One quiet day in September of 1985 Cathy and I (who at that time were the young parents of four energetic little boys) made a decision that would profoundly impact the future course of our entire family.  On that late summer day, when we arrived at the simple decision to homeschool Paul, our oldest son, we could little have suspected that over the next 17-and-a-half years our family size would mushroom from six to 16, and that the family home school would still be humming along well into the new millennium!

        The decision to fulfill our roles as the primary educators of our children came very naturally to both Cathy and me back in September of 1985, the month when Paul turned five years old.  The concept of homeschooling was radically new to the general public in that era, and we knew very few other families who were engaged in teaching their kids at home.  Yet, we both sensed a passion to "be there" for our kids, and to pour our hearts and minds and prayers into the task of ushering them safely from the birthing room, through toddlerhood and adolescence, and across the threshold of solid Christian adulthood.  

 

        The New Testament teaches (and our experience confirms) that those who surrender to God and receive Jesus into their hearts face three major sources of opposition -- the flesh, the world and the Enemy.  From the moment that we welcomed each child into this world -- and more accurately, from the moment we knew that conception had occurred -- Cathy and I have made a practice of "claiming" each child for Jesus, asking that the Blood of His sacrifice wash over our little one, asking that the love of the Father and the presence of the Holy Spirit envelope him or her.

 

        Yet, no parent needs to be reminded of the fact that the symptoms of original sin pop up early in a child's life, no matter how sweet, cute and precious he or she is!   The words "Me, my and mine" come easily to the lips of even the most adorable two-year-old.  Each human being born into the world has been given the awesome privilege of choosing for or against His God, for or against the offer of forgiveness and restoration that has been extended to men and women through Jesus.

 

        My first incentive for becoming a homeschooling dad was simply a desire to occupy, with Cathy, the awe-inspiring role as the primary educator of my children so that I could one day stand before God and tell him: "I have labored with you, Father, with all that was within me to bring these precious children into Your arms.  I have done all that I could do to protect them from all that is evil and to expose him to all that is good.  I have, to the best of my ability, tried to be present to all of my children, and to take the time to know the unique characteristics and idiosyncrasies of each of them.  I have tried to create, within the walls of our home, a microcosm of heaven, a place in which the presence of Your Spirit can be breathed in as naturally as air, a place in which the fruit of Your Spirit radiates amidst the troubles and pains of ordinary life.  I have endeavored to familiarize them with the timeless truths of the Bible so that their young minds, while forming through their most impressionable years, might become molded around those precious, unshakeable truths that are so close to Your heart.  

 

        "Once they leave this nest, God, they will make all of their own decisions, but I can honestly say, Father, that I have run the race, fought the fight, and tried to place them at the heart of my life."

 

        A second, more practical motive for homeschooling is the desire by Cathy and I to see the boys and Mary-Elizabeth anchored firmly in the solid basics of the "Three R's" -- reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic.  Public and some private education has changed dramatically since the early days of our country, when teachers in one-room schoolhouses or homes taught basic, no-nonsense skills to students that would prepare them for the journey of life.  

 

        I am an avid student of our country's history, and have pored over countless diaries, letters and writings created during the years between the American Revolution and the Civil War, and even extending to about the year 1900.  A common thread in nearly all of these writings is a striking emphasis in schools, homes, churches and communities of the following themes:

 

       -  Basic, life-giving Christian and Biblical foundational truths.

 

       -  A reverence for the fact that our country was founded upon these principles.

 

       -  An emphasis on the "Three R's," especially upon the ability to read and write.

 

        One of the main points of emphasis within our home school is phonics as a foundation for the ability of a child to read and spell.  For some reason, many -- probably most -- schools teach reading by the "sight" or "memory" method, as opposed to teaching, via phonics, the basic building blocks of the English language.  A phonetic approach enables children to understand the basic rules of spelling and pronunciation within our language, and teaches them to fish as opposed to merely giving them a fish, to borrow an old proverb.

 

        There has been a steady trend within our public school system and parts of the media to shove God out of the public marketplace, in the name of upholding the principle of separation of church and state.  Ironically, the founders who advocated this separation apparently did so to protect the church from the state, not to lock God in the cellar and yet somehow expect the nation to thrive and remain blessed.  Many of the same founders who laid down this principle openly called upon God to bless and keep and uphold this country, despite its many failings and weaknesses.

