A number of years ago I found myself hanging on by my fingernails to the back side of Enchanted Rock in the middle of the night.  I was camping in the primitive area of this state natural area with a friend.  We decided we needed some things from the car.  But the car was on the opposite side of the rock and it was a 2 mile hike to go around it.  So we decided it would be much quicker to just hike over it… In the dark. We did not realize how steep this part of the rock was going to get until we were about half way up.  We were afraid if we tried to go back down we woul ..read more

As a Christmas gift, I gave my wife the book Susie: The Life and Legacy of Susannah Spurgeon, wife of Charles H. Spurgeon. She has thoroughly enjoyed reading about Susie. I recently purchased C.H. Spurgeon’s autobiography and have read about half of it. It is fantastic. Ruth and I have enjoyed discussing their lives and have been blessed by their wisdom. We enjoyed talking about this historic couple so much we decided to record a session for The Legacy Homeschool Reflections Podcast where Ruth and I share some of our favorite quotes. It was hard to narrow down which quotes we wanted to share ..read more

On a memorable afternoon, in the autumn of 1890, Mr. Spurgeon paid a visit to the Orphanage under circumstances which are not likely to be forgotten by any who were then present. Almost immediately afterwards, he wrote the following account of the “happy scene in a storm,” which may fitly conclude the references to the Orphanage in his Standard Life, for it shows how, right to the last, he sought the spiritual welfare of the children, which had been the principal aim both of Mrs. Hillyard and himself in founding the Institution. “I went to the Stockwell Orphanage, on Tuesday, September 23, to ..read more

When I was in college at the University of Houston, I usually kept to myself.  I was an engineering major and not very well equipped with social skills.  However, I had began to learn a little about Christian apologetics and my faith had been growing.  Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13 ESV One day I was having lunch in a campus cafeteria and I somehow got into a conversation about Christian denominations.  I began to explain that there were some denominations that had become liberal and were not holding to the truth of Scrip ..read more

In the past 20 years of home-ownership I have had to protest my property taxes twice. Today I went before the appraisal board because they had increased the appraised value of my home 85%. The first time was around 8 years ago when they had denied my agriculture exemption request. These were different circumstances and in two different counties. However, in both cases the appraisal board gave me what I asked for. What was the trick? While I did prepare to argue my case, I don’t think it was the information I brought with me that made the biggest difference. The county appraiser was there and p ..read more

We love Christmas.  For our family it is truly a wonderful time of year.  As soon as Thanksgiving is over all the decorations come out.  The lights go up.  The tree gets decorated.  That Nativity is set up.  It is a fun filled time.  It is also a very busy time.  My wonderful wife who has been so busy with homeschooling the children now has even more on her plate.  She is a busy woman, and Christmas can add an overwhelming load to an already stressful schedule.  Is there something that we homeschool dads can do to help her out this time of year ..read more

One of the destructive parenting ideologies that emerged in the 20th century is the child-led home.  Common sense should tell us that child-led parenting doesn’t work, but psychologist have come up with many ideas over the years that have caused great harm.  I believe this is one of them.  Have you ever come across a child led family in the grocery store or elsewhere?  A common characteristic you will see is that the parent cannot say “no” to the child’s requests.  The parent may know that the child’s request is not reasonable and will try to persuade the child that th ..read more

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:11-13 ESV The last several months have been very difficult.  Not that we have been hit with major trials, but that life just keeps happening faster than we can keep up.  We recently moved from our 14-acre farm to a smaller 5-acre place.  We sold our hors ..read more