Propane costs in our area have gotten so high that it is unaffordable for us to heat our home. When fall came this year we turned our heat on at 60 degrees. I had heard that this would save us 3% for every degree we had turned our thermostat down. (technically it is 1% for each 8 hr period per degree) However, in a 6 week period in 2008 we still used 360 gallons of propane @ $2.11 per gallon. This resulted in a $759.60 bill for less than two months of 60 degree heat.
When we moved in to our house we could contract propane for $.67 per gallon. We could have heated our house in the same period of time for $241.20
This has prompted me to search for alternative methods of heat. 18 days ago I bought a used corn stove. Since that time we have not had to use propane to heat our house even though the temperature has been below zero several days in the last couple of weeks. As a matter of fact, one morning it was -13 degrees.
On warmer days we use about a bushel of corn to warm the house. On colder days we burn about a bushel and a half. This has resulted in about one and a quarter bushels per day for the month of January (I imagine it will be less as the winter wears on).
At this point you are wondering what this is costing me to heat the house. We have averaged 67 degrees in the colder parts of the house, but in the kitchen and dining area it will easily keep the house considerably over 70 degrees.
I bought corn for $3.76 per bushel. This means that one and a quarter bushel costs $4.70 (this is what it has averaged per day to heat the house). For the last 18 days it has cost us $84.60
To heat our house for 2 months it will cost us about $282.00 or $141.00 per month.
This is a significant savings but the best part of it all is the family time that the stove has created. Every evening when I come home I can find my family sitting in the dining room reading their books or their Bibles next to the corn stove!
For those of you that are interested, it is a St. Croix corn stove. The model is the Auburn stove with a gold door. These stoves can be seen at http://www.stcroixheat.com/
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
What in the world?
This may surprise my parents if they were reading this post, but I believe we have a problem with authority. I say that this would surprise my parents because they have been telling me for years that I have a problem with authority.
The authority that I am referring to though is not human authority (though sometimes it may disguise itself in that way), but biblical authority. We just cannot wrap our minds around the idea that God included all we need in one little book. In fact, I believe that we sometimes think that we are doing God a favor in the things we add.
From the time we are little we begin to think of things as either being "secular" or "religious". We think of our everyday things as secular; eating, sleeping, working, playing, etc. We think of our church things as religious; devotions, Sunday services, prayer meeting, prayer before meals, and fellowships. Instead, we need to think of things as being "spirit filled" or else "worldly". (There were actually several other words I was originally going to use besides worldly but then I thought they may be too harsh)
God intends for us to be "spirit filled" all the time. In order for us to get a glimpse of what that could look like, we need to submit to the Word of God in all we do. In order to submit to the Word in all that we do, we must first believe that it is sufficient for all that we do.
II Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
There are plenty of verses that I could use to show the authority in the church.
OR
We could just take the easy route and make our church worldly rather than our lives spirit filled.
I Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
How much time do you spend seeking what man's wisdom teacheth, and how much time do you spend seeking spiritual things? The really unfortunate thing here is that many of us don't see how mutually exclusive these two things are. We don't see that there is much of a difference. I contend that these are "worlds" apart, and yet we spend most of our lives trying to bring the two together.
And yet, people submit to Robert's when they won't submit to the Bible. That is why we have Roberts in the church, because it works. Shame on the church!
The authority that I am referring to though is not human authority (though sometimes it may disguise itself in that way), but biblical authority. We just cannot wrap our minds around the idea that God included all we need in one little book. In fact, I believe that we sometimes think that we are doing God a favor in the things we add.
From the time we are little we begin to think of things as either being "secular" or "religious". We think of our everyday things as secular; eating, sleeping, working, playing, etc. We think of our church things as religious; devotions, Sunday services, prayer meeting, prayer before meals, and fellowships. Instead, we need to think of things as being "spirit filled" or else "worldly". (There were actually several other words I was originally going to use besides worldly but then I thought they may be too harsh)
God intends for us to be "spirit filled" all the time. In order for us to get a glimpse of what that could look like, we need to submit to the Word of God in all we do. In order to submit to the Word in all that we do, we must first believe that it is sufficient for all that we do.
II Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
There are plenty of verses that I could use to show the authority in the church.
OR
We could just take the easy route and make our church worldly rather than our lives spirit filled.
I Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
How much time do you spend seeking what man's wisdom teacheth, and how much time do you spend seeking spiritual things? The really unfortunate thing here is that many of us don't see how mutually exclusive these two things are. We don't see that there is much of a difference. I contend that these are "worlds" apart, and yet we spend most of our lives trying to bring the two together.
And yet, people submit to Robert's when they won't submit to the Bible. That is why we have Roberts in the church, because it works. Shame on the church!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Mark 8:33 (look it up)
I was at a church business meeting a week ago. The man leading the meeting stood up and read a recommendation from the deacons. Before the reading of the recommendation was completed, a man in the congregation interrupted the recommendation and invoked Robert's Rules of Order. He made a motion to table the recommendation so that there could be no vote, or even discussion, on the matter that the deacons had brought before the church. This essentially brought an abrupt end to the meeting with most of the church unaware and without understanding of what the recommendation even was.
