Public Money for Home Education?

I got to hear a little conversation today, one that sounded like a logical and great idea to those that homeschool, but I had hidden thoughts that I should have expressed for the sake of those conteplating it. It was the issue of encouraging an MP(Member of Parliment) to go to congress of addressing the issue of homeschooler's 'rights'* to be publicaly funded- just as public school students are. I cringe at that idea. Not that the idea of having a whole lot of 'free' money doesn't appeal to me, but that the consequenses of such an endowment would be more than we realize. With public funds comes public accountability. This is what happened here in Alberta. Homeschoolers were given wonderful funds to help with their homeschooling... only to find a few years later it was decided that if homeschoolers are using public money, the government has every responsability to keep tabs on every homeschooler and their curriculum and what it can be spent on, and how you must run your homeschool. The rights of the Alberta homeschooler are beyong restrictive. Same thing happened in Alaska. How can it be that we in B.C., who have one of the most unintrusive laws and the best homeschooling rights in all Canada, are so ignorant of what, how, and why Homeschooling Freedoms are being demolished right in front of us. Those who don't know their history are doomed to repeat it. We are heading in that direction right now. How is it that we as homeschoolers don't even know our own foundations of homeschooling and its heroes of the past who fought so hard against this. We don't even know our own history and why we have these freedoms in the first place. With that said, one other idea was suggested in the conversation. That was of tax breaks for homeschoolers. That one I have no qualms about. That is a true 'right' that we are entitled to. That is one idea that does not jeapordize our freedoms. We shouldn't have to pay for public schools when we don't use them. That is not getting public money, that is not being taxed on our own money so that we have the freedom to use those funds for our own homeschooling adventures. Would we make as much that way instead of just getting public money? I doubt it- but I would much prefer to set my independece for my right to have homeschooling freedoms, rather than to have those freedoms 'bought-off' by the bait of other peoples money. *The idea that homeschoolers should have a 'right' to public money(you and I are the taxpayers) is a false idea. Just because public schools and private schools are getting a tip-off does not mean that it is a right. If we don't want to be paying for public schools through our tax dollars, can we expect tax payers to want to fund the homeschools of someone else's family? We homeschool because we want to be able to homeschool independently and according to our own conscience. That is our right. Expecting others to pay for our rights is not. Keep up the fight and don't be too quick to give in for the sake of a few dollars. Our greatness as homeschoolers came because we were able to do it through our blood, sweat, and tears- not because of government dependence.

Home Lending Library Start Up

We are trying to get an idea underway here in Westbank, BC. Not a new one, but something we haven't heard of in our area. A Homeschooling Lending Library. Homeschooling is a very huge conviction for me. True Homeschooling... where the parent is accountable to God for their upbringing- not the government, or learning outcomes. Unfortunatly, because resources cost money, many homeschooling families are putting themselves under the latter authority again. This is what was fought so viciously in the past... our freedom to homeschool without government intrusion. Some have enrolled into Christian School homeschool programs, so that their teaching is graded by Christians, but they have still made themselves accountable to the Proffessionals, and even Christian Schools must adhear to government mandated learning outcomes. In the end, you have public education with bible verses sprinkled in. But the government pays for those resources and gives a good little bonus to boot, so many parents find it worth it to throw aside all the hard work our homeschool heros of the past fought so hard against. But it won't last long. When we throw away our freedoms for so-called freedom, we endanger the future of homeschooling as a whole. That is why I am trying to make available the resources I have. If we as families can come together to share our resources, the less of a temptation government money will be. True homeschooling is almost nothing now, and dropping by the year. This is my contribution to help us get our vision back on track. If we can all catch this vision, to open up home lending libraries in each family, can you imagine the possibilities? How about starting one up in your area? This is a link to mine( bear in mind I am only just starting, and not yet finished) to give you an idea of how one might be set up. It may not be the best way of doing it, but it is a start. http://www.chll-westbank.blogspot.com/ . I am still looking into different laws in Canada as what can be legally lent out( such as homeschooling videos). If you have any experiance in this area, please let me know! It is time for us homeschooling parents to step up to the plate and continue to fight for our freedoms. God Bless you in your homeschooling journey.

Christians Unite!

