I have to smile this morning about the “No answers; just get me results, please.” piece I wrote yesterday.  I just finished a second load of laundry this morning… more thankful than ever for the washing machine and dryer.  The delightful smell of fresh clean laundry is to be filling our

home.  I couldn’t remember exactly when Wes bought me the Maytag Neptune frontloader washer and dryer set that replaced the former washer & dryer when he determined that he had repaired the former set for the last time.  I could not recall exactly when it was purchased… I  had the manual for the set, but I didn’t have the paperwork from the purchase — so I didn’t know just how long I’ve been enjoying that set.

What a fun time we had looking through photos this morning.  O my, you know, time really flies!  I know I say that quite often, but somehow, reviewing all the different photos this morning, the reality was astounding to me.  I was amazed at the number of events, important milestones and special family times we’ve experienced in the last four years.  Finally we isolated the week we must have gotten the new set bcz we saw a photo of someone sitting on the old dryer at one point and a few weeks later another photo showed someone standing near the new set.  Wow… that was a lot of laundry ago… at least 4000 loads.  And to think: sometimes I balk at having to do one load.

I  fondly recall the year we lived on Orcas Island — we only had two small boys at the time.  There was no washer or dryer in the old farmhouse we rented.  It was a marvelous adventure living there.  In the kitchen was an wood cookstove and there was an enormous fenced garden in the yard with fruit trees surrounding the house.  Sometime I’ll share about that garden… and sitting on ladders eating cherries for breakfast.

I had a washboard which I used in the large old bathtub in the bathroom.  I quickly became pretty adept at using the washboard and hand washing the laundry each day… the little boys would watch as I would mix the soap and washing soda, scrub the clothes and then swirl the clothes around to rinse them all in clean, fresh water.   In time I gained strength and speed at hand washing, wringing and hanging out the laundry each day.   I had written out Proverbs 31.10-31 and taped it to the knotty pine wall of the bathroom… in time, I memorized that and other passages of Scripture.

I remember the nights bringing in the laundry from the line — the sun didn’t set there until well after ten in the summer.  It was an amazing time.  It’s times like those that make me appreciate all the ways God has led me and all the many ways in which He has provided for our family through the years.

This morning as I was doing the laundry, I was sharing with a couple of our boys — those memories that were so sweet to me.  It’s been a long, long time since I had to do laundry in the bathtub as a matter of necessity.

And between loads this morning, Wes came downstairs and told me that the Maytag repair man would be out tomorrow to fix the washing machine. that. broke. last. night. after. I. wrote. about. laundry.  ;0)

So, my aerobic exercise program that began this morning has been going very nicely. :-)  The dryer is filled with freshly washed laundry and another load is all clean, all wrung out and waiting in the bathtub to be put in the dryer.  Only one more load and the laundry will be done for the day.  I have been laughing about this so much.

I told Hannah that I had *just* written about laundry and the importance of just doing it just yesterday.  She smiled and said, “Mama, don’t write about me today, okay?  I’m doing just fine.”

Okay.  So… today I’m continuing to study and write in preparation for a retreat workshop next weekend and for tonight’s teaching at a Titus 2 meeting.  Both pertain to marriage.  Tonight’s a ‘to love their husband’ talk.  I know I’m going to be tested.  While I’ve been typing this, I’m appreciating the sound of tumbling of levi’s snaps and buckles of overalls in the dryer, the lovely scent of lavender coming from the damp clothes in the bathtub…

… and believe me, I am filled with thanks and am feeling very humbled by the gift of a spectacular bouquet of roses and lilies that was just now delivered to my door.

 

  The longer I live, the more I think that when people ask questions, they’re not truly looking for answers.  Not really.  O, they may want results or they may want things to be different than they are — and they may ask questions regarding how to get there — but

they don’t really want answers.  I guess, to be fair, I should say: we.  We want good results — we want good conditions — but we don’t really want to have to apply ourselves to the task or the answer to our question.  We may think we do, but our actions betray us.

I’m thinking of lots of things today over which I’ve had conversations with mothers and friends, acquaintances and strangers.  Sometimes I even think that what seem like questions or what seems like a desire for answers is really only a rhetorical question — maybe even a hypothetical question — so that if the answer given to that (hypothetical) question isn’t an appealing answer, it can be dismissed as not applicable or impractical.

