Going to college is no longer an automatic “next step” we will plan for our children after their high school years.  Apprenticeship or college from home will be our first desire.  The immorality and ungodly, Marxist, humanistic teachings in the universities are our primary reasons for not going the traditional college route.  We seek solid Biblical education and training for our children, even (and more so) when they are young adults.

I realize that there are various levels to this topic of college (ie: fields of study that require lab work, etc).  What I am referring to in this post is the general, overarching issue of going to college.

“To Be Educated”

by Carolyn Caines

• If I can learn my ABCs, can read 600 words per minute, and can write with perfect penmanship, but have not been shown how to communicate with the Designer of all language, I have not been educated.
• If I can deliver an eloquent speech and persuade you with my stunning logic, but have not been instructed in God’s wisdom, I have not been educated.
• If I have read Shakespeare and John Locke and can discuss their writings with keen insight, but have not read the greatest of all books—the Bible—and have no knowledge of its personal importance, I have not been educated.
• If I have memorized addition facts, multiplication tables, and chemical for¬mulas, but have never been disciplined to hide God’s Word in my heart, I have not been educated.
• If I can explain the law of gravity and Einstein’s theory of relativity, but have never been instructed in the un¬changeable laws of the One Who orders our universe, I have not been educated.
• If I can classify animals by their family, genus, and species and can write a lengthy scientific paper that wins an award, but have not been introduced to the Maker’s purpose for all creation, I have not been educated.
• If I can recite the Gettysburg Address and the Preamble to the Constitution, but have not been informed of the hand of God in the history of our country, I have not been educated.
• If I can play the piano, the violin, six other instruments and can write music that moves men to tears, but have not been taught to listen to the Director of the universe and worship Him, I have not been educated.
• If I can run cross-country races, star in basketball, and do 100 push-ups without stopping, but have never been shown how to bend my spirit to do God’s will, I have not been educated.
• If I can identify a Picasso, describe the style of da Vinci, and even paint a portrait that earns an A+, but have not learned that all harmony and beauty comes from a relationship with God, I have not been educated.
• If I graduate from high school with a perfect 4.0 and am accepted at the best university with a full scholarship, but have not been guided into a career of God’s choosing for me, I have not been educated.
• If I become a good citizen, voting at each election and fighting for what is moral and right, but have not been told of the sinfulness of man and his hopelessness without Christ, I have not been educated.
• However, if one day I see the world as God sees it and come to know Him, Whom to know is life eternal, and glorify God by fulfilling His purpose for me,then I have been educated.

With the HOW approach, the Bible is the center of education and academics is secondary.  We implemented this approach and we loved it!  But being entirely educated in the public school system, I have much to still undo with regards to leaning away from gov’t school methodologies in our home schooling.

I am again re-reading the principles laid out in this approach and was wonderfully reminded of an important principle….. STUDY (OF GOD’S WORD) IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF WORSHIP.

Below is an excerpt from the HOW book, quoting John Garr, founder of Restoration Foundation:

The decision to study God’s Word in order to do His Word is a meaningful act of submission and reverence–in short, it is worship. Study carried out with this motive is the very essence of Biblical learning. This is not study in order to understand; it is study in order to do.

Study of God’s Word in order to mold one’s lifestyle to that Word is also worship in the truest sense of the English word worship, which means to “ascribe worth to.” When we fully submit our lives to God’s Word, when we study what he has said with complete devotion and intensity, we do, indeed, ascribe worth to him: we worship him.

When Christians think of worship, images of the Sunday morning worship service come to view, with singing, praying, giving, preaching, and sharing the sacrament. Study is perhaps something that is done in preparation for worship, but could Christians ever conceive of study, itself, as an act of worship, even the highest form of worship? When we analyze this concept, however, we begin to understand that intensive study of the Word of God is the most reliable way in which God can speak to us and cause us to understand his will and his ways. Even the most intense and profound subjective experiences must be judged by the written Word of God (II Peter 1:16-19). Study of the Word of God, then, with a view toward doing the Word, is an act of submission to the divine will, the essence of true worship.  When we pray, we speak with God; when we study, God speaks to us.

The importance of studying the Word of God is seen in Paul’s instructions to Timothy:  “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. . . . from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (II Timothy 2:15; 3:15-17).

Intense study is necessary to avoid the shame of inaccurately interpreting God’s Word. This is in keeping with David’s description of the righteous man: “His delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night” (Psalm 1:2) The meditation to which David refers is not Eastern Monism’s meditation that seeks to focus the energy of the mind on the third eye in the center of the forehead (where the pituitary gland is located) so as to achieve the understanding of one’s inherent deity. It is the repeating over and over again the words of God until one so ingests the Word that it becomes a part of the very fiber of one’s being.

