Transhumansim – The Quest to be Gods

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Nothing has changed in over 6,000 years.

 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die. . .  ye shall be as gods. . .

Genesis 3:4

James Hughes Ph.D., the Executive Director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, is a bioethicist and sociologist at Trinity College in Hartford Connecticut where he teaches health policy and serves as Director of Institutional Research and Planning. He holds a doctorate in sociology from the University of Chicago, where he also taught bioethics at the MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics. Dr. Hughes is author of Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond to the Redesigned Human of the Future , and is working on a second book tentatively titled Cyborg Buddha. Since 1999 he has produced a syndicated weekly radio program, Changesurfer Radio.

As transhuman possibilities increasingly develop, the compatibilities of metaphysics, theodicy, soteriology and eschatology between the transhumanist and religious worldviews will be built upon to create new “trans-spiritualities.”  In this future religious landscape there will be bioconservative and transhumanist wings within all the world’s faiths, and probably new religious traditions inspired by the transhumanist project.  We will create new religious rituals and meanings around biotechnological and cybernetic and cybernetic capabilities, just as we did around fire, the wheel, healing plants, and the book.

James  J. Hughes, The Compatibility of Religious and Transhumanism Views of Metaphysics, Suffering, Virtue, and Transcendence in an Enhanced Future

In the Caltech experiments, the researchers stripped an HIV virus of its disease-causing elements and used it to virally infect single-cell embryos of mice with a gene from a jellyfish.

Any number of different genes could have been selected. For the purpose of the studies, the researchers chose a specific jellyfish gene that could serve as a “marker” to indicate whether the gene transfer was successful. The gene produces a protein that gives the jellyfish a green fluorescence.

When the mice were born, they carried the jellyfish gene in their own genes. Under fluorescent light, all their major tissues and organs—including skin, bones, muscles, lungs, liver, kidney, stomach, brain, and retina—emitted a green glow.

The trait became a permanent feature of the mice genome and was passed along to many of their offspring.  (National Geographic)

This has gone much, much farther than glow mice. This description of the fearsome  locusts in Revelation 9: 6-12 does not sound all that incredible in light of this.

6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. 7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. 8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. 11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. 12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.  Revelation 9:6-12

sage

Hints for Homeschoolers – The Home Library

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Anyone may see, how electronics (via the prince of the power of the air) have captured the hearts and minds of an entire generation. A well stocked home library can effectively stem that evil tide! And via garage sales and thrift stores, the home library can be filled to the brim with books for every member of the family. Truly, the warm pages of a book are far superior and more intimate than a Kindle or lap top.

Our local Salvation Army has paperback books at two for $.99. And absolutely free – children’s books and Bibles. Hardback books are $1.99, and some are truly nice. I also have picked up many sheet music books (barely used) at the same price they charge for paperbacks.

Findings published in the journal Social Science Research show that raising a child in a home filled with books positively impacts her future academic growth and job attainment. Specifically, as Pacific Standard reported, the study found that when it comes to standardized tests, “Regardless of how many books the family already has, each addition to the home library helps children do better.” That makes sense: A book-filled home encourages a culture of reading for enjoyment and talking about books. 

https://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/raise-a-reader-blog/study-finds-benefits-of-childs-home-library.html

A growing body of evidence shows that growing up with home libraries boosts adult literacy, adult numeracy (math skills), and adult technological competence, with the greatest returns to the growth in smaller home libraries. In other words, adding just a few books to your home library can make a big difference.

Going from no books at home to some books at home. Going from some books to a few more. This is doable! That’s what we’re doing at BookGive all the time.

In this study, the researchers found that growing up with almost no books was associated with literacy levels at about 50% below average. Having at least 80 books raised the literacy levels to average. Once a home library hits the 300 range, the literary gains are not significant, although we’d never discourage folks from surrounding themselves with lots of books.

https://bookgivedenver.org/why-home-libraries-matter/

Our home library is significantly smaller now that our family has grown up and out, but we still feel that books are the gateway to knowledge. Some of my personal books are so well loved, they are more tape than paper… My sewing books are in the sewing room, cookbooks are in the kitchen, and and gardening books are all in a corner shelf near the piano. A full set of encyclopedias is stowed on a very high shelf in the linen closet. Because you never know!

The time you spend reading to and with your children, will be remembered with far greater clarity than any cartoons or games children play.

My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that incline thine ear unto wisdom, And apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, And liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, And searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God.

Proverbs 1:2-5 KJB

sage

God Designed Geckos

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As is so often the case – scientists are studying God’s Creation- and applying it to modern technology. Until recently – it was a mystery, just how geckos were able to cling so easily to even the smoothest surfaces, and still be able to maneuver around on the same surface. But now – the fascinating truth is discovered!

Even though gecko toe pads adhere strongly to almost any surface, they can peel off of those surfaces quickly. That’s because the pads have tiny hair-like projections made from the tough protein keratin that can only be seen at incredibly strong magnification. If the geckos’ feet and tiny keratin fibers got dirty, that sticky interaction wouldn’t work, making them instantly vulnerable to predators.

In an effort to find out how geckos keep their feet clean, researchers based at the University of Akron (UA) found that phospholipids, which are special kinds of thin oils, are manufactured and excreted to keep the keratin hairs clean and serve as the temporary contact adhesive between geckos’ toes and the surface on which they’re walking. (Brian Thomas, M.S.)

Scientists have already taken advantage of the phospholipids, and are synthesizing adhesives with great potential for formerly unheard of applications.

For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him.

Colossians 1: 16

For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.

Romans 1: 20

sage

What About the Heathen?

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Often the secular world will accuse Christians of being exclusionary – “Jesus can’t be the only way.” (Oprah Winfrey) What about that? Is He the only way?

Yes !

