Quote from Forum Archives on November 24, 2002, 5:52 pm

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE HOPE CHEST:
Ideas and Inspiration for Home Education
Issue #52 part 1
November 2002
The Fruitful Family
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WELCOME TO THE HOPE CHEST!

 

The Hope Chest Home School News is a free bimonthly e-mail newsletter
with encouragement and practical teaching tips. The editor is Virginia
Knowles, wife of Thad, and mother of eight, ages toddler to teen.
Virginia is also the author and publisher of Common Sense Excellence:
Faith-Filled Home Education for Preschool to 5th Grade, The Real Life
Home School Mom, and The Learner's Journal lesson planner and record
keeping log. (Ordering information is at the end of the newsletter for
these resources and several others.)

 

This issue is a veritable cornucopia about the theme of the fruitful family.  

Nearly every article in it has something to do with fruit!  Enjoy munching or nibbling

through it!

 

HOPE CHEST CONTACT INFORMATION

 

Web site: www.hopechest.homestead.com/welcome.html
Resource descriptions: www.hopechest.homestead.com/resourceorders.html
Personal e-mail: [email protected]
Subscription address: [email protected]
Unsubscription address: [email protected]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Part 1: Encouragement for the Heart

• From My Heart to Yours: The Fruitful Family by Virginia Knowles
• The Fruitful Family Gift Bag by Virginia Knowles
• Digging Deeper: Fruitfulness in Scripture
• Abide in Christ: An Excerpt from The Real Life Home School Mom by
Virginia Knowles
• According to Season: An Excerpt from In My Father's Vineyard by Wayne
Jacobsen
• Reflections from a Fruitful Family by Lisa Hodgen

 

Part 2: Educational Resources You Can Use

• Reaping the Harvest: The Bounty of Abundant-Life Homeschooling: Book by
Diana Waring, Review by Virginia Knowles
• How to Plan a Unit Study: An Excerpt from Common Sense Excellence by
Virginia Knowles
• Ideas for a Unit Study on Fruit
• Fruity Recipes: Pineapple Pie, Wassail and Streusel Muffins

 

Part 3: The Final Stuff

• What's New at the Knowles House?
• Resource Ordering Information
• Reprint Permission

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FROM MY HEART TO YOURS:
The Fruitful Family
by Virginia Knowles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

I love fruit! I like to munch on crunchy Macintosh apples, firm yellow
bananas, juicy green grapes and ripe red strawberries. I guzzle orange
juice, sometimes fresh-squeezed from the three trees in our yard. Some of
my favorite desserts are cherry cobbler and key lime pie. Yum! I enjoy
lighting fruit-scented candles to create a cozy home atmosphere. Then
there are my lovely Laurie Korsgaden watercolor prints of fruit and
baskets that adorn the kitchen wall, and the apple stenciled baskets
perched on the bookshelves in my dining room. Yes, fruit is a treat for
the senses, a gracious gift from our Creator!

It is no wonder that the image of fruit is one that most aptly describes
our growing relationships with God, and with our families, friends and
community. As a home school mom, my fervent desire is for my family to be
fruitful, to have a positive influence in the lives that we touch. I
think that when many Christians think of having a fruitful ministry, of
having an impact on society, they envision launching some monumental
project. Some attempt this hastily, and end up withering away. Others are
intimidated by the idea and never try. In my mind, a truly fruitful
ministry starts with a seed, planted in faith and nurtured in
faithfulness. It takes time. It takes patience. It takes wisdom. It takes
a connection.

Let's envision a tree laden with fruit. How did it get there? First,
there was this tiny wrinkled bit of nothing buried in the dirt, a pretty
humble beginning. Out of sight, it softened in the soil and sent down
fragile root hairs. Then, up came a tentative sprout, and later, some
delicate leaves attached to a spindly sapling. I'm no orchard expert, but
I imagine it takes years for this plant to look like a real tree and
produce edible fruit! With careful tending the tree will reach maturity
and fulfill its true potential.

Our lives are like that! Think of your family as an apple tree. It has
roots, a trunk, branches, leaves, and fruit -- in that order! Without the
roots, there can be no healthy tree. If the roots are weak, the tree can
rot from the inside, and will eventually topple. We must anchor our lives
deeply in Christ's love through reading his Word and praying. From this
vital connection, we soak in the nourishment we need to grow strong.

Next comes the trunk, that hard pillar of wood covered in gnarly bark.
You can't see the life-giving sap which runs upward through the trunk
toward the branches, but it is there. I think of the tree trunk as our
routines and relationships. They give our every day lives structure, and
enable us to be effective in what we do. We can't neglect these in our
quest for fruit! Household chores might not be glamorous, but even these
small services are important in God's kingdom. Helping a child with math
or keeping school records may seem pretty mundane, but you are building
for the future. Being a peacemaker for quarreling children might not be
your idea of an earth-shattering ministry, but it is! It is very hard to
be effective in any sort of ministry if your home life is in total
shambles. We need the order and discipline of the tree trunk.

The leafy branches reach out from the trunk. I think of them as our
attempts at outreach or influence among our extended family, friends and
community. Not all of the branches in our lives are fruitful. Some dry up
and crack off in the storm. Some need to be prudently pruned in order to
make other branches more fruitful. This is sometimes painful! Have you
ever sensed the Holy Spirit whispering to you to pull back, to regroup?
If you are going to be fruitful in one area, you may have to lay aside
something else. Sometimes to be effective in raising our children, we
have to drop some sort of ministry activity outside the home. Or perhaps
we just need to cut out the dead wood of idleness. Ask yourself, "What am
I doing that is truly productive, maybe not in a visible way, but where
it really counts? Where is God leading me?" Remember, it doesn't have to
be some big thing that you do. Even visiting a lonely friend, or inviting
a neighbor to a ladies' activity at church can reap eternal rewards.

As we yield to God's direction and tend to the woody parts of the tree,
the fruit eventually comes. We see some of the results of our long-term
efforts, and know that when we get to Heaven, we'll see even more. The
most exciting thing about this is that fruit has seeds! As these nuggets
of potential are carried far and wide, our humble ministry is multiplied.
As it's been said, "Anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but no one
can count the apples in a seed." One small seed grows into another tree,
which produces a hearty new crop of fruit with thousands more seeds,
which grow into more trees.... The lives that we touch with God's grace
and truth, or even with random acts of anonymous kindness, will continue
to reach others in a grand ripple effect. Another exciting thing is that
as our children grow older, they can do things that we can't, either
because they have different gifts and talents, or simply because they
have more time! A vital part of the home school experience is being
actively involved in service projects to bless others! Even an elementary
age student can sing for the elderly in a nursing home, serve food at the
soup kitchen, pack a shoe box of Christmas gifts for a needy child in
another country, or just bake cookies to take to a mom who just had a
baby!

Dear ladies, I encourage you to start with the hidden life in Christ.
Strengthen your family as you go about your daily business. Reach out to
others as God leads you. Know when to lay one thing aside for the sake of
something else. Then rejoice as you harvest the fruit and send out seeds
to bless the nations and generations!

[An extra note from Virginia: The phrase "roots and trunk, roots and
trunk!" has been running through my mind lately. This is where my focus
needs to be right now, on my Christian walk and my home life. I
appreciate many women who have come alongside me, and ministered from the
strength of their own "roots and trunk." I'll name just a few here:
Giselle and Leah offered encouragement and godly counsel on a very low
day. Carrie helped me clean and organize my house. Ann Mary showed me how
to buzz cut my boys' hair. Cheryl administered the generosity of others
on our behalf. Dawn and Cindy supplied us with bags of clothing. Several
moms have chauffeured my children to various events. These weren't big
organized projects, just little expressions of compassion that have meant
so much to me. THANK YOU! I'm so glad to be planted in the same orchard
as you!]

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fruitful Family Gift Bags
by Virginia Knowles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back in July, I bought one of Nancy Wilson's books, The Fruit of Her
Hands: Respect and the Christian Woman, at our local Christian bookstore.
I had heard of it often, but never taken the time to really look at it.
As it turns out, it's a compilation of essays from Nancy's magazine
columns, and much of it is about marriage. I liked the book, and it gave
me an idea. Our old friend Tim, whom I've known since college days, and
whom we had adopted into our own family as an honorary uncle, was finally
getting married to a sweet lady named Sue. Her bridal shower was coming
up, and being the book lover that I am, I thought this might make the
start of a lovely gift package. I am also a "kit lover" -- I have fun
assembling groups of items around a theme. (I guess that's why I always
liked unit studies, too!) This time the theme would be fruit.

