We have so much to be thankful for this year. I could write pages and pages, but it would take forever because the conviction it would bring about my ungrateful attitude, would make me cry, the pages would be soaked and I'd have to start over.
One of the biggest blessings this year -- after getting to spend Thanksgiving with my Dad, for the second year in a row, after many, many years without -- is the ministry of the Dixon Family through Gleaning the Harvest and those who "get it" when it comes to the importance of Christian mom's remaining at home and training their children.
Because we receive welfare, and I've come to a point of being settled that for this season it is the Lord's provision, we do not ask the supporters of Gleaning the Harvest to help support us on a month to month basis.
However, LizBeth turned 18 and she has a heart to be a keeper at home, in spite of the push for her to go out and get a job or go to school or do something with her life.
We've spent much time in prayer and asked the Lord to reveal ways that she can earn her keep from home. When LizBeth was 9 she was determined to learn to play the piano. Lessons were not an option. She taught herself. Later she was told that a piece she wanted to learn was too difficult. She learned it to prove she could. When people heard her play it they were amazed and wanted to know where she'd been trained.
She hasn't been, it's a gift. It's a gift we'd like to share with others. LizBeth desires to continue to learn piano but also to teach homeschooled families who may not be able to afford lessons, asking them to consider making donations. To do this she needs a piano. We had to sell our free beast when we moved. Knowing that we will be moving again in about six months, most likely to a smaller home, makes getting another free beast impractical. We researched it, sought advise and decided on a small, portable digital piano. When she gets her license (hopefully in the spring) she would also be able to travel to homeschooling families or groups, as well as working from home.
Several dear brothers and sisters in Christ have chosen to help us by making donations toward the piano through Gleaning the Harvest We now have enough for a down payment on the piano. The hitch is that once we do that we only have 8 weeks to pay off the balance.
If you would like to help you can visit Gleaning the Harvestor using the donation button in my side bar.
Sometimes I forget what it really means to be a daughter of the King.
Blessings, MaggieRaye
Take time to count your blessings during this holiday weekend. The Lord has been convicting me lately about how blessed I really am -- and how ungrateful I can be.
Leave a blessing in the comments for me, so I can share with you!
Hanukkah began nearly 2300 years ago and is rich in history and tradition. Unlike most other Jewish Festivals, Hanukkah is what is called a Post-Mosaic (After Moses) Holiday. This festival was not commanded by God nor was it instituted by God. However, it is LIKE other Jewish Festivals in several ways:
THE PAST: Hanukkah reflects upon remembrances of the past and shows us God’s provident hand upon His people!
The Greek culture that ruled much of the Middle Eastern world over 2,000 years ago had much to offer. It brought the world beauty in the form of architecture, fashion and art. It brought intellectual “wisdom” in the form of philosophy, language and mathematical discoveries. It brought entertainment in the form of sporting events and leisure that was previously mostly unknown. To much of the world there seemed to be no harm in indulging in the subtle blending of these styles with their own. This became known as Hellenism named for the Greek word for Greece, Hellas.
In Judea, however, the Jews lived by another standard. They followed a God-given law, The Torah. They were allowed to live in the way they saw fit until the Syrian King, Antiochus Epiphanes, came into power in 175 B. C. He insisted on full immersion in the Hellenistic life-style to the exclusion of all else. Under his tyrannical rule, anyone who even owned a Torah was in mortal danger. The King’s abusive acts went from the arrogant to the ultimately offensive. He minted coins with his image alongside that of Zeus proclaiming himself to be “god manifest”. He sullied the Jews temple by sacrificing pigs on the altar (an extreme insult to the kosher system under The Torah) and he even killed a priest named Elazar for NOT participating in this mockery. Finally, an old Jewish priest named Mattathias was troubled enough to stand up for his beliefs. He would not abandon his religion and would not convert to the pagan practices that had so blended with their lives that the lines were no longer simply blurred, but were all but erased! Mattathias and his sons gathered up an army of farmers and craftsmen and they trained themselves to fight against the Syrians. Years of battles passed and when Mattathias was too old to lead any longer he appointed his son, Judah to take over for him.
Judah was a man of decisive force and had earned himself the nickname “hammer” or Maccabee. His followers soon after came to be known as The Maccabees. It took several more years, but this band of men had something going for them the Syrians did not have. The Syrian’s motivation was based on money, power and fear of the King. The Maccabees’ motivation came from determination to do what was right, regaining their freedoms and fear of the TRUE King! Through clever strategies, integrity and strength of character the Maccabees eventually were able to defeat the armies of their enemies and emerged victorious!
The people of Judah were triumphant, but were also devastated at the condition of their temple. It was littered with statues of false gods and almost every item that should have been consecrated unto The Holy God had been misused and abused. They set to work restoring the temple to its former glory. They built a new altar, removed the defiled stones, cleansed the sanctuary and finally in the year 164 B.C. on Kislev the 25th they were ready to rededicate their temple. In fact, the word Hanukkah means “dedicate”.
