New Year’s Resolutions: Remember and Fear

It’s that time of year when we are all encouraged to make New Year’s resolutions. This year, though, the advice I’m going to follow was written long before the 21st century’s economic and cultural woes. This advisor’s recommendations have stood the test of time, and I, for one, will heed his sage advice.

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:

In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,

And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;

Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:

Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.

And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.

The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.

The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

(Ecclesiastes 12)

So, this year I resolve to remember and fear!!

A Barn to House Thee *

By R.J. Rushdoony
Written 12-22-51

There was no room for Him, once long ago,
Only a cold and drafty barn, and, like a blow,
The smell of dung did greet
Him, Who came from heaven, none to meet
Him, save the displaced cows and sheep
Whose restless night disturbed His sleep.
Only some sheep men came to pray.
No scholars came to mark the day.
Still as of old the world denies
Room to its King and from Him shies,
The Cross His only gift from men
And man as brutal now as then.
Lord, if again a barn do not offend Thee,
This dung and filth would comprehend Thee,
Here is my heart, with its unclean floor
A barn to house Thee, as of yore.

* © 2002 by Mark R. Rushdoony. Used with permission

Predators

Recently, I went to watch a dance performance at the local community college. This program marked the end of the semester for the dance department, and two separate shows were scheduled to accommodate all the dance classes. I was there to cheer on a student from the ballet class who was performing in the second show. As I was standing in the very cold night air waiting to get in, I witnessed a sad spectacle, one indicative of our cultural malaise. One of the dancers from the first show had made his way outside the studio, seemingly ready to hear praise and receive accolades for his first performance. On first glance, this young man’s affected air appeared to be an open declaration of his sexual orientation. Living in California, especially in the San Francisco Bay area, this is not something out of the ordinary.

What was noteworthy was how this young man dealt with many of the girls he saw. You would think that he knew every young woman on the campus. Almost all who passed by were effusively greeted with intense embraces as though it had been years, not days, since they had last seen each other. What was particularly offensive was the nature of those embraces – his freely putting his arms around and placing his torso against their bodies in a very sexual fashion. He managed to handle these women in ways that husbands should reserve for private displays of affection with their wives. Yet, this man, perhaps because of his apparent sexual preference, was given cart blanche, without any opposition from the women involved. In fact, these women seemed to welcome the encounter as some sort of badge of honor or show of acceptance. I could see that some young men were uncomfortable, but seemed overpowered by the situation. It’s hard to say what others around me were thinking, since in such a “politically correct” environment as a college campus, many tend to keep their “politically incorrect” reactions to themselves.

I was wondering if I was the only person who found this disturbing, but realized that in today’s culture, this man might be viewed as a confused person who was struggling with his sexual orientation, or just a friendly person whose “love” for others was being misconstrued by me. However, neither one rang true. As he was embracing one girl, his eyes were on the look out for a new target for another “hands-on" display of affection. The whole scenario reminded me of how dogs mark their territory.

What truly floored me about the experience was how willingly all the girls he approached received him. It was as though he was the quintessential “girlfriend” who was “safe” for these girls. Yet, in other contexts, this sort of behavior might well be grounds for sexual harassment charges– much more pronounced than anything charged against a certain Supreme Court nominee 17 years ago.

For those who have been indoctrinated in the state school system, I am not sure there is an easy “fix” to help them see how little respect they show for themselves by allowing such conduct toward their persons. After all, diversity, acceptance, homophobia, and the like are pounded into their psyches from day one. However, for those of us who have reared our children away from such influences, it is important for us to equip them for the time when they must interact with their publicly educated counterparts and prepare them for the proper responses to predators should they become their targets.

The Proper Role of Women: Setting the Record Straight

(I presented the following talk on December 13, 2008 in San Jose, CA.)

My husband and I have this running joke. He can work with a man for years and years and hardly know anything about him apart from the job. Yet, I can find out all sorts of interesting things about him: where he was born, where he grew up, whether or not he is married, how many children he has, and whether or not he attends church -- all within about ten minutes. What’s the difference? It is as old as the Garden of Eden. Men and women are different and were so designed. In fact, the first “not good” mentioned in the Bible is that God felt it was not good for man to be alone. In other words, God never intended for this to be a man’s world. In fact, God didn’t think a man’s world would be such a good thing.

It is fashionable today for women to be cast as victims – oppressed by men, the culture, religion etc. Yet, I submit to you, that the highest expression of value and respect for women comes right out of the pages of the Bible. God’s Word never casts women in a degraded or subservient light. Women are not the slaves of men, nor are they to attempt to become their masters. The Bible depicts the relationship of a man and woman in marriage as a partnership.

It is important to note that when God sent His Son to take on human form in order to act as our Savior and Redeemer, He could have had Him miraculously appear on the scene. Or, I suppose, He could have cloned a fine specimen of a man to fulfill that role. Or, He could have chosen a man and then deified him. But that is not how the second person of the Trinity came to earth. No, just like you and me, He came in the womb of a woman, to be nursed by a woman, and nurtured and raised in wisdom and grace by a woman. That should give us a picture of the high calling women have in God’s eyes for shaping and directing the future. God placed His only begotten Son in a family, under the care and nurturing of a woman. God has given women a custodial role to further the faith and traditions of family and culture, thereby ensuring their continuance.

One would think that if an enemy were attempting to sow seeds for the eventual eradication of the institution of the family, he would work diligently to dislodge that vital person who holds the family together. And yet, isn’t that exactly what has happened in the past five decades in our culture? Women have been told that their only true worth can be evaluated by how they measure up to men in men’s jobs and careers. We hear expressions tossed about such as: breaking the gender barrier or penetrating the glass ceiling, as though women will only be validated when they follow in the footsteps of men. Sounds to me that an enemy HAS been at work and done a fairly successful job of undermining family life by devaluing the vital role a wife and mother play in the home.

Another trend in our day is to blur the distinctions between men and women as if each could fulfill the other’s role without negative outcomes. Yet God created women to be the counterparts and compliments of men – something that implies gender distinctives.

History is replete with views in direct opposition to the biblical model of womanhood. With the Enlightenment, for example, women were put on pedestals as ornaments and depicted as helpless creatures, something that was both detrimentally romantic and unrealistic to the core. Then, with the Age of Reason women were depicted as emotional and willful, unable to deal in any reasonable fashion. This same philosophy also opposed religion itself and deemed it to be the domain of women and children – certainly opening the door to secularized thinking. This set the stage for the women’s rights movement, which correctly identified serious wrongs that needed correction, but aggravated the problem by promoting a feminist mindset which put women in competition with and in opposition to men.* This has led to the masculization of women and the feminization of men.

The picture we are given in the Bible of Christ’s relationship to His church is that of a husband to a wife. And we know that the teaching of Scripture involves the good news that this Husband laid down His life for His wife. By example, a correct application of Scriptural truth magnifies the position and role of a woman – neither as a subservient nor independent creature – but as a vital element of a healthy family and culture.

Unfortunately, with a culture like ours so dominated by film and television, we have lost site of how unique the application of a biblical world and life view has been in the creation of Western civilization as we know it. Too often events of the past have been reinterpreted into modern think, losing the pertinent details that shaped them.

A good example of this phenomenon is the story of the Titanic. As depicted in the theatrical release of some years back it comes across as a chronicle of class hatred and selfish motives. Aside from playing into the stereotypes of gender and class prejudice of our day and massacring the actual story, it failed to depict the account of men demonstrating the high regard in which women were held. The story was memorialized in a poem entitled Women & Children First! In Memoriam to the Gallant Men of the Titanic.**

(poem read)

It is only within the context of a Christian world and life view that women are deemed so valuable that men would lay down their lives for them. This IS the model that is given in Scripture of God who became man and laid down His life for His bride. Do you see how unique the Christian faith is compared to the other major religions of the world? This is a far cry from religious views that hold that when a man dies, his wife should be burned with him at his funeral because she has lost all value or worth. Or, that women should be covered from head to toe because they are temptations and snares and only useful to serve sexual and procreational needs. Or, what is more prevalent in our secular society -- the view that women should be content with and desirous of intimate relationships without the commitment of life-long marriage. In every culture that Christianity has spread, the respect and position of women have been elevated as full citizens in God’s Kingdom life and work. History testifies to this fact.

