Heart of Wisdom Academy

Consider Exactly How Much Time Your Child Will be at School:

These statistics are based on the local school my kids are zoned for, your statistics may vary slightly. It is your responsiblity to find out exactly how much time your child will be at school.

In my school district Wednesday's are half days.

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday the school day is 9:05-3:40=6hr 35min. per day
Wednesday 9:05-1:10= 4hr 5min.
Bus stop:8:30 am
Bus stop:4:05 pm and 1:35pm on Weds.

Our zoned school is 1.8 miles away. Total time on bus daily is about an hour.

M,T,Th,F total hours per day including travel time-7hr and 35 min or 455 minutes daily
W total hours per day including travel time-5 hr and 5 min or 305 minutes daily

Total time per week at school:
Mon:455 minutes
Tue:455 minutes
Wed:305 minutes
Thur:455 minutes
Fri:455 minutes
5 day week=2,125 minutes per week or About 35 hours per week.

180 school days over 36 weeks.

2,125 minutes per week x 36 weeks per year=76,500 minutes or 1,275 hours per year

76,500 minutes per year x 13 years of school=994,500 minutes or 16,575 hours


We're looking at nearly 1 million minutes!!!!!

This isn't even including, before or after school programs and summer programs. This doesn't include soccer practice, music pratice, television, computer, friends, or any-number of the other things that ebb away at our time with our children. When we start to add up all of these things we get a picture of how much time we actually spend parenting our children and how little precious time we have them. Are you beginning to understand why you must as a Christian parents consider time? Anything that uses this much time in our lives deserves careful scrutiny, does it not?

With just the bare basics most children are at school 1 million minutes of their waking lives!! In Part II, we will see how this information is helpful and what to do with it.


Why Christian Parents Should Consider Homeschooling Series: Previous Installments
Introduction
90% of Christian Parents Send their Children to School

One thing she talks about is the fear parents have of trying to make our kids look "good". But if they grow up in a Christian home they already know how to act "good". They know how to fake it, parrot answers, exude false humility, shallow apologies, etc.

We had a preteen/teen parent meeting at church last week, and one thing that really convicted me was when our friend shared that we should be wary when our kids are always good. No one is always good. All sin and fall short (Romans 3:23)No one is good not even one Romans 3:10-12). You're not good all the time, I'm not good all the time. why do we think it's okay when our kid is "good" all the time?

If we are raising our kids to be followers of Jesus, we much teach them to identify sin, feel the way God feels about it, and teach them how to repent. We must teach them to confess their sins to one another (James 5:16). We cripple our children, our families, and the church, when we pretend like everything and everyone is fine. Don't allow shallowness, and deceit predominate your child's character.

Our friend at church went on to share that after the kid continually hears that they are so "good" all the time, they are afraid to confess what is really in their hearts. The thought they had, what they looked at, or did, etc. They start to think that "good" kids don't do that. They start living in the dark, never confessing, never repenting, and never finding true freedom in Christ. Eventually they walk away from God burdened with guilt and shame.

If we are to teach our kids to confess their sins, they need to see us confessing our sins. Surely we sin against them, maybe even once a day! Confess it to your children, and ask forgiveness. If they see you sin against your husband, let them see you confess your wrong, ask for forgiveness, and change. During family prayer develop the habit of confession, not always praise and thanksgiving.

Why Christian Parents Should Consider Homeschooling? Introduction Part II

90% of Christian parents send their children to public school(IndoctriNation).

Why?

Well... Christian parents want their kids to get an education. School is an educational institution, it's free, it's convenient, it's the norm, it gets the job done, it's "religiously neutral", why not?

When you get down to the matter, and define it; Christian parents want their kids to learn certain things from the public school system:
• Reading
• Writing
• Math
• Science
• History
• Fine arts
• Music
• Electives.
And many Christian parents would add to this list:
• How to evangelize their friends and teachers
• How to live in the world and not of the world
• How to socialize with their peer group
• How to be salt and light in a dark world
• How to righteously respond to sin and temptation
• How to be Godly in an ungodly world
• How to be all things to all people, in order to win some
• How to stand firm in their faith
• They want their kids to learn to deal with the real world
• They don't want to shelter their kids
• They don't want their kids to be un-relatable
• They don't want their kids to be a misfit in society

Christian parents do not want their children to learn from this same system:
• morals
• values
• ethics
• attitudes
• doctrine
• character
• worldview
• tolerance
• sex-education
• marriage and family relationships
• boy-girl relationships
• homosexuality
• religion

As Christian parents we must ask?
1.Are the schools doing a good job teaching my children what I want them to know?
2.Are the schools doing a good job teaching my children what I don't want them to know?
3.Are my children the evangelists or the evangelized?

Both lists contain a monumental amount of information that Christian parents must consider, this decision is too important to be made thoughtlessly. But all too often it is made thoughtlessly because even as Christians we are enchanted by our culture. We blindly follow and obey the rules of culture by default. But we must stop and ask in every situation, "Will this be a help or a hindrance to my child's future as a disciple of Jesus?"


I will use the above questions and statements to bring out many things Christian parents must consider about their child's education. Parents must be prepared to teach all of these subjects and answer all of these questions whether they "homeschool" or send their children to school. All parents "homeschool", some full-time, some part-time, some on nights and weekends. Every parent is a teacher.

Each part of the series will focus on just one thought for Christian parents to consider.

I am beginning a series titled: Why Christian Parents Should Consider Homeschooling?

Introduction Part I

“The purpose…is simply to warn parents of potential danger so they are prepared to meet it. If a physician showed you a small tumor on your X-ray, you would want to get several questions answered without delay: ‘What is the nature of the intrusion-will it destroy my body if untreated, or is it benign? If treatment is recommended, what type-drugs, radiation, surgical removal? Should my body be fortified through diet and or exercise to help ward off any threat?’ The best I can hope to do…is show you the ‘X-ray’. If your child is in a local public school, you can then determine if a dangerous disease is present there, the best method of treatment, and how you should fortify him at home (The Child Influencers, p155-156).

