A Letter To My Unborn Son

                                                              
Dear Precious Child,

In about 1 more month I will finally have the opportunity to behold the face of a miracle that I was told by doctors I shouldn’t have due to medical conditions, but God… (notice those 2 small words- because they change everything) … but God… had other plans. God loves to show how strong and mighty He is and how man’s wisdom really isn’t wisdom at all. God healed me completely of my medical condition within the first month of pregnancy! The arrival of your birth humbles me, knowing that God has entrusted yet another child to my care- the responsibility to raise you to be a warrior for Jesus Christ in a world that is hostile to even the name of Jesus. Right now you are snuggled safely in my womb unaware of the cruel world just outside. A world that views children as disposable and burdens. Oh how I treasure feeling your tiny feet kicking around in my tummy, your tiny hiccups in the wee hours of the night- feelings I wouldn’t even be feeling if God in His providence had not intervened. During the birth of your sister Ellie your daddy and I had signed papers to give the doctor’s permission to tie off my only fallopian tube to prevent another pregnancy due to the warnings from the doctor’s that it would be life threatening to proceed with another caesarean, but to our surprise the surgeon was unable to perform the surgery. I knew at that very moment that I had just witnessed God’s hand intervene and that my womb would possibly hold another miracle from God. I’m telling you all of this because I want you to know that you were created for a purpose larger than anything you could ever imagine. Before a single cell of yours was in existence, before your heart began it’s first beat, before your lungs inhale it’s first breath- God had your days numbered and He takes great delight in you- His special creation created to bring Him honor and glory. You, my son are wanted and already loved beyond measure. In this world you will be hated, mocked, slandered, misunderstood, and taken for granted- but don’t ever forget that you, my son are a child of the God who created the heavens and the earth… you are royalty if you remain in Christ and be faithful to the end. Please remember that your identity isn’t found in your college degrees, your career, or what other‘s think of you, but is found only in Christ. I pray the chubby little feet that I get to kiss in about a month will walk the narrow path, the tiny hands that will soon wrap around my fingers will be hands of a prayer warrior, and the heart that will beat against my chest as I sing to you sweet lullabies will be a heart that is fully devoted to Christ with sincere love and devotion. While you have been entrusted in my care to love, nurture, and protect- I am fully aware that you belong to the Lord and that I am unable to succeed in this calling without the indwelling Spirit of Christ living through me to guide and instruct me.

　

Anxiously awaiting your arrival,
your mother, Kristin


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16 Greatest Mistakes Homeschool Moms Make

16 Greatest Mistakes Homeschool Moms Make by Cindy Downes.
I found this post to be a blessing and will definately be referring back to it often!!

1. They fail to make a commitment.

Jas 1:8 (amp), “A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.” Doubleminded means: hesitating, dubious, irresolute — is unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything he thinks, feels, decides. You will want to give up many times and so will your kids. If you don't make a firm decision, your kids, friends, and relatives will make one for you but you and your husband will be the ones held accountable.

2. They are not in agreement with their husband.

Amos 3:3, "Can two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?" If your husband is not in agreement, ask God to speak to him. In the meantime, keep quiet. God will convict him if that is what He wants you to do. There may be a reason why you should wait that only God knows. Only when you are both in agreement, should you homeschool.

3. They neglect to discipline their children.

1 Tim. 3:4 says an overseer (that's you in this case), "must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect." See Proverbs 22:15 and 13:25 for God's word on proper discipline. The key is to be consistent in enforcing rules and keep in mind that if they don't obey you, they won't obey God!

4. They fail to count the cost.

Homeschool will cost you —your personal time, money, and possibly the loss of your family's and friends' support. Many parents react instead of respond by pulling their kids out of school and getting the facts later. Luke 14:28 (NIV) says, "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?" Luke 14:31 says, "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?" Get the facts first, count the cost, and then make a decision together with your spouse.

5. They don't take the time to set goals.

Each year, take time to set goals for each child individually. Prov. 29:18 says, "Where there is no vision the people perish." Perish means to go astray or wander. A homeschool mom who does not set goals wanders around trying this and that curriculum, always doubtful that she is doing the right thing. Ask God to show you what each child needs and how to fulfill those needs. Pray. Romans 8:26 says the Holy Spirit will help us to pray when we don't know what to pray for. Trust God to give you the answer. Proverbs 16:3 (amp) says, "Roll your works upon the Lord — commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will and so shall your plans be established and succeed." Then, believe that you heard from God and resist doubt (Jas.1:6).

