Interested in homeschooling but want some help to get started? Join us on Saturday, Jan 6th!Register Today!

CHEC

Redeeming the Time

By Ashley Vaughan

Thanksgiving is over (though who else has turkey leftovers still?) and the Christmas season is knocking on our door. It’s a wonderful time of year. But let’s face it, with all of the parties, concerts, shopping, Christmas card writing, family get-togethers, and more, we often feel like this…

And in the hubbub and uproar of a season that can include the equivalent of 60 hour work weeks, it can be easy to miss the reason for the season.

What if, before sailing full steam ahead into a flurry of activities, we took a moment (or several) to take a step back and evaluate our traditional busy-ness? And also ask ourselves, are we passing on to our kids the materialistic values of our godless society? Or are we intentionally laying a foundation in their hearts of a God-centered view of this time of year?

Read More

| by

Instilling a Thankful Heart

By Shari McMinn

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16 ESV)

Oftentimes, children who are unique learners have special challenges that make them very self-focused. It is a conundrum for parents to simultaneously focus on their child’s issues while not making that child become the center of the family universe. My husband and I faced this dilemma with several of our children who had significant learning delays and emotional disturbances. It was a struggle for our other children to put up with their very needy siblings, especially when it always seemed that we had to address their behavioral issues before we could give attention to the less needy children.

One way we addressed this issue was by teaching all of our children to have a grateful heart for even the most basic things like fresh air, clean drinking water, loving family members, and our Christian faith. We would often put thankfulness as a top priority in the way we prayed and spoke in general conversation. It was especially difficult after my husband died unexpectedly because that loss was monumental for all of us and it was a challenge to find anything to be grateful about in the aftermath. Within a few years of his death, one of my teenage daughters was killed, so there was seemingly even less to be thankful for.

Read More

| by

Legislative Update for November 15, 2023

By Carolyn Martin (CHEC Director of Government Relations)

TABOR Saved From Destruction … for Now


Prop HH was defeated on election day, November 7, 2023. It was a hard-won fight to educate people about the bait and switch being pulled on the public with this legislative initiative. It was defeated by an approximately 60% vote against it and TABOR (Taxpayer Bill of Rights) was saved from the greedy hands of the government … for now.

The battle against Prop HH really began in the legislature at the end of the last session. Essentially, it was the governor, through the Democrats in the legislature, who placed the question on the ballot. The Republican minority had no say in the crafting of the legislation. Even as the legislation was being rammed through on the fast track, the minority began asking for a special session to deal with the issue of the horrendous residential property tax increases the people of Colorado were seeing in their mailboxes. Property taxes were rising as much as 81% in some counties, mostly due to the repeal of the Gallagher Amendment in 2020.

Read More

| by

Captured by the Cowpoke

By guest author Brandee Gillham

As my cowboy and I are working on transitioning our life to having four boys in our band of cowpokes I found myself under attack. I was trapped by the toddler. Our third son is about as rough and wooly as they get. His older brothers have toughened him up very quickly and he is a child we will have to put a tight set of reins on to control his eager spirit (figuratively speaking, of course).

I was in town the other day with my two littlest ‘pokes. The baby needed to eat so I scooted to the back seat, vented the windows and let the toddler out of his car seat. This was my first mistake. Always keep the toddler restrained when you are trapped in a vehicle with him!

The lil’ ‘poke sweetly mentioned crawling up to the front seat. I sincerely tried to discourage him, but I was in no position to resist his movement. Off he went and unfortunately he found the car keys while unloading and scattering the contents of my purse. This lil’ fella is pretty smart and managed to put the keys in the ignition. Still being trapped in the back while feeding the baby I simply tried to discourage the toddler from starting the car. He was able to turn it on accessory and that’s when the party started.

Read More

| by

Family Discipleship Happens in the Little Things

By Brenda Kelly

Children, dressed, hair in place and sitting attentively in the family room, Dad with his Bible giving a sermon, and me making sure the baby was quiet. That was my initial thought when I heard that we should be involved in “Family Discipleship.”

“There’s no way that is going to happen in our crazy world of 70-hour work weeks, educating 6 children, and a house to manage — not to mention biblical hospitality, church life, etc. Maybe next year we’ll get our act together and mange to pull this off!”

But as the years went by, I began to realize that discipleship happens best when it happens naturally during a day … choosing to sing a worship song instead of a nursery rhyme when putting the toddler to bed, grabbing a Bible and reading what God has to say about selfishness when breaking up a dispute over a toy instead of trying to decide “who had it first,” stopping to pray with a teen whose heart has been wounded by a friend instead of thinking there will be time later for this conversation, wiping away tears over a math problem while reminding that God wants us to work hard and school is part of a child’s work.

Read More

| by

chec-white-footer-logo

720.842.4852Email19039 Plaza Drive
Suite 210
Parker, CO 80134

Contact Us

Want to Advertise with CHEC?

Subscribe for your Free Download

* indicates required

You are subscribing to receive a free PDF download and email updates from CHEC.org. Your privacy is 100% guaranteed, and you can unsubscribe anytime.

Subscribe for the free Ebook

* indicates required

You are subscribing to receive a free PDF download and email updates from CHEC.org. Your privacy is 100% guaranteed, and you can unsubscribe anytime.

Subscribe for the free Starter Package

* indicates required

You are subscribing to receive two PDF downloads, access to an educational video course, and email updates from CHEC.org. Your privacy is 100% guaranteed, and you can unsubscribe anytime.