“The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
“4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
“5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.” Titus 2:3
Who is supposed to teach a woman what she needs to know for life? The Bible gives four answers to that.
First of all, God teaches us through His word. We should study our Bibles for ourselves to learn what it says. God teaches us directly.
Secondly, parents are supposed to teach their children (Proverbs 6:7 and Ephesians 6). This is God's designated way for all children to learn. We were all once children. It was our parent's job to teach us and prepare us for the future.
Thirdly, our husbands are supposed to teach us (1Corinthians 14:35 “And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home:”) We pass from being under the headship of our parents to being under our husband's (who we have chosen) headship. This is also God's ordained plan.
Fourth,
“The aged women likewise... That they may teach the young women.” Titus 2
Older women are to teach younger women. No where in the Bible does it say for women to go to televangelists, famous authors, well known preachers, media personalities, wikipedia, etc, to learn about their calling in life. You go to older women. Now, God does use our modern books and internet sometimes. This is a way older women can teach even more women. But if at all possible, you should find a Godly older woman near you to teach you His ways in person. Though I am only 41, I am qualified to be an older woman in many ways. First of all, of course, if you were born after 1967, that makes me older. But also, I gave my heart to the Lord at age 4. That means I am 37 years a Christian (Yes, I understood even at that young age what I was saying when I committed my life to Him. I remember the incident clearly.) This doesn't mean I haven't made mistakes in that time, but I have continually grown in the Lord and studied to “show myself approved unto God a workman that needth not be ashamed.” There are few that have spent as many years in God's flock as I have. I am not bragging, just stating fact. Does this give me the responsibility of being the older woman, even to women chronologically older than I am? In some cases, I think it may. (Ekkk!! Scary thought!)
God has placed a call on my heart to minister to women. This call takes many forms, but especially teaching. It is my job to give the information that I have learned over many years of study to other woman that have not been blessed with the resources to hunt it out for themselves. This is teaching. I hope my blogs can be a help to you.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
We Can’t Continue to be Surprised
The American Christian cannot be surprised if they give their child a non-Christian education and their child turns out to be a non-Christian.
“As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.”
“As a man (or child) thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
“Garbage in, Garbage out.”
“He that is not with Me (Jesus) is against Me: and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth…” Luke 11:23
“The disciple (student) is not above his master (teacher): but every one that is perfect (finished with his education) shall be as (like) his master (teacher).” Luke 6:40
Our public schools are not Christian by anyone’s measure. The textbooks are purposely written to avoid any mention of God or Christian values. College professors must buy into atheism (in practice if not in fact) in order to get their jobs and they must teach the same in their classrooms. So all schoolteachers have been instructed by atheists and must use atheist texts. There is NOTHING Christian about our schools.
Whether you downsize your home or cars so you can afford to homeschool or you do what is necessary to send your child to a Christian school, it is imperative that the Christians in this nation get their children out of the non-Christian educational system. We are hemorrhaging children. In conservative Christian households (those Christians that actually take the Bible as God’s truth. This doesn’t count those who are more liberal in interpretation) 85% of their children will leave the church for good the minute they are legal adults. That is- only one out of every 5 2/3 children raised in a home that claims they believe the Bible will stay in church. And we are so culturally irrelevant that it now takes thirty-six Christians to win one sinner. Do the math. At this rate, in less than 100 years Christianity will be extinct.
I have had people who love the Lord and who attended public school as children tell me “It doesn’t really matter. Look at me. I turned out ok and I attended public school.”
Four problems with this statement:
1. “It doesn’t really matter.” Your education has taught you that it doesn’t matter if we actually follow the Life Manuel we claim to believe. Saying we believe it is enough to reap its rewards. This smacks heavily of “the Bible is outdated and doesn’t really know what It is talking about anyway. It doesn’t apply to our ‘enlightened’ age (a clear evolutionary statement).”
2. “I turned out ok.” Did you now? Funny. My Bible says none of us “turned out ok.” That is why we need Christ in the first place.
3. “I turned out ok.” Obviously not if you don’t see the difference between an education focused on Jesus as the Bible commands and an education where He is only allowed as a cuss word.
4. And, (to play hard ball), how many of your friends from school did you bring to the Lord and are still serving Him today? Real affective witness, weren’t you? I was raised in the best Christian home possible. We were in church every time the doors were open (my parents were the pastors), and then some. We were groomed for ministry from day one. My hubby had a similar upbringing. Yes, my brother, my hubby and I continued in the Christian faith and even in the ministry, but I know between the three of us and a combined total of thirty-seven years of childhood education we were successful in bringing exactly two of our friends to the Lord. And one of those came to God through my brother’s friendship outside the school because they were friends for years before they ever even had one class together. Meanwhile, all our “pastor’s kids” friends backslid as did all four of my hubby’s brothers. These are not great odds, people! And everyone who was raised in a Christian home that I know of has the same story.
Homeschoolers are KEEPING 96% of their children in their faith. Ninety- six percent! That is, we are only losing 4%. Follow God’s Word, get biblical results. It is that simple. (Duet 6:7 “Teach [My Words] diligently unto your children speaking of them when you get up in the morning, go to bed at night, do your days work, and run your errands.”)
The Bible is clear that we are required to give our children a Christian education.
Ephesians 6:4 “Fathers, don’t frustrate your children but bring them up in the culture and education of the Lord.” It is frustrating for a child to be told at home that God is the center of life and the Bible holds all the answers and then to go to school where God is obviously not important and the Bible not allowed.
If we don’t obey the Word of God, we can’t be surprised when we don’t get godly results.
Aren’t your children’s souls worth the sacrifice?
“As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.”
“As a man (or child) thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
“Garbage in, Garbage out.”
“He that is not with Me (Jesus) is against Me: and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth…” Luke 11:23
“The disciple (student) is not above his master (teacher): but every one that is perfect (finished with his education) shall be as (like) his master (teacher).” Luke 6:40
Our public schools are not Christian by anyone’s measure. The textbooks are purposely written to avoid any mention of God or Christian values. College professors must buy into atheism (in practice if not in fact) in order to get their jobs and they must teach the same in their classrooms. So all schoolteachers have been instructed by atheists and must use atheist texts. There is NOTHING Christian about our schools.
Whether you downsize your home or cars so you can afford to homeschool or you do what is necessary to send your child to a Christian school, it is imperative that the Christians in this nation get their children out of the non-Christian educational system. We are hemorrhaging children. In conservative Christian households (those Christians that actually take the Bible as God’s truth. This doesn’t count those who are more liberal in interpretation) 85% of their children will leave the church for good the minute they are legal adults. That is- only one out of every 5 2/3 children raised in a home that claims they believe the Bible will stay in church. And we are so culturally irrelevant that it now takes thirty-six Christians to win one sinner. Do the math. At this rate, in less than 100 years Christianity will be extinct.
I have had people who love the Lord and who attended public school as children tell me “It doesn’t really matter. Look at me. I turned out ok and I attended public school.”
Four problems with this statement:
1. “It doesn’t really matter.” Your education has taught you that it doesn’t matter if we actually follow the Life Manuel we claim to believe. Saying we believe it is enough to reap its rewards. This smacks heavily of “the Bible is outdated and doesn’t really know what It is talking about anyway. It doesn’t apply to our ‘enlightened’ age (a clear evolutionary statement).”
2. “I turned out ok.” Did you now? Funny. My Bible says none of us “turned out ok.” That is why we need Christ in the first place.
3. “I turned out ok.” Obviously not if you don’t see the difference between an education focused on Jesus as the Bible commands and an education where He is only allowed as a cuss word.
4. And, (to play hard ball), how many of your friends from school did you bring to the Lord and are still serving Him today? Real affective witness, weren’t you? I was raised in the best Christian home possible. We were in church every time the doors were open (my parents were the pastors), and then some. We were groomed for ministry from day one. My hubby had a similar upbringing. Yes, my brother, my hubby and I continued in the Christian faith and even in the ministry, but I know between the three of us and a combined total of thirty-seven years of childhood education we were successful in bringing exactly two of our friends to the Lord. And one of those came to God through my brother’s friendship outside the school because they were friends for years before they ever even had one class together. Meanwhile, all our “pastor’s kids” friends backslid as did all four of my hubby’s brothers. These are not great odds, people! And everyone who was raised in a Christian home that I know of has the same story.
Homeschoolers are KEEPING 96% of their children in their faith. Ninety- six percent! That is, we are only losing 4%. Follow God’s Word, get biblical results. It is that simple. (Duet 6:7 “Teach [My Words] diligently unto your children speaking of them when you get up in the morning, go to bed at night, do your days work, and run your errands.”)
The Bible is clear that we are required to give our children a Christian education.
Ephesians 6:4 “Fathers, don’t frustrate your children but bring them up in the culture and education of the Lord.” It is frustrating for a child to be told at home that God is the center of life and the Bible holds all the answers and then to go to school where God is obviously not important and the Bible not allowed.
If we don’t obey the Word of God, we can’t be surprised when we don’t get godly results.
Aren’t your children’s souls worth the sacrifice?
Friday, June 26, 2009
Link Day
What is love?
http://www.youtube.com/drlaura
What is your motivation to do what you know you should?
http://www.drlaurablog.com/2009/06/22/the-search-for-motivation-is-a-hopeless-quest/
http://www.youtube.com/drlaura
What is your motivation to do what you know you should?
http://www.drlaurablog.com/2009/06/22/the-search-for-motivation-is-a-hopeless-quest/
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Let me tell you about a few homeschool families I have known.
1) Wife to a man in prison (so in practice a single mother) two children. Homeschooled for two years.
2) Widow living on social security. Homeschooled only daughter for three years.
3) Couple, seven children, both working fast food. Lived in a house, to use her words, “My whole house could fit in your kitchen, dinning and living rooms.” (and my house is only 1400’) Homeschooled all of their children, last I heard was still at it- six years now.
4) Single mom, teenage daughter with health problems keeping her out of school. Homeschooled for one year until daughter was well…while working full time.
5) Couple, three small children, 900’ double wide, 50’s era home. He works. She saves. They homeschool the school age one.
6) Couple, two children and one on the way, living in hotels, homeschooled faithfully.
7) Same couple two years and two children later, seven months in a 32’ camp trailer with four children. Homeschooled the whole time.
People who tell me the can’t “afford” to homeschool have universally had two incomes, bigger houses than any of these people, newer cars (some of the above didn’t even own a car), newer clothes, more frequent vacations, and more toys. Yet somehow, they can’t “afford” to homeschool.
Explain this.
2) Widow living on social security. Homeschooled only daughter for three years.
3) Couple, seven children, both working fast food. Lived in a house, to use her words, “My whole house could fit in your kitchen, dinning and living rooms.” (and my house is only 1400’) Homeschooled all of their children, last I heard was still at it- six years now.
4) Single mom, teenage daughter with health problems keeping her out of school. Homeschooled for one year until daughter was well…while working full time.
5) Couple, three small children, 900’ double wide, 50’s era home. He works. She saves. They homeschool the school age one.
6) Couple, two children and one on the way, living in hotels, homeschooled faithfully.
7) Same couple two years and two children later, seven months in a 32’ camp trailer with four children. Homeschooled the whole time.
People who tell me the can’t “afford” to homeschool have universally had two incomes, bigger houses than any of these people, newer cars (some of the above didn’t even own a car), newer clothes, more frequent vacations, and more toys. Yet somehow, they can’t “afford” to homeschool.
Explain this.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Whosoever is not for Me is against me.
Who are our public schools for? I don't think there is anyone who would say they are for Christ (except a handful of paranoid atheists). I personally believe our schools actively teach the religion of Atheism. but lets say they are neutral, do not teach any religion at all, one way or another. Jesus said if you are not for Him then you are against Him. Our neutral schools are not for Him, so they must be against Him.
Can a child's education be “for Christ” if he attends a “neutral” school and has an hour's Bible study tacked on on Sunday morning? Or even every morning around the breakfast table?
The Bible says to bring every thought into subjection to Christ. Does this mean History, math and Grammar, too, or just theological thoughts? Does every mean every?
Col 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
Deu 6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Eph 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not (frustrate not) your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture (culture) and admonition (education)of the Lord
This is what it boils down to. It is not a question of academics or social issues. These are irrelevant to the main question. It is a question of obedience to God's commands. Can we obey His commands to bring our children up in His nurture and admonition and still send them away to a non-Christian environment for thirty or more hours per week?
statistics
· 85% of fundamentalist Christians send their children to public schools.
· 88% of children raised in fundamentalist homes leave the church forever when they turn eighteen.(Study funded by the Southern Baptist Church)
·
· 80% of homeschoolers are conservative Christians.
· 96% of adult homeschool graduates say they are the same or nearly the same religion as their parents. (Study funded by Homeschool Legal Defense)
·
Which appears to be doing the better job of “Training their children in the way they should go?” Could it be you have to be with a child in order to Bring them up?
I have read many gimmicks and tricks about how to counter public school, peer and media influence in our children. It is as if many believe God forgot to tell us in His Word how to raise our children where they will love Him. But God does not do that. When He gives us a job He gives us the tools we need to handle it. We don't need fancy, schmancy gimmicks. We need to obey The Word!
2Cr 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you
Keep your kids away from those who are trying to steal them from God. Keep them immersed in Him, 24\7, and they will grow up strong Christians.
Pro 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it
2Cr 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity EVERY THOUGHT to the obedience of Christ
Deu 6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Eph 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not (frustrate not) your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture (culture) and admonition (education)of the Lord
If you obey, you will reap the rewards of obedience.
If you disobey, you will reap the rewards of disobedience.
It's that simple.
Can a child's education be “for Christ” if he attends a “neutral” school and has an hour's Bible study tacked on on Sunday morning? Or even every morning around the breakfast table?
The Bible says to bring every thought into subjection to Christ. Does this mean History, math and Grammar, too, or just theological thoughts? Does every mean every?
Col 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
Deu 6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Eph 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not (frustrate not) your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture (culture) and admonition (education)of the Lord
This is what it boils down to. It is not a question of academics or social issues. These are irrelevant to the main question. It is a question of obedience to God's commands. Can we obey His commands to bring our children up in His nurture and admonition and still send them away to a non-Christian environment for thirty or more hours per week?
statistics
· 85% of fundamentalist Christians send their children to public schools.
