Homeschooling in the Storms of Life

When you homeschool your children you soon realize that life around you doesn't change really. Things still happen. People still get sick, jobs are still lost, deaths still occur. Life doesn't stop so that you can have plenty of time to devote to your children.

You learn to roll with the punches. Over time I have seen the beauty in homeschooling with flexiblity. If we need to stop for a little while during a crisis we can. If money gets tight (which is almost always) I learn other ways to get the lessons taught. If I get sick or one of the children gets really sick, we can rest for a few days and then jump back in.

Our school has become the one constant thing that we can always count on. No matter what is going on around us, no matter how great the storm becomes, we can always have the normality of school in our life. When we are crying out for a normal life again, our school is there. It keeps us together, it keeps us connected, it provides that safe haven during the storm.

God promised that there would be storms. He also told us how to get through them..."Remember I am God, and there is no other" (Isaiah 46:9) Read the whole chapter, it is full of his promises and reminders that there is no one else who can rescue us, only Him.

When the storms come, we must remember that he is God, our Creator, our Sustainer and there is none like him. We must teach this to our children and live it out in front of them. When our lives are based on this truth, our schools are based on this truth and it will remain constant even through the storms of life.

Martin Luther speaks about schools

Here is a quote from Martin Luther...

I am much afraid that schools will prove to be the great gates of hell unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures, engraving them in the hearts of youth.
I advise no one to place his child where the scriptures do not reign paramount. Every institution in which men are not increasingly occupied with the Word of God must become corrupt.

Federer, William J.: Great Quotations : A Collection of Passages, Phrases, and Quotations Influencing Early and Modern World History Referenced According to Their Sources in Literature, Memoirs, Letters, Governmental Documents, Speeches, Charters, Court Decisions and Constitutions. St. Louis, MO : AmeriSearch, 2001

A Thirsty Soul

The past few days have been very hectic & really busy for me. I am on leadership in the Mom's Ministry at my church as every year we give the moms who participated all year in our program a Tea. It was a beautiful morning, but there were hours of planning and work that went on behind the scenes. There were meetings to go to, reservation lists and childcare lists to maintain and there were little things like name tags & bookmarks to make. These seemed little until it was time to make and complete everything and then I realized how many hours it would take to finish it all. But we all did it and it is over now!

In the midst of all the preparations and meetings there were a few mornings recently when I did not get my full quiet time in. Maybe all I had time for was to pray a short prayer or read a chapter of scripture. But it wasn't the full time that I am used to.

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you..." (Psalm 63:1)

Because of the habit of getting up early and spending concentrated time in prayer and study, when that couldn't happen I could feel it. I missed it, I was getting spiritually dehydrated. I longed to spend more than 10 minutes in prayer & meditation of His Word.

"I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory." (Ps 63:2)

I have experienced the power and glory of my God. I have experienced him in the sanctuary of my solitude and silence. It is a marvelous thing and one that I want to experience over and over again. It gives me a glimpse into the wonder of Heaven. When I miss out on my time with him, I miss out on experiencing his power and glory. Of course, He can still speak to me out of that sanctuary of silence I have in the mornings, he has many times. But that time set aside for Him at the beginning of my day always prove to be the sweetest time for He and I to communicate.

Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands." (Ps 63:3,4)

When you see God do great things in your life...don't keep it to yourself! Share it with someone. Praise him! When you experience his love & goodness you are getting a taste of God and what eternity will be like with Him. His love is better than life...it sustains and renews us.

My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you." (Ps 63:5)

There is an empty place in our heart that only God can fill. We can read all of the best books by the best authors, go hear all of the best preachers, but they cannot fill the void and empty place that God can fill. When we come to Him, praising Him for his love, repenting of our sin, acknowledging that He alone is God and believing that His son, Jesus Christ died for YOUR sins, your soul is satisfied. You can do nothing else, but praise Him because you are in awe of His love for you..the filthy sinner.

I had the best time with the Lord this morning. My soul was thirsty and he nourished and renewed me.

Are you thirsty?

Drink of His love and goodness. He has so much that he wants to pour into your soul.

Picture compliments of Liquid Sculpture

You Are God's Idea

When was the last time you read Psalm 139? Read Psalm 139 here

When I read this I am reminded that I am God's idea. He has put a great amount of thought into me and what he wants me to do for his kingdom. He thinks about you. Don't you just love that? The great Creator himself spends time thinking about you. Sometimes I think we only think of God in a "god" kind of way rather than a "father" kind of way. He is not sitting up there in Heaven casting his judgement down on us for all the mistakes we make. He is loving us & thinking about us.

God said, "I need this done." So he created you to do it.

How much time do you spend thinking about him?

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,

"How difficult it is for me to fathom your thoughts of me O, God" David once prayed to you. Your thoughts are beyond anywhere my simple mind could ever go, but to remember that in the midst of my chaos you are thinking of me brings such a comfort to my soul. You really do know everything about me and you still love me. Thank you. A~Men.