Heroines of the Faith

Friday, June 1, 2012

The Basket of Flowers

"James took advantage of his daughter's love for flowers,

to give her many lessons of heavenly wisdom."

~ The Basket of Flowers by Christoph von Schmid

Violets by Catherine Klein

"When she brought him her first spring violet, he said to her,

"Let this flower, my dear Mary, be the emblem of humility and

of that quiet benevolence which does good in secret.

In its quiet dress of deep blue, decked by no gaudy colours,

it modestly hides under the green leaves and is scarcely seen,

while shedding around it the richest perfume.

Try to resemble it, dear Mary; care not for gay ornaments and

vain display but strive to obtain that 'ornament of a meek an quiet spirit,

which is in the sight of God of great price."

White Lilies by Dennis Francesconi

"This lily, my dear child, is the emblem of purity.

How easily its bright leaves are stained!

Scarcely can they be touched when they are injured.

Thus the very least approach of vice pollutes and corrupts the soul.

Pray, dear Mary, for purity of heart."

Roses by Catherine Klein

"Let the rose," he said, "be the emblem of modesty,

as it resembles the blush which rises to the cheek of a modest girl."

Roses by Paul DeLongpre

"But there is another lesson to be learned from the rose:

after it's beautiful colors have faded, it still retains its fragrance;

when its leaves are brown and withered,

they are even sweeter than in their fresh and lovely youth.

Thus it is, dear Mary, with a true Christian. Thus let it be with you.

The cheek of youth will fade, outward beauty will decay,

but strive to acquire those graces of the mind which are unfading and imperishable."

Basket of Flowers by Paul DeLongpre

"Thus did Mary, day by day, learn from her good old father…"

~ Excerpts from The Basket of Flowers

And now... "Mary is falsely accused of stealing, and the penalty is death. She had always been taught that it is better to die for the truth than to live for a lie-for the worst pillow to sleep on is the pillow of a guilty conscience. Will the darkest and most dreadful night help Mary find God for herself or will she live in the shadow of a faith that is not her own? This is a story that will cause you to shed a tear or two and at the same time cultivate a hope that will never disappoint!" ~ Lamplighter Publishers

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Margaret Wilson

"I am one of Christ's children.

Let me go."

~ Margaret Wilson

Who is Margaret Wilson?

Margaret Wilson (1667-1685), was a Scottish Covenantor who was sentenced to drowning at the age of 18 years when she refused to swear an oath proclaiming King Charles II as head of the church. This period in history was referred to as "The Killing Times".

Interesting facts about her life:

Margaret Wilson was raised in Wigtown, Galloway, Scottland and grew up in a time where the king demanded that he was the head of the church and all his subjects must swear to an oath of loyalty to him. He removed all the Scottish preachers and replaced them with those who followed his agenda. The group of people who were loyal to Christ as head of the church (and not the monarchy) were considered "Covenanters". (There were actually two legal documents in Scottish history called "Covenants" which the Scottish people enacted which purposed to keep the church free from this kind of tyranny.) Those loyal to the "Covenants" would go to "Conventicles" (meetings in the fields) to worship freely and listen to the sermons made by their own outcasted ministers. They were hunted down and persecuted by King Charles II because of it.
The parents of Margaret Wilson set the example of following the King's rules in order to protect their family and their prosperous farm. However, their children grew in conviction that they could no longer serve in the forced manner and desired to "keep the Covenant".
Margaret and two of her younger siblings forsook the Church of England and as a result, the Wilson family was fined heavily each week that Margaret (18), Thomas (her younger brother of 16) and Agnes (younger sister of 13) did not attend. As a result, the family eventually died in the state of poverty.
Because of this stand against the king and his church, they (Margaret, brother and sister) were forced to live in the hills like outlaws with other Covenanters because anyone who associated with them would be punished and persecuted including her own parents (even though they were following the rules of the land).
Margaret and her sister Agnes were finally captured when they took their chances to go into town to do some visiting. The two girls were thrown in "Thieve's Hole" which was a prison cellar in a dark room.
They waited two months for their trial. False charges were brought upon both of them with no evidence to support it claiming the young ladies were involved in two major skirmishes against the English dragoons (highly unlikely as the girls would have been seven and eleven years old at the time of those upheavals!). The judge in court demanded that they swear the oath to the King. They refused. They were told to kneel in order to receive their punishment and refused to do that as well. He gave both girls the death sentence of being tied to a post in the sand of the waters to wait until the high tide drowned them at Solway Firth.
Their father (Gilbert Wilson) was able to pay a fine to release Agnes the younger daughter due to her tender age but they were not so easily swayed when it came to Margaret. When her father was finally able to secure Margaret's life on April 30, 1865 with a letter, it was ignored by the local authorities. On May 11, 1685, Margaret was tied to the stake which had been secured in the waters of the high and low tide water mark.
She was sentenced to drown with her fellow believer in the Lord, the Widow Margaret MacLachlan. The officiating guards had the widow drowned first in order to intimidate Margaret into recanting her faith but it was to no avail.
As the waters began to swirl around the 18 year old maiden, she began to sing from Psalm 25:

"Let not the errors of my youth,

Nor sins remembered be:

In mercy for thy goodness' sake,

O Lord, remember me.

The Lord is good and gracious,

He upright is also:

He therefore sinners will instruct

In ways that they should go…"

Her final words included the reciting of the following Scripture:

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

~ Roman 8:35-39

As the water approached head level, the soldiers beckoned her once again to "pray for the king". She answered that she "prayed for the salvation of all men" and that she wished "no one to be condemned". The soldiers then submerged her head under the water, brought it back up and urged her to "take the oath" while they held her face above the waters. With conviction, she gently spoke her last words, "I am one of Christ's children. Let me go."

