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| The Old
Schoolhouse® Magazine
HOME Where
They Belong |
November 23,
2006 | |
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 Greetings!
Happy "Day
After" Thanksgiving everyone! Did you eat too much? Did you "count your
blessings?" We have much to be thankful for ... never forget that.
Did
you know we had a big sale in The
Schoolhouse Store this weekend? Yep . . . you can shop in your jammies, get
some good great deals, and a TON of freebies! Check
it out here! It's our 1st Annual "Black Friday" Sale!
Have you
ever wondered where the term "Black Friday" came from? We did some research and
think this
site has a good explanation for what it is. Even though the term has
historically had some negative connotations, we are using it in the "retail"
sense.
We've had such a GREAT response to this sale, that we're going to
extend it through Saturday, December 2nd. Maybe you were out of town for
Thanksgiving and are just now getting "wind" of this sale. Maybe you need a
little more time to "adjust the Christmas budget." We've gotten some really neat
feedback from you all about what you are planning to do with your purchases ...
it's such a blessing to hear!
So ... that's the plan. You've got exactly
seven more days to take advantage of our "Black Friday" sale! And
remember ... ALWAYS FREE SHIPPING!
One more thing ... we have a
guest columnist this week. Sue
Brage from The Homeschool Encourager will be sharing some thoughts about
having gratitude in the big and small things. What a much needed reminder to us
all!
See ya next week! Enjoy every minute!
Julie Nott, TOS
Marketing Manager
and The Homeschool Minute
Team
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 HOME Where
They Belong
Do you “shelter” your children?
That’s a bad word in some
circles, we’re finding. Something is creeping into the church (and even the
homeschooling community) and it isn’t biblical. It is an “anti-sheltering
campaign” of sorts, and it’s full of holes. Think about it. What does it mean to
shelter? Protect. Defend. Guard. Preserve. Watch over. Shield.
Safeguard. Hmmmm, so far so good, right? Sure, until "pop psychology" comes
in and tells us that we should allow our children to taste a little of the world
in order to understand it or pray for it. That we should not “over-shelter”
them. Nonsense.
What’s the opposite of shelter? Expose.
Endanger. We parents are called to be like our Father in Heaven. He is the
greatest “Shelterer” there ever was, and it is us He shelters – or
watches over; protecting us, preserving us, shielding us. Praise Him for this!
Glory to God who knows how to parent (shelter) us perfectly. May we as
parents follow this model – His model. Let’s continue to shelter (love) our
children as He loves us. Dismiss the garbage that crawls in; don’t buy it. We’re
promised there will be false teachers, liars in the church. I want to keep my
eyes focused on Christ, come what may.
Parents: Keep sheltering
them. You are bringing them up in the love and admonition of the Lord, not in
the latest speaker/teacher. May you be blessed as you continue to walk in
obedience! Lord, thank you for sheltering me. Please never stop. “Over-shelter”
if You will (if there is such a thing). Fine with me! Over-protect, Over-defend,
Over-guard me; please do! I’ll take it all, Lord. Keep me tight to Your side.
I’m safe there. There, I can breathe. It’s where I live.
For thou hast
been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.
-Psalms
61:3
- gena |
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 Homeschool
Heart
In All Circumstances
Give thanks in all circumstances, for
this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
I Thes. 5:18
The
holidays aren't an easy time for everyone. Many struggle with enjoying the
holidays if they've lost a loved one, are struggling in a relationship, dealing
with financial stress, or lots of other reasons. Yet I pray that we can all face
Thanksgiving with an attitude of gratitude. We may not be thankful for
all of our circumstances, but God's Word says that we should be thankful
in all of our circumstances. As Christians we can be thankful because we
know no matter what we are dealing with, God is there with us. The victory
has already been won, and He will never leave nor forsake us. Yes, we
can be thankful for that!
- Nancy |
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 Homeschool
Freebies!
