Professional Documents
Culture Documents
By Bettina Langerfeldt
Founder of FreedomPioneer.com
www.FreedomPioneer.com 1
I was sitting in prison, cowering in a corner, dirty, miserable, broken and
hopeless. There were countless wounds on my body. I had lost hope for them to
heal. The future looked bleak and colorless…How would I ever get out of here?
Suddenly, a woman appeared beside me. She had radiant eyes, full of love
and peace. What most caught my attention were her feet. They were shining,
clean and beautiful.
She told me that every day the Redeemer came to take people out of that
prison.
“Why had I never seen Him?” I asked and she responded: “He is only visible
to those who wait for Him. When He comes, call for Him.”
A tiny bit of hope rose in me and I waited for Him to come. Was it possible
for this to end? Was there a way out?
Then He came. Suddenly I could see Him in all His glory. Compared to the
rest of us, His garments were white and they were shining. His whole being was
flooded with a kind of light I had never seen before.
He turned and looked at me with His loving eyes. “I know”, He said, “Come
with me and follow me.”
He reached out with His hand and I reached out with mine. I could hardly
stand on my feet, but there was something about Him that gave me the strength
to walk.
Once out of prison I stood before Him and looked into His eyes. They were
full of love and compassion.
“Go, wash yourself, you are free. Then come back and tell the other
prisoners that I want to set them free too.”
www.FreedomPioneer.com 2
This book is dedicated to my father Hans C. Langerfeldt, who always
inspired me to step out of the box and pursue excellence.
www.FreedomPioneer.com 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
• SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING:
II. God Has Created You With the Ability to Learn This Way, and Has
Provided All the Necessary Tools You Need to Walk Out His Plan for
Your Life
III. Why These Tools Are Not Employed to Their Full Potential, Even by
Christians
• RESOURCES:
Find Out How You Can Know and Walk in God's Plan for Your Life in My New
eBook:
http://www.DestinyEbook.com
© 2008 FreedomPioneer.com
www.FreedomPioneer.com 4
Life CAN be All That You Want it to Be
For God every human being is unique and precious. He does not have
favorites, and HE CERTAINLY DOES NOT CREATE FAILURES. Therefore every one
of us has the built-in potential to live a blessed and purposeful life.
Yes! Before the foundation of the world God designed a perfect plan for
your life and He has given you all the tools you need to walk it out. You were
created to passionately pursue your purpose of being here on planet earth, to lead
a fulfilled and abundantly blessed life, and to leave a legacy for the next
generations.
God has designed each human being individually. Each of us has a unique
combination of talents, gifts and abilities. He has put dreams into our heart that He
wants us to pursue and fight for with passion. He has also put us into this planet
at a certain time and location, according to His perfect plan for our lives.
It is very important for you to realize that God has ALREADY provided
everything you’ll need to live a fulfilled life, and that you can freely access this
provision. He gave it to you because He loves you. Will you receive it?
Do you want to engage in a learning process that will help you tap into the
life God wants you to have?
www.FreedomPioneer.com 5
I. - What is Self-Directed Learning and What
Does it Look Like?
Self-directed learning is a little powerful engine that God has put into us to
enable us to accomplish the plan we were created to walk in. It is the ability to
learn in such a manner that it will bring a flow of increase into all areas of our
lives.
Although this way of learning is very natural to us, it is rarely achieved to its
full potential.
If you want to take a deliberate step in changing your life, it is crucial for
you to analyze this learning method, and critically compare it with the way you are
learning right now.
No matter how old you are and how many diplomas you have, open your
mind and be brutally honest with yourself. Once you have assessed your situation
you will be ready to make a successful change.
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1.- A LIFESTYLE OF LEARNING:
Self-directed learning never stops. It doesn’t start at 8:00 am, stop at lunch
break and then pick up at 2:00 pm again. It doesn’t take vacations, and it won’t
have to fight the temptation of watching TV.
Lunch is ready…!!
This was the first sign of healthy education I saw in my children. We had
just started to homeschool them, and I was using traditional methods to teach
them at home (the only ones I knew to use then).
After “school time” they would naturally engage in activities of THEIR own
choice, and were so absorbed by them that they would have skipped lunch if I
hadn’t called them in.
This is where one of the main roots of wrong education lies in. You see,
traditional means of education do not consider the way God created us to learn:
with passion. Real learning is like igniting a fire: it will start with a little spark and
grow into unthinkable proportions…by itself! All it needs is good fuel: lots of fun
learning material that is abundantly supplied by God Himself.
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One of the main critiques the homeschooling movement has encountered is
that of raising children in a bubble. Nothing could be further from the truth. A child
that grows up alongside his parents will very naturally grow up in a context of real
life situations. These will allow him to reason and relate in a very natural manner
whenever he acquires new knowledge.
On the contrary, if you lock up a child in a classroom all day, and only
provide him with a limited amount of practical experience, he will not be able to
relate the knowledge he acquires to real life situations. The result will be an
inferior and superficial education.
A self-directed learner will never expect a teacher to do his learning for him.
He is aware that learning requires intention and effort, and that it won’t fall into
his lap by sitting in front of the TV and having someone else prepare the lessons.
He will not waste his time with worthless activities.
A child who has naturally developed a healthy learning style will not have
trouble with boredom once he is an adult. It is those who consider that learning is
boring, or unachievable, that will struggle in this area.
This is one of the main reasons why most Christians are not walking in
God’s plan for their lives.
Rick Joyner, in his book “A Prophetic Vision for the 21st Century,” quotes:
The ballplayer who wins the World Series with a single swing of the bat
thrills us. It happened so quickly - and so easily. Yet, this batter probably spent
thousands of hours swinging his bat in practice, enduring the heat, the boredom,
and the blisters day after day, week after week, and year after year just to be able
to do this.
Athletes train for a “perishable wreath.” How much more should we give
ourselves to that which is eternal?
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(Rick Joyner - “A Prophetic Vision of the 21st Century” (Publisher: Thomas Nelson,
Inc.), pp.64; Used by Permission. www.morningstarministries.org )
I had some trouble getting “out of the box” with this one! Little Sophie, my
youngest daughter, taught me a powerful lesson about learning styles.
It would always irritate me that she would read on our sofa…upside down!
Her legs poked up into the air and her head hung down, almost to the floor, while
she was happily reading one of her favorite books. It looked extremely
uncomfortable to me and I tried to persuade her to sit correctly. She insisted that,
for her, this position was just right.
One day we saw a movie of a little girl that was exactly her age, doing the same
thing, and totally exasperating her very structured, and well educated Victorian
aunt. As we laughed about the situation I finally realized that it was okay. After all,
she WAS reading!
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If you want to make a change in your life you will have to go step by step,
eat the food carefully and spit out the bones! We need time to digest what we are
learning.
Children, on the other hand, will engage in this naturally, especially when
they are turning into young adults. That is when our teens can drive us crazy,
because they seem to drift off into some far away, unreachable realm.
Self-directed learners are not afraid to ask questions and seek help when
they need it. Once they are on their way with a vision in their mind and a purpose
in their heart, there is really nothing that can stop them from achieving their goals
and making their dreams come true.
Does this sound too good to be true? Are you doubting if you could ever
learn this way? You probably won’t on your own, …but you always will with God.
You see, if you determine to walk this out, and want to follow God’s plan
with all your heart, it will not be impossible, …it will be inevitable.
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II. - God Has Created You With the Ability to
Learn This Way and He Has Provided All the
Necessary Tools You Need to Walk Out His
Plan for Your Life
“WE WERE DESIGNED TO REIGN ON THIS PLANET, AND TO LIVE A BLESSED LIFE OF
FULLFILMENT AND ABUNDANCE”
That is the original design of God…and it has never changed. His plan is still
the same one. Yes, the enemy tried to mess it all up, but Jesus bought it back
for us. Anybody who receives this redemptive gift can walk in the original plan of
God, and access the blessings God lavishly bestowed on his children from the
beginning.
Nevertheless, a lot of Christians don’t know how to tap into this abundant
life Jesus bought for us. Many times without even realizing it, they walk in a vastly
inferior level of life.
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conform to their level of experience instead of reaching higher to claim the original
promises God has for us.
Many Christians erroneously believe that sickness, lack, and sufferings are
part of this life, and that we just have to endure this while we are here. They
figure that, once we get to heaven, everything will be okay.
If this were true, Jesus would never have said John 10:10.
What happened? Why do many Christians live a life of bondage? Why are they not
walking in this promise of abundance?
Without realizing it, we have chosen to walk a life conforming to this world’s
wisdom instead of God’s.
This is especially true for our education. We all know that the learning
process a human being is exposed to is of vital importance for his future. As
parents we all strive to give our children the best education available, but are we
really choosing right? Have you ever wondered what the Bible says about learning?
Do you know that the disciples addressed Jesus throughout the four Gospels
as TEACHER? Yes, one of the things He most often did while He walked among us
was to TEACH.
Why? It may seem obvious…but, just bear with me for a while… Why didn’t
he just show up, heal everybody, perform some miracles, and cast out demons,
and then go to the next town? Why did He take so much time to teach, and preach
the Word of God?
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall
make you free. (John 8:32, NKJV)
Faith is a primary factor that separates those who will accomplish their goals
from those who will not. What, and whom, we believe in will determine the quality
of our accomplishment. If we truly believe in God, we will accomplish what He has
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given us to do. The degree of our faith will determine the quantity of what we
achieve.
How can we have this kind of faith? That’s easy! All you have to do is hear
the Word of God.
Jesus also taught us that learning was easy, and not burdensome.
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you,
and LEARN from Me; for I am gentle and lowly in
heart: and you will find rest for your souls. For My
yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-
30, NKJV)
Does your education look remotely like this? Does it make you free? Does it
provide for you abundantly? Does it give rest to your soul? Does it help you
develop your creativity and make life fun, peaceful and purposeful? Does it provide
the means for you to develop your individual gifts, and walk in the plan of God for
your life?
If your answer is no, then keep on reading. Real learning is not beyond your
reach. God has given you the same tools everybody else has. Remember: GOD
HAS NO FAVORITES.
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III.-Why are These Tools Not Employed to
Their Full Potential, Even by Christians?
Anybody who has seen a little toddler starting to crawl has been a witness
to a budding self-directed learning process. Suddenly the little fellow's toys are not
interesting anymore. He can start exploring the world on his own! Undeterred, he
will poke his little fingers into every nook and cranny he can find, and stick the
most unthinkable objects into his mouth.
In his next stage of development he will drive mom and dad crazy with
“Why this?” and “How that?” questions. Life is so exciting and there is so much to
learn!
Once baby is 4 years old he will be turned over into the hands of the
experts. They will teach him all he has to know, and how he has to learn it. From
this moment on our naturally inquisitive baby will have to learn an important
lesson: What the experts say and think he should learn is more important than
what God has put into his little heart.
Gradually the time to explore his surrounding world will diminish, and huge
amounts of time and money will be invested in teaching him all the important
things he is supposed to know. Somewhere down the line his dreams fall through
the cracks, and now life’s purpose is to keep up with all the academic demands
that are imposed on him.
Once he is eighteen years old, baby is a grown up, and his learning process
is successfully concluded. He is now perfectly programmed to do what another
tells him to do, and to think the way another tells him to think, and to live his life
for another persons’ dream. Worst of all, he is evaluating his own achievements by
what others call excellent.
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They will be a product of the “conveyor belt” education system: good employees,
and followers, for the rest of their lives.
I certainly don’t want to offend any teacher out there. I believe it is one of
the most important professions in today's society, only second to motherhood.
Nevertheless, when we took our children out of school, we talked to teachers
about homeschooling, and the educational principles we believed in.
All of them agreed that the ideal of learning is the one described in the first
section of this book. Their goals are the same ones that can be achieved by a self-
directed learning process. But they all concluded that they were limited by the
methods imposed, and by the vast quantity of contents they had to teach on. They
simply didn’t have the time to allow for each child to explore knowledge
individually.
If you can somehow relate to baby’s story above, here is the good news:
That little power engine can be successfully re-ignited, no matter what stage of life
you are in. Like everything else God lavishly bestowed upon mankind, it can be
retrieved, dusted down and restored to its fullness at a moments notice. You just
have to decide to do it!
Now you are in a position to honestly evaluate your education and the
mind-set resulting from it. Are you a leader or a follower? Is your mind-set labor-
based, or do you feel prepared to successfully exploit your individual gifts and
talents?
Have you buried your dreams? Are you so caught up in debt, living from pay
check to pay check to make ends meet? Have you lost all hope of ever living out
all those wonderful dreams you had as a child, or even as a young adult?
Or maybe you are a young adult right now, fully aware of the danger your
dreams are in, and you are searching for a way to avoid ever getting into the rat
race.
Maybe you are a mom who is at home with her children. Your babies have
grown and are not as demanding anymore, and now your desire is to keep on
developing your education. You are searching for something meaningful and fun to
do that will not only fulfill you, but hopefully also provide an extra income.
Or possibly you are a mother who desires to be at home with her children,
but has to work to make ends meet. You are tired of even trying to do more than
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just keeping your head above the water, and have lost all hope of ever changing
your situation.
You might be the parent of a teen that is in high school, and it is time to
make a decision concerning college. A college degree is only necessary when it is
necessary. Don’t send your child to college just because you think it is the only
way to make a decent living. Times have changed, and there are a lot of other
options out there that will not only provide them with financial freedom, but will
allow them to walk in God’s plan for their life without having to give an important
part of their life to a job, like our generation has done.
Nowadays there are a big number of retired folks who desire to keep on
learning and, at the same time, complement their pension with some extra income.
There are so many ways to do that from your home.
Whatever situation you are in, if you are still reading this message, you are
one of those who know, deep down in their heart, that there is more to education
than what you were told.
It’s nice to entertain romantic ideas about how this life is supposed to look
like, but let’s face it: Whether you like it or not, the only way to achieve it is by
solving the money issue. Even if you went to college and you love your job, you
have to admit that you are giving most of your waking hours for the purpose of
paying your expenses.
No wonder most of us are not living a meaningful life! We don’t have any
freedom to even consider walking in God’s plan for our lives!
I am certainly not saying we ought not to work. We should work, and our
work should be fun and fulfilling. The most important aspect of it should be to
affect other peoples’ lives. Our work is to be a blessing to many others. As
Christians we should have a mind-set of working for a giving, not for a living!
Wouldn’t you like to have enough resources to satisfy every need God shows you,
instead of having to struggle each day just to meet your own?
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IV.-How Can You Learn to Teach Yourself
Effectively?
Now, let’s get more practical. How can we get hold of a powerful process of
self-directed learning that will change our life, and lead us to a position where we
are free to live the fulfilled life that God planned for us to have in the first place?
The first thing you have to do is change your mind-set. You are what you
think you are, and you will be what you think you will be. Whatever you are
feeding your mind will determine your attitude towards life, and this will influence
all the decisions you make, for the better or for worse, depending on what you are
exposing yourself to.
It’s really that simple. So, if you are not happy with your life, you will have
to change the thoughts that are in your mind. And that is what a healthy education
process is all about.
First of all, stay close to God. Seeking knowledge without God is foolish.
Wisdom is the ability to apply knowledge successfully. The Book of Proverbs is full
of statements about true wisdom: it all starts with God. True and lasting well-being
is only achieved by godly wisdom.
I mean, who would ever want to live without God’s loving guidance, wisdom
and protection? There isn’t a being in the whole universe more concerned about
your welfare than He is. Even more than you yourself are! Besides, He is the only
one who can show you how to get there. He created you! He wants to get involved
in all aspects of your life, and He is more than willing to show you how to live the
abundant life. Yes, to show you how you can experience a life you had never
imagined before.
So, if you haven’t made Jesus the Lord of your life yet, stop reading and do
it right now. Just confess him as Lord over your life. It’s easy! He already did the
hard part when He bought your freedom back from the enemy’s hands. This will
be the most important decision you have ever made, and it will change your life
forever.
