Parenting is Dirty Work

I recently was discussing with a friend that I had shot a few opossums by the henhouse a little while back. My friend politely told me that he was not the right person to be sharing said conversation because he was opposed to killing wild animals. I then responded that I had felt the same way, until I had to pick up the remains of a couple of my dead chickens from the floor of the chicken coop. Ever since that fateful morning the raccoons and opossums have become fair game if they are any where near my birds. I am obligated to protect my livestock.

I’ve seen similar sentiments expressed when people ask us (often with a sickened look on their faces) whether or not we kill the animals that we raise for food, and I say that we do. It seems that most people have no problem eating a slice of their favorite meat as long as they don’t have to do the work of slaughtering and preparing it. However, someone has to do the dirty work. It’s just easier not to think about it, and to look the other way.

These examples elicit an image in my mind of the “dirty work” involved in parenting, and how some parents just ignore some things, rather than get their hands dirty. Some of the “varmints” out there include bad influence and sins of all kinds; if we don’t take measures against them, they will attack our homes and influence our children. Too often, we turn a blind eye to the dangers of worldliness and the lusts that permeate our culture. Instead of protecting our children, we have, instead, invited the fox into the henhouse—whether through the filth of television or the humanist philosophies presented in public education. Greed, sex, idolatry, and just plain complacency are the norm—even within the church. We have lost our way.

And unfortunately, those who do take defensive positions (like a good farmer watching out for his birds) all too often get labeled as self-righteous, or “holier than thou.” They are criticized for sheltering their children or being anti-social. I’m sorry, but in the Bible sheltering is portrayed as a positive thing; it’s only our culture that puts a negative spin on it. Why? Because it’s easier to let someone else get their hands dirty, or to ignore the problems all together.

The Bible states: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” Yet we can live (and teach our children to live) with one foot (or sometimes two feet) firmly planted in worldliness. Too many of us believe that it is society’s—or church’s—responsibility to raise our children. This is even true when it comes to spiritual instruction. However, God has commanded us, as parents, to do the job (Duet 6:6-7). Many churches simply perpetuate the practice of “handing off” the responsibility for one’s flock, rendering parents impotent when it comes to having a spiritual influence on their children.

Are we willing, as parents, to get our hands dirty by calling evil, evil and good, good? Are we willing to cut sin and complacency out of our homes? Are we willing to keep the fox out of the henhouse, discipling our families and leading them according to God’s Word? If not, another generation will be lost to the world. I urge you to protect your flock and be willing to get your hands dirty.

Parenting is Serious Business!

I’ve been thinking this morning about how grateful I am to the Lord for His grace in helping me to grow in different areas as a wife, mother, and Christian. Particularly on the home front, I have to admit that I haven’t always enjoyed my children. There is so much busyness about everyday! We have chores to do, schoolwork to do, animals to care for, food to prepare, work of different kinds for my husband and myself, ministry opportunities, grocery shopping, doctor’s appointments, and… you know how it is, I’m sure. Our life is no different than anyone else’s.

Not only that, but there’s just parenting, which actually is multi-dimensional. We need to provide our children with spiritual instruction and character training, equip them with practical life skills, build solid relationships with them, and make sure to encourage them regularly.

With all that going on (and particularly with so many children), things have got to be “managed.” But I’ve found that there’s a fine line between management and control. When I’m managing, I’m relying the the Holy Spirit to direct me in the way the Lord wants me to go. I’m keeping in mind that I’m serving God, not myself or my own expectations and standards. When I cross the line and try to control these different things, I get myself in trouble. Then, it’s too much of me and not enough of the Lord. I get “tunnel vision” and focus on what needs to get done (or what “I” can do), rather than on the “big picture” things that need to happen and what the Lord wants to accomplish. “Control” makes my role as a “manager of the home” quite unenjoyable.

Not only that, but simply the hustle-and-bustle of everyday, with making sure that what needs doing gets done, sometimes prevents me from enjoying my children as much as I would like to. Frankly, their foolishness can be irritating, particularly when I’m trying to get something else (or, usually, several other things!) accomplished. Providing sometimes constant correction can be wearying. Housekeeping is never-ending (there’s always “more” I could do!). And food preparation for a family the size of ours is almost always time-consuming.

But I’m so thankful that God has worked on me a lot in this area over time. I’ve learned not to take everything so seriously! Sometimes I have to loosen up “on purpose,” because it’s really not my nature. So in the midst of all of activity of each day (and the days seem to stay full to the brim!) here are some things that I consistently try to do:

  • Smile at my children
  • Say things like, “I love you,” “I’m glad God gave you to me,” “You are special,” “Thank you,” “You blessed me by doing that,” or whatever other encouraging things I can think of.
  • Find things to laugh about (even if it’s something that would otherwise make me cry!)
  • Occasionally give everybody a special treat…like cake in the middle of the morning or hot chocolate in the afternoon, “just because.”
  • Remember to hang up the pictures the children make for me (or display their projects) and point them out to Daddy when he’s done working.
  • Wear the yarn-and-bead necklaces and the pipe-cleaner rings that they’ve given me as gifts, and make sure to show them off!
  • Set aside at least a few moments of every day to spend some individual time with each child. Sometimes it IS only a few minutes (much as I’d like it to be longer), but time set apart is cherished, no matter what we do…read a book, sing some songs, play a game, or “whatever.” When you have a large family, usually everyone is always together, or the children tend to do things in groups–so telling everyone else,”Mommy wants to do this only with __________” really makes a child feel special!
  • Do something to make my children feel loved…and these are constant “little things.” I give my oldes son a neck massage, because he’s very ticklish and it just makes him laugh. My second son likes hugs, any time and just because. My oldest daughter likes to be “Mommy’s helper” and have me tell her that she’s being really grown up! My middle daughter loves to be tickled, and she has a great laugh. My youngest daughter enjoys reading books. And the baby, so far, just likes being held and smiled at a lot. All the kids love it when we take a familiar tune and sing different words to it, especially if it’s something funny. Then there are the secret winks, pet names, and just plain pats on the back and stuff like that.

It’s easy to get way too serious about everything that needs “managing,” but we need to make the most of every opportunity to really connect with our kids and let them know that they are loved. That is what makes every day enjoyable. It’s not about crossing things off of our to-do list or doing all the lessons in the workbook or making a perfect 4-course meal or having the bookshelves dusted and everything in its place all the time. That’s the stuff that’ll take the joy right out of living! I’m constantly reminding my kids, “God made us a family, and He wants us to love each other!” And love is in the little things. So I urge you to look for “little things” to do and say today to remind your children that you love them and that they are special. For me, it’s been something I’ve had to remind myself often to do–but it’s not something we can do without. Just one more area of parenting and life in general in which I need to be proactive. It’s worth it!

The End of the Age…Beginning Today?

Normally my husband leads our family devotional time every morning and evening. Since he is away for a few days this week, I had to choose the Scriptures that I would read to the children this morning. I didn’t really have anything specific in mind, so I just said a quick prayer before we began, that God would direct me to something that would be relevant for us today…that we might know Him more or be better-equipped to worship Him, in Spirit and Truth.

Well, I ended up opening at random to Matthew 24 (“Signs of the End of the Age”). Now, I’m not a Bible scholar–but I do own a Bible and I happen to read it. So please don’ t split hairs with my interpretation on this. I just want to share how this particular teaching of Jesus was relevant to us today. Take it or leave it.

You may be familiar with this passage. We read quite uneventfully through the first part:

1Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2″Do you see all these things?” he asked. “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

4Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains.

9″Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,

And this is the part that jumped out at me: “11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

As I read this, I couldn’t help but fear God–because I don’t want to be one of the people in the time of the end who turns away from the faith. More than that, as I read “he who stands firm to the end will be saved…” the inverse truth grabbed hold of me–that he who does NOT stand firm to the end will NOT be saved? Theologically speaking, I’m sure there would be various arguments as to the truth of this statement. But even if it’s only arguably true, we all as believers should truly fear the Lord and pray for the strength and grace to face persecutions that come because of the name of Jesus that we profess.

