Author Archives: Lisa @ Me & My House

My Offering

By | |
Comments Off on My Offering

I came across a quote tonight in Jonathan Edwards’ Religious Affections, in the Author’s Preface. It expresses just what I am endeavouring to do here.

I many times share 2 Corinthians 1:24, “Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand,” for that is truly my desire. But I like the way Edwards put this.

“My design is to contribute my mite, and use my best (however feeble) endeavours to this end” *”knowing clearly and distinctly what we ought to contend for.”

* – Statement is not in original order, however it is in context. “This end” refers back to the previous sentence (quote after *) in the original.

New! L.E.D. resources available

By | |
Comments Off on New! L.E.D. resources available

Just a short note – during a short break – to let you know I’m working on getting my books and audios formatted for electronic delivery.

You can now order Sorting it Out and Pulling it Together (book), and Choose ye this Day… – An Introduction to L.E.D. (audio w/ powerpoint presentation) and download them to your computer.

Back to work 🙂

Why Home Education?

By | |
Comments Off on Why Home Education?

Have you noticed I’ve been busy with my family? No posts for a long time. And just some thoughts today. I’ve been ruminating as I go over teaching notes for seminars and such.

Some things just don’t make logical, Biblical sense. A Christian’s primary purpose is to glorify God, right? Hopefully I have no arguments from any Christian on that. So, why would any Christian turn their children over to an institution that is completely God-less, to have their children taught and trained to, not only not glorify Him, but to not even acknowledge His existance, in everything they learn; to be taught that God (if He/it exists) is not important (let alone of utmost importance) to all the things that they teach them there, most of the day, most of the year, all of their formative years. To put God (if He exists) in a little box that is left out of learning.

What is this? That Christians would allow others to shape their children’s thinking to exclude God! He is the Source of everything. He should never be left out of any teaching. He must be included in everything we teach. He must be taught as Creator and Sustainer of everything – from Math, to History, to baby brothers. Any teaching that is not based on the “fear of the Lord” is neither wisdom, nor knowledge. He is the beginning of both. Without Him, right in the center of all, there can be no true learning.

I want to encourage you to press on. What we are doing is so important, especially in our post-modern, post-Christian society. Press on in teaching and training your grandchildren’s teachers. We have a home educator friend that used to say that all the time, that they were educating their grandchildren’s teachers. I like that. It gives us a Biblical multi-generational view. The Bible actually takes it another generation. We are to teach our children of God in everything they learn. We are to look with faith, down through the halls of the future and see our great-grandchildren being taught and trained to look at all of life and learning through God’s perspective, to know His ways and workings in all they learn. To build a family legacy of education for the Kingdom of God.

 

Keys to L.E.D. Part I – Faith & Virtue

By | |
Comments Off on Keys to L.E.D. Part I – Faith & Virtue

God’s blessings to the many of you who have contacted me, and whom God has blessed through my words, by His grace alone! All glory goes to Him who alone is worthy. I have and am nothing without Him. Any worthwhile thing I have to pass on comes only from Him and by His grace. All the rest, that falls and fails, is of me.

I so desire to complete my book of Freedom & Simplicity™ through Lifestyle Education through Discipleship™, but my life is very full of living LIFE right now. My family can attest that I spend every moment I can spare (and probably many that I should’t) at the computer, working on sharing with you (corporately, as in this blog, elists, and my website) and individually. And attempting to gather my notes into coherency for my book. All the while, planning lessons for and teaching my own children. In addition to the normal wife, mommy, home keeper foundations of my life. Don’t feel I am complaining, my joy is in what I do. I only get frustrated that I cannot do it fast enough.


On to today’s topic. If you haven’t read our thoughts on “Wisdom: The Principal Thing“, please do so. It is the foundation underlying everything we teach. Today I desire to begin sharing a little more practically what the goals and methods of achieving them are in L.E.D.

Keys to L.E.D. – Part 1 Faith & Virtue

Though not exhaustive, this series of articles will give you some foundational keys to the philosophy of L.E.D., the goals we are seeking to attain, and methods we utilize to get there. I hope through these to begin to paint a picture wherein you can examine some of the details to show you more clearly what L.E.D. is. Links to previous articles will be used to help pull those together for you.

