THE PARABLE OF THE CARDS, by Franklin Sanders

Now hear the parable of the cards.

It came to pass that five men, strangers all, took ship for a distant land. And whilst the ship was in the way, a fierce storm overtook it, and it sank, and all aboard drowned, save the five passengers, who swam to a desert island.

And when they awoke, they traversed the whole island, and found fruit and game in abundance, but very little in the way of entertainment.

Wherefore the first stranger, whose name was Everyman, said to his companions, Industry, Finance, and Government, Go to! Truly, we will die of boredom in this place long before starvation gets us. Let us therefore play a game of cards!

And Industry and Finance and Government did smile on Everyman, and rejoiced at this pleasant suggestion. But then sadness overcame them, and their countenances darkened, and Industry said, "Alas, cards have we none."

Now the fifth stranger, Banker, stood eavesdropping in the coolness of the shadows, and when Industry discovered they had no cards, Banker stepped forward, out of the shadows, and whispered, Let not my brothers be downcast, neither let them fret for want of cards. For behold, said he, pulling a deck of cards from his pocket, See, cards have I in abundance, and I will lend freely, upon execution of certain necessary mortgages, notes, and encumbrances upon all your real and personal property.

And lo! The countenance of Everyman, Industry, Finance, and Government did brighten, and they rejoiced with one another, for they were simple men, and trusted themselves to Banker. For behold, said they, doth he not desire our good, and will he not freely lend us all things, even cards?

Then Banker did lend Everyman, and Industry, and Finance, and Government thirteen cards apiece, but upon this condition, that Everyman and Industry and Government and Finance might borrow the cards for but one hour only, and at the hour's end each must return to Banker fourteen cards or forfeit. And in return for the thirteen cards they were lent, every player did execute certain necessary mortgages, notes, and encumbrances upon all their real and personal property.

And Banker had them.

And Banker knew it, but Everyman, and Industry, and Finance, and Government had not a clue.

And lo, the hour did end, and Everyman had but ten cards, while Government, Industry, and Finance were possessed of fourteen apiece, and with great shew of sadness and brotherly commiseration Banker did dispossess Everyman, and foreclose upon him, and did take his duffle bag, and all his coconut shells, and his flip-flops, and all his clothing, until Everyman stood naked under the sun, as in the day he was born, without a card to his name, and verily, he was out of the game.

Yet were not Government, Industry, and Finance downcast by Everyman's loss, for in their haste to play cards, they forgot his need, and heeded not the warning of his downfall. So they clamoured to Banker, Give us cards again, that we may play, and make merry, and while away our time in this desert place.

And Banker came close, and said, Brothers, gladly will I lend again, only give me mortgages, notes, and encumbrances upon all your real and personal property. And they did execute the same.

And Banker did lend seventeen cards to Industry, and to Finance, and to Government, demanding at the hour's end the return of eighteen cards apiece. And lo, they did play, and when the game was over, alas, Industry had but fifteen cards, and Government and Finance had eighteen.

And so Banker did foreclose upon Industry, and did take his duffle bag, and his pocket knife wherewith he made clever things for his brothers, and his sandals, and all his clothing, until Industry stood naked under the sun, as in the day he was born, without a card to his name, and verily, he, too, was out of the game, and busted clean flat.

And Government and Finance must play yet again, and Banker must lend to them, and he did, and they did, and Finance met the same fate as Everyman, and Industry, and they gathered themselves together, naked and wretched, under a palm tree, watching Banker and Government play the last hand. And lo, Banker did win, and took from Government all he owned.

Then Government joined Everyman and Industry and Finance, naked under the palm tree, and they lamented the low estate whereunto their borrowing had brought them, and knew not what next to do.

Then Government asked, Brothers, why sit we here idle? For although we be poor, mayhap have we something left we may offer as collateral, and yet play cards again. And the others said, Yea, and Amen, but what else have we?

And they approached Banker right humbly, and gat them down on their knees, and entreated him, saying, O Banker, we have nothing left for collateral, but lo! in the future we will once again have stuff, and between now and then we will have stuff, and we will gladly execute in your favour mortgages, notes, and encumbrances on all our future stuff, but only lend us cards, for the boredom of this place surpasseth all bearing, and our souls are like to expire within us if we cannot play cards, and what availeth us life or liberty without cards?

