Torchilghters video: John Bunyan

I purchased this video recently. It's excellent. Of all the Torchlight series videos, this one is my boys' favorite!

We need to give our kids true heroes to look up to. Now as much as, and maybe more than ever, it's time for us to teach our kids about the cost and the amazing life in following Christ.



For Torchlight videos go here.

A Bible book for kids learning to read

My five year old is reading (go Connor!), so is my 3 year old (Whoa! this homeschool thing started a fire I can't keep from blazing in my 3 year old, he just listens to me teaching my 5 year old and wa-la he's reading the 1st set of BOB books), and I've been trying to find not just good primers for early readers (Here and Here are some resources.) but also a Bible for children who are learning to read. I was really hoping to find some, you know, level 1, 2, 3, etc. paperback versions of different Bible stories, but instead I found this:


I started using it yesterday morning during our Bible time. I had Connor read the two page story from the Sermon on the Mount and he did it!!! Yeah! And he remembered the story much better than me reading it to him.

So far, looking through it, I'm very impressed with the way Karen Henley wrote it. I think it captures the heart of the passage of scripture without leaving out important things.

You can go here to read an excerpt.

Anyone else have a Bible learn-to-read source?

Related:

• I also recommend the Day to Day Kid's Bible for a to parent read-aloud to young children for discussion or for older early readers to read themselves.
• The Good and Evil book for engaging more realistic images of Bible stories and discussion.

teach them diligently: A timothy moms must have!

I just received the book Teach Them Diligently by Lou Priolo the other day and am totally encouraged and revived by it... and I've read the first three chapters!

You can go here to read an excerpt from the book. It's awesome!!! GO READ IT NOW!

As I said, I'm not even done with it yet, but it's so spot on with how God has moved my heart to take up diligently the ministry of teaching my kids His word and modeling a life of genuine faith in Christ to them daily that I had to pass it on to you!

I hope to get a handful of these books by Christmas and give them away here at timothy moms!

If you like a sterilized, flanel-graph version of the Bible for your kids this is not for you

A month or so ago I ordered The Good and Evil book by Michael Pearl. I was looking for a Bible story book I could read to my boys that wasn't just a bunch of nice moral tales with sterilized images of the characters thrown in. For the most part, that has been what I've found.

I don't want my kids to think of the stories in the Bible as Veggie Tales or Boz the Bear (not that I have anything against those characters in themselves- we own both- just not what I want for a Bible teaching source). So when I found this comic-book style Bible story book by Michael Pearl with AMAZING, did I say AMAZING, illustrations by Danny Bulanadi and Clint Cearley I thought, "Now this is it!"

And I wasn't disappointed in the least when I got it in the mail. I did have issue with a few of the interpretations Michael Pearl wrote for what some of the characters said, but it's a minor issue for me. At least now I have a resource that really depicts the truth- which is stranger and much more entertaining than fiction- without candy coating or trying to make it all nice and tidy.

It's been hard for me actually, reading some of these stories to my boys, but it's made me realize as I talk to them, that our God is an awesome God, one that does not fit in a nice tidy box or soft cuddly stuffed animal. He is fierce and all-powerful and that's what makes His humility and gentleness, mercy and love so inviting. The full picture of God's judgment on sin and plan for redemption is presented in this book with truly spectacular images to go along with it.

You know, our kids watch and are exposed to all kinds of violence and stories of bad stuff that happens out there in the world, and then we teach them these Veggie-tale style Bible stories and somehow in their brains it just doesn't jive. The Bible seems inapplicable when we sterilize it. But when we let it say what it says, the God who stepped down into our mess to take on Himself the judgement we deserve becomes the God our kids can trust in.

My boys and are just going straight through the book with a 4 or 5 page reading every morning. I have them (they are ages 3 1/2 and 5 by the way) listen to the story from the book, then I take a key scripture (10 verses or less) that the story is derived from and read it to them while they look at the pictures in the book. I have them draw what they heard or saw in one of the pictures in a special book I set aside just for this time, and then I have them tell me what they drew or wrote. This time usually generates all kinds of questions only kids ask, questions that make you pray hard and fast and make you get real with your kids.