Most Christian parents are convinced that they need to train their children in the fear and admonition of God, there is little debate regarding this point. Home Education could be your most effective tool in accomplishing this task; however, it is not the only tool. The purpose of this series is not to debate the virtues of homeschooling versus public/private school or vice versa.

The purpose of these articles is to give (you) Christian parents several points to consider as you decide for your children how and where they will spend 1 million minutes of their lives.

Every conscientious mother can think of a thousand ways to provide these kinds of opportunities naturally as she goes about her daily routines.-Charlotte Mason Volume 1

This quote has been swirling round and round in my head the last few weeks. What role should textbooks really play in education? No one can argue that textbooks are the absolute most uninspiring, lifeless, tiresome, string of continuous letters ever to bore humankind. Yet, this is the preferred method of educating lively, rambunctious children. I must agree with Charlotte Mason when she said that:

Too often, school texts are written in a style of insufferable twaddle. That's because the people who wrote them probably never met a real child. -Charlotte Mason

But how else will children learn if they don't read it in a textbook, fill-in-a-blank, or take a multiple choice test?

The answer is by putting our children in contact with living books. I am starting to come out of the fog. Although I've never been a heavy user of textbooks, it has been the only method of "education" I've ever known. Therefore by default I would lean on the grammar textbook or assign some pages in a history or science book so that I could feel like we "did science" or "did history".

My thinking has shifted. Instead of picking up a Biology book and reading chapter after chapter about every plant and animal known to man; I can pick up 1 good, interesting, book. My kids don't need to know every insect in the animal kingdom. They need to know the ones in their backyard. After they have come in contact with real bugs in their own backyard, I can start to explain to them about various bugs all over the world. What could does it do them to name every animal in the Amazon, when they can't name bug that just bit them? Do you know how many "science" lessons I've created by looking around my house and backyard:
Do you know how a door knob works?
What makes a door bell ring?
Why do door keys have bumps?
How does water get into the faucet?
What happens when you flush the toilet?
What makes a clock keep the right time?
What makes a light bulb light up?
How does a toaster work?
How does the fridge work?
How does the microwave heat?
Where does the sun go at night?
What kind of weeds grow in our yard?
What kind of snake is that?
What kind of rock is this?
How do you find north?
How was this bridge built?
How was this tunnel built?
What is your scapula and how did daddy break his?
How does a telephone work?
How does a television work?
How do video games work/computers work?
How does the Internet work?
etc. etc. etc.

Is this not physics, biology, chemistry, geology, geography, engineering,anatomy, etc.

Do you know much fun we've had finding out the answers to some of these questions. They could easily read any 1 textbook that will give them all the answers, but they'd never remember it. Active learning is true learning especially for younger children.

"Education is the science of relations"

"Imagine how the alert, curious mind of the child must be stifled without real things from nature to handle. Children can't fully grasp the words-mere symbols of things-until they have something real in their mind to relate it to; therefore, mere lessons without the expereince of being out in the real word with real things will be largely wasted"

Yes, people think I'm odd because I haven't chosen barrenness for myself. One day a barren womb will come to me through disease, accident, or old age; I'll deal with it as it comes. But as I enter my 30th year, I have no desire to get "fixed". I'm not a dog-I'm a person, made in the image of God; who has the ability to bear children because that is how my Creator designed me. I fix what is broken. My tooth breaks, I fix it. My leg breaks, I fix it. If I get an infection, I fix it. If my womb breaks I'll fix it too. But my womb isn't broken. In fact I am blessed that my womb works exactly how my Father designed it to work. (no, I'm not pregnant) But it's sad that as a young wife and mother I'm an anolomy because I have 5 children and a working womb.

"Women whose bodies are doing what they were created to do have to explain why they aren't taking a synthetic drug[or getting a surgical procedure]that alters its normal function? Does this not seem odd?"-generationcedar.blogspot.com

The barren womb is constantly glorified and pursued; the fertile womb scorned and rejected.It reminds me of "How Birth Control and Catheters are Related".

"...our thinking has been so deeply affected that we don’t even realize that it is virtually insane that women even need encouragement regarding child-bearing. That’s not an insult to the mother…that’s an insult to our intelligence, having allowed a system to turn nature upside down in our minds.

What I mean is, the reproduction process works (usually) just like any other bodily function. It’s natural, it’s normal, it’s built-in. Our ability to tamper with it shouldn’t change that.



PROTECT YOUR WOMB!

Let’s see what God says about our womb in His wonderful Word which is called the "wisdom of God" (Luke 11:49). I like that name, don’t you? We can find God’s wisdom relating to every matter in His Word, even in such feminine matters as the womb and breasts.

1. IT IS OUR DISTINGUISHING IDENTITY

Genesis 2:21-24 says, "The Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept, and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof. And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man."

The Hebrew word for man is ish
The Hebrew word for woman is ish shah

Webster’s 1928 dictionary explains that the word “woman” is a combination of the words, “womb” and “man.” Woman therefore means “womb man” or “man with a womb.”When God created woman, he put within her a womb. The womb is God’s beautiful gift to women. In fact, our whole reproductive cycle is designed especially for us by God. Because it is His design and purpose for us, we should embrace it with all our hearts. We should not resist it. We should embrace every part of our reproductive system--menstruation, ovulation, conception, gestation, parturition and lactation. God was preparing you for motherhood even in your mother’s womb. By the time you were born you had over a million eggs, prepared and waiting for your destiny of motherhood.

