Homeschooling: capability

Got a knock on the door today and to my surprise my Saxon Math K was sitting on the balcony outside of the door. Next week I am going to start "Superman" in this math curriculum. He is very excited about starting it also, only because he saw the tub full of colorfull math manipulatives. I really think he is going to enjoy it though.

Being a mother/teacher is turning out to be a lot of fun. It was all very overwhelming in the beginning for me and "Superman". With much prayer, encouragement, time management, and counting to 100 it is a journey that is going to be well worth the wild ride. As a mother I realize that there are a lot of mothers who do not think that they are capable of being their children's teacher as well. We all know the verse of encouragement here.........I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me Phil. 4:13. This verse along with a lot of others has carried me to finding joy not only just enduring strength for my homeschooling journey.

Proverbs 31:10 Who can find a virtuous woman?

The Old Testament word virtuous refers to force and is used to mean able, capable, mighty, strong, valiant, powerful, efficient, wealthy, and worthy. We are all women and contain some level of the virtuous woman as described in Proverbs 31. We are powerful and capable in every area of our lives even when it comes to the task of being our children's teacher. If you have thought about homeschooling I encourage you to research it and pray deeply for God to reveal to you His will.

In His love,
Kelli

blogs, books, submission

I have found that my thoughts and my time concerning my place here has consumed all of my free time and there is need for some time management. I have a stack of books that I desire to read and find that all of my free time is being spent here. I enjoy writing but I also enjoy reading and I know that as a homeschooling mother of two and that number will grow my time for reading is going to become less and less over the years. So I am going to manage my time by alternating weeks of blogging and reading. Hopefully I will beable to fully commit myself to this schedule.

Right now my stack consists of:

Teaching the Trivium by Harvey and Lauri Bluedorn
Repairing the Ruins edited by Douglas Wilson
Excused Absence by Douglas Wislson
The Duties of Parents by Jacobus Koelman
Standing on the Promises by Douglas Wilson
Christian Love by Hugh Binning
Beautiful in God's Eyes by Elizabeth George
Defending the Faith by R.C. Sproul
To Live is Christ by Beth Moore

and this list is constantly growing. What is your stack look like?

This morning I reflected on being a submissive woman. To embrace the will of God like the mother of Jesus. Have you ever thought about how her life drastically changed. She submitted to the will of God for her life. I desire to embrace God's will for my life even if it is completely the opposite of what I had planned for it. His plans for me are an infinite more glorious than my own self absorbed plans.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Discerning Reader

Beautiful in God's Eyes a book on The Treasures of the Proverbs 31 Woman by Elizabeth George. I am currently reading this book for my Ladies Bible class. I have not heard of George before and know nothing about her. I have read the intro and the beginning of the first chapter and it looks good thus far, which is not far. I am hoping to find some truth and deep things through her thoughts on the Proverbs 31 woman. I am not interested in a feel good book that does not speak the hard truths of scripture. I enjoy well expressed "pretty" thoughts but so long as they are not all to surface and shallow. I do not want to give my time and energy to this book and leave it feeling as empty for truth as when I entered it.

I have learned that when delving into any book I must guard myself and be discerning. Prayfully opening its pages and soaking in only the well expressed "pretty” thoughts that are in sync with the words of God.

It is easy to be deceived through words in a book. A lot of times I think if the book we are reading is recommended by highly respected persons we know and has to do with a scriptural topic we assume that all that lies inside is truth and good for our spiritual nourishment. I found this to be very dangerous thinking. As with everything we do, from watching TV to thinking secretly, we must decipher between the clean and the unclean.

I have been asked to help lead this Ladies Bible class and if you knew me you would know that this has me trembling with fear. Leave me a comment if you have read any of Elizabeth George's books...............I would love to hear what you have to say about this author.

