More Bible Journaling Pages

I've been Bible journaling for a few weeks, and it is really resonating with me! Not every day; just a couple of pages a week. Sometimes it is a verse or passage that comes to mind in response to a situation; sometimes I'm inspired by looking at Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest; sometimes a sermon sparks looking further at a passage and inspires a page.

I've pulled out a lot of my long-packed-away art supplies, like my paintbrushes, Prismacolor pencils, drawing pencils, calligraphy pens, watercolors, watercolor pencils, etc. I've purchased a few new supplies too - gelatos, white gel pen - and have been inspired to try out a few new techniques. There are some wonderful tutorials on Youtube that give instruction for using various media or for creating a certain look. Supplies that I've collected from bursts of interest in scrapbooking and rubber stamping are finding new use in my Bible journaling.


For years, I've been saying that someday I would have time delve back into art again. Surprisingly, the time seems to have arrived!

If you are interested in starting, use your search engine and look for Bible Journaling, Faith Art, Art Worship, Illustrated Faith.  As I said, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest are loaded with links, tutorials, examples, and inspiration. You can work right in your Bible or use a separate sketch pad or notebook.  You can journal with mainly words, with drawing & painting, with stickers & stamps, as simply or elaborately as you like.

 

1 Corinthians 13

 

Luke 11:33-36

 

 Matthew 19:13-14

Genesis 1;  John 1:1;  Rev. 1:8

Psalm 119:11

Psalm 1

 Psalm 119:105

Psalm 119

Psalm 119: 54

 

 Psalm 119

The Relaxed Eclectic Homeschooling Lifestyle

It is incredible to me that this is our 17th year of homeschooling!  But then again, I can hardly remember NOT homeschooling, we have been doing this for so long.  We started homeschooling in 1994 with a 9yr old, 6 yr old, 4 yr old, and 1 yr old. Our 5th child came along a couple of years later, and now my children are 26, 24, 22, 18, and 13.  My oldest two have graduated from college, my third will be graduating from college this spring, and my fourth will be starting college in the fall.  I am now homeschooling just one child, and we are right around the corner from entering that homestretch called high school with him.

When my kids were younger, I was constantly reading books about homeschooling, poring over homeschool catalogues and websites, listening to my collection of homeschool workshop tapes/CDs, and writing and rewriting plans in notebooks and scraps of paper all over the house.   I wanted the best possible education for my children, but I also fought an inner battle over what I thought that should look like!
I didn't just want to find a great curriculum and learn how to create a great transcript. I was looking for the deeper, more fundamental underpinnings of what it meant to be educated, and what I, and more importantly, God, saw as the BIG PICTURE.  This was my quest and bit by bit, I started to assemble a philosophy of education and of homeschooling that translated into a fairly relaxed homeschooling lifestyle that didn't really fit into any neat "category".  I wasn't an Unschooler, I wasn't following the "Charlotte Mason way", I wasn't truly following a Classical model, but I pulled inspiration from all these things. I was and am an Eclectic Homeschooler.

Eclectic = adj.; not following any one system, as of philosophy, medicine, etc., but selecting and using what are considered the best elements of all systems.

Not only that, but I started to develop an approach to home education that did not relegate "school" into a particular place or time or activity.  Probably because I am by nature an easy-going, unstructured person, I came to embrace my children's education as something that occurs all day, every day, in a wide variety of ways!  As far as I'm concerned, just about everything we do is educational in some way. Now, I do use curriculum and I do strive for excellence, but I also take into consideration the gifts, abilities, and differences of my children.

The pillars of our relaxed, eclectic homeschooling lifestyle are Knowledge, Character, Service, and Relationship. 

Knowledge includes study of the Bible as well as the academic subjects like math, history, science, and  language. The Bible speaks much about the importance of knowledge, wisdom and understanding

. 

Prov 2:6,9-11  For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.... Then you will understand what is right and just and fair--every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.

Prov 24:3-4    By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.

Proverbs 9:10  "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

I use an eclectic mix of curriculum.  This is our 8th year using Tapestry of Grace, and I love the rich variety of reading in history, literature, Bible, worldview, and philosophy. We participate in a weekly TOG Co-op with a dozen other families also using that curriculum, for reinforcement and enrichment of the material learned each week.

