"The skit was excellent. But, unfortunately, that is exactly how my family is," a man admitted to my husband at the Finish Well conference. He was referring to the skit that opened up the conference on Friday night portraying the communication problems that many homeschooling families experience in their homes. This skit revealed the spiritual battle that occurs when we try to communicate.

Many fathers, after the skit was finished, listened attentively as Pastor Mike challenged them to lead their homes and walked them through how to win back the heart of a rebellious teen. In fact, you could hear a pin drop. Every eye was watching Pastor Mike, listening. I never knew the problem was so intense in homeschooling families. People needed hope. When an altar call was given, dads rushed forward to ask the Lord to help them, anoint them.

Last time we talked about reasons to start your own business and pitfalls in Starting Your Own Business I. Today, let's talk about character traits of a good businesswoman and choosing what kind of business to start.

Upbeat/Positive Attitude

Starting a business requires faith in God. It is hard, if not impossible to start a business if you are not trusting God, knowing you can trust Him no matter what.

My friend, Brad, lost his job and, a month later, got into a car accident. Both times, he kept his eyes on the Lord, proclaiming to all who would listen, "God allowed this to happen. So He will bring good out of these situations." His faith encouraged others, but more importantly his faith sustained him through the trials. He believed that God keeps His promises even when bad things happen.

If you start a business, bad things will happen sometimes. Customers won't pay, orders will be lost, mistakes will be made, sales might slow down--will you keep your eyes on Jesus when these things happen or give in to worry?

Integrity

My husband, Mike Curtis is the most godly man that I have ever met. He has never told a lie, cheated on someone, taken revenge, or done a dishonest thing in his business. As a result, customers trust him to keep his word and do good work. They know that they get what they pay for because he is trustworthy. Can people trust you? Are you a woman of integrity? Are you tempted to cheat, steal, or lie? Do you give in to temptation in these areas?

Walk uprightly with the Lord and God will bless you in all your ways, including your business. Have a reputation that is above reproach. God will take care of your business if you honor His Name. A good reputation will not only be good for your business, but will bring glory to God!

Hard Work

"What are you doing tomorrow afternoon?" I asked my friend, Zack, a young man of eighteen.

"We're going over to my grandparents' house to do some lawn work for them," he answered with a big smile.

"That is so sweet of you!" I commended him. I silently made note that his attitude at serving and working hard was different than other young men his age and I told him so. I was impressed.

"Oh, I enjoy hard work," he grinned.

Wow! Someone who enjoys hard work is miles ahead of the game. Learn to love working hard. Profitable businesses are built by hard work. If you are considering starting your own business, plan to work very hard!

Going the Extra Mile!

Originally published by E. P. Dutton Co., Inc in 1941, Stephen Foster and His Little Dog Tray by Opal Wheeler and illustrated by Mary Greenwalt is a biography of Stephen Foster with music scores of his most famous works included in the book. The story is lively and engaging, beginning with his birth into a large, slave-owning family in Pennsylvania.

From the very beginning, Stephen loved music! When he was two years old, he "borrowed" his sister's guitar and plucked a melody out on the instrument. Soon, he was plucking piano keys with lovely results to his family's delight and enjoyment. Stephen's music was profoundly influenced by Negro Spirituals sung by the black slaves of America. His songs often adopt the style or melody of a specific spiritual. Because of this, I had always assumed that he was a "Southern Boy," but it turns out he spent most of his life in Pennsylvania!

This biography is easy enough to be read and enjoyed by young children, but interesting and full of enough information that older children would enjoy it too. My first thought:  a great family read aloud book! Best of all, the Bible is mentioned, as well as the family's devotion to God!

The study guide, Stephen Foster and His Little Dog Tray Study Guide by Judy Wilcox, impressed me! This slim book and companion guide was jam-packed with great info and divided into four sections. Each section covered a section of the book with maps, timelines, tidbits of interest, reading comprehension questions, and a focus on character qualities evident in Stephen Foster's life.

We try to go through our house each year before the school year starts and clean out the clutter in our home school room. If you are like me, your home is full of piles of papers, stacks of books, and a wide variety of every type of clutter possible to exist. Loved ones comfort me: "Your home is lived in." I smile, knowing the truth--my house is a mess right now!

