Thoughts from a 40-Something Christian, Homeschool, Work at Home Mom of 6

Saturday, 23 May 2009

  • Conditional vs. Eternal Salvation

    I have not posted here in quite some time.  However, this is where I always post when I am in the mood to write something which is entirely personal.  I see this blog as MY place where I can speak my heart and it is always ok.

    This particular post is about a paradigm shift that took place in my mind and heart back in 1989.  From the time I was born in 1965 until 1989, I had been part of a denomination that believed in conditional salvation.  I loved the people of this particular denomination dearly (still do!) and considered them my family.  The thought of not being part of them was almost like cutting off my right arm. 

    In 1989, I moved to Germany and there was no church of my particular denomination where we lived in Germany. I began attending a church with similar beliefs to my own, but they did not believe salvation was conditional.  I struggled for some time and then the pastor asked if he could come over and study with my now ex husband and I about this issue.  We were pretty firm in our beliefs, so we heartily agreed.  I think we figured we would show him the "truth" instead of the other way around. I was pretty prideful of the fact that "I" had been to Bible College and this pastor had not.  We had over 80 Scriptures which supported our point of view which is traditionally known as an Arminian viewpoint on the issue.  He came for many weeks and encouraged us to share all of our Scripture first.  After we had exhausted our references, he shared his.  After two months of reading my Bible for 8 to 10 hours a day and studying the issue in earnest, I learned that indeed my salvation was not "conditional" but eternal.  What I am about to share below is from my journal which I kept at that time.

    My salvation is eternally secure because:

    A. I am God's daughter (Romans 8:15, Ephesians 1:5)
    B. I am of the circumcision not made with hands. (Colossians 2: 11-15)
    C. Christ has forgiven all of my sins (Colossians 2: 13-14)
    D. God keeps me (II Timothy 1:2) and He gives me strength to keep myself (John 17:11)
    E. No man (including myself) can take me out of His hand. (John 10:28 to 29)
    F. Sin has no dominion over me. (Romans 6:14)
    G. I am sealed by the Holy Spirit (II Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:13 and 4:30)
    H. The Holy Spirit indwelled me from the moment of salvation. (Romans 5:5, John 14:26)
    I. I am sanctified by the Holy Spirit. (I Peter 1:12, II Thessalonians 2:13)
    J. I have been promised an inheritance. (Ephesians 1:11-14)
    K. I have been promised eternal life. (Romans 6:22-23, John 3:16, I John 5:13)
    L. Christ is in the Father, I am in Him and He is in me. (John 14:20, Galatians 2:20)
    M. Heaven does not hold equal rewards for all believers. (Romans 14:13, Hebrews 6:13-17)
    N. It is not possible for me to lose my salvation. (Hebrews 6:4-6, 18-20, Hebrews 12:28 and Romans 9:1-3)
    O. Christ's righteousness is imputed to me. (Romans 6:24-25, Romans 5:19, II Corinthians 5:21)
    P. Christ (the seed) is in me. (I John 3:9)
    Q. He will never leave me nor forsake me. (Hebrews 13:5)
    R. I am Christ's bride. (Romans 7:4)
    S. God knows I am His (II Timothy 2:19)
    T. I am saved by God, not of myself. (John 1:13)
    U. I am a new creature. (II Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 4:24, Colossians 3:9-10)
    V. I am a servant of righteousness. (Romans 6:18-19)
    W. I am no longer condemned. (Romans 8:19)
    X. Nothing can keep me from Christ's love. (Romans 8:38-39)
    Y. I have been reconciled to God. (Romans 5:10-11 and Romans 5:21)
    Z. I am already part of God's household. (Ephesians 2:10)
    AA. Old things are passed away. (II Corinthians 5:17)

    Some people say "but if you believe you are "once saved, always saved" you believe a person can just do what they want and be saved right?"  The answer to this is absolutely NOT.  I have found at least 10 consequences for the believer who is astray and none of them are pleasant.  I will present that in my next post.



Tuesday, 13 January 2009

Thursday, 08 January 2009

  • Books for Children under 12 are to be Banned in the US

    I received this in my email today!  I am passing it on.

    The Sale of Children's Books to be Banned

    Oh, how I wish this were a joke! But it is a grim and looming,
    almost Orwellian, reality.

    Effective February 10th, in the United States, the sale of
    all children's books (books intended for children ages 12 and
    under) is to be PROHIBITED. Every single book printed prior
    to the ruling is affected, whether new or used. New books in
    production are required to include a "lead-free" certification
    and will be the only books that are legal to offer for sale.

