- Mama Esther
-
  This day is always a sad day for me. On this date in 1987, an angel went to heaven. This is a picture of my Daddy Jack, who is also gone on to be with the Lord. He died on December 21, 1993. That is me beside him, then my brother Rick, our dog Peppy and Mama Esther. She was a mail order bride. My sister, Janie worked with her. My dad was a widower and Esther was a widow. So, my sister introduced them. They started writing letters and fell in love like some people today do, online. We lived in Virginia and Esther lived in Georgia. She flew in to spend a couple of weeks with us. My dad asked her to marry him and she said yes! My mother had died when I was five. Esther brought me a pocket book made out of carpet, from Dalton, the carpet capital of the world! We hit it off right away. She had two grown sons, but had always wanted a daughter. We did everything together! She was the answer to my prayers! She taught me how to be a wife and mother and she taught me about God! She had heart problems. She had four heart attacks and two cardiac arrests before she died in 1987. On that day, a light went out in my life! She is the reason I have always loved children. She taught me how to love any child like my own! What I remember the most about her was her beautiful smile and how she loved life! Before she died, she told my husband, who was my fiancee at the time, to take care of her little girl! And, he always has! She always said, '' Love speaks always but not always with words.'' I hope and pray that my sons, who I adopted, and my precious daughters, also ,will always feel the same love I felt from my dear step mother! I will never forget what she wrote in my year book. It said, '' When you read this in years ahead, stop, look, and listen, I'm just over head, I will watch over you and hope for the best, may your life be long and full of happiness!'' Mama Esther, you are greatly loved and greatly missed! I will see you again one sweet day in a land so far away!
- Homeschool Fear Factor!
-
 This was forwarded by Pam Moser, I can completely identify with
this! If you are currently homeschooling a high schooler (as I am),
take courage! The Lord is able!
If you aren't there yet, be reassured that if He brings you to it,
He will bring you through it. If God can do it though me, He can
certainly do it through you.
Lisa : )
The Fear Factor: How Our High School Journey Began
I have experienced three moments of full-blown fear in my
homeschooling career. First, in July of 1984, my husband Joe and I
applied to our local school board to homeschool our 6-year-old son.
Our application was denied, and we were forced to appeal the
decision to the State Board of Education. In the midst of that
process, the South Carolina State Superintendent of Education
personally threatened to put me in jail. I was afraid.
Second, in January of 1991, the South Carolina Attorney General's
Office issued a negative opinion concerning the validity and legal
status of the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools
(SCAIHS). (Joe and I had founded SCAIHS in 1990 to offer
homeschoolers in South Carolina a private alternative to public
school supervision.) In response to the opinion, the State
Department of Education circulated a memo declaring all SCAIHS
members illegal. The morning I found out about the opinion and the
memo, we conducted school as normal. We had just finished our school
day when I happened to look out the dining room window to see two
tense policemen, gripping the handles of their guns, approaching my
front door. I remember thinking, "It is finally happening. I'm going
to jail for homeschooling." I was afraid.
Third, in the summer of 1993, I realized that God was in fact
leading us to homeschool our two sons through high school. I can
remember being overwhelmed and almost paralyzed by the enormity of
the task. So much was at stake. Images of algebra problems, Spanish
vocabulary lists, and animal dissections danced in my head. How was
I going to teach all those things? How could I take a chance on
ruining my sons' futures? What if I failed? What if they couldn't go
to college? What if . . . what if . . . what if . . . ?
I remember walking on the makeshift track in my backyard as I
wrestled with all of this. "Oh, Lord," I whimpered, "I don't think I
can do this." The tears started to flow. I was very afraid.
Just How Scared Was I?
I would say that the fear I had experienced at the prospect of jail,
on a scale of one to ten, rated between an eight and a nine. But
when it came to the prospect of homeschooling in high school, my
fear level was off the charts. I had been homeschooling for nine
years already; I had survived all types of threats, legal
proceedings, and legislative crises; and still the thought of
homeschooling in high school scared me to death.
