“So, if we are (1) giving God glory in all that we do, (2) obeying God’s commandments, and (3) being a witness for Christ, we are indeed doing God’s will.” I would say that this is the main point of Jeffrey Gante’s Simplified Exclamations about God’s Will: A Helpful Guide to Discovering Purpose in Life. This book is a simply way to view the many aspects of God’s will. For the most part I think that the book really has great insight into how to approach our lives and be in God’s will. This book is a quick read at only 65 pages. There in is where lies the problem. Gante makes some broad statements that I think can’t be taken at face value. An example is “…we are only accountable to God foe obeying His written will.” If you put the book down you may not have the proper picture (according to what I believe but also the author). He goes on to expound with scripture that shows if you are drawing close to God it will be made clear what you are to do but he doesn’t seem to allow for willfulness on our part. A scripture that Gante uses for this point is Jeremiah 20:9 where Jeremiah says tht God’s word is burning in his heart. Gante uses this as proof that Jeremiah couldn’t help his role as a preacher and prophet. But, couldn’t Jeremiah have dug his heals in and not spread God’s word? What would that mean in his relationship with God either in the short or the long term?

On the whole I think that this book is pretty solid, just don’t stop reading before you get to the scriptural evidence backing up his point. I have to say that the scripture definately lays out the point more effectively. He definately uses his BS in Bible to pull applicable scriptures and put together a cohesive picture of God’s will. I would give this a 4 out of 5 and would recommend this book. I am a homeschooling mom who is reviewing this for Active Christian Media.

Now that the holidays are under way it is time to look at some ideas for Thanksgiving learning. EdHelper.com has a complete unit put together, including logic puzzles and math worksheets. Then SchoolExpress has a full workbook in pdf format. You could just print and go with it. You can get more in detail historical information at MayFlowerHistory.com. They have essays, diagrams of the ships and pieces on life at the time. They even have the passenger list from the Mayflower.

On the more arts and crafts side I found some interesting ideas. Kaboose has a leaf Bouquet of Thanks that is interactive for the whole family. You each fill out a leaf and then go through them as a family. Then abcteach has a cute turkey that you fill out a poem on. The letters of turkey start the first letter of each line. Last but not least is a great list of thank you in many languages.

So there are just a few of the free ideas out there on the internet for Thanksgiving!

California has a very important proposition coming up on Tuesay’s Ballot, Prop 85, the parental notification proposition. I am amazed by all the arguements that I have heard. One of the most common ones I hear is from soccer moms who give the abuse excuse. “What if it is the parents?” Well, that is taken into account in the language of the proposition.

(1) If the judge finds, by clear and convincing evidence, that the unemancipated minor is sufficiently mature and well-informed to decide whether to have an abortion, the judge shall authorize a waiver of notice of a parent or guardian.

(2) If the judge finds, by clear and convincing evidence, that notice to a parent or guardian is not in the best interests of the unemancipated minor, the judge shall authorize a waiver of notice. If the finding that notice to a parent or guardian is not in the best interests of the minor is based on evidence of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, the court shall ensure that such evidence is brought to the attention of the appropriate county child protective agency.

I personally don’t like the idea that a girl can’t take Tylenol at school without both a doctor’s note and parent’s note but the school can transport a girl to have an abortion because of her medical right to privacy. The same soccer moms who say “What if they are abused?” are shocked to find out that the school can take their daughters to have an abortion. And they say that homeschoolers are naive;).

So take this opportunity and vote yes on 85 on Tuesday!

An announcement for all you military families out there. November 6th – 9th KB Toys will have a 15% military discount. Go print out the coupon. I think this is a great thing for KB Toys to do for all those families that sacrifice and have a family member in the Armed Services.

Related Tags: military family, KB Toys, discounts, coupons, military support

Being able to apologize is a valuable skill. I really like this primer on how to apologize by Allan Bevere over at RedBlueChristian. Now it is aimed at politicians but I think we can all learn;).

Welcome to this week’s Pregnancy Carnival. We have some interesting entries so lets jump right in!

First, we start with A Long Day Comes to a Peaceful End by Loni at Joy in the Morning. She shares a long day of tests and ultrasounds for her little baby on the way. Then Janine at BaptistHomeschooling shares her story about Due in 5 Days!!

