OUR CAUSE?! Interview with New York Times Best Selling Author Matthew Barnett

"Can you hear me now?"  So many say it in jest, or at least they did before cell towers graced every horizon!  Many more have called out sincerely in need and desperation.  God is listening.  Are we listening?

Pastor and Best-Selling author of The Cause Within You,  Pastor Matthew Barnett, called-in to affirm the weary. YES!  God is indeed listening and speaking.

But what is God saying?  What can you do with your weariness?  What about the tired and needy around us?  What can they do?

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus Christ, in the book of Matthew 11:28-30, said we are to rest in Him and his faithfulness!  Jesus Christ also said,  “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Sounds like a story of redemption!

Pastor Matthew shares his own experience resting in God's promises to guide and provide!  His Dream Center in Los Angeles houses 700+ of the most needy.  It’s a dream from Matthew’s past come true; one that has changed the “City of Angeles”!

You and I have a role in “change”.  The “rest” Jesus offers is to know by faith that we are saved! And that faith without those good works is worthless, dead. 

So I ask, “have we heard from God?”  Are we forgiven our lack of perfection before a perfect God?  If we answered yes, then Jesus says come and die to your dreams, I’ve got something better!  Take up my cross, my plans for this broken, cursed world!  Be about what I am doing!  Then you will truly live!

We are to be about knowing God, and telling, caring for the needy and the marginalized.  I hope this interview breathes new life into old dreams, and new visions for the once-blind!  God has a "work" perfectly suited to you and to me!  Pastor Matthew's book and interview will help us SEE OUR CAUSE WITHIN!

Soli Deo Gloria! K. De La Cruz

NY TIMES #15 Best-Seller List!

THE CAUSE WITHIN YOU Resources

The Katie De La Cruz Show, Fridays at 3:05PM

WYXI Radio, 1390 AM, Athens, Tennessee

Part 2: Homeschooling! Resources and REST TIME!

Most of us are new to homeschooling.  We are charting new waters, so to speak!  It can be overwhelming.  If you've had success with homeschooling, please be sure to leave a comment!  In this post, I support developing your own philosophy of education and list specific texts and specialists in education, as well as where to start!


...Start by listening to this interview:  http://blog.carolejoyseid.com.s126415.gridserver.com/radio-interviews/


That will help with the "to-do" list.  What about public schools and charters?  We've been ruined for anything run by the government-even charters. That's not to say that in a crisis we wouldn't do public. We have had our kids in public school.  But a crisis is a life-and-death situation. So really, really pray and do your research before committing to a publicly funded school. But I digress...

By research I mean read Douglas Wilson, Dr. Raymond Moore, and Susan Wise Bauer. And Susan Schaeffer Macaulay.

I love you dear reader! God is with you! He has already given you everything you need for the good works he has called you to!  That's a promise!    Phillipians 4:12-13  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

My "go to" for homeschooling curriculum is two fold- The Well-Trained Mind and homeschooling lecturer and consultant Carole Joy Seid.  They both ascribe to the benefits of GREAT BOOKS! Our favorite story Bible is by Catherine Voss, A Child's Story Bible. We have tried many different learning materials but what I've found is that if the material isn't working, it's probably the wrong time. I put it away for a few weeks or months or even a year or to-then come back to it and try it again. I did this w/ Saxon Math and have had great success. But I wouldn't start with Saxon until age 9. At that age, things change in the brain and the abstract becomes much less painful to learn! Saxon has online assessments for free so that you can know what level to start at, when the time comes.  Pre-Math IT and real life cooking, measuring-making the measuring tape (your child's) favorite piece of equipment-have him measure his bed, his favorite toy, etc.  For little ones, get cardboard books where they can put their sticky fingers all over it, then, together, count the balls on the pages or monkeys on the bed. (When you listen to Carole's interview, what I'm writing will make much more sense!)

Use spoken words to describe each task you are doing when the kids are around! And with all this relating, don't forget to build in a rest time! How-to:  The kids must have their feet off the floor-and so must you-for ONE HOUR. Set a timer-out of reach from the kids.  Show them on a clock.  "When the hands on the clock are here, I will come get you! Then be sure to go get them on time, lol!  Unplug the phone, or put it on silent-mode! The kids can do one of four things 1) pray, 2) think, 3) sleep or 4) read/play with books.

