At the fair last Friday that I had a few adventures getting to, I also managed to find some exciting addtions to our homeschool.  We'll be using some materials from Zeezok Publishing to study lives of composers and Rod and Staff workbooks to teach music. I can't read a note of music, so until the budget allows for private music instruction, we'll stick with "appreciation". These looked really interesting, especially then accompanying cd with music, printable pages and sheet music [should we ever learn to read music]. 

Mozart, The Wonder Boy

Mozart, The Wonder Boy Study Guide

Sebastian Bach, The Boy from Thuringia

Sebastian Bach, The Boy from Thuringia Study Guide

Sebastian Bach and Mozart Companion CD Audio MP3 CD

We also bought a Jonathon Park album.  I'm amazed at this entertainging resource! Listening has sparked the children's interest in discovering more about God's creation. They even go get the field guides down to read, long left  alone--and the school year hasn't even started! They hit the yard each day in search of bugs, spiders, and other neat stuff to catch. I can't complain about that---once I caught a green snake for them.

 The accompanying study guide is impressive--so many areas of study to use as starting points for further research. We bought the Beowulf album, since my son read Beowulf about a year and a half ago. Interestingly, it includes an episode based ont he Scopes Monkey trial which happened in Rhea County, Tennessee--very near us. Can we say "Field Trip"?

Jonathan Park Series, Volumes 1-4 on Audio CD

Another way Jonathon Park audios are a blessing is in their reinforcement of Christian family values. Obedience has long been under fire in standard children's entertainment.  It seems plots cannot be advanced without children disobeying in order to move the story along. Not so here. Strong fathers, wise mothers, and Biblical instruction are depicted without sacrificing love, joy, and family fun. I am vey blessed and impressed.

We'll be using math and grammar from A Beka. I didn't have much to buy for my daughter because she'll be using her brother's 3rd grade materials.  My son is ahead in school about a year, but I'll be slowing his science studies down to match his maturity level. Some topics he just isn't ready for. And I like how Karen Andreola puts it, "Let purity be the first word."  We're being choosy--but that's the blessing of homeschooling. These decisions still belong to Dad and Mom.

All I need to get is our Spelling Workout workbooks, our Scoring High Test Prep, and a history course for  DS1. We thought about Mystery of History 3, but it's pretty expensive. I'll have to wait and see on that one. I'll post on our complete curriculum a little later, since I'm still pulling things together.

There are so many issues  requiring  a Biblical response from Christians in our country today. From the fairness doctrine, to hate speech, to the unraveling of progress in the fight against abortion, to the possible ratification of the UN Rights of the Child treaty, we are faced with momentous challenges and possible restriction of freedoms, if not downright persecution. However, our problems don't stem from bad policy, they are a result of a culture that has forgotton the God of the Bible.  A joyful Christian wife and mother can have a wide-reaching, future-influencing impact on our culture if we impart to our children the truths of the faith.

Like many, I am not happy with the current political develoments in my country. I don't like the direction in which we are headed.  The answer, however, is not in better conservative politics--although I am conservative as an outworking of my Christian beliefs. Conservative politics is not a substitute for an authentic, Biblical, Christian faith. I am concerned that perhaps we turn more to political answers  than to the source of real change, the Lord Jesus.  Do we perhaps spend more time venting and listening to talkradio than on our knees in our prayer closets?

We do not need to look for a political savior. We need to become more focused on the Living Resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ. Our radio dials need to be tuned in to Adrian Rogers, Chuck Swindoll, David Jeremiah, Ravi Zacharias,  Micheal Yusseff, Alistair Begg, and others who ably defend the faith and teach from Scripture.  Women's authors like Nancy Leigh deMoss, Martha Peace, and others can help mentor us in becoming counter-cultural agents of change!

