Christmas with the Greene's 2013

My hubby and I struggled this year with how we wanted to celebrate Christmas.

We knew we wanted to celebrate Jesus, but how?

We both grew up in families where we celebrated the holiday more so than The Savior. Lots of gifts, Christmas trees, all of the festivities. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with it, but for us it became an idol. We would be excited to open gifts, but not excited about a Savior who was given to us. We would anxiously await the delicious food, not anxiously await worship of The Christ. We looked forward to spending time with family,  but not spending time with Jesus. How can we claim that Jesus is the reason for the season, but never acknowledge Him on HIS birthday? Chris and I saw a problem with what we believed Christmas to be and what Christmas was truly about.

So in an effort to radically change how our family celebrates Christ on HIS birthday, we began searching for church services we could attend. To our shock, not many of the Lord's houses were open for worship on HIS birthday. Hmmph. I thought that's where the party should get started. . . In His House!

Well, that ruled out that option.

Why was this such a struggle? Why couldn't we figure out what to do for Jesus on His birthday? Why? ! Sadly, we never had to consider it.

It wasn't until two days before Christmas,  listening to Little Drummer Boy, we made the decision. The little drummer boy had nothing of worth to give this newborn King, so he thought. But he knew that he could play his drum. So he decided to give the King of Kings his best. . . His all! And I know the angels rejoiced with him because that's worship.

We knew we had to WORSHIP. If churches were closed, we will have a worship service in our home. We will invite Jesus in to watch us sing our best to Him, play our best for Him, and rejoice in Him!

And that's what we did.

It was amazing watching a 1 year old, 2 year old, 4 year old, 5 year old, and 7 year old WORSHIP. (My nieces and nephew were with us.) Those children sang their hearts out! They lifted their hands and were excited to celebrate JESUS. We read the Word of God and discussed why Christmas is so important. We watched worship videos from The Planetshakers,  Chris Tomlin, Israel Houghton, Hillsong. .. to name a few. The children watched mommy and daddy praise and worship and they just followed along.

It wasn't about gifts, food, or people it was about Jesus Christ.

I believe we started a tradition this year that will just get bigger and better as the years go on.

Making disciples starts at home.

I Thank God!

What a wonderful week we had in The Lord! I thank God, daily, for this privilege. . . the honor I have to be able to teach my children, diligently, within our home.  It is truly a blessing and I have to give God all of the glory for allowing this to be possible.  

Each and every day this journey has seemed almost impossible, but God gives us all strength, courage, love, and the grace we need to continue. He truly provides us with our daily bread.

So, I had to take a moment to encourage someone else and share that it's by God's might that we make it every day. I lean not on my own understanding, anymore.  I don't trust in myself because over the years, I have learned that self will let me down. What self thinks is impossible, I serve a God who says through Him ALL things are possible. What self thinks is a bad situation, My God has the power to turn that thing around for the good and for His glory. What self stresses about, God says don't worry. . . it's already been paid for!

I trust in The Lord and I know that He can do exceedingly and abundantly above anything that I can do or think. I recognize His power and His authority in our lives and my goal is to exalt Him and lift Him up in everything we do. It's all for His Kingdom. Amen.

Week 1: God is Almighty

Our first week of our curriculum was AWESOME!

A little background . . .
This year, we decided to teach Caleb who God really is and why we serve and worship Him.  As most five year olds, Caleb has A LOT of questions! Lately, as he is beginning to ponder the why's and how's of life, he is asking lots of questions pertaining to our beliefs and God's characteristics.  So the first 26 weeks of this academic year are dedicated to getting to know God a little better.

Christopher and I started a study of God's word specifically for the purpose of giving our children a foundation that we can build on as they grow physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  We pray that they will understand why mommy and daddy willingly praise, love, live for, and worship God.  I want them to WANT to praise, love, live for, and worship God just as much as mommy and daddy.  (Of course I want them to CHOOSE to do these things - train them up so they won't depart from it when they're older. . . but as in the words of old Joshua . . . As for me and MY house, we WILL serve the Lord!) The hubs and I just want them to know why mommy and daddy truly love the Lord.

