His Strength

There are times when I am frustrated. October brought news that Drason's college fees would not be paid, certain repairs on our home would not be completed this year.  Yet, in November, God provided an unknown scholarship to help him complete his classes.  He will graduate Magna Cum Laude in January.  Sometimes God speaks to us in a gentle whisper, sometimes a shout, sometimes He expects us to know His will, trust Him, and just keep walking forward.  We did and He did the work.

December brought it's own challenges - for the first time in many years I accepted a job outside of our home.  We learned a LOT this month.  The Lord revealed to me, again, how beloved I am in His sight.  He is my strength and shield.  He reminded me of my capacity, ability.  He showed me again that in my weakness He is strong and His Glory is what matters.  God likes what others call garbage - and uses the weak for his purposes.  He also showed me once again that I am able to do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and revealed personal value in a way that, while friends may speak it, it's sometimes easy to see yourself as "just a mom/wife/worker"  The JOY of the Lord was my strength.  I found joy in a simple, yet physically demanding task, and was able to share that joy with others around me -  "Let your light so shine before men that the will see it and glorify your Father in Heaven"  I found the opportunity to create community and a spirit of helpfulness and good works in a workplace where I was only there very temporarily.  What a blessing!

In addition we have sought the Lord in how to handle family differences and how to honor the Lord in our holiday celebrations, This year God opened doors with family that had not been opened before, allowing for the opportunity for offence to be removed and for peace to prevail. It was joyous and relaxing!

At the end of my job I was randomly selected and given a bonus (which was very much needed to meet our financial needs), my supervisors praised me, my husband was proud of my accomplishments.  Because God opened the doors to allow us to skip some family things without offence - we were protected from a rather nasty bug that was passed around.  We have had all of our needs provided for, our bills paid, and Drason also will receive a bonus for his hard work and dedication.

These blessings are awesome and I am humbled by them. God is so good to us.  His mercies are new each morning, His love is unfailing. Thank you Lord for all you have done for us!

November 30th my van wound up in a ditch (it was a wet day) and we have been waiting all month to get our vehicle repaired - the insurance company is being rather slow.  How can I, in the face of all this, doubt that God will provide for us and give us the repairs or the vehicle that we need.  Father God, your strength is made perfect in my weakness, you see value where others see trash. Please help us to overcome this latest hurtle.  Thank you for all of your blessings - help us know how to best honor you Lord.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 

Living Water

Some days you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, with no where near enough sleep and you wonder how you will make it through the day, how will you keep pouring out when you feel empty.  It’s still dark outside – who in their right mind gets up this early?!  Filled with founts of living water, that rushing stream, it’s He who lets, and really causes, me to walk and not grow weary, to run and not faint.  How is this possible? I am not supermom, I feel so inadequate to the tasks before me, so much so that I crash back under the covers before the day even begins….

And then… there’s a friend who needs to have a sick day at home, can I watch the kids? Sure. And another kid whose sister is so pale sick and hurting, can I give him a ride? How can I not! And there’s these three cheery faces – can you watch over them too? Mom and brother are sick again, don’t want to chance it – and in the end I’m watching 9 kids and somehow everyone eats lunch, and smiles happy, and gets to the end of the day in one piece.  The friend whose hurting, she needs a minute just to talk it out and I hurt with her, and I can’t fix it – even though I SO WANT TO FIX IT!  So we spend time pouring out and pouring in – to each other’s lives.  Sometimes it’s enough to just sit and listen and pray clumsy prayers that only God understands.  And know that He does understand, and that He has a good plan for all this mess that seems so overwhelming.

And then there’s a spelling test and another hour spent patiently repairing sewing machines as giggly girls chit chat and sew, then reorganizing book shelves, and finding lost copies, and someone’s books and photos, and more…

Before you know it, it’s time for supper and rather I am celebrating husband’s accomplishments, his honors, with some odd flavored appetizers and waiting to snap a picture of this man who has worked so hard and is decorated in red tassels holding a plaque as if something so small could memorialize something so big.  This man, who has worked so hard on so many other days, here he is beside me all day on this day –what should be “his day” and he helps, he teaches, he chases after the same Holy things (even though he did sneak away for a nap in the truck)

And we go until it’s dark outside and there’s just one thing we really want to do, and we really should eat dinner, but we’re not so hungry for food as much as  hungry to see our friends and their son on the 11^th floor and just tell them we love them and are praying and try to tease a smile out of their sick boy before we go.  

It isn’t until we get back home, 14 hours later,  that I realize how the day flew, quickly coursing, like a wild river of Grace, and all these things are Grace, and how unworthy am I to be the instrument of even a small Grace – but there it was – plain and clear and undeniable. How He is making all things work together for Good – in our lives, through our lives, with our lives – and it’s a hard Holy thing to say it, even in the face of so much hurt, but this counting Grace is how we break the hold of the hurt, and make all things new, flowing, with rivers of Life. 

And there's this list that keeps growing - like proof - like a drink of water from the fountain that never runs dry - so I keep counting...

68. A husband who is patient with me even when I wake up on the wrong side of the bed

69. Husband who chases Holy things with me

70. Attitude reset

71. Nine kids =)

72. Being able to help a friend

73.  Three minutes in the driveway and a hug for the sick one

74. Time to talk to my friend

75. Clumsy prayers

76. Testimony

77.  Eating lunch together

78. Lunch clean up helpers

79. spelling test humor

80. having a spelling test

81. friend to make copies – all the time #Jenisthebesthelper

82. books on shelves

83. mom’s finding resources

84. German =)

85. note from a friend

86. Friends to clean up

87. Friends to lock up

88. Friends to be responsible

89. Plans falling together

90. Time with just husband

91. Honoring husband

92. faith

93. healthy kids

94. time to visit friends

95 seeing kid smile – even for a minute

96 dinner out #steaknshakeorpopeyes

97. warm shower

98 responsible kids at home

99 everyone fed

100 A whole day to be used for Grace.

Brave

"Don't be too brave"

I have to admit that was the mom quote of the day, yesterday.  I watched from my kayak as my sons climbed higher and higher in a great leaning tree, grasped a bungee rope and leaped out 30 feet over the Little Miami River, before plunging into the current.  I was terrified.

I had seen at least 15 other brave souls climb that tree and jump before my own child began to climb.  I had cheered and laughed as they swooped over the water, yet when it was my own child I couldn't help but shout "Don't be too brave" as they climbed higher and higher.  I regretted it almost immediately.  First for the eye-rolling look that says "MOM!!" and second because I think they took that as a personal challenge, let me show you how brave I can be!

I remember being terrified when I first began homeschooling my children.  I was so afraid that I would mess them up, I would fail them, I would fall short in their education.  Sure, I had seen others homeschooling their children and I cheered them on, but when it came to my children, I didn't want to step out on that proverbial limb, to swing without a net, for fear of failing. I thought, over time, that this feeling would go away, that I would feel better about my choices, more confident in my curriculum, more assured.  But as we climb higher and higher in their schooling, as each new stage brings new challenges, new fears of failure.

How do we keep going when the obstacles before us make us tremble?  Be a little bit too brave!  Look at the obstacle before you and take it as a personal challenge, and then climb a little bit higher than you thought you could.

The statement "do not fear" is found 57 times in most modern translations of the Bible and "do not be afraid" is found 46 times!  Some argue that "fear not" and similar phrases of encouragement are present in the bible 365 times.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

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.

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Psalms 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?

A very dear friend once showed me this lovely anagram for fear...

F- false
E - evidence
A - appearing
R - real

and my all time favorite Ann Voskamp quote - "All fear is fraud, and nowhere on earth is beyond the reach of God."

Can I encourage you today to climb a little bit higher? too walk a little farther out onto that limb, to leap without the fear of falling, but whooping and hollering with joy?  Can I encourage you to smile wide and be a little bit too brave?  Because the One who formed the universe has called you, and He is the one who holds you, who catches you, and who calls for you to leap without the fear of falling.

Be a little bit too brave today.
 The one who has called you is faithful, He will do it! (1 Thes. 5:24)

Blessings,
Amanda

Quality Control

I am blessed to have friends that walk beside me through life. I have this one friend, let's call her a mentor – friend, who has known me for probably eight or nine years. She's the kind of friend who's walked through some stuff with you. She knows you, she knows your life, she knows your weaknesses and your strength, and she loves you anyways. This friend is significantly older than I am, in fact she has children who could be my siblings. But she doesn't let that come between us, she doesn't look down on me in my "youth" 😊

A few years ago we were talking about our husbands, our homes, just life in general. And I was just down about some things not turning out the way that I thought they would. I had expected a certain outcome and my expectations were not met. She looked at me, with all seriousness, and she said "You know, I'm the best quality control I know."

I laughed, and I asked her what she meant by that and she explained a concept that I realized I had been chasing after for sometime. A longing for something within me, a greater peace.

She said "When my husband makes a plan and I don't quite like how things turn out, I'm really great at pointing out all the flaws in his plan. Or when my kids come home and they tell me about their lives, I am just the best at seeing all the things that could be improved. I look around my house and I notice every little thing that is out of place. I see my schedule and I see unmet obligations. I can even look at my friends and see how their lives could and should be improved upon." "Occasionally," she confided, "I have found myself sharing with someone my 'quality control' advice how they should straighten up, or how their household might run better, how my husband could make a better plan or how my friend could manage her time better. I even told my pastor how a ministry at our church could be more efficient. You know, Quality control? The thing is nobody really appreciates quality control. Quality control isn't really my job, and it's not yours either."

Her statements struck at something in my heart. There was this nagging discontented feeling there that, instead of squashing, instead of uprooting, it seemed I had been feeding and nourishing.
My first response was not acceptance, but to strike back. "I'm just trying to help" and "it seems to me that some of these people could use some help." And "don't you think that's the loving thing to do, to reach out and help other people?"

I'll never forget how she looked at me when she said "No, I don't think that is the loving thing to do."
And then she read this passage, which was so familiar to me, and it seemed like I was hearing it for the first time.

1 Corinthians 13:4-6 Love is patient and kind; it does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong doing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

I think I sat there speechless for a moment. I realized how all of my "quality control" was probably the most unloving thing I could do to the people around me.

Love is patient and kind – it's patient and kind when things don't go my way, and patient and kind when I have an expectation that is unmet, it's patient and kind when I think I could've made a better plan.

And speaking of making a better plan – love does not envy or boast. Love isn't the smartest person in the room, it's not the person who has the highest education, the best car, the nicest home. It's not the person with the most well behaved kids, it's not the person with the cleanest house. Love can rejoice in order and blessings but it does not envy those things or compare to those things. It does not stand alongside and brag nor does it stand alongside and demean.

Love is not arrogant or rude. Which means I might have to stop some of my quality control! Who am I to say that there is only one right way to load the dishwasher? Or there's only one right way to organize something, or to plan a trip, or to raise a child. I am no one. Love understands my position is that of the wretched beggar, the dressed in rags sinner, longing for Mercy. Love is not arrogant or rude because love recognizes where love came from. We love Him because he first loved us. And this gives us the strength to love each other, in all of our brokenness, and all of our imperfections, without the lens of quality control.

Love does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful. How often is my quality-control simply insisting on my own way? As if my way were the only correct way. And how often, when things don't go my way, do I become despondent, irritable or angry? Worse yet, how often do I harbor resentful feelings towards those around me, towards the person who I feel got their way! Love isn't focused on my way because love is focused on His way. How can I be irritable and resentful, even when I don't get the things I want, if I am trusting that the things I get are the things God wants. If I really believe that everything that comes into my life first passed through the will of God, how does my quality control jive with that belief? Because if I'm really honest, it isn't as much about "quality" as it is about control.

Because if I'm really honest, it isn't as much about "quality" as it is about control.

Love does not rejoice at wrong doing, but it rejoices in truth. Quality control only sees wrong doing. And that is where I wrongly presumed that my idea of correction and quality control is actually being loving. "Wrong doing" here means injustice. Love does not rejoice at the hardships and injustices of the world. Love rejoices in truth. And not just any truth, but rightly dividing the Word of Truth. Love rejoices at our understanding, understanding our own place in the world, understanding God's place in the world and understanding how we can address injustices, not through quality control, but through being the hands and feet of Christ.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love bears a messy house, a husband who's plans don't always fit my agenda, children who sometimes get it right and sometimes get it wrong. Love bears prosperity and famine, the good times and the bad times. Love takes them together, makes them bear-able. Love believes the best of others. It doesn't look for hidden motives, it doesn't bend circumstances to it's will, it believes that God is good, and that God has a good plan. Love hopes all things – it sees the good in plans that were not my own, it rejoices in a messy home because in Love- home is found, it holds onto hope when it seems that all hope is lost. And love endures all things, endures plans that are not my own, things that I do not enjoy, trials, suffering, and frustration. Love endures and brings me out on the other side.

1 Corinthians 13:3 ...and if I give up all that I have and deliver him even my body to be burned. And I have not love I have nothing

Too often, in the course of my daily routines, in the course of ministry, in the course of child rearing, in the course of marriage – I become focused on the sacrifices I'm making for those around me. But even if I sacrifice everything I have, if  I do so without love, if I do so with my "quality control "attitude, I have gained nothing for all of my work.

And more than likely my words, my corrections, my "quality control" has fallen on ears made deaf by my own actions.

I will never forget my conversation with my dear friend. It was the beginning of understanding a way of living that was foreign to me but was filled with joy. When I remove the glasses of quality control, when I let go and let God, I learn how to truly love.

Verb - it's what you do...

I remember when my oldest son was 7 years old.  He laughed and played like any other little boy, but when he heard an encouraging word from his mom, a kind word, a "that's my boy" or "you can do it", his face would light up.  I can so vividly recall - his smiles so bright it was blinding for a minute. This overwhelming joy and beaming happiness is seared into my memory forever. 

Encourage is a verb.  It's something you do. 

 Hebrews 3:13 “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness,” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 

Throughout the Bible we see instructions to encourage one another and verses that are meant to encourage us. Why is encouragement emphasized in the Bible? Primarily because encouragement is necessary to our walk of faith.  When we En-courage we give each other the courage to walk forward in faith, to face with courage all that life throws at us - to build us up.  The actual word used in Hebrews is paraclete - which means advocate or helper.  It is most commonly seen referring to the Holy Spirit. We are literally called to encourage one another just as the Holy Spirit encourages us.  

As clearly as I recall that bright happy face, I also recall the face of discouragement.  When they stuck out at bat or lost the big game or heard hurtful words their faces would fall, sometimes tears would fall as they experienced what it was to be discouraged.  Discourage is also a verb.  Dis-courage, to take away someones courage, to take away their ability to walk forward in faith, to take away their ability to face what life brings, to tear down. 

John 14:1 Let not your hearts be troubled....

In the proceeding chapter of John, Jesus is eating the Passover meal with his disciples.  He has told them he will be betrayed by one of their own, he has predicted Peter's denial and his own death.  Jesus knows how this has hit them - and he says "Let not your hearts be "troubled" or "athumeo" 

athumeo -  disheartened, broken in spirit. 


We quite literally hold the power to encourage - giving each other the same help as the Holy Spirit gives us, or to break the spirit of others through our words and actions.  It's all about the spirit. 

And this is the choice we make every moment of every day.  

Each word we speak, each interaction, everything we do has the power to en-courage or dis-courage, we can build up or we can tear down.  Every. single. moment. 
Think about that for a minute.

Every word spoken to your spouse.....
Every word spoken to your children....
Every word spoken to your co-workers....
Every word spoken to the cashier at Walmart...


Literally every word is your verb - what you do - the legacy you are leaving built one word at a time. 

Proverbs 16:24 “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”Proverbs 21:19 "It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman."

Are my words healing grace or a spirit breaker?  Lord, let them be healing grace. 

Proverbs 14:1 A wise woman builds her home, but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.

Goodnight,
Amanda

Fire

In the forests there are tall towers constructed to be hundreds of feet tall. The wind causes them to sway just a little but if you can climb them, the view is amazing. You can see for miles. 

Imagine being on the Eiffel tower or the Empire State building and ripping open a feather pillow, shaking all the feathers out. Of course a few would fall at your feet, but the wind would blow most of the feathers far and wide.  Even if you tried, even if your very life depended on it, you could not recapture all of those feathers. Most would travel to places unseen, unknown. 

Now imagine that all of those feathers, were fire. 

Proverbs 16:27-28

27 Scoundrels create trouble;

their words are a destructive blaze.

28 A troublemaker plants seeds of strife;

gossip separates the best of friends.

Gossip will burn through life like a wildfire, untamed, uncontrollable.  Who can re-gather fire? It can never be re-gathered, it can never be taken back, just like you can never get back the spill of gossip. You could work tirelessly to undo gossip, you could spend hours, days, weeks, even years trying to battle... and it is like a single man trying to put out a forest fire.  

James 3:5-6…5So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!6And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.

I am pretty sure everyone has experienced gossip coming back to them about themselves. When that happens, it is always tempting to correct the gossip, to identify the originator and to put them in their place.

But if I try to run it down I will never find rest or peace, it would be just as impossible as chasing down feathers dropped from the tower spire.  It would be just as dangerous as a person who tried to fight a forest fire with a garden hose.

   I have grappled with this and realized that...

...when I  accept God's estimation of me, 
I stop worrying about what people say about me.

When I know I have been the topic of gossip, I often pray that God will recapture all those feathers for me, that he will extinguish the fires that have been set around me.

There is no way that I will ever be able to address it, no way that I could  convince others of the untruthfulness of the words spoken against me or my family. And in trying to undo the tangle of someone else's web - I too would strike a match and light dry kindling - I too would be guilty - I too would cause harm.

Psalm 62:5-6 NLT

Let all that I am wait quietly before God,

    for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.

Goodnight,

Amanda

Should we expect Non-Christians to be Moral?

Blogged with permission of Israel Wayne,  Author and Conference Speaker and Director of Family Renewal, LLC. He is also the Site Editor for www.ChristianWorldview.net. 

I have been hearing a lot lately, “We shouldn’t expect non-Christians to live like Christians. They don’t know God, so they sin. That’s what sinners do. Stop expecting them to be moral.”
Or even, “God’s laws apply to Christians, but they don’t apply to non-Christians.”

Is this thinking Biblical? Should we refuse to mention to non-Christians that they are sinners and that they are violating God’s moral law?

Paul says that God didn’t give His moral law for good people, but for the people who are sinning.

“We know that the law is good when used correctly. For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders. The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God.” (1 Timothy 1:8-10, NLT)

Should we tell our non-Christian friends that they are sinning? Paul certainly did to the unbelieving Greeks in his day:

“God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30-31, NLT)

A lady I know posted online the other day that we shouldn’t tell people they are sinners, instead, we should just tell them about Jesus. Really? Tell them what about Jesus? What is significant about Jesus? That He loves people? Heck, Barney the Dinosaur loves people! That’s not life-changing news.

Jesus is only significant if He is the remedy to the sin that separates us from God (His claim). You can’t skip over the cross on your way to acceptance by God.

“We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. (Romans 3:22-25, NLT)

Galatians 3:24 says that God’s moral law is what He uses to bring us to Christ. Until we know God’s moral law, and that we have broken it, we cannot seen our need for a Savior. Don’t skip the confrontational parts of the Gospel in your eagerness to just love everybody into the Kingdom. God is holy, and He will not allow sin to abide in His presence. We owed a debt we could not pay, Jesus paid a debt He did not owe, so we could be reconciled to God.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23, NTL)

Before you can give the good news, you have to give the bad news. God doesn’t give people a free pass on sin just because they aren’t Christians, and neither should we. God doesn’t merely require all people to be good, He commands us to be Holy. That can only happen through the life-giving power of Jesus.

Finally, we understand that it is ONLY through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit of God, living inside of us, that we can be transformed and finally overcome the grip of sin in our lives and live the life that pleases God.

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1-4, NLT)

So lovingly confront unbelievers with their sin, otherwise, they can never be saved from their sin.

Homeschooling Warts - we all have them

Republished with permission of Joyce Sell Meyers of Christian Family Homeschoolers. 

"One of the things I see commonly are parents who begin to homeschool their kids, often after a trial of public school and something happens: they find out they can't stand their kids' behavior, the kids can't get along with the parents, let alone each other. Now, I'm not saying it's always that way, my oldest and youngest butted heads and they were homeschooled their whole lives. In time they have learned to love each other as sisters should, and it was hard. BUT I see a lot of parents struggling with the "They all said homeschooling would enrich our family! We're all going to kill each other, first!"

When you homeschool kids you find warts. Oh the warts were ALWAYS there, you just weren't dealing with them 24/7 and someone else was. Or they were being ignored. I know the feeling, "Let's just put them in school." Newsflash! All that does is MOVE the problem, it doesn't SOLVE the problem. AND those issues have more than even chances of getting worse, not better.

Then you discover YOU have warts. What turned your mild mannered self (who cheerfully put kids on the yellow monster at 8am and received them back at 3pm) into a raving maniac? It's called "close proximity." You also find out that your kids don't listen to you. At all. About anything. Ever.