As we deal with the topic of change, we must develop a total worldview consistent with Scripture. Too often we focus on individual issues  without  "connecting the dots" to see how the issues facing our culture are inter-related. They are not simply  the results from liberals gone amuk or one election cycle, but what happens when mankind tries to create his own perfection, apart from the clear and trustworthy teachings of Scripture. For so long, even we Christian women have ignored Biblical precepts in regards to marriage, parenting, role-reversal, and other topics.   But the good news is that we can rely on the Bible. If we can trust God for our eternal salvation, how much more can we trust him with the ordering of our day-to-day lives? 

Sadly, our culture has for the most part abandoned the Bible as our basis for determining right and wrong.  When we loose our moorings from God's word, perhaps the culture will "coast" for a while on the memory of Judeo-Christians traditions. But the longer we drift from God's word, the easier it is to substitute subjective "this is how I feel"s for the authoritative "Thus Saith the Lord"s of Scripture.  The pages of Proverbs teach, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." [3:5]

Our family vision is to train our children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord [Ephesians 6:4], to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ [2 Corinthians 10:5],  to be able to answer questions about our faith in a loving yet forthright and informed manner [1 Peter 3:15].  It is also to demonstrate the joy, blessing, and security from following a Biblical pattern of marriage.  My desire is to see my son become a Godly home leader like his wonderful father,  and my daughters trained up able to follow Titus 2:2-3 with joy and great faith in the Lord Jesus, impacting future generations of our family for Christ.

Too often, though, we as Christians are ill-equiped with sound Biblical answers to questions we face today.  Having been in that position, I've determined to teach my children as long as I have freedom to do so.  We must not bury our heads in the sand , ignoring the downward slide of  our culture or hoping it will change without our help. It is time to think about the following questions and the Christian response as we develop our worldview:

How real is the threat to our freedom of religion?

Is concern over humanistic indoctrination in our public schools blown out of proportion?

Are we moving to a collapse of Christianity in this country?  Are we post-Christian?

How can the church survive when 2/3rds of youth in church today will probably drop out of church?

Is there such a thing as absolute truth?  Is the Bible reliable?

Is Sunday School alone effective in discipling children?

Here are some good places to start answering those questions:

http://www.answersingenesis.org/events/state-of-the-nation

 www.christiananswers.net

www.thetruthproject.org

We visited one of my Dad's doctors yesterday. He has taken an interest in the children because they have to come with us on appointments. He and the nurses always comment on how well-behaved they are.

This doctor in particular commented on homeschooling and Christian education. In his line of work, he meets students from public universities, private schools, and Christian colleges. He went out of his way to tell me that the students he's worked with from private schools and Christian colleges are far and away better educated and prepared for the demanding work of medicine. Homeschool students stood out in his mind due to his positive experiences working with them.

He encouraged us to consider private schools and said they'd work with us on costs. Not only that, he discussed how important it is to plan early for a college career, and mentioned several Christian colleges that he especially liked for their strong academics and Chrisitan content. Why did he do this? Because he is going through the college admission phase with his children and wanted to share what he'd learned.

This dose of encouragement and advice  was well-timed. Granted, this isn't scientific and data based, but testimonials like this just confirm to me that the path we've taken in homeschooling is the right one.

While my Dad has been staying with me recovering from cancer surgery, we've talked more than we ever had before. I'm learning so much about him, our family, and just how much we love each other and have in common.

Just yesterday I found out that he completed his last two years of high school at home with a "homebound" teacher. Not quite the same as homeschooling, but it was weird that I'd never known this before.  He said, "I had much bettter grades doing school at home than in a classroom. "  The cause for his being homebound [as they called it then] was a broken leg. His profound hearing loss probably made classroom-based learning difficult for him.

No wonder he wants all his grandkids to be homeschooled! He's seen the difference!

Usually I'm pretty organized. Usually I don't forget EVERYTHING. But not this week, not today. Let me start by shamelessly plugging and thanking the good folks at SMHEA for a really nice curriculum fair this year in Knoxville.

