Before I get into the reasons to homeschool, let me start by setting the record straight: I am not one of those girls who grew up dreaming about having kids or homeschooling. Quite the opposite. I was more of a Moses type, answering God’s call with, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else (Exodus 4:13).
And while I know homeschooling was the right choice for my family, I know it because it was…
2 Kings 7:9, “Then they said to each other, “What we’re doing is not right. This is a day of good news AND WE ARE KEEPING IT TO OURSELVES…” (NIV)
So, Thanksgiving is almost here and it immediately makes me think about sitting at the family table. You see, somewhere in the ‘Fathers Handbook’, I’m convinced it says that the father automatically gets to carve the turkey, or the ham, or the roast.…
1. Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV). “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
2. Deuteronomy 31:6 (NKJV). “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
3. 1 Peter 3:12 (ESV). “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
4. Psalms 65:2 (GW). “You are the one who hears prayers. Everyone will come to you.”
5. Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV). “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
6. 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT). “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”
7. John 3:16 (NIV). “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
there is one God in 3 persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
God existed before anything else did; He created all things perfectly, including human beings, who He made in His image (Genesis 1:1, 26-28, John 1:1-3). God is the only holy, perfect Being in existence, and He created us to know Him forever.
God created humanity to partner with Him in ruling His perfect creation, however, humanity quickly fell into rebellion when adam & eve listened to temptation from satan, the serpent. the serpent twisted God's Word and adam & eve trusted in their own judgement rather than God's and listened to their selfish desire to define good and evil for themselves instead of letting God show them what was holy & good (Genesis 3).
adam & eve were cast out from God's perfect garden, severing ALL of humanity's relationship with God and separating us from His presence. because of this original sin (disobeying and distorting God's Word), all of humanity is born in a sinful state. the serpent, too, was cast from the garden and since the original sin, has been influencing the world into more and more evil, temptation, and distance from God. however, God promised that there would be a Descendant from eve Who would crush the serpent's head and defeat him (Genesis 3:14-15).
the sinful state of humanity causes all of us to be separated from God from birth and into eternity; sin cannot coexist with utter purity & holiness (Romans 6:23, 8:7-8).
God stayed faithful in taking care of humanity even despite our separation from Him; He made promises to abraham, isaac, and jacob, and their descendants (the jewish nation israel named after jacob), that they would be God's people and He would be their God (Genesis 22:17, Jeremiah 32: 38). He promised to multiply them, making them a countlessly large nation, to set them apart from the other nations to show the world what God is like (Deuteronomy 7:6), and to send them a Savior who would restore all things and bring justice (Isaiah 9:6). God gave them His Word and fulfilled every promise to them; He rescued His people many times from oppression and the downfall of their own mistakes, yet not even His holy people could stay obedient to God. God gave them His law (found in the 5 books of the Torah) to show His people how to be holy (set apart) and to show them who He is and what He values; in order to be worthy to enter God's presence, there would be animal sacrifices and sanctification rituals (Leviticus 16:21) in order to atone for the sins of Israel (God's people), yet none of His people were perfect and kept rebelling against Him.
God started sending prophets into the world, spoken to by His Holy Spirit who divinely inspired the Word of God (the entire Bible), to warn Israel of the gravity of their sins; soon, if God's people would keep participating in evil and turning away from God, they would be exiled from all of the peace and possessions God had promised them and fulfilled them with.
the prophets spoke of Jesus, who, centuries later, fulfilled every single prophecy spoken of Him . .
The Good News . .
Jesus is God, described as the Son of God and the Word of God become human; Jesus took on human flesh yet stayed completely sinless (Hebrews 4:15). He gave His life in the place of all of humanity, not just Israel, in order to extend God's grace, salvation, and presence, to anyone of any background who would repent and call upon Him (Hebrews 2:17, Galatians 3:8).
"The Gospel" means "the Good news."
to repent, means to completely turn around.
atone, means to make amends.
