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

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

The Greek philosopher, Plato, was one of the first to suggest that children should be raised by the state. He went so far as to say that wives and children are to be held in common by all, and no parent is to know his own child nor any child his parents. In the 1700’s the Swiss-born French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau taught a similar idea to Plato, that children should be taken from parents and given as little restrictions as possible. He thought if they could grow up with no outside influence they would turn out perfect. Rouseau fathered 5 children, but did not raise any of them.  ..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

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

My wife and I recently had the opportunity to sit down and record for her podcast, Legacy Homeschool Reflections. In this episode we discuss the importance of family worship and offer some practical ideas on how to incorporate family worship into your daily routine. The Legacy Homeschool Reflections Podcast In the book, Susie – The Life And Legacy Of Susannah Spurgeon by Ray Rhodes Jr. there is a quote that sums up how Charles and Susannah Spurgeon felt about this daily practice. “Family Bible reading and prayer were a priority for Susie and Charles from the beginning of their marriage, and th ..read more

You may be wondering why there is a tab on this website entitled Saturday Morning Breakfast (SMB).  If you have read SMB, you may still be wondering why this was created.  SMB is a bit of an odd duck, so I decided to offer an explanation.  You will find several things on Saturday Morning Breakfast.  First, it is a bit of an eccentric dialog with myself, while in a groggy state, as I get up on Saturday morning and make pancakes or waffles for my family.  It is partially a recipe for pancakes and bacon and partially a reflection of what most of my Saturday mornings have ..read more

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