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!)