Hope Chest #53 part 1: A Bittersweet Advent (Home School Newsletter)
Posted by: homenews <homenews@...>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE HOPE CHEST:
Ideas and Inspiration for Home Education
Issue #53 part 1
December 2002
A Christmas Treasury
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WELCOME TO THE HOPE CHEST!
The Hope Chest Home School News is a free bi-monthly 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. (I am not including ordering information at the end of this newsletter, as I usually do. Just look at the last issue, or e-mail me and ask for it!)
HOPE CHEST CONTACT INFORMATION
Web site: http://www.hopechest.homestead.com/welcome.html
Resource descriptions: http://www.hopechest.homestead.com/resourceorders.html
Personal e-mail: [email protected]
Subscription address: [email protected]
Unsubscription address: [email protected]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE HOPE CHEST!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Hope Chest friends,
As a little gift to you, I am sending along this Christmas Treasury with tidbits culled from the four Christmas issues I have done in past years. I do apologize that it is rather hastily thrown together! As you read the first article, A Bittersweet Advent, you may understand why.
Blessings,
Virginia Knowles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IN THIS ISSUE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Part 1:
- A BITTERSWEET ADVENT
- ANDREW AND ADVENT
- THE PARADOX by Virginia Knowles
- WHO IS THIS MAN JESUS?
- ADVENT ADVENTURE UNIT STUDY
- HOLIDAY GIFTS WORTH GIVING
- PEANUT BRITTLE RECIPE
Part 2:
- CHRISTMAS MEMORIES
- SHEPHERD'S TALE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A BITTERSWEET ADVENT
by Virginia Knowles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's Christmastime, and life is supposed to be jolly! But it's not, at least not always. For many of us, this Advent season brings a strong sense of the bittersweet aspects of real life.
Several weeks ago, as I was speaking to a home school group, I commented my family is "swimming in stress soup" right now, with unemployment, an exhausting pregnancy, and all the other niggling challenges of life in a large home schooling family. Little did I know what was to come! My wonderful mother-in-law, who has been quite ill this past month, was diagnosed with a second case of cancer, this time inoperable. My dear husband Thad has been taking care of her and tending to her business matters almost full-time since she has been sick, which actually makes me thankful for this period of "unemployment." As we await more test results, and then see her through chemotherapy and radiation, the future remains uncertain.
I know that we aren't the only ones in the midst of trials. I hear from so many of you who are facing illness or death, either for yourself or in your families. Some of you sorely miss loved ones who have passed away, or are just far away in other cities. Some of you have spouses who are being deployed to the Middle East or other far-flung locations for our national defense. (And God bless you for it!) Some of you have simmering and even boiling conflicts with family or friends, which alienate you during this season of supposed "peace on earth, goodwill to men." Some of you are on what could charitably be called a "tight budget," and like us, are doing your Christmas shopping at the dollar store and the clearance bins. And some of you are just plain tired from running all over town searching for just the right gifts, or chauffeuring children to endless holiday events that require hours of preparation and fancy clothes that will only be worn once.
Yes, the Advent season can be bittersweet, even in the middle of jolly parties, holiday baking, tree trimming and gift wrapping.
May I offer a few observations and encouragement?
The manger was not filled with tinsel, and I don't think there were any candy canes or mistletoe hung overhead either! That first Christmas, joyous as it was, spangled with the Star of Bethlehem, heralded by an angelic chorus -- was still bittersweet. Imagine being God the Son, leaving the glory of Heaven, and being plopped into a scratchy, smelly barn to be raised by lowly humans, and later, mocked and crucified by those you came to save. That's a real life Christmas. Life on earth was no vacation for our Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. He came to serve, not be served.
Likewise, we should be about our Father's business, not just expecting everything to be automatically perfect just because it is December. As we face the challenges, we should have a multi-faceted approach.
First, we trust that God has allowed each circumstance to enter our lives for our enrichment in the faith. If we have confidence in the sovereign grace of God, who controls all things, we can not only survive the trials, but learn and grow through them. At least they will cause us to learn harder on our gracious Lord, who wants us to depend on Him and not ourselves anyway.
Second, we look for practical ways to minimize the extra stress by dealing with the realities of life. For example, we can reduce our expectations of what Christmas needs to be. Much of our overload is caused because we are trying to create unrealistic images or experiences for our children. This causes us to overspend and overschedule, just cramming it all in. Slow down! Spend less! Learn to savor the relationships you have with family and friends -- you never know when this will be the last Christmas you will see or talk to a loved one! If those relationships are ailing, we must seek to repair and restore them, rather than shoving the problems under the carpet. Preferably this could be done right now, so you aren't trying to hastily patch things up over the sweet potato casserole at the Christmas dinner table.
Third, we should find little ways to follow Jesus' example of serving. If you are not personally going through trials right now, I can assure you that someone you know is suffering, perhaps in silence. Please be sensitive to this, so that you won't blithely blunder through the holidays! Find a way to extend the healing grace of God. For some, this will be as simple as writing a sweet note to a discouraged friend or a check to a charitable organization. Other families might be involved in some sort of service project -- caroling at the nursing home, serving food at the homeless shelter, or delivering gifts to a needy family. It takes our minds off our own troubles when we help those who may be even less fortunate than we are. It can remove the root of selfishness that clamors for our own needs to be met, and instead plant the seeds of compassion.
Above all, let us seek to glorify the One whom we celebrate in this Advent season, bittersweet as it may be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ANDREW AND ADVENT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On the first day of advent, December 1, Thad and I returned from a home school meeting to some happy news. Our son Andrew, who is 5, had been talking with big sister Mary, who is 15, about spiritual matters. He insisted that he wanted to ask Jesus into his heart. Mary answered many of his questions, and asked him questions about whether he understood what he wanted to do. Then she told him to wait until Mom and Dad got home! Thad had the privilege of praying with Andrew that evening.
Andrew begged for a Bible of his own, so to celebrate his decision, we went and bought one the next day. He said he wanted "a big one!" Later, I found out that he was disappointed because he was expecting a REALLY big one. You see, Mary had told him about the Book of Life, where the Lord writes all the names of those who have trusted in Christ for salvation. That's what he thought he was getting! However, he has enjoyed his new Bible, and has even been reading out of it himself, starting with Psalm 95.
I wish that whenever a person became a Christian, they automatically became a sweet-spirited super saint. Unfortunately, that's not the case. We still have a lot of training to do, especially in the area of grumpiness (his and mine). Andrew has a Veggie Tales poster on his wall that says, "God wants us to put others first." I asked him what that meant in everyday life. One thing that he mentioned is that if little sister Naomi wanted to look at one of his picture books, he would let her. Well, the time came this morning. Naomi had the Barnyard Dance board book that is one of Andrew's favorites. At first, Andrew fussed about getting it back, but when I reminded him of what he had said, he agreed to read it to her so they both could have fun with it!
I am very thankful that at the start of advent, when we celebrate God's beloved Son Jesus coming to earth, I can celebrate Jesus coming into the heart of my own beloved son.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE PARADOX by Virginia Knowles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Come, see where He lays,
Good Shepherd and Little Lamb
King of Kings and Servant of All
Prophet and Prophecy Fulfilled
Physician and Wounded One
High Priest and Atoning Sacrifice
Counselor and Rejected One
Builder and Foundation Stone
Righteous Judge and Condemned Prisoner
Ancient of Days and Newly-born Babe
God and Man
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WHO IS THIS MAN JESUS?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jesus is a paradox, a seeming contradiction in terms. Who is he? What is his nature? And why did he come? If you have ever wondered how to understand or explain the mystery of Jesus, I invite you to look up the following passages, which correspond line by line to the facets expressed in the poem, The Paradox.
John 10: 11 / John 1:29
Revelation 19:16 / Mark 10:43-45, Philippians 2:7
Luke 7:16 / Matthew 1:22, Luke 4:16-21 (Isaiah 61:1-3)
Matthew 15:29-31 / Isaiah 53:4-6
Hebrews 7:23-28 / Hebrews 9:11-14, 10:19-22
Isaiah 9:6 / Isaiah 53:3, John 10:22-33
Hebrews 3:3, Matthew 16:18 / 1 Peter 2:4-9
John 8:1-11, Acts 10:42-43, Acts 17:30-31 / Mark 14:60-65
Daniel 7:13-14 / Luke 2:8-20
John 1:1-5, Hebrews 1:3, Colossians 1:19-20 / 1 Timothy 2:5, Romans 1:1-4
Eminent British author and Cambridge professor, C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), was an atheist determined to refute the claims of Christianity. In the process, he came face to face with the inescapable truth about Jesus Christ. He became an ardent believer and penned such works as Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, Surprised by Joy (autobiography), and of course, the beloved allegorical Chronicles of Narnia in which Aslan the Lion represents Jesus.
The same rather maddening -- and liberating -- thing happened to American Josh McDowell, author of More Than a Carpenter and Evidence that Demands a Verdict. Josh McDowell quotes C.S. Lewis in asserting that Jesus is either Lord, liar or lunatic. He cannot merely be a "Good Teacher." Either he was who he claimed to be, or he cruelly deceived those who trusted in him, or he had the sanity of a scrambled egg. And each of us is ultimately and eternally accountable for who we believe Jesus to be.
