Skip to main content

Burt Family Christian Academy Classes Resume ToMoRRoW!!

So tomorrow marks the official start of our family's fourteenth year of homeschooling. Can I just say "WOW" about the fact that it's been that long and that we're still going strong?! Not that I actually have much to do with our successes (but I will take full credit for our many failures!). It's all God, all the time; I'm just along for the ride.

The girls have examined their planners to see what the first few days of school will bring - three of them are ready to go and one of them is, well, less enthusiastic about the resumption of her academic duties. This year is unique in that our homeschool is no longer co-ed, so to speak. My husband arrives home from work after the school day is done and our son is now at college. It's an all-girl homeschool, and I am sure that will bring some challenges right along with it's many blessings.

We plan on having home-ec classes that are lengthier (think high school classes organized in blocks - perhaps Tuesdays and Thursdays will be home ec days with 90 minutes for cooking). A primary focus this year will be for them to learn in great detail what Titus 2 and 1 Timothy living look like in the life of a wife and mother. I have a great opportunity to pour into my daughters things that will be of huge significance all the days of their lives. And I'll be doing it all at the Lord's leading, since my own leading tends to lead everyone following me right into a ditch.

Of course, we will still be doing all the traditional school subjects. There is no need to neglect one aspect of an education in order to achieve excellence in another area. It can all be taught with excellence, and the busy homeschool mom can become a wife who is happy to see her husband each evening. One thing I do to help ensure that my role as wife is not superseded by my role as a homeschooler is to NOT over plan/over schedule/over-anything. In order to teach my girls how to be content as "keepers at home" I need to be at home. We don't need to do every activity that presents itself - that is something of a lie that has been pawned off as a deserved part of the American dream. And what on earth ever made us think that our daughters would look forward to motherhood when they see us continually stressed and grumbling due to our jam-packed schedules and overwhelmed lifestyles?? Okay, I'll get off my soap box now...

And for those times when I feel ill-equipped for the task God has called me to, I rely on His Word. It never fails to return to Him void, but accomplishes all that He means for it to accomplish.


Isaiah 46:4 ~ "I will sustain you and I will rescue you."

Now that's a pretty terrific promise to lean on when I'm feeling inadequate!


Hebrews 13:8 ~ "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

Whatever new challenges might arise on any given day, I can remember all the ways Jesus has cared for me through thick and thin. Knowing that He never changes reminds me that He will continue to care for me, come what may.


Proverbs 29:25 ~ "Whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe."

What a vivid reminder that He promises to keep me safe as I trust in Him!


So what verses are you studying as you begin a new year of homeschooling? What is the Lord God Almighty teaching you about Him even while you are teaching your children? Prepare yourself for good things this year, because He has good things in mind for you and has a great plan to fulfill His purposes for you!

Happy back-to-homeschool!

Day 109 done :)

Jan L. Burt
www.HomeschoolingMothersBibleStudy.com

Comments

  1. I've been learning that I often expect more of myself and children is areas that God does not care so much about. Who am I to require more than God?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

A Homeschool Mom's Devotional by award-winning podcaster Jan L. Burt

Colossians 4:17 tells the reader to "be sure to carry out the work the Lord gave you". How can this be applied to the enormously busy lifestyle of a homeschool mom? First of all, we must always remember that the Word of God has the answer for our every need and we can trust fully in God to use His Word to lead us, guide us, correct us, and bless us. Keeping that in mind, let's consider what this verse is saying. We are told to carry out, or complete, the work the Lord has given us. We are wives, mothers, homeschoolers. Those three BIG job descriptions come immediately to mind when I think of homeschooling mothers. Applying God's Word to our life means carrying out our work as wives, as mothers, and as homeschoolers. When I am exhausted from another long day (or long week, long month, long year, etc.) I still must honor the Lord by blessing my husband. Maybe that means having a hot meal on the table when he arrives home from work. Perhaps your husband

I Gotta Let You Know Two Very Important Things (Seriously, They Are Truly Important For You To Know...)

 First, a big --- fat --- hefty dose of encouragement for you, my wonderful homeschooling friend.  As you get ready to roll into the fall of 2020...stop for just one moment and hear what God's Word has to say to you right here, right now, on the brink of the last stretch of what has possibly been the most turn-your-whole-world-upside-down year ever.  Psalm 125:2 - As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people both now and forevermore.   You are surrounded.  Completely & totally, that's exactly how surrounded you are.  Going into the great unknown as, say, a working mom whose children are going to be doing school online at home (or a working mom homeschooling and working from home for just the next several months, but not planning on continuing to home educate after things "normalize" again).  This is God's promise just for you as you embark upon this season of life. I really, truly believe He wants you to know that He has you surrounded

My Preferred Bible Reading Plan

We all know that reading our Bibles is a key part of living a healthy life as a follower of Jesus. But busy homeschool moms may, at times, struggle to know what part of the Bible to read on any given day. Some people read the Bible through, Genesis to Revelation, and when they finish simply start over. Others have reading plans that follow along with the sermons their pastor is currently preaching. And yet others find themselves "stuck in the Psalms", since they're not quite sure what to read. I'm not going to tell you how many chapters a day you should read, or that you need to do exactly what I do. I'm just going to share what has worked for me, and hopefully encourage you to get into the Word using some type of plan ~ because every homeschool mom knows what happens to our plans when we fail to create a plan, right?! I use a prayer and Bible reading guide called "Prayer Point" , published by Samaritan's Purse. About every 8 weeks, I receive a

Do You Homeschool? Then You Need to Read This Article!

Whether you have been homeschooling for a month, a year, or a decade, you've inevitably faced the "questions". Questions about socialization, college, athletics, driver's ed, high-school biology, etc. etc. etc. and so on..... It seems as if homeschoolers are ripe for questions from day one; but the flip side seems to be that there really is no flip side. We are expected to patiently answer any and all questions, smiling politely and pretending we've never heard this line of questioning before. But when we try to ask a few questions about, say, public schools as a whole or the issue of private schools being used as a last-ditch landing spot for students expelled from public school, well...ahem...we're pretty much told to keep quiet. No one wants to hear our questions, and often times no one really wants to hear our answers to their questions. They just kind of want us to....go....away. I'm not planning on going away any time soon. And neither are my fiv

Everything by Mary DeMuth

The book Everything by Mary DeMuth became a "keeper" for me almost as soon as I began reading. Mary sugarcoats nothing in her attempt to make Jesus' gospel what it rightly is ~ and as you probably guessed from the title of her book, it rightly is about everything. Eighteen chapters, three sections, one-hundred and ninety-eight pages...if you take the time to delve into them you will grow exponentially in your walk with the Lord. In Everything Mary calls us out, calls us higher, and admonishes us with honesty and openness. Sharing from her heart and relying heavily on the truth that is God's Word, she sets things straight. There aren't just one or two things about this book that I have taken to heart; and there aren't just a couple of quotes I could share here. The book in it's entirety is a game-changer! Please buy this book, read this book, apply the truths in this book to your life, and let the Lord become your everything! HERE is a dire