Boating on a Lovely March Day

One of my favorite past times is boating. Of course my husband does most of the work. I pack the picnic lunch. This past weekend we took the boat out on a beautiful lake. We live in what I think is a tropical paradise. No alligator sightings this weekend, which is a good thing.

Our Computers From About 1986 To The Present. Or Let's Look At Some Very Old Computers.

My IMac Running Leopard OS X

We spent Christmas 2007 gift money on a brand new computer. We did not need another computer. This makes 5 we have at present. This does not count the many computers we have laid to rest over the years. The first computer we owned, we got in the 80’s. It was a hand me down Radio Shack computer that my parents had bought new in about '79, but gave to us about 1986. I want to say it was a Radio Shack TRS -80 something. Notice it was cassette load. That was before floppies were even popular. Can you believe that? Wow! It was only a 64K or was that 16K machine? I can't remember. Anyway the memory was ridiculously low. Memory for the word processor program we had for it only held about 16 pages of typed text. Well anyway, that computer didn’t last long.

Next came another hand me down computer from my parents. The Trs-80 model 3 first came out in 1981. We got this one about 1989. Hey we got it for free. Back then free was very very good. Actually free is always very very good. :-) My dad really liked computers too. He passed away in '94. He would be amazed at today's computers. This was a Radio Shack TRS-80 III. We have moved from cassette load to floppy disks.

Our first real computer was a Mac Performa 550, circa ’93. Move up to 3" hard disk drive and new CD drive. I think CD drives had just really come out.
Next I believe came my Mac Powerbook 540c circa ’94.

Then came the Power Mac 6500 (The only Mac I didn’t Like) around ’97.
Next was the Power Mac G4 that we got in 2000.

It is still an awesome computer and has been viable for over 8 years with hardware and OS/software upgrades. However it is a little slow and gets bogged down with all the web media today, but is still useful and works just fine for most things. Next was Hubby’s Windows Dell laptop machine he got from work for work. Then around 2002 or 2003 we broke down and got a very inexpensive windows Emachine. We only needed it for a few programs that we couldn’t get for the Mac at the time. I hate the windows machine. I am definitely a Mac person, probably because I have had them forever and I am very comfortable with them. There is not a problem getting any kind of program for the Mac these days, and almost all the programs are universally compatible with windows now. So this year darling daughter started college and we got her, her own laptop, also an inexpensive windows machine. She wanted a Macbook for her art classes, but the windows machine will have to do. She actually likes it now. So recently we just purchased my dream machine. A 20” IMac running Leopard OS. So I am happily playing with IWeb today and blogging among other things. :-) Have a great day

Simple Joys

     I was asked the other day why I named my blog Simple Joys. Well it actually comes from a song in one of my favorite Broadway Musicals- Pippin. Pippin is the story of one of Charlemagne's not so successful sons. You can look up the history on the web. It isn't a literal historical play though. It is very abstract and compares the events in Pippin's life to the modern social issues that were going on in the 70's. I first saw Pippin on stage when I was in the 7th grade and it has been my favorite ever since.

    If you look closely at the picture at the top of my blog, which is the backside of my house, you will see in white letters a favotie quote of mine from the musical Pippin:

Fastrada in Pippin: " I am just an ordinary housewife and mother just like all you housewives and mothers out there."

Simple Joys  

(Yes that is Ben Vereen as the Main Player, William Katt as Pippin, And Martha Raye as Bertha)




No Time At All

(Bertha in Pippin: "Men and their wars. Sometimes I think men raise flags when they can't get anything else up.")

I am Spoiled and a Wimp! I need Air Conditioning!

 On this blog I have stated that I live in the South East US, but I am sure I have left clues as to what state I am specifically from and the observant person could probably pretty accurately guess.  Well if I haven't already, I am probably going to give it away in this post.

      I could not have lived in this state 60 years ago when the majority of people who lived here still didn't have Air Conditioning. I am a complete wimp. Our AC  broke on Friday. Not the whole thing but the blower motor thingy. So hubby said we couldn't run it until we get the replacement part. That will be tomorrow Tuesday-- Hopefully!! It is over 90 degrees and very humid and it is the middle of October. It isn't the hot summer months of June, July, or August it is October!  All windows open and ceiling fans going and it is still hot, hot, hot. How did people use to do it? No wonder this state didn't really become populated till after the 1940's. No wonder people go back north in the Summer. It is just too hot. Now on my Dad's side of the family we go back several generations in this state. How did the pioneers of this state do it? I can't imagine wearing long skirts and petticoats. OK I now understand the need for huge hoop skirts!! Air circulation. Part of the problem I realize is that houses are no longer built efficiently for cooling. Old houses had tall ceilings, breeze ways and lots of windows. and faced I think north. I am a spoiled wimp. I can't stand it. I'm hot sweaty and at night can't sleep even with a fan blowing directly on me. Funny I'm fine when we go camping and can endure the heat, but in my own home I just can't stand it. Maybe it is a psychological thing. The house is suppose to be cool. OK thanks to anyone reading this for letting me rant. One more day! I know I can survive one more day without AC. 

    Have a great day all and for all of you in the North who are enjoying beautiful crisp cool Fall days I am truly envying you right now. Enjoy it.

My House- A Mini Tour

Some of the blogs I have been visiting have been giving tours of their homes. So I thought I would put up some pictures of my house. I actually would have put up more but I dropped and broke my digital camera.

My Kitchen: Dirty dishes in the sink and my husband's stuff on the porch cluttering up the view from the window. And I guess I should at some point clear off the clutter that is on the fridge.

The Master Bedroom
I love my antique Victorian Bedroom Set which is over 100 years old that we inherited. What I don't like are the vertical blinds that don't go with the room at all.


My Living Room and Dining Room at Christmas

I quess I am "A Retro Housewife" an Anomaly in the Modern World: A Small Rant

Sorry I haven't posted anything in Over a Week. It has been really busy here.
I found an interesting web site called the Retro Housewife and I guess that is what I am. I am very much of an anomaly these days. Many blogs I go to are Stay at Home Mom Blogs, Many are Home schooling Moms. I have known many, including myself, who feel that they need to justify why they have chosen not to work outside the home. Several things just seem to make the choice seem more noble. First and foremost is the title Christian. That it is what good Christians do right? it is Biblical after all, and God's ideal role for the wife and mom. See now that makes me feel better. (yes I am being a little sarcastic) Next justification we use is that we are raising kids. What is more noble than investing our time and energy raising the next generation. Some (not all and certainly not most, but I personally know a few) who even feel pressured to homeschool as a means to justify their choice to be a stay at home wife and mother. Ok before anyone misunderstands me, I actually think all those reasons are very valid reasons for staying home and being a wife and motther. My gripe is the fact that we as wives and mothers have to include those things in our description of who we are to give validation and a nobility to our chosen profession. The question is why, now in society, do we have to do that?
In times past, housewives did not need to justify or validate their choice to stay home. it was the norm. My mom and aunts all were housewives and did not work outside the home. (Of Course that was the '60s and '70s.) My mom also had a maid too. It was acceptable and noble for her just to be a housewife and mom. Nobody questioned or looked down on her for her choice. Remember Mrs Brady? She had 6 kids but she also had a maid and didn't homeschool. What in the world did she do with all her spare time? Samantha Stevens had no maid but she and Jeannie both had magical powers. I also remember the show Hazel. The mom in that family had Hazel the maid so why was she staying home? Lucy stayed home even when little Ricky wasn't even born yet.

If you do not have any kids, or your kids are older like mine, and you are not homeschooling, it seems there is no justification as to why we would choose to still be at home. At least not any justification that seems to be a worthy noble reason that is accepted by the average American anymore.

I guess I have no real justification for why now, since my kids are older for not going back to the work force. I actually am asked quite a lot if I want to go back to teaching or to work. Many people don't know how to react when they find out all I am is a house wife with not even a part time job anymore. There are people I know that actually look down on me, or women like me.

Now I do know why I haven't chosen to go back into the work force. I run my house. I like running my house. I still have justification to be home, I have a 21 year old handicapped son who cannot function on his own or be left alone. Finding adult day care would be practically impossible and I also have a 12 year old still at home. I think being at home is of even more value when you have teenagers. But I get aggravated by having to use them as my validation for why I am at home. I know our home runs a lot more smoothly and calmly than when I was working out side the home. We have a close family because we have the time to be together and do things as a family. When I worked outside the home it was necessary but we were burning the candle at both ends. All house work, errand running got left for the weekends. That left very little time for family time. I love being able to be the home room mom. To chaperone the school field trips etc.

I guess my rant today is the fact that I feel it necessary to justify my choice to stay at home and choose to be only a housewife to people.

Any thoughts or opinions welcome.
PS: I like the site Retro Housewife it is
http://www.retro-housewife.com

Can You Guess Who We Are Dressed As?

I thought I would post this picture of me and 2 of my friends in the 70's. Can you guess who we are dressed up as? I am the one in the bathing suit. The girl in the middle was my Maid of honor in my wedding and the first one is someone I lost touch with after junior high.

This is a quickie post because my in-laws are coming over for dinner and movie night tonight. That means we have been cleaning most of the day.

Nope my house is not always in shape for company. The Book Sidetracked Home Executives has a name for this- CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)






However I have dinner in the Crock pot- Awesome Crock Pot Lasagna. I made a big tossed salad. I sliced strawberries for dessert. Hubby and the kids whipped the rest of the house into shape. It looks pretty good now, especially with all the clutter off the dining room table.

I think For Movie Night We are Either going to show Ever After or National Treasure 2 We haven't decided yet.

Family Day Care Home Information for Stay at Home Moms, Homeschooling Moms, and Working Moms

My Old Family Day Care Home and Information

I think this is still stuff that home school moms of toddlers and preschoolers might find useful. Also useful Information for anyone that might want to start their own Family Day Care home, Or even Working moms that might want to find a good Family Day Care Home

After number 3 child was born and it became very difficult to be a full time mom and full time special ed. teacher, I decided I would leave teaching and stay at home. That was back in 1998. Finances were still tight so I decided while I was at home I would watch mine and a few others. Laws for in home Family Day Cares vary wildly from county to county just not state to state. For those that might not know what I mean by a Family Day Care Home, that is basically a daycare that someone sets up in their own home as opposed to a Day Care Center. It is a very regulated small home business. Actually the way the law use to read in my county (and I will assume it is still the same today as it was 10 years ago). Is that anyone who cares for a child not related to them in their home on a regular bases for pay needs to have a home day care license.

Now as I said the laws vary. At the time I did home day care the age of the youngest child that you watched determined the number of children you were allowed to watch. In my case, since I was watching a little guy under the age of one, I was allowed to watch a total of 5 under the age of 5 and then up to 5 after school age children for a maximum total of 10. I never watched that many. I basically watched my youngest, and 3 other little guys on a regular basis, which left me 2 drop-in spaces that were filled when someone needed me on an irregular bases and then of course I watched my 2 older children.

The license you get actually is for the house you live in. When you move it doesn't transfer as the new house you move to might not meet the licensing standards.

You need so much space. In most cases you need to own your home and not be renting (but I think there are ways to get around that if you get the renters permission). You need a fenced in back yard. If you have a pool or pond it has to be completely gated. you must have electrically wired smoke detectors not battery operated ones. You have to be able to gate off your kitchen. If you have stairs you have to have a gate not only on the top but also the bottom. The list goes on and on. As I said there are state laws but also county laws that vary from county to county. So this is just my county. Anyway it can cost a lot of money to just get your home ready. In addition you have to attend so many classes such as classes on childcare, classes on nutrition, classes on child development etc. It didn't matter that I had a BS Teaching Degree and was certified to teach K through 12. They make you jump through a lot of hoops.

I had a home daycare from '98 till 2001 when we moved. I actually netted more money doing home day care than what I was bringing home as a teacher . When I was teaching I was having to pay for care for my 3 children.

Anyway that is what I did. Here is a link to my Old Home Daycare site. It has lots of lesson plans and things for toddlers and preschoolers. It has a sample of my old Home Day Care handbook that I gave to all my parents on my policies and practices. It has a sample of my Home Daycare Contract. It has samples of my Day Care meal plans. I though my old site was very informative. I think some of the Info could be used by home schooling moms and those who are thinking of maybe starting their own home day care.

I put up this site back when I was using another internet provider. I just assumed that when I switched providers it would be taken down, however they left it up. But because I changed providers I have no access to it anymore to update or change it. Someone told me that I could call the company and have it removed but I figured why bother there is only I think useful info on there. My kids were little back then. What a difference 10 years makes.

Anyway here is the link
Deana's Family Day Care Home Website

First Half of My Christian Faith Journey and Christian Testimony

I grew up in Church so if someone were to ask me when did I first believe in Jesus, the answer would be, " I don't remember a time when I didn't believe in Jesus. I do remember a time when I first said a sinners type prayer. (However I was a Baptized, Born Again Christian before I ever said that prayer, but I am getting ahead of the story). I was invited to Vacation Bible school at my friend's Baptist Church. I was 7 years old. During a little flannel board story, they talked about sin and how Christ died on the cross for my sins. They talked about how to repent of our sins and ask Jesus into our hearts if we loved him. I knew I loved Jesus and of course I wanted to be forgiven of my sins. Come on now, what little child is really going to say no in that situation. They led us in a "sinners prayer" and had us ask Jesus to forgive us our sins, ask Jesus into our hearts and make him Lord of our life. Now with the understanding and trust of a child I said this sinners prayer. But before I ever officially said the sinners prayer in a formal way, I believed in Jesus. I believed as a child what I was told and had learned in Sunday School. I knew he was God's son and that he had to die on the cross in order for our sins to be forgiven. Even if I didn't know how that exactly worked. I knew what sin was. I knew right from wrong (at least a 7 year old's understanding of it.) I already had the concept that God forgives if we repent. Anyway a few days later some members from that Church showed up at our house to talk to my mom about letting them take me to the Baptist Church. I remember my mom being a little upset and short and abrupt with those visitors. She basically told them no thanks we attend Church and are very happy with our Church. And that was that. I was raised in a conservative orthodox Episcopal Church. The Episcopal Church is the American Branch of the Anglican Church also known as the Church of England. Growing up in that local Episcopal Church, I was unaware of the liberal leanings of the Church hierarchy outside my own little Episcopal Church.

Skip ahead to when I'm 12 year old. In 6th grade I was caught cheating. We were allowed in math class to grade our own papers. Well one day I was lazy and just wrote down any old answers on my math work. Then I put a good grade on it. How stupid is that. We had access to the teacher's manual for grading our work. I could have easily just copied the correct answers. I guess I figured the teacher was lazy too, and when we turned in our papers I figured she just looked at the grades and recorded it. It was independent study so everyone was on a different page. Well at home that evening, I knew I had sinned and prayed all night long to Jesus to forgive me. I knew I still had to face my parents and the teacher and the humiliation of cheating. I found a book on the book shelf my mom had that was a book basically of faith stories. Stories of people who had great faith in Jesus and how he helped them get through trials. A good comparison would be like the '"Chicken Soup books for the Soul" today, however this was back in the seventies. In this book I read the scripture about peace; John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." Ok I thought I have asked Jesus for forgiveness. I will just go to school and fess up and take the consequences and then everything will be all right. Well before I could confess, the teacher already knew and a conference was scheduled with my parents for that afternoon. Well I confessed and faced the consequences and everything was alright after that. John 14:27 is my go to scripture for all my anxiety even to this day.

On to high school. Not much to say there, but I remember in my Church youth group going to see the Movie "The Great Late Planet Earth", then I read the book by Hal Lindsey. It is like the "Left Behind" books of today. Scared the pants off me. I read Revelations several times after that. I also remember that I had awesome Christian role models in my local Episcopal Church. I remember my confirmation teacher Miss Ruth Ann Rogers. She loved Jesus with all her heart and it showed in everything that she did. It oozed out of every pour of her. I thought it was cool that she had served many years in the Peace Corp. She knew the scriptures exceedingly well. I have kept in touch with her up until the last few Christmases. I didn't receive a Christmas card from her, and mine was returned to sender. I am afraid she probably passed away. She would have been in her 90's now. Father Brown and Father Browning were also great role models. Yes their last names were Brown and Browning respectively.

Side Note: In the Episcopal Church, Priests are addressed as Father just like in the Catholic Church. They also do the sign of the cross and are very Catholic like in many ways. The Episcopal Mass is very much like the Catholic Mass. There are differences however, and at least in America, the Church has become very liberal. Many conservative, orthodox, Bible believing Episcopalians are returning in large numbers to the Catholic church.

Well through high school I became somewhat popular. The whole blossoming thing. I dated several guys. Without exception most were creeps. I remember finally having enough and saying to God I want to meet a good Christian guy. Please just let me find a good Christian guy. I went to two years to a local Junior College and then in my Junior year went away to a State University.

My first week up there my prayers were answered, but I did not know it at the time. I met my future husband. Our first date was to his Fraternity's rush party. Well I hate to say it, our dating relationship was pretty carnal in the beginning, I am not going into detail, but you get the picture. Well after that first semester my new boyfriend got sick and moved back home. I came to find out later he had tremendous guilt about our relationship. I think that actually made him feel physically sick. Anyway I was feeling the same way. So the next semester we were basically apart. Now up at the University there tends to be a lot of religious groups that are trying to evangelize students. I wasn't going to church up at the University, so when another student invited me to their Soul Talk which was code for Bible study I went. It turns out this was a Bible Study that was sponsored by the Church of Christ. However this was not the mainstream Church of Christ, but the Crossroads or Boston Movement Church of Christ. They were very rigid (They were a cult) and they in fact broke off from the mainline Church of Christ and became the International Church of Christ. They later imploded a few years after I left the University. You can find info on them on the web.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Churches_of_Christ

I started really reading the Bible. I would call Russ long distance and we would discuss the Bible and what I was reading. He in turn was reading to challenge me. The Church of Christ convinced me that my infant Baptism was unscriptural and that I needed to be baptized again as an adult by immersion. I then was re-baptised by immersion. I have since studied the Bible enough to know I was misled, and my first baptism (which in my case was actually done at age 5 and not an infant) was my true baptism, but back to the story. The next summer I moved in with some girls from the Crossroads Church. Russ and I were still discussing the Bible long distance over the phone. I remember one month I charged over $80 worth of long distance calls to my dad's office. That was a lot back then, and when my dad discovered it, it was not a pretty picture. Anyway the Crossroads Church of Christ didn't like my relationship with this outsider. You know the being unequally yoked thing. They didn't trust him because he wasn't one of them. They tried to break us up. Well that wasn't happening and after that summer I moved back in with my old roommates. Russ also came back to the University. From there we decided we would not have a carnal relationship. We read the Bible daily. I stopped going to the Crossroads Church of Christ.

Moving on, Russ proposed to me January of '86. Down on his knee in front of the brown bean bag I was sitting in. Well I knew I had no real attraction to the churches that I had attended in college so we were going to be married in the church I was raised in. Russ had become a Christian in a Fundamentalist non-denominational church growing up. However when I met him and his family, they really didn't have a home church that they were attending regularly. At least not to my knowledge anyway. So we were going to be married in the church I was raised in. We then started the required church marriage counselling sessions. I really can't remember how we did that being that the church was a good 5 hours away from the University. The marriage counseling was mainly a personality test to see if we were compatible. Actually I think we were opposites on a lot of things. However the test was, I guess, to make us just aware of our differences. Opposites do attract and compliment each other. I do remember there was not much counselling from a Biblical perspective that I could tell. Father Brown had a good Biblical perspective though when we met with him.

We were married in the Episcopal Church July 1986. Then we moved to Russ's home town. We then had the daunting task of finding a Church home.

Story Continued in My Post: My Faith Journey to the Catholic Church from Fundamentalism/Evangelicalism

My Faith Journey to the Catholic Church from Fundamentalism/Evangelicalism

This is about my personal faith journey and how I have ended up becoming Catholic. I do not like the term converted because I did not change religions.

This is not my "Christian Testimony" or how I became a Christian I posted that here in this post: First Half of My Christian Faith Journey and Christian Testimony

This is a story of how my family and I came to the Catholic Church. I am starting the story after my hubby and I were married. That was almost 22 years ago now.