We have worked through all of Basic Winston Grammar this year and will now start on the Advanced Winston Grammar program.  For math we are using Teaching Textbooks for Pre-Algebra, moving into Algebra I in another month or so.  Flexibility is one of the things I love about homeschooling, and allowing a child to work at the pace that is best for him.  Sometimes that means taking longer than a "school year" to finish a particular level, sometimes is means finishing early and moving ahead to the next thing. 

Because reading is very draining for him, he has been doing an online earth science program called PLATO this year rather than the more reading-intensive Apologia that my other kids all used in middle school. However, I am having him start the Apologia General Science book now, halfway through the school year, and reading it while listening to the audio version on Mp3, to start preparing for taking a weekly class in either Physical Science or Biology next fall in 9th grade.  I am trying to increase his tolerance for reading by giving him the extra support of reading along with listening to the audio, to help with retention.

Writing is also a struggle, so we have done mostly journal writing on a topic, and I have recently added in IEW Character-Based Writing Lessons.

I generally do not grade assignments or give tests. Don't worry - my kids get that experience a few times before graduating from high school as they participate in group tutorials or takes classes at the community college, but otherwise I don't find it necessary.   I do not require my son to start school at a certain time and finish at a certain time Now that he is a teenager, he has rediscovered a love for sleep, so most days I get him up around 9 or 9:30am..  I usually give him a bit of structure to follow during the day in the form of a checklist.  We do some work together, I  read aloud some of the history or literature or other enrichment books. Then he works on his own.  In between working on a math lesson, writing in a journal, or reading about the ancient Philistines he might play his guitar or watch Sports Center on TV.  He is an athlete and most days include some kind of ball practice or game.  We play board games, watch educational DVDs, label maps, do puzzles, go on field trips, host a monthly geography club.

Character is what I want my children to be, not just what I want them to know.  I want them to be honest, responsible, kind, compassionate, humble, courageous, diligent, fair, loyal,  faithful, patient, generous, discerning.
A lot of this teaching is through conversation throughout the day, and this is where homeschooling gives an edge, just by virtue of the amount of time I spend with my children. Deuteronomy 6: 6-7 says "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."   All day long I reinforce my expectations with my children that they treat one another with kindness, that they are truthful, that they do their work with diligence, that they act responsibly. We also read about the lives of people who exemplify these qualities, or watch movies that depict these things. I am deliberate about making sure my children understand that a person's character is who they are inside, how they act when nobody is looking, and that it matters, because God's Word says it matters. 
Psalm 15

LORD, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
   Who may live on your holy mountain?

The one whose walk is blameless,
   who does what is righteous,
   who speaks the truth from their heart;
whose tongue utters no slander,
   who does no wrong to a neighbor,
   and casts no slur on others;
who despises a vile person
   but honors those who fear the LORD;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
   and does not change their mind;
who lends money to the poor without interest;
   who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

   Whoever does these things
   will never be shaken.

Service is something I value highly, and goes hand in hand with character. I know I must be deliberate about helping my child develop an attitude of selflessness instead of selfishness. As a family, we are heavily involved in homeschool group leadership and homeschool sports leadership.  Our children help in many ways with that, from sorting uniforms to designing certificates and programs to giving input into decisions. They see their parents making sacrifices to spend time investing in others - setting an example is so important in this area, as much more is "caught" than "taught".   Other opportunities for service come through church, missions trips, and our community -  packing shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child and volunteering at the Regional Processing Center in Charlotte; helping at the local food pantry; serving in the church nursery; sending money to pay school fees for a child in Uganda. Service also happens at home as family members chip in to help around the house. Again, being deliberate about using these opportunities to MODEL and TEACH is key.

Relationship is probably the most important aspect of our homeschooling lifestyle. Life is about relationships. Our most important relationship is with God, then with our family, then friends and those in our circle of influence, and then beyond. 1 Corinthians 13 speaks of love as greater than knowledge, greater than charity, greater than faith. Love is character put into action to reach the hearts of people, to draw them close to one another and ultimately to draw them to the One who is Love.  Homeschooling allows us as a family to build strong relationships with one another.  Just spending time together is not enough, because people who spend lots of time together can still have terrible relationships.  But when we spend time together and practice love, encouragement, kindness, selflessness, forgiveness... when we show affection and understanding, when we laugh together and fill a treasure-box of memories and shared experiences, and even when we discipline and hold one another accountable - this is where relationships blossom and thrive.  Good, healthy relationships need time and work as much as learning algebra or spelling needs time and work.

