Are you tired yet? I am off and running and getting cramps from the rush of it all – and it’s only October! Maybe that’s why I experience homeschool burn-out by January (or sooner). As I thought through my dilemma, I started to wonder how Jesus handled everything on his “plate.” I wondered if Jesus was rushed and off and running all the time. Yes, there were definitely times of a lot happening all at once. I could certainly relate to His dealing with crowds of people all day long and having to hide or get away early in the morning to spend time with His Father. And the number of things pressing on Him at one time were many. Twelve disciples to love and train and feed (and I only have seven), crowds of people to teach and heal, critics to rebuff and enemies to avoid, places to travel – and sometimes all in one day. He most certainly had more than I could ever deal with on any given day. But as I looked into His life further, I saw incredible Peace – knowing He only did what His Father told Him to do; I saw love and patience flowing out to his disciples – taking every opportunity to speak into their lives. I saw the Son of man displaying the character of God in His dealings with people. I was immediately convicted that I, too, want to be a mother and teacher of peace, doing only what my Father tells me to do; to be able to minister to crowds of people or one person in need whenever that need arises - and not feel condemned because of the pull away from my own schedule; I want to feel the revival so necessary on a daily basis as I carve out a time and place to get alone with my Father; I want to have an answer for every man that asks me the hope which lies within – even and especially if that man is my own son. It all boils down to this: I want to be like Jesus. And I know in order to be like Him, I must run like Him. I must run to my Father like Him. I must run to do my Father’s bidding like Him. And then I will have peace like Him. Oh to be like Jesus – there will my weary feet find rest, and there will I find the rejuvenation to run on to the finish of this homeschooling journey.

Note: If you could relate to this, you must read the article, “The god of Education” by my friend Marla. It will give you fresh inspiration for what motives you to homeschool.

What I Have Learned From My Teacher

Our Pastor spoke this morning on the cost of ministry. He said we must be ready on occasion to have our life interrupted (ouch!), and that we must love. Love will always prove itself in sacrifice and inconvenience. Wow, isn’t that what a lot of homeschooling is about? I have thought many times that it would be so easy to put the children in school and have all that time to do all those things on my list! But, in counting the cost of ministering to the hearts and souls of my children, I have to make sacrifices and am often inconvenienced.

This is a lesson, I believe, we must teach our children as well. We must instill in them a willingness to sacrifice and be inconvenienced. And we, as mothers, must learn to first serve the Lord and serve our families no matter the cost. “The greatest in the kingdom, is the servant of all.” We can follow the example of Jesus in this. He made the ultimate sacrifice in laying down His life for us. When I look at the price He paid, all my sacrifices seem insignificant.

What I Have Learned From My Children

One of my daughters is our prayer warrior. If we ask, “Who wants to pray?” she almost always volunteers, though we may not get to eat before the meal gets cold. She is slow and deliberate, searching for the right words, and waiting to know what to say next. I am awed and very humbled by her simple, sincere prayers. They usually include thanks, praise, and petitions. What a blessing to have the example of how to pray living right in our four year old little girl. Dinnertime is usually a stressful time for me, as the children are hungry and cranky or silly, and I usually end up irritated. So, even though the physical food may get cold, the fire of her prayers warms my spirit and puts me back in touch with my Father, and back in touch with what is important for eternity.

My Prayer

“Lord, when my children are weak, let me lift them up with a humble and meek spirit and keep me from frustration. Thank you, that when I am weak, I am lifted up to You by my children’s prayers.”

Homeschooling Thoughts

Teach your children to pray. One day, you may need to just have them practice sitting still. Then, have them practice closing their eyes for a few minutes. Most importantly, show them by your own example. How does this relate to homeschooling? Prayer should always be the first item of the day, and a constant source of strength throughout the day. A school day without prayer has meant failure or frustration at my little schoolhouse.

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” Act 4:13

Will it be said of me, "She has been with Jesus." Would I rather they say, "She is bright, witty, fun, strong or capable?" Peter and John were unlearned men. The rulers and elders were disturbed and came to accuse them. Yet they had to admit a power demonstrated by two ordinary men. This power comes from being with Jesus. This power allowed the rulers to see Christ in Peter and John.

