Heart of the Matter

Life consists of mixed emotions and subtle ironies. We’re overwhelmed with emotion on the day we’re married, received that new job, or looked into the bright future of life filled with wonderful children, a great place to live, or our dream car. Then comes the day to day grind we must face; the disagreements, unmet expectations, disgruntled co-workers, car repair bills, or back-talking offspring. Where’s the joy then? Can we find it, or is it hidden too deeply?

Take a look at this excerpt from a book my husband brought home the other day by Stephen C. Lundin. The book is titled, Fish Tales – Bite-sized Stories – Unlimited Possibilities

“We recently read about a little boy with a rare digestive disorder. He spent much of his time in the hospital, with needles in his arms. When a doctor or nurse approached him, he knew it was because they were probably going to have to put another needle in his arm. But instead of crying, he smiled and held out his arms for them.

Life can sometimes be painful when you greet it with arms extended. But there is no other way to fully embrace life.”

When he first read this to me, I thought it was a cute story. I could even find a few examples of how I could apply the principle to circumstances I had recently experienced. We talked about how we want to teach our four young children this principle and be prepared to face not only the joys of life but the struggles and disappointments – starting with their every day dealings with one another. Teaching others is fairly easy to do because you don’t have to get too dirty.

Over the next few weeks, however, this thing was ever present before me.

As I faced my daily responsibilities, I would remind myself that I enjoy this family of mine. Each small source of irritation would present itself in much larger magnification that it was in reality and I’d have to slap myself and say “with arms wide open,” …. smile, …. embrace it.

Entering my 7th week of pregnancy, two and a half months after miscarrying I had an ultrasound. After being told my baby’s heartbeat was much lower than normal, and the measurement was below the presumed gestational age, I had to tell myself, “with arms wide open,” …. smile, …. embrace it.

Nearing summer’s end (ending way too soon), and staring at the books I’ve purchased, wondering how to put some type of plan into place to pull this all together and teach my children successfully, I’d sometimes think about how incredibly hard this job really is. My toddler poops again and it’s the kind that puts a grown person to shame and I want to scream. But the Lord reminds me, “with arms wide open,” …. smile, …. embrace it.

It’s now the beginning of my 8th week of pregnancy and every morning I wake up waiting for nausea, hoping for morning sickness, praying to feel the worst pregnancy symptoms ever because I know that’s a signal of hope. It’s a sign that something is being stirred up with in. It’s not being stirred up for futility, but it’s for a purpose. There’s life destined to be birthed. So any day I felt these symptoms, “with arms wide open,” ….I smiled, …. I embraced it. I actually hoped for that same struggle the next day.

Even today, after having confirmed that our 6th baby’s heartbeat had stopped, the principle has not changed. I’ve repeated to others many times before and I hate sometimes, when I have to take this advice myself — the Lord’s principles remain unchanged. I can’t apply it to one circumstance and not another. God’s says in his word that “weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). The Word also says, “for the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross.” (Hebrews 12:2) So today, Lord, I set that same joy before me.

I will arise and eat bread. “I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” (II Samuel 12:18-23)

I love you, Lord. I know you planned and fashioned our family well before I met any of these people living in this house with me. Well before you placed me in my own mother’s womb. So again, I say that I love you. I thank you. I will “Be Still and Know That You Are God”.

And “with arms wide open,” ….I will smile, …. I will embrace it.

Leslie Thompson and her husband Jeoff began educating their children at home almost three years ago. They have a passion for sharing Christ’s love in marriages and helping point husbands and wives (including themselves) back to Christ when resolving conflicts. Leslie is Director of a Classical Conversations Community, in which their two oldest children are enrolled. Their two youngest children, ages 3 and 1, provide a much needed element of joy throughout the family’s school day.

I had ambitious plans to homeschool through the summer – truly I did. Though I can’t recall who exactly said it I believe it is true – ‘Man plans, God laughs’.

I don’t think it’s a rude sort of laugh. I think it’s the kind of laugh that we have when our children do something they insist will turn out ok – even though we know it won’t based on our past experience. I think God delights in His creation.

