Announcing Homeschool Sanity Brag Thursday Link-Up

Have you been having a great time homeschooling using good, old books, or have some terrific tip to share, or a nifty notebooking page? Hop on over to my other blog, Homeschool Sanity, and share with the rest of the world!







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Virtual schooling vs. Homeschooling

I live in a largely blue-collar town. There are no mansions or super affluent people that make up our community. The families that choose to be "traditional", with the daddy as the breadwinner, struggle. Lots of homeschooling families that I know here have had trouble even affording a computer.

In a community like ours, virtual schooling where the government sends a family a computer, pays for Internet use, and supplies all sorts of glossy, colorful curricula and even science and craft supplies, is a very great temptation.

When our state first began to offer such programs, I can remember the glowing reports of all of the "goodies" that were sent--it was like Christmas! Everything needed was provided, including scissors and craft paper, and seeds for growing things. Mothers who before had been wringing their hands wondering how they were going to afford the Saxon Math series were now almost care-free.

But there was a catch.

Someone has said that nothing in life is truly "free". With all of the goodies and the "comfort" of knowing someone else was in charge came a large price. Instead of worries over buying supplies and curricula, now the mothers had a heavy burden placed on them each and every day. They had to coerce and nag and bite their fingernails over getting the work done that was required--a whole boat-load of extra fact-cramming and busy-work that made it almost impossible for anyone to have a good life, especially for the mother who had even 3-4 children on different levels. Instead of having their lives simplified, they were complicated beyond comprehension, and their children were being harmed in the process and turned into drones who were beginning to hate anything to do with "learning".

Government controlled schooling!

The most unfortunate thing of all was that most mothers were convinced that this sort of government-sponsored slavery was what homeschooling was all about! Many who were already feeling overwhelmed about teaching their own children became convinced, after allowing the state to take control and mess with things, that homeschooling was impossible and horrid. So, they gave up.

But learning is not a super-complicated thing that only professionals know how to do!

Our children were born to us completely helpless--they could not even hold their own heads up! Somehow, with our maternal encouragement, they learned to walk and talk and feed themselves. Children, even in some of the most impoverished conditions, learn to do these things, unless they are ill or haven't any food to eat.

Why do children learn these things? Is it because they are constantly nagged, or they have been through the right "programs"? No. Children learn these things because they want to and it was a necessity. The parents are there to facilitate, encourage and guide.

Now here is the secret that those who run teaching colleges and publish curricula and make their living on the supposition of universal idiocy do not want you to know:

TEACHING CHILDREN IS NOT DIFFICULT--THEY ALREADY WANT TO LEARN!

I once checked out a magazine published for teachers from the library, thinking I could glean something of value for my own family. An article was written therein about teaching composition to middle-school students. I could not believe the amount of verbiage it took--paragraph upon paragraph of evidence and studies and then the methodology that took pages to explain. What a waste!

Writing is just an extension of language, another form of communication. When it is taught in this context, it no longer seems mystical or complex. Good writing is learned by reading the good writing of others--with reading aloud, discussion, and application.

The same goes for the other subjects. Math is a sort of communication, it is the communication of the Creator to His creation--that there is order and care. Science is best described as the "thinking of God's thoughts after Him". The wonder of this planet and the universe is the only catalyst needed. Once the appetite has been whetted, a parent need only watch a child take off like a rocket-ship (and be willing to enjoy the adventure).

Of course, you can't enjoy the wonderful adventure of discovery with your child if every day is prescribed and written down. The time and energy you would normally have to explore and discover is all taken up by the reading of droll, dumbed-down texts, numerous questions to be answered by rote understanding, canned experiments and the like.

A family outing together!

Yes, there are times when a little rote learning can be valuable, but not as an all-encompassing program. The teaching of facts should be likened to handing out tools that a skilled craftsman, the child, can use to create and discover further. Rote learning should never become the end, but the means. We should not be so much concerned with turning out children who can win at Trivial Pursuit as much as we should be concerned with raising children who demonstrate that they can take the information in any situation, analyze it, and come up with wise conclusions and solutions.

I do not write theory here; I myself have seen the proven examples, and not just among my own children.