Then Birth Ecology Project has a heart warming article on the Circle of Midwives. Lisa at Let’s Talk Babies has a necessary article on Packing for the Hospital. This is a must read.

Next we have a couple of articles that are must reads in preparation for bringing your little one home. APMFormulators has an article, Parents Who Study Pediatrics…Naturally, to help parents learn what is needed for the health of our kids. Then Wenchpoo offers her article What About the Babies? It is an interesting article on baby food.

This brings us to the end of this weeks carnival. Please read all the articles and let the authors know what you think. Then come back on Nov 17th for the next edition. Please go over to BlogCarnival and enter your article!

So the buzz is that NBC’s Studio 60 will soon be cancelled. I am crushed. I actually love the show. Some of it is yes, because it is similar to West Wing. But it goes beyond that. The writing is witty and sophisticated. It assumes the audience is bright and keeps me engaged. I am afraid that it is doomed to go the way of Sports Night. What puzzles me is why I love Aaron Sorkin’s writing so much. I think it is because even though we share different views of just about everything, we both look at the world with a critical eye (both our side and the other). I hope against hope that this show survives but we must wait and see.

When people hear that I am homeschooling my kids I am often asked about their futures. “Will they be able to get into a good college?” What are we looking for in “good colleges”? Georgetown University was what I would have considered a “good college” when I was looking at schools. Well, now this college founded as a Christian school has kicked out all Evangelical Christian groups. The Jewish and Muslim student groups have been allowed to stay but the Christian groups are too evangelical.

The brush-off letter from the university starts: “Blessings and may God’s peace be upon you!” but deteriorates shortly later to: “Protestant Ministry has decided to move in another direction.”

As a result, Georgetown said, “Your ministries will no longer be allowed to hold any activity or presence (i.e. bible (sic) studies, retreats with Georgetown students, Mid-week (sic) worship services, fellowship events, move-in assistance, SAC Fair, etc.) on campus.”

Further, the school told the ministry organizations, “All websites linking your ministries to a presence at Georgetown University will need to be modified to reflect the terminated relationship. Your ministries are not to publicize in any literature, media, advertisement, etc. that Georgetown University is or will be an active ministry site for your ministry/church/denomination.”

Yes, so I need to spend all this money so my kids can go across the nation, be isolated and then have a group that tries to strip them fellowship with other believers? I don’t think so. These east coast schools are going to show such extreme partiality against anything Christian or conservative that no one on the right will go to them. Unfotunately, this illness is spreading to universities around the nation. But, if my kids are in the same area at least you will know that they have a support structure to combat this craziness.

(HT: SpunkyHomeschool)

I just wanted to post about a few great carnivals that you should check out. Why Homeschool has done a great job with a Halloween Carnival of Homeschooling. Then you can go over to the Median Sib for the 91st Carnival of Education. The Evangelical Ecologist has an All Saints Day version of Christian Carnival CXLVI. So go read, enjoy!

So the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has passed a resolution on charismatic behavior, including speaking in tongues. Now over at This Guy Falls Down, Mark Lee said that they banned it but that isn’t really accurate. They won’t throw students out over it (at least not based on this). The actual guideline appears to be:

stating that it would neither endorse charismatic practices — including “private prayer language” — nor employ those who promote such practices.

Is this wrong? Well, regardless of how you feel about charismatic behavior, I think it is fine. This is a denomination that doesn’t believe in it. So they don’t want the future leaders of the church being taught about it. Plain and simple. Don’t like it? Change denominations. There is no demonizing of those that do have these practices but the practices and not part of the doctrine. Other denominations are still our brothers and sisters in Christ. This quote from the president of the seminary really sums it up:

“We do believe in absolute religious liberty,” he observes, “but we also believe that if you’re going to be a New York Yankee, you shouldn’t wear a New York Mets uniform.”

I also like what Mark Lee says:

I will say that I do have a lot of respect for SBTC in that they are attempting to do something that is becoming more and more foreign in Christian circles: they are spelling out what they believe. We are living in an age where many, if not most, are getting their theology from Christian music. That’s a scary thought now, isn’t it? Like Dylan said, if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.