We desire L.E.D. to result in our children to:
1) Be led by the Spirit – Our children should be governed internally by the Spirit of God, not by external motivation, either positive (physical reward) or negative (force or manipulation), nor by internal “fleshly desires” and selfishness. We do not desire to “candy coat” our children with Scripture, having much “head knowledge” but not living it, but for them to truly desire to love and follow God in everything they do. We desire: that they love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength; that they recognize that every “issue of life” proceeds from the heart, that they understand that for every external, seen action (effect) there is a prior internal, unseen except by God, attitude, motive, and thought, that they would know that character produces conduct; attitude produces action. Therefore, we are primarily home educating to reach the hearts of our children.

Methods we use:
a. Fervent Prayer – that God opens their hearts to Himself, that they may receive His Glorious gift of Christ that will completely transform their lives. He is the only one that can do this, but prayer is the means He has chosen to work through.

b. Parenting their Hearts – Endeavor to “keep” your children’s hearts. Be trustworthy of guarding their hearts. Recommended parenting resources listed here.

c. Feeding them the Word – for in it is Life. Feed your children the life-giving Word daily. It is “living and powerful” and “able to divide between soul and spirit, and discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart”. We have many Bible teaching resources listed here, but mainly recommend this as a basic foundation to all other Bible “studies”.

d. Cultivating their Hearts – through godly life-changing literature. Stories that capture the heart with godly principles, character, and conduct. “Add to your faith virtue.” Recommendations and more on life-changing literature here.

This is the foundational Key, which we will build upon.

 

History Lesson Planning

By | | ,
Comments Off on History Lesson Planning

Many people seem to get “lost” when transitioning from learning Biblical Principles education to teaching it. I hold to previous statements that GACE provides the best help in this. 🙂 Everything from seeing the Big Picture to how-to plan and teach lessons.

For those that don’t have GACE, or prefer to see a condensed version 🙂 I have posted on my website, my notes from GACE on teaching Elementary History by Ruth Smith.
GACE Elementary History

 

Freedom & Simplicity™ in Expanding Seed Principles

By | | ,
Comments Off on Freedom & Simplicity™ in Expanding Seed Principles

Here’s a simple example illustrating the expansive nature of the educational principle as Sowing seed. Not every lesson is entered into, nor proceeds and results as this one. But God is Sovereign and He gives grace. And we both live and learn.

Our lesson was on the History of Astronomy. Those of you on elists with me know I hunted for a living book telling this History from a Biblical perspective. I never found one. So we fell back on John Tiner’s “Champions of Science”, a book of several biographical sketches. We picked and chose, just reading and narrating, and mom/me pulling teaching from the stories on the fly. IOW, this time I hadn’t pre-read and planned “lessons” from them. We just were reading and narrating.

BUT from the foundation I have (having internalized teaching by Biblical principles), I was able to make some applications. For you “newbies” and strugglers in teaching by Biblical Principles, this is how you can “teach what you know”, and “you don’t have to teach a lot to teach a lot”, just build a foundation first. Here’s one example, from one of the chapters.

We read the chapter on Johannes Kepler, and the children narrated as we went along. (Yes, with some children this takes FOREVER!) The Principle of Individuality is usually a fairly easy one to pick out, and that was true here. Johannes had bad eyesight (and even eventually went blind). This made it hard for him to do observations. Even my 6 year old can pick out this trait of Individuality.

Kepler was also an excellent mathematician. Being the best in his university classes had gotten him the position of mathematics professor at the seminary at Graz. He had studied to be a minister of the gospel, but prayed to go wherever God could use him, so went to Graz. He used Astronomy in making the calendars and almanacs that was a part of his job. These things all contributed to his Individuality.

The story also told of Tycho Brahe. Of course, the easy thing to pick out about his Individuality is the fact that he had no nose, well, only a gold and silver one. His had been cut off in a duel. But the point we wanted to pick out about Tycho’s Individuality was his excellent observation skills. (Diane, yes, a good thing to work on 🙂 Kepler knew Tycho was a great observer, but not a great mathematician, and he had hoped to meet him but didn’t think it possible since Tycho lived in Denmark.

God’s Sovereignty and Providence in History is first seen in the time period in which Kepler lived. Wycliffe’s translating the Bible into English, and the invention of the printing press, opened things up for the great advancements that took place during this period. Kepler loved to study the Bible, something he would not have been able to do if he had been born in an earlier time period. He, and many of the great scientists making great advancements at this time, were dedicated Christians. Also, Galileo had improved the recently invented telescope, and was the first to turn it towards the heavens.

