Susie-Q&A - Homeschool Blogger

The Cox Chronicle--Latest Edition

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:08:00 -0600

I'll try to put all the "new news" in one post, for convenience' sake.

In recent weeks, we'd battled a chicken thief--a red, furry chicken thief. He made off with one, and we caught him in the act with a second, but he sagaciously dropped the hen and made his getaway. (Hubby had to doctor the poor chicken by stitching up a huge gash in her back. He had a surprisingly able assistant in Anna Kate.)

So, in addition to reinstalling and improving the electric fencing around the chicken yard, hubby's taken up yet another side hobby: trapping. To make a long story short, he's downstairs tanning the thief's (or his relative's) hide as I type.

We do have pictures of the skinning process, but I'll spare my sensitive readers. :) The older children were fascinated, and Anna Kate even got a little biology lesson (identifying organs, checking stomach contents, and other gruesome "extras").

We caught the fox on Halloween, and that same day added a new friend to our chicken yard.

He's a handsome Rhode Island Red, same type that fathered our Golden Comets. Once we find an incubator, we will be able to add to our flock!

We had a fun holiday. We went to a little dress-up activity with some homeschooling friends, planned brilliantly, as usual, by the super-amazing local homeschool mom, R.

Indoor marshmallow toasting:

Cowgirls, soldiers, fairy princesses and froggies, oh my!

Ian went as "Guy in a Flannel Shirt":

Anna Kate, as usual, went as Mom's right hand.

Don't know what I'd do without her, and neither does Aidan. Both my big girls are hugely helpful.

Making mask cookies...

We went to the pumpkin patch right down the road a couple of days later and bought carving punkins. Here is Dad's barfing pumpkin:

Lights on...

Lights off...

Once again, I tried roasting the seeds, but even though I boiled them first, the shells were quite crunchy. I liked the spicy recipe better than the sweet.

Last Friday marked week 10 of Classical Conversations. Hard to believe we are almost done with the first semester!   We have memorized a large body of material. I say "we," but the children easily out-memorize me. Here is the timeline they have mastered so far:

(FYI: Those last few are not in order, I discovered later. :) )

Eight cards per week! And that's in addition to history sentences, science facts, Latin declensions, math facts, and more.   The history timeline is repeated yearly in CC, and I do hope my younger students will be able to stay with the program through the three years' cycles to benefit from repetition (we are in Cycle 1 this year). It's an expensive program (for a family our size) but so very worth the investment!

Of course, my three older students are also mastering grammar and writing in the afternoons. I am thoroughly enjoying sentence diagramming, something I missed out on in school. Anna Kate and Olivia are taking ownership of their writing now, and really blossoming.

We are learning the tin whistle, along with basic music theory, as part of the CC fine arts segment. I was inspired by this gentleman's lessons to take up the tin whistle myself. So far this week, I've gotten in daily practice. I've mastered "Dawning of the Day," but still stumble through "Peg Ryan's Polka." It's fun and motivating, starting right out with traditional tunes. My limited experience with the recorder has helped a bit. Unfortunately, our only remaining computer speakers are on the fritz, so I'm not sure when I'll get to the next lesson.

In other news, we snagged a used woodstove last week, and hubby is preparing to install it to specs, and have it inspected (for insurance purposes). It's a cast-iron stove. We want a soapstone, eventually, but this one will keep us toasty warm and prevent nasty electric bills this winter. Pictures of installation to come...

Yesterday, I thoroughly cleaned and de-cluttered the master bedroom in a desperate search for missing tractor keys. We later found the keys outdoors, but I sure was glad to get a clean bedroom out of it. I can actually relax in there now that the clutter's gone. Naturally, anything I couldn't get rid of went straight to the junk room, but at least it's out of sight. The "decider" can deal with it whenever he sees fit. :) I'd love to tackle the schoolroom next.

The big girls are still involved in riding lessons. We'll take a break when the weather turns truly cold, but we've had nice weather here, for the most part. Mondays ordinarily are riding days, but this week's lesson (Olivia's turn) is on Wednesday. I'm so pleased to see them gaining confidence with the horses. Like our CC work, proper horsemanship takes much practice and repetition. It's starting to pay off! I'm even learning a bit, since I typically catch the tail end of the lesson (literally, as the girls lead the horse back to corral or pasture).

