Ten Commandments

The last few weeks our pastor has been doing a series of sermons on the Ten Commandments. We discussed in Sunday school today, that anthropologists study cultures from recent to the beginning of the earth, and while all have had people who sinned, who broke the commandments, people who stole, who murdered, who committed adultery; they have discovered that never before has any culture been found that actually made these acts legally acceptable. We; our generation and the world that we live in, we are the first to do such a thing. There have always been people who would murder, but we are the first to pass laws saying it is right to do so.(abortion, euthanasia) There have always been sodomists, and homosexuals, but we are the first to pass laws saying it is right to do so.(same sex marriage) Even the Greeks, who are world famous for their lustful desires, for having sex with anyone and anything, in the name of worship even; even they had laws on the books forbidding acts like murder and homosexuality. There have always been people who would break the laws of God and man, but we are the first to create legislation saying it is right for man to break God's laws.
Have no other gods; there have been many gods (lust, money, possessions), and cultures have embraced them, and soon our laws will too.
Do not murder, our culture has embraced murder when it's convenient. Why is it legal for me to murder my child today (I'm four month pregnant), but it will be illegal for me to do so six months from now? How about in sixteen years when I can't take the attitude, then will it be 'legal' for me to take her life? If life has any value at all, then it has value today, even in the womb. And, it is murder to take this life, even today, even in the womb.
Do not commit adultery, God created and ordained the institution of marriage between one woman and one man, and we know that men have found that nearly impossible to live up to since the beginning of time, but does our struggle to do right mean that we should pass laws claiming wrong as right instead? Our culture has embraced adultery, and soon our laws will as well.
Do not steal, we have embraced a world of 'healthy' competition, always scheming to find a way to improve our earthly life, never considering the effect on others. Even in youth, this is obvious: we have seen young girls manipulate circumstances to make themselves appear better than they are, usually to appear more popular. We watch them use other, less pretty or less confident girls as steps in their ladder to the top. We complain about their catty-ness, and then we say, 'oh, they are just little girls'. But, when we watch their mothers, we see that age has nothing to do with it. Our culture has embrace theft, by calling it 'healthy' competition, and soon our laws will embrace it as well.
Call me guilty - of every sin there is. I have broken every commandment, and so have you. By the grace of God who gave us those commandments, I have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. We are free to do whatever we choose, says Paul, because we are redeemed by Christ. But, then, should we sin more to see grace abound? Never!
I would encourage you to be salt. Salt was primarily a preservative, and it's purpose was to stop the rotting of meat. So, go out and be salt; stop the rot.

There is a saying, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can not make him drink."

but you can give him salt.

SALT MAKES YOU THIRSTY!!! JESUS IS THE LIVING WATER!!!

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Selling My House

Is it real? I ask out loud. Could it be we are actually moving? It seems hard to believe. My heart has been so torn, as I see us moving in the direction that God is calling us; researching and writing more books, encouraging families to take God at His word, and ministering to those God brings our way.
For awhile, there were no showings, no interest in the house, no contact from our realtor, no hope it seemed that our dream to be on the road, full time missionaries, could ever come true.
So, we just trusted. If my efforts, my energies, my work could ever have accomplished anything, then I would probably not trust as I do. Because it is never easy, and our daily bread is always just that; daily, I have no choice but to spend my days and my nights on my knees before my Lord.
Then, we agreed (Don & I) that we still believed in what God had called us to do, and while there might be challenges, that shouldn't discourage us. So, we started to act like we believed in what we were doing. We looked for ways to replace the home phone and internet service, we looked at options for a mailing address after we leave the stick house, we started shopping for our new van/home, and even narrowed down our options to a few specific models.
When we did this, things began to turn, and people came to us and said they felt called to give us things; cash, food, clothes, items to sell on Ebay, and more. The bounty just kept raining down on us. We still every day just have our daily bread, but as we let go of things in the house and begin to embrace the new lifestyle (even though we can't see it yet), it comes closer and closer to being reality.
Tomorrow, we have a scheduled showing on our house. It is only the third since we listed it last October, and the first one this year. It's just a showing; not an offer or a sale, but as we rest in God's promises, and trust that He will lead us down the path that He has put us on, things are coming together more and more.
I am often negligent in my Thanks, so while I will spend this evening and most of tomorrow scrambling to get the house 'just so', I want to say Thank you now for the showing, because although just a showing, it is for us, a sign of Hope.

