The TRUTH About 4-H and FFA

Interesting that I should see this post...not five minutes since my 16-year-old son came home to rescue our goats. A few of them had gotten out of their pen and the huge Boer buck was trapped in a knot with a halter on his hoof.  He was lying there looking dead when I ran out to help.  I thought he was dead, all sprawled out and not moving.  He was scared, and if he could have talked, I'm certain that he would have said, "Thank You" if he could have, once he was freed.

And then this:  CNN'S article asking, "Does 4-H Desensitize Kids to Killing Animals?"   It's amazing really, that people really believe 4-H hurts kids or could hurt kids.  It's amazing too, that so many that cry out about animals being killed for food, actually do eat animals themselves, or animal products.  The article does show positives and negatives, so it's not totally bashing 4-H.  But, in this post, I'm focusing on those who are against it.

What people like this don't realize is that God made the animals for PEOPLE to use.  He provided them for us. That was his plan. Too many in the world have mixed it up and think that PEOPLE were created for ANIMALS.  Completely, completely false.  God said for man/woman to rule over the animals.  Care for the animals. Tend to the animals.  And after the flood, to use the animals for food.  

The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands.  Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. Genesis 9:2-3

God set man/woman apart from the animal world.  Man/woman have souls.  Animals do not. Contrary to the popular movie, "All Dogs Go to Heaven", no they don't.  In fact, NO ANIMALS go to heaven. Heaven is reserved for God's people - those who have become followers of His Son, Jesus.  

God blessed them (Adam and Eve) and said, "Be fertile, increase in number, fill the earth, and be its master. Rule the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that crawl on the earth." Genesis 1:28

Sure animals bring joy to our lives, but they can also teach us things - like responsibility through the 4-H or FFA program. They teach a strong work ethic - something that is missing in many families today who want everything handed to them.  

I remember like yesterday leading my calf onto the trailer to go to market. I cried all the way there.  And then "Sam" slammed me into the side of the trailer, making my shoulder bang up to the metal side with his 1000 plus pound body.  I wasn't happy with Sam for hurting me. I was crying because he was going and crying because he was hurt.  Sam came back home in different packaging than he went on that trailer.  Our family was fed by Sam.  Sam couldn't live forever.  He had served his purpose.  Now the work and feeding program he was on during his life was benefiting my family in his death.

If I didn't care about that animal project, why would I still remember it so vividly?  I wouldn't.  I remember the good times with Sam...and that one bad time of him hurting me.  I remember all of my calves that same way.  

My children do the same with their goats and pigs.  It's a learning experience that they will take with them for the rest of their lives.  They are learning great lessons.  4-H is GOOD.  It's GREAT!  FFA is GOOD. It's GREAT!  

The  4-H and FFA programs are vital to our communities and even our cities.  I think it would be great if those who are so opposed to "farm" and "agriculture" saw how those two entities would affect the very products that are in their homes.  Almost EVERYTHING is tied to agriculture in some way.  If I could snap my fingers and make "their" stuff with ag-related products disappear, they would be shocked at what would be missing!  Ha! If only that could really happen!

So, parents....don't be afraid your child is going to be warped from joining the local 4-H club or FFA chapter.  If anything, it will make them stronger.  It will make them appreciate the things God has given to us - the things He created for us.

In The Beginning - GOD!

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Genesis 1:1-2

Southwest Oklahoma sky (yesterday)...

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Genesis 1:3-4

Pensacola, FL - Gulf of Mexico

 And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.” So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

Genesis 1:6-8

 Pensacola Beach, FL

And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:9-10

 Palm Trees in Kissimmee, FL

 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.  And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

Genesis 1:11-13

 Lake at Buena Vista, FL - Downtown Disney

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years,  and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth,  to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.  And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

Genesis 1:14-18

 Bird at EPCOT

And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.”  So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 

Genesis 1:20-22

Bird wanting my popcorn! Magic Kingdom

God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.”  And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

Genesis 1:23

 Elephant - Animal Kingdom

 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 

Genesis 1:24

 Giraffe - Animal Kingdom

God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:25

 Gorilla - Animal Kingdom

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
Genesis 1:26

My husband with Minnie Mouse - Not exactly "ruling over" in this picture, but he does with our goats at home!

