Did you know they are drilling for oil in Israel? Many believe that there are scripture passages that tell of there being oil in Israel. In Genesis 49:25 it says, "blessing of the deep that lie below..." and in Deuteronomy 33:13 "About Joseph he said 'May the LORD bless his land with the precious dew from heaven above and with the deep waters that lie below;'. Also in Deuteronomy 33:24 it says, "About Asher he said:
'Most blessed of sons is Asher; let him be favored by his brothers, and let him bathe his feet in oil.'"
Some would point out that by oil, it is referring to olive oil, which is obviously in abundance in Asher's land in Israel. But the word used for oil in Hebrew is Shemen, and it is also used in reference to rock. The word petroleum is latin for rock oil. Deuteronomy 32:13 says, "He nourished him with honey from the rock, and with oil from the flinty crag" (which means a steep rock). Job 29 talks of "the rock poured me out rivers of oil."
The Zion Oil & Gas company are drilling for oil in the land that, according to the 12 tribes of Israel, corresponds with the foot of Asher and the head of Joseph.
Anyway, you can read more about the Joseph project here and here.
Imagine if they do find oil? We already know that Iran and Russia do not like Israel. It is believed by many Bible prophesy scholars that the battle of Gog and Magog, as mentioned in the Bible in Ezekiel and Revelation, will occur between Russia, Iran, and Israel. The battle of Gog and Magog is also prophesied in the Quran. It is also known that Russia is posturing itself with Iran and Iraq.
I wonder, and this is strictly conjecture on my part, if Israel were to find oil, if this will spark further posturing between Russia and Iran to attempt to destroy Israel, as prophesied in the Bible.
You can read more information about Gog, Magog, Israel and Russia here. Another site that has some more answers on prophesy is here.
Feel free to share your thoughts.
Thanks for reading!
August 31, 2009
August 25, 2009
Books out my ears!
We received our books for home school last week. I've been spending most of my time reading on how to implement each subject and trying to get last minute supplies like folders, index cards, pencils, etc.
After reading through all the material I'm really excited about it all and I think we're going to have a great year! I think the kids are going to really enjoy going through the time period in History, which is from the Early Church through the Middle Ages.
We're also possibly going to try out a new group tomorrow, but I'm not sure yet. It's hard to set out and join a group of people you don't know at all and try to fit in, but it's worth it. Especially when you know they are people of like-mind and faith.
Anyway, I'm hoping to take some pictures this week and post some here, finally!
After reading through all the material I'm really excited about it all and I think we're going to have a great year! I think the kids are going to really enjoy going through the time period in History, which is from the Early Church through the Middle Ages.
We're also possibly going to try out a new group tomorrow, but I'm not sure yet. It's hard to set out and join a group of people you don't know at all and try to fit in, but it's worth it. Especially when you know they are people of like-mind and faith.
Anyway, I'm hoping to take some pictures this week and post some here, finally!
August 20, 2009
All Thumbs
I've decided to no longer keep my thumb nails long. I like the convenience they offer when cleaning - to be able to scrape things off counters and floors. But too many times they cause more harm than good. I've accidentally poked the kids in the face or scratched them. This morning, one of my thumb nails caught on my hip as I was pulling up my pants and scraped my skin. Yeeouch! So no more thumb nails for me, thank you!
August 16, 2009
I had a dream the other night that affected me so deeply it's been on my mind ever since. Immediately after I woke up I said I was going to blog about it to share it with my peeps. But then I had second thoughts and decided to wait and see before I shared it. Anyway, here goes.
It took place in some kind of auditorium in an office building. It was clear to me that it was the end of the world. Jesus had come and we were being separated into those who believe and those who don't.
Those who believe were being reunited with family and it was a very jubilant feeling. I remember making sure I had all my family nearby. We were celebrating and rejoicing in the realization that this is it, the moment we've been waiting for!
Those who don't believe were being sent to the lowest level, which reminded me of an orchestra pit. Not exactly a lower floor, but lower than we were. They were being packed in like sardines, and immediately their faces became gray and squalid. They were watching us all celebrate and the looks on their faces just said, "why didn't you help me?" They were crying, and some started fighting with each other. But their faces will not leave my memory. They almost looked like goblins.
As we would walk by, I had the fear that one of them would grab one of my children, or they would fall in. I was constantly making sure I had my children safe with me. It was a very bitter-sweet feeling, rejoicing with my family, but grieving for those who are lost.
I wanted to share this so that I could present the question: if this were reality, do you know which group of people you would end up with? Would you be rejoicing, or would you be grieving?
Those who were rejoicing were believers in Jesus Christ and had accepted Him as their Lord and Savior? The Bible tells us, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23) but that "God so loved the world, he sent his only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
Do you have positive confirmation that if Jesus were to return today for his faithful, that you would be included? Or would you be left behind?
If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that he died for your sins so that you might have everlasting life, and you would like to give your life over to Him, then all you have to do is simply pray. Talk to God, tell him you love Him and you believe in his Son, and ask him to come into your life. It's that simple! Done and done! No matter your past, the gift of salvation is offered to ALL!!
