Homeschooling?

A friend of mine that is thinking about (will be doing it next year) homeschooling (Hi Paige!) and I went to a homeschooling seminar last night. It was Jeannie Fulbright (she writes Apologia’s Elementary level “Exploring Creation With….” series) and I thought it was quite good. She talked about methods that win and methods that lead to burn out. Everytime I go to these things I am so inspired (last year it was after hearing Catherine Levison). I’ve got to either actually put some of the things I learn into practice or stop going to these things!

Anyway, as I am contemplating (obsessing about) next year and the future (and the upcoming GHEA conference and curriculum fair), I am wondering:

What do you use in your homeschooling? For every subject? And why?

I would so much appreciate your input! Thanks!

~Heather

Struggles … apathy … genuineness …

Farmboy has a good post over on his blog about something he is struggling with right now … visit and read and comment … I’d love to hear what your thoughts are as well …

~Heather

Separate Lives

Isn’t it interesting how we can know something, but not really REALIZE the truth? I’m starting to have more and more “AHA!” moments lately, which is a good thing, to be sure. God is showing me many things, and I am so very thankful!! Remember that a couple of weeks ago I realized the truth that I cannot control Little Buttercup? What a liberating moment that was. I always knew that, but didn’t realize the truth about it until then.

Well, yesterday it happened again. At church. Through reading a few blogs lately my eyes have been opened to how we have a tendency to live separate lives. By that I mean we separate things out in our lives as secular, spiritual, etc. I am thankful to have had my eyes opened to that. And I have thought on it many times and even wrote about it a few times. But yesterday I REALIZED the truth.

I wrote out everything that happened, but then felt strongly that I don’t have release to put it all out there just yet. So I erased what I wrote. But here’s the basic thing:

Thanks, Alan, for making me see that calling our gatherings “worship services” is just not right. Really. What has happened is that we now come to think that worship only takes place within the confines of 1-2 hours on a Sunday morning within the sanctuary or largest gathering room. Therefore, worship must not happen at any other time nor at any other place (even if that place is within the church building in, oh, let’s say, the nursery?). It’s much like what I wrote about missions. We misunderstand.

When we make the Sunday morning “worship service” the end-all, be-all of our very existence, we are fooling ourselves and doing ourselves, and the Lord, a disservice. Life is not about the Sunday morning worship service! If it were, then I would assume that most of the information that we have about Jesus would be about his actions and teachings within the Temple on the Sabbath. But it’s not. Jesus said Himself that He came to serve. And we see that beautifully displayed when we washed the disciples’ feet on His last night with them.

What does that have to do with separate lives? I just don’t see Jesus separating out His life. I don’t see Paul doing it either. Either I am a disciple of Christ, or I am not. period. That’s the only separation I see. If I am a disciple of Christ, then everything that I do is worship, everything is service, everything is ministry. The question then becomes who am I worshipping? Who am I serving? Who am I ministering to? God? Myself? Others? And is my worship pleasing to God? Is my service, my ministry, is it pleasing to God?

Remember Saul? Remember that he had the kingdom torn from him because of disobedience? Samuel told him that to obey is better than sacrifice. Obedience … heeding the Lord’s commands … that means more to Him than going to the “worship service” and going through the motions of “worship”. Remember that Isaiah told about those whose lips praise the Lord but whose hearts were far from Him? The Lord is much, much more concerned about the condition of our hearts than He is with our outward appearance.

So what, then, is worship of the Lord? What is service to Him and to people? What is ministry?

Be honest with me …….

What do my posts (and comments on others’ blogs) sound like? I mean, how do I come across? Do I sound too sarcastic? Or too anything? Should I change my tone?

I’m wondering because I am in a MAJOR learning process right now and at a point in my life where I’m simply weary of man-made stuff. In that weariness I do have a tendency to develop a bad attitude. But I don’t want to, and I don’t want to come across in a negative way at all. So, if you don’t mind … how do you perceive me through this blog?

Thanks!

~Heather

Missionaries?

Dave Black has a good article called Are You a Missionary? on his site this week. He asks the question:

If every Christian is called to be a witness, and if every church has a global mission at its door, why are only certain people called “missionaries,” and why do boards and agencies try to do the work of the local church?