Once the clutter is taken care of, I can take a deep breath and get back to work. Clutter makes me feel oppressed and a tidy house makes me feel productive and energetic.

I notice that my house is not the only thing that gets full of clutter. My email inbox can fill with clutter. My purse can accumulate all kinds of mess. My car can look like a locker room floor sometimes.

But, the worst clutter of all, is the clutter that builds up in my heart. It can damage my relationships and keep me from homeschooling effectively.

Clutter in our Hearts

What can build up in our hearts that is so damaging to our lives and homeschooling? Well, women can tend to be savers. We are so sentimental. We save cards, notes, letters, movie tickets, newspaper clippings, and recipes. But, we can also hold on to hurts, anger, resentments, negative words, and memories of negative episodes in our lives. We remember something our husband did or said on our honeymoon (15 years ago!) or the Mother's Day that our son said, "I wish I had a different mommy." We take these things out from yesterday and examine them closely, remembering how they hurt and experiencing more pain from them today.

We remember failures too. Our own failures are etched in stone, along with our husband's failures which we often build a shrine to, keeping them alive forever. We remember mistakes our children have made and can label our children based on these mess-ups.

"We are a sarcastic family," "None of us can control our tempers," or "This house is full of lazy pigs," are all things I have heard homeschooling moms say. Our words reveal the clutter in our hearts. I would rather hear moms say, "We are learning to be kind," "Our family is growing in anger management," and "We are learning to be tidy!" Now, that may sound silly to you, but how we view our family affects how we homeschool our children.

Clutter Check-List

Ah, the joy of ​​teaching teens to write!

​Last time, in Teaching Teens to Write, we talked about playing with words, talking, reading examples of the writing they will do, and crafting an excellent sentence. Today, we will move on to paragraphs and reports. As we move forward, don't forget to keep talking to your teens about the subjects you expect them to write about, to prepare them to write.

Paragraphs

An excellent paragraph is filled with excellent sentences, so remind your teens to check each sentence in a paragraph to make sure that it is well-crafted. A paragraph is a collection of sentences that flow together about the same subject. The topic sentence tells you what the paragraph is about, often the first sentence in the paragraph.

With the economy shaky, many businesses are downsizing. Our children's soccer coach lost his job a year ago and is starting his own personal training for children business. He is now leading our homeschool coop's P.E. class. One of my musicians (I am a worship leader) injured his back and is starting a T-Shirt company. His designs are amazing and I look forward to wearing his products. After months of job searching to no avail, my niece is beginning to sell Avon. Our pilot friends lost his job in flight instruction and has started a home improvement and repair company.

My husband and I have had a family business since the early nineties, enjoying the joys and challenges of self-employment. Several years ago, we incorporated our business, making it an umbrella for several businesses, including my new publishing company, Powerline Productions, that my friend, Laura and I are getting off the ground.

It seems that I am surrounded by people who have, or are starting, their own businesses!

Reasons for Starting Your Own Business

Reasons abound for starting your own business. What a blessing it would be to be your own boss and have a flexible schedule. You could plan your work hours around the children's school hours and family needs. There is potential to make more money, thus sowing more into the Kingdom of God. You also have the opportunity to cultivate your own leadership skills and impact employees and customers. There is so much to make starting your own business attractive, why doesn't everyone start their own business?

Here is a little reality check. If you are used to working nine to five, or some other forty hour a week job, starting a business will be a shock. Most business owners put in at least 70 to 80 hours a week, especially when they are getting their business off the ground. Many times, there is no profit (and thus, no paycheck) for two to three years. There are, of course, exceptions to this, but, for the most part, starting your own business is a huge undertaking, best begun with lots of prayer and clear direction from God.

"There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD," (Proverbs 21:30 NIV).

The most important reason to start your own business is that God calls you to start a business. His heart and plan is for you to be blessed so that you can be a blessing to those around you. If God's plan and destiny for your life includes starting your own business, it will impact the people around you for His glory. That doesn't mean that it has to be a ministry, but that you minister through it to your employees and customers. Don't even try to start a business that isn't God's will or plan for your life. If a business doesn't honor the Lord, it is not God's will.

"Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed," (Proverbs 15:22 NIV).

Get counsel from trusted friends and family members before beginning your own business. What do they think? Write down their counsel and prayerfully consider it! It is good to talk to mature Christians, other business owners, and people who know the real you to get a broad range of counsel and insight.

Pitfalls to Owning Your Own Business

Before we talk about the character traits necessary to owning your own business, let's talk about three very big character flaws that cause problems for business owners. If you see yourself in these pitfalls, don't despair. The Lord can change and mature us in Him. Work on these areas and get them straightened out before you start your own business. I have seen these three things cause businesses to fail.

Wrapped in a lovely pink ribbon, three Beautifully Made! Books looked too pretty to open up and read. So glad I overcame my hesitation and looked inside the pretty covers. Straightforward, but overwhelmingly pure, these small books are a treasure for young women and their mothers, who are wanting to lovingly guide them into womanhood.

Beautifully Made! Approaching Womanhood edited by Julie Hiramine introduces young girls to the changes occurring in their bodies. This book is straightforward, but not awkward in any way. I love the way the physical changes in a young woman's body are introduced as being a good gift from a loving Heavenly Father. I was thrilled when I entered womanhood because I knew that my body could bring forth life--our glorious privilege as women! Unfortunately, most of the time, a young woman's first period is marked by negative comments about "the curse" and "Oh, you poor thing." How sad!  Our monthly cycles are a reminder that our bodies are fearfully and wonderfully made in God's image to bring new life into the world. Julie Hiramine and her friends remind us of this fact in all three books and recommend celebrating this brand new phase in a young ladies life with flowers and lunch out with Mom!

Beautifully Made! Approaching Womanhood covers all the physical changes girls can expect during the early years of puberty. Everything is clear and easy to understand. Soundly scientific and from a Creationist perspective, this book would make a great addition to an anatomy or health class for your daughters in high school.

Beautifully Made! Celebrating Womanhood looks at the emotional and spiritual aspects of the womanly process covered in the first book. With a lovely look at blood in Scripture (yes, you read that right!), girls are encouraged to look at their periods as a monthly reminder of the grace of God and how the blood of Jesus purifies us from every sin. I was so touched that I read that section aloud to all my girls (my four daughters and our dear friend, Aisha, who lives with us!). I will never see my period in the same way again. There is another look at suffering in Scripture, followed by practical ways to alleviate the sometimes uncomfortable side-effects of cramping, PMS, and heavy discharge. Throughout all three books, there are real life testimonies that girls can relate to. Always upbeat, girls are reminded that it is a glorious privilege to be a woman!

"Color to learn in high school? You've got to be kidding! Young adults don't want to color--that's for little kids!"

Hold on; just hear me out! I want to introduce you to some wonderful coloring books, yes coloring books, that high school students can using as effective learning tools.  No, they won't be using crayons for these coloring books, they will need colored pencils.

For a deeper study into anatomy and physiology, be sure to add Human Anatomy Coloring Book by Margaret Matt & Joe Ziemian (Dover Press) to your high school student's Human Anatomy class. These drawings are amazing!  Students color in cells, organs, and systems. Everything from the circulatory system to the muscles of the face, head, and neck, from the urinary system to the mechanics of breathing and swallowing--this is not your kindergartner's coloring book! For visual and hands-on learning, the benefits of this book are innumerable. This is the supplement to add to your high school anatomy curriculum.

Years later, my oldest daughters still remember with self-pity the amount of time they had to spend on this coloring book, but boy do they remember the body systems that were meticulously colored. The arteries were colored red, while the veins were colored blue, according to directions. This cemented for them that the oxygen-rich blood traveled through the arteries to nourish the cells in the body, while the veins carried wastes away and blood desperately in need of more oxygen. All this and more from a coloring book!

Art Appreciation and More!

"Mr. Fogg reminded me of a richer, smarter, older Cody," Josh said, referring to his older brother. 

"I liked the yellow in China--the royal color..." I began.

"Only the royalty could wear it, unless you were over 80," Josh interrupted with excitement. "I loved that!"

