August 31st - Tunnel Vision

August 31, 2010 by admin.

“Focusing on the big picture” is necessary when home schooling. When we don’t focus on the big picture - the result of our efforts plus God’s grace- we get tunnel vision. One of the biggest pitfalls of home schooling failures is that they got tunnel vision- only seeing a small pinpoint of light, and (eventually)wondering when the end will come!

On the road home to WV from NC there is a tunnel through Big Walker Mountain. I will never forget one trip when the traffic was backed up for over 20 miles before the tunnel! As we got closer to the tunnel, we could see that they had one lane closed and were painting lines on the road. There was an exit right before the tunnel. (I think they kept that exit just for claustrophobics!) Well, when there are three females in a vehicle for a long period of time- let’s just say that is why they make rest areas! By the time we got to that mess, we were about to float through the tunnel and it didn’t seem like traffic was going to move for a while, so we elected to go OVER the mountain.

Once we got moving again (and breathing air that was not laden with paint fumes!) we saw the most beautiful farms and rolling hills! The sky actually looked bluer, and we even ‘mooed’ at the cows in the pasture. J Sure, it took a longer time to go over the mountain, and the gas station on the other side of the tunnel was the same one we stopped at when we came down the other side of the hill, but we were no longer stressed and grouchy at one another. It was a FUN journey. One that I would like to take again some day.

In comparison, many a new home schooling Mom has picked up her curriculum at a curriculum fair with delusions of grandeur (okay, maybe that’s too strong) -visions of excellence- dancing in their brains. Instead of choosing curriculum based on usable, everyday knowledge, we are lured by bright colors and/or name brand, shiny, excellently printed, streamlined and organized materials. As we pick up the package, we see our son or daughter at the next homeschool fellowship standing in front of a three sided cork board with a pointy, white stick discussing the plans for a new rocket designed to reach the north star! Well, not saying that can’t happen, for obviously in our history, people have done great things, but this should not be the main goal! If it happens, thank the Lord! Until it does, teach what is necessary to inspire greatness, and leave the promotion to God. J

Tunnel vision says that if Junior or Susie did not get 90% on all quizzes and tests he/she did not apply him/herself. The big picture says that your child knows 90% of the materials presented! If you feel that the other ten percent is absolutely necessary for their life goals, and they might not learn those facts later on, then by all means continue to teach that material until your child knows it. Otherwise, chalk it up to human error. (You know, chances are that if you give the same test a week later, after explaining the wrong answers, they may get a higher score. And chances are, if you go over the wrong answers you will find they say something like, “Oh! I knew that! I didn’t mean to put that answer!”)

Now, some of my homeschooling friends would chastise me right now for being mediocre and rearing my children without a full-throttle gung-ho attitude. “If we don’t aspire to greatness,” they say, “others will, and we will have a bad testimony for Christ and for homeschoolers everywhere!” Well, just call me a mountain of mediocrity, I guess. I think it was the Apostle Paul who said to let your moderation be known to all men, and that although he was a learned man, he chose to know nothing among some folks save Jesus Christ and him crucified. Don’t get me wrong, though, he CHOSE not to know anything among SOME folks. The point is that Paul had the big picture. He was learned and educated, but he wasn’t proud about it. You know what he counted all that as! He knew what was important in life and that was to attain Christ. To know HIM. To show others who Jesus Christ is and what His desire for our lives is.

We must take heed, therefore, to stave off the condition of tunnel vision as we go through the tunnel of homeschooling - for it IS just that- (just a part of the whole road of life) Let us not be forgetting that there is a whole valley opening up just beyond the 12^th grade!

All that aside. Maybe I am justifying my lack of Math skills? That sounds like a random thought, but it’s actually pertinent. I tried last year to do Algebra. I didn’t do so well. I am going on 39 years old. All of 25 years ago I was in an Algebra class in 8^th grade. I failed that class and every other Algebra class I have ever tried to go through since. I guess I’m going to try it again this year just because I have something to prove to myself. At this point I don’t’ know if it will ever get done, but I’m mad enough at the Algebra god to push him over a cliff! He plagues my dreams with visions of X and Y - that doesn’t do anything to help that Biology class the kids are taking- and makes me think in parentheses! (Well, sorta). See what I mean. J

If I don’t watch out, I can get tunnel vision. I will forget that I have lived those 25+ years in happiness and peace without EVER solving for X. Am I mediocre because I don’t think in terms of Algebraic expressions and polynomials? I don’t know, but in the big picture, I don’t think many people care. Well, except those rocket scientists. Whom, I guess, are needful to society. When your child reaches that goal, forgive me for my ignorance, please.

In all honesty, if I could ever have finished my grocery shopping with the aid of X, I may have tried to use her. She just doesn’t make herself available! J Dusting with the aid of Y may have encouraged me, since he might have saved me some time - um, after I did the problem to solve for the amount of time it would take to dust the area of my home before I started to actually do the work.

So, did I do it the hard way?

I guess sometimes you just have to go OVER the mountain and not through the tunnel!

　

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August 30th - Learning in 2010/2011

August 31, 2010 by admin.

Learning..

Today, we started our 15^th year of homeschooling. Boy, have I learned a lot! This is our New Year’s day, and has been for a long time, now. This is the time of year when things are new! The notebooks are fresh and the pencils are sharp. The curriculum is exciting! The crayons are gone now, but they used to be new. (I could chase a nostalgic rabbit right here, but I think I’ll keep that precious memory to myself for now. J ) This is the time of year when we resolve to do things better than last year…This year, we are (trying) to start some new habits, and (trying) to break some old ones.

