Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Some thoughts from our small group


We recently finished our small group class for this semester and we participated in one based off of A Portriat of Paul by Rob Ventura and Jeremy Walker. Here is the book's product description:

"What does a true pastor look like, and what constitutes a faithful ministry? How can we identify the life and labors of one called by God to serve in the church of Jesus Christ? To address these questions, Rob Ventura and Jeremy Walker examine how the apostle Paul describes his pastoral relation to the people of God in Colossians 1:24-2:5. By discussing these essential attitudes, qualities, and characteristics of a faithful minister of Christ, A Portrait of Paul provides gospel ministers an example of what they should be, and demonstrates for churches the kind of pastors they will seek if they desire men after God's own heart." 

Among many things, this book has showed me a great deal of what elders must bear as shepherds. The book describes what elders should look like according to scripture, what burdens they bear as elders, and how I ought to pray for them. It also talks about church members and fellow Christians and what their role is in the church and as it relates to elders. It was very insightful to understanding the ministry of the apostle Paul and how, ultimately, our greatest model is Christ and His faithfulness to the church.


In Christ,
~Micaela

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

15 things I'm thankful for...

1.For my family, whom I can only begin to treasure.

2. Blessings.

3. The Hood family, and how they have been a blessing, each one in a different way.
We will miss you Hoods!

4. My encouraging music teacher! Who has been so helpful and positive.

5. Family. :)




6. Our Film Class, our team, and my new appreciation for the film-making industry.


7. Read-alouds (I just had to mention that), parties, and midnight showings!


8. Dear friends.
Who we had so much fun visiting.



9. Our small group study of A Portrait of Paul, along with the delightful fellowship.

10.My very own bluebonnets.

11. Our Church.

12. The Webbies.
And especially for the little bundle of joy coming in June! :)






13. Dancing in the Minefield and Andrew Peterson.

14. Fun memories.





15. For God's hand in my life.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Fall Camping 2010

My family spent last weekend camping at Huntsville State Park. We were joined by about 120 people, most of them from church. The Webbs were able to join us this time which we were all so excited about. Here is a brief glance into our weekend. And it has to be brief because I forgot to take pictures most of the time :).


Before camping


Sleepy Peter




The girls :)


We are doing a writing class with the Naquins and in this picture we're going over our homework assignment.


Ryle, Sophia, and Mia


As you can plainly see, Dominic is having a tough time accepting the fact that he must take a nap. But he was just so cute that I had to get a picture.


On our way to hike!


Caro and Ryle


Gathered for the hike.




Amanda, Caro, Ryle, and Ashlee



Ashlee and I





If you look very closely, there is a woodpecker on the tree.


About to play games


Us and the Webbs!


Friday, March 26, 2010

Anyone like football?


Annually, My dad hosts a football game to kick-off the new year. This is our fifth year to host this event. Besides a few nicks, bruises, sprains, thrown-out backs, and mud-splattered clothing, everyone usually remains unharmed by the end of the game. I don't usually like watching football but this game is the one I will watch. Not only do I get the chance to work on my photography skills, but it is also good for a laugh. My good friend, Cameron, created this video for us (by request), in honor of this year's game. Cameron is quite the expert on filmmaking and so, he was the perfect man for the job. Thank you, Cameron! We greatly appreciate it.
Enjoy the video!

In Christ,
Micaela

P.S. you will need to pause the music at the bottom of the page so as to get the full effect of the movie.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Vaccines: the Truth Behind the Needle

