Diversity

Racism is simply an ugly from of collectivism, the mindset that views humans strictly as members of groups rather than individuals. Racists believe that all individuals who share superficial physical characteristics are alike: as collectivists, racists think only in terms of groups. By encouraging Americans to adopt a group mentality, the advocates of so called “diversity” actually perpetuate racism.

- Dr. Ron Paul

Worship In Spirit And In Truth

Worship in spirit and in Truth

John 4:24, "God is a spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."  We must worship God in truth.  Since His word is truth, we must worship Him according to His word.  Here the Lord is telling us that everything we do in worship, we must have God's divine approval.  Truth is not arbitrary.  Truth for one person is the same as truth for the next.  God has not spoken in unclear ways.  

      God has specified in the Bible the acceptable way He is to be worshipped.  He is not to be worshipped according to the evil and vain imaginations and devices of men.  {“Whatever that is not commanded in scripture in our worship to God is expressly forbidden” Joe Morecrart} if we are to worship God in truth.  God is not obligated to accept our worship just because we offer it to Him.  We dare not substitute what we want for what God has commanded if we want to please Him.

     There are many who think it really doesn’t matter what we believe or do in religion, just as long as we are sincere and follow our conscience.  This philosophy exalts our conscience above the word of God.  This makes our conscience our only guide and ignores what God says in the Bible.  This philosophy originated with man and not with God.  This is telling God we are going to worship Him the way we choose and we don’t really care what He has to say.  Every man then becomes his own authority thereby eliminating the authority of God, the Bible.  

struggled with the question

I have struggled with the question, “When was I saved” for many years. I have studied the subject for many years. And have been given much light on the subject.

I believe the Word of God is clear regarding the matter of salvation. Jesus said:

“He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”…36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not on the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him {John 3:18, 36}

This is simply telling us that there are two groups of people in the world today – those who believe on the Son and those who do not. It’s that simple. Those who believe are not condemned; they have everlasting life. Those who believe not on the Son are condemned already, and they shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on them.

If you will notice, the Word of God never says, “simply believe and be saved”; rather, it seeks always to identify the object of faith, which is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the word, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth In Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

It is not enough just to believe; a person must believe “in Him”.

The Philippian jailer asked, “Sir, what must I do to be saved?” The Apostle Paul answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” {Act 16:30, 31}

You see, it is not enough just to believe; a person must believe “in Him”.

If a person is trusting in baptism for salvation, he cannot be trusting “in Him”. Christ is not one way to salvation; He is the ONLY way salvation.

There is no promise in the Word of God to those who believe partially in Christ. In other words we cannot trust in the Lord Jesus 90% and in baptism 10%.

We must trust Christ and what He did at Calvary 100% and nothing else.

Just because you were baptized as a baby does not save you!

You must trust Christ alone.

Conclusion;

All of this begs a question, “when is a person saved”? Let us look to the Scriptures.

Ephesians 1:4-5 “According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will”.

So He chose us and before the foundation of the world and predestinated us unto the adoption of children, according to the good pleasure of His will. But we are not saved before the foundation of the word, so when were we saved?

How about  Ephesians 1:13 “In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation”:

What? When? “After that ye heard the word of truth”. Not before! Look at the last half of this verse.

Ephesians 1:13b “in Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise”.

It seems very simple; ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, AFTER THAT YE BELIEVED!  Not before. And that’s the Baptism that counts; “now repent and be water baptized as a sign of that seal and obedience to a command for new believers.” “And you are a new believer”, “AFTER THAT YE BELIEVED!” 

Our relationship moves to next level

Our relationship moves to next level

   Its funny, right now I can remember every date we ever had in detail. And for the most part our dating was just like every one else’s dating. Nothing special, but every date was special to me and every date brought us a little closer to one another. There are a lot of stories to tell, but I think I’ll just write about the ones that are the most heartfelt memories to me… the ones that mean the most to me. The story I’m about to tell is another thing I’ll never understand. I’m just glad it happened. So here we go.

One day I decided I didn’t want to live without Charlotte. I liked our relationship but “the time had come” so to speak. My mom had asked what my intentions for Charlotte were. I said “Nothing. I like things the way they are." Mom said "Bull****” and "If you keep messing around you’ll lose her." Hummm, right after that I moved a refrigerator for her Mom. And I overheard her mom say, “If you lose him you’re a fool” …so her mom liked me. OK time to test the water. So that evening I asked her “If I were to ask you to marry me, would you?” She said “no” and then gave me a come and get me look. You would have to know Charlotte to understand that and I’m sure if her sisters read this they are laughing right now. So I knew.