Allow God to work in your relationships w/ the kids, whatever is happening in life. Don't become a slave to your academic goals. That will all come in time. Obey the Lord, delighting in his love for you! Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you as you ask him each morning for wisdom and guidance w/ each child and of course, with your husband. Character training is something only you and your husband can give your children.  Ultimately, that is what will make them employable, wise learners and thinkers!

Soli Deo Gloria! ~K. De La Cruz

Part 1: Thinking About, (Or Running From) Homeschooling! Philosophy and Practically

If you know me, you know I'm passionate about education for all children!  In a correspondence with a dear friend, I share about why, how and the beauty and terror! of educating at home!  Please share how you decided to homeschool by posting comments!  Thank you!  I can't wait to hear your story!


...As for homeschooling, I wanted to quit after 2 1/2 weeks! Then I discovered a very wise educator, christian mother and she changed how I thought about education theory at all stages. Her name is Carole Joy Seid and you can listen to an interview online for free at www.carolejoyseid.com. I think the fear of homeschooling for most moms is that we think we have to do at home what is done in a classroom at school. That method isn't homeschooling. It's school-at-home and there is a huge difference. One of my favorite movies-to help illustrate-is Sense and Sensibility. In that movie, there is a scene where the youngest daughter is sitting at a table next to a fire. Her mother is doing needle point and her eldest sister is beside them at the table, tutoring her younger sister in French. The younger is reading a French book aloud, the family corrects as needed. Now you may be thinking "I don't speak French" the activity isn't the point. The family is learning and exchanging ideas together. They are bonded together. It is a very natural picture of family relating. Not forced, or rushed, or even wealthy, in monetary terms... But what a wealth they have as they live shoulder-to-shoulder! So the baby interrupts. So shorten the lessons. Make them 10 minutes in length. Feed the baby, change her, etc then put her in a pack in play with some books and stacking blocks. Set the timer for 10 minutes. Get out your math facts flashcards and practice with the kids until the timer goes off. If the baby cries during that time, tell her you'll be with her when the timer goes off. Then as soon as the timer goes off, get her and hug her and praise her for being so patient and self controlled-her her you're delighted that God is giving her his grace at such a young age! Then go back to the kids-who have been taking a break on the swings while you tended to baby. Tell them how proud you are that they use their bodies to honor the Lord! You get the picture. It's possible. There will be a learning curve. You'll have to change and reorient your expectations and so will your family. If God is calling you to do this, and it sounds like he is, he will give you what you need to honor the calling. It wont be perfect, but then again nothing this side of heaven is. But you will be faithfully parenting your children, preparing them for eternity and for life in union wit Christ and his people. Nothing matters as much!
The Case For Classical Christian Education is a book by Douglas Wilson. In my humble opinion, every parent should read the first 5 chapters.
Know that the Lord NEVER calls us to do something that we can not do IN HIS STRENGTH. He wants us to delight in our dependence on Him, to thank him for it! That behavior of dependence on Christ produces freedom and joy in our hearts. It's a paradox but it's true!
I love you and will be praying for you! It's never to late or too insignificant to homeschool. For more compelling arguments, call (a teacher) after a day teaching in the classroom!
You are precious and in His hands and so is your family! Please let me know what other thoughts you have! Thank you for helping me to recall so many empowering and hopeful thoughts about the work we're doing! Come over any time. We'd love to have you! But I have to let you know that we are sacrificing to do this and it shows. But we have what we need!
Test God on his promises to take care of you in all ways and see if he isn't trustworthy!
I can't wait to rejoice with you!


Soli Deo Gloria! ~K. De La Cruz

Encouragement For The Adoption Journey

I've wanted to adopt since I knew there were orphans!  So this idea goes way back.  But with varying routines of life this summer, I've fallen off the wagon, you could say...  Or could you?  I have been a bit demotivated by circumstances.  In effort to restart the ole' adoption train, (which is the initial paperwork,) I borrowed a book called Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman.  I don't usually read books by people married to somewhat famous people or about famous people unless it's a historical figure.  (She's married to singer/songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman.) But I identify so much with this particular author-and the story, oh, the story...

