I have a very energetic first born. He is strong-willed, impetuous, and lazy. He is also fun-loving, energetic, very bright, a very gifted speaker and guitar player. I, so unfortunately, used to think of him as the bane of my existence. I could not see him as the gift which God has given to me. He is another agent of change from the Lord.
I asked a very wise, and very unlike me, friend what she would suggest that I do with Ian. After taking some time to answer, she suggested that maybe the problem wasn't only an "Ian" problem, but a "Karen" one as well. While I was not at all offended, I brushed her answer off as being very well meant, but a little naive to the situation at hand. I did not have six hours in the day to devote to keeping my son on task at school while I had three other children to deal with. I refused to consider her answer because I refused to change.
Meanwhile, I was irritable and even angry when every time I would walk by him that he would be staring out the window or lost or not on task in one form or another. Why did the Lord give me such a stubborn child. None of my other children are prefect, but compared to Ian, they seem quite tame in most cases.
One day when I was tired of being frustrated with my son, I sat down with him for him to copy a composition that he had written the day before into his composition book. I went over every stroke with him, pointing out what he was doing wrong and praising what he was doing well. While the recopy of a 9 sentence essay took two hours, with me at his side, he stayed on task, his handwriting which is often barely legible was definitely better, but TWO hours?!? Was it really worth it, I asked myself. Those two hours exhausted me, but at least I was not raising my voice in irritation or frustration with him. I was actually able to praise him during that time.
I have a cousin who told me that God had better never allow her to run from her circumstances (which she knows are God-ordained) because while she doesn't want to deep down in her heart, she knows that she would. I feel the same way with spending at least two hours or more with Ian working on his school. It is right. it is good. He actually gets praise instead of just remarks asking him why he isn't done yet, but I feel like if the Lord would in some way open the door for me not to have to sit there for two hours with him, I'd take it in a heartbeat.
I'm learning a lot from all this however, and God continues to show me that He's not done with me, and like I am learning about my son, He isn't going to give up on me just because I'm being stubborn and willful.
I'll share more in my next post.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
My Personal Learning Experience - Part I
I've never written here about loosing my little girl ten days after she was born, but it was a heart-wrenching experience. After four years of trying to get pregnant again, and while not preventing pregnancy having all but given up hoping, we found ourselves surprisingly pregnant again.
The Lord had been dealing with my heart (and still is) especially over my usually irritated (at best - overtly angry at worst) reactions to my children when I would be interrupted in whatever it was that I was doing. And in all honesty to my children, I was always 'doing' something. One of the things that I would do oftentimes was to turn on Netflix to watch something during the afternoons when they were outside playing. As children do, however, they would constantly come in, every other minute all the time they were outside and continuously interrupting me in what I believed should have been my down time.
Well, finding out that I was pregnant again, and having nagging fears in the back of my mind about Meagan, I "made a deal" with the Lord. Yes, I know He's not obligated to do anything. Call it His agent of change in me. I told the Lord that I would give up any form of movie/TV show watching via Netflix or any other online medium, or our own personal DVD collection while my children were awake. Instead, I watch a half of a TV episode on Netflix after the children go to bed or before they get up while I'm walking on the treadmill. This has done two things for me. First off, it's made my exercising during this pregnancy very regular unless I'm really under the weather. This has also removed one of the temptations for me to escape from my children (which is what it really is being unnecessarily busy). Secondly, it's cut back any visual media consumption to a bare minimum. At most I see 45 minutes of "TV" on any given day. Most days, it's 25 minutes or nothing.
While I am thankful for these little changes, the Lord wasn't done with where He wants to take me or what He wants to teach me. I'll share my continuing journey next time.
The Lord had been dealing with my heart (and still is) especially over my usually irritated (at best - overtly angry at worst) reactions to my children when I would be interrupted in whatever it was that I was doing. And in all honesty to my children, I was always 'doing' something. One of the things that I would do oftentimes was to turn on Netflix to watch something during the afternoons when they were outside playing. As children do, however, they would constantly come in, every other minute all the time they were outside and continuously interrupting me in what I believed should have been my down time.