Us girls participated in a speech class this past year, taught by two ladies from our church and we each wrote three speeches. The first was a teaching speech that I wrote on archery. Second was a persuasive speech which is the one below. Last was an entertainment speech that I did as a duo with a close friend from The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn.
Last month the entire class presented their choice speech at my church's monthly Homeschool Support Group Meeting. Elena presented one on Macular Degeneration and Caro presented a duo with a close friend on Max And the Big Fat Lie. I presented this and my entertainment speech. Enjoy!
Vaccines: the Truth Behind the Needle
“today, children receive one vaccine at birth, eight vaccines at two months, eight vaccines at four months, nine vaccines at six months, and ten additional vaccines between 12 and 18 months. The…baby is injected with 36 vaccine-drugs before he or she is 1 ½ years old!”
That is a quote taken from the book Vaccine Safety Manual by Neil Miller, MD.
Hello, my name is Micaela Marques and today I will be addressing vaccinations, some assumptions about vaccines, their harm in our world today, and a few solutions. I first began researching this topic two years ago when my nieces went to the doctor for their booster shots. I had never previously questioned vaccines until that time and am continuing my research on it.
To begin, I would like to define the terms “vaccination” and “immunization”, two words which are often used interchangeably but actually, are not synonyms. Vaccination is the physical act of administering an immunibiologic (vaccine) or a toxoid. Immunization is the process (inside of the body) of inducing artificial immunity by administering a vaccine. Now that we are familiar with these terms, we can move on.
Presently, American children are receiving twice as many shots as the rest of the western world. Many of the vaccines that infants receive have long been proven fatal or, at the very least, harmful but are currently being misclassified as a so-called “disease” known as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. For years, medical experts have suspected that these two are related and have confirmed this fact but instead of stopping it, they have hushed it up. Why? Because they want a disease-eradicated country which, they think, will come about with the continued use of vaccines which are thought to be responsible for the decline of infectious diseases. However, the decline of disease has not been brought about by the 36 vaccines licensed but by our better understanding and use of medicine, sanitation, personal hygiene, and nutritional choices. In fact, 90% of the total decline in mortality between 1860 and1965 occurred before the introduction of antibiotics and widespread vaccination. In 1960, the U.S. had one of the best infant mortality rates in the world and that was before mass vaccinations but by 2006 it fell to 42nd place, worse than even Cuba. But vaccines don’t only affect infants but children and adults as well.
Vaccines are also thought to be effective and the effects long-lasting but even renowned doctors say they are not that in the least. The only way to get life-long immunity is by getting a disease naturally. Artificial immunity must get “boosted” every few years and even then, we have the results of that with skyrocketed statistics. Autism, mental retardation, eczema and asthma, to name a few, have been linked to vaccines, particularly in children. Most of these problems were rare before mass vaccinations and they are now some the most well-known child ailments. So how necessary are vaccines? Well, for instance, a survey done in 1993 says that 87% of pediatricians and family practitioners do not think the Hepatitis B vaccine is necessary. Many doctors don’t believe some vaccines are required but numerous health organizations compel them to tell their patients that they need vaccines. Nonetheless, we do not know enough about vaccines to declare that they are safe. Vaccines are detrimental to health for a number of reasons; one being there is no immunity buildup in the body while naturally getting a disease is part of a much-needed developmental process. If the disease is properly managed, it is good for overall health. As Harris Coulter, PhD said in 1999,

“Contracting and overcoming [childhood] diseases is part of a developmental process that actually helps develop a healthy, robust, adult immune system able to meet the challenges that inevitable encounters with viruses and bacteria will present later on.”

