And Then There's My Dad...

I blogged about my mom on Mother's Day, and I'm afraid I have to use the same picture from that post today, on Father's Day. I need access to some more old pictures, I guess! At any rate, same picture, but different parent, as today it is, naturally, about my dad.

I am fairly certain that at the beginning of his parenting journey, he didn't know he was going to be the dad of four daughters, and he certainly had no notion of all that would entail. But I do know that if he ever wanted a son, he never mentioned it, and never seemed anything but happy to be the dad of all daughters, in good times and bad. And he always seemed to have a pretty good time with us at that. He was a pastor since before we could remember, and while that came with its own challenges and meant he was really "on call" 24/7, it also meant he had flexible hours that allowed him to be involved in our days. I always thought that was pretty neat. 

My dad is also a little...um...quirky, which meant that our family was a little different in many ways, and while  during some stages of my life I might have wished we were more like the elusive "everyone else," most of the time I really appreciated our uniqueness. I certainly appreciate it now that my own family is unique in many ways, and being familiar with being the upstream-swimming fish has proven to be useful. I also appreciate that my dad's quirky-ness meant that as we were growing up, we learned to explore the paths off the beaten roads and all the nooks and crannies of buildings we happened to be spending time in for one reason or another. Even now, any path or staircase that presents itself makes me ask, either my kids or even just myself, "I wonder where that goes?" (And often we go find out!) 

My mom is busy and outgoing, and I've already shared how she has used that in neat ways for our family. Some of my sisters are like her, and that serves them well, too. My dad is much more introverted (although most people find him funny and friendly, so he's not completely anti-social!), and I am more like him in that way, so I've always found him to understand things about me that no one else would. So thanks for that, dad! He's a reader, as I am, and we like to share interesting tidbits about things we've read and learned, all of which I've appreciated over the years. And as one of the most knowledgeable people about the Bible that I know, he's also been my go-to person about all things biblical and spiritual. He taught us pretty much everything about the Bible and our faith that I brought into my adulthood, in fact, and he was faithful to give it to us straight. I was talking with a friend just yesterday about how I think tidy Sunday School lessons are quite destructive in giving kids a sanitized view of the Bible, and how grateful I was that growing up, my dad read to us and with us from books like Judges, which could hardly be described as tidy or sanitized. 

In short, I really looked up to my dad throughout my childhood and into my adulthood...and then there came a time when he let me down in a rather big and public way. And it was awful. Now wait! Before you're thinking, "What a nice Father's Day gift! Would her dad like a little lemon juice for that cut?" I'm pretty sure he knows that was a bad time. I think our whole family can be honest about that. In fact, our honesty about that whole time was pretty raw at times, and I think my words now are rather tame! I'll also admit that it's probably just as true that I let him down and wronged him at times during that unhappy era, and I can't even remember if I asked his forgiveness for any of it. If I didn't, I hope he forgives me now.

 At any rate, it's true that in that dark, dark time, I doubted for a time whether anything about anything he ever taught me was really true. Could it be, when it seemed he had turned the whole world on its head? And then, after a little while, I began to claim things I still knew to be true, and I realized that while my Dad wasn't the Way, he had still shown me the Way...and I still believed it and wanted to live it. That was more than a little something! I don't think he knows how that time grew me and stretched me in ways I never would have experienced otherwise. I know he wouldn't want to repeat things, of course, and none of us enjoyed the sadness and pain and everything else that accompanied that time, but out of the ashes grew life. There came joy and certainty in knowing that my faith isn't based on a person, but on something real that I chose, that I would still choose even if those who taught it to me gave it up (they haven't, just so you know). There came freedom in knowing that no one is perfect...and therefore that I don't have to be perfect. There came more grace and more mercy in all this, and all of that has been good. 

On Mother's Day I talked about how my mom is a little crazy because she's this amazing woman who thinks she's not all that special. On this Father's Day, I also have a dad who thinks - or thought - that he failed us, when in reality, the life he gave us growing up was one we (or at least I, but I think I'm not alone) wouldn't have traded to be like "everyone else." In reality, even in the hardest times, he taught us and loved us, and I wouldn't want to have traded him, either. So thanks, Dad, for being different and quirky, introverted and thoughtful, so very knowledgeable and yet so very human (that really has been a gift, whether you think so or not!). Thanks for everything you've taught us and every path we've wandered, and also for all the Magnum P.I and Brisco County, Jr. episodes...because those were just a lot of fun!

