December 18, 2011 by admin.

Today, we had the privilege of visiting with veteran missionary, Terry McClure who is currently in the USA on furlough. He and his family minister to the people on the Islands of Palau in Micronesia- You need to Google that! :)  Bro. McClure has done a series of Bible studies that will help not only children, but adults as well. I am going to be posting bits and pieces of his studies (hopefully once a week!) to help generate some traffic to his site www.mcclureministries.com . The whole series on 36 lessons on CDRom is available for $30. It is well worth the price, I guarantee it. Please visit his site and for answers to your questions, please email Bro. Terry at terry@mcclureministries.com   So I’ll try and post the first lesson as soon as Christmas is done and get on a regular schedule to help all of us homeschoolers who lose our umph after the holidays! LOL

Posted in philosophy, Bible, projects, prayer, beginning, homeschooling, hints, Uncategorized | No Comments »

January 31, 2011 by admin.

We’ve had a lot of ‘down time’ from our evangelism ministry since November of 2010 and I’ve noticed that being idle, if I am not careful, can create some idols. An idol by definition is something that is made into a god or something worshipped. You say that you don’t bow down to anything other than the Lord Jesus. I say that too. Yet, I have noticed that the more time for pleasure I have, the more I want. I have noticed that the more free time I have, I become tense and feel the need for control. I already have to watch myself against paranoia and the ‘blues’, but Seasonal Affective Disorder creeps in through my frosty windows with the cold air. The black and white winter wonderland doesn’t beckon me to smile at the red bird on the phone wire. Instead, it makes me wonder how in the world his little feet can be so warm when I’m sitting inside in house slippers and socks - wishing for a something (else)hot to drink! Something that isn’t loaded with empty calories!

The more I worry about my children (actually my sons-in-law-to-be) out there driving on the slick roads, the more I long for warm weather and sunshine. A friend of mine has a little five year old girl who wrote her autobiography just last week. I loved it! She wrote that her life was colorless and ‘ruly’ (full of rules. J Guess she was having a bad day?) I could completely understand the first statement, and I guess I’ve gotten used to the last one in my old age. I secretly embrace rules and organization at times, actually.

Last night the Holy Spirit talked to me about these things, reminding me that He gave me the mind that I have to even think the thoughts I was thinking, and I was breathing HIS (cold) air - thank you very much. I repented of my bad attitude (as well as I could). How could I not?! I told God -one more time- that he was my one and only, and I would not worship at the feet of ‘me’ to the best of my ability when the sun came up in the morning. I don’t know if I’ve done all that great, but I have tried not to complain so much. God knows what He is doing, and he has a plan for me to glorify Him in some way. How can I glorify God if I’m worshipping someone else? Namely myself and the gods I have made out of time, money, comfort, safety, security, rules and organization.

Not only does his plan include his glory, but also my good! I am in essence robbing my own self of his goodness to me when I hoard up and worship the things that aren’t mine to start with. All those things I mentioned are GIFTS from God and only from Him can I obtain happiness and joy through them.

I prayed that the Lord would let me see the red in the bird on the wire and the blue in the eyes of a child. (What a blessing to be able to see.) I prayed for Him to let me know the joy of buying someone else a gift with the money he’s given me instead of worrying over bills. (What a blessing to have friends!) The coldness upon my flesh will soon be forgotten. (What a blessing to be able to feel my legs.) The grayness of the winter will bloom into the flowers of spring. (What a blessing to know that God has new things for us!) The smell of the roses and buds of the trees will be all the more sweet when the warm air blows.(What a blessing to have a sense of smell.) When the sunshine melts the frost on my window panes, and I can again raise them high, the sound of the birds will ring. (What a blessing to be able to hear!) I must thank God for the cold, gray days because without them, these warm, colorful days would be taken for granted.

