Homeschooling: Pros and Cons

As many know, all of our kids are home schooled. They will usually say that they love it. They don't have to wake up early in the morning, and they don't have to do school all day long simply because let's face it, it doesn't take all day to learn when you don't have an entire class of distractions.

There are some cons to homeschooling. One of those is the time that it requires. I can't work on laundry, or clean house, or get other chores done very easily when homeschooling because I have four kids on four different grade levels, and they have a tendency to get off task if left unattended. Then you of course have the issue of the younger kids wanting your attention and time as well. We usually try to let the younger kids sit and color and work on workbooks, crafts, and things like that. Another con to homeschooling is that it is very easy to clash with your child. Depending on how you are homeschooling, if you are doing a lot of the teaching (which we are since I am more than capable of being able to teach elementary age curriculum -- use Abeka and some other curriculum), you can have issues where your child will get an attitude. This is something that may not happen as often if they were at regular school. We usually are able to work through those issues though. Most of the cons to homeschooling can be worked through, making homeschooling a very wonderful experience.

There are so many pros to homeschooling. One that I really love is that my kids are never sick. They don't have to go around kids who go to school on a regular basis with colds and other contagious infections. It is very, very nice. Also, with homeschooling, you can work at your own pace. Yes, your child is in a grade and yes you want them to be equal if not ahead of their peers, but it isn't the end of the world if you get behind. You can very easily catch up. My younger kids also have a habit of learning more advanced concepts early because they are there when their older siblings are learning them as well. Lilly and Jonathan both do BJ's third grade social studies and science if the assignment is doable. Lilly may require some additional assistance, but she picks up on the ideas and concepts very quickly. Another thing I like about homeschooling is that as a parent, I can control what my children are learning. I don't have to worry about them being exposed to values, principles, and lifestyles that are against God's Word. Do we talk about abortion, homosexuality, and other sins? Yes, in age appropriate discussions at appropriate times. We don't shelter our kids just because they are home schooled, but we also don't expose them to things that would have a negative impact on them.

Why did we choose to home school? Well, actually we were forced to do it. We couldn't get the kids in the school that we wanted them to go to, and we could not afford to send them to private Christian school. It is working out great though. Brian grew up in public school, and I grew up in a private Christian school until high school, so after discussing it, we had always said that our kids would either be home schooled or attend a private Christian school. Will they later move to a private Christian school from the home school environment? We would like them to maybe around late elementary or middle school if they want to and if we have the finances and find a school that we would like to send them to. Also, we will let our children go to a public high school if that school has classes and other courses that they could not get by being home schooled or in a private school and those were classes and activities that they would really want to be able to participate in. Who knows, maybe we will like homeschooling so much that they will just stay home schooled and be able to take college courses in high school. We are just taking each year at a time and going as God leads us. --Jennifer

"Do You Hear What The Children Are Saying?"

I can remember in high school an advertisement on the television asking parents, "It's 12 am, do you know where your children are?" Most of the time I'd laugh and say to a friend near me, "I'm at a church youth fellowship and yes my parents know!"

Well, it's 4:56 am and I'm the parent. I had a visit from a very tired 2 1/2 year old at 1:30 am who was complaining that the music was off (we have CD players in their rooms that play classical or children's music to them as they drift off to sleep). I escorted him back to bed and turned the music on for him. I, however, could not easily be guided off to the realm of dreams.

So, I am here and God's Word is with me. I flipped through the pages until I reached the first book of the New Testament and over to page 1039 (for those not able to see my Bible right now the passage is Matthew 21:1-16). On that page, I began to read about the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. I read, and of course, I was drawn in when I read about the children. They very innocently were caught up into the festive nature of the procession and proclaimed, "Hosanna to the Son of David," all the way up to the Temple grounds. This didn't set too well with the religious leaders who were not happy with Jesus in the first place. They asked Jesus, "Do you hear what these children are saying?" Of course, these are religious leaders, so Jesus referred to the only authority they should not refute -- Scripture (specifically Psalms 8:2). Long story short, the religious leaders had no problem with Scripture, they just hated that this song of praise by David was being used for a descendent of David as a proclamation of Messiahship by almost everyone including children.

I regress. The eye catcher for me in this passage is the words of the religious leaders, "Do you hear what these children are saying?" Obviously, someone was not listening! As a father, I trip up sometimes and do not really hear what my children are saying. This is really a detriment when they are bringing a concern about waste management. Sometimes, my listening is too good and I hear my children say things that they shouldn't. However, recently my hearing has been excellent. You see, from praises by my two older boys, who are Christians, and the testimony of my daughter's six year old friend, I had the opportunity to lead my daughter to Christ. I'm so glad I was listening.

Children are amazing in that they never relent when they hear something good and want to tell you about it. My oldest will be celebrating his 9th birthday and he's never missed a day of telling us what he wants and why. A child is also honest in that what comes from their lips is what is in their hearts (Matthew 12:34). The question is, are we actively listening to what we are saying? It is so easy to be negative, but really with a God who loves us and can provide for us why do we waste our words? Read Philippians 4:10-13 if you want some encouragement. My hope is that when the devil whispers, "Do you hear what Brian is saying?" that my Lord is saying back, "All I hear is praise."

Little Ones

As many of you already know, I am a father of six children. I make it a practice every day to raise up my children to the Lord for His blessing on their lives as they grow. I mainly do this because even though it is my job to work to take care of their needs, I have to acknowledge the fact that I cannot do that sufficiently without the Lord's blessing. If I try to do this under my own power, I may fall under the example of many who work all day and feel that a paycheck alone is caring for their children's needs. These parents end up never knowing who their children really are. I could also be a parent that is involved in every aspect of their child's life and end up seeing my children drift away because they are tired of looking at me. All of this to say that I can't be everything for my children, but as a parent who loves and serves the Lord, I must acknowledge that He can be everything to them. I admit that I need the Lord's help when it comes to raising my children.

In reading Matthew 19: 13-15 and Mark 10: 13-16, I find that there are various perspectives that can be taken concerning the parents bringing their children to Jesus. It is easy to look at the disciples and become indignant in their refusal to allow the parents to bother Jesus with their children while He is teaching. In Mark 10:14, even Jesus became indignant about that. We can look at the perspective of Jesus as He sees an opportunity to teach about how to come to the kingdom of God and write a whole entire book, but I want to focus on the perspective of the parents.

As a parent, we want what is best for our children. We search out the best schools. We shop for the best clothes. We try our best to give our children what we know that they need, and these parents in the Bible knew that a blessing from Jesus was one of the greatest honors that they could provide for their children. I would like to think that when Jesus talked about the faith of the children being the key to the kingdom that there may have been a moment when he looked at the parents and smiled. I firmly believe He knew that they had the faith of a child to bring their children to Him for His blessing. I would love to recognize these parents who knew that they were not sufficient enough to give their children everything but sought the Lord's blessing knowing that through Him, their children's needs could be met.

My desire is to pursue our Lord in ministry to children, and as I pursue it, I am always trying to find ways to provide an opportunity to reach out to them with the message of Christ. However, I have to heed the warning that comes from the disciples' example. If I find that what I do in ministry prevents an opportunity to holistically meet the needs of an entire family, then woe to me for stepping in the Lord's way. An example of this would be to plan out a marriage enrichment activity and not provide anything for the children to do at the same time. What a great opportunity and testimony a ministry could have when the parents have trust that in their search to understand God that they can place their very precious treasure, their children, in the hands of people who will be a blessing from the Lord to them. As a minister, I can't help but to look at these parents who desire the best for their children by bringing them to the Lord, and wholeheartedly let them come into His presence by providing opportunities to care for the whole family and not just focusing on the needs of one or the other.