Next I had to steal a ring from her without her knowing (for her ring size…I did :)

Next I had a ring made. Two Marquise Rubies and little Diamonds surrounding the center Diamond Yellow Gold Ring. It took awhile to get it and I never told her. But now that I had it, I couldn’t wait. Now comes the part I’ll never understand. Just like not understanding the time with my dad telling me she was the one.

I went over to Charlotte’s house. Ann (her mom) was there. That was not unusual, and I kind of liked it… most of the time, just not this time. Sometimes we'd talk a few minutes and we'd leave for a date and some times she would just leave and Charlotte would fix me something and we would talk and watch TV. Most of the time Ann would leave within 10 to 15 minutes. But not this night… I couldn’t get rid of her. She seemed to know, but how. 
A couple of weeks before I had asked Charlotte what she would say, but later I asked Charlotte and she said, “I never told anybody about that” and besides how could she know this was the night. That ring was burning a whole in my pocket. I got desperate. I had waited a long time for Ann to leave and she wasn’t going to leave. So right in front of Ann I took Charlotte by the hand and said I need to talk to you privately. Right in front of Ann I pulled her daughter in to her bedroom. (I promise you that wouldn’t work for a young man to pull my daughter in to any bed room)…but Ann never said anything. I took her to the end of her bed, got down on one knee and asked, “will you marry me?”… long pause… was she playing me?… then a tear came and she said yes. I stood up, we kissed and hugged and then I pulled out the ring and put it on her finger. She looked at it and lost her breath. We both teared up and kissed again. Remember Ann is still outside of the bedroom. We had to wait a minute, I couldn’t let anybody see me cry…Ann still waiting…and then we came out. When we came out Ann didn’t even look at our faces. We must have been in there for 15min. and went we came out Ann was looking right at Charlotte’s ring finger. They hugged and hugged and then she hugged me. And then she left.

Somehow she knew, and I always wondered how. I even asked, and she said, “I just knew” But how? I’ll never forget that night. But I can tell you this, Ann loved me and I loved her. And this will always be a precious memory…But I’ll never understand how she knew.

49 days, and Charlotte I still love you more than ever. I miss you so much!!!  

     I wrote this over two years ago, it is amazing to me how consistent my thought and feelings about this woman have been.

         

        Today is a day that lives in conspicuous importance, “To me anyway”. Because today is the 30^th anniversary of the day when I married Charlotte Ann Carnell, the most beautiful person I’ve ever known. She has been 100% faithful in every way. She has been faithful to her children. She has been faithful to me. But most of all she has been faithful to her God. And I suppose I love her most of all for that.

     She has always been there for me, she has never given up on me and she has never given me a reason to doubt her. Even when I was not so good to her, she was good to me. When I’ve been down she was there, when the kids have been sick she was there. When someone we know needs help she is there. I think faithful is the best word to describe Charlotte.

      It’s true I married her for her “good looks”, but God has been good to me, because she is so much more. Her faithful character is more beautiful than her “good looks” ever were. And so it’s easy for me to say, “because it true” I love her more to day, than I ever have. After 30 year I find her more exciting today than ever.

      I had the privilege of introducing her to Christ. And since that time I have watch her in amazement as she has become the most godly and God fearing woman I have ever known. And I live with her, I know. And no one will ever appreciate more than I, “never”.

      And so what can I say, except God is been good to me in giving me a faithful wife, whom I love and adore. She makes it ease. And what more can I say. 

Day 42 and I miss her more than ever. 

You were a great mother. And I will always love you.

A friend of mine's wife wrote this

after Charlotte passed.

Thank you Jennifer.

Help me Remember

(Psalm 43:5-8)

The waves you brought have stripped me bare

Torn apart by winds of life

Oh my God my soul is down

Broken, I cry to you

Help me remember

Your lovingkindness in the daytime

And in the night your song

Help me remember

Your tender mercy and faithful leading

Let me hope remain in you

Anger threatens at the door

Questions rage within my mind

Oh my God my soul is down

Sinking, I cry to you

Help me remember

Your lovingkindness in the daytime

And in the night your song

Help me remember

Your tender mercy and faithful leading

Let me hope remain in you

Loneliness—a heavy cloud

Through the fog it's hard to see

Your rainbow shining in the sky

Gently guiding me 

Help me remember

Your lovingkindness in the daytime

And in the night your song

Help me remember

Your tender mercy and faithful leading

Let me hope remain in you

Written by Jennifer Nicole Wenneker on April 31, 2013

Loving memories

The second date; Charlotte was still not too sure about me, but she did agree to a double date with Carl and Barbie. We decided to go to a movie. What movie I can’t remember, it didn’t matter to me, it was our second date and would be our last. (Remember, I had “rules.”) Back in those days you would go to a theater, with only one movie. I remember it was at the Palace Theater in Peoria. I don’t remember the movie, but what a night.

