The True Meaning Of Christmas Redeemed Again

Do you know, my younger son actually wrote an essay about the true meaning of Christmas this morning?  The amazing part about this is that I hadn’t assigned it.  He just wanted to write it, and so he did.

When I talked about Christmas redeeming itself in the last post I could have never dreamed of the miracle that we would experience this Christmas season.  Past Christmases have felt void, and without room for Jesus (how ironic).  But this Christmas he is everywhere it seems, peeking around every corner.  His love is everywhere that I turn, and his opportunities to love are everywhere as well.  This is a Christmas to remember!

I am overwhelmed by the generosity of others in response to the basic needs of our family as well as those around us in need.  God is showing His love in amazing ways, and I am forever grateful.

God sees and loves us, as we see and love others.  Jesus was a humble man, and his amazing love humbles me.  Oh, that I was able to serve and love him even half as much as he loves and blesses me.

While I can’t express all that I treasure in my heart and mind right now, here are some words that represent what I am thinking . . .

. . . a family Christmas card from the grateful heart of someone in prison . . .

. . . a dear sweet man, living under a bridge, grateful for warm boots this Christmas . . .

. . . three children with not only a Christmas gift this year, but a few other little things that they want and need as well . . .

. . . a beautiful new baby, the ninth child, but loved every bit as much as the other eight before him . . .

. . . the child of the King that calls us his sisters and brothers . . .

May each of you experience God’s overpowering love this Christmas, and God Bless all of you!

-The Whole Social Homeschooler Family

Redeeming Christmas

In all honesty, Christmas has lost something for me over the years.  It is supposed to be the happiest time of the year, but somehow it has gotten all goofed up. 


Christmastime for me is when the house is busting at the seams with toys, and I’m having trouble getting into the “Christmas spirit” because I know that there are more coming.  


It’s hard when it’s the time of year when everyone is asking, “So are you done with your Christmas shopping yet?” as innocent as can be, and I am more worried about  how I am going to pay my bills . . . let alone have extra to buy presents for ANYONE . . .  especially my kids.  (Something that they are truly wishing for . . . not toys.)


In fact for the last two Christmases we didn’t even bother putting up a tree.  We “played the part” at the appropriate Christmas get togethers, but we just weren’t feeling it.


This year I’m finally beginning to realize what the problem is . . . what the void and disconnect is.  And it’s NOT the fact that we don’t celebrate “Santa” in our home. 


We decided to celebrate Jesus instead, but were at a loss for exactly how to do that in conjunction with the “Santa” in all of our get togethers over the holidays.  Where was there room for Jesus? 


We decided not to go to anyone’s house for Christmas starting this year.  Maybe we could begin a change as a family unit, and serve others on that day.


It’s not even our first Christmas at home, and already a change is happening.  The tree is up.  Our families are focusing on those that are in need in our area with excitement and purpose.  One grandma is knitting gloves, and the other is spending time and money to help fill the needs of others.  The ones that they are helping to serve are personal friends of ours, some are homeless and some are simply in need, and the excitement is mounting.  This is what is important!  This is what matters!  


This is what Christmas is all about!  Jesus!  Serving Jesus by serving others is far more important than a present under the tree . . . it is a way of life.
If someone gives me something that is only meant to serve me superficially (it doesn’t meet a need in my life), and if I can’t use it so serve others, I DON’T WANT IT!  


Temporary pleasures will never be worth the same as something warm for a homeless man,  or something that creates a smile on a struggling woman’s face.


Yes, this Christmas is more.  This is the Christmas that Christmas redeems itself . . . through the love and generosity of us and the ones that we love.  Now THIS is the Christmas I’ve been missing!  The greatest present “under the tree” is not for me or the kids, and that’s just fine with me!  WE prefer it that way!!  We’ve already received the greatest gift of ALL TIME . . . Jesus . . . and HE has made all the difference!!


Lord, watch over those that have not, and continue to use those that have to provide for them.  Watch over those without shelter in this bitter cold.  We pray this in Jesus’ name.  Amen

Lewis, The Friendly Repo Man-Part 2

As a said before in the last post, our first year of homeschooling was during an extremely tough year, for many reasons.  But our finances, or lack thereof, played a huge role in the stress of that year.  There were many times when I wondered why I had felt called to start homeschooling that year, of all years!  But God was with us . . .

