Friday, August 29, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
War on the Homefront
It remains true that we are good at military campaigns, such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our tanks and ships are better, and our bombs and soldiers are smarter. But these are not ultimately the most important battlefronts. We are in danger of losing this war without a shot being fired.
The British government recently announced that it would be issuing Sharia-compliant Islamic bonds, that is, bonds compliant with Islamic law and practice as prescribed in the Koran. As The Mail on Sunday put it, this innovative marks "one of the most significant economic advances of Sharia law in the non-muslim world."
At about the same time, The Times of London reported that "Knorbert the piglet has been dropped as the mascot of Fortis Bank, after it decided to stop giving piggy banks to children for fear of offending Muslims." Recently, for instance, a local government council prohibited its workers from having ornaments on their desk representing Winnie the Pooh's sidekick Piglet. As Pastor Martin Niemoller might have said, "First they came for Piglet and I did not speak out because I was not a Disney character, and if I was, I'd be more of an Eeyore. Then they came for the Three Little Pigs and Babe, and by the time I realized the Western world had turned into a 24/7 Looney Tunes, it was too late, because there was no Porky Pig to stammer, 'Th-th-th-that's all folks!', and bring the nightmare to an end."
What all these stories have in common is excessive deference to - and in fact fear of - Islam. If the story of the Three Little Pigs is forbidden when Muslims still comprise less than 10 % of Europe's population, what else will be on the black list when they comprise 20%? In small but telling ways, non-muslims communities are being persuaded that a kind of uber-Islamic law now applies to all.
And if you don't remember the Three Little Pigs, by the way, one builds a house of straw, another of sicks, and both get blown down by the Big Bad Wolf. Western Civilization is a mighty house of bricks, but you don't need a Big Bad Wolf when the pig is so eager to demolish the house himself.
As the famous saying goes, the price of liberty is eternal vigilance. What the Canadian Islamic Congress and similar groups in the West are trying to do is criminalize vigilance. They want to use the legal system to circumscribe debate on one of the great questions of the age: the relationship between Islam and the West and the increasing Islamization of much of the Western world, in what the United Nations itself calls the fastest population transformation in history.
(Reprinted by permission from Imprimis, a publication of Hillsdale College.")
The British government recently announced that it would be issuing Sharia-compliant Islamic bonds, that is, bonds compliant with Islamic law and practice as prescribed in the Koran. As The Mail on Sunday put it, this innovative marks "one of the most significant economic advances of Sharia law in the non-muslim world."
At about the same time, The Times of London reported that "Knorbert the piglet has been dropped as the mascot of Fortis Bank, after it decided to stop giving piggy banks to children for fear of offending Muslims." Recently, for instance, a local government council prohibited its workers from having ornaments on their desk representing Winnie the Pooh's sidekick Piglet. As Pastor Martin Niemoller might have said, "First they came for Piglet and I did not speak out because I was not a Disney character, and if I was, I'd be more of an Eeyore. Then they came for the Three Little Pigs and Babe, and by the time I realized the Western world had turned into a 24/7 Looney Tunes, it was too late, because there was no Porky Pig to stammer, 'Th-th-th-that's all folks!', and bring the nightmare to an end."
What all these stories have in common is excessive deference to - and in fact fear of - Islam. If the story of the Three Little Pigs is forbidden when Muslims still comprise less than 10 % of Europe's population, what else will be on the black list when they comprise 20%? In small but telling ways, non-muslims communities are being persuaded that a kind of uber-Islamic law now applies to all.
And if you don't remember the Three Little Pigs, by the way, one builds a house of straw, another of sicks, and both get blown down by the Big Bad Wolf. Western Civilization is a mighty house of bricks, but you don't need a Big Bad Wolf when the pig is so eager to demolish the house himself.
As the famous saying goes, the price of liberty is eternal vigilance. What the Canadian Islamic Congress and similar groups in the West are trying to do is criminalize vigilance. They want to use the legal system to circumscribe debate on one of the great questions of the age: the relationship between Islam and the West and the increasing Islamization of much of the Western world, in what the United Nations itself calls the fastest population transformation in history.
(Reprinted by permission from Imprimis, a publication of Hillsdale College.")
"The lamps are going out all over Europe"
This are the words of British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey. Today, the lights are going out on liberty all over the Western world, but in more subtle and profound way.
Much of the West is far too comfortable with state regulation of speech and expression, which puts freedom itself at risk. The response over the the Danish cartoons that sparked Muslim violence was to propose that newspapers exercise "prudence" on certain controversial subjects involving religions beginning with the letter "I". The Italian writer O. Fallaci, after writing of the contradiction between Islam and the Western tradition of liberty, was being sued in France, Italy, Switzerland. In Canada, the Canadian Islamic Congress said: "America will be an Islamic Republic by 2040. There will be a break for Muslim prayers during the Super Bowl. There will be a religious police enforcing Islamic norms. The USS Ronald Reagan will be named after Osama bin Laden."
These are small parts of a very big picture. After the London Tube bombings and the French riots a few years back, commentators lined up behind the idea that Western Muslims are insufficiently assimilated. But in their mastery of legalisms and the language of victimology, they're superbly assimilated. Since these are the principal means of discourse in multicultural societies, they've mastered all they need to know. Every day of the week, somewhere in the West, a Muslim lobbying group is engaging in an action similar to that in Canada. Meanwhile, in London, masked men marched through the streets with signs reading "Behead the Enemies of Islam" and promising another 9/11 and another Holocaust, all while being protected by a phalanx of London policemen.
Thus we see that today's multicultural societies tolerate the explicitly intolerant and avowedly unicultural, while refusing to tolerate anyone pointing out that intolerance.
.(Reprinted by permission from Imprimis, a publication of Hillsdale College.)
Much of the West is far too comfortable with state regulation of speech and expression, which puts freedom itself at risk. The response over the the Danish cartoons that sparked Muslim violence was to propose that newspapers exercise "prudence" on certain controversial subjects involving religions beginning with the letter "I". The Italian writer O. Fallaci, after writing of the contradiction between Islam and the Western tradition of liberty, was being sued in France, Italy, Switzerland. In Canada, the Canadian Islamic Congress said: "America will be an Islamic Republic by 2040. There will be a break for Muslim prayers during the Super Bowl. There will be a religious police enforcing Islamic norms. The USS Ronald Reagan will be named after Osama bin Laden."
These are small parts of a very big picture. After the London Tube bombings and the French riots a few years back, commentators lined up behind the idea that Western Muslims are insufficiently assimilated. But in their mastery of legalisms and the language of victimology, they're superbly assimilated. Since these are the principal means of discourse in multicultural societies, they've mastered all they need to know. Every day of the week, somewhere in the West, a Muslim lobbying group is engaging in an action similar to that in Canada. Meanwhile, in London, masked men marched through the streets with signs reading "Behead the Enemies of Islam" and promising another 9/11 and another Holocaust, all while being protected by a phalanx of London policemen.
Thus we see that today's multicultural societies tolerate the explicitly intolerant and avowedly unicultural, while refusing to tolerate anyone pointing out that intolerance.
.(Reprinted by permission from Imprimis, a publication of Hillsdale College.)
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Democratic Party Agenda? - Guess Again
Doesn't the following look like a Democrat will say? Well, guess again:
Meet the Needs of Working, Unemployed and Farm Families
- Raise the minimum wage to $12 an hour.
-Unemployment insurance for all workers.
- Moratorium on farm foreclosures
- Labor law reform to remove barriers to workers who want to join a union.
- No privatization of Social Security. Increase benefits.
- Universal prescription drug coverage administered by Medicare. Universal health care system.
- Restore social safety net. Welfare reform that includes job training, supports and living wages.
- Full funding for equal, quality, bi-lingual public education. No vouchers.
Make Corporate Giants Pay
- Repeal tax cuts to the rich and corporations.
- Close corporate tax loopholes.
- Restitution to workers' pensions.
- Strong regulation of financial industry.
- Regulation and public ownership of utilities
- Prosecute corporate polluters. Public works program to clean our air, water and land
- Aid to cities and states. Federally funded infrastructure repair and social service programs
Foreign Policy for Peace and Justice
- No to war with Iraq
- End military interventions
- Repeal Fast Track and NAFTA, stop Free Trade Area of the Americas(FTAA). No secrecy.
