Lessons Learned From Years of Homeschooling

The Irony of It All

2009-11-07T22:23:00.002-05:00

...[I]f anything like HR 3200 were to become law, ... “Many people who aborted their babies, years ago, will find themselves being pressured to die before their natural time.”

Ironic, isn’t it, that if the approximately fifty million babies aborted in America since Roe v. Wade had been allowed to live, millions of them now would be working and generating wealth in a country supposedly concerned with becoming unable to pay for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and health care?

(This is an excerpt from Are the “Death Panels” for Real? by Lee Duigon)

Doug Wilson Talks About His Film Collision

2009-11-07T02:28:00.004-05:00

The documentary COLLISION pits leading atheist, political journalist and author Christopher Hitchens (God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything) against fellow author and evangelical theologian Pastor Douglas Wilson on a debate tour arguing the topic “Is Religion Good For The World?”. Lives and worldviews collide as Hitchens and Wilson wittily and passionately argue the timeless question, proving to be perfectly matched intellectual, philosophical, and cinematic rivals.

“(Christianity) is a wicked cult, and it’s high time we left it behind.” - CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS
"There are two tenets of atheism. One, there is no God. Two, I hate him." - PASTOR DOUGLAS WILSON

"Collision" available from American Vision

Cry Babies

2009-11-02T10:34:00.002-05:00

When making the case that abortion is murder, many faithful believers know all the appropriate verses to quote from the Scriptures. They correctly quote Psalm 127:3 “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” Yet, in day-to-day life, they are less likely to practically embrace the fifth verse of the psalm, “Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them…” You see, part of a full quiver is young “arrows” that are noisy, smelly, and often a handful. Not all “pro-lifers” are as “pro” the life of children when a sermon, a plane ride, or a wait in a bank line involve little ones who show in public that they are fallen sinners.

This was made very clear recently as I discussed with fellow Christians a news headline. The mother of a two year old was escorted off a flight from Texas to San Jose, CA because the child was “unruly” and “wouldn’t calm down.” My fellow Christians immediately told me about “the flights from hell” that they had been on and if the child referenced in the story was anything like the one on their flight, he should have been ejected.

Well, I have a story from the other end of the nightmare, as a mom who was travelling with a 16-month-old daughter who did not understand why she was not allowed to walk up and down the aisles of a plane flying from California to New York. I am sure many on my flight were annoyed at the constant, high-pitched scream that resounded through most of the flight. I am sure many had their derisive impressions of that mother who could not control her child. No one but my husband and seven-year-old son (who found another seat on the other side of the plane) knew that I had gone to our pediatrician and requested a prescription that would make my daughter calm on the flight. You see, I did prepare for what I thought was likely to happen. The problem was that the medicine didn’t work–not one little bit.

I remember all too vividly how the flight attendant screamed across the big 747, “Please, do something with that child.” I am certain that more people opted for the in-flight movie that day just to silence the noise. I did get a respite during the movie when she fell asleep for about fifty minutes. Unfortunately, it came just when they delivered my food and I couldn’t reach it because I was afraid moving might wake her up! By the time we got to New York, I felt like I needed the Red Cross!

If I had been in a position to administer corporal punishment, the situation would have been somewhat relieved, but even back then (1986) parents had to be on guard when spanking a child. The very people who are philosophically against spanking are the same who find children annoying and bothersome. To many, I suppose I was “guilty” of one of three things: travelling with a child, failing to keep her from disturbing them, or having had her in the first place! I am sorry to report that since my experience, our culture has only gotten more intolerant of children.

The woman in the news report was categorized as “a stay-at-home mom.” I am not sure why that was an important detail, except to indicate that this child might be better off in daycare, or, possibly, to prove the feminist point that a woman without a “career” is incompetent and stupid. In any case, my gripe is with fellow believers who are ready and eager to proclaim the sanctity of life while embracing much of the world’s negative views about young children.

How quickly we forget. We all started out as children!

Not Eating Everything You are Served

2009-10-16T13:58:00.003-04:00

By the time homeschooled or Christian schooled graduates attend college they have a long history of being trained to respect and honor authority. This is how it should be because the fifth commandment begins with the concept of submitting to the rule and directives of one’s parents and extends out to all legitimate authority ordained by God. As the Westminster Shorter Catechism makes clear, one honors God by honoring those He places in authority over us, which begins with parents and extends to those in authority in the various spheres of life. By implication, all people are to be treated with honor, whether positionally they are our superiors, inferiors, or equals.

