A Neat Water Filter... And While We're on the Subject...

About a month ago, my family bought a water filter because our water is... well... nasty. It works! The filter works using gravity and some sort of foam-like carbon filter. You don't ever have to change the filters- just rinse them every few months or when they start to get clogged.
We just rinsed ours for the first time, and everything works just the way it did when we got the filter. Even at rinsing the filter once a month (for us) that's still much better than drinking it plain. When the water goes from yellowish with stuff floating in it to clear and empty- that's got to be a great filter!

For anyone out there who would prefer to drink water but doesn't want all the gunk that's in it- or pay thousands of dollars a year for purified "imported from wherever" water- check this out!
http://berkeleywaterfilter.com

Okay, enough of my sales-pitch (but the water really is better), lol. :-) My younger siblings played out in the rain today. The children on this side of the street cam over and they were all having a blast and "Singing in the Rain". lol! Rain is okay so long as it comes in moderation and without thunderstorms... You can't have any fun when there's lightning going off all the time!

Let's see... we had Corn Chowder for Supper. This used to be one of my little brother's favorite, so we'd eat it all the time. After a while we got tired of it, and thus haven't had it in some time. But it tasted good tonight! :-)

For dessert, I made Double Chocolate Brownies using the recipe a friend gave to Mom. Those were rich, but let me tell ya- they were GOOD! I'll put that on my list of recipes I need to put on here... lol!

Got to go!

Blessings!

Full Moon Report

Last night was a Full Moon. I wanted to put it on here earlier, but I didn't get the chance to 'til now. Anyway, so here it is:

Thursday, December 3, 2009 was a splendid Full Moon.

The reason that the picture is a little hazy on the upper side is because of cloud cover. If it weren't a Full Moon, the hazy part would be on the lower left side. Anyway, I just thought I would point that out.

I just got back a little while ago from picking up some photos from Wally*World (That's Wal*Mart). I got a case for my camera- something that I've intended to get for a while now, but never actually did. My little brother went with me and everyone thought he was so cute, doing errands with Big Sister. He just rolled his eyes, smiled, and saluted the Marines standing by the Toys For Tots table next to the entrance door. :-)

We spent much of the rest of the afternoon playing Yahtzee because it's raining off and on outside, and in general very gray. And now it's time to get ready for Supper. I don't know what that is yet, but it has something to do with hamburger... It's about time, because I'm getting hungry! lol!

Shabbat Shalom!

My Latest on the Moon

I just finished working in my garden, trying to get the roses ready for chilly weather. Fun, fun... Dad's making chili for supper. It is so good! I'll have to get the recipe on here sometime... Oh, it smells wonderful!

I haven't been writing it on here, but I have been keeping up with the Moon over the past couple of weeks. The rest of my family has decided to keep track of this also, which makes it much easier for me, as I'm not the only one trying to remember. Anyway, so here it is. Oh, and before I forget- Happy Thanksgiving. :-)

Above: Okay, so the evening of November 20, 2009 was the beginning of the 3rd day.

Above: The moon of November 22, 2009 marks the beginning of the 5th day.

Above: Beginning November 23, 2009 is the 6th day.

I don't have pictures for the next several views, but November 25th was the Waxing Quarter Moon.

In the next few days should be the Full Moon. I'm thinking probably December 2nd. However, I may be wrong, so don't take it as fact- look for yourself.

Blessings!

Tabby Sugar-Mill

These are some of the pictures that I took the other day at my latest favorite place to do photo-shoots.

I got some really good portraits of my siblings, but I'm not going to post them on here.

However, I can show you these:

A Word Study on Holiness

I recently did a word study on "holiness". These are some of the questions that I wrote down for myself to answer. I wrote my answers based on what I found in Scripture and on my current understanding of what it means to be set-apart.

What do you think “holiness” is?

Holiness is being set-apart for Yahweh's use. It is following Torah, which is our light, so that through us, Yahweh's light can shine in the darkness of this world.