The day is almost over. It’s supposed to snow in the morning, I’ve been told. The winter will come to pass as do all the other seasons. I certainly hope the old temptations to worship the gods of selfishness don’t bring to bare the fruits of unrighteousness- again. I prayed for some way to worship Him and glorify Him because He is worthy. I prayed to enjoy the time I have with my family (and my sons-in-law-to-be) when we are together, (What a blessing to have hope for the future!) and put them in God’s hands when we are apart. What a blessing that I can trust Him!! ‘He’s the keeper of my soul since I gave him full control - Praise the Lord! I’m (still) on the winning, side!

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October 30, 2010 by admin.

GED’s - To take or not to take.

There is one issue that keeps coming to my attention by would-be homeschoolers, or hesitant parents who are thinking about homeschooling. It is the diploma -vs.- GED issue. Parents who have not homeschooled before are sometimes leery of GED, since before the era of homeschooling popularity, having a GED meant you could not pass public school criteria, or that you were a drop-out. Not so in today’s society. GED is not just for ‘losers’ anymore! J So, leaving that aspect and going on to what I would really like to address, lets focus on experienced homeschoolers with children reaching their high school years. The question- Should I allow my child to get a GED?

Most people hope their children will continue to follow the ideas they have been taught as they grow up. That’s the whole purpose in homeschooling, in a way- to (ourselves) mold our children into the adults we believe would benefit the Lord and society in the best possible manner. Most homeschoolers wish that their children would grow up and homeschool their own children, eventually.

To begin homeschooling in the state of WV, you must have a diploma or a GED. Thus, if our children wish to homeschool their own children later, they must have a GED, since WV does not grant diplomas to homeschoolers. (Neither do they accept the credits of most Christian schools if you decide to put him/her in public school. Nor will they accept a Christian school diploma.)

Some people who do not live in a state with said requirement, have expressed that they feel that getting a GED is a bad example to other homeschoolers. They feel that it is a compromise on the part of a homeschooling (especially Christian) family to comply with the status-quo of passing a ‘secular’ (in this case) standardized test.

Some of the main arguments for this thinking are:

1. The relinquishment of parental rights must always be guarded against when dealing with civil and educational government standards.

2. As Christians we are told to ‘come out from among them and be ye separate’. (2 Cor 6:14-17)

3. We should never put our children into situations which we think may be harmful to their spiritual well-being.

4. It may be a flawed theory, that passing a standardized test or not, determines a person’s ability or knowledge. Some folks test well while others freeze up.

On the other hand:

1. Just because you comply with a civil law to attain an end, -ie homeschooling-, doesn’t mean you are compromising your standards or rights (given by the government, by the way) as parents. Civil government is always obeyed in Scripture when it does not go against the laws and/or precepts of God. (Matt 17:27, Rom.13:1-8, Titus 3:1 are some examples)

2. It is agreed that Christians should be separate from the world system, for we have no part in their wickedness or gain. This world is not our home, we are just passing through; pilgrims and sojourners in this place. Therefore, we are technically in bondage to those ‘higher powers’ we read about in Rom. 13. The Bible never contradicts itself. I believe, to be in compliance with their rules, (as long as it doesn’t contradict the laws of God) is the will of God. I have heard it said, “We are to be IN the world, but not OF the world.”

3. Will it hurt my child spiritually? This is kind of ‘touchy’. First, it is understood that all children are not alike in their spirituality. (As a matter of fact, I’ve never seen a spiritual child. I have seen many kids sing, quote the Bible, and even witness for Jesus- RIGHT before they hit their sister and throw a temper tantrum. But I digress. J ). Nevertheless, a child, by the age of 16 or 17, should they have come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, will probably be able to experience the ‘world’ and discern good from evil. We all must learn to choose the good and refuse the evil. There will come a time when your child MUST choose for him/her self. One of the hardest things a parent must do is let go of their control, and let their child have a relationship with the Lord. I am of the opinion that if your child cannot discern the lies perpetuated by the world system by the time they are ready to graduate from high school, you have not done your job as a parent. As far as their spiritual well-being when they are out from under your tutelage, it is up to you whether to teach the right thing or not, but it is the Lord who must protect them and keep them unspotted. (2 Peter 2:9, Prov. 21:31, Prov.16:7)

It is up to you as well, as to how you tell your child to answer such questions that may occur. Do they answer them the way the test makers expect, or do they answer in the Biblical way? Well, are they there to pass a test or teach Sunday School? Before you stone me for blasphemy, I am in no wise saying be hypocritical or double-minded. However, you are not about to change the test makers’ minds if you do not answer a question the way they want it answered just because you do not believe in evolution. On a GED, there is no place for a written-in opinion. Honestly, in my experience of standardized tests, there are SOME things that need to be warned of, and some things are just silly. If you’ve done your job, your teenager will know there are no 5 million year old “anythings”. Answer the question they way they want it to be answered and know that it is a lie. Simple.

4. I don’t think I have a Biblical answer for this one. I agree with the non-testers in this aspect, actually, having three children, none of which are alike when it comes to testing. I do think, however, that you cannot keep tests of some kind from entering into the life of your youngster. God tests us and tries us according to our abilities and strengths, AND to reveal to us his will, AND to exercise our faith. I have yet to sit down with paper and pencil and hand in a written test to the Lord, but tested, I have been and will continue to be. Also, I don’t believe God is a ‘standardized’ tester. (Rom. 12.) I also believe that we must study to show ourselves approved unto God, but not only to Him. It boils down to, there are some things that you don’t like to do which may be hard, but they may be a necessary stepping stone toward a higher goal.

By the way, most colleges do not require a diploma or GED for admission, but they do require an SAT or ACT. I don’t know about Bible Colleges, but if they are accredited colleges, I would assume they would require an SAT or ACT (which are ‘secular’ standardized tests) and which opens up a whole new subject as to how to further your child’s education. Once again, a college diploma trumps a high school diploma or a GED - unless the college degree is from a non-accredited college.

As parents, the one thing we must do is pray that we make the right decisions to the GLORY OF GOD. Some people’s decisions are not meant to be others’ decisions as long as God gets the glory. Compromising should never be an option when it comes to the gospel or the fundamentals of the Bible, OR of the scriptures themselves- but let’s be sure that when we think others are compromising, we are not judging a matter out of pride, strife or our own vain glory- even to the point of whether or not others homeschool! To GOD be the glory. (Question, Non-homeschoolers-CAN you glorify God by NOT homeschooling? Can you honestly say that sending your child to a public school WILL bring glory to God? Think long and hard about that before judging the homeschoolers.)

Though I have decided to homeschool and are aware of some obvious benefits, if someone else does not home school their children, but Jesus gets the glory, what have I to say about that? All I am here to do is to share the benefits of homeschooling from the get-go and hope folks take my advice. I have nothing to say to parents who decide against homeschooling that the Lord will not deal with later on if he doesn‘t get the glory. Be assured, homeschooler or not, we WILL be judged for our actions.

“To actuate an idea for a noble cause is not as noble as to follow a great leader; our leader being the Lord Jesus himself.”

(By the way…has someone already coined that phrase, because if not, I claim it! J )

Posted in standardized testing, prayer, homeschooling | 4 Comments »

June 21, 2010 by admin.

Courting

A lot of folks have recently begun asking me questions about our girls; (Logan is still available) how their relationships with their “to-be’s” came about, and how they are progressing. So I thought I would just write a little about it, give some definitive terms, and how it has happened not once, but twice so far in our family. What’s more, we are looking forward to a third time! The next time, it will be different for us because Logan will be doing the courting instead of being courted! I might be asking for some advice from someone else on this one!

To begin, there are many, many different ideas about courtship. I really don’t think that any two or three families do it exactly the same way, although involved families need to agree on how their children will be courting. They need to be on the same page as far as courtship rules etc. For example, along with our physical contact rules which I talk about in the next couple paragraphs, we also have a rule that we read all letters and cards and all emails and chats. There is nothing spoken of that cannot be heard by parents or siblings. But I’m getting ahead of myself…

Being brought up in a ‘dating’ culture, neither my husband, nor I had any concept of courting when we started seeing each other as a couple. While our parents certainly did not want us to be promiscuous, they saw nothing at all wrong with holding hands or hugging or even kissing for the most part, eventually. I say eventually, because things in dating relationships usually progress quickly physically often leaving out the more important facets of a relationship while courtship progresses intellectually, emotionally and spiritually for a more well rounded relationship, sealing the courtship with marriage and the physical.

A friend of ours, when talking to teens and families is quick to point out that what hand you are holding or whose lips you are kissing do not belong to you if you are not married. If you are not committed to a relationship before you get that pleasure, you may be kissing someone else’s wife or husband! Avoid fornication. That’s good advice.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 7, verses 1-4 that it is good for a man not to touch a woman, but to avoid fornication, let them have a wife or a husband. In today’s world and culture, teenagers can’t have a wife or a husband, so our family believes that to avoid fornication until such time, touching is off limits. As a teenager, I did not understand, (not discounting my own rebellion) that physical contact is dangerous if not within the bonds of marriage. I will say that we allow our children to shake hands with their “to-be’s” It is a different handshake than at fellowship time at church, but not long enough to count as hand-holding. They can say hello and goodbye, but otherwise there is no touching.

Why the word “to-be”? Well, again, unlike a dating situation, our children’s relationships are not based on a trial or a game. The young men are not just having a good time with our girls, but they have the intention of marriage, and they have had that idea since the day they each came to my husband and asked to court our daughters. (more on that later)

The word ‘boyfriend’ is a word that we don’t even like to use, but most people don’t understand our vocabulary. To keep from having to explain our courting terms over and over, we just say boyfriend most of the time. J So, actually when we say “to-be” we mean husband or wife to-be. I like to use the words Leah’s or Sarah’s “intended” or ‘Fellow’, while Kelcey’s parents usually call Leah, “Kelcey’s Lady” or his “Princess”.

Some people think that we were silly to put that serious of a tag on the relationship from the very start, but the reason for that is simple. We’re not playing games. It IS a serious relationship. We know both our daughter’s relationships were orchestrated not from human trial and error, but from a heavenly design and plan for the good of our children and the glory of God. Why should we NOT revel in the grace of God and his will being accomplished in our lives? It is an answer to many prayers to have Kelcey O’Neil courting our Leah and Christopher Davis courting our Sarah.

Yes, we believe that we prayed, and God answered. You don’t let God have that part of your life? Do you not think it’s important enough to pray about? Or do you think that God doesn’t care who your child spends the rest of her/his life with? Do you not think that you can choose (or at least influence highly) your child’s idea of a mate? We actually had a mental list of qualifications and these guys met the standards. If they had not, the answer would have been no, we don’t believe you are the young man God has for our daughter.

One of the first questions that I get asked from well meaning but ignorant folks is ‘He is a Christian isn’t he?” Once, I replied. “Yes, but he likes to party and get drunk on the weekends, we’re hoping she is a good influence” My friend knew I was joking, so I said, “Ask a stupid question…” Then I asked her did she honestly think we would approve of a situation without Christ as the center? OR could it be that coming from a dating culture, we just expect our teenagers to rebel?

Our Courting ideas did not come from a book (except the Bible). We had our own ideas of what we wanted for our children for the most part. One thing we avoided was play-dating. We never encouraged little boyfriends or let them hold hands with other little ones when they were small. I guess we always saw the danger of letting our children be flirtatious. Yes, it’s cute, however, we always were able to see that what is wrong and cute at age two is still wrong and NOT cute at age 12. Did they have crushes? Sure. And they told us about them. When they did express that they ‘liked’ someone, we did not fain excitement or show how ‘fun’ or cute it was that they had an interest, but we re-iterated what the Bible says about husbands and wives. (I was reading this aloud and Leah says we said “He’s married! J ) We taught our girls to be chaste and modest instead of flirtatious and wanton. Now, when they think about their past crushes, they know it was a healthy interest in the opposite sex, but they are not embarrassed of their actions.

We did not roll our eyes in mock frustration in the ‘what am I going to do with you’ attitude. We realized that human beings are created to be loved by someone special and it is not good that man be alone. It doesn’t matter how old you are. You know what love is. We never told them they did not know what they were talking about, but we did tell them that they lacked the experience to choose what was best and we tried to develop their trust in us by being honest, sincere, and hopefully consistent enough that when we thought it time, or the right person was revealed, we would tell them.

It was the same - but different- for both girls. Here’s how it happened: (remember that there are FOUR gospels, so if you want another version of the love story, ask Kelcey, Leah, and Kelcey’s parents! LOL)

The Prince and the Princess:

(Imagine sweeping harp chords, dreamy chimes and the foggy mist of memory lifting)

We went to Virginia for my husband to preach and our family to sing at a newly established church. The pastor is a friend we’ve known since the early 1990’s. He informed my husband casually that there would be another preacher and his family there- the O’Neil’s. We did not know them, although we had traveled in the same circles and knew many of the same people. The Pastor was surprised! How could we not know them?! We had been to the same churches but had never met. The answer, it was not time. As we women- another preacher’s wife, the pastor’s wife and I- were preparing food for the meeting, the O’Neil’s arrived and the door to the Pastor’s home opened. In walked a tall, dark and handsome stranger with a firm handshake and a pair of nice cowboy boots! J He spoke with confidence, was polite to my husband and could hold an intelligent conversation. Only one problem, he wasn’t the least bit interested in Leah! My husband, however, was ticking that list off in his mind and Kelcey O’Neil was fitting the bill. Later, my husband revealed to me that he thought the Lord was answering our prayers for Leah. It ‘just so happened’ that we found common interests with Kelcey’s parents (which we found out later was because they were ticking off their own list and had gotten the word from the Heavenly Headquarters that Leah was going to be their daughter-in- law) and began spending time in many family outings getting to know each other. Leah and I spoke in November of 2007 about how she might be feeling about Kelcey, and I told her what her Dad and I believed. That he was ’the one’. Kelcey fought tooth and nail against this arrangement although nothing had been said to him about it. He had no problem fellowshipping with Ron and me, but when it came to being nice to Leah or even pretending to be nice, he wanted none of it. Nothing was said to him of trying to ’marry him off’ but he felt it. He was very upset to hear his Dad praying about this situation, but later told us that it was a sweet memory. We went away for a week or two in October 2008 in our ministry (almost a year after Leah and I had spoken), and Kelcey found that it was not being able to live WITH someone for the rest of your life, but not being able to live WITHOUT them that mattered. He missed Leah. It smacked him hard upside his head and he told his dad that he thought he was beginning to like Leah. Over the course of the next eight months, he and his dad had many conversations and, eventually, Leah began seeing a change. She began to notice that he was looking her way, that he would say something to her now and again, that talking to him for more than a sentence or two was kind of nice…and that she could be herself. (To understand more about Leah, read the blog = The Same But Different) By Memorial Day 2009, they were holding conversations alone, but in plain sight. They laughed, and they talked and talked! June 2009 was Leah’s graduation from home school and she was a picture of a magnificent lady full of grace in her formal dress we bought for her! Kelcey could take it no more, and the day after graduation, he and his Dad took Ron to lunch, and he asked to court Leah. Ron asked him some basic questions and then they came back to the house. We sat as a family around our table and Kelcey told Leah that he had just had a talk with her Daddy and had asked him if he could court her if she would ‘be agreeable’. She said she was, very much so. Kelcey’s Dad then asked Leah some questions, too. When he asked her how serious she was about courting Kelcey, she surprised us all by looking into Kelcey’s eyes and saying, “I’m very serious. I love you very much.” I could not have day-dreamed that! I could not have picked up and read a fairy tale with that much magic!

