After several months of researching homeschooling and coming to the conclusion that it could be a very workable possibility for us, I read an article about how important it was to name your home school. Some mom's do, others do not. For those that do not, they are usually already associated with a formal co-op or some sort of umbrella school, so there is no need. But for those in states like mine (Texas), where there are no requirements for registration or state-submitted documentation or attaching yourself to a formal organization, it was recommended that you name your school.
So for several months now, I've had several different school names tumbling around in my head, all perfectly suitable options. But the catalyst for such a huge change in our Life Direction really came back to N and I freshly learning how to walk with the Holy Spirit in our lives and not living our own fleshly lives. While in our heads for years, we understood the terminology "abiding in the Lord", we had no practical head knowledge or life experience of what that meant. In 2013 that all changed. It was a slow and somewhat painful lesson for us to grasp. (Our marriage was on the brink of falling apart altogether.) But with the help of some friends who discipled us, we started to GET IT. And while the road has still not smoothed out completely (we have no expectation of that happening, in all honesty, we are still imperfect humans), we are learning to walk in the Spirit on a daily basis. We still feel young in this process, toddler-ish, vulnerable, but the realization of what to do has been Life Changing for us. Individually, in our marriage, how we parent, how we minister to others, it has changed everything. Learning the wealth behind abiding with the Lord in our daily lives has been overwhelmingly eye-opening. It has humbled us, molded us, helped us see Life afresh, see HIM afresh, and created a desire to live our lives differently than before. Knowing experientially what an abiding life is has made all the difference.
Thus, Abiding Life Academy. While our goal is to give our children a rich, fun, rigorous formal education, the absolute foundation of it MUST be The Lord. Truly, we are doing this to disciple our kids, not just teach them what a kindergartner and a 1st-grader should know. If they don't know the Lord as their Creator (and hopefully Savior at some point), then what difference does their math or history knowledge do for them?
Abiding Life Academy seemed like the most suitable choice. My prayer is that we make it abundantly clear to them both how abiding with the Father is the foundation of their lives moving forward.
So for several months now, I've had several different school names tumbling around in my head, all perfectly suitable options. But the catalyst for such a huge change in our Life Direction really came back to N and I freshly learning how to walk with the Holy Spirit in our lives and not living our own fleshly lives. While in our heads for years, we understood the terminology "abiding in the Lord", we had no practical head knowledge or life experience of what that meant. In 2013 that all changed. It was a slow and somewhat painful lesson for us to grasp. (Our marriage was on the brink of falling apart altogether.) But with the help of some friends who discipled us, we started to GET IT. And while the road has still not smoothed out completely (we have no expectation of that happening, in all honesty, we are still imperfect humans), we are learning to walk in the Spirit on a daily basis. We still feel young in this process, toddler-ish, vulnerable, but the realization of what to do has been Life Changing for us. Individually, in our marriage, how we parent, how we minister to others, it has changed everything. Learning the wealth behind abiding with the Lord in our daily lives has been overwhelmingly eye-opening. It has humbled us, molded us, helped us see Life afresh, see HIM afresh, and created a desire to live our lives differently than before. Knowing experientially what an abiding life is has made all the difference.
Thus, Abiding Life Academy. While our goal is to give our children a rich, fun, rigorous formal education, the absolute foundation of it MUST be The Lord. Truly, we are doing this to disciple our kids, not just teach them what a kindergartner and a 1st-grader should know. If they don't know the Lord as their Creator (and hopefully Savior at some point), then what difference does their math or history knowledge do for them?
Abiding Life Academy seemed like the most suitable choice. My prayer is that we make it abundantly clear to them both how abiding with the Father is the foundation of their lives moving forward.
It's been so long since I've caught up with you, Andi ... but this post has me so excited for you! I've long loved the idea of homeschooling - - but have lacked the 1) time and 2) courage. Now that my kiddos are growing older (4th grade!) I'm not sure I am the right person to be teaching them because I lack 1) patience and 2) patience and 3) time ... but the dream of it still floats about in my head. We're planning to make a big shift in the next few months, so I'll hopefully have more time to pursue homeschool, if it is indeed the right thing to do. (I pray if and when the time is right, I'll know.)
ReplyDeleteBravo to you for doing it - - I'd love to hear how it's going!
JEN!!! What a gift to hear from you today! Thank you for stopping by. I think of you much more often then I ever let you know. CANNOT believe your kids are in 4th grade. Crazy. :-/
DeleteHomeschooling has been rolling around in my head for less than a year. And honestly, I'm shocked we're doing it. But. You? I could absolutely see you doing it. Or Charlie. Or both. Seriously. Y'all would rock it! I will pray for God to reveal the timing for you...I just do not see how homeschooling your kids could ever go AGAINST His will, yanno? Simply put, He walks with us no matter our choices. He walks with us even when our choice has hard(er than we expected!) outcomes. Your cross country moves and deep life changes are proof of that!
So wonderful to hear from you...made my day!