My daughter is a member of Ad Deum II, the trainee division of a Christian contemporary dance company. She will be participating in Project Dance in New York next weekend. (http://www.projectdance.com) We covet your prayers for good weather, effective ministry and encouragement for the dancers.

How do you feel about using dance as worship and ministry?

We have come across many Christians, including those in our own church, who equate dance with sin. I don't believe that this is a Biblical view of dance. The times that dance is mentioned in the Bible it describes times of praise for things that God has done. God says in Ecclesiastes "there is a time to dance." Many Christians today do not believe that there is ever a time to dance. My daughter finds it very discouraging in trying to use her gifts and talents as God has equipped her and be condemned by her fellow Christians. I have encouraged her to use her talents for the Lord, as I do with my pottery.

It seems to be such a difficult road to be different from those around us, both believers and unbelievers!

My 10 yo son has been using Time4Learning online curriculum for the past month. He struggles with reading and writing and I have had a difficult time motivating him to do schoolwork. He was willing to try this curriculum for a month. He loves doing all his work on the computer! It was initially set up for him to do 4th grade language arts and math, but after a few weeks he was motiviated to tackle the 5th grade material. He has made friends with "Peedy", a parrot who reads the text to him if he needs help reading. I have spent very little time helping him read. The lessons are engaging and entertaining. He seems to be retaining much of the information that he is learning in Science and Social Studies. These are subjects that I never have been able to find the time to study much with him.

I would recommend this curriculum to anyone looking for an online curriculum. The reports are great for tracking time spent in each subject and for grades. The student can complete much of the work independently, but the reports let the teacher know what was completed. There is much flexibility in choosing activities to be completed. If he already knows the information, I let him complete the quiz and go on to the next lesson.

Check it out for yourself! http://www.time4learning.com/homeschool-curriculum.htm

Although they have not been formally tested, I think that two of my children have dyslexia. I've been reading lots of books on the subject lately and wonder what others are doing for children with this problem, learning style or gift?

I'll write  more of my thoughts as I read, but would love to get a dialog going with a kindred spirit. Do you have a child with dyslexia, what are you doing to teach them fluency and comprehension? My children are already reading, but very slowly, labored and with little comprehension. Any suggestions are welcome!

I recently finished my e-book, Trust the Process; He is the Potter!

This book is a compilation of the Bible studies that I teach while I demonstrate on the potter's wheel.

You can download it by grace from my website.

http://www.thepottershouseschool.com

Let me know how God moves you through this book!

I have never been a morning person. I always scheduled college classes and work so that I could be there at 9:00 am or later. Well, our "school" has always been the same way. We never start really moving before 9:00. Some people have warned me that my children will not be able to get to work on time, because of our relaxed morning schedule...

My 18 yo dd has been working for Target and has been scheduled to work at 8:00 am for the past few weeks. It is a 45 minute drive from our house. She has been getting up by herself and before any of the rest of the family is up and getting to work on time. The store managers have recommended her for a position in the cash office, because she gets to work on time and doesn't call in sick very often!

So much for our relaxed homeschool ruining my children's lives!

I got my copies of the Spring issue of TOS magazine today. The Potter's House School has an ad on page 192! This is the first time I've ever advertised my ministry...I wrote a chapter on Language Arts in High School for the new Homeschooling High School book that TOS is publishing and they paid me with an ad.

I have a potter's wheel that fits into a suitcase and I love to travel! I would love to come to your group to do a pottery demonstration/Bible study. Groups of all ages are captivated by the work on the wheel as well as the messages that God has to teach us with illustrations of pottery. I have spoken for homeschooling groups, children's and teen's ministries, ladies fellowship dinners & retreats, senior citizen luncheons. Keep me in mind for your next group occasion.

I'm sewing 19 ballet skirts for my daughter's ballet company this month, so my pottery studio has been transformed into a sewing room. I really don't like to sew, so this is a real act of the will to complete. I would much rather be muddy! Please pray that I am able to complete all of these skirts before recital without too many late nights!

What a joyous time of fellowship with sisters in Christ!

I just returned from providing a pottery ministry for a ladies retreat for 1000 Hills Cowboy Church of Kerrville, TX. God did an awesome work this weekend. One woman was saved and many others were ministered to. It always amazes and blesses me to watch God work at these retreats!

I'm home from church today with residuals from the flu...probably a sinus infection...life seems to be so difficult these days, much to think and pray about...my girls are growing up too fast and they aren't close friends like they used to be. I pray that they will restore their friendship soon, as this time hurts my heart!

I'm working on an ebook based on the Bible lessons that I teach in my pottery ministry. At times this seems like an overwhelming task! I've never written a book before. I've had an outline to speak from for a long time now, but putting it in book form is a challenge. I hope to add some video of me working on the wheel for those who have never seen a potter at work. I hope and pray that this will provide a forum to share the messages that God has taught me to places where I cannot go.

