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The cutest thing happened at our church picnic last night. A little girl named Lynsey, who is the sweetheart of the church, received a gift from some friends. Lynsey just celebrated her sixth birthday, and some folks had gotten her this humongous, really bling-bling, "diamond" ring to wear. Well, of course, it came in a not-meant-to-be-opened-by-human-hands kind of packaging, and the gift-giver said, "You're going to need some scissors or something to open that, Lynsey." And Lynsey said, "I can do it." And then she turned around, gift in hand, and hollered, "Daaaad-dy!" And it just illustrated beautifully my attitude much of the time--with one exception. I will try and try to do it myself. I will fuss and vent and fume and cry and get totally out of hand...THEN I will call for my Daddy. Oh yes, I think I can do it myself. Undaunted by the odds or my own inadequacy, I am determined to put on an "I can do it" face. There is something going on in my life right now that I have been fussing about for a good part of the day. Not even out loud, just an internal fussing as I plan and plot what I will do to "fix" things. Oh Lord, let me be more like Lynsey and just give it up and come to you quickly! My Daddy can fix this. My Daddy will set things straight. My Daddy can get the unbudging plastic case around my bling-bling ring out of the way. Yes, He can. Daaaad-dy!
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I've been working on an article for ParentLife on a subject that is very near and dear to my heart: Kids and Chores! My kids have always done chores because I simply cannot do it all! And they started at very early ages. I remember moving my everyday dishes out of an upper cabinet and relocating them to a lower one that was right next to the dishwasher. I did this specifically so my little boy could learn how to unload the dishwasher. He was just about three at the time. My older son unloaded the silverware into its drawer, and my daughter was responsible for unloading the top rack of cups and glasses into an upper cabinet that she had no difficulty reaching. They learned to work together, get the job done, and be proud of what they could do to help me. That's a good thing! Not everyone has a good attitude when it comes to chores, including me. I try to do my chores with the end result in mind: I really like living in a clean, clutter-free home. It cuts my stress level significantly, and I know it blesses my family. Hmmm. Looking around right now at my desk, it is piled high with stacks of papers, empty water bottles, etc. I have a picture in mind of an end result--a nice clean space to wake up to in the morning! I'm going to get at this chore right now! |
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My kids have had a great week! The boys have been at a nearby VBS this week, and my daughter has been busy with a last look at basketball and then also helping out at the VBS. It's been our last week of baseball and both boys' teams are winning. AND, my mom and dad are finally moving here to Middle TN, where they can be close to my sister and me. I am so thrilled and ready for them to be here. But let's talk about baseball. I love the game. I love watching it. I've never been much of an athlete, but my whole family is, and baseball is the thing. Now, during the winter, basketball is the thing. But if I'm honest I will tell you that when the last game of the world series is played, like Derek Jeter said once on a talk show, the first thing I do is mourn....because I love the game! Of course, I get over it, there's life to live after all, but I do love it when the bats start shaking around here in early March, and then we look forward eagerly to opening day, at our local park and then of course, in the big leagues. My pastor once said that there are more spiritual illustrations in baseball than any other game. (He's a baseball fan, too, and you can't really do much with us because we think it's God's favorite game, LOL) But I do see the Lord in the game. Take for instance, a batting slump. (Some of you have already clicked off this blog because now I'm talking baseball again, but thanks to those of you are hanging with me) One of my boys has been in a slump for several games. It has been so ironic because as I look at his batting slump, I have felt that it really characterizes some things that are going on in my life. A batting slump starts to mess with your head. You only have to strike out a few times to start to think that that is what you've always done. You forget that you ever had a hit. It all starts to seem as though you have always been a loser. That's where good coaching comes in. And fan support. Wow, those cheers from the crowd are the greatest! "You can do it!" "Get back in there!" "Be a hitter!" And the reminders from your coach--You've been one of our greatest hitters. Just do what you do!--because it happens. It comes back. The slump is over with one hit...one resounding, beautiful bell-like tone when bat meets ball. Just put it in play, kiddo. Just put it in play. |
