In Him

I was reading an email from Crosswalk Homeschool Encouragement.  It is right in the area God seems to be concentrating in my life at the moment - the mind.  Recently I’ve been slowly reading and making a study of the book “Loving God with All Your Mind” by Elizabeth George.  The main verse she presents is Phillipians 4:8 Whatever things are true… think on these things.  Now from a Christian point of view (and mine!), that is whatever is written in the Bible, what God says is the truth.  It also says Jesus is the truth and the truth shall set you free.  So I have been casting down imaginations and thinking on what is true.  What is true about God, what is true about me, what is true about other people and what they are thinking and what is true about my life now, not the past and not the future.  You have no idea how much mental space that has cleared up.  God is good. 

Here is that email. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Casting down the Imagination

Kym Wright

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ…” 2 Corinthians 10:5 One of Adolf Hitler’s more famous sayings is: “If you tell a lie often enough, and loud enough, people will believe it.” And, often, our spiritual enemy tries to use this very trick on us. Imaginations, as defined in the dictionary, is the formation of a mental image of something that is neither perceived as real nor present to the senses. It is an unrealistic idea or notion; a fancy. A plan or a scheme. It came on so very slowly, I’m really not sure when it began. I was just disgruntled with being a mom. It wasn’t fun anymore. The joy was gone, replaced by a sense of failure and a desire to succeed at anything outside the home. Put the children in school. Be a career woman. Be a somebody — as if motherhood is for wimps and “nobodies.” I plodded through the homeschooling days. No joy, but doing the work nonetheless, committed to being home. In my mind I knew this was a wonderful calling, that I was doing a great work, that my time investment counted, and my occupation was worthy. But, the accusations and lies persisted. No joy. Do it anyway. You’re not doing well. So, I’ll persist in a poor quality job. You’re doomed to failure. Probably, but I’ve committed to staying home to raise and teach the children. One day, one of our older children came to me and said, “Mom, thank you so much for spending your time teaching us. We’d never have made it so far without you.” I was floored, astonished. My mind whirled with questions. Am I really doing an okay job? Are the children really turning out all right? At that moment, I recognized the enemy’s voice, and realized I had been believing — not just one lie, but many lies. The foundation was an imagination — something in my mind, which wasn’t true — and my mind had allowed a larger plan of the enemy to discourage me. My failure was an unrealistic notion. My heart thrilled with the question, “And just how far could I go if I believed this venture was a success?” So, I followed the biblical example and cast down the imagination. I just tossed out this image which had exalted itself against God’s plan for me. And I replaced it with this new image: me enjoying my calling. The children doing well in life — for indeed they were. Contentment and joy. Success in fulfilling my mission in life. So, I pose the question, What has the enemy stolen from you? What image is he trying to foist upon you, to steal the joy in finding God’s best and success for your life? Let’s reclaim the joy. Challenge the lies in our minds. Declare war on the father of lies. Cast down those wrong images, and let’s raise up the vision God has for us.

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Mark & Kym Wright have homeschooled since the mid-80s. They have 8 children, having graduated 4. Kym pens the “Learn and Do” unit studies. You can visit her website at: www.Learn-and-Do.com. First published in Weekly Wakeup with Kym Wright, a free e-Couragement for moms. Subscribe to The Mother’s Heart magazine, a premium online publication for mothers with hearts in their homes, published by Kym. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= There is a scripture that comes to my mind when I read about that lady losing her joy of homeschooling.  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. 3 John 1:3-5 For me homeschooling is not only about reading, writing and maths, it’s about teaching the girls about God and the truth. 

Every so often I get an email from The Old Schoolhouse (a homeschooling magazine I subscribe to) which does a run down on a certain theme or subject.  This time it was Home Ec.  Todd Wilson is one of the colomnists, his column is called The Familyman.  The following article is what he wrote for this issue.  Brilliant.

The Familyman
Todd Wilson, Familyman Ministries

After a quick Google search, I found that the term Home Economics was coined in 1899. I’m guessing that some pubic school brainiac officials decided that school needed to be more like home. I assume the thinking went along these lines:
    
“Ladies and gentlemen . . . academics are not enough. Our young women need to learn the valuable skills of preparing meals and managing a home. I suggest that we teach homemaking skills and call it something institutional sounding like . . . home economics. Ooo, we could even shorten it to Home Ec. All in favor say, ‘Aye.’”
    
Since then, public and private schools have not only been teaching Home Ec, but in recent times they have also modeled THEIR schools after what we already do in our homes.
    
They let their students build things with wood and metal and call it “industrial arts.” They have turned finger painting into “art class.” They call playing, “gym” and “recess.” They plant gardens, go on nature walks, and teach children how to get along with each other.
    
In short, they KNOW that the best place to teach children is in the HOME and have spent the last 100 years now trying to make their schools more like it.
    
In light of that, why do we homeschoolers try to make OUR homes like THEIR schools?? We need to stop and do what we do best. So, Mom and Dad, let’s teach our children to cook, clean, and care for the needs of our home and those who live in it . . . but please, PLEASE don’t call it Home Ec. It’s just home.

Be real,
Todd