Month: December 2008

2008 Overview

Popular posts from 2008

Throughout 2008, I posted a few posts which were really questions. Questions I asked you, the readers to share. You can see the various posts here, in Your Turn.

Jan 2008
What! NO New Years Resolutions?

Feb 2008
I learned and important and ongoing lesson about how God sets us in place

March 2008
Must have been either real busy or real boring. :yawn:

April
I shared about Growth Spurts

May
I shared a day in the life of our unschooled teen
Mother’s Day Part One
Mother’s Day Part Two

June
Another busy or boring month :yawn:

July
Child Run Homes
Free five Bible study lessons for your family
Free Devotional Journal for your family
Doing it all or are we neglecting to teach necessary life skills

August
How do you learn?
Teaching reading: the HomeGrownKids way

September
Prioritising: big rocks, little rocks & sand

October
Worthwhile pastimes: should I encourage that?

November
Downfall of homeschool blogging?
Convinced or Convicted
Walking by grace
A re-post about how we ‘do’ Christmas

December
Delighting in our children – God delights in us
Self harm? No, we’re Christian homeschoolers
I wrote a 3 part series on being Conformed or Transformed:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three

I’ve been blogging for 3 and a half years now and had some verbose times and some quiet times. I’ve enjoyed blogging this past year, especially when I’ve kept it in perspective. I’d like to say THANK YOU to all the people who read my blog…and especially to those who comment:
Jacqui, Lisa, Leonie, Amanda, Sombra, Robin, Joi, Judith and Yoan, Michelle and Jocelyn, to mention a few- thank you! I hope and pray you have a fulfilling year.

Another year: another design!

Welcome! You’ve made it to my new site/blog. I’m glad you’re here.

I’d been planning an upgrade of my blog and website. It was rather redundant to have both so I’ve now melded them together to make just the one site, blog included. For now, the old blog is still there but as soon as everything is done and dusted I’ll take it down.

The blog posts are the same, complete with comments. The theme and structure is a little different here but it loads quicker and is easier to manage. As usual, it is not finished but a gal’s gotta do housework and meal preparation some time eh? :victory:

Over the next few days, I will get around to changing the rss feed update and hope to make the transition as smooth as possible for readers. The very top navigational menu ( Kerugma, Home Based Learning, Home n Hearth, Reviews, Quotes & Inspiration, Freebies, Soapbox, Potpourri, Web stuff, Your Turn! ) is the category structure of blog posts. The next menu down from that are the website pages. The sidebar will change depending upon which pages you are viewing. I can easily be contacted through the ‘contact’ page or by emailing the link on my signature.

The recent comments and recent posts may all be a little out of whack for a time…databases aren’t really keen on being moved and melded and they tend to do some weird things. Eventually it will right itself. I’m in no hurry. Blogging is my hobby and something I enjoy playing with.

Come again soon!

Education is Not the Filling of a Pail

Education is not the filling of a pail,
rather the lighting of a fire.
~ William Butler Yeats

Going away…

It sure is Silly Season here at our place. We’re heading off tomorrow to visit with my Dad and I have several loads of laundry to do, the car needs to be cleaned, as does the house and in all that some people still want to be fed! Ha, they’ve got buckley’s!

We get home for a week and then we’re off to Melbourne for a week’s worth of National Softball. Acckkk I can hardly wait, it’s so exciting.

Oh, did I forget to mention that we have ‘suspected’ whooping cough in our home? Yup! Miss R’s *friend* had a terrible cough for several weeks and was quite ill. Eventually he was diagnosed as having whooping cough. within the week, Master J started coughing and felt quite ill as did Miss R. So they have been quarantined at home. The rest of us have tried to stay at home as much as possible so as not to spread the nasty bug. The two sickies started on a course of antibiotics which doesn’t reduce their infection levels rather it reduces the amount of days that they are contagious.

In the meanwhile I have been dosing Master C and Miss A up on a whole range of healthies like:

General teen multi vitamin
Zinc supplements
AstraForte mixed with Grape juice. AstraForte is a special preparation of traditional oriental herbs to support the immune system and to help restore good health.
Yakult, which is a fermented milk drink that contains a very high concentration of a unique, beneficial bacterium called Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain.
Vit B12 supplements and
Loads of water, daily sunshine and fresh air with a good combination of rest and exercise.