Well, I'm here to tell you THAT was the fun part. The not so fun part is to follow. First, God gave you THOSE children. Yes, those particular, genetically unique, strong willed, juice dumping, poop playing, bedtime wailing children - yep, their yours. Now, and some of you aren't going to like this, but I will forge ahead, anyway. To some degree you have created the chaos you are now in. I know all about exes and inlaws, outlaws and busy bodies. But this is YOUR family. The fact is that sometimes we fall down a chute called "convenience" when we should be climbing the rope to "discipline."

Next I'm really going to get in hot water. I spanked. We spanked when my toddlers were old enough to understand and openly defy "No." We taught them three things before age 18 mos: "No, Come, and Stop." And they learned to listen the first time. We did not whack them senseless, we used a small dowel stick if obedience was not immediate. BECAUSE we taught them early to obey the FIRST time, it was not employed greatly because they simply obeyed. I rarely had to repeat myself. Read that again. How often do you repeat yourself? 5 times before punishment appears? I didn't get frustrated because what I asked was done in a timely manner. If something was impeding the carrying out, it was discussed - but not in an argumentative way. If I told one to go make their bed, but had forgotten the wet sheets were in the washing machine, they could certainly voice, "Mom, I don't have the sheets." There was no bargaining going on. Did they try? On occasion, but it was met with firmness.

Kids are taught whether to obey or not obey - and we are their teachers. There are parents who have taught their children systematic disobedience and boy does that come out big time around age 3. Well, about that time they get shuffled off to preschool and the "problem" is not eliminated, it just changed addresses. They are in school for awhile, summer break comes and around July you hear parents start in, "I can't WAIT for them to go back to school. Why? Because now THEY are dealing with the obedience issues first hand and don't know what to do. AND they figure, "They'll be back to school in 8 weeks, let the teacher deal with them." 23 parents a year in the SAME CLASSROOM say that. THAT's why teachers go gray, but I digress.

IF you're still with me I have some more to say. Discipline for children is as much for them as it is for us. I am appalled by the people I see who are lead by the nose by their preschoolers. Seriously? Who is in charge? God wants your children disciplined in their routines partially so YOU can have some rest. He never meant for young kids to stay up until THEY felt like going to bed. My children were in bed by 7:30 as little ones. Now I know that daddy's work schedules can really foul that up, but they should have a regular bedtime as much as possible, leaving time for you and your husband at some point.

How on EARTH are your children going to obey a BOSS (and odds are they WILL have one at some point) if they can't obey YOU? What will become of God's Word? Will they treat God the same way, as an optional king rather than their Lord?

Parents - grow some backbone. Back to my original warts. You are seeing those warts so you can FIX them before they get to be adults and it really creates havoc. I am going to vomit if one more parent refers to their school age (like 13 and up) as their baby. We are raising MEN AND WOMEN, here, not babies. I wish I had a list of women who have contacted me because their husbands were immature and don't man up. Granted, they married them, but it is amazing the number of men who do NOT mature after marriage. I have daughters, and I would be appalled if she pouted and used sex as a weapon against her husband, as many women do. We need to stop doing everything possible to "make sure they have a childhood" and their little lives are Disney World 24/7 (I know, Disney is bad; shoot me) and begin training them to be adults. We have a scant 18 years to do this. The last thing we need to do is foster a "my baby is hurt and helpless" attitude because they need to do some housework and don't want to do it.

One last thought, then you can lynch me. We are in this together. You have to hunker down and get serious. There are a myriad of parenting resources out there IF you are serious. If you want this month's result to be the same as the last 4 - well keep doing the same thing. Children, well behaved ARE a blessing and relationships can be fostered and restored, but not if you are in this for the short haul. 

Okay, one more thought. (I smell the tar being heated) Homeschooling is a discipleship commitment, even more so than academic. I KNOW it's hard. But your children arrived with sin natures that were aching to be catered to and some of them were. It is time to repent of sloppy parenting and get into the business of effecting change by obedience to the Lord and by the power of the Holy Spirit. You get serious and God will work. It CAN be reversed. Fear not!! As long as there is breath in your body and coffee in your cup (and none of that decaf crud) your angst, unhappy, miserable family CAN be turned around.

This has been written to encourage and if necessary upbraid on issues you are already well aware of. I push the "post" button and wait for the nuclear attack in south Jersey. May God have mercy on my Mac.

