Perhaps it's the fact that my sister's family is involved in the long, hard work of farming. Maybe it's because parenting is a long-term job. It could be I was just feeling ornery. Whatever the reason, I initially balked at Seth Godin's Hard work vs. Long work.

Then I realized: Homeschooling allows us to work hard, but no longer than we need to. In school, you sit in your chair until the bell rings. You do your time. And as long as you don't spend that time actively trying to avoid work, you'll probably graduate. But even here--like farming--it is possible to fail at long work. "Just showing up" rarely gets you anywhere. Or maybe I just didn't take those classes or work those jobs.

The key point is not how much time you spend. If you can do it faster and reap the benfits, fantastic! That's one of many great reasons to homeschoool. On the other hand, you can work hard for months on something and still not be done with it. That's what we'd expect if it's a huge project. The time spent has nothing to do with your efforts or the eventual outcome. So it's not the time that matters.

Raising children and being there for them into adulthood is a process that takes, well, more than a couple years. Educating your kids at home is a similarly lengthy process. Food preparation, chores, sports, skill development and more are all "long work" with tremendous benefit. So, no, may we never "just show up" and expect results. Let's jump into things and work diligently and well at them. But, yes, there will be times when your efforts will not appear to be paying off.

That's okay.

We're in this for the long haul. And it's hard work.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

Working in the Sonlight Entryway

Most of my workdays are spent in front of my computer. But if I need to read a report, look over some documentation, scribble up some ideas, or complete some non-computer-related tasks--which are admittedly few and far between--I'm likely somewhere else.

Barb, one of my coworkers, noticed me sitting in the entryway. She laughed and said, "You're totally a homeschooler. You work where you want."

I'm not convinced this is purely a homeschooler trait. But I did learn that I could work hanging upside down off the couch, sprawled on the floor, pacing in the backyard as well as sitting at a desk while homeschooled. Sure, it's a little non-traditional to find someone wandering around outside while reading a business proposal. But occasionally mixing things up is great for creative thinking and not-going-stir-crazy-ification. The right workspace can increase productivity. It can also raise morale.

The Sonlight Catalog is filled with pictures of students doing their schoolwork in trees, on walls, in boxes, on the couch, inside, outside, all around. Where does your student like to work? What's the oddest place your child has found to study?

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester

Should You Believe the Trinity?

The booklet is sprinkled with Scripture passages. The names of early church fathers follow many of the quotes. Historical documents, ancient artifacts and modern research fill the pages. This thing has way more information than most of the Sunday School curriculum I am handed at church. The booklet tells me I should reject a man-made idea and go with the wisdom of God found in Scripture.

I don't.

After studying the booklet for several weeks with some Jehovah's Witness friends of mine, I still believe in the Trinity.

Despite strong Scriptural support for beating your children, some families reject this practice.

Going against the "plain teaching" of geocentricism in the Bible, not too many people still accept this idea either.

Why?

Put another way: How did we come to these conclusions?

And what drives our decisions about a great number of other contested ideas, such as speaking in tongues, tithing or the efficacy of Christ's death and resurrection? And, given that, how do we teach our children the truths found in Scripture?

I certainly don't have it all figured out. But here are suggestions based on my experience from life thus far:

Read the Bible with your children. Summaries, lessons and devotions are great and can be incredibly helpful. But don't forget to go to the source itself. I grew up memorizing NKJV verses for Awana. If I could handle that, your children can learn to follow along with your translation(s) of choice. ...especially as you talk them through the passages and answer their questions.

Pray for wisdom. Enough said.

Consider the lives of others. One of the benefits of reading biographies of great Christians is you can see how they lived out their faith. As we examine the lives of great men and women of God, we can see what produced good fruit and what did not.

Study the Scriptures. When you encounter a difficult passage or teaching that doesn't feel quite right, make use of the Body of Christ. Read commentaries, talk to friends and teachers, consider the context and the rest of Scripture, look up articles and, again, read the passages themselves.

What about you? How do you teach your children the Bible? What difficult questions have you had to answer/are still trying to figure out? What tips have you found helpful as you study Scripture?

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Empty Nester