We packed a picnic breakfast of fresh baked, wholewheat, pumpkin cinnamon rolls and headed for the lake this morning. 

“I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.” Is 41:18 



This verse has become one of my new favorites. It really sums up to me the concept of being in the world but not of it and how hard work and diligence separate the Christian from the world. Hard work and diligence in the Christian spirit, along with large, wholesome families, is the only thing that will save our earthly families from physical extinction. 

“Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us” 2 Thes 3:6 

Many people mistakenly see the coloring of many middle easterners today, dark skin, thick, often curly hair, and the mistakenly think that figures in Bible times would have looked the same. Increasingly in movies and media we have seen a transition away from portraying Bible figures as fair skinned people and a distinct move to portray them as olive completed and sometimes even black.

Moses as portrayed by Charlton Heston

Moses as portrayed in the recent The Bible miniseries

The Middle East currently still has some diversity when it comes to skin and hair color. Today you can find some blond hair blue eyed people, especially in Israel, although fair coloring in the Middle East is still rare. However, when reading the Bible and it’s description of the appearance of the many main characters we find them described as fair skinned, light haired people.

Jacob, the father of Israel, was the twin brother of Esau who is described as “Adomni” which is translated as ruddy, red haired, or golden haired in Gensis 25:25. David, King of Israel is also described as “Adomni” in 1 Samuel 16:12 meaning he had red or golden color hair. Laban, who is the grandfather of Jacob’s children, has a name meaning “white” which in English is translated as “blond.” (1)

Joseph of the Old Testament married an Egyptian woman in Genesis 41:45 however Egyptians at this time, particularly the Egyptian elite, were fair skinned people. An examination of King Ramses II, a Biblical contemporary at the time, has showed that this Egyptian Pharo was a natural red head. In addition thousands of red and blond haired mummies have been found in Eygpt and the famous King Tut shares DNA with 50% of modern Western Europeans. 

Since Jesus was also a descendant of the House of David, it is reasonable to assume he would have a similar coloring to David, just as you most likely have a similar coloring to your ancestors. In the Bible we are told that Jesus has white or red hair. Revelation 1: 13-16 describes his hair as white as snow, or another translation can read “burning in a furnace” which would indicate red, like a flame. Psalm 45: 2-3 tells us Jesus is”fairer than the children of men” indicating he was lighter than the general population.

According to Islamic accounts Jesus was a red head. The hadith is Muhammad’s account of an event known as the Night Journey. Supposedly Muhammad was taken up to heaven by the angel Gabriel (Jibra’il), where he saw Jesus as well as other people Muslims believe to be prophets. Most versions of this account tell us that “Jesus had curly hair and a reddish complexion.” Now I’m not one to believe that Muhammad actually had a vision of Jesus but the account in the Hadith could be based on historical accounts of Christ at the time and shows us at the least, that the common and most believable version of Christ, even to Muhammad, was a fair, red haired man.

Depictions of Christ as having fair or reddish hair are the most common place depiction of Jesus since the beginning of Christianity, and while highly critiqued by modern liberals and those who seek to revise history, they are most likely the most accurate.

So why are Jews in Israel today often, but not always, olive skinned with dark hair if so many original Jews from Christ’s time were fair completed? In the 7th century AD Israel was conquered by Arab Muslims. After the conquest, most of the population, including the Jews, became Arabized in both culture and language. Most in the area, including some Jews, adopted the religion of Islam. Jews were forbidden to build synagogues and most likely interbred to some extent with these darker skinned Arab peoples. Until the Crusades took Palestine in 1099,  Muslim dynasties controlled all of Palestine.

As recent DNA studies have shown a distinct difference between Europeans and modern day Jews it is important to remember that most of the human family began in the Fertile Crescent and then spread out. Two thousand years ago we would have had more similarities than we do today because migration and isolation of certain groups for two thousand years have produced distinct genetic differences between us.

That’s not to say that ancient Jews are the same as say, the Vikings, no, not at all, but they were both most likely two different branches of the same Indo-European tree, one becoming Arab/Semetic and the other, the Euopeans, becoming what we know as the Western and Eastern Europeans of today.

