Showing posts with label Encouragement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Encouragement. Show all posts

Sunday, October 6, 2024

Choose Christ, not Curriculum for your Homeschool + Giveaway!!!

 


Over our long and continuous homeschool journey (over 18 years!), we have used many different curricula and types of curricula--workbooks, textbooks, and a mixture of Charlotte Mason/classical/ and unit studies.  Last year, I had been reading more about Charlotte Mason's method of education and found so much that resonated with me--including nature study, art instruction, music, narrations...And so I set out to make last year our first purely Charlotte Mason year.  I purchased membership for one of these Charlotte Mason curriculums and hurried on to purchase all of the books and supplies we would need for almost the entire year.  Then the books started coming in, and I started prereading.  "Huh.  I don't agree with that," I thought.  There were things I was finding that didn't line up with the Bible.  I contacted the company with my concerns.  Well, just discuss them with your children, I was told.  But these books were teaching something blatantly opposed to God's Word--evolution, for one.

After some time, I decided I would need to choose something else for our family, and I did so.  Curriculum try number two:  ordered all the books and supplies again.  Books came in,  and I started reading.   Hmmm...more things contrary to God's Word.  A majority of these books seemed to have a "woke" flavor, plus some other issues.  But these were "Christian" companies...again I contacted the company with my concerns, but they didn't share mine.  I just couldn't use such material to teach my children, and so I ordered something else.  This curriculum seemed a bit better.  There was no blatant evolution, and the book selections seemed a bit more conservative.  We used this for awhile, but they were really only learning about God in the short Bible readings we had every morning.  Everything else was secular, without any mention of the Creator and Lord of the Universe.  I decided to add in some books from another Charlotte Mason company to give my children more to read, to see if that would help.  But it ended up being too much, and again, there were issues with content I was not comfortable with.  For example, if you do purely Charlotte Mason, you are supposed to have your children read mythology.  My youngest at the time who I was homeschooling, kept asking me, "Mom, why are we reading these weird stories?  I don't like them--they're ridiculous!"  I really agreed with her, but, we were "supposed to" read mythology because somehow it was going to benefit her.  But would it benefit her spiritually?  

After doing a lot of research, I switched most things over to a more conservative Charlotte Mason company, which worked fine for history because we were in the same time period.  The book selections were a bit better, without as much questionable material.  But there was still plenty, without any warnings!  We also tried a Shakespeare play, because if you are doing Charlotte Mason, you are supposed to learn Shakespeare!  Even though I chose a milder play, there were still blasphemies and other course talk and situations in it, which I tried to explain to my children.  But most them told me afterwards that they did not like going through that play and didn't think a Christian man would write such things.  I also fully expected with this company that there would be more mention of the Lord along with our history readings, and a pointing out of His working in the world.  But there was next to nothing of this.  I started thinking upon all of this more seriously and hearkening back to our main purpose in homeschooling our children and why I started in the first place...

It dawned on me that while I was homeschooling my children, they were receiving much of a type of education that they'd get in a public school setting--not receiving a Christian worldview or God-honoring material in their books.  Their "peers" in these books were not a good example to them.  They were not learning that God made the world and everything in it.  They were not being stirred on to holy living.  I knew we had to change something, and it all weighed heavily on me while I purused through curriculm for the upcoming school year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Why are you homeschooling, or if you haven't started yet, why are you interested in it?  Is it because you want your children to have a better chance academically?  Do you want your children to not be stuck in a classroom?  Do you want to have more time with them?  Do you want to have more control over what they are learning?  Perhaps you've learned about a certain method of education and want your children to be taught that way.  Maybe you want to make school "fun".  Or, maybe you want to keep your children away from peer pressure.

While none of these reasons are wrong, and some of them are very good and may be helpful for your children, the above reasons may not be enough to keep you going through the years when difficulties arise and you have challenging days.  I think there is one overarching reason that we Christian parents should homeschool our children and that we must keep at the forefront of our minds.  In all of our plans and curriculum choosing, this should be the most important aspect.  What is this "Reason for Homeschooling"?

The reason is to bring our children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  To show them, in all subjects, and in all ways, the Lord is King and the Creator of all.  That this is His world, and He has been working in it since the beginning of time.  We must also show them that we are not living for ourselves and our pleasure, but for the One Who made us and all things.  We must help them in all their studies to learn about the Lord and their place in His world.

So, I believe we cannot just follow a curriculum, but we need to be actively involved in each step in knowing what our children are learning, and if it is something beneficial to them spiritually.  We must not fully embrace a curriculum, but embrace Christ!  Of course, there are some good Christian curriculum companies out there, but it seems they are getting harder to find.  And I always recommend prereading your children's books, especially if they will be reading them on their own.

If you'd like me to write more on this subject, please let me know in the comments.

But now, on to the fun part for you...


Autumn Blessings Homeschool Giveaway

We’ve teamed up with a wonderful group of homeschool bloggers to bring you something special this fall—the Autumn Blessings Homeschool Giveaway!

Between October 7-13, 2024, you can enter for your chance to win one of two $75 gift cards that could be just what your family needs to bless your homeschool journey.

Click here to enter!

It’s simple to enter, and we’re excited to bless two of our amazing homeschooling families with this gift! 

The winners will be announced on October 14th, so make sure to mark your calendars and join in.

