Faithful Friday - "If My People"

Our country’s future is at a crossroad right now. Some people would say that “religion and politics” don’t mix. But I disagree. Instead I choose to believe what God’s Word says.

As long as our nation keeps God as its foundation and keeps His laws and standards, it will be blessed.

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance."

Psalm 33:12  

God also tells us to choose our leaders wisely. A leader leads his people. He is going to lead from what’s in his heart and his convictions, from his lifestyle and character.  The Bible is full of accounts of the people choosing their leaders, sometimes unwisely, to which they spent years suffering the consequences, and sometimes choosing wisely, to which they enjoyed years of blessings because of their wise choice.

"When the righteous rule, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan."

Proverbs 29:2


"Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people."

Proverbs 14:34
 

In a little less than two weeks, our great country will have the responsibility (and privilege) of choosing our leader. I strongly believe that it’s our duty to choose the one that more closely follows God’s Word and the laws and guidance given to us in His Word, including the sanctity of life and marriage.

Our family (and thankfully may others I know) are praying for this election……that America chooses wisely so that our nation remains a blessed one. And thankfully, God also gives us a promise of hope if we choose wisely and heed His words, and cast our vote from a Biblical worldview.





"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

 

2 Chronicles 7:14

 

 



If you would like to join us for Faithful Friday, you can link with Joy here. We would love for you to join us! And thank you for stopping by today!  Be sure and check out the other Faithful Friday posts as well.  We hope you leave encouraged in your Christian Walk!  :)

Have a great weekend!

♥ Tammy ♥

The Government Can :)

No words necessary. :)

**Source** (Comedian and Homeschooling Dad) Tim Hawkins - Youtube

Faithful Friday - "Freedom is Never Free"

Today is Faithful Friday. It’s day that we’ve set aside to specifically share something from our Christian walk. If you would like to participate, please grab the button below, and leave Joy a comment here letting her know you are participating so we can visit!

With today also being Veterans Day, I couldn’t think of a better post than one to express my heartfelt gratitude to the men and women of our country that give so unselfishly of themselves to ensure that America is safe and free.

I think of the family that lost their son in Iraq when he was scheduled to come home for good and see his first baby being born. Instead he never came home, Instead there was a knock at their door in the wee hours of the morning letting the family know he would never return. He never had the opportunity to see the face of his baby girl and watch her grow up. How do you even put that kind of gratitude into words? That’s sacrifice. I hurt for that family that still deals with that hurt. Everyday.

I think of families who still have their sons, but they came home, never to be the same, injured for life. Life altering injuries.

I think of the families that sacrifice everyday because their husband, daddy, wife, son, or daughter is serving overseas. They miss so many moments of their kids’ lives and how they must long for the embrace of their husband (or wife). My brother was one of those. I think of Lois and when her Colonel was gone overseas too. That’s sacrifice. They go over there, so we can be safe here. But life goes on everyday for the families and I know it is hard!

And I think, please America……let all of this count for something! They’re doing what they can there. Let’s do what we can here. We can make our voice known. There’s war (issues and legislation) all around us in the political realm, and if we will stand up and be involved, making our opinions known, we are fighting for America here. Fight for what’s right! If we don’t make our own decisions and think for ourselves, decisions will be made for us. Our children may not know freedom like we do. I know fighting for America is so worth it!

And most of all, I think of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus. And I’m so thankful.

And I know that God says in his word:

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.” Psalm 33:12 (NIV)

So today, I thank God for blessing America. And I pray we will continue to defend it by making sure we keep God as our Lord! I thank all the men and women that defend our country everyday by their service to our country and I thank the families of these men and women for their sacrifice! I truly pray that God blesses you abundantly!

Happy Veterans Day!

***************************************************************************************

Thank you to everyone that came by and visited our auction. The Bryant family and I thank you especially to those that bid on items! You are awesome! You are a part of this journey of bringing Leiney Grace home to her forever family. Those that couldn’t bid, you can still pray! Please pray that Leiney Grace is operable and that the journey is speedy to get her home! I have emailed all the winners. If, for some reason, you didn’t get an email, please email me and we’ll get payment and shipping all in order for you! Thanks again, SO MUCH!