Jesus became the sacrificial lamb (symbolically) in order to fulfill the law of sacrifice that God's people used to participate in in order to enter God's presence (John 1:29, 1 Peter 1:19); because Jesus is God and was the only One holy enough to perfectly atone, this means that Jesus' sacrifice not only fulfilled every law and prophecy, but humanity finally had the chance to be in right-standing with God (1 Timothy 2:5). this means, that instead of being enemies of God, being estranged or distant from God, we now have the right to become God's children, His people, and His friends (Romans 5:10, John 1:12). to repent of our sins, means to pray to God our Father and confess our sinful nature, our rebellion, and the things we have done that have hurt our relationship with God as well as hurt ourselves & those around us. by confessing, we ask for God's forgiveness, we confess who Jesus is and what He did for us, and through this, we receive the Holy Spirit who testifies that we are God's children and Who seals our salvation in Heaven for eternity (Romans 8:16, 2 Corinthians 1:21-22).
Jesus came to earth as a human, yet also 100% God; He lived a perfect life, started His ministry at 30 years old, baptised, healed, drove out demons, and taught of God's character, Word, and Kingdom. Jesus was persecuted by the nation of Israel in order to fulfill the prophecies, He died on a cross, was tortured and killed in our place, and after 3 days He rose from the dead, to fulfill every prophecy (Mark 8:31). in Jesus' death and resurrection, He defeated our sins, He defeated the enemy (satan), and He defeated death. setting us free, giving us eternal life and forgiveness from the Father if we repent and believe that this is Who Jesus Is.
in Jesus, there is forgiveness, peace, healing, joy, & hope (Galatians 5:22-23, 1 Peter 1:3). God heals, God saves, God loves, His Spirit guides and reassures every believer and Jesus completely sets us free; no matter what you have said or done, no matter how much seems to hold you back, Jesus breaks every chain and meets us where we are, however, He loves us too much to leave us as we are. Jesus gives us the ability to live the life of righteousness (right-living) that God intended for us that we were not able to fruitfully & fully do without Jesus and without God's active help. for all time, God has kept His promises and His Word, He has kept His covenant with those He chose to be His people, and while those people always failed, Jesus never has and never will; Jesus fulfilled our side of the covenant, He paid the price that had to be paid for our sins, and in doing so, we can now have relationship with God for eternity, we can now partner with God in loving His people and doing the work of His Kingdom. God is always near, always present, and desires to help you, heal you, and save you.
there will be more Bible verses below that specifically address salvation & repentance; if you need more context or have more questions, this is a safe space to do so. <3
Acts 4:12 — Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
John 14:6 — Jesus answered, "I am the way, the Truth, and the life. no one comes to the Father except through Me."
Acts 2:38 — Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
John 3:16-17 — For God so loved the world that He gave His One and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
Romans 8:38-39 — For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 10:9-10 — If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
Hebrews 7:25 — Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.
Luke 5:31-31 — Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Acts 3:19 — Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,
Mark 16:16 — Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Romans 10:13 — for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 3:23 — for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
Acts 22:16 — And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
Romans 6:23 — For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This event is for celebrating your favorite Cats performers!
What types of works are allowed?
Anything you'd like! Gif-sets, fanart, meta posts or essays, anything! Anyway you'd like to share your love for your favorite performers!
When does this event start and end?
This event will begin the week of May 11th and end the week of October 26th (treat these dates as the beginning of their respective weeks.)
General rules/info:
This event is for any and all productions of Cats!
Each prompt/character gets a week and you can post at any time during that week.
Don't worry about being late! I mean for this to be a fun, casual event. If you miss a certain week, you can still make a post for it!
Please tag your event posts with #sevencatscalls2024 Since tumblr can be glitchy with tags at times, also feel free to tag me @statisticalcats2 in your posts!
I will not reblog from people who are anti-fiction/anti-ship.
If you have any other questions, my ask box is open!
