Homeschooling protects

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.  2 Timothy 1:7


It is essentially mandatory for school-age children to be vaccinated.  One benefit of homeschooling is that we get to decide for ourselves if we want our children's bodies to be injected with objectionable substances.

NC General Statute 10A NCAC 41A .0401

(a) Every individual in North Carolina required to be immunized pursuant to G.S. 130A-152 through 130A-157 shall be immunized against the following diseases by receiving the specified minimum doses of vaccines by the specified ages:


I was actually quite ignorant of this law until I heard a couple of homeschooling friends tell me that.  I told them that surely we have the right to refuse.  I didn't think that we would have to refuse.  There are waivers for any child whose parents' choose to pursue that route.  As of yet, homeschoolers here in NC do not have to show a currect shot record.  Of course, there are many venues where it must be produced in order for our children to participate, but that's hardly something to fuss about. 

Our understanding of health differs significantly from the public, it seems.  We believe God gave us sound minds to pursue health through the means of nutrition and godly living.  Specifically, He gave us an immune system that works to prevent untimely death.  He gave mothers breast milk to protect little babies and the protective effects are long-term.  It's incomprehensible to me that doctors used to encourage formula feeding.  And it hasn't gotten any better.  Every new mother leaves the hospital already defeated in the pursuit of giving her baby the best possible natural vaccine from her breast milk when she only has to mix together the formula the hospital gifts her.  To help her out, in case she's nervous about the whole thing.  To let her know that the formula's ready to nurish her baby even when she's not sure if her colostrum is adequate.  She may not even know there is colostrum, just that her milk hasn't come in yet.  But never fear, the formula's there.  Sorry about the rant.  I still get the lecture about why I'm continuing to breast-feed when there are no benefits past the first 6 months.  If my children don't learn about Greek mythology and they grow up culturally uneducated, so be it.  As long as they don't swallow false and ignorant ideas, then they will be fine. 

Living in fear is not living abundantly.  Though I battle with worrying over things beyond my control, I know that it is a trust issue, with God.  Why should I worry about my children's health when I know that the children are really on loan from God and that my love for them helps me to take care of them and that is all I can do.  Their health and not dying from disease is up to God.  Does that sound cold and callous?  It's not meant to.  Every single second of breath we take is because God is sustaining us.  Our understanding of Scripture also teaches us a proper understanding of this world.  It is fallen.  There is pain and suffering.  There is disease.  There is also healing.  Many childhood diseases are not life-threatening.  I regret that I didn't research about vaccines when Max was a baby and he had all sorts of shots.  I specifically asked the doctor about the chicken pox vaccine and was told that Max may die if he got the chicken pox.  He said that he would do the responsible thing and give it to his own son.  How can a caring and responsible mother argue with that?  The rest of our children have all gotten chicken pox and there are all still living.  It really wasn't even that bad.  Why do doctors use fear as a persuasion tactic?  They know it works, that's why.  But really, I can't blame doctors for the lies they tell.  They only learned it from medical school and they have a practice to run, after all.  And there are lots of pharmaceutical employees that would be jobless if people relied less on doctor's orders. 

They all claim it isn't the money.  What is, then?  Is it the educating of health?  Where?  When we were in Guam, a man from our church who worked at the big Christian school there said that the soda machines have to stay because it brings in money for the school.  He wasn't being sarcastic.  He really felt that the soda machines benefited the school so that's all that mattered. 

Conventional medical practice dictates that the body must be brought low in order to have a chance to fight the onslaught of all things evil.  This is true with cancer therapies.  And also true with vaccinations.  Yes, they tell us, you will feel a little sick, but medicine never tastes good going down.  Bad medicine is when a brand new baby is injected with toxins for Hepatitis B.  How any baby gets out of the hospital unscathed is a testimony to God's saving grace. 