We’re praying this blessing finds its way to the right family!
Terms and Conditions are outlined on the KingSumo Entry form. 
By entering this giveaway, you agree to allow Sponsors of this giveaway to add your information to their email lists and grant them permission to contact you.

 

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Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Church is a Lonely Place for Homemakers

https://www.artranked.com/images/a7/a75aae31ec2a3ed3cb787fd2df630e7f.jpg

 

Time and time again I've had Christian homemakers, Biblical keepers-at-home, write in to me and say how lonely it is at church because the church is full of feminists.  It feels so lonely there because in a time for having fellowship, the other women are all talking about their work week.  Instead of talking about their week spent at home preparing lovely meals for their husbands, teaching their children about the world God made, cleaning the home, sharing time management tips, or even about difficulties with parenting children, many Christian women think they have now found their "higher purpose" in having a job outside of the home.  Even if their children are all grown and out of the house, they very rarely relate to the younger women who are in the throws of raising a family because their minds are consumed with holding down a paying job.  This is not how the Bible says it should be. 

The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

(Titus 2:3-5)
Besides this, the mother at home is often neglected in sermons and rarely receives any encouragement for her good works at home (though in some churches, praise thankfully still happens).  Perhaps the preacher is afraid of offending the working wives if he praises the keepers at home too much.  Sermons may only center on a few favorite verses or focus always on evangelism, and often home life that applies to mothers, fathers, and children is sadly left out.  Homemakers then often get the feeling that their work is not important, or is less important, because after all, they are not out "winning souls" like the men.

But.....

I want to encourage you...

Your work at home is important.  

It does matter.

Even if no one acknowledges it or says a single word about it...

Even if there is no one at church to talk to about womanly things (keeping a home, raising children, teaching your children, loving and serving in your home)...

God sees you...

And He values what you are doing.

As a bonus, we now have the internet where we can find like-minded women who love serving their families at home!  I'm so thankful that there are still women writing lovely blogs in between taking care of their families (or even when their families have grown), so we can learn from each other and still have a bit of "Titus 2".

So despite discouragements we may have, let's labor on in love for our families, and may we one day hear from the Lord Jesus Christ, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

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Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Do You Ever Feel Like This?


"A woman once fretted over the usefulness of her life. She feared she was wasting her potential being a devoted wife and mother. She wondered if the time and energy she invested in her husband and children would make a difference. At times she got discouraged because so much of what she did seemed to go unnoticed and unappreciated. “Is it worth it?” she often wondered. “Is there something better that I could be doing with my time?”
 
"It was during one of these moments of questioning that she heard the still small voice of her heavenly Father speak to her heart. “You are a wife and mother because that is what I have called you to be. Much of what you do is hidden from the public eye. But I notice. Most of what you give is done without remuneration. But I am your reward. Your husband cannot be the man I have called him to be without your support. Your influence upon him is greater than you think and more powerful than you will ever know. I bless him through your service and honor him through your love. 
 
"Your children are precious to Me. Even more precious than they are to you. I have entrusted them to your care to raise for me. What you invest in them is an offering to me. You may never be in the public spot light. But your obedience shines as a bright light before me. Continue on. Remember you are My servant. Do all to please Me.” 
 
~ Roy Lessin
Oh, aren't these encouraging words?  When we do all these things for our families, it may be hard.  No one may notice day to day.  But God sees all we do.  Let's remember that.

Have you gotten your Home Management bundle yet?
 
Countdown Timer


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Wednesday, May 19, 2021

A Wise Young Man



A young man I know was recently telling me of a wife who was going to work against her husband's wishes.  We were discussing praying for that family in that situation, but this boy, who is entering into his young manhood, wisely observed a couple of things.  

He said, "I don't even understand why women go to work when their husbands work anyways.  Whenever I see women working at their jobs, they always seem so stressed out, but not so with the men--they are mostly cheerful."

How observant is this!  He is being so honest about the state of most women today--trying to fill a role they were never meant to fill, and taking upon them Adam's curse (Genesis 3:17) and also his duty to provide.  It goes against a woman's nature to provide, unless she is in a true emergency situation, such as the death of her husband when no one is providing for her (by the way, the Bible prescribes a remedy for this as well).

I hope no one steals this young man's astute understanding away, and that he will always trust in what God's Word says, including the roles of men and women.

Also, I pray that more Christian women will return home to where they belong, guarding, guiding, and keeping the home, as the Bible prescribes.  The world is in a dire situation, and a great deal of it is because Christian women have abandoned the home.

If you know of some good blogs that encourage women to be keepers at home (along with other Biblical things), would you leave them in the comments below?  I'm sure we all could use some encouragement.

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Saturday, May 8, 2021

Happy Mother's Day 2021 ❤️



Dear Christian Mothers at Home,

I hope you all have a blessed Mother's Day.  It is such a blessing to be a mother, isn't it?  Some days and seasons are hard, but we do our work for the Lord.  Just remember that even if your husband doesn't give you special honor on this day, or if your children forget, the Lord sees your toil day after day.  Our work at home taking care of home, husband, and children, is so important!  Just remember it is pleasing to the Lord.

Below is one of my favorite quotes:

"I work for a King. He has put me in charge of his home. When He comes to see how I have managed His possessions and His children, I do not want to be found wanting. I want to do my best. Everything I have is on loan from Him. I have room and board and a job to do, but it is all for Him. Therefore I want to dress my best and do my best in all my work. I also want to be creative, for this is a sincere attempt to glorify Him and His beautiful creation. How I manage my home is a form of worship to Him." 

