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Presuppositional Patterns: A Biblical Study of the Unmarried Woman’s Role - Part One

[Let me say one thing before I jump into the topic at hand. This area I’m addressing is one in which I’ve swung from one extreme to another. I’ve found myself influenced over the years by those on opposite ends of the spectrum and have subscribed to different views at different times. Only recently have I approached Scripture with this specific area in mind and with a desire to understand the Lord’s heart on it. What a blessing this study has been! The Word of God never ceases to change me – to transform my thinking and to alter my lifestyle. Though I am sharing what I have learned from my own study of Scripture, there is nothing that can replace personal study. I challenge each reader to spend time for themselves seeking the Lord’s heart on this issue, as expressed in the pages of Scripture; time thus spent will render blessings beyond those from reading these writings of mine.]

The question has been posed, “Should girls go to college?” From the emphatic “no!” to the incredulity that such a question could even produce a negative answer, the responses to be given are as diverse as the experiences of those who give them. Ah yes…experiences. Though they teach us much about life, experiences cannot be the standard by which we measure the validity of a pressing decision or the acceptability of a particular situation. You see, two people encountering the same situation may experience entirely opposite results. For one, it may provide a good experience, while for another, it provides a bad experience. Two things, based upon the same standard of measurement, that are antithetical to one another cannot both be right. (Unless, of course, one subscribes to a relativistic view whereby each one determines for himself what is right depending upon the present situation. In which case, it would be pointless for us to have this discussion in the first place…)

The first step in answering the afore-mentioned question is to acknowledge that God’s Word is the absolute standard by which we must measure every situation and every decision. God has no intention of leaving us on our own to make such crucial and life-impacting decisions as whether or not to attend college. On the contrary, Scripture speaks to every area of life and God promises to bless those who walk in His ways.

“Blessed is everyone that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways.”
Psalm 128:1

“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.”
Psalm 119:1-3

Let us commit ourselves, then, to seeking the Lord’s way with our whole heart and determining to walk in it, wherever the path may lead!

There is certainly more than one direction we could take in approaching a study of Scripture with the question, “Should girls go to college?” in mind. As I pondered the question, though, I found myself wondering what God’s role is for young women who are beyond their childhood years but have not yet entered into marriage. Before we can even answer the specific question of college, we must lay a framework with a clear understanding of God’s general role for such a woman. This will be the foundation, then, upon which every other decision can be built. I invite you to join me as we explore an even more foundational question, “What’s an unmarried woman to do?”

Another Series...

Some time ago, Lydia asked me about the possibility of writing a guest post for her blog on a new series she was going to start on the topic of whether girls should go to college. After tossing the idea around for a while, I decided to accept her offer. Little did I know what I had gotten myself into! The Lord has taught me so much in my study, inspired by Lydia's simple request. As I began to write, I just couldn't stop; my guest post was quickly turning into a book! Not really, but that's what my family called it. :-)

Following this post, then, will be the first of a nine-part series (cross-posted on both Lydia's Blog and my own) titled,
Presuppositional Patterns: A Biblical Study of the Unmarried Woman's Role (a fitting title given by Lydia)

The Race is On!

Monday evening, Naomi and I attended a special Candidate Forum hosted by the Harvey County Republican Party. Six of the seven gubernatorial candidates were present. Each candidate was asked a total of four questions, one at a time, and given a limited amount of time to respond. For me, the decision to be made was between the two conservative candidates, Barnett and Canfield. Though I’ve done a fair amount of research and reading and spoken with numerous people who are supporting one or the other of these two candidates and, I found myself increasingly uncertain of which one I should support. I was eager to attend this event because I was hopeful that it would provide the forum necessary for me to make a final decision about who to support in the primary next Tuesday, August 1. I am posting my notes of the questions and responses below in case there are fellow Kansans who find themselves in the same position. (Things moved quickly, so the notes may seem a little scattered...sorry about that.) At the end of the post, I’ve summarized my thoughts on the candidates.

