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I have not ordered my curriculum, yet (perhaps today!) I did borrow a friend's for a week or so to get a handle on what we would be studying this year and started doing some shopping and researching. I am excited to study the U.S, states and some of the prominent historical characters. We probably will not start Adventures until after Labor Day. One of the things I really want to include in our plans is a couple of "adventures" into America and many within my home state of Oklahoma. Oklahoma has a rich, if short, heritage - wild west, cowboys and Indians, famous outlaws, ghost towns, etc. I want to explore, explore, explore, not only on paper and in books, but in the RV! Our first trip is next week to Louisville, KY and then to the Creation Musuem just West of Cincinnati. We will take some side trip stops and, if they relate, I will post about them. (If you live between Tulsa, Louisville and Cincinnati and know of a fantastic side trip that would be good for Adventures prep, let me know.) I tend to like to accumulate related extras if I can get them free or cheap. I also like to add some things that we are interested in or need work on. MFW curriculum doesn't really need any extras, it is great all by itself. I admit that I had 17 years of being a curriculum junkie, so my small purchases and veering are my concession for finally finding the perfect curriculum 3 years ago. So far, my extras, ideas and plans (besides library books): Week 1 - Watch The Vikings Who Don't Do Anything, just for fun. Buy a poster with the pldege so he will learn it quicker. Let him listen to Red Skelton's explanation of our pledge (There are many versions via video on Youtube). Geo-caching would be fun for mapping. Watch the Columbus video from Nest Entertainment. Week 3 - Spend some time singing songs about the Name of Jesus, like "There's Something about the Name" and "Praise the Name of Jesus." (We love music!) I purchased ($3) the Focus on the Family radio theatre "The Legend of Squanto." Weeks 4-5 - Spend more times in the stars. I love H.A Rey's books. Yes, he did write more books than Curious George. I have his, The Stars. It is an old hard-backed discarded library book. I bought his paperback version of Find the Constellations at the Planetarium. I recommend them. The way he connects the starts to make the constellations makes a lot more sense than the elaborate pictures that they overlay on the stars in most books. I bought this at the planetarium. We will probably not make the planetarium this year as we went last year, but I am planning on inviting a star gazer, creationist speaker with an 11 inch telescope to visit our support group, either week 4 or 5. We may or may not watch Disney's Pocohontas since it took so many liberties. We will sing songs about Jesus being the Light of the World, This Little Light of Mine and many more. I have found that the Names of Jesus give you a lot of material for Christian music. Also, I got the free CD from American Vison.org called, "America: The Untold Story." I think this will be too old for 2nd grade, but I may find some exerpts. Williams Bradford, Nest Video. I'd like to visit the Cherokee Heritage Center and maybe the world's largest totem pole or possibly Gilcrease Museum. We could also visit a local candle manufacturer for a "light" field trip. Weeks 6-7 I will explain about Ellis Island and tell of our ancestor that came to America. I will explain what the bread is in the Lord's Supper. We will make homemade bread and possible go to a bakery field trip. Weeks 8-9 We will sing "Rock of Ages," I Go to the Rock," "Praise the Name of Jesus," "The Cornerstone," and any other "rock" songs. We will re-visit the story of the Wise and foolish man. We will get out our rock collection and try to add to it. I want to take a trip to a local rock museum and we will also fly a kite (no key!). The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere is a favorite of mine, but we will discuss the discrepancies in it. Benjamin Franklin and George Washington and Paul Revere Nest videos. We will also be electing a US President so we will read, "Woodrow for President." Weeks 10-11 Songs about thirsting and living water - "As the Deer," The Nutcracker will probably begin about this time, but it is not cheap. We may go see it, or may just get the video from the library. Will