The other day for instance we read the story about Abraham and Isaac going up to mount Moriah to offer Isaac. My boys' eyes were as big as dollars and of course the question came, "God wanted Abraham to kill his son mom!?" Usually I'd try to avoid this kind of story, cause even as an adult it's hard to understand, but because I truly believe God wants us to impress His word on our kids' hearts and not try to make it pretty, I told them the story. So when my 5 year old asked this question I prayed and was able to relay the heart of God to my son out of my own life of knowing Him. I told him that God never wanted Abraham to kill his son, but He wanted to show Abraham and Isaac that God would die for us to save us. I really saw God's plan coming together for how He wants us to teach our kids His word in those moments.

I thought of how the Israelite kids would watch their parents obediently kill a lamb and spread it's blood on the door of their houses before they left Egypt and how in obedience to God's word they would, for generations, watch their parents kill lambs in various sacrifices and offerings to God. I thought about how graphic and bloody that is. I wouldn't want my kids to watch a lamb get slaughtered. But that violent image made a permanent impression on them so that when the Lamb of God came, those who would believe, would remember and know that the Son of God is the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. If their parents had sheltered them from such images and only told their children nice things about manna falling from the sky and such there would have been no recognition of the plan of God to have His own Son be slaughtered for the salvation of their souls.

I want my kids to remember and know that our God is Almighty, Holy and Just, and He is also, Merciful, Gracious and Kind. I want them to remember the God of old who required the death of lambs, who one day sent His own Son to become the Lamb, so that when they see their own sinfulness and need, they'll run to God with a righteous fear of Him, knowing He has every reason to condemn them, but believing that for all time He's desired to take their punishment on Himself that they might be saved.

So, all that said, if you're looking for an EXCELLENT Bible story book that brings across the real message of God to your kids in an unforgettable way, I would definitely recommend Good and Evil by Michael Pearl.

More AWESOME SEEDS Family Worship

One of the coolest things about blogging is that every once in awhile you get something FOR FREE!!

Awhile back, when I was looking for some good, scriptural music to listen to and sing with my boys, something that would get God's word in their hearts through song, I found SEEDS Family Worship through another blogger. I quickly ordered the Courage CD. My boys and I listen to it DAILY in the mornings when we're doing our chores and when we ride in the car. The boys almost instantly had several scriptures memorized and were walking around singing these words of life all the time. I too found that singing these great tunes SEEDS put together was branding God's word on my heart. Often I wake up with these scripture songs going through my head and I sing one of the songs from the CD to my boys before they go to bed. I just can't say enough good about the SEEDS Family Worship CD's...I HIGHLY recommend them!

Well, anyway, the other day I got an email from Michelle at SEEDS Family Worship asking if I'd be interested in receiving a free pre-release copy of their new CD The Power of Encouragement. Uh, YEAH, of course I would!!!! And today I got the copy in the mail (thanks Michelle!!!). I instantly popped in the player in the car and began soaking up the songs and words of scripture with my boys. It's another great one! The scriptures are true words of encouragement from Phillipians 4:12-13, Phillipians 4:8, Psalm 55:22, John 16:33, Psalm 139:14, Mark 9:35, James 1:19, Matthew 28:19, Isaiah 40:29-31, and Luke 2:8-14. I'm so looking forward to getting these in my heart and my kids' hearts.

Singing scripture truly does make a difference. It's one thing to write a verse down on a 3 by 5 card and try to remember it...nothin' wrong with that. But I think it's even better to sing and have an instant coorelation between a certain tune and a verse of scripture. For me, it sticks much better!

So PLEASE run, don't walk over to the SEEDS Family Worship website and get your hands on a CD or two or four! I trust that as you listen to these, like me, you'll find yourself singing scripture and thinking on God's word and having it spill out of your heart first thing in the morning and at night too.

Encouraging and Helpful Posts

While I'm on hiatus I'm still reading other people's blogs when I have a chance and have been greatly encouraged and inspired by the following posts.

1. Jesus' Use of Q and A: E-Mom at Chrysallis has a great post about how we as parents can learn from Jesus' style of drawing out real answers by using questions.
2. Practical Ways to Cultivate Spirituality in a Child- Part 1: Lindfay at Higher Up and Further In has a very wise and practical post with ideas for teaching our kids about the God we worship and His ways.
3. Christian Heros: Shari at Kids Love Jesus has a weekly Christian Heros post that are just great! I read the Hudson Taylor story to my boys yesterday as we began talking about and praying for China (you can go here to learn more about that and get a free bracelet)
4. Lifting Hands isn't a post but a regular prayer blog which faithfully reminds me to pray for my kids in specific areas using scripture. Momma Roar is the writer of Lifting Hands.