Here are the names of the candidates and their running mates:
Jim Barnett/Susan Wagle
Ken Canfield/Kathe Decker
Rex Crowell/Brian Shepherd
Robin Jennison/Dennis Wilson
Tim Pickell/Jeffrey McCalmon
Dennis Hawver/Bret Landrith
Richard Rodewald/Helen Kanzig – absent

Question One: Introduce yourself. Why do you want to be the next Governor of Kansas?

Barnett: I served with Ray’s (Ray VanSickle was one of the organizers of the event) sister on the Emporia BOE for 8 years, 4 as president.
From Redding, near Emporia, grew up on farm, has practiced internal medicine in Emporia for 24 years.
Has served in KS Senate for 6 years.
KEY ISSUES:
Education:
Wants a good education system. His wife teaches special ed – loves kids, hates paperwork.
No increased taxes or gambling to fund education.
Economic Growth:
1. Eliminate the death tax.
2. Phase out income tax rates
3. Increase the dependent exemption to $500; give investment tax credit to small businesses
Courts:
We need a separation of, and respect for, powers. We should not have the state Supreme Court appropriating funds. We need to change the Supreme Court selection process to be similar to the federal process.
Illegal Immigration:
We should not treat illegal immigrants better than American citizens.
English should be spoken.
No in-state tuition or driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants.

Canfield: May recognize as voice and host of "Today’s Father." Here because of issues, issues of the heart. It’s a great day to be a Republican, where ideas prevail. As Kansas goes, so goes the nation. We are in the heart of the nation. The leadership in the next four years is critical. Grew up in Wichita. Has had some of the same impact as we have had in regard to the economy.
Need to focus on Republican principle of limited government. Keep government slim and trim. Cut taxes.
Took the taxpayer’s pledge – will not raise any taxes under any circumstance.
Bring private/venture capital to state that will allow the economy to grow.
Wife’s heritage tied to Harvey county. If we don’t keep our families strong, there isn’t a check big enough that we can write.
We need to bring government programs into accountability.
There is much we can do to strengthen families.
We need to fix our courts.
We need to give power back to the legislature

Crowell: From Longton, 90 mi. SE of Wichita. Rancher, County Commissioner, School Principal. More moderate than three ordained candidates in race. The courts had no other choice [in the school funding ruling], because the legislature had never defined what is an adequate education. We need no other selection process for Supreme Court. Courts job is to protect rights of the minority against the tyranny of the majority. Has 4 daughters, one step-daughter. Needs job, because college grad daughter is not financially independent. Race is about leadership, vision, who can beat Sebelius. Leadership – in State Legislature previously, Chairman of Transportation Committee. We need to focus on providing the best education, developing alternative energy production, a better legal system, and healthcare.

Jennison: From Healy. 55 miles North of Garden City. Family has live there since 1887. Currently farms with his dad and brother. In 1990 was elected to House of Representatives. Is involved in Kansas Farm Bureau and Kansas Livestock organizations. Was Speaker of the House during his last term in office. Interested in tourism. Started tourism company to promote outdoor tourism in Kansas. We have a lot to offer in Kansas. Biggest problem is our perception of our state.
We have a problem – a Governor that does not lead.
I am not ready to concede that rural Kansas needs to dry up and blow away.

Pickell: From Prairie village, trial lawyer. Both [self and running mate] Eagle Scouts. Only team that has gotten into every county in Kansas in one day. Spent only $1500 to do it. Need to take back Kansas and get it back to Republican principles. Fourth generation Kansan. Owned and operated two family farms. Reminder of Abraham Lincoln, criticized as centrist thinking individual.
We need a state auditor. We have no accountability. We need to look for ways to cut waste.
Advocate for rural revitalization – high speed internet access in all counties.

Question Two: What are your plans to address Kansas taxes, public debt and the number of government employees?

Canfield: Give taxt cuts and grow revenue. Return more money to the people. Studies show and known to be true – Governor’s budget grew from 2 million to 12 million. That will be gone the first day in office. Will provide greater service to the people of Kansas. Cliché is true – When the monster’s hungry, the monster eats. Topeka needs to be made accountable to the people. Identify people within agencies and challenge them with the governor’s budget cuts. Lead by example so they will want to do the same. What to do with cuts? Reduce debt, return money to the people, grow the economy. Send a message to the nation, which is also struggling with same problem.

