Should Christians celebrate Easter or Christmas?

Truth or Tradition-Should Christians celebrate Chrismas and Easter? from JIM on Vimeo.

YHVH Provides at the AHEA conference!

AHEA (Alberta Home Education Association)  was amazing for me….I got so much encouragement listening
to a talk on workboxes, and how I can implement that system of activities with my 2 yr old.  He NEEDS this kind of activity on a daily basis, just to keep him out of trouble!  He’s not
content to play with toys like the other two were!

I also loved Clay Clarkson’s talk on Disciplinology…which I blogged
about already, partly cause a friend wanted my notes…lol

I learned a lot about apprenticeship as well, which I think is
likely the route my boys will want to go.

I also got to see so many hs friends that I only see once a year!…seriously, everywhere I
turned I’m sure I saw someone I knew!  I don’t usually feel like I belong
in big huge places like this, but I truly did…despite all my weird ways!
LOL  The fellowship was sweet! And being around other head covering women is such an encouragement to me as well...modesty rocks!

I was amazingly blessed while at AHEA this year. 
Jamie didn’t have work for most of the winter, it was a hard year for us
even when our seasonal business was up and running, therefore we didn’t have the savings we normally have for winter.

I had no money for gas, and my tank was on empty…YHVH provided a
ride for me!

I had no money for a hotel, yet YHVH provided someone to buy a
couple sets of books from me and we swapped the cash and books at AHEA, so
there was money for my share of the hotel and a warm meal and $5 in change to
spend in the Exhibitor’s Hall! 

I made a beeline for a friends table cause I wanted to say “Hi”
and I knew she always has lots of used curriculum to sell as well and you just
never know what $5 will buy!  So after saying “hi” to her, she informs me
that someone had stopped by earlier and wanted to give me a $50 credit at her
store!!  Poor girl, I was in tears…hee hee.  I was so overwhelmed
by my Heavenly Father’s provisions, I have no idea who He used so I will just
have to thank Him and pray that that person knows that I was incredibly
blessed!!  I was so excited!  I picked things up and put them back a
few times…lol  wanting to buy JUST the right things!! Lol  

The friend I got a ride with and I, were of one mind regarding food so we packed
our own food and ate our meals in her car while amusing her beautiful 3 ½ month
old little girl…seriously the cutest baby ever...sigh, got me a good baby fix!

Then later during AHEA I was blessed with a box of used
curriculum and with it came a $100!!!  It was all I could do to keep the
tears from falling!  Thank you Father, as it was given to me anonymously
as well!!!  After having gone around to the many booths, entering every
draw possible and just looking at different curriculum with various friends, I
already knew where the money would go!

So needless to say, this will be a memorable conference year for
me! AND I won a vest at the stuttering booth…lol  I had a wonderful
conversation with the lady that ran that booth and we were both thrilled when I
ended up being one of the winners, she had no idea what my name was!

I LOVE how my Heavenly Father encourages me and blesses me when I least expect it! I can not wait to be able to bless others in the same way! anonymously! May my ears and eyes be open wide for the opportunities He will provide!

AHEA...some notes taken from Disciplinology

I enjoyed the main session speakers at AHEA this year, I usually do though!
I'll share my notes and thoughts from Clay Clarkson's talk on Discipline.

Ephesians 6:4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

It seems to be clear in the verse above that you can't separate discipline from instruction, they go hand in hand. Maybe what is missing is the Biblical concept of discipline.

• relationship vs. methodology 

         this one seems to be rather self explanatory....it's all about building relationships with our children instead of being strict disciplinarians, distancing ourselves from them.  (this is one area I totally need to work on)

• process vs. act

          discipline is a process it should not be a one time act.  We are humans, we are going to fail as will our children!  So we need to look at this with the big picture in mind and administer discipline as a way of instructing them in life, not as a punishment every time something wrong is done.

• advocate vs. adversary

          are we cheering our kids on? or are we just waiting for them to screw up so we can "git them"??  It sounds lame when you put it that way, eh?  But how often do we get busy with our own issues that we sometimes overlook thing that go on in our children's lives and how they are coping?  We need to be intimately aware and help them learn how to respond to life's blows and triumphs in a Godly way, instead of only having deep talks with them when there is a problem with their character/attitude. (yeah, gotta work on this one too! I marvel at mom's of many who accomplish this one! Seriously ladies, GOOD WORK!!)

• grace & truth vs. law

          now I thoroughly don't agree with this one at all, as I find this to be an absolute "anti-Torah" take on things.   Mr. Clarkson talked about how Christians live with grace and truth instead of the law of moses....well, that's clearly speaking against the God of the Bible even though that is what many believe (He is a God who doesn't change, so the things in Torah that have "forever" attached to it, still apply!) ....so here are my thoughts on it.

Instead of it being grace and truth vs. law, I believe it should be grace and truth leading us to the law.

What people seem to forget, is that grace and mercy didn't materialize when Yahshua (Jesus) died on the execution stake...all throughout the history of the Tanakh (Old Testament) we see YHVH's mercy and grace extended over and over until He finally had enough and then He disciplined His people.  He was incredibly patient, as the Israelites grumbled just a few days after being delivered in a miraculous way from the Egyptians! Yet instead of crying out to YHVH for water and food, they complained and whined amongst one another and to Moshe (Moses)!!  And even then He STILL provided for them! WOW!  

