Do you ever feel as if you walk around with a target on your back? Can you withstand one more hit? You know that saying, “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle?” Do you ever just want to say, “I wish you didn’t have such a high opinion of me, Lord?” This has been a rough year for us. Paula’s dad died at the end of July. Paula’s been dealing with significant health issues since September. Mike was laid off in April. This isn’t our only year that has been riddled with challenges that have surprised and stretched us. We’ve certainly seen our fair share of hardship, loss and pain. (James 1:1-6)

Good thing the Lord brings us up with encouragement from His Word, by working through others to cheer us and by surrounding us with His providential care in all the blessings He shares with us, both those we recognize and those we take for granted. (Romans 15:4, Hebrews 6:8, Philippians 2:1-3, 1 John 4:19, Romans 5:8)

For some reason the high school years loom as the big bad boogey man in many a homeschoolers’ nightmares. Fear of not being able to give their child the education necessary to have a fruitful life as an adult feeds the doubt that homeschool parents can provide all that the child needs.

It’s easy to understand when people are battling with doubts how they can lose focus and try out the myriad of programs that now proliferate and masquerade as homeschooling. It bothers us when they prey upon your fears and doubts that you cannot effectively and successfully homeschool through high school. They tell you that you cannot do this without some program such as theirs.

We want to encourage you that you can homeschool your child through high school. We want to make you aware of the multiple families who have done just that. (1) (2)

We hope you understand that these entities are after you as surely as if there is a target on your back. Homeschoolers are a hot commodity. The proliferation of homeschool products and services are enough to make even a seasoned homeschooler feel overwhelmed at the choices available. Unfortunately, when these entities take up more than 49% of your time you are in jeopardy of stepping outside the Colorado homeschool law. HSLDA and local lawyers have relied upon interpretations of the homeschool law that require parents to conduct 51% of the core classes in their individual homeschool.

Are we advocating that you educate your child exclusively without using outside entities or people? No way! Music teachers and co-ops have been immeasurably helpful to us and to many homeschool families that we know. We want to make you aware, as leaders, that there is a line and limit to the law.

We want to share with you our happiness in graduating our second child this June. Her journey through homeschooling was different from her older sister’s. But that’s part of the exceeding joy and freedom we have as homeschoolers. We were able to tailor their education to meet their individual needs and talents. We did so by the grace of God, and with encouragement from our friends and support group. We did so by praying through the hard times and the stress-free times as well. It wasn’t always easy. There were times of doubt and uncertainty. Fortunately, God was always there to pick us up and point our eyes toward the reason He called us to homeschool in the first place: to raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Our goal hasn’t been to raise the smartest or best, but to raise them to be in the world and not of it.

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)  So, while you live a while longer as strangers and pilgrims on this earth, you will have no horizontal peace with the troubles, trials and tribulations of this world. But Christ has overcome the world for you, and gives you His everlasting, heavenly peace in His Word.” (3)

Abiding in His gracious peace, love and mercy,

Mike and Paula

(1) Dr. Brian Ray’s research projects that there were 250,000 to 340,000 homeschooled high school students in 2001 in the United States of America. If you take one quarter of that number as those who graduate from their homeschools, then in the last eight years that’s approximately 500,000 (half a million) students. This does not include his projected 7-8% yearly increase in the number of homeschool students.  http://www.hslda.org/research/faq.asp#1 and http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2004/2004115.pdf.

(2) CHEC’s Homeschool High School/Prepare for Life/High School and Beyond seminars have served hundreds of families in the last 6 years and CHEC consistently receives feedback that the seminars have encouraged families to continue homeschooling through high school and shown them that they can do it! (2 Timothy 4:7)

(3) http://higherthings.org/reflections/easter2009/2009-05-17.html

 (Copyright 2009, all rights reserved)

Encouragement is the inspiration that gives us hope.

Let’s first examine what erodes our encouragement, inspiration and hope. Your answers may be different from ours, but here are some that we have found.