When young people venture into the secular settings of higher education, all too often those in authority have achieved their position because they subscribe to the “religious” tenets of the institution. Godless worldviews and philosophies rule the day, and the tenured professors are those who adhere faithfully to the doctrines of a humanistic worldview. It is standard operating procedure for students to be barraged with humanistic, materialistic secularism in classes ranging from English composition to biology to language. How do we help Christian students facing these assaults?

First, by answering some questions:

1. Are they attending the institution with a specific goal in mind, or are they just killing time?
2. Are they really prepared for what lies ahead?
3. What subjects will they be learning about for the first time?
4. Are they willing to spend the time it takes to verify the truth of what they are learning?

The first question is a very necessary one. Without a specific purpose, attending college can be a huge waste of time and financial resources as the student struggles to find his calling. It may be more beneficial for the young person to spend time doing volunteer work, going on a short-term mission trip, apprenticing in a field of interest, or getting a job. The decision to attend college can always be postponed to a future date when the student has a goal in mind.

The second question is meant to identify whether or not the young person truly knows what occurs on a college campus. In addition to the intellectual assaults, there are moral assaults that come from the hedonistic lifestyle of non-Christians. Christian worldview conferences like the yearly West Coast Christian Worldview Conference are designed to prepare students for what lies ahead. If travelling to one of these conferences is prohibitive financially, lectures are often available on CD in mp3 format.

Third, how does one know that the information he is being taught is true? For example, without a prior knowledge of Biblical economics, a student may not be able to see through the fallacies of Marxist economic theory. Without a Biblical understanding of history or mathematics, a student will not be able to recognize the lies being taught and false teachings can easily erode the solid Biblical foundations laid in earlier schooling.

The fourth question will prove to be the most unpopular. With all the work involved in carrying a full credit load, there is little time to check what a professor teaches against the more reliable teaching of Christian scholars. Moreover, if a student does this and brings the Christian perspective into class, the reaction of his classmates and professors can be very harsh. So, does the student blindly accept what he is being taught or take the time to counter the instructor and perhaps, double the time it will take him to get through school, if he is even permitted to graduate with such unpopular views.

With these issues in consideration, it is easy to understand why Christian students need to find mentors and develop a support group to check with regularly and discuss what is being taught in their classes and the temptations and moral assaults they face on a daily basis. Without this assistance, it can be difficult to recognize whether they are being converted to another way of thinking.

There may come a time when the content of a particular class becomes intolerable for a variety of reasons. The teacher may be antagonistic to opposing views. The teacher may be a Christian basher and refuse to allow Christian perspective or analysis to be introduced. I know of a recent case where the class discussion contained offensive sexual jokes and class discussions originated by the teacher, all under the banner of becoming an “effective” communicator. In truth, it was just an excuse to be crass. In cases like this, it is appropriate to drop the class and have nothing to do with such deeds of darkness. At times, this may mean dropping a class that is required for graduation. Ultimately, principle must govern rather than pragmatism. If Christians are to be salt and light wherever they go, physically remaining in degraded situations may serve to significantly dim that light.

The Lord often calls us to what we consider to be less than ideal circumstances. That is why it is necessary to stay connected to His Word and listen to the Spirit’s leading. It is also important for young people not to buy into the lie that once graduated from high school they are adults and no longer in need of direction and guidance from their parents. In God’s economy, turning eighteen or finishing twelve years of schooling does not remove a person from honoring God and his parents. Secularists count on young people responding to the lie that they should be able to stand on their own two feet, as a way to dislodge them from their belief structures and their community. Additionally, many schools require that students live in dorms for, at least, their first year. Why would they do that? Because it is a good way to debase students. Exposing and subjecting them to immorality is a way to break them down so that they are more open and susceptible to other wicked teachings.

In the end, those who have been trained to respect authority must be discerning when it comes to how they obey God in these kinds of circumstances. The key is in obeying authority that honors God. No one has any obligation to obey God-less authority or accept a bill of goods from subversives bent on denying the truth of God’s Word. Unlike when they were children, they do not need to eat everything they are served!