--Lydia Sherman

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Saturday, August 8, 2020

Children are an Heritage of the LORD

9 Trailblazing Female Painters of the 19th Century You Really Should Know  About | artnet News


Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. (Psalms 127:3) Heritage: "Inheritance; an estate that passes from an ancestor to an heir by descent or course of law; that which is inherited." ~Webster's 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language

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{painting: Ernesta by Cecilia Beaux 1894} 

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Homemakers Are Serving God



"You are as much serving God in looking after your own children, and training them up in God's fear, and minding the house, and making your household a church for God, as you would be if you had been called to lead an army to battle for the Lord of hosts." -Charles Spurgeon

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Saturday, July 11, 2020

A Woman's Place is in the Home


"A woman's place is in the home not because she isn’t good enough for the world but because she is too good for it. A woman’s precious gifts are squandered when she gives herself to the making of a dollar rather than a home. The world, its corporations, bureaucracies, and agencies are profane entities that are unworthy of a woman’s devotion and are unable to value the feminine charism. These profane entities coarsen, poison, and suck dry the maternal heart." 
-G. C. Dilsaver
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Artwork: 
{The Tack Room
by De Scott Evans}

Saturday, May 9, 2020

Happy Mother's Day 2020


Dear Christian Mothers,

I hope you may have a blessed Mother's Day. How sweet that someone some time ago came up with a day to honor their dear mother. The Proverbs 31 woman's children arose and called her blessed, and so did her husband.

I wanted to share something with you below that I came across the other day. I know we are not truly angels, for we need our dear Saviour Jesus to save us from our sins. But the below little article had me in tears--it was a reminder for me of the great duty the Lord gives us when He gives us a new child--OH! What a blessing! It is such an amazing blessing--a great duty and a privilege. Every day we should be asking the Lord for His help to be a sweet and wise mother for our children, and every day we should be thankful for this great privilege and gift to be called "Mother".
~*~NEWBORN'S CONVERSATION WITH GOD~*~

A baby asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow,
but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"

God said, "Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you."

The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have
to do anything but sing and smile to be happy."

God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you.
and you will feel your angel's love and be very happy."

Again the small child asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand
when people talk to me if I don't know the language?"

God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words
you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will
teach you how to speak."

"And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"

God said, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach
you how to pray."

"Who will protect me?"

God said, "Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life."

"But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore."

God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach
you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you."

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth
could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, "God, if I am to leave
now, please tell me my angel's name."

God said, You will simply call her, "Mom."

Author Unknown


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Thursday, March 12, 2020

Distractions and Fear Mongering



I don't know about you, but I am so sick of hearing about coronavirus.  I think a lot of it is fear-mongering to distract us from other things.  When doing my shopping this week online, I was barely able to get deliveries scheduled--no doubt because a lot more people are having their groceries delivered instead of going out to get them.  One store's website kept having technical errors, perhaps due to too many people on it at once.  And then, when I went to purchase toilet paper because we are running out, I could hardly find any to buy!--all because people are giving way to this fear the media is spreading like wildfire.  People are being completely selfish and stockpiling things they don't need.

We, as Christian homemakers, may just need to turn the news off until this passes.  We should be focusing on our homes and families and doing what we can for their health--feeding them healthy, home-cooked meals, for one.  It is processed foods and white sugar that harms our immune systems.  Also, as time permits, learn about treating your own family's health.  In the past, I have learned about essential oils and herbs, and then came to learn about homeopathy.  Homeopathy is my favorite.  We use it all the time for both acute and chronic conditions, and I am prepared with remedies, should the need arise.  Most importantly, we know that the Lord is in control, and as we obey Him, we need to trust in Him to take care of us through all these trials.  You may find this earlier post I have written, helpful ~ Protecting Your Mind as a Homemaker

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I don't want to live in fear, but one thing that does bother me is the things those in high places are trying to do while we are distracted by this virus.  For those of you interested, I'm copying some information on what the government has been up to, below.

Copied:
In case you haven't noticed, while everyone is distracted by all the coronavirus fear mongering, THIS is actively happening👇🏼🙄😧

SIX states across America are now in violation of the constitution and have stripped their people of their rights, removing exemptions for vaccines - medical, religious and philosophical. Some of these apply to homeschooling children as well or will eventually as new bills are passed.


👉MISSISSIPPI, CALIFORNIA, WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY AND MAINE.👈

➡️ Last month CONNECTICUT passed a bill to remove religious exemptions.

🚫 COLORADO has bill SB 163 going into Senate that removes exemptions and discriminates/mandates review of those choosing not to vaccinate or delay them.

🚫 ILLINOIS has a couple bills, one is to mandate HPV, another bill SB 3668 is to remove religious exemptions and allow for minors to consent on their own to vaccines.

🚫 FLORIDA has a bill SB 64 That would remove religious exemptions and restrict medical exemptions.

➡️ HAWAII passed bill HAR 11-157 that goes into effect soon that mandates the CDC schedule from childcare through college, adding additional vaccines/boosters including FLU and HPV and more for college entry.

🚫 IOWA bill HF 206 is out to remove religious exemptions

🚫 MASSACHUSETTS has a couple bills to remove religious exemptions, get approval from the government for medical and religious exemptions, mandate HPV and allow minors to consent on their own.

