"America's greatest deficit is not in reading, math, or science - although our national scores in these areas are woeful. Our greatest deficit is in our ability to create and maintain stable families." - Michael P. Farris (excerpt from the article 10 Lessons I've Learned from Thirty Years of Homeschooling as published in the Home School Court Reporter.)
Showing posts with label Culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Culture. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Monday, October 4, 2010
A Lesson for Parents
1 Samuel 3:13 (NIV)
For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves contemptible, and he failed to restrain them.
In 1 Samuel, Eli had two sons that were doing wrong. They were idolaters and immoral people although they were of a priestly family. The disobeyed God openly and Eli knew about it. According to the law at the time, Eli should have called for their deaths due to their sin but instead he only mildly rebuked them. The rebuke was not strong enough to turn them from their ways and they continued to do as they pleased. Eli became a party to the sin by failing to stop it and God deals harshly with them.
Eli's two sons are killed in battle, many more descendants were massacred at Nob, and the priesthood is later transferred from his family to the family of Zadok by Solomon (The Bible Reader's Companion).
Scary stuff, huh?
Parents are responsible for their children's behavior. We have a God given responsibility to teach them right and wrong. Right and wrong according to God's Word, not the ever-changing value system of the world.
This means, as parents, we need to first know what God's Word says about right and wrong. As situations arise, we need to search the scriptures for what to do or how to handle. It needs to be our moral compass, our guidebook in all things, the truth we hold up against the lies of the world.
We need to be in prayer, asking God to help us discern and navigate all the situations that arise, and to ask for faith, trust, and strength to adhere to biblical principles even when the rest of the world seems to be going a different direction.
I'm concerned that most of my peers would say that if their son or daughter wanted to have sex before marriage, they would advise them to use birth control. If the son or daughter is a minor, they might even take them to the doctor to help them procure birth control.
I've heard comments like "if you are going to do it, at least be smart about it", or "Don't ruin my life or yours by getting pregnant".
This is defeated parenting and does nothing to address to root of the sin.
However, the reason parents go this route is varied but includes: being too busy, succumbing to the pressures of society and it's ever-changing morals, not having a good grasp of God's Word on the matter, not wanting any sort of discomfort for themselves or their child, not wanting to give up a lifestyle or a reputation, or just a plain inability to deny their child anything, even if it's bad for them.
Do we as Christians acknowledge that sex outside of marriage is wrong according to the standard set by God? Do we acknowledge that God's standards are good and pure and meant for our own good, not as a means to limit us, or somehow deny us something good? Do we understand that sin left unchecked is very hazardous to our souls and can be life ending? Not just here but for eternity? Do we realize that when we look the other way, try to eliminate the consequence, or blatantly participate in allowing it to continue we become party to the sin and party to the destruction.
We need to take this seriously, parents! Not just in this scenario but in all things related to our children, to parenting, and to our own self discipline and character. You can apply this to anything.
If underage drinking is illegal, and we are called to obey the laws of the land and the leaders of the land, then it is wrong in God's eyes to permit your child to drink while he/she is underage. It is wrong for you to host an underage drinking party (even if you blindly think you are protecting them by having it in your home instead of somewhere else), and it is wrong to supply the alcohol for them.
We must tow the line ourselves and be a good example to follow. We must expect a higher behavior and character then the rest of society. We must teach God's Word and adhere to it ourselves.
Our children will make mistakes and we can love them through their consequences and continue to teach and hold them accountable without destroying them.
For it is in allowing sin to go unchecked that destroys, not the consequence. We must be willing to allow the consequence in the hopes of saving the soul. It is our duty to allow God to work in their lives. If we lead them to believe God doesn't care what they do, they will never see the need to turn to him for help, for repentance, or for salvation.
I pray we make time to do the necessary things to be the kind of parents God expects us to be. We can start today. We can make a commitment today to begin reading God's Word daily. We can begin praying for God to show us where we are failing or where we need to step it up. We can begin to spend more time with our kids so we can understand where they might be in trouble. We can talk openly with our kids about what God expects.
I am not perfect as a person or as a parent but I know One who is, and I trust in Him to the best of my ability to lead me.
For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves contemptible, and he failed to restrain them.
In 1 Samuel, Eli had two sons that were doing wrong. They were idolaters and immoral people although they were of a priestly family. The disobeyed God openly and Eli knew about it. According to the law at the time, Eli should have called for their deaths due to their sin but instead he only mildly rebuked them. The rebuke was not strong enough to turn them from their ways and they continued to do as they pleased. Eli became a party to the sin by failing to stop it and God deals harshly with them.
Eli's two sons are killed in battle, many more descendants were massacred at Nob, and the priesthood is later transferred from his family to the family of Zadok by Solomon (The Bible Reader's Companion).
Scary stuff, huh?
Parents are responsible for their children's behavior. We have a God given responsibility to teach them right and wrong. Right and wrong according to God's Word, not the ever-changing value system of the world.
This means, as parents, we need to first know what God's Word says about right and wrong. As situations arise, we need to search the scriptures for what to do or how to handle. It needs to be our moral compass, our guidebook in all things, the truth we hold up against the lies of the world.
We need to be in prayer, asking God to help us discern and navigate all the situations that arise, and to ask for faith, trust, and strength to adhere to biblical principles even when the rest of the world seems to be going a different direction.
I'm concerned that most of my peers would say that if their son or daughter wanted to have sex before marriage, they would advise them to use birth control. If the son or daughter is a minor, they might even take them to the doctor to help them procure birth control.
I've heard comments like "if you are going to do it, at least be smart about it", or "Don't ruin my life or yours by getting pregnant".
This is defeated parenting and does nothing to address to root of the sin.
However, the reason parents go this route is varied but includes: being too busy, succumbing to the pressures of society and it's ever-changing morals, not having a good grasp of God's Word on the matter, not wanting any sort of discomfort for themselves or their child, not wanting to give up a lifestyle or a reputation, or just a plain inability to deny their child anything, even if it's bad for them.
Do we as Christians acknowledge that sex outside of marriage is wrong according to the standard set by God? Do we acknowledge that God's standards are good and pure and meant for our own good, not as a means to limit us, or somehow deny us something good? Do we understand that sin left unchecked is very hazardous to our souls and can be life ending? Not just here but for eternity? Do we realize that when we look the other way, try to eliminate the consequence, or blatantly participate in allowing it to continue we become party to the sin and party to the destruction.
We need to take this seriously, parents! Not just in this scenario but in all things related to our children, to parenting, and to our own self discipline and character. You can apply this to anything.
If underage drinking is illegal, and we are called to obey the laws of the land and the leaders of the land, then it is wrong in God's eyes to permit your child to drink while he/she is underage. It is wrong for you to host an underage drinking party (even if you blindly think you are protecting them by having it in your home instead of somewhere else), and it is wrong to supply the alcohol for them.
We must tow the line ourselves and be a good example to follow. We must expect a higher behavior and character then the rest of society. We must teach God's Word and adhere to it ourselves.
Our children will make mistakes and we can love them through their consequences and continue to teach and hold them accountable without destroying them.
For it is in allowing sin to go unchecked that destroys, not the consequence. We must be willing to allow the consequence in the hopes of saving the soul. It is our duty to allow God to work in their lives. If we lead them to believe God doesn't care what they do, they will never see the need to turn to him for help, for repentance, or for salvation.
I pray we make time to do the necessary things to be the kind of parents God expects us to be. We can start today. We can make a commitment today to begin reading God's Word daily. We can begin praying for God to show us where we are failing or where we need to step it up. We can begin to spend more time with our kids so we can understand where they might be in trouble. We can talk openly with our kids about what God expects.