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but God can. J

One of the most uncomfortable and frustrating feelings in this life is when we are faced with our own failures and shortcomings. I think that is why children don’t like school. They are constantly bombarded with things they don’t know for nine months out of twelve! As parents/teachers, we look at things they need to know, and present the problem with (hopefully) smiles and expectations of greatness, often forgetting that this is new territory for our child. Lo and behold, just a few days later, we expect what we fed them to be spit out on the paper in the form of a test, and we are disappointed when we don’t get the results we expect. You just can’t hide that from your child, you know. Try as you might, they KNOW you are disappointed, and doubly, they are disappointed in themselves.

Thankfully, we can tie ties of love and acceptance with our children even though they (unintentionally) fall short of our expectations. As homeschoolers, especially, we have the opportunity to tell them over and over how much we appreciate their efforts and we can help them overcome those learning obstacles. We can let them know that they are not SUPPOSED to know all the things that they are faced with. That is why it is called LEARNING!

It’s also an opportunity to share Christ with your child! You see, ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God. No matter how hard we try, we could never attain to God’s greatness or expectations. We just can’t. We are sinners! Our flesh inhibits us from ever having peace with God. The only way that can be accomplished is through faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and His blood atonement made on Calvary.

Learning about this shortcoming isn’t comfortable for anyone - UNTIL they learn the test answers! I have a copy of the key! It’s called the Bible. The Bible says that it is not by works of righteousness which we have done, but by his mercy he saved us. God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

He made a way for our salvation!

When we learn that, we have learned a great thing!

So, dear reader, as you start your academic venture this year, don’t forget to share Christ with your child. Don’t keep Him to yourself! Math, English, Social Studies, Science, History… none of those can compare to the knowledge of Jesus Christ and what He has provided for the REAL future- the eternal one!

　

　

　

　

　

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Been Thinkin’ ’bout…

July 23, 2010 by admin.

Been thinking’ ‘bout…

A while back, a few years at least, I was instructed that reading a proverb a day (there are 31 chapters in the Book of Proverbs, and usually 31 days in the month) would be a helpful tool in guiding me in wisdom, judgment, justice and equity; to help me get what all women secretly desire- wisdom! (and understanding). I have tried to keep that a practice since, and I have found that in many ways, I begin to think like the Proverbs read.

For instance, when I feel lazy, inevitably, the Book of God will come to my mind - usually as I lay in bed -(Prov 26:14 as the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed. -or- (Prov 22:13 The slothful man sayeth, there is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets. -or- (Prov. 20:4 The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest and have nothing. -or- (Prov. 6:6) Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.

I just can’t get away with it lol J As a matter of fact, (although there are more) there are probably about 7 verses that deal with being lazy that come to my mind. I reckon that averages out to about one a day!

Now, those verses may not prompt you. Everyone is different. When I think about what things displease the Lord, Proverbs 6:16-19 usually come to mind

Pr 6:16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

I’m thinking’ ’bout, I would like to be more diligent to know the state of my flocks. (Prov 27:23) I think it’s the OCD in me too. I NEED organization when I feel out of control. If I can’t organize, then I clean, and usually throw away clutter. Then I feel better for a while lol. My body was hurting so badly this time, though, that my wonderful, darling husband painted the living room for me! (You do not know how hard I am laughing at how absurd that sounds).

For the last week, I have felt like I was a machine. I have had a really bad episode of pain and Fibro-fog and I have not been on top of things the way I should be. Definitely NOT the Prov. 31 woman!! It’s getting a BIT better, although last night I forgot to turn off the crock pot after I took the crock out and set it on the stove to cool (no doubt so I could refrigerate it later) - but I also forgot to put the crock in the fridge. SO the crock-pot base was on, and the food was left out. I’m glad Ron stayed up a bit after I went to bed and kept my crock pot from burning itself up and supper from spoiling. L

Lately, I’ve been thinking’ ‘bout money. Last blog was about what money could and couldn’t buy. The Bible says the the LOVE of money is the root of all evil (1 Tim. 6:10) You can love money whether or not you have money, by the way. I know folks who have money who are miserable thinking someone is out to cheat them out of it. I also know folks without money who spend up what they get trying to win the lottery!! (Prov 13:7) My thoughts are going a bit deeper than that. What I’ve been thinking’ ‘bout is how to better manage what we get.

I am eliciting help from one of my friends in SC (who shall remain nameless until she comments on this blog hehe) who has seven children - that’s 4 more than me, and they are much smaller- and keeps her grocery budget to the penny… I am ashamed to say that I have had a little sibling envy going on in my heart. I’m sorry, Sister. J But it’s a healthy envy! I want to LEARN how to do it. J Actually, after looking at her grocery list, I think I’m a frugal shopper, and I probably do just what I’m supposed to be doing… but I don’t write it down, and I’m not diligent to know just what I spend or where it goes. What’s that verse…be not slothful in business? (Rom 12:11)

Do we get brownie points for trying? Well, I don’t know if brownie points is the right way to put it, but yes, I think that the Lord takes our motives into account. (1 Cor 6 and 2 Cor 5) You see, I’m not trying to impress anyone but Him. I realize there are those who look at my life, just as I look at others, but when it comes down to the judgment, I will be standing before Jesus alone, and I sure want him to be pleased and know that I did all that I could do to be that Proverbs 31 woman. And I do realize, as we all should, that when we compare ourselves among ourselves, we are not wise ( 2 Cor 10:12) SO, I resolve to try harder and be more organized!

Anyhow, as I prayed this morning, I was thinking’ ‘bout our finances, and about an incident that happened yesterday that I’m trying not to be bitter about. “Lord, I’m not wanting to be rich. I just wanna pay the bills and not be beholden to anyone for any reason. Feed me with food convenient for me…(para Prov 30:7-9) So I won’t be thinking’ I did it on my own when I have a little, or I won’t question why you didn’t provide for me the way I thought I needed for you to, and resort to stealing and evil things if I don‘t have it. I would also like to give to those who need it. You like that attribute, and say that it is a wise person who gives and doesn’t hold back if you have it by you. Lord, I’d like to have it by me so I could give to someone who needs it. Give me this day, my daily bread, and forgive my debts as I forgive my debtors. And help me to know why I do what I do. ”

So I don’t pray in KJV? If you do, great! I know He heard me and that‘s what counts to me. J

Now, I’m thinking’ ‘bout making a chart or two to be more organized and know where my sheep are feeding hehe J

　

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An Economics Lesson …

July 15, 2010 by admin.

Money…

It can buy you a house, but not a home.

It can buy you a bed, but not sleep.

It can buy you a meal but not an appetite.

It can buy you entertainment but not happiness.

It can buy you an expensive watch, but not time.

It can buy you the best medical care, but it cannot buy life and health.

It can buy you shoes, but it cannot make you walk.

It can buy you music, but can’t put a song in your heart.

It can ease your conscience by giving to the poor, but it cannot buy eternal life in Heaven.

It can buy eyeglasses, but it cannot allow you to see a sunrise.

It can buy an education, but not give you intelligence.

It can buy you protection, but not peace.

It can buy hearing aids, but hearing is a gift from God.

It cannot buy pardon for your sins.

It cannot buy the joy of knowing that you are a child of God and a royal descendant of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

It cannot buy the precious blood of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

It cannot buy a white robe or a new name in Heaven!

It cannot buy my mansion or my time with the Lord Jesus.

It can steal my time if I forget that money is not worth much in the scope of everything else. Money cannot buy faith and trust in the provision of the Lord Jesus!

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Courting

June 21, 2010 by admin.

Courting

A lot of folks have recently begun asking me questions about our girls; (Logan is still available) how their relationships with their “to-be’s” came about, and how they are progressing. So I thought I would just write a little about it, give some definitive terms, and how it has happened not once, but twice so far in our family. What’s more, we are looking forward to a third time! The next time, it will be different for us because Logan will be doing the courting instead of being courted! I might be asking for some advice from someone else on this one!

To begin, there are many, many different ideas about courtship. I really don’t think that any two or three families do it exactly the same way, although involved families need to agree on how their children will be courting. They need to be on the same page as far as courtship rules etc. For example, along with our physical contact rules which I talk about in the next couple paragraphs, we also have a rule that we read all letters and cards and all emails and chats. There is nothing spoken of that cannot be heard by parents or siblings. But I’m getting ahead of myself…

Being brought up in a ‘dating’ culture, neither my husband, nor I had any concept of courting when we started seeing each other as a couple. While our parents certainly did not want us to be promiscuous, they saw nothing at all wrong with holding hands or hugging or even kissing for the most part, eventually. I say eventually, because things in dating relationships usually progress quickly physically often leaving out the more important facets of a relationship while courtship progresses intellectually, emotionally and spiritually for a more well rounded relationship, sealing the courtship with marriage and the physical.

A friend of ours, when talking to teens and families is quick to point out that what hand you are holding or whose lips you are kissing do not belong to you if you are not married. If you are not committed to a relationship before you get that pleasure, you may be kissing someone else’s wife or husband! Avoid fornication. That’s good advice.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 7, verses 1-4 that it is good for a man not to touch a woman, but to avoid fornication, let them have a wife or a husband. In today’s world and culture, teenagers can’t have a wife or a husband, so our family believes that to avoid fornication until such time, touching is off limits. As a teenager, I did not understand, (not discounting my own rebellion) that physical contact is dangerous if not within the bonds of marriage. I will say that we allow our children to shake hands with their “to-be’s” It is a different handshake than at fellowship time at church, but not long enough to count as hand-holding. They can say hello and goodbye, but otherwise there is no touching.

Why the word “to-be”? Well, again, unlike a dating situation, our children’s relationships are not based on a trial or a game. The young men are not just having a good time with our girls, but they have the intention of marriage, and they have had that idea since the day they each came to my husband and asked to court our daughters. (more on that later)

The word ‘boyfriend’ is a word that we don’t even like to use, but most people don’t understand our vocabulary. To keep from having to explain our courting terms over and over, we just say boyfriend most of the time. J So, actually when we say “to-be” we mean husband or wife to-be. I like to use the words Leah’s or Sarah’s “intended” or ‘Fellow’, while Kelcey’s parents usually call Leah, “Kelcey’s Lady” or his “Princess”.

Some people think that we were silly to put that serious of a tag on the relationship from the very start, but the reason for that is simple. We’re not playing games. It IS a serious relationship. We know both our daughter’s relationships were orchestrated not from human trial and error, but from a heavenly design and plan for the good of our children and the glory of God. Why should we NOT revel in the grace of God and his will being accomplished in our lives? It is an answer to many prayers to have Kelcey O’Neil courting our Leah and Christopher Davis courting our Sarah.

Yes, we believe that we prayed, and God answered. You don’t let God have that part of your life? Do you not think it’s important enough to pray about? Or do you think that God doesn’t care who your child spends the rest of her/his life with? Do you not think that you can choose (or at least influence highly) your child’s idea of a mate? We actually had a mental list of qualifications and these guys met the standards. If they had not, the answer would have been no, we don’t believe you are the young man God has for our daughter.

