Voddie Baucham -Why your Family needs the church

Ok, I'm really enjoying Voddie Baucham's talks. He tells it like it is. He doesn't sugar coat. He's real.

He started this talk with the things to look for in a true church. Look for Biblical gospel, biblical officers, biblical ordinances, and biblical discipline. The biblical gospel is historic, God centered, Christ centered, cross centered, and grace centered. Biblical officers refers to elders, pastors and deacons. Biblical ordinances are both baptism and the Lord's supper. Biblical discipline is both formative (teaching) and corrective (confronting someone with their sin). The issues of what they wear and how they do music and if there is a youth program are all unimportant.

He then talked about why you need to be a member of a local church. Identification, edification, cooperation, accountability, submission and authority were all reasons given. He is passionate about this subject because he sees all over the country that homeschool families are leaving their local churches. But he posed a good question, how can you expect your children to submit to you as parent if you do not submit, as God instructed, to the local church?

early in his talk he brought up St Francis of Asisi. The man who said something like using words when necessary to share the gospel. You always have to use words. He likened it to the evening news not using words. You wouldn't know what happened if ey didn't use words.

I think Voddie Baucham is finished with his talks. It's too bad too, I really enjoy them.

NCHE conference day 2

Finally a chance to sit down! Two great speakers this morning. First Voddie Baucham. Educating our children with our grandchildren in mind. Lots of stuff that we are doing wrong to continue the movement, keep homeschooling strong. One thing he identified in me, my homeschool, is that the kids, at least my girls, don't have the vision to homeschool their own children. One reason I homeschool is to keep the kids from the stuff going on in the public schools. And according to him, that's not the reason to homeschool. The right resons to homeschool are that we are convinced by scripture, we understand our role as parents, we want to advance kingdom of God, and we want to bless kingdom of man. Whew! This is why I come to the conference every year. I need to be reminded of these things. By the end of the school year I am bogged down by test scores and getting the textbook finished and do they know what they should know by now. What I should be thinking of is do they know Jesus? Are they serving Jesus? Are they willing to share their faith in Jesus with others?

Then I went to hear Hal and Melanie Young talk about your son's battle for purity. I'm covering purity for my daughters as best I know how. There are lots of resources out there for girls. But there is little to help our sons. Hal and Melanie stand in that gap. They were fun to listen to. A serious topic which they covered very well. They shared a comment from their college age son that dating would be better than what goes on now. Hooking up without the date first. Ugh! Really? So, not what I want for my children. They told us practical ways to keep our sons pure. One was with covenant eyes.com. Rather than a filter which could filter too much or as a parent turn off the filter so I can find something and then forget to turn it back on, they use monitoring software. This sends email when something of question is viewed. Some of the statistics they shared were worrisome - boys as young as 9 running into problems online. Oh my! I need to get on this now! Then the girls and I had lunch and went to the book fair.

Technical issues

I'm loving my iPad for the conference but there are some problems when it comes to blogging on it. For one, the buttons to upload pictures don't work. I will try to remember to upload pictures when I get home. Another issue is that, though I make paragraphs when I type, they don't come through when the article posts. Again, I'll try to fix that when I get home. Sorry for both these issues. The paragraph thing may make it difficult to read. But in good news, I am loving my iPad! There is an app called "Notability" that I'm using to take notes on this year. I use it at home for sermon notes and meeting notes as well. No more spare pieces of paper to keep track of! You can use it with a stylus or with a finger or with a keyboard. I use the internal one, I haven't bought a wireless one. I've heard of homeschoolers using it for handwriting practice. I don't have a child that age anymore, so I'm not sure how that would work. Thanks dear for the Christmas present all over again!!

NCHE day 1 part 2

I got to the auditorium in time to hear Chuck Bently. I was even in time to hear the small speeches ahead of him.

Spencer (I can't remember his last name) is stepping down from the presidency of NCHE and was telling us to remain strong in our homeschooling, keep the NCHE strong and to get involved in a support network. Then Dr. Flood, who is in charge of DNPE, spoke for a minute. She was a refreshing voice. She told us that she is not the enemy. :-) She wants to helps us.

Then Chuck Bently got up to speak. He gave us 4 scenarios of what may happen in the future. Three of them were bad. Then he has studied famines and wars in the Bible and what he learned from them. we should save, serve God, end self reliance and serve others.

Then he went over the SALT plan. Save. Allocate assets. Liquidity. Truth. I'm going to need to buy his book. He sounds like he is in a place where John and I are trying to be. Planning for a coming crisis. There is more I need to know to be prepared.

Chuck Bently left us with a good thought - What if God had given me the ability to stand against currents of culture? Not just in terms of homeschooling. I'll need to think on that one.

