“Can a doctrine be ‘horrible’ and ‘dangerous’ that gives God His true place, that maintains His rights, that magnifies His grace, that ascribes all glory to Him and removes every ground of boasting from the creature? Can a doctrine be ‘horrible’ and ‘dangerous’ which affords the saints a sense of security in danger, that supplies them comfort in sorrow, that begets patience within them in adversity, that evokes from them praise at all times? Can a doctrine be ‘horrible’ and ‘dangerous’ which ascribes us of the certain triumph of good over evil, and which provides a sure resting-place for our hearts… that place [being the] the perfections of the Sovereign Himself? No; a thousand times, no. Instead of being ‘horrible’ and ‘dangerous’ this doctrine of the Sovereignty of God is glorious and edifying, and a due apprehension of it will but serve to make us exclaim with Moses, ‘Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?’ (Ex. 15:11).” 

“The doctrine of God’s sovereignty then is no mere metaphysical dogma which is devoid of practical value, but is one that is calculated to produce a powerful effect upon Christian character and the daily walk. The doctrine of God’s sovereignty lies at the foundation of Christian theology, and in importance is perhaps second only to the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures. It is the center of gravity in the system of Christian truth; the sun around which all the lesser orbs are grouped; the cord upon which all other doctrines are strung like so many pearls, holding them in place and giving them unity. It is the plumb line by which every creed needs to be tested; the balance in which every human dogma must be weighed. It is designed as the sheet-anchor for our souls amid the storms of life. The doctrine of God’s sovereignty is a divine cordial to refresh our spirits. It is designed and adapted to mold the affections of the heart, and to give a right direction to conduct. It produces gratitude in prosperity and patience in adversity. It affords comfort for the present and a sense of security regarding the unknown future. It is, and it does, all and much more than we have just said, because it ascribes to God – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – the glory which is His due, and places the creature in his proper place before Him – in the dust.”

The Sovereignty of God by A.W. Pink

pg. 151-152, 139

At Dad’s request, I recently finished reading The Sovereignty of God, the book from which the above passages were cited. For anyone who desires to know the biblical truth about this highly-controversial issue, or who is seeking to become better equipped to defend it, we recommend this book. Every belief must be weighed against the infallible truths of Scripture, and Pink has done a remarkable job in this small text.

** As with all books, this volume should be read with “open eyes.” Just because we recommend the book does not mean that we necessarily endorse every “jot and tittle” contained therein.

For all of our bee-keeping friends, none of this may surprise you, but for people like us, you might find this fascinating! Did you know:

- that male bees (drones) can’t sting? And that they are stung to death by the females after mating season? (Sounds feministic, if you ask me!! )

- that the worker bees control the hive population by only giving the queen enough food to lay the number of eggs they want?

- that the workers select the largest larva, build a bigger cell around it, and feed it extra to make it a queen?

- that the new queen makes a special buzz before leaving her cell, announcing her arrival to the other queen and telling her to prepare for battle?

- that the “scout bees” use special body motion to tell the hive of the location and distance of food? (the angle of their movement implies direction; the duration of the motion communicates distance)

- that when the bees leave the hive, they either fly straight out, or they do an upward spiral and then fly straight?

- that a queen bee can live between 3 and 5 years?

- that the eggs hatch into larvae after three days, and the larvae turn into bees after an additional 6-8 days?

- that if you face the entrance to the hive toward the sun, the bees will leave the hive earlier in the morning?

- that if you have an excessively aggressive hive, you just replace the queen, and in a few weeks, the hive genetics will have changed? (Occasionally this doesn’t work though. Mr. Brandon once had to replace the queen 3 times and finally had to burn the hive! But that was only with REALLY mean bees… )

- that honey bees have the ability to live for 2-3 years, but they work themselves to death in a few weeks?

- that the hive temperature has to be kept between 90 and 97 degrees F. or the larvae will die?

- that by flapping their wings, the bees have their own air conditioning system? And that by standing in certain positions, they circulate the air in one side of the hive, and out the other?

Thanks to Mr. Brandon, and City of the Bees – a  Moody Science film we found fascinating – for all of this information!

“O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.”  Psalm 104:24

Click here to view the embedded video.

… the sweet, buttery taste of warm cinnamon rolls…

… and the cool, creamy refreshment of homemade strawberry shortcake!

Then put the delicious food together with a clean, inviting atmosphere, friendly staff, and impeccable service. There! You have it in a nutshell:

Mary Mac’s Tea Room.

Located in downtown Atlanta, GA, Mary Mac’s Tea Room was started in 1945 by Mary McKenzie in the rough days of the post-WWII era. She operated the restaurant until the early 1960’s, when a lady by the name of Margaret Lupo bought it and began to expand the business. By the time Margaret’s hand-picked successor, John Ferrell, took over in 1994, Mary Mac’s was the only one of at least sixteen other tea rooms remaining in downtown Atlanta.

