Treasure In Jars of Clay

March 29th...Another story...

Two years ago, to the date I wrote about the loss of our son Gabriel. He was our second miscarriage and our first loss in the second trimester at 18 weeks. You can read more about that experience here. So here I am two years later, I had hoped maybe to be writing about our rainbow baby(ies), that was my plan. We had an idea of the way things should be. We moved into a bigger home after we had our fourth child, we bought a bigger van too, expecting to grow our family.

Book Review: One Blood For Kids

According to the description for the book, One Blood For Kids - What The Bible Says About Race, "discussions about race are inundated with political correctness and cultural buzzwords. Yet, it is critical to have this difficult conversation with children today in a way they can understand – and God has given us a simple, powerful answer in the Bible." 

Book Review: The Memorization Study Bible

Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: Mercy unto you, and peace, and love be multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained, to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

For Dad, From Colleen - You Will Be Forever Loved and Cherished

It was really easy when my Dad passed to think about all the things we will miss out on with him gone. But as soon as that thought enters my mind the Lord reminds me of how we were blessed with a lifetime of love and memories in the short time he was here. Dementia may have taken my Dad’s life but it didn’t steal his soul. He never complained about his condition and found contentment in each day even though he had many struggles. There are so many amazing things about my Dad as some of you may know. I would like to share some of the accounts I was blessed to experience with him.

Book Review: Language Lessons for a Living Education 2

According to Master Books, Language Lessons for a Living Education 2 is a Charlotte Mason flavored approach to elementary language arts. One will enjoy an engaging and effective language arts program for their elementary student. Students will move beyond pages of text and memorization to make real-world connections. This exciting new series will help guide your young learner toward mastery of reading, grammar, and vocabulary, as well as the mechanics of communication and writing. Utilizing phonics, observation, and reading comprehension through poems, stories, and real books as the foundation, your student will start writing basic sentences.

A Life Changing Moment: Following God's Call - Part 2

In a previous blog post, I mentioned how we came to know about the Home Educators Association of Virginia (HEAV). I shared how attending a convention HEAV hosted was a life changing moment for Colleen and I. In this blog post I plan to share some of the ways HEAV has been instrumental in helping us experience a revival like none other in our walk of faith.

A Life Changing Moment: Following God's Call - Part 1

From time-to-time, people ask me about home education. One time in particular someone was really curious about how we taught our children, what we used to teach our children, what it looked like throughout the week, how we did grades, and they were even asking if I was concerned about socialization for my children. As I was sharing with them answers to the questions they had, I realized that our life and our family dynamic, purpose, focus, worldview, and relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ changed drastically from where it was originally heading. And it all started with one small conversation about education!

Book Review: Gospel Reset - Salvation Made Relevant

Times have changed. Some things that worked before do not work now. There are new methods and new ways. There are new perspectives. There are new generations of people as well as older generations. What worked for previous generations seem to be different than what works for newer generations. This appears to be true with the Gospel and primarily it is due to changes in the culture.

Book Review: Teach Them Diligently - Raising Children of Promise

Often times when a child is born into this world, people say they do not come with an owner's manual on how to raise them. I would disagree with that statement and honestly every Christian parent should realize they do have a owner's manual for how to raise their children. Sadly, even Christian parents won't use it since many think it isn't practical or it is out-dated. However the best manual to raise a child is found within God's Word! God is the Creator of everything and He knows exactly how to raise children. I believe this is what Teach Them Diligently - Raising Children of Promise, calls our attention to.

Book Review: Answers For Homeschooling - Top 25 Questions Critics Ask

When my wife (Colleen) and I obeyed the call of the Lord to home educate our children in 2012, it was not a decision that came easy. Both of us were educated through the government education system and we both thought we had positive experiences. So when the thought of homeschooling came to us, we were resistant. Primarily we were resistant due to our misconceptions about homeschooling based on our own limited personal experiences with those we knew were home schooled. We were definitely "those critics" of which which the book Answers for Homeschooling - Top 25 Questions Critics Ask, authored by Israel Wayne, mentions.

Book Review - The 5 Love Languages of Children

Ever consider that your children have "emotional tanks"? According to The 5 Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell, every child and ultimately every adult has an emotional tank. Ensuring the emotional tank of each individual is essential in having healthy lives, healthy relationships and even healthy marriages. The aim of this book is to "love children effectively" and therefore this book helps parents determine their children's "love language". The book not only identifies how to determine a child's love language but most importantly how to provide the love language they need. After reading this book, it has really caused me to pause and consider how I demonstrate God's love to my children. It has caused me to be more aware of my children's emotional tanks. I greatly desire for my love to be communicated effectively such that my children not only know they are loved, but also that they FEEL loved!

