The Gospel By Eric and Leslie Ludy

This is an amazing video !

We are commissioned to represent him to the world !

AMAZING !

The Living God stands behind us !

"Greater is HE that is in us than he that is in the world! "

We should consider it a privilege that he has asked us to take His Gospel to the whole world !

A blessed Easter to you and your family !

He is risen INDEED !

Draw The Line

 

It is one of those moments where you realize that there is no turning back. The speaker: Eric Metaxas, best-selling author of Bonhoeffer, the biography of a minister who paid with his life for standing against Hitler’s godless tyranny. More than 2,700 people have shown up to occupy the 1,500 seats. They’re sitting in the aisles and packing into every available overflow space. Everyone knows this will be a defining evening.......

  “Eric, a lot of people want to know what Christians should do about the Health and Human Services mandate that forces employers who provide health insurance to cover so-called contraceptives that can cause abortion. Is this a big enough deal to take a stand on?” 

   Eric’s reply stuns us all. He explains that in Nazi Germany the abuses against the Jews started out as small bureaucratic rule changes. When no one objected, the Nazis pushed harder, destroying more freedoms. He concludes by saying, 

“You can’t sit this one out. This is where you have to draw the line."

To read the full article go to : www.summit.org/media/journal

How do I get involved?  Wisconsin Family Action is a good place to start! ( www.wifamilyaction.org )

For WFA and those who share our values across the state  of Wisconsin, the need to proactively work to protect oyur religious freedom - right now -  is very apparent. One need look no further than the untenable situation that the retailer Hobby Lobby has put in for an example of government overreach and infrigement on the right of free religious exercise .

Remember April 2nd is a General Election - Make sure you vote ! 

Keep it Simple

The biggest problem most home school moms have is the one in their own heads:  schoolishness.  It’s not surprising.  After all, we all grew up in the factory schools where one size misfits all and you’re taught the same things in the same way with the same materials at the same age.  As if people had no individual personalities at all.

So we approach teaching our children with a head full of presuppositions from having seen things done a certain way all our growing-up years.  And we find ourselves doing things that don’t make sense and which make life harder, not easier for us and our kids.  

We make Johnny finish all the practice problems in the math book even though he has already demonstrated mastery and is bored to tears with the useless repetition.  Let him turn the page!  We interrupt Susy in the middle of writing an exciting story because the clock says it is “time for” her to memorize some list of facts.  We jump though all the hoops prescribed by the teacher’s guide just because it says to—even if it burns up time that would be better used for a library trip or an experiment with some yucky thing a little boy found growing in the woods. 

We worry about “gaps” in our program.  As if anyone could really write a complete life curriculum. If you take that idea to its logical conclusion, there is a gap in your own education for every question you ever answered incorrectly on a test.  

Mom, lighten up.  Trust yourself.  God did—that’s why He placed those children in your care. You’re living life as a dedicated Christian adult.  You already know what it takes to walk the walk.  Trust the fact that God entrusted little lives to you.  He knows you can lead them through these years in a way that will prepare them for the years to come.  

Teach them the things you’re glad you learned as a kid and the things you wish you had.  Introduce them to important books and interesting people.  Take them places that will make them think and ask questions… And do it as a family, not as part of a support group mob.  

Get them involved in service projects, teaching them by experience that the world doesn’t revolve around them. Find opportunities for them to trade real work for real money, even in little bits.  They need the experience of seeing the value of time by trading it for something of measurable worth.

Want to make home schooling simpler?  Trust yourself to make decisions and God to guide you. Worship Him instead of a curriculum publisher.  Design an individual life curriculum for each child as you go.  Use published materials where they seem to work well, but realize that learning is all around you all the time.  

Cultivate in yourself a curiosity about the world around you, and your children will learn to learn by watching you getting an education.  Take advantage of the incidental opportunities for learning that come along.  Encourage the kids’ individual interests—even if they’re not interesting to you—knowing that one interest leads to another and the learning goes on and on.
 
In other words, cultivate a lifestyle of learning and serving, then lead your children through it.  That will prepare them for whatever later life may bring.

It’s really not that complicated unless you make it that way.  Keep it simple.

~Rick Boyer

Rick and Marilyn Boyer's blog is :.thelearningparentblog.com

A Word Fitly Spoken

Teri shares about how you can bless your children.

Recently, Sarah was going through some paper keepsakes she had tucked into an envelope. She discovered three notes that I had written to her perhaps six to eight years ago. As she read them out loud to me, I realized what treasures they were, but at the same time my heart was stricken. Her next words were already in my mind. “Wow, it's been a long time since you have written me a note like that.”

I rather quickly dismissed my guilty feelings with the thought that I don't have time these days to write encouragement notes to the children. The Lord Jesus didn't let my mind rest for long, though. Sunday morning when the sermon dealt with dying to self, the Lord began convicting me. He reminded me that I will take time to write an e-mail to a friend. If I have minutes enough for that, shouldn't I have minutes enough for my children? Which is the higher priority: investing in my children, encouraging them spiritually, and drawing their hearts to me, or writing an e-mail?

