Why Learn Hebrew? Thus saith Luther & Joseph

Why Hebrew?

Martin Luther’s Thoughts...

“The Hebrew language is the best language of all, with the richest vocabulary . . . . If I were younger I would want to learn this language, because no one can really understand the Scriptures without it. For although the New Testament is written in Greek, it is full of hebraisms and Hebrew expressions. It has therefore been aptly said that the Hebrews drink from the spring, the Greeks from the stream that flows from it, and the Latins from a downstream pool.” (Martin Luther, Tischreden)

The Reformation reminds us why. “Ad fontes!”—To the fountains, or sources!—was their battle cry for a reason. 

“The languages are the sheath in which this sword of the Spirit is contained; they are the casket in which this jewel is enshrined; they are the vessel in which this wine is held; they are the larder in which this food is stored; and, as the gospel itself points out, they are the baskets in which are kept these loaves and fishes and fragments. If through our neglect we let the languages go (which God forbid!), we shall…lose the gospel...” (Martin Luther, emphasis added, 120)

So here are Five Reasons...

1) History Reminds Us

“Experience too has proved this and still gives evidence of it. For as soon as the languages declined to the vanishing point, after the apostolic age, the gospel and faith and Christianity itself declined more and more…On the other hand, now that the languages have been revived, they are bringing with them so bright a light and accomplishing such great things that the whole world stands amazed and has to acknowledge that we have the gospel...far beyond what it was in the days of St. Jerome and St. Augustine… “(120)

2) The Fathers Remind us

“Yes, you say, but many of the fathers were saved and even became teachers without the languages. That is true. But how do you account for the fact that they so often erred in the Scriptures?…Even St. Augustine himself is obliged to confess…that a Christian teacher who is to expound the Scriptures must know Greek and Hebrew in addition to Latin. Otherwise, it is impossible to avoid constant stumbling; indeed, there are plenty of problems to work out even when one is well versed in the languages”. (120)

3) Vocational Excellence Reminds Us 

There is a vast difference therefore between a simple preacher of the faith and a person who expounds Scripture, or, as St. Paul puts it, a prophet. A simple preacher (it is true) has so many clear passages and texts available through translations that he can know and teach Christ, lead a holy life, and preach to others. But when it comes to interpreting Scripture, and working with it on your own, and disputing with those who cite it incorrectly, he is unequal to the task; that cannot be done without languages. Now there must always be such prophets in the Christian church who can dig into Scripture, expound it, and carry on disputations. A saintly life and right doctrine are not enough. Hence languages are absolutely and altogether necessary in the Christian church, as are the prophets or interpreters; although it is not necessary that every Christian or every preacher be such a prophet, as St. Paul points out in I Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4”… (120-121)

4) Common Grace Reminds us...

“Since it becomes Christians then to make good use of the Holy Scriptures as their one and only book and it is a sin and a shame not to know our own book or to understand the speech and words of our God, it is a still greater sin and loss that we do not study languages, especially in these days when God is offering and giving us men and books and every facility and inducement to this study, and desires his Bible to be an open book. O how happy the dear fathers would have been if they had had our opportunity to study the languages and come thus prepared to the Holy Scriptures! What great toil and effort it cost them to gather up a few crumbs, while we with half the labor—yes, almost without any labor at all—can acquire the whole loaf! O how their effort puts our indolence to shame! Yes, how sternly God will judge our lethargy and ingratitude!” (121)

Are we grateful for the Masoretic Text; for Codex Vadicanus, Codex Alexandrinus, and Codex Sinaiticus; for the Dead Sea Scrolls?

5) Preaching Reminds is...

“Here belongs also what St. Paul calls for in I Corinthians 14, namely, that in the Christian church all teachings must be judged. For this a knowledge of the language is needful above all else. The preacher or teacher can expound the Bible from beginning to end as he pleases, accurately or inaccurately, if there is no one there to judge whether he is doing it right or wrong. But in order to judge, one must have a knowledge of the languages; it cannot be done in any other way. Therefore, although faith and the gospel may indeed be proclaimed by simple preachers without a knowledge of languages, such preaching is flat and tame; people finally become weary and bored with it, and it falls to the ground. But where the preacher is versed in the languages, there is a freshness and vigor in his preaching, Scripture is treated in its entirety, and faith finds itself constantly renewed by a continual variety of words and illustrations. Hence, Psalm 129 likens such scriptural studies to a hunt, saying to the deer God opens the dense forests; and Psalm 1 likens them to a tree with a plentiful supply of water, whose leaves are always green” (121)

—-

Joseph Smith’s Thoughts...