This is the vision that keeps God’s people from casting off restraint: “He that keepeth the law, happy is he” (Proverbs 29:18). Without the prophetic vision of the Word of God, people perish. With the understanding of rightly-divided Holy Scripture, one can be taught, corrected, and instructed in righteousness, thereby becoming mature (perfect) and becoming completely equipped unto all good works. It is then that the light of God’s Word can shine through us so that men may see our good works and glorify the Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

Study is indeed the highest form of worship, for it is our subjection of our human reason to a conscious act of our human will to believe what God has said that manifests the faith that is credited to us for righteousness. When we believe God and act on our faith, we receive the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. When we study God’s Word with a view toward obeying it, we become wholly submissive to God and can then walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh. In such a state, there is no condemnation to us, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed us from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1, 2).

O that men everywhere would seek the Lord and worship before him in the beauty of his holiness, studying his Word and his ways!

The Heart of Wisdom’s approach to education has been a great blessing to our family, especially to me as a home educator.   Be sure to visit their website and blog.  It is a treasure trove of great educational and Biblical information.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Anyone who has kept up with my blog knows that I am no fan of government education.  I have made it a point to carry The Continuing Collapse on a regular basis, and I try to make biblical, philosophical and theological arguments in favor of Christian education as often as possible.  However, I recognize the obstacles those of us on my side of the street face.  As many as eighty-five to ninety percent of professing Christians send their children to the government for their education.  That is simply an astonishing figure considering the fact that the Christian community fought mandatory government education tooth-and-nail for it’s first fifty years of existence.  Since then we have gone from fighting against government schools to fighting for them and implying that those who fight against them are fundamentalists, anti-intellectuals, and racists.

In the meantime, our schools grow progressively worse.  Well, as we begin this summer, I want to appeal to those of you with children in government schools.  Please don’t send them back!  I beg you to consider what you are doing.  As Dave Black has written:

No academic skepticism, no secularist authors, no blatant materialism can so undermine the spiritual life of the country like the completely secularized training of the child under the authority of the state… Bible-based education is mandatory for Christian parents. If we think we can keep our children in a secular school system and escape the dumbed-down, amoral, and immoral results of secular humanism in schools, we are sorely mistaken (emphasis added,  see: http://daveblackonline.com/our.htm).

With that, here are the top five reasons not to send your kids back to government school next year:

Click here to view [full article...]

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

In April, several ladies from my church were discussing the topic of natural feminine products.  We talked about the inherent dangers of commercial feminine products that are made with harmful chemicals, which have had negative effects on women’s cycles and also the possibility of it attributing to infertility. Various natural products were discussed such as reusable cotton pads and liners, natural disposable pads, etc.

Then one product was mentioned I had never heard of before….. menstrual cups.  What???  As they explained the concept, I was immediately grossed out.  The idea of a “cup” collecting the monthly flow was simply icky to me!  LOL.

Three weeks ago, as my cycle was approaching and I began researching what natural feminine products to buy, the menstrual cups came to mind.  I finally decided to research this and see what all the hype was about.  I could not believe all the rave reviews on it and the benefits.  Needless to say, it definitely piqued my interest and so I decided to give it try — especially if it would help save $$ in the long run.  There are a lot of brands of m-cups available, but I decided to try Diva Cup first.  So here is my experience…..  I’ll also answer some questions that some co-op members asked of me.

