JOY Has Arrived!

Do you believe God cares about your dreams?

Do you believe He inspires your dreams so He can accomplish His will through your life?

Becky Tirabassi, in her book Let Prayer Change Your Life, says "faith is a whisper, a call, an intelligible, but usually not audible voice directing us to achieve something for the good of others."

She says, ". . . it is in and through prayer that God has released a myriad of ideas, goals, and dreams. They might have been new or lying dormant, but when no longer hindered by fears of failure or tripped up by stumbling blocks such as personal sin, shame, or guilt, (we are) empowered to risk and dream. 

"When you begin to spend time with God on a regular basis, your fears, besetting sins, shame from your past, and list of reasons why you 'cant, didn't, or shouldn't' will begin to pass away, be resolved, or be exposed as excuses why you haven't reached your dreams or fulfilled your purpose in life. Prayer will wipe away those excuses and pry open the doors of faith, pushing you toward your dreams" (203).

January 2011 was the darkest time in my adult life.

It was also the month that birthed the dream for my devotional book, Joy in the Journey ~ Encouragement for Homeschooling Moms.

As Becky Tirabassi so eloquently wrote, it was a time of pressing hard into the face of Christ out of deep and desperate need. I was stripped of everything I had trusted in save the mercy and grace of God, and I learned it was enough.

I learned to pray the words of Daniel 9:18, "We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy." 

And His mercy met me there.

"Perhaps this is just where God would have us--helpless within our own strength, dependent on His deliverance. This balance in prayer," Tirabassi says, "allows Him to become strong in our weakness as well as receive the glory for the (often miraculous) answers to those prayers. Prayer fuels our faith to believe what we cannot see" (208-209).

In the broken and tender ground of my heart, God planted Joy in the Journey. I began to see Him at work, "the God of all comfort, Who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. "  

And to see His purpose for me, not despite my circumstances, but because of them.

"To comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair."

Tirabassi says, "Prayer doesn't stop with an idea or a list of to do's. God brings others alongside to believe in your dream. A great faith booster occurs when, after you have persevered in prayer, people come to you to offer help, even if you haven't told anyone your need.

"Oftentimes in the moments when you feel most rejected or discouraged, God brings His rescue, packaged in such a way to remind you that He is the designer, orchestrator, and giver of the dream" (209).


"What is the work or what are the dreams and desires that you believe God has given you to do that remain unfulfilled? 

When you pray, watch for small, medium, and large doors to open. These answers to prayer will be clear signs along the way of God's direction, goodness, faithfulness, and power being released on your behalf to fulfill the dreams He has put in your heart" (211).

 Joy in the Journey ~ Encouragement for Homeschooling Moms available now through Lulu.com

To God be the glory!

Giving Thanks When You Don't Feel Thankful

“In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God for you.” 

(1 Thessalonians 5:18)

If you’ve been a Christian for any length of time, you've already realized this spiritual principle:  battles are won or lost in our minds. Not in some new-agey way, or mind-over-matter-and -deny-the-reality way, or even in a “power of positive thinking” way, but in a biblical way. 

I had the chance to experience this truth during a time when our family was hit with a series of illnesses. I discovered that it was easy to maintain my focus when one person got sick, or even when one person at a time got sick, or even when everyone but the mommy got sick, but when all of the above happened, it hit really hard. 

One morning during my quiet time, I read 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God for you.”

I realized that this is where the victory is won—in the choices we make. Being thankful is a choice, not a feeling. I can choose to feel sorry for myself for being cooped up in a house that sounds like  a Tuberculoses ward during an epidemic, or I can be thankful for family and friends who brought by meals and groceries because I couldn’t get out.

I can whine about having to set the alarm clock to give a feverish child a dose of medicine, or I can be thankful for her sweet, softly whispered, “I love you, Mommy. You’re the best nurse ever.”  I can complain about having no energy, or I can be thankful for those times of inactivity when we cuddle together on a couch and read a book because it's is the only thing we feel like doing. I can complain about how long we’ve been sick, or I can be thankful that we will, unlike many, be well again. I cannot control my circumstances, but I can control how I react to them. 

