Give yourself a treat by taking some time to SLOWLY read this article and let it sink in.  I hope it will bless you…. and you will enjoy reading it as much as I did.  ~Anne

French poet and essayist, Paul Valery 1871-1945, said “The trouble with our times is that the future is not what it used to be.” Those who look back longingly to fairer days agree with Valery but who could have seen a time when changes would become so radical that temporality and periodicity itself would become a form of entertainment?

Newness and news has become entertainment and an acceptable form of distraction for millions today, but it is far from being anything new. The ancient Greeks were caught up with news so much so, that when the Apostle Paul visited Athens he was considered a novelty because of an all new concept he put forth called, the “resurrection from the dead,” and one Jesus Christ who Paul said had accomplished it.

“For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.” (Acts 17:21)

A modern world presumes that God is static and if he exists at all he has limped into the backwaters of importance and scope. His word or his message, they are convinced, has also taken a backseat to the musings of modernity’s hot pursuit of all that is deemed as empirical, nascent and timely.  Read more...

Mr. President,

The small progress we have made after 4 or five weeks close attendance & continual reasonings with each other-our different sentiments on almost every question, several of the last producing as many noes as ays, is methinks a melancholy proof of the imperfection of the Human Understanding. We indeed seem to feel our own want of political wisdom, since we have been running about in search of it. We have gone back to ancient history for models of Government, and examined the different forms of those Republics which having been formed with the seeds of their own dissolution now no longer exist. And we have viewed Modern States all round Europe, but find none of their Constitutions suitable to our circumstances.  Read more...

“The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men.” — Samuel Adams

I recently saw a bumper sticker that said something like  “If you are not mad as “heck”…..it’s because you are not paying attention.”

In my past posts,  I’ve acknowledged and declared my very average American status.  I’m a regular homeschool mom with some college education, but not quite enough to have been  indoctrinated.  I was still in college when my husband and I married,  and I joke now that my dear husband would de-program me after school.  Fortunately, one of the perks of homeschooling is that you will most likely get a second chance at an education.  When a family adopts a “learning lifestyle” , the whole family continues to grow and learn so much more than the public schools or colleges ever provided.

My dear mom only had a 7th grade education and my Dad was blessed to be able to take chemistry classes at MIT for a while.   Of the two, I would say my Mom had the wisdom….my Dad had the smarts,  and they both had a good dose of old fashioned common sense ; with a healthy measure of morality and devotion to the “golden rule.”   I know I did not inherit my Daddy’s smarts,  but I think each passed down   good ol’ common sense to all of us children.  If they were alive today,  I think they would be  in agreement with the bumper sticker slogan as well…and they would be mad as “heck.”  My mom would be praying and my Dad would be yelling at the television or shaking his head in disgust;  both admitting that nothing makes sense these days.  Read more...

As  September ushers in cooler days and school routines again,  I thought I’d share from my heart my thoughts about this new school year and our homsechool journey.  Sadly, it has taken me 8 homeschool years  to realize that I am not required to imitate the  public schools,  my homeschool friends, or any of the homeschooling guru’s  I’ve heard at conventions.   I  “knew” this in my head,   but I’m afraid my heart still did not grasp it and I kept striving to prove that we were just as smart as the next guy, that we were “serious” homeschoolers,  and  that we were way more academic than our local schools.  I often would ask my nephew  or neighborhood children what they were doing in school .  I felt this huge need to compare what we were doing  in our homes with what our local  government school was doing.  So much of it was based upon my own pride rather than upon what the Lord cares about for our family.

I’m not feeling pressure to do everything and learn every subject this year,  and our “schedule” is simply a guide that we can follow if we want to.  Thus far, our school year has been a delight….our best year.  My boys keep saying, “We are having fun doing school this year” or “I had a nice day today mom.” (Big Grin :))  To  homeschool Mom types like me,   this is as gold………we live to hear such words don’t we?  I’m still relishing in their words.  This year, our home is a peaceful and happy place to be, we are not rushing around much, hurrying  through lessons, or stressing out about completing books.  Read more...

Certain dishes just bring a flood of memories.  I recently made a big pot of chicken and dumplings for my sister and her family when they stopped by on their way back from a family road trip.  When my sister saw the bubbling stew in my green dutch oven pot she remembered our Mom.  Even her husband in his thick Boston accent commented that his mom used to make this dish as well and it seemed like such classic New England fare.