6. They fail to establish priorities and then stick to them.

Many homeschool moms wear themselves out doing perfectly good things and then wonder why their homeschool is not going well. Keep your priorities: 1) God, 2) husband, 3) children, 4) work — homeschool in this case, 5) church/ministry, and 6) other. Don't get so busy doing "good" things that you don't do the "God" thing He has called you to do.

7. They fail to trust God to provide the material things they need.

God is Jehovah Jireh — our provider. He wouldn't call you to do something and then not give you the resources to do it. Phil. 4:19 says He will supply all your needs. Many moms go to work, either full or part time, not because they have to, but because they are frustrated at home or in fear over finances. If this is you, instead of going to work outside the home, (1) look for ways to cut costs, (2) pray for your husband's boss or business to prosper, (3) investigate a home business, and (4) be patient. Caution: If you do pursue a home business, don't let it interfere with your family responsibilities. Prov. 31:16 (amp) states this very clearly, "She considers a new field before she buys or accepts it — expanding prudently (and not courting neglect of her present duties by assuming others)." The best time to start a home business is when your youngest child is reading and writing so that all your children can participate in the business and learn valuable skills as part of their homeschool.

8. They fail to keep the Sabbath principle with their family.

Heb. 4:4b says, "And God rested on the seventh day from all His work." If God rested, what makes you think you can do without? The Sabbath was made for your good (Mark 2:27). The purpose is for you to get needed rest and time with your family. You should only do what is absolutely mandatory or extend mercy in a time of need (Exodus 20:10, Luke 13:15, Matt. 12:12). The Sabbath is from sunset to sunset — 24 hours (Lev. 23:32). Pick a day that you can spend together with your family and break it for no one.

9. They neglect their own spiritual growth.

Read the Word. Read it to your kids if that's the only way you can get it. Pray. Pray while you're doing housework if necessary. Don't neglect the assembly of believers. Getting together with other believers not only encourages you but you have the responsibility to encourage them as well. Heb. 10: 24b-25 says, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the DAY approaching."

10.They strive for the approval of men.

Many homeschool moms make the mistake of comparing their school or kids with the public or private school down the street or their homeschool friends' kids. God created each of your children for a specific purpose in his generation. Your job is to help each of your children find his specific calling, discover what he lacks to pursue it, and then equip him with what he needs to fulfill that calling. Don't be so concerned with obtaining "approval" that you miss hearing from God what He wants your children to do.

11. They have an unnecessary fear of authorities.

Prov. 16:7 says, "When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him." When I lived in Pennsylvania, one of the toughest states in which to homeschool, I used nontraditional curriculum which was unfamiliar to the local authorities at that time. The Lord not only gave me favor with the school officials but even helped me deal with mandatory testing during the years my son was behind grade level. If you do what's right in God's eyes, He will protect you. Listen to what the Spirit is telling you. If the Lord is telling you to spend more time in ministry and less time on diagramming sentences, or spend more time on electronics and less time memorizing dates in World History, do it. Don't try to do everything in the curriculum according to the teacher's manual. Scope and sequences vary from school to school, year to year, and book to book. No one can learn everything there is to know. Curriculum publishers and "professional" educators make decisions on what topics a child "needs" to learn and when, based on their standards and philosophies. Your child; however, may need to learn something else or on a different time schedule. As you go through your school year, before you assign seatwork or introduce a new topic, ask yourself: (1) Is this going to help this particular child do what God has called him to do? (2) Is this the time to introduce this (readiness)? If you answer yes to these two questions, then teach the topic and/or have them do the seatwork. If you answer no, then don't!

12. They forget to create enthusiasm for learning.

Enthusiasm comes from the Greek words "en theos" meaning "in God". Learning in God should be exciting! Don't be afraid to have fun in your homeschool. Use real books and hands-on activities instead of, or to enhance, your textbooks.

13.They neglect their children's spiritual training.

The great commission (Matt. 28:19-20) applies to your own children, too! Pearl S. Buck, a famous author, was homeschooled by Christian parents who were missionaries to China. While they were ministering salvation to the people of China, they neglected to minister to their own child. In the morning, Pearl studied her lessons assigned by her mother from a secular curriculum. In the afternoon, they gave her more studies under the tutelage of a local Chinese man, Mr. Kung. Pearl says in her book, My Several Worlds, "I became mentally bifocal, and so I learned early to understand that there is no such condition in human affairs as absolute truth. There is only truth as people see it…" (p. 41) The damage done meant she "never belonged entirely to one side of any question." She called her parent's faith "their religion" not hers. By neglecting to continually put the truth of God's Word in front of her and allowing her to be taught by a person of another faith, Pearl's parents will eventually have to stand before the Lord and be held accountable. Our children are body, soul and spirit and all three parts need feeding on a regular basis. One or two hours at church every week will not do it. God gave us a model for a well-rounded education as shown in Luke 2:52, "And Jesus increased in wisdom, stature, in favor with God, and in favor with man." Our goal should be for our children to increase in all four areas just as Jesus did. (See The Checklist for more information.)