What does the dictionary say “holiness” is?

According to Webster's New Student's Dictionary, 1964, "Holiness" means "the quality or state of being holy."
"Holy" means "set apart to the service of God, commanding absolute adoration and reverence, spiritually pure."

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, "Holiness" means "The quality or state of being holy, sanctification" which means "1) to set apart to a sacred purpose, consecrate, 2) to free from sin, or purify, 3) to impart or impute sacredness."

What does Scripture say “holiness” is?

In one sentence, holiness is being set apart from the world for Yahweh’s purpose.
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Why does Yahweh call us to “be holy, for I am holy?”

We are to be witnesses to the world that Yahweh is indeed the one true Elohim.

Lev 11:45 “For I am YHWH that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”

Lev 20:26 “And ye shall be holy unto me: for I YHWH am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.”

Isa 43:9-12 “Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? Let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.
Ye are my witnesses, saith YHWH, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
I, even I, am YHWH; and beside me there is no saviour.
I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith YHWH, that I am God.”

Can we actually do this or is Yahweh asking the impossible?

Scripture tells us that Yahweh will never give us anything that we cannot overcome with His help. Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.”
Matt. 19:26 “But Yeshua beheld them, and said unto them, ‘With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.’”

What does “set-apart” look like? To understand what “set-apart” or holy is; it might be easier to explain what it is not.


Worldly in Bold -- Holy in italics

Dating/Adultery/Divorce

Emotional and Physical Purity/Abstinence before marriage

`Working/doing our own thing on Sabbath

Keeping Sabbath set-apart as a day to focus on Yahweh

Dressing immodestly

Dressing in clothes that are pleasing to Yahweh/don’t cause impure thoughts

Worldly music (causes agitation/impure thoughts)

Music that is pleasing to Yahweh

Immoderation when using Alcohol

Self-control or complete abstinence if needed

Doing our own thing/living according to the flesh

Living to serve Yahweh in all that we do, according to His standard which is Scripture

What are some examples of how we should be different from the world?

The music we listen to, the things we watch or allow ourselves to see, the clothes we wear, the places we go, the things we do…

Does being set-apart apply to everything, or just our “religion”?

Living in holiness implies that we are set apart in everything that we do, see, hear, etc. If we are to be holy as Yahweh is holy, then we should strive to be like Him, not the world around us. Rom. 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Why is it important to be set-apart?

Through Yeshua, we are Yahweh’s temple, called out of the world to direct others to Him. Like a lighthouse. 1 Cor. 6:19-20 “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” 1 Pet. 2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

Other verses to read are: 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, Romans 12:1-2, and Isaiah 43:9-12.

How do we be “holy,” as understood from Scripture?

Prov. 7:1-3 “My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee. Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.”

Spiritually we are to be set-apart from others by only following one God- Yahweh, and by keeping His Torah only.

Physical ways that set us apart from the world, and thus help us keep our focus on Yahweh, are found in His instruction book, the Torah.
Some of these basic instructions are found in these verses:

Exodus 19:3-6, Yahweh is setting His people apart from the others around them.

Exodus 39:30, The priests are to wear a band around their heads which said, “Set-apart unto Yahweh,” as a physical sign of whom they serve. Something we can see.

Leviticus 11:44-47, One way we are to be physically set-apart are in the foods we eat. We are to distinguish between the different foods, so that we don’t defile ourselves before Yahweh. Remember, we are to “be holy for He is holy”?

Leviticus 15:19-28, Speaks of menstrual abstinence and cleanliness, something which most un-believers don’t really do.

Leviticus 22:31-33, Yahweh’s name is set-apart from the other names because He is Yahweh, the only true God.

Leviticus 23:1-4, Yahweh has set-apart festivals unto Himself that we are to keep forever. This is another physical sign of who we are and of the God we serve.

Numbers 15:37-41, As his priests, we also are to wear a physical sign of our call. A reminder of who we serve, to remember what our purpose is.