schedule a field trip to a pumpkin patch in the next few weeks. Save a gourd on a vine for use on weeks 20-21. Week 12 Birds, Birds, Birds! We are big bird watchers. We may go down to the lake and look for Eagles that nest in the winter here. Song, "His Eye is on the Sparrow." I know a man that has a garage full of canaries and also a man that trains homing pidgeons. We will read about Maria Tallchief, Indian primadona ballerina (Nutcracker/ballet) who lived not too far from me. Might travel to her home. Week 13 Thanksgiving, pumpkins, pilgrims, food! Week s14-15 Songs about Jesus being the Way the Truth and the Life (Looking for Masterlife songs, anyone?) Birds again, see week 12 activities. Wk 15, I will do some things on the Erie Canal, sing the song and I am trying to find the old movie about a girl and her father who lived and worked on the canal. Weeks 16-17 I think this Immanuel week will fall after Christmas for us, but we will sing the songs anyway. I would like to find a weather school going on or a field trip to a local weather station or find a storm watcher that will give us a talk. This would also be a good time for a trip out of state, maybe to Daniel Boones stomping ground, Mammoth cave and Casey Jones for next week (TN) Weeks 18-19 Sing songs about the Lamb, "Behold the Lamb." See trip above. Watch SGT. York old movie. Sing some cotton-pickin' songs like Cotton Eyed Joe or Negro Spirituals. January is a bad time to visit a ranch, there is no sheep shearing going on. We'll have to do that later, probably April. Ahh! Johnny Appleseed. There's not apple trees blooming or bearing and we can't even plant one, but The Value of Love, the Story of Johnny Appleseed, one of the ValueTale series is a favorite of ours. We might even wear a pan on our head for the week - not! There is a lot of Lewis & Clark stuff on the net because of the recent anniversary. I did get a Jim Weiss CD called, American Tall Tales, with Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed, and Pecos Bill on it. Weeks 20-21 Sing songs about the vine. I can only think of one and it was also a Masterlife song. I wish someone would help me find where I can get hold of the Masterlife scripture songs. We will definately sing "The Battle of New Orleans." It is a fun song. I will buy a poster with the national anthem words. We'll watch the Swan Lake ballet and dance around with it. Not a good month to plant anything. Weeks 22-23 Human Body studies. Still looking for my old favorite book about this. We will watch the movie, "The Miracle Worker." Ranger Bruce at the yahoo group, SequoiaMinistry has some interesting kid friendly stories from an old, out-of-print book about the Poney Express. We'll watch the Nest video, Helen Keller. Weeks 24-25 Songs about King Jesus. We will probably watch "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers." Good time to watch Little House on the Prairie or find the video series cheap. I wish the circus was in March. Weeks 26-27 The song, "Lord, Make me Like You," comes to mind. Weeks 28-29 "The Lord is My Shepherd, I walk with him Always," song comes to mind as well as "The 90 and 9." and "Savior, Like a Shepherd led us." Abraham Lincoln, he could not tell a lie! I have a ValueTales book about Abraham Lincoln, called Respect. There is also a Nest Video about Lincoln. Appalachian Music and the movie "Christy."(WV), Field trip to the Little House on the Prairie in Kansas. Weeks 30-31 Another MasterLife song, "I am the Resurrection and the Life." Waaah, I wish I still had my book. Trains will get a lot of our attention this week. Weeks 32-33 Songs about the Word, "Thy Word," "The B-i-b-l-e." The Pledge to the Bible. We'll probably do another volcano experiment, it's always a kick. It might be a good time for another extended trip out West - Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore. Week 33 is our homestate. Plenty to do here. The re-enactments of the Land Run take place in April. The movie, "Far and Away" has the most fantastic scenes of the Land Run and is about Irish immigrants, but it is not a children's movie. I will skip through it and explain the times, the poverty, the American Dream, the Sooners and watch the Land Run at the end. We will extend the Oklahoma study into the summer with field trips to see the outdoor musical, "Oklahoma!," Pawnee Bill's Wild West show in Pawnee, Frontier City in