   This is how it started; I was cheap, so we got there a little early so I could park in the street close to the theater. It was cold, and the wind was blowing. You could see little snow trails blowing across the street. Right across from the Palace was a store with a recessed door way. The store was closed, so Charlotte and I stood inside the recess to get out of the wind and wait for Carl and Barbie. It was so cold, that even though she still didn’t trust me, when I opened up my coat she stepped inside of it and I put my arms around her to keep her warm. (I liked that.) From where I was standing, I could see a parking garage. (You know the kind that cost money,) as I looked across the street and saw a little short girl, with little short legs going 90MPH. It was Barbie. Carl was not as cheap as me and had paid to park. (I think Barbie was even shorter than Charlotte) But here is what else I saw. Behind her was a man, a big dude that kind of looked like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. He was running behind her with a limp. It looked like one leg was 6” shorter than the other. He had one arm up in the air, with his hand in the shape of a claw. It was Carl. I pointed and started laughing, Charlotte turned around and started laughing. When Barbie saw us she (still running) turned and saw Carl. Up came her purse and she started chasing Carl. Carl, his hand still in the air, keeping up the limp, started to run away yelling “help me, help me”. I laughed until I cried. All through the movie, every once in a while I would break into a laugh.

    But here is the problem, I couldn’t watch the movie because when we were together we had fun. And this was our last date. She could see something was wrong, so she asked, “What’s wrong?” I said “nothing”. It was right then that I decided we would go on one more date, nobody knew about the rules but me and so no one would know I was breaking the rules. I was relieved and the rest of the night was a blast.

Those were the day, and I thought they would never end…sounds like a song J

I don’t know why this is such a precious memory, but it is. Maybe it’s because it was the first time I put my arms around her. But I remember it like it was yesterday.

Day 30 and missing her more than ever.

This is a list of questions I ask my self every now and again.

I just ran across it again today.

It’s been a long time since I’ve asked them to my self… and right now

I’m finding it very hard to ask them to my self.

1.What if this isn’t the end but a new beginning?

2. What if the answer to my prayer is just over the next hill?

3. What if this is necessary in order for me to be prepared for the next important chapter in my life?

4. What if God knows exactly what I need at this particular time?

5. What if God is speaking to me through means I would not have chosen for a blessing I cannot see?

6. What does this experience make possible?

7. What will I be tilling my grandchildren that I learned was so valuable in this season of my life?

The reason I’m having a hard time asking these questions to myself is, these question are the question Charlotte and I would ask ourselves when something was going on we had a hard time understanding.  And I’ve never had to ask them by myself before. And how I’m not so sure I like the questions so much anymore.

Day 28 and still missing her…more than ever.

Funny story about Charlotte

One day the sharpest and hardest pain in my abdomen, so I did something I never like to do. I when to the doctor. When I got there I couldn’t even sit down. I just keep pacing around the waiting room. He took me in a room checked me over, handed me a cup and said pee in the cup. I did and then just keep pacing. He said you have a stone we will take you to the hospital. I said I’ll meet you there got in my car and went. When I got there he gave me a shot of (dimmer all) for pain and so I could relax. And put me in a room. (This is the short story) I passed the stone in the bathroom by my self, but I caught it in the bottle they gave me. I screamed in relief. Nurse came running in, I turned away and said “excuse me” she said she was supposed to be there when I did this thing. (Right, no thanks).

So all that to tell you this. The doctor said now you can tell your wife you know what its like to have a baby, passing a stone is the equivalent of having a baby. So when I saw Charlotte I told her doc said, “Passing a stone is the equivalent of having a baby”. With out missing a beat she looked right at me and said “was it as big as a bowling ball!”

Me; lol  …day 21 missing her more then ever.

More About Charlotte

More About Charlotte

All I’ve written about Charlotte is true, but I left a lot out. Like her conversion. Her conversion was one of the most amazing thing I have ever seen. I’ll never forget it. But before I tell you about it I have to go back a little to what led up to it. Yes my dad said, “She’s the one”. He seemed to be able to see something. But the problem was she was not saved. Yes she had been to church a little. But I knew she was not saved, and that was a problem for two reasons. One, I was not a good person, certainly not a practicing Christian, so how was I going to be credible witness for God. And two, in a couple of dates I was done with her, at least that was the plan… Problem was, I kept taking her out… -Oh- and one more thing you should know; I had lost some teeth in a fist fight.”