NCHE conference day 1

It's been an interesting day so far. Busy busy morning getting everything done at home before leaving to get to Winston. Both daughters in the car with me. I "ordered" 80's music for the ride over. At one point we started listening to Sebatian from Little Mermaid sing "Under the Sea", but then back to 80's music we went. We got checked in. We're staying at Piedmont International University. I meant to take a picture and post it but I left the camera in the car since we were just dropping things off.

So far I've been to John Stonestreet's talk on the Coming Challenges to our Faith and the Bentley's talk on Decreasing Expenses, Increasing Income. Both were wonderful and I highly recommend both speakers.

Oops! Gotta go hear the Bentley's again. I'll be sitting in the back now!

Testing for later

I signed up to "live blog" at the homeschool conference, which I've never done before. But before I get there I need to see if I can blog from my iPad. I know it can be done, but I need to actually try to do it. :-). So this is really a nothing post. Just seeing if I can manage this thing. Thanks for understanding!

Hunger Games

I listened to a speech given by Sally Clarkson's daughter Joy a few months ago about why Christians should read and watch the popular books and shows. We are called to be in the world but not of the world. If we don't know what is popular, how can we engage the world? Also, when we read and watch popular media, we can identify themes as to why it is popular. Joy was much more eloquent than I am but I'm just trying to be quick about why I'm writing this.

Middle dd took me to see Hunger Games yesterday. I did enjoy the movie overall. There are places that were objectionable and I am very happy that I didn't take ds to see it. I think he would understand it, but well... The plot was objectionable. There is much reason to not see it. In fact when I heard the plot, I was wondering why I let my daughters read the books. (I was trusting other Christian moms who let their kids read it.)

Anyway, to my point. I have some idea why these books are popular and now the movie as well. Disclaimer: I have not read the books. I only have a vague idea of where they are going with the story from my daughters.

People want a hero and as heros go, Katniss is a great one. For someone who never got the Christ-figure stuff in high school, it is easily her. She loves on those who look to her for protection (Primrose and Rue and even Peta), as Christ does. She gives people jobs in their skill set, as Christ does. (Her mom to take care of Primrose and Rue to set the fires.) Katniss also gives her life for another. When Primrose is chosen in the Reaping, Katniss volunteers and pays the ransom for her. Just like Christ paid the ransom for us and our sins.

People today want a hero. Katniss could be that hero. We see her not only as a savior but we see people trying to bend her to the world. She is a good hero. Katniss is like us - trying to maintain who we are but also trying to make it in the world Haymitch and Cinna both coach her on what to say and do, how to get ahead. She follows their advice, but you can also tell that she doesn't go over the top to get on everyone's good side. She maintains her integrity.

I am looking forward to the rest of the story. I expect to see Katniss to continue to give of herself for others. I expect there will be trials and that Katniss at some point will fail. But she is human after all. I expect there to be a general feeling of district loyalty.

I may just have to sit down and read these books after all. :-)

There is no rock like our God. 1 Samuel 2:2c

God is compared to a rock – not a shell. They are both very hard. They both probably have a similar chemical make-up. But shells. They are hard. But how hard is it to find a perfect shell on the beach? So many are crushed or broken or have holes. It makes it that much sweeter when you do find one that is whole. But God is always whole. Always perfect.

And God is rock, not a stone. Like shells, stones can be tossed around. They are light. They are small. They can be polished. Yu can decorate with stones. Think landscaping. Think vases.

Rocks. Rocks are different. Think about other attributes of God. God is bigger than the boogieman. Well, so are rocks. God is immovable. There are rocks so big you nee a bulldozer to move them. There are rocks so big you need dynamite to move them. There are rocks so big we call them mountains – Stone Mountain and Mount Rushmore.

God is invisible. There are rocks that are hidden so we only find them when we dig and they surprise us when we find them. Doesn’t God surprise you sometimes? Sometimes you only find Him when you dig. But then there are times the rock is right there in front of you. You don’t even notice t until you trip on it. God’s been like that too. He’s right there and He’s been there the whole time but I didn’t see Him until I tripped.

But scripture says, “There is no rock like our God.” Rocks do have qualities in common with God. But God is unlike rocks. God is invisible. We can’t see Him but He’s always there. God is loving, caring and merciful. Rocks are none of these things. Rocks don’t have feelings.

God is everywhere. Some would say rocks are everywhere. And there are times it seems that way. J But it only seems that way. There are no rocks in my head but God is there. There are no rocks in my heart but God is there too.

God sees everything. Rocks don’t have eyes. God hears everything. Rocks don’t have ears. God loves us. Rocks don’t have hearts.

God loves on us. Rocks can’t. They don’t have arms. Where are God’s arms? We are God’s arms. We are God’s body. How does God love on us? Through our loving on each other. I wouldn’t want a hug from a rock or a rock person. But I would want a hug from God.