We aren't going to just sit here and hope for the best, either.  Despite being public-school educated, we have learned to think for ourselves a little.  We believe food choices really do matter.  Addicting food substances like sugar can cause diabetes.  Sodas can cause obesity.  And weaken women's bones.  So we use raw honey instead of sugar.  And we don't eat anything with high fructose corn syrup.  Other than the fact that children need wholesome food, they need to acquiring wholesome appetites.  We also look to the Bible for foods that we should avoid.  I know, I know.  Most Christians will immediately accuse me of taking away their liberties in Christ.  We're under grace, after all.  Jesus didn't come so that we can say that the Old Testament is of no avail.  And of no value.  If God chose to protect the Israelites from getting sick eating unclean foods, like the other nations did, why would we not heed His wisdom?  After all, He is the creator of all the animals.  If he says that pigs are unclean, I won't argue with Him. Instead, I will be thankful for the abundance of vegetation and clean animals (yea for bison!) that God has allowed.  In my BC (before Christ) days, I played an awful trick on Chris that I regret.  I told him to close his eyes and open his mouth.  I gave him a piece of congealed pig's blood.  He was not happy when he found out what it was that he ate.  It sounds awful, doesn't it?  Chinese people love it.  I would venture to say that most Chinese Christians don't have any qualms about eating it.  Most Caucasions would be repulsed, but it's not because blood is one of the forbidden foods.  We just have our likes and dislikes.  If it's something we like, then it's ok for food.  Even though we all know that there are a lot of animals that are not good for food.  Like dogs.  Try convincing the Koreans, though.  We'll just play it safe and go by the list that God has provided.

We look for natural remedies, instead of using drugs.  After my root canal, my dentist told me to take motrin to help with the inflammation.  I took green tea and grapeseed extracts.  And I was fine.  I will occassionally give the kids probiotics, especially if we're not eating yogurt or fermented foods regularly.  I think a whole host of problems exist because the digestive system isn't functioning well. 

Even though many our friends who homeschool do not believe in vaccinating their children, it seems that the homeschool sphere will be just as divided on this issue.  I had written a post some time ago about a popular Christian science curriculum writer who is very pro-vaccination.  Many people respect him and are influenced by him.  He goes to homeschool conferences and speaks on the issue of vaccination.  But only from the standpoint that not vaccinating is extremely irresponsible and dangerous.  What's a Christian to do?  We keep our children at home so they aren't faced with false propanganda day in and day out.  The propaganda certainly won't be limited to government schools.  Our children need to understand exactly why we do the things we do and be able to articulate them so that they may influence others for good.


My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.  Hosea 4:6

My husband is alive and well

Dear God,  Thank you so very much for keeping Chris safe.  Thank you for giving us the technology to communicate with each other.  Thank you for listening to my prayers when I don't know what's going on and reassuring me all the while that you are in control.  One more question...how do unbelieving wives keep from turning into basket cases every time their husbands go away?  I love you, Lord, but only because you first loved me.  All in Jesus' name.  Amen.

Waiting

Waiting must be one of the hardest things to do.  Waiting to know if my husband arrived safely to his destination always keeps me on edge. 

You'd think I would have gotten better at it with all these years of military life, but every time it is still something that isn't easy to do.  Just to wait.

The Bible always has the answers.

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.  Psalm 27:14

Home is best

"Of all modern notions, the worst is this: that domesticity is dull. Inside the home, they say, is dead decorum and routine; outside is adventure and variety. But the truth is that the home is the only place of liberty, the only spot on earth where a man can alter arrangements suddenly, make an experiment or indulge in a whim. The home is not the one tame place in a world of adventure; it is the one wild place in a world of rules and set tasks."


- G. K. Chesterton

One minor reason why I like the KJV

Genesis 3:16-17 in three Bible translations:

New American Standard Bible

16 To the woman He said, "I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you."
17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life.


King James Bible

16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;


ESV

16 To the woman he said, I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children.  Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”
17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;


The words "pain", "toil" and "sorrow" are all different translations of  `itstsabown עִצָּבוֺן
(Strong's H6093).

The NASB chooses to use "pain" in verse 16, but then switches to "toil" in verse 17. 

The ESV is at least more consistent.  It uses "pain" for both verses.  If pain is used to imply a sense of hard work on the part of the man, then it should mean the same for the woman in childbirth.  But normally we would not think of working as painful. 

