We're moving!

The NEW IAHE website will be up this week. We are very excited about the new site and we can't wait for you to see it. Along with moving the website, we're moving the blog. Be sure to visit us and follow along with the blog on our new site: www.iahe.net.

New IAHE Board Members

We are pleased to announce that we have new Board members!  Mark & Tara Bentley have done much for the IAHE for the past couple of years.  We are so pleased they are now joining the IAHE Board of Directors.

Mark and Tara first entered the homeschooling world in 2001 when they decided to pull their oldest daughter from the public school system. Looking back, it’s clear to see how God directed each step of their journey. Their oldest daughter has since graduated from college and their youngest is finishing her senior year of high school. Mark and Tara have been active in their local homeschool community for many years and consider it a blessing to serve other families as they seek support and encouragement while beginning their own homeschool journey. Tara is a monthly columnist at www.HomeschoolMosaics.com and actively blogs about homeschooling and curriculum reviews at www.theblondemotherbear.com.

Evolution's Finest?

Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend a debate between creationist Jay Wile (PhD nuclear chemistry) and evolutionist Robert A. Martin (PhD zoology).  I was absolutely amazed at the depth of evidence, or rather I should say lack thereof, presented by the evolutionist.  Allow me to impress you with an example.

Early in his talk, the evolutionist promised that we would get to “lots of evidence” for how we can know that certain rocks are 65 million years old.  Along with the rest of the audience, I waited in anticipation.

This Is It!

When he finally got to it, I was astounded.  Keep in mind that he had come prepared, with printed slides.  Are you ready for this?  Here is what was printed on one of his slides:

“We have put a rover on Mars;

how difficult do you think it is to date a rock?”

No kidding; that was it—the irrefutable evidence we had waited for—his brilliant “lots of evidence” technical explanation for the reliability of geologic column dates.

But he didn’t stop there.  No, he skillfully further reinforced his position with this dazzling zinger:

“These dates are basically right.

Sophisticated labs are doing this; it’s not hard.”

We waited all night for more substance, but he offered none.  In all honestly, he was genuinely pitiable; I’m not sure Dr. Martin even realized the audience was underwhelmed.

Evolution's Finest?

If that is all that the evolutionists have to offer, I’m not convinced we should dignify this sort of dialogue by calling it a debate at all.  Real debates feature logical arguments—backed by evidence—from both sides.  However, in this particular dialogue, the logical arguments and actual evidence were all on the side of the creationist Dr. Wile, who, in the case of the aforementioned topic, pointed out numerous examples of where dates assigned by various methods are not in agreement.

And so it went for the entire night.  The creationist gave example after example supporting his positions, and, unlike the evolutionist, the creationist included the citations for his evidence, which in several cases came straight from peer-reviewed articles authored by evolutionists.

The evolutionist, on the other hand, employed sarcasm, cartoons--yes, cartoons, and bullying insults to make his points, accusing audience members, including myself and other fellow college graduates from scientific fields, of never having read anything but our Bibles. He tried to bolster his position by insisting that educated people no longer question these things.  Throughout the entire evening, he conducted himself as though extreme confidence in his position completely negated the need for any evidence.

Honestly, I had actually expected some real clash in this match-up, but I was seriously disappointed; the evolutionist’s arrogant disregard for logic and evidence made a complete mockery of scientific inquiry.

Don't Be Intimidated

Fellow parents, even assuming that evolutionists exist who are more convincing than Dr. Martin (though my university biology professors were not), we have no reason whatsoever to shy away from the issue of origins.  And in fact, we should be addressing the issue of origins head on.  Dig in together with your children to examine the evidence.  Recognize and question the presuppositions.  Scrutinize and evaluate the bold claims.  Teach your children to think critically and logically by engaging in discussion with them.

If you’re looking for materials, Dr. Wile’s textbooks are one good place to start.

"Do you not know?  Have you not heard?

The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth

does not become weary or tired.

His understanding is inscrutable."
Isaiah 40:28

Not only that, but He never loses a debate.

A homeschool mom since 2001, Carol is a passionate encourager and loves using creative means to do it--including blogging, speaking, writing music, and singing. Her blog, called Unsmotherable Delight (udelight.blogspot.com), is where you'll find musings and music to encourage your faith and lift your spirit.  Her original 'theme song' titled Captain's Anthem can also be heard on Vimeo at http://vimeo.com/30769152.

