A Call

"My life was small, self-centered, isolated, petty, safe, and ineffective." -Lisa Bevere

Yep. That was me. But not anymore. I am finally answering the call to be the daughter, wife, mom, sister, friend, and woman the Lord wants me to be. Why now? I woke up. When I finally figured out what I am not I had to figure out what I want to be.


I am not that soccer mom with an ice chest full of goodies.
As a matter of fact, I am not that mom whose kids are overly involved in extracurricular anything.
I am not that mom that does amazing crafts and awesome science projects everyday (or ever...poor kids) for homeschool.
I am not that mom with the healthiest and tastiest home cooked meals (ain't nobody got time for that).
I am not that wife who always has a clean house with a place for everything and everything in its place (but do I ever wish).
I am not that wife that never has a basket of dirty laundry.
I am not that friend that throws perfect dinner parties where the table is nicely set and the candles are lit. 
I am not that daughter that always remembers to send handwritten thank-you notes (I wish I did better at this).
I am not a woman that is a "fashionista".

I have actually tried all of the above. I was BAD at all of them. Especially, the healthy and tasty home cooked meals (more on this in the next blog) and being a homeschool extraordinaire.   

What I am striving to be...

The mom who is in-tune with her children.
The mom who homeschools but doesn't make it a priority over relationships with her husband and children.
The mom who doesn't sacrifice nearly all of her waking hours cooking and cleaning but playing and laughing with her family instead.
The wife who is in-tune with her husband. 
The friend who is there in good times and bad (and brings the ice cream and oreos).
The daughter that is full of love and gratefulness.
The woman who is confident and knows that she was made for purpose.

Most importantly...
A daughter of the Most High God who leaves His mark on the hearts of her family. A woman of the Lord that is not afraid to face the challenges our time brings. A daughter of Zion that goes into the dark places and sets the captives free. A woman on a mission to share the love and goodness of the Lord. A kingdom minded, externally focused,  eternal thinker, and fearless daughter, wife, mom, sister, friend, and woman.

I am honored to be a wife and a mother. There is no greater calling. But does it stop there? Is the threshold of my front door where my ministry ends? It shouldn't be!! That is where my ministry begins!! 

There are millions of women and children being held captive and daily tortured for the pleasure of man and money for the pimp. There are billions of people starving all over the world, even right down the street. There are people dying from toxic drinking water. The list goes on. With all of the injustices being done to the children of the Most High God how can anyone continue to sit comfortably and not raise a finger?

I have to do something. I have to help the helpless. This urgency inside of me has been building for years. I can't even name the very thing that finally made it all snap and kicked me into action. I woke up. Will you?

"Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of all the people around us, asking ourselves, 'How can I help?'" -Romans 15:1-2

Blessings,
~Hailey

Why Homeschool?

In this blog I am going to lay out our personal reasons for homeschooling.  This is my heart and convictions.  I am by no means judging anyone who chooses to educate their children differently.

Our adventures in the world of homeschooling began in 2010.  Homeschooling our kids was something the Lord had put in our hearts back in 2008 via a friend/mentor of mine. She simply commented over coffee "you would love to homeschool your kids" and my response was something along the lines of "no way." Followed by laughter. Then I could not get the thought out of my head. It just lingered there and wouldn't go away. We decided we would homeschool, Isaiah was about to start kindergarten in a year and I like to plan ahead.

Then....I got pregnant. Of course it couldn't just be one baby but it had to be twins! I panicked, we both panicked, and Isaiah went to public school. During the entire year of kindergarten I knew we were suppose to be homeschooling. I would hear the word and burst into tears. I knew in my heart we were not being obedient to the calling and conviction the Lord placed in our hearts.  

So anyway....the reasons we homeschool.

1. Because...God said to. He knows what is better, no He knows what is the absolute BEST!  

{Really I could stop here because nothing else matters.  Our 100% obedience is all that matters.}

2. Because...the Word says to: 

"...bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord." Eph. 6:4

{How can I do that with only a few hours each day? How can I do that when my husband and I are not the primary influence in their life? How can I do that when in a society there is no reverence for God? How can I do that when they are subjected to a secular worldview every day five days a week?}

3. Because...we want God as the center of our home and children's education:

"...Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up." Deut. 6:7

4.Because...we want to give our children a firm foundation in the Word of God:

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock." Matt. 7:24-25

"Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness." Col. 2:7

4. Because...the Word commands us to protect oursleves and our children from false, ungodly teachings:

"Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ."     Col. 2:8 

Other benefits we are reaping as a family: 

Cultivating strong family relationships.
Encouraging a love for learning.
Freedom to focus on God's work.

That's about it. We love it. It's hard but I think we have found a little groove and education philosophy we love! If you have ever considered homeschooling pray and don't let fear stop you from trying it out!  

Blessings,

~Hailey 

New Goals for the New Year

Mackey and I wanted to start the new year right.  We wanted to set goals, vision cast, and be prepared for this day.  Well, we aren't.  This past year was a whirl wind of busy.  Christmas was crazy busy and lots of fun, but it left us totally drained and tired.  On top of that two of the Littles got sick!  We are off to a rough start. 

We believe it is very important to seek the Lord and His Word to find a vision and purpose in every season.  We are not always good at this.  When we don't stop to set goals or vision cast we lose track of the things important to us and the things that God has spoken to us for our family.  The other thing that happens is the busyness of life steals the joy!   

However, we did manage to jot down a few things.  I think it's an excellent start to a new year.  We wanted some foundational things to start our vision casting.  Here is our list so far:

1. Watch less TV.
2. More self discipline & habit training, Charlotte Mason style.     
3. Be purposed.
4. Practice what we preach!!!  
5. SLOW DOWN
6. Missional thinking.  
7. Follow through.

That's it folks.  That is as far as we got.  It's better than nothing.  Over the next few days and weeks we will begin to break down these areas and make plans. 

"If people can’t see what God is doing,

    they stumble all over themselves;

But when they attend to what he reveals,

    they are most blessed." 

Proverbs 29:18 (MSG)

Wishing you many NEW blessings!!

~Hailey

Purpose

This is my first blog.  I want to dedicate this blog to the Lord and establish it's purpose.  

The first purpose I have for blogging is to share with my family and friends our life!  I want to get my thoughts  and the things in my heart out there so our loved ones can share our life.

The second purpose for this blog is to share my personal walk with the Lord.  It's a testimony of where I have been and where I am going.  The joys and struggles of being a wife, homemaker, and homeschooling mom all wrapped up into this blog.

I am sure there will be other purposes for this blog but I wanted to start somewhere.

I will talk about the following subjects:
JESUS
wifey things
mommy business
homeschooling
church
food (healthy and not healthy)
life in general

{This first post is mostly for me, to simply start somewhere otherwise I may never start at all.}

"And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die." Rev. 12:11

Blessings,
~Hailey