The seven deadly sins, as the Catholics have labeled them, are a great picture of sins that home educators often struggle with. I believe God can keep these sins far from our doors if we turn to Him.

Lust

Lust is a general lack of self-control. Whether it is the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh or the pride of life, this sin is a challenging one. We can lust after food, other people’s lives, material possessions and recognition. We can want things that are not for us, are not part of God’s plan. Wanting something we should not have is lusting.

Self-control is the antidote: control in your time, talents, resources, energy, emotions. Christian self control, that is being independently dependent upon Christ, will prevent lust from getting a grip on your heart.

courtesy ryk_kneethling

Gluttony

Doing too much in a lesson can be a form of gluttony. Stuffing ourselves full until we no longer enjoy what we are consuming is not God’s best for us. You can tell when your child has had enough lesson. When we keep shoveling it into their heads the joy leaves and a tsunami of frustration wells up to knock them over.

Temperance: Keep your portions small. Small bites are nice. Keep them wanting just a little more. (And it will help keep you from burning out too!)

Greed

Not willing to share time or resources is just plain greedy. I don’t mean that in a “redistribution of wealth” kind of way, where I decide how much is enough for you and take the rest. What I am talking about is a heart attitude of stinginess, of “Us four and no more,” stuffing your home full of supplies you don’t need, refusing to share your time with others, or imparting knowledge and skills to those that can benefit from your expertise.

Thrift is a good antidote. Only buy what you need/will use and then stop. But also be generous with yourself. Offer to teach a co-op class or help a home educating family with your experiences. You will never be sorry you gave of yourself when you allow God to repay you.

Sloth

Laziness in planning or execution and spiritual laziness is a sin sometimes of omission rather than commission. Before we know it we have let things slip and just got lazy in grading papers or planning lessons. It can even be a failure to realize or utilize your gifts and talents.

Diligence will knock sloth right out, and it’s not at all complicated to do: Plan. Work the plan. Evaluate the plan. Simple enough, right?

Wrath

Anger toward your children, inward toward yourself or toward a “system” is toxic. It is not something you want to play around with. Anger, when it festers, can turn to bitterness and eventually hopelessness. It is a deadly downward spiral

Gratitude can keep your anger at bay. Focusing on what you have and who you have keeps your heart thankful, not angry.

Envy

Wanting what others have, in life or learning, thinking you deserve it more is sinful. Grass is always greener…not. Don’t ever envy what others have. You only see what others want you to see, a snapshot in time. God alone knows what is best for you. Prayerfully ask Him to help you with any envy you may have. He’s just waiting for you to ask.

Contentment–enjoying your situation, your home, your family, your life–brings a smile to God’s face. We are happiest when we take the apostle Paul’s advice and be content, whatever state we are in.

Pride

Pride is simply thinking your have it all together or your materials/methods are superior, thinking you are more important than you are. that sounds harsh but it’s the truth. We don’t want to admit it because that is this sin’s nature. Pride doesn’t recognize its own reflection.

Humility helps us keep a proper perspective of the world and our place in it. Humility and her cousin meekness can transform a heart puffed full of self into one that is broken with what breaks God’s heart.

I hope this has given you some food for thought. God bless you on your journey as a woman, wife and mother teacher. Christ makes a way in the desert and streams in the wilderness. He will make a way for us out of any sin we may notice in our lives, intentional or accidental.

Do you have any idea how much God loves you? He is crazy about you. You are always on His mind. He wrote you a valentine–His Word. God is for you. He is in love with you as His child. Drink it in

For this Valentine’s Day I thought I would offer you a little printable reminder of God’s love. Do you know all the things God’s love does for you? This list comes two on a page so you can print out a few and put them all over: the fridge, the mirror, your Bible. You may even want to mail one to a friend.

What God’s Love Does for Me

Happy Valentine’s Day!

This blog is not known to be particularly involved in current events and other potentially controversial things. However I heard a bishop say something last week that convicted me.  On the radio show Janet Parshall’s America last week Bishop E.W. Jackson was on talking about his ministry and taking calls from listeners. One caller offered the idea that Jesus got down with the people and was basically okay with them being in sin. This got Bishop Jackson discussing the idea that Jesus came to love, but He didn’t come to be everyone’s friend. He came to divide (Matt. 10:34). He said the following challenging statement:

Christians have got to learn there is no way getting around the potential for persecution and people not liking what you have to say when you stand up for Jesus Christ…We owe our first loyalty to Him. He is our savior and our Lord and it is Him we are trying to please.         (emphasis mine)

Well said, Bishop Jackson.

What would He has me do? What would He have me say? Where would He have me go? I owe my first loyalty to Him, not to my ego or my  friends or even my family. Pleasing Him should be my only concern.

In this new age of “tolerance” it seems that the only point of view that is not tolerated is God’s. I can say I am too often intimidated by the potential backlash, so I refrain from speaking strongly for Christ and His principles. That will change as of today. I encourage you to make the decision this year to care less about what people think and more about what Jesus would want you to do. Speak the truth in love and let God receive all the glory. It is Him alone we strive to please.

It’s so easy as a home educator to “feel guilty.” There’s no shortage of stuff to feel guilty about concerning our kids (whether the guilt is deserved or not): too much free time, not enough social time with friends, not enough rigorous academics, too much sugar, too late getting to bed, too little spiritual discussion/application, too little fun and games, too much yelling…

The Holy Spirit reminded me of a scripture today and I wanted to share it here, just in case a reader may struggle with feelings of guilt and/or condemnation.

18 My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. 19 This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality.

20 It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves. 21 And friends, once that’s taken care of and we’re no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we’re bold and free before God! 22 We’re able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we’re doing what he said, doing what pleases him.                  1 John 3:18-22 The Message

It is so comforting to know that God knows our hearts (Jer 17:9, 10) and He is greater. With God’s grace we can be free of guilt, whether it is appropriate or not. Guilt keeps us focused on ourselves. Self-criticism keeps us swirling in our own thoughts and actions. Our worried hearts keep us from resting, physically and mentally.

What is the key to freedom from guilt? L-O-V-E. This passage says to practice real love and that it will “shut down debilitating self-criticism.” Mature love (God’s kind of love) is the key to many things, like:

freedom from fear–

There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror!        1 John 4:18 AMP

stability–

17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.             Eph. 3:17-19 KJV

God is love (1 Jn 4:8). All you need is wrapped up in Him (Eph 1:23). He sent Jesus to us (John 3:16) and He continues to love us as He always has (Eph 2:4-8).

So we are free from guilt because of the work of Christ. If He, as the only one who has a right, does not condemn us, we should not do so ourselves (Rom 8:31-34). Rom 8:31-39 is blessed confirmation of God’s commitment to love us:

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Rejoice that you are set free, even from your own worried, self-criticising heart. Nothing you have done, or have yet to do, can separate you from Him and His love, His love that covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). Now you can walk free in boldness and get busy living for Christ. Praise God!

Principle 2: Be Word-focused

When praying with your kids, make sure to include a lot of Scripture. They need to get their prayers from God’s Word, and they need to see what God says about their situation. We must keep our minds fixed on the Lord (1 Cor. 10:3-6).

We can’t know everything about a situation. We must get the mind of the Lord, properly applying the Word to the situation. Heb. 4:12 Our children must learn how to search God’s Word for themselves. Teach them how to use a concordance and how to pray scriptures. One book I highly recommend is Praying the Scriptures by Judson Cornwall.

Show then the Bible isn’t just a dusty old book on the shelf. It is alive and filled with God’s solutions. He will speak to them  from His Word just as He does you. Let them own that. Give them opportunities to hear from God through His Word.

When they read God’s Word faithfully, they will increase their spiritual vocabulary. It is the highest form of literature and it will improve their prayers, making them more articulate and spiritually relevant (making more targeted prayers and not simple “bless my mommy” type prayers). They can read the prayers of others and it will inspire their own prayer time.

It will give them ammunition in their thought life. When ungodly thoughts come to mind they are able to combat them with scripture prayers. If fear tries to come, they can pray, “I thank you father, you have not given me a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Instant prayers are contained in the Scriptures that come to mind in a crisis.

And speaking of a crisis, make a list of scriptures for emergency situations. When things are swirling, that is not the time to crack your Bible and try to find that scripture you can’t quite remember. One way you can do that is to have a file box in your kitchen or other central location. Use dividers for topics like healing, love, peace, relationships, etc. and write on scripture on each index card and place in the box. If you ever need them, there they are.

I hope you will use your Bible more with your children in your prayer time, not just as inspiration, but as a part of your armor of God (Eph. 6). The sword of the Spirit is a very effective weapon in your prayer time and teaching your kids how to use God’s Word effectively will transform your family prayer time.

You may or may not know that I am the coordinator for kids prayer at my church. I love praying with kids, especially my own. There is such an purity and trust that comes through when they pray. Prayer is simply a conversation with God, and children love to talk to Him–and to hear from Him too.

I have been teaching a series on “The 7 Be’s of Family Prayer” at different churches for over a year now and have had a lot of positive response.  I wanted to summarize this teaching to help your family in this area. I hope something that is said in this series will ignite your family to pray together more often.

Principle 1: Be Consistent

God rewards faithfulness. Prayer is something that we do everywhere, all the time (Eph. 6:18). Be instant in season and out of season, ready to pray anytime. Make it a lifestyle. When you pray through your day, your children see that you don’t just pray at church or at mealtimes, but God is always ready to talk with us. If you hear of a tragedy somewhere or you pass an accident on the road, take a moment to pray about it. If someone comes to your mind several times, especially if you do not often think of them, pray for them. Pray all events that happen in your family.

Encourage your children to have queit time with God. Even 4 or 5 year olds can listen to praise music or a Bible on tape and have a few quiet moments to think about God. Schedule it into their day and as they grow older it will be a habit they treasure.

Make it a routine, not a stale ritual, to take everything to the Lord in prayer. You will grow closer together as a family, you will have more peace because you allowed God into your daily life and you will have greater joy seeing the answers to those prayers.

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If you would like the complete teaching as an mp3 for $4, please contact me. And stay tuned for principle 2.

I came across this amazing idea to create a Bible with blank pages for notes. It’s so brilliantly simple I wish I had thought of it first! The only thing I would change is the spiral binding. Being a hand book binder myself, it has my mind working on a more beautiful way to get the job done.

I have made so many “friends” along my homeschool journey–Charles Willson Peale, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Christopher Columbus, Louisa May Alcott, Benjamin West. Then yesterday a new friend came into my life– Frances Ridley Havergal. We met quite by chance, bumping into one another at a local thrift store. And I am sure I will ever be the same.

The little book I picked up for two dollars was a well-worn copy of Havergal’s Kept for the Master’s Use. (I have since discovered that she wrote several books for children, which I am now eagerly seeking!) The unassuming tome is thoughful application of Scripture in a personal way, using our lives and bodies to illustrate her points, using her hymn “Take My Life and Let it Be.” Chapters include: “Our Hands Kept for Jesus,” “Our Voices Kept for Jesus,” “Our Silver and Gold Kept for Jesus,” “Our Lips Kept For Jesus,” and so forth. Here is a sample from her chapter entitled “Our Feet Kept for Jesus:”

The figurative keeping of the feet of His saints, with the promise that when they run they shall not stumble, is a most beautiful and helpful subject. But it is quite distinct from the literal keeping for Jesus our literal feet.

