The Forefathers Monument

We arrived in Cape Cod very early this morning (a little after midnight) and went straight to bed in the beach house we are staying in.

In the morning we awoke to this lovely scene from our kitchen window.

Our whole family really enjoyed the beach here at Cape Cod!

Playing Frisbee in the front yard.

Give Philip dirt and trucks and he’s happy:)

In the afternoon, we went to see the Forefathers Monument overlooking Plymouth harbor. It was huge! 81 feet from top to bottom.

The top statue represents “faith.” She looks similar to the Statue of Liberty but there is no torch. Instead there is one finger pointing to God which represents Jesus Christ, our one and only mediator.

There were four major statues around “faith” each representing a civil attribute of the Pilgrims. Underneath the statues were scenes of how the Pilgrims lived out each attribute. This statue represented law and the scene is of the Pilgrims signing the Mayflower Compact.

This statue represented “education.” She has an open book in one hand and is looking into the future.

We thought this statue which represents “youth” was precious. The Pilgrims had a great love for their children.

The rest of the day we spent gathering rocks on the seaside. The boys loved it!

You never know what you will find on the beach. Luke found this pretty gourd.

The beach is such a fun place to take pictures!

Our rock collections…and this is only the first day:)

The boys seem to always find a place to build a fort!

We are going to settle into Cape Cod for 5 days and visit historic sites, play, and relax (depends on how you define “relax”:)

“All great and honourable actions are accompanied with great difficulties…Out of small beginnings greater things have been produced by His hand that made all things of nothing…and, as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many, yea in some sort to our whole nation; let the glorious name of Jehovah have all the praise.”

~William Bradford

HSLDA and Antietam

This post was suppose to come before Philadelphia. Sorry about the mix-up:)

On Monday, we headed to the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) headquarters. Clara won 3rd place in an art contest HSLDA hosted so we went to see her art displayed in their hallway.

The theme was “it’s mine”. Clara used pencil to draw her violin. Thanks to our good friend Amy for the art lessons. Isn’t it lovely!

The artist by her artwork.

This piece of art work won first place for the senior division! The theme was “it’s complicated.”

Another pen and ink drawing we really liked.

We had a wonderful tour and enjoyed meeting Michael Smith, the founder of HSLDA, and Michael Farris, the president. Everyone there was so friendly!

Philip had a special attraction to this leaf and wanted his picture with it:)

Since we were nearby, we decided to visit the Antietam Battlefield in Maryland.

A very interesting museum with beautiful artwork.

General McClellan’s niece hand-sewed this one-sided flag which he carried in battle.

Kyle, Dad, and Luke overlooking the huge battlefield.

The Dunkirk church which was pillaged during the battle. Yes, that is snow!

Their were many memorials scattered on the battlefield.

Clara was determined to have the biggest snowball:)

“For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: that the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: that they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.”

Psalm 78:5-7

The City of Brotherly Love

We spent the night in New Jersey and then headed to Philadelphia, PA in the morning. There was so much to see!

Independence Hall.

George Washington in front of Independence hall.

A replica of the English Coat of arms which was displayed in Independence Hall before the War for Independence.

This was the first supreme court in the colonies located in Independence Hall.

The room where Independence was born! The chair at the very front of the room is original.

This is what the top of the original head chair looks like. It symbolizes the rising sun of America.

The cane on this table was Thomas Jefferson’s.

The inside of Independence Hall is very grand! This is looking toward the court room.

I thought this big clock on the side of Independence Hall was interesting.

This is where the House of Representatives met before Washington DC.

What is your opinion Representatives?

The Senate’s room was very pretty!

It was amazing to think that this is where so many of our founding fathers met to worship Jesus Christ, here in Christ Church.

Our family sitting in the Washington family pew.

Hanging in the tree structure is a bell that rang along with the Liberty Bell to announce Independence.

We were able to ring the same bell in Christ Church.

Of course, being in Philly, we had to have a Philly Cheesesteak. It was good!

To end the day, we visited the Liberty Bell. It was interesting because we have heard about the Liberty Bell all of our lives and then all of a sudden, there it was!

“Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.”
~ Leviticus 25:10

There is so much history to learn and see in Philadelphia! We enjoyed what we were able to see.

The rest of today will be spent in traveling to Cape Cod which will be our base for the next 5 days.

Marriage Conference

Last weekend, we were so blessed to be able to attend a NCFIC conference called “Gospel-Centered Marriages for a Glorious Church.” It was incredible!

"Until we understand the cross, it's almost impossible to understand marriage, because at the center of marriage is the cross. That's why Paul says 'This is a great mystery but I speak concerning Christ and the church". What he's saying is 'I'm speaking of the cross'. Marriage is meant to display the glory and the accomplishment of the cross. On the cross was the ultimate sacrifice. It was also the ultimate accomplishment as He won, from every tongue and tribe and nation, those who hated Him. That's why Paul said 'God forbid that I should boast in anything but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ'. Paul said in Romans 5:6-8, 'Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.' And that, brothers and sisters, is the meaning of Ephesians 5:21-33."