Knowledge. Character. Service. Relationships. These are what are important to me and my family, and the foundation of our homeschooling lifestyle.

What Difference Does It Make?

I had dinner recently with two dear, old friends whom I haven't seen in a long time.  We talked for hours about books, travel, grandchildren ( my friends are becoming grandmas!!!) , aging parents, marriage, work, and of course our kids.  All homeschoolers, we spent a lot of time together when our children were younger, participating in group activities like band, sports, co-op classes, science fairs, etc.  Both of these ladies have agonized over a child who has left the nest and strayed from the values of his family, making choices that have led to conflict, pain and heartache.  I have other homeschool friends who have experienced similar things with a teenager or grown child.  This has sometimes led to the question, "Why did I bother?  What difference did it make for me to sacrifice so much, to invest so much time and thought and effort, to care so much?  If homeschooling my child, keeping him away from all the negative influences in the schools, diligently teaching him about character and values as well as academics, didn't insure that he wouldn't make terrible choices later on -  then what was the purpose?!" 

My response is that there are no guarantees in life.  Being a homeschooler does not necessarily spare us or our children from pain, suffering, or conflict, any more than being a Christian does.  So we cannot approach homeschooling with the idea that we are guaranteeing that our children won't rebel or succumb to temptation or be led astray. But we labor  to build a strong foundation of grounded faith and loving family relationships to anchor our kids lives, and I don't believe those anchors let go completely, even when the ship seems to be drifting far off course!   God has work to do in all of our hearts,  parents and children both, and I  think sometimes He gives  parents situations in which to practice what we preach - forgiveness, humility, grace, courage, and trust would be a few.  We are forced to run to Jesus and relinquish our dreams and desires for our children to Him, acknowledging that we do not have the power to save - only He does.

I have not faced the kind of heartache that some of my friends have with their children, but I do know what it is like to watch my children wrestle with worldly desires, struggle with their faith,  and test the waters in areas I would rather they avoid completely.  It is so hard as a parent of grown and nearly grown children to let them find their own way, yet still offer gentle guidance ( but not nagging! ) as an older and wiser sister-in-Christ!

What difference does it make?
A spiritual battle rages with growing fury for the hearts and minds of this next generation, and we Christians must be on our knees in prayer and also actively discipling our children (learning about and living like Christ together! ) EVERY DAY!   We do this out of LOVE and also obedience to the Savior who loves us!  We are warriors in a cosmic battle, and even if our children make choices that we think are wrong, they will know that they have a mother who loves them and is fighting for their soul. And that does make a difference.

Galatians 6:7-9
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Why Can't We All Just Get Along?

James 4:1-2

 ¹What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? ²You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.

Philippians 2:1-4

  ¹If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ²then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. ⁴Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

My very least favorite part of group leadership is dealing with conflict. Things run pretty smoothly most of the time, but every once in a while there are issues between people that just do not resolve themselves. And when those disagreements affect the reputation of our group, or our ability to minister, or are severely damaging relationships,  then it is my job as a leader to get involved and try to help find a resolution. Thankfully, God's Word offers good counsel in this area.  Also, a resource called Peacemaker Ministries gives help through articles and resources that teach and help you apply those conflict resolution principles found in God's Word. The excellent advice found there includes this following Peacemaking and Reconciliation Commitment:
• Whenever we are faced with conflict, our primary goal will be to glorify God with our thoughts, words and actions (1 Cor. 10:31).
• We will try to get the “logs” out of our own eyes before focusing on what others may have done wrong (Matt. 7:3-5).
• We will seek to overlook minor offenses (Prov. 19:11).
• We will refrain from all gossip, backbiting and slander (Eph. 4:29-32). If we have a problem with others, we will talk to them, not about them.
• We will make “charitable judgments” toward one another by believing the best about each other until we have facts that prove otherwise (1 Cor. 13:7).
• If an offense is too serious to overlook, or if we think someone may have something against us, we will go promptly to seek reconciliation (Matt.
5:23-24; 18:15).
• When we offer a word of correction to others, we will do so graciously and
gently, with the goal of serving and restoring them, rather than beating them down (Prov. 12:18; Eph. 4:29; Gal. 6:1).
• When someone tries to correct us, we will ask God to help us resist prideful defensiveness and to welcome correction with humility (Ps. 141:5; Prov. 15:32).
• When others repent, we will ask God to give us grace to forgive them as he has forgiven us (Eph. 4:32).
• When we discuss or negotiate substantive issues, we will look out for others’ interests as well as our own (Phil. 2:3-4).
• When two of us cannot resolve a conflict privately, we will seek the mediation
of wise people in our church or Christian community and listen humbly to their counsel. (Matt. 18:16; Phil. 4:2-3)


Chances are, you'll find this information helpful at some point in your life. 