I pray that you will make this decision, because I would hate for you to miss out!
Thanks for reading!
It took place in some kind of auditorium in an office building. It was clear to me that it was the end of the world. Jesus had come and we were being separated into those who believe and those who don't.
Those who believe were being reunited with family and it was a very jubilant feeling. I remember making sure I had all my family nearby. We were celebrating and rejoicing in the realization that this is it, the moment we've been waiting for!
Those who don't believe were being sent to the lowest level, which reminded me of an orchestra pit. Not exactly a lower floor, but lower than we were. They were being packed in like sardines, and immediately their faces became gray and squalid. They were watching us all celebrate and the looks on their faces just said, "why didn't you help me?" They were crying, and some started fighting with each other. But their faces will not leave my memory. They almost looked like goblins.
As we would walk by, I had the fear that one of them would grab one of my children, or they would fall in. I was constantly making sure I had my children safe with me. It was a very bitter-sweet feeling, rejoicing with my family, but grieving for those who are lost.
I wanted to share this so that I could present the question: if this were reality, do you know which group of people you would end up with? Would you be rejoicing, or would you be grieving?
Those who were rejoicing were believers in Jesus Christ and had accepted Him as their Lord and Savior? The Bible tells us, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23) but that "God so loved the world, he sent his only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
Do you have positive confirmation that if Jesus were to return today for his faithful, that you would be included? Or would you be left behind?
If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that he died for your sins so that you might have everlasting life, and you would like to give your life over to Him, then all you have to do is simply pray. Talk to God, tell him you love Him and you believe in his Son, and ask him to come into your life. It's that simple! Done and done! No matter your past, the gift of salvation is offered to ALL!!
I pray that you will make this decision, because I would hate for you to miss out!
Thanks for reading!
August 14, 2009
Bewitched
I was looking through the paper today in the Weekend section and an ad for the latest Harry Potter movie got me thinking. So many of my Christian brothers and sisters enjoy these movies that I wonder if they consider the ramifications of viewing this type of entertainment. I think they forget that wizardry, witchcraft, sorcery, or divination are vile practices. They chalk it up to being "harmless entertainment".
Deuteronomy 18:9-13 says, "When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in a]">[a] the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. 13 You must be blameless before the LORD your God."
I think the same can be said for t.v. shows like Wizards of Waverly Place. It all seems like harmless fun. But really, it's not. If we begin to see such things as harmless fun, then where do we draw the line? It sets us on a path of accepting all kinds of different behaviors because they are portrayed in a funny, light-hearted way. Why are we so quick to accept wizards and witches, but not homosexuals? What about a show where the characters are promiscuous, or thieves, or doing drugs? Are we to accept it as long as it's made to be cute or funny? Should not all sin be considered detestable?
The best way we can teach our children of what is acceptable or not is to lead by example. If we show them that these things are not acceptable, they will learn. On the other hand, if we allow them to sit and watch programs or movies that portray these things as acceptable and fun, they will learn them to be acceptable and fun.
What if you don't have kids? Is it okay because you're not setting an example? The Bible also instructs us in this for our own personal well-being. Philippians 4:8 reads: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
If you are unsure about whether or not something is good, think about how you feel when you are watching, reading, or listening to it. Do you feel good, or positive? Or are you left feeling rebellious, angry, or just overall kind of yucky?
Years ago I took a liking to Metallica. I could not get enough of them. I would put the tape in my tape player in my car and blast the speakers. I just loved it! But I found myself getting increasingly angry and impatient, just hoping for someone to get in my way or push the wrong button. I finally realized that this was not healthy and put a stop to listening to their music. I gave my Metallica tapes and CD's away. Immediately, I stopped having those angry feelings.
I hope you are encouraged by this and it gives you pause to think about what you are ingesting into your mind and heart.
Thanks for reading!
Deuteronomy 18:9-13 says, "When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in a]">[a] the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. 13 You must be blameless before the LORD your God."
I think the same can be said for t.v. shows like Wizards of Waverly Place. It all seems like harmless fun. But really, it's not. If we begin to see such things as harmless fun, then where do we draw the line? It sets us on a path of accepting all kinds of different behaviors because they are portrayed in a funny, light-hearted way. Why are we so quick to accept wizards and witches, but not homosexuals? What about a show where the characters are promiscuous, or thieves, or doing drugs? Are we to accept it as long as it's made to be cute or funny? Should not all sin be considered detestable?
The best way we can teach our children of what is acceptable or not is to lead by example. If we show them that these things are not acceptable, they will learn. On the other hand, if we allow them to sit and watch programs or movies that portray these things as acceptable and fun, they will learn them to be acceptable and fun.
What if you don't have kids? Is it okay because you're not setting an example? The Bible also instructs us in this for our own personal well-being. Philippians 4:8 reads: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
If you are unsure about whether or not something is good, think about how you feel when you are watching, reading, or listening to it. Do you feel good, or positive? Or are you left feeling rebellious, angry, or just overall kind of yucky?