This is a good question. There has always been something that has bothered me about “missions” emphases in churches and this is it. Let me throw in a *disclaimer* here — we have some good friends who serve the Lord in a very dark part of the muslim world and they are awesome! They walk Jesus among the people in Africa where they live. I am not saying there is not a need for that. What I am saying is that we, in the Church, have a tendency to think that if we’re not them, then we don’t have any responsiblity.

Back to my point … is the word missionary even in the Bible? I can’t find it (except for those little added-after-the-fact section headings). The definition of missionary is simple — a person who is sent on a mission. Consider the following verses: Acts 1:8, Matthew 18:19-20, Mark 16:15, Romans 10:13-15, Philippians 2:14-15

Matthew 5:13-16 – “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Are we sent on a mission? If so, then we’re missionaries. I think what is unfortunate is that we even use the term “missions”. If you look it up (which you know I did!) you will find an overwhelming majority of definitions pointing to foreign lands, peoples, and countries. But “missions” is every believer’s responsibility (and I don’t mean by throwing money at an agency). And being a missionary – a person sent on a mission – is for all of us who are Jesus’ disciples … the salt of the earth and the light of the world. I have HIS light inside of me and a city on a hill cannot be hidden! We’ve got to stop separating out our lives. We’re either disciples of Christ or we’re not. If we are, then we’ve been called and sent on a mission to be salt and light in this world!

Dave Black ends his article with the following:

Are you, then, a true missionary of the Gospel? Are you creating cynicism or compassion by your actions? Are you heartbroken that countless people have never experienced the forgiveness of their sins? Or that their condition is wretched? Will you do whatever is needed in order to fulfill your commitment to God? In short, are you a missionary – locally, regionally, globally, even cross-culturally (see Acts 1:8)?

Father, I pray that my light would shine before people in

such a way that they may see good works, and glorify YOU!

Greg’s Vision of Heaven

I just read a good article at Relevant Magazine that illustrates my point in the previous post that I just wrote called I’m Ready to See People — Greg’s Vision of Heaven by Dallas Walker.

~Heather

(HT: Alan for pointing me toward Relevant Mag in a previous post)

I’m Ready to See People

Alan over at The Assembling of the Church posted about Justice, Kindness, Mercy… and talked about reaching out to everyone, especially those in need. In one of his comments he said, “I’m ready to see people.” That phrase really got to me … because this is where I am now also.

I think one of the things that stands in our way of reaching out to those in need is that we don’t see PEOPLE. We see …

homeless
pimps
prostitutes
drug addicts
drug dealers
homosexuals
transgendered
widows
orphans
poor
hungry
gang members
murderers
thieves
teenagers
elderly
children
undocumented immigrants
muslims
black
white
hispanic

You know this list could go on and on, right? For a long time now I have not liked labels. I really don’t like the categorization of Baptist or Charismatic, Conservative or Liberal, … you put any label you want in that list … but I don’t like them. Why? They categorize people. I don’t like that. Categories lead to prejudice. Prejudice leads to hate. Hate is not love. I don’t want to prejudge a person based on a category or a label. Jesus didn’t do that.

You know why I think we do that? It’s comfortable, it fits into our little box and it makes us feel good about ourselves (thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought ….), and we don’t have to take the time to actually form a relationship with someone and get to know him or her. You see, once you form a relationship, once you get to know someone, then you start to care about them.

And when we begin to care about people and form relationships with them those labels, those categories that we placed them in, they come crashing down and we realize that they are PEOPLE. People who struggle with sin. People who need love … people who need Jesus. People not unlike you or me. It’s hard to love someone when you place them in a category and label them rather than having a relationship with them and taking the time to know them.

Jesus was all about people, all about meeting their needs and reaching them right where they were. I hope that one day the same can be said about me …

~Heather

(the picture is from our trip to L.A. taken in South Central L.A. in the Pueblos when we began to learn about love…)

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Abiding in Christ?

