So when does a Christian quit being a Christian?
When he quits living for Christ and starts living for “unity” “peace” “friendship” and “non-judgementalism.” It doesn’t matter how big his pastorate.


Is It Wrong To Be Right?
Is now.

Logical Fallacies: The Fallacy of the Question-Begging Epithet
The whole series on logic is great.

Lo, Children Are An Heritage Of The LORD:

“…and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.” Psalms 127:3-5 Babies.

Sweet. Innocent. Beautiful. Precious.

Babies are so special. Did you know that babies are the only gift from God, besides salvation, that you can take to heaven with you? God has blessed you with a nice house? Great! He has given you a neat job? Wonderful! He has granted you a new car? Praise the Lord! But these will all burn up eventually.

A while ago, lightening started a wild fire near my parent's brand new home. They were evacuated, but due to the work of many firefighters and some big hearted neighbors with water trucks, no homes were lost. But this made me think; their home WILL eventually burn up. It is just a matter of time. So will mine. So will yours. When Jesus returns to this planet, all of this- our cars, homes, jobs, clothes- will burn. What won't burn?

Our babies' souls.

That makes them the only lasting treasure we have. “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:” Matthew 6:19, 20

We should have our priorities focused on those things that will last into eternity. Nothing of this world will last, but human souls are eternal.

Can we really make sure our children go to heaven with us? No, it is not really our choice. God gives everyone that option for themselves. I can not force you to accept God into your heart and I can not force my child to do so either. However, we are all greatly influenced by the environment we are raised in. I view this on a scale of one to a hundred. Some will choose to go to hell no matter what- that is a 0. Some will seek God and choose heaven, no matter what-100. Most of us, however fall somewhere in the middle. What choice we make is determined by our own wills. Now, if I were a perfect mommy, I might could move all of my children into the "100" category. But I am human and make many mistakes.

However, if I do the best I can to teach my children about God and "bring them up in the nurture (culture) and admonition (education) of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4) then I do move them a little closer to the heavenly side of the equation; I enhance the chances that they will choose God.

How do I do this, this "bringing up in God?"

First it starts with my relationship with the Almighty. I can't give them what I don't have. I can't lead them to a place I don't know myself. I must make sure I am where I need to be with God and am growing in Him. First I must have Jesus in my own heart. I can not show my children a Jesus I don't know myself. Jesus is God Almighty Himself. He chose to take off His robe of divinity, put on a robe of flesh becoming human, and to be born to the Virgin Mary. He lived a perfect life while here on earth, never sinning. He is the only human to walk this planet that did not deserve to die. Yet He chose to go to the cross in my place to pay the price for my sins. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

What He asks from us in return is simply obedience. He wants to be Lord of our lives; not to torture us, but to make our lives better. “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) We must repent (turn around) and make Jesus Lord (Boss) of our lives. Then we are on the path to heaven ourselves. We can't drive our children to God. We can only lead them.

Being in the right place with God involves daily Bible reading so we know God's opinions and plans for the world and for us. I

t also involves prayer. How would you feel if your spouse claimed he loved you but then only talked to you once or twice a week? You certainly wouldn't feel very loved. It wouldn't help your relationship to stay strong either. Many places in the Bible compare the marriage relationship to our walk with God. Just as a wife needs her hubby to talk to her, communicate with her and a hubby needs his wife to talk to him, we need to talk to God on a regular basis and we need to shut up once in a while so we can hear Him talking to us.

We need regular fellowship with other believers. Now, realize I am not talking about your children right now. I am not talking about sending your children to Sunday school. I am talking about you, Mama and Daddy. YOU need to be with other believers on a regular basis; at least weekly. Fellowship is like eating. You don't eat just once in a while, do you? Of course not. You eat several times a day. We should fellowship several times a week at least. This is both formal gathering to worship God together (sort of like spiritual steak) and informal gathering to enjoy each others company (like fresh, cold fruit on a hot summer's day). A good Bible-based Bible study is like fresh baked bread to the soul. We must be well fed before we can feed our children. These are the first steps in "hedging the bets" that our children will choose God and not the world as their first loves.

Recipe For An ADD Child

· Take one normal boy (some girls will work, but boys are more reliable).
· Zap his brain with unnatural sound waves before birth.
· Feed him on nutrient-free stimulants (white sugar, caffeine, white flour), preferably from birth.
· Refuse to teach self-control and self-discipline, giving him everything he wants. It will work even better if you first tell him No and then let him argue you out of it.
· Make sure he only considers his feelings and never considers how others may feel.
· Lock him in a room with thirty other children and one teacher who (due to small family sizes) has never been around small boys.
· Tell the boy to sit still for six hours without making noise, preferably with brain-cell destroying TV in front of him.


The earlier you begin ADD training, the better the results. Enrollment in a daycare at birth will produce the most extreme results.


Recipe for a non ADD child

· Take one normal child of either sex.
· Give them the most natural, intervention free pregnancy and birth possible.
· Feed him breast milk exclusively for as long as possible then with all natural, chemical free, unprocessed foods.
· Teach him from a very young age to control himself, obey without question and listen to directions.
· Give him everything he needs, some things he wants and a few things he desires. Make sure he understands the difference.
· Teach him that others feel as he would if he were treated that way. Teach him to empathize.
· Let him run outside for a couple of hours everyday. The more and freer the physical activity the better.
· Limit all time looking at electronics.
· Teach him at home where the same amount can be accomplished in two hours that takes six in a traditional school.
· Tolerate a little noise most of the time.


Again, the earlier, the better.

ADD is a real conditon that afflicts some. However, I firmly believe that 90% of those diagnosed with ADD or ADHD (or what ever letters they are calling it this year) have been harmed by environmental factors and/or bad child rearing techniques. I don't think it is an accident that this illness was discovered at the same time the first generation raised on artficial breast milk (formulas), soda, TV and with no discipline hit the government schools.

Redeeming The Time, Because The Days Are Evil. Eph. 5:16

Did you know that there is a gift that God gives to everyone in the same amount? He gives everyone of us, rich or poor, young or old, short or tall, skinny or fat, twenty-four hours every day. That is 1440 minutes every single day. We are responsible for caring for this gift the same as any other.

Have you ever had a time in your life where your schedule seems to run you? I mean, you go from one emergency to the next barely keeping your head above water, much less your house afloat. It sounds something like “Akkkk! It's supper time and all the plates are dirty so I had better wash dishes! Oh no! Church tomorrow and no one has any underwear! I had better do laundry! Yaahhh! I have to leave for the doctors in fifteen minutes and I am not even dressed yet! Ekkkk! The plumber just pulled in and I can't even see the sink!”

