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“It was at age 36 while taking a morning walk in the neighborhood school yard that I met the mirror of heaven, so to speak. The Lord’s words were within my mind, very distinct and clear: “What are you angry about?” I stopped walking, out of breath from anger, and I broke down crying. I put my fist up toward heaven and said, “You knew! You could have changed all the rotten things, but You didn’t! You chose to withhold from me all I desired!” “

Read the full article HERE….

(Article orginally published on Ladies Against Feminism.)

What of those days when you “can’t take another minute”?

When you’re sure you will scream if you hear another whiny “Mama…he took my…”?

When your day’s motto has become “I don’t want to hear it…just get along!”

How do you tell your three-year-old to “speak kindly” when it’s been awhile for you?

Tell them to “put others first”? And I’m irritated because *I* can’t get any peace and quiet…they’ll see right through it.

What do we do with all the messes, when you spent what seemed like the whole day cleaning up?

And what of my messes? My mother-messes…Who will clean them up?

I want so much to be a good mother but I was a really bad one today.

But redemption awaits…for me, and for my children.

I will not give in to my weaknesses. I will keep praying, keeping crucifying, keep pushing, keep dying–daily.

I will gather my children around before bed time, and tell them “I’m sorry”…and I will really mean it. And we’ll ask the Lord to give us grace for tomorrow…

and He will.

Elohim…Creator….the first name given to God in the Bible.

We all know we were “created in His image”. We agree then, that we are “image-bearers”. Have you pondered that? What part of His image do we bear? We’ve all thought of being an image-bearer as His created one, but aren’t we image-bearers of the Creator Himself?

Big implications! Our Creator spoke, and as each of His creations burst forth into life He said…”It is good.”

He has given us the ability to bring forth life–to be a vital part in the miracle of creating! How’s that for bearing the Creator’s image? For being the instrument through which the mystery of life is spoken and comes forth!

And if we are to reflect it properly, what do we say about this life that bursts forth from us? “It is good”? Or “not again”!

What are we saying about our Creator-image-bearing as we refuse to take part in this glorious creating of bringing forth new life?

He is sovereign…do we reflect that in our image-bearing? He speaks, and creation obeys…do we?

What a privilege to share in this kind of image-bearing of our Creator! And the people said…”It is good.”

(Thank you, Darby, for this insightful thought…)

Despite the anger and passion the subject of public school evokes, I feel a burden to keep challenging you to deeply consider our role as Christian parents.

We do not have to speculate whether or not public school has an anti-Christian agenda; it is not just opinion–the founders of education have made it simple by stating their objectives without apology:

The one act throughout Scripture that was the most abominable to God was that of following after other gods and religions. God brought severe judgement on the nations that turned from Him.

Humanism is a religion, as Dunphy so clearly stated. When the Bible states “Thou shalt have no other gods before me”, how can we reason, then, that He would allow us to have our children taught another religion? What else is “following other gods” if not that? This is why this issue is so black and white to me.

This is why yesterday’s film is so emphatic. We are witnessing a whole culture of Christians flippantly sacrificing the souls of their children on the altar of another religion! Not on purpose…I don’t think, but through Satan’s favorite tactic–apathy. How can this be OK? Again, I hear Jeremiah, crying out, ripping his clothes, shaving his head, screaming “are there any who seek after truth?”

I am not mean 😉 I am writing this WITH TEARS! I am so broken over the masses of children from Christian homes being lost to our culture’s gods. I see it everywhere. God doesn’t give the believer children to just toss up and hope they “turn out right”, whatever that means for you.

He gave us children because “he desires GODLY offspring”. (Malachi) We can’t parent by default–it must be deliberate! We will be held accountable for every lesson they’ve learned–whether we are present or not. When we place them under the counsel of a teacher, we had better be sure that teacher is upholding truth. If we subject them to a lie, through false teaching, we stand responsible.

As just ONE blaring example: we know that evolution is taught in the public school system, mostly as a fact, not a theory. Jeremiah 2 says, “How can you say, ‘I am not polluted, I have not gone after the Baals’?…they say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave birth to me’. For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face….O generation, see the word of the Lord!”

This is nothing short of what we do when we subject our children to the false teaching of evolution. And unfortunately, this is just a fraction of the teaching “of other gods”.

I am simply asking you–as Christian parents–to search the Word, seek GOD, and be willing to listen to what He says. Research the public school curriculum and agenda. Do you know what they teach? Do you know what their goals are?

I hope you each have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Be sure to browse our Thanksgiving sale and get your coupon code–everything is on sale until Friday…forget fighting the “Black Friday” crowds!