“reading in our hebrew bibles . . . it seems as if the Lord opens our minds, in a marvelous manner to understand his word in the original language, and my prayer is that God will speedily indue us with a knowledge of all languages and toungs, that his servants may go forth for this last time, to bind up the law and seal up the testimony.”

“the use of the Hebrew school stated that the study of Hebrew would “serve to facilitate the acquisition of a perfect knowledge of one of the best of books—the Scriptures—the introduction of which has served to dispel darkness, and disperse light into every clime.”

“seek out of the best books,” 

“become acquainted . . . with languages, tongues, and people,” and “obtain a knowledge of history.” This new emphasis on academic learning was meant to prepare the lay ministers of the Church “to magnify their calling,” “receive revelations to unfold the mysteries of the kingdom,” and “set in order all the affairs of this church.” “All this,” the revelations stated, would be “for the salvation of Zion.”

Joseph declared: “I am determined to persue the study of languages untill I shall become master of them, if I am permitted to live long enough, at any rate so long as I do live I am determined to make this my object, and with the blessing of God I shall succe[e]d to my sattisfaction.”

Joseph also went beyond his contemporaries by drawing out deeper (and he felt more pristine) meanings from Hebrew phraseology 

The Power of 15: Being Present

I read a blog post the other day from a mom who said she'd try to "be present" with his child each day for fifteen minutes. I like this and think it is valuable to do daily. Now, the "15 minutes" makes sense to me as a good amount of time to practice each day, but the amount of time doesn't have to be that. It is the idea of "a little each day" that seems a great place to start.

The Power of 15 (minutes).

So let's talk about this....

What does it mean to be present? 

I think of when I talk to my four year old and tell him to listen to me while I'm talking to him. I say to  listen with your whole self: eyes looking, ears open, mouth closed, body still, brain focused. So...being present to me, is real, true listening--observation and attention with all your senses and internal workings of heart and mind.

How are we doing as adults?
Are we teaching our kids to listen well, when we haven't learned to do the same?
Are we being present with them?

Granted...we have tons of things vying for our time and attention. But have we tried to prioritize our life, errands, busy-ness and tasks so we can place focus on what matters most? I know I'm constantly guilty of this. And this is why I am writing this post! Hopefully it will clarify for me more ways to focus on my kids. Because this is life! Learning and relearn to focus and simplify and do what matters most. And I can't do it alone. I need help. Do you?

I like this idea of fifteen minutes a day, but I would like to extend that thought into other areas of our life...specifically with relationships and priorities.

What are our priorities?
Or should I say "who" are our priorities? 

Knowing this can help us understand where we need to be present most.
Here's what came to mind this morning as I contemplated this concept of "fifteen minutes."

15 minutes with...

• God I like to wake up before my kids wake up. This is the ideal. It doesn't always happen. But, when it does....wow! My day goes so much better. My brain actually can do math. My temper doesn't flare at kids not obeying before three strikes..... Not every season for me is this possible (like when I have a baby and am tired all the time, just trying to keep up. Gosh...that seems to be a whole year. hehe). But, when I have that desire and joy, and don't approach it guiltily as a dread-laden task, then my day is infused with purpose and direction. I even bought a pretty study journal that I wrote various things I wanted to study about in the front. When I'm feeling go-getter, I pick a topic i want to study and delve into the scriptures (but I haven't felt that way wince I had my baby a few months ago, so I currently am just going through a cheap copy of the BOM with colors for a specific theme I'm trying to discover.) Sometimes I'll just watch a Mormon Message or read/watch a General Conference Talk. I bought a beautiful wooden box carved with the SLC temple on it and I keep the current cheap copy in it as a reminder to take time each day.

