Deo Vindice

New Blog!

2011-12-20T12:38:00.005-06:00

Hi everyone! Just wanted to let you all know that my new blog is up and running, so please come visit me there! I plan to leave this blog as it is for the time being, but all my new posts will be on the new one. God bless, Amanda.

Interesting Article...

2010-12-23T14:08:00.000-06:00

Hello, everyone!! I recently came across this article that I found interesting (couldn't have anything to do with my training to be a Doula!), and thought I would share it! :)

It is the story of a woman who had a natural home birth following THREE cesarean births!!

Read the full story here.

Hello! I wanted to let everyone know that I haven't dropped off the face of the earth. But we have moved into a new rental house!! I would ask for continued prayers on my family's behalf, and I hope to have a longer post soon!

2010-09-28T06:27:00.002-05:00

Biblical Economics!

2010-08-30T18:23:00.000-05:00

Earlier this year, I read Biblical Economics by R.C. Sproul, Jr. as part of the Great Authors Webinar, and thoroughly enjoyed it! I wanted to share it with you, as things are getting worse and worse in America. So click on the banner below and find out more about this wonderful book!

Elsie Dinsmore

2010-08-22T21:35:00.000-05:00

After having several people ask me about the Elsie Dinsmore Series, I decided to post a link so that you can find out more about them.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this series (I've read through book 16), and learned many character lessons from them! I would also highly recommend these on audio books. I have listened to the first book, read by Mr. Bill Potter, and I know the sweet lady who has done books four through seven.

Preparing for Marriage Set

2010-08-22T21:20:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share this excellent deal from Vision Forum with you all! This set contains some of my favorite resoures, such as messages from Doug Phillips, Voddie Baucham, and Anna and Elizabeth Botkin. So go check out the Preparing our Son and Daughters for Marriage Set!

July's Best Books!

2010-08-22T21:14:00.000-05:00

Hello, everyone! I can't believe it's been *gasp* three weeks since I blogged!!! Life is flying by so fast, it is unbelievable! :)

Anyway, I wanted to share with you all the best books I read in July, and they were really good!

The first was Conquer Your Fear, Share Your Faith by Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron. What a reminder of the importance of sharing the Gospel with those I come into contact everyday. I was very convicted of my unbiblical beliefs about salvation and evangelism, and challenged to reevaluate my terminology and views concerning these subjects.

Another wonderful book I read in July was Bringing Them Home, which I picked up at the Baby Conference. It was a novel about a family that begins home educating, and it was so encouraging! What a blessing it is to begin seeing novels about home educating families, like this one and Glory, Duty, and the Gold Dome!

God bless, and I hope you are all doing well!

Last Day to Save!

2010-07-31T05:00:00.002-05:00

I wanted to remind you all that today is the last day to save using the Vision Forum unlimited coupon, so it's a great time to stock up on gifts for friends and family!

A Free Coupon!

2010-07-30T21:19:00.000-05:00

I love it when I get a coupon! That's why I'm so happy to share with all of you that Vision Forum has an unlimited coupon of $25 off your order of $75 or more! Just enter the code NOLIMIT25 when you check out, and you will automatically recieve the discount. Happy Shopping!

Click here to begin browsing the Vision Forum store.

Wanted

2010-07-29T15:37:00.000-05:00

Recently, we showed some friends the short Western film, Wanted, and wanted to share it with all of you again!

Wanted from Conquest Productions on Vimeo.

Be sure to let me know what you think, and I'll be sure to pass it onto the creators!

Segregation

2010-07-29T15:32:00.000-05:00

Peter Bradrick and the LeClerc Brothers are working on a film for the NCFIC, called Segregation. I would highly recommend you watching this clip!

Segregation from Leclerc Brothers Motion Pictures on Vimeo.

Ace Wonder

2010-07-11T21:56:00.000-05:00

John Moore, creator of The Widow's Might and Heartstrings, is working on another film! Find out more here.

Homeschool Dropouts

2010-07-11T09:24:00.002-05:00

If you haven't seen this documentary yet, you should!

Homeschool Dropouts Trailer from Western Conservatory on Vimeo.

Thank you to Michelle Duggar

2010-07-10T21:29:00.000-05:00

Thank You Michelle Duggar from Douglas Phillips on Vimeo.

Statistics on the Baby Conference Attendees!

2010-07-10T00:23:00.000-05:00

The votes are in!

We had a wonderful time last night doing a bit of polling at the Baby Conference here in San Antonio. And the questions all had to do with babies and the Baby Conference! :)

43% of the people at the Baby Conference traveled up to 1,499 miles to get here

28% of the people at the BC are first generation Christians

56% of the people at the BC married between the ages of 18-23

34% of the people at the BC have had at least one home birth

50% of the people at the BC have between 3-6 children

44% of the people at the BC have had 1 or 2 miscarriages

90% of the people at the BC believe that abortion is wrong in all circumstances

91% of the people at the BC are currently home educating their children

94% of the people at the BC desire as many children as the Lord will give them

66% of the people at the BC have used birth control at some point in their marriage, but no longer use it

83% of people at the BC have not adopted

37% of people at the BC have a desire to adopt, plus 15% are seriously considering adoption

Notes from a Symposium on Biomedical Ethics for Birth

2010-07-10T00:10:00.000-05:00

This afternoon there was a symposium held on Biomedical Ethics for Birth, with a panel of Doug Phillips, Geoff Botkin, Dr. Ed Payne, and Dan Becker. The Symposium was subtitled, The Brave New World Your Children are Inheriting.

This symposium posed some very though-provoking questions- Is In Vitro Fertilization right or wrong? Is IVF consistent with the right use of medicine? Does man have the right to determine 'quality of life'? What are some of the critical issues that Christians are facing?

I really appreciated Mr. Doug's sentiment, "Science is not the author of life. Doctors are not the authors of life. God is the Author of life!"

Dan Becker, of the Georgia Right to Life, asked, "By what standard?" Think about it. Where do we get our ideas and worldview when it comes to birth, life, and babies? Do we get our viewpoint straight from the Word of God? Or have we been so influenced by our surrounding culture that we view these things the same way it does?

Mr. Becker gave a startling statistic during the panel discussion: "90% of Down's Syndrome children are being aborted today." Shocking, isn't it?

Interestingly, the panel fell on two sides of the debate over IVF. Dan Becker represented the view that IVF is not inherently wrong, and, in fact, looks upon surrogacy and embryonic adoption as "a form of rescue" for these children.

Mr. Phillips, however, articulated the position that,

1.- There is such a thing as medical adultery, and we need to begin using this terminology.

2.- Any attempt to introduce elements from other people outside of the marriage is wrong, perhaps even sinful.

He went on, "I think we should take a stand against surrogacy. Period... I am an emphatic no-surrogacy man. It's clearly unnatural."

Mr. Phillips clearly propounded the position that while we should be concerned about the murder of children, embryonic adoption is not a way to rectify the situation. Thus, "it is better to be obedient than to disobey and 'save life'."

And as he said in closing, "It's either right or wrong."

We must defend life, especially that of the unborn.

We must draw a line in the sand, and stand firm in the face of opposition.

God Bless!

