Catechism Resources

I am interrupting the series which I am blogging to share this with you.  Jennifer @ Quiverfull Family left me a comment the other day about catechism resources.

I’ve been feeling led towards catechizing lately (I don’t come from a Christian background, so this is really totally foreign to our family.)

Do you use the Westminster Shorter? Any specific resources that you can recommend?

I decided it would be good to share the information with all of you.  Thank you Jennifer for asking!!  These are resources that I love and am so excited to be able to share them!

First, yes, we do use the Westminster Shorter Catechism.

Second, here are a few resources that we use with our family! I am also listing a few others that are out there that we have not tried just in case you want to check them out!  I hope that these resources are helpful to you in training your children.

Big Truths for Little Kids

Training Hearts Teaching Minds

Vic Lockman’s Catechism in Cartoon form.

Songs for Saplings by Dana Dirksen

I know that Veritas Press also has a catechism songs collection and a song book but I have not heard them yet…they are on the order form for us to try out this school year.

We also have some of  THESE children’s catechism books…they were used along with their Sunday School curriculum a few years ago.

Covenant Home also has a catechism course which my hubby has used for youth group sessions.  It is designed for 5th grade and up.

Read-A-Thon

Yesterday we visited our local library.  The first time since we moved here.  Bowing my head in shame. In my defense, we do already own a lot of books!  Ok, still shameful, I know.  Anyway, we went.  Everyone older than five years old received their very own library card.  Now to keep track of the little ones’ cards. Ugh.

We signed up for the summer reading program.  Suddenly, my children are all into reading now, where as before, I was twisting arms!  Is it the “working toward a prize” or just that they were a part of a “club”?  Who knows, but I am glad!  They are reading and listening to books and counting the minutes!  This is a good thing, a very good thing.  I do wonder how long it will last.

One great thing is that the littles who are really not reading yet can just listen and still count the time.  So I put in the DVD their dad made of him reading books.  They hold the book and follow along.  I think I am also going to get the Story of the World on CD so they can finish that book by listening.  They love books on tape! It also gives me some time to take care of things that I need to accomplish.  You know, things like laundry, dishes, vacuuming, blogging.   Even with the aid of the DVD and CDs I will still be left with some great things to read with them.

The olders are finishing their science and literature books and they can count all of that reading time.  They feel like they are accomplishing more than just schoolwork.

We actually have a really nice library in our little town.  I think we may be making many more appearances there from now on.  I only wish it had not taken me 22 months to enter the door!

Learning Curve

My friend, Valerie, has done it again.  She has gone and written another helpful homeschooling book!  This one is entitled Learning Curve-Unveiling the mystery of brain dominant learning behaviors.  In this book, Valerie describes learning difficulties that she has experienced in her own family and the journey they have traveled in tackling those challenges.  She has done a lot of research in her quest to help her child and she shares that in her book.  There is a big focus on determining the dominant part of your child’s brain and the best strategies for teaching in light of brain dominance.

She discusses the different ways the brain processes information based on left or right brain dominance.  She discusses learning styles and how to choose your curriculum to work with those learning styles.  She shares their journey through vision therapy and visual processing struggles.  She also tackles the issue of how to deal with children in multiple grade levels.

Even if you do not have a child with learning difficulties this book would be beneficial.  It will allow you to become a more effective teacher by tailoring your teaching to the way they learn best.

She closes the book with a great chapter!  Those of us who do deal with children who have learning difficulties or even learning disabilities realize how overwhelming things can become.  She ends her book in typical Valerie fashion, filled with encouragement.  She gives tips and encouragement for keeping your family focused and grounded on the things that are most important.

The book can be purchased at Weblink Education and can be purchased in paperback or e-book form.   For more information and more testimonials pop on over.  When you are done reading make sure to purchase your own copy.  It is well worth the small price!  Just click on the title below or the book cover!

Learning Curve, Unveiling the Mystery of Brain Dominant Learning Behaviors

The Pelagian Captivity of the Church

The Pelagian Captivity of the Church

R. C. Sproul

via Modern Reformation – Print Friendly.