Christina, Josh, Jimmy, and I continued to discuss this book that we were all ready for our geography co-op. We each had to chose a fiction book each month to read that would help geography come alive. What a great choice we all had made!

Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne is an amazing book with a great story line and enough twists and turns to keep us interested. 

If life is a football game, then I'm about to start playing the third quarter. Games are won and lost in the third quarter. A team can be winning the first half, only to fumble and blow it so much in the third quarter that they can't make it up in the final one.

Conversely, a team can bomb the first half and turn the game around in the third quarter.

I have made some good plays in my life and some doozies. I can give you many examples of times when, like a quarterback throwing a beautiful pass that is intercepted, I have not lived up to my potential or have tried something and fallen flat on my face.

I am stubborn, opinionated, and, sometimes, fearful.

"I can't do that," I have answered opportunities, "I am too scared."

Sometimes, overcoming fear, I have stepped out to try something new. Too scared to sing in front of people, I didn't want to even sing on the worship team, but several close friends challenged me. Finally, I stepped out in faith and one thing led to another--I have been a worship leader since 2002. It has been one of the greatest joys of my life, leading worship and singing without a trace of nervousness in front of people.

It is my goal to be brave in the years ahead, to take a chance or two.

A long line of people have paraded through my life, touching my life with a mixture of sorrow, laughter, wisdom, confusion, and excitement. I have known success and failure in relationships.

"Honey, you need to rewrite this paper...."

"I hate writing!"

Tears, frustration, and raised voices...is this what teaching writing is like at your house? We often deceive ourselves into thinking that some kids are good writers and others are not. While it is true that some children are gifted writers, all teens can learn to write well.

College professors are constantly complaining about the lack of writing skills possessed by college freshman. So, now we've added the dreaded ESSAY section to the SAT. Is there a painless way to teach essay writing? Again, some teens will be extremely gifted at writing essay. But, your child can learn to write a good essay.

Let's delve into teaching writing in high school.

Writing as an Artist

I had been adding my purchases up in my mind, while I shopped down one aisle after one another, trying to stick to my budget. With joy in my heart, I piled my carefully chosen items on the check out belt. After the last item -- a head of lettuce-- is safely on the belt, a Diet Coke catches my eye. I am thirsty, I suddenly realize. And the Diet Coke is cold. I give in a buy 20 ounces of soda for $1.39. I could have bought four times the Diet Coke -- for much for less -- if I had gone back to buy the 2 liter.

My daughter heads to Kohl's to buy a new pair of jeans and comes home with a pair of jeans, a belt, and three shirts. "There was a great sale!" she explains to her confused father.

"I picked up this home repair book on the way out of Lowe's," my husband says later with delight. We already had a similar book in our home library, but he seemed to have forgotten.

We all make impulsive purchases. Usually they is always something on sale or something near the check-out lane. My husband had a lawn business during his seminary years. After a long day, he was hot and thirsty and stopped every afternoon at 7-11 for a Gatorade. This added up quickly to more than our budget could handle. Solution? We bought Gatorade powder at Sam's Club and he took it in a thermos, saving us lots of money in return.

Figure out what tempts you to spend impulsively. Once you find this out, it will keep you spending responsibly.

Avoid Temptation

"Look a watch shop," I said to Julianna, Shine, and Jimmy.

Ten Boom Watch and Jewelry  was written in Dutch and English on the large store front window. Clocks, watches, and jewelry glittered in the window. I smiled.

​Corrie ten Boom was the daughter and granddaughter of a watch maker. In fact, Corrie was the first registered clock and watch maker in the Netherlands.

It Started with a Prayer Meeting

Three generations of watch making symbolized before me, but more importantly, three generations that loved Jesus Christ with all their hearts. In 1844, Corrie's grandfather, Willem was approached by a Messianic Jewish pastor who asked Willem to start a weekly prayer meeting for the Jewish people. That was strange because back then there was no nation of Israel and the Jews were scattered throughout the world. But, Willem began weekly prayer meetings for the Jewish people that continued for 100 years.

We were ushered in by our tour guide up some narrow steps to a charming living room. I felt like I had stepped back in time to the early twentieth century. Unlike other museums, we were able to sit down on the ten Boom furniture and listen to our guide.

Life in Amsterdam