We have chosen the term "fire" because it so fully incorporates all that we are trying to do with our children. It conveys a sense of excitement in learning, and it invokes the image of a burning passion for understanding.

Beyond just the emotions that the word conveys, however, its letters also provide a useful acronym for the method itself. F.I.R.E. stands for "Freedom is Real Education." What do I mean by "freedom"? I do not mean allowing our children to have ultimate liberty. I do not mean that we allow our children to play computer games ceaselessly. I do not mean our children are allowed to watch movies, even "good" movies all day long. The History Channel has some great educational programs on it, but it will not teach our children to think and grow for themselves. Instead, it will develop in them a passive learning process. An occasional show or two will not harm them, but if it becomes your habit to "see if there's something good on," then your children are missing out. I would rather they never watch anything than they become educational vegetables.

The freedom that I refer to is a freedom that comes only from following God. 2 Cor. 3:17: "Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." (NIV)

Galatians Chapter 5 is a great chapter on freedom. It begins, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." (Verse 1 NIV) Verses 13 through 15 say, "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command. Love your neighbor as your self. If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other."

What does this mean for me in light of home schooling? It means that I have had my yoke taken from me. Christ has set me free from my burdens. As a home schooling mom trying to follow a standard curriculum, I found myself bound. I found myself burdened. It wasn't until I gave up our home schooling to Jesus, that I once again found that freedom.

I often found myself wanting to study a certain area with my children, but I felt confined by the books I was using. I felt like I was giving them more work in what I felt was an already overloaded day. I was finding myself struggling with the promptings of the Holy Spirit in my life. He would prompt me to study a certain area with the children, and I would reason that there just wasn't enough time.

Now that I am FIRST turning to the Lord, I find the promptings from Him get done. It's a great feeling knowing that your children are learning what the Holy Spirit wants them to learn.

Take note though - Verse 13 holds for us a serious concern to keep on guard against. We are not to use our freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather, serve one another in love. One aspect of that sinful nature for a home schooling mom who is educating her children through "F.I.R.E." is a tendency toward laziness. I urge you not to become lazy in educating your children.

Another one of my favorite group of verses is Deuteronomy 6:5-9. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates."

Those verses illustrate education by "fire" - the best way possible. We are not to set aside a certain amount of time for educating our children. We are to be educating them ALL THE TIME.

I know some of you are saying, "But the Bible isn't talking about Algebra. It is talking about God's word."

The Word is the foundation of your home schooling. If it isn't, it doesn't matter how much Algebra you are doing. Everything our children learn should be learned in light of scripture. If all scientific concepts were taught in light of scripture, we wouldn't have a whole group of Christian children who aren't sure if evolution is true or not. Scripture would be the foundation, and science would simply build upon that. We are instructing our children upside down. It doesn't count if you give your twenty minutes of Bible first. That is not giving God's Word priority; that's simply giving it required time. God wants us to live in Freedom. To do that we must LIVE God's Word, we must "walk" in His Word. We must "rise" to His Word. We must even "sit" with His Word. Remind yourself frequently what it says in Deuteronomy 6. "Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates."

Freedom in the F.I.R.E. Method of home schooling is giving our lives up, giving our children up, and giving our time up to Jesus. He enables us to walk in Freedom, when we are slaves to Him.

Now that we know what Freedom means, what is a "Real Education"?

I went to Webster's 1828 dictionary to find out what he had to say about the word "real." This is what it said: "True; genuine; not affected; not assumed. The woman appears in her real character."

If "real" is to be defined as that which is true, we therefore need the definition of "true": Genuine; pure; real; not counterfeit, adulterated or false; as true balsam; the true bark; true love of country; a true Christian. --The true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. (John 1)

EDUCA'TION, n. [L. educatio.] The bringing up, as of a child, instruction; formation of manners. Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties.

I included the definition for true here, because it has a great bearing on the definition of real. Real means True.

A real education is one that encompasses more than just reading, writing, and arithmetic. A real education is an education that seeks to know what is true. It is not passive. It is proactive. Filling out a workbook is passive. Discovering the truth about gravity is proactive. Newton was being proactive when he developed his theory about gravity. He may have seemed to be passive (just sitting under a tree), but he was thinking and seeking for truth. In fact, he was being educated as he sat under the tree.

I once heard a story of a young boy on his way to manhood, who came home to be home schooled. His parents apparently knew the benefits of the F.I.R.E. Method of home schooling. He did not have any interest in doing his book work. All he did was stare out the window. His parents decided to allow this passiveness for a time. That young man, unbeknownst to his parents was not "just" staring out the window. He was observing his environment and actually became an expert on birds. Birds became his passion.

A real education is an education that is not rooted in a workbook or a textbook. It is an education of the mind. It is an educational process that allows God to use the child's mind to develop in him the passions that God Himself created in that child.

A real education is an education that relentlessly seeks after truth. A child does not merely accept as fact all that is given him. He observes and discovers for his own what is true. This can only work if the child is rooted in God.

What I often hear, and have even spoken myself, is there isn't enough time to "do Bible". We fill our children's days with too much if there isn't time for Bible. Also, I would tell you that you cannot "do Bible". Oh, yes, you can sit at the table for twenty minutes, read a chapter or two, memorize a verse, and say you have "done Bible". But that is NOT rooting your children in God. God must be the focus of your life. He must be the One who decides, guides, transforms, and educates your children. It is only when He is the guide behind the education of your children that your children will be able to come to a real education. Only when He is THE FIRE that your children put their faith and trust in, will your children fully realize their passions and talents.

Until your children are totally relying on God to educate them, however, you must be the one relying on Him. You must be keenly aware of what God is doing in the lives of your children. You set the example, you follow His leading, you forge the path, and you set them in the narrow way.

Excerpted from Ignite the Fire copyright 2002 Terri Camp