A home schooler has a unique life. We spend our hours of the day at home with our parents learning, rather than heading to a building to learn the same things, but also enjoy peer pressure, bullies, and low expectations. We wear clothes that reflect what we enjoy. We do things that make us happy. We learn things that interest us. We spend quality time with the family. We have relaxed schedules.
We are different.
Difference, in high school especially, is a scary and typically unwelcome thing. It smacks of confrontation, it oozes confidence. Being different as a teenager is a hard thing to do, but those who stick to their guns prosper.
I think back to when I went to go sign up for driver's ed. Naturally, I had to make a visit to high school, which also meant I had to walk the hallways to the classroom with my mom. Not only had the students never seen me, but I was also toting my mom with me. What an explosive combination! That grand total of one and a half minutes of strolling down the hall proved to be the most uncomfortable. Rude glares were thrown at me, and I felt not unlike a bug under a microscope. Pure agony.Perhaps I was a little sensitive, but who wouldn't when fifty teenagers are looking at you like they're just about to haul out the pig's blood?
The thing is, home schooling let's you be yourself, even if that isn't necessarily the "in" thing to be. I am so grateful to my parents for the endless hours and patience they have given me so I could get a good education sans all the crap that I'd get at public/private school.
Here's the other thing. Being a sheep in the herd is a habit. It may protect you now in high school, but one day you will regret your willingness to follow along with the crowd.
The habits you make at fifteen don't magically disappear on you 25th birthday. -- Tindell Baldwin
Mrs. Baldwin has a fabulous point. The habits you make now will last the rest of your life.
God made you special for a reason, whether you go to school or are home schooled. It's time for us to stop "going with the flow" and make some waves.
Sometimes it seems like God is on vacation.
How could He possibly be around when ISIS is killing Christians every day, when small children are starving in Africa, when our country has a debt on $19 trillion, when cancer inflicts so many of our loved ones, when politicians try to take away our rights, when kids are bullied not just at school, but also in the privacy of their rooms on their screens, when parents are struggling to keep their family off the street, when you can't enter a big city without the threat of a bomb going off. Where is God in all of this? Does He really care about us?
How could He let this happen?
Even the most grounded Christian has thoughts like these. We all have doubts why we trust a Savior we can't see or hear or feel. People accuse us of being crazed lunatics who are so dependent on something that we create an imaginary King to fill the void. It shakes your faith when you hear of another famous pastor messing up again, doesn't it. Where's God's place in our crazy world?
It is so easy to blame God for the bad stuff the happens in the world, when those bad things are a result of our negative actions or someone else's mistakes. God can do anything He wants because He is almighty. But I have found that so many times that God lets bad things happen to us, that will teach us a lesson we will need later on in life or that we can use that experience to help someone else. God's pretty amazing like that.
The other thing is that we need to accept a couple of things 1) we each have a purpose in life and when that purpose is finished, we die. 2) everyone dies. Both of the these truths are understandably hard to hear. God has a plan for everyone's life, and sometimes that plan leads to pain and suffering. Don't ask me to fully explain the ways of the Lord, because He has clearly said that His way are not our way and His thoughts are not our thoughts.
Although it sounds like a stereotypical answer it holds so much truth: God has a plan for you and He's asking you to trust even when it is hard.
In Dee Henderson's Missing, a Wyoming sheriff is
called to Chicago when his elderly mother goes missing. Paired with a
savvy Chicago cop, the two realize her disappearance is no accident, and
a race against the clock begins.
Dani Pettrey returns to Alaska
with Shadowed, introducing readers to the parents of
her beloved McKenna clan. Adventure, romance, and danger collide when a
young fisherman nets the body of an open-water swimming competitor who
may actually be a possible Russian defector.
Lynette Eason's Blackout delivers the story of a woman once
implicated in a robbery gone wrong. The loot has never been found--but
her memory of that night has always been unreliable. Can she remember
enough to find her way to safety when the true culprit comes after her?
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Sins of the Past is a fast paced compilation of three exciting novellas by Dee Henderson, Dani Pettrey and Lynette Eason. I enjoyed all the stories, especially Shadowed and Blackout. I liked the era set in Shadowed (1979), and the story line of Blackout was intriguing, and just plain addictive. This book is fantastic because three of the best Christian suspense writers ban together and create this masterpiece. Two big thumbs up!
I was sent a free copy of Sins of the Past by Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.
Excerpt taken from amazon.com.
Back in the Saddle caught my attention because it was set in my home state. The story looked pretty good, so I thought I'd give it a try.
I am sorry to say that I did not care for it. The first thing that drove me nuts was the "Southern" style of talking. Abbreviated drawl is something that is not original to Washington, so I don't know where the author go that impression, but it was off. Second, I did not find Colt and Angelina to be a believable couple. The topic was not my cup of tea.
I sound completely harsh here, but I just did not like this book.