Does this sound familiar? It does to me. This is what it sounds like when your schedule runs your life. There is a different way to live though. You can run your schedule. You really can be in charge of your life and control your time. All of these emergencies can be prevented with reasonable planning.

Now, one of my biggest problems is that I hate to make decisions. Deciding what to do every minute of every day is just too stressful. I guess my perfectionism makes me want to always make the perfect decision. There isn't usually such a thing, but I want to anyway. So I have a tendency to not decide until the emergencies begin to decide for me. There is an easy way out of this though.

I made a list of everything I wanted to accomplish in a day. I know we all have big dreams of what we are going to do; cleaning, crafts, sewing, teaching, helping others, etc. After allotting a reasonable amount of time for each activity, I had to go back and eliminate some things. You see, God, in His wisdom, only gave us twenty-four hours, not thirty-six. He knew how long we could go without exhaustion. When I realized I was expecting to accomplish two days worth of work everyday, a big part of my frustration disappeared.

Homeschooling children, I am also responsible for their schedules, so I wrote out what I wanted them to do every day also.

I then arranged all the activities into a reasonable order. I did it up all pretty and posted it on my bedroom door. Now I don't have to decide what to do. I look at my schedule and it is already decided for me. This takes so much less energy I actually have more energy to do my work with. I still have a problem with wanting to get too much done, but things are better and I can usually find where my problem is and fix it.

I don't let the schedule be the boss. If something comes up that is not listed (out of town company, illness, someone needing help moving, etc.) we go ahead and take care of it. The schedule is a tool, not a master. Not everyone would work well with a schedule but if you have been running in emergency mode or feel like you never get anything done, than you should give it a try. The best resource I have found is Managers Of Their Homes by Steve and Terri Maxwell (homeschooling parents of eight) available at titus2.com. Pretty colored charts and a wonderful book of ideas.

I would suggest, whether you write a schedule down or not, that you begin implementing one of the biggest time management helps available, The Force Of Habit. Every morning when you get up, get dressed. Those of us that stay home have a tendency to get distracted and forget this until hubby is pulling into the yard (another emergency!). Instead, I suggest you get in the habit of getting up, brush your teeth, shower, dress, put on your make up (if you wear it), and (from the Flylady) put on your shoes. Not loafers, shoes. (If you have a bonafide health reason not to you are excused). This not only gets one important chore out of the way, it makes you feel ready for work. A lot of ridicule has been given to the old TV shows that showed women mopping their floors in high heels and pearls, and I don't recommend trying that (heels are slippery), but there is something to the point that if you are dressed for work you are mentally ready for work. Think about it, do you feel more like making a beautiful home while in your robe or in jeans and a t-shirt? Being dressed energizes you. Do this for a couple of weeks to see if it works or not.

Give yourself a couple of weeks to get into the habit.

Pick certain times to do each major chore; dishes before bed, 5 minute room bless after breakfast, etc. If you do this regularly for one month you will form a habit. You will not even have to think about what you are doing. Your habits will clean your home. This applies to anything that needs to be done on a regular basis. Habits will help you to get things done before they become an emergency.

There are two schools of thought to time management: the prioritize and stick to it group and the multitask group. I lean towards the later, but they both have there merits. The Priority group says to make a list of everything that needs to be done, number it in order of importance, than start the first item. Don't quit or do anything else until you get this done. Than go to the next item, etc. I do think it is important to have a list of priorities and stick to them. You don't want to spend all day organizing your medicine cabinet when the plumber is coming at 2:00 and you can't get under the sink. That is why I suggest you read your Bible before getting out of bed. It is the most important thing to do and this way you will not forget it. It is also why I put getting dressed next. That prepares you to be more efficient the rest of the day. Next, you should eat breakfast. Your body cannot run without fuel any more than your car can. For those that don't like breakfast foods, eat a sandwich, slice of pizza, bowl of soup, what ever. For the dieters, I have observed that when I don't eat breakfast (as when fasting), I eat MORE calories, total, the rest of the day. My body becomes convinced it is starving and must eat everything in site. Studies confirm that breakfast eaters can loose weight faster than non-breakfast eaters.

Personally, I function best when I follow breakfast with house cleaning so the house is more pleasant the rest of the day. Than school, bigger projects, etc. you have to find your own best order, but generally the earlier in the day something is done the more likely that it will get done. I also find it helpful to promise to reward myself with a few minutes of reading (one of my favorite hobbies) after I get my housework done. I don't dare read before housework because I won't get to the work if I do. Work before pleasure.

The second school of thought points out that you could easily waist a lot of time with the first method. “Let's see, it is most important that the children have clothes tomorrow, so I will do laundry and nothing but laundry until it is all done.” Then dinner doesn't get done until 10:00 because you were doing laundry. No, the best thing to do is to start the most important thing, laundry in our example, and while waiting for it to be done start something else. “Ok, the laundry is going so I will now start dinner while I wait for the machines to finish. Ok, dinner is going too, so I will load the dish washer. Now laundry, dinner and dishes are going. While I am waiting I will run a damp mop over the kitchen.” This takes practice to keep from dropping one of the balls you are juggling, but it gets to be kind of a challenge and, well, fun. I like to see how much I can accomplish while fixing dinner and still have a great meal on the table (that is my priority). The thing to watch out for is getting more things going than you can handle, and forgetting important things while you are busy with lesser time fillers. “There, my hair looks just right for hubby to come home. Hmmm, I wonder why the smoke alarm is ringing? Oh no! The cake has been in the oven for an hour and a half!”

Is it really important that we learn to control our time? Yes. God says for us to be wise stewards of what He has given us. This includes our gift of time. He has even told us that if we are faithful over a few things, He will make us ruler over many. No, He won't give us more hours if we use our minute wisely, but He will bless us in other ways if we show ourselves faithful in the everyday. Not only is controlling our time wise use of our time but it allows us to be better stewards of everything else we own. We can take care of the maintenance that will keep our material possessions from breaking or deteriorating. We can take care of our relationships before the same happens to them. We can be on top of the game and in control, thus making us more dependable for those other important things that need to be done.

Yes, we must Redeem the time, for the days are evil. At least my home looks pretty evil if I don't redeem my time. I want to be known in God's eyes a good and faithful steward. Even of the 86,400 seconds God has blessed me with everyday. Then He will say enter into the rest of the Lord.

