Fear knocked at the door, Faith answered and no one was there. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hearts4jesus/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:28:00 -0500 Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:28:00 -0500 Time is flying and I'm way behind....ON EVERYTHING. God has blessed us with a second office location for our business, which is closer to our home.  The main reason for this office is for my convenience.  I'm praying that this will help me catch up with work as I'll be able (hopefully) to concentrate on what I need to get done versus what everyone else needs [or wants] done.   My oldest daughter will be helping me out there in the afternoons as well - her first official job - so that will also be wonderful.  I'm so thankful that God has been consistent and kept our business going thru these tough times.   Getting this office up and running has impacted our homeschool.  In addition to the flu virus, which kept most of us down for a week or more, we are now behind in our studies.  But I look at it this way -- this is one of the great benefits to homeschooling - when life engages you in something else for a period of time, you can always adjust and move your continuing studies down on the calendar.  Summer school, anyone? I'm also researching about stocking up.  This has been weighing on my mind and heart for a few weeks now.  Wouldn't hurt to get some extra food and supplies lined up just in case.  I always trust God to take care of us and provide for all our needs, but it also makes sense to be wise and prepare like the ant (as mentioned in Proverbs, I believe). So, while I'm playing catch up, I'll keep on keeping on as the old saying goes.  I hope that your family, homeschool, etc. are thriving and content amidst the world's struggles.  God is good. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hearts4jesus/668095/ Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:28:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hearts4jesus/668095/ Merry, Merry everyone! The decorations and trees (yes, multiple in our house ) are up, the shopping is started.  Is it really less than 3 weeks away??! My oldest daughter had a great idea this year.  The girls all picked 24 Christmas movies and we are watching one each night.  We watched Home Alone last night and will watch The Christmas Story tonight.  I've only seen this last one once - and that was in the theater 25 years ago!  Wow!  Am I getting old or what?  LOL Hope everyone is able to enjoy family and Jesus this year.  The world is a mess in many ways but there is still a lot to be thankful for this year. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hearts4jesus/628959/ Sat, 6 Dec 2008 20:09:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hearts4jesus/628959/ I must admit that the state of our U.S. economy and this "bail out" that Congress has been struggling with has been unnerving.  Though I know that, as a Christian, I can see the handwriting on the wall as far as our future and that of this world, it is sometimes difficult to keep one's heart free from fear.  I've been praying about this quite a bit lately, particularly if I wake in the middle of the night and cannot go back to sleep. Again, my desk devotional this morning reminds me of God's plan for each of us.                  As for God, his way is perfect.  Psalm 18:30            When we commit out way to Him, it becomes His way.  Then we can be sure that whether it is joy or sorrow, sunshine or clouds, health or sickness, plenty or want, His way for us IS perfect.  We cannot doubt that.  He sees the end from the beginning.  He sees the pattern He is working out in our lives and will not make one mistake.  We may not understand it, but He does.  That is enough. The part about the "pattern" He is working in our lives reminds me of a very difficult time in my life.  My husband and I lost our second daughter when she was two days old.  The floor of my world dropped out from underneath me and I was very lost for a time.  During the sermon at her memorial service, the pastor told a story.  At the time the meaning of it did not sink in, as I was too deep in sorrow, however it was only later that I could see the value of what he told everyone that day: There was an artist who was painting out in public one day.  Many people stood around him as he painted a beautiful landscape.  The viewers were amazed at the realism and lightness of the painting.  After some time, he paused and squeezed out dark colors on his palette.  He began to paint huge streaks of paint across the canvas - completely eliminating the landscape that he had started with. He continued applying huge gobs of paint in broad strokes.  Obviously the viewers were appalled and thought the artist was losing his mind.  Finally, the artist stopped and sat back.  The canvas was a mass of dark colors shot with a few traces of the lighter tones from the original landscape.  His former admirers were so disappointed and some began to walk away.  Then he sat forward and turned the rectangular canvas to its portrait view.  The audience gasped for in front of them was an awe-inspiring waterfall. It's so easy to get caught up in our everyday life.  To hear about what goes on in the world and feel small & impotent.  This story makes me think of some of my cross stitch pictures.  