Ten Ways To Raise A Fool in 2012

 I am sharing the following blog post (with permission) from Rhonda @ www.walkingwithsarah.com.



Ten Ways to a Raise a Fool in 2012

1. Teach your child God does not exist and therefore no moral absolutes exist.  Whatever your child feels like doing is the right choice.
2. Spend as little time as possible with your child.
3. Raise your child to believe the chief aim in life is to please himself so give him anything he wants.
4. Do not teach your child to read.
5. Do not discipline your child in any way so as not to hurt his/her psyche.  Never make your child do anything, especially work.
6. Let your child get his worldview from any source other than the Bible.
7. Since moral absolutes do not exist(see #1), set no standards in your home.
8. Allow all influences into the life of your child--he has to learn to sink or swim.
9. Show no affection or praise.
10. Last, but not least, set an example by living your life only to please yourself.
    

Dear friends, I know these words are sharp, but how often do we fall prey to the lies above?  The current thinking in our culture would not have a problem with most of this list, as a matter of fact, most of it would be acceptable or even encouraged.  But if we're going to raise a generation of young people who live and act differently than fools, we've got to think differently.  So my real advice to you is this:  Do the opposite of the list you see above!

"The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God."                Psalm 14:1

"...But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother."       Proverbs 29:15




May we all purpose to raise godly children in the coming year!

Have a blessed day,

Looking Back and Looking Ahead

It's hard to believe that 2012 is almost here.

Looking back on 2011 is stressful for me.  My hubby and I agree that it has been one of the most difficult years we've had to endure...for many reasons.

 For one, it was our first year without my beloved father-in-law.  He went home to be with the Lord - suddenly and unexpectedly - on Monday, December 27th, 2010. ( You can read my first post about him here.)

I had no idea how hard the adjustment would be. But I am so thankful for the hope of seeing him again.  So instead of looking back, I want to look forward; forward to a new year, and hopefully one that's a little easier.

Many people make New Year's resolutions. I don't. I just try to get by one day at a time, with the Lord's help. I do have goals for the new year.  I want...

....to spend more time in the Word.  How can I teach the Scriptures to my children if I don't know them myself?  (Deuteronomy 6:7)

....to be a more godly wife.  I want to be a "crown" to my husband, and not "rottenness in his bones" (Proverbs 12:4).

 .... to spend more time with my children. You might say, " But you're home  all day with your children!"  True.  But I long for more time with them..playing games, reading books, sharing Scripture, and just talking together.  I want to leave a godly legacy for my children. (Proverbs 31:28)

What about you? What are your goals or plans for the New Year? I'd love to hear from you.

Have a blessed day,










linked up @  Raising Homemakers

His First Coming

Last year about this time, I was reading "Jungle Pilot, the gripping story of  the life and witness of Nate Saint, martyred missionary to Ecuador", by Russell T. Hitt.

It was indeed a gripping story....I could hardly put the book down!

I want to share with you one of the quotes from the book:


"We cannot think of the humility  His first coming into this cursed, hateful world, without thinking of the mode of His coming again when the Heavens shall roll up as a scroll and the islands shall be moved and the mountains shall be shaken. And every eye shall see Him and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord of all. And among His redeemed, gathered from the four corners of the earth, there shall be some from every tribe and nation on earth. Praise His Holy Name!"
                                                                                        
                                                                                            -  Nate Saint



Even so, come Lord Jesus!


Many blessings,








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The Liebster Award

 Imagine my surprise and delight when I discovered last week that I had received the Liebster  Blog Award from  JES @  http://heroinesofthefaith.blogspot.com. Her blog is wonderful; she has encouraging words for women of all ages. Please take a moment to stop by and visit her.  Thanks again, JES, for your kindness.   :)

I also received the award from Collette @  http://artmama.blogspot.com.  She never fails to impress me with her craft ideas and wonderful photography. Take a minute to stop by and say "hi".  You won't be disappointed.  Thanks again, Collette, for the vote of confidence.  :)

So, here is how the Liebster award works:  "liebster"  is a German word meaning friend, love, or dearest. It is awarded to blogs with 200 followers or fewer.  In order to accept the award, the honored blogger must write a post to thank the giver, with a link back to their blog...and then pass on the encouragement to five more bloggers.   What fun!   :)

Here are my five choices....

1.  Silvia @  Homschooling in a Bilingual Home  is a homeschool mom and has been  a wonderful encouragement to me this year since we started homeschooling using the Charlotte Mason approach.  Her blog is a treasure trove of helpful information.

