World History High School:
I am so thankful for the discussions Wyatt and I have had this year. They are timely, and they have us discussing pretty important things that I may not have been as responsible to address if left to my own to do so. "Total Health" has opened the doors to talk about difficult topics, like puberty, remaining pure until marriage, sexual diseases, depression, temptations, choosing good friends, knowing the Lord personally and applying faith to life, etc. This week we discussed how decisions made during the teenage years often affect a person's life not only during the teenage years, but also later in life. For example, the decision to remain pure and resist all forms of sexual temptation before marriage impacts the ability to resist temptations like adultery or pornography later in life when married. I shared how many Christian men when traveling for business will call the hotel's front desk and ask them to block all pornographic channels, ads, etc. from their room right away when they check in, so they won't be tempted to look even at the ads. I also shared how a nephew of ours has chosen to block Internet access on his cell phone, just to avoid temptation. Another thing I shared how some men have difficult resisting the temptation to talk badly about women when with a group of guys. When traveling in a shuttle van to a restaurant from our hotel, a group of men in the shuttle who were all coaches were talking very poorly about their wives, after just calling them on the phone and 'getting it over with so they could have fun all night.' There was a lot of other talk that wasn't good that I won't get into the details of, but they obviously were too intoxicated to notice the women in the very back of the shuttle listening. We talked about how it is important to be a man of God all of the time, rather than just when around other Christians. We also talked about sexual desires being natural and part of how God created men and women, that curiosity is natural but must be held in check, and that staying pure until marriage doesn't result in ignorance. One last thing we talked about this week was how teenagers often have a 'right now' mentality that can be dangerous. It can cause teens to make decisions that favor them now, but come back to hurt them in 10 years. I am so thankful for discussions such as these, as I try to equip my son to be a Christian man in a world full of more temptations more readily available than ever.
Another great discussion starter this year that has been timely is the "Pilgrim's Progress" study that is planned in WH. I am glad that we are not doing every single part of the study, as it would be overwhelming and could become tedious. It seems we are doing just enough digging deeper that the storyline is still able to move forward at an enjoyable pace that makes it narrative. I especially love that Wyatt is pulling out his Bible all of the time to refer to Scriptures. The study this week of "Hopeful & By-Ends, & By-Ends' Friends" went hand in hand with the "Total Health" study of choosing friends and the company you keep carefully. The people at the town of Fair-speech remind me of the Pharisees - their speech is charming yet abominations fill their hearts - like a coating of silver over evil. John Bunyan's view of God's sovereignty reflects one of my Dad's favorite Scripture verses... Romans 8:28: For we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, for those who have been called according to his purpose. Looking up Bible verses that clearly show God's sovereignty is the best way to see how this verse can be true. Learning about Talkative and By-ends helps shine a light on how seemingly harmless principles really ARE harmful. Talkative did a lot of meaningless talking, showing he had no religious understanding, while By-ends used and understood religion to be useful only for his own profit and/or advancement. This study is incredibly deep, and it goes hand in hand with the struggles Christians face each day in this world.
Doing "A Survey of the Bible: Old Testament" has been another powerful thing to do this year. Really digging into the Bible, and answering important questions about what has been read has been a great Bible Study opportunity for Wyatt. We both enjoy reading through his answers together, and the Selah Greatest Hymns CD, prayer journal, and Scripture Memory Work keep the study up close and personal.
As we all celebrate Easter, I find I am especially thankful that my high school student and I are studying the Bible and having important Christ-centered conversations every single day with HOD. It is not an easy world for our teens to navigate. Knowing God personally and purposefully making decisions with what He wants in mind doesn't just happen. It is something to discuss, pray about, study together... and then to turn around and do it all over again, as many times as we can with our teenagers. I've often marveled about 'education without Christ.' I have come to believe the only education worth having keeps Him at the center. How else will our dc be prepared for this world? How will they lead their families? How will they teach their children? We discuss the sermon each Sunday on our 30 minute drive home from church. Today, a lady in our church who sang on our worship team suddenly died of a burst blood vessel in her brain. Just last week she was on a plane on vacation with her husband. Having recently lost my Dad to cancer, our family - including our dc - are well aware of our mortality. If strong Papa could die, surely anyone could. Today was reminder that life is like chaff in the wind, and we'd better know we believe in the Lord now. I let our dc know that if something happened to me today, of all the things that I have tried to teach them, the most important will NOT be that they are hard workers, that they have good jobs, that they provide well for their families, that they have the best college degree, that they manage their money well, that they are in good health, that they choose good wives, that they take care of their belongings, that they tithe at church... and so on and so forth. The most important thing will be that they know Jesus as their Savior; for if they don't, I will have considered all that I have 'taught' them to be a failure. There is nothing more important. Nothing. I am going to spend eternity in heaven, and I want my dc to as well. Today we sang 'Worth Is the Lamb," and as this is what the angels sing in the Bible, it is very special to me. I feel when we sing it here for Easter, we must be singing along with the angels in heaven, along with my Dad in heaven, and along with all the other people I know and love who are there already. Isn't that amazing? We have a connection that cannot be broken, even by death, and belief in Jesus ties us together for eternity. If I don't teach my dc THAT, I have taught them nothing. I thank God for daily talks such as these and pray for our dc's faith to be strong and steady - for it to be forever.
In Christ,
Julie
In Christ,
Julie
. 