Come Unto Me, All Ye That Labor

According to History.com, Labor Day "pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers." History.com goes on to say that "the average American worked 12-hour days and seven-day weeks in order to eke out a basic living. Despite restrictions in some states, children as young as 5 or 6 toiled in mills, factories and mines across the country, earning a fraction of their adult counterparts’ wages. People of all ages, particularly the very poor and recent immigrants, often faced extremely unsafe working conditions, with insufficient access to fresh air, sanitary facilities and breaks." Reading this made me thankful for the work conditions I have today and also this holiday we have as Americans to reflect on our labors. As I read this, I thought about a few things when it comes to laboring in this life that I felt compelled to share.

Book Review - Truth Is Fallen In The Street

According to the back cover of, Truth Is Fallen In The Street by Jay Jusino, "Parents send their children to school, and students attend school, with the expectation that they will receive knowledge, and that this knowledge will be the key to unlocking their future potential." But where does knowledge come from? What is the purpose of knowledge? How do government schools impart knowledge? What are Christian parents supposed to do with respect to imparting knowledge to their children? What about Christian teachers (teachers that are Christian)? What is their calling in the public square? This book, it's full title being, Truth Is Fallen In The Street - Examining The Pedagogy Of Christian Teachers in Public Schools, answers these questions and much more for consideration.

Book Review - Education: Does God Have An Opinion?

When it was announced that a new book titled, "Education: Does God Have An Opinion?" was in the works from author and speaker Israel Wayne and book publisher MasterBooks, I was very excited and anxiously anticipating the release of the book. I was also enthused with the idea of the title. Does God have an opinion about Education? Education is one of those topics that many people get fired up about (to include myself). A myriad of opinions surround the topic of education in the United States and also around the world. Education is also one of those topics that unfortunately even divide Christians. Covering a topic like this is no easy task, however nonetheless, I am pleased to see that Israel Wayne and Masterbooks saw that it was important enough to spend time writing and publishing it. With more and more families breaking apart, children and adults turning away from the faith, and only 1 out of 10 Christians having a Biblical Worldview , Christians need to seriously consider how government education is influencing the myriad of statistics out there on these breaking points and ultimately how souls are being affected.

Today Is March 29, 2017: Healing The Broken Hearted

Is it March 29^th yet, the due date of my 6th child.  I was so sure my baby would come this day as two out of the five others were born on their due dates.  I fully anticipated the anxiousness of awaiting birth, the excitement of holding a newborn, and the blessing of a child. 

Building A Firm Foundation For Our Children

According to an article I was reading about building foundations for a house, a good foundation should last forever. Since a foundation is supposed to last forever, it is important to pay attention to the details and design of it. I also learned that footings and the foundation are to homes what feet and legs are to the human body: footings anchor the home to the ground and support the foundation, which in turn carries the weight of the home. The fact that a strong foundation is essential for a home to endure through it's life is the same concept of establishing the proper foundation for our children to endure the life that is set before them.

Training Our Children To Use Godly Communication

Remember that song as a child that encouraged Godly living and went something like this, "Oh be careful little mouth what you say, oh be careful little mouth what you say, for the Father up above is looking down with love, Oh be careful little mouth what you say!" The song went on to talk about what we watch, what we hear and what we think. I am going to focus primarily on what we say. Part of being a Christian parent is teaching and training our children how to communicate with words in a Godly way. 

Whiter Than Snow

When the snow arrived on a recent Saturday morning, it was a refreshing sight. Our children desired more than anything to go outside and play in the snow. They started talking about all the things they were going to do, even eat it! We cautioned them about not eating the first snow since it acts as a cleansing agent against the pollution in the air. This reminded me of how Jesus acts as the cleansing agent against the pollution of sin within our hearts and minds.

2016 Book Reading Challenge

At the end of 2015, I (Michael) set a goal for 2016 to read 12 books throughout the year. The idea at the time was to read one book per month. Due to various things throughout the year, I wasn't able to stick to one book per month. However amazingly I still achieved my goal of reading 12 books in the year 2016. But that's not all actually.

What Jesus Wants For Christmas

Our family has been in preparations for Christmas for some time. We have been anticipating this day and finally it is here! In preparing for this day, I asked our children that after most gifts have been purchased, wrapped, and ready to be delivered to family and friends, have they considered what Jesus wants for Christmas? Our discussion from that point was a wonderful one! I pose the same question to you: Have you considered what Jesus wants for Christmas?