7 Things to Pray for Your Children

There is a really great post at Desiring God - Seven Things to Pray for Your Children. You can read the entire post here.


 I love these seven things!

1. That Jesus will call them and no one will hinder them from coming.

Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” And he laid his hands on them and went away. (Matthew 19:13–15)

2. That they will respond in faith to Jesus’s faithful, persistent call.

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

3. That they will experience sanctification through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit and will increasingly desire to fulfill the greatest commandments.

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)

4. That they will not be unequally yoked in intimate relationships, especially marriage.

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14)

5. That their thoughts will be pure.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8)

6. That their hearts will be stirred to give generously to the Lord’s work.

All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord. (Exodus 35:29)

7. That when the time is right, they will GO!

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

Be sure the follow the link and read the entire post.

 

Why We Homeschool

FPEA put out a call for pictures to caption why we homeschool on Facebook.  Just for something a little different, I actually put a scrapbook page together of why we homeschool.  So here it is:

This pretty much captions a major reason we homeschool, to be able to explore the world around us on our time, not confined to school days off.  In fact, we tend to vacation while everyone else is in school!  And we get so much pleasure from being able to do that!

This past Tuesday, we took a day off from school and headed over to Busch Gardens for the day.  When we have theme park passes, I always take the kids for a day instead of going to the local fairs (unless it is to see a good Christian concert, like Toby Mac last year).  Even then though, no rides!  Just the concert.

Well, Tuesday turned out to be a gorgeous day and Busch Gardens wasn't crowded in the least.  Let seek, the kids rode:  Cheetah Hunt (3xs); Montu (2xs); Scorpion (6xs); Sand Serpent (6xs), Sheikra (2xs - well Caleb rode Sheikra 2xs by himself); Kumba (2xs); Bumper Cars (2xs)...anyway, you get the idea.  No crowds.  No lines.  It turned out to be such a pleasant and enjoyable day!  And the kids got some math and physics in testing their limits on those crazy roller coasters.

The picture above is obviously from St. Augustine.  The kids participated in the ranger program, completing a booklet and earning badges.  They enjoyed hands on the fort and learning all about it's history.

We have other trips to plan to enjoy real experiences.  Washington DC is on our hit list.  As is the creation museum in Cincinnati.  Mammoth Cave.  Charleston.

Now, we just need diesel prices to go down a bit!  Let the planning begin!!

Take the day, enjoy the kids, don't be hostage to workbooks, desks and four walls.  This is one reason why we homeschool.