· 88% of children raised in fundamentalist homes leave the church forever when they turn eighteen.(Study funded by the Southern Baptist Church)
·
· 80% of homeschoolers are conservative Christians.
· 96% of adult homeschool graduates say they are the same or nearly the same religion as their parents. (Study funded by Homeschool Legal Defense)
·
Which appears to be doing the better job of “Training their children in the way they should go?” Could it be you have to be with a child in order to Bring them up?
I have read many gimmicks and tricks about how to counter public school, peer and media influence in our children. It is as if many believe God forgot to tell us in His Word how to raise our children where they will love Him. But God does not do that. When He gives us a job He gives us the tools we need to handle it. We don't need fancy, schmancy gimmicks. We need to obey The Word!
2Cr 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you
Keep your kids away from those who are trying to steal them from God. Keep them immersed in Him, 24\7, and they will grow up strong Christians.
Pro 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it
2Cr 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity EVERY THOUGHT to the obedience of Christ
Deu 6:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Eph 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not (frustrate not) your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture (culture) and admonition (education)of the Lord
If you obey, you will reap the rewards of obedience.
If you disobey, you will reap the rewards of disobedience.
It's that simple.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
When speaking of rights....
Everyone should remember this:
(Written after WWII)
First they came for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up,
because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up,
because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up,
because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me,
and by that time there was no one
left to speak up for me.
Always remeber:
Stand up for the other man's rights
Even if you disagree with him
Because the next time the government comes around
You WILL BE him
(Written after WWII)
First they came for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up,
because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up,
because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up,
because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me,
and by that time there was no one
left to speak up for me.
Always remeber:
Stand up for the other man's rights
Even if you disagree with him
Because the next time the government comes around
You WILL BE him
Thursday, June 18, 2009
I have become increasingly aware
of the hypocrisy of the politically correct crowd. They yell and scream “tolerance” and then begin name calling anyone who disagrees with them. For example;
· If you didn’t vote for BO, your are a racist (never mind your reasons have nothing to do with skin color, but religious convictions. In fact, I would prefer to vote for Alan Keys over anyone else out there right now and he is a black man. Yet somehow I am automatically racist because I think BO is dangerous.)
· If you disagree with the illogical rhetoric of the gay community, you are homophobic (this is literally Greek for “afraid of same”). It doesn’t matter if you have researched the issue for yourself and are concerned for their souls, if you don’t believe them, you are hateful.
· If you vote against increased school spending, you are “against education,” (even if you homeschool, run an educational co-op, and give curriculum to poor families so they can homeschool.)
· If you are against welfare you are “uncompassionate,” and don’t care about anyone but yourself, (even if you donate 20% of your income to charity and volunteer at an adult literacy center and have seen welfare do more harm than good.)
I have come up with my own terms to apply to the “tolerance” crowd.
· Fetaphobic- The fear of babies (literally “fear of offspring” in Greek.) This is to be applied to anyone who believes babies are punishment and that it is ok to cut them into little pieces and flush them down the sink (abortion).
· Domophobic- The fear of all things domestic. This is to be applied to those who insist Homemaking is boring, brainless work when they have never actually done it themselves. Their rhetoric is nothing but a cover up of their irrational fears of the home.
· Responsiphobic- The fear of taking responsibility for your own life and mistakes.
· Chanakphobic- The fear of trying to actually control your child and teach them something about proper behavior (literally “fear of training up”)
· Benphobic- (“afraid of children”) The fear of having anymore children. Largely responsible for the dangerously low birth rate in the western world today, as well as snide remarks aimed at those who have more children than average.
· Amphobic- the fear of the people. This is to be applied to those that fear an uncontrolled public; a people left to care for themselves and solve their own problems.
Can you think of any others?
· If you didn’t vote for BO, your are a racist (never mind your reasons have nothing to do with skin color, but religious convictions. In fact, I would prefer to vote for Alan Keys over anyone else out there right now and he is a black man. Yet somehow I am automatically racist because I think BO is dangerous.)
· If you disagree with the illogical rhetoric of the gay community, you are homophobic (this is literally Greek for “afraid of same”). It doesn’t matter if you have researched the issue for yourself and are concerned for their souls, if you don’t believe them, you are hateful.
· If you vote against increased school spending, you are “against education,” (even if you homeschool, run an educational co-op, and give curriculum to poor families so they can homeschool.)
· If you are against welfare you are “uncompassionate,” and don’t care about anyone but yourself, (even if you donate 20% of your income to charity and volunteer at an adult literacy center and have seen welfare do more harm than good.)
I have come up with my own terms to apply to the “tolerance” crowd.
· Fetaphobic- The fear of babies (literally “fear of offspring” in Greek.) This is to be applied to anyone who believes babies are punishment and that it is ok to cut them into little pieces and flush them down the sink (abortion).
· Domophobic- The fear of all things domestic. This is to be applied to those who insist Homemaking is boring, brainless work when they have never actually done it themselves. Their rhetoric is nothing but a cover up of their irrational fears of the home.
· Responsiphobic- The fear of taking responsibility for your own life and mistakes.
· Chanakphobic- The fear of trying to actually control your child and teach them something about proper behavior (literally “fear of training up”)
· Benphobic- (“afraid of children”) The fear of having anymore children. Largely responsible for the dangerously low birth rate in the western world today, as well as snide remarks aimed at those who have more children than average.
· Amphobic- the fear of the people. This is to be applied to those that fear an uncontrolled public; a people left to care for themselves and solve their own problems.
Can you think of any others?
Monday, June 15, 2009
Raw Milk
What is the difference between “raw milk” and what we buy in the store?
Milk you buy in the store has been pasteurized, homogenized and fortified with vitamins D2 and D3.
What is pasteurization?
“Pasteurization” is heating a food product to a high temperature in order to kill all the bacteria. The problem is it destroys the good bacteria and lactic acid (which helps you digest your food and fights bad bacteria) as well. This leaves the very small amount of bad bacteria with no competition for food, allowing it to multiply. All salmonella cases from the last few decades linked to milk have all been from pasteurized milk.
Pasteurization was begun eighty years ago because dairy cows near cities were fed the leftovers from distilleries and city garbage. 65% of these cows had Tuberculoses. These cows were kept on filthy feed lots and milked under unsanitary conditions. I wouldn’t drink unpasteurized milk produced under these conditions either.
Today’s dairies milk under much more sanitary conditions and all cows are tested once per year for tuberculoses. Any cow testing positive is immediately destroyed.
Certified Raw milk is inspected on a daily basis (far more often than normal dairies and the facilities must be almost surgically clean) and tested for pathogens. Bacteria numbers must be lower (10,000 parts per cubic centimeter) even than post-pasteurized milk (25,000 parts per cubic centimeter). Also, often Certified Raw milk is from cows who actually live on pasture instead of feed lots. This is the difference in sanitation between a pigpen and a golf course.
Pasteurization also:
§ Destroys at least 90% of digestive enzymes- especially lactase- leaving anyone who doesn’t produce their own, dairy intolerant. (The test to make sure pasteurizations was successful is to see that there are no digestive enzymes detectable in the milk.) Digestive enzymes are what helps the body assimilate all nutrients.
§ Destroys amino acids lysine and tyrosine which makes proteins less available.
§ Destroys many vitamins including 50% of C, 80% of the B’s, 2/3 of A and D, all of vitamin B12,
§ Destroys 50% of the minerals, including calcium. This destruction of calcium leaves pasteurized milk consumers more susceptible to osteoporosis. It also destroys chloride, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and sulphur as well as many trace minerals.
§ Destroys the Wulzen factor related to the prevention and treatment of arthritis.
§ Alters the protein making it easier to be allergic.
§ Alters the lactose (literally “milk sugar”) making it more absorbable. This not only adds unneeded sugar but puts stress on the pancreas leading to diabetes.
§ Has been linked to chronic fatigue, and other degenerative diseases.
§
What is homogenization?
Homogenization is the forcing of milk through microscopic holes, which breaks up the fat molecules into much smaller pieces. This makes the fat stay thoroughly mixed in the milk instead of rising to the top like normal. This produces a prettier product that lasts longer on the store shelf.
Homogenization also:
§ Causes more fat to absorb into the blood. This raises the amount of absorbable calories.
§ Has been linked to increased heart disease because more fat gets into the circulatory system and thus more is able to stick to the arteries.
§ May contribute to cancer. Studies have shown butter to protect against cancer, but homogenized milk does not. No studies have yet been done on un-homogenized milk, but it would stand to reason that milk with unaltered butterfat in it would have the same results as butter. The fact is that homogenized/pasteurized fat particles go rancid faster than natural ones. Rancid fats are a known carcinogen.
§
What about vitamins D2 and D3?
The vitamin D that we absorb from sunlight is D1. This is the natural kind. D2 and D3 are derived from toxic substances. Now, it is better to have even these types of D than nothing, (Many children today who spend all day in front of TV and the computer and only drink soda get none and Rickets (a vitamin D deficiency disease) is on the rise), but D2 and D3 have been linked to heart disease and are difficult to absorb.
Hormones?
Our dairy cows are all fed hormones (Estrogen) to make them produce more milk. Feedlot beef (most of what you find in stores) is also fed Estrogen in order to make them gain weight faster. Trace amounts of hormones are found in our milk and meat. This…
· May be the cause of so many women having hormone related problems today. Some researchers say the problems are definitely symptoms of estrogen overload.
· May be one cause of our national epidemic of obesity.
· Is doing who knows what to our men!
·
Antibiotics?
Also, these animals are routinely fed antibiotics, which also find their way into our food. The unnatural conditions which these animals are raised in causes stress reducing their natural immunities. This reduced immunity combined with overcrowded, mucky living conditions is the perfect environment for spreading disease. Thus the routine antibiotics.
This causes common germs to become immune to antibiotics putting us all at risk of contracting antibiotic resistant strains of disease. An outbreak of salmonella in 1985 in Illinois made 14,000 people sick, killed at least one and was alarmingly genetically resistant to penicillin and tetracycline.
What else?
· Chemicals to suppress odor are added.
· Powdered skim milk is added to 2% and 1% milk. The dehydration process that produces powdered milk oxidizes cholesterol making it harmful to arteries (natural, un-oxidized cholesterol is what makes our cell walls stiff and is necessary to life.) High temperature drying creates compounds that are known carcinogens and glutamic acid which is toxic to the nervous system.
Add to all this the unnatural, high protein diet the cows are fed (in order to increase production). This high protein (soybean) diet has been linked to altered proteins in milk that cause milk allergies and diabetes.
Raw milk has all the things God originally put into milk. It is the most complete of all foods. There is no place in the Bible that calls milk or any milk product anything but a blessing.
When you buy a bottle of raw milk, you will see a layer of cream colored liquid at the top. This is real cream. You can skim it off and use it as cream (in your coffee or ?), whip it with a little sugar or honey for whipped cream, or keep going and it makes butter.
The milk itself can be drunk, made into butter milk, yogurt, kerfir, or many different cheeses (all with or without the cream still in it).
Milk you buy in the store has been pasteurized, homogenized and fortified with vitamins D2 and D3.
What is pasteurization?
“Pasteurization” is heating a food product to a high temperature in order to kill all the bacteria. The problem is it destroys the good bacteria and lactic acid (which helps you digest your food and fights bad bacteria) as well. This leaves the very small amount of bad bacteria with no competition for food, allowing it to multiply. All salmonella cases from the last few decades linked to milk have all been from pasteurized milk.
Pasteurization was begun eighty years ago because dairy cows near cities were fed the leftovers from distilleries and city garbage. 65% of these cows had Tuberculoses. These cows were kept on filthy feed lots and milked under unsanitary conditions. I wouldn’t drink unpasteurized milk produced under these conditions either.
Today’s dairies milk under much more sanitary conditions and all cows are tested once per year for tuberculoses. Any cow testing positive is immediately destroyed.
Certified Raw milk is inspected on a daily basis (far more often than normal dairies and the facilities must be almost surgically clean) and tested for pathogens. Bacteria numbers must be lower (10,000 parts per cubic centimeter) even than post-pasteurized milk (25,000 parts per cubic centimeter). Also, often Certified Raw milk is from cows who actually live on pasture instead of feed lots. This is the difference in sanitation between a pigpen and a golf course.
Pasteurization also:
§ Destroys at least 90% of digestive enzymes- especially lactase- leaving anyone who doesn’t produce their own, dairy intolerant. (The test to make sure pasteurizations was successful is to see that there are no digestive enzymes detectable in the milk.) Digestive enzymes are what helps the body assimilate all nutrients.
§ Destroys amino acids lysine and tyrosine which makes proteins less available.
§ Destroys many vitamins including 50% of C, 80% of the B’s, 2/3 of A and D, all of vitamin B12,
§ Destroys 50% of the minerals, including calcium. This destruction of calcium leaves pasteurized milk consumers more susceptible to osteoporosis. It also destroys chloride, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and sulphur as well as many trace minerals.
§ Destroys the Wulzen factor related to the prevention and treatment of arthritis.
§ Alters the protein making it easier to be allergic.
§ Alters the lactose (literally “milk sugar”) making it more absorbable. This not only adds unneeded sugar but puts stress on the pancreas leading to diabetes.
§ Has been linked to chronic fatigue, and other degenerative diseases.
§
What is homogenization?
Homogenization is the forcing of milk through microscopic holes, which breaks up the fat molecules into much smaller pieces. This makes the fat stay thoroughly mixed in the milk instead of rising to the top like normal. This produces a prettier product that lasts longer on the store shelf.
Homogenization also:
§ Causes more fat to absorb into the blood. This raises the amount of absorbable calories.
§ Has been linked to increased heart disease because more fat gets into the circulatory system and thus more is able to stick to the arteries.
§ May contribute to cancer. Studies have shown butter to protect against cancer, but homogenized milk does not. No studies have yet been done on un-homogenized milk, but it would stand to reason that milk with unaltered butterfat in it would have the same results as butter. The fact is that homogenized/pasteurized fat particles go rancid faster than natural ones. Rancid fats are a known carcinogen.
§
What about vitamins D2 and D3?