Event schedule (below the cut):
Week 1 (May 11-17) - Grizabella
Week 2 (May 18-24) - Bill Bailey/Tumblebrutus
Week 3 (May 25-31) - Rum Tum Tugger
Week 4 (June 1-7) - Coricopat
Week 5 (June 8-14) - Asparagus/Gus the Theatre Cat
Week 6 (June 15-21) - Jellylorum
Week 7 (June 22-28) - Rumpleteazer
Week 8 (June 29 - July 5) - Bustopher Jones
Week 9 (July 6-12) - Bombalurina
Week 10 (July 13-19) - Carbucketty/Pouncival
Week 11 (July 20-26) - Alonzo
Week 12 (July 27 - August 2) - Old Deuteronomy
Week 13 (August 3-9) - Victoria
Week 14 (August 10-16) - Mistoffelees
Week 15 (August 17-23) - Demeter
Week 16 (August 24-30) - Admetus/Plato
Week 17 (August 31 - September 6) - Jemima/Sillabub
Week 18 (September 7-13) - Cassandra
Week 19 (September 14-20) - Jennyanydots
Week 20 (September 21-27) - Tantomile
Week 21 (September 28 - October 4) - Macavity
Week 22 (October 5-11) - Mungojerrie
Week 23 (October 12-18) - Munkustrap
Week 24 (October 19-25) - Skimbleshanks
Week 25 (October 26 - November 1) - Rare characters/swings/production specific characters
It's another day of a quick dinner while updating my studyblr before I get ready for ballet and head out for dance. I feel like there is a lot going on this week. A look at my upcoming week: robotics course tomorrow, impromptu Girl Scouts meeting on Thursday for World Thinking Day (it's a homeschool troop, so we can meet during regular school hours for special meetings), I have a history project due on Saturday along with another cookie booth, plus I'm really amping up with my piano studies now to prepare for my practical and theory exams in May. I'm going to try to fit another hour of practice somewhere if I can, even if it is only one or two extra hours a week.
Tasks Completed:
Geometry - Reviewed Pythagorean theorem + learned about the distance formula + practice + learned about the midpoint formula + practice + honors work
Lit and Comp II - Reviewed Unit 16-18 vocabulary + read chapter 24 of Emma by Jane Austen + copied poetry terms + read examples of figurative language from Robert Frost's poems + read "The Swing" and noted poetic devices used + read about types of sentence structures + quiz (9/10)
Spanish 2 - Answered questions in Spanish with answers in Spanish
Bible I - Read Joshua 11-12
World History - Read timeline for days 13-16 out of 37 days prior to the start of WWI
Biology with Lab - Read about global warming + read about impact of global warming + watched part of a video about some scientists saying CO2 caused by global warming is politics and it's really from the sun's radiation in order to see another side of the global warming argument
Foundations - Read the definition of punctuality + played 5 minute mystery + learned about begging the question, appeal to nature, and anecdotal fallacies
Piano - 60-minute piano lesson + practiced for one hour
Khan Academy - Completed High School Biology Unit 9: Lesson 7 (parts 1-4) + Completed High School Geometry Unit 6: Lesson 1
CLEP - Completed Module 10 reading "World War I" 12.1-12.2.2
Reading - Read pages 93-136 of My Dear Henry: A Jekyll & Hyde Remix by Kalynn Bayron
Chores - Laundry
Activities of the Day:
Personal Bible Study (Deuteronomy 31)
Ballet
Pointe
Journal/Mindfulness
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What I’m Grateful for Today:
I am grateful for an easy day of study despite a lot of copying work.
Quote of the Day:
Dreams are lovely but they are just dreams. Fleeting, ephemeral, pretty. But dreams do not come true just because you dream them. It’s hard work that makes things happen. It’s hard work that creates change.
I know what that word means. I had to look it up when I got another message that had that name. I thought it was a real name, like Muriel, but Maggie explained it wasn’t. I’m not sure in what context you use your “name”.
(of a person) not identified by name; of unknown name
having no outstanding, individual, or unusual features; unremarkable or impersonal.
used in names of support groups for addicts of a substance or behavior to indicate the confidentiality maintained among members of the group.
I have chosen that you have an unknown name. It seems the best fit.
I believe you are mistaken about seeing me sin.
God gave Moses the Decalogue twice, (Moses got a bit tetchy the first time) with His/Her commands to live by.
1. You shall have no other Gods before Me.
2. You shall not make idols.
3. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet.
