Category Archives: Uncategorized

Avez-vous un « Leroy » ?

Il y a beaucoup d’années, j’avais un voisin, Leroy.  Il était un vieil homme qui était très intelligent sur la politique, l’économie, et l’histoire américaine (surtout notre héritage chrétien).  Mais je n’ai pas appris tous ce que je devrais de mon voisin, parce que j’étais jeune.  Je ne reconnaissais pas au temps qu’il avait la connaissance dont j’aurais besoin un jour.  Si j’avais connu, j’aurais lui posé plus de questions, écouté mieux, et parlé plus avec lui.

Avez-vous un « Leroy » dans votre vie ?  Est-ce qu’il y a quelqu’un que vous devriez connaître mieux, quelqu’un que Dieu a placé dans ton chemin pour vous aider avec des informations et des conseils ?  J’avais aussi une amie sage qui est morte il y a plusieurs années.  Elle avait plus de quatre-vingt ans, mais le jour qu’elle est parti pour le ciel, j’étais surprise.  Nous croyons toujours que nous avons plus de temps avec notre famille, nos amis, nos voisins.  Mais la vie est courte.  Nous ne savons pas quand nous parlons avec quelqu’un pour la dernière fois.

La Bible dit dans le livre de Jérémie : « Placez-vous sur les chemins, regardez, et demandez :  Quels sont les anciens sentiers ?  Quelle est la bonne voie ?  Marchez-y, et vous trouverez le repos de vos âmes ! »

Je peux penser à trois voies pour trouver les anciens sentiers.  Nous pouvons… :

  1. Consulter premièrement les Écritures.
  2. Lire d’autres livres écrit par des gens qui sont/étaient sages., et
  3. Parler souvent avec les gens dans notre vie qui a plus d’expérience que nous et une meilleure compréhension des choses de Dieu.

Bien sûr, un jour, (si Dieu le veut), nous serons un « Leroy » pour quelqu’un d’autre !

Enseignez vos enfants quand ils sont jeunes à apprécier les adultes et les conversations sérieuses.   Il faut prendre du temps pour s’amuser, oui, mais il faut aussi prendre du temps pour réfléchir, apprendre, et comprendre des choses nécessaires pour mener une vie fructueuse devant le Seigneur.  Nous n’avons qu’à peu près soixante-dix ans pour faire le travail du Royaume de Dieu.  Si nous apprenons à chercher la sagesse quand nous étions encore jeunes, nous ne gaspillerons pas le temps que Dieu nous a béni avec.

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Copyright © 2017

Quand Quelqu’un Meurt…

Tout ce que ta main trouve à faire avec ta force, fais-le ; car il n’y a ni oeuvre, ni pensée, ni science, ni sagesse, dans le séjour des morts, où tu vas.  Ecclésiastes 9 :10

Maman m’a appelé cet après-midi.  Elle m’a dit qu’une ancienne camarade de classe est morte.  Cette femme n’était pas vieille.  Elle était en fait assez jeune.  Elle avait une famille – un mari, des enfants encore à la maison, des nièces et des neveux…mais elle avait aussi le cancer.  Heureusement, elle connaît le Seigneur, donc elle est dans le ciel ce soir.  Mais, même avec ce confort, il y a de la tristesse parce qu’on sait que sa famille aura du chagrin pour longtemps.

Quand quelqu’un meurt, qu’est-ce que vous en pensez ?  Est-ce que vous réfléchissez à la brièveté de la vie ?  Est-ce que vous pensez au fait que votre tour vient ?  La vie est courte.  Nous savons que l’Ecriture ci-dessus dit « travaillez pendant que vous pouvez », mais est-ce que nous vraiment comprenons ça ?    Je crois que non.  Je crois que nous faisons souvent comme si nous avons tout le temps dans le monde, comme si la mort ne nous attrapera jamais.  Nous n’attachons pas une grande valeur aux moments de notre séjour.  Mais en réalité, chaque jour est important.  Quand nous nous réveillons le matin, nous devrions remercier Dieu pour le cadeau d’un autre jour.  Nous devrions lui demander « Qu’est-ce que tu veux que je fasse maintenant, Seigneur ? »  Il est heureux de nous mène.  Il nous donne la Parole pour la sagesse, la direction pour que nous pouvons bien utiliser les heures de notre vie.

Qu’est-ce que vous feriez si vous n’aviez qu’une semaine, un mois, ou une année à vivre ?  Est-ce que vous changeriez les mots que vous parleriez cette semaine…ou les lieux que vous iriez…ou les choses que vous feriez ?  Parce qu’en vérité, on ne sait pas quand sa fin arrivera.  Quelles choses sont les plus importants à faire ?  Quels mots sont impératives à parler ?  Surtout, qui sont les gens que vous laisserez derrière vous-même, et que devez-vous faire pour eux cette semaine ?