If you look at them from the back, there are threads going everywhere and by the time the picture is done, the design is completely undescipherable from the back.  Once you turn the fabric over however, the design is clear.  This is our life.  God is working on us just like a tapestry.  We can only see the back of it right now - it may have lots of dark colors from our darkest of days.  One day we will get to heaven and we'll get to see the FRONT of the tapestry.  I think we will be amazed at how the many colors of our life came together to create something wonderful.  Never forget, GOD is in control. Fear knocked at the door.  Faith answered and no one was there.   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hearts4jesus/599996/ Sat, 4 Oct 2008 12:42:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hearts4jesus/599996/ Autumn is my favorite time of the year.  Here in So. CA, however, you'd still think it was mid-summer (101 degrees yesterday) so we are anxiously awaiting the cool-down, which should happen in about 3 to 4 weeks.  Nevertheless, September makes me think of this: 1)  Fresh, crisp Red Delicious apples (sometimes with caramel topping.  yum!) 2)  Pumpkins in all different sizes. 3)  Crunchy leaves. 4)  Pumpkin Spice Lattes (double yum!!) 5)  Halloween time at Disneyland 6)  Costumes and all that dress-up fun. 7)  Pulling out the warm sweaters, etc.  (though if I do that NOW, we'll end up with warm weather until December, so these are staying boxed up a few more weeks ) 8)  Homemade chili and other yummy soups. What do you enjoy about Fall? http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hearts4jesus/596366/ Sat, 27 Sep 2008 12:27:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hearts4jesus/596366/ Like many others at this time of year, I am knee-deep in planning for our new homeschool year - our 7th!!   Can it really be that many??  My 10th grader will be studying Konos History of the World II (which includes Rome, Vikings, Middle Ages & some basic Latin), French [Rosetta Stone], Geometry [Math U See], Chemistry [Apologia], Writing/Grammar (BJU) and Bible.  She also will continue tap dancing and learning keyboard & guitar.  Hopefully this year will go better than last - her 9th grade year was not as organized as either of us would have liked.  My 6th grader will be studying with her younger sister on some things - Konos II Wisdom (Presidents/Elections), Konos III - States/Regions, etc. & Konos I Attentiveness (Frontiersman/Indians/Birds); also they will both be learning Bible and Science (Apologia Botany) together.  J. will also be learning math (Math U See - Zeta), LLATL (Tan), and handwriting.  She is a dancer and has just started learning drums. In addition the items mentioned above, my 4th grader will be learning math (Math U See - Epsilon), LLATL (Orange) and handwriting.  She dances and is learning electric guitar. As you can see, we are partial to certain curriculum vendors - we've used most of them for several years after trying out a few and really like them.  The hands-on curriculum works for us. Thank you Lord for blessing our learning - about Your Son and Your Word and Your world.  Thank you for giving me time away from our business to devote to our homeschool and my children - I am so blessed and honored to be their mother and their teacher.  And thank you Father for protecting our homeschooling rights - particularly for those of us here in California. Amen. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hearts4jesus/567128/ Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:17:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hearts4jesus/567128/ Life has been complicated, busy and downright tiring lately.  I get tired just reading the "news" that the media spews forth on a daily basis.  There seem to be troubles everywhere and sometimes it's hard to stay positive. I have a daily devotional flip-chart on my desk that I have had for years.  Even though I've used it all this time, there are days when a devotional just jumps out at me.  Yesterday's had this:    "But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold."  Job 23:10    The Lord, our Great Refiner, sometimes uses the fire of trouble to refine our lives.  Fire does not harm gold, it only separates the impurities.  God is never in a hurry as He works in our lives, for it takes time to process pure gold.  He never leaves us in the fire longer than necessary, but watches over us carefully and lovingly, ready to turn off the heat when He sees the perfect reflection of His face in us. Did you know that you are gold?  You are precious in His sight, even with your imperfections.  Are you going through the fire?  Hold onto Him - don't let go and don't ever give up - he's refining you and changing you from one glory to another.  Remember, Jesus told us - Be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.  Thank you, Father, for your grace and mercy.  Thank you for never leaving us or forsaking us, no never.   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hearts4jesus/564801/ Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:38:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hearts4jesus/564801/ Our California summer has arrived - oppressive heat, water conservation efforts and all.   