Not taking care of ourselves, not only in bodily needs, but also taking time to allow our hearts and minds to be recharged and enlarged. How much better our attitudes are when we are well rested, fed and have had a chance to ponder the things that we hold deep in our hearts. Are you taking care of yourself?

We all have stress from various sources in our lives. How we choose to handle that stress makes the difference between a small problem or a larger one. How are you handling that stress in your life? Or is it handling you?

It’s human nature to compare, ourselves, our children, and our families. There is always going to be someone better or worse than you. Learning to borrow good ideas and not trying to adopt another’s lifestyle or philosophy will help you to remain content in your circumstances. We highly recommend writing out your family’s “homeschooling statement of purpose”. This written document will allow you to focus on the basic reasons that you are doing all this in the first place. It can be changed as your circumstances change. What are you comparing?

We all experience confusion, doubt and uncertainty from time to time. Again, like the stress, it’s something that we can choose to handle or we can let it handle us. Remember that the author of confusion is Satan. That doesn’t mean that we, as sinful human beings, aren’t sometimes lured into that vicious circle of doubt. But so long as we don’t wallow in it, or continually visit that cesspool, trusting to God to lift us out from it, this should just be a minor distraction diverting us for a short time from our hope. Are you clinging to the doubt, or to the hope?

Unresolved conflict eats away at our peaceful spirit. You cannot find continuing inspiration and hope if you don’t work to resolve that conflict in your life. What are you doing to resolve that conflict in your life?

Work to eliminate the activities of little or no benefit that steal away your time and energy. Having that homeschooling statement of purpose really helps you determine what you can and should eliminate from your schedules. What can you do to eliminate those time robbers?

So these things can erode our inspiration and hope. We’d like to suggest to you that you spend some time with the book of James. It’s only five chapters long and speaks to us of profiting from our trials, having our faith push us into being “doers of the Word” (James 1:22), taming our tongues (especially teachers in James Chapter 3), learning and practicing humility, patience and prayer.

What builds up your hope and inspiration? We all know that God is the source of all inspiration. He can use whatever means He chooses to touch our hearts. Every good and perfect thing is from God.

So – some practical suggestions when you are having a “terrible, no good, rotten day” and you can’t see the end of the tunnel.

Take a break. Break your myopic momentary view, and look at the big picture. Take a walk. Make a cup of tea. Take a shower. Call your spouse. Shoot some hoops. Sing. Eat some chocolate. Whistle. Do the devotion you skipped this morning. Play any game with the kids. See who can make the strangest face. Be silly! Laugh. Cry. Write a letter. Attend a conference.

Call a friend – someone who won’t condemn you for your temporary feelings but will encourage you back to the eternal things that matter. Jesus is always available to us. But remember also, that God works through other humans to provide that inspiration to us that encourages us and gives us hope.

Our loving Father surrounds us with exactly what we need when we need it. Believing that is an act of faith. Acting on that faith is a means of expressing our sanctification in our vocation, that of being a spouse, parent, homeschool teacher, a support group leader, and helping others along that same journey.

 Abiding in His gracious peace, love and mercy,

Mike and Paula

We’ve been privileged in these last few years in our position as CHEC’s Support Group Leader Liaison to speak with many different leaders around Colorado and some beyond the borders of our state.

Without a doubt, the most pressing concern is how to get and retain good volunteers so that our groups function well.  Most other service type groups suffer from this same complaint.

The second most pressing concern deals with the different ways to homeschool and how we include or exclude folks who don’t fit into the category of Christian homeschooling.  Many Christian groups desire to be an outreach to homeschoolers and open membership to those legally homeschooling, however they reserve leadership positions for fellow Christians.  Other groups choose to limit membership to only like-minded Christians, or those who are like-minded in method of teaching (such as Charlotte Mason, Classical, Principle Approach, etc.)

Homeschooling has grown so much that we can now have groups that represent different priorities, styles of teaching and philosophies, and that is a good indication of the maturation of the movement.

