To say that election took place before creation indicates that God’s choice was due to His own free decision and love, which were not dependent on temporal circumstances or human merit. The reasons for His election were rooted in the depths of His gracious, sovereign nature. To affirm this is to give to Christians the assurance that God’s purposes for them are of the highest good, and the appropriate response from those who are chosen in Christ from all eternity is to praise Him who has so richly blessed us (P.T. O'Brien).
Other Authors

Forums

Forum Navigation
You need to log in to create posts and topics.

#12-7: For Such a Time as This (And More!)

Forum Archives
738 Posts
#1 · September 24, 2009, 11:49 am

Posted by: virginiaknowles <virginiaknowles@...>

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

The Hope Chest with Virginia Knowles

#12-7: For Such a Time as This (And More!)

September 2009

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Dear Hope Chest friends, 

  

Happy Autumn!  I’ve been waiting for months to get to hang this flag up!  I have wanted an autumn flag for many years, but I didn’t want to pay full price for one.  So I waited, and as so often happens, I found the right deal in due time.  Last spring, I stopped in at a yard sale in our neighborhood, and a lady was selling a whole bunch of brand new flags for only $2 each – and then she gave me 3 for $4 total!  Sweet!  So it’s been tucked away since then, awaiting the right moment for its grand debut.  Now we have the house decorated for the season.  (You can see pictures of some of our stuff from last year here: Easy Autumn Decorating on a Dime.)  

 

I had intended to do an issue on the topic of "Character and Academics" this month but I don't have time to put all of that together yet.  I already have this other material ready, so here goes!  Some of you have seen parts of this in my family letter or on my blog, but there is new stuff here too, including a few announcements of free things you can do with your family!   I'll try to put this newer stuff near the top, for those of you who are skimming.   If you notice an extra random letter a anywhere in this message, it's because one of my kids banged the laptop keyboard and that key now gets stuck frequently!  (It actually came off entirely, so I glued the little spongy green thing onto the keyboard and the key with Super Glue.  It's better than having no key at all, but it does get frustrating!)  That's just real life in the Knowles faaamily!
 

One thing that I didn't include in either the blog or the family letter is a link to my new Literature Questions for The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare.  This is the book we are currently studying in our Providence English class.  It is the Newbery Award winning story of Daniel bar Jamin, a runaway apprentice in the Galilean hills during the time of Christ who learns the power of love and forgivness over vengeance.  For some reason, a lot of folks are finding their way to my Continue Well blog doing Google searches on my other literature guides, Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (Revolutionary War) and The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (colonial era), so I figured I'd stick this one up there too.  I firmly believe that well-written literature -- especially historical fiction and biographies -- is the core of effective, heart-nurturing education.  I love to read aloud to my five younger children, ages 4-12.  Currently we're working on By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder, since we just finished On the Banks of Plum Creek.  We're also reading A Father's Promise by Donna Lynn Hess (Journey Books) about a Jewish Christian boy in Nazi-occupied Poland.  I usually read three or four chapters a day from each, as well as a chapter or two from our beloved dog-eared copy of Missionary Stories with the Millers by Mildred Martin.
 

Another new link is Occupying Preschoolers While Homeschooling Older Children by Cheryl Bastian.   Cheryl has another article further down in this Hope Chest issue on teaching ancient history and literature in high school.  You can find her blog at http://www.CherylBastian.blogspot.com and her web site at http://www.CherylBastian.com to see her books and other resources, including the recently released Celebrate High School: Finish with Excellence.

 

I also wanted to let you know that I have created a PDF of my book The Real Life Home School Mom.  You can download it for free in the sidebar of my blog, http://www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com.  It is my desire for this to be a blessing to you, and an added benefit of this format is that it is searchable!
 

I can't remember if I sent you this link before, How to Feed a Brain Every Day, which will send you to two posts I like on Ann Voskamp's Holy Experience blog.
 