Specifically in Kepler’s life, we see the Providence of God in moving him out of France, where he could not remain because of his Christianity, and he lost all his work and equipment. He fled to Prague. By Providence Tycho also ended up in Prague, because he was unable to get along with the new king of Denmark. The 2 men worked together, God’s great combination, 2 astronomers, one who could make excellent calculations, but couldn’t see well, the other who was a great observer, but not so good at the mathematical calculations. God used these 2 men together to advance dominion through the study of Astronomy.

These are just a few areas of Biblical principles my children were able to pull out of this short story, at various levels according to their own individual development, some with reasoning/leading questions. The seeds of the Principles planted are expanding in my children’s lives and learning, growing as they grow. My 6 year old could pick out the Individuality of the men. My 8 year old could see the principle of Voluntary Union in the 2 men working together. My 11 year old could see the Sovereignty and Providence of God in moving them both to Prague. Our 14 year old read a longer biography and did a Key Individual sheet, expanding even further.

I hope my story encourages you to renew your mind in the area of educating by Biblical principles, and then to go on in Freedom & Simplicity, in the spirit of liberty to teach what you know, and to teach by seed principles, here a little there a little, line upon line.

 

PA Influences L.E.D.

By | |
Comments Off on PA Influences L.E.D.

I’ve been asked how/through whom we were introduced to the Principle Approach. The answer is several people, each adding a piece and drawing us deeper. I don’t know that I can even remember the exact order, but here it is somewhat.

Dr. Paul Jehle – spoke at our state hs convention in 1990 or so. I was intrigued. It was probably through him that we learned of F.A.C.E. and ordered some Journals and tapes of a conference. I don’t remember if we got the Red Books (T&L and CHOC) from FACE at that time or not. My favorite resources by Jehle are his tape sets on 7 Pillars of Wisdom, and Universal History. I am eagerly awaiting his book, “Go Ye Therefore and Teach“.

I somehow found out about Marilyn Howshall’s Lifestyle of Learning and ordered her magazines, and learned more of PA through her, especially that it could be done in a relaxed environment. If I didn’t have the foundational Red Books from FACE yet, it was at this time I got them, and Webster’s 1828 Dictionary and possibly their “Rudiments Student Handbook“, that I highly recommend.

Also around this time I got James Rose‘s “Guide to American Christian Education“. This book really helped open up PA to me, and has probably been my most used PA resource. Another highly recommended resource.

Also, shortly after that, I think, I met Kris Bayer, a home educator in NE who had written a short book on PA, called “Come Let Us Reason”, that really simplified it, bringing more understanding.

Probably my favorite person to meet, who really influenced us most was Marshall Foster. Our vendor’s booth was across from his at a hs convention, and we enjoyed listening to him and talking to him, and bought his book and tapes, and caught the vision. He brought PA teaching for the family/in the home down to the “king-size” bed approach (rather than the desks and classroom approach), making it more appealing, more realistic, more family oriented, and more in line with our family’s style. His book “The American Covenant“, and tapes from conferences (that are no longer available that I know of) are our favorites. Of the 2 tape sets that I love and recommend of his, one is still available, The Battle for the 21st Century. Our favorite, on World Changers, is not. And I’m hoping it hasn’t gotten away; I don’t see it on the shelf, so don’t have the exact title.

Stephen McDowell was another PA teacher that we’ve met only in his books and tapes. “America’s Providential History” was given to our oldest daughter at a church dinner honoring graduates. That would’ve been in 1994. In the years following we purchased some of his other books and tapes. I’m tempted by his 24 tape teaching series on PA, but havent’ succombed yet. “Liberating the Nations”, and “America’s Providential History“, are recommended.

K Alan Snyder is a more recent introduction, 2 or 3 years ago. When I bought his book, “If the Foundations Are Destroyed” I didn’t know it was based on PA, but recognized the Principles as I read. I recommend it too.

My first introduction to Katherine Dang was through Rose’s GACE, in which she wrote some of the sections. But it has only been in the last couple of years that I have received other teachings from her. She quickly became a favorite though. In a previous post I gave a link to online free mp3 downloads by Miss Dang. They are highly recommended. In addition I have seminar CD’s by Miss Dang that are excellent. (These can now be downloaded for free also. See info for both here.) Her “Universal History” books are on my books-to-order list.

To summarize, the most influential and instrumental PA teachers in our journey have been: Marshall Foster, Paul Jehle, Katherine Dang, James Rose, and Stephen McDowell. Others have also each added their individuality to our understanding. We recommend several of their resources to help you get a clearer understanding of Biblical Principles education.