Auntie's Voice

My Auntie (actually my mother's aunt) passed away about ten years ago. She left her life time of poems to my mother. Mom and I have just finished putting them together into a book. It is available at:

http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/aunties-voice/7532676

"Auntie, as most of us knew her, lived a life of love to her God and family. Though never blessed with children herself, she helped raise many of her nieces and nephews. These are the poems she has left us."

Abandoning the kids in public school

Christian homeschoolers need to face head on the accusation that we are abandoning the kids in public school to hell by pulling our children out. After all, the main command given to Christians is to “Go out into the whole world and teach every creature about [Jesus].” We would be sorely sinning to be disobeying this command.

The fact is that most Christian homeschoolers are doing no such thing. We just have looked at the facts and come to a different conclusion; one I believe is more in line with the Bible.

When someone says they are sending their children to public school to be witnesses they are making a few assumptions.

1) All children of Christian parents have accepted Jesus as their savior by the time they are five. Obviously they think this or they wouldn’t be sending their children to school at the same age as everyone else. They would instead be saying “I will send my child to public school to be a witness as soon as they get saved. Until then I will homeschool/ private school them.” I have never heard anyone say this. Ever.

Sending a child of any age to school to evangelize their peers, who has not accepted the Lord into his heart, is, at best, naive. At worst it is plain stupidity or outright lying about the motives for sending your child to school.

2) All saved children are mature enough and well founded enough to sit under a heathen teacher’s authority, (learning from them, obeying them, respecting them), and under the tutelage of textbooks written by heathens (repeating their statements as fact in order to get good grades), surrounded by heathen peers (and suffering the peer pressure without any true avenue of escape) and still come out of the class not only with their own salvation intact, but evangelizing everyone there in the process. Paul said to “lay hands suddenly on no man.” I have known many children in my life and have yet to find any that were able to do the above. Oh, a few of us got out of public school with our salvation, but only at the cost of our faith in the Bible and God being severely shaken. I, for one, have spent more than twenty years putting back together my belief in the whole Bible and God’s guiding hand.
The fact is that anyone who believes a small child is equipped to handle the most severe peer pressure and spiritual testing of his life is again either very naive, stupid or lying about their motives.

3) Children are capable of bringing a revival in school. I actually believe that the schools are a great place to evangelize. Anyone who looks at the facts would have to agree. 150 years ago, when public school was first introduced, 90% of Americans went to church at least once per week and everyone lived (or at least pretended to live) by Christian morals, even those who said they were atheists. If you truly believed the Bible’s morals were not good, you didn’t dare say so. Today, it is quite the opposite. I believe this is a direct result of public schools. They were founded by atheists for the purpose of dividing the family and conquering the church. They have done a bang-up job of it, too.

The fact is that if children attending a heathen school was a great way to start a revival for God, we would be a Christian nation today. Those Christian children attending school 100 years ago would have brought all their classmates to the Lord, since they were the majority. Today, the church is hemorrhaging children. As many as 85% are leaving the church once they reach adulthood. If my church had a witnessing program where 85% of our workers backslid, I would recommend to the leadership of the church that we STOP THAT PROGRAM! Brother and Sister Christians, it is time we quite throwing our pearls of children to the swine of heathen education.

4) Public schools are religiously neutral. I have dealt with this lie before, but it bears repeating. Jesus Himself said “He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. (Luke 11:23)” There is no such thing as neutrality. Jesus said so. Our public schools do not teach a Christian education, so, by definition, they teach a non-Christian education. They do not teach God at all, so they can not teach God’s Hand-in-all.

Parents are commanded to provided their children with a Christian education (Duet 6:7, chapter 11, Ephesians 6 for starters). I have a novel idea: let’s do what the Bible says and see if we can keep our children in church. After all, when Jesus told the disciples to “Go into all the world,..” He told them to begin at Jerusalem. He told them to begin at home.

That is what we should do too.




(And just to finish the point about the heathen children in public school, our children can not be effective witnesses to them, but we adults can be. I have no problem with Christian ADULTS being teachers, administrators, volunteers, etc. in public schools. Being a missionary is always a good thing. I also have no problem with Christians witnessing to these children outside of school. Pray about it and God will open a door for you to reach out to them. Just don’t sacrifice you own child in the name of witnessing.)

Alfalfa

Medicago sativa
Description
Roots: deep 20’-30’
Stems: 1’-3’, perennial legume
Leaves: clover like, trifoliate, slightly toothed margins, alternate
Flowers: clusters, purple, ½”
Fruits: corkscrew

Grows
Soil- grassy slopes and fields, moist, deep soil, a nitrogen fixer (1),
Where-
What to Collect- stalk, leaves, flowers, seeds
When to collect- April-October,
Buy- thebulkherbstore.com
Planted-
Ease of obtaining- 1 2 3 4 5


Use· Short/ Long term use
· Activator Builder Cleanser

Preserve-A (Above ground parts, bind at cut, dried in shade, chop, store in jars)B (large roots, cut, dry on newspaper, chop ¼”,)
C (fruits, very wet, hang in cheesecloth drapes)
D (Barks, string on bailing wire and hang)

Form- infusion/tea, decoction, tincture, powder, Poultice, ointment. baths, Salad, stir fry, pot herb, aromatic,

Vitamins- C A, D, K, niacin, b1, eight amino acids, chlorophyll
Minerals- calcium, magnesium, protein, potassium, beta-carotene, chlorophyll, iron, phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, sodium, silicon,

Uses- laxative, diuretic, UTI, arthritis, appetite, stimulant, overall tonic, anemia, osteoporosis, hot flashes, blood purifier, inflammations, rheumatism, tooth decay, debility, anorexia, weak digestion, hypertension, gout, anemia

Cautions: bad for Lupus, et al. potential reaction to Warfin.

Notes:

References: I+HE+MP

So sad.

the cow's supply was dropping quick and she soon wouldn't be paying for her hay. so, what with vacation in a couple of weeks, we took her to prepare for the white 21' corral in the storeroom. I will miss her. On a good note, hubby is already talking about getting a new one with tax money in the spring:-) We'll see.

Ezekial Chapter 39

1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, “Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:

God is repeating His disapproval of Gog.

2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:

God gives the plan of defeat to Gog. Five-sixths of his army will be destroyed and he will have to run and hide in the mountains of Israel. We know that Antouchus’ army hid in the mountains.

3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.

Note what weapons Gog’s army is using against Israel- bows and arrows. This scripture must be fulfilled before the invention of guns.

4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.

God promised to fight with the wilds against this man.

5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.

6 And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Not only will Gog’s army be destroyed, his homeland will be burned.

7 So will I make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel; and I will not let them pollute My holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.