I have posted an 11 minute audio of the story of Esther Ahn Kim, a courageous Korean Christian who defied Japanese orders to worship idols -- and endured the consequences at great personal cost.  I recorded this oral narration two years ago when my English class was studying Esther and Daniel. We just finished doing that literature unit again, which you will read about later in this issue. You can find the audio here: The Story of Esther Ahn Kim. 
 

The annual free museum day – with participating museums all around the country -- is this Saturday, September 26.   You can download your free pass here: http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/admission.html and find more info, including a list of museums near you, here: http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/about.html

 

The Holy Land Experience, a Bible theme park here in Orlando, offers free admission on birthdays, so that’s where Thad and I went a couple of weeks ago on my 46th.  A friend has also told me that admission is free for everyone on October 6, and it says that on their web site, too: http://www.holylandexperience.com.  We especially liked the dramas and the Scriptorium, which houses Biblical manuscripts and artifacts which are hundreds, and in some cases, even thousands of years old.  You can see some of this collection on-line at http://www.solagroup.org/vkc.html  You can also see more pictures of our day at the Holy Land Experience and and my family on my birthday.   It was also my dad’s 73rd birthday, but my folks live in Maryland, so we didn't get to celebrate with him. 

 

 

 

 

My daughter Joanna finally gave me the public links to her photo albums of her trip to the Dominican Republic:

 

[El Memizo]     [El Barrio]    [Bet-El]    [Batey]     [Sightseeing]  [Youth Camp]
 

(Julia says she'll finish uploading her Bolivia pictures soon, so I'll send those links out when I have them.)

 

In addition, you may like to read two recent blog posts:  On Bread, Building, and Other Eclectic Thoughts on Thrift & Creativity and  The Secret of Replacement (How Can We REALLY Change?)
 
In the rest of this issue, you will find:  

  • "For Such a Time as This: Esther, Daniel, and Divine Appointments" by Virginia Knowles

  • "Ancient World History and Literature" by Cheryl Bastian 

Blesssings,

Virginia Knowles

 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

For Such a Time as This: Esther, Daniel, and Divine Appointments

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

I love a good "coincidence"! My Aunt Nancy calls these, "I spy God at work" incidences. I especially like it when I find myself at just "the right place at the right time" -- often when I hadn't even intended to be in that place at that time. This has happened to me a lot lately, but I only have time to share about one small cluster of them right now.

As an English teacher in a home school co-op program, I love to integrate art, music, and history into my assignments -- just as I have done with my own kids at home for the past two decades. So when I was preparing lesson plans for literature units on the Biblical books of Esther and Daniel, I set out on a cyber treasure hunt for fine art related to these stories. I posted my collection on http://www.ProvidenceHomeEducators.blogspot.com so that my students could access them easily.  (You can see more art and the literature study questions by clicking the link.) I picked out pieces from such notable artists at Rembrandt, Marc Chagall, and Peter Paul Rubens--who painted "Daniel in the Lion's Den"--as well as some lesser known artists. 

A few days before I gave out the assignments, I happened to go for my annual physical. Dr. Azelvandre was running late that morning--she confessed to being a little to chatty with her earlier patients about health care reform--but I didn't mind the extra quiet moments in the waiting room. Looking for a decent magazine to read, I pawed through a bunch of power boat magazines and finally discovered the March 2009 copy of Smithsonian Magazine. The very first article that caught my eye was Bingham's List: Saving the Jews of Nazi France. I have always been fascinated by the history of the holocaust (you can read my blog post Diary of a Mom's Day in D.C.: Holocaust Museum and Asian Art).  This also interested me since the book of Esther is about her rescue of the Jewish nation from the plots of evil Haman, too. The article told how an American diplomat named Hiram (Harry) Bingham IV issued unauthorized visas for something like 2,500 Jews to escape Nazi Europe in the early 1940's. One of these Jews was Marc Chagall, the Russian born artist, then living in France, who 20 years later painted two pieces in my Esther art collection. Chagall once wrote, "Ever since my earliest youth I have been fascinated by the Bible. I have always believed that it is the greatest source of poetry of all time...The Bible is an echo of nature, and this I have endeavoured to transmit.... In art everything is possible, so long as it is based on love." You can find two of Chagall's Esther paintings here Ahasueras Sends Vashti Away and Esther. Because Bingham defied his superiors in order to rescue these Jews, he was demoted and eventually left the foreign service to raise his 11 kids on the family farm. At the end of the article, I was delighted to see one verse from a hymn called "Once to Every Man and Nation" that the Bingham family used to sing. I sang it in English class when I told them this story.  I also taught it to my own children; I hear Micah humming it sometimes. Written in 1845 by James Lowell in protest of the U.S. war with Mexico, it's sung to the same tune as the classic version of "O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus."

