If Dr. Dobson and the broadcast have had a significant impact in your life -- helped you be a better spouse, deal with the challenges of child rearing or walk out your Christian faith with more boldness and integrity, we'd love to hear your story. Just put it down in an email and send it to citizenlink@family.org with the subject line "Broadcast Stories." We'll publish a sampling of the best submissions we receive in a future edition of CitizenLink.
My story:
My first exposure to Dr. Dobson was as a young teenager, and I hate to admit it, but I was unimpressed. In fact, it prejudiced me against him for several years. I heard him at church, and the only part that stuck with me was that he didn't like Barbie dolls. As a big fan of Barbie, I took this as a personal affront and dismissed the rest of his opinions for the next ten years or so. Then, I became a mom. Suddenly, I was very interested in what he had to say.
After the birth of my son in 1995, I became a regular listener. I read all the books, listened to all the broadcasts, and somewhere along the way forgave Dr. Dobson for dissing Barbie. When my son went to school, I would listen to Dr. Dobson on the way home from picking him up from school. By then, my first daughter had also been born. I needed the wise counsel of Focus on the Family more than ever.
My son, a preacher's kid, knew the gospel since he was two years old. He could tell you the plan of salvation from an early age. But when he was six, it started to take root in his heart. He came under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and we talked about his need to respond. For some reason, he was reluctant. Normally a compliant, easy-going child, he seemed to bristle at the idea of surrendering to Christ. We talked about it, and he continued to wait. Then one day, we were listening to Focus on the Family on the way home from school. I wish I could remember the date or the name of the man giving his testimony. The best I can narrow it down is Spring 2002. But the guest that day was giving his testimony, and at some point he said something about not delaying your response to God because you never know if you are promised tomorrow. From my rear-view mirror I could see that the testimony was impacting my son, so I continued to drive until the program ended. We didn't really talk about it, and that night I had a ladies' Bible Study at church.
While we were having our Bible study, my husband came to the church with the kids and interrupted us, which was very unusual. But then he said Spenser had something to tell me. He wanted to let me know that he had accepted Christ that evening. We all know that the Holy Spirit is the one that convicts and leads us to repentance, but we also know that God uses many means to communicate the gospel. For my son it was that Focus on the Family broadcast, and I am eternally (yes, literally) grateful for their ministry.
Six years later, I am a homeschooling mother of four children, and while we no longer have the ride home from school to hear the broadcast, we can always listen to it online. As the mother of three girls, I even understand the whole Barbie doll thing, although I am still not convinced. But I am convinced of this: Focus on the Family has been a huge influence on my parenting, my own life, and the life of my children. Thank you Focus on the Family!
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Jul. 25, 2008
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The State of Education: The Future Has Arrived
Posted By
Gena Suarez, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
“The homeschooling movement in the United States has reached a level of institutional maturity that few could have predicted only a decade or two ago. A massive infrastructure is in place, from curriculum companies to social groups, catering to the millions of people who engage in homeschooling.” - Thomas E, Woods, Jr., Crime Against the State: Why Progressives Hate Homeschooling
I wonder if many of today's homeschoolers can really understand what an incredible phenomenon, even miracle, the growth of homeschooling over the past two decades is.
My first year homeschooling -- 1985 -- I had never even heard the term. I met my first fellow homeschooler during my second year of teaching my children and started a homeschool group that same year.
When my oldest son reached fourth grade, I discovered Saxon Math. The program started with the 65 book. The 54 book was in the test-marketing stage and I was part of the target group for the test. My copy was completely handwritten. Each chapter was stapled together and added to the pile of other chapters.
I coordinated the first curriculum fair in my area that invited actual publishers (prior to that, families would get together once a year to show their curriculum, which is still a good idea). Hundreds of the companies that set up at fairs today did not exist twenty – or even ten – years ago.
The most common response I encountered when people discovered I homeschooled was: “Is that legal?” Today it’s: “I know someone who does that.”
Even the word “homeschool” has evolved. During most of my homeschool years it was two separate words, and while many parents said they home schooled, you never heard a child say he or she home schooled, but rather that he was home schooled.
In some ways, I think this last thing may be the most important bit of progress. While my children have always been self-educators, they never used the terminology of self-education: I homeschool.
Maybe it would be good for us to impress upon our children the full potential of those words used by a student: I homeschool. I take an active role in my education. Education is not something I just wait for someone to do to me.