Well, finding out that I was pregnant again, and having nagging fears in the back of my mind about Meagan, I "made a deal" with the Lord. Yes, I know He's not obligated to do anything. Call it His agent of change in me. I told the Lord that I would give up any form of movie/TV show watching via Netflix or any other online medium, or our own personal DVD collection while my children were awake. Instead, I watch a half of a TV episode on Netflix after the children go to bed or before they get up while I'm walking on the treadmill. This has done two things for me. First off, it's made my exercising during this pregnancy very regular unless I'm really under the weather. This has also removed one of the temptations for me to escape from my children (which is what it really is being unnecessarily busy). Secondly, it's cut back any visual media consumption to a bare minimum. At most I see 45 minutes of "TV" on any given day. Most days, it's 25 minutes or nothing.
While I am thankful for these little changes, the Lord wasn't done with where He wants to take me or what He wants to teach me. I'll share my continuing journey next time.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Keepers At Home
Could the Lord have picked a more controversial area in the church today to hit on? Then again the irony is that you may not see the controversy in it. Everywhere we turn, women are working outside the home. I have encountered women which work outside the home in almost every denomination. Some may ask, “What’s the big deal, can’t women work outside the home and still be keepers at home?”
Oh, I’m so glad you asked. That loaded question has an even more loaded answer, “No, and Yes.” I’m going to deal with the “No” first.
Biblically, women cannot hold a job outside of their home. Look at the whole passage in Titus 2, “ The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. ” Notice that last phrase, “That the word of God be not blasphemed.” That little phrase with which the apostle Paul concluded this set of verses is all important to how we understand and derive our theology of whether or not women can hold a job outside of the home.
Remember that marriage is a picture of Christ and the Church. When you apply the way that a husband and wife interact to Christ and the church, we see that there are tremendous implications. Would the church ever look at her Husband and say to Him, “I am not satisfied with what You are able to provide for me, therefore I must work my own way to salvation.” I would hope none of us would ever say those very words to Christ. If any person uses those words and persists in them, he or she will not inherit the kingdom. What about the reverse? Would Christ ever say to His bride, “I’m not willing or able to provide for you, go out and help support yourself and Me?” That is a blasphemous statement, but yet many husbands and wives today say those things to each, though perhaps not in those words. Unfortunately today, many husbands and wives are presenting blasphemous pictures of Christ and His church.
On one level Paul uses the phrase, “that the word of God be not blasphemed” reminding us that we are portraying the picture of Christ and the Church. Secondly, Paul uses the phrase, “that the word of God be not blasphemed” reminding us that how we act affects how people outside the church see us. If people outside the church see us exactly the same as they are perhaps with the exception that we attend church more often then they do, how are we being salt and light in this very dark world. We must remember who and whose we are! We must remember what we are portraying to those outside of Christ.
With such an emphatic “No” with such terrible theological implications, you may be wondering how in the world I can also say “Yes.” It is very easy, a woman can work outside the location of her house while not working out from under the authority of her husband. Proverbs 31:13-20 says, “She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.” She brings her food from afar. She gives to the poor. She perceives that her merchandise is good. She buys a field and plants it. All of these things can be done outside of the home, but even with all these things, she is under the authority and protection of her husband, just as the church is under the authority and protection of Christ in all things.
When a woman works outside the home, she is outside the authority of her husband. She must submit to the authority of the person who is over her at work. The Bible is clear when it says in Ephesians 5:22, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.” This too has theological implications. The church is to be subject to Christ in all things. There is no area of our lives in which we can look at Christ and say, “Someone else told me …. I know this is against what you’ve told me, but I must obey them instead.” Yet many Christians, both men and women, who while they would probably never say it in so many words, say it with their actions and their disregard for the sufficiency of scripture to speak to each situation.
As Christians, we must not only accept the sufficiency of Scripture, but act on it even when it is inconvenient and sometimes frightening. It can be a fearful thing for a husband who doesn’t believe that he is making enough money to support his family to go to his wife and talk about her not working. It is not an easy thing for a wife to give up the security of that second pay check. These are things that God calls us to do. If we will walk in obedience to His word, God promises his blessings on us. Trust Him. Ultimately, He won't fail you.
Oh, I’m so glad you asked. That loaded question has an even more loaded answer, “No, and Yes.” I’m going to deal with the “No” first.
Biblically, women cannot hold a job outside of their home. Look at the whole passage in Titus 2, “ The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. ” Notice that last phrase, “That the word of God be not blasphemed.” That little phrase with which the apostle Paul concluded this set of verses is all important to how we understand and derive our theology of whether or not women can hold a job outside of the home.