Getting the Question Right

2009-10-13T18:02:00.000-04:00

Brothers Who Undermine

2009-10-06T12:11:00.001-04:00

Today while driving, I heard a Christian talk show host and his guest, a local pastor, discuss the “negatives” of homeschooling. Both noted that at one point they had homeschooled their children. In so many words, they indicated that failing to place children in the public schools demonstrated an isolationist mentality that was antithetical to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The pastor made the outrageous statement, “My Master would have put His kids in public school.” He supported this statement by indicating that Jesus was against the Pharisees and their false piety. His solution was for families to learn how to deal in the “real world” by going to church, Sunday school, Wednesday evening service, and many other “church” events that would arm parents so they could prepare their children for the missionary work of spreading the gospel in the public schools.

It cannot be stated too often or too strongly that the “real world” is the world where Jesus Christ is Lord over every area of life and thought. Any other world is the world of myth, falsehoods, and deception. What naiveté to assume that Christian children can learn any academic subject honestly and correctly if the Word of God is not the foundation and starting point, let alone act as missionaries. What arrogance to claim that Jesus would want children in the hands of God-haters in their formative years.

With friends like this, who needs enemies!

Collaboration

2009-09-25T12:17:00.002-04:00

There are many important milestones in parents’ lives with their children. It starts when the couple discovers that the wife is pregnant and continues with the birth of the child. There are the noteworthy events of the first smile, the first word, the first step, and many others including a first car and a first job. Some firsts are easier on the father than on the mother, and vice versa. What is universal is the tension that arises when the parents view their children as youngsters, when they are young men and young women.

This was driven home to me three years ago when my “baby” was fourteen years old. From the outside she was anything but a baby, since she measured at least 5’9” in stature. Nonetheless, she was still my youngest, my “baby.” Then, my son and daughter-in-law presented us with a “for real” baby in the person of my grandson. Witnessing my daughter hold her nephew for the first time changed my image of her radically.

Older children often feel as though their parents “baby” them. They recognize that they still have much to learn, but they wish they could alter the perception their parents have of them.

An effective way to bridge this transition is for parents and children to get involved in a collaborative effort. By taking on a joint project, they learn to see each other as associates rather than parent and child. Having the opportunity to see each other work under the pressure of deadlines, deal with unexpected outcomes, or share success, make each recognize the others’ strengths and weaknesses. Each learns how to be gracious with each other as their relationship matures.

Currently my daughter and I are working on a graduation project because she will complete high school next spring. This project has taken planning and vision. We have had to work together to schedule, determine production costs, select materials etc. In the process, I have discovered that many of her ideas and skills are superior to mine. She has found out that her mother has talents and abilities that she does not. We make a good team.

Long after our children establish themselves with their own families and callings, these kinds of activities allow for a smooth transition into the adult-to-adult relationship that many children desire with their parents. For me, one of the best “payoffs” to homeschooling is having children I can go to to help me think through personal problems and concerns because I have established a mature relationship with them, and know the foundations on which they were raised.

That Slippery Slope You've Heard About

2009-09-14T10:49:00.001-04:00

A young mother watched her baby son die in her arms after doctors refused to help because he was born two days too soon and therefore ‘just a foetus’.

Sarah Capewell gave birth to Jayden after 21 weeks and five days of pregnancy.

But doctors refused her desperate pleas to place him in intensive care because medical guidelines state that under 22 weeks a baby is a foetus and does not qualify for intensive care treatment. (more)

From Hearers to Doers: The Alpha and Omega of Faith

2009-09-07T12:02:00.001-04:00

The book of Ecclesiastes ends with a straightforward directive,

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Eccl. 12:13–14

This statement presupposes that God’s law-word is the rule for all areas of life and thought, and calls us to obedience to it as a duty. Anyone who takes this admonition seriously will naturally need and want to know, how do we go from being hearers of the Word to being doers of the Word? Read the rest of this article...

Mistakes, Blunders, Oversights, and Errors

2009-09-03T18:32:00.001-04:00

Homeschooling moms need to run a tight ship. If a woman is going to succeed in the varied roles she fulfills (wife, mom, teacher, chauffer, medical liaison, social coordinator, etc.) she needs to have control of her domain. It is not unrealistic or unreasonable to expect everyone to do his or her job and conform to a schedule that allows all priorities and expectations to be met. But…

There is a danger in being regimental. It can lead to overlooking the reality that people (especially husbands and children) have flaws, and that mistakes, blunders, oversights, and errors can and will happen. In short, as homeschooling moms rise on the efficiency meter, it is possible, and likely, that they fall on the mercy meter.

