Pause and Reflection: West Viriginia Bound!

I have yet to post part two of my ramblings on separation and reformation because we are making final preparations for our visit to West Virginia. We will be leaving around 2- 3 a.m. Wednesday morning and should be back around the 8th of April. It is a very exciting time for us as most of our children do not remember the years that we lived in Western Carolina. They are used to the flat, sandy plains of Florida. The closest thing we have to wilderness here is a few coyotes and Spanish moss in the trees! We can't wait! Our love of the mountains runs deep and we miss the scenery of a change in seasons.

The second reason that I have delayed my post on reformationism, is that I have been listening to a series on the Underground Church by Michael Bunker. I am trying to make sure that I have a proper understanding of the various views in Christian agrarianism out there. I come from a reformation and reconstruction background, but am not a modern post-millenialist. Therefore, I am stuck in a small world of folks who think that we need to take dominion of the world around us while realizing that at some points in time, Anti-christ will be allowed tremendous scope in this world, that will require some practical wisdom on the part of the Church if we are to continue as we should.
One thing that is really resonating in the Bunker series is the desire to not just sit back and wait on the return of the Lord. At the same time he gives a really balanced, and may I say... reformed view of the church in this age.

Can't wait to get back and finish the series.

Separation, or Reform; Do I have to pick just one?

I am doing a little reading when time permits. It seems that there is always some new issue out there that calls our attention into the focus mode and forces us to clarify our statement of belief. It can be daunting at times. As I look at all the modern news and the ever advancing pace of the decline in the world, I can become overwhelmed with the sheer volume of topics that need to be examined. Add to that the various doctrinal debates in play among the ecclesia, and you gain a good deal of respect for certain folks who seem to have a knack for prolific involvement of these issues. It seems that I never visit visit my fellow bloggers, but that they have already written whole treatises on nearly every 'hot topic' out there! It really is enough to make a fellow consider his own insignificance. No whining here. Just stating the facts. I chose the moniker, Pilgrim Pundit for that reason. It helps remind me of two important points;

1. I am, above all else, a Pilgrim in this world. My hope and faith are set above, in Christ's kingdom of eternal glory. I do not want the duties and desires of this world to overshadow my spirit to the point wherein I lose sight of that fact. While I, like all Christians, have a duty to testify of His glory while here, ultimately, we are moving toward a glorified state of existence.

And 2. Choosing Pundit, helps me to remember that my ideas are not overly original. There has always been some shoulder for me to stand on as an aid in interpreting these issues. Many great men have left behind an awesome amount of 'material' for me to work from. Besides, all one has to do is google a topic and there will be plenty of expert opinions on how best to interpret and define almost any subject I can think of. Such is the case for my new post today. There are many opinions from men much more learned and intelligent than I will ever be. For my lack of genetic capacity I plead grace for wisdom. Wisdom is a funny thing. You can have a small intelligence and still possess great wisdom. This is my hope. By obeying the commands and spiritual law of Scripture, I seek to gain a more Christ-like appearance while here. This is wisdom training. It is complicated by the world, the flesh, and Satan. I pray for more grace here.

Of late, I have been compelled to rethink some of my cherished conceptions of things relating to the issues of Separation and my views on Reformation. I have been torn between two very thoughtful 'camps' of ideas. On the one side there are those who insist that the only proper path for a Christian to follow is to leave all attachments with this world. I do not mean only the spiritual attachments, but all forms; monetary, employment, and general daily involvement. I am simplifying the approach of this 'side' for brevity here, but that is the basic idea. ALL attachment to world system is really seen as a hidden love for the sin and vice of this world. There is a great deal of wisdom in this camp. Too often, we have seen the the results of being a halfling.

A halfling is that poor and wretched creature that has had a glimpse of the Celestial City from afar, as it were. They have, perhaps been given some small measure of sight through the portal of another's mind eye. They have walked next to a traveler, who has tasted of the goodness of that Blessed Land, and they have felt the awe that comes when a halfling becomes a changling. Perhaps they were nearby when their former companion was given the sight of that land. It could be that they have felt a part of that cleansing Spirit as it passed by and lay claim to the changling. But alas! For all the peace and warmth that they felt, there was still something amiss. A certain fearful judgement that met them when they thought on these things. So, like all halflings do, they looked around them. They looked at the great multitude who also had daily concourse with the changling, and they listened to these fine, gentle looking folk explain the predicament that the changling was in. "Too much ardour!", said they. "Poor fellow, taking things far too seriously", ... " obviously has had a bad go of things somewhere in the past!" Then the halfing was relieved! He came to find out that all one needed to do was join the club, and show a giving spirit! Then, there would be no need for such extremities as that other fellow went to...