And Then We Had a Teenager

Once upon a time, I had a baby - a tiny, beautiful little girl who charmed all who met her.

And today, she becomes a teenager.

I guess I should be shocked this day has come - "How did she grow up so fast?" And yet, Aimee has always  seemed rather grown up. These milestones in her life rarely catch me by surprise, as, mature beyond her years, she always seems more than ready for them. I think it doesn't overwhelm her to be a teenager now, neither with trepidation nor with an abundance of excitement. It's a special birthday, of course, but she's never had a longing to be steeped in teen culture, and I love that she isn't. She's smart and savvy, friendly and outgoing - she can mingle with her peers and enjoy outings designed for their age group. But she also knows she's just a girl, growing into a young woman and making her place in a much larger tapestry. When she does things like volunteer to spend a weekend working in Oklahoma with her dad - leaving her friends, her electronics, her books, her leisure time - I am always so proud of her. And a little in awe (she doesn't get the willingness to make spontaneous decisions about hopping in a van and driving overnight to work all weekend from me!).

I do see some of me in her, of course. She loves good books and she loves to write. I love that as as has grown and matured, we've been able to discuss things like writing and our favorite books on a closer level. These past few months, it's been like having a ready-made book club in the house! We read and discuss young adult dystopian and fantasy novels, sure, but we've also discussed things like Les Miserables and the works of Jane Austen, because Aimee, with her eclectic tastes, is just nifty that way. And it's just nifty to spend time talking and sharing with her, of course. Her arrival into the teen years has brought us closer, rather than driven the too-common and too-sad generational wedge that is supposed to be a hallmark of this time in a child's life. 

Adolescence comes with its challenges, of course, both for her and for us as parents. Aimee isn't immune, and we're not perfect parents. But, just as she takes this thirteenth birthday in stride, we don't fear it or the teen years ahead. Those years and birthdays are just numbers, marking her growth and maturity, rather than her descent into some suspended and mystical state of life in which she has all the fun she can and she finds her way apart from us while we bite our nails in fear. We will encourage her to enjoy her youth, certainly, but we will also "spur her on toward love and good deeds" as she grows into who she was created to be. And we'll enjoy this great person and friend who is emerging out of that tiny baby we once held. 

'

Love you, Aimee Perrine! Happy 13th Birthday!

In Defense of Diagramming

A few days ago, while I was going over the introduction to the Declaration of Independence with one of the kids, and we were trying to memorize it together, we got stuck on some of the more complex phrases. So I got out a pen and paper, thinking that diagramming might be helpful, which sent my young study partner scurrying. Fortunately for him, I soon got too wrapped in my project to call him back, and for the next few hours, in snatches of time while watching two preschoolers, answering questions and filling needs for older kids going to and fro, in and out, and later while making dinner, I worked on diagramming sentences from the Declaration of Independence. I had actually been struggling with anxiety throughout the day, and as I started working, the diagramming proved to be rather calming and therapeutic. Aimee came down at one point and said, "Mom, you know this isn't normal, right?" And later, when I mentioned on Facebook the irony of this being calming, one friend commented, in effect, that there was no way diagramming could be helpful in any regard, since it serves a language that is disorderly.

Well, perhaps it isn't a usual sort of therapy, but that's okay. I think it's perfectly reasonably to challenge myself and give my brain a workout now and then. In this instance, I really did start out helping the kids study the Declaration of Independence, which, for any citizen of any age, is certainly worth reviewing from time to time. So there's my excuse. And I do think diagramming helped immensely in that endeavor, as I think it does serve a purpose in general, despite what my nay-saying children and cynical friends may think. (Note: if you just think the English language is a hopeless cause, there's nothing for you here.)

Firstly, in the instance of the first sentence of the Declaration, diagramming it helped us get down to the bare bones of the sentence. The skeleton of that very lengthy sentence is simply, "respect requires," which is quite telling. The Declaration is stirring and exciting, but it is not the work of wild revolutionaries who just wanted to buck a system for the sake of it. It is a thoughtful and respectful document, describing the proper role of government, and how the current government was overstepping the bounds of that role and violating the principles of liberty. Because these violations formed such "a long train of abuses and usurpations," it was required, in respect to the cause of liberty, that a declaration be made to "dissolve...political bands", and at the same time, it was also in respect to the current leaders in Britain that the reasoning for this dissolution was carefully outline. After all, this was not to be done "for light and transient causes."