Recently I have had the opportunity to visit a number of businesses where women are the visible representation of hard-working, dedicated employees. Their workspaces look attractive, they are dressed well, and they are competent and industrious in most cases. In short, it’s not hard to see why employers would value their services. But, being that working women are just human, rather than superhuman, and have only so much energy and effort at their disposal, I often wonder what the effect on family and community life in our culture would be if our inflationary economy no longer necessitated depriving families of the person whose presence makes all things run smoother. The very reason these women are deemed valuable as employees has to do with those God-given attributes of nurture and custodial care. In fact, some women find themselves in the unexpected position of being single much longer than they anticipated because they have satisfied their inclinations toward care and nurture in the workplace. Am I saying that women shouldn’t work outside the home? That’s not my point. What I am saying is that so many of the negatives we can all easily enumerate that plague our culture are the direct result of the creativity and efficiency of women being directed away from the family and the home rather than toward it – with serious social and religious consequences.

What most people don’t know about American history and the influx of immigrants over the first two centuries of its existence is the role agencies staffed by volunteers had on the shaping of American culture. It was often the Christian women of the community through private associations who helped the immigrant wives and mothers adapt to their new location, ways of living, and introduce them to the Christian faith. In short, women as volunteers and good neighbors worked to instruct the new arrivals as to how to live and adapt to American society.

In fact, one very early traveler in the United States, the eldest son of the king of Naples under Napoleon and, himself a crown prince—had these very negative remarks to make about the Christians in America. Here is what he said:

The great number of religious societies existing in the United States is truly surprising: there are some of them for every thing; for instance, societies to distribute the Bible; to convert, civilize, educate the [Indians]; to marry the preachers; to take care of their widows and orphans;… to extend, preserve, reform, purify the faith; to endow congregations, support seminaries; catechize and convert sailors and loose women; to secure the observance of Sunday; to establish Sunday schools where young ladies teach reading and the catechism to little rogues, male and female; to prevent drunkenness etc.....***

Today, we’ve all but lost that shoulder-to-shoulder influence because the workplace has robbed the community of this valuable resource of women.
The Bible describes the wife as the weaker vessel, and some view this as a put-down. Certainly the story of Eve and her succumbing to the temptation of the serpent comes to mind in this context. But, I view St. Paul’s description of women more in line with the way we describe fine crystal. Crystal glasses are often weaker than the ones for everyday use. (Most folks don’t put them in a dishwasher for example.) Yet, they are also more expensive and more valuable and thus should get treated with greater care. In a like way, we should recognize the high calling the Bible places on women and overcome and disregard the ugly stereotypes that are often thrust upon us.

The last chapter in the book of Proverbs describes a worthy woman. It is a notable end to the book because many of the preceding chapters are full of warnings against the seductive, adulterous woman whose influence can ruin individuals and cultures. Either way you look at it, the Bible reveals that women play an influential role one way or the other.

It’s my hope that women will reflect on the uniqueness of our God-given role and seek to find ways and means to further develop it to His honor and glory.

******

* Rushdoony, R. J., “Marriage and Woman” in Institutes of Biblical Law, vol. 1, 346-53.
** Visit The Christian Boy's & Men's Titanic Society for more information on the Titanic.
*** “Rushdoony, R. J., from the lecture “DeToqueville: Tithe Agencies” in American History to 1865, CD Set, available from ChalcedonStore.com.

R. J. Rushdoony --Spiritual Autism

It would be hard to find a better description of why Christians need to educate their children from a biblical world and life view.

"Law & Liberty"

I’m excited!

I have recently been designated the “official” co-host of the Chalcedon podcast, "Law & Liberty" (formerly "Faith for All of Life"). The new name comes from one of my favorite books by R. J. Rushdoony and sets the tone as Chalcedon broadens its outreach. I encourage you to listen and share these podcasts with others. I’m eager to see if they generate additional interest in the Chalcedon Teacher Training Institute and increase our networking reach.

This new assignment gives me the opportunity to take part in interviewing godly men and women dedicated to advancing the crown rights of Jesus Christ. Hearing how others are taking the Great Commission seriously will encourage all of us to answer the call to godly dominion in our lives and spheres of influence.

I am open to suggestions for topics you would like to be discussed and guests you’d like to be interviewed. Contact me at lessons.learned@yahoo.com and we’ll do our best to accommodate.

Until then, happy listening.

Good things are happening—so long as you don't focus on the news!

We walk by faith, not by sight. Don’t fall into despair because the humanistic culture is falling apart around us. Instead, focus on the great opportunity you have to teach your children the full counsel of God in each and every subject. Times may be tough, but you get to have a say in the future.

Don’t rely on the network news or even talk radio to get your information. Turn off and tune out those sources that have proved time and again to be mouthpieces for those who hate God and His law-word. Find a truly reliable news source and get your info there. Examine their presuppositions before you accept their conclusions.

If you want to really be informed, I suggest you peruse websites such as Chalcedon’s and take advantage of earlier articles from its Faith for All of Life magazine which delve into the important issues of our day. There are also numerous lectures and sermons available there that are excellent commentaries on the status quo. Check out the newly posted Chalcedon Position Papers that cover a wide range of topics:

Economic Crises and the Bible
Education, Liberty, and the Bible
Judgment, Politics, and the Bible
National Defense and the Bible
Taxation, Liberty, and the Bible

You might even assign some of these to your older students and discuss with them current events from a biblical perspective, ensuring they understand the underlying issues.

Begin to build a library of materials (books, CDs and DVDs) for yourself and your children, with the added bonus of sharing these materials with other believers once your family is finished with them. Consider supplying your children’s children with some of these resources to prepare them for the battles which loom ahead.

If we are going to rebuild and reconstruct this society, we better make use of the effective tools we have at our disposal.

Support

I have many opportunities speak to mothers on the subject of homeschooling their children. Some are investigating and want information about what homeschooling entails. Others need encouragement to stay the course and are eager for suggestions about curriculum, courses of study, or ideas to help a challenged learner. An increasing number come to me in a desperation mode, ready to throw in the towel. Usually this group has become convinced that the reason for their children’s defiant behavior is as a result of how they have chosen to educate them. If only their children were in a “regular” school setting, the reasoning goes, all problems would miraculously vanish.

In my experience, a mom at her wit’s end is suffering from lack of support for her homeschooling endeavors. Often, she and her husband have failed to take the first step toward successful homeschooling: establishing a mission statement declaring why they are homeschooling, what they are eager to accomplish, and how they will measure progress. More often than not they have made their highest priority attempting to get their children to like homeschooling. A better approach is to establish with their children that the homeschooling approach has been chosen after considerable thought. Thus, the method of education does not become a negotiable point. Very few day school teachers would get much instruction accomplished if they had to focus on getting children to like being at school.

In our homeschool, my husband assumed the role of principal and I that of primary teacher and director of academic studies. This worked well, because I did the lion’s share of the teaching. But, like many of the moms I counsel, I would run into times when my children would become openly defiant to a request or assignment and I became frazzled. I would often make the mistake of “reasoning” with them as if the problem was an intellectual one. We quickly learned that these types of issues were moral in nature and that Dad had to be a huge part of the equation as far as the authority structure went. My husband made it clear to the children that disobeying him was going to bring repercussions. However, if they disobeyed me in his absence, the consequences would be more severe. He made it clear that my authority came from him and when they disregarded something I said or disobeyed me, they were in actuality disobeyed him.

Some might say that this takes authority away from the mother, but it actually enhances her position and supports her in a truly biblical fashion. Christian parents are under the authority of God, with the husband as the primary representation of God in the family. It follows that the authority flows from the husband/father to the wife/mother. A family that is on this sure footing will be teaching their children how to be good family members, church members, community members employees, and citizens. Since the family is the first school, workplace and culture, older children will have the opportunity to exercise godly, delegated authority with younger brothers and sisters. This establishes the reality that all people everywhere are under authority.

When approached in this fashion, the inevitable difficult circumstances that arise in family life can be dealt with more effectively without confusing the issue where education is taking place: homeschool or day school. Only when there is a united, biblically orthodox structure in place can it be determined whether an unpleasant or difficult situation stems from rebellion or the need to change a policy or focus.