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 

Matthew 5:9

The Homeschool Lounge's Summer Devotions Challenge

http://www.thehomeschoollounge.com/group/Biblestudy

Christian Music Concert

Last night, Amanda, Jason and I went to a concert with some friends. It was held at Raleigh Christian Community church in Raleigh, and featured Andrew Witt, Chris Sligh, Meredith Andrews, and Aaron Shust. I like church concerts because the setting is small and intimate, there are usually all ages attending, the atmosphere is wholesome and you don't have to worry about the drunks making out in front of you almost falling into your lap ( yeah - that was the Alan Jackson concert at Walnut Creek a couple of weeks ago ) The neat thing about a Christian music concert is that you don't just listen to music, but you get to join together with the artists and audience in worshipping our Lord and Creator. Beautiful!

Are We a Judeo-Christian Nation?

The Truth Project

Mark & I attended the Regional Training event for The Truth Project this weekend, held at a church here in Raleigh. The Truth Project, produced by Focus on the Family, is a set of DVDs that takes the viewer on a comprehensive and systematic tour through the areas of philosophy, ethics, sociology, history, science - looking at life from a biblical perspective. I have done a lot of reading on biblical worldview over the past 10-12 years, but Mark hadn't read nearly as much. So this was a chance for the two of us to learn together, and be equipped to lead a small group through this DVD curriculum. Dr. Del Tackett led the training, and for someone who claimed to be a teacher and NOT a speaker... he was a tremendous speaker!




The word "worldview" refers to the set of beliefs or presuppositions by which a person understands or makes decisions about the world. According to a recent Barna study, only 4% of Americans have a biblical worldview; worse than that, only 9% of professing born-again Christians look at the world with a biblical perspective. Barna's definition of a biblical worldview includes a belief that absolutes exist and a belief that the Bible defines them. Additionally, a biblical worldview includes the belief that Christ lived a sinless life; God is the "all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe and He stills rules it today"; salvation is by grace and not by works; Satan is a real being; Christians have a responsibility to witness; and the Bible is "accurate in all of its teachings."

Sadly, many Christians in our culture think and live just like non-Christians. It is hard to tell them apart, except for Sunday mornings when the Christian parks his car in the church parking lot and participates in a worship service. Then he gets back in the car and drives home, and lives just like everyone else until the next Sunday morning, when the unbelieving neighbor gets to sleep late and read the paper, feeling sorry for those poor folks who drag themselves to church every week.

Even those who have a real and personal relationship with Jesus find themselves struggling with various aspects of Biblical truth. We live in a post-modern world in which Christian beliefs are viewed as ignorant, narrow-minded, and even shameful. ( ask Carrie Prejean)

If Christians truly believed the Bible as truth, and understood the character of God and the reality of what Jesus Christ did for us, then their lives would be radically transformed, and the world would take notice.

That is the reason for The Truth Project. It is not an evangelical tool, but is designed for believers, to dig into the truths of God's Word and see how it applies to EVERY area of life, every day of the week - not just on Sunday mornings! It is designed for use in small groups meeting in homes, because life is about relationships, and life-to-life is the way that Jesus lived and taught. And as Christians, we all want to be more like Jesus.

So look for a Truth Project small group near you. I'll be hosting a college group this summer, and hope to start a high school group in the fall.

Have you ever heard of Laminin?

Watch this video, and you'll never forget it?

My Daughter's Heart for Africa

My 21-year-old daughter, Sarah, is hoping to spend 4 weeks in Ethiopia this summer, volunteering in orphanages in Addis Ababa. Several friends of ours have adopted children from Ethiopia over the past 2 years, and Sarah's heart has been touched by these children and by the orphan crisis in that land.

