Pastor Ray gave a talk on \u201cGame Changers\u201d.\u00a0 He started with this story:\u00a0 A woman looked out her window and saw her neighbor place clothes on a clothesline.\u00a0 The woman muttered to herself, \u201cwhy those clothes are still dirty; someone should teach that woman how to properly wash her clothes.\u201d\u00a0 The next time she hung her clothes to dry, the woman witnessed the same thing, and muttered the same thing.\u00a0 This happened over and over.\u00a0 One day, she saw her neighbor hang her clothes, and they were clean!\u00a0 She exclaimed to her husband, \u201cHoney, look!\u00a0 It looks like someone finally showed her how to properly clean her clothes!\u201d\u00a0 Her husband replied, \u201cactually, today, I decided to wash the windows\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
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He then went on and shared from 1 Samuel 17, the story of David and Goliath.\u00a0 He had a piece of paper that contained a negative viewpoint on one side, and a positive on the other.<\/p>\n
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Most of us are aware of this incredible story.\u00a0 The Philistines had gathered their army against the Israelites.\u00a0 They were a strong force and well skilled in the art of war, especially with metal weapons since they were the first to create them.\u00a0 Everyone is terrified of them.<\/p>\n
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Of the most terrifying to behold, Goliath is a soldier standing at 9 feet tall.\u00a0 He is fully armored and a master at weaponry.\u00a0 No one wants to fight him, and the Israelites stay put for forty days, hiding in their tents, listening to the taunts, jeers, and goading from the Philistines, but not taking action.<\/p>\n
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The Israelites were living in fear.\u00a0 The Israelites mainly placed their focus on their problems, (the Philistines and Goliath.)\u00a0 Because their focus was on their problems, they expected to be defeated.\u00a0 Because they expected to be defeated, they developed an attitude of self-protection.\u00a0 Because they developed an attitude of self-protection, their response was to run away and hide.\u00a0 This is a common response in today\u2019s culture.\u00a0 We run from anything that makes us uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
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Along comes David.\u00a0 The youngest of eight brothers; he\u2019s between 10 to 17 years old.\u00a0 No previous battle experience, aside from killing a few wild animals while guarding his sheep.\u00a0 No weapons, except for a sling and five stones.<\/p>\n
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David carries a different perspective from his family, king, and people.\u00a0 David placed his focus on God.\u00a0 While others saw the giant known as Goliath, David saw the other greater giant known as GOD.\u00a0 David did not focus on his problems, or the negative thinking of his family or authorities.\u00a0 He focused on God\u2019s past faithfulness and future rewards.<\/p>\n
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Because David focused on God, he anticipated God\u2019s help.\u00a0 Because he anticipated God\u2019s help, he insisted on being involved; running to help, instead of running away.\u00a0 Because he insisted on being involved, he took time to prepare. \u00a0He tried on Saul\u2019s armor, but it did not fit.\u00a0 So, he went back to what he knew best, his shepherd\u2019s bag, his sling, and five smooth stones.\u00a0 Because David held this perspective, he had an impact on everyone around him.<\/p>\n
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Pastor Ray encouraged us to consider which side of the page do we want to live on?\u00a0 Which perspective do we want to focus on?\u00a0 Which window do we want to look out of?<\/p>\n
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As we plan and implement our homeschool days and life, which lens are we looking through?\u00a0 Do we make our decisions based on fear or faith?<\/p>\n
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Consider which resonates most with you\u2026<\/p>\n
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The lens of FEAR: As I homeschool, I mainly focus on my problems (trying to maintain a schedule that pleases others agendas or even my own, trying to teach upper level math, trying to get through a day without criticizing my children, impatience, over-commitment, trying to manage it all, etc.)\u00a0 Because I focus on my problems, I expect defeat, (there\u2019s no way I can to this all\u2026I\u2019m just not cut out for this\u2026I don\u2019t want to mess up my kids \u2026I think someone else can do a better job than me\u2026)\u00a0 Because I expect defeat, I develop an attitude of self-protection, (I don\u2019t need this stress\u2026I know that I\u2019d be happier if the kids went to school).\u00a0 Because I develop an attitude of self protection, I run away.<\/p>\n
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The lens of FAITH: As I homeschool, I place my focus on God, who is greater than any challenge I might have with my curriculum, with my kid\u2019s or my own attitudes, with my schedule, etc.\u00a0 Because my focus is on God, I anticipate God\u2019s help (I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me).\u00a0 Because I anticipate God\u2019s help, I insist on being involved by having a heart, mind, and will that is open to God\u2019s guidance and direction, and intentionally engaging God and my children.\u00a0 Because I insist on being involved, I take time to prepare (through prayer, quiet time, Bible study, getting involved with homeschool related support and encouragement avenues\u2026). I take the time to have God help me discern what will help me or hinder me.\u00a0 Because I took the time to prepare, I slew my Goliath (whatever that may be), and positively impacted everyone around me.<\/p>\n
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Now, before I go any further, I want to make sure you are clear on one thing.\u00a0 I have good friends who have homeschooled and then have enrolled their kids in school.\u00a0 I believe that each family needs to discern what is best for their family, and that might mean an option other than homeschool.\u00a0 What I am saying here, is to be cognizant of which lens you are basing that decision, the lens of fear or the lens of faith.<\/p>\n
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Also, there is a danger in comparing our homeschool to other families, just as it\u2019s dangerous to compare our children, spouses, and ourselves to others.\u00a0 Ray said something that has affected me profoundly in how I homeschool and serve in leadership.\u00a0 He said, \u201cGod can use you without somebody else\u2019s armor on.\u201d\u00a0 While David tried on other\u2019s armor, he went back to what he knew best, to his strengths, and God used him in a mighty way.\u00a0 Expect Him to do the same with you.<\/p>\n
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Ray also shared, \u00a0\u201cFear is the darkroom where negatives develop.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0Be aware of how much time we spend in the darkroom\u2026.<\/p>\n
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Lastly, I encourage you to consider the five stones David armed himself with.\u00a0 What are your five stones you will arm yourself with as we go into this school year?\u00a0 What are your five pieces of scripture you can call upon when Goliath comes stomping into your campground, strutting around and taunting you?<\/p>\n
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1. Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.\u00a0 And the peace of God , which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n
2. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your path straight\u2026.<\/p>\n
3. Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you?\u00a0 Be strong and courageous.\u00a0 Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go\u2026.<\/p>\n
4. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 But he said to me, \u201cMy grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.\u00a0 Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ\u2019s power may rest on me.<\/p>\n
5. Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pastor Ray gave a talk on \u201cGame Changers\u201d.\u00a0 He started with this story:\u00a0 A woman looked out her window and saw her neighbor place clothes on a clothesline.\u00a0 The woman muttered to herself, \u201cwhy those clothes are still dirty; someone should teach that woman how to properly wash her clothes.\u201d\u00a0 The next time she hung […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-788557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-personal-reflections"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/788557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=788557"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/788557\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":788559,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/788557\/revisions\/788559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=788557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=788557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=788557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}