Encouragement for homeschool parents
Hear from our executive director Kirk as he shares reflections on faith, character, and discipling children at home
Our Secret Weapon
There is a homeschool strategy that will both lessen our stress and increase our productivity. It is called FAITH. There are several reasons why faith works like it does. First, it acknowledges that outside of God’s grace, we can do nothing. (John 15:5) This profession creates a vacuum of faith that the Holy Spirit runs into fill. God loves it…
Forty Years Strong
For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.”’–Deut. 2:7 Three couples sat around a kitchen table, concerned about the trajectory of Christian homeschooling in the state of Illinois as well…
Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder
having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, –Eph. 1:18 (ESV) Easter weekend is one of the greatest ironies in mankind’s history. It was both beautiful and ugly. Tender and cruel. Filled with absolute joy and…
Much More Than Cherry Pies
Some three hundred homeschoolers brought over two hundred cherry pies to the thirty-fourth ICHE Cherry Pie Day at the Capitol in Springfield last Friday. According to ICHE Legislative Task Force chairman, Ashton Bandy, the day was a complete success. Not only did all the legislators receive pies, so did numerous personnel like security guards, kitchen staff, journalism department, and janitorial…
In Not Of
I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.–John 17:15 One of the hardest tasks for Christian homeschooling parents to teach our children is how to be in the world but not of it. It is often a frustrating season that finds us taking one step back to…
Difficult Days of a Past Homeschooler
He was raised in a loving homeschooling household, the apple of his father’s eye. God’s grace was upon him as he excelled in his studies and in his spare time he acquired additional skills and perspectives that would benefit him greatly in a future that seemed so bright. Sadly, his journey took an unexpected and cruel turn. Because Joseph lacked…
Watch Out for Grease on the Slippery Slope
“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.”—Thomas Jefferson The framers of the constitution knew “… the price of liberty is continual vigilance,” and the best defense against tyranny is an informed citizenry. (Jefferson) It is no secret that our rights and liberties as Americans…
Don’t Miss God’s Opportunities
For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. –1 Corinthians 16:9 (NKJV) One of the biggest temptations we have as homeschoolers is to bring the public-school model into the home, a model that many say is presently in failure mode. There have been several studies on the state of Illinois public school’s effectiveness.…
Gideon: A Homeschool Story of Glory
The story of Gideon is our story, that of homeschooling households everywhere. He was living under the tyranny of ungodly oppressors called the Midianites whose secular spirit had darkened the land, much like secular humanism has done in our day. The Hebrew response was to dwell in caves and other secluded places, quietly living out their lives and raising their…
Homeschooling is Hard!
Late January through February can represent some challenging days for homeschoolers. The holidays are over, the weather is cold, the kids are stuck inside more than normal, and academic motivation can be at a low. It is easy to feel discouraged during this season. But the reality is homeschooling discouragement is not limited to the winter months but can be…