Monday, May 31, 2010

Patrick Cleburne on the War

"Every man should endeavor to understand the meaning of subjugation before it is too late... It means the history of this heroic struggle will be written by the enemy; that our youth will be trained by  Northern schoolteachers; will learn from Northern school books their version of the war; will be impressed by the influences of history and education to regard our gallant dead as traitors, and our maimed veterans as fit objects for derision... It is said slavery is all we are fighting for, and if we give it up we give up all. Even if this were true, which we deny, slavery is not all that our enemies are fighting for. It is merely the pretense to establish sectional superiority and a more centralized form of government, and to deprive us of our rights and liberties."

- Major General Patrick Cleburne, January 1864, writing what would happen if the South lost the War Between the States

Remember those who fought for your freedom! Happy Memorial Day!

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Rich Christiano's New Film

My family and I have enjoyed watching Rich Christiano's feature films, Timechanger, and Unidentified, and were excited when we heard he had made a new film! We recently bought and watched Rich Christiano's
 newest film, The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry. It was really good! I would encourage you all to see it- you'll be blessed!

A Great Quote from Teddy Roosevelt

" A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education."

Update

Hello, Everyone!

I just wanted to thank all of you who have been praying that we would find somewhere to move! We now have a piece of property, and are looking for a used doublewide to put on it. I would ask that you please continue to pray with us for guidance and wisdom (especially for my Daddy) as we clear a place on the property for a trailer. It's beautiful land!! I am so excited, and really enjoyed picking Huckleberries there Thursday! :)

I don't know how many of you knew it, but I tutored a young lady in math from the end of January until this past week, and it was such a rewarding experience! I've always loved math, so helping her was really enjoyable. It was definitely a growing experience, though, too- I'm not very organized,  :) so I had to learn to prepare ahead! It made me really appreciate all that work my Mamma did when I was in school!

I am also VERY excited about the upcoming Baby Conference in San Antonio, Texas! It is only a month away, but you can still register if you'd like to go. Let me know if you're planning on attending-- I'd love to see some of you there!

Before I go, I would encourage all of you young ladies to visit my friend Sierra at Feminism to Faithfulness and read her wonderful post on modesty- Candles Among Gunpowder. I am sure you will be blessed!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

I'm Back!

Yes, I'm back after two whole weeks!

We have been very busy around here, trying to find a trailer to live in (we have some land now!), and this past weekends' Homeschool Conference, as well as just everyday life! [Notice I didn't use the word 'normal' to describe "everyday life" :)]

Well, our Homeschool Conference was amazing! It was a time of wonderful fellowship with old friends, and a few new ones! The guest speaker this year was Voddie Baucham, and he gave several wonderful messages, including a couple on the effects of Feminism on the Culture and the Ministry of Marriage.

By the Way, if you haven't seen Jasmine's recent re-post of Should Young Women Go To College, it is excellent! :) I, for one, can relate to much of what she discusses, as I used to want to be a doctor, against my parent's will. (Up until just a couple of years ago!)

Thankfully, the Lord turned my heart towards home and my father, and set me in a different path! As I look around me at some young ladies I know who went down the college path, I am struck by the grace of our Savior, that I am not in the same places they are, yielding the same fruit!

As some of you know, the commitment to go counter-cultural in the area of "higher education" can be extremely difficult, and it can be a very lonely path, because most young women are more willing to sacrifice God's design for them, rather than face opposition from the world.

For those of you who are on the same path as myself, I know how difficult it can be when it seems that the barrage of questions will never end! But, dear sisters, these questions serve to grow us in His Grace... so every time someone asks you, "So, where are you going to college?" , "Aren't you wasting your brain?" or "But what if (your husband dies, your father dies, etc.)?" take heart, and know you're not the only one answering those questions, and that God is building character in us!

And, after all, it is kind of funny to see how people react when I answer the question, "What are you going to do with your life?" with "Well, I'd really like to be a wife and home-educating mother someday!"

For those of you who would like to learn more about the question, "Should young women go to College?" I would recommend Making Wise Decisions About CollegeSo Much More, and The Return of the Daughters.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

April's Best Books

First of all, I have to admit that I didn't read a single fiction book last month! Out of all the books I read last month, though, I think the best was a book I recieved for my birthday from some friends, Politics of Guilt and Pity by R.J. Rushdoony. While it took me a while to read this book, it was definitely worth it! While I do not agree with everything he writes (he was a fallen, sinful man just like you and me), I believe he had one of the best perspectives on Christianity in culture and dominion. I would highly recommend this book! One of my favorite quotes from the book is one I've heard Mr. Doug Phillips say for years: "Culture is religion externalized."

However, another book you all might enjoy was Preparing for Marriage: The Premarital advice of John Calvin, which was edited by Mr. Scott Brown.

See this New Western Film!



I wanted to let all of you know about a brand new Western film short, Wanted! I just saw it Sunday for the first time, and I thought it was really good. Watch the film here, and let me know what you think about it once you watch it!

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Poem from Rudyard Kipling...

I've really enjoyed several of Rudyard Kipling's poems, and I wanted to share this one with you, that I just heard recently on the Great Authors Webinar. It's called The Gods of the Copybook Headings.

As I pass through my incarnations in every age and race,
I make my proper prostrations to the Gods of the Market-Place.
Peering through reverent fingers I watch them flourish and fall,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings, I notice, outlast them all.

We were living in trees when they met us. They showed us each in turn
That Water would certainly wet us, as Fire would certainly burn:
But we found them lacking in Uplift, Vision, and Breadth of Mind,
So we left them to teach the Gorillas while we followed the March of Mankind.

We moved as the Spirit listed. They never altered their pace,
Being neither cloud nor wind-borne like the Gods of the Market-Place;
But they always caught up with our progress, and presently word would come
That a tribe had been wiped off its icefield, or the lights had gone out in Rome.

With the Hopes that our World is built on they were utterly out of touch.
They denied that the Moon was Stilton; they denied she was even Dutch.
They denied that Wishes were horses; they denied that a Pig had Wings.
So we worshipped the Gods of the Market Who promised these beautiful things.

When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.
They swore if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.
But when we disarmed they sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "Stick to the Devil you know."

On the first Feminian Sandstones we were promised the Fuller Life
(Which started by loving our neighbor and ended by loving his wife)
Till our women had no more children and the men lost reason and faith,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said:"The Wages of Sin is Death".

In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all,
By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul;
But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "If you don't work you die."

Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew,
And the hearts of the meanest were humbled and began to believe it was true
That All is not Gold that Glitters, and Two and Two make Four-
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings limped up to explain it once more.

As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man-
There are only four things certain since Social Progress began:-
That the Dog returns to his Vomit and Sow returns to her Mire,
And the burnt Fool's bandaged finger goes wobbling back to the Fire;

And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins
When all men are paid for existing, and no man must pay for his sins,
As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will bun,
The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!



Isn't that good?! Have a blessed day!