We were tired to start with today. Dad has been staying with me through the week since his cancer surgery.  We were told by a nurse to go to the ER last night. It was a wasted trip. The ER doctor told us so. He said when he spoke with the nurse who referred us to come that she misunderstood Dad's problem and we needed to go home and continue as we had been. He's fine now.

Then of course we've had other family issues to deal with that I won't go into, but suffice it to say that we have enough, um--how to put this diplomatically?---activities going on in our family to start our own TV show. Ahh, never a dull moment.....:-)

My clock didn't go off this morning, which I'm officially blaming on a possible power surge.  My plan was to accomplish errands early  in order to meet hubby for lunch.  ALL I had to do was get tag renewals, mail some bills, handle a couple of calls and meet hubby for lunch before going to the fair.

It took longer to handle the calls and fill out the bills than I expected. The baby started teething again today with all the usual symptoms. By the time we left the house it was too late to meet hubby for lunch. When I arrived at the county clerk's office, I realized I didn't have the checkbook. They only take cash or checks. I asked where the nearest ATM was, and was informed, "It's just across the square."

Someone had their directions wrong. The particular ATM in reference wasn't there anymore. We'd already walked that far so we continued on foot to the next one.  We hiked three blocks to the nearest ATM without a baby stroller. It was in the back of handsome hubby's truck. He met me at the hospital to take the kids so I could go on in with my Dad and we just didn't move the stroller back. Did I mention that I have a heel spur?

It had to be comical to watch.  Here I am, strolling the streets with two kids behind me, a baby on my hip, and a limp in my leg.  The girls and I wear skirts most of the time and today was no exception. We must have looked like some sort of traveling religion, to borrow Andy Griffith's phrase. We sure covered a lot of ground today. At least Loudon is pretty and beside the Tennessee River. In true homeschool Mom fashion, we hiked by all the historical road markers so we could "count" today.  The kids learned that Loudon County was once part of Blount County. Okay, we covered geography, history, and  [huff, huff, ouch my foot!]  physical education....

As we were walking, my son's shoes started to fall apart. So we had to make another stop to buy shoes after leaving the county clerk.  But thank the Lord, we just happened to find a store that carries wide width shoes at reasonable prices. Now we know where to shoe shop for him from now on! Can I count that as economics? :-)

Before leaving Loudon, we tried to find the post office.As youv'e guessed by now, I'm not familiar with that town.  Directions [why do I even ask?] said that it was a few blocks down the main street. After going the wrong way down a one way street, making two wrong turns, we get to this post office and see that the back road to the post office is only a block from the county clerk's office.  (Cheryl, we saw Halburt in town too, but since we were running behind didn't stop to say hello. If he saw us, please explain and offer my apologies!)

Next stop Knoxville and hubby's office. He had the checkbook in his truck, as well as the stroller. But I forgot and left it after getting the stroller loaded. But we did manage to fax off an insurance claim for Dad for a bill that topped $108,000. No, that's not a misprint.

When we got to the Fair, finally, I didn't have enough cash to purchase my membership for the SMHEA, just the general admission.  Do I try to find another atm or go on in and browse? Go back to hubby's office or browse? We browsed.  I assumed that the larger retailers would take a card. Well, they did, but some of the vendors only accepted cash or checks. The baby was getting fussy again, not crying, just not happy.  I decided to drive over to hubby's office, get the checkbook, and give her a chance to fall asleep.

We get the checkbook, the baby still isn't asleep, but we proceed BACK to the fair to buy our books. Once we get there, I took my  little girl in my arms and rocked her to sleep. All she needed was Mama Love!  She slept all cuddled in a blanket in the stroller  while we paid for our SMHEA membership, bought our books, and finally were done.  But by the time I returned to the fair some of the books I needed were sold out. 