• I purchased my Diva Cup from www.vitacost.com for $22.89 + shipping of $4.99.  (For our GOBC co-op members, Frontier currently sells it for $23.70 with free shipping when we order as a group.)  It arrived the day before my cycle heavily began — perfect timing.  Whew!
• Inserting it was actually easy.  I was surprised!  The only problem I had was the tip — it was too long and I could feel it and it was very uncomfortable.  After reading a review at Menstrual Cup Info, the gal had similar problems with the tip.  Turns out she has a low cervix, so the Diva Cup was riding low on her and she could feel the tip.  Apparently, I have a low cervix too.  She actually cut the tip completely (against the Diva Cup instructions – lol) and inverted the cup inside-out.  I decided to give her tip a try and lo and behold….that DID IT!  It was soooooo comfortable, as if nothing was there.  I even exercised with it and had no problems.
• No lubrication is needed to insert the cup.  It slid very easily into place.  With the DivaCup, once it’s inside, you must rotate the cup 360* in order for it to stay in place.   It will not protrude out.   Because this was my first month, I was still trying to get used to rotating it enough.  I did have a few tiny leaks during my heavy day as a result, but it was hardly anything — just a few tiny spots!  I wore a natural pantyliner to be safe.
• As far as size, I’m not sure the exact measurement.  I didn’t measure it.  But I am about 5′, so I am quite petite in size and it fit me fine after I cut the tip completely and inverted the cup.  I’m sure the DivaCup site has the measurements if anyone is interested.
• Cleaning was super easy.  I did not buy the wash that Diva Cup sells.  But you can use a gentle, mild soap and warm water to clean it.   I would recommend using soap that is all natural and no fragrance.
• As far as collecting the flow and removing it, it was actually very easy and clean.  Not as messy as I thought it would.  Not anything more messy than using tampons, actually.  I used tampons for 2 cycles when I was in college and that’s it.  The DivaCup is soooo much more easier to handle and work with!   The heavier days of my cycle lasts only 2 1/2 days.  On those days,  I could go 8-10 hours before I needed to clean out the cup.   But each woman is different and you’ll need to listen to your body.  You’ll know when you think you need to change.  :)
• Overall summary:  This was the easiest cycle I had!  I usually don’t have bad, intense cycles to begin with .  But I do have some cramping I experience every so often.  This month, I did not have ANY cramps (or heavy pressure from the cramps) at all.  I literally felt like I was not on my cycle.  Hmmm…makes me wonder how much the chemicals from the conventional pads had an influence on cramps.  They say that many women will experience less menstrual flow switching to natural feminine products due to the lack of chemicals that have a negative affect on our cycles.  That was the case for me!  I only had to wear the cup for 3  days.  The rest I just used natural liners for the extremely light days and spotting.
• For more technical information about the DivaCup, please visit their website and also the review on Menstrual Cup Info.
• Rating:  5 stars!  :D  I highly recommend this product.

The best part of the ceremony for me was when Nathan boldly and graciously expressed the purpose of his business to first and foremost bring glory to our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ!  Amen!

12►

NOTE:  Remember to close the window once you reach the end of the page, then click the next page to view more images.

As much as I did not enjoy drinking the green, gritty, grassy drink (taken 1 hour before you go to bed), this cleanse was actually very good for me to do and I do recommend it.  I NEEDED to do this and in the end, I am so glad I was able to do it and make it through.  If you are not used to drinking green powder drinks like what this cleanse has, it will be a little difficult to handle, taste-wise.  I suggest doing this cleanse with a friend to hold you accountable.  If it wasn’t for my friends doing it with me, I would’ve given up on Day 1 after taking the green drink.  LOL.  But because I was committed to it with my friends, I stuck to it.

I do feel great!  This cleanse is considered a “light cleanse”, so it’s not flushing you in such a way that you constantly have to be near a bathroom.  My body feels more energized, more clean, and more nourished.  I have also lost some weight — not a whole lot, but enough where I notice that some of my clothes are a little loose.  Also….For the past 6+ months, I was experiencing some minor joint knee pains when I would bend or squat.  I’ve never had this before.  I knew my body was becoming extremely toxic from my poor eating habits this past year and I needed to refocus my eating based on what the LORD has been revealing to me over the years.   This needed to be changed before any other increased toxicity happened.    After doing this cleanse and eating a high raw diet, the pains are going away — they’re pretty much nearly all gone!  Praise the LORD for the miraculously self-healing body He created within us!

Your diet will be a big factor in the results of this cleanse.   You cannot expect to eat a “SAD” diet (Standard American Diet) during this cleanse and expect to see major results.  It just won’t happen.  I suggest eating a high raw diet (minimum 60% raw – but preferably much higher) and avoid consuming those things listed on the Garden of Life’s website for Raw Cleanse.  If you are a heavy coffee or soda drinker, you may want to slowly ease off of these drinks prior to starting this cleanse.  Otherwise, you will experience some caffeine withdrawal symptoms.

With this being our last day of the cleanse, my friends and I decided to have a RAW FEAST for our lunch at our church potluck.  Talk about YUM-O raw food!!  I am so grateful to have done a high raw diet this week because I was reminded of just how DELICIOUS raw foods are and how nourishing it is on a cellular level!  Raw foods does not mean eating only salads or plain veggies.  It’s so much more!  The raw recipes will amaze you.  If you have never fully researched the raw food diet before, I highly recommend you do!  You are missing out if you haven’t.