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We had a great worship time this morning and I'm looking forward to another great time tonight. I love Sunday. I have ever since I was little. I love the church! I love the family-ness about it. Growing up as a preacher's kid, the church was always my second home. God's family is universal. I love that! Our church is cutting edge in a totally indescribable way. People often ask me to describe my church, and I'm always tongue-tied. We are a church that was once the very heartbeat of its 1950's suburban culture. Way back when, it was the "moral center" of the community. But times have changed. The community around our church is a melting pot of race, culture, and class. No longer considered anything close to suburban, we are inner city. We are seeker-driven, in that the core of our church is seeking Christ, longing to know Him and only Him in every aspect of the life He has given us. (And I see that I have failed miserably, in reading back over this, in truly describing what our church is really like. Oh well!) I have found, however, that when we are truly seeking Christ and His will for our lives, we have to be willing to look in every nook and cranny for His direction. If you are hungry, God will feed you, no matter what the atmosphere and no matter what the table looks like--if you are really hungry. I don't know about you, but these days I am starving. My world has been shaken up with something totally unexpected--a trust issue. A company/product that I have worked with and trusted for many years has become untrustworthy. What do you do? I have hit my knees and cried out for forgiveness for putting too much trust in man and not nearly enough trust in my Lord--the only One who has never, ever let me down. And everywhere I turn, I see His direction--even in this, what I consider a calamity, thing that's going on right now. He is re-directing me, ever more focusing my steps in a walk toward Him. Romans 8:28--tried and true--trustworthy. |
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It has been forever since I posted. What has been going on? Well, as I tell you, you will see why posting has not been happening!! I had a bout with tendonitis, which has been a problem for me since my college days. It is normally something that affects me kind of like arthritis, and I just take some motrin and deal with it, but every few years, I will do something silly (in this case, helping some friends move out of our house), like lifting heavy boxes, and it will really set it off. Then I am stuck with my arm in a sling for several weeks. This does not go over well with anyone in my family! But we made it through and thankfully my arm is back to normal now. I have also been busy trying to get my new book, "Get Real!" into print.. There have been a few delays with the publisher, one of which was the cover. I still don't have the book available yet, but I have been taking orders for it this spring at the conventions where I have spoken, and I pray that they will have it available by the end of June. The other thing going on has been that the Lord has been opening some incredible doors for my daughter's music ministry. Danya has recorded a CD and performed her first full-length concert over the past few weeks. That has been an incredible journey. She posts pretty regularly here at HSB. Go to her blog to read more. You can also listen to her music at her music myspace. Getting a myspace has been a stretch for me, but it has been imperative for her to have one now that she is recording. We consider it a mission field, and believe me, it is heavily moderated, supervised, and daily checked by her daddy!!! I have spent the past several weeks getting ready for the FPEA convention, held in Orlando. I just returned from there yesterday. Ginger and I had a great time, as always when we're together. It is a blast when we get to do conventions together. We love ministering to parents and sharing with other homeschooling moms and dads! If you aren't familiar with my dear friend Ginger Plowman, visit her website. I have also been working on updating my website. It is slow going as we are working to make it fully interactive and make it a place you want to visit regularly. I am starting a weekly newsletter, so please go by my site and sign up! HAVE A GREAT MEMORIAL DAY! |