Then we have the law of Moshe as given by YHVH Himself, simple guidelines in how to live our lives if we want to please Him and receive His blessings.  As we come to know and love YHVH, the God of the Bible, our Creator, as our relationship with Him deepens we will want to please Him and not ourselves, we will want to do what He asks, even commands, with a smile on our faces. (no I don't always get this right either...) 

So as we grow in relationship with our children and extend grace and mercy, they will in turn desire to please us and obey our simple rules of the house.   At least that is how I see it in Scripture, and would like to see it in our house!

Recovering the Way of Life

We are living in a society that does not put any importance in faith. This includes the homeschooling groups! He shared a few frightening polls that were eye-opening! But I don't remember the stats...sorry. We will move on though...lol

3 Priorities of Life on the Path

Direction-Correction-Protection

DIRECTION-moving along the Path

• leading with sympathy vs. strictness
• leading with encouragement vs. guilt
• leading with love vs. neglect
• leading with instruction vs. information

this group spoke volumes to me...in how I was raised and how I'm unintentionally making the same mistakes with my children.  Oh Father, soften my heart to be sympathetic, encouraging, loving and enable me to instruct instead of just inform! Giving the tools of life and showing them how to use them correctly!

CORRECTION-getting back to the Path
It's not just about bad behavior!!

• training with Spiritual discipline-teach them to respond to God

• training with verbal discipline-being careful HOW I say things

Gal6:1Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

Matt 11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

 2 Tim 2:24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, ²⁵ in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,

•  training with behavioral discipline  ie. if you do a job sloppily then it's obvious you need more practice, so you will get to do more of that particular job for extra practice!

• training with physical discipline

Proverbs 22:6  Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.

Mr. Clarkson shared some insight into this verse, saying that it the word "child" in this sense could easily mean a "teen" and not a young child...and the term "old" simply means an adult.  So in the case of physical discipline it may not actually be talking about young children but young adults.  It was unclear to me this particular point...except that it seems to be a last resort measure.

PROTECTION-staying safe on the Path

• guarding against unhealthy appetites
• guarding against against unwise relationships
• guarding against ungodly media

To me this needs no explanation at all...but if you need a guideline you can do what I do and refer to:

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

 If you have a TV this would be a good verse to print out and tape above the tv...seriously....

Hope you enjoyed the note....if I'm unclear on anything feel free to strike up a conversation in the comments!!
 Shalom!

Some Christian and Health books for sale!

I’m selling these books in hopes to have at least a little bit of spending money at AHEA!!

I’d like $5 for each as they are in new condition, as in not even read…lol  I think I read the first little bit of Messy Spirituality, but the rest are brand new.

Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell

Jesus Wants to Save Christians by Rob Bell

Messy Spirituality by Micheal Yaconelli

God Made Your Body by Jim Burns ages3-5(pure foundations series on sex)

How God Makes Babies by Jim Burns  ages 6-9(pure foundations series on sex)

God Encounters by James and Michal Goll

And I have a series of books by Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo

Live Right 4 Your Type

Eat Right 4 Your Type

Eat Right 4 Your Baby

Cook Right 4 Your Type

As well as 2 little shopping handbooks for Type O and Type A.

Take the bunch for $40 or I can split them up…whatever you like!! I just need them sold!

shipping is extra, but if you live near me I can meet you somewhere!

Thanks for looking!

Lori-Dawn

The Refiner's Hand

Here is a blogpost from a friend...as I prepare my heart and home for Passover, it has special meaning for me.  I want to be refined so that others can see my Master's image in me as well.  Got a ways to go...lol 

Malachi 3

¹BEHOLD,
I send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me. And the
Lord [the Messiah], Whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; the
Messenger or Angel of the covenant, Whom you desire, behold, He shall
come, says the Lord of hosts. ²But
who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He
appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap;

³He
will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the
priests, the sons of Levi, and refine them like gold and silver, that
they may offer to the Lord offerings in righteousness.




A story goes like this:

Several
years ago, a group of women studying the book of Malachi and pondered
these verses. Curious as to how the process of smelting silver applies
to God’s treatment of His People, one woman went to observe a
silversmith at work.

As
the silversmith held a piece of silver over the fire, he explained that
he needed to hold the silver where the flame was hottest in order to
burn away all the impurities. The woman, remembering the Biblical verse,
asked if he had to sit there the whole time the silver was being
refined. The silversmith responded that not only did he have to sit and
hold the silver the entire time, but he had to keep a careful eye on it,
because if the silver was left in the flame a moment too long, it would
be destroyed.

“How do you know when the silver is fully refined?” the woman asked.

“That’s easy," he replied. "When I see my image in it.”

⁴Then will the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in ancient years.



blessings,



Gail

Happy New Year (Aviv 1, 6011)

I have another blog to share with you all!
http://www.ourwholeheartedfamily.com/blog/?p=1785

I hope you enjoy it! And now I'm off to do a massive Spring Cleaning before Passover!
Shalom!

Ladies, What Do Your Clothes Say About You?