We created an alphabetical study of who God is based on His nature and characteristics. Do you know what the hubby and I discovered? God is so good! He is just awesome! We will learn about God starting with A for God is Almighty. Everything is built around our study of who God is for the purpose of putting God first.  To teach our kiddos that if you seek Him first and His righteousness, then everything else will work out.  We want to honor God with more than just our words...

What did we do . . .
This week was all about how mighty God is. We explained what Almighty means and focused on the story of the three Hebrew boys in the furnance (talk about a story boys love...I mean Caleb can narrate the entire story). We also had to share how God is still Almighty in our lives today.  How He is able to do anything and we don't have to worry. Caleb was able to tell us how God had been mighty in his life as well. We recreated the scene at the furnance and we praised God for being so mighty.

Our letter, shape, color, and number of the week were A, circle, red, and one.  We reviewed those things and identified them in our day to day activities. We went to the library and for lots of books to read.  We worked on -igh- words, for easy understanding I taught the 'I is bossy and tells the g and h not to make a sound' method (it works. ..Caleb told everyone about bossy I).

We exercised, sang, played music, counted, added/subtracted, read, wrote danced, laughed, cried . . . all for the glory of God. 

First Day of School

As I've shared before, one of the most wonderful things about homeschooling is doing what we want! :) We started today, AFTER Labor Day WITH a field trip. #BOOM. 

                                  

                                 

                                  

Leah will be one in a few weeks. This year of learning for her will simply consist of having fun! Jeremiah will start preschool material and Caleb is doing a merge of kindergarten and first grade...we have a few more objectives of kindergarten to finish up (we worked through the summer).

                                    This is how we do it!

We visited the C.R. Smith Museum in Ft. Worth, Texas and learned the history behind American Airlines and learned a lot about airplanes. The boys loved it!

Of course, the real reason we visited was because they have an exhibition that would be leaving soon and if PBS showed one more commercial about it and the boys asked me about going...I was going to lose it! 

Yep, Legos. A LEGO Travel Exhibition. It combined vehicles and LEGOs...two things my boys absolutely love...into a wonderful adventure for us all.

We began with a video about the history of American Airlines in a mini theater inside the museum. The screen was HUGE and took us all over the world. The chairs were airplane seats with seat belts. Made me feel like I was really on a plane flying high in the sky. My monsters enjoyed the video...and no, there were no LEGOs in the video.

So many vehicles built with LEGOs! It was amazing. Even Leah was amazed (See picture below)!

                               

                               

                               

                               

Ok, we didn't spend the ENTIRE day playing with LEGOs, ok maybe a big portion of the day. We did read the history, learn how airplanes operate, and were able to actually get onto one of the first American Airlines planes! We saw huge engines, propellers, and other random pieces of planes that made the boys go "WOW"!

                               

The kids were challenged to create vehicles that were capable of flying, floating, and driving in different terrains. I enjoyed hearing Caleb use the words propellers and engines. He really wanted to solve the problem. I encouraged him and probed with questions to challenge his thinking and while listening to his reasoning skills, I was rather impressed.

                           

They were good boys, as much as they could be, so they did receive airplanes from the gift shop. 

                            

As we walked out of the museum and I snapped this one last photo, I took a second to look at it and remind myself that here begins another year of learning, loving, and growing. I'll look back on these photos and think this is where it all started. Who knows what God may bring, I just know we're ready!

Here's to a blessed year full of learning to be Ambassadors for Christ! #a4c

Faith: Rach, Shach, and Bedny Style!

Daniel 3:17-18 reads:

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O King, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

If it be so, our God...is able to deliver us...and He will deliver us...But if not...

Am I prepared for the 'But if not' in life?

Do I have that mountain moving faith Jesus talks about in Matthew 21 to know that my God CAN, but more importantly do I have that faith to know that He may NOT, but know that my steps are ordered and He has already worked out a plan for my life.

He might not, but I know He can! Wow. 

Dealing with life's disappointments...

This has been a very...sad, but strengthening week for me. I've gotten bad news after bad news. I'm praying and watching, watching and praying and I'm not embarrassed to admit that my faith was a little wavering. I remember familiar stories about Hezekiah praying and changing his circumstance, Jonah praying while waters compassed all around him and God sending a fish to his rescue (Jonah 2), and the story of three little Hebrew boys who were delivered from a fiery furnace.

Upon studying Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Rach, Shach, and Bedny :)), the realization that these young men were steadfast in their faith, not knowing if God would really deliver them. No prophet told them God would deliver them nor did Gabriel come and send them a message to fear not and know that God is with them. No dreams...visions....nothing! Its easy to accept God's promises when you've had a valid and reliable source to confirm. These three boys had no clue about what would happen. But the interesting thing here in their story is that they believed that God COULD deliver them if He wanted to. God is THAT mighty, THAT powerful, THAT righteous and those boys recognized His sovereignty. If it be so, in other words, If it be God's Will. It is all for the glory of God.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen (Hebrews 11:1). If you knew what would happen...that's not faith, right? If it be so...But if not. How do I handle the 'But if not's in life? Be still and know that He is God. I choose to not worry and trust and believe in God's power and His will. 

So as life continues to throw curveballs, I will embrace every opportunity to know God might not change a circumstance because all things work according to His master plan, but that He has the power to do it. I will continue to believe in his omnipotence and intercede for saints every where!

Keep me in your thoughts and prayers!

How to Deal with it ALL!

I am so blessed to be at this position in my life, especially so early in my life. I am completing my Master in Education (two more classes to go...pray for me!) and working on an independent research about science education in home schools. I have three beautiful children ages 6 months, 2 and 4 years old. I own a dessert business (Cup Cakin-like us on FB). I home school my children and feel that it is my duty to teach them how to be disciples for Christ and have an exemplary education to be competitive in this world. I am a home maker and I am obsessed with everything natural (I cloth diaper, breast feed, try to buy organic as often as I can, I garden, I have natural hair, and I stay away from most chemicals) (Oh...and yes I bake my own bread!). I am very active at our church-teaching, singing...doing anything the Lord asks me to do. Above all, I try my hardest to live a life that is pleasing and acceptable to Him.

I wear many hats...most women do! In this day and age women are expected to carry a tremendous load. While everything I do I absolutely LOVE, there are times when I am exhausted and on complete overload. I, like many other women, become overwhelmed at times with all of the things we must do. I've recently found it very hard to accept when I can't do it all...when I feel as if I've failed or let someone down I take it very hard. I always feel as though I could have done more or something different. There are even times that I feel I have failed God for not being able to tackle everything on my To-Do List.

But I thank God for his love, mercy, and compassion! Most of all I am thankful for His Holy Spirit for witnessing to me during these times of guilt. How do I deal with it ALL? Allow me to share how I get through those times when the enemy tries to steal my joy:

1. One Thirty-Six

One Thirty-Six is how much time a day I devote to my Lord, an hour and thirty six minutes. Recently I asked my husband to list for me the order of my priorities. Oftentimes, we give the textbook answer to what our priorities are by saying "1. God, 2. Spouse, 3. Children, 4. Work..." and so on. But, what is truly most important is that with which you spend most of your time with. Truth be told, most of us don't spend most of our time with God and our families...
So he did, and let's just say I was not happy with, not what he wrote (I cannot place the blame on him), but with what I show him. My actions did not illustrate what I deemed as most important. I decided to take a stand and do something about it. He listed ten things that I do often. Me being the math nerd that I am, manipulated an equation or two to determine how much of my awake time I should spend with each of those things and BOOM, I should spend at least One Hour and Thirty-Six Minutes with God EVERY day.
During this time, I pray, I study The Word, I journal about His Kingdom, I self-reflect and use His Word to analyze my heart, I even include the time that I share Him with others. During this time is when I find that God really speaks to me. His Holy Spirit calms my heart and gives me peace. I find serenity in Him.

The Lord gives His people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace.