~ Scott Brown

Paul Washer gave two messages, one on Principles of “Courtship” and the other was a Presentation of the Gospel. The Presentation of the Gospel, we believe, was the best part of the entire conference. Mr. Washer demonstrated so much passion and God really used him to make the story come alive. What a blessing!

“When we say that Christ died for God and when we say that Christ died for His own glory, that does not extinguish His real love for His redeemed. This is amazing! He loved His people! And He loved them when they were vile and hated Him. He loved them when His holiness would not even allow him to look upon them. He loved them! He really, really loves you. This is amazing. This is not some God coldly manipulating things in order to show how great He is. This is not God just coldly wanting to show something to creation about who He truly is. He loves you! This is the thing that is the most amazing to me. He loves me.”

“From where does zeal come? From where does courage come? It doesn’t come from some sort of John Wayne “power within us”. It does not come from some natural steel in our backbones. It comes from this: What Christ paid changes everything! A man or a woman grabs ahold of this truth and they will be imprisoned for the rest of their lives within the confines of the love of God. It will be these truths that guide them. This is the mystery of all true piety and godliness! That Christ has come and that He has taken our sins upon Himself and that He has died. This is what must drive you. Not even the desire to change culture or fix this world should drive you. If that is your guiding strength it’s idolatry. The thing that must drive you is what God has done for you in Christ!”

~ Paul Washer

Doug Phillips gave several excellent talks including "Wedding Ceremonies and Covenants," "Jurisdictions After Marriage," and "How Fathers Qualify Suitors and Receive Daughters". He is one of our family’s favorite speakers.

There were around 2,200 people at this conference. It was so wonderful to hear these messages on Biblical principles and also to fellowship with like-minded families.

Kevin Swanson was also one of the speakers. He is a very dynamic speaker, full of passion for the Lord, His Word, and families. We enjoyed him.

“God calls fathers to really engage in this area. If you love God, and if you love His kingdom, you have got to engage His kingdom work in the discipleship of your sons and daughters. Why? For you? No. For your daughters? No. For your sons? No. It is for God. It is for your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You ought to be willing to lay your life down. If you have to go through that courtship and you have to forgive that young man 79 times or 4,767 times, it is for the sake of the kingdom of God. There were martyrs who had their skin taken off and they were dipped in boiling oil for their love for Christ. Can you make it through this courtship through the love that you have for Christ and His kingdom? Do you have that kind of commitment? Let me tell you this: if we’re going to make it through some of these difficult challenges ahead, it has to be because there are men who are willing to lay their lives down for the kingdom of God.”

~Kevin Swanson

Near the end of the conference there was a Q & A panel which was very helpful in answering practical questions.

For more information about this conference and if you are interested in ordering the CDs click here.

Enjoying lunch in the cool fall weather.

We missed the peak, but it was still beautiful!

We are again “en route” heading to New England and enjoying the beautiful countryside.

Stay tuned for more!

Reformation Day Quiz

Since Reformation Day, October 31st, is coming up, we thought it would be fun to provide a bit of a challenge and play a "Reformers Matching Game." Below are quotes, pictures, and a list of various Reformers. See if you can match the mixed up pictures and quotes to the names at the bottom. Let us know your guesses by comment. Have fun!

(a)

1. "Be not proud of race, face, place, or grace."

(b)

2. "All who call on God in true faith, earnestly seeking from the heart, will certainly be heard, and will receive what they have asked and desired, although not in the hour in in the measure, or the very thing which they ask. Yet they will obtain something greater and more glorious than they had dared to ask."

(c)

3. "The Bible is for the government of the people, by the people, and for the people."

(d)

4. "We are not our own: let not our reason nor our will, therefore, sway our plans and deeds. We are not our own: let us therefore not set it as our goal to seek what is expedient for us according to the flesh. We are not our own: in so far as we can, let us therefore forget ourselves and all that is ours. Conversely, we are God's: let us therefore live for him and die for him. We are God's: let his wisdom and will therefore rule our actions. We are God's: let all the parts of our life accordingly strive toward him as our only lawful goal."

(e)

5. "Scripture is a light, and shows us the true way, both what to do and what to hope for, and a defense from all error, and a comfort in adversity that we despair not, and strengthens us in prosperity that we sin not."

(f)

6. "If God commands one thing, and the king commands the contrary, what is that proud man that would term him a rebel who refuses to obey the king, when else he must disobey God?"

(g)

7. "Reformation ends not in contemplation, but in action."


Here are the list of reformers whose quotes and pictures are above.

~ William Tyndale
~ Martin Luther
~ Samuel Rutherford
~ John Calvin
~ John Knox
~ George Gillespie
~ John Wycliffe

Let us thank God for the mighty way in which he used these men and many others to make a stand for Sola Scriptura in the face of persecution. These men fought and died for the many freedoms that we now possess. It is up to us to carry on their legacy and continue to push for higher ground.

"Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Hebrews 12:1-2