Resources

I've been wanting to share this site Kids Love Jesus for a long time! I stumbled upon it a few weeks back, and though most of the things there are for kids older than mine, Shari has a great blog going there- just sharing ideas and resources, stories and links for kids learning about Jesus and life as a christian. If you have school aged kids (probably 8 and older) I think her site is a great resource for ideas.

Also, I read this post at Making Home by Jess today and thought it was excellent! She addresses the issue of when and how (from her perspective and personal experience) to let our kids go out into the world. I highly recommend it!

If you have resources, thoughts, ideas, things that work for you, etc., I'd love to hear and post about it. You can email me by going to my profile.

Praying for our kids and for us as we seek to obey the Lord and lead our children to Christ!

~Sheila~

Great series of messages for Timothy Moms

Chip Ingram at Living On the Edge has a great series of teachings that I caught on the radio and found online called House or Home? The whole series is excellent and worth listening to and prayerfully applying to your own life, but the programs called What's a Parent to Do? I thought were particularly applicable to us mom's seeking to disciple our own children. You can go here to access the options for listening online, either by podcast or from your computer. If you go here you can scroll down to the House or Home series and pick which broadcast you want to listen to. I also recommend the programs on marriage, Is there a woman in the house? and What's a woman to do?, are both excellent!

More great scripture songs!

Joy at Joy in the Journey posted this post challenging us to worship the Lord with our kids in singing the Word with them. This is something I've come to treasure with my boys...just singing and dancing to Jesus!


Joy recommended these two links, you can listen to the music there. I LOVED THEM ALL! Here are the links: Seeds Family Worship and Glory Revealed.

Resources: Sonlight

I purchased this CD last week. It's been AWESOME! They are totally kids songs, but they're strictly scripture and fun to sing and we've got at least three or four embedded in our memories already without even trying! I've been playing the CD while we drive around in the car and while we do our chores in the house. The kids request it. And as I was singing the other day to it, feeling a little silly singing the childish tune, the Lord spoke to my heart how beautiful it is to Him when we grown ups become like little children! Just singing the Word, loving to enjoy the purity of His truth!

Anyway, it's HIGHLY recommended from me and you can get a lot more than just this CD if you go to the Sonlight website here.

Come on Timothy moms, Let's Partay!

Reading E-mom's post this morning I was reminded of the Ultimate blog party (for non-bloggers too by the way :-). So I headed over to Five Minutes for Mom and read their invitation post to the 2008 Ultimate Blog Party.

It sounds like fun and I thought it would be a great way to invite some more Timothy Moms out there to share their wisdom and encouragement here. Besides that there are prizes!

Post on your own blog (you can link to Timothy moms in your post if you'd like...or not :-) and then leave the link to your post on 5 Minutes for Mom's Mr. Linky.

I'll be posting here, throwing a "real" party with my boys. I'll be praying about a theme for our party and posting pictures and videos here at Timothy Mom's and then linking up at the blog party. I'll also include in my posts links to the contributions you all have shared here. Should be lots of fun!

Here's a verse comes to mind when I think about partying with my sons:

"Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just." - Luke 14:12-14

Hmm...invite the poor, maimed, lame, blind...I'm gonna be praying about that for our themed blog party. Maybe you could too!

See ya there my fellow laborers in love for our kiddos!

Blessings!

Sheila

Here's some great downloads from Kids of Courage

Kids of Courage is a ministry of the Voice of the Martyrs. My kids are a bit young to fully appreciate a lot of the Voice of the Martyrs and Kids of Courage material, but they do enjoy the Torchlight videos from VOM (We have William Tyndale, Jim Elliot, and Eric Liddell).

I recently sat down to look over the materials offered at Kids of Courage and I feel like I hit a jackpot of resources. There are free downloadables of great information about different featured countries where Christians are not permitted to worship freely without persecution. Right now they have free downloadable pamphlets for kids on these countries:

I think my kids (ages almost 5 and 3) could learn some geography (they love maps) and maybe a few simple facts about the area and then we could pray for our Christian brethren in those places together. I think they'd also enjoy coloring the pages in the free downloadables.