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you'll laugh about it later

Things that I didn't think were funny at the time, but now they kind of are:

Summer, age 4, in the midst of being reprimanded; waggled her pointer finger at me and said, "Don't you use that tone of voice with me!"

Ethan, age 3, at the end of a one hour drama that he had sat still and fairly quiet for (it was a Last Supper drama; when Jesus said that one would betray him; each character stood up and told of all their experiences with Jesus and then asked, "Is it I, Lord?"). Judas was last, and he asked, "Is it I, Lord?" It was a very dark and solemn play, but it was obvious that even the actors were struggling to keep their composure, when Ethan yelled out "YES!"

I'm sure I'll think of more later, but had a few moments and thought I would share those with you. I hope it puts a smile in your day!

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Too Harsh? Too Morbid?

I've been thinking that maybe my last post was a bit too harsh, or maybe even too morbid. But, every time my husband or child leaves my side, I am thinking in the back of my mind; this could be the last moment, the last goodbye. I want to make it a really good hug, the kind that would hold us over until we see each other again, even if it's not until we meet in Heaven. I try to remember to always say I love you, every time I hang up the phone, because it might be the last conversation, and I want the last words I said to be "I love you".
I wonder why everyone doesn't think this way, but I realized that for me it probably has to do with my father dying when I was twelve. Since then, I've never been shocked by death, it just is. My grandmother hates to talk about death or anyone dying; it upsets her so, and I don't understand why, but I do understand that many people feel that way.
I do not fear death, or dwell on death, nor am I shock or disturbed by death; but I am always expectant, always waiting for God to take someone I love, expecting Jesus to return for me. I look forward to an eternity in Heaven, but I don't want to miss even one moment with my children while we are together here.
When people ask me why I homeschool, even ask things like, 'How can you stand to be around them all day? I can't stand to have mine home for the summer.' I have many answers I could give, but it always comes down to just one question I ask in return, "God gave them to me. Why would I want to send them away?"

One day they won't come back...

Hi, just a quick announcement.

We are always trying to find ways to save money, and have managed to put together a website with a cheaper host, so our new address online will be

vacationeducationbooks.net

If you visit our .com site, you will be redirected to the new site.



Also, a prayer request. We are preparing to welcome the 8th member of our family into a household with one 7passenger vehicle. We don't know what God has planned for our transportation needs or how He intends to pay for it, but we do know that He owns a thousand cattle on a thousand hills... He is not affected by the economy or the real estate market, so nothing is impossible with HIM. Our prayer request is for us to be patient as we watch and pray for a solution to this 'overcrowding' issue.



Lastly, a word of caution: if you have never read our newsletter before, they are usually more ENCOURAGING than this one. But, this is something that I have felt strongly about for quite some time and believed it needed to be said, so here it is...



