Friday, September 24, 2010

Train Up a Child...

by Stacy McDonald

I am heartbroken for the little girls out there who are not only unprotected, but exploited – even by their own parents.

I was absolutely apalled today when I read the following article, which included a video of 7-year-old girls at a dance competition! They were dancing to bump and grind music, in red and black stripper bikinis, gyrating for the crowd:

“The signs are all there: The hip-grinding come-ons. Legs kicked up to the ear. Skin-baring lingerie. This particular video remake of BeyoncĂ©’s hit “Single Ladies” follows a rubric of raunchy moves straight out of the pole-dance manual. But the performers, according to published reports, are 7-year-olds.”

(What were these parents thinking when they put their little girls in a class like this? What are these parents hoping their young daughters grow up to be? Pray for these young girls, they are innocent, but won't remain that way very long.)

To read the rest of this article go to Your Sacred Calling.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Another Reason to Home Educate Your Children

Districts allow students with head lice to remain in school


By Andy Rathbun, Herald Writer

It might sound like a head scratcher.

Many school districts are no longer asking parents to keep kids with head lice out of class.

A new study from the American Academy of Pediatrics shows that the tiny blood-sucking insects just aren't a health threat.

School districts in Everett, Edmonds and Monroe now are changing how they handle instances of students infested with the sesame seed-sized bugs. Officials said they may need to overcome some long-held beliefs as they ask for children to be deloused — but also to stay in school.

“I'm expecting there will be some negative reaction among parents and staff,” said Jim McNally, executive director of Everett schools.

There shouldn't be, health officials say. The Snohomish Health District is one of many groups supporting the change. Its message is simple: School absences cause more damage than a head full of lice.

“No one dies of head lice,” said Dr. Gary Goldbaum, health officer for the Snohomish Health District. “No one even gets sick from head lice.”

That's not to say lice aren't pests. The grayish-white bugs set up camp on a person's scalp, sucking tiny amounts of blood every few hours. Itching results from the saliva they inject as an anticoagulant.

The bugs aren't very mobile. They don't hop or fly. They rely on six legs to crawl around.

Usually they spread through direct head-to-head contact — think of little kids wrestling. To a lesser degree, they can be passed by sharing items such as brushes and hats, according to “Head Lice,” the American Academy of Pediatrics study published in July.

The study argues that lice shouldn't spark concern for two big reasons. One: They don't spread easily. And two: They don't cause illness.

The study goes on to fault some perceptions of lice. Most notably, the bugs are not tied to a lack of cleanliness. A child can wash religiously and still get lice.

Misperceptions can gather strength when children are removed from school. A child's absence can get the gossip factory churning on the playground.

“Rumors start to spread,” Goldbaum said. “I think a child is much more stigmatized by that than by leaving them in school.”

Doctors have shifted their thinking about lice in the past decade, Goldbaum said. He compared the bugs to mosquitoes. Unlike mosquitoes, however, lice don't spread diseases such as malaria and West Nile virus.

Schools are catching up with current science.

Everett last year began softening its no-nit policy, which required children to be entirely free of lice and their eggs before returning to school. This year, it plans to abandon the practice of keeping children with lice out of school.

The Monroe School Board also is revising its no-nit policy. Its school board may discuss the issue Sept. 27.

The Edmonds School District plans to review and revise its policies this fall.

Despite the change, one thing remains the same. Children with lice still should be deloused.

There are many options. Prescription drugs and over-the-counter treatments such as Nix and Rid kill lice. Fine-toothed combs can be used to get rid of the bugs and their eggs. Head shaving is not among the recommended options.

While a child is being treated, parents have one other thing to do: Keep an eye out for the school bus.

“They should be right back in school,” he said.

Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455; arathbun@heraldnet.com.

Not a health risk

Head lice are a common problem but pose no health risks.

A definite pest: Head lice are parasitic bugs about the size of a sesame seed that suck blood from the human scalp. They don't spread disease.

Commonplace: About 6 million to 12 million infestations occur nationwide every year although there are concerns that those numbers are overestimated. Lice spread from person-to-person contact and by sharing items such as brushes, hats and pillows.

Treatment: Over-the-counter and prescription medications kill lice, while a fine-toothed comb is helpful when removing bugs and their eggs, also called nits.

(what's next, keeping children in the class when they are sick. they are wanting TOO much control of the children, can't trust them to the care of their parents, it is too damaging for them to miss class time, wow, what a lot of bologna!)

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Book Review

A friend of mine loaned me this book last Wednesday and I had it finished by Thursday evening. It is called, "Better OFF, Flipping the Switch on Technology" by Eric Brende. This was a very interesting book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. This is his story of leaving a life surrounded by technology and entering a life with a lot less technology. He wanted to see how little technology he could live with...what was a necessity and what was not and the changes that less technology brought. Walk for 18 months with him and his bride, Mary, as they live in a pseudo-Amish/Mennonite community.



Do You Have Pierced Ears?

by Israel Wayne

As I was reading this morning, this verse jumped out at me.

Psalm 40:6a
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced.”

Has it ever occurred to you that the thing that God really wants is for you to have pierced ears?!

Think about it! Many Christians have had it all wrong for centuries. We’ve thought that God wanted us to obey a list of rules and regulations to please God. We’ve assumed that God wanted all of our sacrifices and rituals. Really, He just wants us to have pierced ears!

What does that mean? Well, the context of that verse is found in the Law given to Moses.

Exodus 21:2-6
“If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything…But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master…and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.”

What does a slave do? Does he merely memorize a list of rules? No, he shows up for work everyday to do whatever the master instructs Him. This voluntary life of indentured service was done out of love for the master. Yes, obedience is what God desires, but not in the way we have thought of it.

Psalms 40:8
“I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”

Do you delight to please the Lord, or are you just doing what you absolutely must to stay on God’s good side? God isn’t impressed with a “letter of the law” obedience that isn’t from the heart.

1 Samuel 15:22
“But Samuel replied: ‘Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.’”

Andrew Murray stated in his book, The School Of Obedience, that the emphasis of Jesus’ teaching was always on obeying HIM, not some list of rules.

John 10:27
Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

I was asking myself this morning, “Have I gone to the Master and asked Him to take my ear to the door and pierce it with the awl of his Lordship? Do I have the permanent mark of my servitude to Him evident for all to see?”

Oh Lord, pierce my ears! I never want to leave. I want to be your slave forever, because I love you!

Romans 6:15-18
“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey–whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.”

Celebration!

Twenty-nine years ago today our oldest daughter was born. She was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. She had the perfect little rosebud mouth and little kewpie doll hair. She has grown into a beautiful woman. I am so thankful that God blessed us in the early months of our marriage with a child. He knew we would need all the help we could get to mature into the people He created us to be. Nicole has been and continues to be a blessing to us. Thank you, God for the wonderful blessing of Nicole.

Friday, September 17, 2010

The Birth Control Pill Documentary


The Birth Control Pill Documentary from T Herbert on Vimeo.

I Am Back On-line

We picked up a "cute" little Acer notebook today. So I am  back on line. I look forward to writing some more and sharing what is on my heart.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

No Computer

I have been without a computer for over a week now and don't see any change in these circumstances. My computer died and we will not be buying a new one anytime soon (I don't think). I only have computer access when my husband is home and most of that time I don't want to be on the computer. So until things change there will be little if any new postings. Take time to read old postings that you might have missed:).