He was with us when we my hubby had no job for six months, and then found one finally that paid a lot less then jobs he’d had before, but it was income . . . just before the unemployment ran out. 

He was there when we went to a real estate office to talk to a financial service representative about getting out of our big monthly payment, and moving to a home with a smaller one.  And He was there when the man at the office gently told us that he thought that bankruptcy was a better option for us, and he gave us the name and recommendation of a bankruptcy attorney to talk to.

He was there as my husband and I sat outside our house, in the car, and cried together.  He was there as we dried the tears of our humiliation and shame over the situation, and geared up to walk in the house and face our children and the babysitter.

He was there at the attorney’s office and in bankruptcy court, as time and time again our financial situation was laid bare and spoken about in front of strangers.  He was with us when so many others in the trustee’s office that day had attorneys that were unprepared, and ours was prepared for anything.  He was there as I felt compelled to pray over the ones that were caused extra pain by the incompetence of their legal representation.

And he was there as we prepared to move away from our first home as a married couple, and the only home our children had ever known.  He was there when we thoroughly cleaned our house and leased van in preparation to give them back to the bank, and we tried to show our children how to be honorable in bad situations.

And he was there when Lewis came to our door . . .

We had been working frantically to move everything that we could before the van had to go back.  We didn’t have the money to rent a moving van, and we were already working against time to get out of the home before the bank took possession.  We only needed to move a few more loads of belongings that wouldn’t fit in a car.  It was a Wednesday or Thursday when Lewis came to our door and knocked.

My hubby had taken the van to work, and was away as I answered the door. 

Lewis was a kind looking man, probably about the age of my father.  He looked at me and asked gently about the van.

“My husband has it and isn’t here now.”

“Are you willing to give the van back?”

“Yes, we are more than willing to give it back.  We understand that it is not ours to keep.”

Handing me his card with his name and cell phone number on it.  “Then call me, and we can set a time to meet.  I can meet you here on Saturday.”

“Oh, thank you!  We will be calling you later today to set that up.”

I said good-bye and closed the door with relief.  And here was God’s grace and mercy again, in this man named Lewis.

My husband called later to set up an “appointment” for the next day, and I sighed.  Now we had just enough time to move what we couldn’t move without the van.  There would be no removal of the van in the night, no surprise.  We had the grace and mercy of a little more time to move.

We made many trips between the two houses the next couple days, but once again God had provided for us . . . through a man named Lewis.  Praise God!

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As many of you know from my blog, we have since gone through another period of unemployment.  This time we were already at a point of living on less of an income, and we were able to live off of the unemployment income and pay our bills.  My hubby has again found a job . . . just as he would be set to lose unemployment insurance with so many right now.  Please pray with me now for them.

Lord, there are so many that are hurting financially right now.  And worse than that, there are many that can not find a job right now, and are losing their unemployment . . . the only income that they have.  We could have very easily been one of them.  There are so many whose hearts are breaking.  Please watch over those in need, and continue to provide employment opportunities and provision for them during this time.  And thank you for all of the blessings that you offer us every day.  Lord we pray this in Jesus’ name.  Amen

Lewis, The Friendly Repo Man

Did the title get your attention?!  I thought it might! 

It has been a few years since Lewis and I met, for the first (and hopefully last) time, but for some reason I was thinking about him today.

This is the time of school year where many of us struggle a bit.  It’s almost Christmas, the kids aren’t playing outside maybe as much as they were, and we are in this for the long haul.  If Wednesday is the hump day of the week, then this is the hump we must hurdle of the school year.

But where does Lewis figure into all of this?  I’m getting there. 

Every school year has it’s ups and downs, but what happens when your year has more downs than ups?  This was the way of our first homeschool year.

Our first homeschool year was a year of a learning the ways of homeschooling, homeschooling with an infant in the house, watching our finances go down the drain in bankruptcy after a layoff, giving back our house and car to the bank and moving away from the only home our children had ever known kind of year.  It wasn’t always pretty, and it definitely wasn’t easy. 