We decided that since we still had items left that we are going to take the remaining items as a “Make a Reasonable Offer to Help Bring Leiney Grace Home”. All items that are sold will be marked accordingly and you may go to this link: Remaining Auction Items – Make a Reasonable Offer. All reasonable offers will be considered. Email me here and we’ll get back with you! We are going to keep it going for a week or so until (hopefully) all items have a home!

******************************************************************************************

I'm getting close to 500 followers......when I make it to 500, a giveaway will be in order. It would be nice to be a Christmas one!

*******************************************************************************************

Thank you so much for stopping by! Hope you have a great weekend!

Be Blessed!
~ Tammy ~

What If?

If you’re like me, you’re probably concerned about the direction our country is headed. What if you had another choice? A real conservative choice?



But I don’t want to persuade you or convince you. Please check him out for yourself and draw your own conclusions.

Read more about Herman Cain and what he stands for here.

What do you think?

Tomorrow is National Day of Prayer

As a Christian family, we have really been burdened over the direction our country has taken. It saddens me that our President stated that "America is no longer a Christian nation." I don't think this is true, but if we don't take a stand and we continue to let our leaders do whatever they want, our country is going to change drastically, and folks, it won't be for the good. America will be destroyed, in many ways, from the inside and out.

Sorry if this offends you. I didn't write it to offend, however it is something I feel strongly about. And I feel like I wouldn't be doing my job as a Christian, if I didn't say so.

Tomorrow is National Day of Prayer. Our forefathers built our nation on Godly principles and I believe it is what has made our country strong. I've always been proud of that. As a matter of fact, the tradition of national days of prayer goes back to our very first congress and our first president. Just two days after members of Congress passed the First Amendment, they asked President George Washington to declare a national day of thanksgiving and prayer. In response to this request from Congress, President Washington, less than a week after passage of the First Amendment, issued just such a proclamation on October 3, 1789.



Will you join me tomorrow, Thursday, May 6th, in praying for our nation, its people, and for our leaders? Many are meeting at their City Hall at 12:20 p.m. (until 12:40) to pray, but even if you can't do that, you can still stop and pray right where you are. Standing together in prayer, we CAN make a difference. There is power in prayer. God's Word says so. Prayer is America's hope. One prayer...one heart at a time...we can change our nation.

"The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective." James 5:16

"The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those that trust in Him." Nahum 1:7

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

"May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you." Psalm 33:22

Thank you! God bless you all....and God Bless America!

~ Tammy ~

Faithful Fridays......One Nation Under God

It seems like I'm averaging a couple of posts a week, sometimes three lately. I'm going to try to do better. Life is just happening and at a fast rate, at that. I hope you all had a great week!




I have been thinking about sharing my heart about our country, and I did a little bit a couple of Fridays ago, especially about praying for families. Today for Faithful Fridays, I want to share something that I received in an email that really says all that I feel about our country, the administration, and the direction in which our country is headed. Both Jason and I have had many sleepless nights, and long conversations (with each other and other folks too) about standing up, speaking out, and not being silent about our beliefs and making these known, especially to our politicians that represent us (as Americans). I can tell you that what I say here is not just something that I'm telling YOU. I have my officials' phone numbers and I call them on a regular basis and ask them to vote against (or for) different bills or issues that arise. I want to know in my heart that I've done what I can do and that I'm not just sitting back and letting a handful of people speak for me. I want my kids to know the same great America that I know. Some of the changes that are coming will take so much time to reverse, that we have to speak up NOW. I realize that I may offend some people, and I don't say these things for that reason. I am just speaking my heart here and since it is my blog, I feel I have the right to do so, just as you do on yours. The intent is purely to ask others to stand up, speak out, call your Senators and Congressmen, and don't just assume that these things "can't possibly happen in America" because they are happening....and at a fast rate. Get involved, please. And pray.

