Celiac Disease

We got some news today about good friends of ours. 

Their daughter has Celiac Disease. 

It looked like this was coming given the numbers before the endoscopy, but you know, getting the confirmation is different. 

In this world of so many 'going off gluten' without a doctor's orders, it is frustrating when someone has a serious condition and isn't merely choosing to restrict their diet. 

Anyway, having food limitations here due to allergies, it is hard to know what is coming for my friend. The stages of grieving and anger pass, and you're energized and excited to tackle this new challenge. In time though, the anguish over just how much 'regular' food prep items have gluten will set in, and I hate that for her. It isn't something I'll talk about because there is a reason we go through things as we do...but I'm just thinking of the ease of Lipton soup mix and creamed soups. Of course, these days there is so much more to choose from, but still, it is like any processed food: expensive and not necessarily as healthy as doing it yourself. 

God is good and faithful, and He will walk them through. Thankfully they are believers. Still, I hate to see folks go through a tough time. 

Blood Moons 9/28/15

An earlier post I shared regarding The Harbinger runs along a similar vein, but this link goes to a pointed article full of sound thinking from pastor and teacher, John MacArthur.

It is worth considering.

This link originally went to a post which isn't there anymore, but this short video by Nathan Busenitz is! 

http://www.tms.edu/preachersandpreaching/blood-moons-and-biblical-discernment/ (not there)

Is Continual Failure, Succeeding?

In homeschooling, as in other areas of life, we seldom meet our goals. We wish we'd read to the kids more, took more field trips, and focused on home economics. They taught themselves more of something that we'd planned to do the leading on. Did we fall short in some areas, ie 'fail' to improve or meet our goals? Sure. But were the kids educated adequately in the key subject areas, staying on grade level? If the answer is Yes to those questions, we haven't failed in homeschooling, but we also didn't meet all of our goals.

That said, there are homeschoolers who are really not getting the basic job of educating accomplished, year after year. These are kind people; people we may be friends with and even admire in a category or two; however, if excuses are accepted and mediocrity or failure is acceptable in the homeschool community, who is truly getting the short end of the stick?

We mothers have already graduated college or high school. Our life plan is set out for us, but our children are just getting started. Is our pride or fear keeping us from making changes that are best for THEM?

So many moms enjoy learning 'alongside' their child, but the brain of a 40 year old is not as quick as that of a younger person. While learning alongside is fun and fulfilling, let us make sure it is not holding our student back from fulfilling their potential in learning. These are THEIR years to shine, and we need to be realistic about what is working and what isn't.

I'm a big homeschooling advocate, but in the last 10 years I've seen more than one home that is failing in their goal to home educate their children. Character is very important--of course, I get that and agree, but if your 11th grade student is not learning disabled and is doing 9th grade work still, you have failed to advance your child and should consider turning over the reigns to online, DVD or a school. Ignorance is not acceptable if we're proud to be homeschoolers.

John MacArthur on Yoga

John MacArthur on Yoga

Christians need to be careful

Reviews of The Harbinger

For those who want to be biblically sound, here are a few links to read regarding The Harbinger. We can get all we need about God's judgment from the Bible. We are already under His judgment. The key is to personally repent of our sins and spread the gospel message because everyone is going to die at some point.

Lighthouse Trails Research

Worldview Weekend on The Harbinger

The Berean Call

Apprising Ministries

He Takes Away Pain

After certain events, I am sad and have a deep sense of dissatisfaction, loneliness, pain, or all of the above. Over the course of the last 9 months, the Lord has enabled me to change my expectations, and this time I felt great. There is a freedom in not having to be close to everyone equally.  It makes perfect sense that we would not all be as close to some people as we are to others. We can love people, but as far as being friends, we are not always in a place like that. 

It is truly only God who could have gotten me to this place. He's given me all I need and has called me to this life I'm living. I've got supportive people all around, the key is remembering to be thankful for them and leave the rest to God.

Thailand

We used to have the most amazing babysitter. We even trusted her to watch the kids overnight. She is in the area still, but is busy finishing her master's, working and planning her upcoming WEDDING, which we can't WAIT to attend. Liz spent a good bit of time in Thailand teaching English and evangelizing the lost. Somehow during her time there, my life was busier and I barely, if ever, read her amazing blog.

My daughter is writing a paper on Thailand, so Liz sent her pictures and a link to her blog, so I was enjoying reading it. It is VERY encouraging, and part of that is because Liz is a godly, pure woman who loves the Lord. We couldn't have asked for a better person to influence our kids and I only wish we had more time with her through the years. She was instrumental to my surprise family 40th birthday party even...from a great baker, to a party planner, her skills are remarkable.

Here is her blog:
http://lizinbangkok.blogspot.com/

I hope my girls are a lot like Liz when they are in their mid twenties.

After reading Liz's blog tonight, my prayer is for God to help me see opportunities to witness to the lost more and to make the most of those opportunities.

Less is More

Whenever I am around a house that is not organized or just full to the brim, it really motivates me to clean out at my house. It is the best encouragement available. Today I cleaned out my shed and produced 5 black trash bags, a computer box and a computer paper box of garbage. Everything has been sprayed for bugs, organized by categories (fencing/wood; lawn/beach/ladders; gardening/chickens; moving blankets/wooden planters/chemicals) and swept.

I wonder if our lives as Christians are like that, but on a more positive front. If we live for the Lord and our lives magnify His grace and truth, will it motivate others to seek Him or live the same way?

Jailed Clerk

I was reading an article about Ms. Davis, the jailed county clerk in KY who was jailed because she refused to issue a marriage license to gay couples. Here is the statement:

A lawyer for the couples, William Sharp, said Thursday’s ruling demonstrated that “religious liberty is not a sword with which government, through its employees, may impose particular religious beliefs on others.” per a NY Times article

What is laughable is that Sharp can say this, but not see the Supreme Court has acted like a government sword imposing its beliefs on the nation, which do not align with a great deal of Americans. The pot calling the kettle black is what this statement is all about. Who started this imposing and are we no longer free to believe? This method of jailing to gain compliance when we're dealing with a moral opposition sure sniffs of tyranny. What if conservatives had the power and we jailed transvestites to encourage them to comply with the majority? See the trouble here? It is ok to hate Christians and force them to be like everyone else....

Is Yoga OK for Christians?--Mark Driscoll

I may have posted this at some point but figure I'll just post it again. If you are a Christian involved in yoga, please watch this YouTube. I do not endorse Mark Driscoll in general, but on this topic, he is on the money. As my husband says, yoga is not synonymous with stretching. There are plenty of good stretching books and videos available. (just go to Amazon and look for stretching videos to purchase) Postures in yoga can have spiritual significance, so if stretching is what is wanted and desired, realize that if it's called yoga, it involves more than that. Those who are Hindi know that yoga is a form of worship and the object of that worship is not the King of Kings.

I hope this helps you as you seek to walk the narrow path. In this era of postmodernism, we have to be vigilant to stay on the side of truth.