Hmmm...you ask questions I haven't officially formulated my answer in my head yet on! This is hard! I will say, that my first two kids were conceived while using some sort of birth control, so I believe that if God wants you to have kids, He's going to give them to you whether you think the timing is perfect or not! I think that we as a society have become obsessed with trying to control everything, and the timing of everything, and some of those things just aren't really up to us! I think that there are long term side effects on a women's body that need to be looked into with any sort of chemical birth control, and a lot of those methods are so new that we have yet to even know what those long term effects are. So, I say "no thank you" to those for me personally, because the risk of cancer, lower bone density, etc. are just not worth it to me.

I do think that God gave us common sense too, and we need to look at our emotional stability, marriages, financial situation, etc. and really take those into consideration. I would say I'm more about birth spacing than about birth control. I know how much I physically can handle with my Chron's disease, and how much I can juggle with ministry expectations and all, and I don't want to have my kids to suffer, or my marriage because I didn't use some self-restraint!

This is sort of a side-bar, but it ties in with the subject. I'm not having kids because I think that it is so fun to buy cute clothes, or because this world needs more people sucking it's air and resources. I have always viewed having and raising kids, as an opportunity to raise up an army of little warriors that are going to go out into this world and make a positive difference for the Lord. I have that as my goal with being a parent. So, I have to look at the big picture of how to accomplish that goal. I know that I want to be able to know, enjoy, and have a close relationship with each one of them, and have the time to do it! For me personally, that means spacing them out a couple of years.

Does that answer your question? I hope so!

4. "Are you afraid that your children will be 'different' because you homeschool them?"

Actually, I HOPE that they are different because I homeschool them! With each one of them, as soon as I found out I was pregnant I started praying these exact words over them.

"Lord, I dedicate this little life to you. I pray that you will use this child to make a HUGE difference in this world for Your kingdom. Give me the wisdom to know how to train this little one to be a powerful leader, and to most of all love You with all of his/her heart, soul, mind, and strength. Teach me what I need to know, so that I can be the parent this child needs." It would be my prayer, and my goal that my kids are 'different' than the average, self-absorbed, un-disciplined, lazy child that is growing up in today's Christian homes.

I try to be very balanced with their exposure and with our lifestyle choices. We aren't legalistic, and we don't shelter our kids un-necessarily. I don't want our kids to be seen as "completely out of touch with the real world", or be removed to the point that they can't be relevant in their relationships and ministry to the unsaved. It is definitely a fine line and a challenge, but I'm up for it!

I'm not saying that you can't have wonderful, godly, Christian kids if they aren't home-schooled either! I just think that for us, that is what God has laid on our hearts to do. I want my kids world-view to be shaped by God and their parents, not some other source!

I realize that I have not answered all of the questions you had, but that is all I have time for right now. I will have to do a part two down the road! I hope that this post finds you all well, healthy, and warm! God bless each and every one of you!