In reality, there have always been two Books. The Bible, and Creation. Creation has been around for 2,500 years before the Bible was given.

The outdoor book speaks to man about God through natural revelation. Every person born on this earth, is witness to God’s eternal power and Godhead, through nature. Common sense tells man that there is beauty, order, intelligence, and design.

Lift up your eyes on high, and behold Who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: He calleth them all by names by the greatness of His might, for that He is strong in power; not one faileth. Isaiah 40:26

Are the heathen accountable? Yes.

19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Romans 1: 19-21

__________________________________________________________________

If the individual responds positively to the truth that is revealed in nature, God, who knows our very thoughts, will raise up a missionary to give that person the truth in the written Word.

For example, when Paul and Silas wanted to go to a certain area in Asia, they were “forbidden of the Holy Ghost” – Acts 16:6,7.

Instead, God sent them to Western Europe, where He knew they were waiting to receive the Word. If people do not respond to the outdoor Book – they are still responsible for rejecting it – even if they never hear the Written Word.

Rejecting the truth of Creation will eventually cause individuals, as well as entire nations to become perverted. It makes no difference if the person is living in a hut in a third world country, or a penthouse in a fabulous city – it still applies.

sage

For the Lord’s Day – Oh Love, That Will Not Let Me Go

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1 O love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
that in thine ocean depths its flow
may richer, fuller be.

2 O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
my heart restores its borrowed ray,
that in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
may brighter, fairer be.

3 O joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
and feel the promise is not vain
that morn shall tearless be.

4 O cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
and from the ground there blossoms red
life that shall endless be.

Lyrics: George Matheson 1842-1906

Music: Albert L. Peace

“Stabilizing lines, especially for those in darkness.

Do you know the story behind it?

At age 20 George Matheson (1842-1906) was engaged to be married but began going blind. When he broke the news to his fiancee, she decided she could not go through life with a blind husband. She left him. Before losing his sight he had written two books of theology and some feel that if he had retained his sight he could have been the greatest leader of the church of Scotland in his day.

A special providence was that George’s sister offered to care for him. With her help, George left the world of academia for pastoral ministry and wound up preaching to 1500 each week–blind.

The day came, however, in 1882, when his sister fell in love and prepared for marriage herself. The evening before the wedding, George’s whole family had left to get ready for the next day’s celebration. He was alone and facing the prospect of living the rest of his life without the one person who had come through for him. On top of this, he was doubtless reflecting on his own aborted wedding day twenty years earlier. It is not hard to imagine the fresh waves of grief washing over him that night.

In the darkness of that moment George Matheson wrote this hymn. He remarked afterward that it took him five minutes and that it was the only hymn he ever wrote that required no editing.

O love that will not let me go. Heartening hope for you and me.”

by Dane Ortlund

Romans 8:38-39

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

sage

Dinosaurs Ate Rice

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From the Institute for Creation Research ~

www.icr.org

Dinosaurs Ate Rice

by Brian Thomas, M.S. *

Just what did dinosaurs eat?

One way researchers are finding out is by studying coprolites, or fossilized dinosaur dung. And as it turns out, some dinosaurs ate rice plants. But if flowering plants like rice did not evolve until millions of years after dinosaurs lived—as evolution maintains—how could dinosaurs have eaten them?

Some coprolites contain phytoliths, which are uniquely shaped microscopic crystals manufactured by various plant tissues. Most phytoliths are made of silicon dioxide, the same chemical that comprises sand. Scientists examining these tiny grains can often discern from which plant they came.

For example, in 2005, researchers found phytoliths from grass, palm trees, conifers, and other flowering plants in (probably sauropod) dinosaur coprolites from India.1 “It was very unexpected….We will have to rewrite our understanding of its evolution….We may have to add grass to the dioramas of dinosaurs we see in museums,” palaeobotanist Caroline Strömberg told Nature News at the time.2

Recently, Strömberg and two of her co-authors from the 2005 study described coprolite-encased phytoliths that are so similar to those made by certain modern rice plants that those found in dinosaur rocks “can be assigned to the rice tribe, Oryzeae, of grass subfamily Ehrhartoideae.”3 They collected these samples from the same Indian rock layers, the Lameta Formation, that contained their 2005 finds.

This find joins others that have shown that rice, grass, palm trees, and conifers from dinosaur rocks were essentially the same as their living counterparts. It’s as though millions of years of plant evolution never occurred.

The Lameta formation includes sedimentary layers interbedded with volcanic rock layers. It is huge, covering a large area of India.4 The Flood described in the book of Genesis is the best explanation for this scale of upheaval, showing that the fossils found there resulted from the Flood.

Thus, these coprolites show that rice plants existed before the Flood. Either rice had diversified from an originally created grass that was common to many other grasses, like wheat and bamboo, or God created rice grasses separately from other grass kinds. Studies show that rice grasses do not hybridize with other grasses.5 These dinosaur-eaten phytoliths add weight to the idea that rice was a distinct creation from the beginning.

According to Scripture, God created all the grasses, plants, and grazing mammals, along with any grazing dinosaurs like sauropods, by the sixth day of the creation week. As far as what the fossils have shown, Scripture is right.

15 Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox. 16 Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly. 17 He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together. 18 His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron. 19 He is the chief of the ways of God: He that made him can make His sword to approach unto him. 20 Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play. 21 He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens. 22 The shady trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about. 23 Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth. 24 He taketh it with his eyes: his nose pierceth through snares. Job 40: 15-24

sage

Friday Proverb – Speak Softly and Carry a Big Bible!

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fish and wisdom

Oh – those loud, attention seekers.  They speak without thinking, and put their proverbial feet in their mouths at every opportunity.  Well, as annoying as they may be – the jabber mouths will not go on forever.  The ones who take delight in mocking and ridiculing the Lord and His people will not get the last laugh! 