We should not reject the way God created us. Romans 9:19-20 says, "Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?"

We must positively seek to protect our womb. There is an unprecedented attack against the wombs of women today which is inspired by the enemy. We must be aware of his tactics. In fact, this war began at the very beginning of time when God said there would be hostility and enmity between Satan and the woman.

Genesis 3:15 says, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

The word, “enmity” is eyvah in the Hebrew.
It is a very strong word meaning, “hostility, hate, friction, animosity.”
One translation says, "There will be war!"

Satan hates the womb. He knew that the Messiah, the Savior of the world, would come through the womb of a woman, the one who would destroy his head. He knows it is through the womb of the woman that the “godly seed” still comes to destroy his works. Satan comes to "steal, kill and destroy." His attack is upon the womb through a number of areas:

1. Abortion where human beings, created in the image of God in the secret place of the womb, are cruelly torn apart limb by limb or slowly burned alive.

2. The Pill and IUD. Did you know that both the Pill and the IUD are abortifacients? Did you know that more babies are killed in the womb through the IUD and the Pill than the holocaust of abortion? Your doctor doesn’t tell you this. Your pastor or minister doesn’t tell you this. Thus, many God-fearing people are ignorantly aborting their own babies. The womb, which is a sanctuary to nurture and protect life has become an extermination camp. Satan is having a heyday! For more detailed information on this matter, read Be Fruitful and Multiply which you can order through www.aboverubies.org

3. Permanent contraception such as Tubal ligations where the barren womb is denied the life it was created to nurture. When we decide on permanent contraception such as tubal ligation we are actually saying, "God, I don’t appreciate the way you made me. You did the wrong thing when you gave me a womb. It doesn’t suit my present lifestyle so I will make sure it can’t be used." Now, I know that most women don’t say those words as they go for a tubal ligation. Most women do it in ignorance. They have been advised (often by pastors) that this is the most convenient way to go. But if we take time to think about it and are really honest, this is the bottom line of what we are doing. The womb never says, "It is enough" Proverbs 30:15-16. God has created the womb to yearn for life. Mothers who are unable to conceive experience the heartache of the truth of this scripture. I am constantly receiving letters from women who have had a tubal ligation, but now a few years later, their wombs are crying out again, and they long for another child. The truth of God’s Word is eternal and true. When we go against it, we do so to our own hurt.

4. Drugs and the curse of sicknesses upon our reproductive organs.

5. Unnecessary hysterectomies. Nearly one million hysterectomies are performed every year in the USA, one every 30 seconds. Only 4.7 per cent of these are necessary surgeries! All others could have been prevented by alternative surgery. Sixty per cent of these operations are performed on women under 44 years, women of child-bearing age. Most disorders of the womb can be repaired without a full hysterectomy. Only cancer or emergencies should necessitate such radical surgery. If you are recommended a hysterectomy, please seek a number of other opinions before making your decision. Protect your womb.

6. Curses. The sins of the parents from past generations can bring a curse upon the womb. It can also come upon us through our own sin or negative confession. We should be careful not to speak negatively about any of our reproductive organs. Guard how you speak about menstruation. When you call it “the curse” or other negative names, you give an opportunity for the curse of barrenness or other disorders to come to your womb. A curse on the womb can be a failure to menstruate, painful or irregular menstruation, cramps, cysts, tumors, continual miscarriage and inability to conceive--in fact, anything that affects your reproductive organs. Now please don’t get me wrong. I am not saying, that if you have one of these disorders that it is because of a curse. There are often other factors involved. But it could be a possibility. If you feel this is the case, you may like to pray this prayer:

"Dear Father, I come to you in Jesus” name. I confess I have not received my womb as a gift from You. I have ignored the power of my womb and my womanly functions. I repent. Please forgive me and cleanse me in Jesus” name.

Lord, I accept my womb as a gift from You. I accept the way You created me. I embrace it. I want to fulfill Your purposes for me as a woman.

In the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, I renounce all negative words, even jokingly, that I have spoken about my womb, about menstruation, about pregnancy and about my womanly functions. I renounce any curse that has been placed upon my womb or reproductive organs from my parents, grandparents or great grandparents on both sides of my family.

I ask that You will now cleanse my womb and cover it with your blessing.

I receive your blessing in the name of Jesus. Amen."

7. Ignorance. Interestingly, as I have talked with mothers about this subject, many of them have shared with me that “ignorance” has been their biggest problem. “No one has ever informed me!” is their constant cry. The deceiver of our souls has effectively kept us ignorant about the power of our womb.

2. IT IS LIFE GIVING

Genesis 3:20 TLB says, "The man named his wife Eve meaning, The Life Giving One!"

Eve in Hebrew is Chavvah meaning, “Life Giver!" Eve was the prototype of all women - the first of her kind. She was a life giver. We also are life givers! We have the privilege of conceiving, nurturing and bringing forth a miracle of life from within our womb. Eve certainly obeyed God’s command to "be fruitful and multiply." Hebrew tradition says that Eve gave birth to hundreds of children! Wow, that’s hard to believe isn’t it, but remember, she did live for hundreds of years. The Bible only mentions the names of Cain, Abel and Seth but she gave birth to many sons and daughters and began the population of the earth. Genesis 5:4. No wonder she was called the "Mother of all living."

Isn’t it sad that when we are meant to be “life-givers” that many would rather be “life-stoppers”?

3. IT IS OUR BLESSING

Genesis 49:25 speaks of "The Almighty who shall bless thee with the blessings of the breasts and of the womb."

Do you believe the Scriptures? Do you receive your womb as a BLESSING from God? Before God gave conception and fruitfulness, He always BLESSED first. We need to affirm God’ s truth and confess that our womb is a blessing. We cannot receive conception without His blessing. Before God spoke the words to Adam and Eve, "Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth" He first BLESSED them. We see God doing this over and over again as we read the Scriptures. God wants to bless our womb. Pray for the health of your womb. A beautiful ministry that a husband can do is to regularly pray over and bless the womb of his wife.

