Salt and Light? Good company?

Many Christian families state that a key reason for staying with the public school system is to be 'salt and light' to a pagan culture. I think this may be an excellent reason for an adult who is called to teach and who has a burden for evangelism of the lost. There are many Christian teachers in public schools who choose their work for this reason and my hat goes off to them. They are undoubtedly facing in-your-face hostility to Christian principles and yet remain there to pray for the lost, be a witness for Christ and give the best education they can to students. But the 'salt and light' concept ends there. I think it is unwise (dangerous?) to send little-trained or untrained youth to perhaps the key battleground of Humanists (the public school classroom) and expect them to be effective in winning over unbelievers, adult or student. The evangelism is working in reverse far too often as is evidenced by Christian-family youth adopting morals of their unbelieving friends.

The Bible says, "Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals." (I Cor. 15:33) An environment where the majority of people are not Christian is unquestionably going to produce a different ethic than will occur when nearly all are Christian (faculty and students). The value system, or worldview, of non-Christian teachers and students will produce a 'normal' environment that is hostile to Christianity. If we believe the Bible to be true, it simply cannot be any different.

Most students like to model their teachers, especially when they are viewed as "cool." However, the morals of Christian-family youth are being corrupted when the lifestyle of their teachers reflects such anti-Christian views as gay rights, abortion rights, and sex before marriage. Believing otherwise is already proof that the warning of this scripture was ignored ... you have been deceived.

taken from the Nehemiah Institute, Inc.site.

Faux Camping

I LOVE faux camping. You get to pretend you are camping but without the sleeping "with nature", fighting bugs and other wildlife or doing all the stuff you do at home in rougher conditions!! So, since DeGina, Chris and family are camping nearby; we went to visit and hangout and pretend to camp!





Here we have the requisite campfire a flaming up; producing a vast quantity of ash. I felt I was reliving Pompeii. I will have to speak to Chris about this; a little too 'campy' for me. It did serve the purpose of making wonderful SMORES!!
Smores are magic camp food for those of you who didn't know. MAGIC!!!






This is the creek that runs by the campground. It is just loud enough to give you that nice 'outdoor' feeling. And it is far enough from where you sit to not draw bugs. Faux camping at its best!!!

I Love Camping yes I do, I love camping how 'bout you?!




Chris and William sat around and acted like the experienced scouts they are. Comments on the fire were thrown around. I think Chris fell asleep during the stimulating conversation. Note the ability to hold an open water bottle while asleep. Scouting at its best.







Me (above) smiling because we are going to play my FAVORITE game.
Rummikub!!!!(below) I love love love this game! It is competitive and you have to really think about your moves. And I got MOVES...

The Game Table, along with my victims. The silliness of taking on the Rummikub master. Silly silly people....








Two of my favorite "didn't give birth to you" girls. They are having to do the "real camping" not "faux camping". Poor poor children.
Someone should save them. Oh, I did bring the bigger one home with me; so I did do some good.




Hayden felt the need to do a commercial for bottled water. Being the good mother that I am, I humored him. Note the 'wink'. Such the ham.


Sarah, once again doing the weird face thing. What is this face my child? The faux camping getting to you?? Is it the ash?? It's the ash, isn't it??
Chris, do something about the ash!! Look at this face!



Ok, I just had to put another picture of my favorite guy in before I end this. He camps for real cause he's a real man. He even camps without restrooms. They call it 'primitive camping'. That is SO beyond my scope of comprehension, I can't EVEN relate. No bathrooms.
Hello, the Stone Ages called, they want their LIFE back!

Do NOT Be Fooled

In 2000, the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act was first introduced in Congress. This was a two-paragraph bill intended to clarify that any baby who is entirely expelled from his or her mother, and who shows any signs of life, is to be regarded as a legal "person" for all federal law purposes, whether or not the baby was born during an attempted abortion.

In 2002, the bill was enacted, after a "neutrality clause" was added to explicitly state that the bill expressed no judgment, in either direction, about the legal status of a human prior to live birth.

Barack Obama, voted against the Born Alive Infants Protection Act, which would have prevented babies been aborted alive and left to die.