And Banker smiled a great smile, and welcomed this offer, and did cheerfully and quickly offer for their signature mortgages, notes, and encumbrances on all their future stuff, and they did sign.

And Banker dealt out cards, and again they played. And in the course of time and cards, Banker did own all the future stuff of Everyman and Industry and Government and Finance. Verily, Banker did own it all, all their goods and their lands and their labours, and their children's labours, and their children's labours, world without end. And Banker waxed fat.

And Everyman and Industry and Finance and Government were glad, and did honour to Banker, and rejoiced to serve him, for verily they loved playing cards, and indeed, unless they served him, how else could they get cards?

Here ended the Parable of the Cards -

By Franklin Sanders  http://www.the-moneychanger.com

Today we drove about an hour to go to Sam's club.  As a first timer, I wasn't sure what to expect.  I now know there are pros and cons to this endevor.

Pros: Big sizes of many things that we will use.  We might have saved about $100.

Cons: Limited (extremely) selection.  Many things were not different than regular wal-mart price.  Great deal of the selection geared to a high calorie, high fat, high carb diet.  Few organic choices.  No low fat tub butter or sour cream. 

Items that were good deal for us: Fish sticks, bags of shredded cheese, alfredo sauce, diaper wipes, hand soap, chicken bullion cubes, coffee, trash bags, foil sheets, flavored yogurts, laundry detergent and mac and cheese  Not sure about tp and paper towels as I haven't tried these brands before.

Items I noticed that were available at WM for same price: Dog and cat food, sour cream, milk, bread, baked goods, most produce and meat.  Many wm "great value" items I buy were not at sam's club.  (Cheese crackers, oats)  Nor was there any giant tubs of peanut butter.

My local grocer - J & J Foods, has better quality meat and great specials every week - I wouldn't consider buying meat from anywhere else.  Their produce is better too - more of it is locally grown.

I hate shopping. 

I've been searching for them since we left Denver in 1997.  I had Presbyterian (OPC) friends there that homeschooled.  Some of them moved to Idaho.  We moved to Mississippi.  To a town that thought homeschooling surely must be criminal - who in their right mind would want their kids with them the WHOLE day? 

Then we moved to Georgia.  Here it seems all Presbyterian Churches must also have a school.   So I'm always the only on in any Presbyterian Church that homeschools.  I have unyeilding opinions about "school", when done by the state or a church.   I went to a Catholic school for 3 years.  It was the same thing as public school with a religion class thrown in.  I couldn't keep up with the studies, and they didn't have a "slow" kids class (I was probably ADD), so they just passed me on through anyway.  They didn't have money for electives, so we didn't have them.  But we did go to mass once a week in the mornings,   I had to do summer school (4 hr days) every year too - which consisted of reading stories on a cardstock pages and answering multiple choice questions.  How was that supposed to catch me up on what I could't keep up with?

Really, I've visited the Christian schools, and they are all built on the premise of herding the kids from one pen to another, and teaching in a detestable way  (they can't help it, teachers are trained to do that!)  I was so burned out and exhaused by the time I was 14 that I spent the next year and a half ditching school and going to my friends house to sleep and watch tv all day (the house was close to the school!)  When I got 16 and was ready to learn, I discovered high schools weren't teaching anything - they were just trying to manage the kids.  My hs counselor actually recommended I drop out and go to the local community college.  So I did.

That was in Littleton, Colo at Arapahoe High School, 1986.  The next school over is called Columbine (we all know the fruit that one produced).

I am not an unschooler.  I am a literature based hs'er.  When I want to learn something I read a book or go to the 'net.  I don't look for a textbook (though the apologia ones are way cool, and some abeka ones are good too)    I have a wide variety of learners in my house, and they're all amazing.  It'd be a shame for them to have their time and childhood wasted being herded from one class to another.    The whole model and precept of it is wrong.

Yes, it works for college, but notice when we did college it was usually for 3 hours three times a week and maybe 5 hours the other two days?  Not 8am-3:30 or longer?  And for 12 weeks per semester.   Moderation.  In all things.  Plus, I want to spend my kids lives with them.