Crowell: First, be honest about last four years. Increased debt. State is not in an enviable position any more. Governor found 1 billion in waste. Hard to pass another highway plan. What’s happened? Also took away the money that local units were getting from state. 3 years ago, property taxes went up 27%. State stopped sending back money that they had been for several years. Kids in college for past several years. College tuition increase, close to 100%.
Personal principle – debt/mortgaging future generations is worse than tax increase.

Hawver: [Arrived late and jumped in at this point in the forum.] From Ozawkie. Practicing lawyer. Vietnam veteran. Running for Governor because we’re running into hard times. High gasoline prices, which will change the way we live. Propose that we need lower taxes. Need to reduce drastically the size of this big, inefficient “Cadillac” state government. Money into it is like tossing it into a black hole; it’s not circulated properly. Anti-War Veteran. Against war in Iraq. People probably won’t hear about me, considering the treatment I’ve gotten from the press so far. Lower taxes below every competing state by reducing the size of government. Why am I dressed like this? The last successful revolutionaries in this country dressed like this. In order to institute what I’m proposing, we’re probably going to need a revolution.

Jennison: More difficult question because of the Governor we’ve had – not used sound fiscal policy in governing the state. We used to pay property taxes June 10. She moved it one month forward. Took 800 million dollars out of transportation plan and said she found new money. It was a contingency plan, developed in 1999. Now we will never meet goals set forth because the Governor took that money. She put that money into ongoing spending as well. 70% of budget goes to education. Establish what an education is so that we have a benchmark from which to start to identify inefficiencies in education.

Pickell: Plan is both simple and complex. Kansas currently ranks 6th highest per capita for number of government employees. Proposed state auditor will not be an additional financial burden. Cost of auditor’s office – we’re only one of four states without one - less than 1/20th of one percent of the current budget. If things continue, we will have a terrible budget crunch. We need a plan day one to cut government spending. We can cut 5% of the budget ($700,000) by hiring a state auditor. We can expand our economy through Ethanol development and rural development. Goals are dreams with a deadline.

Barnett: Taxes: Will eliminate death tax first day in office, phase down income tax 10%, $500 dependent exemption, 10% investment benefit. State needs to live within means.
State employees – too many – last four years lost over 10,00 private sector jobs, while increasing over 11,000 government positions; need to grow the economy.

Question Three: What are your plans to restore some sense of fiscal responsibility to school funding?

Crowell: Courts have indicated that we need to spend more money. Until we define and fund an adequate education, we will be in a problem with the courts. Courts did not have any choice based on information they had in front of them. Need to keep an exemplary school system in state. Reduce size of government. Bring in wind farms; put us on cutting edge of alternative energy production. In business area – cut paperwork for small business. Get government off back of small business.

Hawver: Schools. We have the same problem – we’ve been spending more and more money in the past 20 years and getting poorer and poorer results. Spending so much money now that it’s biting into our state economy. I’ll bet you that at least 60 percent of that money goes to administration. Superintendent earns $170,000 in his district. It seems absurd. I don’t even know what this guy does. I don’t know what a lot of them do.

Jennison: To find efficiency in KS, we need to look at education. Before 1992, we had locally-controlled schools. Joan Finney established state-run schools. In 2005 we ended up with court-controlled schools. We need to establish specifically what an education is in the state of Kansas. Then, we need to return local control to schools and enable them to meet the standards. If we try to hold every school equal, we’ve got a formula for mediocrity. Each district has different needs. State needs to make sure that every school, every district has the funds and opportunity to teach the things that are important to them in their district.

Pickell: Ignorance is more expensive than education. Dad moved from Wyandotte Co. to Johnson Co. for better school district. Should not be jealousies between rural and urban education. Standards should be set at the state level. Each community can choose to spend more money on their schools if they want to. Teachers are not overpaid. Divide typical salary by number of students and number of hours – less that $1/hour/student. Need state auditor to help save money and cut wasteful bureaucratic spending.