“The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.” H.U. Westermayer

“The unthankful heart… discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!” ~Henry Ward Beecher

“I wake up every day with a simple choice to make….give back my life in thankfulness, or with complaining take.” ~Kelly Crawford

“If I have enjoyed the hospitality of the Host of this universe, Who daily spreads a table in my sight, surely I cannot do less than acknowledge my dependence.” ~G.A. Johnston Ross

This one just made me laugh 😉

“Thanksgiving, man. Not a good day to be my pants.” ~Kevin James

The kitchen is such a great place for lessons…unfortunately, I learn the most. About myself, about my selfishNESS, and about how I get so easily focused on the wrong things.

They always want to help. To stir, to watch, to taste, to–ahem–make messes. It would, in fact, be easier to snap at them to get down and get out so I can “get this done”. It would be faster too. And less messy.

And less profound. Profound? Stirring fudge is profound?

Not exactly. What’s profound is how God uses such small things to fulfill His big purposes. I need more patience. Lots more. So He gives me these little ones, underfoot, asking, needing and wanting more of me.

I need to die. Why? Because God says so, and that’s all the reason I need. “He who would save his life must lose it.”

They help me die so that I can fully live.

I smile, tell myself again that the mess is a small sacrifice to pay. They feel important, useful and the stirring of things in bowls together creates a stirring of our hearts together. Mingled–laughter, love, simplicity of a day…and God is making it great.

My very favorite fudge recipe:

I like Thanksgiving, for several reasons. And I think it’s safe to say, despite my occasional hormonal fluctuation as a woman, that I’m a pretty optimistic person. I tend to see the glass half-full most of the time.

And I think the way we learn to see things determines, largely, the kind of life we live. Everyone’s life has half-empty or half-full glasses sitting around.

Last night I got the dreaded, middle-of-the-night announcement: “Mom, Avi threw up everywhere.” AGH!

What’s worse is that I am SO blind without my contacts. So my trying to maneuver around and clean up that kind of mess is like my worst nightmare. I had to solicit hubby’s help.

Now two of us had the stomach virus 12 days ago. We weren’t expecting it to strike again after that long! And if you have a large family, you know there is little more depressing than the fact that you’re going to be cleaning carpet for the next three weeks, watching your children suffer one after another, cleaning up vomit at all hours of the night and baricading in the house for a month.

Back in bed, wide awake, initial thoughts of “Why now?” faded into “Thank you, Lord, that this is a temporary illness–it will pass…while so many mothers cling to a child tonight, praying he will make it ’til morning.”

So many disappointments and frustrations can become springboards for joyful reflection, if we just turn our eyes toward God’s goodness and preservation. He is long suffering and merciful…and worthy of thanksgiving in all things!

“I have nowhere seen woman occupying a loftier position…”

Women of the past…America owes its greatness to their sacrifice, and we would do well to learn from them.

I think there is no better time than as we enter this Thanksgiving season, to reflect on our pioneer ancestors and the sturdy virtue upon whose backs our nation was built.

Few people today know their story, who they were and what they really stood for. History has been largely rewritten, and we have been virtually raped of truth.

Twenty-nine pioneer women braved that first colony and only seven survived. It was not for the weak of heart. What would have given them such tenacity, such fervor that they were willing to die?

The answer lies greatly in their love of God and freedom, and their willingness to live beyond themselves, building a bridge with their very lives for a generation they would never even know. Such sacrificial love for others is scarcely found.

Alexis de Tocqueville was a French political thinker and historian, and a representative of the classical, liberal, political tradition.

Upon his visits and observations of the American culture, which he greatly admired, recognizing a “peculiar superiority” over Europe, he had some profound reflections…particularly regarding America’s women.

Everything he observed flies in the face of modern feminist thinking, and unveils the truth that women were previously given a place of very high esteem among American society. So high, in fact, that comparing their treatment then to how we treat women now, one can only hang his head at the degradation to which our culture has succumbed.

[On the complementary role of men and women in marriage, Tocqueville said:]…

“This opinion is not peculiar to one sex and contested by the other; I never observed that the women of America consider conjugal authority as a fortunate usurpation of their rights, or that they thought themselves degraded by submitting to it. It appeared to me, on the contrary, that they attach a sort of pride to the voluntary surrender of their own will and make it their boast to bend themselves to the yoke, not to shake it off.

To you, women, mothers, wives…hold fast the word of truth, set forth by God from the foundation of the world…for in it lies the secret to strength, dignity, prosperity and freedom. Those few women who are wise enough to shake off the crippling lies of the culture, and stand solidly resolved to be what she was gloriously created to be–those women will be the ones that future generations will “rise up and call blessed”.

Stay the course.