Simply 'a woman who fears the Lord'

It has been estimated that approximately 60,000 students were home educated in the state of Illinois with a national estimate of 1,376,804 homeschooled students in 2010/2011 . And in most states the number of home schooled students is growing annually. This article will explore why many parents are opting to teach their children at home and some of the helpful resources available to help home-schoolers. The Illinois State Board of Education states on its Illinois Home-Schooling page : Home-schooling in Illinois is considered to be a form of private education. Parents who choose to educate their children at home are under a legal obligation to meet the minimum requirements stated in Illinois’ Compulsory Attendance Law (Section 26-1 of the Illinois School Code). Parents who choose to educate their children at home are obligated to teach their children “…the branches of education taught to children of corresponding age and grade in the public schools” and they are further obligated to...

By Angela Wittman Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The Lord reigneth. (1 Chron. 16:31, KJV) I recently entered into a discussion with some well-meaning conservatives about pluralism in America. The general consensus appears to be that they want pluralism and believe that having a poly-theistic nation is desirable. What surprises me is that they say they want America to return to her Christian roots, but also believe that people of all religious faiths should have freedom to worship their false gods. Perhaps I am just an old-fashioned puritan at heart, but this view of “freedom” by honoring multi-gods sounds double-minded to me. My hope and prayer is the conservatives who believe this will think a little harder and dig a little deeper into Scripture and see that their thinking is not founded on the Rock called Christ Jesus, nor is true liberty to be found anywhere but in Christ Jesus alone, who is an exclusive and jealous God. On pag...

By Angela Wittman Life Network of Southern Illinois located at 224 N. Main St. in Waterloo, Illinois has been helping those in need of unplanned pregnancy care, and providing education and referrals to helpful resources since 1995. Services offered for both males and females are free and confidential. These services include: Pregnancy Tests Baby Resources STD Test/Treatment (for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea) Options Counseling Earn While You Learn Client Education Program Ultrasound Community Referrals Abortion Recovery Support Abstinence Education Male Mentoring Program Child Birth, Breastfeeding, and Newborn Care Classes Upcoming events include a Trivia Night to be held on January 28th at Gibault High School in Waterloo and their annual Spring Banquet with guest speaker Shawn Carney (co-founder of 40 Days for Life) scheduled for April 19th and April 20th at Turner Hall in Columbia, IL . The Life Network of Southern Illinois annual Li...

 January 22, 2012 marks the 39 th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision which opened the floodgates to the holocaust of the Preborn. Abort73.com reports on its Facts About Abortion: U.S. Abortion Law page that: The history of abortion in the United States is far more complicated than most people imagine. It has been an issue of varying contention in this nation for the last 200 years. Nevertheless, abortion has never enjoyed such universal protection under the law as it has for these last three decades. As it stands today, American women have the legal right to obtain an abortion in all 50 states, through all nine months of pregnancy, for virtually any reason at all. This has been true since January of 1973 when the Supreme Court declared that autonomous abortion rights are built into the Constitution, and that any legal barriers which prevent mothers from aborting their children are unconstitutional. This ruling was arrived at on the premise that the 9th and 14th...

As the New Year begins, a Christian can find great comfort and encouragement by reflecting upon what God has done in their life during the previous year.   And while one can find peace while tracing the hand of God in their circumstances, hope for the future can also be found by looking at the history and triumph of God’s Church in this world. One of the best loved passages of Scripture is Hebrews, chapter 11 , which is also referred to as the chapter of the “Heroes of the Faith.” One can find hope in the stories of others who faced persecution, adversity and severe trials for their faith, but who remained steadfast and did not waver in their faith. Here is an excerpt from the King James Bible, beginning at verse 32:   32 And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:   33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stop...

A study of The Barna Group conducted in April of 2011 reports that nearly one out of three Americans feel they aren’t living up to their “fullest potential” while three out of ten adults report they are “dealing with unresolved emotional pain or conflict in life.”   And 15% of Americans are questioning God due to “their experiences with religion.” The director of the study 70 Million Americans Feel Held Back by their Past concludes the report by saying “the research shows that internal doubts about fulfillment, faith, emotion and personal history significantly define millions of the nation's residents."   Clearly many Americans are not content with the current status quo and are seeking truth, meaning and purpose for their lives. One can find direction from the Westminster Assembly of Divines . The Westminster Larger Catechism composed in April of 1648 begins with this question: What is the chief and highest end of man? And responds with the answer: Man's chief and hi...

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:27, ESV Due to be released in February of 2012 is the documentary “ Rescued: The Heart of Adoption and Caring for Orphans ” created by Wintons Motion Pictures and Hedrick Brothers Productions. The film challenges the Church and Christians to take a greater role in caring for orphans through adoption while exploring its common “thread” with missions: "Today, over 130 million children have lost one or both parents, and every 18 seconds, another child in the world becomes an orphan. In America, 114,000 children in the foster care system are currently waiting to be adopted, and an estimated 65,500 of those children have been adopted by homosexual parents. These staggering statistics should cause Christians to ask some probing questions. What would Christ’s church look like if we acted upon James 1:27 which states th...