It has been a year, and they have grown together in goals and dreams. Tonight, as they sat on the porch swing, they sat and read the Bible together and prayed. They are planning their life together, and preparing for marriage. Am I naïve enough to think that they do not want to touch, hold hands, kiss and cuddle? Not on your life! I know they have that desire, but their desire to do things right is stronger. They have not been placed into compromising situations that tested their resolve to the point of breaking. We do not hover over them, nor do we require them to be constantly watched, although they are in public areas at all times. They have been sheltered by grace and kept in a safe place. No, they are not engaged in the generic sense of the word because Kelcey has not proposed, nor given her a ring. When the last pieces of his plan are put into place, there will be another formal meeting with Ron and Kelcey, man to man, and an engagement will be commenced - complete with celebration with family and some very close friends- and the carving of Kelcey’s name into Leah’s hope chest! Although we have always known that marriage is the imminent goal, we want them to have the memory of the very moment that he actually asks her to be his bride. That is the day that the wedding date is announced. Although there has been quite a few months of courtship, there will probably not be a long engagement; probably just long enough to order a dress and some invitations! And the Prince and the Princess will live happily ever after….

In the time before their courtship, the Queen Mum (um that would be me) did a lot of instructing on how to be a good Princess and began preparing Leah to be courted. She grew and matured, waiting quietly for her Prince. ( I think the other Queen and I were a bit ‘antsy’ but Leah actually did fine while waiting for His Royal Stubbornness to come around! J ) So, when his intentions were finally realized, she was ready to accept, easily and with no reserve. I never said a lot to Leah about Kelcey before his announcement, as far as teasing her about liking him. She is not that kind of girl. I knew she would break down and cry. She wanted to believe, but did not want to hope too strongly, that Kelcey liked her. So we just didn’t talk about it much. At one point , I think she really wanted to just forget about it all because Kelcey was being more than a little rude to her, trying, I think, to remain in control of the situation but not being very successful!