But the public schooling industry, and it is a great part of our economy, does not want you and I to know just how simple teaching and learning really is. Just think of how many meetings and conferences would have to be canceled. Entire political sub-committees would have to be disbanded. We would see a lot of educational Ph.d.'s flipping burgers, and whole educational supply industries would go belly-up.

Judeo-Christian values

I personally believe that it would allow Christianity to regain its influence once again as the underlying foundation of our Republic, as parents would be allowed to pass on their Judeo-Christian values in a personal way to the subsequent generation.

But you won't read this in the leaflets sent out to entice you. They will act as your friend, and say how they understand that you feel unsure and intimidated. But they definitely are not friendly. They only wish to use your own fears to convince you that you can not do it on your own.

But, with God's grace and help,

YOU CAN!!!

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)

Article was originally posted on 12/2/08.

Daughters of Sarah--Not afraid with any amazement

"Daughters of Sarah"

The woman's voice on the other end of the phone was frantic. She just didn't know what they were going to do!

She was married, her husband was a skilled tradesman during a building boon in our area, and they had only two children. Someone had referred her to me, I think, as a bit of a joke, although, to this day, I am not quite sure which one of us was supposed to be the brunt of it.

After all, I was the mother of 14 children at that time, and my husband made less than her husband did. Did she realize just who she was talking to? If there was anyone in the world who could be full of fear, it was a mother in my circumstances.

But her unrealized fears had clouded out all of her faith--no matter how I tried to comfort her and point out the blessings in her life, she ranted on and on about how very dire things could turn out. She wanted to have every detail of her life nailed down; she wanted a security and assurance that none of us will ever have if we are relying on the things of this earth.

She did not call me once, but numerous times, and each time it was the same--there was absolutely no growth. It was while I was attending a retreat that we finally met in person. I was watching all of our children play at the hotel pool when she walked up to me--it was only then that it dawned on her that all of the counsel I had given to her just might have genuine merit--when she saw with her own eyes just how much God is able and willing to do in the life of someone who trusts (even if that trust is sometimes faltering).

If there was one single element that could define the sinful nature, it would be fear.

Eve didn't realize it, but that lie that the fruit was "desirable to make one wise" was actually an invitation to a life without any security.

As Eve's spirit lost its focus and control, it was her soul that took over--her mind, will and emotions began to take full reign. She was immediately forced into a life of bondage to her senses--only what she could perceive in her mind and feel in her emotions--in essence, the creation, rather than the Creator, began to rule over her.

Eve's disobedience and lack of trust had cost her the fellowship she benefited from with her loving Creator and eventually plunged her into darkness and death. Before, she had enjoyed an intimate communion with her Maker, but after the fall she became critically aware of her terrible loss and emptiness--now, with no assurance for her future, she was compelled to position herself for protection with a constant expectation of the worst, making every minute of her life torment.

Sarah was different. She was the "other half" of Abraham--the father of our faith. It was Abraham that received God's call, after hearing God's voice to leave his country and home, but it was Sarah who willingly obeyed her husband, even without hearing God's voice, and believed that God had a wonderful purpose and a plan for them.

Do we actually realize just what a step of faith it must have been for this woman? When they set out for Canaan, it may as well have been for the moon! There were no travel guides or maps that described the places they were passing through, much less revealing the location of their ultimate destination. Most of us would have had a huge fit of temper and flat out refused to take one step with our husbands without being handed a detailed plan, including a run down of the itinerary, with a description of all of the stores, libraries, churches and schools at the end of the road.

But to add to all of the "unknowns", her own husband allowed her to be carried off, not once, but twice to foreign rulers! Talk about insecurity! I don't know what I would have done, sitting in the Pharaoh's palace, knowing it was his intention to make me one of his many wives. But the Lord God took incredible care of her. Because of her great faith, He actually moved mightily on her behalf.

"And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife. And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? Why saidst thou, She is my sister? So I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way. And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had." (Genesis 12: 17-20)

A very comparable situation happened not too long after this. Sarah did what her husband had asked of her, and agreed to be called his "sister" rather than his "wife". Why would anyone be so foolish? Most of us would have stamped our feet and refused to comply. But she did as she was told--and God did not fail her!

"Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid. Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing? And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake. And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother. And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee. And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved. So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children. For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife." (Genesis 20:8-18)

I have heard quite a lot about how we woman are supposed to be adorned with a "gentle and quiet spirit". What a lovely concept, to be sweet and demure, able to weather each and every storm with a calm smile and quiet spirit! But, no matter how hard I tried, I just never could "pull it off". There was always something deep within me that sabotaged my outward efforts.

Many years ago, I discovered a truth that literally transformed my thinking, and when I keep this truth in mind, it always leads me to great faith, and, consequently, greater peace.

It's the latter portion of a group of verses in 1 Peter chapter 3:

"But let it [adornment] be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement." (1 Peter 3:4-6)

What keeps us from having that "meek and quiet spirit? Fear, manifesting itself as insecurity.

But we don't have to live there. We can exercise our faith--the measure of faith God has given to each of us. (Romans 12:3)

This is what makes us "daughters of Sarah!"

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (Hebrews 11:6)

"For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."  (Romans 4:3)

It is clearly not just a "religious" faith that is only applicable to "spiritual" things. It's just not enough to simply believe that Christ's sacrifice on the cross bought us heaven after death, yet will not transform our lives here on earth. No, this faith has to be a living faith. It has to be active as we walk out each and every day.

It needs to shape the way we view our role as women. This living faith must become a part of us when we sit down and look at our finances, or gaze into our refrigerators, or open our clothes closets.

Our faith must be active when our husbands inform us we will be moving, or that they are changing their jobs, or that they have lost their jobs.

Our faith in God must be "alive" when our husbands are absent, or aloof, or even "disobedient to the Word". Even if we honestly believe they don't spend their money "right", or if they make the wrong decisions, Jesus must remain the Lord of our hearts, and we need to respond with a love that trusts, instead of reacting with fear and anger.

We need to trust in God's vision for our children, especially on the most difficult of days, when they are in obvious rebellion, and even when illness and death threaten. Agree with the Lord through prayer releasing Him to minister to your children's needs. Don't pray out your anxieties over them--rather express faith that God's Spirit will turn things out for their good. Speak faith!

We must believe that God will take care of us, and love us, and never leave us lonely, no matter what may happen--if our families desert us, or the economy crashes, or even if the world itself should come to an end.

Rather than looking to all of the "stabilizers" we have erected in our lives; our bank accounts, our insurance policies, etc., instead, we should to look to Jesus Christ--the Cornerstone, the One who is "the same, yesterday, today and forever."

We ought to clothe ourselves with a "child-like" trust in God.

"The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe." (Proverbs 18:10)

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation." (Psalm 91)

There is no other way to have faith than by keeping our focus upon Jesus Christ,

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)

If we really want to become "daugthers of Sarah", and learn to adorn ourselves with a "meek and quiet spirit", we must first learn to abide in Christ, because it is the direction of our inward gaze that will determine our outward appearance.

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:1-3)

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free! 

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, 

In the light of His glory and grace.  

--Helen H. Lemmel

Interior transformation--The dirty word

"Young Ruth" by Nicole A. Hayes

If you want to offend women, if you want to empty a church, if you enjoy a silent room, all you have to do is mention one little word...

...submission.

I've seen it happen. It is as if we can stand all sorts of things; we love praise and worship, we love to think about healing, we want to have God bless us, we don't mind doing nice things for the poor, we love "prayer huddles", we love to talk about "God's best now".

But no one wants to know what Christianity is really all about.

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21)

Submission is not just a postscript, it is the kernel, the hub, of Christianity.

"...he it is that does the will of the Father, and he only; and such an one, as he is desirous of doing the will of God in all acts of cheerful obedience to it, without dependence thereon; so he shall certainly enter the kingdom of heaven, and have everlasting life." (Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible)

Without submission, there is no Gospel of Jesus Christ, because there is no salvation apart from submission to God through the sacrifice and atonement of His dear son.

Adam and Eve brought us death through their disobedience, so it could only be through the complete obedience of the "second Adam" that we (Adam and Eve's prodigy) could be redeemed.

