In these uncertain times, God is the only financial institution we can trust right now.  The repercussions of what has been happening on Wall Street hasn't filtered down to our daily lives yet.  We cannot be certain of our financial security if we are depending on ourselves.  We must look to God to meet our needs.

Yesterday, I was reading Psalm 136 and it was fresh in my mind this morning.  As I offered God  praises this morning, I began inserting the things He had done for me and saying  "O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy and loving kindness endure forever." 

O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy and loving kindness endure forever.  O give thanks to the God of gods, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.  O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.  To Him Who alone does great wonders, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.  In Him Who by wisdom and understanding made the heavens, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.

To Him who meets all my daily needs, O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy and loving kindness endure forever. 

To Him who has supernaturally given me my vacations for the past six years, O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy and loving kindness endure forever. 

To Him who has made my house payment each month, O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy and loving kindness endure forever. 

To Him who has provided all my family's clothing needs, O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy and loving kindness endure forever. 

To Him who gives me the desires of my heart, O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy and loving kindness endure forever. 

To Him who gives my children fine gifts, O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy and loving kindness endure forever. 

To Him who answers all my homeschool needs, O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy and loving kindness endure forever. 

To Him who comforts me when I am down, O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy and loving kindness endure forever. 

To Him who has placed a destiny in my heart and is working on my behalf to bring it to fulfilmment, O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy and loving kindness endure forever. 

To Him who will give us a better answer to our energy crisis than imported gasoline, O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy and loving kindness endure forever. 

To Him who will bring justice to the streets of America, O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy and loving kindness endure forever. 

To Him who will flood our land with His Spirit, O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy and loving kindness endure forever. 

To Him who will get our nation out of financial debt, O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy and loving kindness endure forever. 

To Him who will even give our nation a surplus, O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy and loving kindness endure forever.

  I joined Toastmasters and have to do an icebreaker speech.  I thought I would talk about why home schooling has benefited me.

“My sister home schools her children and that is something I would never do.  Her children will never get socialization.”  That’s what I used to say about home schooling.  Now, after eight years of home schooling my three sons, ages 12, 9, and 6, I can say it was the best decision my husband and I have ever made.

            I am not here to sell you on the idea of home schooling.  Nor will I talk to you about the pros and cons of home school versus other schools.  I am here to tell you about what I have learned as a result of being my children’s teacher.  Hopefully, my sons will benefit as much from the experience as I have.

            The first thing I have learned is that God is faithful.  I used to pray daily, “Dear Lord, please help my children attend the school of your choice and let us be able to afford it.”  I couldn’t believe it when He chose me for the awesome task of educating my children.  It all started because my five year old son begged to be home schooled.  At the time, my sister and I had just taken him and his cousins on some field trips.  I had tried to convince him that every day would not be a field trip, but he was insistent.  I had decided the litmus test was whether his father agreed he should be home schooled.  He did and I was shocked!

            From the beginning, God has provided all the home school resources that we ever needed.  I admit I have bought a number of resources along the way, but they have never been as useful as the ones I have been given.  Since my sister has twins a year older than my son, she provides me with our curriculum each year.  A kind friend has left all kinds of books and resources at my back door, just when I need them most.  My mother has gifted us with some wonderful resources, such as laptop computers and trips.  She invited us to Jamestown and Williamsburg when were studying Colonial America, Epcot Center when we were studying inventions, and to Greece when we were studying ancient times.

            Our homeschool days usually flow in a way that can only be Divine.  When I begin each morning, I have no idea which direction it will go.  Of course, I have certain books I use daily, but the way the events of the day line up to reinforce lessons learned is amazing.  As long as the grace is there to home school, I will continue doing it.

            The second thing I learned is that I have a gift for teaching that I never really knew I had.  Years before, I had substituted in the school system for a year, but the discipline problems were tiring and I had decided I didn’t want to be a teacher after all.  Besides teaching my own children, I have the opportunity to teach others, which I enjoy doing very much. 

