The Fruit of the Spirit

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 

Galatians 2:22-23 (ESV)

We have been studying the book of Galatians in our adult Sunday school class at church. It is a book filled with admonitions, encouragement, and the assurance that we are saved by faith, rather than works. These two little verses are often memorized by children and adults alike. It is a simple passage, brimming with symbolism and ripe with possibilities for illustration. We once had a "Fruit of the Spirit tree" on the wall of our dining room, complete with fruits dangling from the branches -- a homeschool project we made as a visual reminder of the character traits we should exhibit as Christians. 

The Fruit of the Spirit is not something we can produce on our own, however. Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5). Just as a branch pruned from a tree will not grow apples, we cannot bear fruit by ourselves. We must be connected to the Vine. With prayer and worship, the reading of the Word, and fellowship with other believers, we can receive the nourishment we need to live by the Spirit and produce that fruit.

But that's not all. While fruit is desirable, and evidence of the Holy Spirit in us, that's not the end. Every fruit contains a seed. When others see the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives and wonder where it came from, we have an opportunity to share the message of salvation, and a seed is planted in their hearts. By the grace of God, that seed can sprout and grow in their lives, ultimately producing more fruit for His glory!

By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. John 15:8 (ESV)  

A Homeschool Journey, Part 6: Starting School

The years had flown by, and here we were, ready to begin our new adventure. In my last post in this series, A Homeschool Journey, Part 5: Choosing Curriculum, I shared some of what went into our decision about what materials to use in our school. We had settled on a simple spiral-bound guide, filled with ideas for teaching young children. There were no textbooks. Each day's lesson plan had recommendations for library books that related to what we were learning about. These were real books, filled with pictures and stories and fascinating facts. And they were free! 

The second component of our curriculum was The Writing Road to Reading by Romalda Spalding, originally published in 1957. A complete guide to teaching phonics for speech, writing, spelling, and reading, this book has no bells or whistles. It is a manual for the teacher. The book teaches 70 phonograms and spelling rules (some of which I, myself, had never learned), and contains a spelling list that begins with "me" and ends with "rendezvous". Obviously, this is not a book just for teaching kindergarten -- it would be used for many years. Additionally, it includes a list of books for children to read all the way through sixth grade -- well-written children's books and classic children's literature, rather than those mediocre readers that I had been subjected to in school. Some homeschooling parents are intimidated by The Writing Road to Reading, but I studied it carefully beforehand, and our kindergarten curriculum included a step-by-step, simplified approach to using it. 

As we eagerly awaited the big day, we went shopping for school supplies. Our daughter chose a pretty three ring binder to keep her papers organized. And we bought fun things, such as colored paper, crayons, glue, and scissors just for her. We already had the obligatory globe, and we had a small American flag. Our children would learn the Pledge of Allegiance and the Star-Spangled Banner, even if they didn't go to a "real" school. And so it began.

Four days each week were school days, and Fridays were reserved for field trips and the library. Our subject areas were Bible, Reading (including writing and spelling), Arithmetic, God's World (science and social studies), Health and Manners, Art and Music, Physical Education, Character Building, Story Time, and Bible Memory. Some subjects were covered every day; others, we did twice a week. It was a very well-rounded education for a child in kindergarten. And it only took 90 minutes a day! 

Be sure to come back for part 7 of A Homeschool Journey!

Easter Blessings!

"Why do you seek the  living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen." These shocking words, recorded in Luke 24:5-6, came to the women who had gone to the tomb where Jesus' body lay just days earlier. He had been beaten and mocked and nailed to a cross. They had seen him take his last breath. They had watched Joseph of Arimathea take the body of their Lord and wrap it in a linen shroud and lay him in a tomb. And that morning, they had come with spices and ointments to anoint him, although they had no idea how they would roll away the stone that blocked the entrance. But when they arrived, lo and behold, the stone had been rolled away! When they entered the tomb they found that Jesus was no longer there! And as they wondered what had happened, an angel appeared and told them that Jesus was alive! 