Legend holds that there was an additional event that increased the joy of the people during the ensuing celebrations. As they prepared to light the Ner Tamid, or the Eternal Light, they found they only had enough untainted oil to burn for one day. It would take a full week to make more, but miraculously the limited supply of oil lasted for EIGHT days the duration of the entire festival!
THE PRESENT: Hanukkah gives us a firm focus for the present and opportunities to apply the lessons learned to our situation today!
We can learn many applicable lessons from Hanukkah and its traditions! We, like the Jews of that day, can stand for what we believe in, cleanse from our lives the world’s culture and pagan practices, and rededicate our lives to living a life that shines Light to the World! In their joy, the people worshipped God with gratitude and set aside a time of full devotion to honor God and celebrate the restoration of their freedom. They were once again able to obey God openly and were no longer under the oppression of their enemies. They decorated the temple, prepared a feast and offered the sacrifices required by God upon the newly constructed altar.
We can apply this in many ways, such as dressing in a way that is modest, giving of our time and talents to worthy causes and sacrificing of ourselves to be a blessing to God and to shine HIS Eternal Light to a lost and dying world! Think of that from which we have been delivered and worship God with a heart full of thankfulness. Let that heart of gratefulness transform your entire life. Make time to whole-heartedly glorify God as you thank Him for the liberty that we have in Him!
THE FUTURE: Hanukkah points us to the future and our hope in Jesus Christ!
At the time, Jesus had not yet been born. Even so, I can see the possibility, as with other Biblical Jewish holidays that many of the elements of Hanukkah point to the truths of our Savior! We may even be able to learn some truths from the words Jesus spoke in the temple during Hanukkah in AD 29. Just prior to the festival he spoke about being the Good Shepherd. This may have been an allusion that the Jews would have understood as a Messianic claim! Then, we read in John chapter 10:
John 10:22-42
22And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.
23And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch.
24Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
25Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.
26But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
30I and my Father are one.
31Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
32Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
33The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
34Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
35If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
36Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
37If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
38But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
39Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,
40And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.
41And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.
42And many believed on him there.
In an article by Gordon Franz, he points out that when Jesus was asked: “point blank, “Are you the Messiah?” (10:24). Jesus had to be careful how He answered that question. During the festival, throngs of Jews caught up in the nationalistic fever, were visiting Jerusalem. The word “Messiah” might spark off riots because of its heavy nationalistic and political overtones…Jesus does, however, answer the question in the affirmative, but not directly. When He answers, He is careful not to use the contemporary term and understanding… He says “I and my Father are one’” (10:30). That statement had heavy religious overtones for the festival which they were presently celebrating. Those gathered on the Temple Mount recalled the events nearly 200 years before on the very mount where, Antiochus IV, a mere man, proclaimed himself god. Jesus, the LORD manifest in human flesh, made the same claim but His claim was true. The Jews picked up stones to stone Him for blasphemy because, in their thinking, He was a man who made Himself God (10:31-33). Jesus declared that He was the fulfillment of Hanukkah by saying the Father “sanctified” the Son of God and sent Him into the world (10:34-36), The Father was in Him and He in the Father (10:38). If the Greek word “sanctified” was translated into Hebrew, it would be “dedication” or Hanukkah.”
In the same article, Gordon Franz goes on to say: “John wrote his gospel primarily to a Jewish and Samaritan audience, One of the unique things about John’s gospel is his emphasis on the Jewish and Samaritan festivals and his indication that Jesus was the fulfillment of these holidays. Hanukkah was the rededication of a defiled Temple. At the beginning of Jesus public ministry, He said, “‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then the Jews said, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?’ But He was speaking of the temple of His body” (2:19-21) Herod’ s Temple had been defiled by a wicked and corrupt priesthood. The Lord Jesus was “sanctified” by His death, burial and resurrection and is the New Temple.”
I pray that whether or not you celebrate Hanukkah that you WILL Celebrate the Light of the World without whom we would be in bondage and in a hopelessly lost condition.. I pray, also, that you will take the advice that the apostle Paul offered in Philippians chapter 2:
Philippians 2:14-18
14Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
15That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
16Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
17Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.
18For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.
Posted By Gena Suarez, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
It's really no surprise to anyone ever that the NEA was more interested in protecting its power than educating children. What is surprising is that they actually feel confident enough in their power to admit it. Here's the NEA's General Counseladmitting as much in his retirement speech this past summer.
"Despite what some among us would like to believe it is not because of our creative ideas. It is not because of the merit of our positions. It is not because we care about children and it is not because we have a vision of a great public school for every child. NEA and its affiliates are effective advocates because we have power....
This is not to say that the concern of NEA and its affiliates with closing achievement gaps, reducing dropout rates, improving teacher quality and the like are unimportant or inappropriate. To the contrary. These are the goals that guide the work we do. But they need not and must not be achieved at the expense of due process, employee rights and collective bargaining. That simply is too high a price to pay.