One of the “types” of homeschoolers that are often excluded are those who chose to do COVA-type programs at home.  Those who chose this method are technically under the auspices of the public school system and not homeschooling; however the impression they have and many out in the world have is that they are homeschooling because instruction is taking place in the home.  They have a fragrance of what homeschooling is like, but they are not in charge and in control of the learning program, and so the full aroma of the freedom of homeschooling eludes them.  Excluding them from Christian homeschool support groups causes consternation because they believe they are homeschooling, even though they are not.

The movie Braveheart starring Mel Gibson portrays a strong man who is devoted to his conviction of freedom from the English throne.  There are many historical inaccuracies in the movie, even when you consider that artistic license was used to create a more compelling story.  Unfortunately, not just with Braveheart, but with many cinematic offerings, the general public does not know differently so their knowledge of historical figures and events is completely influenced by the movies they watch.  This philosophy holds true for homeschooling as well.  The mainstream media’s biased reporting of events has been accused of influencing this past election.  People’s perceptions are shaped by language and behaviors that are familiar to them and come from trusted sources.  Studying and discovering that their perceptions may be wrong are pursuits that people don’t have the time to indulge in, so they are left with the powerful images and words before them.  All these examples show us that we must be vigilant in our words and deeds in presenting the truth so that we do not lose the battle of perception.

As leaders, we need to be certain what our convictions are, implement them in our groups and then lead by example not only in our groups, but also in our lives.  Imitation, although the sincerest form of flattery, is still not the real thing.

Abiding in His gracious peace, love and mercy,

Mike and Paula

Psalm 100:5  For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

 (Copyright 2009, all rights reserved)

 It is easy to be thankful when things are going well.  With gratitude we thank the Lord for the many blessings He showers upon us daily.  Some of those blessings we recognize and others we take for granted.

The Lord prepared our hearts and minds to homeschool long before we knew we would experience this joyous adventure.  He brought the right experiences and people into our lives so that we would be able to homeschool.  The early Christians left their families, homes, ways of living, and habits.  Sound familiar?  Leaving behind the cultural norms we have been steeped in as we grew up and stepping out in faith and obedience to God’s Word, we enter into a lifestyle of teaching our children at home with all the tribulations and rewards that it brings.

It is more difficult to be thankful when things aren’t going well.  Doubt and discouragement can invade our thoughts and prayers.  Well-meaning friends and acquaintances can wound our hearts (Psalm 56:8) with their misapplication of Scripture, their lack of compassion or understanding.  (Psalm 35:12)

It’s then that we need to learn to use the right tools to help support our members in their efforts to educate their children at home.

A couple of October’s ago we got two flat tires within a week.  The first one was fixed by Mike.  The other one happened the night before Mike was to leave town on business.   There wasn’t time to fix it before Mike left.  With a storm predicted, it was important that the tire get fixed soon and not wait for his return.  Feeling confident with the instruction that Paula’s father gave her before she got her license 30 years earlier, Paula set out to remove the flat tire and replace it.  The hub cap was removed.  The tire iron came out.  The lug nuts did not budge.  Even with the aid of our two teen-aged daughters, with them pulling and Paula pushing, the lug nuts would not loosen.  This was distressing and after due diligence of effort was used; finally Paula called her father-in-law, Gary.  Gary told her to use a long-handled ratchet wrench.  Paula retrieved the tool from the garage and the lug nuts came right off.  Whew!  What a relief!  The car was lifted into the air with the aid of the floor jack and the tire was removed so it could be fixed.  With the right tool, the job was so much easier and the task could be completed.  The wrong tool didn’t work no matter how much pressure was applied.

The right tools help us homeschool.  The wrong tools, no matter how we use them, do not help us.  Discerning whether something is the appropriate tool takes prayer and patience.  The best place to determine that is found within the Word of God.

