Whirlwind Weekend

 On Sunday Jason and I returned from a whirlwind trip to South Carolina for the first Teach Them Diligently Convention (which was amazing, tiring, and busy).  Several other homeschooling families from our area went and it was so neat running into everyone at the convention.  We left on Wednesday and our day of departure started off with a big disappointment when we found out that one of our very favorite homeschooling families couldn't make it because they had come down with the stomach flu, and I must have told Jason a half dozen times how bummed I was (and I know they were too).

So that morning we packed everyone (and everything) up and headed down to my mom's after lunch to drop the kids off for an extended visit, and then Jason and I headed out on the long drive south.  We drove about half way on Wednesday, spent the night in Virginia, and made the second half of the drive on Thursday morning arriving in Spartanburg, SC around 1pm. 

We picked up our convention registration packet, had lunch, and checked into our hotel in preparation for the start of the convention at 5pm.  We arrived at the convention early to get a good seat for the kick off keynote speaker Ken Ham Founder and President/CEO of Answers In Genesis and the Creation Museum (if you haven't visited the Creation Museum you really must go).  The second keynote presentation of the night was by Doug Phillips President/Founder of Vision Forum, followed by another presentation by Ken Ham.

The convention continued all day Friday and Saturday and all of the keynote presentations were great and we were busy non-stop. The second and third days of the convention featured keynote speaker Voddie Baucham, and Saturday morning Jason attended the men's breakfast session with him. The entire trip was constant busyness and we were on the go non-stop, so we didn't really have any down time to relax and enjoy our kid free trip. (It was worth it though.)

The convention officially ended at 6pm on Saturday night, but we were so tired and had a such a long drive ahead of us that we left around 3pm and skipped the last session with Voddie Baucham (which I am kicking myself a little for now). We had originally planned to drive half way and spend  the night, but we ended up driving straight through and arrived at my mom's at midnight.

My mom hadn't told the kids we were coming home a little early, so in the morning we surprised them and they were so cute. This was the longest we had been away from them and the farthest away, and we knew from my mom's reports that they'd missed us. They had a great time while we were away, but were so glad to have us back that Sissy cried and Bubba teared up a little. Dittle, of course, had a totally different and bizarre reaction, and pouted and acted mad for a good 15 minutes (I'm still not sure why) before coming around.

All in all,  it was a great trip and although the convention was wonderful, I don't think we will make the trip to SC every year.

Thoughtful Thursday

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

~Hebrews 10:35-36

Air Force Museum

Last month we took a family field trip to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. Here is a summary of our trip in 10 words or less:

Planes! Planes! Planes!
Walking
Big!
More walking
Free!
Fun!

Thoughtful Thursday

Humility, like darkness, reveals the heavenly lights.

~Henry David Thoreau

What You Do at Home

What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well pleasing to God, not on account of the position or work, but on account of the Word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow.

~Martin Luther

Do Unto Others

I was dusting yesterday (cleaning is my absolute least favorite chore) and the wooden plaque pictured above sits on top of a bookshelf in our school room. I had to move it when I dusted the top of the bookshelf and when I looked at it I started really thinking about what it said. The wisdom on this plaque (often called "the Golden Rule") is of course from the Bible, Matthew 7:12 (and Luke 6:31), and is based on the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount:

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. (KJV)

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (NIV)

After looking at (and while still dusting) I thought to myself: What if every single person on the planet lived their life, at the very least, by just this single verse?

What would that look like?

How different would the world be? 

I think this command is actually two in one - the positive and the negative or prohibitive:

(Positive form): One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself.

(Negative/prohibitive form): One should not treat others in ways that one would not like to be treated.

If everyone treated others as they want to be treated, and did not treat others in ways they do not want to be treated, would the pain and suffering in the world be lessened? I know we wouldn't have a perfect world, far from it, but it seems to me that the world would at least be a better place (and yes, I know this scenario is never going to happen, but humor me).

I don't know why I was struck by these words yesterday (when I've dusted and moved that plaque at least 20 times before), but since I have been pondering them I thought I would blog about it. If you are an actual reader of my blog (all five of you) please excuse my occasional disjointed ramblings! :)

Thoughtful Thursday

I read this last night and had to share it because I so needed this reminder.

Mama's Horses and Chariots

Thoughtful Thursday

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

~James 1:5-6