God plans to do this to bring glory to His name among both the Israelites and the heathens.

8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.

9 And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years:

The Macabees were the main weapon God used to defeat Antiochus.

Note again what weapons are burned. Not exploding sticks (guns) or any other indication of modern warfare. Israel would burn bows and arrows, shields and bucklers, handstaves and spears.

10 So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord GOD.

History tells us there were so many weapons left behind by the dead and fleeing army of Antiochus that Israel DID burn them for seven years. They didn’t have to cut firewood to heat their homes or cook their foods.

11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.

Hamongog means “the multitude of Gog.”

The valley of the passengers on the east of the sea was a major trade route between Babylon and Egypt. The stench of the dead enemy would be so horrible it would “stop the noses of the passengers” or “everyone that goes on that road will have to hold their noses.”

Generally each army buries its own dead. God wasn’t going to leave enough of Gog’s army alive to bury anyone.

12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.

It did take Israel more than half a year to bury all the dead from Antiochus’ retreat.

13 Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD.

At first everyone would help to bury the dead…

14 And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.

But soon Israel would hire people to be full time searchers to find the remaining bodies.

15 And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man's bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamongog.

Again, we have record of this happening at the time of the Macabees.

16 And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.

The city in the valley the enemy would be buried in will be called Hamonah, or “The Multitude.” This would be in remembrance of the multitude buried by the inhabitants of the valley.

17 And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.

18 Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.

19 And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.

20 Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord GOD.

God promises the wild animals quite a feast.

21 And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.

22 So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day and forward.

Everyone knew at the mighty defeat of the Macabees that God was God.

23 And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword.

God promises that all the world will know at the fulfillment of this scripture that Israel was carried away captive into Babylon, not because of the weakness of their God, but because of their own sin. Everyone would know that the captivity which had just occurred in Ezekiel’s time was punishment.

24 According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them.

Israel’s punishment was just when compared to their sins.

25 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name;

God promises that He will defend Israel again.

26 After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid.

27 When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations;

28 Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.

God brought Israel back into her homeland and took care of her again once she had been punished sufficiently. All descendents of Jacob who wanted to return to the land of Israel were brought home.

29 Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.

The generation that returned to Israel never saw God hide His face form them again. As long as Israel chose to serve God, He protected them.

God’s salvation is always conditional upon the people choosing to serve Him. When we remove ourselves from His protection through disobedience, He again hides His face from us, as He did from Israel when they again backslid.

Pea-soup green, two door coupes.

I received notice that everyone must buy a car. No one would be able to rely on bicycles, motorcycles, horses, public transportation, or even their own feet any longer. Everyone had to get a car (government’s way to bail out the auto industry and lower the cost of vehicles). So, I went down to the local car lot to look around.

All they had were pea-soup green, two-door coups. Now, I have eight children, so a coup is hardly an appropriate car for my family.

And I hate pea-soup green.

But that is all they had and I had to buy a car.

After many complaints, I received notice form the powers that be, that I would be allowed to buy something else. So I went down to the local car dealer and looked around.

They did have a nice, white 15 passenger van for sale that I liked so I arranged to buy it.

When I received the bill, though, it listed the van AND a pea-soup green, two-door coup. I asked the dealer about the charge for the car I wasn’t buying. He said it didn’t matter. Everyone had to pay for the pea-soup green, two-door coups, whether they were buying one or not.

Something about keeping our important auto industry afloat.




Want to know what I am really talking about? Go back and replace pea-soup green, two-door coup with public school, the van with private school, and the alternate forms of transportation with homeschool.

Or replace pea-soup green, two-door coup with national health care, the van with private insurance and the alternates with, well, alternates (such as paying your own bill (what a novel idea), co-op ministries to pay each others bills, medical savings accounts, etc.)

Or simply add any other government program in there you want to.

They all eventually work the same way.

Samll Family vs. Big family

Note: This was written during the time my hubby and I were deciding whether we would have more than two or three children. This is the actual list I made myself to help me decide. We now have eight.



Small Families
§ Can go to Disneyland, out to eat, go on vacation and other places more often.
§ Have newer clothes and more toys.
§ Have one room per child.
§ Provide solitude.
§ Can more easily afford college


Big Families
§ Always have someone who wants to "play with me."
§ Learn to share, cooperate, get along and work with a team.
§ Teach older children how to care for those younger and weaker than themselves. Younger children usually have nieces and nephews just the right age to learn on.
§ Are never lonely.
§ Can more easily influence society.


A large family provides for my children companionship, servitude in the New Testament model, teamwork, and socialization (the right kind because I know what their playmates have been taught).


A small family provides things and events.

The Latest Homeschool Study

I am sure Homeschool Legal Defense would not mind me sending you all this email they sent out. If you would rather read it on HSLDAs web site go to <http://www.hslda.org/docs/news/200908100.asp>http://www.hslda.org/docs/news/200908100.asp

Just to explain to those who may not know, Percentile is not the same as percentage. Imagine we give a test to 100 students. A child who scores in the 87th percentile scored better than 87 of the 100 students that took the test.

The highest score possible would be the 99th percentile, or “scored higher than 99 out of 100 of the students.” Standardized tests are written so the mythical “average public schooled” child will score at the 50th percentile. If the average ps child score was higher or lower, they would rewrite the test to bring the average back to the 50th. It is a well known fact that public school children who are male, poor, darker skinned, and from less educated parents score much lower than those who are female, rich, white or Asian, and from college graduate parents. The tests confirm this every year all over the country. Private schooled children generally score in the high 60-70th percentile.

(I added the bolds to the results)
BettySue



The last piece of major research looking at homeschool academic achievement was completed in 1998 by Dr. Lawrence Rudner. Rudner, a professor at the ERIC Clearinghouse, which is part of the University of Maryland, surveyed over 20,000 homeschooled students. His study, titled Home Schooling Works, discovered that homeschoolers (on average) scored about 30 percentile points higher than the national average on standardized achievement tests.

This research and several other studies supporting the claims of homeschoolers have helped the homeschool cause tremendously. Today, you would be hard pressed to find an opponent of homeschooling who says that homeschoolers, on average, are poor academic achievers.

There is one problem, however. Rudner's research was conducted over a decade ago. Without another look at the level of academic achievement among homeschooled students, critics could begin to say that research on homeschool achievement is outdated and no longer relevant.Recognizing this problem, HSLDA commissioned Dr. Brian Ray, an internationally recognized scholar and president of the non-profit National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI), to collect data for the 2007-08 academic year for a new study which would build upon 25 years of homeschool academic scholarship conducted by Ray himself, Rudner, and many others.Drawing from 15 independent testing services, the Progress Report 2009: Homeschool Academic Achievement and Demographics included 11,739 homeschooled students from all 50 states who took three well-known tests-California Achievement Test, Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, and Stanford Achievement Test for the 2007-08 academic year.