When our hearts and minds are consumed with fear or sorrow and we are distracted from the ways the Lord cares for us, we can be tempted to use the wrong tool because it seems easy and we long for comfort.  Our Lord is bigger than our fears, our doubts, and our sorrows.  Even the disciples displayed their human weaknesses and they were at the feet of Jesus for three years!  Holding us in the palm of His hand, God cares enough to not leave us in a place of doubt and fear.  (Psalm 23, 1 Peter 1:2-4, 1 John 2:12-14, Galatians 1:24)  He moves us along to a different focus and eventually answers our prayers, although not always in the ways we envisioned.  He does this by bringing others into our lives who act as the hands and feet of God, administering Christian aide, love, grace, mercy and peace. (Ephesians 4:11-16)  Just as the early Christians did, we can band together, fortifying each other, and exhorting each other as we grow stronger from our association and devotion to each other.

It’s important to remember that, just as we all have not been imbibed with the same gifting and talents, our homeschools are often manifested in different ways and do not look or feel like another family’s homeschool does.  This is as it should be as our Lord has given us each children, made in His image, and therefore we honor that image by seeing to their individual needs and learning styles.  There cannot be condemnation in our community unless something is heretical.

Above all, remember that the best thing we can do is pray for one another as we are faced with the imbroglios and benefits of teaching our children at home.

Trusting in Him,

Mike and Paula

(Copyright 2008, all rights reserved)

Greetings!  As Jude so aptly put it:  “To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ:  Mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.”

Before us lies a new homeschooling year.  A clean slate.  The books still smell new and we haven’t yet pitched our plans for the year.  (Rev. 21:5a Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”)  Opportunity abounds to change our bad habits, to adopt new habits, to lift our focus up, and to begin afresh.  (2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.)  We are eager to implement our prayerful plans.  (2 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart.  Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.)

The possibilities before us seem limited only by our deficient imagination, our fears or our refusal to receive gifts freely offered.  As we plan for both our groups and our own homeschools, what will be written upon that serendipitous page?

On this precipice, we stand only because the Lord has preserved us and bestowed us with the courage and conviction to be leaders, looking forward, mindful of the past, and enjoying our companions who are walking this unfamiliar path with us.  We can glory in the incandescent joy that we find along the way, and use the bitter times to gain knowledge, discernment and wisdom.  And all of this seems so serene and attainable, until real life hits you like the proverbial bug and windshield.

A child becomes ill, a sleepless night spent rocking a restless infant or toddler, unexpected guests arrive, something disrupts your carefully crafted schedule.  Then you have to find the determination to begin – AGAIN.  And AGAIN, because it always seems there is something disrupting our harmonious schedules.  (I Corinthians 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.)

Each time we are stalled from moving forward, it is important to remember that His mercies are new every day!  (Lamentations 3:21-23 This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.  Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.)  Each day we can turn to Him for the vital needs that sustain us.  (Psalm 3:5 I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me.)  He also delights in blessing us beyond our needs!  (Philippians 4:19 And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.) 

What an awesome God to care so very much for each of us!  (1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.)

Part of that caring is the way the Lord shepherds each of our homeschool groups.  As we allow Him to work through us while we serve others like we’ve been taught in scripture -- from our hearts, bolstering and heartening each other as we ultimately serve HIM, He serves us by placing others in our path from whom we can gather knowledge, encouragement and wisdom.  Essentially, we have each other to lean upon and learn from.  We pray you will reach out in times of need, uncertainty and doubt.  There are so many ways that we can nourish each other – not only in prayer, but also with gentle words of reassurance, advise, support, hugs, mentoring and friendship. 

We look forward with anticipation to where the Lord will take us this year.  We’re grateful for your companionship along the way.  May this year be filled with blessings beyond our imaginations, with an elimination of our fears, and the grateful reception of His gifts as they come to us through each other and our support groups.

 Abiding in His mercy, grace, peace and love,

Mike and Paula Anderson

Colossians 2:2, 3  “that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

(Copyright 2008, all rights reserved)