The vitamin D that we absorb from sunlight is D1. This is the natural kind. D2 and D3 are derived from toxic substances. Now, it is better to have even these types of D than nothing, (Many children today who spend all day in front of TV and the computer and only drink soda get none and Rickets (a vitamin D deficiency disease) is on the rise), but D2 and D3 have been linked to heart disease and are difficult to absorb.
Hormones?
Our dairy cows are all fed hormones (Estrogen) to make them produce more milk. Feedlot beef (most of what you find in stores) is also fed Estrogen in order to make them gain weight faster. Trace amounts of hormones are found in our milk and meat. This…
· May be the cause of so many women having hormone related problems today. Some researchers say the problems are definitely symptoms of estrogen overload.
· May be one cause of our national epidemic of obesity.
· Is doing who knows what to our men!
·
Antibiotics?
Also, these animals are routinely fed antibiotics, which also find their way into our food. The unnatural conditions which these animals are raised in causes stress reducing their natural immunities. This reduced immunity combined with overcrowded, mucky living conditions is the perfect environment for spreading disease. Thus the routine antibiotics.
This causes common germs to become immune to antibiotics putting us all at risk of contracting antibiotic resistant strains of disease. An outbreak of salmonella in 1985 in Illinois made 14,000 people sick, killed at least one and was alarmingly genetically resistant to penicillin and tetracycline.
What else?
· Chemicals to suppress odor are added.
· Powdered skim milk is added to 2% and 1% milk. The dehydration process that produces powdered milk oxidizes cholesterol making it harmful to arteries (natural, un-oxidized cholesterol is what makes our cell walls stiff and is necessary to life.) High temperature drying creates compounds that are known carcinogens and glutamic acid which is toxic to the nervous system.
Add to all this the unnatural, high protein diet the cows are fed (in order to increase production). This high protein (soybean) diet has been linked to altered proteins in milk that cause milk allergies and diabetes.
Raw milk has all the things God originally put into milk. It is the most complete of all foods. There is no place in the Bible that calls milk or any milk product anything but a blessing.
When you buy a bottle of raw milk, you will see a layer of cream colored liquid at the top. This is real cream. You can skim it off and use it as cream (in your coffee or ?), whip it with a little sugar or honey for whipped cream, or keep going and it makes butter.
The milk itself can be drunk, made into butter milk, yogurt, kerfir, or many different cheeses (all with or without the cream still in it).
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Why feminists are wrong
Most feminists say they believe that all humans are exactly the same, regardless of sex (though I have noticed most act like they think women are better, smarter, and more noble than men). They take this belief to its logical conclusion; that the outcomes of life should be equal.
Genesis 2:18 “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.”
To say that men and women are the same is to say that God didn't really know what He was doing when He made them or that the Bible lied about beginnings.
This does not mean that woman is inferior to the man anymore than the cow is inferior to the horse. If you want to ride somewhere, the horse is the obvious choice because God has designed it to be ridden. But if you want milk for a large family or small village, you had better have a cow. The horse just won't cut it. God designed men to lead the family and women to help. It takes the inborn talents of both to accomplish God's will. They are a team working towards the same goal.
The Bible says that women were created in the image of God.
“So God created man(kind) in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and FEMALE created he them.”
When women quit caring for their own in the pursuit of mere money, we loose all that is clean, orderly, beautiful, gentle, caring, nourishing, and secure of the image of God. We no longer experience these traits of His in the cradle, kitchen table, nor school room at the hands of our own mother. Nor in the sick bed at the hands of our sisters, mothers, wives and daughters. We still have the strong, just, and logical image of God through our men, but this makes the view of Him so lopsided. Without both we have an inaccurate picture of God. Without both, we can not know God completely.
The Bible is clear that the marriage relationship is an object lesson for our relationship with God. What we want from our husbands (love, affection, protection, leadership) are what we should be looking to God for. What our husband wants from us (respect, intimacy, obedience) is what God wants from us. We learn from each other (men and women) what the church's relationship with God should be. God tells us to unconditionally obey our hubbys. He wants the church to unconditionally obey Him. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. God tells hubbys to love their wives enough to do the same for their wives. And when we are intimate with our hubbys our family just might grow. When we are intimate with God, The Family of Heaven grows. (If you want to be treated as an equal or better, submit to your hubby. Yes, that’s right, submit. God put two main instincts in men: compete and protect. If you are pushing for your rights, your opinions, he will instinctivly respond with competition. If you submit he will instictively respond with protection and even promotion. God told us how to get what we want; quit trying and just submit.)
In the early 1900's a group of lesbian/socialist/feminists began the original modern feminist movement (Rome and most other major empires had their own movements-just before they fell). Some churches over the next few decades had a backlash, often forgetting to preach to the men about “love your wives” while they were preaching to the women about “submit to your husbands and Keep at home.” This (and other societal issues) fueled the back-backlash of the sixties and seventies (The second feminist revolution). The little girls (and boys) that grew up during the seventies and eighties have been brain washed by this movement. Our textbooks in school didn't dare to show a female doing anything domestic. A father and son in the kitchen, wearing frilly aprons even, baking cookies was ok; But let them show a woman and all hell would break loose. We have been brainwashed.
I don't know about you, but being manipulated and lied to makes me MAD. Our social input has been very carefully controlled from the time we were very little. All dissenting thoughts were shamed out of the mainstream discourse (media) and especially the schools.
I have news for you: women who allow themselves to learn about domestic skills very often discover that they are FUN and mentally challenging (Oh, and women LIKE having babies. Birth control, in my observations, is usually for the purpose of freeing the man from supporting so many children. Many women really want more, but their hubbys veto it.) Housework is not the mindless drudgery it is portrayed to be. In fact, I find it far more stimulating than any job I held outside the home. Yet, little girls are intentionally encouraged to take wood shop while the boys are sent to cooking class (which actually focuses on institutional cooking not domestic chores. Home Ec doesn't teach about caring for the home but focuses on preparing for outside carriers. It is as if no one really has homes to care for or your own home isn't important enough to learn about.)
We (the first and subsequent TV generations) grew up with perfectly beautiful people in perfectly beautiful homes doing perfectly beautiful jobs...both mom and dad (Anyone remember the Huxtebles? Doctor married to a lawyer with beautiful kids and a house that was not ever dirty? I think they showed her carrying a feather duster once in the whole series. That was the only cleaning the whole house ever needed; And he was shown cooking more often then she was.) We seldom or never saw traditional roles, especially for women. If we did see a woman doing woman's work it was greatly down-played or even degraded.
Garbage in garbage out
Most women today have lost the vision of what being a woman means. They tend to think that because they put a bra on they are being a woman even though they live the same life as the men. Many of us are so busy being pseudo-men that we don't even think about what makes a man different than a woman.
“If a man does not provide for his own, especially those of his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an infidel (nonbeliever).”
Men are the providers. They may do this by building or conquering, selling or serving, but they are all to provide for their families. This was their part of the origional commad to Adam in the garden. In addition…
“In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground;”
A woman who leaves her family to make money, is accepting her husband's curse.
A woman at “home” doesn't mean more shopping trips to the mall though, or sitting in front of the TV and eating candy. Womanhood is a distinct calling unique to femaleness that is being done badly in our society or not being done at all.
Instead of one woman ministering to another in her greatest time of need, childbirth, in the safety and comfort of her own home, through midwifery; we have impersonal Obstetricians that don't know us and don't have the time to really care for us in the many ways we need it at this time (and how can a MALE OB possibly understand anymore than the clinical description of birth? He certainly has never done it.) One study I heard of found out that having another female in the delivery room substantially reduced the amounts of medicine needed by the mother even if the woman did nothing but sit in the corner. We need each other at this time. God made us that way.
The story that really set me on the path of studying this issue was one that took place in a church of 200 members. One woman had a miscarriage. She, of course, was grieving the loss of her baby and needed a time of physical recovery. The secretary of the church called every woman in the congregation. NO ONE could go care for and comfort this woman. They were all too busy with their jobs. (One woman, a school teacher, finally was able to arrange a couple of days off.) How many ministries within our own churches are being left undone because we are too busy obeying our bosses? No wonder the world is not all that tempted by us. We are no different than they are in carrying for our own.
Instead of a child being cared for by his loving mommy that thinks he is the most beautiful thing on this earth; who is trying to give him the best start in life; we have minimum wage child care providers and nannies. Hirelings. People who care for a child because it is a way to get a paycheck, not because they love that child.
“But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them (the sheep), and scattereth the sheep.”
No one can care for your children like you can.
Instead of a child being taught at the feet of their mother, who has known him since birth; he is educated at the government schools by some one who doesn't know him from Adam and won't know him a few months from now.
Deuteronomy 6:7 “And thou shalt teach them (God's Words) diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up (Every waking moment).”
Ephesians 6:4 “And, ye fathers (Greek word Parentis, means parents), provoke (frustrate) not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture (culture) and admonition (education) of the Lord.”
Our houses are cleaned by maids, or not at all, making them no more homey than a hotel, for it is the investing of self into the home through cleaning, caring and decorating that makes it a home.
Our food is cooked by McDonald's and Swanson and lacks the flavor, color and nutrition of a meal prepared by loving hands. People eat too much and too rich of foods trying to satisfy that hunger for home. It will never be found in a hamburger wrapper but in the arms (and frying pan!) of a loving woman.
Our sick are cared for by dedicated, but generic nurses. In times past the sick were cared for by their own loving mothers, sisters, wives and daughters. Government hirelings can't compare to the care given by your own family. Home health aids are nothing more than surrogate wives and mothers. (There are, of course, times when illness is so severe that professional nursing is the only answer. That is not what I am talking about. I am talking about women intentionally letting strangers do what they are perfectly capable of doing themselves; everyday elder care and low level nursing.)
Speaking of surrogate wives, the feminists (who appear to abhor anything feminine) are generally for legalizing prostitution. It only makes sense to farm out this part of womanhood to a nameless, faceless body just like any other part.
“You just want to make women to be second class citizens again.”
What do you think made women second class citizens before? Because they didn't generally earn money? That is the only answer I can come up with. Women certainly were well respected. Far more respected than they are today, in fact. (When was the last time a man gave you his seat or opened the door for you? These are signs of respect shown to dignitaries and people we revere. And there are very few poems written about fathers, but the ones written about mothers would fill a multi-volume set of books.) In most areas, women were allowed to own property, same as a man (Only the man's name was on the deed because a married couple was considered one intity. If he died she still owned the property). A lot of them were partners with their husbands in their businesses. Those whose families would literally starve if they didn't have two incomes, found things to do at home WHILE caring for their families to supplement the income (taking in wash and sewing were the most common). And I am not sure the right to vote is a blessing (Imagine not having to worry about politics? Just kidding:-)The laws stating that only land owning males could vote were designed to give each HOUSEHOLD one vote. It was assumed that an entire house believed the same and it would be unfair for those with adult children or grandparents at home to have more votes than a family with only small children.
There, of course, were some jerks that treated women like property, but that hasn't changed any. If anything, it has gotten worse. Ask my cousin that worked in the local domestic abuse center.
So the only thing I can figure that feminists are talking about is money. This means they do not value anything that doesn't earn money; that isn't “man's” work. How sad.
Women were vital to society. They nursed the sick, taught the young, nourished bodies, made homes out of houses, and kept the family running, often all in the same day. Like the Proverbs 31 woman, some found ways to supplement their family's income while doing their normal homemaking duties. Without women, life would have ceased to be worth living, and most men knew it, too. But because they didn't go out and earn a paycheck, many women today think their ancestors were poor, abused things; Second Class Citizens.
Fascinating. If my neighbor gets minimum wage to kiss booboos and fix lunch, that is empowerment but if I do the same thing in my own home for my own children I am a second class citizen.
If I teach somebody else's snot-nosed brats how to read I am a highly intelligent professional and disserve respect, but if I teach my own, I am obviously a little on the stupid side.
If I nurse other people's aging parents I am a wonderful Angel Of Mercy. If I nurse my own I am a slave.
The feminists and socialists have succeeded in making us believe that if something doesn't earn money, it doesn't have value. How incredibly sad. So much beauty in life has been lost because women are too busy earning filthy lucre to make the world around them a beautiful place.
Do I slave away for my family? No, I don't.
When a woman works outside the home, she has to be at work when her boss tells her to, eat lunch when he tells her to, and even go to the bathroom when he allows her to. She can only go home when he says she can and has to go to bed early enough to get up in time to be there in the morning when he says for her to be. Her whole life is controlled by her boss, and she is dependent on him to keep her at work and pay her salary.
I get up when I want, do my work when I want, how I want. I decide what that work will entail, too. You see, I have these nine clients (one husband and eight children) whose needs I must meet, but I am in control of how that is done. I am my own boss, the Queen Of My Castle, if you will. Yes, I depend on my husband's salary, but no more than I would depend on my boss's business sense or my customer's money if I had my own business.
Now look back over these last two paragraphs and tell me, who is the slave? Who is liberated?
G.K. Chesterton compared a mother's duties to those of a monarch, a merchant, and a theology teacher. He said, “I can understand how this might exhaust the mind, but I cannot imagine how it could narrow it. How can it be a large career to tell other people's children about (arithmetic), and a small career to tell one's own children about the universe? How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone, and narrow to be everything to someone? No; a woman's function is laborious because it is gigantic, not because it is minute. I will pity Mrs. Jones for the hugeness of her task; I will never pity her for its smallness.”
I know that some women really do HAVE to work. The unmarried is the most common group in this category. They have to eat after all. I do think our society is a little too fast in kicking our children out of the nest and a little too slow in taking single relatives in. Single adults can be a blessing to the family by staying home and ministering to them. Young women can help mom with her work and relieve her burden. Young men can help with the finances. They need not always leave until they marry.
From Strong's concordance;
oikouros {oy-koo-ros'} adj
From 3624 and ouros (a guard, be "ware")
Caring for the house, working at home
The (watch or) keeper of the house
Keeping at home and taking care of household affairs
A domestic
Older women... teach the younger women to love their husbands, love their children, ...and be keepers at home.
That last term means to guard the home. Women are to love, guard, and nurture.
“For Adam was first formed, then Eve.” 1 Timothy 2:13.