And my next thought was, the time of the end begins TODAY! Even if I don’t see the end times (and I may!), what about my children? Will they be prepared to stand firm in their faith if they face all of these trials and evils and persecutions? Our preparation begins today–with us, as parents, instructing our children in the Word of God. With us, as parents, making the sacrifices that are necessary to truly disciple our children and encourage them in their walk with the Lord. And with all of us making the moment-by-moment decision to stand for Jesus.

For me, to put aside my selfish desire for a few moments peace and instead, to sit down and read to my children. For my children: to have good attitudes about their schoolwork…to be diligent about their household chores…to share with their siblings even though they want things for themselves…to practice that “gentle answer that turns away wrath”…and so on. We will be prepared to stand in the time of the end if we can STAND today.

If we can’t “stand” today, when we can freely worship Jesus, when we live in a time and a place of prosperity and blessing, when we can share our faith without fear…then can we be sure that we will be found faithful when it becomes immeasurably more difficult?

We’ve really been impacted by reading, as a family, “Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.” (We got a revised and updated volume through Grace and Truth Books–they have a great selection there!) We’re excited every time we receive the free “Voice of the Martyrs” publication (and the “Kids of Courage” version). I’ve also visited the Kids of Courage Web site and shared some stories from there with the children. These things have helped us all to view each day, more and more, in light of eternity, and really have challenged us to see beyond the temporal–the “light and momentary troubles,” if you will (see 2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

So of course all of these things came together in my mind as I read from Matthew chapter 24 this morning. I am challenged to make sure that I am ready to STAND for my savior–and that begins today, with each and every choice I make: self or service? Sin or sanctification?

I also am more inspired than ever to make sure that my children are well-equipped in their faith. Daily devotional times–yes! Time for personal Bible reading–yes! But even more than those instructions, positive encouragement and discipleship in living the Word of God is so important. Every moment of every day, we can redeem the time and share relevant truths from God’s Word with our children. We can teach and train them in what it means to live for Christ and grow in Christ-like character. Making the most of these opportunities often (almost always, in fact!) involves some type of sacrifice…sacrifice of our own expectations, our desire for control, items on our “to-do” list left undone, all kinds of “good” activities set aside for something “better.” What is of value? What do you value? Are you–and are your children–prepared to STAND for Jesus, starting TODAY?

"Change Management"–in the Home

Change is the only thing in life that is constant. If we are to successfully manage our homes and families, we must respond to the changes. Our goals and the decisions we make and the methods we apply to reach those goals are all dynamic. We, as managers, need to respect this fact of life and apply wise methods of identifying problems, developing solutions, and implementing solutions such that our long term objectives are not jeopardized by the ebb and flow of change in our lives.

In this blog, I want to discuss change management. If it sounds like I am talking “project management” talk, it’s because I am a project manager. And you know what?: you are too! Home management and parenting are both project management at its finest.

The other day Cindy and I were wrapping up our budget for the month. That’s when we input the final straggling receipts and see how everything measures up. We balanced for the month perfectly—and were very pleased. However, I noticed a few “red” categories—a couple that were WAY off. We had overspent on gasoline by $164 for the month. We also overspent on groceries and utilities.

Immediately I pulled down the graphs for each of these categories and saw that we were indeed over-budget—and consistently so for the past several months. The conclusion: our budget estimates and the allotted amounts for these categories were insufficient. So, I adjusted the categories up a bit and lowered some other discretionary categories to make the budget balance again. For those of you who use the free budget tool, I suggest you use the graphs to monitor trends and make adjustments accordingly as well. In this way, you can manage your spending with accuracy and confidence. If you don’t use the tool, I suggest you get a copy—it’s free, and very powerful! (Visit the downloads page at http://www.valuesdrivenfamily.com/). See also a previous post on the use of the tool (including images of the charts and graphs).

So what were the steps involved for this “change management?” First…

1. Evaluate metrics: Look at the project plan and see how you are doing. In this case, it’s looking at the budget trends and seeing how we were performing.

2. Identify a problem: Budget categories were not tracking according to plan.

3. Determine the root cause: The amounts allotted were insufficient—gas prices, utility costs, and grocery costs were increasing, entirely out of our control. We were already minimizing travel, being wise with utility usage, and being frugal with grocery purchases. Therefore, it was just the cost of living going up.

4. Develop a solution: If we were not already optimized in these areas, we could resort to implementing practical solutions like traveling less, more frugal shopping, and turning lights off more and burning wood. Since we already do these things, the only solution is more funds to cover the present expenses.

5. Implement the solution: We upped the respective categories to amounts that put us on track and found discretionary categories to pillage.

6. Revisit the plan: After change is implemented, always check your plan and make sure that your overall goals are still being met. In this case, it was simply a balanced budget with all of our spending, savings, giving, and fiscal obligations being met.

Now this was a simple example that we can all understand. But what about implementing change in some more complex areas? Specifically (and even more importantly): what about your parenting, and the discipleship of your children? Guess what? The same principles apply! It becomes a tad bit more complex, because the average parent does not typically have a plan for their children. However, if you and your spouse took the time to discuss what your goals are for your children, you’d realize that you do have one. For those of you who are just trying to survive through the parenting years, I urge you to consider getting more proactive.

Now if you have a plan, and are doing things to achieve your goals for your children, how are you measuring results? Their behaviors? Your gut feeling, or emotions, on their spiritual, or other, condition? These things are good, but may not provide you with the information you need to implement effective change management. Step 1 above is to evaluate metrics. So get beyond your own initial reactions and thoughtfully consider, where is your child’s heart? Are they receiving instruction, submitting to the Lord’s will, and growing in Christlikeness? These are some of our goals—things we monitor.

When we identify a problem (step 2), we look for trends. If trends exist, we seek to understand the underlying cause (step 3). Behaviors are superficial. What is the heart condition leading to the behavior? The source may be one of us, as parents. Or, maybe it’s the delivery: how we communicate, interact, or instruct our children. Maybe we are not spending enough time with the child. Maybe we need to reiterate what the Word says about certain issues, or clarify respective roles. The possibilities are numerous. But the obvious point is that we must introspectively search out the root cause—and with not just a little prayer. Talk to the child, pray about it, use your noggin, and discuss it with your spouse. God will give you the insight.

Now that you hopefully have the root cause of the issue, develop a solution (step 4). What can be done to get things back on track? Parents, be willing to humble yourselves here and come clean if you are indeed the source of the problem. The fresh start is worth the blow to your pride. If the child needs some heart change, work the matter with the tools at your disposal—the Word, the rod, and your loving encouragement.

Step 5 (implementation): just do it! Go ahead and implement your solution.

Step 6: Revisit the plan. Take a good look at your plan; what are your goals? Are your current solution implementation and changes you’ve made consistent with your parenting goals? If not, something needs to change—either your goals, or your methods. Adjust accordingly—again, with much prayer.

I hope that some of these practical tools will benefit you in some way. Don’t let change and problems discourage you. Remember that all challenges are opportunities for growth and improvement (Romans 8:28).

For much, much more detail on these principles and proactive planning in the home, as well as the Biblical basis and application of the parenting “tools,” pick up a copy of The Values Driven Family. Also keep your eyes peeled for my newest book, Values Driven Discipleship. I hope to release it real soon.

God bless you,

Marc

Altering the Atmosphere: RE-BOOT!

Yesterday was “one of those days” for us! It wasn’t a BAD day, by any stretch of the imagination, but it wasn’t super, either. The kids were “off,” and I was “off,” too. We were all putting in a good effort to “do it God’s way,” but it probably wasn’t our BEST effort. I can’t say that the kids were arguing with one another (as we are quick to discipline when they do), but they just seemed to be talking a bit unkindly. Certainly not the “gentle answer that turns away wrath.” They weren’t neglecting their chores or getting distracted by play…but they weren’t moving as quickly as usual, either.

It seemed like everything I tried to do experienced problems of one sort or another. (Particularly, computer problems of all sorts…AND I was tired, anyway!!) Although I wasn’t YELLING at the kids, my younger son told me I didn’t have a particularly “gentle and quiet spirit” either. 🙂 I think my communications were a bit abrupt–I can’t say I was in the mood for conversation, and the constant correction of different things started to wear on me by mid-morning.