Generations with Vision , a daily radio ministry that addresses cultural issues from a Biblical viewpoint featuring home school advocate, father of five and pastor Kevin Swanson as host is planning their Family Economics 2012 Conference for March 8 -10 at Wheaton College, 501 College Avenue, Wheaton, Illinois . This will be their third annual event; topics to be covered include : Raising Sons to Provide Household Budget Management Marketing a Family Business Facing the Onslaught of Socialism Household Chores and Time Management The Duties of Dominion Keys to Being a Successful Family Entrepreneur Stories from Successful Family Start-Ups A Special Proverbs 31 Track for Moms Speakers scheduled for the 2012 conference include Kevin Swanson, Erik Weir, Steve and Teri Maxwell, Bill Roth, Alex and Cassie Michael, and RC Sproul Jr.   A full schedule of events can be found here .   The Family Economics Vision page of the Family 2012 Economics Conference website tells us that: In Ma...

"Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people." ( 1 Chronicles 16:8, KJV ) While preparing for the gathering of family and friends this Thanksgiving season, let’s not forget to also prepare our hearts in humble gratefulness to God for the blessings and grace which He has bestowed upon us as individuals and as a nation. Here is a bit of history about Thanksgiving which you may not have been taught in school as taken from the website “A Puritan’s Mind” by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon : The celebration we now popularly regard as the ‘First Thanksgiving’ was the Pilgrims' three-day feast celebrated in early November of 1621 (although a day of thanks in America was observed in Virginia at Cape Henry in 1607)... The Pilgrims left Plymouth, England, on September 6, 1620, sailing for a new world that offered the promise of both civil and religious liberty. The Pilgrims had earlier left England in 1608, as the Church of England had curtailed their...

By Angela Wittman Samaritan Ministries based in Peoria has taken the next step forward in the pro-life movement with developing a new project to directly help mothers and their preborn babies in need of prenatal care: The Morning Center .  Their website states that they were founded in 2011 with the goal to “ provide free full-service pre-natal and maternity care to women in urban and under-served areas.”  Their goal, as stated on the “About Us” section of the website is to eventually establish pro-life hospitals that will offer: Complete prenatal care, counseling, mentoring, and professional photography that celebrates the joy of new life. A birthing center atmosphere in a full service maternity hospital, allowing a mother great flexibility in making birth choices – from facilities for water birth, and space for family, to highly trained staff and equipment needed for any medical situation. Staff members who have a clear sense of God’s calling to demonstrate the Good News ...

By Angela Wittman “Your Imperial Majesty and Your Lordships demand a simple answer. Here it is, plain and unvarnished. Unless I am convicted [convinced] of error by the testimony of Scripture or (since I put no trust in the unsupported authority of Pope or councils, since it is plain that they have often erred and often contradicted themselves) by manifest reasoning, I stand convicted [convinced] by the Scriptures to which I have appealed, and my conscience is taken captive by God's word, I cannot and will not recant anything, for to act against our conscience is neither safe for us, nor open to us. "On this I take my stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen." ~ Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms, April 17, 1521. (Source: Martin Luther: Excerpts from his account of the confrontation at the Diet of Worms ) Martin Luther's nailing of the 95 Theses  to the All Saints Church door at Wittenberg on October 31, 1517 has long been said to be the ...

Dear Governor Haley, I am writing to you as a sister in Christ, who is 100% pro-life (no exception, no compromise) which you have also been designated by Holly Gatling, Executive Director of SC Citizens for Life . Below is the text of a letter which is posted on your website NikkiHaley.com : [Emphasis mine, AW] May 20, 2010 The Honorable Nikki Haley P.O. Box 47 Lexington, S.C.  29071 Dear Representative Haley: This letter is to thank you for returning your candidate survey to South Carolina Citizens for Life.  Your survey is rated 100 percent.   Legislation and political action save innocent human life.   We appreciate your dedication to protecting pre-born children and the medically fragile members of our human family from abortion and euthanasia. It is a credit to the Republican candidates for Governor in the 2010 Primary Election that the pro-life surveys on record are all 100 percent; therefore LIFEPAC, the state political action committee of South Carolina ...

By Angela Wittman A new website and strategy for ending the holocaust of the preborn has been launched by a cooperative effort of pro-life leaders: States of Refuge.org . Ultimate and immediate goals are stated on the National Strategy page as: Our ultimate goal is to end the American holocaust that has invoked God’s just wrath upon our nation. The immediate goal is to establish the first abortion free states since Roe vs. Wade. Five states in particular have been chosen due to being the most vulnerable and weakest of the prenatal child-killing industry: Arkansas, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.  These states have been targeted as states as refuge from the sin of blood-guilt staining America. Christians are asked to pray and lend their support to making these five states abortion free. Ministries that have stated their intention to help in this effort include: Pastor Mark Holick/Spirit One Ministries: He has agreed to help prepare the way. He will work...

By Angela Wittman Sarah Livingston - Photo Courtesy of WLOX - 13 A friend recently sent me this link to a story about a home schooled teen, Sarah Livingston, and her re-enactment of the Scottish Covenanters for a Mississippi History Day Competition at USM this past June where she won first place in the Performance category and the Overall prize in the high school division. Sarah is quoted in the news story as saying she wrote her own script and found her own props for the ten minute performance before the judges. To prepare for the competition she not only studied the history of the Covenanters, but she also studied the Scottish accent to make her performance more realistic. In my opinion, this is quite remarkable for a seventeen year-old young lady! May the good Lord bless Sarah Livingston and her quest to introduce others to the Scottish Covenanters through historical drama; she truly appears to be a twenty-first century Lady of the Covenant. News Source : http://www.wlox.com/Global...