Tuesdays of Praise

A friend from my church declared on her blog today that we need to make Tuesdays a day of Praise to our God & creator! So, I'm taking her up on the challenge.

Father God, I praise You for who You are. You are the creator of every thing! You are the Alpha & Omega, the beginning & the end. You made me! You poured out Your love for me by sending Your Son to die for me. You have heaped blessing upon blessing on me. You've provided for us when Jeff was without work. You've carried me through so many times when I didn't feel I could go on. Shine in me! Work through me so others may see that You are God! That You are the Provider, the Great Physician, the Rock of Salvation!!


As you go through your day, offer up a prayer of Praise!

Thoughts on Homeschool Conference

Jeff & I attended the Midwest Homeschool Conference this weekend (http://www.cincinnatihomeschoolconvention.com/). So I thought I'd jot down a few thoughts about it.

1. We volunteered & worked on Thursday from 2-8pm. I couldn't believe how the time flew. We manned the door to the exhibit hall & directed traffic. It was so much fun. I loved talking to all the vendors & even some of the homeschoolers. Annie, the daughter of the organizers of the convention, was a delight to talk to during the day and she kept me up on what was going on elsewhere around the convention area.

2. I didn't really learn anything new, but got affirmation of some things God has been trying to teach me. The biggest being that I am unique as is my family and therefore how we educate our kids will look different than how others do it. I am finally starting to feel confident that we are doing what God wants us to do. I know we are on the right track & can move forward in planning our next school year.

3. Once again I am reminded of what wonderful parents both Jeff & I have. We were able to attend the convention without our kids & be able to recharge. So many other parents don't have that luxury & had to bring their kids with them. I'm so thankful for our parents.

4. Another thing I was reminded of is to remember to make learning fun. It's ok to laugh & enjoy learning. I don't have to "do school" at home. I just need to let my kids experience that learning is fun & it is a lifetime ambition.

One last thing even though it doesn't have to do with the conference exactly. I am amazed at how God has brought friends into our lives that we wouldn't have met normally. They live in Cincy area and we met them online because of a podcast they do. They love the Lord, they have the same interests we do & have kids roughly the same ages as ours. We got to visit with them on Friday night after the conference & sit in on a podcast they were doing. It was so much fun & we had a great visit. Check them out at http://gspn.tv/

I think that's all my ramblings for now. Until next time, remember that you are Uniquely & Wonderfully made by a Creator who loves you!

God is Good!

We had a wonderful retreat this weekend. I was amazed once again at how God worked everything out. Each of the testimonies flowed seamlessly into each other even though we had not even talked about them to each other. My testimony seemed to go good. I can't tell you what I said completely which is why I videotaped it. But based on the comments, I know God used me! And that humbles me completely. That God would use a broken vessel like me is beyond my comprehension!

I came away from the retreat with God's faithfulness ringing in my ears. Also, it is very evident that God will use whatever circumstances we are in to bring glory to Himself. Whether it is physical pain, emotional pain or Spiritual pain, God can & will turn it into something good if only we let Him!

Things I'm Learning

I hope that I never stop learning. So here are some things I'm learning now in my life.

1. I need balance in my life. The only way I can have that is if I spend time daily with my Savior! When my life is centered on Jesus Christ, only then can the rest of my world be balanced! When I neglect my time with Jesus, then my whole day is off. It is such a simple thing to spend a little time in prayer, Bible study & praise, yet it has often been the lowest priority of my life.

2. Fear will continue to rule my life until I come to the point that I trust God. Period. I need to trust Him with everything & leave the outcome to Him. When I say "I believe God will take care of me but what if ______ happens? I'd just die or I don't know what I'd do." then I'm putting conditions on God & Satan is going to use that as a constant threat. Instead, I need to say "I trust God." then now matter what happens, I know God is Faithful and will work it out for good. I don't have to dwell on the what Ifs. We will never be in a situation where God will not offer us His courage! As Beth Moore says "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the judgement that there is something much more important than that fear." TRUST!

3. I've got to be me! I need to stop worrying about what other people think about me or think I should be doing. God made me unique! As long as I am following His plan for me, then I am being who & what I am to be. I may not please everyone, but then neither did Jesus. When I worry about what others think to the point it is affecting what I do, then I'm obsessing on myself! So, I'm unique! My marriage will be unique. My kids will be unique! The way we do school will be unique! And that's ok. I don't have to be like everyone else. Besides, if I was, this would be a boring life!

4. When God asks you to step up & give your testimony, the enemy is going to attack. On March 21st, I am giving my testimony on dealing with chronic pain & depression to the women of my church at our spring retreat. I didn't want to do it. I didn't volunteer at first, but felt God impressing on me to step up. Now as the date approaches, I feel under the attack. Satan has been trying to discourage me. Some of it mental (no one wants to hear your story, you can't talk in front of 50+ women, etc...) and some of it is physical (I've been fighting headaches, neck pain, insomnia, body aches, depression). BUT God will see me through! I just have to trust. So I push through knowing that God will be praised & maybe He will use me to help someone else.

5. The one thing I've hated (CHANGE) is actually happening in my life & I'm growing to love it. I hate change! We all do. Whether it's a job change, a location change, a loss of someone, or just a routine change, we just don't like it. We want stability. We want everything to stay the same so we can cope. I'm finding that the only stability in my life is Jesus! He is my rock! My whole world may be changing, but Jesus never changes! So as things change around me like my kids growing up, my hubby traveling a lot to different places sometimes at last minute, my family changing as my Mamaw ages & her health deteriorates, My body changing as I age & slowly go gray, I know that God will never change & He has a hold of me & I can just go along for the ride....singing His praises all the way!

So, this is just a little of what I'm learning! I hope I keep growing & learning & enjoying life!

Teachable Moments

I've been thinking recently about why I homeschool. There are all the standard answers: better education, Biblical education, school work tailored to the way my children learn, my daughter's severe peanut allergy, etc. While those are all reasons why we homeschool, there is one that stands out to me.

I homeschool because it gives me more "teachable moments" with my kids. Life is our classroom. My kids ask questions & we can go research them right way instead of waiting till the curriculum allows. We watch a tv show & then we can talk about it & research things that need to be researched. When we are out & see a child misbehaving, we can talk about it. Every moment of the day is a possible learning opportunity. I have all day to see those teachable moments & use them. If I sent them off to school, I'd loose 6 hours of teachable time while they were in school.

Our theme verse for our homeschooling is:

Deuteronomy 6:5-9 (New International Version)

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

So, not only am I teaching my children reading, writing, spelling, math, etc., I am also teaching them about Jesus! I am able to give them a Biblical worldview about every moment in life. With each & every question they ask, we can see how it relates to God. And really, isn't this what life is about?