Jul. 14, 2008 - The encouragement of conferences

I really enjoy going to conferences, especially homeschooling conferences.  My family always make it a priority to go to our state's homeschool conference.  I think the Lord has used the different speakers and just seeing all the other homeschooling families each year to encourage us and to help us to have a vision for the beauty and blessings of homeschooling.  

In the past we have also signed up with online conferences.  Those are very convenient and affordable because we don't have to go out of town and pay for a hotel room, but then again you don't get to see and talk with other people face to face.  There is an online conference coming up that sounds great and the price is very reasonable.  It is the Heart of the Matter Homeschool Conference.  It starts on July 31st and like other online conferences you can listen to them live or download the talks so that you can listen to them at your convenience or just listen to them over and over.  Some great speakers are lined up and I am really looking forward to hearing them.  One of the speakers that I am most excited about hearing is Ami from Homeschoolshare.com.  Her topic is on How to Keep Your Child's Natural Desire to Learn Alive.   She always has great insights to share. 

I also am a member of The Homeschool Lounge, and while I am not on that site everyday, when I do go poke around on it I usually find some great resources or encouragement.  This site is what I found today.   They have the speakers from the last 3 year's conferences online for you to listen to.  You need to pay for them if you want to download them, but to just listen to from your computer they are absolutely free!  You will be amazed at all the speakers and different talks they have listed.  And it's all FREE!! 

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Jun. 24, 2008 - Titus 2 Woman

I found a blog this morning that made my heart sing! 

When I first started homeschooling, one of the first women who encouraged me and taught me what it meant to be a homeschooling mother was Sally Clarkson.  She and her husband, Clay, wrote Educating the Wholehearted Child, it is one of my all-time favorite books on educating your children.  I have several of her other books, as well as some of her teaching tapes from conferences that she has done.  Sally was also the speaker at the first homeschooling mother's retreat that I went to.  I still have the sweet little coffee cup she gave to each mom there. 

This morning I stumbled onto her blog and just squealed.  I don't know where I have been, but I hadn't seen her blog before.  So go visit I Take Joy and be blessed!

Thank you, Sally Clarkson, for being a Titus 2 Woman!!

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Jun. 6, 2008 - Inspirations

It amazes me to think about how God orchestrates events for purposes we know nothing about and may never understand this side of heaven.  I was thinking about how God used two friends of ours in very similar ways that have been such blessings to my daughters.  At the church that we used to attend there were two young married women who were both artists, but in different ways.  Each of these women had a talent and interest that sparked and encouraged Breezy and Emily Rose in very significant ways.

Natalie, the painter, loves using different techniques to capture her subject and bring them to life. She gave Breezy watercolor lessons and encouraged and helped her to develop her own style.  Natalie has recently started a blog showcasing her work.  You can see her work and learn more about her at Artwork by Natalie Thoman.

Susan, the graphic designer, has such an eye for design and uses everyday things in amazing ways.  Susan taught Emily some basic Photoshop tools and settings and inspired Emily by showing her how she came up with designs for her own work.  She sparked a passion in Emily for graphic design that has really blossomed.

These two young talented women were able to share with my daughters and inspire them in their own unique areas.  When I think of them I am reminded of how God can use us to teach and inspire others for His purposes and His glory.  What a blessing they have been in our lives. Thank you, Natalie and Susan.

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Jun. 4, 2008 - Interview by Sarah Mae

Several weeks ago, Sarah Mae contacted me and asked if I would do an online interview with her. The Lord has shown great compassion on our family and anything of value that we have to say is only due to His mercy and kindness.  So I agreed and you can read that interview here.   Sarah Mae, along with fellow contributor, Amanda, have a lovely new blog called "Like a warm cup of coffee".  It is a place to strentghen their faith and encourage others in godly womanhood.  May the Lord encourage and bless you. 

I wanted to add the following two verses that have deeply impacted our family over the years.  These two verses, one in the Old Testament and the other in the New, have humbled us and shown us our utter dependence on our Lord. 

