Trusting God

Proverbs 3:5-6   Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.

There are soooooo many reasons to be anxious, aren't there?   I get anxious about our society and government and crazy dark world every time I see a headline or read a news article. Going to the beach is out - have you seen how many Great Whites are lurking out there, along with the riptides?!  Everything I put in my mouth or breathe in or spread on my body  is going to absolutely ruin my health.

And homeschool mamas, we also face the fear of ruining our kids' lives because we don't really know what we are doing.  So there's that.

TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART....

* Trust = to wholly and entirely rely on; to be completely confident and secure in

We mamas usually have a pretty short list of who we will trust with the well-being of our kids. And you have to really have a long and solid relationship with someone to trust them with your deepest feelings and fears.

Can I trust God?

• God is FAITHFUL.   I can read Scripture and see how God has been faithful to lead, protect and provide for His people over and over and over. I can look at my own life, and see how God has been faithful to lead and protect and provide.  Little things and big things.  * Having a son who wanted to play high school baseball before homeschool teams existed and a year long inquiry into whether he could play on a school team as a homeschooler which resulted in an answer of "no, that isn't possible". Telling him that his dad and I had prayed and still felt that homeschooling was the right choice for our family, and his acceptance of that. Followed within a week by a phone call from a friend who was starting a homeschool baseball team (Wake Co. Warriors). God cares about our desires.   *  Or a sweet Christian retired teacher who was teaching a homeschool writing class (again, before this was a THING and was the only class in the whole wide area, but the class was full when I heard about it through a friend and inquired -  but a week later she called to tell me she was adding one more student to her class because she had a DREAM where God told her to add my child.   okay, you've GOT my attention, Lord.  Yes, you provide! Not in every single instance when I've prayed for something - but in those cases you've also been teaching me. Sometimes I THINK I need something, but you want to show me you'll still provide for my family even WITHOUT that thing that I really thought was necessary!!!   Lamentations 3:22-23 – “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness.”        2 Timothy 2:13 – “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24 – “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” 

• God is LOVING John 3:15 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in His should not perish but have eternal life. " God sent His own Son to pay the penalty and take the punishment for MY SIN, in MY PLACE, so that I could be reunited with Him. That's how much He loves me. The whole Bible is God's love letter to me. 

• God is ALL-KNOWING and WISE  I wish I could see the future. I wish I could know without a doubt that my actions and choices and decisions today will produce good in the end, and not lead to disaster!  I do not KNOW ENOUGH to believe that my decisions are fault-less. But God knows everything, sees everything, Psalm 139:1-4 "You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with ALL my ways. Before a word is on my tongue -  LORD, you know it completely!"   Psalm 147:4-5 " He determines the number of stars and calls them by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has NO LIMIT." Romans 11:33  "Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable are his ways!"

• God is ALL-POWERFUL.   He is sovereign and rules with authority over all things - including my family, my finances, my time, my decisions.  Everything that comes into our lives must pass by Him first. He is the Creator, Author, Master, Redeemer, Refuge, Ransom, Anchor, King.  Revelation 4:11  "Worthy are you, Our LORD and God, to receive glory and honor and POWER, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."  Matthew 19:26  "But Jesus looked at them and said, ' With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'  What a relief that this all-powerful God is also faithful, loving & wise!

DO NOT LEAN ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING...

Not saying that any of you watch  "The Bachelorette", but if you did, you might have heard the word "clarity" about a gazillion times this past season. Because aren't we ALL looking for CLARITY???  God, give me a sign!  Put up a billboard, with flashing lights, please!  Open a door!  Close a door!  Let me put out a fleece and if it is wet in the morning then I'll know ... or is it supposed to be dry to be a sign from you????

agh!!   Because we DON'T KNOW ENOUGH!. We don't TRUST ourselves. We are fickle and tend to make emotional decisions and later regret them.

Just last week, as I was working on this devotion, I found this story on clarity in a book I am reading. 

"When John Kavanaugh, the famed ethicist, went to Calcutta, he was seeking Mother Teresa... and more.  He went for 3 months to work at the "house of the dying" to find out how to best spend the rest of his life. [ no small decision!] When he met Mother Teresa, he asked her to pray for him.

'What do you want me to pray for?' she asked.

He then uttered the request he had carried for thousands of miles.

'Clarity. Pray that I have clarity.'

'No,' said Mother Teresa, 'I will not pray for that.' [ yikes!!!]