The past few months have been a swirling sea of change. We moved my mother, grandmother and brother who were three hours away to a place less than an hour away. I have had some health issues crop up. The local library is facing more budget cuts and we use it quite a bit. A dear family friend’s mother fell quite ill and we were afraid we’d have to say goodbye sooner than expected. Our beloved Pastor of thirteen years announced in January that he would be seeking an appointment in another church. Always ready to join Scarlett O’Hara in her ‘I won’t think about that right now, I’ll think about that tomorrow’ – I put off dealing with it until the last possible moment – planning and doing as if it really wasn’t happening.

To say we were all crushed is an understatement. This is the man who baptized me and the three boys, confirmed two of them, renewed mine and my husband’s vows and stood by our side through various joys and woes over the years. He taught the boys (and us) invaluable lessons in tolerance and inclusiveness. See, he understood being different as he had a stuttering problem as a child and is quite shy. He and his wife – who I want to be when I grow up – helped nurture an environment where everyone was loved and accepted regardless of ability.

I also found a reading tutor for my oldest and that is a weekly trip, we have an Occupational Therapist coming once a week to the house, the boys have regular outings with their workers, middle has golf camp next month and we love to take off and visit my mother – who now lives on an island less than an hour away which is full of wonderful things to learn and do.

So much for that trip to Ancient Egypt this summer – I took a trip down the Nile all right – Denial. I underestimated the toll the changes would take on my family and way over planned. But God has a way of gentle steering us and righting the vessel we so often tip over. The kids are learning – how to deal with letting go of part of our past and embracing the future, how to live in the moment and treasure times with people who may not be here much longer, how to take advantage of their surroundings to learn new and wonderful things about God’s creation in this classroom called Earth. So the learning is going on – just not in the way I thought it would. I think I’m ready to stop wandering around the dessert and listen to what God is trying to tell me.

And I am learning that it’s God’s plans for my boys that I need to pay attention to instead of my own.

Peggy Dalley has been married to her best friend and husband for 14 years. She uses the eclectic approach to homeschool their three sons, 12, 10 and 7. Her interests include writing unit studies, Bible study, history and she is working hard to become a Proverbs 31:10 woman instead of a Proverbs 21:9 woman.

28,416.45
…
What’s the significance of this number? The average life expectancy in the United States is 77.8 years, or 28,416.45 days. At my age, over half my days have already been spent.

My husband taught a Sunday School lesson on numbering our days with Psalm 90:9-12 as the key text:

For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.
The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.
So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

The verses are insightful, as every person has a history, or a tale, to tell. To number our days, we need to recognize the brevity of life. Unless Christ returns first, we will die. This thought confronted me suddenly last month, when my uncle passed away unexpectedly. We ought to take careful inventory of our lives and live with eternity’s values in the forefront of our minds.

To apply our heart unto wisdom, we need to obtain godly wisdom, know the purpose of our life, glorify God, have an intimate relationship with Christ, do God’s will, focus on eternal values, and be solidly firm in our faith, extremely devoted to God, and extraordinarily excellent in the Lord’s work.

Inspired by Linda Ellis’ The Dash Poem, which has been set to music (see this link: http://www.thedashmovie.com/linda/), my husband penned his own poem on this topic.

The Dash of Your Life

In between the date of your birth and the date of your death, there’s a dash.
At the end of your days and memories of your life rehashed,
If your dash was spent full of eternity’s values while on this sod,
Then your life would have brought glory to God.
If your dash was spent on vanities,
Then your life was filled with lost heavenly opportunities.

You see, it matters not how big the stash of your cash,
It is all about the impact of how you lived your dash.
Man may be impressed with titles and possessions,
But many will enter heaven’s gates because of your godly impressions.

How will you live your dash?

Lisa Van Dong has been teaching her two sons since 2004 and attempts to incorporate study, work, service, and play into their homeschooling days. She takes an eclectic approach to homeschooling and enjoys reading, writing, editing, and essential oils. Lisa blogs publicly at Pockets of Time and privately at Scooter and B.

What is your personal testimony of your relationship with Jesus Christ? Have you ever taken the time to write one out? I am sure there will come a day when you might need it or perhaps just writing one would clarify in your mind who you are in Christ and how He has changed your life. In the meantime, here is mine; don’t forget to share yours!

Essay on My Personal Testimony

Growing up, I was very familiar with church and formal Christian instruction. My mother loved the Lord since she was in her mid twenties and strove to raise me with an understanding of who God is and a desire to know Him personally for myself. Although I had many personal experiences with God throughout my childhood, my relationship with Jesus did not become real for me until I was 18.

In a very short amount of time, my life changed drastically as some outward lifestyle changes were made as a result of my heart recognizing Christ as my savior. Within two months of my heart change, I met my future husband as a direct answer to prayer (although I wasn’t expecting him quite so soon!). Within 6 months, we were married. John, my husband, was also experiencing some major heart changes in himself the previous 6 months as God worked to bring us together.

We were married 8 months after we met and the Lord has changed us so much since then that I sometimes wonder how we can be the same people. We were married with the scripture Ecclesiastes 4:12 as our theme (And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.) We felt that the Holy Spirit was the third cord in our relationship and the foundation of our future family. Over the years (and 3 children later) we have grown in our understanding of Christ, the church, the family, and our own hearts.

I have to say learning who I am in Christ has been the most rewarding and difficult at times! It is amazing to me how much we can change in such a little time yet nothing is impossible for my God. I look forward to the years to come that I may grow to know Him more and may teach my children of God’s peace that surpasses all understanding. He is the only source of true happiness. I also long to grow in my relationship with my husband to prepare the way for us as a family unit so we would be able to bless those around us with the knowledge of Christ as their own personal savior. Without Christ, my life is meaningless. With Him, I can do all things!

Rachael Moriarty is wife to a Navy Tubist and mommy to three children, ages 1 to 6. She is Director of a Classical Conversations group and a childbirth educator and doula. She works along side her hubby on their hobby farm and has a passion for kitchen experiments. She aspires to train and reach the hearts of her children that they may know the purpose of life is to know Jesus and make Him known to others.

As Christians, we aren’t supposed to like what has come to be called “the Valley experience”. Am I right? We are supposed to be striving for the mountain-top moments where we shine like a light for Christ, joyful, productive, happy, and showing the world how great our lives are. Right?

Well I agree. There is certainly nothing wrong with loving those parts of life. Certainly nothing wrong with celebrating the Lord’s goodness and providence in those moments where, even if everything is NOT right with the world, we are at least resting, trusting, and glorifying God with our lives, actions and attitudes.

But here is the thing: I think the valley is easier.

“What? No, it isn’t,” you say. “The valley hurts, the valley is dark and sad, and lonely, and sometimes it is the valley of the shadow of death. I don’t want that. I want to say, like Psalm 40, ‘He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay; And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.’ That’s what I want: not the valley”.

Let me explain: I have recently taken up “running” and I use that term loosely. My days of non-athleticism are blatantly obvious to those who knew me in my youth, and have followed me into the present day. However, I have managed to work myself up to being able to run between 5 and 8 kilometers without dying…I mean without stopping. Not too shabby for an English major like myself.

But here is what I learned the other day. I was out on a hillier route than I normally try and more than once I moaned and groaned and tried to psych myself up for the next upward stretch of the hill ahead of me. Downhill? Piece of cake. The flat stretch in the valley? Nice! Breezier, shadier, flatter…no problem. Then all of a sudden the hill is before me and I have to work really hard to do it. I mean, really hard. I have to run faster to get the momentum up to make the hill, which means I need to pump my arms faster, and pick my feet up higher. Now I’m sweatier, and hotter, and certainly fatiguing quicker. Plus, there is my lazy flesh to battle saying, “Good gravy, woman. Just walk already!” In fact the harder I work the worse it feels, physically and emotionally, and next thing you know I am really, really looking forward to slipping down the other side of the incline, if you get the picture. Sure, from the top of the hill I can see how far I’ve come, which is a nice sense of accomplishment. I can also see how close I am to home, which is encouraging. But it is so.much.work to get up the hill in the first place that the celebration at the top is hardly worth it.

