Quote from Forum Archives on March 6, 2004, 6:51 am

Posted by: homenews <homenews@...>

Dear Hope Chest readers,

 

I commend this Dad's and Mom's Corners newsletter by Steve and Teri Maxwell to you.   This month's issue is based on concepts in their new book, Keeping Our Children's Hearts, which I'm anxious to see.

 

In His Sovereign Grace,

Virginia Knowles

www.thehopechest.net

--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Maxwell Family - Dad's & Mom's Corners"    <[email protected]>
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2004 17:03:42 -0600
Subject: March Dad's & Mom's Corners (and new book announcement)

Dear Friends,

 

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life”
(Proverbs 4:23).

 

We are thrilled that Steve and Teri’s new book, Keeping Our Children’s
Hearts – Our Vital Priority, is now available. This book was born out of the
burden the Lord has put on our hearts as we have observed conservative,
Christian families losing their children to the world. The Lord had been
growing and defining this message for us for several years. He finally gave
us the time and direction for tackling the project. We knew it would be the
most difficult, yet most important book, we had written.

 

Written for parents of young children to teenagers, this book shares the
joys and outcomes of our vital priority – keeping our children’s hearts.
Rebellion and immorality are common among teens even within the Christian
community. Does Scripture offer any path of hope for more than this for our
children? What can parents do to direct their children toward godliness
rather than worldliness? When does this process begin? What is the cost?

 

We believe the key factors in raising children in the nurture and admonition
of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4) are whether or not the parents have their
children’s hearts and what they are doing with those hearts. Keeping Our
Children’s Hearts offers direction and encouragement on this critically
important topic.

 

Keeping Our Children’s Hearts is filled with two hundred and sixty-eight
pages of solid Biblical information and practical experience. There is also
a chapter written by the three grown Maxwell children. Each chapter ends
with thought-provoking application questions. The book was read and
critiqued by over forty families – including two pastors, a juvenile
probation officer, and a doctor – while in the final editing stage. We can’t
stress enough how important we feel this book is to every Christian
homeschooling family.

 

Dr. S.M. Davis, who kindly reviewed the book for us, said, "The most
complete and most balanced book I have read on how to raise children who
won't rebel! You may not fully agree with the Maxwell’s, but every parent
should read this book."

 

A mom wrote us, “I have read most all of the ‘good’ books on child rearing
and they are all great, but this one is different ... it touches on the most
important issue of all that is so easily overlooked in the day to day! I
can't say enough good things about it. I read it in one sitting and am now
going back over it more slowly. I can't wait until my husband reads it. It
could/will change our lives. It is the BEST EVER!!!! We will order these for
gifts for the parents in our church as we can. It has the potential to
change our church!!!”

 

To read more about the book or to purchase, please go to -
http://www.titus2.com/keeping-our-childrens-hearts.html or
http://www.Titus2.com

 

This month both the Dad’s and Mom’s Corners are on topics related to the
keeping of our children’s hearts. We chose these topics to coincide with the
release of the new book. Teri’s Mom’s Corner deals with turning our hearts
toward our children. Steve’s Dad’s Corner questions whether you are on a
collision course.

 

Upcoming Speaking Engagements:
Salt Lake City, Utah, March 19th and 20th for the UTCH Convention
Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany, April 31st & May 1st, Homeschool Retreat

 

For more information on any of these or to see other conferences where we
will be, here is the link to our speaking schedule -
http://www.titus2.com/w-speaking-schedule.htm

 

May Jesus keep you and your family wrapped in His arms.

 

In our Savior's Precious Name,

 

The Maxwells
Steve, Teri, Nathan & Melanie, Christopher, Sarah, Joseph, John, Anna,
Jesse, and Mary
http://www.Titus2.com
http://www.PreparingSons.com
http://www.PreparingDaughters.com

 

PS - If you have a change of address, please send an e-mail from your old
account to [email protected]. To subscribe from your new
account send an e-mail to [email protected]. If you would like to
stop receiving this monthly mailing, please send a blank e-mail to
[email protected], and our mailing list software will take it
from there.

 

------------------------------------------------------------
March Mom's Corner
Turn Your Heart
------------------------------------------------------------

 

Malachi 4:6 says, “And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the
children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and
smite the earth with a curse.” From this verse it is obvious that parents’
hearts turned toward their children are important to the Lord Jesus. As
Christian homeschooling moms, I expect each of us would say that we have our
hearts turned toward our children because the Lord has called us to this
job. If our children weren’t our highest priority after our relationships
with the Lord and then our relationships with our husbands, we wouldn’t be
homeschooling. It seems that homeschooling is a proof to us that our focus
is on our children. But I wonder if this is always the case.

