Holiness- Coffee W/Jesus!

This morning I started my quiet time in my favorite little devotional, Jesus Calling. It was talking about how important it is to go to God daily. The author reminded me of the Israelites in the desert. They had no food sources, yet God faithfully fed them. He called their food, Manna.

Here was the deal though, They had to get up early in the morning and gather it. They were not allowed to store up for tomorrow or to live off left overs from yesterday. Others could not pick it up for them. It was about total dependence on HIM.

I was reminded how true that is for my own relationship with The Lord. I cannot flourish by living off yesterday's quiet time or storing it up for tomorrow.

He showed me 4 things:

1- I have to get up every morning and start with HIS Word.

2- I have to leave time to linger, pray, praise, and wait.

3- I have to stop through the day and make myself snack on what HE showed me in those early morning hours.

4- My husband, my family, and my friends can never fill that Jesus shaped hole in my heart. It was created for Him and Him ALONE!

Lord, I love you! May I walk the walk! Let me talk TO you, as much as I talk about you!

Sainsational Chicken!

Tonight I made my precious friend, Brenda Sain's SAINsational Chicken! It was a total HIT with my family.

I changed a few things for our dietary needs, but overall this is the same, simple, easy-to-make, baked chicken dinner she serves her family.

6 Chicken Breasts
Grape seed oil (olive oil)
3-4 Onions
Red &/or Yellow Pepper
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
Juicy Roma Tomatoes
DeCecco Angel Hair Pasta

-- Rinse & Pat dry fresh chicken breasts
-- Generously apply salt and pepper
-- Lay flat on greased Pyrex baking dish
-- Cover chicken w/ cut veggies, including sliced Roma Tomatoes
-- generously drizzle oil over top of veggies and chicken
-- Cover and bake at 350 for 35 mins
-- Uncover and bake for 10 more mins or until done

YUM!!!

I Can See The Finish Line!

 

 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV) 

Only two more weeks!  I am conflicted!  Part of me is looking forward to a break so I can catch up on laundry and have nothing else on my plate.  Yet at the very same time, I am so sad that my time with my students is quickly coming to a close.  I love each and everyone one of them.  In all the years I've homeschooled I've never traveled for 30 weeks with other families all studying the same information.  It has been the JOY of my soul.

Geography- This week the students began their final exams to see how many countries and capitals they remember.  The countries tested on were USA, Canada, & South America.  The students did GREAT!

Rhetoric- This was our last week with Don't Check Your Brains At The Door.  Such a great book on biblical worldview.  We have learned so much about myths and TRUTH!  Ultimate Truth.  

Science/Research-  This past year we have worked on the skill set of research for our science.  The students have learned how to discover interesting facts about animals and then about the human body.  Beginning next week they will get to show everything they've learned about the human body as we practice drawing and labeling from heart.

Literature-  The Bronze Bow!  Absolute favorite discussion of the entire school year.  I hope each of the students went home and talked with their parents about some of the subject matter we discussed.  Is it okay to steal if it's life or death?  What the difference between freedom fighters and thugs?  Why does communism not fix everything?  (It seems fair, right?)  Excellent discussions!  I love it when they do most of the talking.  That means they're learning.

 

Director Business Training - Take Two

Wow!  I am always amazed at how much the Lord energizes my heart through DBT.  Yesterday was filled with lots of encouragement, laughter, idea's, and aha's.  We had to settle ourselves down to stay focused on where we're at so we can finish strong where we're at.

Once again we worked on Classical Conversations Theme:

INSPIRING LIFE FROM A HEART OF HUMILITY

Our devotion on humility was SO good!  The Lord ministered to our hearts as we had conversations about what it means to view ourselves as servants, instead of leaders.  Isn't it funny how those words mean the same thing, but they paint a totally different picture of how to lead?

Our discussion revolved around the fact that many times when pride is leading the way WE are not even aware that it has crept in.  

It shows up as needing to have OUR IDEA'S promoted, OUR THOUGHTS heard.  We desire to be right more than we desire to be holy.  Our prayer is that God would alert us immediately when this creeps in.  

Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes WISDOM! Proverbs 11:2  (Shared by both Brenda AND Gina, unbeknownst to one another)

Brenda shared her testimony of how God took away her strength theme of FUTURISTIC so that she could not plan or dream about her homeschool future like she always had.  It was in that season of humility that HE gave her far more than she could have ever dreamed or plan herself. 

