Finding Our Way - Homeschool Blogger

A life of total devotion, from Teresa of Avila

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 11:40:00 -0500

I've just posted a poem from Teresa of Avila that is worth looking at. You can find it at:

www.spiritualsynergy.blogspot.com

The major move

Wed, 1 Aug 2007 09:55:00 -0500

Well after over 21 years, my family and I have relocated back to the USA from England. It has been one serious transition, and has taken its toll in many ways--physically, emotionally, etc. We felt it was time to move back to the USA, where we will still be doing work with Searchlight Missions, providing resources for Christians in countries around the world.

This is the first time my wife and kids have lived in the USA, so it has been a major adjustment. Everything is bigger, faster, and more hectic. We're getting used to the size of Walmart, the amount of restaurants in most towns, turning right on red, and the amount of churches that seem to be everywhere.

We have been delighted to find that in our area of the world--Brownsburg, IN--is a homeschool cooperative of nearly 120 families! In England, we had drive nearly an hour to find any other Christian homeschoolers. This will be a major change for us, but one that we're very excited about.

Now that we're getting settled in, I hope to get back to regular blogging as our new life unfolds back in my native land. Being out of the country for a while has opened my eyes to several things within the country. Hopefully I can make sense of it all and help my family to live the best lives we can here in the USA.

What's your story?

Tue, 20 Feb 2007 04:50:00 -0600

I am a great lover of biographies. I try to read the lives of the good and the great in a number of fields and walks of life. I'm currently reading the life of Winston Churchill and the incredible role that he played in the monumental conflicts of World War II. A few days ago, I was reading a short biography of the former UN Secretary General, Dag Hammerskjold. As I reflected on some of the quotations from his own diaries, Markings, I thought how easy it is for me, or for anyone, to hide behind the stories of other people. Because I can easily recount the heroic moral and spiritual exploits of others, I somehow justify the fact that much of the time the story of my own life may not be very heroic or spiritually inspiring.

Perhaps that's why our society is so consumed with "celebrity" or hero worship in its various forms. Maybe this is why the phenomenon of "reality TV" has reached such unimaginable heights (or perhaps "depths" would be more accurate). People tend to live their lives through others. They watch movies, reality shows, celebrity lives, and they don't have to face the fact that the story of their own lives isn't really saying much. Unfortunately this can be true for Christians as much as it can be for others. We have to admit that the cult of celebrity has infiltrated Christianity as much as it has other areas of society.

As I sat thinking about Dag Hammerskjold and the impact that one life story can have on those around it, I felt convicted that I have often avoided the story that God wants to write with my own life. Maybe the story was going to involve risks, or sacrifice, or steps into the unknown, and I simply wasn't ready... or willing. Maybe you can say the same about your own story.

The truth is we're all called to allow God to write a story with our lives. It may not necessarily be on the level of a Winston Churchill or David Livingstone or Dag Hammerskjold, but God wants to write a story that, when read, will bring glory to him. The story we allow him to write will be seen primarily through the relationships we develop and the people that we allow to impact our personal world.

The apostle Paul could say to the Corinthian Christians, "You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts" (2 Corinthians 3:2-3). What a challenging comment!

The world around us is looking for good news. Christians carry within them the Spirit of the living God who is constantly writing his glorious eternal story of life and hope. What story are you allowing him to write with your life?

My Visit to Tennessee

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 01:07:00 -0600

A couple of weeks ago I had to make a two-week flying visit to the USA. I was there for several meetings related to our missions work. While I was in the States, I was able to spend about two full days with the Suarez and Igarashi families at the nerve centre of "The Old Schoolhouse" family. I had a great time.

I had an amazing drive down from Indiana to Tennessee. Since it was the latter part of October, the trees in Kentucky and Tennessee were simply stunning. The day I drove down, it was sunny and mid-70s. The colours on the mountains made me realise again that, when it comes to art, God really is in a class all by himself. Monet, Manet, Renoir, Van Gogh--none of them come up with the colours and beautiful patterns that are everyday occurrences for almighty God.

When I finally arrived at the Suarez homestead, and the Igarashis came over to spend the evening, I felt that truly I was in the presence of homeschooling royalty. They were all so gracious and welcoming, and the meals were so incredible (I had forgotten just how much Americans put on the table!) that I immediately felt at home. The children of both families were wonderful to be with. I felt so comfortable with them, I was even persuaded to act a little silly myself a time or two. (grin)

It was a great encouragement to me to see that God is working with people in all kinds of places, in all kinds of situations, for HIS eternal purposes. It also helped me to keep a focus on what is necessary for the Christian homeschooling community here in England. By God's grace we'll continue to attempt to make a difference in the UK. And I am glad to be able to say that our friends in Tennessee will be one of our biggest sources of encouragement, advice, and wisdom. God's global network continues to astound me. He sure is awfully kind to us.

I'm hiding out at Livingheritageuk

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 11:57:00 -0500

I know it looks like I rarely blog anymore, but the truth is I'm actually blogging every Friday at www.homeschoolblogger.com/livingheritageuk. We're trying to raise awareness regarding homeschoolers here in the UK, and that's where I'm putting in my effort. I will keep blogging when I am able here, but just in case you were wondering if I had fallen off the planet. I haven't; I've just fallen into livingheritageuk.