Remember that marriage is a picture of Christ and the Church. When you apply the way that a husband and wife interact to Christ and the church, we see that there are tremendous implications. Would the church ever look at her Husband and say to Him, “I am not satisfied with what You are able to provide for me, therefore I must work my own way to salvation.” I would hope none of us would ever say those very words to Christ. If any person uses those words and persists in them, he or she will not inherit the kingdom. What about the reverse? Would Christ ever say to His bride, “I’m not willing or able to provide for you, go out and help support yourself and Me?” That is a blasphemous statement, but yet many husbands and wives today say those things to each, though perhaps not in those words. Unfortunately today, many husbands and wives are presenting blasphemous pictures of Christ and His church.
On one level Paul uses the phrase, “that the word of God be not blasphemed” reminding us that we are portraying the picture of Christ and the Church. Secondly, Paul uses the phrase, “that the word of God be not blasphemed” reminding us that how we act affects how people outside the church see us. If people outside the church see us exactly the same as they are perhaps with the exception that we attend church more often then they do, how are we being salt and light in this very dark world. We must remember who and whose we are! We must remember what we are portraying to those outside of Christ.
With such an emphatic “No” with such terrible theological implications, you may be wondering how in the world I can also say “Yes.” It is very easy, a woman can work outside the location of her house while not working out from under the authority of her husband. Proverbs 31:13-20 says, “She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.” She brings her food from afar. She gives to the poor. She perceives that her merchandise is good. She buys a field and plants it. All of these things can be done outside of the home, but even with all these things, she is under the authority and protection of her husband, just as the church is under the authority and protection of Christ in all things.
When a woman works outside the home, she is outside the authority of her husband. She must submit to the authority of the person who is over her at work. The Bible is clear when it says in Ephesians 5:22, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.” This too has theological implications. The church is to be subject to Christ in all things. There is no area of our lives in which we can look at Christ and say, “Someone else told me …. I know this is against what you’ve told me, but I must obey them instead.” Yet many Christians, both men and women, who while they would probably never say it in so many words, say it with their actions and their disregard for the sufficiency of scripture to speak to each situation.
As Christians, we must not only accept the sufficiency of Scripture, but act on it even when it is inconvenient and sometimes frightening. It can be a fearful thing for a husband who doesn’t believe that he is making enough money to support his family to go to his wife and talk about her not working. It is not an easy thing for a wife to give up the security of that second pay check. These are things that God calls us to do. If we will walk in obedience to His word, God promises his blessings on us. Trust Him. Ultimately, He won't fail you.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Chaste - Part II
I want to touch two other tangential issues. Hagnos can be defined as, "clean". I've already been talking about our hearts being clean. First off, you cannot be clean at all unless you have a personal relationship with Christ. I don't mean that you read your Bible or pray now and again. Romans 3:10-19 tells us,
You may think yourself good or at least attempting to be good because no one's perfect, right? God says, that without Christ your "mouth is full of cursing and bitterness". If you are not speaking for God's glory your words are a cursing. "Destruction and misery are in [your] way." Things may seem good for awhile, but it will not last. Life without Christ comes to misery.
Romans 3:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the Gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." You have sinned. You deserve death. In case you think I'm pointing a finger at you, realize I'm pointing three back at myself. I have sinner. I deserve death. While this body in which I currently reside will one day pass away, my spirit will not die. Some day I will be reunited with this body - just a perfect version. Why the difference? Because of the second half of the verse, "the gift of God is eternal life". I have not just accepted this gift, but begged God that He would bestow it upon me.
Romans 10:9-10 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Salvation starts in the heart by begging Christ to take off your filthy inner self and putting Him on instead. He doesn't just wash the outside, He remakes you from the inside out. It can't stop there, though. You must confess Him. You cannot keep silent about this faith which He has given. You must (because of the change - it makes it a desire to) and desire to tell those about the change He has worked in you. You want to tell others that you now belong to Him, that "you are not your own, you were bought with a price" and getting back to the original thought, "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." I Corinthians 6:20 "Chaste" is that outer working of that inner reality as stated by that verse.