As we celebrate Easter with our families today, let us remember what this holiday is really about. Let us remember that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. But that grave where they laid him is empty. Jesus is alive! Just as He said.

A Homeschool Journey, Part 5: Choosing Curriculum

We had made the decision. After years of reading about homeschooling, and having met a few people who were actually doing it, we knew that we would be teaching our kids at home. We had been reading to the children since they were born and provided lots of learning experiences in their early years. In my previous post in this series, A Homeschool Journey, Part 4: Early Education, I described some of the things we did. School attendance was not compulsory until age six, and children were required to be five years old before entering kindergarten. But our precocious four-year-old had known her letters since she was two and was eager to learn to read so that she could (in her words) read her Bible. She was ready for school. And so we came to The Question: What curriculum would we use?

We had seen a few advertisements in Christian magazines for some of the most commonly used curricula at the time: A Beka Book, Bob Jones University Press, Alpha Omega, and Accelerated Christian Education. The first two had lots of colorful materials that looked much like what most school children use. The other two were designed for children to use at their own pace, but they were less colorful and, in fact, looked rather dull. All of them were used in Christian schools.

We also consulted a few books that were invaluable in our decision: The Christian Home Educators' Curriculum Manual: Elementary Grades by Cathy Duffy, Mary Pride's Big Book of Home Learning Volume 1: Getting Started, and Teaching Children: A Curriculum Guide to What Children Need to Know at Each Level Through Sixth Grade by Diane Lopez. I carefully read and considered what each author had to say. Mary Pride's book was packed with information about homeschooling and included descriptions of the available curricula. Cathy Duffy's book was very thorough in its descriptions, but we noticed that she personally did not recommend the Bob Jones or A Beka Book materials. Although they were colorful and enticing, these materials were developed for classroom teaching, she said, and were not geared toward home education.

After a great deal of thought and prayer, I was still not sure what to do. Somehow, my husband managed to find a phone number for Cathy Duffy and gave her a call. He spoke with her for quite some time and came away with her recommendation: a spiral-bound manual by Ann Ward called Learning at Home Preschool & Kindergarten: A Christian Parents' Guide with Day-By-Day Lesson Plans Using the Library as a Resource. Unlike some of the other curricula we had looked at, this was inexpensive and was geared specifically toward homeschoolers, with young children in mind. We decided to take her advice. It was the best decision we ever made in beginning this new adventure!

Be sure to come back for Part 6 of my homeschooling series!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Well, here it is! My first dress made with the templates from the book Sew Many Dresses, Sew Little Time: The Ultimate Dressmaking Guide by Tanya Whelan. In my post, Two Hundred Dresses, I shared my excitement about the possibility of designing my own dresses with guidance from this book. My first effort has a basic bodice with a straight skirt, back vent, and invisible zipper in the back, which I inserted by hand. It is also fully lined. The most  laborious part of this project was getting the fit right. You must take accurate measurements and use Tanya's size chart, since the sizes are nothing like standard pattern sizes. Add to that, adjustments for being two different sizes -- one on top and one on the bottom -- and modifications had to be made. This was not difficult to do, but not a job for a beginning seamstress. I made a mock-up first with an old sheet in order to get it just right before cutting the dress fabric. Now that I have the adjustments made, subsequent creations should be much easier (that is, if I don't gain weight!). Now, to choose my next design!

In keeping with the "wearing of the green", I thought I'd share a little poem that my mother wrote many years ago (for more of her poetry, see A Little Word of Kindness). 

My grandpap came from Ireland

Many years ago

I'll wear a big green shamrock

So everyone will know

That I'm a bit of Irish,

And I'm certain that it shows

In the blarney that I'm speakin'

And the freckles on my nose!

Wilma Thompson, 1967

The Luck of the Irish to You!

