I was awake during the night pondering some things about life and the way we view life in the world today. This may have something to do with my trip to Walmart with 8 of my 9 children and the looks of shock and disgust which often occur, but I digress.  It occurred to me that if you sit down with a young child and explain to them in the simplest of terms what abortion is, they instinctively know it is wrong!  Even without going into detail about your beliefs...its murder, life begins at conception etc. they can tell you quickly and definitively its wrong.  But then, something happens....at least to a vast majority of children.

They are then "schooled" by the government and taught that life is about THEM and their happiness....about achieving success and having money, about living to pursue their dreams at all costs...they are schooled to be selfish.  Another important lesson is learned along the way.  It goes something like this:  Children, you see, are a costly burden that should be avoided, or at least limited, so that your goals aren't hindered...because after all, its all about you.  Children are also a lot of hard work and well, being tied down with them is far less exciting then traveling and lavish vacations.  Thrown into this mix are classes on sexuality, reproduction, and acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle....all taught to children with already raging hormones.  They are told its okay to embrace their sexuality, that it's normal to feel that way and that reacting to those feelings is fine, even outside of marriage.  Just go ahead and do what feels right, use contraception, and if an "accident" happens, well....there's always abortion. See, its all about you and its not really a baby anyway....so it's okay.  Do whatever needs to be done as long as your happy.  All of these lessons are backed up and reinforced by television ads, and the government controlled media.

There are no lessons on the value of human life, the value that GOD himself places on human life.  No lessons on the blessing that children really are.  They are not taught that all life is a gift from GOD.  They are not taught that sex was designed by God, for marriage only, to bring both pleasure AND children.  They are not taught that everything they do in life has eternal consequences and there will one day be a judgement.  Lord have mercy on this nation!  How have things gone so far?  Why is there so little value placed on human life, not only by the world but even in the church?  Oh that the church would wake up and take a stand.  May we be diligent in teaching our children the Truth.  The life God designed is about sacrifice....pouring yourself out for others when you feel you've already been emptied.  There is no place for selfishness in your walk with Christ.  Yes raising children is hard work, but it's kingdom work...and it matters.   May we go completely against the grain and teach our children to take a stand for life.  May we teach them to be warriors for Jesus Christ and to fight for what matters to Him.  I myself have begun preparing my children to go to the front lines of this battle, to the very gates of hell to confront this spiritual war.  I've been convicted once again of my need to daily instruct my children that life is a gift that only God can give, and that only God should take...that life is indeed ALWAYS a gift, never a choice.

In the trenches?

We all get busy and for moms of many, every day is busy.  Sometimes, life moves beyond the normal busy days and you find yourself in the trenches.  Have a new baby at home?...a virus turning your house upside down?...perhaps someone in the house has a chronic illness?  Whatever the trench you find yourself in, you know how it goes...  Your schedule has gone out the window, sleep is coveted but nowhere to be found, the laundry is piled up, homeschool lessons may be hit or miss, and the children are acting....well, less than perfect.  It's hard, the days can be long, and it's oh so easy to become discouraged!  However, you aren't in the battle alone.  The Lord is right there with you every step of the way - through every shed tear, every endless cleanup, every sleepless night.

When things have been tough for me lately, I've found it easy to slip into self-pity and despair but praise God, He has shown up and reminded of something so precious...so vital!  You may miss a math lesson, and history may seem to be well, history.....But no matter what the situation, you need not skip the one needful thing, that one good part!  You can still pray with and TALK TO your children as you go through your busy days, reminding them of their (and your) need of a savior, of God's goodness and unending grace and mercy.  You can point them to the love of Christ, teaching them to treat others with love.You can still look them in the eye and tell them that no matter what is happening, God is still good and Jesus is the answer to every situation.  Let them see you praise and thank Him despite your weariness...sing a song of praise while you are huddled in the trenches together. Don't let sickness or sleeplessness get in the way of pointing them to the Living Word at every opportunity!

I'm feeling so blessed...so thankful for God's mercy in this busy season of life.  Will you purpose to walk out, and talk out, your faith with these precious souls God has entrusted to you?  I'm starting fresh today....

Inspiring them to educate themselves

For the past few years, I've been doing a lot of reading of my own. Reading is something I never really enjoyed much when I was growing up but now I've come to love it! So, this year in our homeschool I've made some changes. For one, I'm committed to spending A LOT more time reading aloud with the children. Reading aloud good, quality literature (not twaddle - I just love that word!) is really beneficial to the younger children as well as the older. Plus it makes for lots of good discussion, not to mention piling up on the couch together : )

The other big change for us - or more specifically me - this year is Mom is making a point to further educate herself. Aside from just learning along with the children as I teach history and science, I've been studying extra things on my own and making sure the children see me do it. My oldest son is working through a world view course and I've decided to do it as well. My reasons for doing this are really pretty simple. I want to inspire my children to educate themselves! Once children learn the basics of reading, writing, and math they can learn anything they have a desire to know. They don't need me to stand over them and tell them what to study and what to think about what they've learned. I will always be there to guide them of course, but I want them to learn to think for themselves.

So around here, we will be reading and discussing, reading and discussing, and then doing it some more. Mom will be furthering her education and then sharing what she has learned with the kiddos.....just in casual conversation during our everyday activities. So many of us have a misguided idea of education. It's not as difficult as some try to make it. Some of the greatest minds in history belonged to those who educated themselves. Lest you think I've quit requiring anything from my children, think again. There are certain requirements for all of them. However, I'm hoping as the years go by I will be able to require less because they will have an eager desire of their own. I can just supply the materials (according to each child's God given bents and desires) and sit back and watch - all the while knowing that God is in control : )

Gently leading or forcefully driving

It can be so hard to find a balance when training our children. Unfortunately, many parents become frustrated with the long process and find themselves losing their patience. When this happens, the flesh can take over and we can easily become harsh, overly critical, and very demanding. However, this is not the way our Lord deals with us. Now I understand that as believers we will suffer hardships and pain but our precious, patient Lord isn't standing over us yelling and demanding obedience. He LEADS us to where He wants us with grace, patience, and love.

This is the way we should be training our children.....grace, patience, and love. We need to show our children Christ in our daily living and behavior. Do we want them to see Him as impossible to please? Not at all.....Yes He has stringent expectations but HE IS mercy and grace and we should be pouring them out on our children. All the while, gently leading and encouraging them to chose the right paths....teaching directly from the scriptures starting at a young age....showing them that His word is the only source of absolute truth and that the Lord is to be obeyed in everything.

It's no easy task that's for sure. But it is one that should be of the utmost importance in the Christian home. Homeschooling lends itself very well to this sort of training. We are with them throughout the most important days and years of their lives, able to impart truth to them consistently and without the influence of secular anti-Christian teaching undermining our efforts. The job is difficult enough without these other influences.

So how are you training your children? Are you ignoring them until they are getting on your nerves and then raising your voice and issuing orders? Are you expecting them to know how to act and behave even though you aren't investing any time in teaching them? Or are you daily setting a Godly example and holding important conversations with them about God's truths? Are you keeping them close to you throughout the day and involving them in your life? Are you walking them through scripture and asking questions enabling them to think about God's word for themselves? Please don't say "This is what the bible says and this is what you are going to do..." That's not the answer! GENTLY LEADING is the key.....just like the leading of our Savior, The Good Shepherd.

Lessons learned in a large family

Large family life is the perfect setting in which to develop Godly character. How we act and how we treat other people is not only important to our testimony, it is important to the Lord. Teaching our children godly character can be very tricky. It means setting a good example for them day after day...modeling the sort of behavior we expect of them. In other words, we have to stay on our knees before the Lord asking him for the grace to keep our own character in check.

In a large family, there are SO many opportunities for each family member to learn SO many things.......patience, love, deference, loyalty, service, diligence, responsibility, peacemaking, orderliness, selflessness....the list goes on and on. It takes a lot of time and a lot of repetition to see the fruit but when our children are grown and teaching the same things to precious blessings of their own, the reward will be that much sweeter.

Now anyone who knows me personally certainly knows that our family by no means has it "all together". We have a looooonnnnngggg way to go in the character department : ) However, the Lord has led me to a place where there is no choice but to work much harder at developing Godly character in my children. I see things in my children that make me cringe and then fall at the feet of my savior and seek his direction....and ask for forgiveness. Why? Well, because I have failed to properly train my children in so many areas AND because so many of the things that make me cringe are things they got from watching me. It can be very painful to witness that's for sure.

You see, back when we only had two or even three children things were different. They were calmer, didn't argue that often, and things were pretty peaceful. However, over the years as the Lord has added more children to our family things got ahead of me and while they are basically well behaved, there are some areas where we could use some work. So character development is high on the list for our homeschool this year. It is coming second only to study of the Word.

Please don't misunderstand me. I know that some changes in character can only come through repentance and putting our faith in Christ....by having a total heart change. But we can help to develop good character but teaching them good habits, through lots of conversation, books, scripture, etc. And what better place to practice patience than in a large family? Oh the opportunities the Lord gives us each day!! His design for the family is so perfect....If only more Christians would realize what a blessing it is to surrender the womb to God.

Homeschooling: What does it look like?

No two homeschools will look the exactly the same. Each family has to do what works best for them. Some use textbooks, others unit studies, and still others use an "unschooling" approach. There are so many methods and even ways of combining methods that it can be overwhelming to those just starting out. We have only been homeschooling for just over three years and I have to tell ya that we've changed methods and curriculum more times than I care to admit. But ya know what? THAT'S OK! It's just the way it goes....and it's actually one of the benefits of homeschooling!

While each family has their own way of doing things and has to find their own groove so to speak, one thing I know is this - your homeschool shouldn't look like public or private school! For those of us who went to public/private school it can be very hard to adjust to this new way of doing things. If you are new to homeschooling or considering it for your family listen closely to this word of advice - don't try to duplicate the school experience you had. It is not - I repeat NOT - necessary to create a public school environment in your home in order for your children to get a proper education.
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I know first hand how hard it can be to think outside the public school box. After spending years in the system it becomes so ingrained in us! But homeschooling is so much more than just school - it is a way of life, it is spending time with your family, learning to manage a home, it is living, learning, and growing with those who love you the most. Most important to me is being there right alongside my children to apply the truth of scripture to every area of life.

As another "official" homeschooling year comes to an end (we still do some things over the summer), I'm already thinking about next year. One of my top priorities is to have learning become more of a way of life or would it be vice versa - have life become more of a way of learning?