There will be more - in your state and added to these states. For homeschooling, for mandates, for consenting minors, for workplace mandates without exemptions, for public notice of vaccination status, for adult vaccine mandates.

IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU ARE FOR OR AGAINST VACCINES - THIS IS ABOUT FREEDOM, choice and the overstepping of the government officials who are in violation of the oaths they took and the Constitution that SAYS this is not legal.

Take a stand, join the fight, raise your voices, put them on notice. Please, before we lose all of our personal and parental rights.

https://www.nvic.org/Vaccin…/state-vaccine-requirements.aspx
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National Vaccine Information Center is a reliable source of information.  I know some women hate the talk of vaccines and never look into it themselves and have even accused me of being "political" when I post something about them.  But this is not "political"--this is to be informed for the sake of our family's health, and also our freedoms.  Surely this is something important for mothers to do.  No one should be forced to put anything into their children's or their own bodies against their will.

Also, it has been shown that there is a connection between receiving a flu vaccine and being susceptible to coronavirus.





“Receiving influenza vaccination may increase the risk of other respiratory viruses, a phenomenon known as virus interference.”

“Vaccine derived virus interference was significantly associated with coronavirus...”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/31607599/
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Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Have You Been Led Astray by James White?



There are many, many Christians who listen to and admire the man James White.  He is a man who debates many, including Muslims, and is looked up to by many Christians in Reformed circles because of his defense and explanations of Calvinism and other issues.  But we must remember not to look to men for infallibility, because we will not find it there.

I want to write this post today because of the large attack there is currently, and has been for some time, on God's Word.  It is so important that we read God's Word, and that we know where we can find God's Word.  Unfortunately, this man James White has convinced many, many well-meaning Christians that we really don't have the Word of God on earth today.  If he has convinced you of this, then I just want to encourage you to read the below article by a Christian brother who has much truth to share on this issue.  Also, if you have been drawn in to reading the ESV as many currently have, there is a very helpful article here explaining this version.

God bless you, dear readers.  While today's article may not be popular with some, I hope you will truly consider the importance of this matter and what this has to say to you.  Just think of the damage Satan can do if he can convince Christians that we do not have God's infallible Word available to us today.

James White - the Protestant Pope of the New Vatican Versions



James White is not the devil incarnate, nor is he a prophet of God, but he may very well be the equivalent of the Protestant Pope of the new Vatican Versions.

I have read James White’s book, The King James Only Controversy, several times over and have dealt personally with him both on the internet and twice on Christian radio. I believe he has a lot of good things to say when it comes to the cults, and I believe he is a true, born again, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb Christian, but when it comes to the Bible version issue, he is completely on the wrong side.

James White SAYS he believes The Bible IS the infallible words of God. I asked him this question personally on his radio program. But when I asked Mr. White where we can see a copy of this infallible Bible he PROFESSES to believe in, he immediately changes the subject. He will never tell you.  The simple fact is this - James White is lying when he says he believes The Bible IS the infallible words of God.

When James White says "I believe the Bible IS the infallible words of God" he is not referring to a real, tangible, in print, hold it in your hands and read, Book at all. He is referring to a mythical, imaginary, hypothetical, invisible and non-existent, phantom "bible" that he has never seen, does not have and certainly cannot give to anybody else.
In other words, he is professing faith in a Fantasy. And then he thinks we Bible believers who have a real Bible printed on paper between two covers we can actually hold in our hands and give to anybody that asks to see it are "a cult", and even heretics.
In his way of thinking, those of us who confess a faith in a tangible, preserved, and inerrant Bible are "heretics" and "cultic", but people like him who lie when they say they believe the Bible IS (as though it really exists) the infallible words of God" are somehow "Orthodox". 
The Vatican Versions
“Mystery, Babylon the Great, The Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth..is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit...and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication...Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins” Revelation 17:2-5; 18:2-4

 See “A Reasoned Response to the James White “interview” on his Dividing Line Radio Program” 
See also "Answering James White’s Question - Which King James Version is the infallible words of God?"
http://brandplucked.webs.com/answerwhitewhichkjb.htm

Mr. White used to work for the New American Standard Version, at least in a part time position, but now it seems his favorite flavor of the month Bible version is the ESV, the revision of the revision of the liberal RSV.  But what Mr. White may not be aware of is the undeniable FACT that all these modern versions like the ESV, NIV, NASB, NET and the brand new Common English Version are all the new “Vatican Versions”.

You may think this charge is utterly ridiculous. But the proof is undeniable and easily verified. All anyone has to do to confirm the truth of this is to simply read what their own editors of the UBS (United Bible Society) and Nestle-Aland ever changing critical text have written in their own Greek critical text.  

Then simply compare the TEXTS  to see the thousands of omissions and the scores of places where versions like the ESV, NIV, NASB, NET, Jehovah Witness New World Translation and the modern Catholic bible versions like the St. Joseph New American Bible and the New Jerusalem bible all reject thousands of words from the Reformation New Testament and numerous clear Hebrew readings and add hundreds of words to the inspired Hebrew writings in the Old Testament.