Psalms 29:11 NLT

2. Planning

I keep a Home Making Binder that I must update weekly with my daily to-do's, meal plans, appointments, work schedule, homeschooling schedule, my homework schedule, practices, functions, get-togethers....pretty much EVERYTHING I do. If I didn't write...it didn't happen...nor will it happen. My mind gets so full of things I need to do, that I have to write down every single detail before it's gone! An organized Ashley is a happy Ashley! Don't get me wrong, do I get it right every week? NOPE! And I pay for it usually around mid-week. Chaos for me right now is unacceptable. I'm responsible for too many things and I have to be prepared.

Things will sometimes not go according to plan...it just happens. But my One Thirty-Six definitely prepares me for any change.

 We can make our own plans, but the Lord determines our steps.

Proverbs 16:9 NLT

One Thirty-Six and Planning are my keys to dealing with the stresses of life. So far, so good. I pray you devote time to God every day and plan accordingly. God will bring you so much peace! Have a blessed day.

Top 5 Reasons I Home School?

Oftentimes I'm asked this question with such a grimace on the asking person's face,

"Why do you home school?"

Usually, the very sarcastic and 6-year old Ashley (what I call that inner me that chooses to be mean and unruly) begins to get excited for the upcoming battle in this conversation...but I've learned/learning to tame her! Because of the joy and excitement I have towards home schooling, I tend to ask the question, "Why DON'T you home school?".

I'm African American, and statistics show that of the over 1.5 million families homeschooling in America, Black folks make up a very small percentage of that! You can imagine what our extended families think! I'm usually bombarded with disapproving and sometimes rude statements. Besides the numerous statistics and research favoring home schooling over public schooling (as if that alone isn't enough), I've decided to tell the world why I choose to home school.


5. Public School...
I used to teach at a local public school...enough said.

4. I Don't Want to Miss a Thing
We are so excited when our infants and toddlers reach certain milestones. When they crawl, walk, first word, the list goes on and it is so wonderful and exhilarating to watch our children grow. I can't explain the feeling I get when one of my children does something he or she has never done before! As our children grow, they still reach certain milestones that we often miss when we are not able to spend much time with them. I feel truly blessed that God has allowed me to be here with them every step of the way to explore life together. I get to wake up to this:

3. Freedom
I have three little ones all under the age of five! Imagine gathering them all together just to drop off the oldest in the mornings for only half a day of school? Three hours later, gather them all again just to pick him up? No thanks! I love that a lot of days look like this:

I have freedom to choose WHEN they will learn, HOW they will learn, WHERE they will learn, and WHAT they will learn...everyday! FREEDOM! It beats sitting in a desk all day. And we take advantage!

2. They WILL Learn
In our home it is not a case of IF our children learn, we focus on WHEN they learn. The purpose of schools is to prepare our children to become good American citizens. Schools are supposed to train our children how to behave in a democratic society, how to make good decisions, and how to think. The purpose of OUR schooling is to equip my children with the Word of God and to love the Lord! If I do that properly, their behavior, decision making, and thinking will be A-OK! In my house, it's not acceptable for anyone to fall between the cracks!

1. Transforming (God-Centered), not Conforming ("Socialization")
Socialization is still a huge argument against homeschooling. Again, research has shown that the differences in social skills between public schooled children and home schooled children is very small and, in my opinion, the good definitely outweighs the bad. Again, in my opinion, just because typical home schooled children have mastered being meek, humble, and quiet gentle spirits...is that such a bad thing? Maybe in this world, but in our home we teach our children to set their hearts and eyes on the things above (Matthew 6:19-21). Their number one goal should be to please God, not the world. One who is friends of this world is enmity to God (James 4:4)! We choose God!

I'm a nerd...always have been...always will be! It's fun sparking that same interest of learning in my children. I love every minute...the headaches, the chaos, the laughter, the crying (both children and mommy :))...It's AMAZING!

The Share Campaign Week 1: Live

My church is taking a month from its regular, but extraordinary, weekly bible studies to teach us how to share the gospel...The Share Campaign!