In His Love
Keli

Blog Surfing

I have this problem called "can't sleep" and not because I just can't or any medical reasoning but simply because I don't want to. Every night I vow at about 8:00 to go to bed before 10:00 and every night, it never fails, I miserably fail to keep my vow and end up rebuking my self quitely in my head. So here I am at 11:36, thinking subconsciously I still have 24 minutes left to blog. I just got back from "blog surfing" and found a few that I really enjoyed reading. They make me feel just a tad inadequate in my posting but that is okay I am secure in my blogging....ha.

Sting my Heart
Blessed with Sons
The Broken Messenger
Chasing Contentment
Tulip Girl

They are all great reads. I have enjoyed reading their thoughts.
Okay well 14 of my 24 minutes have been taken so now I must use the rest of them to settle into bed.

Reflection:middle of day

Well, it is my "coffee meditation" time or that is what I have come to call it. A time where I heat up a cup of coffee from that morning and put in about 3-4 tbs of cream, 5-6 packets of equal (off brand), and a teaspoon of sugar for a sweet creamy cup of java. I usually sit down at this old computer and begin to check blogs, forums, and write on one of my to many blogs. We just walked in our door about an our ago from our morning worship service and some good fellowship with some friends afterwards. T-rex is down for his afternoon nap and Superman is watching his movie of the day, oh and Expresso is playing on his laptop. He is in a "I have a dream moment" meaning he and some friends have thought up something and are dreaming about how they would go about doing it.

There is a word that was said by the minister this morning and one I have heard quite often from the mouth of my own hubby it is agnostic. I never new what it meant until today. Latte tried to explain it to me on more than one occassion but I was never fully engaged in listening to him, sorry :). So I decided to look up its definition and I found this:

ag nos tic
noun

• 
  One who believes that it is impossible to know whether there is a God.
• 
  One who is skeptical about the existence of God but does not profess true atheism.

Unbelief, in distinction from disbelief, is a confession of ignorance where honest inquiry might easily find the truth. "Agnostic" is but the Greek for "ignoramus."
Tryon Edwards

An agnostic usually holds the question of the existence of God open, pending the arrival of more evidence. They are willing to change their belief if some solid evidence or logical proof is found in the future. However, some have taken the position that there is no logical way in which the existence or the non-existence of a deity can be proven.

For me I have not logical proof nor solid evidence to point to my creator God other than my faith and the bible which because fo my faith I believe is His words and infallable. The Lord is the one who is to open the eyes of the agnostic person. Their hearts are not hard and closed to the thought of God but they do need for a believer to reach out to them and help them search for their so called "solid evidence" they need to believe in Him. The Lord can change their definition of "solid evidence" or "logical proof" and with prayer the Lord can give them this evidence they need by allowing the Spirit to fall on them. This is my evidence.........my faith.

Hebrews 11:1-3

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

Rom 1:19-20

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

My thoughts are not profound I know, maybe one day :0).

Somethings different

So I decided to decorate. Do you think it is nice? I think I like it which probably means I will be changing it soon. Just a little here and there. I don't have much to say other than that. I have been thinking a lot lately about meditating on the Lords words more. Here is a verse for you to linger your thoughts on for a moment:

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. ~Psalm 63:1

I love to read over Davids thoughts. They reach into my inner self and pull out my desires and passions for the Lord. It is interesting to read through them and see the different spiritual highs and lows that David was enduring through this time in his life. I find myself facing them and that is probably why I enjoy his thoughts so much, because I can relate to them in my own way. When I am low I pull encouragement from when he was high and when I am high I am reminded of when I was low and praise God for never forsaking me to stay in my low. I am not sure if any of that mumbling I just did made any sense but it made some to me.

*Glorify God and enjoy Him today

Precious Time Missed

Have you had some alone time with the Lord today? I haven't but I need it. I didn't get up this morning for it and am dissapointed in myself. I need to have more self discipline when it comes to getting up in the morning to have some alone time with Him. It is mighty selfish of me to sleep late and miss that time. Psalm 119:15 is what I want to do every morning.

I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.

Every day I believe this is the best way to start. Meditating on His precepts and considering His ways not my own. May the Lord give you rest this Saturday and Sunday and prepare you for the week to come.

