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Shine Thou Upon Us, Lord: a prayer and hymn for moms
Recently at church we sang the lovely hymn “Shine Thou Upon Us, Lord” by John Ellerton. If you are looking for an aid to prayer or devotion, may I commend this hymn to your study? Although not originally written as such, I feel like it could be appropriately titled “The Mother’s Prayer.” “Shine Thou Upon Us, Lord”by John Ellerton Shine thou upon us, Lord,True Light of men, today,And through the written WordThy very self display,That so from hearts which burnwith gazing on thy faceThy little ones may learnthe wonders of thy grace. Breathe thou upon us, Lord,Thy Spirit’s living flame,That so with one accordOur lips may tell thy Name.Give thou the hearing ear,Fix thou the wand’ring thought,that those we teach may hearthe great things thou hast wrought. Speak thou for us, O…
- Education, Faith, Humility and Doxology, Life Lessons, Morning Time and Memory Work, Motherhood and Parenting
Homeschool is Not a Vending Machine: why I don’t use curriculum, books, and memory work to grow my children’s virtue
“My daughter is really struggling with lying; can you recommend good fiction books I can have her read to fix that?” “My son struggles with self-control; do you know a good unit study that could help?” “This read-aloud/poem/memory work/curriculum is really great at forming virtue in your children.” These are the types of comments and questions I see frequently in the homeschool world. And while I understand that most parents ask these questions or make these comments out of a genuine, godly desire to disciple their children more faithfully, something about this approach to the topic of “virtue formation” or “character development” always makes me cringe. In fact, I would…
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Teaching the Creeds to Our Children
Have you ever considered including the historic creeds of the Christian church in your morning time, personal devotions, or family worship? If you’ve felt ill-equipped to teach them to your children, or have wondered why they even matter, come walk beside me as we explore the reasons to memorize the creeds with our children. What is a creed, and Why do we need them? The word “creed” comes from the Latin word “credo,” meaning “I believe.” Many church traditions even have the pastor ask the congregation, “Christian, what do you believe?” prior to a corporate recitation of one of these confessions of faith. Learning and reciting the historically espoused creeds…
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Ordinary Homeschool Planning: sometimes crazy, often simple, still beautiful
Planning for next year’s curriculum and schedule looks a lot like piles of books and papers scattered in semi-organized chaos across the corner of my bedroom. My intention was, eventually, to craft a beautiful and photogenic display. I’m an (accidental) homeschool blogger, after all. I think that’s part of the job description. Yeah. Um. That won’t be happening. I’ll just be happy if all those books and papers get to the proper shelves before we officially go back to a regular school routine in a couple weeks. This is a semi-metaphor for the way homeschooling often goes around here. Life is sometimes hard, and often surprising. I didn’t think my…
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Homeschool Conventions, Teaching, and Repentance
We go to homeschool conventions for encouragement and inspiration. But sometimes we end up discouraged and overwhelmed. How can we leave with joy and not fear?
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Simple Advent Ideas for Families
Looking for simple advent activities the whole family can enjoy? Here are 3 easy projects and 6 advent books for all ages to enjoy!
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Beginner’s Guide to Church History
For many modern protestants, church history (if they think about it at all) begins with those famous theses being nailed to a door, as if the 1500 previous years of Christianity don’t really count. If you have desired to learn more about church history or if you have longed to feel connected to the church throughout the ages, this post is for you! If you have felt overwhelmed at the thought of where to start your own studies, let alone how to pass on a delight-filled understanding of their place in church history to your children, I hope this post provides a helpful place to start.
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“According to the flesh”- Romans 8:1-4
What do you typically associate with walking “according to the flesh”? Do you primarily think of external sin and temptation? Fleshly desires? Bad theology? Morally corrupt allurements? Sins that “other people” commit? How might you be thinking according to the flesh in your daily life?
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Is the Bible Good for Women? by Wendy Alsup: Book Review
In her book, Alsup communicates intelligently, logically, humbly, emphasizing throughout a robust theology of Scripture. She seeks to answer this question: Is the Bible Good for Women?
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They also serve who only stand and wait
On His Blindness, by John Milton, is an exquisite sonnet that speaks patience and hope on the days we're anxiously desperate to please God through our works.
