Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!
My name is Sharon Duke. I'm a Christian wife and homeschooling mom from northern Wisconsin. My husband, Tom, is a forestry supervisor for the State of Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources. We live with our nine children in a large white farmhouse in the middle of the potato flats. We are not farmers, although God has given us the exciting opportunity to try our hand at raising some dairy goats! Check out our goat link for the latest on these sweet and sometimes sassy creatures.
A person's bookshelf can tell a great deal. I have one section I like to make available to other moms. It contains books that God has used to mold my thinking. By far, the Bible is my favorite book! We have used it as our children's first reading book, our main textbook for schooling, our comfort and guide. Also on my shelf are books by Raymond and Dorothy Moore. They got me started well on the exciting adventure of homeschooling back nearly 20 years ago. Chris Klicka and Michael Farris have changed the face of American education through their books, talks and work with Home School Legal Defense. Other authors that have changed my life are John Piper, Corrie ten Boom, Mary Pride, Michael and Debi Pearl, Jeff and Marge Barth, Doug Phillips, Maria Von Trapp, and Nancy Campbell. Interesting mix when put together, hey?
My personal interests include writing, playing my violin occasionally, studying worship and talking about homeschooling and child training. If I could have a day alone to do whatever I'd like, I'd choose reading, sleeping, praying and writing. I am typically energized by people, but I've found that these people-needs are met in great quantity by the daily interaction of our large family. So my personal times tend to be rather quiet and introverted at this point in my life.
Our family enjoys singing together and leading people in worship. God has given us many opportunities over the years to sing for various groups. Tom and Tyler are worship leaders at our church, Antigo Community Church. (www.antigocommunitychurch.org). Our oldest five children also lead worship at our church and have a worship band called Exuberant. Check out their website: www.exuberant-band.com.
The Duke family enjoys many sports including biking, skiing, swimming, basketball, golfing, football, baseball, well, I guess just about any sport! Another activity that our family enjoys is hunting. Our fifth child just passed the hunter safety test and will join the older ones and Tom in turkey hunting soon. They also like hunting deer, duck, partridge and geese.
If there's one thing I'd like someone to know about me it's that I am a wisdom-seeker. God is daily transforming my mind as I seek Him through His Word, the Bible. What you read on the pages of this website is from my current understanding of things and from the experiences we've had. But only Scripture is scripture. I pray that readers will test what I say with scripture, and seek God for specific counsel and direction for personal situations. He is so faithful.
Grace and peace to you,
Sharon Duke