All of us were sort of expecting the “off” day to take a turn for the worse and become a BAD DAY at some point. So, thankfully, I remembered our strategy for dealing with these sorts of days, and implemented it before it was too late!

We talk about this effective “mood-altering” method in The Values-Driven Family, but I’ll summarize it here as well, just in case you haven’t yet read the book. Actually, there’s no point in re-inventing the wheel, so I’ll just paste in an excerpt directly from the book… 🙂

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“…when everyone is worn thin and everybody is in a bad mood (frustrated, tired, or just plain irritable), things do not just change by themselves. In fact, you can expect the tone in the home to go from bad to worse, if left unchecked. After this incident, I talked to my wife, all the while thinking that the situation was somewhat what it feels like when my computer is acting up. It can be painfully slow or some features can simply stop working. So how do I respond (being as patient as I am with computers)? I click faster and harder and get frustrated that things just seem to slow down more—or, ultimately, the computer just seizes. How do I get things back to normal again? Reboot: Control—Alt—Delete! Immediately I saw how the concept can also apply to the family.

First, control the situation. Recognize that the environment is not healthy and that the team can’t continue down this path. In our home, we stop everything and call a REBOOT. Everyone gathers in a room and sits down. I (or Cindy, if I am not there) tell the family that the mood is dismal and must change.

Next, alter the path. Ask the family if they want to have a blessed day. Ask them if they feel blessed now. Then tell them that we need to start over and live by the core values so that we can experience the joy, peace, and success God has in store for us that day.

Finally, delete the past. All misdeeds are forgiven. Children receive a clean slate for their encouragement charts and full opportunity to get all their marks. Every person (moody adults included) must give every other member of the family hugs and kisses and tell them they are sorry for being crabby or for doing whatever it was they had done to contribute to the mood crisis.

This method is exceptional! It really works. We have done this and have turned the tone 180 degrees in our home. Rebooting is a staple part of maintaining peace and joy in our home. It helps parents and children alike to recognize that peace, joy, and success are a choice. We as a family unit can set a joyful and loving tone in the home. Implementing this method encourages everyone in the family to come on board as a team and choose to take advantage of the new start offered.

This is a great reflection of the grace that God extends to us through Christ, offering a fresh start when we’ve chosen the wrong path and come to him in repentance. We urge you to try this method in order to reduce the expression of negative emotions that threaten to wreak havoc in your home. The Bible says, “Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting with strife” (Proverbs 17:1)—this is so true! Little else matters in a home with a negative tone.
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And, true to form, the re-boot was a success! I wish I hadn’t waited until lunch time to do it. 🙂 God was nice enough, afterwards, to remind me just how long it’s been since we’ve needed to use the “RE-BOOT.” But it’s a really good tool to have in your parenting tool box. We all have “one of those days,” sometimes.

Excellent Youth Sermon—must-hear!

We’re in a Yahoo Group along with many wonderful Christian authors, including Marilyn Rockett, author of the very practical and encouraging Homeschooling at the Speed of Life. I was just poking around in my archive of saved emails (looking for something that I couldn’t find!) and I noticed an email to the Group from Marilyn that so impacted me at the time (way back in March) that I saved it to re-visit. Well, the Lord brought it to my attention today, so I thought–might as well post it to the blog!

Marilyn shared a link to a sermon on Youth by Paul Washer, but its content is relevant (and convicting) to all who call themselves Christians. The sermon can be heard via this link, or you can view the transcription in .PDF here. Otherwise, read the more powerful points pasted below.

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I want you to know that the greatest heresy in the American evangelical and protestant church is that, if you pray and ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart, He will definitely come in. You will not find that in any place in Scripture. You will not find that anywhere in Baptist history until about 50 years ago. What you need to know is that salvation is by faith and faith alone in Jesus Christ. And faith alone in Jesus Christ is preceded and followed by repentance . . . a turning away from sin, a hatred for the things that God hates and a love for the things that God loves, a growing in holiness and a desire not to be like Britney Spears, not to be like the world, and not to be like the great majority of American Christians, but to be like Jesus Christ! [The audiencethen erupts in applause].

I don’t know why you’re clapping. I’m talking about you. I didn’t come here to get amens. I didn’t come here to be applauded. I’m talking about you.

People so many times come up to me and say, “Oh, I’d love to follow you into Romania”; “I’d love to follow you into the Ukraine”; “I’d love to preach where you preached and planted churches in Peru in the jungle.”

And I tell them, “No, you wouldn’t.”

They say, “Yes, I would.”

I say, “No, you wouldn’t.”

“Why?”

“Because you’d be excommunicated from the church down there.”

What we need to see . . . I’m not trying to be hard for the sake of being hard. Do you realize how much love it takes to stand before 5,000 people and tell them that American Christianity is almost totally wrong? Do you knowwhat it’s going to cost me to never be asked back again to something like this? To be unpopular? Do you know why you do it? You don’t do it because you get paid well. You don’t do it because men love you. You do it because you love men and because, more than that, you want to honor God.

I want to tell you something. We’re going to go into Scripture, and I want you to look at it as it really is. It’s not comparing yourself with others who call themselves Christians. Compare yourself to the Scripture. When someone, a young person, comes to a pastor or a youth minister and says,“I’m not sure whether or not I’m saved,” the youth minister will usually throw out a cliché: “Well, was there ever a time in your life when you prayed and asked Jesus to come into your heart?”

“Well, yes.”

“Were you sincere?”

“Well, I don’t know, but I think so.”

“Well, you need to tell Satan to stop bothering you. Did you write it in the back of your book…the back of your Bible like the evangelist told you when you got saved, write down the date so that any time you doubted you could point him to the Bible?”

What superstition has overcome our denomination? Do you know what the Bible tells Christians to do? Examine yourself. Test yourself in light of Scripture to see if you are in the faith. Test yourself to see if you’re a Christian.”. . . . .

Now, we as Southern Baptists preach that you’re supposed to go through that one and only gate which is Jesus Christ. But we as Southern Baptists have forgotten something. And I want youth ministers and pastors and everyone to listen to me, parents, we have forgotten a very important teaching in the Gospel. It says that, not only the gate is narrow, it says the path is narrow. What we basically do is lead someone to Christ, lead someone in a prayer and then they spend the rest of their life living just like the world, and if you deny me on this, I can bring the statistics to prove you wrong. Gallup poll, Barnard [sic; Barna] polls, every kind of poll you can possibly look at,when it questions the morality of the church in America against the morality of those who claim to be lost in America, the polls find no difference. Now that is statistics. It has nothing to do with religious interpretation. Those are statistics.

Book after book is being churned out by theologian and philosopher and sociologist alike. What has happened to the church? We find out that abortion in the church is just as prevalent as outside in the world. We find that divorce is just as prevalent. We find that immorality . . . you know as well as I do, there are youth here right now who are practicing immoralityand yet worshiping God in the same breath. You know there are youth here that are doing drugs and yet coming to youth group. You know, watching and doing things that are not appropriate for a Christian, and yet they’re coming to the youth group, believing themselves satisfied, believing themselves saved, and no one is saying anything except this: They’re carnal Christians. They’re really Christians; they’re just carnal. That was a doctrine that started in a Baptist seminary, that is not a Southern Baptist seminary, several decades ago. It is not biblical and it is not historical. My dear friend, there is no such thing as a carnal Christian.. . . . .

But if you profess to have gone through the narrow gate, but yet you live in the broad way, just like all the other people in your high school, just like all the other people who are carnal and wicked, the Bible wants you to know that you should be terribly, terribly afraid because you know not God. I fear men who have spent most of their life telling other men that they are saved. I fear you if you’ve done that. You don’t tell men they are saved; you tell men how to be saved. God tells them they are saved. What we have forgotten to believe is that salvation is a supernatural work of God, and those who have genuinely been converted, regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit is going to be a new creature. The Bible says, If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. So we find out here in Scripture that there is a narrow gate and a narrow way.. . . . .