Jesus taught the disciples that the only way to enter His kingdom is as a child. This is a faith that we tend to lose when we focus on our own personal needs and not on the big picture of reaching to others. The disciples had a lesson in this earlier when they argued over who was the greatest in the kingdom, and Jesus corrected them by using the example of a child. Once again, they failed to listen and could have very well disillusioned a group of parents who desired to reach out to the Lord on behalf of their children. Jesus saw the faith of these parents and the actions that they were taking and knew that this was probably one of the greatest teaching moments available. When we acknowledge our inability to meet our needs, and look to Him as the one who can sufficiently meet our crucial need which is a relationship with God through Him, that is when we show faith as a child and truly see the way to salvation. When we come to Jesus Christ knowing that we have a debt due to our sins, and acknowledge that He can forgive us of our sins and establish a right relationship with Him, we have the faith of a child, and we can become a part of the kingdom of God. What are we doing today to allow "little ones" to come to Christ? Are we gearing our ministries to meet one particular need or are we focusing on the fact that our Lord wants us to reach out completely and holistically when it comes to ministry to children and their families? -- Brian

Two Money Makers

This blog came to me as I was previewing a book I offered to my oldest son to use for an assignment in his AWANA book. The assignment was to read a book about a missionary and write a short summary about them. The book I offered to him was given to me while I served as a summer missionary in Pennsylvania. It is entitled Borden of Yale by Mrs. Howard Taylor (Bethany House Publishers, 1988). The book is about a young, wealthy man, William Borden, who in the late 1800's had forsaken his life of big business to become a missionary to the unreached people of Kansu, China. He trained at two prominent theological seminaries, Yale and Princeton, and performed vital ministry at a respected organization with the initials Y.M.C.A. He sadly died at the age of 25 in Egypt.

Needless to say, this child who read all seven books in the Chronicles of Narnia series complained that the book was too long (207 pages) and didn't want to use it. He chose another shorter text while I gleaned a few passages from the discarded book. I saw two familiar names at the start of the seventeenth chapter and the author's commentary concerning the release of the last will and testament of both men.

The passage reads:

Two remarkable wills were probated within a few days of each other in the spring that followed Borden's sailing for Egypt, one his own, made in the fall of 1912, and the other that of J. Pierpont Morgan, who died possessed of almost a hundred million dollars. Though a devout believer, who prefaced his will with the statement, "I commit my soul into the hands of my Savior, in full confidence that having redeemed it and washed it in His most precious blood, He will present it faultless before the throne of my Heavenly Father." Mr. Morgan at the age of seventy-five left little more than half as much to the work of God as William Borden left at twenty-five.

The last sentence of the passage impressed me, but didn't surprise me. I saw that despite the shared beliefs of the two prominent gentlemen that the end goal of each was profoundly different concerning their investments. Borden looked to the needs of the less fortunate in China and reaped an outstanding testimony of service that inspired many to share the Gospel of Christ to the world. The other, J.P. Morgan, left a wealth that now our present government is foolishly trying to save due to unwise investments. What we invest is important, but what we invest IN gives the tell-tale sign of what we foresee the future should look like.

I want to conclude this blog with a quote from the first paragraph of chapter seventeen:

Who is there tonight who can always see the shadow of the Cross falling upon his banking account? Who is there who has the mark of the nails and the print of the spear in his plans and life, his love and devotion and daily program of intercession? Who is there who has heard the word of Jesus and is quietly, obediently, every day, as He has told you and me, taking up his cross to follow Him? -- Rev. Samuel M. Zwemer, D.D.

(Please read Luke 18:18-30)

-- Brian

Busy

Have you ever had one of those days where it just seems like everything is happening at once? That was my day today. I had two kids with doctor appointments, and then my oldest for some reason, thought he should mess with the speciman cups in the bathroom of the pediatrician's office while in the bathroom. Then I get home to have kids trash their rooms, refuse to take naps, and all while I am trying to get laundry done and work at the same time. I have been working on putting things together as the national rescue is going to be getting over 100 dogs after November 29th, and I have to put a list together of all Kentucky homes that can help. I haven't even gotten to other things like cleaning off the desk, coming up with what we are going to have for dinner, posting pictures and videos that are sitting on the camera, etc. Oh what a day. :) -- Jennifer

Three Truths and One Not So True

When we tend to introduce ourselves, we really have to share a considerable amount of information, in a very short amount of time, and the person listening to us has to accept whatever we say is true. I was challenged once by a group of my fellow teachers at a new school that I was teaching at to share two things that are true about myself and one that is not so true. Now, if you know me, it will be easy to pick the right one out. If not, I want you to take a good guess.