Isn’t this true of our spiritual lives as well? It sure is on my part. What you need to know about me is that for all the outward “hard work and perseverance” that people think I have mastered, on the inside I am exceedingly lazy, weary, hard-to-motivate, and generally stuck in the mud. I would choose the valley over the mountain-top almost every time, despite the pain, just because it is easier to sit there suffering than it is to climb out.

The mountain-top moments are so good and refreshing and encouraging. But what did it take for you to get there? A whole lot of “dying to self” and “fighting the flesh”. A whole lot of choosing to keep moving forward, through the pain, through the fatigue, through the well-meaning-but-often-wrong encouragements of our friends to “take a rest and go easy” on our selves.

Think about it: are you in a “valley” right now? How did you get there? Is it a valley created by someone’s hurtful actions towards you? The way out of that valley and up to the mountain-top is choosing to be humble and loving enough to forgive them and extend grace to them, as far as it is appropriate for you to do so. That is hard work!

Is it a valley created by your own sin? The way out of that valley is humility and confession, repentance, and accountability with a sister in Christ who will keep you on track. That is hard work!

Is it a valley created by years and years of faithful service that has left you drained and weary? The way out is choosing to believe (no matter what it seems like!) that the Lord sees your obedient service and that he will reward you in due time (see Galatians 6:8-10 and Hebrews 6:10-12), over the lies in your head saying that you’ve done enough for others and you can spend the rest of your life resting on your laurels and serving yourself. Dying to self and loving others doesn’t always seem like much fun compared to soaking up a whole lot of “me time”. That is hard work!

What is your valley? How did you get there? What will you do to get out? It is hard work; there is no denying that. But the freedom and victory that you will experience once you have persevered through the hard work of climbing out of the pit will be worth it. I promise! And please hear me: I do fully believe that the Lord is sovereign, and that it is the Lord alone who can change our hearts and our circumstances as He sees fit. However, I do also firmly believe that, most times, the tool the Lord uses to lift us out of the valley is our wholehearted obedience to Him. Do you agree with that?

Lord, you know what valleys our lives have held in the past. You know what valley may lay before us this week, or this year. You alone can prepare our hearts to endure it. You alone can direct our hearts and stir our spirits into specific obedience out of it. You alone can set us on the journey out of the pit and onto your mountain-top of freedom and healing. Give us the courage and the faith to take those steps. And help us to enjoy the hard work of the upward climb.

Barbara Postma and her husband, as they homeschool their 7 children, are finding out that no two children are alike! Between lessons and lunches, Barbara blogs at Fuel by Barbara.

photo by Ann Dunagan of Harvest Ministry

Today, let’ s talk about missions. Missionaries are on the field everyday working to care for others and to serve the Lord, as well as bringing souls to Him. Oh how I admire these missionaries. I have 4 dear friends who just returned from Haiti, to serve people living in conditions we cannot imagine. They are truly fulfilling the call!

My thoughts often turn to far off places where we are needed. At times I thought I wasn’t doing enough. One day God changed my perspective though. He made me realize I DO have a mission field right here at home. My first responsibility that He has given to me is my children. They are to be taught the Word, they are to be raised knowing the good news of Jesus Christ, and in turn we are raising the future generation of missionaries.

I love the verse in Romans 10 that says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news.” (v. 15) I love the picture of those sharing the gospel and it’s beautiful message. Yet that message also applies right here at home. Even amongst the diaper changes, wiping noses, diffusing arguments, etc., we are acting as missionaries right here at home. We don’t have children and then expect them to raise themselves or have others raise them. NO! We are the biggest influence in their lives. I am responsible to do all I can to turn their hearts toward the truth. Wow! What a big responsibility and awesome privilege!

So next time you feel unimportant or as though you are not making a difference right now, remember at this season in your life, as a mother at home raising your children, YOU are a missionary. You are doing your part to grow the Kingdom. Yes, we are absolutely to be missional in other ways too; in our community, internationally, etc., but don’t underestimate the importance of your mission right here at HOME! God has placed us in these homes at this time in our lives for a reason.

So I ask you, how are you feeling about being a missionary at home? Do you consider yourself a missionary to your kids? What kinds of activities do you do with your kids for outside missions? Share your thoughts!