It is sad that this is the commentary on so many in our land today. They are members in good standing of some local congregation. Many of them are involved in the United Way and the local Blood Donation drives! They are overall, orderly and smartly attired each Lord's Day, and often bring donuts and coffee for the Sunday School class. They know John 3:16 and think that God, Guns, and Guts! made America free...and they have never spent a single morning in prayer with their spouse and children, or rushed home from work to get ready for the evening catechism question and Bible study, or asked God for more holiness and temperance in their lives. These tares are a stumbling block to many travelers and should live in a certain sense of dread at the revealing of that great and terrible Day of the LORD. My brethren that teach the Separation side of the argument see the tentacles of these spiritual vampires as being spread so broadly in this system, that there is nothing left for us to do but 'get out'. They have preached the word to them and seen them turn and rend many a young saint. They have pleaded with them to reconsider and been met with threat and scorn. They see that the judgement of God is heavily upon Sodom, and feel compelled to follow the example of Lot, before they too are caught up in this mess. For the separationist, they are simply following the warning of God...The Angel of the LORD is coming to slay, not just the first-born, but everyone who does not have the blood of the Lamb upon the lintel and the door posts. I cannot find fault with the desire of any man to live holy unto God and give due honor to the Blood of Christ that was given that we might be cleansed from the filth of this Sodom around us. Even so, there are other brethren who hold these same desires for manifesting the Glory and Righteousness of the Lord, and yet find that they are compelled to stay and strive with all their spirit against the encroaching darkness! They are concerned that they have not yet resisted unto blood. They too, see the battle but have also heard a call to stand fast.

Next time I will share some of their thoughts...

Wore out!

That is how we all feel right now. Today was lard rendering day! We finally did it and you know what? It was easy! A little hot, but still easy. not so much physically, but intellectually it was a breeze. I am glad for the Internet in this case. The camera batteries were dead and we just can't afford any right now so you will have to imagine it all. lots of grease and cracklings. good stuff. We are also praising the Lord for new bunnies! Two batches! Good day at the 'farm'. We are thankful.

A little excitement and a little Dudley...

Below will be a few of my wife's favorite parts of Dudley Farms, followed by a couple of mine. First, I wanted to tell you about collecting lard though!
A brother from church has been promising me that he would let us butcher his large hog for awhile and today he came through! This hog was a cross of some kind that resulted in a large (350 lbs.) strange looking pig. We think there was some pot belly mix in him. One things for sure, he was MEAN! He was cut about a year and a half back when he was less than 2 weeks old, but still got pretty nasty near the end. It made the job a lot easier for all of the children since he had worn out his welcome a while back.
Anyway, my wife and I have been wanting to try our hand at soap making from real lard, but alas...when your as poor as dirt a true lard type hog is hard to come by. Enter Kenny, ( my church brother). Kenny got all excited a few years back when I was on a roll about the advantages of growing your own pork at home. Unfortunately, he ran out and grabbed the first 'free' pig in the paper! Turns out that this wasn't the bacon type he had hoped for! Still, we got over 150 pounds of meat the way we figured it tonight! Not bad for a lard hog! My involvement was strictly gathering fat. Another fellow from Kenny's work came and did the gutting and skinning while I did the trimming of fat with the help of my 13 year old son. We were very wasteful and only took the easiest fat away. We came up with about six gallons and could have gotten triple that at least if we were more experienced and had cooler weather. I have the fat on ice now and Saturday we will begin rendering it for lard! We have never done this before so we are not sure how much soap making supplies we will get. I seem to remember that the Ante family agrarians did this one time and will try to look it up and let you know how it compares. Don't expect much. We are novices.

Here is the follow up on Dudley.
The first pick is the outdoor kitchen. My wife LOVES it. The barrel up front contains water from the catchment system with a screen over it to keep out the bugs. The little 'child' gate that you see in the doorway is to keep visitors out. We took the pics from the doorway.

Here is the dining area and open hearth that the family ate at during the war of Northern aggression. That means the Civil War for all you p.c. folk;) Note the simple cupboard for dishes. Very quaint and practical.

This is the second room in the kitchen. The room above is directly behind the wood stove that you see. Check out that stove! If you have ever been to Lehman's you know what that thing would cost today! It actually glistens like brand new when you see the real thing. Photography is not my strong point...

This is one of the small treasures of the farm, I think. This is not the main well for drinking, but is an original hand dug well complete with integrated rain catchment system!The gutters were all made from wood! This supplied all the washing and boiling water. Wonder if 'acid rain' was a problem for them...

Here is another example of ingenuity. With a simple folding board, the pump water would flow into the trough pictured and travel down to an elaborate system of livestock stations. There are 50 cattle, a mule, a registered cracker horse, and many chickens and turkeys in different locations that are watered from this one point! Some of them are 100 yards or more in different directions and paddocks! Very neat!

Next time we will visit the outhouse! And we will try and get a look into the corn crib that still grows a 159 year old variety of white dent corn that we are taking to the University of Florida Ag center for identification! Cool stuff...

More trickery from the halls of hell

I had posted a video of this case in the previous post that would allow you to see first hand the Godly conduct of the mother and the horrendous treatment she is receiving. Unfortunately that video has been scrubbed from all news services. It is so blatant that I am searching to find a copy somewhere for dissemenation.

I hope that you are all paying attention.... Coming soon to a home near you.

Updates available in Homeschooling case

Just a line to let you know what is happening in the recent case of Venessa Mills .

For those of you less inclined to be involved in this case because of the fact that it involves divorce proceedings between Mrs. Mills and her estranged husband, I wanted to include a little information that will help clarify the situation.

First, it is true that there are always to sides to all divorce proceedings. This one is no different. Mr. Mills has admitted in a court of law that he is currently involved in an adulterous relationship and this is a primary reason for the divorce and his desire to change the educational direction of the children.
Please note that we have no desire to slander any person, as this is a sin, but this is public, civil testimony. Mr. Mills has been granted the right to continue living in the household while continuing the 'relationship' with his mistress because it is a direct challenge to the Christian teaching which the mother has reared them in. This is revolting and should not be overlooked when considering the Judges anti-christian motive.

Second, the children have been homeschooling for over 4 years and the father has not raised objections until he began his adulterous relationship. We are speculating, but it seems to be a case of his conscience being condemned. Please pray that this condemnation becomes unbearable and confounding to the purpose of Mr. Mills and his legal team. While we certainly are praying that he will repent and be reconciled to his wife and children, we also pray that God's people will be protected no matter what.

The judge in question has stated that the reason HE wants the children to go to public school is because HE thinks it is important to 'challenge' their christian teaching! This is not allowable under our form of government. Further, while we hold that normally it would be the fathers place to decide these matters, he has confessed to being in sin and is active in seeking to 'convert' his children to the way of Satan. This is morally wrong and the Church has a duty to countenance the mother as the spiritual head of these children, until the father has repented of his ways. The civil branch has a moral and historical duty to uphold the general equity of God's Law, even while maintaining their own sphere of power. This is at the root of all legislative troubles in our land over the last many years. There is a terrible lack of knowledge of the proper roles of Church/State relations that have resulted in the demise of our civil government. It is my opinion that this is the fault of the church. We have not taught the whole counsel of God on this matter. Neither have we adhered to the teachings of our Puritan ancestors who wrote so clearly on this subject. We have simply given up this realm of life as 'worldly' and therefore not fit for a christian study and practice. On the other side we have embraced the politics of a morally corrupt 'right-wing' agenda, thus forfeiting the spiritual heritage that our forefathers gave us.
Perhaps I will write more on this soon. There are many better qualified men to do this, but it must be done. If we fail, there will be no practical alternative left other than going underground.
Please pray for this case. It will effect all of us if allowed to continue as it is. This is NOT about divorce. It IS about the right to train up our children in the way of the Lord. Being set apart from this world system will not be an option in this country much longer if we do not implore the Lord to defend his people.

URGENT HOMESCHOOLING NEWS

To all who care for freedom, I want to take a moment to post a couple of links to a story coming out of N.C. that has the potential to end homeschooling as we know it. I pray that you will take the time to write or fax the authorities involved to let them know your displeasure.