Man being head of the house is something that has been from the beginning of time.
The feminists would have us believe that marriage can be "equal" with no one as a boss. This is impossible. Human nature is such that someone has to be boss. Someone has to make the final decisions My observation is that if no one is boss than the woman is boss. I won't say this is true all the time because I have not met every married couple on the planet. But I have personally never seen any exception. The Bible is clear. The man is to be the head of the household and the woman is to be his help meet.
A man can not force his wife to submit anymore than a woman can force her husband to love her. Both are a choice. I will not answer to God for my husband's level of love for me. It is really none of my business. Nor will he answer to God for my level of submission. It is none of his business. We each must answer to God for how we fulfill the commands He gives each one of us.
In summary, God made men and women to be two distinct different beings. He gave each a special, unique calling and the physical gifts necessary for those callings. To say that women can and should do everything men can do is to make the men irrelevant. To say that no one should do women's work (as the feminists say) is to degrade women and insult our Creator. Both distinct roles are very necessary to the survival of our society.
Genesis 2:18 “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.”
To say that men and women are the same is to say that God didn't really know what He was doing when He made them or that the Bible lied about beginnings.
This does not mean that woman is inferior to the man anymore than the cow is inferior to the horse. If you want to ride somewhere, the horse is the obvious choice because God has designed it to be ridden. But if you want milk for a large family or small village, you had better have a cow. The horse just won't cut it. God designed men to lead the family and women to help. It takes the inborn talents of both to accomplish God's will. They are a team working towards the same goal.
The Bible says that women were created in the image of God.
“So God created man(kind) in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and FEMALE created he them.”
When women quit caring for their own in the pursuit of mere money, we loose all that is clean, orderly, beautiful, gentle, caring, nourishing, and secure of the image of God. We no longer experience these traits of His in the cradle, kitchen table, nor school room at the hands of our own mother. Nor in the sick bed at the hands of our sisters, mothers, wives and daughters. We still have the strong, just, and logical image of God through our men, but this makes the view of Him so lopsided. Without both we have an inaccurate picture of God. Without both, we can not know God completely.
The Bible is clear that the marriage relationship is an object lesson for our relationship with God. What we want from our husbands (love, affection, protection, leadership) are what we should be looking to God for. What our husband wants from us (respect, intimacy, obedience) is what God wants from us. We learn from each other (men and women) what the church's relationship with God should be. God tells us to unconditionally obey our hubbys. He wants the church to unconditionally obey Him. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. God tells hubbys to love their wives enough to do the same for their wives. And when we are intimate with our hubbys our family just might grow. When we are intimate with God, The Family of Heaven grows. (If you want to be treated as an equal or better, submit to your hubby. Yes, that’s right, submit. God put two main instincts in men: compete and protect. If you are pushing for your rights, your opinions, he will instinctivly respond with competition. If you submit he will instictively respond with protection and even promotion. God told us how to get what we want; quit trying and just submit.)
In the early 1900's a group of lesbian/socialist/feminists began the original modern feminist movement (Rome and most other major empires had their own movements-just before they fell). Some churches over the next few decades had a backlash, often forgetting to preach to the men about “love your wives” while they were preaching to the women about “submit to your husbands and Keep at home.” This (and other societal issues) fueled the back-backlash of the sixties and seventies (The second feminist revolution). The little girls (and boys) that grew up during the seventies and eighties have been brain washed by this movement. Our textbooks in school didn't dare to show a female doing anything domestic. A father and son in the kitchen, wearing frilly aprons even, baking cookies was ok; But let them show a woman and all hell would break loose. We have been brainwashed.
I don't know about you, but being manipulated and lied to makes me MAD. Our social input has been very carefully controlled from the time we were very little. All dissenting thoughts were shamed out of the mainstream discourse (media) and especially the schools.
I have news for you: women who allow themselves to learn about domestic skills very often discover that they are FUN and mentally challenging (Oh, and women LIKE having babies. Birth control, in my observations, is usually for the purpose of freeing the man from supporting so many children. Many women really want more, but their hubbys veto it.) Housework is not the mindless drudgery it is portrayed to be. In fact, I find it far more stimulating than any job I held outside the home. Yet, little girls are intentionally encouraged to take wood shop while the boys are sent to cooking class (which actually focuses on institutional cooking not domestic chores. Home Ec doesn't teach about caring for the home but focuses on preparing for outside carriers. It is as if no one really has homes to care for or your own home isn't important enough to learn about.)
We (the first and subsequent TV generations) grew up with perfectly beautiful people in perfectly beautiful homes doing perfectly beautiful jobs...both mom and dad (Anyone remember the Huxtebles? Doctor married to a lawyer with beautiful kids and a house that was not ever dirty? I think they showed her carrying a feather duster once in the whole series. That was the only cleaning the whole house ever needed; And he was shown cooking more often then she was.) We seldom or never saw traditional roles, especially for women. If we did see a woman doing woman's work it was greatly down-played or even degraded.
Garbage in garbage out
Most women today have lost the vision of what being a woman means. They tend to think that because they put a bra on they are being a woman even though they live the same life as the men. Many of us are so busy being pseudo-men that we don't even think about what makes a man different than a woman.
“If a man does not provide for his own, especially those of his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an infidel (nonbeliever).”
Men are the providers. They may do this by building or conquering, selling or serving, but they are all to provide for their families. This was their part of the origional commad to Adam in the garden. In addition…
“In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground;”
A woman who leaves her family to make money, is accepting her husband's curse.
A woman at “home” doesn't mean more shopping trips to the mall though, or sitting in front of the TV and eating candy. Womanhood is a distinct calling unique to femaleness that is being done badly in our society or not being done at all.
Instead of one woman ministering to another in her greatest time of need, childbirth, in the safety and comfort of her own home, through midwifery; we have impersonal Obstetricians that don't know us and don't have the time to really care for us in the many ways we need it at this time (and how can a MALE OB possibly understand anymore than the clinical description of birth? He certainly has never done it.) One study I heard of found out that having another female in the delivery room substantially reduced the amounts of medicine needed by the mother even if the woman did nothing but sit in the corner. We need each other at this time. God made us that way.
The story that really set me on the path of studying this issue was one that took place in a church of 200 members. One woman had a miscarriage. She, of course, was grieving the loss of her baby and needed a time of physical recovery. The secretary of the church called every woman in the congregation. NO ONE could go care for and comfort this woman. They were all too busy with their jobs. (One woman, a school teacher, finally was able to arrange a couple of days off.) How many ministries within our own churches are being left undone because we are too busy obeying our bosses? No wonder the world is not all that tempted by us. We are no different than they are in carrying for our own.
Instead of a child being cared for by his loving mommy that thinks he is the most beautiful thing on this earth; who is trying to give him the best start in life; we have minimum wage child care providers and nannies. Hirelings. People who care for a child because it is a way to get a paycheck, not because they love that child.
“But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them (the sheep), and scattereth the sheep.”
No one can care for your children like you can.
Instead of a child being taught at the feet of their mother, who has known him since birth; he is educated at the government schools by some one who doesn't know him from Adam and won't know him a few months from now.
Deuteronomy 6:7 “And thou shalt teach them (God's Words) diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up (Every waking moment).”
Ephesians 6:4 “And, ye fathers (Greek word Parentis, means parents), provoke (frustrate) not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture (culture) and admonition (education) of the Lord.”
Our houses are cleaned by maids, or not at all, making them no more homey than a hotel, for it is the investing of self into the home through cleaning, caring and decorating that makes it a home.
Our food is cooked by McDonald's and Swanson and lacks the flavor, color and nutrition of a meal prepared by loving hands. People eat too much and too rich of foods trying to satisfy that hunger for home. It will never be found in a hamburger wrapper but in the arms (and frying pan!) of a loving woman.
Our sick are cared for by dedicated, but generic nurses. In times past the sick were cared for by their own loving mothers, sisters, wives and daughters. Government hirelings can't compare to the care given by your own family. Home health aids are nothing more than surrogate wives and mothers. (There are, of course, times when illness is so severe that professional nursing is the only answer. That is not what I am talking about. I am talking about women intentionally letting strangers do what they are perfectly capable of doing themselves; everyday elder care and low level nursing.)
Speaking of surrogate wives, the feminists (who appear to abhor anything feminine) are generally for legalizing prostitution. It only makes sense to farm out this part of womanhood to a nameless, faceless body just like any other part.
“You just want to make women to be second class citizens again.”
What do you think made women second class citizens before? Because they didn't generally earn money? That is the only answer I can come up with. Women certainly were well respected. Far more respected than they are today, in fact. (When was the last time a man gave you his seat or opened the door for you? These are signs of respect shown to dignitaries and people we revere. And there are very few poems written about fathers, but the ones written about mothers would fill a multi-volume set of books.) In most areas, women were allowed to own property, same as a man (Only the man's name was on the deed because a married couple was considered one intity. If he died she still owned the property). A lot of them were partners with their husbands in their businesses. Those whose families would literally starve if they didn't have two incomes, found things to do at home WHILE caring for their families to supplement the income (taking in wash and sewing were the most common). And I am not sure the right to vote is a blessing (Imagine not having to worry about politics? Just kidding:-)The laws stating that only land owning males could vote were designed to give each HOUSEHOLD one vote. It was assumed that an entire house believed the same and it would be unfair for those with adult children or grandparents at home to have more votes than a family with only small children.
There, of course, were some jerks that treated women like property, but that hasn't changed any. If anything, it has gotten worse. Ask my cousin that worked in the local domestic abuse center.
So the only thing I can figure that feminists are talking about is money. This means they do not value anything that doesn't earn money; that isn't “man's” work. How sad.
Women were vital to society. They nursed the sick, taught the young, nourished bodies, made homes out of houses, and kept the family running, often all in the same day. Like the Proverbs 31 woman, some found ways to supplement their family's income while doing their normal homemaking duties. Without women, life would have ceased to be worth living, and most men knew it, too. But because they didn't go out and earn a paycheck, many women today think their ancestors were poor, abused things; Second Class Citizens.
Fascinating. If my neighbor gets minimum wage to kiss booboos and fix lunch, that is empowerment but if I do the same thing in my own home for my own children I am a second class citizen.
If I teach somebody else's snot-nosed brats how to read I am a highly intelligent professional and disserve respect, but if I teach my own, I am obviously a little on the stupid side.
If I nurse other people's aging parents I am a wonderful Angel Of Mercy. If I nurse my own I am a slave.
The feminists and socialists have succeeded in making us believe that if something doesn't earn money, it doesn't have value. How incredibly sad. So much beauty in life has been lost because women are too busy earning filthy lucre to make the world around them a beautiful place.
Do I slave away for my family? No, I don't.
When a woman works outside the home, she has to be at work when her boss tells her to, eat lunch when he tells her to, and even go to the bathroom when he allows her to. She can only go home when he says she can and has to go to bed early enough to get up in time to be there in the morning when he says for her to be. Her whole life is controlled by her boss, and she is dependent on him to keep her at work and pay her salary.
I get up when I want, do my work when I want, how I want. I decide what that work will entail, too. You see, I have these nine clients (one husband and eight children) whose needs I must meet, but I am in control of how that is done. I am my own boss, the Queen Of My Castle, if you will. Yes, I depend on my husband's salary, but no more than I would depend on my boss's business sense or my customer's money if I had my own business.
Now look back over these last two paragraphs and tell me, who is the slave? Who is liberated?
G.K. Chesterton compared a mother's duties to those of a monarch, a merchant, and a theology teacher. He said, “I can understand how this might exhaust the mind, but I cannot imagine how it could narrow it. How can it be a large career to tell other people's children about (arithmetic), and a small career to tell one's own children about the universe? How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone, and narrow to be everything to someone? No; a woman's function is laborious because it is gigantic, not because it is minute. I will pity Mrs. Jones for the hugeness of her task; I will never pity her for its smallness.”
I know that some women really do HAVE to work. The unmarried is the most common group in this category. They have to eat after all. I do think our society is a little too fast in kicking our children out of the nest and a little too slow in taking single relatives in. Single adults can be a blessing to the family by staying home and ministering to them. Young women can help mom with her work and relieve her burden. Young men can help with the finances. They need not always leave until they marry.
From Strong's concordance;
oikouros {oy-koo-ros'} adj
From 3624 and ouros (a guard, be "ware")
Caring for the house, working at home
The (watch or) keeper of the house
Keeping at home and taking care of household affairs
A domestic
Older women... teach the younger women to love their husbands, love their children, ...and be keepers at home.
That last term means to guard the home. Women are to love, guard, and nurture.
“For Adam was first formed, then Eve.” 1 Timothy 2:13.
Man being head of the house is something that has been from the beginning of time.
The feminists would have us believe that marriage can be "equal" with no one as a boss. This is impossible. Human nature is such that someone has to be boss. Someone has to make the final decisions My observation is that if no one is boss than the woman is boss. I won't say this is true all the time because I have not met every married couple on the planet. But I have personally never seen any exception. The Bible is clear. The man is to be the head of the household and the woman is to be his help meet.
A man can not force his wife to submit anymore than a woman can force her husband to love her. Both are a choice. I will not answer to God for my husband's level of love for me. It is really none of my business. Nor will he answer to God for my level of submission. It is none of his business. We each must answer to God for how we fulfill the commands He gives each one of us.
In summary, God made men and women to be two distinct different beings. He gave each a special, unique calling and the physical gifts necessary for those callings. To say that women can and should do everything men can do is to make the men irrelevant. To say that no one should do women's work (as the feminists say) is to degrade women and insult our Creator. Both distinct roles are very necessary to the survival of our society.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
I am trying to find a way to explain
what I am seeing in the “Christian” community. I have several posts began on my computer, but none of them are just right. Let’s see if I can explain it;
I see a false religion portraying itself as Christianity taking over our churches. This religion teaches that there isn’t really a right and a wrong; that no one has the right to tell anyone else they are doing anything wrong, that we are all sinners and so no one has a right to call anything sin. If you try to point out that some behavior is unbiblical, you are called judgmental, condemning, self-righteous, legalistic. In other words, the only “sin” is to tell someone else they are sinning.
Where did this idea come from?
It came straight from the religion of atheism.