14. They fail to teach their children the love and grace of God.

If they don’t experience the love and grace of God, they will not be able to give God’s love and grace. My biggest regret regarding my homeschooling years is that I failed in this area. Yes, I was saved and serving God with all my heart, but I hadn’t personally experienced the love and grace of God. Therefore, I was not able to pass this on to my children. They, like me, learned all the rules and regulations of serving God, but not the joy of God’s love and His unending grace. Consequently, in spite of all that I taught them, they spent their early adult years running from God instead of to God. Thanks be to God who IS love and grace, we are all now learning to know God’s love and grace. My prayer for you is that as you personally experience God’s love and grace, you will pass it on to your children. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:1-2, “If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such as is inspired by God’s love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers—that is, the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose; and understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have sufficient faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love (God’s love in me), I am nothing—a useless nobody.” (Amplified)

15. They fail to get help when needed.

Proverbs 1:5 says, "A wise man will hear and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels." Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. However, make sure it's the right kind of help. Don't ask your local school teacher. That would be like asking a skin doctor to perform heart surgery on you. Even though they may both be good doctors, they are experienced in two different fields. Don't ask a friend who's new at homeschooling. That would be like asking a student in law school to represent you in court instead of an experienced attorney! Consult people who have several successful years of homeschooling under their belt and who are of like faith.

16. They don't endure to the end!

I think Paul was really talking about homeschool in 2 Tim. 2:2-3! He tells Timothy, "…and the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others also. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ." You are stewards of God's children and it is "…required of stewards…to be found faithful" (1 Cor. 4:2). It's not always going to be easy. Your kids are not always going to like it. It's a job that God has called you to do. Some days it may seem as if you are just spinning wheels. But Jas. 1:12 tells us that the patient man wins the crown. Keep on doing what God says and trust Him for the results. I like what Paul said in 1 Cor. 4:3-5, "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time."

Even if you made some of these mistakes in the past (and who hasn't!), it's not too late to make corrections. Make a commitment with your husband, today, to avoid these 16 mistakes and then open your heart to hear from God. You will do what God has called you to do. You will finish the course and you will receive the prize! Prov. 30:31 says, "Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates of the city!"

A Prayer for Parents

I found a poetry book at a vintage flea market a few months ago called Life's Greatest

Treasure by Hallmark and especially liked the poem called "A Prayer for New Parents". This poem isn't only for new parents, but for all. Hope

you enjoy reading it as much as I did and it encourages you to keep an eternal perspective as you train up your children. We only get-

one

single

chance

to raise our children.

That's it.

No second chances.

This is one area we can't afford to be lazy in.

God, help us to remember that our children will learn more from our deeds than our creeds. Help us to depend on You each and every day for wisdom and discernment in raising these beautiful souls for Your glory alone. God give me grace.

Amen.

A Prayer for New Parents

By: James Keller

O Lord, give us the wisdom ---

To deal with our children as You would,

To see in each of them Your Holy Image,

To develop in them a Christ-like love of all men, not only a select few,

To teach them to be go-givers rather than go-getters.

Oh God, in training these dear ones whom

Thou hast entrusted to our charge, help us ---

To encourage rather than discourage them,

To discipline with kindness not softness,

To guide them intelligently, not blindly,

To coach, not scold; to nudge, not nag.

Dear Lord, above all, help us ---

To use common sense in regard to their future,

To let them go gladly when the time comes,

To let them lead their own lives while following them with our love,

To pray always that they will be close to Thee,

not only for the few years of this life

but for the endless years of eternity.

God Give Us Homes

Homes where the Bible is honored and taught;

Homes with the Spirit of Christ in their thought;

Homes that a likeness to heaven have caught.

God give us homes!

God give us homes!

Homes with the father in preist-like employ;

Homes that are bright with a far-reaching joy;

Homes where no world-stain shall come to annoy.

God give us homes!

God give us homes!

Homes where the mother is queen-like in love;

Ruled in the fear of the Savior above;

Homes that to youth most inspiring shall prove.

God give us homes!

God give us homes!

