As the blog title suggests, I like football. There are a lot of reasons to like football, but the truth is that I like football, because my dad liked football. He transferred his love of football and other sports to me. I remember sitting on the couch with him and watching football. I asked questions and he would answer. He explained how a team gets a first down. He showed me the different signals for the various penalties. He taught me the difference between a 1-point conversion and a 2-point conversion. He explained every position on the field. I probably drove him crazy with my questions when he was trying to watch the game, but I don't remember him seeming annoyed or impatient. He wanted me to know about and share in something that he cared about.
It strikes me that the Christian discipleship of my children should be a lot like watching football with my dad. I want to transfer my love for God to my children. Metaphorically speaking, I want them to sit on the couch and watch the game with me. I want them to see how much I love God and to want to know all about Him. I want to encourage and to patiently answer their questions. As they grow to adulthood, I would love to hear them say that they love God and that their love for God has a lot to do with the fact that their parents loved God and enthusiastically shared that love.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Noah's heart...
My son, Noah was born with a life-threatening congenital heart defect called Transposition of the Great Vessel (TGV) or Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA). Essentially, his aorta was where the pulmonary artery was supposed to be and visa versa.
Skilled doctors diagnosed his condition very shortly after birth, and a skilled surgical team repaired the defect and put the vessels in their proper places when he was five days old. Needless to say, we were and are grateful.
This is on my mind because on Friday, Noah had his bi-annual check-up with his cardiologist. Everything looks great! He's healthy and his heart is working as it should be.
I'm writing this because after Noah's surgery, I spent a lot of time on the internet looking for online support groups and the like, where I might meet a mom who could tell me that her little boy had the same surgery as Noah, and now he's 12 years old and plays little league and is a "normal". I wanted to be able to connect with moms who had been through what I was going through.
So maybe there's a mom out there Googling "Transposition of the Great Vessels" and maybe you found this blog. If so, please feel free to contact me.
Skilled doctors diagnosed his condition very shortly after birth, and a skilled surgical team repaired the defect and put the vessels in their proper places when he was five days old. Needless to say, we were and are grateful.
This is on my mind because on Friday, Noah had his bi-annual check-up with his cardiologist. Everything looks great! He's healthy and his heart is working as it should be.
I'm writing this because after Noah's surgery, I spent a lot of time on the internet looking for online support groups and the like, where I might meet a mom who could tell me that her little boy had the same surgery as Noah, and now he's 12 years old and plays little league and is a "normal". I wanted to be able to connect with moms who had been through what I was going through.
So maybe there's a mom out there Googling "Transposition of the Great Vessels" and maybe you found this blog. If so, please feel free to contact me.
Hi, I'm Kim and I'm a homeschooler--pt. 2
I daresay, that every homeschooling mom has heard something like the following: "Oh, you homeschool? I could NEVER do that." I find this assertion, both amusing and dismaying.
I'm amused because the statement assumes that I have some sort of special ability, skill, or character. The truth is, I'm just a mom. I'm really not trying to be humble here. I don't have a degree in education. I haven't read dozens of books on education, though I have read a few. Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm not a particularly patient person. I'm also not one of those creative, fun, moms. I don't do crafts! I yell at my kids too much. I often wish I had more time to myself. I want to be organized but fail miserably. I'm a regular mom, with regular struggles, trying to be faithful to God as I raise my kids.
I'm dismayed because this statement shows a fundamental misunderstanding of education. We think that the process of educating our children is completely separate from the process of parenting our children. Education, we think, is something that professionals do. It needs to happen in the context of an institution with certain guidelines and structures in place. How can I homeschool if I don't have a place for a "school room" in my house? How am I going to make my 6 year old son sit still for 6 hours while I teach him? How can I possibly teach my child algebra when I never understood algebra? I don't have a school room, my son almost never sat still when he was 6, and still doesn't at 11, and I'll worry about algebra when we get there--which is coming faster than I want to admit. Regardless of these facts, learning happens. Sometimes the learning comes easy. Other times, not so much.
Sometimes the assertion that "I could never homeschool." is followed by something like, "My kids drive me crazy." or "My kids don't listen to me." Guess what? My kids drive me crazy sometimes, and they often don't listen to me. This is not a good thing. This is not something I should settle for or avoid by spending less time with my children. This is something that we need to work on. I need to be more patient, and gracious with my children. My children need to learn the blessings of submitting to parental authority. This is more likely to happen through practice and proximity.