If you have older kids (school aged) I think you'd find this site and their downloadables and other resources to be a great oppurtunity to teach your kids about God's world and to pray together for His people. It's a great oppurtunity to discuss with our kids considering the cost of following Christ. There also some neat ideas about things kids have done or made to raise funds or send letters or packages to Christians in persecuted areas.

I'm so excited...

...and I just can't hide it! I know, I know, I know, I want to... LEARN ABOUT JESUS FROM THE BIBLICAL HOLIDAY'S AND CELEBRATE THEM WITH MY KIDS!!!

Oh! Sorry did you hear my terrible voice and see me dancing to the Pointer Sisters? I know, I'm a total nerd!

Anyway... I am really excited.

Three years ago, while God was rescuing me out of the mindset of bondage I had, and turning my life upside-down to teach me to "soar on wings like eagles," by His strength, I had a zeal in my heart to teach my kids God's word- though they were just 21 months and a newborn, and one of the things God put on my heart was a desire to learn how to celebrate a Passover.

I remember doing some online research, planning and preparing a Passover meal, and inviting some dear family over to join me. It didn't turn out in detail the way my heart was imagining, nevertheless my heart was worshipping and I was so impacted and enjoyed learning of my Savior through that meal. During the middle of that dinner there was a knock on my little apartment door, and when I answered, it was a surprise visit from my husband who was in the process of divorcing me. I welcomed him in, feeling a little like the spotlight was definitely on me now, seeing how he sited my "Jesus freak" zeal as being his number one reason for wanting out of the marriage. How would I carry on while he sat in the background critisizing and questioning what we were doing? But, he sat down in the living room and I don't recall him interrupting at all. The entire night went by and a witness of Jesus, our Passover lamb, went out into my precious husband's ears, and I realized that the Lord had given me full freedom to worship him, NO MATTER who said what about my worship.

Eight months later my husband and I were reunited, and funny enough, one of the intial issues that came up between us that winter was whether Christmas was a Biblical holiday or not. This question came from my dear unbelieving husband. He challenged me and I took it to the Lord. It was great. In prayer and searching the word, listening for the Spirit's answer, I came upon the biblical holiday of Tabernacles.

Now, I didn't know a thing about when this was celebrated or how, but when I read about it I immediately thought of John 1:14, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (dwelt meaning to tabernacle, or live in a tent with us). So I did a google search and found out a little about dwelling in booths for a week and more about how the holiday was celebrated. I took this information prayerfully back to my husband, really excited, ready to trash the Christmas tree, Santa Claus... the whole bit, in trade for a week of sleeping in tent with my kids, talking about how Jesus left heaven to pitch His tent with us. My husband wasn't too keen on the idea and opted to just stick with the Christmas tree.

Today, I regret not just doing as I had done that day he showed up at my apartment while having a Passover meal. I regret not just celebrating the Christmas that was in my heart in spirit and truth and letting the witness go out. Instead the first year we were back together I went with the "Happy Birthday" Jesus cake, and the second year, decided to buy a tent and begin a new tradition of this Tabernacle celebration that was in my heart- though I knew it didn't follow the model that is in scripture exactly. Since then, last year and the year before, I've done this with my boys and it's been one of my favorite times of learning and worship with them.

Well today, as I was reading through, A Family Guide to the Biblical Holidays by Robin Sampson and Linda Pierce, and got to chapter 3: The Spring Holidays, I began to remember all God had put on my heart years ago.

As God has given me a heart to teach my kids His word, and I've cried out to Him in my barrenness- not knowing how, or having faith that I could by His Spirit- He's been faithful to take what I offer and increase it and give me the best ways to teach them.

His word is full of instruction on what to do so that our kids will ask questions and so that we'll remember Him as our Savior and our God. ( See Exodus 13:7-9 and 13:11-16 and Deuteronomy 6:17-24) These Old Testament holidays are not heavy burdens of requirement, but rather a rich oppurtunity to learn about Jesus, "from Moses through the Prophets" just like Jesus explained Himself to the guys on the road to Emmaus.

So I can't wait! Spring is coming. I have a lot to learn so I can worship in Spirit and TRUTH with my kids during these days, and I pray more truth about Jesus will be revealed to us all as we seek His face! I also pray my husband will hear the true witness of Jesus in God's word and be forever changed!