The mother of Miss R’s ‘friend’ is a pharmacist. I think she might believe I’m either a counter culture hippie or a witch! LOL Obviously, being a pharmacist, she advocates many medicines and vaccines. Well, we don’t do vaccinations! Tehee, I wonder what she makes of that! Don’t do school, don’t vaccinate, what next??? I just found it ironic that so far, only 2 of our unvaccinated children have caught the ‘cough’ from a fully immunised child!!!! And whilst they have a cough, they aren’t overly ill with it at all…but it’s still a good practice to quarantine them to prevent the spread. Ah well…I think she believes me (although doesn’t agree) when I tell her that our decision to not vaccinate is not based on laziness rather, what we feel is, an informed, conscious decision. Same with homeschooling.

In term 4, the local public school teachers had gone on strike for some half days. This meant that school was between 12noon and 3.15pm. Of course, this mucked many working parents around so they simply made alternative arrnagments for their children and they didn’t attend school on those days. The teachers knew this would happen and thus prepared no lesson activities other than yard work or busy table work. I simply didn’t see the point in Miss R attending on those days. not everyone agrees with me and it has even been said that

“maybe you need to take education more seriously”.

LOLOLOLOL…oh dear, I had a hard time keeping silent on that one! but I did manage to simply smile and gently reply,

“Oh, we do take education very seriously in our home.”

and left it at that. Do people really believe that we just yanked our children out of school to let them run wild? Maybe because we were too lazy to be good parents? Wow! I don’t know of many homeschool parents like that…not any actually but I’m sure there may be some people like that. I just haven’t met any. Anyway, enough rant…it’s a long way down from that soapbox!

So another year of blogging has come and gone…I’ll be back next year sometimes, probably, possibly. I hope that my friends (both online and IRL) and blog readers have a blessed and safe time over the holiday period.

In His Grace,

Family and Parenting Resources: Audio Sermons

Here are a few good resources for your encouragement, information and edification.

Dr. Voddie Baucham:
Child Training – 49 min.
Baucham+Washer Q&A pt1.
Baucham+Washer Q&A pt2.

Paul Washer Family Series:
pt 1: Adolesence and Obedience -53 min
pt 2: Honour, the Gateway to Blessings -52 min
pt 3: Responsibility, the Duty of Fathers -49 min
pt 4: Father, Where are You? -52 min
Paul Washer-Recreational Dating is Unbiblical

Matt Haney:
Matt Haney-Excellent 3 part Parenting- Children Series.

Ray Comfort:
How to Bring Your Children To Christ -57 min
True and False Conversion -64 min

My Mother

This post is from my heart. It’s not meant to encourage, inspire or inform. It’s just my way of expressing a deep feeling. It is personal yet need not be private. It is just me wanting to write, to honour, to respect a woman who was the most dearest woman to me. Her graduating to be with the Lord was obviously a necessary thing (for God ordains our time here on earth) and I’m glad she went to be with Him, to be without any more pain, tears or suffering but… it doesn’t change the fact that I miss her.

I’m a grown woman, nearly 40, yet two days ago I bawled my eyes out like a young child.

I want my mum.

I want her to see me, to talk with me, to share her wisdom with me. I want her to see my children and to know them. I want my children to be able to know her. I know that my wants are fairly selfish and that it is all about me…but I miss her. I hate that my children don’t know their grandmother, who loved them so intensely, so passionately, so deeply. I don’t know why she had to die when she did. She wanted to read good stories to my children, to teach them, to help me guide them, to offer wisdom and love to them. She wanted to watch them grow up. She loved my children with a fierce passion…but she is not here.

Will I ever stop missing my mum?

No, I don’t think I will. Was my mum a saint? No way! But she was my mum who had a deep love for her Lord (even if her theology wasn’t always spot on), and had a true servant’s heart. My mum taught me a lot about being a Christian woman, even though she only spent the last fifteen years or so of her life as a believer.

Today marks the day, 11years ago, that my mother left this earth to be with her Lord. I’ll forever treasure the last night I spent with her- talking to her, reading from the Psalms and just holding her hand. I’ll never forget the strength she had- the assurance of eternal life she knew she had because of Christs’ work on the cross. And I know that one day I will see her again.

I love my mother. I’m thankful that I am her daughter and that she shared her whole life with me. She impacted me in such a way that I cannot describe. I love her and I miss her.