Our homeschool group has a coop where mothers and local teachers offer classes for our children.  For the past five years, I have taught several classes each semester.  I get to decide what I want to teach and how I will write up my curriculum and offer it to the students.  I have a lot of fun with it. 

Once, I taught chemistry in a class called Spy Kids.  I told the children I had tricked them into my class by giving it that catchy name, but they didn’t seem to care.  While the class was centered around forensic science and how to be a detective, we actually performed every experiment in the chemistry book I used.

In a class about dinosaurs, I taught the difference between creation science and evolution so children could decide for themselves which they believed.  In creative writing class, the students wrote a small book and on the last day of class, they had a book signing party.  They handed out copies of their new release and autographed them for each other and the parents who attended.

            In inventions class, students learned about the history of inventors and how to invent something themselves.  On the last day of class, they presented their prototypes.  The kids were quite creative and had some marketable inventions.

Currently, I am teaching a language arts/survival skills class, based on the book My Side of the Mountain.  Last week, I taught the students about what plants they could eat in the wild, but warned them not to experiment.  “I’d hate for a fun guy to be poisoned by a fungi,” I told them.  This semester, I am also teaching a class called “How to be a Super Star Student,” a class on how to be a successful student in high school and college.

The third thing I have learned from home schooling is how to motivate children to have a love of learning and to look forward to their future.  God planted a seed of destiny is each of us before we were born.  It is usually what captivates a person the most.  Helping others to find their unique purpose and encouraging them to fulfill their dreams has become the desire of my heart.  I have been writing on this subject now for about four years and have written a number of manuscripts, which I hope to have published soon.

The fourth thing I have learned from my teaching experience is that I have a love for learning, too, and I get as much or more joy than my children to learn something new.  My children are bright, inquisitive and eager to learn, so it has been a joy to help them discover new things, to see the light bulbs light up, and to catch the contagion of a subject or a new author.  I would never trade the joy I have had at doing this together with my children.  I’m too old to have any more, so I want to enjoy every moment I have with these precious gifts God has given me.

I cannot even begin to list the time management, household management, motivational, presentation skills that have been honed because I chose to home school.  In conclusion, I do not believe home schooling is for everyone, but I am grateful God chose me to be my children’s teacher.  The next time you hear someone say they home school their children, maybe their socialization won’t be the first thing that comes to your mind.  Maybe you will think about how many benefits the mother will receive from the experience.

I copied this from an email I received from Mahesh and Bonnie Chavda of All Nations Church.

In a conversation with a young man this week, he told me of a discussion he was in with a group of 18 to 30 year olds who consider themselves born again and actively interested in serving the Lord. At one point someone blurted out, “I can’t stand Sarah Palin!” Since it was not necessarily something he expected from this particular group, he said, “Really? Why not?”

“What she represents about a woman’s right to choose!” was the immediate reply—apparently with the understanding that this was the accepted view of the present company.

Inevitably the conversation turned to the issue of abortion and dissolved into speculation as to when life in the womb is actually considered a life. The consensus of the group was in favor of the current abortion laws, to which this young man asked, “My brother was born two weeks before that arbitrary date. Does that mean he isn’t a life?” Later that same evening, this young man found himself in another conversation where the same girl, this time tearful, lamented the exploitation and murder of polar bears.

Vote your conscience seems to be the general exhortation people give to one another in America. Particularly if the conversation turns to specifics on which people disagree. But what happens when our so-called “moral conscience” has not been properly formed? Then “vote your conscience” can no longer apply.