The last thing I want to touch on tangentially is being chaste as a wife means being dependent on your husband. As a wife, we cannot be pure if we depend on some other person to be for us what our husband is to be. Let me give you several examples. We cannot be pure and chaste if there is another person to whom we confide thoughts, feelings, or problems instead of our husband when our husband is to dwell with us according to knowledge (I Peter 3:7). We cannot be pure in our heart if a person other than our husband is our emotional support because he is called to love us as Christ loved the church(Ephesians 5:25-31). We cannot be pure in heart if we do not trust our husband to provide for us as Christ has called him to (Ephesians 5:29). We cannot be pure in heart if we are not willing to submit ourselves to our own husbands(Ephesians 5:22) because Christ has made him our head (Ephesians 5:23).
The point I'm wanting you to see is that the inner reality of what we are works itself out in how we act. That is what "chaste" is all about.
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
You may think yourself good or at least attempting to be good because no one's perfect, right? God says, that without Christ your "mouth is full of cursing and bitterness". If you are not speaking for God's glory your words are a cursing. "Destruction and misery are in [your] way." Things may seem good for awhile, but it will not last. Life without Christ comes to misery.
Romans 3:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the Gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." You have sinned. You deserve death. In case you think I'm pointing a finger at you, realize I'm pointing three back at myself. I have sinner. I deserve death. While this body in which I currently reside will one day pass away, my spirit will not die. Some day I will be reunited with this body - just a perfect version. Why the difference? Because of the second half of the verse, "the gift of God is eternal life". I have not just accepted this gift, but begged God that He would bestow it upon me.
Romans 10:9-10 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Salvation starts in the heart by begging Christ to take off your filthy inner self and putting Him on instead. He doesn't just wash the outside, He remakes you from the inside out. It can't stop there, though. You must confess Him. You cannot keep silent about this faith which He has given. You must (because of the change - it makes it a desire to) and desire to tell those about the change He has worked in you. You want to tell others that you now belong to Him, that "you are not your own, you were bought with a price" and getting back to the original thought, "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." I Corinthians 6:20 "Chaste" is that outer working of that inner reality as stated by that verse.
The last thing I want to touch on tangentially is being chaste as a wife means being dependent on your husband. As a wife, we cannot be pure if we depend on some other person to be for us what our husband is to be. Let me give you several examples. We cannot be pure and chaste if there is another person to whom we confide thoughts, feelings, or problems instead of our husband when our husband is to dwell with us according to knowledge (I Peter 3:7). We cannot be pure in our heart if a person other than our husband is our emotional support because he is called to love us as Christ loved the church(Ephesians 5:25-31). We cannot be pure in heart if we do not trust our husband to provide for us as Christ has called him to (Ephesians 5:29). We cannot be pure in heart if we are not willing to submit ourselves to our own husbands(Ephesians 5:22) because Christ has made him our head (Ephesians 5:23).
The point I'm wanting you to see is that the inner reality of what we are works itself out in how we act. That is what "chaste" is all about.
Chaste - Part I
Chaste - a small word which conjures up pictures of women medieval women clad in white flowing garments sitting by the side of a flowing brook. Most of us would probably think of her as quiet, beautiful, pure and unspotted, and of course, a virgin.
That picture, while accurate in some ways is inaccurate in others. Chaste, according to Webster's 1812 dictionary, is defined as, "Pure from all unlawful commerce of sexes", "Free from obscenity", "In language, pure; genuine; uncorrupt; free from barbarous words and phrases, and from quaint, affected, extravagant expressions."
This gives us a little clearer picture. A chaste woman is sexually pure. Most often we want to apply this to unmarried women. I wanted to point out that because Paul includes "chaste" in a list for married woman, he is affirming that "the marriage bed" is a pure and chaste thing. This will play itself out more later in the article, but to suffice for now, a married woman can still be just as sexually pure and chaste as an unmarried woman.
A chaste woman is "free from obscenity". Oftentimes, we think of obscenity as merely the words which trickle or pour from our mouths. While that is included, that is not the whole of the word. Many obscene things have nothing to do with speech. Do you dress modestly or in such a way as to not make a man do a double-take and lust after you in his heart? Do you present yourself with politeness? Sometimes a person's manners can be obscene or offensive. Are you careful to act appropriately with people. Being overly friendly (even unintentionally) with a member of the opposite sex could fall under this category as well.