Both of my daughters (now 16 and 18) have been employed since they were 15 years old. I have observed that employers are starved for employees who are responsible, committed employees. I was recently told that, although my daughter is the youngest gymnastics coach, she is the best coach that they have! Wow, was I surprised! My other daughter seems to have survived the "after-holidays" lay-offs at Target. My daughters have noticed that many of the other employees don't show up on time and sometimes don't show up at all! They don't even call ahead to tell their employer that they will be late or not there. I am constantly amazed at how inconsiderate these employees are. These seem to be basic work skills to me??? I think that many employers are willing to go out of their way train any employee that is committed to their job. Since these types of people seem to be hard to find, our children have opportunities beyond their imagination!

Well, the cost of renewing my occupational therapy license (after 10 years) would be in the thousands of dollars and 116 contact hours of continuing education....since we are in need of money...this doesn't look like an option!

I'm beginning my pottery classes at the Coushatta reservation again. When I called, she said that there was an interest in two classes! They pay for all my expenses, including travel, plus the tuition that I charge per student. I'll have to be away from home for one day a week, but my teenage daughters and husband will be home on that day to keep the homeschooling going. This is not all the money that we need, but it will make a good contribution.

I'm looking at ways to develop my pottery business more. I'm thinking about writing a book based on the Bible study/pottery demonstration that I do. God has given me a passion for pottery for a reason and I believe that He will bless these endeavors to share Christ and my passion for pottery with others.

Looks like I need to find a part-time job, maybe full-time, to help our family get out of some financial problems. I have lots of options that I can check into, but I haven't worked a "regular job" in 18 years! I'm not sure what I will do about schooling either. My oldest will graduate this year, but I still have a 10th grader, 4th grader and 4 yo at home...they have never been to "school." The thought of sending them to school or daycare is hard for me to accept, but I'm willing, if that's what God wants. I don't know what His will is right now, but I do know that He doesn't want us to stay in bondage of debt. I'd love to hear from others in this situation!

The new e-book Secrets to Successful Homeschooling is wonderful!

I was interrupted by my grandkids coming to the door to trick or treat! Now can you understand my plight! My daughter-in-law brought candy to my house while I wasn't home, so I could give it to the kids. I tried to call her to ask her not to come by with the kids, so it wouldn't be so hard on my 4 yo, but she didn't answer the phone and must not have gotten the message!

All the neighbors are having Halloween parties and my 9 yo has been invited, in fact he's helped to clean up their yards to prepare for the parties. We've had quite a discussion today about the dilemma that we are in! He understands what God's word says, but he doesn't want to miss out on the fun...I don't blame him! I really don't like standing for the convictions that God has given me some times, but I must remain blameless. I told him tonight that I can't imagine standing before God and making excuses for why I let him "just have fun just this once."

Sometimes being a Christian is so hard!

I'm writing this to find out if I'm the only Christian who is very uncomfortable with the subject of Halloween.

The Lord gave me some strong convictions about the celebration of Halloween. I don't feel comfortable doing anything that looks like a Halloween celebration. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with candy or costumes, unless it's part of a Halloween party. This is very difficult to adhere to, since there are so many various opinions on this subject among Christians.

I've chosen to try to shelter my children from evil, until they're able to understand and we can discuss the powers involved. This is very difficult to do during the month of October!

There are many Scriptures to back up my reasoning in avoiding Halloween celebrations:

Deuteronomy 18:20 "...do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Le no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord, and because of these detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the Lord your God."

OK, so you say, but we aren't doing these things! But by saying that Halloween is just for fun, are we saying that these practices are fun? There are real people in the world today in this country practicing these ways and they would love to get our children involved. If we say that Halloween is just for fun, what's wrong with these practices...what's wrong is that God calls these practices detestable! Shouldn't we be teaching our children the truth???

Life as we know it is getting back to normal.  Our power was restored last week, PTL! The insurance adjuster came on Sunday afternoon...we should receive enough to repair our roof and more. My kids are back to gymnastics and ballet classes this week. I'm back to teaching pottery lessons. Homeschooling never ceased! Although our lessons and schedule has changed. The public schools still have not reopened, so our friends are free to spend the night, go to the movies, etc... The trees have even sprouted new leaves, to replace those blown off by the storm.

My pottery class at Camp Pearl is no longer needed. The camp was without power for two weeks, so those evacuees moved to other locations. I'll miss those kids and will continue to pray that God provides for their needs.

My daughter's Christmas ballet performance of "Rudolph" was cancelled due to damage to the theater. She had dreamed of being a reindeer for 12 years now, and those dreams will have to wait until next year, unless the Lord leads her in another direction. She will graduate from homeschool this year and "Rudolph" was to be a highlight of her senior year. Its difficult to handle dreams that were blown away by the storm! Christmas will be very different for us this year!

Life has changed a lot for us, but we have hope for the future that the Lord has in store for us.

This pecan tree was uprooted and fell on the corner of our house. We have some roof damage, but no water damage. PTL! We still do not have electricity! Please continue to pray for my husband's business to pick up again soon.

THANKS!