If there is no God, then the only standards are those that society (man) has created. Standards change with each generation, each cultural change. Thus, anyone who says anything is “wrong” is imposing their own religion on others.
So here we are. Even Christians are saying that the greatest wrong in our society is not tolerating gays, divorces, premarital sex. Or not “going green.”
So here is the truth, like it or lump it;
A Christian is, by definition, someone who is “Christ-like.”
Christ preached righteousness, “go and SIN NO MORE.” He taught about hell and judgment more than any other preacher in the Bible. For goodness sake, He beat the sellers in the temple with a whip! He called the Pharisees “snakes” and “children of the devil.” Those who didn’t know right from wrong He TAUGHT right from wrong. He didn’t let them continue in their sins. He told them to change. Those who knew but ignored right from wrong, those who tried to make up their own rules, He called names and warned them that they had better change or else.
The Bible is the absolute word of God, dictated to those who wrote it down. It is infallible. If it says something is wrong, then it is wrong. Period. A “Christian” tries to live their life as close to what the Bible says as possible. Yes we are human and all make mistakes (not sin- MISTAKES) occasionally. Because of the fall, not everyone is able to follow the Word (such as single mothers who must make a living instead of being keepers at home.) to the top degree. In fact, I would go so far as to say most can’t.
But that is no reason to not do all you CAN do to live close to God’s righteousness.
It’s time for Christians to read their Bibles again and start living for God. It’s time to start acting like Christians instead of heathens.
I see a false religion portraying itself as Christianity taking over our churches. This religion teaches that there isn’t really a right and a wrong; that no one has the right to tell anyone else they are doing anything wrong, that we are all sinners and so no one has a right to call anything sin. If you try to point out that some behavior is unbiblical, you are called judgmental, condemning, self-righteous, legalistic. In other words, the only “sin” is to tell someone else they are sinning.
Where did this idea come from?
It came straight from the religion of atheism.
If there is no God, then the only standards are those that society (man) has created. Standards change with each generation, each cultural change. Thus, anyone who says anything is “wrong” is imposing their own religion on others.
So here we are. Even Christians are saying that the greatest wrong in our society is not tolerating gays, divorces, premarital sex. Or not “going green.”
So here is the truth, like it or lump it;
A Christian is, by definition, someone who is “Christ-like.”
Christ preached righteousness, “go and SIN NO MORE.” He taught about hell and judgment more than any other preacher in the Bible. For goodness sake, He beat the sellers in the temple with a whip! He called the Pharisees “snakes” and “children of the devil.” Those who didn’t know right from wrong He TAUGHT right from wrong. He didn’t let them continue in their sins. He told them to change. Those who knew but ignored right from wrong, those who tried to make up their own rules, He called names and warned them that they had better change or else.
The Bible is the absolute word of God, dictated to those who wrote it down. It is infallible. If it says something is wrong, then it is wrong. Period. A “Christian” tries to live their life as close to what the Bible says as possible. Yes we are human and all make mistakes (not sin- MISTAKES) occasionally. Because of the fall, not everyone is able to follow the Word (such as single mothers who must make a living instead of being keepers at home.) to the top degree. In fact, I would go so far as to say most can’t.
But that is no reason to not do all you CAN do to live close to God’s righteousness.
It’s time for Christians to read their Bibles again and start living for God. It’s time to start acting like Christians instead of heathens.
Friday, June 12, 2009
When He keeps on blessn’ and blessn’….
Our Susie cat is camera shy.
Two of my farmhands
The "old" bunnieOur other doe has had four babies!
Four new bunnies. Trust me. That is what that dark red smudge in the middle is.
Our "old" chickies are doing good.I have posted recently about our new farm venture. I had put an add on craigslist saying we needed cheap animals (You never know. Someone may be desperate to get rid of just what we need). Then we found the chicks at the feed store. This was all fater we had the rabbits and bovines.
A nice woman emailed me that she had a hen and six chicks we could have. Turns out she never wanted them and had just sort of accidently aquiered them, and that she lived just five minutes away. So Joy and I jumped in the van and went to get ourselves some more chickies! We now have a Bantum (minature) Black Cochin Hen (2 years old,) and six Auracana chicks. The chicks will lay blue and green eggs(!) in about six months. The hen should resume laying anytime. Our “old” chicks (the same age as the new ones) are Orpingtons and will lay brown eggs. So we have quite a flock now!
A nice woman emailed me that she had a hen and six chicks we could have. Turns out she never wanted them and had just sort of accidently aquiered them, and that she lived just five minutes away. So Joy and I jumped in the van and went to get ourselves some more chickies! We now have a Bantum (minature) Black Cochin Hen (2 years old,) and six Auracana chicks. The chicks will lay blue and green eggs(!) in about six months. The hen should resume laying anytime. Our “old” chicks (the same age as the new ones) are Orpingtons and will lay brown eggs. So we have quite a flock now!
Our "new" chicks.
Ok, so she isn't exactly a beauty queen.This brings our count to:
1 cow
2 calves
13 chickens
8 rabbits
2 cats
1 dog
and I still don't know how many goldfish.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
THE MOTE AND THE LOG
This post was written by guest blogger, Tumbleweed (http://tumbleweed.name/). I find he often words things better than I can.
I find it incredible that this nation is discussing such things as abortion and homosexuality. Is abortion a crime? Is homosexuality a sin? Is the moon made of green cheese?
Sin is established by God. Sin is not the domain of the courts of any land. No one can regulate sin But God Himself.
The courts can regulate what is considered as a crime. But what is a criminal act is not necessarily considered as sin by God. And what is considered a sin is not necessarily considered a crime by anyone's law.
There was a period of time when crime and law were the same. This was the days of Israel's leadership under God's rule. Break any of God's rules, and you have committed a sin. It was easy to determine just what was against the law in those days. If you picked up sticks on the Sabbath, or you sassed your parents, and you saw your community leaders coming toward you with a pile of stones, you might get a clue that you broke a law.
In the early days of this land, and in other lands that gave themselves the title of "civilized," there was an effort to create laws that conformed with the Bible, that is, as best as humanly possible this was accomplished. In the beginning of this nation there was established a policy that stated that there would be a separation of church and state. For two hundred years or thereabouts this was understood as a measure with which to prevent persecution of a person or a group because of their religious beliefs. This obviously was not taken to heart by either the citizenry of this nation, nor its leaders. We need but research the history of the Mormon church or the Jehovah's witnesses to bear this out.
But we at least tried to do the right thing, or at least we set the right thing as our direction.
In the early days of what we call the "media" there was a strong effort to make whatever traversed the airways conform to the moral values and the laws the we see written in the Word of God that was read by a vast majority of the people. Even our leaders were at least familiar with the Bible, or at least claimed to be familiar with the Bible or else they would have never made it to office since this was a Bible-believing nation, and at least there was an effort made to be a Bible following nation.
Over time there have been tiny steps made, unnoticed by the masses, to turn this nation and the world's thinking upside-down. One of the first things that was to be attacked is our notion of separation of church and state. Rather than this fundamental ideology protecting the church from the state, it has become a means by which to "protect" the state from the church. Now, rather than the church, that is God establishing the rules by which the citizenry must conform, it is now the world who tells us the way we must live, while at the same time denying that the One, God, who established what constitutes sin no longer exists. Therefore, since God does not exist, then neither does His rules that we use to understand what is sin.
Sin no longer exists. Sin is not a consideration in our courts or our schools any longer. Sin not only has no place in our thinking anymore, but it is encourages as a means of establishing what is called "free speech" and "personal liberty."
In the past our churches did not preach sin, that is, they did not preach what constituts sin. On occasion such a topic might have been broached as a means of providing variety, but sin, that is what sin is was known by all. It was taught from birth what sin is, and that it should be avoided at all cost. What was preached from the pulpit was the consequences for sin. And in order to try and avoid the consequences of sin, sin was in a measure avoided.
In today's churches the topic of sin is given a great deal of time and energy. The reason that the churches must preach what sin is, is because people no longer know what sin is. Sin is portrayed in everything from children's cartoons and games, to what we used to call "pornography" before the world redefined the word.
It is interesting to me that the churches must now struggle to define what is sin and what is not. In the churches (especially many of the leading churches of times past), sin is not only being discussed and defined, it is also being experimented with and allowed. And I suspect, in days to come, what the Bible defines as sin will be so pronounced in the churches that even the World will be appalled, which it already has become.
When sin was not taught in the churches, but rather the consequences of sin was preached loud and clear: people came to their knees in tears and repentance. Sin was something to be avoided at all cost if at all possible.
When the consequences of sin was preached, it was common practice to have what was then referred to as "alter calls." People would come to the alter and seek guidance and forgiveness from the Lord. Other's would kneel at their pew and seek the Lord in prayer. When I was young, this was a very common practice. Now that I an old, in all the different churches I have attended, I have not heard but very little mentioned as to the consequences of sin (and then only in passing), and I have not heard an alter call from any of them, nor have seen a single person on their knees.
I of course take into consideration the fact that I have not attended every church, nor every denomination (yet); so if your church is an exception, you are one of the fortunate ones.
The consequences of sin is seen as an evil in the churches today. It smacks of the "fire and brimstone" messages of times past when people sought to follow the Lord, and repented of their sins (or at least made an effort to repent). Consequences of sin goes contrary to the "Love of God" messages the churches of today are so fond of. The anger of God is dismissed and smoothed over in order that the Love of God will better shine from the torch of the churches.
And as the Love of God shines, and the consequences of sin is swept under the carpet, the World continues to grow farther and farther from the knowledge of what sin is. And those who know what sin is, no longer care that they sin, because there is no consequences being taught for committing sin.
The churches do not preach consequences of sin, the courts disregard sin when creating laws. And the media dictates what the attitude of the people should be.
Those who preach the love of God, and minimize the anger of God, are not only setting themselves up to experience the wrath of God themselves, but all those they have influenced with their doctrine as well (Ezek 33 all; Mat 7:22). If I were one of these preachers who minimize the consequences of sin, I think I would be in dire fear of the day I have to stand before the Throne. I believe it will be difficult enough to try and justify my actions (works) in this life without having claimed to be an authority of God's Word, and a pathway to His grace.
Peace and love are the bywords of the churches today, as they were in the Hippy generation of the 70's and Woodstock. And because the churches preach the same message as did the rebellious youth of times past, it also suffers the same problems and consequences as does that generation (Modern Society).
Thus we have what he have today.
Chaos.
Who is to blame for the mess we are in? Where did we leave the golden path we were trying to follow when I was young? Fingers point in every direction: It's the media; it's the government; it's the schools; it's society.
The government, nor the schools, nor society, nor the media have been given the responsibility to inform the people concerning virtues, nor to control the morals of our world. Each of these institutions have their function, but the teaching of God's Word, and the preaching of what will happen if God's Word is not followed is not one of them. This responsibility was given to the Church, the body of Christ, God's representative here on earth. If the morals of this world has gone amiss, it is the fault of the church, not the government or of society.
If it is then the church who is at fault, and I firmly believe that it is, where did the church go astray?
When the consequences of sin was taught, the church was strong and had a great influence on the world and the direction it was taking. When the consequences of sin was withdrawn from the messages of the church, the world began to follow its own devices.
One of those devices is to do away with or minimize the consequences of committing a crime. Prison sentences were lessened or done away with altogether; capital punishment was placed on the alter of "love and forgiveness for all," crime became a psychological problem rather than a heart issue; prisons became a country club rather than a room with iron bars; and a criminal was no longer at fault for their actions, but rather it was the fault of the parent and society in general.
And where did such a notion come from? Was it from the same Bible that the fire and brimstone preachers preached from? Is it the same Book that tells of God bringing down great devastation on those nations that sinned, including the one He had taken under wing and essentially cast out for 2000 years? Is it the Book that describes in great detail the wrath and the eternal punishment He is going to rain on those who disregard His commandment and His warnings?
Society's concept of love is not working, and because it is not working, crime has become an everyday occurrence and is growing by leaps and bounds. Society has not learned its lesson.
And neither has the church.
In psychology it is taught that in order for a person to change their life, they must first admit their problem and then do something about what they have seen. The world has accepted and preaches a concept taught by God.
The Bible tells us that in order to change our lives and become like Christ, that is to be a "Christian," we must first admit our problem (which is sin), repent of that sin, and change our ways.
We know that what the psychologists preach works.
Why is it that the churches no longer preach such a message? They think they are preaching such a message, but in reality they are not. The churches preach what is closer to being "Name it and claim it" theology. They preach that if you name Jesus, and bear the title of "Christian," then you already have everything offered by God and it is up to God to change us in spite of our rebellious ways. No psychologist would say that all you have to do is recognize that you have a problem with overeating, and not say that in order to rid yourself of the consequences of your problem that you must do something about that problem
The world discusses what to do about such things as abortion and homosexuality. They no longer ask the question if it against the law or not, that is not an issue any longer in this "do your own thing" society. Questions of what to do about people who say anything about someone who commits homosexuality and abortion is discussed and given legal judgements, but not so those who practice the acts.
Is homosexuality against the law? Is the killing of the unborn against the law?
Not in this country they are not.
Is homosexuality and abortion a sin?
The mere fact that such subjects are even being discussed, especially in the churches, shows how far astray our nation has come from reality.
Homosexuality is a sin. Abortion is a sin. And before the ACLU stones me, or the churches praise my stance, let me add this:
So is adultery a sin. So is covertness a sin. So is lust a sin. Homosexuality and abortion are no more a sin than is lying. God condemns them all in one huge lump. Someone who is guilty of one is guilty of all (James 2:10-13).
Until the church learns to evaluate itself, and returns to a pure direction, calling sin the abomination it is, in all it's forms, not just those sins it deems as unacceptable; and until the church cleanses itself of even the "least" of its stains of sin: it will have no effect on society or government (1Cor 5:all; Rev 22:14-15).
Pointing the finger will not solve the problem. The problem lies with the church itself. We are told that we have control over but one person, that is ourself. This is equally true of the church. Struggling against laws that are passed, and who will be in elected positions is not the responsibility of the church. But the purification of itself, and the perfecting of the Saints is its responsibility (Mat 7:3-4).
This is not being done.
