Very Early SpringThe fields are snowbound no longer;There are little blue lakes and flags of tenderest green.The snow has been caught up into the sky —So many white clouds — and the blue of the sky is cold.Now the sun walks in the forest,He touches the bows and stems with his golden fingers;They shiver, and wake from slumber.Over the barren branches he shakes his yellow curls.Yet is the forest full of the sound of tears….A wind dances over the fields.Shrill and clear the sound of her waking laughter,Yet the little blue lakes trembleAnd the flags of tenderest green bend and quiver.— Katherine Mansfieldn Rebekah reflects on devotions, 3n Jeannette on the theology of hope, 4n Rochelle with ideas for year-end grind, 6n Networks take note of homeschooling, 11Inside EspritESPRITVolume XXX • Number 7 • April 2018Chattanooga Southeast Tennessee Home Education AssociationPage 2 • April 2018 • EspritWWW.HHLEARNING.COMAPPLICATION OPENSHApril 9We’ve been providing excellent instruction from qualified teachers with a Biblical worldview for 20 years! Don’t delay, courses fill quickly. Esprit • April 2018 • Page 3By Rebekah HargravesAs homeschool moms we are busy, busy, busy. We have lessons to plan, concepts to teach, papers to grade, meals to prepare, houses to clean, laundry to do, and more. It can sometimes feel as if every moment of the day is taken up with tasks pertaining to our homes and families, with not a second to spare. Unfortunately, sometimes we believe this even applies to God’s Word — we buy into the lie that because we are so busy, we don’t have time to be in the Word. I propose that there are so many roles we are seeking to fulfill, that we are too busy NOT to be in the Word. It’s like Martin Luther said, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”We have so much we are seeking to do as moms homeschooling our children and desiring to instill truth into them that it is imperative that we first spend time with the Lord. Why so important The Word of God is what equips you for your tasks at hand.We read in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” The implication then is that if we are not saturating our days in the truth of God’s Word, we are incomplete and ill-equipped for the work set before us. We are unprepared for the work of homeschooling and raising our children if we are making the mistake of relegating time in the Word to the back burner.It is the most important book you will ever teach your children; you need to know it yourself.We know that in homeschooling, if you are unfamiliar with a certain subject it’s ok - your children can access their textbook, watch video lessons, be helped by a tutor, etc. And while our children do have access to God’s Word and the Holy Spirit can open their eyes to His truth, it’s ultimately not the same with the Bible as it is with all your children’s schoolbooks. If you are going to teach your children the Word of God, if you are going to parent them according to its principles and train them in its truth, you are going to have to know it for yourself first. We can inadvertently lead our children astray into false doctrines, works-based theology, and more if we do not make it a priority to be a student of God’s Word ourselves before we seek to then pour it into our children. Are sports, academics on top?As the primary educators of our children, we can quickly buy into the lie that their academic education is the most important thing. We can likewise begin to believe that sports and other activities are musts for our children to pursue. But there is a pursuit which is of far more importance than either of these, and that is the pursuit of godliness. Paul said in 1 Timothy 4:8, “for bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.” In Acts 22:3-4, Paul speaks to his extensive academic learning and education, but likewise showed how it profited him nothing — “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.” Importance of the Word in the life of the homeschool momRebekah Hargraves is a wife, mama to two littles, home business owner, blogger, and podcaster whose passions include reading, writing, spending time with her family, extending hospitality, encouraging others, and enjoying a good hot cup of tea or coffee. You can find more of her writings at www.hargraveshomeandhearth.comPlease turn to Page 8God uses faithful reading, study to prepare us to make best decisions for children, families JACOB MEETS RACHEL. Julius SCHNORR von CAROSFELD; c. 1855 woodcut from “Bibel in Bildern”Page 4 • April 2018 • EspritTheology of hope for the springtimeOn the cover of this issue there is a picture of flowers blooming in the snow. This is not a picture I took but I could have. A few weekends ago I was enroute to Charlotte, N.C., with friends and at the suggestion of one, we planned to stop in the middle of our tripm take a short hike, eat our pre-packed lunch on the trail, hike back, and continue our journey. When my friend first proposed this, I was not sure this was a good idea. After all, when you’re travelling from one city to another by car and the entire trip is about six hours, you just stop somewhere quick, stretch your legs, grab a bite to eat, freshen up a bit and hit the road again. No big stops unless you happen to see a used bookstore or antique mall, right? But we were ready to humor our adventurous friend who by the way was pregnant and therefore deserved to be humored. After about two or three hours on the road we missed the turnoff for the planned trailhead, so we used a handy trail app to find another.It turned out to be pretty amazing. There were several inches of snow on the ground all around the trail, making it seem like a scene from Lord of the Rings or maybe Narnia. The trail was fairly easy and led up to an amazing waterfall where we perched on rocks in the middle of a stream and ate our lunches. Did I say it was cold? It was but I was so incredibly energized and my mind felt like it had been renewed with this little encounter with nature’s beauty. As we walked I could not help noticing some of the early spring ephemeral wildflowers bravely poking their heads through the snow. I saw hepatica and toothwort and maybe pussytoes or possibly daisy fleabane. These little flowers blooming amidst less than desirable circumstances were such a picture of hope for me and, as it turned out, a harbinger of the talk I was to hear the next day at the conference. The theme of the conference was “Abounding in Hope.”Hope. I think a lot about hope these days. When I was a single girl I hoped one day to marry. I had the chance to ask Elisabeth Elliot about that and she assured me that it was OK, even good to hope for a good thing. But she added, we hope with the codicil that God knows what we need, and if, in His wisdom, it is better for us not to have that for which we now hope, we yield to Him and trust Him to redirect our longings. When I was married and a mom to several little ones, I had great hopes for what my children might become, I had hopes that my husband and I would do all that we knew to do to rear children who would love and follow Christ. As our homeschooling journey began, I had hopes of giving my children the best of everything, the best books, poetry, music, art, literature. I hoped to equip them for all the Lord had for them. N ow as an older mom with mostly adult children, I find myself a bit cynical about all those hopes I had. Was I hoping for a good thing? Yes, I was. Did it turn out exactly as I had hoped? No, it did not. So what is a theology of hope? Let me share some of my thoughts based on one of the talks I heard at the conference in Charlotte. The speaker was Christine Perrin, a consultant for Classical Academic Press and a professor at Messiah College. Her question was, “What does hope ask of us?” Because her husband is a teacher of Latin, Please turn to Page 5CSTHEAArea coordinator/presidentSteve DugginsVice presidentJames HindmanSecretaryJeannette TulisTreasurerDavid Boydtreasurer@csthea.orgCurriculum fair exhibitor coordinator, athletic director Jan BontekoeMembership coordinatorErin Stroud membership@csthea.orgMeetings are 2nd Monday each month at Oakwood Baptist Church in Chattanooga at 7 p.m. We wel-come visitors and active reps.Contacting editor& advertisingDavid Tulis, editorEsprit is published 9 times a year with bimonthly issues for December/Janu-ary, May/June, and July/ August • Full page is $59 • 1/2 page is $39Negotiable20% discount on rates for 3 months or more paid in advance.Please submit all ads, news, announce-ments by the 10th of each month for inclusion in the next newsletter. • Make checks for ads payable to CSTHEA • Payment must precede publication as Esprit does not bill..E-MAIL: editor@csthea.orgMAIL CHECK TO: c/o 10520 Brickhill LaneSoddy-Daisy, Tennessee 37379The views expressed by the advertisers, programs or non-board-sponsored activities do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the THEA or CSTHEA boards. It is your responsi-bility to check them out.her talk was sprinkled with Latin phrases. I happen to like this because it often relates to roots of words I know. I had two years of Latin in high school and have taught my children and other children Latin roots.Christine called us “homo viator” or men on the way. We are incomplete. We yearn for the beauty we read in the beatitudes, which, by the way, has Latin roots and means perfect happiness. But we are not there. Instead we are on the way.Until death, we are in the state of being on the way. We are not fulfilled but we are orienting ourselves toward fulfillment. This idea is beautifully expressed in C.S. Lewis’ sermon/essay “The Weight of Glory.”