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Month: September 2011

Galatians Bible Study with Teens

A commentary with a difference!

Letters to Brian and Daniel is written as letters to two young teenage friends of the author. It is a walk-through commentary on the New Testament book of Galatians. The book is twenty-four studies and it will guide through the book, highlighting the major points that the Apostle Paul was making in his letter to the Christians in Galatia.

There are discussion questions at the end of each chapter to keep focussed on the major points. There are extra Bible references to reinforce the teaching and may help the reader learn about cross referencing.

How We Used It

I used this book with my two boys, aged 14 and 16. It can be used for younger children or for older people who have never read through the book of Galatians, or for new believers. Especially helpful for those parents who are not fully acquainted with Galatians.

The book contains 24 lessons and they can be read through in any manner. They could be read one chapter per day or one chapter per week. We did about 3 chapters per week. There is minimal teacher preparation.

Our Lesson Format

Introduce
Each day I would ask the boys the main points from the earlier lesson. Most times, I simply looked back to the previous lesson’s questions as they emphasise the main points of each passage. Then we would read the passages aloud. The boys took turns in reading aloud from their own Bible.

Digging Deeper
I would read through the chapter in Letters to Brian & Daniel. I emphasised the areas where the author did. Some words or sentences are bold whilst others are in italics.  It’s all quite self-explanatory. Not at all cumbersome or confusing.

Examine & Expand
The boys would write a selection of the passage for copywork. I would simply select a key verse or small section from the reading. Often we would just write out the memory verse. This further reinforces their learning. Using the verses or chapter as oratory practice/ recitation would also be helpful.

Apply
We concluded with a short time of prayer.

Phrases & Concepts

Focussing on one book of the Bible at a time is an excellent way to learn. The Holy Spirit revealed a lot to us throughout our study of Galatians. The boys also became familiar with various Christian phrases. Not Christianese but terms and phrases that are constantly referred to in the Bible, especially by the Apostle Paul. I don’t necessarily want my children to be well versed in Christianese but I do want them to understand Paul and the other books of the Bible.

This book is not devotional in nature. The concepts it deals with are meaty. But it is written in a way that even children can understand. There’s no reason not to learn doctrine when there are truth-filled, helpful books such as this. Letters to Brian & Daniel will clearly impart wisdom on the nature of God, the nature of man, the sovereignty of God, salvation, grace, faith, law and freedom.

This handy guide already has discussion questions revolving around the central points of the passage! But don’t be fooled by its simplicity for the concepts examined are heavy. I was quite surprised at the understanding level that my boys displayed, thanks to the Holy Spirit and John Dunn’s book.

This is a fantastic resource for teens, families, small groups, pastors, parents… anyone and everyone who wants to dig into God’s Word.

It may be purchased through Koorong for $5.00 but the publisher offers it as a free download.

I thoroughly recommend this book and a study through Galatians. If you don’t know what to do next for Bible study, why don’t you grab a copy of this book and do it? It’s free. And meaty. Filled with practical nuggets of essential truths. Please let me know if you use it with your family for I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.

What have you been studying with your family?

Fearless Parenting

butterfly_hands

I find myself being very reflective lately. Maybe it’s because my eldest daughter recently got married or maybe it’s because both of my daughters are out in the big, wide world leaving me at home in a houseful of males. Maybe it’s because my youngest is 14 and I see my homeschooling years coming to an end in the near future. (Considering we’ve been learning at home for 14 years I consider only another 3 or 4 years to be in the near future) Regardless, I’ve had lots of time to think and reflect about my earlier years of parenting.

The challenges of raising a child are as much for the sanctification of the parents as they are for the benefit of the child.
~ Bryan Chapell

Parenting From Fear

Looking back I can see how much I parented out of fear. Of course I didn’t think so at the time but in hindsight I know that it was. The journey I’ve been on was not an overnight one: they rarely are, but it’s been a good one. A journey that The Father knows I needed to learn. Hearing it, parroting it and saying it are totally different to *knowing it*.

I’m not scared any more. But I was. It’s not a good place to be. Too often I tried to control er, influence my little ones. I micro-managed them. At one stage, of which I am ashamed to admit, I even thought I could control er, train their thoughts. I thought I knew what they were thinking by observing their body language. While there is some validity in this, I’ve learned to always expect the best, yet not assume, and give them room to grow and not treat them as though I am the omnipresent Holy Spirit. By trying to look at their heart I became judge and jury- deciding what *I* thought their motive or attitude was and metering out appropriate consequences.

I didn’t want my children to learn by their mistakes. Or rather only with the little mistakes. Like accidentally smashing the brand new fish tank after I told them that it was too heavy and awkward for them to carry. That was fairly easy and I got through that one ok. It was only money at stake.

The real pressure came when the heart issues got involved. Modesty, purity, honesty are all virtues that I care about and they mean more to me than money or possessions. This is where my control freak tendencies started to emerge. I was influenced by certain ‘styles of parenting’. Books, blogs, forums were all vehicles for the legalistic messages of parenting. And I devoured their training. I take full responsibility for that, I’m not trying to cop out. But listening to them exacerbated my problem. I wanted to do the right things, live the right way. I wanted to be a good wife and mum. So I read books and devoured websites until I needed glasses. In my enthusiasm and zeal I was listening to every message I could about striving for the narrow way, the hard way, etc. I read article after article about the high calling of motherhood and being a keeper of the home. I’m not saying these ideals are wrong but I gave them more credence than they rightly deserved.

Homeschooling suport groups and literature can be a vehicle for legalism, fear and comparison. Being fallen creatures (man) we listen to ideals, we like to look up to people- we put others on pedestals… this is fallen human nature. And as thus, any movement can be a vehicle. I don’t say this to be discouraging rather to alert people to the dangers of ANY group/banner/movement/gathering. We need to keep our eyes on The Lord and Him only.

Lessons Learned

I am not God. I am not omnipotent nor omnipresent. Duh! Yet sometimes it can take me years to realise such basic, grassroot lessons.

The beauty of God is that He is God. He will save our children because it is or isn’t His plan. We don’t teach them in His ways for them as much as we do for our own sake! Yup, when I realised that it shook me to the core, but it’s a wonderful truth.

God has shown me the most wonderful things from it all – I am only just beginning to grasp a little of how truly sovereign and immense He is. I knew that before. But know I am coming to really KNOW it.

And lest that sound all rather small and insignificant, let me assure you that it isn’t. It is actually the foundation, the character of who God is. And He is revealing it to me, little by little. Wow, I am gobsmacked at how awesome and big and totally in control He really is. And how totally not in control I am.

The lessons God has revealed to me have been the only thing that keep me going at times. Where once I felt it was all hopeless. What’s the point of doing my best if it doesn’t guarantee that my children will be Christians? All the wrong questions- what is the point, why does it matter… and so on. I was not parenting from the right place though- not from freedom, peace or liberty. God wanted to reach me, to teach me. He wanted to blow my mind with Himself! But He had to wait until I got to the place of emptiness… so that I could listen.

And that is right where God wants all of us to be — totally and utterly dependent upon Him.

This is not hopeless as I once thought. It’s glorious! I can now rest in the fact that He has it all under control. I can stop worrying and just be willing to be used by Him. He does much better work than I ever could.

The relationship I have with my children is all the better for these lessons learned. They are free to live their life, free to make mistakes- any mistakes. Sure I don’t condone all their actions and behaviour but I don’t love them any less for it. Just as Christ died for my sin, He died for theirs too. My children are now free to walk the path that is before them with boldness and strength without fear of condemnation or judgement from me.

I’m not scared anymore. And it’s beautiful. Freeing. Relaxed. And joyful. To parent out of freedom and grace is refreshing. It’s totally liberating!