OKC, Cherokee Stip Museum in Perry, National Cowboy & Western Hall of Fame in OKC, Fort Gibson, Woolarc, Will Rogers Museum, Frankoma, Harn Homestead 1998er Museum, Rose Hill One Room Schoolhouse and more. The Wright Brothers and Edison videos from Nest will be watched also. Week 34 We can't make an igloo in May, but maybe with sugar cubes. We will discuss the Idititod, Sled dogs, watch, "Iron Will" and "Snow Dogs" and maybe "8 below." We will listen to a CD of "The Call of the Wild." We have been to Hawaii, so the pictures will come out. Maybe we will learn the hula. I'll be there is a video at the library to teach you. If I can schedule half of the field trips that I want to do with our support group, I will be happy. I have already told my husband that we need to start socking away gas money for this year. Next year, in ECC, I don't foresee any trips to other countries. Believe it or not, there are many more places that I want to go and do this year. I want to keep that RV humming. Non-specific to weeks: I got "The Star-Spangled Statebook" on a free download. Oklahoma History checklist download from Cindy Downes website, Oklahomahomeschool.com. She has many great Oklahoma resources on her website. Patriotic Songs Copywork from CurrClick.com Birds Notebooking Pages from CurrClick.com Presidential Election Lapbook from NotebookLearning.com We will finish up Joseph, the Canada Goose art book. I bought Singapore 1A and 1B to do in this summer, but we have not done it so we will be behind. I also bought Math-It for games I still have not decided whether to use Spanish of French and how much of a curriculum I want to buy. I have seen a cute calendar with a word a day that make a sentence every week, Flip-flop foreign languages, The Easy Spanish/French and more. I have Rosetta Stone, but I don't think I will use it yet. I think journaling/diary will become a part of our homeschool this year. No corrections on spelling or sentence structure, just writing about feelings and activities. I'll start sharing what we really end up doing after school starts. Can't wait! |
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I have seen this link posted on several groups lately. I guarantee that if you look through the list, you will find a topic or speaker that you want to listen to. Free to listen, purchase to download. It is an awesome resource! - Just look at some of the speakers! http://hche.org/listenOnline.jsp Some of the one's that caught my eye:
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Planning my year, hmm. I start thinking and planning before the end of the school the year before. I have already decided what curriculum I will use. Most of it is planned out for me, but I always like to see what week we will be studying what so I can plan relatable field trips, library books, buy extras for reinforcement, etc. I am not required in my state to have any written lesson plans, but it is good practice for the high school transcript years. It also makes a good keepsake to utilize for future students. I spend a lot of time online, researching things like foreign languages and math curricula. I download online books and worksheets about things we will study. (I really should go ahead and print these, as many times I realize that we studied something and I forgot to find it on my computer.) I keep a lookout for CD's, DVD's and Videos that will go along with our studies. Some, I purchase and some, I check online at the library to see if they carry it. My little notes about these things tend to get lost so I am probably wasting a lot of time. I need to have it all in the same place and create a habit of using it. I have tried, in the past, to keep up with journals, notebooks, planners, but have not stayed with it. i tried Flylady and keeping a notebook of when to clean what. I have to say, it works, but I've yet to find one that I will continue with. I am finding more and more that I need to plan my schedule better. Not so much the school schedule, but to plan the school schedule and the rest of our life together. They are too segmented. I would love to have at my fingertips what I need to buy for a school recipe or craft on my grocery or errand list. since gas prices are so high, I try to schedule all of my errands together and to have it all in one place would be nice - no, necessary. Maybe I'll have this thing figured out eventually.
