Jul. 22, 2007 - A Contest!
Well all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so it looks like its time for some fun around HSB! I have been chosen for a consultant judge, on a new contest. It’s pretty simple, all you need to do is write a tribute to your dad! 10 winners will receive a $10:00 gift certificate to the old school house store, and 1 lucky winner will be chosen to be in featured in TOS magazine!
Here are the official rules.
Even though this is NOT officially an HSB contest. It is open to anyone 21 and younger who comes across the contest on my blog, Amanda's, Paul’s, Jocelyn’s, etc. 10 winners will each receive a $10 gift card (no strings attached and shipping is even free) to the Schoolhouse Store. Five winners may be chosen to appear in a Father's Day tribute (next year) in the pages of TOS Magazine (we may ask you to edit your post down for size/clarity if you win a spot in the magazine). Blog URL may be included as well. Paulie Suarez, and Amanda Dixon are the judges.
- Entry can be as long or short as you wish (the longer ones MAY have a better chance of winning).
- Don't just say what is wonderful about your dad - be detailed! Tell us WHY your dad is as terrific as you say he is.
- Once you have posted your entry, come and comment on both Amanda and Paulie's blogs (both of them), giving them the URL where your entry is posted.
- For a better chance of being selected, also post a comment on BlogBoy and Jocelyn Dixon's blogs - provide the URL to your entry in those comment sections - IMPORTANT. BlogBoy and Jocelyn will be consultant judges.
- 21 years or younger please.
- Contest ends August 15. Winners notified August 20.
Jul. 18, 2007 - Do Hard Things – Forgive Someone
I’ve posted a new blog! Check it out at the link below!
Do Hard Things – Forgive Someone
In the rush of everyday life, we are losing the meaning of being a Christian! We are not on track with our faith, we are not on course with our walk with God, and we are not using Biblical love in our everyday lives! If we spent as much time reading the Bible, as we did partaking in leisure activities, maybe we would be able to learn what forgiveness means from Christ’s example.
One of the hardest, and yet one of the most important lessons a Christian can learn from the Bible is the lesson of Mercy. All through the Bible mercy is talked about, and pointed out as a necessity to being a Christian.
Read the rest here.
Jul. 17, 2007 - Time to Say Goodbye, Well Kinda...
I’m moving my blog. Sorry to spring it on y'all so sudden, but its true. I’m moving on to EricNovak.com. I’m still going to keep my HSB and HSB2 blogs, but I’m only going to be posting partial entries on them. You will no longer be notified of posts on HSB or HSB2, but I will notify you when I make a post on EricNovak.com. If you would like to keep up to date with my blogs, please sign up for my email list. Just email me here.
Here is my first partial post, posted on EricNovak.com
A Little Bit of Bark
A Greek historian once said,
There is no witness so dreadful, no accuser so terrible as the conscience that dwells in the heart of every man.”
For the most part he was right, but on the other hand, he may have overlooked what scripture a seared conscience.
On our property there is a huge evergreen bush, standing like a sentry on the side of driveway. When it snows, it is transformed into a beautiful snow globe, and in the summer it is lush and green and home to many creatures. This year however, I noticed a large portion of the evergreen branches had turned a brown. On further inspection (and some interrogation), I found out that…
Read the rest here
Jul. 11, 2007 - We are Homeschoolers, No Doubt’
A few days ago I went to the library to get some books for myself and a few for my sister Elizabeth. It is getting hard to find a good book, so when I bumped into a librarian, I asked him, “Do you know of any good books for a 12-year-old girl?” He started naming a few, and I followed him down the row of shelves, listening to him blab on about literary choices for young adults. The librarian asked me if my sister was into reading mysteries. I said, “Yes, and she likes the classics.” He pulled Dracula off the shelf and said, “Has she read Dracula?” I think it’s a bit scary for her.” I replied. After perusing the book shelf some more, I stuck Dracula back on the shelf. No w the librarian began naming a few books to see if
Him: Has your sister read Black Beauty?
Me: Yes.
Him: Has she read
Me: Yes.
Him: Has she read Little Women?
Me: Yes, she very advanced…
Him:
Me: Yes.
Him: Wind in the Willows?
Me: Yes.
Him: Tom Sawyer? Call of the Wild?
Me: Yes, Yes.
Him: Anne of Green Gables? Huckleberry Finn? Around the World in 80 days?
Me: Yep, yep, yep.
