3 ways to maximize summer learning
“Note to self: By mid-May you are just so done.”
This is a memo I left to myself, last year around this time, when I was army-crawling across the finish-line of school, joylessly trudging through the final obligatory lessons.
See, when the sun comes out and the natural world awakes, there are a thousand outdoor adventures to be had, and quite frankly no one wants to stay inside to study. Most of all me.
So while I respect the year-round homeschooling mentality, I’ve found for our family, we need summer. And this year, by a little better planning ahead, we were able to indeed finish our formal lessons by mid-May, and can I just tell you: It has been glorious!
But a summer break doesn’t mean we do nothing for three months.
Remember, a change is as good as a rest. Summer is one of the best times for learning, but not in the traditional sit-down-and-study sort of way. I’m finding that the best way for us to maximize summer learning isn’t by trudging through or quitting altogether, it’s through taking advantage of the unique opportunities summer affords and capitalizing on those. There are lots of ways, but here are three of my favorites: {Read the rest over at Simple Homeschool–thanks!} And remember Sacred Mundane ebook is only $1.99 through Sunday! And I have discounted paper copies available here: https://squareup.com/store/sacred-mundane
FREE Sacred Mundane ebook today only (6/4) and $1.99 Tue-Sun
Hey friends! Just a quick note to let you know Sacred Mundane is available FREE on ebook today (6/4) and then just $1.99 the rest of the week (Thur-Sunday). If you haven’t had a chance to read, go snag a copy now, and click SHARE to let your friends know!
Also, if you’re like me and really love to hold a paper copy in your hands, I still have discounted copies available here: https://squareup.com/store/sacred-mundane
Thanks, friends! I’ll write more soon, been busy growing a baby (8-months along!), planting a garden, and raising a couple big kids. I’ll write more soon, just wanted to share the love. Happy Monday!
Everything we need…
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. —2 Peter 1:3
Her smile flashed as she told me the story. I loved listening to her, her enthusiasm was infectious as she shared about her Savior. She’d realized something was off, a skewed way of seeing things, a subtle disfunction that had the potential to derail her peace and future relationships. So what did she do? Run to friends? Download a dozen podcasts? Check out all the latest self-help books? Wallow in self-pity and blame her past? No.
She dove, headlong, into the Word of God. She pored over the precious Scriptures and allowed them to convict, expose, comfort, and correct. As she communed with God, through His Word, she received everything she needed. Not just the diagnosis, but the diagnosis, prescription, and CURE, all at once.
God’s Word is crazy like that.
See, while most people would agree that the Bible is important, that it’s God’s Word, they might even have great arguments for its inerrancy, etc. etc. The question that seems more critical to ask is this:
Do I believe the Bible is SUFFICIENT?
That is, is the Word of God through the Spirit of God, sufficient for my salvation, sanctification, and everything else in between?
And more importantly, does my life demonstrate that I do indeed believe this?
I have been wowed recently by seeing how very sufficient God’s Word really is. Today we looked at 2 Timothy 3:16 and was struck by these 4 aspects of God’s perfect, powerful Word:
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…
Notice these 4 areas:
TEACHING
What’s right: God’s Word gives us PROACTIVE instruction. In child-rearing, the default method is to just be passive until a child does something wrong, and then correct. But a wise-woman explained to me, years ago, and it’s far more effective to spend more time TEACHING and training, rather than correcting. Be proactive rather than reactive. Teaching includes giving scenarios and explicit instruction, explaining things, taking every teachable moment during calm times rather than waiting for the error and then lecturing.
Spending time regularly in God’s Word enables your Heavenly Father to do the same with you. If you spend time in the Word regularly, you allow Him to TEACH you, not just correct you. It’s much more pleasant! You will save yourself a lot of heartache if you spend time regularly, proactively allowing the Word to teach you, rather than just going your own way and waiting for God to have to correct you.
REPROOF
What’s not right: God’s Word CONFRONTS us. Inevitably, just like with our children, we will mess up. We’ll get off track. As long as we live on this earth we will fight and battle our flesh. God’s Word is what has the power to EXPOSE our sin. Without God’s Word, let’s face it, we all think we’re doing pretty well. Without God’s Word it is easy to just compare our lives to someone way worse and think we’re ok. We’re masters at deceiving ourselves. Hebrews 4:12 tells us God’s Word is the only thing sharp enough and powerful enough to expose the inner person, the very thoughts and intentions of the heart. This is far more than any human can do. Humans can only look at and deal with outward behavior (judging what is seen), but God’s Word, by His Spirit, can expose what’s unseen, can convict us even of the good things we do for the wrong reason. Without God’s Word, we will never really get to the root of the problem, but will just keep trying to modify our behavior and be stuck in cycles of self-help and manmade religion.
CORRECTION
How to get right: God’s Word shows us the PATH to freedom. Sometimes we can be like the little kid who hears the first part of some instruction, then runs off too hastily to do something without hearing the rest of the command. Similarly, sometimes when God confronts something in our life, we hastily take that bit of information, then try to “fix” it in our own strength. He convicts us of a habit, or an addiction, or a harmful relationship, or whatever it may be, and then we go try to fix the problem our own way. This is exactly what the enemy wants because it will never, ever, ever, lead to freedom. Attempting to find freedom from our flesh BY methods of our flesh will never work.