This concept may sound foreign to families new to homeschooling. That is why it is useful to have interaction with families who have embraced this biblical model. Not only can the veterans serve as an encouragement to the novices, but older children can serve as model/mentors for their younger counterparts in other families. My daughter has often done more to remedy tumultuous times for another homeschooling family just by interacting with the children and giving them a model of a “cool” grown-up homeschooler who doesn’t bristle under the authority of her parents, but embraces it.

Lastly, it is important that the primary teacher in the homeschool gets support as she continues to grow spiritually and in her role as teacher, learning how to incorporate biblical wisdom into each and every subject taught. By studying God’s law-word with an eye to make her a better teacher, she will learn how to differentiate between a defiant child and a confused one. As a homeschooling mentor, I can help. Write me at lessons.learned@yahoo.com.

How to Get Rid of that Bad Taste in Your Mouth

The results of this past week’s national elections have many Christians in a quandary. Some have shared with me about their “Christian” friends who eagerly voted for the president-elect, have no difficulty with the idea of gay marriage or accepting that abortion is a personal choice. The questions keep coming: is it wrong to separate from these people, even if they are extended family members, neighbors, and associates at work? They want to keep people with these wrongheaded views away from themselves and especially their children, for they don’t want their families to get the idea that such views are consistent with an orthodox application of Scripture.

Is this an overreaction? Or, should they figure this “bad taste in their mouth” will subside with time? Should they get used to the status quo and just accept it?

The crux of the matter is differentiating between those who are brothers and sisters in the Lord and those who are wolves in sheep’s clothing. The ONLY way you are going to differentiate between the two is to have an absolute standard. Those who love the Lord hear His voice (His law-word) and respond. Those who are of another sheepfold don’t. Jesus said that those who love Him will keep His commandments. That would include agreeing with Him and His Word as to what constitutes evil and what constitutes good.

Thus, those “Christian” friends are professing Christians without being confessing Christians.

The next issue is to be sure you are differentiating between those who have been taught poorly and those who are indeed wicked. In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees knew what the Scriptures said and substituted their own laws and ordinances. They were legalists – trying to obtain salvation on their terms. Jesus correctly identified them as vipers and snakes.

My suggestion to those who are in the quandary described above is to embark on a study of Biblical law so that they will not “struggle” with these issues, but have an effective way to view the law-word of God and teach it to their children. Feelings are a poor substitute for an absolute standard. Feelings can come and go, but God’s Word is established forever.

Fed up with not knowing how to think Biblically? It is time to become an expert in knowing and applying the full counsel of God.

When Momma Ain’t Happy

As a homeschooling mentor I have the opportunity to speak to many women who share concerns about being overwhelmed with responsibilities. They wonder if the Chalcedon Teacher Training Institute is right for them, considering how behind they feel on a daily basis. They are reluctant to add another “thing” to their “To-Do” list.

Why are they overwhelmed? Are they as delinquent in their duties as they suppose? On the contrary. It is my experience that those who are sure they are underperforming as wives/mothers/home educators are often suffering from wrong priorities rather than deficient character or initiative. That is why becoming grounded in the application of God’s law-word to every aspect of life is a fundamental starting point and a true necessity for the woman of the house. Without it, it is easy to start applying false or skewed standards to day-to-day life. Women will look at Proverbs 31 and decide it is hopeless to even try to attain that standard; so they continue in their tidal wave of frustration and doubt. What they fail to understand is that one doesn’t become an excellent wife or mother overnight. Rather, one grows into the calling as a direct result of sanctification.

Sanctification comes as a result of time spent studying, learning, and applying God’s commandments to all areas of life and thought. A busy mother may think this will have to wait until the kids are grown and homeschooling is over. That would be like saying, “I’ll become a better driver once I no longer have to take the kids to their various activities.” You just might not get to your destination in one piece if you don’t take the time to improve this skill.

For many years, I read the promise in 1 Cor. 10:13 that we would never be tempted beyond what we can bear and that God would provide an escape route, waiting expectantly for some sort of biblical Lone Ranger to come to my rescue and remove my feelings of inadequacy and overload. Then, it dawned on me: the way of escape was contained in the very law-word of God – numerous copies of which sat on my bookshelf. That Living Word was the lamp unto my feet and the light I needed to proceed. What I needed was help in seeing how every word in the Bible applied to me. That’s where Rushdoony’s Institutes of Biblical Law became a powerful force. The more I learned just how much of my life I had not turned over to God’s commands, and how much I was operating in my own power, the more effective I became in dealing with issues within the family. The result was so pronounced, that I began to long for my study time the way some women long for a trip to the spa.

My husband likes to repeat the expression, When Momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. He has made it a priority in our family life to try and make me happy. True happiness, though, comes to a woman when she is living out her calling under God to His glory. The Chalcedon Teacher Training Institute is designed to help the homeschooling mother evolve into the Proverbs 31 woman God intends for her to be, thereby giving her the reward she has earned -- accolades and praise from her husband and children as well as her works bringing praise from others in the public square (Prov. 31:28-31).

One Vote

The Requirement of Obedience

"Man was created to be a moral being, and moral choices are inescapable for him. They do not disappear when he denies them. God’s test of men is in terms of their choices: if they are of Christ, they reveal it in their works, their fruits.
The commandment therefore is plain-spoken: “And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and judgments which I set before you this day” (Deuteronomy 11:32). The statement is not an appeal, saying, Think about it, and make God happy by doing what He suggests! It is a blunt command: do it. Man is not asked to reflect on what God says, nor to understand it, but to obey it.

"Contemporary education stresses the participation of the child, who is urged to comment on the teaching, express opinions, and to treat the body of knowledge as something to be judged, to be taken only at will. The result is ignorance, because the self-importance of the child is cultivated rather than his self-discipline. Education for ignorance and arrogance is the result.

"The antinomianism of the churches has been a major force in this evil development. We have had a child-centered education, and not only God but subject content has lost its rightful place. Life is neither child-centered nor man-centered, and it is an illusion to think so. Life is God-centered. It serves His purposes or incurs His judgment. Curses and blessings, rewards and punishments, are therefore inseparable from life. The disaster of "public" education has been its abandonment of rewards and punishments. In the 1950s, a woman was called to the school for consultation about her son, described on the telephone as a "social deviate." She hurried to the school in shock and alarm. She found that her son's problem was that he read books during recess instead of playing. We can see why education has been going downhill since then. Such rewards and punishments as do exist are not in terms of any valid standard."

~ R.J. Rushdoony, Deuteronomy p. 183-184.

Sightings

One of the favorite activities of our early homeschooling days was family reading time. My husband or I would pick a series (e.g., The Chronicles of Narnia, Little House on the Prairie, or Anne of Green Gables) and witness the curiosity and enjoyment of individual children as a new world was opened to them. The one I enjoyed the most was The Tales of the Kingdom trilogy – an allegorical depiction of the Kingdom of God and how the fallen world under the control of the devil seeks to dislodge and overturn it.

A running theme throughout the stories is the battle the Enchanter carries on against the King. The greeting of Rangers (those faithful to the King) went like this:

“How goes the world?”
“The world goes not well. But, the Kingdom comes!”
(spoken together) “To the King; To the Restoration!”

The Enchanted City, where the Enchanter ruled, was a place where those faithful to the King were under constant attack. The Enchanter’s henchmen, the Burners and Breakers, would seek to steal children away from their parents and claim ownership of them as orphans. The Enchanter would challenge the existence of the King as mere myth and fable. His mantra was “Seeing is believing,” while the King’s faithful declared “Believing is seeing,” This always brought to mind the words of St. Anselm of Canterbury, a monk, archbishop, and theologian, in his well-known prayer:

…I desire in some measure to understand your truth, which my heart believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this too I believe, that "unless I believe, I shall not understand."

As a result of our interaction with these books, we adopted the practice of sharing our “sightings” with each other. In the stories, sightings were those instances where Hero (the main character) chronicled occurrences where the King was spotted in disguise: sometimes as a beggar, a woodcutter, or a caring friend. This concept of looking for and sharing about situations in our lives where we spotted King Jesus in action became such a part of our lives that we incorporated sightings into our house church services. Time was set aside to share our sightings of Our Lord in our day-to-day life. We developed an expectation that we would encounter Him regularly, and witness the power and victory of the Christian life on a daily basis.