Once to every man and nation,

Comes the moment to decide,
In the strife of truth with falsehood,
For the good or evil side;
Some great cause, some great decision,
Offering each the bloom or blight,
And the choice goes by forever,
'Twixt that darkness and that light.


Deep in thought, I finished reading that article and turned the page. The next piece, Jan Lievens: Out of Rembrandt's Shadow, was about a contemporary of Rembrandt who, though just as talented an artist, is not nearly as famous. I was stunned to see a painting of "The Feast of Esther" splashed across the page spread. The caption noted that it had been mistaken for an early Rembrandt until the last century. Looking at the picture, I thought it was the very same one I had posted on my class blog just days earlier. Now what were the chances of picking up a magazine that was so related to two of "my" paintings? As it turned out, the Esther scene I had already picked for my blog was by Jan Victors (another 17th century Dutchman), but looking at the two side by side, I am amazed at their similarities. Of course I added the Lievens one to my collection with instructions for my students to compare them! (The paintings shown here are "The Feast of Esther" by Jan Lievens in 1625 and "The Banquet of Esther and Ahasueras" by Jan Victors in 1670.)  I was also amused, after I handed out my English class assignments, to find that in their history class my students were studying the Persian empire -- with abundant references to both Daniel and Esther.

 

On my way home from the doctor's appointment, since I was in that edge of town, I decided to stop and see my friend Danielle Trent at her Family Values consignment store. (She uses many of the proceeds to aid abandoned and abused moms and kids.) I chatted with her for a little bit, and just before I was ready to walk out the door, another mom walked in whom Danielle knew. Danielle introduced me to her, we ended up talking for quite a while, and I was able to give her some information to help her work through a troubling situation she had recently experienced. I quickly recognized this as another providential "divine appointment" -- especially since I wouldn't have met the lady if my doctor hadn't been quite so chatty that morning! What timing! The next day, when I met my friend Lisa Stump (pictured left) for lunch, she shared how various articles that I wrote have encouraged her over the years, especially since she had a stroke. In gratitude for "My Glorious Dishtowel" she even crocheted me a rainbow colored dish cloth! (You can see it on her blog post Bits of Crochet.) But the encouragement was certainly not one way. She has been so faithful to lift my spirits with her kind words, right at times I have most needed them. Did either of us fully realize the influence we had on each other? My jaw drops when I think about these things.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


Esther's cousin Mordecai, as he urged her to appeal to the king on behalf of the Jews, reminded her, "Who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Why was she, like Daniel hundreds of years earlier, a Jew rising to prominence in the Persian palace? Because God wanted her there to fulfill his purpose, not just for her lifetime, but for generations to come. I don't think that principle is limited to the men and women who walked and talked in the pages of Scripture. It is for us as well. Each of us is here "for such a time as this." God has a unique plan for each and every one of us. Finding two magazine articles and meeting a new friend unexpectedly might seem like tiny coincidences in my own life, but they fit into the bigger picture. I remind my students often about the ripple effect. We may not see it until eternity, but everything we do, everything we say, all has an impact. The kind word we share can encourage someone to do something noble, which will set an example for someone else, who will, in turn.... The question is, how sensitive will we be to the divine nudges to do the right thing? How well will we choose?

Let me close with a YouTube link for the song "For Such a Time as This" by Wayne Watson that I played for my class. Here are the words, too!

