Our Story

We haven't always been this strange...

Darren and Carrie met in the fall of 1992 on a street corner (yes, there's a story there, and no, it's not a sordid one). They were married the following July and have been enjoying the fruits of a healthy, God-centered marriage ever since! God has changed and molded them in numerous ways over the years and they are looking forward to what He has in store for them for the future.About us personally....Darren is a now retired US Navy Sailor and an ordained pastor in the American Baptist Association. He is looking forward to beginning an engraving business from home upon retirement. His interests include his family, working outdoors, archery, fishing, and tennis (as time allows). Carrie is a contented stay-at-home mom with a background in Mathematics Education. She enjoys her family, cooking, reading, healthy eating/living, and learning homemaking skills (again, as time allows!). About homeschooling....We haven't always been sold on the whole "homeschooling" concept! As a young married couple, we knew a few families that homeschooled their children and vowed we would never punish our children in such a way. However, God had a MUCH better plan! As our oldest son approached school age, Carrie approached Darren with the idea of giving homeschooling a try. He agreed.....very reluctantly (hoping she would soon come to her senses). Well, our "trial" year turned into another year, and another, and then.....a lifestyle. There was a point where we went from making a yearly commitment to homeschooling to making a lifetime commitment (as God allows). Our attitudes of judgementalness and skepticism toward homeschooling have now been transformed into convictions based on the Word of God. We hope to encourage other families that regardless of their educational background, God has equipped and empowered them to teach and train their own children at home.About church....We both grew up in very traditional Southern Baptist settings, coming to a personal relationship with the Lord at young ages. Our married years began in the same manner, being very involved in church ministry and service. Over time, as our family grew and we began to search the Scriptures more diligently, we became aware that the traditional age-segregated church setting is not necessarily fully in line with God's intention for the church. One specific area in which our views have drastically changed is the traditional church "youth group". There is MUCH we could say about this (and just email Darren if you'd like to know more specifics... as he was "in the trenches" as a youth pastor for 4 years), but the bottom line is that God has bestowed upon parents (not youth "ministers" or "workers") the responsibility for the spiritual training and upbringing of their own children. Statistics have shown that isolated peer-driven spiritual groups do not move our young people to lasting spiritual maturity. And along those same lines, we believe that God's intention was/is for families to worship, serve, and grow toward Christ together, as a family unit, not segregated into peer groups. As such, many of the "programs" within the traditional church setting serve to segregate and fracture families rather than building them into cohesive, strong family units that stand for the Lord.About family roles....Again, we are not where we began, praise the Lord! Both Darren and Carrie have had MUCH to learn about God's plan for the husband and wife. Although it is not popular, Scripture is abundant with directives for living as a godly woman and living as a godly man (not to mention the instructions for parents!). We have grown closer to the Lord and to one another as we have studied and embraced our God-ordained positions within our family. We still have far to go, but are grateful for the Lord's conviction and leading as we seek to become the partners God intended.God has plans for both how to train up our children and how to conduct church and home life. In each of these areas, we can all learn so much from Scripture alone. We must not allow the traditions of man to intefer with what scripture says and if it does, somethings got to go. I don't know about you brother, "but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord".