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Showing posts from February, 2020

The Fascinating Origins of the Enneagram

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One Christmas several years ago someone on my Christmas list requested the book The Sacred Enneagram as a gift. I bought it and flipped through it and noticed the section entitled, The Contested History of the Enneagram .  Contested?  As in Questioned?  Challenged?  Disputed?  Yep. This piqued my curiosity, so I began researching the contested history, and boy did I find a lot that the author of the book, Christopher Heuertz, left out!   The enneagram is supposed to be from ancient times, but it is well documented that the enneagram first came into being from George Gurdjieff, an esoteric teacher. Scholars have verified this. And poor George died on  October 29, 1949. That means that the enneagram isn’t "ancient!"  In fact, for decades there weren't even any words attached to the enneagram design . George wrote that it was a diagram of “cosmic reality” – that you could see the universe in it because it had mystical meanings.  It had nothing to do with person

Having a Vision for HOME

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Being home has an impact on our children.  It provides them with a feeling of stability and security.  We teach them manners, character, our Christian values, what the Bible says, and how to live and spend our time.  With the internet, they need more watching than ever before, at all ages.  Long hours of time at home teaches them to be content, gives them time to dream, and models for them how a Christian home functions differently than the rest of the world.  We teach them how to care for the family home by doing chores with them.  We teach them how to be cheerful, and to be content with what the Lord provides.  We teach them financial principles.  We teach them how to make the most of what we have.  We bake with them, and teach them how to cook.  We kiss them, and we play games with them.  We read to them, and pray with them.  We are needed at home. God called me to be a homemaker and I love to be at home.  Our house feels like a home.  Rooms are used and feel pleasant (thoug

I Unintentionally Read 10,000 Books to my Preschooler

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Without trying to, and without even realizing I had done so, I read over 10,000 books to my preschooler in two years! People often commented on my young son’s vocabulary and maturity when we were at stores, the library, and offices, and if they heard him read anything, they would remark on his skill level and reading style – the ability to the change each character’s voice properly with no stumbling over words or who was speaking, voice inflections, and enthusiasm. My brother eventually asked me, “What did you DO?  He’s 5 and reading at a third grade level!”  By 8 he was at an 8 th grade level, and at 13, he was reading at the college level. I answered, “I just read to him.  A lot.  Hours every day.” “How many books do you have in your house?” “I don’t know.  Let’s count them.”  We estimated 6,000 (and I have a small house, but there are several bookcases in every room). “But surely these aren’t the books you read to him?” “No, not all.  Not yet, anyways.” I rel