Why Are You Homeschooling

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="4bb69683.gif"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Crooked Pines Ministries"><U><IMG SRC="040bf930.gif" border=0 width="191" height="147" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id55.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Glance at Reading Readiness"><U>A Glance at Reading Readiness</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id65.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Look at Peppermint and Slippery Elm Ba"><U>A Look at Peppermint and Slippery Elm Bark</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id105.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Pleasing Palette"><U>A Pleasing Palette</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id62.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Treasure So Fine!"><U>A Treasure So Fine!</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Amazing Grace or Flaming Rebellion"><U>Amazing Grace or Flaming Rebellion</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id43.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Aunt Bettys BBQ Sauce"><U>Aunt Betty's BBQ Sauce</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id146.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Back to School"><U>Back to School</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id41.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Beginnings of Habit"><U>The Beginnings of Habit</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id68.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Being Poured Out"><U>Being Poured Out</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id44.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Broccoli Chicken Casserole"><U>Broccoli - Chicken Casserole</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id57.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Building Habits on the Dry Bones of Educ"><U>Building Habits on the Dry Bones of Education</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id144.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Choosing Curriculum for the new year"><U>Choosing Curriculum for the new year</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id69.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Comforter: the Fabric of Our Lives"><U>The Comforter: the Fabric of Our Lives</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id71.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dwelling in Safety"><U>Dwelling in Safety</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id127.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Fall: The Season of Change"><U>Fall: The Season of Change</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id77.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Fighting Burnout with Scriptural Promise"><U>Fighting Burnout with Scriptural Promises</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id63.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="For the Love of Ginger"><U>For the Love of Ginger</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id45.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="From Claddagh, Ireland to Florence, AL "><U>From Claddagh, Ireland to Florence, AL - A Covenant Journey Part 1</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id46.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="From Claddagh, Ireland to Florence, AL "><U>From Claddagh, Ireland to Florence, AL - A Pure Vessel Part 2</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id75.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Get Ye unto Your Tents... and REST!"><U>Get Ye unto Your Tents... and REST!</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id58.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Habit of Dawdling, The Cure"><U>The Habit of Dawdling, The Cure</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id78.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Happy is the Mom Who Puts Her Trust in t"><U>Happy is the Mom Who Puts Her Trust in the Lord</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id72.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Have You Been Working Out?"><U>Have You Been Working Out?</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id79.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="His Love"><U>His Love</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id118.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Home Educators and their Books"><U>Home Educators and their Books</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id83.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Homeschooling... A New Adventure"><U>Homeschooling... A New Adventure</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id81.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Homeschooling in the Shoals"><U>Homeschooling in the Shoals</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id80.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Homeschooling in the Springtime"><U>Homeschooling in the Springtime</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id82.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Homeschooling in the Swamp"><U>Homeschooling in the Swamp</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id133.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="How the Created Thing "><U>How the Created Thing </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id64.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="How to Prepare a Tincture"><U>How to Prepare a Tincture</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id59.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="In the Final Analysis"><U>In the Final Analysis</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id73.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Joy of the Lord and His Plan"><U>The Joy of the Lord and His Plan</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id97.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Just Enough Stress"><U>Just Enough Stress</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id110.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Loneliness in the Homeschool"><U>Loneliness in the Homeschool</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id131.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Message"><U>The Message</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id40.