David & Shirley Quine have so much knowledge and experience and it is a blessing to have the opportunity to hear them. You will be encouraged and inspired to choose the homeschooling lifestyle for your family.

youtu.be/XNQKVTtfhCI

My dear Mother who’s with the Lord now, had this Psalm marked in her Bible. I can still see her  sitting on her couch for hours reading God’s word.  Her face was often filled with joy and her cheeks moist with tears. She loved spending time with the Lord…..her favorite activity  on this earth.  My prayer is that our family would follow in her footsteps and relish time with the Lord as she did. This morning as I read this psalm it filled my heart with thanksgiving, and reminded me of my dear mom. Today is her Birthday and becauase of God’s mercy and grace…because of his sacrifice, she is celebrating in heaven. Our God is a good God. Praise His name forever!

Psalm 103 (NKJ)
Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:
3 Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,
4 Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6 The Lord executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
9 He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.  Read more...

While driving home from a homeschool science class today I noticed all the flags flying high in honor of Veterans day. All these flags I thought…how sad it made me instead of proud. I’m so very appreciative of our soldiers but after this past election,  not of my countrymen and women. I was telling a friend that it felt as though someone has died…I feel so sad and distressed.  She said someone has died…our country has died. It sure feels that way to me. Then as I drove along the road the song Our God Reigns came into my head. I began singing while my boys respectfully listened as they often do when I break into song. 🙂 Our God reigns, Our God reigns, Our God Reigns, Our God Reigns!!! I thought about the crowds who yelled “Hail Obama” at one of his gatherings. No, not hail Obama….All hail king Jesus, All hail Emanuel! King of Kings, Lord of Lords! Then I remembered what my son said on our way to his orthodontic appointment. “God has a plan Mom, God has a plan.”  If I keep my eyes on the Lord, remembering that He is leading and reigning over us, I will be able to get through the coming years even with an America that I do not recognize. Indeed, our God Reigns!!!

“When principles that run against your deepest convictions begin to win the day, then battle is your calling, and peace has become sin; you must, at the price of dearest peace, lay your convictions bare before friend and enemy, with all the fire of your faith.”

Abraham Kuyper(1837-1920)

Proverbs 20:7

The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him.

“Impress upon children the truth that the exercise of the elective franchise is a social duty of as solemn a nature as man can be called to perform; that a man may not innocently trifle with his vote; that every elector is a trustee as well for others as himself and that every measure he supports has an important bearing on the interests of others as well as on his own.”
-Daniel Webster

Heavenly Father, our children are in desperate need of righteous role models. May you send men and women, boys and girls who have been called according to Your purpose to infiltrate their lives. May they grow in the knowledge of You all the days of their lives. As they hide Your words in their hearts, may America’s children begin to walk in the shadow of the Almighty. May the Godly examples being played out before their eyes affect them in such a way that they leave behind those things of the world and begin to diligently seek You with their whole being. We ask for Your supernatural protection over them, as they are 100% of our future. May Your love become contagious throughout our nation, and may we give You all glory, honor and praise in all that we do. Amen.

40 Days of Prayer John Hagee

For our elections unit study we watched a wonderful old black & white film staring Jimmy Stuart…a classic…..Mr. Smith goes to Washington.  This is an excellent choice for homeschool families because it lends to good family discussions and offers a civics lesson as well. It exposes the corruption within our government, how the media plays a part in this corruption, and how the people can easily be fooled if the media is also corrupt and biased.   It reveals the heart of a young senator who is idealistic and patriotic….one who stands up to the crooked politicians.  If you watch this film you will learn how a bill is introduced, what it means to filibuster,  and about  the influence of lobbyists.  My favorite quote from this film is, “Liberty is too precious a thing to be buried in books.  Men should hold it up in front of them every single day of their lives and say, I’m free to think and to speak.  My ancestors couldn’t and I can, and my children will.”  I hope you will take the time to watch this very important movie….especially now during our election season.

Check out the filibuster scene:

 

While watching a little TV on Sunday instead of going to church, I watched a church in Atlanta honoring one of its senior pastors who had been retired many years. He was 92 at that time and I wondered why the church even bothered to ask the old gentleman to preach at that age.

After a warm welcome, introduction of this speaker, and as the applause quieted down, he rose from his high back chair and walked slowly, with great effort and a sliding gait to the podium. Without a note or written paper of any kind he placed both hands on the pulpit to steady himself and then quietly and slowly he began to speak….

“When I was asked to come here today and talk to you, your pastor asked me to tell you what was the greatest lesson ever learned in my 50-odd years of preaching. I thought about it for a few days and boiled it down to just one thing that made the most difference in my life and sustained me through all my trials… The one thing that I could always rely on when tears and heartbreak and pain and fear and sorrow paralyzed me… the only thing that would comfort was this verse……..

