Easy Listening

So sad how he can't bring himself to stand up for the truth of the gospel. Watch the whole interview (this is only a portion) and keep tally marks of how often Joel answers "I don't know" when asked specific questions about the Bible.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
-John 14:6

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false
teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even
denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift
destruction.

-2 Peter 2:1

Prosperity Gospel Lies

Kyle and I just recently watched this DVD together and it was awesome! Shocking, embarrassingly entertaining, and eye-opening. Several times, we looked at each other and said: Did he really just say that?
And what is so crushing about these health & wealth preachers is the thousands who flock to hear their twisted theology. Benny Hinn, Jesse Duplantis, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Joyce Meyer, and Joel Osteen are currently the most well-known prosperity preachers. And they do know a little bit of Bible. But they throw in enough garbage to polute the whole message.
Take this, for example:


I strongly recommend this DVD. Your eyes will be opened to all the subtle deceptions taught by these false teachers.

Just For Fun

Disclaimer: This is in no way promoting the ingestion of margarine. Eat at your own risk.

Confession

Hi, my name is Ginger and I'm a napper. Have been for years. I take a good deal of teasing for my lack of activity in the afternoons, but I don't mind. Everyone enjoys a little down time. I just happen to enjoy my down time lying down.

Sometime between Chloe and Lydia, I developed hypothyroidism. I pretty much slept through my pregnancy with Liddy, threatening bodily harm to anyone who woke me up, regardless of the time of day. But it wasn't until after Lydia was born, and I still wanted to sit down or lie down all day that I considered another possibility than just pregnancy fatigue. Fast forward through several doctors' mistakes and bad advice; I now feel terrific on my new thyroid regimen. Everday, I take:

Armour Thyroid
Adrenogen
Iodoral
3000-6000 mg. Vitamin C
B-Complex twice a day

and I'm no longer fatigued and lethargic all day and I'm not irritable! Woo-Hoo! (says Kyle)(and the rest of the Clarks)(and all my friends).

Naps are now optional, although more often than not I fall asleep when I lie down in the afternoon with my favorite book. ;)

A Priceless Visit

We recently had the opportunity to visit with "Auntie Melodie", the parent-child laison at the orphanage where our children waited for us. She was one of their teachers and the one who showed them our photo albums and prepared them for becoming the children of a "white ma and pa". She's the one I talked to most during the adoption wait. Melodie was raised in Liberia as a missionary child. And she's still there now, ministering to the children in the orphanage and discipling women who have recently come to Christ. She is a precious friend.

Following my 20 minute rule, I didn't tell the kids who we were meeting, so they were very eager to find out, but nothing could have prepared them for this visit. Maya, Isaac, and Daniel were all thrilled to see her, but after a hug, the boys both ran off to play on the playground. Maya, on the other hand, immediately started crying as she gave Melodie a bear hug. They talked for quite awhile; Melodie updating Maya on all her friends and the workers she knew. Then suddenly, Melodie slipped into Liberian speak. Maya was practically glowing. We asked her later what Melodie had said and she explained it to us in English. I said, "No, say it in Liberian English. Say it the way Melodie said it." Maya surprised me by looking at me queerly and saying that she can't talk like that anymore.

When we were walking back to the car, Maya looked me in the eye and said: Thanks so much for bringing us to see Auntie Melodie, Mom!

"Books are Our Friends"

This is a common refrain heard around the Clark house. (And I always take on a dramatic tone when I talk about my books.) When books are left out on the rug and Lydia steps on one on her way to the kitchen, I say: Lydia, don't step on the book. Books are our friends, we don't walk on our friends.

The other day, Elena wanted to look something up in my Bible and she picked it up by the cover. I responded in a beseeching way: Elena, that's my precious Bible. Please treat my Bible nicely.
When I want one of the kids to read a new book, I'll say excitedly: Elena, have you met my friend, Edith Nesbit? You are just going to love her!