As a result of these two situations, I have now begun writing my children notes of encouragement and gratitude. Writing a note to a child before writing an e-mail to a friend is my goal. I discovered that it only takes me five or ten minutes to write a love note to a child, whereas I can easily spend a half an hour writing a personal letter to a friend.

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver” (Proverbs 25:11). As mothers who want our children to grow spiritually and who desire to keep our children's hearts, I encourage us to see the value in writing notes to them. These notes do not have to be long or complicated to be beneficial. I want to share with you the three notes Sarah read to me that afternoon. After reading these real-life examples, I expect you will have many wonderful ideas for notes much better than these that you could write to your children. These notes weren't written with the thought that anyone else would read them, but I have included them so that you can see they were very simple and written for different occasions. Yet, for many years now Sarah has kept them and read them from time to time. Their power and value has greatly surpassed the power and value they had when they were first written and read.

Sarah,

Thank you for the gift you gave your family tonight in our delicious dinner. It is a long labor of love—I am glad you enjoy it—but it is still an investment of your time. I see maturity in you when you tell me how you thought about your time last night and saw the benefits of investing in your little brothers and sisters.

Our dinner was a gift to me especially, too. Can you imagine how difficult it would have been for me to have dinner to prepare plus Anna's three or four vomiting sessions? But instead I was able to be with her in her need, play with Mary, help you with your sewing, and help a tad in the kitchen.

I love you, my daughter and delight to see God working in your life. Love, Mom

Dearest Sarah,

It's been a long time since I have shared one of my mints with you. You are a delightful daughter, and I am glad you are mine. Love you forever, Mom

Dear Sarah,

I want you to know despite some of the struggles we are having that I love you very much, and you are precious to me. I love to see your sensitivity to God's Spirit and His working in your life. You are a tremendous physical help to Mom, and I am grateful for all you do to help. Learning to serve has eternal value—many things teenage girls do, do not. Ask the Lord for His desires for your time and life and you will not be disappointed. Love, Mom

“The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning” (Proverbs 16:21). The sweetness of our lips can be transferred to the written page. Our words to our children can be spiritually encouraging. In our notes, we have the ability to share with a child what we see the Lord doing in his life and how we are praying for that child. We can thank a child for a special kindness he has done. “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works” (Hebrews 10:24).

“Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24). Our words in our notes will be written reminders to our children of our love for them and our gratitude to the Lord for them. As we encourage them spiritually with pleasant words, this verse says it will be sweet to their soul and health to their bones.

“A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!” (Proverbs 15:23). In this verse, I read what I have discovered myself: that when I write my child a note, it not only encourages the child but it brings joy to my heart as well.

“The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: and a good report maketh the bones fat” (Proverbs 15:30). Written notes are an excellent way to give a child a good report. Knowing God's thoughts about pride, we don't want to foster that in our children. “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” (James 4:6). I believe our encouragement notes are a vehicle of giving a child a good report without accommodating pride in his life. We can focus on the work the Lord is doing in the child's life that has led to our words of praise for him. We will express gratitude for the child's obedience to the Lord's working and promptings in his life.

Spoken words vanish in a flash except for the memory of them. However, written words can be kept, read, and reread for days, months, and even years. I have notes that Steve has written to me through the years, along with ones the children have written plus ones from others. These words were all blessings and encouragements to me when I first read them. In addition, I have read them at various times through the years. Truly, they are treasures to me.

Since the Lord convicted me of the importance of note writing a few weeks ago, I have written six notes and look forward to writing many more. I left one note on the bathroom sink that the child uses, slipped one under the child's bedroom door, and placed another one on the child's bed. One note I cleverly placed in the child's Bible at the spot we were currently reading for our family Bible time. Thankfully, I had folded the note and placed the child's name on the outside, because I had not so cleverly put it in the wrong child's Bible. Even figuring out where to leave the note has brought joy to my heart, but not nearly as much joy as seeing the eyes and smile of the child as he relates to me his discovery and reading of the note. It is a very small amount of time investment for a very huge return.

The notes I wrote many years ago, which I have shared as examples, were not written with any particular goal in mind. Now I have several goals for my notes. First, I want them to express my love for that child. I would like the child to feel a huge outpouring of love through my words. A second goal is to communicate positive spiritual growth that I am observing in the child's life. My final goal is to share Scripture I am praying for the child. My notes may not always meet all three goals, and they certainly may have additional topics in them, but I have come to value these three goals in notes written to my children.