Our old home wasn’t near any homeschool activities or support groups, and other than the online part of our support group, I was pretty much flying blind.  And to top it off, I really had no real money for homeschool resources.  But God was with us . . .

To Be Continued . . . Come back and meet Lewis next time here at Social City Homeschooler.

In Awe Of God

I am in awe of God. I love how He works, and who He is.  He is perfect parent, and the facilitator of all that is in His plan.

Just a little over a week ago my husband was offered a part-time job.  Praise God!  But in the year + that he was without regular work God taught us some enormous lessons that we will be forever grateful for.

He has given the opportunity to receive an attitude and perspective adjustment.  I needed that.  I really needed that.  I hate that I needed that, but I did.

When going through a tough time, it is so hard to focus on the blessings.  Sometimes there is just too much struggle in the way, and it blinds us to the abundance of good in our lives. 

Why do we do this?  Why do we allow the evil one to get to us and distract us in this way?  In times of vulnerability it seems that we are an easy target, but that is when God means to bless us the most. 

In fact, the day before my hubby was offered his job, I had a serious heart to heart with God.  I told Him that I had realized that I had been focusing on the negative things going on, and that I was sorry.  I cried out to Him, and praised Him for every since blessing that He was giving us.  The list was long, and grew longer and longer.

The next day a miracle happened and my hubby was offered a job during an interview.  (This just does NOT happen right now!)  Two days later we were offered something that we really needed from the abundance of a ministry at our church . . . just out of the blue!  And a few days after that I received an anonymous card in the mail containing a verse that I have been meditating on (Jeremiah 29:11*) and a gift card to buy a few other much needed items!  Praise God!

God is not a lucky rabbit’s foot or a safety net.  He is perfect parent to those who come to Him in earnest.  Like many of us, He just wants to be understood, respected, and most of all . . . loved.

Thank you Lord for loving us, even when we struggle with your plan, and we focus on the wrong things.  We love you.  Thank you for your blessings.  Please continue to watch over us, and provide for us, as we learn your ways.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen

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(*Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV))

Yes, I’d Like The Garment Of Praise Please

The following two verses have come to me as the “Verse of the Day” from Bible Gateway the today and yesterday.  I have been receiving a verse everyday for awhile now but these two are especially timely.  I’ll tell you why they mean so much below each verse below.

Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
I want to believe this so bad right now.  With the chaos of life swirling around me, I need for this to be true.  And the beautiful part of this is it is.  The problem isn’t that it isn’t true, the problem is that for a time I became caught up in the chaos, and took my eyes off the blessing.  Instead of delighting in all that the Lord has blessed us with, I let myself stay in frustration over what isn’t going well right now. 
 
Our school year is going well, and we have everything we need to have an abundant school experience this year.  Grammy blesses us with the means to provide some of our extracurricular activities.  We are healthy (for the most part), our children have clothes to wear (in abundance thanks to hand-me-downs), and food to eat.  We have a beautiful 60 year old house with beautiful original woodwork to live in, and we can pay all of our bills.  We have a beautiful little family, and a wonderful group of friends.
 
But a couple of people have been upset with me lately over petty things, the house needs so much work, and our house organization is . . . not working right now.  My husband still does not have steady work, and the unemployment is not going to go on forever.  The job situation is bleak and I’m sick of not having money.  Why am I focusing on this?!  Where is my delight?  He is taking care of us!  And this is where today’s “Verse of the Day” comes in . . .

Psalm 51:12
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
I’ve had so much joy in the past, and now I find myself getting bogged down.  That’s just where Satan wants me.  Why do I let him do that to me?!  Argggg!!


I was talking to a spirit led friend of mine the other day.  She told me about the importance of positive affirmation in the face of adversity.  When we are negative in our statements about what is happening in our life, we let Satan steal our joy.  It burns us out physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.


