Author, The Christian Home School

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

Review by
Holly Cameron

ROOTED AND GROUNDED (GRADES 10, 11 OR 12):

Again, another quality Bible Study, this time geared for senior high through adult level audience, Rooted and Grounded does just what the title implies. It is a unique, challenging topical Bible curriculum that will challenge any who take the course. The book is written in the same format as the two prior volumes, but this one is a one-year course, in one book. There is also a teacher's guide, with answers and suggested activities for each lesson. The authors have gone beyond the norm in this study, as these lessons will really cause the student to think and focus on what they are learning and reading. There are also significant Scripture passages to memorize that will help the student stay rooted and grounded. There is, again, the focus on the unreached people groups of the world, with a two page prayer focus dedicated to a people group accompanied by the same beautiful artwork found in the junior high versions. There are tests available in a separate test booklet, if that appeals to you. The tests are to be given about every fourth lesson. Personally, I don"t think I use them, as this is such a personal study. Unless you need the tests to give grades and credit for Bible class, I think you will be able to discern whether your student is learning the subject matter just by how he/she is responding to the lessons. There are comprehension and analysis questions involved here.

I particularly like the journaling spaces and ideas and thoughts for journaling. This is a very good idea, as students at this age are often full of questions and thoughts, but need somewhere to write them down. There are also challenging writing opportunities given, which are indeed challenging and thought provoking. This book does it all. Bible study, memorization, evangelism, journaling, it is a very thorough, yet very easy to follow course that can only benefit anybody who commits the time to complete it! The cost, while not prohibitive, is not as inexpensive as another little devotional book you may find. That is the point; this is not a little book! This is a very comprehensive yearlong Bible curriculum that is well put together, and very nicely published. If you check out the website at www.deeperroots.com you will see many other products that are equally beneficial. There are many products with a missionary emphasis that look outstanding!! I personally am excited to be able to use these courses all the way through my children's junior high and high school years. I feel like I have hit upon a gold mine, only this is gold that I definitely want to share with all of you!! You will definitely be missing out if you don't at least take a look at these courses and see for yourself how wonderful they are!!!

Reviews from Eclectic Homeschool Online

Review by: Deborah Deggs Cariker

ROOTED AND GROUNDED (GRADES 10, 11 OR 12): A Guide for Spiritual Growth

Upper Level High School Curriculum or Youth & Adult Discipleship Groups
Written by: Howard Lisech, Bonnie Lisech, and Jan L. Harris
Edited by: Rick Madsen

It didn't take me but about a minute, browsing through the stack in my friend Pam Bowen's arms, to realize that everyone needed to know about Rooted & Grounded. Pam, from Conroe, a veteran homeschool mom of high degree, discovered the curriculum - teacher's guide, student's guide, and tests & answer keys - at the Texas Home School Coalition homeschool conference held in Conroe, Texas in August, 2001. She was excited about it and her excitement was contagious. When she heard that I was reviewing for Eclectic Homeschool Online, she said, "Well, then you need to see this!" She then promptly edged the spiral out of her stack; I pulled it loose, and was quickly and thoroughly convinced.

Published in 1999 by Deeper Roots Publications & Media, this curriculum is complete and much needed! (I'm glad they've prepared a middle school version!) I'm so eager to tell you about this that I don't have the words to start. (Debbie? With no words? Better pay attention to this, folks!)

study. It's a Bible study, personal growth challenge, geography lesson, and world history all rolled into one. The best aspect of Rooted & Grounded, in my opinion, is how the writers involve you in eternity. You will believe that your thoughtful prayers can make a difference - uh, because they can. I've read books that tell me how to pray and that I should pray, but not one that convinced me I could have an eternal impact on any particular group. Rooted & Grounded is different.

Also, this is not just a "read the Bible and regurgitate a formula answer" kind of text. This will make you think - and pray - and perhaps even cry as you examine your own heart. You'll find not just "what" questions but "why" questions that will cause you to hit your knees for some "knee-mail" with your Savior. Critical thinking skills are tantalized as you compare; writing skills are honed as you explain; heart attitudes are refined in the Refiner's Fire as you pray.

Consider what you'll be teaching and what your teen will be learning: The Doctrine of Sanctification, A Pure and Holy Life, Servanthood, Forgiving Others, God Knows You, Submission and Obedience to Authority, The Attitude of Christ, and other heart-provoking topics. Meet the people of Bosnia and Norway and Afghanistan, of Tibet and Bolivia and China through the Unreached People Profiles and Maps.

Consider the typical lesson in this atypical book: a prayer reminder with a geography lesson on a country and a people group; learn where the country is, its population and capital and its brief history. Read your scripture for the lesson and get the theme of the lesson. Then dive into scripture after scripture, which is good for all instruction and reproof and correction, and watch your heart change. Hit some vocabulary along the way and compare Bible versions. Then, compare your life to the perfect Life. How might you need to change? (Hope you've got a clean journal.) The Prayer Suggestions will help. I appreciate the wisdom of the authors as they share their desire for the students who use this curriculum to "spend this school year becoming an oak tree" instead of a weed. They issue this Bible study as a personal challenge to grow in Christ. "As you dig deeply into scripture," they say, "allow your roots to become firmly fixed and grounded in God." They hope the assignments will be more than (ho-hum) homework, but a "real opportunity to learn to know God better." Their prayer is that each student will allow the Holy Spirit to change him/her to be more like Jesus.