Secondly, diagramming a sentence of this length also serves to determine whether the sentence is constructed in a balanced and purposeful way, which can further an understand of the meaning. What describes or modifies what? Is a particular phrase useful in supporting the skeleton of a sentence? Someone else, in regard to my project, mentioned that the first sentence of the Declaration probably would not be tolerated by English teachers these days because of its length and verbosity. That may be true, but what is wonderful about this famous sentence is that each clause and phrase clearly supports another word or phrase in the sentence. It may seem lengthy and winding, but it is actually structured quite well. Hopefully a good English teacher would recognize the difference between a sentence that is long and wordy just for the sake of it, and one that is well crafted. The length shouldn't matter, as long as it can support itself. Good teachers and discriminating readers shouldn't need a diagram to indentify a good sentence, of course, but the beautiful thing about a diagram is that it can offer a visual of what the ear should be able to hear in a well-balanced sentence. I truly love that. Take, for instance, the following sentence: "But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object envinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government and to provide new Guards for their future security." This isn't simply a long train of words. It is beautifully balanced and carefully constructed.

Thirdly, for the most skeptical of critics (i.e. my children), diagramming is an exercise for the mind. It isn't something one will use in practical applications, admittedly, but critical and orderly thinking is, and diagramming demands such thinking. And for a real workout in this kind of exercise, one can try diagramming one of Jane Austen's sentences. My goodness. I have to say that getting to the above points for one of her sentences can get tricky. Often, the bare bones of the sentence does get lost in her incredible verbosity, and some of her sentences are far from balanced. I had to use two pages for the sentence below, and I'm not even sure about some of the phrases. I'm still working on it! But we love Jane Austen anyway.

These papers are rather crinkled, since I had to carry them around with me as I was working on it. Crumpled paper is not very orderly, but I'm not writing this out again, because the sentence is as follows: "Emma could not feel a doubt of having given Harriet's fancy a proper direction and raised the gratitude of her young vanity to a very good purpose, for she found her decidedly more sensible than before of Mr. Elton's being a remarkably handsome man, with most agreeable manners, and as she had no hesitation in following up the assurance of his admiration by agreeable hints, she was soon pretty confident of creating as much liking on Harriet's side, as there could be any occasion for."

I wonder what a modern English teacher would have to say about a sentence like that from a student! But there's the thing about good writing, and perhaps what the detractors would fault the world of English for most - diagramming may provide some rules and order, but even when a collection of words seems to step outside that order and convention, they can still be beautiful and entirely correct. That is rather therapeutic in itself.

Being Free to Be Free

I am sitting here this morning thinking that coffee is not going to be enough to get me really moving. In addition to a night of restless sleep, I have almost no motivation to drag the kids through a day of school. Theoretically, our school year concludes at the end of May, but usually as the days lengthen and the temperatures rise, we look at things and decide what we would like to accomplish in order to conclude our year instead. And even then, there's a point at which I am right there with the kids in thinking, "Lets just be done now. Forget end dates or checking off lists."

That feeling has been mentioned as a downside of homeschooling - that we don't have any outside influences to dictate the end of our school year or to enforce getting those last-minute assignments done. I sometimes agree, as my motivation and energy seriously flag and I find myself putting very little effort in keeping the kids from spending all day playing with (fellow homeschooling) neighbors in the sprinkler and engaging in mock swordfights in the backyard. But in these past couple days - and mind you, this could be the lack of motivation talking - I've been thinking that maybe it's completely natural and even good that our formal learning tends to end this way. After all, we lean toward a more natural style of learning, allowing the kids to learn in ways and times that best suit them, if possible, and allowing the day to flow in a natural routine rather than a schedule. While I'm certainly not advocating only doing things if we want, and shrugging them off if we don't, I do think perhaps it means something when every subject and assignment becomes a chore that everyone, including the mother, dreads doing. And I think it means it's time for a break.

In a few weeks, the kids will probably start getting restless and wandering around the house aimlessly at times. It will feel like a good time to reintroduce a little structure. We won't have to wait for a specific date or a specific set of books to arrive - we'll just know it's time. I think the same holds true here. So I'm still fighting with myself a bit - there are still a few things I wanted to finish, and I think I'll try to weave those things into our next few days. But I think I can also free myself from a sense of guilt about just being done. Let's face it - we're done. We're not slaves to a system, to a particular learning style, or to curriculum...so why should we be slaves to a calendar?

Just Some Reminiscing on Mother's Day

My mother became a mother when she had me, in the middle of December over three decades ago. I'm sure that when she was so very young and just beginning on the path of motherhood, she had no idea what to expect of the years ahead! But as those years rolled on, she had three more girls and lived in a few different places all over the South. She was a pastor's wife, and I know that wasn't the easiest role all the time. And she was a nurse, but after my very earliest years, she was a stay-at-home mother (only that's probably a bit of a misnomer for my mother, who has always liked to be on the go!). Then when I was in third-grade, she added the role of homeschool mother, something that was still rather new at that time. My mother and my friends' mothers were pioneers in the modern homeschooling movement, so it was a much scarier prospect, with much less support. So my mom, with a friend's mother, started a homeschool support group a couple years into our adventure. With her fellow homeschool warrior mothers, they planned field trips and cooperative learning experiences, put together annual Thanksgiving dinners (which was one of my favorite memories from our homeschool years, and I think there's no way a group could pull it off quite so successfully these days).  and end-of-the year programs.

It was somewhere around that time that my parents decided it would be helpful for my mom to return to work very part-time for a little extra income. (So let's add working mom to the pastor's wife, homeschooling mom and homeschool group leader roles). Shortly after that (and because of that extra income), she was able to go the doctor for a visit she felt she needed, and she was told that she had breast cancer. I think she was 34, with four children, the youngest of whom was just a year old. I remember when my parents told us that she was having surgery just a few days later. We were having our morning devotions, and my dad mentioned that we needed to pray for her because was going to have surgery that Friday (I think it was a Friday - I could be wrong). Even when the next day, while I was setting the table for dinner, she explained that she had cancer, it didn't really register. My reaction was a rather blissful fog for the next several months, and I know that was my way of coping, but I also think it was because my mom's demeanor around us in regard to the whole thing was a relatively calm one. So she had surgery in the fall, and a couple months later, she did a round of chemotherapy. And guess what? We still homeschooled that whole year. That entire year. I wonder if my mom even considered that it might be too much. If she did, I was never aware of it. In fact, we even did some dissecting that year in science,which was a bit hard on my mom's chemo-battered constitution, and now seems really funny. I don't think anyone would have blamed you if you had put that off a year or two, Mom!

She weathered that, and we grew older, and she mothered us through the uncertain teen years. And when no one was really sure how to do homeschool high school transcripts, she did it, and worked to get us some scholarships to boot. And then she planned a few weddings. Somewhere in there she took a medical missions trip (or two?). When she became a grandmother, she came to help with each baby. She even caught one of mine, then curled up in bed with us right after and slept until morning. It was just that time that she weathered a really terrible life storm. She could have created a new life for herself, but she chose to fight for those she loved instead. It was a hard battle, and a dark time, but came out into the light at the end of the tunnel. I think she's living in it now. Oh, and never one to rest easy, she went back to school recently, in addition to working nights as full-time nurse, and she just recently completed her courses and secured her B.S.N. (with excellent grades in each class).

So, there's my mother - a go-getter, a trailblazer, a super-smart professional, a giver, and do-what-needs-to-be-done-er, and one who takes care of those she loves. There's just one real problem with my mom, and it's that I think she's just a little bit crazy, because she thinks she's not all that special!

A Study in Contrasts

We were at Chipotle Wednesday night to celebrate Dave's recent promotion at work and also to avoid having to clean up the kitchen on a busy night. And also just because it's out favorite place to eat and we jump at any excuse to go there. (Why yes, that is a grammatically incorrect sentence! But I'm sticking with it.) We were sitting at tables near the ordering line, which usually gets pretty long there and is an excellent source of people-judging people-watching.Just as we began our dinner and had a moment to commence judging watching, a family came in and the mother immediately snarled at her two young children. "We're in line no, so NO talking, NO pushing," etc. Basically they were to do absolutely nothing but breathe and move forward in the line behind their parents.

So of course... after a minute or so, they ran out of the line and began doing laps around the restaurant.

I'm not exaggerating! Laps, punctuated by squeals of laughter (which granted, in Chipotle doesn't really matter, because it's quite loud). The mother, for all her harsh words, looked highly annoyed, but did nothing at first. Then her patience ran out, and she went after them, leaving the rather passive father still waiting in line. As we watched this unfold, Dave said under his breath, "Uh-oh!," because indeed, this nicely dressed, apparently well-to-do woman looked positively dragonish as she prepared to descend on her unruly brood. And then...she did absolutely nothing. I think she snarled (again) at them to stop, but then returned to the line, still looking annoyed, but without her children, who were out of control and narrowly missing collisions with other customers.

