I'm referring to this: 1 Cor 12: 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledgeby means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues. Would this gift manifest itself in the way described in the book (I know it's a fiction book! I know it's not the Bible! Just curious about this gift). In the book, the girl saw a couple and seemed to see that they were possessed by demons. She said they looked like monsters. The other kids saw only people.

I just read a great kindle book called "Signaveria". It is set a couple of years after the rapture when everyone needs the mark of the beast to buy or sell. The main characters are teenagers, and tells how they handle life under a new, global government, led by the "antichrist". Here's the question: in the book, each of the characters learn to use their new spiritual gifts. One of them looks at an ordinary couple and "sees" demons instead. The book says this is "distinguishing between spirits". Is this what this gift does? Has anyone ever "seen" demons" in a person? Here's a link to the book: http://www.amazon.com/Signaveria-ebook/dp/B00ESLW8NO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1378743043&sr=1-1

Most women who get breast cancer have NO known risk factors. The biggest risk factor is getting older, and being a woman. Unfortunately, you now have two close relatives who have had breast cancer, gene or no, so that is a pretty big risk right there. Digital mammography has less radiation that traditional, and is becoming more and more readily available. I would definitely get a base-line mammogram now, then every year past 40. I had no know risk factors, and a mammogram found a small tumor when I was 45. I had both estrogen positive breast cancer (DCIS) and an aggressive, non-estrogen tumor. It was caught early, so 4 years later I have no evidence of disease. A mammogram saved my life, for sure.

Here's what the Teaching Textbooks facebook page says: "2.0 UPDATE!: First, we want to apologize for the delay in getting these programs out. With that in mind, we are scheduled to receive the Algebra 1 the week of August 8th and the Pre-Algebra the week of August 15th. Please be patient with us as we try to get all of these orders out as soon as possible. It may take several days to get all of the orders out."

Two right-handed parents here, four left-handed kids. Starting our very own Benjamite army.

This whole thread needs to be prefaced with "You know you homeschool when..." Really, I think the kids are writing with an accent sometimes. It's a way of writing down how they hear the other kids speak. Just like in some books the characters speak with an accent of some sort, and we, of course, (being homeschool moms) read these stories aloud with that accent, and with different voices.

Hi: Sorry I don't have all the details, but is your chemo for breast cancer? Did you have reconstruction? I needed several blood transfusions, including platelets, in the middle of my chemo. Months later (after chemo ended), my reconstructed breast became infected, and the implant was removed. Turns out I had been slowly bleeding underneath it for months, maybe since the mastectomy 6 months earlier! I don't know how they could find this out, but I hope this isn't the case for you, and you'll be rebounding soon! Blessings!! Marie

My son has been accepted to three different colleges now, and HE WON'T PICK ONE!! One is in another state, the other two closer. I just want to know how far away he'll be! I want to start mentally preparing for my loss, and for how I will fix my computer when he's gone! They are all fine choices. The indecision is going to be the death of me. Marie

I was not myself for about two years, dealing with surgeries, chemo, more surgeries, complications etc. I learned SO much during those two years! It was a gift...one I never, never would have thought to ask for, but am so glad I received. Here are some things I learned: 1.My outer beauty is not important. Really. I have no vanity left. Inner beauty, defined as how you treat others, how you respond to stress, how you hold up when there is nothing left of you to hold up, that is your beauty. 2. God is my fortress and my strength. When I was most worried about the future, He gave me peace. He allowed me to come very close to Him when I needed Him. He let me know that if I were to die, it would be OK...because He loves my family, my precious children, much more than I do. 3. My husband is more than capable of running a household. He stepped up and stepped in. Our relationship is closer now than ever before. He is my hero. 4. Take one day at a time. This will not last forever. So don't worry about what is not getting done. Just get through this day. Let all expectations go about what is necessary to do, and just be still. 5. Your kids, even the small ones, can learn to do a whole lot more than you think. And it's very good for them to do so. 6. Life is very precious. Each and every day. You are not wasting it by resting and cuddling kids. And since complaining doesn't make anyone happier, including yourself, don't. 7. It is hard to let other people do things for you. It is humbling, and takes away your control of a situation. But that is a good thing. For you and for the person you allow to help. Don't deny them that pleasure! Oh, so many more things I learned. But here's the big take-home: Suffering improves you, makes you a better person. It brings you closer to your creator and to your loved ones. Consider it joy! Marie Breast cancer survivor, two 1/2 years and counting

