Our Biggest Homeschool Helps -- Part II

...Continued from "Our Biggest Homeschooling Helps -- Part I".

We previously talked about behavior stoplights and the treasure box in Part I.  Here are two more areas that have made the biggest difference in our homeschool. 

Reading & Writing

My child is like many other boys who do not like to write.  We have our biggest struggles over formal handwriting.  And I have had to realize that there will be plenty of time for formal handwriting as NoNut gets older.  While we struggled through Handwriting Without Tears during first grade (but with fewer tears than the year before), we took the rest of the year to find ways to make handwriting fun and to create that need and desire to write. 

We took NoNut to the toy store with pen, paper and clipboard and he had to write his own Christmas list.  His "copywork" was copying the logo or item name to his paper.  He would write shopping lists (especially when it came to planning for fun family dinners or parties).  He wanted to write signs for his door, his bed and even the bathroom.  It may not be a formal writing program, but he is getting writing practice in without realizing it. 

Fun with sight word cookie game!

For reading, we did a lot of sight word games (All About Spelling usually offers free games so we printed out a lot of those).  We read store signs, mail, comics, etc.  Again, there will be a time when all the fun and games are pushed aside for more formal learning, but we are building the learning foundation for our child.  Will he love learning and seek out ways to find out what he wants to know, or will he get bogged down too early in the tediousness of formal learning that could squelch any future desire to learn and even possibly give him a label for the rest of his life? 

Learning IS fun especially when you think outside of the box and discover that there are so many non-book ways to learn!  One of the big lessons we learned in first grade is that curriculum should be viewed as a guide.  It steers you in the right direction, but you should take advantage of the things your child is interested in.  NoNut quickly learned to count change by making Lego creations for his pretend Lego Store or "selling" his Ninja Turtle collection to the employees at work.  He learned to tell time when snack time depended upon it.  I would tell NoNut that snack time is at 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.  He was in charge of keeping an eye on the analog clock and letting me know when it was snack time.  It didn't take him long to learn to tell time as well as learn a bit of responsibility in that way.

"Selling" Ninja Turtles.

And the cool part is that after we would finish sections of our year-end testing (required by the state), NoNut would tell me he "saw" this activity or that activity in his mind and that helped him figure out the answers.  It wasn't pages in a book that he remembered, but the activities, the movement, the crazy motions or silly skip counting cheers that we made up.  It was really neat to see that reinforced with his testing results as he scored anywhere from well above average to highest level in every category. 

Yes, we do our fair share of book-learning, but book learning isn't everything.  Don't be afraid to get wildly creative in teaching your child.  It might not work for anyone else but your child, but you can be confident in knowing that he will learn, understand and retain regardless of method! 


Bedtime

One of the biggest things that helped us was putting our child to bed at the same time every night since birth.  I am an introvert and crave time alone to recharge and essentially function.  Having a newborn altered my world big time and I wasn't used to having someone constantly take from me every second of the day and it got draining fast.  I struggled for a long time over whether that was a selfish mindset or the way God created me.  And it didn't take long to see that if I don't have alone time to think, write, pray, read, etc., I cannot wholly function.  A firm, consistent bed time was my sanity saver, and it still is seven years later!  We do the same routine every night that we've done with NoNut since Day 1 -- pjs, brush teeth, prayers, story and glow stick (these are completely dependent on behavior) and bed. 

For the first 6 1/2 years of NoNut's life, he went to bed at 7 p.m.  One of his 2013 Christmas presents was an extended bedtime to 7:30 p.m.!  He thought he was big stuff to stay up that late!  Since Christmas and with Daylight Savings Time, it's been a bit harder to hold fast to the 7:30 p.m. bed time.  But we do our best to get him in bed at 7:30 p.m., and then I enjoy reading to him in bed until 8 p.m.  After that, he is expected to stay in bed and go to sleep.  NoNut does a great job respecting that time.  We have all had to learn to decipher what is a legitimate need that needs a parental response/attention versus trying to work the system which we do not respond to.  If he can't sleep, he'll turn on his little camping light and read, play Legos or play with his glow sticks in bed.  I count on that time between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. to spend time with my husband and get my work (personal work, school work, housework, ministry or volunteer work, and sometimes professional work) done without constant interruptions.  Putting NoNut down to bed at a specific time every night has saved our marriage and our sanity.  My husband and I have time to connect and communicate every day and I can get a "break" to get stuff done that contributes to who I am as a person, not just as a mom, especially a homeschooling mom.