 See Undeniable Proof the ESV, NIV, NASB, NET etc. are  the new "Catholic" bibles.
http://brandplucked.webs.com/realcatholicbibles.htm

  There you will find the complete articles, both parts One and Two, and you can see for yourself in black and white that the New Testament and Old Testament texts of the modern Catholic bible versions and the ESV, NIV, NASB, NET are virtually identical in the thousands of words that they all omit and change.

Here is part of what you will find when you read this article.  Do you know why the UBS (United Bible Society) Greek texts are the basis for all these new versions? It's because Catholics and Evangelicals were united to produce this text. One of the 5 chief editors was the New Age Jesuit Cardinal Carlos Martini, who believed god was in all men and in all religions. Just open a copy of the UBS New Testament Greek and turn to the first page.  There you will see a list of the 5 chief editors who put this abomination together.  The 4th name on the list, right before the inerrancy denying Bruce Metzger, is Carlo M. Martini.  In his book "In the Thick of His Ministry" Cardinal Martini writes: “The deification which is the aim of all religious life takes place. During a recent trip to India I was struck by the yearning for the divine that pervades the whole of Hindu culture. It gives rise to extraordinary religious forms and extremely meaningful prayers. I wondered: What is authentic in this longing to fuse with the divine dominating the spirituality of hundreds of millions of human beings, so that they bear hardship, privation, exhausting pilgrimages, in search of this ecstasy?" (In The Thick Of His Ministry, Carlo M. Martini, page 42.)

The Jesuit Cardinal Martini served on the editorial committee for the United Bible Societies' 2nd, 3rd and 4th editions, and he is still listed on the opening page of the latest Nestle-Aland 28th edition critical text. These are the "bibles" most modern Christians are using today when they pick up the ESV, NIV, NASB, NET or modern Catholic "bibles".

 In 1965, Pope Paul VI authorized the publication of a new Latin Vulgate, with the Latin text conformed to the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament (Michael de Semlyen, All Roads Lead to Rome, p. 201). In 1987 a formal agreement was made between the Roman Catholic Church and the United Bible Societies that the critical Greek New Testament will be used for all future translations, both Catholic and Protestant (Guidelines for International Cooperation in Translating the Bible, Rome, 1987, p. 5). Most of the translations produced by the United Bible Societies are “interconfessional,” meaning they have Roman Catholic participation and backing.”

It is interesting to note that the latest United Bible Societies Text, descended from the Westcott and Hort family, boasts, "the new text is a reality, and as the text distributed by the United Bible Societies and by the corresponding office of the Roman Catholic Church it has rapidly become the commonly accepted text for research and study in universities and church." - Kurt Aland and Barbara Aland, The Text of the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Wm B Eerdmans, 1995), 35.

I have a copy of the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece 27th edition right here in front of me.  It is the same Greek text as the UBS (United Bible Society) 4th edition.  These are the Greek readings and texts that are followed by such modern versions as the ESV, NIV, NASB, Holman Standard AND the new Catholic versions like the St. Joseph New American Bible 1970 and the New Jerusalem bible 1985.

If you have a copy of the Nestle-Aland 27th edition, open the book and read what they tell us in their own words on page 45 of the Introduction.  Here these critical Greek text editors tell us about how the Greek New Testament (GNT, now known as the UBS) and the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece grew together and shared the same basic text.

In the last paragraph on page 45 we read these words: "The text shared by these two editions was adopted internationally by Bible Societies, and FOLLOWING AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE VATICAN AND THE UNITIED BIBLE SOCIETIES IT HAS SERVED AS THE BASIS FOR THE NEW TRANSLATIONS AND FOR REVISIONS MADE UNDER THEIR SUPERVISION.  This marks a significant step with regard to interconfessional relationships. It should naturally be understood that this text is a working text: it is not to be considered as definitive, but as a stimulus to further efforts toward defining and verifying the text of the New Testament."



There it is folks, in their own words. They openly admit that this text is the result of an agreement between the Vatican and the UBS and that the text itself is not "definitive" - it can change, as it already has and will do so in the future, and is not the infallible words of God but merely "a stimulus to further efforts".  And this is the type of “infallible Bible” men like James White are promoting.

As I previously said, I have read James White’s book several times and have written several articles dealing with the examples of alleged “errors” he claims to have found in the King James Bible. James White is a smooth and fast talker and he has a lot of experience debating people. However upon further investigation and study, I have found much of his apparent “scholarship” to be often not true and sometimes even shoddy.

I will give you a couple of examples, but you can find many more in "James White - blind scholar" In that particular article I deal with a few of the alleged “problems” James thinks he has found in the King James Bible and I give a link to an online conversation James and I had several years ago where you can see him interact with me on a person to person level. I think it is quite revealing to see where James White REALLY stands on the issue of whether or not there exists such a thing as an inerrant Bible or not.  Here is the link to that article.

http://brandplucked.webs.com/acts1011isa1910fish.htm

One of many examples of James White's hypocrisy -

"Word" and "Turn"

In his book, The King James Only Controversy, chapter Nine, which is titled "Problems in the KJV", on page 231  Mr. James White states: "Jack Lewis notes that the KJV is also well known for the large variety of ways in which it will translate the same word. Now certainly there are many times when one will wish to use synonyms to translate particular terms, and context is vitally important in determining the actual meaning of a word, but the KJV goes beyond the bounds a number of times."