Citations linked in the text. Citations not linked :

1. Mozeson [MOZESON, Isaac E. “The Word,” New York 1989] p.17 “Albino”.

Meet our family garden! 

  
I cannot wait for summer! I noticed a few years ago though that if I didn’t plan out my summer that I wasted my free time getting distracted by side projects- cleaning closests and the like, and allowing the children to veg out in front of Netflix because it keeps them quiet. 

Life use to be easier, you didn’t have to plan a simple life, but these days modernity is so pressing that too many distractions grip us when we don’t intentionally plan to avoid them. So here are some of the things that help make our summer magical.

1. Limited TV
  
We don’t have cable but we do have Netflix and the children can pester me so much about watching a show that sometimes I give in just to get a bit of quiet. Having a list of shows pre prepped and posted by the computer makes sure they don’t end up binging on Sponge Bob Square Pants when I’m not paying close attention. Older TV shows don’t over stimulate their brain and often provide a lot of inspiration for activities like fishing, baseball, tea parties, soap box derbies, hop scotch, tree climbing, and other wholesome activities. My personal favorites are…

-Twighlight Zone

-Daniel Boone 

-The Lone Ranger 

-Leave It to Beaver

-Dennis the Menace 

-Donna Reed

-My Three Sons

-The Andy Griffith Show

-I Love Lucy 

-Bewitched 

-Car 54 Where Are You? 

2. Lemonade Stands

  

I’m fortunate enough to live where the police do not tend to bother children’s lemonade stands and so my older children will host lemonade stands and all the profits go to paying for their karate lessons during the year, of course they don’t typically raise enough for the whole her but they do feel good when they raise enou to pay for a month or two all by themselves.
3. Prairie Bonnets and Cowboy Hats 

  
There is nothing which makes summer Time sweeter than little girls in prairie bonnets and little boys in cowboy hats. It helps them keep from getting sun burned as well.
4. Parades 

  
If your American town doesn’t host an Independance Day parade I suggest you move right away. I can’t imagine missing a 4th of July Parade, it just wouldn’t feel like summer without it. 

5. Drive Ins

  
Contrary to popular belief there are still many drive in movie theaters still open around America. Check this list to find out if there is one near you. 

6. A Swimming Hole

  
Most towns have a local swimming hole of some sort and I try to make a visit to ours once a week.

7. Public Pool 

  

If you’re lucky enough to have a public pool be sure to make a trip. Lifeguards, snack shacks and juice boxes by the pool should be part of every childhood.

8. Picnics 

  
From about mid March until mid September we have nearly every lunch picnic style in our back yard. 
9. Baseball Games 

  
These are such summer icons that they just speak for themselves. Summer isn’t complete without them. Don’t forget the cracker jacks!

10. BBQ

  
You can pick a small charcoal grill for around $20 bucks, you don’t need a fancy set up. There is nothing like fresh grilled meat and veggies on your platter! 

11. Sitting Out On Your Front Porch 

  

Before Facebook and Twitter people use to sit out on front porches to socialize. It may seem strange to us today but give it a try! I promise, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. 
12. Gathering Fire Wood

  

Preparing for winter is a very traditional summer time activity. In the cool hours of the morning and evening gather, chop and stack fire wood for the coming cold nights.
13. Knitting Winter Clothes 

  

In the same way as collecting firewood, knitting winter goodies over the summer is a great way to spend your summer relaxation time. 

Are you ready for the best summer of your life? I hope so! 

This is my first video in my new series called “Europe in America” where I focus on European cultural influences in America. This addition is about a cute Italian eatery and gift shop called Granzella’s. 

Just some friendly advice, one lady to another 

In this podcast I talk about my life and experiences in Utah as well as an indepth look at Utah culture and how it affected the primary vote here as well as some voter irregularities I saw on Tuesday. This is a long podcast if you want the super short version skip to the last 10 minutes where I sum everything up! 😊