With each of these things, setting and defining the expectations and then following through with consistency are the key.  There is a way to do this outside of homeschool and to incorporate expectations and consistency into every day life outside of homeschool hours.  However, I haven't been consistent enough to figure it all out.  First grade taught me a lot about the importance of building on the foundation, but you have to have to lay the foundation first before you can begin to build on it!  If the foundation isn't there, you don't have anything to build on!  It's worth the work and consistency to start out right.  And it's worth it to start out building the foundation throughout your child's whole life and throughout your whole home rather than limit it to just your homeschool hours! 

Our Biggest Homeschool Helps -- Part I

This post is for several mom-friends who wanted to know some techniques that have worked in our homeschool so far!  Feel free to use these ideas but make sure to tailor them to your child as you discover what their "motivators" are! 

Behavior Stoplights

Starting in preschool, we adopted the "Behavior Stoplights" to help reinforce desired school behaviors and to help demonstrate that all choices have consequences.  I printed out a blank calendar and my child (aka NoNut) had the choice to earn a sticker each day.  If he remained with a green or yellow light at the end of our school day, he received a sticker for his calendar.  If he received a red light, he would not get a sticker for the day.  If NoNut received a sticker every day that week, he would get to pick one item out of the treasure box (more on that below). 

I printed out stoplight cards to use for the year. Then, I created and posted our school rules on the wall.  During the first week of school, we always spent extra time reviewing the rules before jumping into the school work.  I placed the green light card on NoNut's desk or on the bookshelf in a visible area and we would proceed with our first subject.

If NoNut misbehaved or did not apply himself, he would get a warning.  The green light card was replaced with a yellow light card and a reminder of the expected behavior and what happens if we move to the red light card.  It often meant explaining what he was doing wrong and showing him the right way.  If NoNut continued to misbehave, he would get a red light and no sticker. 

At first, I gave in a little and let him earn the yellow light back with good behavior, but it got to the point where he expected to be able to earn it back every single time and he could totally work the system.  Rather than changing the heart, we were simply changing behavior.  So, for Kindergarten, we made it all nor nothing.  NoNut had to earn stickers every day of the week, no exceptions.  It was tough because there were some Mondays when I had to give him a red light which meant right off the bat, he would not be able to pick out of the treasure box that week.  Thankfully, that got his attention.  I always wondered what I would do if he didn't care and didn't try.  If he did try hard and kept green lights the rest of the week, I would do something special with him (play a game, read a favorite book, etc.) after school on Friday, but he could not pick out of the treasure box despite the tears and pleas that he would do better next time.

For first grade, we went through the school rules again at the beginning of the year.  But this year, we didn't keep a sticker chart/calendar and I was more relaxed on the behavior stoplights.  There were weeks when I had to revert back to using the stoplight cards so we could get back on track and redefine expectations.  But overall, I feel like we set the expectation from Day 1 of homeschooling that NoNut just knows that when we switch into school mode, this is how it's going to be.
 
The biggest secret to making the behavior stoplights work for us is consistency.  Looking back, our biggest downfall to using the behavior stoplight is that we did not do this for all areas of our life and limited it only to school hours.  A lot of power struggles and negative behavior would have been eliminated if we had done this throughout life.  Our homeschool is the only predictable area in our life that has consistency, structure and routine and a lot of it stems from laying out the expectations and starting out with the behavior stoplights. 


Treasure Box

The treasure box is a fun component to our homeschool!  Every Friday, NoNut gets to pick from the treasure box based on his behavior (see above).  We also let him pick out of the treasure box if he can say his Bible verses on Friday without any assistance.  We have used the treasure box as a surprise reward for times when NoNut has demonstrated super behavior over a period of time or for trying his hardest and not giving up when he wanted to and finally succeeding at it--for encouragement purposes.  And, we've also used the treasure box for reading incentives.  When NoNut finishes a reader, he gets to pick out a small prize from the treasure box because reading a book all the way through is a big accomplishment for him right now.  

The treasure box sits on top of our bookshelf so that it's not easily accessible.  We also make "Treasure Box Fridays" a big deal once we are done with our school work for the week.  NoNut never knows what will be in the box from week to week and that is half the fun! 

