Bummer, isn’t it? Wouldn’t it be nice if homeschooling was the answer? I mean, wouldn’t it be nice if all of the problems in our families could be solved with good family time and top of the line curriculum? Wouldn’t it be great if all we had to do was adopt a certain daily schedule, read aloud certain books, and follow a certain educational philosophy? Wouldn’t it be awesome if there were just a simple checklist of “To-do’s” each day that would guarantee success? Yes, it would, but alas, there’s not. However, there is an answer to all that ails us: the sin and death, the pain and misery. Come be reminded of the Answer and the hope it engenders.

As you consider how to go forward in your homeschooling journey, where are you standing? Are you on the field, in the stands, or in the blimp? It matters. What is obstructing your view? Who’s on your team? Where is the finish line? How can you best proceed? Why are you where you are? It’s difficult to answer any of these questions in the heat of the battle. It’s important to take inventory, to step back, to step away. Sometimes you have to go backwards to go forwards, to go down to go up, to go left to go right. What if there’s a place to stand so that you can really see?

The first thing you must know is that you’re not alone if you have one. And the second thing you need to know is that they’re sent to you as a blessing. If those two things seem unimaginable, if you’re thinking, “If you only knew.,” well, I do. I’ve got one too. So, what face comes to mind when you hear the phrase ‘That” child? Do you smile or scowl when you see that face? Do you see yourself in that face? Do you struggle to like that child? Does it seem difficult? Impossible? I want you to know: That child is a world changer. God has a plan for that child. All of that energy, all those questions, all that strength, all THAT, is God-given for His glory. Come learn strategies for learning to love that child, to embrace that child, to train that child. They are worth it and He is worthy!

We’ve all heard the adage, “Nothing is easy,” and it’s true. So why then do we use ‘ease’ as the determining factor in our life choices? As a culture, we want dinner-making to be easy. We want house projects to be easy. We want relationships to be easy. We want our jobs to be easy. Look around, ‘easy’ seems to be a pretty high-value today. But what about the Christian life? What about marriage? What about parenting? Are any of those easy? Could it be that our longing for easy is what keeps us from becoming the people, spouses, and parents that God has intended for us to be? God is calling, He’s inviting us to be a part of His plan to change the world. It won’t be easy, but it will be for His glory and our good. Let’s get to work together.

Every day we are bombarded with messages that try to convince us that we are individually important. The basic theme is that we should seek self. It’s all a big lie, from the king of lies. We must shift our focus away from ourselves and on to our awesome and mighty God. The world is relentlessly pursuing peace and contentment that can only come from a life that is totally surrendered to Christ and His will. Come learn how this realization radically changed Rachael’s life, direction, and purpose. It can change yours too!

So here we are. Most of us would have chosen something different than what we’ve recently had to face. I mean really, who would have signed up for the crazy chaos that has characterized the last few years? Not me. But, if I believe in a sovereign God, and if I believe that He has a plan, and if I believe that He has a role for me to play, and I do, then how do I lean into that and His plan? And what is my role in this cultural moment? Let’s take a look at some other similarly chaotic cultural moments in Scripture and see what we can learn from those who’ve gone before us. This is our moment. Let’s dare to live it for Him.