All right my fellow Christian soldiers... we have another mission to complete! We have our battle orders and we need to be ready to execute our duty. Time to put our Love into action again. http://www.littletait.com/index.htm

Little Tait, born 3 months early, has surmounted incredible hospital bills. The parents, who fear God and his word, have refused Secular Government welfare to pay for this, and have decided to stand upon their faith in God and stay true to His Word to pay these bills. We are commanded by scripture to help our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are commanded by God to stand up for each other, to unite against the dividing attacks of Satan and not to fall prey to his schemes. This is why we must come together. If something is happening to our fellow brother or sister, it is happenning to us, as we are all of one Body. Times may be hard for many of us, but that is the time to rally together, when we need each other most. This is what Christian Love is all about. It is what makes nations great. The money is all God's anyway...not just 10%- but ALL of it. What have you done with His money lately? Are you using it to expand God's Kingdom? Consider donating to a chritian family who was brave enough to stand upon the Word of God. Imagine the testimony it would send to those at the hospital! What Satan means for evil, God means for Good! Payer is needed too, but let's back up those prayers with action on our part as well- A pledge of faith. God Bless.

The Beauty of a TRUE Passionate Marriage

I have heard it time and time again (myself included in times past) by many who are stuck in the rut by trying to synchronize two worldviews- wanting to do things Gods way and yet at the same time, living the worlds way...who have come up with a solutions to both the dilemmas-"If the two should burn with passion for each other, they should marry."This somehow has in our day come to mean that two people who are lusting after one another should marry. Many 'christian' books have not only adopted this viewpoint put are encouraging it, with all there sex-how-to books that came from secular thinking in the first place, they actually call lust in marriage good and healthy. How many marriages crumble apart because they misused God's Word. How many christian divorces are ended by using this misquoted verse as the foundation for their marriage in the first place?Passion and Lust are two opposite ideas. God is passionate about his people. He is not lustful after them. We've taken the world's view of what love and passion is and have tried to implement it into the bible for our own purposes. Lust is constantly being referred to as a sin in the bible and if we are walking in the light of the spirit, we need to see that lust belongs to the carnal and repent of it.It has no place in the life of a christian, whether married or not. If you are lusting after someone,(including your wife/husband), you need to ask forgiveness of the Lord and turn from it, because that does not come from a pure heart but out of selfish motives. Marriage is to be pure in all and a reflection of the picture of Christ and his bride. Lust has no place in it. Moreover... since when is it OK to lust after your spouse? Loving your wife and being truly biblicly passionate about her is something no woman(or man- depending on as the case may be)should be denied because of carnal desires. *Please note I do not say 'physical' desires, but there must be a distinction between what the spirit calls good and what the flesh calls good. Getting married to satisfy your carnal lusts was never the thought by Paul as a way to give into and condone sin. It is the distortion of what God calls marriage. When Paul was speaking about two people burning with passion for each other, he did so in the context of a period of history under Niro where it was safer and more practical to remain unmarried. However, knowing that there were many who were burning with godly biblical passion for each other( meaning he loved this woman with every ounce of strengh in him, who could not bear the thought of being without her, who had set his mind up that this was truly the woman for him, and longed for this woman with all of his soul), Paul gave permission to marry.. .that even though he was recommending that many abstain from marriage through the horrible time, he granted them permission to marry, and they would not be sinning by doing so. For these two who were biblicly burning with loving passion for each other, to abstain from marriage would be agony not done in good faith which would in itself be a sin.

Fathers, think of your daughter... your precious little girl whom you love with your whole heart, the apple of your eye, whom you've spent your whole life guarding her and keeping her, to hope that one day she will be the wife of one who loves her just as much as you have, for a beautiful marriage, where you you cry on her wedding day for her happiness... could you stand to give her away to a man who was so filled but with his own lust and (forgive me)'hornyness' that, unwilling to use self-discipline by the holy spirit, he would marry her for the sole purpose of gratifying his carnal desires? Or, could it be that you are that man? (Or woman) Lust (physical, emotional, psychological or lust in ANY form)ruins what is most beautiful, whether beautiful relationships, beautiful friendships or beautiful marriages. Lust is the opposite of beauty and all that is good. Please... do not mix what is PROFANE with what is HOLY. And above all else, Do Not Misquote the Bible to Support a Perverted view of what God calls a holy marriage. That is an abomination in the eyes of God.

Leave and Cleave...back to the bible

Since I have not written anything for awhile, I thought I should at least start posting some essays that I find both encouraging and culture-mind challenging.