Speaker, writer, and pastor Chuck Swindoll said, “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.

“It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes.”

May we be victorious through the attitude we choose to embrace. In everything give thanks!

Application Questions:

What is the most difficult aspect of your life right now?

Are you willing to give thanks to God for it, trusting that He will use it for your good?

Action Step for This Week:

Post the above quote from Chuck Swindoll and 1 Thessalonians 5:18 in a prominent place in your home. Commit to glorify God through your attitude this week.

Prayer of Commitment:  

“Lord, I confess that sometimes my attitude is not thankful or positive. Sometimes I don’t really believe that You are at work in the difficult circumstances in my life. Sometimes I forget that You didn’t come to make us comfortable; You came to make us holy. Help me, this week, to set the example before my children of what it means to give thanks in everything.”

  Homeschooling is HARD!

This post is an excerpt from Lori's new devotional book, Joy in the Journey - Encouragement for Homeschooling Moms.   

With a devotion for every week of the school year, Joy in the Journey helps remind you that God wants to be a vital, active part of your homeschool. Each chapter contains devotions specific to what a homeschooling mom encounters each month, application questions, an action step, and a prayer. It's suitable for personal devotions or for use by your support group for meeting topic ideas.

You've invested in wonderful curriculum for your children; why not invest in something for yourself?
 
To read more about Joy in the Journey and what other homeschooling moms are saying about it, click here.

To order a paperback copy of Joy in the Journey, click here.

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You want to connect with God, but in the craziness of life, it’s just not happening. You want practical, biblical answers to situations you face every day, but you don’t have hours to pore over Scripture.

You need a resource that answers the questions you’re afraid to ask out loud. Questions like:

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• If God already knows what he’s going to do, why bother to pray? 
• Why have you allowed this to happen to me? 
• No one appreciates what I do. Why shouldn’t I quit? 

Each devotion begins with a Facetime question and ends with a biblical answer wrapped in a modern day parable. Like a spiritual power bar, Hungry for God … Starving for Time is packed with enough scriptural nutrition to get you through the day. Wherever you are—in break rooms, carpool lines, or wherever you can snatch five minutes of quiet reflection—Hungry for God … Starving for Time, 5-Minute Devotions for Busy Women is for you.


 

 

The Hardest Thing I've Ever Done

 I thought my college Head and Neck Anatomy class was hard.  I thought studying for and passing the National Board for Dental Hygiene, all seven hours of it, was hard, too.  I thought working full time and volunteering at church was hard.  I thought childbirth was hard.  And colic. . . months of colic. It was hard to surrender my child over for surgery at 9 months old .  So was praying for her salvation since before she was born.  Acting in front of 13,000 people was hard.  Staying married during rough times is always hard.

In comparison though, homeschooling remains the hardest thing I've ever done. 

 And if I had the choice to make again, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Despite the lonely days when I thought if I didn't see another human being over three feet tall I would
scream. 

Despite the 547 days of phonics instruction before one of my daughters could read a four-word sentence without pausing.

 Despite the buckets of tears I (we) shed over Chemistry, Algebra, and Geometry.

 Despite the days when fear would grip me as I wondered if I might be single-handedly sabotaging my children's entire academic future. 

Despite the days when I dealt with the same sin for the 100th time, and then had to correct it in my children as well.

If I had the choice to make again, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

 I would do it for the joy of hearing my daughter pray to receive Christ into her heart during morning devotions. 

   

I would do it for the pleasure of watching my daughter read all the way through Go Dog Go and knowing that I had taught her to read. 

I would do it again for the character training I received through the years.

  I would do it again for the opportunity to trust God when I knew that apart from His work in our homeschool, it would not succeed. 

I would do it again for the privilege of watching Him work in each of my daughter's lives as they came to understand the world through a Christian perspective. 