Do you see a problem with this? Is this the way a church is supposed to operate? I know that Robert's Rules of Order has been adopted by many corporations, business, and churches. Does it have any place in the church?
What does the Bible say about finding unity in the body of Christ? How should we handle disagreements and conflict?
I will share my view after some of you have weighed in with your comments.
(It should be noted that the aforementioned church is without a Pastor. Constitutionally, in the absence of a Pastor, the deacons are to fulfill the duties of a Pastor until a Pastor is called by the church.)
Do you see a problem with this? Is this the way a church is supposed to operate? I know that Robert's Rules of Order has been adopted by many corporations, business, and churches. Does it have any place in the church?
What does the Bible say about finding unity in the body of Christ? How should we handle disagreements and conflict?
I will share my view after some of you have weighed in with your comments.
(It should be noted that the aforementioned church is without a Pastor. Constitutionally, in the absence of a Pastor, the deacons are to fulfill the duties of a Pastor until a Pastor is called by the church.)
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Oh deer, I'm finally done!
I just want everyone to know that I am still alive and kicking. I know that there has been a long silence but it has not been due to my demise. This has been a very busy month! Business, church, the fire station, and hobbies have all conspired to keep me silent on this blog.
I have some things that I would like to write about as soon as things slow down. However, tonight I need to keep it short and simple.
Despite the fiasco of a few weeks ago, we have managed to fill our freezer with venison. We are hoping that the six deer we have processed will last us until next fall. I must give "kudos?" to my wife who has done a large portion of the processing in her kitchen!
This past week was an antlerless only rifle season. I went out with some friends and we managed to take 11 deer in 3 days. I know that this used to be a hobby for me, but with the rising cost of groceries, and the willingness of my wife to process the deer ourselves, the harvesting of deer has become increasingly more important. We now have a freezer filled with 200+#'s of steak, burger, breakfast sausage, and bratwurst. Last year we purchased half of a beef and had about the same amount of meat that we now have in venison. That half of a beef cost us about $740.00
I have to confess, I am glad deer season is over. I can now focus on some of the things that I have put on the back burner. One of which is to keep this blog updated.
On an unrelated matter, we have finished Malachi on Wed evenings at church. We are going to start the book of Philippians next Wednesday. As I teach through it, we are going to try and memorize the book. If anyone that reads this blog would like to join with us, I will try to keep you updated on which verses we are going to cover each week.
I have some things that I would like to write about as soon as things slow down. However, tonight I need to keep it short and simple.
Despite the fiasco of a few weeks ago, we have managed to fill our freezer with venison. We are hoping that the six deer we have processed will last us until next fall. I must give "kudos?" to my wife who has done a large portion of the processing in her kitchen!
This past week was an antlerless only rifle season. I went out with some friends and we managed to take 11 deer in 3 days. I know that this used to be a hobby for me, but with the rising cost of groceries, and the willingness of my wife to process the deer ourselves, the harvesting of deer has become increasingly more important. We now have a freezer filled with 200+#'s of steak, burger, breakfast sausage, and bratwurst. Last year we purchased half of a beef and had about the same amount of meat that we now have in venison. That half of a beef cost us about $740.00
I have to confess, I am glad deer season is over. I can now focus on some of the things that I have put on the back burner. One of which is to keep this blog updated.
On an unrelated matter, we have finished Malachi on Wed evenings at church. We are going to start the book of Philippians next Wednesday. As I teach through it, we are going to try and memorize the book. If anyone that reads this blog would like to join with us, I will try to keep you updated on which verses we are going to cover each week.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Waste not Want not
As many of you already know, I have worked hard this year to stock our freezer with venison. Unfortunately I have not been as quick at this as I have in other years. This year it has just plain been hard work. We do have 3 deer in the freezer, and I do have another bow tag (good until the 10th) and 2 (doe only) rifle tags for next week (the 11th - 25th) but I haven't had time lately to be in the stand.
I have had time to work however, so this morning found me headed home from the fire station. As I was driving down a gravel road, about six miles from home, I suddenly saw a flash of brown on the passenger side of my truck and heard a terrific crash. I glanced quickly in my rear view mirror to see a doe thrashing in the middle of the road. I pulled over to the side of the road and continued to watch for about 45 seconds as she breathed her last and lay still.
A quick assessment of my truck showed that my passenger door was dented in (but still operable), my passenger mirror was missing, and the side of my truck was banged up in front and behind my rear tire.
If you read the title to this post, you can imagine what I did next. I backed my truck up the road until it was just in front of the deer. Then I got out and dropped my tailgate so that I could throw her in the bed. As I looked at her I was thinking through the things that I needed to do in order to salvage as much meat as possible. There didn't appear to be any hide missing so the meat should still be clean. Unfortunately I did not have a knife with me so I was going to have to load her without field dressing her first. I knew that this was going to make her very difficult to load.
