To Train Up A Child

"Mom, this stuff is BORING!"

That's what more than one homeschooling parent has heard when a student encounters a challenging task. So much of learning is fun, but there comes a time in every student's career when there is some hard work involved and some self-discipline.

It's true for all of us, really. We all know what we OUGHT to do, but the temptation when things become difficult is to look for a shortcut or quit. It's just easier to do the heavy lifting when the rewards are immediate . . . Who wants to bloom when there is no promise of spring? When you can't see the finish line? When you don't know for sure that the outcome will be to your personal benefit?

When the only reward is knowing that you did the right thing for the right reason in the right way?

The people that have been inspired. That's who. When you are working towards a higher goal, when you know your purpose is righteous and when you know there is something bigger than your personal comfort/discomfort at stake. When you have a dream.

That's why it's important for children to have heroes. They can learn about the childhood adventures of men and women that later went on to make a difference and change history. When students feel overwhelmed, they can remember how great figures in history had to struggle for the opportunity to learn so that they might one day stand and defend a righteous cause.

Debi Pearl's newest book LISTEN TO MY DREAM is a wonderful tool to help give students an inspirational hero and encourage them on to do the hard work of learning -- on those days when it's not necessarily fun, when the finish line seems so far away.

In LISTEN TO MY DREAM, Debi takes the reader through the childhood of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. She tells how he worked to develop skills that would one day help him to inspire people to call for change in the laws that allowed citizens to be mistreated. Click on the image to see more pages from the book and purchase a copy for your own students.

LISTEN TO MY DREAM is a 39-page children’s book written by Debi Pearl as a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The book is written in poetic verse and colorfully illustrated by Debi and her husband Michael Pearl. It is a wonderful book for reading aloud to young ones. The last few pages of this soft back book include a summary of the Civil Rights movement in the United States and the crucial role Dr. King played in leading that movement.

Debi Pearl grew up in the Memphis, TN area during the 60’s. She saw firsthand how Jim Crow laws forced people to conduct themselves differently based upon a person’s color. She heard the speeches, the arguments, saw the turmoil and experienced the upheaval when Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis. She lived to see the ‘Whites Only’ signs removed. Debi knew what it was like before Dr. King.

She tried to explain all that she had seen to her children and field their many questions. They had never known what it was like to be forbidden to extend a kindness because someone was a different color. They had never known what it was to see hatred based upon color. The local library had only one children’s book on this historic figure. So Debi wrote LISTEN TO MY DREAM over 20 years ago to fill this gap in her children’s education. An unsuccessful attempt at publishing left the little volume in a forgotten corner of her office until this past year when it was re-discovered by another child that had never heard the stories. Debi determined that this time she would publish the book so that other children would learn about the world she had known, the history she had witnessed, and the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

But Dr. King was more than just a social figure. He was a man, a husband, a father and a preacher. Debi’s husband Michael is also a preacher. I asked her, “How will you respond to people who say that Dr. King preached against some of the things you believe? How do you honor someone that preached and wrote against some things that your husband teaches are fundamental truth?”

Debi’s simple response was, ‘My issue is that things changed because he spoke out. This man wasn’t perfect. He was used by God to change history. He made a difference. Children need to know what a difference one man can make.’

It’s a good reminder for all of us, I think . . . . not just the children.

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Now is the time to order your copy of LISTEN TO MY DREAM during the AMAZON BLITZ, JANUARY 5th, 6th and 7th. With your proof of purchase from Amazon.com, you’ll receive a 25% off discount code on merchandise from these high quality retailers: www.AncientHealingOils.com, www.BulkHerbStore.com, www.CFishClothing.com, www.KingstoneMedia.com, www.MoreThanAlive.com, and www.NoGreaterJoy.org.

Additionally, you’ll receive the following free ebooks: Herbal Alternatives (More Than Alive), African American Faith in America. For those that order in quantities of 8, 16, or 24, additional free gifts will apply. See www.DebiPearl.com for details.

Email your dated receipt from Amazon to Mel Cohen to receive your coupon codes. Your book must be purchased January 5th, 6th or 7th in order to qualify for this special offer. All coupon codes expire 1/11/10 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.

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Men that call others to arise and be accounted for something more than self are rare. These men dispense hope and call on their fellows to pursue a nobler purpose. They serve as an inspiration and encourage others to dream of more.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lived his life in this way. His life is in contrast with others that loved fame and sought to be well-known. It was not enough that the laws of the land be changed; He pressed for individuals to have their hearts turned to do right. He prodded people to pursue excellence.

Not surprisingly, Dr. King’s life has served as inspiration for a tribute written by a grandmother from Tennessee entitled, LISTEN TO MY DREAM.

This work is Debi Pearl’s first children’s book. Debi’s husband, Michael Pearl, provided the colorful illustrations for this volume that calls to a new generation of readers to remember the message of Dr. King. The book was made possible with the cooperation of the Heirs of the Estate of Martin Luther King, Jr. and is scheduled to be available for sale starting December 15, 2009. Watch for your chance to reserve a copy of LISTEN TO MY DREAM by Debi Pearl.