One of the first questions that I get asked from well meaning but ignorant folks is ‘He is a Christian isn’t he?” Once, I replied. “Yes, but he likes to party and get drunk on the weekends, we’re hoping she is a good influence” My friend knew I was joking, so I said, “Ask a stupid question…” Then I asked her did she honestly think we would approve of a situation without Christ as the center? OR could it be that coming from a dating culture, we just expect our teenagers to rebel?

Our Courting ideas did not come from a book (except the Bible). We had our own ideas of what we wanted for our children for the most part. One thing we avoided was play-dating. We never encouraged little boyfriends or let them hold hands with other little ones when they were small. I guess we always saw the danger of letting our children be flirtatious. Yes, it’s cute, however, we always were able to see that what is wrong and cute at age two is still wrong and NOT cute at age 12. Did they have crushes? Sure. And they told us about them. When they did express that they ‘liked’ someone, we did not fain excitement or show how ‘fun’ or cute it was that they had an interest, but we re-iterated what the Bible says about husbands and wives. (I was reading this aloud and Leah says we said “He’s married! J ) We taught our girls to be chaste and modest instead of flirtatious and wanton. Now, when they think about their past crushes, they know it was a healthy interest in the opposite sex, but they are not embarrassed of their actions.

We did not roll our eyes in mock frustration in the ‘what am I going to do with you’ attitude. We realized that human beings are created to be loved by someone special and it is not good that man be alone. It doesn’t matter how old you are. You know what love is. We never told them they did not know what they were talking about, but we did tell them that they lacked the experience to choose what was best and we tried to develop their trust in us by being honest, sincere, and hopefully consistent enough that when we thought it time, or the right person was revealed, we would tell them.

It was the same - but different- for both girls. Here’s how it happened: (remember that there are FOUR gospels, so if you want another version of the love story, ask Kelcey, Leah, and Kelcey’s parents! LOL)

The Prince and the Princess:

(Imagine sweeping harp chords, dreamy chimes and the foggy mist of memory lifting)

We went to Virginia for my husband to preach and our family to sing at a newly established church. The pastor is a friend we’ve known since the early 1990’s. He informed my husband casually that there would be another preacher and his family there- the O’Neil’s. We did not know them, although we had traveled in the same circles and knew many of the same people. The Pastor was surprised! How could we not know them?! We had been to the same churches but had never met. The answer, it was not time. As we women- another preacher’s wife, the pastor’s wife and I- were preparing food for the meeting, the O’Neil’s arrived and the door to the Pastor’s home opened. In walked a tall, dark and handsome stranger with a firm handshake and a pair of nice cowboy boots! J He spoke with confidence, was polite to my husband and could hold an intelligent conversation. Only one problem, he wasn’t the least bit interested in Leah! My husband, however, was ticking that list off in his mind and Kelcey O’Neil was fitting the bill. Later, my husband revealed to me that he thought the Lord was answering our prayers for Leah. It ‘just so happened’ that we found common interests with Kelcey’s parents (which we found out later was because they were ticking off their own list and had gotten the word from the Heavenly Headquarters that Leah was going to be their daughter-in- law) and began spending time in many family outings getting to know each other. Leah and I spoke in November of 2007 about how she might be feeling about Kelcey, and I told her what her Dad and I believed. That he was ’the one’. Kelcey fought tooth and nail against this arrangement although nothing had been said to him about it. He had no problem fellowshipping with Ron and me, but when it came to being nice to Leah or even pretending to be nice, he wanted none of it. Nothing was said to him of trying to ’marry him off’ but he felt it. He was very upset to hear his Dad praying about this situation, but later told us that it was a sweet memory. We went away for a week or two in October 2008 in our ministry (almost a year after Leah and I had spoken), and Kelcey found that it was not being able to live WITH someone for the rest of your life, but not being able to live WITHOUT them that mattered. He missed Leah. It smacked him hard upside his head and he told his dad that he thought he was beginning to like Leah. Over the course of the next eight months, he and his dad had many conversations and, eventually, Leah began seeing a change. She began to notice that he was looking her way, that he would say something to her now and again, that talking to him for more than a sentence or two was kind of nice…and that she could be herself. (To understand more about Leah, read the blog = The Same But Different) By Memorial Day 2009, they were holding conversations alone, but in plain sight. They laughed, and they talked and talked! June 2009 was Leah’s graduation from home school and she was a picture of a magnificent lady full of grace in her formal dress we bought for her! Kelcey could take it no more, and the day after graduation, he and his Dad took Ron to lunch, and he asked to court Leah. Ron asked him some basic questions and then they came back to the house. We sat as a family around our table and Kelcey told Leah that he had just had a talk with her Daddy and had asked him if he could court her if she would ‘be agreeable’. She said she was, very much so. Kelcey’s Dad then asked Leah some questions, too. When he asked her how serious she was about courting Kelcey, she surprised us all by looking into Kelcey’s eyes and saying, “I’m very serious. I love you very much.” I could not have day-dreamed that! I could not have picked up and read a fairy tale with that much magic!

It has been a year, and they have grown together in goals and dreams. Tonight, as they sat on the porch swing, they sat and read the Bible together and prayed. They are planning their life together, and preparing for marriage. Am I naïve enough to think that they do not want to touch, hold hands, kiss and cuddle? Not on your life! I know they have that desire, but their desire to do things right is stronger. They have not been placed into compromising situations that tested their resolve to the point of breaking. We do not hover over them, nor do we require them to be constantly watched, although they are in public areas at all times. They have been sheltered by grace and kept in a safe place. No, they are not engaged in the generic sense of the word because Kelcey has not proposed, nor given her a ring. When the last pieces of his plan are put into place, there will be another formal meeting with Ron and Kelcey, man to man, and an engagement will be commenced - complete with celebration with family and some very close friends- and the carving of Kelcey’s name into Leah’s hope chest! Although we have always known that marriage is the imminent goal, we want them to have the memory of the very moment that he actually asks her to be his bride. That is the day that the wedding date is announced. Although there has been quite a few months of courtship, there will probably not be a long engagement; probably just long enough to order a dress and some invitations! And the Prince and the Princess will live happily ever after….