Proverbs 10:31-32

31 The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out.

Recalling that only those who are under the Blood of Christ are considered “just” by God – it does not bode well for those who have a froward tongue!

adjective: froward

  1. (of a person) difficult to deal with; contrary.

In point of fact – our blessed Redeemer made mention of this very thing, while He was here in the flesh:

Matthew 12:36

But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.

How do we know what is “acceptable?”  By reading, studying, and memorizing the Word of God.  Being a Christian does not automatically cause you to speak with wisdom!  This kind of righteousness comes only with having the mind of Christ, and making His thoughts and Words a part of you.  And to prove that our own words can not count as wisdom, we look to our Savior once again, and see how He responded to the Devil during the temptation.

Matthew 4:3-10

3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Notice that the Lord ONLY used Scripture to respond to the Devil.  This is especially important for those Christians who somehow think the Old Testament no longer has meaning or importance to the Church!  If the Living Christ thought it was important enough to quote – how are Christians confident in not doing so as well?  Are we responding to temptation with our own logic and reason?  Are we foolish enough to think that our own resources can outfox the Fox?  The Devil?  The Tempter?  This one thing – failing to use the Word of God against temptation – is the greatest weakness of the Church.

Don’t get bogged down in debate with the evil one and his minions – you can’t possibly win against a supernatural intelligence like that using your own abilities.   Use the Word of God as the sword of Truth!  Memorize it, inhale it, study it, devour it.  The wicked will flee. . .

sage

Hints for Home Schoolers – Field Trip!

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The past three hints have been a rough idea on how to squeeze it all into your day without losing it! Our next topic is the ever popular field-trip, and some ideas for making the most of it. One of the great advantages a home-schooling family has, is the freedom to adjust schedules.

  • If you have a zoo within reasonable driving distance, consider purchasing an annual family pass. Our zoo included parking with our pass, as well as entry into other zoos around the country.
  • Science and history museums also offer annual passes, with similar reciprocal entry to related venues.
  • State parks offer an annual car pass, usually consisting of a vinyl, dated sticker for your windshield.

Our home school had a field trip every month. By watching the weather closely – we would cancel school for that day – and go to the zoo! By taking our field trips during the week, we were able to avoid large weekend crowds. On nicer field trip days – we visited an outdoor interest. During brutal winter weeks, we still took a field trip, but spent the day roaming around a museum. I will stress, that our field trip schedule was never scheduled. Sometimes, the kids would wake up, and while they were eating breakfast – I would announce it.

If you are following an accredited curriculum, the missed school day will need to be made up for. Our schedule from A Beka Academy allowed for a large block of vacation time during December. I would shave days from that block of time, and use it for field trips. I discovered that if we had too much time off in December, it was too hard to get back in the swing of things.

If we brought lunch from home (almost always) we would get a treat like ice cream, or something from the historic bakery at the museum. The scene above is from the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.

Don’t overlook large outdoor museums, usually consisting of historic buildings. Often the employees and docents are well versed in the lore of times past, and will regale any children you have that are willing to listen!

The image above is from the Henry Ford Greenfield Village Museum in Michigan.

Important field-trip tips to remember:

  1. One field trip a month
  2. Watch the weather
  3. Watch the runny noses! No fun going anywhere unless everyone is feeling well.
  4. Spontaneity can add to the experience and reduce stress. If I told them ahead of time we were going – and something went wrong (ie: one waking up with a sore throat, severe weather) there would be disappointed faces all day.
  5. If you bring lunch from home, allowing the kids a treat from the venue will quiet any quests for the other stuff. It’s a kind of bribery, but heck – it works!! And can save a heap of money over buying lunch out. Especially teen and preteen boys can eat so much, you could regret taking them anywhere!!!
  6. By buying annual memberships to places you like to go, it will save money and the necessity of budgeting every month for the field trip. The annual passes are always a better deal over individual ticket prices.

In spring, we often opted for the metro-park, which had a farm.

Babies everywhere!

She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

Proverbs 31: 26

sage

Hints for Home Schoolers – Pets

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Our home school has always had pets.  We actually had pets before any children came along – so from their infancy animals were a constant presence.  Children and pets – a match made in heaven. . .

Pets can be a valuable “spring-board” for many home school adventures!  In addition – kids can learn responsibility for another living creature.  Pets can help human beings, who come into this world as  completely self-centered selfish creatures, to grow into mature, dependable individuals.

  • A pet can be the basis of a writing project.  Any composition, book report or research paper will be enhanced by the child’s interest in their pet.
  • Pets (particularly dogs) will a be great ally in enforcing schedules.
  • Recalcitrant nappers can change into the most eager sleepers if allowed to nap with a pet.
  • Measuring food and counting treats are excellent for teaching basic math.
  • Developing and making home made dog biscuits is a great project.
  • Growing “cat grass” and sunflowers (for seeds) is a good botany/biology project.
  • Pets can reduce test time stress simply by being there.
  • Pets can console kids (and adults) that are feeling down.
  • When kids are home with pets all day – no one gets lonely – kids or pets.

My kids very often had a cat on their laps or desks, and a dog at their feet all day during school.

As they get older, the pet may stimulate the child to work at an animal shelter, or even pursue a career in human or animal sciences.  The benefits of home schooling with pets are too numerous to cover here, but every study shows that caring for and living with pets makes us better, healthier people all around.

What about outdoor pets?  Positioning a bird feeder outside the window where you have your home school, can be a constant source of delight – no matter what the kid’s ages are.  Keeping field guides and binoculars at the ready will spur kids to look for identifying marks, and triumphant cries of delight will be heard when the correct identification is made.

 

The feeder(s) can be an excellent exercise in record keeping and charting comparisons of most desirable seeds. Unsprayed lawns will have even more birds and critters, as well as insects to study.  Dandelions can be picked in heaps for pet guinea pigs to eat.