The Progress Report is the most comprehensive homeschool academic study ever completed.The ResultsOverall the study showed significant advances in homeschool academic achievement as well as revealing that issues such as student gender, parents' education level, and family income had little bearing on the results of homeschooled students.

There was little difference between the results of homeschooled boys and girls on core scores.

• Boys-87th percentile
• Girls-88th percentile

Household income had little impact on the results of homeschooled students.

• $34,999 or less-85th percentile
• $35,000-$49,999-86th percentile
• $50,000-$69,999-86th percentile
• $70,000 or more-89th percentile

The education level of the parents made a noticeable difference, but the homeschooled children of non-college educated parents still scored in the 83rd percentile, which is well above the national average.

• Neither parent has a college degree-83rd percentile
• One parent has a college degree-86th percentile
• Both parents have a college degree-90th percentile

Whether either parent was a certified teacher did not matter.

• Certified (i.e., either parent ever certified)-87th percentile
• Not certified (i.e., neither parent ever certified)-88th percentile

Parental spending on home education made little difference.

• Spent $600 or more on the student-89th percentile
• Spent under $600 on the student-86th percentile

The extent of government regulation on homeschoolers did not affect the results.

• Low state regulation-87th percentile
• Medium state regulation-88th percentile
• High state regulation-87th percentile

HSLDA defines the extent of government regulation this way:

• States with low regulation: No state requirement for parents to initiate any contact or State requires parental notification only.
• States with moderate regulation: State requires parents to send notification, test scores, and/or professional evaluation of student progress.
• State with high regulation: State requires parents to send notification or achievement test scores and/or professional evaluation, plus other requirements (e.g. curriculum approval by the state, teacher qualification of parents, or home visits by state officials).

The question HSLDA regularly puts before state legislatures is, "If government regulation does not improve the results of homeschoolers why is it necessary?"

In short, the results found in the new study are consistent with 25 years of research, which show that as a group homeschoolers consistently perform above average academically.

The Progress Report also shows that, even as the numbers and diversity of homeschoolers have grown tremendously over the past 10 years, homeschoolers have actually increased the already sizeable gap in academic achievement between themselves and their public school counterparts-moving from about 30 percentile points higher in the Rudner study (1998) to 37 percentile points higher in the Progress Report (2009).

As mentioned earlier, the achievement gaps that are well-documented in public school between boys and girls, parents with lower incomes, and parents with lower levels of education are not found among homeschoolers.

While it is not possible to draw a definitive conclusion, it does appear from all the existing research that homeschooling equalizes every student upwards. Homeschoolers are actually achieving every day what the public schools claim are their goals-to narrow achievement gaps and to educate each child to a high level.

Of course, an education movement which consistently shows that children can be educated to a standard significantly above the average public school student at a fraction of the cost-the average spent by participants in the Progress Report was about $500 per child per year as opposed to the public school average of nearly $10,000 per child per year-will inevitably draw attention from the K-12 public education industry.

Answering the Critics
This particular study is the most comprehensive ever undertaken. It attempts to build upon and improve on the previous research. One criticism of the Rudner study was that it only drew students from one large testing service. Although there was no reason to believe that homeschoolers participating with that service were automatically non-representative of the broader homeschool community, HSLDA decided to answer this criticism by using 15 independent testing services for this new study.

There can be no doubt that homeschoolers from all walks of life and backgrounds participated in the Progress Report.While it is true that not every homeschooler in America was part of this study, it is also true that the Progress Report provides clear evidence of the success of homeschool programs.The reason is that all social science studies are based on samples. The goal is to make the sample as representative as possible because then more confident conclusions can be drawn about the larger population. Those conclusions are then validated when other studies find the same or similar results.

Critics tend to focus on this narrow point and maintain that they will not be satisfied until every homeschooler is submitted to a test. This is not a reasonable request because not all homeschoolers take standardized achievement tests. In fact, while the majority of homeschool parents do indeed test their children simply to track their progress and also to provide them with the experience of test-taking, it is far from a comprehensive and universal practice among homeschoolers.The best researchers can do is provide a sample of homeschooling families and compare the results of their children to those of public school students, in order to give the most accurate picture of how homeschoolers in general are faring academically.

The concern that the only families who chose to participate are the most successful homeschoolers can be alleviated by the fact that the overwhelming majority of parents did not know their children's test results before agreeing to participate in the study.

HSLDA believes that this study along with the several that have been done in the past are clear evidence that homeschoolers are succeeding academically.Final ThoughtHomeschooling is making great strides and hundreds of thousands of parents across America are showing every day what can be achieved when parents exercise their right to homeschool and make tremendous sacrifices to provide their children with the best education available.

Sterilization

Abortion in the Church

· Tying or cutting the tubes- Either procedure increases the risk of hormonal imbalance and endometriosis, a painful condition. The cure for endometriosis? Hysterectomy.
·
· Hysterectomy- This is the removal of at least the uterus and usually part or all of the fallopian tubes and ovaries. You must take estrogen after this surgery or go through menopause immediately. Artificial estrogens cause heart disease and cancer. Early menopause causes osteoporosis.
·
· Vasectomy- this is cutting the man's "tubes." Many men complain about intense pain for the rest of their lives. Others suffer from performance problems.
·
· Regrets- Many truely regret this decision very shortly after it is too late. I would advise anyone to wait at least a year after the birth of their last child before they do anything permanent. It is one of the devils favorite tools to scare people into getting “fixed” and then to torture them with the desire for more children the rest of their lives.

Most certainly PRAY before you do anything to BREAK your perfectly good reproductive system.

“The Bible says children are a blessing and debt is a curse, yet we apply for the curse and have surguries and take pills to avoid the blesings. Something isn’t right here.”

Important ideas

Women are pigs.

For Better or Worse, Sooner Rather than Later
Great article on early marriages. I too, married young (18yo) and don’t regret it for a minute!