What is the sign that someone has become a genuine Christian? I wish that we would start teaching this again. What happened to our theology? What happened to our doctrine? What happened to our teaching? It went right out the window. No one wants to study doctrine anymore. They just want to listen to songs and read the back of Christian tee shirts. What happened to truth? Truth tells you this. The evidence––the way that you can have assurance that you are genuinely a born-again Christian––is that you do, as a style of life, the will of the Father. You say, “Oh, you’re talking about works.” No, I’m not. I’m talking about evidence of faith, and it goes like this. Your profession of faith is no proof that you’re born again because everybody in this whole countryprofesses faith in Jesus Christ. Barna tells us that 65 to 70 percent of all Americans are saved, born-again Christians. The most Godless country on the face of the earth. Kill 4,000 babies a day but, bless God, 70 percent of us are born again.

How do you know that the faith you have is not false? A style of life that is concerned about doing the will of the Father, that practices the will of the Father, and when you disobey the will of the Father, the Holy Spirit comes and reprimands you either personally through the written Word of God or through a brother or sister in Christ, and God puts you back on the path again. If you’re agenuine Christian, you cannot escape Him.. . . . .

I want you to know something. God is not a derelict father. If you can play around in sin, if you can love the world and love the things of the world, if you can always be involved in the world and doing things of the world, if your heroes are worldly people, if you want to look like them and act likethem, if you practice the same things they practice, oh my dear friend, listen to my voice. There’s a good chance you know not God, and you do not belong to him.. . . . .

You say the most important thing on the face of the earth is to know Jesus Christ. That is not true. The most important thing on the face of the earth is that Jesus Christ knows you. I’m not going to get into the White House tomorrow because I walk up to the gate and tell everybody I know George Bush, but they will let me in if George Bush comes out and says, “I know Paul Washer.”. . . . .

There are two ways. There’s a narrow way and a broad way. Which one are you on? There are two types of trees. There is a good tree that bears good fruit, and it’s going to Heaven. There’s a bad tree and you know it’s bad because it bears bad fruit, and it’s going to hell. It’s going to be cut down and thrown into the fire. There are those who profess Jesus is Lord and they do the will of the Father who is in heaven, and there are those who profess Jesus Christ is Lord and they do not do the will of the Father who is in heaven, and they go to hell––not because of a lack of works, but because of a lack of faith demonstrated by the fact that they had no works.. . . . .

We talk so much about being radical Christians. Radical Christians are not people who jump at concerts. Radical Christians are not people who wear Christian tee shirts. Radical Christians are those who bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Radical Christians are those who reverence and honor their parents even when they feel like their parents are wrong. Radical Christians are those who do not––now listen to me. This is going to make you mad, and I’m talking to boys and girls. Radical Christians are those who do not dress sensually in order to show off their bodies. If your clothing is a frame for your face, God is pleased with your clothing. If your clothing is a frame for your body, it’s sensual and God hates what you’re doing. Everybody wants to talk about a prophet, but no one wants to listen to one. I’m talking about Christianity. I have spent my life in jungles. I have spent my life freezing in the Andes Mountains. I have seen people die. A little boy, Andrew Myman [phonetic], the Muslims shot him five times throughthe stomach and left him on a sidewalk simply because he cried out, “I am so afraid but I cannot deny Jesus Christ. Please don’t kill me, but I will not deny Him.” And he died in a pool of blood. And you talk about being a radical Christian because you wear a tee shirt, because you go to a conference. I’m talking about holiness. I’m talking about Godliness.

I wish––you know what a move of God would be in this place? If all of you came under conviction, if I myself came under conviction of the Holy Spirit, we fell down on our faces and wept because we watch the things that God hates, because we wear the things that God hates, because we act like the world, look like the world, smell like the world, because we do the very things, and we know not that we do these things, because we do not know the Word of God. Because, even though we claim as a denomination that the Scripture is the infallible Word of God, basically all we get is illustrations, stories, and quaint little novels. Oh, that God will glow on this place, that we would turn away from our sin, that we would renounce the things that are displeasing to God, and, then, that we would run to Him and we would relish Him and we would love Him.
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Amen!!

The Early Bird Catches the Worm, but………

I’ve been getting up early lately to feed the baby, and typically I don’t go back to sleep. I’ve really been enjoying the large chunk of truly QUIET time before everyone else is awake. I read my Bible and pray, check my email, do some writing, set out my daily “to-do” list, and…enjoy a cup of coffee.

This early morning time really helps me to focus my day by beginning with what’s most important (the Lord). It also helps me to be more diligent, because I’m making sure I have a plan for the day and I get a good head start on whatever work I have to do.

Well, of course because we value diligence, it’s a character trait we try to model and encourage in our children in various ways. We emphasize diligence as the children go about their jobs and their schoolwork. We encourage them to be diligent in their faith (cf. Hebrews 6:10-12) through Bible study, prayer, and consistently living the Word of God to the best of their ability.

When I got up this morning (early, of course), I found a note taped to the handrail of our staircase:

And then, the part that made me laugh:

And I did wake them up early…and they did go sit in their homemade tree stands for an hour. They did not get any birds, but they did learn a good lesson in diligence, and patience. Not to mention, they had a lot of fun!

Top Ten Mistakes of Homeschoolers

Haven’t been by Bold Christian Living lately but have always come away encouraged and challenged when I do have some time to delve into Jonathan Lindvall’s thought-provoking articles. His most recent one (new, at least since I was last there…I think) was somewhat reminiscent of an article Marc & I recently wrote for Homeschool Enrichment Magazine (“The Heart of Christian Homeschooling”). Some great food for thought for today’s homeschooling families–couldn’t have said it better myself, so the article in its entirety follows below.

Folks can contact contact Bold Christian Living at PO Box 820, Springville, CA 93265; 559-539-0500; or www.BoldChristianLiving.com. A corresponding recording is available without charge from the ministry; it is Message #512, “Top 10 Mistakes of Homeschoolers.”

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Top 10 Mistakes of Homeschoolers


The Homeschool Movement is a modern-day revival. God is working powerfully in His church to prepare a people for His pleasure. Yet, like all past revivals in history, the seeds of diminishing fruit are to be found in the early stages, with little compromises.

Top 10 Mistakes of Homeschoolers by Jonathan Lindvall

I am very thankful the Lord spoke to my heart, as a single man back in 1972, that when He gave me children I was to teach them myself. At the time I thought I was unique. I had never heard of anyone besides foreign missionaries without access to schools teaching their own children. It didn’t occur to me that the Lord might be speaking the same word to many others.

Later, after marrying and having our first child, my wife and I encouraged a few other families to teach their own children. We even started a Christian School ministry to facilitate this (we have never had a campus–all the students are taught at home by their own parents). We didn’t call it homeschooling for well over a year–we hadn’t even heard that term yet. We thought we were the only ones in the world doing this, and only knew we were to disciple our own children rather than send them to school.

We were amazed to later begin meeting many others in diverse places who reported that they, too, had thought they were the only ones the Holy Spirit was leading to teach their own children. This became one of several evidences to us that what God was doing in us was part of a much larger movement of God–a sovereign outpouring of His Spirit in our generation.

Over the years I have been fascinated to study such moves of God throughout history–what have come to be called “revivals.” I am not alone in my conviction that homeschooling is part of a true awakening of the church initiated in God’s heart. I suspect that the rest of the church will one day look back on the history of the homeschool movement and see it as a great awakening that shaped and rescued the church.

But just as past “revival” movements were corrupted by flesh and compromises, I fear the homeschool movement will one day lose its freshness and become another stale monument to what God has done in the past. Like previous awakenings, I suspect this one will leave a lasting impact on the church (I don’t imagine the conviction of parents discipling their our own children will be lost). What God is doing in our generation will, if the Lord leaves us on this earth for more generations, be another foundational restoration of His purposes for the church.

But it is nonetheless tragic to me to see what I suspect are the seeds of the death of the freshness of this awakening, already among us. Recently a friend encouraged me to make a list of the top ten mistakes I think many homeschoolers make. I believe these are things that grieve the Lord and undermine the ongoing blessing He intends.

Our compromises and provision for the flesh don’t solely impact us. The most grievous result of resisting the Holy Spirit’s leading in God’s ways is that the Lord Himself is grieved. Our lives are about bringing Him pleasure (Rom. 14:8; 2 Cor. 5:9). The worst thing I can do is withhold from the Lord what He longs for and deserves. He is worthy of the joy that was set before Him as He endured the cross (Heb. 12:2). May we not grieve Him in our lack of yieldedness and insistence on self-effort.