Target dollar aisles and the Dollar Tree are great places to find treasure box items.  Some things are a hit and other things are total duds and have been in the treasure box since NoNut started preschool a few years ago!  We also have friends who mail us homeschool care packages with little things that I put into the treasure box (those make the neatest and funnest treasures, too)! 

Here is what we have used in the treasure box over the years:

• Stickers (cut sticker sheets in half)
• Pencils (those are a total dud especially when there are other cool things to choose from)
• Holiday erasers (they were a dud until this year when NoNut actually started using erasers)
• Army Men
• Glow-in-the-dark items
• Bouncy Balls
• Mighty Beanz
• Squinkies
• Pods (?little tiny Star Wars guys in a tiny clear ball--those were good reading incentives)
• Toothbrushes
• Character band-aids (divide up in little ziplock baggies)
• Glow sticks (NoNut always goes for the glow sticks first!)
• Ring pops (always a favorite, but we try to stay away from candy more often than not)
• Pez (this is rare, but it makes for a good reading reward)
• Little craft kits
• Little character coloring packs
• Small toys
• Small sticker folders/books (Wild West, Trains, etc.)

...Continued in "Our Biggest Homeschool Helps -- Part II".

Beyond the Steeple & Christianese

Sometimes the best ministry doesn't take place under a steeple.  Nor does ministry always happen through a well thought-out program or during specified ministry hours.  But rather, some of the best ministry happens as we go through our daily routine.  It's unplanned and spontaneous.  It happens in the aisles of a grocery store or in the messy kitchen because the Spirit prompted me to drop of a sanity-saving bag of chocolate, a cup of hot cocoa or a freshly-baked dessert off at someone's house.  Ministry happens in the middle of the park while the kids are swinging or in the parking lot where we just put the kids in the van and gave them an iSomething to play with in order to buy us a few minutes to chat. 

For those of us who have grown up in church where a program can be created for every need, it's sometimes hard to see that ministry isn't all about church.  For me, it's taken the past year of being removed from formal church ministry to see what ministry is all about. Today I was reminded once again of the freedom that comes from viewing ministry as a way of life rather than something you do.  And, today reminded me once again of the of the importance of being available and in the moment so God can work in His ways. 

This afternoon, a woman came over to talk to us while we were browsing the aisles of a chain store.  The more she talked, the more frantic I was in trying to place her, but I had no clue who she was.  She mentioned that we met two summers ago at a homeschool event, and she started sharing what happened in her life since that one and only time we met.  She has been through so much with health issues, personal struggles, inner turmoil and was struggling with major mama-guilt over falling behind with school and not adequately balancing life's challenges and homeschool.  The more she shared, the more agitated she became and it was if a dam burst open and everything rushed out, tears and all.

The more I listened to this weary mama, the more I forgot that we were in the middle of a busy store on a holiday weekend.  I also forgot that I didn't even know her, for her pain and inner turmoil were so real.  What do you do in a situation like that except silently cry out to God for help, words, something?!  Sometimes, "Christianese" (aka the typical things Believers say in times of turmoil in attempt to "help") holds empty meaning especially when someone needs to see God and needs what He can give over everything else (including our words).  Our human vocabulary is so shallow when there is so much life-changing Scripture that we can share instead.  And when the timing isn't right and our words sound like mere "Christianese", the biggest thing to do is to simply pray.  In the middle of the store aisle, I uncharacteristically felt compelled to put my arm around this woman and just pray over her, her family and her homeschool. 

It wasn't so much the prayer but the being in the moment to stop and listen that spoke volumes to both of us.  How often do we rush through life or think because our kids are with us we can't stop long enough to say more than a quick "hi" to someone?  That mom and several other moms I've encountered over the past few weeks were longing for someone to acknowledge their existence and to offer a little encouragement to help them through the day.  More often than not, ministry has unexpectedly happened in store aisles or at the park or in each other's homes--places outside of the walls of the church.  And in these moments, God uses the daily to display Himself and become a personal God while revealing great majesty and authority.  He uses those moments to touch the broken through simple prayer.  He uses those moments as reminders of grace and of an ultimate plan for our lives.  He also uses those moments as windows of opportunity to plant seeds, but yet that requires an alertness and sensitivity that come from being in the moment rather than being consumed with the busyness of the moment. 