Vivez chaque jour comme il est précieux, parce qu’il n’y a pas un cadeau plus cher que la vie.  C’est un cadeau que l’homme ne peut pas vous offrir.  C’est seulement le Seigneur qui donne la vie, et seulement le Seigneur qui décide quand c’est l’heure pour chacun de nous de mourir.  Nous n’avons pas de promesse de demain, mais nous savons qu’il nous a donné aujourd’hui.  Qu’est-ce que vous allez faire avec votre don incroyable de Dieu ?

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Copyright © 2016

Un Cœur Tendre

Je vous donnerai un cœur nouveau, et je mettrai en vous un esprit nouveau ; j’ôterai de votre corps le cœur de pierre, et je vous donnerai un cœur de chair.  Ezéchiel 36:26

Si vous avez des enfants qui prétend aimer le Seigneur, est-ce que vous voyez des preuves dans leur vie ?  Une preuve de vraie conversion est un cœur tendre.  Où avant il y avait un cœur de pierre (il n’écouterait pas à la correction ; il ne voudrait pas entendre la Parole…), maintenant il y a un cœur qui non seulement entend la Parole, mais qui essaye de la pratiquer.

Un jour cette semaine j’ai fait une petite promenade avec mon mari pour parler un peu.  L’heure de dîner était près d’un bout, donc nous avons laissé les enfants à finir leur repas.  Quand nous sommes rentrés à la maison, une de nos filles jeunes était en larmes.  « Qu’est-ce qui s’est passé, ma fille ? Nous ne sommes absents que dix minutes ! »  Une fille plus âgée nous dit qu’elle avait fondé en larmes aussitôt que nous étions partis.  La jeune fille ne dirait rien sauf qu’elle doit parler avec Maman.

J’emmène notre fille dans une chambre et lui demande de me dire pourquoi elle pleure.  Elle a commencé à sangloter et à confesser.  Plus tôt dans la journée, elle avait cassé un jouet de son frère plus jeune.  Parce qu’elle n’a pas voulu nous dire, elle avait caché le jouet sous son lit.  Mais, elle n’a pas réalisé que c’est impossible de vraiment cacher le péché.  Bien que Papa et Maman ne puissent jamais savoir, Dieu sait.  Il voit tout.

Est-ce que nous étions en colère parce que notre fille a cassé un jouet en plastique ?  Non.  Il n’est pas de trop importance.  Mais le cœur de notre fille, il est très important !  Nous sommes plutôt contents que notre fille écoutait à la voix de l’Esprit Saint et a refusé de plus cacher sa faute.

Comment va le cœur de vos enfants ?  Comment va votre cœur ?  Est-ce qu’il y a des fautes « sous votre lit » ?  Vous pouvez dire tout au votre Père céleste et recommence avec une conscience tranquille.  Il ne veut pas que nous travaillions sous un gros fardeau.  Il aimerait mieux que nous ayons un cœur tendre et entendions attentivement à la voix de son Esprit.

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Copyright © 2016

A Few Thoughts on Picture Study

Our family began picture study years ago when our oldest was just starting homeschooling. Much of what I know of picture study I learned from Karen Andreola in her book A Charlotte Mason Companion, so I cannot take credit for the idea in any way.   If you have never read A Charlotte Mason Companion, please take time to do so. You will find so many ideas to enliven your homeschool. It is a book I have come back to over and over again.

Some of the first artists that we started studying were Mary Cassatt and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Another early favorite of ours was John James Audubon, because he depicted not only the birds we can see at our backyard feeders, but also those we may never have opportunity to see in the flesh. In later years we studied others whose names and works were less familiar to me, including Berthe Morisot and Hiroshige (but they are familiar to me now).

Charlotte Mason suggested that students study six prints of an artist’s work over the span of a twelve-week semester. The Picture Study Packs we are producing will have ten prints in them, so that a mother may choose among them. Having ten prints available also allows a family doing nine-week quarters to use a different print each week, if desired. The reason to study one artist in the span of a quarter or semester is so a child will become familiar with the style of a particular artist. He is not seeing Peale this week and Millet the next, but seeing Cassatt, followed by Cassatt, followed by Cassatt. Just as an author has a voice, an artist has a style which is recognizable, able to be distinguished from that of another artist.

Picture Study is very simple to implement (especially if someone has already done the work of compiling worthwhile prints for you! ). 🙂  Just do the following:

Choose an artist that you and your children would like to study for the quarter or semester.

  1. Prominently display one of his works for one to two weeks.
  2. At some point that first week, give your child a brief introduction to the artist (such as when and where he lived) and share the title and medium (whether it was oil, watercolor, etc.) of the work you are featuring.
  3. At the end of the one to two weeks, replace the first image with another. Continue replacing works until you have covered at least half a dozen works by the same artist. (There have been times we have not been able to find enough quality prints by the same artist, in which case we have combined artists arranged around a time period or theme. There will be some sets like this in the Picture Study Packs, because even when an artist was prolific, only certain of his works may be available or useable.)
  4. You may wish to occasionally draw the child’s attention to something in particular you know or appreciate about a print, but you can also allow the child to be forming some connections of his own and encourage any observations he may make about a picture (Mom, the way the little girl is sitting for that portrait is just like the pose of the lady in the one we studied two weeks ago!).
  5. At the end of your semester or quarter, allow each child to choose a favorite picture to narrate for you. He may describe the picture in detail or replicate the work on paper to the best of his ability. Save these narrations and drawings! Your children will love to look back on them in years to come and see how their descriptive and artistic abilities have grown. And, if your child or family has a timeline book, this is an excellent time to add a page on the new artist.