Turning to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, the word for chaste is "hagnos". I love the first definition given by Strong's, "exciting reverence, venerable, sacred". I had never before thought of a person as exciting reverence in someone else. Do you inspire or excite reverence in your children and husband? When people are around you, do you help them want to be reverent and show respect properly as becomes the situation? For me, that is something I will have to continue to ponder over as it is a quite novel thought.
Strong's second definition is, "Pure" and that falls out in three sub-definitions which are, "pure from carnality, chaste, modest", "pure from every fault, immaculate", "clean".
Chaste seems to be speaking of an outer adornment as a result of an inward reality. We, as women, are modest because we believe we represent Christ. We keep ourselves free from carnality because our lives are a reflection of Him who died for us. We do not want to present ourselves as liars, or cheaters, or thieves because we do not put a blot on God's holiness or the glory due Him for which we are striving to show.
It's easy to look on this and say, well, I just have to wear a high enough neck-line and a low enough hem-line. I just have to make sure I don't use foul language or tell crude jokes. Though those things are all good and proper, they are not what this verse is speaking about. This verse is speaking about our hearts. Are our hearts so attuned to God that we would rather suffer shame for doing what's right than to let down the one person who gave Himself to us? Why are you kind to others? Is it because Christ was kind to you or because you expect them to reciprocate? Why do you give money to the church? Do you give because it's obligatory to give your 10% or do you give because you want to bless those who your Father loves?
That picture, while accurate in some ways is inaccurate in others. Chaste, according to Webster's 1812 dictionary, is defined as, "Pure from all unlawful commerce of sexes", "Free from obscenity", "In language, pure; genuine; uncorrupt; free from barbarous words and phrases, and from quaint, affected, extravagant expressions."
This gives us a little clearer picture. A chaste woman is sexually pure. Most often we want to apply this to unmarried women. I wanted to point out that because Paul includes "chaste" in a list for married woman, he is affirming that "the marriage bed" is a pure and chaste thing. This will play itself out more later in the article, but to suffice for now, a married woman can still be just as sexually pure and chaste as an unmarried woman.
A chaste woman is "free from obscenity". Oftentimes, we think of obscenity as merely the words which trickle or pour from our mouths. While that is included, that is not the whole of the word. Many obscene things have nothing to do with speech. Do you dress modestly or in such a way as to not make a man do a double-take and lust after you in his heart? Do you present yourself with politeness? Sometimes a person's manners can be obscene or offensive. Are you careful to act appropriately with people. Being overly friendly (even unintentionally) with a member of the opposite sex could fall under this category as well.
Turning to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, the word for chaste is "hagnos". I love the first definition given by Strong's, "exciting reverence, venerable, sacred". I had never before thought of a person as exciting reverence in someone else. Do you inspire or excite reverence in your children and husband? When people are around you, do you help them want to be reverent and show respect properly as becomes the situation? For me, that is something I will have to continue to ponder over as it is a quite novel thought.
Strong's second definition is, "Pure" and that falls out in three sub-definitions which are, "pure from carnality, chaste, modest", "pure from every fault, immaculate", "clean".
Chaste seems to be speaking of an outer adornment as a result of an inward reality. We, as women, are modest because we believe we represent Christ. We keep ourselves free from carnality because our lives are a reflection of Him who died for us. We do not want to present ourselves as liars, or cheaters, or thieves because we do not put a blot on God's holiness or the glory due Him for which we are striving to show.
It's easy to look on this and say, well, I just have to wear a high enough neck-line and a low enough hem-line. I just have to make sure I don't use foul language or tell crude jokes. Though those things are all good and proper, they are not what this verse is speaking about. This verse is speaking about our hearts. Are our hearts so attuned to God that we would rather suffer shame for doing what's right than to let down the one person who gave Himself to us? Why are you kind to others? Is it because Christ was kind to you or because you expect them to reciprocate? Why do you give money to the church? Do you give because it's obligatory to give your 10% or do you give because you want to bless those who your Father loves?
Returning Home
We had been gone for a week, preparing for the trip for part of a week, and getting our lives back in order for part of a week. Two weeks very busy weeks have passed by. I'm going to get back to posting while knowing that we're going to have another two very busy weeks here starting next Friday.
If you'd like to read about our trip, you can go here to see what we were up to.