The Place of Women

By Rev. R.J. Rushdoony(Reprinted from The Roots of Reconstruction [Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books, 1991], 215-219.)One of the chronic problems of men is that too often they react instead of acting. The terms and nature of the problems of life are set by their opposition rather than by themselves, and the reactions are foolish.This has all too often been true of the reactions of men, Christian and non-Christian, to the women's liberation movement. The results are sometimes painful. Two examples will suffice. In one church, some of the women came together to study Scripture. The women were of varying ages but with a common need to know the Bible better in its application to their everyday problems. The church ordered the meetings ended, although no problem had arisen. The concerns of the study were not ecclesiastical, and the meetings were not a part of the church's work nor limited to church members. By no stretch of the imagination can any text of Scripture be made to forbid women to study Scripture together.In at least several other churches, the women are held in an unbiblical subjection which treats them as children, not adults. The Bible declares Sarah to be the model wife in her obedience and subjection (I Peter 3:1-7). We cannot understand the meaning of that without recognizing the fact that, on occasion, Sarah, confident in the godliness of her position, gave Abraham an ultimatum (Gen. 16:5; 21:9-13), and God declared, "in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice" (Gen. 9:12), a sentence men rarely if ever use as a sermon text!Moreover, as Charles Hodge said, with respect to Ephesians 5:22, the authority of the husband (or any human authority) is not unlimited. "It extends over all departments, but is limited in all; first, by the nature of the relation; and secondly, by the higher authority of God. No superior, whether master, parent, husband or magistrate, can make it obligatory on us either to do what God forbids, or not to do what God commands" (Charles Hodge: Commentary on the Epistle to the Ephesians, p. 314f).But this is not all. The stupidity of all too many men is nowhere more apparent than in the assumption that subordination means inferiority. Most of us have at some time or other, and, usually, most of the time, been subordinate to very inferior men. In a fallen world, this is routine. The world commonly appraises a man's position in terms of very limited criteria, such as wealth, birth, education, and the like. The natural aristocracy of talent and character usually does not prevail in a sinful society! To assume that pre-eminence in position and power is pre-eminence in intelligence, character, and ability is to assume that the men who rule in Washington, D.C., and in the Kremlin, are the cream of history! Such a perspective would be sheer idiocy, but it is a kind of idiocy all too many men have in relationship to women.One aspect of this idiocy, proudly taught as gospel by some such churches and pastors is the blasphemous assumption that the husband is the mediator between God and the wife. Scripture tells us that the husband is the head of the family, not a mediator, nor a little Christ. In relationship to the Lord, husband and wife are declared to be "heirs together of the grace of life" (I Peter 3:7); the husband is not declared to be the central heir, nor the recipient of greater grace or wisdom. We are not told that the wife's prayers are hindered or void if she fails to pray through a mediator-husband. Too many men want a lovely and charming wife to serve them and then to be a silent zombie the rest of the time! Peter tells us that the prayers of a husband and a wife are hindered if either is false with respect to their duties under God.Some churches give men a cheap and false religion which justifies keeping a wife in line while the man is free to be his fallen self. Men find such a religion very palatable!When God ordained marriage, He also gave us a sentence to set forth its meaning: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh" (Gen. 2:24). This is the opposite of what too many see in marriage: the woman is viewed as leaving her parents and cleaving, or adhering to, her husband. That she does so is true enough, but the Bible stresses the requirement that THE MAN make a break and cleave to his wife. Moreover, Jesus Christ declares that this is God's own statement (Matt. 19:5). Why then are commentaries and preachers silent about its meaning? It is clear that headship is given to the husband. Is it not here equally clear that a particular and very great centrality is given to the woman, who is "the mother of all living" (Gen. 3:20)?Man is made of the bones and flesh of his father and mother, as C. A. Simpson has pointed out in The Interpreter's Bible, to become, in the act of marriage, one flesh, one community of life, with his wife. In the Hebrew, the word "cleave" means to cling close together, to be joined together, stick, or follow closely after. Given this meaning, it is most significant that it is the man whom God in particular requires this of. Since headship is given to the man, the human expectation would be that woman must adhere to the man and cling to him. God, however, places another requirement on marriage: the man must be joined to, cling to, or cleave unto his wife.Man, it should be noted. is given dominion over the earth, over the fish, birds, and animals, and he shares the exercise of that dominion with his wife (Gen. 1:26-28). Man's headship is in the exercise of that dominion. When Sarah called Abraham "lord" (I Peter 3:1-7), it was because Abraham was the head in the exercise of their dominion under God's covenant. In other words, a man is given headship over his wife in the exercise of dominion, not dominion over her.A man's relationship to his parents is a blood relationship. He is genetically bone of their bones, and flesh of their flesh. This, however, is the relationship he must "leave" to "cleave" unto his wife, a non-blood relationship. This new non-genetic relationship must still become bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh (Gen. 2:23-24).It would be dangerous and false to push the point too far, or to see it as more than an important Biblical analogy, but the analogy to circumcision is there. In circumcision, the organ of generation is made the covenant mark by its circumcised status, signifying that man's hope is not in generation but in regeneration, a new life in the Lord. Circumcision, as Gerhardus Vos, in Biblical Theology (1948), pointed out, "stands for justification and regeneration, plus sanctification (Rom. 4:9-12; Col. 2:11-13)" (p. 105).In some sense, marriage is also