One eight-year-old boy (who was a heart transplant and cancer patient) had the best sightings. He recounted his conversations with anesthesiologists and medical personal at Stanford Children’s Hospital prior to his biopsies when he would ask if they knew Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Or, how, when waiting for an outpatient procedure, he would be able to comfort other children who were frightened and crying, praying with them to ease their fears. He always expected to see Jesus at work in and around his life. Sightings became a favorite portion of the service for us.

It is very important in trying times to remember that God is on the throne and, despite how things may appear, and how strong the wicked seem to be, that we should “fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them” (2 Kings 6:8-17).

Mirror Mirror

Just because you homeschool doesn’t mean that you are “sinning” if you take time for yourself. Having the opportunity to get some relief from your day-to-day activities rejuvenates the homeschooling mom, enabling her to resume her 24/7 job.

This is especially true for women who have spent a good portion of their recent lives either being pregnant or caring for infants and children. With so many demands on their attention, spending time replenishing themselves spiritually, intellectually, and physically often gets placed on the back burner. Concerns about physical appearance and how it changes with motherhood can cause insecurities to arise.

At times like this, returning to the Bible for instruction and guidance is useful. Rather than use the standard of men, in general, or current cultural fashion, a wife should derive her perception of herself not from her own eyes, but from her husband’s. It is more important to endeavor to please the one person God says has ownership of the wife’s body – the husband -- than try to conform to the standards of the world.

How does this play out? After our conversion, my husband and I began to attend church. I became aware that, in many churches, there is a standard that women only wear dresses and skirts. I adopted that standard. However, my husband’s preference was for me to be in tailored slacks that were more of a sports/casual style. For years, I was more concerned with what the ladies of the church would think of me than pleasing my husband and I dressed in a way that failed to value his preference. 1 Peter 3:2-6 helped me to see that my priorities were wrong.

Likewise women often get preoccupied with how much we weigh, what dress size we’ve graduated to, and the killer question, “Does this make me look fat?” (which a wise husband learns how to answer diplomatically very early in his marriage). The real question should be, “Are you, Dear Husband, happy and comfortable with my appearance and the way I am dressed?” Since no one anywhere had the right to encourage, urge, or demand that a person violate God's law, providing that the husband is not asking his wife to do or wear anything that violates a clear Scriptural mandate or perspective, a woman should make her husband’s wishes paramount in her thinking. Such an attitude would alleviate much of the self-inflicted pressure we women put on ourselves.

So, ladies, instead of looking in the mirror for your feedback, it is much better to gaze at your reflection in your husband’s eyes.

Feedback

When I first began discussing the idea of continuing education for homeschooling parents, many felt that I was positing an "ivory tower" endeavor divorced from their everyday lives. Certainly the sheer size of Rushdoony's Institutes of Biblical Law convinced some that life was just too busy, and taking care of infants and children too time consuming to derive any present-time benefit.

I thought I would share some feedback from a young mother of two (ages 2 and 4)who has begun the mentoring program I've outlined. After every chapter read, we discuss it (via online chat) and then I "assign" the task of applying it to her everyday life. Here is what she reported:

I thought I would let you know that I am doing my homework. :-)

On Saturday, the kids were fighting over some toy, so I took it away from them. They asked me why I took it away and I responded angrily, "Because I don't like you fighting!" But then I remembered our chat and turned back to them and told them about how God says, "As far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men," and how God wants us to think more highly of each other than ourselves. So that is why they shouldn't fight over the toy, but should be happy to share with each other.

And today I was doing an exercise video and my daughter was standing behind me having a fit because she wanted a sippy cup and I had given her a "big girl" cup. I was tempted to keep exercising (so as not to let my heart rate go down) and just ignore her whining. But I remembered your earlier comment about how developing character is more important than academics (and, by implication, my waistline) so I paused the video and talked to my daughter about having a God-pleasing attitude.

Thanks again for sharing your wisdom.

Now I ask you: Would a paid day-care worker (no matter how pleasant and nice) be as invested in these children as their God-ordained mother whose responsibility it is to train her children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord?

Where Sin Abounds, Grace Does Much More Abound

We live in dark times. Threats exist on every side to that which is godly, holy, and righteous -- such as the assault on biblical marriage that permeates our secular institutions and media propaganda machines. But, God is never without His witness. That's why I whole-heartedly recommend that you take your family and friends (Christian and non-Christian) to see the newest movie by the Kendrick Brothers, Fireproof.

Sure, there are uncomfortable topics such as adultery, pornography, and divorce that customarily don't make for after-the-movie conversation, but you'll also have the opportunity to discuss the powerful depictions of repentance, atonement, sacrificial love, and redemption. And, if you make it all the way through to the end of the movie credits, (as I customarily do), you will be happily greeted by Romans 10:9.

I assure you that your time and money will be well spent.

Keep Them in the Loop

I recall the day vividly. It was New Year’s Eve. My husband, two daughters, and I were spending Dad’s day off at the movie theater. It was raining, as it had for the past few days, and I was sure that a cold was coming on since I had spent the previous days on a golf course with my daughter in the pouring rain. The movie was 101 Dalmatians and I was struggling to stay awake. So much so, that I had to hold my head up by placing my elbow on the arm rest to my side. As we were leaving the theater, I received a call on my cell phone from my son who reported that he had just been in a car accident. He gave me his location and we headed off to help him. It wasn’t an easy task as the accident had occurred on a busy expressway and there was considerable traffic due to the holiday.

About ninety minutes later, we agreed that I would take my daughters home while my son and husband accompanied the tow truck to the repair shop. I was about to begin my journey in the pouring rain when I got some pretty severe pains in my upper arms accompanied with a tightness in my chest. Not wanting to be irresponsible, I told my husband of my symptoms, and let him know that I didn’t think I should be driving. My husband wanted me to go to the emergency room right away in case something serious was going on. The girls were too young to drive and we agreed that my husband needed to accompany the tow truck and that our son should drive me to the hospital.

After the EKG and all the necessary tests were completed, and I was deemed low risk for a heart attack, the doctors concluded that the chest tightness was most likely from a cold and that the arm pain must have resulted from my use of the arm rests in the theater. My husband arrived at the ER just in time to hear the doctor’s conclusions. He was relieved that the news was good.

In the midst of all this turmoil, no one ever told my daughters what was happening. They were totally in the dark. When I walked in to the waiting room, I had three children with very different expressions on their faces and diverse understandings of what had gone on. My son’s face was a combination of guilt, worry, and horror still contemplating the reality that there was significant damage to the car and he might have given his mother a heart attack. My older daughter (then ten) looked agitated, bored, and fed up with the wait and wanted to know when we were going to get the pizza she’d been promised at the movie theater. The youngest (three) had a look of joy and expectation on her face, and asked with delight, “Mommy, where’s the baby?” sure that all hospital visits resulted in a new brother or sister!

This taught me a valuable lesson: just because we adults know what is going on, we should not assume our kids do. We do a disservice to them and complicate our situations by not keeping them informed. For example, current economic events have many adults perplexed and agitated about the future. If you do not take time to explain to your children what is going on, they cannot understand why you may be making some difficult choices. And, they lose an opportunity to help in some way.

To explain the situation to them, you have to understand the economic crisis yourself.* In these dark days, there are many Biblical lessons to be taught about money, economics, and God’s judgment on sin and so on. Use these trying times and your family financial planning to teach your children well so that they can learn from the sins of their grandfathers and fathers. Consider it a first step in reconstructing a Christian society.

* Books like Larceny in the Heart and the Politics of Guilt and Pity are fundamental to understanding our times.

Standing on Whose Promises?

In spite of the economic disaster we are facing, compounded by a presidential election that offers no hope for a substantive change in the way our country is governed, many professing Christians express confidence that “God will see them through.” I’m seldom in a position to carry the discussion further, nor would it be particularly productive if I did. These folks are believing God for things He did not promise. Theirs is a mushy, emotional reliance on a god of their own making, rather than the God revealed in the pages of Scripture.