When we were first married and started our life together, our first order of business was to find a Bible believing on fire for the Lord Church. The Church we were married in was in my hometown and not where we were living. We started attending a non- denominational Bible Believing Church (Many Churches call themselves that.) It had good preaching. It had awesome worship, both traditional and contemporary. It had great fellowship. I read my Bible all the time, but I also wanted to learn as much as I could, and they offered adult Bible study classes. Most Churches I have attended offer some sort of adult Bible study or classes. Well this Church turned out to be of the Pentecostal /Charismatic nature. I know after research there are some differences between Charismatics and Pentecostals, but I am lumping them together because their beliefs are similar. They believe all the gifts of the Spirit are very much alive and active today. They believe and teach in addition to water baptism there is a separate baptism of the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking with tongues. They of course used Scripture to back up all their teaching. Ok-- this was new to me. It is not that I don't think the gifts of the Spirit are in use today. I believe they are still in use, and active today. I Believe that there is no Biblical proof to say they ended with the Apostles, although I have read apologetics that will insist otherwise. I just had problems with the way they were being implemented in this Church. Everyone felt that they individually had the power to bind and loose things. They were always binding the devil. They were always claiming a word. They believed all who were baptized in the Holy Spirit (not referring to water baptism) were suppose to have the gift of tongues. I actually think they are really wrong about the second baptism in the Holy Spirit. There is One Baptism and it is a water baptism. You receive the Holy Spirit at Baptism.

Anyway, about this time I gave birth to my son. As you know he had some problems. Well this church was very much into healing. By his stripes we are healed. I believe that, but not necessarily like they understood it. We prayed for my son. The whole church prayed for my son. I knew God would heal him. I still believe God will heal him. God has done wonderful things already in his and our life and so many have been blessed. I could write tons on how our situation has blessed us and others. All things work for good for those that love God. I know that God will heal him in his own time either now, later, or in Heaven. Either way I am fine with that. However, it got to the point in this Church that they wanted to put him in every healing line that came along. I wanted to say we have already prayed for him. God will heal him in his time. I almost had to defend why I didn't want to put him in every healing service or prayer line that came along. Everyone in the church did pray for him. One poor young faith healer became so discouraged with our son he gave up faith healing altogether.

This Church did give us a ton of support and love with Richard (It is getting to be a pain to keep writing my son. His first name is Richard) They helped out in so many ways, especially when we had to fly far away for surgery and to see a specialist. They were right there with support and would have found us housing and everything if necessary. I knew many strong Christians in that Church. However, I never felt comfortable there. I also saw no benefit to praying in tongues. I tried it. I prefer to pray with understanding.

On to Bible Believing Church Number 2. This Church was a Church of God denomination. It also believed that the gifts of the Spirit were active today, but it wasn't quite as flamboyant as the first Church. It left those things more to private experience. They were very supportive and had good preaching, at least, so we thought. After awhile there was a scandal that involved the Pastor, the church secretary, and accusations of embezzlement. I never found out all details and I don't want to know. After that Pastor left, they had a couple of new Pastors come in and try to keep things together. That however, is not the reason we left. Rich was about 8 at the time and there was no place for him. He had kinda out grown the nursery. He really couldn't be in big Church with us. He is blind, mentally handicapped, and has autistic behaviors. So here he was still in the nursery. So the nursery teacher tells me that such and such church down the road is starting a special needs ministry to include kids and adults with special needs and to help assimilate them better into the Church family. She suggested we might want to check it out

Bible Believing Church Number 3. This was a Southern Baptist Church. I went to the Special Needs Ministry planning meeting. They wanted to start a ministry not only to help integrate special needs children and adults into the Church community, but also help the families. Many families cannot attend Church together because of the special needs child. One or the other parent has to stay home while one goes to church. So this is what they wanted to try and change. At the planning meeting they said they didn't even want the family members to be the volunteers for this ministry. It was meant to be a ministry for the whole family as well as the special needs family member. This was a very large Church that had the funds and means to provide many things to the special needs ministry. They were even trying to establish some group homes for the special needs adults. Now what did this Bible believing Church teach? Well they basically taught that the more miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit such as tongues and prophecy etc. all died out with the last of the Apostles. This church also taught that the wine that Jesus used in the Bible was non-alcoholic. They taught eternal security- Or the stuck philosophy. "Once Saved Always Saved." They also had what I call Baptisty things such as no dancing, and no gambling (They wouldn't like Catholic Bingo nights)etc.

I studied and studied the Bible to try and figure out which Church was dividing the word of truth correctly. I still do. I have prayed fervently for years to find the Church that Christ wants us to be in.