Bruce

Responsibility

Fri, 6 Oct 2006 06:34:00 -0500

A few days ago I found this photo of my son Josiah and me. The picture is about ten years old, and it is one of my favourites. It was taken near Aysgarth Falls in Yorkshire, England. Several scenes from Kevin Costner's "Robin Hood" movie were shot near the Falls, which are incredibly beautiful. On this occasion we had some friends visiting from the USA, and we were taking them to see the falls. Josiah decided he wanted to get there quickly, and I was in pursuit. Our friend managed to capture the moment from behind us, and I have loved the picture ever since. Just yesterday I changed my computer settings and made it my background photo. It reminds me of an important reality in my life as a parent. In the unknown paths that we are going to travel in our lifetime, my wife and my children are my highest responsibility, after my relationship with God. The photo reminds me that I can be there for them--helping, leading, guiding, advising, and loving. It's so easy to get caught up in the daily "rat race" and forget "what it's all about." But the simple truth is it's about them, not me, and how we learn to glorify God as a family. The picture just brought it all back to me, and rekindled my desire to be the best husband and father I can be, with His help.

The breastplate prayer

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 04:06:00 -0500

I bind unto myself today

The power of God to hold and lead,

His eye to watch, His might to stay,

His ear to hearken to my need.

The wisdom of my God to teach,

His hand to guide, His shield to ward;

The word of God to give me speech,

His heavenly host to be my guard.

Christ, be with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,

Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ on my right, Christ on my left.

Christ when I lie, Christ when I sit, Christ when I arise.

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

Salvation is of the Lord,

Salvation is of the Christ,

May your salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.

--St. Patrick

Check out what's going on in the UK!

Fri, 18 Aug 2006 06:05:00 -0500

A new organisation for serious, committed homeschoolers in the UK is just getting started. We're excited about it, and we think there are lots of reasons to be excited. Drop by and say hello. The days ahead should be pretty interesting for British homeschoolers!

The Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible

Wed, 26 Jul 2006 03:44:00 -0500

Anybody who has ever heard me speak about the imbalance of Christian literature in the English speaking world as opposed to the rest of the world will know that I am about the last person who would recommend that Christians in the western world buy yet another Bible. However, this is one that I have to mention.

The Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible was recently produced by Richard Foster's ministry, Renovare. The editors include Foster, Thomas C. Oden, Gayle Beebe, Lynda L. Graybeal, Dallas Willard, Walter Brueggemann, and Eugene H. Peterson. Each book of the Bible also has a commentary by an eminent scholar on that book.

But the great thing about the Spiritual Formation Bible is its theme of "The With-God Life". Everything about this Bible is designed to lead the reader into a life of continual union with God, learning to practice the presence of God. It offers numerous helps as to how that can be accomplished, and often breaks into the text of Scripture to challenge the reader to reflect on a particular point and how it relates to "my life". There are a number of essays that show how the Scripture develops this theme of "The With-God Life" from Genesis to Revelation.

The commentaries are not academic babble that will lose the average reader. Instead they are notes that point the reader to recognising the way that each particular text relates to their present situation. The comments are wide-ranging. I've seen quotes from Simon and Garfunkel songs, and I've seen recommendations to buy the book In the Heart of the Desert: The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers by John Chryssavgis, as a starting point for understanding the spiritual discipline of Solitude. There are also excerpts from spiritual classics by writers such as Thomas a Kempis and Julian of Norwich.

One thing that may surprise readers is that the Inter-testamental books, or Apocrypha, is included. If you, like me, grew up in a conservative protestant home, you may think that the Apocrypha is not to be looked at, much less read. However, there is a great deal of valuable writing from that time, and the Renovare Bible, while not counting them as equal to the Scripture, certainly considers the apocryphal books as worthy of at least one reading. For example, I personally found the Greek rendering of the Book of Esther a great help as an additional text to the book by the same name found in the Old Testament.

All in all, this is a Bible I would highly recommend for any Christian who is serious about being transformed into the likeness of Christ. I think it is one of the greatest tools to be provided in a number of years.

The World Cup

Thu, 13 Jul 2006 09:25:00 -0500

A few days ago I was talking to my parents, and they told me that somebody in Indianapolis had called a talk radio station to say that they didn't understand what the fuss was about "this World Cup thing that's going on." The caller went on to say that surely the World Series was much bigger than the World Cup. With a large dose of good will and frivolity, let me enlighten those of you who don't understand all the fuss about the World Cup.

The World Cup is a football (soccer) tournament that is global. It occurs once every four years, like the Olympics. Virtually every country in the world, even tiny places like the Faroe Islands, enter a team in the hope that they will somehow make the finals of the World Cup. Qualifying matches start two years ahead of the actual finals, and only 32 teams make it to the final tournament, which takes close to five weeks.

Are people outside of the United States interested in the World Cup? Let me put it this way. Here in England, real estate agents were advising people who are trying to sell their house not to expect any visitors while the World Cup was going on. The final match of the World Cup, which Italy won for the fourth time, attracted a TV viewing audience of between 1-2 billion people (or approximately 5-6 times the entire population of the USA).

What is amazing about the World Cup is that all other matters in the geopolitical world seem to come to a halt when it is going on. For instance, this year, while the UN Security Council was trying to figure out what to do about Iran's threat of nuclear weapons, the same Iran had a team in the final 32. And they played right along with everybody else. In the past, nations at war have actually declared a one-day cease fire so that all the soldiers and population could watch their two countries play in the World Cup. It's that serious.

Another thing is that the World Cup is the great leveller. On the football pitch (soccer field) all countries suddenly become equal. It's all about what 11 men can do with their feet; economics, military might, size and population all mean pretty much nothing. For instance, this year the USA lost their last match to Ghana from West Africa. One American writer stated that the World Cup is the most intense sporting event in the world, because small countries can beat up big countries. And so it continues to happen.

I realise that with a primarily female blogging readership, my comments will be greeted with a sigh of "who really cares." :-) But I thought it worth the time to let people know that there are still some pretty major things happening out here in the rest of the world, and whoever that dear caller in Indy was, she should know that in actual fact the World Cup is much bigger than the World Series.