In Ethiopia, approximately 1 in 10 children die in infancy, and nearly double that number die by their 5th birthday, due to infections, tetanus and diarrhea. Due to high infant, child and maternal mortality, Ethiopia is considered by the Mother and Child Index to be the 3rd most dangerous place in the world to be born, better only than Burkina Faso and Djibouti. Of the children who survive, many will lose their mother in childbirth and many more will lose one or both parents to HIV/AIDS. As more and more parents die, the capacity of extended family members to take care of orphans shrinks. Ethiopia has reached the breaking point where orphaned children are now forced into the streets, into difficult working conditions and/or into heading their households.
~www.ethiopianorphanrelief.com

Go to Sarah's blog to learn more about her trip.

"FIREPROOF" - LOVED IT! - GO SEE IT

Tonight my girls, some friends, and I went to see the movie "Fireproof", which opened in theaters nationwide today. This is another powerful movie from the makers of "Facing the Giants", this time dealing with a firefighter whose marriage is going up in flames. On the brink of divorce, he heeds the advice of his dad and embarks on a 40-day adventure called The Love Dare. The movie does a good job of showing the heartbreak of a neglected and broken relationship and the hard work it takes to restore lost trust. There is a good amount of humor, some tense moments, and a couple of times when a kleenex would have have come in handy.
The story behind the making of this movie is very inspirational as well - it was the project of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, GA, and produced almost entirely with a volunteer cast and crew.

I LOVED IT.

GO SEE IT.



www.FireprooftheMovie.com

There is a good review of the movie at Breakpoint .


FIREPROOF is showing in 3 Raleigh theaters - Wakefield 12, North Hills, and Brier Creek!

With Hope

these are beautiful words, written by Steve Curtis Chapman long before the loss of his own child;


WITH HOPE

1 Thess. 4:13-14 / Heb. 6:9, 10:23

This is not at all how
We thought it was supposed to be
We had so many plans for you
We had so many dreams
And now you've gone away
And left us with the memories of your smile
And nothing we can say
And nothing we can do
Can take away the pain
The pain of losing you, but ...

We can cry with hope
We can say goodbye with hope
'Cause we know our goodbye is not the end, oh no
And we can grieve with hope
'Cause we believe with hope
(There's a place by God's grace)
There's a place where we'll see your face again
We'll see your face again

And never have I known
Anything so hard to understand
And never have I questioned more
The wisdom of God's plan
But through the cloud of tears
I see the Father's smile and say well done
And I imagine you
Where you wanted most to be
Seeing all your dreams come true
'Cause now you're home
And now you're free, and ...

We have this hope as an anchor
'Cause we believe that everything
God promised us is true, so ...

We wait with hope
And we ache with hope
We hold on with hope
We let go with hope

Words and Music by Steven Curtis Chapman
(for friends whose young daughter died in a traffic accident)


THE CHAPMANS ARE REQUESTING THAT THOSE WHO WISH TO GIVE, THAT THEY GIVE A DONATION IN HONOR OF "MARIA SUE" TO SHAOHANNAH'S HOPE. PLEASE GO TO http://www.shaohannahshope.org/ AND HONOR THIS LITTLE GIRL'S LIFE BY HELPING TO GIVE LIFE TO OTHER CHILDREN WHO NEED A HOME AND FAMILY.

Sad News & Prayer Request

There is sad news tonight that the 5-yr-old daughter of contemporary Christian singer and songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman was killed in the family's driveway this afternoon by a car driven by her teenage brother . Maria was the youngest of 3 daughters that the Chapmans adopted from China. The Chapmans are passionate about adoption, and they started a ministry called "Shaohannah's Hope" to reach the church with God's call to care for the orphan, and to provide financial assistance to families stepping out to adopt internationally. This news has hit especially hard my friends who have been touched by the Chapmans through Shaohannah's Hope.

Please pray for the Chapman family, and all those who who are grieving the loss of this little girl tonight.


He heals the brokenhearted, binding up their wounds.
Psalms 147:3

Blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be comforted
Matthew 5:4

MISSING CHILD

PLEASE PRAY FOR A SPECIAL LITTLE ETHIOPIAN GIRL WHO HAS RUN AWAY FROM HER ORPHANAGE AND IS ALL ALONE ON THE STREETS OF ADDIS ABABA!