Whenever I prepare corned beef and cabbage, I’m twelve again for a few minutes at least,  and my Mom’s in the kitchen cooking for our family.   Even a simple peanut butter and Marshmellow fluff sandwich on white bread brings me back to my childhood days. My mom used to make this sandwich for my siblings and I, and I assumed that she invented it herself. Turns out this is a New England Classic as well.  This sandwich is called a flutternutter and generations of New Englanders fondly associate Marshmallow Fluff with their childhood. The flutternutter sandwich  is a local tradition almost as popular as a nice hot bowl of clam chowder (chowdah).  I always wondered why my husband (who has southern roots) had never had this sandwich.  I guess when my family headed west they brought  a bit of New England with them!
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Charter schools are just public schools on a slightly longer leash. A dog on a long leash is still a dog on a leash.
— Marshall Fritz

All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
— Sir Walter Scott

The philosophy in the classroom of this generation is the philosophy of government in the next.
— Abraham Lincoln

Our schools have been scientifically designed to prevent over-education from happening. The average American [should be] content with their humble role in life, because they’re not tempted to think about any other role.
— William T. Harris, U.S. Commissioner of Education, 1889

We who are engaged in the sacred cause of education are entitled to look upon all parents as having given hostages to our cause.
— Horace Mann, first secretary of education in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

[The role of the schoolmaster is to] collect little plastic lumps of human dough from private households and shape them on the social kneading board.
— Edward Ross, Professor of Economics, Stanford University, 1900

The education of all children, from the moment that they can get along without a mother’s care, shall be in state institutions at state expense.
— Karl Marx

The children who know how to think for themselves spoil the harmony of the collective society which is coming, where everyone would be interdependent.
— John Dewey, American educator  Read more...

Morning Prayer~Dr. Watt’s

Almighty God, the maker of everything in heaven and earth;

the darkness goes away, and the daylight comes at your command.

You are good and do good continually.  I thank you that you have taken

such good care of me this night, and that I am alive and well this morning.

Save me, O God, from evil, all this day long,

and let me love and serve thee forever,

for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son.

Amen.

Evening Prayer~Dr. Watts

O Lord God who knows all things, you see me

by night as well as by day.

I pray you for Christ’s sake, forgive me

whatsoever I have done amiss this day,

and keep me all this night, while I am asleep.

I desire to lie down under your care,

and to abide forever under your blessing,

for you are God of all power and everlasting mercy.

Amen.

Years ago at our local homeschooling convention I picked up a copy of the New England Primer of 1777. I’ve kept this copy in my library even though we do not use it as much now that my boys are older. We probably should re-visit this practical and wholesome book again.
In the early colonial period, one of the main reasons folks learned to read was so that they could read the Bible and become a Christian. Parents taught their children to read and learned to read themselves so that they could learn about the ways of our Lord and come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. This was their motivation. In 1647, the “Old Deluder Act” was passed in Massachusetts and it required every town with 50 or more residents to hire a teacher and begin a school. This was really our first step towards compulsory education. The chief goal of the “Old Deluder Act” was to enable students to gain a knowledge of the Holy Scriptures.

When you read through the New England Primer you will discover phonics lessons, spelling rules, and reading lessons. You will also be taught all of these things from a Christian perspective. The Lord’s prayer, The Shorter Catechism, the Apostles Creed, prayers and hymns by Isaac Watts are also included in the Primer.

A Wise son maketh a glad father, but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.

Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure & trouble therewith.

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David Barton is not your typical tour guide.  He knows his history and has devoted his life to studying and collecting original historical documents.  He has many enemies and they attack him, but cannot say much about all of the original letters, sermons, last will and testaments, books, diaries,  etc. that reveal our true history. I hope you enjoy this video.  Be sure to turn off the website music. Enjoy!  ~Anne

This article made me pause and think about whether or not I considered all three of these “Golden Gates” in my conversations, my  postings, or even when I teach my children.  It also reminded me of times when folks have used words that are unkind, or unnecessary and how they have hurt me for many years. The Bible reminds us that careless words stab like a sword, but the words of wise people bring healing. (Proverbs 12:18)

My boys and I read through this article and talked about each “Golden Gate.”  We discussed how we could apply this in our lives with our family,  friends, neighbors and even strangers.

I pray that the Lord will forgive me for not holding my tongue when I should,  for being unkind sometimes, for bringing up subjects that are not profitable or edifying, and sometimes even keeping silent when the Lord calls me to stand up for truth and righteousness.  Amen. ~Anne

Someone once told me that if you found something good to say that you should never be afraid to repeat it.

Men will quote the Bible long after I’m gone and the words of people like Abraham Lincoln or George Washington will be repeated countless times but no one will say when its time to quit repeating their sayings. Such words are never put to rest they are only passed on to others; they belong to humanity they are legacy and wisdom and will never cease to salt the earth. Here are some of the best words I have heard in my brief stay on this old planet.  Read more...

I hope you will enjoy this 3 part series by Francis Schaeffer.  As I watch him, I’m amazed at his insight and understanding and astonished  to see so much of what he talked about come to pass right in our White House today.  Unfortunately,  many of the radicals from the 60’s received their law degrees and ran for office.  Now we are facing a fundamental change in our America and we may lose our republic and way of life.  Knowing that the Lord is in control and He will never leave or forsake those who fear Him, my heart can be at peace regardless of  what happens in our world.  Please turn off the website music before beginning video. ~Anne

This address by the late Dr. Francis Schaeffer in 1982 is based on one of his books; A Christian Manifesto. I will be adding more of this address in our Library section. ~Anne

Christians, in the last 80 years or so, have only been seeing things as bits and pieces which have gradually begun to trouble them and others, instead of understanding that they are the natural outcome of a change from a Christian World View to a Humanistic one; things such as overpermissiveness, pornography, the problem of the public schools, the breakdown of the family, abortion, infanticide (the killing of newborn babies), increased emphasis upon the euthanasia of the old and many, many other things.

