Our First 6 Weeks – A Review

Wow, what a great first 6 weeks.  The kids tackled their school work well.  Let’s see what we did.

 

We are all learning Genesis 1.  So far we are working on the first five verses.  The science curriculum is working through the days of creation, so we are memorizing the first couple chapters of Genesis.  Even little Wyatt and Rayna are getting in on this memorizing.  Kristyn and Cora are working through the science stuff while the other two listen from time to time.  So far we got through the first day of creation.

 

We’ve been continuing with our Building A Life, character study as well. Kristyn and Cora are enjoying this curriculum a little more.  They don’t like filling in the worksheets as there is a lot of writing involved.  We need to work on penmanship, but when they aren’t interested this is tough.  One day we’ll really get on that.  You can read what we did in the last six weeks in Building A Life here.  This chapter was about meekness and loyalty.

 

Both Kristyn and Cora are working through the Grade 2 Math from ACSI.  Kristyn completed pages 109-146.  Cora finished pages 63-104.  Or thereabouts.  They’ve learned a lot about money, telling time, addition and subtraction, beginning ideas being planted about multiplication, geometry, sorting.  They are learning lots!

 

All the children have been participating in our preK / K program.  The bigger girls love to color with the little ones and help them do their crafts.  We are using a combination of a couple Letter of The Week curriculums.  Confessions of a Homeschooler put together the main curriculum I am using.  I’m adding a few things from Brightly Beaming Resources as well.  We started with the vowels and then completed the six week session with the letter B.  Wyatt asks for school work every single day!  This week long break is going to be hard foe him.  Marrissa could use something a little more challenging but is not quite ready to push herself yet, so I’ve just started to add a more difficult activity here and there.

 

Our book exposure has been huge this last six weeks.  Each week I choose about 15-20 books that relate to the letter of the week.  Some of our favorites (not necessarily connected to a letter) have been: The Napping House by Audrey Wood, The Umbrella by Jan Brett, and Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss.  Kristyn and Cora have also been choosing books to read.  The Magic Tree House series has been popular as has Junie B Jones (Cora).  Kristyn has discovered comic books and especially enjoyed The Adventures of TinTin.  Unfortunately our library system only has ONE book!  Marrissa is learning to read using Bob Books.  I caught her reading to Wyatt the other day.  She whipped through three or four of those little books with no trouble.

 

A few other odds and ends include movie night, poetry, dance, and choir.  Family Movie Night also corresponds around the letter of the week.  We’ve watched Prince of Egypt, The Incredibles, Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Noah’s Umbrella and The Bee Movie.  (I forget what the letter A was.)  The kids have really enjoyed watching movies together.  Dance and choir happen weekly for Kristyn and Cora.  They come home so excited each week!  This is a great time that I use to allow Marrissa to help out more around the house.  So often it is just easier to let the older girls do the chores, but Marrissa needs to learn these skills too!  The favorite poem by far has been Inchworm, Inchworm.

 

In addition to memorizing Genesis, we have a number of other verses we are working on.  Each week from Sunday school the children have verses to memorize.  Also each week has a verse that goes with the letter from that week.  We are using Sing the Word songs for that.  I have been programming the stereo to play just the songs we have worked on, so A, E, I, O, U and B.  That way the children learn by repetition.

 

Some of the topics discussed and learned about include:

• ants
• elephants
• inchworms
• iguanas
• octopus
• umbrellas
• butterflies
• telling time
• measuring
• being proud

 

I am excited for the next six weeks.  I’ve been planning and printing and searching for stuff on the letters C, D, F, G, H, J. The topics include (but not limited to) caterpillars, dinosaurs, fish, gumballs, hippos, jelly beans and Jesus.  I am planning the next 60 or so pages of math for the big girls.  Building A Life is all about self-control and honesty; these topics NEED to be discussed in this house.  Science will be about day two of creation.  We will memorize more Scripture and read a pile more books.  (We keep our little local library busy!)  The children are enjoying the break to do other things – mostly play outside and watch TV.

 

Striving to learn and live God's purposes,

Thought Provoking Discussions

My Saturday evening has been spent studying and discussing with friends. It has been interesting and tough. Things discussed include: the correct sabbath day, hell, predestination, who has the right religion/belief. Some of these things will never be agreed upon between us; I think we may just have to agree to disagree on the specifics. We each feel very strongly about what we believe; we believe that we are right and the others are wrong and vise versa.



I believe that we do not have to observe Saturday as the Sabbath. I was just reading over at Blue Letter Bible about why Christians moved to Sunday versus continuing with Saturday. They have some good points. Those who observe the Lord's Day on Saturday have valid points as well. Can we both be right? Or is one wrong? Does it really matter? Is it a salvation issue? The point our friend brought up tonight is that this is one of the 10 Commandments. God obviously thinks it is important, but what is important about it - the specific day or that we actually take the time one day in a week to honor him and to rest? Or what about this - we like to rest on Saturday and meet for worship on Sunday? Some would consider us lazy then. We just can't win; you can't please everyone.

