I can remember when I was an undergraduate student, how enlightening it was to learn from William Temple that what the Bible means by sin is "self-centeredness." Let me tell you how Temple puts it in his great little book, Christianity in the Social Order. He says, "I am the center of the world I see. And where the horizon is depends on where I stand. Education may make my self-centeredness less disastrous by broadening my horizon of vision. It's like a man climbing a tower who sees further in terms of physical vision while remaining himself the center and the standard of reference. I am the center of the world I see." That's what the Bible means by sin. Luther talks about man curved in on himself. Malcolm Muggeridge talks about the dark little dungeon of my own ego. That is sin, a twist of self-centeredness that has us imprisoned. But God's order is that we love him with all our being, and then that we love our neighbor and put ourselves last. Sin is the reversal of the order.
John Stott

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#1 · September 25, 2001, 10:35 pm

Posted by: cyberkat <cyberkat@...>

Some of you dear people (most of you) leave me wondering what I did all day! You take my breath away!
-----Original Message-----
From: <rmatthews6196@penn.com>
To: homesteadheaven@weloveGod.org <homesteadheaven@weloveGod.org>
Date: Tuesday, September 25, 2001 7:16 PM
Subject: [HomeSteadHeaven] New member

Hi!!

My name is Rose. I and my husband Bob moved from Orlando,FL to Potter
County,PA a year and a half ago. Bob had lived on a farm as a small child
but I had only dreamed about it when we (at age 50) bought our 45 acre run down
farm in this very rural area.

On the way up to see the farm, Bob threw out a fleece to the Lord......and
here we are.

We started out with two Nubian dairy goats. We now have 9. We
enjoy the fresh milk as well as cheese and sherbert made from the goats
milk.

Quickly chicken were added. Fresh eggs are wonderful!! We sell
our extra eggs.

Now we also have ducks, turkeys, rabbits and cats. We breed AKC
registered Pekingese dogs, too.

Both of us work full time besides running (or being run by) the farm.
We have a plan to be debt free in 5 years. Those plans include solar power
and wood/coal heat.

Our garden this year has taken a lot of our time. We grew potatoes,
turnip, squashes, tomatoes, carrots, beets and lettuce. Next year we have
plans for a garden twice the size with additional vegetables. We also have
an apple orchard and have just added blueberries. I canned salsa,
spaghetti sauce and applesauce this year.

Other than meat from venison, our own chickens and turkeys, we are
vegetarians.

God has provided for us nicely.

My husband had a heart attack in May which left me looking at life in a new
and refreshing way.

In November, my name will be on the ballot for "Tax Assessor" here.
Not only will this provide an additional income but also an opportunity for me
to get out, talk to people I haven't met yet or those who I have been blessed
with meeting but also give me an opportunity to share with others what God has
done in my life....and continues to do.

My husband wasn't handy before the heart attack (he has other talents), so
I find myself doing most of the building and fixing. That is fine with me
as I have always enjoyed that kind of thing. I have repaired our barn
(with the help of a Christian friend) and put up fences (with the help of
Church members). I love "bartering" and that has saved us a lot of
money.

I also make my own soap.

I look forward to learning and sharing with you all.

Sincerely,

Rose

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