When Jesus preached, He did not list all of these commandments.
I think all 10 still are righteous, but Jesus felt the 5 he spoke of in Deuteronomy were the most important. @one-coming-is-enough is that correct Jesus?
If I were to sin, Anonymous, I know that Mr. Fell, I mean Supreme Archangel Aziraphale and Mr. Crowley would ask me why I did. Remember, Mr. Crowley wasn’t always a Demon.
Can you tell me what you saw and why you think I sinned because of it? Maybe it’s all a big misunderstanding. That’s happened frequently in the bookshop.
As we begin our sixth (!) calendar year of Apocrypals, here is a list of the texts we have covered so far on the show in case you want to read along or catch up. They’re arranged in a way that appeases my systematic nature.
Tanakh/Old Testament:
Genesis (episodes 16-20)
Exodus (episodes 33 and 35)
Leviticus (episode 59)
Numbers (episode 62)
Deuteronomy (episode 65)
Joshua (episode 73)
Judges (episode 80)
Ruth (episode 45)
1 Samuel (episode 89)
2 Samuel (episode 90-91)
1 Kings (episode 99)
2 Kings (episode 106)
Esther (episode 37)
Job (episode 101)
Ecclesiastes (episode 52)
Song of Songs (episode 34)
Isaiah (episode 4)
Jeremiah (episode 43-44)
Lamentations (episode 48)
Ezekiel (episode 55-56)
Daniel (episode 2)
Hosea (episode 108)
Jonah (episode 31)
Micah (episode 74)
Nahum (episode 74)
Deuterocanon/capital-A Apocrypha:
Tobit (episode 13)
Judith (episode 22)
Greek Additions to Esther (episode 37)
1 Maccabees (episode 27)
2 Maccabees (episode 28)
3 Maccabees (episode 53)
4 Maccabees (episode 78)
The Prayer of Azariah aka the Song of the Three Holy Children (episode 2)
Susanna (episode 2)
Bel and the Dragon (episode 2)
The Prayer of Manasseh (episode 6)
New Testament:
Matthew (episodes 8-9)
Mark (episode 7)
Luke (episode 10)
John (episode 11-12)
Acts of the Apostles (episode 1)
Romans (episode 5)
1 Corinthians (episode 25)
2 Corinthians (episode 42)
Galatians (episode 72)
Ephesians (episode 81)
Hebrews (episode 104)
1 John (episode 49)
2 John (episode 49)
3 John (episode 49)
Revelation (episode 50)
Pseudepigrapha (Jewish apocrypha):
The Testament of Solomon (episode 24)
The Story of Ahikar (episode 14)
The Ascension of Isaiah (episode 6)
1 Enoch (episode 39-40)
2 Enoch (episode 61)
3 Enoch (episode 86-87)
Jubilees (episodes 82 and 83)
The Letter of Aristeas (episode 70)
The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness (episode 71)
Joseph and Aseneth (episode 93)
New Testament apocrypha:
The Protevangelium aka Infancy Gospel of James (episode 29)
The Acts of Pilate/Gospel of Nicodemus (episode 23)
Mors Pilati/Death of Pilate (episode 23)
The Acts of Paul and Thecla (episode 22)
The Acts of Peter (episode 3)
The Acts of Peter and Paul (episode 3)
The Acts of Andrew and Matthias (episode 60)
The Acts of Thomas and His Wonderworking Skin (episode 66)
The Life of Xanthippe, Polyxena, and Rebecca (episode 57)
Questions of Bartholomew (episode 41)
Resurrection of Jesus Christ by Bartholomew (episode 41)
The Book of Bartholomew (episode 67)
Acts of John (episode 46)
The Acts of Andrew (episode 97)
Syriac Infancy Gospel (episode 47)
Infancy Gospel of Thomas (episode 54)
Infancy Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew (episode 79)
The Adoration of the Magi (2020 Christmas bonus episode)
The History of Joseph the Carpenter (episode 103)
The First Apocryphal Apocalypse of John (episode 68)
The Second Apocryphal Apocalypse of John (episode 68)
The Third Apocryphal Apocalypse of John (episode 68)
The Apocalypse of Peter (episode 75)
The Apocalypse of Paul (episode 95)
The Gospel of Philip (episode 92)
The Gospel of Mary (episode 92)
The Gospel of Jesus’s Wife (episode 92)
The Gospel of Judas (episode 100)
The Greater Questions of Mary (episode Secret 69)
The Golden Legend of Jacobus de Voragine:
The Life of Saint Nicholas (episode 26)
The Life of Saint Lucy (episode 26)
The Life of Saint Christopher (episode 15)
The Life of Saint Benedict (episode 15)
excerpts from The Passion of the Lord (episode 23)
The Life of Saint Sebastian (episode 58)
The Life of Saint Blaise (episode 58)
The Life of Saint Agatha (episode 58)