    What does this mean to the homeschooling family?

    Well, for one, curriculum fairs across the country will be
    cancelled as book vendors scramble to figure out how to comply
    with the new ruling. Complete book inventories will have to be
    destroyed -- the ruling even prohibits giving away the books!
    Local thrift stores will be hard hit -- most will likely have to
    close their doors -- yes, even Goodwill and Salvation Army.

    Clothing, toys and books -- even CDs and DVDs are included in the
    ruling. Thrift stores will no longer be able to accept or process
    anything (including clothing) that would be intended for a child.

    No more library sales. Libraries will not be permitted to give
    away or sell book donations. It is unsure yet, however, how
    the libraries' shelves themselves will be impacted (the ruling
    doesn't explicitly mention "loaning" books, just selling or
    giving them away). The key word, however, is "distribution" --
    libraries may well be required to destroy books from their shelves.

    (The ruling that originally passed was about toys, but the EPA has
    since made a statement that clothing, books and media are included
    in "children's toys".)

    Just how serious is this new law?

    Amazon.com has already notified all vendors of their need to comply.
    No book can be sold at the Amazon site that was printed prior to
    compliance. And the "compliance" must be coordinated at the manu-
    facturing stage. At the time of this article there is no clause
    to be able to grandfather-in older books or even rare out-of-print
    books. It can cost between $500 and $1500 to test a book for lead.

    I happen to own a children's bookstore specializing in living books
    from the 1950s and '60s. My punishment for selling a book after
    February 10th? Up to $100,000 and 5 years in jail. And yes, it is
    a felony charge. For selling a SINGLE book.

    (Although I don't think the S.W.A.T. team scenario would become a
    reality overnight, at the same time I would be leery of blatantly
    violating Federal law.)

    So what can you do to help save your local used bookstore that
    sells children's books? Or that homeschool curriculum business?
    Or your EBay business selling children's items?

    ACT NOW before the quickly approaching deadlines:

    1) Email or call the CPSIA - the office of the CPSC ombudsman at
    888-531-9070. http://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/newleg.aspx

    Comments on Component Parts Testing accepted through January 30,
    2009. Or email: Sec102ComponentPartsTesting@cpsc.gov

    2) Contact your local representatives. For their contact informa-
    tion, just enter your zip code.
    http://capwiz.com/americanapparel/dbq/officials/

    3) Make your voice heard by voting on this issue! The top 3 in
    each category will be presented to President-elect Obama.
    http://change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia

    4) Sign the petition.
    http://ipetitions.com/petition/economicimpactsofCPSIA/index.html

    5) Spread the word! Forward this article. Send an email. Write
    about this on your blog. Tell others about this issue and
    encourage them to do the same.

    ---

    For the complete story, read the following links:

    http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html

    Consumer Product Safety Commission Summaries on Legislation Index
    page for Children's Products Containing Lead; Lead Paint Rule and
    other rulings

    http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/legislation.html#summaries

    Office of the General Counsel FAQ on retroactive inventory require-
    ments -- The use of forward effective dates appears to force current
    inventories to adhere to the ruling on February 10th, 2009

    http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/summaries/101brief.html

    Specific FAQ on their interpretation of books and other media to be
    included in the testing of lead based products

    http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/faq/101faq.html

    Effective Date: Lead content limit of 600 ppm becomes effective 180
    days after enactment. An advisory opinion regarding the application
    of the new lead limit to inventory existing at the effective date
    can be found on our web site at
    http://www.cpsc.gov/library/foia/advisory/317.pdf

    Getting the Lead out: There is no lead in children's books
    http://news.bookweb.org/news/5695.html

    There is no lead in Children's books: From a Pediatrician

    http://health.yahoo.com/experts/childhealth/3955/is-there-lead-in-baby-books/

    Update:

    Here is one thing I found on the CPSC site which came out today:

    Sellers of used children’s products, such as thrift stores and consignment stores, are not required to certify that those products meet the new lead limits, phthalates standard or new toy standards.

Sunday, 04 January 2009

  • Education Options Continued

    Well, things have changed around here since December 23rd when I posted my last bloggie.  I applied for the private school for the one child and the application was rejected because my husband and I don't attend church regularly and that is a policy of the school.   Sorry, we are not just going to go "traditional" to appease someone else so our child can attend a school.