Obama's justification for voting against the BAIPA? He said that he felt it was worded in such a way that it would undermine Roe vs. Wade.

As a state senator, he claimed that he voted against the Illinois bill for the reason that the federal "neutrality clause" was not included. He said that for this reason, he could not support the Illinois bill.

Obama was boldly lying through his teeth, because, as you can find the documentation to prove, Obama was actually part of the committee that added this "neutrality clause" to the Illinois bill...and in fact, he was chairman of that committee, when he voted against the bill in 2003! So the "neutrality clause" he claims was not there, was there, by his own doing, and he STILL voted against it!

Not only did Obama have the audacity to lie about this, he also had the audacity to call the National Right to Life Committee "liars" for saying this about him. Even though they had the documentation to prove he was the liar!

Frugal Update

The economy continues to limp along as does our business. William is looking for employment and I am cutting back! We were able to drop two cell phones and drop extra services on our existing ones. We are canceling our billboard as it hasn't really brought us business and it is 350.00 a month. I also reduced the insurance on an older vehicle we own. So, I feel productive!! I will continue to look for other ways to reduce our outgo.

We went to Goodwill yesterday and found a old desk chair which we needed. It is great, probably 30 yrs. old and heavy. I'll have to add a picture. I love Goodwill!


Job 9:27 I will forget my complaint, I will put off my'sad countenance, and be of good cheer;

"Real" Life Television

Oh, no, I'm getting a zit!"
"Well, he seems nice, but his nose hair needs to be cut."
"I'm losing my hair."
"She's too tall for me."
"Gosh his breath smells."
"Does this skirt make my butt seem big?"
"Oh man, clean your shoes off, you stepped in dog poop."
"Wait, before we leave I have to go to the bathroom."

These real-life adventures never occur on television. These are things TV characters don't have to worry about. Television is, after all, perfect. People are beautiful on television -- they live amazing lives and look great doing it.

I went over a good friend's house and he was watching "The Drew Carey Show" on CBS. Now this has got to be one of the most moronic shows I have ever seen on television. In one scene, the star, Drew, his two male buddies and one female friend were sitting in the kitchen talking. The girl was wearing a low-cut top that also exposed her stomach and an extremely tight miniskirt. I remarked, "This girl is only on this show for her tits." My friend was insulted, "No she's not, she's one of Drew's friends. You see, those four people are old friends so they just pal around together."

At that moment, what my friend didn't seem to comprehend, was that TV characters are not real. The images on television may look real, and the people look real, but they are just images. TV characters live in one dimension. TV characters are fictional. Television shows are fictional.

Now, this is not an attempt to insult your intelligence. Of course television isn't real. Everyone knows that. But how much does the world of television effect our daily lives? How much does TV influence your opinion of people? How does TV impact fashion, speech, and social interaction? This is what is meant by The Beautiful People Syndrome: that TV influences the way we view others.

The Beautiful People Syndrome is what happens when you watch too much TV. You begin to believe, or expect, regular people to act, behave, and look like television stars. Does TV imitate life, or does life imitate TV, or does both happen? Television images portray people as beautiful, smart, wealthy, quick-witted, creative, instantly compelling, and exciting. Television wouldn't be worth watching, for those who watch, if it wasn't unbelievably interesting.

In the book Amusing Ourselves to Death, New York University Professor Neil Postman explains how television has changed modern imagery: "It is implausible to imagine that anyone like our 27th President, the multi-chinned, three-hundred pound William Howard Taft, could be put forward as a presidential candidate in today's world. The shape of a man's body is largely irrelevant to the shape of his ideas when he is addressing a public in writing or on the radio . . . but it is quite relevant on television. The grossness of a three-hundred-pound image, even a talking one, would easily overwhelm any logical or spiritual subtleties conveyed by speech."

Postman goes on to explain that "on television, discourse is conducted largely through visual imagery, which is to say that television gives us a conversation in images, not words . . . You cannot do political philosophy on television. Its form works against the content."