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Hey Everybody! I am so excited today to do something a little out of the ordinary but something that will be a lot of fun! I want you guys to meet my friend, a fellow author and homeschooling mom, Sheila Wray Gregoire! I first met Sheila several years ago when we were both speaking at a conference for the National Center for Biblical Parenting way up north in New Jersey! My Canadian friend Sheila thought she was actually going south until I cleared things up for her. You are not "south" in these United States unless you are within three feet of grits and/or sweet iced tea! LOL! But I'm happy to welcome Sheila to my blog and I'm talking with her today about her book, "To Love, Honor and Vacuum"--what a great title! I don't know about other moms, but there have been a few times over the years when I have felt more like a maid than a wife and mother. What about you, Sheila? You betcha! Now I don’t want you to think I had it that bad, because my husband has always been a dream. But sometimes he was more of a dream than at other times—in the sense that I only saw him in my dreams, since he was rarely home. He was in residency in pediatrics, worked 36 hour shifts, and all the work for cleaning up after kids missed the potty fell on me. In fact, I did everything—I organized the finances, did the laundry, bought our insurance, cared for the kids. I kept the house together. When we get married, we think we’re signing up for this glorious relationship, or at the very least, a lovely partnership. But often it doesn’t work out that way. And when you have little kids who don’t sleep through the night, and you’re chronically exhausted, having the heap of the burden of housework tossed on top of you like five loads of dirty laundry doesn’t feel that great. But in those days when I rarely slept and I felt like I never really accomplished anything I did figure out some important things. First, I was expecting too much out of myself. My kids mattered. The size of the dust bunnies came in only a distant fourth, somewhere behind the kids, God, and my husband. And I wasn’t doing what I could to make my marriage great because I was still looking to Keith to be the knight in shining armor he just couldn’t be right then. Sometimes we have to find our own peace with the world and our families, whether or not our husbands are around to do it. And that’s what I hope To Love, Honor and Vacuum can help women do. Sheila, is there a reason we women get so stressed over the state of our homes? What's going on in our hearts?Our homes became status symbols around the turn of the century when all those great cleaning products began to be invented. Companies had to sell the stuff, so they started showing us how gleaming everything was supposed to be! And now that house sizes seem to be almost doubling every thirty years, they’ve really come to reflect something about us which maybe they’re just not supposed to. But it’s not just housework: we still internalize this idea that being incredible mothers means things like being able to create a three-level birthday cake that looks like dump truck, rather than simply being someone who kids want to hug. We’ve learned to look to the outside, not the inside. It’s no wonder that we feel that the state of our homes reflects something about our character, so that if we have crumbs in too many places it means we have no perseverance or work ethic. I just don’t think that’s true. Remember the story of Mary and Martha? Jesus shows up at their door, unannounced (no phones, you see), and Martha immediately freaks and starts dusting and maybe kills a goat or something so they can eat. And Mary? She just listens to Jesus. Martha gets increasingly ticked off until finally she goes to Jesus and demands that He get her sister to help. I can just see Jesus chuckling and saying, “Martha, you are worried about many things, but Mary has chosen what is better, and it won’t be taken away from her.” Now, Martha was making dinner, after all. What she was doing was important. But Jesus said Mary did something better. Why? Because she knew that her house was meant to be a place where people met Jesus. Martha thought it was supposed to be a place where we could impress people. Our homes should be places where we can have people in and they can get to know us, and thus get to know Jesus. That means our homes must be comfortable—no fear of catching a communicable disease in the bathroom—but not perfect. Friendly is better. So relax, put your feet up, eat some chocolate, and invite a friend over! You’ll do a lot more good than worrying about when the last time you cleaned the silver was. As soon as they can walk. I mean it! Kids can start to learn to put toys away at 1 ½. And a 3-year-old can dust a coffee table. In fact, 3-year-olds want to. I think toddlers have an inner sensing device when it comes to mops. Whenever you have the mop out, kids come running. And what do we do? We shoo them away because we don’t want them underfoot. But that’s counterproductive. You’re not here on this earth to pamper your kids; you’re here to raise responsible adults. So teaching them to clean is part of that! I think we don’t make kids clean because it’s more work for us. They might do it wrong, and that’s annoying. But if you can let go of some of your standards, you may realize that getting kids to clean—even if the house isn’t perfect—is probably doing more good than doing it all yourself. After all, the best gift you can give your future daughter-in-law is a son who cleans toilets! And I tell in To Love, Honor and