Our dear friends, the Mestases, are in the process of adopting "M", a 12-yr-old little girl from Ethiopia. Older children waiting for adoption in Ethiopia and elsewhere around the world battle discouragement and hopelessness, as they know that they will be "kicked out" of the system at some point and that most adoptive parents come for babies and toddlers. "M" has lost her entire family and is all alone in the world. Jerry, Eileen, and Ellie met "M" last fall when they went to Addis Ababa to bring home their 3 newest children. Almost immediately upon returning home, they felt the Lord impress this little girl upon their hearts, and they began inquiring about adopting her as well. They have started the process, but "M" won't be told that a family is interested in adopting her until their paperwork is finished and accepted by the Ethiopian courts.

"M" is missing from the orphanage as of 5 days ago. The streets of Addis Ababa are teeming with orphans and homeless adults, and are a very dangerous place. PLEASE PRAY for "M"'s safety and for her speedy return. Pray that she would KNOW that God loves her and is even now paving the way for her "forever family" to come get her!
Eileen will provide updates on her blog: http://www.jobsdaughters.blogspot.com/

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Living Safely Versus Living Boldly

Yesterday morning, as I was reading Day 1 of a new 30-day devotional called "Seeds of Change" from Show Hope, I was convicted of something. Every night, as I say bedtime prayers with Jason, I pray for the health & safety of my family, as we are scattered in various places - at college, in the Army, at work, driving around town, playing sports, just hanging around at home, etc. I'm a mom. I worry about my kids or husband getting sick, about accidents, about bad people, about natural disasters, about war. I want us all to be happy and healthy and whole, all the days of our lives! But here was this short little devotion talking about "An Invitation to Adventure".

"We were created for adventure. The evidence is there in our movies, our stories, and even our lives, as the constant battle is waged between striving to remain safe versus bravely stepping out to live the full life that God offers."

hmmmm....

Stepping out in faith.
Getting out of the boat.
Living life to the fullest.

Not necessarily safe. But if I want to live a life that has purpose and glorifies God, helping the hurting, caring for orphans and widows, discipling my children, making a difference.... then I have to be willing to step out of my comfort zone and sometimes take risks. And if I want my children to live that way as well, then what should my prayer be?

"There is nothing safe about God's invitation. All adventures carry with them some level of excitement and hazard, and we cannot remain safe and comfortable and still go on a God-sized adventure. But God doesn't call us to be safe, He call us to be bold and courageous [Joshua 1:9], and we can trust that even our safety will be taken care of by the One who invites us to bravely step out in faith. As C.S. Lewis says in the Chronicles of Narnia when speaking of Aslan, 'Of course He isn't safe, but He is good.' "

We can choose what is easy, what is comfortable, what is safe. But at what expense? How much of the abundant life that God wants for us do we miss out on?

I don't think I can stop praying for health and safety, BUT... I think I'll be adding a prayer for boldness and willingness to be God's hands and feet...for courage to take that step of faith in obedience, even when it doesn't make sense...for lives that make a difference in the world and most importantly, in God's Kingdom.

Penny Wars for Orphans

My daughter just completed a fundraiser for the Kolfe Youth Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in her dorm at college, where she is an RA. It was International Week, and each dorm held a fundraiser for an international charity. After reading about Kolfe on my friend Eileen's blog, Sarah knew she wanted to do something to help.
(read about the Kolfe Youth Center, an orphanage for boys ages 12-18 at
The Forgotten Boys , and watch the slide show here.)

They held a Penny War! Her dorm has 8 floors, with about 36 students per floor. In the lobby, they had a table with a large jar for each floor. All during the week, students could drop pennies into the jar for their floor, and the floor to collect the most pennies at the end of the week won - something - I don't know, a pizza party, maybe. Now the cool twist was that coins other than pennies - nickles, dimes, quarters - were NEGATIVE points in a jar. So students would drop those coins into the jars for other floors, hoping to boost their own floor's chance of winning the prize. At the end of the week, the dorm had raised over $200, which they are sending to the Gladney Center for Adoption's humanitarian aid fund for Kolfe.

Matthew 25:35 -40
Then the King will say to those on his right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."
Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?"
The King will reply, " I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

Steven Curtis Chapman Concert - An Unexpected Blessing!

Amanda and I received an unexpected blessing when we were able to serve as volunteers at the "Show Hope" booth at the Steven Curtis Chapman concert in Roanoke Rapids last night. Show Hope is part of Shaohannah's Hope, an organization founded by Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, to engage the body of Christ in caring for the world's approximately 16,200,000 orphans and also to help remove the financial barriers to adoption through providing grants for those families choosing to adopt.