“God’s initial goal for Christian homeschooling families is not the raising of godly children. Instead, God’s wonderful, but subtly hidden agenda is that the homeschooling experience be so challenging for the parents that they feel the need and hunger for a closer walk with their heavenly Father.”
~Wisdom’s Way of Learning by Marilyn Howshall

What is your idol?

An idol is anything which displaces God in my heart. It may be something which is quite harmless in itself, yet if it absorbs me, if it be given the first place in my affections and thoughts, it becomes an ‘idol’. It may be my business, a loved one, or my service for Christ. Any one or any thing which comes into competition with the Lord’s ruling me in a practical way, is an ‘idol’.
~ A.W. Pink

Gleanings in Exodus By Arthur W. Pink

Homeschooling thru sickness, surgery & trials

This is our 14th year (give or take several months) of learning at home and in that time we’ve lived through births, deaths, job changes, surgeries, interstate moves, chronic and acute illnesses. Many new homeschoolers or interested people often want to know how we have homeschooled through illness.

Having a Vision for Family

I’ve found it vitally important to have a family mission statement. Knowing why we were homeschooling was vital. Knowing that homeschooling, for us, is a lifestyle, a long term venture allowed me to homeschool throughout illness. That isn’t to say that a short term homeschooler cannot homeschool through trials- but it will look different. That’s why it is important to know why we do what we do. The answer to these questions dictated how we homeschooled throughout the various seasons of life.

Homeschooling, as a natural extension of parenting, is a marathon, not a sprint. I’ve learned to ‘make hay while the sun shines‘. There are times when all is sweet and rosy: we step on the accelerator knowing that sooner or later we will encounter a speed hump or pothole. The beauty of homeschooling is that we can be flexible… we can go with the ebb and flow of the family rhythmn – speeding up, slowing down yet knowing that we will get there in the long run.

Our family is a training ground. Being family based, the children have learned how to care for others, how to be compassionate… how to be a patient (Children being children have all suffered broken bones and the usual childhood injuries). Being at home most of the time has provided many opportunities for the children. They have watched me care for others, they have been the one being cared for. They have also had opportunity to be the carer. Not only did they experience being a patient but they grew in knowledge, understanding and application. Now that, is learning!

Opportunities

I don’t see illness or injury as an interruption to our lesson schedule. It’s all part of life. Life affords us so many learning opportunities, if only we learn to see the value in everything. There’s always something to learn. Making the most of every situation is working smarter, not harder. Homeschool efficiency.

Sometimes it isn’t a learning opportunity as such, rather a ‘doing’ opportunity- to serve, to be hospitable, to display empathy and compassion. An opportunity to grow, practice and develop their gifts and character: creativity, team work, work ethic, imagination, cooking skills, card making, cleaning, etc.

Older Children

If it were not the eldest children who were sick, I would have them help out as much as possible. I wouldn’t work them to the bone. I mean, they were children, not my slaves nor were they adults. But as part of training, it was very helpful all round. The girls learned how to cook and clean and look after others. I also found it helpful for each girl to be ‘a charge‘. I paired the eldest girl with the youngest son, and child two and three together. Sounds weird but it worked wonderfully throughout the years. Each girl would be responsible for helping/serving their charge. Naturally, I had to make sure that no one abused their role. When the boys had to do their hygiene, cleaning rooms, chores, etc. their ‘charge’ would help/supervise them. This gave the girls opportunity to lead, in humility and grace. This also gave them opportunity to grow and develop in patience. It was also beneficial for developing family ties.

A Time for Beauty

During times of illness, injury or trial I did not expect the children to concentrate on writing assignments, ACE paces or heavy schoolwork. However, it was the perfect time to gently nourish one’s mind and soul with beautiful things. Reading the Bible, reading and reciting poetry, listening to classical music, gospel music or hymns, watching good movies, listening to an audio book, handicrafts, outside games and activities, baking, playing board games, are all activities that can be enjoyed during these times. I have found activities that have rhythm to be especially beneficial during those times – trampolining, poetry, hopscotch, elastics and jump rope seem to have a very settling and stabilising effect on everyone and the physical aspect releases pent up energy and encourages happy endorphins.

Obviously not all those activities can be done during illness. When we’ve been ill with a flu or other such sickness all we want to do is watch old movies and listen to audio books, while sipping on Lemon & Honey Tea. I would just do what I could manage without adding stress or unnecessary fatigue. Keeping a sense of peace and harmony is important, especially during illness or trials. However when I have had surgery and am incapacitated for several weeks, I can lead up to the more energetic activities. I would sit outside in the sun, sipping a cup of warm tea and supervise the children in running races or playing on the trampoline. I found that if I could manage this for half an hour in the morning the rest of the day would be more peaceful and restful.

Keep Daily Rhythms

During some times of chronic illness or recuperating from surgery I try to keep some normal lifestyle routines puttering along in the background. This gives a sense of stability…normalcy for the children. Keeping our read aloud going, listening to classical music and Bible reading might be things that I would keep up. If none of us were up to reading aloud then I’d pop in an audio book or listen to the Bible on tape. Classical music, hymns and other soothing music are beneficial and soothing.

Getting Back Into It

Eventually, there comes a time when we had to institute lesson time again. I found it hugely beneficial to combine many subjects. Learning history via good, living books. Not only were we learning about history but we were also doing literary studies and English (Language Arts).

From the living book I would choose a passage and have the children copy it, word for word. This is known as copywork. I would also have each of the children take turns in reading parts of the book aloud as well as ask them to tell back the story in their own words, which is known as narration.

Rethink Relearn

We had only been homeschooling a few years when I had major surgery, with several months of  recovery. I’m really grateful for that time as I learned to think outside the box! I was forced to be aware of all the learning opportunities and activities that real life offers. I learned that family, friends, the Internet, books, games, maps, T.V., doctor visits, grocery shopping, dentist appointments and the like are the lesson! Our daily routine, living in this world offers much if I’m willing to be a student.

It’s easy to listen to others- family or friends and even other homeschoolers. But honestly, it doesn’t matter what others say. I learned the hard way not to be swayed by other homeschool families. It’s better to thoroughly talk things out with my husband, decide upon our family mission statement and then be guided by the Holy Spirit.

“Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who will receive good things from my Father. Inherit the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world began. I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you gave me clothes to wear. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.’ “Then those who are righteous will reply to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or naked and give you clothes to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “Then the king will reply to them, ‘I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.’

Matthew 25:34-40

Do you have any tips or advice for homeschooling through tough times?

Homeschooling thru sickness, surgery & trials

sick mama image

This is our 14th year (give or take several months) of learning at home and in that time we’ve lived through births, deaths, job changes, surgeries, interstate moves, chronic and acute illnesses. Many new homeschoolers or interested people often want to know how we have homeschooled through illness.

Having a Vision for Family

I’ve found it vitally important to have a family mission statement. Knowing why we were homeschooling was vital. Knowing that homeschooling, for us, is a lifestyle, a long term venture allowed me to homeschool throughout illness. That isn’t to say that a short term homeschooler cannot homeschool through trials- but it will look different. That’s why it is important to know why we do what we do. The answer to these questions dictated how we homeschooled throughout the various seasons of life.

Homeschooling, as a natural extension of parenting, is a marathon, not a sprint. I’ve learned to ‘make hay while the sun shines‘. There are times when all is sweet and rosy: we step on the accelerator knowing that sooner or later we will encounter a speed hump or pothole. The beauty of homeschooling is that we can be flexible… we can go with the ebb and flow of the family rhythm – speeding up, slowing down yet knowing that we will get there in the long run.

Our family is a training ground. Being family based, the children have learned how to care for others, how to be compassionate… how to be a patient (Children being children have all suffered broken bones and the usual childhood injuries). Being at home most of the time has provided many opportunities for the children. They have watched me care for others, they have been the one being cared for. They have also had opportunity to be the carer. Not only did they experience being a patient but they grew in knowledge, understanding and application. Now that, is learning!