Conformed or transformed? (P3)

Conformed or Transformed~ Part 1-3

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

“Transformation” is different in that it is a process…an outward expression that does come from within! Did you know that the Greek word underlying the word transformed is the verb, ‘metaorphoo’. Yup, from that we get the English words ‘metamorphose and metamorphosis.’ The word of God, the Living Christ transforms us from the inside out. (James 1:21,22).

So how can I be transformed instead of conforming?

1) Come before the Lord daily. No, not for a 7 minute devotional or a 30 minute prayer session but with a wholehearted, dying-to-self prayer…and all day attitude. It means giving over everything, even homeschooling. (Homeschooling used to be so all consuming for me- all my time and energy went into learning about new ways, new books, talking about it) For some it is a job, career, spouse, house, university, sport, methodology, church, ministry…but we all struggle, just with different things. Wherever our thoughts, time, energy is, that is where our heart is. We can set our mind upon Christ…yes, for awhile it may need to be a conscious decision but we can turn our eyes upon Jesus.

2) Make a conscious to not conform. Who do you think is watching you? The homeschool police? The Charlotte Mason Police? The church pastor? Your boss? Who am I aiming to please? The other ladies at homeschool group? Who am I trying to impress? Oh, our hearts need to turn back to the Lord in thought, word and deed. It is only then that we can find true freedom, abundance and joy in every area of our lives.

3) Be transformed! By dying to self…by not conforming…by sitting at the feet of Jesus daily…by saturating ourselves more in God’s word than any other book/movie is the way to have our minds renewed and our lives transformed.

Our Father God will give us direction, forgiveness, transformation, a new mind, a purpose, His rest if we turn to Him- yield everything (our desires, dreams, ambitions, etc) to Him.

The wonderful thing about God’s grace is that we don’t have to wait until a Monday or a New Year or a new month. We don’t even have to wait until tomorrow.

It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2
(English Standard Version)

Posts in the ‘Conformed or Transformed’ series

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
To read posts in other series, click here.

Conformed or transformed (P2)

Conformed or Transformed~ Part 1-3

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

“Conformed’ means to assume an outward expression that does not come from within. It is basically to masquerade, to put on a mask. If we are doing ’something’ for Christ then it is possible it is an act of conformity.

I often write that I went through a time of bondage – in regard to homeschooling. In fact, while the bondage manifested itself through my homeschooling life, it was in fact a spiritual matter…isn’t that usually the case?

I found myself being convinced of many things…things that sounded so good and worthy. I wanted them for my life, for my family. But in fact, I was conforming to the world…even though in this instance it was conforming to an ideology – the Christian homeschool community. I spent hours on forums (blogs weren’t around then) reading about how others lived and what they did…and I wanted it too!

I failed to see any contradiction when it came to this conforming issue. As a Christian I didn’t recognise this conforming struggle…I was blinded by well meaning, articulate arguments instead of being renewed in my mind. I was trying to conform, not to the ‘non-believing word’ but the Christian homeschool world – which is still not Christ! So with that in mind I’ll list some of the things that I struggled with – in my process of trying to conform to the “Christian homeschool community”

Wearing dresses only – long, plain dresses so as not to draw too much attention to myself.
Going without makeup and jewelry, although I did continue to shave my legs.
Dressing my girls in similar attire.
Being impractical with our lifestyle: Hey! We really do like SciFi and white bread!
Watching only tv shows or movies that other Christian homeschoolers approved of!
Training the children to outward obedience.

The list goes on…

Conformity is outward based. It is rules based. Don’t touch. Don’t associate. Don’t eat. Don’t taste. Be in fear. Make rules, guidelines, policies, ways based on that fear. (Col 2:20-23)

Another problem is that conformity isn’t In-Your-Face-Obvious. It is subtle. I can feel good, maybe even just a little righteous…I can feel that my life is pleasing to God…that my stances and actions are pleasing to Him. In fact, I could really enjoy this nice, clean, noble, higher life. But it doesn’t mean that the Lord is pleased. I’ve had to ask myself. Is God pleased with me? If so, WHY is He pleased? (In other words, is any righteousness or pleasing my doing or that of Christ?) What have I done that pleases Him? If the answers to these questions don’t line up with the same theology of grace that I read in His word, then something is wrong!