Homes with the children to brighten the hours;

Budding and blooming like beautiful flowers;

Places of sunshine-sweet, sanctified bowers.

God give us homes!

By J.R. Clements

Childrearing is Soulwinning . . . Or Not

Posted By Tiffany on October 7, 2010

Modern-day Christian parents can’t figure out why their children are turning away from God in droves and rejecting the faith they were raised with, and it’s not uncommon to hear older couples in churches speak with regret about their children “who aren’t following the Lord.” Bewilderment and confusion surrounds their thinking as they try to grasp how their children could have walked away when they had tried so hard to “raise them right.”

It’s undeniable at this point that Christianity is losing its youth. Although many fall away from faith during high school, the college-aged population is where Christianity is being hit the hardest.

When Christian couples set out to raise a family today, they are well aware of these statistics, but they begin their journey with the best of intentions of raising their one to two children up as godly Christians, hopeful that their children will be an exception. They may even consciously intend on making choices that they believe will help their children remain faithful and moral–taking them to church, restricting what movies they can see, and heavily monitoring and overseeing their interaction with other “worldly” children. Every Sunday morning, they faithfully bring their child to Sunday school, and every Wednesday night, their child is in attendance at Awanas or the other church children’s program. For years, they are involved in every possible church activity, but as the child grows older, the parents wonder why their child isn’t making the faith his own or doing things of his own initiative. By the end of high school or college, the parent is tired of the battles. They don’t want to fight and drag their children to the youth group; they are tired of arguing about modest clothing choices, CDs, movies, boyfriends, and everything else. They look around at the other children in the church and shrug their shoulders. It’s just hard to raise kids in this culture, and they did their best. Apparently, they were just given a child that would not be a Christian. They are saddened and downcast, thinking that they were helpless victims and couldn’t have done anything better.



So said the older mother across from me, a year ago, as we sat in the church nursery rocking babies. She told me her story: how her son had walked away from the Lord, was living with his girlfriend, and was about to have a baby. She talked about how she had always brought him to church and youth group, but she ended with a shrug of her shoulders, saying, “But we tried to raise him right, he just wouldn’t listen. I don’t know what else we could have done.”



I continued to rock the baby asleep in my arms, as she went on, “But your parents, they’re so lucky to have children like you two. Such good examples, ministering and going to a Bible college. Your parents must be so happy!”



I smiled and replied something along the lines of, “Yes, my parents did an excellent job of raising us. The tireless effort my mom put into homeschooling us has really shaped us into who we are today.”



The mother’s tone changed slightly and she replied, “I don’t know how she did it! I would have killed my two kids, I tell you that! Your mother was so lucky to have such good, patient, and quiet kids.”



She continued, “You don’t intend on doing that with your children, do you?”



“Absolutely.” I replied. “It is one of the things I look forward to the most!”



At this, shock and slight repulsion started to show on her face, and she went on to try to convince me why I should work and put my children into public school. Although I tried to present my reasoning, she was incapable of understanding where I was coming from, and she ended our conversation by saying, “Well, you’re young. You might change your mind once you have kids and have to put up with it every day!”



When I walked away from the nursery that day, my mind was just completely boggled by this interaction. Though this woman had admired the results of the training we had received at home from our parents, she failed to see the role that it played in shaping children into mature and God-loving individuals. You see, she may have thought my parents were “lucky,” as in “You must have hit the lottery jackpot and gotten two great kids!” but the truth of the matter was that my parents had put in tireless effort into shaping us into who we were. They were not “lucky,” they were obedient to God’s call to train up your child in the way they should go.



My parents did not simply take us to church and hope that Sunday school and sermons would bring us to the Father. They read us the Word, had nightly devotions, prayed and conversed with us about all of life from a Biblical viewpoint. They also led by example, and showed us what it meant to minister, love, forgive, and put God before all else.



Christian parents who trust in church ministry programs will be disappointed. There is only so much that a church can do for a child, and in the end, it was never the church who had responsibility for the child in the first place. God’s Word calls parents to train up their children, and God gives the responsibility for shaping the child’s worldview squarely into a parent’s hands.



“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. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” ~Deuteronomy 6:6-9



Notice that this verse speaks of the home having an atmosphere of godly instruction. It is all good and well to have Scripture training at church, but if the home is not the foundation of the child’s Scripture learning, results are doubtful, and the parent is not fulfilling his God-given responsibility.

In a culture where getting a “Christian” child out of the child-rearing experience appears to be “hit or miss,” it is understandable why people react even more harshly to me when I say anything about wanting a big family. To them, this is merely my way of trying to be more spiritual or a “supermom,” while increasing the chance that I will bring up children who walk away from the Lord.