Refer to the manual, Be Fruitful and Multiply, Chapter 3 for a list of 22 Scriptures which reveal that we receive conception through the blessing of God. You can order from www.aboverubies.org

4. IT IS OUR GLORY

Hosea 9:11 says, "As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird, from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception."

When Ephraim turned away from the Lord, God pronounced judgment upon them. His judgment was to take away their “glory.” What was their glory? It was the conception of the womb. Conception, pregnancy and motherhood are the glory of a nation and it comes through the wombs of women.

5. IT IS THE SEAT OF COMPASSION

Not only is the womb a place where life is conceived and nurtured, but the Bible also speaks of it as the controlling center of our emotions and the source of compassion. There are four different Hebrew words for the word “womb.” Each of these words is used to not only describe the womb, but also the emotions.

(a) BETEN – “the womb, the inmost part, the bottom of the heart, deepest

recesses of an individual.” Read Genesis 25:24; 30:2; Job 1:21 and Psalm 22:9.
•Job 20:19-20, “Because he hath oppressed the poor…surely he shall not feel quietness in his belly (beten).” When we feel guilt, we feel disturbed right in the very womb.
•Proverbs 18:8, “The words of a talebearer are as wounds, they go down into the innermost parts of the belly (beten).” When gossip or slander wounds us, we feel it in the depths of our womb.

(b) RACHAM - from the root word “to fondle.” It speaks of “cherishing the babe in the womb”. It also means “the bowels, to cherish, to love deeply, to be compassionate, to have compassion as God does towards men, to show great tender mercy and pity.” We understand this in the following Scriptures:
•Genesis 43:30, "Joseph...his bowels (racham) did yearn upon his brother.”
•Isaiah 49:15, “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion (racham) on the son of her womb?"

This word racham is used interchangeably for a woman’s womb and for God’s compassion. Here are further Scriptures where racham is used in relation to the womb or showing compassion to one another: Genesis 49.25, 1 Kings 8:50; 2 Chronicles 30:9; Proverbs 30.16; Isaiah 46.3; 49:15; Ezekiel 20.26 and Zechariah 7:9.

This word is frequently used to describe God’s mercies. Isn’t it absolutely amazing to realize that God uses the same word racham to describe His great mercy and tender compassions as He does for the womb?


• Psalm 25:6, "Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies (racham) and thy lovingkindnesses."
•Isaiah 54:7, "For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies (racham) will I gather thee."
•Isaiah 63:7, "I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us...according to his mercies (racham), and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses."
•Daniel 9:9, "To the Lord our God belong mercies (racham) and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him."

Here are further Scriptures where racham is used: Genesis 43:14; Deuteronomy 13:17 30;3; 2 Samuel 24:14; 2 Kings 13:23; 1 Chronicles 21.13; Nehemiah 9:19.27,28,31; Psalm 40.11; 51.1; 69.16; 77.9; 79.8; 103.4; 106:46; 119.77; 119.156; 145.9; Isaiah 47.6; 63.15; Jeremiah 12:15; 16.5; 42.12; Lamentations 3:22; Daniel 9:18; Hosea 2.19 and Zechariah 1.16.

We see from this how the womb is more than physical. It is the control center of our emotions. It is from our womb that compassion and pity emanates. This is why it is important to protect our womb. It is not just an organ, but the seat of compassion.

(c) RECHEM. It means “matrix.” This is the masculine equivalent of racham and includes the same attributes of tender compassion and pity.
1 Kings 3:26 says, “Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels (rachem) yearned upon her son…”

Look up these Scriptures: Genesis 29.31; 30.22; 43.30; Exodus 13.2; Numbers 8.16; 12.12; 1 Samuel 1:5,6; 1 Kings 3.26; Job 3.11; 10.18; 24.20; 31.15; 38.8; Psalm 22.10; 58.3; 110.3; Jeremiah 1.5; 20:17,18 and Hosea 9.14.

(d) MEAH. It means “the heart, uterus, also to be soft and have sympathy."
• Song of Solomon 5.4, "My beloved put his hand in the hole of the door and my bowels (meah) were moved for him."
•Jeremiah 4.19 and 31.20, "Ephraim...my bowels (meah) are troubled for him. I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord."
•Lamentations 1.20 and 2.11, "My bowels (meah) are troubled."

It is also used in Genesis 15.4; 25.23; Numbers 5.22; Ruth 1.11; 2 Samuel 7.12; 16.11; Psalm 71.6; Isaiah 16.11; 48:18,19; 49.1; 63.15 and Ezekiel 3.3; 7.19.

Notice the portrayal of deep emotions in the following Scriptures where the word meah is used:
•Job 30:27, ”My bowels boiled, and rested not.” Here it describes anger.
•Psalm 22:14, “My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.” This Scripture is a picture of discouragement.

Here’s how some women felt after their womb was removed... "It was like a curtain going down over my feelings. The highs and lows of my emotions simply flattened out." Another says, "The most I felt was a certain emptiness in the abdominal area, not like a great empty space, but a space empty of feeling."

It is especially important to protect your ovaries. Not only do they release the egg each month, but they release estrogen which has a big bearing on your emotions. Don’t allow a doctor to take out your ovaries just because they “might” become cancerous. Protect them at all costs. It is interesting to note that depression is two to three times more prevalent after a hysterectomy operation than any other surgery. I know a mother of a large family who was a wonderful mother. Later in life she had a hysterectomy and an oophorectomy. It was astounding to notice that after this operation she no longer had the warmth and feeling that she once showed to children.