Years ago I took a liking to Metallica. I could not get enough of them. I would put the tape in my tape player in my car and blast the speakers. I just loved it! But I found myself getting increasingly angry and impatient, just hoping for someone to get in my way or push the wrong button. I finally realized that this was not healthy and put a stop to listening to their music. I gave my Metallica tapes and CD's away. Immediately, I stopped having those angry feelings.
I hope you are encouraged by this and it gives you pause to think about what you are ingesting into your mind and heart.
Thanks for reading!
August 13, 2009
We're going to be starting our second year of home schooling next week. I'm still unsure exactly all that we'll be using, but I'm just going to start with what we have and go from there.
Most of what we used last year was thrown out the door. It didn't work for one reason or another. We started with Singapore Math, Tapestry of Grace, Apologia - Exploring Creation through Astronomy, and a couple handbooks for help with writing, as suggested by Tapestry of Grace.
The only thing we are continuing with this year is Apologia for Science. We finished the Astronomy book and moved onto Botany, and we are still in the middle of it, so we'll just pick up where we left off with a little review. Everything else is going to be different.
The kids both struggled with Singapore. It's more advanced than they were ready for and doesn't offer enough review before moving onto the next concept. Plus, although we were using the U.S. edition, the measurements were all using the metric system. It was kind of hard to measure meters when all you have is a ruler for inches and centimeters. I've never been good at converting to metric, anyway.
Tapestry of Grace was good, but it was frustrating because a lot of the books suggested for reading were not available at the library. I was having to substitute whatever I could and sometimes it just was not comparable or appropriate. There was no instruction for the geography portion so most of what we did was label the kids' maps using the teacher's map. I tried getting atlases at the library but the kids didn't enjoy looking at them or they didn't have the information we needed.
The writing component was also difficult. I liked the idea of having the kids write essays and articles based on what we were learning in history, but they were simply not inspired enough to get creative and have fun. It made it that much more difficult to teach them how they were supposed to write and explain what they were supposed to write about.
This year I decided to focus more on the three R's: Reading, Writing, and 'rithmetic. So I found a math program online that is free and will help get them up to the level they are supposed to be at. The math we'll be using is called Mindsprinting. I would really like to get Math U See but I can't afford it right now.
I also decided to go with Growing with Grammar and Writing Strands for their language arts. We'll continue doing copywork for penmanship and www.aaaspell.com for spelling.
For history and geography, I'm going to try Mystery of History. It's not my first choice, but I think it will be good. My first choice is My Father's World - Exploring Countries and Cultures. It looked like so much fun because it's a full year studying geography from all over the world and all the different cultures. But I can't afford it, so I'm continuing in history where we left off in Tapestry of Grace, which is from the fall of Rome and through the Middle Ages. Mystery of History continues with history chronologically and it also teaches from a Biblical worldview. It also includes a geography component that looks good.
There are some other things we might try this year, but I'll write about those as we start them. I think it is going to be an interesting year!
Thanks for reading!
Most of what we used last year was thrown out the door. It didn't work for one reason or another. We started with Singapore Math, Tapestry of Grace, Apologia - Exploring Creation through Astronomy, and a couple handbooks for help with writing, as suggested by Tapestry of Grace.
The only thing we are continuing with this year is Apologia for Science. We finished the Astronomy book and moved onto Botany, and we are still in the middle of it, so we'll just pick up where we left off with a little review. Everything else is going to be different.
The kids both struggled with Singapore. It's more advanced than they were ready for and doesn't offer enough review before moving onto the next concept. Plus, although we were using the U.S. edition, the measurements were all using the metric system. It was kind of hard to measure meters when all you have is a ruler for inches and centimeters. I've never been good at converting to metric, anyway.
Tapestry of Grace was good, but it was frustrating because a lot of the books suggested for reading were not available at the library. I was having to substitute whatever I could and sometimes it just was not comparable or appropriate. There was no instruction for the geography portion so most of what we did was label the kids' maps using the teacher's map. I tried getting atlases at the library but the kids didn't enjoy looking at them or they didn't have the information we needed.
The writing component was also difficult. I liked the idea of having the kids write essays and articles based on what we were learning in history, but they were simply not inspired enough to get creative and have fun. It made it that much more difficult to teach them how they were supposed to write and explain what they were supposed to write about.
This year I decided to focus more on the three R's: Reading, Writing, and 'rithmetic. So I found a math program online that is free and will help get them up to the level they are supposed to be at. The math we'll be using is called Mindsprinting. I would really like to get Math U See but I can't afford it right now.
I also decided to go with Growing with Grammar and Writing Strands for their language arts. We'll continue doing copywork for penmanship and www.aaaspell.com for spelling.
For history and geography, I'm going to try Mystery of History. It's not my first choice, but I think it will be good. My first choice is My Father's World - Exploring Countries and Cultures. It looked like so much fun because it's a full year studying geography from all over the world and all the different cultures. But I can't afford it, so I'm continuing in history where we left off in Tapestry of Grace, which is from the fall of Rome and through the Middle Ages. Mystery of History continues with history chronologically and it also teaches from a Biblical worldview. It also includes a geography component that looks good.
There are some other things we might try this year, but I'll write about those as we start them. I think it is going to be an interesting year!
Thanks for reading!
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