From the Editor
We have good news! Rather than overwhelm you with words, we have decided to shorten our e-Newsletter a bit to make it less daunting to read or send to friends. Nevertheless, we have retained enough encouragement, practical advice, and (of course) contests to get you through each month!
From all of us at The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, our desire and prayer for each of you is that the real Good News of the birth of our Lord Jesus will bless your Christmas, that your family will be filled with peace and joy, and that God will strengthen you for the journey ahead.
Thank you for staying with us and encouraging us and for recommending us to your friends and family. Please let us know if there is anything we can help you with--we're here for you. Just email your questions or comments to: devotions@TheHomeschoolMagazine.com
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Deborah Wuehler is the Devotional e-Newsletter editor and Devotional editor for The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine. She lives in Roseville, California, with her husband, Richard, and their seven gifts from heaven, whom they have homeschooled from birth.
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From Our Readers: Nails & Wood
By Karla Melcher, Supply, NC
We are going back and forth this year about putting up a large Christmas tree. We have no way to "block it off" in our new house, and Tyson is mobile this year--a busy 16-month-old who is curious and loves to learn through "tactile exploration" (i.e., getting into everything!).
I was sitting in the office, preparing our Christmas cards and musing about the Christmas season. I began thinking about which ornaments I would miss putting out the most. We have some beautiful ones, but the ones that came to mind were our simple nails that I purchased a few years ago. There is a set of "manger nails" that represent the nails that were used to hold together our Savior's first bed--a humble manger. We also have the Cross nail--a large spike--that we put near the center of the tree so that only our family knows it is there. It reminds us of the atoning work Jesus did for us at the cross.
As I thought about these ornaments that help our family remember the true meaning of the Christmas holiday, a thought struck me--Jesus spent His whole life surrounded by nails. Not only did they hold together the crude feed box that became His crib. He must have, as a young lad, picked up nails that His father dropped onto the floor of the family carpentry shop. And when He apprenticed under His father, He must have used many of them to create the works of His trade. I also imagine that He occasionally felt the throbbing pain of a mallet or hammer that missed its intended target and instead hit His thumb!
What irony! The wood and nails that surrounded Him in His youth must have seemed to taunt him as he hung on the Cross for six long hours. Instead of laying His head in a secure manager, He endured a crown of thorns. Instead of seeing a curl of wood come from the plane as He smoothed a piece of wood to perfection, He felt the rough splinters of the wooden cross that He was forced to carry upon His back. Instead of a throbbing thumb, He experienced excruciating pain as a hammer pounded the massive nail spikes into His hands and feet.
From now on, whenever a sliver punctures my skin or when I miss the nail and hit my thumb (or even when the duties of being a wife, mommy, homemaker, and homeschooling parent seem to overwhelm me), I will try to remember to say, "Oh, Lord, how small compared to the suffering you took for me!"
Thank you, Jesus, for coming to earth to complete something we could never do--to redeem us from our sins. Thank you for making that bridge to the Father for us so that we can finally know what it's like to live under your amazing grace!
Just think, God's perfect gift to us was His one and only son. The manger did bring "Joy to the World," but it was just the beginning. The ultimate joy was fulfilled through Christ's work on that other wooden structure--the Cross.
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Do You Trust Yourself?
By JulieBeth Lamb
We have been trained not to trust ourselves.
"Ask the experts...," "The experts say...," "Studies show..." We never hear, "Stay at home mothers say..." or "Midwives say..." or "Ask parents who have successfully raised several children to be productive adults..." Even in the homeschool community many families are afraid of contradicting the "experts" who have written books and spoken at conventions. There are many wonderful experts out there who are doing a good job helping and encouraging the people of God in parenting, homeschooling, healing, childbirth, and more. Sadly, though, our society tends to make people feel helpless in the face of the experts.
This invades every area of life. Women don't trust their bodies to have babies; mothers don't trust their instincts in caring for sick children; homeschoolers don't trust their understanding of how their children learn; parents don't trust their instincts in child training and discipline. We are told to read books by the experts, take our children to trained personnel, send loved ones off to someone else to take care of - we don't know anything. Its fingers reach into every area of our lives, even finances. (Our taxes pay for the "official studies" that back up the "experts." There is only one true expert, and God has given us everything we need for life.