He continues: "For example, the Hebrew term for "word" or "thing" is rendered by EIGHTY FOUR different English words in the KJV! Another term, "to turn back" is rendered in one particular grammatical form by SIXTY different English words! Those who have attempted to follow the usage of a particular Hebrew or Greek term through the AV know how difficult such a task can be, and the inconsistency of the KJV in translating terms only makes the job that much harder." (End of quote.)

Most people who read this in Mr. White's book would think something like: "Oh, that nasty KJV. What a lousy translation it is. How unscholarly! Why would anybody want to use that?"

Most people would never take the time to verify if there is any validity to what Mr. White quotes from a certain Jack Lewis here; they would just accept his "scholarly" statements as facts.

James White knows both Hebrew and Greek and professes to be an expert in textual matters. He either didn't check the validity of the claims of Jack Lewis, or he is deliberately misrepresenting the facts to bolster his attacks on God's preserved words in the King James Bible. In either case, his hypocrisy is simply inexcusable.

The Hebrew word for the English "word" or "thing" is # 1697 Dabar. I only counted 78 different meanings found in the King James Bible, but I'll give Mr. White the benefit of the doubt and let him have his 84.

A simple look at the complete NASB concordance shows that the NASB has translated this single word Dabar in at least NINETY THREE very different ways while the NIV has over 200 different English meanings for this single Hebrew word.

Among the 94 different English words the NASB uses to translate this single Hebrew word are: account, act, advice, affair, agreement, amount, annals, answer, anything, asked, because, business, case, cause, charge, Chronicles, claims, commandment, compliments, concerned, conclusion, conditions, conduct, conferred, consultation, conversation, counsel, custom, dealings, decree, deed, defect, desires, dispute, doings, duty, edict, eloquent, event, fulfillment, harm, idea, instructed, manner, matter, message, nothing, oath, obligations, one, order, parts, pertains, plan, plot, portion, promise, proposal, proven, purpose, question, ration, reason, records, regard, reports, request, required, rule, said, same thing, saying, so much, some, something, songs, speaks, speech, talk, task, theme, thing, this, thoughts, threats, thus, told, trouble, verdict, way, what, whatever, word and work.

As I said, the NIV has over twice this amount of different meanings - well over 200 - as compared to the KJB's 84.

The second word mentioned by Mr. White is "to turn back" and it is # 7725 Shoov or Shub, and in this case Mr. White is correct in that the King James Bible does translate it some 60 different ways.

However what James forgot to mention is that his favorite NASB has translated this same single Hebrew word at least 104 different ways, while the NIV again has over 200 different meanings! 
For example, that second word # 7725 shoov or shub. It is used some 1,200 times or more.  The KJB has about 60 different meanings including "returned, gone back, come again, turn away, go home, certainly, to cease, go back, again, to reward, convert, restore, restorer, recover, bethink, bring back, withdraw, deliver again, recompense, in any case, fetch home again, requiting, to bring again, to answer, restore, to deliver, to give again, to say nay, to refresh, to render, to recompense, to draw back and to relieve."
But the NIV translates this word as "to return, turn, bring back, go back, again, restore, turn away, repent, give back, recover, answer, bring, change, go, refuse, relent, reward, take, withdrew, regain, start back, stop, brought, come, give, keep, left, oppose, to pay, rebuilt, reject, reply, repulse, restrain, retreat, revert, revoke, rewards, sent, take vengeance, turn around, withdraw, again be used, again give allegiance, another, arrived, break, bring in, broke off, brought down, call to mind, changed, changed mind, continually, cover up, depart, did, dole out, drew back, dwell, escaping, flow back, forced to restore, gave, get back, give up, go on, hold back, keep themselves alive, keeps saying, lose, left behind,made prosperous again, made pay for, made retreat, make full restitution, make go, marauding, mislead, no longer, not angry, overruling, overthrows, paid,  paid back, pass again, penitent, prompt to answer,pull back, pursues, raised, ran, reappears, recoil, reconsider, recover, refreshes, refund, renew, renounce, repay, rescue, respond, rest, restitution, restore again, restrained, retire, retreat, reversed, revived, revoke, roll back, say, send, shy away, something else, strayed, subsides, supply, take away, take back, try again, turned again, to vent, to ward off, withdraw, withhold, and 33 times leaves as untranslated."
So you begin to see how utterly ridiculous and hypocritical  James White is for bringing up this example of how badly the KJB translates Hebrew words.
What makes the hypocrisy of both James White and Mr. Jack Lewis all the more astonishing, is the fact that Jack Lewis himself is one of the principal NIV translators.
This is the type of scholarship men like James White and Jack Lewis employ to discredit the truth of the King James Bible.

James White has no infallible Bible to give you and he knows it, in spite meaningless profession to believe “the Bible IS the infallible words of God”. And what he is promoting instead are in fact the new Vatican Versions produced by the Whore of Babylon who has made the inhabitants of the earth drunk with the wine of her spiritual fornication - Revelation 17-18. 

Why Muslims love James White

James White is a Favorite Tool for Muslims & Atheists  9:40 minute video by Dr. Gene Kim.






James White denies that 1 John 5:7 is inspired Scripture. And  his video is put up by MuslimByChoice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgwuFcHO8j4



James White is essentially the Protestant Pope of the new Vatican Versions. And he is not giving you all the factual evidence for the inclusion of 1 John 5:7. The Reformers disagree with James Wite Out.

