My name is Michael Knott, and I am the Director of HomeWorks by Precept. As many homeschool families begin to start their new school year, I wanted to take some time to encourage each of you with something has been on my heart recently as it pertains to the Christian homeschool community.

The book of Genesis has always fascinated me. It was written by Moses to the Israelites who had been in Egyptian captivity for hundreds of years. The Israelites did not have the luxury that you and I have of opening our Bibles to study God's Word. At their point in time, they only knew stories and practiced certain traditions that their parents had passed down to them. They were basic people who never had the close interaction with God that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their direct descendants had.

Let's consider the story of Moses and the burning bush. At the end of that story, Moses spoke to the bush and said, "What is His name? What shall I say to them?" His questions might be translated to say, "Who are you?" Do you know why Moses asked to whom he is speaking? Ready for this profound answer? Because he didn't know! Moses and many of the Israelites did not recognize their own God. And so, the book of Genesis is written to teach the Israelites very plainly, and the concepts taught are fundamental. It was written to show the Israelites where they came from, who God is, what their relationship is with/to God, and explain the responsibilities God has given to them.

Genesis is so basic that we start at the very beginning. The first chapter tells us about God creating, and at the end of each day, we are told that everything He made was good. I read chapter 1 almost like a checklist, i.e., "I made the light, and yes, that's good. I made the water, and that's good too. I made the animals, and they are good...." At the end of His creating, God saw everything that He had made and said, “Indeed it was very good." He’s done, and God made the perfect creation.

But then chapter 2 comes, and we rewind a bit to focus on day six of Creation. This is the day that God makes His special creation…people. The very first problem that God ever tells us about is found in chapter 2, and it has nothing to do with sin. The first of anything that God tells us about we should probably pay attention to. After God finishes telling us all the things that are good in chapter 1 we come to 2:18: "And the Lord God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." God tells us that something within the creation is not good: man is not supposed to be alone. Although the solution to this specific problem is that God creates woman, the underlying problem is that man is lonely. People are not supposed to be alone. Loneliness is not a good thing, and still today it continues to be an underlying problem that people face in many circumstances.

This may come as a surprise, but I have never been a homeschool mom! But I would have to imagine that homeschool moms often deal with a lot of loneliness. Between feeding your youngest child, changing diapers, cleaning the house, running errands, and on top of that homeschooling your other children, I can only imagine how exhausting that would have to be. And you often do it alone with no other adult to talk to or help you throughout the day. Homeschool moms are tough! But very often they need a friend or someone to talk to.

Do you know that Satan hates the Christian homeschool movement? We are not just going through the motions of school every day with our children; we are also teaching them to be stewards of Christ. At HomeWorks we are blessed to be able to represent BJU Press, which is geared toward pointing children to God daily through all aspects of education. The foundation for the Christian homeschool movement really matters! What you are doing really matters! And Satan will do anything to try and stop this; he will even lie to you when you're exhausted after another day of homeschooling and tell you that you are alone. You. Are. Not. Alone!

This morning I had the exciting opportunity to speak in front of 350+ employees of BJU Press (shown in the picture above) about various homeschool topics. They are all there to support you in your homeschool journey! There are also 250+ HomeWorks Consultants nationwide that are committed to supporting you as well. I have given the challenge to each of these groups that "No homeschool mom gets left alone."

Homeschoolers belong to a team all with the same purpose, and if you need to talk to anyone, I encourage you to reach out to a HomeWorks Consultant or the staff at BJU Press. They are here to help you with any questions you may have, pray for you, and be your friend. If you don't know the HomeWorks Consultant in your area, I would like to invite you to find one on our map and send her an email to get to know her. If you have homeschooling friends, let me encourage you to reach out to them periodically. If you are not connected to a local homeschool co-op group, I encourage you to find one. There are many avenues that a homeschool family can connect with others, so no homeschool mom gets left alone.

If you need a place to connect online with parents that are passionate about helping other homeschooling parents with BJU Press materials join our group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/185480745048

As the new school year soon begins, my prayer is that the Christian homeschool movement will continue to grow and fend off any attacks or lies that Satan will try to throw our way so that our children may be well-equipped to present the gospel of Jesus in every aspect of their lives. And that you as a homeschool mom would find comfort in the fact that you are supported by thousands of other homeschool moms and our staff as you progress through your homeschool journey!