Opportunities

I don’t see illness or injury as an interruption to our lesson schedule. It’s all part of life. Life affords us so many learning opportunities, if only we learn to see the value in everything. There’s always something to learn. Making the most of every situation is working smarter, not harder. It’s homeschool efficiency.

Sometimes it isn’t a learning opportunity as such, rather a ‘doing’ opportunity- to serve, to be hospitable, to display empathy and compassion. An opportunity to grow, practice and develop their gifts and character: creativity, team work, work ethic, imagination, cooking skills, card making, cleaning, etc.

Older Children

If it were not the eldest children who were sick, I would have them help out as much as possible. I wouldn’t work them to the bone. I mean, they were children, not my slaves nor were they adults. But as part of training, it was very helpful all round. The girls learned how to cook and clean and look after others. I also found it helpful for each girl to be ‘a charge‘. I paired the eldest girl with the youngest son, and child two and three together. Sounds weird but it worked wonderfully throughout the years. Each girl would be responsible for helping/serving their charge. Naturally, I had to make sure that no one abused their role. When the boys had to do their hygiene, cleaning rooms, chores, etc. their ‘charge’ would help/supervise them. This gave the girls opportunity to lead, in humility and grace. This also gave them opportunity to grow and develop in patience. It was also beneficial for developing family ties.

A Time for Beauty

During times of illness, injury or trial I did not expect the children to concentrate on writing assignments, ACE paces or heavy schoolwork. However, it was the perfect time to gently nourish one’s mind and soul with beautiful things. Reading the Bible, reading and reciting poetry, listening to classical music, gospel music or hymns, watching good movies, listening to an audio book, handicrafts, outside games and activities, baking, playing board games, are all activities that can be enjoyed during these times. I have found activities that have rhythm to be especially beneficial during those times – trampolining, poetry, hopscotch, elastics and jump rope seem to have a very settling and stabilising effect on everyone and the physical aspect releases pent up energy and encourages happy endorphins.

Obviously not all those activities can be done during illness. When we’ve been ill with a flu or other such sickness all we want to do is watch old movies and listen to audio books, while sipping on Lemon & Honey Tea. I would just do what I could manage without adding stress or unnecessary fatigue. Keeping a sense of peace and harmony is important, especially during illness or trials. However when I have had surgery and am incapacitated for several weeks, I can lead up to the more energetic activities. I would sit outside in the sun, sipping a cup of warm tea and supervise the children in running races or playing on the trampoline. I found that if I could manage this for half an hour in the morning the rest of the day would be more peaceful and restful.

Keep Daily Rhythms

During some times of chronic illness or recuperating from surgery I try to keep some normal lifestyle routines puttering along in the background. This gives a sense of stability…normalcy for the children. Keeping our read aloud going, listening to classical music and Bible reading might be things that I would keep up. If none of us were up to reading aloud then I’d pop in an audio book or listen to the Bible on tape. Classical music, hymns and other soothing music are beneficial and soothing.

Getting Back Into It

Eventually, there comes a time when we had to institute lesson time again. I found it hugely beneficial to combine many subjects. Learning history via good, living books. Not only were we learning about history but we were also doing literary studies and English (Language Arts).

From the living book I would choose a passage and have the children copy it, word for word. This is known as copywork. I would also have each of the children take turns in reading parts of the book aloud as well as ask them to tell back the story in their own words, which is known as narration.

Rethink Relearn

We had only been homeschooling a few years when I had major surgery, with several months of  recovery. I’m really grateful for that time as I learned to think outside the box! I was forced to be aware of all the learning opportunities and activities that real life offers. I learned that family, friends, the Internet, books, games, maps, T.V., doctor visits, grocery shopping, dentist appointments and the like are the lesson! Our daily routine, living in this world offers much if I’m willing to be a student.

It’s easy to listen to others- family or friends and even other homeschoolers. But honestly, it doesn’t matter what others say. I learned the hard way not to be swayed by other homeschool families. It’s better to thoroughly talk things out with my husband, decide upon our family mission statement and then be guided by the Holy Spirit.

“Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who will receive good things from my Father. Inherit the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world began. I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you gave me clothes to wear. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.’ “Then those who are righteous will reply to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or naked and give you clothes to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “Then the king will reply to them, ‘I assure you that when you have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me.’

Matthew 25:34-40

Do you have any tips or advice for homeschooling through tough times?

Learn The Bible In 24 Hours – fantastic overview!

Learn the Bible in 24 Hours is presented by Dr. Chuck Missler of Koinonia House. The series consists of 24 one-hour videos. This would make an excellent semester series for a middle – high schooler. I have read the book and it’s worth reading… but these videos will give you an audio/visual review of the entire Bible and its design. I recommend it!

Hour 1 – Introduction
Hour 2 – Creation And The Fall Of Man
Hour 3 – The Pre-Historical Period
Hour 4 – The Patriarchs
Hour 5 – The Birth Of The Nation
Hour 6 – In The Land
Hour 7 – The Monarchy
Hour 8 – The Poetical Books
Hour 9 – The Book Of Daniel
Hour 10 – Post-Exile History
Hour 11 – The Major Prophets
Hour 12 – The Minor Prophets
Hour 13 – How Sure Can We Be
Hour 14 – The New Testament
Hour 15 – The Gospels
Hour 16 – The Last Week
Hour 17 – The Book Of Acts
Hour 18 – Romans
Hour 19 – The Church Epistles
Hour 20 – The Hebrew Christian Epistles
Hour 21 – Eschatologicial Summary
Hour 22 – Revelation 1-3
Hour 23 – Revelation 4-22
Hour 24 – Conclusion

If you were using this for your middle/high schooler, you could add in some living books, the Bible readings and you would have a full course for an entire semester!

If you added English lessons (copywork, dictation, grammar, etc) as well as historical fiction you could use this as a full year course.

Fantastic free resource! Do consider adding this to your family bible study.

 

 

Guarding My Heart

A few years ago in 2007, God showed me things about myself. Ugly things involving laziness, idleness, gossip, needing to know and pride.

The new Facebook changes have brought this lesson to mind again. There are a few issues with the FB change but they are not the point of this post. I could just copy and paste the blog post but it is slightly different this time… so I won’t. But you can read it here on Cleaning Up My Internet Habits.

Moreover, as they go about from house to house, they learn to be idlers, and not only idlers, but gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not say and talking of things they should not mention.
1 Timothy 5:13

Many years ago, I read an article that convicted me of the sin of ‘needing to know‘. But you know what? Just because God taught me some things about that then, does not mean that I now have all my ducks in a row and that I don’t struggle in this area anymore. I do.

Which is why I’ve decided to limit my usage of FB. The new ticker is not good for my emotional and spiritual health. For those that don’t know, the ticker is located at the upper right hand side of the feed page. And it updates in real-time. I can see every little bit of activity that each of my ‘friends’ partakes in. I can see when they comment on a mutual friend’s post even if I have no part in the conversation. However, I can even see their activity (comments, etc) to their friends with whom I am not connected! I really don’t need to know this information.

The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts of the body.
Proverbs 18:8

This is not edifying, helpful or beneficial to my Christian walk. In 2007 I decided to only [cyber] hang around places that I would contribute to. If I do not have any kind of relationship with a group or persons, if I am not contributing in any way then it is, quite simply, gossip. That which Paul describes as wandering around the neighbourhood, being a gossip and a busybody.

If I am not involved in some way with a person or site or blog (by praying for them or commenting them) or if I’m not serving them by responding to queries then maybe I ought not be there. I need to continually ask myself: Why am I here visiting this site? Is it to serve, to be edified, informed, to pray? If not, then I need not be there.