One night I was sitting across from her at Neno’s and I could see her lips moving, but I could not hear her talking. And then I heard a voice (inside my head) say, “O my God you are falling for her” I felt fine, but my stomach started churning. I excused my self and went to the bathroom and begin to vomit. I vomited 4 or 5 times and flushed the toilet each time. I never felt bad, so I went to the sink to clean up and that’s when I noticed…no teeth, I had flushed my front teeth down the toilet. I couldn’t believe it. Well what could I do, I went back to Charlotte like nothing happened. Problem; Charlotte didn’t know I had false teeth. She immediately knew something was wrong; she kept trying to look in my mouth as I was chewing. And then I broke out laughing, and once again her mouth dropped open. And so I told her what happened and we had a good laugh… but I didn’t tell her why I was vomiting. (Remember the voice in my head)

  Now I had a real problem I was falling for her and Charlotte she was not a Christian and I would never get dad’s stamp of approval if she were not. And I wanted dad’s approval. So I thought, “this is the excuse I need to call the whole thing off”. So I drew a line in the sand, so to speak. If Charlotte didn’t become a Christian, I made a firm resolve; I would see her no more. Besides she was pushing the limits to see what I would put up with. And she had found out I had limits. And that being said, I thought she would be glad to see me go. And I would return to my carefree life. But this meant I would have to set a date, sit down and give her some sort the gospel presentation. I chose the next evening and told her I had something I had to say. And sat down in front of her couch on the floor in her front room. (I felt like Balaam’s ass at this point) How was this dumb donkey going to tell of Christ? Well I don’t know what I said, I stumbled and stuttered and said some words about Jesus Christ being God. (and both of us have said we wish we had a recording of that night)…

But this is what she said; first she stared at the floor, and then said “That makes sense.” That’s all, and that’s it. No sinner’s prayer, no nothing just “that makes sense”. The next day she had question, lots of question. Question I couldn’t answer. And I remember thinking “this is not what I sign up for”. All I wanted was dad’s approval and an Ephesians 5:22 wife. I didn’t know much of the Bible, but Ephesians 5:22, I was on board with that one.

(What are laughing about? when you were understudied you thought the same thing.)

So back to the questions, I couldn’t answer them so I did the only thing I knew to do. I took her to dad. Dad was delighted, no elated. All this did was deepen their relationship and caused him to love her all the more. And although it was not what I signed up for, as it turned out it was what I wanted… no, it was what I needed.

I had to start studying just to keep up. Funny how things worked out…I want you all to know I’m writing this with tears in my eyes…because I still need her.  

Charlotte

                                                                   Charlotte

She was the best! And I will always miss her, I will always love her and I will always hold her close. But I have wondered how much people would want to know. So I think I’ll write a two in one summery of her. One thing that has become apparent, and that is that even some of our family doesn’t know something that I thought they knew.

So here is the first part. There is no way to sum up Charlotte in just a couple of short sentences. But I could do it in one word, if there is one word that sums up my dear sweet wife it would be “FAITHFULL”. She was faithful to me, she was faithful to her children, but most of all faithful to her God. And I loved her for that.

The first time I saw Charlotte was my first day in High School. I was stunned. But we never had a class together, so I never got to know her. That was most likely a good thing, because I was not ready. But I remember telling Scott, “if I could have that girl, I would change”. So that ends the first part.

The second part started years later, I was 22 years old. I grew up with Carl Root. One day I went over to his house to watch a boxing match. We had made a bet.  As I came into the house I saw a brand new Camaro in the driveway. His wife’s best friend was visiting. That was the first time I had seen Charlotte since High School, and I was just as stunned as I was in High School. But never mind that, there was a boxing match on. I was throwing popcorn at the TV spilling coke all over and yelling at the tube. Just making a fool out of my self. I’m good at that. I glanced at her a few times, and every time I did she was looking at me with shear terror on her face. She was not impressed.

After the boxing match, I lost the bet, I turned to Charlotte and said, “Is that your Camaro in the drive”, and she said “yes” So I said, “ Want to get married?” You should have seen her; I wish I had a picture, that was a Kodak moment. I can still see her sitting there with her mouth wide open. And that’s how our relationship started. And no I’m not making this up, that’s how it happened. So sometimes I would tell people I won Charlotte in a bet. And sometimes I tell people I asked her to marry me the first time I talked to her. But the truth is I stood up and said, “just kidding” and I went home to my apartment in WardCliff Manor, in Peoria.

So the next day I called Carl’s wife and ask for “that girls number” she said, “no!, you scared her to death” but Carl was standing there and made her give it to me. She ask me to give her 5 minutes to call her first, I said “OK” (I lied) I dialed as fast as I could.