There are certainly obstacles and challenges inherent in educating children at home. There are also obstacles and challenges inherent in educating children in an institution. I choose the former.
I'm amused because the statement assumes that I have some sort of special ability, skill, or character. The truth is, I'm just a mom. I'm really not trying to be humble here. I don't have a degree in education. I haven't read dozens of books on education, though I have read a few. Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm not a particularly patient person. I'm also not one of those creative, fun, moms. I don't do crafts! I yell at my kids too much. I often wish I had more time to myself. I want to be organized but fail miserably. I'm a regular mom, with regular struggles, trying to be faithful to God as I raise my kids.
I'm dismayed because this statement shows a fundamental misunderstanding of education. We think that the process of educating our children is completely separate from the process of parenting our children. Education, we think, is something that professionals do. It needs to happen in the context of an institution with certain guidelines and structures in place. How can I homeschool if I don't have a place for a "school room" in my house? How am I going to make my 6 year old son sit still for 6 hours while I teach him? How can I possibly teach my child algebra when I never understood algebra? I don't have a school room, my son almost never sat still when he was 6, and still doesn't at 11, and I'll worry about algebra when we get there--which is coming faster than I want to admit. Regardless of these facts, learning happens. Sometimes the learning comes easy. Other times, not so much.
Sometimes the assertion that "I could never homeschool." is followed by something like, "My kids drive me crazy." or "My kids don't listen to me." Guess what? My kids drive me crazy sometimes, and they often don't listen to me. This is not a good thing. This is not something I should settle for or avoid by spending less time with my children. This is something that we need to work on. I need to be more patient, and gracious with my children. My children need to learn the blessings of submitting to parental authority. This is more likely to happen through practice and proximity.
There are certainly obstacles and challenges inherent in educating children at home. There are also obstacles and challenges inherent in educating children in an institution. I choose the former.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Hi, I'm Kim, and I'm a homeschooler!--pt. 1
People often ask me why we've made the choice to homeschool. I wonder how many people who send their kids to school get asked why they've made that choice? Although there are many reasons we've chosen to homeschool--and I plan to write about some of those in subsequent posts--I think the main reason we educate our children at home, is because we don't have a good reason not to.
It seems natural to me that as much as possible, children should learn from their parents. No one thinks it's weird when parents potty-train their children, teach them to use a spoon, or how to tie their shoes. Why is it so different for a parent to teach his child to read? "But I don't know how to teach my kid to read." I'm guessing you didn't know anything about potty-training either--I know I didn't . Teaching my son to read was a cakewalk compared to getting him potty-trained.
I find it a bit odd that for most parents, it's automatic. Your child turns 5, so it's time to buy the "Dora the Explorer" backpack and lunch box and have a tearful good-bye outside of the kindergarten classroom. Why is it the "default" to send our kids to school? Why is that in order to homeschool, I need some special reason; some special "word from the Lord"? But if I sent my 5 year old away for 6-8 hours a day, no one would even question it?
Whether you educate your child(ren) at home, or send them to school, ask yourself, "Why am I making this choice?" Have reasons. Be intentional.
It seems natural to me that as much as possible, children should learn from their parents. No one thinks it's weird when parents potty-train their children, teach them to use a spoon, or how to tie their shoes. Why is it so different for a parent to teach his child to read? "But I don't know how to teach my kid to read." I'm guessing you didn't know anything about potty-training either--I know I didn't . Teaching my son to read was a cakewalk compared to getting him potty-trained.
I find it a bit odd that for most parents, it's automatic. Your child turns 5, so it's time to buy the "Dora the Explorer" backpack and lunch box and have a tearful good-bye outside of the kindergarten classroom. Why is it the "default" to send our kids to school? Why is that in order to homeschool, I need some special reason; some special "word from the Lord"? But if I sent my 5 year old away for 6-8 hours a day, no one would even question it?
Whether you educate your child(ren) at home, or send them to school, ask yourself, "Why am I making this choice?" Have reasons. Be intentional.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Mourn with those who mourn.
I recently read a blog post in which the writer was expressing profound disappointment about the current state of his life. Things are not going the way he hoped and planned. He has faced unimaginable loss and significant hardship. His goals and desires for career and family are not being realized and currently seem unreachable. He is hurting.
A commenter made the assertion that soon things would get better. He waxed spiritual about waiting on God and reassured him that God would give him what he desired in the right time. He told a story about how he wanted something for a long time and when he finally learned what God wanted him to learn, he got what he wanted.