As a woman of the word, I need to guard my heart and mind. I do not need to be about gossip and ‘knowing who said what to whom’. I need to be about the word and serving others. I will continue to use fb as a way of sharing but forgive me if I don’t comment on your walls or updates. I need to guard my heart, be careful to not be a busy body, be busy at home and not be idle. This is my weakness… and as such my course of action.

Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.
Proverbs 4:23

Oh, before I forget… this is my weakness. I am prone to be idle and a busy body. I am referring to myself. This is not a post that you need to take on as though I am speaking at you. If the Holy Spirit convicts you, then that is wonderful. If not, that is fine too – He has other lessons in store for you.

 

 

The Think Principle

Originally posted on September 1, 2005

Our home is noisy! Our home is loud! And is filled with constant talk! But, this is a good thing- discussion is a cord that helps to bind the family together. Nevertheless, constant talk can be a drain upon others and it isn’t necessarily beneficial for the talker either. We have discussed a few slogans that have been able to help us to control our tongue- I’ll share them here.

think principle

Speak when the words build up.
Speak if the words bring a smile.
Speak where reassurance is needed.
Speak what gives hearts courage.
Speak how He would.
Words that encourage. Words that give life. Words that bless. If you have those kinds of words on the tip of your tongue, then please speak.
Otherwise, maybe it is best not to.

“If you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak.”
~Acts 13:15

Family Bootcamp

Yesterday was the first day of family boot-camp:September. Our lifestyle is very relaxed. We like it that way. But there’s a difference between relaxed and plain lazy. Sometimes, especially after a major event, we need some down time. But invariably there is a time to get up and going again, lest we fall into being plain lazy.

drill sergeant mum

During the lead up to the wedding and wedding week, Jays (16yods)  lessons ambled along as he is enrolled with a DE school however Cee’s (14yods) daily work time depends more upon me. In that I mean that I need to see that he tends to his lessons. If I drop the ball in this area, then he tends to lose motivation. If I don’t inspect his work regularly then he is at the stage where he loses interest and focus.

Before the wedding we took some time off. We took another week off after the wedding as John was home and we really needed the down time. We never really got back into it all. Hasn’t helped that John has been home from work a lot with a bad back. That completely throws any and all routine out of whack.

It’s time to get going again. I needed to put my thoughts onto paper before attempting to commit them to action. I have never found it beneficial to over schedule our day. I prefer to leave room in order to be flexible- see what the day brings!

Blocks of Time Boot Camp style

We usually work well with Blocks of Time and Family Boot-camp is arranged similarly. The main difference is that I become a drill mama, enforcing adherence to the schedule. I feel like it sucks all the fun and joy from the day… but it is Boot-camp! We need it. It’s that kick in the pants we need to get up and going again.

So, I put a few times on paper, printed it out and gave a copy to each of the boys and one goes on the fridge. I explain to the boys the purpose of Family Boot-camp, taking full responsibility for us getting into the mess we’re in. I told them that just because we are free-range homeschoolers doesn’t mean that we don’t need to learn valuable life skills like time management. (I explained this after John quickly pointed out that we are always learning. Ha, trying to beat me at my own game)

So after explaining the purpose of Family Boot-camp, I quickly went over the practical outworking of it. I didn’t labour over it to much as it gives too much room for disagreement and disgruntlement. It’s better to just do it rather than talk about it.

We do this style of Boot-camp at the beginning of each term, or after a holiday period… whenever we need to. But we don’t overdo it, otherwise it becomes burdensome and we lose the speciality of what makes up our family.

The basics of Family Boot-camp in our home are:

  • Early to bed, early to rise.
  • Set times of study and chores.
  • Set time for computer usage.
  • Learning to manage our time wisely.
  • Learning to manage our resources wisely.

Here’s what the daily schedule looks like, although be aware that John follows his own schedule due to his phone/computer lessons being at different times.

Time Breakdown

7.30am – 9.30am

9.30am – 11.30am

11.30am – 1pm

1pm – 3pm

3pm – 4.30pm

4.30pm onwards

Breakfast / Chores / Hygiene

Study period

Lunch / Free time

Study period

Productive free time

Chores / Free time

Family Boot-camp goes from Monday through to Friday. Any work/chores that have not been completed by Friday will be tended to on Saturday or consequences will apply. (That usually gets things tended to promptly)

The hardest aspect of Family Boot-camp is me. I have to be on my game. The success of boot-camp depends upon what I ‘inspect, rather than expect’. No point in setting these things in place and then slacking off and not following through with it. I have such mixed feelings about boot-camp. On one hand I despise how drill sergeant like I become yet on the other hand I really like the results of boot-camp living.

Book camp will look different in each family but I find that having a clear purpose and schedule that suits our lifestyle and goals are the important factors.

How about you? Do you have a boot camp or kick-in-the-pants time? Will you share with me about it?

The gospel frees you…

“The gospel frees you from the pressure of having to fix people: your worth is located in Christ, not in their transformation.”
~Tullian Tchividjian

Why public school?

by orsorama

 

We have always home educated our children, except for a brief foray into GradeK-1 for our eldest daughter. Having said that, let me state that I am not of the view that says ‘everyone-should-homeschool-because- it- is-the-only-way”. I am not against school, but I do think that it is one of the most important decisions you can ever make in your life… rather in your child’s life.

Over the years I have tried to be patient with every one who has genuinely asked, “Why do you homeschool?” I believe that most of us have been so deeply indoctrinated by the world that we honestly can’t see what is wrong with the public school system. But like I have written elsewhere, I do not have all my ducks in a row– I don’t have it all together.

Our lifestyle is one that we deliberated upon and prayed over and researched together and so I know the ‘why’ of what we do. I’d like to know why you do what you do.  I want to ask you the reader, this question. I don’t ask in anger nor with any malice. I really would like to share in your thoughts.  I promise to be gentle, as I hope you will be too.

Previously I have asked homeschoolers why they chose to homeschool… but now I’d like to hear from public schoolers.

If you are a parent and a Christian and you send your children to a public school then please take a few minutes to leave a comment.

Why do you not home educate your children? Why don’t you homeschool?

 

 

 

Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach

Click here to learn more or purchase

Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach

written by Robin Sampson

The Heart of Wisdom Publishing Company is a family owned and operated business that publishes a variety of homeschool resources useful for Christian families in the training of their children. This approach uses the Bible as the centre of all education. Those who are interested in a Bible based, Delight-Directed, Note-Booking, or Charlotte Mason approaches may like these products as the author has taken the best from each approach and blended them to make the Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach.

I have used some of the Heart of Wisdom units for a few years now but I have been most influenced by Robin’s book, ‘The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach‘. I have learnt that the Bible outlines how we should teach our children and that study is a form of worship. The goal of this approach is to train children to read, to study, to understand, to love to learn and, most importantly, to desire and seek true wisdom. A benefit to this approach is multi-level teaching and can be used by a mother with children of all ages. I loved ‘Educating the WholeHearted Child’ by Clay and Sally Clarkson and it provided a vision but, for me, it left out many practical how-to’s. The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach fully provides this yet with the expectation that each parent is to do what is right for their family.

Click here to learn more or purchase

Section One

The Heart of Wisdom Teaching Approach is divided into several sections. Section 1 tells of the Sampson family journey from school to homeschool- various approaches and methods. The author doesn’t tell the reader how they should approach education based upon her experience, rather she sends the reader to the Scriptures to find the answers.

Section Two

Section 2 is important as it looks at the foundation of Christian education, by exploring the roots of educational methods from the past until modern times. The book also looks at the difference between Christian, Hebraic, Greek and secular worldviews and how this impacts the methods used in modern education. Great reading for new homeschoolers or veterans.

Section Three

Now knowing about why there is a need for change in the way we view education, Section 3 tells us how we can change and use different methods that encompass a Biblical worldview. Learning styles and the Four-Step approach to a lesson plan as well as talking about Charlotte Mason, Unit Studies, Delight-Directed studies and Critical Thinking and Logic are included.