Terri shared from a very powerful book by Andrew Murray.  It's a 31 day devotion on "Abiding" and it's based on John 15.  It so spoke to my heart because it doesn't get any busier than where we're at now through June.  I find myself being pulled in many different directions.  The lie in my head is that I want to run home, close the doors, shut the blinds, and go back to just being mom.  Serving is hard, I find myself tired.  

And then.....

"The most heavily laden branches bow the lowest".

I literally stopped in my tracks.  I want to be comfortable.  I want my branch to be "light". (aka: easy)  But it's now, (in this moment) in the busiest season that I find myself more dependent on God than ever.  

My flesh wants to retreat, but my spirit simply wants me to bow.  

Thank you, Terri for sharing!

Gina brought tears to our eyes as she shared the heartache she experienced this year, walking through being a foster parent.  She gave God all the glory.  It was a JOY to hear how HE is working in her heart.  

Here are just a few of her verses:

If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (AMPLIFIED)

 Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you,  Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. ~ 1 Peter 5:6-7 (AMPLIFIED)

For lunch I had woken early and made chicken curry.  Can you believe I walked out of my house and left it sitting on the counter?  Thank you Brenda Sain for sharing your left over roasted chicken to go with our salad.  I so deeply love and appreciate you! 

Nearing The Finish Line!

What are they doing?  

They are playing Catechism Drill!  

We are truly nearing the finish line!  Keep your eyes on Jesus!

Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2 AMP)

RESEARCH

This week we researched the eye and all of the thought the Lord put into creating our sight.  When we look at the details we see the Creator.

Last week we learned how God perfectly purposed our digestive system.  It's what keeps our bodies going.  This wonderful little class project was done by Bethie White.  She used household objects to re-create the digestive system by heart.  Then she let another student try it.  It was such an excellent tool.  Bethie walked in the Dialectic stage of learning through her research and then in the Rhetoric stage by teaching.  She will now own this information for life.

GEOGRAPHY

This is how we plan to test out drawing the world by heart.  It will be broken down into our last three weeks.  Please note the dates and countries so that your student can prepare.  Next week we will begin this process with the United States, Canada, and South America.

The following week we will cover the above listed countries.

Our final week we will complete the entire world!

Oh how happy my heart is to finish this school year.  Not because it's over, but because my children have grown and gained understanding.  We see Jesus in all the details of every single subject.

Easter Legacy 2013

The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling, a scrubby plant in a parched field. There was nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look. He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at him and people turned away. We looked down on him, thought he was scum. But the fact is, it was our pains he carried— our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed. We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost. We've all done our own thing, gone our own way. And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong, on him, on him. (Isaiah 53:2-6 MSG) 

We started our Easter off by gathering together with other believers and worshiping the ONE who loved us so much HE allowed himself to walk through torture and ultimately death so that I (and all of us) could have eternal life.  My brain cannot comprehend this kind of love.  Jesus is my model.  He walked in love, filled with grace, overflowing with everlasting hope! 

We then went to Grandma's as is our tradition

Great Grandchildren

Just a couple of my loves

Grandma and the little boys

Legacy Pedi's

Relaxing after yummy hamburgers

Cousins

Time to hunt!

Thank you, Jesus!  Thank you for your great sacrifice.  Thank you for writing my name in your precious book of life.  Thank you for the legacy you've given my family in that all my children and my husband know you too.  May you be glorified in my heart, my mind, and my actions.  May others see YOU in me.  Help me to decrease so that you can increase.

Speaker Training 2013

This year our focus for our annual Practicum is exciting! 

Our subject is arithmetic! 

Our theme is teaching from a heart of humility

Our purpose is reviving and renewing our hearts to walk in JOY as we homeschool our children!

“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. (Deuteronomy 6:4-8 NLT)

And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint. (Galatians 6:9 AMP)

Christi walking us through the teaching the trivium using the game, Feed The Woozle!  It was GREAT!

Sharing the vision of Conversational math!

Finding FUN ways to present math at Practicum!

Who knew the Commutative Law could be so fun and interactive?!

Walking through understanding the beauty and simplicity of the trivium in our basic subjects.

But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me! 2 Corinthians 12:9

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] (Matthew 11:28 AMP)

Our theme at speaker training was not depending upon our fleeting abilities, but on GOD'S unfathomable wisdom!

When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:1, 4, 5 NLT)