After watching hours and hours and hours of television imagery, those "Beautiful People" will become burned into your mind. The handsome, pretty, skinny and witty characters on the show "Friends" are more famous than writers, poets, politicians and more important than teachers, policemen, or firemen. The characters on "Friends" or "Ally McBeal" live the lives we all should live -- and they don't even have to work that hard.

The Beautiful People Syndrome is attacking the psyche of television-addicted America. For a man, if you are not 6'1'', handsome and wealthy you are not ideal. Any woman who isn't bone-thin with a large chest certainly is below the standard. Television is warping the American mind. Unfortunately, the Americanization of the rest of the world may contribute to mind-warping worldwide. Everyone wants to be one of the beautiful television people.

What is the result of The Beautiful People Syndrome? A lot of unhappy citizens. Post-traumatic-television depression can set in after you realize that your life isn't as wonderful as it TV says it should be.

The ubiquity of television is transforming our lives. If you are not one of the "Beautiful People," you're an outcast.

"Television has become, so to speak, the background radiation of the social and intellectual universe, the all-but-imperceptible residue of the electronic big bang of a century past, so familiar and so thoroughly integrated with American culture that we no longer hear its faint hissing in the background or see the flickering gray light," contends Postman.

"The world as given to use through television seems natural, not bizarre," he says. "Our culture's adjustment to the epistemology of television is by now all but complete; we have so thoroughly accepted its definitions of truth, knowledge, and reality that irrelevance seems to use to be filled with import, and incoherence seems eminently sane."

I hope you know the truth. The trick is to make the truth your conscious and subconscious reality. The truth about the true nature of people: Beautiful People only exist on TV. Beautiful People only exist on TV. Beautiful People only exist on TV. Beautiful People only exist on TV. Make this your mantra. The reality is not as fun or glamorous as television. Rejecting the influence of TV imagery will set you on the path to enlightenment; and make real life so much more worthwhile.

The 23rd Channel

The TV is my shepherd, I shall want.

It makes me lie down on the sofa.

It leads me away from the Scriptures.

It destroys my soul.

It leads me in the path of sex and violence,

for the sponsor's sake.

Yea, though I walk in the shadow of my

Christian responsibilities,

there will be no interruption,

For the TV is with me.

It's cable and remote, they control me.

It prepares a commercial before me in

the presence of worldliness;

It anoints my head with Humanism,

My coveting runneth over.

Surely laziness and ignorance shall

Follow me all days of my life:

And I shall dwell in the house

Watching TV forever.

~Author Unknown

Can You Say Babylon

Hannah is home from college. We made a HUGE mistake. You can not raise your children one way and then drop them in the world and say "deal". You can't tell them that we are to live separate from those that choose immoral lives, then send them to live with those very people.

She was living in the middle of SIN, which no Christian young lady should be faced with. Her roommate was into Shamanic religion, as were others. She had her 'power animal' in their window. After two days many of the girls were 'hooking up' with boys. The third night there were students outside her window smoking pot. The RA on Hannah's hall told the girls in a hall meeting that they could have boys in their rooms after midnight "as long as they were quiet". Great. No security or safety. Can you say BABYLON?

We just didn't think through it. We looked at things through our lenses and saw them through our experiences. Not necessarily reality. Her leadership scholarship turned out to be a feminist movement with an agenda. We saw it as service and selflessness. Not so.

I feel terrible for her; she was miserable. She was looking so forward to her classes. I am angry with myself. But, there were lessons learned. Hannah realizes that she isn't as accepting of 'alternative lifestyles' (not that she thought they were right, but that she could befriend them and accept the differences) as she thought; at least up close and personal. She doesn't hate the people, but can't just walk with them in their lifestyle. And if you live with them, you gotta be around that lifestyle. Trust me, it is in your face.

Hannah now sees the value in some of the rules that true Christian colleges impose and the reasons behind them. She sees that you can not live in the mist of sin and not be oppressed. She was surrounded by spiritual darkness and struggling everyday. What were we thinking??

Lesson learned. We do not want our children to be afraid of the world, but we do not want them living in the mist of sin either. God calls us to be separate.

