Homeschool? Why?

I know some of you that may read my blog are homeschoolers. So, I am sure you can relate to this question above. Sometimes it is actually unsaid but implied. The interesting thing about the question is the wide range of answers a person would get. So, I am sure my answer will vary from some of yours but here it goes.

I homeschool because … God has called me to do it right now in my life.
I have nothing against public school and believe firmly that some teachers are called into it as much as some families are called to send kids to public school. I do believe there are some that should be homeschooling that aren't but I also believe there are some homeschooled kids that are supposed to be in public school.
When we personally made the decision to homeschool we knew it was God calling us to do it and it was because Christ knew what our kids needed. It was not to keep our kids in a box and to keep them from the “evil” public school. In the book ~ Velvet Elvis~ Rob Bell talks about how we Christians forget sometimes that God is omnipresent. How true. God is in the public schools as much as He is in my home. It is not a protection factor for me. God is more than capable of protecting them anywhere and everywhere. we do have to guard our hearts and theirs and I do think that plays a part in it for us.

Let me also say this~ God has blessed our homeschool years so far and I see such benefit in it for our family. I feel like we have so many choices and opportunities with homeschooling that I can’t imagine doing anything else. We have been able to be involved in ministries with the kids. Help people in times of need. Teach our kids practical life skills and so much more. I could go on and on about how awesome it is but really it is up to us to simply listen and obey to whatever God is calling us to do now. You can’t go wrong if you do that. Homeschool? Why not?

Pushing through the dirt

I absolutely love listening to music. I enjoy the music itself but I really love the lyrics of songs. Certain lyrics will stick out to me at moments I need them it seems. I guess that's like anything else in life. God uses different things at different times. Mike leads the worship band at our church now and introduced this song awhile back but just recently it hit me. I am sure most of you have heard it but I wanted to share the lyrics with you.

David Crowder Band - Song Wholly Yours - Album A Collision

I am full of earth
You are Heaven’s worth
I am stained with dirt, prone to depravity
You are everything that is bright and clean,
the antonym of me
You are divinity
But a certain sign of grace is this
From the broken earth flowers
Come up pushing through the dirt

Chorus:You are holy, holy, holy
All Heaven cries, holy, holy God
You are holy, holy, holy
I want to be holy like You are

You are everything that is bright and clean
And You’re covering me with Your majesty
And the truest sign of grace was this
From wounded hands redemption fell down, liberating man

Chorus:But the harder I try the more clearly can I feel
The depth of our fall and the weight of it all
And so this might could be the most impossible thing
Your grandness in me making me clean
Glory, hallelujahGlory, glory, hallelujah

We are simply pushing through dirt and only God's grandness can make us clean.
How amazing is that?

The Sand Art of Buddist Monks

The picture to the right is a design made from sand. I was fascinated by it and the unbelievable details. It was made by Buddhist monks. I was amazed at the patience and perseverance it must have taken to make. The purpose in making it is to show beauty and discipline but also to show how everything in this world is temporary. It takes several days to make a design like this and after it is completed the monks sweep it up (literally with brooms) during a ceremony. The purpose is to make this beautiful artwork only for it to be destroyed after it is completed. I thought how symbolic for us too. We have many opportunities around us each day to help create beautiful things & enjoy the beauty around us. Our tendency is to take ownership in relationships & possessions that we don't "own". We need to make our purpose about Christ only. We can often times hold on too tight to things that will be swept up very quickly. By the way, I pray that the one true God will reveal Himself to the Buddist monks through this type of artwork. God uses so many different things that He himself has created.

Divine Metamorphosis

I am sure I didn't come up with that phrase myself~ Divine Metamorphosis. I just don't remember where I heard it. A verse I read this week brought the phrase to my mind~ "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" I have heard this verse a lot but it is funny sometimes how a verse can say so much to me personally. I am holding on to this verse as I encounter people who don't have that kind of change in their life. Honestly, it is taken for granted so often by us "Christians". This is completely life-changing. I am determined to share this verse with others. I may not verbalize it directly to others but I know I can share it directly by just living it out.

A day in the life of...

My day just never seems to be the same or at least it never has a regular schedule. For a long time, I really thought it should be more routine because kids need consistence, routine, schedule, etc. Well, what I am discovering is that some of that is true but I think I was trapped in my routine/schedule and had become oblivious to the things around me. God does a lot of awesome things for us and through us and we need to be looking for what He is doing.

I have my hands in a lot of things and that is ok if God is directing me in those things. I am constantly re-evaluating my activities and positions because I don't want to miss the "small blessings". I don't want to miss my son dressing up like Spiderman and trying to shoot me with his webs. I don't want to miss my daughter singing a care bear song and making up a dance routine to go along with it.

There will be times I just miss it but I pray I will be in the moment more than not.

God, what are you doing?

My husband was on national television this morning. It was a short 15 mins. of fame. It was more like 60 seconds. He shared what he could about the importance of sharing the gospel with teenagers. The topic could bring great debate but Mike searched and prayed about it. He was confident in what he is doing as a youth pastor. He was unshaken.

My kids, the 3 little ones, were not so impressed with Mike being on t.v. Sarah asked "Why isn't he talking to me?" So, their dad is just their dad. Ethan just wanted a NY Yankees hat. I think he thought it was pretty cool. I had the opportunity to talk to Ethan about the topic. He was a little surprised by what the discussion was about. This has given Ethan a new appreciation for what his dad is doing with teenagers.