Christmas 2010

The Story of the Candy Maker

“I am only a candymaker”, he thought sadly. “No one will listen to me when I tell of the wondrous love of my Lord, about how and why God entered our world, born as a baby in Bethlehem.”

“How can I tell the children about the love of Jesus?”, he wondered.

Then he smiled. “I will make them some candy. To remember the awful price of Jesus’ love for me, I shall include red to tell of the blood he shed to save me from my sins. It shall have three small stripes to show his scourging, and a large red stripe for his blood shed on the cross by nails and spear. So, the red and white stripes shall represent the blood of Jesus which washes away our sins and makes us pure and white as snow. ”

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18).

“I will fashion it into the letter J so that all may be reminded that it is by the name of Jesus that we are saved from our sins. It will also be in the shape of a shepherd's staff, which the shepherd uses as he watches over his sheep, so that we may know Jesus is our shepherd, our savior and Lord.”

" I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." (John 10:11).

And so was made the candy cane: Crafted in love, and made to help us remember the costly love of Jesus.

The scriptures tell us that by Jesus' stripes we are healed.

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5).

Jesus was beaten and stripes were put upon his back when He was crucified for our sin .

"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." (1 Peter 2:24).

There are a lot of candy canes in the stores today made with different colors, but they are not true candy canes unless they are red and white and have one bold stripe and three fine stripes. True candy canes tell the story about Jesus, the Christ who came to be the the savior of the world.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son,
that whosoever believeth on him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

The love of Jesus is for you this Christmas season and always. Will you open your heart to Him and believe?

Happy 6 Month Birthday, Josiah!!!

Dog Saying Grace

This is the cutest video ever so I had to share it!!!If you watch this and don't laugh or at least crack a smile, your funny bone is broken! :-)

Trimming the Tree...

"Okay boys, the lights belong ON the tree, not on...oh well, never mind...say cheese!"

Baby Josiah helps with the gift wrapping...

by eating the ribbon...

posing with the ribbon...

and by falling asleep on the job. Wake up sleepy head!

Big brother Jalen helps daddy hang the lights...

A few finishing touches...

And the tree wouldn't be complete without Jalen's first grade Christmas ornament, of course...
Here's the finished product...

From our family to yours, we wish you a very Merry CHRISTmas!

Human Anatomy 101

This video is just a snippet of Josiah demonstrating his basic knowledge of human anatomy. It is entered as further evidence to establish the validity of the assertion of my child's true genius. :-)

But all joking aside, our capacity for gaining knowledge is truly amazing. It is sobering to think that our children are watching AND absorbing EVERYTHING we do. I can't wait to see what else this little one will learn and am truly honored to be his teacher!

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." Psalm 139:14

Light on, Light off...

No, this isn't Karate Kid, and I'll admit, though doubtfully, that perhaps I have too much time on my hands. Or maybe, juuuust maybe, my baby is a genius. You be the judge. Watch for yourself as my scarcely five month old son amuses his adoring mommy by adroitly turning the bedroom light on and off, on command. I call this, Obedience Training 101...What can I say, when your entertainment consists of little people all the day long, you have to find diversions... :-)

Allegro

Jalen, Britany and Ariel playing Allegro for the family during a rather impromptu Thanksgiving recital at Tiff's (2010).

Jalen's Fall Cello Recital

This is Jalen's second recital with the Suzuki Institute of Royal Oak. He played Allegro and did a wonderful job(November, 2010). But hey, don't take my word for it. See for yourself!

Josiah 101

This is just an overview of the Josiah related happenings taking place in the Hunter household this week!

Crawling 101

Working on basic coordination is hard work!

But never fear, Tupac and Jalen are nearby to cheer baby on...

Walking 101

I'm thinking he should probably learn how to crawl first but he looks like such a cute little man that we had to take a few standing pics, too...

And it's hard to stop when Tupac keeps asking for more!!! Sometimes I think the camera must be glued to his hands...

Homeschool 101

He actually enjoys his "school time" and smiles whenever he hears the opening theme song to his daily lesson...

He's quite the pupil...

Hymnology 101 (A.K.A. Song time with Daddy)

Josiah loves it when anyone sings to him, but song time with Daddy is an extra special treat!

Sitting Like a Big Boy 101

He just started sitting unassisted this week and seems very excited about it! Actually, I may be a tad bit more excited than he is. Okay, I'll admit it!

Lookin' Cute 301

Josiah's graduated to the advanced course in looking cute cuz' he's just that good at it!

Introducing Josiah Benjamin

I know this post is a bit delayed but apparently we have a bit of competition as I have seen pictures of my baby popping up all over the web. The culprits know full well who they are...LOL. So without further ado, I introduce, Josiah Benjamin Hunter, the newest addition to the Hunter clan...

The Five Scariest Things You Can Do This Halloween

(I recieved this newsletter article from Vision Forum ministries this week. I thought it was so good, I just had to share it.)

       The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. (Proverbs 8:13)

                                           By Doug Phillips

Our country is in the grip of a fear crisis. The tension because of this fear is almost palpable. There is fear over elections, fear over the economy, and fear over hundreds of other issues ranging from the environment to terrorism.

The one fear that America is missing is a fear of the Lord. As a people, we no longer fear God. Because we do not fear God, we no longer hate evil (Proverbs 8:13).

Instead of hating evil, Americans toy with it. We toy with holidays like Halloween that were conceived in evil and that promote the “cute-ification” of evil, whether that evil takes the form of witchcraft, sorcery, ghoulishness, or some other form of malevolent imagery paraded before our children. We laugh at the very things that the Lord describes as “abominations,” and we find ourselves obsessively fascinated by, and attracted to, all things dark.

