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Columbus poem and a few extras and announcements from Virginia Knowles
#1 · October 11, 2008, 10:41 pm
Posted by: virginiaknowles <virginiaknowles@...>
Dear friends,
I just wanted to let you know that I am changing my e-mail address, at least for the time being, to [email protected]. I may still send some things out from the Embarqmail address, but it has been extremely unreliable this past week, and I've been having a really hard time both sending and receiving messages.
I also received a letter from Headson Makazinga, the pastor in Malawi who benefits from the sales of the Learner's Journal lesson planners. He said that this weekend (up through Monday), all of the churches in Malawi and Mozambique that are under his pastoral oversight are gathering for a conference. I am asking you to pray for these dear people, who have virtually nothing at all but are filled with the love and praise of God. Ask the Lord to pour out his rich blessings of favor and fellowship on them. He will also lead a pastor's conference in Mozambique next month.
A lot of the young people around us are wearing "Love Lets Live" T-shirts from the pro-life organization Abort 73. You can find a ton of pro-life information at their web site, http://www.Abort73.com. My girls and I have T-shirts on order!
In Florida, the fight for traditional marriage is on with Amendment 2! You can find more information at http://www.Yes2Marriage.org.
This is from my friend Barbara Stone, whom I've known for at least a decade... "My name is Barbara Stone. We have homeschooled for the past 18 years. We have always lived in Central Florida. In March we felt led of the Lord to move to North Georgia. We recently purchased a small cabin rental business. We have cabins to rent and would like to add more cabins to the program. We would love to help make your vacation memorable in the Blue Ridge Mountains of GA. If you know anyone who may be planning a trip to the mountains or buying a cabin they would like to put in a rental program, we'd love the opportunity to speak with them. Here is the website http://www.cabinsbysundance.com. Or Tom can be reached at <a title="blocked::http://[email protected]/" href="http://[email protected]/" target="_blank">[email protected] I would be grateful if you would pass this on to all your email pals. J
November 9 is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Check out the Voice of the Martyrs web site for information on ways you can pray and serve, including donating blankets for Sudan or making parachutes to float Bibles and short-wave radios into Columbia, where the gospel is restricted by FARC terrorists. You can also visit their very educational site for kids, http://www.kidsofcourage.com/, which presents information about persecuted countries in a unit study format (social studies, activities, cooking, math, etc.) that is age-appropriate. Right now the featured country is North Korea. We have been on the VOM mailing list for over a decade, and they are a worthwhile ministry. We did the Sudan blanket thing many years ago, too -- it's a good project for kids.
If you live in the central Florida area and you aren't yet receiving my local announcements, just let me know and I will be happy to put you on my list. Please check out this link for the Greater Orlando Christian Film Festival Oct. 16-23 http://www.orlandochristianfilmfestival.com/showtimes.htm (Thanks, Denise Vogel, for passing this along. Our family has been to the festival many times in the past several years. Free Christian movies at the Regal movie theater in Winter Park Village!)
I have a few new things on my blog, including an article on "Preparing Children for the Storms of Life", one on Yom Kippur (which was this past Thursday) and a photographic tribute to my mother, Mary Quarrier (whose birthday was on Wednesday). You can find my blog at http://www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com.
Something odd happened today, but the story starts about 26 years ago. I was 19 years old, doing computer simulator programming for a small tech company. I was faced with an integrity decision and made a choice that I felt would honor the Lord. I also asked my Bible study group to pray that a certain supervisor to leave the company, which he did! By a bizarre coincidence, I met a relative of this man today, and found out how God had spared me from being involved in a huge amount of trouble that he caused by his behavior. We don't always get to see the consequences of our choices, nor how much God keeps us from in his mercy. But I did today, and I'm thankful. Our choices matter.
I will probably think of something else later, but I think that's all for now, except for the poem I have pasted in below for Columbus Day. I gave it to my English class last week.
Please let me know what has been helpful to you. It helps me plan for the future.
Blessings,
Virginia Knowles
The Things That Haven't Been Done Before
by Edgar Guest
The things that haven't been done before,
Those are the things to try;
Columbus dreamed of an unknown shore
At the rim of the far-flung sky,
And his heart was bold and his faith was strong
As he ventured in dangers new,
And he paid no heed to the jeering throng
Or the fears of the doubting crew.
The many will follow the beaten track
With guideposts on the way.
They live and have lived for ages back
With a chart for every day.
Someone has told them it's safe to go
On the road he has traveled o'er,
And all that they ever strive to know
Are the things that were known before.
A few strike out, without map or chart,
Where never a man has been,
From the beaten paths they draw apart
To see what no man has seen.
There are deeds they hunger alone to do;
Though battered and bruised and sore,
They blaze the path for the many, who
Do nothing not done before.
The things that haven't been done before
Are the tasks worthwhile today;
Are you one of the flock that follows, or
Are you one that shall lead the way?
Are you one of the timid souls that quail
At the jeers of a doubting crew,
Or dare you, whether you win or fail,
Strike out for a goal that's new?
--
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