A Truth We Are Believing

Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

God, as your Shepherd means he goes behind, beside, and before you.

A Way We Are Living

One of the biggest deterrents we hear from parents about homeschooling their kids is the fear of lack of socialization. But here’s the deal, if you're living life, your kids will socialize with people because people are everywhere. Whether it’s at church, the store, nature centers, the library, or your neighborhood, you will be around people to some degree. And don’t underestimate the relationships your kids can form throughout your daily life.

True story, a few nights ago our five-year-old came up in tears after listening to scripture lullabies while trying to go to sleep. We asked him what was wrong. He proceeded to tell us the lullabies made him miss Mr. Floyd who was one of his best friends. Floyd was our 95-year-old neighbor who died more than two years ago! 

We would help rake Floyd’s yard, bring him food, give him books, and stop and talk to him on our walks. My point is that kids socialize everywhere. This is because socializing is about having relationships with people! And the reality is that these relationships will probably be much richer, deeper, and healthier than they would have with only peers of their own age.

A Book We Are Reading

I love that you can read a book and it distills information from someone's entire life or career. Knowledge that took years and often sorrow or pain to understand, can be yours for a very short investment of your time. 

One area that we have benefited from immensely is the area of parenting. There's a lot of parenting resources out there, but my favorite is Parenting by Paul David Tripp. He centers the labor of parenting on our own need for Jesus. It is excellent. 

An Idea We Are Pondering

If you struggle to lead, strengthen your convictions.

An Item We are Recommending

Sometimes some of the most helpful resources are practical recommendations that have served someone well. A practical help that has serve my prayer life is Prayermate. This app is fantastic!

I've used Prayermate for several years to catalog and organize my prayers. It's free, adaptable, simple, intuitive, and it also has some great resources. I highly recommend it.