The Year of Prayer

Prayer is something that I have been severely neglecting in my spiritual walk.  I know how important it is and how many times we are encouraged to do it in Scripture.  Prayer is one of those things that do not come easy for me, so I am going to have to put in a lot of work until I get used to it.  I really want to be a person of prayer, but have been making excuses long enough.  Now is the time to dedicate myself to communing with God.  I plan to pray every morning this year and document the changes it makes in my life.

We Are the Body Part 1

^{Romans 12
4}Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. ⁷If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; ⁸if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

I hope to make this a regular series talking about how we are the body of Christ and how the metaphor works for each body part.  Today we talk about the body overall.

Paul uses the concept of the human body to teach how Christians should live and work together.  Just as the parts of the body function under the direction of the brain, so Christians are to work together under the command and authority of Jesus Christ. Even though we have different functions, we should be united and working together for a single purpose and not looking down on each other for what we do or do not do.  (See 1Cor 12:12-31; Eph 4:1-16)

Back to Homeschool

My wife and I decided to pull the kids out of public school and teach them at home. We have done this temporarily in the past, but this time they are not going back. We came to this conclusion for several important reasons.

First, I believe it our duty as parents to teach our children, a job we had been delegating to the public school.

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Second, for medical reasons, the doctors wanted us to pull Trey out for three months of the flu season. Every year he gets sick around Nov/Dec. Last year he was in the hospital for two months. Rather than subjecting them to the germ breeding ground that is school, we want the opportunity to control the environment.

Third, we are concerned with some of the content being presented. Without going into evolution, sex education, or sexual orientation, the district voted to use the curriculum from Everyday Mathematics. This is a curriculum that every parent should protest and run away from.

It all comes down to the fact that I know my children better than anyone and it’s my responsibility to raise them. So, now my quest is to give them the best education that I can, so expect the focus of this blog (as if it had one) to shift in that direction. All tips, hints, suggestions welcome.