Over the years, we have said goodbye to friends and family members. This is the way of life; death is unavoidable. Each time, I am reminded how precious these moments that we have together are. As I talk with mothers who are seeking day care options to replace the 'babysitting' that the school systems provide, my heart aches for them; the mothers and the children.
We are warned in Scripture that the end will come unexpectedly like a thief in the night. Many so called experts try to guess at a date that Jesus will return, and many Christians cling to these predictions; as though everything will be just as it is today until then.
But, that day could be today. Even if Jesus doesn't return today; you could go to meet Him today. For as many anticipated deaths we've been through, there are just as many that were completely unpredictable, like freak accidents & sudden drownings.
Many of us will live long and happy, healthy lives and so will our children. But, before you know it, your child will be gone; even if they've only gone off into adulthood. As their lives become too busy for you, what will you have left of them? Will it be memories of dropping them off and picking them up, or will you have been a part of every special moment in their lives? When you are gone, what will they remember? Will it be waving hello and goodbye from the bus stop, or will it be that you have been a part of every special moment?
Homeschooling our children gives us the advantage of seeing every milestone. I am here for the first word, first step, first tooth (in and out); I will coach them through learning to write their name, through multiplication tables, and fractions too. I'll stand by their side when the caterpillar becomes a butterfly, or even when the caterpillar dies. When they carry in armloads of cucumbers that they helped to grow, and when they try to figure out why the squash grew but never produced fruit.
Whatever parenting expert you read, they will all agree on one thing... your kids need YOU! If you knew that your child would go to live with Jesus tomorrow, would you still send him away today? Or would you hold him close in your arms and cherish these last few hours? What if you knew he'd be gone next week? Next month? Next year?
The thing is, we don't know.
The Lord could bless us with the next 70 years together, but it could be just 70 seconds...
So, act like you've only got one chance to hold on to them, to love them, to share your life and your faith with them...
Be careful when you send them away... one day they won't come back.

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Free & Cheap Entertainment

Here I am back to blogging about the book Nickel & Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich (and if anyone is upset that I have been too critical, look at it this way; the more I mention her book, the more often it will show up on a Google search, and that is good for her and her career).
As per the comment on the earlier post: I have not read or looked into the writings of others in the past who have refuted Ehrenreich's findings. I'm not surprised to know that I am not the only voice crying out...
I think all in all, my points keep coming back to issues of decision making. My financial situation is far from perfect, and I can trace every element of it to a decision that I made, for better or for worse. I'm one of those people who actually take pride in not spending money, regardless of my income. I like to see how little I can spend, how long I can stretch the odds and ends in my pantry, etc. I make it a point to learn and put to use all the money saving tricks that I can.
I am at the point in this book where the author takes a day off work and goes looking for cheap or free entertainment. My first thought (especially since she is in a huge city) would be public library. They are loaded with great stuff, and all you need is a drivers license!
She chooses instead to attend a church tent revival, and I'll quote her here, "...sounds like the perfect entertainment for an atheist out on her own."
There's a whole lot that I could say from the perspective of someone who truly believes that my eternity depends entirely on my relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
However, her book and this blog is supposed to be about the financial state of our nation, so I'll just say this...
if your best ideas for entertainment are to go and mock others for their faith...
not very creative and not great journalism either.

What is your end goal?

What is your end goal? What are you building toward?
We are all building something; building lives, building families, building businesses.
But, what for?
I am often reminded that God is the architect of my life, and I'm glad for that because if I was to make the plans, my structure would undoubtedly collapse.
As we are preparing the fields, God blesses us in many ways. I am known for saying, "I never turn down a blessing." We are often given food and clothing, and sometimes people apologize to us, and say, "I hope you're not offended, but I thought you could use this." I'm never offended and always thankful for the blessing.
Sometimes, it is hard to see a blessing as such though. We are making plans and we believe that we are following the path that God has laid out for us. Our plan is
SELL VAN = BUY A CONVERTED BUS
SELL CONTENTS OF HOME = PAY OFF ALL DEBTS
SELL HOUSE = PAY CONFERENCE FEES FOR NEXT YEAR
SELL BOOKS = PAY BILLS WHILE WE ARE ON THE ROAD
Then, God surprised us with a blessing!
We will be welcoming a new addition to our family next January. There are some who would consider this to be something other than a blessing, however, the Lord gives us His word that children are a blessing from the Lord. It would be heretical to say it isn't so. While in some ways, this news gives us a whole new set of schematics to work around; it really is just schematics.
Little things, like where will we have the baby, Jacob was born at home in a water birth, it was wonderful, my midwife was great...
we'd like to do it that way again, but we are also hoping that our house will be sold by then...
so then what?
Primarily, all our questions come back to "How does this fit into our plans?"
But, we should be asking "What does God have planned?"
In the end, it comes down to two choices; Are we trying to build a tower of babel with our own hands to live in luxury of our own making or are we working with God in hopes that He will grant us life in the Paradise that He has built?
I know where I would rather be, do you?
What are you building today?