Ministry doesn't have to wait for church or for church programs.  There are too many people around us silently suffering that need encouragement.  God has been challenging me with the idea of boldness and confidence in Him so that I may make the most of these moments and to impart His Words rather than my own.  While I love praying, praying out loud is still not the most comfortable thing for me to do.  My prayers are not eloquent or educated, just conversational based on my relationship with God.  It's easy to let our self-consciousness keep us from being in the moment and from following that prompting of the Spirit to pray with someone in our midst.

Every day, I see more and more that life is short and uncertain. Life is hard, messy and painful.  And it seems like it is in the midst of the mess where Kingdom work truly happens--in the moments that are ugly, tough and raw and that need hope and transformation.  In the pain and suffering around us, we don't have time to be self-conscious about our prayers.  We have the Spirit interceding on our behalf (see Romans 8:26-27).  And we are commanded to come boldly in times of need (see Hebrews 4:16) just as much as we are commanded to make the most of encouraging one another while it is still called today, not tomorrow (see Hebrews 3:12-13 and I Thessalonians 5:11)!

What do we need to do in order to make sure that we are truly encouraging one another daily?  There are too many other weary mamas out there that need to see Christ at this very moment and our good intentions (that usually lack follow-through), busyness, and excuses (self-consciousness, fear, etc.) keep shattering windows of opportunity to plant the eternal kind of seeds. 

Hebrews 3:12-13 -- "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."

I Thessalonians 5:11 -- "Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing."

Sonlight Science vs. Science in the Beginning

We have been a Sonlight-only, multi-subject package homeschooling family since the beginning of our homeschool journey.  We have appreciated the ease and variety of Sonlight both for teacher and student.  And, it’s been well worth the cost to have everything come together in one box so all we need to purchase are a few pencils to start our school year.  In my naive mind, I thought we would do Sonlight Kindergarten through 12th grade.  But after two years using Sonlight, the honeymoon phase is over.  What worked for us in the beginning didn't necessarily work in its entirety two years later especially in regards to science.

With Sonlight Core A and Core B Science, we studied a variety of topics throughout the year so we never grew tired of science.  It was always new and fresh to my child.  We used several books to cover one area of science rather than one textbook.  We enjoyed fairly easy and age-appropriate science experiments using the things we had around our house plus the pre-made Sonlight science kit.  And, the science worksheets that came with the Sonlight Cores helped us gauge our child's comprehension level.   

Yet there were two negatives to Sonlight that we just couldn’t seem to work around.  The first was that fact that Sonlight uses mainly Usborne books for science.  Usborne presents the majority of its science from an evolution viewpoint.  Sonlight tries to compensate for that through shallowly sharing a Biblical viewpoint and a few accompanying verses in the Instructor’s Guide.  The second is that the Sonlight Core A and Core B science is an overview of science and it rarely goes beyond the surface.  However, I don’t think a science program can go beyond the surface if it’s not rooted firmly in the Word of God. 

So we were determined to find something different to use for science for second grade that had the Biblical, hands-on approach to science mixed with the variety of science that we love from Sonlight.  We really liked Apologia and how it is rooted in the Word, but we didn’t like how it focused on one area of science all year long.  That would quickly get old for my child (and for me).  A friend in a homeschool Facebook group recommended Dr. Jay Wile’s new science book, Science in the Beginning.  I had never heard of Dr. Wile before but when my friend mentioned that he wrote the high school science textbooks for Apologia, my interest was piqued.  Surely his Biblical worldview would carry over into his writing.  And knowing Apologia's reputation for science, surely he would bring a certain level of depth and knowledge to science that Sonlight didn’t afford with its Core. 

Dr. Wile sent us a copy of Science in the Beginning to look through and review, and we found the perfect compromise between Sonlight and Apologia!  Science in the Beginning is geared toward elementary students and can be done with one child or it can be done with several children of varying ages.  Each lesson ends with a review for the youngest students, older students and oldest students.  These reviews are centered around keeping a science journal and drawing or explaining the experiments and/or lessons.  At the end of first grade, we found ourselves going between the youngest and older student reviews based on my child’s writing vs. drawing capabilities. 

Like Sonlight, every experiment in Science in the Beginning (which there is one per lesson) can be done with household items.  There is a thorough explanation of what to do, and Dr. Wile explains the "why" behind every experiment (something that is hit or miss with Sonlight).  The plus to Science in the Beginning is that the experiments actually correspond with what you are studying; whereas, there is no coordination between Sonlight’s experiments and what is currently being studied (at least in Cores A and B). 