 

I didn't have a lot of extra money to spend, so I went to the Bonus Dollar store
and found an apple corer, a bag of Jolly Rancher candies, and some
luscious smelling apple cinnamon potpourri. I arranged these in a nice
white gift bag, and tucked in a bright red card filled with Bible verses
about a Fruitful Family. I made extras of this page for each shower
guest, and have also included these verses in the Digging Deeper section
below. Sue loved her shower presents!

For a wedding present, I extended the theme with an inexpensive "tea for
two" set (white cups, saucers and a serving plate embossed with fruit
patterns), Celestial Seasonings herbal fruit tea, and a fancy bag of
Pepperidge Farm Key Lime Spritzer cookies. The big wedding day came on
September 14th. It was so sweet to see, especially with my handsome
husband Thad as one of the groomsmen! As I listened to the wedding
sermon, I reflected on my own marriage. On the one hand, I have much
gratitude toward God for sending me the very husband that he did. On the
other hand, as the pastor shared, I realized how much we must guard our
marriage, keeping it fresh. In a busy home school lifestyle, it is easy
to let things slip, and take for granted the blessings we've been given.
So, let me encourage you also to invest in your marriage! Make it a
fruitful one!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DIGGING DEEPER: Fruitfulness in Scripture
compiled by Virginia Knowles from the NIV
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This small sampling of Scriptures about fruit are the ones I included in
my Fruitful Family card at my friend Sue's bridal shower:

"Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing
of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the
blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my
beautiful one, come with me." Song of Songs 2:12-13

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things
there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23

"The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness
will be quietness and confidence forever." Isaiah 32:17

"May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your
numbers until you become a community of peoples." Genesis 28:3

"Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways. You will eat
the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. Your
wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be
like olive shoots around your table. Thus is the man blessed who fears
the LORD." Psalm 128:1-4

"Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and
break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he
comes and showers righteousness on you." Hosea 10:12-13

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in
him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you
remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it
will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much
fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." John 15:5, 7-8

"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then
peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit,
impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of
righteousness." James 3:17-18

"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in
knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what
is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled
with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ -- to the
glory and praise of God." Philippians 1:9-11

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Abide in Christ
An Excerpt from The Real Life Home School Mom
by Virginia Knowles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ABIDE IN CHRIST

Is it possible to nurture a gentle spirit, show constant compassion, and
be productive in home making, teaching, and the rest of our
responsibilities? Not in our own strength! As I seek God's character, I
become aware that a pure and holy life is impossible to accomplish with
my own feeble abilities. It is humbling to say, "OK God, I can't do it by
myself. Whatever progress I make has to come from you." As Galatians 3:3
asks, "After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your
goal by human effort?" I must continually depend on the fresh filling of
the Holy Spirit, not so that I can use his power, but so that he can use
me. What will be the result? Godly character! "The fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness
and self-control" (Galatians 5:22).

One striking characteristic about fruit is that it just doesn't grow by
itself. It must be connected to a living, growing plant. I love the way
the King James version expresses this truth found in John 15:4-8:
"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am
the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the
same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a
man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and
men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye
abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it
shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much
fruit; so shall ye be my disciples."

When it comes to being fruitful and loving as home school moms, we must
depend utterly on abiding in the True Vine, Jesus Christ. The million
dollar question is, "How do we continually abide in Christ?" Sometimes I
just seem to feel closer to God as I go through periods of vibrant
growth. At other times it seems like I am withering away spiritually.
Ironically, I can get up a little early to have a devotional time, but
then when my children are bickering at breakfast or squirming during our
morning Bible lesson, I can suddenly lose my temper. How quickly I forget
his grace which is always available to me! So merely going through the
ritual of reading your Bible and saying your prayers is not the magic key
to 24 hour piety. I must "turn my eyes upon Jesus, look full in his
wonderful face" every moment of every day. That doesn't mean that I am on
my knees or that my nose is in the Bible all the time. It would be pretty
hard to do dishes that way! But with eyes of faith, I need to sense his
constant caring presence in my home and talk with him as I go about the
daily responsibilities he has given me. I may be weak and sinful, but he
is strong and righteous! His grace is sufficient to meet all the demands
I face as a busy home schooling mother.