 

        Children (and even us older folks) find it very challenging at times to swim against the stream of peer pressure.  Anyone who has attended school knows of the subculture or pecking order that tends to develop within the walls of any institution.  In many cases the attraction or lure of a circle of school acquaintances outweighs the sense of commitment that a child has to his or her family.  I have found that young children need to be undistracted from much of the peripheral activities of typical school life so that they might have the freedom and focus to send their roots deep into the soil of God's basic truths, growing up in an atmosphere that reflects that found in the Kingdom of God. 

 

        Onlookers may at times mistake this "safe at home" approach for a campaign of brainwashing and domination of helpless children.  Yet, Christians parents are clearly called by Scripture, conscience and common sense to escort their children forward through the winding road of life, and are called to represent God to them in every facet of His being, ranging from boundless affection to firm discipline.  Parents today need to be unafraid to demonstrate backbone and consistency in raising their children, and need to keep their eyes focused upon the big prize.  The portrait of God that we reflect as parents may be the only example of Him that our children will ever see, and that picture must be as consistent and reliable as is possible.  When children see steady love, unwavering truthfulness, gentle firmness, they learn to trust; they learn that absolute truth does exist.  

 

        This kind of "preventive medicine" goes a long way toward immunizing our precious children against the deadly forces of cynicism, confusion and skepticism that can take root in the lives of little ones (and not-so-little ones) who never see the solid, reliable nature of the Heavenly Father consistently portrayed to them.

 

        I have so many good things to say about homeschooling that I cannot begin to place it all into words.  There are endless benefits.  I will try to reel off a few more of them.

 

       -  The sense of satisfaction, peace and completeness that fills parents' hearts when carrying out their duties as the main educators of their children.

 

       -  The freedom to teach each child at his or her own pace, in an unhurried way.

 

       -  The privilege of recognizing and drawing out latent skills and gifts that God has hidden deep within our children's personalities.

 

       -  The freedom for a family to set its own unique, flexible schedule.  (For example, field trips or vacations can be taken during weekdays or in autumn, when crowds are lowest and prices discounted.)

 

       -  The advantage of being able to see one's child rank in the upper percentiles of nationalized equivalency testing because of the steady, concentrated devotion of his or her own, personal, on-the-premises, live-in teacher(s).  (The fact that our kids have ranked in the 90's -- with one son even hitting 98 percent -- on nationalized testing percentiles has meant a great deal to Cathy and me as homeschooling parents.)

 

       -  The wonderful side benefit of enabling a child to experience life in the household during all hours of the day and all seasons of the year, not merely on weekday evenings, weekends or during the summer.

        

       -  The fantastic freedom for each child to progress calmly at his or her own unique pace in a given subject, in harmony with the natural giftings and abilities deposited within him or her by God, as opposed to being one of a large crowd of children that learns in a generic manner and moves forward as a group at the same general pace.

      

       -  The priceless privilege on the part of parents to take the concept of education beyond the old image of students sitting in rows for hours and digesting facts, replacing it with a balanced, expanded and more awesome definition -- that of parents acting as living prisms who interpret life's realities for their children.  

 

       -  The joy of simply being there to witness each new breakthrough made by a child.

 

       -  The awesome opportunity to lead little ones to Jesus, and to help their minds, hearts and wills be conformed to His nature.

 

       -  The beautiful benefit of being able to see our kids for more hours per day, enabling us to "slow down" their childhoods long enough to savor each stage.

 

       -  The joy of co-laboring with a child until he or she makes a key breakthrough -- be it scholastically, athletically, spiritually or otherwise -- and the heartwarming knowledge that you were the one to assist him or her in achieving it.

 

       -  The chance to teach our kids the complete and accurate story of this great country's history, rather than a revised, politically-correct version of what our nation's earliest founders believed.

 

       -  The wonderful privilege of giving our kids a teacher-student ratio that is far more concentrated than that found in typical schools.

 

       -  The fantastic opportunity to present children with the experience of a vibrant, thriving home life, thus whetting their appetites for strong, solid Christian homes and stable marriages when they begin to build their own adult lives.

 

       -  The satisfaction of shielding our kids from the endless onslaught of twisted and cheapened sexual themes (so prevalent in our culture today) that fly in the face of God's precious institutions of Christian courtship and marriage.

 

       -  The ability to monitor a child's budding interest in the opposite sex, and to help him or her yield it to the will of God and his wise principles of abstinence until marriage, being equally yoked with a committed Christian partner in marriage and the like.

 

       -  The magnificent chance to instill a solid, clear-eyed pro-life attitude within our children, allowing them to respect all human life from womb to tomb.

 

       -  A chance to define, within the walls of our home, what is truly "cool," what is truly "fun," what is truly "life."