Here's an excerpt from the book that really harmonizes with the reasoning I have for wanting to do this with my boys:

God knows our hearts and desire to learn about Him. Hezekiah kept the Feast of Passover at the wrong time. He even added a full week's celebration, making a second Passover week (2 Chronicles 30:3-27)...Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon every one that prepareth his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary. And the LORD hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people. (2 Chron.30:18-20)

Hebrew Roots Resources

This site is right up my alley! I love, and long to learn more of the Jewish roots my Salvation- Jesus the Christ- is born out of.

One of the scriptures that I always feel the Lord is speaking directly to me in is John 4:22 where Jesus says to the Samaritan woman, "You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews."

The Spirit of God has always amazed me in revealing things to me, as I seek His face, that many Jewish scholars have mulled over for generations- one of the benefits of the new covenant, God putting His Spirit and His word in our new hearts. And I get this reality check from the Spirit every once in awhile as I'm reading the Word, reminding me that it was Israel, not America, the Jews not the Religious Right, that God designed and built as a type, a forthtelling of His Son to come. I am the foreigner who joins herself to the LORD, to serve Him (Isa.56:6), and my sons too. It's Jesus, not my church traditions, who makes me accepted.

Anyway, that was an unintended paragraph. But a bit of my heart.

I want my kids to know the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by grace through faith in His Son, the Messiah, our Saviour. I know, whether they know Hebrew or not, the Spirit of God will reveal what God's word means. But I also know that many religions and traditions, even in Christianity, compete for defining what God has revealed through the Jews in Jesus only.

So I'm seeking how to teach my boys what God's Spirit would have me teach them that will help them to ask questions and seek to know their Saviour personally, and sites like this and the Heart of Wisdom site with all the resources there seem like good places to start.

*image from Heart of Wisdom

Looks like a great place for resources and finding more timothy moms

Robin invited me, along with Amity, to join up in their groups and Sister lounges at the Homeschool Lounge today. I've spent a little, not much, time there and in just the short visit's have found what I think is a great blessing and resource. I'm sure I'll be perusing there often hunting for more Timothy Moms and their wisdom!

Go check it out, or join me there.

Considering Biblical Holidays

I found this website the other day and just now sat down to peruse it. Great resource!

This page has links to FREE downloadable pages of the book A Family Guide to Biblical Holidays (which you can purchase at Heart of Wisdom and at Amazon.com).

As I had posted in my "homeschool" day post, I have been considering celebrating these Biblical holidays with my boys as a way to stir up questions, and create great memories, while getting God's word in their hearts.

My "Homeschool" day

Robin, at Heart of Wisdom, asked if I had a post on what my homeschool day looks like- either a schedule/routine or typical day.

First off, I just want to throw a little "disclaimer" ,I guess, out there. I probably don't fit the suggested definition of homeschooler. Or maybe I do at this point in time, but if things go as my husband plans, I won't fit that description by next fall. Let me explain.

My husband and I have two sons ages almost 5 (April 1st) and just turned 3. Last fall the subject of homeschooling got brought up by my husband, to my surprise. He, as far as I was concerned, would never have even considered homeschooling. And I, though I admired others who homeschooled and secretly wished I could do that well, never thought in a million years I would homeschool. But after my husband brought it up and we began discussing it I started seriously entertaining the idea. Then as I prayed about it I really felt God "breaking the mold" with me on this subject. He challenged me to learn from the official homeschoolers the rich resources and opportunity He'd given me as a mother to be my kids' primary teacher. As though for the first time I saw what was surely someone else's job as one God called me to, I excitedly began learning how God would have me do this. I started researching online and reading other homeschooling bloggers' posts to get ideas. When I started purposefully spending time with them in "teaching" them I began to realize that life presents all kinds of opportunity to teach our kids and if I will take on the role of teacher as a gift and responsibility from God I'll be blessed to see my kids learn under my care.

At about the same time my 4 year old was being evaluated by the public school system for some concerns I had about his speech. He did show some deficits and so he began taking a 1 1/2 hour, 4 day a week, speech therapy class at the local grade school. The class and program was great. We saw immediate improvements in my son's speech but more than that I began learning more about what I could do as my boys' primary teacher at home. That really lit my fire for taking on the homeschooling challenge. (Whereas many people I know get motivated to homeschool because of the terrible experiences they see in the public school, I got motivated because of the effectiveness I saw.) Right about that time my husband dropped a bomb on me, or as I see it, God took me out of my newly forming, nice little box. I was rambling on about my thoughts about what I was and wasn't going to do in homeschooling and my husband said, "I really think we ought to try kindergarten at the public school first and see what happens." Ok! Back to square one! "What's going on LORD? I thought You wanted me to homeschool. Now this?" I prayed.