Barnett: Governor should fulfill constitutional duty and fund education. Sebelius has not supported or funded a bill for education. Get court out of control – legislature has power of purse and can balance spending. Reduce administration costs. $100,000-$200,000 salaries for school administrators is too much. Money should go into the classroom – proposes that 65% of money spent goes to teacher and into the classroom.

Canfield: I’m a product of Kansas education – it was good. Influenced me and allowed me to influence others. Costs are going up because kids are not prepared. Why? Families are fractured. Teachers are expected to do things they weren’t even prepared to do. Superintendent John Morton [in Newton] is worth his money – stays up day and night thinking about how to make students in this district better students. There is an accountability piece that is extraneous – No Child Left Behind. We were on that before it came our way. Go back to 1992 – school funding formula needs to be revisited and simplified. Hold harmless the current funding. Move back to per year per child funding. Move as much money to classroom and teacher as possible.

Question Four: What is your stance on a woman’s right to choose? Give concluding remarks.

Hawver: Okay…I’ve told you folks, I want small, unintrusive government that lets us make our own choices and enjoy them or suffer from the consequences. Dead set against abortion personally. But will fight for any woman to make her own choice. It’s a question of freedom. It’s not a government question. It should not be subject to law. It should be the decision of the woman, the family, as to what she is to do with her body. I do feel it’s murder. Every fetus is precious. However, I think freedom, basic freedom of mother, is the main issue our government needs to address. I know I give a rather strange presentation visually and in other ways too. I really do want things changed. I’m basically after the disgusted vote. I believe there are a lot of people in the state who feel pretty hopeless and pretty helpless and pretty disgusted. I’m a Jeffersonian republican. I adhere to and respect the principles of Thomas Jefferson. Government that governs best governs least.

Jennison: Will answer different than generally do. I’m pro-life. It’s not my religious faith that determines what I think of abortion. I think that fetus is a life. Because it is a life, we should protect it. I’m opposed to abortion. There is not a bill the legislature will pass that I will not sign.
This is an important campaign because we have a Governor who has not led. Governor represents state as a whole. We have differences throughout the state. There are tough issues with the authority and power of the Governor. We elect a governor to make the tough decisions. We would be better off with a Republican, because the Republicans have led our state. Our Republican legislature deserves a lot of credit. We have to come together to make sure we have a Republican in the Governor’s office.

Pickell: Pretty deep, convicted moral thoughts on the issue of abortion. It’s a divisive issue in the party. No candidate is going to be able to eradicate abortion in the state of Kansas. Roe v. Wade is the law of the land. We can follow South Dakota’s lead. I’d like all of Kansas to vote on this issue of abortion and make a decision once and for all.
I don’t believe that Sebelius has been a leader. Graves got the highest total number of votes in the state. Graves, Reagan, Eisenhower – no political experience prior to being elected as Governor. I’m running, not to be a Legislator, but to be a state administrator. Whole goal is to unite party and get rid of Sebelius. If we make it, plan to do some good while we’re there.

Barnett: Dedicated last 24 years of life to diagnosing illness and alleviate pain. Life is a fundamental and core value. I will protect life from conception to natural death. Helped pass legislation to require more sanitary controls in abortion clinics. Also, I believe marriage exists between one man and one woman only. Voted that way in Senate and in booth with the rest of the Kansas in the state.
Clarify – Vote on Eminent domain bill – for example, bill that allowed for a fire department would not have allowed water to run to it. Contrasts – propose school finance that we can afford. Courts should not control it. Not satisfied with Supreme Court selection process. Oppose illegal immigration. We all need to speak in English. Need a governor who will not say, take two aspirin and call me when I’m President.

Canfield: Summarized in billboard outside of town. “Thank goodness your mother chose life.” Will work to stop late-term abortions. Need to protect innocent life at every stage. Communities that are connected grow and thrive. Lt. Governor Kathe Decker is focused on connecting small communities. We have the clearest contrast. Voting record is crucial – you can’t play cards if you vote the same way as the current governor.
Gambling issues – will be difficult to put card on table if you have voted the same way as the Governor on those issues.
Raising Taxes.
Introduced wife. We think it’s a team event – a team that’s not only a family, but a team of Republicans that can prevail in November. We must build discernment with fact and bring and build on the truths and ideals that made Kansas great.