Have you tried communing with God before, only to feel your fervor fizzle
out? Maybe it seems like you don't get anything out of it or that you are
just talking to yourself. I think that most of us struggle with
developing a consistent and meaningful time with the Lord. What makes it
worse is that after we have been away from prayer and the Word for a
while, we feel guilty. We hesitate to go to him because we feel
unspiritual and unworthy. We wait longer and longer and the guilt piles
higher. We fail to see his open arms waiting for prodigals to return.
When you are out of fellowship with God, think who it is that wants to
keep you that way. Is it God? No! He died for you to redeem, restore, and
reconcile you in the first place. "A broken and contrite heart he will
not despise," (Psalm 51:17) and "a bruised reed he will not break and a
smoldering wick he will not snuff out" (Isaiah 42:3). Hebrews 4:16
assures us that we may confidently approach the throne of grace for
mercy, and we will receive it in time of need. Seek the intimacy that
comes by faith in the loving Lord, not by a human righteousness obtained
from moral behavior and Christian activities. He is ready for you!

~~

This excerpt is a small sample from the chapter "Abide in Christ" in my
first book, The Real Life Home School Mom. For more information on this
book, check its web page at www.hopechest.homestead.com/reallife.html

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
According to Season
Excerpt from In My Father's Vineyard
by Wayne Jacobsen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

According to Season

Without the changing seasons, vineyards would never bear fruit. Each
season offers something the vine needs for continued growth. Spring
brings rain and softened days to gently stimulate the growth that will
come to full maturity in the vibrant growth of summer. Autumn is the time
of harvest, and winter brings a much-needed rest and restaging to the
vine. Without this rest, the vine would not be strong enough to go
through the cycle again to harvest.

The ever-changing seasons also determine the tasks of the farmer in the
vineyard. If he tries to gather grapes in spring, he will find only the
smallest beginnings of a harvest still to come. If he tries to prune in
summer, he will destroy the vine he is committed to care for.

Would it be fair for us to assume there are also seasons in the Father's
vineyard? Ecclesiastes states it simply: "There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven." God works with us at
different times in different ways. Sometimes our lives seem to bubble
over with joy; at every turn we see God's hand moving. At other times,
needs press us from all sides. We find ourselves repenting far more often
than rejoicing. If we don't understand that God works in seasons, we'll
make the mistake of assuming the moments of euphoria are what
Christianity is meant to be, that anything less is a source of continual
condemnation.

Without the changing seasons, vineyards would never bear fruit. Likewise,
our spiritual growth demands an ever-changing climate -- seasons when
God's work is tailor-made to our personal circumstances. Seasons designed
by the Father as he nourishes our lives toward fruitfulness. Seasons that
bring a healthy balance of joy and challenge, of diligent effort and
renewing rest.

We must learn not only to embrace the season we're in, to enjoy its gifts
and confront its challenges, but also to let go when the seasons change.
The cycle of God's care is always dependable. Even when we can't see it,
he is working to bring fruit in our lives. The key to remaining in the
Vine is to look for the way God is working in our lives at any given
moment.

It's God's vineyard, remember. He determines the seasons of our lives --
when to prune, when to feed, or when to harvest. We are the branches on
his Vine, privileged to grow and blossom and bear fruit -- to follow his
perfect plan through all the seasons of our lives.

 

~~

 

[Virginia's note: This is a lush hardback book, filled with lovely
photographs and inspirational prose about the concepts of the vineyard as
presented in the Bible. The author grew up on a vineyard, and knows the
secrets of fruitfulness firsthand. I was able to buy several copies at
discount. If you would like one, they are $7. (List price is $14.99.)
These make fantastic inspirational gifts for Christmas! Remember the
"Reason for the Season"!]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What is a Fruitful Family?
by Cheryl Bastian
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

More and more I am understanding a fruitful family to be one that bears spiritual fruit that is delightful and fruitful to those around. Knowledge is okay and impresses many, but a family who treats each other and others outside the family with patience, kindness, humility, grace,
mercy, respect, etc. is a sight to behold and in this day and age is often remembered.

[Virginia's note: Cheryl, a dear friend since we moved back to Florida
over nine years ago, sent me this little observation after I told her
what the theme of this issue would be. She is the wife of Mike, mother of
four, home school support group leader and enrollment program
administrator. She has been a valuable member of the editing team for
both The Real Life Home School Mom and Common Sense Excellence. As she
has also been our school evaluator for many years, I most appreciate her
emphasis on "Character first!" Thanks, Cheryl!]