Homeschooling High School - 9th grade curriculum recommendations

Frequently, someone will ask me, "What do you suggest I use for high school...." and it invariably leads to a long conversation about the merits of certain curriculum and why I use this vs. that.  So - I thought I would share a brief version.

Yes, you can homeschool through high school.  A diploma is nothing more than a ceremonial document, the real work is in your transcripts - which should be detailed and thorough and should include every activity which contributed to your child's education. (that is another post) There are a few things which are necessary in any home school program, in my opinion, to prepare a child for the road ahead and to permit them a wide variety of choices.

#1 - Math - assuming you have completed pre-algebra prior to high school, I recommend starting with Teaching Textbooks Algebra 1.


Teaching Textbooks, which I only recommend for students in Pre-Algebra or higher, is a comprehensive review of math principles with EVERY PROBLEM EXPLAINED.  That is right, each and every problem is explained by a math teacher.  Students complete the work on their own first, then if they missed anything, they can review step by step until they understand the concepts. This curriculum requires minimal parent involvement (great for high school).  My only concern is that the concepts are not always reviewed to the point that they are in many other curriculum's -my solution was to use supplemental worksheets from Saxon.  I would not use Saxon in high school because, from our experience, the problem explanations stop after Saxon 8/7 - even the Saxon teacher Cd's didn't help.

#2 - Language Arts - I would recommend that students have completed IEW in elementary and middle school to help them to be able to delve into Literature in high school. It is not essential, but it would be a great help to them.

This text is designed to expose students to a wide variety of classical literature while teaching analytical thinking and preparing the student for college course work. This is a guidebook for parents and students to use together. Through Introduction to Literature students will read Around the World in Eighty Days, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Jane Eyre, Pygmalion, “Legend of Pygmalion and Galatea,” Treasure Island, Animal Farm, The Tempest, and Gulliver's Travels. (These titles are purchased separately) The book is structured in 1 month segments during which a student will study the author, history and time period of a text while reading the book and then complete a 500-750 word essay using included rubrics.  This curriculum is wonderful for Language Arts but also teaches critical thinking skills.

#3 Science
Biology is the science that I would recommend for a college bound student, but Physical Science could also be undertaken if it had not yet been completed.

This text covers cell life, genetics, creation science (as an alternative to evolution) and ecology.  Also crucial to this text are the additional online resources, which are linked from the publisher's website, for further explanation of each topic.  This text may seem vocabulary heavy, but the memorization and use of this vocabulary prepares the student for a college level Biology course.  The text is divided into 16 modules with experiments and dissection instructions.  I would recommend that students have access to a microscope and dissection, although with the online resources it isn't absolutely necessary. Overall this text is engaging and comprehensive, presenting information and resources from a Christian perspective, while not neglecting to present evolution as a model which is taught and something that a student might encounter later in their academic career.  The publisher's name, Apologia, says it all - apologetic arguments are presented and even more are available through the online resources.

#4 History -
History was never my favorite subject in school, but as a homeschooling mom I have loved re-learning history!

Cultural Geography starts with a broad view of what culture is, how it is formed, the Earth's surface, climate and nations.  There is a good explanation of geography and map terminology, as well as a review of industry, use of natural resources, languages, religions, and governments. This text takes each continent and breaks it down to the smaller nations and regions for a thorough study of history (recent and landmark events), culture and cultural history, and geography.  Students read the student book and then complete questions in the work text.  Purchase of the 'kit' (pictured) is not really necessary.  Students will at least need the student text - which has review questions included. Parents might want to also purchase the teacher guide (which includes answers to review questions).  While the work-text and answer key are also useful, I found the greatest resource to be the maps included in the work-text, rather than the review questions, although there are some very nice maps in the back of the student text.

#5 - As with all things homeschooling you will likely want to supplement the basics with art, music, a foreign language and PE/health.  Those electives can be incorporated through curriculum or through co-op classes and community involvement.
Many libraries have foreign language curriculum, such as Rosetta Stone, available to check out for free.

We loved this Art curriculum and it was easy to follow and incorporate, although we only completed about 1/2 of the book in a year

And for health resources, a basic first aid course combined with Abeka Health in Christian Perspective











The cost for all of these books - the complete kits - would be about $500.00 - although I believe this cost could be reduced by 20-40% by shopping online sales, used curriculum, and shopping curriculum sales.

I hope this helps those who are preparing for high school!

Blessings,
Amanda