Crowell: You can see my views on abortion at website. Spent a lot of time thinking over these issues. Not all daughters agree on this issue. All daughters are single. If daughter said, Dad I cannot bear to have this child, I would support them. Sent Notification bill to floor of house. For 16 years, unable to get abortion issue debated on house floor.
Here’s my take on the issue (not necessarily how I feel personally, but what I think everybody could buy into):
1st trimester – should wait 48 after counseling.
2nd trimester – only to save life of mother or prevent her from severe disability, or if two psychologists agree that mother is suicidal and likely to attempt suicide if required to carry baby to full term.
3rd trimester – only to save the life of mother or prevent suffering significant permanent physical disability.

My Summary of the Candidates:

Barnett: Confident and Concise – always finished before the allotted time; gave clearly articulated and well-formulated ideas and plan of action; familiar with political process and how to get things accomplished.

Canfield: Passionate and Purposeful – has a heart for the issues; lofty ideals, not as much in the way of practical implementation.

Jennison: Smooth and Slick – a former lobbyist for the gambling industry, Jennison spoke not a word about the issue; he knows the right things to say when in a conservative crowd, or perhaps, which things not to say.

Crowell: Lukewarm and Lacking depth – fairly random; a lot of words, a little substance; trying to stand on a platform constructed by what he perceives others can buy into, rather than on principle.

Pickell: Proud and Partyman – mentioned his travel of all Kansas counties in a day several times; first priority=party unification, then fulfilling responsibilities of Governor.

Hawver: Disgusted and Demoralizing – deep-seeded bitterness seemed evident in his words and manner of speech; emphasized problems and gave no vision for the future; no reason to hope.

We are down to the final days before the Primary. Pick your candidate and don't forget to vote on August 1! Be sure to add Eric Carter to your list for Insurance Commissioner!

All photographs courtesy of Naomi. Thanks, little sis - great job!

Welcome to Summer!

What better way to greet the official first day of summer than with a day off? This morning I was thrilled when I looked at my calendar and realized I had absolutely nothing officially scheduled! It occurred to me that it had been a while since I experienced such a treat, so I checked my calendar and discovered that, indeed, my last such day off was February 11. Whew! I knew I’d had a busy Spring, but I didn’t realize it was quite that busy! The Lord is so good to provide the energy and time to accomplish all that He has called me to do at this time in my life.

I thought I would commemorate this momentous occasion with a post, so here are a few highlights from May:

A Trip to the Recording Studio

All year long my students worked toward the privilege of going on a special trip to a professional recording studio. Twelve dedicated students rose to the challenge and each got a chance to record a piece of their choice.

Bachelorette Party 2006

After months (or years, depending on who you ask… :-) ) of waiting and planning, the big day was just around the corner. Dear friends Tiffany and Chase were to be married on May 19 and we just couldn’t let Tif go without a memorable bachelorette party.

A surprised bride-to-be found herself surrounded by friends and family who presented her with her challenge. We gave her a photo album filled with index cards, each card indicating a specific photo scenario. Her mission throughout the night would be to exchange each card with a picture in fulfillment of that requirement.

Do I see a modeling career in the future for Tif?

It just wouldn’t be right to hold such an event for Tiffany without including a trip to Starbucks.

Displaying the fun shirts Lisa ordered for all of us for the occasion.

The Rehearsal and Wedding

A glimpse into the rehearsal proceedings.

Okay, so I missed some of the in between photo ops…there’s only so much you can do while trying to remain inconspicuous behind the piano. (Helpful note to cell phone users: “Off” only controls the ringer. When desiring to achieve the afore-mentioned goal of remaining inconspicuous, be sure to use the “Silent All” feature, thus precluding the embarrassment of voice message alerts sounding during the ceremony. Not that I would know from personal experience or anything…)

The Processional
As part of my wedding gift to Chase and Tiffany, I offered to arrange their two favorite hymns into the processional for the ceremony. I didn’t realize their favorites would be such contrasting styles!

A mini reunion! Myklin, Nicole, Trisha and I were the Thursday crew at the Tea Room for years. It was fun to have a few moments to visit together again.

