Friday School Success!!!

"THANK YOU MOM'S................... we had an awesome Friday school I did final count 52 of us in all in my home.....awesome we sure have grown. That was 16 mom's and 36 children. However 4 mom's were missing so that gives us a total of 20 mom's and with their kiddo's 46 grand total 66
for elementary side that is absolutely amazing. God is so faithful in the growing of our group I pray His will may be done in the guiding and directing of our group. I thank you all again for your patience ,your help was truely a blessing without a team effort it really isn't possible ........many hands make the load lighter. So thanks to you all!!! I also wanted to let all the mom's know who were seriously interested in coming and watching me homeschool let me know a morning best for you and I will set up those times it really is no bother in fact my bestest friend ever who has moved to Tennessee allowed me to do the same and it was a huge eye opener as well as HUGE HELP......... SO anytime ladies my house is your house sister's in Christ and I am all for encouraging anyone along. God Bless you all and may every Friday school be as successful as this one was and may we continue to lift one another up in prayer as we go along side each other in this journey the Lord has set before each of us to homeschool our children.

Until Next Time,
Cindy

Holiness!!! (What is Holiness??)

Have you ever asked yourself what is Holiness truely and what does it look like??? I have alot lately and here are some things I have found:

I have found as well as read it is certainly not a subject easily discussed not a topic on the list of most peoples lists which is heart breaking because it really isn't an option in our lives "we as children of God are called to be in His image and He is 100% HOLY. Holiness is not an option for those whom belong to the King. The Lord wants us to understand there is blessings to living a holy life and consequences to living an unholy life. The new testament authors call us to live a life of absolute purity here are some of those very scriptures:
"you therefore must be perfect,as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matt. 5:48

"Keep yourselves pure." 1 Tim.5:22

"Awake to righteousness, and do not sin." 1 Corinth. 15:34

"Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity(sin)." 2 Tim.2:19

"Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good." Romans 12:9

Holiness my friends is not just for the spiritual giants and church leaders it is for you and me and every single child of the King it is for everyone who names the name of the Lord we are "ALL"
CALLED TO LIVE HOLY LIVES.
By all means this is not easy and is hard it is a day to day process however that is the key it is a process there should be a process in all of our lives it is a part of being "Sanctified" we are a continual work in progress we should be trying to be more Christ like and less self like.
How you ask can we have true holiness well it is cultivated in the context of our relationship with God Himself. His love for us moves us to reject all things fleeting that sin can offer and as our love for Him grows we are then motivated to aspire holiness.
True holiness starts from the inside with our thoughts (are we holding every thought captive?)
our attitudes(are they following the golden rule to love others as yourself or for that matter as Christ would) our values (do they reflect that of the world or are we truely set apart?) our motives(are they pure or are they for selfish gain)these are our innermost parts gang the parts the Lord
sees just as they "REALLY ARE" over time the things above affect our outward and visible behavior: "BE HOLY IN ALL YOUR CONDUCT" 1 PETER 1:15
It all comes down to our sin by which if we dont repent sooner or later sin will rob us of everything that is beautiful and desirable and to walk in that holiness is amazing to know the joy of having clean hands ,a pure heart,a clear conscience,and one day to stand before our KING and not be ashamed........ and to Hear Him say "well done thy good and faithful servant" with that why settle for anything less this is something I am longing for the more and more I soak up His word we serve an amazing God friends. Please dont get me wrong I still have not come to the end with learning about holiness I in fact have just been studying it in depth and it is so amazing and soooooo very convicting cause for sure I am "FAR FROM HOLY" however it has opened my eyes to a life I am truely longing for. There is a verse I have recently stumbled across and now can see it was by no accident it is 1 Peter 1:15-16
"BUT AS HE WHO CALLED YOU IS HOLY , YOU ALSO BE HOLY IN "ALL" YOUR CONDUCT, SINCE IT IS WRITTEN, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY."
The Lord was speaking especially to me and wanting me to see that as I am seeking to live Holy
that means in my "EVERYDAY LIFE AND CONDUCT" I am to be "set apart" our lives are to look believable to our world and was mine as I yell at my children in public or get impatient in line at the store or at a red light or in traffic do all around see His image ???? So I was asked WHAT DOES YOUR LIFE REFLECT TO THOSE AROUND YOU??? and I asked myself some hard convicting questions .......do my attitudes, words, and behavior give others an accurate picture of God or do I profane His holiness and as I was painfully honest with myself I have to admit more times then I care to admit it has been the latter??? wow deep things to ask ones self although I think we should be doing a heart check often for the heart is wicked if left to itself. So you may still be asking how do I know how to be Holy well.......... God is our standard
for Holiness, and He alone is the Source of our Holiness so we must have a relationship with Him and be in His word daily to learn what that very holiness looks like. I read this in a book recently it says" to be holy is to be clean from sin, to be clean from sin is to be free from the weight and the burden of that very sin." Another eye opener for me in this quest to be more like Christ is
knowing that without being holy we cannot fellowship with God because he cannot fellowship with unholy people....... Matthew 5:8 says: "blessed are the pure in heart," Jesus said "for they shall see God." We cannot cling to our sin and have fellowship with God at the same time.

"For what fellowship has rightousness with lawlessness? and what communion has light with darkness?" 2 Corinth. 6:14
You see we all must be seeking that holiness because without holy hearts we cannot draw near to our Lord and as children of God that should be our every desire to draw near to the King.
So for now I believe as my study continues (and I may share periodically) the thing I am praying about for the day to day is that others will see in me a reflection of Christ as I live out my day to day life for all to see. I pray that if I am the only Bible someone may read it is of your holiness and goodness and nothing in me. Father I pray that we all seek to be holy and more Christ like that we all would truely be able to call ourselves a "set apart" people may we never blend in or look as the world may we always be mindful of our actions and words our attitudes and motives may we do a heart check often on ourselves and stay armored up in your very word daily and even hourly if that is what it takes to hold our every thoughts captive Lord I pray you will continue to empty me of all unrighteousness of all selfishness and fill me to over flowing with "YOUR LOVE, GRACE, MERCY, JOY, PEACE, KINDNESS , GOODNESS ,FAITHFULNESS AND ALL THAT IS OF YOU IN JESUS HOLY AND PRECIOUS NAME I PRAY AMEN.
Until next time friends,
Love,
Cindy

Thanks for sharing blog web sites!!!

Thanks so much Kristin and Leslie the sites you shared are awesome I especially love the one I chose. I also wanted a change and was getting tired of same old look I have had for awhile. I pray you will all continue to be blessed as you stop by to take a peak.
Until next time,
Cindy

"STOP COMPARING"

Hello friend's,
I have to share something the Lord has placed on my heart with you all so bare with me please.
At a homeschool meeting I was at last week we were all in a time of prayer ......and a sweet lady was lifting up her prayers and something she said has stuck to me like glue on paper ever since;She asked the Lord "to please help us to not compare the way we homeschool our children and our school settings in our home to that of anyone else" and I sooooooooo agree we all do it from time to time however it is a deadly trap that can lead to sin. We as women especially tend to compare our homes, our children, our body image, our clothing, our husbands, our spiritual walks, yikes. The Lord is soooooo good because since this prayer I have pondered this and sure enough as I start our first week of school this week and we crack our Bible studies open one of the first scriptures to study this week is "THE LORD DOES NOT LOOK AT THE THINGS MAN LOOKS AT, A MAN LOOKS AT THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE, BUT THE LORD LOOKS
AT THE HEART." 1 SAMUEL 16:7

You see we look at peoples homes, and children, and the way one dresses, ones body size, how ones husband treats them in public, how one behaves themselves spiritually, however we only see the outside not the inner heart the part that matter's most to the Lord. Someone can appear to truely have it all together and be sad and lonely inside, or hurting deeply......... someone's homeschool room may be perfect however she may be lacking in teaching or who knows what else... so my prayer for each of us as women is that we would not be quick to judge or want what another has ,that we would embrace what the Heavenly Father has gifted us in and share those gifts with others.
The grass always looks greener on the otherside yet it "NEVER" is. I have to say from experience we should learn to love and embrace our side of the grass we would all be more joyful in doing so the grass only is greener on the otherside from a distance when we get closer we will start to see the patches of imperfections "we all have them". So for the homeschool mom's who read this .......as far as comparing our little kiddo's they are all so different each one that it is impossible to compare and each of us as Mother's should not compare one another's teaching styles as well, God has gifted many of us in many different area's and Praise God for that we can come together as one and share and help another along the way. I know some mom's whom their
classrooms at home look like a school house and maybe that works for them and their children
and if so awesome, I know others that feel they need to have it all put away, and other's who need a special room, while other's do it all at the kitchen table................. that is the beauty of homeschool whatever works for each "INVIVIDUAL" family is ok there is no right or wrong
or this way is better than that way it is all about how the Lord leads and what works and what doesn't work that's the simplicity of it all. May we all take heed to this scripture above and not judge the outer and embrace the differences the Lord has given each one of us. As for the body image of other's this is VERY TOUCHY SUBJECT you see we really have no idea what ones struggles are in this area and there are many so my best advice is to pray and only speak to someone if LORD LED and as far as marriages I have compared in passed and wished my husband was like such and suches husbands to later find out their marriage was nothing it appeared to be so remember outter image doesn't always appear to be the way the "HEART"
TRUELY IS. God bless you all!!!!

" Father how awesome it is Lord that you have given each of us uniqueness and variety, Father we thank you for the differences and different preferences that you have given us. Lord that you would make each of us not quite like another on the whole earth , Lord may we be pleased with our individualities as you are pleased dear Lord you have called each of us to be ourselves may we find joy today in being who we are in YOU not one of us is better than another no not one we are all just cracked pots and tarnished vessels Father will you continue to mold each of us in our differences to become more like you not one another. Father I ask you to help us all to be comfortable with ourselves and the one-of-a-kind design you have for each of us my Lord.
Help us Lord to accept our weaknesses as well as our strengths Lord help us to embrace our gifts as we embrace you Lord Knowing we are nothing without YOU Father thank you that each of us is special and unique in your eyes the only eyes in which it truely matter's the eyes of our KING.
IN JESUS NAME AMEN

UNTIL NEXT TIME.
God bless,
Cindy

To My Homeschool Mommies and Friends

Hey y'all I had a fabulous yet exhausting day thanks for asking I am pooped it was great I have pictures you can see in my left side bar as you check out blog. well as far as school I am blessed it went rather well I did have one little guy my Noah who was lazy but I think by the end of day he is back in the groove of things ........ it is hard even for me to get back on track and stick to a

schedule we were pretty carefree all summer long not anymore though. well to answer a few questions I got today I will start by the one who got done early and was lost ..................

Praise God sis take advantage of those days they will not always be that way. I also when I did have a couple who got done early would let them stretch, have recess, or just do some thing on side, read, or extra work, projects, there is all sorts of things you can do to fill in the time. Or take a field trip day whooohoo!!! The options are endless Sis!

To my second question again sis take it one day at a time I dont think you need to stress over the SAT'S just yet. To the second part of your question there are many GOOD programs out there you just have to get to know your little man to see what works best for him and his learning type God Bless my sister's and I DO LOVE YOUR QUESTIONS AND IF I CAN HELP I WILL SURE TRY OR FIND SOMEONE WHO CAN. MAY HE CONTINUE TO MULTIPLY ALL OF OUR EFFORTS ON OUR JOURNEY TO EDUCATE OUR KIDDO'S AS WE RAISE THEM IN HIS WAYS GOD BLESS!!!

