True Reflection

Date: 2012.04.15 | Category: Bible, Christian, God, Life, Quote, Scripture | Response: 0

The other day as I was standing in my kitchen I noticed my reflection in the side of the teapot.  It was misshapen and distorted.  It was not a true reflection of my image but it was the best reflection that little teapot could give.  It is what it is.

As Christians are called to reflect Christ but we will always give a misshapen image of Him.  We are clay pots with imperfections that distort the true reflection of Christ.  How can we become mirrors that give a true image?

We let God mold us.  We have to be willing to surrender ourselves to His mighty hand so that He can shape us to become more and more Christlike.  Only then will we be perfect.

Until then, we do the best we can because we are what we are, and by the grace of God He is changing us.

Scriptures to reflect on:

Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us.  So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26-27

Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8

Read Genesis 3

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; John 11:25

But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 2 Cor 3:16

So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. 2 Corinthians 3:18

To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. Romans 2:7

[ Our Heavenly Dwelling ] Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Corinthians 5:1

“Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. Revelations 21:3

Read Revelations 21

“Preach the gospel at all times, use words if necessary” accredited to St Francis of Assisi

HOMESCHOOLING ARTICLES SERIES #1 – Evaluating Writing

Date: 2012.02.16 | Category: Homeschool, Homeschool Articles | Response: 0

The following articles are not in any particular order or categorized.
To feed your soul, encourage your steps and help you on your homeschooling journey.
Please enjoy.

“Writing isn’t like math, where the answer is either right or wrong.”
“I’m not a writer. How do I know whether my student’s writing is good or bad?”
Often at homeschool conferences I’ve heard comments like those. Many parents are at a loss about how to evaluate their students’ writing assignments.
Sandy Larsen’s Evaluating Writing has some great pointers.

Evaluating Writing

by Sandy Larsen

Part 1

“Writing isn’t like math, where the answer is either right or wrong.”

“I’m not a writer. How do I know whether my student’s writing is good or bad?”

Often at homeschool conferences I’ve heard comments like those. Many parents are at a loss about how to evaluate their students’ writing assignments.

If parents lack confidence in how to evaluate writing, they usually default to the red-pen route. They circle every misspelling, punctuation error and grammar mistake, then grade the writing on its technical points alone.

I would never belittle the significance of writing’s technical matters. Incorrect grammar, misplaced or absent punctuation, and bad spelling only confuse the reader. They make the writing look amateurish, and they undercut the writer’s credibility.

On the other hand, technical perfection does not equal excellent writing. A technically perfect paper can still be dull and lifeless. A technically flawed paper can still have the power to communicate ideas and move the reader deeply.

Whether you use letter grades or some other system, I suggest that you give two separate grades for a piece of writing: one for the writing itself and one for the mechanics such as grammar, spelling and punctuation. You may be confident enough to grade the mechanics on your own. If you aren’t, there are plenty of resources available to help you. You are more likely to be stumped about how to evaluate the “non-mechanical” aspects of writing.

When your student hands in a paper, what should you do first? Before you make any comments or corrections at all, read through the entire piece several times. Pay close attention to your own responses. I don’t mean your negative reactions to errors; I mean your responses to the writing itself.

Watch for the following evidences of strong writing:

• Does the writing start out interesting and stay interesting? In other words does it hold your attention and make you want to keep reading?

• Does it put you right into the middle of the action or the subject matter?

• Does it stir your sympathies, either elevating your spirits or disquieting you, depending on the subject and the intent?

• If it’s supposed to be funny, does it make you laugh?

• If it’s supposed to be serious, is its subject worth thinking about seriously?

• Does it take an unexpected approach and surprise you?

Such impressions in the reader are a mark of successful writing, and they deserve your affirmation, even if they are marred by run-on sentences and bad spelling.

Also, take into account whether the writing is a first draft or something which has already gone through several revisions. You should be more merciful toward a first draft and more demanding toward a piece which the student has had several chances to revise.

So far I have asked you to pay attention to your overall impressions of the student’s writing. In the second half of this article we will look at more specific criteria such as whether the writing has a clear purpose, how tightly organized it is, and how well the writer stays focused on the topic.

Sandy Larsen is a professional freelance writer and the author of Igniting Your Writing! and Igniting Your Writing II, both available through CurrClick.

Website Update Feb 2012

Date: 2012.02.16 | Category: Homeschool Articles, Website Update | Response: 0

Hello all,
It’s been a while since I’ve worked on my main website. Quite a while actually, so I’ve decided to take it down. Most of the information is available through the page tabs at the top of the blog. The only thing I haven’t put up again are the articles. I will be publishing them as blog posts slowly as a series instead. I’ll tag them “homeschooling articles” so you can just search on that if you are looking for them.

Australia Day

Date: 2012.01.26 | Category: Life | Response: 0

Australia is a unique place. We are a country. We are a continent. We are an island. We have people from across the globe populating this wide brown land. We have deserts. We have rainforests. We have snow-capped mountains. We have wide open plains. Many species of animals are only found here. We officially speak English, yet many people born in England find us very hard to understand.

Most facinating to me is the concept that if you live in Australia you know everyone. I don’t think people from other countries understand just how sparsely populated we are and how many people live here. In June 2009 there was an estimated 22 million people. This link points you to a picture I wanted to put on my blog but I couldn’t. It shows the  population distributionof Australia in June 2009.  On average across the whole of Australia it is about 3 people per square kilometre. We like our space.

Happy Australia Day.

