Linda's Blog

I hope the articles you have read on this website have challenged you to evaluate your Christian walk.

If you desire to get a more intimate glimpse into how the Spirit of God continues to work in our family’s life, you can stay connected with us through this blog.

This blog will keep you updated in three ways:

• New articles that have been posted to the site will be highlighted below, with descriptions of their contents.

• Additionally, I will post excerpts of our family’s everyday life relationships and share with you how the Lord is working to release us to more of His love.

• As I grow in my Christian life, I will share personal insights to spur you on to good works within your own family based not on duty but on who you are becoming in Christ.

Thank you for reading what the Lord has done to release me to His love so that I could glorify Him as I reach out to others in His Body. Please feel free to contact me at any time. I would love to hear from you.

P.S. For an efficient method of obtaining updates from this site, consider subscribing to RSS.

Don’t know what RSS is? For a brief description of the advantages of subscribing through an RSS reader, including anonymity, and for instructions on how to RSS this site, click here.

How Do I Motivate My Child and Correct a Bad Attitude?

“What is the key to motivating my children to learn?” is a question often asked by exasperated moms who want to light the kindling fire of their children’s minds without lighting the destructive fire in their relationship.

“What is my part in changing my child’s attitude?” Let’s look into the answer to that question because parents do indeed have a part in motivating their children while affecting their attitude.

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Home Schooling Information

My heart’s desire is to help women like you see the Hand of God in your life’s circumstances—marriage, parenting, and home schooling—and, therefore, this site focuses on your heart, the being aspect of your spiritual growth.

But I know that moms like you also need practical insights for home schooling, the doing part of your journey.

I pray these few personally selected homeschool links give you useful ideas, releasing your creativity rather than encumbering you.

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Childish or Sin Issue?

What is the difference between a childish issue and a sin

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Discussion Forums

I hope you will consider ministering to other readers of this site by contributing your questions, testimonies, or insights through one of the six forums offered on this page.

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Learning to Hearken to the Lord

Yes, child training does take alot of time! When I first read your articles, I didn't really understand what you meant by 'intense.’ Well, now

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"Hanging on"

It is so true what you say, Linda, about the Lord showing me how to stop focusing on performance. And He has started doing it already, I'm so

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Free to "Be"

How perfect to label some of the teachings on submission as binding! I absolutely agree! There is so much freedom being who GOD created us to be as

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Updated Parenting Section

I have updated the parenting section for easier navigation. Any feedback would be appreciated.

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Parenting Articles Discussion Forum

After reading the articles in the parenting series, do you have

• an insight to share,
• a testimony to encourage,
• question to ask?

If you answered yes, then please consider sharing your thoughts with other moms at the Parenting Articles Discussion Forum.

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Maximize Your Library's Potential

I have been an avid library user for the past 15 years and would like to share my finds with you.

If you are interested in ways to stretch your budget and manage your precious time, consider signing up for this free seven-day e-course on how to maximize your library’s potential.

Topics include:

• Employing your Inter-Library Loan system to work for you
• Finding resources and implementing a practical plan for home management
• Thinking “out of the box” (I’ll share some unique ideas for personal growth)
• Homeschooling with free library resources
• Teaching your children to use the library and building their character in the process
• Discovering other library treasures
• Supporting your local library

Your local library system—more than just books!

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Homeschooling: A Tool for Mom's Growth

I invite you to join me as I share my own personal and spiritual growth through homeschooling.

• Season 1: A Renewed Mind
• Season 2: A Revived Heart
• Season 3: A Prospering Soul

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Discover God’s Love for You

Have you ever asked, “How can you love me, Lord? I’ve messed up my life so much.”

If so, then I encourage you to join me in this five-part review of the Levitical sacrifices to discover God’s love for you.

The Levitical sacrifices????

Yes, surprisingly, the Levitical sacrifices foreshadow Christ’s work on behalf of each of us believers.

This study profoundly affected my life. I pray through this overview that the eyes of your heart are enlightened.

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Book Recommendation on Prayer

Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? by Philip Yancey.

I found this book deeply challenging as well as practical because the author asks the same questions I have asked about prayer:

• Why does God let the world go on as it does and not intervene?
• Does prayer really help with physical healing?
• Why does God sometimes seem close and sometimes far away?
• How does God want me to pray?
• Should I question Him?

I highly recommend this book for those who enjoy pondering the why’s of life.

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A Homeschool Mom asks, Who Am I?

Need some “me” time? Is homeschooling so time-consuming that you want your life back? Have you lost your personal identity? Let the Spirit renew your mind about the underlying purpose of your choice to homeschool.

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Setting Marital Boundaries

These two personal testimonies draw out some principles you can apply to your own marriage about setting personal boundaries with your spouse and responding to the gentle correction of the Lord.

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Share This Site?

Hoping that you do want to share this site, I have made it easy for you by creating HTML links. Just follow the simple instructions on this page to copy and paste the text link of your choice to your blog or website.

Thank you for your support!

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Easy Homeschool Record Keeping

Free printable homeschooling forms to simplify your recordkeeping:

• Monthly Journal Template
• High School Transcript

Samples of how to use these forms from our homeschool to yours.

Plus a 1-2-3 process for homeschooling high school.

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Encouraging Books

The authors of these encouraging books have helped me to grow closer to the Lord over the last 20 years. I hope you find one or two books on this short list that will encourage you in your Christian walk as well.

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Hearkening and Obeying

While weeding my flower garden, the Lord “spoke” to me about encouraging my son.

Read more by clicking the link below.