Often all the rules that we build our lifestyle around are based on outward attributes – dress, behaviour, food, manners, etc. In the Colossians verse, Paul says these things are the commandments of men. Let us not be fooled into thinking that our man made rules will please God. Our good, clean life…our living according to the rules is flesh based. It is not grace based and it does not please God. (See Romans 8:8)

I had to look at my heart. Assess my motives. Ask God to reveal the depths of my heart to me, for in my flesh I can be quick to deny my sin. However, God heard the cry of my heart…He knows that my desire is for Him…He was faithful. Through revealing my sin (of pride, comparison, conformity) He has shown me more of Himself…of His total grace and He is now doing a transforming work in my heart and my life. I haven’t lost anything by giving up or by dying to self – but I gained an immeasurable wealth. Go on, I urge you to also, it’s worth it.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2
(English Standard Version)

Conformed or Transformed~ Part 1-3

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Conformed or transformed? (P1)

I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
For by the grace given to me I bid every one among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith which God has assigned him.
Romans 12: 1-3

Many people pull their children out of school and begin to homeschool and they cite Romans 12:2 as a favourite scripture. Oh, I don’t have a problem with that per se, but have you ever noticed how we can soon start to conform to a whole nother system or set of rules – the Christian homeschool way of doing things?

You know what I mean, come on admit it. You might visit a forum and realise that no one there fesses up to watching science fiction and you don’t want to be the one to open your mouth and dump your family in it. Or a slightly different angle might be that you doggedly get out of bed at 5.30am every day to do devotions before the children awake and you believe that this is the key to being a successful Christian homeschool mum? Maybe if everyone else did this, they wouldn’t have their problems eh? 😉

Ah…God wants so much more than that for us! Just as he doesn’t want us to conform to the world, He doesn’t want us to conform to a system, a set of activities or walking by the rules. He does want us to be transformed…

What’s the difference?

“Conformed’ means to assume an outward expression that does not come from within. It is basically to masquerade, to put on a mask. If we are doing ‘something’ for Christ then it is possible it is an act of conformity.

“Transformation” is different in that it is a process…an outward expression that does come from within! Did you know that the Greek word underlying the word transformed is the verb, ‘metaorphoo’. Yup, from that we get the English words ‘metamorphose and metamorphosis.’ The word of God, the Living Christ transforms us from the inside out. (James 1:21,22).

So what do we need to do? Surely we need to do something?

All we need to do is to soak in, breathe in, be immersed in the Word of God. The word will renew our minds and transform us, from the inside out!

When we stop trying to conform and instead yield ourselves to Christ, He expresses Himself through our daily lives. This is the metamorphic process – this is a truly radical transformation. Once we experience this ongoing transformation in our lives, why would we want to substitute our freedom in Christ to become bound or try and conform to another system, method or way of doing things? God wants so much more than that!

You think the learning-at-home journey is radical? It is nothing compared to being transformed by the renewing of our mind, according to His good, pleasing and perfect will.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2
(English Standard Version)

Conformed or Transformed~ Part 1-3

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Superstitious mumbo-jumbo or Bible Literacy

I’m off again on another rant. It’s in relation to a newspaper article which you can find here.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24753674-1248,00.html

A QUEENSLAND father of five has taken action in the Anti-Discrimination Commission after his four-year-old daughter was asked to help make a replica of Noah’s Ark at the local state school.

R** W********, who has five children under the age of 10, is opposed to religious instruction in state schools.

He said he was taking action because he did not believe students should be “exposed to superstitious mumbo-jumbo, presented as fact, in an educational setting”, The Australian reports.

The Bible Literacy report
Can be found in its entirety here: http://tinyurl.com/6xovm4

Almost without exception, English professors we surveyed at major American colleges and universities see knowledge of the Bible as a deeply important part of a good education.

For example, when asked to respond to the question, “Regardless of a person’s faith, an educated person needs to know about the Bible,” no professor disagreed; nine provided additional explanation. When asked, “Some scholars say Western literature is steeped in references to the Bible. How would you respond to that?” 38 of 39 English professors agreed; 24 strongly. When asked, “In your opinion, how important is it for students who take your courses to be familiar with the Bible?” 38 of 39 professors said it was important.

Overwhelmingly, professors in this survey indicated that a lack of basic Bible literacy hampers students’ ability to understand both classics and contemporary work. Arduously “decoding” scripture references detracts from absorbing and responding to great works of art, both ancient and modern. At the same time, a number of professors expressed discomfort or reservations with appearing to “take sides” in favor of the Bible in the contemporary context.