Karen is married to the love of her life, Steve, and a homeschooling mom of 4 children ages 9,7,5, and 1. She was called to homeschool when her oldest was kindergarten age after thinking, “I could never do THAT!” Now she is passionate about encouraging others on their homeschool journey, as well as learning all she can along the way. She sees her kids as her mission field and loves the verse in Romans 10:15 that says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who carry the good news.” Follow her blog at Beautiful Feet Bring Good News.

Do you have a child with a fervent love for God and a desire to fulfill Great Commission to “go into all the world to preach the Gospel” (Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:15)? Do you have a son or a daughter with a particular heart for international benevolence, or for orphan children, or for hurting people? If so, I encourage you, as a homeschooling parent, to begin to nurture this special calling and to prepare your heart to release your child to God’s purposes (as Hannah released her little Samuel to God in I Samuel 1-2). As parents, and as teachers, we can also seek the Lord to help us to provide appropriate opportunities to develop what He is doing in our child’s heart.

Just this week, our oldest daughter, Christi (who homeschooled K-12), graduated with a bachelor’s degree from a outstanding Christian university. In a few days, she will be traveling to Cambodia, Asia, as an ATL (Assistant Team Leader) for a two-month summer mission outreach to work with precious girls rescued out of horrendous child trafficking. After returning home for a brief visit, she will then travel on a second mission trip to Niger, West Africa, one of the world’s poorest unreached countries, to share the love of Jesus with youth and children.

As a parent, it can be a challenging and stretching time to see our little girl now growing up . . . and “stepping out” (that’s an understatement!!!) . . . yet it’s SO exciting.

Our daughter’s love for international missionary work didn’t just “happen.” For years, God has been developing this passion in her heart. Throughout her childhood years, my husband and I recognized and nurtured this mission call, and we made a focused effort to provide opportunities for her to learn and to experience world needs under the spiritual covering and protection of our home (and with lots of prayer!!!). For our daughter, homeschooling proved to be the perfect training for God’s unique calling on her life. The freedoms and flexibilities of home education helped to provide a foundation for God’s mission-minded purpose in her life, and it is exciting to see this plan beginning to unfold.

During high school, Christi wrote the following essay to explain her love for international orphan children. The process of writing and editing (and re-editing!) this essay not only helped to stir these needs and God’s compassion in her heart, but it also proved to be a tremendous confidence-builder. This essay helped her to earn several college scholarships, opened the door for speaking opportunities, and even established the groundwork for her college-level senior paper, which focused on the needs for emotional healing from human trafficking abuse in various international cultures.

So Many Orphans . . .

According to UNICEF, there are between 143,000,000 and 210,000,000 orphan children in the world today. This number is so huge, it’s hard to even comprehend. As a reference, the population of the USA is approximately 300,000,000 and the population of Russia is about 141,800,000. This means there are as many orphan children as about one-half of our entire US population, and more orphans than ALL of the people in Russia.

This need is huge, but I’ve seen the faces of many of these orphaned children . . . one by one . . . and they’re just as real to me as my own kids. These faces have impacted my life, and I’m praying hard for God to raise up MANY Christians, and even MANY of our own homeschooled teens and young adults, to help.

As homeschooling families, it’s true that God cares about us and our kids; but He also deeply cares for orphans; and if orphans matter to God, they should matter to us.

As you read this essay, I pray that God will help you to see beyond the needs of your own family, and your own local neighborhood, and your own homeschooling.

“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit widows and orphans in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” James 1:27.

My Heart for Orphans
By Christi Dunagan (at age 15)

Eight-year-old Jennifer huddled in the dark corner of her grandmother’s hut. Once again, she was locked in this repulsive room with no food, and no hope. Sometimes she was left alone for days while her grandmother wasted what little money they had. Most likely, th old woman would return home — drunk — and beat the girl until she could barely stand.

Jennifer knew nothing of happiness.

When she was very young, her parents were victims of Uganda’s number one killer: AIDS; and now, she was yet another victim: of poverty, hunger, and abuse.

Hearing footsteps outside her door, Jennifer looked up hopefully. Maybe she would finally be released from this small damp prison she was forced to cal home . . . but no.

She crnged, as the footsteps drew nearer and she recognized them, not as those of her grandmother, but as the sound of one of her uncles. Again one was coming. Too often they came . . . to use little Jennifer to satisfy their physical pleasures. When they had enough of her, they left her once again, hurt and crying on the mud floor. The latch creaked . . . and Jennifer prepared herself for yet another night of agony and heartache.

She knew she could not last much longer . . .

. . .

Somehow, the frightened girl escaped and began wandering her village streets. With nowhere to go, Jennifer leaned against the closest building she could find . . . and wept.

. . .

A hand touched her shoulder, startling her; but as she looked up, the girl stared into the face of a kind woman. It was Alice, a long0time friend of my family, and the local director of an AIDS orphanage, today called Guma Na Yesu (“Keep With Jesus”) Children’s Center, which my parents helped establish in 1995 in Mbarara, Uganda.

Along with hundreds of other orphans, this child finally has a home. People are now feedng her, ministering to her hurts, and loving her. Slowly, she is learning life is not just pain and horror, and she is discovering joy. Slowly, her emotional wounds are healing. Finally, Jennifer is becoming the girl she was born to be.

. . .

During November and December of my Junior year of high school, I had the incredible esperience of traveling to Uganda along with my mother and a precious elderly minister’s wife. There, I met Jennifer and many orphans just like her — and it made an incredible impact on my life. Beginning on that trip, my mom and I have been establishing a brand new orphanage (called Osanidde Village, primarily for AIDS victims. (“Osanidde” is an African word, common in many Lugandan worship songs; it sounds like “Oh Sunny Day” and means “You are Worthy.”) There are many details — organizing orphan photos, recruiting sponsors, doing computer work — but it’s worth it. I want to help rescue as many hurting children as I can.

During my journey, I traveled my a rugged dugout canoe to a remote island. There, the poverty was so great, and many children were left as orphans due to the trauma of war and AIDS. My mom and I decided we couldn’t just sit back. Thousands of children were dying from malnutrition and neglect. We knew we had to do something.

As I walked through the narrow village streets, the air reeked of fish, body odor, and garbage. Little children flocked around me, holding my hands, touching my hair, and gazing deeply into my eyes. As they longed for some sort of love and affection, I wished I could just “wrap them up,” hide them in my suitcase and take them all home.

But obviously, that wasn’t possible.

Yet since our return to the U.S., my mom and I have been working with some Ugandan nationals to build an orphanage on that island for as many children as possible. Our desire is for these orphan children to grow up in an environment where they will be loved and wanted, to provide a happy place where hurting children can receive quality care, nutrition, and education.

Right now, our new orphanage is small, but it is growing. Currently, we have 16 orphans and 16 orphanage houses. My mom and I know we will never be able to help every orphan in Uganda; but we’re doing what we can, and we won’t give up.

For these children, it is finally an “Oh Sunny Day.” No longer will they roam the streets, beg for meals, or sleep “wherever.”

These little ones will be safe and cared for.

And with smiles on their faces — just like Jennifer now has — these orphans will finally have a change to become the children they were born to be.

Note: As a followup, in March and April, 2010, our family traveled to Uganda, East Africa to checkup on these two ongoing orphanage ministries of Guma Na Yesu Children’s Center and Osanidde Village, along with a new village network of church-and adoption-based Family Zone Centers. Currently, these orphan ministries are caring for over 700 orphan children. Jennifer is now a beautiful teenager, and she’s doing well; she’s living with a wonderful Christian family, leading worship in her local church, and loving Jesus.

Ann Dunagan is a longtime homeschool mother of 7 (with 4 high school graduates and 3 university graduates). Since 1987, she and her husband Jon, and their family, have ministered worldwide through Harvest Ministry, to a combined total of 70+ nations, on all 7 continents. Ann is co-founder of 2 African orphanages (with over 700 children); author of several books, including The Mission-Minded Family; and she blogs at Passionate Homemaking and “Better Parents, Better Families” on The Christian Post.

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 to host her interview on my blog. What compels the author spiritually, inspired me as a writer and a parent. God can use our passions and talents to reach the world with His message.

Francine writes with purpose to draw her readers into a relationship with the creator God. She weaves scripture throughout her writing and paints pictures that illustrate spiritual truth. The author desires to reveal an infinite God with an infinite love for each individual.