comparable to a new life. The twain become "one flesh," a new community of life. In terms of this unity, Paul uses marriage as a type of the unity of Christ and His church (Eph. 5:21-33). By this analogy. we are told that husbands must love their wives as Christ also loved the church, "and gave himself for it." This, plainly, calls for sacrificial service to the new entity or life, the family. The headship of the husband is one of a comparable radical love and sacrificial service, not a tyrannical power. Headship in Scripture means, our Lord makes clear, service: "He that is greatest among you shall be your servant" (Matt. 23:11). In the foot-washing episode, our Lord says, "I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you" (John 13:15). For men to seek the blessings of Christian marriage with pagan doctrines of headship is blasphemous.The family thus creates a new entity: the twain becomes one flesh. Two blood-lines and faith-lines come together to create a new union, one which unites two heritages. Eugen Rosenstock-Heuessy, in The Multiformity of Man (1936), called attention to the fact that, in the old days, a bride went from her father's house to a new house with a unity of faith and heritage. "She was not exposed to any other man's doctrine or ideals or values." This is now completely changed by public or statist education. The state imposes many fathers on a family's sons and daughters; these teach creeds and values antagonistic to those of the pupils' families. The result said Rosenstock-Huessy, is a polytheistic education. "Thus, a modern man is not marrying one man's daughter, but many men's pupil," and the same polytheistic education is true for the young man.The result is that, instead of marriage creating a new entity, it creates another carbon copy of a machine-stamped factory assembled, statist model. With the teaching of sex education in these "public" schools, carbon copy techniques are carried to the marriage bed, where performance is by the book-model, and in terms of the most recent sexological research! That problems result should not surprise us.One of the reasons for Christian Schools is to preserve the priority of the family in the life of the child. The state school undercuts the Christian family and is anti-familistic and thus is the poorest kind of training ground for marriage.The Biblical family is by nature future oriented. Because it requires that there be a continuity of faith and honor, it maintains its roots in the past. "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). This "honor" means continuity and love. At the same time, there must be a departure: leaving father and mother to cleave unto one's wife. Past, present, and future, are from God and under God.A statist world is different. The goal of the state is control and the restriction of change to the state. Instead of the individual or family as the source of innovation, change, and entrepreneurship, we then have the state in control of all these things. The state, however, when it becomes this powerful, becomes a vast bureaucracy, and it gives us a frozen, pre-arranged world, not a future.The family is the true wellspring of the future, not the state, and the woman is the key to it. The statist school is a citizen-producing factory designed to manufacture people whose every loyalty is eroded. No family ties bind the well-taught statist school product. Thus, all competing institutions or loyalties of family, faith, and heritage are eliminated. The result is a mass man; such a man is easily a rebel, a malcontent, or a drone, but he is not capable of anything but a statist answer to problems, because for him no other agency has any stature or viability. He is a factory product with standardized reactions and responses.The Biblical family, however, is future oriented. It begins under God as an act of faith, not a trial experiment in living. It is governed by a faith and by a way of life that ties the past to the present and to the future. The grandparents and the parents alike share a concern for the children's future, and for a continuity of faith and life. At the same time, they have a concern that there be progress for the children.Some economists have somberly predicted that the current and coming generation will be the first in American history whose standard of living will be lower than that of their parents. If statist controls continue and increase, this may well be true, because statism seeks a frozen pre-arranged world order, not a free one.Scripture orders a man to cleave or adhere to his wife because the godly woman is the mother of life. To cleave to one's wife means that one clings to, or follows closely after, not his parents but his wife. To cleave to one's wife means that a man sees the future with her and in terms of her, not in terms of his past, nor in terms of the state. We are definitely not told to cleave to or follow closely after the state, our president, governor, or prime minister. All too many men are more married to the state and its promises than to their wives, and the result is what can be called orgasmic politics. The future hope is then political, not personal.Marriage is a personal act between two persons creating a very personal "one flesh" under the very personal God of Scripture. The future created by the family in Christ is not the impersonal monster-world of statist planners but a free society in the Lord.The dominion mandate of Genesis 1:26-28 is followed by the institution of marriage, Genesis 2:20-24. These are not unrelated. The second implements the first.The headship of men does not mean the shelving of women. The Pauline epistles tell us plainly how real and extensive the role of women was in the New Testament church. Men who seek to make a woman the mere adjunct of themselves are stupid, foolish, and unchristian. They pass up the wealth of God's way for the poverty of their ego. The churches which relegate women to a limbo of irrevelance are guilty before God. Subordination does not mean irrelevance nor incompetence. If this were true, every corporation would be better off if all the staff and employees were fired, and only the chairman of the board remained! It would commonly mean the departure of intelligence.In terms of Scripture, the women's liberation movement is nonsense, but so too is the position of all too many churchmen. Genesis 2:24 tells us something we dare not forget. Beginning with the first couple, Adam and Eve, God requires a leaving and a cleaving. There is a natural and happy cleaving by women to their husbands, to godly husbands. But there is the cleaving which is central, is commanded by God, and is at the heart of true marriage; it is BY THE HUSBAND to his wife.