They did not wish to associate themselves with a political movement around the Bible, or to seem to detract from the importance of other aspects of a good education, including the value of becoming knowledgeable about other world religions.

This report concludes that high schools should make basic Bible knowledge part of their curriculum, especially for college preparatory students. Doing so requires developing a variety of educational materials and curricula that simultaneously:

(a) acknowledge the Bible’s status as sacred scripture to millions of Americans,
(b) are fair to students of all faith traditions, and
(c) are of high academic quality.

Doing so will be an important part of meeting the next generation’s educational needs in an increasingly diverse population.

The King James version of the Bible has been of major impact in the development of the English language. In terms of the English language, it ranks up there with Shakespeare and the Oxford English Dictionary. It is a rich, literary source which still has cultural meaning today. Many people are probably not even aware of how many common phrases used daily originate from the Bible. If a parent values education, then surely a stance such is akin to their child being led like a ‘lamb to the slaughter‘.(Or another reference) It is my hope that the ‘powers that be‘ will encourage Biblical Literacy in our school thus enabling future generations to go from ‘strength to strength‘.

Self harm? Don't Be Ignorant

Today’s blog post isn’t something pleasant, but it is something that I want to write about…to encourage other parents to be aware of. Self harm, self injury, mutilation, call it what you will.

Teens devise elaborate self-harm
SOME troubled teens are embedding nails, paper clips, bits of rock, glass and even crayons in their bodies as a way to cope with disturbing thoughts and feelings, US researchers say.
Taken from news.com.au

All forms of self harm are shocking. Did you know that there are many forms of self harm? Did you know that even *good kids* can wind up practicing self harm and self mutilation? Just because you are a Christian who homeschools don’t be fooled into thinking that your child could or would never do something like that.

Who self harms

According to some research, girls are seven times more likely to self harm than boys. The behaviour usually starts in adolescence but is also known amongst younger children.

In my experience, self harm can start very young. It doesn’t always look the same but the attitudes, the pain, the inability to deal with guilt, the anger is still present. I’ve known of a child who cannot/will not be smacked by his parents. They say it is because “he is such a sensitive child…” and they went on to tell me that every time he starts to get into trouble or be corrected, he would throw himself onto the floor and bang his head on the floor, thus preventing him from being disciplined by his parents!!! Strangely enough, the mother of said child often has exhibited self harm behaviour. When this person is upset or angry, she will hit her head against a wall repeatedly. This is a grown woman! So, I would say that self harm is something that can start to manifest in young children because it can be an inability to deal with pain, hurt, anger, frustration, etc.

As parents what can we do?

Become informed. Learn to recognise possible warning signs. There is a lot of information available on the Internet, but please exercise caution. There is a lot of pop psychology out there and secular worldviews pervade the ‘behaviour of teens’ industry so please line everything you read up against the word of God.

Observe our children. When they make a mistake, how do they react, cope? How do they deal with being corrected?

We need to teach our children correct Biblical views about guilt, forgiveness, (atonement for sin) shame. Teach them how to deal with and/or express their anger. Teach them/lead them to the Cross for the forgiveness of their sins. Teach them Scripture. Teach them who they are in Christ and what He has done for us. But more importantly, we need to model these things. They will be watching us and learning how we deal with anger and guilt.

Resources:

See my disclaimer policy

The Presbyterian Church in Ireland has a download which is a good starting point.

Self-Injury.org Is an anonymously edited series of pages written by a former female self harmer from a Christian perspective. It gives a comprehensive list of Bible verses which relate to the subject. The author helpfully reviews other resources which have been published and writes personally about her own story.

Secret Shame (self-injury information and resources) This site covers many areas, such as why someone would injure him or herself, information for family and friends, and ways that a self-injurer can help him or herself. It is well documented and contains information from people who injure themselves as well as from books about the subject and other resources.

Christians in Recovery — A Christian recovery ministry containing both Christian and secular information about recovering from abuse, depression, addictions, etc.

But we’re a Christian family!

Yes, even Christians can self harm! Even Christian children can self harm. Hiding away, denying it, trying to avoid the shame and humiliation from other Christians is not going to help the problem…it simply reinforces to the child that denial of sin is the way to deal with it. So, ask for prayer…see your pastor but don’t live with it alone or trying to pretend it can’t be happening.

In His Grace,

What should I blog?