So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:27

Zebras - Animal Kingdom

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Genesis 1:28

 Driving back home - Somewhere in Florida

Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.  And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Genesis 1:29-31

Jungle Journey VBS - Exploring the Nature of God - Part I

Immediately after school is out, our congregation begins our  annual Vacation Bible School.  Usually it falls on the Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday after Memorial Day, but this year it is a week before, due to the way the May calendar falls.

This year's VBS theme is Jungle Journey - Exploring the Nature of God.  What a great topic and focus for VBS!!  To go along with the "jungle" theme, I chose to decorate my 1st and 2nd grade classroom in monkeys.

Each day the lesson focuses on a specific quality of God.  Each lesson inspires those who hear God and learn how he works in the lives of people.Thursday's lesson is Psalm 23, "The Lord is my Shepherd.)  The focus is on God our Shepherd..

Wednesday's lessons are about Abraham and Isaac.  God asks Abraham to sacrifice his own son.  Just as Abraham is about to obey and kill his son, an angel of the Lord tells Abraham to stop.  Then he provided a ram for the sacrifice.  The focus today is on "God, our Provider."

God helped the Israelites with an unusual victory over the Amalekites.  As long as Moses held his staff up in the air, they would win the battle.  Soon Moses got tired.  Two men came to the recuse and held Moses arms up over his head.  This is one of Wednesday's stories with the focus on God, our Strength..

Day 1 - today, was spent on learning about Day 1 - 7 in creation, as well as about Adam, Eve and the first sin.  The focus was "God, our Creator".

This is a black light story about Creation I share with you about a year ago.  Children love black light stories!

This picture is blurry, but I was trying to get a picture of the lights on the fake tree and hanging in the room..  It's kind of neat looking.

More pics from myVBS  room.

The hallway...decorated BEAUTIFULLY!!

God Created Me crafts.  Each student made their own little person.

Each of these statements are the nature of God.  He's our Creator, our Father, our Shepherd, our Strength, and our Provider.

Tyler posed for a safari picture.  It's been great having him in my VBS for the first time this year!  It's been great, too, having Lauren and Zachary for my helpers.  They've done a great job!

The children made flourescent serpents, which glow with the black light on. 

Genesis 1:1:  In the Beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Nelly, as well, as all of the students made marshmallows.  While melting the marshmallows and butter/margarine, add food coloring to make the mixture blue and green.  Mix popcorn with marshmallow mixture and stir.  The proportions of popcorn and sticky marshmallow aren't exactly what they should have been, but all of the children seems to enjoy their times play.

These monkeys are the children's attendance.  Each day that a child attends, they are given a banana sticker.

Eve believed the serpent (Satan) and she ate of the fruit that God has said NOT to eat. Eve shared the fruit with Adam.  Sin entered the world.

God's Creation

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." Genesis 1:3-5a

And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse "sky." Genesis 1:6-8a

(My picture isn't a "sea", obviously! I wasn't near any big water this week.)

And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.  Genesis 1:9-10

Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so.  The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.  Genesis 1:11-12

And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. Genesis 1:14-15

And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:24-25

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:26-27

Black Light Bible Stories

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had been teaching the Pre-K and Kindergarten Sunday morning class about "Creation" using a black light. Last week they were able to take their "Creation" mobiles home. They were so excited!

These pictures are taken in the dark with the black light on, but it doesn't show how the flourescent paper "glows". That's why the pictures are a little blurry, though. Black light stories are great because the kids are so interested in looking at the pictures. It keeps them interested in learning about God's Word even more. Of course, they also get a kick out of looking at each other because the whites of the eyes glow and so do teeth!
Today four of these kids moved up to the 1st and 2nd grade Bible class. I gained one, but now only have two. I'll miss those four 1st graders who have moved up! Of course, one of them is my youngest child, Tyler (a.k.a. Biscuit), so I'll especially miss having him.

The children learned the "Creation" song. Do you know it? It's great!