So I don't think christian schools are ok.  The kids being around that many other kids - most of the time they'll all tune to the lowest denominator in the group and follow.  The model is wrong.  Keep your kids home.  They will learn more digging up the yard than in class.  They will have less temptations (lead us not into)...how can one know what they want to do with life when we spend it in cages?  No wonder people have midlife crisis - sooner or later one's spirit has to break out! 

Anyway, I'm in the South, and I just want to know - WHERE ARE THE PRESBYTERIANS (PCA) (not USA) THAT HOMESCHOOL?!!!

Thankyou for telling me if you know.  Please pray that the South in this country would catch the homeschooling wave - the South is always that last to catch the "trends" in this country. 

My kids love this soup, and request it almost daily.  I make big batches to last a week.  Serve with cheese and sour cream.

• 1 (10 ounce) package fresh spinach, trimmed and coarsely chopped OR
• 1 box frozen spinach
• 4-6 cups chicken broth
• 1 bag frozen crinkle cut carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 to 1 cup milk (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

In a 5-qt. Dutch oven, bring spinach, broth and carrots to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool to lukewarm.

Meanwhile, in skillet, saute onion and garlic in butter until onion is soft, about 5-10 minutes. Add flour; cook and stir over low heat for 3-5 minutes  (If you're short on time skip this by throwning the garlic and onions in during step one without sauteing). Add to spinach mixture. Puree with pot blender until finely chopped. Place in a large saucepan. Add  milk, pepper and nutmeg; heat through but do not boil.

CROCK-POT:  Pour 6 cups of water, 6 chicken bullion cubes, 1 tbsp onion powder, 1.5 tbsp garlic powder or heaping spoonfuls of minced garlic (I have yet to find out how much is too much!), bag of crinkle cut carrots and cube of spinach and let cook overnight on low (8 hours).  Puree with pot blender.  If you would like it thicker, melt some butter/margarine in microwave, add flour (1/4 c each) and then puree that into the soup, and cook on HI for 1/2 hr.  Add milk or cream if desired, it's not necessary.  Serve with spoonfuls of sour cream - and cheese too if desired!  I doubled this in my large crock pot Monday and it came out great - enough for my soup eaters for every day for a week - what a bargin!

 I have a happy song to share about being a Mother!:

In my daughter's eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I wanna be
In my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal
Darkness turns to light and the
world is at peace
This miracle God gave to me gives me
strength when I am weak
I find reason to believe
In my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand
around my finger
Oh it puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about

It's hangin' on when your heart
has had enough
It's giving more when you feel like giving up
I've seen the light
It's in my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes I can see the future
A reflection of who I am and what will be
Though she'll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family
When I'm gone I hope you see how happy
she made me
For I'll be there
In my daughter's eyes

(Martina McBride)

Arminianism: Falling from Grace - Those who believe and are truly saved can lose their salvation by failing to keep up their faith, etc. All Arminians have not been agreed on this point; some have held that believers are eternally secure in Christ – that once a sinner is regenerated, he can never be lost.

Reformed (Calvinism) :Perseverance of the Saints - All who are chosen by God, redeemed by Christ, and given faith by the Spirit are eternally saved. They are kept in faith by the power of Almighty God and thus persevere to the end

Arminianism: The Holy Spirit Can Be Effectually Resisted - The Spirit calls inwardly all those who are called outwardly by the gospel invitation; He does all that He can to bring every sinner to salvation. But inasmuch as man is free, he can successfully resist the Spirit's call. The Spirit cannot regenerate the sinner until he believes; faith (which is man's contribution) proceeds and makes possible the new birth. Thus, man's free will limits the Spirit in the application of Christ's saving work. The Holy Spirit can only draw to Christ those who allow Him to have His way with them. Until the sinner responds, the Spirit cannot give life. God's grace, therefore, is not invincible; it can be, and often is, resisted and thwarted by man.

Reformed (Calvinism) :  - The Efficacious Call of the Spirit or Irresistible Grace -  In addition to the outward general call to salvation which is made to everyone who hears the gospel, the Holy Spirit extends to the elect a special inward call that inevitably brings them to salvation. The internal call (which is made only to the elect) cannot be rejected; it always results in conversion. By means of this special call the Spirit irresistibly draws sinners to Christ. He is not limited in His work of applying salvation by man's will, nor is He dependent upon man's cooperation for success. The Spirit graciously causes the elect sinner to cooperate, to believe, to repent, to come freely and willingly to Christ. God's grace, therefore, is invincible; it never fails to result in the salvation of those to whom it is extended.

