The Captain's Daughter Book Review

The Captain's Daughter by Jennifer Delanere

I love good historical fiction novel, especially when it is a clean Christian version of it.

This book is a prime example of this. It touches on the good and bad in life, love and also deceit without getting into the gutter. The characters are believable and sweet without being overly so. The look at theater life in Victorian England was really interesting to me and I learned things that I had not known before.

I love how the book touched the lives of the amazing Gilbert & Sullivan and their operettas and wished the book came with a soundtrack so I found myself playing the music from them while enjoying the book.

I loved also the look at the amazing George Müller, his wife, and his orphanages. What amazing faith he had and the way he was able to share that strong faith with those in his charge. I would have loved to have the opportunity to know the man and have my own life and faith be influenced by his amazing faith. I have found myself doing more research on the man and his life, his children that he cared for and the faith that he instilled in them. Wow, it makes me feel like a slacker reading about it.

"Captain, I have known my Lord for more than fifty years and there is not one instance that I have failed to have an audience with the King. Get up, Captain, for you will find that the fog has gone." George Müller to the captain of the ship he was traveling on as they were delayed by fog and was going to make him miss an appointment.

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We were given a copy of The Captain's Daughter for free our honest opinion and review.This article contains affiliate links. Affiliate links cost you nothing extra but help to support the Rosevine Cottage Girls so we can continue bringing you recipes, travel posts, garden and farm posts and so much more. 

He Makes Me Enough

The other day someone asked me if I still did "that little blog thing?" and if that's all I planned to do with my life.

I had two reactions to that, first, it showed me that they obviously weren't following the blog and second, I yet again didn't measure up. I wasn't good enough. As much as I want to shrug off their words, put on a pair of cute heels and some jazz and carry on, the truth is I want them to be proud of me. To celebrate our accomplishments. To have the scale tip, and let me be good enough in their eyes.

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The truth is I'll never be what THEY THINK I should be because that's not where HE wants me. I don't have to change because I am loved just the way I am. I don't have to find approval with them because I've already found it with the King of Kings.


How quickly we forget this. We get caught up trying to achieve their approval, instead of following Him. We fixate on tipping their scale in our favor, piling on "achievements" but always falling short. 

Chances are their scale will never tip in our favor, we probably won't ever measure up to their standard. The truth is, we aren't enough but God sweeps in and fills the places that are lacking, and then He tips us over to fill others empty places. With Him, we are enough. We are complete. We don't have to compete to gain approval because He has already given it. We measure up. We're good enough.

We are what He has called us to be. We are where He has placed us. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be anywhere else.




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Slow Roasted Pork Butt

Ingredients:  

1 (4 lb) Pork Butt Roast

1 (6 oz.) Can of Pineapple Juice

1 1⁄4 Cups Organic Unsweetened Pear Juice

1⁄3 Cup Worcestershire Sauce or Coconut Aminos

2-3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
1⁄2 Teaspoon Himalayan Sea Salt (or to taste)

4 Whole Garlic Clove (optional, use as many as desired)
1⁄2 Teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper (or to taste)

1/2 Cup Raw Sugar

Directions:

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Preheat oven to 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Make small slits all over the roast then insert a whole garlic clove into each slit. Sprinkle salt and black pepper on top, pour the juices, Worcestershire sauce or Coconut Aminos and Balsamic Vinegar over the top of the roast. Sprinkle sugar on the top and sides of the meat. Place the roast in a casserole dish with a and cover tightly with foil, then place the roast in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature down to 200 degrees F. Cook roast for about 3-4 hours or until the meat is falling-apart tender (cooking time will vary depending on the size of the roast) and enjoy!

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Traveling The Holy Land - Herodian Street, New Discovery, Old Sewers and Temple Stones

Herodian Street

 New Discovery, Old Sewers, and Temple Stones

An overwhelming experience, and let’s face it there have been many, was walking on the Herodian Street.  We were told if there was one place in all of Israel where we can be 100% certain that Jesus walked it was here on the Herodian Street!!!

Herodian Street was a main street from the 1st Century BC built by Herod the Great.  In Jesus’ time, this was not only a very busy street but the main street that started down at the pool of Silom and ran up to the northwest corner of the temple mount, below the western retaining wall.  In fact, it would have been bustling full of shops where the people could buy the sacrificial animals and take them up to the temple to offer as their sacrifice.

At the end of the street by the temple, there used to be a huge arch that held up a gigantic staircase which led up to the top of the temple mount where Herod the Great had built a large shopping mall.  It is now called Robinson’s Arch for the American archeologist who discovered the arch in the 1800’s. You can still see where it was originally attached. Jesus would have not only walked on this street but up these stairs to the mall which is where he turned over the tables of the money changers.

Related Post: Visiting The Holy Land part 1 

“Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves.” Matthew 21:12 NKJV 

When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned tables. And He said to those who sold doves,

“Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!”: John 2;15-16 NKJV

The street itself still is covered with large pavements made of limestone which is in excellent condition. See a picture of our feet on this street where Jesus walked – WOW!!!