Vacuum how to set up an allowance system to go with chores, so that we teach kids responsibility in contributing to the household work, and responsibility with money at the same time. It’s a win-win, even if your bathroom sink still leaves a little to be desired. What else can we read about in your book? Is it just about housework, or is there more? In the first half of the book, I tackle YOU: what you can do to change your housework standards, prioritize your life, and get housework done more quickly so that you have time for the things that really matter. In the second half of the book I tackle our relationships: how we can encourage kids—and husbands—to participate more in the life of the family! And I talk about some of the hot-button issues that often emerge in marriages, like money issues and even intimacy (that’s the fun chapter)!. In fact, I liked that chapter so much I expanded it into another book called Honey, I Don’t Have a Headache Tonight: Help for women who want to feel more in the mood. But in this book, my goal is to help women see that they can’t wait for other people to change to find peace. Go to God yourself, ask Him to help you change how you think about your home and your role, and you’ll likely find that everyone else responds well. But staying the way you are, and feeling defeated and exhausted, isn’t really a recipe for success in the future. Being honest before God, loving your husband and kids, and finding time for a bubble bath with chocolate probably is! WIN A BUNDLE OF SHEILA’S BOOKS! Sign up for Sheila’s free weekly parenting and family ezine, and you’ll be entered in a draw to win a bunch of Sheila’s books and audio recordings! Sheila’s Reality Check covers everything from flatulence at the dinner table to same sex marriage and the effects of divorce. Sign up here,. She’ll make the draw April 30. |
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Well I am just so excited I am about to completely flip out! It is the coldest night of spring here, in the 30's, (it was in the 80's a few days ago!) and we just got home from two baseball games, one that went into extra innings! I feel like a popsicle! Checking my email today, I noticed that I had a little more than usual, and I think it was because The Old Schoolhouse magazine published their reviews of my two Bible studies, Wise Up! (for girls) and Dig Deep (for guys). Click here to read the review! But here's what's really fun: I'm reading along and then I get to the end of the review and see that it was written by Christine Field! And I just started to go nuts because I thought it was SO COOL--because years ago, Christine's book, "The Field Guide to Homeschooling" was one of the very first ones that I read when I began my homeschooling journey. I remember being completely amazed by her testimony of leaving a prestigious law career to raise her family and begin homeschooling. It was a great book that really encouraged me, and it was one of the many things God used to confirm the calling He had placed on my heart. It thrills me that she said such positive things about my Bible studies. It's really too much. It is so cool I just have to go and dwell on what God has done. Thank you, Christine. |
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I had only a few to participate in the free book contest, but Songwriter drew Funkyleo as our winner. Funkyleo, contact me at my email address (use the link in the sidebar) and send me your mailing address and I will get a book out to you asap! THANKS EVERYONE AND WE WILL RUN ANOTHER CONTEST SOON! |
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In honor of Dig Deep's great review at Chris' s blog, I am hosting a contest giveaway this week! One lucky girl will get a copy of Wise Up! and one lucky guy will get a copy of Dig Deep. Here's how it will work: Leave a comment here with the words: I WANT A FREE BOOK! and whether you are a WU girl or a DD guy. Your names will be compiled and Songwriter will draw from each gender pool on Wednesday of this week. We'll post the winners, notify you, and get your free book right out to you! Sound easy? THANKS TO CHRIS for the great review! To learn more about the books, visit my website, www.rebeccapowell.com! |
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I am back from the most FUN vacation ever! Now, if anyone out there actually reads this and keeps up with me (although I am a sporadic blogger), you may remember that for Christmas, my sweet and wonderful dh gave me the gift of going to spring training in FLORIDA!!!! For a baseball fan, that is a huge gift! And for my Dodgers fan husband to take his Yankees fan wife to Yanks' games, that is a huge sacrifice. See how good he is to me? So, off we went--we headed down Sunday and had beautiful weather. Our first game was on Tuesday. We went to see the Yanks play the Indians at the Indians' park. It is near impossible to get tix at the Yanks' Tampa park. So, we went to see them at other ones. It was so cool--you won't believe this-- We (our