 

I have discovered that having my heart turned to my children involves a
choice on my part. Homeschooling certainly plays a role in that. However, I
can mechanically homeschool without my heart truly being turned to my
children. For me the fruit of a focus on the children is observed through my
attitude toward school. Do I look forward to school time as a joy, or do I
dread it as an unpleasant task? Do I smile at my children, or is my forehead
knit together in frustration with them? Do I speak encouraging words to my
students, or do I criticize their attempts to accomplish their schoolwork?

 

No matter what my feelings are toward school, Scripture tells me that I have
a responsibility in what I think about and how I act. The Lord wants me to
have my heart turned to my children. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “Casting down
imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience
of Christ.” This tells me that if I am struggling with negative feelings
about school, then I can take those thoughts captive and bring them into the
obedience of Christ by thinking the truth of God’s Word. “I can do all
things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).

 

If I feel down and discouraged, I can choose to replace those thoughts with
the truth of the Word. “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for
thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore
will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest
upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in
necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am
weak, then am I strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). If I want to lash out at
the children rather than encourage them, I can recall, “The wise in heart
shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning”
(Proverbs 16:21).

 

What might be other demonstrations that my heart is turned to my children? I
believe one would be what I do with my time. Do I always stay busy with
housework so that there is no time for the children? Am I prone to sit at
the computer rather than reading a book to the children, playing a game with
them, or teaching them a productive skill? What I have found in my life is
that it is often easier to vacuum or do something at the computer than it is
to spend time with the children. When my heart is turned toward myself, I
spend my time doing what I want to do. However, when my heart is turned
toward my children, I spend my time doing what they like to do with me or
what is productive for them.

 

I want my children to remember a mommy filled with love for them that was
evidenced in part by the time she spent with them. I desire that they grow
to be adults recalling  special shared memories rather than how clean our
home was. Don’t misunderstand me. I have time scheduled in my day and week
to keep up with housekeeping. That is a part of the responsibility the Lord
has given me as a keeper at home. However, I still have discretionary
minutes and hours. When my heart is turned toward my children, I will invest
that time in them rather than in selfish personal pursuits. “Verily, verily,
I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it
abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth
his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep
it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I
am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father
honour” (John 12:24-26).

 

Dr. S. M. Davis says that keeping our children’s hearts is the most
difficult task facing Christian parents today and that it should be their
highest priority. Keeping our children’s hearts begins with a mom turning
her heart toward her children and a dad turning his heart toward his
children. May we be moms who know the importance of turning our hearts
toward our children. May we continually ask the Lord to turn our hearts
toward our children. May we be submissive and obedient to the Lord as He
prompts us to turn our hearts toward our children.

 

Teri Maxwell

 

Written by Teri Maxwell, co-author of Managers of Their Homes, A Practical
Guide to Daily Scheduling for Christian Homeschool Families, Keeping Our
Children’s Hearts, Just Around the Corner: Encouragement and Challenge for
Homeschooling Dads and Moms and author of Homeschooling with a Meek and
Quiet Spirit.

 

Teri Maxwell is the mother of eight children and began homeschooling in
1985. Three of her children have graduated from homeschool, two are still
living in their home and one is married. Teri is a homeschool conference
speaker and has been writing monthly articles of encouragement for
homeschooling moms since 1990.

 

To subscribe to free monthly Dad's and Mom's Corner e-mails send a blank
e-mail to [email protected] and our mailing list software will
take it from there. Or you can sign the guest book at http://www.Titus2.com.

 

------------------------------------------------------------
March Dad's Corner
Are You on a Collision Course?
------------------------------------------------------------

 

Our family was returning home from a trip to Lawton, Oklahoma. Happy,
enthusiastic talk filled the van as we rolled down the interstate. Ahead of
us on the other side of highway, I noticed a car that was just merging onto
the other side of interstate headed the opposite direction from us.
Suddenly, I saw the car abruptly make a sharp 180 degree turn and strike out
toward seventy-mile-per-hour oncoming traffic – a nightmare scenario.

 

In horror I said aloud, “Oh no!” I cried out, “Lord Jesus, help them!” As we
passed the car now traveling the same direction as us, I saw a woman driving
with some small children in the car. I glanced ahead. There were two cars
bearing down on her. To the Maxwell family’s relief, she pulled over and
stopped on the median shoulder as the cars safely whizzed by her.

 

Our excited chatter had been replaced by a momentary deathly silence. Now
everyone was voicing a similar thought. What if she hadn’t pulled over then?
We realized we had just narrowly missed being eyewitnesses to a freeway
head-on collision. We could not fathom what possessed that woman to make a
U-turn and head the wrong way down the interstate toward oncoming traffic.
How could she have risked her life, the children’s lives, and those of the
people in the other cars?