We bought the 4.3 HE Maytag top loader just a few months ago. l love it! The capacity is just right for our 6 member family. The inside seems just huge. Don't get the glass top, you just don't need to spend the extra money for looking at your clothes washing, fun as that can be. As for wrinkling, right after we bought it I noticed our clothes were more wrinkled. But then I found out my husband (who very sweetly does our personal laundry all on one day) was taking the clothes out of the dryer before the cycle was finished, to save time. Now he waits until the dryer has stopped, and we have not had a problem with the wrinkles. Marie

This really reads like an essay someone was required to write for school. It is written at a middle school or early high school level. Can you imagine the assignment? "Compare and contrast public school with homeschool". Or, "Compare and contrast two opposing veiwpoints, taking the side of one of them". So I wouldn't take this article too seriously.

Yes, mammograms DO detect early cancers in that age group. Just not as well as in older women.

When I bought my Fiestaware, I bought a look-alike set at Target at the same time, just for the sake of science (Which one was better?) This was 2 years ago. The look-alike set has chips, what's left of it. The Fiestaware, despite teenage dish washers and a in-a-hurry mother, is still perfect. Fiestaware wins.

I often wondered about some of the used book prices listed on Amazon. Who is going to pay $150 for a used book when a new one costs $20? Then, someone told me why...by listing a book at a very high price, it brings up the average selling price of that particular used book. No one expects to sell the high priced book, but they will be able to sell another used book (or the same one) for a higher price because the average is higher.

Salsa Ingredients 1 clove garlic 2-6 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed, chopped 4 small tomatillos (1/2 C.) 6 plum tomatoes, diced 1 medium onion, diced ½ green pepper, diced. 2 tbs. chopped parsley 2 tbs. chopped cilantro Juice of 1 lime ½ tsp. salt Directions In a food processor, finely chop garlic and jalapeno peppers. Add tomatillos and chop again. Remove the mixture and combine it with the remaining ingredients. The salsa can be served immediately, but the flavors will blend nicely if it’s chilled for several hours or overnight. .

I had breast cancer two years ago, at 45. There is NO breast cancer in any family members going back as far as I know, and I have no other risk factors, breastfed all 4 of my kids for years, etc. I went a year and a half without a mammogram (I put it off), and then they ended up finding an aggressive tumor, small, but fast growing. If I had not had the mammo when I did, I would be dead now. See, in younger women (below age 50), the kind of breast cancer found is usually the aggressive, harder to kill kind. The radiation dose from a mammogram is about 0.7 mSv, which is about the same as the average person receives from background radiation in three months*. Catching breast cancer early means a high survival rate. And there are NO symptoms to most breast cancer. I could not even feel my tumor (4 mm). As for not being able to handle a false positive, yes, you will. You will handle it for the sake of being alive for your kids and your grandkids. The biopsies, MRI's, chemotherapy, NONE of it is too much to handle. You will handle it just fine. For them. Please ladies, get a mammogram every year. *http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=mammo

I was told by Animal Control that cougar pee would indeed scare away coyotes, but would attract cougars. Um, no thanks. I have used "Liquid Fence", which is made from coyote pee (it is the nastiest smelling stuff on the planet! Then it dries and is OK.) to keep deer away, and it seems to also work for coyotes. Maybe they think the territory is already taken.

I know it seems very far away, but think about how old your sons will be when their friends start dating, start driving, graduating from high school, going to college. When we put our homeschooled son into Christian school at 6th grade (he was 7th at home), we went back a year, because he was right on the cut-off for age. Academically he would have done fine. But socially, it was the best move we ever made. Being one of the oldest in the class encouraged leadership and maturity, thus helping with making and being a good friend. It also gave him a self-esteem boost and a competitive advantage. It put him at the top of his class, rather than somewhere in the middle, or even at the bottom (socially and academically). And now that he is a senior in high school, I am SO glad he has an extra year before going off of college. For him, but also for us! I would HIGHLY recommend going back a year.