For example, I have had many women ask me, over the years, how to keep laundry done or how to tackle the problem of a mountain of laundry.  In short I tell them: Just do it.  If they’re still with me, I tell them how to keep it done.  Usually, women will tell me how my solution is impractical for their schedule/situation.  You know… they’d be able to do it if they didn’t have so many young ones, that they could do it if their laundry wasn’t in the opposite end of the house, that they could do it if they had bigger/better/more machines.  I tell them if they want to get their laundry done, and stay on top of it, they need to: Just do it.  And after they do it one day, when they get up the next day, they need to: Just do it.  And when they’ve done it two days in a row and have stayed on top of it, on the third day they need to: Just do it.

Now if the woman is still with me, then I tell her some keys to doing it and keeping it done — because, the longer I live, another thing I’ve learned is that people are looking for the secret.   We all want to know that.  I mean, consider the billion dollar diet industry… the billion+ dollar cosmetics industry… the billion+ dollar movie industry… the billion+ dollar romance novel industry.  Everyone wants to know how to be thin, how to look beautiful and how to live a romantic life — but the truth is, no one wants to really do all it takes to be, do and have all that.

So back to the laundry — I guess I should say: there’s a no excuse laundry solution; it is this:  Just do it.  Every day.  If it’s your first day of the plan, it starts like this.  Get up… do your stuff and in that doing, start a load of laundry.  After breakfast, switch the load from the washer to the dryer and start another load. Do more of your stuff.  An hour later, *FOLD* the clothes right out of the dryer *AT* the dryer (not the sofa - the sofa is the great abyss and the bane of a mother’s existence).  When the clothes are folded into stacks according to their destinations, switch the load and start another one.  GO put the clothes AWAY — or send a *reliable* helper to *do it*  or to do it with you.  Go do more stuff.  An hour later, go back and… yes… sort of like lather, rinse, repeat — till it’s done.  For you it might be all done.  For another woman, it might take another load or two. If you have older children who are capable of the task, then teach them to *do it* just like that.  It’s a good plan.  It works if you work it.

So… the secret (since everyone is really looking for the secret)?  The secret is to just do it… everyday… do it every day.  One load, two loads or seven loads.  Everyday, just do it — AT the machine and *put it all away* every day.  You may then have a day where you just *don’t* do laundry.  It may be Sunday and Wednesday or whatever.  That is a decision you can make and stick to… bcz you know you’re *going to* do it the next day.  That’s not poor planning or poor performance, that’s prior planning — that’s time management — that’s wisdom at work.  But it’s sort of like credit card use… if you don’t regularly pay it all according to plan, then that’s not a safe plan for you — time and actions speak louder and show more than words and intentions.  Think of good housekeeping as good credit - you want high scores in both areas.

Well, at the outset I typed: No answers; just get me results, please.  Well… I gave a TNT (tried ‘n true) answer… I know it’s TNT bcz I do it and have done it and I don’t have a laundry pile and a laundry mess (note: I didn’t say I don’t have a pile of laundry or that I don’t have messy laundry — for I do have both — every day).   A long time ago I wanted answers to this dilemma *and* I *needed* results… and when I was willing to apply the solution to the dilemma, I *got* results.  And I get them every day.  Good results in one area of homemaking quite literally leads to good results in other areas as well.

Last night… as I snuggled into my warm bed, I heard the lulling hum of the girls working away.  One girl in the kitchen and two more in the laundry area.  One was doing the dishes and one was washing clothes and one was drying them  — all humming away like a well oiled machine (quite literally), I drifted off to sleep — telling my husband as I do many nights: thank you for those great girls, I so appreciate the blessing they are.  When I woke up this morning, I was mindful that they had done a nice job… It’s very easy to have the day already smoothly underway if you: have a plan that works and *work* the plan that works.  Whatever your plan is -  plan your work and work your plan.

As the morning chores routine was underway, I reminded the children that the “girls” had been busy once again while they were sleeping and had left them partially completed work to carry on.  Our plan was already underway… we all just needed to keep working the plan.  If we really and truly want solutions to our problems, we will be glad to find and apply answers .