family and our church) have been really talking lately about reaching out to folks and taking every opportunity to make connections with other people, just touching them in any way possible with God's love. Now, let me tell you, that is pretty easy to do at baseball games. Everywhere we go, we find that baseball fans are friendly and easy to gab with. So, we were doing just that and talking with a guy who was standing next to us as we were trying to get some autographs. Arod ran by--saw him up close but he wasn't stopping to sign. He looks good, let me tell ya! Never saw Jete up close, however. He took batting practice but he very SNEAKILY maneuvered his way to the outfield and then CLEVERLY took a sort of sidestep back to the locker room (???) or wherever they go before they come out to the dugout. OK, where was I? Oh, the neat guy we were talking to. He was there to get a jersey signed and it just wasn't happening for him. But he lives in the area, and he decided to go have lunch with someone rather than watch the game (Hello?). So he says to us, "Hey, I've got two tickets on the front row over there, behind home plate. You guys take them and take turns with them. Enjoy the game." SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Man, I've got so many cool pictures and my daughter took some for me too, so I will try to get her to upload them at some point so you can see how CLOSE we were!! It was so much fun!! One of my sons got JOE TORRE to autograph a baseball that my DH caught during batting practice!! HOW COOL IS THAT??? I'm telling you, that ol' Rich has still got it! He snowconed that ball as it barrelled its way toward us...Yeah, baby!! And then..... have you ever heard of Grady Sizemore? Well, me neither, but I'm not an Indians fan. My other son got him to sign his glove.... He only had to holler at him four times.....LOL When we sat down in our front row seats, we saw Grady hit a home run on his first at-bat. The guy sitting next to me told me that Grady is the Indians' 23 million dollar man. Whew! VERY COOL!! On Thursday, we went to Disney's Wide World of Sports park which is the Braves' home park for spring training and watched the Yanks WIN which was so cool. And once again, God picked out some lovely people for us to sit next to. It is so much fun to go on vacation with the LORD and watch as HE directs every step. These ladies were sisters whose dad taught them to love baseball. They were from Washington state and remember Arod as a sweet young boy fresh out of high school. "He was so cute then," one of the sisters said. "He's just not cute anymore." ???????????????? So much fun and these are just a few of the highlights, recorded here on behalf of baseball fans everywhere. AHHHHHH, spring has sprung!! |
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Check it out! You can read a copy of ParentLife magazine for free! ParentLife is a great Christian magazine from LifeWay Christian Resources that targets parents of children from newborn through age twelve. This issue (September 06) includes an article by Vicki Courtney (author of Your Girl) on modesty and an article on foster parenting. Every month, PL has a section entitled "Growth Spurts" which includes age-appropriate advice for all stages from birth to 12. And be sure to check out my column on page 38! :o) Ohhhh, the link--almost forgot it! Click here. Enjoy! |
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Since Thanksgiving, my husband's cousin Sara and her husband Troy and their baby, Noah, have been living with us. Noah was born with a heart defect which required him spending the first month of his life at the University of Michigan hospital. He is eight months old now, and they left today to go back to Michigan for the baby's second surgery. They are an amazing young couple who are dealing with all of this with a complete faith and trust in Jesus. (If you were at the "Pure in Heart" Conference at Brentwood Baptist Church back in November, you heard Troy and Sara give their testimony of saving their first kiss for their wedding day.) This family is precious to us and I would ask anyone who would to please add them to your prayer list. Troy will stay with Sara and Noah through the surgery and a few days following, but then he will have to return to Nashville to work. Sara and Noah will be in MI for a few weeks. If you ever have time when you are online, check out their site. You go to www.carepages.com, and then you will have to sign in and set up an account (it's free and they don't send you anything--it's just to prevent spam) then go to his page, NoahPeytonPerry (no spaces). Their journal over the past eight months has been a tremendous witness to the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. Noah doesn't look sick. He is a beautiful chunk of a baby, big and strong. He is always smiling and he has been a joy to have around. But on the inside, Baby Noah has a heart problem. Isn't that a picture of so many people today? They look all right on the outside, yet on the inside, they have a heart problem. You're never going to know unless you take the time to build a relationship with them, get to know them, and love them without reservation. Many of you moms on this blog understand the walk of these young parents because you dealt with a similar situation. I ask you especially to pray for them because you will know exactly what they need. Thank you. |