The case is not being handled by HSLDA because it involves a divorce proceeding. Historically HSLDA has stayed away from these type cases because of the fact that so much mudslinging is involved and because it is too hard to set precedent, which is a major objective for HSLDA. This case is blatanly different and I hope that you will also consider following the HSLDA link on my site to petition them to get involved in this one...
Here are the links to the story and the site that friends have created to help out.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=91397
http://www.hsinjustice.com/
PLEASE think of this situation seriously. If this case stands there will be judicial precedent established which determines that the Court can mandate godless, secular, failing, slave-education on YOUR children!
At the very least please pray for this family and for the removal of this Judge. I think you will find the story as shocking as anything that is happening in the news today... Be sure to check out the quotes from the God-hating judge.

Dudley Farm

Well, here are a few more pics of our recent trip to Dudley Farm.


This is the front of the tobacco barn just as it stood back then. The metal roffing has been replaced and some of the wood has been repaired over the years, but the stone foundation is still as solid and square as they laid it.

These are a few of the tools used in the harvest and drying process. Don't really know what they were used for. The cones that are hanging there remind me of the killing cones that I have for my ckickens! A liitle long for poultry though...

This is a front view of the little potting shed/cooling shed that sits in the front yard. Not really a root cellar but still effective. There is a LARGE sweet potato cellar on the other side of the farm that I will be copying on my property soon, Lord willing, but on a much smaller scale. This building is dug about 3 feet deep and holds most of the potting stuff that the small staff here use to keep things running.

This is a partial shot inside the shed that shows the 'equiptment'. The staff here use only the tools and implements that would have been available to the original family. They even dress in period clothing while at work. It is kind of funny because every time we visit someone will come up and begin to question my family as though we were part of the 'skit'! The staff will even ask us if their understanding of 'real' farm life is accurate! LOL...


Here is the great 'machine' that I mentioned in the previous post. This is a universal implement in almost every 'old-time' farmstead that we have visited. My wife is a huge fan of Tasha Tudor and we often admire the beautiful farm that her son Seth built her.There is a beutiful shot of Tasha trimming out a few cedar shakes for her roof in the book about her life. If you ever get a chance to see it you will be amazed to see a lady her age whipping out her own construction material like it was easy! About 3 minutes into a little test of the one pictured here was enough to give me a healthy respect for the job.

Stay tuned for some more of Dudley Farm! There is still the wash shed, outhouse complete with 'trimmings', the wash area , and my wife's favorite, the outdoor kitchen/dining room!

Until then...

New growth

I had planned to post a few pics from the garden and share a little more on our modest progress here, but there is more than vegetable seed growing at our home this year...
Our 14 year old son has been asking a lot of questions on the meaning of the Lord's Supper these past few months. He has expressed a desire to partake as member of the Church and has done some studying on the issues. I am very pleased at this new chapter in his life.

I know that there are a lot of opinions on when a child should be allowed to come to the table, and I do not want to start any fires out there. Still, I thought it might be helpful to explain a little on our understanding of the issue to help expound the joy that this event has given me.

While most of the modern Church allows just about any one to partake of the Lord's Table, we have the practice of 'fencing' the table from the ignorant,profane, and scandalous. That is, we have each member that desires admittance to the table to meet with an Elder from the local group and have a talk to make sure that they understand the basic meaning of the Lord's Supper (not ignorant), and also to pointedly admonish them that after this examination it will be up to that individual to discern if he is living with any un confessed sin each time that he/she comes to the table, (not scandalous or profane). We do this because we see a warning of serious chastisement in the Word for any person who partakes of this as though it were just an external rite, or worse yet, has some area where they are being stiff-necked in their sin. After this initial examination we do not become involved in the individuals decision to participate in the ordinance unless they publicly state some error about the efficacy of the meal, ( like the Roman view of trans-substantiation) or have been exposed in some 'scandalous' sin, ( not just some disagreement with the church or common daily sin which we all commit, but one that would do damage to the good name of Christ and His local church if they admitted this person to the table). So, basically we try to make sure that we stay out of the Christian's way in this matter, except where needed on the one hand, and also try and make sure that no one is knowingly, (profane person) or unknowingly, ( child too young to understand the basic meaning because of the warnings and need to be practicing repentance).