We're eagerly expecting a visit from Mama Cox and Uncle Barry tomorrow. That probably means I should tackle the guest room before the schoolroom. Heh! It's a tangle of clothing containers right now.   Our CC family presentation is this Friday, and I hope all our family members will be able to come and see it, as well as introduce themselves to our CC friends. :) We're hoping Daddy can steal a bit of time from his work schedule to be there as well.

Until the next update...God bless you friends!

Thought Snippets and Photos in No Particular Order

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:11:00 -0500

One of the glories of homeschooling: you can start whenever you start, and finish when you wanna. Another: Convenient excuse for moms who are a little nuts about office supplies.

Pre-schooling at the Cox homestead: Three-year-old snips up bits of leftover card stock (scissors skills), while 22-month-old sucks them up with the vacuum hose (chore training).

One corner of my life is officially organized. See below.

Making their own flashcards counts as math, in my book. I never had to memorize the15's table, and might do well to quiz myself with the cards.

Ah, the noble chicken:

(Chicken photo by Chicken, a.k.a. Anna Kate.)

Our apple tree needs some doctorin', but hubby's got it on the winter Honey-Do list. It bears spotty apples...

...but they don't taste half-bad stewed with the requisite sugar & spices. Apples after peeling away the spots...

Buds.

Buds who are, on occasion, moved to thwack each other with toy tractors...but buds nonetheless. Compatriots in grime.

Ah, the noble turkey...

Discreet enough to skedaddle at the slightest noise or movement. (Probably best we settled on the bald eagle for our national emblem.)

Ah, the noble stinkbug.

Not.

I gather the stinkbug is to Virginia as the mosquito is to Louisiana. (Unofficial State Bird.)

Isn't this what Daddy does during his time off?

Boy, do these guys love our barn.

"Please, sir, I want some more..."

A future in broadcasting...

Future general...or pirate...we're not yet sure...

Goodbye!

With Gratitude to Chris Klicka

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:56:00 -0500

Here's a man who poured his life out in service to homeschooling families. May God comfort his family in their loss, which is simultaneously his great gain. He will be greatly missed.

Photo-Blogging a Wash

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:25:00 -0500

I'd planned to give you our day in pictures, but the "insert image" function on homeschoolblogger is "brokened." Suffice it to say that we wore ourselves out in Harpers Ferry National Park today, hit the grocery store on the way home for donuts and milk (as compensation for my "no-tourist-prices" hard-nosed frugality at the Park), and let the hens out when we got home.

Oh, and did I mention that one of our hens is no more? We noticed we were down to five the other day and discovered a trail of feathers leading from our property line into the pine trees behind our property. The work of a crafty fox! Though hubby declares with the kind of stupid hens are, foxes don't really have to be all that crafty; old Reddy probably just said "Psst, c'mere old gal, I wanna show yous somethin'," or dangled a bug or somesuch.

So we got home. After lying down for 4.5 seconds, I decided I'd better get up and put some pants on my 3yo, who'd wandered outside. I'd had to remove his clothing on the way home due to a diaper "incident." (May I just state here that I am mortally tired of foul diapers? Mortally. I'd like to know the mothering record for longest time spent in the diaper-changing years.) Thus was he running around outside with 1) no shirt, just a pullover jacket; 2) clean diaper; and 3) socks and shoes. Interesting look. (Especially given the fall-like weather we are enjoying.) One that motivated me to get off the bed and rectify the situation, at any rate.

Once I was up, I figured I'd better tackle the schoolroom, which was covered stem to stern with bits of dried playdoh and what-not. Not to mention the nests of stink bugs that I KNEW, in my soul of souls, were infesting our bookshelves and supplies. (We have holes in our screens.) I went about removing books and things with great trepidation, and uncovering hair-raising numbers of the disgusting things. The "thwup" they make going through the vacuum hose is certainly shudder-inducing. Must have sucked up a hundred of 'em. Now I'm rather reluctant to empty the bag. I think I'll make hubby do it.