I believe there is a hell. Some questions that came up: are there different levels of hell? Will our bodies burn forever? Or is hell for our souls and our bodies will just burn up and be consumed by the fire, but our souls burn forever? Does it really matter? Or does it simply matter that we do believe that God will punish those who do not follow him?

We didn't discuss it a lot but part of the conversation did turn toward predestination and free will. Do we really have a free will? Or is God directing a lot more than we give Him credit for? Or does he give and take our free will at his discretion? So if God is deciding that some are predestined for heaven and some are not then that means God wants people to go to hell? How does that fit in with our lovey dovey view of God? But if there is free will, how do we really know that we have the right way? The free will adds an element of doubt.

Do Christians really have the right path? Or is it some other group / cult / religion? Where or how do you balance questioning / doubt / learning / education / debate? Where do you draw the line?

I think I'll take a break. My head hurts. I am open and willing to learn and read and try to understand. I don't really want to be mediocre; I want to be more like Christ. However, there is that aspect of having the faith of a little child. I might just go back to that and not think so hard and so long about these HUGE issues. I feel more confused than when we started.

I am saved from my sins; Jesus is my Savior. I am going to heaven; there is a hell. Free will or not, I'm with HIM. Until God shows me otherwise, my conscience is clear resting on Saturday and meeting for worship on Sunday. And I pray for lively, friendly, educating discussions that create peace in our hearts and our homes; that God teaches each one where s/he is at that moment and brings each one closer to Himself.

The striving is evident tonight!

Striving to learn and live God's purposes,

Galatians 6:9

And let us not grow weary while doing good,
for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Galatians 6:9

Striving to learn and live God's purposes,

Thinking On Scripture

Acts 2:46-47

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

This passage is kind of exciting to me.

• They met together daily in the temple. Not sure I want to start going to church daily. But then again, I live in a church. <>
  
• They ate together. I'd love to meet with my church family for a meal more regularly. I think this is a very important part of building relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
  
• They had glad and sincere hearts. Sadly, I think this is missing in a lot of people. Are we genuinely glad? Are we sincere? I find that most people are so wrapped up in the troubles of their day, their week, and their life that they have no room for gladness and sincerity. I mean I'm not talking about ignoring the situations we are in, but I'm talking about worrying about it so much that we have no room for the good things, the happy things. And this shows through to the people we met as we go about our day.
  
• They praised God. Praising God. Sigh. I am embracing this more and more. I am seeing where this praise transfers from just an act to a lifestyle!
  
• They were loved by their community. Are we loved by our community? Can our community tell that we are different, and a good different. Are we a different that they want to be a part of?
  
• Their number was added to daily.
  

Thinking On Scripture - Wealth

Tuesday nights are FPU Night. We meet together with several other couples to work through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. We've completed the first week and although this is going to be tough, the benefits will be well worth the time and effort.

Here are some verses to think on in regard to money, wealth and saving:

Proverbs 21:20 - In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.

1 Timothy 6:10a - For the love of money is the root of all evil.

Genesis 41:35-36 - And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.

Proverbs 28:20 - A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.

Psalm 62:10 - Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.

I am learning so very much, and re-learning and being stretched so far. DH and I filed bankruptcy in December of 2007 so we have far less debt than most in the country. We have no credit cards as a result of the bankruptcy and because of a decision since then to not go into debt like that again. We learned the hard way. So now we are learning the skills needed to keep us using our money, not letting our money use us. One of the big steps in that is using cash, which we've been forced to do (partly through the bankruptcy and partly on a decision to do so since then). We will be learning about saving (lesson one that we just completed).

I'm so glad to be learning more scripture that talk about money and wealth. For example, the passage in Genesis. I never thought of that as a savings plan, but it is. They had to save - it was their emergency fund. We don't have an emergency fund yet. The principle is right there; I just never saw it before. Now we get to apply it.

I encourage you to go to Dave Ramsey's site and see if there is a FPU in your area and if there isn't I suggest talking to your church group or employer about having one. Or, even lead one yourself. Dave Ramsey's staff are very helpful and knowledgable.

Thinking On Scripture

Isaiah 40

²⁸Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

²⁹He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

³⁰Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

³¹But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

I don't just think I can, I know I can through His strength and power and because others have been there before me!

Thinking On Scripture

Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Our pastor has been doing a series on this verse titled: Live the Bible. He talked about how we have to believe, we have to follow, we have to have fellowship and we have to pray. Today was on prayer. Unfortunately, Baby R was restless enough that I missed most of the message. (Yes, I know you took her T-L, but I was still in and out with her before that. ha ha)

I got the last part of his message and that was to encourage us to pray for each other. Pray in front of our children, for our children. Or as children, to pray for our parents, in front of our parents.

