I can"t argue with that.

Last year about this time as we were talking, my Zeke, (age 7 at the time) said matter of factly.

"Daddy, everything you know, compared to what Jesus knows, you hardly know anything."

This is verbatem what he said because I asked him again then wrote it down, and I laughed at first because he said it in that special way kids will tell you the truth. Right after he said that, he went right on talking about what the previous topic was, like it never happened. Later that day as I was thinking about what Zeke said, I began to be convicted that whatever I believe, or know, or think I know, I always need to run it through Scripture to see what it looks in the true Light.
Very humbling, the words of a child.




jamiev

Mmm---Mmm----Good!

Kids can be spiritually discerned much younger than many might think.

My wife was listening to James Dobson on the radio and he was speaking of how we must as Christian parents teach our children by example on how to live as Christians. This is something we have felt of the utmost importance since the beginning of our time as parents. We both came to The Lord later in adulthood, and know life without God in the center, and it is not pretty. Thankfully our children do not know life without God in the house. Amen!

If the children are not taught they should pray, are not taught the word of God, and to live as He would have us live in his beautiful but fallen world, the world will gladly teach them all it knows..... The little one in the pictures below is Hadie, she is going on 19 months old. She is being taught by mom and dad, but also her big brother and sister. She is learning by example, when we sit down at the table to eat, she is the first to fold her hands to pray and soon as I finish and say" in Jesus name", she is the first to say "Amen". As a family we pray alot, and many times on our knees, Hadie is right down there with us, her little head buried in her hands. This morning at breakfast as we were eating, and Amy was cooking and sat down as the rest of us were about done. Amy folded her hands and bowed her head and began to pray silently, big brother and sister were talking to each other and Hadie saw momma praying, and began to make shooshing sounds at her siblings. "Shoosh---Shoosh", she said at each of them, I watched her and she kept looking at each one to make sure they kept quiet.---( This is all true and I am not exaggerating)

When Amy was done, Hadie gave her, "Amen!" and started clapping. I think young children that are under the "age of accountability" are possibly very near The Lord and more Spiritually discerned, than we might realize, and they naturally take to prayer. Teaching by example forms a foundation that they can, and will build on throughout their lives. Their little souls want to be led by the Holy Spirit, and a firm base to build on will be immeasurably helpful as the years go by. We try very hard to provide this foundation.

Kids are still kids, as the pictures show, after Hadie prayed and shooshed the big kids, she went on to put the bowl of steel cut oats on her head which she thought was great!,..........but she does have a soul that wants to praise and pray to our Creator......it just needs a little encouragement to do so.... just as I do sometimes.

jamiev

Steel cut oats-----Very nutritious type of oatmeal---check it out.

BRACING FOR THE STORM

Last night was calm and beautiful as the photos above attest. But........................

Storms can come up very quickly here in the Midwest. Today is no exception. Today is January, 29, 2008, and it got up to 56 degrees about an hour ago. A severe thunderstorm, with nickle size hail and 70 mile an hour winds, with the possibility of tornadoes is on the way. By tonight the temp. is supposed to drop to 2 degrees and 20-30 mile an hour winds. Quite a wide array of weather around here.

We ran out of wood this morning and I could not get out to get some untill Amy got home from the grocery store and from the monthly baby check-up. Little Blessing to make his appearance in to the sunshine in late March. We got all the homeschooling done today in less than 2 hours.

(Daddy can be a taskmaster.)

I ran out the door as Amy was walking in, ran to the woodshed, and it started to pour rain and the winds blew in. I ran back to the house (very quickly.) Hopefully I can get about 20 minutes of better weather before the Arctic blast gets here tonight

My thought for the day: I was not prepared for the weather coming today, and I will pay the price for it if I cannot get out to get wood today. And not only myself, but my whole family will be affected.

As such, If one does not have The Rock, Christ Jesus in the center of their lives, there is no way one can brace for the storms of life, and all whom do not will pay the price. We, and all those around us. Build in on The Rock.

jamiev

HOMESCHOOLERS FAVORITE PASTIME

The two on the outside are incredible readers, (the middle one probably reads better than me.)
The one on the tree----his name is Fuzzy. Have a great evening!

jamiev

Rehabilitation---- whoever thought of that?

