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Cursive First -- Update


This is a sample of Jerry's first copy work. We spent two weeks learning the lower case letters. This is a boy who hated penmanship before. It was like pulling teeth to teach him how to print correctly. Now he can write in cursive and even his printing is improving. Now learning the uppercase letters is almost natural. Just today he learned, J, R, F, T, A, and G.

The Cursive First program teaches the letters in groups, the clockface letters, the loop letters, the uphill letter, and the bump letters. As Jerry learned each letter he would say the various strokes out loud. So he is learning by doing, hearing, and saying, each letter. For a hands-on kinda kid, that's great!

Cursive first is designed to work with a phonetic learning to read program. Now that he knows his basic letter formation, he practices writing the different phonograms (letters ad letter combinations that make one sound ie. "sh") that make up the English language. This is helping with his reading. Instead of sounding out a bunch of letters he is learning to read by phonetic sounds.

For more information on why teaching cursive first is such a great idea go to: Cursive First: An Introduction to Cursive Penmanship. It only costs $20 and is fully reproducible. If we hadn't already been given a phonics based reading program, I would consider buying the companion program, "Spell to Read and Write." Jerry is very proud of the fact that his writing is better than his Daddy's, but then again even Daddy has trouble reading his own writing :)

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The Doctrine of Modesty....


I took this Bible Study from a post I wrote on our old blog some time ago. I hope it will be a blessing to you and that you will examine yourself to see if you are following God's standards for Modesty.



I once read the following definition of modesty "...that we should not with our apparel draw undue attention to ourselves that would distract from what our real purpose in life is."

What does that mean for me? Personal dress is not simply a personal choice. Christian liberty is NOT an excuse to dress as you please.

I would be wrong if I taught you my opinions or preferences. And I would be wrong if I twisted God's Word to suit my standards. It is also wrong for any of us to correct someone else's standards by our own. Clothes do not make the woman. If we rely on clothing to judge someone's spiritual condition, well, it only shows our own lack of spiritual understanding.
God in His infinite knowledge knew that culture and fashion trends would change. And so He laid out clear standards of modesty that transcend time and culture. So what does God's Word actually say about modesty?

I would like to look at four things that together make up the Bible doctrine of modesty:
1. Nakedness
2. Gender
3. Shamefacedness
4. Sobriety




I. Nakedness
What constitutes nakedness as seen in the Bible? Of course, a complete lack of clothing is nakedness, but we all know that. But did you know that uncovering one's thigh is also considered being naked? (Num. 28:42) (Isa. 47:2,3) We used to live near to a Mennonite community in Aylmer. The women of one of these Mennonite groups wore full, pleated, knee-length skirts. Every time one of them would lean over, pastor would have to turn his eyes, because their thighs would be showing halfway up.

We've been in a lot of churches and I can't tell you how many times I've seen a pianist sit at the piano in church only to expose her thigh because her skirt rode up or her slit was too high. Or maybe you could see right past her armholes because her sleeves were too short or too wide.

Another way ladies (including myself) have fallen short is, as mothers of young children. There have been a few times when I have embarrassed myself, because I had a kid on one hip and my purse, Bible bag, and diaper bag in my free hand, when I leaned over I exposed a shoulder or worse. This is unintentional, but also, unnecessary. 

An easy way to test your clothes is to invest in a full-length mirror. Bend over, lift your arms, sit down, lift your leg as if climbing stairs or getting in the van. If these activities show nakedness, layer, lengthen your skirt, or wear a longer one, and be ever mindful of the unintended "oops" keeping a free hand on your shirt when bending over or smoothing out your skirts when sitting. Ask yourself, "Does my clothing cause me to show nakedness?"

Side note: are your clothes so snug, clinging, or sheer so as to show the form of nakedness. Its the same thing!