And He said, "I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you' and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion."      Exodus 33:19

For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."     Romans 9:15

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May. 31, 2008 - Titus 2 Schedule

We officially finished school a few weeks ago, but that doesn't mean we have slowed down.  The girls both have several projects for 4-H to complete, music practice, artwork, and photography.  Breezy is doing a weekly lesson on The Drawing Blog and Emily is now doing a weekly craft project on The Backyard, plus they try to keep up on their own personal blogs.  Along with all of those activities we are trying to keep up with hospitality and have some summer fun. 

We keep a schedule going while we are "officially" doing school, but I realized quickly after school was finished, that we needed to have a schedule for summer, too.  After one particular frustrating and busy morning, I asked the Lord to help us with our schedule.  He was more than gracious to show me what I needed to do and to turn a frustrating morning into a blessing.  This is what He showed me.

I gathered up our big white board, a marker and eraser, had the girls get us all our bibles.  We turned to Titus 2:3-5 and slowly read through the passage.  I then took our big white board and on the right side of the board I wrote each thing that we are to teach the young women.  In each place where it said husband, I wrote Daddy.  (That way they can practice this type of servanthood on their Daddy and be much better prepared to live this out with their future husbands.) The following are the commands in Titus 2 and the second list is how I changed it specifically for us.

To love their husbands          
to love their children              
to be sensible                          
to be pure                                
workers at home                     
kind                                            
being subject to their own husbands            
so that the word of God will not be dishonored.   



Love Daddy
Love your sister, love Maggie, and other's littles
Be sensible (thinking, planning and working your plan)
Be pure (what you watch, think, do, hear, say, read, our need of wisdom and discernment)
workers at home (practice their homemaking, develop home business)
Kind to everyone (show compassion)
Subject to your daddy
Not to dishonor God

I then made a column for each of the girls and myself and filled them in with all the different things that we need or want to do in a day.  I had Breezy pick out the one thing that she felt was the most important to get done after her quiet time in the morning.  She picked quality time at the piano.  She has begun playing at church every other week and really wanted to make sure that she has the songs worked out.  So we started at the bottom of the Titus 2 list and I asked how she could not dishonor God by practicing and playing the piano.   We then  went to the top of the list  and I asked how could she show love to her daddy by playing the piano.  As we continued through the list  I asked how she could accomplish each command with her piano playing.  I then had Emily pick out what she felt was the most important on her list and we did the same thing. 

It was amazing to go through the list in Titus 2 and see how each command has an affect on the others.  If we aren't  kind then we aren't being sensible, if we aren't being subject to daddy then we aren't showing love to him, etc.  If we don't do any of this things then we are dishonoring the word of God. 

We didn't go through each thing we had on our to do list, but we could now look at what we wanted to get done and see it through biblical lenses.  It enabled us to choose what was most important and to schedule those items in a way that brings honor to God. 

It has helped us set our boundaries and to be more productive. Do we follow our schedule exactly?  Not quite, but it is there and helps us get back on track and to remember what we need to do and why we are doing it. I praise the Lord for His mercy and kindness in teaching me this lesson.  Emily has affectionately called it our T2 schedule.  Remember T2.

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Apr. 21, 2008 - Homeschool Convention and Conviction

We were blessed to be able to attend the Indianapolis Homeschool Convention this past weekend together as a family. The speakers encouraged and challenged us in our walk with the Lord and in our responsibility to teach and train our children.  Our daughters were encouraged by several of the speakers as well, and they were also able to see some dear friends and make some new ones.  I think they enjoy the convention even more than I do. 

One of the speakers, Norm Wakefield, really convicted me of my attitude.  I can get irritated so quickly and react to what is going on around me in such an ungodly way.  It may just be my tone of voice, my words, my actions or a combination of all three that are not reflecting the saving work of Jesus Christ in my life.  I need to not react to situations in the flesh, but to respond with the love of Christ.  Jesus did not save me just so I would not go to hell, He saved me from my sin.  I need to cling close to Him to be able to act and respond in a right way, a way that shows love, servanthood and grace. 

Norm Wakefield told of a time when he spoke in anger to one of his little children and was immediately convicted by the Holy Spirit about it. When he apologized to his child, he wanted to make it clear that it  was daddy that acted badly not  Jesus. 