Here's the email that sums up how I feel (with the best intent of my heart):

Respect the Office? Yes. Respect the Man in the Office? No.

I have noted that many elected officials, both Democrats and Republicans, called upon America to unite behind Obama.

Well, I want to make it clear to all who will listen that I AM NOT uniting behind Obama!

I will respect the Office which he holds, and I will acknowledge his abilities as an orator and wordsmith and most definitely pray for him, BUT that is it.


I have begun today to see what I can do to make sure that He is a one-term President!

Why am I doing this?


It is because I do not share Obama's vision or value system for America;

I do not share his abortion beliefs;

I do not share his radical Marxist's concept of re-distributing wealth;

I do not share his stated views on raising taxes on those who make $150,000+ (the ceiling has been changed three times since August);

I do not share his view that America is arrogant;

I do not share his view that America is not a Christian nation;

I do not share his view that the military should be reduced by 25%;

I do not share his view of amnesty and giving more to illegals than American citizens who need help;

I do not share his views on homosexuality and his definition of marriage;

I do not share his views that Radical Islam is our friend and Israel is our enemy who should give up any land;

I do not share his spiritual beliefs (at least the ones he has made public);

I do not share his beliefs on how to re-work the healthcare system in America;

I do not share his strategic views of the Middle East, and certainly do not share his plan to sit down with terrorist regimes such as Iran.


Bottom line, my America is vastly different from Obama's, and I have a higher obligation to my country and my God to do what is Right!


For eight (8) years, the Liberals in our Society, led by numerous entertainers who would have no platform and no real credibility but for their celebrity status, have attacked President Bush, his family, and his spiritual beliefs!

They have not moved toward the center in their beliefs and their philosophies, and they never came together nor compromised their personal beliefs for the betterment of our country! They have portrayed my America as a land where everything is tolerated except being intolerant!

They have been a vocal and irreverent minority for years; they have mocked and attacked the very core values so important to the founding and growth of our country!

They have made every effort to remove the name of God or Jesus Christ from our society! They have challenged capital punishment, the right to bear firearms, and the most basic principles of our criminal code; they have attacked one of the most fundamental of all Freedoms, the right of free speech!

Unite behind Obama? Never!

I am sure many of you who read this think that I am going overboard, but I refuse to retreat one more inch in favor of those whom I believe are the embodiment of evil!


President Bush made many mistakes during his presidency, and I am not sure how history will judge him.

However, I believe that he weighed his decisions in light of the long established Judeo-Christian principles of our founding fathers!!!


Majority rules in America , and I will honor the concept; however, I will fight with all of my power to be a voice in opposition to Obama and "his goals for America ."


I am going to be a thorn in the side of those who, if left unchecked, will destroy our Country!! Any more compromise is more defeat!


I pray this will wake up many who have sat on the sidelines and allowed the Socialist-Marxist anti-God crowd to slowly change so much of what has been good in America !



'If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.' - Ronald Reagan

As I said before, I have committed to praying for our leaders at least as much as I would have something negative to say or criticize. I want to be clear on that. I pray for them daily.

One last thing that I want to pass your way. If you haven't read about The Obama Administration's Health Care Plan, you can click here to read a summary of what is involved in this reform. This really concerns me and I think everyone should read how this will affect us. You can choose to read the overview of each section or the full text bill. (HR 3200).

Also, here's a place to find your officials with their contact information so that you can be involved too.

If you stayed with me this long, I sincerely thank you! I hope you'll stand up for what you believe in concerning America......ONE NATION UNDER GOD.

God bless you!
~ Tammy ~

Home School Open House

For today's Homeschool Open House, I thought I'd share some of our curriculum with you.



If you want to peek in at other Homeschool Open Houses, visit Tammy's blog for the links to the others!