If you'd like to read about our trip, you can go here to see what we were up to.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Resources
I've had a post here explaining the lack of posting for the past couple of weeks.
I know this blog is geared toward women keeping their homes, but
last night, we were asked to compile a resource list for some old friends. I thought I would share the list with all you out there in Cyberspace too because some of these resources have greatly influenced my thinking on being a keeper at home. Honestly, these resources have been so invaluable to us, but if both of us had to pick only one resource which has influenced us both more than any one other, it would be Vision Forum. We have ordered approximately 100 CD’s from them as well as downloaded more from Behemoth.com (their site to download their resources).
www.visionforum.com – especially the CD’s for parents from there. The one’s that Steve mentioned by name are “The 200 Year Plan – a Vision for Multi-generational Faithfulness”; “A Homeschooling Vision of Victory”; “The Centrality of the Home in Evangelism and Discipleship”; “Hollywood’s Most Despised Villain”; “The Promise – The Beauty and Glory of the 5th Commandment”; “The Return of the Daughter’s”. The Children’s resources are second to none, but the CD’s are what have shaped our thinking of how we raise our children drastically. I would highly recommend the Jonathan Park creation CD adventures. If you sign up for the mailing list, you'll receive e-mails about really awesome sales on CD bundles. The only thing I would say about it is to stay away from the S.M. Davis CD’s. They don’t only leave a lot to be desired, but also really take things out of context on numerous occasions. I cannot listen to them with the kids in the car unless I've listened to them first because I've had to correct him to the kids on numerous occasions.
http://www.behemoth.com – This is Vision Forum’s downloadable warehouse for much of their audio and video pieces, but it also has tons more!
www.franklinsprings.com – These DVD’s have been such a blessing to us because they are not just entertainment, but encouragement in our Christian and Spiritual walks. Last Christmas we purchased the 10 pack which we have watched over and over and over again!
http://solmusic.ca/ - Jamie Soles is our favorite musician for the kids. They absolutely eat it up! He has both adult and Children’s CD’s. The adult music is very good also.
http://www.titustwo.com – These resources on keeping our children’s hearts, on homeschooling, on scheduling and so much more. We have purchased almost all of their resources.
http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Childrens-Bible-Books/dp/0307165205 - Steve said you asked about our Children’s Bible. It is The Golden Children’s Bible published by A Golden Book, New York. It is good over all. I’ve noticed several things that I wouldn’t have left out even in a children’s Bible, but overall a great resource.
http://www.rodandstaffbooks.com We absolutely adore the readers! Ian and Jordan both enjoy reading them. They are wholesome and about life lived on a farm.
http://www.thefamilyvision.org – This is a free Christian lending library here in St. Louis, but they have just begun a new program where people outside of the area can pay a one-time yearly fee and borrow as many books as they want. This is an INCREDIBLE library. I think you visited it with us the last time you were here. Their books are second to none. They are all strongly focused on what a family should be like and growing Godly families.
http://www.majestymusic.com – While we don’t agree with everything in each of their kids CD’s ( for example - they have one whose theme is the evils of alcohol), they are wholesome, entertaining, teach Christian principles, and the songs are so fun that the kids ask for them a lot.
http://www.parentalrights.org – This has very important information on the Parental Right’s Amendment and preserving our ability as parents to direct our child’s lives.
http://www.moneysavingmom.com – This site has fundamentally changed the way I shop for my family. I pay about half what I used to pay on groceries and I am able to bring more home and donate a TON which I’ve never done before.
http://www.thewordofpromise.com/ - This is the audio Bible of preference for the New Testament. It is dramatized and we really enjoy it. My only beef with it is that it is a Bible reading done by almost exclusively non-Christian’s, but it is done well. They are coming out with an Old – Testament one as well in time. Here is the link to the OT one at Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Word-Promise-Testament-Audio-Bible/dp/1418541931/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243228527&sr=8-2
http://generationswithvision.com/ - Kevin Swanson was at the last homeschool convention here in STL, and he really impressed us with his message. The book “The Second Mayflower” is one that we’d highly recommend as well as “Upgrade”.
http://www.chef-missouri.com/ - While this is a Missouri homeschool site, the group has been invaluable to us.