That’s picture study in a nutshell (at least that’s the way we’ve implement it – for more detail and additional suggestions, please see CM Companion mentioned above).   We’ve found it profitable over the years. The children have favorite works of art that we’ve never seen in a museum, but that they’ve enjoyed seeing in our kitchen. One of my daughters mentioned to me just lately that her interest in the hand spindle actually came about from the picture study of Millet’s The Young Shepherdess many years ago.

One thing I do want to stress about picture study is the point of teaching a child to recognize and think on that which is good and beautiful. If we teach our children to be familiar with (may I even say “befriend”) that which is lovely when they are young, we will be setting their feet in the right path to appreciate and seek out appropriate pieces of art when they are grown.   Even some of my favorite artists created pieces I have seen in passing that I would not be comfortable sharing with my children or dwelling on myself. Sometimes the artists have past sins or worldviews that are problematic, as well. When I do picture study, I am careful to let my children know that even the best of artists was only a fallible human, as are we, and that we are going to focus on what he got right. I don’t share much for details on an artist’s personal life or worldview (unless I know the example set to have been a worthy one), because that’s not why we’re studying art. We’re studying art so our children will learn to appreciate beauty and be inspired themselves to create that which is pleasing to God and edifying to others (whether that be with paintbrush and palette, with pen and paper, with an instrument, or with a hammer and nails).

If you are interested in implementing picture study with your family, please check out the Picture Study Packs on our website. They have been created to save Mother the time of searching out appropriate prints. The works of a given artist have been specifically selected to feature only those works which are worthwhile to think on. You will not find nudes or extraneous violence or perversion included here. The prints are done on letter size, lightweight cardstock, so they are sturdy enough not to wrinkle too easily, but light enough to hang with a tack or magnet.   They are approximately three times larger than the postcard size prints that are readily available (and which is all that was available for many years, short of purchasing individual giclée prints from art sites, which would be cost prohibitive for most families).

Enjoy learning alongside your children. Even if you never studied art in school, you can begin to teach your child to appreciate “whatsoever things are lovely”.   Then, as your interest (and theirs) grows, begin to study some art terms together (introducing one here and there, perhaps alongside a picture that demonstrates it). This will enable you to understand more fully and speak more precisely about the pictures you study.   If you are very courageous, you can even encourage your children to try out new art terms. I will never forget the day I decided to teach the children about pointillism with Q-tips for paintbrushes and paper plates for palettes. In addition to the older children, there were three toddlers in the house at the time and I didn’t see why they shouldn’t learn about pointillism, too (ah, the folly of youth) … suffice it to say they all ended up in the bathtub! Our children still remember that art lesson though. 🙂

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Copyright © 2015

La Théologie de Minuit

A l’église hier soir, le pasteur a introduit un passage des Ecritures sur lequel il va prêcher pour quelques semaines. J’ai emprunté son titre pour cet article parce que ces mots ont vraiment aidé à souligner pour moi ce qu’il voulait dire. Il a parlé du seizième chapitre d’Actes où Paul et Silas avaient été battus et jetés en prison à cause de prêcher l’Évangile. Le pasteur a demandé, « Quelle devrait être notre réaction quand tout va mal, ces temps quand le christianisme ne semble pas si facile ? » Ce verset a attiré mon attention :

« Vers le milieu de la nuit, Paul et Silas priaient et chantaient les louanges de Dieu, et les prisonniers les entendaient. » (v.25)

Quel est minuit ? Eh bien, en plus du sens évident du milieu de la nuit, si nous voulons évaluer quand notre réponse devrait être comme celui-là de Paul et Silas, nous pourrions considérer que « minuit » veut dire les ténèbres, la dépression, le deuil, les problèmes, un temps de craintes et de doutes.

Leur réponse était en deux parties. Tout d’abord, ils ont prié. On prie en criant à Dieu le Père. Paul et Silas ne pouvaient rien faire pour changer leur situation. Ils ne pouvaient rien faire pour aider les uns les autres. Donc, ils ont crié au Seul qui est tout-puissant, et Il les a délivré puissamment.

Et ensuite ils ont chanté ! Quand, la dernière chose dans le monde que la chair aurait envie de faire en prison est chanter, ils ont chanté quand même. Pas juste de chansons, mais les louanges à Dieu au milieu de la persécution – une persécution ils ne pourraient pas com-prendre. Ils essaient d’aider les gens en partageant l’Evangile du Christ. Ils n’ont pas fait des actes répréhensibles. Ils n’ont pas mérité ce qui se passait. Mais plutôt que de laisser le diable les décourager, ils ont concentré leur attention sur Dieu, et pas sur eux-mêmes. Quand tout en eux a dû avoir envie de pleurer et gémir, au lieu de cela ils ont chanté.