- Save Salt II Agreements, reject Star Wars and Nuclear Posture Review
-Abolish nuclear weapons
- End military interventions.
- Cut military budget and fund human needs.
Defend Democracy and Civil Rights
- End racial profiling.
- Repeal the death penalty.
- Enforce civil rights laws and affirmative action.
- Repeal USA Patriot Act.
- Legalization and protection of immigrant>rights.
- Public financing of elections. Overall election law reform including Instant Runoff Voting.
- Youth and student bill of rights. Guarantee youth's right to earn,learn and live.
A lot of these are in line with the Democratic Party. But if think you they are the ones who put these together, check this: http://cpusa.org/
INTERESTING, huh??????
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Meet the Needs of Working, Unemployed and Farm Families
- Raise the minimum wage to $12 an hour.
-Unemployment insurance for all workers.
- Moratorium on farm foreclosures
- Labor law reform to remove barriers to workers who want to join a union.
- No privatization of Social Security. Increase benefits.
- Universal prescription drug coverage administered by Medicare. Universal health care system.
- Restore social safety net. Welfare reform that includes job training, supports and living wages.
- Full funding for equal, quality, bi-lingual public education. No vouchers.
Make Corporate Giants Pay
- Repeal tax cuts to the rich and corporations.
- Close corporate tax loopholes.
- Restitution to workers' pensions.
- Strong regulation of financial industry.
- Regulation and public ownership of utilities
- Prosecute corporate polluters. Public works program to clean our air, water and land
- Aid to cities and states. Federally funded infrastructure repair and social service programs
Foreign Policy for Peace and Justice
- No to war with Iraq
- End military interventions
- Repeal Fast Track and NAFTA, stop Free Trade Area of the Americas(FTAA). No secrecy.
- Save Salt II Agreements, reject Star Wars and Nuclear Posture Review
-Abolish nuclear weapons
- End military interventions.
- Cut military budget and fund human needs.
Defend Democracy and Civil Rights
- End racial profiling.
- Repeal the death penalty.
- Enforce civil rights laws and affirmative action.
- Repeal USA Patriot Act.
- Legalization and protection of immigrant>rights.
- Public financing of elections. Overall election law reform including Instant Runoff Voting.
- Youth and student bill of rights. Guarantee youth's right to earn,learn and live.
A lot of these are in line with the Democratic Party. But if think you they are the ones who put these together, check this: http://cpusa.org/
INTERESTING, huh??????
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Thursday, August 21, 2008
The Assault Continues
For decades, we have been performing an experiment with the American family. The result has been dismal failure. Yet, the pressure to continue this destructive path continues. In spite of much rhetoric, nothing has been done to alter the structure of the institutional slavery known as welfare.
Children thrive best with a stay-at-home parent, yet the prevalence of single-parent families and oppressive taxation eliminates this possibility for many families.
At a time when young people desperately need discipline, social services agencies are allowed to dictate what form that discipline may take. There is a concerted effort to make any form of corporal punishment a crime, even though no data exists which would indicate that spanking, when used with discretion, has ever caused any harm. In fact, as spanking has gone out of vogue, the incidence of violence has increased.
Parents who use other methods of discipline are also at risk for abuse charges. Children have been removed from homes because a 12 yo was not allowed to wear make-up to school, because a pregnant 14 yo was grounded from seeing her gang-member boyfriend, and because a young teen lost phone privileges after coming home late. Instead of empowering parents, government programs and policies seem bent on destroying the family completely.
On 16 February 1995, M. Albright signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. But this treaty does NOT protect children. Children are already protected by law from abuse. Unfortunately, abuse still occurs because laws do not change the heart. It is ridiculous to think that a United Nations treaty can guarantee anyone a happy childhood. In fact, this treaty actually destroys a fundamental right of all children: the right to be raised in a loving home, free from bureaucratic interference. (B. Scott, Children no More)
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Children thrive best with a stay-at-home parent, yet the prevalence of single-parent families and oppressive taxation eliminates this possibility for many families.
At a time when young people desperately need discipline, social services agencies are allowed to dictate what form that discipline may take. There is a concerted effort to make any form of corporal punishment a crime, even though no data exists which would indicate that spanking, when used with discretion, has ever caused any harm. In fact, as spanking has gone out of vogue, the incidence of violence has increased.