Science in the Beginning also relates science back to the Days of Creation.  The First Day of Creation Week (Lessons 1-15) deals with light where children learn all about light, colors, reflection, energy, the human eye, etc. The Second Day of Creation (Lessons 16-30) deals with everything water.  The Third Day of Creation (Lessons 31-45) centers around the land, rocks and plants.  Day Four of Creation (Lessons 46-60) focuses on the sun, moon and solar system.  Day Five of Creation gives an overview on birds and fish (Lessons 61-75).  And Day Six of Creation (Lessons 76-90) focuses on land animals, people and our senses.  Then, there is a page on Day Seven of Creation which talks about the need for rest. 

There is also a small supplement, Helps & Hints, to Science in the Beginning.  This guide contains the answers to the review questions in Science in the Beginning as well as contains corresponding tests and answer keys.  It is nice to have, but it is not necessary to complete the textbook. 

Science in the Beginning debuts Dr. Wile's new elementary series where he walks students through science in a historical context.  When we first received our book in December 2013, I was hesitant about jumping on board since the second book had not yet been released.  However, the second book, Science in the Ancient World, was released last month and there are plans for more to be released each year.  I see Dr. Wile’s series truly complementing the history portion of Sonlight’s Cores as science and history walk hand-in-hand.  We are picking up Science in the Beginning as we go into Sonlight Core C.  It is a great review and Science in the Beginning further reinforces the things we learned in previous Sonlight Cores.  For more on Dr. Wile’s approach, visit his blog at http://blog.drwile.com/?p=11016. 

I was concerned about Science in the Beginning being a duplicate of Sonlight Core A and B science, but there is enough difference between the two programs that it is worth going through Science in the Beginning in its entirety.  I was also concerned about Science in the Beginning being a “real” textbook since this is our first “official” textbook ever.  However, there is enough variety and science experiments in this book that we do not miss Sonlight science at all.  Plus, I secretly like having a little extra room on our bookshelf since we no longer need eight different books just for one year of science.  Science in the Beginning is a great starting point, and we use the library or find books at yard sales that complement Science in the Beginning for extra learning and enjoyment.  Also with Science in the Beginning, we are fully in control of the book selection rather than simply accepting what comes with the Sonlight Science program from an evolutionist standpoint. 

Science in the Beginning fills that niche for Sonlight users who aren’t ready to make a big curriculum change but who prefer science from a Biblical standpoint.  And Science in the Beginning provides both Biblical and educational depth that Sonlight simply cannot achieve using Usborne books.  It's definitely a great compromise for our family!  To find out more about Science in the Beginning, visit www.bereanbuilders.com/rl/index.php?8 .

Please note:  Other than receiving this product for free, we received no other compensation. 

Finding Our Way Back...Even If It Means Wearing a Dress

For the first 21 years of my life, I was raised with living up to a standard and given the Christian Code of Conduct.  You live a certain way, talk a certain way, behave a certain way and dress a certain way.  You never have a chance to really think for yourself because you become what you believe without really believing it.  You are immersed in the culture you are surrounded in, never doubting it because you have nothing else to compare it to.  The "why" is lost through routine and the "want to" is more like a "have to".

Then suddenly, one day you wake up as a young adult and realize that you don't have to do those things any more.  You are free to do whatever you want.  You begin to make little decisions that seem to have no consequence and lead you to a better, less-restricted life.  Over time, you become less and less like you once were yet still believing in the same God yet questioning the validity of minor aspects of the "Christian Code of Conduct" while still hanging on to the major beliefs.  Some changes are due to maturing into adulthood and others are because you never understood the why behind it all. 

Years later, as you are well into adulthood, something happens that shakes you to your core as you realize just how far you've really strayed from those childhood days.  You begin to see where little choices made over the years pulled you toward a man-made ideal or a feel-good standard.  You are living a good life that seems overtly godly, but you are still missing the why.  You begin to see where little compromises in the gray areas led you that much further away without even realizing it.  You see where areas that had once been open to God had become shut because it became about you and you dictating that relationship with God rather than developing that relationship with God.  It became about relevancy rather than reverence, about succeeding in ministry rather than the sacredness of the church.  It became about comfort rather than claiming the things that set us apart as Believers, and about trying to fit Christianity into our culture rather than living out the Word without compromise.