Yet we do not fear the Lord.

Those who “hate evil” are very scary to a secular society that fears man more than God. They are scary because they dare to declare that there are absolute standards by which society must be governed. They are scary because, if they are successful, industries like Hollywood that make billions of dollars by promoting ungodly fear will lose their influence. They are scary because such people will not be swayed by political candidates who use fear as a tool for manipulation.

With this in mind, I offer you the five “scariest” things you can do this Halloween:

1. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to not make light of evil. Halloween was conceived in evil and has remained a celebration that uses children to promote a fascination with darkness and superstitious fear. Simultaneously, it makes light of things that the Bible describes as evil. Stand against such things, and the world will find you very scary indeed. The fear of the Lord makes men turn from evil (Proverbs 16:6).

2. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to not be fearful. The media wants you to be afraid of everything from overpopulation to global warming. The politicians want you to be afraid of the economy and political instability. God wants you to do what is morally right, trust Him completely, and never be gripped by an ungodly spirit of fear. You can place your trust and hope for this nation in the King of Kings. Jesus said: “And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him” (Luke 12:4-5). Believe this, and you will be light to the world.

3. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to completely skip Halloween and remember Reformation Day. It was 493 years ago that Martin Luther nailed his world-changing 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg church. These theses included rebukes to ungodly fear and superstition. 501 years ago, sometime near October 31, a baby named John Calvin was conceived who would dedicate his life to eradicating an ungodly fear of superstitious beliefs and proclaiming the gospel of grace. His emphasis on reformation, revival, and the sufficiency of Scripture had such far-reaching implications for nations like the United States that he has been described by Christian and secular scholars alike as the true founding father of America. The Reformers did something that was very scary to the world of their day. They stood against all forms of dark superstitions which grip the minds and souls of men. It was their emphasis on the fear of the Lord and the wisdom of Holy Scripture that was used by God to liberate untold numbers of men and women. But to remember the Reformers instead of Halloween is very scary to the world. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10).

4. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to refuse to watch or allow your children to watch any of the toxic Halloween and horror films emerging from Hollywood. America’s fascination with ungodly fear has made horror the most popular and fastest-growing film genre amoung youth. When parents allow their children to toy with this genre, they promote ungodly fear, and they contribute to the fear-factories in Hollywood that prey upon the youth of our culture. Say “no” to Hollywood horror and you will be dangerously scary to the media elite. “Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence....?” (Jeremiah 5:22).

5. The scariest thing you can do this Halloween is to get on your knees as a mother and father and pray that the Lord will send you many, children who will fear God, not man — children who will especially shun the glorification of witchcraft, the bondage of ungodly fear, and the “cute-ification” of evil that is promoted through holidays like Halloween. Cultures that toy with evil end up being cultures of death. The Christian response is to be a people of life. That means babies. It means fearing God by honoring His command to “be fruitful and multiply.” It means remembering that the Scripture describes children as a “blessing” and a “reward.” Raise children that fear God more than man, and that will be answer enough to our Halloween- and darkness-obsessed culture; for if you trust God over your womb and commit your children to a holy education, you will be very scary to the modern world. “Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord” (Psalm 34:11).

Happy 10th Birthday, Jalen!

We were planning on a little something different, but God had something else in mind by bringing Josiah a few weeks earlier than expected. Because of this, we decided to have an impromptu celebration at the house which was actually one of two parties, as Jalen celebrated with his baseball team, as well. Jalen said this was the best birthday ever! So, thanks to all of our family and friends for making this day so special!

Jalen's First Cello Recital

This is a video of Jalen's first cello recital with the Suzuki Institute of Royal Oak. He played Twinkle Suzuki Variation D (May, 2010). Great job, Jalen!

Air on the G String by Yo-Yo Ma and Bobby McFerrin

This song is one of my absolute favorites. Enjoy!!!

A Day at the Auto Show

This is a pic of Jalen and T-2 at the autoshow last month. Afterwards we went out for dinner and dessert. It was a blast!

Jalen's Big Day

Tonight, right before dinner, Jalen asked me if there was anything he needed to do before getting saved. He had asked me the same question about three weeks ago and was wondering if he needed to say a bible verse or do something special. At that time, I advised him that there was nothing that needed to be done but encouraged him to speak to me and his dad first so that we could make sure his understanding was clear.That was the first conversation about salvation that he initiated and happened to be the second day after we started homeschooling him.

Well, homeschooling these past few weeks has been an exercise in dependance. I had no idea it would be so tough. This week has been particularly challenging. And then, right before dinner he asks the question that would totally change my frame of mind. Seemingly out of nowhere, he demonstrated that he too is concerned for his soul.

"RaShawn, is there anything I need to do before I get saved?"
"No, why?"
"Well, I'm ready!"
"You mean you're ready to get saved?"
"Yep!"

Be still my soul! Inside my heart is jumping for joy! Praise the Lord and Amen!

Tupac was at his men's bible study group, so I calmly asked Jalen if we could wait until he got home so he could pray with us. He said yes. I then went in the next room to franitcally text his dad the good news. After a little back and forth texting, we decided it was best not to give the enemy an opportunity to steal the seed, so I immediately explained the plan of salvation to Jalen again and prayed with him to trust the Lord as his very own Savior right then.

It's funny how just a hour ago I was exhausted, discouraged and ready to go to bed, wondering if the homeschooling day would never end. Now, I'd much rather prefer it didn't...