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If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and
believe in your heart that God has raised him from
the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one
believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9, 10)
PRAYER
Now you have become a child of God! The Holy Spirit is living inside of you.
He will faithfully guide you in all things you need to know. Let Him surprise you!
You need to put God’s thoughts into your heart, and follow His plan for your
life. Do not ever let anybody else determine what the plan for your life is. There is
so much at stake, and life is but a whisper. There is no time to lose on some other
path that looked good to you, but wasn’t the will of God for your life. People with
very good intentions will lead you astray if you don’t keep close to God!
Read your Bible and search for communion with God every day. How could
you ever spend time with the kindest being of the universe without it affecting
your whole life? Bask in His Presence every day! If you don’t know how to, ask
Him to show you, He loves spending time with us! You will start seeing yourself
the way He sees you: as His precious and beloved son or daughter who was
created in His image, created for greatness.
Unlike any other written word we can learn from, every letter written in the
Bible is inspired by God Himself and therefore has the power to affect our lives
supernaturally. As you read it expect it to powerfully impact your life! Even if you
already are a habitual Bible reader, you have to feed on the Word of God again
and again, just like you feed your body with food every day. Get those faith
muscles in shape by exercising them every day!
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It’s hard to get a breakthrough without revelation from the Word of God,
because you’ve got to go further than your intellect can take you. You’ve got to
know something that your natural mind cannot tell you.
The Word of God will strengthen your soul. It will affect your mind more
than anything else can. It will start filling up with Truth, and the Truth will set you
free. It will peel away some things, and affect the strongholds that may have
accumulated in your mind. It will calm your emotions, keep you established in
adversity, and help you stay yielded to God’s will.
Most important of all, it will change your attitude towards life. Attitude is
everything. It shows what is in your heart, and that is really the only thing that
matters to God. He is the Searcher of Hearts.
Any successful person would readily confirm that self-concept and attitude
play an important part in financial success. A positive self-image is as important as
financial goals. The mind needs to accept higher levels of prosperity before it can
implement them.
Money in itself isn’t good or bad. The Bible clearly states that the love of
money is the root of all evil. Money is only a very important tool that we need to
live, to serve God with and also, yes, enjoy life with! Elaborating about this goes
beyond the scope of this e-book, but you’d be surprised to know how much the
Bible says about money, and the correct use of it.
Like any loving Father, God wants us to live a blessed life here on earth. As
you grow in learning how to be a good steward of the riches God gives you, He
will give you more and more, unto overflowing!
Here is a word of caution, though. The Scripture says If you are willing and
obey you will eat the good of the land (Isaiah1:19). God has a plan for our life,
and full obedience to that plan is where the provision and the grace is.
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Then there are the myriad of other ways you can go. When you ignore His
plan and go your own way, the provision won’t be there, and you will struggle. You
will start to seek human wisdom to provide a reasonable answer to all your
questions.
You’ve got to be willing to hear God’s plan. You have to take a step of faith.
You’ll have to leave the security you know, what is familiar to you and what you
know. You have to step out.
How are you going to fulfill your destiny? The devil will scream at you and
say: “There is no way you can do it!” You can answer: “I don’t know how, but I
know God and He is faithful and I KNOW He can make it happen!”
PRAYER
Dear Father, I don’t want You to let me do it my way. I want YOUR will, I want
Your perfect plan for my life. I’m willing to obey You, I’m willing to step out. I’m
willing to trust You, to do Your plan, Your way. I’m ready, forgive me for not
trusting, for not stepping out. But today I am willing! Amen.
Remember: Attaining a fulfilled, happy, and free life is a process, not a 100
meter sprint. It is actually a lifestyle of continually developing, of learning new
things that will constantly increase your life in all its areas.
You have to come to a point where you recognize the need of designing
your own education, and of taking full responsibility for it.
IF YOU DON’T CHANGE YOUR DIRECTION, YOU WILL END UP WHERE YOU ARE HEADED.
Once you decide to do that, the adventure can begin. Your life will never be
the same again.
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Now that you are committed to hear from God, and you are taking time to
learn from His Word, all the following steps will be much easier. As a matter of
fact, life will begin to flow because now you are yielding to God’s will, and the Holy
Spirit is leading you.