Blessings*

awaiting its arrival

I just ordered Teaching the Trivium by Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn. I am so excited. I have been wanting this book since the day I layed eyes on it. I have to say though after thouroughly inspecting its contents I am a tad bit intimidated by the vast amount of information in contains. I am not sure I am able to hold that much information from one book. I am not anxiously awaiting its arival in a few days. Every knock on the door is going to flood me with excitement and hope. I have heard and read only good reviews of this book.

The past few days the Lord has turned the pages in my bible to Psalm 100. I have not looked for it, it has just been continually finding me.

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving thanks.

1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

And then we as a family have just started Fighter Verses together. It is awesome and the first verse for memorization is Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

This morning as I was dwelling on Psalm 100 I noticed something that they both had in common. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God. Both of these passages that I have not looked for in any way but have been coincidentally presented to me instead have this same message in them. Interesting.

I don't know if God speaks to you in this way but I am certain that He does with me. I often miss his subtle whispers to me. I pray that if He does speak to you this way listen to what He is whispering to you. Don't just say oh cool and then move on, dwell deeply on the message, the similiarities, the words that jump out at you and soak in His wisdom for you. He definetly spoke directly to my heart with these two places in his infallable word. He never ceases to amaze me with His overflowing love and glory!

*Praise the Lord for He is God, a faithful God*

Our Study

Romans 1:1-17

Rick and I started a study in Romans yesterday. We are being lead by John MacArthur in this study. I am excited to learn more about Paul and the christians in the city of Rome. I never saw the grace aspect in Pauls converstion queit as clear and overwhelming as I did last night after reading it again.


Act 26:9 "I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
Act 26:10 And I did so in Jerusalem. I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them.
Act 26:11 And I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme, and in raging fury against them I persecuted them even to foreign cities.
Act 26:12 "In this connection I journeyed to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.
Act 26:13 At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me.
Act 26:14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'
Act 26:15 And I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.
Act 26:16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you,
Act 26:17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles--to whom I am sending you
Act 26:18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'
Act 26:19 "Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision,
Act 26:20 but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.
Act 26:21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.
Act 26:22 To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass:
Act 26:23 that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles."
Act 26:24 And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, "Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind."
Act 26:25 But Paul said, "I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words.
Act 26:26 For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner.
Act 26:27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe."
Act 26:28 And Agrippa said to Paul, "In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?"
Act 26:29 And Paul said, "Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am--except for these chains."

In an instant only because of the grace that the Lord lavished upon him Paul was transformed from a self-centered man to a Christ-centered man. It was from nothing that he had done. He definetly did not deserve the gift of grace that he recieved that day. He went from killing christians to converting christians. It made me think about my own conversion. The same grace that saved Paul was given to me as well one day about 3 or 4 years ago.

Rom 1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,
Rom 1:2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,
Rom 1:3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh
Rom 1:4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
Rom 1:5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,
Rom 1:6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
Rom 1:7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom 1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.
Rom 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you
Rom 1:10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you.
Rom 1:11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you--
Rom 1:12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine.
Rom 1:13 I want you to know, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.
Rom 1:14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.
Rom 1:15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Rom 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."

serve in verse 9 can also be translated worship. I found this to be profoundly interesting. In every area of my life when I am serving the Lord I am in turn worshiping Him. It has given me a new perspective on serving Him. When I serve Him I worship Him.

When I serve Him today by washing the dishes, disciplining my children, doing laundry, making the bed, changing diapers, mopping, being submissive and respectful to my husband and everything else that is hard, less desirable and not so exciting doings in my services to the Lord I am worshiping Him.

A New Look at Perfectionism in the Home

Life in our homes should be characterized by joy and thanksgiving where children are taught and nourished in a way that takes their souls into account. ~ Nancy Wilson

This is the last sentence in an awesome article on trying to be a perfect domestic engineer. I am one that strives for the man made Perfectionism in my home, I fail daily and become distressed at my failure. This morning I read what Nancy had to say and it brought me much comfort.

Blessings

Guess what friends...