My oldest wet until he was 10, then just suddenly stopped. Before that we tried the drugs and an alarm. The alarm seemed to work very well. We just had to use it several times when the wetting started up again. My second son is now 11, and he too has had several dry periods, then starts to wet again. We just start using the alarm again, and within a couple of nights, he is back to dry. He has been dry now for a month or so, keeping our fingers crossed that he has now outgrown it. I highly recommend the alarm. It gives the boys a chance to take control of the situation themselves. We have the kind that snaps to underwear, with a wire up to a clip on the pillow. Marie

Because it may not be good for them. Children develop in stages. They need to learn certain deveopmental skills before they move on to the next one. It's like learning to walk before learning to crawl; skipping this step can actually cause a child to have reading difficulties later! My daughter taught herself to read at age 4. She loved to read. But by age five, all that reading before her eyes were ready caused visual problems, resulting in expensive therapy and glasses. I wish I would have said, "Stop reading! Go outside and swing!". Just because our kids can do something, doesn't mean we should let them.

We just got Quelf for Christmas. This has to be the most hilariously fun game for a family or a group ever. During the game you pick cards where you have to write a poem, or play air drums with kitchen implements until someone rolls a 4, or while everyone else if listening to a card, you sneak off and go hide (and then everyone has to find you). You might have to go around the circle and name brands of clothes until someone can't think of any more, or answer a trivia question, or when the phone rings, everyone has to stand up and yell "Pizza Party". We had so much fun playing this! It says 12 and up, but that's not because of content, it just might be harder for a youngster to do the cards. My 10 yo had no problem. You could easily adjust rules or skip cards if it is too hard. Highly recommended!

My husband just came home one day without his job. It was not anticipated at all. After the shock wore off, and we figured out we would have health care coverage for 6 months (important since I had breast cancer last year), we started the process of trusting God to provide. It took 5 mos, but he now has a good job (although a lesser position) with good benefits. The best way to support him is to encourage him to keep his daily routine, spending time looking for work, but also using the extra time to pray. My husband said he felt God wasn't closing a door, but opening up a tunnel, which meant he was going to have to wait. He just needed to step in any open direction hoping God would stop him if it wasn't the right direction. He didn't get any interviews for months. But he posted his resume everywhere, networked, researched alternate careers (some of them were pretty far-fetched, but I tried to support). I was pretty worried (although I hid it from my husband) about it all, but it took about 4 1/2 months for me to let go and trust that God would provide. Then my husband got 3 interviews in one week. Two doors closed, one door opened. Try not to badger, "What jobs did you apply for today?" Just sit and listen, and tell him you are behind whatever he decides. Now is not the time to cry or worry in front of him. Use your other support group for that. I hope looking back you will see this time as a time when your faith grew and your relationship with your husband deepened, and you are better off, if not financially, then at least relationally. Marie

There's no place better than the Pacific Northwest! Green, beautiful, four seasons, perfect summer weather, fresh air and water. If you live near Portland, you are 90 minutes from the beach and 90 minutes from skiing or snow play mountains. It has a pretty good homeschooling network, not many homeschooling restrictions (notification and testing at 3rd, 5th, 8th, 10th). Loaded with culture, museums, historic sites (Lewis and Clark or Oregon Trail, anyone?). Can you tell I like it here? Now the bad news...as in many places, the job market is not good at the moment. Given time, the big high tech sector will bring it all back, I'm thinking. There are some good house bargains out there right now!

My 10 yo loves his Leopard Gecko. He is quite friendly and fun to hold. It is very Jurassic park to watch him stalk and catch his prey, just about the best kind of boy fun. We are raising our own crickets in a box in the garage. They are easy to raise, and make such a pleasant chirping sound in the garage. We can raise 100 crickets in a month or so, just feeding them some cricket food, a little fish food, and small pieces of fruit or veggies.

Those pesky critters strip off the top leaves of lots of things around my house, unless I cover them with netting. Any chance Bambi is around?