Homeschooling is NOT for everyone

Homeschooling is not for everyone.

Neither is breastfeeding, natural childbirth, living in the city, selling all and becoming a missionary, working part-time, having a large family, or going to a State college.

In Christ we have a level of freedom that God has allowed for His children to make decisions based on a heart and mind that first loves Christ and secondly desires to obey and honor Him with their life.

I felt the need to make this simple statement that homeschooling is not for every family because it isn't. God's will for my life may not be the same for your life.

Ephesians 2:10 states, For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Before you were ever created God prepared good works for His children to execute in their life. As a child of God is reborn and comes to know His Savior (i.e., the process of sanctification), He is compelled to search the scriptures and as He learns about His Creator He also learns about himself and who he/she is in Christ. As a child of God learns about himself, they come to understand what God expects of them. And here's where we can either seek to gain the approval of man or the approval of God.

Many people think, "So and so is a strong, committed Christian. If he/she does ______, I should do _______ too." We may find ourselves mirroring someone else's walk. There are times that the life you're mirroring may be consistent and similar to the walk that God has prepared for you, but there are other times when you're fulfilling a good work, but its a work that isn't for you. When we fulfill a task that isn't exactly what God desires of us, though it is a "good" thing to do, because it is not what God desires for your life you may find yourself lacking peace, feeling overwhelmed, burdened and frustrated. This comes from trying to do something that God did not design YOU to do.

Walk your walk. The walk that God prepared beforehand for you. If you don't know what that walk looks like, first go before the Lord in prayer and ask Him to, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me" (Psalm 139:23-24). Whenever we come before the Lord we need to ensure that our heart is in right relationship with Him. If we're living in sin, that sin separates us from a Holy God. We can't expect God to grant us guidance and direction on His will for our life if we're practicing sin. Repent and return to the Lord first!

Once you've done that study the scriptures for what God expects of you. First, study scripture regarding God's will for a Christian's life and you can do that by doing a word study throughout sciptures on God's will. Study Christ's life and the lives of the men and women who lived for Him. If you're a single person, start with 1 Corinthians 7:25-40. If you're wife and/or a Mother, study through Titus 2:4-5, 1 Peter 3:1, 1 Timothy 3:11, Ephesians 5:22-24, Colossians 3:18-19, and Proverbs 31.

As you study scripture take note specifically of what God says is His will. There will be many areas, including some of the ones I mentioned in this blog article that God does not give specific direction on (i.e., to homeschool or not to homeschool). In these areas where scripture does not directly reference, as a redeemed believer in Christ, you have the Holy Spirit as your guide in life. If you're seeking to honor the Lord, you have the freedom to live in such a way where you make decisions based on what you feel if best while being led by the Lord.

God promises that if we seek to know Him, He will make Himself known to us and that includes His will for your life. God has a plan for His children and while the life of another Christian may be acceptable unto God, there is a specific plan that God has just for you.

Seek the Lord and He will reveal it.
Walk in the steps that God has for YOU.

Finding the Right Fit - Let loose with Dance

When you enjoy something, you don't have to muster up the energy to do it.

I found this to be true when my Aunt sold me the Zumba Exhilarate Boxed DVD set. I had taken Zumba classes at my local gym several years ago and was familiar with the upbeat, dance-based routine that gets your heartbeat going and the sweat pouring. Once I put in a DVD I knew that I would have no problem mustering up the energy to exercise. It's actually exercise in disguise because you may find yourself simply enjoying the dance routines that you don't consider the fact that you're working out your body in the process!

You will find these routines fitting the bill for cardio in your workout regime. There is one routine in this DVD set that targets muscle toning as well.

Remember, if you enjoy the exercise, you will be motivated to stick with it long term.

It's one thing to lose weight and get fit in the short-term, but in order to maintain your weight loss overtime you will have more effective results if you actually ENJOY the exercise routine that you're doing.

Finding the Right Fit - Wanting a Challenge

Once you've established a workout routine that makes you break a sweat each time that you exercise, you may have the desire to push yourself beyond a cardio-based workout to build and strengthen your body. Building and strengthening your body has numerous benefits that include giving you the endurance to work out longer, increases your metabolism which in return helps you burn fat quicker, and you'll find that you have energy that you never had before.