But our little failures and compromises also affect others. God’s word repeatedly reminds us that our children can be benefitted by a heritage of godliness or handicapped by our failures (Ex. 20:5-6; 34:4-7; Jer. 32:18).
Our precedents will even aide or hinder other homeschoolers, now and in the future. Our generation is, by God’s design, to be a trailblazer generation for those who follow us. If, as I suspect, homeschooling becomes the dominant, assumed practice of the whole church in future generations, the patterns we walk out in our seemingly mundane minor details, will likely become standard practice and “traditions” for a wider circle than we can currently imagine. And the Lord calls us to be alert to how our actions affect other saints (Rom 15:1). In fact, our yieldedness (or disobedience) to the Lord will affect the whole world, even non-believers. As the salt of the earth and light of the world (Matt. 5:13-15) we are useless if we accommodate our flesh rather than wholeheartedly pursuing the Lord and His ways. The Lord intends our distinctive surrender to Him to be a striking “fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing” (2 Cor. 2:14-16).

In all this we are not called to perfectionISM, but rather perfection that is mature completion (Matt. 5:47; Col. 1:28). It is important to keep in mind that there will always be room for improvement (Ps. 14:2-3). Yet that should never be an excuse to cave in to less than what God shows us of His desire (Rom. 6:1).

Mistake #1: Wrong Reasons

I am always excited to hear of Christians teaching their children at home, regardless of their motivations. Yet it seems to me this is one of the most likely mistakes we, as homeschoolers make–we teach our children at home with the wrong heart. While I have seen people homeschool initially from wrong motives, it seems the Lord wants to refine these to His intent over time. Our motive in everything we do must be to bring pleasure and glory to our Heavenly Bridegroom.

It is quite possible to make homeschooling too high a priority in our hearts and lives. It must be seen as a means to an end. And the end must be kingdom of God. This is what we are to seek above all else (Matt. 6:33). Homeschooling, like every other activity in our lives, is not really about this earth at all (Col. 3:1-2). Everything in our (and our children’s) lives must be about Jesus (Col. 3:17).

Perhaps to clarify, we should contrast this with some of the questionable motives we should be alert to. As wonderful as academic excellence is, it must not be what drives us. We are not homeschooling for the purpose of producing young geniuses. While the scripture repeatedly encourages wisdom, knowledge, and learning, it also warns us that knowledge can (if not in its proper role) be a hindrance to us (1 Cor. 8:1).

We all want our children to have the skills and disciplines to provide for their families some day. But job preparation is similarly not worthy as a primary goal of homeschooling. Jesus explicitly warned us not to be concerned with how our food and clothing are supplied (Matt. 6:19-34). This, in fact, is the context in which he called us to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.”

There are many desirable, God-pleasing results likely to come from our obedience to God in choosing to personally disciple our children. But no matter how good they are, if they are the focus, rather than our aim being to bring Jesus pleasure, they can become idols for us. Many homeschoolers have become enamored with the vision of the long-term societal (political/economic) impact our practices can have. May the Lord bring all this about, but may our hearts be set on Him more than on the impact we can have.

Mistake #2: Lack of Understanding of Parental Responsibility

One of the most frequently-raised accusations and arguments against homeschooling is the charge that we are “sheltering” our children. Somehow, this has come to be seen as negative in modern society. We generally consider it appropriate for parents to protect their children from physical dangers, but sheltering them from spiritual, social, and emotional risks is perceived as “over-protection.” Spiritually alert parents recognize that spiritual harm is immeasurably more dangerous than physical harm.

In scripture the term “shelter” is always portrayed positively. The Psalmist sings (Ps. 61:3-4), For You have been a SHELTER for me, A strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the SHELTER of Your wings.” God lovingly describes His people as His “sheltered ones” (Ps. 83.3).

Despite our cultural abhorrence of potential “over-protection,” I’m unaware of a single time when scripture teaches against it. On the contrary, there are many instances of scripture lauding God, parents, and others in authority for protecting those they are responsible for. Jesus taught us to pray to our Heavenly Father (the model of fatherhood we should follow), “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matt. 6:13). Jesus taught us to “pluck out,” “cut off,” and “cast away” things that might “cause one of these little ones to sin” (Matt. 18:6-10). Another objection virtually every homeschooler in western society has been confronted by is the “socialization” question. In our society is assumed to be essential for children to spend time with peers to be properly adjusted. Yet the preponderance of scripture cautions from the opposite perspective. Proverbs 12:26 warns, “The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray.” Proverbs 13:20 is even more pointed, saying, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.” Paul was apparently quoting an accepted proverb at the time when he wrote, “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits’” (1 Cor. 15:33).

No doubt the Lord wants our children to learn to benefit from edifying fellowship, just as He wants this for us. However, positive social skills are generally not learned from children. God intends for fathers (not peers) to shape their children’s values and tendencies “in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). This requires protecting our children from peer domination, and instead structuring our family lifestyles to facilitate intense, intimate relationship between our children and ourselves. Sadly, perhaps as a result of the world’s challenges regarding “socialization,” many homeschoolers feel pressure to provide settings where their children can spend large amounts of time with peers. Thus, over the years we have seen homeschool support groups move from supporting the parents to supporting the children with extra-familial activities like sports teams, group music experiences, and cooperative classes. There are probably times when it is appropriate to expose our families to teaching situations where the parents are not necessarily doing all the teaching, but it is a significant danger to fall into the habit of exposing our children to the addictive peer group influences.

Mistake #3: Overlooking Gender-Specific Roles

One of the issues the Lord has used homeschooling to confront in the church over the last several decades has been the creeping androgyny infecting our culture. Many of us remember that when we were children, at least in the church there was a fairly clear distinction assumed between the roles of men and women. But over the last couple of generations, as western culture has abandoned any vestige of biblical moorings, the notion of full-time motherhood has been disdained.

The church initially resisted this trend, but eventually capitulated. By the 1970’s and 80’s it seems the majority of Christian mothers were employed by others outside their homes. This became a generally unspoken impediment to homeschooling, which logically required the presence of at least one parent with the children. Many courageous Christian families withstood the scorn of the society and embraced the call of Titus 2:4-6 for the women to be “workers at home.”

However, another trap went largely (thought not completely) unnoticed. Homeschooling began to be perceived as something mothers do. I have repeatedly been asked if my wife homeschools our children. I try to respond graciously, but refuse to allow this assumption to be perpetuated. Certainly my wife is very involved in our homeschooling activities. But God has called FATHERS to accept the responsibility for teaching their children (Eph. 6:4). I recognize I can’t do it all, and thankfully God has provided me a wonderful helper. But in many homeschool families the father is seen as his wife’s helper. She is perceived as the one who is carrying out the homeschooling, with his permission.

As persuaded as I am of the benefits of homeschooling, I have counseled many wives who have been given permission, by their husband, to homeschool their children, not to do it. A mother who homeschools with only her husband’s approval, is constantly laboring under a sense of being on probation. She is subconsciously aware that her husband’s authorization might be revoked if he determines she is not doing an adequate job.

Instead, if the father is the one who is persuaded of homeschooling, and accepts responsibility for leading his family in this, his wife can fully and freely help him without fear that he will withdraw his support.

Let me risk taking this a step further. The homeschool movement has become largely a women’s movement. Most homeschool support groups are made up primarily of women, and led by women. These dear sisters have much to give, and are called to teach younger women in the ministry to their families. However, there is a latent unscriptural feminism that we can inadvertently become vulnerable to, if we are not careful. I encourage homeschool groups and ministries to seek the Lord about being led by men, not just in name, but in fact. This will make it more likely that other men will embrace God’s call to truly lead their own families (1 Cor. 11:3).

The gender issue is impacting our children, as well. We all know that God has designed boys and girls differently. The distinctions are more than just physiological. We do our children a disservice when we train boys and girls identically. It makes no sense, for example, for boys and girls to have the same curriculum.
In Titus chapter two, Paul instructs certain people to teach certain things to young women, and other people to focus on distinctive things with the young men. One of the tragedies I observe in many homeschool communities is the encouragement of young ladies to aim themselves toward careers outside the home, rather than following in their mothers’ footsteps as homeschool moms.