As always... worth a listen

http://www.crosstalkamerica.com/shows/2009/03/manufactured_economic_crisis.php

How Did We Get This Far?

Again, something that touches upon my interests...politics and economics.
These are only available to listen to for a few days,so listen to them well... they are worth it. Not for gloomy news, but so that we are not walking as the unwise but as the wise... who understand the times... not as a fool who foresees evil and run right into it but as the wise who foresees evil and hides himself. For our fight is against principalities and darkness...and boy does Satan fight dirty. We, as Christ soldiers and representatives would be a foolish soldier indeed when we are to ignorant of the devils plans... often getting caught up in them. We need to walk in the truth so we can engage in this war for the glory of God. I'm glad there are others who have caught on to this. These guys hit the nail on the head with this one... I think every christian should at least read a copy of the communist manifesto. Highly enlightening and sobering. It really is this much of a reality. I'd love to say this is all a crazy conspiracy...the scary thing is, this isn't even being exaggerated. And this has been going on for a long time. You should study the history( and its ongoing presentness) of Marxism/communism/socialism.

http://www.crosstalkamerica.com/shows/2009/02/the_worldview_of_barak_obama.php

http://www.crosstalkamerica.com/shows/2009/02/similarities_between_america_a.php

The Constitution 101

While I am Canadian, I am enthrawlled with American Government. I only wish Americans knew about there own government more...And their Constitution.
I have just finished browsing the site http://www.christianexodus.org/ site and am well pleased with it. Their essays and sermons are only for those who take their christian walk seriously. Even though I am not totally convinced about a few of there points on their site in their entireity,(not to say that I would'nt agree if I spent further time into investigation) they are on to something more christians should be taking note of. This one I wholehardedly agree with.

My Family History...in a book

Did I ever tell you that your Great Great Great...Great Grandpa was the one who built a HUGE boat, and sailed it on a Huge body of water that covered over your head right where you're standing? The very mountain outside of this window was once covered in water; The very water that your Great, Great......Great Grandpa Noah sailed on! And that moon out there?.... That is the very same moon that Great grandpa Noah was looking at. And the Sun too! And the little kitty cat that you have in your home,well, that is one of the actual decendands of the cats that Great Grandpa Noah had with him! Look here, this is the exact kind of wood that Great Grandpa and Great... Great Uncle Japeth (or possibly another Great Grandfather)used to build the Ark. And look at the world Globe here and locate where the ark landed... The fossil we saw in the museum the other day was from an animal that was covered by the actual flood!

So much for the bible being a little book of stories we use to entertain our kids in Sunday school on the flannel graph. We need to stop treating the word of God like some cutsie fantasy story for kids that teaches good morals. We need to stop dividing biblical truth from "reality".The Bible IS reality . The Bible is Alive... our actual history... and present and future! We need to start showing our children the Bible AS the reality it is. It is not just a 'story'... it is our life...the secrets of the world revealed. The revelation of truth. Children need truth. They need to see where and how they fit into the life they have. We have to make the connection for them. They need to know that the Bible is the story of their family, their past, and most of all, their creator. Children will be in absolute awe and wonder when they realize how the Bible applies to them and their everday lives...let's not dumb down bible truth to an entertainment with moral values.

(When is the last time you read about Noah, not as some bible character that lived a long time ago, but as your actual Great, Great Great Great...Great Great Grandfather. And back to Adam...doesn't it just boggle the mind to realize YOUR family tree is mentioned in the Bible??? :)

Be careful little eyes what you see

I am quite surprised at how many christian homes do not have any sort of protection on their computer against things like pornography. I was happy to find http://www.k9webprotector.com . It is FREE and simple to download. Of course it can't protect against everything, none the less, we are accountable before God if our children( or even ourselves for that matter)stumble into these sites for our lack of protecting them when we have the recourses to do so.

JOY!!!

Oh, the wonderful blessings of God! That overflowing peace of heart that is beyond all human comprehention! By God's grace we are filled by inexplainable JOY!!! The Joy that comes by an understanding of who God is and what he has done... and a deep apreciation for the laws of God! I am constantly overwhelmed with awe at the marvel and goodness of God's Laws... those laws that trancesnd all time, culture, human "enlightening" and even "enlightened christian" theologies. When you put them into practice(not as legalists, but as a christ-centered laws, the realization of God's master plan, and his complete GENIUS to all things, puts our most 'respected' philosophies to shame.