In defense of young marriage


I am not the Mother I wanted to be, and I am glad

Her either


In the same idea…
I’m no Supermom

We all know how life is supposed to go:

· You reach sexual maturity at 12ish.
· You spend time as a teen and young adult hanging out with (dating) the opposite sex so you can “explore” and “learn who you are.”
· You go to college and get a degree then begin a career.
· At some point in your mid to late twenties you find someone to live with for a couple of years, being careful to use your pill every day (This is a good 12 years after sexual maturation by the way).
· Then you get married. Heaven forbid a little brat invades on your freedom so you keep taking your friend pill.
· You buy a new home and two new cars, vacation in Hawaii, and stock your wardrobe…so…
· At some point in your late twenties or early thirties you hear that clock ticking and decide to get pregnant.
· You obediently go to every OB appointment and have every test possible.
· When you get within a week of your expiration- ummm I mean “estimated due”- date, your OB will schedule your birth.
· You show up, get you pitocin to start labor and your pain killer so you can’t feel it.
· After your little one is born he is immediately weighed, measured, given a vitamin K shot, antibiotics In the eyes, a rhogam shot if you have a negative blood type, a few tests including a blood test for genetic abnormalities, and a hepatitis vaccination.
· Eventually you are allowed to hold your baby. You nurse him for the recommended time then finish it up with a bottle of water as instructed.
· Eventually you go home and spend an entire six weeks bonding with little one and healing from the birth. You put junior on formula because your milk fails and it is more convenient.
· Then he goes into a “very good” daycare (you ever hear a parent say theirs was a bad one?) and both parents go back to their careers.
· You are sure to get your child poked with sharp objects and poisonous chemicals by strangers (vaccinated) on the official schedule.
· You go to church (when you don’t have anything better to do) where they have an awesome children’s program. You aren’t quite sure what that is since you never go back there, but they are always saying how awesome it is, so it must be.
· At some point the child transitions from daycare to a school, but otherwise his life stays pretty much the same.
· Your children (all 1.8 of them) spend most of their time at their assigned institution and with friends. Isn’t it nice they are so popular?
· You get fixed so you can’t have any accidents.
· You spend your evenings vegging in front of the TV and your weekends in the theater watching Hollywood’s latest.
· When your child hits his teens, you set rules for dates and such. Of course he resents you intrusion into his life (after all you haven’t told him where to be or who with up until now. Why change?) but it is for his own good and you suffer through those awful teen years.
· At 18 he moves out to attend college just like you did. Now you are no more than a piggy bank. Whew! Glad that parenting stuff is over!
· When you reach 65 you have a big party, retire, and travel around the US in a motor home with a bumper sticker that says “We Are Spending Our Children’s Inheritance.”
· When we can no longer do this, we move into a retirement community, then a rest home, then a cemetery.

(There are some complications however;
· Delaying onset of sexual activity until the late 20’s is frustrating. Few have the strength to wait 15-20 YEARS for sexual release.
· If you wait until your late 20’s or 30’s to marry, the good ones may have all been taken.
· Living together increases your risk of divorce.
· The pill causes heart disease, cancer, and ABORTION. Look at your package insert. In fact, every method of birth control has side effects. For example, couples who use the condom have a 60% higher risk of preeclampsia, a potentially fatal condition in pregnancy.
· Those that use birth control are at greater risk for divorce.
· The later you wait to get pregnant, the less likely you will get pregnant.
· Prenatal testing doesn’t cure any birth defect. They can only –inaccurately- predict the likelihood of a defect. They do increase anxiety and pressure to abort.
· Markers to tell how far along a pregnancy is, are inaccurate. There has been a marked increase in prematurity since doctors have gone so nuts with sonograms and induction.
· Pitocin and pain killers start a domino effect of interventions ending in c-section 30% of the time. C-section is major surgery and carries all the potential complications to both mommy and baby, including cuts on the baby and perforated bowels, bladders and uterus on mommy from the scalpel.
· All medicines have side effects and travel through the mother’s blood to the baby. No medicine has been declared safe for labor.
· Blood tests hurt and don’t change anything.
· Formula babies are sicker and stupider than breastfed. Oh, wait. That isn’t politically correct. I am supposed to say “breastfed babies have fewer illnesses and score higher on vocabulary and intelligent tests.”
· Daycare increases the child’s risk of mental illness, learning disorders, serious illness, behavior problems, anger, divorce, alcohol abuse, pre-marital sex and violence.
· Again, all medicines, even vaccinations, carry risks of side effects, sometimes fatal.
· 85% of Christian kids that go to public school back slide as soon as they are adults (and private schools are generally not much better).
· Public schools produce the lowest academic scores of the three main choices and cost an arm and a leg to pay for (think fashionable clothes and various fees and fundraisers).
· Tubal litigation causes hysterectomies which cause heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer, immune problems. Vasectomies cause performance problems, cancer, immune disorders, kidney failure, etc.
· TV destroys brain cells, uses up time we are accountable to God for, and brain washes us into Hollywood’s ideology. We know it works because Madison Avenue pays millions of dollars per year to do just that through commercials.
· Rebellion is a sin even in a teen.
· True retirement causes depression and a feeling of uselessness.
It seems life doesn’t always go like it is supposed to.)

Tell me; is this a Christian life or a sinner life? What! Can’t you tell? Neither can I. Can you find any of this in the Bible? I can’t.

Christians have the same divorce rate as the world, the same birth rate, the same teen pregnancy rate, the same working mom rate, the same rate of depression, heart disease, cancer, etc. You really can’t tell the difference. Why in the world should any sinner commit to wasting his Sunday’s? We are no different than he is.