1 John 5:7 IS inspired Scripture.

http://brandplucked.webs.com/1john57.htm

The Muslims love James White.
He also tells us that Luke 23:34 - "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" - is not inspired Scripture and doesn't belong in the Bible - even though it is found in his own recommended ESV, NIV, NASB.  Do all you James White clones agree with him on this?

http://brandplucked.webs.com/jwonluke2334.htm



Why Muslims love James White

James Wite Out, as he debates a Muslim, also denies that Mark 16:9-20 is Scripture and John 7:53-8:11 - the woman taken in adultery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYkPn2aXKds&spfreload=10

Mark 16:9-20 is inspired Scripture

http://brandplucked.webs.com/mark16920.htm



John 7:53 to 8:11 is inspired Scripture

http://brandplucked.webs.com/john753811.htm

John 5:3-4 “the Troubling of the Water”  Is this Inspired Scripture or not?


I and thousands of other blood bought children of God believe that God has sovereignly acted in history to keep His promises to preserve His words for ever and to give us “the book of the LORD”.  We believe there are many reasons why this Book is none other than the Authorized King James Holy Bible.

May I suggest just one more article to you that addresses this issue. It's called ‘God's Persistent Historical Witness to the Absolute Standard of Written Truth in the King James Bible’.  You can see it here -
http://brandplucked.webs.com/absolutestandard.htm

 I urge you to prayerfully seek the mind of God on this most important matter and to examine your own present belief or unbelief in the Bible you hold in your hands. Do you REALLY believe it is the very inspired and infallible words of God?  The only Christians I know of who do, are the King James Bible believers; not men like James White.

All of grace, believing the Book and clothed in the righteousness of Christ alone,

Will Kinney

Return to Articles - http://brandplucked.webs.com/kjbarticles.htm
“If we would destroy the Christian religion, we must first of all destroy man’s belief in the Bible.”  Voltaire - ex French philosopher and former unbeliever.  

Notes from the Internet

Why I believe James White is a Christian -

I believe James White is a born again, redeemed child of God because he clearly preaches the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ as seen in this short 3 1/2 minute video

That is probably the nicest thing that James White has said about the KJB! 

"What I encourage you to do, look at what God's word says. Not what men say about it. Use the King James Version, as long as you can understand it..." 1:34-1:44


Shared with permission from here.
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Saturday, June 29, 2019

Christian Homes


By Arthur W. Pink

Many of those who look no farther than the temporal happiness of individuals and the welfare of the State are not insensible of the importance and value of domestic relationships, realizing that the family is but the unit of the nation. No matter how excellent the constitution and laws of a country may be, or what its material resources, they are insufficient and ineffectual, unless a sure foundation for social order and public virtue be laid in the healthy regulation and wise discipline of its families. The nation is but the aggregate of individuals comprising it; and 16 unless there are good fathers and mothers, good sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, there will be no good citizens. It is because our home life has so sadly deteriorated that social decay is now so far advanced, nor can it be arrested until parents once again properly discharge their responsibility. We have no hesitation in saying that the future welfare of Britain (and the U.S.A. too) is more seriously menaced by the relaxation of family government and the breakdown of home life than by any governmental incompetence or foreign hostility. 

Home! How much that one word used to convey! It is still one of the most precious in the English language unto some of us. Much more so when to all its natural attractions are added the hallowed associations which gather around a Christian home. Is not our favourite concept of heaven embodied in that blessed expression, “my Father’s House” (John 14:2). Because the Christian is not his own, but bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:19- 20), he is to aim at glorifying God in every relation of life. No matter what station he occupies, or wherever he be, he is to serve as a witness for Christ. Next to the church of God, his own home should be the sphere of his most manifest devotedness unto Him. All its arrangements should bear the stamp of his heavenly calling. All its affairs should be so ordered that everyone entering it should feel, “God is here!” The supreme aim of family life should be household piety, everything else being subordinated thereto. 

It is in the home our real characters are most manifested and best known. Out in the world, a certain measure of restraint is placed upon both our corruptions and our graces; but in the home, we are freer to act naturally, and it is there that our worst and best sides alike are exhibited the plainest. As a close observer and one of wide experience said, “I can never form a correct judgment of a man from seeing or hearing him in a religious meeting. He may seem a very spiritual person there, and say very beautiful things, but let me go home with him, and there I learn the actual state of the case.” He may indeed pray like a saint in the church, but unless his home be governed according to the Word of God, and his own conduct be regulated by the spirit of Christ, he fails to witness for him in that most important and influential sphere. 

The reality and extent of “a work of grace” in the soul are most clearly revealed amid the petty trials of home life. In the Scriptures, we find some of its most eminent characters subjected to that severe test. For example, the Lord gave as the reason for the intimate confidences He was about to make unto Abraham, “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD” (Gen. 18:19): thus his home life was as pleasing unto God as was his public. Nor are the Scriptures less explicit in showing us the disastrous consequences which attend a believer’s unfaithfulness in this relation. A notable case in point is the fearful ruin of Eli’s family: “I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not” (1 Sam. 3:13). The state of a preacher’s home is likewise made the test of his character: he is disqualified from the sacred office, unless he be “one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity,” adding, “For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?” (1 Tim. 3:4-5).