Now, all I have is now
To be faithful
To be holy
And to shine
Lighting up the darkness
Right now, I really have no choice

But to voice the truth to the nations
A generation looking for God

For such a time as this
I was placed upon the earth
To hear the voice of God
And do His will
Whatever it is
For such a time as this

For now and all the days He gives
I am here, I am here
And I am His
For such a time as this

You - Do you ever wonder why
Seems like the grass is always greener
Under everybody else's sky
But right here, right here for this time and place

You can live a mirror of His mercy
A forgiven image of grace

Can't change what's happened till now
But we can change what will be
By living in holiness
That the world will see Jesus


 

P.S. I have posted all of the artwork and literature study questions for Esther and Daniel on-line.  Please note that these study questions are not comprehensive.  The boys in my class did Daniel, and the girls studied Esther.  They were covering their books in only a week, so I included just enough questions to assure that my students were reading and absorbing the material.  You can use Bible reference materials for more background information and interpretation.  

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Ancient World History and Literature by Cheryl Bastian

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~ 

 

The following article, originally appearing on http://www.FinishWellHomeSchool.blogspot.com, was written by my friend Cheryl Bastian.  She also wrote an article for Homeschooling Today called "Creative Ways to Occupy Preschoolers" which you can find linked on this Start Well blog post: Occupying Preschoolers While Homeschooling Older Children.

 

Ancient World History and Literature

Not long ago I was asked how I designed classes for our high school young adults. We have taken several approaches to formulating classes based on the strengths, interests, and future plans of the individual. Our oldest son had a great interest and gift for history. This was, by my understanding, his favorite subject in high school. He read constantly, checking out books of interest at the library.

With his interest in history, we divided American History into Early American (to 1850) and Modern (from 1850 to present), and World History into Ancient (to the Reformation) and Modern (from the Reformation) so that we could allow time for him to dig deeper into his interest. His self-motivation led to a much more comprehensive course.

For readers who are interested in more detail as to what we constituted Ancient Word History, here is our reading list for the course, for that student. Remember, he was a self-motivated reader and we simply allowed him to use a textbook as a framework and then dig deeper into areas of interest. By the end of the school year, he did less textbook reading and more primary source or living history reading.

*Please do not use this as a comparison for what your student should or should not be doing. Comparing ourselves or our children to others leads to discouragement and discontent. It is in no way valuable. These examples are only intended as an encouragement, encouragement to think outside the textbook when designing courses for your student. My student might be a reader, but your student may have an opportunity to intern with a local businessman. Use what God has provided and pray about how He would be preparing your young adult for the plans He has, not the ones we best intention.

Our textbook was World History and Cultures, George Thompson and Jerry Combee, A Beka Books. God provided an opportunity for this student to tour many sites in Rome, including a day inside the ancient city wall. Though I could be discouraged that my other children may not have the same opportunity, I await the provision He has for each of them as they walk through their lives.

    • The Epic of Gilgamesh
    • Oedipus Rex, Sophocles
    • Oedipus at Colonus, Sophocles
    • Antigone, Sophocles
    • Mysteries of Ancient China, Rawson
    • Daily Life in Ancient Egypt, Sameh
    • Mythology, Hamilton
    • The Roman Way, Hamilton
    • The Greek Way, Hamilton
    • The Death of Socrates, Plato
    • For the Temple, Henty
    • The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone, Giblin
    • The Great Wall, Fisher
    • In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great, Wood
    • The Republic, Plato
    • The Young Carthaginian, Henty
    • The Eagle of the Ninth, Sutcliff
    • Anna of Byzantium, Barrett
    • City of God, Augustine
    • I, Claudius, Graves
    • Claudius the God, Graves
    • Don Quixote, Cervantes
    • Julius Caesar, Shakespeare

 

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~ 

 

Please let me know what you found most helpful or interesting about this issue of the Hope Chest.  Your feedback is very valuable to me!  (Many people assume I am swamped with comments, so they don't send any.  I'm not, but even if I were, I'd still want to hear from you!)
 

 

Blessings,

Virginia Knowles

--

To subscribe, send ANY message to: [email protected]

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: [email protected]

Visit my web site at www.VirginiaKnowles.com

Click for thumbs down.0Click for thumbs up.0