I am not perfect as a person or as a parent but I know One who is, and I trust in Him to the best of my ability to lead me.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Blueberries or M&M's?
Have you ever noticed that foods that are naturally blue, red, and yellow are all good for you and encouraged to be a huge part of your daily diet but foods that are artificially colored blue, red, and yellow are usually very bad for you?
Compare blueberries and blue M&M's. One is a super food that improves your health and increases your energy. The other is a deceiving calorie packed, energy depleting snack that looks pretty but isn't at all good for us.
This reminds me that sometimes as Christians we settle for worldly things that appear to be life affirming but turn out to disappoint us in the end and are actually not good for us at all, instead of choosing the things of God which can be trusted to be exactly what we need, every time.
Don't be deceived by the shiny package of lies that the world uses to lure us away from God and his true life affirming gifts.
Compare blueberries and blue M&M's. One is a super food that improves your health and increases your energy. The other is a deceiving calorie packed, energy depleting snack that looks pretty but isn't at all good for us.
This reminds me that sometimes as Christians we settle for worldly things that appear to be life affirming but turn out to disappoint us in the end and are actually not good for us at all, instead of choosing the things of God which can be trusted to be exactly what we need, every time.
Don't be deceived by the shiny package of lies that the world uses to lure us away from God and his true life affirming gifts.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
We Don't Love Children, We Love Drywall
We Don't Love Children, We Love Drywall
I found this blog post on another website that promotes Beautiful Womanhood at http://www.ladiesagainstfeminism.com/ that was so good I had to share it.
I found this blog post on another website that promotes Beautiful Womanhood at http://www.ladiesagainstfeminism.com/ that was so good I had to share it.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Why Homsechool? - An article explains for me.
Below is an encouraging article published in the Homeschooling Helper email I subscribe to that describes perfectly the reason we decided to homeschool. We can give you a list of reasons that we have discovered through our process to get here but the only one that truly matters is the fact that God has called us to it. This article explains it much better than I could ever do. Only he knows the plans he has for us.
The Compelling Purpose of Homeschooling
By Carole Adams
From the Homeschooling Helper
Parents choose to bring their children home for many reasons, which increase as secularism's rising tide assaults the family, children, and the nature of American education. When a neighbor asks why you homeschool, it is often difficult to state one major reason your family decided to create a handmade school when the neighborhood schools are "free" and convenient. Sometimes the quizzical looks remain in your mind, particularly on days when educating your children seems harder than other days.
The Real Reason Your root motivation to homeschool is the only sustaining reason to continue; you are educating by God's providence-by His calling, His preparation, and His purpose. What our faithful Father calls forth, He faithfully enables. He has led your family off destruction's path to a higher, often challenging, route for His supreme and eternal purpose.
The theme in the May/June 2010 issue of Homeschooling Today is the ark-the metaphor for God's move in this generation to bring millions of families "into the ark" of educational preservation. How exciting to be part of this historically significant movement. We cannot yet know the greater plan; however, like the sons of Issachar, we can see the signs of the times.
You and the Ark "But with thee, will I establish my covenant, and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. . . . Thus did Noah: according to all that God commanded him, so did he" (Genesis 6:18 and 22). God called Noah to build the ark, and He prepared Noah with specific instructions on a timeline. Noah was aware of God's requirements (like you when you began homeschooling). The Scripture says he was righteous and "walked with" God. Was it only to reward Noah that God called him and made His covenant with him? I don't believe so, because God always works generationally within His purpose for man's redemption. Noah knew he was playing a role in a larger purpose. In this case, the necessity of eradicating the overwhelming evil in the world imposed the equal necessity of saving a remnant. God's purpose of preserving righteousness from the "waters of the flood" remains today. Your homeschool, like Noah's ark, is an instrument in the great design of the Gospel; it is God's purpose in this generation.
That idea is large enough to sustain home-educating parents. We cannot maintain the effort only for escaping a hostile culture; the effort is too arduous and lonely. Let's consider the definition of ark.
Ark: "A small close vessel, chest or coffer, such as that which was the repository of the tables of the covenant among the Jews. . . . The vessel in which Moses was set afloat upon the Nile was an ark of bulrushes. 2. The large floating vessel, in which Noah and his family were preserved during the deluge" (Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary).
The imagery is inspiring! Your homeschool is a repository of the covenant and a vessel to preserve it. The word preserve raises further questions. What exactly is God preserving? A look again at the definition gives further understanding:
Preserve: "To keep or save from injury or destruction; to defend from evil. 2. To uphold; to sustain. 3. To save from decay; to keep in a sound state; as, to preserve fruit in winter. Salt is used to preserve meat. 5. To keep or defend from corruption; as, to preserve youth from vice" (Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary).
"And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood" (Genesis 7:6-8).
Preserving What God Values
Your homeschooling preserves the words of the covenant when you teach them to your children. "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up" (Deuteronomy 6:6-7, NKJV). Jesus, God's instrument to redeem mankind, stands quietly at the center of this generation, misunderstood and often unnoticed, but nevertheless, the dominant figure in history for the past twenty centuries. In Jesus alone, your children will find answers to the confounding questions of life. He alone satisfies the soul's awesome need for relevance, meaning, and completion at the deepest level. You have the calling, preparation, and purpose to preserve the covenant by teaching Jesus-the Word of God and the Bread of Life-to your children.
Noah Webster, in his 1823 "Letter to a Young Gentleman Concerning His Education," says the "first questions a rational being should ask himself, are Who made me? Why was I made? What is my duty? The proper answers to these questions, and the practical results, constitute . . . the whole business of life." He explains further that God's Word alone can give answers to life questions. Jesus alone has the proven ability to speak to, heal, and empower the individual to wholeness, strength, eternity, and the life we hunger for-the life that makes sense of human existence.
The Ark's Promise
"The Lord will be their light, and they will reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 22:5 NKJV). As the old preacher says, we know the end of the story because we've read the book; it ends in victory! There is certainty in God's Word. It remains forever and never changes when trends, fads, styles, and fashions fade away. "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever" (Isaiah 40:8 NKJV).
This is the surety of the covenant when life is unsure. Your homeschool's mission is generational, Gospel-driven, far-reaching, and full of promise. Do your children know what they are part of? Do they understand that they are preserving the covenant for the ages? Do they realize that beyond grammar and penmanship they have a story to tell about God's providence in their lives?
Introduce your children to Noah Webster, father of American Christian education, and let them grapple with the three questions he says are the "whole business of life." Something happens to us when we lift our eyes unto the hills toward God's governance of the universe and His perspective. Give your children this view and your homeschooling daily business will be elevated to a true mission, cooperating with the Holy Spirit according to God's purpose in your family. Your homeschool is an ark in this generation. God calls you, prepares you, and gives you a purpose. Count it a privilege!
The Compelling Purpose of Homeschooling
By Carole Adams
From the Homeschooling Helper
Parents choose to bring their children home for many reasons, which increase as secularism's rising tide assaults the family, children, and the nature of American education. When a neighbor asks why you homeschool, it is often difficult to state one major reason your family decided to create a handmade school when the neighborhood schools are "free" and convenient. Sometimes the quizzical looks remain in your mind, particularly on days when educating your children seems harder than other days.
The Real Reason Your root motivation to homeschool is the only sustaining reason to continue; you are educating by God's providence-by His calling, His preparation, and His purpose. What our faithful Father calls forth, He faithfully enables. He has led your family off destruction's path to a higher, often challenging, route for His supreme and eternal purpose.
The theme in the May/June 2010 issue of Homeschooling Today is the ark-the metaphor for God's move in this generation to bring millions of families "into the ark" of educational preservation. How exciting to be part of this historically significant movement. We cannot yet know the greater plan; however, like the sons of Issachar, we can see the signs of the times.