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I'm sure this will raise the curiosity and ire of many on Homeschool Blogger. American Vision is asking for homeschoolers to respond on their blog to the guy that said this. They want to know what your homeschoolers are doing since graduation and other things. Oh, and the guy also said something about their "retard parents." Go and post: http://74.255.56.30/blog/?p=113 |
This is what I believe about PC.Political Correctness is really "Cultural Marxism". In 1933, a group of German intellectuals, who were Marxists, where invited to America by John Dewey and assisted by Edward R. Murrow. The Frankfurt School intellectuals were placed at strategic colleges with the goal of spreading their worldview of cultural Marxism to America's two most influential institutions; education and media. Tolerance, feminism, diversity, multiculturalism, affirmative action and radical sex education are all products of political correctness. The goal of these cultural Marxists was chaos, disruption and the break-down of the family. Anything that would create chaos would allow for the massive growth of government to "solve" the cultural problems. Listen and learn what few Americans really understand. It is not too late, learn how to fight back against political correctness which is really Cultural Marxism. ~Brannon HowseAt least take a brief look at this article. There are links to 6 chapters from a book at the end of it. http://www.christianworldviewnetwork...ArticleID=3577 There is a very good radio show at this link, if you can get through the 4 phone calls at the beginning. http://www.christianworldviewnetwork...EpisodeID=6428 In 1960, Nikita Khrushchev said: “We must rest on the position of coexistence and non intervention, and eventually Communism will be in force all over the earth.” He’s the guy who beat his shoe on the table at the UN, and made some sort of angry remark to the U.S. that the Communists would take over the U.S. without firing a shot. |
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I just saw, "Horton Hears a Who." Am I the only one who saw many similarities between the movie, Horton Hears a Who" and the Intelligent Design debate? From the mayor's point of view, there is someone out there beyond the clouds that wants to be their savior. The people don't believe and think he is a kook. He tries to warn the crowd that danger lurks and that they should prepare for it, but the influential town council mocks him and tries to get others to do the same. In the larger world, Horton, who tries to convince his world that there is another world, is also viewed as a kook. The mother kangaroo, who happens to be the bossy, overprotective, home-pouching mother (Me thinks that was a jab at homeschoolers?) won't allow her son to play with Horton because he is a bad influence. He might open their eyes to something more than their own community standards that the concensus has decided is truth. She works the crowd to be against him, she hires the big-gun vulture to destroy the idea that there may be something beyond their world. She fights to keep Horton and his ideas squelched and ridiculed as a nonsense. The mayor's son is the final loud voice that breaks through the clouds of Whoville and reaches Horton's world, so they were able to open their minds to this new idea that has been taboo. The little joey is the person that had an open mind that finally heard the Whos and saved the day. I was thinking that Ben Stein (Expelled: The Movie) could either be the mayor's son that was the almost-too-late voice that breaks through barrier (clouds - or in Expelled, the wall). Or could he be the open-minded joey that finally heard the voices and believed, saving the idea from extinction? If Ben Stein was not the joey, then we need to pray for a joey, who is part of the consensus, but with an open mind, that has enough clout to shake up the powers-that-be (scientists, educators) to cause the scoffers to believe that an idea, such as Intelligent Design, is a valid theory and should be allowed and taught. |
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Do you want to encourage your children toward missions? Some of us have missionary stories built into our curriculum, but many of us don't. I can tell you that if you only did number 2, on this list, your child would have a different understanding of missions and love for people and desire to please God. There are no better adventure stories than these! And don't forget to treat yourself, too!
If I had it to do over, I would have required my kids to read 6 of these a year. I do read my 7 year old grandson the Kids of Courage newsletter from Voice of the Martyrs and he can't get enough of it. Teach them to love missions when they are young so they will be equipped to accomplish the Great Commission that Christ gave to us. Matthew 28:19-20
Here is the list, but the complete article from the Desiring God blog is the link below.
Some links to missionary stories: WMU: (At the very bottom of this link are some free stories that you can download and print off.)
YWAM:
VOM:
Kids of Courage: my favorite missions resource for kids:
(Be sure to look at each tab at the top. The feature story also has an activities tab. The archives have many stories and the opportunity to sign up for the ability to download the free activities books for each country EXCELLENT RESOURCE! And under the resources tab you can sign up for the free newsletter for kids, another excellent resource. |
Posted in The Church
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I have never tried to pretend that I am a writer. I blog to share things - mine or someone elses. This is one of those "someone elses" that I thought was humorous and sad at the same time. Quote - You Might be Emergent If... (exerpt)
Read in full here. |
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It is interesting to me that with all the negative press and negative blogs about Baptists, that it is usually the Baptists that come to the rescue. I am a member of the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief and I have seen how Baptists are the first ones on the scene to help in disasters and the last ones to leave. Today I read an article that said the First Baptist Churches of El Dorado and the First Baptist Church of San Angelo are ministering to the women and children of the polygamist compound in Texas. Many "emerging" church leaders are quick to point out how the traditional church is not "missional." I just think they are blinded by their bias. My experience with Baptists is that when they find out a need, they try to fill it. Different churches have different ministries in the scope of Christian missions. We can't all do everything, but we all can do something. Here is the brief article: http://www.onenewsnow.com/Church/Default.aspx?id=75445
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Everyone loves a rainbow. Here is one that we saw in October in Louisianna. I'm no photographer and we were moving in a car. I did not have a wide angle lens, but you could follow this rainbow all the way from the ground on one side, up into the sky and back down to the ground on the other side. It covered a huge distance. It is the first time I have ever seen one like it.