Trying to cleanse the world with our hands filthy will do nothing more than spread the filth that already exists. Yet it has been given to us to spread the Word to the world, and to influence the world toward righteousness. But until we preach righteousness, and the consequences for the lack of such righteousness, and demonstrate such in our own lives, we will have less than no influence on those we seek to purify.
I find it incredible that this nation is discussing such things as abortion and homosexuality. Is abortion a crime? Is homosexuality a sin? Is the moon made of green cheese?
Sin is established by God. Sin is not the domain of the courts of any land. No one can regulate sin But God Himself.
The courts can regulate what is considered as a crime. But what is a criminal act is not necessarily considered as sin by God. And what is considered a sin is not necessarily considered a crime by anyone's law.
There was a period of time when crime and law were the same. This was the days of Israel's leadership under God's rule. Break any of God's rules, and you have committed a sin. It was easy to determine just what was against the law in those days. If you picked up sticks on the Sabbath, or you sassed your parents, and you saw your community leaders coming toward you with a pile of stones, you might get a clue that you broke a law.
In the early days of this land, and in other lands that gave themselves the title of "civilized," there was an effort to create laws that conformed with the Bible, that is, as best as humanly possible this was accomplished. In the beginning of this nation there was established a policy that stated that there would be a separation of church and state. For two hundred years or thereabouts this was understood as a measure with which to prevent persecution of a person or a group because of their religious beliefs. This obviously was not taken to heart by either the citizenry of this nation, nor its leaders. We need but research the history of the Mormon church or the Jehovah's witnesses to bear this out.
But we at least tried to do the right thing, or at least we set the right thing as our direction.
In the early days of what we call the "media" there was a strong effort to make whatever traversed the airways conform to the moral values and the laws the we see written in the Word of God that was read by a vast majority of the people. Even our leaders were at least familiar with the Bible, or at least claimed to be familiar with the Bible or else they would have never made it to office since this was a Bible-believing nation, and at least there was an effort made to be a Bible following nation.
Over time there have been tiny steps made, unnoticed by the masses, to turn this nation and the world's thinking upside-down. One of the first things that was to be attacked is our notion of separation of church and state. Rather than this fundamental ideology protecting the church from the state, it has become a means by which to "protect" the state from the church. Now, rather than the church, that is God establishing the rules by which the citizenry must conform, it is now the world who tells us the way we must live, while at the same time denying that the One, God, who established what constitutes sin no longer exists. Therefore, since God does not exist, then neither does His rules that we use to understand what is sin.
Sin no longer exists. Sin is not a consideration in our courts or our schools any longer. Sin not only has no place in our thinking anymore, but it is encourages as a means of establishing what is called "free speech" and "personal liberty."
In the past our churches did not preach sin, that is, they did not preach what constituts sin. On occasion such a topic might have been broached as a means of providing variety, but sin, that is what sin is was known by all. It was taught from birth what sin is, and that it should be avoided at all cost. What was preached from the pulpit was the consequences for sin. And in order to try and avoid the consequences of sin, sin was in a measure avoided.
In today's churches the topic of sin is given a great deal of time and energy. The reason that the churches must preach what sin is, is because people no longer know what sin is. Sin is portrayed in everything from children's cartoons and games, to what we used to call "pornography" before the world redefined the word.
It is interesting to me that the churches must now struggle to define what is sin and what is not. In the churches (especially many of the leading churches of times past), sin is not only being discussed and defined, it is also being experimented with and allowed. And I suspect, in days to come, what the Bible defines as sin will be so pronounced in the churches that even the World will be appalled, which it already has become.
When sin was not taught in the churches, but rather the consequences of sin was preached loud and clear: people came to their knees in tears and repentance. Sin was something to be avoided at all cost if at all possible.
When the consequences of sin was preached, it was common practice to have what was then referred to as "alter calls." People would come to the alter and seek guidance and forgiveness from the Lord. Other's would kneel at their pew and seek the Lord in prayer. When I was young, this was a very common practice. Now that I an old, in all the different churches I have attended, I have not heard but very little mentioned as to the consequences of sin (and then only in passing), and I have not heard an alter call from any of them, nor have seen a single person on their knees.
I of course take into consideration the fact that I have not attended every church, nor every denomination (yet); so if your church is an exception, you are one of the fortunate ones.
The consequences of sin is seen as an evil in the churches today. It smacks of the "fire and brimstone" messages of times past when people sought to follow the Lord, and repented of their sins (or at least made an effort to repent). Consequences of sin goes contrary to the "Love of God" messages the churches of today are so fond of. The anger of God is dismissed and smoothed over in order that the Love of God will better shine from the torch of the churches.
And as the Love of God shines, and the consequences of sin is swept under the carpet, the World continues to grow farther and farther from the knowledge of what sin is. And those who know what sin is, no longer care that they sin, because there is no consequences being taught for committing sin.
The churches do not preach consequences of sin, the courts disregard sin when creating laws. And the media dictates what the attitude of the people should be.
Those who preach the love of God, and minimize the anger of God, are not only setting themselves up to experience the wrath of God themselves, but all those they have influenced with their doctrine as well (Ezek 33 all; Mat 7:22). If I were one of these preachers who minimize the consequences of sin, I think I would be in dire fear of the day I have to stand before the Throne. I believe it will be difficult enough to try and justify my actions (works) in this life without having claimed to be an authority of God's Word, and a pathway to His grace.
Peace and love are the bywords of the churches today, as they were in the Hippy generation of the 70's and Woodstock. And because the churches preach the same message as did the rebellious youth of times past, it also suffers the same problems and consequences as does that generation (Modern Society).
Thus we have what he have today.
Chaos.
Who is to blame for the mess we are in? Where did we leave the golden path we were trying to follow when I was young? Fingers point in every direction: It's the media; it's the government; it's the schools; it's society.
The government, nor the schools, nor society, nor the media have been given the responsibility to inform the people concerning virtues, nor to control the morals of our world. Each of these institutions have their function, but the teaching of God's Word, and the preaching of what will happen if God's Word is not followed is not one of them. This responsibility was given to the Church, the body of Christ, God's representative here on earth. If the morals of this world has gone amiss, it is the fault of the church, not the government or of society.
If it is then the church who is at fault, and I firmly believe that it is, where did the church go astray?
When the consequences of sin was taught, the church was strong and had a great influence on the world and the direction it was taking. When the consequences of sin was withdrawn from the messages of the church, the world began to follow its own devices.
One of those devices is to do away with or minimize the consequences of committing a crime. Prison sentences were lessened or done away with altogether; capital punishment was placed on the alter of "love and forgiveness for all," crime became a psychological problem rather than a heart issue; prisons became a country club rather than a room with iron bars; and a criminal was no longer at fault for their actions, but rather it was the fault of the parent and society in general.
And where did such a notion come from? Was it from the same Bible that the fire and brimstone preachers preached from? Is it the same Book that tells of God bringing down great devastation on those nations that sinned, including the one He had taken under wing and essentially cast out for 2000 years? Is it the Book that describes in great detail the wrath and the eternal punishment He is going to rain on those who disregard His commandment and His warnings?
Society's concept of love is not working, and because it is not working, crime has become an everyday occurrence and is growing by leaps and bounds. Society has not learned its lesson.
And neither has the church.
In psychology it is taught that in order for a person to change their life, they must first admit their problem and then do something about what they have seen. The world has accepted and preaches a concept taught by God.
The Bible tells us that in order to change our lives and become like Christ, that is to be a "Christian," we must first admit our problem (which is sin), repent of that sin, and change our ways.
We know that what the psychologists preach works.
Why is it that the churches no longer preach such a message? They think they are preaching such a message, but in reality they are not. The churches preach what is closer to being "Name it and claim it" theology. They preach that if you name Jesus, and bear the title of "Christian," then you already have everything offered by God and it is up to God to change us in spite of our rebellious ways. No psychologist would say that all you have to do is recognize that you have a problem with overeating, and not say that in order to rid yourself of the consequences of your problem that you must do something about that problem
The world discusses what to do about such things as abortion and homosexuality. They no longer ask the question if it against the law or not, that is not an issue any longer in this "do your own thing" society. Questions of what to do about people who say anything about someone who commits homosexuality and abortion is discussed and given legal judgements, but not so those who practice the acts.
Is homosexuality against the law? Is the killing of the unborn against the law?
Not in this country they are not.
Is homosexuality and abortion a sin?
The mere fact that such subjects are even being discussed, especially in the churches, shows how far astray our nation has come from reality.
Homosexuality is a sin. Abortion is a sin. And before the ACLU stones me, or the churches praise my stance, let me add this:
So is adultery a sin. So is covertness a sin. So is lust a sin. Homosexuality and abortion are no more a sin than is lying. God condemns them all in one huge lump. Someone who is guilty of one is guilty of all (James 2:10-13).
Until the church learns to evaluate itself, and returns to a pure direction, calling sin the abomination it is, in all it's forms, not just those sins it deems as unacceptable; and until the church cleanses itself of even the "least" of its stains of sin: it will have no effect on society or government (1Cor 5:all; Rev 22:14-15).
Pointing the finger will not solve the problem. The problem lies with the church itself. We are told that we have control over but one person, that is ourself. This is equally true of the church. Struggling against laws that are passed, and who will be in elected positions is not the responsibility of the church. But the purification of itself, and the perfecting of the Saints is its responsibility (Mat 7:3-4).
This is not being done.
Trying to cleanse the world with our hands filthy will do nothing more than spread the filth that already exists. Yet it has been given to us to spread the Word to the world, and to influence the world toward righteousness. But until we preach righteousness, and the consequences for the lack of such righteousness, and demonstrate such in our own lives, we will have less than no influence on those we seek to purify.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
God’s way to Educate
Who invented the family?
God, of course.
Who invented age segregation?
Man.
This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have age segregation in our churches. Age segregation has always been around.
So has sin. That doesn’t justify it being in the church.
In order to define our terms: “Traditional Church”- or TC- is where the family walks into the building and the children go to Sunday school, children’s church, and youth ministry while the adults go to the sanctuary for “real church.” “Family Integrated Church”- or FIC- is where the entire congregation worships in the same room, at the same time.
A TC sorts people according to age. A FIC sorts people according to family.
A TC assigns a “staff member” to teach each sorted group (class). A FC assigns the parents to teach each group. (Or more accurately, acknowledges that God has assigned the parents to teach the children.)
Both train and equip their teachers to do their job.
A TC needs a sanctuary, fellowship hall, kitchen, bathrooms, and a classroom for each group (often more than 50% of the needed square footage of the facilities.) A FIC needs a sanctuary, fellowship hall, kitchen and bathrooms. Their “educational groups” meet in their own homes.
There is no direct biblical support for TC, and any indirect support is iffy at best. There is a great deal of biblical support for the family to be the main educational unit in a child’s life and for a child to receive an exclusively Christian education.
Deuteronomy 6:7, “Teach [My Words] unto your children talking of them when you do your errands in town, rest in the evening, get ready for the day, and do your day’s work.” (In other words; Every Waking Moment.)
Ephesians 6:4, “Parents, don’t frustrate your children but bring them up in the education and culture of the Lord.”
Deuteronomy 4:9 “Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren,”
Deuteronomy 11:19 “You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”
Exodus 8: 8 “And you shall tell your son in that day, saying, ‘This is done because of what the LORD did for me.”
Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Galatians 3:24 “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” (It is learning God’s laws that brings us to Christ.)
Jeremiah 10:2 “Thus says the LORD: “ Do not learn the way of the Gentiles;…”
Psalm 1: 2 “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates DAY AND NIGHT.” (This includes school hours).
2 Corinthians 10:5 “Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing EVERY THOUGHT into captivity to the obedience of Christ,” (Even math thoughts)
Proverbs 23:7 “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”
Luke 6:40 “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained (finished with his schooling) will be like his teacher.” (and if his teacher isn’t a chirsitian…)
Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Matthew 16:23 “But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not MINDFUL OF THE THINGS OF GOD, but the things of men.”
Colossians 3:1 “If then you were raised with Christ, seek THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE ABOVE, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Matthew 22:37-38 “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the first and great commandment.”
(On the affects of non-Christian associations) 1 Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
Proverbs 13:20 “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.” (Remember that “the fool says in his heart there is no God.” So anyone who walks with, or spends time with, someone who doesn’t acknowledge God is on the path to destruction.)
Matthew 18:6 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”
(The content of true education)
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (What more do you need from an education?)
Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (True education BEGINS with the fear of God, but atheists despise true knowledge.)
Psalm 111:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.”
Proverbs 2:6 “For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;”
Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
James 3:13-18 “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and SELF-SEEKING IN YOUR HEARTS (hints of the many “self-esteem” mantras taught in schools today?), do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, (such as competing for the best grades) confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”
Psalm 119:97-101 “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. 98 You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me.”
2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Matthew 6:33 “But seek FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and ALL THESE THINGS (including a good education) shall be added to you.”
(Children belong to God)
Ezekiel “that you have slain MY CHILDREN and offered them up to them by causing them to pass through the fire?”
Matthew 22:21 “They say unto him, ‘Caesar's.’ Then saith He unto them, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.” Caesar’s image was carved on the money. Render the tax coin to Caesar. Our children are carved in the image of God. Give them to Him.)
Let’s look at some numbers.
(I believe God calls some churches to be small no matter what. Some people need the energy of a large church and others need the much more personalized attention and accountability of a smaller congregation. For this reason, God has created many different sizes of congregations (with the “average” church being around 60 people). As a result, we cannot measure a church’s success by the size of its membership role. That would be comparing apples and oranges. We CAN compare percentage of retention. In other words, what percentage of children who attend a certain church continue to serve God into their twenties? For example, I would rate a church with ten children who all grow up to serve God faithfully much higher than a church with 1000 children, 90% of whom backslide as soon as they become adults. The second church failed in their assigned job of “Training up their children in the way they should go.”
Another valid measure would be the percentage of those who make a decision for Christ who are still serving Him five years down the road, but we are dealing with children in this discussion.)
Children who grow up in Christian homes, TC, and public school have a retention rate of 15%.
Children who grow up in Christian homes and FIC have a retention rate of 80%.
Children who are homeschooled have a retention rate of 96%.