In cold winter areas – home made suet cakes are a good science project, and again – a good basis for experimentation.  Do downy woodpeckers like suet or peanut butter better?  Oilers or stripers? (sunflower seeds)  Writing it down and illustrating it involves all the areas of school – art, math, language skills, science, and history.  Bird calls have been used as the basis of some great classical music and poetry – such as ‘The Lark Ascending,’ by Ralph Vaughan Williams, which was inspired by a poem by George Meridith.

To A Skylark

O skylark! I see thee and call thee joy!
Thy wings bear thee up to the breast of the dawn;
I see thee no more, but thy song is still
The tongue of the heavens to me!

Thus are the days when I was a boy;
Sweet while I lived in them, dear now they’re gone:
I feel them no longer, but still, O still
They tell of the heavens to me.

–George Meredith–

2 Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto Him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.3 Sing unto Him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.4 For the Word of the Lord is right; and all His works are done in truth.5 He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. 

Psalm 33: 2-5

sage

For the Lord’s Day – Yes I Know

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  1. Come, ye sinners, lost and hopeless, Jesus’ blood can make you free; For He saved the worst among you, When He saved a wretch like me.
    • Refrain: And I know, yes, I know Jesus’ blood can make the vilest sinner clean, And I know, yes, I know Jesus’ blood can make the vilest sinner clean.
  2. To the faint He giveth power, Through the mountains makes a way; Findeth water in the desert, Turns the night to golden day.
  3. In temptation He is near thee, Holds the pow’rs of hell at bay; Guides you to the path of safety, Gives you grace for every day.
  4. He will keep thee while the ages Roll throughout eternity; Though earth hinders and hell rages, All must work for good to thee.

We only know that the wonderful words and music to this hymn were written by a lady name Anna W. Waterman, in 1920. . .

From a home with one brother and one sister, Charles Waterman’s urge was to see the country. This took him to hitchhiking on the railroad to California. He was influenced by the worldly crowd and gave himself to become an alcoholic. Even as such, he worked his way up to become an engineer on the steam locomotive. He married Anna, who had a Christian background and did what she could to keep the testimony before him. Anna was discouraged at the path her husband followed because it was causing him to miss work on some of his hangovers. So she asked a lady in her town in California to meet with her and help her pray for Charles to be saved. His wild life went on for three or more years and one night he became frightened while under the influence and when he finally arrived at home, he told Anna he wanted to be saved. She immediately called her friend who came over to their home and they led him to the Lord. He begged the Lord for forgiveness and to clean up his life, which the Lord did. The happiness that followed caused Anna to write this song. A book with over 30 other songs was collected and published. They visited in Lodi, Fountain County, Indiana, and at the Baptist Church, later named Waterman Baptist Church. http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/y/e/s/yesiknow.htm

Hebrews 7:25

 Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.

sage

Hint for Home Schoolers – Saturdays

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Saturday is the day where many home schools “fill in the gap.” That is – get to the stuff not compatible with the ordinary school week. I stress here – I am only sharing with you what worked for our family. Every family is different, with unique needs and interests.

The bread machine at our house chugs away almost every day of the week. But – I really enjoy baking, and my family loves eating what I bake. Depending on other activities – I make it a point to bake something tasty every Saturday. Sometimes I bake in the morning, sometimes afternoon. Sometimes – all day long – as in the case of holidays and special occasions.  Pies, cookies, or cakes. . . from scratch. Here is where I strive for variety. The quantity aimed for was an amount that would last until the next Saturday. Once in awhile there was a sudden invading army of teenagers, and what was intended for a week only lasted a couple of hours! But most of the time, the calculations were correct.

If you choose to involve your kids in an extracurricular activity – Saturday is the ideal day for it. It was important to us that our children be competent swimmers – so all were enrolled in swim classes at some point. If you can get them in at the same time, with different class levels – it becomes easier. Saturday is also a good day for any music class, horseback riding, or whatever else is right for your family. Again – if you have more than one child – try to consolidate. For instance, while one of my kids was having a guitar lesson, another was having voice lessons in the same music academy.

I will add this caution – it is far more important for your kids to become grounded in the Word of God, than to become a star athlete, math genius, or musical child prodigy.

Try to adhere to the same sleeping and eating schedule that you follow during the week. You can avoid a lot of trouble if you do, and may quite possibly ward off some infections ( the ones that come when kids don’t eat right or get enough sleep.) Again – teens and pre-teens need a LOT of sleep. They are the ones most likely not to get enough.

Saturdays should be enjoyable, not stressful. Don’t try to squeeze so much in that you don’t know if you are coming or going! Be creative – some piano teachers will even come out to your house! Your kids do not need more than one or two extra curricular activities a week at the most. Make Jesus the priority – not recitals, trophies and certificates.

And – the horror of it all – Saturday afternoon is  the best time for “practice driving” with teenagers. [God help you]

Helpful email subscriptions:

Daily Focus Devotional from Alpha Omega Home School  (very fortifying) http://www.aophomeschooling.com/

Off the Grid (health and self sufficiency articles from a conservative, Christian perspective)  http://www.offthegridnews.com/

I encourage you try a “baking Saturday.” The way to man’s heart may be through his stomach, but don’t underestimate the effect of hot cookies or brownies on the rest of your family as well.   The routine of Saturday baking is a wonderful tradition, that reaches back hundreds of years. It satisfies a longing for simpler, unhurried times. Ask yourself – will your adult children remember you driving them to soccer practice? Or will they remember long talks over homemade peanut butter cookies and milk? [My husband’s testimonial -“Have a hot pie off the rack, you’ll never go back.” He loves, loves, loves hot cherry- apple pie with ice cream!]