An Interview with Michelle Duggar

2010-07-09T23:45:00.000-05:00

One of the messages I attended today was an interview of Michelle Duggar by Beall Phillips. It was an amazing time that gave an intimate look at the Duggar family!

One of my favorite parts of the discussion was when Beall and Michelle were discussing family size and allowing God to control the womb. My two favorite quotes, one from each of them, are as follows-

"It's not the number of children, it's the heart."

Michelle Duggar

"It's your heart attitude before the Lord that matters."

Beall Phillips

What a reminder that God cares about the state of our hearts in any issue, whether that be submitting to our Daddy, or allowing God to decide the number of children we have (or will have)!

Naming Babies

2010-07-09T23:21:00.001-05:00

This morning, Doug Phillips gave a wonderful message on how to give your children (or future children) epistemologically self-conscious names!

He gave advice to pick names that reflect-

1.- A Vision for the Kingdom of God

2.- A Vision to inspire the recipient of the name

3.- A Vision to disciple the recipient through his name

4.- The meaning and context the parents ascribe to the name

5.- The fact that great generations give great names to their children

He went on to give five common approaches to naming babies-

1.- Virtue Names (such as Faith, Remember, Ebeneezer)

2.- Biblical Honor (such as Joshua, Mary, Adam)

3.- Historical Names (such as George Washington, Patrick Henry)

4.- Generational Honor (names that honor family members)

Mr. Doug pointed out that five of the Alamo defenders were named George Washington, and six of the Alamo defenders were named George, most likely after George Washington. Isn't that amazing?!

As Mr. Doug said, "Names are a huge deal!"

The Wonders of Embryology

2010-07-09T06:22:00.000-05:00

Last night, Mr. Geoff Botkin gave a wonderful message on The Wonders of Embryology, in which he showed photos similar to the one below.

Doug Phillips on The Triumph of Life over the Culture of Death

2010-07-08T23:31:00.002-05:00

1.- Faith trumps fear

2.- Hope trumps heat

3.- Legacy trumps lies

4.- Life trumps death

Doug Phillips on How to Change the World

2010-07-08T23:30:00.000-05:00

"You can change the world by loving life. You are the future. You are the blessing. You are the culture of life... We must be a generation of life-givers."

Choose Life!

2010-07-08T23:26:00.000-05:00

Doug Phillips gave a charge to all of us at the end of his lecture:

"Choose Blessings. Choose Life. Choose Life and Multiply!"

The Presuppositions and Ethical Guidelines for the Baby Conference

2010-07-08T23:18:00.000-05:00

1.- Sufficiency of Scripture

2.- Humility before God

3.- The Fear of the Lord

4.- The Creation Order and Design

5.- The Dominion Mandae

6.- Sovereignty and Sanctity

7.- The Unity of Marriage

8.- The Right use of Medicine

9.- Children are a Blessing
"We apply for curses and reject blessings"

10.- Obedience is the Highest Priority
"It is not life at all costs, it is life according to God's Program."

The Baby Conference has begun!

2010-07-08T23:07:00.001-05:00

The Baby Conference has begun! The purpose of the Baby Conference is to rally people to the cry- "We recognize that babies are not a burden, babies are a blessing!" as Adam McManus puts it.

Mr. Doug Phillips began the evening with his lecture, The Long War Against Babies.

"All across America, by the millions, Christians abort children throught abortifacients such as the Pill," Doug Phillips said. "One in five women never have any children, up from one in ten in the nineties."

He went on to say that it has been guessed that somewhere in the neighborhood of 70,000,000 infants have died because of abortifacients.

Mr. Doug raised questions such as,

How badly should married couples desire children?

Who is responsible for the opening and closing of the womb?

How many million children have died in the wombs of unwitting Christian parents?

The Baby Conference Begins Tonight!

2010-07-08T15:40:00.000-05:00

Three Things to Remember

2010-07-08T10:41:00.000-05:00

Three things that I walked away from the Texas Faith and Freedom Tour with was:

1.-We must recognize God's Providence, for it is God who governs the affairs of men.

2.- We should honor our father's sacrifices, in accordance with the Word of God in Deuteronomy 32:7.

3.- Persevere! The next generation depends upon us- we are the ones who will be leaving the legacy to the next generation.

10 Lessons from the Texas Faith and Freedom Tour

2010-07-08T10:32:00.000-05:00

As we closed the tour yesterday, Wesley Strackbein gave us 10 Lessons that we should learn from the tours. They were:

1.-The Spaniards could conquer, but not colonize, because they failed to value the family.

2.-Do not underestimate the power of a multi-generational vision.

3.- Men follow Courage.

4.- When there is a battle to fight, we must draw lines in the sand.

5.-Men must act like men, and defend women and children.

6.- Great men of history study great men of history.

7.- Do not remove the ancient landmarks.

8.- No man knows his time.

9.- Know your history, but don't just know your history, live in the fear of God.

10.- Freedom is not free.

Today's Little Girls...

2010-07-08T05:54:00.002-05:00

Are Tomorrow's Mothers!

Even Sweeter!

2010-07-07T22:54:00.000-05:00

Even sweeter than ice cream is the joy of the mother and daughter relationship!

A Sweet Ending to the Texas Faith and Freedom Tour

2010-07-07T22:46:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful ending to the Texas Faith and Freedom Tour- we stopped at a Blue Bell Ice Cream Shop in Fredricksburg, Texas!! Even better, Doug Phillips and filmmaker and actor, John Moore, got in on the action-- serving people in the ice cream shop!

"May I take your order?"

Dishing it up

Huzzah for ice cream!

This is good!

Mission Accomplished, my friend!

The Final Day of the Texas Faith and Freedom Tour

2010-07-07T21:48:00.001-05:00

Well, the Texas Faith and Freedom Tour 2010 has come to a conclusion. Too soon! It has been an amazing few days, and my love for Texas has become even stronger! :) (If you haven't told already- I love Texas!)

We loaded back onto the buses a little after 8:00 am this morning, and headed out for the hour and a half drive to Fredricksburg, Texas. Our first stop there was to the Pioneer Museum.

A Sunday House

We then went to the Admiral Nimitz Museum, which we toured with WWII veteran, Bill Brown.

Bill Brown

Scott and Bill Brown

Doug Phillips and Bill Potter

A few of the Tour Participants

The tours were wonderful, and I was so blessed by the inspiring tales I heard from Bill Potter, Doug Phillips, Bill Brown, and the main tour guide, Wesley Strackbein!

Virtuous Daughters

2010-07-07T00:50:00.001-05:00

Virtuous daughters are distinguished by their dress and speech, as well as the way they carry themselves. May we all strive to be virtuous daughters!

Jubilee Phillips reading to Providence and another young man

Jubilee Phillips and Mercy Morecraft

Texas Faith and Freedom Tour: Day Two

2010-07-07T00:49:00.003-05:00

Day Two of the Texas Faith and Freedom Tour has concluded... already! Time is going by far too fast! I wanted to share with you all some of the photos I got today. Our day began by boarding a bus at 8:00 am, and heading for Austin, the Capital.

Our first stop was to the Texas State History Museum, where this HUGE star was.

Daddy and Myself

Daddy, Mamma, and Myself

Taken by Bill Potter

From there we traveled to the Capital Grounds, where we had lunch, fellowshipped, and enjoyed the friendly squirrels and birds. (They really enjoyed our chips!)