I don't know about you, but just like the Bible says, it reminds me of God's promise to Noah and all generations after. Never means never. This next picture is a rainbow, or prism, that we made on the floor of our schoolroom when we were studying about Noah. It was about 8 inches across. It was a good one. We just had water in a jar and the light coming in the window was right. The picture doesn't do it justice. You could see every color perfectly.
I have seen several double rainbows. Now, that is a sight to behold. I have also seen a rainbow seem to end on top of a house and thought, that would make a great picture, especially if someone was trying to sell it! I hope that rainbows remind you of God's promises. |
Posted in Homeschooling
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I am not Jewish and I am a Southern Baptist, but our curriculum (My Father's World 1st) just happened to be the story of Esther today. As I understand, this year, Purim is on the 20th and 21st of March. I read up a little on it and we decided to make a celebration. We made challah using this video recipe. The top picture is painting the egg on the smaller loaf.
While we were waiting for the bread to rise, we also made hamentashen, a sort of fruit tart that is shaped like a tri-cornered hat - supposedly what the villian, Hamen, wore.
We read the story of Esther while my grandson booed and hissed at the mention of Hamen's name. He dressed up like a king. We took some clothes to the poor (Salvation Army drop box) and gave some food to someone. Tonight we will eat the challah and hamentachen and watch One Night with the King. Christians can celebrate God's providence and protection of those called to his purpose, as well as a reminder that He has and will reward those that do His will. |
Posted in Christian Ponderings
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Posted in Christian Ponderings
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Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. ~Col. 3:17 (NAS95) What does this verse say to you? What about as related to the elections? Can you obey this verse and vote for any of the top candidates and have peace that you did it in the name of the Lord? I am struggling over this as I am sure others are, too. What should we do, write in a candidate or vote for someone that is still in but has no opportunity to win (Ron Paul) knowing that your vote will make it easier for someone you don't want to win? Why is our vote about who can win and not who should win? Romans 13:1-2 teaches that every "authority" (KJV "power") is ordained by God. That does not mean that he governs in the will of God, but that is is set there by Him. He can take him out at His desire, so who are we to fret about who we vote for? Isn't our responsibilty to vote our conscience (according to God's principles) not the lesser of the evils? I have been very guilty of this, but I am struggling with the vote in November. I pray that all of us will show our faith in God by voting for the right man, whether he is on the ballot or not. I believe that what we say and do (word and deed) by signing the ballot is the same as saying outloud that you endorse a person to be president even if he stand for things that are anti-God. It is a grave responsibility, but we are not individually responsible for the man that God sets in the seat of authority, but we are responsible for our individual actions (what we say, do, write, vote etc.) to God. If I cannot wholeheartedly vote for a person that I believe is God's man, like David, a man after God's own heart, should I cast my vote for someone else? It's a dilemma. |
Posted in The Church
from Tony Kummer's Ministry-to-Children.com email newletter1 in 16 US Children Attended a Southern Baptist VBSAccording to an article by Baptist Press, Vacation Bible School is alive and well in Southern Baptist churches. This is encouraging news. The article goes on to say:
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Posted in Interesting Topics
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(Originally sent by a minister) I've been doing some research for my sermon Sunday, realizing how early Easter is this year. As you may have heard me say, Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar. Found out a couple of things you might be interested in! Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare. Here's the interesting info. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier! Here's the facts: 1) The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 o r older, you are the only ones that were around for that!). 2) The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year! |
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Be sure and click the links within this American Vison article, especially "last week." Here is a sample paragraph from the article:
http://www.americanvision.org/articlearchive2008/02-27-08.asp |
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"Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering." ~Hebrews 13:3
Fire for the Nations: http://www.fire4thenations.net Voice of the Martyrs: http://www.persecution.com |
Posted in Homeschooling
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Moral Code for School Children |
Posted in Ramblings