When he asked why, she said, 'Clarity is the thing you are clinging to and must let go of. '  When Kavanaugh said that she always seemed to have clarity, the kind of clarity he was looking for, Mother Teresa laughed and said,

'I have NEVER had clarity. What I have always had is TRUST. So I will pray that you trust God.'"

How could your homeschool year be transformed if you could learn to trust God like that?!

Now I can tell you that God can be trusted with your most precious possessions, and you can read that God is trustworthy, but how can you really know that He can be trusted?  In order to trust someone THAT MUCH, you have to really know him.  So that is my advice to you.  Make KNOWING GOD your #1 priority this year. 

Bible study, prayer, meditation, worship =>  NOT. OPTIONAL.

IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM...

ACKNOWLEDGE : to KNOW, to OWN;  not simply give a nod to, but to recognize the authority, power, wisdom, goodness, and providence of HIM, because you have a deep knowledge and connection with Him (as deep as lovers, people) ; you KNOW him.

God created you.

He created your children.

He knows you better than you know yourself.

He loves you more than you can fathom.

So what are you anxious about?  What do you think you area messing up?  Is God not able to work through you despite your weaknesses?  According to the Bible, He sure can. Do you have to pick the perfect curriculum and have a perfectly scheduled day and all the money and endless patience and perfectly behaved kids to be a successful homeschool mom? I think not.  Look at Abraham.  Not perfect.  Look at David.  Not perfect. Look at Rahab. Not perfect. Look at Peter. Not perfect.  Only one person has ever been perfect.  The rest of us - every person in the history of the world?   A mess! 

AND HE WILL DIRECT YOUR PATHS. (MAKE YOUR PATHS STRAIGHT)

This doesn't mean Easy!  It doesn't mean your kids will do all their schoolwork cheerfully, neatly, and on time!  They might throw fits. They might argue with you and fight with each other. You might have terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days.  It means IF we TRUST HIM and don't try trust in our own abilities instead, and if we KNOW Him, THEN He will direct our paths to the destination that is GOOD and BEST! Despite all the mess.  The journey might be bumpy, but the destination is glorious.  Would you rather have an easy journey that ends in destruction? or a difficult journey that ends in GLORY?

If you truly KNOW God, then you will LOVE Him. If you truly love Him, you will TRUST him. If you love and trust Him, you will OBEY Him.( not my words, don't remember where I read them) 

Matthew 6: 25-34

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?^[ And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,  yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

TRUST GOD AND BE FREE! 

New Homeschool Moms Celebration Brunch

Even though I have closed my homeschool after graduating my youngest child, I still plan to remain involved in my support group and in the homeschool community.  One of my roles in Lighthouse the past couple of years has been Mentor Coordinator, and yesterday a group of us hosted a New Homeschool Moms Brunch to celebrate the end of the school year with some fellowship and encouragement.  It was a small group, 6 mentors ("seasoned" homeschoolers) and 5 ladies in their first year of homeschooling.  My friend and fellow mentor, Becky, opened her beautiful home and served as hostess, and the mentors all provided items for the buffet table.

Everyone ate and chatted for a while, and then we gathered in the living room for introductions, since our support group is quite large and everyone doesn't know one another.  Irene shared a devotion and we gave out 2 little gifts.

I gave everyone a Homeschool Survival Kit, based on one someone had made for a homeschool meeting years ago.  As I told the ladies, this is a visual reminder to sit on your windowsill, bookshelf, kitchen counter, etc, so that when you see it, you are reminded of the messages and Scriptures that go along with it. 

 

Becky then gave out little scented candles that were labeled "Romance"!  She encouraged everyone  to pay attention to their marriage relationships and make time for romance.  Homeschooling can become overwhelming it we let it, and start to take up all our time and energy.  We must not lose sight of the importance of nurturing the relationship that is the foundation of our family - our relationship with our spouse.  

We spent the rest of the time just talking and answering questions. It was a sweet morning spent building relationships with and pouring encouragement into some new friends. 

Don't Lose Sight of the Forest for the Trees

This is especially for new or new-ish homeschoolers.

One thing I encourage all new homeschoolers to do is to write a paragraph stating your reasons for homeschooling. You likely have given this a good amount of thought at some point, and may have a "list" in your head. It is important to write it down and keep it someplace where you can refer to it from time to time.... because you will forget!!
 ~in the midst of winter when you are snowed in and everyone is sick,
~in the midst of struggles with learning to read or figuring out fractions or convincing your son that punctuation is necessary, 
~in the midst of trying to manage laundry and sports practices and grocery shopping and lesson plans,
~ in the midst of frustrating days and sleepless nights, 
you will hear yourself saying "Why did I think this was a good idea?" and YOU WILL NEED TO REMIND YOURSELF. 