After lunch, Wesley Strackbein and Bill Potter spoke to us about various topics, including Bill Potter sharing the story of Robert Louis Dabney.

We then toured the Texas State Capital

And finally, we visited some memorials surrounding the Capital, and the Texas State Cemetery before loading up and heading back to the Menger Hotel. While we were at the Texas State Cemetery, we saw this gravestone- a distant relative perhaps?! :)

A monument to the author of Old Yeller and Savage Sam

After we arrived back at the Menger Hotel, some dear friends of ours from here in San Antonio, Diana and Regina Hawley, picked us up for dinner. We met some other friends, Matt and Emily Deamer at a Mexican restaurant, and they had a surprise for us! Our friend Micah Pogue, from back home, had flown in early today! It was so nice to see the Hawleys and Deamers again after six months, and we all had a wonderful time of fellowship, filled with much laughter! :)

Emily and Matt Deamer

Back row: Daddy, Micah, Diana Hawley, Matt Deamer

Front row: Mamma, me, Regina, Emily Deamer

In Memory of Roy Rogers

2010-07-06T05:00:00.021-05:00

Twelve years ago today, Roy Rogers, "King of the Cowboys" (1911-1998) died. One of my personal heroes, I would encourage all of you to read this biography of him.

Roy Rogers and Gabby Hayes

Roy Rogers and Pat Brady

Roy and Dale

Happy Trails!

Pictures from the Texas Faith and Freedom Tour

2010-07-05T23:10:00.001-05:00

Remember the Alamo!

The first day of the Texas Faith and Freedom Tour is over! It's so hard to believe- the day went by so fast.

It all started in the Menger Hotel's Lobby

Bill Potter and Myself

Then we went to the Moses Austin Memorial

Where Wesley Strackbein and Doug Phillips spoke on the lives of Moses and Stephen Austin, and gave some details on the original layout of San Antonio.

Then we walked to the Benjamin Rush Milam Monument, where Wesley Strackbein and Bill Potter spoke.

Mamma and Daddy

We then ate lunch- with Bill Potter! Following Lunch we went to the Alamo, where Doug Phillips, Bill Potter, and Wesley Strackbein shared the history of this amazing "holy ground" of Texas.

Good night, and God bless!

June's Best Books

2010-07-05T07:16:00.000-05:00

June is over, and July is here! So, here are the best books I read last month- The Moving Feast by Allan Nation, and God Has A Wonderful Plan for Your Life: The Myth of the Modern Message by Ray Comfort.

The first I mentioned, The Moving Feast, is the story of how our culture in South Mississippi (where I live right now, and have for all my life) has been impacted over the centuries, predominantly by the American Indians, Scots, Irish, and Africans. It was very interesting, as over the years I've wondered why we eat and do certain things, like frying everything! :) Not a perfect book, yet very informative!

Ray Comfort's book, The Myth of the Modern Message was amazing! It caused me to reconsider much of my worldview and mindset, particularly where evangelism and Salvation are concerned. I would highly recommend it to everyone!! Easy to read (it was only 124 pages), it shared a little bit of similarity with Already Gone, Ken Ham's book, yet he used the statistics in a different way- to show that our evangelism is not only failing, its harmful! Even better, the book was FREE!!

Have a wonderful day, and God Bless!

Texas Faith and Freedom Tours Begin Today!!

2010-07-05T06:24:00.000-05:00

Do You Love Children?

2010-07-05T06:14:00.000-05:00

Jasmine Turner

Do you love children? Do you really love children?

Our culture is one that is unequivocally anti-children. American homes, have, for the most part, been stripped of all semblance of family, and turned into a meeting place for individuals who happen to be biologically related to one another.

James Turner, Rayah Pogue, and Jasmine Turner

Our culture hates biblical patriarchy. Our culture hates biblical womanhood and motherhood. Our culture hates courageous, visionary boyhood, and it hates sturdy, feminine daughterhood. But even more, it hates babies.

James Turner and Thomas Schepian

And I am firmly convinced that the reason our culture so viciously hates babies is 1) because children are distinctly called gifts from God in Holy Scripture, and 2) because we, as a culture, have rejected the biblical patterns God laid out for us in His Word.

Virginia Phillips

One of the greatest ways we can influence our culture is to whole-heartedly embrace God's roles for us as His people, especially us as daughters. For we are going to be the next generation's mothers.

Jerah Pogue

And embracing God's design for us as Christian daughters includes loving children!

Jerah and Rayah Pogue, Faith and Virginia Phillips, and other little girls at the
2010 Father and Daughter Retreat

God bless, and I hope to see you at the Baby Conference!

Happy Fourth from San Antonio!

2010-07-04T16:27:00.000-05:00

Happy Fourth of July

from San Antonio, Texas!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day celebrating the mercies of our Heavenly Father, and the many sacrifices of our heroic forefathers!

I wanted to share with everyone something I saw today in a store along the riverwalk:

Hope to see ya'll at the Baby Conference this week!

A Reversal Baby Turns One

2010-07-04T13:39:00.001-05:00

Yes, a reversal baby turns one- tomorrow!

Just over two years ago, some dear friends, Mark and Mary Herring, had a reversal, and one year ago tomorrow, their first reversal baby, Sarah Elizabeth, was born.

But that's not all! In May of this year, they found out that they're expecting once again, due in December 2010.

The Lord is so good! May we all rejoice with the Herrings that He opened their eyes to His truth about the blessing of babies, and that He has so mercifully bestowed two more marvelous blessings upon them!

“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,

The fruit of the womb is a reward.”

Psalm 127:3

“How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;

They will not be ashamed

When they speak with their enemies in the gate.”

Psalm 127:5

Happy Birthday, Sarah Elizabeth!

On True Patriotism

2010-07-04T04:00:00.003-05:00

"True patriotism is not manifested in short, frenzied bursts of emotion. It is the tranquil, steady dedication of a lifetime."

- Adlai Stevenson

Liberty At Risk

2010-07-03T18:30:00.002-05:00

See what Doug Phillips has to say about our liberties here!

Dr. Joseph Morecraft on Liberty in America

2010-07-02T18:54:00.001-05:00

Listen to what Dr. Joe Morecraft has to say about our American liberties here!

The Blessing of Children

2010-06-30T18:54:00.000-05:00

Truitt Hendeerson, Sarah Henderson, Sophie Henderson, Ethan Davis, Hannah Davis, Austin Davis, James Turner

“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord,

The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

So are the children of one's youth.

How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them...”

Psalm 127:3-5

Isn't that wonderful? God calls children gifts, rewards, blessings, and arrows all in one passage! Yet in our culture, children are looked upon as none of these.

In fact, our culture has a totally different vernacular than the Word of God when it comes to children- they're often referred to as burdens, inconveniences, and pains.

This stems from a worldview that is diametrically opposed to Biblical Christianity and its command to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28) Yet this mentality pervades even most evangelical churches!

Speaking of the way the world views debt and children, Doug Phillips says, “We apply for curses, and abort our blessings.”

Sarah and Blake Henderson

Millions of children all over the world are aborted every year. Just since Roe v. Wade in 1973, more than 50 million babies have been aborted in America alone. That averages at nearly one and a half million babies a year, and around four thousand babies killed every day.