Parents who use other methods of discipline are also at risk for abuse charges. Children have been removed from homes because a 12 yo was not allowed to wear make-up to school, because a pregnant 14 yo was grounded from seeing her gang-member boyfriend, and because a young teen lost phone privileges after coming home late. Instead of empowering parents, government programs and policies seem bent on destroying the family completely.
On 16 February 1995, M. Albright signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. But this treaty does NOT protect children. Children are already protected by law from abuse. Unfortunately, abuse still occurs because laws do not change the heart. It is ridiculous to think that a United Nations treaty can guarantee anyone a happy childhood. In fact, this treaty actually destroys a fundamental right of all children: the right to be raised in a loving home, free from bureaucratic interference. (B. Scott, Children no More)
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Sunday, August 17, 2008
Homeschool Stereotypes
"Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21).
As a homeschooling parent, have you ever known the frustration of being stereotyped? Unfairly, mainstream America has deemed us unfashionable, overly protective, dogmatically religious, and socially backwards. Like other stereotypes that develop from negative assumptions, homeschooling parents suffer from unjust labels with unfounded perceptions of their true character. Added to this misconception is the fact that homeschooled children are also stereotyped.
Breaking loose from these hurtful stereotypes is difficult, but as Christian homeschooling families, we can change how the world views us. Instead of becoming defensive and argumentative when homeschooling adversaries slander our name, we can show God's love through our Christ-like character and actions. Whether we're shopping at the mall, attending a community event, or eating at a restaurant, we can erase incorrect images with courtesy, respect, and genuine concern for others. In addition, godly homeschoolers can best illustrate one reason for teaching our own children by displaying a servant's heart that looks for ways to help others in need. Christ Himself said it best in the Sermon on the Mount: "Bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44b).
Do you struggle with vengeful thoughts when others look down on you for homeschooling? Don't let the homeschool stereotype discourage you. Prove those labels wrong, and respond to the negative remarks with the love of Christ. After all, isn't that the most important message we're trying to teach our children as we homeschool? "For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds" (Hebrews 12:3).(AOP)
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As a homeschooling parent, have you ever known the frustration of being stereotyped? Unfairly, mainstream America has deemed us unfashionable, overly protective, dogmatically religious, and socially backwards. Like other stereotypes that develop from negative assumptions, homeschooling parents suffer from unjust labels with unfounded perceptions of their true character. Added to this misconception is the fact that homeschooled children are also stereotyped.
Breaking loose from these hurtful stereotypes is difficult, but as Christian homeschooling families, we can change how the world views us. Instead of becoming defensive and argumentative when homeschooling adversaries slander our name, we can show God's love through our Christ-like character and actions. Whether we're shopping at the mall, attending a community event, or eating at a restaurant, we can erase incorrect images with courtesy, respect, and genuine concern for others. In addition, godly homeschoolers can best illustrate one reason for teaching our own children by displaying a servant's heart that looks for ways to help others in need. Christ Himself said it best in the Sermon on the Mount: "Bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44b).
Do you struggle with vengeful thoughts when others look down on you for homeschooling? Don't let the homeschool stereotype discourage you. Prove those labels wrong, and respond to the negative remarks with the love of Christ. After all, isn't that the most important message we're trying to teach our children as we homeschool? "For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds" (Hebrews 12:3).(AOP)
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The Family under Siege
Our nation's history is steeped in a rich tradition of family. It is from family that children receive a sense of roots, learn self-discipline, and acquire moral values: essential elements in developing healthy self-esteem. Strong homes build strong children and in turn, a strong community. But, in America, the family has taken a beating.
For centuries, divorce was seen in most cultures as a public statement of failure, an avenue of last resort. Marriage vows were taken seriously, and laws often required divorcing couples with children to present compelling cause for dissolving a marriage. Many struggling marriages remained intact "for the sake of the kids."
The breakdown of the nuclear family is a major cause of the increase in juvenile problems. Seventy percent of juvenile offenders come from single-parent homes. The majority of children in gangs com from abusive family situations or from homes which do not have a significant male role model.
Another change families have undergone over the past decades has been an exodus of mothers from the home. The number of working mothers tripled. "Never in the history of the world have so many children been raised by strangers." Some women wishing to pursue a career, have chosen to join the work force voluntarily.