When the insert picture function gets fixed (oh, homeschoolblogger handyman?), I'll add a photo of my nicely organized "teacher supply" drawer. Still have to clean out the Dreaded Crates (full of school papers--my most hated task, I do believe, because of the decision making involved), clean windows and doors, clean out the kids' in-boxes & what-all, but it felt good to get the bookshelves debugged and the drawer organized, and the playdoh vacuumed. My kids can do away with a brand-new set of playdoh faster than anyone I know. Will also try to post birthday pictures when able. Thanks for patience. Sincerely, the Erstwhile Blogger.

I Have Seen Harpers Ferry

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:57:00 -0500

The children and I braved chilly temps and brisk winds off the river today, as we toured Harpers Ferry National Park. I've been wanting to visit there for ever so long.

Overall, I'm glad we went. There wasn't a whole lot of interest for the younger crew, and I kept wishing I could spend more time with the older ones delving into the points of interest, since the place is positively dripping with history. I also kept wishing we'd dressed in more layers! The younger ones were well insulated, but a couple of my olders failed to bring extra jackets. It warmed up a bit after lunch, thank goodness.

Anyway, here are a few pictures from our day:

History presenters describing John Brown's insurrection to a mostly interested audience (my toddlers not being among that number, so we split before the climax of the tale)...

The recording is saying that John Douglass (extra "s") was a freedman who managed to purchase freedom for his wife and child so their family would not be separated. There were several museums like this one detailing aspects of the town's history: Civil War, Industry, etc.

Enthralled by the voice...

Field trips are made of non-educational moments like these... Leaf fight!

Very nice park. I hope I can go back someday and hike that section of the Appalachian Trail before I get too old and creaky.

Breathing Life Back In

Sat, 3 Oct 2009 18:48:00 -0500

I've let the blog go cold. Resurrection time! I want to post a few pictures, so hang with me until I can get that done. Facebook is unfortunately very blog-draining, since most of my "bestest" friends are on there and statuses are far quicker to write than posts.

Homeschooling is going pretty well, thanks in large part to Classical Conversations. My "old" self, the self that in school or at work relied upon looming deadlines in order to accomplish anything, is, not-so-shockingly, still alive and kicking. For that reason, Thursdays are particularly full. Nevertheless, once we get to CC we are happy and have a good time. Once, when I thought (on Thursday night, of course) that one of the littles might be feeling a bit warm-ish, the long faces on my children gladdened my heart. (Heh.) And when I confirmed, via thermometer, that there was no cause for dismay, the resultant rejoicing gladdened my heart as well (and deafened my ears). So yes, it appears that the children are enjoying CC. Except my eldest doesn't like the presentations. But, that's a minor quibble. Presentations are for her the "eat your spinach" portion of CC. Maybe not so pleasant going down, but ultimately good for her. For some reason, no matter how early in the week we nail down everyone else's presentations, hers is still in flux on--you guessed it--Thursday. So much anxiety over such a short 2-3 minutes!

Oh, and my older kids are "behind" in their math, but I already knew that, and we are already remedying that the only way it could be remedied anyway--by continuing to do our math. Duh. This upcoming week is CC's fall break, and I hope to spend some time focusing in hard on our core subjects.

Today was just perfect, in terms of weather: a lie-in-the-grass-and-spot-shapes-in-the-clouds kind of day. I didn't do that, naturally, as I am now a boring adult. Instead, I ran errands, turned the compost pile, did laundry, and cut up old ratty clothes for shop rags. In addition to the usual making three meals, putting baby down for nap, etc.

This week somebody cute and blonde turns six. She has peremptorily invited her neighbor-friends to her party--which is just fine with me because I'd already written on my to-do list to invite them. :) Ordinarily, we do family-only parties because I am just not a party planner. But the Squirrel is just so very fixated on having friends, and especially having friends at her party. I do hope her little friend can come. Her birthday falls on the Semi-Annual Dental Cleaning day, which involves a long drive to Ashburn and lunch on the road--so I'm sure Thursday (of course!) will be action-packed. My eldest is also determined to open a bank account, so that adds yet another errand to the day (our bank is out of town, but on the way to the dentist). Ah, a child's bank account...another mothering first for me.

Stay tuned for pictures of the third pond. Yes, the man of the house has another pond to add to his landscaping resume! If you want the full scoop, visit his pond blog. He wrote quite the reflective post this time!

Did Jesus Preach a Social Gospel?

Sat, 5 Sep 2009 14:33:00 -0500

John 6

6:1 After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii [1] would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, [2] they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

22 On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread [3] the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus [4] said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.