Oh, well, we laughed all day, believe it or not and couldn't help but get tickled at my misadventures. The good part is that we have stayed UNDER our budget [good considering all the extra gas mileage and shoe leather spent today], and finally bought a Jonathon Park cd album . I am hooked already!   And I met Charlene Notgrass today and she was so helpful!  I can't wait to go back and purchase the Record of the Learning Lifestyle. 

After today, though, perhaps I'd better shop online from the comfort--and safety--of my recliner!!

Just in case you haven't seen this yet, I'm posting this.   This affects us all--so I encourage my non-homeschool friends to read this too. For even more info on this treaty see this link:

http://www.hslda.org/docs/news/200906161.asp

_______________________________________________________

Call Now to Stop
UN Children’s Treaty

Dear HSLDA Members and Friends,

Monday in a Harlem middle school, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice told a group of 120 students that administration officials are actively discussing “when and how it might be possible to join” (that is, ratify) the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). As before, she also communicated what a disgrace it is that the U.S. would stand with only Somalia against such a widely accepted treaty.

This is the first direct public statement by the Obama administration that it will seek ratification of the UN CRC.

In my 30 years of political involvement, I have learned to recognize this as what is called a “trial balloon.” Like in World War I trench warfare, our opponents have “sent up a balloon” to see if it will draw fire. If things remain quiet, they will proceed with their plans to push for ratification of the CRC in the U.S. Senate. To discourage them from doing so, we need to make sure that our voices are heard with unmistakable clarity. We must let the Obama administration know that we oppose this anti-family, anti-American treaty.

Action

Here’s what we need you all to do:

1. Call the White House comments line at 202-456-1111. Tell them you heard the administration wants to ratify the CRC, and you strongly oppose this giving away of U.S. sovereignty to the UN. Also, keep in mind that this treaty gives the government jurisdiction to override any decision made by any parent if the government thinks that a better decision can be made—even if there is no proof of any harm.

2. Call the Ambassador Susan Rice’s office at the United Nations. Tell her that you want her to represent the United States to the world rather than trying to get the United States to go along with international law initiated by the UN. Her office number is 212-415-4000.

3. Contact your senators and urge them to oppose ratification of this treaty. (Find your senators’ contact information by using HSLDA’s Legislative Toolbox.) Ask them also to defeat it once and for all by cosponsoring SJRes 16—the Parental Rights Amendment.

It is very important that we speak up right now. Please call before you close this email!

Michael Farris
HSLDA Chairman

Growing up, a very popular phrase in the church circles I was familiar with was a description of a person as having, "power with God."  I never quite grasped it when I was young, but now have come to understand a little better what it was meant to describe. A person described as having "power with God" was someone who prayed, went to church, and was very sincere in their faith. It conveyed the notion that one was so religious and faithful that when that person prayed, God listened. The implication was that  that God only selectively listened to certain people's prayers who were "good enough."   When you were given the "power with God" description, it meant you were someone that ought to be listened to because if God listened to you, everybody else should too.  

It basically meant that you could tell God what to do, but those dear ones who used would be shocked to think of this phrase meaning such a thing. They certainly didn't intend to say they were so religious that they could command the Lord, but in trying to describe a righteous person, they instead compromised doctrine and veered into error.

It doesn't  take a theologian to understand how important careful speech is. We may think we are saying something  holy-sounding, but instead have wandered away from the Bible.  It's so important to be sure we say what we mean, and take time to think carefully about our speech, in particular our advice. Is it consistent with sound doctrine? Does it contradict God's word?  Just words? No, they teach and inform. Our words carry the force of thought behind them. My goal is to try to not let my  words and thoughts contradict the Lord's!

That phrase is not part of my conversation today. But many more words aren't part of my vocabulary that used to be.  The key is a fruit of the Spirit, self-control.  When we allow the Lord to renew our minds [Romans 12:2], we become more sensitive to the power of words. Isn't the coarsened common conversation shocking? It should be--unless we have allowed regular consumption of such filthy talk coarsen us. All too often, we create a cognitive dissonance by spiritually acknowledging a Holy God but excusing filthy, exploitive, degrading  speech as normal. It may be normal in a sinful state, but regenerated Christians should chafe at such things--not give place to it in our daily communication.