We weren't planning to go - Roanoke Rapids is an hour and a half away and we don't have money for things like concert tickets. But we found out on Wednesday from our friends the Mestases, who received a grant from Shaohannah's Hope to help with their recent adoption from Ethiopia, that there was a need for volunteers for Saturday night, so I emailed the contact person and we were accepted. That meant a free T-shirt, free seats in the concert, and since the Mestases already had backstage passes, we got to go with them to meet S.C.C. after the concert! All in exchange for spending time before the concert and during intermission passing out brochures and holding buckets to collect money for the "Change for Orphans" campaign, which they do at every concert. At the end of every concert, the money collected during the evening is given to a pre-selected family who is in the process of adopting a child, to help make their dream a reality! This night, the audience donated $3000, plus an additional $1000 from an anonymous donor made it a gift of $4000 for a sweet family from Fayetteville who is adopting an 8-yr-old boy from China.


I love Steven Curtis Chapman's music! It was awesome to see a crowd of people made up of teenagers, parents with small children, middle-agers, grandparents... all ages were there, all enjoying the music and the atmosphere of praise and worship. The concerts are real family affairs - even on the stage! Steven's sons, Caleb (19), and Will Franklin (17), perform on stage with him, playing guitar and drums and doing backup vocals.


















Carla has a great video of the evening, including some more pix of Show Hope volunteers, on her blog here.

James 2:22

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

James 2:22

Is It Bad to Shelter My Children?

This week's meme on Heart of the Matter is the following quote:


"Clearly there is an appropriate kind of sheltering. When those who are opposed to homeschooling accuse me of sheltering my children, my reply is always, 'What are you going to accuse me of next, feeding and clothing them?" ~R.C. Sproul Jr




This makes me laugh, I guess because to me it seems so obvious. OF COURSE I shelter my children! What is the definition of shelter? It means to protect, guard, shield, or defend. Every good parent shelters their child from danger and from harmful influences. You shelter your child from being run over by a car by teaching him never to play in the street and to look both ways before crossing and then by supervising your young child when he is in the vicinity of a busy street! You shelter your child from disease by having him immunized or by making him wear warm clothes in the winter and teaching him to wash his hands. You shelter your children from potential abuse by teaching them to be wary of strangers, that parts of their body are private, to scream and run away and tell a parent if someone tries to touch them inappropriately or hurt them. This is all just normal parenting!

So I think everyone agrees that some sheltering is normal and completely appropriate! But what is really being said when homeschool parents are accused of sheltering their children? We are not being accused of being good parents! No, the suggestion is that we OVER-protect our children - that we shelter and defend and guard them TOO much. Obviously, there will be differences in how parents treat various issues in raising their children! I may shelter my children from certain movies, books, and video games that others allow their children access to. But I also know some parents who would consider my standards way too lax! So, who is right? And who gets to make that decision? Should the government tell me what I can shelter my children against and what I can't? Should my neighbor tell me what is good for my family and what is not? My own values drive the parenting decisions I make, and that is the the way I think it should be. I believe that parents have an inalienable right to direct the upbringing - including the education - of their children. I'm not talking about extremes of abuse and wickedness - no, I don't believe that parents have the right to lock their children in closets or chain them to beds and deny them basic elements of nutrition and sanitation. But those types of sad situations are anomalies and extremely rare - to be dealt with as criminal behavior, and not akin to things like disallowing certain types of music in ones' home or favoring curriculum that upholds a particular set of religious beliefs. Yet it seems as if those things are lumped together in the minds of some critics of homeschooling. It astonishes me that there are people who think that everyone should be taught exactly the same thing, at the same time, in the same way! And these are generally the same people who trumpet the value of diversity! HA!

I believe that when people say I am over-protecting my children, they really mean that I am not doing things their way - I am imparting my own values, beliefs, and opinions to my children, and am somehow obstructing the goals of "society" by doing so. Even Christian parents buy into the notion that children must all be "adequately socialized" so that they can live effectively in the "real world". Is the "real world" age-segregated into grade levels, peer-driven with a strict social caste system ruled by popularity, and tasks compartmentalized into 60-minute class periods ? Why do we think that children NEED to be with large groups of other children every day? Why are we as parents dependant on numerical grades and artificial "tests" to tell us how successful and valuable our children are? Why is it okay to treat children as miniature adults, whether by teaching them about adult sexual behavior or expecting them to be missionaries in a school environment hostile to Christianity, but not okay to want to preserve their innocence throughout their childhood so they can just be kids?

