IT IS THANKSGIVING ALREADY!!! better start planning for next year!

Well it is Thanksgiving already. Is it just me or did October and November only last about 3 days each?!? Where oh where does the time go? In school we have been plugging right along. I just took the time to look ahead at all of our lesson plans and it appears that we will be finished by the beginning of May(if not a tad sooner). I have started making plans for our next year. I have decided(for now-all decisions are subject to change without warning or reason at any time) that we are gonna add Apoligia science next year. I have been reading up on them and am really excited. I LOVE SCIENCE! I did not realize there were science classes available for the beginning grades and I can't wait to get started. The girls will start the Exploring creation with Astronomy. I am sure I will learn tons from this elementary class because I never had any type of astronomy class myself. I can name the big dipper but that is about it. I am sure Kenyon will be involved with most of their studies as well. That is really how it works here with any science-Everyone is involved in the figuring out how things work and experiments part. Kenyon will start on Zoology 1 Exploring Creation with Flying Creatures of the 5th day. I wish I would have discovered these courses earlier because we may have to skip the zoology covering creatures of the sea since Kenyon is so old. We will have to see. It is always possible to squeeze things in so we may be able to get to it somehow. Also for next year we will be adding Math-u-see-at least for Kenyon. Math is really his best and favorite subject but he really gets bored and frustrated when he has to just sit and do worksheets. Math was always the cause of meltdowns for him so for now we have thrown it out. I know some of you think-I must be crazy to throw math out for a while but we needed the break. He was always able to do each part. It was never an issue of him not understanding it-he just hates doing it. I think adding the manipulative's and making it more hands on will really work for him. He loves to DO stuff and worksheets just do not make him feel like he is doing anything. He does still do math related things-he helps lots in the kitchen and works with fractions in recipes, he has to keep track of our running totals in the grocery store, lots of things like that-just no worksheets for now. I am not worried at all about his math skills. I am not yet sure what route to take with the girls math-wise. As for right now we are planning on staying with My Fathers World for the rest. I really love it and the kids are doing great with it. It is a lot of fun. The decision I have to make is whether or not to run Kalysa through the 1st grade program that Keslee is doing this year or start them off together on the same unit. The system is set up to where all the kids in the family can work on the same unit and be learning the same things after they can read. Well both girls are starting to read now and Kalysa is actually reading a bit better than Keslee so I am afraid having her go through the 1st grade will be redundant because the main focus is getting them to read. Either way-we have time to figure that out later.
Well that is what I have been thinking about for our homeschool. Have you already started planning for next year? Maybe I am a little weird put I always like to have a plan in place. It feels good to have an idea about what we will be doing 9 months from now. Since we are out of school today for Thanksgiving break, I have had extra time to think about what we can do next.
Those are my thought for the day. I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving! We are off to Nana's house in the morning(Monty's mom).

BRAZIL-CHRISTIAN HEROES-AND WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO DO?

We are finishing up our study of South America tomorrow(we just have some reading to do and we are trying to make lapbooks). We have had a very interesting time in Brazil. The animals around the amazon jungle are just amazing. It is just crazy how many different types of monkeys or birds there are that we have never ever heard mention of-and they are so beautiful. It would truly be the most amazing experience to get to see it all first hand. And that brings me to our church. We have a missionary, Brother Musgrave, that spent about 30 years in Venezuela. He is just amazing!! We are reading the Story of Nate Saint and I was talking with Brother Musgrave about the jungle and he told me he had spent a week in the Amazon Jungle clearing an area for a landing strip-he has witnessed to jungle tribes-WHO IS GONNA WRITE BROTHER MUSGRAVE'S STORY?!?!? I am serious!! The world will truly miss out if there is not a book written about the missionary life of Howard and Naomi Musgrave! Ok, so back to Nate Saint...the kids and I enjoyed this story even more than Cameron Townsand. It is just amazing. If you know nothing about Nate Saint(which I did not) I would really recommend you read up on him. It is just so wonderful and inspiring to see what Christian Heroes have gone through for the Glory of God. Kenyon and Jacinta wanted to look up pictures of Nate on the internet and I found something written by his son. I think you should all read this. Just makes ya wonder-Will I have a faith strong enough to stand up for my Lord even when the going gets real tough? I pray that I will and I pray that I am able to instill it in my children so that they will because I believe the tough times are comin.

DISCIPLESHIP-ASSURANCE part 2

I want to encourage each of you to read every scripture reference for yourself and let God speak to you.

How I Know I am Saved....

1.I Believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 16:31
2.I have the Son. 1 John 5:12
3.I have a love for the brethren. 1 John 3:14
4.I desire to keep God's commandments. ! John 2:3
5. I desire to turn from the world and all it's sin. 1 John 2:15
6.I am overcoming the world. 1 John 5:4
7. I have the witness of the Spirit within. 1John 5:10
8. My life is evidencing good fruit. Matthew 7:17,18
9. I hear the Lord's voice through the Word of God and desire to follow Him. John 10:27

We all may have doubts about our salvation but we must remember that satan is a LIAR. John 8:44 reminds us satan is a liar. Genesis 3:1 is his first recorded words in the Bible and what was he doing then? Casting doubt on God's word. Here are some ways to deepen your assurance in what God has done for you.

