God's Purposes in the Recession

John Piper preached a helpful message recently titled, "What is the Recession For?" He gives 5 of God's purposes in the recession: (1) To expose sin and bring repentance, (2) To awaken us to world poverty, (3) To relocate the roots of our joy in His grace, rather than in our goods, (4) To guard His glory by advancing His saving mission in the world precisely when human resources are low, and (5) To bring His church to care for her hurting members and grow in love. To read, listen, or watch the sermon, follow the above link.

Homeschooling Workshop by Gregg Harris

This is my first blog entry since we moved in the Fall. The Lord provided a larger house for our growing family, which is a real blessing! I have been super busy since then. We have decided to homeschool our kids, starting this next Fall. So in December, I started researching the various homeschooling philosophies. I found a series of lectures by Gregg Harris to be very helpful, both for parenting and homeschooling. It is called, "Basic Homeschooling Workshop." It is in MP3 format, and can be downloaded for $15.95. I considered it to be very worth my money.

There are 8 lectures, all relating to Christian homeschooling: (1) Why Home School?, (2) The Battle for Your Child, (3) Child Training God's Way, (4) How to Do a Great Job, (5) Delight-Directed Studies, (6) The Battle for Your Rights, (7) Teaching History in the Home, and (8) Home School Hazards: Passive Dads, Active Toddlers, and Teacher Burnout.

Here are some of the ideas that stood out to me. First, a benefit of homeschool is that your children receive much more personal instruction, like what a tutor gives, which is more effective. Second, your children will be more challenged to grow and mature than they would be in a classroom of 25 other kids at the same maturity level. Kids emulate those around them. In homeschool, they get a lot of interaction with their parent and are learning alongside their older siblings. Third, the teaching can be customized according to the interests and needs of the children, which helps keep it interesting. Fourth, the way for families to evangelize isn't sending their children into a public school, but using their home for hospitality, bringing unbelievers into their home. Fifth, in homeschool, older children can be taught how to start and run a family business. Sixth, children don't need traditional school for socialization, but can have adequate socialization time with children their own age at church. Seventh, it is vitally important for fathers to be involved in homeschooling. Eigth, teaching history biblically will highlight God's providential control, teach children how God is actively involved in history, and spur children on to trust in God.

The lecture, "How to Do a Great Job," is somewhat out-dated. It largely surveys various homeschooling books, many of which are now out-of-print. However, I found the section on teaching Bible to very helpful.

If you are only able to listen to a few, I would suggest the following lectures: "Why Home School?" "The Battle for Your Child," "Child Training God's Way," "Delight-Directed Studies," and "Teaching History in the Home."