We humans cannot rehabilitate our behavior. Whether it is a criminal in a jail, or someone whom just makes wrong decisions. Our" behavior-flavor" might change towards something else, but the root problem is still there----Sin.

To break that bondage there is only one remedy-------Jesus.

Jesus Christ does not rehabilitate anyone---He sets the captive free, and makes a new creation.



jamiev

They should know, but do they?

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord And we pray that all unity may one day be restored

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
They will know we are Christians by our love

We will work with each other, we will work side by side
We will work with each other, we will work side by side And we'll guard each one's dignity and save each one's pride

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
They will know we are Christians by our love
By our love, by our love
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
They will know we are Christians by our love

We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand And together we'll spread the news that God is in our land

And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
They will know we are Christians by our love
By our love, by our love
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
They will know we are Christians by our love



written by Peter R. Scholtes, on the South Side of Chicago, in 1966.



Will they be able to see Whom is in us ?

The birds don"t seem to mind.

My five year old daughter and I slept downstairs near the woodstove last night to keep feeding it wood throughout the night. It stayed a toasty 70 degrees most of the night untill about 5 a.m. when I stopped untill breakfast was over. Still it only got down to 68, still not too bad for free heat.

We watched the sun rise, what a beautiful day The Lord has made, we will, and are rejoicing in it!
We thank God for the house he has given us, and last night said prayers for the people out in this weather with no roof over their head, as it was extremely cold.-------------------

Beautiful to look at, but deadly to be caught out in, reminds me of many of the sins of this world. Don"t go into 17 degree below weather without sturdy winter clothes on, and do not get dressed in the morning without putting on the full armour of God first........amen


jamiev

The Bible

Today was a milestone for our family. Our son Zeke has been on a Bible reading tear! A few weeks ago he started to read an adult Bible for the first time. Zeke is almost eight years old now, and loves to read. He reads all the time, and now has been searching me out to do bible study with me in the morning. He started reading Acts yesterday, when I looked up today from my bible, he was already into the ninth chapter. ...... I could do nothing but smile!

Selah our 5 1/2 year old daughter, who reads very well, has been reading from a children's Bible but it is for smaller children, and is much too easy for her to read. So earlier this week I got her another children's Bible, it has maps and a few cartoon type pictures along with some stories, but the Bible itself is an adult Bible, New King James Version. It is very nice, but has a leather cover of a pretty blue, and she loves it. Yesterday she read the first two paragraphs from Genesis, today she read the whole first page of Genesis. She was so excited, as were we.

Reading the Bible is the very foundation of the home school work that we do, and we are blessed for that to be the situation. We are also very blessed our children want to read to Bible, and even search the Scriptures on their own. What a Blessed day!!!!!!!



jamiev

All we have to do is call His Name

Today our almost 8 year old son and I were doing Bible study in the loft of our house, with our 19 month old daughter playing up there as we were doing so. She eventually got tired, so I picked her up and walked her for a few minutes until she fell asleep. My son and I then moved downstairs near the wood stove to continue our study, after about 1/2 hour we finished up and then we heard Hadie wake up.

I could hear her running through the loft, back and forth looking for me. Back and forth she would run, not saying word, all you could hear was her little feet hitting the pine floors. I sat down there just listening, finally she said" Daddy". Immediately I said," Hadie, stay right there, I"m coming to get you".

So I walked upstairs, picked up Hadie, and carried her down the stairs, and she ran off to play. I went back to the study,and this thought came to mind which I shared with Zeke. I asked him this question: What just happened to Hadie and I, what does that remind you of? He said, "someone calling out for Jesus, and Him coming to them" "Your absolutely correct." I said.

I went on to say to him, " The people in this world that do not know Jesus are also running and searching. They are searching for Him. Jesus hears and sees us running, but we have to call His name before He will come to us. Sometimes people run a long time before they His Name, tragically, others never call to Him. But He is always there, anytime, any place, any season we may be in, waiting for our cry....... JESUS!!!!!!!