As I sought heavenly wisdom He met me with His way. I since have great peace about seeing my role as my kids' primary teacher and more importantly, mother in the Lord, the way God sees it. He wants me to walk in the confidence that His word and the prayers of faith I pray because of His Spirit which lives in me are greater than any influence I fear may pollute my kids' hearts in public school. I face that fear in my own home with my kids' father as it is on a daily basis, and the Lord is teaching me to fear no one but Him. He's teaching me that He will be faithful to keep that which I commit to Him in my kids.

So though my role as homeschooling mom may be quite unorthodox (if there is such a thing as a homeschooler :-), I do see myself as the responsible party for teaching my kids God's word above all, and other things too, which I can and must use to always bring my kids back to the Lord- for the earth is the Lord's and all that is in it is His (Psalm 24:1) I see all other teachers in my kids' lives, whether at church or at public school, as people who serve me in my role as mother and teacher. In any of those situations, there may come times where I have to intervene or change venue or even pull out if I see that what is being required of my kids opposes what God requires, but until then, I will trust the Lord and see where He leads.

OK, I guess that was my full disclaimer on being a "homeschooling" mom. If you still care to see what my homeschooling day looks like your welcome to keep reading :-)

Our "schedule" is really the Biblical one I guess. "...when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up." (Deut.6:7) Maybe in part because my boys are so young and in part because they're very active we don't do much of any sitting at desks with open books. I do plan and try to carry out the plan of having them sit to go through the alphabet with me, listen to scripture, draw pictures, read them a story, play with clay or other hands on activities, but other than that our "schooling" goes on all day. I think the most important thing I want them to get out of our sit down "school" times is the discipline of quietly listening. For now, that only lasts up to 5 minutes or at the most 15 if I allow them to quietly fidget with something while they "sit and listen."

Ok, on to the typical day:

When we rise up: I try to start the day speaking or singing scripture to my kids. I usually sing Deuteronomy 6:4-5, "Hear, O Israel (I substitute Israel with their names- Connor and Ryland): The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength." (And then I add in "And you shall love your neighbor as your self.") Some days I'll say, "Good morning Connor or Ryland! You are created in the image of God and God has great plans for you son!"

Then at breakfast time I try to read a portion of scripture straight from the Bible. I've recently begun using the Day by Day Kid's Bible to take us through the Bible together this year together. I've also used the NLT version to just read to them.

When you sit in your house, when you walk by the way: This is where praying and planning in advance comes in.

I've used, and continue to use, great material from the Voice of the Martyrs, Answers in Genesis, and other ideas from blogs like Higher up and Further In and other great homeschooling bloggers. (I haven't used many of the resources from homeschooling bloggers since my kids are so young. I'm really just beginning to learn what works for us and am always open to new ideas.)

But recently I've started approaching teaching the boys in a more thematic way. In October I used the Halloween holiday (though we don't celebrate Halloween as is usual, rather I just used it as an opportunity to teach my boys God's word and ways) as a source of the subject matter of fear and death and how Jesus defeated all that for us at the cross. Through the month I had a specific question I would ask the boys, "What do we celebrate at Halloween boys?" Their answer: Life. That would lead to my further talking with them about what other people may do and what we do everyday because of what Jesus did for us. It was great. My boys learned a lot.

We used the month to learn about Christian martyrs who gave their lives to further Christ's kingdom but though they died are alive because of Christ. They dressed up as Jim Elliot and Daniel from the Bible with t-shirts that told their stories in short.

That teaching by theme idea just continued through November: Thanksgiving, and December: Christ's Birth. Each month I prayerfully select a memory verse and some kind of project or outing or daily activity to keep us going with the theme throughout the month. Then through the day, as we sit or stand or run or ride or whatever in our house or car or backyard, I ask them or recite with them, the memory verse and talk over the theme for the month with them.

Of course I'm always praying for insight as to what God would have me talking with them about and eyes to see the things in the day that would be memorable teaching points for them. I so enjoyed the holiday months (and the kids did too) that I'm looking into holidays, Biblical or ones from which we can discuss God's word, to begin implementing in the months ahead.