What can you do about this over-reliance on others? Well, there are many things that can empower you and those around you. First, identify those areas in which you are trusting too much in others instead of your own Spirit-led understanding. (That understanding must have its basis in God's Word.) Once you see clearly where your dependence lies, you can examine yourself to see if God has given you an understanding in your heart that you have been rejecting in favor of what others say. If you don't recognize God's plan in those areas, pray to be enlightened regarding the right path.
It can be frightening to trust in yourself, but with God's help you can do all things because He strengthens you. Begin by getting your priorities in order. Getting to know your family, spending time together, and interacting are the keys. What pleases your spouse? How can you work best together? How do your children learn best, and what types of projects create true, lasting knowledge in them? How often does your baby need to be nursed? What is the best treatment for illness? Whose bed or hands should your baby be born into? Where should grandma live out her life? You know in your heart the answers to these questions. It won't necessarily be the same for every family, but often it is NOT what the "experts" are saying.
God has created an orderly world for our good use. The family is the God-given means of nurturing through the stages of birth, childhood, learning, aging, and death. Homes are intended to be the center of our daily lives--where we eat, work, play, worship, and learn. We develop instincts through our relationships, allowing us to understand when someone we love is well or sick, happy or sad, successful or discouraged, learning or stagnating, and what to do about it. Flowers of the field, trees and herbs, foods given for our nourishment, and pleasure are the abundant provisions for health and healing. All that is required is available to us.
Bring it home; bring every area of your life home. Slow down, stop looking to the experts, spend time in the Word and prayer, fellowship with your family, and trust in your Spirit-led knowledge. When you do need input, look to those who have successfully walked the path you are traveling. Get counsel from people who encourage you and help you determine the right way for your family, not tell you what to do because that is what they do. Look to people who have true wisdom springing from obedience to the Truth. Hold everything up to God's Word--it speaks to every area of our lives. Look for the simple answer first. How did God create something; what does His Word show--try that direction first.
Family life thrives when it follows the Biblical pattern. Work that honors our gifts is a blessing. True education comes in many forms and is valuable only for preparing people to live out God's plans. Food that is nearest to the way God created it is best for our bodies. Home should be the center of all activity. Prepare with wisdom, the right tools, and good counsel. Listen to the Spirit. Learn to trust yourselves and encourage others to do the same.
JulieBeth Lamb thanks God for allowing these words to flow through her and prays they are a blessing to others as God has allowed them to bless her. She and her husband, Rex, are the leaders of Oakdale Homeschool Support Group. They live in Oakdale, California, with three of their five children. They have been homeschooling since 1993 and have graduated their two oldest students. Contact Julie at CowgirlForever@earthlink.net
This Month's Contests!
- Encouragement for Homeschool Moms, Devotional Bible Studies - Read Review
- The Little House Vocabulary Companion, A Vocabulary Guide to the Little House Classics using Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary - Read Review
- Threading Blocks, by Haba - Read Review
TO ENTER: Send an email to Devotions@TheHomeschoolMagazine.com with your name and mailing address for a chance to win one of these gifts.
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Note: We never use your personal information for anything other than sending out prizes to the winners.
Blog of the Month
Each month I will feature a different blog site from TOS's HomeschoolBlogger.com
Did you know HSB has a Company Porch?
Here it is: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/hsbcompanyblog
Monday through Friday you'll find tons of wonderful advice, encouragement, and practical ideas.
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Monday - Friday:
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Monday
Wednesday
Friday
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Tuesday
Thursday
Come on over to www.HomeschoolBlogger.com and set up a blog of your own! It's fun and it's FREE!!
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Haptoon:
Interested in more Haptoons? Email to purchase your own mini book of cartoons here: haptoon@juno.com or visit the website here: http://www21.brinkster.com/haptoon/
Bulletin Board . . .
Testimonials
It is so refreshing to read someone's writings that center around the character of God! It seems somewhat rare these days. I look forward to reading your blogs! Thank you so much for allowing God to keep your focus on Him and for the article I read today.
In our beloved Jesus,
Virginia
Write one yourself!! Email Devotions@TheHomeschoolMagazine.com
Thank you for spending time with us here at The Old Schoolhouse Devotional e-Newsletter! We pack into every issue as much practical homeschooling help and godly encouragement as we possibly can and send it out once a month via email.
You may forward this e-Newsletter to your friends in its entirety.
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