The KJV uses the same word in both verses, which makes sense since both verses have the same Hebrew word.

What happens when a woman believes that God has ordained pain, and not just pain, but pain multiplied in childbirth?  Could she have a view that childbirth is something she cannot bear?  Would she try to avoid the pain at all costs?  Why not try to avoid childbirth altogether?  And why go through childbirth without drugs since it's an experience that is unbearably painful? 

And what happens when a woman reads the KJV Bible and accepts it at face value that childbirth would be sorrowful? 

Why do most women experience incredible pain in childbirth?  They come into the process with preconceived ideas.  They expect pain.  They fear it.  Fear begets tension.  Tension in childbirth = pain.  It's not easy to relax.  It's not easy to allow one's body to go through the process of childbirth and accept that what's happening is what God has designed the woman's body to do, naturally.

Should there be a difference in the way a believer reacts to the challenges of life from the unbeliever?  Absolutely.  We have the Word of God.  They are words of life.  If we believe in the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture, we need to believe that the Bible speaks to every area of life, including childbearing.  Fear in childbirth is the result of a lack of knowledge.  Or maybe incorrect knowledge.  Or denial of God's perfect plan for His creation. 

Lord God, may we submit ourselves totally to your will.  May we not fear what you have ordained.  May we, as women, embrace our calling as mothers and that first step towards motherhood, childbirth.

Tantalizing smells from the kitchen

I don't cook very well.  Understatement of my life.  :)

I am also not very creative.  I have learned that garlic can make my kitchen smell...oh, so... intoxicating.  When I run out of garlic, I run out of ideas of what to cook.  When I don't have garlic, it is time to go shopping.  We can survive without bread, rice, and almond milk, but no garlic, no dinner. 

I managed to make no one complain about the brown rice I made for the grilled rice burritos a few days ago.  I made Spanish rice and it made for nice fat burritos.  That was the first time I grilled the burritos.  I have a feeling that as long as it's grilled, it'll go over well with my family. 

I have an organic chicken in the clay roaster with, surprise!, lots of garlic in the oven right now.  I took a short cut and dumped in a jar of cliantro salsa in with the rice.  Hopefully it'll produce Spanish rice soon.

It's really true that a well-fed husband is a happy husband.  I didn't want to believe that men, that my very own husband, could be so ... simple.  Alas, it is true.  Another nugget of wisdom that I didn't pay much attention to before is waiting to talk to my husband about pressing matters until after he's eaten.  An empty stomach will not give good responses. 

It would be nice if so much time needn't be spent on food.  Buying food.  Trying to save with coupons before even getting to the store.  Organizing the kitchen.  Not burning the food.  Making brown rice palatable to a family that lived in Japan for 4 years and loves sushi and all things pertaining to white rice.  Cleaning up.  But then again, it makes sense that a worthy pursuit should take care and effort and of course, time.  As a mother, my main concern is the physical and spiritual nourishment of my family.

I wish I had grown up being comfortable in the kitchen.  More importantly, being useful in the kitchen.  But all I did was eat.  I need to remember that before my children can learn to see the kitchen as an area of service, I need to enlist their help.  When they offer to do something that I think I can do faster and neater, I should gratefully accept.

I'd love for my children to grow up thinking that home is where good food is.  Good food doesn't happen by itself.  Thank you, Lord, for giving me a kitchen to prepare in and a family to feed.  And dishwashers.  7 in the making.  :)

How's that again?

I was reading Hard Questions Real Answers by William Lane Craig and got to this sentence:

"It is perfectly possible to be a homosexual and be a born-again , Spirit-filled Christian."

And this:

"What the Bible condemns is homosexual actions or behavior, not having a homsexual orientation."

Hmmm.

The last paragraph begins with this sentence:

"Second, for those of us who are heterosexual, we need to remember that being homosexual , as such, is no sin."

Ok. 

Time to purge our library. 

This article written by an ex-homosexual that I just read on baylyblog.com was much more insightful.