our family.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.” - Matthew 7:24-26

“For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” - 1 Corinthians 3:11-12

Building our home, marriage and family upon a "sure foundation" refers to foundation of Jesus Christ as the bedrock of our lives. Our choices, thoughts, motives, decisions, our words and our actions are all ultimately based upon our relationship to him. He is our reason for living on this earth.

We want our marriage to reflect the selfless, sacrificial love Jesus has for His Church. We want our interactions with our children to model our Heavenly Father’s tender, patient care over us. We want the fruit of the Holy Spirit — His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control — to be evident in our lives to everyone around us. We want to bear witness to the fact that it is possible to have a soul-satisfying, intimately personal relationship to Almighty God — not as a result of anything we have done, but only through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf.

The good news is that everyone can know Him. So put your faith and trust in Him today, and affirm with us the truth of His Holy Word:

• John 3:16 — “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
• Romans 5:8 — “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
• Romans 3:23-24 — “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God….”
• Romans 6:23 — “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
• 2 Corinthians 5:21 — “He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we may be made the righteousness of God through Him.”
• Romans 10:9-10 — “…if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
• Romans 10:13 — “…for Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Whether you are new to the faith or have been a Christian for years, we encourage you to build upon that foundation through daily Bible study and prayer. Immerse yourself in Scripture, it is an irreplaceable gift from God Himself. Pray that God will give you a heart to understand and apply all you read to your own life, no matter where you are or what you're doing! He promises to give wisdom to all who ask (James 1:5).

{ homeschooling }

We have deliberately chosen to homeschool from a sense of conviction — we view it as the best alternative for passing our values onto our children. To be able to customize academic programs to each individual child's abilities and/or interests, and for protecting them from potentially harmful influences. We have found that it is a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow together. 

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go : and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

While I can’t speak for all homeschoolers, I can share some of the factors that contributed to our own decision to homeschool. These include:

• ACADEMICS: It's a one-on-one tutorial method that has for centuries shown itself to be the most effective and efficient means of imparting knowledge. By homeschooling, a mother can make sure her child masters the material before he moves on. Or she can advance him early if he grasps it quickly. There is no need to hold one child back until the rest of the class is ready to proceed, nor to rush him ahead before he is able. Students are not required to stay lock-step with peers in every subject.
  
• SOCIALIZATION: One of the questions home schoolers are frequently asked is, “What about socialization?” Critics are convinced that students who do not spend eight hours a day in an age-segregated classroom will not learn how to relate to others. Nothing could be further from the truth. The objection they raise touches on what we consider another wonderful advantage of homeschooling: not only does homeschooling help protect children against the negative effects of peer pressure, but it allows parents greater influence over their children’s choice of friends. Like most home schoolers, our children regularly spend time in the company of others. They socialize with neighbors, church friends, team mates, etc, and are comfortable interacting with both young and old, not just their age-mates. They participate in church fellowships, group sports, co-op classes, and community service projects. However, none of their extra-curricular activities are allowed to dominate the family schedule or rob siblings of the opportunity to become each others best friends.
  
• FLEXIBILITY: In homeschooling, there is no need for “busy” work. Since material can be covered one-on-one in a fraction of the time it takes to teach an entire classroom, students have time to delve more deeply into those subjects that peak their interest. Many of us school year-round, thus avoiding the need to do so much review and relearning each fall. This leaves even more room for hands-on learning, field trips, and enrichment projects. Homeschoolers enjoy tremendous flexibility. They are able to travel off-season, participate in mission opportunities, volunteer in the community, the field is wide open. 
  
• WORLDVIEW: As Christians, we look to the Bible as our absolute authority. Our faith provides the foundation upon which the rest of our knowledge rests, and we examine every idea we encounter in the light of Scripture. The responsibility for a child’s spiritual education rests squarely on the parents’ shoulders. Deuteronomy 6:7 instructs us to diligently teach our children and to discuss with them our values and beliefs throughout the day. Schooling at home certainly makes it more convenient to speak of these things “when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.” The school system itself is becoming increasingly hostile to Christianity. Textbooks are filled with atheistic humanism, and as a parent you would have to make an actual effort to explain to your kids a lot of what they learn at school is false.  If we must invest that much time and energy in monitoring what our children are learning anyway, it seems more practical to us to just teach them ourselves in the first place!

For me, homeschooling provides a relationship I can enjoy with each child, and I can enjoy the relationships they build with one another. It's also a learning process for me as well! There is truly no better joy than to be able to witness in your children the compassion, the responsibility, the willingness to serve others, their loving devotion to God. 

3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

We keep home schooling because we love our kids, we love spending time with them, and we love the opportunity we’ve been given to know them on a level that might not have been possible if they spent the majority of their time out of our care. All these things, taken together, are the reason we believe homeschooling is the best choice for our family.