If you're a parent with children in the public schools you can voice your objections here. But the best way to object is by removing your children from their schools. Without your children they have no real power.
In a related story, future teachers in Minnesota are being "reducated" and become "culturally competent"
Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin in order to obtain a teacher certificate.
We attended the Missouri Right to Life banquet last week. This was the first banquet I had attended in several years. It was good to see the crowd. It was good to know we're not alone in this issue. Jack Cashill spoke. He spoke about the media and many others that TABETTO. For those of you that do not know what that is... (and unless you were there, you won't) It stands for Turning a Blind Eye to the Obvious.
He was talking specifically about abortion, about how 300,000+ people can show up in D.C. for the Life March in January, 2 days after the inauguration and not one liberal media outlet reported it. Want proof... go to Jack's website and order "Thine Eyes." Proof is in the video.
But...
I have been chewing on this for the last week and have come up with many areas where people TABETTO...here are just a few...
It is obvious that a Christian has no business attending movies like Harry Potter and New Moon.
It is obvious that child protective services does NOT protect children...
It is obvious that a Believer, adult or child, has no place in a government school...
It is obvious that abortion is murder
It is obvious that the government cannot run private industry... Chevy found that out the hard way.
It is obvious that the government cannot run healthcare either...but I don't want to find that out the hard way!
It is obvious that homosexuality is a sin...just as drunkeness, fornication, anger, lying etc are sins...
It is obvious that the media worships Obama and disdains those that stand up for truth...
It is obvious that truth cannot be relative!
It is obvious that by seperating ourselves into "African-Americans" "Native-Americans" etc. we are only causing more racism
It is obvious that God created... how else can one REALLY explain how and why everything in this universe works the way it does...Yea, I know "big bang" that's why when a coke can explodes, it piles itself up into one neat place waiting to be cleaned up instead of saturating everything within it's radius with sticky goop...random chaos cannot create order!
I'm doing some research and I could use your help.
If you are a single, homeschooling parent and you are a part of a church that is supporting you in this, would you share how they do it? What does the local body of believers around you do to help you remain at home training up your children?
If you are a church leader (pastor, elder, deacon) and your church is actively supporting one or more single moms to homeschool their children how do you do it? What are you doing to help them? How does it work?
Several years ago, I shared Defending the Fatherless with our pastor at the time, and one of the things that stood out in my mind was that he thought it was a good idea, but didn't know how it would work and was there some example to follow.
I wonder if more churches aren't doing more to help single moms be keepers at home, because they simply don't know how to and they'd like to have ideas of how it works in churches where it is being done.
Someone just forwarded me this article about hanging your laundry out -- or not being allowed to -- depending on where you live. What is this country coming to? I'd rather see laundry on a line than . . .
Just wanted to let everyone know that everything at Patchwork Cottage Shoppe is at least 10% off for the holidays. Remember there is an etsy mini in my side bar if you want to check it out.
Some items only have a few days left in the shop -- so now is the time to buy.
Posted By Gena Suarez, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
For all my homeschooling friends who think ObamaCare will solve their financial and health insurance woes, think again. It may give you temporary relief for your financial headache, but it may also invite government nannies into your home to improve your child's well-being and health.
HR 3200 that passed the House of Representatives, currently has a provision for funding states that implement a "voluntary" home visitation program for parents with young children or who are expecting. (See Sec. 1904 sec. 440)
The intended purpose is to " improve the well-being, health, and development of children by enabling the establishment and expansion of high quality programs providing voluntary home visitation for families with young children and families expecting children."
"Health and safety inspectors are to be given unprecedented access to family homes to ensure that parents are protecting their children from household accidents.
New guidance drawn up at the request of the Department of Health urges councils and other public sector bodies to “collect data” on properties where children are thought to be at “greatest risk of unintentional injury”.
Council staff will then be tasked with overseeing the installation of safety devices in homes, including smoke alarms, stair gates, hot water temperature restrictors, oven guards and window and door locks.
The draft guidance by a committee at the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has been criticised as intrusive and further evidence of the “creeping nanny state”.
Where are the safety devices for the "creeping nanny" who keeps sticking her nose into our personal lives?
Why homeschoolers support this bill or President Obama is beyond my understanding.
With so many "reality shows" out there, I thought I'd take a break and blog a little on the only reality I know... MY reality. I am a Christian woman, wife, mother, and homeschooler. Without further ado, these are my real thoughts about life around me. I hope it honors and glorifies Christ Jesus.
Finally, an old Jewish priest named Mattathias was troubled enough to stand up for his beliefs. He would not abandon his religion and would not convert to the pagan practices that had so blended with their lives that the lines were no longer simply blurred, but were all but erased! Mattathias and his sons gathered up an army of farmers and craftsmen and they trained themselves to fight against the Syrians. Years of battles passed and when Mattathias was too old to lead any longer he appointed his son, Judah to take over for him.
In an article by Gordon Franz, he points out that when Jesus was asked:
