What if God asked you?

Just the other day...I was reading in the book of John (Chapter 6). Jesus was telling the people "...unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." This, of course, was a hard word for them to understand. Drink your blood? Eat your flesh? What??? It says in verse 60 that even the disciples had a hard time accepting the words Jesus had spoken. As you read further, you come to verse 66 that says, horribly..."From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him." Wow. Can you imagine having seen Christ perform amazing miracles, and then decide to get offended and leave?! He had just fed the five thousand and walked on water a few verses earlier!

The verse that really hit me is coming up though and here it is, vs 67:

"You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.

I can't even fathom my Lord asking me that. It would break my heart. I would probably cry...just as I am now even thinking about it. But you know what? People do it all the time. People? Who am I fooling? I do it all the time. When He asks me to speak up for Him and I keep quiet. When He asks me to do something hard, something that might even...heaven forbid...offend someone else and I tuck my tail and run. Even when I neglect Him and put Him on the shelf for a few days. It's in those times that I am acting just like those in the crowd who did leave. I'm essentially saying, "God, your word...this walk of faith...it's too hard. Make it easier, make it less offensive, and you'll have my full devotion."

It's sick to think about, but that's what we do, isn't it? No, we don't actually leave the faith, but yet we act like those with no faith in Christ at all. We act just like those who DO take offense to His name.

What if He asked us point-blank, "Do you want to leave?" each and every day? Actually, He does. Each and every day He gives us a choice. And our answer each and every day should be just like Peter's in verse 68:

"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."

That's it! Simon Peter, just like those of us who have chosen Christ, was convinced that He had found the One...the Way...the Truth...the Answer. And if we are among those of faith, among the convinced, then who are we to EVER shrink back in fear...to EVER keep our mouths shut...to EVER tell the Lord no because what He is asking might be too hard?! You know what? Living that kind of a Christian walk is ineffective and, in my opinion, boring. What has ever been gained by running away and hiding in a corner? If we, as Christians, want to be a light in an ever-darkening society, we can't leave Him now...especially not now!!!

"You do not want to leave too, do you?" - Jesus

This Homeschooling Adventure: Advantages & Disadvantages

Just the other day...I prayerfully but hesitantly decided that I was going to homeschool. I had a lot of fear of the unknown, fear that I could actually teach my own child. I could only wrap my brain around getting through one year, so that's what I told people, "I am committing to this for one year. I don't know what route we will take after that." I knew I could surely do one year. Well, thank God that I followed His leading to homeschool (even though I was sooooo afraid)! I can say without one ounce of hesitation that it has been an absolutely precious experience. I would not trade it for all the money in the world! Of course, we have had our bad days when I questioned myself and wanted to pull my hair out, but the good days far surpassed the bad. If you ever feel the Lord tugging on your heart to surrender in this area, please do it. Seriously, it's an adventure for the whole family! Trusting in God when you know you can't possibly do it without Him is the way to go, I promise (it always is)! He will provide all that you need and He will show up in ways that will leave you in awe!

As promised, I wanted to share a list of all the advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling (that my little brain could think of anyways). Of course, this list could be added upon by others, and please free to do so if you want. In fact, that would make it more fun! Alrighty then...since you already know that I'm pretty sold on homeschooling, I'll start with the list of disadvantages...

• My children don't have as many friends as I had in public school. However, the few girlfriends they do have are awesome, so I'm just trusting God in this area. I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me not to get to throw big old birthday parties for them though. I'm just keeping it real!
• Lack of group activities...but that will change soon when I meet with a group of other homeschooling mommies to plan some outings in a week or so. I didn't feel like I could handle the "group" stuff last year with a newborn, preschooler, and kindergartner in tow. I'm stepping it up this year! Also, the girls started taking dance lessons this past week, so that should help.
• All the materials can get quite expensive, but the Lord will provide (He certainly has for us)!
• Materials for homeschooling pile up quickly, so it takes some serious organization. Last year, we did school at the kitchen table, with books piled in another room. Thankfully, we now have a room just for homeschooling (another provision of the Lord).
• Writing down every single thing you do for school can get tedious and boring, but it is a necessary evil.
• Public opinion of homeschoolers is not always the greatest, so we have dealt with a few "snubs" from others. In general, people usually say something like, "Oh, how wonderful! I wish I had done that with my kids."  
• Some days you will butt heads with your child and they will shut down and so will you. It's just a fact. In that case, we give it up for the day and add on an extra one somewhere later. However, sometimes all it takes is a few hours of playing and then they are ready to get down to business.
• My kids are with me twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Sometimes, I need a break!!!!! My ears get very tired.

Okay, are you ready?! Time to list the advantages of homeschooling. I'm so excited!

• The TOP advantage is the closeness and intimacy that so much "togetherness" has brought to my family. If I believed in magic, I would say that it is simply magical! Over all of it...in all of it...love reigns in my household. I do not, for one second, take that for granted. It is a gift from God.
• I really enjoy getting to hand-pick the curriculum my children are going to learn. I get to teach them the truth about God and about how He has worked throughout history...that it is His plan that has always prevailed. Each day that we sit down to learn, I am passing down family values and establishing a Christian heritage. How awesome is that?!?!
• The flexibility of homeschooling is wonderful! If we want to start school late, fine. If we want to do school outside, fine. If we want to have pajama day at school, fine. If we want to pack up and do school on a mini-vacation, fine. If we want to learn about something on location, fine. If a child needs to go to the doctor or dentist in the middle of the day, fine. I love being unhindered! :)
• I know my children better than anyone else, so I am equipped to teach them better than anyone else. If they aren't getting something, then I know it and we don't move on until they understand. However, they are usually getting things so fast, that we end up doing work that is a grade level ahead. I've heard that this is true for most homeschoolers. I am able to focus all of my attention on just a few kids rather than twenty or more, so it is just logical that they complete things at a faster pace.
• We "do school" even when we aren't really "doing school". Again, I know what they are studying, so I tie in different things that pertain to what is being learned all day long.
• I get to emphasize art and music...things not always appreciated in public schools. {I know some schools still have great programs, so pretty please don't bash me on this point.}
• Less germs...need I say more?!
• Last but not least, we save lots of gas money:)

So, there you have it...the very unofficial list of advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling! My purpose in sharing is truly to give those of you who are "on the fence" a little taste of what you have to look forward to, should you decide to homeschool. Homeschooling is not always the easy, as mentioned before, some days are quite hard, but in the end, it is worth every bit of effort. Please don't ever hesitate to ask me for advice if you are considering it. I would love to help!

This Homeschooling Adventure

Just the other day, we completed our first nature study for homeschool. It’s something new we’ve started this year. It comes from Charlotte Mason’s educational philosophy; and it is highly recommended by the curriculum we are using. What a shame that we just happened to be at the beach! Ha! (I tried to post more pictures, but it looks like I'm going to have to do some research on how to do that! If you know how, do tell!!) Speaking of curriculum, I am truly pleased with the choices I made for this year. I have had many of you contact me in the past with questions about what I use, so here's the official list:

Adventures in My Father’s World (2nd edition for 2nd/3rd grade) – Sydney is technically in 1st grade this year, but she learned to read and write well last year. After MUCH deliberation between the 1st and 2nd grade programs, I could not be happier with the choice to go with this one. It includes Bible, US History, Science, and Art. She loves all of it and is learning so much!

Math U See – We started with level “Alpha” in Kindergarten, but didn’t quite complete it. I did many other things for math on my own last year (like time, money, shapes, etc). I have decided to quickly review “Alpha” this year, just to make sure she is getting it. When I know she has a great grasp of single digit addition and subtraction, I’ll purchase the next level. I just want to be cautious. No one wants their child to get behind in math, right?!

Spelling – I’m using a list my mother got for me of first grade words required in the GA public school system. Sydney writes the spelling words, she makes sentences with them, she plays games with them on Spelling City, and then we have a test. If any words are spelled incorrectly, they show up in the list again the next week.

Handwriting – She has sentences to write for many things we are doing, so handwriting practice is not really a problem. Still, we are reviewing all the letters and numbers these first few weeks of school. She is continuing to write a few numbers backwards, so we will keep on reviewing those. I have been told not to worry about it. She will most likely self-correct the backwards numbers as she gets older.

Reading – We’re basically keeping the library card busy! Right now she is on a “Nancy Drew” kick. I don’t have to worry about this child reading. She loves to read and never, ever has to be asked to complete it for school…yay for that!!! I’ve recently found some sites that have many of the classics online for free! We’re going to be searching out some books to read on the computer, for sure.

Character Development– I’m using “Polished Cornerstones” from Doorposts. I highly recommend this book! It’s an in depth study of the Proverbs 31 woman...full of great ideas and projects for girls (ages 4 to young adult) to complete. I’m positive that it will be tattered and torn after years of use with all three of my girlies! I know this company has a workbook to complete with boys, too. I'm sure it's just as good! (BTW, I also don't know how to include links yet. Help! I tried it once and it didn't work.)