The Life of Saint Roch (episode 63)
The Life of Saint Catherine of Alexandria (episode 77)
The Life of Saint Barbara (episode 77)
The Life of Saint Dunstan (episode 85)
The Life of Mary Magdalene (episode 94)
The Life of Saint Martha of Bethany (episode 102)
The Life of Saint Margaret of Antioch (episode 102)
Other:
Historia Trium Regum/The Legend of the Three Kings by John of Hildesheim (episode 30)
Muirchu’s Life of Saint Patrick (episode 36)
The Life of Saint Guinefort (episode 63)
The Life of Saint Mary of Egypt (episode 69)
The Life of Saint Pelagia (episode 69)
The Life of Saint Martin by Sulpicius Severus (episode 76)
The Life of Saint Columba (episode 84)
The Life of Saint Wilgefortis (episode 94)
Lives of cephalophoric saints (bonus episode cephalo4)
Stories of the Baal Shem Tov from The Golden Mountain (episode 96)
More stories of the Baal Shem Tov from The Golden Mountain (episode 107)
Solomon and Ashmedai (bonus episode double chai)
Listener questions (episode 32)
Bible trivia questions (episode 38)
Halloween-themed Chick tracts (episode 51)
Christmas-themed Chick tracts (episode 98)
Bible Adventures and the Wisdom Tree catalogue of video games (episode 64)
The Da Vinci Code, the movie (episode 88)
Guess the Bible character from Persona 5 (bonus episode Persona 5)
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (episode 105)
You can find links to all these episodes with show notes and more on the Apocrypals wiki
Philippians 4:12, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the SECRET OF BEING CONTENT in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” {NIV}
Believe it or not, but sometimes Contentment has 3 Simple Secrets:
1…LEARNING TO BE HAPPY WITH LESS: A hard-charging executive decided to spend a few days in a…
“We love, because He first loved us.” —1 John 4:19 (NASB)
1 John 4: 7-21 (MSG). “My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.
My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love! This is how we know we’re living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He’s given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we’ve seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God.
God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgement—is one not yet fully formed in love.
We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first. If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both.”
“What does 1 John 4:19 mean?” By BibleRef.com:
“Verse Commentary: This short verse offers profound words. People do not wake up one day and decide to love (Romans 3:10). God is love, created love, and loved us first. John's summary of verses 17 and 18 also serves as a reminder. We are not to take credit for the love we have and show to others. God loved us, before we were capable of loving Him, and we can only love others because of what He has done in our lives.
As verses 20 and 21 will add, this love is not merely a mutual affection between us and God. It must also include love for others. Acting out of love is not exclusive to God in this context, but consists of loving both God and other people. This is the Great Commandment which involves loving God fully and loving neighbor as yourself. This teaching is also based upon the ancient Shema, or the Saying, from Deuteronomy 6:4–5: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." The same is seen in Leviticus 19:18: "you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord."
Verse Context: First John 4:11–19 is the backbone of John's letter. The primary way Christians are to be recognized is by love. This is not merely what we feel, but what we do for others. True, godly love is the most powerful evidence of being ''born again'' as a child of God. This love comes from God, who loved us before we loved Him. When we live in obedience to God, according to love, we can be confident in our relationship with Him, and have no need to fear His judgement.” Amen! 🙌
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 New International Version
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a] 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when…