Many years ago a speaker at the NCHE Homeschool Conference told this story, and it has stuck with me. This woman was head of a support organization in CA, and they required all their families to submit a statement of their reasons for homeschooling. One day a homeschool mom came to her, very discouraged, saying that after getting back her children's standardized test scores, she and her husband had decided the children were not doing as well as they'd hoped and that the kids would probably be better off in school. The leader pulled out the written statement that this family had submitted when they started homeschooling, and read it over for a minute.

 "You say you are disappointed with your children's test scores and think they should be back in school. But I don't see high test scores anywhere on this list of reasons you gave for wanting to homeschool in the first place. This is what you wrote."

And she handed the paper to the mom to read. The statement included things like growing up in a safe environment, building strong family relationships, having freedom to teach from a Christian worldview and include God in their daily lessons, protecting their children's innocence and allowing them to learn at their own pace and to develop their God-given abilities using materials that fit their individual learning styles.

"Have these things changed? Are your children still benefiting from the things you wrote here?"

 The mother admitted that she had lost sight of those reasons, and perhaps the standardized tests were not the most important part of this whole picture. She left much encouraged, with a copy of her written statement to show her husband.

There is an old adage, "Don't lose sight of the forest for the trees."
Keep the big picture in mind, and don't let one small detail or struggle derail you.

Jesus Feeds the 5000 for Homeschool Moms

Have you ever found yourself reading a very familiar passage, a well-known story in the Bible, and suddenly God illuminates the page?  Suddenly the words take on a whole new meaning, even though you've read them a dozen times before?! 

In all 4 Gospels -  Matthew 14:13-21;  Mark 6:30-44;  Luke 9:10-17; John  6: 1-15   - we find the story of Jesus feeding the 5000.

This is a story for you,  homeschool moms!

Matthew 14:13-21

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; iyou give them something to eat.” 17 They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

So, I imagine it going something like this:

[Disciples]  Hi... Jesus. Ummmm. I don't know if you've noticed but { tapping watch )  it's getting kind of late.  It's been a long day;  I think it's time to tell  these people to go back home for dinner. I know we're getting kind of hungry and could use a little rest....

[ Jesus ]  No, they don't have to go home.  You feed them.

[ Disciple ]  What?

[ Jesus ]  You do it.  You feed them.

[ Disciple ]  With what?!  There have to be at least 5000 men here, never mind all the women and children with them!  We don't have anything to feed them with!  It would take ,  I don't know....  8 months wages to buy enough food for all these people.   I mean,  we have ... like 1, 2, 3, ... 4, 5,  loaves of bread and a couple of fish!

[Jesus]   Bring that here to me.

[ Disciple ]   What?

[ Jesus ]   Bring me that little bit of food you have there. 

                        Jesus gives thanks and blesses the food.

[ Jesus]  Okay, here, now take it and feed them.

[ Disciple ]  What? 
But... but.... how?  There is still only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.... and all those people look really hungry!   I don't understand. This is just an IMPOSSIBLE thing you are asking us to do!

[ Jesus ]   Trust Me.

Verse 20  : They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

Now, we are going to change the characters a little.

[ Mom ]  You know, this has been great. But she's school-age now sooooo..... it's time to send her off to school.  I'll miss the little booger, but... she'll be fine.  Right?  I'm sure the teachers are great and she'll make lots of friends and....

[ Jesus ]   Don't send her away.  You do it.

[ Mom ]  Wait.  What?

[Jesus ]  Keep her home with you and homeschool her.

[ Mom]  Hahaha!  Me?  I don't know how to do that. Wait... you're serious? No.  I'm not patient enough for that.... or smart enough... or creative enough.  Never mind that we don't have a lot money and I really need to get a job... you know, to help my husband out and pull my weight.  Have you seen the prices at the grocery store?  No, really.  There's no way.  I'm not equipped for that.  

 

[ Jesus ]  Bring me what you have.

[ Mom] what?

[Jesus]  I know all those things about you.   Bring me the little that you have.

                                   Jesus gives thanks and blesses her.

[Jesus]  Okay, now you're ready.

[ Mom]   But nothing has changed!  I'm still unorganized, stretched thin, tired, poor.... how will this work?  Where do I get curriculum?  How do I know what to teach?  What if I ruin my kids?  What will my mother say?

