A Full Post...and a Register to WIN!

I'm reposting an entry I wrote some time ago, because I'm hoping it will be a great encouragement to my new friends at RaisingHomemakers who visit here on Homemaking Link-Up Day. (Wow! What a blessing you all are to my heart!)

I'm doing the same giveaway all over again, even though this is a reposting!!!! 

So leave a comment and register to win. Include the name of someone whose salvation I can be praying for when I take my shot each night, and you'll be entered twice.  :)

(I'm allowing anonymous comments again.)

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Big Rally....If you read to the end, you can register to win a FREE gift...one so priceless to me, that every time someone asks to borrow one of mine, I say...."I'll just get you one." :)
Leave a comment here or on my facebook page, and you'll be registered to win your OWN free copy! Please forward the link to your friends...let's see how many people we can give some goodies to! I'll close the register to win on Friday. :)

There is much on my heart to share with you tonight. So much, I'm not quite sure where to begin.

I was pondering Psalm 23 tonight, but in a brand new light.

Perhaps I should back up a bit...

I've been watching a DVD series by Ray Vander Laan on the Kings & Prophets of Israel. As I'm sure you've realized by now, I could sit and listen and watch him teach on site in Israel, for hours at a time!

He's a Biblical historian, and the way that he makes the stories of the land of Israel come alive...the way that he makes them real to me today, and helps me to see the application or the "Faith Lessons" as he calls them, is just life changing for me.

In one episode that I watched recently, he was discussing the difference between how a Westerner and an Easterner might describe God.

I'm going from memory here...so it won't be word for word, but he was explaining how a Westerner (American) might describe God as powerful or all knowing.

Yet, an Easterner might describe Him by saying "The Lord is my refuge, my rock. The Lord is living water, or my Shepherd."

Then this week, Shane and I were debating about whether or not to put Caedmon into an upcoming Latin class. Shane took Latin in high school (and maybe college too?) and has spoken of it many times, so I thought it was a no-brainer that we'd put Caedmon in it.

Yet, when Shane came home one night and we had time to discuss it, he said "Jes, they'll be translating Caesar."

"Really?!"

"That's what we did."

So, we thought about that some, about how that's contrary to what we want to be giving our kids at this juncture in their lives. You see, as much as possible, we want them to learn more like Easterners...from more of a Hebraic way of learning.

We've realized that there are two very different ways of learning. There's the Greek way...through philosophy and scholastic answers, which is what Shane and I both received

in school, and then there is the more Hebraic method...which teaches reasoning, both on an inductive and deductive level, and also teaches through imagery and keen observation.

The latter is what we want for our children.

We don't want great philosophers. (makes me think of that verse that talks about empty philosophy...)

We hope and pray for children who will know how to reason through any situation God allows into their lives.

Reason.

We've lost the art of reasoning through things in our culture, all too often.

We were trained to wave our little hands in the air, begging for recognition that we had the "right" answer.

Remember those days?

Ugh. Those were a drag.

Had we been asked, "Who is God," in the USA, would "He's Living Water," or "He's the Door" or "He is my cup and my portion forever" have been considered "right" answers?

What a difference it is to sit with a group of kiddos, all studying the same subject, and tell them "Listen, I'm not just looking for right answers. I'm looking for thinkers. I want you to dig deep into your minds before you answer me. I want to know that you can tell me the WHYs and the HOWs behind the questions that I'll be asking you."

See what I want from them?

I want them to learn to reason.

So...back to the Latin class. We decided that we'd rather opt for Hebrew and Greek from home...we don't want Caesar. We want God's Word, and books about people who have chosen to live their lives according to His statutes.

So, we'll be using our Bibles; 

 

Precept's Discover 4 Yourself on Daniel;

Christian Heroes of the Faith by YWAM. 