“I'm Trading My Sorrows” as Darrell Evans says in his song.  I am making a conscience decision to believe that God will bring my husband steady work.  He will continue to provide for us.  I will focus on doing what I can do to better organize our home, and continue to enjoy this wonderful homeschooling journey that we are on.  We will enjoy the blessing of living where we are living until God moves us.  I will try to bless my husband, and others that bless me in so many ways.  And I will serve those I can in the ways that God provides for me to do so.  I will be grateful for what God has provided for us, instead of focusing on what we don’t have.


I will put on “a garment of praise, instead of a spirit of despair" as Isaiah 61 says. 

Thank you Lord for my family and friends. Please help them to know the same blessing and joy that they bring me.  Please give us all “a garment of praise, instead of a spirit of despair” and help us to focus on your blessing so that you may restore the joy that only you can give, especially in the tough times.  Amen

What Do You Do?

What do you do,

When the world falls apart,

When you can’t help a friend,

Out of the breaking of their heart?

 

What do you do,

When you can’t help them heal,

And you can’t take away,

All the feelings they feel?

 

What do you do,

For the ones that you love,

When God is the only one,

That can help them rise above?

 

You pray and you listen,

And you try to understand,

And you leave them all,

In the palm of His hand.

    -S. G. (aka The Social Homeschooler) Copyright 2010

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Lord we are all fighting a battle.  Some are struggling financially.  Some are struggling with family issues.  Some are struggling with health and other issues.  Let them all know that they are loved and help them to feel your peace.  Amen

My Childhood Dreams Have Grown Up

It’s a funny thing to look at the dreams of childhood in the reality of adulthood.  I had a chance to really think about where my former dreams have taken me today.  The realization was really amazing.  The goofy dreams that may have labeled me “nerdy” as a child were really the beginnings of some of the passions that I love today.

 

For instance, I attempted to card catalog my books as a child.  At one point I actually brought home books that were free donations in order to have more books to organize and “card catalog”.  Before now, not many people knew that, by the way.  Ok, even after this post not many people may know that . . . LOL ;)  But I digress.  So now I’m a homeschooling mom.  I’m still organizing massive amounts of books, and I have plenty of practice now.

 

My parents instilled in me a love for serving others, and I do that now in various ways.  I serve God first, and my family, friends, and others second.

 

I loved to learn, read, and train others, and now I train my children.  I am using what I have learned to help them learn what is truly important in life.

 

I have always loved to travel and take “mystery trips”, and now one of my biggest dreams is to travel the country in an RV.  I would love nothing more than to travel from city to city volunteering to serve churches and Christian non-profits, in exchange for a free-will offering to “keep us going”.  We home educate.  We could do that.  What, we are studying the Grand Canyon?  Let’s volunteer near it, and stop by and check it out!

Now where is that mobile income stream to buy the RV, and get started?  Guess we’ll just dream a tad more  . . . until God provides the means.  If it’s in His will, it’ll happen ;)

Blessings :)