The librarian looked at me with a kinda’ dazed expression on his face. Then he walked over to a desk and handed me a sheet of age appropriate books. “Here is a list of books that you can look over. If your sister hasn’t read some of them, they are in the fiction section. There are more librarians upstairs if you need any help!” Then he quickly strode off to the back room. I looked over the list and didn’t see one book that I hadn’t read! I went upstairs to the unabridged classics section and got Elizabeth Gulliver’s Travels. We are homeschoolers no doubt!
Jul. 6, 2007 - Goals for Real Life
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What Are We Doing?
I had to reevaluate my goals yesterday. It came to me when I was lying in bed falling asleep. What am I doing with my spiritual life right now? What short-term and long-term goals should I set for myself? What short-term spiritual goals have other people my age set for themselves?
After asking my friends if they had goals, I realized that most of us had little or no spiritual goals. As Christians I think that this is terribly wrong. If we are not striving to meet godly goals, what are we doing? We are filling our time with things that will profit us little in the spiritual realm. Ecclesiastes 12: 11-12 tells us, “The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one Shepherd. Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.” Solomon is not telling us that we should not study, but he is telling us that all of our activities are a waste if we don’t follow God and get our spiritual goals straight.
My Goals
I decided to set my goals – short term and long term. I want to read through the Bible in 90 days, which I am doing now. When I am done, I plan to start over again. I want to memorize James. I want to finish reading I Kissed Dating Goodbye, and start reading Passion & Purity. Out of my love for Christ, I want to read His word everyday.
With God Nothing is Impossible
I set these goals and with God’s help I will try to fulfill them. Don’t try to set goals without God, it doesn’t work. Galatians 3: 2-3 says “Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?”
Evaluating the Goals
The point of having these goals is to glorify God and to grow in His teachings. These goals are not to glorify ourselves. The goals we set will help us, but they are for God’s glory not ours. Philippians 3:14 says “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Most Importation Goal
I think that the most important goal is to read your Bible. God personally wrote these books for me and you. Think of it like this. You go off to war, and you write your sweetheart 66 love letters. You come back, and find that she’s only read a few of them, and some of them weren’t even opened. God wrote us 66 love letters. Just think of living a whole life time and not even knowing what they say.
His Plan for You
God wants us to succeed in life. He wants us to trust in him, and be totally content in that trust. He does make it clear though, that without Him, we cannot accomplish anything. John 15: 5 says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Setting spiritual goals will make you like a tree planted by rivers of water. Your work will come to fruition in due season.
Jun. 30, 2007 - Flesh and Faith
There are two sides to a human, the flesh side and the faith side. All too often our flesh side takes over, and what we end up with is a Christian who has locked God in the closet!
The most common times that our flesh has an opportunity to take over is when we are going through a trial or waiting on God.
I know that I have been talking about Jacob a lot, but I’m going to use his life as an example again.
When Jacob was born, God made a promise to him. He said (Genesis 25: 23), “Two nations are in your womb; And two peoples shall be separated from your body; And one people shall be stronger then the other; And the older shall serve the younger.” Around the age of 40* Jacob got tired of waiting on God. His flesh took over, and he decided to take matters into his own hands. As he made up the lentil stew, he was probably thinking, “God promised me, but maybe I need to take matters into my own hands. I’ll just speed God up a bit.” And so Jacob turns to his flesh and begins his life of trickery. It takes all of Jacob’s life for God to fulfill the promise he made in the first place.
When God makes a promise, He is going to keep that promise. It might take a while, but God is not liar! When we turn to our flesh, and basically stick God out of sight, then we are postponing his promises.
God allows trials in our lives for two different reasons – to test our faith and to offer a choice between our way and His. If we choose to wait in faith, then God will take care of us.
“And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.” Joel 2:26
“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:12
“I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” John 14:18
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
Our society is based around speed. Every appliance has been made to save us time. The faster you move, though, the harder it is to hear God’s whisper. Maybe if we slowed down, we would be able to tell the difference between the flesh and faith. When we are in pace with God, life’s decisions won’t seem as blurred as when we are racing with the world.
God works everything for good, even the bad things! If you love Him, He will safely keep you, and bring all the situations you encounter to good.
* Dr. David Jeremiah theorizes that Jacob was around 40 or 50 when his stole Esau’s birthright.
Jun. 28, 2007 - More on NJAO Narnia Post
Here is the only argument I received from my Narnia post.
Argument
I've read the chronicles of Narnia 2-3 times through and probably read the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe more times than that.
The question here isn't really whether or not the "Magic" in that other world called Narnia is good or bad, or even an allegory of a good thing. But, the question is, should a Christian associate with magic? (Galatians 5:19-20)
In the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, there was little magic done by the good guys. However, in following books from Narnia, you do see some of that. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader had the dufflepuds turned to different beings by a sort of "fallen star" or Wizard. Not to mention the magic rings which were, maybe good, maybe bad.