That being said, the great news is that it really appears that all those years of homeschooling, family worship, training, and prayer have begun to pay off! For us it is the admittance to the table that we cherish for our children. This is when we finally know that, at least externally, our children are considering their relationship to God themselves. In our family this is a time that we have prayed for earnestly and approached as a caution against the heresy of presumptive regeneration, ( that teaching which states that all children of believers are actually saved without regeneration), which some have mistakenly erred into.
Now, we continue to pray! For new growth and maturity in the things of God, for the signs of concern that every christian parent hopes to see in their children, for the next phase in his life...
In short, we pray that he is seeking God in all that he does, and seeking to make his calling and election sure!
We pray the same blessing for you and yours,
The Mothershed family

Improvements to the Homestead

O.K., not 'our' homestead! Still, we had a beautiful time last week as we took a stroll through one of our area's best attractions... The old Dudley Farm homestead. This farm is a pre-Civil War era farm that acted as a depot of sorts for travelers through the interior of north central Florida in the days when the Seminole tribe was still active in these parts. The heyday of the farm wasn't until much later, but the ground work for it's place in Florida history was laid by the hard work and ingenuity of some real hardscrabble folk who built quite a homestead! This place became the life-line for many people as it was on the 'main road' through the interior. Below is a picture of my wife and some of the children approaching the outskirts of the farm on that 'main road'. On the left you can see the side of the tobacco barn. This, along with sugar cane syrup, was the main cash crop of the time and area. In a later post I will show a few shots of the interior of the barn and some of the implements that they used in the harvesting and storage of the crop.
Following are some random pictures from around the homestead. There was so much to do and see that we are going back for another tour soon. Many great ideas for simple living can be found here. We were struck with the amount of labor that must have gone into the production and maintenance of such a life. Every detail was important for us. For instance, below is a simple photo of a small bird bath that has a little water bucket beside it along with a gourd water dipper. While we are guessing that the bird bath itself may be from a slightly later time, (seems to be concrete), the interior bowl is an old cast iron. And that little bucket and gourd were from the original farm. Imagine the effort that it took to hand cut each board and plane them to the proper thickness, before joining them to form a bucket! Perhaps, you don't have much experience with wood working and can't imagine what this process entails. Let me briefly explain.....h-a-r-d work! While the original bucket maker probably looked on this simple feat as normal and not an entirely extraordinary skill to possess, it is good to remember that this was before the days of 'homestead skills class' and internet portals. I will try and post a few pics of the actual 'machine' that they used to make these little necessities. And that cute little dipper... they have many like it scattered on the ground in the sun next to the garden where that gourd grew. They first turn the soil with a spade and hoe, then plant the little seed and wait. After disease, drought, pests and nature have done their damage, they would collect any left overs and cure them in the sun before carving them into useful implements...like this one. A simple water bucket and dipper= many hours of hard labor, busted knuckles, and sweat. Don't forget that iron band around the bucket. They made that here also!

Here is one of my favorite things on the farm. It is a little garden cellar. Right here in Florida! This is something that used to be common in this area when I was a boy, but now everyone says that it is impossible to root cellar in our climate. They should have told the Dudley family that before they dug up all those rocks and hauled them all the way over to this spot in the front yard. The temp was noticeably cooler inside.

This is a poor shot of one of the bedrooms inside the main house. It is a 2 story place that is packed with a small parlor and five bedrooms like this one. Note the bed in the middle of the room. They raised a family of 14 in this beautiful home. No bathroom, no kitchen, no dining area. Just bedrooms and a small parlor. Very efficient. The kitchen and privy are out back. I imagine that this was a good arrangement come August in Florida.


Here is a simple shot of the front yard and the kitchen garden. This is not the main vegetable garden, but is the spot where sweet smelling roses and herbs are grown and harvested for medicinal and culinary uses. I miss the times of my childhood when I could walk down to one of the neighbors and find this exact same set-up in their yards! You will never see a kitchen garden in Florida now, but I had 3 neighbors within walking distance that had them. Complete with the little stone potting/cooling shed. We hope to pick up this small idea here in our family. Imagine a cup of rose hip tea from just outside your front door!

This is the final shot today. The small parlor. The fireplace is a pass through that opens to the master bedroom ( where all 12 children were born) on the other side. I don't know much about the religious quality of the Dudley family, but one can imagine that there may have been more than a few times when sitting next to the hearth, Father Dudley might have opened a few lines of holy scripture to his family as they faced some trial or obstacle of their day. Or perhaps, they were more consistent than the average 'on fire' family of today and they actually had a daily reading of the Word here in this place as they lived daily life, complete with it's problems and praises. I would like to think that it was a daily part of existence here. I hope it is wherever you are.