Our core curriculum that we use for Bible, literature, history and reading is Sonlight. I can't say enough good thngs about Sonlight! It is literature rich. Since we LOVE books, living books in particular, or books that make learning come alive, Sonlight is just wonderful! We ALWAYS look forward to our reading! This is the way I wish I could have learned. You've saw this picture on what we call our box day (the day our Sonlight books arrive at our door), but I thought I'd show you again. These are the books that we will read by the end of this school year.





This is our schedule book. It serves as a guideline for us as to what we will read and do everyday in the above subjects. Since it's very common to hear, "Mom don't stop....keep reading!", I often read two or three days worth at a time. That allows us to do the same thing in say, the history readings the next day. That's what I love about the instructors guide...it's a guide and I use it to my advantage. But I do love having the guide! It keeps us on schedule! If we go out of town, we can read ahead a few days, and accomodate our long weekend, or we just take it along and do the readings there.



For Math, we use Math-U-See. We used this with Colt when he was schooling, and we just love it! It's exactly as it claims, it uses blocks to SHOW the kids WHY we do what we do in math, and it has the teacher on DVD, so Joy and I watch it together. I especially like this in math, because although Jason is a math whiz, it's probably one of my LEAST favorite things to do! (I'd rather be reading or doing something creative).



For Handwriting, we use Handwriting Without Tears. She also gets practice on her handwriting with any copywork she does or letters she sends to friends.



For Spelling, we use Sequential Spelling. This is not set up by grades. You begin in book 1 regardless of what grade you begin and just work your way through it. We will be ready for book 3 in a few days. We do ours orally. It really is a simple, but effective way to teach spelling. It starts with shorter words and builds upon word patterns.



For Grammar, we are using Daily Grams, along with daily practice in writing. This book has short lessons focusing daily on the different categories of grammar such as sentence structure and combining, punctuation, capitalization, alphabetizing, parts of the speech, verb agreement and more...very painless grammar lessons. She also has a couple of penpals, including Tammy's daughter, Allyson. This is a natural way to learn the mechanics of writing, spelling and grammar. Besides that, it's fun!



For Science, we use the God's Design for Science Series. The book we are presently using is the God's Design for the Universe. However, we also love the Magic School Bus books and experiment books. I really like the looks of the Elementary Apologia too. We might add the Astronomy one to this to enhance our study on the universe. We used Apologia with Colt from 7th grade up.



Weaved in among these is also the use of many living books. Joy learned to type from the computer software program, Kids Typing Instructor. After she learned the basics and built a little speed, I allowed her free time to email friends and "use" what she learned. It's amazing how quickly they pick up things when it's useful and fun for them! She now wants her own blog. I think it might be a great avenue (if closely...very closely monitored by mom) for some of her creative writing assignments. We'll see.

And speaking of creative writing assignemnts, I love this little book, If You're Trying to Teach Kids How to Write, You've Got to Have This Book. It's packed with tips and ideas for kids to write. This was one of my favorite books to use when I taught a small co-op class when Colt was younger, and it's still one I pull out for fun writing assignments for Joy too.



As far as what we're working on now...Let's see....Our main read-aloud is Toliver's Secret (we're studying the American Revolution) and Joy is reading Martha Washington independently. We're preparing for our homeschool group's geography fair in early March. Joy chose India as her country to study and exhibit. We're presently in the read and research stage. Maybe at the next open house, her exhibit will possibly be completed or far enough along to share.



And one last thing I'll leave you with is a writing assignment Joy wrote yesterday. I gave her the words "I know" and asked her list things that would follow behind those words....as few or as many as she would like. This is what she came up with.

I know...

1) I know multiplication.
2) I know God is real.
3) I know that nobody's perfect.
4) I know that we are in tough times.
5) I know that we wouldn't be in as much hard times if McCain had been elected.
6) I know God loves me.
7) I know that my parents love me.
8) I know taekwondo.
9) I know dance.
10) I know that I love my parents and family.
11) I know alot about reading.

Thanks for stopping by! And for those of you that aren't homeschooling your children, and you're STILL with me reading this...thank you for hanging in there! Homeschooling is another part of our daily lives that just comes natural for us and from time to time, I like to share what we're doing in that department!