Stacked against the retaining wall and lay scattered on the street are the remnants of the massive temple stones that were thrown down by the Roman soldiers in 70 AD during the destruction of the Second Temple.  These are not just little stones either.  The smallest is 2.5 tons and the largest over 600 tons!

Related Post: Holy Land Tour - Jerusalem 

Remember Jesus walking with his disciples on this very street in Mathew 24:2; Mark 13:2 and Luke 21:6

“Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!” And Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” Mark 13:1-2 NKJV

Herod died in 4 AD. In 66 AD the Jews started a revolt against the Romans.  Yes, the Jews were rebelling against the harsh Roman rule and yes, Caesar sent his son, General Titus to suppress the rebellion.  However, it was not the intent of the Romans to destroy the Temple.  In the heat of the battle, we’re told, drapes in the temple caught on fire.  The gold around the massive stones started to melt and the soldiers went nuts so to speak to get every ounce of gold from those temple stones.  In the frenzy, stones were pushed over the wall onto the street below to access more gold.  Hence, again JESUS IS 100% ACCURATE AND TRUE!  Not one stone remains on top of another approximately 38 years later.  The disciples couldn’t in their wildest imagination picture that these great, wonderful buildings would be destroyed. These gigantic stones were supposed to show the might and the strength of not only Herod the Great but the Roman Empire.

Related Post: Tour The Holy Land - Qumran Israel 

How did we arrive on this street you might ask?  Well after climbing down from the rooftop of King David’s palace, we saw a new archeological dig where once a large parking lot existed.  Using ultrasound or similar technology, they believed something was underneath the asphalt.  Sure enough, it was.  3000-year-old ruins of a town/living quarters revealing where people would have lived outside the palace of King David!  From this discovery, which we could see was a work in progress, they also discovered a tunnel.  This tunnel previously was a sewer system that led UNDER the streets that Jesus walked on going all the way back to King Hezekiah!  These tunnels not only carry the sewage water and waste out of the city to the Kidron, but was used as a hiding place when they were under siege.

Related Post: Holy Land Tour | En- Gedi Israel 

A little apprehensive about walking in a sewer and tunnel 3000 years old, I said what the heck and went for it!  Eric told me to go ahead without him.  He is 6’4” and some spots may require bending over for large sections.  He told me he’d meet me on the other side along with those that were claustrophobic.   So, I headed off into the tunnel with my other travel adventurers.

We walked on a pathway 30’ or so above the dig down one side and around the others side (see pictures).  At the end was the sewer entrance.  Luckily no remnants of sewage.

Related Post: Holy Land Tour | Masada 

I wasn’t sure where exactly this was taking us but I did know that we were walking UNDER the Herodian Street where Jesus walked!  Thousands of years perhaps before he was there.  In one section, we saw one of the temple stones that were thrown off the mount.

The sewer caught and stopped the stone from penetrating and blocking the passageway.   Sadly, one of the discoveries in this system was a Roman sword.  During the revolt, the last Jewish Rebels who remained in the city hid in this system. They were discovered and killed.

On we went through the tunnel, it was 700 meters total which is a little less than a ½ mile I think- or 2,297 feet.  Then we were back out into the light and standing on the Herodian Street and staring into the massive fallen stones of the temple!

Related Post Israel - The City of David 

When I connected back with Eric, I learned he was convinced to go through the tunnel as well and was no worse for wear.  In fact, it wasn’t bad at all.

On these stones, they found a Hebrew inscription from

Isaiah 66:14 “When you see this, your heart shall rejoice, And your bones shall flourish like grass; The hand of the Lord shall be known to His servants And His indignation to His enemies.  NKJV

This is both a Messianic prophecy talking about the return of Christ and the return of the lands to Israel.

So much more, so much more and right around the corner!

Please leave your comments below, we love to hear from you and let us know how we can pray for you.

Related Post: Israel - The Mount of Olives 

Debbie lives in Southern California with her husband Doug and her children and grandchildren.







Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version Copyright @ 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.  All rights reserved.
Bible links to biblegateway.com

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Threads Of Suspicion Book Review

Hey, everyone! Today we are hitting you with another AMAZING read, Threads of Suspicion An Evie Blackwell Cold Case. If you like crime/mystery/thriller stick around because we've got your next book! Jump on board as Evie Blackwell and the newly formed task force goes after another cold case. She and her partner David Marshall are assigned unrelated cases, but what starts as just another missing person case quickly comes home making the characters delve into old scars and trust God to find the answers they need. 

Threads of Suspicion by Dee Henderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The characters are funny and real, they become like friends as you turn the pages. The plot is unpredictable, the struggles and faith of the characters are heartbreaking and relatable. It will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page, where you discover the case neatly wrapped with a bow in a way you never expected.

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We received this book from the publisher for our honest review. This article contains an affiliate link. Affiliate links cost you nothing extra but help to support the Rosevine Cottage Girls so we can continue bringing you recipes, travel posts, garden and farm posts and so much more. 

Our Tour of Heidelberg Germany

Heidelberg Germany

Welcome back to Germany!

