May 13, 2005
Letters, Letters and more Letters...
As you can imagine, we receive a number of letters to the editor with every issue. Most letters are supportive. It is always uplifting to hear how Homeschooling Today® magazine is blessing families around the nation. You cannot imagine the struggle we face each issue to find just the right articles and the best graphics, to coordinate and edit the content, and to polish the design in order to bring you what we pray is a magazine that uplifts, encourages, and challenges families to stay the course.
Often the letters we receive include the phrase, “I don’t know how you do it all.” When people hear of Homeschooling Today magazine, Family Reformation™ magazine, Books on the Path, our church in Katy, Texas, and our writing and speaking ministries and how they are owned and managed by one family with ten children, they are astounded we accomplish so much. Frequently when we read these words of amazement, tears well up in our eyes and conviction pierces our hearts.
You see, we don’t “do it all.” In fact, many days we wonder how we accomplished anything.
Too often we fall down on our commitments and our responsibilities. We fail you, we fail each other, and we fail the Lord. Sometimes the pressure of the present robs us of our vision for the victory. Real life strikes against this homeschooling family with a vengeance. When this happens, we are brought back to our only source, our only strength—Christ Himself. It is in the darkness of our failure that we are humbled, and we remember it is only by God’s grace that we can do anything.
We are struggling through one of these moments right now. It seems that many forces are working to slow and hamper our effectiveness. Over the past months, we have struggled through the death of a loved one, production and printing delays, health issues, and a difficult pregnancy (our tenth child). Through all of this, we are ever aware of our obligations to our subscribers and advertisers. We have a commitment to you to produce our magazine on time, yet we have slipped repeatedly.
After considering ways to catch up on our schedule, I have been able to find only one possible alternative: omit one issue in 2005. Thus, you will see that the issue you have in your hands is the May/June issue and not the March/April. I did not see any other way to make up the lost time.
Be assured, however, that although we have lost an issue this year, you have not. We will not debit your subscription as a result of our difficulties. Your subscription will move forward to the next issue in series. For example, if your subscription were to expire with the November/December 2005 issue, it will now expire with the January/February 2006 issue.
We also beseech you to remember us in prayer. Although we are a ministering family and not a large corporation, our goal is to execute our production plans and deliver the value, quality, and service that we know you expect. We have many decisions ahead that we trust will improve our capabilities, but we have limited resources and are often stretched beyond our abilities. However, it is when we are stretched that we are reminded that God is with us. Thank you for your ongoing prayer and support. Many of your letters of encouragement have offered us extra strength for the battle.
Posted by jm at 02:42 PM | Comments (4)
May 11, 2005
Welcoming William
William Alexander joined our family the 19th day of April, AD 2005. Little William, already a strapping lad, weighed 8 pounds and measured 20 inches. Mother and baby are both doing remarkably well! Stacy is recovering from this most strenuous pregnancy quickly and William is putting on weight! I will add more photos as time allows. Thank you all for your prayers over the past months! We know God honored your requests on our behalf.
Posted by jm at 12:35 AM | Comments (3)
May 09, 2005
The May June Issue has Shipped!
Whew! What a month! We are pleased to announce that after countless hours, the May June issue is on its way to your homes. This is a GREAT issue with articles on the techniques and styles of homeschooling, as well as articles on graduation ceremonies, choosing curriculum, and a wonderful call to action from Cathy Duffy! Read and be blessed!
Posted by jm at 02:38 PM | Comments (1)
May 06, 2005
Catechisms, Creeds, Confessions - Oh My!
There is much confusion in the church today over what we are to believe as Christians. Our churches are full of people who seem to think doctrine, the expressions of the truths of the faith, are of little importance. This in part is due to a focus on the relationship rather than the reality of Christianity. We hear, “Doctrine divides!” and “I have no Creed but Christ!” but I must ask, how can we know truth from error without doctrine? How can we know Christ without knowing who He really is? As an example, we are frequently told that God is love, and He is. But God, in His love, is also just and righteous. Sermons on God's righteousness, and other doctrines, are not in vogue in our day. The result? Christians weak in faith and prey for cults.
You see, we believe that a true relationship with Jesus Christ necessitates we move from the basics to really know God and His will for our lives. This is where the Catechisms, Creeds and Confessions come in. For us, these documents become our "statement of faith." They are short summaries of the truths expressed in the text of Scripture. They do not replace the Word of God, rather they serve to present the truths of the Word in nuggets that we can grasp.
We seek to teach our children these great truths of the faith and steep them in the Scriptures upon which they are founded. In our worship, we recite these statements together and discuss their relevance to us in our day. In our homes, we use the Catechisms to open the door to God’s truth so our children will be ready to refute the error and heresies of many. This is another benefit of these historic documents.
How exciting it is to think of God's provision for us, in His Word and in great men of the faith who worked diligently to study the Scriptures. What a blessing they are for us. This desire to know God and a thankfulness for our Christian heritage is just one of the distinctives of Family Reformation Fellowship. Our prayer is that other churches will again embrace the deep truths of God and the Kingdom will be expanded as men live in victory and truth.
Another great article on this topic is Andrew Webb's Why Do We Need Creeds? I am sure you will be blessed by Andrew's thoughts.
James
Posted by jm at 06:19 PM | Comments (0)