So that didn't go so well, obviously, and there appeared to be several red flags about the dynamic in this family. I doubt that the unruly behavior and complete lack of response from the children toward the parents is only due to the completely unreasonable expectations and demands from the parents, but I'm guessing that's part of the reason.

Consider, for example, the next family in line. There were two parents and a young boy, and while they waited in line, the father joked and laughed with the boy, and they rough-housed just a bit, pretending to put each other in headlocks and mimicking punches. They didn't disturb anyone else in line, and weren't too loud, but the father, whether consciously or not, appeared to understand and respect the boy's natural need to move around and to make physical contact. Occasionally the mom sighed and looked a little worried that what they were doing was disruptive - and I completely understand that - but she didn't interfere, and the family made it to the counter to order. And I hope she was able to realize later what Dave and I saw so clearly - that what went on between the father and son was just the opposite of disruptive!

It reminded me of another parent/child scene I witnessed at Kroger a few days prior. A woman was checking out with her daughter, who was three or four, and apparently the little girl was not being particularly helpful, because at one point, the woman snapped, "All you have to do is stand there and do nothing! Is that too hard?" Hopefully this young mother was just having one of those "off" moments. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she was just tired and that she made it up to her daughter later. Because yes, is is too hard for a little person to "stand there and do nothing." I think there are few adults, actually, who would be able to follow someone around, without saying a word or without wanting to participate in what that person was doing. Would you? And these little people have so much life and energy. So to you parents who recognize the good in that life and energy and who channel it in positive ways, like the father with his son, keep it up! And to the harried mothers who just want to get out of the store, breathe deeply and know that in the grand scheme of things, it's more important to be kind to those precious people who love you and trust you than to get through checkout smoothly. And to the parents who just don't want to be disturbed ever - well, I'm not sure what you should do! But I feel badly for you and for your children, because you're squashing a really wonderful part of life.

P.S. Writing this probably means I'm due for a humbling library or store moment!

Bible Quizzing and Why We Love It

This past Saturday, Aimee and I woke up early and drove two hours to Zanesville, OH so that she could compete in District tryouts for Bible quizzing. Aimee, Drew, Ryan, and several friends from church and beyond had been studying the book of Matthew since September, then practicing together once a week, and finally meeting with other quiz teams in Northern Kentucky each month for quiz meets. This quiz in Zanesville was for qualifying quizzers from that area, as well as from the eastern part of Ohio and from West Virgina, so that those quizzers could compete for five spots on a team that would go to Internationals this summer - the culmination of our year of studying, practicing, and quizzing together - and it was exciting, but nervewracking for Aimee, who as a 7th grader was one of the youngest competitors.

And it was a hard day. She was a rookie in the senior division, quizzing with kids who had quizzed in a District tryout setting and some who had been to Internationals before. I had tried to encourage her in the weeks leading up to it, that she had already done well throughout the year, that whatever happened at Districts would be just fine, that she had many years to try out again, so there was no pressure. But of course, there was pressure, and that's difficult to explain to people who don't know about Bible quizzing, or who have never seen it before. There's so much involved - learning the material, of course, then applying it to situations in which quizzers must "jump" off seats in order to trigger a light and be the first to answer a question that hasn't been completed, in all likelihood, then recalling what they've memorized and answering the question in thirty seconds. There's the joy and excitement of pulling information of the air, it seems like, and getting a question right. There's the disappointment of jumping too fast and knowing you don't have enough information, or of knowing that you know it...but just not being able to get it all together in time. There's the excitement for some of adding to a score that will eventually propel them above the rest, that will secure a place on the team. And there's the bitterness for others, of watching a chance grow less and less likely with each passing question. That was what happened to Aimee, who had had an exciting year throughout the regular quizzing season, but saw her hopes for Internationals dim as the day progressed. It was hard for me, both as a former quizzer very familiar with those high-stakes quiz meets and pressure situations, and as a parent, who could see frustration and disappointment building in her but couldn't do much about it!

So when we drove back home that afternoon, it wasn't on a wave of elation. But it wasn't in utter despair, either, and we even made some references to next year...because there will be a next year. Bible quizzing is near and dear to our hearts, and we'll do whatever we can to make it happen for our family, and we'll encourage and cajole  (and sometimes beg!) others to do it with us. Even our not-so-happy day on Saturday left us with examples of why we'll continue to pour time and effort into it.