Psalms 1

Blessed is the man

Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,

Nor stands in the path of sinners,

Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

Hannah will be fine. She is going to look at other schools closer to home and look for a part time job. Go Hannah!!!! Keep your faith.

---

"The media can wreak great harm on the family when it offers an inadequate or even distorted vision of life, of the family itself and of religion and morality."
-- Pope John Paul II, May 2004

Injury and Blood Again!

Those of you who know me, well, know me. I am a cook and caterer, which is dangerous to my health!! I was cutting apples to put in chicken salad and chopped right on through my finger. Oh no, didn't slow down a bit.

Sarah asked was it a stitches cut or a butterfly bandage cut while typing away on the computer, never looking up. Hayden was upstairs doing something; at one time he would have ran down to make sure he still had a whole mother. It doesn't phase the kids now; it's just "do you need medical assistance"!! Thanks guys; I only gave birth to you. No big.

Hannah is Struggling

Hannah is really homesick and having a tough time. New place, new people, not sure who she is away from us, not sure she made the right decision. I just want to tell her to come home and it will be alright, but I can't. She needs to walk this out and prove to herself that she can do something that is really hard. Even if she ends up closer to home ultimately, she needs to stay there one semester.

I am so proud of her; she is physically sick on top of being homesick, but she is doing the things she needs to do to get ready for classes next week. She went to a movie last night with some of the girls instead of sitting in her dorm sulking. This morning she had to go to Confirmation; it is a process to make sure everything is in order before classes start. Hannah may not realize it, but she is succeeding! It may be hard and uncomfortable, but she is doing it!!

I do not know what the future will bring, but everyday she stays and participates, she is getting stronger. She increases her resolve. She matures a little more. All good stuff! She may not realize it yet, but real good stuff...

She Is At College!

The car was packed and off we went to take my baby away to college. On top of all the changes, she is sick. She is fighting it and taking medicine.


Here she is unpacking. The dorm room is small, but once decorated it was cute! We organized her shelves above the desk area. Yes, mom had to help! Duh!! Actually, she told me what to do, and I did it. She already had an idea of how she wanted everything.



Here is the view out the dorm window. It looks onto the middle of campus which is nice.



Her desk area isn't huge, but there is enough room for her stuff. She, of course, has pictures of her family right in front of her.

We placed cork squares beside her bed to stick pictures onto. It took us about an 1 1/2 hrs. to do it all.






I do NOT know what the expression is on Sarah's face? Odd child. Hannah is doing the "take one more picture and I'll kill you" face! Hayden is just tired. Oh, did I mention, there is no air in this dorm. We were hot also. Fortunately, we bought her an tower fan (look in background). Final picture, I know ya'll are yawning by now. This is a photograph Hannah took and had enlarged. It looks great at the foot of her bed.

So, we are home with one less child. She is struggling, and we just want to go back and get her. I talked to her online and she is hanging in there. They will be busy and we hope that helps her get involved and get to know people. We only want her to succeed in spreading her wings, whatever that may be.

We're Off!

Well, the time has come. No more anticipating or waiting. It's time to take Hannah to college. William is taking Piper to the vet or as we call it Barkapooloza! We packed the car yesterday. So we are ready to go. Oh my!

No one has answered me, when did this happen?? When??? Am I ready for this? I guess that doesn't matter; it is here.

So off we go, see ya in a couple of days...

Kids Praise Team

I have been praying as to what the Lord wanted me to do this church year. I have served on our Personnel team for several years which can be a tough job and was not elected to serve there this year. I always falter a little when God is redirecting me, wondering where I fit. I had resolved to wait patiently to hear from Him. He, of course, came through!

He led me to begin leading a Kids Praise Team on Sunday evenings. Sarah is helping me and we had 12 kids Sunday. They were a blessing!! I am teaching them old Sunday School songs, hymns and contemporary songs. I want them to have an appreciation for all types of christian music. I also talk with them about what the songs mean and why we sing them. We find the scripture that goes with the song also.

