Rhodema | Heart of the Matter

Home » Posts by Rhodema

Christmas on the Mission Field

Ornaments, candles, hot spiced cider, laughter, presents—sounds like a commercial with all the best of the Norman Rockwell version of an American Christmas. One holiday season I was asked by my church to write each of our church missionaries to inquire how they would be spending Christmas Day. I then posted the responses on...

A Future and a Hope

Posted by Rhodema | 0 comments

My daughter’s high school graduation fell on the very day a pastor proclaimed in a national campaign the world was going to end: May 21, 2011. “At least by 6:00 p.m. I will already be a graduate and the whole family will be together at the restaurant,” my daughter pointed out. We were still at the table after the bill was...

Little Schoolhouse on the Highway

Posted by Rhodema | 0 comments

Our family loves to pack our bags, pile into the van and spend days together—traveling. As homeschool parents, we want to add value to our family vacations. Homeschooling is a lifestyle for us and we don’t set learning aside. However, because it is our children’s vacation, too, we don’t want them to be worn out with...

No Room in the Stable?

Posted by Rhodema | 0 comments

My five-year-old son, Ryan, insisted on helping me decorate the house for Christmas. He carted assorted red and green plastic boxes into the den. I cleared a shelf down low and told Ryan he could be in charge of the kids’ Nativity set. He tore into the box I pointed out and mismatched tissue wrapping began flying through the...

Did You Order a Sub?

Posted by Rhodema | 0 comments

“I feel like such a failure.” Sharon’s usual sparking eyes and bubbly personality were missing as we met for lunch. She slowly stirred her iced tea with her straw. “Josh is slipping further and further behind in the lesson plan book.” My friend was tired. She recently buried her father and now cared for her mother...

Oh! Brother

Posted by Rhodema | 0 comments

“I can do it without your help!” I heard Ryan’s angry voice in the kitchen. “Fine!” Stomping echoed down the hall before Katie’s bedroom door banged shut. I’d like to tell you that my teens never argue or lose their tempers. But, I would be showing you only the sanitized version of our home. You would also...

Your Nest Will Not Always be Full

Posted by Rhodema | 0 comments

I wondered if I’d told my daughter everything she needed to know. I stood on the dorm steps and gave her one more last hug and kiss. I’d only had eighteen years with her and at that moment it didn’t seem near long enough. She pressed a letter into my hand and said, “Promise you won’t read it until...

Trust but Verify

Posted by Rhodema | 0 comments

“Mom, don’t you trust me?” We’ve all heard that. With two teenagers in my house there is a whole lot of letting go, praying—and did I mention fear—when it comes to releasing them into the world wide web. From the day the umbilical cord is cut, the process of releasing our children begins. As they learn to walk we...

Stay The Course

Posted by Rhodema | 0 comments

Summer is often the time that we reevaluate our homeschool curriculum and goals. As we measure successes, struggles and what sometimes seems like failures, we can get discouraged or wonder…. Talking with moms who have homeschooled over fifteen years, I often hear the same theme—they are tired. Their homeschool journey seems...

Refreshing the Weary

Posted by Rhodema | 0 comments

I love curling up with a good book—one I can’t put down. An even bigger blessing comes when that book draws me closer to the Lord. For those seasons of rest and reading, I often turn to Francine Rivers’ books. I find her words life-giving. As a reviewer for her newest novel Her Mother’s Hope, I had the opportunity...