Giving People A Chance

People are funny, seemingly fickle creatures.  Why are they the way they are?  What makes them tick?  What is their life story, and how does it relate to who they are today?  Where does their faith lie?
I often ponder these things when people act in a way that I don’t fully understand. 
Today my family was just leaving the checkout line of the hardware store when a clerk, seeing my kids straggling behind, said something that caught me off guard.  We had just been there to pick up paint chips to paint something at home, and when I told him that as we walked by, he said “Just don’t leave your kids behind.  I’ve already raised my kids!”.  He sounded serious, and gruff, although he may have had a very slight smile on his lips.  Was he joking?  Was raising his kids that awful an experience for him?  If so, how sad.  I really don’t know, and I probably never will.  But all I can do is care about him, and pray for him.
I used to work behind a photo counter years ago.  A man came in to drop off some film at prom time.  “How long will it take?”, he asked.  “About fifteen hours”, I responded calmly.  “But, but this is one hour photo!  Why can’t I have it in an hour?” he demanded, red faced.  I calmly pointed to the counter behind me where at least 75 rolls of undeveloped film sat in photo bags.  “It’s prom time, and they were first, so I have to develop their film before yours.”  He wasn’t happy, but he didn’t treat me too badly.  As I remember, he sulked, and walked out. 
There are so many things that people do and say, that make you wonder, what is their problem?  Why are they treating me that way?
Sometimes the way that people treat us has less to do with us personally, and more to do with them.  Maybe is was something seemingly insignificant that we said that touched a deep wound inside them.  Maybe we said one thing, and it caused them to draw a conclusion about us that is way off.  Maybe we are part of a group of people that they have some deep seated grudge against.  Maybe they are just that way with everyone as a defensive wall between themselves and others because something hurt them that bad, maybe years or even decades earlier.  Or maybe we did say something that hurt them, but we are blissfully naive about it, while it is something that really bothers the other person.  And they are unwilling to talk with us about it.
We really have no control over the words and actions of others, but we do have a choice in our words and actions.  I am not perfect, but I am working on leaning on the side of grace in these situations.
A wise pastor once told me about the importance of leaning on grace.  He said that when others question you as to how you feel about something, that you should always ask why.   It is then that you will have a greater understanding of where they are coming from, and you can then give an appropriate answer.  I think that this concept applies not only to our answers to others’ questions, but also to our responses to others’ actions.  We are not always happy about what others do and say, but the way we act has a great potential to make things better, or much worse.
For me, I am striving to reach out to those that I hurt, and those that hurt me.  Life is too short to hold a grudge, or seek revenge against someone!  Recently I actually have had the chance to extend forgiveness to a couple people from the past.  It was a good thing.  My wish is that I would make right, within God’s will, where I have wronged.  And that I would willingly extend to those that have hurt me the grace that I have found through others.
Blessings, and grace to all of you as we remember those lost that September 11th nine years ago . . . click here for "Revelation-September 11th Tribute" video.

The Importance of the Titus 2 Woman

In the book of Titus chapter 2  older woman, uh I mean more experienced women, are called to teach the younger women how to behave and to love their husbands and children.  I would venture to say that these women of faith are more needed now than ever!

We have so much marketing hitting us, almost literally, everywhere we go . . . including the stall door of the public restrooms sometimes!  There are so many more choices these days, and with each choice advocates and marketers to push you in the direction of their “perfect choice”.  For woman, some of the debates over the choices that we have to make are fierce, and overwhelming.  After all, who wants to be the “awful mother” that made the wrong choice!

Do I have natural childbirth, or do I accept pain medication during childbirth?  Should the birth be at a hospital or at home?  Once the baby is born, do I breastfeed or bottle feed, or both?  Then before you know it it’s time for school.  Do I send them to a public school, a parochial school, a charter school, or do I home school?  And then there’s all of the homeschooling options!  Arrrrrggggg!  (The arrrrrrggggg is directed at they many decisions we have to make. I like the wealth of homeschooling options ;)

The truth is that are many choices that are fine.  There are advantages and disadvantages to each choice we make, but whatever we do, we need to be informed so that we can make the best choice for our family.  We are in our third year on this homeschooling journey, and the counsel and information of the more experienced women in our support group have enriched and opened our choice to home school into a whole world and wealth of opportunity and joy.  For those new homeschooling moms, strong in their convictions to home school, we need to be that same shelter in this storm of the educational controversy around us.  We need to guide and teach them to be the best that they can be, so that they can grow where they are planted until God should take them down a different educational path.  One of the greatest joys of homeschooling is that in teaching my children, I am also learning a great deal myself through my life with them.

Blessings on your educational journey ;)

It’s a educational opportunity and a lemon-limeade stand all in one!  (Counting money, handling customers, offering a quality product . . . )  Loving the “mascot” ;)

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P.S. Here are a few promised home school resources. 

Edifyathome.com- a home school version of the famous big name auction site

SoftSchools.com offers free educational games and worksheet generators, organized by grade level

WorksheetWorks.com is, by far, my VERY favorite worksheet generator.  It features every kind of worksheet generator that you can imagine!  You can make anything from personalized handwriting sheets to visual multiplication sheets and maps.  This is WELL worth checking out!

Steve Spangler Science is a great resource for buying science supplies, yes.  But also look at the experiment ideas and science videos.

