Getting Started

Well, today starts a new blog adventure:) I guess with God, every day is a new adventure, and this seems to fit in with my life now, rather unexpectedly.
Years ago, I had a thought that if I ever started a ministry, that I would name it New Creation.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! " 2 Cor 5:17


I can think of no better way to describe my own life. God has and continues to make me into something new every day, and indeed every season of life. Through the years I have used the phrase new creation for many things that needed a label, so when the need arose to name our home school for the records being kept by SCAIHS, it seemed only natural to name ourselves New Creation Home School.The interesting thing is that I never imagined that this would be the type of ministry He would call me to. A ministry born completely of Him and given all unto Him for His good purpose. A ministry that I could have never dreamed up or desired. A ministry to my family, my precious children and His servants in training. Hmmm. . . It leaves me with a lot to ponder actually. You see, homeschooling is not something that I would naturally have been drawn to. If you want to know the truth, children are not something I was naturally drawn to (before my own of course!) My husband and I started our marriage with the birth our our first child a little less than a year from our wedding day! I am amazed at how God has changed us completely and how He continues to strip the selfishness from us year after year. I love children now (especially ours!) and really enjoy seeing God reveal Himself to them in ways only He can.
Homeschooling has always interested me, but honestly I felt it was not something I could do in my own life. Partly because I felt I had too many dreams of my own to work on. Since toddler hood I have been thinking how nice it would be to have all three of my children in school someday and get to work on some other things that were on hold. Well, now that someday is here. My two oldest boys are in first and second grade and my youngest, my girl, is in 4k. Finally some me time!
The only thing is that God had other plans, and honestly being home alone wasn''t all it was cracked up to be. I really didn't get that much done and I felt I was running around town doing things a lot more, still no time. I think this is when I started understanding that my time was not fruitful because God had something else in mind for "my" time...actually His time :)
I could recount so many details of how we ended up here, but for now I will just say that God worked some miracles through some tough times and brought us to this place. I actually had decided to start in January after Christmas break...until we got MONO...of all things! I went ahead and pulled the boys out and we began about a week and a half ago with very little planning and resources. I have to say, it has not gone as I thought...
I find myself frustrated and a little (OK, a lot) discouraged most days. I am realizing some of the obstacles we need to overcome, like the boys feeding off of each other's energy, and giggles (and jokes, teases and other very "boy" like bodily functions that keep the two of them very entertained!) The other day I was having a hard time reigning them in again and again when Benjamin, my six year old, lifted his leg and let out a big one right on David. That was the last straw and I yelled out "Alright, that's it! School is done, go to your rooms!"...I can laugh now, but seriously, that is the crazy stuff I am working around right now:) I know we'll be fine, boys will be boys and for all I know, Ben could of done that to one of his classmates and I just never heard about it!
I am just ready to get all of my curriculum and a plan and organized and caught up with housework and a run on sentence with a million other ands to accomplish. Sigh...
But God...He is recreating me already and we have barely gotten started. He's up to a new creation in my heart, and I do feel a deep peace underneath my doubts, fears and apprehensions. I just really have to lean on Him and choose to believe Him over everything else. Today after some prayer time when I was pouring out all of my "stuff" to Him, I felt Him say, "Emily, will you believe me even when you don't see?"
Will I trust Him?
I want to.
I will say, the enemy has already been planting seeds of doubt and confusion and I do want to give in a lot of the time. But I really feel this is where I am supposed to be and I keep turning back to God again and again.
I am excited about this season of life, it is something brand new. I don't know how long it will last, but I am open. I am inviting God in to recreate our family according to His plan, we do so desperately need it...and I trust that He is good.
So, here is my first entry, I wonder what the future holds...school is definitely in session, for the kids and for me as well, I look to Him for the lesson plan...


Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Heb. 12:1-2