A reflection on Introverts in the Church by Adam S McHugh

Date: 2011.12.20 | Category: Christian | Response: 0

A reflection on Introverts in the Church by Adam S McHugh

My husband (Dave Quinn) and I have been reading this book.  I finished my copy yesterday and after several hours of thinking on it came up with the following reflection.  I have more but this is what I’m sharing now.

Extroverts are the ones doing the solo free-wheel or singing the lead melody.
Introverts are the harmony, the bass or even the silences between the notes.
Together they are God’s gift to an unbelieving world, a song, titled “The Church”. –Larissa Quinn

Vegan/Vegetarian Nachos

Date: 2011.11.21 | Category: Life, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian | Response: 0

Last night I made vegetarian nachos, but because I’m dairy free I also had to have a vegan option for me. Here is what I did (just made it up) Serves 4 (although I had some mix leftover…lunch!)

-a couple tbsp canola oil to frypan
-about a cup or so of frozen chopped onions (I’ve given up chopping them, much rather be able to see to cook!)
-fry until start to brown, add some water and fry until nearly dry, add next ingredient and some water so it doesn’t burn. Continue to do this for each ingredient if needed.
-a small red and green capsicum sliced thinly
-2 large stalks of celery diced
-about a cup of frozen corn
-a 420g can of red kidney beans (drained)
-a large tsp minced garlic (probably about 2-3 cloves)
-cook until it all looks bright and kinda mushy!
-420g can Sanitarium Casserole Mince (or chopped mushrooms if you’re avoiding the TVP)
-a small jar mild “Old El Paso” Taco Salsa (I would prefer hotter but the kids were eating this) after emptying add third jar water to rinse out the rest of the contents and add some water to the mixture.
-simmer until heated through.
-grate cheese (about 100-150g?)
-corn chips on plates (I used about a packet of plain doritos (the green one!)
-sprinkle with cheese (dribble a bit of tahini over for vegan)
-spoon over mixture
-top with cheese (more tahini for vegan option)
-microwave each plate for 1min high (1100watt)
-spoon some sour cream on each plate (except vegan)
-can add spring onion greens if available at this stage
Enjoy!

Books, books, books.

Date: 2011.10.29 | Category: Life | Response: 0

I am often challenged by books. They are a primary source of information and growth for me. One book that impacted me greatly was Created to be his helpmeet by Debi Pearl. While it was an impressive book it failed to portray the whole marriage relationship for believers as layed out in the Bible. It only highlights the fallen state relationship. It completely ignores that fact that God created man and woman to rule over creation together and then there was the fall. After the fall was the curse of the husband ruling over the woman. Then it completely ignores the fact that we have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour we are no longer under the bondage of the curse. We are free. There is no slave, no Jew, no male, no female – we are His children.

And so I no longer recommend this book as I did earlier. I am a growing, learning, disciple of Christ. I was wrong and now I’m pleased to be free.

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve read a couple of other books. I’m happy to recommend these, as they do line up with scripture.

The first is “Moving in the Spirit” by Phil Pringle. A book that outlines who the Holy Spirit is and is not and how He can work in the life of a Christian.

The next book is “Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire” by Jim Cymbala. This is kind of a biographical book about the Brooklyn Tabernacle and how calling upon the Lord is a major key to the Kingdom.

I hope you have a chance to get a hold of either of these books and read them for yourself.

God Bless.

Ask and You Shall Receive

Date: 2011.09.29 | Category: Life | Response: 0

There are so many things people ask God for, fame, riches, health and happiness. Some people seem to get those things they ask for, so perhaps we are asking the wrong questions. Or perhaps we aren’t asking the questions for the right reasons. Are we asking out of selfishness; to be known, to have things, to be comfortable and not in pain, to not be sad anymore. Or are we asking out of a heart that longs for the King of the Universe to be exalted high above EVERYTHING else in our lives? To truly be Lord. Are we asking for His will to be carried out in and through our lives, for His purposes and glory?
Perhaps we need to ask God what He wants us to ask for.

Awesome August 2

Date: 2011.08.21 | Category: Life | Response: 0

How Awesome is our God??? Totally awesome. He goes before us and lights the way. He is in all things and we do all things for His glory. He knows all things, is everywhere and is all powerful. He created us to be in relationship with us. We messed up in the Garden of Eden and we were separated from his fellowship. Through God’s only Son He has provided a way for man to be worthy to be in relationship with Him again. When Jesus died on the cross bearing our sins, He defeated death and sin no longer reigns. He came to seek and save the lost (those that don’t have an intimate relationship with the King of the Universe). He’s preparing a place for us that has many rooms in His Father’s house. We love Him because He loved us first.
THAT is totally awesome!

Awesome August 1

Date: 2011.08.01 | Category: Awesome August | Response: 0

Awesome August is about exploring how awesome our God is. 

Awesome – “profoundly reverential,” from awe + -some. Meaning “inspiring awe” is from 1670s;

~o~

Genesis 28

¹ So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed^[a] him and commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman. ² Go at once to Paddan Aram,^[b] to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. ³ May God Almighty^[c] bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. ⁴ May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham.” ⁵ Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.

⁶ Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,” ⁷ and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. ⁸ Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; ⁹ so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.

Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

¹⁰ Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. ¹¹ When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. ¹² He had a dream in which he saw a stairway^[d] resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. ¹³ There above it^[e] stood the LORD, and he said: “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. ¹⁴ Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. ¹⁵ I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

¹⁶ When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” ¹⁷ He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

¹⁸ Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. ¹⁹ He called that place Bethel,^[f] though the city used to be called Luz.

²⁰ Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear ²¹ so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD^[g] will be my God ²² and^[h] this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”