Charlotte answered the phone;

“Hello”

me “Remember the crazy guy you met last night”

Charlotte “YYeesss”…

Me “what are you doing Friday night”

Charlotte “I just got a new place and I’m having Carl and Barbie over for dinner; what are you doing” (she thought she blew me off, little did she know)

Me “I’m coming with Carl and Barbie”

Charlotte; (stunned silence )

I then ask Carl to meet me on the edge of town and I followed them to her house.

When we got there we had dinner, and then Carl went in the front room to make a phone call and Charlotte took Barbie to see the rest of the house. I was not interested in the rest of the house so I stood in the doorway waiting for Carl to get off of the phone. When he did I said to him, “isn’t it about time for you and Barbie to go?”... Little did I know Charlotte had walked up behind me, and heard me say that. I turned and saw her, and there she stood mouth wide open. (Looking back on it I can’t image how she felt) Carl told Barbie “lets go”…for the rest of the evening I was a perfect gentleman. We talked, watched TV and she relaxed. So I got up to leave, she walked to the door with me and I said, “lets go on a real date” I could tell she was not all that interested. But she made the mistake of asking what I had in mind. So I said, “Lets go to Neno’s Stake House”

Charlotte “Neno’s, OK”

She didn’t really want to go out with me, but she did want to go to Neno’s.

(Now here is where it gets interesting) I’ll never understand this.

I pick her up, an hour earlier then I meant to….I was excited … so in between  her house and Neno’s was dad’s house. I didn’t want to stand around Neno’s waiting for reservation, so I turned in to the lanes. She wanted to know what we were doing, and I said “we’re early so I thought we’d stop in at my parent’s house for a minute.” We went in, dad turned off the TV and turned to her and talked to her for 45 minutes. I couldn’t believe it… so it was time to go, we had a great night. And I took her home and I went home. (And now comes the part I’ll never understand)  The next morning my dad called me. (My dad never called me) and this is what he said, “Charlotte is the one” that’s it, that’s all he said. I couldn’t believe it, how could he know, I didn’t know. In fact I knew better, I knew I would go out with her one or two more times and that would be it. Yes she stunned me, but I had rules; one or two dates and move on. I didn’t want a relationship. But after the second date I thought “these are my rules, I can break them if I want” one more time won’t hurt. Besides I really liked being with her. And so I took her one more time and one more time and one more time and one more. Well I think you get the picture. Dad was right.

What are you laughing about, isn’t that the way all relationships start?

After that there are too many stories to tell, but I can tell you this, we looked at life as an adventure. Yes we had ups and downs, and yes there were some hard times. And I know Charlotte had faults, I just can’t remember what they were. God used that women to affect many. “Me included”. We looked to God for all things. And He led us. The one thing I’ve known is God uses means to accomplish his will. And the means He most often uses is people and in my life more than any other person He used Charlotte. She was my friend, she was my business partner, she was my lover, she was my wife…but most important to me was she was my soul mate. A woman can make a man and can break a man. I know; before now I’ve not told anybody about my darkest hour. When we were first married I worked at Cat. And she worked at Kroger’s. We were making a lot of money. 11 months after we were married she gave birth to our first son. We were so happy; it was like a fairy tail. We had agreed ahead of time when our first was born she would quit her job and be a mother. It’s what we wanted. We felt it was God’s will. And I still believe that. But little did we realize how quickly that conviction would be tested. Right after she quit I lost my job. How swiftly things changed. I couldn’t get a job. And one day I just gave up. I just lay in bed and wept, I had a wife and a child and I could not provide for them. You know what she did. She just lay in bed with me and just held me close all night. She didn’t say a word. In the morning I got out of bed and I looked at her lying there and looking into my eyes. And at that moment I knew no matter what, she was with me. And so I doubled up my fist, I rolled up my sleeves I walked out that door and when I came home I had a job! I could not be stopped… that the kind of woman my Charlotte was and I thought often of that time and today I tell you I will never forget that time. She never spoke of it again. She never shamed me. The reason I never told anyone is because I was ashamed of my failure, not her. She stood beside me no matter what.

And now I tell you there are too many things to tell, hundreds of stories, some good, some bad, some funny. But I can tell you honestly.

After 32 years I love her more today than I ever have.

                I love you Charlotte and I always will!!!

And I pray God “I know you have her in your arms and my simple prayer is this. Hold her and kiss her for me, and tell her I love her and I know she can not come to me, but tell her one day not so far away, I will come to her.”

Mom has passed away

Sunday night my mom had a sudden heart attack that took her life. It is sudden, shocking, and hard to believe. But we have no doubt that my mom is in Heaven, worshiping the Lord.
Our first day of not having a mother was spent with loving friends, who are taking care of our every little need. We can not thank them enough for everything they are doing.

Here are the arrangements.

