God has, as it were, placed Himself on display in the art gallery of the universe. He beckons His people, you and me, to stand in awe as we behold the symmetry of His attributes, the harmony of His deeds, the glory of His goodness, the overwhelming and unfathomable grandeur of His greatness; in a word, His beauty. God is infinitely splendid and invites us to come and bask in His beauty that we might enjoy Him to the fullest.
Sam Storms

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Tidbit #1: Home Schooling with Grace

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#1 · August 3, 2003, 6:21 pm

Posted by: homenews <homenews@...>

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HOPE CHEST HOME SCHOOL NEWS
Tidbit #1: Home Schooling with Grace
August 2, 2003
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Hello Hope Chest friends!
 
As I mentioned recently, the Hope Chest is changing from a big bi-monthly e-magazine to a short weekly "tidbits" format, sent on Sundays as I am able.  This is Tidbit #1!  Complete Hope Chest contact info is at the end of this message.
 
We are officially starting our school year tomorrow, though all of the children have already tackled at least one subject already on their own.  It's so encouraging to see them jump in without me prodding them.  I guess that's one of the goals of home schooling -- a love of learning.  We checked out several dozen library books about Africa the other day, since that is the first continent we are exploring in our year-long geography unit study.  It looks exciting!  I read Beverley Naidoo's juvenile fiction book Journey to Jo'Burg: A South African Story while feeding Ben early this morning.  Sometime this month, I want to read Alan Paton's  anti-apartheid novel Cry, The Beloved Country, which I checked out for Rachel.   I also got  The Multicultural Cookbook for Students by Carole Lisa Albyn (j641.59), which has plenty of recipes from each continent.  There are several spicy chicken stews from Africa that sound tempting, so I need to go buy some curry powder.  How about peanut butter balls with coconut?  Yummy!
 
As a service project, my 12 year old daughter Rachel is going to package up the Learner's Journal orders this week.  This ties in nicely with our Africa study, since the $150 in profits go to church planting Pastor Headson Makazinga to distribute Chichewa language Bibles in Malawi.  However, it's just a drop in the bucket, providing only 40 Bibles when he can easily distribute 120 per month in the villages where ministers.  For those who wish to donate money to this worthy cause, you can send checks to:   Headson Makazinga /   P.O. Box 187 /   Nsanje, Malawi, Africa.   Please let me know if you do this!
 
I had the immense privilege of attending a home school conference at our church, Metro Life (http://www.MetroLife.org), this weekend.  Debra Bell, author of The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling, was the keynote speaker.  I'm summarizing the main points of her first message here in this issue of Tidbits.  (See below.)
 
In His Sovereign Grace,
Virginia Knowles 
 
P.S. You may be wondering about my changing my closing from Blessings to In His Sovereign Grace.  Besides that fact that I belong to a Sovereign Grace church (http://www.SovereignGraceMinistries.org), the phrase really sums up how I  am living within the faithful mercies that God has uniquely designed for this season of my life.  (Yes, that happens to include major multiple life crises.)   Anyway,  I thought this up on Friday afternoon, not knowing that Debra Bell, who attends a Sovereign Grace church in Pennsylvania, would be speaking about this topic that very evening.  Even more ironically, when I was poking around on her web site (http://www.DebraBell.com) on Saturday morning, I found that she uses this same phrase to sign her own articles.  What a hoot!  Well, here we go with my notes from her speech!  Keep in mind that most of these are not direct quotes, but the gist of it in my own words!
 
~*~*~
 
From Start to Finish in the Grace of God
Home Schooling from a Foundation of Grace
(Debra Bell)
  • Grace is God's unmerited favor on my life and the strength to obey. Where do you see God's grace in your life?  His grace is sufficient -- not just "enough" but complete and overflowing.
  • Is it home schooling that has transformed your life -- or God's grace?  Give credit where credit is due!  Our enemy doesn't mind us bragging about the results of home schooling, but he hates it when we point to the cross of Christ.  When asked, "How do you do it?" let your answer be a testimony to God's faithfulness to your family.
  • Home schooling knocks away at our sense of self-sufficiency.   God wants us to realize that we can't do it on our own!  We need his strength!  Home schooling is really for us as parents to grow up!
  • A true understanding of grace produces motivation, momentum and sustainable effort.
  • When you have problems or conflicts, don't keep trying to plow on through.  Stop and pray.  Focus on God's purposes in this situation.  Remind one another to rely on God to work through it.  A sovereign God has allowed these circumstances for his glory and your good.  Let your trials and limitations draw you closer to him.
  • We need to deal with heart issues (ours and theirs), not just surface symptoms like curriculum or organization.
  • Part of the "means of grace" in our lives are our husbands, church, home school support groups, etc.  We need to be humble and teachable, and admit we need help.
  • No matter where you are now, take hope in the fact that things can change for the better.  You will not always be in the same place.  Don't be discouraged!
  • We must be strategic and intentional in teaching our children to be passionate for Jesus Christ.
This was such an encouragement to us moms and dads, as she candidly shared from her own life.  Thanks, Debra!
 
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May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father,
who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 
encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. 
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
 
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HOPE CHEST CONTACT INFORMATION
 
The Hope Chest Home School News is a free e-mail newsletter with encouragement and practical teaching tips. The editor is Virginia Knowles, wife of Thad, mother of nine children, and author of Common Sense Excellence: Faith-Filled Home Education for Preschool to 5th Grade, and The Real Life Home School Mom.
 
 
 

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