The last time we were all together was before the three of them got married last August (all within a week of each other!) Now Trisha is the proud mother of a precious little girl, Myklin is the expectant mother of a little one and we’re still waiting for the announcement from Nicole… ;-)

Naomi’s Track Meet

Cheering on Naomi at her Free Spirits track meet! Far from slowing her down, her disability has produced in her a determination unmatched by anyone else I know.

Now that summer is here I plan to sit outside by the pool all day every day, sipping lemonade and working on my tan. Oh wait, we don't have a pool...and I don't drink lemonade. Well, so much for that plan...

RSS and Feedreader

Posted especially for Lydia. :-)

Here's a copy of what I posted some time ago on my other blog (I've updated it here, though to reflect information for the newest version of Feedreader):

Have you heard the term RSS? There are a number of different definitions for RSS, but in a nutshell, RSS allows you to receive instant updates from sites as new posts are added. This is a great way to stay up to date with new information without having to visit numerous sites repeatedly to see if posts have been added or not. It has saved me tons of time and increased my ability to keep up with what’s going on literally around the world!

There are many options available, but here are step-by-step instructions for the RSS aggregator I use and really like:

1. Go to the Feedreader website.
2. Click on the "Download Feedreader" link at the top of the right column.
3. Click on the "Download Feedreader 3.03 from Fileforum" link.
4. Click on the "Download Now" link in the right column.
5. Save the file to your computer in the location you select.
6. Once finished downloading, follow the instructions to install Feedreader on your computer.

Once Feedreader is installed, follow these few simple instructions to start receiving updates right away:
1. Click on the "New" button to add a feed to your list.
2. When the "Add Feed" window pops up, enter the url for the RSS feed. (Note: You must enter the feed url, not just the website or blog url. You will have to find a link on the website or blog to the specific feed. For example, here is the feed for my blog. On Blogger, you can usually locate the feed by entering atom.xml following the root directory for the blog in the url window at the top of your browser.)
3. That's it! You can experiment with different options and organize the blogs into folders, etc.

Feedreader runs as a stand-alone program on your desktop rather than as a web-based reader, which I really like. It's a great program - you should check it out!

Impacting the Future

“One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts…They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, and shall sing of Your righteousness.”
Psalm 145:4 & 7

“The most important thing one generation can do is to equip the next generation to lead.”
Jeff Myers

From this challenging statement made by Dr. Jeff Myers, who would be one of the Keynote Speakers at this year’s Teaching Parents Association Convention, and the inspiration of the above verses, was born the theme for this year of Adventures In Character (AIC).

In our six months of intense planning and preparation, we saw God amazingly answer some very specific prayer requests and we entered the weekend of AIC knowing that it would be only by His power that our efforts would be successful. From the conversations I’ve had, the e-mails I’ve received and the parents with whom I’ve spoken, I can only declare, “To God be the Glory!” I believe that His name was praised and that many seeds were sown that will bear lasting fruit for years to come.

(Although I hardly took any pictures over the weekend, several others made use of my camera to capture a little bit of what took place. I’m hoping to collect more pictures from others, so if that happens, I’ll try to post some additional pictures. But for now, enjoy just a glimpse into our world of AIC!)

Setting up the entry way on Thursday.

Nathan, the Storyteller for our drama, looks on during the dress rehearsal on Thursday afternoon.

Sir Conley presents his page, Andrake, with a special belt to identify him now as a Squire in the Kingdom.

Miss Tiffany and Miss Cori work hard to organize and distribute all the materials to the teachers who will be working with the children once they arrive.

Following are pictures of some of the teachers and assistants as they prepare for their time with the children. We had a total of 56 young people who invested their time and energy to teach the almost 300 children who attended AIC:

Miss Misty and Miss Chandler

Miss Allison, Mr. Chad, Miss Tori, Miss Faith

Miss Susan, Miss Esther

Mr. Cole, Miss Emma, Miss Hannah

Mr. Lucas, Miss Ashley, Miss Janelle, Miss Jonalee, Mr. Nathanael

Mr. Jarius

Mr. Cade

Miss Laura, Mr. Grant

Mr. Blake

Miss Shawna

Mr. Levi

Miss Jamie

Miss Lisa and Mr. Josh work on getting everything set up and ready for registration.

