We began using Heart of Dakota Curriculum in January on the recommendation of my SIL. Our oldest son started with Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory and we skipped portions so we could finish the end of May. We’ve had some family health issues come up so schooling right now isn’t happening but the boys are learning great lessons about compassion and helping those who can’t help themselves and about how we are the hands and feet of Jesus. What drew me into HOD was that it is truly Christ centered. Christian principles and Bible content is not added in but the main focus. I had wanted to do the Principle Approach and follow that educational philosophy but time does not permit me to do that but we are really enjoying HOD! We will be doing Little Hearts for His Glory with the twins and Bigger Hearts for His Glory with David starting late summer or early fall.

My heart is still drawn into the Principle Approach and maybe time will allow me to study more and prepare myself in the months/years to come. Originally, we had wanted to start with PA but after discussing it with my husband, we have decided to try and start implementing it when our oldest is in 4th grade.

For the first time in 3-4 years of looking at homeschool curriculum, I am not searching for “it” anymore! Once I settled on HOD, my heart was at peace. I am still looking for the right fit for a reading program but that is because of my son’s learning style. He is a visual-spatial learner.

With HOD, everything is included but phonics (for younger grades) and math - though daily math lessons are given, it is only for supplemental purposes.

The philosophy of HOD is based on the Charlotte Mason approach - living books, short lessons. Spelling is included starting in Beyond Little Hearts and beginning in Bigger Hearts, Carrie Austin the author, recommends using Rod & Staff English. I am excited about upcoming school plans and am expecting the boys to grow in the wisdom and knowledge of our Lord!

You can learn more about HOD at their website Heart of Dakota. There you can download the first week of lessons for each of the programs and go to their message board to “meet” other HODies. There is also a new Yahoo! group Heart of Dakota Yahoo! Group.

We, the entire family, (immediate and extended family) are going through a testing of our faith. James 1:2-4, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” It’s a rough tiresome road, but along this road there is joy, there is peace and there is reassurance of the love of our Heavenly Father. There are reminders of His faithfulness. When we accept these tests and stay in faith, believing in our God that He will rescue us and keep His Word, we are strengthened. We are able to stand.

God has been faithful to remind me daily of His promises, through unexpected means I might add. Just today I received a blog update from Robin Sampson of Heart Of Wisdom. She is in a battle for her life as well and is standing, believing knowing that God has her in His hands. She reminded me of a song by Paul Wilbur, In Your Presence. You can watch a video here In Your Presence .

Here are the lyrics,

In Your presence
That’s where I am strong
In Your presence
O Lord my God
In Your presence
That’s where I belong
Seeking Your face
Touching Your grace
In the cleft of the Rock
In Your presence O God

I want to go
Where the rivers
Cannot overflow me
Where my feet are
On the rock
I want to hide
Where the blazing
Fire cannot burn me
In Your presence O God

I want to hide
Where the flood of
Evil cannot reach me
Where I’m covered by the blood
I want to be where
The schemes of darkness
Cannot touch me
In Your presence O God

You are my firm foundation
I trust in You all day long
I am Your child
And Your servant
And You are my
Strength and my song
You’re my song

Seeking Your face
Touching Your grace
In the cleft of the Rock
In Your presence O God
In Your presence

My miracle nephew is turning 3 years old today!!! He was born at 26 weeks gestation and spent many, many months in the NICU then most people have in a lifetime. The NICU doctors and nurses prepared my sister and her family for the worse, they did not expect him to live. If he did live, they said he would need a feeding tube or something similar. They did not expect him to survive and be the super high energetic 3 year old he is today! I remember his first smile to me, he had just come out of surgery and I was waiting in the hallway and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. They were wheeling him back to the NICU and I looked at him, still sedated and he smiled with such peace on his face then he stuck his tongue out at me!!! I cried! It was a surgery they did not expect him to pull through.

They did not expect, but my sister and her husband kept their faith in God and knew that through the blood of Jesus and the power of His resurrection that little Dan Dan would come home and live a long healthy live! Well, “they” are amazed! And they talk about him and the miracle he is.

Happy Birthday My Little Dan Dan!!!! We all love you so very much and are so grateful to God that He has rescued you!!!

Daniel is also adopted, rescued twice!!!

I am reading (on & off for over a year now LOL) a little book by Andrew Murray called Absolute Surrender.  It was given to me and to be quite honest, I was offended by this gift.  I thought, “What does this lady think that I’m not surrendered to the Lord?  Does she think I’m in rebellion or something?”  Childish I know and maybe even a bit prideful.  :)  But none the less, God reached my heart and I have grown to love this book.  Like my mother in law says, I like to read something where I just read just a few sentences and I can’t go any further, I have to ponder and think about what I’ve just read.  The real meat of the Word!  I guess that is why I’m still not finished reading yet. 

God expects our surrender.   But that statement is full of hope!  God accomplishes YOUR surrender!  Andrew Murray writes,

“I come to you with a message, fearful and anxious one.  God does not ask you to give the perfect surrender in your strength, or by the power of your will; God is willing to work it in you.  Do we not read:  ‘It is God that worketh in us, both to will and to do of His good pleasure?’  And that is what we should seek for — to go on our faces before God, until our hearts learn to believe that the everlasting God Himself will come in to turn out what is wrong, to conquer what is evil and to work what is well-pleasing in His blessed sight.  God Himself will work it in you.”

God asks for absolute surrender, but once we surrender He takes over!  How awesome is our God.  He only asks that we obey in faith, trusting Him to work out that surrender.  To change whatever needs to be changed in us so we can accomplish His will.

I have made a dear friend online through the Biblical Principles Yahoo! Group, Renae.  She has asked me to write a guest post on her blog.  You may read it here Life Nurturing Education .  When you are there, read some of her posts.  She is a wonderful writer.