Does that make me a legalist? Not at all. A legalist believes that the keeping of the law will save you. On the other hand, we find JOY in keeping the law BECAUSE we have been saved. And when we put into practice the biblical applications of those laws, we soon understand what God had in mind. We all end in one big "DUH". And JOY rings out loud and clear! I could kick myself for not trusting God to mean just what he says and having the faith that God always knows best, thinking I knew better than Him. He truly is Lord over all!

The more I structure my life( in all areas) around God's holy standards, the more I have been blessed beyond measure. I will echo King Davids sentiments:"I delight in your law, and on your laws I will meditate day and night!" Great Joy!!!!

The days are evil

Complacent christians are both an oximoron and an abomination. How long will we remain carnal? How long will God put up with our materialism and selfish living? How pethetic can we get when we call ourselves christian soldiers and yet throw off our armour, and spend our days in inactive duty when we are called to fight?

Do we not remember that the days are evil? That we are not going to live forever? We would rather spend our days pretending we are going to live forever, rather than comes to terms with our own mortality on earth. We are so scared with the thought of death, the word itself has become taboo. Even funerals now are huge "celebration of life". Sounds wonderful, but didn't the bible say it was a time to mourn and a time to reflect upon our own breivity like dust to help us to teach us to number our days? Even Jesus, when he heard that Lazerus died, wept... he wept even knowing he would be raising Lazerus again. Why? because death is against God's order. It was part of the curse. Death is horrible. That doesn't mean we go around masking it. Nor fearing it.

Death can be a great tool for us. Like I said it teaches us to number our days. We would all do better to keep death in our minds. We have all heard it said"live like there is no tommorow". Many have mistaken that to mean get in as much fun and earthly pleasures as possible... I suppose that IS all there is to those who know not God, but that should NEVER be the thought on any christians mind. Sadly, it is... though they may say with their mouths that they know that isnt what it means, they certainly act in a way that that does not live up to that. ("These people honour me with their lips but their hearts are far from me...") Our culture doesn't help with that... we have become spoiled brats. But, I will speak more on that at another time.

To get back to the issue of death, Do you know when you are going to die? Could be 80 years from now, could be tommorow, could be 10 seconds from now. Think about that and let it sink in for a moment. You could be killed in an accident tommorow. Do your thoughts take that warning seriously, or does your mind think 'it could, but not likely, I won't worry about it', 'that happenes to other people, not to me', 'odds are, I'll be here for a lot longer". It's the issue of dying, isn't it. It isnt real to us. Go spend some time in a cemetery for a while and ponder those thoughts. Because in the end, it doesn't matter how much time we have left, even if it is many years...GOD CALLS US TO LIVE AS A SOLDIER OF CHRIST EVERY DAY, EVERY MOMENT, EVERY SECOND, WITH EVERY THOUGHT, WITH EVERY ACTION. WE AS CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS HAVE NO DOWN TIME. WE HAVE NO 'SPARE' TIME FOR OUR OWN PURPOSES. WE ARE IN THE HEAT OF THE BATTLE FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES.

God calls us to battle every day. When we are not in the thick of war, we are out preparing for battle. We are sharpening our swords. We are regrouping and getting our new battle orders. SHAME ON US IF WE EVER FAIL TO LIVE UP TO THAT, when we let 'life' just happen to us.

Keep death on your minds. Realize how short time is. Even 120 years is a short life in light of what eternity is. Keep death in your mind to remind you that you are accountable to God for your faithfulness in battles. Do not use the blood of the cross that blots out sin as your excuse for not doing what you are supposed to. Yes, thanks be to God for what he has done and His payment on our behalf, but that is only half the story, he rewards you for the things you have done, for the battles you fight, for your faithfullness to him. God NEVER taught "cheap grace". I don't know about you, but I'm looking foreward to a great reward.

We have but a few short days on earth. Do not waste them. Are the things you do part of the battle God has prepared you to do? If you really did live each day as though you were going to die tommorow, would your day change drasticly? Would you spend so many hours watching sports? fooling around on the computer? Vacationing for you own pleasure? Watching movies and going to the theater (which mock God in the first place)? How would you spend money differently? How would you treat family members differently? How would your relationships change with other people? How would you walk in truth differently? What things would you prepare for your loved ones if you were to die? If what you are doing now is not for the glory of God but for your own personal enjoyment, rethink it. Personal enjoyment comes form God's work, and through rightoeus fights well fought. Don't think that what I say is on the extreme side... God's word says that as christians, that is our MINIMUM!

So truly, Don't just live like you could die tommorrow... Live like you will never have another today. Once today is gone, its now yesterday, you cannot make up that time again.