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nature Studies Indoors"><U>Nature Studies Indoors</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id76.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nursing ParkerDaniil"><U>Nursing Parker-Daniil</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id126.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Our Teacher"><U>Our Teacher</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id114.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Relationships in the Homeschool"><U>Relationships in the Homeschool</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id66.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="S is for Skullcap and Sleep"><U>"S" is for Skullcap and Sleep</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id60.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Satans Great Deception"><U>Satan's Great Deception</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Science through a Nature Club"><U>Science through a Nature Club</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id132.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sharing from My Excess"><U>Sharing from My Excess</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id74.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sir, We desire to see Jesus!"><U>"Sir, We desire to see Jesus!"</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Storms of Change"><U>The Storms of Change</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id70.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Strength to Face the Day"><U>Strength to Face the Day</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id47.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Two Moms, One Jesus"><U>Two Moms, One Jesus</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id38.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Waiting excerpted from Parables from Nat"><U>"Waiting" excerpted from "Parables from Nature by Mrs. Gatty</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id61.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Water and the Blood"><U>The Water and the Blood</U></A></div> <div> <B>Why Are You Homeschooling</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id84.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Winter... Dormant? Not Hardly!"><U>Winter... Dormant? Not Hardly!</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id67.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Your Liver loves Burdock!"><U>Your Liver loves Burdock!</U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="4bafefe3.gif"> <div> <B> <A NAME="_crooked_pines_publishing___________home"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#003300" FACE="Arial" ><B>  Crooked Pines Ministries</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >   </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Crooked Pines Ministries"><U><IMG SRC="4ce4c380.gif" border=0 width="76" height="56" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Crooked Pines Ministries"><U>home</U></A>                                       </div> <div> <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Articles by Mary E. Woodis"><U><IMG SRC="4cb48350.gif" border=0 width="72" height="53" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A>  <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Articles by Mary E. Woodis"><U><B>Articles by Mary E. Woodis</B></U></A></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><IMG SRC="4c9636a0.gif" border=0 width="355" height="106" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> Why Are You Homeschooling?</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.hisimage.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.hisimage.org"><U><IMG SRC="05193950.jpg" border=0 width="147" height="149" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Why Are You Homeschooling?</div> <div> By: Mary E. Woodis</div> <div> Background passages: Deuteronomy 11:7-21</div> <div> 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="4bcfd380.gif" border=0 width="509" height="56" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div>      Along with the many joys of Christmas comes a time for assessment and reflection. December is a time of endings and a time to draw inward and close. What do I mean? Well, let's look at the principal of assessment and the difference in teaching and preaching. What do these represents to home educators and see if we can draw some applications and lessons to help us through the coming year. Along the way we may even discover the real reason for “Why Are You Homeschooling?” Come on! Let's dig in…</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="4c2541f0.gif" border=0 width="84" height="31" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div>      A wise man was once instructed to write the words of Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” December is the appropriate time for us to assess the success of our first semester. How did it go? Were we home enough to get our lessons not only done, but for them to be lived? You see, we have come to realize over the years that homeschooling is not just something we do to educate our children; homeschooling is who we are and how we live.</div> <bR> <bR> <div>      The Apostle Paul carries this thought one step further in 2 Timothy 4:2, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” The word “<I>preach”</I> intrigued me so I looked in “Strong's Exhaustive Concordance” for the original word and its meaning.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b7011800000000.png" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Preach (<I>k</I><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman Baltic" ><I>ç</I></FONT><I>russ</I><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman Baltic" ><I>ô</I></FONT>) to herald (as a public crier), especially divine truth (the gospel), proclaims, publish.