Arminianism:  Universal Redemption or General Atonement - Christ's redeeming work made it possible for everyone to be saved but did not actually secure the salvation of anyone. Although Christ died for all men and for every man, only those who believe on Him are saved. His death enabled God to pardon sinners on the condition that they believe, but it did not actually put away anyone's sins. Christ's redemption becomes effective only if man chooses to accept it.

Reformed (Calvinist) : Particular Redemption or Limited Atonement - Christ's redeeming work was intended to save the elect only and actually secured salvation for them. His death was substitutionary endurance of the penalty of sin in the place of certain specified sinners. In addition to putting away the sins of His people, Christ's redemption secured everything necessary for their salvation, including faith which unites them to Him. The gift of faith is infallibly applied by the Spirit to all for whom Christ died, therefore guaranteeing their salvation.

Arminianism:  Conditional Election - God's choice of certain individuals unto salvation before the foundation of the world was based upon His foreseeing that they would respond to His call. He selected only those whom He knew would of themselves freely believe the gospel. Election therefore was determined by or conditioned upon what man would do. The faith which God foresaw and upon which He based His choice was not given to the sinner by God (it was not created by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit) but resulted solely from man's will. It was left entirely up to man as to who would believe and therefore as to who would be elected unto salvation. God chose those whom He knew would, of their own free will, choose Christ. Thus the sinner's choice of Christ, not God's choice of the sinner, is the ultimate cause of salvation.

Reformed (Calvinism) Unconditional Election - God's choice of certain individuals unto salvation before the foundation of the world rested solely in His own sovereign will. His choice of particular sinners was not based on any foreseen response of obedience on their part, such as faith, repentance, etc. On the contrary, God gives faith and repentance to each individual whom He selected. These acts are the result, not the cause of God's choice. Election therefore was not determined by or conditioned upon any virtuous quality or act foreseen in man. Those whom God sovereignly elected He brings through the power of the Spirit to a willing acceptance of Christ. Thus God's choice of the sinner, not the sinner's choice of Christ, is the ultimate cause of salvation.

Arminianism:  Free-Will or Human Ability - Although human nature was seriously affected by the fall, man has not been left in a state of total spiritual helplessness. God graciously enables every sinner to repent and believe, but He does not interfere with man's freedom. Each sinner posses a free will, and his eternal destiny depends on how he uses it. Man's freedom consists of his ability to choose good over evil in spiritual matters; his will is not enslaved to his sinful nature. The sinner has the power to either cooperate with God's Spirit and be regenerated or resist God's grace and perish. The lost sinner needs the Spirit's assistance, but he does not have to be regenerated by the Spirit before he can believe, for faith is man's act and precedes the new birth. Faith is the sinner's gift to God; it is man's contribution to salvation.

Excerpt from Spurgeon's Sermon: Free Will- A Slave

But I tell you what will be the best proof of that; it is the great fact that you never did meet a Christian in your life who ever said he came to Christ without Christ coming to him. You have heard a great many Arminian sermons, I dare say; but you never heard an Arminian prayer - for the saints in prayer appear as one in word, and deed and mind. An Arminian on his knees would pray desperately like a Calvinist. He cannot pray about free-will: there is no room for it. Fancy him praying,

"Lord, I thank thee I am not like those poor presumptuous Calvinists Lord, I was born with a glorious free-will; I was born with power by which I can turn to thee of myself; I have improved my grace. If everybody had done the same with their grace that I have, they might all have been saved. Lord, I know thou dost not make us willing if we are not willing ourselves. Thou givest grace to everybody; some do not improve it, but I do. There are many that will go to hell as much bought with the blood of Christ as I was; they had as much of the Holy Ghost given to them; they had as good a chance, and were as much blessed as I am. It was not thy grace that made us to differ; I know it did a great deal, still I turned the point; I made use of what was given me, and others did not-that is the difference between me and them."