Americans cling to the assumption of our personal “right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” as “bitterly” as we small-towners “cling to our guns and religion.” But a cursory glance over the lives of the average person who identifies themselves as a Christian in America suggests the honored three-fold list from the Declaration of Independence has become a mantra devoid of its original intent. The three have been inverted. Life is no longer the first right to be enjoyed; the “pursuit of happiness” has superseded it. After that, freedom is exalted. This is not the liberty the founders of this great nation prescribed. It is not the liberty that cost them their lives and fortunes that they might retain their sacred honor. Freedom seems to infer a right to freedom from want; freedom from hardship and difficulty; freedom from needs or obligations toward the rights of others; freedom from humility.

Liberty and freedom are not one and the same. The first bears responsibility while the second is dangerously autonomous unless it chooses otherwise. We observe that even truth becomes relative and open to interpretation when individual freedoms take precedence over the liberty afforded the human spirit as a creation in God’s likeness and image.

If America is to retain her freedom, we must regain our liberty: liberty to restrain ourselves; liberty to serve something larger than our pure personal interest; liberty to think beyond the next meal or movie date; liberty to think intelligently; liberty to recall our history and make it honorable once again.

If Christians in America are to retain their rights we must regain our responsibility: responsibility to do the right thing even when it costs us prestige or convenience; responsibility toward the next generation that delights to make a sacrifice for their sake; responsibility to speak out, stand up, stretch out and serve when we have for far too long tended toward silence, cowardice, self-interest and self-satisfaction; responsibility to offend evil.

Moral Responsibility

On August 3rd, Alexander Solzhenitsyn died this year at the age of 89. He was a clear and ardent prophetic voice warning against the dangers of post-modernist humanism and evil, morally and ideologically, which looms as a specter against the destiny and opportunity of this great nation. He said: “One cannot think only in the low level of political calculations. It’s necessary to think also of what is noble, and what is honorable—not only what is profitable.” He decried the fact that law was replacing moral responsibility of individuals and nations.

Mr. Solzhenitsyn had his moral conscience formed as a political prisoner in the Gulag of the Soviet Union for 11 years after which he was exiled to the West. It was there in the Gulag, lying on a filthy sodden straw mattress, that he said he learned “the line between good and evil does not run between ideologies or around borders of nations. The line between good and evil runs directly through the center of the human heart.” In the Gulag a man could get a job in the kitchen if he would become an informant on other prisoners. Once there, one could eat the portions allotted to the other prisoners. But since the daily rations were barely life sufficient, easing ones hunger pains with another man’s ration would mean his death. Daily choices became a “matter of sacrificing your life or sacrificing your soul.”

Solzhenitsyn went into the Gulag a dedicated Soviet citizen and a nominal Christian; He came out a man dedicated to the reclamation of his nation and an ardent disciple of Christ. He devoted the rest of his life to proclaiming the message of the principle doctrines of the faith: that mankind was created by God in His image; that by choosing evil over good, man fell out of that fellowship; that through Jesus Christ man could be redeemed – from himself, from sin, from death.

In a famous speech at Harvard in 1978, Solzhenitsyn observed that America was losing itself to a value system of social ill-restraint that was unbecoming of the purpose for which this nation had come into being. He said:

If (rationalist) humanism were right in declaring that man is born to be happy, he would not be born to die. Since his body is doomed to die, his task on earth evidently must be of a more spiritual nature. It cannot be unrestrained enjoyment of everyday life. It cannot be the search for the best ways to obtain material goods and then cheerfully get the most out of them. It has to be the fulfillment of a permanent, earnest duty so that one’s life journey may become an experience of moral growth, so that one may leave life a better human being than one started it. It is imperative to review the table of widespread human values. Its present incorrectness is astounding. It is not possible that assessment of the President’s performance be reduced to the question of how much money one makes or of unlimited availability of gasoline.

The tendency to lose our ideals, he said, would cause us to lose our place among the nations. Among the trends Sozhenitsyn observed in his Harvard speech were:

• A decline in moral courage
• The lull of material excess
• The exaltation of the written law over a responsibility toward higher moral values
• The misuse of liberty
• The incredible abuse and manipulation of fact in so-called journalism
• The power of fashion to form human outlook
• The dramatic shift to embrace socialism, and with it, communism

As one who had lived and been shaped by a society that had a poverty of soul before his conscience was awakened in the Gulag, Solzhenitsyn had a clear understanding of the high cost and value of a well-formed conscience and soul.