This reminded me of when my husband and I were struggling with infertility. We desperately wanted children and it wasn't happening. During this painful time, a friend informed us that our failure to procreate was related to our failure to keep the Old Testament dietary laws and laws regarding the marriage bed and a woman's monthly cycle. Hmmm...So, you're saying that we're being punished for not obeying the OT laws? REALLY!
Then there was the time that I had a little "freak out" about a friend who'd recently been diagnosed with cancer. I was sad. I was afraid. I felt helpless. Unfortunately, this "freak out" happened while I was attending a function. A well-meaning friend noticed that something was troubling me and asked what was wrong. When I told her why I was feeling sad, she decided this was the right time to tell me everything she knew about alternative cancer treatments and cancer prevention and gave me a business card to pass along to my cancer-patient-friend so she could buy all the right herbs, and juices.
My (or anyone's) painful situation is not a great time for you to share your opinion about why bad things happen, sell your favorite product, correct bad theology, or otherwise "fix". And it certainly isn't the right time to "blame the victim". But we've all done it. I know I have. Someone I love is hurting and I don't know what to do. I want to help. I want her to feel better. I feel inadequate. All of the sudden, it's no longer about my hurting friend, but about my own feelings of failure and discomfort and not being able to help. So I spring into action with platitudes, explanations, and solutions.
The Scripture is clear that suffering, trials, and hardships are a normal part of the Christian life. I wonder what it would be like if we were more comfortable in the presence of these things and excelled in mourning with those who mourn, and comforting the afflicted with the comfort we've received from Christ.
A commenter made the assertion that soon things would get better. He waxed spiritual about waiting on God and reassured him that God would give him what he desired in the right time. He told a story about how he wanted something for a long time and when he finally learned what God wanted him to learn, he got what he wanted.
This reminded me of when my husband and I were struggling with infertility. We desperately wanted children and it wasn't happening. During this painful time, a friend informed us that our failure to procreate was related to our failure to keep the Old Testament dietary laws and laws regarding the marriage bed and a woman's monthly cycle. Hmmm...So, you're saying that we're being punished for not obeying the OT laws? REALLY!
Then there was the time that I had a little "freak out" about a friend who'd recently been diagnosed with cancer. I was sad. I was afraid. I felt helpless. Unfortunately, this "freak out" happened while I was attending a function. A well-meaning friend noticed that something was troubling me and asked what was wrong. When I told her why I was feeling sad, she decided this was the right time to tell me everything she knew about alternative cancer treatments and cancer prevention and gave me a business card to pass along to my cancer-patient-friend so she could buy all the right herbs, and juices.
My (or anyone's) painful situation is not a great time for you to share your opinion about why bad things happen, sell your favorite product, correct bad theology, or otherwise "fix". And it certainly isn't the right time to "blame the victim". But we've all done it. I know I have. Someone I love is hurting and I don't know what to do. I want to help. I want her to feel better. I feel inadequate. All of the sudden, it's no longer about my hurting friend, but about my own feelings of failure and discomfort and not being able to help. So I spring into action with platitudes, explanations, and solutions.
The Scripture is clear that suffering, trials, and hardships are a normal part of the Christian life. I wonder what it would be like if we were more comfortable in the presence of these things and excelled in mourning with those who mourn, and comforting the afflicted with the comfort we've received from Christ.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Honk, if you love Jesus!
A year ago, a dear friend was diagnosed with breast cancer. I hate breast cancer. I want breast cancer to be cured. I am not wearing a pink ribbon.
I recently drove past a man holding a sign that read, "Honk, if you love Jesus." It was a tense moment for me. I do love Jesus, but I didn't honk.
I support our troops, but I don't have a bumper sticker that says so and I don't wear a yellow ribbon.
I regularly read Facebook statuses that tell me that if I'm a Christian, or patriotic, or agree with one cause or another, I should post a certain status, click a certain button, or "like" a certain cause. I almost never do what those things want me to do.
It's entirely possible that the reason that I resist all these things is because I'm grumpy and rebellious and I don't want anyone telling me what to do. I hope that's not it. I hope that it's because doing such things seems a lot like what Matthew 6 tells us not to do. I'd like to think that my resistance to such things is the grace of God in my life helping me to be obedient to the Scriptures. It's probably a bit of both.
Maybe it's perfectly fine to honk and wear ribbons and post cause-supporting Facebook statuses. But I'm afraid that if I do such things, I'll deceive myself into believing that I actually demonstrated love for Jesus, or helped cure cancer...I don't want to confuse wearing a ribbon with actually doing a good deed.