(Note to self: I need to read this. I think I may have read parts of it, but I need to really read it.) W e were created out of nothing, and have this relationship to nothingness. Sin is turning back to or orienting ourselves to our nothingness. It is saying to God, that what He said about us is not true. Instead of this turning back to our nothingness, we can recognize who we are and we can orient ourselves toward fulfillment. Our oneness with God is eventual. In the course of being pilgrims, we orient ourselves toward hope. Fear however is inescapable. There is a chaste fear that comes from love. This fear is not concerned with personal fulfillment. In contrast there is also a servile fear which is concerned only with personal fulfillment. When we turn toward hope in fear it is a servile fear. A chaste fear on the other hand turns us toward oneness with God. How does this apply to motherhood? We have to discern our fears, to distinguish between chaste and servile fear. As mothers we take up the burden of our children’s glory. We realize that their happiness depends on their orientation. There is but one hope for our children and for us. We are all in the state of becoming, part of the now and the not yet. In the now there is no expectation of completion or complete happiness as there will be in the not yet. But we can not live the Christian life for our children. As parents we are caught up in the thinking that if I do X, then Y will never happen to my children. Our life does not have to be a perfect story, or even a good story for us to be a Christian. We often put pressure on our children to assure ourselves that we were or are good parents. Instead, we should try to make some kind of peace with the idea of completion. We need to be chief recognizers of our human condition. This will teach us the wisdom of what to hope for. Holiness begins in the acceptance. Accepting our condition is a bit of a paradox. If we do not accept it, we will seek that endlessness in each other which can really only be found in the not yet of truly being with God. In hope, we reach toward the arduous not yet of our fulfillment. Lastly, Christine asked to consider ways to cultivate our status of the now and the not yet, to come to peace with it, still looking forward to what is to be. That might be something to talk about with your fellow homeschooling moms, with your mentors, with your Bible study groups. Here are a few suggestions. • Make Sunday a day of intense gratitude• Remind ourselves that we exist for God, not for our children• Create time of silence and contemplation• Practice nurturing the feeling of God’s presenceI do hope these notes, albeit somewhat scattered, have encouraged you to hope wisely and well. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 Now go outside and enjoy the beauty of all the wildflowers in the Spring! — JMT Esprit • April 2018 • Page 5Theology of hopeContinued from Page 4Calendarn April 5-7, Princess Idan April 20, promn May 17, graduation rehearsaln May 18, graduation banquetn May 19, graduationn May 25, Lake Winnien July 20, 21, Expo and curriculum fairTodd Wilson, Familymanweb.comPage 6 • April 2018 • EspritIt was Spring. The leaves burst out. The flowers burst out. And robins burst out of their eggs. It was Spring. — Margaret Wise BrownBy Rochelle MarshallI’m preparing for Easter as I write this and I’m full of gratitude for new beginnings and Resurrection. I’m so grateful we are leaving Lent and all the vexations of winter behind us. Nature is awakening; buds on my trees, wildflowers around every turn, birds chirping in my yard, daffodils almost finished. I’m reminded all about me that the seasons are changing. And my children? They have cabin fever and I’m once again grateful we live in such a temperate climate that I can grant their request for summer clothes out of the attic before the first day of spring. With this season change can come frustration over school. Maybe you began in September, or August, or even July! Aside from a few holidays, we have been schooling since late summer and we’re hitting the books with less than high enthusiasm these days.A couple of my children have already asked about the pool. We’re daydreaming about the beach and buying new bathing suits. O n a more serious note, I’ve spoken with parents from three homeschool families in the last week who are all feeling ready to “put their kids in school” which I think is a common itch feeling we get late in the year. These are all parents who love having their kids at home, but for a myriad of reasons they feel perhaps it is time to send one or more children to school. Perhaps that is the best choice for these children next year, but for right now we need to keep on this path.So how can we finish strong and complete the year well? Start something new: Whether it’s a read-aloud, an art project, or fresh memory work, often just one or two new things will give us the dose of enthusiasm and excitement to push through to the “finish line” — aka end of the school year. This is not the time to jump ship and totally revamp your school plans. But adopting a plan we’ve set aside or choosing a new handicraft or art project can be wonderful. A change is as good as a rest, and in this case often better. We took a break from school in February and it was very hard to get our momentum going again when we started back. Instead of a traditional spring break perhaps consider a “break” from the regular curriculum, one that is educational and focused on arts or field trips or science experiments. Maybe clean out a cabinet or shelves. Whenever I do my children find treasures in the form of books or supplies they’ve forgotten. It’s