So all the while, I had issues with these different things, I still loved the Special Needs Ministry. It was awesome. They had a classroom for the younger age kids. A classroom for the older kids, and a classroom for adults. If the special needs child could attend big Church, or a regular Sunday school class with some assistance that is what they did. They had volunteers they trained (usually kids from the High School, but also many adults) that "shadowed" the special needs kids, and helped them in the regular settings. If they had more extensive needs like Rich's, they had special classrooms and curriculum for them. This enabled parents to attend the Worship service together. This ministry was started by the most loving caring couple that I have ever known. They were some of the strongest and most faithful Christians I have ever known.

We were at this Church for about 8 years. We went to Church every Sunday morning and Wednesday night. I taught the 4 year old Sunday School Classes during the early morning time slot. I taught 5th grade for the Mission Kids program on Wednesday evenings in the summertime. We were active in small groups, and adult Bible study too.

Another thing that bothered me about this particular Southern Baptist Church was that, in the 8 years we had been going to that Church, we had communion probably not more than a dozen times. Every other Church I had ever been to, had it weekly. Not this Church. They almost never had communion on Sunday mornings. From what I heard, it was always offered on Sunday evenings, but we didn't go on Sunday evenings. They had it on Wednesday nights occasionally too. I remember thinking that communion was treated almost like an after thought.

Moving on to Bible Believing Church number 4? This was our Church hopping phase. We moved further north. This was closer to where my husband's new job was. We moved into the bigger house and all that. We moved to a great school district. Rich could finally attend his neighborhood school and still get all the special needs services that he needed. (you can see my post on Why We Didn't Homeschool if interested)

Now to find a Bible Believing Church? Around us there are about 5 big Churches and some small ones. There was; a large non-denominational Church I would say was Pentecostal in nature, a large Methodist Church, a tiny Lutheran Church right next door to the large Pentecostal Church, a tiny Presbyterian Church, another midsized Southern Baptist Church, and another very tiny non-denominational Church more along the lines of fundamentalist. (There was also a big Catholic Church, but we will get to that later)

We tried most of them. They all were Bible believing. They all taught something different, and ALL used the Bible to back up what they taught. This is not an exhaustive list, but here are some of the differences off the top of my head.

Non- Denom Pentecostal Style Church: Believed adult baptism only, Baptism in the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues, (Very similar to the Church we first attended when we were married)

Methodist Church: Believed in infant baptism, Does not believe in once saved always saved. Amillennial, Communion symbolic.

Presbyterian: Believes Infant baptism, Believes in Eternal Security, but differently than the Southern Baptists, Communion symbolic.

Lutheran:- Similar to Catholic, Infant Baptism, Can fall away from the faith, Real Presence in the Communion but technically a little different than the Catholics.

Little Evangelical Non-Denominational Church: Adult believers baptism only, Pre-Wrath Rapture (As opposed to a strict pre-trib rapture), Eternal Security (Once Saved Always Saved), Very legalistic

Church of Christ: Adult believers baptism only. Conditional Security (A Christian Can fall away from the faith), Works cooperate with faith. Baptism necessary for salvation

We Church Hopped for about 3 1/2 years. Hubby didn't like any of them. My brain was reeling trying to study the Bible and determine which was the true Church. What is the Biblical truth? Which church was rightly dividing the Word of truth? There was no unity among any of these Christian Churches. Where was the Church Christ founded? Where was the Church the Apostles started? Which one was the Church with Authority? Which Church is it that the Gates of Hell will not Prevail Against? Which Church is the Pillar and Foundation of Truth? Which one has the guidance of the Holy Spirit?

Some say well they all agree on the basics. I wonder- Hmm is Communion a basic? Is Baptism a basic? Where is the One Faith? Is Eternal Security vs. Conditional Security a basic?

I wanted answers. So I decided to go back to the beginning. What were the first Christians like? What were the first churches like? When did they go from worshiping in homes to larger more communal worship? What were the churches like that the Apostles founded? What did those early Christians believe? Did they just baptize adults or did they also baptize infants? Did they pour, immerse or both? I can't ask Jesus directly. For instance, I can't say "Hey Jesus what did you mean when you wrote this?" or "Apostles what did Jesus really mean?" I always ask in prayer and have received many answers and I believe he has been guiding me all along and has lead me to where I am at now.