In Chapter 3 of Colossians it describes very clearly about putting away the old self and putting on the new.  Verse 12 tells us to put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  My actions definitely reflect on my Savior and through my actions I can bring glory to Him or bring disappointment and shame upon His name.  I want to bring glory to God through my life and I need His mercy to accomplish it. 

   

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Mar. 16, 2008 - The Children of Caesar

This is a short video by Voddie Baucham.

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Mar. 12, 2008 - Courtship

When my husband and I first started homeschooling our daughters we began to see books and various resources in homeschooling catalogs and magazines that spoke about courtship.  Not ever having heard about courtship or seen it in action we were very curious. So we started buying books on the subject, listened to speakers at conferences, read about real-life courtships and basically just tried to learn what it was all about. 

We would talk to the girls about it and shared books with them and let them read about the real-life stories, too.  They were young and, of course, thought the idea was wonderful.  As they have grown-up we have continued learning about it and have been encouraged when we would read about real people who courted and some who even saved their first kiss for their wedding, keeping themselves pure for their future spouse.  Even though the girls are 17 and 15 now, the ripe old ages for dating, they have a real  commitment to courtship.  They too, want to have a story of courtship, purity and faithfulness. 

We don't know what the future holds for any of us, but we do know that if we put our trust in the Lord, that he will be faithful to us and direct our steps and that the outcome will be pleasing in His eyes.  (Proverbs 3:5-6)  We know that each courtship story will be different as each will have different circumstances and individuals involved, but that will make it all the more beautiful as each will be their own story.

I have compiled a list of some resources that we have used over the years.  Some are better than others, in my mind, but they all give insight and ideas in some fashion.


The Courtship Series by the Castleberry family.
   The Courtship of Sarah McLean
   Waiting for Her Isaac
   Jeff McLean:  His Courtship
   Journey of the Heart

I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Josh Harris

Her Hand in Marriage by Douglas Wilson

Before You Meet Prince Charming by Sarah Malley

Emotional Purity by Heather Paulsen

How to Evaluate a Suitor (cd) by Doug Phillips

Of Knights and Fair Maidens by Jeff and Danielle Myers

Passion and Purity by Elisabeth Elliot

The Princess and the Kiss by Jennie Bishop

The Squire and the Scroll by Jennie Bishop




Here are some titles that are wonderful for encouraging biblical girlhood.

So Much More by Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin

Raising Maidens of Virtue by Stacy McDonald

Beautiful Girlhood by Karen Andreola

Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss

Polished Cornerstones by Pam Forster of Doorposts



This is by no means a complete list, but it is a start. 

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.  Galatians 6:9

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Feb. 21, 2008 - Amazing Grace

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Jan. 9, 2008 - Voddie Baucham videos

I have just recently read Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham and I was so encouraged.  I will post more about this book later but in the mean time here are some short videos from Voddie Baucham that will give you some thoughts about his message in the book. 

May they be an encouragement to you.

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Jan. 7, 2008 - Trouble with being consistent?

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, know that you toil is not in vain in the Lord.    

         ~ 1 Corinthians 15:58

I need to have this verse ever before me. 

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Dec. 4, 2007 - New packages....

The girls and I took our yearly birthday trip to a mall in another town yesterday.  While we had fun and even got lost we had our best purchases waiting for us on our porch when we arrived home.  I had ordered several Christmas gifts online and there was a stack of boxes on the porch when we arrived home.  How fun is that? 

A few items I had ordered were for immediate use!  One was the new book by Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald, "Passionate Housewives, Desperate for God".  I just spent the past half hour browsing through it and reading a paragraph here and there.  It looks like it will be wonderful.  What I have read so far was so encouraging.  I will post more about its message as I read through it.

Another item that we used right away was the new film by the Botkin sisters, "The Return of the Daughters".  We watched the controversial film last night and loved it!  The girls that were featured in this documentary are amazing.  If people don't like this film and are offended by it, then so be it, but as for our family it affirmed to us the vision that the Lord has put in our hearts.  May our daughters be as polished cornerstones!

