Volume I, Issue 1
Epi Kardia InsightsTo Equip Parents to Disciple and Teach Their Children
What does "Epi Kardia" mean?
The Greek words "Epi Kardia" mean at the heart. At Epi Kardia, we feel the heart of home education is the Christ-centered mentoring and discipling relationship between parents and their children.
Epi Kardia's New Format! Welcome to Epi Kardia's first newsletter! We have changed our communications format from our e-loop to our regularly published, encouraging blog and occasional newsletter! We hope you will both enjoy and benefit by the encouragement offered, as well as by the devotional thoughts, teaching tips, free lesson plans, book reviews and more that we plan to include in these new venues. As homeschool parents, we are at times overwhelmed with the responsibilities set before us, as you probably are. With that in mind, we encourage you to take regular time for yourselves to recharge and regroup--you will be a happier and more relaxed mom (or dad) and your teaching and students will benefit! So with that in mind, please pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea and sit down and peruse a few of our recent posts found at www.epikardia.com/blog ! Enjoy!
Dana and Beth
Growing Moms
Our kids, as well as others, are drawn to a faith that is fresh and alive. In the midst of home schooling, laundry, diapers, housekeeping, ministry, etc., sometimes what we choose to omit from our schedules is regular, daily time with our Lord, to study and meditate on His word, and to pray. As my pastor often reminds our congregation, “We are leaky buckets,” needing to be filled and refilled on a daily basis. And without that daily filling, our faith becomes dry and stale. But how do I fit that in when I’m up half the night with a colicky baby or sick child? I remember a “mom in the Lord” telling me when I asked her that question that sometimes prayer and Bible time are even more important than sleep!
When I ruminate upon how busy I think I am, I am reminded of Susanna Wesley. A wife at age 19 and the mother of John and Charles Wesley, Susanna gave birth to nineteen children in about as many years. It is said that she devoted her first hour upon waking to bible study, prayer and hymn singing. She inspired, discipled, mentored and instructed her children, who knew that when she was sitting with an apron over her head, it meant she was praying and they’d better not bother her. In addition to raising her ten children who lived to adulthood, she dealt with an often absent husband, constant financial burdens, having her house burn down twice, and two sets of twins! Wow. I guess most of us can sandwich in a little time for Bible study!
Although with certainty, study of God’s word has to come first, there have been many other books that have proven to be helpful, encouraging, and often convicting, as well. (See some of my recent favorites listed in the original blog post.) We all know it is a lot of work to homeschool, run a household, serve at church and sometimes even work inside/outside the home. But we must take the time, on a daily basis, to renew our faith and grow as believers. As my daughter says, we always think that if we worked a little bit smarter, harder or faster, we would have more time for our personal study, but it really is a matter of making it the first priority. If Susanna Wesley could talk with us today, I’m sure she would agree! In Grace Alone, Dana Upcoming Blog Topics Here are a few of our planned upcoming posts:
If you would like to subscribe to our blog and receive new posts as they are published, please let us know at info@epikardia.com and we will be glad to add you to our subscription list! As well, please feel free to forward any of our e-mails or blog posts in their entirety to anyone you feel might benefit.
We Would Like to Hear From YOU!
We love to hear from our readers! Please let us know if you have any comments about our posts or burning questions/topics you would like us to address in future newsletters or blog posts. Additionally, we would love to hear what you are reading these days--if you discover a fascinating new book, please share it with us!
May God bless your parenting and teaching endeavors!
Beth Hempton and Dana Wilson Epi Kardia Home Education, LLC
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"I'm still using Epi Kardia and LOVING it! I added one more student this year to the mix, A.! She and I do a more traditional Epi Kardia approach, whereas J. and G. know the drill and are on something like auto pilot with the program. Thank you for your dedication to writing such a fine curriculum. My family have enjoyed it and been blessed by it time after time. I still share it with everyone who will listen!"
-Jennifer, mom of 5, CT
"E. is in 4th grade right now and C. is in 1st grade. I love being able to use Epi Kardia with both of them! (And we'll be adding L. in kindergarten next year.) What a blessing this curriculum has been and continues to be for us! Thanks Dana and Beth!"
--Julie, mom of 5, SC
"I have 4 children and we are using all 4 levels of the program. Just another reason why I love this program! It is flexible enought for me to do just what I want with it! :-) "
--Pam, mom of 4, SC
"The kids and I just finished playing a '20th Century Trivia' board game that A. made after I saw it in the [Preparatory Complete Program] Epi Kardia curriculum. What a great idea! He had to come up with the idea, use history & geography to come up with the categories and then the questions, make the board, paint the board and then make up the rules. It was a great 2-week project!"
--Vicki, mom of 2, SC
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