As we ventured to our weekly swimming time, we chose to not let the 40 minutes slip by without any kind of education happening, resulting in me choosing a cassette tape to play while I headed toward our destination.

The tape I chose was titled True Tales of Ancient Civilizations by Diana Waring. We've been studying the book, The Mystery of History and I felt this tape would tie in with our current topic.

Almost immediately the kids became engrossed in the tape. You could almost feel their blood pumping a bit harder as they thought about lost civilizations. When we arrived at our destination, no one wanted to exit the van as we hadn't finished the tape yet, and they wanted to hear more. We decided to listen on our way home also.

After our two hours of swimming, we began heading back home. Quickly the children reminded me that we were listening to a tape. As the tape progressed, I could tell the children were thinking about exploring. When Diana shared on the tape about finding the city of Ninevah, John began to wonder if he could go exploring. Since John is only 10, I informed him that he could not head over to the Middle East in search of the Garden of Eden even if we did call it an educational trip.

I didn't want to thwart his new found love for adventure. As seems to be God's way, a friend had subscribed John to a magazine about archeology just a month before this. The magazine came in the mail that very day!

Upon arriving home John asked permission to do a bit of digging. We live on an acreage that has been inhabited for a mere 100 years, but it is possible John would be able to find some treasure in the yard.

He began his quest thinking he could possibly strike oil. What child did not dig a hole or two in his own backyard in search of oil, gold, or even a passageway to China? I'm beginning to think that all the great archeologists began in their own backyards.

Within just a couple of minutes John began to bring his treasures into the house. His treasures included several rusted nails, a dried up worm, a couple of rocks that "had to be worth something" and a really old penny from 1970. He had also enlisted the aid of several helpers in his quest, convincing his little brothers and sisters that all of the famous archeologists have many helpers who do most of the work.
 
It was incredible how our simple study of Ancient civilizations from The Mystery of History was churning in the children, making them want to explore the present to find a link to the past.
 
What was even more incredible though was how they saw that God was woven throughout all of history. He isn't just the God of the Bible. He is the God of all mankind!

One day we were discussing what it might look like to see the glory of God fall, as one of the songs at our church states. We had been listening to yet another Diana Waring tape that talked about Mt. Sinai and the Hebrews who saw God descend upon the mountain.

"Perhaps" they conjectured, "That would be what it's like to see the Glory of God fall."  Our study of history had made a song at our church even more real and have more meaning to them than if we hadn't studied it at all.

When we read about cities in the Bible and then see the evidence that they really existed it makes Jesus even more real to my children.

When my children are out digging in the dirt, I can trust that they are not just looking for treasures, but that they will indeed find the greatest treasure of all, a relationship with a living Lord.

In addition to devoting herself to her husband and the eight children she home schools, Terri also enjoys writing and speaking to offer encouragement to women in an effervescent, humorous way. Visit her website or e-mail her at terri@ignitethefire.com.