I received this book from Blogging for Books for free in return for my honest (maybe way to honest) opinion.
Under the accusation of being slightly biased, my mom is the most incredible woman I have ever met. Strong, smart, hilarious, beautiful; these are just a few attributes of hers. My mom taught me about making goals and sticking to your guns and never giving up and loving people even when they're hard to love.
Thank you Mom for always being there.
Thank you Mom for doing what was best for me even when it was inconvenient for you.
Thank you Mom for showing me what a good wife looks like.
Thank you Mom for all the chick flicks we've watched together.
Thank you Mom for all the terrific (gluten free) meals you've made and always going out of your way to make them special.
Thank you Mom for being a shoulder I could cry on.
Thank you Mom for trusting and believing in me.
Thank you Mom for all the times you've made me laugh so hard with one of your witticisms.
Thank you Mom for taking me to the mall, even when you hate shopping.
Thank you Mom for always making me feel I could come to you with anything, even when I would never had told it to anyone else.
Thank you Mom for being in the car squealing when I got my first job.
Thank you Mom for always giving me your moral support.
Thank you Mom for all your encouragement.
Thank you Mom for telling me my blog was good even when it wasn't. :)
Thank you Mom for enabling my coffee addiction.
Thank you Mom for the good memories.
Thank you Mom for all the good memories yet to come.
Happy Mother's Day! I love you Mom!
Several months ago, I wrote a blog post about why I didn't have social media. If you'd like to read that highly self-righteous piece, click here .
So I still hold to the belief that social media can be used for good and it can be used for bad.Sadly, it is often used for bad more than good, or kids get it to young and do stupid stuff with it. I could go on and on, really. However, I brought up the point in my post was, essentially, that if you use social media to reach out and minister to people, that's cool. Which I still agree with.
Social media, used in the best way, can be really awesome. I still am in awe that people from everywhere can congregate on my computer screen, and here we are. (When I was born, the cell phone was still a novel idea.) As Christians, we can do some real good with it!
Sadly, though, I have seen both good and bad come out of social media. I have seen people be uplifted, and others stomped down by someone with differing views. How sad is that? I am still surprised that grown (hopefully) people will call other people names just because they disagree on what color is that dress. (Recap: remember that dress that simultaneously looked black and blue or cream and gold? Stupid, yes it is.)
Anyway, I have social media for a couple of reasons:
1. I have social media to reach out to Christians and connect, and also to reach out to people who aren't Christians and share the good news of Jesus.
2. I have social media so I can practice my debate skills and to learn how people of different opinions think. Because I love being called names and told I'm stupid. And who doesn't? :)
3. I have social media to support my blog. It's not all a cakewalk after all!
4. I have social media because I am always up for a good laugh. Who doesn't love those cat gif's anyway? They are just so funny!
Here is a parting thought. Social media is not for everyone (despite popular opinion). If you don't have social media, I commend you! But if you do, there's nothing wrong with it. All I ask is that we, meaning everyone, should try to be more responsible with it. If you don't want your mother to read it, maybe it should phrase it a little differently.
Have a great day, everyone!
On the edge of consciousness this morning, the old but wise Bible verse "bad company corrupts good morals" popped into my mind. For some unknown reason, this just started stewing in my barely awake head. Bad company... corrupts..... good morals.
The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. You know, this verse has been preached so many times over, but its "moral of the story" typically pertains to keeping good friends. Although I'd never thought of it this way, but "company" could also mean the books you read, the TV you watch, and the music you listen to. Maybe God isn't just talking about physical company, but also mental company too.
Alright, raise your hand if you ever watched a movie where the femme fatale had an awesome hair do you just had to try out. Or the hero had a really neat computer set up that you needed to have. You were affected by these things, even though you wouldn't normally do them. You were encouraged to do it because you watched that movie or you read that book.
Let's take this another step. I remember a few years ago when I was reading the Christy Miller Series. Despite the considerable age differences, I was convinced that my life was supposed to be like Christy's-- great boyfriend, rich aunt and uncle who would take me anywhere I wanted, being chased around by the cutest guy at school, lots of good Christian gal pals who loved me no matter what I did. It all seemed rather perfect. Unfortunately, books were breading discontent in my life, even though they were Christian and good morals-wise.
Those are some examples were media can affect you. But what about when media gets harmful? What about when the song has racy innuendos? What about when that movie has a little too much cursing (sorry Die Hard fans...)? What about when the main character of that book has sex with her boyfriend? We may not want to admit it, but these things do affect us. I am speaking from first hand experience here. I really want to warn you about the dangers of bad company corrupting your good morals.
Here are some questions for you:
- Have you ever had to deal with friends who could probably be considered "bad company"? Did you stay friends with them?
- Are there examples in your life of media corrupting your good morals, or friends who you have noticed being affected?
- How can we pray for you today?