2. Mary @ Mary's Little Corner   is a dear, sweet, friend who is always busy keeping her home, whether it's knitting, gardening, canning...and the host of other things she's so wonderful at doing.

3. Rebecca @ Country Mouse Musings   always has helpful homekeeping tips and yummy recipes to share.

4. Mary @ Raising Godly Children  is a mama to a large family who does excellent reviews and always takes time to blog about a favorite recipe..namely, caramel apples (yum!).

5.  Mrs. H @ A Future and a Hope   is always pointing me to the Scriptures. I am always refreshed after visiting her blog.

Many blessings,

One of Those Days

 We have placed an emphasis on character training since the beginning of our homeshool journey years ago. Unkind words and actions are watched for and addressed as consistently as possible.

Our children are not allowed to be rude to one another. My husband and I try to be good role models for our children. We have tons of books containing character-building stories.

So with all this preparation, why do my children still struggle with relational problems?

Yesterday was one of those days. The bickering and arguing started early in the morning. The bad attitudes started the day off on the wrong foot and soon all of the children were grouching at one another.

It was contagious: I became grumpy and discouraged....wondering if it was my fault.
Am I being consistent enough? Or  was I a bad example in dealing with Mimi about making her bed? Or was I too harsh with Aaron about doing his morning chores? I was wondering if maybe I am doing this all wrong.

But while out on my daily walk, the Lord reminded me that it's not my fault.  Part of the problem is the sin nature that our children are equipped with as they leave the womb. (Eccl. 7:20)

And  we all struggle with the "desires of the flesh" that cause us to respond in wrong ways. Children - and adults - have relational issues throughout life that must be addressed with godly character training.

So what about the discouragement that this situation can bring? Having your children with you all the time can put a magnifying glass to these issues, and it's easy to get discouraged.  But I have been discouraged by things other than the character training of my children. ..strained relationships with a family member, or the actions of a friend. The list of discouragements is endless.

So discouragement doesn't come because we are homeschooling; it comes as a part of life.  What we do about it will affect how well we deal with the more challenging times.

Do I humble myself and cast my cares on the Lord?  Do I really believe He cares for me?

"Casting all your cares on Him, for He cares for you."  -  1 Peter 5:7

Have a blessed day, friends!









 linking up with www.deeprootsathome.com
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Serving God

"You are as much serving God in looking after your own children,

training them up in God's fear,

minding the house,

and making your household a church for God,

as you would be if you had been called to lead an army

to battle for the Lord of Hosts." 

 - Charles Spurgeon

A Thief In My House

Recently, I discovered a thief in my house.

Looking back, I realize that he had been there for a couple of years, but I had never noticed him until a couple of months ago.

He wasn't trying to steal money.  He was trying to steal something far more valuable than that. He was trying to steal my time.

The thief was Facebook. Facebook was stealing my time.

 And after being on Facebook for a couple of years, I have just recently begun to realize how much time I am capable of wasting on it...checking people's statuses, photos, comments, "likes", etc.

One example: Mimi comes to me, asking for a story while I'm on Facebook.  My standard reply was, "In a second, Sweetie."  That "second" turned into a couple of seconds, then minutes. And by the time I logged off, she was occupied with something else, and I had missed a wonderful opportunity to spend some precious moments with her.

This situation (and many other similar to it where my children needed me and I put them off) occurred more than I would care to admit.  Thankfully, the Lord showed me that this "thief" was stealing my time from my children and from my homemaking.

He showed me that I was becoming what 1 Timothy 5:13 calls a "busybody". I would start out by checking my inbox and notifications. That would lead to reading everything on my news feed page. Then I would check friends' statuses that didn't show up on my news feed page. And then..well, you get the picture.

Let's be honest, does it really matter if a friend of a friend comments on another friend's tagged photo of their second cousin's wedding?  Or that a family member is getting ready to wash dishes? Not to mention all of the drama on Facebook, as if life doesn't have enough drama already.

It had become a complete waste of time...time that could be spent with my children - playing together, working together....just being together.

So as of Monday,  November 21st, I am Facebook-free.

Did I miss it?  A little at first: every now and then I had to resist the urge to log in and check my news feed page.

But I am enjoying all the extra time I have with my children. My house is cleaner. I'm keeping up with the laundry. (Yay!)

And I am happier.

Will I delete my account?  Maybe. Or maybe I will open an account for my blog. I don't know. But  I have lots of extra time to decide.  :)  And if you have struggled with the time thief, I'd love to hear how you dealt with it.

Psalm 90:12 "So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

Have a blessed day,


 







linking up with www.aboverubies.net
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