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I have been blogging here for two years, sometimes more than at other times. I've had my challenges and have been tempted to try a different blog host, but I really like the HSB community. I feel safe and among friends. I enjoy reading blogs here, but lately I have not blogged or commented much. I guess I am more of a doer than a writer (never considered myself a writer). I plan to be here many more years and I hope you are, too. Sometimes your blogs have been my sanity and sometimes blogging has been my release, but mostly I am inspiried and encouraged by reading what other people are doing in their homeschool, or how they have conquered a giant, or just family news. I'm glad to be here and I'm glad you are here, too. |
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Yipee! Tiany, over at less of Me ~ More of Him has started a Homeschool Lounge for homeschoolers to visit and share with each other. I seem to have a strong homeschooling worldview as well as a strong Biblical worldview. Everything in my life is wrapped up in one of those two things. I envision this to replace some other more segmented or non-homeschooling bulletin boards that I am on. Come on over and join us! ~Liz From her blog: The Homeschool Lounge is a FREE online social network community for Homeschool Moms; the very first of its kind! The vision of The Homeschool Lounge is to connect Homeschool Moms from all corners of the web; get advice, give advice, share, learn and laugh with those who truly understand you. There is something for everyone inside the many pages of this pioneer website so go check it out!
We invite you to join us, share tips and advice, and find encouragement, fellowship, and friendship in a safe, fun, friendly environment. Our goal is to provide you with a resourceful and encouraging platform for all of your interests and needs, in order to help create and facilitate the most enriching network for Homeschool Moms on the Internet today. Read more here.
http://www.thehomeschoollounge.com/
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Posted in The Church
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The police department in Hastings, Nebraska, has been forbidden by a federal court from interfering with Christians witnessing on public sidewalks. Read more here. http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=66731 |
Posted in Homeschooling
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http://www.home-school.com/news/huckabee.html |
Posted in Links to Share
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Tony Kummer over at his blog, Ministry-to-Children.com, is giving away three of the best children's Bible story books, IMHO. The Big Picture Story Bible, The Jesus Storybook Bible, and The Child's Story Bible by Catherine F. Vos. What a treasure for your children's ministry, homeschool or family. The contest will be open until February 18th. http://ministry-to-children.com/recommended-books/story-bible/
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Posted in Links to Share
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Introducing a new movie. It is being shown in limited markets, so clickon the tab to see if it will be in your area. If you click on the previews tab and click the promo video, it is the best one. Two brothers, a murdered father and an untold story of pain and forgiveness are the inspirations behind a six times award-winning documentary on the secret death of a prominent evangelical pastor in Iran, Haik Hovsepian. http://www.acryfromiran.com/index-main.htm |
Posted in Homeschooling
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This is an archived message from the My Father's World message board on MFW 1st grade scope and sequence by cbollin (http://board.mfwbooks.com/viewtopic.php?t=2441) Scope and Sequence: |
Posted in Interesting Topics
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Whether Huckabee is God's man for the President of the United States right now, or not, his surge in the polls tells me, and should tell Amercia, that Christians are strong and a significant number of people in this country want a president with Christian values. A man that seeks God's face for the sake of the people. I am reminded that God was the Israelites King when he delivered them from Eqypt. "Yet God is my king from of old, Who works deeds of deliverance in the midst of the earth.13 Thou didst divide the sea by Thy strength..." Psalm 74;12-13 In 1 Samuel chapter 8, the Elders demanded a king because the people wanted one. The greatest judge Israel ever had, Samuel, saw this as "evil." God's response was, "And the LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. " 1 Samuel 8:7 In Deuteronomy, it was prophesied that the people would want a king and one would be given to them. The king was supposed to be an Israelite, not chosen by the people, but divinely designated by God. Many of the eventual kings were evil and even the best of kings (David) fell short of God's standards. This tells me two things, the first is that God is my King. I will not trust in any candidate, no matter how good they look or how spiritual they seem (especially since I believe "the deception" is already beginning). Have you noticed that we have a variety of religious associations represented with our candidates this year? Secondly, if the man we choose is not God's man (or woman? I'll not go there on this post), we will get what we deserve for our own desires. II Chronicles 7:14 says, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." What we need to be doing is asking God to put His man in the office, not our man. I do not think we should vote for a man just because he is vocal about his Christianity. Maybe that candidate is trying to get the Christian vote or maybe that is really who he is. I voted for a man for that reason once, Jimmy Carter, and I believe he was not God's man for America. We can be deceived if we do not pray without expectations of who that man is. When Jesus, told us how to pray, he said, "Thy will be done." That is what we need to be praying. God is still my King and I want to be open to his will, not mine. |