 

It’s been a week since our daughter, Kathryn, came home from Uganda. It’s amazing to me all that this past week has held. I’ve learned a great deal more about the love of God, the fellowship of the saints, the ministry of the Holy Spirit and faith — faith that God is who He says He is

and will do what He says/said: That will He will do and that has He done.

Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.

2Chronicles 20.17

As Kathryn shares the stories of her time in Africa, I cannot help but be mindful of God’s provision and protection - I cannot help but be mindful of His Truths and Promises. And, as with other steps of obedience, there are many times where God’s work comes into question. I think it’s just the enemy attempting to thwart the work of God - and so I am attempting on all points to resist the devil that he will flee. One of the darts of the enemy was to doubt God’s direction and provision for Kathryn to go to Uganda. I didn’t see it as a dart at first - I even entertained the doubts and even allowed them to colour my thinking a bit. But when I realized the doubts were not of the LORD but of the enemy, I began to see them for what they were. Another dart of the enemy was in the form of questioning the ministry and its way and purpose. Since I believe humanitarian aid* is akin to works-based faith, I’m generally opposed to that sort of aid to those in need. But if, in the course of ministry, humanitarian aid is directed by the LORD and aid is given, then I believe such a ministry to be needful, ordained and a genuine blessing - and such work will be blessed of the LORD. [*a believer giving aid and not first giving the Truth of the Gospel along with the aid]

When individuals questioned the propriety of a young woman traveling to Africa — even in the name of the LORD for the purpose of lending aid and support, I tended to bristle - for I knew in part that such travel is contrary to my long held and strong personal beliefs. However the LORD had a purpose — and when the Hand of the LORD is moving, I surely have seen that there will be times or events that seem to be a contradiction to even long held beliefs.

“…fear not, nor be dismayed…
for the LORD will be with you.”

 

So, occasionally, there will seem to be exceptions to the rule - but the exceptions must not become the rule. Kathryn knew that and knows it more completely now. We saw that as we spoke by phone a few times each week and by email when possible. I suppose for that young woman, in that instance, and for that time, there was a seeming exception as we wouldn’t say the same could or will happen with our other daughters or other young women. We trust the work of the LORD to continue and for the seeds planted to yield rich fruit. I’ve asked Kathryn to write of her experiences and share more photos in order to paint a better picture of the people, life and work in Africa. She brought home several things to show us — not so much like last year, but interesting things — gifts from others that one might discard if one didn’t know the story behind the gift. These gifts, her things, her journals and some things she brought back to share with our family are all the more precious to her as she had thought she’d perhaps never see them again. When she arrived in Seattle, she was to find that her luggage was ‘lost’ and so she had to get the the place where she would accept this as a gift of the LORD — and she did. Though we prayed and she would join us in praying for her luggage to be found, she came to the point that she knew everything was fine — that what she brought home in her heart and the work the LORD did, in and through her, was enough. She just needed to stand still and see the Hand of the LORD and recall His work, His provision and great goodness.

stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you.”

 

A few days after she returned home, Wes received a very early morning phone call from the airline and a bit later (unbeknown to the rest of us) her luggage was returned to our door. Our family gathered for breakfast and Bible study as we do every morning and following a time of prayer, Kathryn said she was just fine and glad for whatever the outcome, but had still hoped her luggage would be found — and Wes replied to her: O, you mean that luggage?? He was pointing to the suitcase behind him in our living room — something he’d not mentioned all through breakfast, Bible study and prayer. God is sure gracious to have allowed that blessing. And as she lifted out the contents of the different compartments, we all saw what was so important to her and we were all touched by the sincerity and generosity of the gifts and givers. It’s both gripping and heartrending the beauty, simplicity and creativity that comes of abject poverty — that all over the world God is at work creating beautiful things in and through people.

When she arrived home a week ago, though thoroughly tired, Kathryn was so very glad to have both gone and come home again. We believe she went to Africa for all the right reasons and returned home to the States for all the right reasons; and, in between, God surely affirmed both — to her and to us.

Today

When she gets off the plane she’ll likely look much like all the passengers — probably weary, probably shifting the backpack and carry-on and probably looking around to see familiar faces. But to us she won’t be just any ordinary passenger and this won’t be just any ordinary trip to the airport.