We had the privilege of visiting Mary Mac’s last week, and enjoyed it immensely. The food was delicious; the pictures we took can’t possibly do it justice! One of their specialties is the sweet rolls – soft, buttery, filled with cinnamon and sugar, and hot out of the oven!  We also loved the chicken’n’dumplings, pot likker and cracklin’ cornbread,* fried okra, and sweet potato souffle! Everything we were served was delicious – just like a big homemade dinner!!

The service was also wonderful. We had a great waiter who made sure we were well cared for, and several other members of the staff came around to greet us. But one of the best – and most unique! – things about Mary Mac’s is their Goodwill Ambassador – a sweet, grandmotherly lady who walks around the restaurant, chatting with customers, and giving each guest a back-rub!! What a way to enhance a meal! Of course, Dad loved it… and I think he got two or three back-rubs throughout the course of our visit.

We would highly recommend if you’re ever traveling through the Atlanta area that you stop in and pay them a visit. Or if you live in the area, you have even better reason to check it out – we’re sure you won’t be sorry! You can get on their website and take a look at the menu before-hand… which might be a smart  idea. Since it’s full of mouthwatering options to choose from, you’ll be thankful if you walk in with some idea of what you want! Then you can just relax and enjoy………

We had a fantastic evening at Mary Mac’s Tea Room! They treated us like family and gave us a true taste of genuine Southern hospitality! Thank you, Mary Mac’s!!

*Just for those of you who don’t know what pot likker is: it’s the broth off of boiled peas or greens. This was from turnip greens and was fantastic! Most of us didn’t even know what it was when we went into the restaurant, but we came out better educated and definitely looking forward to the next time we could enjoy this southern delicacy. If you’ve never had it, it is a must-try!!

So, what is it?

Basically, it is a call to young people to use their youth – their days of strength – for accomplishing HARD things for God’s glory. This has been the pattern throughout history, but somehow, today, we young people have fallen outrageously short, and are even being encouraged, directly or indirectly, to do so. Alex and Brett coined a term for the change they are encouraging us to make: Rebelution. Defined: a teenage rebellion against low expectations. In my opinion, the idea of a rebelution is something that all, not just those between the age of 13 and 19, should take to heart.

Our culture is flooded in low expectations.

By God’s grace, we must begin the raise those expectations. It begins here and now, in our own lives, or it will never happen. Our expectations and goals shouldn’t be based on the society around us, but on the principles and patterns of maturity and godly character found in Scripture, and then we must act upon them.

Our children will thank us someday.

Here are some categories of Hard Things the Harris twins have identified, and some of my favorite things they said about each one:

I. That first scary step: how to do hard things that take you outside your comfort zone.

God works through our weaknesses to accomplish His big plans.

Courage is not the absence of fear.

You can’t get to success without risking failure.

What could your life look like if your trust in God overcame your fears?

How could your life be different if you chose to do hard things outside of your comfort zone?

II. Raising the bar: how to do hard things that go beyond what is expected or required.

We recommend that rebelutionaries do three hard things that go above and beyond what our culture expects and take us closer to what God expects: 1. Do what’s hard for YOU. 2. Be known for what you do (more than for what you don’t do). 3. Pursue excellence, not excuses.

We can identify complacency in our lives by asking ourselves the following hard questions and then answering them honestly:

-What areas of my life do I not care about that I know I should care about?

-In what areas have I fallen short of God’s standards and my own potential?

-In what areas have I settled for just “getting by” when I know I could do better if I really tried?

-In what areas have I decided that things “will always be this way” without ever putting in the kind of effort that really changes things?

III. The Power of Collaboration: how to do hard things that are too big for you to do alone

Don’t overlook home field advantage – family is a God-designed vehicle for collaboration that most miss, even though we’re right in the middle of it.

Credit is free if you give it away. One of the common dangers we’ve come across is that pride (for example, looking for credit or taking offense when we feel overlooked) often sabotages team efforts. What to do? We recommend dealing quickly and respectfully with hurt feelings… and establishing a team code that says, “Credit is free around here, and we GIVE it away!”

Together we can accomplish great things for God, starting today… Pray and plan. Then go for it.

IV. Small Hard Things: how to do hard things that don’t pay off immediately.

Small hard things are the individual repetitions – like a single push-up. They are seemingly insignificant by themselves but guaranteed to get results over time.

Every action, no matter how small, is defining our future harvest…If we’re willing to strive for excellence, even in the boring, repetitive tasks and responsibilities that others delegate or neglect, we will reap the powerful benefits that others miss. Embracing small hard things can make a radical difference.

Your actions… can bring honor and glory to God if you are willing to throw yourself into them 100 percent just because they’re things He has given you to do… The fact that you face those unwanted tasks is not a mistake; it’s an opportunity. And, because God is good, by doing what He has put before you with all your heart, regardless of whether it appears significant or not, you will find yourself benefited and strengthened, ready for the next big thing.