Sickening isn't it?

Austin Davis, James Turner, Truitt Henderson, and Ethan Davis

And that number doesn't even take into account the countless “unknown” abortions caused by contraceptives, such as the Pill, which are abortifacient. Or the many children that are refused by parents who choose to “play god” and cut off their seed through tubals.

It seems that many have forgotten that babies are not fetuses- they're human beings! Precious children that the Lord Jesus created in His Own Image. Babies are not blobs. Babies are not kittens. Babies are humans, and sinful though they may be, they have eternal souls!

Rayah Pogue

So what can we do?

First, we can ask God to change our hearts. We must ask Him to help us stop looking at babies and children the world's way, and start looking at them the way He intended us to.

Sarah Elizabeth Herring

Second, we must begin to accept with open arms the wonderful blessings that the Lord sends to us, whether they come in the form of a pregnancy, reversal babies, or adopted children.

Rayah Pogue, Kourtney and Kaitlynn Thompson, and Jerah Pogue

And last of all, we should shout from the roof tops (or blog posts :p ) that children are a blessing, and praise God for the ones we have!

Why not come celebrate life at the

Baby Conference?

Children are a Blessing!

2010-06-28T21:39:00.001-05:00

I would highly recommend Nathaniel Darnell's article on The Lost Appeal of the Pill at Persevero! to everyone, as it is very timely in its observations on the Pill.

And congratulations to David and Monica Brown on their great news- "Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth." (Psalm 127:4)

Hope to see ya'll at the Baby Conference!

Baby Conference Topics Announced

2010-06-26T21:16:00.001-05:00

The lecture topics for the Baby Conference have been announced! With speakers ranging from Doug Phillips, Kevin Swanson, and Geoff Botkin to Jennie Chancey, Kim Coghlan, and more, the Baby Conference promises to be one of Vision Forum's best conferences! Some of the topics covered will be:

The Message & Mission of Christian Adoption

Naming Babies

The Glory of the Fruitful Womb

The Wonders of Embryology

Why We Must Be Ladies Against Feminism

The Hopeful Theology of Miscarriage

Hope to see ya'll there!

May's Best Books

2010-06-24T10:26:00.000-05:00

It is so hard to believe that June is almost over! It's also very exciting because that means that it is only ten days until we leave for the Baby Conference! :)

I also just realized that I hadn't posted about the books I read in May! Since we did the Great Authors Webinar, I read many of the books that those authors wrote during the month. But overall, I think the two best books I read were Killer Angel: A Short Biography of Planned Parenthood’s Founder, Margaret Sanger by George Grant, and The Philosophy of the Christian Curriculum by R.J. Rushdoony. Both of these books reflected a common theme that has been on my heart and mind these past few months as I've contemplated babies, birth, children, education, and life in general. (Perhaps this has been encouraged by my great anticipation of the Baby Conference, and also that my Mamma and I are attending a Doula Course in late July)

Not a book for young children, Killer Angel, while being very discreet, was shocking and nauseating. While I knew that Margaret Sanger was a wicked woman, as I read the book I gained a chilling realization that she was even more despicable and vile than I realized. It is easy to see how she was one of the most dangerous people in history, falling in the ranks of Hitler.

The Philosophy of the Christian Curriculum was a wonderful book, as well. It caused me to stop and consider some of my own ideas about education, and curriculum in particular. I would not recommend this book to the new home educator, simply because of Rushdoony's stance on home education. However, I would highly recommend it as a very useful tool, when read with caution, and most of all, a Biblical view of education, as according to Deuteronomy 6:7.

Something that was once again thrust before my view as I read these books, was that ideas have consequences, and also that culture is religion externalized.

The way we look at education impacts our view of curriculum, and our methods of teaching our children. In the same way, the way we look at babies and children impacts our view of family, church, and state.

Margaret Sanger's view of children (and, in some cases, entire people groups) as a burden, inconvenience, etc. gave us the Pill, abortion, and euthanasia. We must embrace a Biblical view of life, babies, children, and family if we will reform our culture! And for that reason, I would greatly encourage you to attend Vision Forum's major 2010 event- The Baby Conference: A Historic Summit on the Triumph of Life over the Culture of Death.

I hope to see some of you there!

Why Read Elsie Dinsmore?

2010-06-14T18:24:00.001-05:00

Why read the Elsie Dinsmore books??

Girls Discuss Martha Finley's Literary Classics: The Elsie Dinsmore Library from Douglas Phillips on Vimeo.

Meet my animals...

2010-06-14T13:51:00.003-05:00

I thought ya'll might like to see all of my critters:

Angel, my Shih Tzu

Annie

Lindsay

Wallace

(like William Wallace)

Bruce

(like Robert the Bruce)

Joy, a Jersey

Elsie, a Jersey

(like Elsie Dinsmore)

Vision

(Elsie's calf)

Have a blessed day, everyone!

A Giveaway...

2010-06-14T08:21:00.000-05:00

Hello, everyone!

I wanted to let ya'll know about a giveaway over at Raising Homemakers! They are giving away a set of three wonderful items that I have thoroughly enjoyed over the years- So Much More, Strength and Dignity for Daughters, and What our Father Taught us About Boys! So go register here before it ends!

Teddy Roosevelt on Education

2010-06-07T18:23:00.002-05:00

"To educate a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society."

Quote from Teddy Roosevelt...

2010-06-02T18:21:00.001-05:00

"It is better to be faithful than famous."

Patrick Cleburne on the War

2010-05-31T08:00:00.004-05:00

"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!

Rich Christiano's New Film

2010-05-30T19:16:00.000-05:00

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

2010-05-30T18:21:00.000-05:00

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

Update

2010-05-30T18:13:00.000-05:00

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!

I'm Back!

2010-05-19T22:07:00.000-05:00

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 College, So Much More, and The Return of the Daughters.

April's Best Books

2010-05-05T19:09:00.000-05:00

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!

2010-05-05T18:54:00.001-05:00

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!

Poem from Rudyard Kipling...

2010-05-02T06:30:00.001-05:00

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!

Last Day to Save!

2010-04-30T12:00:00.001-05:00

Just a quick reminder that today is the last day to save on Vision Forum's sale! This a great time to stock up on some of Vision Forum's best products, like the R.M. Ballantyne books, John Calvin's Commentaries, or the Moody Science DVD Collection-- all of which are on sale!

Kathleen Norris on Home

2010-04-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

"Home ought to be our clearinghouse, the place from which we go forth lessoned and disciplined and ready for life."

- Kathleen Norris, author of Mother

Now Available: The 2010 European Online Tour!

2010-04-29T06:52:00.000-05:00

I'm excited to tell you all that Vision Forum now has available the 2010 European Online Tour & MP3 collection! If you, like my family, simply couldn't afford to go to Europe this year, why not do this? If you are interested, find out more here.

"To stay at Home is Best"

2010-04-29T06:31:00.000-05:00

"Stay, stay at home, my heart, and rest;
Homekeeping hearts are happiest,
For hose that wander they know not where
Are full of trouble and full of care;
To stay at home is best."