Let's not be spoiled, materialistic, self centered brats. Let's remember the duty God has called us to. Not just a little here, a little there... every moment.

(P.S. For those of you who have seen "The bucket list" this is NOT the example of a christian vision for how to spend your last days 'if you were to die tommorrow', nor the characterization of what is 'important in life' as per the end of the movie. The movie is Deistic and Humanistic. For those who have long forgotten what disernment is, will not catch the underlying motivation of the film that teaches the mockery of the One true God whom christians are supposed to serve. Either we are VERY ignorant as christians, or our 'christianity' is that of Deism and humanism. I'm very afraid it may be the latter. Look at that, you get a movie review to go with my blog :) )

On a break for a bit... taking some time out to play catch up on my household responsabilities. Hope to get back to the blogging world soon... hang in there!

"THE SHACK"...Warning!!!!!

Please! Christians... please be careful when reading books that bring 'enlightenment' to your understanding of God. The book "THE SHACK" is one in consideration. I have broused through it and am so fearful of it I had to put it down. What is in there is so against what the bible has told us and so beguiling in it's hidden form that I will go so far as to call it satanic.It is introducing Eastern Mythology and New Age,Goddess theology... And yet christians are raving about this book... claiming it gives them new enlightenment into the bible, who God is, and how it gives them something to think about.They are passing it out to everyone for great reading to challenge them in how they view christianity, and I just groan in everything that I am to hear of this. What happened to discernment? People are reading these books and looking at them as though they are devine scripture revelation. Only the word of God is needed to bring enlightenment of who God is. I recently came across this on you-tube
and had to post this for you.This is just a small sample.

IF YOU HAVE READ THIS BOOK, PLEASE LISTEN TO ONE OF THEIR COMPLETE RADIO PROGRAMS>
http://www.crosstalkamerica.com/shows/2008/09/sexual_spirituality_among_evan.php

it takes a few minutes before they get into it, but it is most profound. I'm not very good with words myself, so I am glad someone speaks out about it.
Again...PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO LISTEN TO THE WHOLE THING!
Highly reccommended as a must-listen if you have read or know someone who has read this book.Please use discernment in this book. You can also listen here for more information that warn against the Emergent Church (Christian/New Spirituality/Mystisism)
http://www.crosstalkamerica.com/shows/2008/09/evangelicals_embrace_mystics.php

Young Men are still ...MEN!

This Is the House That David Built...
What are your boys doing today? Plugged into a video game? Watching television? Hanging out with fellow teenagers?
He was only thirteen years old when he approached his father with a vision to build his very own home on the family property. Earlier that year his father had called for a father and son conference. The mission: Come up with a five year game plan to help his son David redeem the time for the glory of God.Now, after years of listening to his father encourage him to redeem the time and prepare for his future marriage and life work, something took. David decided that there was no time like the present—to build his very own house!But that was not all. David made it clear that his mission was to build the home. This would mean that when God sent him the woman of his dreams, David would be ready to take action, to provide for her and to have a family.
The decision to build a home meant tough choices. And David acknowledged that he was making a conscious choice to forgo teenage years of a dating culture, team sports, and entertainment, in exchange for making sacrifices for a woman and a future that would be years away.So David went about the business of personally studying the building codes, of meeting with the county planning department, and of learning the nuts and bolts of putting together a great architectural plan. David wanted to take the bull by the horns and learn and lead every aspect of the project. And after some thought, his father let him do just that.
One of the benefits of the sweat and effort is that the project has forced David to think very specifically about his duties as a man, and the way he hopes to express love for the future family he hopes God will give him. This means thinking about the size of the closet his wife will need, anticipating the number of bathrooms necessary for a growing family and a home given to hospitality.David is now sixteen, and the vision of a home is quickly becoming a reality. With a little help from his friends, and three years of perspiration, savings, hard work, and planning, David’s dream home is inching ever closer to completion.
Standing before this amazing structure built by the hands of a sixteen-year-old boy, three things came to my mind. First, fathers have a duty to encourage their boys to invest their time wisely. Dads will either guide their sons to make noble time investments, or sons will squander the precious years of their youth on the activities that will mean precious little to them in twenty years. Second, boys need to make choices. They can invest their time in worldly folly or godly dominion. Both choices tend to yield dividends—but not of equal value. Third, the power of a positive example is stunning. I could not but help to thrill as I watched my own boys start to dream big dreams as one of their dear friends and peers proved that his dream was attainable.
Down with the game boys, up with the sheet rock! May God give us boys of decisive manly action who will someday be fathers of faith and fortitude.~written by Doug Phillips.So I ask you, dear mothers, what do you have planned for your young boys today?