To emphasize how serious I am about this – one of the therapies employed at a local children’s home (for severely emotionally disturbed kids) is having female volunteers bake cookies for and /or with the kids,  in a one- on- one setting.  The therapists haven’t even come close to understanding why this means so much to these poor young people.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Galatians 6:9

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Recipe for cherry-apple pie

  • pie crust for double crust, 9 ” pie
  • 1/4 tsp. almond extract
  • 3 lbs. peeled and sliced Granny Smith apples
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 21 oz.  can cherry pie filling
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten

Place baking sheet in center oven rack (I line mine with foil.)  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Prepare homemade or store bought pie  crust, adding the almond extract.  If your kitchen is warm, divide the dough into two, one slightly larger than the other, flatten into disks and store in the fridge.

Spray 9″ deep dish pie pan with cooking spray.  In large bowl, toss apples with sugar and cinnamon.  (I use a mechanical apple peeler – a truly wonderful doo-dad!)  Stir in pie filling.  On floured surface, roll out larger dough disk into 12 ” circle, and fit into pan.

Spoon the fruit mixture into pie shell.  Roll out the remaining dough into 11″ circle and fit over pie, or cut into strips and weave lattices.  Cut slits for steam to escape if using solid top crust.  Seal, trim, and crimp edges, using ice water as “glue,” if needed.  Lightly brush crust with beaten egg.

Bake on hot baking sheet for about 1 hour, 15 minutes.  After the first 20 minutes, I always rotate the pie, and then tent it loosely with foil for the remainder of baking time.

I do not add any “thickeners,” such as flour or cornstarch to this recipe, because the canned cherry pie filling usually does the trick.  But brands vary!  I use Comstock, which is very dense.    If you are concerned about too runny pie filling – don’t add more than a tablespoon or two to the filling, or it might get gluey in texture.  Also , do not attempt to substitute another apple for Granny Smiths in this recipe, or else it will be too sweet.  It is very important that you set this pie on a hot baking sheet at the start of the baking time – or the center will not bake!  Not only that -it  helps keep your oven cleaner.  This type of fruit pie is notorious for bubbling over.   Happy baking – but a warning – if your spouse is a fruit pie lover, you may find yourself making this one a lot!

sage

Hints for Home Schoolers – The Prodigal

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So, you’ve done everything right. You’ve home-schooled for years, surrounded your kids with the love of Christ, and after years of careful tending – your semi-adult child rebels. And not a little rebellion – we’re talking major rebellion. I’m not referring to the sullen eight year old who refuses to finish his math paper – what is on the table here is the child who morally rebels, and may even leave home. Can this happen in a Christian home school? Yes. Rarely, but it does happen.

Every person born in the world has the potential for rebellion within them. One only needs to hear that first NO! out of a toddler’s mouth to believe it. This is natural rebellion as a result of the fall of man that every parent must quell in their child, or the infant terrible will grow into an intolerable human being. But is teenage rebellion “natural?” Homeschool parents become defensive when overly helpful outsiders promise them, and none too kindly, that their teenagers are going to put them through hell. Is teenage rebellion inevitable?  

To answer that question, we must address what causes it.

  • Attention starvation – Ok, you have three younger children that need 100% supervision. Your 15 year old doesn’t need that much from you – right? Wrong. The teenager that is “acting out” is actually “crying out for attention.” 
  • Too much criticism from you– NEVER publicly chasten your teen. Bear in mind that teasing can be taken as mocking, and it is very, very painful. And please have a tender heart for other people’s teenagers.
  • Be informed – Always make every effort to be fully informed before you make a judgement on something. Often kids are so fearful of disappointing their parents they will compound what they have done by attempting to conceal it.
  • Making assumptions – Both teens and their parents make assumptions about each others’ motivations. And they are usually wrong!
  • The Golden Child – This is a toughie. It very frequently happens in multi-child households that one of them will seem “golden” to the other kids. They don’t seem to get disciplined, their grades are wondrous, they are talented, everyone loves them! Every person on this earth, including your “un-golden” child has something they can do well. Make it a priority to dig for that “gold.”

Alright, you did all that and you still have a rebel. What now? Cling to the Word of God like a life preserver in a stormy sea, and heed this promise:

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6  (This Proverb does not guarantee that your children will be saved.  Salvation is an individual choice that every person must make.  The Proverb does, however, assure us that what we teach our children regarding character stays with them – even through rebellion.)

True story time –

A conservative family with seven children, all raised the in the same fashion, had one child that chose the world. After twelve years of homeschool and careful nurturing, the unsuspecting parents were greeted by a note and an empty bed one morning. Their 18 1/2 year old daughter had simply moved out in the middle of the night.

In her note she said she wanted to “see the world.” For these parents, it was almost like a death. For the first time in her life, the parents did not know where she was. They did not know who had helped transport her, either. All of her clothing had been taken, so it was clear she had moved out.

This experience was so terrifying for the parents, they called the prayer chain, and began fasting and praying with all of their being. Days passed, then weeks, then months. Then years. Not a word. The toll on the mother’s health was drastic. They acted hopeful around each other, but inwardly carried it like a ten ton weight.

The one day, out of the blue, the daughter returned home. She was a broken person. She no longer had that sparkle in her eye they all loved. She looked more like a hunted animal. And – she was four months pregnant. But – she was penitent! She came into the home, and in front of the entire family, got down on her knees and begged forgiveness from her parents, saying that she had already asked the Lord for forgiveness. And, those blessed, weary parents embraced that child with all the love they could muster, praising God and giving thanks for her safe return.

Did they reprimand her? No, because they could see that she had already “paid the piper” several times over, and bore scars that would last a life time. The purpose of this story, is to know that there is restoration for the rebel and their families. With God – all things are possible.