Section Four

Section 4 is a large chapter, full of meaty ideas that will challenge each reader’s thinking and method. A four-year plan that can be rotated to provide a full 12 years worth of study, based upon God’s Word and World is suggested. Scrapbooking or Notebooking is encouraged – assisting children in their learning as they plan, develop, classify, categorise, construct, and organise their work. History is taught chronologically while science is taught in the order of Creation. English skills are integrated into all studies. Scheduling, planning and much more is addressed in this chapter.

Section Five

Once the educational philosophy has been addressed, a change in resources may be required. Robin doesn’t leave us floundering. In Section 5, she writes about using the HOW unit studies or devising your own and where to get the various resources from for years K-12. Science, History, Literature and Life Skill resources can be purchased from the Heart of Wisdom online Store or from your local Christian bookshop.

Click here to learn more or purchase

Not only was I encouraged by this book but informed, refreshed and motivated to run the race. This book, this approach, is like a breath of fresh air. The book is available through a variety of means: electronic download, or bound editions. Regardless of the format, the content is excellent and I wholeheartedly recommend it for any parent, homeschool or otherwise.

Disclosure: I am compensated for purchases made via the referral links in this post.

Homeschool Smorgasbord

CountON.org
Age Range: 5-18 (Grades K-12, with parental supervision)
You won’t believe the selection of FREE interactive math games and activities designed for students of all ages that are available at this website. This site also provides links to additional math resources for every strand.

Building Kingdom-minded children
The Bible seems to divide the life of people into three phases. Childhood, young adulthood and adulthood, according to my sweet learned husband. Both the Old Testament refers to words that describe such an age as well as the New Testament, as seen here in John.

In our home, we treated our children differently at each phase. Each new level of life came with new training and responsibility in order to give them a heart for our King and for His kingdom. I believe that there are many paths to teach these principles, but no matter what path you take, it all involves very intentional and purposeful training and planning.

Seeking Out Godly Friends For Your Children
People ask me how important friendships are for children. My answer may not be what you would expect from me…homeschool mom who will fight tooth and nail against the concept that homeschool children need a good dose of socialization… But, my answer as to how important friendships outside your family are would have to be…Click to read the whole article…

The Center of Science and Industry
Sounds boring, right? Well, it’s not! The site provides free educational activities in science, industry, health, and history in a most engaging way. Do check it out.

Per Square Miles
Wonder what would happen if we put the world’s population in 1 city? Visit this site for a visual representation.

Lifestyle of Learning has a spiffy new website.LOL is a ministry to families bringing a healthy new face and focus to home education.

Homeschool Smorgasbord

Homeschool books

Homeschooling Freebies

Free copywork books

Proverbs 22:6 Academy produces quality copywork books as well as a heap of freebies for you to download and print. A few free titles are:

  • A Copybook of Love
  • A Copybook of the Months of the Year
  • A Copybook of the Days of the Week
  • Words of Wisdom Copywork

Konos Patience Unit Study

Early on in our homeschooling journey we dabbled with KONOS unit studies. Whilst we didn’t end up sticking with KONOS I learned an awful lot about teaching and devising a unit. In the following page you can sample the KONOS Unit Study philosophy with this free mini-unit on patience taken from the curriculum. Subjects covered include Bible, critical thinking, science, health, art, practical math, language arts, geography, and history. Very handy!

Garden of Praise

Garden of Praise is a large site that has been on the ‘net for many years. You’ll find many free online and printable teaching materials.

Practical Pages

Practical Pages freely shares notebook pages, minibooks and lapbook projects, handwriting charts and booklets, organizational tips and ideas

Recordings of Books on the Ambleside List

A list of free audiobooks of those used in the free, online, Charlotte Mason curriculum. DO check it out!
look out for the second list as well. (List found at Librivox)

Planning the new school year

Ebook: The New School Year – Another FREE book for you! Do you need help planning your school year? Download this e-book FREE from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.

100 Best Blogs for Christian Homeschoolers

Need some more blog reading to add to your day? Find the strength of community across the miles through the technology of blogs. Share with these families to find suggestions for lessons or curriculum, to be inspired by others’ walk with God, learn about homeschool politics and policies, hear from those who have gained the benefit of homeschooling, and more among these blogs.

Church History

Trial and Triumph free ebook. Originally published in 1999 by Canon Press, Trial and Triumph: Stories from Church History by Richard M. Hannula is now available free online, having granted Google books permission to display the title in full. This book is used in AmblesideOnline and it is an excellent resource. Trial and Triumph introduces the reader to church history via a series of short biographies. Starting with the early church and going through to recent times you’ll read captivating and inspiring stories of real people and real events. The short chapters are excellent for narration in its many forms (see my Activity Sheets for more info).

Go get a gravatar!

Have you ever wondered how some people have a cute little picture or a photo of themselves or their business logo next to their name when they leave a comment? It’s called an avatar. Other social networking sites call them by different names but the general name is an avatar.

You can have an avatar through google, which will show up on all blogger blogs. You can also have a wordpress.com account with an avatar but still, this is limited. I’m aware of OpenID but when one wants to keep some things separate I believe that gravatars, linked to your email accounts are the way to go.

What you really want is a gravatar!

Your Gravatar (a globally recognized avatar) is an image that follows you from site to site appearing beside your name when you do things like comment or post on a blog. So, when you use your email address on a gravatar-enabled site, your chosen avatar is automatically used. How cool is that?

Many people will tell you that it’s important to use the same logo or photo all the time. I agree that this important if it is a business but I don’t think applies to personal bloggers as much.

I do try to use the same avatar across the Internet but I also like to change it up occasionally. This means that I change it at Gravatar.com, facebook, Google and AussieHomeschool.

Go grab one now at Gravatar.com. Sure but how?

  • Go to Gravatar.com.
  • Click “Get your Gravatar today”.
  • Enter your email address.
  • Activate your account by clicking on the link in the email you receive.
  • Choose a username and password.
  • Add your image/photo.
  • Crop it and finish.
  • You can use multiple email addresses and images.

How to enable your (self hosted wordpress site) to use gravatars?

  • Simply login to your admin dashboard.
  • Go to Settings –> Discussion –> Avatars and select the desired fields.
  • Done!

If you have problems, which is unlikely, check out the FAQ.

** Alternatively, if you have a self hosted wordpress site and like the Hover Gravatars that wordpress.com use, you can download the Jetpack plugin, activate it, enable hovercards and away you go!

Hope this helps,

The Wedding Day ~ part two

The Big Day

For weeks I had told Abigail that she would be better on her big day. Partly because I think positively but also because I thought that some of her sickness might have been caused by stress (working long hours, travelling to see Ian, wedding arrangements, etc.). However, she awoke on the big day; snuffley, blocked up and nasally. It was no wonder she whined at me, “Mum, you said I’d be better by today… and I’m not.” And she wasn’t. Truth be told she looked down right awful – red puffy eyes, a red nose and coughing every night for the week before the wedding had taken its toll on her. So she dosed herself up on all the right medications, had a shower and we zipped over to the hairdresser to have our locks curled and set.

We forgot to have breakfast. However the bridesmaids came to the rescue. They met us at the hairdressers with a cuppa. Thanks Kate and Rebekah! But not before we forgot Abigail’s veil. Yes, we left it at home. Kate and Rebekah had gone to my house and searched my room for it but they couldn’t find it. So after my hair was done I popped home, found it and zoomed back to the hairdressers so that they could attach the veil. Meanwhile, my sister-in-law had arrived at our house as she was doing everyone’s make-up and the photographer also arrived. Egads, get a move on Susan!