• Self  I love doing "awareness yoga" first thing in the morning when I wake up (either before or after my scripture reading). This is a fancy made up name for laying down and doing whatever stretches and thinking I want. Talk about stress-free and low-expectations. Who wouldn't want that kind of workout? I do this so I can wake up, become aware of all the little muscles and feelings I have inside myself, and to start warming up my brain to have thoughts about my day and the direction I may want to take. All of this is part of it, but I don't have an outline for things I have to think about or not. I just let stuff start to flow in as I become aware of body, mind and spirit. There are two other times I take with myself too (which, come to think of it may make me seem a little selfish, with this getting three times the 15 minutes. hehe): During quiet time my kids take their nap or do reading (12-2) and I get "me time" to do something fun (which generally is something nerdy and involves reading, writing or researching). At night I like to journal a few thoughts to explore my feelings and unwind them. I don't always do this, but keep my journal by my bed in case I can (and to give my poor husband a break from my incessant chatter exploding from all the stuff going on through my brain!)

• Spouse Speaking of hubby. We like to get the kids for bed, do our own things, and then connect at 9pm as we start to unwind and get ready for bed. Monday's this is folding landry I threw on the bed. Hehe. Sunday might be our planning session to go over our week so we are on the same page. Friday or Saturday this would be a date or movie or something. In winter it may be a "tea time" to just have an infusion and bite and chat (like Captain Picard on Star Trek). Other times it may be being together, but me writing in my journal and him reading something, or reading a book together. Or a little footrub, etc. The possibilities are endless, but the time frame is a constant. (Again, this is all ideal. Life happens and kids are NOT always angels and sometimes are still talking to themselves and banging on walls with their feet because they are still hungry two hours later, when they should be asleep already! ugh. But...setting it up is the first battle and then dealing with occasional disturbances is the second. One battle at a time, I say.)

• Child This is the most easy sometimes. We are surrounded by our kids. We have to spend time with them (even more so when homeschooling). We have daily quiet time (12-2, unless life happens at times, which is fine if it's 25%, rather than 99%). I use that time to take one-on-one time to read with Ethan from 12-12:30. This calms him down and gives me that "one" time. My husband gets it in at night for storytime, where he can actually talk to Ethan about his day too. During that time I get my one-on one time in with my 2 year old as I read to her then. And my baby gets it in while I nurse...as I have learned to stop using my ipad during that time and be aware of her more fully.

• Family Taking time to be all together as a family is great too. This is dinner time for us. Or on weekends having a longer time: a family date or outing, or a Sunday night "Classical Hour" to read a classic together, or Monday Family Home Evening to learn and play together around a religious theme.

• Nature I sometimes can kill two birds with one stone (though that metaphor might not be the most approriate for this bullet point. Oh, pun intended). For example, if I go out in nature and commune with God, or take that time to journal or draw, for myself. Regardless, I've found that, like good ole Jason Mraz sings...getting back to Earth and putting our hands in the dirt and feet on the ground is very "grounding." Did you know that there have been studies done about the literalness of being barefoot? If you were to go for a run and then come back and take a scan of your knee, there would be red and orange thermal imaging colors around the knee. But, if you were to then go barefoot for 15 minutes after that, the thermal colors would shift from warm to cool colors, showing a decrease in the physical tension and temperature. Wow. Serious. IT's also good if you feel affected by EMF stuff (like telephone wires and electricity from cell phones and such...which really can interfere with our own body's energy). Ok, I'll stop here. But go for a walk or something. :) 

The end. For now.

Why I Want to Homeschool

I never in my life wanted to home-school. I grew up in the school system. I liked school. I was teachers' pet, brown-noser, class clown at times, etc. Loved the attention I guess. :)  (though not always straight-A student) 

So why would I home-school?