II. Gender
Again, I will not get into a dispute. It is my personal choice (supported by my husband) not to wear pants. I do not however pass judgment on those who do. North American culture recognizes both feminine and masculine pants. I understand that this was not always so. But, if we are to set our standards based on past cultural ideals of modesty, then I'm afraid we will condemn ourselves. In days gone by, it was considered immodest for a woman to show her ankles and in some time periods even her forearms. In the past, women wore many layers of clothes. It was also considered modest for a woman to wear a hat in church. The blousie shirts men wore in the sixteen hundreds would be considered gay today. So, please do not be guilty of hypocrisy when setting standards of modesty for you and your family.

We as Christian women should dress to please the Lord . God commands that we dress like ladies. (Deut. 22:5) Let's remember that femininity does not equal sexy nor does it mean we have to be frumpy. Be a lady. This applies to all clothing and accessories. "Is what I am wearing decidedly female?"

III. Shamefacedness
(1 Tim. 2:9) Shamefacedness is equal to bashfulness or embarrassment. That is not to say that our clothing should make us feel this way, but neither should our clothing make us feel bold and brash. One of the reasons I stopped wearing pants was because they made me feel bold, comfortable in the world's company. It led me to cutting my hair "boy-short" and spiky. I wore too much make-up and felt more confident around the world. I liked hearing the compliments it brought. Do you rely on your clothing to give you confidence? Does a certain dress give you boldness? Or does your clothing remind you that God gave you the command of submissiveness and the blessing of safety in the Biblical role of womanhood? This standard of modesty can be wrapped up in this question: "How does my clothing make me feel?"

IV. Sobriety or Moderation
Is your dress excessive? Is it bold? Is a lack of propriety causing a distraction? On the other hand, are you excessive in your modesty? What! Yes, I said it. I have known women who dress themselves and their daughters in an excessively modest, drab way on purpose to show their spiritual superiority. Do you dress in such a way as to attract attention, good or bad? It may be unintended in either case, but we should dress in such a way as to NOT attract attention. My dress simply should not be an issue. If it is then I need to make some changes.

Some of you are mothers of teen girls. Have you encouraged your daughters to be so caught up in dressing “pretty” that you have failed to teach sobriety? It is not as important how one looks as how her relationship with God is. When our relationship with God is right and we are growing in faith, we will eventually be challenged in areas of dress and appearance. We will want to draw the attention away from ourselves and draw attention to God. It will not bother us to be a little less fashionable if the fashion of the day is out of God's will. We will be content to dress within our means. We will know that being thin should not be our focus but rather, being healthy. But that is another discussion altogether.

Our purpose is to glorify and honor God. For those still under their father's authority it means honoring his standards. A girl should never dress in such a way as to bring shame or embarrassment to her father.

For those of us under our husbands authority it means honoring not only our husbands standards but also his manhood. Is the attention on me or on my husband? Does the way I dress give my husband cause to feel insecure? Is my dress standards hindering my husband's service? Keep what belongs to your husband for your husband.

Mothers, please, be careful how you dress in front of your children. Your sons ought not to see your nakedness and your daughters need a godly example. At the same time, it is our job to make sure that our daughters do not dress in such a way that would bring embarrassment or shame to their brothers.

If you have any doubts choose in favor of what is best, not what's better for you. 

AGAIN... If you have any doubts, choose in favor of what is best, not what is better for you.

To be sure that our wardrobe pleases God, we should ask these four simple questions:
1. "Is what I'm wearing causing me to show nakedness or the form of nakedness?"
2. "Is what I'm wearing decidedly feminine?"
3. "How does what I'm wearing make me feel?"
4. "Do I stand out? Am I taking attention from God and my husband/father?"

Ask God what He thinks, He'll let you know. (Ps 25:4,5)
God will bless you in your desire to serve God. Remember, none of us have "arrived", but we should all be striving to be Prov. 31 and Titus 2 women.




NOTE: If you are interested in using this as a Bible study, I have included a "fill-in-the-blanks" work sheet below. Feel free to copy and paste it and to make any changes you wish. I just ask that you stay true to God's Word.





WHAT THE BIBLE ACTUALLY SAYS ABOUT MODESTY




Introduction:
Definition of modesty: “...that we should not with our ____________ draw undue attention to _______________ that would distract from what our real ______________ in life is.”




