Henry and I walk by this 200-year-old tree every day. It inspires me to ponder life’s mysteries. If you look closely, you can see my granddaughter standing in front of the tree.
Oh Mighty Tree
Oh mighty tree! The stories you could tell. You've seen many mighty stotms. And yet you never fell.
I strive to be like you, Strong in every way With roots that grow deep down, I will firmly stand.
I keep my hurts within. But they can never win. For God is on my side. From Him I cannot hide.
He knows my every thought, And yet He loves me still. He holds my shaking hand. He knows what He has planned.
I put my trust in Jesus. He has never let me down. His Word forever leads me. And someday I’ll wear a crown!
I pray that you will trust Him. He is worthy of our praise. He will lead and guide you, forever and always!
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Romans 1:20 NIV
“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:13 NIV
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16 NIV (emphasis mine)
When I feel too weak to do what God has called me to do, there is only one thing to do. I approach the throne of grace to find help in my time of need.
A lot of people assume that homeschooled children receive an inferior education compared to public school children, but that is not true.
Research indicates that homeschooled children frequently outperform their peers academically, often scoring 15 to 30 percentile points higher on standardized tests, regardless of their parents’ income or education level. They typically demonstrate strong social, emotional, and psychological development, and often achieve higher GPAs in college.
“Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” Proverbs 4:6-7 NIV
“Train up a child in the way he should go [teaching him to seek God’s wisdom and will for his abilities and talents], Even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 AMP
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 6:4-7 NIV (emphasis mine)
If you are considering homeschooling, these messages from some of my readers might help you decide.
Comments from Readers:
“Our children have all graduated from homeschool, and we now have grandchildren being home-schooled. But the lessons we all learned during that time have stuck with us. It was a wonderful time of exploring God’s wisdom. God had opened up so many doors for our children to explore so many venues in the industry, arts, crafts, etc. But the greatest blessing was the growth in relationships with the Lord. Watching our children’s faith bloom and now our grandchildren discovering God’s world and wonders was and is such a blessing.”
“We started homeschooling in 1984 because our son was put on suspension for questioning evolution in the 1st grade. We knew then that we did not want our children under the influence of the public school system. We tried to get the creation curriculum in, but we were not able to get any of the other parents at that time to see the handwriting on the wall for public schools.”
“DCHS gave us so much trouble for pulling our son out of school, but praise God, we knew our rights and were able to stand up against them. Our vindication was that by the time both of our children were in 8th grade, they were doing college-level work because they were learning with God’s ways, not the world’s.”
For more information and statistics, see this post:
“Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.” Genesis 41:51-52 NIV Read full chapter
Genesis 41:51Manasseh sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for forget.
Genesis 41:52Ephraim sounds like the Hebrew for twice fruitful.
Joseph experienced many terrible times in his life. He was sold into slavery by his brothers, and he was put in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. But everything he endured prepared him to walk in God’s plan for his life.
“Wise Christians surround themselves with reminders of God’s goodness as a way to move beyond their past.” Pastor David Jeremiah
And that is exactly what Joseph did. Manasseh and Ephraim were reminders of God’s goodness to him in a foreign land.
The items above are keepsakes that once belonged to my sweet grandmothers. They are in my kitchen now, reminding me every day that these women of God faithfully prayed for me throughout my life. For them, I am most thankful.
Have you ever felt like giving up? Did you ever feel like you had all you could take? I felt like that once when the Bible Study I attended started using a popular new book written by a false teacher.
I started searching the websites of other local churches. When I checked the Women’s Ministries tab, guess what? I couldn’t find a Women’s Bible Study that was actually studying the Bible itself. That’s when I felt like giving up.
Then, God reminded me of Elijah’s troubles with Ahab and Jezebel, who were killing all of God’s prophets. You can read about it in 1 Kings 19. Elijah told the Lord,
“I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 1 Kings 19:4
Elijah thought he was the only prophet left who had not bowed his knee to pagan idols.
Feeling all alone in your misery is very hard. There is no one to talk to and no one to encourage you. But the situation wasn’t as bad as Elijah thought. God said,
“Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.” (vs. 18)
Not only that, but Obadiah had hidden 100 prophets in caves and provided them with food. (1 Kings 18:4) Elijah was not alone in his faithfulness to God!
Maybe my situation isn’t that bad after all. No one is trying to kill me! Maybe your situation isn’t that bad after all, either!
When you’re discouraged, remember: You don’t know everything God is doing. You have a limited perspective. God is working all the time, and He will always accomplish His will.
“Because we too often walk by sight and not by faith — thinking we can live our Christian lives by some sort of spiritual inertia — we fall into Satan’s trap of thinking he’s not really there, or at least as if he’s not very active. It does seem, after all, to be a much more pleasant thought to believe that he’s not around or, at least, that we’re really not a significant enough target for him to spend his time on.”
Burk Parsons, Pastor, Sanford, Florida
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 NIV
The worst insult you can give someone is to call them a snake. In slang, a snake is a backstabber who acts friendly to your face but undermines you behind your back. He is treacherous, deceitful, and manipulative.
The biggest snake of all time is Satan. He is a sneaky, silver-tongued liar. He hasn’t changed his schemes since he tricked Eve into taking a bite of the apple.
“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Genesis 3:1-6 NIV Read full chapter
The Hebrew word Ārûm, translated as crafty in verse 1, means shrewd, cunning, crafty. It suggests a high level of intelligence, cleverness, or subtlety. It highlights the serpent’s deceptive cunning.
Notice what the snake does and how he tricks her. He makes her think that what he’s tempting her to do isn’t a sin and, in fact, it will be beneficial for her. I would guess she probably wanted that to be true, and so she is easy to trick. (People are often tricked into believing a lie because they want it to be true.)
My advice: Don’t listen to the snake. Don’t be deceived.
Jesus said, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13 NIV
Did you know that over 1.3 million Americans have lost their lives in war? (military.com)
“A study from the National Institutes of Health estimates that, as of 2017, half of the men who die every day are veterans. As we remember America’s fallen troops on Memorial Day, we might also stop by and visit those who fought past wars and listen to the memories of their fallen comrades in arms — they may not be around comeVeterans Day.” blake.stilwell@military.com.
Today, let us reflect on the sacrifice made by those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom. Also, let us honor all those brave men and women who are putting their lives on the line every day to protect us, the military, police officers, and firefighters.
THANK YOU!
For the story of how Memorial Day started and evolved, read Scott’s fascinating historical narrative, Three Graves, No Birthplace: The Forgotten Origins of Memorial DayHERE.
The Apostle Paul and his companions traveled to Philippi and stayed there several days. On the Sabbath, they went looking for a place of prayer by the river. They began to speak to the women there about Jesus.
“One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.” Acts 16:14-15 NIV
It wasn’t Paul’s preaching alone that convinced her to believe. The Lord Himself opened her heart!
Pray that God will open the hearts of those you know who have not believed the Gospel. Then share the Good News!
Real Christian Women 