I recently drove past a man holding a sign that read, "Honk, if you love Jesus." It was a tense moment for me. I do love Jesus, but I didn't honk.
I support our troops, but I don't have a bumper sticker that says so and I don't wear a yellow ribbon.
I regularly read Facebook statuses that tell me that if I'm a Christian, or patriotic, or agree with one cause or another, I should post a certain status, click a certain button, or "like" a certain cause. I almost never do what those things want me to do.
It's entirely possible that the reason that I resist all these things is because I'm grumpy and rebellious and I don't want anyone telling me what to do. I hope that's not it. I hope that it's because doing such things seems a lot like what Matthew 6 tells us not to do. I'd like to think that my resistance to such things is the grace of God in my life helping me to be obedient to the Scriptures. It's probably a bit of both.
Maybe it's perfectly fine to honk and wear ribbons and post cause-supporting Facebook statuses. But I'm afraid that if I do such things, I'll deceive myself into believing that I actually demonstrated love for Jesus, or helped cure cancer...I don't want to confuse wearing a ribbon with actually doing a good deed.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
So I decided to start a blog...
I've thought about blogging for awhile, but have wondered if I have anything to say that isn't already being said better, elsewhere. While I am still uncertain if my perspective adds much to the blogosphere, I decided to take a stab at it anyway.
I'm not sure what shape this blog will take. I hope that my time writing and interacting with comments, will feel a lot like enjoying great conversation while sipping a mocha frapuccino with a friend. I find great enjoyment in sports, especially football. I don't know how much I'll actually write about football, but I find sports to be a great way to have fun, cultivate camaraderie, to experience and understand success and failure, and challenge one's limitations. I hope this blog will help do all those things. I live my life in family. In addition my "earthly" family, I am part of a church family, and the family of God. Without a doubt, there will be much here about various aspects of life as part of these families. I suspect that many reading this blog are part of one or more of my families.
I am opinionated about many topics. I like people who are opinionated. There is a difference between being opinionated and being certain. Lots of things are worth discussing and debating. Few things are worth fighting for.
I wish Christians weren't so quick to jump on bandwagons. If something is popular, especially among Christians, I probably haven't done it and/or am suspicious of it. I didn't read The Purpose Driven Life, I've never done a Beth Moore Bible study, and I didn't watch "Fireproof" until it came out on DVD.
I am annoyed by false dichotomies. I almost always look for the "third option". I like to think outside the box.
I want to be someone who is good at listening and empathizing, but instead I usually try to control and fix.
I am a Bible-believing Christian, a homeschooling mom, and a pastor's wife. I probably fit into a lot of the stereotypes that come with that description. But even if I fit in the box, I hope I've knocked a few holes in it and have made it a bit lopsided.
My goals here are what my goals should always be.
Mark 12:30 says: "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."
And 1Corinthians 10:31-33 says: "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved."
May it be so!
I'm not sure what shape this blog will take. I hope that my time writing and interacting with comments, will feel a lot like enjoying great conversation while sipping a mocha frapuccino with a friend. I find great enjoyment in sports, especially football. I don't know how much I'll actually write about football, but I find sports to be a great way to have fun, cultivate camaraderie, to experience and understand success and failure, and challenge one's limitations. I hope this blog will help do all those things. I live my life in family. In addition my "earthly" family, I am part of a church family, and the family of God. Without a doubt, there will be much here about various aspects of life as part of these families. I suspect that many reading this blog are part of one or more of my families.
I am opinionated about many topics. I like people who are opinionated. There is a difference between being opinionated and being certain. Lots of things are worth discussing and debating. Few things are worth fighting for.
I wish Christians weren't so quick to jump on bandwagons. If something is popular, especially among Christians, I probably haven't done it and/or am suspicious of it. I didn't read The Purpose Driven Life, I've never done a Beth Moore Bible study, and I didn't watch "Fireproof" until it came out on DVD.
I am annoyed by false dichotomies. I almost always look for the "third option". I like to think outside the box.
I want to be someone who is good at listening and empathizing, but instead I usually try to control and fix.
I am a Bible-believing Christian, a homeschooling mom, and a pastor's wife. I probably fit into a lot of the stereotypes that come with that description. But even if I fit in the box, I hope I've knocked a few holes in it and have made it a bit lopsided.
My goals here are what my goals should always be.
Mark 12:30 says: "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."
And 1Corinthians 10:31-33 says: "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved."
May it be so!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)