And even harder question, will it be said of my children, "they have been with Jesus."
While math is important, and grammar skills well and fine, reading the classics enriching, and high SAT's nice, they are no substitute for being with Jesus. Educational success will impress others. Never will it be more important than Jesus.

Is our quest for God priority? What school subjects do we skip on a busy day? Bible? Do we serve each other in love and attempt pleasant service, or have a chore list our children must meet to win our approval as part of their educational training? Do we come along side them as a helper in their work? Do we marvel at the creation of God during the zoo field trip, or do we only tell our children about the characteristics of pachyderms? How much time do we allow our children for their personal study with God? Do we allow them the time necessary, a time that works for them? Do we go in our room and shut the door? Do we show them we need and WANT to be with Jesus? Are we only careful to exercise their mental muscles with drills and tests? Or do we allow our children the freedom of failing spiritually and learning to press on? Do we find ourselves reminding ourselves or others how much better academically homeschoolers fare? Do we find ourselves prideful about the homeschool movement because of academic achievement? Do we spend more time praying for our children's spiritual growth or preparing lessons for their academic achievement? Are we smug in our intellectual understanding of the Bible? Arrogant because of the verses we have memorized? Are we critical of others intellectual ability, and base their worth on their test scores? Do we model first our loving Savior or a teacher with an academic agenda?

Recently a mama wren discovered the little birdhouse my children made. Perfectly situated outside of our bay window, we were able to observe mama wren building her nest. Sitting on her nest, day after day, she became our sweet friend. Some days she would calmly sit, as we opened the bay window and talked to her. Some days, daddy wren brought her food. Each morning I checked for signs of her brood hatching.

The last morning I checked, there the birdhouse lay, lopsided in the branches, the nest partially torn form the home. The small, lifeless baby birds lay on the ground below. For days it bothered me. I understand about nature. But we delighted in that bird family. And mama wren had invested so much care and tenderness day after day. In an instant her chicks were lost despite her preparation. Because I felt sad each time I passed the window, I asked the Lord what he could teach me through this.

Immediately I thought, despite mama wren's nurturing care, the enemy was lurking. Her babies were defenseless. They could not fight the predator. The birds had not yet grown a feather, and could much less fly. I am sure I love the ones I am entrusted more than a bird loves her children. How can I protect my children day after day?

I can give them spelling practice, diagramming, water colors and Italian opera. I can give them great novels even before they lose a baby tooth. I can teach phonics at an early age. I can use the best products. I can hire tutors and on line help. I can hold them accountable. I can study with them. I can encourage them. I can be proud of their research papers and mathematical formulas. I can ready them for the time of college or career. In fact, the god of education would tell me it is the most important thing I do.

Today I read Ecclesiastes 12:12 "And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh" (emphasis added.)

If you have ever had a mountain of homeschool catalogs before you can attest to this truth of many books. Your children can attest to study sometimes being wearying. We have abundant choices. Most of the products are advertised as: don't miss, exceptional, homeschool guru's number one choice. We should investigate which tools of education are best for our families. We should strive for excellence. A good education is admirable. We can evaluate where we are and where we are going. Inventories are more important. But periodically, we need to check and see if education is on the pedestal.

Our children are in competition for colleges, scholarships, and jobs. Our sincere motivations come from a desire to see them do well. We provide them with tools, time and even tutors. We like workshops, tutorials, co-ops, seminars, online courses, and of course our home school catalogs. We drool over them like we did the toy catalog when we were six. We want to get it right. We are responsible. We just want to equip them. Good. But one day they will leave. Our sphere of influence will be lessened. Their educations may please us and bring them honor. But will we say of them, my children have been with Jesus. Will others see them and say, those children have been with Jesus?

Certainly we must never trust in education. We must never elevate educational excellence to a status of idol. We must never ever put our confidence in homeschooling, and assume our method will ensure good results. We must trust the God who allows us this privilege. We must pray the Holy Spirit guides them and draws them near. We must walk in a way that is worthy to be followed. And we must demonstrate priority of seeking the Lord with all our heart, mind and soul. We can not put Jesus in our children, but we can let Jesus be seen in us. Parents can make their children their number one mission field. And the best way is not with memorization and catechisms but by following Jesus in a way that is transparent and joy filled. That comes from being with Him.

