Being an introvert myself, these kinds of gatherings can really make me nervous. I don’t like crowds. Upon arrival it is my instinct to look around for places to hide. Can I just pick up my math, hear Ken Ham, and then slip away unnoticed? Doubtful.

However, something happened to change my perspective on conventions. I accidentally spoke to a stranger, and guess what? The stranger was really nice and interesting! So, the thought occurred to me: Maybe some of these other 800 people arenice and interesting too! I formulated a plan. The next time I was going to go to a convention, I would just walk up to people and introduce myself. Weighing the possibility of death by embarrassment against the opportunity to meet more nice and interesting people, I decided the cost was worth it.

I am not going to lie—it wasn’t easy. I spent the few days before convention praying.  I kept asking God to give me courage. I knew the key was to think of the other person before myself. If I was mostly interested in them and not in talking about myself, then what did I have to lose? All they could do was reject me; and if my interest was in them and not in myself, it didn’t matter. (. . . easier said than done!)

Armed with prayer and a little determination, I headed to the convention, dedicated to meeting three new people—just three. I wasn’t looking to win any world records in friendship. The first moment came in the registration line. We were wending through the ropes, waiting for our turns—stranger in front of me, stranger behind me. I should do it now. These people are STUCK here. I turned to the woman behind me (she was facing me, after all) and said, “Hi!” She smiled a tiny bit and turned slightly away from me. Oh no, you don’t, lady. I risked my life saying hello to you. “Are you from this area?” I asked. “How many kids are you home schooling? Is there a session this weekend that you really want to go to?” Eventually she started to talk a little, we made it to the front of the line, and we each went our own way. Whew! That torture was behind me. Absolute torture.

But here’s where it gets good. The rest of the weekend I would see her occasionally in passing. We’d smile at each other, and I would ask how this or that was going. No big, deep new relationship was likely to come of it, but I really enjoyed seeing her around.

My next victim was a woman sitting at a table alone. I decided, instead of sitting by myself, I would ask to sit at her table, introduce myself, and ask how she was doing. She was chattier than the first stranger, and we talked for about ten minutes. Not too hard. She was nice. Two down. Almost “home.”

Exhausted from my efforts, I planned to give myself a little reward. I told myself I didn’t have to talk to any more strangers for an hour. It was my version of a goldstar pat on the back. But the funny thing was, I seemed to have flipped a switch in my brain that said, “Talk to people you don‘t know,” and I couldn’t turn it off. I’d be standing in a vendor booth, minding my own business, when I hear a voice saying, “Have you tried this before?” and realize it was me trying to talk to a woman near me. Yes, I had become the obnoxious lady you do not want to be standing next to in line—all smiling and friendly and how-do-you-do.

Somehow, by the grace of God, my fear of opening up a conversation with a stranger had diminished. I was starting to feel like my new mission was to make people feel loved by God. I was, much to my surprise, starting to actually care about these people in a way I hadn’t before.

Now, several years later, I still struggle, but I am less fearful of turning to someone I don‘t know and saying hello. I have been rejected many times, and you know what? It barely even hurts. I just move on to the next unsuspecting target. I still have to tell myself before a big convention, “Make yourself talk to three people. Just three.”

And, like that first time, it never stops there. Once I get going, I’m the friendly girl that you want to avoid. Don’t sit next to me. I will ask you questions. I will even pray with you if I’m feeling particularly daring.

The next time you go to a convention, pray first. Ask God for three people, just three, whom you can meet. And see where He takes it from there!

The post An Introvert in a Crowd appeared first on Texas Home School Coalition.

To my astonishment, my blog has grown. I have enjoyed meeting people from all over the country – if you count getting funny comments and emails from them once in a while as meeting them. I’m sure the occasional picture of one of my kids is only interesting to the grandparents, but I do it anyway. It pleases me.

One thing I didn’t expect is that blogging would help to unite our little home school group. I am constantly surprised when someone says to me, “I read on your blog …” Really, someone reads my blog? They do, and they seem to enjoy following what is happening in my home. I KNOW. It’s a mystery to me, too. It’s not that interesting from this side of the walls.

As leaders, the families in our groups look up to us. Sure, we may not deserve it. We’re not any different than others, but it is natural, I guess. Blogging has made me available; it’s made me real. If I have a bad day and I blog about it, that might make someone else feel normal. I notice that they feel more like I understand their problems. Many of them have shared with me that one of my posts really encouraged them and reminded them that it’s okay to have a hard day.