” Jesus loves me this I know.

For the Bible tells me so.

Little ones to Him belong,

we are weak but He is strong…..

Yes, Jesus loves me….

The Bible tells me so..”  Read more...

Exodus 20:9-10
Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work…

The industrious George Washington Carver said, “I shall be glad to cooperate with you in doing all I can through Christ who strengthens me to better the condition of our people.” He understood God’s will for man to be productive citizens.

Father in Heaven, we come before you today, asking forgiveness for not obeying Your command to work diligently until the day of Your return. We are commanded to seek You first, and we have sought the pleasures of our flesh instead. We ask Your forgiveness for being lazy and self-serving. Starting today, may everything we do bring honor and glory only to You. May we bring You pleasure through the fruits of our labor. Lord, within our government, spark a legislative movement to bring accountability to these United States once again. From the strongest of our members to the weakest, may we come to experience You in a very real way. May we worship you in our jobs, setting a Godly example as a shining light for all to see. We pray for those enslaved by our welfare system; may they come to know what true freedom is, and that it can only be found in You. Ignite in us a deep desire to honor You in all that we do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.  Read more...

Psalm 27:1, 3
The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? Though an army should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; Though war should rise against me, in this I will be confident. Under all circumstances, trusting in our Maker and through His wisdom and beneficence to the great body of our people, we will not despair nor despond.”
– Abraham Lincoln

Heavenly Father, we are plagued on every side by troubling circumstances. It seems that our enemies are shooting poisonous darts from every angle, and stealing our peace. Forgive us for allowing the Enemy to create unrest in our homes, in our schools, in our places of business. Forgive us for allowing the government to kick You out of places where we desperately need Your peace to reign. As ungodliness increases in our country, there seems to be little room for hope. As Christians, we know that the Scriptures say You are our Great Hope. Through the blood of the Lamb, we have assurance that You are in control, and that You have not given us a spirit of fear but of sound mind. Therefore, we will not fear but place our trust in You, until the time of Your Son’s returning. For in You we have our being, and through You nothing is impossible. Lord, have mercy upon us and grant us Your peace that surpasses all understanding, that we might be able to stand against the Enemy and boldly proclaim, “I will not fear any evil, for Thou art with me.” In Jesus’ name, Amen.

www.jhm.org/Resources/UpcomingEvents

Psalm 119:45
And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts. I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed. And I will delight myself in Your commandments, which I love.

The Founding Fathers knew that America could only be a great nation if it was founded and sustained on Christian values:

“The Christian religion is the basis, or rather the source, of all genuine freedom in government. I am persuaded that no civil government of a republican form can exist and be durable in which the principles of Christianity have not a controlling influence.”
– Noah Webster, Founding Father, “Schoolmaster to America”

Lord, we often hear the call to “take America back.” As a nation, we need to once again embrace the wisdom You gave our Founding Fathers. May we implement the changes necessary to return to righteousness. We pray that our nation looks to You for guidance, the Chief Cornerstone. May we be the catalyst for change in our country, enabling us to once again place the Ten Commandments in our classrooms and courthouses and regain the necessary luxury of public prayer. We repent for our wrongdoings as a nation, so that we can return to our former glory as one nation under God. As we turn from our wicked ways, Your Word promises that you will begin to heal our land. In Jesus’ name, we ask for a great healing from top to bottom. May the revival to take back our land and our liberty spread like wildfire throughout our nation, and may it begin with me. May the freedom our country once knew reign supreme, that the God of Israel be glorified in all that we do. Amen.

Proverbs 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

“Those who pay no regard to religion and seriousness in the persons whom they send to the legislature of any state are guilty of the greatest absurdity and will soon pay dear for their folly.”
– John Witherspoon, Signer of the Declaration of Independence and President of Princeton University

Lord, over the past several decades we have departed from honoring our Creator. Instead, we have sought our own way which always leads to ultimate destruction. The Bible says to seek first the kingdom of God, and we have done everything else but put our faith in You. This departure from following Your commands has led to the election of government officials seeking the approval of man and not of God. As a nation, we have appointed unrighteous judges to set our standards. Father, we ask Your forgiveness for not following the steps outlined in Your Word to be godly stewards of this great country. We ask that You make us a people who genuinely reflect the character of Jesus Christ. As we practice good citizenship in voting the principles found in Your Word, may we fill every office in the nation with righteous people called according to Your purpose. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