A radical conclusion, you may say. A quick read of Deuteronomy (the O.T. book that Jesus quoted from the most)reveals that God is very clear about the behaviors He will bless and those He won’t. Unjust weights and measures (inflationary economy), sacrificing to idols (leaving the education of children to the authority and teaching of the State), failure to respect the holiness of covenant marriage (homosexual marriage) have been all but ignored by modern man, as well as the majority of professing Christians. Why should any believer who has systematically ignored (deliberately or otherwise) God’s Word have any reason to suppose he would receive blessing from God?

A very frightening passage of Scripture is found in Matthew 7:19-23:

Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

We live in an age of preaching and pew sitting where many violate the first commandment by allowing or adhering to standards of worship that are not Biblical. Many give lip service to the Bible, but in actuality live their lives as though there is no God or Word of God telling us how to worship and obey.

That is why the primary focus of the newly formed Chalcedon Teacher Training Institute is to get participants on sure footing when it comes to bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Without the perspective that every area of life and thought is and needs to be under the authority of God and His Word, there is no significant way to maneuver through the perils of any age, let alone the times in which we are living.

Matthew 7 concludes:

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

It’s time for those of us entrusted with stewarding the lives of our children to respond in deliberate obedience to the One who spoke authoritatively, and abandon the empty promises of the world, no matter how piously they are presented.

Won’t you join me and my friends at the Chalcedon Teacher Training Institute as we study and discuss Rushdoony’s Institutes of Biblical Law in an effort to be faithful in our callings in these difficult times? Contact me at lessons.learned@yahoo.com.

Re-Writing History PC Style

Can you trust people who hate God to teach your children history?

Teach Them While Their Hearts Are Tender

Family ministry is an important aspect of homeschool life. Rather than rely on church programs for opportunities to obey the Great Commission, families can embark on ministerial activities that involve every family member. In a very real sense, this becomes an extension of the homeschool.

When my son (now almost 30) was little, we used to visit nursing homes and spend time with the “old folks.” When his grandmother came to live with us, he was well-prepared to interact with her despite the fact that she was 77 years older than he. With my subsequent children, we maintained regular visits to nursing and retirement homes visiting with the residents and performing for them. When my own father (now 97) went into a nursing facility over eight years ago, the girls were more than ready and willing to give a command performance.

Early on, each of my children understood the reality and travesty of legalized abortion. My husband and I felt it imperative that they understood how violently God’s Word was being violated and we engaged them in activities geared toward eradicating the heinous procedure. They participated in a pro-life group we started called Kids for Life which produced a monthly newsletter that was sent around the country and placed in businesses. They took part in abortion protests and life chains and helped prepare mailings for various pro-life groups. We conducted garage sales to raise money for the local pregnancy centers and washed and ironed donated baby clothes. We even produced a pro-life music video that we donated to pregnancy centers around the country. My son, at the age of ten, raised a considerable amount of money for a Walk for Life. He relentlessly approached family, friends, and neighbors to donate to the cause and sponsor him. He was quite zealous, and eventually was told to “cease and desist” when he wanted to cold-call the phone book for donors!

Now as a business owner, husband, and father of two, those priorities and causes that were a part of his childhood have remained into adulthood. Not only does he generously sponsor his younger sister in similar pro-life walks, he has sponsored entire fund-raising dinners to help the Community Pregnancy Centers that were so much a part of his growing up years – a testimony to cultivating the tender heart of a child.

To quote my good friend and songwriter Judy Rogers:

Teach me while my heart is tender
Tell me all that I should know
And even through the years I will remember
No matter where I go.*

(from the song: Why Can't I See God)

Preparing for the Long-Haul

Christian homeschooling produces young people who are often viewed as more mature than their public-schooled counterparts. This is not hard to explain. Instead of enduring the social engineering that occupies much of the statist institutions’ syllabus and curriculum, homeschooled students take adequate time with the fundamentals (reading, writing, arithmetic) within the context of a Christian worldview. This produces students who have learned how to learn and are ready for adult challenges and opportunities at a younger age.

Many homeschooling families allow their students to take college classes (either online or at a local community college) to broaden their educational experience. It is not unusual for these students to finish high school and two years of college at the same time. Twelve years of high school is really not written in stone. In fact, I’ve learned that the twelfth grade was added during the Depression to keep young people out of the job market. A quick perusal of much of America’s history shows that our present culture extends immaturity well beyond what our forebears did.

The job of the homeschooling teacher is not over once children embark on this path outside the home. Quite the contrary. It is important that you set aside time to discuss with your child attitudes and perspectives generated from their textbooks and class discussions and understand how they fit into a Biblical worldview. Your role moves from teacher to mentor. Allowing your child to “download” his experiences will be helpful and informative for both of you.

Unfortunately, too many parents are ill-equipped to enter into discussions with their students because they have limited exposure or experience discussing various subjects from a Biblical perspective. How will you counter Marxist economic theories, or revisionist history, or scientific abstractions that posit a world without the Living God? That’s why homeschooling parents need to engage in continuing education while they are educating their children. I know time is tight and many items on your “to do list” aren’t getting accomplished. But, this aspect is vital if you’re going to continue to help your children prepare for their callings under God.

The Chalcedon Teacher Training Institute is currently in its pilot stage. It is designed to help homeschooling parents get the philosophical and theological underpinnings for their God-ordained task. If you are interested in exploring this avenue, contact me @ lessons.learned@yahoo.com.

Using His Celebrity

In a previous blog entry I featured the work of Eduardo Verástegui and his using his celebrity status to bring attention to the atrocity of abortion. Mr. Verástegui has now gone one step further and is making a direct appeal to Hispanics to confront the reality of abortion and the indisputable fact that the abortion industry deliberately and systematically targets Hispanics through all forms of media marketing and public school indoctrination. His appeal comes in the form of a video entitled Dura Realidad (The Harsh Truth) showing the results of “successful” abortions.

The Catholic News Agency carried the story of this video, produced in Spanish, to encourage Hispanics to work to end abortion and thwart the radical agenda of that presidential candidate who can’t even say when life begins. The CNA included an abridged version of his appeal. However, the video that should be spread far and wide comes in the middle of the full video Dura Realidad, which shows graphic images from real abortions and the unmistakable humanity of those slaughtered. The Mexican actor explains that just as teachers in schools show videos of the Holocaust to expose the truth about the atrocities committed by the Nazis, he too is including the video to show the horror of abortion.

To be sure, this video is not for the squeamish. However, it should be utilized by all of us to confront those who “sit on the fence” and have convinced themselves that abortion is not a watershed issue. May God be pleased to prosper the work of Eduardo Verástegui, a very courageous man, who puts principle over his celebrity status.

Living With a Zeal that Pleases Heaven

One of the perks of being in the mothering/homeschooling teacher mode for over twenty-seven years is that I have enough experience to know that being subtle with people rarely produces any benefit for them or me. Additionally, when you cross the half-century mark, people don’t expect you to flower your speech with niceties or political correctness. That’s why I choose to focus my efforts and attention on those who are driven to follow the full counsel of Scripture in every area of their lives and thinking.

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of conducting an international Bible study making use of Skype technology with a group of ladies on three continents who are hungry and thirsty for God’s righteousness. Together we have purposed to storm the gates of hell from the worthy position God has given women to further His kingdom. It is such a blessing to interact with women who endeavor to live life to God’s glory, with a zeal that pleases Heaven!!

Interested in starting a similar group with ladies you know? Contact me at lessons.learned@yahoo.com.

Ask the Beasts and They Shall Teach Thee

As I mentor homeschooling moms, novice and veteran alike, I attempt to convey the idea that they must embrace their roles as family caretakers, managers, and administrators. While the academic responsibility of their job is very real and important, it is by no means the one with the highest priority. Education should not be equated with academics. Rather academics is the subset of education. We learn from all facets of our lives, sometimes much more effectively than by just reading a book. The beauty of the homeschool setting is that the alert mother/manager/teacher can utilize any and all circumstances to teach her children valuable and lasting lessons and bring many sorts of “teachers” onboard to help in the process.



