In our home, our children’s state history studies are ongoing. Though some of my children have devoted an entire year to Florida history, most of them have learned about our Sunshine State bit by bit.
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Each of my children have a Florida notebook that they start in kindergarten and add to every year afterward.
This notebook is divided up into sections including:
Symbols
Natural Resources
Climate
Hurricanes
Government
History
Citrus Industry
Space
Business
Tourism  
Oceanography

​Should we celebrate St. Patrick's Day? 

​I think so. Here's why

Who is St. Patrick? Isn't he an Irish priest? Is he a leprechaun? Is he a legend or a real person? 

St. Patrick is an English missionary and Apostle to the nation of Ireland. Captured by Irish pirates as a young boy, St. Patrick is a Christian hero that your children should meet. 

In a day when most of our heroes lack integrity, it is good to learn about a true hero, brave in every situation. 

​Patrick was born in England during Roman Times. Though his father was a priest in the Celtic Church, Patrick spent his time partying in the Roman colony seaside village. Patrick did not want to serve God like his parents did. It took a disaster to bring him to the Lord.

One day, Irish pirates stormed Patrick's seaside village, killing many of the inhabitants. At the young age of fourteen, he was kidnapped, taken as a slave to Ireland, and forced to work as a shepherd. Ireland was a land of pagans and Druids who worshiped idols. Patrick was very homesick.

During his captivity, he remembered his parent's faith in God and surrendered his life to Jesus as Lord and Savior. He grew closer to the Lord during these years and did his best to be a shining light for His Messiah. 

​One night, God spoke to Patrick in a dream to go to the coast so he could leave Ireland. Patrick waited on the Lord for the right timing. Finally, an opportunity came for Patrick to make his escape. Making his way to a port city, he boarded a ship bound for freedom. Sailors, who took pity on him, smuggled him aboard a ship sailing for England. To his great joy, Patrick was reunited with his family.

Happy to be home, Patrick had another dream. In this dream, the people of Ireland were begging him to come back to Ireland. His heart was moved with compassion for those poor Irishmen and women who would die in their sins. A burden to share the Gospel with the Irish began to beat in his heart.

Now his training for the priesthood and his call as a missionary to Ireland began. Patrick spent almost twenty years in preparation. 

When was the last time you read Ephesians 2?

I read some blog posts about it last week and as it is one of my favorite passages (though really I love like every single passage in the whole book), I couldn’t stop thinking about it for days. Then, during worship on Sunday, it just kept bubbling up in my heart. I had to share my burden with my church family. And now I want to share it with you.

The truth of Ephesians 2 should transform our minds and hearts. It should captivate us. It should change how we view Jesus, how we love Jesus, how we worship Jesus. And it should change how we view ourselves, our salvation, and our lives now.

Here is the truth from verse 1:
Before Jesus we were dead.
Without Jesus we are dead.
We weren’t merely sick and needed a physician. We weren’t merely in bondage to sin and needing to be set free.
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WE. WERE. DEAD.

​ We are called to change the world!

Jesus gave us the Great Commission to make disciples of all the nations. We are on a mission!

That mission begins at home!

We have a call to impact our children by introducing our little ones to Christ and teaching them His ways. 

Once they know Christ, we teach them to change their world for the glory of Christ.

How do we that? How do we raise world changers?

​Stay focused on your goal of raising world changers.

Don’t be focused on lesser things or get into survival mode.

We want our children to get a good education, to be healthy, to have friends, to marry, to be happy. However, even more, we want our children to love Jesus and change the world for His glory.

​When you feel like you focus is too small, ask God to keep your focus on the right thing. 

​Before Jesus ascended to the Father, He called us to change the world! 

Yes, it's true! We are called to be world changers. Jesus commanded us to "Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20 NIV (c)1979). Then Jesus added, "And I will be with you, even to the end of the Age" (Matthew 28:20 NIV (c)1979). 

We have a call to impact the world by introducing people to Christ and teaching them His ways. 

How do we that? How do we change the world?