It has been a nice week...LOTS of rain, and the temps and humidity have dropped off. Today is "glorious" in many ways, weather being one of them! Here is my Wrapup...
Homeschool-Related
I got Nathan's German textbook for his community college class. We are excited that this one semester of college German will earn him one year of high school credit! His first class is tomorrow morning.
I am missing one of the 2 copies of our American Gov't texts that I purchased at our homeschool convention in June. This is a BIG frustration...we can still begin, but now I have to shift things around so they can share the one copy we have. I have torn the whole house apart looking for this thing. My last inkling is that I had taken it along on our church camping trip to Michigan in July, so I could read through it a bit and get an idea for how the course is supposed to be scheduled out for the semester. We had to pack up in a hurry when we broke camp at the end of the week, and it was raining...so it's possible that someone may have grabbed it off the little table we have for books and a lantern, and tossed them into a gear box, just to get the packing done. (Unlikely, but I haven't found them in the china cabinet or the pantry, or any of the other "wierd, ridiculous" places that I've been looking in desperation! So we have to go into the storage space under the basement stairs, haul out all the tents/cots/cooking gear bins to get to the general gear boxes so I can look there. If I find them, it'll be well worth the effort. If I don't, it'll just add to my mounting frustration over this!
Building Friendships
Bryan has been playing volleyball with the kids from church today; Nathan, who is walking on his own (no cane or crutches), still cannot tolerate any excessive movement of his recently sprained ankle. So he's a little bummed. He came home with us after church. We are planning a "Reformation Day" gathering at our home for October 31st. We did it last year, and had a blast. My friend Nan and her 4 sons are our leaders for this program...we just open our home and host. But the 4 guys (they're young men now, not boys anymore!) invited Bryan and Nathan to sing "Rise Up O Men of God" with them, so they're nervously happy about it, and will be practicing this week. We'll be getting together with these wonderful friends each week for group practice. Many of our young people enjoy singing together, and they sing in parts, so it really is wonderful to listen to! I'm sure I'll have a Friday Show-n-Tell on this gathering come October/November (not sure what day Oct. 31st is this year)!Entreprenuerial Pursuits
Bryan and I worked the Farmer's Market on Saturday. It was a beautiful day weatherwise to be there...a little cold, but we had light jackets, so were quite comfy. Nathan is getting ready to learn the business, and to handle the market next year that Bryan and I can only be at once a month (we're at one market almost full time, but rotate to the smaller market). By the way...he's a knife sharpener.
{I put this part in brackets as it is "the chorus" which will repeat each week.}
{We are in the 3rd week of a 16 week "Survey of the Bible," which dh and I have done before (it used to take a year to do this study...it's been condensed!); it is not for "beginners," and can be considered--as opposed to "spiritual milk"--"strong meat." We want the boys to be prepared with a thorough understanding of the greatness and magnitude of God's overarching plan for His people in these last days and in the coming Kingdom of Christ in the...we hope and pray...near future! It is an awesome study...you can learn more HERE (look for the first one, "Biblical Survey").}
This week we looked very closely at Scriptures words about the stated purpose for which God created man. Now, I have to admit that I would have said "to glorify God." Most people do. And, OF COURSE we want to glorify God in all we say and do! But when you go to look in Scripture to see what God says is His purpose...His stated purpose...for creating man...hmmm. Looking closely, and I mean REALLY closely, paying attention to the context of each verse we look at in such things (for we do NOT want to take verses out of context), it is an eye-opening experience! I'll just let y'all play with this one for yourselves.
Can I recommend this Biblical Survey Study series highly enough to you? Some of us are jumping into some new practices, things that are gaining popularity especially recently among homeschoolers, with regard to keeping feasts, sabbath, etc. And this can be a good thing, in some ways! But before you do, I would urge you to go through a study like this one...so you have the entire, BIG picture of Scripture, and figure out why it is that you want to do this, if you do (which you do not have to!).
When we have celebrated/held a Sabaath meal (Shabbat), we have loved it. We've now done it twice, and wouldn't mind doing it some more. But we probably don't approach it with the same mindset as you might think. I enjoy Colin and Nancy Campbell's "take" on it, as well, fyi, in Nancy's book "The Family Meal Table and Hospitality." You can read an article she penned describing their Shabbat HERE.
We are not, and neither are they, to my understanding, "Torah-Keepers" as I've heard it called. I don't want anyone to think that any of my past posts are prodding you to take up different practices. Just an FYI! We are in perilous times, and we need to take care that we are not "tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching," (Eph. 4:14).
The Biblical Survey study is available at no cost. Our dear friends who authored it want believers who are desiring to eat the "strong meat" of Scripture (as opposed to "milk," see 1 Cor. 3:2, Hebrews 5:12-14) to have it. Look for a link in the left-hand column of my blog, for "Curriculum Picks," and select "Biblical Survey by Cindy Zeigler" for more information.
Looking Ahead
So, school will begin...for the most part...more or less...tomorrow! We'll not be full-time yet, we're still waiting for a couple of other things to get schedules written in stone--things that will happen outside of my direct control. But Nathan begins German, Bryan begins Spanish with my wonderful friend and awesome homeschool mom, Christine, we'll begin American Government minus one student textbook (thankful that we still have one which can at least be shared), and I'll get the schedule completed within a week or two, Lord willing! Full time, full on school will probably begin just after Labor Day.
May God bless your coming week!
Lori
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