We'll be studying the life of Amy Carmichael,

a missionary to India, who served to set children free. I think it will coincide wonderfully with our study on slavery, and I absolutely LOVE this series of books...so much so that we bought the whole set for our kids for Christmas a few years ago. They love them too!
And I'm so excited, because NOW they have curriculum guides to go along with the stories, to give you ideas of how to use the stories to create unit studies. Love it!

Heroes of History by YWAM, and on and on...

Today, we packed up our homeschooling items, and went down by the pond. We studied about Harriet Tubman, and even acted out one of the chapters of the book...the one when "Jim" didn't want to go on...he kept telling "Moses" that he wanted to just go back to the plantation and take his lashings.

Harriet encouraged him and cajoled him, and when nothing worked, she stuck a shiny silver revolver in his face and said, "You either gonnna press on, or you gonna die right here."

(I paraphrase a bit, but that was the gist.)

Seemed Harriet had to do that quite often.

Slaves would get part way through their journey of freedom with her, in the underground railroad, and they'd grow tired and weary, and want to turn back. Nothing but pure fear would motivate them to keep pressing on. 

They'd known fear since childhood, so fear worked when grace didn't.

Yet, once to freedom, they thanked Harriet repeatedly.

Made me think about us.

You know how it's just plain HARD to keep our minds off of Egypt sometimes, figuratively speaking.

You know THAT sin..we all have it...THAT sin...THAT one that keeps you thinking it's just fine to visit Egypt for the day. It's ok to go back to the plantation...just for the day.

I talked with the kiddos today about what the gun that Harriet pulled on Jim really represented. 

I asked them first, if they knew....

Caedmon had some pretty deep insight. 

Brennan thinks in word pictures...she must be Hebrew. :)

Then I told them...that gun represented the freedom of the slaves that she was transporting, as well as the ones along the line that may have been helping her out.

Then I boiled it down for them....

We ALL have to have Harriet Tubmans in our lives. We ALL have to have those people who can speak the scary, tough, and sometimes hard to hear truths into our lives, because what they want for us is total freedom.

We HAVE to have people who love us enough that their eyes are focused not upon the immediate, but upon our freedom.

Total freedom.

Yes, we are free in Christ...but some of us in Christ are still allowing ourselves to go back to Egypt for a visit, and we're justifying the whole thing.

I know I sure can...I find that I am not slow to anger. I am not slow to speak and quick to hear.

I hate some of the things that come out of my mouth...especially through this whole MS thing....talk about unglorifying!

Yet, I praise God for the people in my life who love me enough to get up in my face with that silver revolver called "words of love" and help me refocus, and then repent.

There is no justification for sin.

Ever.

Psalm 23 - ever read that like you're the sheep saying it?

Hmmm...that was so cool tonight...it's worthy of it's own post.

But first....a promised give away....register your comment on this post, and if you're the chosen winner, I'll give you a brand new copy of the very first "Christian Heroes: Then & Now" book that we ever read. 

It's based upon the life of Gladys Aylward, and it's fantastic! Talk about growing your faith! 

The miraculous story of Gladys' life will surely do it. How God worked through her will leave you dumbfounded, and hopefully inspired that He can use your life in amazing ways for Him, too!

So, just leave a comment here for me, or on my facebook page. If you add the name of someone whose salvation I can be praying for, you'll be entered into the drawing twice! :)

You can be anonymous in your commenting, but if say, "anonymous #3" ends up winning, I'll need your name then. :)

Hey! It's time to have some fun! Call it a blog party giveaway!

Please hit the envelope button below and send this to your friends....the more the merrier! :)


Because I'm crazy for people to grow in Christ.....I'm going to up the offer....if we can get 20 people to comment between now and Friday, I'll offer a Precept Upon Precept study of the book of Ruth, our Kinsman Redeemer, as well.

It's a life changer!

MMM..wonder what I'll give away if we get to 30?  :)


If you want your name to be entered THREE times, please take a look at
this post I wrote a few days ago, and give me your opinion on the question I posed in it? Many thanks!

Love you today,

Jes