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Nov. 23, 2007 - Thanksgiving Poem for Mothers

Here is a lovely poem for you on this lovely day.

I hope it blesses and encourages you.

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Nov. 17, 2007 - the blessing of rain

The governor of Georgia this past week made a public outcry to God and prayed and asked for a relief to the drought that Georgia has been suffering from. 

An amazing thing happened 24 hours later.  It rained.  It had not been in the forcast at all.  Here is the rest of the story. 

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Nov. 17, 2007 - Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  I enjoy being with family and the food is plentiful but I especially like how it gives us a special time of reflection and thinking about the lovingkindnesses of the Lord.   This psalm is one of my favorites and at this time of year it is even more special.  Happy Thanksgiving.

       Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth. 
      Serve the LORD with gladness;
      Come before Him with joyful singing. 
      Know that the LORD Himself is God;
      It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
      We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 
      Enter His gates with thanksgiving
      And His courts with praise 
      Give thanks to Him, bless His name. 
      For the LORD is good;
      His lovingkindness is everlasting
      And His faithfulness to all generations.

                                                   Psalm 100

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Nov. 15, 2007 - Back to "normal"

We have had a very busy time with my mother-in-law's memorial service and visiting with family from out of town.  It is strange, once all those activities are finished you just get back on with life.  The memories are still with you of all that has just happened and then you wake up and realize that things are a little bit back on schedule.  So school needs to be focused again, meals need to be made on a schedule, housework, errands, etc., all these things need to be back in order. 

It makes me think of how orderly God is.  There can be so many different things that can interrupt "normalcy" from an illness to a terrible storm that brings destruction and then you wake up the next morning and God is still there (of course, He is always there).  He brings the sunlight and brings new mercies every morning.

The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, 

For His compassions never fail.

They are new every morning; 

Great is Your faithfulness.

"The Lord is my portion," says my soul,

"Therefore I have hope in Him." 

    Lamentations 3:23-24

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Oct. 13, 2007 - Fall Skies

We have made it through another camping trip.  They are always fun and a nice get away, but sometimes the work to make it happen....well, it's worth it. Right??  We had interesting weather, lots of fun fellowship and beautiful night skies. 

Two of the nights had very clear skies and you could see so many stars.  Just beautiful.  To think that God created all those stars and placed each one in its perfect spot is just mind boggling.  After our trip to the Creation Museum last June and seeing the show in the planetarium about how far away the stars are from earth it gives one such a sense of smallness.  It's amazing to think that God would love us so much that He sent His Son to die for our sins.  Here, in all of this glorious creation he has done this for us.  It is His amazing grace that comes down and touches our lives when we are but a speck.  The heavens do declare His glory!

So, it was worth it.  The work to go camping is really nothing when you realize that God has blessed you with an experience that deepens your faith.

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Sep. 18, 2007 - The Rebelution Tour

This past Saturday, my family had the privilege to attend The Rebelution Tour.  It was a wonderful day, full of inspiration and challenges.  Alex, Brett and Gregg Harris spoke about raising our standards, to strive to become the people that God would have us to be now and to stop living by the low expectations that our culture has come to embrace.  Though it is geared toward young people, my husband and I were also greatly challenged.

They will be holding more conferences next year and their book, Do Hard Things, should be coming out next year also.  If you have the opportunity to attend one of their future conferences, I highly recommend going.  You will be blessed by their message.

My daughters, Breezy and Emily, will be sharing their notes from the conference on their blogs.

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Aug. 15, 2007 - Coronary Moms

The "Girl Talk" blog has an encouraging post called Coronary Moms.  I needed to read that right now.  As a homeschool mom, I don't always feel like getting everything together for school, for keeping the housework up, for cooking, for doing the laundry, etc.  Yes, I have two daughters who help me tremendously, but I need to be setting that good example. Right? 

I could say that my excuse has something to do with the previous post and it probably does somewhat, but what about other times when something like this has not just happened? 

I need to remember Philippians 3:14.  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  I must remember that the mundane in my mind is not mundane in God's eyes.

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