**~Freedom in Christ forum is back ~**

A Friend

*That God so Wonderfully Blessed Me With*

"To know someone here or therewith whom you can feel there is understanding in spite of distances or thoughts expressed. That can make life a garden."-Goethe

"Can miles truly separate us from friends?If we want to be with someone we love, aren't we already there?"- Richard Bach

"Never shall I forget the days I spent with you. Continue to be my friend,as you will always find me yours."- Ludwig van Beethoven

"Some people come into our lives,leave footprints on our hearts,and we are never the same."- Unknown

"I always knew looking back on the tears would make me laugh.But I never knew looking back on the laughs would make me cry."- Unknown

"Never shall I forget the days I spent with you. Continue to be my friend,as you will always find me yours."- Ludwig van Beethoven

"A part of you has grown in me. And so you see, it's you and metogether forever and never apart, maybe in distance, but never in heart."- Unknown

"Each friend represents a world in us,a world possibly not born until they arrive,and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."- Anaïs Nin

~*I Miss You*~

Just wanted to wish you a very...........

What does it mean to celebrate Christmas? I wanted to know for myself what it means to celebrate Jesus birth. I decided to look up celebrate and here is what I found to be the meaning of celebrating Jesus birth:


To celebrate means to observe, to praise and to make known or to display. So I found it interesting what it means to celebrate Jesus birth means:


*) To observe........By celebrating His birth I am observing Christ birth a significant part of His life and reflecting deeply on God's power and love for me.
*) To praise........By celebrating His birth I am praising the Lord for sending His only begotton Son for saving me from my wretched sin, Praise and Glory be to God.

*) To make known; to display............By celebrating Christ birth I am making Him known to the world. I am displaying the miraculous power and glory of God.



Let us all reflect deeply on what it means to celebrate the birth of the Savior today and tomarrow and everyday. This is, for me, the true meaning and how we should and are called to celebrate Christ in every part of His holy and perfect reign on this earth starting at the night of His birth which we celebrate as December 25.



Merry Christmas



~*Soli Deo Gloria -- Glory be to God*~

Challenge, finished, enjoying, and some comfort

I challenge you today to listen and yeild to the silent whispers in your heart and mind. When you are in the midst of life whether big or little hardhsip I encourage you to be quiet and listen and you will hear them. When you do don't ignore them, yeild to them immediatly.

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I finished a really good book that I recomend to all women of God. It is called Biblical Womanhood in the Home edited by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. If you do not know who this woman is look over at my sidebar under Influentcial Women of God and click on Nancy Leigh DeMoss and learn some and maybe even listen to her 15 minute radio show. In this book there are many authors and all of them give a lot of insight into the high an holy calling of womanhood. I am so excited about sharing this book with all of you! It is extremely encouraging and soaked in scripture.

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We are in Lake Charles right now enjoying good times with family. It has been just lovely so far and relaxing. Christmas is only a few days away now and that means so is my birthday, not to take any glory away from Christ of course, I just remembered. I no longer look forward to birthdays. I use to love them and long for them. The thought that every year I got a little bit closer to freedom, ha! What an illusion. Now every year I just get a year older than the year before. What a blessing though, to get older. 2 Corinthians 3: 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. When I think of getting older I try to remeber this verse and I am comforted instead of plagued with feelings of dispair.

Not a review or is it?

I wrote this right after watching the movie. If you haven't seen it you must, it is astoundingly good.

I am not even going to attempt to write a review on the movie Narnia, I am only going to express my personal thoughts on the feelings I am overwhelmed with as I sit here. I was humbled tonight as I sat in a dark room and was taken back to the sacrafice of Christ. I have yet the words to describe the way I feel about this movie, Narnia, that we went to watch. It is not so much the movie in and of itself that has caused this but the substance of it. I have not read a review of The Chronicles of Narnia that has done it justice, in my eyes. The depiction of Christ was absolutley amazing and moving to say the least. I sat there tonight with my husband and my 5 year old flower #1 in awe and deep reverence of God. I encourage you if you havent seen this movie yet, go see it, reflect on the story and on Aslan deeply, apply it personally, and lay down before the Lord with immense gratitude for what He has done for You, your children, your husband, your mother and father, and friends.