" Stay right there, I am coming to you." ------- It does not matter where we are at in our lives, He will come, We have only to call His Name.

jamiev

Five Reasons Why-- We Do What We Do

1. Fathers do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the The Lord. Ephesians 6:4
2. Fathers do not exasperate your children, so that they will not loose heart. Colossians 3:21
3. Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
4. "Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the LORD your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it,so that you and your son and your grandson might fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. Deuteronomy 6:1-2
5. "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.
   "You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
   "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. Deuteronomy 6: 6-8

NASB

jamiev

Never Proven Wrong

In the book of Isaiah, 36-37th chapters, during the reign of king Hezekiah, the Assyrians under king Sennacherib were camped outside the walls of Jerusalem. The Assyrians were waiting for them to either run out of food and water, or to battle them, either way, not good for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Assyrians had destroyed and or taken captive just about all of the other peoples of that part of the world.
Hezekiah prayed to The Lord God for help, Isaiah later sent the reply of The Lord back to Hezekiah,....... it would be done.

The angel of The Lord went out and smote 185,000 Assyrians that morning. Sennacherib then left and went home, later to be killed by two of his own sons as he was worshiping one of his "gods".

Sennacherib had it recorded that he and his men" had" to leave to fight somewhere else.........

Herodotus, the Egyptian historian also recorded the event, and said great multitudes of mice swarmed the Assyrians that night and chewed up their bowstrings and shields and as they went into battle that morning they realized this too late that they were defenseless in that state, and great multitudes of the Assyrians fell.


I do not believe the strongest army of the day left as they were about to defeat a weaker foe, I do not believe mice defeated the Assyrians( mice are dumb animals and I used to use a pretzel bag, in a garbage can, as a cheap mouse trap, to catch them in our old home in north Georgia...try it, it works!)



I believe God, always, and every time.


Read Isaiah 36-37, it is an awesome testament to Gods" mercy and power.

jamiev


p.s..... it is said to be recorded that never, ever, again did Sennacherib try to invade Jerusalem.

How to Raise Children

1. Go to the Bible to learn how to raise your children properly.
2. Pray to The Lord for the wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and strength to do so.
3. After your done praying, pray some more.

jamiev

Microscope ready!

My eldest son loves his microscope! The last time I had looked into a microscope was about 27 years ago when I was in my second year of highschool, and had forgotten how fun they are.

As I have said before we live out in the country with the woods and the river out the back door, and we have lots of things to "scope", but here is a homeschool microscope fieldtrip you can do anywhere:

1. take 5 ziplock bags or clear containers per child.--(your sample holders)
2. backpacks, notepads, microscope (hopefully in a sturdy case or bag) or you can not bring microscope and just collect your samples and look at them from home.
3. have the kids try to collect "scopeable" things from various earth elements--water--rock---sand--dirt, in the winter ice with stuff in it is cool also.--also objects that are burned like wood, charcoal. This is a great time to tie in that God created the elements, and then the earth from the elements.
4. collect "live" samples---bugs, worms, micro-organisms in pond or river water, even water in puddles in the street.--
5. collect growing samples--tree leaves--roots--fruits--vegetables, ect..
6. try to correlate the differences with fresh vs. decaying ( if you have both) things in number 5.
7. each child can log all they see, differences, similarities ect.-- and you can possibly tie in the different shapes they spy out into an art project also.
8. You can even tie in a creative writing paper on-----How God uses the elements to create the earth, ect...

The kids will love to do these in the "field" so bring water, snacks or maybe lunch.....wherever you may try this, it is a Blessing just being out in His Creation together with your creation.

jamiev

St. John

Do not let your hearts be troubled, believe in God, believe also in Me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places, if it were not so I would've told you. For I go to prepare place for you, and if I go and prepare place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you onto Myself,that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to where I'm going.