TALE NUMBER TWO -

The Charming Knight and the Lady in Waiting…

The Lady who waited and waited for her own prince to come sat daydreaming about a day when, like her sister, a handsome stranger would ask for her hand. She wanted to feel included and doted upon. She wanted to be special to someone who would understand her. She filled her days with music and photography of God’s beautiful creation; his flowers, his clouds, his rain and dewdrops. She filled her spirit with laughter and mischief. She climbed hills and rooftops so as to see things from a different perspective. That was nothing new. Sarah always sees things from a different perspective! She was jealous of Leah but she didn’t want to be. She knew she was two years younger. She just felt left out! Then, there was an evening in March 2009 when we went to the O’Neil’s house with the specific purpose of playing music with an old friend of theirs, and a newer friend of Kelcey’s, one Mr. Christopher Davis who played the piano, and who was a computer savvy co-worker of his. We, Ron and I, found him very charming, and I saw Sarah melt before my very eyes. When we got home, I told Ron what I had seen and although we had been praying for Sarah, our lives had been a little consumed with Leah’s heartstrings, so we began praying in earnest for our little Sarah Grace. Chris came to Ron’s birthday party that we held in his honor at my In-law’s house. He was the last to leave as he and Sarah had been finding common ground in the Irish whistle music and some favorite hymns. At one point, Leah walked into the music room where Sarah and Chris were, and felt so much energy that she walked back out smiling and pointing! I shushed her quickly and reminded her that she had a long while before seeing her sister in the same courtship situation as she was so newly in! J It was not long after that moment that Ron, too saw sparks flying, handed Mr. Davis his hat and told him good night, in a courteous manner, of course! At the next meeting- about a month later, the four kids went over to the church at Walton and played music together. This is when Chris said it strongly occurred to him that ‘someone’ was going to be a lucky guy to get Sarah. He was still thinking about his college plans and not getting serious about anyone. For a long while, Sir Chris, the noble gentle knight spent time, money and effort for and with our family and the O’Neil’s. I think he began to notice that the things Kelcey and Leah did as a courting couple were no different than when they weren’t officially courting, except for a few more longing looks (which Chris teased him mercilessly about). He found that he liked exchanging friendly greetings on Sarah’s Facebook wall, and ‘singing’ with her the hymns of praise. He saw that she loved the Lord and was genuinely interested in service. He began asking Kelcey questions about courting when they went to lunch or when they got together to play music without us around. In about November of 2009, he told Kelcey that he thought he might like someone. I am not sure whether or not he told him it was Sarah. Of course Kelcey did not tell us, but God sure had told us months before! At our house, things were getting pretty rough for Sarah because of me and Leah. We teased her about Sir Chris and SuperChris as we called him because he could fix ANY computer or technical related question. We laughed that they had so much in common and how cute they were going to be together. Even Ron got in on the act and began teasing Sarah about Chris. She took it well, hoping and wanting to believe that maybe some day after Chris graduated college and she finished high school, that he might think about her. After Chris and his family came up to exchange gifts at Christmas, it looked like things might be looking up for Sarah. I think around the first of January 2010, Chris told his parents that he liked Sarah and that he was praying about it. He began attending our church on Wednesday nights, sometimes even driving in snowy and winter weather conditions! Ron said he didn’t think Chris was driving all that way just to see him! Sarah’s 16^th birthday was on a Tuesday and we had a small family gathering, purposely choosing not to invite Chris up specially. Ron and I could feel a thunderhead forming and didn’t want to push anything. We decided to play along at the ‘just friends’ façade Chris was putting up. After all, A few days after Sarah’s birthday, we had planned a skating party for her at a local skating rink and he and his family were coming to that. On the day of her party it rained so hard that it flooded our neighborhood and we couldn’t get out of the hollow! Sarah was SO very upset- not only because the party had to be postponed until the next week, but because she was looking so forward to seeing Chris that day. I think he had kind of an inkling, but not a real understanding of how much Sarah cared about him. But when he heard that she was upset- and crying, he could barely contain his true feelings anymore and tried to console her by telling her that it was just the Twelve Days of Birthday! All her grief over postponing the party was gone! The Wednesday after that, Chris came to supper, as he had been doing, but before church, stopped Ron and asked him if he would come to dinner on Friday with him and his Dad. On Friday, March 19^th 2010, Chris asked Ron for Sarah. It had been almost a year since he had talked to Kelcey, and Ron was more than happy to say yes to Chris, but he did not think about Chris and his Dad coming to the house so he could ask Sarah himself. He came home with the great news to the Queen Mum and the Princess, and most of all the Lady in Waiting all chastising him for telling Chris he would see him in the morning! He ACCIDENTLY made Chris wait until Saturday, March 20^th to ask Sarah to be his Lady. (instead of just in-waiting!) In that twelve hours, Chris did a lot of thinking about how to talk to Sarah face to face and he was so nervous when we four finally sat down at the table. (The Prince and Princess took care of keeping the rest of the court occupied while the round table meeting was commencing!) Unlike Kelcey’s and Leah’s announcement, Chris’ parents were not present when he asked Sarah if she would allow him to court her, and unlike Leah’s announcement to Kelcey, Sarah did not forcefully and confidently proclaim her love to her noble Knight in Shining Armor. She just sweetly smiled, and said she would allow him to. J A little later, as they sat by the piano, Chris on the bench and Sarah at his feet, she smiled up at him and whispered ‘those three little words’ to Chris before he left with Kelcey for the evening. Kelcey said he had to use two seatbelts to tie Chris down on the way home that night - because he was floating away on cloud nine! It has been almost three months since that evening, and Sarah has indeed been courted very well! And we believe that God has been glorified! Their letters and conversations praise God for his goodness, and for his choice to put them together. They talk of wanting to please the Lord in their lives and in their life together. They are not making marriage plans yet, but know that they are going to get married. Right now, they are re-iterating Chris’ desire and necessity to finish his accounting degree. Sarah still has a year of high school to finish. Right now, they just want to make beautiful music together and are still amazed to see God working in their lives. They are beginning to grow together, and in the Lord. We are looking for great things from them! The beginning…

So… that’s how it happened and is happening. If you have any questions, or comments, please feel free to let me know J

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January 26, 2010 by admin.