I know I blog primarily for me…but I also like to have a focus, a purpose. This blog started primarily as a way for me to keep all the emails and forums responses that I had written. I still receive questions via email and often my response will be edited and end up here on my blog. But I’d like to hear from you, the reader.

You can check out some posts in each category, to get a feel for what I’m talking about. Using the little tab on the right hand side, click on ‘categories’ and a few posts will come up.

What posts have you particularly enjoyed reading on my blog? What topics do you like to read on my blog? What sort of things do you think you’d like to see me write about?

Here’s a few things I tend to write about but feel free to add a suggestion either as a comment to this post or using the widget in the sidebar.

Aussie Homeschooling
Book Talk
Educational Philosophy
Homeschool Subjects
High School
Teens/Youth
Homeschool Efficiency
Lifestyle of Learning
Reviews

Home & Family
Health & Fitness
Journal of my days and general thoughts
Recipes

Bible study
My Spiritual Journey
Web stuff and Internet goodies (web design, web helps, etc)

Delighting in our children

I’ve been chewing over a thought. It keeps coming back to me every day. I can’t shake the thought even if I wanted to. So I’ll write about it. I don’t expect that I’ll be all that coherent as writing is usually the way I process my thoughts and it takes me a few goes at saying something before it starts to make sense to anyone else other than myself…so read along if you dare…but if you do, please leave your thoughts. I’d love to hear them!

Friends of mine (IRL and online) will know that I have often talked about parenting our children as God parents us. God is The Ultimate Parent…we do well to model our parenting methods after Him.

I’ve often hear and have used the phrase ‘ pleasing unto the Lord’ or that which ‘pleases God’. I try to live by it…knowing that of myself I cannot earn God’s favour, but to do those things which please Him, not to earn salvation but because His love, His grace compels me to do those things which please Him. For those readers who might be thinking that I’m steering toward a ‘works based’ mentality- I’m not. Not at all…I’m still very much aware of Isaiah 64:6

One of my children struggles with the sin of perfectionism. This leads to much frustration on their part (and ours). This child grumps and humphs in frustration or anger or impatience…and I’ve realised that I do not like being around them when they choose to display that behaviour! Their behaviour doesn’t give me pleasure…I don’t take delight in being with them at that time.

I’m not a parent who takes joy in only singing hymns, nor do we have special ‘approved’ activities which sit well with my moral compass and make me happy. For me, there are no activities that are more spiritual than others. One child plays softball with her whole heart, as unto the Lord. She works at every aspect of it and has experienced a lot of growth through the sport. For her, playing softball is an act of worship (her words). She plays like she was born to play softball. I LOVE watching her play. I get great delight in watching her play.

My son has recently started at Cadets. He practices his drill daily. He researches. He talks with his younger brother about it. He takes part in all the activities with gusto. He enjoys it. I LOVE watching him ‘do his thing’. I take pleasure in watching him do his Cadets thing.

Worship is an attitude, an act, a thought.

It isn’t something we just ‘put on’, it is a lifestyle. Worship isn’t just lighting candles, jumping up and down, singing or kneeling although all those things can be an act of worship. I’ve been learning how worship is all this – not just a prescribed set of actions.

Knowing that God is The Ultimate Parent, I’ll venture on…I’m trying to find a point here somewhere.

If I take pleasure watching my child partake in an activity with their whole heart (as unto the Lord), and they are enjoying themselves and have a good attitude, does God take pleasure in watching me as I go about my daily activities with joy? As much as I don’t take great pleasure in being with a child who is choosing to stomp around, maybe it doesn’t give God pleasure when I’m stomping around or thinking negatively or nastily. Can I do these things? Yup! (Does my freedom that allows me to do them make it beneficial or right?) Does it give God pleasure? Does He delight in seeing me act that way?

So what does God delight in?

And how does this affect my parenting- the way I interact with my children? I’m not talking about living a just, honest life and all those good things. As a parent I want to see my children living according to biblical guidelines but that isn’t what I’m trying to get at. My children each have unique interests and different abilities. I love to watch them as they discover those abilities and even more as they learn to grow and mature those abilities. It’s not just a ‘fun’ type of pleasure, it’s a deeper type of joyous, satisfying delight. To see them live out those interests with their unique abilities, seeking only to glorify the father gives me pleasure. I don’t see playing an instrument in church any more ‘spiritual’ than playing softball or painting. The activity itself isn’t the major point, it’s the heart attitude. (Obviously this is not a theological essay so I’m sure you’ll bear with my inconsistent thoughts).