Interestingly enough, lately I have found myself in so many religious discussions/battles about what I believe versus what someone else believes versus what someone else believes. I am embarrassed to admit that when I feel as though I'm trying to share the good news, I'm actually doing more harm than good because these discussions sometimes become heated, offensive, and even belittling. Is that how Jesus envisioned it when he commissioned the disciples in Matthew 10? Not at all. The disciples cleansed people, made people whole, and freely gave (v. 8). If someone chose to not accept them, Jesus told them to go to dust off their feet and go elsewhere (v. 14). Jesus never forced himself on anyone.

What I have to remember is that it is about love. Love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:7-9). We must love our neighbors. If we love as we should, everything else will follow.

So in this Share Campaign, the first week about how to share the gospel is to simply LIVE. Do you have to TELL people you are a born again believer, or do people KNOW by the way you LIVE your life that something is different about you? Is there a light that shines in you that attracts those in darkness? Have you become a NEW creature in Christ, as Colossians 3 tells us. Before we even begin to talk about Jesus, The Bible, or God, we should simply LIVE a life that is acceptable to Him. Our Pastor shared last night, that if a husband has to SAY that he is the head of the house...
There is a negative and a positive way to begin sharing the gospel:

The Negative
Too many times, we try to share Jesus by telling someone how THEY have sinned, where THEY are wrong, and condemning them to hell. Sadly, we do this in our hearts before we even begin to speak the words. Have you given up on people? Thought there was no hope for someone? In case you didn't know, we don't own hell or heaven...and we certainly cannot control who goes where. A very wise man always tells me that, "...I don't have a heaven or a hell to put you in...". Don't forget Romans 3:23, we have all sinned and fallen short! Jesus died for EVERYONE! If he could save someone as lost as I was, I know he can do it for others! The way you live your live will draw so many to Christ because they should see Christ in you, not YOU!

The Positive
Our homework assignment this week to is to find someone to share our story with. Someone who already knows you, just for practice. We are to focus on why we love God. What makes me want to go to church? What makes me want to live for Christ? Why do I have joy? Focus on the goodness of your relationship with God through Christ.

My Story:

I grew up in a religious family. So I knew scriptures, I knew to go to church on Sundays and Wednesdays, I knew I should not sin...I knew RELIGION. It wasn't until a few years ago, with the help of my husband and children, that I found out what it means to have a RELATIONSHIP with God. Although I repented of my sins, accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior many years ago, this is the beginning of my story because this was when I really decided to LIVE for God. My lifestyle changed according to the love I had. I no longer wanted to do those things that I used to because I found something so sweet, so beautiful, and it made me feel like nothing else could. GOD HAS BEEN SO GOOD to me! Too many things have happened in my life that I cannot deny Him. The peace, joy, and love that I have, in spite of...I can't find that anywhere else. I am a child of God and He will take care of His children. 

What brought you to Christ?

Easter 

is about 

Jesus

After last year's Easter, I thought we were very clear in teaching Caleb that Easter celebrates the Resurrection of our Savior. To my surprise, a few weeks ago I asked him what Easter is about and his reply was "eggs and candy". I was not happy. So this year, we are taking a different approach of learning. 

As a teacher, sometimes I would prepare the best lesson. A lesson full of engaging activities  plenty of problems to practice, all the while having a great time. The students were happy and if you stopped by my classroom you would have been amazed. As the test approached, I knew all would be good because we reviewed and the students seemed to have known the content. Well, the test is given and majority of the students fail! What just happened? 

Like my experience with my son and in my classroom, often times we can teach our children a lesson until we are blue in the face...but are they getting it? Are they learning? How do you ensure they understand the knowledge?

This year, we are dedicating the month of March to learning about the life of Jesus. Easter is the last Sunday in this month, so each day we are reviewing the life of Jesus. I kicked it off with reading The Beginners Bible story of Easter last night. Caleb loved it! We talk so much about Jesus each and every day... Jesus loves us, we have to follow Jesus, Jesus is God's son... that when I got to the part that Jesus died on the cross, Caleb shouted in astonishment, "Jesus is DEAD?!". :) That actually made my day.

