What is Passover?

Passover is a Biblical festival celebrating the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and their freedom from slavery.

You can read the story of Passover in the book of Exodus.

However here is a brief summary.

God made a promise to redeem His people from their bondage in Egypt, So He sent Moses to Pharaoh with the command to “let my people go”.

Pharaoh refused.

God then brought ten plagues upon the Egyptians. The tenth being the worst of all. Death of all the first born in Egypt.

On the night of the tenth plague, God told the Israelites to sacrifice a spotless lamb and to mark the doorposts of their homes with its blood. He also commanded a special meal to be eaten.

The Lord would then “pass over” those homes that were marked.

In every home of the Egyptians there was death.

It was this final plague that changed the Pharaoh’s heart. He let the Israelites go.

Passover and the story of the exodus is also important for Christians as well as Jews. It looked forward to the cross, where Jesus became our Passover lamb, and we celebrate it in memorial.

Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law.

Jesus is our Passover lamb. We are covered by His blood.

He was killed at the time of Passover.

The Last Supper was the Passover meal.

By accepting His blood and applying it to our lives, we are trusting Him to save us.

Happy Passover!

How We Prepare For A Homebirth

My due date is the end of March but being my sixth child, anything could happen.

So, we’re prepping.

My supplies include:

cord clamp,

birth stool,

roll of plastic,

absorbent sheets,

essential oils (I use Frankincense Myrrh, and Clary sage)

 

Sounds simple, right?

Here’s the PLAN:

When I feel the time is near I’ll make sure my husband is home or on his way home.

We’ll prepare the bathroom, since that was the most comfortable room in the house with my last two births.

There I’ll have access to water, both hot and cold. A shower if I feel like relaxing and of course the toilet for, well you know what for.

We’ll roll out our plastic sheets and cover them with absorbent pads to catch all the stuff. This also makes for a much easier cleanup!

This time I’ve purchased a birthing stool to sit on instead of the toilet, because my biggest fear is having the baby land in the toilet.

When the baby is making his way down the birth canal it’s kind of hard to find that perfect position and the toilet relives a lot of the pressure and feels comfortable.

With my second homebirth, my baby’s head emerged while on the toilet. I lunged forward as fast I as I could to avoid his landing in the toilet.

So, I wanted to try the birthing stool this time.

My husband then prepares the oils and heats up some water.

I use frankincense for a relaxing and calming smell during and/or between contractions.

Next, he mixes myrrh and olive oil in a crockpot with hot water to use as a compress if I begin to tear.

The last essential oil he’ll prepare is clary sage. Which he will also mix with olive oil as a rub for my lower back between contractions, as it helps stimulate and keep labor progressing.

My job is to stay calm, relaxed and focused. My body will do the rest.

God is in control, and we trust Him to deliver a perfect baby!

 

Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child..….. I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God. Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her:  That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory….then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. (Isaiah 66)

 

Happy Purim!

What is Purim?

Purim is celebrated as a remembrance of the feast of Esther whose story is recorded in the Book of Esther.

Esther was a Jewish woman who had been chosen by the Persian King, Ahasuerus, to be Queen. This followed the banishment of the King’s former wife Vashti for disobedience.

The king was unaware that Esther was a Jew.

During her reign there was a man named Haman who was one of the King’s princes. Haman hated the Jewish people.

He convinced the King that the Jewish people had their own laws and customs and would eventually take over the kingdom, then had the king sign a decree saying that all Jews were to be killed.

But wait!

What about the Queen?

Would she attempt to save her people, or would she keep quiet in fear she would also be put to death?

She needed to speak with the king about his decree but to go before the king without an invitation was forbidden.

She fasted and prayed for three days and sent word to her people to do the same.

God answered their prayers and she was to go into the king’s chamber uninvited.
Bravely she went. The king lowered his scepter to her and allowed her to speak.

Esther invited the King and Haman to attend a feast with her and she would present her request to him.

Then she would reveal her identity and plead with the king to spare her and her people.

On the last day of her feast she did it, exposed Haman’s evil plan and told the king everything.

He loved her so much that he granted her request to save her people and had Haman put to death.

Jewish people now celebrate this feast, which they call Purim, in remembrance of the brave Queen who was willing to trust God and risk her life to save the lives of her people.

Today, Purim is celebrated by a public reading of the Book of Esther. Every time Haman’s name is read, the crowd is to hiss, boo, yell, and stomp their feet to show their dislike for the evil man.

Purim is also celebrated by dressing up in costumes and eating sweets, even gifts of food and money are sometimes given.

We are not Jewish, but we feel that celebrating the Biblical feasts is another good way of teaching the Bible to our children.
Happy Purim!
“Chag Purim Sameach!”

You can read the full story of Esther in the Book of Esther, in the Bible.