"For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous." (Romans 5:19)

This is the mark of the true believers in Christ. Instead of having our own way, we yield. Men must yield, and women must yield. If we think we can call ourselves Christians, and yet insist on protecting, asserting, and promoting ourselves, we are fools.

"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 14:12)

Where there is no obedience, no subjection, there is no Christ. 

"If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15)

Who is Jesus? Many have tried to mold Him into pleasing shapes. We like to paint Him as a sweet, and almost effeminate man, unable to hurt a flea. We like to make Him a social reformer, a great teacher--teaching us to be kind to the poor and destitute. We like to put Him in the category of a martyr, willing to die for a cause.

But He is much, much more than all of these.

He is God.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." (John 1:1-3)

"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they." (Hebrews 1:1-4)

"But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?" (Hebrews 1:8-13)

This is such a mystery to us; why would God (the Son) submit to God (the Father)?  The concept is so beyond our human comprehension that we have tried to come up with ways to explain it away--consider all of the heretical cults that have sprung up in the last 180 years or so--all bent on making Jesus less than He is. Since the Bible is so full of this mystery, the only way to cover it up is to change the Bible, and so we have all of the claims of "mistranslation" and the need for "extra" books that appeal more to our fleshly/carnal understanding.

But Jesus spoke of Himself as being equal with God, the Jews knew it, and that is why they wanted to kill Him:

"Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God." (John 5:18)

So it was the laying down of His deity that makes Him worthy of our worship:

Jesus is not only our Savior, He is our example. He was obedient unto death--are we willing to do the same? He obeyed because He trusted God fully, He trusted that God's ways are best. Do we trust that God's ways are best?

I dare say that we trust God's ways as long as they "seem right" to us, or as long as they "make sense", or as long as they "seem safe".

But what if God asked us, as women, to do something that in our own wisdom seemed quite backwards--so unsafe, so insecure, so very risky that it made us shake and break out into a cold sweat?

What if God asked us to submit to our husbands?

It is the same situation Jesus was found in. He, being equal with God, and being found in like fashion as a man--humbled himself. Likewise we also are equal (submitted) to one another--in Christ:

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)

And yet, Jesus laid down His deity and humbled Himself, and then He became obedient even though it meant agony and death!

But men are not like God--they are often selfish and brutish. They can be abrupt and inconsiderate. Due to humanity's sin altered "nature" they sin as a general rule (or at least we perceive men this way). Why do I need to submit to a man like that?

For the same reason that we are told to "submit to one another" (Ephesians 5:21), and also for the reason we are told to "submit to authorities":

"Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king." (1 Peter 2:13-17)

We submit because that is the way God wants us to behave. Submission is humbling, submission makes us vulnerable. We submit because we obey God, and obedience blesses God. It is an expression of our total trust in God's plan for us.

The words I am typing were confirmed to me this morning. I don't have hours to sit and dedicate myself to writing posts for my blog. I must snatch moments here and there, as insights and impressions come to my mind, and as I have a moment along the way. In-between the lines of my post, I was also doing other things like fixing the little girls' hair, cleaning toilets, and directing traffic. My dear husband just happened to be watching an installment of the In Touch TV ministry, and I was simply amazed by Dr. Charles Stanley's words:

"Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him--that is faith in perfection...I'm going to do what He says, no matter what it costs, no matter what it requires, and then I'm going to watch Him work. I'm going to leave all the consequences to Him; why? because I believe God will honor obedience. I believe that God, not will, but always honors obedience. He never overlooks obedience because obedience honors God, it pleases God...We are trusting God when we obey Him...In order to please him I must believe Him, I must trust Him, I must put faith in Him."

There are some major heresies circulating among Believers these days. One of them is a submission-less faith, which is actually humanism, which is in reality the worship of self, which brings us back to Eve in the garden. One of the mantras of this pseudo-faith is W.W.J.D.--"What Would Jesus Do?" If Jesus was dead, and we never heard from Him except in some words He spoke that were written down in some dusty manuscripts, that would be one thing. But Jesus is very much alive. His Word is active, the Holy Spirit is living within us, so the question of the true believer is "What is God asking me to do, right now, in this specific situation?", which is actually what Jesus would be doing! This kind of obedience can only be accomplished through a personal relationship by someone who is actively seeking to hear and obey God's voice and walk by the leading of His Holy Spirit, and not a set of rules set forth by a church, or society, or any other group.