6. IT IS A SEXUAL ORGAN

Love, yearning and sexual desire can be felt from the womb. The Shulamite woman in Song of Solomon 5:4 said, "My beloved put his hand in the hole of the door and my bowels (meah) were moved for him."

A line from an ancient sacred-wedding poem says, "He is the one my womb loves best."

Many women confess to loss of sexual satisfaction after their womb has been removed. Here are some quotes from various studies.
•In a study of 171 women who had undergone hysterectomies, 69.2 per cent complained of a decrease in the ability to reach orgasm.
•A marriage counselor revealed that 98 per cent of her patients were women with extreme sexual difficulties following hysterectomy.
•A study by Dr. Niles Newton discovered reduced sexual drive in 60% of women who had hysterectomy and oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries) 40% never resumed marital relations.
•A study in the United Kingdom reports 33 - 46% have decreased libido after hysterectomy and oophorectomy.
•A Japanese study states that 59.2% complained of decrease in ability to reach orgasm after hysterectomy.
•Another research found 20 - 42% of women abstained from sexual intercourse following hysterectomy.

A woman that experiences uterine orgasm rather than clitoral will be more severely affected by a hysterectomy. Sadly, one in five hysterectomies is for sterilization, without any medical reason. Some women think it will be advantageous to them to have no more periods or worries about contraception, but are ignorant of the serious repercussions. A woman in New Zealand shared with me that after her womb and ovaries were taken, she no longer had any sexual desire for her husband. She now realizes that the operation was unnecessary and wishes that she had got further opinions before immediately obeying her doctor.

7. IT IS A SUPPORT STRUCTURE

The womb supports other ligaments and organs in the pelvic area. When the uterus is removed, surrounding organs may cave inward or collapse causing pelvic pain, sexual difficulties and pressure on the bowels and bladder.

8. IT IS A HAVEN FOR MIRACLES

The greatest miracle in history took place in a womb! It was here that God became man! Jesus Himself was conceived in a womb! He identified with the womb of a woman. Read Luke 1:35; 2:21.) It is in the womb that miracles continue to take place. Every child that is conceived in the womb is a miracle of God’s creation. How blessed we are as women to have miracles take place in our body.

9. IT IS A WORKSHOP OF GOD”S CREATION

Isaiah 44:2, 24 and 49:5 "The Lord that made thee, that formed thee from the womb."

The word formed means to be “molded into a form as a potter does.” God molds each individual child in the womb.

Psalm 139:13-17 TLB says, "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body, and knit them together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complete! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous."

10. IT IS A WEAPON AGAINST SATAN

It is the womb that conceives and nourishes the “godly seed” who will come forth to be the light in the darkness and who will destroy the works of Satan in this world. God is looking for an army. The greatest threat to Satan in this world is godly parents who understand God’s intentions and who will bring forth and train a godly seed to fulfil His eternal plans. God’s people have unwittingly decreased God’s army in this hour. The womb is a powerful weapon against Satan. Some women fear to bring babies into this evil world, but this is one of the greatest reasons for having children--to be the light in this dark world!

11. IT BRINGS FORTH GOD’S REWARD

Psalm 127:3 says, "Children are an heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is His reward."

God chooses the womb to reward His people. In Hosea 9:16, God calls children the "dearly beloved fruit of the womb." The context of this passage is that God was going to destroy the “rewards” that He had given them because of their continual disobedience, but it shows how God views children and also how the early Hebrews felt about their children.

Here’s what some of the other translations say…

NIV CHERISHED OFFSPRING

RV BELOVED CHILDREN

NAS PRECIOUS ONES

NEB DEAREST OFFSPRING

JER DARLINGS

NAS TREASURES OF THE WOMB


Ruth 2:12 says, "The Lord recompense thy work and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel." What was the full reward? Ruth 4:13 gives us the answer: "The Lord gave her conception and she bare a son."

12. IT IS A SPHERE OF INFLUENCE

The Hebrew word rechem for womb is “matrix” which means “a place within which something originates or develops.”

Exodus 20:5 says, "I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me." Iniquity is willfully following our own way rather than God’s. Rebellion in the parents can also be passed on to the children. Psalm 58:3 says, "The godless are perverse from the womb." Also read Isaiah 48:8.

Recent studies clearly show that an unborn baby is affected deeply by the attitudes of the mother. If the mother rejects the child in her womb, her child will suffer from this rejection at some stage in his/her life. If the mother is full of fear, that fear will enter her unborn child. If the father who gave the seed of life or the mother is willful, that iniquity will touch the unborn baby. Tempers, unforgiveness and bitterness that are not dealt with will be passed on to future generations.

The following are a few examples of how the mother’s attitude to her baby in the womb had a detrimental affect upon the baby. I know these women personally. A mother had a horrific birth experience at her second birth. It put such fear into her that when she was pregnant with her third child she was paranoid about giving birth again and was full of fears. Somehow these fears entered into this child, for this baby who is now grown, is still struggling with fears today and they have plagued her all her life.

A backslidden girl fell pregnant. She wanted this child to grow up with a mother and a father and so decided that she would give this baby to a loving family. She was naturally a very loving person, but in order to not get too attached to her baby as she planned to give it away, she thought of it “as nothing” or as a “bit of stone.” However, at the very end of her pregnancy she met the father of the child again and at the last minute they decided to get married. And so of course, they kept the baby! The baby was born and received with love and joy and was totally mothered. However, as this baby grew into her second year, she became abnormally affected and screamed with terror if her mother even went out of the room. As their pastors (the husband had come to the Lord and the wife had been restored to the Lord), we prayed about it, and wondered if she was suffering from rejection of not being accepted during her time in the womb. We prayed over this little child and asked God to heal her from this rejection and from that moment she never had the problem again.

