A happy home is a great place to be. Ours is full of busy boisterous boys and sweet sisters. I laugh in the face of boredom because, who can possibly be bored with all this noise and activity? http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/megamom/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:36:00 -0500 Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:36:00 -0500   Every year hundreds of new families begin homeschooling in Oregon.  They start with the best intentions but somewhere in the process they find themselves immobilized and overwhelmed.  Statistics tell us that about 70% of them will quit in the first year.  Most never plug into local area support groups, they never connect with their state organization or meet with a play group of other homeschooling families. Many of them do not have a greater vision for homeschooling and its opportunity to disciple kids in the way that they should go for God’s glory. So when the road gets rough and the difficulties come, they are without wise counsel to know how to proceed.  If they had a mentor to turn to they might have been able to get through the tough season.   Truthfully, homeschooling throws many of us a big learning curve.  I clearly remember the first support group meeting I went to.  I was an academic driven, former high school teacher who was worried that my son wasn’t reading as well as he should be.  The group divided into circles which focused on the 3 R’s and each mom was sharing their struggles and successes openly.    When it was my turn I soberly shared my concern. A veteran homeschooling mom next to me asked how old my son was and I replied 5.  She burst out laughing and told me I needed to go find another group, most of the kids these moms were worried about were 9 and 10.  I was startled, was she serious?  The other moms in the circle lightly teased and chided me for trying to get my 5 year old to read any more than he already was. They told me I should be praising God it was going so well. They encouraged me to set aside my false assumptions and relax a little.  This was priceless and timely advice.   The idea of passing on information and encouragement from those who are ahead on the path of life to those just beginning is the biblical model of mentorship. As Christians we are mandatorily expected to be mentors. God expects the older and wiser to help those behind them one generation at a time.  Titus 2: 3-5 clearly states that the older women are to teach the younger women “to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind,” Sounds a lot like homeschooling advice to me.     For many years I looked for those older wise women to speak into my life and then one day I found others looking at me for advice. The change happened very quickly and I see it in a broader perspective now. For example my support group has a yahoo group that allows moms to exchange questions and ask for advice with the click of a button any day of the week.  It has been fun to see the gals that were just starting out a few years ago now confidently answering newbie queries. They have slipped into the role of mentor without even knowing it. You only need to be one step ahead to help those behind.   So what can you share with a beginning homeschooler when you are called upon for advice.  Here are some truths that helped me that I readily give to others.   Remind them they that they can do this. There will be plenty of voices telling them that it is crazy to homeschool.  They need to hear a positive spin from you.  Tell them that anything good for God’s kingdom will be battled against so they need to expect it to get difficult at times.  Encourage them with the truth that our God never calls us to a job that He doesn’t equip us for, but sometimes the equipping happens just as we need it and not before. Share you story with them so they can see it lived out.  I can’t tell you how many kinesthetic tips for teaching reading I had learned by the time our fourth child was ready to learn but I praise God for everyone because God knew I would need them.   Remind them to laugh at themselves and with their kids.  We all make mistakes, learn to laugh at them.  Moms and kids will spend countless hours together when they homeschool and a good belly laugh at a silly situation can cement those bonds together tight enough to smooth out the wrinkles of relationship.  Choosing to find joy in the day will make a huge difference in their attitude and ability to continue.    Remind them that practice makes perfect.  Super homeschool mom does not happen in one day. It will take time to learn how to teach their kids and to figure out what learning style they are. It will take time to find a schedule that works well for their family.  If a curriculum isn’t working set it aside, they will make better choices next time.   Remind them not to compare themselves with others.  The grass always looks greener in someone else’s homeschool.   When you feel that “I’m not good enough” condemnation coming on, nip it in the bud by thanking God for the giftings He has given you.  I’m definitely not the crafty hands on mom like my best friends.  They hunt, and tan the leather they use for a teepee.  No way can I compare myself with that.  But I love books and will spend hours dissecting passages and pulling literature analysis out of 1st graders while my friends can not. God made you the mom of these kids.  He knew just what they would need.  Trust Him to help you be the best teacher for them with the supplies He provides.  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/megamom/710104/ Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:36:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/megamom/710104/   Our eight year old son learned multiplication today.  This will be burned in my mind forever as a sweet homeschool memory.  Like Mary, I will cherish “these things” in my heart. Why, you might ask?  Between each problem, my kinesthetically inclined boy decided to give me a kiss on the cheek.   This is the boy who learned to read by jumping on the bed while I held his phonics book and I shouldn’t have been surprised that he would connect multiplication with action either.  But the kisses did surprise me. He counted them out, one by one and each more precious than the last because he persevered through the lesson. Best of all I knew he did it all of his on accord.    It had been a sick day for momma and pushing through school had been difficult.  Part of me wanted to claim a “teacher in-service” day and go to bed, but I knew we were on a roll and I didn’t want to loss any momentum.  Those kisses were my son’s little way of smoothing out the rough edges of my day. His token of love melted my heart and it reminded me afresh, this is why I homeschool.   Math is not my favorite subject.  In fact, if I could figure out a way not to teach it, I probably would.  Give me a history book, a copy of the bill of rights, a poem to analysis or a worm to dissect and I am very content.  That stuff is exciting, it is engaging, it screams “TEACH ME” but math is not like that.  Of course I fully understand the necessity, but most of the time math sessions are merely an application of diligence.  Mom is diligent in teaching the concepts and the children therefore must be diligent in doing the problems.    Homeschooling is like that at times, a test in perseverance and diligence.  We keep plodding along through the aspects that are tedious but necessary, and we savor the times that are sweet and enjoyable.  We can’t skip the difficulties any more than we can skip the math assignments.  They are part of the equation, but sometimes, special blessings show up even in the mundane and difficult bits of our lives, just as those kisses showed up at just the right moment for this mommy.   As you continue homeschooling through the bland bits this month remember those wonderful moments that pop up unexpectedly.  They are gifts!  Write them down on a sticky note and put them over your teacher station or in your bible to remind yourself of the spontaneous sweetness you would miss if you didn’t homeschool. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/megamom/705911/ Mon, 9 Feb 2009 14:50:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/megamom/705911/   Life in the homeschooling lane can be grueling at times. Time, money, energy and alertness can seem in short supply. Some days it can feel like I am spinning lines of tottering plates that I dare not let stop or they will all come crashing down. Stress replaces peace and feeling frazzled becomes the norm. I find myself resolutely counting down the days till summer vacation. This year our family is studying the life of Moses for our Bible time.  One theme that struck me was how, even in the middle of great struggle and crisis, God always provided an oasis.  The perfect heavenly Father knew His people needed to refresh and renew themselves between battles.  Sometimes the battles they faced were actually physical enemies, but mostly it was their own wicked nature that got out of hand and led them into trouble.  Grumbling, complaining, whining, ungratefulness and doubt were chief among their sins.  At the oasis they would stop and worship God corporately.  They would reflect and repent in the process of being physically renewed.  Sheltering trees by overflowing founts of water gave respite from the harsh desert travel. They paused to remember God’s goodness as flocks were pastured nearby.  Moses  would exhort and encourage the nation to rise above their struggles and to focus on the wonderful promises that God had made. Practical guidelines for successful living were laid down again.  Work was divided up among the many so none were over tasked.  Encouraged by their oasis, fresh vision infused the nation as they left for another lap around Mt. Sinai. My husband and I see the annual homeschool conferences as our oasis. We spend the year in a battle of sorts.  Sometimes it feels like a vast desert that we keep repeating.  “Didn’t I just teach you multiplication? Do we need to work on that character trait again?”  Questions arise that haunt our steps.  “Is this working?  Can I really homeschool all the way through High School?  Where am I going to find curriculum within our limited budget this year? “ It can be daunting, but then we go to conference. Inspirational speakers remind us that there is a much bigger picture here than mere academics.  They share the vision of godly family discipleship and we are reminded of why we are homeschooling. We remember how good it is that we have the privilege to homeschool our children.  Workshop speakers share how to tips that we pick at like a salad bar to find the answers we needed.  Rest and refreshment flood our souls as we sing with the crowd of hundreds of fellow homeschooling families.  “Ah, I’m not alone.  Look they did it all the way through High School and it worked out fine.”  Together we share the tidbits we have gleaned and we divide the work up in our respective roles. Shouldering the task together is easier because we are on the same page after listening to the same speakers together. Somehow the burden is much lighter to bear.  We become excited about the sojourn we are on.  We are inspired yet again to focus on the vision and prayerfully follow the protecting cloud of God as He leads us back into the desert. Don’t miss the chance at oasis for yourself.  Join us at conference this year. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/megamom/705910/ Sat, 18 Apr 2009 14:37:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/megamom/705910/   Every year as June approaches my kids ask if we are summer schooling.  They know that if I say “no” that we will not formally pick up schoolish books until September and they become giddy with joy and count down the days.  They think educating is over but I know better.  After 13 years of homeschooling I have found that we can accomplish far more in those “off” years than I would have ever dreamed. It starts with a plan in my head and gathering supplies.  A little preparation goes a long way.  If I have things ready to go, learning happens and time is little wasted.  Here are some examples. Table Talk Units   Over the years I have collected an assortment of colorful educational posters on many different subjects. I put them under a plastic table cloth centered on the kitchen table and rotate them on a biweekly basis, keeping something fresh before us. As we share lunch and breakfast we chat about the poster.  Often I end up online looking up answers to questions that we have while little ones climb on my lap and look over my shoulder.  Later I quiz the kids about what they remember. At dinner time, or when we have company, I throw a regular table cloth across the top. Sudden Science Summer is the perfect time for our little naturalists to explore and learn.  This happens in spurts. I keep a ready assortment of jars, plastic tubs with lids, and see through nylon available. When a budding scientist asks what happens when he mixes crazy ingredients together, it helps to know you have an old ice cream bucket available just for that sort of thing. I buy white vinegar, baking soda and borax in bulk for homemade gak, goop and volcano syrup.  You can find a variety of recipes for them to try out online. Several years ago we invested in a good microscope and slide sets.  During the summer I pull it out and set it up for easy access. I plan a day to show them how to make a slide when they have something they want to examine and how to properly use the microscope.  I set the magnifying glasses out next to the bug catching net just in case they find something interesting. Step back, they will take it from there if the materials are ready to go and they know you are happy to let them experiment away. Book basket Being lifelong readers is a goal I have for my kids. Throughout the school year they have assigned reading, but in summer I let them pick.  I have several book baskets around our house in addition to the overflowing book shelves. At the beginning of summer I go through these baskets and change them all out.  I add “new” books from Used Curriculum Sales or the local thrift shop on subjects they have expressed interest in at their reading level.  After lunch they take these books and lay on the front lawn under the maple tree or on the trampoline in the back yard. The baskets keep a book always ready to go as we head out for a trip or park day as well. Kitchen Consumer Math Fractions are fully understood in our house from using measuring cups in the kitchen.  Units of measure are played with in canning and cooking. Mastery comes easily when kids are given a chance to use what they are learning about. A great way to teach stewardship and basic economics is to hand the kids the household money for a week.  Tell them they have to plan a budget and then purchase what the family will eat and need around the house. Sometimes they will run out of cash for the week and face the fact that meals will have to be far simpler then they planned.  Kid run business Summer is a wonderful time to start a kid run business.  Mowing lawns and mommies’ helper jobs abound. Learning the feel of honest labor and its rewards are timeless lessons.  Setting up a landscape business helped one son understand that you can’t just skip work when you are sick, the weeds will keep growing.  Another son has planned out costs and benefits of several jobs and is getting his curbside painting business off and running.  Writing a business proposal and introduction letter, doing the math to verify his cost of product versus profit, and practicing his presentation has been a formidable task. His natural enthusiasm for the project has kept him at it. Junk box mechanics In our house when things break beyond repair, they go into the junk box.  I let the kids completely destroy them, they open them up, look at the parts and how they connect. I challenge them to try to figure out what went wrong.  They fiddle with the gears, and they take the stuff they want to keep for later.  The only rule is that they have to clean it up and throw all the remains away.  Along those same lines we will visit a new building site on our walks and watch progress as the foundation and walls go up.  The kids see the parts that must all go into place to make a fully functioning house.  Crash course One summer in high school I completed Geometry in six weeks.  To this day it is my favorite math emphasis and I believe that it partly because I was able to devote my study time just to it for a concentrated period.  My grade was based on test scores rather than daily work, so once I mastered a concept I skipped the busy work and moved on to the next idea. Offering this to my older children has worked well. They have crash coursed a variety of subjects from typing, to Spanish. Knowing that they can feed what interests them has been the key, but so has knowing that they could complete some basic course like health in weeks rather than dally with it throughout the full school year. I hand a book or computer program to them and tell them to have at it.  Their completion of the subject is based on mastery.  They can zoom through it as fast or as slow as they want.  Relaxed summer learning is one of the highlights of our homeschooling adventure.  They learn so much, enjoy the no-pressure approach and feel like it was a vacation even if we were learning something new every day.   Natural talents and interests emerge as you see what your child left alone gravitates to.  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/megamom/705903/ Tue, 7 Jul 2009 14:25:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/megamom/705903/   Western life serves as an allegory for homeschooling to me since I am a bit of a Louis L’Amour fan.  My dad owns every book and during long summer days and cold Alaskan nights I would read them with him.  The images of cowboys and pioneers taking on the hard challenges of the west are seared into my mind.  Adventurous and inspiring, these westerners left behind the familiar and comfortable in hopes of staking a new claim and making a better life for themselves and their families.       Homeschooling is a little like heading west.  We choose to be beholden to no one by disconnecting from the public educational sector. Only a few brave souls join us in our trek.  We seek new terrain, claim a patch of territory that is our own and make it distinctive and different.  We know it won’t be easy but we expectantly hope for the glorious end of the trail.  Louis L’Amour often wrote of those who started the journey but failed to finish the trip for lack of planning and perseverance.  I felt sorry for them because those who stuck with it to the end saw the “promised land.”  The great west was worth the trip.  As we climb back into the homeschool saddle this year, how can we set our selves up for a successful and good journey?   1.  Pioneers have a different mindset.  We all walk with paradigms in our heads of what education looks like.  For me it was little desks, backpacks, bells between classes, and red marks on test papers.  But as pioneers we need to stop and set those ideas aside.  What is the true aim and goal of education?  What is worth taking on the journey and what is just extra weight we will discard when the trip gets rough.    This isn’t something that comes easily on the fly.  We need to set time aside to pray, ponder and plan.  Just as families coming west spent months or even years planning, you too need to set aside time thinking out your homeschool.  What is your vision for your homeschool?  What is your spouse’s vision?  Take extra time to pray and ask God for a verse to cling to this school year. Hang it over your kitchen sink as a daily reminder that you have a plan and a goal.  This journey isn’t pointless it has purpose.   One of the wisest pieces of advice we received when we started our homeschool trail was to make a family vision statement.  When the road gets rough it reminds us why we are taking this journey.  Having good short and long term visions is like laying out your map and marking your intended trail.  Knowing where you aim to land and what you aim to accomplish ahead of time will guide your.  Any good cowboy will tell you that you better “aim for something otherwise you hit nothing.”   2.  Get a good guide.  Pioneers knew that trailblazers had much to share to make their journey easier.  No need to fall into caverns and potholes someone can warn you away from them.  Remember you don’t have to do this alone. Pioneer women hung together tightly on their journeys, forming communities based on needs and common interests rather than family and class status.  Plug into a support group of other pioneering folks who can get you some good tips.  Read books, go online for information.    3.  Schedule yourself for success.  Pioneers knew travel was easiest across the west during certain times of the year and times of the day.  They arranged their schedules accordingly.  My husband is a tax accountant.  During tax season we get a lot of school done and plan to take breaks during the off season with dad around.  Children do much better if they know what is expected of them.  Pioneers lived by, early to bed, early to rise because that suited the life they lived.  What schedule suits your life?  Does daddy work swing shift?  Then your sleeping schedule will probably be different as you make extra time for him with the kids and you will start school later in the day than others.  You don’t have to have the same schedule as anyone else.  Do what works for your family.   4.  Settle in slowly.  A whole homestead isn’t made in one day. Introduce one subject at a time, or just a couple over a series of weeks.  Then your children will have a chance to figure one thing out well before moving on ahead.    5.  Use your resources wisely.  Clutter and chaos are contentment killers.  Clean surfaces and tidy workspaces encourage children to spend time there.  Ever clean a child’s room and notice that suddenly they are playing in it non stop.  Or if chaos is all over how it seems just too daunting to do anything.   6.  Expect the unexpected:  Indians and cholera were something the pioneers knew might be coming but it was always unexpected.  In-laws and colds will come and mess up your great schedules you have in place but don’t give up!  Knowing the unexpected can happen makes it easier to deal with.  Having backup plans in place to manage through the struggles. Happy Trails to you all.  An adventure awaits. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/megamom/600727/ Mon, 6 Oct 2008 12:35:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/megamom/600727/   Recently, I was stopped at a curriculum fair and asked this question by someone who was considering homeschooling.  Life at our house had been insane for months, and it was a bit of a rough ride.  When she asked me, I knew what she was looking for.  She wanted the basics, the simple answer.  She wanted the legal requirements, the scope and sequence suggestions, the tips for curriculum and the directions to support groups.  But she had caught me on an off day and the answer I bluntly delivered was, “Everything.”    It takes everything to homeschool.  It takes your time, almost every minute of it.  That time as you stand in the grocery store surrounded by magazines becomes current event discussions for middle school social studies.   During those hours as you wash dishes at the sink and your little boy clings to your leg, you will find yourself teaching elementary physics of water and bubbles.  Those minutes at the end of the day are no longer yours, when your teenager finally comes to discuss the meaning and nature of man from the poetry assignment you gave him that morning.  Seconds as you hide in the bathroom are claimed as little voices ask from under the door, “Mom, what is 2/3 divided by 5?”    It takes your money. Gone is the cushion of two incomes.  Money takes on new priorities.  Lavish vacations and spendy toys are bygones. Every extra dollar is suddenly viewed as a way to buy music lessons, purchase that curriculum that might help your kinesthetic son learn his phonics, or find that expensive science kit used online.  While your church friends go out to coffee and spa days during school hours, you are busy and broke.  “Me” time and “me” money no longer exists.   It takes your energy.  All of it.  Physically and emotionally homeschooling is draining, for long days are often required where the many hats of teacher, mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend and support group leader/member are juggled.  You will suddenly be misunderstood by friends and family because you homeschool.  They will become confrontational and judgmental of you as a parent and as a person. You will not be able to share your successes with them, for they will not value them.  That confidence that you wear so easily now, will fray at times and if you do not turn to God for refilling daily it will unravel.   Spiritually you will be tested in ways you never knew existed.  For those children you spend the day with are little mirrors that show you very clearly what fruits of the spirit you most need to work on.  Daily you will wrestle with the spiritual attack that you are not “good” enough for the job set before you.  You will have new things to pray about unceasingly. For truthfully, when you homeschool your entire life changes.    Homeschooling really is discipleship.  It is the daily laying down of your own life for the benefit of others and for the growth of God’s kingdom, one child at a time.  As Dr. Voddie Baucham said during the conference, we begin to build multigenerational lines of faithfulness that affect the whole world around us.  Homeschooling is ministry work, hard and labored with its swells of ups and downs.  It is not for the faint of heart or the weak willed for they quickly fall by the sidelines when the difficult bits come, and they will come.   “But…” I said taking a deep breath, “The rewards are worth it.”  The joy of watching your oldest son share the gospel easily with anyone he meets because he is not peer dependent is worth it.  The pleasure of hearing the child who struggled with reading, read God’s word aloud with understanding and meaning, is worth it.  The happiness of knowing that the strong wills and hearts of those you most cherish are directed toward God first, is worth it.  The rewards are far beyond the sacrifices.  But do not go into this blind or unaware and thus be ill equipped to persevere. Jesus knew that discipleship was costly and He forewarned us all.  Being salt and light to our children and making them bright and flavorful is work worth doing, but count the cost.  It will cost you everything.   “But don’t begin until you count the cost.  For who would begin construction of a building without first getting estimates and then checking to see if there is enough money to pay the bills?  Otherwise you might complete only the foundation before running out of funds.  And then how everyone would laugh at you!  They would say, “There’s the person who started that building and ran out of money before it was finished!....So no one can become my disciple without giving up everything for me.”            Luke 14: 28-34 NLT http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/megamom/552270/ Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:55:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/megamom/552270/   I love school breaks.  Breaks release us to take a step back and see where we really are.  How good it is set aside our pencils and books and just practice “being” together.  Our first day of Spring Break this year was wonderful.  Freed from the constraints of any schedule my kids took the morning to plan and ponder their plan of attack for the next few days.  My littlest pulled out games that had been tucked away for months. Within an hour my oldest sons were cleaning out the workshop that they felt needed reorganizing for Dad.  No one asked them to do this; they came up with it on their own as a love gift for their dad, who as a tax accountant is in his busiest season.  How proud they were when it was all neat and tidy.  While they were working another plan had formulated in their heads.  This one was pure fun.  “Mom” they asked, “Can we build a boat to float in the pond at the park?”  Working in the shop organizing tools had inspired them.  In no time they collected their younger siblings and began creating.  Taking an old purple dinosaur sandbox, PVC pipe, duct tape and liquid nails, they made a floating contraption with pop bottle pontoons.  In an hour they had a boat they were ready to try.  A spot of sun shone out the window and despite the temp of 45 degrees we loaded the boat and oars into the back of our beat up van and we headed out.  What a sight we made trooping up to the pond. I noticed a few heads turn as joggers went by us.  Excitedly the kids put the boat in the pond and it floated.  I have to admit I wondered if it could really hold up a 6’ 1” boy, and was mentally planning on bringing home sodden kids.  One by one, each of my four got into the boat and floated around the pond.  They were ecstatic.  The oldest two realized they had to balance their weight just so or the boat would fill with water, but it did not sink.  When all were sufficiently wet and cold enough we loaded the boat back into the van and headed home for hot chocolate.  Everyone chatted about improvements to make the boat more stable for the future.  My seven year old son envisioned plans of adding motor.  My 10 year old daughter was ready to get out the paint brushes and decorate the ship more appropriately.  I could see in that moment how the strengths of each child were allowed to flourish in this small endeavor.  Teamwork, ingenuity, spontaneity, genuine love and concern for each other were displayed.  School work shows me only a snapshot of all I really want to teach my children.  Break times show me another. While I fight the constant temptation each break to fill it with schoolish things, I hold tight to the joy that comes from letting my kids “be”.  I’ll never be an unschooler, or one who could go too long without a schedule, but I see the value in it.  In closing, the highlight of this break was my oldest son giving me a hug and saying, “I’m so glad I have a mother who understands that boys need to have adventures.”  Truth is, so do moms. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/megamom/527512/ Mon, 5 May 2008 16:05:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/megamom/527512/   Looking outside yesterday, I caught the first glimpse of red gold in our maple tree. This tree always reminds me that I am truly glad to be schooling at home. The changing leaves tell me that the yellow bus will soon pass our house while my children sip cocoa and cuddle on the couch.    This year I have some extra joy in beginning the school season. This summer my dear hubby, sons, and father-in law built a school room. Three generations of Bullock “men” stood side by side making this homeschool mom very happy about her new space. The freshly painted walls are lined with bookshelves, desks, maps, and educational games. It has been fun to organize the room in anticipation. Our youngest son set up his little work space and proceeded to do “math” just for the fun of it.  I smiled.   A non homeschooling friend recently visited and she mildly chided my enthusiasm. My unabashed excitement for homeschooling tickled her. Surely my response would have been more appropriate for a hot tub, or new master bedroom, she thought. But then again we are a little odd to be teaching our children at home anyway. How long are we going to keep at it? Our oldest is in high school now. Don’t I miss time alone?    I explained again that this is what we feel God wants us to do for our family. Yes, we do things a bit differently from the mainstream but we are unashamed to do so. Private Christian home education is part of the distinctive calling that makes our family unique.   The Book of Jeremiah records a story of a family that had distinctives that made them unique as well. Through them God displayed the simplicity of obedience. I feel for poor Jeremiah, last prophet to stubborn Judah. Israel had long ago been judged and taken into captivity for her disobedience. Yet Judah knowingly stood upon the precipice. Each generation had a chance to choose to obey and push judgment back once again, or to disobey and bring it completion.    Jeremiah spoke truth in a world that wanted to be deaf. King Zedekiah burned his copy of a truth filled scroll rather than risk others reading it. Sound familiar? Tear out the truth from school books and court rooms. Let no one hear it! Satan’s tactics have not changed. Unyielding Jeremiah sat down and rewrote the scroll again. He saw the wickedness around him and he was saddened by it, but he would not be moved to change his course. God had called him to do his job as a prophet in this era, and he would follow through.     Do you ever feel that way too, sorrowed by many sins in the world? There are times when I feel confused by the lack of desire to hear truth and be changed by it. It is difficult to contemplate that this is the world my children will live in. In our homeschooling we want to prepare our children to push judgment back as they war for truth by living faithful lives. Their turn in this story is fast approaching.   In chapter 35, God paints a word picture of faithfulness by asking Jeremiah to bring the family of the Recabites into the House of the Lord and place bowls of wine before them to drink. It was a test. When they were presented the wine they refused it, stating that it is not their “family way” to drink. The Recabites faithfully followed the commands of their forefather Jonadab by abstaining from drink, and by living like nomads in tents. Even when asked by a godly prophet in the house of the Lord they did not waver.   The Lord spoke to Jeremiah and said to go and say to the people of Judah, “Will you not learn a lesson and obey my words?...Jonadab son of Recab ordered his sons not to drink wine and this command has been kept. To this day they do not drink wine, because they obey their forefather’s command. But I have spoken to you again and again, yet you have not obeyed me. Again and again I sent all my servants the prophets to you….but you have not paid attention or listen to me…” (vs 13-16)    Can you hear the Lord’s heart cry? The Recabites obeyed the commands of their forefathers, mere men. Judah disobeyed the commands of her God. The Recabites obeyed. Judah rebelliously disobeyed. Compare and contrast the results.   God brought the promised judgment because, “…I spoke to them, but they did not listen; I called to them, but they did not answer.” (vs17) The Lord then prompts Jeremiah to speak on His behalf to the family of Recab. Because of their obedience and faithfulness “Jonadab son of Recab will never fail to have a man to serve me.” (vs 19) Another translation states, that Recab will never fail to “have a man stand before me.” What a promise! If there is one thing I want for my family it is this. I want my loved ones to stand before the Lord as His in the circle of faithful.    This family followed through on the directions they had been given by a wise forefather. They kept their distinctives, what made them who they were. They were not amalgamated into the disobedient culture around them. Was it cumbersome to live as nomads, probably? No doubt they were tempted to move into more permanent housing like everyone else in the city. Was it less entertaining to abstain from alcohol, maybe? Surely there were those who seemed unaffected by it. But the Recabites refused to give in to any compromise.   There are times when homeschooling may seem cumbersome, a heavy burden that so few seem to bear. The old brick and mortar down the street, with playgrounds and gyms beckon while my kids run through the house yet again for recess. Sometimes there are things that seem a lot more entertaining to do than teaching phonics or math facts again to a youngster. All those other moms at the coffee chats seem to think things are okay for their children in school all day.    But catch the blessing here. This blessed distinctive of faithfully discipling our children at home can come with great rewards. It is the nature of God to reward the faithful little steps we make, just as He rewarded the Recabites. Our Lord never fails to notice obedience. In fact He uses it to testify about Himself to the world. New school room or not, I’m thankful we are educating at home. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/megamom/377992/ Wed, 22 Aug 2007 18:31:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/megamom/377992/ Every once in a while an outside opportunity comes up to solidify the lessons we are busy teaching our children at home. Subjects mesh together and become one major life lesson. For us last weekend was one of them. The Dead Sea Scrolls were on exhibit at the Seattle Pacific Science Center and we did not want to miss them. What were the chances that they would be them in the NW again? Despite family illness postponing the date, my husband made sure we carved out the time to go. We believed that this was a super chance to see real life pieces of ancient history with our own eyes, but it turned out to be so much more.                 I’ll be honest I love history. I love the way God’s fingerprints are all over the affairs of man. I love it when historical research confirms His word. I look for times when He sovereignly interferes, directs and uses even the worse abuses of mankind to further His purposes. His will is never thwarted. Our history studies this past year included the sad stories of the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, the suicides at Masada in A. D. 73 and long exile of the Jewish nation from its homeland. The people of the promised land were purged from the land itself. Yet in the midst of the darkness brought on by war and enslavement, the “sons of light” (as they called themselves) of the Qumran community were used to preserve and confirm the very words of God. These fervent people placed meticulously copied Old Testament scrolls inside simple clay jars. They hid them away in the caves lining the cliffs below where they lived. Rome saw to it that no one was left to remember the burial sites of Qumran’s most precious treasure.          OCetwork Currents                                 December 2006                                                               page 2                   Arid desert climates and obscurity hid the scrolls well, but God knew they were there. The world filled with skeptics. “What is truth?” it asked. “Can it even be known?” “How do we know the Bible as we have it is accurate?” Nearly 2000 years later, Bedouin shepherd boys heard the crash of broken pottery in a cave. They were simply looking for a missing goat. The scribes’ handiwork was rediscovered and gifted to the nation of Israel newly reborn. New scientific discoveries confirmed that the scrolls were over 1000 years older than any other known text. The comparison of texts displayed the constancy of God’s word. Amazing accident? I think not., more like purposed providence.            As we walked throughout the exhibit we were delighted as information was presented. Daddy boldly taught the Bible despite the pressing crowds around us. The New Testament Era and stories came alive for us. My children touched 2,000 year old pottery shards. They examined the changes in oil lamps over a 1,000 year period and saw the type of lamp Jesus referred to in his parable of the 10 Virgins. (The lamps were so small they fit in the palm of your hand, no wonder the wise virgins carried extra oil.)  A treasure trove of coins had been found under the Qumran door frames. We saw coins minted during the centuries surrounding the life of Christ, stamped with faces and names of people we knew and disliked. Titus and Nero, Pontus Pilate, Herod the Great. These were the very types of coins that Jesus would have scattered in the temple market. The Qumran residents were a precise people, everything had to be done in a specific way and order. The importance of the written word was stressed. The saga of the scribe pursuing perfection in copying each scroll taught valuable lessons to our kids: handwriting and spelling do count. The pinnacle of the visit was the Gallery of the Scrolls. Encased in hermeneutically sealed, low lit cases were the scrolls themselves. This room was somber and special. For three hours we had built up to this moment while exploring the other parts of the exhibit. Now we were there. Before us were passages that are foundational to our faith. Our teen son summed up our feelings best when he whispered in my ear, “I feel like I need to take my shoes off, for this must be like holy ground.” Even our six year old, who had found many benches and corners to rest in throughout the exhibit, knew this was something to pay attention to.  Here were the words of Genesis 1:18-27 recounting the creation of the world and of man. “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” (vs 26) Exodus, proclaiming the name of God to Moses in the burning bush, “I AM WHO I AM”(vs 14) Isaiah 54 foretelling of the coming suffering servant, our Messiah Jesus. “He shall bear their iniquities.” (vs 11) Ezekiel 10-11 explains the judgment of God upon a sinful people and the promised return of the remnant to the land of Israel after the Babylonian capture. God sees all, nothing is overlooked. Ps 119 was the largest and most impressive scroll displayed. It included 176 verses. “Forever, O LORD, thy word is firmly fixed in the heavens, Thy faithfulness endures to all generations; thou hast established the earth, and it stands fast.” (vs 89-90) Truth was clearly proclaimed for those who would hear it and had eyes to see.  We pondered if some savvy biblical archeologist requested these specific segments of scroll. Was it designed to confirm the Christian faith, or was it our worldview that made the emphasis so obvious? Even the apocryphal and sectarian scrolls had profound things to teach. The Qumran community was desperately looking for the Messiah even if their methodology was wrong. Oh how they waited and wanted His advent. They wanted to be ready, pure and holy vessels for His service when He came. They expected a military messiah who would rid them of the Roman encroachment. They painted vivid word pictures of a fiery end to the world powers and sin in Israel. Sadly they missed their true Messiah, Jesus. Despite themselves, God used them for His greater purpose and as He still does today.                            This field trip will be ranked within the top 10 of all time favorites for many reasons. Most of all for me because of what I was impressed to speak to my children over and over again. “Do not let anyone fool you and say that God’s Word and this faith of ours are not real. Remember what you see here today. You saw 3,000 year old Bible passages with your own eyes. God kept His word true and preserved it for thousands of years. It is not fake. It is not folly. It is not a fairy tale. This is very real and very significant. It can not be silenced, it can not be destroyed. Our God reigns! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/megamom/368485/ Sat, 17 Feb 2007 16:12:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/megamom/368485/ It is that time of year again, the time to gather together from across Oregon at the annual statewide Christian Homeschool conference. It always surprises me how much I look forward to this each year.  I circle the date on our calendar as soon as I get it and I find myself anticipating the full measure of encouragement I always receive.  So why does the conference matter to us so much?    1. It is our annual planning meeting as husband and wife. Because we attend together we are on the same page at the same time. What an opportunity!   As busy partners in marriage it is easy to go about our separate roles and not communicate directly about what is happening in our homeschool. The conference provides the chance to really delve in and work through things together.    2. We always catch a vision. It has been at conferences that we have often caught new or deeper visions for our family life. Homeschooling is so much more than mere academics.    3. We see that we are not alone. How encouraging to be in a gathering of hundreds of homeschooling parents. We are all different, with different styles and methods of homeschooling, yet we share the same heart’s desire to teach our own.    4. Dads are empowered in their roles as the leaders of their homes. This is no small thing. Dads are not a side note here. OCEAN is very good at bringing speakers who teach and exhort specifically about the roles God has commanded fathers to fill.    5. Mothers are commended.   Homeschooling is a tough job and it rests heavily on the shoulders of mothers who want to do the best they can. It is a balm for my soul to be among others who see value in my life’s work and recognize the battle it can be. One of my favorite times is when mothers are recognized and applauded for the size of their families.   How different from the stares and glares of the world. What can you expect at the next conference? Below is a list of just some of this year’s featured speakers. Don’t miss out on the encouragement and inspiration.   Dr. Jeff Myers mission is to equip culture-shaping leaders to understand the times, unleash their God-given gifts, and communicate the truth with confidence. Well known for his work with teens and teaching leadership skills, Dr. Myers shares a vision for the future of the next generation. He and his wife Danielle homeschool their four children--Graham, Emma, Cate and Stuart--and live in Tennessee.   Todd Wilson, author of Help! I’m Married to a Homeschooling Mom and The Official Book of Homeschooling Cartoons, is a dad, writer, conference speaker, and former pastor. Todd’s humor and gut-honest realness have made him a favorite speaker at homeschool conventions across the country. As founder of Familyman Ministries, his passion and mission are to remind dads and moms of what’s important. Todd and his wife Debbie, along with their seven children spend several months of the year traveling the country encouraging moms and dads.   Jeannie Fulbright is the author of Apologia’s Young Explorer’s series. Jeannie and her husband homeschool their four children, ages six to thirteen, in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to homeschooling and writing, she enjoys speaking around the country to encourage homeschoolers on their journey.   Special needs consultant Jennifer Bliesner is mother of eight (5 of which are special needs). She has home schooled for twenty-four years. Currently Jennifer tutors home school students with special needs, and has set up a program to mentor families with this unique challenge. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/megamom/368477/ Sun, 5 Aug 2007 22:21:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/megamom/368477/