It’s been interesting to see, since I started blogging, how they all feel like they know me. It would be impossible for me to develop relationships with the 100+ women in our group, but when they read my blog, they get to know me – my heart and my mistakes. I am not shy about blogging when I do something stupid. It takes me off my pedestal (you know, the one I shouldn’t be on in the first place!) and makes me relatable.

I love to use my blog to connect women in the group to each other. I’ll write about something that is happening in town or an activity in which our kids are involved. I will post pictures of Park Day or Co-op and highlight their children (with their permission, of course). This past Christmas I posted a picture of one of the twelve-year-old boys in the group. He’s kind of shy and doesn’t say much, but when I posted his picture, I said something like, “This kid is a charmer.” Since then he’s been chatty and morefriendly with me. His mom told me that it really made him feel important to see himself on my blog. How great is that?!

Mentioning the women in our home school group on my blog lets them know I am thinking about them. It has been a wonderful tool for me to give them attention when I don’t have time otherwise in my daily life. Even if I don’t use their names, saying something like “I ran into a wonderful friend at the store yesterday” lets them know that they are special to me.

Last year when our family went through a crisis, I used my blog to keep everyone updated. Our home school group was concerned, and my blog became the perfect avenue for me to let them know how I was doing without constant phone calls and emails.

I’d encourage you, as leaders, to try blogging. It doesn’t have to be high pressure. Just be yourself and share things that you love. If you’re passionate about politics, then blog about it. If you read a lot, start a book suggestion/discussion blog. If you’re like me and you have nothing interesting to say, just talk about yourself. Jump on in – what are you waiting for?

The post Why Blog? appeared first on Texas Home School Coalition.

Now we have nine children ranging in age from twenty to two years old. Our goal has always been character over curriculum. We believe that the Bible teaches that God’s wisdom is more important than knowledge.

Proverbs 4:6-7 says, “Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”

We never got involved in heavy curriculum or workbooks. We have done a lot of unit studies and “make-your-own” type of school. We discovered early that if we train the children to be disciplined and help them turn their heart to the Lord, they will thirst for wisdom and understanding. I have been constantly amazed at how much the children know that I did not teach them!

We also believe that relationships are a vital part of who we are in Christ. It is important to us that our children learn to love one another and to sacrifice for others. Therefore we spend much of our time practicing good habits and setting our own desires aside for one another. If you were a fly on the wall, you would often observe us sitting around the school table, sharing our thoughts on how to treat others or how to overcome our struggles.

Romans 12: 9-10 commands, “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”

It has been a delight to watch our children treat each other with kindness and courtesy. The words, “That’s not fair!” or “Me first!” are not permitted in our home. Even though children do not have the maturity to respond in a biblical way, they can still be held to those standards as they learn. They can practice serving as they learn. In our school being a servant is held in a place of honor.

Once that foundation is there, we can relax and enjoy school. We mostly use unit studies. We have learned about spiders, world geography, the “Little House on the Prairie” series, weather, and much more! Unit studies offer me, a mom of children of many ages, the opportunity to have all of the children in the same class. I simply adjust the load for each age level. Then they each do their own math individually.

While I would consider myself a very structured person, I am relaxed about where the day takes us. We may start out learning about Egyptian architecture and end up digging tunnels in the yard. We are confident that those two subjects are equally important; it depends on what the children need each day. As long as we get back to Egypt at some point, it is okay.

We make our home schooling decisions based on Scripture. It is a little like the desert island challenge. If you were stranded on a desert island with nothing but the Bible as your guide, how different would your life look? We know that we are not on an island and that our kids have to live out in the world someday. However, if we have prepared them to live with God’s Word as their guide, they are better prepared than if we follow the world?or the government schools.

Our oldest graduated from our home school two years ago, and our second child graduated this spring. It has been a joy to watch them grow, learn, and become godly examples for their younger siblings. Teaching them at home has allowed us to know their strengths and weaknesses. We are right there with them through their successes and their failures. Our goal is to grow warriors for the kingdom of God. History, science, and music are all secondary to that end.

We still have many years of home schooling left to go. We delight in each year we get to spend with each child. To God be the glory!

James and Lisa Pennington live in Kerrville where they serve the home school community in their area through their service on the board of the Hill Country Home School Association. They were selected THSC’s 2010 Leaders of the Year.

The post Meet the Pennington Family appeared first on Texas Home School Coalition.