We are trying to keep from running the a/c as I can only imagine what our electric bill will be this summer due to the high gas prices.  Don't you just love OPEC? My two younger daughters are done with their school work; the oldest is wrapping up her freshman year with a term paper and the last Biology unit.  We take the summer off from formal schooling - actually the girls do - I'll be spending the next couple of months working thru what curriculum to get for the next school year and planning for the first few months of the new year.  Normally this would be a pleasant process, but this year I've also got to hire/train a new person for our office.  This means that the juggling between home and work continues...Lord Jesus, help me to be sweet and kind though I long for rest. What are your plans for summer? http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hearts4jesus/548907/ Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:55:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hearts4jesus/548907/ Debi Pearl makes a great statement in "Created to be his Help Meet" - Discontentment is not a product of circumstances, it is the state of the soul.  Ouch!  Boy, how I like to blame others or where I am at at any given point for the "problems" of life.  To think that the bitterness and discontentment in my life is actually the state of my soul is painful indeed.  Since my soul state is driven and influenced by my thoughts, it is no wonder that the Lord has written so much in His Word about thinking the right things. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is" "Think on, weigh and take account, fix your mind on whatever is: worthy of reverence, honorable, seemly, just, pure, lovely, loveable, kind, winsome, gracious, virtuous, excellent, praise-worthy" paraphrase of Phil 4:8 To change my thoughts will obviously take a conscious effort - it's one of those dying to self things, picking up my cross to follow Him things...but what a wonderful opportunity to leave behind the discontent and bitterness --- to have a different soul-state.  "A merry heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones" Prov. 17:22 "Be not grieved and depressed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold" Neh. 8:10 "...in Your presence is fullness of joy" Ps. 16:11 "But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work that His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control"  Gal. 5:22 This is my goal for the next month - to be aware of His presence each day, to allow Him to change my thoughts and give me a merry heart. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hearts4jesus/523656/ Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:06:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hearts4jesus/523656/ I finally picked up my "Created to be His Help Meet" book again a couple of weeks ago. I read it through quite awhile back and I must confess my spirit recoiled from much of what I read in there.  There are no women in my past or current life who portray the demeanor of a help meet as described in this book so I have no mentor or example from which to work.  Though the Lord has tempered me a lot over the last few years there is still the typical wife mentality that often rears its ugly head - at least typical in the wives that I've been around - and that is the controlling, resentful, negative or bitter woman that often drives the husband away physically, emotionally or both. As He so often does, the idea to pick up this book just kept "popping" back into my head in various ways and I knew that it was time to obey all these promptings.  This time I'm trying to take things chapter by chapter and actually work on the study suggestions at the end of each.  And guess what?  So far, it hasn't been too bad I'm sort of at a meditation period just thinking about the most recent items in there about having a merry heart.  You must understand that this is a foreign idea to me.  Now I'm not a complete sour puss or anything, but my life has primarily been a serious, worry wart kind of life - being so concerned about "what might happen if...."  So in my Scripture reading associated with this merry heart idea I come across: All the days of the desponding and afflicted are made evil [by anxious thoughts and forebodings], but he who has a glad heart has a continual feast [regardless of circumstances].  Prov. 15:15 Now that reference to anxious thoughts and forebodings is EXACTLY what I've done all my life.  And God right there shows me that because of that I've felt despondence and affliction - READ: worry, depression, fear.  No wonder He wants me back in this book!!  Why is it that sometimes we come kicking and screaming on the inside back to a place where He wants us to be?  Hmm...this will require more meditation on this merry heart idea.... http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hearts4jesus/516875/ Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:55:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hearts4jesus/516875/ Yeah!!!!   I figured out how to add blinkies to my blog today   Once I got it, it wasn't as hard as I expected... http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hearts4jesus/515843/ Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:45:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hearts4jesus/515843/