V. Taking a Stand: how to do hard things that go against the crowd

… We need wisdom to understand how to properly evaluate each situation so that we can stand at the right time, for the right thing, and for the right reasons.

If a challenge comes to mind, don’t ignore it. Take a first rebelutionary step. The hard thing you’re contemplating may be the biggest, most difficult, and most rewarding hard thing you’ve ever done. Don’t miss this good thing God is inviting you to do, and don’t tell yourself it doesn’t matter.

Doing what is right always matters – and it matters now.

The Bigger Gun from Neely Team on Vimeo.

Click here to view the embedded video.

That was my story several years ago. Actually, that was me last year. Well, I have to admit, that was me just last week.

Don’t get me wrong; I love Spring – I really do! I love the smell of the cool, refreshing breezes that blow on otherwise warm days, watching the grass grow greener daily, seeing the flowers that are popping up everywhere, observing the birds that are “house shopping”, preparing their nests, hearing the pitter patter of the rejuvenating rains on the porch roof as I watch the storms blow across the mountains, anticipating just when the little knobs on the tree branches will burst into bloom……… I love the excitement, the thrill, the newness of it all! But along with all of the beauty comes… yep: pollen.

Some people are blessed to not be allergic to pollen. We have some of those people in our family. But we also have several who, like me, have strong reactions to it. And it can take away from a lot of the enjoyment of spring. For a LONG time, I have been wondering, What can I do about this? I don’t like to take all the expensive, chemical-laden, commercially produced, temporarily-symptom-fixing products that we can buy at the store. Granted, I think those things have their place, and I’m all for using them at the right time. There has been many a time, even this week, when they come in extremely handy for “emergencies” – those times when I would really rather not be blowing my nose and crying and sneezing all the time… like when I’m singing special music in church or teaching piano lessons. But to live on them all through the pollen season??? Well, that’s not my first preference.

So that’s why I’m writing this: to let you know about something that I’ve found just within the past several days. It’s an amazing substance. It’s sweet (although slightly sticky, as most sweets are), delicious, good for you, and 100% natural!!! How much better can it get?? Would you like to know the name of this wonderful stuff? Actually, you probably use it all the time; you certainly know what it is; it’s usually a “pantry item” in most homes. At our house, we jokingly call it “partially digested bee food.” But the more common (and certainly more appetizing!) name is: honey. That’s right! Just plain old, regular honey. I love it. So when I looked up a remedy for allergies in a home remedies book, I was delighted to find this listed first. Actually, the book says to take a 1-inch cube of honeycomb, swallow the honey, and chew on the waxy part for about ten minutes. (This HAS to be local honey – the stuff produced by the bees in YOUR area – so that the allergens  it contains can build your immune system against the pollen that you deal with in your area.) Do this every day for a month or two before the pollen season, so that when it starts, you already have built an immunity to at least some of the problem.

Well, I didn’t discover this until a few days ago. And I was reading the page between sneezes and through watery eyes. But I decided that it was worth it to give it a try. We don’t currently have any honey in the comb, so I used the next best thing – a spoon. No, I didn’t chew the spoon. But I stuck it in the jar, pulled it out, spun it around several times until it quit dripping, and then enjoyed the wonderful sensation of eating something that I really enjoy, and hoping that it would help my problem! I did this four or five times the first day, three or four the next, once the next, and once or twice every day since. And guess what? My symptoms have pretty much all disappeared!!! It’s been several days now; I’ve been able to take walks, work in the yard, and flop on the grass, with everything blooming and a strong breeze blowing right in my face, and I usually only have a tiny bit of trouble (if any) when I come back inside later! It’s such a relief, and I’m just praising the Lord for every clear breath I take!!

Now I’m not going to dogmatically say that the honey is what did it. And even if it was, I’m not going to declare that it will do it for you, too. But I just wanted to let you know, because if you are at the point where I was (and usually am every spring), you’ll probably want to at least give it a try!!!

Proverbs 24:13 – “My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste…”

(P.S. And if it works, let me know. I’d be really interested in hearing if this helps anyone else!!)

This is what we used to think, as Mayfield has been one of our favorite ice cream sources for a long time , but about two years ago we were shocked to find out that not everyone has had the opportunity to experience the fantabulistical taste of  Mayfield’s ice creamier and milk. Why? As we soon discovered, Mayfield is only in the Southeast! There are three processing/packaging plants: one in Athens, Tennessee (we toured it in 2009), one  in Birmingham, Alabama, and one in Braselton, Georgia. Mayfield has a commitment to only delivering their products to stores that can be reached easily – without too much time spent in transit – to ensure that their products are always fresh and have a longer shelf life.