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Hey, for any of you guys who are familiar with Lysa TerKeurst and Proverbs 31 Ministries (of which our fellow blogger Marybeth is a part), I interviewed Lysa today for an upcoming article in ParentLife magazine about Mommy Burn Out! So, I'm asking you guys to help me out by letting me know what sort of things happen in your life when you know that you are headed for a bad case of Mommy Stress? And what do you do about it? I would love to hear your thoughts! |
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When I was growing up, every day my daddy would take me to school. We drove down the famous Music Row in Nashville to get over to my school. Every day we would pass the famous studios and publishing companies. And I never really thought too much about it. This is Nashville. This is where I have lived for most of my life. The music business has always been a part of my life. Last night, however, I was back on Music Row. It's changed a great deal over the past 30 years since my daddy drove me down its streets. But the atmosphere was familiar. This time, as an adult, I understood the history of this place where so many dreams live...and die. I understand the rejection that is faced there every day. I also understand the determination and perseverance it takes to make it. Talent without sweat won't get you anywhere. I went back to Music Row last night to an open mic night at a small cafe to hear the most beautiful 15 year old girl sing her song. (Yes, my girl and my blog, so don't come here looking for objectivity.) It was a moment in time that I will never, ever forget. The mystery of those roads, intertwining to bring us back to this place I had passed time and time again. And God knew. (That certainly makes a case for prayerwalking, doesn't it!) I appreciate the people who came to hear her sing. We were surrounded by love for this Big Night. Several of her friends came, and our pastor, and the latest to join us in this journey, a music composition teacher with whom she will start lessons in a few weeks. It was her first time to play in a non-church environment, before her peers--writers and performers from all over Nashville. She was the youngest, the next oldest was a 19 year old, and besides the two of them, everyone else was in their twenties and thirties. My prayer lately is, okay God, how do we do this? How do we navigate these waters? She's 15!! So my prayer is, Don't let us get ahead of you! But don't let us lag behind, either. As parents, we need to let our kids dream the big dreams. Never discourage them, because God can do anything with a heart that's willing to be sold out and fully surrendered to Him. My dd started dreaming of being a Christian recording artist several years ago. She was writing songs when she was eight. We've been following God every step of the way, and we will keep on following Him. This is just the beginning. |
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I heard about 2 minutes of a sermon on TV this morning just before we rushed out the door, and it was two minutes of sheer insight. Keep in mind, I didn't hear the first or the last, just a few phrases, so I'm not sure where the preacher was going with it, but it totally touched me where I am right now, and I wanted to share it. He said that when Moses' mom put him in the basket and set him out in it to float, she opened up the river for him. God used that river to give her son life. The river she opened became a literal channel, a fluid roadway, from death to life. The son in turn went on to, by the power of God, open up the ocean, taking millions of people from death to life. Isn't that every mom's dream? To open whatever doors we can for our children in the sincere desire and hope that they in turn will open up the way for others. Reaching the hearts of our children, we can reach the hearts of a generation, one by one, and quite possibly, hundreds by hundreds, thousands by thousands... |