In the time before their courtship, the Queen Mum (um that would be me) did a lot of instructing on how to be a good Princess and began preparing Leah to be courted. She grew and matured, waiting quietly for her Prince. ( I think the other Queen and I were a bit ‘antsy’ but Leah actually did fine while waiting for His Royal Stubbornness to come around! J ) So, when his intentions were finally realized, she was ready to accept, easily and with no reserve. I never said a lot to Leah about Kelcey before his announcement, as far as teasing her about liking him. She is not that kind of girl. I knew she would break down and cry. She wanted to believe, but did not want to hope too strongly, that Kelcey liked her. So we just didn’t talk about it much. At one point , I think she really wanted to just forget about it all because Kelcey was being more than a little rude to her, trying, I think, to remain in control of the situation but not being very successful!

　

　

TALE NUMBER TWO -

The Charming Knight and the Lady in Waiting…

The Lady who waited and waited for her own prince to come sat daydreaming about a day when, like her sister, a handsome stranger would ask for her hand. She wanted to feel included and doted upon. She wanted to be special to someone who would understand her. She filled her days with music and photography of God’s beautiful creation; his flowers, his clouds, his rain and dewdrops. She filled her spirit with laughter and mischief. She climbed hills and rooftops so as to see things from a different perspective. That was nothing new. Sarah always sees things from a different perspective! She was jealous of Leah but she didn’t want to be. She knew she was two years younger. She just felt left out! Then, there was an evening in March 2009 when we went to the O’Neil’s house with the specific purpose of playing music with an old friend of theirs, and a newer friend of Kelcey’s, one Mr. Christopher Davis who played the piano, and who was a computer savvy co-worker of his. We, Ron and I, found him very charming, and I saw Sarah melt before my very eyes. When we got home, I told Ron what I had seen and although we had been praying for Sarah, our lives had been a little consumed with Leah’s heartstrings, so we began praying in earnest for our little Sarah Grace. Chris came to Ron’s birthday party that we held in his honor at my In-law’s house. He was the last to leave as he and Sarah had been finding common ground in the Irish whistle music and some favorite hymns. At one point, Leah walked into the music room where Sarah and Chris were, and felt so much energy that she walked back out smiling and pointing! I shushed her quickly and reminded her that she had a long while before seeing her sister in the same courtship situation as she was so newly in! J It was not long after that moment that Ron, too saw sparks flying, handed Mr. Davis his hat and told him good night, in a courteous manner, of course! At the next meeting- about a month later, the four kids went over to the church at Walton and played music together. This is when Chris said it strongly occurred to him that ‘someone’ was going to be a lucky guy to get Sarah. He was still thinking about his college plans and not getting serious about anyone. For a long while, Sir Chris, the noble gentle knight spent time, money and effort for and with our family and the O’Neil’s. I think he began to notice that the things Kelcey and Leah did as a courting couple were no different than when they weren’t officially courting, except for a few more longing looks (which Chris teased him mercilessly about). He found that he liked exchanging friendly greetings on Sarah’s Facebook wall, and ‘singing’ with her the hymns of praise. He saw that she loved the Lord and was genuinely interested in service. He began asking Kelcey questions about courting when they went to lunch or when they got together to play music without us around. In about November of 2009, he told Kelcey that he thought he might like someone. I am not sure whether or not he told him it was Sarah. Of course Kelcey did not tell us, but God sure had told us months before! At our house, things were getting pretty rough for Sarah because of me and Leah. We teased her about Sir Chris and SuperChris as we called him because he could fix ANY computer or technical related question. We laughed that they had so much in common and how cute they were going to be together. Even Ron got in on the act and began teasing Sarah about Chris. She took it well, hoping and wanting to believe that maybe some day after Chris graduated college and she finished high school, that he might think about her. After Chris and his family came up to exchange gifts at Christmas, it looked like things might be looking up for Sarah. I think around the first of January 2010, Chris told his parents that he liked Sarah and that he was praying about it. He began attending our church on Wednesday nights, sometimes even driving in snowy and winter weather conditions! Ron said he didn’t think Chris was driving all that way just to see him! Sarah’s 16^th birthday was on a Tuesday and we had a small family gathering, purposely choosing not to invite Chris up specially. Ron and I could feel a thunderhead forming and didn’t want to push anything. We decided to play along at the ‘just friends’ façade Chris was putting up. After all, A few days after Sarah’s birthday, we had planned a skating party for her at a local skating rink and he and his family were coming to that. On the day of her party it rained so hard that it flooded our neighborhood and we couldn’t get out of the hollow! Sarah was SO very upset- not only because the party had to be postponed until the next week, but because she was looking so forward to seeing Chris that day. I think he had kind of an inkling, but not a real understanding of how much Sarah cared about him. But when he heard that she was upset- and crying, he could barely contain his true feelings anymore and tried to console her by telling her that it was just the Twelve Days of Birthday! All her grief over postponing the party was gone! The Wednesday after that, Chris came to supper, as he had been doing, but before church, stopped Ron and asked him if he would come to dinner on Friday with him and his Dad. On Friday, March 19^th 2010, Chris asked Ron for Sarah. It had been almost a year since he had talked to Kelcey, and Ron was more than happy to say yes to Chris, but he did not think about Chris and his Dad coming to the house so he could ask Sarah himself. He came home with the great news to the Queen Mum and the Princess, and most of all the Lady in Waiting all chastising him for telling Chris he would see him in the morning! He ACCIDENTLY made Chris wait until Saturday, March 20^th to ask Sarah to be his Lady. (instead of just in-waiting!) In that twelve hours, Chris did a lot of thinking about how to talk to Sarah face to face and he was so nervous when we four finally sat down at the table. (The Prince and Princess took care of keeping the rest of the court occupied while the round table meeting was commencing!) Unlike Kelcey’s and Leah’s announcement, Chris’ parents were not present when he asked Sarah if she would allow him to court her, and unlike Leah’s announcement to Kelcey, Sarah did not forcefully and confidently proclaim her love to her noble Knight in Shining Armor. She just sweetly smiled, and said she would allow him to. J A little later, as they sat by the piano, Chris on the bench and Sarah at his feet, she smiled up at him and whispered ‘those three little words’ to Chris before he left with Kelcey for the evening. Kelcey said he had to use two seatbelts to tie Chris down on the way home that night - because he was floating away on cloud nine! It has been almost three months since that evening, and Sarah has indeed been courted very well! And we believe that God has been glorified! Their letters and conversations praise God for his goodness, and for his choice to put them together. They talk of wanting to please the Lord in their lives and in their life together. They are not making marriage plans yet, but know that they are going to get married. Right now, they are re-iterating Chris’ desire and necessity to finish his accounting degree. Sarah still has a year of high school to finish. Right now, they just want to make beautiful music together and are still amazed to see God working in their lives. They are beginning to grow together, and in the Lord. We are looking for great things from them! The beginning…