This last weekend during a short family “get-away,” we had the opportunity to tour the Mayfield Dairy plant in GA. Having loved our tour of the one in TN, we were  curious to see how much of a difference there would be, how much more of the process we would be able to witness firsthand, etc. We arrived just in time for the last tour of the day, and thoroughly enjoyed it! If you ever get the opportunity to tour one of the three plants, take advantage of it! The tours are free and absolutely fascinating, the gift shops are fun (for those of us who enjoy things like that ), but, of course, the best part is the ice cream parlor!  Mmmmm…. you have to experience it to know exactly what we’re talking about…

While touring, we found out some incredible facts that were absolutely too interesting to not share. Some of them apply to the dairy industry in general, but most are individual to Mayfield.

~ Mayfield milk contains no artificial growth hormones

~ The plant can process and package 150,000 gallons of milk on an average day

~ 1 milk truck (you know, the ones you see on the highway that just look like sparkly-clean gasoline carriers) holds 6000 gallons of fresh milk

~ The milk trucks have no cooling system, but are insulated, like a thermos

~ The average cow can give 8 gallons of milk every day

~ It takes all the milk given in a day by 750 cows to fill just one milk truck

~ The plant gets about 20 full trucks every day

~ The milk for this particular plant can come from farms as far away as Indiana, but can only be transported a maximum of 96 hours

~ Milk, arriving in the trucks at above 42 degrees F, is rejected (If that does happen sometime, doesn’t it make you wonder what they would do with 6000 gallons of warm milk?? We didn’t get a chance to ask that question…)

~ Once arriving at the plant, the milk is transferred from the trucks into gigantic, metal towers that are kept exactly 23 degrees F even on sweltering summer days (talk about a powerful refrigeration system!!)

~ Mayfield milk gets it’s “distinctly-fresh-all-year-long” taste from a system unique to them, called Aro-Vac. It is a process that heats the milk and removes the steam, which actually serves to withdraw all unusual flavors in the milk that result from undesirable things the cow has eaten (such a onion grass, etc.). Even though this plant packages milk for other brands (particularly Great Value – from Wal-mart), the Aro-Vac system is still used exclusively on the milk labeled Mayfield.

~ Mayfield milk is always packaged in yellow jugs, which keep UV light rays from affecting the taste and decreasing the nutrients

~ The bottling system at Mayfield can produce 6000 sealed, “ready to purchase” gallon jugs every hour, or up to 300 pints a minute

~ Mayfield stamps an expiration date for exactly 18 days after the milk is sealed inside the jug, but the milk is usually still good for 5-10 days after the expiration date

~ After the milk is processed and packaged, it is sent to a giant refrigerator that holds approximately 600,000 gallons

~ Mayfield milk isn’t processed on Wednesday and Sunday

~ Mayfield’s total annual production is 69 million gallons of milk, and 28 million gallons of ice cream!

We thoroughly enjoyed our “get-away,” and learned a lot in the process! For your information, Mayfield tours make great home school field trips!

An interesting thought: next time you have the opportunity to visit or tour any sort of factory, plant, museum, etc., TAKE NOTES and ASK QUESTIONS on what you hear and learn. In our individualistic society, this can have a great impact. No one is used to seeing and meeting people who are interested in the lives of others or things other than themselves. We found that when the guide saw that we were actually interested enough in what he was showing us to WRITE IT DOWN, he was noticeably impacted and we were able to have a more powerful influence for Christ. Plus, I think he threw in a little more interesting trivia, just for the notepad!!

- watching “The Star of  Bethlehem” and then discussing the incredible power, sovereignty, majesty, and wisdom of our Creator

- playing many games, including Dutch Blitz, Occupation, Catan, Duck-Duck-Goose, Swap, Kings-and-Peasants, etc. 

- listening to the Staddon family practice beautiful family harmony – with voice (esp. the quintet ), piano, violin, and handbells

- getting to feed many large appetites

- spending quality times around the table, reading the Bible, relating our most embarrassing moments, sharing spiritual insights, singing, laughing, writing  lists of everything else we wanted to do, etc.

-gaining experience and knowledge regarding photography and operating a website and blog (special thanks to James and Robert!)

- staying up to a record time of 4:00 a.m. on New  Years  Eve

- blowing up our gingerbread house

  Well, needless to say, when the “Staddon  Wagon” pulled out of our driveway on Friday, we were left with a sense of loss but also one of having been wonderfully refreshed! One   particular thing we appreciate about the Staddon family is their constant JOY!! (That comes from having Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself last.) Whether in helping prune our fruit trees, eating a peanut butter ball, helping  clear the table, or playing Catan, they constantly had smiles and words of encouragement!  Thank you, Staddons!

Note: For more stories and  pictures, please visit the Staddons’ blog!! (We promise, it’ll be worth it just to see the incredible gingerbread-house-explosion shots!!!)