“There is only one way to lead a child down the right path….that is to go that way yourself”

My children are getting to the age when they are beginning to notice the faults of my husband and I….they are noticing the human frailties, the inconsistencies and the shortcomings.  Even though we’ve told them over and over again that Mom and Dad are sinners and that we make mistakes all the time, I don’t think they were paying such close attention as they are now.  They are growing up and just as I knew about my own parents faults and imperfections,  they will know of mine.  My prayer is that they will still see Jesus in me and my husband and know that we are still a work in progress even though we are old. 🙂  My prayer is that they will see our hearts.  I hope they will see  hearts  full of love for them and love for our Lord who forgives and promises to continue the work He has begun in our lives.  My prayer is that they will  grow up to love the Lord and realize his mercy and grace in their own lives as well.  Many Blessings to you as you train and disciple your “little ones.”  ~Anne

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I count it a blessing to be able to attend a church where the pastor preaches and teaches the word of God passionately and without apology.  When I leave church on Sunday mornings I take great satisfaction in being encouraged as well as convicted and inspired to grow and learn more….to change and grow closer to the Lord.  It is so disheartening when  the gospel message is watered down and the sermon sounds more like a  self improvement or positive thinking course.  My husband and I are  grateful when we are able to discuss the sermons and then freely question the pastor on those that we feel confused about. We feel fortunate because clarification or infomation can mean the difference between growth or stagnation for us. We’ve never attended a church  before where the pastor encouraged questions from his congregation and made himself available…simply   by being  approachable most of the time.   This past week the sermon challenged me to think about the word of God differently.   This particular sermon was not one to easily forget, so I wanted to write about it.

Since I became a Christian I’ve always believed that the Bible was the word of God and that we should read it daily.  For some reason though,  I’ve felt like this was something I was doing “for God” or in order to please God.  It became something to put on a to-do list….it became legalistic. If I did not read it I felt guilty and asked God to forgive me.  Yet, the reading of God’s word is not for Him at all.  Reading God’s word is for my benefit….if I skip on this I am skipping my vitamins, my water, my protein, my milk and my meat.  I’m missing my sweets like delicious  honey and my carbohydrates or starches….I’m missing my bread for the day.  Read more...

Bless me as I fall asleep, Send your angels watch to keep.  Amen

It’s time for me to go to sleep. Dear Jesus, now I pray:  Thank You, dear Lord, for all I’ve done, I thank you for today.  Amen.

Gentle Jesus, hear my prayer, Keep me safe this night.  Stay with me until the dark Becomes the morning light.  Amen.

Lord Jesus, keep me in Thy sight, Through the coming hours of night.  Then when morning sunlight beams Wake me, Lord from sleepy dreams.  Amen.

Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me.  Bless your little child tonight .  Through the darkness, please be near me, Keep me safe till morning’s light.  Amen.

Now the light has gone away; Savior, listen while I pray, Asking Thee to watch and keep, and to send me quiet sleep.  Jesus, Savior, wash away, all that has been wrong today;  Help me every day to be, good and gentle, more like Thee.  Let my near and dear ones be, always near and dear to thee.  Oh, bring me and all I love, To thy happy home above.  Amen.

I have not seen this film yet, but I’m looking forward to viewing it.  I’m not sure what solution they will come up with to deal with the failure of our public schools but I personally believe that the “buck” stops with the parents.  I’m convinced that a loving mom who is passionate about her children and eager to teach them can do a better job around her kitchen table than any “professional” teacher with her BA degree.  She can do this….and is doing this…. without all of the public money that the schools “need” and she can do this without any help from the government.  The solution  is not found in more money, nicer buildings, higher teacher salaries,  smaller classrooms, or better programs.  The solution rests with the parents.  We need to teach, train and disciple our children and not expect the government, the church, the youth pastor, or anyone else to do this for us.   My husband and I consider this to be our calling….our mission-field…and our job.    ~Anne

(Don’t forget to turn off the website music before watching.  Scroll down past the clock. :))

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
II Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Colossians 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
I Timothy 6:20-21 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

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We have twenty-four hours a day with our children.  We have 24 hours each day to train, disciple, educate,  and mentor them.  If our children are in government school…or any school at all, it will be impossible for us to compete with these schools for the hearts and minds of our precious children.

Consider that:

They must sleep for 8 hours

Eat & bathe about 2 hours

Travel to &  from school 1 hour

Spend at school 8 hours

Homework 2 hours

Television, entertainment etc 2 hours.

That comes to 23 hours…leaving 1 hour a day to train our children and teach them biblical values and Christian worldview.

God never moves without purpose or plan
When trying His servant and molding a man.
Give thanks to the LORD though your testing seems long;
In darkness He giveth a song.

I could not see through the shadows ahead;
So I looked at the cross of my Savior instead.
I bowed to the will of the Master that day;
Then peace came and tears fled away.

Now I can see testing comes from above;
God strengthens His children and purges in love.
My Father knows best, and I trust in His care;
Through purging more fruit I will bear.

O Rejoice in the LORD
He makes no mistake,
He knoweth the end of each path that I take,
For when I am tried
And purified,
I shall come forth as gold.