Well, that thought didn't cross my mind until the last few years. I would say a few events slowly started preparing my mind for the idea..... (in no particular order)

• I had a baby and wondered what was best for him and started getting into healthier foods and lifestyle. And I felt that Christlike principles were the foundation.
• I read Simplicity Parenting, by Kim John Payne and thought about how to simplify for my children and create security
• I had a home-birth with my second child and then started to question all sorts of society conformed ways of doing things that we just do for the sake of tradition
• I wanted to learn patience and how to love my children fully. I grew up as the youngest and didn't do a lot with younger kids. Always to busy to babysit and wasn't use to babies. I felt I needed to formally ask God's help to get where I wanted (and so I did that many years ago)
• I started trying to do a little "school" with my son, that turned into something slightly more formal with two other boys. It has given me practice and helped me form in my mind better ways to approach learning through play and less on academics.
• I questioned the school system. I had nothing against it. I just merely wanted to put it in my mind and make a list of pros and cons. I like to have a purpose behind the things I do, whether it be if I should eat out, or if I should go through the school system. I am not going to do things just because it's typical. So, I put it out there last year. And since doing that...honestly, I feel pieces of information and people have just come into my life without my actively seeking to "go against any system."
• I won a ticket to a Waldorf Education Conference. I love learning...gobble it up (if I'm interested in it). :) And I love free. I know God put this little gift in my path because he knew I would get something out of it and use it. And I left that conference feeling there was something missing in an academic-focused atmosphere (of any kind, not just the public school system). I wanted my child to get deeply rooted in virtues and to explore the world and naturally let things unfold as he discovers himself--all things he was interested in at his pace.
• I realized all truths are eternal. So learning should be placed in context of God's plan. And history as we fragmentally learned it in school, should be placed in His-story...with Christ as the centerpiece. This is the whole picture, and this is how I know I would've learned history best. 
• ...and still, I keep stumbling upon things that take me this direction I'm heading

So, back to the question: Why Homeschool? 

It totally differs for everyone. But here are my followup questions to that question:

• What are your greatest desires in life?
• What do you think is the purpose of education--for you, for your kids, etc.?
• Do these two fit together?

Mine did. So I'm pursuing it. Not everyone's will. But I feel that I had those questions in me and that I was led step by step until I now feel that for me and my mission, there is a strong connection and link between the two.

my notes from Michelle Stone's Celestial Education talk

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So...now I feel I can best establish a foundation on which to home-school, without feeling I have to teach my kids every fact and detail and that they have to excel at everything that's standardized to a specific age and area of knowledge. The key is creating an atmosphere. I want to home-school so I can create an atmosphere of love and truth in which each child can learn and grow in peace and at their own pace to discover their identity and what their individual role is in God's beautiful plan. Placing all things they learn into the context of His-story--an eternal mind-frame. I want learning to be fun and a family event and priority.

I'm not saying you can't do that by supplementing your teachings alongside a school system. But, for me...I feel I can personally best accomplish this if I home-school. Plus, I can gain the lessons I desire to learn. So, I feel God has created this opportunity for me to reach my potential, while helping my children do the same.

So again, ask yourself questions. Turn your deepest desires over to the Lord and see where he leads you. It may not be homeschooling. Who knows...maybe it will be to Utah, or out of Utah. :) I sure wasn't planning on staying here, but I feel it is where I need to be at this time. So I am content. 

Where do you need to be? Or what do you need to be doing? Are there things He can teach you about yourself, and so you feel you are accomplishing your mission and discovering your greatest potential? Instead of just living life as it seems typical. 

Pray about it. He will show you little by little, even if you aren't aware. Have faith to step in the dark. Don't delay desires or promptings to learn or try new things (unless you aren't keeping family as your priority.) If it's where you need to be he will shine more light on your path with each step and you will grow personally and as a family as you do these things and stay close to your family.

Life is a journey. Don't just live "it." 

Embrace your potential and make the world a better place as you go.

A Minimalist Perspective on Entitlement

I was talking with a few friends the other day about raising kids and all the "stuff" we accumulate and had a few points I thought it might be helpful to post.