She’s left behind hundreds and hundreds of orphaned children, muddy red clay, deeply rutted unpaved roads and a world of poverty, famine and loss.  Now she’s become very familiar with a whole different way of life and a culture that’s no longer foreign to her.  She’s left part of her heart with friends and loved ones there. She’s left behind the daily arduous tasks of mere survival.  But she’s also left behind armfuls of love… children for whom her love no words describe.  She’s walked hundreds of miles, dished hundreds of bowls of rice and beans, clipped hundreds of little nails and held hundreds of hands.

But today she returns home…  and our hearts are probably as full of love for her as the love she’s left behind.  It’s sort of a bittersweet thing to wish her here with us and yet to know she’s so loved and needed where she was just yesterday.

But today… our hero comes home.

I know that for many, the argument would be: there are no ’sudden’ shortages. There might seemingly be ’sudden’ shortages but such shortages would be better described that a realization that supply has been diminishing and media gets wind of it and produces news that sets off a hoarding

frenzy. Think of y2k — it was coming… that date, January 1, 2000, was on the calendar. Slowly over time, people began to realize that the potential computer glitches had catastrophic implications around the world. So, in reaction, many stockpiled food, money, weaponry, fuel and water… and the countdown was on. And it passed.

I don’t say all this to say… all this shall pass and there’s nothing to be concerned about. But I think it’s important to not lose sight of, or faith in, the fact that God is our sovereign Lord. We might well get carried away with alarmists who have no hope and who believe every report that’s printed or broadcast over the airwaves.

Should we pay little, no, or some, attention to the news reports? Should we stockpile food and other natural resources? Should we join in the panicked frenzy and buy wheat, rice, corn and gold (and water)? Should we methodically increase food stores? These are questions for which, I believe, there are no hard and fast answers. I guess I’d just continue to encourage faithful patience and wisdom - and action when directed by the Lord to act.

None of these current troubles have escaped the gaze of the LORD and none has come as a surprising turn of events to Him. But, to be sure, a nation that will sanction the shedding of innocent blood will not go unpunished. Surely the goodness, faithfulness and righteousness of God cannot allow for blessing a nation that has turned away from Him - though He has so bountifully and so lavishly provided the abundantly fruitful and breathtakingly beautiful landscape of our nation - He is sovereign to care for His own but God is mocked - whatsoever a man sows, that will he also reap. Everything planted will yield fruit… good and bad - everything yields.

When decisions or reactions are made based on false information or assumptions then the resulting actions will be devastating. Consider all the actions and reactions based on Al Gore’s hypothetical ‘global warming.’ Consider the string of catastrophes as a result of his hypothesis that gasoline emission is destroying our planet.

So… instead of giving the same consideration to those who disprove so-called “global warming” our government (and others) offer an answer to the problem: use a different fuel. Many in government bought this inconvenient truth lie and mandated (and $ub$idize$) the reallocation of crops and the production of ethanol. But this then led to a dramatically decreased production of food for people… and animals. The food grown for animals was diverted. The food grown for people - diverted. Food costs have skyrocketed. The food grown for biofuel? O, it’s there alright - but the staggering amount needed to meet the demand cannot possibly be realized. Now, instead of fuel or need for fuel being the problem - now it’s the people. There is not enough food to meet the growing food needs/demands of all the too many people. Now, the “global warming” is exacerbated by the too many people driving too many cars using too much gasoline. Now, it’s too many people, too many cars, too high emissions… But what about all that goes into (and shortchanged by) the ethanol farmers are *required* to produce?

What if instead of genetically modifying food, instead of shipping food all over the world, instead of foolishly assuming Al Gore’s theory is correct, we were to repent of the atrocities that have marred this nation, return to the Lord, return to using the abundant and natural resources and replenishing and restoring them… and instead of sending food to other countries send missionaries to proclaim the gospel, make disciples of all nations, demonstrate the proper use of available resources for aiding the production and use of indigenous natural resources rather than shipping goods that spoil enroute. Instead of giving a man a fish to feed him for a day, teach him how to fish and feed him for a lifetime.

God’s work, done God’s way, will never lack God’s supply.”
Hudson Taylor

So… a genuine food shortage? I thinking, rather: misuse, a misguided approach and misallocation of resources. of. many. sorts.

photo credit: Simon Davison

What’s a million dollars get you in San Diego?