Summary:  perfectionist mom (like me) comes to terms with the world-wide orphan crisis, (yes, keep going) adopts three girls from China.  In circumstances that could happen anywhere, her teenage-son, while driving in the family's driveway, doesn't see the five-year-old sister (oh, no!) as she runs up to the moving car (no, don't say it!) and parishes.  (Silence.) AND God's healing grace invades the family history over and over again, showcasing God's unimaginable ability to bring beauty from ashes.  (WOW!)

I know, right?  Makes you want to read it, doesn't it?!

I'm always looking for a redemptive thread to carry on the vision of The Katie De La Cruz Show...  Maybe Mary Beth will come talk to me on my show about adoptive families...  It's worth hoping for!
If you have an adoption or other redemption story, I'd be honored if you would share it with me!  Leave your comments below! Thank you!

Soli Deo Gloria! ~K. De La Cruz

Brad Smith, Singer, Rocks With Katie De La Cruz!

Sitting in the audience, I could feel my seat rattle!  Brad was singing bass. I didn’t think Nashville had earthquakes, which, as a Southern Californian, was my first guess!  To be honest, at the age of 19, I’d never heard a quartet.  I quickly realized I was hearing a legend, one I’ve come to admire very much.  His love for music is equaled only by his love and loyalty to all the people in his life!

Brad Smith has been singing since he could speak!  He tours with The Songfellows and will be in concert in East Tennessee on August 5^th & 6^th.  His low-notes and tenor lines are the finest I’ve heard!  He has the stamina of an athlete, the voice of legend and the heart of a hero.  During the next Katie De La Cruz Show, Brad will take us on a journey, conversation-style as I learned of why he sings, the miracles of his wife and son, and his adoption into the Hopi Indian Tribe. 

Listen to Brad Smith on The Katie De La Cruz Show, 3:05 Friday, July 22^nd.  WYXI Radio Athens, 1390 AM. 

Brad's Website!!! (It's really cool!)

Brad's Facebook Fan Page (It's cool, too!)

Soli Deo Gloria! ~K. De La Cruz

Christian Regretting Motherhood? My Response to This Motherhood Post: http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/motherhood-is-a-calling-and-where-your-children-rank#.Tiht6q53jzs.facebook

I didn’t have to read the entire article to clarify something for myself and… just in case anyone is looking, for them, too.

I am a mom.  It is the hardest thing I’ve ever accepted.  The cross my husband and I carry is that we are called to parent our children.  One must be present to parent…  So, I don’t have a career.  I have an itty-bitty radio show that I excel at the on-air stuff but drop behind-the-scenes stuff.  A lot.  Just ask my station owners...  And I wish I didn’t.  I hate not being perfect-especially in front of others.  But my priorities dictate that a few balls can drop.  Just not my husband, son #1 or son #2.  Not the family.  I've been doing this "christian motherhood, wife gig" for 11.5 years and I'm beginning, BABY STEPS  to understand what and who and how.  I heard this excellent thought last night,  "You can't be about the Big Picture when you are consumed with the needs in front of you."  So, who is our faith really in?  Christ has already promised to take care of our needs.  That reality should free us up to raise our kids with "big picture" perspective!  I pray that it does!

We drive old cars, borrowed cars and any car that will go, because our ministry tithe to our family is very, very high!   I'm not bragging about that.  We live in a once-upon-a-time cute house that-is-no-more.  (Use your imagination, lol.)   Because you may be struggling with your calling, I share this reality to encourage you,  really!

I have a radio show and for the summer, while the kids are with Dad, I get to put more than 10 hours a week into it; because motherhood is my first cross, my first act of obedience each day.  I couldn't do the show as much as I am without my husband.  My husband is called to teach, coach and preach and has the summer off from teaching.  But his first calling is as my husband.  And I am called to motherhood.  So he teaches and delivers pizza and is the kids' teacher for the summer.    Because I’m called to motherhood, because we're called to parenthood.

Sure, I hope my radio show will be a commercial-success.  It would be great to have money left at the end of the month.  But if it isn’t, I have pleased the One who matters most, the one who obeyed His Father and died for me.

Soli Deo Gloria! ~K. De La Cruz