God will start revealing His plan to you. He will show you what steps to
take, and provide for all your needs for the journey.
If you want to hear an excellent teaching about how to be led by the Holy
Spirit, go to: http://archiveserver.morelifenow.org/freedownloads.php ; series
number 1201 and 0802. They are free downloadable teachings!
Here are some basic steps you can take to start your self-directed learning
process:
1. - If you are not sure what you would like to learn about, or what your
gifts and talents are, ask yourself the following questions. It would also be helpful
to ask other people who are close to you to help identify your particular bents.
If you had a block of free time of, let’s say 2 or 3 hours, and the TV or the
computer would not be an option, what would you like to do? Don’t limit yourself
to what you could do. If there were no limits, what WOULD you do?
Try to remember how you were like when you were small. Little children
have a very natural way to develop their God-given bents. What did you like to do
most? What did you want to be once you were going to be an adult?
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Search your heart. There’s a dream in there…and it is probably one that is
impossible for you to accomplish on your own! God can only be glorified when we
live a life that is not possible to achieve by mere human effort.
2. – Okay, now you have a vision. This vision is your goal. See how exciting
this is? Now your life has a purpose, now you can establish goals. Someone once
said, “A goal is a dream with a deadline.”
3. - Once you have identified a subject to study, you will have to gain more
knowledge about it. You will need good information sources and trustworthy
mentors to guide you in the process.
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If it seems too hard to accomplish, start praying for God to provide the right
mentors and the money you will need to start. After all, He put that dream into
your heart, so HE will faithfully provide all you need for it to come true!
4. - Start today! Don’t despise small beginnings. It will take work, and
effort, and a lot of patience, but it is the only way to make a consistent change in
your life. If you feel overwhelmed, run to God, He will give you strength and
wisdom to keep on pushing.
5. - Fall in love with your learning, and have a lot of fun in the process.
After a season of delving into a subject with passion, you will gradually come to a
level of expertise, and…voilá!...here is something you can share with others and
help them with.
This whole process will come very naturally, because it is already inside of
you, waiting to be birthed by self-directed learning.
7. - Once you have gained expertise in a subject, you are ready to share it
with others. This is the culmination of every successful learning process:
Communicating your knowledge to others.
You now have the know-how to design your own education. You are a child
of God, you are led by the Holy Spirit. You have the Bible in your hand and a
dream in your heart. That is all you need. So, get on out there and make the
Dream a Reality!
No matter what circumstances you are in or how much you have missed God, His
perfect plan for your life is still waiting for you to walk in it! If you need help in this
area, visit http://DestinyEbook.com and start charting the course of your life
according to the glorious destiny you were chosen for.
http://www.DestinyEbook.com
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Appendix
Resources
What on Earth Was I Created For? Know Your Destiny by Finding God's Plan
and Purpose for Your Life! Go From Being Fearful and Insecure To Living
Fulfilled and Self-Confident! Includes exclusive "Destiny Package," 10
priceless treasures and faithful companions in your Christian walk.
http://DestinyEbook.com
http://cff.parentingforleadership.com
Langerfeldt, Bettina.
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Your Unique Combination of Gifts and Talents.
http://Self-DirectedLearningForSuccess.com
http://cf4k.ParentingForLeadership.com
http://cf101.ParentingForLeadership.com
http://cf202.ParentingForLeadership.com
The Couple Next Door: Imagine Having Your Very Own Internet
Business...By Helping People With The Knowledge Already In Your Head!
http://cnd.parentingforleadership.com
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Time Management: Here's a Step By Step Course to Master your
Time, Put Your Plans into Action, And Finally Make Your Dreams a
Reality!
http://tm.ParentingForLeadership.com
BOOKS
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About the Author
Bettina Langerfeldt de Delhey and Robert
Delhey live in southern Chile and have four
children. They started to home-school them 10
years ago.
Find Out How You Can Know and Walk in God's Plan for Your Life in My New
eBook:
http://www.DestinyEbook.com
www.FreedomPioneer.com 27