There is a certain homeliness about the idea which helps to make it very real. These very feet of ours are purchased for Christ’s service  by the preciious drops which fell from His own torn and pierced feet upon the cross. They are to be His errand-runners. How can we let the world, the flesh and the devil have the use of what has been purchased with such a payment? (p. 60)

And she has this to say about Jesus’ hands in the final chapter entitled “Christ for Us:”

3. His Hands “for thee.” Literal hands, literally pierced, when the whole weight of His quivering frame hung from the torn muscles and bared nerves; literally uplifted in parting blessing. Consecrated, priestly hands; “filled” hands (Ex. xxviii. 41, xxix. 9, etc., margin)– filled once with His great offering, and now with His gifts and blessings “for thee.” Tender hands, touching and healing, lifting and leading with the gentlest of care. Strong hands, upholding and defending. Open hands, filling with good and satisfying desire (Ps. civ. 28 and cxlv. 16). Faithful hands, restraining and sustaining. “His left hand is under my head and His right hand doth embrace me.”

Ms. Havergal’s poetic prose and call to consecration are inspiring. I know I will pore over her book for years to come, allowing my new friend to challenge and inspire me, beckoning me higher and higher in Him. So I’m off to put on a pot of tea and sit with my new friend and listen to her thoughts on the Saviour I so dearly love.

Links to her biography, music and writings:

My King: or Daily Thoughts for the King’s Children

Poetry Selections from The Ministry of Song

Hymns by Ms. Havergal

The Works of Miss Havergal (Online reading)

Morning Bells; Or, Waking Thoughts for Little Ones

The Havergal Trust

We often discuss God’s Principle of Individuality. It comes up a lot. (Did I mention a LOT?) It is the foundational principle from which all other principles arise. I love to talk about it. I love to talk about it with a 7 year-old. I love to look for it like treasure. But Monday we stumbled upon it quite by accident.

We were in our JBC studying about Moses this week. We were reading through the text when we came to the part about Moses in the wilderness:
Exo 2:16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.
Exo 2:17 And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
Exo 2:18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day?
Exo 2:19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.

I had to stop right there. I had not noticed this before. Why did the women think Moses was Egyptian? He was Hebrew. It doesn’t say he told them. This was very interesting, so we had to reason for a moment. Why would they think he was Egyptian and not a Hebrew? she reasoned four answers:

• his language (the way he spoke)
• his appearance (his clothing and hair)
• his name (given from the Pharoah’s daughter)
• his mannerisms (uniquely his as he was raised Egyptian with his Hebrew mother in his youth)

I thought there were great reasons that she discovered. The women were looking at his outward individuality and making a judgement about where he was from and how he was raised. And we had to bring it around to God’s Principle of Individuality.

Individuality is of utmost importance to God. I am learning more about this from Ms. Katherine Dang and will share more insights on socialism and individuality later.

I was glad we were able to take this small side trip on our journey through godly leadership this week. We will see how this contributes to Moses’ leadership later in the week.

Continuing along our theme this week of dictatorships, we discussed the difference between leaders and rulers. According to Webster’s 1828 dictionary, they are defined as follows:

• Ruler–any one that exercises supreme power over others.
• Leader–One who goes first; a guide. (I rearranged these a bit.)

There is a marked difference between the two. One seems benevolent and one does not. We discussed the differences and the type of government these two would look like. We also talked about the responsibility of the people under these types of civil government. Here is what she reasoned:

• The people have no need for self-government under a ruler. They are told everything.
• The people have some need for self-government with a leader because it is up to them to follow.

We created a page with flaps that fold up to see what’s underneath. We defined them both (above), listed the responsibility of the people and gave an example of both from real 7 year-old life.

The Holy Spirit gave me an idea as we were talking about what these two types look like to a kid. Here’s what we discovered:

• Simon Says: ruler. You are told what to do. You can govern from anywhere. There is no mercy (one miss and you’re out)
• Follow the Leader: leader. You are shown what to do. The leader must be in front to set the example. There is mercy because even if you miss something you can still start again.

This was really fun. We played both games so she could follow and see which one she would rather follow. Of course she chose the leader. But for a moment she thought she might like to be the ruler. I see we still have some work to do!