Please remember to pray for our new President, all of our leaders in Congress and the Senate and for the American people in the times ahead. I urge everyone to be alert and active in the issues that lie ahead. The future of our country is at stake and we are going to have be involved and sometimes be ready to fight for our freedoms!

Have a great day! :)

Calling all Americans

Believe me, I would feel much more comfortable doing a post on my decorating and home improvement projects, homeschooling adventures, my faith or my family.....but I felt compelled to write this post. Actually it's BECAUSE of my family that I write it....and I sincerely do so with the best and kindest intentions.

You all know that my vote went for McCain, and I have to honestly say that I've had a heavy heart since election night. I'm truly worried about the future of this country....not so much for me....but for my children.



BUT, that being said, I do know that the future of this great country doesn't necessarily lie in the hands of ANY one man, but most of it will have to do with what we, the American people, do (and say). For years, I think we've let some things (issues) slip in or slip by and America is worse because of it. I love my country and have always been especially proud of America. I want my children to grow up with the same freedoms and the same nation under God. Our forefathers knew what they were doing when they fought so hard to establish our freedoms and to carefully create and word our Constitution. I believe as long as our country stays under this umbrella of principles and also remains a nation under GOD, and a friend to Israel, we will be a blessed nation. If we stray, America will suffer and deteriorate from within.



If there's one thing I think we all share (at least the readers that I believe visit here) is a deep love for our families so that's why I challenge and ask you all as fellow Americans, and Christians, to stay alert, stand up, stand together (regardless of who we voted for), and speak out. There will be times, as there have been in the past, when laws and amendments on issues will come into play that will threaten the morality of our country and thus affect the lives of our children because of the society in which they will have to live. So, I'm calling all Americans....you will have to step out of your comfort zone....but this country and our families are worth it!



If you've stayed with me this far on the post, I sincerely thank you, my blogging friend, and ask God's blessing on you, your family, and our great country!

Blessings!
Tammy

Blessed is the Nation

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance." Psalms 33:12

As we are studying American History now, I'm reminded more than ever of the price our forefathers paid for our freedoms that we enjoy as Americans today. They paid at HUGE price for it, actually. And that is why this election is SO important.

Today, I will be casting my vote for John McCain/Sarah Palin. Why do I vote for this team? In one word, it is simply FREEDOM. The only way any nation has ever survived is to have freedom of the people. I want the leader of America to be a man/woman that believes and trusts in the principles upon which America was founded and make decisions based upon these principles. Any yes, this nation and it's principles were founded on God. Under this, ALL can prosper.




Yes, we've had some hard times economically (which is NOT all the President's fault...he has fought a do-nothing Congress since 2006...and thus our gas prices soared too), but look at the rest of the world...people starving, being told what to do by their government.....and the opponent's ideas and beliefs are similiar in some areas and scary to me. You can go anywhere in the world and there's two things that will govern the laws in which you live (whether good or bad) and those two things are religion and politics (the two things everyone "says" you can't mix). You can't get away from those two. You can turn a blind eye to it but that doesn't mean it's not there, whether it be Buddhism, Hinduism, Muslim, New-Age Movement, or Christianity.



And those that would say that some of the issues upon which I am basing my decision are moral ones....YES, THEY ARE! I don't know any decision that doesn't come down to morals and values...what's right...so yes, I'll be looking at the morals, values, and character first and foremost because it's from that character that all men/women, leaders included, make their decisions.

Regardless of who wins this election, the American people are going to have start standing up for the Constitution and our rights, period. I will be praying for whoever wins this election as well as the American people as a nation. The communists actually said that the way they could take over America was by destroying it from within and they could take it over without firing a shot....so more than anything and most importantly I hope whoever wins, the American people will just STAND UP for their rights and stand up for what IS right in every issue we face today!



"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 11 Chronicles 7:14

GOD BLESS AMERICA! GO VOTE!