Monday, February 26, 2018

Legacy Homeschool Reflections Podcast 9: Prayerful Parents, Teaching Children to Pray

Excited to be a part of The Homeschool Fitting-It-All-In Online Summit.  Register for free here.  I will be speaking on Day 6.  Thank you for listening. ~Ruth L. Adams

Families Praying Together

Prayerful Parents Teaching, Children to Pray
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If you liked this podcast, please consider my book: Legacy - Reflections of a Homeschooled, Homeschooling Mama.
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Saturday, February 24, 2018

The Faithful Legacy of Billy Graham

This week our world lost a faithful man of God.  Billy Graham has touched so many of our lives in one way or another.  One thing I appreciate so much is that he left a legacy of faithfulness.  He was faithful to preaching the cross of Jesus and repentance and he was faithful to his wife.  That is a beautiful legacy! 
  Just about this time last year my husband and I were privileged to visit the Billy Graham library in Charlotte, North Carolina.  The house in the picture below is his childhood home.  This was the discipleship center where his father gathered Billy and his siblings each day to teach them from the Word of God.  I'm sure that at the time Billy's father had no idea how the Lord would one day use his son to advance the kingdom.  Eventually Billy's childhood home was moved from the dairy farm to the location of the Billy Graham library.  


When you visit the Billy Graham Library it is very evident that he dearly loved his wife Ruth.  When she went to heaven her body was buried in the prayer garden outside the library.  Billy Graham's earthly body will soon be buried beside Ruth's grave.  



  
 Here is a picture of me, Ruth Adams, standing beside the wedding dress of Ruth Graham. 


Billy Graham taught the simple message of the cross and repentance decade after decade.  Few men have had the opportunities he had to travel around the world sharing the good news of Jesus with millions of people.  Also, few men have had opportunity to speak into the lives of so many US presidents.  


  When you look at the overall trajectory of Graham's life, he believed in the simple message of the cross and shared Christ and the need for repentance to huge masses of people over his lifetime.  He also stayed faithful to his wife refusing to ever be in any situation with another woman alone.  
Billy Graham lived a life of faithfulness and believed in the Old Rugged Cross.  He traveled the world preaching the same message of faith and repentance for many decades until he was too old to do so any longer.  


  When we visited the library we were told that Billy Graham was ready to go home and see his bride Ruth.  Just one year later Billy Graham has ended his earthly pilgrimage and is in the presence of His Lord.  It truly is bittersweet.  I am sad to see our world lose such a steadfast proclaimer of the gospel, but I rejoice that He is with his dear bride again.  

   
  If you ever have opportunity to visit the Billy Graham library I would highly recommend it.  My husband and I were touched with Graham's legacy and how he stayed focused on boldly proclaiming the cross, faith, and repentance.  


Just the other morning I was praying with my children asking the Lord to raise up future leaders who will carry on the legacy of faith in the days ahead.  This world is broken, and we need men of God who will be faithful and share the truth of the gospel unapologetically.  I am thankful for the life and the legacy of Billy Graham. 


Monday, February 19, 2018

Legacy Homeschool Reflections Podcast 8: Response to the Turpin abuse case

Excited to be a part of The Homeschool Fitting-It-All-In Online Summit.  Register for free here.  I will be speaking on Day 6.  Thank you for listening. ~Ruth L. Adams

Response to the Turpin abuse case.  This is not HOMESCHOOLING!
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Image result for government tyranny

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Saturday, February 17, 2018

The Blessing of Prayer in Family Life

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Two weeks ago I did a post on how vital the Word of God is to our families.  This week I would like to follow that post up with a new post on the importance of prayer in our homes.  Life is sometimes very challenging, and I see prayer as such a grace that the Lord invites us into His presence at any time to share our joys, our struggles and our sorrows.  I don't know what my Mama heart would do without prayer; it is a strength to me to know I can take my deepest heart concerns before my Heavenly Father who loves me and has all power to work in my circumstances.  I hope this post encourages you to seek the Lord with your family through the means of prayer.  


