn't matter which goes first. The woodchips or the compost. Though I'll concede, I would like to have all the compost dropped before I have too much woodchips.

It's nice to see the Lord working in my life and providing. I definitely see this as providence, as His will.

Anabaptist Dancing! Part One



This posting is a posting of honesty, introspection, reflection, and redirection.

When I was young in the pentecostal church I rarely-if-ever hesitated to worship our Lord by dancing, leaping, or even running the aisles. I'm talking about when I was probably eighteen to the time I was twenty-three.

It was around the time I turned twenty-three that I began to have personal contentions with the way the church worshipped. I began to feel that there was an absent focus on preaching but a very present focus on active worship. There wasn't enough preaching and too much music and dance. I let my focus on this become a distraction and a roadblock to my personal walk with God.

After I was married the contrast to my former self was stark. I really didn't worship God in the same way. Even though I was fellowshipping with the same congregation I became stiff and uptight. I no longer sang aloud, I never danced, and certainly never ran the aisles anymore. I began to look down on those that did worship that way as disorderly and out of touch with what God expected from us as worship.

It's funny how my contention was with the fact that there wasn't enough preaching, but that my focus became rather the way in which we worshipped. So I guess in the absence of preaching, I became focused on the one thing that was truly present. Worship. The altruistic purpose for which we meet in fellowship. To give God the glory.

I want to be clear that this is all a recent revelation to me. My eyes are being opened to the deception I let myself believe. No one indoctrinated me with this back then. I guess it was partially my thoughts on becoming an adult and "acting" mature that also firmed up my new conviction.

The word of God says that we are to be like children. This is very true. It's not easy to let that guard down for everybody, but it is a commandment.

David's Wife, Michal, was made barren because she mocked David for worshiping by dance. We should follow his example, clearly it is Biblical. Furthermore it is evident that if we try to dissuade others from worshipping in this manner, that we are as guilty as Michal



Here are the two parts of 2nd Samuel chapter 6 that discuss the offense of Michal.

6:12-16

¹² And it was told king David, saying, The Lord hath blessed the house of Obededom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness.
¹³ And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings.
¹⁴ And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
¹⁵ So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.
¹⁶ And as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal Saul's daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.

And here is 6:20-23

²⁰ Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!
²¹ And David said unto Michal, It was before the Lord, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel: therefore will I play before the Lord.
²² And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.
²³ Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.
The word "play" in verse 21 is referring to the instruments that David played, not the playing of a child. Nonetheless it would still be relevant even if it were misunderstood. Leaping and dancing before the Lord is a very shameless way of worshiping.

I honestly felt bad for David when I read this because for those that don't know, David was given Michal by Saul. The Bible says twice in 1st Samuel 18 that she loved him. I can only presume that the love was reciprocated because when Saul told David that in order to have her hand in marriage that he wanted one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, David came back with two-hundred. Seems to me that is a statement.

Well unfortunately for David, while he was away for a period, Saul took away his daughter as David's wife and gave her to another man. After a long while David was able to get her back. This scripture above transpired after he repossessed her. We can only infer that she no longer loves him.
That's sad. What's worse is that her own hatred that she cultivated in her heart caused her to become barren. Michal rebuked David for worshiping the Lord. It really is that simple.

That point aside, let's refocus on the overall point of this posting.

If we have the inclination to dance and leap before the Lord as a form of worship, we have the Word of God illustrating to us that it is holy and appreciated of the Lord. Also, the Word makes it clear that we are not to ridicule or persecute anyone for doing so. For me to observe this is a true exercise in humility. My pride is swallowed. I was wrong. However I am thankful for the experiences I had on my detour. It has made me the Christian I am today.

A congregation of dancing anabaptist pentecostals, that would be beautiful.

Since I've had this revelation I've come to the conclusion that there is a time for worship and a time for preaching and if a balance isn't met, then the needs of the people and the needs of God are not being satisfied appropriately. I'd have no problem meeting with pentecostals if I knew in advance that it was going to be a worship meeting, but I would have a problem if it was conveyed that there would be preaching and there wasn't any.

Bear with me, I'm coming around to this myself.

I've been to pentecostal services that were three or more hours long, I loved them!
Sometimes it would be two hours of dancing and one hour of preaching and honestly I am fine with that, I truly feel like that gives God the glory he deserves. But I've also been to meetings where there was twenty minutes of preaching and an hour and forty minutes of music and dancing. That kinda bothers me. That happening once is tolerable, but it happened three consecutive weekends in a row.

I pray to meet like-minded saints.

I know there are other anabaptist pentecostals out there, but we are all on different levels. I truly wonder how they feel about these things.

I know how the Amish and Mennonites of today look at it, I'll be writing about that soon. It seems to be at contrast with the Amish and Mennonites of the 16th century.

Bless you in the name of Yeshua

When All Else Fails, Plant Roses!

 



See this beautiful rose?

When we first moved into our house we were forced to mow it to the ground because the grass was too high, the second time we mowed it because we decided that we didn't want flowers obstructing Elizabeth's view while she did her weaving. Then a span went by where we weren't able to mow the yard.

When we got back to it, there were THREE rose plants!

They won't die.

Apparently you can't go wrong with roses.

It's beautiful, healthy, and can stand being mowed over multiple times.

I'm not sure how tall it will get, but at this point we are done trying to kill it.
If it has this much will-power it deserves to liv.

It only stands about 6-8"s but that was still enough for one of the plants to put forth a flower.
It was a nice dash of color against our house.

A word of caution about roses. Plant them away from deer and horses, both think that roses are a tasty treat!