Why we have chosen Home Education

I have been thinking about the reasons more and more, since people are asking where Boog is going to school. He turned 4 in the summer, so with many friends and family and co-workers we have had to “come out of the closet”. :)

Gus and I discussed prior to marriage and in early marriage what sort of education we wanted for our kids and had settled on public school. We both made it through pretty much unscathed and Gus even had a really good time at school. I did not really care for school while there and have none of those dreams, some have, of going back and doing it again. I did not have a hard time, but I think I was bored. In the end neither of us really learned much, education wise.

One day when Boog was about 2years old (and I was pregnant with Baby Girl) I saw a 20/20 episode done by John Stossel about public education. In the end they talked a bit about home education and my interest was piqued. I had never thought or really knew about this form of education, but was really enjoying having Boog at home with us. They gave the title of the book “So Your Thinking About Homeschooling” by Lisa Whelchel (the lady who played Blair on the Facts of Life). I went to the library soon after and found it there. It is a simple book that tells about her family and 14 other families venture with home education. It was really good and gave a book list in the back to read if you wanted to know even more about homeschooling. I started reading all I could on the subject.

As my research went on I started dropping information I was learning to Gus. He was not totally sold on the idea. I started praying about it and told God if this was the path he wanted us to take in education for our kids to give Gus the answer. Over time he just started telling people who asked that we were going to educate our children this way. We knew we had our answer.

Now onto the reasons.

First, we feel that God has lead us in this educational choice.

Deuteronomy 6:4-7-- 4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Proverbs 22:6--Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

I do not believe that sending your kids to public school or Christian school is wrong, but I think educating them at home makes these commands above easier to accomplish. It just allows you more time with them.


Luke 6:40--A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.

We want to be the biggest influence and guidance in our children’s lives, we feel this can be done with home education. We remember school being a time of friends being the biggest influence. Their opinions mattered more than those of my parents and sometimes did things to make sure I kept their friendship, that I knew was wrong.

Second reason is the freedom it allows. We will be able to get done with all schooling in a short amount of time, compared to regular school. We get to make our own hours and there will not be hours of homework in the afternoons. We can travel in down times or anytime we want for that matter and not be constrained by school hours.

This freedom also includes that we can learn what we want, when we want. If the kids are interested in a certain subject we can learn about it until they move on to something else. If there are things we don’t find necessary we can cut those things out.

Third reason is the changes it is going to make in ourselves. There is no where to hide our bad days or bad and wrong behavior from the children. I feel through this journey God is going to have to change me in many ways. I am not built for this in and of myself. I am not a patient person, I am not organized and lack in many ways. I know that through this God has already started changing me and in the end cannot wait to see how it all turns out.

Changes...

I just wanted to say that I did not get rid of my followers or links on purpose.  When I changed my layout they disappeared on me.  After I finalize everything I will add those back on.  :)

Fear of the Lord...

Since learning the way to find true contentment is to fear the Lord, I have been trying to learn all I can about having reverence for the Lord. So far I have learned that having fear of the Lord, only brings good and great things into your life. Here are a few scriptures about the subject.

Psalm 111:10--The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

Proverbs 14:26-- He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge.

Isaiah 33:6-- He will be the sure foundation for your times, rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.

Psalm 112:1-2-- Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands.2 His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

Of course there are many more scriptures that speak of having the fear of the Lord. These above speak of gaining wisdom, security, foundation, salvation, knowledge, blessing, and multigenerational faithfulness when we truly learn how to FEAR the LORD.

I also looked up what fear of the Lord meant from Easton's Bible Dictonary:

is in the Old Testament used as a designation of true piety(reverence for God). It is a fear conjoined with love and hope, and is therefore not a slavish dread, but rather filial(befitting a son or daughter, having a relation of a child to a parent) reverence.

Lord, as your daughter I pray that you would show me how to fear and reverence you with all I am and in all I do.

Contentment.....

This is something I have such trouble finding.  Not so much in monetary or financial means, but in the what ifs?  I always wonder what would be if we had done this or done that.  I am always wondering what it would be like to live elsewhere or knowing different people.  I don't think that overall that this is a bad thing, but I do think it can cause discontentment in my heart.  

Today I was studing this verse.  

Proverbs 19:23(NIV)--  The fear of the Lord leads to life:  Then one rests content, untouched by trouble  

(JKV)--The fear of the Lord tendeth to life:  and he that hath it shall abide satisfied, he shall not be visited by evil.