The way to get the answers to these questions is to see how the early Christians understood what Jesus and the Apostles taught. What did they believe? These early Christians were taught by the Apostles who were in turn taught directly by Jesus. Many early documents, that have been preserved, that were written at the time of Apostles show what these early Christians believed and how they interpreted Jesus's words. These documents aren't considered scripture. Think of it as more like finding ancient Church bulletins, Ancient Church service outlines, the Pastors notes, or music hymnal. These things aren't scripture, but you can learn what the early Christians believed. The Didache is one of these documents written about 60-70ad. Written within the time of the Apostles or very close to the time of the Apostles. It is basically a handbook for new Christians. Then there are the writings of the Early Church Fathers such as St. Augustine. You will be surprised at the answers you find. The early Christians did believe in the real presence of Christ in the communion bread and wine. They believed in adult baptism for adult converts, but they also believed in infant baptism for the children of Christians. That is not unbiblical and does not go against scripture. (but that is a whole other study) Adult Believers Only baptism was something that was not even heard of till centuries later and actually the majority of Christian churches still believe and teach infant baptism. It is only the Churches that have come out of the Anabaptist movement that don't) These are just a few of the things I discovered. There are so many more. Each would take volumes to write about.

So here are my conclusions thus far: (Always subject to change as I am still growing and learning): The Bible is Not clear and you can't understand it without some understanding of history, and ultimately Church Authority and Sacred Tradition. To do so has led to hundreds (possibly thousands) of differing Christian groups, who all interpret the Bible differently. So which is the Church that has Authority given to it by Christ? Which Church has preserved the deposit of faith both oral and written? Which Church can prove Apostolic Succession? Which Church has been the most influential on the growth of Christianity throughout history? Actually I believe there are 2 main groups. The Catholic Churches (all the rites not just Roman) and the Orthodox Churches. Anyway after much Bible Study, Study of Early Church History and Sacred Tradition, and addressing the many misconceptions I had about the Catholic Church, I can truly say I was surprised by the Truth

Bible Believing Church # 5 The Catholic Church
As you have gathered by now my family has been attending the Catholic Church for about 2 years. I was received into full communion Last Nov. Hubby will be received into full communion this July. DD will be probably this Nov. And the boys will be baptized here shortly. 
(I originally wrote this post in June of 2008- Update: I was received into full communion November 2007, My husband was received into full communion in July of 2008, My daughter was received into full communion Nov. 2008, and both my boys were baptized in February 2009)

Side note: ( we have learned recently that that wonderful couple I mentioned earlier who started the Special Needs Ministry in that large Southern Baptist church we were at have since returned to the Catholic church)

So that is me plain and simple. This is where the lord has lead and I will trust him.

So that is my story. It is not the complete story, and there is more to it than just that but that is the summary at least.

If you actually read this extremely long post thanks for listening. :-)

Sincerely, Deana

Added: First Half of My Christian Faith Journey and Christian Testimony

Also Added
My Reply to the Question: What did you study to bring you out of the Southern Baptist church and into the Catholic faith?

Introduction

   This is my very first post in my new blog. I am in my early 4o's. My little guys aren't so little anymore. They are 20, 18 and 12. I married my college sweetheart and we have been married for almost  22 years. I seem to be in this blog world with thirty something moms and sometimes 40 something moms whose kids are all still little tykes. It is interesting to see how parenting ideas have changed over 20 years. From Diapers, to Schooling, to Bottles, to Breastfeeding, to Discipline. Some old ideas are coming back, some new ideas are becoming popular. The world is changing. For better? for worse? Everyone seems to have an opinion.  These are my fur babies.  They are so different form each other. A 2 year old min pin and a 4 month old Maltese. Ok I have nothing really exciting or controversial to blog about. I have discovered I can't simply cut and paste things yet. I wonder why. Something to learn. I wanted to cut and paste a recipe that I am fixing for dinner but I couldn't just cut and paste it grr. I am too lazy to type out the whole thing. I am sure there is an easier way but I haven't figured it out yet. So I will work on that problem. If anybody out there can help that would be great.