    Then, we decided to test the 2 who were in public school and we found out they are going NOWHERE.  As a matter of fact, they have REGRESSED.  Both of them have struggled with reading.  They have been in Title I with a reading specialist all last semester and they have been doing some other specialized reading tasks with their teachers.  I am not going to say what grade level they are reading at.  I will only say it is WAAAAAY below their chronological level.  It is a grade level below where they were when they stopped homeschooling in Dec. 2006.   These 2 children are way too distracted when there are other kids in the room goofing off, other activities going on, things to anticipate like recess, bullies, other kids being disciplined, etc.

    On the other hand, one of my other children who came out of public school to homeschool 4 years ago was 2 years below grade level in reading when he came out of public school.  Now he is testing a grade level ahead!  This means he has gone up 6 grade levels in 4 years of homeschooling.  We just need to work on a couple of small things and he will probably go up 2 more grade levels by August 2009. 

    Long story short.. all 7 kids will be homeschooling.  Long story short... I have been vindicated.  Long story short... I guess everyone realizes I know what the heck I am doing now.

    Thank you to all of you who commented before.  After seeing results in my own household, I am convinced that homeschool is THE only way for our children.  I have one child who is going to graduate at 16 this year.  She has been operating 4 years ahead of grade level since 7th grade.  I have one child who is a bit below grade level and is 18 and the only reason he is operating below grade level is because he refused to do what he was supposed to.  For the most part, he received the exact same instruction as the one who is 4 grade levels ahead.  I have one other one who is 10 and is about 1 grade level ahead and possibly a bit more in some areas.  When that one attended public school last, her teacher begged us not to take her out because she was helping the teacher by doing one on one tutoring with the kids who were struggling in her own grade and classroom.   So, she was already a teacher at age 7.  LOL

    The sad part is that our schools could revamp and offer mastery based instruction by providing each student with a customized and computerized program.  They could put the focus on ACADEMICS instead of sports, music, library, field trips, socializing, extras, etc.  I am not saying these other things are wrong or even bad.  But they should be extra-curricular and kids should have their focus on academics while in the classroom, not on the extras.  I could say much more about how public schools could improve, but I will save that for another bloggie.

    Of course, our reasons for homeschooling exceed the academic considerations.  We also came out of this whole experience, truly exploring this issue with an open mind, knowing that homeschooling is emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically superior for our children as well.  Once again, that is another post.

Tuesday, 23 December 2008

  • Educational Options: What do YOU think?

    Come January, I will very likely have 2 children in public school, 1 child in Christian private school and 4 who are homeschooling.  I am in a bit of a quandry as to how I want to proceed for the 2009-2010 school year.  Our experiences with all 3 options have at times been positive and at times negative.  Please answer the following questions with insights concerning pros and cons of each option.  Try to be open minded and not just "push" YOUR way or opinion. 

    What do you see as the pros and cons of:

    Public School?

    Private School?

    Homeschool?

    I hope to get some really valuable input on this topic.

    Thanks!

Thursday, 20 November 2008

Monday, 17 November 2008

Friday, 07 November 2008

  • Christmas is Coming!

    Have you guys started making plans for the upcoming Holidays?  We have decided for sure that we want to add a special tradition to our family this year.  We have always had a fake tree, but this year we are going to get a real tree.  I am really looking forward to the Christmassy smell and more authentic "feel" of a real tree.

    I have been trying to make some decisions on which gifts to purchase for my six kids.  I can't specify the types of gifts here since they might read this, but I have been browsing a comparative shopping portal called Shop.com.  They have a special section totally devoted to the holidays.  It contains holiday tips, products, coupons and free shipping deals.  They also offer buying guides, contests and a huge variety of products which will inspire gift giving ideas for everyone on your list.  I have 3 ten year old girls and I noticed they offer links to merchants which offer name brand items for half off. Please share any great deals you find at shop.com.

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  • I am a child of God, A wife, A mother of six children, A freelancer for http://www.bestoftheweb.com, A daughter, A grandaughter, An aunt, A niece, A cousin, A sister, A friend, A misunderstood person at times, A person who prefers peace over conflict but will confront injustice and try to resolve issues even if it means a little conflict to attain TRUE peace and not contrived peace, A flexible person, A truthful person, A person who actively pursues adventure, A forgiving person, A person who needs to tell the people she loves that she loves them more often, A person that needs to lose weight-but not so much for looks as for health and fitness, A homeschool educator, A theologian, An avid reader and researcher, A professional Googler, A woman with PMS at times, A person who hopes to leave some lasting positive mark on this world, A person who cares more than most people know, A person who has learned not to be so concerned with what other people think as I am with being authentic.

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