As I’ve watched one of my children, trying to run away from God, I am learning a lot about the fatherly nature of God. On the other hand, as I’ve watched another child I and also learning a lot about his nature. This child has given their whole life to the Lord, to be in His service. They discovered an ability, they grow and mature that ability, all the while giving glory to God. During all this, their heart is turned toward their father and I. We know this child and have a good relationship with them. We cry with them and we laugh with them. We share in their ups and downs. They desire to do that which pleases us, as we are the child’s parents. We know that they respect, honour and love us. When this child embraces their ability and participates in it, it feels natural…we love to watch and be a part of it. It doesn’t give us any more pleasure than an activity that is more ‘socially acceptable’ as a form of worship. Yet this is worship- real life, total worship of the Creator, The Father, God.

What do I delight in seeing in my children?

A heart that will ‘toe the line’ with following our guidelines… A heart that doesn’t *delight* in our relationship or a relationship with my child that allows them to make mistakes…knowing that they desire to please me out of love, gratitude and relationship not in order to ‘look good’ or appearing to be obedient or trying to win my approval?

I don’t mind when my children make mistakes, if their heart is filled with love and is turned toward me. A mistake is a mistake. But there are some children who want to live life all their own way – not in relationship – living purely by the rules – nothing more, nothing less. This type of obedience fills me with sorrow as they are missing out on so much – relationship. I love my children. I want to have a deep, real, honest relationship with each one of them…I haven’t stopped loving them. I haven’t set my face to turn against them. I have forgiven. I haven’t moved away. But they don’t always want that. They sometimes want to walk their own road by themselves, regardless of what it may bring.:::: sigh ::::

Is God like that with me, I wonder?

Does He delight in me, does He smile, when watching me partaking in activities and using the gifts that He has given me? I have a relationship with Him…my heart and life is His.

Our view of God will affect the way we parent our children.

So, if we want to do a good job of parenting then we need to know what it is to be a child. We need to know who the Ultimate Parent is.

I’m not trying to put the cart before the horse, nor am I getting into heresy. I’m simply seeing another side to my relationship with the Father – how a father delights in His children. Here we have what pleases the Lord: Psalm 147:10-11

His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man;
but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Delight.

What a word…delight. Jesus is a delight to the Father. He delighted in His Son. Through being born again, we have been adopted into God’s family and we are His sons and daughters. He delights in you. He delights in me.

Again, I’m not trying to compare my parenting practices to God. I learn more about the nature of God through being a parent. I’m sure some will have issues with this post but I hope you will hear my heart and not just my words. I know this post doesn’t have all its theological ducks in a row but I do hope and pray that you can read the ethos of it.

Book Meme

I don’t usually do tags but one of my dearest friends has recently started a blog (after much pestering from me) and she tagged me. So, as not to appear anti-blogging-social I will go along with this tag. Here it is:

Pass this on to 5 blogging friends. Open the closest book to you, not your favourite or most intellectual book, but the book closest to you at the moment, to page 56. Write the 5th sentence, as well as two to five sentences following that.

I have two books closest to me. One is “Why It’s Hard to Love Jesus” by Joseph Stowell, which I’m re-reading and the other is “Passionate Housewives Desperate for God” by Chancey & MacDonald (available through Credo Trust) I’ll use Passionate Housewives as it was on top of the other one.

from page 56:

Be assured that neither your efforts nor your tears (Psalm 56:8) have gone unnoticed by our wise, good and powerful God; and that He has ordained your steps (Psalm 16:7).

Go to Him; plead for His strength and mercy. He will give you the rest needed to accomplish His will; as He promises:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11: 28-30

There, that wasn’t so hard, was it? But who shall I tag? Most of my blogging friends have been tagged with this one so I’ll try something different – I TAG EVERYONE!!!! If you read my blog, you are tagged! Just tag yourself, post your entry and leave me a comment so I can go read your post. 🙂

Supporting Homegrown Services

Its the time of year when many people are busy planning for next year’s homeschooling curriculum and schedule. Many mums are in full swing; pens, notebooks, catalogs, book lists and the like. It can be such fun!