Yesterday, Isaac made the unfortunate mistake of jamming a book into the bookshelf. He didn't do it intentionally, but nevertheless got this very dramatic response: Oh Isaac, you have to treat our books better than that! Next to you kids, those books are our most precious possession!!

Half the kids looked at me strangely and the other half started giggling. But they all got the point.

Handwriting - Quality not Quantity

Handwriting can make kids cry. I think Charlotte knew this. She said it would be better to have a single line of perfect As, than a whole page of progressively sloppy ones.
We only do handwriting for a few minutes each day. Copywork is how it's done. They can pick a line from a favorite hymn, poem, or book and copy it. At their current ages, 1-2 lines is all it takes. For Isaac (because he's a boy and all boys hate writing), one little line is plenty. Elena, on the other hand (because she's a firstborn and a girl) will copy a whole paragraph just because she wants to and will write it all in cursive because having a page of "pretty words" is her goal.
Once a week, I have them write a letter to a grandparent or friend. (I tend to have them write most often to those who I know will write them back. Kyle reminds me that they write letters to be a blessing, but I just love seeing the joy on their little faces when they get mail!) They dictate to me what they want to write, I type it out in letter format, and they copy it. Four sentences max! The next day, I'll have them copy the addresses on the envelope. (Isaac would just kill me if I asked him to do it all in one day!)

John Piper Addresses Obama

Guess Who Won the DVD???

And the winner of the DVD Giveaway is . . .


Gretchen. Congrats, Gretchen! Email me your address and I'll ship the DVD right away.

Captain Ahab

Isaac caught a catfish this big! Chloe said it was "cool, but gross" when Papa chopped the head off. All the kids said it was the best fish they ever ate, which I'm sure had more to do with the conquest than the flavor. (No offence, Papa!)

Isaac asked if he would get a blue ribbon for being the best fisherman that day. Pride comes before a fall, son.
I have a theory that the delicate male ego starts at birth. He caught that fish on Saturday and I'm still hearing about it. Yes, son, I definitely think you should pursue a profession in fishing when you grow up. Clearly, you have a gift.

They Are Not Innocent!

Our government school systems are insidious places . They are not morally neutral. No matter where you live, and no matter how many “Christian” teachers you have in your school, they don’t write or control the curriculum. The "well-trained" call the shots:




As she quotes:

You think the purpose of education is reading, writing, and arithmetic?! The purpose of education is to change the thoughts, actions, and feelings of the students.

P.S. I just got a call this afternoon from a friend whose teen daughter is in a Christian school nearby that has a reputation for integrity. A classmate of her daughter's was committing acts of "public lewdness" (that's all I'm going to say) and apparently has been doing it on a regular basis in the classroom. The administration know about it and aren't doing or saying anything about it.

Please don't be fooled into thinking that anyone at all cares as much about your child as you do! Because you are the expert on your child, you are absolutely their best qualified teacher.

I Know Frugal!

Ok, put aside Daniel's greyness from your mind; he was just about to be lotioned up before bed. Stay focused. He came downstairs in super short pajama pants. Kyle and I immediately started laughing at our fashion-unconscious son. I decided to make them into shorts, since they're for bedtime anyway. And then Daniel put one of the cut legs on his head and started giggling: It's my new stocking cap!

And of course, he'll be needing a matching wristband should he sweat in bed.

Kyle and I are easily amused.

Does Anyone Know a Good Speech Therapist?

For those who aren't fluent in preschool-speak, let me explain. Daniel and Lydia have color-coded cups at home. Orange for Daniel. Purple for Lydia. But we weren't at home. We were at the lakehouse. So they were given different cups. Lydia got a big kick out of having an orange cup (a boy color in her mind) and Daniel having a purple cup (a girl color).

DVD Giveaway!!

I'm giving away this awesome & informative DVD!

• Do you believe the Bible? What about carbon dating?
• Do you believe in the Global Flood? How did Noah get all of the animals on the Ark?
• Are you a Christian? What about all of the “Ape Men?”

