This past month was HomeSchool Day at the Oklahoma State Capitol: a day where families could meet with their legislators to talk about issues that affect homeschooling in our state.

This year, there was added emphasis to our visit as two bills were being introduced that could directly affect homeschool families across the state. The first bill sought to require homeschool families to register with their local school districts, while the second bill gave authorities the right to take temporary custody of homeschooled kids who were not in the direct custody of their parents. You can read our response here about why we are opposed to these two bills.

A recent Washington Post op-ed highlights just one of the many reasons we support homeschooling:

"If you want your child to get the best education possible, it's actually more important to get him assigned to a great teacher than to a great school." This
quote is from Bill Gates' January 2009 annual letter from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a group that has spent billions of dollars trying to improve education. Mr. Gates also notes that overall, only 71 percent of children graduate from high school within four years. His conclusion is that America's schools are doing a poor job.

He went on to say that most of the schools helped by his foundation fell short of their goals in trying to increase college-ready graduation rates.

Both proposed bills were bad legislation that sought only to give public school districts some semblance of authority into the rapidly-growing community of homeschoolers. We were assured by the legislators we spoke with that these two bills were going nowhere.

Yesterday, I spent the day with my dad helping him with some projects in their lake home at Lake Tenkiller. It was a beautiful day. Would you believe that the Quince and Daffodils already are beginning bloom in Eastern Oklahoma?

As you can tell by the picture, after our work was done, we stole away for some trout fishing in the lower Illinois river. For you non-Oklahomans, the Illinois river is a tributary off of the Arkansas river. You can drop a raft in right where we were fishing and float all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.

It was a great day and a reminder that spring is just around the corner!

I had the opportunity to go to Tulsa this past weekend with our good friends, Jeff, Ted and Barbara Hoover, to listen to Dr. Earl Palmer. Dr. Palmer was the key-note speaker at the Celebration of Faith conference at the First Presbyterian church in downtown Tulsa.

In addition to speaking around the country, Dr. Palmer serves as the interim pastor of National Presbyterian Church in Washington D.C., and also serves on the Board of Trustees at Princeton Theological Seminary. He's an outstanding teacher. You can learn more about him (and listen to some of his sermons on-line) by visiting his website www.earlpalmer.org.

Dr. Palmer preached from Acts 9, on the life of Paul and how his ministry began. It was a fascinating sermon. He gave a history on the Apostle Paul that I had never considered. It was a wonderful look into this man's life.

One of the most interesting points of the night was Dr. Palmer's thoughts about what Jesus did when he confronted Paul on the road to Damascus.

Dr. Palmer told how Paul was blinded by the glory of the LORD on the road to Damascus. Afterwards, Jesus sent him to a home where the LORD would send a man named Ananias to pray with him. The Bible says when this happened, Paul's sight was immediately restored, he got up and was baptized and began his Christian ministry.

Dr. Palmer talked a lot about why Jesus sent Paul to Damascus instead of restoring his sight Himself and having Paul baptized right there on the road. Dr. Palmer talked about the "inefficiency" of doing this. Why would Jesus send Paul to someone else to be prayed for, to have his sight restored, and to be encouraged? Why the "inefficiency"? Why would Jesus just not restore him right there and right then?

After developing this point for ten minutes, he concluded with a thought for us to consider. Perhaps, Jesus wanted to give Paul something that HE was unable to give - perhaps the only thing HE is unable to give. And that is the ability to be ministered to by another person who has experienced forgiveness.

Dr. Palmer concluded the night by getting us all to consider that this is what we as sinners, have to offer each other - the ability as forgiven persons to minister to another.

It was a great night and well worth the drive to Tulsa. If you enjoy good teaching, take a click over to Dr. Palmer's website and give him a listen. It's well worth the time.

This week, I've been reading an excellent, but very sobering book by John Bunyan (of Pilgrim's Progress fame). The book is titled The Barren Fig Tree - The Doom and Downfall of the Fruitless Professor. It's a book that walks the professing Christian through an in-depth examination of his life in response to the profession of his faith. It forces you to take a 

A little over four years ago, when Maddox was born, Kristin and I were sitting in the NICU at Baptist Hospital when a friend came to visit. We had just learned that our newly born daughter had suffered a hemorrhage in her brain and was going to require surgery. Our neatly wrapped lives were coming undone.

In the midst of our shock and grief, our friend - who was a minister- tried to bring us comfort by telling us that God had nothing to do with what was happening to our daughter. He assured us that God came into the world to redeem the world and that He had nothing to do with bad things that happen to His people.

Like the three foolish friends who tried to comfort Job in his distress, this friend showed a lack of wisdom and would have done better simply by keeping quiet.

What he ended up doing was telling us that God was not sovereign. That God was was not in control of the big things that come our way during this life, much less the little things. And that the stories in the Bible of God's ever-guiding hand, were for the Saints of old and not for us.

Needless to say, the fear we were feeling at that time became much bigger, as the God we sought was being described as much smaller.

And this is what happens when a generation becomes illiterate of the beautiful doctrine of the Providence of God.

They try to replace God by becoming the source of all comfort and control themselves. And, they describe Him as some old sage who spoke the world into creation, but now can't keep-up with how fast it's spinning. What a tragedy.

The 18th century preacher, John Flavel, wrote a wonderful book called, The Mystery of Providence. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed this book. It has been an absolute breath of fresh air to a hungry soul who wants to be reminded that God is indeed in control - and He is working all things in our lives (big and small) for His glory and our good.

The Puritans used to say that Providence is a soft pillow for anxious heads. Amen to that. So what happens when difficulties come your way? Strains in your marriage? Your kids have struggles and you lose your job? Do you believe that God is still sovereign in your life?

What about cancer? What happens when God's path leads you down difficult roads that few understand? What about old dreams that appear may never happen? Do you believe that God is sovereign? In everything?

If you've ever had questions like this - I want you to know: The answer is a resounding YES.

If you need a boost of assurance that God has hemmed you in and you are right where He wants you, click over to Amazon and order Flavel's book and be encouraged.

We have a wonderful Savior who rules and controls everything for His glory and our good. And it's especially in the difficult times that this gem becomes clear. If this is you, the Mystery of Providence will convince you that you are in God's keeping. Amen!