Seeking to escape sin by our own fleshly efforts will never work because those efforts ARE sin. It’s just replacing one sin with a different sin and patting ourselves on the back for our good work. Only God’s Word can not only expose the error, but also give us exactly the PATH He intends for us to be free. He’s the only one who knows the way to truly be free, so we need to seek His Word to show us the way.
TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS
How to stay right: God’s Word KEEPS us on that path by retraining our hearts and habits. It’s one thing to repent and turn around, but it’s quite another thing to remain on that new godly trajectory, forming new paths. It takes time to retrain our brains, to create new habits, to let our flesh die and allow the Spirit to grow and strengthen. God’s Word, again—regularly spending time in God’s Word, is what retrains our hearts and habits. Returning to #1, it’s what shows us the good path. It says, “Keep going this way. Keep going. Yes, that’s the way, keep going.” It’s not just one sign-post, it’s a constant companion—the Spirit of God working through the Word of God, to keep us going His way.
Finally, it is absolutely necessary that we allow the Spirit of God to work together with the Word of God. Without the Spirit, the Bible is just words on a page. Without the Word, we are so dangerously subject to our own whims and fancies. The heart is deceptive beyond all things. We are in an age where so many have been swept away by “things of the Spirit” that are absolutely contrary to the Word of God. We need both. We need to test every Spirit, test every “Word from God” — test all things and hold fast to what is good. How do we know if it is good? It will line up with the Word of God. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His voice doesn’t change. So any new revelations from God will always line up with God’s Word.
Of course, godly community, mentors, spiritual disciplines, all these things are important as well. But the bottom line is: We need the Spirit of God to guide us by the Word of God. His divine POWER (His Spirit) gives us everything we need through the knowledge of Him. His Word helps us know Him, intimately know Him, not just know about Him.
This week, let’s seek Him faithfully by the Spirit, through the Word. For everything we need, He is sufficient.
I’ll love you enough to lock horns
I took a deep breath. Patience. This child’s attitude was awful, but I knew there were plenty of contributing factors. New braces. Sore teeth. Just mush and liquids for food for several days. A distinct lack of love for multiplication tables in general. Sun outside and a world awaiting that she’d much rather explore than prepare for state testing. I totally get it.
But attitude is attitude and sass is sass and there’s no room for either in a Godward heart.
I sent her to her room, some space for us both, laid my head on my folded arms, closed my eyes and the desperate heart-cry that every mama knows:
Father, please help me.
Because there’s no getting around it: Diligent parenting will bring conflict and there are so many times I’m tempted to avoid it at all cost. Forget it. No big deal. Let it go. And I get that not every hill is worth dying on — oh, do I get it — but some hills are, especially the ones that deal with the heart. Avoiding conflict to save myself time, trouble, irritation, and effort is nothing more than selfishness.
I remember years ago reading a parenting book, and a father explained:
“I don’t spend much time and emotional energy training my dogs. Why? Because honestly, I don’t care that much. I like them, but they’re dogs. I will spend endless time and emotional energy training my kids, because I do care that much. They’re my kids.”
That idea always comes back to me when I’m tempted to shrug my shoulder or look the other way, when I’m just too tired to take one more training moment.
She shuffled out. Sincerely apologized. This one, her heart’s so soft. And I explained how desperately I love her, and will do the hard thing to help rid her of any habit, attitude, tendency that will cripple her later on.
I love her enough to lock horns.
This morning, Dutch greeted me with this Mother’s Day card.
It was just a blank card he’d found and written in. His handwritten message was precious, but what struck me was the picture. I’m pretty sure the significance was lost on him, but it most certainly wasn’t on me:
Two elk, locking horns.
Oh sweet boy, yes. That’s us, sometimes, isn’t it?
That’s us when you want your way but I know in the end it’ll lead to death. That’s us when I care enough to correct, gently, lovingly, firmly. That’s us when we’re trying to understand each other.
My promise to you, my children: I will love you enough to lock horns with you.
I’ll engage even when I’m tired. I’m listen when I have little left. I’ll challenge you when it’d be so much easier not to. I’ll insist on obedience because I know that in the end, that will serve you better than permissiveness. I love you enough to not just let you have your own way.
I’ll love you enough to lock horns with you.
It’s easy to snuggle, curl up with a movie and relax together. It’s easy to be mommy when the sun is shining on our faces and you look adorable and we’re licking popsicles.
It’s hard to follow through on chores and heart-checks. Hard to teach long division and common denominators and hard to insist on excellent work when I want so badly to just let it go this one time.
But my beloved children, both born and unborn: My commitment to you this Mother’s Day, is that I’ll love you enough to lock horns. Prayerfully, thoughtfully, gently, kindly, firmly. I love you enough to not just let you go your own way. You’re worth fighting for. When I’m weary and want nothing more than to rest. I’ll believe what God’s Word promises:
Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart. (Prov. 29:17)
Someday, I will rest. Today, I’ll love you enough to lock horns.
{To you Mamas, be encouraged. The work is worth it. Don’t give up! Thanks for reading.}