 

       -  A golden opportunity to help our children learn about the awesome benefits that come with a life lived in joyful Christian self-discipline, as opposed to one lived according to one's ever-changing human whims and desires.

 

       -  The exciting mission of creating an environment in which children, once they have grown into adults and left the nest, carry within their hearts for the rest of their lives the joy of salvation in Jesus and the ever-outflowing love of God.

 

       -  The staggering responsibility to be the major contributing factor in regard to a child's ultimate eternal destination.

 

       -  The solid satisfaction of knowing that the two persons who most love a child happen also to be their teachers!

 

         As I said above, I could write on and on about the challenging, exhilarating, draining, inspiring mission of homeschooling.  I have done a poor job, I am sure, in conveying all that is within my heart on this subject.  

    

         In the two years following the birth of Paul in 1980 I asked God from the bottom of my heart if he would be kind enough to allow me to earn my family's bread in a manner that would allow me to be home with them for as many hours per day as is possible.  After a long period of praying and waiting, a small doorway opened -- the chance to purchase a used court reporting machine for $300 from a woman who had apparently given up the profession. 

 

        Several circumstances came together in the summer of 1982 to assure me beyond a doubt that God was leading me into this profession so that I could work in a flexible manner, leaving the house only to report depositions, but remaining at home during the rest of the week, editing the depo transcripts on a computer.

 

         Over the next three years I would arrive home from a nine-hour workday as a production worker and truck driver at my father-in-law's tool-and-die shop and spend some of the evening hours building up my court reporting speed, while still trying to remain present to the kids.  I set aside Sundays for church and family activities.  (I had already worked at the shop for two years before the decision to begin educating myself as a court reporter.  Prior to that I had worked as a journalist, editor and photographer at various area newspapers.)

 

        Somehow, after three years, I was able to break into the court reporting profession, at the age of 29.  Four years later, at the age of 33, I launched Arndt Reporting & Legal Video, and have now been in this profession for nearly two decades.  I am a Certified Shorthand Reporter in the State of Illinois.

 

         I am able to work on the computer during those times when the youngest kids are sleeping or napping, or when they are being well taken care of by Cathy or one of the older boys.  In this way, the kids have a dad who is able to give them "face time" throughout the day.  Even on days when I have a deposition to report, I am usually at home for at least half of the day.  There are always exceptions, such as those intense periods of time in which I must report eight-hour depositions for a number of days in a row.  But in general the profession is very family-friendly, and it was the Heavenly Father who kindly led me into it.

 

         Because of the flexibility of the court reporting profession, I have been able to work toward the fulfillment of other callings that I have sensed coming from God, such as the nurturing of the Safe At Home Christian Fellowship (where I am pastor), the development of the website and cable TV show, along with regular workouts at the YMCA and participation in sports activities and vacations with the kids. 

         In addition, throughout 2002 and 2003, when we were all working together on our house construction project, I was able to put in many hundreds of hours -- at widely varying times of the day -- on such activities as swinging a hammer, grading the land with a tractor, installing electrical boxes, and the like.  The flexible nature of this profession was a key ingredient in my ability to be on the work site day after day (and at times, night after night!)

 

        Cathy and I have tried to strip our lives down to basics, so that we can do a few things well rather than a lot of things in a mediocre way.  We have attempted to pour our lives into a few premium foundational priorities to which we have been called, and have been wary of allowing ourselves to become distracted from them, even by seemingly good things.  God has marked out the running lanes on the track, so to speak, and we are, with His power, trying to run the race within those parameters, refusing to look left or right unless God permits us to do so.  

 

        Cathy and I have never campaigned against traditional education.  There are thousands and thousands of fine, dedicated teachers out there.  My own dad taught for many, many years, and was very conscientious, and was excellent at what he did.  Our goal has never been to put a burden upon the shoulders of parents who do not homeschool their children.  I have written this section for the simple purpose of expressing some of the reasons why we have come to this conclusion.  We are convinced that God has gently, but firmly, pushed us into this direction, and thank Him for doing so. 

 

        The benefits have been overwhelmingly positive.  Our kids are not shy, timid souls who have never been taught to socialize.  The opposite is true;  many insecure, unrooted children from broken or wounded homes have gravitated toward our kids.  Cathy and I have, in a sense, become parents to hundreds of young people throughout our ministry, although they do not, of course, live beneath our roof. 

 

        God created the institution of the family for his own wonderful reasons.  The invention of it is a shining example of His wisdom and goodness.  Healthy families make for healthy communities and healthy nations.  The old adage is true:

 

        "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world."