My Thoughts on the CHEA Convention

I prayed for several months asking God to give me wisdom and teach me lessons at the Christian Home Education Association...Convention

And boy did God come through! (He always, and I mean ALWAYS does)
I have so much to share! It's going to be hard to summarize but I'll do my best.

Many of us think that our children "start school" when they put on their back packs and embark on Kindergarten. This is false. The first school is the home and the first teacher is the mother.

I believe with all my heart that the answer of where to educate a child----home school, private school or public school--- is only revealed through prayer. God has an amazing plan for each and every one of our children and how can we expect that plan to be "cookie cutter"? God made our children unique. Each child is intricate and God will show us how to educate him/her best if we are seeking Him in the area of education.

So what exactly does it mean to "educate?" Well this is the first thing that I gained great insight from the CHEA convention.

Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary defines education:
"The bringing up of a child to enlighten the understanding to correct the temper, form the manners and habits of youth"

I loved this! The bottom line goal of any Christian parents (mom AND dad) is this- to teach our kids to be independently DEPENDENT on the LORD. Isn't that awesome?

One of the speakers said this:
From Genesis, the very first book of the Bible, we are told our children are going to leave us...
Genesis 2:24
Therefore a man should leave his father and mother...

We are raising our children, our babies to leave. To prepare them to live a Christ-centered life and to walk with the LORD for their entire adult lives.

Now of course we know homeschooling does not equal salvation. Only God saves a child's soul. But we teach our children the "way" they should go. We teach and instruct our children regarding all of the information they need to not only believe and trust in God, but they also need to see faith DEMONSTRATED in our lives as we parents, AGAIN, are their first teachers.

Ok, so I can go on and on about different points I learned...but the areas I really want to share came from one specific teacher, Denise Mira. If you can buy the CD from the conference DO IT. She shared her heart and she was so real! She even said some home school moms are so religious but they are white washed tombs. You could hear a pin drop.

This is why I believe she was so straight forward-

First, the title of the workshop was, "Being a Spiritual Mother of Impact."

She said that homeschooling really helps a mother die to self. She said her theme scripture for homeschooling and mothering is this:

I DIE DAILY 1 Corinthians 15:31.

She told us mothers to "suck it up" and stop complaining. Stop nagging our husbands about this or that and just do it!!! (meaning, strive to be that Proverbs 31 woman and don't try to reverse roles with your husband)

Here are some other eye-opening points:

-The life with our children is not just work it is WAR.
-Be careful what you chase after (many women focus on what Hollywood, Oprah, magazines and other media says a woman should look like or behave, etc.)
-Work your land- That is invest in your marriage, your children and your character.
-Use a plumb line: People use this tool to see if the building is level. What are you using to line up your life? We should be using God's Word to line up our life and keep our paths straight.
-What are you "marinating in" ? What are you investing time in? Are you reading or watching things that are not pleasing to the LORD?
-Pharaoh's (and Satan's) plan is the same: He wants to steal our children.
-As moms of small children, we are living in a season of "hidden-ness." You may have desires to be involved in this or that but for now, you need to focus on your marriage, your children and your home and stay "hidden" but God will open up doors later and you will be blessed you focused on your family when they needed you the most
-WHO ARE YOU AT HOME?
Denise Mira said that unfortunately, some homeschool families experience divorce. Why is this??? She said, who are you at home? Are you neglecting your husbands needs? Remember, men have completely different needs of intimacy than you and you need to attend to this! Men don't want or need flowers, she said, men want you in the bedroom.
-1 Peter 3:5-6
For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

Die to emotion. Don't keep score. Let go of fear. Let go of things in the past and die to self.

Wow! I learned so much. I am convinced that every Christian parent should attend this conference. Whether or not you want to homeschool one day...I believe every parent should learn and be reminded and refreshed on the great high calling it is to be a parent.