[Jesus]  Trust me.    

Take a deep breath.   

Take baby steps.  

I have placed helpers around you.   

You have more resources at your disposal than you even know.   

This isn't about how much you are bringing to the table, but about how I can bless and multiply what you have when you give it to me and TRUST ME.... and then step out in faith.  We'll do this together .... side by side.

Do you know what my favorite part of that story is?  The 12 basketfuls of broken pieces gathered up at the end.  

Jesus didn't just provide enough.  He didn't JUST satisfy.  He provided ABUNDANTLY.  MORE THAN ENOUGH.   MORE THAN THEY COULD EVER ASK OR IMAGINE!

The people were well-fed.  Your children will be well-educated, in line with the unique gifts and abilities God has placed in them. 

Jesus cared about the hungry people, and he cares about your children.  But think about this.  He could have said to the disciples, "Sit back and watch what I can do!" and just had the food appear.  But instead he said, "You do it", and he handed the food TO the disciples and THEY gave it to the people.  Why?   Because the real blessing was as much for them as for the hungry people.   The people really had no idea that there was so little food to begin with...but the disciples...

THE FAITH OF THE DISCIPLES HAD TO HAVE BEEN  INCREASED IMMEASURABLY!!   They witnessed a miracle. 

No, they didn't just WITNESS a miracle,  they TOOK PART in a miracle.  God used them and the little bit of lunch they had, and made a feast for thousands and thousands of people!  

Just as he can use you and the little bit of knowledge, organization skills, patience, desire, time, money, space that you have and multiply it in ways you cannot imagine. 

Prayer -   Father, thank you for your Word, which shows us so clearly that you are ready and able to provide ABUNDANTLY for our children, for our families, if we will just set aside fear, set aside disbelief and uncertainty, give thanks for what we DO have, and  trust you.  We are thankful for the freedom that we have to homeschool. We are thankful for the freedom that we have to read your Word and pray together and encourage one another. We are thankful for the families you have blessed us with, for the friends you have placed in our lives, for the abundance of resources all around us, for the many good gifts we enjoy each and every day.  We pray in the name of Jesus our Savior.  Amen

Homeschool Vlog

I found a YouTube channel that I wanted to share. It is called The Encouraging Homeschool Mom (the name alone makes you feel welcome and encouraged, doesn't it?) and it is a vlog(video blog) by a mama of 7 who shares homeschool life, meal planning and recipes, household management tips, family travel, and more. I have enjoyed the bits I've watched so far. Enjoy!






Have you found a vlog that you really like?

Support Group Leadership - Mentors and Cupcakes

Mentor:  a guide, a coach, an experienced and trusted advisor.

Tuesday night was our "kick-off the new school year" monthly parent meeting, with over 100 people in attendance.  We have a large number of "seasoned" homeschool moms in our group, which is great news for new homeschoolers eager for mentors!   Mentoring homeschool moms happens to be one of my passions, and I am mentor coordinator for our group this year.  Having been in support group leadership for close to 20 years, I can say that we have tried many different approaches to homeschool mentoring, with varying degrees of success.  But recently we have found a few things that seem to be working especially well.

First, we just started using ASK ME badges for mentors/leaders at our monthly parent meetings.  We usually have 40-50 people at a monthly meeting, and some months, like last night, there can be over 100.  Everyone prints themselves a name tag at the check-in desk when they arrive, but it is hard for people to tell who are the experienced homeschoolers/leaders. So now, mentors and leaders at the meeting will wear a bright red ASK ME badge in addition to their name tag.


We are also changing the way that we do seating at a meeting. Rather than rows of chairs facing the front of the room, next month we are going to start setting up the room with rectangular tables and chairs.  Each table will have 6-8 chairs and a mentor/hostess, who will be wearing her ASK ME badge, and will facilitate introductions among the people sitting at her table.The hostess might choose to bring a favor for all the people at her table -  a new pencil, some candy kisses, a bookmark.  Some mentors will be specific to the meeting topic that month. For example, when the topic is Teaching Your Challenging Child, we'll have several mentors who have children with special needs or learning disabilities. Our group has over 300 member families,  so there is a large pool of people to draw from. While we haven't done this yet, we are very excited about this change, and the potential for our members to make connections at these monthly meetings.