Personal __________ is simply NOT a personal _____________.




It is wrong to teach one's own _____________ or __________________.




It is wrong to ______________ God's Word to suit one's own ________________.




It is wrong to __________________ someone's standards by one's own _____________.




List the four doctrines of modesty:
1. ____________________________
2. ____________________________
3. ____________________________
4. ____________________________




  1. Nakedness
God's Word states that uncovering one's ____________ is a form of nakedness? (Num. 28:42 Isa 47:2,3)
An easy way to test one's clothes is to ____________ in a __________ ____________.
Clothing that is too ____________, ______________, or _____________ can also show the form of nakedness.




  1. Gender
If we set our ________________ based on past ______________ ideals of modesty, then we will ______________ ourselves.
Do not be guilty of _________________ when setting ______________ of _____________.
Feminine does not mean __________________ nor does it mean ________________.
Be a ________________. (Duet. 22:5)




  1. Shamefacedness
Shamefecedness can be likened to _________________ or ____________________.
Our clothing should not make us feel or look ______________ or ________________.
Do you rely on your ____________________ to give you ________________?




  1. Sobriety or Moderation
    (1 Tim. 2:9)
Is your dress _________________?
Is a lack of propriety causing a ____________________?
Some women are excessive in their modesty in order to show their _____________ _______________.
My _____________ simply should not be an ____________. If it is then I need to ____________ some _______________.
It is not as important how one ________________ as how her ___________________ with _________ is.
When our relationship with ___________ is right and we are ________________ in ___________, we will be eventually be _______________ in areas of ____________ and _____________________.
A girl should never ____________ in such a way as to bring ____________ or _________________ to her father.
A wife's dress should honor her husband's ________________ and _______________.
Our ____________ should not see his mother's ______________ and our _______________ need a _________________ __________________.
If you have doubts, choose in favor of what is ______________, NOT what's ____________ for ____________.
Conclusion
The Measure of Biblical Modesty:
  1. Is what I'm wearing causing me to show __________________ or the ___________ of _____________________?
  2. Is what I'm wearing decidedly _____________________?
  3. How does what I'm ________________ make me _______________?
  4. Do I __________ ________? Am I taking _____________ from ___________ and/or my _________________/________________?
Remember, _____________ of us have ________________, but we should all be _______________ to be ___________________ and _________________ women.





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Where has the Holy Spirit gone?


Today, churches are so caught up in tradition, preference, and pet peeves, that I fear we are stifling the Holy Spirit. Churches who believe the same doctrinally are separating over issues of personal standards. How it must grieve the Holy Spirit. Let me give you some examples :

Woman and pants. I personally have chosen not to wear slacks, but I do wear pajama pants, and my girls wear snow pants. Now, others would say, "Shame on you! Pants on a woman defies Scripture." Others choose to wear pants that follow the Biblical standards of modesty. Still others use their Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. Call me a hypocrite if you want, but no where in the Bible does it say that a woman must always wear skirts. 

We apply principles from Scripture as the Holy Spirit leads each individual in order to arrive at a set of dress standards for ourselves and our families. But pants on a woman is NOT a doctrinal issue -- Modesty is. I did a Bible study with my ladies a few weeks ago about the Biblical Doctrine of modesty which I think I will share with you tomorrow. It will explain to you what the Bible ACTUALLY says about modesty. Have I piqued your curiosity? Come back tomorrow and give me a chance to explain.

How about the movies? For generations preachers have preached that going to the movie theater is sin. Is it sin or is it it a personal standard that the Holy Spirit may lead an individual to hold? And if one believes that going to the movies is wrong, then shouldn't that standard or reasoning apply to movie rentals or cable/satellite TV? I'm not saying whether you should or should not go to the movies or own a TV. What I am saying is that it is not a doctrinal issue (although, what you watch may be), but rather a personal standard that the Holy Spirit may lead an individual to have.