During our church search, we saw so many different things.  We saw where churches worshipped God and where they worshipped self.  We saw how they responded to needs or how they scoffed at needs.  We saw where they embraced the community and actively served the community and then where they wanted to reach out to the community but just as long as the community stayed outside of the church doors.  We were left wondering where God wanted us and what He wanted us to learn from all of this. 

Back in March, we walked in the door of one church where I was instantly transported back to the first 21 years of my life.  I saw the standard and Code of Conduct.  I saw the dress (aka real dresses...like something I gave up wearing after I got my BJU diploma because I discovered the freedom of wearing pants to church and that wearing pants to church didn't change my Christianity)!  I saw the once-familiar culture that could easily become routine once again...a routine I don't want my child to know because I want him to know the richness of relationship over routine.  Yet, it was the place were I felt most at home.  For the first time since my SC days, my heart finally felt at home.  We found our way back into the culture that we had, choice by choice, moved so far away from without realizing it.

I first knew something was different when I realized the sacredness and reverence of each service.  There was seriousness and depth that stemmed from being in the Word, not just talking about the Word.  I didn't realize how much we were craving that reverence until we could name it that Sunday we visited.  In a society that is far from God as it can get, I want church to be respite from it all--a place where we can rest and not have to fight against culture for the three hours we are in there; a place that challenges you to be set apart and that will encourage you to live to the higher standard found in God's Word--that is the norm, not the rarity.

There is so much found in the leadership of this church that is godly, respectable and peaceable.  The leaders are praying together and striving to do what is right before God and their families.  The men are in charge and they are taking on the leadership in their church and in their homes.  The women aren't running the show nor destroying the show with their idle talk and poisonous gossip (if it's there, I'm not privy to it and want to keep it that way).  And this church tells you upfront that they are not perfect but that they are learning and growing together ... it's more of a journey together rather the air of "We've already arrived, sorry you haven't!" that we've encountered in several other churches.  We want to be a part of a learning and growing culture where there is seriousness and depth centered around God's Word not only in the adult program but the children's program as well.   

We found a women's Bible study where small talk is obsolete because that social time is spent learning from the Word.  The study is centered around pure Truth because Bibles are opened rather than the study guides.  The discussion isn't about how you feel but rather what God says and His desired response.  It's what Bible study used to be before it evolved over the years, before the Beth Moores and the Priscilla Shirers where bandwagon triumphs the Bible.

On Sunday, I wore my first skirt to church in over 9 years.  My child had no clue what in the world I was wearing but even he knew it signaled something special.  Of course, he and his father were hilarious in lavishing me with compliments.  But for the first time in years, I felt like church WAS special.  I also didn't feel out of place between my two guys who go to church every Sunday looking their best in dress shirts and ties.  I've been waiting for the day when my child would ask me, "Mom, why do you make me wear a tie when you wear your black jeans and don't dress up with us?"  But since we've been at this church and through observing what goes on during the services, Sundays are special once again because we are remembering that we serve a Holy God that deserves more than we can give.  So why am I so resistant about wearing a dress/skirt?  Surely what I wear shouldn't affect my relationship with God...and it doesn't.  Yet it is those hidden heart attitudes that I've held on to all of these years (stubbornness, lack of submission, selfishness, etc.) that surface every single time I walk into that church.  God is urging me to see the scaredness of His house like I saw it as a child and to allow my family the pure joy of having one special day every week that is set aside just for God, not just simply go to church.
  
Yet this time, instead of church being routine or an assumed culture, it's a chosen way of life based on conviction and grace.  Over the past two years, homeschooling has revealed God's design for our family and for His people.  We have been challenged to a higher standard of living and have seen God help us develop the backbone needed to make tough decisions that help us fall in line with His Word and to endure the ridicule and gossip that go along with that.  It only seems fitting that God would lead us to a church that raises the bar and that challenges and supports us to live holy lives before God.  This is what we want for our family yet with the hopes of instilling the why over rote and relationship over tradition.

Sometimes we have to go through life's trials and to learn things the really hard way so we can see a clearer picture of the way God wants us to live and act as Believers.  Do we truly represent Him or a man-made version of Him?  I Peter 1:13-15 says, "Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy."  We are thankful that, through God's grace and strength, we can rise above ignorance and grow into the life which God desires of us...holiness.