After studying the Bible and God’s creation, I believe God’s perfect Will would look more like this:
· You reach sexual maturity at 12ish.
· You spend time as a teen serving God and developing those skills you will need as an adult (homemaking skills, child rearing, job skills, money management, etc. as well as a thorough knowledge of the Bible. You realize life isn’t about you and your happiness, but about God’s plan for the world and how you fit into it.)
· You find a wonderful, God fearing mate and marry while in your late teens or very early twenties (only a very few years after sexual maturity. This removes the temptation to sin through adultery). Since you have never been alone, your adjustment to married life is much easier. You grow up and form who you are together.
· Since you trust God to only give you those children you need, He blesses you with a little one a year after the wedding. (Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. Psalms 127:3)
· You do a lot of research and decide to use your aunt who is a midwife and have a home birth due to its increased safety. (Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Proverbs 4:7)
· You rent a small apartment and drive one used car (supplementing with a city bus when necessary) in order to pay for the midwife. (Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. Romans 13:8)
· You go to every midwife appointment, but refuse most of the tests. You wouldn’t abort the baby even if something was wrong so why bother? And some “tests” (sonogram) are so new we don’t yet know if they have long term side effects. Others (amnio) have been known to hurt, even kill, the baby. (Thou shalt not kill. Exd 20:13 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Proverbs 14:12)
· You (im)patiently wait until your body says it is time for the baby to come. You go into labor naturally (drastically reducing the risk of prematurity). (For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child (that unexpected and unpredictable); and they shall not escape. 1Thessalonians 5:3)
· The midwife arrives and doesn’t leave your side (except for the occasional potty break:-) until baby is here. She is there to minister to you. She constantly monitors you with the best monitoring device known to man- the human eye.
· Your baby is born with no drugs in his system and thus is breathing well and lively and alert, looking you in the eye from the start.
· The midwife will weigh baby when he is an hour or so old, letting you bond first.
· The vitamin K shot is only given if you want it. Rhogam is given if you are negative AND the dad is positive AND you say you want it. Antibiotics are put in the eyes to prevent blindness in babies born to moms with VD. You have never had sex with anyone but your hubby and he with you. You refuse. Only those tests you want are preformed. Most would make no difference in your decisions on the child’s upbringing, so you refuse. Hepatitis is a disease passed through contact with infected bodily fluids (i.e. gay sex). Your child will not be having gay sex nor working with those that do so, again, you refuse. (How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver! Proverbs 16:16 )
· You nurse baby for as long as he wants. No artificial nipples at all. This will make it much more likely that nursing will be successful. (And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age. Genesis 21:7)
· Midwife tucks you in for a nap and goes home when little one is a few hours old.
· You raise your child yourself. Studies show children raised by mommy are more mentally healthy, able to learn normally, healthier, obedient, self controlled and less likely to engage in violence, drugs, sex, or divorce as teens and adults. Also, “traditional” families are less likely to suffer divorce. (Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 18:10 The aged women likewise, … That they may teach the young women to be…keepers at home, … obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Titus 2:5 But if any provide not for HIS own, and specially for those of HIS own house, HE hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel (atheist). 1Timothy 5:8)
· You do a great deal of research and decide to only give your child the tetanus vaccination. The others don’t seem worth the risk for the benefit. (Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Proverbs 4:7)
· At some point you begin introducing ABC’s and 123’s, but otherwise his life stays pretty much the same. (And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture (culture) and admonition (education) of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4)
· You continue to add a child every three years or so (spaced by breast feeding) until you have seven (the historical average before modern birth control). You welcome each as a great blessing from you Lord. Then you simply don’t get pregnant again. (But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 19:14 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 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. Deuteronomy 6:67)
· You spend your time carefully, picking entertainment that will up lift and strengthen either the body or the spirit or both. (Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8) Sometimes that is TV (mostly videos) but not very often.
· Your children spend most of their time with you and other adults. They learn manners and respect. They have self confidence. They are also fun to be with and not selfish. (He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. Proverbs 13:20)
· You go to church whenever the doors are open if at all possible. Your faithfulness is awarded with a position or two. (His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Mathew 25:21)
· Your church doesn’t squirrel the children away in never-never land but welcomes them as important members of the body of Christ. They grow up participating in worship with you, as a family. (But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 19:14)
· When your child hits his teens, you gradually transition him into the adult world. You don’t set rules for dates and such. He is responsible and you know you can trust him to make good decisions. Of course he appreciates the new freedom and is careful to respect it. (Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Exodus 20:12)
· At 18 or 20 he or she marries and gets his own apartment. You help out some but they are mostly independent. They may try to have daddy go to school and work, but they are together and happy. Soon you will be a grandparent! (Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. Genesis 2:24)
· When you reach 65 you transition into full time ministry in your church. God needs you! (The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness. Proverbs 16:31)
· You slow down a bit, but suffer no ill effects of sterilization, drugs, alcohol, depression, heart disease, cancer, divorce, or any of the other results of the “normal” choices.
· Your work only gradually declines in volume as younger ones take over. You work for your God until your dying day.
· You celebrate your 75th wedding anniversary with the love of your life.
· When you can no longer live alone, you move in with a child and help out as much as possible. When you “graduate” to eternity, it is surrounded by friends and family, maybe even four generations! Let’s see: seven children times seven children each times seven children each- potentially 399 descendent “arrows” to go work for your King! (As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. Psalms 127:4,5)


The Christian life should be different than the sinner’s life. Following God’s rules in the Bible brings good results. Ignoring them brings disaster. This is true even if you don’t believe in God and just follow the rules. But how much more should a Christian benefit? We should be really different from the world so they can see a better way of life. It makes no sense to live just like them and suffer the same consequences. We should know better!

Health care

As we come down to the wire on forced health care, remember half of those 48,000,000 without health insurance CAN afford it; they just don't want it!

This system will remove your rights as a citizen to make choices for yourself. It will force anti-abortionists to pay for abortion. I would have denied my father the stints her needed to continue his active enjoyable lifestyle when he had a heart attack. and I could go on.

It is nothing but blatent communisim.

Let your congressman know you don't approve of being high jacked.

Emotions Follow Decisions.

I am firmly believe that.

Now I don’t think it is generally something we just wake up some morning and decide:

“Hmmm, I think I’ll love liver today!”

“I have decided to not love my hubby anymore.”

“I choose to not love God.”

Generally, the emotion of love is the result of a series of choices to act lovingly or not.

The best example I know:
A man and woman decide to date. They each make an effort to give the other gifts, talk politely, treat each other as if they are special. With each choice to ACT LOVE they grow closer to FEELING LOVE. One day they realize they are so “in love” they can’t live without each other.

After a couple of years, they quite trying so hard to do the things they did during their dating time. The wife may decide one day she is too tired to fix his favorite meal. He may decide he is too busy to remember her birthday. These are decisions to not ACT LOVE. After a few more years they wake up some morning to realize they don’t FEEL LOVE. Did the emotion just die? No. Death was the result of a series of decisions to not act love.

If the couple were to decide to ACT LOVE even though they don’t FEEL LOVE over time, that feeling of love would return.

This principle applies to all emotions. The decision to act slowly builds the emotion, whatever it is.

Most in our country get this whole concept backwards. They think emotions are some magical spell that we have no control over. They make all their decisions based on these “uncontrollable emotions.” And then they wonder why things go wrong and their emotions change so fast a furiously.

The problem with school vouchers

I have heard the teacher’s union argue against vouchers because they would cost public schools too much money.

With the proposals I have seen this is illogical (and even more reason to not let them teach my children. People who can’t think, shouldn’t teach)

One proposal offered a 50% voucher to the parents and gave the other 50% of the state’s money for that child to the public school they would have gone to. Let’s take this to its most extreme:

If you have one million children that the state is paying $10,000 each to educate and ALL of them choose vouchers, the school still gets 5 billion dollars…. With NO STUDENTS TO TEACH! How in the world is this LOSING money? They could quit paying utility bills, let every property go back to the bank, and just send each teacher and administrator a check to stay home.