We can delight in a good Algebra grade. I do. The harm comes when we show more approval for academic achievement than when our children walk with the Lord. Are we happier when they win the spelling bee or when they initiate an act of kindness? We can applaud their science fair project. Do we get equally excited over their service for the Lord--however mundane? Do we seek out opportunities for them to see God? Let us be sure to tell them when we see God in them. Let us encourage them in their faith. They need us to notice. They need to know the most important thing is when we look at them we see Jesus.

“This is the cry of my heart. Remind me, God, to put my hope in You, and You alone.”

Appreciating good GPA's, cherishing homeschooling, but trusting in Him, Marla

Mysterious Ways It’s How God Works (DVD)
Review by Terri Camp
http://www.mysteriouswaysthemovie.com

Our family enjoys having "family movie night." Our greatest struggle however isn’t finding a seat in the living room. Our greatest struggle is finding quality movies that we can all watch and not feel like some children shouldn’t be in the room or where the older children get easily bored by all the singing vegetables.

My challenge has been met by a new movie called Mysterious Ways It’s How God Works. Mysterious Ways is available in DVD format, so we all crowded into the office to watch it on one of our computers. Every person in the house enjoyed the movie immensely. They even rewound some scenes so they could laugh again at the same scene. That’s a true test in our house of the quality of a movie!

Some of the comments made by the children were, "Wow! This movie is great! Can we watch it again?" "It’s neat to watch a movie about a homeschooling family!" and even, "You’re not going to make us eat frog legs are you mom?" "I really enjoyed that!" My son John commented, "I loved the comedy parts of the movie. It was quite clever."

I loved that the project answered a lot of the questions people have about homeschooling, not by simply stating the questions, but by using the questions in an interactive way as the "Mom" explains to the "Dad" that she has been researching the possibility of homeschooling their son who has been having trouble in school because of his religious convictions. When a social worker comes knocking on the door, the drama intensifies as the family makes a decision which affects their lives permanently.

The back cover of the DVD states that there are no suggestive themes and this is absolutely correct. The director even chose to not show girls in suggestive clothing, even though that was an area that concerned the movie family. Because they were working with a visual medium, they would actually have to show a girl in suggestive clothing, and they felt it was wrong to do that.
I greatly appreciate the heart of a homeschool dad who willingly lays everything on the line to create a project like this.

If I were a "thumbs up" kind of movie reviewer, Mysterious Ways would definitely get twenty thumbs up at our house!

Another great aspect of the movie is the additional homeschool opportunities. On the DVD there is a director’s comment movie. This is the movie in it’s entirety with comments by the director. These comments range from lighting comments, to frustrations that occurred in the process of making the movie. You could easily give your child credit for watching this portion of the DVD. In addition on their website, http://www.mysteriouswaysthemovie.com they will be adding addition questions for homeschooled children to answer.

My first question prior to watching the movie was if it would have multi-play appeal. Basically, if I’m going to spend twenty dollars for a movie I want my children to watch it enough times to make me feel like it was worth the money. After watching the movie, I knew that it would quickly become a family favorite. The extra homeschool materials are a real bonus!

The movie is written, produced, and directed by Manny Edwards. He also stars as the dad in the movie. Not only that, but he’s a homeschool dad of three boys.

-- Special review written for The Old Schoolhouse, by Terri Camp, Ignite the Fire

Just in case you’re not convinced, here’s another review of Mysterious Ways:

My whole family, including my 7 home schooled children, truly enjoyed "Mysterious Ways." The failure of public schools and the hope of home schooling is artfully and effectively portrayed in this film. The director captures the fear and sacrifice faced by many during the years of battling for the legal right to home school. The scary but humorous depiction of the social worker pursuing the home school family keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat. As a lawyer fighting for the right to home school since 1985, I can heartily endorse this movie to families desiring to instill in their children a love for freedom and strong family bonds.