</div> <bR> <div> You know, one who proclaims is making a statement. It is like that city on a hill or that salt spoken of in Matthew 5:13-16. If it's not there you really notice the omission. Someone who doesn't have a good reason for homeschooling is easy to spot. They usually don't last very long either. By this time in their first year, homeschooling has become all work and no fun. This is when they usually quit. You see, they lack a vision and a call. Where there is no vision from God the people perish; where there is no vision for the future the homeschool will close. (Proverbs 29:18)</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="4c2541f0.gif" border=0 width="84" height="31" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div>      Paul also instructed Timothy to be ready in season and out of season. One thing that occurs in our home in this season is the grumblies. Has this phenomenon occurred in your home yet? You can easily recognize it when your children arrive at the breakfast table. This means a long day of <U>trying</U> to get any schoolwork done at all. I have discovered that <U>my</U> response or reaction to this phenomenon will make a huge difference in our day. You see, I have to be ready in season and out of season to deal with the winter-time grumblies. It is very important that this be done with great patience and instruction. Your children need to understand the cause of their attitude just as well as you do. </div> <bR> <bR> <div>      In a separate verse we are told to be ready to give an answer or defense for what we believe. (1 Peter 3:15) Yes, this applies to what we believe concerning Christ Jesus. This should be part of our daily homeschool life. This is training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16), a powerful tool against the grumblies. This is training them up in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6). </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="4c2541f0.gif" border=0 width="84" height="31" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div>      All this reminds me of Jesus' miracle at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. He didn't ask the servants to change the water to wine; He merely asked them to fill the vessels with water. You are only responsible for what you fill your children with. The Holy Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ will do the changing. </div> <bR> <bR> <div>      And so as we draw back, let's consider our answer when asked, “Why are you homeschooling?” This answer can be found most effectively when you begin to assess this past semester.</div> <bR> <bR> <div>      You see, when you think about the focus of your schooling, you will discover what is most important. What was the one subject you accomplished whether any other was done or not? Why?</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="4c2541f0.gif" border=0 width="84" height="31" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div>      December came in with some chilly temperatures and we found ourselves drawing our jackets and cover shirts close whenever we ventured outside. Drawing close. That seems to be what winter is all about. The trees and vines have drawn their sap back down to their roots and we all go indoors where the heat is. We begin to spend more time together as our family circle draws closer. This will be the time when your reason for homeschooling will be tested and defined. Your faith will be treated the same way. (See Zechariah 13:9). Does your homeschool reflect the glory of the Head Master? Is Jesus the center and the reason for your homeschooling? Over and over again in the Old Testament, parents where told to teach their children the law. The law was only given to reveal our need for a Savior. Take that one step further and you have Jesus. </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="4c2541f0.gif" border=0 width="84" height="31" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div>      One thing that I have discovered through many years of Bible study is that when God repeats something, you had better sit up and pay attention. Seven different times in Scripture we are instructed to teach our children. I began to wonder, what is the difference between teach and preach and how does this apply to our reason for homeschooling? Let's look at the word rendered <I>teach </I>in these verses and see what it means.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b7011800000000.png" HEIGHT="19" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Teach (<I>lâmad)</I> to goad, to teach (the rod being an Oriental incentive) diligently, expert, instruct, learn, skilful.</div> <bR> <div>      Very interesting, wouldn't you agree? That is the same word that David used in Psalm 119 where he requested over and over that our Dear Lord teach him His statutes. Dear ones can you see the difference here in the words teach and preach? Teach is more personal and involves the heart. Have you engaged the heart of your children in their studies? Do they know the reason for your homeschool? Have you ever shared your vision with them? When God called you out to homeschool, did they (or you) realize the call was from Him?</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="4c2541f0.gif" border=0 width="84" height="31" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div>      Assessment. Drawing close. When you boil it all down, what is your reason for homeschooling? God has called you to raise up a generation to praise Him. Everything that you do with your child, for your child or let your child do will affect his/her soul. It will have eternal significance. You have been given a treasure. Will you hide this treasure or will you spend this time preparing it to shine like silver and reflect the Master? What is your reason for homeschooling? Do you know? Consider that, Dear Friends, and have a wonderful month.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="#_crooked_pines_publishing___________home" TITLE="Why Are You Homeschooling"><U><B><IMG SRC="4cc805e0.gif" border=0 width="128" height="94" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> Mary E. Woodis is the wife of Jessie and the mother of three blessings. Jessie and Mary educate their children at home to the glory of God. To learn more contact them at <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#400000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="mailto:jessiew@hiwaay.net" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:jessiew@hiwaay.net"><U><U>jessiew@hiwaay.net</U></U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.countryclipart.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.countryclipart.com"><U><U><IMG SRC="4cf6a5c0.gif" border=0 width="106" height="92" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>