From Strongs Concordance:

Fear--respect, reverence

Lord--Jehovah

Abide- to lodge, dwell

Satisfied-- Sated

Evil--unhappiness, misery

"The reverence of Jehovah tendeth to life:  and he that hath it shall dwell sated, he shall not be visited by unhappiness or misery" 

Here are some words taken from Matthew Henry's Comentary:

See what those that get by it that live in the fear of God, and always make conscience of their duty to him. 1. Safety: They shall not be visited with evil; they may be visited with sickness or other afflictions, but there shall be no evil in them, nothing to hurt them, because nothing to separate them from the love of God, or hurt to the soul. 2. Satisfaction: They shall abide satisfied; they shall have those comforts which are satisfying, and shall have a constant contentment and complacency in them. It is a satisfaction which will abide, whereas all the satisfactions of sense are transient and soon gone.

Serious godliness has a direct tendency to life; to all good, to eternal life; it is the sure and ready way to it; there is something in the nature of it fitting men for heaven and so leading them to it.

It seems that the fear and reverence of my Jehovah God is what leads us to contentment.  Is that knowing that our lives are His and just allowing ourselves to rest under His yoke of the hear and now?  To know that this is the time and place He has called me to and with that understanding do everything I do unto the Lord?  

I pray that Jehovah will lead me into a greater fear and reverence, so that according to this Word, I will abide satisfied and not visited by unhappiness.  

Newsboys songs

I am Free

I just love this song. Everytime I hear it, I just cry.

I think in part, because I take my freedom in 

Christ for granted. Secondly, becuase of the joy

that wells up in my heart to know the freedom that 

Christ has given me. When this song comes on the 

kids and I just dance and jump and sing it as loud as

we can. I love being able to do that with them. I am

very blessed that we have the choice to teach and show

our children the freedom that comes with accepting and serving God.

He Reigns

This is another one of their songs I just really like. This is my favorite verse:

"And all the powers of darkness
Tremble at what they’ve just heard
‘Cause all the powers of darkness
Can’t drown out a single word"

Nothing can drown out our praises to God, he hears them all. 

We should be praising God in all we do, everyday and in everyway.

Psalm 146: 1-2

Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord

all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

The No Eating out Challenge...

Well we are at day 30 and it has been really nice overall, not leaning towards eating out so much. We did not make it the whole 30 days not eating out, but did tons better than the months before. There was the one date night with Gus and I, then we had fast food about 3 times. I really think our goal of eating out once a week or less is attainable. We totally want to keep the positive we have seen in the pocket book and we also want our kids to see eating out as a treat not a way of life.

Expelled

This was a great documentary.  Very eye opening into some of the reasons why Intelligent Design is not allowed to be discussed or researched, especially in the scientific comunity.  It interviews people who have lost jobs, because of just mentioning Intelligent Design.   It also goes into how the fight between evolution and Intelligent Design could very well be a war of relgion, between those who believe in a higher power and athiests.  It also looks a little into Hiltler, who took Darwins ideals and theories and put them into action through the holocaust.  

We just rented this, it was at our local blockbuster.  I totally recommend watching it.  If you have any great documentaries that you think I would like, let me know about them.  Gus and I love, love, love documentaries. 

Prudence

I have recently learned the real meaning of this word.  Let me tell you, I really do want to become a PRUDE.  I never thought I would say that or want to relate myself to that term.  In my old understanding that is a "bad" word, someone who is a "stick in the mud" or no fun.  Well let me tell you what it means if you don't already know.

These are from Websters dictonary.

Prudence:  the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason, sagacity or shrewdness in the management of affairs, skill and good judgment in the use of resources, caution or circumspection as to danger or risk.

Prude:  a woman who shows or affects extreme modesty

This one came from Eastons Bible dictonary.

Prudence:  Wisdom in the way of caution and provision; discretion; carefulness; hence, also, economy; frugality.

So being a Prude is a great thing.  

Proverbs 1:1-3--- The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:  for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair.

Provers 13:16-- Every prudent man acts out of knowledge, but a fool exposes his folly.

Proverbs 14:15-- A simple man believes anything,but a prudent man gives thought to his steps.

Proverbs 15:5--A fool spurns his father's discipline, but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.

Proverbs 19:14-- Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.

To sum it up to be prudent is to be wise.  That is something we all should want for ourselves.