Visitation and services will be held at McDonald Funeral Home in Centerville.
Visitation is at 6:00 PM on Wednesday.
The funeral will be at 11:00 AM on Thursday.

Our Newly Born Granddaughter

On February 19, our 2nd granddaughter, Kaylee Marie, was born. She weighed 7 lb 1oz and was 20 inches long.
Mom and baby are doing great.
This is the 5th grandchild for Tim and I, but not the last. Our oldest daughter is expecting her 2nd child in July. And I'm sure that one won't be the last one either.

There's always such excitement and anticipation for us as we wait for a new grandchild to be born.
I hope that sentiment never goes away.
And for me, there is always the remembering back to when I was having babies. I think back to the circumstances we were in when each one was born and how I felt, physically and emotionally.
I want to be sensitive to my children's (and their spouses) needs and wishes as they have their children.

Kaylee's 3 siblings, Allen, Natasha, and Titus stayed with us for a couple of days while she was in the process of making her appearance.
The day after she was born we took them to see their new sister. Of course they were excited and after coming back home to Grandma's for one more day and night, all 4 year old Natasha could think about was getting back to her house to be with her new sister.

Reasons Christians use for sending their children to government schools

This is an excellent article on why Christians should not send their children to public (government) schools written by Gary DeMar of americanvision.org.

http://americanvision.org/7001/reasons-christians-use-for-sending-their-children-to-government-schools/

God has given us the responsibility to train our children, not that we can't employ other people to help out now and then. 

All of life, including academics, is training.

As a Christian, it doesn't  make sense to me to send them into a lion's den, the government school system, when they are suppose to be at the most tender and impressionable stage of being shaped and molded, which in my opinion and from personal experience is well into their teen years.

Here's a strange objection I have heard someone say, "Children need to go to school so that they don't acquire their parents' idiosyncrasies."

Really?!! So they should acquire someone else's idiosyncrasies? 

The bible has plenty to say about who you hang around with. We tend to become like those people we hang around. In our frailty as sinners we tend to be attracted to the baser elements of human nature.

Not only is the whole structure of government education set up for being anti-God, but being around a lot of other foolish children (yes, my children are foolish. The bible says so) for long periods of time is detrimental to your training of your children in the Christian faith and in good manners.
And don't even get me started on the high school experience. UGH!

Even the teachers can be a foolish influence. 

Out of 12 years (kindergarten through 12th grade) of my government education, I have only one teacher that I can remember that made a good impression on me. That was my 2nd grade teacher.

Most of my teachers weren't bad and I'm sure part of it was me, but there were a couple of mean ones.

Actually, I don't know if I can blame them; having a room full of rambunctious kids.
The most important objection, though, is that their end goal and their worldview may be different than what you want for your children as Christians.

I sent my oldest two children to a small Christian school. They only attended there for a few years before we decided to homeschool.

The teachers that my children had were good teachers, in the academic department and more importantly in the character department. But that does not excuse me from my responsibility.

One of the issues Mr DeMar brings up is that public schools are funded by taxpayers.

The government is forcing us to pay taxes for the education of other people's children.

That's pure socialism. The funny thing is that people who are against socialsim and would like to see their tax burden reduced, think it acceptable for the government to extort our money to educate their children.

Guess what? I am paying for their children's education, but they aren' paying for my children's education. I am paying for both.

We are never going to be perfect, even as Christians who walk with the Lord. We are all sinners. We parents are going to make mistakes and the public school teacher is too, even with the best of intentions.

But I know with all of my heart that the precepts in the bible convict me to homeschool and not send my children to a government, socialistic, propagandistic school system.

Let me use an example my husband uses in determining doing what's right, for the way I feel about homeschooling:

"When I was running around with the neighborhood kids, we came to a house under construction. They wanted to throw rocks at the new windows. But I knew that I shouldn't. My dad never told me NOT to throw rocks into a window. But I knew my father and what else he had taught me. And from that I knew he wouldn't want me to throw rocks and break someone's windows."

I know my heavenly Father and the precepts he teaches us in His word well enough to know that sending my kids to get educated un an atheistic environment would be sin.

I like this quote from the article:

"What do you think Jesus would have said if Jewish parents were sending their children to the local Roman schools?"

Here is the article:

Reasons Christians use for sending their children to government schools

A short video clip of me putting my finger on one of the main reasons America is in spiritual, moral, educational, and political decline is that more than 90 percent of Christian parents send their children to government-regulated, State-run schools.

I’ve been asked by a few people to comment on objections that are often raised against abandoning the government school system in America. The no-public-education view isn’t popular with the majority of Christians. Speaking out against public (government) education in America is for some akin to blaspheming all that’s deemed holy. What would communities do without their high school sports teams and their “free” education?