Et regardez le reste du verset ! Dieu n’a pas été le seul qui les a entendu. Ça dit, « et les prisonniers les entendaient. » Paul et Silas prêchaient ouvertement dans la ville pour plusieurs jours, et nous connaissons que la plupart de la foule ne s’est pas soucié du message, parce que c’était la foule qui les avait battus et jetés en prison. Mais ici, les prisonniers sont dans la rangée de devant pour voir ce que le Dieu fait dans les ténèbres. La réponse normale à une raclée n’est pas de prier ou de chanter ! Les prisonniers sont en train de voir et entendre une chose surnaturelle. Et ensuite, quand les chaînes de tout le monde sont relâchés, ces hommes ne se lèvent pas ! Ils ne courent pas ! Pourquoi pas ? Le passage ne dis pas ouvertement, mais est-ce que c’est possible que leurs vies ont été changées par le témoignage de deux chrétiens en endurant adversité ? Est-ce que c’est possible qu’ils ont vu un miracle et désirent savoir plus ?

Le témoignage de Paul et Silas à la lumière du jour n’a pas touché autant de gens qu’ils espéraient. En fait, la plupart des gens étaient endurcie à leur message. Mais le témoignage de Paul et Silas à minuit avaient tant d’un effet que tous les prisonniers libres restaient assis comme s’ils étaient encore en chaînes ! Pas seulement quelques prisonniers – tous les prisonniers !

Que serait notre témoignage si nous nous souviendrions d’appeler au Dieu pour l’aide pendant les temps difficiles ? Si nous chantions à Lui pendant les temps difficiles ? Est-ce que cela pourrait avoir le même effet sur les gens autour de nous comme les prières et les louanges que Paul et Silas avaient ?

Si, la prochaine fois que nous sommes attaqués, nos réactions seraient comme ceux-ci (Mettez votre propre nom dans les phrases ci-dessous ) :

« Et dans les ténèbres, ________________ priait et chantait les louanges de Dieu… »
« Et pendant la dépression, ________________ priait et chantait les louanges de Dieu… »
« Et à travers le deuil, les problèmes, les craintes, et les doutes ________________ priait et chantait les louanges de Dieu… »

Donc peut-être le fin serait :

« …et sa famille, ses amis, ses frères et ses sœurs en Christ, et tous les gens de sa ville l’a entendue. »

Que Dieu aide qu’il en soit ainsi.

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Copyright © 2015

*L’auteure remercie J. Ramsay pour son aide en vérifiant la traduction.

Pour lire d’autres articles en français, cliquez ici.

Entendez la Parole/ Tenez Compte de la Parole

Nous pouvons lire les Écritures avec nos enfants, mais si nous ne leur enseignons pas à tenir compte de l’instruction de la Parole, elle produira peu de fruits dans leurs vies. La Bible dit, “Mettez en pratique la parole, et ne vous bornez pas à l’écouter, en vous trompant vous-mêmes par de faux raisonnements.” (Jacques 1.22)

La seule manière pour enseigner nos enfants à suivre la Parole est pour nous de marcher en accord avec ses préceptes nous-mêmes. Si nous ne permettons pas la Parole de s’infiltrer et de diriger nos vies, nous ne pouvons pas s’attendre à ce que nos enfants s’en intéressent non plus. Ils nous regardent comme si nous sommes des hypocrites; et ils vont avoir raison. Nous ne pouvons pas les dire que la Parole est importante et ignorer complètement ses vérités. Au lieu de cela, les passages que nous lisons et apprenons dans la Parole doivent influencer nos pensées, nos avis, nos actions, nos décisions, nos achats, notre apparence, notre façon de parler, et l’emploi de notre temps. La Bible doit devenir notre guide quotidien, pas un accessoire religieux.

Nous devons expliquer aussi à nos enfants que la vie chrétienne est comme un voyage. C’est un processus de la croissance et de la sanctification. Nous devons être constamment plus comme le Christ. Ça veut dire, il y aura des livres que nous aurions eu chez nous il y a dix ans que nous n’aurons pas maintenant. Il y aura des programmes que nous aurions écouté il y a dix ans que nous n’écouterons pas maintentant. Il y aura des activités nous aurions permis il y a dix ans que nous ne permettrons pas maintentant. Et ainsi de suite. Ce n’est pas l’hypocrisie – c’est la croissance. Nous devons partager avec nos enfants les choses que le Seigneur nous enseignons de la Parole et leur montrer comment nous nous efforçons de Lui faire plaisir dans notre maison.

Dans ce même chapitre de Jacques mentionné ci-dessus, la Bible continue à dire qu’un homme qui écoute la Parole mais ne répond pas à ses instructions – il est comme un homme qui se regarde dans la miroir et reconnaît qu’il a un problème, mais il s’en va sans le réparer. Si nous nous regardons dans le miroir de la Parole et nous reconnaissons que nous sommes coupables d’un péché, mais nous refusons de se repentir et de changer, nos aurons des coeurs de pierre et n’écouterons pas la voix du Saint-Esprit. Nous ne repondrons pas à ses conseils et nous manquerons la volonté de Dieu pour nos vies.

