Accepting painful correction

Never ceases to humble me:

"Poverty and shame will come to him who neglects discipline, But he who regards reproof will be honored."

Elijah the Pilgrim at school

Thanksgiving

The reason why Thanksgiving is such a great holy-day is because we concentrate on thankfulness and feasting, two things we need to do throughout the year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Idealism or faithfulness?

Do we seek for the ideal place that will fix our discontents or do we invest ourselves in diligence wherever we are?  It's the faithfulness that matters not your circumstantial location.

Proverbs 12:14,15 "A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his words, and the deeds of a man's hand will return to him."  What really matters is the performance of your character and life, not so much the  particular external circumstances of your life.

Prov. 12:24 "The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slack hand will be put to forced labor."

10:4 "Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, But the hand of the diligent makes rich."

Hard work and Thanksgiving--Amen.

Timothy Keller~"Ministries of Mercy"

"The ideology of the Left believes big government and social reform will solve social ills, while the Right believes big business and economic growth will do it.  The Left expects a citizen to be held legally accountable for the use of his wealth, but totally autonomous in other areas, such as sexual morality.  The Right expects a citizen to be held legally accountable in areas of personal morality, but totally autonomous in the use of wealth.  The North American "idol"- radical individualism - lies beneath both ideologies.  A Christian sees either "solution" as fundamentally humanistic and simplistic."

So, as Francis Schaeffer once said, "...Do not align yourself as though you are in either of these camps:  You are an ally of neither."

Pilgrim William Bradford~2nd Governor of New Plymouth

"Thus out of small beginnings greater things have grown by His hand who made all things out of nothing, and gives being to all things that are; and as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light enkindled here has shone to many, yea, in a sense, to our whole nation; let the glorious name of Jehovah have all the praise."

I have been studying the Pilgrims coming to America.  I am giving a lecture on them at our school, Coram Deo this Fri.  I will try and post the lecture in series here.

Hard Words

More often than not, even for the sweetest of people, "hard words" are what we need for our victory over sin.
"Hard words make soft hearts, and soft words make hard hearts."  Jim Wilson

Alexanders in Oct complete with homeschool co-op and reformation party--me as a cardinal and Elijah as a "papal bull"

True to history, many Roman Catholics were drunks.  Popes/Cardinals were infamous for corruption.  Abigail is the Latin Vulgate.  Hannah is the famous Anne Boleyn.  Somebody had to play the part of the enemy in the reformation party.  The Jews have long had certain individuals dress up as Haman when they reenact the festival of Purim.

Our tradition of slicing through orange

Greenbluff-Apple cider, pumpkin picking trip

Best short piece-incredibly beautiful/practical on God the One in Three

Best poem I've read outside of Scripture is Doug Jone's "Catapoem," which is a catechism on the Holy Trinity done in a poetic form.  You must read it-http://credenda.org/ Volume 17 number 4.  Part of it is upside down to mess with your head, you'll have to print it.

Kids in Manito Park 2010

Our friend BJ, "..like a bride radiant in her glory.."