Submission to God's will, no matter what it looks like to ourselves or to others, is the very essence of Christianity. It is a wholly placed faith in our loving Creator, Father God. A believer who is not actively submitting to God, and who refuses to submit to the authorities in his/her life, is at best a "carnal" Christian. 

Submission is not just an "option" for women who want to stay home and wear skirts all of the time. Just because a woman may be super "gifted" or "talented" or have some wonderful message the world cannot live without does not mean she is exempted. Even if a woman is married to the "chief of sinners", or if she disdainfully considers her husband too stupid to tie his own shoes, God's original intentions, and His redemptive injunctions, still stand.

Women must submit because submission makes us trust, and it's in our trust that we come to believe, and in our believing we come to a full assurance of faith in God which leads to obedience--this is what pleases Him. It is by our trust in our Heavenly Father that we do not give in to fear.

"And he [Abraham] believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness." (Genesis 15:6)


"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6)

We all have Abraham as the father of our faith, but women, specifically, have Sarah as the obedient mother to the daughters of God who learn to trust Him implicitly:

"For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear." (1 Peter 3:5-6)

Have you been enjoying the journey so far, or are you wincing a little bit? To examine this extremely important issue from a practical perspective, tune in soon for our next series, Daughters of Sarah.

 

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Youth Group

Who am I? Where do I stand?

Have you ever noticed that not too many good things in society have ever started from the top-down? By the time any good idea gets to the upper ranks of an organization, the "machine" either kills it outright or distorts it beyond recognition.

Think about the Church, not necessarily the one existing in gothic cathedrals or even behind the glass walls of a strip mall, but the fellowship of true believers, no matter what flavor. Think of how it began; 12 straggly disciples from all walks of life, no credentials but the power and light of God, and yet they were able to "turn the world upside-down"!

Even our own war of independence was fought by unworthy farmers and backwoodsmen--the "respectable" folks sided with England. When one reads a good recount of our beginning conflict (such as that of Carleton Coffin) it is amazing just how few fought, how few sacrificed and believed.

The church in America is in a dismal state; it is operating just a few years behind the culture at large. As time goes by, it looks more and more like the world it is supposed to be "in but not of". The values we used to hold dear are all up for review in the face of "relevance" to a humankind well on its way down the tube to hell.

In such a climate it is easy to look like we are wearing our rain gear in the midst of the desert. We stick out, we aggravate, we convict; and if we are not doing all of these things, we are not the "salt" Jesus called us to be.

So when we took the time to examine church youth groups, we decided to opt out. This was after we had raised a few of our own children and witnessed some of the fruit of our own lack of decisiveness in the past.

After all, we were part of the cadre, the ones who were at the top and encouraging all sorts of this type of "ministry". Our own older children were leaders in their own youth group.

There were times we took our own children out; the folly in their own hearts (no, they are not perfect), coupled with the folly of others their own age, without any seasoned wisdom in-between, ensured they were not going forward, but instead they were taking steps backwards.

Along the way, I have done a little bit of research into the beginnings of the "youth ministry" movement. It seems that we survived as a society, and the Church as a vital part of that society, for most of our history without such a necessary contrivance.

Times were that older children were "young people", not "teen-agers", needing a special this and that. The highest goal for a child was to become a responsible adult--imagine that! This made older people, their wisdom and input, quite important. These young people were not placed in their own little groups where their ungodly ideas could fester like so much bacterial hubris, they were intermixed; taught to care for and nurture the younger with responsibility, and listen to and honor the older with respect. Character development was placed above popularity and the expression of individual rights.

Somewhere along the way the social engineers discovered it was much easier to get a whole sector of the population to follow blindly if they were separated by age groups. This does a number of things. First, it removes the experience and wisdom of the elders (who could spot the fallacies of the supposed "new thinking") and makes their voices irrelevant by giving the young minds, in their willful, cock-surety, reasons to drown out the voices of prudence through the creation of a whole new sub-culture--everything from entertainment to speech. Secondly, it makes the older generation either fight against the younger or be completely dismissed out of hand as intrusive and passe'.