So… that’s how it happened and is happening. If you have any questions, or comments, please feel free to let me know J

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Lasagna Gardening - by Angie Fleshman

June 1, 2010 by admin.

One of my dear Sisters in Christ has given me this article about a gardening project their church homeschool group did this spring!  I was very impressed with it, and thought I would share it with  you!  I took pictures of the garden..but can’t find them!  (Sorry, Angie, things got a bit hectic after that Saturday hehe)  ENJOY!!!

Lasagna Gardening

                Well the Lord has blessed us with another spring, and with spring comes gardening. If any of you are from the country, I am sure you hear the buzz of information that comes along with this time of year.  I was asked to share a little about some information that I have found myself about lasagna gardening. I hope you will enjoy and learn from it.

                Lasagna gardening is a quick, easy way to start a garden. It would be great for a home schooling project, for people with little space or tools, or it also works great for the older generation that loves to garden but may not be able to do all the labor of traditional gardening.

                I first learned about lasagna gardening by watching a video by the West Ladies called Homestead Blessings Gardening ( www.homestead-blessings.com).  I also found the book by Patricia Lanza Lasagna Gardening at the library. It goes through all the information you will need for this type of gardening. Ms. Lanza started the idea of lasagna gardening when her children left home and she had to do the gardening herself and found that it worked wonderfully. I would like to encourage you to check out this book if you are interested in serious gardening or if you are just starting, it has so many good points.

                The reason it is called lasagna gardening is because you layer the material to make a raised bed. You use any organic material that you can get like leaves, grass clippings, barn litter, compost, peat moss, straw…. just any organic mulch or things you would put in a compost pile (no meat scraps) . This is like making a big compost pile in layers and planting in it.  Your first layer would be cardboard or a double layer of wet newspapers to kill the grass and promote earthworms. Then just layer and put your plants in and you have an instant garden.  The book suggests to layer peat moss in every other layer but the video didn’t, they just used straw, manure, leaves, and compost. Be creative and look around for what you have or you can buy things at the store.

                We recently had a ladies gathering for our church where we made a lasagna garden to plant herbs. We used cardboard, composted dirt, leaves, old grass clippings, and peat moss. It came together fast and easy. We had a great time planting and discussing the herbs. The best thing is by adding mulch through the year we won’t have to worry about weeding the little 3×3 herb garden we constructed.

                I hope you try lasagna gardening for yourself and I pray that the Lord will bless you with a wonderful harvest.

Blessings,

Angie Fleshman

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Finishing Well

May 18, 2010 by admin.

Once and Done - (Peggy Hoy 2007)

Chapters of our lives begin and close.

What is in the middle, God only knows.

If you look back, you can read it,

But life is something you can’t edit

Bitterness will turn you upside down;

Will turn your smile into a frown.

Your heart will lie- now that is a fact.

Once a deed’s done, there’s no going back

There is no record of greater disgrace

Than a hurtful word spoken in haste.

Before speaking or acting, count the cost,

And later you won’t have to count your loss

Remember our lives are like a book.

Every now and then, open, and take a look.

No erasers are given once you’ve begun,

For our lives are but once…and done.

　

When my husband and I started our life together, we had such big plans and dreams! I’m very thankful to say that after 20 years together, most of those plans have been fulfilled, and most of those dreams have come true. Not everyone can say that - what a blessing!

Now, along the way, as plans and dreams were fulfilled, we developed more. I have no doubt that if the world stands, He wants to bless us with the fulfillment of those expectations also. We should NEVER stop dreaming and planning and setting goals!

One deep-settled plan we had was to homeschool our children. I believe it was God’s plan according to his Word. Did we always have the money, resources and resilience to home school? In a word, no. Did God give us what we needed to make it work? Yes! There were times when money was tight and we had to scrape up enough for curriculum. There were times when we hodge-podged things together, and I despaired over the bright, colorful, more expensive materials. Sometimes I just wanted to quit because I did not think I was providing enough good things for my kids. I look back, and with thankful tears remember God’s goodness.