This is how we produce those “lifelong learners” the teaching industry is so fond of talking about and so loathe to actually empower.
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Jul. 25, 2008
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Freebie Finder - WorkSheetWorks.com
Posted By
Gena Suarez, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
WOW! Here is one of my new favorite FREE websites!
http://www.worksheetworks.com/ is an unbelievable site with so many great customizable features I have just scratched the surface as to what it does! So far I have made customized handwriting sheet, word searches and maps. The site says it has over millions of combinations and I believe it does!
My 7 year old daughter is thrilled with the handwriting sheets. She can tell me what she wants to write, we type it in and out comes a handwriting sheet in cursive for her to practice with! She was also thrilled when I made her a word search that included words about her American Girl doll Felicity! (Felicity, horse, patriot, revolutionary war, etc.)
If you have a kid like mine who cannot get enough "schoolwork" this site is going to be a favorite for you too!
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Jul. 25, 2008
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Homeschooling Only One ~ A Fifteen Year Old's Question
Posted By
HomeschoolBlogger Company Blog
in
hsingonlyone
A week or so ago, I had a dear friend's 15-year-old daughter give me a letter asking for a response. Due to a conference she attended, she was challenged to ask an adult, "What do you wish you knew when you were my age?" As she mulled this over, she felt the Lord encourage her to ask several people, of all "persuasions" (friends, family, Christ followers, Non-Christ follwers, acquaintances, and so forth). She may write or do some sort of art piece from the answers. With her permission, I share with you my response to her question. It doesn't really have anything to do with homeschooling (although she is and has been homeschooled) or with having only one child (she's the oldest of four). But it is a challenge to all of us, to look back and ponder what would be something we would have liked to know "if we knew now..."
My first paragraph concerned watching the internet broadcast of this past week's sermon. LifeChurch.tv does a sermon series based on movies for the month of July each year. They are only broadcast during the weekend Experiences (worship times) and online both on Sunday at 11:30am Central USA time and Tuesday evening, 8pm Central USA time. They are not archived since they do use clips of particular movies (a different one each week). This week was based on "The Bucket List" and was quite poignant. I encouraged her that she ought to make time to watch it on Tuesday (July 22nd). I thought specifically of her during the sermon Sunday morning (July 20) and thought she ought to watch it. (She and her family attend the same church we do, but she had not been able to attend church last Sunday.) This particular one won't be saved, so no one here will be able to access it, but if you're interested, you can watch this coming Sunday's (on July 27 and 29). It will be the last one for this year's "At the Movies" series.
I continued my reply with the following....
Fifteen... I turned 50 this year. I never thought of myself "being" 40 or 50. Thirty, I think I might have thought of in some form or fashion at some point... figured I'd have kids and be settled into my own family by 30. Mike (our firstborn) arrived the September after the April I turned 31. So at 30, I didn't "have" all I thought I would by that age. In fact, I felt his first kick on my 31st b'day so that was pretty monumental for me. What does that mean to you, now, at 15? I'm not sure... maybe that what you envision for your life now (for then) may look TOTALLY different then than what you see now...
Plus, 15 is incredibly YOUNG. Realize that your life has barely begun. Traumas and heartaches now (and in the ensuing several years), however hard to walk through, might be seen in later years as "nothing" or mere bumps in the road. I'm not trying to minimize or invalidate those bumps and traumas and heartaches that you may have now (or in the next 5 to 10+/- years), but in the larger picture, the highs & potential lows -to-come- will truly make these upheavals diminish in size. Often 15-year olds see everything in the NOW, and the tragedy of things that happen to them...well, the way they see the situations they find themselves within are soooo tragic and sooooo large, and it's just not true. (Although adults around them need to remember that for this age, it IS tragic and horrible and traumatic to the young lady who is experiencing them, in her perception.) The young lady (or young man) just needs to remember that perception is not reality.
The last few years of one's life (at 15, meaning from even 8yrs old to 15 years old) are so full of change (with hormones and such; learning to be one's own self, not just an extension of one or both of your parents; challenging one's family beliefs, even in a small way, making them your own, etc.). There is just a LOT of change. Knowing that life does settle out and although we are always challenged (in different ways and methods), things do settle down some. Usually. ;) That is something that would have been nice to know at 15 (or even 19...) for myself.