As I poured out all my worries and fear to the Lord on the walking
track that day, He gently began to remind me of the other pivotal
points of panic in my lifeand how He had sovereignly intervened to
rescue me from them all. I had never gone to jail, in spite of
external threats and internal fears. God miraculously parted the
waters for us to homeschool in 1984, and the policemen who came to
the door in 1991 were actually there because of a series of
robberies in our neighborhood. (That is one of those stories that is
funny in retrospect, but held no humor for me at the time!)
It was as if God was saying to me, "Haven't I met you time and time
again in your hour of need? Do you really think I would abandon you
now? Tell me what you are most worried about." So I shared with the
Lord my concern about adequately preparing the boys for careers and
life. He said, "Trust Me" (from Psalm 37:3).
I shared with Him about not wanting to teach high school math,
Spanish, and science courses. Even though I had done very well in
all of these courses in high school and college, I wasn't sure I
could do them justice as I taught them to the boys at home.
How He Answered
The Lord said, "Stand still and see My salvation on your behalf"
(from II Chronicles 20:17, New American Standard Bible).
Within a week, I received two phone calls that demonstrated God's
faithfulness, power, love, and mercy to me. One of my dear friends,
Debbie Essig, called to say her parents had moved to town to help
her homeschool her children. Her father was a retired high school
science teacher. Debbie wanted to know if I would be interested in
signing Ty and John up for the biology class he was planning to
teach (complete with labs). Would I be interested? Are you kidding?
I had a praise service when I hung up the phone.
A day or so later, my phone rang again. This time it was Lillie
Smith, another close friend and neighbor. Lillie had been a Spanish
teacher at a local high school for almost ten years. She and her
husband, Randy, had just received news confirming their plans to
adopt a baby. As Lillie shared this wonderful news with me, she
continued, "This means I won't be teaching at the high school
anymore. I would love to teach the boys Spanish, if you could use
the help." Needless to say, another praise session ensued when I
hung up the phone.
God Always Provides
With God's help and encouragement, we began the high school journey
at home. I wish I could tell you that I quit my worrying and
fretting altogether. What I can tell you is that, in spite of my
weaknesses and faults, God showed Himself strong. The words of II
Corinthians 12:9 became my mainstay: "But He said to me, 'My grace
is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.'
Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my
weaknesses, so that Christ's power may reside in me" (Holman
Christian Standard Bible). I knew that God was with me; He would
never leave me or forsake me, and He would never quit providing
abundantly for my children.
And He hasn't. In spite of my fears and misgivings, the Lord blessed
our home. Our two boys attended college on a combination of
academic, leadership, and athletic scholarships. Both have now
graduated, are married to wonderful Christian women, and are
pursuing successful careers. Our daughter, Lizzy, graduated from our
homeschool in May 2005. She is attending a Christian college on a
substantial academic scholarship and scholarship money she received
for serving as South Carolina's Junior Miss 2005. Most importantly,
and I can't stress this enough, all of our children continue to love
and serve King Jesus.
Reaching the Promised Land
Chapters 13 and 14 in the book of Numbers tell the story of Moses
sending 12 men to spy out the land the Lord promised to give the
Israelites. All 12 spies agreed that the land was indeed flowing
with milk and honey and filled with abundant fruit. But 10 of the
spies could only see the giants residing in the land. They gave in
to their fears and were willing to forfeit the fruit of the land in
order to avoid the giants. Only Joshua and Caleb responded with
faith: "Caleb quieted the people in the presence of Moses and
said, 'We must go up and take possession of the land because we can
certainly conquer it!'" (Numbers 13:30, HCSB)
As you "spy out" the land of homeschooling in high school, you will
be amazed at its beauty and the fruit that is ripe for the picking.
It was in the high school years of homeschooling that I witnessed my
children blossom. They grew significantly in their faith and in
their love for the Lord Jesus. They developed sophisticated,
scriptural worldviews. They participated in meaningful, life-
changing internships. They honed skills in sports, the arts, and
other hobbies. They participated in community service projects. They
traveled abroad with missions. They grew intellectually. And our
family remained close. We would all have missed so many blessings,
and they would have missed so many life-changing opportunities, if
we had not made the high school journey together.