Thomas said to Him," Lord, we do not know where you are going, how do we know the way?" Jesus said to him," I am the way, and the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me. If you had known Me you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know Him, and have seen Him." John 14 1-7 NASB

August art project

This past August our first homeschooler art project was for the kids to paint the mailbox.

I picked the day to do it and unfortunately it was about 95 degrees that afternoon, and the paint stayed sticky for a week because of the humidity, but they did a super job, and had a lot of fun too! All ages can participate in a project like this, we just supplied latex gloves(and old clothes to wear) I painted the "borders" the night before, and the kids filled inside the borders. It turned out beautiful.

jamiev

Multimedia message

Those that wait on The Lord...........

Think about it.

Lost men don"t want to admit they can"t save themselves,
Many saved men don"t want to admit they can"t sanctify themselves.

Think about it.

Our only Way out,
is The only Way in.






jamiev

Does this bug you?

We hear all the time on TV, or at work, or wherever, when people talk of a baby being born to an unwed couple, as the baby being illegitimate........ That baby is definitely not illegitimate. There is no such thing as illegitimate children, there are only illegitimate parents.

Great Site and Magazine

www.aboverubies.org



www.

Space Pictures

http://www.texasjim.com/NASApix/NASA%20pix.htm

Check out these pictures of the space shuttle--

Great Day

I am writing today from the homeschool table in our house, I am very excited because we will be reading from the Stories of the Pilgrims book, by Margaret B. Murphy , available from http://www.christianlibertypress.com/.
I really like the book and the way it is set up, we go through one small chapter a day, and it leaves you at a place each time wanting to read on, but we cannot untill the next day. ( Do not tell the kids, sometimes I read on a little further than I am supposed to when they aren"t looking.)


The book is recommended from the designer of the curriculum we use, Carrie Austin, the program is called Beyond Little Hearts For His Glory. The program is for ages 6-8, but our 5 year old daughter is also using it, and it works well for her also.






jamiev

Flood, Flood, Flood

Normally we do not have a river in our front yard, it usually stays about 400 yards away, down a 20 ft. bank, but today we do.

Yesterday evening, Zeke set outside with his B-B gun to send us a signal when then river broke over the dyke, which it did about 6 pm. last night. He came to the window and taped on it, after I opened the window he popped his B-B gun once and said, "The river is coming over Daddy." He is a good little scout.


The pix are of yesterday evening and then this morning, If the river comes up much more instead of our home being "The little yellow house", it will be the "the little yellow house-boat."

P.s. One of the pictures is a joke, the waves and big rocks are when we lived in Oregon, That picture is from Cannon Beach.

jamiev

Music, Music ,Music

My wife plays the piano, I play the guitar, the kids sing praise songs about all day long, even when they are just off playing. A few years ago my son really wanted drums. They can be a bit loud in the size house we live in (apx. 900 sq. ft.). So here is a low price-low-noise drum project for the kids (with mom and dads help) that we used and our kids loved it. You need one five gallon bucket, and 2 one gallon buckets, and a roll of your favorite color duct tape. Take the buckets, and put them bottom down, on the floor, the large in the middle, the smaller ones on each side. like this > oOo then tape around the perimeter of the bottom of the buckets. Try not to break the tape, just keep wrapping it around in one continuous stretch of tape. After you get three or four continuous wrappings around the bottom of the buckets, you can flip the bucket over and continue to tape around all three buckets of the same time trying to keep from smashing the outside buckets too much, while yet making sure that they are firmly taped to the large 5 gallon bucket. When all three buckets are firmly taped together you can start to tape over the bottom of the buckets, which is the top part or this "skins" of your drum set. On most buckets up there is a approximately ¼ to 01 half of an inch of a lip on the bottom of the bucket itself, so when you put tape over that, pulling it tightly, there will be an air gap between the bottom of the bucket and the lip. This serves as a damper, so the drumsticks do not hit directly onto the bottom of the bucket itself. This will cut down a bit on the noise from the drums, you can also put some sort of thin piece of foam or piece of cloth in the gap of that lip, this will cut down on the sound of the drums even more. Once you have the bottom of the drums which are the bottom of the buckets flipped upside down, you can continue to tape around and over the top to get your desired firmness of the skins, and to increase the overall strength of the drum set itself.