http://www.theresnoplacelikehome-summers.com/ - This link is not currently working, but I’m hoping it is fixed soon. I bought Candy Summer’s book There’s No Place Like Home when I first started homeschooling. It had a profound influence on my thinking about what a homeschool life looks like. It also didn’t hurt when I found out that we are practically neighbors!
http://www.hslda.org – This stands for Home School Legal Defense Association. We became members this past year. When you join, if there’s ever a problem with a social worker, allegations of neglect, questions about homeschool laws in your state, or the state decides to take legal action against you homeschooling your children, HSLDA will represent you. They also fight to keep homeschooling legal by watching laws that are going through the government at all levels. Just last week, we received an e-mail about a last minute change in law language which would affect Missouri homeschooling. They asked as many as could to show up in Jefferson City (Missouri’s capitol) the following afternoon. 2,500 of us showed up, but only because they are watching things for us. Membership is VERY reasonable at $10 a month or $100/yr., less if you sign on for more years or are in full-time Christian Work.
http://www.veritaspress.com – We use almost all of their recommendations for curriculum, but we have ordered it through the next link because it’s cheaper for almost every item. I would highly, highly recommend you to check out their Phonics Museum reading program. We absolutely loved it! I also highly recommend their History and Bible programs. The only big change I would make to their suggestions is to us Math-U-See instead of Saxon Math.
http://www.rainbowresource.com – If you want to buy anything homeschool wise for the girls, I use other catalogs (as above) for suggestions of what to buy, but order it through here. You have to be careful what you pick out though, because they don’t check their resources to make sure they are evolution free or that they present evolution as a false theory for the beginning of the world.
http://www.naturesworkshop.com – Great resource for nature and exploration ideas!
http://www.exodusbooks.com/category.aspx?id=7320 – Steve said that though Bob and Theresa are Baptist, this is a great way to get theology into their girls. These are the Westminster Shorter Catechism questions put to song. Even Ethan and Shannen sing along with these. All four love them and we have, as a family, memorized up through question number #40 using them.
http://www.nlpg.com/store/NLP.htm - I’ve appreciated this resource because their slogan is “Always Creation – All the Time”. I never have to worry about evolutionary stuff from them. I would stick to the Science books from them though as having ordered one of their other books, it wasn’t at all one that I would recommend for the last days alarmism in a financial book.
I know this blog is geared toward women keeping their homes, but
last night, we were asked to compile a resource list for some old friends. I thought I would share the list with all you out there in Cyberspace too because some of these resources have greatly influenced my thinking on being a keeper at home. Honestly, these resources have been so invaluable to us, but if both of us had to pick only one resource which has influenced us both more than any one other, it would be Vision Forum. We have ordered approximately 100 CD’s from them as well as downloaded more from Behemoth.com (their site to download their resources).
www.visionforum.com – especially the CD’s for parents from there. The one’s that Steve mentioned by name are “The 200 Year Plan – a Vision for Multi-generational Faithfulness”; “A Homeschooling Vision of Victory”; “The Centrality of the Home in Evangelism and Discipleship”; “Hollywood’s Most Despised Villain”; “The Promise – The Beauty and Glory of the 5th Commandment”; “The Return of the Daughter’s”. The Children’s resources are second to none, but the CD’s are what have shaped our thinking of how we raise our children drastically. I would highly recommend the Jonathan Park creation CD adventures. If you sign up for the mailing list, you'll receive e-mails about really awesome sales on CD bundles. The only thing I would say about it is to stay away from the S.M. Davis CD’s. They don’t only leave a lot to be desired, but also really take things out of context on numerous occasions. I cannot listen to them with the kids in the car unless I've listened to them first because I've had to correct him to the kids on numerous occasions.
http://www.behemoth.com – This is Vision Forum’s downloadable warehouse for much of their audio and video pieces, but it also has tons more!
www.franklinsprings.com – These DVD’s have been such a blessing to us because they are not just entertainment, but encouragement in our Christian and Spiritual walks. Last Christmas we purchased the 10 pack which we have watched over and over and over again!
http://solmusic.ca/ - Jamie Soles is our favorite musician for the kids. They absolutely eat it up! He has both adult and Children’s CD’s. The adult music is very good also.
http://www.titustwo.com – These resources on keeping our children’s hearts, on homeschooling, on scheduling and so much more. We have purchased almost all of their resources.