www.jhm.org/Resources/FortyDaysOfPrayer

Various churches, individuals and organizations have signed up to commit prayer time for the next 40 days.  Prayer for our America. John Hagee  and many others are offering email reminders and prayers.  Our first prayer focuses on asking the Lord to forgive our Apathy.  I am guilty of this and often blame my fatigue and achy joints…I blame my busy schedule or that fact that I’m homeschooling.  So am I willing to let my country die because I’m not feeling  my best or my schedule is overbooked?  Forgive me Lord.
Father God, forgive us for allowing this great nation to slide through our fingers as we sat back in silence, never standing up for our Christian beliefs. We have been selfish and apathetic, caring more about pleasing men than pleasing You. We now humbly come before You, seeking Your unmerited mercy and limitless favor. In order to survive, we must rebuild our nation as one nation under God, serving no other gods but You. With You all things are possible, and it is through the power of the cross that we are able to do all things through Christ Jesus. We ask that your anointing blood flow over our nation, that it cleanse us from all unrighteousness, and that it wash us whiter than snow. May the sacred blood of the cross bring us to a place of renewal and revival, where You are once again pleased with the state of our union. May we do all things with excellence, bringing honor to the one true God, in whom we dwell and have our being. We ask that you saturate our homes with the attitude of gratitude, and renew a right spirit within us. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Folks across America are beginning a pre-election 40 days of fervent prayer. People are in prayer and also fasting because our America is in such deep trouble. This election is so important and many do not even realize what is at stake or what is taking place.

As you already know, we are declining in every way.  Morally, spiritually, financially…we are also divided in many ways.  Many of our politicians and leaders in both political parties have let us down.  Corruption, bribery, dishonesty, greed and waste reign. Our leaders hang out with Hollywood, elitists, communists,  and even members of terrorist organizations. They live immoral lifestyles and celebrate this as being cool, modern and progressive.  They are foul mouthed and gluttonous in their lifestyles. They live like kings and yet require each of us to lower our standard of living when they deny themselves nothing. They are poor examples for our children and we cannot count on good leadership from them.   Where are the men and women of integrity?   Where are those who applaud decency and a good work ethic.  Where are those who support the stay-at-home Mother instead of poking fun at her.  Read more...

While visiting the discarded books for sale at our local library,  my dear husband often ferrets out the best old books for bedtime reading. He is currently reading a historical story about the history of clipper ships called,  Clipper Ship Days-the Golden Age of American Sailing Ships. This book  by John Jennings was written in 1952.  These publications written in the 50’s and before, although not necessarily “Christian,” are filled with old fashioned goodness and patriotism and this makes for very peaceful dreams. 🙂   The following passage is the  forward called….A Word to Begin With

America has come to be one of the greatest nations on earth for many reasons. Above all our people are free, and they have the strength and energy and independence that freedom gives. Americans name their own presidents and elect their own congress; and the men and women whom they choose must govern as the American people demand or be discharged-for that is really what being voted out of office means.
But quite apart from our democratic system, there are many other things that have helped our country to grow and become great. For one thing, America is a vast land, with plenty of room for all men who would share in its benefits, so long as they will also share in the duties and obligations that being an American demands. That makes America great in itself. But there are also the seven seas to sail, and all the rest of the world around us, waiting to be shown that Americans are no mere upstarts among the family of nations. Yankee ingenuity and pluck and daring; the know-how and ability of American to learn a lesson from their own experiences as well as the experiences of others, have helped to prove our strength and make America supreme.

Okay….on a lighter note, I hope you enjoy the homeschool blues from Tim Hawkins. 🙂

This sweet poem by Edgar Guest makes me wish my boys were still little. We are continuing “read-aloud” time….I’m just not ready to give it up…but my boys are too big to sit on my or my husbands lap. 🙁

Best way to read a book I know
Is get a lad of six or so,
And curl him up upon my knee
Deep in a big arm chair, where we
Can catch the warmth of blazing coals,
And then let two contented souls
Melt into one, old age and youth,
Sharing adventure’s marvelous truth.

I read a page, and then we sit
And talk it over, bit by bit;
Just how the pirates looked, and why
They flung a black flag to the sky.
We pass no paragraph without
First knowing what it’s all about,
And when the author starts a fight
We join the forces that are right.

We’re deep in Treasure Island, and
From Spy Glass Hill we’ve viewed the land;
Through thickets dense we’ve followed Jim
And shared the doubts that came to him.
We’ve heard Cap. Smollett arguing there
With Long John Silver, gaunt and spare,
And mastering our many fears
We’ve battled with those buccaneers.

Best way to read a book I’ve found
Is have a little boy around
And take him up upon your knee;
Then talk about the tale, till he
Lives it and feels it, just as you,
And shares the great adventure, too.
Books have a deep and lasting joy
For him who reads them to his boy.