During the day we also work on the alphabet and phonics. I use a three ring binder I put together of printed and laminated pages which have the upper and lower case letters in our alphabet along with an image of something that starts with that letter. I have them go through that once a day and announce the names of the letters and their sounds along with tracing the letters with dry-erase markers. Sometimes, if I'm thinking of it, I'll try to speak a scripture to them which starts with the phonetic sound of that letter. Higher Up and Further In has a great list of ABC memory verses.

I've also been seeking to do things that will cause my boys to ask questions. You can read more about that here.

When you lie down: In the evening I'm reviewing the day with the boys: What did you do today? What was your favorite part of the day? What did you learn? What was the worst part of the day for you? I'm reminding them of things they don't remember, like the memory verse or what we read in the Bible or saw or did that reminded us of something God has told us. I'm also finishing the reading for the day from the Bible that we began in the morning. And probably my boys' favorite part, if you asked them, would be the songs I sing to them when they lie down.

My boys, I'm sure are the only people on earth who honestly enjoy my voice (other than my gracious Lord who loves my heart in worship). They always ask for the same songs, though I've tried many a time to introduce new songs at night-time. They insist that we sing Blessed Be the Name and The Lord Bless You (Numbers 6:24-26).

So that's our homeschooling schedule. I'm sure all of you have much more info and resources and ideas. I'll be gleaning a lot from you all. :-)

*image from Art.com

A Thought provoking post and comments...here's mine

Robin, over at Heart of Wisdom, wrote an in-depth, thought provoking post titled: Should a Christian Homeschooler Teach Logic?

I'm not a traditional "Christian homeschooler." I do teach my kids age appropriate things like the alphabet, phonics, read to them, colors, shapes, etc., and they're too young to go to public school, but though my husband and I still hold the option of "homeschooling" as one we may do someday, for now we plan to send our kids to public school. I still consider myself a Christian homeschooler in a non-conventional way, because I am my kids' primary teacher, and from me they'll learn the most influential impressions they get of Christ (for good or bad- God HELP ME!- and He does :-) I really enjoy gleaning wisdom and resources from traditional homeschooling families online and in person and Robin has a treasure trove of resources and tools and thought provoking posts on her blog over at Heart of Wisdom. This post is a worthy read if you like this kind of discussion. It was interesting to me because it harmonized with the message I seem to be hearing a lot lately: Teach your kids God's word!

As I'm learning how to live that out and what God would have me do I learning that, just as scripture says, my thoughts are not Gods. One of the things I'm hearing Him quietly teach me lately is that He doesn't intend that I deliver to my kids all the Biblical answers, but that I obey Him and live out what He teaches me to say and do so that my kids will ask questions, questions that only HIS Spirit can reveal the answers to. So anyway, here's my lengthy comment on Robin's post that is so long I decided to make it a post :-)

Well, being a simple small town, daughter of a logger and homemaker, married now to a modern version of the New Testament Timothy's dad, I find this discussion smile-provoking.
I love this stuff! It intrigues me to learn and read and hear arguments and "logic" and reasoning and explanations...etc. Lately I've come face to face with this quiet voice in me (the Spirit of God I'm sure) saying, "Woman, what do your plans/thoughts have to do with me" (As Jesus rebuked his own mother).

I'm convicted personally that I spend way too much time trying to reason and explain things in my own life and when it comes to scripture, but even this weakness God uses to teach me how He thinks.

Without a doubt, unless we saturate our minds and our kids' minds with God's word we'll naturally go the route of earthly wisdom or logic. But while I saturate myself and must meditate on and teach God's word to my kids continually, heavenly wisdom would reveal to me that I don't naturally understand any of it and that if I am to drink from the Springs of life (God's word) I must first, like the newly delivered Israelites in Exodus 15:22-27, confess that these waters are bitter to me!

God's word isn't naturally palatable/reasonable to any human nor practicable, it requires that simple childlike faith of applying Christ's cross to His word (just as those Israelites threw in the tree God told them too and the waters then became sweet.)

In other words if I'm to walk in or teach Godly wisdom to my kids I must be fully dependent upon God to do the revealing of what it means and how it applies to my life and my kids' lives as He did the revealing in Jesus.

As Jesus said, He didn't come to destroy the Law and Prophets- all the "logic" with which the religious Jews of the day thought they had down in understanding and practice- but He came to fulfill it. He reveals what the logic of God is. He reveals what it looks like when we reason from the scriptures and live them out.