1. I met my wife while serving in the Army.
2. I am a father of six children.
3. I potty-trained myself.

Before anyone who knows me spoils it for the ones who don't, I will give you a hint. I can honestly say that number 2 and 3 are true. Number 1 is not because I met my wife before entering the military.

When we get to know someone there are a few facts that may surprise us. Two Sunday's ago, I shared a lesson with a group of 3rd through 5th graders concerning Moses. Now anyone who thinks that they are very familiar with Moses would be able to ramble off several facts about his life. These facts would be that his mother and father were Hebrew slaves, he was put in a basket in the Nile River, and he was adopted by the Pharoah's daughter. Each of these are true, but they really don't tell the full story.

Yes, Moses was born to two Hebrew slaves, but what we fail to share is that he was the youngest son with two older siblings -- a brother and sister, so when the babies were sent to their deaths in the Nile River, he was born under a new Pharoah. What is interesting is that if you research this Pharoah, he came from a group who originated from the land of Canaan and like what normally happens in those times, they invaded a weak Egypt and took power and control. What is interesting, is that this group knew about the Hebrew people and had a long standing hatred for them. So when they went into power, and they saw that these Hebrew people were vast in number, they knew that they had to do some population control or else they would be thrown from power by their worst enemy.

This brings me to Moses and that water-tight basket. Think about it. Pharoah's law was that all male babies were to be thrown into the Nile River. How creative Moses' mother was to take some liberty with the law and create a little boat for her little baby boy to ride in. Pharoah never declared a law stating that these baby boys were not allowed some level of guardianship let alone a personal yacht.

This brings me to the last point. How convenient that big sister was appointed the guardian and she conveniently had all the right information to share with Pharoah's daughter. You have to be kidding me if you think that the Pharoah's daughter would be so naive to think that this strange Hebrew girl from nowhere was just out enjoying a day at the river. She knew this little girl had to be the baby's sister, but Pharoah's daughter played along with the game and told her to go find a suitable Hebrew woman to nurse this cute little boy from the river. Big sister very likely with a wink said, "I know the right woman. Let me go get her." The most amazing deal in history was made when mom was getting paid to take care of her own child! Don't you wish that was available today?

I could go on and blow you out of the water with this myth that Moses hid the fact that he was Hebrew. I won't go into details as to why everyone in Egypt including the palace, knew that he was a Hebrew. If you really read the Scriptures, they point to the fact that the people in the palace knew that there was something different about Moses. Moses lived in that palace by the grace and protection of God. This child didn't have a charmed life. He had a God-guided life. God had a purpose for him, and though he didn't know the details, his parents didn't know the details, Pharoah didn't know the details, and Pharoah's daughter didn't even know the details, the fact is God knew the details and wrote it out so amazingly well.

When we go through life, we really have a hard time when things don't work out as we have planned. We want to construct a great future for ourselves, but wouldn't you know it, we always encounter a piece of the puzzle that doesn't seem to fit. This is where hindsight is always 20/20 (if you don't know what that means -- you see things better after everything is done). I believe that God created the past so that when we get to a point where we don't understand and reflect, He can pull out those little details that He used before to make you into the person that He is wanting you to be. When Moses wrote about his life in the book of Exodus, I can only picture him chuckling at all those specific little details that God had used, that at the time seemed so mystical and odd, and in seeing those details taking comfort that as he is leading the people to the Promised Land, God has that way mapped out.

I don't know where you are in your journey, but I know that mine seems rather "strange," but I look at a few of the subtle pieces and I can chuckle and say, "God just loves to use those little details to show me that He has my way prepared. I just need to follow Him."

For more information refer to Exodus Chapters 1 and 2

--Brian