This has not always been Francine’s goal in writing. She loved writing from childhood, but her first novels are not in print and “not recommended” by the author. She calls those B.C. or Before Christ novels. After the dramatic change occurred in her life and marriage, Francine hung up her writing pen. She allowed God to lead her through a season of learning new priorities. God had to become first, her family second and then writing. For three years she did not write but instead soaked in God’s Word.

Not until God prompted her to write again, did she begin writing Christian fiction. Her first Christian novel Redeeming Love is a romance set in the gold rush era of California. She considers it her statement of faith. It portrays Jesus’ unconditional love for us and is based on the Old Testament book of Hosea. Each novel since then has been developed out of a spiritual struggle in the author’s life. As she grapples with the answers, she illustrates what God teaches her by writing a story.

Francine desires to see more writers who excel in their craft enter the field of Christian fiction. She sees God at work in this mission field. With the world in disarray politically and economically, she feels that Christian fiction can speak to searching, hurting hearts. Francine has big dreams for great literature to be on the big screen. She would love to see more positive films roll out of Hollywood. Her novel Redeeming Love is in the developmental stage for a movie.

What advice does the author have for Christian writers? Writing should flow from daily time in God’s Word. Know the scriptures from beginning to end. Without a vital relationship with Christ and honesty about our struggles against sin, we will not have anything of value to offer readers.

Francine’s life inspires me as a parent. If our children enjoy the creative arts, we should help them gain experience and develop skill. God gives talent and passion to our children. Through them the arts can be used to inspire believers and win others to the faith.

I pray that we can say like Francine that God has given us the “tongue of a disciple” in order to “sustain the weary one with a word” (Isaiah 50:4).

For more information about Francine Rivers go to www.francinerivers.com.

Rhodema Cargill lives the parenting adventure with Calvin, her college sweetheart. They have two adult daughters and two teenagers still at home, a girl and a boy. Their homeschool style is eclectic with a great love of living history books. Rhodema is a freelance writer and speaker. Visit with her on her blog: MommyLife.

For the first time, I wasn’t overwhelmed by the plethora of choices at the homeschool convention. A few art supplies were gathered as gifts to take home to my children, but no curriculum grabbed me. Our shelves at home contained more than enough.

After six years of homeschooling, I felt settled. I finally realized there was no perfect curriculum. I understood there was no system to replace character.

The view from my new vista looked so promising. My faith was stronger than in those first faltering days of kindergarten crying. My children were learning and growing. Homeschool was working.

Then a new season crashed in on us. A season of selling our house and moving across the country.

School became exploring the backyard while I painted window sills. Field trips morphed into treks to Home Depot. Lesson plans faltered and ended up tucked away out of sigh. Certain phone calls initiated “house drills” in which we cleaned furiously and jumped in the van just before potential buyers toured our home.

It was months until our school books were pulled out of blue, plastic bins. The books I chose two years ago. The books that continue to tell me we are behind schedule.

My heart beats faster as my brain spins through the list of neglected subjects. My heart tries to hammer down the fear. What happened to the feeling of peace I experience after last year’s homeschool convention? How was it buried so quickly?

I quiet the internal crashing by considering all my children learned through the process of moving. The math books waited, but we measured rooms for flooring and estimated areas for paint. English grammar languished, but my son questioned the electrician and read about plumbing.

I, also, realize there are some things history books can’t teach.

My children experienced Providence in the here and now. They know how many times the Lord acted on our behalf. They were there when our church sent someone over to finish repairing our house. They shared the joys and stresses of selling our house and buying a new one. They recognized answered prayers as we stepped out in faith.

And isn’t that what this whole process of homeschooling and parenting is? An exercise of faith? Without faith, I can’t win the war against fear. With faith, I am convinced my children will never forget the lessons learned while the books were packed away.

Renae teaches her eleven-year-old son and two little girls at home. She has prepared lesson plans, enjoyed children’s literature, and delighted in discovery with her children for five years. By studying Principle Approach philosophy, she realized what she always suspected: the Bible lies at the heart of all subjects. Find her reflections at Life Nurturing Education.