Homeschool Thanksgiving
T ~ is for the TIME God
has given us with our children.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-9
H ~ is for
the HOMESCHOOLING opportunity we have. Deuteronomy 6:7
A ~
is for the ABILITY the Lord gives us each day. Philippians 4:13
N ~ is for the NEEDS our children have that we are able to
meet.
K ~ is for the KINDNESS that we can teach our
children by our example.
S ~ is for SAVIOR who we can
freely talk about while "in" school.
G ~ is for GLADNESS -
"A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance," Proverbs 15:13a
I
~ is for the INTEGRITY (moral uprightness) our children will learn
while observing our lives as wives, mothers and teachers.
V ~ is
for our children's VICTORIES we can share in because we are THERE!
I ~ is for encouraging our children's IMAGINATION and
creativity.
N ~ is for teaching our children that NARROW
is the path that leads to life. Matthew 7:14
G ~ is for having an
attitude of GRATITUDE in all things. 1 Thessolonians 5:18
What? The Thanksgiving poem wasn't enough of a freebie? Okay, here ya go ...
lots of good stuff here! www.abcteach.com
-
Julie |
|
 Schoolhouse
Store Spotlight
The spotlight this week is on our 1st Annual "Black Friday" Sale! Check
it out NOW!
Here's a peek at some of the freebies you will get with
your purchases!
Holiday Open House Sampler - Open Your Heart and Your
Home E-book
Value: $2.95
Gifts In A Jar E-book
Value:
$5.95
Neat and Tidy E-manual & Organizing Happiness E-book
Value: $18.00
Respected American Women Lapbook E-book
Value:
$15.00
Easy Lunches For Busy Homeschool Days E-book
Value:
$21.95
Romancing the Principal (Only IF You Are Homeschooling!) E-book
Value: $15.00
The Homemaker's Journal: Keeping House E-book
Value: $16.95
Complete "THE CINNAMON BEAR" audio series with BONUS
COLORING BOOK!
Value: Approx $39.95
Messengers of Faith "Jesus –
Talking Action Figure Doll"
Value: Approx $25.00
Homeschooling the
High Schooler E-book
Value: $12.45
Draw Write Now®, Book Six -
Animals & Habitats
Value: Approx $9.00
That's over
$180 in freebies! Hurry
over ... this sale won't last long! Only lasts through Saturday, December
2nd!
- Dena |
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 Jeneric
Jeneralities
It is too common, and it always turns my stomach. ‘This prominent preacher
was caught in a motel room doing this and that,’ or, ‘this pastor was caught
embezzling money, terrorizing his flock, or behaving abominably,’ and, ‘this
popular speaker, who teaches how to keep children pure and obedient, has
children who are neither pure nor obedient.’ The list goes on and on. The truth
is, we are all susceptible. And deep-seeded ongoing sin has to start
somewhere. No matter who we are, what we feed will grow. The things we
allow in our lives will define and ultimately shape us. It is a sad fact that
good intentions and zeal can dissipate and even disappear. Peer groups and
outside influences can hijack the most dedicated believer and cause them to be
ineffective and worthless. Our kids are following our lead. Even before
‘academics’ we have the responsibility of molding their values, habits and
character. YIKES.
Let’s stay before God, on our knees, and be wise with
what we’re entrusted and careful with what we let influence ourselves and our
children. May we seek to raise up children who will love the Lord their God with
all their hearts . . . Lord, make them truly faithful to You.
- Jen
Ig |
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| From our
readers...
"I wanted
to take a minute, at the start of this Thanksgiving holiday week, to say thank
you for providing me with some much needed inspiration. I have wanted to
homeschool my oldest daughter, now age six, since I knew I was pregnant with
her, but circumstances have prevented me from being able to do so, mainly being
a single-working mother for several years. She attended a private, Epsicopal
school, where I taught at the time, but it wasn't what I wanted for her. Then, I
took another job at a public school (what a HUGE mistake!), and she attended two
different public elementaries. The fears that homeschooling families have
regarding public schools are justified, and the schools my daughter attended are
considered "good" schools. My husband (who is wonderfully supportive) and I made
the decision that she will not be going back after Thanksgiving break. My
youngest daughter is two months old, and I have felt convicted for a long time
to have my family home with me, not shipped off for someone else to raise for
seven hours each day. My family and I have been blessed that I can now work
online from home, so God has answered our prayers, and we are looking forward to
our lives with our girls home where they belong! Thank you for your words of
encouragement and support. Even though each of you may not realize it, the
information you provide is a great service. Keep up the great work and have a
blessed Thanksgiving!"