When we (Abigail, Kate, Rebekah and myself) arrived back home it was all systems go! John had set out platters of the most delicious foods: dip, crackers, salami, ham, cheese, chips, carrot sticks, etc. but we were all either too busy or too excited to touch any of it! The guys (John, my Dad, Master J and Master C) managed to get themselves dressed and ready in their spiffy new suits while the girls got made up and dressed and generally fussed around. Such fun!

Ian had organised two FJ Holden’s to escort the bridal party. They were a little late as they broke down a few times. Wouldn’t have mattered as we were also running a little late. But of course, a bride is never late so we blamed the cars. 😉

Time for the ceremony!

John walked his daughter, Abigail, down the aisle… I know I am a little biased, but she didn’t look sick at all. She looked radiantly beautiful. Mind you she matched Ian perfectly as he looked rather dashing too. I thought the ceremony was very sweet. The music was played by a friend who is a professional  pianist. The entrance song was ‘River Flows In You‘ (Yiruma). Throughout the ceremony we sang a few songs: Awesome God, In Christ Alone, Be Thou My Vision. The ceremony matched Ian and Abigail.

Then the bridal party and immediate family left the church and gathered together to congratulate the happy couple while the guests went next door into the church hall for some afternoon tea. There was a lot of Mediterranean food and cakes as well as a coffee machine and barista. Abigail is a barista (and latte artist) and The Coffee Barun, where she works, kindly let us borrow a machine to use for the day.  A fellow barista that she works with attended the wedding as a guest but also kindly agreed to be the barista so it was lattes and cappuccino’s all round. We had some champagne and John and Ian gave a speech. It went all too quickly before the photographers were hurrying us out the door.

The photographers did an excellent job. Not only did they photograph the day but they also acted as chief seamstress, corsage dresser, and general helpers. Two fantastic young ladies! However, we had a schedule for the day and we had to stick to it. Just as well they pushed us along as one of the lovely FJ Holden’s broke down again, while on the way to the Waite Arboretum for photos. It was all good fun and provided lots of laughter. After our adventures with cars, I think Abigail should be quite used to it all by now.

The parents left the photo session early to allow the couple to finish the session. Our family zipped back to the church to help with the clean up, which was being done by Abigail and Ian’s friends. Oh, where would we have been without them? We then zoomed over to Ayers House where we were having a small, private reception in the Ballroom for immediate family and very close friends. By this time, I was ready for bed. I was so tired I could have slept right there at the table.The guests had arrived, the bridal party, minus the bride and groom were also there and we had some pre dinner drinks before their arrival. I loved meeting Ian’s extended family, who had travelled over from Sydney. Most of his family are Christians so he has a wonderful heritage. I got on with all his family so well- felt like I’d known them for years.

Hmmm, I received a quick phone call from the chauffeur of bridal car. They were running a little late. The car had broken down… again! Hahaa, love it!

The bride and groom eventually arrived and the food started. A few more toasts and speeches and then I got my second wind. I don’t know how but I found some more energy! We all had a few dances and then it was time for the bride and groom to leave.

Kate and Simon (a bridesmaid and best man) had decorated their car… and unbeknownst to them, had gained entrance to their motel room and left them boxes of chocolates. Awww, so sweet.

I didn’t cry once. For the whole day. It was the most magical day and I was deliriously happy. Abigail has chosen wisely as Ian is a fine young man who is responsible and mature yet full of energy and life. He is a godly young man who has a heart to serve the Lord and both John and I are happy and proud to have him in our family. Nothing sad about that! I couldn’t stop smiling all day. Ok, I’ll be honest. I did cry just once. As they drove off from the reception I had a wave of happy-sadness. It only lasted a minute or so. And then tiredness took over again.

What else can I say? A beautiful day, for a lovely couple.

I would like to say a big thank you to all the friends and family who helped to make the day as beautiful as it was. Without their help, it would not have gone so smoothly or been as lovely. I’d also like to say thanks to all the friends and family who came to the wedding to witness the marriage of Ian and Abigail. It was especially beautiful to have a few home-schooling friends there- it made my day! Thanks Katie, Cathy and families.

Chicken and Noodles

This is one of our family favourites.
15min preparation. 15min cooking time. Serves approximately 6

Ingredients

750 grams chicken breasts
6 eggs
2 onion
6 cloves garlic
250 gram corn kernels
150 grams bean sprouts
450 mL sweet chilli sauce
75 mL olive oil
3 tablepoons soy sauce
salt to taste
850 grams noodles 2 packets fresh in packet
150 mL milk
Rainbow Salad mix **

Method

  1. Make this dish in allotments, otherwise it goes mushy and yuck. Prepare all ingredients in advance.
  2. Separate noodles by putting in bowl with hot water… or read packet instructions well.
  3. Thinly slice chicken into strips
  4. Thinly slice garlic and onion.
  5. Make sauce: chilli sauce, soy, salt, chilli powder, garlic and lime/lemon juice.
  6. Beat eggs. Add 100ml milk. Combine one tablespoon sauce mix into eggs.
  7. Heat wok with oil.
  8. Pour in eggs and lightly scramble. Transfer to bowl.
  9. Add little olive oil. Use half of the onions and garlic and put into oil. When it is just starting to brown, throw in half the chicken. Brown them whilst breaking chicken into smaller chunks. When this is starting to brown add corn… then bean shoots. Toss for one minute.
  10. Throw in half of the noodles and half of the sauce mixture with half the eggs.
  11. Toss and serve.

**Optional: add mushrooms or cashews and/or rainbow salad mix.

The good ole days

John sent these images to me via email. I actually remember seeing ads similar to this when I was little. What a good lesson in the powerof media and advertising!

Left me quite speechless!

Recipe Collection & Meal Planning with Plan To Eat

Plan to Eat

Meal planning and cooking come easily to some people. I am not one of those people, despite my father being a quality chef. I have previously mentioned how my husband taught me how to cook those packets of 2 min noodles whilst we were on our honeymoon! I really, truly, had no idea about cooking.

Interested in trying out Plan to Eat? You can sign up for a completely free 30-Day Plan to Eat Subscription right now!

But after getting married, I had the desire to learn. I loved experimenting with new recipes but having 4-5 children, a budget and minimal time also meant that I just needed to get meals on the table. Over the years I have tried computer and online meal planning (like MealsMatter.org) as well as pen and paper but it just never seemed to work for me. I couldn’t find a system that was do-able and that could keep up with my constant changing. I went looking for an online program and trialled a few. Ho hum, didn’t like them for various reasons.Then I found Plan To Eat. It looked kind of groovy. (C’mon, it was new and shiny and online!) So I signed up for a trial month but secretly wondered how long I would last with it. In the spirit of honesty it did take me a few weeks before I really got the hang of it. There could be more instructions and user friendly helps on the site although this is something that PTE are working on. And the site tour, blog and forum are more than helpful. I just needed to look around a little longer. The site isn’t static, they do make upgrades and improvements as often as is reasonable.

As you know I don’t like to endorse products that I don’t use or wholeheartedly recommend. So, I’ve waited awhile to tell you about Plan To Eat. But I have used it for quite a few months now… and I’m still using it!

I used to have bookmarks to recipes all over the ‘net. I would forget where I had bookmarked each recipe. But now I can simply import a favourite recipe to my PlanToEat recipe collection! It’s all in one place.

Interested in trying out Plan to Eat? You can sign up for a completely free 30-Day Plan to Eat Subscription right now!

What it is?

It is a virtual recipe book, meal planner, shopping list and more. Plan to Eat was born out of a desire to eat real food — great food — prepared at home, together as a family. The husband and wife team have a real food philosophy.