 

Reflective vs. Microwave Education Part II

By | |
Comments Off on Reflective vs. Microwave Education Part II

Microwave education is like a “whitewashed tomb”, a pretty painting of a flower on a stone wall. Reflective learning is the real flower, growing from a seed and blossoming into beautiful, fragrant life.

The heart is the key to reflective learning. The heart is the key to Biblical education. I want to show you 3 aspects of “the Heart” in relation to education.

If I had to pick just 3 areas to emphasize in teaching on education, I think I would focus on the 3 below, and summarize them with Katherine Dang quotes. IOW, if you are new to Biblical education or struggling to “get it”, may I give you 3 things to focus on “getting”? Meditate on these until they become internalized, until you make them your own. Study them. Pray for them. I believe they are Key.

1) “You follow me as I follow Christ.” Or as Katherine Dang says, “Teach what you know.” Actually she puts it stonger, “ONLY teach what you know. Don’t (try to) teach what you don’t know.” A true teacher teaches from their heart. This is Biblically one who disciples. I often put this in Paul’s terminology, for discipleship is what we are called to in teaching, lead through where we have been and where we are going. We can’t give what we ain’t got. Our teaching must come through our own transformation from reflectively renewing our minds, which will birth what we learn in our hearts. From there it grows and will bear fruit, enabling it to be reproduced in the hearts of others.

2) “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed.” This relates to the subject itself. We must get to the heart of the subject. What are the principles and rudiments? As Miss Dang says, “You don’t have to teach a lot to teach a lot.” Or teach by “IV drip”, just a drop at a time. This is great news if we are only to teach what we know! Do you hear this? Teach only what you know, but you don’t have to teach a lot. IOW, you can teach if you don’t know a lot! Just learn the principles and rudiments of the subject and start there. Then continue to lead as you go along.

Reflective education plants seeds, the seeds of the Biblical principles and the rudiments of a subject (the heart) and then waters them and they grow to be “the greatest of all”. Refelective education is EXPANSIVE, not evolutionary. (I think that came from GACE.) (Read the whole scripture passage in Matthew 13:31-32.)

3) “The seed that fell on good soil sprang up and bore fruit, increased up to a 100-fold.” The heart of the student is our third aspect of the heart. Seeds planted in good soil, and watered will grow and reproduce. I don’t have a specific quote from Miss Dang, but she does talk about how as parent/teachers we are really only responsible for giving our children the rudiments.

We must remember, we are not teaching “subjects”, we are teaching students. IOW, I don’t teach math, science, English really, I teach Amariah, Levi, Isaiah, Shekynah, …. This is why parents should be the best educators. They should know and be able to reach their own children’s hearts better than anyone else. We are not wanting to “candy coat” our children with a Biblical education, turning them into legalists. We are wanting to plant Biblical thinking/reasoning in their hearts, that it would spring forth in the Spirit of liberty, that Truth would make them free indeed. Do you see why we must renew our own hearts first, to get to this point with our children?

We need to cultivate the soil of our children’s hearts. Prayer is the absolute best cultivator, because then God is doing the work from the inside out. The “Mashal” is another cultivator, that reaches the heart. It is the way Jesus, and much of the Bible teaches. This is not an 1828 definition, but one that will give you the “heart” of the meaning of Mashal. It is teaching by proverbs, parables, analogies, stories. Notice how much of the Bible is this. God wrote it to reach our hearts.

I’ll write more on this another time, but for now want to mention that living literature (that fits the guidelines of Phil. 4:8) is an excellent heart cultivator. Some of the best can be found: 1) in the Bible itself, of course. 2) in literature suggestions from FACE. 3) in literature re-published by Lamplighter Publishing.

 

Reflective vs. Microwave Education Part I

By | |
Comments Off on Reflective vs. Microwave Education Part I

Are we creating white-washed tombs?

In our instant society we want it NOW! We are pretty much that way about everything. As Christian moms (and dads) that mindset usually still remains. In fact as Christians period, that still remains. I want flawless theology – NOW! I want a fully sanctified life – NOW! I want saved and sanctified children – NOW!

Most of us seeking to educate our children Biblically have a problem, our own lack of a Biblical education. It needs to be overcome in order to teach our children. However, we “don’t have time to re-educate ourselves. Our children will get behind waiting on us.” We want a microwave education for ourselves. We look at the Big Red or other foundational books and think, “I don’t have time to read through all of this let alone study it.” And probably don’t even take into account the need to internalize it. So we try to jump in with both feet to a half-baked, mushy in the middle (internal), crusty on the outside (external) microwaved “Biblical” education.