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We have been participating in a basketball tourney this week. It's so much fun for the kids. Our girls have learned a lot! We are up against some really good teams whose girls are really committed to the sport. I will have you know that I have been very good this week...I even sat in front of a guy tonight who was screaming for his team to "attack! attack!" and "Beat 'em up!" and I retained my composure. Aren't you proud of me? :o) I really do not understand why a parent would scream something like that at young athletes. In spite of his admonitions, however, this team of young ladies exhibited an excellent sense of Christ-like sportsmanship. They were a great team. And that's what it's all about. I am in the middle of proofing the "bluelines" of Get Real! Embrace the Reality of Ruth. I am so excited about this study. I am confident that God will use it to impact the lives of teens, and I am so grateful to be a part of whatever He wants to do. It snowed last night! We took the baby out (Baby Noah--who lives with us right now) for his first snow. He is awaiting heart surgery on the 19th, so we only had him out for about five minutes. Long enough for Sara and me to take turns taking pictures of him. I also shot a little video of him and Sara together. It was so cold-- brrrrr! |
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Have you ever tried to hide something from God? It's not like He doesn't know, or like you don't know that He knows. But maybe it's an unspoken something that you know He knows, but you aren't ready to talk about it. Just tell Him. He already knows. Years ago, my pastor was trying to give us an illustration of the father that God really is. And he said, "What if my daughter came to me and said, 'Dad, I want to be just like you.'" Would I tell her to go do her algebra? Would I tell her to go eat brussel sprouts, something she and I both detest?" What I'm trying to say is that we tend to put this man-made (or mom-made!) box around God and we leave out His Grace. So we think we know Him or we assume we know His take on something and then we go with that assumption rather than letting Him be Who He is. So often we try to humanize God, and we end up leaving out His Grace! Indescribable, incomprehensible, unfathomable Grace--greater than all our sin. This is making a lot of sense to me. At times, I have been guilty of giving God the silent treatment. Just avoiding praying about certain issues because I assume that I know what He will say and I don't want to hear it. Oh my. That is so wrong. We are to cast every care upon Him because He really cares about us. REALLY!!! And if I approach Him with a fully surrendered heart, with the sincere desire of being like Him, whatever He tells me to do will be okay. Even if He tells me to just be still. I know if one of my kids ever went to my husband and said, "Dad, I want to be just like you," Rich's first reaction would be teary eyes and open arms. I am definitely learning as I go. |
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I am already gearing up for the homeschool conventions I'll be doing this summer on behalf of Ginger Plowman and Preparing the Way Ministries! Here's my schedule so far: April 26-28 SHEM Conference in Springfield, MO May 18-19 MTHEA Conference in Nashville, TN May 24-26 FPEA Conference in Orlando, FL July 20-21 CSTHEA Conference in Chattanooga, TN I would love to meet my fellow HSBloggers! |
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Get Real! Embrace the Reality of Ruth is almost completed. I am so excited about this Bible study. One of the wonderful things about this study is that my daughter is writing one lesson each week. She is a gifted writer, and she speaks to the heart of the teens from her own experiences and desires. It has been so much fun to work on this together. She's learning how to edit herself, what to look for, and how to write for publication. It's a very good thing! Another thing I'm excited to share with people is the artwork of my friend, Stephen S. Sawyer. Steve's portraits of Christ in modern-day as well as ancient settings are indescribable. I'm so excited that they will be a part of this book. Every gift and talent that God has given us can and should be used for His Glory! Steve sponsors the National Christian Art Competition. You can learn more about it by clicking here. Get Real! is really my heart for teen girls to grow in their faith and come to know Christ in a real, intimate knowledge. Only God's Word and His Holy Spirit can take them there. I'm just providing a resource. Stay tuned for more updates! We will go to print this month! If you have a 6th - 9th grade daughter, check out my book, Wise Up! Experience the Power of Proverbs It's a coming of age study for girls. Wise Up! opens up girl's heart to experience God's Word in a way that applies His ancient truths to the heart of her everyday life: dealing with growing up, friendships, and the worldly culture surrounding her. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. We need our daughters to be wise in order to be lights for Christ. Got a son? Every homeschooling mother of a young man will enjoy experiencing Proverbs with him in the study, Dig Deep: Unearthing the Treasures of Solomon's Proverbs. Make this nine-week study part of his day by scheduling it in for his Bible time. |
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Here's an eleventh way for me to keep my mouth shut and my opinions to myself during a ball game: 11. When a mom says, "Oh, are you Rebecca? My son is loving your Dig Deep Bible study!"  Yep, that'll keep me in check! |