-Longfellow

More Reccommendations

2010-04-29T06:30:00.000-05:00

I thought I would share some more of my "favorite" products from Vision Forum:

Another of my favorite books is Glory, Duty, and the Gold Dome, just published last fall by VF. It is a wonderful story about a home-educated young boy who works alongside his father in the defense of life and liberty. I read it in one night! (It is that good!!)

Also, I'm sure that most of you have listened to Jonathan Park before, but if you haven't, they are really good! I have been an avid fan of the audio series for many years now, and when I took Biology, I would tell my Mamma, "Oh, I knew such-and-such, because it was on Jonathan Park!"

As far as films go, VF sells many films that my parents and I have enjoyed, like The Widow's Might (produced by Christian, Independent, Home-educating filmmakers),The Return of the Daughters, and Homeschool Dropouts. However, probably The Mysterious Islands would be my favorite, though. If you haven't seen it, the film chronicles the journey of a 16 year old young man (Joshua Phillips) to the Galapagos Islands with his father and other Christian men,like Dr. John Morris who show that Darwin was wrong, and that the islands are not a "labratory for evolution", but rather a "showcase for creation". It is REALLY good! :)

A few Reccommendations...

2010-04-28T12:32:00.000-05:00

Hello, everyone! I thought since I told you about the Vision Forum sale, it would be a good time to reccommend some of the VF products that I have so thoroughly enjoyed in the past, and still love. So here goes...

Probably one of the best (and easiest) books I've ever read is John Calvin: Man of the Millenium. An old book that has been edited and expanded by Vision Forum, it was published last year in honor of the Great Reformer's 500th Birthday.

Recently my parents and I have been going through the Reformers and Revolutionaries dvd series and it is very good!! I really enjoyed the dvd on John Knox- "Spare No Arrows".

Continuing on the reformers, last December my parents and I were blessed to be able to attend the 2009 Sufficiency of Scripture Conference by the NCFIC (National Center for Family Integrated Churches) in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was amazing! The cds and dvds from the conference are available at Vision Forum, both individually and as a set, and they are definitely worth the price... it was an amazing conference. I particularly enjoyed Dr. Joe Morecraft's talks (I attended them all), but everything I heard that week was inspiring, encouraging, convicting.

Courage

2010-04-28T11:52:00.001-05:00

"Courage inspires courage. Lack of courage inspires timidity."

-Doug Phillips

Save on Vision Forum Now through April 30!

2010-04-27T14:53:00.001-05:00

As many of you know, the Lord has greatly used Vision Forum to impact my life, and change my heart in many areas. In fact, if it were not for the influence of Mr. Doug Phillips and many VF products, such as this, my blog would not exist, and if it did, it would look very different!!!

That is why I am so excited to let all of you know that Vision Forum is having a wonderful sale now through April 30, where you get a $50 gift certificate for every $95 you spend! To see some of my recommended products, click here, here, here, here, here, and here!

And, don't even think of mentioning that I'm slightly addicted to Vision Forum products! :)

God Bless, and happy shopping!

God's Will...

2010-04-27T14:10:00.000-05:00

As last night marked the end of Mrs. Victoria Botkin's Monday Evening Webinars, I wanted to share with all of you what I consider to be one of the best statements she made over the course of her nine-week webinar:

"God's Will is more important than your will."

Over the past nine weeks, I have been encouraged, as well as convicted, and have learned so much! This webinar was timely for me, and helped me get my priorities straightened out, because it is so easy for me to sidetracked, or shortsighted, and lose sight of a true, godly Vision for my life. Even worse, it's so easy for me to slip back into the old paths of disrespect towards authorities, and an independant, feministic attitude! Thankfully, our God is a gracious and merciful God, who is always there to guide our steps, and send people into our life (whether our moms, godly women in our church, or people like Mrs. Victoria Botkin) to encourage us, and set examples for us!

My Favorite Hymn

2010-04-25T19:52:00.000-05:00

Okay, I wanted to start this post with a question:

What's your Favorite Hymn?

If you are anything like me, that can be a tough question! There are so many hymns that contain wonderful doctrinal truths, and personally, I just like hymns!

But there is one hymn I love more than all the rest. It speaks so well the words in my heart. And it is...

Be Thou My Vision

In case some of you've never heard the hymn before, it's an Ancient Irish hymn, with a beautiful Irish tune, and here are the words-

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart-
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art;
Thou my best thought, by day or by night-
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word-
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son-
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise-
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart-
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's Sun!
Heart of mine own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

So, what's your favorite hymn?

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty!

2010-04-22T20:49:00.002-05:00

I've been thinking alot lately on the words of this hymn, by Joachim Neander, and wanted to share the words with all of you.

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation!
O my soul praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear,
Now to His temle draw near;
Join me in glad adoration!

Praise to the Lord, who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen
How thy desires e'er have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?

Praise to the Lord, who with marvelous wisdom hath made thee!
Decked thee with health, and with loving hand guided and stayed thee;
How oft in grief
Hath He not brought thee relief,
Spreading His wings for to shade thee!

Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life, and breath, come now with praises before Him!
Let the Amen
Sound from His people again:
Gladly for aye we adore Him.

Modesty and Christians

2010-04-21T15:22:00.000-05:00

I know that modesty is a difficult issue in modern Christian churches (as a whole- there are some exceptions). Recently, I read a couple of excellent articles on modesty and Christians, and wanted to share them with ya'll. Read them here and here and here.

If you are interested, some other resources I would highly reccomend can be found here and here.

May we all become modest daughters, who reflect the beauty of our Heavenly Father!

Joyfully at Home's Giveaway!

2010-04-21T15:07:00.001-05:00

Jasmine Baucham, over at Joyfully at Home, is hosting a giveaway on a full set of What He Must Be Conference DVDs! Click here to register for the giveaway, and let her know I sent you!

I'm still here...

2010-04-20T20:37:00.000-05:00

Most of you have probably figured out by now that I'm not a consistent blogger!! :) So, I thought I'd just tell you all what I've been doing lately.

We've been doing the Evenings with Victoria Botkin webinar, which has been very good, and we just started the Great Authors Webinar, as well. (see banner above)

But I've also been doing alot of reading. ALOT! Recently I've been reading things as varied as J.C. Ryle, Nutrition books, with a little bit of John Calvin, Louisa May Alcott, and (smile) Driver's Ed thrown in, too!

I've also been busy researching different doctrines of the church. I have learned so much, but I think the most rewarding thing has been discussing different Confessions, Scriptures, and viewpoints with my parents, particularly my Daddy.

I thought I'd share with everyone my family's "Hymn of the Month", too-- Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing by Robert Robinson.

Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tounges above;
Praise the mount- I'm fixed upon it-
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Here I raise mine Ebenezer-
Hither by Thy help I'm come;
And I hope by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wand'ring from the fold of God;
He to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wand'ring heart to Thee:
Prone to wander- Lord, I feel it-
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart- O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Isn't that a great hymn? It is so convicting when I read that section of the last verse where it says, "Prone to wander- Lord, I feel it- Prone to leave the God I love". What a great reminder that I must daily give my heart to both my fathers- Heavenly and earthly!

Oh, and by the way, I passed the Driver's Permit exam! :D

Definitions are Important

2010-04-16T06:43:00.000-05:00

"He who defines, wins. He who defines the language, defines the culture."