Do you want to homeschool in high school? Do you sense the Lord's
leading? Then don't let your fears dictate your actions. Give your
fears to the Lord and embrace the challenge. Refuse to bow to the
intimidating giants in the land. Read Hebrews 11 and be encouraged
by the faith of those who came before us. May we join those who by
faith "conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises,
shut the mouths of lions, quenched the raging of fire, escaped the
edge of the sword, gained strength after being weak, became mighty
in battle, and put foreign armies to flight" (Hebrews 11:33-34,
HCSB).
It is by faith that we homeschool for God's glory. It is by faith
that we seek to raise a new generation that can proclaim Christ to
the nations and influence the culture with His Gospel.
Stay Tuned!
Joe and I spent 10 years teaching high school at home. In Part 2 of
this series, I'll share some of the practical, powerful things we
learned as we set out to determine a proper course of study for each
of our children, with their different interests, needs, and long-
term goals.
Zan Tyler
Homeschool Editor for LifeWay.com and B&H Publishing Group
www.lifeway.com/homeschool
Author of Seven Tools for Cultivating Your Child's Potential
Homeschool Articles
Are American High Schools Obsolete?
Bill Gates has declared American high schools 'obsolete.' In a Feb.
26 speech to the National Education Summit on High Schools, he
said "our high schools even when they're working exactly as
designed cannot teach our kids what they need to know today."
There is an alternative, as the burgeoning numbers of homeschoolers
attest.
Read more...
Why Transcripts Are Crucial for Homeschooled High School Graduates
As the high school "enrollment" in home education has grown, so have
the questions: Where does one get a high school diploma? Can parents
graduate their own children? How do colleges respond to homeschool
records? If a high school diploma does not come from an accredited
school, does that hurt the future education and job prospects for
the graduate?
Read more...
Can Homeschooling in High School Be Fun?
Once we start homeschooling in high school, can we ever have fun or
be creative again? Sometimes we get so caught up in the many
requirements of teaching high school that we forget to capitalize on
the benefits of homeschooling.
Read more...
Typewriters, Bicycles, and High School Athletics
We all suffer differing levels of heartache and disappointments.
Sometimes limitations and closed doors in the lives of our children
and our families can be very disheartening; yet God can turn our
trials into triumphs and our mourning into joy.
Read more...
---------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
- What do you remember?
-
- Writer's Prompt #12 Shattered: 9/11 Memories
-
Time Magazine
The title of the photo above is called Shattered and appeared in Time Magazine. It is a really good representation of how America felt when we watched the events of 9/11 unfold, some of us in person and some us on TV.
It is still hard to watch the footage of it on the news as all the specials air. I am limiting myself on how much of the footage I watch because I remember how depressed I felt in the weeks after 9/11 hit. It felt like the rug was pulled out from under our nation. I will never forget, but it is hard to dwell on it because it will never be okay. Even as I watch the news now and see all of the images as they flood the networks, it still feels fresh, even 5 years ago.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT:
Write about your most vivid memory of that day. It could be something you saw on the news, what was going on in your life at the time, or where you were when you learned of it. What did it make you think about?
WRITING CHALLENGE:
Write something GOOD about 9/11. It could be something as simple as the fact that it brought your family together. It is healthy to try and find something good in the tragedy of 9/11. It will be a super hard challenge, but YOU CAN DO IT! YOU NEED TO DO IT!
center>
alt="Click here to join homeschoolingbyheart24">
Click to join homeschoolingbyheart24
Add a subscribe box to your web page
- Homeschooling by Heart!
-
Once again God has spoken to my heart! He is leading me to start a group on here for homeschoolers! I am excited about it! I am in the process of writing a book of devotions for homeschool parents! Here is the first devotion. I will be starting the group soon! Homeschooling is a work of heart! ( Deut. 11 :13) Has God spoken to your heart in that still, small voice? Did He tell you that you need to homeschool your children? You say, " I can't do that!" Sure you can! if God speaks to your heart, then listen to His call! You can't do it by yourself, but with the help of God, you can! Let your life be an open vessel. Let the Lord work through you! I challenge you to answer His call! (Phil. 4:13 ) I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. © Dottie Burford
- The Magic Time Machine!
-
OK Friends! Here is your chance to travel through time and History! If you could travel any place in time future or present, where would you go and what would you do? Who would you befriend? How would you change the course of History?
|
Offline
Send Email
About My Yahoo! & RSS 