Christ-like or peer-pressured?

The church, in its scrambling for numbers and "relevancy", fell right into the ranks. The Sunday School, at first meant to be an outreach mechanism for the unreached, transitioned from its original intended purpose to become a necessity for the Christian family, until the Christian family ultimately relinquished its responsibility to bring up their children in the "fear and admonition of the Lord" to the "worldly-wise professionals", just as all other education had previously been relegated before, thanks to the likes of Horace Mann and John Dewey.

Not long after, "youth ministry" became the great hope for populating the pews (in place of the Gospel), again as a bowing to the expediency of the culture, not an attempt at scriptural faithfulness.

Fast-forward to today. We personally know of a young man who calls girls to "hook-up", without any commitment, and yet was recently asked to lead a group of youths to "grow in the Lord". It used to be the odd person could stand up at the age of 17 and admit to having fallen into s*xual sin and having the Lord restore them, now, conversely, it is the odd person who can stand up and "admit" to being a virgin at 17!

Nowadays, if you really want to be shocked, just ask some young people what can really go on at church--'date rape' is not uncommon among youth group members, or even other perverted acts that would make a former generation blush with genuine shame.

A few years ago a Christian magazine exposed what often goes on at Christian colleges--the same magazine started by the Reverend Billy Graham--and it was enough to make me want to cry.

A young man we know of 20 who became a new Christian last year changed his secular college in favor of a Christian one, thinking he could go there to be encouraged and even discipled, only to find the other youths there to be heavily into drunkenness, carousing, and s*xual experimentation--having his own roommate, a "born again" young man who came from a Christian upbringing and always in church, call him on the weekend from a party, extremely inebriated almost beyond understanding.

A long-time friend who lives in the deep South attempted to make a difference in his church by becoming the youth group pastor. He began insisting on purity and godliness, but the parents of the church shut him down; it was their desire he make it more "fun" for the kids, otherwise they might lose interest altogether.

At one time I was naive enough to think some leaders might be interested in my findings, so I approached them. They were not at all amused; I had dared touch a sacred cow.

We have since concluded the godly move of Christian parents to be taking back the responsibility for, not just their little children, but also their older children as well, we must begin in the trenches, in each individual life. So we have begun with our own, even though we often feel alone, and calling back to those behind and telling them the land ahead is fair and filled with much promise.

Since we made the decision to pull out of youth group, we have seen more lasting fruit in our children, more peace in our home. I also find everyday that I am repenting of the folly of my own youth, of the pitting of one peer group against the other that I was very much a part of in my early years.

This article was originally published on 3/22/2010.

Work is not evil

Tom Sawyer missed out.

He thought work was, well, work. To him it was an evil to be avoided at all costs. What he was after was pleasure, the kinds of things that brought immediate gratification to his life. But the boys he tricked into doing the chore that was assigned to him had a much higher pleasure; they had fun while doing something constructive and meaningful.

When I was younger I thought I understood what work was. My mom was pretty smart and required us to do chores and help out around the house. In my teen years I took on more responsibility by making it my habit to clean without having to be asked, especially since my mom was employed outside of the home.

But I really didn't know how to work, and I reserved a big portion of my energy for what I considered "recreation".

Then I enlisted in the Army (no, I do not believe that women belong in the Army--but God used my blunder for my good, anyway). From the very first day I began to realize that I had been a lazy person my whole life! I never recognized that I could go, go, go all day long, from before sunup to way past dusk. I didn't honestly know you could keep things that clean. I didn't understand what it meant to hurry. I also never before knew the pride and satisfaction that doing a top-notch job could give a person.

I am an American, and a westerner. We are told from our earliest years that work is a necessary evil, and that leisure and amusement should be our supreme goal. We spend our weekdays "working for the weekend", and then on Monday we feel the consequences of all of our "fun".

Jesus blesses the little children

Many of the women in our modern culture today have transferred their energies away from the home to the outside world, a woman's tendency to equate home with rest has become even more acute.

And this is where the great change must take place for those of us who are called home once again. We have to make a shift in our thinking--and create a brand new mindset!