I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Luke 15: 7

If you are coping with a prodigal, try not to give way to consuming fear – it is not the Lord’s will that we live in fear – even for our children.  I have counseled women who are completely overtaken with thinking and fretting about their children.  Jesus must be our all-in-all, not our children.

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Ephesians 6: 4

_____________________________________________

Best Bible teaching tools !

Hands down – the absolute best way to teach your children, ages 7 – 13 the Bible. A Beka Bible Flash Cards. Beautiful art work, wonderful script. There are even expanded, in-depth, sections for older students. Even if you can only buy one of these sets – get the “Salvation Series.” My kids said these were their absolute, favorite part of school. I have seen them for sale used, so do, do try to get them.

abeka.com

sage

Friday Proverb – Holding the Line

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Proverbs 10:29   

The way of the Lord is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.

Once again, the Proverbs make a clear demarcation between the saved and the lost.  The pagan world is stymied when Christians repeatedly stand tall in the face of adversity.  They would prefer, if when faced with calamity, that we collapse and fall into the abyss of sinful behaviors that they are mired in.  But – the Proverb states that the Lord is our strength.  We do not need to resort to the world’s accepted methods – we have the Word of God.  Nothing more is required to see us through life’s darkest hours.

Psalm 1:6
For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Proverbs 10:30

The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth.

That’s right all you Mother Earth worshipers, you do NOT inherit the earth.  No matter how much you do to “save the planet,” it won’t help – because it’s not yours to save.  The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it – and He will give it to whom He chooses.  It will not be given to the unrepentant, that is a fact.

Psalm 37:29

 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.

Revelation 21:6-8

6 And He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

sage

For the Lord’s Day – From Eagle’s Wings

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Isaiah 40:30-31

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

sage

Friday Proverb – Our Life and Hope

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The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened. 

Proverbs 10:27

While the Word of God does not guarantee a long  earthly life to truly born again believers, it does follow reason that those who fear Him, and forsake sinful lifestyles will have better health and greater joy in life.  While we are in our flesh – we long to be with Him, and  having the knowledge of His omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence will prevent us from taking a detour into the dark side. 

Living the Holy Spirit filled life is a matter of surrendering our wills to His will.  It is a matter of getting rid of our household gods and fleshly desires,  and allowing the Holy Spirit to completely fill us.  And while it seems that the wicked are holding sway at this moment in time – remember – that to God – there is no time!  Time only exists here on earth – it is not a part of the heavenly realm. 

The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish. 

Proverbs 10:28

Yes – we must fear our Creator – but we must also hope in Him.  One need only see the hard, brittle, look in the eyes of the abrasive atheists when they are attacking the Bible and Bible believers.  It is a cold, dead expression – void of hope.  And if the eyes truly are the window to the soul – what does that tell us?   There is death where there is no hope – spiritual death.  And then in the not so far off future – eternal death in the Lake of Fire. 

We can be truly glad of heart, and take joy in the fact that our futures are already secure, and written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life.  There is no reason to fret over evil doers – because their future is already determined if they remain unrepentant.  What a terrible thought. 

The next time you hear news of murders, corruptions, and all the sundry evils that satan has in his arsenal, it would be wise to think where your hope is.  It is not here! not in America, not in anything other than our blessed savior – Jesus Christ. 

James 4:14

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

[Forgive me.  I so wanted to post a video with the classic hymn – “On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand,” but was unable to find one without a sensuous back-beat.]

sage

For the Lord’s Day – Whiter than Snow

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https://youtu.be/py1mm5Zrt3I?si=mxbyHtsfiZK67Xd3

Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole;
I want Thee forever to live in my soul.
Break down every idol, cast out every foe;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Refrain

Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow.
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, let nothing unholy remain,
Apply Thine own blood and extract every stain;
To get this blest cleansing, I all things forego—
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Refrain

Lord Jesus, look down from Thy throne in the skies,
And help me to make a complete sacrifice.
I give up myself, and whatever I know,
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Refrain

Lord Jesus, for this I most humbly entreat,
I wait, blessèd Lord, at Thy crucified feet.
By faith, for my cleansing, I see Thy blood flow,
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Refrain

Lord Jesus, Thou seest I patiently wait,
Come now, and within me a new heart create;
To those who have sought Thee, Thou never saidst No,
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Refrain

The blessing by faith, I receive from above;
O glory! my soul is made perfect in love;
My prayer has prevailed, and this moment I know,
The blood is applied, I am whiter than snow.

Refrain

This hymn was written in 1872 by James Nicholson, who lived in Washington D. C. He was a dedicated Christian and was active in the Wharton Street Methodist Episcopal Church as a Sunday school and evangelistic worker.

The tune was written by Philadelphia musician named William Gustavus Fischer who was a popular song leader for revival meetings. He also composed the tune for “I love to tell the story”.

The hymn is based on Ps51:7 – “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

http://www.hymnpod.com/2009/06/04/whiter-than-snow/

This beautiful hymn tells the salvation story from start to finish.  It contains all three elements of true repentance:

  1. change of mind
  2. change of heart
  3. change of will

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, now is the time to get right with the Lord.  In all sincerity – there is no better time than right now.

https://thevinevigil.com/2014/07/24/repentance-introduction/

Psalm 51:6-8

6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

sage

Friday Proverb – The Wicked Fear Death

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Proverbs 10:24-25

24 The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.

Those that are unsaved and living for the world system, fear death to the point they will do almost anything to avoid it.  Because they have no hope for the future, and no concept of an eternity – they cling with fervor to this earthly realm.  Being completely self centered, they think  nothing of killing the unborn, or using their body parts to extend their own lives.

25 As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation.

As believers, we know that our future is already sealed.  That is our hope – something the wicked couldn’t possibly understand.  With Jesus Christ as our Righteous and Everlasting foundation, we are known by name,  are built onto –   and permanently attached to Him.   Once we are in heaven with the Lord, the wicked will no more come to our minds.  Or to the Lord’s mind!   And how grateful we should be for that!  Not to think about what the evil are up to anymore – that sounds like heaven to me.