There is an interesting story mentioned in The Secret Life of the Unborn Child by Dr. Thomas Verny. When this particular baby was born, it would not move its head toward the breast of the mother but would turn away. The doctor thought she may be ill, but when she drank milk from the bottle in the nursery he ruled that one out. Next day the same thing happened so the doctor thought he would try an experiment. The next day he gave the sleepy baby to another mother who had consented to try to feed her. Immediately the baby rooted for the breast and sucked for all she was worth. The doctor was now more than interested. He went back to the biological mother and asked, “Did you want this baby?” “No,” she replied. “I wanted an abortion. My husband wanted the child. That’s why I had her.” That was news to the doctor, but not to the baby! She had been rejected and was now rejecting her mother.

Mothering starts in the womb,
not just when the baby is born!

13. IT IS A SITE OF JUDGMENT

Because the womb is sacred and precious, God uses it as a place of judgment.
•2 Samuel 6:20-23. Michal received judgment upon her womb when she despised her husband and she did not have a child.
•Deuteronomy 28:15, 18 and Leviticus 26:21,22. Disobedience brought the curse of barrenness in these Scriptures:
•In Numbers 5:11-31 we read of how adultery brought judgment upon the womb. It says, "the curse shall go into thy womb!" The womb should be kept pure. It should not be defiled through fornication or adultery. If this has been the case, there should be repentance, confession and prayer for the cleansing of the womb. The womb must be kept pure and holy for the nurturing of the "godly seed" that God desires.

14. IT IS A BIRTHPLACE OF DESTINIES

Psalm 139:16 TLB says, "You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your Book!"

God’s destiny for a child is upon them in the womb. We see many examples in Scripture.
•John the Baptist was "filled with the Holy Ghost even from his mother’s womb"
•Luke 1:15 and 16:41.
•Paul says that God "separated me from my mother’s womb...that I might preach Him among the heathen" Galatians 1:15, 16.
•Samson said, "I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb” Judges 16:7.
•The prophet Isaiah said, "The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath He made mention of my name " Isaiah 49:1 and 49:5.
•God said of Jeremiah, "Before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations" Jeremiah 1:5.

Start praying daily over your baby as soon as you know the wonderful news of conception. In the last three months of pregnancy, the baby in utero is able to hear. This is an important time to speak lovingly to the baby and welcome this little one to your family. It is time to start reading the Word of God to your baby. It is a good time for the baby to get to know the father’s voice. When our sixth grandchild was born at our home, we were all amazed to notice that the moment her father took “Meadow” in his arms and began to speak to her that she was arrested by his voice. She already knew it. He had been speaking to her daily, putting his mouth right on his wife’s womb.

15. IT IS A SECRET PLACE

The womb is a sanctuary of protection. Psalm 139:15 says, "I was made in secret." God has planned for the womb to be a sanctuary. It is a “secret” place where God forms life away from the eyes of man. It is not to be interfered with by man. Satan wants to tamper with the womb and destroy it. God initiates life and performs miracles in this secret place.

Just as parents love to give surprises to our children, so our God loves to give us surprises! He loves secrets too. His gift of a baby is a special surprise and I believe that He wants it to be kept secret until the time that He is ready to deliver it to us. Ultra sound can be necessary in times of emergency, but I wonder about using it just to find out the sex of our baby. I think we take away from the wonderful surprise that God wants to give us. One mother suggested that it is like the molding of a stature. No one is allowed to see it while the sculptor works on it until the day of the special unveiling ceremony.

Another mother shared that when she was expecting her third baby, friends and family pressured her to find out the sex of her coming baby. Was it going to be another boy, or was she having a girl this time? To satisfy their cajoling, she went for the ultra sound and found she was having another boy. She was happy about this of course. However, she said that at the time of the birth it was a let down! The baby came and everyone already knew that it was a boy and even knew his name. The only thing left to say was, “He’s here!” After getting surprises for her first two births, she noticed how she missed out on much of the suspense and excitement by already knowing God’s secret ahead of time.

16. IT IS A HOLY PLACE

The womb is a holy place and the entrance to the womb is holy. It is a type of the temple in the Old Testament where the Holy Place was separated from the Holy of Holies by a thick veil. The only person who could enter the Holy of Holies was the High Priest. God has also created the hymen in a virgin to protect the entrance of the womb. It is a type of the veil that protected the Holy of Holies and could only be entered by the High Priest.

The hymen, the protection to the womb, should only be broken by one man. God’s plan is that on the wedding night, two virgins come together and the hymen (the veil) is broken by the one who will become her husband--the priest of her home. Read Deuteronomy 22:13-21; 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17; 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 and 2 Corinthians 6:17-18.

17. IT IS A HOSPITALITY ROOM

As we discussed the importance of our womb at our Mothers Bible Study, one of the mothers received another understanding of the womb. I will let her share in her own words: “The womb is actually a room. We are walking around with a special guest room in our body which is a temple. Just as the temple of King David’s time had a Holy of Holies, so our womb is a sanctified place for God to bring forth life. I was challenged to realize that just as I prepare a guest room and have it ready for when guests come to stay, so I should prepare my womb and dedicate it for whomever God sends my way. “Yes, Lord, I will take in whoever you choose to send and I will nurture them with food, love and safety for the amount of time they are here. Sometimes, it might be three months, or six, but hopefully nine months. After the door to that special room is opened, they will be with us for a short time or a long time. That is up to You, Lord. My part is to welcome with a hospitable spirit any child You choose to send to my womb home.”

18. IT IS A PLACE OF DEPENDENCY

David said in Psalm 22:10, "I was cast upon thee from the womb." The womb is where we learn our first and most important lesson--reliance upon God. Independence, which comes from pride and rebellion was the sin that caused Lucifer to be cast out of heaven. We are cast upon God from the womb and this should be our attitude right through our lives. Read Psalm 71:6 and Isaiah 46:3-4.