As I looked at her lying there with her tongue hanging out and blood running into the gravel dust, I decided to call a friend of mine that had left work shortly after I had. I knew that he should be passing within just a few miles of my accident and I thought that he would be a great help in loading the limp carcass into my truck. I picked up my phone and gave him a call. It sounded something like this...
Hello!
Kurt, it's Jon. Where are you?
I just left Menards, I had to pick something up on my way home. Why?
Are you headed home now?
Yes, why?
Well, I just hit a deer after the road turns to gravel. I have my truck backed up to her but I don't have anything to gut her with. I was wondering if you could stop by and hel - Oh my! Uh-oh... oh ma...
(I should take a minute to explain that at this point I was standing behind the deer idly kicking my foot at her rump. This nudge was apparently all she needed. {CPR must work differently on deer than on people} She raised her head, looked at me wide-eyed and then scrambled to her feet)
Uh, Kurt, she just got up but she's a little wobbly. There is blood all over the ground but she's standing in the middle of the road looking at me. I don't have anything with me that will put her down, do you?
I've got my bow, I'll be righ - wha -oh man- oh... click
(I should take a minute to explain that at this point Kurt had just completed an illegal U-turn and found himself rear ended by a 16 year old boy that was headed to school)
Kurt... Kurt... Kurt?
Five minutes later he answered his phone. He told me of his misfortune and I told him that my dead deer had walked off and hidden in a CRP field.
Between you and I, deer are a nuisance. Deer have been involved in countless vehicle accidents over the years. Insurance companies spend millions due to these collisions. What will they think when they find out that one deer caused two accidents six miles apart?
I have had time to work however, so this morning found me headed home from the fire station. As I was driving down a gravel road, about six miles from home, I suddenly saw a flash of brown on the passenger side of my truck and heard a terrific crash. I glanced quickly in my rear view mirror to see a doe thrashing in the middle of the road. I pulled over to the side of the road and continued to watch for about 45 seconds as she breathed her last and lay still.
A quick assessment of my truck showed that my passenger door was dented in (but still operable), my passenger mirror was missing, and the side of my truck was banged up in front and behind my rear tire.
If you read the title to this post, you can imagine what I did next. I backed my truck up the road until it was just in front of the deer. Then I got out and dropped my tailgate so that I could throw her in the bed. As I looked at her I was thinking through the things that I needed to do in order to salvage as much meat as possible. There didn't appear to be any hide missing so the meat should still be clean. Unfortunately I did not have a knife with me so I was going to have to load her without field dressing her first. I knew that this was going to make her very difficult to load.
As I looked at her lying there with her tongue hanging out and blood running into the gravel dust, I decided to call a friend of mine that had left work shortly after I had. I knew that he should be passing within just a few miles of my accident and I thought that he would be a great help in loading the limp carcass into my truck. I picked up my phone and gave him a call. It sounded something like this...
Hello!
Kurt, it's Jon. Where are you?
I just left Menards, I had to pick something up on my way home. Why?
Are you headed home now?
Yes, why?
Well, I just hit a deer after the road turns to gravel. I have my truck backed up to her but I don't have anything to gut her with. I was wondering if you could stop by and hel - Oh my! Uh-oh... oh ma...
(I should take a minute to explain that at this point I was standing behind the deer idly kicking my foot at her rump. This nudge was apparently all she needed. {CPR must work differently on deer than on people} She raised her head, looked at me wide-eyed and then scrambled to her feet)
Uh, Kurt, she just got up but she's a little wobbly. There is blood all over the ground but she's standing in the middle of the road looking at me. I don't have anything with me that will put her down, do you?
I've got my bow, I'll be righ - wha -oh man- oh... click
(I should take a minute to explain that at this point Kurt had just completed an illegal U-turn and found himself rear ended by a 16 year old boy that was headed to school)
Kurt... Kurt... Kurt?
Five minutes later he answered his phone. He told me of his misfortune and I told him that my dead deer had walked off and hidden in a CRP field.
Between you and I, deer are a nuisance. Deer have been involved in countless vehicle accidents over the years. Insurance companies spend millions due to these collisions. What will they think when they find out that one deer caused two accidents six miles apart?
Monday, January 5, 2009
Out of the Middle Ages
This is just a quick note. I know that I haven't written in a while (it's just that time of year) but I thought I'd write something quick even though it is 12:43 a.m.
The reason that I am still up is that I am installing our High Speed Internet (DSL). Yep, up until now we have still been using dial-up. My kids say that dial-up is "old-fashioned". It's gonna be good to get out of the Middle Ages!
The reason that I am still up is that I am installing our High Speed Internet (DSL). Yep, up until now we have still been using dial-up. My kids say that dial-up is "old-fashioned". It's gonna be good to get out of the Middle Ages!
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