Not only is it crucial that parents be prayer warriors for their children, but I think it is also vitally important to pray with our children.  We want to train them to live constantly in the presence of the Lord, going to Him in their joys and sorrows and when they need direction for life.  Especially in the context of homeschooling we can lead our children into the presence of the Lord all throughout the day and night.  Has something exciting happened?  Why not pause and give thanks to the Lord?  Have you just heard about a serious need in the life of a family member or friend?  This is a good opportunity to stop whatever is going on and pray over that need as a family.  Is a child dealing with fear during the night?  You can lovingly stroke their hair and remind them that, "In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." - Psalm 4:8


  It is important to keep taking our children back to the cross, back to Jesus, and back to the good news of the gospel.  In item one of Martin Luther's 95 Theses he stated, "When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, 'Repent' (Matt. 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance." It is important that parents model humble repentance when they fail and also encourage their children along in going to Jesus with their sins, humbling themselves, and receiving new grace to move forward in victory.  

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  Whatever is going on in the midst of your day, it is always a good time to grab hands and lead your children into the Father's presence.  This is training for life.  Whenever we have challenges arise through our day I want to be quick to stop everything and lead our children into prayer, asking the Lord for His guidance and help.  It does not come naturally to stop in the chaos of life and call together a prayer group but I see the need to do more of this.  Rather than plowing through the difficulties, I want to show my children that when things are burdensome we need to have a default called prayer.  
  It is also a great thing to stop with a child when they come to us complaining about something that is bothering them personally.  If we stop and say, "Let's pray about that," then we are teaching them to go to the Lord with their concerns.  

A family kneel in a row while the father closes his eyes and prays.

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  Here are a few ideas to get you thinking about how you might be able to incorporate more prayer into the environment of your home.  

* Take a prayer walk with a child
*Have a jar where you collect prayer requests and pray for a new need each day.
*Pray over all the families represented by the Christmas cards you received in the mail
*Have a white board or chalk board where family members can write down prayer needs as they arise, and be sure to pray over those at meals or family worship times.
*Make a point to pray with your family for our government leaders on the National, State, and Local levels.
*Pray regularly as a family for your church leadership.
*Start each school day with prayer.
*Stop and pray through sibling rivalry.
*Make meal time prayers more intentional and pray over more than the food at these times of family gathering.

These are just a few ideas on how we can work at having more prayerful atmospheres in our homes.  I would love to hear if you have ideas to add to the list.  May we all rejoice anew in the precious opportunity the Lord gives to us to come into His presence.  Anytime and any place is a perfect opportunity to bring our families before the throne of grace.  I encourage you this week to ask the Lord to show you more opportunities to lead your children into His presence with thanksgiving.  





Sunday, February 11, 2018

Legacy Homeschool Reflections Podcast 7: The importance of the Gospel

Excited to be a part of The Homeschool Fitting-It-All-In Online Summit.  Register for free here.  I will be speaking on Day 6.  Thank you for listening. ~Ruth L. Adams

The importance of the Gospel in your homeschool.
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                 Image result for children at the cross

If you liked this podcast, please consider my book: Legacy - Reflections of a Homeschooled, Homeschooling Mama.
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Saturday, February 10, 2018

The Turpin Family Abuse is NOT Representative of Most Homeschool Families








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Hello Friends,
  I have some things on my heart to share in light of recent news headlines featuring the Turpin Family "House of Torture" stories. Sadly many are using this horrendous story to try to clamp down on homeschoolers and create laws to hinder the home education freedoms we have enjoyed over the past many years.
  I have a lot of thoughts concerning all of this, but my first point is to state that this creepy story is NOT representative of most homeschool families!  I have been involved in homeschooling for almost forty years both as a homeschool student and now as a homeschooling Mama to seven.  I know that most homeschooling parents are making great sacrifices to home educate their students and truly have the best interest of each of their children in mind.
  Last year I published a book titled Legacy Reflections of a Homeschooled, Homeschooling Mama, and one of my objectives was to state how grateful I am for the legacy of faith my parents gave to me through the means of home education.  In addition, I am seeking to share the many blessings I received through home education.  I truly believe that the Lord used my time growing up in the classroom of my home to shape me for His kingdom purposes.