Vaccines stimulate and highly activate the microglia, the first and main form of active immune defense in the Central Nervous System, in the brain. After activation, these sleeping immune cells can move around the brain like amoeba, secreting very toxic amounts of inflammatory chemicals and two forms of excitotoxins. This puts the brain into a chronically inflamed state and the brain can remain overactive for up to two years after vaccination. A great deal of the human brain is formed during the first two years after birth and continues until between ages 25-27. Vaccines disrupt this critical process and can result in a malformed brain. Surprisingly, many pediatricians don’t know very much about a child’s brain and therefore, promote vaccines naively. Veterinarians found out years ago that in many cases they were over-immunizing our pets, a syndrome they call Vaccinosis. It overwhelmed the immune system of the animals, causing a multitude of physical and neurological disorders. Rather like what we’re seeing today, except we’re seeing it in our children. As a result, we discovered that we can over-immunize our pets but what about our children? Is it so absurd to think that we are over-immunizing our children today?
So, will the decision not to vaccinate really keep children safe and save lives? The answer is yes and no. Not vaccinating is just one risk but there are numerable risks with vaccinating other than what I have already talked about. Vaccines don’t just carry the strain of the disease but numerous other lethal toxins that may help preserve and enhance the vaccine. As I list some of the toxins in vaccines, think over this question: at what cost will we go to in the name of medical science? Mercury; aluminum; phenol (carbolic acid); borax (ant killer); ethylene glycol (antifreeze); dye; acetone (nail polish remover); latex; MSG; monkey, cow, chicken, pig, sheep, and dog tissues and cells which may be contaminated with animal viruses; gelatin; human fetal cells; human viruses; antibiotics; genetically modified yeast; and animal, bacterial, and viral DNA which may affect recipient’s DNA. These are just some of many toxins in various vaccines that, clearly, don’t belong in there. One vaccine called “Thimerosal”, which is 49% mercury, was removed by veterinarians from animal vaccines in 1992 because it was causing various disorders and yet, it is still in human vaccines. The Bible remarks the life of every creature being in its blood and here we are, injecting all sorts of contaminants straight into our blood. How can we take care of the bodies we have if we keep polluting them with dangerous chemicals?
This lands us at another assumption: vaccines are safe and relatively harmless. Studies done in 2000 and 2002 refute that by showing it is the vaccinated children who have autism, asthma, allergies, skin disorders, ADD, ADHD, other behavioral disorders, meningitis, dyslexia, hearing and vision problems. These conditions are quite rare in non-vaccinated children. In addition to that, outbreaks have occurred in 100% vaccinated populations, according to the Center for Disease Control (the CDC). Many states, including Minnesota, are now reporting that 1 in 80 children are affected with Autism. Vaccines are not the only way to prevent epidemics of “dangerous diseases”. There are many natural ways for day-to-day needs and also to fight diseases such as herbal remedies, homeopathy, and essential oils. The solution for many diseases was developed prior to vaccines. The answer is exposure. For example, before the chickenpox vaccine was licensed, doctors encouraged parents to expose their children while they were young. Chickenpox is relatively innocuous when contracted before teenage years. But after the vaccine was licensed, the CDC began warning parents of the dangers of chickenpox and doctors stopped encouraging exposure and began to advocate the vaccine. In many cases, the chickenpox vaccine has caused a disease known as Shingles. Shingles is similar to chickenpox but a less aggressive form and it only began to be a problem after the chickenpox vaccine was licensed. Those who get the chickenpox vaccine can contract shingles as a result. After numerous cases of shingles flooded in, vaccine makers had to create another vaccine to counteract the effects of their original vaccine. Sounds a little backwards, right? Well, what do doctors recommend now if you get a disease? Sleep, water, healthy food, and exercise. Combine that with a natural medicine and yes, it’s that simple.
You may also be wondering about diseases such as polio. Whenever most people think of polio, they think of iron lungs, paralysis, death, and perhaps even the Cutter Incident. This is the biggest misunderstanding of that particular disease and is not the case for the most part. There are basically only four kinds of polio: the simple viral infection, abortive, non-paralytic, and paralytic, which has three types (spinal, bulbar, and spinobulbar). Ninety percent of people exposed to polio get the simple viral infection and only less than 3% get the paralytic polio and out of these, 50% completely recover. Since the introduction of the polio vaccine in 1954, residual paralysis is at 10-20 days and again at 50-70 days after the onset of illness. Consider how it was before the vaccine: partial or complete paralysis of one or more muscle groups. Paralysis was detected on two exams which were 24 hours apart. Even Surgeon General David Satcher, who is a MD, said,
“Since 1979, the only cases of polio in the U.S. have been associated with the Oral Polio Vaccine.”
The CDC even admits that fact. So the vaccine has actually caused residual paralysis and there is no recovery. Additionally, the polio vaccine has been linked to three kinds of cancer and the non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It’s as if we have traded mumps and measles for cancer and leukemia, as a medical doctor once said.
If you still want to do vaccinations, at least don’t vaccinate infants and children with so many at one time and at such a young age. It’s like overdosing on 36 different drugs only this time, the doctor authorizes it. In our culture, we’re constantly telling children not to do drugs yet we take them to the doctor to get drugged. How can we teach children that drugs are bad if we take them all the time?
We evidently cannot afford to blindly declare that vaccines are ok just because the CDC, AAP, or vaccine makers say so. Having said that, I would like to remind my listeners that this is a decision you will have to make on your own. The choice to vaccinate or not to vaccinate is entirely up to you. I hope the material presented today gives you a better understanding of the subject and that you will consider it as you make a discerning and educated decision for yourself and your children. Remember that 1 Corinthians 10:31 says,

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
So let us glorify God by being vigilant as to what we put in our bodies. Thank you.
In Christ,
Micaela

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Yesterday's sermon

Pastor Paul (one of the elders at our church) preached yesterday on another characteristic of a Christian: how we love one another. The passage he preached from was 1 John 4:7-21. (He and Pastor Voddie have been preaching through 1 John.)


For some time now, I've been thinking about what it means to love the brethren. I know people and am friends with people who don't always agree with some things which are very important to my family and church. However, that doesn't mean we should stop loving them, praying for them, and fellowshipping with them. In fact, as Pastor Paul plainly stated (1 John 4:21), we are obligated to love one another. Who are we to hate others? Are we (who are sinners as well as them) somehow better than they are? Of course not! As 1 John 4:20 clearly says,




"If anyone says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen." (1 John 4:20 ESV)





How true are those words!

My dad pointed out today that hating your brother isn't always open hostility. It can be that but sometimes it's just hateful thoughts about someone. This just happened to me last week. I saw a boy on our block being dropped of by the bus after school. My first thought about him was, "I bet that boy is just like every other unsaved bully". Yesterday's sermon reminded me of that incident. It broke me to think that I had been hateful to a brother and one I didn't even know anything about! At the same time though, I was reminded that, through God's mercy and love, He forgives His children for their sins. It's so easy to resort to the deeds of the flesh but through God's grace, we will learn to love one another.

My friend, Jasmine, has some excellent thoughts on the subject as well.


Micaela

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