Nothing remedies this tendency like personal, humbling experiences that reveal to us that we, too, fall short of God’s glory and need to rethink our harsh grading of those we teach and with whom we live. Yesterday, I had such an experience, the details of which don’t mean much to anyone but me. Suffice it to say, when we go through the “valley of humiliation,” we see how good our God truly is, and how we would be nothing without Him.

Excellence, efficiency, competence, and diligence are vital components to serving the Kingdom of God. Similarly, mercy, patience, understanding, compassion, and longsuffering are the God-ordained means by which we become more like His Son.

What Homeschooled and Christian School Children Are Missing

2009-09-02T21:45:00.001-04:00

Priorities

2009-08-31T19:29:00.001-04:00

As the new school year begins, it is tempting for home educators to rely too much on lesson plans, curriculum, and music lessons, sports, and other extra curricula activities. It is easy to forget that the strength of home education lies in the one-on-one interaction between a parent and child. Schedules and deadlines are a necessary aspect of good organization, but should never take the place of the necessary life lessons that spring up on a daily (if not hourly) basis.

As someone who has been there and back for twenty-seven seasons, I assure you that running on automatic can have negative consequences for teacher and student alike. Parents need to be flexible with their plans and curriculum because problems can arise if one is not willing to change course and amend it as needed. Sticking with something that is not working just because you began with it is counterproductive. Besides, being inflexible can cause you to miss teaching moments. That is why I counsel new homeschool teachers not to fall in love with their own plans – be prepared to alter and adjust them as circumstances change. In addition, it is a great idea to find someone who has travelled the road before to act as a sounding board for problems or issues that arise.

Learning should generate excitement and enthusiasm. If it does not, try to find out what the problem is. Do not assume that “all kids hate school” and that “you just have to tough it out.” That produces burnout and frustration. After all, the goal of a Christian education is not primarily a diploma, college entry, or even a good job. The goal is an individual trained in making the Kingdom of God a number one priority and providing the knowledge and understanding that will make the student an effective servant in that Kingdom.

I am ready, willing, and able to assist as you have need. Email me at lessons.learned@yahoo.com.

Is Statist Medicine a Good Idea?

2009-08-13T11:19:00.003-04:00

As homeschooling parents/teachers, we need to supply our children/students with good, sound arguments in defense of liberty.

The following is excerpted from the essay "Statist Medicine" written in the 1980s by R.J. Rushdoony, who saw all-too-well the rise and effects of the statism in our time.

"There is no reason to suppose that a socialized and federalized medicine will be any more benevolent than the Internal Revenue Service. The I.R.S., after all, was created with at least equal idealistic motives. Anyone who can think of the I.R.S. as the people's friend today does indeed have mental problems! Socialized medicine will be no better than the I.R.S., and potentially far worse. Any and everything which puts us into contact with a powerful state and its bureaucracy is dangerous, and socialized medicine will place us in a very close relationship to the power-state: at pregnancy and childbirth, in ill health and accidents, for a variety of required medical examinations and much more. Also, as euthanasia becomes an accepted practice like abortion, the more the state knows about you, the less safe you are."*

*The complete essay is found in the book Roots of Reconstruction.

Back to School Time

2009-08-12T23:34:00.003-04:00

Thought I would share an email I received from one of the homeschooling moms I mentor who is going through a guided study with me of Rushdoony's Institutes of Biblical Law:

I am enjoying the learning so much. This study combined with some other reading and great ipod sermons is really helping me get a grasp on things I never understood before. I wouldn't even know where to begin, but it is so amazing that once you start understanding Scripture as God intended it to be, everything just starts to click.

In fact today I was reading a parable to the kids. I gave them an explanation of what it meant (an explanation that has come out of all my recent learning) and when I finished my 8 year old son looked at me and said, "Mom, what you just said made a lot of sense."

I am just so thankful that the Lord is helping me to transmit this to my kids. Thanks for all you do. I look forward to digging into this next section.

Visit www.ctti.org to get more information about the Chalcedon Teacher Training Institute.

Beware of Fast-Tracked Vaccinations!

2009-08-08T12:48:00.001-04:00

A Family Affair

2009-08-07T10:38:00.002-04:00

Mark and Twyla Anderson of Oxbow, North Dakota, were in Bedminster, New Jersey this past July watching their children Amy (17) and Nathan (18) gain public attention as the winning golfer and caddy respectively at the 61st U.S. Girls' Junior Championship.