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if this curriculum engendered a spark that produced a wildfire of missionaries into their new-favorite part of the world. This could easily be a Bible study for potential missionaries, for those destined for the field full time or part time. Mainly, it's a challenge for high schoolers and young adults to get real with Jesus and get on with His plan for their lives. The book causes introspection that should lead to purging by the Holy Ghost and growth in Christ.

Rooted & Grounded will leave you not just knowing what you believe but why you believe it. You'll be able to really give a reason for your hope. That's what the world is looking for: real believers who believe that what they believe is real enough to cause someone else to believe!

And, if the thought of you or your children personally being on a foreign mission field scares you, then at least be willing to participate with those who will go - who already are there - in foreign missions with your prayers. Yet, also consider this: you DO have a mission field. Everyone does. A classroom... an emergency room... a receptionist's desk... a bank office... your sofa at home... We must be aware of and be working in our mission field, wherever that may be. Let Rooted & Grounded help you "...continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him..." (Colossians 2:6-7)

The Rooted & Grounded spiral bound Teacher's Guide ($37.50) contains daily bible study, review answer keys, teacher's helps, a sample lesson plan, and Bible passages. A prayer reminder for an unreached people group is included before each lesson in its 256+-pages. The spiral bound Student Workbook ($21.95) contains daily Bible study, weekly reviews, memory work suggestions, writing assignments, and the prayer reminder for unreached people groups in its 257 pages. The 39-page Unit Tests and Test Answer Keys is $3.95.

Rooted & Grounded is available from Deeper Roots Publications  2100 Red Gate Road; Orlando, FLA 32818. Ph: 407.293.8666. Email: DeeperRoots@aol.com Web: www.DeeperRoots.com

A veteran journalist, Deborah Deggs Cariker is a 6th year homeschooling mother of two and Assistant Editor of the EHO Product Reviews Department. Cariker and fireman husband, Bill, make their home near Conroe, Texas. Copyright İ 2002 Eclectic Homeschool Association

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

Review by Holly Cameron;

DISCOVERING OUR AMAZING GOD (GRADES 7-9)

This is the first volume of a two- volume course written for 7th to 9th graders. This is a really wonderful course, and something that I personally have been looking for, for a long time! This study is not written for brand new believers, it is specifically written, as the author states, to take the junior high student beyond the facts of the Bible stories to the serious challenge of getting better acquainted with God.Who is He? What is He like?

There are hands on exercises, videos and field trips. The authors have also added a different dimension by using less well-known Bible stories, as most junior high students have already heard the better-known stories. This study is very in depth, there are questions to answer, memory challenges, reviews, and tests. There is also a very clear missionary emphasis, as there is a people group studied along with each lesson. The artwork is wonderful!! There are detailed sketches of people from the different people groups, as well as delightful cartoons throughout the books. There are writing opportunities and journaling opportunities.

This is NOT just a sit, read and repeat facts study. It appears easy enough at first, but by the end of the first lesson, the students are really having to think and really challenge themselves. For example, on Day six of lesson 1 there is a writing opportunity where the student is asked to read several proverbs and choose the one he/she likes best and write a creative story which illustrates the wisdom of the proverb. There is class time allotted to the writing, but this is also very easy to integrate into your homeschool day by using the writing projects for English class. There is no instruction on HOW to write a paper, or a story, that is assumed to be taught in another part of your day, but the lessons in this study will challenge and hopefully motivate your student to really discover who God is.

Each lesson is about discovering some aspect of God such as God's Love, God's Creativity, God's Power, God's faithfulness, God's justice, and more. The course is designed to take one semester to complete, but is very easy to extend if you need to. The study I reviewed is the home School Edition, but there is also an edition for Sunday school, or Bible Class. This is an extremely well written study, which will draw your student into a deeper relationship with Christ and at the same time show him/her some of God's heart for the unreached people of the world.

There is a teacher's guide and a student workbook available, and in my opinion, the teacher's guide is necessary. It helps you follow along with your student, and there are lots of different helps and suggestions throughout. The price is quite affordable. Check out the website at www.deeperroots.com If you are looking for a complete, thorough Bible study, you won't go wrong here!

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

Review by Holly Cameron;

DISCOVERING WHO I AM IN CHRIST (GRADES 7-9)

This is the second volume of the series described above. It too, is meant to last a semester, and is intended for after the first volume. This volumes' purpose is to again go beyond the facts of the Bible stories to the wonderful knowledge of the students' spiritual identity. Who we are in Christ; chapters include: Sinner or Saint? A New Creation; Adopted; Citizen of Heaven; A Sheep in His pasture, and many more. The format is the same as the first volume, with questions and hands on activities, and lots of challenging writing activities. These questions make you think! They aren't the kind of questions that you will know the answer to without even thinking about it, they are thought provoking and challenging. I am very impressed with this Bible curriculum, and I believe there is a needed place for it in the lives of our children who have grown up hearing and knowing, but maybe not really realizing that THEY are Christ's children too; this study will help the junior high student realize that he/she is important to Jesus, and that he/she matters in Christ's eyes. Together, the two studies will comprise a very thorough, challenging Bible curriculum that will be a wonderful addition to any home!