This year, many parents will receive a government bonus (the ‘Rudd money’ – with the express purpose of trying to prevent an economic recession) in early December. The point of my post isn’t to rave about whether or not homeschoolers should take it or not. Rather, I’d like to share a few things written, as only I can, from my own perspective as a former small business owner who aimed to serve the Australian homeschooling community. I’d also like to encourage all Australian to ‘buy Australian’ as much as possible. What good will it do our nation to spend up big on foreign imports – so the money goes back out of our land. How does that really prevent a recession?

Anyway, on to my story. I used to own a small home-based book/curriculum business, called HomeGrownKids. (Who woulda thunk it?) I used to supply books, curriculum and resources that I had used – that I knew a fair bit about…that I could easily talk about with other homeschoolers. I could suggest a variety of resources in case one or the other wasn’t suitable. During this early time, the Australian dollar was at the absolute lowest point in years. The Internet wasn’t all that popular or widespread back then although it was growing. I remember what it was like to meet with another homeschooler and covet some of their homeschool encouragement type books, for they weren’t easy to obtain and were far and few between. No online shopping carts back then! Most homeschoolers were content to order a book and then wait for 3 months while it was shipped over on the boat. Yes, it took a long time but there weren’t too many other viable options. Plus, we learned patience…and learned about interacting with our children rather than just relying upon curriculum. But then, online shopping became easier. More and more businesses started accepting online credit card payments. Whoohoo! It wasn’t long before some customers wanted a resource in a hurry. So I’d order in via air mail. This would cut any profit, for the cost of airmail was crippling…but it was a service that I was providing to my friends- other Aussie homeschoolers.

I would spend hours researching curricula and books…hours on the phone talking to other homeschool mums, offering encouragement, support or ideas. HGK was nowhere near the point of making any money. In fact, it was draining our own pocket! However, we thought that if we could stick with it long enough it would become a valuable service to Aussie homeschoolers.

However, it wasn’t long before I started to notice a disturbing trend. Well, I thought it was disturbing – not sure if everyone agreed with me. I started receiving a few phone calls where people would talk to me about curricula, asking for my opinion. Sometimes this phone call might take me away from the family dinner table or afternoon lessons. These calls rarely took a brief 15 minutes – more like hours! After talking and sharing and then giving the price of the requested books, some people thanked me and hung up. They later went online and ordered those very books from book suppliers in the US!!! Yes, it was a little cheaper ( not that much really) but I still thought it was quite rude. I had done the legwork, the research, the homework. I had talked with the people about the best curriculum to suit their needs and they bought it for a few dollars cheaper!

After awhile I just couldn’t compete. Not that I was trying to per se, but I was give, give, giving of time for people to source a few dollars cheaper elsewhere out of Australia. Some did shop within Australia. They found that A & R or Dymocks were cheaper by a couple of dollars. Sure! But could the bookseller talk about that book from their own experience? Had they used it with several children? I don’t think so. To make HGK prices the same as Dymocks meant that the books cost our family money!! No one can operate like that. Who can compete with Amazon, Book Depository, CBD and all the other giants, especially when our dollar was so low? Unlike the super-stores, HGK couldn’t receive cheaper items because of large orders. We had to pay shipping fees from the US…and then postage fees to the customer. Nowadays there is even GST to add to the mix! Over the Christmas break, my husband and I made the hard but necessary decision to close HomeGrownKids down. The reasons listed above are certainly not the only reasons but they were a contributing factor.

So not only do I love Aussie made products…I love to support local businesses – even if it costs a few dollars more. When I email or call Adnil Press, Chariot Press, Homeschool Heaven, DownUnder Literature, Always Learning Books, Credo Trust or Homeschool Favourites we have a good natter on the phone…we share many things in common…but I know that they aim to scratch my back, so I want to do the same for them. with all the time, effort and money that goes into a local homeschool business (effectively supporting *me*) then surely a few dollars extra won’t break the bank. Can you buy cheaper overseas? Yes! But will you, knowing how much it costs our local Aussie homeschool businesses? (Visit here for more info on Aussie homeschool suppliers)

There are some products I simply can’t source locally, so I look to the Book Depository or other Christian homeschool suppliers- usually only once I’ve exhausted all the locals. Sometimes, I’ll purchase from these larger international stores if it means a large saving…but I always ask myself, “how much is their time/advice/expertise/knowledge worth?”

How about it? Do you think it’s worth buying from a local supplier? Is it worth supporting another homeschool family business- one that exists to serve you? Or will you still purchase from overseas?