In order to justify the continued support of government education, the following arguments are often made:

“We can’t afford to send our children to private schools.”

It’s hard for me to believe that 90 percent of families that send their children to government schools do so because they can’t afford the biblical alternative. I know better. Non-government education does not have to be expensive. You don’t even need an accredited school to get into college. Your church is vacant most of the time. Why can’t it be used as a school? Homeschooling is always an option. Educational co-ops and internet educational curricula are available for most subjects. There are homeschooling companies that will mail you an entire curriculum. All you have to do is teach it.

There’s the issue of the money being used to fund government schools. Where does the money come from? It’s taken from property owners, many of whom do not have children in government schools. Is this morally justified? Why should I be paying for the education of somebody else’s children?

If Christians pulled their children out of government schools, voted down every tax increase having to do with education, repealed the education portion of the property tax, and supported candidates who would cut every dollar from education funding, then most families could afford the costs involved.

The money spent on trying to “save” public schools would go a long way to establish scholarship funds for families who cannot afford a private-school education. Yes, it may even take some sacrificing on the part of some. Drive a fourteen-year-old car like I did while my wife and I sent our children to non-government schools. Live in a smaller house. Don’t eat out as much. There are many ways to cut spending to fund the real necessities of life. When your children get older, have them work to share the financial load for the younger children.

“Only a few things need to be fixed to make Government Schools Better.”

There still government schools paid for by confiscated money from people who don’t use the government schools. In addition, the entire government school paradigm is warped.

Laura Mallory is a concerned mother of three. She wanted the Harry Potter books removed from the library of J. C. Magill Elementary School in the Gwinnett County, Georgia, public school system where her children attended because she said the books, which have world-wide sales of more than 500 million, glorify witchcraft. Mallory first took her complaint to the county school board in September 2005. In May of 2006, the board decided that the books should remain in the library. Malloy then took her concerns to the state board where a decision would be made.

Here is an indication of her naïveté, believing that if Harry Potter is banished all will be right in the public schools and that the schools and all the teachers will have the best interest of the children at heart. She says:

“When my children are at school, I’m trusting them to the teachers and that school. They are my most precious things in the entire world to me. I surely don’t want them indoctrinated into a religion whose practices are evil.”^[1]

Why would anyone trust their children to an educational system that is diametrically opposed to a Christian worldview and using stolen money to pay for it?

She has embarked on a fool’s errand. I’m always amazed when I read stories about well intentioned parents who want this book removed or that course dropped as if these minor changes will result in an educational reformation. It’s not going to happen. The sooner parents learn this, the sooner they will save their children from things worse than witchcraft — like the belief that public education is a neutral endeavor designed to equip young people to be objective learners.

Based on what the courts have decided over the years, the public schools are “religious (Christian)-free zones.” In a word, they are officially atheistic. You would think that most Christian parents would be concerned about this. They’re not. They continue to believe that public education can be saved. It can’t. It’s not meant to be.

Mrs. Mallory is spitting in the wind when she doesn’t have to. Her children are being co-opted everyday by a more subtle type of witchcraft, the “philosopher’s stone” of the magic-laden and irrational worldview of materialism. Her children are being taught that they’ve descended from animals, that they are animals. “When it comes to DNA,” the people at Timemagazine tell us, “a human is closer to a chimp than a mouse is to a rat.”^[2] This is first-rate paganism. Gone is the belief that we are endowed by our “Creator with certain inalienable rights.” This concerned mother is more concerned what sits on the library shelves than what is actually being taught in the classroom.

Public schools have become the new worldview battleground. Christians are fighting on the enemy’s turf when they should be building their own educational kingdom. Harry Potter is a symptom of a larger crisis that is easily fixed if parents take the responsibility of educating their own children and refuse to turn them over to the State for secular propagandizing.

“It’s not the church’s job to educate.”

I’ve heard this one a lot. Christian school critics balk at turning over the church’s facilities for educational purposes because the tithe is designed to support the church’s work, not the education of children. “That’s why we pay taxes,” I’ve been told. The church building is vacant six days a week. Sunday school classrooms are used for forty-five minutes a week! What a waste of God’s money.

Our church supports numerous missionaries. Many of the missionaries we support build schools. Why is it OK to build schools in Africa with our tithe money but not in our own backyard? Would we want these new Christian converts to be taught by the secularists from whom they were redeemed? It makes sense in pagan lands to build and fund alternative schools, but not in the United States.