Discussions of the benefits of stay-at-home moms invariably raise protest from feminists, who quickly point to full-time motherhood as instituted male domination. They create a perception that full-time child rearing is somehow stifling and unfulfilling, a choice no woman in her right mind would make willingly.
The younger the child is when he enters day care, the greater the potential harm. This is especially true in regular day-care centers, where children receive little physical affection. After twenty years of research in this area, educational psychologist doctor White is convinced that children should spend most of their waking hours with a full-time parent or other loving relative during their first three years of life.
For so many American families, however, this is not an option. (B. Scott, Children No More)
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For centuries, divorce was seen in most cultures as a public statement of failure, an avenue of last resort. Marriage vows were taken seriously, and laws often required divorcing couples with children to present compelling cause for dissolving a marriage. Many struggling marriages remained intact "for the sake of the kids."
The breakdown of the nuclear family is a major cause of the increase in juvenile problems. Seventy percent of juvenile offenders come from single-parent homes. The majority of children in gangs com from abusive family situations or from homes which do not have a significant male role model.
Another change families have undergone over the past decades has been an exodus of mothers from the home. The number of working mothers tripled. "Never in the history of the world have so many children been raised by strangers." Some women wishing to pursue a career, have chosen to join the work force voluntarily.
Discussions of the benefits of stay-at-home moms invariably raise protest from feminists, who quickly point to full-time motherhood as instituted male domination. They create a perception that full-time child rearing is somehow stifling and unfulfilling, a choice no woman in her right mind would make willingly.
The younger the child is when he enters day care, the greater the potential harm. This is especially true in regular day-care centers, where children receive little physical affection. After twenty years of research in this area, educational psychologist doctor White is convinced that children should spend most of their waking hours with a full-time parent or other loving relative during their first three years of life.
For so many American families, however, this is not an option. (B. Scott, Children No More)
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Monday, August 11, 2008
Near-sighted
As Christians, we have a tendency to be short-sighted when life is going well. Living in the success of "now," we think our current blessings are the result of our own hands. Like the Old Testament nation of Israel, we fail to acknowledge God's hand of divine intervention in our lives. Unfortunately, many times we must experience painful or humbling reminders in order to correct our vision to see the true picture-God is in control, not us.
If you're starting your new school year depending on your own abilities, be careful. Only the Lord can show you those things that will make your homeschooling truly successful. As you depend on the Holy Spirit, you will not only discover wisdom to teach, but you'll have your eyes opened to see all God desires for your family. "Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwells in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God" (Psalm 123:1-2a).
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If you're starting your new school year depending on your own abilities, be careful. Only the Lord can show you those things that will make your homeschooling truly successful. As you depend on the Holy Spirit, you will not only discover wisdom to teach, but you'll have your eyes opened to see all God desires for your family. "Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwells in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God" (Psalm 123:1-2a).
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Educating the Politically Correct
Not only have the public schools increasingly usurped parental roles, they have also become indoctrination centers for political correctness. Beginning in the earliest grades, children are actively recruited for various causes. Scientifically inaccurate information is fed to students regarding world population growth, global warming, and natural resources until they feel guilty for being human.
Texts are typically aimed at playing on the fears of young children. Children are encouraged to sign "save-the-earth" pledges, to support abortion as a cure to overpopulation, to chastise parents for unwise use of resources, and to become militant activists for the environmental movement. Of course, children should be taught to be thrifty and resourceful, but this kind of exploitation is despicable.Children should not be made to feel that their existence is a threat to the survival of earth. No child should be made to feel guilty for being alive.
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Texts are typically aimed at playing on the fears of young children. Children are encouraged to sign "save-the-earth" pledges, to support abortion as a cure to overpopulation, to chastise parents for unwise use of resources, and to become militant activists for the environmental movement. Of course, children should be taught to be thrifty and resourceful, but this kind of exploitation is despicable.Children should not be made to feel that their existence is a threat to the survival of earth. No child should be made to feel guilty for being alive.
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Saturday, August 9, 2008
Subject to Change
"A man's heart devise his way: but the LORD direct his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).