You and the Ark "But with thee, will I establish my covenant, and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. . . . Thus did Noah: according to all that God commanded him, so did he" (Genesis 6:18 and 22). God called Noah to build the ark, and He prepared Noah with specific instructions on a timeline. Noah was aware of God's requirements (like you when you began homeschooling). The Scripture says he was righteous and "walked with" God. Was it only to reward Noah that God called him and made His covenant with him? I don't believe so, because God always works generationally within His purpose for man's redemption. Noah knew he was playing a role in a larger purpose. In this case, the necessity of eradicating the overwhelming evil in the world imposed the equal necessity of saving a remnant. God's purpose of preserving righteousness from the "waters of the flood" remains today. Your homeschool, like Noah's ark, is an instrument in the great design of the Gospel; it is God's purpose in this generation.
That idea is large enough to sustain home-educating parents. We cannot maintain the effort only for escaping a hostile culture; the effort is too arduous and lonely. Let's consider the definition of ark.
Ark: "A small close vessel, chest or coffer, such as that which was the repository of the tables of the covenant among the Jews. . . . The vessel in which Moses was set afloat upon the Nile was an ark of bulrushes. 2. The large floating vessel, in which Noah and his family were preserved during the deluge" (Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary).
The imagery is inspiring! Your homeschool is a repository of the covenant and a vessel to preserve it. The word preserve raises further questions. What exactly is God preserving? A look again at the definition gives further understanding:
Preserve: "To keep or save from injury or destruction; to defend from evil. 2. To uphold; to sustain. 3. To save from decay; to keep in a sound state; as, to preserve fruit in winter. Salt is used to preserve meat. 5. To keep or defend from corruption; as, to preserve youth from vice" (Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary).
"And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood" (Genesis 7:6-8).
Preserving What God Values
Your homeschooling preserves the words of the covenant when you teach them to your children. "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up" (Deuteronomy 6:6-7, NKJV). Jesus, God's instrument to redeem mankind, stands quietly at the center of this generation, misunderstood and often unnoticed, but nevertheless, the dominant figure in history for the past twenty centuries. In Jesus alone, your children will find answers to the confounding questions of life. He alone satisfies the soul's awesome need for relevance, meaning, and completion at the deepest level. You have the calling, preparation, and purpose to preserve the covenant by teaching Jesus-the Word of God and the Bread of Life-to your children.
Noah Webster, in his 1823 "Letter to a Young Gentleman Concerning His Education," says the "first questions a rational being should ask himself, are Who made me? Why was I made? What is my duty? The proper answers to these questions, and the practical results, constitute . . . the whole business of life." He explains further that God's Word alone can give answers to life questions. Jesus alone has the proven ability to speak to, heal, and empower the individual to wholeness, strength, eternity, and the life we hunger for-the life that makes sense of human existence.
The Ark's Promise
"The Lord will be their light, and they will reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 22:5 NKJV). As the old preacher says, we know the end of the story because we've read the book; it ends in victory! There is certainty in God's Word. It remains forever and never changes when trends, fads, styles, and fashions fade away. "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever" (Isaiah 40:8 NKJV).
This is the surety of the covenant when life is unsure. Your homeschool's mission is generational, Gospel-driven, far-reaching, and full of promise. Do your children know what they are part of? Do they understand that they are preserving the covenant for the ages? Do they realize that beyond grammar and penmanship they have a story to tell about God's providence in their lives?
Introduce your children to Noah Webster, father of American Christian education, and let them grapple with the three questions he says are the "whole business of life." Something happens to us when we lift our eyes unto the hills toward God's governance of the universe and His perspective. Give your children this view and your homeschooling daily business will be elevated to a true mission, cooperating with the Holy Spirit according to God's purpose in your family. Your homeschool is an ark in this generation. God calls you, prepares you, and gives you a purpose. Count it a privilege!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Defeated Parenting
Overheard at a Restaurant:
"I told my daughter I don't want her to have sex until she is married but if she decides for herself that she cannot wait and that she absolutely must do it sooner then I want her to be smart about it. If she can't talk to me then I told her to talk to my best friend, who I trust will give her solid advice on what to do."
What message do you think this daughter received from her well meaning but misguided mother?
I think the daughter received more than one message and probably none of them were the ones the mother intended to send.
Incorrect messages given:
1. A girl has the right to decide for herself when she should have sex. (God's Word on the subject wasn't mentioned, nor was his authority over her discussed).
2. We cannot be expected to exercise self-control over our desires (no direction given on how to have an exit plan or avoidance plan to help with the self control issues, nor how pleasing God should always have precedence over pleasing self).
3. Avoid consequences when doing something you shouldn't (ie. pregnancy, STD's) (Only the outer consequences were addressed. No mention of the inner consequences of the heart and mind that occur whenever we live outside of God's plan)
What if we were talking about murder instead of sex outside of marriage? Would you tell your daughter, "I don't want you to murder anyone but if you decide for yourself that you must, I want you to be smart about it. Talk to me, or so-and-so, to get advice on how to do it without getting caught."
Okay, some of you are saying that murder and sex aren't on the same par with one another so my analogy is unfair. Well, let's take it down a notch, then.
What if we were talking about cheating on a test at school? "Honey, I really want you to do your own work but if you choose not to, and instead decide to copy someone else's work, then please talk to me about how to do it without the teacher seeing you."
We wouldn't say that in any other circumstance. Wrong is wrong! Consequences are there to reinforce wrong is wrong. Avoiding the outward consequence doesn't make wrong right. Secret sins don't nullify the sin.
I think Americans are so bombarded with sex and sexual undertones that parents feel they are fighting a losing battle. Majority has changed the scale of morality, and following the crowd seems to be human nature and parents feel defeated in trying to stand against the culture - for themselves! Thus, this defeated attitude in their own behaviors/thinking comes out in their parenting. They failed so they think it natural their kids will fail, too!
Folks, the culture has been on a downward slide for quite sometime and we are in need of a counter balance to tip it the other way. Christians need to step up to counter the cultural shift.
Christians need to understand what God says about all subjects of life and communicate those to our children, along with the expectation God has for obedience. We cannot be too busy with careers and self-fulfillment activities to neglect parenting our children in the fear of the Lord. We can not water down God's truths. We cannot lower God's expectations. We need constant soul revival of our own through God's Word to transform our thinking, strengthen our resolve to obey, and teach God's truths wholly and correctly in all areas of life.
When we fail to do these things we leave our children vulnerable to Satan's lies and deception! If we're not paying attention, you can bet Satan is! Don't let him tie you up in defeated attitudes, busyness, and the lie of following your own self-fulfillment activities. These all prevent you from training up your children well in the ways of the Lord.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Irony
Yesterday afternoon, my daughters were enjoying swimming in their little pool while I sat nearby reading a book.
The book I am currently reading is titled, Team of Rivals The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Godwin. It's one of those tough read books where the sentences are a whole paragraph long and if you get interrupted (which happens when you have kids) you have to reread the entire sentence again to understand what you are reading. It is taking me a long time to read it but is well worth the time. The history, the time, the ways of the people, the literature of the time, etc. are all in there, which makes for a fascinating read for a history buff like me.
So, I am in the chapter where the Dred Scott case is being decided by the Supreme Court and James Buchanan is President. The Supreme Court decision on March 6, 1857 takes the position (7-2) that 'blacks' were not included, and were not intended to be included, under the word 'citizen' in the Constitution (Team of Rivals The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln). This decision was a stunning blow to the north who opposed the slavery mentality of the south.