God has always desired for the genders to maintain their distinctives, even in the way they look (Deut. 22:5). But today girls are being masculinized and boys are being feminized in our culture. For example, most institutionally-schooled boys spend virtually all their time under the influence of women (mother, teacher, cub scout leader, Sunday School teacher, etc.). I thank God for the influence of godly homeschool mothers in boys’ lives, and God clearly uses that (2 Tim. 1:5; 3:14-15). But I frequently hear such mothers longing for more male influence in their boys’ lives.

Many homeschool families have found that as they press into the Lord’s ways, not only does mom want to be home with the children, but dad also has a similar longing. A phenomenon has been increasing, in which a growing number of men are seeking (and finding) ways to meet their family’s financial needs while still being accessible to their children throughout each day. Some are tele-commuting. Others are becoming self-employed entrepreneurs who can determine if and when their children can be with them. Thankfully, a growing number of boys (and girls) in godly families are able to spend lots of time with their fathers. God is turning “the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers” (Mal. 4:6).

Mistake #4: School Rather Than Apprenticeship

Most of us were ourselves educated in institutional environments, and have very little (if any) model of how to homeschool. We all had parents. Even a poor parental model is better than no model. We are being called to recover a lost heritage from nothing more than scripture. (Can you think of a better source?) But instead, our natural inclination is to look elsewhere for our model of how to educate our children.

As we have embraced the term “homeschooling,” this has been initially helpful in dealing with professional educators and other inquisitive (or even hostile) observers. However the term has become a handicap for most of us as it produces a set of assumptions that draw us away from scripture. (Note that the word “homeschool” is never found in scripture. In fact, the notion of “school” in any form, as we know it, is completely absent from scripture.)

A mistake virtually all of us stumble into, to one degree or another, is letting the educational assumptions of our culture dictate how we disciple our children. I believe God is calling us to let scripture shape not only the content of our children’s education, but also the methodology. We are not called to mimic the school at our own home.

Most Christian homeschoolers have recognized the need for Biblically-based educational content. However, few of us have questioned the underlying methodology we were taught with. Our culture’s educational paradigm has been largely shaped by the Greek system of thought, as brought down through the Prussian school structures emulated in American schools in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

What kind of education did children in the Bible receive? Interestingly, most of the Jews of Christ’s day were literate. Yet they weren’t educated in schools. Even those who were educated by someone other than their parents, like the apostle Paul, were trained using a completely different methodology from that of the Greeks.

To the pagan Greeks, the goal of education was for the teacher to package knowledge he possessed and somehow transmit it to the students. They thus contemplated a body of knowledge and sought an efficient way to carve it into manageable segments. They increasingly minutely divided knowledge into disciplines, courses, lessons, and specific task instructions. Thus the focus was on curriculum.

Most of us today would not hesitate to question either this aim or the process. But the Biblical Hebrew approach to education is completely different. They were confident knowledge would be transmitted, but that was not the primary thrust. To the Hebrews, the goal of education was to shape the life of the learner, rather than simply his mind. Jesus said that “everyone who is perfectly trained will be LIKE his teacher” (Luke 6:40).
This resulted in a methodology far different than that embraced by the pagan Greeks. In the Biblical Hebrew culture the focus was on relationship more than on curriculum. As a boy, Paul was taught by sitting “at the feet of Gamaliel” (Acts 22:3). His education was shaped by “hanging out with” Gamaliel, listening to whatever he talked about, and watching whatever he did. It was dealing authentic life rather than artificially contrived learning experiences.

I often have young families just beginning to homeschool a five-year-old ask me for advice about curriculum. I will ask them what they’ve been using up to that point, and they say something like, “We’re just starting out. We haven’t used curriculum.” So I will facetiously reply, “So your child doesn’t know anything?” They immediately exclaim that their child actually is quite bright and has learned a lot. I ask them to give examples, and they begin enumerating some of the things the child knows. I dramatically marvel at how knowledgeable the child is, and express surprise that this was accomplished without curriculum. I then gently suggest that if their current approach is working well, perhaps they shouldn’t change course. They have taught much without curriculum, relying on relationship. This is what the Bible portrays of discipleship.

Today, most homeschoolers are strongly focused on curriculum. This is a common question raised when one meets another homeschool family. Imagine asking Jesus such a question. Jesus was the best teacher of all history, and yet, from the scriptural account it is clear He didn’t rely on a curriculum. We don’t even have any accounts of Him leading a Bible study. Instead, his approach was relational. He called His disciples to “Follow Me.” He invested time in them, and had them study Him, rather than focusing on theoretical propositions.
If we follow the model we grew up with, we will try to reproduce the institutional classroom in our homes. This is a mistake that will become a huge hindrance to what God intends as His best. He is calling us to disciple our children relationally, using the Biblical methodology, as well as content.

Mistake #5: Focusing on Outward Appearance–Neglecting the Heart

We all enjoy hearing the feedback of relatives, neighbors, and friends, as they comment on the fruit of our homeschool efforts. And certainly we want our children to display good behavior and project maturity to those around them. If we are not careful, though, we become addicted to the praise of men.

God looks on the heart, and wants us to learn to focus there, too. Paul told us that true godliness is not about what we look like, but it is a matter of the heart (Rom. 2:28-29). Peter encouraged the women to focus on “the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God” rather than the outward beauty seen more immediately by others (1 Pet. 3:3-4).

When we focus on outward appearances, we typically fall into judgmental legalism, both of ourselves and others. Rather than harshness, the Lord calls us to a heart-based gentleness flowing from merciful hearts that loves God’s righteousness.

Mistake #6: Biblically Principled

We are not typically trained to think in terms of cause and effect. But the Bible (particularly the book of Proverbs) calls us to connect the dots of how our actions affect the things we experience. Paul further warned against the deception inherent in overlooking that “whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7).

There are many families who recognize the possibility of falling into legalism, and thus react against any emphasis on living life by principles. In fact, Christianity is about relationship with God rather than living our lives according to a code of conduct (even a Biblical code of conduct).

However, there are universal laws of cause and effect that impact our fruitfulness and happiness. It is not legalism to embrace these “laws.” It is a huge mistake to neglect the principles God has ordained. The New Testament warns against “lawlessness” and neglecting principles. Peter described the oppression resulting from the “conduct of unprincipled men” (2 Pet. 2:7) and warned against being “carried away by the error of unprincipled men” (2 Pet 3:17).

Sadly, there are many Christians who have a real relationship with God, but lack integrity. For example, God calls for His people to be principled enough to keep their commitments, even when this brings us loss (Num. 30:2; Ps. 15:4). We are not under the law, but neither are we to live “lawlessly” (Tit. 2:14).

Such lawlessness is an easier trap to fall into than most people realize. We certainly need to be dominated by our love relationship with Jesus in the Spirit. But He also desires for us to love His word and be instructed by it. The purpose of scripture is to shape our “world-view” into a Biblical paradigm that interprets every experience in light of scripture, and anticipates the Lord’s leading according to scripture.

Mistake #7: Led by the Spirit

On the other hand, there are many homeschoolers who are so focused on living their lives by scripture, and impress this deeply on their children, that they neglect to emphasize that Christianity is about relationship with the living God. Jesus told the religious leaders of His day (John 5:39-40), “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.”

Like the Pharisees Jesus dealt with, we can unwittingly focus on the letter of the law (and our interpretational schemes) that we lose the life the scriptures are meant to point us to. Christianity is not about our self-effort to fulfill regulations! It is about a living relationship where we are actually led by the Spirit. This is not to deny the importance of being instructed by scripture, but to clarify that the source of life is in the relationship with God.

Certainly there have been many who have claimed to be led by the Spirit, and have clearly displeased God. Yet there are also those who have twisted scripture to derive erroneous “principles” God never intended. If there is one message in the New Testament that is unequivocal, it is that the children of God must walk in ongoing communication and relationship with Him. Paul said (Rom 8:14), “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” He had previously (verse 9) said, “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.”
It is not enough to know and follow scripture. Paul even argued (2 Cor. 3:6) that “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” Paul loved scripture, but the key issue of the reality of the Christian life was whether or not someone was living with God in the Spiritual realm beyond the temporal plane. He told Timothy “the law is good if one uses it lawfully” (1 Tim. 1:8). When the scripture is used as a replacement for relationship with God, it is an unlawful use of scripture. The scripture is to lead us into communion with God.