We must do two things:

1. Change the way we view work in general.

2. Focus the energy we would have spent out of the home for eight or so hours a day back into our homes.

Work is not evil, it is a blessing. God gave work to Adam and Eve--they tended the Garden of Eden. Even heaven is not described as a place for hedonists who just lay around and eat all day--we are going to be active, we are to be about His work for the rest of eternity.

Does this sound disappointing? It did to me as a young person. When someone told me about a vision they had of heaven in which they were tending vineyards, I was sure they had gotten it wrong somehow. "We are supposed to be happy in Heaven," I thought to myself, "so why would God make us work--that doesn't make me happy!"

Sweet Faith Noel

How blessed I am that God did not leave me there.

One of the things that I hear often from people when they discover that I have had 14 children is, "What a lot of work!" And it has been a lot of work--I know that many of you know what I am talking about. My first three children were spaced just 18 months apart, I used cloth diapers, and I had all three in diapers at the same time! I didn't have money for convenience foods, so everything was made from scratch. My husband was working long hours, and I didn't have Internet or even a computer. Our TV received only three channels, and a little record and cassette player with a radio. Work was not an option for me, it was a lifestyle. It was my recreation.

It did not stop there. I've had 11 children since that time. Yes, they have all been a great help in many ways, but the bulk of responsibility is still mine. But I love it, I really mean that--I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!

I am so thankful for work! I love cleaning and planning and folding fresh towels just right. I love taking a sticky floor and making it squeaky clean. I love cleaning little bottoms and brushing my children's lovely long hair. I love making coffee for my husband in the morning and ironing crisp creases into the sleeves of his shirts.

Thankfulness brings release!

When I am ill and do not feel at all like getting up and starting all over again, I often find myself bemoaning my life, but then I am reminded to be thankful; thankful that I am healthy and able to work at all! I just can't imagine how our lives would be if I were not able to walk or do all of the things that it takes to manage things around here. How gracious God has been to me to allow me a strong, healthy body so that I can scrub counters and carry babies on my hips!

Something happens when we begin to enjoy work; we become enthusiastic about it. Our outlook changes from one of a downcast martyr to one of a privileged saint. Our husbands no longer feel the oppression of the guilt we have heaped upon them, and our children will want to follow our example, or at least feel the sting of conviction when they catch themselves with bad attitudes.

In the book of Colossians chapter three I read these words:

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." (Colossians 3:17)

So then, everything I do I should do in the name of the Lord Jesus, even if it means cleaning the streaks and smudges off of the mirrors in my home.

"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ." (Colossians 3:23-24)

So then, I also know that I am not working for my husband, or my children, or anyone else who may be called to evaluate me, but I am working for the Lord who sees me all day long, and for whom I would hold back nothing!

God works, and He rests from his work, although scriptures tell us He never gets tired or needs to sleep. He simply knows when to stop--and He teaches this to me as well.

A time to relax and discover God's creation!

Sometimes, when I have created a yummy meal or cleaned and organized a closet, I offer my work up to Him, and He and I enjoy the satisfaction together. I have the wonderful sense that He is also smiling with deep satisfaction.

If you are struggling with a right attitude about "work-at home", here are some suggestions that might help:

• Remember, God does the changing, we only have to be yielded and willing.
• Romans 12 tells us that we need to be "renewing" our minds; to me this means that I need to be filling my mind with Godly thoughts and stay away from sources of negative thoughts--reading the Word more or listening to it while I am working is a positive way to do this.
• Practicing "thanksgiving", even for the misfortunes and bad things that happen, believing according to Romans 8:28 that God will work everything out for my good.
• Filling our homes with "Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs" is such a great help, and often a battery-charger--while listening to a inspirational song can be ecouraging, actually singing with our voices is always a much more effective way to lift one's spirit.

The amazing thing is that, as we find ourselves enjoying work, our mind begins to ease and we are able to think more clearly so that we become more efficient and organized, which can make our work much easier and leaves us more time and energy for the things we enjoy--imagine that!

Having said all this, it's time to switch the laundry--thanks be to God!

Sherry

This post was originally posted on 8/4/2008.