As I am enjoying the laughs and giggles of my girls, and trying to get a sentence in here and there from the book, a man comes up behind me and excuses himself. After the initial freaking out, I come to understand he is Frank Lasee, a politician running for our State Senate. He notes the book I am reading, and suggests that considering what I am reading, I probably have some important questions for him. We begin a dialogue about what is important to me as a Wisconsin citizen and about what his views are on things or how he wants to address issues in office.
Now, here is the irony. As I am speaking to this politician in my backyard who is soliciting my vote to get him into office, I realize how far our country has grown.
The time frame of the chapter in the book I am reading is prior to blacks being considered citizens, and thus, are not yet legal voters. This meant it was a time prior to women being able to vote. But, here in my backyard, is a man who is concerned about what I need from my state government, interested in what I think, and what is important to my family.
After he leaves, my daughters and I have a conversation about this irony. We discuss what to look for in a person wanting to be a leader in our government. We discuss the great privilege of living in an age where women's ideas are important, and the great responsibility that comes along with that privilege.
I want my daughters to be educated, informed, and wise so that they carry out this responsibility of having a voice, and being heard, in an ethical and godly manner. To not waste the privilege on babble, unimportant ideas, or misuse of justice. I want them to use their voice for the betterment of society, the protection and edification of the family, and for glorifying God.
The book I am currently reading is titled, Team of Rivals The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Godwin. It's one of those tough read books where the sentences are a whole paragraph long and if you get interrupted (which happens when you have kids) you have to reread the entire sentence again to understand what you are reading. It is taking me a long time to read it but is well worth the time. The history, the time, the ways of the people, the literature of the time, etc. are all in there, which makes for a fascinating read for a history buff like me.
So, I am in the chapter where the Dred Scott case is being decided by the Supreme Court and James Buchanan is President. The Supreme Court decision on March 6, 1857 takes the position (7-2) that 'blacks' were not included, and were not intended to be included, under the word 'citizen' in the Constitution (Team of Rivals The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln). This decision was a stunning blow to the north who opposed the slavery mentality of the south.
As I am enjoying the laughs and giggles of my girls, and trying to get a sentence in here and there from the book, a man comes up behind me and excuses himself. After the initial freaking out, I come to understand he is Frank Lasee, a politician running for our State Senate. He notes the book I am reading, and suggests that considering what I am reading, I probably have some important questions for him. We begin a dialogue about what is important to me as a Wisconsin citizen and about what his views are on things or how he wants to address issues in office.
Now, here is the irony. As I am speaking to this politician in my backyard who is soliciting my vote to get him into office, I realize how far our country has grown.
The time frame of the chapter in the book I am reading is prior to blacks being considered citizens, and thus, are not yet legal voters. This meant it was a time prior to women being able to vote. But, here in my backyard, is a man who is concerned about what I need from my state government, interested in what I think, and what is important to my family.
After he leaves, my daughters and I have a conversation about this irony. We discuss what to look for in a person wanting to be a leader in our government. We discuss the great privilege of living in an age where women's ideas are important, and the great responsibility that comes along with that privilege.
I want my daughters to be educated, informed, and wise so that they carry out this responsibility of having a voice, and being heard, in an ethical and godly manner. To not waste the privilege on babble, unimportant ideas, or misuse of justice. I want them to use their voice for the betterment of society, the protection and edification of the family, and for glorifying God.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The Holy Spirit's Nudge in Mothering
My daughter mentioned that a girl in school recommended she read a particular book which she was able to pick up at the middle school library. My radar did not immediately go up because it was a book in the school library. However, that alone should have been cause for me to question it.
Anyway, I noticed that she would go into her room and lock the door whenever she was reading it. She said it was to keep her little sister out so she could read in peace in quiet. Still, no alarm going off in my head.
In my prayer time yesterday, I asked God to give me a heart for my children's needs and to know what areas of their character, etc. might need some guidance. Well, after supper last night she is back behind a locked door reading this book and I paused to contemplate that and felt the Holy Spirit's nudge to get in there and review that book.
I asked her to scooch over so I could lay on the bed with her and read along with her which is something she normally loves to do but not this time. She instead handed me the book, almost with a sense of relief, and walked out of the room to play. I sat down and began to read.
The book is titled Thirteen Reason Why by Jay Asher. It is about a girl who committed suicide and left behind these cassette tapes talking about why she did it and a boy finds them and listens to them and discovers he is part of the reason why she did. So topic number one that I don't want my daughter reading about is suicide.
Topics 2,3,4 are bullying, partying/drinking to the point of puking and passing out/and rape! I was just about sick. She is in the sixth grade and this book was in her school library.
I asked her what she had read so far and she said pretty much the same stuff I had read. I went in my room and prayed and cried because I was angry that my daughter had lost part of her innocence with what she had read - about people, about the world, about hope, and about the beautiful nature of sex in the way God designed it to be. I didn't even have "the talk" with her yet. It's all skewed now by the world's ugliness and Satan's lies and activities. I was heartbroken.
God reminded me that Hunter had signed a purity covenant last year though church and I went and dug it out. Together, we reread it out loud, talked about why reading this book went against what God wanted us to do, and that we needed to ask him to forgive us and restore us. She agreed and we prayed, for her, for me, and for all the other kids at school who may read this book. She, then, asked if she could resign the covenant. I thought it was a great idea and showed a recommitment to the covenant she made with God and I felt she was sincere in her repentance.
She knew it was wrong to read it but she got caught up in the lure of what Satan had to offer. That's how he works. He's a deceiver, a liar, and destroyer. She needed her mom to step in and pull her away and she was grateful for the rescue.
Today, I read the reviews on-line of this book, and so many people tout it as the best book written on suicide. In the back of the book, the author has a question/answer section,and in one of his answers he says:
Some people, primarily adults, would rather there be no books dealing with controversial subjects, even if those books help start a dialogue between teens and adults. Thankfully, I've heard from a lot of parents and teachers and librarians who are using this book for that very reason."
Well, my daughter would have read it with NO DIALOGUE, if the Holy Spirit wouldn't have stepped in, because it was chosen for the MIDDLE school library for kids to check out and read for fun. It is not that kind of dialogue I want my innocent daughter to be having at this age. I don't know how books are chosen for these libraries but I do know they are not chosen with the best interest of our children in mind. At least, not a biblical best interest, maybe a worldly one, but not a biblical one.
Next year, our daughter will be home schooled. This book, and others like it, will not grace the shelves of our school library! That decision does not make me foolish as the world would like to claim that I am but rather it makes me wise and discerning and God-Fearing.
Lessons learned:
1. A parent cannot effectively parent without being led by the Holy Spirit to be made aware of those things we would not see or overlook.
2. Other people cannot have the same level of interest in my daughter that I have nor do they want to protect her like I do. I am the best person to raise and educate my children.
3. Satan is so deceptive and clever. EVERYTHING must be examined through the lens of God's Word before determining good. If it doesn't hold up to God's Word it's a lie or a trap! Don't let Satan lull you into complacency in your parenting. Guard yourselves, too. There is so much that on the surface looks good, sounds good, everyone else has bought into as good, etc. that ISN'T. Don't fall victim to Satan's deceit.
4. Forgiveness is available when we fail, fall down, retreat, etc. We need to seek it, ask to be restored and healed, and then move on. Don't give up doing what is good because of a temporary setback. God can make everything new again, give hope where hope was lost, and give you strength to start anew. He has the power to guard and keep you.
This is the message the book fails to give but it is the only message that really has the power to overcome the world's lies!
Anyway, I noticed that she would go into her room and lock the door whenever she was reading it. She said it was to keep her little sister out so she could read in peace in quiet. Still, no alarm going off in my head.