My dear husband has preached that so much error begins with a wrong understanding of God's character, and the lack of people willing to be God's servants--not his supervisors!  There's still a whole, whole lot I don't know, but this I've discovered through painful experience:  it's much better for Him to be in control than me--especially my mouth!

MMMM!! One of my families top three favorite desserts is banana pudding. Here's my recipe:

Pudding:

1 quart milk

4 egg yolks

2 cups sugar

1/3 cup all purpose flour

2 tbsp butter

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

In large kettle, mix the sugar and flour. In a separate bowl, blend milk and egg yolks. Add liquid to dry ingredients and mix well. Turn the heat to med/hi and start stirring. Don't leave the pudding. Stir until it's thick, but be careful not to overcook.  When it's pudding consistency, remove from the heat and add the butter and vanilla.

Layer one third of a pack of vanilla wafers in the bottom of a bowl [ovenproof if you want to add merangue]. Add two sliced bananas, and one third of the pudding. Repeat these layers two more times.  

If you want to add merangue, take the egg whites and let them set until room temperature. Add 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar. Not sure of the science there, but it seems to help the egg whites fluff even when it's humid. Beat the eggs until foamy. Don't overbeat or they will become clumpy instead of smooth and whipped. Add 1/4 cup Splenda or sugar after the egg whites start to turn white. Adding the sugar too soon will give you syrup instead of merangue! Spread the merangue over the pudding top, seal to the edges of your bowl.  Brown for about five to eight minutes in a 425 degree oven.  Some people like banana pudding hot, some like it cold, but the twelve people I've served in the last two days with two of these things like it period. Enjoy!

"I therefore the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called.  With all lowliness, and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love: endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace..." Hebrews 4:1-3

Signing off now! Time to rock the little ones!

Not that I couldn't type, whine, and gripe quite a bit, but I simply don't venture into politics a lot. There's not even a "politics" category on this blog.  Sharper wits and quicker keyboards than mine are better commentators. Below is a case in point.

If you've ever read Tennyson's  The Charge of the Light Brigade, you'll immediately be familiar with the roots of this entry on the American Thinker Blog:   The Charge of the Mild Brigade.

In the previous post I mentioned having difficulty deciding about a history course. I know that I'd like somehow to include a family history project.  I've researched our family history and had some success, but would like to include the kids.  Fortunately, we haven't strayed too far from our ancestors' dwelling place. We have deep East Tennessee roots.

So as I am typing and thinking out loud here, perhaps this would be a neat project for the kids. It could include mapping, computer skills, interviewing and communication skills, language arts, history and social studies, and research skills. Hmmmm.....I think we could even fit in a few field trips.  I know where my Great-Great-Grandfather's log cabin used to be. Making pictures and videorecordings would be an interesting diversion from reading and worksheets.  The more I think about it, the more I like it.

I'll let you know what I decide. Have any of you done this in your homeschool? How did it turn out?

Cindy's Porch  is so helpful with money saving kitchen tips. Her motto is , "Shop at home first."   Using an inventory is the first step to stop  wasting money with repetitive purchases.  This year, I'm going to adapt that method to our curriculum planning.

I'm trying to pare down our school budget this year. Over the years of our homeschool, I've acquired lots of useful books and materials from used sales, friends who've generously "donated" to the cause, and interesting books that could easily be the basis for unit studies. Time to pull all these together into an orderly unit is hard to come by. This year in particular, though, it seems wasteful to buy brand new materials when a better plan with our current items could be just as effective. Has anyone else come to that conclusion too?