Yesterday, my husband, daughter, and I said goodbye to one such faithful teacher -- our golden retriever, Sierra. In many ways, Sierra was an integral part of my homeschool. Her presence was the springboard for teaching about discipline, training, service, and faithfulness. Although she started out with us as a puppy, all too quickly in “dog years” she joined me as one of the “older ladies” of the household. We grew gray together and witnessed my children grow up. She never shirked those duties entrusted to her.

Had my schedule been so full of other commitments and activities, I would not have been able to orchestrate a proper goodbye to Sierra. If I had not emphasized over the years that we must focus on family life over and above other activities, we might have had to “dispose” of Sierra, rather than give her the sort of memorial her years of service deserved.

It is easy to let our worth be determined by how much we do and how many people witness our achievements. Yet, such a focus delivers cheap rewards, rather than the lasting ones that bear fruit in this life and commendation in the next. Being available to deal with the ups and downs of life, and their aftermaths, is as important a function as any in the rearing of one’s family.

SIERRA
Golden Retriever Extraordinaire
(June 1995 – September 2008)
(Her full name was Sierra Sunrise, because of the countless early Sunday morning trips by car to Vallecito, located in the Sierra Foothills of California, in order to sit under the teaching of R.J. Rushdoony at the Chalcedon Foundation.)

The Real World

Often homeschooling parents hear from well-meaning family or friends that sooner or later they’ll have to release their children into the real world. The presupposition of such a statement is that what goes on in the homeschool is something other than the real world. I often counter statements like this with something like, “The world of God’s law-word is the only real world. The world after the fall of man is a fantasy world where men attempt to mimic God, determining for themselves right and wrong.” In that fantasy world, the only payment they can expect is death. That said, there does come a time within the homeschool setting where parents need to launch their children into circumstances and situations where they will be tried and tested to determine how well they will hold up when their faith is countered and/or ridiculed. Having a home base to return to and work through the experience, with the help and guidance of godly parents, is valuable indeed.

My youngest is engaging in such activity at present. This is her third semester taking a few classes at the local junior college. All the years of training in doctrine, apologetics, history, and more are being tested as she sits through classes which posit rebellion in the name of relativism and pluralism. She comes home from her classes with much fodder for conversation and discussion. Years ago I chronicled some of her older brother’s experiences when he first encountered the anti-Christian biases of secular colleges, and shared them in my book Lessons Learned from Years of Homeschooling.

Now twelve years later, my youngest has many more tools in her arsenal to respond to the relativism and statism of the college scene. How glad I am she had the benefit of a full week this summer of pertinent lectures and discussion at the West Coast Worldview Conference jointly sponsored by Reformed Heritage Church and the Chalcedon Foundation. Her ability to discern the lies and deceptions presented in her college class lectures and textbooks has been greatly aided by learning from men like Mark Rushdoony, Joseph Morecraft, Gary DeMar, John Eidsmoe, and Ben Miller. I’ve had the chance to listen to many of the lectures in MP3 format while I do my regular workouts. I believe many will benefit from hearing the lectures that were presented at this conference. You can get MP3s of the lectures presented and find out more about next summer’s conference.

Additionally, the two classes she’s taking through Cornerstone Christian School Online are providing “real time” assistance as she wades through her Administration of Justice class. It seems that Greg Uttinger’s lectures address the very concepts that arise in class discussions. You can find out more about the school’s current offerings at the Cornerstone website.

If you would like to share other resources that would benefit homeschooling families, email me at lessons.learned@yahoo.com.

Auto University

When the time came to get a new car, I told my husband that the vehicle had to have a CD player and a cassette player. Why? because both are vital components of being able to redeem the many hours I spend in the car. I joke that this my auto university.

Here's a wonderful product that combines, theology, history, and quality entertainment all in one bundle. Max McLean is a gifted storyteller with a wonderful voice, and provides a very satisfying rendition of these Classics of the Christian Faith.

Enjoy!

Learning from an Expert

RJ Rushdoony earned his affectionate nickname of the Father of the Christian School and Homeschool Movement as a result of his numerous writings and books on the subject of Christian education. Additionally, his making himself available for expert testimony at homeschooling cases around the country helped secure the right to homeschool so many of us continue to benefit from today.

Recently I had occasion to read the transcript of a January 1987 proceedings held in a Texas homeschooling challenge. It reads like a novel. Here are some excerpts from his cross examination by a Mr. Ball:

Q. Mr. Rushdoony, as I understand what you have said here by way of history that the colonial or frontier homeschool was one that was based on necessity, distances, transportation problems, that kind of thing.

A. No, because it goes back to the Biblical premise that the father is the instructor, the parents are; and the Book of Deuteronomy is addressed to parents in order to enable them to teach their children, and the Book of Proverbs is addressed to children in order to instruct them as to their duties towards their parents and society in general. The Biblical premise which has governed western civilization has always stressed the priority of the parental control of education.

Q. Were you giving us this history in order to show that there is some connection between the home schooling of the frontier and colonial days based on the circumstances that existed at that time on the one hand and the home schooling of 1987 which appears to be based on a preference of some people on the other?

A. Home schooling has always had a Christian motivation, but there has been a difference since World War II in that with World War II two things happened. There was a decline in the quality of public education which alarmed parents.

Then second, during World War II we had a tremendous number of missionaries who were abroad, who had to return home because of the war. Those who failed to make it were, of course, interned in prisoner of war camps.

Now these families came home by the thousands, and they had been home schooling their children.

One of the things that made an impact, and I recall them vividly, those days, was the fact that these children who had been homeschooled under the Calvert system and other systems, when they entered a grade in high school in this country found things almost childishly easy. They were so far advanced as far as their grade was concerned. They entered universities with a great deal of advantage because of their superior training.

Now, this made an impact on people. Why were these children so much better in their learning? And that created a favorable attitude towards home schooling, so that as the decline of public education set in after World War II parents were ready to turn to home schools, and especially in the 70s the movement took off at a dramatic rate of speed.

Then later on, this redirect examination by Mr. Sharpe:

Q. With respect to orthodox Christian beliefs, based on your educational background, your bachelor’s degree in Divinity, plus your years of service as a missionary, are you familiar with the orthodox Christian teachings as they relate to the responsibility of the parents to the children concerning education.

A. I am.

Q. Would you tell the court what those responsibilities are?

A. The parent is responsible to God to rear his child in the fear and admonition of the Lord, to cite the precept of Proverbs. According to the summary of the Old Testament made by the rabbis, a father who did not teach his children to read the Torah, in other words the basic skills, and a trade with his hands, taught his child to be a thief. As a result, going back to pre-Christian eras, Israel was the only nation in the world with literacy among the ordinary people.

At the time of Christ the synagogue schools covered the land of Judea, Galilee and the diaspora. Wherever Jews were, the synagogue schools prevailed. This was the pattern in the early church which was first known as a Christian synagogue, and according to patristic literature they began immediately to imitate the pattern even to the offices, the office of elder, the office teacher, and so on.

This was revived very strongly by the Puritans especially in this country and set the pattern of parental responsibility, to teach the child the basic skills so that they could become fully literate and to teach them how to work.

This is why we were unequaled among the nations of the world in the high rate of literacy long before there was a compulsory education law.

The Federalist Papers were written for the most ignorant people in the United States, the upstate farmers of New York State who were predominantly Dutch speaking, and yet today college students have problems with the Federalist Papers. That’s the level of literacy that then prevailed.

Now, this literacy combined with the Puritan work ethic made possible the development of this country…

So this perspective of literacy plus a work ethic was the basic educational drive from the early years of this republic, and the main rebellion against this has come since World War II…

This public domain court transcript is available. If you would like to read it, email lessons.learned@yahoo.com

Looking Well to the Ways of Our Households

The year was 1988. I was a stay-at-home mom homeschooling my two children ages nine and three, assisting my husband with his regular follow-up mailings to his customers, working as a volunteer typist for Chalcedon, caring for my 87-year-old mother-in-law who lived with us, and actively running a specialized pro-life ministry in our locale. In addition, I chauffeured the children to music and karate lessons. With this busy schedule, I still found time to read and learn as much as I could about applying the Christian faith to all of life. My schedule was tightly organized, but I managed to have time to pursue interests and outside activities of my own. How did I do it? Because I was the manager of my own schedule, I could organize and administer to my family’s needs and my personal needs, while holding down my most important jobs as wife and mother.