NANCY CAMPBELL

Above Rubies, www.aboverubies.org

Whats so Great about Shakespeare? a Charlotte Mason homeschool mom explains.

Some reasons why we study Shakespeare
He is responsible for adding some 2000 words and phrases to the English language-examples include: gloomy, lonely, majestic, reliance, hurry, leapfrog, excellent. Tongue-tied, budge an inch, seen better days, fair play, lord and master, foul play, dead as a doornail, my own flesh and blood, set your teeth on edge, without rhyme or reason, laughing stock, didn't sleep a wink and if the truth were known. (more here)

His plays provide a comprehensive and thoughtful look at the human condition, dealing with the virtues of men as well as their vices- love, faithfulness, greed, honesty, selfishness, mercy, lust, power and justice are just a few. As we study his plays we understand ourselves better.

His inspiration comes from historical events, mythological tales, and Biblical passages. He often refers to Christ, his teachings and other Biblical characters and morals. All of these sources are a vital part of our history.

His plays deal with the consequences of sin and yet Shakespeare is very liberal in showing mercy. I believe this is a VERY important theme in his works. Macbeth, although one of his darkest plays, reveals the power of unconfessed sin and it's ability to destroy not just one, but many lives. It also exposes the dangers of witchcraft.

His plays provide rich fodder for meaningful discussions.

His poetry is profound. Shakespeare and the sonnet go hand in hand.

His plays have intricate plots with many twists and turns, providing an excellent exercise in logic.

They are thoroughly entertaining and stimulate the imagination.
Find out more: here

We found an owl outside this week. So we had lots of fun learning about owls. They painted these pictures for their narration as they listened to me read.

For science we learned about solids and liquids. With liquids we practiced dissolving other liquids. For a biblical demonstration I explained how the food coloring is like their deeds, either good or bad; they cannot be hidden from God. We then demonstrated how oil and water never mix. I read them the scripture about how believers and unbelievers can't be yoked together, they just don't mix! Hopefully scientific and biblical principals were solidified.

We read the biography of Harriet Tubman. I was sad to learn that she left her husband because he wasn't interested in freedom. Ethical dilemma? She helped free hundreds of slaves and did amazing work during the Civil War, but she broke her vow to God and left her husband. What was the right thing to do? 2 passages we read to form our opinions were 1 Corinthians 7:22-23, and 1 Corinthians 7:10. We are fighting for a Biblical Worldview in a day, where God and biblical standards are mocked as archaic, irrelevant, and relative. Fighting for Truth may seem "narrow-minded", but we are fighting to be on the "narrow-path".

Have your read Rapuznel's ethical dilemma?

My family has seen the movie, a lot actually. And we've talked about many of these things. This article actually gave me more food for thought.

Here's a tidbit:

Some might say that since your universe is a fantasy universe, God’s ethical system does not apply. But if His moral standard doesn’t have jurisdiction over this film – if, since this film isn’t a “Christian” film, we shouldn’t require it to line up with the Bible – then who could dare say bumping your mother out of the way would be wrong? Who’s to say any other solution would be morally better? Are we admitting that there is some overarching standard after all?

We’ve got good news for you: You, Rapunzel, imaginary creature though you are, are not ultimately under the lordship of Disney Studios, but of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 commands all men to “take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” – which means every imagination, every script page, and every film frame. Christ demands that every man’s mind and the stuff in it bow the knee, and that would include you. And His moral system – His law – is still the standard by which your moral system must be measured.

Homeschooling: How Michelle Duggar Approaches Learning Difficulties - Home - The Duggar Family

Thanks Michelle

Charlotte Mason and Special Needs: here

The twins have had more than a difficult time learning. I started looking for answers at the beginning of the school year. I wanted to know... are they just slow and need more time to mature, or do they truly have a learning disability which requires treatment? That is what I've been praying about and trying to uncover all year.

As yet another year slips by and they still can't identify the entire alphabet (let alone read), can't write their ABC's or numbers to 10 independently and they are nearly 7!!...I'm ready for answers. This may not be a big deal to some people and perhaps if these children had never been taught it wouldn't be as alarming, but they have done the equivalent of "Kindergarten" TWICE already!!!! And academically they are still between pre-school and mid-Kindergarten level. Call me crazy, but I do NOT want to teach Kindergarten for a third year to the same students!!! Which is pretty much the boat I'm in. By the end of the assessment the therapist understood my pain , frustration,heart-ache,dilemma. Finally I've started shifting my focus from my teaching and teaching methods to their learning abilities/disabilities/difficulties/impairments/etc.Even under the worst teacher they should do better than they are doing now. In fact, I personally know more than a dozen children whose only teacher has been Sesame Street and Leap Frog and do exceedingly better academically. This realization; the fact that they cannot do simple, basic processes that come easily and naturally to most children has propelled me to really get help for them before another year slips away.

My initial fear about having them tested was the labeling trap; and how happy doctors are to label, diagnose, and medicate little children. I didn't want that to happen to my kids. I must say the people that I have been working with have been overwhelmingly supportive, encouraging, objective, knowledgeable, professional, and sympathetic to our wants, needs, faith, and individuality. I couldn't ask for better support given the circumstances. No one has suggested public school, special ed, pills, or the like. (smile)

Her findings: First, this is slightly incomplete b/c she hasn't officially scored the entire assessment. I was there for the entire 4 hour assessment, which was broken up into 2 days. The 2nd part went like the first. The standard score is 100 which is the mean or average score. At the standard score 100 represents the 50th percentile. For example, Peyton's standard score for reading readiness is 70 placing her in the 2 percentile ranking. This means that she is more ready than 2% of her peers and less ready than 98% of children her age who were administered this same test. Not Dyslexia? The therapist(Ms. A) said Peyton is probably not a case of dyslexia b/c dyslexic children have average to above average intelligence, yet their performance/academics doesn't match their intelligence level. Peyton on the other hand demonstrates below-average to well-below-average intelligence in all areas and is a performing at her intelligence level. Coupled with the fact that she processes information slowly, has a language delay, poor short term memory, and weak comprehension.