My blogging & fellow homeschooling friend, Candace, commented and said, “I’d love to hear more practical stuff on the abiding. “, so I thought I might tell you some of the things that I “do” throughout my days which make it easier for me to abide in Christ. After I read her comment last night I talked with Farmboy about it and I just wanted to say up front that there absolutely is no formula for it. I know you know that, but I just wanted to state that, especially since I am a big opponent to formulas.

Okay … more practical stuff on abiding … here are some of the things that I do:

Prayer – I make it a point to pray throughout my day. If I hear or read a prayer request I stop whatever I am doing and pray right then about it. If someone calls or I am talking face to face with someone and they ask for or seem to need prayer, then I do it right then and there. I also pray as people and situations come to my mind (for instance when the Lord brings Gigi, who was over there in the right-hand column before I changed my template, to my mind).

Every time I get into the car to go somewhere, whether I am driving or someone else (especially if it’s Farmboy LOL), I am mindful that the Lord is in control and I ask Him for traveling mercies – that reminds me that He is my protector and sustainer. If I see an accident I pray at that moment for the people in the accident. I pray for those I see on the news.

When we have a bad moment (my children and I) I excuse myself and steal away to be with the Lord for however long it takes for Him to speak to me and for me to hear Him and get it together … sometimes it’s just minutes, sometimes more.

And so I find myself praying all day long. And as I find myself praying all day long it becomes a lifeline for me.

Music – there is always music playing here. We all really enjoy music and listen to it constantly, which fills our home with praise. At the end of the day we particularly like to listen to Steve Sensenig’s To Worship You CD. In our cars, in our home, while I am working on the computer there is music playing that constantly gets my focus on the Lord.

Scripture – I freely confess that I need to be spending more time in God’s Word. No doubt about that! But the times that I do, I write down any questions that come to my mind or anything that jumps out at me. And if there is something that I am struggling with I will do word studies … for some odd reason definitions of words really get them down into my soul (I am weird!). And I will print out Scripture and put it above my computer. Right now Galatians 1:10 is there: “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” … that’s there because of my struggle with being a man(me)-pleaser rather than a God-pleaser and because of my desire to not be bound by the traditions of men.

And I am a questioner (is that a word?). Not to be antagonistic, but in order to understand. So I am always asking the Lord about this, that or the other. And one thing I do ask Him is to show me … anything that I am struggling with understanding I say, “Please just show me“. And because He is who He is and has always proved Himself faithful to me, I fully expect Him to show me whatever it is I am trying to find. For instance, “I need to be a better wife — show me how to be the wife you have called me to be“. And I expect Him to do it, because His Word says that He will help us in our time of need. So I am looking for Him and I am looking for His answers, His ways, throughout my day.

I guess, as the book title says, I practice His presence. Or at least I try to … I do not always have good days . But I try to be ever-mindful of the Lord and the fact that I can speak to Him at any moment and that He can speak to me at any moment, of the fact that He is my protector, my provider, my sustainer, of the fact that He is my loving heavenly Father that loves me with an everlasting love and at that same time He is a Holy God who is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe!

I hope some of that made sense … those were just some of the things that came to my mind last night when I read Candace’s comment.

Blessings!

*disclaimer*

A disclaimer is “the renouncing, repudiating, or denying of a claim.” So I feel the need to place one here so that I can reject any claim that I (either here on this blog or in comments made elsewhere) am just being critical or finding fault. With that said …

I am just in a place of wondering right now … if you glance over and read “reflections about me” to the right you’ll see what I say about myself – ever wondering, always questioning, status quo challenging, etc. But I am not questioning for the sake of questioning, and I am not challenging for the sake of challenging. I am not trying to be the devil’s advocate (for lack of a better term) … I really am not satisfied with the state of the Church. I am wondering how we got here, if we should remain here, what we should change, and how to get from here to there.

I am concerned with many things that I see and so am talking about them. I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but I do think it’s important to dialogue about the issues and ask hard questions. I am thankful that the Lord has used the blogosphere to open up my eyes to many things. I pray that He would use my words to edify the body and to be salt and light in a dark world. I love the Lord deeply and long to see Him glorified and to see the nations worship Him.

Blessings!

~Heather