A man in our area was considering making a bid for city council. Someone recommended me to him as a person who was articulate, well-organized, and potentially a huge asset to his campaign. I remember getting ready for the meeting where I was certain to be offered the job of campaign manager. I got my most professional looking outfit and made sure it was pressed and ready to go. Because my son was only nine, I didn’t feel comfortable leaving him to watch his sister and have the responsibility of dealing with his grandmother, should she have an emergency. So, I hired a babysitter. The kids had been fed, Grandma was happy and content in her room, the babysitter arrived, and I was off.

During the meeting I was given the details of what my job would entail and was guaranteed that if the candidate won the election, I would be in charge of his district office. Needless to say, this often harried housewife was flattered and sincerely tempted to answer “yes.” I told them I’d get back to them.

On the way home, I pictured how I could pull this off. I could give my son his homeschooling assignments in the morning, hire a babysitter for the times I couldn’t be at home, and make the whole thing work. After all, wasn’t this a marvelous way for a Christian (and an orthodox, dominion oriented one at that) to make significant inroads into the political system? I was jazzed that I was going to make a difference for the Lord!

When I arrived at home, the house was in a tizzy. The babysitter had gotten into a tiff with my son and my mother-in-law was less than happy about how the evening had gone. My daughter was crying and my son was irritated. I piled the kids into the car with me as I took the babysitter home. On the way I realized the empty light (which I had been ignoring) needed to be dealt with. I stopped at a gas station, filled the tank, and drove the babysitter home. When she got out of the car, she informed me that I had not replaced the gas cap. I dashed back to the gas station only to find the cap missing. When I got home, I was irritated with the kids and sent them off to bed. I sat down, realizing I never had eaten dinner myself, when my husband called and asked me how my meeting had gone.

Needless to say, I didn’t take the job. Why? Because I already had a job, and to take the offered job as campaign manager meant I would have had to abandon my role as mother and wife or give it to someone else. As enticing as the prospect of being a professional, political woman was, I believe I chose the better way. Who knows, twenty years later I might have been able to wow the country with my articulate, well-organized achievements in public service at a national convention. But I’m not sure I would have passed the Proverbs 31 test for the virtuous woman who looks well to the ways of her household. Instead of having the praise of men, I find that the praise that comes from my husband and children exceeds the cheers from a roaring crowd or an adoring fan base.

The blessings of the Christian wife and mother involve serving in the background, helping her husband, rearing her children, and fearing the Lord so that the ultimate vote of Well done good and faithful servant will be the winning slogan of her life.

Only God Can Make A Tree

In my reading of RJ Rushdoony's commentary on Deuteronomy today, I came across this gem of a passage. He was commenting on the "forty years of schooling in the wilderness" that Israel experienced and quoted from Joseph Parker:

Time has a good deal to do with testimony; time enters very subtly into all things human and mundane. Men may make a ladder in a very short time, but who can make a tree? – and how constantly we are mistaking a tree for a ladder, or a ladder for a tree! Time makes the tree; time makes character; time makes practical theology.*

Rushdoony goes on to comment, "We sometimes forget this factor of time, of history, as we work with our children."**

To all Christian parents, and to those homeschooling particularly, we must view our endeavor from heaven's eyes, patiently laboring as our saplings mature into the trees God intends.

*Joseph Parker, The People’s Bible, vol. 4, Numbers 27 – Deuteronomy (New York. NY: Funk & Wagnealls, n.d.), 85.
**RJ Rushdoony, Deuteronomy (Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books, 2008), 24.

Contagious as the Flu

During the past couple of months, I have begun formal mentoring of a number of mothers of young children eager to be prepared to fulfill their callings in the lives of their families. I’ve outlined some reading for them to do, assigned some brief summary papers for them to write, along with conducting internet chats for comments, questions, and discussion as to how to apply the material to their everyday life. Contrary to the negative perspectives of modern culture, women who stay at home to manage their households, support their husbands in their callings, and oversee the education of their children are godly, living examples of the Proverbs 31 wife and mother. The purpose of the mentoring I am providing is to help them excel in their callings.

The more that Christian women embrace the Proverbs 31 model, the more their light will shine as a living witness to the high calling of wife and mother. Their faithfulness will serve to demonstrate to those who have bought into the lie that only a professional career validates women, that the really important work is the preparation and rearing of the next generation, thereby building the Kingdom of God.

Those of us who have travelled this road for decades and those who are just starting out can continue to challenge the distorted views of women in our culture and provide inspiration to the many young ladies who are making choices for their future. In short, we need to be as contagious as the flu, entering into the lives of those around us, not for harm, but to demonstrate that obedience regarding looking well to the ways of our households has benefits that supersede our individual lives.

If you’d like to explore this mentoring program write me at lessons.learned@yahoo.com.

When the Righteous Are in Authority

Proverbs 29:2 states, "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn."

Understanding this verse depends on a correct understanding of the word righteous. Clearly it is used contrasted with the word wicked. If we trivialize the meaning of either word, we lose the sense of the passage entirely.

Righteousness is not niceness, friendliness, politeness, optimism, or other congenial traits. Righteousness is synonymous with the word justice. So from the biblical definition, righteousness encompasses the perfect justice of God's law and grace.

Wickedness is not meanness, grumpiness, rudeness, pessimism or other Scrooge-like traits. Wickedness is that which is contrary to God's holy order, rule, and law.

Thus, teaching one's children to love and serve the Lord is righteous, and obliterating a life in the womb is wicked.

Since we can never escape being under authority, it is vitally important for parents to carefully select those whom they place in authority over their children. I used a rule of thumb when my children were very little. I would never place them in the care of someone unless I was comfortable with that person caring for them long-term, if I for some reason I did not return. Because in my absence, I was delegating authority, I wanted to ensure that my children would have true cause to rejoice over righteous authority, rather than to mourn because of wicked authority.

In the long run, ensuring that children are trained and educated by those who fit the biblical definition of righteousness will be profitable in producing adults who will reason and rule from a biblical mindset. Then, rather than lament the condition of our society and culture, we will rejoice when God's law-word is the accepted standard by which good and bad are defined.

Who is in authority over your children?

Exposing the Deeds of Darkness

I came across an article about a new film from the makers of the excellent movie Bella. As you will see, they are not timid about exposing the realities of the sin of abortion in their movie "22 Weeks".

Not only should we support efforts such as this one, but should be working with our families to impact the culture in creative ways -- exposing sin and pointing to the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

Barking Up the Wrong Tree

Public schools can expect resurgence in attendance in the coming months and years as harsh economic realities intensify. Is it because state schools offer a better education than their private counterparts? Hardly. When families have to prune their budgets, cutting back on taxes is not an option. Thus, the thinking goes, we might as well make use of the tax dollars we are paying into the system and get the “free” education we are entitled to. Thus, Christian education gets allocated to the luxury column in the financial spreadsheet.

This is disastrous reasoning. If the Church does not make the survival of Christian schools a priority, and fails to encourage and support the efforts of homeschooling families, the dark age that looms before us will be ushered in sooner rather than later. Instead of building bigger sanctuaries, upgrading to the latest technological gizmos, and spending oodles of dollars to send kids to far away places for seven days to build buildings, the people of God need to address the fundamental issue of our day: Who is educating and discipling the next generation? Anyone who is not comfortable with the political choices that continue to disappoint year after year had better realize that the future lies in education. The enemies of God know this. When is the Church going to realize it?

Jesus was very clear: A bad tree cannot produce good fruit. Yet, good people are compromising their Christian principles and entertaining the idea of sending their children to the humanistic, statist, materialistic, atheistic synagogues of satan because the dad has been laid off and mom needs to go to work. As I pointed out to an acquaintance recently, “If money is what you want, you could go out tonight and bring home a bunch if you were willing to be a prostitute!” Her reaction was predictable. We all know that the Scripture forbids that. But, why do we pick and choose which Scriptures we are going to obey? Doesn't the Word of God state that children should be trained in God's ways from morning to evening, and at every opportunity and circumstance along the way?