All of these things and many more are only the results. We may be troubled with the individual thing, but in reality we are missing the whole thing if we do not see each of these things and many more as only symptoms of the deeper problem. And that is the change in our society, a change in our country, a change in the Western world from a Judeo-Christian consensus to a Humanistic one. That is, instead of the final reality that exists being the infinite creator God; instead of that which is the basis of all reality being such a creator God, now largely, all else is seen as only material or energy which has existed forever in some form, shaped into its present complex form only by pure chance.  Read more...

A chemistry professor at a large college had some exchange students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab the Professor noticed one young man (exchange student) who kept rubbing his back, and stretching as if his back hurt. The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country’s government and install a new communist government.

In the midst of his story he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked, ‘Do you know how to catch wild pigs?’ The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said this was no joke. ‘You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come every day to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that and start to eat again.  Read more...

“Once we know that people are human and have some Homer Simpson in them, then there’s a lot that can be done to manipulate them.” – Progressive Regulatory Czar, Cass Sunstein

(Regarding the fairness doctrine) “A system of limitless individual choices, with respect to communications, is not necessarily in the interest of citizenship and self-government.”
“Animals should be permitted to bring suit, with human beings as their representatives…”
“We ought to ban hunting, I suggest, if there isn’t a purpose other than sport and fun. That should be against the law. It’s time now.”

(On the Constitution from Glenn Beck program) “ Let me explain the division among the conservative legal thinkers. Some conservative legal things like Justice Scalia and Justice Thomas is that the Constitution means what it originally meant. That means that we should understand the document by going through a sort of time machine and capturing the public understanding of the public that ratified the document a century or more than a century ago. So, that is a very distinctive approach which would involve quite radical changes in our existing Constitutional understanding and Justice Thomas is entirely clear on that.”

“Almost all gun control legislation is constitutionally fine. And if the court is right, then fundamentalism does not justify the view that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to bear arms. ”  Cass Sunstein writing in his book “Radicals in Robes”

(Who does this sound like?)
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I received this very practical and yet quite obvious list in an email from a friend.  These bits of advice should be a way of life for us all.  I wish I could remember just a few of these…..if I did I think I would be happier and do a better job serving the Lord and my family.  I struggle with going to bed early, and taking one day at a time.  Some times I worry about things that I have no control over.  I often try to fix things without first asking for the Lords help. Instead of just realizing my own limitations,  I’ll have 2 or 3 things going on at once.   Should I really try to prepare a special dessert, talk on the phone, clean  the kitchen,  fold  laundry,  and  answer math questions all at the same time?  Why can’t I just slow down and  concentrate on the task at hand? When will I acknowledge  #35 on this list that  “I am not the general manager of the universe” 😉  Perhaps all of our “multi-tasking” isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.  Well, anyway, I hope you enjoy reading this list.  Blessings,  ~Anne

1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say  “No”  to projects that won’t fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.  Read more...

Margarat  Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood,  once stated that her whole life was devoted to birth control. I cannot imagine anyone caring that much about keeping babies from being born, but evidently this was her mission in life. Perhaps she felt that there would be less poverty if families were kept smaller ,  but it’s more likely that she did not believe  all persons deserve to have the opportunity to live.  I read that her Mother had 18 pregnancies…..maybe this had an influence on her thinking.  Personally,  I would bet that she did not believe that man was created in the image of God and even though she used to be a Catholic, she probably did not believe in a Creator at all.  My guess would be that she was a believer in evolution and the theories of Charles Darwin. How else could she have come to the conclusions that she did?

Margarat Sanger has been praised by some, and   held in high regard amongst women’s groups and liberal politicians. Considering how Ms. Sanger encouraged abortions  especially in Black communities, and knowing her connections with the KKK,   I find it curious that so many black pastors and politicians sing her praises.  In 1966 the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. remarked about Sanger:  ‘There is a striking kinship between our movement and Margaret Sanger’s early efforts. . . . Our sure beginning in the struggle for equality by nonviolent direct action may not have been so resolute without the tradition established by Margaret Sanger and people like her.”  Read more...

As I’m reading up on Noah Webster, I’m reminded once again of  our Christian heritage in America.  I’m offended and stunned that so many symbols of our beloved Christianity are being removed from in the public square.  I’m disturbed and grieved that Christians are not allowed to pray at graduations or other events, and that we can no longer pray in our  government schools. It seems as though our courts today believe that our founders intended to banish God from our government and public square.  How foolish they are. Our founders did not want to establish a Theocracy for sure, but they wanted to allow the influence of Christian ideals in our society.

I guess the most disturbing thing of all for me was when I saw these guards removing the 10 commandments from an Alabama  court room a few years ago.  I never could quite get over that.  Judge Moore stated,  “It is a sad day in our country when the moral foundation of our law and the acknowledgment of God has to be hidden from public view to appease a federal judge.”  This Godly man was even suspended by the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission  for refusing to obey Thompson’s order.  He will wear a crown one day.  Read more...