I typically write our Bible, reading, and handwriting courses, but this will be my first year in pulling together my own science course using materials we have on hand. Our texts will be How Science Works by Judith Haan [ISBN 0-7621-0249-7] and Men of Science, Men of God  [Morris?] .  While not strictly a textbook, the How Science Works book has two-page spreads on a topic and usually includes an experiment.  Many sections include neat facts from history, a short bio of a famous scientist, and very clear photos demonstrating the experiments.  We are going to be reading each 2-page spread, doing vocabulary words, a short paragraph reporting our experiment results, and reading about famous scientists. We'll check to find each scientist listed in HSW in the Men of Science, Men of God book. The projects look like fun.  I still have to look over our books and see what we could use for supplemental reading.  Our Answers in Genesis magazines will be very helpful this coming year, too.  The plan so far is to have a binder for science divided into tabs for vocabulary, biography, experiment reports (with an emphasis on following the scientific method), supplemental reading, field trip reports, and diagrams [from the book]. 

History is still my bugaboo subject. I LOVE it, but the kids aren't as into it as me. I'm still undecided on whether to use Mystery of History 3 or concentrate on American history for a while.  This subject still needs to "click" with the kids.  I'm praying for guidance.  

And then there are the electives--art and music. Yikes, we are not very good at covering these.  Tips are appreciated!  Tentatively, we are going to try to do the "Lamb's Book of Art" again. The problem with this is that art just doesn't click with me!  I have some music workbooks from Rod and Staff, so perhaps I just need to combine these with some "appreciation" resources.  That part won't be hard.

The biggest problem with doing my own course plans is determining which good books to use, and which ones can wait. Ah, it's tough being a book nerd! :-)

I love big families--especially mine! Several of Dad's brothers, his sister, and an assortment of nieces, nephews, and LOTS of kids gathered at my house last night to celebrate Dad's successful cancer surgery, the never ending love of Jesus, and life in general!  Part two is tonight!

My cousin Tiffany, who is a budding poet,  wrote the sweetest tribute to my Dad called "Where I'm From."  She framed it and presented it to him last night.  When I read it to him, we were both in tears. She ended it with this postscript:

"Uncle Chet, this poem was written for you with love, because no matter where you are from or where life takes you in the future, you will always have a family who loves you and a lifetime of precious memories."   I might add that our future is eternally secure because of Jesus! 

We watched lightening from the porch as storms raced up the spine of our mountains in the distance. We laughed over old stories so familiar but still so funny. We praised the Lord with tears and hugs and Hallelujahs.

So much has changed in three short weeks. We've been fighting this aggressive cancer since February.  It's still so unexpected. We prayed for this, and when God delivers, it just takes my breath away.  Thank you Jesus for all you have done for us!

About two and a half weeks ago, my Dad was told he needed to consider hospice/palliative care, or could try radiation--but there wasn't much hope of success--, or do nothing.  He was given weeks not months. The next day he was seen by a doctor in Nashville and surgery was scheduled for June 10 at Vanderbilt. Today, my Dad is home--the tumor in his head was removed last Wesdnesday and the surgeon told us that he got it all. We have two miracles---Dad no longer has the tumor and I can breathe again!

He will start radiation and chemo in 3 weeks to get rid of anything microscopic that was left. He was in surgery for 12.5 hours, ICU for three days, and a room for two days. His ear, part of his jaw, upper facial nerve, all hearing bones, and a small  part of his skull is gone, but the graft from his leg was successful.

Sometimes it's still hard to believe. The cancer is gone. It's weird to type it out! What a wonderful, mighty, prayer-answering God we serve! And yesterday we brought him home with us. I sat on the porch drinking coffee with my Daddy this morning, watching for the deer in the pasture. It was a sweet blessing.

Tonight all of our family are coming to my house to celebrate. He's wanting to see his six siblings and their families. It's sure to be quite a time.  I've got to go--got some housework to do for tonight!