I could list one example after another, but the point I am trying to make is this... 

Why are personal standards and preferences being taught as doctrine? Keith and I have standards that others would say are too conservative, while at the same time, we have others that some would consider too liberal. The truth is that I have never met two people who hold the same, exact standards. If preferences were a doctrinal issue, then I believe God would have made them abundantly clear in Scripture. 

I wear slits in my skirts, but have the standard that they should go no higher than mid to lower calf. I have friends who believe that a skirt should have no slits. When I was a teenager, we had churches that would not fellowship with our church, because we had girls in our youth group that wore pants. Christians are so busy fussing and fighting among themselves over preferences that we can't see the forest for the trees.

1 Peter 2:1-3 could have been written to churches today. It says, "Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings..." This is the result of preaching preference instead of doctrine. The funny thing about preferences is that everyone thinks their standards are the most Biblical. And if they are doctrine, then everyone who disagrees is backslidden. Let's look at verses 2 and 3, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord (is) gracious."

I always thought this was talking about baby Christians. But take a look at where the comma is located... "as newborn babes" isn't referring to a level of spiritual maturity, but rather the manner in which we are commanded to desire the sincere milk of the word. Verse 2 is a command, "desire the sincere milk of the word." The Lord has shown me grace in so many ways, shouldn't I in turn show that grace to others?

I would like to make it clear that God's Word teaches separation. If someone propagates false DOCTRINE, we are to separate! But not for reasons of personal standards. I honestly believe that the reason we do not see true revival is because we have put the Holy Spirit out of a job, in a manner of speaking. We have become our brother's holy spirit and by our actions have shown God that we in our wisdom can do a better job at leading an individuals life than He.

The answer? "...Desire the SINCERE milk of the word..." Get back to basics. Preach the Word for what it is and what it says. PRAY for one another. I have learned (although, I still do not consistently practice) this truth... when I disagree with my husband on a matter of personal standards, I pray. Sometimes, God changes his heart and we are spared a rift in our relationship; but most often it is my heart that is changed. At times we agree to disagree, sometimes we compromise, and sometimes we concede to the other's standard. 

Could you imagine what would happen if we could all get a hold of that truth? If only preacher's would simply preach the basic doctrines of God's Word! If they would teach their people to live Holy Spirit-filled lives, instead of turning out carbon copies who look to the man for direction instead of God -- I believe that we would see revival! Hypocrisy would be a rare occurrence and the Truth would bring unity to God's Church. 

Seek God with an open heart. Don't be a fool and preach preference as doctrine. Seek out the Scriptures for guidances when setting standards and rules for your home. Make sure you know why you hold to the standards you have. And never expect others to come to the same conclusion. 

One last example. A man once believed that it was sin for a Christian to go into a restaurant that sold alcohol. You see, that man was once an alcoholic and still battled temptation. For him it was right and wise to have the standard of not going into any establishment that sold alcohol. But for a man who has never tasted alcohol, the temptation to drink isn't an issue. 

The Holy Spirit leads each of us to set standards to protect the spiritual state of ourselves and our families. What is a temptation to some may not be a problem for others. Also, the Holy Spirit leads each soul one step at a time to a Christ-like heart. Some change quickly, others one step at a time. So to judge someone by what the Holy Spirit has shown you is foolhardy. 

Let's follow the Lord's admonishment in 1 Peter 2:1-3  "Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord (is) gracious."



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The Blessing of Single Servants

With Valentines coming up next week, I'm sure most of you single gals are starting to get a little dreamy. From someone who really does know what it's like, I'd like to encourage you to put down that "romance" novel and consider the blessings of being a single servant. 

This is an article I wrote last year on our old blog, "It's A Loveless World." It's mostly just my own testimony, but I hope it will be an encouragement to you. If your not single, I hope it will help you see things through the eyes of a single person. 