Solzhenitsyn received the Nobel Peace Prize in a day when the honor was truly meaningful and valuable. He stressed his firm Christian worldview and disdain for such demonstrations as the anti-war movement during Vietnam on the basis of a grander principle than immediate politics. He came to be ignored, if not altogether avoided, by the Western secular press.

The Choices We Make:

Opinion polls are just that. And yet we find that more weight and attention and ultimately more power in our present society is given to opinion polls than perhaps any other force---except perhaps the media. And it is interesting that the media and opinions form one another as they form us. This week we did a comprehensive review of American voter opinion polls done by a cross section of the major media outlets. Number one on the list of what voters are most concerned about is the economy. In a common list of issues ranging from personal economics, to energy crisis, to war, education, taxes and what most polls listed as “so-called” moral values, money matters topped the list with a four times greater percentage values of concern than any “so-called moral values.” This in a nation where 84% of its citizens still call themselves “Christian” when asked about religion. The polls do show a deep divide along political party ideology on nearly every question but energy. The two polls that actually named abortion specifically as an issue found it had a 1-3% importance in relation to economics which ranged between 70-90% of importance. In terms of moral choices the only other issue besides abortion on the list was the concern about the war which was in the middle of the scale of importance and gay marriage which rated lower than concern over abortion. In other words, America no longer recognizes true moral importance in general.

Vote your conscience doesn’t apply as long as polar bears are more important than human lives. Personal freedom and the pursuit of happiness is in vain if it only leads to death. Our national conscience has not been properly formed. What can break this vicious cycle? The answer is Who can break it. Someone outside the circle with more authority given Him. His moral handbook is the written word of God and for Christians there is no option but choice between good and evil as God defines them.

Isaiah said of Him, “For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our King; it is He who will save us” (Isaiah 33:22). There we have it–the three arms of perfect government: legislative, judicial and executive ruled by One – an infallible and eternal administration. Human government is intended to be a reflection of the divine. In our quest for “freedom,” man has thrown off the liberty that comes from our Perfect Father, God. By elevating our personal opinion and “conscience” as autonomous from the rulership of God, we have, over the centuries, descended on a downward slope that has lost the value and moral compass that ensures Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness in its fullness. The worship of man and his material needs has become the standard by which our society has judged “good and evil.”

Perhaps this is no clearer than in the winning platform of the 1992 presidential elections. As an advisor to the Bill Clinton presidential campaign, James Carrville coined the phrase, “It’s the economy, stupid!” It originated with a sign he made for the Little Rock Campaign headquarters that listed the three point message that would give their party control of the White House:

1. Change vs. more of the same
2. The economy, stupid
3. Don’t forget health care.

The strategy worked – twice.

But we see that there is a Lawgiver who encompasses all that we need for Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness, including our provision and health. Isaiah 33:15-16, 24 says, “He who walks righteously and speaks what is right, who rejects gain from extortion and keeps his hand from accepting bribes, who stops his ears against plots of murder and shuts his eyes against contemplating evil—this is the man who will dwell on the heights, whose refuge will be the mountain fortress. His bread will be supplied, and water will not fail him….No one living in Zion will say, ‘I am ill’; and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.” As we vote in these elections, there is a higher law that must form our conscience as we make our choice.

In closing, I am reminded of a story that many of us were once familiar with–Pinocchio, the little wooden puppet crafted by the old clock-maker Geppetto as a companion to fill his desire for a son. In answer to Geppetto’s desires, the wooden puppet comes to life. But he is not yet a real boy. Pinocchio has to face some challenges and make some choices before he passes the test and is deemed worthy to keep the life given him. We find in the final scenes, after making many foolish decisions, that Pinocchio discovers the value of life and lays down his own existence in order to save Geppetto. Pinocchio demonstrates that he has developed a true conscience, and in return he is transformed from an animated puppet into a real boy.