A workout system to consider to build and strengthen your body is the Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred Workout System. The title of the video can seem a little intimidating and Jillian can too, but each workout is designed to push you just a bit beyond a workout where you're simply breaking a sweat. With this program you may find yourself doing your first every push up or burpee. If this sounds daunting to you at first thought, as you walk up to the plate of this program and take a swing at it, don't be surprised when begin to enjoy it as you get stronger. progressing from one level to the next.

The video is divided into 3-levels. Each level takes about 25 minutes to complete. For 30 days you commit yourself to completing 1 level of the workout each day. Starting out with level 1, you will find that from one week to the next your body will get stronger as it learns to handle the level of exertion that you present it with.

Give your body a challenge that it won't regret and you just may thank yourself one day!

Letting God Rebuild You

Keep Going

In the past few months I have been motivated by way of my exercise accountability group to push beyond my walk-a-little, jog-a-little routine into a full up nonstop-jog routine. All it took was for me to see the possibility from the ladies in the group who chose to push themselves from walking to jogging to be convinced that if they could do it, so could I.

Just to set the record straight, I do not have the reputation of being a runner. Since I was in high school I've had the desire to be able to run a mile nonstop without being completely exhausted when I've completed, but for years I've struggled with my legs annoying me and my mind repeating the phrase, "stop, stop, stop", each time that I've attempted to run a long distance.

Surprisingly, what I have learned through my weekly circuit training routines where I concentrate on strengthening my legs, arm, and back muscles, is the more that I strengthen these muscles the greater the endurance I have to do more challenging levels of fitness.

It was a sweet day when I ran my first mile without stopping and I not only did I have the energy to keep running beyond a mile, my legs felt strong and stable and my mind was clear, keeping me motivated to keep running.

As I was out for a two mile run this week I pondered over how God will do a rebuilding in our lives after we've been tested and tried in this life. When we allow Him to teach, train, and test us, without fighting back, without giving up, we too will find that on the other end of the long mile(s), we have been rebuilt. As we're rebuilt, our mind has a deeper level of wisdom than ever before from His Word that has reshaped our thoughts, our emotions are more tender and receptive to God's compassion even in the midst of painful trials, and our spirit is renewed to keep on living, learning, and leaning on the Lord for the next mile that we'll face.

Oh, I pray that as Christians we will submit to God's Sovereign Hand in our life as He rebuilds us into who He wants us to be for Him.

As I ponder over God's Hand in rebuilding my life, though it required sacrifice, pain, and disappointments, I'm filled with joy to know that the suffering wasn't in vain. Just as momentary pain in fitness results in more refined and toned muscles, the sting of a trial can be an opportunity for the Lord's glory and our rebuilding for an eternal gain.

When God allows His children to endure suffocating pressures, our cry to Him can be made with confidence that the trials He sends secure our growth. -- John MacArthur 

Finding the right FIT - for Beginners and Start Ups

Over the years I have tried numerous workout videos to aide in my attempts at staying in shape as I desire to take care of this temple that the Lord has given me. Unintentionally I have created my own extensive workout DVD library! Whether I'm in the mood for strengthening my Core or simply getting in some cardio for the day, I have a fitness video for the occasion.

As to be expected, there are certain videos that are my absolute favorites based on my workout mood.

The very first set of workout videos that I became accustomed to in early 2000 was Leslie Samsone's Walk Away the Pounds (WATP) workout system. Leslie guides the viewer through a low to medium impact cardiovascular routine using walking in place as the foundation for the workout. The routines are typically setup in 1-mile increments to encourage you as you walk and enable you to see the distance that you're able to walk throughout the routine. She has developed her workouts beyond walking to include jogging in place to increase the level of cardio.

Year after year in my fitness journey I have returned to these WATP DVDs to establish a workout regime. WATP routines are ideal for people that have never worked out and want to establish a routine that they can do 5-6 times a week, those that have not exercised in a long time, or for those that may have had an injury and want to get moving again. The low to medium impact nature of these routines fit an array of people depending on your workout goals.

If the season outside does not afford you the opportunity to get out and walk, check out Leslie's DVDs. I assure that you will get hooked and may be motivated to challenge yourself beyond walking!