The Blessing of Single Servants

Now, I know what all you single guys and gals are thinking... What does a couple of married people know about being single? Well, I would like to tell you our story. I turned 27 on April 28, 2003. A few weeks later in May, I arrived at the airport to meet up with the rest of the mission team I was joining. We were taking a month long trip to Quebec and Manitoba, Canada. There in the midst of the girls was a guy. Something about him struck me right away, maybe it was because he was the only guy in the group. My initial thoughts were "I wonder if this is why God wanted me on this trip?" Not too spiritual I know.

Let's back up a little. I was born into a Christian home. My dad entered the pastorate when I was seven. By the grace of God I was gloriously saved at a very young age, 5-yrs-old. You've heard it said that hind sight is 20/20. Well, looking back I can see that God was preparing me for a life in the ministry from the beginning. I knew it was in my heart as a teenager, but I put those thoughts on the back-burner and replaced them with my life's plan. My plan was to meet a handsome dark-haired man at the "mature" age of 18, then we would date until I was 20. After a year engagement, we would be married and after a few years of honeymoon we would start a family, maybe four or five kids. I figured he would probably be going into the ministry and that would solve my need to surrender myself. Well, 18 went by, then 19..., 21..., 24..., One day I woke up and found out I was almost 26 and life hadn't gone as planned. What happened next was a foolhardy thing to do and not something I am proud of.

Late one Saturday, in January 2003, I found myself at my whits end. I was empty inside, except for a nagging feeling that a relationship with God was what I was missing. You see, God never left me, but I had pushed Him out and replaced Him with shattered dreams and a broken heart. That night, I didn't sleep much. Finally, as morning dawned, I slipped out of bed and got on my knees. Mine was not a heart ready for prayer. With tears pouring down, I brazenly told God that He had my soul, but if He wanted the rest of me, HE would have to do something that day in church. If He didn't, then I would stop fighting and go on with my career, being just like most every other christian I knew, service on the outside, cold on the inside. NO feeling would be better than the conviction that was tearing me apart. When you get to that state of spirit, you are completely unaware that you are dangling over a precipice spiritually and God in His mercy is the only thing keeping you from falling. Oh, I could never lose my salvation, but as I have witnessed, a child of God who rebels to this level of a stiff-necked heart is most often taken home.

Let me say here that God is a merciful and gracious God. He wasn't willing to let me go. That morning in church a missionary arrived. Somehow there was a mix up in the schedule, and Dad wasn't expecting him until the next Sunday, but Dad had him preach anyway. Before he preached, I was scheduled to sing. And wouldn't you know it, the hymn I had chosen before this happened was, "I Wonder Have I Done My Best For Jesus." I could barely finish. After I left to hide in the restroom, my Mom met me. I told her that God wanted me, but I was so afraid that He was going to call me into missions alone. After I cried for a moment, I composed myself and went back to service.

That morning the missionary started his sermon by asking, "Do you really want to be like Christ?" Of course I'm sure most of the congregation would agree that we did. He went on to give example after example of what it meant to be like Christ. Christ was willing to leave His home, Christ was willing to be ridiculed and persecuted, Christ was willing to die so that men could be free. It was also during this sermon that he mentioned how we are so often willing to pray for God to send laborers into the field, but how many of us were willing to be the answer to that prayer?

Be careful what you ask God to do. When God does something, He does it well! When the invitation was given, I had already been broken. Yet, I still didn't understand. That is, until God showed me that the reason I couldn't give him my dreams was because I was saving my heart for someone that may not exist. That morning, I surrendered my broken dreams, my fears of serving alone, and finally, I gave God all my heart. It was then that God could show me that He was truly All I needed and that He wanted me to prepare for the mission field.

Now, I could truly understand the meaning of Psalm 37:4. We so often read it like this, "Delight thyself also in the Lord and He shall "GRANT" thee the desires of thine heart." But, you see, It doesn't say "grant" it says "give." If I delight in the Lord, if He is the most important thing in my life, then He will place within me His desires and only then will He grant those desires. That day I fell in love with God.