I will continue to sing on the Praise Team and work to lead the church in a deeper understanding of worship. To me there is no other reason to sing except to praise my Heavenly Father. It has always been a humbly thing for me to sing in front of others and lead worship. It is not entertainment, it for our Lord.

Hebrews 13:15

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.

Psalms 33:3
Sing to the LORD a new song; Sing to the LORD, all the earth.

Psalms 134:2

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD

Psalms 47:1

Oh clap your hands, all ye peoples; Shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

Restaurant Critique

While the guys were camping and hiking in the wild woods of N. Ga., the girls and I decided to check out a new restaurant south of us called the River Street Grill. We ate outside which was nice and the food was pretty good.



Hannah had a Reuben, which she rated decent. Fries were too salty.


Sarah had a Meatball sub, which wasn't great. The bread was soggy due to the sauce.
I got a Cheese Burger in case Sarah didn't like her sandwich. She wasn't crazy about it, so I halfed my burger with her.


We shared one dessert which was pretty good. It was a tortilla with cinnamon apples, ice cream, carmel sauce and whipped cream.


We enjoyed each others company, the waitress was sweet, it was nice sitting outside and the food was respectable.



P.S. Hayden finished his last requirement for his Second Class rank during this camping/hiking trip!!!! He has most requirements for First Class done also. My Big Boy Scout. (don't tell him I said that) Please!

Hannah has moved all her belongings going off to college with her to my dining room. She doesn't want to forget anything, so she lugged it all upstairs to organize and check off her list. We are packing the car today so we can get off early tomorrow.

We have talked about when she wants us to leave Thursday so she can relax before the leadership dinner. We have talked about not coming home for a while. We have talked about us visiting next month for Family Weekend. We have talked about enjoying this time in her life. We have talked about organizing her schedule. Etc, Etc, Etc.

Now we send her off and pray for her to soar!

Oh My!

Well, it is almost here. We take Hannah to college on Wednesday. She is so ready and thinks she is not. Normal. She is worried about being able to schedule and organize her classes and service hours. She'll do fine. She is worried about failure. She'll do fine. She is worried about leaving Sarah. She'll be fine. We will all be fine...


What a milestone in the life of the Queens.

Government Education

In 1947 God was tossed out of public school with the Everson v Board of Education decision. Look it up and read the decision. Following this there has been a campaign to remove ANY iota of Protestant-Christian traditions from public school and life.

1962 - a verbal prayer offered in school is unconstitutional, even if it is both denominationally neutral and voluntarily participated in. Engel v Vitale

1965 - Freedom of sppech an dpress is guaranteed to students unless the topic is religious, at which time the speech becomes unconstitutional. Stein v Oshinsky

1965 - If a student prays over lunch, it is unconstitutional for him to pray aloud. Reed v Hoven

1969 - It is unconstitutional for a war memorial to be erected in the shape of a cross. Lowe V City of Eugene

1979 - It is unconstitutional for a kindergarten class to ask during a school assembly whose birthday is celebrated at Christmas. Florey v Sioux Fall School District

1980 - It is unconstitutional for the Ten Commandments to hang on the walls of a classroom. Stone v Graham

1984 - It is unconstitutional for a kindergarten class to recite: "God is great, God is goo, let us thank Him for our food." Wallace v Jaffree

ARE YOU SICK YET - THERE'S MORE

1987- In Virginia, a federal court ruled that homosexual newpapers may be distributed on a high school campus, but religious newpapers may not.

1988 - An elementary school principal in Denver removed the Bible from the school library.

1996- Ten year old James Gierke, of Omaha, was prohibited from reading his Bible during free time.

2000- Ohio's state motto, "With God all things are possible" was ruled unconstitutional by the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals because it expressed "a uniquely Christian thought".


One cannot separate life from Christianity. It is a medium in which we act out our lives. It teaches our children love, discipline, commitment and self-awareness.

I'm Awake, So I Write

I had a doctors appointment today to get the results of some blood work. (I am going somewhere with this) The girls in the office know that Hannah is leaving for college next week and asked about her. I didn't feel great first of all, then I was worried about my blood work and I was hormonal, still am. So, I proceed to tear up. Great, big baby!