Excerpt from The Home at Greylock by Elizabeth Prentiss:

“Ms. Heath always does what she wants the children to do; she never tells them to say “I thank you,” but always thanks them, down to the youngest, whenever she has a chance; she never orders them about, either, but always gives directions kindly; and she never speaks unkindly to them at any time.”…snip…

”Now all this may seem small business, but this boy is being education into refinement, and courtesy, and kindliness, or the reverse.”….snip…

”Are children, then, mere monkeys, imitating all they see done?” asked Laura. “They are not,” was Mrs. Grey’s reply. “Some children are so original that they cannot imitate. They think and act for themselves. They are hard to deal with in most cases, each needing a mother all to itself. But they are the exception, not the rule. Most of us owe almost everything to unconscious influence.”

     What influences will your children be exposed to in ps? Is their (the government's) education worth the extra baggage? My children have witnessed a 7 yr old ps boy in the park pretend that an eggplant was his privates and run around after the other children menacing them with it. Shall we sacrifice the purity of our children’s minds and spirits to the system for the sake of their “education“?

     I went to public high school one school away from Columbine. I used to deal drugs at my school, Columbine, and others. The Lord has saved me from such a sewer. I totally know why that shooting happened.

     It would be better for my kids spend their childhood playing in the yard and be as dumb as rocks than to be exposed to the children that are sent to public schools. (No, I’m not an unschooler and they’re not allowed to be in the yard all day, I’m just being extreme.)

     Whatever education you give them, will be better than what they get at ps. And it’s also a matter of what you WON’T teach them.

     I have 7 kids. There are days I want to give up. It’s hard. It’s harder than the Navy , work, or anything I’ve ever done before. They try my patience and sanity in every way. But all my life, all I ever wanted was a family. I practically didn’t have one growing up. Now I do. I always contemplate on how lonely and empty I was before the Lord blessed me with these monkeys.   Do you want your monkeys to copy you, or the children they will be surrounded by at public school?

     If the Lord leads you that you place your kids in ps, I will pray that He will also protect them from the poor influences that are there too. We are all here to support , encourage and pray for you. Just tell us sooner that you need prayer, before you feel so down! (That goes for everyone!)

     I’ve told my most difficult child that I will be proud of him even if he’s a garbage man, as long as he loves Christ. He says he just might be a garbage man for Jesus. That to me = success.

     In Christ’s love - Lisa

An excerpt from “Chicken Soup for the teenage soul”, page 175-176

What’s Wrong?

A newly trained teacher named Mary went to teach at a Navajo Indian reservation. Every day, she would ask five of the young Navajo students to go to the chalkboard and complete a simple math problem from their homework. They would stand there, silently, unwilling to complete the task. Mary couldn’t figure it out. Nothing she had studied in her educational curriculum helped, and she certainly hadn’t seen anything like it in her student teaching days back in Phoenix.

What am I doing wrong? Could I have chosen five students who can’t do the problem? Mary would wonder. No, it couldn’t be that. Finally she asked the students what was wrong. And in their answer, she learned a surprising lesson from her young Indian pupils about self-image and a sense of self-worth.

It seemed that the students respected each other’s individuality and knew that not all of them were capable of doing the problems. Even at their early age, they understood the senselessness of the win-lose approach in the classroom. They believed no one would win if any students were shown up or embarrassed at the chalkboard. So they refused to compete with each other in public.

Once she understood, Mary changed the system so that she could check each child’s math problem individually, but not at any child’s expense in front of his classmates. They all wanted to learn - but not at someone else’s expense.

The Speaker’s Sourcebook

Hello!   I was raised in Littleton, Colorado from ‘70 to 80. Then we moved to Slidell, LA where I went to St. Margaret Mary, then Slidell Jr. High. In ‘84 we moved back to Littleton, and I wend to an alternative high school for a while before dropping out to college.

After 3 semesters there I joined the Navy Reserves and went to basic training in Orlando, FL in ‘89 (company K108) After training for Torpedoman’s mate, I returned to Colorado and college. I earned an A.A.S degree in Electronics Technology. I worked from ‘91 to ‘94 at I.H.S in Colorado.

I met and married my husband in ‘93. He’s an exceptional man - creative, brilliant, and a gentleman too! We have 7 (yes, seven) beautiful kids ranging in age from 14 down to 2. We’ve lived in Colo and Mississippi , and now we live in the Georgia mountains. It’s a great area - I don’t want to live anywhere else but the southern mountains.  We homeschool and work from home.  Our home business is www.confederatereprint.com  (southern history)and www.crownrights.com.  (reformed theology)  Visit us sometime!