M. Burson |
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| Special Guest
Columnist - Sue Brage
The Homeschool
Encourager
"Let us be grateful and worship God in a way that will please him, with
reverence and awe."
Hebrews 12:28
God is reminding me of the
power of being grateful. Sometimes it's easy to be thankful for the "big" things
in life, yet sometimes the smallest things mean the most. For example, we praise
God for a promotion or new job, but we get teary eyed when someone gives us a
new pair of shoes for our child that was "just what they needed." We must learn
to appreciate all the gifts God has given us--both big and small!
A
friend recently shared with me that he went to buy a new TV and they were sold
out of the model he wanted. He was going to have to pay an extra $100 at another
store. Later that day he received an email from the store with the subject,
"Shh...Private Sale" offering $100 off his next purchase. Man, that spoke
volumes to him about God's "personal" loving care.
Consider the Parable
of the Talents in Matthew 25. The one who was given one talent hid what the Lord
had given Him--and didn’t appreciate the "small" task the Lord had given him to
do. Perhaps he was even jealous of the men with the 5 and the 10 talents. As a
result, he missed out on the satisfaction of completing the task his master had
given him to do and the resulting reward.
That’s the danger of not
appreciating even the small things the Lord sends our way. Would you consider
homeschooling a small thing? Maybe not. But homeschooling is really just a
series of small, sometimes seemingly insignificant, tasks. I realize it’s hard
to be grateful for some of the situations we face ...like daily accidents of one
sort or another ...grape juice on the carpet ...or the endless correcting and
training we do. Yet, like the man with the talents, it is our responsibility to
accept these tasks with joy and appreciation.
Easier said than done. How
do we attain this mindset? By remembering the bigger picture. When we focus on
the small details, we begin to lose focus on the whole. Our verse says we should
"be grateful and worship God in a way that will please him, with reverence and
awe." So being grateful involves reverence and awe.
Awe comes when we
truly grasp the bigness of our most menial tasks, not in and of themselves, but
as a part of God’s "big picture." I pray the Lord would reveal more of Himself,
and the awe-inspiring plan of which you are a part! For truly, preparing your
children to serve and love Him ...and pass on the truths you are teaching them
to their own children is not a small thing in God’s eyes.
I pray your
Thanksgiving is filled with awe and wonder at the goodness of
God!
A homeschooler for over 15 years, Sue Brage is known as
"The
Homeschool Encourager." She speaks and writes to hundreds of homeschoolers
and currently writes a weekly email devotional called Weekly
Word. She is also a full-time writer for an international ministry in the
Denver area. |
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Coming up in
the Winter issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine!
-We'll talk about the history and current status of the homeschooling
movement featuring a summary of research on homeschooling by Dr. Brian Ray, a
roundtable discussion about public schools and the history of compulsory
education. We'll also have stories of the early days from homeschooling
pioneers.
-Our special conventions and support groups section will
include articles on how homeschoolers can benefit from them as well as how-to
articles about starting and organizing support groups and much more.
-Our military theme will embrace everything from a firsthand account of
homeschooling as a military family and a military-themed geography study to
classes at the National Museum of the US Air Force, the American Revolutionary
War, and the art of Benjamin West.
-We'll look beyond homeschooling in
the United States to homeschooling in the United Kingdom and New Zealand,
including an interview with New Zealand homeschool leaders.
-The Natural
Schoolhouse will round things out with a look at natural cleaners you can make
with simple ingredients and happy hunting on the homestead!
Don't miss out! Subscribe
before December 1st and you'll start with the Winter issue! Subscribe
Now!
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