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES:

I thought it was awesome that the speaker yesterday spoke of the scripture in Matthew 5:43-48

and we also read it in today's "THRU THE WORD" I believe it was by no accident I think we should all ponder these things. It is soooooooooo easy to love those who are awesome and loveable and great friends with us....................however those that RUB US THE WRONG WAY,

OR OUR ENEMIES , OR THE PLAIN UN-LOVEABLE WHEN IT COMES TIME TO LOVING THEM WE TEND TO PULL BACK. WHEN THE LORD IS CALLING US TO LOVE THOSE VERY PEOPLE. I BELIEVE THE LORD WILL KEEP PUTTING THOSE VERY PEOPLE IN OUR LIVES UNTIL WE LEARN HOW TO "LOVE" THEM "ALL". I had a conversation with a friend a little while back and she was saying you know it all comes down to "love" if we would just love "all" as Jesus does the church would be without many of issues. Love does cover a multitude of sins and Praise God His very Love covered our sins. I also just studied 1Corinth.

13 and the greatest gift it speaks of "LOVE" what is love as scripture tells us in 13:1-13

It is to be real if we do not have love in our hearts we will profit from nothing else. Love suffers long, it is "kind" love does not "envy" love does not "parade itself"is not "puffed up" does not "behave rudely" does "not seek its own" is "not provoked" thinks"no evil" does" not rejoice in iniquity" (rejoicing in ones misfortune or sin) it is to BEAR ALL THINGS, BELIEVE ALL THINGS, HOPES ALL THINGS, ENDURES ALL THINGS . LOVE "NEVER FAILS" WOW that is pretty powerful in fact since I have studied it last week with a group of gals I have to say I have looked at things in a whole new light and I knew that passage for many years it was just never so powerful than those three days of careful study and commits and it is now more meaningful to me. God is awesome too cause sure enough as I studied this He brought situations

before me that would challenge me to the core and with Him I Have made it through the first

test I am sure there will be more I was blessed however that He had equipped me in a whole new way before the incident happened He is sooooo faithful and I am now everyday asking myself all the above questions on love doing a heart check making sure as I stand before "MY KING" IN this area of Love I can hear HIM say well done thy good and faithful servant oh what a joy that would be I am also blessed that when I do fall short He is gracious to forgive so to "shouldn't I be"???? He say's in verse 13-and now abide faith,hope,and love, these three, but the "GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE" that sounds as though it is pretty important to our Lord.

So may we all remember to LOVE,LOVE,LOVE and as Matt. 5:44-45 says :"but I say to you love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you,and "PRAY" for those who "SPITEFULLY" USE YOU ,and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven;

God Bless you all

Until next time,

Love,

Cindy

Thanks Mel I am sharing this with all the homeschoolers it was awesome and yes very helpful God bless you all as we all set out to begin our many different paths the Lord has called us to as well as the path we all share in becoming more Christ like God Bless you my sister's

love,

Cindy

Devotional

Volunteers by Betsy Burnett

When we were weeding the garden to plant my eagle eyed daughter called me over and said “Mom aren’t these tomato plants?” Walking over I was quite pleased to discover a couple of ‘volunteers’ in my garden. Occasionally in a garden you will be blessed with a plant that you WANT just springing up naturally. These surprises you never are quite sure what variety you are going to get but hey they are free.

Sometimes life hands us volunteers. Those things that spring up in life that might not be exactly what you planned (or how you planned it but they are good (or at least good for you!) When I first started to homeschool I was very caught up in making sure everything got done every single day. With three kids 5 and under that was sometimes a difficult task and I felt like a failure! The problem was it just wasn’t the kids that interrupted, there were the calls from a friend that needed to talk, or someone that need help with something, or even someone getting sick and needing to be taken care of. I ended up feeling guilty if I did and guilty if I didn’t.

It was shortly after this I went to my first homeschool convention. The very first workshop I attended changed my life! The workshop was put on by a mom of seven (who was pregnant with her 8th!) I figured if anyone could help me be more organized with my day she could. Surely she would have the secrets of getting everything done that I had been missing! What shocked me though was the very first thing she told us “There is no such thing as an “interruption” to you homeschool day there is only an opportunity for God to teach you something” … She paused for a moment and allowed that thought to sink into our heads and our hearts. The she went onto explain.