• Ownership vs. Stewardship: my friend's husband was saying kids need to have their own things so they learn to take ownership. I understand where he's coming from, but I respectfully disagree. I think structure or rules can build in that that principle, without having to actually own a thing. In our family we tell the kids that everything if "the family's" and that we let them use them. For example: Ethan's bed isn't "his," it is the family's, but he is using it for now. And when he gets older it may go to Nellie. HE knows this and is fine with it, but he still feels stewardship for his bed because he has to fix his covers to make his bed look nice, so his room feels clean and peaceful. And he loves this and does well with this principle--therefore still taking ownership, without entitlement. Click here for a nice simple video about stewardship.
• Responsibility: the same example above shows you can have responsibilities for things, without ownership. Another example is Ethan's quiet-time shelf. He has a few library and personal books on one shelf and box of blocks and craft box on the shelf below. These are his responsibility to take care of each day between 12-2 when he takes a quiet time by himself. He plays with them and puts them back, but knows they are the family's (or library's) and will disappear if he isn't responsible with them. I always tell him "If you're aren't responsible with that, you will lose it." That's our rule and it smashes the need for entitlement if they aren't using it well.
• Awareness & Gentleness: to go along with treating things carefully. I fully believe society has so much of everything that we care for nothing. Not really, but how many times do we think, "I'm out of pens (or chapstick). I should go buy a big box so I stop losing them?" What about our kid's coloring book collection or crayon box, my goodness! Stuffed animals? When we are surrounded by tons, we treat things like they are of less worth. Ethan gets a small box with a few crayons (no duplicates). If he breaks them on purpose he loses them. He has two coloring books. I think he has 10 books out right now (rotate through as needed). This practice helps him more fully appreciate and take care of what he has. Otherwise I'd just find piles of everything everywhere with no concern. This is especially true for cheap dollar store junk that breaks easily--certain plastic things in general too. Kids need deep relationships with a story or a toy to build their imagination and to deepen their understanding of the world. Too much = surface level engagement (where the entitlement battle wages on with the sense of wanting "more, more, more"). So another rule we do is one toy at a time (sometimes it's two or three if he's using blocks with cars and such, but the idea is put one toy away if you move onto another).
• Sharing: we have a great little set of wooden bowls from a garage sale i found randomly. I had no idea what I'd use them for, but they felt they made sense in my view of what I wanted to fill my kitchen with (besides plastic junk). And now I love them! Whenever people come over, or everyday for snack time Ethan and Nellie share a bowl of food from one (usually pirate booty puffs--their favorite). It definitely makes lunch more of a unifying experience, but the kids feel happy, rather than entitled to their own individual portions of everything. And my kids are now good sharers, because they had to learn to be. Sharing over entitlement.

So, now envision a typical moment in your daily life with your kids:say  lunch. How can we take that experience and get rid of "entitlement issues" using these thoughts?

• Place Settings: cloth napkins Ethan can get from the kitchen drawer when he needs it, and putting his plate, cup, etc. on the counter by the sink when finished. In fact, his cup has a hook that he can hang it from so he knows where to get it and can use the same one over and over. These things give him a sense of responsibility. He also knows to treat them with care because he doesn't have tons of cups to choose from. If he breaks his, then he's at a loss. (Think of Little House on the Prairie...they were happy to even have a tin cup between the siblings. And we usually have our cupboards overflowing with way too many options. Simplifying is sweet and gratifying.)
• Sharing Bowl: as mentioned above. We also have some great wooden veggie trays that we put veggies in, or stacker lunch options with toothpicks and we all eat from it together. And for Friday Family Fun nights we try to eat fun dinners we can make and share together: pizza, sushi, nachos, popcorn, etc. Events should be unifying, instead of separate with the feeling of "entitlement."
• Food Options: kids dont always want everything I make, so we do stacker lunches a lot. I put out a few healthy options, but let the kids stack together on toothpick kabobs what they want in their order, just with a few rules on not taking too much cheese or something. So kids feel empowered to create and enjoy lunch together, but aren't telling me what to give them and bossying me around like they are entitled. 

Kids aren't the boss, though at times they think they are. As we can get away from an "entitlement" focus to a stewardship focus, I feel our kids will feel more grounded and secure to be who they are and to live in greater unity with those around them. I can't say we also have the focus as best we could, but these things sure help!

For more ideas on how to implement some of these things, read my post on Simplicity Parenting (and decluttering kid's toys).

Distraction. A Good Thing?

Distraction. A Good thing?

For many of us that like to attempt multi-tasking everything and running around trying to do too much, distraction may not be a good thing. We need to prioritize and know what is most important so we can stay on track doing what matters most and not trying to keep up with everything someone else thinks we should be doing.

And yet, I stick with my title of this post. Why?

My husband actually mentioned this tonight while struggling to feed our kids. And I thought..."that's my next post." So let's look at "distraction" from another perspective....