Posted in Interesting Topics
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If you knew me very well, you would know I have been for Fred Thompson since before he announced his run for the presidency. I admit, this is an attempt to sway my friends, family and fellow homeschoolers -or, at least, get them to take a look at Fred. There are other candidates that have good qualities and positions on some things, but for me, Fred is the man. Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican (I have voted outside my party for president before), whether you are a Christian or not, please, listen to this video where Fred tells the Iowans exactly what he stands for. It is not a 15 second sound bite, but by the end of it, I felt like the president that I want had just encouraged me to love and fight for the America that we remember. It is a great speech, that I believe came from his heart and convictions.
I wish I knew how, or if it is possible on HSB to put videos in a post. This is a must watch video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VblJq4j0_SE I would love it if Fred were a Southern Baptist, like me, but I am not voting for a pastor, but a leader of our country.
Many Homeschoolers are either for Ron Paul or lately, Huckabee. I am a 20 year homeschooler and if you have not read Spunky's research on Huckabee and homeschooling, you should. Go here and scroll down to Huckabee and Homeschooling: http://www.spunkyhomeschool.blogspot.com
Here is another homeschooler for Fred. "Why Should Homeschoolers Support Fred?" http://homescooler4fred.blogspot.com/2008/01/why-home-schoolers-should-support-fred.html
Here's more about Huckabee and homeschooling: http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2007/12/huckabee-and-ho.html
And Ann Coulter has a lot to say about Huckabee, but you need to google it.
Most of us have our pet issues, but don't vote for a candidate for only one issue, vote for the man that has the character and the grit to stand against the pressure. The one that's positions are not created to win a campaign, but are inside of him.
Please consider this. Make your decision with information, not TV ads.
Fred's website: www.Fred08.com
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Posted in Interesting Topics
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The cedar waxwing that we found ate the holly berries, an occassional frozen raspberry, and some berries we picked off a Juniper tree. Did I tell you we named hiim Bandit because of his distinct mask? He was never scared of our hands in the cage to feed him and give him fresh water. He never was frightened when we would pick him up to put him back in the cage. He would eat his berries while we were watching - inches away. We mostly left him alone and place him close to an outside window so he could see distances. He seemed to get stronger every day, but each day when we let him out of the cage, outside on the ground, he would hop, and flutter up to a twig laying on the ground, but never flew. One morning this week, I got up and looked into the cage. He was still sleeping - sitting on the cage floor with his head under his wing. I told my husband that we must have disturbed his inner clock. Not 30 minutes later, my husband went in and checked on him and he was lying dead on the cage floor. I wish I had known something to help him, but he was probably never going to get well enough to fly away. I kinda think he died of a broken heart from not being able to fly free with his friends. He gave us much enjoyment and several lessons about birds and their natural habitats. I hope he prefered dying in a nice warm house than being eaten by a predator. |
Posted in Interesting Topics
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Cedar Waxwing This is a cedar waxwing. It is a bird that was on the ground (this picture) on our road and when we stopped to find out why it did not flee the oncoming car, it also did not try to escape. We are not sure what is wrong with it. It was among a whole flock of them when we drove by it. We think one of it's wings may be damaged. We picked it up, put it in a stocking cap and brought it home. We put it in our old canary cage with an apple slice and some holly berries. I have tried for two days to put it outside, but it only hops a couple of times and just sits on the ground. It does flutter a little in the cage, but mostly sits on the bottom. It has perched a few times. I will try everyday to let this bird go back into the wild to see if its wing gets better, in the meantime, it is a beautiful bird for us to enjoy. Oh, I also found a sound clip of cedar waxwings on the internet. He gets very excited when he hears it. The bird on the clip must be saying, "Eat your berries, Junior," because when he hears it, he eats a berry! Someone told me it is against the law to cage a wild bird in most states. Is this true? |
Posted in Christian Ponderings
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I got this in an email. I don't know the source, so I apologize for not giving credit to the author. If someone knows, let me know and I will edit.