I think another thought would be that no matter what you have to walk thru, that if you have a personal relationship with Jesus, He will walk through those situations (your life, period.) with you. You don't have to be alone. There may be desert experiences and times, but hang tight with Him and no matter the outcome, it will work out. Even if the outcome ends up in Heaven ultimately and you don't see one "good" thing in the here-and-now. I have lived WITH Him since I was 10. That's when I invited Him in. He's walked me thru a cross-country move (after living in CA the longest I had EVER lived ANYWHERE which was a little traumatic, but not horrible--I was 10), my parents' divorce when I was 19 (pretty traumatic for ANYONE, no matter their age!), thru the birth & life of a special needs baby (very high needs) and through his death.
I think the bottom line of what I'm trying to say in the above paragraph, is what happened to me during that weekend of Richard's death. (He died on a Friday morning and his funeral was on the following Monday, 3 days later.) The whole weekend ALL I could think of, kind of like a mantra without the Eastern Religious feel to it, was: "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. BLESSED be the Name of the Lord." Over and over and over... it was all I was aware of almost. NOT Blessed because of what He has done or what He allowed me to walk thru, but simply for WHO He is/was/will be. I know without a shadow of a doubt that He is trustworthy. That He loves me. That He knows the "big picture" and I *CAN* trust Him in all things. Even the things that are not fun, are painful... and trust me, arms that held a baby that is not here in this life any more, those empty arms are truly and utterly desolate and empty... but even so, BLESSED be HIS NAME. I trust Him. I don't know if I could have ever even wrapped my mind around that happening and the depth of the Trust and Love I have for Him before it happened, living thru it, and after it, the and that Love He has for me, even in the midst of pain and travails.
I guess that's my answer to her question, "What do you wish you knew when you were my age (15)?"
What would have been your answer?
Donna Conner lives in Fort Worth, TX with her husband, Glenn, their son, Mike, and their dog, Lucia. Donna and Glenn have been homeschooling their son since the beginning of his education. Mike completes his homeschooling this year. Donna is an artist and has always enjoyed writing. She wrote Homeschooling Only One five years ago, after discovering that there were many other families homeschooling only one child. Her website is devoted to those with only one student in their homeschool, with listings of online resources. You can visit her website at http://donnac.com and read her blog at: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/DonnaC
Today's meme from Heart of the Matter is about Meal Planning. More specifically:
Welcome to the Heart of the Matter Online meme. Every Friday we will feature a different topic for our meme. Mr. Linky is set up below so please share with us your How Do You Meal Plan? We would love to see recipes of all kinds! I would especially love to find some new homemade bread, crockpot, and meatless recipes.
Well, first of all, my days always go better when I have a plan! But a plan is exactly what I do not always have. Typical problem, I would say.
This is especially true with David's ever-changing work schedule. Either he's home for a meal or he's leaving for work a couple hours before it's actually mealtime. Sometimes I'll cook him his own dinner at 9pm... it's not that he makes me or something, but the poor boy has to eat so much fast food with his job, it is nice to have a home-cooked meal whenever possible. When I was little, I never thought the words "I'd rather eat at home" would ever come out of my mouth!
If it's a normal week (as in not expecting any sort of company), I usually just shop with The Grocery Game and buy whatever meat is on the List and plan my weekly menu by what is on sale.
Whenever I have extra chicken on hand (and the super yummy freshly made tortillas from Kroger-- mmmm...), these are pretty tasty and good on-the-go. I think when soccer season is upon us once again we will be eating a lot of burritos...
Chicken Burritos
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 (1.25oz) package taco seasoning mix
1 (16oz) can refried beans (can use whole or black beans but these are nice and sticky)
8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1 (8oz) package shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Salsa (verde-- the green kind is good, can also use regular red)
Chopped plum tomatoes (about 3) and 1/2 c. minced onion if desired (my kids don't desire it, thankyouverymuch).
-Place chicken and seasoning mix in large ziploc bag, seal and shake to coat chicken.
-Spread beans evenly over tortillas. Tope each with chicken, cheese, tomato and onion; roll up. Wrap each burrito in foil; place in 5-6 quart slow cooker.
-Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours (it steams in those packets and the flavors meld nicely). Serve with salsa and if you're like me-- sour cream. :-)
On Monday we headed back up to Townsend to swim and fish- although it was too hot to fish and the algae bloom in the lake made it not too inviting, but we did swim. A goal this summer was to get the boys swimming. Rylan, up until this year, as been very scared of the pool. But now he can walk the length of this pool (4ft at it's deepest) and he is relaxing a bit more. BUT still not enough to swim. Cale on the other hand paddles all over in his water wings and wants to learn. I told them they are both taking lessons in the fall if it doesn't happen in the summer and they have a reward for learning too. So this week we got them some kick boards and they helped a lot- got their bodies up in the water. And when they saw a 3 yr old jump in and swim under water both immediately dunked!! I was so pleased with that since the week before it took 10 min of reasoning to get Rylan to dunk his head.
Now this little boy.....he fell off the step on the 4th of July and went under for a second- not even under he was bobbing with his eyes out.....he didn't even choke. But he got scared. I was sitting right next to him, but looking on my otherside....turned around to his eyes peering out. So last week he cried and cried and refused to get near the pool. He did finally sit on my lap on the top step. This week he sat on the first step in by himself and thanks to a big beach ball and Lakin throwing it- he came out into the water with me- nails digging in....but out in the water.
And this one just floated around....chasing a beach ball....dunking his face in the water in front of him....
And today when Rylan and Cale were out playing with the chickens....Lakin and Cohen made bubbles....2 buckets of water, 2 whisks, 1 hand beater and some soap. It took awhile for him to work the beater fast enough to get a good foam....but soon the bowls were overflowing. They had a blast. And were covered in bubbles. Cale came over later and threw bubbles all over the walls and glass door. Then they dumped them and paraded around in the foam. Rylan was too good for this activity....it might get him dirty??
We also did a chemical reaction experiment today....forgot my camera...but they experiemented for awhile. I set out baking soda, paking powder and corn starch. And water, lemon juice and vinegar. All unlabled (although the liquids were easy to guess). They we tested each possibility for a reaction. Cornstarch made none. They were suprised when they discovered that water and baking powder produced a reaction. We talked about baking and the bubbles that cause rising. We also talked about carbon dioxide and it's uses and dangers. Then we made dancing popcorn. Back when Cale 2 or 3 he wanted to make dancing popcorn all the time. He vaguely remembered it....but they all had fun watching the kernals dance and dropping more vinegar or baking soda in to make more bubbles.
And finally...since I took away a lot of their toys...including their plastic car garage....they have a renewed interest in the wooden unit blocks. They are all about the monster trucks right now so they have been making tracks, ramps, garages, etc....Today Rylan made a huge high rise hwy for them during quiet time. But yesterday they built this:
(Good thing I took a picture when I did, since hurricane Lakin knocked it down a second later trying to drive up it). They specifically asked me to photograph it so we could show my brother- Uncle Justin- they love to build with these when he visits. So Uncle Justin- if you read this- the above building ramp is for you.
Sarah's leaving for church camp tomorrow. She'll be gone until Sunday evening. I have been so apprehensive about her going. Not because I don't trust the leaders or because I feel God saying she shouldn't go. Mostly it's because she's never been gone for a weekend with anyone other than family. There are tons of kids who I do not know. I don't know their families or their character. It's really difficult to just say ok bye, see you on Sunday. She is so excited to go and I know she will have a great time. It's just difficult to let go. However, I've been hearing the Lord's voice saying, do you trust Me? And really that's what it boils down to. Do I trust the Lord to be with her and guide her when I cannot? My heart says of course! But, my head starts thinking about all the what if's. I had to decide to say, yes Lord; I trust You. So off she goes tomorrow. Now I have to remind myself to, "be anxious for nothing!"
Oh what fun! This week's featurd blogger, oldschoolmarm of Forty Acres, A Husband, and Three Kids, had her birthday yesterday. Happy Birthday Julie! Her birthday post also gives her testimony, the best beginning anyone could have.
Speaking of birthdays, what about the birth of a homeschool? Our Homeschool Beginnings describes how this homeshcool started and what they did. It's amazing how quickly a homeschool can grow up!
Another new beginning is Julie's first blog post here at HSB, I Found It! While she had lost her ring and later found it, she also found peace with Christ for a prideful heart.
As you read Julie's blog you'll see that she truly has a heart for the Lord and that she is excited by His creation. Go say hello and wish her happy birthday! You'll be so glad you did and that you found a new friend!
Hi, I'm Jennifer. Wife of Angel. Mom of 3 wild and wooly boys- 8, 6 and 4. We are busy and mostly sleep-deprived but also deeply satisfied. Life is very good!!