Sorry, that was a bit of a tangent in my thinking, as I realize this discussion and post bring up the issue of whether we should teach our kids logic, not whether God's word is logical.
I guess what I'm trying to relate here is maybe what Paul's heart was in 1 Corinthians 4:14-15. There are a lot of things to teach our kids in Christ, they may even have a lot of different teachers (we being the primary ones), but more important than whether we should or shouldn't or how we should or shouldn't teach logic is will we be a "father" (or mother) in Christ to our kids. In other words, as Paul did, can we say we have "begotten" our little disciples through the gospel and urge our kids to imitate us?

Teach Greek logic or Hebrew, teach a certain method of interpreting or applying scripture or another...but surely in it all and above all, labor in prayer and in pouring out your life, letting God's word be incarnate in you and me, that our kids might see Jesus.

I sometimes think as a Christian woman who loves literature and reasoning and words and the study of the Bible and writing (even if it's called a horrible name like blogging :))I wonder if the people I have influence on (chiefly my own kids) would look at me and listen to me and hear the authority of God speaking through me as I deliver His word like food to them? Or would they, like many of the people in the days of Jesus, hear me as just one of many other "teachers" who have a take on God's word. (See Matt.7:28-29)

I'm not even close to being a Hebrew scribe...just a hick momma, but in my natural pride I can without intention many times ramble on about what I think God's word is saying or reiterate a position I've been taught is true of God's logic and think myself knowledgeable, when in reality I'm just another modern scribe-wanna-be.

Only Jesus teaches with authority.

Whatever I allow of HIS thinking (which is completely other and higher than mine) to come through my mouth and my life in the presence of my kids and others will, by His power, be something which grabs hold of them, and messes with their natural lines of reasoning too. From there it's God's deal. He brings the increase. He knows what kind of soil the seed has fallen on, I don't. God told the parents of the Israelites He delivered from Egypt to teach their kids certain things, both in word and in action, and from doing that, God said, their kids would ask questions (Exodus 13:11-16); Deut.6:17-24).

He didn't say if you do these things your kids will have the right answers.
I think God is teaching me to not be so concerned that my kids "know the right things" but that I walk in obedience by faith before the God who's delivered me and then trust that God's word has authority and will stir up in them (as I'm faithful to obey Him) questions which only He can answer.

what an honor!

I got the sweetest comment from Robin over at Heart of Wisdom. She put a link to a post from Timothy moms on her new meme Super Simple Spiritual Sunday. I realized what an honor that is when I started reading through her site. What a jackpot of resources for Timothy moms like me and you!! Please visit her site (Heart of Wisdom) and the site she contributes at (The Heart of the Matter) as a homeschooling mom is also chalk full of great ideas and resources. Robin even has a giveaway. So go check them out!

The other four blog post from other sites that Robin honored on her meme today are also very encouraging and have great information. The three little questions post on Rahab's thread particularly blessed me as I've recently started taking my boys (3 and 4 y/o) to the family service at my local church gathering. We've only gone to this service twice but it's my goal to increase going to this family service from once a month to more frequently as they mature. They've blessed me so much as they've truly tried hard to sit quietly and listen. On our way home we talk about what they heard. I'm always so blessed by what they picked up in the teaching. The three little questions post just gave me some ideas on how to help them retain what they heard with some key questions. Here's an excerpt from her post but I'd encourage you to go read the entire thing. And check out the other posts Robin was blessed by too!

Lastly, as I mentioned earlier, the three question method can be adapted by changing the questions. For example, the form that I taught my sons for listening in church is: What did I learn about God? What did I learn about myself? What am I going to do in response to what I’ve learned about God and/or myself? Through this simple exercise (which even my six year old participates in) I have delighted in hearing my sons state attributes about God, realize convictions about themselves, and then think through what they are going to do in response. God is gracious to always give opportunities for discussion throughout the week on what we are all learning about God, ourselves, and a proper response to Him.

Sounds like a great idea to me!

CWO has these great daily encouraging ideas for moms. I love them! This one, being a journaler at heart, I found particularly good. I think I'll start doing this with my boys.
Well, the idea was to write in a journal with your kids about the things you see in a day that God created...or at least that's how I remember it. I just realized (the day after I posted the html for the widget) that it wasn't going to remain the same everyday, but change as it is a daily message from CWO. Oh well. Good ideas there anyway.