Sweet Shot: Orchid

Yesterday, I spent a lovely day with my mom and kids.  We started the day bright and early at the Garfield Park Sunken Gardens. When the tulips are spent, they invite the community to pay $5 to come in and dig the tulips out and take the bulbs home so that they the annuals can be planted.  There were a ton of people there with shovels and wheelbarrows, and within 45 minutes the entire garden was emptied of all but a few people searching the dirt for lost bulbs.


Afterward, we spent some time in their conservatory where I was contentedly shooting along until my camera battery died.  (Note to self: charge your battery, especially when you only have one.)  There were beautiful varieties of orchids and all kinds of exotic flowers that I'd never seen before.  I am continually amazed by the detail, diversity, and creativity of God's handiwork.  Even the leaves of the plants are intricately designed in so many unique shapes.  How glorious must God be when He creates such beauty as this?

When I splurged on a DSLR camera, I chose to invest in a Macro lens rather than a zoom.  For years, I'd spent hours in my yard with my old point and shoot trying to take the photos of flowers that I envisioned, only to be frustrated by the quality of the pictures and the inability to get the camera to focus on the close-up shots.  I didn't want to have the same frustration with a several hundred dollar camera in my hand, so I bought the Canon 60 mm Macro.  As I pour over macro photography books, I know I have a long way to go before mastery.  Regardless, this is still a pretty sweet shot.

If you have a sweet shot to share this week, link up with Darcy. 

Grace and Peace,
Angel

Midwest Homeschool Convention Recap

Since I returned home from the Midwest Homeschool Convention, I've been wondering where non-homeschooling parents go for instruction, encouragement, challenging, and resources on parenting and life with kids.  Homeschool conventions are so much more than places to peruse and purchase curriculum.  This weekend's convention in Cincinnati had nearly 300 sessions and workshops on everything from nationally known expert John Rosemond's "Parenting the Strong Willed Child" (or Teenager); to worldview seminars with speakers from Summit Ministries and veteran homeschoolers like David Quine; to marriage and family sessions.  Courtship, dating, nutrition, finances (and teaching kids about finances), taking college entrance exams, and children with learning disabilities were popular topics in addition to the plethora of writing, math, science, and history workshops.  Every homeschool convention that I have ever attended has been a tremendous source of inspiration and wisdom.  This year was no different!

One thing that was different this year is that my husband and I allowed our 12 1/2 year old son to crash our traditional date/getaway weekend.  Since Ethan is entering 8th grade next year, it is our desire that he begin to take ownership of his own education.  As much as I, as a home-educating mom, can get discouraged, we saw that he, too, was getting discouraged.  We hoped that the convention would be as therapeutic for him as it has been for us over the years.  Needless to say, he had a great time and was challenged.  Summit Ministries speaker John Stonestreet was one of his favorites, and Chris and I gleaned much from the couple of sessions we attended with Ethan.  He also enjoyed learning to study like a genius and The Human Calculator.  We had some great conversations with him, and he relished the respect and freedom we gave him.  The highlight of the weekend for him, though, was Tim Hawkins' performance.  I must admit that I laughed quite a bit myself!

Chris was most encouraged by Tim Cash.  Chaplain for the Atlanta Braves, this guy leads a men's bible study which includes Chris Tomlin, Mac Powell, and Jeff Foxworthy.  Can you imagine being in a Bible study with Jeff Foxworthy? or spending time in worship with Chris Tomlin & Mac Powell??  Very cool!  I appreciated his wife Barb.  How could I not when she incorporated readings of a couple of her blog posts into her talk?!? ;)

Chris and I both were extremely impressed with Dr. Jeff Myers of Summit Ministry and Passing the Baton.  What a tremendous vision for his family he has, and what a fabulous ministry he has in encouraging people to develop a Christian worldview.  And I'm not kidding when I say that he was funnier than Tim Hawkins.  At one point, Chris had tears in his eyes he was laughing so hard.  Let's just say we can relate to his description of his children's behavior during family worship.  By the way, have you ever considered that Jesus' disciples were probably mostly teenagers?  Imagine the conversation about the feeding of the 5000 with the disciples' voices changing and you'll never read the Gospels the same again.  If you're confused, maybe you should go get one of his CDs and judge for yourself (we listened to "Rescuing Children from the Culture of Irresponsibility").


As for me, I need a bulleted list to limit my ramblings.  So, since I've become so adept at communicating in Facebook status update format:

Angelica Dawn...

• gained a fresh perspective on writing from Julie Bogart of Brave Writer, a professional writer and homeschool mom whose course The Writer's Jungle teaches kids how to write the way professionals learn, rather than the way educators teach.  (She has a blog too!)