Five years into their twenty-two-year marriage, Mark and Twyla decided to homeschool their children after witnessing the God-honoring family dynamics and communication skills of his brother’s family. Thus, Nathan and Amy, who will start their first year in college on full scholarships at the University of North Dakota, have always been homeschooled.

Winning a USGA national championship is a big deal, but Amy’s victory was even more remarkable. The golf world of 2009 is filled with junior players whose families spend thousands of dollars a year in golf association memberships, lessons, tournaments, travel, personal coaches, sports psychologists, and equipment—all to achieve national ranking in the hope of receiving college scholarships and eventually sponsorship so that their child can turn pro. The Anderson family always made it a point to live within their means. As a result, Amy hardly ever ventured out of her home state, so she had little national experience. Her two-day qualifying total earned her low-round honors, and the junior golf world was caught by surprise as she systematically advanced through six rounds of match play with the final match going 36 holes. People were scratching their heads asking, “Who is this girl?”

Mark acknowledged that the family had no idea what God had in store for them at this national championship. As they saw it, this was just another opportunity to compete and leave the results in God’s hands. As Amy continued to advance in the tournament, Mark said the passage in 1 Corinthians 1:27 about God using the foolish things of the world to confound the wise kept running through his mind. He felt that the work ethic and standard for excellence he and his wife had instilled in their children were being given a world stage.

At the time of my interview with the Andersons, they were in St. Louis, Missouri so Amy could compete in the USGA Women’s Amateur Championship. She had gained automatic entry as a result of wining the Girls’ Junior Championship. Nathan (an excellent golfer in his own right) caddied for his sister through two rounds of qualifying, but she was eliminated in her first match.

Like thousands of Christian homeschooling families around the country, the Andersons have answered God’s call to steward their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. With an entrepreneurial spirit instilled by their dad, a pursuit for excellence derived from their mom, and the camaraderie between Nathan and Amy as brother and sister and good friends, I am sure this is not the last the world has seen or heard of of them.

To God be the glory!

Using My Sniffer

2009-07-31T11:07:00.001-04:00

I have spent a good portion of the summer traveling to golf tournaments and visiting my son and his family. As much fun as traveling is, it is always nice to get back home. I leave the house in good shape, with the laundry and dishes done, cleaned and ironed clothes for my husband, and prepared meals in the refrigerator or freezer. When I return home, I get the house back in order.

Upon a recent return home, a faint, rather sickly sweet smell kept hitting me as I walked from the hallway into the kitchen. After confirming that the trash had been taken out, I cleaned out the refrigerator and even behind the refrigerator [Yuk!], and concluded that some animal had died under our house! This meant we were going to have to call someone to investigate since neither my husband nor I were about to crawl under the house. We then cleaned out the hall closet where the crawl space is located so that our investigator would have access.

As Providence would have it, right after I scheduled someone to locate the source of the smell, I walked by a basket that sits near the kitchen and in it, hidden from view, were three of the smelliest rotten potatoes I have ever encountered. An up-close nose test confirmed this was the source of the foul odor. We cancelled the appointment and I was saved the embarrassment and cost of a “skilled professional” telling me to throw out my rotten potatoes.

This experience made me consider another vital role a wife/mother plays in her household. My presence at home made it a number one priority to find the source of the smell, in part because I had to experience it for days. Likewise, a wife/mother who is looking well to the ways of her household is on the scene and able to notice the changes in behavior or attitude of family members, to investigate situations and occurrences that “smell bad” to her, and get to the root of matters more quickly than those who spend their days servicing other people’s businesses and priorities.

I am blessed that God has given me a good sense of smell so that I can detect minor nuisance odors before they turn into bigger ones. I am more grateful that God has given me His law-word, and faithful expositors like R. J. Rushdoony, to help me sniff out minor family problems and issues before they escalate into serious dilemmas.

The Many Hats of Womanhood

2009-07-28T21:48:00.004-04:00

As I reflect back on my years of raising my children as a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom, I appreciate how useful the model provided in Proverbs 31 is in outlining the various “hats” a woman wears for her household. Any serious reading of this passage of Scripture clearly demonstrates that a woman taking on the role of looking well to the ways of her household, needs to be educated, resourceful, and steeped in the law-word of God. I realize the following list is not exhaustive, but here goes:

Teacher
This is an obvious one, as mom is the first person the child has intimate contact with, starting in the womb. That is why her vocal comforts are especially soothing for the newborn, as they are the most familiar. As the child grows, the desire for mother’s attention, hug, and closeness pave the way for her to be the most effective teacher in things like language acquisition, motor skills, interpersonal relationships, and the need to submit to authority.

