A Box of Chocolate & A Bubble Bath

By Jodi Whisenhunt

This fall, my oldest child, Kyle, started 9^th grade. As a homeschooler, I’m a bit anxious about it. Ok, I’m a lot anxious about it! “Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way,” according to 1 Corinthians 14:40 (NIV). Paul’s referring to regulations for speaking in tongues. (By the look on my kids’ faces, sometimes they think I’m doing just that!) However, it’s also good advice for teaching. Problem is, I struggle to do anything in a fitting and orderly way. Recently, I carried a basket of clean laundry down the hall where I found something that belonged in my bedroom. I set the basket down and carried the item to my room where, after catching my reflection in the mirror, I stopped to brush my hair. My daughter came in, so I brushed her hair too. She was still in jammies, so I led her back to her room to change. Only when I took her dirty clothes to the laundry did I remember my original chore.

I admit I’ve been a bit lax with our homeschool structure in recent years. Lax is an understatement. Let me try unorganized, panicked, disappointed, unstructured, befuddled. Like the laundry incident, distractions during class time often divert our attention. Some have become bad habits, like how, being the teenage boy that he is, Kyle must eat every ten minutes.

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Red Badge Of Failure

By Jane Thornton

When I was in second grade and my sister was in kindergarten, I wielded my red pen with great delight. I brought home spare work sheets, determined to enlighten her with whatever I had learned. I remember that each large scarlet X, showing her the error of her ways, warmed my bossy little heart. All signs indicated that teaching was in my soul.

Last night, grading quizzes for my senior English class, I brandished a green pen—it’s less threatening to student psyche than red. Each slash through an incorrect answer elicited a hiss of disapproval or a groan of frustration. As the number of Xs mounted, my shoulders slumped. If my students failed, I failed. What made me think I should be a teacher?

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Waiting

By Caroline T. Jackson

The dictionary (yes, I still use one) defines waiting as “a period in which one waits.” Now that explains it all, doesn’t it? It leaves out the element of anticipation, excitement and, yes, even dread when you are waiting on some event to take place in your life. We had made plans for an extensive road trip and already packed and ready to roll when the doctors decided it was necessary to do some extensive testing on a recent and recurring medical issue my husband was experiencing. The doctors involved didn’t know what was wrong and finding out that we were going to be gone longer than a week, decided that they better test now rather than later. That way we wouldn’t have to wait! I find it necessary to share with you that the so called patient is not a patient man…having spent a life time in a very precise occupation.

 As we all know, the wheels of medical testing don’t always run on the fast track and I can attest to the fact that we felt like we were on the side track. The MRI’s or the CAT scans were done on a Thursday afternoon two weeks in a row and ,of course, no results would be available before the following Monday. The following week a biopsy was again performed on a Thursday with the promise of results the following Monday. I thought all doctors took Thursday afternoons off! Yesterday was Monday and when finally pinned to a wall, the nurse responded that it might be 5 to 7 days before we heard!  What was it I said about waiting?

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A Seed-Producing Life

By Norma Vera

When the Word of God talked about the herb, grass, and tree yielding seeds in Geneses 1:11 most of us never think anything beyond that.  Often times we do not realize that we live in a seed filled world.  It is as if though all of God’s dealing with humanity is about nothing more than seeds, sowing and reaping.

We have the harvest seeds (soul), tithing seeds, seeds for the sower (spiritual and physical farmer), seed of the woman, the generational seeds, and the animal kingdom seeds.

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In His Own Words

By Marty Norman

Words are a powerful thing.  They can build up or tear down.  With just a slip of the tongue hearts can be wounded, families destroyed.  In contrast, words also have the power to heal, encourage, and give comfort, aid, and love.  It’s all in the motivation.

But words alone are not enough.  The actions that follow, that support the words, are the real indicator of the heart.  Here’s where the rubber meets the road.

Scripture tells us to let our yes be yes and our no be no.  In other words, say what you mean and mean what you say.  The best way to know a person is to listen to his words.

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