I am so humbled by all the friends and family that have called to say they are praying for my Dad. I know of at least a dozen churches that have been praying for him, as well. There've been times when I was so tired, and Dad was so sick, that both of us thought we couldn't go on, but somehow we found strength. I believe it was then when someone, somewhere was praying for us.

So many times when people have asked what can they do to help and my reply is "Pray," they answer "Well, ok, but what else can I do?"  I thankful for acts of kindness, but I'm MORE thankful for people who understand that prayer is a gift of God. WIth prayer we speak to the Master, we participate in fulfilling His will, but we also thwart the schemes of the adversary. Prayer really does work! God designed it to!

In troubles, it's sobering to realize that our strength is so small.  While  a positive attitude is important, I am constantly bugged by all the media that declares that we have all the strength and resiliency  we ever need within ourselves.  Self confidence is paraded as the ultimate saving grace. This is especially noticeable in secular children's music, cartoons, shows, reading material, movies. We are constantly bombarded with the message that we are our own source of strength. It is humanism peddled cheaply for mass consumption. It denies our need of a Savior.

I need a Savior in Jesus Christ. And I need the prayers of my family--His saved people. And  [pardon the grammar--it's needed for flow of thought , here] we need to realize that God is our source of strength. Prayer is simultaneously  a weapon and a refuge.  To all those who have battled the enemy on behalf of my family in prayer, to those who've prayed shelter and protection over us, I offer my humble thanks.  And to the God of all comfort [2 Corinthians 1:3], words cannot express my deep love for You. One day I'll have all eternity to praise You in Your glorious presence! Thank You, thank You, Lord.

Some Scripture to sleep on as I sign off:

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

I like BIG PRAYERS---because we serve a BIG GOD!

Or one day?  One hour? What would you do? Anything different than what you are now? If you knew you only  had that long to live, would serving Jesus even be part of your plans?

Believers in Nepal are face with those very questions. A church was bombed [with fatalities] last month. Believers have now  been threatened with having their homes bombed if they don't stop spreading the Gospel within one month.   Please pray for them. Read the full story here:

http://www.persecution.com/public/newsroom.aspx?story_ID=MTQw

I just read on Voice othe Martyr's  Facebook page that five Iranian Christians were arrested for having a Bible study in a home.  Their whereabouts are unknown.  Please pray for them!

These verses came to mind:

And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake;  (Philippians 1:28-29)

These aren't the first  arrests this year. Two more believers were arrested in March and are in prison now.  Read the full article here:

http://www.persecution.com/public/newsroom.aspx?story_ID=MTQx

Hebrews 13:3:  "Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them...."

My niece arrived about 8 am this morning. She's healthy, almost 20 inches long, and over 6 lbs. YEAH! Momma's healthy too. Now I need to think up an Andy Griffith Show -related codename for her like I have for my kids when I blog. I'm tied between Ellie Walker or, "The beautiful, the tempestuous Josephine Pike...."   :-) Thank you Lord for thisprecious addition to our family!

My friend Gail sends the neatest emails! Thank you, sweetie, for this one--I just had to share it!

____________________________

RECALL NOTICE:

      The Maker of all human beings (GOD) is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and central component of the soul.

      This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units code named Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units. This defect has been technically termed "Sub-sequential Internal Non-Morality," or more commonly known as S.I.N., as it is primarily expressed.

      Some of the symptoms include:

      1. Loss of direction

      2. Foul vocal emissions

      3. Amnesia of origin

      4. Lack of peace and joy

      5. Selfish or violent behavior

      6. Desire for wealth and power

      7. Fearfulness

      8. Idolatry

      9. Rebellion

      10. Constant demand for pleasure and comfort

      The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory-authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this defect.

      The Repair Technician, JESUS, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs. There is no additional fee required..

      The number to call for repair in all areas is: P-R-A-Y-E-R.

      Once connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE procedure. Next, download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Jesus, into the soul component.