Features

  • Import recipes from over 100 sites automatically or you can manually (and painlessly) add them to your recipe collection.(Taste.com.au, WholeLiving.com PioneerWoman, allrecipes.com and foodnetwork.com just to name a few. See a larger list here.)
  • PlanToEat syncs with Ical (for Mac users) or google calendar, if you want it to.
  • Share recipes with friends and build your collection of recipes.
  • Drag n Drop menu planning
  • Save / Load Meal Plans
  • Customisable: Change Serving Size, Nutrition Data for each recipe if you wish.
  • Generate Grocery Lists for Each Recipe/Menu
  • Use it to access your shopping list from your smartphone and check off items as you go
  • Cost: $4.95/month or $39/year
  • Free Trial: Yes! 30-day free trial

I am slowly adding all my favourite recipes to my Recipe Book. I can access, print and share my recipes from any computer with internet access. I can filter the recipes in my collection by ingredients, tags or how often I’ve planned them! No more paper shuffling! There is a Shopping/Grocery List which worked a treat the first time I’ve used it but since then I haven’t put in the time needed to master it.

I could give you images and/or a video tutorial but I don’t need to. The best way for you to have a really good look is to try it for free. Yes, Plan To Eat has a free 30 day trial. They have a blog, facebook account and a support forum.

If and when you join up to PlanToEat, be sure to add me as a friend so that we begin sharing recipes. You’ll find me there as HomeGrownKids.

Interested in trying out Plan to Eat? You can sign up for a completely free 30-Day Plan to Eat Subscription right now!

Disclosure: If you sign up for Plan to Eat through one of the above links, I will earn a small commission. You certainly don’t have to use these links, but it is one of the ways that you can support this site.

Bible overview 4 (Week 13-16)

Kerugma Family Bible reading guide for use with young children. This guide is a no-fuss, easy to implement, overview of the Bible for the whole family.

To see previous months, please use the menu to the right.  I will post a new 4 week plan every Sunday.
* Bible references are in the ESV. You may, of course, use the version of your choice.

Benefits:

  • for use with the family
  • 52 weeks of the year
  • 6 days a week
  • short time needed each day
  • weekly memory verse

Week Thirteen

  But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his descrees and obey his commands, as at this time.
~1Kings 8:61

  1. 1 Kings 4:29-34  Solomon’s Wisdom
  2. 1 Kings 6  Building the Temple **
  3. 1 Kings 8: 1-21  Bringing in the Ark
  4. 1 Kings 8:22-24, 54-61  Prayer of Dedication
  5. 1 Kings 9:1-9  The Lord appears to Solomon
  6. 1 Kings 12:1-17  Israel rebels

**Note: Younger children may benefit from limiting the text to 1 Kings 6:1-6 and 1 Kings 6: 37,38

Week Fourteen

You shall not forget the covenant that I have made with you. You shall not fear other gods, but you shall fear the Lord your God, and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.
~2 Kings 17:38-39

  1. 1 Kings 17 Elijah, Prophet of Israel
  2. 1 Kings 18:1-16 Elijah and Obadiah
  3. 1 Kings 18:17-46 Elijah on Mount Carmel
  4. 2 Kings 2:1-15 Elijah taken up to heaven
  5. 2 Kings 5: 1-14 Elisha’s Miracle
  6. 2 Kings 17: 1-23 The Last King of Israel

Week Fifteen

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!
~1 Chronicles 16:34

    1. 2 Kings 22:1-13 The Book of the Law is found
    2. 2 Kings 22:14 — 23:3 Josiah renews the Covenant
    3. 1 Chronicles 17:1-15 God’s Promise to David
    4. 1 Chronicles 17:16-27 David’s Prayer
    5. 2 Chronicles 20:1-12 King Jehoshaphat’s Prayer
    6. 2 Chronicles 20:13-30 Jehoshaphat defeats Moab and Ammon **See note**

**Note: Younger children may benefit from limiting the text to 2 Chronicles 20:13-17 and verses 26-30

Week Sixteen

And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.”
~Ezra 3:11

    1. 2 Chronicles 30:1-9 Invitation to the Passover
    2. 2 Chronicles 30:10-27 The Passover Celebration
    3. 2 Chronicles 32:1-23 Sennacherib threatens Jerusalem **See note**
    4. 2 Chronicles 32:24-33 Hezekiah’s Life
    5. 2 Chronicles 36:15-23 The Fall of Jerusalem
    6. Ezra 1 The Exiles Return

**Note: Younger children may benefit from limiting the text to 2 Chronicles 32:1-8 and 2 Chronicles 32:1-23

To learn more about how we did Bible study you can read through our 4 step process page using the anagram IDEA: Introduce, Dig Deeper, Elaborate and Application.

Here are five sample lessons of the Kerugma Family Bible Study Guide.

 

Main Course Smorgasboard

‘Where Children Sleep’


This photography project is quite startling. It speaks loudly yet the commentator and/or photographer doesn’t write a word other than the facts. There may be some bias in the subjects chosen but either way, there is something we can all take from this presentation.

I Spy Animals

http://www.ispyanimals.com/
Oh, you absolutely must bookmark the website, I Spy Animals. It is an average website as far as design but the content is amazing. Written by by Jan Perley she writes and includes plenty of images on species identification.

To Heaven and Back? by Defending. Contending.

http://defendingcontending.com/2011/09/01/to-heaven-and-back/
A somewhat sensitive issue in today’s society, even amongst Christians… but how much of it lines up with the Bible? To Heaven and Back ponders these issues by studying the Scriptures.

How many times have you heard someone claim they died and got a glimpse of heaven? Recently a co-worker told me the Pastor of her sister’s church preached a sermon on heaven. In his sermon, he mentioned a little boy who’d died and entered heaven {the child was revived by doctors}. While in heaven, he saw his grandpa who he’d never met. The mother of the child showed the little boy a picture of his grandpa, and he said that wasn’t him. So she proceeded to show him another picture, one of his grandpa when he was younger, and he said that was him. I didn’t say much as I listened, but all the while I knew what she thought was true was anything but. Stories like this are told everywhere, those who do not understand what the Bible actually teaches about death and heaven swallow this as truth.

Heads or Tails?

http://theupsidedownworld.wordpress.com/2011/09/01/heads-or-tails/
Rebecca Trotter ponders what it means that Christ is the head of the church? We assume that this verse means that the husband should lead his wife, but does Christ really lead the church?

A husband’s job is not to direct his wife in the way that she should go. A husband’s job is to give his wife hope and comfort and the freedom to become who she was created to be (a secret only her heart knows, btw), just as Jesus offers hope and comfort and freedom to become who we were created to be in the Kingdom of God. This has nothing to do with power and authority and everything to do with love. Paul was telling men that they should be empowering their wives to be who God designed them to be and presenting their wives to Christ as an example of how well they loved.

Where’s The Octopus?

When marine biologist Roger Hanlon captured the first scene in this video he started screaming. Hanlon studies camouflage in cephalopods–squid, cuttlefish and octopus. They are masters of optical illusion. These are some of Hanlon’s top video picks of sea creatures going in and out of hiding.
http://www.sciencefriday.com/videos/watch/10397

The Word did not become a philosophy, a theory, or a concept to be discussed, debated, or pondered. But the Word became a Person to be followed, enjoyed, and loved.
~Roy Lessin

The Wedding ~ part one

Trying to organise a wedding in only ten weeks is achievable. Just ask us.

If you have wondered why my blog posting has been slow or sporadic, read on and learn why. I have been totally preoccupied with:

Church Decoration, Hall Decorations, Afternoon tea for 100 guests, Evening Reception, Flowers, Dresses, shoes. etc., Invitations, Bombonierie making, Order of Services, Seating allocations, and a whole lot more!

Ten week countdown

Wedding stationery and bomboniere. Who can guess what the bomboniere was?

After the initial excitement of Mr. H’s proposal it was time to get down to details. After all there wasn’t much time to plan things. One might consider that we should have been prepared for such an event with a 19-20year old daughter but… Suffice it to say that we were not.