We try to bring reform to our children’s education by applying some laws, a formula we kind of put together from what we did skim through. Then we wonder why this “right approach” is not working. We’ve missed the heart of Biblical principled education – the heart itself. It is from the heart that the issues of life pour forth. It is the seedbed of all that grows in our lives.

Biblical principled education is reflective learning. It is an education of the heart. It does not seek to impose changes externally without first planting changes internally, that are only seen after they have time to germinate and grow.

It begins with a soft heart, seeking God’s molding, seeking for Him to plant good seed within. Then it waters that seed and waits. It reflects. It ruminates. It relates. It reasons. Then one day a sprout breaks forth. Life is seen, just a little bit, but it is a living growing thing. Something a microwave can not do. I don’t know if you realize it, but microwaves kill life!

Microwave education is like a “whitewashed tomb”, a pretty painting of a flower on a stone wall. Reflective learning is the real flower, growing from a seed and blossoming into beautiful, fragrant life.

Stay tuned for part 2.

 

Our Journey through Alphabet Soup – Part 2 PA

By | |
Comments Off on Our Journey through Alphabet Soup – Part 2 PA

Or – What does PA have to do with L.E.D.?

As I’ve shared in the first three parts of this series – below or here -> Our Journey TO Home Ed, and Our Journey THROUGH Home Ed, Our Journey through Alphabet Soup – Part 1 CM we have gleaned from other approaches to home education in developing L.E.D. One philosophy that is close to our own in many ways is the Principle Approach to American Christian Education, developed by Rosalie Slater, based on the research by Verna Hall, and taught now by many that Ms. Slater taught, and those that they taught.

My initial response to PA was probably the same as most people’s – somewhat like, “Wow, this sounds great. Whoa, it looks complicated.” I don’t think I really knew what to do with the Red Books at first, and there weren’t really many other resources except the various PA trained teachers we heard. Several times we heard a great speaker, or bought a great book that we didn’t realize was PA influenced until we got into it. It seemed it was coming up all around us. And gradually resources were springing up too.

Since I’d already developed a pretty strong Biblical worldview, and had read and listened to much on our Christian heritage, our philosophy was already pretty much in line with PA. There were still questions about the methodology. Part of it just didn’t seem to convert into practical application very easily – in my mind anyhow, and part of it seemed too rigid and structured for young children.

We began applying aspects of PA about 15 years ago with our older (teen) children, and applying the philosophy but not much of the methods with our younger children, and I just kept studying more, in particular in understanding why they utilized the methodology and structure they did, so I could determine how much of it I wanted to incorporate with my younger children, and how much I wanted to leave as we had.

Over the years I’ve realized that much of my thought process was very similar to PA, much had become internalized even without as much formal study and application as I would have thought. It’s application just didn’t always look like the same format.

For instance, I would’ve said, “I don’t really do 4 R-ing.” I would look at their structure and say that isn’t what I do. But yet, it is exactly what I do. Perhaps not always looking everything up in the 1828 Dictionary, and calling it by the names they did, but always with a concordance researching what the Word had to say on the topic, and discovering the principles, foundations, and rudiments, recording them, and developing courses and lessons based on this.

Although I would say I wasn’t doing PA, because I didn’t think it looked like what PA was “suppose to”, everytime I’d call FACE and ask about my understanding of certain aspects they would assure me that my thoughts were exactly in line with PA, I had proper understanding of it.

My goal has been to help others see that PA not only can, but is to be applied individually. It is not meant to be a hard “letter of the law” structure that brings bondage, but rather a vision of truth that brings a spirit of liberty.

When you pick up the resources and say, “Ugh, I don’t know what to do with these,” stop and take a breath and remember, yes, this is going to take work because it is renewing the mind. It is changing the way you think. We are working to change our internal thinking, not just external actions. But, the external changes will not be hard, once the internal has come. The internal has to come first. It is not an instant process. It will take time and study, but it is laying a strong foundation from which everything else can flow.

A foundational Scripture we use in our teaching, that I think PA would agree with, is 2 Corithians 10:24: “Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy; for by faith ye stand.” Both L.E.D. and PA were developed to help you see Truth that would bring Freedom to your education, not put you in bondage. We pray that we may be a “helper of your joy” through L.E.D. and its application of A principles approach to education.