In this fast-paced video lecture, Anwers in Genesis president Ken Ham gives answers to these and other commonly asked questions that skeptics lodge concerning Genesis and Creation. Have you ever wanted to know “Where did Cain get his wife” or “Where did all the races originate?”

This DVD will equip your family to

always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15)

Ok, here's what you need to do:

1. Leave a comment telling me how badly you want this dvd. That gives you one entry into the giveaway.
2. Link to this post on your own blog and leave a comment telling me you did so. That gives you a second entry into the giveway.

The contest ends next Thursday, May 14th, so hurry up and enter!

P.S. Happy Mother's Day!

Good Question, Honey

We've been reading about bees in our nature reader, so I got this movie from Netflix.

We all sat captivated as we learned more about the complicated life of the bee. While watching the way the bees flock after the queen bee, Chloe asked if bees have Mother's Day. Today, Chloe had to learn the cold hard truth that Mother's Day is only celebrated by humans. She will never be the same. She was so disappointed with those disrespectful, ungrateful little worker bees!
Isaac wanted to know who works harder: a bee or an ant? Smart question. Any ideas?

Short Lessons

One of the key distinguishing features in the CM approach to education is her focus on short lessons. We cover a lot of subjects each week, but each subject is given 5-20 minutes each. For instance, poetry and copywork only take 5 minutes/day. For math, I set the timer for 15-20 minutes, depending on the topic and we stop whether a page is completed or not. Literature is the one subject where we may spend more time. We listen to audio CDs in the car, or we snuggle on the couch while I read a story we all love. But if possible, I always always stop with a cliffhanger. Better to have them begging for more than asking me to stop!

The purpose of short lessons is to develop the habit of attention. They learn to give full and focused attention to a task because there is no time to dawdle. Although the children very much enjoy what they are learning, it is a challenging education. Challenging, because of the material presented, not because they are made to sit for an hour of it. Short lessons has given my children a love of learning. It isn't drudgery and it is never boring. And it's so impressive the amount of detail they can retain when I only read for 10 minutes.

Just Playing Games

The Clark family nighttime routine is this: Daddy reads to everyone in the girls' room and we tuck Daniel and Lydia into bed, while the big kids head downstairs.

Then the real fun begins. (Don't tell the littles.) The "big kids" pick out a game and we split into teams. (Good readers get to be their own team.)

Currently, the kids faves are: Apples to Apples, Whoonu, and Snorta. But I am so bad at Snorta, I almost always recommend another game.

We love playing games together. For Kyle and me, this has been a great reward of having older kids. That, and the fact that they can clean.

Hey, I see some unfinished chores back there! Oh well, it's downtime. I'm not putting away no stinkin' towels when I can be having fun with my family!

I'm curious: What are your nightly traditions?

If Only We Understood

Am I Good?

I went to the doctor last week to have my quarterly thyroid panel. I took the kids with me, so I could be praised for having my blood drawn. I mean, so I wouldn't have to get a babysitter for a 15 minute appointment. As the P.A. was asking about my LMP, I mentioned that we had just had a miscarriage. I really hate telling people that. Not because of my own emotions, but because it always makes people feel awkward. I hate seeing people struggle to think of what to say. But I digress. . .
She said: Oh, I'm sure you'll get pregnant again soon, because you're a good person. (She thinks I'm a saint for adopting four kids. This, after she looked at all the kids and asked if I'd given birth to all of them. ??)
It broke my heart to hear her voice her deception. God alone is good. I have been blessed over and over again in my life because God is good; not because of anything I have done.

There is none who does good, not even one.
-Psalm 14:3

For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good,not even one.”
-Romans 3:9-12

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
-Romans 3:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
-Romans 6:23

Children are a gift from God. We don't receive them because we are good, but because He is good.

You Need to Know

The Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. They are like chaff, which the wind blows away.
-Psalm 1:6,4