In my prayer time yesterday, I asked God to give me a heart for my children's needs and to know what areas of their character, etc. might need some guidance. Well, after supper last night she is back behind a locked door reading this book and I paused to contemplate that and felt the Holy Spirit's nudge to get in there and review that book.
I asked her to scooch over so I could lay on the bed with her and read along with her which is something she normally loves to do but not this time. She instead handed me the book, almost with a sense of relief, and walked out of the room to play. I sat down and began to read.
The book is titled Thirteen Reason Why by Jay Asher. It is about a girl who committed suicide and left behind these cassette tapes talking about why she did it and a boy finds them and listens to them and discovers he is part of the reason why she did. So topic number one that I don't want my daughter reading about is suicide.
Topics 2,3,4 are bullying, partying/drinking to the point of puking and passing out/and rape! I was just about sick. She is in the sixth grade and this book was in her school library.
I asked her what she had read so far and she said pretty much the same stuff I had read. I went in my room and prayed and cried because I was angry that my daughter had lost part of her innocence with what she had read - about people, about the world, about hope, and about the beautiful nature of sex in the way God designed it to be. I didn't even have "the talk" with her yet. It's all skewed now by the world's ugliness and Satan's lies and activities. I was heartbroken.
God reminded me that Hunter had signed a purity covenant last year though church and I went and dug it out. Together, we reread it out loud, talked about why reading this book went against what God wanted us to do, and that we needed to ask him to forgive us and restore us. She agreed and we prayed, for her, for me, and for all the other kids at school who may read this book. She, then, asked if she could resign the covenant. I thought it was a great idea and showed a recommitment to the covenant she made with God and I felt she was sincere in her repentance.
She knew it was wrong to read it but she got caught up in the lure of what Satan had to offer. That's how he works. He's a deceiver, a liar, and destroyer. She needed her mom to step in and pull her away and she was grateful for the rescue.
Today, I read the reviews on-line of this book, and so many people tout it as the best book written on suicide. In the back of the book, the author has a question/answer section,and in one of his answers he says:
Some people, primarily adults, would rather there be no books dealing with controversial subjects, even if those books help start a dialogue between teens and adults. Thankfully, I've heard from a lot of parents and teachers and librarians who are using this book for that very reason."
Well, my daughter would have read it with NO DIALOGUE, if the Holy Spirit wouldn't have stepped in, because it was chosen for the MIDDLE school library for kids to check out and read for fun. It is not that kind of dialogue I want my innocent daughter to be having at this age. I don't know how books are chosen for these libraries but I do know they are not chosen with the best interest of our children in mind. At least, not a biblical best interest, maybe a worldly one, but not a biblical one.
Next year, our daughter will be home schooled. This book, and others like it, will not grace the shelves of our school library! That decision does not make me foolish as the world would like to claim that I am but rather it makes me wise and discerning and God-Fearing.
Lessons learned:
1. A parent cannot effectively parent without being led by the Holy Spirit to be made aware of those things we would not see or overlook.
2. Other people cannot have the same level of interest in my daughter that I have nor do they want to protect her like I do. I am the best person to raise and educate my children.
3. Satan is so deceptive and clever. EVERYTHING must be examined through the lens of God's Word before determining good. If it doesn't hold up to God's Word it's a lie or a trap! Don't let Satan lull you into complacency in your parenting. Guard yourselves, too. There is so much that on the surface looks good, sounds good, everyone else has bought into as good, etc. that ISN'T. Don't fall victim to Satan's deceit.
4. Forgiveness is available when we fail, fall down, retreat, etc. We need to seek it, ask to be restored and healed, and then move on. Don't give up doing what is good because of a temporary setback. God can make everything new again, give hope where hope was lost, and give you strength to start anew. He has the power to guard and keep you.
This is the message the book fails to give but it is the only message that really has the power to overcome the world's lies!
Friday, March 26, 2010
How 'the pill' led to societal infantilism
Very interesting article by Geoffrey Botkin in response to the birth control pill being introduced 50 years ago this year and it's affects on society.
How 'the pill' led to societal infantilism
How 'the pill' led to societal infantilism
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
State of the Nation 2
State of the Nation 2
Our family gathered around the computer last night to listen to this web cast live.
I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend EVERY CHRISTIAN to watch this.
It's about the spiritual state of our nation, how we got here, and what we must do about it.
Mr. Ken Ham talks about how the 'church' has been duped into believing things that aren't true and I have seen that first hand. This is the very reason we left our old church.
I know everyone is busy but this is just so, so important! Please take the time to watch and then ACT!
Our family gathered around the computer last night to listen to this web cast live.
I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend EVERY CHRISTIAN to watch this.
It's about the spiritual state of our nation, how we got here, and what we must do about it.
Mr. Ken Ham talks about how the 'church' has been duped into believing things that aren't true and I have seen that first hand. This is the very reason we left our old church.
I know everyone is busy but this is just so, so important! Please take the time to watch and then ACT!
Monday, February 1, 2010
First Love
Question: Who or what do you love more than anything else in the world?
The answer to this question reveals where your heart lies and whom or what is your greatest influence. It also shows who or what you will never deny in your life.
I have always known that God commanded us to have no other gods before him, to love Him above all else. From little on this concept was taught to me. Knowledge is the beginning of wisdom but is not wisdom. Knowing the truth and understanding the truth is the difference between knowledge and wisdom.
This past week knowledge sparked into a bit of wisdom for me in this area. A bible study I was doing talked about denying self as part of the committed Christian way. The study led me to see that 'self' is all about self and will ALWAYS reject Jesus Christ, thus it must be denied.
Self includes what is within as well as what is around it. Unless we deny all of self and love self less than Jesus, self will always lead us away from Jesus and his way.
God told us in the bible that we are a people prone to wander, to forget about him. Our wanderings and forgetfulness happen when we fail to deny all of self and allow something else to be elevated above our love for Jesus.
I saw a first hand example of this concept in my family this week. As parents, we want our children to love us and our ways above the world and its ways. We want to be the main influence of our children's hearts and souls and be the teacher of what it right and true. For most of their younger years we have their attention and their hearts but then the world starts to pull harder.
For us the world came to our daughter in the form of a 'boyfriend". An unbeliever, from an unbelieving family, with very different views of what is right and true. She allowed her love for us to be diminished as she elevated this boyfriend in her heart. She began to love him more and he was becoming her influence. She began to wander from her parents and her upbringing and she began to forget why she loved us and what we had done for her.
As her mother, I desperately want her to come back, to remember, to return - before it's too late! If you wander too far, forget for too long, you run the risk of never returning or remembering how to get back. Bad things could happen on this path. Parents know because they traveled the same path once themselves and know how hard it is to get back.
How much more does our Father in heaven desperately want us to return and remember because He knows what lies ahead for us if we don't. How much more does He know what a love of self will do to our souls, where it will lead us, and the lies it will get us to believe. How much more does he know that to love him above all else is the most important thing in the world.
It's so important that he will warn us. It's so important that he will punish us if necessary so we learn. It is so important that he will let us go in the hopes that we will return but will grieve to see us go and be waiting patiently for us to come back.
This is why we warn and punish our kids - it's that important. This is why sometimes we have to let them go and find out for themselves-when they are so rebellious that they won't listen to you. We do this because this is what our Heavenly Father does for us.
So, as I see how the love of self distorts the teachings and values we have given our daughter, and how it is leading her away from us, I am given a concrete example of what the love of self does to lead me away from Jesus. I understand now why Jesus says to put him first in our hearts, to love him best, to let nothing come between us.
As a daughter to the King, I need to work on denying my own self and keeping out all that would reject him in my own heart as my Father and King. As I try to bring my daughter back to our way of thinking, God is working on me - to bring me back to His way of thinking, his truth, and his ways in everything!
