HOD Bible at work!

[psreit]

We just finished unit 8 in Bigger. The character trait in Bible was 'courageous'. The memory verse was Proverbs 29:25. "The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe." In history, we read about when the Indians turned on the early colonists, and how the colonists still had the courage to go out and face the Indians, even though it meant death for many of them. The focus was to not be fearful, but to put our trust in the Lord, no matter what we are facing.

I am a leader in our Patch the Pirate Club at church. This year the theme is 'the armor of God'. The children have a book that has daily devotionals for them to complete each week. This month's lessons/devotions have been on 'God, My Strength'. Just this week, the devotions have been on God strengthening and helping his people through very hard times, like David, Asa, Nehemiah, and Paul, to name a few. The last devotional for the week was aimed more personally at the reader. The memory verse for this month is Psalm 28:7. "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise Him." The question was asked, "How has God strengthened and helped you?" Angie responded, "I don't know." I pushed her a little to think and left her alone with her thoughts. Here is what she wrote. "God helped me get through the hard time that I had learning about my birth parents." On and off she has dealt with some emotionally hard times thinking about them. So, it did my heart good when she acknowledged that she can find help from the Lord in dealing with the hurt and disappointment in that area.

I started reading through the Psalms with Angie a few nights ago. Last evening we read Psalm 3. This is when David was crying out to God for protection from Absalom. In verse 3, he says the Lord is his shield. In verse 6 he says, "I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about." This matched up perfectly with our HOD Bible! It is not coincidence!

I have been dealing with affects of Lyme, and this past week it has been a little more intense than it has been in a while. I awoke this morning hearing, in my mind, the song I am leading in our club for the children to sing in church: "I Am Weak, but You Are Strong". What a blessing for me this morning! I just think it is so neat how the Lord put all of these things together. Thank you, HOD, for your part in ministering to our families through God's Word. Our school would not be the same without it.

chorus to song:

In my weakness now I come, Lord.
Be my strength and be my song.
In my need I seek Your help, Lord.
I am weak, but You are strong.

I hope this is a blessing to those who read this. Those thinking about using HOD, this is just a little taste of the 'meat' in the Heart of Dakota guides. This curriculum is a wonderful blessing!

[my3sons]

Isn't it amazing how God can connect all the dots that seem random to us and make a beautiful picture? You described so well what I have felt many times too - it is not coincidence. God is working in the small details to connect all areas of our life to Him. HOD just helps make it obvious! There are many times I am doing the Godly character trait lesson in BHFHG with Emmett that I think, I was the one that needed that lesson today! The conversation sparked by the Bible study in HOD helps each person take notice of how God is moving in his/her life. Before we know it, we are applying it to every facet of our life - not just 'school!' I will be thinking of you, and I will be praying for health and strength.

In Christ,
Julie

[psreit]

Thank you, Julie. It IS amazing how often the Bible lessons in HOD minister to MOM as much, or more than the child. Angie and I do have good conversations about the Scriptures and how they apply to our lives. I know it is making an impact in her life. So, even in the midst of her academic struggles, and putting up with my impatience some days , she is so forgiving and loving, and most importantly, loving the Lord. Thank you for your prayers. I am trusting the Lord to rid my body of the Lyme, which could take a long time, as it has been affecting me, from what we can figure, probably close to 3 years. I just never realized that what I was experiencing was Lyme, until I started having more persistent physical problems. It's strange that this was all going on during the same time we were dealing with the frustrations of Angie's academic struggles. i am so thankful for God's grace during that time, as the Lyme has affected my central nervous system, making my tolerance level low. Almost 4 months into treatment, I am feeling better, but still have a long way to go. I am just so thankful to be back here and enjoying HOD with Angie.

[Nealewill]

It is not coincidence!

This is a regular occurrence in our house as well. It happens practically daily! We have also had a lot going on. I found out at the beginning of the year that I have cyst growing between the root of two of my teeth. My mouth just hurts. I go next Thursday to have it taken out (finally!!!) I can't wait! Well....I can because I am not actually looking forward to it but you know I mean I can't even imagine having Lyme disease. I have already missed school a few days because my face hurts and am probably going to miss quite a bit next week. I am just looking forward to getting normalcy back. I will be praying for you that Lord heal you quickly!

[psreit]

Daneale, I ask myself why it took so long to realize I had Lyme, or why I didn't get things checked out when I had a tick embedded in me before all this stuff started happening. But, I'm trusting the Lord to use it for His good. I try not to complain too much about my physical ailments, because I know that there are many worse off than I am. I know how hard it is to homeschool when not feeling good physically. I'll pray that you will get your problem taken care of so you'll be pain free. The Lord will continue to show Himself faithful in meeting our needs as we walk with Him.