“And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, ‘Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.’” Mark 12:42-44 KJV
Though this store is not being operated by a widow, our family would like to emulate the widow’s example. To be frugal, generous to God’s glory, to be excited to give our all to Christ and see Him honored is our hope and delight. To this end, the McGuire family has agreed together that Amber’s (Mother) love of books and people, Jeff’s (Father) mind for details and computers, David’s (Firstborn Son) memory for titles and authors, Madison’s (Family Sweetheart and only Daughter) organizational drive and Kepley’s (Youngest Son with lots of Spark) mathematical “ka-chink, ka-chink” and enthusiasm would be just the package to facilitate a shop where others can be supported through their own investment of time, money, and godly passion for educating their children at home.
Our home/heart stomping grounds include Eastern Washington and Idaho, though we have spent the past 15 years in Western Washington. We are so pleased to have returned to family, friends and flora that bring back all the memories of hot, dry summers and frigid, windy winters and the open faces of loved ones. The gorgeous green of the Pacific Northwest is dear to us, but even more dear is being back here where we know we are at home.
Of the varied experiences of the past 15 years, we have all realized what a blessing the resources of high numbers of densely packed people can be and what a detriment the compact living and traffic can be. The library system in Western Washington is going to be sorely missed! This thought brings me to the reason for The Homeschool Book Shop. As homeschoolers, we have realized just how much a really good book adds to the development of our children. Having never offered the kids access to the television, their alternative has been to keep their hands full of books. Though the library system in Western Washington was tremendous and a majority of books we could hope for were available, we discovered that truly quality books for Christian young people were few and far between. Out of desperation, we used our income to fund our drive for what we couldn’t find to borrow. When we realized that our hearts just weren’t with the lovely city of Seattle any longer, read “Dear Seattle” (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2004371152_moeletter27.html) for further understanding, we realized that the thousands of great books available to us at the public library, wouldn’t be available in our new/old home of Eastern Washington.
A favorite haunt over the last 8 years of our homeschooling adventure has been Homeschool PotPourri (see links) in Kirkland, WA. This store is a homeschoolers dream come true with used curriculum and books for browsing, ordering, selling and buying. It was from this store’s usefulness that The Homeschool Book Shop can attribute its inspiration.
With this in mind, having prayed, considered, talked to many friends and, of course, longed to try, we are happy to be attempting to start The Homeschool Book Shop for our selfish reasons of funding our own dear passion for books, but also to help other earnest parents in the same predicament.
Our purpose is to provide an outlet for all things pertaining to godly living in this fallen and broken world. We strive to provide excellent materials, quality books and an environment which supports the goals of Christian homeschoolers. We are unabashedly biblical in our approach and would love to see the families of Christ thrive in their homes and communities. To this end, we attempt to carry books and materials to encourage the integrated family and church through education and support. We desire to take captive the culture, to announce Christ’s beauty and to bring ultimate glory to God our Savior. If you have suggestions or materials to offer, please, email us, or better yet, visit our store. We will make every attempt to answer questions or accept your lovingly treated used materials.
We have loved our experience home educating our children and bringing them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord and have benefited from so many God-fearing families. If we can offer even a fraction of the wisdom of those who have gone before us through our efforts here at The Homeschool Book Shop, then we would rejoice. We look forward to meeting you, learning from you, reconnecting with you and rejoicing in our Lord with you!
Please keep checking back to find out more!