If there's one thing you can count on as a homeschooling parent, it's change. Like the weather, no two days are ever exactly the same. More times than I can remember, my best-made lesson plans and organized activities were altered by the day's events. Whether my children became absorbed in a particular topic and spent more time studying or an untimely interruption caused a delay in teaching a lesson, it was necessary to make adjustments without becoming anxious. Whatever failed to be taught one day was usually made up within the next few days, and I learned not to worry about the setback, as long as we continued to move forward with our studies.
As time went on, I determined to let God order our daily events. Committing the day to Him each morning, I found peace in yielding to His Lordship and control to follow His perfect plan. The "Serenity Prayer" hung on my kitchen wall as a constant reminder to let the Lord guide our homeschooling.
What about you? Do you stress over the changes that come your way throughout your homeschooling day? Relax, if you've given God control over your homeschooling day, He will help you accomplish everything that needs to be done. Besides, God has a few lesson plans of His own for you and your children to learn. "The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established" (Proverbs 16:1, 3).(AOP)
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If there's one thing you can count on as a homeschooling parent, it's change. Like the weather, no two days are ever exactly the same. More times than I can remember, my best-made lesson plans and organized activities were altered by the day's events. Whether my children became absorbed in a particular topic and spent more time studying or an untimely interruption caused a delay in teaching a lesson, it was necessary to make adjustments without becoming anxious. Whatever failed to be taught one day was usually made up within the next few days, and I learned not to worry about the setback, as long as we continued to move forward with our studies.
As time went on, I determined to let God order our daily events. Committing the day to Him each morning, I found peace in yielding to His Lordship and control to follow His perfect plan. The "Serenity Prayer" hung on my kitchen wall as a constant reminder to let the Lord guide our homeschooling.
What about you? Do you stress over the changes that come your way throughout your homeschooling day? Relax, if you've given God control over your homeschooling day, He will help you accomplish everything that needs to be done. Besides, God has a few lesson plans of His own for you and your children to learn. "The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established" (Proverbs 16:1, 3).(AOP)
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Thursday, August 7, 2008
In Loco Parentis
As NEA (National Education Association) has successfully campaigned for increased governmental control over education, the rights of parents in these matters has significantly decreased. Coincidentally, the literacy rate has dropped as government control of schools has increased. Parents no longer have much influence over curriculum. When they object to occultic or sexually explicit literature in the school libraries, they are castigated as "right-wing, fundamentalist book-burners." The schools self-righteously insist upon the students' "right" to access to such material. Yet, this same "right" does not apply to the Bible or materials which promote Judeo-Christian ethics, topics the NEA has deemed to be offensive.
The situation has escalated to the point that schools now operate under the doctrine on in loco parentis, which allows the state to take the place of the parent. Because of this doctrine, when a child is enrolled in, dropped off at, or attends class in a public school, he becomes the property of the state. The NEA is a strong supporter of early sex education, school-based health clinics which provide abortion counseling, and school sponsored condom distribution. Not surprisingly, the NEA is in favor of ratifying the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The NEA has also been outspoken about its intent that the schools replace the parent in teaching values to the students. History books have been rewritten to exclude an "offensive" mention to the religious, Judeo-Christian heritage of this country. Absolute values have been shelved for situational ethics. At many schools, students are not even taught the Pledge of Allegiance. Some teachers encouraged their students to create a bulletin board around the theme "I disagree with my parents about..." (B. Scott, Children No More)
How low can these kind of organizations bring our society? What can we do?
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The situation has escalated to the point that schools now operate under the doctrine on in loco parentis, which allows the state to take the place of the parent. Because of this doctrine, when a child is enrolled in, dropped off at, or attends class in a public school, he becomes the property of the state. The NEA is a strong supporter of early sex education, school-based health clinics which provide abortion counseling, and school sponsored condom distribution. Not surprisingly, the NEA is in favor of ratifying the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The NEA has also been outspoken about its intent that the schools replace the parent in teaching values to the students. History books have been rewritten to exclude an "offensive" mention to the religious, Judeo-Christian heritage of this country. Absolute values have been shelved for situational ethics. At many schools, students are not even taught the Pledge of Allegiance. Some teachers encouraged their students to create a bulletin board around the theme "I disagree with my parents about..." (B. Scott, Children No More)
How low can these kind of organizations bring our society? What can we do?