Through a series of events, I found myself in that airport in May of 2003 wondering if the chubby guy (sorry, Honey) in the back was the reason I was there. After a month of serving together, we both knew that something was happening. Later, Keith told me that when he gave his church, (a very large church compared to what I was used to), a presentation of our trip, he showed my picture in his slide presentation. When it came up, he told Second Baptist Church of Festus, MO,"...and this is the girl I'm going to marry!" Faith or audacity?

To make a long story short... we spent the next few months courting on the telephone and by mail since I was in Ontario and Keith was in Missouri. We saw each other in June for a week, August for three days, then in October he came up for Canadian Thanksgiving. That is when Keith proposed to me. We got to spend Christmas together and that was it, until the day before our wedding. We were married April 2, 2004. Eleven months later we had our son, Jerry, then Jocelyn, then Kaylee, then deputation, and then ... well, that's up to God now. (Note: since I first wrote this post, God graciously led our family to minister in Kenora, Ontario at Victory Baptist Church.)

So, back to the beginning of this post. I was almost 28 when we got married and Keith was 35. We know very well what it is to be single and we pray that we will never forget. I know that many of you are single right now. Take it from two people who regret the wasted years, give your heart to God. Here are some things I wished I did:

1. Trusted my Heavenly Father to do what is best for me.
2. Stretched my wings and found fellowship with other singles of like faith and practice.
3. Served God while I had complete freedom to do so. -- Paul knew what he was talking about when he told single servants to be content. A single man can serve God and go anywhere without the burden of a family. A single gal can give her heart to God without thought of a husband or children. I do not regret being a wife and mother, just that I didn't give more of myself when I had more to give.
4. Finally, to spend my time becoming the person that a godly man would want to marry. I had dreams of a wonderful, surrendered servant of God, you know, the kind you find in books. But was I the kind of girl he would even consider? Are you the kind of person that the kind of person you would marry would want to marry? (Did that make sense?)

Don't let broken dreams and loneliness push God out of your heart. I didn't say life, because you can serve God without being controlled by Him. If God fills your heart, then there will be no room for loneliness. Find a place that needs you and give God all you've got. Do you realize how many small churches need a pianist, a music leader, someone to start a bus route, or someone to teach? Could you go? It takes a lot less to support one than five. If God blesses you with a spouse one day, then you will be far more prepared than I was. If you are already living a life of true contentment, then be faithful and don't let Satan wear you down.

For those of you who have never experience true singleness because you were blessed to be married young: Be careful how you treat these most valuable servants. Far too often, I felt like others didn't value me as a "real" adult. I felt incomplete. I know I'm not the only one, Keith also had these same thoughts. Single servants are taken for granted far too often. "They don't have a family, so let them do it." Or worse, they're ignored because everyone is busy with their own families.

Where would the Bible be without single men? Jesus was single. The only Apostle we know that had a wife for sure was Peter. Remember that Paul was single, would you give him the same honor if he was part of your church? Or would you think, "Who is he to give advice? He doesn't even have a family." Seriously, how many single adults are in your church? How many would be there if someone believed them to be a valuable part of the family?

If you are a woman, find time to invite a single lady over when your husband isn't around and just have some girl time. Ladies, encourage your husband to take the single guy out for coffee. Include these single servants with your family activities occasionally. 

Single servant hood can be a wonderful thing. Don't waste it. God bless. Keep on a prayin'!


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Making Bread with Josie


Today was the day that Josie had her first lesson in bread-making.


She was so excited. Josie measured, mixed, and kneaded everything all by herself!


Josie felt so grown-up putting her smooth and elastic dough into the oven to rise.


All done!!!


Josie was a little disappointed that she wasn't old enough to use the electric knife, but quickly got over it when I let her cut the bread herself the old-fashioned way.


Doesn't that look good?!


Getting ready to take some to Daddy.


Daddy's make the best taste testers!


Ahhhhh! Josie enjoying the fruit of her labor.

The recipe we used was Amish White Bread from Allrecipes.com. This is a fool-proof, beginner's recipe. We used one-third whole-wheat flour and I added cheddar cheese to mine. This is a very versatile recipe. 


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