  Yes, there are always those rare, exceptions to the rule, but I really want to make clear that this Turpin family case is a rare tragedy and not the norm in the homeschooling movement.
  Back in the eighties my family was among many others who fought for homeschool freedoms.  I remember the day my family traveled to Austin, TX to stand with a huge number of homeschool families who were there to state that they wanted freedoms to home educate their children without government interference.  By God's grace great freedoms were won in Texas, however, those freedoms are now at risk again.  As you probably know, there are liberal activists who are using this Turpin family case to try to motivate government to clamp down on our homeschool liberties.  Dear parents, now is the time to stand up, be aware of what is happening, do your part, and fight for the preservation of the established freedoms we have enjoyed for many years.  Freedom always comes with a price, and I cannot state it enough that the homeschool freedoms we now enjoy are at risk.  We must not be apathetic here.  If we sit back and let these activists have a field day with this Turpin case then we are at risk of being subjected to physical checks/examinations of our children, home inspections, and overall the government being too involved in our business.
  I am certain that most of you reading this know the headlines about the Turpin case, but I am going to do a re-cap here unless anyone has missed any of these details.  Earlier in January thirteen children/adult children were found in a California home having been subjected to years of torture and abuse.  The family "homeschooled" which is why there is a movement of people trying to create new laws that will threaten homeschool freedoms.  According to the Washington Post,  A neighbor was surprised to meet a Turpin son, a man in his mid twenties, who she said looked fifteen."  These Turpin young adults and children were severely malnourished and a twenty-nine year old daughter/victim only weighed eighty-nine pounds.  TIME magazine described the Turpin home as a "Torture Chamber."  Also, "Authorities said the children, for reasons still unclear, were starved for years and held capture in a dirty, smelly house in Parris, CA.  If they misbehaved, they were tied to their beds as punishment - first a rope and later chains and padlocks - and were kept from using the bathroom."
According to the LA Times the children had been "Neglected for years in ways so extreme that the siblings are severely malnourished and some show signs of cognitive impairment and nerve damage."
The children were found earlier in January and are now be evaluated and treated while their parents, "Have been barred from contacting the children for the next three years, including by phone or electronically.  They are prohibited from being within one hundred yards away from their children and are being held on a twelve million dollar bail."

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  One thing the children were allowed to do in their captivity was to write in journals, and so investigators are going through their journals to try to find out what was going on behind the walls of the Turpin home.  On and on the stories go, and likely more is still to be revealed.
  This is just sick!  This is not homeschooling.  I make my point again that this is NOT representative of most homeschool families.  This is not home-education in any way, shape or form.  This is abuse, this is criminal activity, this is anything but home education.
  Because of this morbid story there are an astounding number of articles all over the internet stating that tougher laws, requirements, and inspections should be required for people to homeschool their children.  One such article I found is from the News Republic.  The name of the article is, "The Turpins Won't Be the Last, How Lax Homeschooling Laws Protect Child Abusers."  Without taking the time to go deep into the article, the point of it is that lax homeschool laws enable abusive parents.
  Now I just want to stop right there and ask what about all the abusive parents who send their children to state schools everyday?  If you do a statistical study you will find that FAR more students are abused in state school homes than in private homeschools.  For that matter there are also stories of kids being abused in christian, private schools.  Abuse is going to be found in every kind of school, every kind of home, every kind of church, and every kind of religious persuasion.  It is important, however, to look at statistics and realize that most homeschools are not abusive!  Also, a correlation does not mean a causation.  Yes, there was a correlation to "homeschooling" in this Turpin family case but not a causation.  I believe had David and Louise Turpin sent their children to government schools then there would have been abuse going on at home in the evenings.  The problem here is not home education or the lack thereof but rather a case of abusive parenting.  This is a parenting issue not a homeschool issue!
Image result for i love homeschool
  Going back to my own upbringing, as a homeschool student, I NEVER knew any homeschool families where anything like this was going on.  You want to know something else?  Almost forty years later I still do not know any homeschool families abusing their children.  I have known many, many homeschool families over the span of almost four decades, and never once have I ever heard that any of these families were abusive to their children.  Again, I encourage you to think about the fact that abuse happens far more frequently in families who send their children to state schools.  What about all the children in the slums who are living with drug and alcohol addicted parents?  What do you think their home life is like?  So are we also going to send CPS workers to do yearly investigations in all the homes of children attending public schools?
  In addition, what about families who hold to different religious beliefs and the fathers who have been known to torture young adults who have left the family's religion and converted to Christianity?  To be self-consistent do we need to send CPS inspectors to do home checks in every home that holds to those beliefs?
  What about the fact that there have been some children abused in churches?  Do we now need to have CPS get involved in annual inspections inside every church?  What about the stories of priests in the Catholic church abusing children?  Need CPS do regular investigations in every Catholic Church?
   Furthermore, what about the recent stories coming out about the gymnastics coach in Michigan who has abused many, many girls through the years?  Do we now invite CPS to make regular visits and subject every teacher and coach to investigations?  Do we want to live in police states where the state has totalitarian control over every aspect of our lives?