What I ended up learning from her is that homeschool and well life in general isn’t just about the three “r’s” it’s also about growing up into the person God wants you to be. It’s about being available to what He has in store for you that day, or even that season. She then went on to talk about how sometimes the most precious characteristics can’t be learned in books, they have to be learned in life. The only way you learn them is to as Nike is fond of telling us “Just do it” She went on to tell us about the different seasons she has experienced with her children, she talked about her kids learning to grieve when her mother died, she talked about learning compassion and caring when their brother broke a leg. On and on with different examples, the more she talked the freer I felt.

I realized that if I watched my attitude checked my heart and consulted God about these interruptions to my day we could learn a whole lot more than school books could teach. Math could be taught while helping to prepare a meal for a sick friend on top of learning to reach out as Jesus did “when I was sick and in prison you visited me.” (Matthew 25:36) Compassion could be learned (not to mention how to REST) while helping to care for a sick sibling. Patience (not to mention oral reading skills ) could be learned when your little sister wants to have Wait for Elmo read to her for the 6th time. I was also reaping the blessings of not just godly character traits in my children, but seeing the blessings of growing relationships in them as well.

As time went on I learned that the kids weren’t the only one that benefited from this new approach. I was learning too. I was learning to seek God about things that came up. I was learning to seize opportunities when they did. I was even (very ) slowly learning to recognize those things that that needed to be done vs. those that were just time wasters. Ecclesiastes tells us there is a time and a season for everything under the sun. (Ecc 3: 1)

So the next time you want to get annoyed because of a seemingly interruption to your day or even life, stop and ask the Lord if he might just have something for you in what’s come up. Because you never know, that tomato plant that sprung up in your garden might not produce those great big beefy sandwich tomatoes you planted, but it does produce tasty little salad tomatoes perfect for snacking and they were just what you needed!

WE RETURNED HOME SAFE THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!

Thanks for your text messages, and e-mails, and prayers we had a blessed time and are glad to be home welcomed with open arms by those whom love and miss us thank you all.
We learned alot about loving each other as well as those around us and the Lord is working in both my daughters and my own heart praise God.

I am so blessed to those of you homeschooling mom's who have questions for me I will do my best throughout the year to help answer any of you and encourage you all I will share some now
and know I am praying for you all as we begin our week next week:

First I know you all wanted to know the different learning types our kiddo's may fall under here is the info I have found:
First a learning style refers to the way a person best takes in, understands and remembers information. Some kiddo's learn best in a quiet room, others with background noise, some learn best in logical steps, while others see the whole picture at once. Some children need more structure than others ,some learn best in an open-ended learning environment.
This is something awesome I just read today:
ALL OF THESE UNIQUE FACTORS SHOW HOW GOD CREATED EACH OF OUR CHILDREN INDIVIDUALLY, FOR HIS PURPOSE. JUST AS YOUR CHILD HAS A DISTINCT TEMPERAMENT, PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND PERSONALITY, HE ALSO HAS A PARTTICULAR WAY OF LEARNING.

Visual Learner- understands and remembers best what he /she sees with their eyes.

Auditory Learner- this child needs to hear and verbalize the new info. to understand it.

Kinesthetic learner- this child needs to involve touch and movement in processing of new concepts, this child needs to use his muscles by writing down or acting out the new material
because he learns by doing.

Then there are the kiddo's that learn in a combination of all three of thee above.

So as you begin your school year pray the Lord would reveal quickly what category your children fit into so you can better understand how to teach them effectively.
I pray we all seek to have the Lord's love and patience with our kids Love Covers a Multitude
of Sins and when we see our kiddo's as HE does we will be more effective teachers and not expect perfection. I pray we all remember to take one day at a time and to all stay involved with each other help lift each other up and be that encouragement to make it through In Jesus Name

God Bless and until next time know I am a phone call away you are NEVER bothering me and if I cant get to call right away I will call back A.S.A.P
God Bless,
Love,
Cindy