“What have they seen in thine house?” (2 Kings 20:15). Have you observed, my reader, how much in the Scriptures is in the interrogatory form? How frequently the Lord used that method of teaching, both with His disciples, the masses, and His enemies! It is a most definite and searching form of instruction. A considerable part of God’s Word is made up of questions; and it is our wisdom not only to thoughtfully and prayerfully ponder them, but to regard the same as being addressed to us individually―and thereby bare our hearts to their penetrating power. This we should do with the “Where art thou?” of Genesis 3:9, right through the Scriptures to the “wherefore didst thou 18 marvel” of Revelation 17:7. The one now before us was uttered by way of rebuke unto Hezekiah’s vanity, who―in a spirit of pride and ostentation―had shown the messengers from Babylon the treasures of his palace.

“What have they seen in thine house?” Let each of us take that inquiry home to himself and herself. What do visitors, especially those who spend a night under your roof, behold in thy home? Do they see a household which is well ordered, everything regulated according to God’s Word; or do they behold a scene of confusion and turmoil? Do the furnishings of your home bespeak a heart which is dead to the world? Is there a noticeable absence of that carnal luxury and fleshly display which mark those whose affections are set upon things below? On the other hand, is there that cleanliness and tidiness everywhere which honours the Lord? Nothing is more incongruous for one who professes to be a stranger and pilgrim (1 Pet. 2:11) here than to behold him or her endeavouring to outshine their godless neighbours in that which ministers to “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). Equally so do neglect and dirt indicate that something is wrong with the heart, and mar a Christian’s testimony.

“What have they seen in thine house?” Do they behold a husband “under petticoat government,” or one who takes his proper place at the head of the home? The household must have a leader; and God has committed rule to the husband, and holds him responsible for its management. It is no valid excuse for him to say that he is the breadwinner, and therefore, he leaves the wife to run the house. Not that he is to be a tyrant, but firm, asserting his authority, ruling in holy love. Yet unless the wife fully co-operates, much of his effort will be unavailing. Not only does God require her to be subject unto her husband’s will (Eph. 5:22, 24), but to loyally support and further him―unless his requirements manifestly clash with the Bible. He is necessarily absent from the home most of the day, and therefore, it largely devolves upon her to “train up” their children “in the way [they] 19 should go” (Prov. 22:6).


“What have they seen in thine house?” Little or nothing to distinguish it from the worldlings?―or everything in it aiming at the glory of God? The husband and wife conducting themselves as “being heirs together of the grace of life” (1 Pet. 3:7)? The children brought up “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4) and “in subjection with all gravity” (1 Tim. 3:4) ―or utterly spoiled, unruly, and a trial to those who have to endure their presence? Do visitors behold an example of parental piety, of salutary discipline maintained, evidences on every side that their hearts are set upon something higher than the baubles of earth? Do they see the family altar? Do they behold the Sabbath day―duly honoured―all unnecessary cooking avoided? If they do not, they will rightly suspect the genuineness of your Christian profession! If those things be absent, be not surprised if your children abandon religion as they grow older, having no confidence in what they were reared. God search every one of us with this important question.


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Thursday, June 6, 2019

A Constant Companion



...There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24)

This Scripture reminds me of the Lord, Whom I want to keep as my Constant Companion.  I have an old book called Closer than a Brother, and it is about the blessing and friendship we have in Christ. I am reminding myself daily of how the Lord is always near, always with me.  I always have Someone to turn to throughout my day.  I can always ask Him questions and seek Him to guide me.

What an often-neglected blessing this is to the Believer! Instead of rushing first to friends, or to family, or to someone on the internet, we should first turn to our Closest Friend, Who knows all and sees all.

A homemaker, even though she may be alone in the house at times during the day, should never feel completely alone.  We have that Constant Companion, our Dearest Friend--the Lord Jesus, always with us, and always available for us to talk to!

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Tuesday, May 28, 2019

The Last Homemaker in the World


Sometimes we women can get very discouraged in our role of homemaker.  We expect and want praise and recognition for the job we do at home.  It used to be that the homemaker's role was highly revered and respected, but for many, this is no longer the case.  To the Church's shame, it is largely not even being taught to young girls, but they are instead encouraged to "aspire" to some worldly profession outside of the home.  We housewives are seen as abnormal, not even to the unsaved, Godless world, but many times to those in the Church.

If this is your reality, are you letting it bring you down?

My question to you today is, What if you were the last homemaker in the world?

What if all the other women had left their children to be looked after by someone else? What if all other parents shifted their parental duties off to strangers?  What if no one else taught their dear children at home, raising them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord?  What if all other women had jobs outside of the home?

What if you were the only one left who stayed at home and made sure your husband had a haven of rest when he came home?  Who took care of the home with love, who trained up your children at home in the fear and wisdom of God? What if you were the only one left who taught her own children at home?

Would you still do it?  Would you still stand?

This is the courage and conviction we need to have now, as if we are the last ones standing.  The battle is so great.  We must stand strong for our families and for the Lord.  Many women are persuaded to leave their posts at home.  Many women look on to friends or family who do not see the importance, value, and mandate for women to be keepers at home, and they have let the Enemy deceive them into thinking it's not so important after all.  Or they have been lulled to sleep by the wicked one, thinking it doesn't really matter.

But it does.  As for now, you are not the last homemaker in the world.  We do have some fellow sisters in Christ who are standing.  Let us lift up each other's arms for the battle and encourage each other to stand fast in this important, God-given work we have to do.

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