As I’m on the beach playing with my feet in the sand – sand is really rocks that have been crushed so much they are tiny. (Or maybe sand is crushed shells.) But God can’t be crushed. He can’t be pulverized. He can’t be blasted into smaller, easier to handle sizes.

Hannah said, “There is no rock like our God.” And I for one am very happy about that!

Book 40

Gilgamesh the Hero by Geraldine McCaughrean

I'm starting to read books for the next school year. The literature for the girls so far is poetry and included an excerpt from Gilgamesh. I wanted to be sure I understood the story and so read Matthew's book. This story is very similar (as expected) to what I understood in the excerpt. But it starts much sooner in Gilgamesh's life and goes further. I do feel I understand the excerpt better.

Not just in this book, but also in the Ancient Egyptian poems I read, I'm finding stories very similar to what is in the Bible. I'm thinking there is truth to Romans where everyone has revelation of God and they will be judged according to their revelation. The Egyptians had a belief at one point of a single creator god. In Gilgamesh, they tell a rendition of the flood story complete with a boat they call an ark and animals on it. There are of course differences from the Biblical account.

Recommended: yes. It does give us insight to ancient peoples. But I would caution against young teens/tweens who are still easily swayed in their faith. If not fully convinced of faith in Christ, they could easily see the similarities as reasons to see the Bible as just another story ad not the truth.

Book 39

Cotillion by ??

I read this book a few weeks ago while on the way to and from the family reunion. It takes place in England, probably before Jane Austin days. But around that time. There was a little girl who was orphaned and taken in by an old man. He had no wife, no children, but 4 nephews. As the girl aged, he decided to make her his heir, but with the stipulation that she marry one of his nephews. He thought she would marry a certain one, his favorite. She was angry with him and convinced a different nephew to pretend to be engaged to her so she could have a "season" in London. Then they would break off their engagement and go their own ways.

The story that ensues is slightly predictable but still enjoyable. This is not a Christian story as it seems no on much goes to church and there is premarital relations, but nothing spoken of directly. You need to read between the lines to find it.

Recommended: Not for youngsters. Maybe not for Hannah, probably for Katie. But only if you like Jane Austin type stories.

Book 38

The Emperor of Nihon-Ja by John Flangan

Again, a book I was pre-reading for Matthew. This one again, I either read to fast or there weren't any curse words. I did notice a character saying "Blast it!" once or twice but no cursing. :-)

The books starts with the main characters separate. Will and Halt are in Toscana (I still haven't figured out where it is) and Horace is in Nihon-Ja. Will, Halt and Alyss are working out a treaty while Horace is learning new sword techniques. Right as negotiations are wrapping up on the treaty, Evalyn arrives with news that Horace has disappeared in Nihon-Ja. Wiil, Halt, Alyss, and Evalyn take off on a Skandian ship to save Horace.

Just like the others in the series, I enjoyed this one and recommend it. I've also heard a rumor that they are making some of the series into a movie. We'll have to see how it plays out.

Book 37

Case for Faith for Kids by Lee Strobel

I actually finished this book a couple weeks ago and I'm just getting back to blog it. Oops! Another pre-read for Matthew. I think he will get more out of this one than Case for Christ. This book answers the "hard" questions, at least some of them. "Why would a good God allow bad things?" and "Can other religions get us into Heaven?" are among them. It's a good book for the age group targeted.

Recommended: yes for either older children, youth or new adult believers.

Movie - Pirates 4

We unexpectedly went to Pirates of the Caribbean, on Stranger Tides today. Let's just say if I had gone onto unplugged.com to check it out before we went, we would not have taken M. Bad language being the reason. It's a popcorn movie. There are places where it is completely unbelievable - Blackbeard is magic, or rather his sword is. There are some thinly veiled sexual references that I don't think M got. I'm not sure about the girls. And then the zombies and the mermaids. Not your typical mermaids either - they were evil. Or rather you learn later that they react to the evil around them. There was a missionary in the movie. They didn't make him out to be over the top, thankfully. Nor did he turn on his faith. He wasn't what I would have hoped for a missionary either.

Not the best Pirates movie. But not a wasted 2 hour.

Recommended? I'm not sure. If you really like Pirates, the go. If you aren't a Pirates fan, then save your money, this one won't help.

Movie -Walk the Line

Oh no. More than one post in a single day! :-)

J and I sat down and watched the movie tonight. K didn't want to and H wasn't home - babysitting. And it's just not a movie for M. There was a little bad language, but not a lot. Enough to discount M but not enough to discount H. One after s*x scene, but nothing showed. So that will depend on your point of view.

In case this is new to you - it's a biopic of Johnny Cash. At least up to the late 60's. I didn't realize Johnny and June met so early and while he was still married to Vivian. Of course, all I ever knew was that June was a born again Christian, I didn't know when that happened. The movie did not paint Johnny's dad in a good light at all. But then it didn't really skim over Johnny's drug and alcohol addiction either. There was the allusion of affairs with fans, but you didn't see anything. Johnny was not made out to be a wonderful person, he had many flaws and they seemed to show them all.