Then the PA I see came in and I stated "I'm Fine", with my tissue in hand. She is thinking, "nut case". I told her that with homeschooling I am not away from the kids to have time to fall apart and I can't do it while I'm driving; I may kill someone. So, I came to their office to have a good cry. They were all sweet and understanding; several having experienced their first born leaving home.


Then tonight I read an article about Steven Curtis Chapman and the loss of their youngest child. I, of course, knew the story; but this had an interview with the family. I was in tears. Like them, we are a christian family; unlike them, we have not experienced this type of loss. I was just blown away by their deep faith and love of each other. And it gave me perspective and a reality check. My child is going away to college. They will not see their child again this side of eternity. I have been blessed to see my child grow into a young woman. Their child died at 5 years old.




Do I think God is unfair? Never. Do I understand something like this? No. Do I believe that Maria Sue is in heaven? Yes. As in Matthew 5, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

I am so thankful when God steps in and pulls me up out of the pit of self-pity! He turns my head and changes my perspective.






Oh, and all my blood work was fine.


"Prayer is the single most significant thing that will help turn inner turmoil into peace."

Oops...

Added brownie recipe below; so slide back down there and check it out! It is worth your time...

Happy Birthday Sarah

Today she turns 14. Such a beautiful, intelligent young lady. Just yesterday she was my little Sarah Boo, now she is becoming this incredible person. My baby girl is coming into her own! I love to watch her interact with others, see her finding her voice and finding humor in life. Happy Birthday Sarah, you will always be my Sarah Boo.

Another Milestone

Today I go help this one, our oldest, open a checking account; she leaves in a week. Unbelievable. Another responsibility along with college, exams, laundry, scheduling, scholarship requirements, etc. Seriously, somebody tell me when this happened. When??!
It wasn't that long ago that she came into our world and made us parents. It wasn't that long ago that she needed us for everything; looking to us for all the answers. Now, she has many of the answers we need. Now, she is moving towards greater independence. As it should be, but not without many difficult moments for her mom and dad. Don't tell her though, we just keep smiling...

Brownies

Sarah decided to experiment tonight with a new brownie recipe. They are more cake like and the the frosting has honey in it. They were good!!!

Recipe:
1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder

Melt butter. Stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat in cocoa, flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread into 8" greased pan. Bake at 350 for 25 mins. These brownies are cakey? cakie? cake like!

Frosting:
3 tbs. butter, softened
3 tbs. cocoa powder
1 tbs. honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners sugar
Milk as needed to spreading consistency

Combine and frost while warm!!

(If you are not a big fan of honey, get your head examined! Just kidding, just reduce the amount of honey or leave it out.) Personally, I liked the taste difference. It felt organic, natural, less guilty. Anytime I can delude myself, I am THERE!!

Oprah

A Matter of Life and Death

Please share this video anywhere and everywhere you can! This is real and people need to open thier eyes to what Oprah is spreading! Please watch this video!

Praise Team practice is always a hoot! We have fun every time we get together and we actually get a fair amount done. We try to get our next weeks line up done first and then practice new music. Today we worked on "Love You So Much"; a beautiful song. I can't imagine singing for anyone besides the Lord; any other music seems empty and pointless. My passion is ministering through music. I can express my appreciation for all God has done for me and give Him glory.

Proud of My Guys

Our troop had a Court of Honor tonight and my guys each got several awards. I am so proud of the hard work both William and Hayden do in Scouts.

Hayden received his TNT patch from summer camp and 3 merit badges! Two of the three are Eagle Scout required. William received a service knot, a summer camp patch and an Eagle statue for service. He is also working on his Wood Badge. I keep telling him it looks like the 'patch fairy' threw up on his shirt! He just smiles...

"Grand Theft Auto" Taught Them How

"MILTON, Ga. -- Fulton County officials said they have arrested three teens and charged them with 57 felony counts in connection with a recent series of car bombings with Molotov cocktails in the city of Milton, north of Atlanta.The felony charges include arson, criminal damage to property and possession of explosive devices in six vehicle fires between 11 p.m. July 24 and 3 a.m. July 25. Each teen is charged with 19 counts.Officials said the teens -- ages 15 and 16 -- told authorities they learned "how to do it" from playing the video game "Grand Theft Auto.""