      No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Jesus will replace it with:

      1. Love

      2. Joy

      3. Peace

      4. Patience

      5. Kindness

      6. Goodness

      7. Faithfulness

      8. Gentleness

      9. Self control

      10. Connection with Maker

      Please see the operating manual, the B.I.B.L.E. (Believers' Instructions Before Leaving Earth) for further details on the use of these fixes.

      WARNING: Continuing to operate the human being unit without correction voids any manufacturer warranties, exposing the unit to dangers and problems too numerous to list and will result in the human unit being permanently impounded. For free emergency service, call on Jesus.

      DANGER: The human being units not responding to this recall action will have to be scrapped in the furnace. The SIN defect will not be permitted to enter Heaven so as to prevent contamination of that facility. Thank you for your attention!

      - GOD

      P.S. Please assist where possible by notifying others of this important recall notice.

Dr. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has a VERY interesting blog post discussing The Condition of Education 2009 released by the US Department of Education. I really like the title of his post:

"A Major Force in Education--Homeschooling In America"

I LOVE IT!!!! Now, I insist you stop reading here and GO READ THIS ARTICLE RIGHT NOW!

My computer that locked up in February is at the shop right now. The tech told us he's never a seen a virus like what infected my hard drive and that it may be completely impossible to remove files. [sigh].  Even with my backup disks  from barely a month before it failed, there's still a lot of work lost.  So, the summer reading I've planned is out the window. Somehow I've got to become tech savvy or at least literate before the next school term. Ick.  I had planned to finish reading Paradise Lost this summer.

Hubby has a laptop that we use now. It's neat, but it's hard for me to get used to not having a plug-in mouse.  As much as I enjoy using a computer, and as thankful as I am that my husband is employed in a tech-related field, sometimes I just need  pen and paper.  My Dad's oncologist was trying to use the same model during one appointment and getting frustrated trying to take notes and click all the right things. Next appointment he appeared with paper and pen and informed us, "I need a pen to feel productive. "  We're such dinosaurs.

One of my Sunday School students bought me a journal for Christmas. How I love pretty BLANK paper, ready for me to compulsively make lists, essay as the mood hits, pen prayers/poems/praises/songs, and even doodle in the margins.  Maybe losing the computer isn't such a tragedy after all.

When I read essays or hear discussions about handwriting not being necessary to a good curriculum, I cringe and shudder. Not write? Confined to keystrokes? Is communication becoming distilled to clicking shortcuts with no sense of the beauty of language? Say it isn't so!  HORRORS! 

Yes, I know I'm a tree-killer by clinging to my paper habit.  So be it. Sometimes, I just "need a pen to feel productive."

Since we don't have satellite or watch local channels either, I had never heard of this movie. But hubby surprised us all with a Friday movie out instead of renting one.   It's great. I didn't think they made movies that families could watch anymore. THIS is it.

The little old man was a hoot. I won't do spoilers, but I have to mention that he had a hearing aid that kept whistling.  Honestly, my husband and I were rolling we were laughing so hard. It reminded us of my Dad. His hearing aid does that all the time. We have family come to visit Dad and we'll sit in the yard, make a little fire at night, and enjoy the night sounds of whipporwills, katydids, and Dad's hearing aid. He has no idea it's whistling, and nobody will say anything to him about it. 

Imagine--about ten or twelve people all visiting Dad with cancer, and being very polite to not mention his whistling hearing aid. But we all want to scream because it is so highpitched. Every now and then someone's eye will twitch nervously, or another will start to fidget in their lawn chairs uncomfortably, or someone else will pretend to stretch when they are actually trying to cover their ears with upraised arms. I don't mind to tell Dad that it's whistling, but sometimes I don't say anything just to see what everyone else does. I know, I'm bad.

Anyhoo--you've got to see this movie. We'd take Dad, but I don't think he could hear it and probably no one else could either. But you'll love it.