My goal is for my children to know Jesus. I want them to understand who he is and why he is so important in our lives.

Stay tuned for how this month goes...

Stop Procrastinating!

My wonderful husband of over six years, father of my three beautiful children, and my business partner has shared with me recently that I am a procrastinator! To my shock, he was right! :) Did it begin in college, when as a science major cramming the night before an exam? Studying nonstop with no sleep and lots of Starbucks! Or did this behavior begin earlier in my life...grade school, at home, in my extracurricular activities? Who knows, but I do know where to go to get the help I need. I opened my bible and read. So many proverbs about the lazy person...so many situations about what happens to the half-hearted individual. Yikes! Then I remembered the very familiar scripture in Colossians that reminds us that everything we do, we should do for The Lord.

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to The Lord, and not unto men; (Colossians 3:23)

I've been going about things the wrong way this entire time. When it literally takes me hitting snooze 20 times in the morning (I seriously set my alarm clock an hour early just so I can snooze for an hour. It's something about it that makes waking up so much easier...I apologize to my husband every time) I realized I do have a problem :). I am working for God! No matter what it is...it's for Him! When I wash dishes, when I bake, when I teach my children, even when I get myself ready for the day I am doing all of these things knowing God has a plan and He just wants me to be ready. When I am prepared, I am welcoming God in. I am more pleasant, more peaceful, and so much more happy when I'm prepared! It is much easier to allow God to use me when I'm prepared.

So here is my plan:

1. Start my day reciting Colossians 3:23 before my Daily Devotion. I have a very short memory these days (possibly due to my three kids under the age five, the youngest being a few days shy of 11 months now, running a business, completing my Master's, managing my home, being very active at church...the list goes on) and I must repeat things to myself to remember them. I'm not letting go of snooze just yet, but when I do get up I will remember and recognize who gave me another day and I should use it to glorify Him.
2. Start my weekly organizer. If I didn't write it, it didn't happen. There is always something running through my mind at all times of day...did I change diapers?, did I get I check inventory for work?, is the food prepared?, does baby have enough milk?, did I email...? Get my drift? So, I will actually WRITE my To Do lists and READ them daily! :)
3. Start using the word NO. In my attempt to work in God's vineyard, I tend to bite more than I can chew. I have a big heart and I want to help everyone, but there are only 24 hours in a day. The problem is when I'm not able to follow through with promises because of my underestimating how much available time I actually have. I end up letting people down, which I hate doing because I want to help so badly.
4. Finish projects. New rule: I can't start a new project until I've finished the one prior to it. With all of my sewing, knitting, gardening, homeschooling, etc., I oftentimes get carried away with the bright new ideas I have...which leads to me starting, but not finishing. (Just between me and you, I still have rooms in my house that I started painting five years ago that are not complete.) What does this have to do with procrasting? Well, I've found out that I'm a Jane of all trades and I can do all things through Christ (His Word is so true!), that I tend to want to try ALL things. Most of the time, it's just to see if I can do it. Once that challenge of IF I can do it is proven...I lose the passion to WANT to do it. This leads to more putting off of things. 

My prayer today:

My Father, which art in Heaven,

I give you all of the praise and glory for what you have done in my life.

You have blessed me in so many ways and I am undeserving of your mercy and grace.

You are God and God alone and I recognize your omnipotence and your righteousness.

Help me, God, with your unlimited power, to be more efficient in my daily doings.

Give me the strength and knowledge to exalt you in everything I do.

Give me wisdom to know when to say no and when to accept new things.

Use me, Lord, for the glory and edification of Your kingdom.

You bless me to be a blessing to someone else.

Use me and when it's feels I'm all used up, fill me up again, Lord, according to your riches and glory.

I thank you for your blessings and promises.

I thank you for keeping me and allowing me to let Your light shine through me. 

These things I pray and ask in Your son's name,

Amen!

And I will leave you with this:

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of The Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. (Colossians 3:17)

It's another day's journey and I'm glad about it...

#amfb #afc