Doug Phillips

Why Poetry Matters

2010-04-16T06:21:00.002-05:00

Last night we gathered with some friends to listen to the first of the Great Authors Webinar Series. This first webinar was given by Mr. Doug Phillips, and was entitled, Why Poetry Matters, and was an overview of both his book, Poems for Patriarchs, and Poetry as a whole.

Something Mr. Doug pointed out that I had never thought of before, was that “Poets, as artists, are motivators of culture. A great poet carries a lot of weight, not only because of the words of the poem, bu because they are theological in nature. Poetry is designed to be theological in nature. It is a form of communication of the poets’ religious beliefs.”
He went on to say, "The absence of manly poetry trivializes manhood." And daughters, when the manhood of our fathers is trivialized, the family is compromised.

This has a trickle effect-- and we daughters don't escape!

Mr. Phillips pointed out some characteristics of Good Poetry:
... it inspires manly bravery.
...it points us to God.
... it inspires a love of our nation.
...it can inspire the godly love for women.

Poetry always inspires a love of something.

Mr. Phillips even went into some of the foundational elements of poetry:
-Theme
-Theology
-Lines & Stanzas
-Rhyme Scheme
-Meter
-Illiteration
-Exaggeration
-Similes
-Metaphors
-Idioms
-Symbolism
-Mood
-Tone

God Bless!

Ah, the Life's Giveaway!

2010-04-10T18:13:00.000-05:00

Ah, the Life! is having a giveaway on the Great Authors Webinar, and I wanted to let all of you know about it! To register for the giveaway, click here, and let them know I sent you!

Click here to find out more about the Great Authors Webinar.

The Baby Conference!

2010-04-09T18:41:00.000-05:00

My parents and I are looking forward with great anticipation to Vision Forum's July 2010 Baby Conference in San Antonio, TX, and I wanted to let all of you know about it!

Click here to find out more!

Quote on Daughterhood

2010-04-09T18:34:00.003-05:00

"Love your daughterhood. Rejoice in it!"

Doug Phillips

Biblical Daughterhood

2010-04-09T18:16:00.001-05:00

One of the messages Mr. Doug Phillips gave at the 2010 Father and Daughter Retreat was A 21st Century Vision of Biblical Daughterhood. This message really made me stop and think about the sad shape our families and churches are in (and that's why our country's in the shape it is in!)

First, Mr. Phillips pointed out that we are the first generation...

... to have MORE mothers in the workforce than in the home.
... to have professing Christians choose not to have children if it is "inconvenient".
... to have conservative Preachers who are advocates of androgyny in Church leadership.
... to see the presumption of Christian parents to prepare daughters for singleness.
... to have Marriage now validated for "Adam & Steve", not 'Adam & Eve'.

What is truly sad is that "our culture is a reflection of the things we love", because "culture is religion externalized". And, unfortunately, because "fish don't know they're wet", we often have humanistic and feministic mentalities, that we didn't even know we had.

"How can we rebuild the Church of God with rebellious families? We must first experience family reformation."

Mr. Phillips then went on to cast a Vision for daughters, by stating that "the Picture of Biblical Daughterhood has never changed"

... we have.

He exhorted us to have a Vision...

... for rebuilding the culture of the Christian family.
... for the expansion of the ministry of our father's house.
... for reinforcing the infrastructure of the local church, so we can be free from slavery.
... for defending the culture of life in the midst of a culture of death.
... for modeling the virtues of femininity and womanhood in a culture of androgyny.
... for perpetuating a multi-generational vision of faithfulness.
... for learning and communicating God's Providential history so the Kingdom work of God will be known and perpetuated.

He also gave the 7 Biblical Missions of the Christian Home:

-Worship
-Industry
-Education
-Evangelism
-Hospitality
-Culture
-Care

God Bless!

True Heroes

2010-04-08T14:55:00.000-05:00

"How desperately we need true heroes! The influence of example can hardly be overestimated."

Joshua Harris

About a Giveaway!

2010-04-03T00:01:00.001-05:00

I wanted to let everyone know about a giveaway over at Content in Christ for a purse and half apron... So skip over there now and enter for the giveaway! God Bless!

March's Best Books

2010-04-02T12:59:00.000-05:00

It's so hard to believe that March is over! It seems like I was just posting about the best books I read in February... time sure does fly!

I don't know how many of you are fans of L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables Series,or have seen the film, but the Best Fiction book I read this past month was Chronicles of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery. (It was a first edition copy, too!)

And I've been having a hard time trying to decide the Best Non-Fiction book I read in March. I finally got it narrowed down to two books, and so I'll just tell you about both. They were The Sermons of Robert Murray M'Cheyne (All those quotes didn't give me away did they?!) and Leading Little Ones to God by Marian M. Schoolland.

I had never heard of R.M. M'Cheyne before I read the book of some of his sermons, but he was a truly amazing and inspiring man! Although he was only 29 when he died, he had great insight and wisdom into the Word of God.

The other book was, as the subtitle called it, was "A Child's Book of Bible Teachings". It explained in simple language some basic points of Christianity (such as salvation, baptism, etc.), without being "dumbed-down".

Have any of you read any of these books? If so, what were your thoughts on them? Anyway, I'd love to hear about what ya'll have been reading!

Be a Visionary!

2010-03-29T14:05:00.000-05:00

"We have big dreams and big aspirations, but we have a big God... Think big. Think beyond yourself."

-Doug Phillips

What it Means to Have a Father

2010-03-29T14:02:00.001-05:00

I am back from the Vision Forum Father and Daughter Retreat! It was a wonderful weekend, and I wanted to share with everyone a little bit of what I heard over the next few days.

I'd like to start by sharing with you some notes from one of Mr. Doug Phillips' messages, What it Means to Have a Father: The Glory and Privilege of Daughterhood.

The first thing he said that was very thought-provoking was that, "If you do not know what it means to be a daughter, or do not embrace your earthly father, you will not embrace your Heavenly Father." He went on, "Your father is a gift from God, and the way you react to Him is the true test of daughterhood." Unfortunately, I don't always react (or interact) very well with my Daddy.

Mr. Phillips listed 10 things you have when you have a father. They were:

-A Model to Point you to God.
Mr. Phillips pointed out that "the way you look at your father is the way you look at God. Daughters who do not have a father do not know how to relate to God."

-A Provider to Give to You.

-A Protector to Care for You.

-A Priest to Disciple You.

-An Intercessor for your soul.

-An Example of Manhood. He said, "Girls today are looking in all the wrong places for love. They are very confused."

-An Instructor to Teach You. This one was very convicting! He said, "If you do not listen to Your father's instruction, you despise your Heavenly Father."

-A Comforter to Show you Proper Affections.

-A Friend to Rejoice with You.

-A Shepherd to Lead You.

He spoke on the importance of Fathers, and even on what God says about fathers, for instance, in 2 Corinthians 6:18, "I will be a Father to You, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." Mr. Phillips pointed out that "the Father-Daughter Relationship is so vitally important, even multi-generationally, that God says when all else is crushed in life- He will be there as a Father for you."

He asked all of us young ladies- "Do you realize how blessed you are to have a Father?" And I don't think any of us really do. Think about this:

More than 350,000 children in Haiti no longer have Fathers.