The truth is that the teacher’s union doesn’t want vouchers because they will loose the true commodity: the children. They know that if parents have true choice, they will not choose public school and then the teachers can’t indoctrinate those children into their socialist worldview. In fact the difference in view between the teacher’s unions ideas of school and private and homeschool’s ideas are the different between socialism and capitalism.

There is a logic fallacy…

...that is used as a propaganda technique that I am finding way too often. It is called “The Fallacy of Assumption.”


This is when you make a statement but leave out the beginning foundation; the supporting assumption.


For example:


I can’t wear dresses because I look awful in light blue. Now you might argue with me that I don’t look that bad in blue, that I could buy a white shawl to put around it so the blue won’t reflect on my face, that I should wear them anyway because my hubby likes dresses, all sorts of reasons to go ahead and wear them.


Of course what you would REALLY do would be to tell me to buy a purple dress. Or a red one. Or a white, pink, yellow, or any other colored one.


You see, what I did was to leave out the foundational assumption of “there is no such thing as a non-light blue dress.” This example was obvious.


What is not so obvious are the examples from our everyday lives.

• There are no rules
• There is no right or wrong
• “Proper” roles are decided by society
• What is “right” for you may not be right for me
• Set your own standards
• Find your own path
• Follow your heart
• Look out for number one
• Survival of the fittest
• If it feels right do it
• Live for today
• Have fun while you can
• You are what you wear, drive, live in or vacation
• He who dies with the most toys wins
• We are more advanced today
• We know better now

These are all statements based on the assumption that “There is no God.”


The fact is that we all have a “World View” or an assumption about the nature and founding of the universe. What our assumption is in this area colors every other area of our lives, even when we don’t realize it.


Let’s imagine you are writing a history textbook, for example. If you believe there is a God you would tell the story of George Washington winning the battle of Yorktown something like this:


“Washington knew he needed to conquer Yorktown in order to win the war and he had to do it fast. But the town was in a bowl-like area, surrounded by hills on three sides and the ocean on the fourth. There was no way to get the army and its artillery onto the surrounding hills without being seen from the city. They had many soldiers on the ships in the harbor and cannons in the city itself. There is no doubt the British will attack and win before he could possible be in a position to fight back. He had hired Lafayette (a French Admiral/pirate) to come blockade the harbor and keep the soldiers on the ships, but he isn’t there yet.


George Washington was a praying man. After much prayer and contemplation, he felt he needed to go ahead and attack the city and trust God for the outcome.


The night the American forces arrived, a pea-soup thick fog rolled into the city. This fog was so thick, no one in the city could see the hills or even hear the sound of fox holes being dug and cannons set up. Soon Washington had his forces in place for the attack. But he now had a new problem. He couldn’t see where to shoot at! The fog was in the way and, of course, he didn’t want to waste ammunition and lives bombing civilians while the British unloaded their ships and came charging up the hill. He wanted to hit the buildings that housed British officers (And Lafayette still hadn’t shown up) What should he do? As I said, he was a praying man.


A wind came up just then and not only blew the fog away, but blew the British ships out of the harbor before they could unload their troops, and kept them their until Lafayette did show up.


Imagine the surprise on the British faces to look at the hills that morning and see a whole army had sprung up there over night!


Washington and his troops fought the battle and won, thanks to the One who controls the Weather.”


How would you write this story if you do not believe there is a God or if you are trying to be “neutral?”


“Washington knew he needed to conquer Yorktown in order to win the war and he had to do it fast. But the town was in a bowl-like area, surrounded by hills on three sides and the ocean on the fourth. There was no way to get the army and its artillery onto the surrounding hills without being seen from the city. They had many soldiers on the ships in the harbor and cannons in the city itself. There is no doubt the British will attack and win before he could possible be in a position to fight back. He had hired Lafayette (a French Admiral/pirate) to come blockade the harbor and keep the soldiers on the ships, but he isn’t there yet.


The night the American forces arrived, a pea-soup thick fog rolled into the city. How lucky can you get? This fog was so thick, no one in the city could see the hills or even hear the sound of fox holes being dug and cannons set up. Soon Washington had his forces in place for the attack. But he now had a new problem. He couldn’t see where to shoot at! The fog was in the way and, of course, he didn’t want to waste ammunition and lives bombing civilians while the British unloaded their ships and came charging up the hill. He wanted to hit the buildings that housed British officers (And Lafayette still hadn’t shown up) What should he do?


Luckily, a wind came up just then and not only blew the fog away, but blew the British ships out of the harbor before they could unload their troops, and kept them their until Lafayette did show up.


Imagine the surprise on the British faces to look at the hills that morning and see a whole army had sprung up there over night!


Washington and his troops fought the battle and won.”


These two stories are almost identical. But the first gives credit to God for Washington’s victory, telling us that God wanted America to win the war. The second credits “luck.” The first teaches a child to be diligent to trust God no matter what the odds are against him. The second teaches a child that Washington was a lucky man. Some people are and some aren’t (like the British commander in the city.)


Can you see how the basic assumption underneath each story affects the child that reads it?


Let’s try science:


The chimpanzees left the trees ten million years ago. We don’t know why they left the trees, but it was probably to find food. They are more susceptible to enemies on the ground, though.


or


God designed chimpanzees to live on the ground. We don’t know why but it was probably to give them a bigger range of food choices. Or maybe it was to give predators a bigger range of food choices.


The first assumes evolution. The second Divine design. The first teaches the random cruelty of “natural selection.” The second about a Designer that even cares for the un-lovely.


How about this:


I don’t want to waste my life being a housewife and changing diapers. I want to do something important!


Or


I can think of nothing more important than bringing up Spiritual Warriors for God.


The first statement says raising children is unimportant. The second, very important. The first assumes that your fancy career is the most important thing in the world. The second, God’s kingdom and your children’s place in it.


We can afford to live in a 2500’ house and drive two new cars, but we can’t afford private education.


Or


We would like a bigger house and newer car but we just can’t afford it because we only have one income. Wann’a go to the homeschool curriculum fair with me?


The first says your house and cars are more important than your child’s education. The second, that education is more important. The first assumes how you are measured materialistically is the supreme measure. The second, your children’s education is most important.


We need to learn to evaluate each and every decision we need to make in the light of our World Views. If we truly believe in a Creator God, we should really start acting like it.