But, let me tell you, I am not setting my mind on this because I think there is anything about having babies that is holy or righteous in and of itself, or because I hope to one day be viewed as “supermom.” Having children for the wrong reasons can be done with any family size in mind. Even Christian parents who have two kids because it’s “the next life step” can be wrongly going about the idea of child-rearing.



Any parent who brings a child into this world ought to do so with fear and trembling and prayer and supplication before the Lord, because a new soul–one that will live eternally–has irrevocably been created, and that soul will end up one of two places. If Christian parents truly believe what they claim to about eternity and Heaven and Hell, than I urge them to think more carefully about what choices they will make in raising their children.



It may not mean homeschooling–though I think public schooling your child will only increase those exhausting battles, and is comparable to swimming upstream–but it most certainly will mean providing a foundation of truth and Gospel learning at home, and not merely Sunday school or church camps.



May God help us to bring up godly children who will glorify Him with their lives, whether we are parents now or will be in the future!

This article orignally appeared on Tiffany’s blog, True Femininity

Children Keeping You Out of the Ministry?

Are you a mother who often feels like you're not serving God unless you are always busy serving in the church? Do you ever wish that you were involved in "true" ministry?  Do you feel guilty for not "doing enough" for God? This was me and is still me at times. I love Jesus and want more than anything to serve Him in everything I do.  I am so thankful I found the blog post below to help remind me of the fact that raising my children IS ministry.


If this sounds like you or someone you know, head over to Walking with Sarah and read Rhonda Devine's post titled, "Children Keeping You Out of the Ministry?" I pray that it will bless you as it did me.

Women are called to manage their homes (1 Tim. 5:14) ; this pleases God and keeps the adversary from speaking reproachfully. Women who make homes keep God’s word from being blasphemed (Titus 2:4). The way I understand this is that a home that is well managed is a positive glory; a home in shambles is a poor testimony. But this is not to lay a guilt trip on women; rather, it should inspire us to view our seemingly mundane tasks as a truly worthy calling that God uses to transform the world. We often think of homekeeping as drudgery. But God says it silences our enemies. That is something potent. God always does things backwards from what we think. This requires wisdom.

Nancy Wilson of Femina

Your good works ought to first be done at home--ministering to the needs of your family. Then if God gives you time, opportunity, available resources or in a different season of life--to take those gifts and those abilities and expand them, as we'll see the Proverbs 31 woman does, outside of your own home.

Nancy DeMoss

We have experienced substantial joys in professional ministry, but nothing is quite so fulfilling as the personal joy of seeing family friends come to faith… The family is at the very heart of authentic ministry and evangelism. As ministry professionals, we hold the firm conviction that family is ministry and that the most effective spread of the gospel occurs through family. We are also convinced that we were never more effective in evangelism than when we had children at home.

Kent and Barbara Hughes
Disciplines of a Godly Family, Crossway, 2004, p. 86- 87

Spiritual Food

We wouldn’t starve our children on purpose by not feeding them. Why is it that we often withhold spiritual food by not feeding our children daily from the Word of God? So often we underestimate the importance of doing this or we believe it’s someone else’s responsibility. We leave the responsibility to our church, Sunday school, or school teachers. God’s word says that it is OUR responsibility to equip our children. We are the ones responsible to train up our children in the way they should go. I have found that I can always find an excuse for not finding time to read/study the Bible with my children…. to busy, to late in the evening, to tired, … Maybe it would be easier if I would stop making excuses for myself and state the truth.. lack of discipline, misplaced priorities, lazy. The truth hurts and we like to sugar coat things sometimes. When we know the good we ought to do and don’t do it we are sinning. That is God’s words, not mine. We can call it whatever we want, but God calls it sin. Raising Godly children takes a lot of discipline! It’s sad how we can manage to find the time to watch t.v., surf the net, clean the house, read a magazine or book, but when it comes to reading the Bible with our children we can’t even squeeze in 15 minutes a day. Let’s feed our children food that always satisfies, food that makes them grow spiritually- a daily feeding of God’s Word.

Matthew 4:4
4Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled.

Hebrews 5:12-14
12In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.


2 Timothy 3:16-17
16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Proverbs 22:6
6 Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it.

James 4:17
17Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.


Proverbs 4:20-22
20 My son, pay attention to what I say;
listen closely to my words.
21 Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;
22 for they are life to those who find them
and health to a man's whole body.


Deuteronomy 8:3
3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.