May you remember who our first love should be and elevate that truth to be the most important thing in the world to you. May you heed God's warnings and return quickly when you do wander or forget!
The answer to this question reveals where your heart lies and whom or what is your greatest influence. It also shows who or what you will never deny in your life.
I have always known that God commanded us to have no other gods before him, to love Him above all else. From little on this concept was taught to me. Knowledge is the beginning of wisdom but is not wisdom. Knowing the truth and understanding the truth is the difference between knowledge and wisdom.
This past week knowledge sparked into a bit of wisdom for me in this area. A bible study I was doing talked about denying self as part of the committed Christian way. The study led me to see that 'self' is all about self and will ALWAYS reject Jesus Christ, thus it must be denied.
Self includes what is within as well as what is around it. Unless we deny all of self and love self less than Jesus, self will always lead us away from Jesus and his way.
God told us in the bible that we are a people prone to wander, to forget about him. Our wanderings and forgetfulness happen when we fail to deny all of self and allow something else to be elevated above our love for Jesus.
I saw a first hand example of this concept in my family this week. As parents, we want our children to love us and our ways above the world and its ways. We want to be the main influence of our children's hearts and souls and be the teacher of what it right and true. For most of their younger years we have their attention and their hearts but then the world starts to pull harder.
For us the world came to our daughter in the form of a 'boyfriend". An unbeliever, from an unbelieving family, with very different views of what is right and true. She allowed her love for us to be diminished as she elevated this boyfriend in her heart. She began to love him more and he was becoming her influence. She began to wander from her parents and her upbringing and she began to forget why she loved us and what we had done for her.
As her mother, I desperately want her to come back, to remember, to return - before it's too late! If you wander too far, forget for too long, you run the risk of never returning or remembering how to get back. Bad things could happen on this path. Parents know because they traveled the same path once themselves and know how hard it is to get back.
How much more does our Father in heaven desperately want us to return and remember because He knows what lies ahead for us if we don't. How much more does He know what a love of self will do to our souls, where it will lead us, and the lies it will get us to believe. How much more does he know that to love him above all else is the most important thing in the world.
It's so important that he will warn us. It's so important that he will punish us if necessary so we learn. It is so important that he will let us go in the hopes that we will return but will grieve to see us go and be waiting patiently for us to come back.
This is why we warn and punish our kids - it's that important. This is why sometimes we have to let them go and find out for themselves-when they are so rebellious that they won't listen to you. We do this because this is what our Heavenly Father does for us.
So, as I see how the love of self distorts the teachings and values we have given our daughter, and how it is leading her away from us, I am given a concrete example of what the love of self does to lead me away from Jesus. I understand now why Jesus says to put him first in our hearts, to love him best, to let nothing come between us.
As a daughter to the King, I need to work on denying my own self and keeping out all that would reject him in my own heart as my Father and King. As I try to bring my daughter back to our way of thinking, God is working on me - to bring me back to His way of thinking, his truth, and his ways in everything!
May you remember who our first love should be and elevate that truth to be the most important thing in the world to you. May you heed God's warnings and return quickly when you do wander or forget!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Women's Groups Blast 'Divisive' Pro-Life Super Bowl Ad -- Without Even Seeing It - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com
Women's Groups Blast 'Divisive' Pro-Life Super Bowl Ad -- Without Even Seeing It - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com
Posted using ShareThis
My Vote: Air it!
Being Pro-Life is not un-American as someone in this article was quoted saying and this side of the issue has every right to be heard, too! Free Speech is for everyone! I hope CBS does the right thing.
Posted using ShareThis
My Vote: Air it!
Being Pro-Life is not un-American as someone in this article was quoted saying and this side of the issue has every right to be heard, too! Free Speech is for everyone! I hope CBS does the right thing.
Friday, January 8, 2010
WORLDmag.com | Community | Blog Archive | Proclaiming Christ on Fox News
WORLDmag.com | Community | Blog Archive | Proclaiming Christ on Fox News
Here is a man who is willing to risk his career and public image to speak truth to millions of viewers BECAUSE of what Jesus Christ has done for him.
May we all be so affected by the Jesus of our Christian faith that truth will spill from our lips regardless of the consequences. May we all love with such abandon.
To Christ be the glory!
Here is a man who is willing to risk his career and public image to speak truth to millions of viewers BECAUSE of what Jesus Christ has done for him.
May we all be so affected by the Jesus of our Christian faith that truth will spill from our lips regardless of the consequences. May we all love with such abandon.
To Christ be the glory!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Where Are the Christians in America?
305,529,237 people in the United States according to USNews.com
75% of US population considers themselves Christian or 229,146,927 Christian people in America
301,518 people have signed the Manhattan Declaration as of 12/18/09.
What are the other 228,845,409 Christians waiting for?
That's .001 percent of the Christian US population that has so far taken a stand for biblical principles in the area of human life, marriage, and religious freedom.
Is that really all there are in America that believe in God's way?
75% of US population considers themselves Christian or 229,146,927 Christian people in America
301,518 people have signed the Manhattan Declaration as of 12/18/09.
What are the other 228,845,409 Christians waiting for?
That's .001 percent of the Christian US population that has so far taken a stand for biblical principles in the area of human life, marriage, and religious freedom.
Is that really all there are in America that believe in God's way?
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Why I Signed the Manhattan Declaration
Daniel 3:16-18 (New International Version)
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
My daily bible study was on Daniel 3 this morning. When I read these words it summed up for me the reason why I signed the Manhattan Declaration earlier this week. These three men resolved to not bow down or serve any other god other then their God even if that meant defying the King's command and facing his judgement of being thrown into a fiery furnace.
Daniel 3:28-29 (New International Version)
Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way."
The New Testament chapter I read today was Mark 15, which recalls the events of the day Jesus Christ was crucified dead and buried. This ties perfectly into the last sentence of Daniel 3 - "for no other god can save in this way."
No earthly idol or man made god can save us from our sin and certain eternal destruction. Only the God of heaven and earth, the Creator of the Universe, the Christ Jesus can save us in this way.
The idols of our day include:
Money - Sex - Material Possessions - Physical Appearances - Fame - Power - Drugs - Security - Status
People compromise or conform every day in order to hang onto these false gods that do not save! Even those who call themselves Christians.
Why?
If we really knew the Christ who truly saves, we would all resolve not to conform or compromise our loyalty to our Lord.
This includes conforming to the government policy of the day, if it is evil and contrary to God's Word. This is why I signed the Manhattan Declaration!
The God I serve is able to save us from this situation, but even if He doesn't, I want the Government to know I resolve not to serve their gods or bow down to any other god.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
My daily bible study was on Daniel 3 this morning. When I read these words it summed up for me the reason why I signed the Manhattan Declaration earlier this week. These three men resolved to not bow down or serve any other god other then their God even if that meant defying the King's command and facing his judgement of being thrown into a fiery furnace.
Daniel 3:28-29 (New International Version)
Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way."
The New Testament chapter I read today was Mark 15, which recalls the events of the day Jesus Christ was crucified dead and buried. This ties perfectly into the last sentence of Daniel 3 - "for no other god can save in this way."
No earthly idol or man made god can save us from our sin and certain eternal destruction. Only the God of heaven and earth, the Creator of the Universe, the Christ Jesus can save us in this way.
The idols of our day include:
Money - Sex - Material Possessions - Physical Appearances - Fame - Power - Drugs - Security - Status
People compromise or conform every day in order to hang onto these false gods that do not save! Even those who call themselves Christians.
Why?
If we really knew the Christ who truly saves, we would all resolve not to conform or compromise our loyalty to our Lord.