Isaiah 65:11-17

11 But ye are they that forsake the Lord, that forget My holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number.

12 Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before Mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.

13 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, My servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, My servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, My servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed:

14 Behold, My servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit.

15 And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto My chosen: for the Lord God shall slay thee, and call His servants by another name:

16 That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from Mine eyes.

17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

sage

For the Lord’s Day – If You Will Only Let God Guide You

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If you will only let God guide you,
And hope in Him through all your ways,
Whatever comes, He’ll stand beside you,
To bear you through the evil days;
Who trusts in God’s unchanging love
Builds on the Rock that cannot move.

Only be still, and wait His leisure
In cheerful hope, with heart content
To take whatever the Father’s pleasure
And all discerning love have sent;
Nor doubt our inmost wants are known
To Him Who chose us for His own.

Sing, pray, and swerve not from His ways,
But do your part in conscience true;
Trust His rich promises of grace,
So shall they be fulfilled in you;
God hears the call of those in need,
The souls that trust in Him indeed.

Winkworth’s original translation:

winkworth_c

If thou but suffer God to guide thee
And hope in Him through all thy ways,
He’ll give thee strength, whate’er betide thee,
And bear thee through the evil days.
Who trust in God’s unchanging love
Builds on the rock that naught can move.

What can these anxious cares avail thee
These never ceasing moans and sighs?
What can it help if thou bewail thee
O’er each dark moment as it flies?
Our cross and trials do but press
The heavier for our bitterness.

Be patient and await His leisure
In cheerful hope, with heart content
To take whatever thy Father’s pleasure
And His discerning love hath sent,
Nor doubt our inmost want are known
To Him who chose us for His own.

God knows full well when time of gladness
Shall be the needful thing for thee.
When He has tried thy soul with sadness
And from all guile has found thee free,
He comes to thee all unaware
And makes thee own His loving care.

Nor think amid the fiery trial
That God hath cast thee off unheard,
That he whose hopes meet no denial
Must surely be of God preferred.
Time passes and much change doth bring
And set a bound to everything.

All are alike before the Highest:
’Tis easy for our God, We know,
To raise thee up, though low thou liest,
To make the rich man poor and low.
True wonders still by Him are wrought
Who setteth up and brings to naught.

Sing, pray, and keep His ways unswerving,
Perform thy duties faithfully,
And trust His Word: though undeserving,
Thou yet shalt find it true for thee.
God never yet forsook in need
The soul that trusted Him indeed.

neumark_g2

Words:Georg Neu­mark, 1641 (Wer nur den lie­ben Gott lässt wal­ten); first pub­lished in his Fort­ge­pflantz­er mu­sik­al­isch-po­et­isch­er Lust­wald (Je­na, Ger­ma­ny: 1657). Ca­ther­ine Wink­worth trans­lat­ed the words from Ger­man to Eng­lish in 1855, and pub­lished them in the Cho­rale Book for Eng­land, 1863.

Music: Neumark, Georg Neu­mark, 1641 (MI­DI, score). The tune is said to have been used for 400 dif­fer­ent hymns.

http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/f/ifyouwil.htm

Things appeared desperate for Georg Neumark. Walking cross country in the early Autumn of 1641 to begin his studies at the University of Konigsberg, the young German scholar was robbed of virtually everything he owned. With no money left to pay for food or classes, George had to drop out of college and look for work. He was hungry, poorly clothed, forced to take whatever shelter he could find as the cold weather came on.

He went back to Magdeburg but could find no work there. However, he made friends easily, and they pointed him to different cities. But he had no more success in the next three cities he tried: Luneburg, Winsen or Hamburg. He passed on to Keil. The chief pastor of Keil, Nicolaus Becker took an interest in Georg. Like Georg, he was from Thuringia. However, he could find him no immediate work. It was now December. What was Georg to do?

At this darkest moment, a miracle happened. A tutor in a prominent family fell into disgrace and fled. Nicolaus Becker recommended Georg for the position and he was hired. Georg’s response was to burst into a hymn of praise, “on that very day.”

If thou but suffer God to guide thee
And hope in Him through all thy ways,
He’ll give thee strength, whate’er betide thee,
And bear thee through the evil days….
Sing, pray, and keep His ways unswerving,
Perform thy duties faithfully,
And trust His Word: though undeserving,
Thou yet shalt find it true for thee.
God never yet forsook in need
The soul that trusted Him indeed.

We remember George Neumark mainly because of that one hymn and the tune he composed for it. For two years he worked and saved his money, finally getting together enough to enter University. In 1646 he again lost everything he owned, this time to a fire.

However, he was able to complete his studies and return to his homeland. There Duke Wilhelm II of Sachse-Weimar recognized his merits and gave him a trusted position.

Georg went blind shortly before he died, but the court allowed him to keep his jobs with their badly-needed income right to the end. He died on this day, July 18, 1681, having turned 60 shortly before. He had performed his part faithfully and God did not forsake him, bearing him through the evil days.

Bibliography:

  1. Covert, William Chalmers and Laufer, Calvin Weiss, editors. Handbook to the Hymnal. (Philadelphia: Presbyterian Board of Christian Education, 1936).
  2. “Georg Neumark.” http://www.cyberhymnal.org
  3. Haeussler, Armin. The Handbook to the Hymnal of the Evangelical and Reformed Church. St. Louis, Missouri: Eden Publishing, 1952.
  4. Various encyclopedia and internet articles.

http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1601-1700/desperate-georg-neumark-let-god-guide-him-11630166.html

John 4:23-24

23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

sage

Friday Proverb – What Do You Trust In?