BY Ron Hamilton (Patch the Pirate)

I realize that today is Groundhog Day and Valentines day is around the corner, I have lessons to think about, laundry to fold and a kitchen to clean up…. but my thoughts are on Egypt tonight. I was surprised when I turned on the news  that the fighting is continuing…and seems to be worse today.  The President of Egypt,  Hasni Mubarak said that he would not run for office again and would soon step down.  I thought that his words would calm folks down but the uproar and chaos continues.  Now there are two groups fighting and hurting each other—those who are pro-Mubarak and those who are anti-Mubarak.  I don’t really understand what is going on and am not sure if the people want a democracy or not.  I know they are angry and living on very little money.   I’m afraid that  I do not know enough about this subject to be even discussing it intelligently. So now I will pray and ask the homechool community to join me.  The Lord cares about the kingdoms of this earth and he allows kings to rise and fall.  Let’s join hands together and pray for this very volatile region of the world. May God’s  will be done.  Read more...

Although my husband and I  appreciated  watching a foreign film occasionally years ago, since we had children we have not watched hardly any movies,  let alone a foreign film!  Our boys are finally getting to the age where we can enjoy some movies together that are not “kid’s shows.”

Tonight our family decided to watch Babettes Feast.  My oldest who loves to cook, especially enjoyed watching the French cooking, and my youngest liked reading the sub-titles.  The film was rated G, and it was fine for our family.  There was wine and champagne drinking during the dinner scene…because of the fancy French dinner…. but the devout puritans partaking of the meal had no idea what they were drinking.                                                                      

I suppose that some folks might find this film to be too slow or boring but I found it to be quite charming.  Babett’s Feast is set in a very remote coastal Danish village where only devout puritans live. The members of this sect are very plain and live simply.  They eat  simple  food and do not seem to enjoy many comforts in life.  It takes place during the mid 1800’s.  There is lovely music, hymns, some opera, and peaceful scenery throughout the movie.  Read more...

In Genesis, Jesus Christ is the seed of the woman.  Read more...

What happens to an Amish family when they begin reading the Bible in English? What happens to them when they discover that so much of what their Bishop requires cannot be found in the scriptures ?  What happens when they become “Born Again” and are forbidden to share the gospel with others?  I found this 6 part film to be intriguing and interesting.  I found this dear family to be sincere and so loving.  You can’t help but pray for them when you watch their struggles and see their faith lived out. I hope you enjoy this short film as much as I did. Blessings,  Anne Be sure to turn the website music off before beginning the video.

I was but a youth and thoughtless, as youths are apt to be;
Though I had a Christian mother who had taught me carefully.

There came a time when pleasure of the world came to allure,
And I no more sought guidance of her love so good and pure.

Her tender admonitions fell but lightly on my ear,
And for the gentle warnings, I felt an inward sneer.

But mother would not yield her boy to Satan’s sinful sway,
And though I spurned her counsel, she knew a better way.

She made my room an altar, a place of secret prayer,
And there she took her burden and left it in His care.

And morning, noon and evening by that humble bedside low,
She sought the aid of Him who understands a mother’s woe.

I went my way unheeding, careless of the life I led,
Until one day I noticed prints of elbows on my bed.

I saw that she had been there, praying for her wayward boy,
Who for love of worldly pleasure would her peace of mind destroy.

Long the conflict raged within me, sin against my mother’s prayers,
Sin must yield – for Mother never , while she daily met Him there.

And her constant love and patience were like coals upon my head,
Together with the imprints of her elbows on my bed.

And so at last the fight was won, and I to Christ was led,
And mother’s prayers were answered
By her elbows on my bed.  Read more...

“Let it be remembered, that I do not speak to the wild, giddy, thoughtless world, but to those that fear God. I ask, then, for what end do you send you children to school? “Why, that they may be fit to live in the world.” In which world do you mean, — this or the next? Perhaps you thought of this world only; and had forgot that there is a world to come; yea, and one that will last for ever! Pray take this into your account, and send them to such masters as will keep it always before their eyes. Otherwise, to send them to school (permit me to speak plainly) is little better than sending them to the devil. At all events, then, send your boys, if you have any concern for their souls, not to any of the large public schools, (for they are nurseries of all manner of wickedness,) but private school, kept by some pious man, who endeavours to instruct a small number of children in religion and learning.

With dozens of bible translations available today and a myriad of voices preaching and teaching from these bibles how do we know which is trustworthy? It is simpler than you think.

During the dark ages the scriptures were chained to pedestals in the major cathedrals of the world. The common people could not read the bible and even the clergy were limited to reading it only where it stood. Those days have been eliminated by the courageous efforts of clergy and reformers like Luther, Calvin, Tyndale and a host of others who in some cases gave their lives in the effort.

We now enjoy the fruit of their labors throughout most of the free world. Not only are all the versions of the bible available here in America but one publisher has begun offering the bible bound and covered in your choice of designer colors!

Yet for all of this profusion of bibles one of the flimsiest excuses for not reading or trusting the bible is still being used everywhere throughout the land. Who has not heard someone say, “The bible is open to interpretation and that’s why it can’t be trusted.”

If honestly examined, this excuse will be found to be just another one of those “common wisdom of the day” utterances that has no more truth in it than water in the desert. It is grown out of ignorance, watered by indifference and harvested in laziness. It is used glibly but has dire consequences; in fact it could cost a person their entire future.  Read more...

Study as much as you practice.
Know what you want to execute.
Use only the best materials.
Keep your pens very clean.
Watch your slant carefully.
Master one style at a time.
Sit up, don’t slouch, and breathe regularly.

– Louis Madarasz

I hope you enjoy this clip on penmanship.  Be sure to turn off the website music first.

Just scroll down past the clock to turn it off.  Enjoy!  ~Anne