Beaucoup de parents qui font l’école à la maison prennent plaisir à chapitre six de Deutéronome comme une belle image de la vie de famille parce-qu’il dirige les parents á marcher a coté de leurs enfants, parler avec leurs enfants, et ensiegner leurs enfants tôt le matin jusqu’au se coucher le soir. Le même passage commence par ce rappel important: “Voici les commandements, les lois et les ordonnances que l’Eternel, votre Dieu, a commandé de vous enseigner, afin que vous les mettiez en pratique dans le pays dont vous allez prendre possession.” En d’autres termes, Dieu ne s’intéresse pas seulement que les familles savent les Écritures; Il veut qu’ils les obéissent aussi!

Entendez la Parole.
Tenez compte de la Parole.
Cachez la parole dans votre coeur.

Parlez la Parole.
Partagez la Parole.
Envoyez la Parole autour du monde.

Aimez la Parole.
Apprenez la Parole.
Vivez la Parole tous les jours.

“Ne vous y trompez pas.”

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Copyright © 2015

*L’auteure remercie J. Ramsay pour son aide en vérifiant la traduction.

Pour lire d’autres articles en français, cliquez ici.

Ten Emphases of Our Family’s Homeschool, Part 2

If you missed Part 1, see it here.

6. Local Outreach

“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10)

One main focus of our family is ministering to the needs of those around us, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. This may mean cooking and delivering a meal for a widow, making cards for someone in the hospital or nursing home, extending hospitality to friends from church, or filling a box of groceries for a family who is going through a hard time. Dad and Mom regularly involve us children in outreach.
They have taught us that those in our area of Maine are just as important to God and just as much in need of Christ as are those in Africa, Asia, or anywhere else in the world. God has called us to be a light, a testimony, and a blessing right where He has placed us. Especially since I finished my formal homeschooling and so have more flexibility with my schedule, Dad and Mom have encouraged me to be alert to the needs around me and to seek God as to how He would use me to help meet them.

7. Separation from the World

“Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” (Psalm 24:3-5)

We serve the LORD, who commands us, “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (I Peter 1:16b). The culture around us is the opposite of holy—it is largely profane, vile, unclean, and dangerous. If we truly want to follow Christ, we cannot live the way everyone else is living.
We must be separate, pure, peculiar. We must hold everything up against God’s pure Word and make that our touchstone and guide in all areas, including: Where will our family attend church? What should we focus on in our homeschool? What types of clothing will we wear? What styles of music will we listen to? In what activities will we be involved? How will we use the television and the computer? How will the children get to know their future spouses? What types of higher education are Biblical and worthwhile?
Most of my peers have grown up through government schools and have been taught to think according to a Marxist, humanistic, atheistic worldview. They have been taught that, to be good citizens, they must blindly obey the government and be “tolerant” of anything except Biblical Christianity. We must be different, for we have been ransomed. Christ “gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14).

8. Sheltering

“I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge. Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.” (Psalm 71:7-8)

Many people look down on parents who shelter their children. I don’t. I grew up as a sheltered child, and I am so thankful my parents chose and worked to do this for me. We live in a wicked world, full of sin, sorrow, death, hatred, crime, and suffering. But my parents worked hard to protect me from bad language, lustful or violent images and media, salacious accounts of cultural wrongs, discussions of certain modern social issues, and graphic accounts of suffering and death. By God’s grace, they allowed me an innocent childhood.
When a baby is born prematurely, it often does not have as good health as a child who is in the protection of the womb for the full nine months. God designed for infants to be sheltered for this time for their benefit, as they are still developing. Parents really have no say over whether a baby will arrive before, on, or after the due date, but parents do have a say over when their children will be exposed to certain types of knowledge.
If children are exposed prematurely to the evils of the world, it can result in fear and impure thoughts. If the exposure is habitual, it can produce callousness to sin and to human suffering. God shelters us as His children, and I believe it is the duty of parents to shelter their sons and daughters as they develop physically, mentally, and spiritually.

9. Excellent Books

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

Our family loves books. Biographies, poetry, picture books, encyclopedias, ASL manuals, cookbooks, homeschool magazines, science and nature books and magazines, music books, Bible commentaries and references, carefully selected fiction, allegories, dictionaries, photo albums, family albums, and the Scriptures…we love to fill our minds with knowledge and wisdom.
There are many books available today, but only a limited number of them are worthwhile. Therefore, we must be discerning. Some are excellent and will edify us and our families, but some are either subtly or openly detrimental to our spiritual walks and our family relationships. The latter must be vigilantly avoided. It is better to have a few quality books that have been screened for wholesomeness than to have a huge library full of drivel or danger. My parents have read a variety of material aloud to us through the years, and they have also screened books for us to read ourselves. Good books nourish the mind and soul and help us “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18).

