We are the Taubl Family, a homeschooling family of nine living in New Haven, Connecticut. My husband, John, and I are the proud parents of seven wonderful children who have been blessed with the gift of music. Gretchen, age 21, plays violin and viola. Nineteen-year-old Emily plays cello, and Annabelle, age 17, plays harp and violin. Jack is our 14-year-old violist, and 11-year-old Samuel plays cello. The 9-year-old twins, James and Jeremiah, play viola and violin.

All of us sing as well, and we travel across the country sharing our message of hope and encouragement with a hurting world. It has been an amazing journey, watching God lead and guide, closing some doors and opening others, always there to show us His way. There have been many forks in the road, and as I look back, it is clear that choosing God's way is always the safest path.

What started out as an invitation to do special music at our home church in New Hampshire has blossomed into a full-time ministry with all the challenges of juggling schedules and striving for balance. The children (and I use that term loosely to mean our offspring, as our oldest three are in college now!) are of course a vital part of our ministry, and they have been blessed with not only the ability to play and sing but also the desire to use their talents for God.

It has always been our passion that our concerts be not only entertaining but also deeply and intensely worshipful. For that reason, our emphasis has not been on the typical things that young performers would be taught but instead on conveying the message in their music. And this doesn't come from practice time alone. It comes from a lifestyle of striving for godliness.

Sundays are normally our concert days during the school year, so Monday can be ugly. We are often out late the night before, and we have made it our practice to let the children sleep in on Mondays and begin school a bit later than usual. Whatever the time, we start all our days with Bible reading and memorization, followed by a chapter from an inspiring piece of literature. Some of our recent choices have been The Chronicles of Narnia, The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald, and recently Chuck Black's Kingdom series. We then have a time of prayer, lifting up requests that have been brought to us through our ministry, requests for our family, and blessings for our country and its leaders.

The boys then take turns doing math and practicing their instruments. More than one practice session is required for most of them, so they do some in the morning and some after dinner at night. After lunch, we have two hours of free playtime, and then we begin our unit study. This is our favorite time of the day. We are currently studying the Middle Ages with an emphasis on Europe. Each lesson begins with a story from history, moving on to map work and philosophy or current events. Traditional grammar and spelling are then taught in this context, and we conclude our day with snacks around the fire and a chapter of our current historical fiction selection. We have just finished reading Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe. What fun!

That is the normal side of our lives. The other portion of our life is far from predictable. In 1998, our three oldest daughters were ready to expand their musical horizons and auditioned for two programs in Boston and one in New York City. Through a series of events, we believed that God was directing us to the prestigious Juilliard school in New York City. This meant that we would leave our home in New Hampshire at 4 AM on Saturdays, drive 4½ hours, spend the entire day in New York participating in all the classes, lessons, and orchestra rehearsals, then get in the car and drive back home. For four years, we kept up this exhausting ritual, and God used those years in a mighty way!

Both the training and the association have been richly rewarding. The girls have played solos with the Juilliard Pre-College orchestras. Emily has worked with the famous violinist Itzhak Perlman. Annabelle has had a performance at Carnegie Hall. Gretchen has played on a nationally broadcast radio program. Samuel was accepted into the program at age 8. The experiences just go on and on.

And two years ago, we came to another fork in the road. Our oldest daughter, Gretchen, was facing the big college decision, and she auditioned for several music schools in the northeast. As she pondered which school to choose, she approached us with her heart's desire. She asked if we would we be willing to move to Connecticut so she could live at home and we could continue to minister together as a family while she went to college at the Hartt School of Music.

We were thrilled and honored but also overwhelmed. Again, God showed us His way, and although bumpy and far from easy, it was best. Weeks later, after selling our house and beginning the plans to move, Emily (who was 16 at the time) learned that she had been accepted into the Yale School of Music for cello performance. All the pieces were falling into place. Both girls would live at home, and the ministry would continue.

We have since been invited to play for the United Nations on three occasions, performed in family concerts all across the eastern United States, and seen countless people make decisions for Jesus at our concerts. We have seen God provide instruments for the children, money to pay for lessons, and countless other blessings. As we face the uncertainty of the future, we know that the God of the "fork in the road" will always be faithful, showing us His way. All we have to do is be faithful.