 

 

 

Journey To The Road Less Traveled

So, if I was so happy about sending the boys to school, how in the world did we end up homeschooling?
There are things in life that we do because that’s just what people do in mainstream America.  And there are things that we think we want very much that make us miserable in the end.  School was both of these things for me.  I didn’t really even know that homeschooling existed as an option.
Soon after the school journey began, God began to also bring homeschooling moms around me to inspire me in this new direction.  Incidentally, it’s really pretty amazing how many wonderful things I’ve just kind of “fallen into” by God’s leading in life. 
First Example -When I was younger, a friend encouraged me to apply to work at the drugstore he worked at.  He gushed about what a great place it was to work.  I applied there, but at a different store in the chain, and not the one in my hometown where he worked.  Eventually, the manager had me trained on the photo finishing machine.  And when it needed a repair, the technician really caught my eye.  Two and a half years later I prayed to God for a soul mate, for the man he had meant for me.  About a week or two later I admitted to a friend and co-worker of the photo technician that his friend had caught my eye.  They happened to be living together.  Within a week, I had a phone call from the technician that I liked.  We started to date, and we both knew that marriage was where we were headed.  About 5 months after the first date, we were married.  It was a big church wedding, and everything fell into place.  That was over 11 years ago, and he is still my soul mate!
Second Example -God keeps giving us what we need, not in our timing, but in His perfect timing!  It’s amazing, and I love it.  When our oldest son was 7 1/2 months old, we had this crazy thought that he was getting too big and we wanted another child.  Did I mention that he was only 7 1/2 months old people?!  We tried very briefly to have another child.  Suddenly I had a horrible realization . . . oh no.  I was to be the matron of honor at my baby sister’s wedding about 9 months from then.  We needed to wait before trying again, or else I might be as big as a house at my sister’s wedding!  I shuddered at the thought.  “Of course, you know what this means?”, I said to my husband.  “I’m probably already pregnant!” I said with a nervous laugh.  I was.  But, wouldn’t you know it, one of the other bridesmaids lost a bunch of weight from the time we ordered the dresses until the wedding neared.  We exchanged our dresses, and they fit!  Oh, and my aching back loved the fact that one of my sister’s wedding guests was a massage therapist the day of her wedding, let me tell you!  Now, in home school, our boys are in the same grade, which makes teaching a little easier, and they are best friends!  God’s timing ;) 
Third Example -Then we took a break in having kids.  My hubby wasn’t even allowed to look at me funny, for fear I’d get pregnant.  And then a friend said “You make such cute babies!  You need to have another.”  Enter our little girl.
Homeschooling - God brought at least two wonderful home school advocates into my life around the time we began our journey in the school classroom.  One was a good friend of mine from church before she started homeschooling, and the other had homeschooled before, but felt forced to give it up temporarily for personal reasons.  Both of them are awesome ladies, and very cool.  Yes, homeschooling moms (and dads) today can be very cool!  Really, trust me! 
They inspired me in a time in which I grew more and more resentful of our sons’ educational experience in school.  There are some awesome parochial schools out there.  We were not at one of them.  Sorry, we just weren’t.  We wanted a faith based education for our boys, but the faith lessons were watered down for our liking.  The school had never dealt with food allergies.  Both of our sons have them, and the way of the school handling them was both scary, and isolating for our children.  And we really couldn’t afford the tuition.  Public school was a very poor option for us.  We both had awful, awful experiences in public school.  And the things we saw our relatives’ kids learning in public school were not cool with us. 
So, after two years of “the classroom experience” I began an intense four month odyssey into researching just what homeschooling was all about.  I decided that I would research it thoroughly, and start homeschooling before the regular school year started.  If we liked it, great!  And if we didn’t, we could always send them to school if we had to.
Um, in case you hadn’t guessed already, we LOVED it!  (Figured the title of the blog might have given it away, or something though, LOL)
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And now, for your perusing pleasure, a direct link to a very cool comedic home school dad’s videos.  Click Here for Tim Hawkins Videos!  I love Tim Hawkins!  He rocks, and he is so humble about it!  Meeting him in person, is just like meeting the neighbor down the street . . . that rocks!  He laughs at the misconceptions of homeschooling in “A Homeschool Family”.  Enjoy!!