We can NOT underestimate the influence video games have on our children. My generation did not grow up with these 'reality' games; we played outside and used our imagination. Our children are exposed to others imaginations that are not always innocent or have our children's best interest at heart. In fact, I am pretty sure they do NOT care about my kids.

We have games in our house (no Grand Theft Auto or bloody war games) and I struggle weekly as to whether ANY are good. They transport our children to another 'reality' and turn them inward. I limit the time on them more and more, desiring to throw them all away.

It is important what these eyes see; what they view as reality. I am responsible for these eyes.

I Am Catching On!

My kids always perceived the bathroom as a place where you wait it out until all the groceries are unloaded from the car. Erma Bombeck.

It is amazing how everyone has to hit the bathroom the minute we get home from grocery shopping. I am catching on, and I have a plan. I won't unlock the door until everyone has a arm load of groceries! Gosh, I hope no one really has to go to the bathroom.

Quotes

"I am beginning to suspect all elaborate and special systems of education. They seem to me to be built upon the supposition that every child is a kind of idiot who must be taught to think."
Anne Sullivan

"It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry; for this delicate little plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of freedom; without this it goes to wreck and ruin without fail. It is a very grave mistake to think that the enjoyment of seeing and searching can be promoted by means of coercion and a sense of duty."
Albert Einstein

Thursday we begin the process of more formal education again. I like the routine and we are excited about doing the Charlotte Mason method after taking a year off.
We will continue to make practical learning a priority; cooking, woodworking, composting, cleaning, service, etc.
This year we will be reading the History of the American People, the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Gulliver's Travels, the Missionary Travels of David Livingstone, Plutarch, Shakespeare, and much more.

Another Reason To Homeschool

I Corinthians 15:33,34 says literally:

"Do not lead yourselves astray:
bad companionships corrupt good morals.
...I say this to your shame,
for there are some who do not know God."

Companionship with those who do not know God is a shameful sin which draws us away from God. How much worse spending the best of one’s waking hours in a government school which teaches us to ignore God all day long, among teachers who cannot even mention God’s name; and among students who, if they do mention God’s name, do not mention it with reverence.

Charles F. Potter, a leading humanist, wrote in the magazine "Humanist,"

"Education is thus a most powerful ally of Humanism, and every American public school is a school of Humanism. What can the theistic Sunday schools, meeting for an hour a week and teaching only a fraction of the children, do to stem the tide of a five-day program of humanistic teaching?"

Another leading humanist, John Dunphy, wrote in the Humanist Magazine (1983).

"I am convinced that the battle for humankind’s future must be waged and won in the public school classroom by teachers who correctly perceive their role as the proselytizers of a new faith: a religion of humanity...
The classroom must and will become an arena of conflict between the old and the new — the rotting corpse of Christianity, together with all its adjacent evils and misery, and the new faith of humanism."

Are our children prepared to do battle with the Philistine Giant of Humanistic Education?

Proverbs 22:6

"Train up a child
in the way he should go,[that is, fill him with salt]
and when he is old
he will not depart from it."

Our children do not come with salt. Our God given task as parents is to fill our children with salt. We call this process education.

Only after our children have matured and are proven in the correction and counsel of the Lord, only then may we send them out to do battle with the Humanistic Philistines. But if we send our children out to be discipled by the humanist system, we may expect any salt we may impart to them to be steadily washed away by a constant stream of polluting humanism. The salt will lose its taste and be good for nothing.

We must first turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children; and the hearts of the children back to their fathers.

A Little Closer to College

Today we did the last of the college shopping for Hannah. My dining room is full of 'stuff '. Hannah is overwhelmed with organizing everything and making sure she has what she needs. Of course she has everything, like her mother, she makes lists and checks each item off. The girl has skills! In less than 3 weeks she will be entering academia. The campus is small and pretty. Below you can see the pipe organ in the performing arts center.