This includes conforming to the government policy of the day, if it is evil and contrary to God's Word. This is why I signed the Manhattan Declaration!
The God I serve is able to save us from this situation, but even if He doesn't, I want the Government to know I resolve not to serve their gods or bow down to any other god.
Monday, November 23, 2009
The Manhattan Declaration
The Manhattan Declaration
Please take the time to read this document. It is so very important!
Please, also, go to focusonthefamily.com to listen to today's program titled: A Manifesto for Righteousness which discusses the Manhattan Declaration.
I heard Dr. Dobson say that if taxpayers are forced to pay to fund abortions, he and his wife cannot participate, even if that means they have to live in another country for the rest of their lives. Are we as committed? I pray it does not come to that but what would you do if it did? What are we doing to prevent our leaders from taking us down that road.
I signed this document today and I pray you do as well.
Please take the time to read this document. It is so very important!
Please, also, go to focusonthefamily.com to listen to today's program titled: A Manifesto for Righteousness which discusses the Manhattan Declaration.
I heard Dr. Dobson say that if taxpayers are forced to pay to fund abortions, he and his wife cannot participate, even if that means they have to live in another country for the rest of their lives. Are we as committed? I pray it does not come to that but what would you do if it did? What are we doing to prevent our leaders from taking us down that road.
I signed this document today and I pray you do as well.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Be Fruitful. . .
I have been searching the scriptures for information of education recently. I want to see what education looks like from a biblical perspective, What did the first glimpses of education look like for Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, etc.? I suspect we have gotten off track along the way and I just had a desire to look into it a little deeper.
I didn't get far into the chapter of Genesis before I came to a few verses that took me down a rabbit trail.
Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
I had always glossed over that 'be fruitful' phrase assuming it meant the same as multiplying and filling the earth. However, when I got to the story of Noah, I noticed that God used this same phrase with Noah. In fact, he says it three times. It must be pretty important.
Genesis 8:15-17 Then God said to Noah, "Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number upon it."
Genesis 9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.
Genesis 9:7 As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it."
These were the first commands given by God to Adam and then to Noah. Did he only want them, including the animals, just to multiply and fill the earth or is there more to the command?
I looked up other verses in the bible that talk about fruit or being fruitful in the hope of understanding this better. If I had a bible with the Greek meanings of the words, I would have used that, too. But I don't, so you go with what you have.
Psalm 1:3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
God is often called the living water. We often talk about being rooted in God's Word. Fruit is often referred to as Godly characteristics or works. Is this verse to describe a person who draws life from God, is rooted in God's Word, is maturing and growing in their faith, becoming ready, to be and do what God has assigned, sustaining and persevering his whole life in the faith, and is successful because he does the will of God? Is this what God meant about being 'fruitful'?
Proverbs 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
This verse looks like evangelizing; rooting others in God's Word and leading others to eternal life.
So far, we have a picture of 'fruitful' being both personal growth and helping other to grow in the knowledge of God.
Matthew 7:16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?
Authentic, life saving fruit cannot be produced if the life source is anything other than the Godhead himself. So, 'be fruitful' is also telling us the source of life, and of fruit, is God and nothing else.
John 15:2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful.
God is the Gardener who perfects us and our fruit! We can rest in His work in us because it has a perfect purpose, although painful at times.
Gal. 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
These are characteristics a fallen world cannot produce on their own without first having known such shown toward them and then having been transformed by God himself.
I never noticed the last line of this verse before. What does it mean against such thing there is no law? I wondered if before the fall - when there was yet no need for the law - did these things come naturally to Adam and Eve because of their intimate relationship with God? Which led me to the next verse.
Rev. 22:2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
Adam and Eve had access to the Tree of Life until sin entered the world. We will once again have access to the Tree of Life when Jesus restores all things back to their former eternal characteristics.
Psalm 128:3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table.
Wives have children (increase and multiply). A Christian Mother who raises her children in the fear and knowledge of the Lord is being 'fruitful'. In fact, she must first be drawing life from God herself. She must first be rooted in God's Word. She is then able to show her children where to draw life from and how to stay rooted in God's Word for themselves. She understands who the perfecter of her faith is, and the faith of her children, and she diligently teaches her children to walk in God's ways and to rest in his will. By doing so, she fulfills both Psalm 1:3 and Proverbs 11:30. Mothers have suck a divine priviledge!
The first instruction of education is to know God!
The second instruction is to always walk with him and in His will!
The third instruction is to teach your children to do the same through example and diligent teaching!
How do the three commands given to Adam and then to Noah conflict with what the world teaches?
The world teaches there is no God or that you are your own god. The world teaches no Creator but rather chance. The world doesn't acknowledge a divine life source because they don't believe in a heaven or hell. The world doesn't value children or the call for mothers to raise them in God's Word. The feminist movement puts a womans value elsewhere. The U.N. and agencies like Planned Parenthood would rather control the population and limit it's growth. A generation who isn't drawing from the authentic eternal life source isn't able to teach their children to do so either.
If no one heeds God's command in this area, the next generation may be similar to the one of Noah's generation. However, I know there are Christian families all over the world who do heed God's command, although we are in the minority. We must be even more diligent and reliant on God so that our children may be a beacon of light to the world. May God bless the efforts of those who obey.
I will continue to look up what education looks like in the bible, but the first and most important aspect to knowledge and wisdom is the fear and knowledge of God.
I didn't get far into the chapter of Genesis before I came to a few verses that took me down a rabbit trail.
Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
I had always glossed over that 'be fruitful' phrase assuming it meant the same as multiplying and filling the earth. However, when I got to the story of Noah, I noticed that God used this same phrase with Noah. In fact, he says it three times. It must be pretty important.
Genesis 8:15-17 Then God said to Noah, "Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number upon it."
Genesis 9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.
Genesis 9:7 As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it."
These were the first commands given by God to Adam and then to Noah. Did he only want them, including the animals, just to multiply and fill the earth or is there more to the command?
I looked up other verses in the bible that talk about fruit or being fruitful in the hope of understanding this better. If I had a bible with the Greek meanings of the words, I would have used that, too. But I don't, so you go with what you have.
Psalm 1:3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
God is often called the living water. We often talk about being rooted in God's Word. Fruit is often referred to as Godly characteristics or works. Is this verse to describe a person who draws life from God, is rooted in God's Word, is maturing and growing in their faith, becoming ready, to be and do what God has assigned, sustaining and persevering his whole life in the faith, and is successful because he does the will of God? Is this what God meant about being 'fruitful'?
Proverbs 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
This verse looks like evangelizing; rooting others in God's Word and leading others to eternal life.
So far, we have a picture of 'fruitful' being both personal growth and helping other to grow in the knowledge of God.
Matthew 7:16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?
Authentic, life saving fruit cannot be produced if the life source is anything other than the Godhead himself. So, 'be fruitful' is also telling us the source of life, and of fruit, is God and nothing else.
John 15:2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful.
God is the Gardener who perfects us and our fruit! We can rest in His work in us because it has a perfect purpose, although painful at times.
Gal. 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
These are characteristics a fallen world cannot produce on their own without first having known such shown toward them and then having been transformed by God himself.
I never noticed the last line of this verse before. What does it mean against such thing there is no law? I wondered if before the fall - when there was yet no need for the law - did these things come naturally to Adam and Eve because of their intimate relationship with God? Which led me to the next verse.
Rev. 22:2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
Adam and Eve had access to the Tree of Life until sin entered the world. We will once again have access to the Tree of Life when Jesus restores all things back to their former eternal characteristics.
Psalm 128:3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table.