-- Christopher Klicka, Author/Speaker, Senior Counsel, Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)

Rebekah Anast, TOS Staff Writer

I heard from some missionary friends in the Solomon Islands this week. They are beginning a Homeschool project which includes teaching the village parents how to teach their own children. The idea stuck me as brilliant since the missionaries are essentially preparing the village to educate themselves without the presence of missionaries. They are equipping the people with the fishing pole, not just feeding them fish. After reflecting on the potential and power of a project like this, I realized once again the security and creativity that can only be found in a home education, in contrast to the dead end known as public schooling.

A living being that receives genetic input from only one source, and thereby grows to be just like its source, is either a Single-Celled Organism, or a Clone. In the case of a clone, it pollutes the gene pool, is often sterile, and generally has a short life span. If we can look at society as a living organism, and education as its gene pool, I’d say “sterile,” “intellectually polluting,” and “short life span” all accurately describe our developmentally challenged society.

One teacher, using a set curriculum, teaches one system-accepted view to hundreds (maybe thousands) of children. They all end up with the same cloned philosophy, skills, and self-image. They can all be safely expected to produce other cloned organisms (if they choose to use the accepted curriculum and become single-cell propagators in the school system: aka: teachers.) Granted, there are a few amazing teachers, working in The System, pouring out their own individuality in a way that brings hope and healing where there would have been none. But by and large, The System is fool proof. That is; no fool can crack it.

Every now and then society breeds a child that rebels against the predictable System. Unfortunately that child has no alternative example, no creative channeling for his need to be individual. No context in which to feel comfortable. The child finds identity in rebellion alone; black clothing, pierced body parts, tattoos, sexual deviance and narcotics to dull the pain. He becomes a “free radical” out to destroy the society of clones that isolated him. He is eventually destroyed either by the System or himself.

It’s a sad story. But for the fortitude and creativity of my parents, it would be mine.
The power of Homeschooling is not in the education. The power is in the confidence, the belief in self, and the indomitable context that the family lends to the individual. Pure, raw knowledge is useless apart from understanding and wisdom. The power is in the confidence that whatever knowledge one has can be used for good--for the good of self and others. Usually we call this “world view” or philosophy. The knowledge we Homeschoolers gain is a tool that is very useful, but that education is not our identity.

Anyone that has been in a room with 30 Homeschool students from 6 (maybe 3) different families can tell you that although they get along terrifically, they are all radically different from each other. Each Homeschool student has a strong, unique point of view that he is excited about. He feels his own individualism as though it were a jersey identifying him as runner #1. He feels the responsibility to run his race and accomplish a specific task that he alone can accomplish. Some of these kids are downright weird, but even the oddest of them (in my experience) is particularly capable of living life in a way that benefits both self and society.

Homeschoolers are by nature creative because their teachers are unique. I had a teacher that chose to be individual; a healer of society instead of a carbon copy of it. My teacher loved me. My teacher taught me a world view that included responsibility, vision, and purpose. My teacher taught me that knowledge is inexhaustible, so I might as well learn how to dig for it myself. My teacher was not over-extended with too many students and was able to focus on my needs and questions. As a result, I am like my teacher, but I am not like a whole multitude of others who had only one teacher/one curriculum. If my teacher had failed and totally ruined me; I would be only one of five Losers, not one of 1,000.

No, I’m not a Separatist. One can be a finger and not hate the foot. I am still part of this body called Humanity. I need everybody else like they need me. But instead of being part of one huge eyeball, I have developed a unique skill that is mine alone. I can make the body of which I am part a stronger, more productive whole. It is a great honor, and a great responsibility. I love being me for you.

Homeschoolers are multi-celled, multi-faceted, unlimited creative beings, which will strengthen and support The Clone Society by using it for further development.

Should the constructs of traditional society come to an end, home education will not falter; for it feeds Society, not vice versa. Should the Single-Celled Organism become ill and begin to produce other toxic single cells, Homeschoolers will not be infected; but they may be the cure. Should the Single-Celled Organism strike out to destroy the multiplying individuals known as Homeschoolers, it may succeed in destroying one here, one there; but we will continue to multiply, we will continue to create, and we will continue to heal the mistakes and rejects that Society fosters.
If you are a Homeschooler; be proud of it. Lift your head and know who you are. Speak out and change the world you live in; it needs you. Be creative. Be thoughtful and thought provoking. There is no one like you, and many that need you. Including me.

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