Combine homeschooling and FIC and you get very close to 100%
History
“Sunday School” was invented by John Wesley. In England in his time, there were no compulsory attendance laws. Since they did not have the history of literacy given to us Americans by the pilgrims, this meant that the children of the poor often worked instead of going to school and their parents were too illiterate themselves to teach them. Mr. Wesley (founder of the Methodist Church), began teaching READING (in free classes) on most poor children’s only day off- Sunday. This allowed them to read the Bible for themselves. It was a wonderful ministry and resulted in a vast increase in the Christian church. He brought “Sunday School” to America. Here it quickly spread also, making a real difference in the lives of illiterate immigrants.
Soon after this, America began to pass compulsory attendance laws. Before this, it was the norm for a truly Christian family to read the Bible, sing hymns, and pray together after every meal (“Whenever you break bread, do it in remembrance of Me.”) Also, since most parents simply taught their children themselves, they would use the most important Book in the house as their main textbook (Since the average book at this time cost more than a week’s salary, it may even have been the only book, though eyewitnesses of the time claim the majority of homes also had a Euclid’s Geometry and it wasn’t unusual to find a law book or two). Penmanship assignments would be copying scripture on slates. Memorization would be verses, (One family I read about required one verse be memorized every DAY! That’s nearly 4000 verses memorized by the end of a ten year education!) And each child would have an actual Bible study to do every day, often learning Greek and Hebrew in order to research the original meaning of the Word, (When you read of women complaining because they were not “educated,” it meant they were not taught Greek and Hebrew. They could read and write better than we can today, as you will see if you read their original diaries). With the new laws, these children were forced into schools- against their parent’s wishes (often at gun point)- during their best hours of the day. The schools continued the Bible studies and the parents, not wanting to overwork their children, quit theirs at home. By the next generation or so, radio was invented and families would gather around it instead the Bible after meals. After all, the children were learning all the Bible stuff at school (though more of it was being removed form the curriculum every year) and more and more churches were having Sunday schools, which were beginning to teach the Bible, as well as reading. The children were being taught that it was the church’s and school’s job to teach the Bible to children. Then came TV and the court rulings removing prayer and Bible from the schools. Today, we honestly think a parent has fulfilled his job of “bringing up his child in the culture and education of the Lord” if he doesn’t steal, cuss or cheat and drives his child to church once per week for a one hour Bible class.
Classic divide and conquer tactics. Satan did a good job of it, didn’t he?
God, of course.
Who invented age segregation?
Man.
This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have age segregation in our churches. Age segregation has always been around.
So has sin. That doesn’t justify it being in the church.
In order to define our terms: “Traditional Church”- or TC- is where the family walks into the building and the children go to Sunday school, children’s church, and youth ministry while the adults go to the sanctuary for “real church.” “Family Integrated Church”- or FIC- is where the entire congregation worships in the same room, at the same time.
A TC sorts people according to age. A FIC sorts people according to family.
A TC assigns a “staff member” to teach each sorted group (class). A FC assigns the parents to teach each group. (Or more accurately, acknowledges that God has assigned the parents to teach the children.)
Both train and equip their teachers to do their job.
A TC needs a sanctuary, fellowship hall, kitchen, bathrooms, and a classroom for each group (often more than 50% of the needed square footage of the facilities.) A FIC needs a sanctuary, fellowship hall, kitchen and bathrooms. Their “educational groups” meet in their own homes.
There is no direct biblical support for TC, and any indirect support is iffy at best. There is a great deal of biblical support for the family to be the main educational unit in a child’s life and for a child to receive an exclusively Christian education.
Deuteronomy 6:7, “Teach [My Words] unto your children talking of them when you do your errands in town, rest in the evening, get ready for the day, and do your day’s work.” (In other words; Every Waking Moment.)
Ephesians 6:4, “Parents, don’t frustrate your children but bring them up in the education and culture of the Lord.”
Deuteronomy 4:9 “Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren,”
Deuteronomy 11:19 “You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”
Exodus 8: 8 “And you shall tell your son in that day, saying, ‘This is done because of what the LORD did for me.”
Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Galatians 3:24 “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” (It is learning God’s laws that brings us to Christ.)
Jeremiah 10:2 “Thus says the LORD: “ Do not learn the way of the Gentiles;…”
Psalm 1: 2 “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates DAY AND NIGHT.” (This includes school hours).
2 Corinthians 10:5 “Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing EVERY THOUGHT into captivity to the obedience of Christ,” (Even math thoughts)
Proverbs 23:7 “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”
Luke 6:40 “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained (finished with his schooling) will be like his teacher.” (and if his teacher isn’t a chirsitian…)
Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Matthew 16:23 “But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not MINDFUL OF THE THINGS OF GOD, but the things of men.”
Colossians 3:1 “If then you were raised with Christ, seek THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE ABOVE, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Matthew 22:37-38 “Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the first and great commandment.”
(On the affects of non-Christian associations) 1 Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
Proverbs 13:20 “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.” (Remember that “the fool says in his heart there is no God.” So anyone who walks with, or spends time with, someone who doesn’t acknowledge God is on the path to destruction.)
Matthew 18:6 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”
(The content of true education)
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (What more do you need from an education?)
Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (True education BEGINS with the fear of God, but atheists despise true knowledge.)
Psalm 111:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.”
Proverbs 2:6 “For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;”
Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
James 3:13-18 “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and SELF-SEEKING IN YOUR HEARTS (hints of the many “self-esteem” mantras taught in schools today?), do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, (such as competing for the best grades) confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”
Psalm 119:97-101 “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. 98 You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me.”
2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Matthew 6:33 “But seek FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and ALL THESE THINGS (including a good education) shall be added to you.”
(Children belong to God)
Ezekiel “that you have slain MY CHILDREN and offered them up to them by causing them to pass through the fire?”
Matthew 22:21 “They say unto him, ‘Caesar's.’ Then saith He unto them, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.” Caesar’s image was carved on the money. Render the tax coin to Caesar. Our children are carved in the image of God. Give them to Him.)
Let’s look at some numbers.
(I believe God calls some churches to be small no matter what. Some people need the energy of a large church and others need the much more personalized attention and accountability of a smaller congregation. For this reason, God has created many different sizes of congregations (with the “average” church being around 60 people). As a result, we cannot measure a church’s success by the size of its membership role. That would be comparing apples and oranges. We CAN compare percentage of retention. In other words, what percentage of children who attend a certain church continue to serve God into their twenties? For example, I would rate a church with ten children who all grow up to serve God faithfully much higher than a church with 1000 children, 90% of whom backslide as soon as they become adults. The second church failed in their assigned job of “Training up their children in the way they should go.”
Another valid measure would be the percentage of those who make a decision for Christ who are still serving Him five years down the road, but we are dealing with children in this discussion.)
Children who grow up in Christian homes, TC, and public school have a retention rate of 15%.
Children who grow up in Christian homes and FIC have a retention rate of 80%.
Children who are homeschooled have a retention rate of 96%.
Combine homeschooling and FIC and you get very close to 100%
History
“Sunday School” was invented by John Wesley. In England in his time, there were no compulsory attendance laws. Since they did not have the history of literacy given to us Americans by the pilgrims, this meant that the children of the poor often worked instead of going to school and their parents were too illiterate themselves to teach them. Mr. Wesley (founder of the Methodist Church), began teaching READING (in free classes) on most poor children’s only day off- Sunday. This allowed them to read the Bible for themselves. It was a wonderful ministry and resulted in a vast increase in the Christian church. He brought “Sunday School” to America. Here it quickly spread also, making a real difference in the lives of illiterate immigrants.
Soon after this, America began to pass compulsory attendance laws. Before this, it was the norm for a truly Christian family to read the Bible, sing hymns, and pray together after every meal (“Whenever you break bread, do it in remembrance of Me.”) Also, since most parents simply taught their children themselves, they would use the most important Book in the house as their main textbook (Since the average book at this time cost more than a week’s salary, it may even have been the only book, though eyewitnesses of the time claim the majority of homes also had a Euclid’s Geometry and it wasn’t unusual to find a law book or two). Penmanship assignments would be copying scripture on slates. Memorization would be verses, (One family I read about required one verse be memorized every DAY! That’s nearly 4000 verses memorized by the end of a ten year education!) And each child would have an actual Bible study to do every day, often learning Greek and Hebrew in order to research the original meaning of the Word, (When you read of women complaining because they were not “educated,” it meant they were not taught Greek and Hebrew. They could read and write better than we can today, as you will see if you read their original diaries). With the new laws, these children were forced into schools- against their parent’s wishes (often at gun point)- during their best hours of the day. The schools continued the Bible studies and the parents, not wanting to overwork their children, quit theirs at home. By the next generation or so, radio was invented and families would gather around it instead the Bible after meals. After all, the children were learning all the Bible stuff at school (though more of it was being removed form the curriculum every year) and more and more churches were having Sunday schools, which were beginning to teach the Bible, as well as reading. The children were being taught that it was the church’s and school’s job to teach the Bible to children. Then came TV and the court rulings removing prayer and Bible from the schools. Today, we honestly think a parent has fulfilled his job of “bringing up his child in the culture and education of the Lord” if he doesn’t steal, cuss or cheat and drives his child to church once per week for a one hour Bible class.
Classic divide and conquer tactics. Satan did a good job of it, didn’t he?
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Phonics or What?
There is a lot of confusion of how to teach reading these days: phonics, intense phonics, natural phonics, phonics only, see-say, whole language, etc. Many people are very passionate that their way is the only way.
Researchers that were neutral on the issue wanted it settled once and for all. They examined every program out there and came to the conclusion that there are really only two ways to teach reading- phonics and see-say (many teachers will argue that whole language is a third option. The researchers found, though, that whole language is really just see-say with a thin icing of incidental phonics.).
Phonics is teaching the letters of the alphabet and their sounds, then teaching how to blend those sounds into words, then sentences, then paragraphs. See-say is teaching children to memorize the shape of each word.
Every honest test ever done has shown phonics to be the only way to consistently, successfully teach reading.
Some say English is not a phonetic language. This is simply not true. Another set of researchers entered every word in the English language into a computer and had the machine analyze them. Out of some 300,000 words, 90% were phonetically correct. The only reason they all weren’t was because English is the largest language the planet has ever seen and our alphabet only has 26 letters. This makes for a few weird combinations.
To sum it up: there are some 300,000 words in the English language, but only 44 sounds. These 44 sounds are all spelled with 26 letters, governed by around 200 rules (with just a few exceptions). Learn the 26 letters and the 50 or so most common rules (and the few exceptions) and you can decode the entire English language.
Comprehension is a different subject than reading. If you can decode the language you will be able to read all the words in your vocabulary. If you find you can’t understand reading material, it means you need to increase your vocabulary. Read the dictionary. Buy “English from the Roots up.” And go through the 100 roots in it. Stretch yourself.
To illustrate: if I were to tell you that the shoulder dystocia was caused by ceval/ pelvic distortion you would probably not know what I am talking about. You do not comprehend what you just read even though these are words used by many members of our society everyday. You could still READ it, you just didn’t understand. If you got a dictionary out (a medical one would be best) and looked up each word you would understand; your vocabulary would be increased and thus your comprehension.
READING is decoding the funny squiggles that make up our written language.
COMPREHENTION is understanding what you READ.
To teach reading
First teach the child (or adult) the alphabet. I find it best to use flash cards with both the capital and lower case letters on the same side and no pictures. This allows the child to associate the two symbols for each letter and to not be distracted by the puppy dog or elephant.
Anyone mature enough to look at an animal in the field and say “cow, Mooooo” is old enough to look at a flash card and say “A, aaaaaa (the sound at the beginning of the word apple).” If a child can follow a read outloud story, they have the comprehension ability to read.
Once the student can recognize each letter and its major sound (really, the letter “a” makes six different sounds, but the child only needs to know its name and the short (apple) sound to get started), he is ready to learn to blend the letters into words. Begin with the word “at.” Then add “cat” “hat” “bat” etc. Once all the “at” words are readily recognized, change the t to a n. Then change the a to an o. Keep going until they are reading nearly every three letter word they run across. You can read story books (Cat in the Hat, for example) and let the student read the words they know while you fill in the others.
After this, introduce the idea that when there are two vowels in a word, the first is USUSALY long (says its name) and second silent (this is true a little more than half the time.) Teach the “h” blends (th, sh, ch, wh,) and any other common blends you run across. Then just gradually increase the difficulty of the words. Give the child lots of practice reading out loud. That’s it.
For comprehension, read. Read out loud to your child every day for at least an hour. Pick books beyond his reading level. Pick some little kid books and some that will challenge him. If he asks what something means, tell him. Also, talk to your child in adult language. Use big words (and explain them).
Go on daily nature walks discussing the things you see. Go to new places and ask for a tour (fire station, fast food restaurant, grocery store, doctors office, etc.) Discuss everything you see using the proper words so the child remembers them. Let them listen to adult conversation whenever possible (don’t let them interrupt or become obnoxious, however.)
And of course you can add the recommendations above of reading the dictionary and using vocabulary expanding curriculum such as “English from the Roots Up,” a list of 100 Greek and Latin words and their meaning and English derivatives.
The fact is that teaching reading is easy. Relax and have fun with it.
Researchers that were neutral on the issue wanted it settled once and for all. They examined every program out there and came to the conclusion that there are really only two ways to teach reading- phonics and see-say (many teachers will argue that whole language is a third option. The researchers found, though, that whole language is really just see-say with a thin icing of incidental phonics.).
Phonics is teaching the letters of the alphabet and their sounds, then teaching how to blend those sounds into words, then sentences, then paragraphs. See-say is teaching children to memorize the shape of each word.
Every honest test ever done has shown phonics to be the only way to consistently, successfully teach reading.
Some say English is not a phonetic language. This is simply not true. Another set of researchers entered every word in the English language into a computer and had the machine analyze them. Out of some 300,000 words, 90% were phonetically correct. The only reason they all weren’t was because English is the largest language the planet has ever seen and our alphabet only has 26 letters. This makes for a few weird combinations.
To sum it up: there are some 300,000 words in the English language, but only 44 sounds. These 44 sounds are all spelled with 26 letters, governed by around 200 rules (with just a few exceptions). Learn the 26 letters and the 50 or so most common rules (and the few exceptions) and you can decode the entire English language.