May I encourage us to take a few minutes of time from our busy days to bless our children by writing them encouraging notes. I always feel that small steps toward a goal are better than no steps as all. If I began now to write one note a week, it would only take five or ten minutes from each week. In the course of a year, I would have written fifty-two notes. This would mean each of my seven children who are still living at home would get seven love notes from Mom this coming year. Wow! It makes me sad to think about the recent years when I have chosen to let busyness crowd out my note writing. What am I willing to sacrifice of my personal time to bless my children by writing to them my thoughts, feelings, and spiritual encouragement? Will I put them ahead of other activities on which I spend my time? May we be mothers who choose to build our relationships with our children and to spur them on to love and good works through our written words to them.

Teri Maxwell

Homeschooling since 1985, Teri Maxwell is the mother of eight children (two married), and grandma to four. She loves keeping her home running smoothly, homeschooling the last Maxwell child, and sharing with women in the vein of Titus 2:4&5. In between her other responsibilities, she manages to squeeze in writing time. She is co-author of Managers of Their Homes, Managers of Their Chores, Managers of Their Schools, Keeping Our Children's Hearts and Just Around the Corner. Teri is also the author of Homeschooling with a Meek & Quiet Spirit and Sweet Journey. She has been writing monthly encouragement articles for homeschoolers since 1990. 

The Maxwell's website is :www.titus2.com

Avoiding Burnout in Homeschooling

Israel Wayne will be speaking at CHEA this year! 

Has your decision to homeschool your children ever left you feeling tired, overwhelmed or stressed out? As a student who was homeschooled (my family began homeschooling in 1978), I have learned a few things and over the years about how to avoid burnout in your homeschool.

One of the most common reasons for weariness and frustration among homeschooling parents is the weight of self-inflicted deadlines and standards. It is good, of course, to have goals in mind, but we must always ask ourselves: "Am I seeking to do the Lord's will, or am I merely pursuing my own agenda?"

As Christian families, we need to view homeschooling not as a glorious end, in and of itself, but rather as a means to an end. The main goal is to raise children who love the Lord, and are committed to following Christ. It is not to produce robots that can recite random facts and data at the drop of a hat.

What a child knows is really insignificant compared to what he or she believes. We must move beyond facts to convictions. It is vital that our children know:
1. What they believe.
2. Why their beliefs are true.
3. How to articulate their beliefs.
4. How to live their beliefs consistently.

Getting the right answers on a test is meaningless unless a child knows how to apply those truths to everyday life. Non-applicable knowledge is worthless. As parents, we want our children to excel academically, and homeschoolers usually do. Our main motivation for homeschooling, however, should not be academic prowess. Instead, we should "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these (including academic) things will be added to us." (Matt. 6:33)

We should always stay focused on our long-term goals, but we must consistently follow the leading of the Spirit. Why are we homeschooling? Our main objective should be to fulfill our God-given obligation to "train up our children in the way they should go." (Prov. 22:6) Psalm 78, Deuteronomy 6 and 11 and many other passages stress the importance of teaching God's laws to our children.

What is the purpose of an education? God's primary reasons for commanding you to teach your own children are to:
1) Enable God to purify you (the parent), as you allow the fire and pressure of the homeschool setting to make you into pure gold.
2) To help your children know and love Him, and become prepared to serve Him.

God desires for us to have close family relationships, and He uses the process of family discipleship to develop Godly character in both the children and the parents. God has established and He designed parents to be the primary influences in shaping their children's values. Parents can't expect to receive a Godly harvest unless they labor during the planting.

We must learn to view home education as a lifestyle decision, and not merely an academic alternative. Use every available moment to teach eternal principles. Developing a Biblical worldview in children is not something that happens by accident. It is taught by formal instruction and caught by the Godly example of the parents.

By keeping in mind that we are homeschooling because we want to raise children who love Jesus, we won't be so frustrated if our child doesn’t understand Phonics or Chemistry. I've seen some mothers become so frustrated by their inability to communicate math facts that they scream at their children and throw books! In trying to teach academics, are we achieving our ultimate goal of developing Godly character? Nothing is so important that it overrides our relationships with God and each other.

It is also easy to get caught up in the busyness of activities, running our children here and there, and over-committing ourselves into panic. Are all the programs we are involved in bringing us closer to God and each other, or are they mostly wearing us out? We may need to recalibrate our compass. What does God expect of us?

"He has shown you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you. To do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." (Ec. 12:13)
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27)
"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." (Gal. 6:2)

If we focus on teaching eternal principles, and developing Christ-like character in our children, we will have academic success as a natural result of our obedience to God. We should not merely teach our children what to believe, but show them why our beliefs are true. They should be able to determine, from the principles in Scripture, what is good and what is evil. They should recognize absolute truths and be able to reason from a Biblical worldview.

By keeping obedience to God as our primary reason for homeschooling, we will have the flexibility to change our educational approaches, relax in the face of deadlines, and put family relationships above SAT scores. We can have a joyful, peaceful, loving family and still achieve an academic standard superior to the world; but we must keep Christ as the focus and avoid humanistic expectations.

Originally posted at http://www.israelwayne.com/article2.htm

Israel Wayne will be speaking at CHEA (Christian Home Educators Association) this year !