60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him. [Emphasis added]

Classical Conversations: Week One

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 19:55:00 -0500

We had a great day at Classical Conversations yesterday. Even though Chicken was very nervous about the Foundations presentation (a simple introduction), she managed fine. I enjoyed all the tutors and thought they did a great job.

I was so glad to have attended that Parent Practicum. I’d be even more whirly in the head had I not had that introduction. I think the children enjoyed themselves…I know Scrub did! He *loved* the art class! Mopsy loves anything that involves social interaction and talking about her toys (show and tell). Bug said she “didn’t understand a thing,” but I reminded her that this was an intro, and things would become clearer as we went. Buster only got the “I-can’t-do-this!” anxiety once (to my knowledge); and his tutor put it right to rest by reassuring him. I was surprised that he actually got engaged and called out answers. He seemed to understand the content fine.

My one misgiving arose from Fuzzy’s abhorrence of nurseries. (I’ve never made him stay in church nurseries because we were visiting around for so long and they were all total strangers to him. Plus, the little ones always seem to get sick, and then there’s a risk of ear infection, and I just *hate* having to guess if it is or isn’t an ear infection and wonder if I should take them to a doctor. At least CC has a sick policy.)

I knew I’d have to walk away from a screaming child yesterday and, as it turned out, I did. However, I was informed later that he did not cry for very long--just off and on, and even played and napped a bit. It’s a long day for a little guy to spend with complete strangers, and I felt for him. Yes, I guess I coddle him a bit too much. He’s my baby, after all. Pudge didn’t even want to stay in the second session, and he usually likes to stay and play with toy trucks. He settled in, though. Over time they’ll get to know people and be less apprehensive, I’m sure. They do get a lunch break with family, and some outside running time.

Right now, I’m a bit scattered as to what I need to prepare next week. I’m afraid I’m going to forget or neglect something and let the kids down. I feel like I need some sort of CC clearing house to gather up all the disparate documents, instructions, schedules, etc. (I have a notebook, but my stuff has already outgrown it! And there are several different binders and books that the stuff is contained it.) Maybe a daytimer? Really, what I need is a single sheet checklist, and I do happen to have a student one, thanks to a long-distance CC Facebook friend. (See? Those social networking sites can come in right handy.) I need to rework it to include Mom’s duties too. "Check calendar--is it a helper day?" for instance.

I have some sort of “helper” duty next week and even though I wrote all my 2009 helper dates on the calendar, right now I can’t even remember what that is—oh yes, I think it’s nursery back-up, or something, and I don’t even know the nursery workers and their names yet. So I’m a bit nervous about that. Plus I have to remember to go check on it halfway through the session, or something like that. I think? And the girls are supposed to wear green to Essentials, and the little kids are supposed to dress for messy art lessons, and we’re supposed to print and staple checklists to assignments, and we need *two* snacks for each child, not one, morning *and* afternoon, and I’m low on grocery money, so that means I need to bake something, and I have no working homeschool computer or printer, so I’ll have to print stuff at Staples, which means I need to go through and tab everything we could possibly need for this week, and download whatever has been sent so far from the tutors via my laptop and put it on a flash drive, and I can’t do handwriting using the history sentences without my StartWrite (on dead computer, so I will have to re-download the software once the hard drive’s replaced) and oh yeah, there are presentations to prepare for five kids, and I don’t have enough in the budget to join C3 and download memory songs or order the CD/CD-ROM, or even buy enough laminator pouches to laminate the history or vocabulary cards—thank *heaven* the tin whistle thing is 7 weeks away because four of them need tin whistles!…and…and…my head is whirling! LOL! I’ll feel so much better once the routine is down pat. This mish-mash is literally the way I think. Oh what I wouldn’t give to have a logical, 1-2-3, organized mind. I can concentrate on the theoretical just fine, but practical arrangements stymie me. I *did,* however, drag out the roll-y suitcase to haul all those binders around in. Won’t be without that next week.

As for lunches, I think I’ll have to nix the cooler idea…not enough hands…no way can I pack 7 different lunch bags…kids won’t keep up with them…so we’re sticking with a plain old grocery sack to carry it all together since we all have to eat together anyway, and *one* water bottle per backpack. Just make it last or refill it at the tap, kids.