As I was out showing property yesterday to a client relocating from out of town, we spend more than a little time discussing how prices and values vary among communities. “Why is La Jolla more expensive than Del Mar?” she asked, noting that they are both coastal communities, both enjoy well-respected schools, and are each within striking distance of employment centers. After making all of the logical arguments, arguments not seeming all that logical to my friend riding shotgun, I had to resort to the “it just is” explanation.

So let’s assume you have $1 million burning a hole in your pocket. What can you buy in San Diego? First, it is important to remember that we used to routinely use the word “million” as in “they are asking a half-million.” Today, a half-million is five-hundred thousand, and a million is one-thousand thousand. A million bucks isn’t what it used to be.

For my purposes here, I took the last recorded sale from our Sandicor Multiple Listing Service (MLS) where the sale price was hovering around $1 million. I had hoped to compare this scenario to 2000 prices but, alas, our MLS does not include photos for this bygone era. Case-Shiller I’m not, but suffice it to say that your money went a lot farther back then.

And a couple more…

Fortunately, I am not burdened with this million-dollar decision. I have opted to spend my retirement account at the gas pump.

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photo credit: Tallent Show

In Part 72 of our 180-part series on “Why Isn’t My House Selling?” we take a look today at one possible factor.

In order for the average buyer to feel compelled to purchase your home, the average buyer will first want to see it.

I was making my appointments yesterday to show the dozen or so homes my client is interested in seeing today. A tour including a dozen homes is not uncommon in today’s market; we have plenty of diverse inventory, and I always encourage our buying clients to hold steadfast to the mind set that they are not buying a pair of shoes. Once, after having shown a family a single home, the young daughter said, “I like this. Are we buying it?” “Maybe, but not yet,” I replied. “If you are shopping for a cool shirt at the mall, do you just try on one, or do you want to try on several to make sure you buy the one that fits you best?”

Now, the client I will be with today is also relocating from another state, so it is especially important that we not only try on many homes, but many areas. Putting together an intergalactic tour is like solving the Rubik’s Cube; one must plan the route and estimate timing. Is the client a fast looker or a deliberate one? What will the traffic be like from Point A to B to Z? Making an appointment to show “sometime this weekend” is poor form, and I owe the sellers the courtesy of a narrower window. But, that narrower window becomes elusive when the sellers would have us, me and someone with the motive, the opportunity and the weapon (the checkbook), serving entirely at their pleasure. Do you want to sell your home?

We can make this hard, or we can make this easy.

Sure, there may be reasons why one agent told me that my window of 10:00 to 11:30 was unacceptable, and that only 4:00 would work. In this case, they had “plans.” So did I. My plans were to show your home, but it won’t be happening. Not today, and not with this buyer. Then there were eleven.

Two other homes, the “by appointment” variety, are also no-gos. In one case, the agent has not called me back, and I can only show after having made arrangements to pick up a key at her office, a key the office won’t release until the agent surfaces and approves the request. In the case of the second, the agent is otherwise indisposed with her own out-of-town clients. Would 5:30 work instead? No. Then there were nine.

Undaunted by the obstacles being thrown in my well-intended path (I am trying to be a cooperating broker here), I continued making calls. For another, nothing before noon is convenient, but if you can make it at 12:30, we can accommodate you. Oh, but just give me a call when you are fifteen minutes away so I can drive over and meet you. Okay, fine. We will rearrange the entire tour, and will now be backtracking at a clip of nearly $4.00 a gallon to fit you in. I am certain the agent will be counting the forks once we have departed.

The Lockbox is Your Friend

Lockboxes are nifty. They are even automated now to provide a complete log of the folks having activated them, so if one were to return home and find that their Spoons of Europe collection had been disturbed, they would know where to come looking. Why, then, would a seller stipulate that their home be shown by appointment only? In some communities which shall remain nameless (La Jolla), the “shown by appointment” home is the rule, and not the exception. Does the seller believe that this practice elevates their home on the exclusivity scale? Does their agent convince them that this practice constitutes an added level of care?

I honestly don’t know, but I do know of at least three homes that my client won’t be making an offer on today.