For a couple of years now, we have devoted one monthly meeting each year to "Speed Mentoring".
This has become a very popular meeting! “Speed Mentoring allows veteran homeschoolers to connect with new homeschoolers who are overwhelmed with questions about anything (or everything!) related to home education. The “mentor” doesn’t need to be an expert in homeschooling—she simply shares from her experience. New parents ask their question(s) in a one-on-one setting, then, after an allotted time, a whistle blows, and they move to the next mentor to either ask the same question(s) or shift to another topic. This makes a fun, lively, interactive support group meeting " [Speed Mentoring,  HSLDA.org]    Sending out mentor bios along with a list of possible questions ahead of time helps things to run smoothly at the meeting. We have found that our members are most happy when meetings involve time for social interaction. As much as we love that we get to spend each day with our children, we moms also really enjoy the chance to hang out with adults from time to time!  And we homeschool moms are really interesting people to hang out with!

A couple of years ago we invited amazing homeschool mom Vickie Bentley to come speak  at our support group meeting, and as a result discovered her Home Education 101 Mentor Manual and Parent Workbook.

This is a fantastic tool for mentors to use either one on one or in a group setting, to cover basic information that is important for giving new homeschoolers a solid foundation as they begin their homeschool journey.  There are 9 chapters, covering Beginning the Journey, Choosing Curriculum, Organizing Your Time, Learning & Teaching Styles, Getting Dinner on the Table, Testing & Evaluations, Teaching Tips, Organizing Your Home, and Lessons Learned.  The manual includes information for the mentor to share, but also give spaces for adding in your own experiences as well as information specific to your state laws, etc.  There is an accompanying Parent Workbook that contains reprints of some information from the manual, but also blanks spaces in which to take notes from what your mentor is sharing.  Right now we have 4 small groups forming, for moms who have homeschooled for 0-3 years  - 3 groups will meet weekly for 8 weeks in a row, the 4th will be an all-day Saturday crash course!  I asked for testimonials from past Home Education 101 participants. Here are some things they had to say:

 "At the beginning of my second year of homeschooling, with much encouragement from a friend, I reluctantly signed up to be in a mentor group.  It wasn't that I didn't think I needed it, I just didn't want to add another thing to my calendar.  I went that first night not sure of what it would be like and if it would even benefit me.  I quickly learned that it would be a turning point for me in my homeschool years.  ...  God used several things over the course of that year to confirm that He wanted me to homeschool, but I credit the mentor group for bringing joy and grace back into our school.  I would HIGHLY recommend joining a mentor group, even if you don't think you can add another thing to your calendar :)  "

"Our group met twice a month.  We sat with our mentor around the table and went over all the basics – from curriculum choices to finding your child’s learning style to making the most of your daily schedule.  In addition to practical advice, I received support and encouragement from all the fabulous ladies who came – and there were even cupcakes!  My mentoring group helped me hang on when I felt like giving up, and I’m so glad I did!  I received valuable tips on working with my son.  I learned how to schedule our day more efficiently.  And I met other moms who also had messy houses! "

"I decided to homeschool only a few weeks before the school year started in 2013 and I was so unsure about ... everything.  Having a seasoned homeschool mom ... to encourage us, and teach us, and cheer us on was invaluable.  I loved that we could talk about marriage, meal planning, cleaning (or not), and how homeschooling affects every part of our lives as moms and wives.  I left every meeting renewed and encouraged.... Should I mention the cupcakes? " 

 Which brings us to the topic of cupcakes.   Several years ago I developed my cupcake baking skills in order to help my daughter raise money for a missions trip, and it has become my hobby, to the point that in certain circles I am known as "the cupcake lady".   These are made-from-scratch gourmet cupcakes, and I have a list of over 50 flavors that I have tried.  I started bringing cupcakes for the refreshment table at our monthly meetings, to our monthly leaders meetings, and to my mentor group meetings.  You know what? There is just something about home-baked goodies that makes people feel loved!  Store-bought cookies and bags of chips do not invoke the same reaction as a yummy treat lovingly prepared in someone's own kitchen!  Neither do veggie trays.  And if some of those treats are prepared with gluten-free ingredients, you will have the undying affection of those in your group who rarely get to indulge in the goodies at the end of the meeting.  Note the reaction of one of our new members when I posted in our Facebook group that I was bringing gluten-free cupcakes to the meeting because she mentioned it in passing." OMG NO YOU DIDN'T!!! You are AWESOME...I always go to the parties and never can indulge because of it... I will kiss you when I get there!!!!" Part of successful mentoring is developing a relationship of trust and acceptance, and cupcakes are amazingly good at breaking the ice and fostering good feelings.  Try it!