What God Has Planned

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Heart of the Matter has been so blessed with our amazing team, rapid growth, and the finances to provide us with a top-notch website and conferencing software. We knew from day one that God’s goal for this was to provide as much as possible for free. Both of us wanted to make a print magazine available and we encountered many of you along the way who also encouraged it. So we set it in motion. The problem was that neither of us ever felt it was God’s will and we simply ignored that and dismissed it as fear. It never went away.

We began praying fervently about it and even fasting to get answers. Neither of us knew what the other was doing but God knew and He spoke loudly. Heart of the Matter is not to go to print. It is to remain a free online resource. The magazine will continue to be made available for free online and in PDF format.

The Heart of the Matter is the family. This is a ministry before it is a business and we want you to trust that we will always do what God says for us to do with what He has entrusted to us. We both are continuing our education through personal study and online classes and we intend to bring you one of the best homeschool website and services on the web. I can honestly say that we already have some of the best writers so we just want to improve now on the services we offer.

The magazine will re-debut on January 8th as scheduled. In addition to that we have these fun events and services also debuting in the next three months:

• A Craft a Day will begin on November 28th and run through December 24th. This new feature is headed up by Angela DeRossett and consists of lots of fun and exciting craft projects that you can do at home with your children or in a group with friends. All of them will get you in the spirit of the season!
• Mom’s Night Twittering will be a fun and exciting time for us all to get together via the social network Twitter. We will meet together on a specified date, at a specified time, throw out some topics, give away some prizes, and just enjoy talking to each other! This feature will be headed up by Dana and Renae.
• Online HOTM Homeschool Co-op will begin early next year with classes ranging from home economics and internet safety to science and creative writing. Classes will be pre-recorded and all lessons and worksheets (as applicable) will be uploaded so that you can enjoy the classes at your own discretion. We will also have some live classes that will be offered.
• The News as It Pertains to You will be a video segment news feature that will be presented as often as we feel necessary to keep you informed about things that affect you. All segments will be triple fact checked prior to being published. We intend to bring you several different news reporters including some of our kids who are looking for “extra credit”!  If you would like to submit a news story please contact us at: the.amies@heartofthemattermagazine.com.
• HOTM Forums and groups are coming back. You asked for them and you will be getting them. They are currently being designed and organized so get ready, ready, ready! Blog moderators and coordinators are Rachel Harris, Amy Fleeker, and Kysha from Love’s School.
• Bible Studies – More online bible studies with Lori MacMath are coming up. Be on the lookout for our announcement post so you can purchase your books at discount costs.
• Goodies Galore Carnival – Have some curriculum that you are looking to get rid of? Maybe some crafting items that you no longer use? How about giving them a new happy home? We will host a giveaway carnival once a month where you can box up a sweet package of goodies that you no longer need and bless another family. The giveaway contest will be held on your own blog and then linked to Heart of the Matter via Mr. Linky.
• So much more! Just to name a few, we have new blog widgets, Facebook applications, Kindle downloads, homeschool blog templates, buttons, Twitter skins, printables/downloads and other fun stuff to share with you and all for FREE!!

Don’t forget about the online Christian Women’s Conference, A Woman Inspired, that we are sponsoring alongside Christian Women Online (CWO) and Internet Café Devotions. We have some awesome speakers and giveaways planned so stay tuned for more information.

Heartbeat Live has been a big hit! If you haven’t checked it out yet then what in the world are you waiting for? Please join us on Tuesday, November 25th at 3:00 CST, as we welcome Sheila Wray Gregoire, the popular author of such books as To Love, Honor and Vacuum; How Big is Your Umbrella; and Honey, I Don’t Have a Headache Tonight. As a bonus, everyone who attends Sheila’s talk will be entered to win a set of ALL THREE of Sheila’s fabulous books.

If you missed the previous sessions: Stirring Up the Gift Within You While Stirring Up the Gift Within Your Child by Amy Bayliss or Hands-on Learning by Angela DeRossett then you can still download them and listen to them at your own leisure. Did I mention that this is FREE? All you need to do is register at Heartbeat Live and you will receive instructions to download those talks as well as receive an invitation to each talk, every week.

Thank you to everyone who has poured out love and support to this ministry. Your prayers, thoughts, ideas, and services are so greatly appreciated. Anyone desiring to serve in a greater capacity or join our team need only ask and submit a written proposal. All requests will be considered. We are currently specifically seeking someone to write and maintain our weekly newsletter. All interested persons should email us at the.amies@heartofthemattermagazine.com.

This is your website, for you and your family. Your thoughts are always welcomed.

On a side note, we would like to encourage you to subscribe to and or support the other homeschool magazines out there. The OldSchoolhouse magazine is currently having a sale. Check it out! We need to support each other as best as we can.