 

Praise God that she realized she was heading in the wrong direction and took
appropriate action in time to avert a disaster. How heartbreaking it would
have been to watch something terrible happen had she struck one of the two
oncoming cars.

 

For quite a while now, Teri and I have had heavy hearts as we read emails,
read message board posts, and observe Christian families losing their
children to the world. These families are busy with normal life until, all
of a sudden, they are in the midst of a crisis. The child, who has been
nurtured and taught for so many years, begins making choices that reflect
the negative influence of the world.

 

Our sadness is nothing compared to what the parents of those children have
experienced. The disappointment and anguish they suffer is horrible. But
where is God in all of this? Does not His Word offer hope for the rest of
us? Is it simply the destiny of a fixed percentage of families to have a
child who will embrace the world?

 

It can be discouraging for parents when they look around and mostly see
teens who are very worldly. Is there nothing that can be done, or do we just
wait until they’re grown to see how it will all turn out?

 

We have found encouragement in these verses. “A bishop then must be
blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour,
given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not
greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that
ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all
gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take
care of the church of God?)” (1 Timothy 3:2-5).

 

As we look at these verses, it is clear that they are intended to be the
litmus test of a man to see if he qualifies to be an elder or overseer of
the church. Let me briefly list the meaning of the requirements: blameless,
have one wife (one marriage), vigilant (circumspect or temperate), sober
(self-controlled), of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach, not a
drinker, not violent, not greedy, patient, not quick to quarrel (peaceable),
not covetous, rules his house well, having reverent children. Also, in Titus
1:6, it is added that the children would be faithful.

 

As we look at those requirements, we see how none of them have to do with
the color of the man’s hair or how tall he is. Notice that the first
thirteen all have to do with things that are affected by his personal
choices of obedience to the truths of God’s Word. For example, a man makes a
choice as to whether he will be self-controlled, greedy or generous, patient
or angry. In the same way, this man of God who is qualified to lead the
church has made decisions that have allowed him to rule his house well and
raise obedient children. The fruit of that man’s walk with Jesus Christ are
children who are reverent and faithful. His home is to be a miniature
representation of the church.

 

The focus of the elder’s heart and his efforts are on fulfilling his
God-directed, God-given, and God-taught responsibilities. He is proving
himself to be a follower of God, by walking in love and obedience, and
therefore he is qualified to lead the church.

 

Frequently, we see families who are on a collision course with disaster. At
first they aren’t aware of it, but in time, they realize all is not well as
they sense they have lost their children’s hearts. Our prayer is that they
will realize it before it is too late. They need to hit the brakes and get
off the road they are traveling down.

 

The problem is that, often, those needing to change direction are
comfortable because they are with so many others. Someone once told me he
was okay going to hell because all his friends were going to be there as
well. Unfortunately, when the results of that decision are realized, it will
be too late, and hell will not be the party that he was expecting. “And fear
not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather
fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew
10:28).

 

Whether you are following the crowd or on your own, I plead with you, don’t
propel yourself into a similar situation as that woman we saw. Praise God
she finally made the right decision before it cost her, her children, and
others a horrible consequence. “Who then is a faithful and wise servant,
whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due
season?” (Matthew 24:45).

 

Steve Maxwell

 

Written by Steven Maxwell, co-author of Managers of Their Homes: A Practical
Guide to Daily Scheduling for Christian Homeschool Families, Keeping Our
Children’s Hearts, Just Around the Corner: Encouragement and Challenge for
Homeschooling Dads and Moms, and author of Preparing Sons to Provide for a
Single-Income Family.

 

Steve Maxwell is the father of eight children. His family began
homeschooling in 1985. In 1997, the Lord brought Steve home to run his own
business, and he now enjoys the privilege of working with his two grown sons
and one grown daughter. Steve is a homeschool conference speaker and has
been writing monthly articles of encouragement for homeschooling dads since
1990.

 

To subscribe to free monthly Dad's and Mom's Corner e-mails send a blank
e-mail to [email protected] and our mailing list software will
take it from there. Or you can sign the guest book at http://www.Titus2.com.

 

------------------------------------------------------------
If you would like to stop receiving this monthly mailing, please send a
blank e-mail to [email protected] and our mailing list software
will take it from there.

 

Please direct reprint inquiries to [email protected]

 

Selected Dad's and Mom's Corners are available at our web site:
http://www.Titus2.com

 

(Over five years' worth of Dad's & Mom's Corners, have been compiled into
one book entitled, Just Around the Corner: Encouragement and Challenge for
Christian Homeschooling Dads and Moms. For more information, please visit
our web-site.)
------------------------------------------------------------

 

**All Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.

 

© Copyright 2004 Managers of Their Homes

 

Managers of Their Homes
2416 S. 15th St.
Leavenworth, Kansas 66048

 

 

 

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