Rebuttal
As I explained before, the Magic in The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is not really magic. A Christian can not be associated with magic if there is no real magic, hence my debunking the magic theory to see if it really was magic. The same goes for the magic and magician in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. They were used to test Lucy.
Galatians 5:19-20 “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions”
The Greek translation of witchcraft is what our English word pharmacy is derived from. The Greek word could have the positive meaning of dispensing drugs. The real and more common meaning is the use of drugs in sorcery and witchcraft to poison people.
Argument
And as for mythological creatures, I'd say your rebuttal is slightly lacking. Why? Because people are real life things. You can't get away from humans. Mythological creatures are fake and if not, they were/are demonic. Back in olden times, people would see dwarves, fauns and satyrs. Nowadays we see aliens.
Rebuttal
In Lewis’s work, he portrayed a few mythological creatures as good, and he portrayed a few as bad. His good creatures were good and his bad creatures were bad. It does not matter if they appear in any other work, since his book is fiction.
Argument
I don't pretend like I didn't like chronicles of Narnia, or LOTR. I did enjoy them, but I don't actually read them anymore. I don't think that the things that aren't true ought to be thought on (Philippians 4:8)
Rebuttal
A lot of life application can be gained by reading fiction and non-fiction. According to your statement we should not read any fiction. As for the Philippians verse, we need to be led of the Holy Spirit. But I do want to say, if we follow that verse to a “T” then we will be excluded from reading the Bible. After all, the Bible does have a lot of violence in it.
Narnia defines good verses evil. Here is a quote from Prince Caspian: “So that is your plan, Nikabrik! Black sorcery and calling up of an accursed spirit.” The story goes on, and the wicked hag is killed. Good triumphs over evil.
One of the writers of NJAO made a good point.
“Isn't it odd that some believers waste their time taking moral stands against something because of petty concerns? They completely detract from its potential as a godly influence.”
If you would like to see the ministering aspect of Narnia please go to this link.
Jun. 26, 2007 - More About Joseph
Yesterday I posted a blog about the story of Joseph. Two people commented back, saying they didn’t think that Joseph had an arrogant attitude. After doing some more research, I found that there is not really a basis for saying that he had an attitude. I do think, however, if you read between the lines, Joseph may have been overly enthusiastic about sharing his dreams with his family. Perhaps that is what got him into trouble, but there is no place in scripture that says that he was arrogant about it.
Most of the Bible is clearly written, but in some cases all the details are not given, leaving a little room for speculation. I will try to keep my posts in line with scripture, however, I am not God, so I may get a few things wrong. Preaching the Word is basically taking the truth of the Bible and giving it everyday application, and in that application we seek to identify with the people whose lives we read about in Scripture. How would I act toward my siblings if I were favored over them by my mother and father? Would I be able to remain humble? Or would I get an attitude? I guess that is just one of the questions we can ask ourselves, after looking at the life of Joseph.
Another subject that was questioned from my post is the meaning of Jacob’s name. The name Jacob means: heel grabber or one who takes you by the heel. Taking a person by the heel is tricking that person. It’s almost like twisting someone’s arm to get them to do what you want. So the name Jacob does mean trickster.
If you look at Jacob’s life, then you will see what I am talking about. Jacob tricked his brother into giving him his birthright. He tricked his father into giving him a blessing. He was a cunning man who didn’t know how to wait on God. So God took him through some painful trials until Jacob finally stopped taking back control and trusting God with all of his heart. By the end of Jacob’s life, God called himself, “The God of Jacob.”
Jun. 24, 2007 - Ultimate Forgiveness
About seven years later there was economic crash. Many people were starving, but the man’s business was sussessful, and the crash didn’t affect him. He had the option to foreclose on a small company, but to his shock, that company was owned by his brothers! Instead of seeking revenge, he told his brothers that he would provide for them.
Trials breed one of two things, character or contempt. Which will you choose.
______________________________
Joseph did play a few tricks on his brothers before he revealed himself. Maybe he recived his joking from his father. Jacob means trickster.
Jun. 23, 2007 - A Media Post
For lack of a better blogging subject (no, I'm not running short on subjects, just running short on time to write posts). I am blogging a video that I made last year with our REAL pet raccoon. I originally intended for this video to be sold at a profit of $1.00 a viewing. I made a huge splash in the media, selling two videos and spending around $30.00 on hosting for my raccoonvideo.com! Now I have decided to release for your viewing pleasure.
Ok! Everyone can kill me now!