10. Sound Speech and Communication

“Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” (Colossians 4:6)

My parents have emphasized the importance of excellent communication. Most of all, it is vital that we and our children be able to read and understand the Word of God. And secondly, we must be able to share it with others, both in conversation and in writing. The multitudes who listened to Jesus were astonished at the graciousness and authority of His words.
James 3 describes the dangerous power of the tongue. Lies, gossip, blasphemy, idle words, coarse language, quarreling, disrespectful speech, whining, complaining, worldly songs, hurtful or angry words—all these are uses for the tongue that have hurt people’s souls since the beginning of time. But none of these are ways our Creator intended for us to communicate.
A soft answer, discretion, sound speech, praise, thanksgiving, encouraging words, the teaching of God’s principles, comfort, songs that honor God, the reading and recitation of Scripture, Biblical rebuke, exhortation, evangelism— all these are good and acceptable ways to employ our tongues, ones that will bless us and those who hear us.
God wants to help each of His children to continually grow more like Christ, to lead them on a path of continual reformation and sanctification. Since words are so powerful, the sanctification of our speech will very likely be part of this journey. It is important to immerse ourselves in Scripture and listen to our Father’s voice. Jesus made clear that our words are important. We will give account for the words we speak and write…the words our children hear us use and grow to use themselves.
“A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” (Matthew 12:35-37)
I am thankful for this opportunity to share. Thank you for your time. May God use the words I have written to bless and encourage you and your family.

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Ten Emphases of Our Family’s Homeschool, Part 1

I am an extremely blessed young woman. I was homeschooled from infancy and taught in the ways of the Lord. Around the time I graduated, my parents asked me to write an article giving my thoughts on the homeschool experience to parents who may be just beginning this journey or considering doing so. I would like to share ten emphases of our family’s home discipleship that have done much to positively shape me into who I am today.

1. Daily Family Devotions

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.” (Psalm 111:10)

The first part of our homeschool day is spent in reading the Scriptures together, memorizing passages from them, reviewing passages we have already learned, and praying for family members, local friends, and people across the world.
Our relationship with God is the most important thing in life. We learn to know Him by studying and meditating on His Word, and we commune with Him in prayer. My parents have emphasized that our time in the Scriptures—and the application of them throughout the day—“is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life” (see Deuteronomy 32:46-47).

2. Justice and Mercy

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:1-4)

God is just. He punishes sin because He is holy and cannot abide iniquity and because He wants His rebellious creation to repent and turn back to Him.
God is also merciful. He sent Christ to die so that our sins could be forgiven if we would accept Him as Lord and “the propitiation for our sins” (I John 2:2).
God longs to become the Heavenly Father of all the people He made in His image. One way the Heavenly Father tries to show us what He is like is by giving us earthly fathers and mothers, whom He instructs to train their children in His way.
Without just admonition, a child will truly be spoiled. He will think selfishly and believe that he should be allowed to do as he pleases, and this is especially dangerous as he passes into his teenage years and adulthood. Eli’s house was judged forever because “his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not” (I Samuel 3:13b).
But without merciful nurturing, a child will become discouraged and lose hope. There must be a balance in the home.

3. Kindness and Unity

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)

The first commandment is to love God with all our hearts, souls, and might. The second is to love our neighbor as ourselves. This must begin at home with learning to love Dad, Mom, brothers, and sisters as oneself; to give deference to them; and to treat them—one’s immediate family members—as one would like them to treat him. God created families to work together for the advancement of His kingdom. Being human, children are naturally prone to selfishness, anger, strife, mockery, and unkindness toward others. It is the duty of their parents to work to train them out of these evil and dangerous paths and into the good and wholesome paths of unselfishness, self-control, peace, gentleness, and kindness.
When a family is working together to serve the Lord, He will bless in wonderful ways. No family will ever be perfect, but God knows the hearts. If He sees a father and mother who love Him and are trying to please Him in the way they train their children, He is willing to work with them and help them lead their family in His path.
Kindness and consideration between brothers and sisters is a good testimony, a blessing in the home, and a foundation for relationships throughout the rest of the children’s lives. Sibling rivalry can turn into bitterness, feuding, and even inheritance squabbles later on, while good relationships can be an invaluable blessing and resource now and for decades and generations to come. This part of home discipleship is far too important to neglect (John 13:34-35).

4. Comprehensive Scriptural Worldview

“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)

At the table or in the living room, as a family or one-on-one, Dad and Mom are constantly teaching us how to have a Biblical worldview—how to apply the Word of God to every area of life. From Genesis to Revelation, the Scripture is completely true and must be the foundation on which we build our lives. Almost anything can provide an opportunity for teaching through a family discussion: a church service, a recorded sermon, a book or article, a news story or tidbit, news from a friend, a telephone call, or a Bible passage.
The culture around us is full of evil. There is a definite need for Christian parents who are willing to take the time and effort to bring up their children in the Deuteronomy 6 discipleship model, walking with them and talking with them about how to apply the Word to everything.