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

New IAHE Region 12 Representatives

We would like to thank Jon and Debbie Sweetland for their many years of service as IAHE Region 12 Representatives.   They felt like the time has come to step down and pass the baton to a new couple.  

IAHE is pleased to announce our newest Regional Representatives.  Please welcome, Jeff and Millie Leis, who reside in Floyd County, Indiana. They are parents of five children, ranging in age from 5-15, and have home educated their children from the very beginning. They were Board Chair for their local home school group, and have organized home schooling community events.  Their desire is to equip those who seek to be teachers at home.  

Thank you to the IAHE Board of Directors!

As we wrap up the Volunteer Spotlight blog series for 2013, today we acknowledge and say Thank You to the three couples that serve as the heart of the IAHE. Without their willingness to dedicate long hours, the IAHE wouldn't exist today.

Their tireless dedication to our organization and to home educators across the state of Indiana is a fine example of servant-hearted leadership.

"I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you…"

Romans 1:8

~~~

Steve & Penny Taylor reside near Stilesville, Indiana (Putnam County).  Steve serves as President of the IAHE.  Steve and Penny are the parents of nine children, ranging in age from 14 to 31 years of age, and have homeschooled for almost 27 years.  They served as Regional Reps for ten years prior to joining the Board.  Their family is active in 4-H with archery, shooting sports, and livestock projects.  With some children now married, they have begun a new season of life - that of being grandparents - and passing the baton to the next generation of home educators.  

Phil & Debi Ketron reside in Guilford, Indiana (Dearborn County).  Phil serves as Vice President and Secretary of the IAHE. They served as IAHE Region 8 Representatives for four years before joining the Board of Directors.  They homeschooled for 21 years, and their four children are homeschool graduates.  The three oldest have earned college degrees, one of which is a CPA, and their youngest child is currently in college.  The Ketrons had been involved in homeschool leadership in southeastern Indiana for many years.  They hope to be a blessing to the families of Indiana through their service at the IAHE.  

Frank & Jackie Franks reside in Pendleton, Indiana (Madison County) on their 80 acre farm. Frank serves as Treasurer of the IAHE. They have home educated and graduated their children Caleb, Rebecca, and John-Paul. Another daughter Amy lives in Austin, TX, with her husband and three sons. Seeing the faults of how they lived their early lives, they decided to, with God's help, raise adults committed to Christ. They felt the best way to do this was to intentionally homeschool and disciple. Without discipleship, they feel that the results of home education will be no better or worse than any other form of education. 

~~~

Thank to the local Support Group and Co-op Leaders!!!

If you are a part of a local support group, then you already know that we have dedicated and giving parents in our home education community. Throughout Indiana, we have hundreds of support groups and co-ops. The foundation of each of these organizations is built upon the willingness of servant-hearted individuals that step up as leaders.

Without them, our homeschooling lives wouldn't be the same.

Have you been a part of a homeschool group?

A co-op?

A homeschool dance?

A spelling bee?

A homeschool sport?

The people behind the scenes with each of these activities, and so many others like them are, dedicate hours out of their week to enrich the lives of the families around them.

Do you have a special leader that you would like to thank? Leave us a comment below and let us know how much you appreciate them.

Another round of Thank You's for our Convention Volunteers!

In continuation of our November blog series, we would like to thank another batch of our wonderful volunteers for the 2013 IAHE Home Educators' Convention. Each of these people helped make our convention a success! 

Linda Owens

Salem Stegemiller

Jeff Cannaday

Aubrey Cannaday

Caitlin Cooper

Petrie Smith

Mariah Taylor

Gallory Taylor

Braeden Taylor

Declan Taylor

Bob Huffman

Melissa Huffman

Jennifer Smith

Don Smith

Lisa Thyr

Irene Silva

Aleisha Whitesell

Ashley Whitesell

Andrea Whitesell

Austin Whitesell

Gabe Smith

Miriam Smith

Phillip Balke  

Peter  Balke  

Daniel Balke

Mary Howard

Zeke Williams

Lydia Abbott 

Jeff Thomas
Deb Koval