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How many of us think, that if we only had enough money in the bank, or enough food in storage, or enough gold coins, or enough whatever – that we would be safe from impending doom? 

Or conversely, how many of us rely on our poverty to sustain us?  Believing that some entity or other will always be there to pick us up after we fall, or feed, clothe, shelter, and educate us merely because we exist?  Assuming no harm can befall us because “they” will help? 

Proverbs 10:15

 The rich man’s wealth is his strong city:

destruction of city

This image applies to both aspects of the Proverb – because within a city or any metropolitan area like that – both the wealthy and the poor live within yards of each other.  Artificial insulation deceives the dwellers into thinking that all is well.  The wealthy thinks his high tower protects him, and the poor thinks the system will protect him.  And it doesn’t only apply to cities – think of the wealthy plantations in the South before the Civil War.  They were micro-complexes of supra-independence.  But many of them were razed and burned to the ground – lock, stock, and barrel.

the destruction of the poor is their poverty.

Do people trust in poverty?  Absolutely!  It is the same assumption that the wealthy make – trusting in the world.  Content to let others care for them – the poor will end in destruction says the Proverb.

Not everyone who is poor or wealthy must end this way.  It is a matter of where we put our trust. Trusting in ourselves, in money, in “prepping,” in the government, in family, in religion, in education, in the media, in anyone or anything other than Jesus Christ – is folly and destruction for both the rich and the poor.

Psalm 118:8-9

8 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.

9 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.

Please look at verse 8 above – putting confidence in man – includes yourself!  V. 9 – putting confidence in princes is the same as putting confidence in politicians.

Psalm 9:9-10

9 The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

10 And they that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee: for Thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek Thee.

sage

For the Lord’s Day – No One Understands Like Jesus

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1 No one understands like Jesus,
He’s a friend beyond compare;
Meet Him at the throne of mercy,
He is waiting for you there.

Chorus:
No one understands like Jesus,
When the days are dark and grim;
No one is so near, so dear as Jesus,
Cast your every care on Him.

2 No one understands like Jesus,
Every woe He sees and feels;
Tenderly He whispers comfort,
And the broken heart He heals. (Chorus)

3 No one understands like Jesus,
When the foes of life assail;
You should never be discouraged,
Jesus cares and will not fail (Chorus)

4 No one understands like Jesus,
When you falter on the way;
Tho’ you fail Him, sadly fail Him
He will pardon you today. (Chorus)

John W. Peterson (November 1, 1921 – September 20, 2006) was a songwriter who had a major influence on evangelical Christian music in the 1950s through the 1970s. He wrote over 1000 songs, and 35 cantatas.

Born in Lindsborg, Kansas, he served as an Army Air Force pilot flying the China Hump during World War II. Later, he attended Moody Bible Institute and served on the radio staff there for a number of years.

In 1953, he graduated from the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago and shortly thereafter settled in Pennsylvania to continue his songwriting career. He then moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where for over ten years he was President and Editor-in-Chief of Singspiration, a sacred music publishing company. While there, he compiled and edited a hymnal called “Great Hymns of the Faith”, (c) 1961. He also served on the board of Gospel Films, Inc. of Muskegon, Michigan.

He also had direct contact with popular Christian musicians of the day such as Bill Pearce and Dick Anthony. He resided in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he continued to write music. Peterson died September 20, 2006, aged 84, following a bout with prostate cancer.

Some of his more popular song titles include “It Took a Miracle”, “Over the Sunset Mountains”, “Heaven Came Down”, “So Send I You”, “Springs of Living Water”, “Jesus is Coming Again”, “Surely Goodness and Mercy” and “This is the day that the Lord hath made”. His cantatas include Night of Miracles and Down From His Glory.

In 1986, he was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

–www.wikipedia.org

John W. Peterson was a gifted composer of Christian music.  ALL of his music is Godly, reverent, melodic, harmonic, and devoid of spiritually dangerous back-beat.  I thank God for John W. Peterson, the last great writer of Christian music.  

Hebrews 4:14-16

14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

sage

Friday Proverb – Measured Speech

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There is an entire industry devoted to “prepping,” or the storing up of food and provisions in cases of extreme emergency.  But there is something else we need to think about storing up.  And it is something that is mentioned frequently in the Word of God – while “prepping” is not.  Indeed – it would not be an exaggeration to state that “prepping” has become a religion to many people!

Another way to describe storing up – is laying up. 

Proverbs 10:14

 Wise men lay up knowledge: 

wisdom in the Word

It has been stressed repeatedly throughout these Friday Proverb studies – that the only thing truly worth knowing about – is God’s Word.  It is the foundation and cornerstone of all knowledge and wisdom.  There is nothing – NOTHING – more important to our earthly sojourn – than to “lay up” knowledge of His Book!  If you don’t – you fall into the “but” category of this Proverb-

but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.

biden

The fact is – If we posted all the fools featured on television in just one day  – from all the different sources such as news and talk shows – wordpress would probably crash! 

Thinking before speaking is a sign of wisdom.  Laying up knowledge before speaking is another sign of wisdom.  Far too many open their mouths to opine on things they know nothing about.  By prefacing their opinion with an “I think,” they believe they are qualified to hold forth, often having no more understanding of what they are talking about than a child would.  Moreover – they resist any efforts by others to teach them what they do not understand!  That is willfully ignorant!  And my friends – Christians are guilty of this too. . .

Is ignorance an excuse?  Not for believers!  We are told again and again to feed on the Word.  The more we take in the deep things of God – the more we will know when to speak and what to say, and when to hold our tongues.  What should come out of our mouths, is not our thoughts – but His thoughts.  And the only way to know His thoughts – is by laying up the Words in His Book! 

James 1:19

 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath

James 1:26

 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.

sage