Grave Stone Inscription

Source 1, 2, 3

What was stunning to me about this young lady is that she truly embraced the words to "fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28). How many times have we read those verses without having to be physically put to that kind of test? In a society where an 18 year old is still considered a child (and even encouraged to sow their wild oats!), we are soberly reminded that God has put no age limit on His love or His followers! They are to come to Him, whether it be for His earthly service or to die for His heavenly kingdom. May we all stand steadfastedly in our beliefs and never compromise our life in Christ as this young heroine has shown us.

Linked up with the following:

Raising Homemakers

Wise Woman Link Up

Deep Roots at Home

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Importance of Tying Heart Strings to Our Daughters

The Mother by Frank Dicksee

"But above all these things put on love,

which is the bond of perfection."

~ Colossians 3:14

Oh Mothers, how important you are to your dear daughters! Your relationship with them has so much impact on their lives and it is the worthiest of investments to spend quality time with them. Do you want to be the one they go to when their heart is in turmoil? Do you want to be the one they share their struggles with? Do you want to be the one they confide in and ask counsel of?

Then you must begin to tie the heart strings now….

The best way to show your love is by spending time with your daughters. Life is made up of small increments of time and the mother who cultivates those moments will have the greatest influence. Bonding with your daughter now will help to ensure a beautiful relationship in the future. If you do not win their hearts now, how can you expect to receive it when the trials of life come their way?

"Before you can teach children,

you must get the silver key of kindness to unlock their hearts,

and so secure their attention."

~ Charles Spurgeon

Activities such as tea parties together, visits to museums, picnics, board games and simply cuddling on the couch with beautiful literature are all ways to create a bond of love that will endure during those turbulent years of growing up (I will go into more detail on these activities in future posts).

Dear mothers, it is not too late. Start now. Sow the seeds, embrace the moments, make memories, and shower your dearies with affection and attention so that they will not seek the world in their time of sorrows but only the loving arms of mother.

Note: I also would encourage the same relationship with fathers to their sons.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Grandmother's Story

Grandmother's Story by Hugues Merle

"The glory of young men is their strength:

and the beauty of old men (women) is the grey head."

~ Proverbs 20:29

Hugues Merle, the painter of the picture above was French and lived between 1823-1881. Doesn't it look like he was fond of his family? Isn't this a beautiful painting with all the young ladies gathered around grandmother? Doesn't it look like she is telling a story about the man in the picture on the wall? Is it grandfather? Have you seen your grandparents lately? They have so many interesting things to share with you!

Questions for the ladies:

Do you show the elderly in your life the same "good" attention that these ladies are showing?
Do you know of a elderly person whom you can visit? Do so, for you will learn so much...

"I said, Days should speak,

and multitude of years should teach wisdom."

~ Job 32:7

"The silver-haired head is a crown of glory,

If it is found in the way of righteousness."

~ Proverbs 16:31 (NKJV)

Sweet Suggestion:

Make a special visit to your grandparents or aged relative and watch the past come alive. Find out what events in history they lived through and document their story to pass down to your children and grandchildren. Visit as many elderly family members as you can while they are still with us and create an scrap book album full of memories that you can share with future generations. Try to include pictures to make it personal.

"O God, thou hast taught me from my youth:
and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.

Now also when I am old and greyheaded,
O God, forsake me not;

until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation,

and thy power to every one that is to come."

~ Psalm 71:17-18

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Pollyanna ~ A Nourishing Novel

“Miss Polly actually stamped her foot in irritation.

"There you go like the rest," she shouted. "What game?"

At last Nancy told her all about the story of how the crutches arrived instead of a doll, and how Pollyanna's father had taught her that there was always something to be glad about.

Miss Polly couldn't believe it.

"How can someone ever be glad of crutches?" she demanded to know.

"Simple" said Nancy.

"In Pollyanna's case, she could be glad she didn't need them!”

~ Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

To be glad! What an amazing influence a good attitude will have on everyone around you. Do you sometimes need a reminder to count your blessings? Reading the novel, "Pollyanna" by Eleanor Porter will remind you gently. Pollyanna is a story of an orphaned girl of a missionary family who turns her aunts' life upside down with her "glad game" that she spreads through the community. An excellent example to everyone! Girls of all ages will love this novel.

Scripture that Summarizes the Story:

"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine:
but a broken spirit drieth the bones."

~ Proverbs 17:22

Sunday, May 13, 2012

To be a Mother...

"To be a mother is the grandest vocation in the world.

No one being has a position of such power and influence.

She holds in her hands the destiny of nations;

for to her is necessarily committed the making of a nation's citizens."

~ Hannah Whitall Smith

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Preserving Food in Jars

Learning to preserve the bounty in a jar is easy and very rewarding. Canning is an excellent way to keep your garden year round as food for your household without taking up precious space or energy of a freezer. It is also pleasing to know that the food you are eating is fresh from the garden and without all the added pesticides and preservatives which you may find in store bought products. Canning is also very economical once you have invested in the initial supplies. A woman with a pantry full of goods has an excellent sense of accomplishment and knows that a gift for a neighbor or friend is always at hand. The Proverbs 31 woman is always learning and continually looking for new ways to bless her household. Skills such as these are excellent to pass down to the next generation for we never know what the future holds. The act of canning itself offers wonderful memories for mother and daughter.

Here is the basic information you will need to get started (these are published from my sister site):

Introduction to Canning

Canning 101 ~ Supplies

Canning 101 ~ Terms
Canning 101 ~ Step by Step Procedures

Canning Day Checklist ~ Six Ways to Plan and Prepare

Some Recipes to Try