Wives have children (increase and multiply). A Christian Mother who raises her children in the fear and knowledge of the Lord is being 'fruitful'. In fact, she must first be drawing life from God herself. She must first be rooted in God's Word. She is then able to show her children where to draw life from and how to stay rooted in God's Word for themselves. She understands who the perfecter of her faith is, and the faith of her children, and she diligently teaches her children to walk in God's ways and to rest in his will. By doing so, she fulfills both Psalm 1:3 and Proverbs 11:30. Mothers have suck a divine priviledge!
The first instruction of education is to know God!
The second instruction is to always walk with him and in His will!
The third instruction is to teach your children to do the same through example and diligent teaching!
How do the three commands given to Adam and then to Noah conflict with what the world teaches?
The world teaches there is no God or that you are your own god. The world teaches no Creator but rather chance. The world doesn't acknowledge a divine life source because they don't believe in a heaven or hell. The world doesn't value children or the call for mothers to raise them in God's Word. The feminist movement puts a womans value elsewhere. The U.N. and agencies like Planned Parenthood would rather control the population and limit it's growth. A generation who isn't drawing from the authentic eternal life source isn't able to teach their children to do so either.
If no one heeds God's command in this area, the next generation may be similar to the one of Noah's generation. However, I know there are Christian families all over the world who do heed God's command, although we are in the minority. We must be even more diligent and reliant on God so that our children may be a beacon of light to the world. May God bless the efforts of those who obey.
I will continue to look up what education looks like in the bible, but the first and most important aspect to knowledge and wisdom is the fear and knowledge of God.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Nehemiah - How One Man Made a Difference - Part 6
As the wall neared completion, the opposition stepped up its tactics, this time trying to distract and draw away from the work. Four times the opposition attempts to draw Nehemiah away from the city and his work and four times Nehemiah says no.
On the fifth attempt they send along an unsealed letter (anyone could have read it before it got to Nehemiah)for him to read. The letter points out the presence of a 'rumor' that Nehemiah and the people are planning a revolt and that Nehemiah is positioning himself to become King. They are in essence saying either come out here and meet with us OR we will pass this information along to the King (Blackmail).
The fact that the letter was unsealed, and most likely leaked out to the general population, was a ploy to undermine Nehemiah to the people with the intent of entangling them in "What if" thinking and become so burdened by questions they lose their resolve, commitment, and allegiance to Nehemiah's lead on this project and thus stop working.
I love Nehemiah's response in verse 8...I sent him this reply: "Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head." He recognizes the tactics being used and what their objective is.
Nehemiah turns to God and prays, "Now, strength my hands." He doesn't succumb to the pressure. He doesn't allow an ounce of weakness or fear to set in but rather turns to God and ask for the strength to be given to work harder to overcome these new obstacles.
Later, a man named Shemaiah suggest that he and Nehemiah meet inside the temple and lock themselves in inside in order to save Nehemiah's life. He informs him there are men coming to kill him. But Nehemiah discerns that this man is not his friend but rather has been hired to intimidate him into sin so they could discredit him to the people. Divide and conqueror tactic. The lesson we can learn from Nehemiah here is that those who appear to be our friends are not always so and we should use discernment. What looks like truth isn't always truth.
Nehemiah again prays to God. This time he asks God to remember the deeds these guys are doing against him. Nehemiah knows he can't waste time seeking vengeance or getting wrapped up in this game playing. Plus, he knows it's not his to seek. He gives it back to God to handle. He trust that God sees, God knows, and that God will handle it. He shows his trust by simply saying 'remember'.
The wall is built in 52 days!
What is the response of the opposition upon hearing of the walls completion? Fear and loss of self-confidence. Nothing like God to shut up the scoffers. Why was this their response? They knew this was done in the strength of God. God brought testimony to Himself through the success of this project. Even those who won't bow down and worship the Lord are aware of his presence and his deeds!
Well, even though the wall is done, the power struggle continues. Posturing for the hearts of the people continues. The opposition sees their need to be elevated in the eyes of the people in order to gain influence. They realize the only way to elevate themselves is to in fact discredit Nehemiah. They stay close to Nehemiah (keep your enemies close mentality) in order to try to trip him up or hear him make a mistake that they can use against him and to their favor.
The lesson here is to always be on guard, never trust the enemy, and do not give the enemy a foothold to use against you or to accuse you. Unrepentant sin in our lives allows a foothold for Satan into our hearts and he only needs a little to take an inch. Protect yourself and don't buy into the lies he wants you to believe!
In summary, Nehemiah shows us the opposition gets stronger as you get closer to completing God's work and we must always be on our guard, discerning, trusting God, praying to God, and living a righteous life in order to protect ourselves from the enemies attacks.
Trust God to take care of those scheming against you and God's people. Their day of judgement will come.
On the fifth attempt they send along an unsealed letter (anyone could have read it before it got to Nehemiah)for him to read. The letter points out the presence of a 'rumor' that Nehemiah and the people are planning a revolt and that Nehemiah is positioning himself to become King. They are in essence saying either come out here and meet with us OR we will pass this information along to the King (Blackmail).
The fact that the letter was unsealed, and most likely leaked out to the general population, was a ploy to undermine Nehemiah to the people with the intent of entangling them in "What if" thinking and become so burdened by questions they lose their resolve, commitment, and allegiance to Nehemiah's lead on this project and thus stop working.
I love Nehemiah's response in verse 8...I sent him this reply: "Nothing like what you are saying is happening; you are just making it up out of your head." He recognizes the tactics being used and what their objective is.
Nehemiah turns to God and prays, "Now, strength my hands." He doesn't succumb to the pressure. He doesn't allow an ounce of weakness or fear to set in but rather turns to God and ask for the strength to be given to work harder to overcome these new obstacles.
Later, a man named Shemaiah suggest that he and Nehemiah meet inside the temple and lock themselves in inside in order to save Nehemiah's life. He informs him there are men coming to kill him. But Nehemiah discerns that this man is not his friend but rather has been hired to intimidate him into sin so they could discredit him to the people. Divide and conqueror tactic. The lesson we can learn from Nehemiah here is that those who appear to be our friends are not always so and we should use discernment. What looks like truth isn't always truth.
Nehemiah again prays to God. This time he asks God to remember the deeds these guys are doing against him. Nehemiah knows he can't waste time seeking vengeance or getting wrapped up in this game playing. Plus, he knows it's not his to seek. He gives it back to God to handle. He trust that God sees, God knows, and that God will handle it. He shows his trust by simply saying 'remember'.
The wall is built in 52 days!
What is the response of the opposition upon hearing of the walls completion? Fear and loss of self-confidence. Nothing like God to shut up the scoffers. Why was this their response? They knew this was done in the strength of God. God brought testimony to Himself through the success of this project. Even those who won't bow down and worship the Lord are aware of his presence and his deeds!
Well, even though the wall is done, the power struggle continues. Posturing for the hearts of the people continues. The opposition sees their need to be elevated in the eyes of the people in order to gain influence. They realize the only way to elevate themselves is to in fact discredit Nehemiah. They stay close to Nehemiah (keep your enemies close mentality) in order to try to trip him up or hear him make a mistake that they can use against him and to their favor.
The lesson here is to always be on guard, never trust the enemy, and do not give the enemy a foothold to use against you or to accuse you. Unrepentant sin in our lives allows a foothold for Satan into our hearts and he only needs a little to take an inch. Protect yourself and don't buy into the lies he wants you to believe!
In summary, Nehemiah shows us the opposition gets stronger as you get closer to completing God's work and we must always be on our guard, discerning, trusting God, praying to God, and living a righteous life in order to protect ourselves from the enemies attacks.
Trust God to take care of those scheming against you and God's people. Their day of judgement will come.
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