Paul loved the law, but He knew its limitations. He said, “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law” (Gal. 5:18). We must teach our children to love the scriptures, but we must also teach them to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Without this all the scriptural knowledge in the world will only produce death.

Mistake #8: Isolationism

Many homeschoolers have found that the most insidiously negative influence in their children’s lives comes in the context of their church experience. God has clearly called us to protect our children. This has prompted many to withdraw from the vulnerability of what their children are exposed to in gathering with other believers. This can be a subtle trap. Proverbs 18:1 says, “A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment.”

God has clearly called us to walk in fellowship with other saints. The New Testament warns against “forsaking the assembling of ourselves together” (Heb. 10:25). We are to walk in fellowship with other Christians, yet we must not lead our children into temptation by exposing them to ungodly influences. This is a dilemma.
Note that the scriptures do not tell us to “attend” church meetings, but rather to “exhort one another.” Many people never miss a meeting, but never experience the mutual exhortation the scriptures prescribe. God wants us to walk in authentic fellowship with others of His people. John describes “walking in the light” (1 John 1:6-7) and says fellowship will result. We must not hide in isolation, but rather find other believers to walk and confide with.

In the New Testament the churches were dominated by relationships rather than programs. The fellowship relationships flourished in the context of home-based hospitality. The apostolic epistles repeatedly call believers to hospitality. Paul wrote that we are to be “given to hospitality” (Rom. 12:13). Peter told us to “Be hospitable to one another without grumbling” (1 Pet. 4:9).

God calls us to avoid isolating ourselves from non-believers, too. We need to protect our children from vulnerability, yet position ourselves to “be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet. 3:15).

Mistake #9: Short-Sightedness

Wise parents look ahead in the lives of our children. None of us knows the future, but based on our own experiences and insights, we can predict the issues our children will face, and prepare them. Proverbs 22:3 says, “A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished.”

One of the evils we must foresee is the fruit of failing to direct our children. Many parents are fearful of their children’s responses. They become child-centered rather than Jesus-centered. Like Eli, we end up honoring our children more than God. We often don’t realize that our focus on our children can become a form of idolatry.

When our children are young, we need to be alert to the precedents we are setting for our children’s futures. We must be assertive in forthrightly training our sons and daughters. We need to be aware that the older children will be examples (either positive or negative) to the younger ones. The younger children will follow in the footsteps we allow our older ones to walk in. The older ones will unwittingly be part of the training environment that shapes the younger ones.

Another trap is failing to foresee the negative peer-influence of youth groups. Our young people certainly need to enjoy Christian fellowship, but most youth groups are tainted with influences that make the young people vulnerable to the enemy. Paul says the young men are to be exhorted to “sober-mindedness” (Tit. 2:6). The young people are frequently tempted to flirt with experimental romances they will later regret, even if they succeed in maintaining physical purity.

Mistake #10: Fear of Further Leading

Most homeschoolers recognize that even today what they are doing is contrary to cultural norms. Sometimes they feel they are on the fringe edge already, and fearful of what the Lord may lead them to next. In fact, this is a realistic fear, and tests our willingness to surrender all to Jesus.

We see other homeschoolers becoming increasingly radical in areas that seem unrelated to homeschooling. Our natural inclination is to fear the Lord may lead us the same way. We watch as first it is the mom staying home rather than having a job. Then perhaps the parents begin to ponder the family’s diet and opt for eating more healthy foods (first whole wheat, then home-made, then grinding their own wheat, and so on). Then they begin considering more natural health remedies (herbal medicines), and perhaps even opting of home birth of new children. Then maybe the whole family begins wishing dad would stay home, too. So the whole family begins exploring ideas for home businesses in which each person has a role. Maybe the family even opts to begin gathering with other Christians in a house church.

As we see other homeschool families take increasingly counter-cultural steps, we become frightened, and at some point draw a line in our hearts, saying, I’ll never go that far.

God is faithful to take us beyond what we thought possible, but it is a mistake to fear that He has us on some sort of “slippery slope.” Certainly we want to guard against eccentricity for its own sake. But the more in love with Jesus we are, the more abandoned we become in our commitment to yieldedness. The key is to position our hearts to be open to whatever He brings to us, with caution as the Bereans (Acts 17:10-11) who compared everything to scripture, but with open hearts to every new adventure He wants to lead us in.

Never say “No” to God. Rather, may we all be willing to be taught and persuaded.

I’m sure there are other mistakes we all make. Perhaps my list will prompt you to meditate on this question and the Lord will reveal unique pitfalls your household should avoid. May we all love and learn from His word, and be led by the Spirit in this pilgrimage, for Jesus’ pleasure & glory, and our families’ good.

Why I love Homeschooling :)

Today was a great example of why I love homeschooling! Marc was scheduled to leave on a business trip late this afternoon, so I decided to scrap the usual morning routine of chores and school and really enjoy our last bit of time with “Daddy” for the week. We had an enjoyable morning–everyone piled into the trailer behind our new (for us) quad and we went for a ride…had a great breakfast of watermelon & toast made with Blueberry Crumble bread (yummy!)…went outside to visit the growing baby chicks and feed all the chickens…and, much later than usual, enjoyed our family devotions (a continuing reading & discussion of Proverbs). Then, since our toddler was falling asleep in her chair, we called an “early nap time” (it was 11:00) and we all went for a little rest. Then Dad got up and went out to the ravine for an adventure with the boys while the girls finished up their nap. We enjoyed a yummy “breakfast for lunch” of french toast and sausage (truly a treat!), read aloud from “The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver” by Thornton Burgess, and then Dad was off, with lots of “good-byes” and “I love you’s!”

After such a blessed morning, I knew the boys wouldn’t want to get back to “school,” so when they did their afternoon jobs and asked to go outside on a scavenger hunt, I figured they might as well enjoy the gorgeous fall day. I thought trouble might be brewing when son #1 expressed his desire to go down to the ravine, but son #2 said to me, “No, we’re not going down to the ravine.” They left the house without reaching a concensus on their destination, in spite of my request that they agree on what they were doing before they got going.

It was no surprise to have to call them back in within about 20 minutes…and to make a long story short, we had a really good conversation–an excellent “teachable moment” in which I was able to share with the boys an object lesson that had recently come to my attention from a friend. I’ll post it here, just FYI (thanks, Tony!):

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Dart Test…

A young lady named Sally, relates an experience she had in a seminary class, given by her teacher, Dr. Smith . She says that Dr. Smith was known for his elaborate object lessons.

One particular day, Sally walked into the seminary and knew they were in for a fun day.
On the wall was a big target and on a nearby table were many darts. Dr. Smith told the students to draw a picture of someone that they disliked or someone who had made them angry, and he would allow them to throw darts at the person’s picture.

Sally’s friend drew a picture of who had stolen her boyfriend. Another friend drew a picture of his little brother. Sally drew a picture of a former friend, putting a great deal of detail into her drawing, even drawing pimples on the face. Sally was pleased with the overall effect she had achieved.

The class lined up and began throwing darts. Some of the students threw their darts with such force that their targets were ripping apart. Sally looked forward to her turn, and was filled with disappointment when Dr. Smith , because of time limits, asked the students to return to their seats. As Sally sat thinking about how angry she was because she didn’t have a chance to throw any darts at her target. Dr. Smith began removing the target from the wall.

Underneath the target was a picture of Jesus. A hush fell over the room as each student viewed the mangled picture of Jesus; holes and jagged marks covered His face and His eyes were pierced.

Dr. Smith said only these words….” In as much as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me .”Matthew 25:40.

No other words were necessary; the tears filled eyes of the students focused only on the picture of Christ.