I look at today, and see Leah’s diligence in her AP classes combined with her SAT scores were enough to gain her 18 hours of college credits! Sarah will be finishing a year early and taking her GED next spring. Logan will be in ninth grade and working with his dad this summer learning his trade. He is growing into a strong young man with a great work ethic!

Who ever knew that counting pinto beans instead of using ‘real’ curriculum could do that?!Leah should be finishing her AA in Secondary Education around January 2011.God has given her a wonderful young man, and plans are that when she finishes, they will be married. Just recently, they closed on the property they are buying.

Sarah has also been given a fine young man who plans to be an accountant. My heart is overflowing right now, as I sit and listen to them playing the piano together!

Most of all, not only my girls, but these two young men love the Lord, and have plans to keep their homes Christ-centered. We have no doubt that whatever road they go down, the Lord has something great in store- and we also do not doubt that they will yield to God’s purpose when he shows them what he wants them to do!

Oh yes! These are good days! There were bad days, too. There were times when we failed with the kids. The training and teaching sessions we may have had for the right reasons were few and far between, instead they were mostly for the purpose of keeping our kids from being like other people’s kids! What GRACE can do! (I thank God for grace, and I’m ashamed to admit some of these things)

We failed in other areas, too, and when I recall the days when they were small, I am truly grateful to the angels God placed around my children to keep them safe, when I was lazy, unconcerned and (willfully) ignorant of the fact that Satan hated my children and wanted to kill them.

I know that sounds like strong words, but he is hateful and wicked- and he is our enemy! He would LOVE to have them even to this day. He wants YOUR kids, too. He wants to keep anyone he can from being saved, and loving and serving Jesus. Do not be deceived!

I have learned a few things over my years, and through my mistakes. That is one reason I started this blog. If I can help just ONE family make it through their children’s early years with some practical training helps; help ONE family decide to stick to home schooling because it’s the right thing to do according to the Bible; most of all, if ONE person gets saved because of our testimony and love for Christ - I will be truly happy.

What goodness I have received of the Lord! What a joy my teenagers are to me! What a blessing to have them all here with me safe and sound in body and mind - when they could be dead, in hell, or scarred and damaged from my neglect and selfishness!

My most earnest prayer is that I can finish well. I started well. I messed up some in the middle. I tried to correct my errors. I overcorrected some. I trusted God when I came to the end of myself. So when I come to the end of my children’s education, I hope I will have finished well. When I see them all standing at the altar with their beloved ones, I hope I have prepared them well. When I see the fruit of my labor, I want to have finished that last chapter well! And when Jesus opens the books to judge me, I want him to say…

“WELL done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou in to the joys of our Lord.”

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Book Review - Simply Homeschooling

May 4, 2010 by admin.

Book Review: Simply Homeschooling by Melinda Keen Lewis, MA, LPA, LSSP

Morris Publishing 2002

My friend picked this book up recently and thought it a refreshing look at home schooling. To us road-worn and (sometimes) weary - experienced folks, anything inspiring is welcome! When she passed it to me with accolades, I knew it would be a good book! I so liked the way it was written, I decided to do a book review here in case any of you would like to purchase it for yourselves. I know that it is available from CBD, but there may be additional sites to order from as well, including this address in the front of the book:

Lifestyle Learning

9704 Ravenna Court

Granbury, TX 76049

Neilmeltx@aol.com

(817)279-6262

I do not know if this is a current address, email, or telephone number.

Mrs. Lewis takes the verses Deuteronomy 11:18-19 and breaks them down into practical examples. She then takes each core subject and fine art, and gives real life experiences to guide a new homeschooler, or even an experienced one, in a relaxed, matter of fact, encouraging manner.

She gives highest authority to the King James Bible and acknowledges that without the Lord, we are nothing. His Word should be our first Bible Curriculum! Do not forsake the Bible!

As with any motivational materials, this book is chock full of great ideas, plans and excitement, but please do not feel that you must complete each of these things she mentions as a scope and sequence to have a well rounded home school. I do not believe that is the intent or purpose of her writings.

She has done a very thorough job of just telling us all to relax! Have fun! Listen and learn together with your children for a wonderful home schooling experience. As you learn and grow, hang in there with your fingers, teeth and toenails, and one day you can help someone else on their home school road just by telling your story and giving some examples of how the Lord brought you through a certain situation.

Another thing that I liked about the book is that Mrs. Lewis did not seem proud in her abilities or education (although she is capable and very well educated), but sites many sources that she has read from and learned from. There are ten pages of resource materials, books and helps listed at the back of the book. What she has gotten, she is freely giving- including the plan of Salvation! Excellent!

Simply Home schooling, in my opinion, should be a reference on any shelf! I hope you can purchase one for yourself to refer to in a down time when nothing seems to be going right. Remember that God will give you grace! I think homeschooling is something that never gets old and never gets stale. It just gets all the more exciting!

Happy Reading!

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Temptation and Opportunity

April 24, 2010 by admin.

Temptation and Opportunity

1 Corinthians 10:13 should be a verse that every man, woman and child should learn. I remember learning this verse many years ago as a Junior Sunday School student. It has been invaluable to me throughout my life, as it was hidden in there for future use. My Pastor is a very wise man, and explains it something like this:

Temptation is there, and has been since the day the two trees wereplanted in the Garden of Eden. The first couple did not have a trouble with them until temptation met opportunity. One can do pretty well if there is opportunity, but temptation is not near. One can do pretty well if temptation is near, but there is no opportunity. But woe to us all when they meet, if we do not heed the scriptures and take the door God has provided for us!

Now, most of us adults, when thinking about temptation immediately focus on sexual sins, but temptations are different for everyone.

