Learning from the Clarksons {TTD notes}

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I was so blessed to be able to attend the Teach Them Diligently homeschool conference in Nashville last weekend. I shared about how God wanted me there and provided all the necessary items: room, ride, conference fee. And I’m so thankful. The sessions I attended were so fabulous, I wanted to share all my notes with you!!

Here are the speakers, I will go back after this series and link them all together:

• Clay & Sally Clarkson
• Pam Tebow
• Mark Hamby
• Norm Wakefield
• Deb Bell

Clay Clarkson ~ Organic Parenting

What is organic?
What is the source of life in your home?
Organic means LIVING and WHOLE.

• Are we more concerned that we look like the perfect homeschool family than the hearts of our children?
• When you plant a garden you have to WORK to create good health in the life of your plants.
• Parable of the Sower
• Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-25, Luke 8:4-18
• Parables are always about the kingdom of God and bringing it to earth. The message of the kingdom is the gospel.
• Throwing seeds in this parable: some fell on rock, some among thorns, ONE SEED, 4 landing spots. Only one good soil that produces a yield.

The sower is sowing the Word.
Along the path…
1. Well traveled, rocky path, the seed can’t survive. Easy pickings for the devil. They do not believe.
2. On the rock, they receive with joy but have no root. Believe for awhile, but fall away when life gets hard.
3. Among thorns, they hear but are chocked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures
4. Good ground, actual soil. What makes it good? It’s been prepared, loosened, cleared and tilled. Ready for the seed. A prepared heart ready to receive the gospel. They hear, they retain and cling to the word and produce a crop. Produce = bear fruit.

• We want our children to be that good soil that can receive the gospel and bear fruit. Like the good soil, we have to work to prepare their hearts and cultivate soil that can be worked.
• What creates good soil in my child’s heart? How do we prepare our kids hearts so they are prepared to receive Christ and understand the kingdom of God? With GOODNESS and ORGANICS – adding life, truth, goodness to our homes.
• Focus more of your attention on being organic rather than organized. We need some of both, but don’t spend so much time on the organization/curriculum/book work to the detriment of their hearts.
• It’s easier to depend on the organization stuff – “if you’ve got a problem, we’ve got a book.” This can be based on fear – I can’t do this, I need a formula. There are no formulas!
• Organized focuses on mind.
• Organic focuses on heart.
• We do need both, though.

3 ways to tend our child’s heart:
1. Soil preparation – loosening the ground, avoiding worldliness. REMOVE rocks from your home, anything that distracts or pulls us towards evil.
2. Soil cultivation – the goodness of God’s nature – cultivating a heart that values the goodness of God, cultivating a heart that seeks the beauty in creative arts, seeks truth and wisdom of God.
3. Soil formation – teaching, hearing and doing the Word of God.

Sally Clarkson ~ Seasons of a Mother’s Heart

• No matter how idealistic you are, you will never live up to your own expectations.
• Culture will always give you permission to not live well, to be lazy, to compromise.
• How big is your desire to please and trust God? How much are you willing to lay down your life? You can build a condo or an estate, the choice is up to you.
• We are either growing and flourishing or we are dying. There is no in between.
• What you cherish in your heart is what you become. Are you cherishing the Word of God?
• None of us is perfectly holy. Yet we should be continually striving and moving towards it. Training in holiness like an athlete goes for gold.
• God has chosen my children and me to live in this generation. I have to guard my heart so that I can shine the light of Jesus and protect my heart from the evil of this world. And if I don’t, my kids may never see it anywhere else.
• We are living in times like Babylon. We must be faithful. We must be Daniels.
• We must guide our children…they could be the next Daniel or Esther!