1.Learn the Word of God. Read and study your Bible for yourself. Salvation is based upon what God has said not how you feel or what someone else thinks. Read 2 Timothy 3:14,15
2.Thank God for His Gift of Salvation. Thanksgiving is evidence of faith. Romans 6:23 says you have received the GIFT of eternal life. Thank God for the GIFT He GAVE. read 2 Corinthians 9:15
3.Make a public testimony before others. TELL SOMEBODY! Let others know you have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a relationship between confessing Christ to others and your assurance. One way to confess Christ is to go forward during the church's invitation and speak with the pastor. He will gladly assist you. read 1 John 4:15 Matthew10:32 Romans 10:9,10
4.Attend church as much as possible. Fellowship with other believers is encouraging. Many of them may have experienced the same doubts. read Hebrews 10:22,25
5.Live a righteous life. Isaiah 32:17 tells us the effect of righteousness is quietness and assurance forever. When God sees us living for Him, He will bring assurance to us.

What happens if I sin?

Can Christians sin? YES-1 John 1:8
Does God want us to sin? NO-1 John 2:1
When we do sin, what should we do about it? Confess it to GOD-1 John 1:9
1 John 2:1 tells us that when we sin, Jesus Christ the Righteous appears before God the Father on our behalf.
Read 1 John 1:6,7 and answer for yourself...What do I lose if I sin?

Can you Lose Salvation?

1.John 10:28 says we shall NEVER perish.
2.John 10:29 says no man is able to remove us from God's hand.(that would include yourself)
3.John 6:37 says God will in no wise cast out those who come to Christ.
4.John 6:39 says the responsibility of keeping us saved is the Lord's, not ours,and that Christ can lose nothing.
5.John 5:24 says the kind of life I now have is everlasting.
6.Romans 8:38,39 says that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.
7.1 Peter 1:5 says we are Kept by the power of God.
8.Jude 24 says Christ is able to keep us from falling.
9.Philippians 1:6 says that Christ will continue his good work in us until the day of Jesus Christ.
10.Ephesians 1:13 says our salvation has been sealed with the Holy Spirit.
11.Ephesians 2:8 says that our salvation is a gift of God. (a gift is not a gift if it is taken back.)
12.Ephesians 2:9 says we have done nothing to gain salvation. If we do nothing to gain it- we can do nothing to lose it.
13.Ephesians 2:2,3 and 1 John 3:10 tells us before we were saved we were in the control of satan but after salvation we have a new relationship with God.
God is our heavenly Father(Romans 8:15).
Christians are the Sons of God(1 John 3:1).
Just like in our own families, when a child does wrong, his parents will correct and chasten their son but he is still their son. He is not cast out of the family.
When a Christian sins, he is not cast out of the family of God. He does not lose his salvation. Hebrews 12:6 tells us that God will Chasten an erring Christian-just like any loving father does.

Reading assignment is the Gospel of John and then 1st John.

BLESSINGS!!

OK so I have been bad the last few weeks about keeping up with my blessings list. I will try to get on and stay on track STARTING.....NOW

1.Seeing how God provided for the church to get over 3000 sq feet of tile work done in the new building for next to nuthin-I still don't know how it happened but it looks beautiful!!
2.Brother Deandre-of course for his tile work but more so for the messages he preached. He had such a way with bringing the Bible to life and making me see how REAL it is. It is not just a bunch of stories. This is history. These things really happened just as sure as Pilgrims sailed over on the Mayflower. I could SEE it and FEEL it on the ark and going up the mountain with Abraham and Isaac. WOW! What an impact God made on my heart through him.
3.Heather and the baby making it to church-I missed her so much(and boy isn't he a cutie!!)
4.Nathaniel getting to go home for good! I am so happy for Mamie and can't wait until Jeremiah is returned as well.
5.Casey and Gabby getting saved on Sunday and Kalysa asking more questions about it daily.
6.My son the witness for God-He came to me and told me"Jonathon and Cyrus know!" I said Know what? He said"know about God. I asked them who made the World and they said God! They know it was God and not evolution!" He has also been drilling Kalysa on getting saved and making sure she understands-he even got out our "Story of Jesus" video to watch with her and explain to her as the story progressed.
7.Kenyon (again) I often wondered if the day would ever come with him but the last few weeks he has really been listening during church. That is why he is feeling such a sense of urgency about Kalysa getting saved. It is just so wonderful to see him on fire for the Lord.
8.Keslee wanting to serve(or at least play with babies) at church. She asked why I have to sometimes work in the nursery. I explained that being a member of the church, I shared the responsibility of taking care of the babies so their mamas could hear the message too. She said"I'm Saved! I got baptized! I am a member of this church! Why can't I work in the nursery? You know I could do it! You know I can take care of those babies!!" (truth be told-she probably could)
9.getting to talk to my sister or my sister in law or my brother or my grandma or my dad or all of the above just about everyday. So many people don't have good relationships with their family and I just really cherish the relationships we have even when we don't all agree all the time. (and of course I talk to mom-we do a paper route together everyday)
10.Homeschooling!!! We are almost done with a semester and it is still going really well! Both of my girls are reading and Kenyon and Jacinta(and I) are really learning a lot about geography and other parts of the world. It is so hard to imagine that just about 2 years ago I was one of those mom's that really couldn't stand to be with my kids 24/7 ans now I can't imagine not being with them. We have a relationship that is completely different than it was a few years back. I truly believe I was "created 4 homeschooling" and I thank God all the time for opening my eyes to that. I could not imagine going through life and missing out on what we have gained as a family through homeschooling. I LOVE IT!!!

