Weekend Refreshment

This weekend I was blessed to get to attend the first-ever Apologia Live Homeschool Moms Conference in Baltimore. It is something that is difficult for me to write about because it was so meaningful to me and I haven't completely finished processing everything I heard and learned. Since we are in the middle of a big winter storm (the last before spring, I hope) and I know I'll want to post snow pictures tomorrow, though, I want to get this posted.

We heard about the conference from HSLDA, the legal defense company who handles many legal issues that homeschoolers face. Apologia, who is well-known in the homeschool community for its challenging, award-winning, Creation-based science curriculums has decided to branch out into another area and that is specifically encouraging and inspiring homeschooling moms. There were 5 speakers-all of whom are "biggies" in the homeschooling community. To tease those of you reading this who are homeschoolers, we got to hear Debra Bell (Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling), Sally Clarkson (Whole Heart Ministries), Elizabeth Smith (wife of HSLDA president, Michael Smith), Zan Tyler, and Rachel Carmen. These women paved the way for those of us homeschooling now, facing unbelievable pressure and resistance--to the point of even being threatened with jail!

I went with three friends of mine from three different areas of my life. None of them knew each other before the conference, but I have a feeling they will stay friends long after. Each of us is in a different place on our homeschooling journey. And God spoke specifically to each of us in our area of need.

Because my heart and my mind are still so full of emotion over all that I heard this weekend, I am not able to clearly explain to you what it meant to me to be with three moms who feel the same calling that Dave and I do about homeschooling our children, and to hear such uplifiting and encouraging messages from the Word of God, affirming our decisions and calling us to keep Him the center of our studies.

This is too long already-I knew I'd get rambly. Have you ever had a time in your life when you just KNEW God was speaking to you? When you could almost hear His voice out loud? That was this weekend for me--confirmed over and over again. In my quiet time Friday morning, I read Scripture from John 4, where the woman at the well met Jesus. Saturday night after the conference we went to a service at church during their evangelism conference and that same Scripture was used. Scripture quoted during my conference was used by the speaker this morning in church. This weekend has been full of words from God meant especially for me, as I teach, discipline, encourage, and train my children. I am so reminded that I have a choice of who and what I want to follow when I'm doing that. I can follow fear or flesh or even a proven formula---or I can follow God in Faith. I choose Him.

I'll leave you with this quote I wrote down on one of the many pages of notes I took:

The secret of living joyfully in the presence of your children

is to live your life in the presence of God.