My food log for lunch and dinner will not list all the ingredients as there was too many to list.  Sorry!  Just know that it was ALL healthy and all-natural and raw (when it states “raw”)

FOOD LOG:

• 2 cups Berry Smoothie (red chard, strawberries, blueberries, banana, cashews, agave)
• Lunch:  plate of a “Raw Taco Salad”, Tomato & Basil Salad with raw cheese, and 2 pieces of Raw Choc-onut Brownie drizzled with strawberry sauce
• Snack:  3 small pieces of flax crackers
• Dinner:  plate of green salad with leftover items from raw taco salad, cheese, and a bowl of Minestrone soup
• Water:  5 cups

RECIPE:
No recipe to post today (I’m heading to bed).  But I will be posting more recipes in the future!

If you’re interested, I do have a RAW FOOD PHOTO GALLERY — feel free to view pictures from my gallery and {click here!}.  These are raw food dishes I have made in the past (when I was eating raw more regularly and teaching classes).   :D   Check back on my blog regularly to view any recipes I post!  :)

Thank you for following my little  “cleanse journey”!

Today was a little bit of a challenge this afternoon as we were invited to a friend’s parents’ house for lunch.  They made a lot of great food, which of course, I couldn’t eat most of it.  But thankfully I came prepared with some food of my own.  I was feeling a little tempted with some of the food, especially for the chocolate cake with white frosting!  But in His strength, I was able to overcome the temptation.  :D  I was able to eat a few things tho’ — heavenly eggs (aka: deviled eggs, but I don’t like that name :D ) and raw veggies.  I think there was something questionable in the eggs though.  We got home and I felt really weird — almost like I ate msg or something!  Yuck.  My body felt like it was on a “high” of some sort – almost like a caffeine high, and I also felt a little dizzy.  I ended up eating an apple and it seemed to help some.  Within a couple hours, I felt better again.  I drank coconut water (sooooo good!) and my body felt better, almost instantly!  That is such a refreshing drink!

Tomorrow is church, which includes our usual church potluck during lunch.  My friend Jamie, her hubby, and I (we’ve been doing the cleanse together), are planning on feasting on some gourmet raw foods to celebrate the end of the cleanse!  I can’t wait!  :D

FOOD LOG:

• Morning:  2 cups Cantaloupe Smoothie (apples, bananas, cantaloupe, sunflower seeds, spinach, agave)
• Snack:  couple handfuls of trail mix (almonds, cashews, cranberry)
• Lunch:  2 cups leftover Blueberry Coconut smoothie from yesterday, 3 “heavenly” eggs, broccoli, carrots, nibble of onion bread, several spoonfuls of raw fudge balls
• Afternoon snack:  apple, 2 cups fresh young coconut water
• Dinner:  1 cup brown rice with 1 cup scrambled eggs with tomatoes, garlic, sea salt
• Water: 6 cups

The cleanse itself was good.  Nothing much different to report today — still have good amount of energy and feeling great overall.  The 3rd step was not as easy to get down today though.  We had a late dinner (like 9pm’sh!) and then I drank the “stuff” about 2 hours later.  So I was still a little full and was forcing myself to drink it.  I also used room temperature water with the powder.  I do better with cold water!  Yes, I’m weird!  :D

As far as food goes…..YUMMM-O!!!  :)

FOOD LOG:

• Late morning: (wasn’t hungry til 11am) 3 cups Blueberry Coconut Smoothie — this was a new smoothie for me I found online and it was good!   Just enough sweetness without being overly sweet.  (blueberries, milk & meat of young coconut, dates, cacao powder, coconut oil, water).  This was a bright purple smoothie.  Love it!
• Late lunch:  bowl of Raw Italy Soup (recipe from Frederic Patenaude) – this soup is an energy booster!  (tomatoes, cilantro, onion, garlic, parsley, dried basil, sea salt, olive oil, water)  This is a good raw soup, especially if you’re doing a smoothie fast and want a salty “smoothie”.  It’s like a blended salad.
• Snack: 1/2 of a raw chocolate brownie bar (“PURE” brand), apple
• Dinner: 1 1/2 pieces of gluten-free homemade cheese pizza (brown rice flour, tapioca flour, egg whites, sea salt, guar gum, yeast, raw cheddar cheese, a little mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce)
• Dessert:  1 1/2 spoonfuls of raw Fudge Balls — total Yum!  See recipe below for ingredients.

RECIPE:
Today’s recipe is Alissa Cohen’s “Fudge Balls” from her book, Living on Live Foods.  If you are starting on raw foods, this is a great “dessert” to have on hand when you’re craving for something sweet!

• 2 cups dates, soaked and pitted
• 2 cups almond butter
• 1/2 cup carob (we used raw cacao powder today, but I like the carob version better)

Process the dates in a food processor until it turns into a paste.  Add the rest of the ingredients and process together well.  Form into balls.  Talk about easy!  (I’m often too lazy  to make them into balls, so I just put it in a bowl and eat it with a spoon.  LOL)