a busy mama’s version of the popular idea “strewing” and can provide hours of natural exploration and creation. Celebrate: Maybe it’s time for a spring garden party or a picnic with friends or tea out at a café. Celebrate the little things too. I’m not very good about this, but recently we made a plan that we would make a cake to celebrate the finish line of a difficult curriculum. Ending a phonics book with Lemon Cake was just the sweet reward we needed after hours of hard work. Also consider practicing humble hospitality.Life blooms anewRochelle Marshall, homeschool graduate, Covenant College alumna, and former Ambleside School teacher, home educates her five children, ages 9 years to baby, on Lookout Mountain.Fresh outlook will cheer year-end slogWeary in home education? Try something new, and bring it up close. Esprit • April 2018 • Page 7Over the past month, we have had many last-minute out of town family & friends stay with us. I’m always surprised and delighted by how much my children rejoice and how we are blessed by these “interuptions” to our plans. A family my children have only met once came for dinner last week and it was delightful to watch the children all make friends over popcorn and princess dresses. Review and rejoice: Sometimes when you’ve been laboring on the same path for many days it’s hard to see how far you’ve come. Consider a day/week for review, which I’m almost certain shall lead to rejoicing. We did a big review of memory and music with my children last week and I was surprised and encouraged by how much they (and I) have actually retained over the past year. Lest this review brings discouragement, please don’t get bogged down in regrets – it’s time to make plans. Things can always be better/different this next year.Get Help! We all know that feeling of needing “fresh arms” when we have a screaming newborn or a teething toddler. I think the same is true at times for homeschool students and their primary teachers (you!). Recently my dad was visiting and he listened to my son read everyday and it was amazing. The progress made in one week may have been equal to the whole year reading with me. Why? Fresh arms. A new warm person with funny jokes. I have to admit I do not aproach phonics like grandpa, complete with a hind “spider” that tickles you if you miss a word. Perhaps you have a friend who can take your child for a day or a relative who can pitch hit while you take a shower or make lunch. Often when school is stressful we get a bit protective of our struggles and forget that what is hard for us might be a joy for someone else. Let them help you! M ake Plans: Now is a great time to start a little bit of research and jot down notes about what you want to do next year. Perhaps you’ve loved a book and want to remember it when you repeat this grade/history cycle with another child, or maybe you want to remember to research a specific curriculum that has been recommended to you. Write notes now about thing you want to consider more in the summer. Sometimes I think “I’ll wait until summer to review or plan” and then my brain is so happy to be on vacation that I can’t remember all the things I wanted to consider when I finally do get some uninterrupted computer time. Get Outside: Now that the weather is gorgeous, do not fight the urge to go outside. Get out there and soak up the sun. Or fight the urge to stay curled up inside, bundle up and brave the wind and risk of rain. Maybe this means taking your books to the park, or meeting friends for a hike, or camping out by the swings in the back yard to teach while your little ones play. Take advantage of the beautiful (or not so beautiful) weather and spend as much time outside enjoying it at possible. However you choose to redeem these spring days, keep learning right along side your precious children. Read a good book. Go outside. Celebrate life!“Sometimes when you’ve been laboring on the same path for many days it’s hard to see how far you’ve come.”Page 8 • April 2018 • EspritThe American Heritage Girls creed:As an American Heritage Girl, I promise to bet Compassionatet Helpfult Honestt Loyalt Perseverantt Puret Resourcefult Respectfult Responsiblet ReverentThe American Heritage Girls oath:I promise tot Love Godt Cherish My Familyt Honor My Countryt Serve in My CommunityTroop TN1180Chartered by CSTHEA * Homeschool ExclusiveMeets Tuesday evenings from 7:00-8:30 pm. at Burks UMC, HixsonContact Shannon Conkle at sec7779@yahoo.comLook for us at the Curriculum Fair!For girls in grades K-12We should never be telling our children — through either the way we live our lives or the way we lead theirs — that academics, sports, and other endeavors are more important than becoming students of the Word. Because, ultimately, they are not. “Godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”Necessary foodIt is your necessary sustenance.Plain and simple, this is how crucial we should view time in the Word as being. Christ told us in Matthew 4:4, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” As much as we hunger and yearn for food for our physical nourishment, so should we be