Coach
A coach has a different role than a teacher, though some aspects are similar. Primarily, the coach is responsible to teach participants how to play a game and succeed. A coach also acts in overseeing the players’ personal training, helps them overcome any personal obstacles, and assists them in developing a winning attitude geared toward achieving their goals. Similarly, a mom who is with her children most of the time has the ability to coach them through disputes with siblings, overcome subject matter or tasks that prove difficult, and provide useful outlets other than tantrums and fits when things don’t go their way.

Director
In the setting of a play or movie, the director is the one who is most responsible to see that the message of the script is effectively conveyed, by drawing out excellent performances from the cast. In much the same way, Mom is the one who, given the “script” of household life, works to get her “actors” into their roles so that the production (serving God and keeping His commandments) is a success.
Miner
Mining for precious metals and resources involves digging below the surface in order to uncover something of great value. The wife and mother of a family is particularly situated and suited to unearth greatness in her husband and children. As one who is intimately familiar with tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses, she is in a position to recognize a treasure of great worth, long before others may even be aware of it. Whether it is in the realm of music or art, scientific inquiry, or good communication skills, a mother is often the first to spot (if she is looking) areas of great potential.

Conductor
If you ever have enjoyed a live performance of an orchestra or symphony, you might be deceived into thinking that the conductor’s role is merely for show. Not so. The conductor is the person who transforms individual musicians into a unified body so that the intent and beauty of a piece of music is conveyed to an audience. True, most of the work is done prior to the performance, but musicians without a conductor can easily lose their way. The woman of the household acts much like a conductor as she brings together the talents, giftings, and responsibilities of all family members to produce a unified sound and movement. Just like the conductor needs to have vision for the final result and develop his musicians accordingly, a wife/mother must have vision for God’s requirement for her family and work toward that end.

Business Manager
No business or enterprise runs very well without a business manager. This is the position that ensures that bills are paid, payments collected, a good cash reserve is on hand, and the balance sheet is favorable. The stay-at-home wife/mother is particularly suited for this role, as she can stay current with everyone’s activities and requirements, knowing where to allocate resources and how to determine the essentials from the extras. Her motivation to see her household succeed develops her creativity in solving problems and preventing others from arising.

There are many other roles that could be mentioned—medical liaison, volunteer, social coordinator—but all embody the concept that the wife/mother is the person who has the God-given role and responsibility of making her family a number one priority. However, family life is not an end unto itself; it is designed by God to prepare and advance members into other spheres and institutions to further the Kingdom of God. Given that the wife/mother “covers” so many aspects of family life, maybe that is why 1 Corinthians 11 calls for her to be “covered.” Maybe this is God’s way of establishing her as an authority under authority!

Elitist Authority

2009-07-06T12:03:00.002-04:00

"Elitist authority thus rules out both God and most men. It reserves authority to humanistic intellectuals who will not allow the validity of a Biblical judgment. The Bible, setting forth God’s law-word, enables every man to assess other men, himself, institutions, and history. The Ten Commandments set forth the foundations of man’s necessary way of life towards God and man. The law of God enables every man to assess authority and to exercise authority. When the law of God is denied standing, then only the elitist judgments of elitist man can prevail. The vast majority of men are then excluded from authority and denied any valid ground for assessing authority. Totalitarianism is then only a question of time."

(excerpted from Sovereignty, by RJ Rushdoony, p.50)

"The Older Woman"*

2009-07-06T11:51:00.005-04:00

When young I was married and expecting the bliss
That was penned in novels or written in scripts
I quickly discovered that marriage demanded more
Than gifts from the wedding and being carried through the door.

My husband though a blessing from the Lord up above
Couldn’t teach me to humble myself and him freely love
For that one was needed who had walked in my shoes
A woman much older was the method
God would choose.

Her hair was a white crown, her face mapped with wrinkles
Her gait was not steady but her eyes how they twinkled
She was full of the wisdom that comes from a life
That had embraced the role of a helpmeet and wife.

At times I’d call her to complain about my man
And she’d listen and question to help me understand
That I hadn’t been called to be the person in charge
But to submit to God’s purpose
which was righteous and large.

She wounded me faithfully in my unbelief
And showed me by her actions that grace was within reach
Be discreet, chaste, and sober
Love children, love husband
Be obedient to his wishes
See that godliness ne’er diminishes
So the Word of God is not blasphemed.