The Good News: (Ms. A) said Peyton is learning(albeit, very slowly) therefore she can learn. She said our reading curriculum (The Writing Road to Reading) is very strong and she can see how Peyton is using the skills that she has learned to help her read and write. She has good skills. She said that homeschooling is the best option and that Peyton is lucky to have her mom teach her. What Now? Try to get her into therapy. (Ms. A) uses The Wilson Method, which is similar to the Spalding method that we are already using. She is willing to mesh the two together and create a program that works for us. Keep working on her memory and comprehension. Do a lot of phonemic awareness exercises. A lot of repetition, and by a lot I really mean a MAMMOTH/UNCALCULATED amount of repetition. Break tasks into the smallest of steps and DEMONSTRATE everything. Integrate gross motor skills into learning and different fingering techniques for reading. She suspects that learning will always be very slow and very difficult for her, but encouraged me to keep praying for her education and her little brain. She said I'm going to need a lot of patience and grace. (more than I feel like I have most days)

The Goal: Help her to learn and absorb info.

Attitude: Peyton has a surprisingly great attitude about school work. Her favorite subject is reading.(smile) She doesn't even know that she struggles, she doesn't know...that she doesn't know. She has no idea that she has a hard time learning. She doesn't feel stressed or overworked. That is so key!!! I pray continually for patience and joy while teaching her, and when I feel exasperated I won't teach her. I NEVER want to reinforce failure. I want her to walk away from each day feeling victorious and positive about learning. If I fail with patience...she'll just plain fail.
But guess what, FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!!!


BY PERSEVERANCE THE SNAIL REACHED THE ARK-Amish Proverb
I might write this proverbs on our walls (smile)

This is my custom made Kindle Cover. I love Little House on the Prairie so I took a hardcover book that I had, cut the pages out and made a Kindle Cover following these directions: DIY Kindle Cover

Sorry my week in review posts have been so sporatic. I've been super busy taking care of my injured husband who was hurt in a work accident and mothering our children. Homeschooling persists and continues to be a blessing to our family in a thousand or more ways. So I shall try to recount the last month in our homeschool. Science and the Bible have made our learning adventures so much fun. In this science demostration filled up several balloons with air and several more balloons with 1/2 water. When placed over an open fire, the balloons with air burst instantly, but the ballons filled with water do not burst. We learned about the magnificent heat capacity of water. We can really appreciate the amazing properties of water, especially considering the parellels between water and salvation in scripture which we looked at. With a fraction book from the library in hand, all the kids were given spaghetti noodles and a knife and created fractions. The little kids were cutting in halves and thirds and Kyle was making equivalent fractions: adding, subracting, multiplying, and dividing them. In this demonstration we learned about air pressure and how like air pressure; the Lord provides "wind beneath our wings", giving us support. We also talked about peer pressure:What is is, the effects of it, how to deal with, and what how you will most likely be affected by it. e.g. The pressure to drink, do drugs, be sexually immoral, greedy, lazy, rebellious, disobdient, etc. We speak with our children candidly about the spiritual war and the battles will they will face. We aim to prepare them ahead of time. Teaching them, training them, giving them strategies. We are so thankful for the homeschool. Not only are we, (imperfect; but wise, mature, Godly people) their primary influence for the vast majority of their waking hours. But we actually have the time to give academics and character/soul formation equal attention. And should we become unbalanced in our pursuit of teaching academics and character formation, let the weight rest on the latter. Kaden is still playing his surgery games online. Kason has adjusted very nicely to the Writing Road to Reading. The whole family is learning the 70 phonograms. We are more than half way through. The 70 phonograms combined with the spelling rules have helped Kyle tremendously in spelling. The system is so systematic and logical I'm convinced this is the way to raise a good speller. Kendal found out about computer time :-) With the help of Writing with Ease, Kyle has nearly mastered putting thoughts into words and then onto paper. We have spent more of this year on writing composition than mechanics. I am finally learning how seamlessly I can integrate writing mechanics into everyday assignments. I gave him 4th grade math SOL for reading and math. He scored nearly perfect in Language Arts and about 70% on Math which was to be expected b/c he still has 1/3 of his math book to go. All the problems he missed had to do with fractions, percents, decimals, geometry, and probability. After he completes his math book which addresses all of these, I'll give him the test again before I give him his end of the year final test. I also printed off several released 4th grade math tests for him to work on throughout the summer. Math is still not his favorite subject but he is a diligent worker and does it well. The twins have shown incredible improvement this last month!!!!!!! Especially in the areas of before and after, sequencing, patterning, breaking down words, spelling, writing, following directions, and reading comprehension. All skills which have been so sorely lacking. Even Peyton's speech teacher has remarked how much she has improved in such a short amount of time. Her speech teacher gives her weekly homework, which I'm able to do with both the twins and they have really improved a lot in those areas. They both perfectly narrated a story to me! A huge feat in this house. Oh my beloved Kindle!!! I can't wait to post pictures. Is it too dramatic to say it's transformed my life!! I absolutely love it, how did I ever live without it! I can't say enough great things about it. The Kindle is a dream come true. Thousands of books at my finger tips for me and my whole family to enjoy! And since we use many "school books" from the last century they're all free. So we are happily enjoying so many books right now. Snuggled up in bed with hot chocolate we are plodding our way through the classics; how delightful.