A Homeschool Journey, Part 4: Early Education

In my previous post in this series, A Homeschool Journey, Part 3: The Research Begins, I related some of what we learned while investigating the idea of homeschooling. Meanwhile, we were blessed with two children. Right from the start, we wanted our children to have the best education we could provide. And that started at home, no matter what our ultimate decision would be concerning school. We read to the kids from the time they were babies, beginning with soft books and board books with lots of pictures. From there, we progressed to Little Golden Books, classic picture books, and nursery rhymes. The public library was a favorite destination, and we went there often. The children never sat in front of the TV. In fact, we didn't even own a television!

Instead of staring at a screen for countless hours, we did things. We went to parks to play. We went to nature centers to learn about and enjoy God's creation. We went to the beach, or had picnics of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the backyard. We went for walks around the neighborhood and met people. The baby rode in the stroller while his older sister held onto the handle with Mommy. (We continued to teach our kids to do this as more children came along, preventing little ones from running off and getting hurt or lost in stores). We didn't just wait until they misbehaved and then punish them for it; we taught them how to behave. We explained to them what to expect if they were going to encounter a new situation. Our kids learned to sit quietly and enjoy concerts. They memorized nursery rhymes and Bible verses and songs. They colored and made crafts and played with puzzles. And after a busy day we had bedtime stories and prayers, and then the kids drifted off to sleep with classical music playing softly on the stereo.

On Sundays, we went to church. The Lord led us to a little storefront church with lots of young families who loved Jesus (someone we met on one of those walks had invited us). The pastor's wife even had a Sunday school class for infants. The babies sat in their car seats or "sassy seats" that hooked onto a table, and had a little lesson with songs, puppets, pictures, and baby-sized Bibles with pictures of Jesus. The children learned that church was a fun place to go, with people who loved them. And there were even a couple families who homeschooled their children!

I had been a little nervous about the whole thing. I knew that I was capable of teaching my kids; after all, I had been teaching them since they were born. But I didn't know what legal issues we might encounter. Did the school district give homeschoolers a hard time, or were they easy to work with? After talking to one of the couples at church about my fears, they assured me that they had never had a problem. The homeschooling law that had been passed in 1985 was a good one; the requirements were easy to meet. That encouragement was all I needed. We were going to homeschool! Now, all we needed was the answer to The Question: What curriculum would we use?

Stay tuned for Part 5 of our homeschool adventure! 

Granola Parfait

A few years ago, my husband and I went on a diet. He had always been a little overweight, and I had gradually put on a few pounds that I didn't need. So we decided that enough was enough. And together, we changed our eating habits. He lost over 50 pounds, and I lost 15. We tried new foods, eliminated others, and before we knew it, our craving for gooey sweets was gone and our clothes were getting looser. Some day I will share how we did it. But today, I would like to share our favorite breakfast food.

This delicious granola parfait is tasty and nutritious, packed with vitamins and protein to start your day. One helping of this with a cup of Teavanna's Samurai Chai Mate, and I am ready to go! There is room for creativity in the recipe to suit your own taste. I buy walnuts (or pecans) in a large bag, chop them in my food processor, and store them in a container so they are handy when I need them. The ginger is purchased in the bulk foods section of Wholefoods Market. It costs much less than the little jars you get at the grocery store in the spice aisle. The recipe makes enough for the two of us to eat for a week. Enjoy!

Granola

4 cups oats
1 cup wheat bran
2/3 cup ground flaxseed
2 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
2/3 cup apple juice
1 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons minced candied ginger
1 cup dried cranberries or other fruit

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Combine oats, bran, flaxseed, and nuts in a large bowl.
Combine juice, syrup and ginger in a small saucepan and heat until simmering.
Pour over oats and stir.
Spread onto two baking sheets and bake for 25 - 30 minutes, stirring and switching racks halfway through.
Pour into bowl and stir in fruit.
Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Granola Parfait (one serving)

1/2 cup granola
1/2 banana
1/2 cup fresh or frozen berries, thawed
1/3 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt

Layer in a pretty dish, and enjoy!