I would do it again for the precious gift of time. . . never enough, but SO much more than many of my friends had with their children during their growing up years

. 

I would do it again for every field trip/vacation we took to fascinating places on a shoestring budget.  

I would do it again for the chance to pray and ask God for all that we needed and watch Him provide bountifully.

I would do it again so I could own part of their high school graduation and their college acceptance. 

 I would do it again for the satisfaction of knowing that I had obeyed what God told me to do. 

If I had the choice to make again, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

"I can do all things through CHRIST who gives me strength."

(Phil 4:13)

Homeschooling--Choosing the road less traveled

Robert Frost wrote, “Two roads diverged in a wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” 

As homeschooling parents, you have chosen a road less traveled. As you begin your school year, let me commend you for choosing to educate your children at home. You have not chosen an easy path, but you are following one chosen by the ancients. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says, “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them upon your children. Talk about then when you sit at home, when you lie down, and when you get up.” This is the essence of Christian parenting, and the essence of homeschooling. You have chosen a good and noble calling, but you will not accomplish it without sacrifice.

Instead of orderly ladies’ Bible studies after the children are at school, you have chosen to act out the story of David and Goliath on your hands and knees in the living room with your five year old. Instead of enjoying a leisurely cup of espresso at the bookstore with a girlfriend, you have chosen to enjoy apple juice and Little Debbie cakes in between phonics lessons and science. 

 Instead of emotionally detached intellectual debates over the proper methods of rearing the next generation of young people, you have chosen to discipline a young one for disobedience and then hold him while he cries.


Instead of living in a house that stays clean all day because no one is home, you have chosen to live in one where books are everywhere and phone messages are written in crayon because it is the only writing implement available. Instead of delegating the job to a “professional,” you have chosen to be there when the first book is read, when the light bulb goes off in multiplication, and when the tadpole finally grows legs and becomes a frog. 

 
Homeschooling mom, know that you are investing in eternity as you devote your time and energy to homeschool your children. You have them for such a short time, and there is much to learn. 






“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not”     (Galatians 6:9).


Application Questions: 

1. What are some spiritual goals you would like to accomplish with each of your children this school year?
2. How can you incorporate spiritual lessons into the day to day routine of life?

Action Step for This Week:


Ask God to show you areas of spiritual growth that need to take place in your children and in yourself this school year. As He reveals these things to you, write them down and keep the list somewhere safe. Pray over these areas and commit them to God.

Prayer of Commitment:

Lord, it is my heart’s desire to rear my children to love and follow you. I know You have called me to this task, but sometimes I am discontent when I look around at other mothers who seem to have an easier, more glamorous life. Help me to remember that while I may not see all of the results in my children immediately, next week, or even next year, I can trust Your word which tells me that I will reap a harvest if I do not faint. Help me to seek first your kingdom, both for me and for my family. When I start to grumble, remind me of the great privilege it is to be able to stay home with my children and raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Remind me, in everything, to give thanks.

  Homeschooling is HARD!

This post is a sample from Lori's new devotional book, Joy in the Journey - Encouragement for Homeschooling Moms. 

With a devotion for every week of the school year, Joy in the Journey helps remind you that God wants to be a vital, active part of your homeschool. Each chapter contains devotions specific to what a homeschooling mom encounters each month, application questions, an action step, and a prayer. It's suitable for personal devotions or for use by your support group for meeting topic ideas.

You've invested in wonderful curriculum for your children's  school year, why not invest in something for yourself?

To read more about Joy in the Journey and what other homeschooling moms are saying about it, click here.

Click here to order a paperback or Kindle copy of Joy In the Journey ~ Encouragement for Homeschooling Moms


To read the post "Homeschooling--The hardest thing I've ever done" Click here.
To read the post "Homeschooling--When you've lost your joy," Click Here.
To read the post "Homeschooling and God's mercy--When you feel like a failure," Click Here.
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