1. Aimee didn't make the team, but she's left with an absolute wealth of knowledge, having most of the book of Matthew tucked away. She won't always remember it word for word, but it will come to her when she needs it, and when she reads Matthew in the future, it will be illuminated for her in way it wouldn't otherwise be, and her understanding of it will be magnified. In fact, that's the case for all the kids who studied it. Our quizzers this year joked that they would never, ever forget Matthew chapter 3, because they all enjoyed listening to a dramatic reading of it on CD. Every single one of them, down to our second graders could quote that chapter with great gusto. They shared laughs over their dramatization of it, and of other passages and verses, and we all had a great time in general...but they'll never forget it! It's seared into their minds forever.

2. Not only do our quizzers know the Scripture, but they know the pure, unaltered, no-frills version of it. The questions on Saturday, just like the ones for the whole year, are directly from the Scripture - no lessons or interpretations required. Some they have to answer in word-perfect form, others just have to be close, but still, it's just the Scripture. I don't really have a problem with Sunday School lessons taught around a Bible verse or two - unless it's some really awful application, such as what one of my kids came home with a long time ago, about the story of Joseph being about not lying - but I think people sometimes underestimate what kids can understand about the Bible. It doesn't have to be packaged in a fun, exciting form where adults tell kids what it's really about. Quizzing gives kids the opportunity to see and hear large portions of Scripture, to hide it in their hearts, and to decide for themselves whether they want to choose the path it describes. And I firmly believe that "the Word of God is living and active, " so that even if their  motives in studying now aren't entirely spiritual, God's Word will in fact work in them.

3. Quizzing teaches discipline and character in a way that few other programs do. There are no immediate rewards. (There's no candy, thank goodness!) It does take some work. They have to study in some way - some listen, some read, some of combination of both. Not everyone memorizes it, but in order to be able to answer questions at a meet, kids do have to learn at least some of it and hang on to what they've learned. Quiz meets themselves require some discipline and good sportsmanship, and the result is that, for the most part, quizzers are a group of kids who are kind and encouraging toward each other. Quizzing can be good to kids or teach them hard lessons (such as on Saturday), but more often than not, I have seen quizzers help each other deal with those joys and sorrows. On Saturday after a particularly hard quiz was over, Aimee was rather upset. Some quizzers from our area came over to her, spoke words of encouragement to her and then offered to pray for her. And those kids, those teenage kids, sat there on the floor with her and prayed with her. That was worth the whole year! Afterwards, her quizzing didn't improve, but her spirits and countenance did, and that will last with her always, I think.

4. Quizzing is for everyone. The kids who met together Saturday were a collection of the best quizzers from Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky, but there was no one type of person represented. There were boys and girls, introverts and extroverts, athletic types, and brainy types. This was my experience in quizzing, and I still see it today. I know that people express doubt whether their kids could memorize or would be the type to enjoy it, and I always wonder if those people, and those kids who doubt themselves, would be rather surprised! In the first place, just about anyone can memorize (did they learn the English language? do they know about things that interest them? then they can memorize!), and since there's no one way of doing it for quizzing, there's undoubtedly a way for them to memorize Scripture and to apply it in a quizzing situation. Sometimes its obvious who will do well in quizzing, and many more times, it's surprising how things turn out. In any case, quizzing is full of a lot of neat young people who get together and share God's Word.

"Full" might be the wrong word, however, because the numbers in the quizzing world are dwindling, and that saddens me. I know that Bible quizzing isn't the only way to memorize Scripture, certainly, but I wonder if kids are actually learning it quite so well in any other venue. We put a high value on memorization, but without the added motivation of Bible quizzing, I really doubt even we would be learning such large quantities of Scripture. (AWANA is great, too, by the way - we've done it, and I'm certainly not knocking it!) It's hard to "sell" quizzing these days, because life is so busy, and it seems like "one more thing" to add to those busy schedules. But for us, it's one thing that's high on the list, and I wish more people could know it and know its value. (So that's my shameless plug for quizzing - look into it! Do it!)

So we'll take a rest for a couple months and get back into it in the summer. They'll be diving into Romans and James next school year, which probably seems intimidating to most adults! But the kids will do it without blinking an eye. And without even realizing it, they'll be gaining knowledge and skills that will last them a lifetime and beyond.