As Lewis wrote in A Grief Observed, "You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you. It is easy to say you believe a rope to be strong and sound as long as you are merely using it to cord a box. But suppose you had to hang by that rope over a precipice. Wouldn't you then first discover how much you really trusted it? ... Only a real risk tests the reality of a belief."
The glorious promise of John 1:12 is this: "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." This Christmas season, may we receive the greatest gift of all -- Jesus.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ADVENT ADVENTURE UNIT STUDY
by Virginia Knowles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Many families lay aside much of their traditional school routine during the month of December. They use the extra time for an "Advent Adventure" unit study.
- Read and write Christmas stories and poems.
- Learn about holiday traditions in other cultures and time periods.
- Say Christmas greetings in other languages. (Feliz Navidad!)
- Publish an annual family newsletter for relatives and friends.
- Practice addressing envelopes for Christmas cards or invitations.
- Make crafts for fun and/or for gifts.
- Host a Christmas Craft Day for neighborhood children.
- Listen to holiday music.
- Attend a community sing-along of Handel's Messiah.
- Go see the Nutcracker Ballet.
- Perform in church Christmas pageants.
- Make a video of Christmas preparations and celebrations.
- Participate in community service projects.
- Make or display a collection of nativity sets.
- Decorate the house.
- Do price comparisons for Christmas shopping.
- Plan menus / entertainment for a party or company meal.
- Bake cookies and other holiday goodies.
- Visit relatives.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HOLIDAY GIFTS WORTH GIVING
by Virginia Knowles
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GREAT GIFTS FOR KIDS TO RECEIVE
- Uplifting books and videos: Pick your kid's favorites or introduce them to a wholesome new series.
- Tape player with music or story tapes: We bought a tape player for $15 at Wal-Mart a few years ago. Our girls love to listen to the Adventures in Odyssey cassettes (from Focus on the Family) as they get ready for bed. They also enjoy their favorite music in the privacy of their room too!
- Educational toys and games: Legos, wooden blocks, construction toys, puzzles, computer software, Rummikub, Scrabble, Boggle, chess, etc.
- Art and craft supplies: sewing and needlecraft kits, crayons, colored pencils, markers, paints, art paper, stickers, rubber stamps, yarn, craft sticks, pipe cleaners, play clay, instruction books, etc. These make great stocking stuffers, or you can assemble a basket or plastic box full of these.
- Hobby and motif items: Encourage your child's personal interests by finding related items, such as a tote bag decorated with musical notes for your pianist, a butterfly net for your amateur entomologist, a puppy poster for your dog lover or an apron for the chef.
- Nice clothes (beyond underwear and socks!) and hair things
GREAT GIFTS KIDS CAN MAKE FOR OTHERS
- Pomander balls: Roll a foam ball in glue, then add spices. Pin on ribbon, lace, silk flowers. OR Push whole cloves into an orange and then decorate.
- Potpourri sachets: Wrap potpourri (scented dried flowers) in a square of net and tie shut with a pretty ribbon OR sew the potpourri into little fabric pouches.
- Painted plaques: Buy a plain wooden plaque, cover with a coat of acrylic paint, then add decorative details with contrasting colors. You can use a gold metallic marker to write a poem or Bible verse.
- Decorative pillows: Buy a pillow form, then make a decorative cover for it using your sewing machine. You might try making a patchwork design for one side.
- Hair scrunchies: These are basically a short piece of elastic in a tube of fabric, sewed into a circle. You may need to experiment a little bit.
- Coupon books good for personal services: a back rub, household chores, babysitting, etc.
- Cookies, candy or other food items
PEANUT BRITTLE RECIPE
Submitted by Cheryl Bastian
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PEANUT BRITTLE
My dear friend Cheryl Bastian shares a fun, educational and yummy way to make Christmas gifts.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup white corn syrup
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 cups peanuts
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. vanilla
INSTRUCTIONS: Combine sugar, corn syrup, water and butter in heavy saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Cook on medium low stirring occasionally to 275º (soft crack stage) and syrup turns a golden color. Add nuts and continue cooking and stirring often to 295º. Remove from heat and quickly stir in baking soda and vanilla. Immediately pour hot mixture into buttered jelly roll pan (or large cookie sheet with lip around edges). Spread out evenly on pan. Cool and break into pieces. Store in an air-tight container. Makes 2 & 1/3 lbs.
SKILLS LEARNED:
- reading a thermometer
- hands-on measuring with cups and teaspoons
- doubling and dividing recipes
- vocabulary (dissolve, soft crack, hard crack)
- observing solid to liquid changes
- observing different stages of candy making