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  My point here is that we cannot just single out the homeschooling community because of one tragic case and punish all home educating parents, cracking down on their freedoms, inviting CPS into every homeschool home for physical and emotional checks on the children, and who knows what else?  This is not at all fair and could really threaten our rights to home educate our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  Would you feel comfortable with a CPS investigator knocking on your door and asking to interview each of your children while "looking for a problem in your home?"  Some of these investigators would be out to "find' a problem even if no problem exists.  What about if your house just doesn't happen to be quite squeaky clean "enough" that particular day? Again, the answer is NOT to punish and regulate all homeschool families because of a rare case of abuse.  The answer IS to rightly punish the offenders and bring them to justice.  Now is the time for Christian, homeschooling parents to be vigilant, prayerful, discerning, and active to speak up for freedom.
  Matt Walsh chimed in on this with some good things to say, "The treatment suffered by the Turpin children is horrendous and depraved, but it is an anomaly among home educators.  It's not as though thousands upon thousands of homeschool parents have their starving, unwashed kids chained to a bedpost.  On the other hand, the sexual abuse problem in public school is a verified national crisis - 100 times worse according to life site news, than it ever was in the Catholic Church." Walsh goes on to point out that, "Public schools can also often be nests of drug and gang activity, with 27% of public school kids attending schools that are gang and drug infected."  He nailed it when he said, "There is not any evidence that homeschool is more dangerous for a child than public school.  There is an overwhelming amount of evidence that the opposite is the case.  So, instead of asking the government to take charge of our families, perhaps we should ask it to take charge of its own affairs.  To this point, it has not shown itself capable of doing even that much."
  A couple of years ago a helpful study was done called the Gen2 Survey that looked at and did statistical  comparisons on millennials who were homeschooled, attended Christian school, and those who were educated in state schools. This study did statistical studies comparing these three groups, and in the category of how likely to be abused, the break down turned out that sixteen percent reported abuse from public school, fifteen percent from private, Christian schools, and only six percent reported abuse from homeschools.  You can see that statistically abuse is much lower in homeschool settings.  This makes good sense when you consider that when parents decides to home educate their children they are choosing to make many sacrifices to carry out this plan.  Most parents who don't care would never choose home education.  Typically home educating parents are intentional, loving, dedicated, and willing to make many sacrifices so that their children can be taught at home.  This is NOT to say that parents who choose other paths do not love their children; I am not saying that at all.  What I am saying is that the norm is that homeschooling parents are choosing a path that requires great sacrifice and that they care very much about the needs their children.  Yes, there are always the exceptions to the norm (The Turpins) but this is a bizarre exception.  All homeschool families should not be subjected to home checks, medical checks, and more because of a crazy exception.


  Now going back to the history of homeschooling, and the pioneering parents who have already fought the brave fight for freedom, I want to point out the good work of HSLDA throughout the years.  Here is a write up I found about the purpose and history of the Home School Legal Defense Association.  "HSLDA was founded by Michael Farris in 1983 for the purpose of defending homeschooling families.  At the time, homeschooling was not specifically legal in most of the states of the U.S. under compulsory education laws.  Those who practiced homeschooling were often harassed or prosecuted.  Through a combination of legal action and legislative lobbying, HSLDA played a large part in the legalization of homeschooling throughout the U.S.
  Homeschool liberty is dear to my heart, because my family was one of the families who fought to secure the freedoms we now enjoy.  I encourage you to look into HSLDA https://hslda.org and also to look at Heritage Defense which we use as a legal protection for our homeschool.  http://www.heritagedefense.org
   At this point I just want to close the post with going back to the why and the vision of home education.  Here is a quote that I love from my book.  It succinctly summarizes much of what I feel I received through the home discipleship/home education model my parents chose for my upbringing.  I am thankful for my legacy and the freedom I have had thus far to carry on this legacy with my own seven children.