I was saddened as I thought of how many people sat right there with me in that dark room and watched just an entertaining story of a make believe place with fun made up characters and went home with no reflection or reverence to anything except sleep. There was a place in the movie where I wanted to run to the front of this huge theatre and scream to everyone in there "Do you realize who Aslan represents and what He is doing for Edmund He has done for You!" but of course I contained myself and continued watching Aslan being mocked, shaved, and completey humiliated with tears in my eyes.



Praise God tonight for His mighty love for us. For what He has done for us. Reflect on your life and see God's hand in it and be soaked with gratitude. Pray that you might lay down your life for Him and hand over anything that you have been held captive to your anger, your attitude, your plans and anything that is keeping you from seeing His glory and from bringing Him glory.

Wait I am confused....

Who came first: pagans or Christians with their celebration on December 25?

Click Here

A Polar Bear reminder

I am sitting here staring at a stuffed polar bear that is standing against my computer desk door. Which reminds me of the visiters we were blessed with Thursday night. The Toombs family so kindly took the time while they were here in Texas to visit little us. We were honored and excited to sit and talk with them for a few hours. We drank coffee talked and laughed. The children played quite well with eachother, all except Kenedy who was lost in her book, which I am glad for. I loved seeing her over there reading while Shannon and I talked. The bear that is standing here is Jadara's that is why I am reminded of their visit. I thouroughly enjoyed chatting with Shannon about life, family, homeschooling, parenting, books, and struggles (my own really). After they left Rick and I sighed a big sigh of refreshment not relief we were sad to see them go but it was late and the kids were tired. We felt as if we had been recharged by their visit. I am so thankful that we were able to see them even if it was only for a few hours, maybe we will be blessed by their presence again next year!!

Letting Go....

I had to share this piece of the book I am reading Biblical Womanhood in the Home edited by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. It just struck me hard and left me praying that I will if this ever comes up in my future with my children have this same attitude. Something I have come to realize just recently is that my children are only being loaned to me. They are my children but first they are the Lord’s children. I am caring for them until it is time for them to follow Him on their own. My purpose as their mother is to train them in His righteousness and in His instruction so that they can be a servant for Him. Here is the excerpt from chapter 4, Portrait of a Woman used by God by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, which has been an amazing read!

“Mothers, have you laid down your children for the sake of Christ and His kingdom? How sad it is on occasion to see Christian parents stand in the way of their children laying down their lives for the sake of Christ. And what a joy to see parents who gladly release their children to the will of God. I remember when a dear pastor’s wife, a friend of mine, said “good-bye” to one of her daughters, along with her son-in-law and two grandchildren, as they left to be missionaries in Cambodia. Just before their departure, I asked my friend “Isn’t this hard for you?” She replied, “Oh, Nancy, I can’t think of anything more wonderful than to have a child who wants to lay down her life for the sake of taking the Gospel to the world. Yes, it’s hard. We won’t see them much in this world, but there’s a whole lot of eternity after this life.” My friend, like Mary of Nazareth, was willing to bear the wounds of giving up her child for God’s redemptive purposes.”

I can only imagine that it would be hard to let go of your children for many reasons but with the perspective that the Lord is their sustainer, protector, provider, light, comfort, and rock it makes it a lot easier. I think that we have to be careful to not become selfish when it comes to our children. God is not trying to take our children away from us and cause us pain. We need to realize that we have had them for an important part of their life and in this time have prepared them to basically give their lives to the Lord, to submit to Him before us. When and if our children feel called to live 500 or 1000 miles away from us, in another state or in a whole other country our joy should overshadow our sadness and selfishness. We might not be able to see them as much as we would like here in this world but look forward to when we all go home together and instead of focusing on the illusion that they are you happiness try to focus on what God or is doing in your life and focus on Christ as your happiness.

Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Psalm 127:3-4