I always wonder about movies based on real life - how true are they. I really don't know about this one. It's not something I looked up. I like Johnny Cash's music, some of it, but I'm not really a fan. I'll take the movie at face value and leave it at that.

Recommended - I don't know. Like I said I'm not a big fan of his music but I did enjoy the movie and seeing where he came from and how he came up through the ranks.

Book 36

To Live is Christ Day by Day by Beth Moore

This is a 90 day devotional that I used during quiet time each day until I finished it. I loved this one! From past experience, I'm sure she has either a book or a Bible study that goes along with this, probably by the same name except no "day by day" part. I enjoyed this devoational so much that I want to do the whole study now. :-)

Book 35

The Pastor's Wife by Jennifer Allee

This was another book I "bought" because it was free on the Kindle. It's a good beach read. That's actually where I read it. :-) Good beach read because if you get interrupted by others, it's fine. Good beach read because it's relatively brainless. If you need some sort of escapist reading, and who doesn't at some point, this is a great book for that.

The book starts with Maura coming back to Granger for the reading of a will only to find that she must move back in with her estranged husband for 6 months to inherit anything. Se quickly decides that what she will receive is worth it and moves back to Granger. What follows is the courtship of a couple that is already married. It's still a Christian romance and so they do nothing about being married for a long time!

Book 34

Case for Christ for Kids by Lee Strobel

This is a kids book similar to The Case for Christ, by the same author. It's a good book and covers some basic questions - who was Jesus? Did he fit the Messiah picture? Did his friends tell the truth? Can a dead man really come back to life? Then the last few chapters are about young people sharing their faith through common encounters.

I think for where Matthew is in his faith, this book is a little young. Which is not to say that it's young for many 10 yos! Matthew is just very mature in his faith.

Recommended - yes.

Book 32 and 33

Kings of Clonmel by John Flangan
Halt's Peril by John Flanagan

Books 8 and 9 in the Ranger's Apprentice series. This book starts with Will and Halt in separate places but brings them together soon in time but not in pages of the book. They are going to try and eradicate a cult trying to make inroads into Araluen. But right "now" the cult is in a neighboring kingdom of Clonmel. We learn many things about Halt in Clonmel and the cult is sort of taken care of. At least the leaders have left Clonmel.

Book 9 continues the journey to eradicate the cult as Will, Halt and Horace follow the leaders of the cult through Clonmel, into Picta and then into Araluen. Halt is shot with an arrow and the story tells what happens from there. We see old friends from Macindaw.

Of course they have many adventures in all these various countries. There were curse words in Kings of Clonmel but surprisingly, none in Halt's Peril. (Unless I read too fast and for my pleasure instead of reading to edit for ds, which is entirely possible!) There was a scene in Halt's Peril that is questionable. It is how Horace and to a small part Will find out what poison is used on Halt. It gives me pause enough to wonder about letting ds read it. But I htink what I will do is write a note in the book saying "see me" or some such so it gets discussed right away.

Recommended - yes.

Book 31

Hotness by Hayley DiMarco

This is the second book I went through for a summer teen girl Bible study. I don't know which one to focus on. They are both so good! The book - Sexy Girls (see book 29) - is more a practical application of the issue of modesty. This book is a why it's important to be modest. This book is a Bible study. This one goes directly to God's Word and says do it because God says. Sexy Girls has Bible verses in it and uses God's Word to support what she says but it feels like it says do it because you don't want men looking at you.

This is an oversimplification of both books. I need to incorporate them both. I love using God's Word to find out what you should do. But girls today really need to know what it is men see when they see skin. I can't do one alone. I need to do them both.

For you, yes this is a recommended book. What will your teens respond to better? Direct reading and study of God's Word? Or an application with scripture for support?

Book 30

Teen People of the Bible by Daniel Darling

Another book I'm previewing before using it to lead teens. :-) This is actually a devotional for teens - 100 days worth. Each day has the same basic format a question that plagues teens, today's teen, today's action verse, storyline, today's teen speaks, digging deeper, just like you, did you know?, today's prayer, journal question.

Some of the Bible people chose surprised me, like Jeremiah. I didn't think they were teens during their ministry years. Others were more obvious like Josiah who became king when he was only 8. It's a good book. If I wasn't using it for a light summer Sunday school, I'd be passing it to my girls with the admonition not to write in it so they can both use it. For Sunday school, I'm either going to need to skip some days or I'm going to have to change the journal question. (I'm going to use the question as a discussion topic.) Some of the questions, I just don't think they'll be comfortable discussing in a group. I figure I'm going to need to do more than one "day" each Sunday depending on how chatty they are each week.

Recommended: yes!