As we cross the halfway point of these 40 days of Prayer and Fasting 4 America, we are praying for a spiritual awakening and transformation of America’s moral conscience that we might fulfill our destiny before God.

“The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He will fill Zion with justice and righteousness. He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.” Isaiah 33:5-6

www.maheshchavda.com

You might want to pass this along to all of your friends.  Every American should read it! ISSUE JOHN McCAIN BARACK OBAMA Favors new drilling offshore US Yes No Will appoint judges who interpret the law not make it Yes No Served in the US Armed Forces Yes No Amount of time served in the US Senate 22 YEARS 173 days Will institute a socialized national health care plan No Yes Supports abortion throughout the pregnancy No Yes Would pull troops out of Iraq immediately No Yes Supports gun ownership rights Yes No Supports homosexual marriage No Yes Proposed programs will mean a huge tax increase No Yes Voted against making English the official language No Yes Voted to give Social Security benefits to illegals No Yes CAPITAL GAINS TAX MCCAIN 0% on home sales up to $500,000 per home (couples). McCain does not propose any change in existing home sales income tax. OBAMA 28% on profit from ALL home sales.  If you sell your home and make a profit, you will pay 28% of your gain in taxes. If you are heading toward retirement and would like to down-size your home or move into a retirement community, 28% of the money you make from your home will go to taxes. This proposal will adversely affect the elderly who are counting on the income from their homes as part of their retirement income. DIVIDEND TAX MCCAIN 15% (no change) OBAMA 39.6% - If you have any money invested in stock market, IRA, mutual funds, college funds, life insurance, retirement accounts, or anything that pays or reinvests dividends, you will now be paying nearly 40% of the money earned in taxes. The experts predict that 'Higher tax rates on dividends and capital gains would crash the stock market, yet do absolutely nothing to cut the deficit.' INCOME TAX MCCAIN (no changes) Single making 30K - tax $4,500 Single making 50K - tax $12,500 Single making 75K - tax $18,750 Married making 60K- tax $9,000 Married making 75K - tax $18,750 Married making 125K - tax $31,250 OBAMA (reversion to pre-Bush tax cuts) Single making 30K - tax $8,400 Single making 50K - tax $14,000 Single making 75K - tax $23,250 Married making 60K - tax $16,800 Married making 75K - tax $21,000 Married making 125K - tax $38,750 Under Obama, your taxes could almost double! INHERITANCE TAX MCCAIN - 0% (No change, Bush repealed this tax) OBAMA Restore the inheritance tax -- Many families have lost businesses, farms, ranches, and homes that have been in their families for generations because they could not afford the inheritance tax. Those willing their assets to loved ones will only lose them to these taxes. NEW TAXES PROPOSED BY OBAMA New government taxes proposed on homes that are more than 2400 square feet.   New gasoline taxes (as if gas weren't high enough already) New taxes on natural resources consumption (heating gas, water, electricity)   New taxes on retirement accounts ... and last but not least... New taxes to pay for socialized medicine so we can receive the same level of medical care as other third-world countries!   You can verify the above at the following web sites:   http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.taxes.html

A few weeks ago, I couldn 't help but feel that the book I was reading, The Warning, by T. Davis Bunn, was a warning for the season we are in.  This book was about a banker who had repeated dreams about a stock market crash because Wall Street brokers were playing around with derivatives.  This crash would affect the whole economy.  It was up to him warn the world that the stock market is unstable because too many risks are taken.

When Black Monday happened yesterday, I felt a sense of de ja vus because the message in T. Davis Bunn's book was being played out before my eyes.  It is an interesting read!  I highly recommend it!