The Future in your Hands

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old he will not depart from it"

Homeschooling has brought a whole new meaning to my life that I had no understanding of before. I used to send my children off to school for an 'education' that would prepare them to be 'whatever they wanted to be when they grew up'. I was letting them drift through school learning a little here, a little there with facts and figures they would never use in their lifetime again. You know the saying,"Jack of all trades; Master at none" And since my children had no idea what God had planned for them in the future, what they were learning had little relevance to them.

Now that I'm a homeschooling mother, I have more time with my children. I see them all the time. No school teacher can understand the wonderful complexity and special personality that make up my individual children. I can see where their strengths and weaknesses are. I can see where their passion in life lies. Their minds are all unique. And now looking at them, I see where their future is heading.

With this knew found knowledge, I can now, as their mother, tailor their education to them specifically. You don't need to enroll them in every extra-curricular activity under the sun so that you've covered all the bases in case that is where their future lies. I know where to focus my teaching so that they can master the things that will be relevant to who they are and who they will become. Of course this does not mean moulding my children into what "I" want them to be. It must be lead through God speaking through my life and a genuine appreciation for my child's calling.

Public school does not prepare you for anything great. It gets you by for a minimum wage job working for somebody else. To be of value to anyone, you need to pay through the nose for a college education to master you in those skills, even though you now have no experience. Not to mention most college graduates are not even sure if that was where they should go in life. (College Plus is a great exception.I've linked it above) Now everything else you 'learned' in school unrelated to both field of work and life skills have been nothing but a waste of time.

How much better it is when you have parents who know you from birth on, spend all their time with you and know you better than anyone. How much better it is when your parents are wise enough to see a future in you and prepare you for that life right from the beginning. You don't spend your life wondering 'what am I supposed to do'. Your life now has purpose and a mission.

You are an arrow being sharpened to be great. A leader destined to used by God. Bless all parents who have this heart for their children.

MOTHER'S, THE WORLD NEEDS YOUR SONS!

This short video must be watched ...

http://www.battleforcivilization.com/

click "trailer'

A message that our culture needs so badly to hear.

This message is very powerful and has come 'for such a time as this'

I have been honoured to give my support to this project

and hope others will do the same.

A message for men, husbands and for the parents who are raising sons.

Making Money Beautiful

I love being a christian woman. My job is to bring beauty to everything...even finances. A wise budget that is all in order is a delight to behold. The beauty of peace that comes from having your bills payed even before you receive them in the mail is immeasurable. The beauty that you bring into someones life, by a gift in God's Name to help them out, is so precious. When the world goes into a depression panic, and yet you can shrug it off because you have been a prudent woman, brings joy to your whole family. A home filled with beautiful treasures because of wise planning brings joy to your own heart. A woman who obeys God in His commandments concerning the stewardship of His money brings the beauty of glory to God. The woman who rests her faith in the goodness and abundance of the Lord brings beauty upon herself.

There is nothing beautiful in the bondage to debt.

There is no beauty of peace with chaotic mismanagement of funds.

There is no beauty to behold in looking through a mountain of bills that you are not sure how to pay. There is no beauty in money that has not been handled God's way.

A woman rising to the challenge of a financial difficulty with no fear is one who shows the world what real strength is. A woman who rolls up her sleeves and goes straightway to tackling the problem is a woman who can be trusted. A woman who is prudent enough to be prepared before a disaster strikes is uncommonly wise. A woman who can be frugal yet her home increase all the more, is a shinning light. A woman who trusts in the Lord truly brings beauty to everything she does.

Money isn't a 'nessesary evil'... it is yet another area in which we can bring beauty to in life... fulfilling our God-given roles...

To bring Godly Beauty to the world in every area.

I love that thought... whatever we put our hands to, it becomes beautiful.

Thank you Father for making me a woman.

May I be Blessed with Many More

I would like to thank God today for my children. When I think of the feminists, I feel sorry for them for they are missing out on the worlds greatest treasures. The warmth, giggles, love, tender adoration and the complete dependability of a child. How much they need you and want you. The time to sit with them and share of the amazing things God has done. The first steps, first word... the billionth word. The curiosity. Their ability to find miracles in the simple things. They make life beautiful, rich, and full. A hug on a cold day, a snuggle for no other reason other than you are everything to them. Stories around the fireplace. Prayers in bed. The hope and faith in twinkling eyes. The sweet smells of a home decked with family meals. The future in your hands. Early morning sunrises. The whispers of 'I Love You' just because. Each one wanting to "be a mommy just like you". The hearts that crave to be loved by a mother. For little boys running around with wooden pirate swords declaring his devotion to rescue you. For being the hero just by getting rid of a spider. For crayon marks on the walls, and moldy apples left under the bed... The warmth, beauty and love no worldly pursuit or career can offer.