I am editing this particular entry to be my general welcome. :) I think it explains fairly well the purpose of my blog and how to use it. Those portions of this message will be in bold. I will also point out that my personal testimony is accessible in the upper left corner near the menorah icon by using the link called "My Testimony". To get to the most current messages I've written, scroll down to find a section on the left called "My Blog Info" the first link is called "Home" and that will take you to the home page that looks just like this one only with the most current messages.

End of Edited Message. Original message below.

I see a lot of activity in the counter stats at my blog, but I have no clue who is reading. :) I thought I'd let everyone know that you are certainly welcome to post comments to any message that you would like to. It is set up that you don't need to be registered to post a comment, at least that's how I understand it to be set up. Anyone can comment to any message at any time. It's like a guest book idea, but linked to each specific message. Interesting concept... Somewhat like a message thread idea.

There are about 12 messages here, the first ones at the bottom and they are my playing around to figure out the whole system here. Each message is in one of three categories - one dedicated to homeschooling and raising the kids according to Deuteronomy 11:19, one dedicated to "Working out [my] salvation with fear and trembling", and one dedicated to current events. To see the messages in specific categories, click on the category titles at the top of each thread. I may put a link on the sidebar one of these days that goes directly to the categories.

I know that with the new lambs there have been a lot of friends and family who have come to the blog for the first time to see the pictures and read about what's happening. I can see the increase in activity by the counter. :) I also know that it took me a bit to figure out how to use the blog and what all it offers. It can be confusing at first because it's a different format than what most of the people I know are used to. It was for me anyway.

My goal for this blog is two-fold. One goal is to use this somewhat as a journal but to post some of the issues that I'm working out in my own life, such as figuring out how to explain to others what it is that I believe because some seem to think that I believe different than they do. Also a place to publicly post my testimony for my friends and family to read, in the event anyone were interested. I guess you could say that because I tend to work out issues in thesis type papers, this is where I hope to be able to post those papers. My second goal is to use this blog as a format to post how we homeschool, how we put what we believe into practice while we raise our kids. I don't know that anyone is interested in this necessarily, but I've noticed that it helps me to get it written down and when I'm having a scattered day, I can go back and read it for some inspiration. :) Or if I'm having one of those days where I feel like a failure, I can go back and read how things are progressing.

I do not intend to put up personal issues or specific issues relating to myself and my family. Anything I wouldn't tell a neighbor or a stranger won't make it to this blog. But, like I said, whatever does make it to this blog is open for comments. ;~) Now that I've figured out how to use them...