For your child - yes, I said your child would be tempted. What? You don’t think your child would ever fall into sin through temptation? Another preacher friend of ours says, “Oh happy day in my life when I realized my child was a liar!” That sounds silly, you say. Not at all! It is a wonderful day in your life when you realize that your child is a real human being with real human attributes, and is not the angel you always thought he was!

You still don’t understand. Why, that’s when the Lord can begin working with your child’s heart!

Brother Paul says that he would never have known sin except that the law said not to covet. I am paraphrasing. J Your child will never know sin and never know a transgression of the law until the realization of good and evil dawns upon him/her. It is written in our hearts through our consciences at first, of course.

Here is our job as parents. Do not let that tender heart and conscience be seared by letting temptation and opportunity meet too many times in your child’s life. Be diligent! Be vigilant! The devil, as a roaring lion seeks YOUR child to devour him/her.

Scenario: The Easter holiday just passed, and many of you bought baskets of candy and toys for your children. Or maybe grandparents did that dirty deed for you! How many of you said… “Johnny, Susie, you may have one piece of candy right now, but no more.” ? How many Johnny’s and Susie’s tried to get more than one piece? How many of your children got one piece of candy, but then asked for another ten minutes later when you were on the phone? How many of them went and got another piece and you caught them at it?

Does this sound like a silly example of temptation to you? Well, dear Momma, you are deceived just like Mrs. Eve! For she saw that the fruit was pleasant to the eye and good for food, and she did eat! How many of your children had a situation that maybe went like this - Susie got a piece of candy and gave it to her brother, then told on him. “Mommy! Johnny is eating another piece of candy! Can I have one too? It’s not fair! He got two pieces!”

MY child would never do that. MY children have been trained better! MY children don’t even like candy! J Friend, don’t kid yourself. I see it all the time. I think it even happened at our house once or twice (wink) J . My point is- you have to get to the bottom of it. Do not let it go on and on with this and other situations! Sin doesn’t get smaller, it gets bigger. Heed my warning, even something as ‘cute’ as candy snitching is sin if they have been warned not to do it.

But don’t take my word for it! Learn from the scriptures! The greatest parent, God the Father, did not let Adam and Eve get away with what they had done, but punished them, and provided a covering for their sins.

Here is a novel idea. TELL Johnny and Susie that IF they eat more than one piece of candy, IF they sneak candy later, IF they do not follow the rules, the candy goes away- for good.

Oh, I can’t take away their candy!!! That is mean! That is harsh! That is cruel!

Adam and Eve were sentenced to death.

Adam and Eve lost their fellowship with their God and creator

Adam and Eve cast the whole world into a fallen state

God was not cruel. He was not mean or harsh. He was just.

You don’t think your kids will ever get any more candy? You think they will resent you for taking it? I guarantee you that they will see the error of their ways, and be better boys and girls next time…for there will be a next time! (Halloween is in October! J Just kidding.) Take the scriptures and show them the price for sin, and it will be one of the greatest things you have ever done as a parent, and SHOW them the way to get rid of that guilty feeling.

One temptation YOU have to fight is this - Do not tell them the penalty for sin and then not perform the judgment you said was coming. You will do much more harm than good that way.

Setting up training sessions for temptation and opportunity is a great idea. God does not tempt his children for evil, but he does for good. Example: Abraham and Isaac on Mt. Moriah. Be sure that if you do training sessions you have thought them through. Otherwise, your children may see you as a hypocrite. You have to be consistent.

Or another thing you could do is hide the candy. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about temptation and opportunity meeting your child until he is sixteen or seventeen (and you drop your standards) and let them go out with a pretty young lady in your car.

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The Importance of Planning

March 29, 2010 by admin.

It’s been said that if you fail to plan, plan to fail. This is so true. I also heard someone say recently, ‘Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency for me.’. This happened to be in a work-place environment, but I think it could be said for any situation. When we are in a place of leadership, we must be absolutely sure that whatever we expect out of our ‘subordinates’ we expect of ourselves. If you expect your child to be able to get out of bed, make it up, get dressed, wash his face and brush his teeth and hair, then you should be able to be ready for breakfast, devotions and school on top of your other daily morning routine. You are the superior. Where much is given, much is required.

Wow, I seem to be a cliché machine today! But I guess that’s okay, since they happen to be true. J

So how can you plan for a good school day?

Number one: Take time to pray. You are not the all-in-all, Jesus is. It’s His plan you are following, and not your own. A day without prayer is a failure from the beginning- every time.

Number two: Take time to plan. Forget thinking about what you want your child to learn through the whole year. That is not a day to day plan. That plan should have been done before the year started. No, this day to day plan should just be following this big plan. If you purchase a curriculum, this should not be a large problem. Most curriculums are pretty thorough with already set daily plans. Your job is to look at the plans before you start school! You could even take a few minutes before bed to look over the next day’s work and pray about it.

Number three: Don’t forget things like appointments or meetings that happen to interrupt your school week. When you fail to plan in things like that, you set yourself up for aggravation which filters down to your children. Make a list or keep a calendar. If your child has a quiz or test scheduled for the day you must be out, plan to give it before you leave or after you get home. You may even have to wait until the next day. By all means, do not expect too much out of your child in this area. They are just there to follow orders at this point. When they get older, in 8^th or 9^th grade, you may incorporate their thoughts into your plans, and even give them experience in planning the week.

To sum it all up, don’t fail to plan and your plans won’t fail to bring peace to your home schooling experience. Be flexible, but not malleable. Be structured, but not rigid. You shall succeed! J

One more thing, don’t limit planning to just school.  Plan for the future of your children in prayer and supplication to God to lead in every avenue of thier lives.  You’ll be glad you did! 

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