` Tis the season. It's upon us. The magazines are screaming. Roll up your sleeves and roll out the red carpet. It's time to entertain! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- May I offer an alternative? Instead of entertaining, offer hospitality. The differences are not subtle. When we entertain, we are often ruled by our pride. When we offer hospitality, we are inspired by charity. Entertaining seeks to impress. Hospitality seeks to minister. In her excellent book, Open Heart, Open Home, Karen Mains writes: Entertaining says, "I want to impress you with my beautiful home, my clever decorating, my gourmet cooking." Hospitality, however, seeks to minister. It says, "This home is not mine. It is truly a gift from my Master. I am his servant, and I use it as he desires." Hospitality does not try to impress but to serve…Entertaining always puts things before people…Hospitality, however, puts people before things. Hospitality is a ministry. As such, it is not bound by time or space. To offer hospitality, you do not have to offer an invitation; you do not even have to be at home and you certainly do not need to spend days beforehand cooking and cleaning and decorating. To offer hospitality, you have to open your heart to see and meet a need. Hospitality might be a home-cooked meal wrapped in a pretty towel and carried, still warm, to a neighbor who is going through a difficult time. The charity of an open home extended to a child while his mother has a moment to herself is hospitality extended to all. The comfort of a friend who offers a cup of tea at a well-worn kitchen table on a teary afternoon is hospitality that cannot be captured on the glossy pages of a magazine. In order to truly extend hospitality we must put away our pride. We must be willing to open our doors, no matter the state of homes or our wardrobes, and to graciously seek to make our visitors feel welcome and at ease. When we do this, we allow people to see us as we are. We put away the pretense and we offer ourselves with all our weaknesses. They can see that we are striving humbly towards holiness and they can see that only God can perfect us. When we offer ourselves to other people and allow them to se our imperfections, we take a chance. We chance that they, too, will accept us in a spirit of charity. Hospitality works best when both the giver and the receiver assume the best about each other. Entertaining often has a reward attached to it: social stature, a new job or a promotion, an accolade, a return invitation. Hospitality is freely-given, with no thought to reciprocity or reward. The heart that is ordered towards charity offers hospitality to those who most need it, even if those are not the people whose company we most desire. This is charity—a virtue we can model for our children when we ensure that they are hospitable to their friends and even to the child who might otherwise be excluded. When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just. Luke 14:12-14 As we begin to practice the ministry of hospitality, we allow ourselves to be vulnerable. We open our doors and our hearts and certainly some people will come through those doors who don't view our efforts through the same lens of charity. On occasion we will hear a critical comment; we will be judged according to the world's standards. We will feel as if we've come up short. But we haven't truly. Those are the times the hospitable hostess will offer to Christ, imperfect and heartfelt, knowing that He will redeem the time and the effort. This holiday season, make Hospitality your prayer. Seek to comfort and to minister. Look for ways to lighten someone else's load. In every guest, no matter how cranky, no matter how demanding, see Christ. Open your heart wide; risk allowing people to see your weaknesses. For it is in that very weakness that His power is made perfect. |