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Bringing Your Child Alongside You

A “desperate” mom emailed me:

As this mom began renewing her mind and meditating on God is love, His Spirit of love gave her fresh insights into her particular circumstances.

I asked if she would be willing to share her testimony, and she responded, “If it can possibly help someone else struggling like me, I have no problem having you share it on your website.”

You can read more by clicking the link below.

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Hearkening to the Lord Example

This past week, a dear mom of young children and I had a brief cyberspace dialogue about an issue with her child. Through this issue, she saw with Spirit eyes what God was teaching her. I hope her testimony encourages you to hearken to the Voice of the Lord through your everyday circumstances.

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Book Recommendations

(1) Dwell in Reality book recommendation.

Because I often encourage women to dwell in the reality of their circumstances and relationships, I’m always on the lookout for other authors who have lived this Biblical principle. Elizabeth George offers practical wisdom about dwelling in reality and being transformed by the renewing of your mind in her book Loving God with All Your Mind.

For those of you who are discouraged or even depressed because God seems so far away or unreachable, applying Elizabeth George’s solid Biblical counsel to your mind and heart will begin the process of releasing you from what binds and keeps you from communing with the One Who loves you.

(2) Covenant with your husband book recommendation.

I also discourage doormat submission that is often advocated especially in homeschooling circles. Boundaries in Marriage by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend highlights real-life examples of couples who respect each other’s boundaries and those who don’t.

If your marriage is struggling, you will find refreshing, practical, Biblical counsel in each chapter of this book. Two chapters, “Resolving Conflict with a Boundary-Resistant Spouse” and “Misunderstanding Boundaries in Marriage,” will renew your mind about the importance of confronting hard issues in healthy ways that help you grow.

Although my husband and I hadn’t read this book at the time we were going through our marriage crises, after reading it this past week, we can see how the Spirit was certainly leading us because we have applied many of these principles throughout our almost 29 years of marriage. So even if your marriage is solid, you may find this book helpful to confirm what God has done in your life. Hopefully, you will also find areas where you can improve your communication, validation, and valuing of your husband which will strengthen your marriage in deeper unity and love.

I checked out both of these books from our inter-library loan system. Perhaps your library system carries these titles too. If you find yourself re-ordering them often, then you’ll know it’s time to buy them for your own home bookshelf.

Free ezine: Released To Love

The desire of my heart is to help women become all they were created to be and to point them to the One Who can release them to love.

The Released To Love ezine, published at least quarterly (perhaps more frequently), will contain a Heart-to-Heart segment as well as three sections centered on a theme:

• Rejoicing in Reality
• Reaching Children
• Restoring Marriage

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American Revolution ebook: Reading List and Sample Dialogues

Reading to my children each day has become the backbone of our family’s homeschooling—lifting burdens, easing budgets, stimulating imaginations, and providing heart-training opportunities.

I hope that you, Mom, are personally blessed by this two-part 60-page ebook:

• Part 1: Reading List includes about 70 titles to enhance your study of the American Revolution.

• Part 2: Sample Dialogues offers practical insights for reaching into the hearts of your children while reading together.

May you discover the richness inherent in Family Reading Times.

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Sample Dialogues ebook: Discover the Richness of Family Reading Time

I hope this 30-page Christian ebook provides you with practical insights and that you will

• discover the richness of a family reading time.
• develop discernment about the principles you want to instill in your children’s lives and your own,
• be encouraged to use two often overlooked tools for homeschooling: the library and your home,
• recognize the Voice of the Lord for your particular circumstances; and
• grasp how the Spirit of God leads you as you lead your children.

Blessings as you discover how God leads you as your lead your children.

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Board not Bored

Keep your active early elementary children moving with inexpensive homeschooling ideas that engage their minds and bodies.

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Homeschooling Articles on Scholarship

Differentiate between skill development and knowledge acquisition for your particular children. Nurture unconditional love, exercise Godly authority, and renew your mind about the opportunities inherent in deskwork.

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Playacting Example

Playacting with your children during homeschooling can create precious memories as you teach valuable lessons. I pray you discover something from this example that you can apply to your home and school.

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Leading Children to the Cross

In this article I share an example of leading my emotional son to the cross during his deskwork time.

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What about Socialization?

Discover the key to answering this question and others similar to it without feeling defensive.

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Ease Your Homeschool Burden: Establish Reading Routines

Family reading routines ease homeschool burdens. As you peek into our established reading routines through this series of articles, I pray that the Lord will give you insights you can apply in your home that will bless your children and you!

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Family Funnies

These two family funnies made us giggle. Perhaps you will too.

• My young son’s thoughts on Psalm 139
• What is the study of “the”?

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Family Updates and Personal Insights

I hope you enjoy these personal insights and family updates on my blog for September:

• Who is in the Driver’s Seat?
• Missionary Math
• Dating or Courting?

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Marriage Articles: Validate through One-Anothering

Part 5 or 5 of this marriage articles series introduces the fifth of five principles for strengthening your Christian marriage.

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Christian Spiritual Growth: A Heart-to-Heart Conversation, Part 1 of 2

Christian Spiritual Growth: A Heart-to-Heart Conversation, Part 1 of 2

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Marriage Articles: A Transformed Husband’s Perspective on a Wife’s Submission

Marriage Articles: A transformed husband’s perspective on a wife’s submission.

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Spiritual Growth Reading Guide

If you have enjoyed other Reading Guides on this website, perhaps you would be interested in the Spiritual Growth Reading Guide which will help you navigate through the newly posted Spiritual Growth section.

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