James 4:2 says, “You have not because you ask not.” I submit that any Christian family that endeavors to obey God and keep His commandments should hold fast the profession of their faith without wavering, for He is faithful that promised. (Hebrews 10:23).

For those who are tempted to take the easy way out, let me remind you that 1 Corinthians 10:13 states,

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

For anyone who needs some encouragement in this area, let’s talk: lessons.learned@yahoo.com.

Taking the Offensive

During the summer, my husband visits other churches due a conflict between the summer schedule at our church and his work schedule. He repeatedly engages the pastors in discussion when filling out the new visitor card provided asking the question, “What is the church’s position regarding parents sending their children to public schools?”

One email response stated,

“At this point the church does not have an official position. Some of our pastors send their kids to public schools, others to Christian schools. It is up to the individual’s conscience and what the Holy Spirit shows them.”

My husband countered,

“I am not surprised by your response. I am concerned, as all Christians should be, with the welfare of the children of Christian households. After all, those who oppose the faith seem to understand that whoever controls the education of the young also controls the future.

Are you familiar with the books of Bruce Shortt or Samuel L. Blumenfeld? Both men have written powerfully on the topic.

If health problems from smoking warrant a warning label on a pack of Camels, then certainly “sin issues” from public schools warrant some direction or warning from the shepherds of the flock. I am assuming many in your congregation have school age children. Therefore, this is not purely an academic exercise.

The response came back,

I appreciate your heart in this matter. We try to keep our parents abreast of what the public schools are teaching and how they might respond. We try to allow room for those who are convicted that their kids need to be separated from such influence and those that feel that it is their job to influence the public schools. Each school and district is different as well as each child. The key, we believe, is teaching our parents to be intentional in their parenting and to follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance as to whether they protect their kids from the culture or engage the culture but not be of it. It is not a black and white issue, but definitely needs prayer and education.

My warrior husband persisted:

Thanks for your response.

I am not sure I understand what being an "intentional" parent means in this context. I imagine it might mean to make informed and responsible decisions when these decisions will have a profound effect on one’s child. For the future's sake I hope it is not a shallow out. Lord knows the public schools need missionaries.
I realize many parents feel they have few options and face a desperate situation. As for parents who have other options and still send their children to "engage the culture" in this arena, it is an appalling sin if they are using "the Spirit led me" to cover their negligence. For example, it is really not too different from the husband who says the "spirit" is leading him to divorce his wife (for non Biblical reason.). Children, and their families, going intentionally into such a conflict of faith are likely as rare as they are brave. However, if these parents really mean to send their children in as missionaries what courage they must have -- what incredible faith!

Christian history records many who gave their lives for the faith. It is not always the "safe" or "wise" path that we are called to. Missionaries often face and endure incredible hardships from disease and much more. Those who endure have seen God's hand at work.

I would think these remarkable parents who have been “led” to send their children to public school would likewise have incredible stories to relate as to how their child, often alone, took on the powers of Satan in situations where those in charge had a size, power, age, educational and legal advantage over them. What bravery to challenge those who by the grades they give can seemingly dictate future options for the child.

It must be awesome indeed to be young and in a situation where the “history" books have been revised to exclude, slander or belittle men and women of faith. To be in that position at a young age and to be taught (and graded and tested) as a FACT that we came from a great explosion and somehow life "occurred,” then evolved to our current state, and that the Living God had nothing to do with it. This is a challenge for which many graduate students and tenured professors pale.

Additionally, the indoctrination includes "learning" that families can have two or more dads or moms and that sexual preferences in gender are a matter of opinion. Further, that one can change one’s gender and being sexually active at a young age is normal and healthy. Subjects like how to use a condom, situational ethics, and evolutionary perspectives that we are nothing more than animals and answer to nothing higher than ourselves are standard fare. Having to show up daily to political correctness, the outlawing of the 10 Commandments on school grounds, and making sure that the Bible remains at home because it is a “taboo" book, surely amounts to a considerable burden. And, having to evangelize in the midst of censure if Scripture is quoted on school grounds to the teachers or other children, public thanks rendered to God at a graduation ceremony, or group prayer recited before an athletic event. Realizing that they might need the protection of a lawyer from one of the Christian legal associations for any of the activities listed above truly demonstrates what a tremendous task such families are undertaking!

WHAT COURAGE, WHAT FAITH for such a tender and impressionable age. What sacrifice for parents who launch their young child into this arena (designed by the culture’s brightest minds and darkest souls who hate and despise God) that works tirelessly to undercut the Christian faith and the structure of the Christian family.

I wonder how many “missionary minded” parents actually schedule the time to equip their children to evangelize the lost in the midst of homework assignments, sports teams, music lessons, dinner preparation, shopping etc. etc. and effectively counter the poison that they’ve been fed all day long?

It’s time that those of us who “get it” to challenge our brothers and sisters who apparently don’t. The best missionaries will be those children who are taught from a young age that every area of life and thought is subject to our Creator/Savior. Then after they've been given a truly Christian education (in all subjects) will they be ready to engage the culture, qualified to do so. Would we let grammar school and high school aged students perform cancer surgery? Why then do we assume that they are equipped to sever others from the carcinogenic hold of sin?

Do It All to the Glory of God

Back in 1982, my husband and I were in a yogurt shop where an elderly couple overheard that we were celebrating our seventh wedding anniversary. The husband proudly informed us that they had already celebrated their 60th. He then looked at my husband and commented, “You won’t even really know her until after 25 years!”

Well, I’d have to say that went both ways. Eighteen years into our marriage, my husband rediscovered and began to earnestly play golf. He had golfed as a kid with his father, but I figured that was long in his past. Not so. Of all the things that have tested my marriage, golf ranks high on the list. I had many an irreverent conversation with God about the state of affairs at the outset. But thanks to His abounding grace and the mentoring of some very dear Christian women, I weathered the storms. But, wait...there’s more. Not only did I accept the fact that golf was going to be a part of our lives, I discovered that my two daughters (seven years apart in age) both demonstrated pronounced talent and skill in this sport.

In the fifteen years since, I have walked hundreds of golf courses, sat through hours and hours of lessons, and read most everything I could get my hands on to better understand the game and learn how it is to be played well. (Note: I don’t play golf. I tell people I already know how to talk to myself!) The high point of all this came this summer when my youngest daughter participated in the 2008 USGA Girls’ Junior Championship. She exceeded her expectations with excellent scores during the two days of qualifying which allowed her to “make the cut” and play two more rounds of match play. The years of practice and diligence (on all our parts)paid off with the opportunity to play at a high level and learn a tremendous amount in the process.

I have used the sport of golf in numerous ways in our homeschool. Arithmetic, geometry, physics, and a host of other subjects have been interwoven with golf and were enhanced by the relationship. Early on, I worked to incorporate a biblical worldview into the activity in keeping with the fact that our faith is a faith for all of life. This gave us many chances to deal with character issues and matters of the heart. This year, we instituted a practice that when Dorothy plays a course, she carries a small notebook with key reminders on to how to play each hole. On every one of the 18 pages (one page for each hole), I’ve included a Scripture passage that is pertinent to trusting in God for every outcome and thanking Him regardless of the result. Here are the current selections:

Hole #1 – Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.

Hole #2 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Hole #3 – Let your light so shine among men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Hole #4 – Ye are the light of the world, a city on a hill cannot be hid.

Hole #5 – Cast your burdens on the Lord; He shall sustain you.

Hole #6 – Wait on the Lord; He shall strengthen your heart.

Hole #7 – Thy will be done, Lord, on earth as it is in heaven.

Hole #8 – In this world you will have tribulation; but have no fear, I have overcome the world.

Hole #9 – Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice.

Hole #10 – The things you have learned, received, heard, and seen in me do, and the God of peace shall be with you.

Hole #11 – I press on toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Hole #12 – Whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report…think on these things.

Hole #13 – God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus.

Hole #14 – The trying of your faith worketh patience.

Hole #15 – Let patience have her perfect work that you may be perfect and entire wanting for nothing.

Hole # 16 – Every good and perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights.

Hole #17 – If God be for you, who can be against you?

Hole #18 – Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The entire competitive round becomes an opportunity to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding as we endeavor to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.(1 Cor. 10:31)