5. Family Time and Family Projects

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15-16)

Of all the blessings and resources God gives us, time is unquestionably one of the most valuable. God has endowed each of us with a limited amount of it, generally about seventy or eighty years (Psalm 90:10). Our parents have taught us that after an hour, a day, or a year is gone, it is truly gone. It cannot be regained or called back and used more conscientiously. Therefore, it is extremely important that we invest all our time in a way that pleases the One who entrusted it to us.
Dad and Mom are investing their lives in us, their children. While many set their hearts on their careers, favorite sports, or material success, my parents have chosen to pour their time, effort, and energy into the eternally valuable work of training their children to be ambassadors and warriors for the cause of Christ.
So they spend their time with us. God blesses each member of a family with special interests and talents, but this is not just for the benefit of the individual. It is for the glory of God and the benefit of His Kingdom…and, specifically, the family in the Kingdom into which this child has been placed. The omniscient, omnipotent God puts families together in such a way that they can work together—each contributing in his or her unique way—to accomplish His plans for the household.
We love to work on projects together. At Roots by the River, Dad and Mom try to especially choose products to develop that we can all work on together. The goal of our business is not making large sums of money. It is discipleship, working as a family to produce materials that will glorify God and edify the body of Christ.
Our parents have also taught us the importance of time with our grandparents, whom we are thankful to have living nearby. Eating with them, visiting them, serving them, asking for their stories, listening to their wisdom—these are pleasures for me.

Continue with Ten Emphases of Our Family’s Homeschool, Part 2

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Schooling at Home or Homeschooling?

It is early in the morning, Mother’s Day. I woke up this morning with the burden on my heart to put down some thoughts for mothers who are new to this whole idea of homeschooling and who perhaps could benefit from a word of encouragement from someone who has walked this road a long while. This is after all what Scripture says. The older women must teach the younger women. Of course I am still learning myself from those who are older and wiser than me. We are all on a journey together, and though our eyes should be focused ahead and our vision must be cast forward, we must not forget to reach back our hands to help those sisters who come behind.

When we first begin home educating, we begin by doing what we know. A disciple is not greater than his master. As we were taught, so will we teach. If we sat in desks in rows and raised our hands to speak and did five independent subjects a day and had recess every two hours…we are likely to try to set up a system that mirrors that in our home. Why? Because we think that is what school is. We want our children to have a good education, so we set about to mirror what we believe gave us a good education. After all, we can read, and write, and communicate, or we wouldn’t be attempting this.

But something happens once you begin homeschooling. You begin to question why your son must learn sitting at a desk and struggling to read to himself if he learns better sprawled on the floor listening to you read to him. You begin to wonder why your daughter must complete so many textbooks…one for every subject every year…when they all seem to say the same thing. And you notice that much of the same material can be found in living books that don’t look like textbooks at all, and are much more interesting to read. You begin to question why your ten-year-old should take a standardized test to see if his knowledge “equates” to the ten-year-olds in the local elementary school…when you can see any time you’re around other ten-year-olds that he’s not even learning the same things. And then you begin to wonder who needs tests and grades anyway? After all, a mother lives with her children, hears them talking and asking questions and narrating material all the time – there’s very little question in a mother’s mind as to what they know or don’t know and as to where each one’s strengths and weaknesses and gifts and interests lie.

So you find that things in your little homeschool begin to change. You don’t understand what’s happening until you hear someone who’s been there speak on it, or you come across it in a good homeschooling book. But your little homeschool is slowly turning from the Greek model of education – the only thing you had ever known — to the Hebraic model of education, the model spoken of in the Scriptures where you instruct your children when you rise up, when you lie down, when you walk together in the way. Whereas before you saw yourself having at least two distinct jobs in the home – one as mother, one as teacher – now you begin to see that mother and teacher are one in the same. All day, every day is a learning opportunity. You walk with your children outside and you show them the glory of the Creator. You read the Scriptures to your children in the morning and you teach them to apply the principles to their lives so that they do not become “whited sepulchres” like the Pharisees. You learn new things together in history, science, and literature – not in distinct “classes” with seven children reading twenty-one different books and completing twenty-one assignments on them separately, but one family enjoying and discussing and evaluating a few wonderful books together. You are with them in the evening and Daddy is home and hears all they have learned and can open the Scriptures to them again, and the whole family can enjoy a sit-down meal and conversation and then work on something together – maybe just getting the dishes done and the floors swept up to be ready for a new day, or perhaps gardening, or extending hospitality, or checking in on a widow, or singing , or visiting someone in the hospital, or working on a family enterprise together – whatever it is God has given your family to do at a particular season.

But just when you begin to enjoy your freedom with this “new” way of education, you can be sure the tempter will be there to bring you doubts and fears and questions. After all, God said to educate this way. God wants parents investing their lives in their children and teaching them His precepts and His commandments, and protecting them and sheltering them, yet at the same time teaching them about his wide and wonderful world and the amazing gifts he has bestowed upon it – such as light, electricity, oxygen, photosynthesis, the cardiovascular system, and the water cycle. And we all know Satan is the arch-enemy of God and His Truth. So late at night, when the children are asleep and your husband is asleep and you have finally collapsed in bed … and most likely on a day when things have not gone so well in your little homeschool … or maybe after several days have not gone so well, and you are weary and disheartened… then he will whisper in your ear: “You are going to ruin your children.”