Quickly…for Kylee (who is 3, almost 4)…I am concentrating on teaching her the letters and their sounds. I teach her on Mon, Wed, and Fri only. There are TONS of resources for preschool on the internet. I also use a couple of workbooks that I picked up at Walmart and other discount stores. Once she learns all the letter sounds, I’ll start teaching her to read. (Once a child can read, the sky is the limit!)

Come back in the next few days for a post on what I see as the benefits of homeschooling, as well as some of the disadvantages. I know there are some of you out there who are thinking about it as a possibility in the future, so my goal is to give you an honest assessment!

The Road to Belief

Just the other day my oldest brother's tiny car sat out in the driveway being loaded down with suitcases. It was dark and I was tired, just ready to start the trip. As a seven year old who had just completed first grade, I no doubt had my pillow and some stuffed buddies securely tucked under my arm. You see, my older sister and I were going to spend a couple of weeks with my brother who lived in a condo in Florida. He was stationed there with the US Air Force. I was beyond excited to get to go and live with my big bro for a bit! As a little girl, I thought he hung the moon (now I know better, but I still think he's a pretty awesome guy)!

As a kid, I was a watcher. I think all kids are. They watch and study and try desperately to figure this life-thing out. It's a good thing God gave me older siblings. They provided plenty of hours of observation! My brother didn't know it then, but what I was about to observe in him was going to help "set" my course in life, if you will.

We were well into our journey and it was still dark. I had been lulled to sleep in the backseat by the steady hum of the road. Suddenly, I became aware that we had stopped. It wasn't at a rest area either! We had pulled off on the side of the interstate. My brother's matchbox-sized car was shaking at the passing of each transfer truck. In my drowsy state, I remember my sister telling me that we had car trouble...everything was going to be fine...go back to sleep. Yeah right! Go back to sleep?! Who was she kidding?! Car trouble, in the middle of the night, on the highway, with no parents around to help?! This is major! As I sat in the backseat wide awake, I looked around for my brother. Turning towards the back of the car, I found him...kneeling.

As my brother prayed and I battled fear, he was schooling me in how to handle those moments when life throws you a curve ball, those times when your trip is derailed. You kneel. You pray. You seek God for the answers FIRST, well before you try any other methods. Even at the age of seven, I was "getting it".

My brother prayed and prayed and then got back in the car, his twenty-one year old self beaming with confidence. He set his watch on the dashboard, waited for a certain length of time, and when that time had passed, he turned the key. Do you think the car started? You better believe that car started!!!! It started right up on the first try, no sputters, no nothin'!!! God had made it start!!! God showed up, people!!! He showed up in our hour of need on the side of that lonely highway because my brother had certain faith that the Lord would not leave us stranded! God responds to that kind of faith. It's His love-language. What a lesson!

Up to that point, as far as I can remember, God and Jesus existed in the stories I had heard at church. I was eager to learn about God, but wasn't quite sure if He was real yet. That night, however, began a change in my heart. I had seen faith in action. I had witnessed a miracle. That night, I started to believe those stories about God just might be true and that God was who He said He was.

For His glory,

My Blog...Reloaded!

Just the other day, I had an idea. What if I created a blog that really recorded my life? My girls are constantly asking me to tell them of a story from my childhood. They ask me as we are riding down the road, when we are outside playing together, sometimes when we are eating supper…seriously, they LOVE to hear my stories. So, I just had the thought, “One day I need to write some of these stories down so that they can have a record of God’s faithfulness in my life from childhood until now.” Aha!!!! The light bulb came on. One thing you must know is that I am alllllll about leaving a legacy. It’s why I work so hard and pour myself into my children on a daily basis (and that is why, if you are a mother, you do the exact same thing). I want the absolute best for my children, and I know that the absolute best only comes from a life surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ! So, here I am, on the brink of this oh-so-exciting new adventure and I could not be more giddy!! My prayer is that any readers who stop by also see, hear, taste, touch, smell, and just plain KNOW the goodness of the Lord through this "new" blog. Oh, and why the title, you ask? I’m glad you did. Well, life flies by so fast, it all seems like it was “just the other day”, right? So, some of my posts will be from just the other day (literally) and others might be from just the other day when I was actually four years old…or about twenty nine years ago, but whose counting?! Oh, and by the way, I am NOT going to try to go in order of events or anything OCD like that. I’m sooooo just going to let this thing flow and write about whatever the Lord brings to mind. Ultimately, my story is HIS STORY anyways. To God be the glory!!!!!!!!