yearning for the Word of God just as much for our spiritual nourishment. Job uttered the same sentiment in Job 23:23. “I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” Just as physical food is crucial for our bodily wellbeing, so this spiritual food is crucial for our soul’s wellbeing. How to get in the WordAt this point you may be seeing the critical importance of spending time in the Word as a busy homeschooling mom, but maybe you are now wondering how on earth to make that a possibility. Take heart. In our day in age of technology, there are so many options for even the busiest of women to be able to get into the Word on a daily basis. Here are a few to consider:➤ Download a Bible app onto your phone! This way, you will literally be taking God’s Word with you wherever you go! Read it while in a waiting room, turn on the audio option and be read to while you are driving or even when you are taking a shower or cooking dinner or folding laundry. The possibilities here are endless! The YouVersion app is perfect for this.➤ Get up a little earlier than your kiddos to spend time with the Lord. For me, having that time first thing in the morning makes a big difference for the rest of my day.➤ If you are a nursing mama, having to sit down and nurse is the perfect pause button in your day for you to get in some Bible or prayer time!➤ Are you frequently up in the middle of the night with your child? Use this time to commune with the Father.➤ Have your quiet time while your little ones are napping.➤ Keep your Bible in the bathroom! I know it sounds crazy, but if you intentionally add a little reading into every opportunity you get, you’ll get a lot more reading in than you think! For example, read while brushing your teeth! I do this all the time.➤ Do you have time to be on social media? Then you have ample time to read the Word or be in prayer. You just have to want time with the Father more than you want time on social media (pray about that. Moms into the WordContinued from Page 3“As much as we hun-ger and yearn for food for our physical nourishment, so should we be yearning for the Word of God just as much for our spiritual nour-ishment.” Esprit • April 2018 • Page 9He will work in your heart to cause you to want to know and seek Him more).➤ Keep your Bible open on your kitchen counter so you can read quick verses here and there as you go throughout your day.➤ Post verses in your car and throughout your home – on a little decorative chalk board in the living room, on an index card on your bathroom mirror, etc.➤ Read the Bible out loud to your children and discuss it. Lead them in prayer time every day.➤ Have Bible-based worship music playing in your home and car.➤ Set your kids in front of a great Christian children’s program or the Bible app for kids and let them learn on their own while you have some uninterrupted time in the Word.T he possibilities truly are endless, sweet mamas! The important thing is not so much how you are in the Word, when you are in the Word, or for how long, but simply that you are actually in the Word. The Lord will bless your efforts to commune with Him and has promised in Isaiah 55:11, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Contrary to some Instagram posts you may see, the power of your quiet time is not in whether or not it is actually quiet, it is not in whether or not you have a hot cup of coffee beside you, a candle lit, worship music playing, and birds singing outside your window. The power of your quiet time comes solely through the Word itself — that living and powerful Word that is “sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (see Hebrews 4:12.)So take heart, mama. You have access to all the wisdom, insight, strength, hope, and help you need for your journey as a homeschool mom within the pages of the Word, and you do have the ability to be in that Word on a daily basis. The question is - will you take the opportunity?Moms into the WordContinued from Page 3Lake WinnieCSTHEA Homeschool DayLittle ones are raring to go, so mark calendarFriday, May 25Park Hours 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.No pre-event ticket sales or advanced registration.All ticket sales are on the day of the event. Just show up at the park, look for the CSTHEA booth, buy ticket.Lake Winnie rules for admission, unlimited ride tickets:• Free admission for kids under age 1• No additional discounts for 1-2 years of age and seniors this year• Tickets available at CSTHEA booth• (Sales start at 9:30 a.m. & end at 11 a.m.)• $17 All AgesCSTHEA admission & payment rules• Cash only, no checks, credit, or debit cards.• Please have exact change in your hand and ready to give to the CSTHEA ticket seller. • Anyone arriving after 11 a.m. or not with the group must pay full price ($27+tax) at the main gate ticket booths. If you plan to arrive late, you may have someone purchase tickets on your behalf, but they must meet you at the gate with your tickets when you arrive.• Reserved picnic table pavilions available as usual.• Ask at CSTHEA booth for our pavilion numbers.Park opens at 10 a.m. & closes at 8 p.m.Next >