We decided to make the invitations ourselves.I worked myself into a dither by trying to consistently tie 70 little brown bows that all looked uniform. I was not having a great deal of success until John put his fitter/turner skills to good use and devised some templates and together we made the invitations, based primarily around Abi’s chosen colour scheme.  Oh man, I love that guy and his skills!

The wedding date was set. Church was booked. Ceremony time and ministers booked.  Aside from dresses, what could be left to organise?

Ha!

The ceremony was to be followed by an Afternoon Tea in the church hall. This was to be followed by photos of the immediate family and bridal party. Later on that evening, a private reception was held at Ayers House, for immediate friends and family. Sounds easy, right?  It was. And it wasn’t. But that’s all part of the fun of life, isn’t it?

I can’t believe how much of it all that Abigail organised. She arranged most of it all by herself, yet still managed to include me. I love that will aways be appreciative.  Amazingly, she achieved a wondrous balance between organising, delegating, scheduling and still letting other people contribute with their gifts and talents!

Suitably attired

The men folk needed some suitable attire. We don’t usually have need for suits in our family. John has a suit in the cupboard. It is about 20 years old and he’s worn it once. So we didn’t want to spend ridiculous amounts on suits to feed the cupboard moths. We looked into hiring suits but providentially stopped into Myer before we committed to hiring. Wow, so glad we did. John, the two boys and my dad were suitably attired at an unbelievable price. Worked out to be cheaper than hiring and we got to keep the suits! (Start the car… start the car! is exactly how we felt — those familiar with IKEA ads will know what I meant)

Invitations were sent out, RSVP’s started to arrive, catering was being organised and the cake was being made by a friend. Abigail found her bridal dress, which is no easy feat when one is only 160cm tall. She even found her shoes to match! Some young women take weeks or months to find the right dress and accessories but not Abi. She knew what she did and didn’t want and wouldn’t be talked into anything else.  Hair and nail  appointments, fittings, etc were all made and being tended to. What else needed to be done?

The Mother of the Bride (MoB) needed a dress! My favourite non colour has and will always be  black. It’s elegant yet smart, timeless and proper, not to mention slimming. But I didn’t want to wear black. I know that it is not considered bad etiquette to wear black to a wedding. I just didn’t want to. I wore callouses into my feet searching for the right dress. It was starting to worry me and I didn’t want ‘me‘ to become an issue in the wedding. I found a gorgeous black dress that not only fitted me perfectly (no easy feat) and was comfortable but it even looked nice too! Oi voi! Does it get any better? Yes it does. It was a price that I liked! [ Start the car! Start the car! ] But it was black. Ding dong. I had stayed away from black and tried to avoid with every fibre of my being… but the wedding day was getting closer and I was tired of worrying about myself when it was my daughter’s big day. So after consulting Abi and being reassured that not only did it look nice and that she really wasn’t fussed about the colour unless it clashed horribly with the colour scheme (which it didn’t) I then sought my husband’s approval. He loved it. MoB dress –  check!

Oh, did I mention that my dear Dad came to stay with us a few weeks before the wedding. I love seeing him and having him visit but it still did throw things around a little. Bedroom and wardrobe arrangements were in dissaray, schedules need to be re-tweaked. Yet this just added to the overall excitement level. Oh, did I also mention that Dad is diabetic and thus needs to eat several small meals a day? My kitchen looked like that of a truckie roadhouse for the weeks leading up to the wedding. I tried to breathe deeply and not fuss over it until 3 or 4 days before the wedding whereby I buckled down and deep cleaned it from the tippy top to bottom. I vowed and declared to skin anyone who dared mess it up.

One week to go

I worked like a mad woman for the whole week before the wedding. I wanted the house to be spotless and immaculate (which would be a rarity in itself), I wanted the whole family to dressed beautifully in clothes that would not leave us penniless for the next ten years. I wanted the day to run perfectly smooth, with all of us having adequate rest and food. Well, it doesn’t take a genius to see that I was just a tad over ambitious.

With only a few days to go, it was time to make the bomboniere (wedding favours). Due to the nature of the bomboniere we couldn’t make them too far in advance. They had to be fresh!

We had a typical bridesmaid dress debacle and an incident involving a rather unaccomodating, rude bridal saleswoman. This in turn, forced Abigail to change the colour scheme of the flowers with only 2 days to go. Thankfully Flower Folly were more than happy to go with it and meet her needs. Many young brides may have had a hysterical fit at all this but not Abi… in fact, she was calmer than the rest of us. However throughout the previous few weeks poor Abigail was sick. She had been to the doctor’s and was on her second course of antibiotics for a possible lung infection. She wasn’t getting any better but I kept her on telling her that it was stress and that she would be fine on The Day.  [More on that story later…]

The Penultimate Day

John (the FoB) managed to whisk Abi away for breakfast and have a Dad~Daughter date before officially giving his blessing on their marriage. I’m so glad that they had a couple of hours together. I’m sure it is a time they will both treasure.

I felt like I was caught in a whirlwind yet was thriving on the adrenalin; here I was running back and forth to various appointments, confirming reception numbers and allocating seating arrangments, ushers, catering, coffee machines, rehearsals, flower petals, accessories, my dad, my husband, my sons, my younger daughter (also a bridesmaid), bathing the cat and organising bite sized food snacks for the morning and organising the clothes and emergency girly bag. (safety pins, hollywood tape, spare buttons, needle & thread, spare toothbrushes, perfurme, makeup, etc.) I had spent quite some time with Abi in the preceding week but it was always doing something, going somewhere, being busy with the wedding. I just wanted to stop. And have coffee with her. But we were both too excited and preoccupied to sit still for long.

Mr. H is a youth pastor so the youth group gathered together as usual on the Friday night and helped us to set up the church and hall. Chair covers, satin sashes, carpet runners, tables, decorations and such were arranged as much as possible. It was time to head home and catch an early night. Aha, wrong again! I had Order of Services to finish compiling and printing.

And so it was…

I dragged my weary, aching legs into bed at 2.15am on Friday night (actually 2.15am is Saturday morning but at that point I was trying to remain positive and so preferred to think of it as Friday night), after working on the Order of Services (ceremony programs) and deciding that getting a few hours sleep had to be more worthwhile than ‘the perfect program’. I felt like I didn’t sleep at all, although I must have. I tossed. John turned. I flopped. John rolled.

Zzzzzzz….

The Morning of the Big Day

6am – Tinkle, tinkle, tinkly bells…  My alarm clock gently awakened me so I swiped it to snooze for another 10 minutes.

6.05am – BEEP!  BEEP!  BEEP! John’s alarm clock bellowed loud enough to wake the dead, or so I thought. Obviously not loud enough to wake him though. My alarm clock is sweet, gently rousing me from my slumber to remind me that the day is beginning. John’s alarm screeches and roars then plays a horrid squawking song. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING makes me feel more agitated than being woken by that horrid, ungodly noise. On and on he slept, seemingly oblivious to its demands and my sounds of anger and frustration as I lurched over him to turn the monster off. I only managed to stun it into silence for another ten minutes though.

6.10am – Tinkle, tinkle, tinkly bells… my clock sweetly and patiently reminded me it was time to get up. No, I didn’t spring out of bed, on that day – the day of my daughter’s wedding. I was too weary. But I dragged myself up and into the shower so that we would be at the hairdressers on time. “At least I might be able to catch a quick nap whilst getting my hair done.” I thought silently. The words gullible and naïve now spring to mind.

Out of the shower. No time for a morning cup of tea. No facebook/email check. Maybe at the hairdressers?

6.30am – The Bride gently knocks on my door. “Muuum”… Oh dear, what’s wrong?

 

Courtesy of Rachael Elizabeth Photography

Stay tuned for part two, coming up next week.

[edited to add: No one was harmed in the leading up to this wedding. ]