I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. -1 Corinthians 9:26-27
This kind of balls-to-the-wall messaging about how to live is not new in our lives.
I don’t dictate routines or efforts to my sons. I try hard to model and live as I preach.
My older son saw snow falling this morning, did Wim Hof Method breathing before getting up, and declared that he was going to jump in the snow.
He’s a little baddass and braver than me. I’ve been off the breathing and cold therapy for most of a year. His quiet determination to be daring and get uncomfortable is inspirational to me and I’m excited to wake up and return to intentional breathing in the cold.
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I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. -Psalm 9:1-2
I am super pissed off at the world right now, but choosing to focus on the beauty that God has brought into my life.
We gathered for our weekly Allschoolers meetup and were surprised by pulled pork nachos on the fire!
Homemade tools, sporting jabs, and teamwork were the usual ingredients in our regular festivities.
This group has kept me warm, sane, and fed these last couple years. We defied Lockdown and came together to serve our children. What we found was a community that none of us knew we needed. I fucking love these humans.
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Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. -Galatians 1:10
I’m getting, at least, half of this right.
I was told I should use my energy to be honest with my children about the threat they pose to their loved ones.
And what if I shared that “truth”? What happens when a loved one gets sick and dies, as is inevitable in a life full of loving support? How do my sons not feel responsible for that death? How could I curse them with a guilt that I know too well? A guilt they may already feel over their mother’s passing?
I will not gain the approval of someone who says my sons are dangerous carriers of disease. Does that get me closer to God? Further from the prince of lies?
In other madness-of-our-times news, a friend is watching her husband slip away in a hospital that won’t let her, nor their children, say what they need to say to him at his bedside.
I remember the moments between hopelessness and resolution, discovering in my heart that I would never see my wife’s smile again. I was by her side the entire time. We felt each other in that room when our souls said, Goodbye.
Those are some of the most important moments in my life. God let me watch her rise to Heaven. I needed that vision when I was alone with her mortal coil. I needed that vision to balance the horrors of that day.
The cruelty to separate people in times of trauma and loss is incalculable. My anger at supporters of Lockdown reddens my eyes to tears. I would burn that place down trying to get in. I would say Fuck You to the whole world.
I wouldn’t please anyone. That’s my overcorrection.
Martin Luther King Jr. taught to love the oppressor, as Jesus teaches us to love our neighbor. My heart struggles to grow big enough and my mind strains under the weight of that injunction.
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Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. -Philippians 3:17
Modeling is central to my learning lifestyle. Curiosity, kindness, service, and many other virtues are what I work to show through my actions.
I have felt terrible at modeling kindness. My son was being rude to his brother and I screamed at him about it. I modeled the exact opposite behavior I wished for him to demonstrate.
I apologized almost immediately, but a day later I still feel like I’m on not on my proper path.
I’m going to look to the Holy Spirit to show me the work I have to do for my self and my sons.
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The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. -Zephaniah 3:17
I fall short of being the loving father my sons deserve.
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We look away from the natural realm and we fasten our gaze onto Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection. His example is this: Because his heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be his, he endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God! -Hebrews 12:2
The natural realm constantly calls for our attention. We live in it for a short time, yet when our gaze is on eternity with Jesus, we are placed in proper alignment with the entire universe, seen and unseen.
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It is the greatest joy of my life to hear that my children are consistently living their lives in the ways of truth. -3 John 1:4
I’m not comfortable with routine. I attend services, Bible studies, and volunteer events at multiple churches. I jump around, looking for new ways to engage my faith. Sometimes I fear that I’m valuing novelty over understanding, yet I always discover new truths when Scripture is central.
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“Surrender your anxiety! Be silent and stop your striving and you will see that I am God. I am the God above all the nations, and I will be exalted throughout the whole earth.” -Psalm 46:10
Camping is a mix of striving and surrender. Getting packed, ready, and set up is a workout, but it is meant to prepare time to sit back and live simply.
Tonight, surrender looks like a fire in the rain while discussing the personal wonders of faith.
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How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns! -Isaiah 52:7
I’m here to receive the good news and share it. I renew my intention to be the messenger God made me to be.
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Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. -1 Peter 5:2
God has entrusted me with two beautiful boys. He’s also entrusted me with a few folks who listen to me intently. I feel a great responsibility when someone is listening. I try to be careful with my words as I allow myself to explore and make mistakes along the way. I stop to correct carelessness in word or direction. I try to remain as vulnerable and open as I can stand.
I only lead others as much as I can lead myself.
In leading myself, I make an effort to be lead by the Holy Spirit.
I’m blessed by the home education movement that my wife and I joined nearly eight years ago. It has put me in a position to help others free their families from a system unfriendly to their choices. I have found myself leading many into the learning lifestyle and it feels like God’s work. I don’t recruit Christian homeschoolers, but I am never shy about my faith and how it is tied to my desire to be free from the violence inherent in governmental systems.
The home education flock is growing and has many shepherds. It is an exciting time for freedom.
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