But logistics aside...I’m really glad that we are all learning the same content. That makes homeschooling so much easier. I can just use that one student checklist to make sure we cover everything for everybody during the week! And I know the “train the brain to retain” thing is going to be so much more effective than the eclectic stuff I was doing. They will actually remember it! So, overall, 2 thumbs up!

Warring Against Poverty; Know Thine Enemy

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 12:29:00 -0500

UPDATE: A friend makes some good points that I have not focused on here. 1. God's own servants are often poor. Contentment (Philippians 4:11), love, and gratitude, not necessarily lack of physical poverty, flow from having God as one's axis. 2. Our personal choices often naturally lead us into more reduced circumstances (choice of career, for instance). We cannot legitimately complain about the consequences of freely made choices, though we often find mercy in the midst of them. 3. Many people lead virtuous, successful lives without knowing Christ. God has built certain principles into creation that even unbelievers can follow to good results. Notice, however, Jesus' emphasis on being poor "in spirit," hungry and thirsty, mourners...who find their source in Him. All very true, and hopefully add dimension to this post without detracting from the main point, I think. Back to the original post...

I promised this post, and now it's time to think it through publicly.

Most decent people are sorry poverty exists. It's hard to imagine polling any American thus--"Do you wish you could eradicate poverty?"--and not getting a resounding "Yes!" regardless of party affiliation. I believe this is why the average individual is willing to give politicians the benefit of the doubt when it comes to social experimentation aimed at "decreasing the gap between the wealthiest and the poorest," though most do not closely examine the philosophy behind such a statement.

We declared war on poverty as a nation several decades ago, using collectivist means, and I think "How's that working for us?" is a fair question to ask. Have we won it? "Improved living standards [thank you free market]" but "Poverty rates have held steady," seem contradictory and indicate we have not. If any other war--say, the War in Iraq--were still going forty years hence, how would LBJ's party respond? Perhaps it's time to scrap the battle plan?

I submit we are not only using the wrong weapons, but targeting the wrong enemy as well.

What causes poverty? What will overcome it?

Cause of Poverty

I'll cut to the chase, in the interest of your time and mine, dear reader. Poverty is caused by spiritual darkness, and will be overcome *only* by the power of the Holy Spirit. You can forget using "carnal" (fleshly, human) weapons of warfare. Taxation, uncontrolled spending, political rhetoric, and centralized economies will do nothing but spur the cancer on.

Ask the likes of William Carey and Amy Carmichael: what is behind the sati, the untouchable caste, child temple prostitution, and the like? What other than the "powers and principalities" of this world, who deceive and enslave humankind?

What drives the drug trade, the slave trade, children pressed into civil warfare? What but that one who seeks to kill, steal, and destroy humanity? What causes flight to refugee camps resulting in loss of property, loss of income? What corrupts police officers, politicians, and judges? What drives the mob? What causes spouses to abandon one another, and even their children, for mere sexual pleasure? What causes fatherlessness; lack of initiative; contempt; rebellion; despair? Are social programs really sufficient to defeat the evil resident in the human heart, manipulated by spiritual forces? Can they overcome the powers of darkness?

How can anyone escape his fate in such a system of death (i.e., the world's system) except through the love, light, and life of Christ?

Worship Precedes Charity

You already know these passages, but I'll post them here in full, because so often the pushers of reconstituted communist philosophy abuse and redact the words of Christ to rationalize their violence against human liberty in the name of "overthrowing oppressors" (usually fingered as greedy capitalists).

And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

“The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The Most Important. The MOST IMPORTANT.

Without the Most Important Commandment already in practice, how is the human heart in any wise prepared to love its neighbor? By what means? By its own frail means?

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God." Love is from God. It can't come from any other source. Love arises from having God as the immovable axis, the single object of devoted worship of our lives. You can't revolve around self and God at the same time, anymore than a planet can revolve around two axes.

It's what drives the George Mullers, the Hudson Taylors, the William Wilberforces of this world. There was nothing intrinsically special about them; they were lit by a supernatural love that came from outside themselves, from outside time, from outside the cosmos itself.