He said (closer to the beginning of the message) that prayer works. I have an example of answered prayer in my extended family. My SIL and I have babies 6 weeks apart. She ended up getting an infection, being on antibiotics, and really feeling quite miserable. Going on 8 weeks after birth, she is going for more tests and an ultrasound or two. Then I get a facebook message asking for prayer for surgery and all that would entail with a toddler, a new baby, a dh in school, etc. I wrote her back stating that I would be praying that this situation would clear up and the surgery would not be required because although they deem a D&C a minor surgery, surgery is surgery regardless! We are praising the Lord that she passed whatever was in there that needed to get out and that with the continued anitbiotics, she is more and more her active self! Prayer works.

I've struggled with prayer. I don't understand why we need to pray when God does as He wants, when He knows everything that will or has happened. To me, prayer seems redundant and pointless. That being said, did my prayers change the situation with my SIL or would she have cleared up when she did if I hadn't have prayed the way that I did?? And yet, Jesus taught his disciples to pray so doing so must be an important part of our relationship with God. And so, even though I don't understand the in and outs and whys (I was hoping the message today would answer some of those, but I missed it, so I don't know if it did or not) I pray; I use prayer as communication with a friend; I'm just talkin' as I would, in a sense, to J or T-L or another close friend.

What are your thoughts on prayer??

Psalm 91:14-15

Psalm 91:14-15 (NIV)

"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

God doesn't say that we will be without trouble and hardships. God does say that he will answer us, He will be with us and he will save and honor us.

Allowing my man to lead

Learning to allow my man to lead has been a fairly long process. I have felt for a very long time that although my man has a strong relationship with God, he was not leading our family. What I've finally learned is that I need to allow him to be the leader that God has created him to be. Some leaders are strong and "out there"; you see them. My dh is not that type of leader. My dh is a "behind-the-scenes", quiet (sometimes silent) leader.

There is not a lot of Bible reading and leading that goes on in our home. We don't have family devotions or pray together. My dh is growing and changing slowly as we'd both like to see more of those things in our family, but God seems to take his time with J. Kind of like, if God gives him too much at once, J will throw it all out. And God uses my obedience to His Word to help that process along What does that look like for me? Quiet obedience, respectful suggestion and simple example. If I bully and nag and barge in where I'm not wanted or needed, it doesn't work. I've learned to allow God to work on J. I've learned that God has a different role and method of leadership for J to follow and use.

And then I had a light bulb moment in church yesterday. The speaker's understanding of Matthew 25:40 is to include not only Christians but non-believers as well. Very quietly dh says to me, "John 1:12 tells us how to become children of God, therefore I do not believe Matthew 25:40 includes non-believers." The speaker was reading from a very different version and I had my NIV with me and I don't like either really. I plan to go and compare versions - dig out a KJV or a NKJV. The point I am trying to make is I finally have seen the little, quiet ways that dh directs and teaches me. He instigates me to further educate myself on the scriptures to see for myself what God says in His Word.

*************

Matthew 25:40 NIV --- "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Matthew 25:40 KJV --- And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

John 1:12 NIV --- Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

John 1:12 KJV --- But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

In order to be a brother to Christ we need to be a son of God. Only those who receive God's gift of salvation are God's children, therefore Matthew 25:40 doesn't include non-believers.

Psalm 128

Psalm 128

A song of ascents.

1 Blessed are all who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways.

2 You will eat the fruit of your labor;
blessings and prosperity will be yours.

3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your sons will be like olive shoots
around your table.

4 Thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.

5 May the LORD bless you from Zion
all the days of your life;
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem,

6 and may you live to see your children's children.
Peace be upon Israel.

Trials and Persecution

I was listening to the New Testament this morning on my new ZEN Mosaic mp3 player that I got for Christmas. I have read the Gospel of Mark before and heard it read but today these verses jumped out at me.

Mark 10:28-31

Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!"

"I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

John 15:20

Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

2 Thessalonians 1:4

Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

I don't understand then how Christians expect an easy life. Yes, there are blessings, but there are many trials too. We best not forget. Of course, it's easy to remember the trials when we are in the midst of them, isn't it?

God calls us to give up our way to follow Him. Might seem like a lot to ask, but He gives us back 100 times MORE than we gave up but we get persecutions too. We give up these things, now but now, we also get them back 100 fold and persecutions. Then he goes on to say that we get eternal life! I think we get a pretty good deal out of giving up our will to His.

What caught me though I think is that so many times you hear an always loving, God has a wonderful plan for your life gospel message. When I hear that I think, who's definition of wonderful are we going by??? The things that have happened to me in my life I wouldn't deem wonderful. But God does! Even the persecutions create us into who we are supposed to be in Him! So while God does have a great life for us here and now (100 fold what we gave up) and a wonderful life for us in heaven when we die, we need to not forget that there will be persecution as well.

Just some scattered thoughts on what I heard this morning.