http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Childrens-Bible-Books/dp/0307165205 - Steve said you asked about our Children’s Bible. It is The Golden Children’s Bible published by A Golden Book, New York. It is good over all. I’ve noticed several things that I wouldn’t have left out even in a children’s Bible, but overall a great resource.
http://www.rodandstaffbooks.com We absolutely adore the readers! Ian and Jordan both enjoy reading them. They are wholesome and about life lived on a farm.
http://www.thefamilyvision.org – This is a free Christian lending library here in St. Louis, but they have just begun a new program where people outside of the area can pay a one-time yearly fee and borrow as many books as they want. This is an INCREDIBLE library. I think you visited it with us the last time you were here. Their books are second to none. They are all strongly focused on what a family should be like and growing Godly families.
http://www.majestymusic.com – While we don’t agree with everything in each of their kids CD’s ( for example - they have one whose theme is the evils of alcohol), they are wholesome, entertaining, teach Christian principles, and the songs are so fun that the kids ask for them a lot.
http://www.parentalrights.org – This has very important information on the Parental Right’s Amendment and preserving our ability as parents to direct our child’s lives.
http://www.moneysavingmom.com – This site has fundamentally changed the way I shop for my family. I pay about half what I used to pay on groceries and I am able to bring more home and donate a TON which I’ve never done before.
http://www.thewordofpromise.com/ - This is the audio Bible of preference for the New Testament. It is dramatized and we really enjoy it. My only beef with it is that it is a Bible reading done by almost exclusively non-Christian’s, but it is done well. They are coming out with an Old – Testament one as well in time. Here is the link to the OT one at Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Word-Promise-Testament-Audio-Bible/dp/1418541931/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243228527&sr=8-2
http://generationswithvision.com/ - Kevin Swanson was at the last homeschool convention here in STL, and he really impressed us with his message. The book “The Second Mayflower” is one that we’d highly recommend as well as “Upgrade”.
http://www.chef-missouri.com/ - While this is a Missouri homeschool site, the group has been invaluable to us.
http://www.theresnoplacelikehome-summers.com/ - This link is not currently working, but I’m hoping it is fixed soon. I bought Candy Summer’s book There’s No Place Like Home when I first started homeschooling. It had a profound influence on my thinking about what a homeschool life looks like. It also didn’t hurt when I found out that we are practically neighbors!
http://www.hslda.org – This stands for Home School Legal Defense Association. We became members this past year. When you join, if there’s ever a problem with a social worker, allegations of neglect, questions about homeschool laws in your state, or the state decides to take legal action against you homeschooling your children, HSLDA will represent you. They also fight to keep homeschooling legal by watching laws that are going through the government at all levels. Just last week, we received an e-mail about a last minute change in law language which would affect Missouri homeschooling. They asked as many as could to show up in Jefferson City (Missouri’s capitol) the following afternoon. 2,500 of us showed up, but only because they are watching things for us. Membership is VERY reasonable at $10 a month or $100/yr., less if you sign on for more years or are in full-time Christian Work.
http://www.veritaspress.com – We use almost all of their recommendations for curriculum, but we have ordered it through the next link because it’s cheaper for almost every item. I would highly, highly recommend you to check out their Phonics Museum reading program. We absolutely loved it! I also highly recommend their History and Bible programs. The only big change I would make to their suggestions is to us Math-U-See instead of Saxon Math.
http://www.rainbowresource.com – If you want to buy anything homeschool wise for the girls, I use other catalogs (as above) for suggestions of what to buy, but order it through here. You have to be careful what you pick out though, because they don’t check their resources to make sure they are evolution free or that they present evolution as a false theory for the beginning of the world.
http://www.naturesworkshop.com – Great resource for nature and exploration ideas!
http://www.exodusbooks.com/category.aspx?id=7320 – Steve said that though Bob and Theresa are Baptist, this is a great way to get theology into their girls. These are the Westminster Shorter Catechism questions put to song. Even Ethan and Shannen sing along with these. All four love them and we have, as a family, memorized up through question number #40 using them.
http://www.nlpg.com/store/NLP.htm - I’ve appreciated this resource because their slogan is “Always Creation – All the Time”. I never have to worry about evolutionary stuff from them. I would stick to the Science books from them though as having ordered one of their other books, it wasn’t at all one that I would recommend for the last days alarmism in a financial book.
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