Day 1 Day 1 God made light when there was none (repeat)
Day 2 Day 2 God made clouds and skies so blue (repeat)
Day 3 Day 3 God made flowers & grass & trees. (repeat)
Day 4 Day 4 God made sun,moon and stars galore. (repeat)
Day 5 Day 5 God made birds and fish alive (repeat)
6th Day 6th Day God made animals & man that day. (repeat)
Day 7 Day 7 God is resting in his heaven (repeat)

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1

A Mockingbird Lesson

Note: Have you voted on the "August Fun Poll" on the "Shine Like Stars" home page? It asks "What's your favorite color?"

A few weeks ago when my husband, Joe, was redoing our backyard fence, he saw something amazing. A neighbor drove by and a mockingbird flew in to the front grill of his pickup. The bird, badly hurt, fell to the ground. Joe watched the little bird and noticed that two other mockingbirds flew down and stood by their hurt friend. They stood by it's side until it died, then they flew away.

God's little creatures (and big creatures) are truly amazing! I've probably said that before, but it's worth repeating. God's design for all of His creation is awesome! Birds don't think in the same capacity that we do, yet those little birds stood their by their hurt friend. When they sensed that their was nothing more they could do, they left...but not until then.

What a great example God's little creatures can be for us, if we'll just take the time to learn from them! Just look at this passage from the book of Job:

But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
or the birds of the air, and they will tell you;

or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
or let the fish of the sea inform you.

Which of all these does not know
that the hand of the LORD has done this?

In his hand is the life of every creature
and the breath of all mankind.

Job 12:7-10

The Chronicles of Biscuit - "I Don't Want a Wife!"

Note: Be sure to vote on the new August poll question!

This morning I taught the Pre-K and Kindergarten class about "Creation - Day 6" how God made the animals and man. We talked about how Adam named the animals and how God looked around and there was no suitable for helper for Adam, so God made Eve...the first woman. The children asked some questions, such as "Were Adam and Eve married?" and "Was Adam a creature?". They thought it was really neat that God made Adam from the dust and Eve from Adam's rib. We ended the class with "Day 7 - God Rested".

"But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." Mark 10:6-9

Teaching little children is so much fun! Sometimes I wish we could all see life through the eyes of a child because of their innocence and their caring hearts. It's truly a joy teaching that class on Sunday mornings. Today I had seven little ones listening with attentive ears. They were especially excited today because they were able to take home a creation mobile they had been working on for several weeks. It was made with flourescent paper and the mobiles glowed when we turned out the lights and turned on a blacklight. (Maybe I can show you sometime...if the camera will show it!)

It's funny what children sometimes pick up on as they are listening to bits and pieces of what is being said. Tonight during worship services, our preacher took a little time to talk to the young boys and girls and teenagers in particular. He told the boys how great it would be for some of them to become gospel preachers. He talked about how it is a great work and very rewarding and encouraged them to think about it for their future. Then he moved on to the girls. How they can serve as Bible teacher's and how some of them might enjoy being preacher's wives because he, as a preacher, is so thankful for his wife. He explained how important her role is as she serves as a helper in his ministry. He said something along the lines of "you young men need a good Christian wife"...meaning in the future. Immediately, Biscuit looked up at me and said, "I don't want a wife!".

Boy, sometimes it's sure hard to keep a straight face around him!! I know he was taking what he heard very seriously! He already thinks of himself much older than his real age of 6 1/2 years. Yesterday his sister put a gold chain necklace on him. It's hers but it's not "girly". He pushed it under his collared shirt at the livestock show and his dad asked him why. He said, "That's how men like me wear them!".

This is for the Birds!

It is. This post is literally for the birds! These two baby doves are nesting in a hanging flower basket on the back porch of some friends. They are out of town for a few weeks and have asked our son, Zachary, to care for their yard and keep feed in their bird feeders.

Today Zachary mentioned that baby doves were in a plant, but I didn't realize it was a hanging basket! I crawled up on a chair to get a picture of them and had to wait until the wind swung the basket around to get a really good picture. It's amazing that their momma built the nest in a hanging basket with the southwest Oklahoma winds!

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all.
Author: Ce­cil F. Al­ex­an­der

My brother-in-law, James has a blog, which is posted on my blog roll (called Waugh's Wall) on the right side of the Shine Like Stars homepage. He has been posting about little birds (Robins) living up on the pillars of their front porch. Every day he is posting a picture of their growth. It is amazing! You can also visit his blog here.

God's small creatures are truly amazing!