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reflections from a Fruitful Family
by Lisa Hodgen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Now you may think we're a family of "fruits", and although we have our
quirks, we probably aren't any more odd than the next family except in
size. Well then again, maybe we are, in more ways than size because of
our size. We didn't start out intending to be "different", although we
did want (rather than the token 2) 4 children by the time we were 25, so
we could be "done and free" by our mid-forties. But the fruits of that
decision were not even a consideration, nor was God. Not too many years
after our fourth (who was born by the time we were 25) we began to take
another look. By this time, God was our consideration and we were hearing
all our friends of "great faith" saying, "We can't afford any more." "We
can't handle anymore." We began questioning such "faith", and realized
all the reasons we could think of for not having more were purely
selfish, and we opened our hearts to the Lord's provision.
Our first child after this decision died shortly after birth. Our eyes
were opened to God's true Sovereignty over life and the womb as we, for
the first time desired and tried to get pregnant again, and it didn't
happen like clockwork. We had always taken our fertility for granted, as
we had never tried for any of the other children. Friends had jisted that
we just look at each other and get pregnant. But now after 12 more years
and 5 more children, and another miscarriage (our first before the 4 was
a miscarriage) we suspect our fruitful family appears "fruity" to the
world we live in.

Life in the fruitful family is probably somewhat different than life in
the average family, but I really don't know what "average" is like since
we surpassed the national average 20 years ago. We consider our lifestyle
to be normal but far from average. People question our oldest daughter,
"Isn't is weird to have siblings younger than your own kids?" What does
she have to compare it to? It's not weird to us. It's just the way it is,
the only way we know. The way God has made it to be.
There are several other things that are the only way we know. I'm sure
all of you have your own verses to this song, but these are the true ones
from ours.

• You own a Suburban for two years before you learn it's a status symbol.
  You just thought it was a large family vehicle alternative to a bus. This
  is true. My husband had to enlighten me.
• You own two Suburbans!
  Number of bedrooms in a house doesn't matter; size of the dining room
  does. You don't have Sammy's room, Jessie's room, Jimmy's room. You have
  parents' room, boys' room, and girls' room. If a house has only an eat in
  kitchen, you don't even look at it.
• Our children's observation - You don't have one birthday cake like all
  your friends -- you have two. One isnt enough to go around.
• The dining table's leaves are always in for every meal, so when company
  comes you have to think of other creative seating arrangements.
• Our 17 year old daughter's observation - when she gets married she'll
  automatically do once-a-month cooking, as she'll have to freeze
  three-fourths of the leftovers. She has no clue how to cook for two.
• The more toilets in the house the smoother things run.
• In house buying, the first thing you ask is how large the hot water heater is.
• You need an extra garage, just for everyone's bicycles.
• At dinner when there are four children eating with you, your husband
  comments on how quiet it is.
• At devotions, with 6 pairs of eyes attentively looking at him, your
  husband asks, "Where is everybody?"
• Two of our all time favorites, when out in public when asked, "Are these
  all yours?" your husband replies, "Yes, they're all ours, but no they
  aren't all of ours." Truly, this is his favorite reply, as our 3 oldest
  are grown now. Also, when we have our grand-girls with us he likes to
  say, "No," - pause - "the middle two are our grandchildren. Their parents
  and our other children aren't with us today."

 

Probably my greatest pain comes from knowing that many people assume,
with our large span of ages, that our children are "yours, mine, and
ours" and not that they all came from one union of lifelong marriage, or
that because we have younger ones than our grandchildren that not only is
it a second (or whatever) marriage for us, but that surely our oldest
isn't old enough to be married and that our grandchildren come from young
teens out of wedlock.

Because I believe our situation is an honor, I usually emphasize that
they are all both of ours, and that our daughter and her husband have
given us this time to enjoy our grandchildren. To most of the world our
way of living - having a fruitful family - is totally foreign and the
only way they'll even get an inkling of understanding is for us to
explain it. They make wrong assumptions based on the only presuppositions
that they know, divorce and out-of-wedlock children. They have no grid
for lifelong marriage and the blessing of many children through many
years, and the joy they are in our middle ages.

One of my greatest joys is when I was pregnant, and now with our newborn,
and my husband and I are out with just the baby and we're asked if this
is our first, or some comment about how our "day will come" when he's
bigger. We get the chance to proclaim we are blessed with eight others
here on earth, plus three gone before us, and we know exactly what those
days will - and do - hold. Blessing, fulfillment, tears, and joy - the
things a life following God is full of. The sweet taste of fruit that
many will never partake of.

At Jesus' feet,
Lisa
Me and My House ministries
[email protected]
http://here.at/meandmyhouse
home education elist - [email protected]
nutrition elist - [email protected]

 

~~~

 

Be sure to read part 2 and part 3!