So we send our children to public schools where they are indoctrinated for thirty hours of classroom instruction each week for ten months each year for at least twelve years in the latest non-Christian propaganda. To combat secularized education, Christian school critics develop “youth programs” for Wednesday and Sunday evenings. These kids are getting at most two hours of weekly second-rate religious instruction, while a child in a Christian school receives thirty hours of training from a biblical perspective. There’s no comparison. Most church “youth programs” are entertainment gatherings with a “devotional” to give them religious legitimacy. With all generalizations, there are exceptions.

When I attended Catholic school, there was no Sunday school instruction for students who attended. The assumption was that religious instruction was woven into the curriculum. When my parents sent me to public school in the sixth grade, I had to attend religious instruction on Saturday morning to make up the deficiency. There is no way that the 45-minute instruction period could compensate for what I was and was not receiving at the local government school.

“My child is a witness for Christ in the public schools.”

He or she may be. But I wonder how much witnessing actually takes place in public schools. Most of the time children are sitting at their desks listening to a teacher lecturing on a secularized curriculum. From the time I entered public school in the sixth grade, no one ever presented the gospel to me. It’s the friendships that are developed after school that lead to witnessing opportunities. Witnessing can take place anywhere. Jesus met people at work and in their homes. He even went into the temple. If you want to follow Jesus’ example then go witness to Jews in their local houses of worship. Jesus never witnessed in a school. What do you think Jesus would have said if Jewish parents were sending their children to the local Roman schools?

“Our school is different.”      

I heard this one from the head of a prominent Christian ministry. I told him that it’s a common response. In fact, as much as I hear it, it seems that no one’s school is bad. It’s always some other community’s school system that’s in need of reform. My guess is that most parents have no idea what’s going on in their child’s school. If they don’t hear any bad news, they assume that all is well. Keep in mind that public school children are not comparing their education with the public school education that was prominent forty years ago. And it wasn’t that great back then. The education students are receiving right now is normal for them. It’s the only standard they know, and it’s not a very good one. Anyway, a school that does not teach from a Christian perspective is at best third-rate and dangerous.

I’m also aware that not all private Christian schools are perfect, but at least you have a choice, and homeschooling is always an option.

“I want my children exposed to the ‘real’ world so they will be ‘socialized.’”

Who defines what constitutes the “real world”? The real world is where Christ dwells and where His Word is taught. Christianity is not unreal. If it is, then why not worship with pagans since their domain is the “real world.” Remember, Adam and Eve “fell” from what was normal, that is, from a world where they were in intimate fellowship with their Creator. A world without Christ is an insane and irrational world as we see all around us. The Christian school is a place of re-creation, a redemptive attempt to get back to the original design. Christians should be setting the agenda for what’s real, honest, and good so as to be a light for those who are in darkness.

The socialization argument is another red herring. Home schooled kids are probably more socialized than government educated kids. Homeschoolers are around children and adults. They learn how to deal with competition among children of various ages. Their interaction with adults gives them confidence. Consider the following from an interview with Jeremiah Lorrig, spokesman for the Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA):

“’Homeschoolers have one benefit everyone acknowledges is a benefit,’ Lorrig says. ‘It’s that parents who are involved in their kids’ lives enable and empower them to be all they can be. Having parents involved in their kids’ lives helps them to succeed both academically and socially, so that they can become people who will ultimately help to shape our culture and our future.’”

“As an illustration of how homeschoolers are already impacting the nation, Lorrig points to current Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), considered to be one of the ‘rising stars’ of the Republican Party, elected in 2010. Beutler is also the first homeschooled member of Congress in recent history.

“Lorrig challenges the myth that homeschooled children are not ‘socialized.’”

“The numbers indicate the opposite,” he states. “Homeschoolers are more likely to be involved in communities, churches, scouts, and politics. They tend to outperform public school children, even after school is officially over, when they are out living their lives.”

The Supreme Court as Balaam’s Donkey

I believe God has been giving us a very clear message through the modern-day equivalent of Balaam’s donkey: The United States Supreme Court and nearly every lower court. Balaam was called on by Balak, the king of Moab, to prophesy against Israel. God had warned Balaam to stay away from Moab. Balaam refused. The Angel of the Lord met Balaam on the road as he was going down to meet Balak. Balaam’s donkey refused to confront the Angel of the LORD. Balaam struck his donkey three times to force him ahead. Finally, Balaam realized that it was the Lord who was directing him to turn around.

Repeatedly the Supreme Court has ruled against Christians and their attempts to bring Christianity back to the classroom. Like Balaam, a majority of Christians refuse to heed the message that God is giving through the Court: Seek a different route.

Saying prayers at sporting events, reciting “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, praying around a flag pole once a year, and having the right to “a moment of silence” do not constitute a Christian education. The entire curriculum must be Christ-centered. God is speaking to us through the Court. Do we have the sense to listen to what God is telling us?