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Monday, August 4, 2008
One Day at a Time
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58).
As a homeschooling parent, do you ever wake up in the morning and want to run away and hide from your responsibilities? Last night's dishes, last week's laundry, and yesterday's school work all clamor for your attention. Your baby's cry reminds you of yet another need, and your young toddlers seek your affection and time for play. On top of that, your church is having difficulty finding help with Sunday school and the nursery, and you know you should offer your assistance. Exhausted before the day has even begun, you throw the covers back over your head and think, "Why would God give me all this responsibility? Doesn't He know I can't take care of everything? Where can I go to get away from all of this work?"
When the pressure of obeying God's call seems too much, it's tempting to look for the easy way out. Just ask Jonah. God had given him the task of prophesying to the wicked city of Nineveh, but Jonah decided it was too big a responsibility. Hopping a boat to Joppa, Jonah worked just as hard at running away and hiding from God's call as he would have worked if he obeyed. Fortunately, God gave this reluctant prophet another chance to accept the job He had given. After being thrown overboard and spending three days in the belly of a big fish, Jonah decided that being a preacher wasn't that bad, even if it was to a wicked city like Nineveh.
If the responsibility of facing another year of homeschooling is causing you to run and hide, be encouraged. Although you can't see the way through the work right now, the Lord promises to uphold you with His wisdom and strength when you need them (Isaiah 41:10). As you obediently follow His will in homeschooling today, He continues to guide you with the next step tomorrow. Step by step, day by day, you will get through the work and accomplish all He has planned for your homeschooling family. "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye" (Psalm 32:8).(AOP)
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As a homeschooling parent, do you ever wake up in the morning and want to run away and hide from your responsibilities? Last night's dishes, last week's laundry, and yesterday's school work all clamor for your attention. Your baby's cry reminds you of yet another need, and your young toddlers seek your affection and time for play. On top of that, your church is having difficulty finding help with Sunday school and the nursery, and you know you should offer your assistance. Exhausted before the day has even begun, you throw the covers back over your head and think, "Why would God give me all this responsibility? Doesn't He know I can't take care of everything? Where can I go to get away from all of this work?"
When the pressure of obeying God's call seems too much, it's tempting to look for the easy way out. Just ask Jonah. God had given him the task of prophesying to the wicked city of Nineveh, but Jonah decided it was too big a responsibility. Hopping a boat to Joppa, Jonah worked just as hard at running away and hiding from God's call as he would have worked if he obeyed. Fortunately, God gave this reluctant prophet another chance to accept the job He had given. After being thrown overboard and spending three days in the belly of a big fish, Jonah decided that being a preacher wasn't that bad, even if it was to a wicked city like Nineveh.
If the responsibility of facing another year of homeschooling is causing you to run and hide, be encouraged. Although you can't see the way through the work right now, the Lord promises to uphold you with His wisdom and strength when you need them (Isaiah 41:10). As you obediently follow His will in homeschooling today, He continues to guide you with the next step tomorrow. Step by step, day by day, you will get through the work and accomplish all He has planned for your homeschooling family. "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye" (Psalm 32:8).(AOP)
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Friday, August 1, 2008
One in Christ
"But now indeed there are many members, yet one body." 1Cor.12:20
Summer vacation is a great learning adventure for a homeschooling family. Lessons from nature makes both science and scripture come alive. One lesson in particular can come from a large stand of beautiful aspen tree. Did you know that aspen trees grow from one common root? Every one of the individual tree you think you see is actually one big tree.
There is the similarity between the aspen tree and the body of Christ. Each believer is like the individual aspen tree and plays a unique role in God's family. However, we all grow from one common root, Jesus Christ, and we must work together in the body. If we all do what we're supposed to as Christians, we'll show God's beauty like the aspen tree.
Do you know where God has placed you in the body of Christ? Although some gifts may seem more important than others, they're not. (1Cor.12:23-24) Each believer contributes to the well-being of the body by faithfully using the gifts that God has given. Whether your spiritual gift is teaching, serving, or showing mercy, you can bloom where you're planted and give God the glory as you depend on the life-giving root of Christ's forgiveness and love.
"rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving" Colossians 2:7
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