Mr. Phillips really got me thinking when he said, "Children must have Fathers! Fathers bring order and provision, so when you have no father, you have devestation... Be a daughter. And be thankful for being a daughter."

May we all become grateful daughters, and have a blessed day!

R.M. M'Cheyne on the Believer's Life

2010-03-24T14:24:00.004-05:00

I thought this was a wonderful, thought-provoking passage from the pen of R.M. M'Cheyne:

"A Believer is to be known not only by his peace and joy, but by his warfare and distress. His peace is peculiar: it flows from Christ; it is heavenly, it is holy peace. His warfare is peculiar: it is deep-seated, agonising, and ceases not until death...Coming to Christ takes away your fear of the law; but it is the Holy Spirit coming into your heart that makes you love the law. The Holy Spirit is no longer frightened away from your heart; He comes and softens it; He takes out the stony heart and puts in a heart of flesh; and there He writes the holy, holy, holy law of God... the law of God is sweet to that soul... Oh that all the world but knew that holiness and happiness are one! Oh that all the world were one holy family, joyfully coming under the pure rules of the gospel! Try yourselves by this. Can you say, "I delight", etc? Do you remember when you hated the law of God? Do you love it now? Do you long for the time when you shall live fully under it- holy as God is holy, pure as Christ is pure?"

Robert Murray M'Cheyne

Good Friends...

2010-03-22T16:38:00.003-05:00

Good friends know enough about you to be dangerous, but love you enough to not tell anyone what they know.

Unknown

Praise God

2010-03-22T16:09:00.002-05:00

"Believers should praise God for what He is in Himself. Those that have never seen the Lord cannot praise Him. Those who have not come to Christ have never seen the King in His beauty. An unconverted man sees no loveliness in God. He sees a beauty in the blue sky- in the glorious sun- in the green earth- in the sparkling stars- in the lily of the field; but he sees no beauty in God. He has not seen Him, neither known Him; therefore there is no melody of praise in that heart. When a sinner is brought to Christ, he is brought to the Father. Jesus gave Himself for us, "that He might bring us to God." Oh! What a sight breaks in upon the soul- the infinite, eternal, unchangeable God...Oh! Praise Him then for what He is. Praise Him for His pure, lovely holiness...Praise Him for His infinite wisdom that He knows the end from the beginning. In Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Praise Him for His power- that all matter, all mind, is in His Hand."

Robert Murray M'Cheyne

As I read this, it made me think, "Do I praise God 'for what He is'?" Too often, I don't. It's easy to praise God for the beauty He has created in the world around us, but it's not always so easy to praise God simply 'for what He is'. To be truthful, I don't usually give much consideration to God's holiness or wisdom. But I should. I really like what Michael Billings had to say about this-

"Did you notice that the seraphim don't just say that God is 'Holy'? Nor are they content to say that God is 'Holy, Holy.' But the heavenly song that celebrates the character of God declares that He is 'Holy, Holy, Holy'- the superlative degree. Nowhere else in Scripture is any other attribute elevated to the third degree. The Bible does not say that GOd is 'Love, Love, Love'; or 'Mercy, Mercy, Mercy'; or 'Justice, Justice, Justice'; but that He is 'Holy, Holy, Holy'. This is a dimension of God that consumes His very essence."

WOW!

Today's Quote

2010-03-22T15:45:00.003-05:00

Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom, Lead Thou me on!

The night is dark, and I am far from home, Lead Thou me on!

Keep thou my feet! I do not ask to see the distant scene- one step's enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that Thou shouldst lead me on; I loved to choose and see my path; but now, Lead Thou me on!

I loved the garish day, and spite of fears, pride ruled my will: remember not past years!

So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still will lead me on,

O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till the night is gone,

And with the morn those angel faces smile will lead me on.

John Henry Newman
(1801-1890)

Quote from Kathleen Norris

2010-03-19T12:22:00.002-05:00

"Peace- that was the other name for home."

Kathleen Norris, author of Mother-Buy it here

Notes from "All About the Proverbs 31 Woman"

2010-03-19T11:43:00.003-05:00

I know that it's Friday already, but I wanted to share with everyone some of my notes from Mrs. Victoria Botkin's Monday Evening Webinars.

I'd like to start out with a definition Mrs. Botkin gave- "Sin: Disobeying God’s instructions to us". I don't know about the rest of you, but I sometimes think, "Oh, I don't sin too much...I'm not nearly as bad as (fill in the blank)." I was so convicted about my sinful tendency to think far better of myself than I ought to. It's like what Robert Murray M'Cheyne said, "God is a sovereign God. Do not cry to Him to convert you, as if it were a debt He owed you. There is only one thing you can claim from God as a right, and that is a place in hell. If you think you have any claim on God, you are deceiving yourself.” Ouch!

I know many of us can get caught up in the question of "What defines Biblical Femininity?" and I thought Mrs. Botkin's answer was excellent: "Biblical femininity is about women helping their husbands." (And I would add that it is also about daughters helping their fathers.)

She also encouraged wives to be frugal, as that was a way of helping their husbands. As a young lady who hopes to be married someday, this was something I hadn't thought about before! But it's true. When we as daughters are not frugal, it places a burden on our fathers that we can help lift when we are frugal. This was so interesting to me, that I looked up the definition of "frugal"- characterized by thriftiness and avoidance of waste . Even more than this, though, Mrs. Botkin pointed out that when we are not frugal, we are being discontent. Here's what she said- "When we are not content with when God has provided, we are finding fault with God- even despising Him." Ouch again!

God Bless, and have a great day!

Monday Evenings

2010-03-15T13:22:00.003-05:00

I don't know how many of you have been doing Mrs. Victoria Botkin's Monday evening webinars, but if you aren't already, it's not to late! They have been a tremendous blessing to me already, and I am eagerly looking forward to the next six weeks, and re-listening to them after that!

To register or find out more, click here.

Quote from R.M. M'Cheyne

2010-03-15T12:57:00.006-05:00

"Every one of you have your work to do for Christ where you are… The smallest twinkling star is as much a servant of God as the mid-day sun. Only live for Christ where you are.”

-Robert Murray M'Cheyne

Quote taken from Sermons of Robert Murray M'Cheyne, a book I read recently. A great reminder to be content right where I am, and to joyfully serve Christ the way He's called me to! :)

The Father & Daughter Retreat

2010-03-13T13:03:00.005-06:00

The Lord has used the Vision Forum Father & Daughter Retreat (and Vision Forum as a whole) to draw me closer to Himself and my Daddy over the past five years, and I am looking forward with great anticipation to attending our fourth retreat in two weeks! I was just curious, are any of you going to be attending? If you are, I would love to meet you there! Even if you are going to be unable to attend this year's retreat, if you have been there before, please leave me a comment and tell me a little bit about how the Lord used it in your life. It would be a great encouragement to me, and others as well. :)

If you've never heard about Vision Forum's Father & Daughter Retreat, click here.

Today's Quote

2010-03-13T13:00:00.000-06:00

"Earn all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can."

John Wesley

What is Prudence?

2010-03-13T12:01:00.003-06:00

Last summer a friend encouraged me to read through the Book of Proverbs and take note of characteristics that were repeatedly praised, and to study these characteristics. So after reading through Proverbs, I decided on a characteristic that I really didn't know anything about: Prudence. If you had asked me six months ago what prudence was, I would have guessed that it was synonymous with wisdom. But it's not!

In Webster's 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language, Prudence is defined as, “Wisdom applied to practice.” And "prudent" is defined as "cautious; circumspect; wise; careful; foreseeing; frugal; intelligent." One verse used by Webster to define this word is Proverbs 19:14- “A prudent wife is from the Lord.”

This intrigued me, since one of the things I desire most is to someday be a wife and mother! So I began to read through Proverbs once more to find out what the Scriptures had to say about prudence. Below are some of the verses in Proverbs that speak of prudence:

“The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.”
Proverbs 18:15

“Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.”
Proverbs 17:28

“When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is prudent.”
Proverbs 10:19

“A fool’s anger is known at once, but a prudent man conceals dishonor.”
Proverbs12:16

“Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool displays folly.”
Proverbs 13:16

“A prudent sees evil and hides himself, but the naïve proceed and pay the penalty.”
Proverbs 27:12

What aspects of our person is associated with prudence?
1. The Mind
2. The Lips
3. The Eyes

Did you realize that control of these three aspects of our persons are the ones most contested for by our Lord Jesus Christ and his arch nemesis, Satan? The Scriptures continually address the great pains we should take to control these “organs” for Christ’s Glory.

“We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”
2 Corinthians 10:5

“If anyone thinks himself to be religious,and yet does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart,this man’s religion is worthless.”
James 1:26

“If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and cast it from you, for it is far better for you to lose one of the parts of your body,than for your whole body to go into hell.”
Matthew 5:29

While the Book of Proverbs speaks mainly in the “neutral” term of ‘men’, it does specify wife in this instance. It is essential that a wife (or future wife) be prudent! Let’s look one more time at the characteristics of the prudent, and apply it specifically to a wife’s role.

First of all, it says that “The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge, and …seeks knowledge.” This implies that the prudent are consciously seeking out knowledge. This doesn’t mean that you just lackadaisically “drift” into knowledge-- it means just exactly what it says!!! But why would this be of importance to a godly wife? God does not call us to an idle, blind faith. Rather, we as daughters of the King of Kings, are to “search out a matter.” We are to be careful though; it is not God’s desire or design for us to puff our selves up with knowledge only. God desires women who truly seek after Him and gladly share all they know with others, not women who simply fill their brains with facts that they lord over others! But which do we practice most often in our own lives?(I know I do the latter far more often than the first) Think of it this way, “What is a wife and mother’s role?” A help-meet and teacher! If we are too proud to share our knowledge with others, we will be unable to, Lord willing,someday help our future husbands raise our children in the fear and admonition of our Creator and Savior God.

Second, we must have our priorities and authorities right. If we are consumed with getting a perfect score on the ACT, or becoming the world’s ‘best’ whatever, God is not pleased with the condition of our heart. For it says in Proverbs 1:7- “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…” We can not succeed if we don’t fear Christ. For if we don’t know and fear Christ, our hearts are in no condition to learn. And guess what? No matter how how widely respected Charles Darwin may be, according to Scripture, he is a fool, simpleton, and scoffer! “How long, O naïve ones, will you love being simple-minded? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing, and fools hate knowledge?” (Proverbs 1:22) What a lesson we should learn! Our authorities should be our God-given ones (our father or husband), and our priorities should be to forward their God-given Vision. That is why it is so important to take “every thought captive”.

Thirdly, in Proverbs 5:2 it says, “That you may observe discretion and your lips may reserve knowledge.” Did you realize that Scripture says that “the power of life and death are in the tongue”? What a powerful statement! It’s no wonder then that both Proverbs 31 and Titus 2 speak of how the godly woman uses her tongue! “She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.” “Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips, nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the younger women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.” This little body part called the mouth must be really important! Have you ever seen the influence a woman wields over her father or husband, simply with her tongue? That old rhyme, ‘Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me’ is simply not true. Words, both written and spoken, are powerful. That perhaps, is why the psalmist asked the Lord to “place a guard over my mouth”. We can either encourage, or discourage; respect, or disparage; bless, or curse; build up, or tear down the authority figures in our life-- simply by the way we speak to or of them! Isn’t that unsettling?

Also, did you realize that one of the characteristics of the 'strange woman' or adulteress that Proverbs notes the most is her speech? That is amazing! We will be known by the way we speak, because our speech is a form of identification, either with the godly, or ungodly.

Today's Quote

2010-03-11T09:38:00.002-06:00

"Next to faith, this is the highest art: to be content in the calling in which God has placed you."

Martin Luther

More Notes...

2010-03-11T09:30:00.003-06:00

Earlier this week I shared with you some things I learned from Mrs. Victoria Botkin’s first webinar session, All About Eve, and I wanted to share with you some things I learned from her second session, All About Sarah: Biblical Submission and how Godly Women Do It.

One of the first things Mrs. Botkin addressed was the question, “Is there such a thing as virtuous Christian feminism?” She pointed out that “we are all feminists at heart. Clear back to Eve. It’s just the way we are.” But feminism is a clearly ungodly mindset for women. She quoted Colossians 3:19- “Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” (This is applicable for the Father-Daughter Relationship, as well)

Mrs. Botkin gave two tips for practicing submission: 1) Taking every thought captive, and 2) Hoping in God to do His Will. My Mamma has said before that it is much easier to develop submission before marriage than after. Mrs. Botkin indicated this as well in the following quote:

“Get on board with your husband’s vision right at the beginning. This is really at the heart of submission…you submit your will and your vision to the will and vision of your husband.”

To be able to someday “get on board” with my future husband’s vision at the beginning of my marriage, I need to practice now, by submitting myself to my Daddy, and furthering his vision, rather than my own. The thing that really pricked my heart while I was listening, though, was this- “God’s will is more important than your will.” (Doesn’t that hurt!?!) Too often, I feel as though I must defend my will, rather than submitting to my God-given authority’s (aka, my daddy) will. When I do that, I sacrifice God’s Will, in an effort to get my way!

A Great Quote

2010-03-09T17:40:00.001-06:00

"The greatness of man's power is the measure of his surrender."

William Booth

Evenings with Victoria Botkin

2010-03-09T16:31:00.005-06:00

My Mamma and I are doing the Evenings with Victoria Botkin webinar with a dear friend every Monday, and I wanted to share with everyone some notes I took from her first session, All About Eve.

The first thing that stood out to me was that, "Wives (and daughters) are helpers, and by created nature must help men, and will help their husbands (or fathers) for good or bad." Mrs. Botkin also pointed out that Eve's temptation in the Garden of Eden was to be autonomous... the thing we as daughters usually struggle the most with!

She also stated that "Women are subordinate to men, but no less influential." In fact, she went on, "Women have great influence over their husbands and sons." Why else would so many great men speak so highly of their mothers? Benjamin West even went so far as to say once that, "A kiss from my mother made me a painter."

I don't know about the rest of you, but I struggle alot with the attitude of "I really know better than you do" towards my God-given authorities. Mrs. Botkin had a wonderful perspective on this attitude--

"If a wife (or in our case, daughters) is truly more spiritual than her husband (or in our case, our father), she will be submissive and respectful to him, in faith that she's doing what's right and that God will take care of the rest."