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We had a little family outing last night… an exciting trip to a large grocery store north of our home. I don’t know if it’s bcz we don’t always take everyone with us to shop for groceries or if the trips for some are far and few between, but in recent years one of the great adventures

is to go to the grocery store. Everyone’s going? a few called out with delight. So, that was our ‘family night‘ activity. Pushing the cart through the aisles, I was keenly aware of some of the empty and nearly empty shelves. Yes, the rice hoarding “shortage” had hit this store hard. Where there is normally quite a large volume of rice on lengthy shelves, last night the only evidence was a grain of rice here and there and the price tags lining the fronts of the shelves. Similarly, the shelves of assorted flour were notably sparse. The power of media.

I wondered… what will it be like when out and out panic sets in and people read and heed the warning to stockpile food as seen in the Wall Street Journal? The power of media.

Then I considered… if this is what media can do in a few days by what it’s sharing… what is not being shared, or rather, what is being twisted to produce a particular outcome?

Consider Matthew 24.4-12

4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.”

All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.”

And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”

Every day… the news seems bleaker and the trials greater. Everyday the cares and concerns of this life seem heavier — more burdensome. But God. But God. I think we forget that sometimes. The LORD tells us:

 

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
John 14.1, 27

 

We may all be watching the price of things skyrocket, we may be dismayed at the tripling of the cost of wheat and oil in the last couple of years… we may fret about the unavailability of many things… we may feel the pinch so acutely that we fear we’ll not survive this mess. But we are not without a Saviour. We are not alone. We may have troubles and trials we’ve not known before. Things may be breaking, things may be wearing out, things may be disappointing us, people may be letting us down… But we are not without a Saviour. We are not alone. What’s being taught as “truth” in many “churches” may have you and me just reeling and we may feel we have no voice and yet must scream. We may be watching the dismantling of the Sacred Truths and the selling of the Truth and the buying and swallowing of lies… all of these things are abounding yet more and more. But we are not without a Saviour. We are not alone.

 

The enemy would have us to believe otherwise. Let not your heart be troubled.

 

 

Whenever we attend a HomeSchool conference or listen to a message espousing the benefits of home education, we tend to talk about it for days — weeks, even. But our enthusiasm or dedication to home education is not limited to or sparked by those times. Our dedication to homeschooling is strengthened,

though, by such times as we just experienced this past weekend. Our enthusiasm is occasionally dampened by some failure or some personal discouragement, but truly, for twenty years, our enthusiasm to press on has not waned.

I suppose I could just say that occasionally we run into those 2 Corinthians 4.8 times: “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;” It is in those times that we have learned to step back, evaluate the day, evaluate the curriculum, evaluate the level of understanding and stand still for a bit. It’s in those ’standing still’ times that we can best determine our next step (for that child, or for all the children, as the case may be) and not hastily toss in the towel. All is not lost, all is not for naught as the enemy might entice us to believe.

Sometimes we take on too many things for a season and need to shelve things for a bit. Other times (and this is more often the case) we need to *add* some more things to the daily study load. Now, that might seem like a contradiction - but no; sometimes the weariness or the naughtiness stems not from too much to do, but too little. That’s why the ’standing still’ times or the evaluation times are so necessary.

I was recently asked if I believe every Christian parent should homeschool their children. You know, I used to give a politically correct answer to this question - fearing reproach for emphatically stating what I erroneously thought was just a personal conviction. So, as I am now accustomed to doing, I answered with resolute conviction and said, yes. Yes, I do believe all Christian parents should home educate their children.

I believe it to be a scriptural mandate and now, more than ever, a culturally necessary decision. I don’t say this to stir controversy or to cast aspersions at all, but rather, because of the nature and scope of government eduction. I/we could never endorse a great deal of what’s commonly taught in government schools - and believe me, I/we do recognize the great wealth of information available to government school students - that’s not questioned at all. However, those benefits are far and away overshadowed by the immoral teachings and presuppositions, philosophies, theories taught as fact and behaviours that are antithetical to Scripture and our Creator — not to mention the fact that the Word clearly delineates who children’s teachers ought to be and what they’re to teach.

So, these are my heart thoughts: Home is where the heart is. Home is where the learning begins. Home is where each child’s story is written and history is recorded and where the glory of the Lord is walked, talked and the Word is read and lived out. Home may not have all that the world has to offer, this is true… but, I have to ask: is that what we want to give our children anyway?

Home. Don’t miss it for the world.