Ok- so I went a little long on explanations of each blessing-does that make up for my lack of listing the last few weeks? I hope you are all feeling and seeing blessings of your own. Have a great rest of the week!

NOW THAT IS TRUE LOVE!!

On Tuesday nights, mom usually stays(and John and Jacinta) for supper. Tonight mom brought with her some hot cocoa mix. Of course this is a real treat for the kids. Everyone loves hot chocolate!! so after supper we all had our cup of hot chocolate and Kalysa says...

Kalysa-If daddy comes home right now, I'm gonna put my cup down and give him a kiss.

Now that is love! Even though it is still several hours before daddy is due home, she is prepared to put down her hot chocolate just to give him a kiss. I told ya she is a daddy's girl!

God protecting His child!

My dad is not an avid reader. If he were a child today, he would very likely be diagnosed with some sort of learning disability. He CAN read but it does not come easily to him and he has to really concentrate and take his time. Several months ago he called me and said he was reading a book that came highly recommended to him from his brother, my uncle Paul. I asked what the book was and he said it was Joel Osteen's book. I told him to really listen to what he is saying in the book and if he chose to read the book, do so with his eyes open. A day or two later, he called back and told me he stopped reading the book because Joel "didn't say anything, he just goes in circles and doesn't make sense". It was then that I shared with him some of the Biblical inconsistencies with the Olsteen's ministry.

Well tonight my dad and that same brother went to the mall and each came home with a book. Dad told me again he is gonna try to read a book and pulled out The Secret. Again, I was concerned that my dad would be reading something so unbiblical but I took the book and began to look through it....

me-Dad, you can't read this book.

dad-Why not?

me-It's in spanish.

dad-What? I looked through it at the store and didn't notice that, the check out girl didn't say anything, and the one Paul bought was not in spanish and we got the same book.

me-Maybe it wasn't in spanish then but it is now. God said you aint readin this book! It will tell you that you are in control and now I'll show you I am.

Then I pulled up some info online for dad about the book including" The Secret tells readers and viewers how this is possible: ‘You are God in a physical body ... You are all power ... You are all intelligence ... You are the creator’ (p. 164). Incidentally, the author of The Secret, Rhonda Byrne, thanks a group of spirit guides called Abraham for ‘their inspirational teachings’ (p. xv). "

Dad decided maybe he should stop trying to read books. I let him know that he should just stop going to Paul for books, I have shelves full of books he can read and I loaned him When God Whispers Your Name by Max Lucado.

clarification:I just found out Paul did not buy his book tonight. He has already been reading it and so recommended it to dad.

GROWING A SERVANT'S HEART

Having the heart of a servant is something I really want for my children. I want them to serve the Lord and their community. I don't want them to do it because they have to. I want them to want to. I want them to feel the need to serve out of love. Not for recognition, not for financial gain, but just because the Love of Jesus pours out of them onto others.

Our neighbors across the street, Mrs. Barbara and her husband, are elderly. My kids love her(her husband doesn't come out much and none of us have really gotten to know him at all.) She makes them candy and they can't wait to take some of whatever we bake to her. Last fall Kenyon decided he liked raking the leaves. He spent a few days on our yard and then recruited his sisters to help him conquer Mrs. Barbara's yard. Last year it was fun and I figured it was a chore they would not embrace for long. Today, my kids went outside to play. I went to check on them and found them across the street raking the leaves. They are not doing it for recognition, obviously, because the neighbors are not even home so no one can see them doing it. They are not doing it for money-again, no one is home so they have no reason to believe they are getting paid for this job. Why are they doing it..."because Mrs Barbara is too old to do it." They believe she has a need even though she has not expressed that need and asked for help. They got together and took it upon themselves to fulfill it.

They took their bag and hug it on the back of Mrs. Barbara's truck and are filling it up with her leaves. I still believe that the chore of raking leaves is one they will not embrace for long. I can tell this by the fact that my yard is COVERED in leaves. Oh yes, they have made piles-but only to jump in and play in and re-scatter across the yard. The bag they are using across the street is the bag I gave them to pick up our leaves a few days ago but it never happened. The chore of raking the leaves is not fun for them. Serving a neighbor that they love when they believe she has a need-now that is a whole different story.

Update:I did not know what the kids did with the bag after they filled it. Well I learned they brought it to our yard and DUMPED IT!! It got full and they still have leaves in Mrs Barbara's yard to get so what else were they supposed to do?!? I am pretty sure our leaves(plus the ones brought over) will never be raked and discarded but we have plenty for jumping into!