Table of Contents
You and I share something incredible. Were called to the very challenging, yet very fulfilling life of a homeschool mom.
As the mother of ten exuberant homeschooled kids, I can think of no higher calling than to disciple my own children and teach them to love the Lord with all their heart, soul and strength. However, as Im sure you know all too well, the homeschooling life can be a bit messy at times. You may find yourself alternating between a grace sufficient for the day and a touch of craziness that is best kept behind closed doors.
In those moments, you long for those promised green pastures that captivated the heart of King David. Your soul cries out for a few unhurried seconds spent with the Prince of Peace. You know deep down that you need time to be refreshed by lingering in Gods presence, reflecting on the life-giving words of Scripture. Yet, as Im sure youll agree, far too often its tempting to respond to the tyranny of the urgent.
Our plans to spend time in Gods Word are ambushed by the demands of the daywriting lesson plans, preparing meals, nursing a fussy baby or running someone to soccer practice. In spite of our best intentions, the laundry basket runneth over. On those days, time alone with God can become the lowest priority, and we fall into bed exhausted without having spent time with our Lord.
The fact is, you and I know better. We know we cant do this in our own strength. God knows this too, and so he beckons. He waits. He longs for us to cast our cares on him.
God knows exactly what we need to fulfill the roles he has for us today: parent, teacher, cook, arbitrator, scheduler, healer, wife. Sometimes all we need to stop our spin cycle of excuses is a friend who will help us find nuggets of encouragement buried within the pages of Scripture. While I havent met Janet Tatman, I feel as if this unmet friend knows the heart of homeschooling moms. She understands the impossible juggling act for which there is no training.
Actually, Im not surprised. Janet is one of us. She has invested 25 years homeschooling her children. And now, with this collection of devotions tucked into the full text of the NIV Bible, this sister in Christ offers encouragement and insight, allowing us to discover the sacred in the midst of lifes busyness. Indeed, Scripture is a love letter that reveals the intimate, boundless love of the Lord for us. As we reorder our priorities by carving out time to enter into his holy presence, well find strength for what matters most. Trust me, the laundry can wait 15 minutes more
Vickie Farris
Author of A Mom Just Like You
Wife of Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) Founder, Dr. Michael Farris
The NIV Homeschool Moms Bible contains 365 devotions to help you, an active and committed homeschooling mom, gain encouragement, inspiration and energy from Gods Word. The devotions were written by Janet Tatman, a homeschooling mom with 25 years of experience. Her personal, profound devotions will warm your heart and inspire you to carry on in your calling as a homeschooler.
The NIV Homeschool Moms Bible is arranged into 365 readings that follow a daily format. Go here to find your first reading: . Each reading has a go to line at the bottom so that you can quickly and easily find the next days reading.
Each daily reading contains a Scripture passage to help direct your focus to Gods Word, and each reading ends with a suggested prayer to help bring you into conversation with God.
Another way to use your NIV Homeschool Moms Bible is to find a topic of interest to you. A Topical Index is located . However you choose to use your NIV Homeschool Moms Bible, youll find a wealth of insight and wisdom on a variety of topics of special interest to you.
More important than any of the special features of this Bible is the text itself, the New International Versionthe worlds most popular modern-English Bible. We offer this NIV Homeschool Moms Bible to you with the hope and prayer that the power of Gods Word will uplift your heart and transform your life.
The Beginning
1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. 4God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light day, and the darkness he called night. And there was evening, and there was morningthe first day.
6And God said, Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water. 7So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8God called the vault sky. And there was evening, and there was morningthe second day.
9And God said, Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear. And it was so. 10God called the dry ground land, and the gathered waters he called seas. And God saw that it was good.
11Then God said, Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds. And it was so. 12The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening, and there was morningthe third day.
14And God said, Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth. And it was so. 16God made two great lightsthe greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening, and there was morningthe fourth day.
20And God said, Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky. 21So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them and said, Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth. 23And there was evening, and there was morningthe fifth day.
24And God said, Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind. And it was so. 25God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
26Then God said, Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.
27So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.