“They are not going to know the same things everybody else knows. They will be misfits. They will be persecuted. You are wasting your life and you’re setting them up to fail.” Friends, do not listen. He will be persistent. He will come to you again and again. But do not hearken to the voice of the tempter. Listen instead to the voice of the Shepherd. He promises gently to lead and guide mothers and their little lambs. Never mind if your children are misfits. Pray that they are! Deep down inside do you really want your children to look like the rest of society? We are a people who have forgotten how to think for ourselves. We have forgotten how to evaluate life in the light of Scripture. We have forgotten to be grateful to God for our liberties and we have lost most of them. We have forgotten what is right and good and instead have embraced all that is wicked. Is this the kind of children we want to raise? Of course not. We want our children to be wise, fearing the Lord, departing from evil. We want them to walk with God and be called his friend as Abraham was. We want them to know true liberty and appreciate it.

So when you hear that voice, do not be swayed. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Remember how He taught. He walked with His disciples, day in and day out. He talked with His disciples. He gave them the Word that they would know how to evaluate the world around them. He broke bread with His disciples. He gave them hope. And, ultimately, He loved them. Enough to lay down His very life. Are we willing to do the same for these little lives entrusted to our care?

It is not enough just to be home with our children. We must intentionally lay aside every distraction that the world will offer and focus on what it is God wants us to accomplish. He says the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Do not make academics the focus of your lives. Make loving your children and imparting to them the fear of the Lord the ultimate goals of your home education program and in doing this – in seeking first the Kingdom of God – He will add those things unto you that He desires. And, if you can persevere, you will look around you and find that even in the midst of a perverse and crooked generation, you have been greatly blessed. For “the Lord is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him”.

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Midnight Theology

Last night at church Pastor introduced a section of Scripture he’s going to be preaching on for a few weeks and I borrowed his title for this email because it really helped underline the point for me. He was talking about Acts 16 where Paul and Silas have been beaten and thrown in prison for preaching the Gospel. He was asking what the response should be when everything is going wrong, those times when Christianity doesn’t seem so easy. This verse really stood out to me:

“And at MIDNIGHT Paul and Silas PRAYED, and SANG PRAISES UNTO GOD: and the prisoners heard them.” (v. 25)

What is midnight? Well, beyond the obvious meaning of 12 o’clock at night that it is referring to here, if we want to evaluate when our response should be like theirs, we could consider it to mean darkness, depression, grief, troubles, or being overcome by fears or doubts.

Their response was two-fold. First they prayed. Prayer is crying out to God the Father. They could do nothing to change their situation. They could do nothing to heal themselves. So they cried out to the One with power and He delivered them mightily.

And they sang. When the last thing in the world that the flesh would feel like doing is singing, they sang anyway. Not just any song — but praise to God in the midst of a persecution they couldn’t in their own minds understand. They were trying to help people by sharing the Gospel of Christ. They hadn’t done anything wrong. They didn’t deserve what was happening to them. But rather than allowing Satan to get at them, they turned their focus off themselves and onto God, and when everything in them must have wanted to weep and groan, they sang instead.

And look at the rest of the verse! God wasn’t the only one that heard them. It says “and the prisoners HEARD them.” Paul and Silas had been preaching openly in the city for days, and we know that most of the multitude didn’t care about the message, because they had them beaten and thrown in prison. But here, the prisoners get a front row seat at what God does in the darkness. The normal response to a beating is not to pray and sing. They are seeing and hearing a supernatural thing. And when everyone’s chains are loosed, these men do not get up and run! Why not? The passage doesn’t expressly say, but could it be that their lives have been changed by the testimony of two Christians bearing up under heavy trial? Could it be that they have seen a miracle and they want to know more?

The testimony of Paul and Silas in the daylight did not reach as many people as they would have hoped, as a matter of fact most of the people were hardened against their message. But the testimony of Paul and Silas at midnight was of such effect that it caused prisoners who had been freed to sit still as though they were bound! Not just some of them — ALL of them.

What would our testimony be if we remembered to cry out to God in the hard times? If we sang to Him in the hard times? Might it have the same effect on those around us as the prayers and praises of Paul and Silas?

The next time we are under attack, what if our response were this (fill your own name in the example sentences):

“And IN DARKNESS, __________ PRAYED and SANG PRAISES UNTO GOD….”
“And IN DEPRESSION, ___________ PRAYED and SANG PRAISES UNTO GOD….”
“And IN TROUBLES, GRIEFS, DOUBTS, and FEARS, _________ PRAYED and SANG PRAISES UNTO GOD….”

Then perhaps the ending would be:

“…and her FAMILY, her FRIENDS, her BROTHERS and SISTERS IN THE LORD, and all her TOWNSPEOPLE heard her.”

May God help it to be so.
Love,

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