The day came when this older woman went to receive her reward
Weeks before we had spoken—these were her tender words
I’m leaving you, Dear, to join my Savior in heaven
Now you be the older woman. Go help six or seven.

At first I was anxious. How could I become
Like the woman God sent to help me respond
To His call on my life a worthy woman to be?
My dear friend assured that His grace was sufficient for me.

She reminded me that I had something to teach
To the keepers at home—many within reach
Be discreet, chaste, and sober
Love children, love husband
Be obedient to his wishes
See that godliness ne’er diminishes
So the Word of God is not blasphemed.

There are numbers of younger ones expecting the bliss
That’s been penned in novels or written in scripts
They know now that marriage demands so much more
Than gifts from the wedding and to be carried through the door.

I look in the mirror and what do I see
With the same set of eyes that have always been me
But a vessel of God to be used in His story
As now, the older woman,
I help others to live to His glory.

(* copyright 2009/Andrea Schwartz)
inspired by the godly mentoring given to me by Dorothy Rushdoony

Rules of Engagement

2009-07-03T10:20:00.002-04:00

Well over a decade ago, I first encountered a recording entitled “The War,” a compilation of the preaching of Dennis Peacocke and the worship music of Ted Sandquist. The full title is “Battle Songs for the War Between Two Seeds.” I was so encouraged by the project that in addition to playing it repeatedly for my family, I shared it with a junior high/senior high co-op class I was teaching on church history.1

Rev. Peacocke points out that the people of God are simultaneously involved in a cultural war and a spiritual war. He notes that no Christian volunteered for this war, but rather was predestined to be a part of it. The question isn’t who wins the war. The Word of God makes it very clear that Christ has already won the victory. Rather, the question becomes, Are God’s people engaged in the battle or sitting on the sidelines?

Peacocke declares that this war has been engaged and there is no avoiding it. Furthermore, Christians will always have opposition from those who are the seed of the serpent when it comes to our shaping, changing, and challenging the way the world system operates. We must take Jesus at His Word, “[U]pon this rock [the testimony that Jesus is Lord] I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt.16:18). Now that’s the sort of recruitment promise that engenders confidence and resolve! [more]

Rushdoony on Christ's Kingship

2009-06-23T11:22:00.002-04:00

In contemporary church and state trials, the language of state theology is ... far-reaching in its claims. In no trial of churches, Christian schools, home schools, or parents in which I have been involved has there been any question as to the superior educational achievements and training of youth on the part of Christians. This, however, is considered usually an irrelevant issue because the main concern of the state is to maintain its claims to sovereign jurisdiction. The issue is thus a religious one: who is the Lord, Christ or Caesar? Who is the Sovereign? We are plainly told by Scripture, not that Jesus will be King and Lord, but that Jesus Christ “IS the blessed and ONLY Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Tim. 6:15). Because He is the King here and now and forever more, His law-word must govern us now and always, and all things must be reordered and remade to conform to His royal word. No sphere of life is exempt from His government, and not an atom of creation was created apart from Him or has any right to independence from Him. Christ is not lord over merely a corner of creation, nor only the church, but over all things. He is not less than God but very God of very God as well as very man of very man. There can be no justice or righteousness in man nor in society apart from Jesus Christ as Savior and King.

Moreover, no more than the Romans could lock up Jesus Christ inside a sealed tomb can the churchmen of our day confine Him to the church. If they continue to try to lock Him into the church, He will shatter the church as He did the tomb, and leave it empty as He emerges to rule the world, for He “is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Tim. 6:15).

{excerpted from Sovereignty by RJ Rushdoony}

Mama Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Crude Boys

2009-06-18T18:39:00.001-04:00

My daughter plays in a summer league that often has her on the golf course with young people her age. For the past couple of weeks, her match play event paired her with young men from other teams. Now you have to understand that she has been out on the “links” since she was very young and is familiar with how some people verbally handle their frustrations on the course. She learned from an early age that taking the Lord’s name in vain or using disgusting language is unacceptable and behavior she must not imitate. She has also been taught that when men talk in a crude and disgusting fashion in front of women, they are dishonoring them, and opening the door for worse behavior.