Comprehension is a different subject than reading. If you can decode the language you will be able to read all the words in your vocabulary. If you find you can’t understand reading material, it means you need to increase your vocabulary. Read the dictionary. Buy “English from the Roots up.” And go through the 100 roots in it. Stretch yourself.
To illustrate: if I were to tell you that the shoulder dystocia was caused by ceval/ pelvic distortion you would probably not know what I am talking about. You do not comprehend what you just read even though these are words used by many members of our society everyday. You could still READ it, you just didn’t understand. If you got a dictionary out (a medical one would be best) and looked up each word you would understand; your vocabulary would be increased and thus your comprehension.
READING is decoding the funny squiggles that make up our written language.
COMPREHENTION is understanding what you READ.
To teach reading
First teach the child (or adult) the alphabet. I find it best to use flash cards with both the capital and lower case letters on the same side and no pictures. This allows the child to associate the two symbols for each letter and to not be distracted by the puppy dog or elephant.
Anyone mature enough to look at an animal in the field and say “cow, Mooooo” is old enough to look at a flash card and say “A, aaaaaa (the sound at the beginning of the word apple).” If a child can follow a read outloud story, they have the comprehension ability to read.
Once the student can recognize each letter and its major sound (really, the letter “a” makes six different sounds, but the child only needs to know its name and the short (apple) sound to get started), he is ready to learn to blend the letters into words. Begin with the word “at.” Then add “cat” “hat” “bat” etc. Once all the “at” words are readily recognized, change the t to a n. Then change the a to an o. Keep going until they are reading nearly every three letter word they run across. You can read story books (Cat in the Hat, for example) and let the student read the words they know while you fill in the others.
After this, introduce the idea that when there are two vowels in a word, the first is USUSALY long (says its name) and second silent (this is true a little more than half the time.) Teach the “h” blends (th, sh, ch, wh,) and any other common blends you run across. Then just gradually increase the difficulty of the words. Give the child lots of practice reading out loud. That’s it.
For comprehension, read. Read out loud to your child every day for at least an hour. Pick books beyond his reading level. Pick some little kid books and some that will challenge him. If he asks what something means, tell him. Also, talk to your child in adult language. Use big words (and explain them).
Go on daily nature walks discussing the things you see. Go to new places and ask for a tour (fire station, fast food restaurant, grocery store, doctors office, etc.) Discuss everything you see using the proper words so the child remembers them. Let them listen to adult conversation whenever possible (don’t let them interrupt or become obnoxious, however.)
And of course you can add the recommendations above of reading the dictionary and using vocabulary expanding curriculum such as “English from the Roots Up,” a list of 100 Greek and Latin words and their meaning and English derivatives.
The fact is that teaching reading is easy. Relax and have fun with it.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
What is the character of God?
What is the character of God?
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 1John 4:8
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 1John 4:16
He hath shewed thee, O man, what [is] good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy. Micah 6:8
But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, and to walk humbly with thy God? Ephesians 2:4
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins. 1John 4:10
God is Love.
Touching the Almighty, we cannot find Him out: He is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: He will not afflict. Job 37:23
Justice and judgment are the habitation of Thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before Thy face. Psalms 89:14
Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. Isaiah 9:7
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. Jeremiah 23:5
God is Justice.
But my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want (have needs). Psalms 23:1
O fear the LORD, ye His saints: for there is no want (needs) to them that fear Him. Psalms 34:9
The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want (be lacking) any good thing. Psalms 34:10
The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want (be empty). Proverbs 13:25
Not that I speak in respect of want :(need) for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Philippians 4:11
God is the supplier.
If God is love and He is the supplier of all our needs and He is just, than if He tells us to do something, He will give us all we need to do it. He will not tell us to do something and then sit back and laugh at us while we flounder. We can depend on His supplying all we need. Oh, we can't always tell where that supply will come from and God often waits until what seems to us the last minute to give us those supplies in order to build our faith that He WILL supply. But we CAN depend on Him. So the next natural question is…
What does God want from me? What is my purpose in life?
This is the most important question to ask after "Is there a God."
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man (human kind). Ecclesiastics 12:13
If ye love Me, keep My commandments. John 14:15
And He said unto him, "Why callest thou Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." Matthew 19:17
If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love. John 15:10
And hereby we do know that we know Him; if we keep His commandments. 1John 2:3
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments. 1John 5:2
OK, He wants us to keep His commandments. What are they?
Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, …Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deuteronomy 6:1,5
To be continued....
Jesus said unto him, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matthew 22:37-40
So if we Love God more than anything else in the world and love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves we are obeying all the laws and commandments contained in the Bible. We might ask with the lawyer speaking to Jesus;
"And who is my neighbor?" Luke 10:29b
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 1John 4:8
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 1John 4:16
He hath shewed thee, O man, what [is] good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy. Micah 6:8
But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, and to walk humbly with thy God? Ephesians 2:4
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins. 1John 4:10
God is Love.
Touching the Almighty, we cannot find Him out: He is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: He will not afflict. Job 37:23
Justice and judgment are the habitation of Thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before Thy face. Psalms 89:14
Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. Isaiah 9:7
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. Jeremiah 23:5
God is Justice.
But my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want (have needs). Psalms 23:1
O fear the LORD, ye His saints: for there is no want (needs) to them that fear Him. Psalms 34:9
The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want (be lacking) any good thing. Psalms 34:10
The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want (be empty). Proverbs 13:25
Not that I speak in respect of want :(need) for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Philippians 4:11
God is the supplier.
If God is love and He is the supplier of all our needs and He is just, than if He tells us to do something, He will give us all we need to do it. He will not tell us to do something and then sit back and laugh at us while we flounder. We can depend on His supplying all we need. Oh, we can't always tell where that supply will come from and God often waits until what seems to us the last minute to give us those supplies in order to build our faith that He WILL supply. But we CAN depend on Him. So the next natural question is…
What does God want from me? What is my purpose in life?
This is the most important question to ask after "Is there a God."
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man (human kind). Ecclesiastics 12:13
If ye love Me, keep My commandments. John 14:15
And He said unto him, "Why callest thou Me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." Matthew 19:17
If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love. John 15:10
And hereby we do know that we know Him; if we keep His commandments. 1John 2:3
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments. 1John 5:2
OK, He wants us to keep His commandments. What are they?
Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, …Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deuteronomy 6:1,5
To be continued....
Jesus said unto him, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matthew 22:37-40
So if we Love God more than anything else in the world and love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves we are obeying all the laws and commandments contained in the Bible. We might ask with the lawyer speaking to Jesus;
"And who is my neighbor?" Luke 10:29b
Monday, June 01, 2009
Breast is best!
Breast milk was designed by God to meet the needs of babies. For thousands of years, this was the only real food available for little ones. The human race has thrived on this early food.
The milk of a mother of a preemie is different in just the right way from the milk of a mother of a full term baby. Milk from a mother of a newborn is different from the milk of a mother of a six month old. Milk produced in the winter is higher in fat (to keep the baby warm) while milk produce in the summer is higher in water. God made breast milk to be just right at just the right time.
Babies who are nursed have fewer colds, flues, and infections, less dental problems, less obesity, less diabetes, and fewer speech problems.
Mothers who nurse lose their baby weight faster, regain tone of the uterus faster, get more rest (you have to sit down once in a while to nurse), have lower rates of breast cancer, and have a firmer bond with their babies. Also, it encourages the female body to be viewed as something other than a plaything. Breasts are more than a sex toy!
Families with nursing mothers (as opposed to bottle babies) spend far less on baby food. It cost much less to provide mom with the extra peanut butter sandwich she needs per day in order to nurse than formula does. A can of dry formula (the cheapest form) costs upwards of $10.00 each and will last from a week (for a newborn) to a day for an older child.
Nursing is far simpler than bottle feeding. Due to some physical problems, I was not able to nurse my first child for more than a week. I would boil a week's worth of bottles at a time, fill them with sterilized water, seal them, and just add the dry formula when she was hungry. She never liked warm milk, so I just served it at room temperature. Going somewhere? I would just put enough bottles for the time we would be gone, a can of formula, and two changes of clothes (she vomited often) into my bag and away we would go. This is so easy! How could breast feeding be easier?
Just before my second child was born I took a breastfeeding class. When he was born I did not have the same problems that I had had with my first (Knew what I was doing!) Nursing was very successful. You know what? Breast was SO much easier! No bottles to wash or sterilize; No formula to buy, measure and mix. When he needed to eat in the middle of the night, I just picked him up, plugged him in and dozed back off to sleep. Going somewhere? Grab a few diapers and go (he didn't have the same vomiting problems his sister had. Hmmm, allergies to formula?).
The end result of my experience with my first two children? None of my younger six children have ever even tasted formula. I don't have bottles in my house except for sentimental reasons. They are never used by babies.
How do you breastfeed?
Breastfeeding is very natural skill. But it is still a skill you and your baby must learn. Some babies learn faster than others.
Some scientists studied two groups of women; one that had no problems nursing their babies and one that had problems (sore nipples, engorgement, low supply, etc.) They discovered that those that were successful did certain things that those who were not didn't do. They taught the second group to do these things and they quit having problems.
First, cradle your baby in your arm. Turn his tummy to your tummy. With your free hand, tickle his mouth with your nipple. When his mouth opens as wide as it can, shove the whole dark part in (not just the nipple). Then continue to hold your breast like it was a bottle. When he is done, stick your pinky into the side of his mouth to break the suction. Don't pull him off.
Don't supplement with bottles of water, formula, or pacifiers. Remember, bottles were only invented in the last hundred years or so. Mothers have successfully fed their babies without them for thousands of years. Giving your baby any other type of nipple may cause what is called nipple confusion.
Your baby will probably want to eat every two hours at first. His tummy is small and breast milk digests faster than formula. Be patient. This time will pass all too quick and he will not want it as often. You know he is getting enough if he is pooping at least one diaper and peeing around six per day. If it is coming out, it must be going in.
Check out Dr Jack Newman’s site. It is full of advise and VIDEOS of women breastfeeding so you can see how it is supposed to look.
If you smoked, took drugs or drank you would seriously consider quitting for the sake of your baby. Breastfeeding can have as much impact on your child's future. Your baby deserves the best. The best is you.
Breast is Best
Though I disagree with their child rearing advise, La Leche League has very good information on breastfeeding. Contact them if you have trouble nursing, but http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/ http://www.raisinggodlytomatoes.com/ for advise on child rearing.
Or just ask me :-)
The milk of a mother of a preemie is different in just the right way from the milk of a mother of a full term baby. Milk from a mother of a newborn is different from the milk of a mother of a six month old. Milk produced in the winter is higher in fat (to keep the baby warm) while milk produce in the summer is higher in water. God made breast milk to be just right at just the right time.
Babies who are nursed have fewer colds, flues, and infections, less dental problems, less obesity, less diabetes, and fewer speech problems.
Mothers who nurse lose their baby weight faster, regain tone of the uterus faster, get more rest (you have to sit down once in a while to nurse), have lower rates of breast cancer, and have a firmer bond with their babies. Also, it encourages the female body to be viewed as something other than a plaything. Breasts are more than a sex toy!
Families with nursing mothers (as opposed to bottle babies) spend far less on baby food. It cost much less to provide mom with the extra peanut butter sandwich she needs per day in order to nurse than formula does. A can of dry formula (the cheapest form) costs upwards of $10.00 each and will last from a week (for a newborn) to a day for an older child.
Nursing is far simpler than bottle feeding. Due to some physical problems, I was not able to nurse my first child for more than a week. I would boil a week's worth of bottles at a time, fill them with sterilized water, seal them, and just add the dry formula when she was hungry. She never liked warm milk, so I just served it at room temperature. Going somewhere? I would just put enough bottles for the time we would be gone, a can of formula, and two changes of clothes (she vomited often) into my bag and away we would go. This is so easy! How could breast feeding be easier?
Just before my second child was born I took a breastfeeding class. When he was born I did not have the same problems that I had had with my first (Knew what I was doing!) Nursing was very successful. You know what? Breast was SO much easier! No bottles to wash or sterilize; No formula to buy, measure and mix. When he needed to eat in the middle of the night, I just picked him up, plugged him in and dozed back off to sleep. Going somewhere? Grab a few diapers and go (he didn't have the same vomiting problems his sister had. Hmmm, allergies to formula?).
The end result of my experience with my first two children? None of my younger six children have ever even tasted formula. I don't have bottles in my house except for sentimental reasons. They are never used by babies.
How do you breastfeed?
Breastfeeding is very natural skill. But it is still a skill you and your baby must learn. Some babies learn faster than others.
Some scientists studied two groups of women; one that had no problems nursing their babies and one that had problems (sore nipples, engorgement, low supply, etc.) They discovered that those that were successful did certain things that those who were not didn't do. They taught the second group to do these things and they quit having problems.
First, cradle your baby in your arm. Turn his tummy to your tummy. With your free hand, tickle his mouth with your nipple. When his mouth opens as wide as it can, shove the whole dark part in (not just the nipple). Then continue to hold your breast like it was a bottle. When he is done, stick your pinky into the side of his mouth to break the suction. Don't pull him off.
Don't supplement with bottles of water, formula, or pacifiers. Remember, bottles were only invented in the last hundred years or so. Mothers have successfully fed their babies without them for thousands of years. Giving your baby any other type of nipple may cause what is called nipple confusion.
Your baby will probably want to eat every two hours at first. His tummy is small and breast milk digests faster than formula. Be patient. This time will pass all too quick and he will not want it as often. You know he is getting enough if he is pooping at least one diaper and peeing around six per day. If it is coming out, it must be going in.
Check out Dr Jack Newman’s site. It is full of advise and VIDEOS of women breastfeeding so you can see how it is supposed to look.
If you smoked, took drugs or drank you would seriously consider quitting for the sake of your baby. Breastfeeding can have as much impact on your child's future. Your baby deserves the best. The best is you.
Breast is Best
Though I disagree with their child rearing advise, La Leche League has very good information on breastfeeding. Contact them if you have trouble nursing, but http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/ http://www.raisinggodlytomatoes.com/ for advise on child rearing.
Or just ask me :-)
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