Today we are heading to the city of Heidelberg. Heidelberg is an ancient University town sitting by a beautiful river and surrounded by thick forests that have been loved by poets and artists, and authors alike. This trip was set up for us by a co-worker, except he works in the German plant, the funny thing is that he is actually an American. He came to Germany to go to college and ended up finding his wife here. She works for the College in Marburg where he was attending. We appreciated him setting tour day up for us.

Before we met them at the local train station, we stopped into our favorite local pastry store and had breakfast. I had a strawberry danish and decided to snap a photo of it for the girls back home. For some reason, they didn't fully appreciate the beauty of it. I wonder why?

Then we headed up to the station and waited for our guides to show up.
It was 6 am when we got on the I.C.E. train for a 2-hour ride. It was a calm ride - well, (except for the gentlemen who tried to sneak around and ride for free, but he was caught by security and was removed from the train at the next station).

We exited the train and walked about 1 and a half miles to get to the area we wanted to go to. It is the old town area. The walkways are cobblestone and are pedestrians only...... well mostly except for an occasional cab or tourist bus.

The walk from the beginning to the end which brings you to the castle is another mile.

The history of this town begins in the 5th century BC when a fortress of refuge was built by the Celts. They also built a place of worship. They were built on the Heiligenberg or the Mountain of Saints.


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In 863 AD, the monastery built in the honor of Saint Michael was built on the Mountain of Saints inside the walls of the Celtic fortress. The bishop of Worms extended his influence in the valley by having the Schonau Abbey built in 1142.

The first reference of Heidelberg was in a document in that Abbey dated 1196, and this is considered to be the town's founding date. In 1214 the Duke of Bavaria, Ludwig I acquired the Palatinate and this castle came under his control. In 1303 another castle was built for defense. In 1386, Heidelberg University was founded by Rupert I, Elector Palatine.


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In 40 AD the Romans built a fort and a signal and tower on the bank of the Neckar river. They were occupied by the 24th Roman cohort and the 2nd Cyrenaican cohort.The Romans remained until 260 AD when the camp was conquered by Germanic tribes

In 863 AD, the monastery built in the honor of Saint Michael was built on the Mountain of Saints inside the walls of the Celtic fortress. The bishop of Worms extended his influence in the valley by having the Schonau Abbey built in 1142. The first reference of Heidelberg was in a document in this Abbey dated 1196, and this is considered to be the town's founding date.

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The first structure of the castle was built before 1214 and by 1294 it was expanded into two castles.

In 1537, the upper castle was destroyed by a lightning bolt. By 1650 the castle was expanded to structures now present.

The castle changed hands several times thru the 30 years war (1618-1648). This war was one the longest, most destructive and deadliest wars in European History resulting in 8 million casualties.

Related Post: Weisenheim am Berg Germany Searching for my family roots

In our day trip here, we visited 3 churches, the castle and a special bridge. Amazingly during WWII, this city was not destroyed.

Since it had no major industry and the Army wanted to use the city as a garrison base it was basically saved except that when the Germans left during the US advancement it destroyed 2 bridges on their way out. In the next couple of posts, we will look at the castle and the churches.

This building is the student prison. In the 16th century the people began to complain about some of the wild exploits of the students of the university. The University's answer was the Studentenkarzer or the Student Prison. The offending student would be jailed here for a sentence of anywhere from a few days to three months. There was an internal door that opened that allowed the student to attend classes by day and return to confinement after his studies. Things that you could be jailed for are things like womanizing, disturbing the peace, public drunkeness, etc. The walls and the ceiling are covered in graffiti that spans the centuries. There is a chair, a table and a bed in the small cell. Although meant as a punishment some of the scholars felt a stay in the studentenkarzer a rite of passage. The school discontinued using the prison in 1914.

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He found the antidote to arsenic poisoning in 1834 and in 1841 he developed the carbon zinc electric cell battery.

He is also credited with aiding in the developing of the Bunsen Burner, which is used to this day in the science field.

The building behind Mr. Bunson is his beloved Science Building for the Heidelberg University.

In medieval times in the life of the university students in Germany, there was a disputation that allowed scholars to post their views on bulletin boards at the university in form of a thesis and that left open the thesis for debate. October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed to the church door in the castle of Whittenberg Germany his 95 Thesis leaving it open for debate and it sent shockwaves through the church.

In April 1518, Luther was received in Heidelberg to defend his 95 Theses at what is known as the Heidelberg Disputation. So April 26, 1518, was his first opportunity to meet with and explain it to his brother monks. Read what Luther said to his brothers in the Heidelberg Disputation. A year later Pope Leo X sent word that he wanted Luther to be branded a heretic and excommunicated from the Catholic Church.

The plaque is on the side of the house that Karl Gottfried Nadler was born in on 19 August 1809. He was a Palatine dialect poet. He died August 26, 1849.

In 1838 Mark Twain on his European travels spent 3 months here in Heidelberg. He wrote about his stay here in his book 'A Tramp Abroad' in 1880.

There were so many beautiful places here in Heidelberg we could not fit them all in this post. Check out our video to see more of this beautiful village.

Have a Blessed day and until we meet again.

This article contains affiliate links. Affiliate links cost you nothing extra but help to support the Rosevine Cottage Girls so we can continue bringing you recipes, travel posts, garden and farm posts and so much more.

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