Does the human heart, in its unregenerate state, naturally love God? Of course not. Scripture is clear: A human being must first become fully human, as he was originally created to be; must first be regenerated, brought back to life; must first be given a whole new nature. This is why we will never win any war against any social ill with the paltry power of the "arm of flesh." We are the problem, not the solution.

Consider this passage:

Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

("He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. " One's thoughts turn to Congress at the trough--but this is beside the point.)

This is a surprising passage to those who are inclined to disconnect "love your neighbor" from the Most Important Commandment. Did Jesus have no heart for the poor? Was his "anointment for burial" more important than feeding many hungry people? What a waste! For that matter, why did he even have to die and be buried? Why didn't he simply use his divine power to feed thousands of hungry people every day? Why did that have to be an isolated thing--a mere "sign" instead of a substantive "solution"? Jesus had the power to turn stones into bread if he so wished. Why did he not supply the people with bread? Why did he not heal everyone in Palestine? Why did he not overthrow the oppressors of the people?

Here's a shocker: Jesus didn't come to feed the poor. He came for a far more pressing issue: to save our souls from death and hell; to make peace between us and him.   “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

There is no peace with God without unmitigated surrender to God. It's no good giving a person a bowl of rice without also pointing him to the only Way to peace: absolute subjection to Jesus himself. The bowl of rice is a kindness, a good thing, that unfortunately lasts about as long as the rice does; freedom from spiritual darkness, the cause of all human ills, comes by none other than Christ.

And since it is not the business of the government to convert people to Christ, I suggest we, the American church, not take the lazy Judas way and say, "Oh, my congressman will vote it in for me. So what if he takes a little pork off the top."   Your congressman, senator, president cannot do a thing to mitigate poverty.   If they can't win the war in forty years--if the communists, who were in control of *every aspect* of the economy, caused more poverty and starvation than they ever "solved"--is it not clear that the solution does not lie within the powers of humanity? That, indeed, the the very source of the illness is the powers of humanity?

Most of our political leaders do not even know Christ themselves. How can an unregenerate soul shed the love of God abroad in the world? Remember, the Most Important Commandment is the only thing that makes the second commandment possible. We simply cannot love our neighbor unless the love of God resides in us. Otherwise, we're just Pharisees, going through the motions to feel good about ourselves, seeking the praise of man.

If you find yourself more likely to be motivated by guilt-inducing, manipulative rhetoric than by the love of God, I suggest you stop for a moment and contemplate the Most Important Commandment. Ask yourself if He is really your axis. Nobody should be able to guilt you into anything, if you are completely enthralled by your Maker. He loves a "cheerful giver," one who gives as an act of worship. (Can we just settle the issue here, once and for all? Taxation does not equal worship.) He is not interested in our "burnt offerings and sacrifices" or "denarii."

"But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him."

The Most Important Commandment.

Life in Pictures, Part Something

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:27:00 -0500

More random photoblogging, for interested relatives.

This is why I have to fold straight from the dryer. Baskets are always in use.

We have a drake and a hen, apparently. I'm told that curly little feather on Mr.'s tail is a drake feather. Perhaps we have ducklings in our future.

They do the funniest little dance sometimes...I call it the puddle dance because Lady Jemima often does it beside their favorite puddle. She bobs her head up and down, and quacks incessantly. What is that all about? I don't know.

What happens when sis gets hold of the camera:

"I know how you feel kid. Darn paparazzi."

This is the book we've been meandering through for the past several weeks. I can't say it's brought about a significant change in behavior, but I do believe it has awakened some consciences! And they love reading it because it is co-written by three siblings and liberally sprinkled with real-life examples. We are also reading Henry Huggins aloud, a book from our Sonlight stash.

Let me tell you, this little kid is hilarity cubed:

He makes me laugh even when he isn't smiling! He's got miles of personality, and a goofball sense of humor. And he's got big sis wrapped around that tiny pinky finger. She'd walk to the ends of the earth for him...carrying him. He and Mopsy have choreographed a Diaper Dance that has to be seen to be appreciated.

More second pond shots. You'd think we could come up with more creative names than "first pond" and "second pond." Perhaps I should host a naming contest. I'm really bad at naming things. These pictures are old news anyway. The pond is currently green with an algae bloom.

I have more to write about our first day of Classical Conversations, but it's approaching midnight, so it'll have to keep until tomorrow. Excelsior, friends!