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After talking about the boys’ frustrations with one another, I was able to gently expose to each of them their sin of selfishness–each one wanted his own way, rather than considering the desires of his brother. This led to disagreement, anger, and upset as the fun of the afternoon adventure was spoiled. I shared the “dart” story with the boys and asked them, “If you were playing outside with Jesus, would you have…bossed him in order to try to push him to do things your way?…walked away from him and pretended not to hear him?”, etc. They both admitted that they would have done things differently if they had viewed their actions as having been done to Jesus himself rather than “just” their brother. I asked my oldest son, “Do you KNOW Jesus? Do you KNOW what He did for you?” And I had to admire his honest answer: “I say that I do, but I wasn’t behaving like I do.” I had to respond that we can all say the same thing, more often times than we would care to admit.

I got to coach the boys through some heartfelt apologies and reconciliation, and then they agreed to go back outside to do “whatever my brother wants to do.” 🙂 They ended up spending a really enjoyable hour in the sand box making “adobe houses” of wet dirt and rocks. I wouldn’t have traded this lesson for a week of math workbooks or reading textbooks! And, we did manage to get some math done after the little ones went to bed, anyway–so the day wasn’t a total wash. 🙂 Homeschooling is awesome, children are a blessing, and God is real good.

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness?

I don’t know the origin of the saying, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness,” but it’s certainly not in my Bible. The closest thing I have is the Titus 2 directive to women that they should be “busy at home,” and Timothy 5:14, which tells older women to teach the younger women to “manage their homes.” While I don’t imagine that we honor God when our homes are in a state of disarray or chaos, I do believe that we can allow the pendulum to swing the other way and concentrate too much on housekeeping and not enough on other things that matter.

A minimal level of cleanliness is necessary for everyone’s health. Certainly we don’t want to let food stuffs pile up on the counters, allow our little ones to sleep on sheets that have been soiled, have such a dusty home that breathing is unhealthy, or have the carpets littered with debris that the little ones would be putting in their mouths. That much seems obvious.

Beyond that, it’s important for us to keep clean homes so that we are always prepared to “practice hospitality.” That’s in my Bible, so I take it seriously! (See Romans 12:13, 1 Timothy 5:10, and 1 Peter 4:9, for example). I don’t relish the thought of someone unexpectedly coming to my home and having to make apologies for its condition. At the same time, I don’t think we need to be able to eat off the floors, either. This is our home, and we live here…2 adults and 6 children, all of us, all day, every day. It’s not going to be perfectly clean all the time, but we do try to keep it consistently neat.

Another reason to focus on housekeeping is for the value of diligence that it imparts to the children, as they are trained to help with various chores and are encouraged to keep their messes cleaned up behind them. After all, our children are going to grow up to WORK every day, and while we do want them to enjoy their childhood and there is a time for play, they miss a lot if they don’t see the value of work. It also guides them in wisdom, to have them take care of their possessions by having “a place for everything, and everything in its place.”

Last night my husband went out with four of the six children on an extended errand and I was looking forward to having some time to myself after putting the two youngest ones to bed. All I had to do was put away the few miscellaneous toys that had gotten left out, put some of my laundry away, and get some sleeping bags and pillows out in the tents for the crew when they came home (it was a “camp out” last night, once everyone got home!). Somehow, though, those few things took a lot longer than I thought…and even though I got the little ones to bed at 7:45, I was just finishing up and making myself a cup of tea at about 9:00 when the rest of the family came in the door! Why did it take so long, I wondered? Well, my oldest would have gotten our toddler ready for bed and changed her diaper; the boys would have gone out to put the chickens in for the night and collect the eggs (one of those “unexpected” chores I did along the way…). And I would have had several of the children help with hauling pillows, blankets and sleeping bags out to the tents instead of having to make multiple trips myself. Many hands make light work, and sometimes I do not realize just how much our children help me to accomplish!

I think our children have a great attitude about work and about helping out in service to others–and that is only because we encourage them to help out around the house with all kinds of chores as they are able. (And, yes, they do have plenty of “free time” as well, just for the record!)

Granted, this takes proactive training and patience. We also have to lower our standards a bit when we view the jobs our children do. What is considered “passable” work from a child is certainly not the level of cleaning that I would do. But together, we keep our home in fairly good order.

Everyone has daily jobs, both first thing in the morning and in the late afternoon. We have a couple of general rules: Everyone works until everyone is done (so that if one child is done with his job first, he should go help a sibling with her job.) Also, (straight from 1 Thessalonians 3:10): “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” Thus, we don’t eat breakfast until after all our morning chores are done. If we have a dawdler (or even two) they get helped out by siblings for as long as they are being diligent, but if they are just playing around, they lose the privilege of having helpers and can come to the table and eat along with everyone else once they finish their designated chore. We’ve had a couple of the kids eat cold food a good hour after everyone else had left the table, but they miss the fellowship of the family and don’t prefer cold food, so that’s been a rare exception. Generally speaking, our chores get done within 30-45 minutes and then we’re on to more important things.

Of course, in having a rotating schedule of chores the whole house never looks clean at once, but we do maintain a neat appearance. Granted, we have some consistent “piles” of books and papers here and there in our particular “hot spots.” And dusting has never been my favorite thing to do, so if anything suffers, that’s it. But these things I can live with. I was chuckling to myself this morning as I looked up, because I rarely look UP (except in the spiritual sense…). Here’s what you would see if you took a quick look UP in our kitchen:
Looks nice, no? But here’s what you’d see if you REALLY “looked”:

One thing that has not ceased to amaze me about living in a log home is the number of cobwebs we have in comparison to our old house. So when I look “up” and see this, I grab my duster and take a quick trip around the house, clearing out all of the trouble spots. But beyond that, I don’t worry too much about it. There are much more important things going on. We focus on housekeeping and home management for the values that it will impart to our children and in order to be able to practice hospitality in a way that honors God; but I don’t see any reason to over-invest in this area. If we did, we’d be missing out on valuable family times, teachable moments for discipling our children, opportunities for serving others in ministry, and so on. Home management is of value as a means of training our children in Godly character; but there are so many other things going on in our home that are of greater eternal significance!

I’ve always been a person of order and schedules. I love the idea of “home management.” So stepping back a bit in my own expectations over the years has been, at times, almost painful. But now I’m at a place where I see the wisdom of this paradigm shift, and I’m thankful to the Lord for helping me to keep a balanced perspective in this area. I read a great article a while ago on Steve Nelson’s site, Premeditated Parenting, that I loved so much I now keep it posted on my refrigerator (thanks, Steve!). I’ll copy it here, but if you have a chance, make sure to visit Steve–he’s got some great stuff going on over there! 🙂

With all that being said, I hope you’ll also take the time to visit our site (http://www.valuesdrivenfamily.com/) and get some of our free downloads, including a children’s chore chart, family scheduling templates, and so on. We discuss many of these topics (home management, children and chores, character and values training) in our book, “The Values-Driven Family.” If you’re interested in exploring how to put together all of these pieces of the family puzzle, visit our site for more information or to buy the book!

Without further ado, here’s Steve’s excellent article:

The Smell of Parenting

Proverbs 14:4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox. ESV

A novice farmer shows off his clean barn to his neighbor. The ground is spotless, and the manger, or feed trough, looks as clean as new. After shooting the breeze a while the experienced farmer invites his friend to come and see what a barn should look like. The young farmer is a little hurt because he can’t imagine a nicer setup than he has.

They walk over to the neighbor’s farm, all the while discussing the incredible amount of work each of the older farmer’s four oxen can perform. At the barn, hay is strewn everywhere, and the feed trough is covered with dried ox slobber.

“What is that horrible stench?” asks the young man.

“That, my friend, is the smell of money.”

The goal of a farmer is not to have the nicest barn, cleanest trough, or freshest fragrances. His goal is to grow crops and raise animals. To focus on his goal, he lets a few things slide along the way. From sunup to sundown he works hard. He is not lazy or negligent, but he simply has no time to clean troughs and rake out barns. Instead of scooping up every piece of manure, he simply wears rubber boots.

A wise parent will take a similar approach. If every meal must be a culinary delight, every toy in its perfect spot, every shelf dusted, and every floor vacuumed, there will be no time left for parenting. With children comes a certain level of messiness. This is to be managed, but also expected. The goal is to raise the children, not eliminate the messiness. As the farmer embraces the mess of the ox the parent should embrace the clutter of childhood. Far more critical things are happening in our homes than keeping our houses spotless. Much good is being produced in a Christian home.