I wish I could explain away the behavior and disgusting speech of the young men she has played with during the past weekends by saying they came from low-income, single-parent households, or that they were products of public school education. However, in both cases, they came from well-to-do, intact families, and were students or graduates of some of “best” Catholic schools in the area. In spite of the fact that my daughter made it quite clear that she was disgusted by their behavior, they reacted as though she was a relic from a distant past.

How many young women either laugh at dirty jokes, or remain quiet in the midst of regular perversion? How many women fail to realize that when they laugh or remain in these situations, they are encouraging and silently affirming the dishonoring of God, themselves, and all women?

At first, my daughter wanted to verbally spar back at these crude young men, using sarcasm or ridicule to silence them, but she recalled our many discussions about answering a fool according to his folly and becoming just like him. As we discussed the situation further with her, my husband made it clear that in the future, she should just walk off the course – that there was no reason to continue to expose herself to abusive speech. However, my husband felt that more needed to be done and contacted those who supervised these teams to express his outrage. Although seemingly shocked by the behavior and very apologetic, there was a sense of resignation—this is how kids act these days.

One of the most important realizations my daughter and I have had was just how much we have taken for granted all these years with the Christian young men we have been around in our homeschooling circles. There is nothing like a dose of the unsanctified world to make one appreciate what a godly upbringing produces. Not all the young men she has known through golf have been crude and vulgar, but, very few are untainted from the cultural influences that glorify sexual perversion and “R” rated speech.

This serves as a reminder to parents that the most important aspect of Christian education is character formation. Reclaiming the culture for Jesus Christ will include instructing our sons to think, speak, and act in a godly respectful way toward women, and teaching our daughters to recognize the difference between those who will reap God’s blessing and those who will receive His cursing.

Learning to “Look Well”

2009-06-18T13:14:00.000-04:00

Proverbs 31 describes a worthy woman as one who “looks well to the ways of her household.” What exactly does that mean in real time? And why does the Word of God assign this task to a woman, specifically a wife and mother?

Adam was never intended to carry out the dominion mandate without a companion who would give special attention to his needs and vision, and who would be uniquely suited by God for the task. God’s creation of a helpmeet (a suitable helper) came after Adam became aware of his “unmet need.” Thus, it should not surprise us that women have giftings and talents that are separate, yet complimentary to those of men.

In day-to-day life, a woman, in fully embracing the role of wife, ensures the smooth running of the household. In addition to the obvious responsibilities of overseeing the meals, seeing that all have proper clothing, and attending the needs of the children, there is the overall management of the place called home. Whether it is furnishing the household, purchasing necessary items, overseeing the repair of broken appliances, ensuring that vendors make good on the quality assurances of products they’ve sold, guaranteeing that the family isn’t paying too much or receiving too little service with utility companies and/or service providers, the woman is the God-ordained manager who sees to it that things run smoothly. Additionally, there is the important function of being an active volunteer, staying up–to-date and in touch with family and friends, and being ready and able to provide assistance when the need arises. These are all important aspects of marriage that are often overlooked in the education of girls.

An engaged woman during in her prenuptial months should be mentored by a seasoned “veteran” who can walk her through the various aspects of the role of wife. Those raised in a homeschool setting should already be familiar with the managerial tasks of a wife, as they have had their mother as an example. In the case of those who do not have a mentor, they should call upon stay-at-home wives as potential tutors.

Women who work outside the home end up with the responsibilities I have outlined above, which only adds to the stress of their lives and unduly burdens them. Divided loyalties and work deadlines and projects stand in the way of a smooth-running household. It is just another small aspect of the sanity of God’s plan for families that men were created to act as the protectors and providers and women as the nurturers and administrators. The Creator knew what He was doing!

HSLDA Corrects Misleading Story

2009-06-16T17:19:00.002-04:00

On May 28, 2009 USA Today published a story based on a report from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which is part of the Federal Department of Education, titled “The Condition of Education 2009.” The headline of the USA Today story was “Profound shift in kind of families who are homeschooling their children.” A few days later the title was changed to “More higher-income families are homeschooling their children.”

Regrettably, among other problems with the article, USA Today made one blatant error and one very misleading claim. The blatant error is USA Today’s statement that homeschoolers are increasingly white. We do not understand how USA Today can reach this conclusion. Simply by reading the NCES report you will discover that the estimates for white homeschoolers, as a percentage of the entire homeschool population, were 75.3% in 1999, 77% in 2003 and 76.8% in 2007. The obvious conclusion is that for the years 1999–2007 white homeschoolers consistently represented just over three-quarters of the homeschool population. (More)