• started crying at Julie's booth and was blessed by her wise counsel and compassion.


• became less anxious about homeschooling through high school because of Lee Binz and Inge Cannon and began to think about transcripts, achievement tests, and applying to colleges.  


• was convinced by Lee Binz that by homeschooling with excellence, her kids can earn full scholarships to the colleges of their choice.  I'll let you know in 5 years how that turns out, Lord willing.


• was reminded that her goal in home-educating is not to produce geniuses, but to raise men and women who will stand up in Auschwitz and offer their lives that another might live.  (Thanks to Dr. Jeff Myers.)


• chatted with Spunky and was convicted of her out of whack priorities.  My children and my husband need me more than my Facebook friends.


• was grieved as John Stonestreet opened her eyes to the entertainment driven society of which she is a part. 


• laughed until she was gasping for air during Tim Hawkins' performance.


• continued to reap the benefits of marriage to a godly and supportive husband.


• appreciated anew the wonderful young man her son is becoming.


• enjoyed the sweet fellowship of fellow home-educating families from around the country.


• wished she had bumped into Julie and could have spent more time with JenIg. 


• purchased a fabulous worldview curriculum from David Quine, Starting Points.


• found a Yellowstone Unit Study and a Geology textbook to use in preparation for our family vacation this September.


• filled a suitcase with purchases from Miller Pads & Paper. Love them!!


• bought a few autographed copies of some horse books for her daughters written by homeschool graduate Victoria Kasten.


• purchased 10 CD sessions so that the learning and inspiration doesn't have to stop just because the weekend is over.


• dined on Quaker Steak and Lube BBQ wings.


• is ready to press on, make some changes, and pursue homeschooling with excellence.

Sigh...It was a wonderfully exhausting weekend!

If you're a homeschooler and you haven't attended a homeschool convention, you're totally missing out; you need to go!  As weird as it may sounds, if you're not a homeschooler, I think you'd glean a lot from going yourself.  And I don't say that to try to convert you, though you might begin to analyze and rethink your decision to put your kids in public or traditional school if you opened your heart to the message of many of the speakers.  Truly, the experience is invaluable to all parents.  There's nothing that the secular or public school world offers to equip and encourage parents that's anything close to what a homeschool convention offers.  (Of course, that's the way I feel about what homeschooling offers to children as well.)  I already have next year's convention on my calendar.  Care to join me?

Grace and Peace,
Angel

A Plea for an Orphan Boy

Many of you know that last summer we considered adopting a boy from Ukraine. While God did not lead us to do so, another couple in our church decided to adopt the boy that they had hosted. Joy and Mark McClain have raised three godly children, and have a beautifully testimony of the faithfulness of God in restoring their marriage and their lives. Joy has had a heart for adoption for years and went on many missions trips to orphanages but thought that God had closed the door to adoption for them. Then God worked to bring this Ukrainian boy into their lives, and to stir her husband's heart to adopt him. (You can watch a video about their journey to bring Artem home here.) It's been a total work of God, and in two weeks they are scheduled to go to Ukraine and finalize the adoption. Unfortunately, they do not yet have the funds to do so. A couple of options for a grant and loan they had applied for have fallen through and they are in a place of having to trust God completely to provide the remaining funds.

As we have considered adoption, so many of you have been so supportive and encouraging. Many have said that they would love to adopt if it weren't so expensive. Some do not consider that this is the right time or phase of life to consider adoption at all. God's Word makes it clear that we believers have a responsibility to care for the orphans. Whether you are called to adopt yourself, having been adopted by God, you have a responsibility to share His love with the orphans. James 1:27 states very clearly, "Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." The Greek word for visit in this verse means to look upon and care for.

There is a wonderful, godly couple who is ready and willing to live out this verse, but several thousand dollars stands in their way.

Will you stand in the gap for them?
Are you willing to be a part of what God is doing through them?
Will you look upon this orphan boy and give of your own finances so that he can be cared for?

I know that "in this economy" people are struggling financially. I know that things are tight. But God is faithful. I know that He is able to provide. Will you trust Him enough to permit Him to provide through you?

The Fatherless Foundation is a wonderful organization that provides financial assistance for adoptive families. Please pray and consider giving them a gift, ear-marking it for Joy & Mark McClain. (http://www.thefatherlessfoundation.org/GetInvolved.aspx) You'll be making an investment in the life of a child and storing up treasure in heaven.

Thank you for reading and considering this couple and their orphan boy, Artem. May God bless you abundantly!

Grace and Peace,
Angel