  Here is a snippet from a chapter in my book that I want to share with you: "I am furthermore grateful that I have the freedom to educate my own children at home where we are learning that history is His Story, that Science proclaims the works of a wonderful Creator, that music is a way we can glorify our Lord, that reading enables us to read the very words of God, and so forth.  In all of our studies, we are trying to paint a picture of divine providence and the sovereignty of God.  We are trying to instill a Biblical worldview so that our children can see all of life through the lens of God, His word, and His ways."  
  Lastly, THSC has been on the alert working for homeschool freedoms for Texans for many years.  I have been hearing that they are seeking to mobilize homeschooling families to be prepared to fight the battle should it begin to rage.  Right now they are seeking to inform families of how they can be proactive and do their part to preserve the freedoms my parents and many others fought to obtain.  Here is a link to look at how THSC is proceeding: https://www.thsc.org/events/operation-mobilize/
  In closing, let me remind us again that freedom comes at a cost and it is worth preserving.  May we proceed ahead with watchfulness, prayer, and great vision for the future.  


  




Sunday, February 4, 2018

Legacy Homeschool Reflections Podcast 6: Family discipleship with my husband Matt

Excited to be a part of The Homeschool Fitting-It-All-In Online Summit.  Register for free here.  I will be speaking on Day 6.  Thank you for listening. ~Ruth L. Adams

I am excited to have my husband, Matt, join me to discuss our journey in family discipleship together.
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If you liked this podcast, please consider my book: Legacy - Reflections of a Homeschooled, Homeschooling Mama.
Click here to buy.

Saturday, February 3, 2018

Bringing More of God's Word into Our Homes


                                   
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This week I would like to share about an essential I feel we must not ignore in our Christian homes.This essential is a steady intake of the Word of God.  Because I homeschool my children, I am with them all day and have the privilege of taking them before the throne of grace and into God's Word multiple times a day.  My desire is that our home be a discipleship center where we are living and breathing a genuine walk with Christ all throughout the day and night.  

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Through the years I have felt like the Lord has been showing me that even our academics can often be taught from the context of Biblical truth.  As I have prayed about various homeschool curriculum decisions, I have sensed that the Lord has been asking me to bring more and more of His Word into the flow of our day and educational experience.  

  We never want our children to come to see the Bible as just a quaint, antiquarian book of stories.  No, we want them to know it is God's very words to them-their guidebook for life.  It is the eternal, inspired, infallible Word of God.  

"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.  More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.  Moreover, by them is your servant warned in keeping them there is great reward" (Psalm 19:7-11).

From Genesis to Revelation the gospel story of God's love and redemption runs through every chapter.  A Bible story should not primarily be about Moses, Noah, or David.  It should be about the mighty God who did great things in and through the lives of such men.  This sovereign God is in control of all history from beginning to end.  He is working His eternal plan from the fall in the garden to the glorious redemption we eagerly await.  The Bible is a narrative that tells us the gospel story of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration.  This is the most beautiful thing of all for us to teach our children.  The prince of preacher, Charles Spurgeon, put it like this:

"This great book, the Bible, this most precious volume is the heart of God made legible; it is the gold of God's love, beaten out into gold leaf, so that therewith our thoughts might be plated, and we also might have golden, good and holy thoughts concerning Him."  - Charles Spurgeon

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 As Christian families I believe that God's Word should be elevated to a place of prominence in our homes.  Whenever there is question as to a decision to be made or as to what is right or wrong, the Bible should be our guide.  We would do well to not just tell our children what to do but to take them straight to the source of all truth.  I do not want my children to derive their code of ethics based on what Mama believes.  That may work when they are young, but the day will come when they will become more independent thinkers.  If I have taught them from the onset what the Bible says rather than what Mama thinks, then they will have a foundation that is built upon the authoritative Word of God rather than their mama's ideas.  

  Whenever there is a question as to a decision to be made or as to what is right or wrong, the Bible should be our guide.  We would do well to not just tell our children what to do but to take them straight to the source of all truth.  The bible is the best plumb line and the best true north.  It is a light for our path.  
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  Now to be practical, here are some specific ways we are trying to incorporate more of God's Word into our daily lives:

*Talking about the Word in everyday conversations
*Helping our children memorize the Word
*Scripture songs put to music
*Listening to the Word on a Bible App (This one is for me so that I am intaking more of the Word, but sometimes my children come into the room and also here bits of it.)
*Family Bible Time
*Circle Time (This is when I gather the children in the family room, in the mornings, and share God's Word with them.)
*Using Biblically based homeschool curriculum
*Taking Them to Church to hear the Word of God preached
*Choosing excellent reading materials for our family library that tell stories of virtue and truth and refer to God's Word and His ways.  

  These are just some of the ways that we are trying to be intentional about keeping God's Word front and center in the atmosphere of our home.  What are some ways you are finding to be effective in bringing the Word of God before your children?  I would love to hear your ideas!