I did this work as a lecture for a ladies’ meeting.  Unfortunately, the meeting was cancelled and I didn’t get to speak, so I thought I would use it on the blog. Please understand that I am not intending this blog as a sermon to men, and am in no way trying to instruct men on how to conduct your spiritual life, but in the spirit of Titus 2, I am intending to teach younger women.   

Title:  WHY?…A Study in Trust

Little ones are notorious for asking ‘why’. There is the cutest little five year old boy who comes to our church who happens to say the most hilarious things. For instance, at the dinner table one day he announces out of the clear blue that he’s thinking about getting a baby sister. His daddy told him to let him know when he decided on getting her. J 

His Mamma started homeschooling this year and sometimes bathes him to wake him up in the morning. One morning, it wasn’t working so well. He kept falling asleep in the tub.  She noticed he was drifting and said, “You’re falling asleep. What are you doing?” to which he replied, “I’m hibernating.”   So naturally, I asked his Mamma if he’d ever said anything profound, about the word ‘why’.   

You know, he never has!   

But she did.   

She said that sometimes if he thinks he knows best, doesn’t want to do something, or is questioning her authority, he ‘gets on a why kick’.  

Why do I have to do it?  Why do you want me to do it?  But  WHY!?   

That got me to thinking about some of the things that we, as Christians, do. These are all answerable by Scripture, so if you want something to study, these are free: 

WHY do we go to church?
Why do we dress modestly?Why do we behave modestly?Why do we love the brethren? 

Why do we NOT use the language of the world?Why do we stay away from places/things that will harm our testimony?Why do we NOT cheat and steal? 

Why do we study our Bible?Why do we witness to people, invite them to church or pass out tracts? 

And WHY, when we know that someone is under conviction of the Holy Ghost of God, do we ‘feel’ in our spirits the travail of birth for a new soul?  

My husband is an historian, and his history books are full of stories of women in the early times of America, who had hard labors and died just because they ran out of strength.  Sometimes I think that we get someone to come to church with us, and the Lord deals with them- they are on the verge of coming forward and making a true commitment to Christ- and then… we fail to have the strength to bring forth!  The Church of GOD- the Bride of Christ- fails to bring forth children because we are weak.  

Do we stop our prayers short just one prayer before we need to?  Do we maybe get caught up in the temporal instead of being conscious of the eternal?  We can’t expect to be unconcerned before church, maybe even during church, and then pray really hard during one verse of “Just As I Am” and wonder WHY that soul didn’t get saved.   

Now, I am not saying that a soul’s salvation depends on our sinless, holiness, so don’t feel too bad.  Remember that the LORD is the giver of life, physical or spiritual. But we are vessels who need to be clean and strong, fit for the Master’s use. That goes for our Christian lives and testimony, and for our homes and families.   

Tell me, IS the Bible the word of God?  I know you answered yes. Then WHY do we not try and study to show ourselves approved unto GOD?  Sometimes I think that we think that if people don’t see us do bad things that no one saw, but that’s not true.  God saw, he heard, he knows our thoughts.  WHO do we think we are kidding?   

Why do we expect God to accept us just the way we are, and then let stay the way we are?  He wants us to be holy as HE is holy.  GET RID OF THE JUNK, and stop trying to be like the world.  If you are going to sell out to something, sell out to Jesus- the REAL Jesus- not some made-up fictional, anything goes, peace-loving, sin tolerating, compromising, materialistic , plastic, soap opera drama queen kind of panty waist, mystically spooky IDEA. He is REAL. He is GOD. He deserves our worship and our reverence. He does not care so much about our happiness as about our holiness.  He’s the KING of KINGS and LORD of LORDS, and He wants a direct and personal relationship with you, but on HIS terms.   WHY don’t you want that?  WHY do you expect GOD to stoop to your ideas?  WHYWHY  

Since there is so much here with the questions at the beginning, I think I will break this study up into a couple more parts.  I hope that you can find a nugget or two in the WHY questions to exercise your faith.

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