Christian Love, Valley of Vision

O lover of the loveless,
It is thy will that I should love thee with heart, soul, mind, strength, and my neighbour as myself.
But I am not sufficient for these things.
There is by nature no pure love in my soul;
Every effection in me is turned from thee;
I am bound, as a slave to lust, I cannot love thee, lovely as thou art, until thou dost set me free.
By grace I am thy freeman and would serve thee, for I believe thou art my God in Jesus, and that through him I am redeemed, and my sins are forgiven.
With this freedom I would always obey thee, but I cannot walk in liberty, any more than I could first attain it, of myself.
May thy Spirit draw me nearer to thee and thy ways.
Thou art the end of all means, for if they lead not to thee, I go away empty.
Order all my ways by thy holy Word and make thy commandments the joy of my heart, that by them I may have happy converse with thee.
May I grow in thy love and manifest it to mankind.
Spirit of love, make me like the loving Jesus; give me his benevolent temper, his beneficent actions, that I may shine before men to thy glory.
The more thou doest in love in me and by me, humble me the more; keep me meek, lowly, and always ready to give the honour.

FROM: Christian Love, Valley of Vision

Repent, For the Kingdom of God

I am not so sure it is considered in good form or not to repost an entire blog post from somewhere else but I thought that this was definitely worth sharing. It was posted on the Ligonier Ministry Blog today.  That is a great place for solid, toe-stepping yet encouraging Biblical guidance.  This is one I read today that I think everyone should read often.  (I am not thinking of anyone in particular, I was too busy rubbing my own sore toes).  We often take our sin more lightly than we should.  It is easy to point fingers and say we are not as bad as so and so.  That is an easy way to justify our own actions but it is not what we are called to do.  We are called to a higher standard than each other.  We are called to repent.

Lord, forgive me for where I have failed you, for thinking more highly of myself than I ought, for focusing on the apologies I should receive (and may never get) and remember to give the ones I owe.  May I bring honor and glory to your name.  Amen

Now for the article.  Watch your toes!

Repent, For the Kingdom of God

December 4, 2009 @ 6:40 AM | Posted By: Tim Challies
by R.C. Sproul, Jr.

How quick are you to repent? If you're anything like me, you've just this moment added several more things to repent of. First, pride. I suspect that you, if you are like me, think yourself a pretty decent repenter. You likely wish that others would learn from your wonderful example, and do likewise. Indeed, now that I mention it, you can think of several people that owe you an apology, and aren't you the one for being so gracious about it up until now?

Second, lying. I suspect that you, if you are like me, have in thinking all of the above, lied to yourself in an egregious way. You are deluded, your delusions springing forth from your deceitful heart like so many dandelions on a spring day. Third, pride again. Here your pride is less about you and more about Jesus. That is, our failure to understand what failures we are is in turn a reflection on the work of Christ. We diminish His work on our behalf when we diminish the scope of our own sin. Fourth, unrepentance. That is, because you are a bigger sinner, like me, than you are willing to face, you have not repented for your sins like you ought. You have repented lightly for dark sins.

What should you do? You could get mad at me for pointing this all out. Or, you could repent.

You could ask that God would forgive you for thinking too highly of yourself. Ask that He would empower you to be swift to see your own sins, and swift in turn to confess them both to Him and to those that we wrong. You could ask that you might have earned the right to have etched on your gravestone, “He was quick to repent.” And you could thank God for His provision of His Son, so that we can be forgiven. You could ask Him to gently remind you, each time you find yourself unhappy about the sins of your family, your neighbors, your fellow parishioners from your church, your parents, your elders, that such would be a prompt to you to honestly assess your own weaknesses. That we are sinners is a problem solved by the coming of Jesus the Savior. That we don't know we are sinners, that is a problem for the Holy Spirit, who convicts, and sanctifies.

The answer to every problem is simple–repent and believe the gospel.

As frustrating as our own blindness might be, the light has come into the world. As maddening as our weaknesses might be, the Sovereign One has come and dwelt among us. As embarrassing as our pride might be, the one who is poor in Spirit has sent the Spirit to lead us into all truth, including the ugly truth about ourselves.

The coming year is likely to bring political unrest. Were I a betting man, I would guess in turn that it will be a year filled to the brim with economic hardship. We can expect to see more cultural decline. All of which will be for nothing if we do not learn the first lesson, to repent and believe.

Before we take over the levers of power, before we dominion our way back to prosperity, before we press the crown rights of King Jesus over the culture, may we remember the crown of thorns, and repent. And when we have repented, let us repent again for the anemia of our repentance. Then, let us believe that He is at work in us, both to do and to will His good pleasure. And all these things will be added unto us.

via Repent, For the Kingdom of God | Ligonier Ministries.