As several other bloggers have noted in response to the above quote, the Bible gives support in this matter of appropriate sheltering. As a matter of fact, the Bible teaches us to live holy, or "set apart", lives. ( 1 Pet. 1:15) I shelter my children from certain influences because I want to help them SHINE as a light in a dark world when they get older, not just blend in and look like everyone else! Do we really want our children to conform to the standards of society today?
Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
2 Timothy 2:22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.
Proverbs 29:25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.
There is an excellent 2-part article by Jonathan Lindvall over at Bold Christian Living. It is titled Sheltering Children - Part 1: God's Mandate for Holiness, and Sheltering Children -Part 2: Parental Responsibility for Influences. While I don't necessarily agree with all of his conclusions, it contains much food for thought.

But If Not

Today was TOG Co-op. We just finished Week 22 of Tapestry of Grace Yr. 1, in which we learned about the Neo-Babylonian Empire, the fall of Jerusalem and the deportation of the Jewish people to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. We read the book of Daniel, and I was struck again by the unswerving faith of young Daniel and his friends, Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abed-nego). Although they adapted to their situation by serving the Babylonian king dutifully and with excellence , they would not compromise their belief in the one true God by bowing down to golden statues and idols, even if it cost them their lives.

Daniel 3:13-18
"Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true... that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?"

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown in to the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

Wow. I am humbled when I read those words, because I have never had to face such a decision as that. How would I measure up? I don't think we can ever know, until we do face something enormous in our lives. One thing that is clear to me is that Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn't come to their faith in an instant. The foundation was laid in their childhoods, in faithful homes where they were taught to love and serve the Lord God by their parents and extended family. By the time they were young adults, that faith became such a part of the fabric of their lives that it couldn't be separated or removed, even when they were taken captive and sent far away from the familiarity and security of home and loved ones. They didn't just know about God, they knew Him! They knew without a shadow of a doubt that he could save them from any calamity, but their devotion wasn't dependent on what God did... just who He was.

Years ago I heard this story about the British Army at Dunkirk, and I shared it with my Co-op class today.

In early 1940 the British and their allies sent a force of some 350,000 men into the low countries of Europe to stem the tide of German advance into France, Belgium and Holland. Caught in a brilliant pincer movement by the invading German forces the beleaguered British Expeditionary Force was pushed back to the beaches of the small Belgian town of Dunkirk. To everyone’s surprise the Germans halted their advance to regroup. As England and the world waited for what appeared to be the sure and certain annihilation of 350,000 men a three word message was transmitted from the besieged army at Dunkirk. It read simply, "But if not." The British people understood the biblical import of the cryptic message. It was a reference to the Old Testament book of Daniel, where Daniel and his friends chose death rather than worship an image of the pagan king, "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up" (Daniel 3:17-18). The British Expeditionary Army, surrounded, cutoff and on the brink of destruction was declaring to Britain and to the world that even in apparent defeat they were, in fact, victorious. The message, more eloquent than a sermon delivered in St. Paul's Cathedral, galvanized the British people. In a matter of hours thousands of boats of every description headed across the dangerous waters of the English Channel and, at the risk of their own lives from enemy fire, began the evacuation of the heroic but beleaguered army in what historians now refer to as "the miracle of Dunkirk."

The amazing thing to me is that the British people in 1940 had a collective understanding of what the phrase "But if not" referred to! They understood, and were inspired to act by the deep faith and conviction which those words represented. How many people today would have a clue? But there was a foundation.... a common biblical literacy that seems to have evaporated over the last 60 years.

I also think about the Estes family, who have a precious little boy with a mitochondrial defect. This illness is devastating, and he has been hospitalized frequently with very serious and sometimes baffling symptoms. In the midst of their exhaustion and pain and concern for their little boy, Jeff and Kate possess a deep faith in God which sustains them, and allows them to publish on their blog frequent lists of things they are thankful for, even in very dark circumstances. They know that God could choose to heal their baby, and also know that God loves them and is trustworthy and sovereign, even if He doesn't. Their faith has a firm foundation, and they are now laying that foundation in the lives of their children.

I hope that Mark and I are laying that kind of foundation in our children's lives. I know I need to continually work on having that kind of faith myself.

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