The children have arrived and the fun has begun! The two days of AIC will be packed full of singing, learning Bible verses, watching the drama, spending time with their team of 15 or so students, and making lots of fun crafts to take home as a memory of the lessons they learned.

Students who spent time with Miss Kayla or Mr. Seth at Veritas Tower got a chance to try on a real knight’s helmet!

One of our primary purposes in starting AIC seven years ago was to provide a way for families to attend the Convention together. We want to be a blessing to the parents and help give children a vision for homeschooling. It is always encouraging to hear from parents afterward and to know that this goal has been met. Here are some of the comments I’ve received this year:

“We have not done this in the past, and I can not begin to tell you how impressed I am. Every time I looked in on the children during the conference, it seemed all was going well, the children were kept busy and everybody was happy! [My boys] were already asking us when they can go back to AIC! I foresee my boys talking about it all year long until the next conference!”

“I want to tell you that AIC was excellent this year. When my 6 year old explained sin to me the other day and said that even taking a 'little piece of candy' was sin, I knew you all had her attention and had actually taught her something. Thank you!!”

“I heard so many comments from moms that they were surprised to see a place for the children and that most conventions don't welcome children. Thank you for your long hours of work to make our convention what it should be - a support for FAMILIES.”

“My nine-year old son commented on how nice it was to be in a place where there were lots of girls, but he didn’t have to worry about looking at them because they were all dressed modestly.”

“Our family used to not be committed to homeschooling through high school, but after my children attended AIC for the first time last year and saw all the high school aged homeschoolers helping and realized what it would ‘look’ like to homeschool through high school, we’ve never thought again about the possibility of not homeschooling all the way through.”

“Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever.”
Psalm 145:2

“Coming together to support parents in instilling the principles of God’s Word in the lives of the next generation.”

What Things Will Matter?

What things will matter
on the day I behold
the Face of the One
Who planned my life from of old?

Will the endless tasks
and the plans that I make,
the many duties of each day,
be all for vanity’s sake?

I pondered and I worried
and tried without rest
to fill up every day
with the things I thought best.

But still, the nagging thought
my conscience plagued,
How could I be sure
my plans were the best to be laid?

Then His whisper came softly
upon my ear,
“Abide in me,” were the words
of my Savior dear.

Alas to me
the way was clear;
I could live in full joy
by keeping my Savior near.

Each day might be wrapped
in a new design
and look completely different
than any plan of mine.

But the promise of much fruit
would come to bear in my life
by walking with my Savior
and making Him my delight!

Inspired by:

“He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit…Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit.”
John 15:5,8

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
Psalm 16:11

A Word to Women

A dear friend of mine who is now married and serving with her husband in Ukraine has written A Word to Women , describing her role as a keeper at home on the foreign mission field. Not only does she write eloquently on this subject, but her words overflow with the sweet presence of the Word of God written upon her heart and exemplified in her life. Kelsie has been an inspiration to me for many years; her love for the Lord Jesus radiates from her in so many ways!

I was going to copy several key excerpts here for you to read, but the whole article is so good that I would have ended up copying it in its entirety! I will include here her opening and closing statements, but you should definitely read the whole thing for yourselves!

“Before I came to the foreign mission field full time, I tried to take various measures to win the lost both at home and in other countries, such as handing out tracts or befriending lost people and witnessing to them. But since being married, the Lord has revolutionized my view of ministry. Because I am now a wife, my role is one of support. It is my job to back up my husband and help him in his calling as a missionary, not necessarily to be the missionary...

…Each one of us as women can have an important impact in changing this world by fulfilling our God-given roles and serving under the direction of our authority.”

I confess, even a year ago, I might not have found myself agreeing so readily with the sentiments expressed by Kelsie. But the Lord has ever so patiently been at work on my mind and heart, transforming and conforming me according to His powerful Word by which is "given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Peter 1:3-4)

Oh that we might increasingly experience the precious promises of God in our lives as we recognize and embrace the unique roles to which He has called us and which He has revealed to us in His Word!