I made our set over three years ago and it is still going strong today. The great thing about this drum set is that you can just take the tape off any time and redo it if you want. I purchased some cheaper drumsticks, about $5.00 total for those sticks. So the total cost for the drums, tape, and drumsticks was less than $20.00.

It was fun to build, and is a great family project.

Jamiev

Let The Son shine

As there is no life on this earth without the sun
There is no Life on this earth without The Son





jamiev

Math time

Faith in God"s Word
+ dependency on Jesus
----------------------
= Victory






jamiev

He Believed

On September 14th of this past year, While at work, I happened to look on the Internet and saw an article our the 25th President, William Mckinley. He was shot on Sept. 5th 1901, and later died on the 14th. of Sept., exactly 106 years earlier, to the day when I looked at the article.----odd------ The 1901 Worlds Fair was in town at the time and they could have localized the bullets to surgically remove them with the new, at that time, technology called x-ray, ( I am an x-ray tech.) but were afraid that the new technology could further degrade his already critical health.---odd---

He eventually died on the 14th. The Presidents last words were: "It is God"s way; His will be done, not ours."


He believed......... jamiev

Our template for homeschoolers---- Do not have one.

We try not to plan the entire homeschool career of each of our children at this point. We definitely take each day, each lesson by itself. To try to think about what we might have to teach them in 5 years, or will we "be able" to teach them physics someday or not, is too daunting. It also takes the joy out of the blessing of today, and our time together right now. We try to take each hurdle as we come to it, and try not to jump over more than one at a time. (Amy ran hurdles in track in highschool and college and says it can"t be done, though she tried once.) Also with a varying range of ages to teach as in our house, it is enough to just make it through that single day of school. We write this today in regards to quite a few friends whom do not homeschool at this time, starting to possibly look to start, due to various reasons. Many people like to have a long term view of the road ahead, and this also pertains to wanting a clear view of where the "scary" to many, road of homeschool will lead. Our best advice would be, to get your books and just start. Plan each day as best you can, but be prepared to possibly even have to modify that days activites as well.

When that first day is over, and the kids have run off to destroy another part of the house. You can sit back, thank The Lord for giving you the courage and strength you needed, and realize that you just taught your children for the first time, and it was a great blessing and fun to boot. That first hurdle has been cleared and you don"t have another for 30 more yards ( or the next day for parents), thus giving you time to regroup and reprepare.(Or in our house--repair.). Only search out the hurdle directly in front of you and keep jumping, soon you will have finished the race. (or made it to summer break.)

The great thing about this race is that everyone wins.

Praise God

jamiev

THE HILL

One of the best investments we've made, as it pertains to our house and property, was to leave a large dirt mound on the southern side of our property. Regardless of the season the children can be found playing by or on top of that hill. Most of the dirt from the hill came from the digging out of our septic tank area and the leech field for the take itself. If the children aren't trying to mountain climb up the side of it, that slide down it, either in the mud or on the snow. It is usually the first place we look, when we're looking for the children. Sometimes they just climb up it and sit on it. Right now is mostly dirt, I think possibly this spring we will plant some seeded on it and see if we can get some grass to there. It has been a great investment being that it costs us nothing and the kids absolutely love it.

Every once in awhile I will walk up on it just to look around, and I feel a little bit younger.

Jamiev

It is cold out there

Thought for today, for the year, and forever

Trust and the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways that knowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Homeschoolers Christmas break

Today is New Year's Day 2008. We're having a blizzard here today, but that's OK. We are warm inside the house, my oldest son and I got out today to split wood in the 30 mph winds. Technically the kids right now are on their Christmas break so no homeschooling for them for a few weeks. We are studying Bible verses from their Awana book, and also doing our home bible studies. This is a chance for everyone to recharge their batteries, relax a little bit, and get ready for the rest of the winter. Spring will be here before we know it. Jamiev