• Dilemna: My two-year old child is trying to climb up the hutch in the kitchen because she sees her big brother on top (put there by Dad for fun---that's another story). Little girl can't get up: throwing tantrum. (I'm thinking: "Not safe...no way are you getting up there girl! Not going to happen.)
• Distraction: "Nellie want to wrestle/dance with Dad?" --Boom! and she's off to the living room, delighted with a new quest she can conquer!

• Dilemna: My four year old will not eat his dinner and he's too tired to focus on eating (don't even get me started...bane of my existence!). (I'm thinking: "You will eat what I made you. Dang it. It's not moldy. Won't make you sick. So please...just eat it! Now.")
• Distraction: "You're growing dragon scales! Woah!" Those peas must be making you turn into a dragon! Crazy!" *giggles from said four year old. Followed by serious pea-popping and more giggles. "Am I growing wings?"*

These are the moments we face daily: Struggles and discipline? Or trips of fantasy and adventure into a world of your/their own creation? Excitement, enthusiasm and joy fill their little minds....

So, I admit, I feel extremely left-brained at times; but I have to say that homeschooling is sure good at making me step out of my left-brained world and more fully accept a creative and fun approach to life and learning with my kids. I still yell and get annoyed more than I should at kids' imperfections, but I'm getting better at understanding their limits (mentally especially). Kids need things simple and direct, without baggage and blame. They need rules, but not guilt. They feel consequences...without too much explanation. We as moms are guides: placing good examples in their path and helping them see true principles and feel the beauty and meaning of them in their own time and way. The children will draw their own conclusions when they are ready.

So, one thing to help provide our kids with distractions is awareness: What does your child love? What do they need? How do they feel? Do they feel loved? (Are we paying attention to our kids on a deeper level? Are we holding them and telling them we love them? Do they feel they are special and know their real worth?)

Love and gratitude are the two most important things in the world (if you haven't heard of the rice experiement, try it out. Love and gratitude are powerful words/feelings). I view them as being first, that which is given/received; followed by second, the mirroring of that which was given/received. So combined, love and gratitude come full-circle into a complete fullness of feeling. If we are without one, most likely we aren't experiencing either to the full extent possible.

That said; one thing I detest is whining. Can't stand it. Will not tolerate it in my house. And Ethan knows it. Drives me up the wall! I'm serious. I don't know why my whine-tolerance levels are completely whack; but I hate, hate, hate whining with a passion (can you tell?).

So, Ethan knows that whining will not get him anything but an angry mom. And this angry mom yells when pushed to "strike three." (which I'm working on) He also knows that whining is not being grateful. And being grateful is a huge focus at our house! (I'm still meaning to make a wall-hanging on wood that says something about love and gratitude...but my crafty-intelligence hasn't completely caught up with that thought yet. Alas.)

I try to teach principles, and then discipline according to such rules; but sometimes kids just need distraction if they aren't "getting it." So when we come across whining in our day and principles/logic just aren't working, I will use distraction/creativity....

• Dilemna: "I want juice!" (I'm thinking: "No you can't drink sugar junk all day, you already hyper monster!"
• Distraction: "This magic bottle is a laughing potion. It starts with a smile and gets bigger and bigger until..." *then giggles start and we sit and eat lunch together talking about potions and Elsa in Frozen or something (everything goes back to that movie right now)."

So, why am I rambling about this? Well, it has been very handy for my own kids and also helped me be more patient with others' kids who may be low on the gratitude spectrum. And it's sure better for me too, when I'm trying to figure out how best to cope with annoying and imperfect little behaviors. Afterall, I am a mom of soon-to-be three. So I better learn coping mechanisms for my own sanity. And I think an adventure-beyond-reality is a good way to go for the kid in all of us. I need to laugh things off (like a pressure cooker with a release valve. Don't let it stick too tight--in reality and explanations--but let a little imagination keep the valve a-bouncin'. Then pressure and stress can dissipate).

(btw....I write all these posts because I need them for myself. So if anyone is getting value from them--fabulous!. If not...I don't really care, because they really are for me anyway. :) So don't judge me too harshly for them. They are mine. And I'm just a mom trying to get my thoughts and feelings out for my own sanity. And lucky you (or unlucky) are privy to the intricate workings of my mind.