"And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me."  Matthew 11:6

"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."  John 10:28

We welcome those circumstances that force us to trust Him for our very sustenance, for we are reminded that in ourselves we can do nothing.  He is our help in time of need, and in Him must we trust.

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped:  therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise Him. The Lord is their strength, and He is the saving strength of His anointed."  Psalm 28: 7-8

Our Lord puts families together. Our brothers and sisters and parents are God ordained, not randomly selected on a whim. We rejoice that the solitary are given families who love them and care for them.  For He promised…

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God"  Romans 8:14-16

"God setteth the solitary in families..."  Psalm 68:6

Let us rejoice that we have work to do that occupies our hands and minds.  He has given us purpose in living that we might benefit others with the fruit of our labors.  His provision is sufficient when used wisely and well.  He is sufficient for all our needs.  He is our helper. 

"Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah."  Psalm 68:19

We humble ourselves before Him, because He knows us from the womb, even to the number of hairs on our head.  He knows the secrets of our heart and still loves us.  He watches our deeds and like a loving father, corrects and reproves so that we might walk in righteousness and holiness.  He knows our weaknesses, but He welcomes us into relationship with Him with open arms.  We rejoice in the bounty of His love for us.

"O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.  For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether."  Psalm 139:1-4

"The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love:  therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee."  Jeremiah 31:3

He changes hearts and minds, opening our hearts to understanding of His truth.  We are not left to ourselves, but can come under His tutelage to gain knowledge and understanding of His Word.  He helps us live out these truths in our lives, so that others may experience Him through our testimony.

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Corinthians 3:18

"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."  2 Corinthians 4:6

We give thanks for our Father in Heaven, for His Son Jesus, and for the Holy Spirit, our Comforter.

"Now He that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit."  2 Corinthians 5:5

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"Inspired by great-grandmother's scrapbook, compiled before 1918."

 

 

To Render Thanks Unto the Lord

-Anonymous

 

To render thanks unto the Lord
it is a pleasing thing,
And to thy name, O thou most High,
due praise aloud to sing.
Thy loving-kindness to show forth
when shines the morning light;
And to declare thy faithfulness
with pleasure every night.

On a ten string-ed*** instrument,
upon the psaltery,
And on the harp with solemn sound,
and grave sweet melody.
For thou, Lord, by thy mighty works
have made my heart right glad;
And I will triumph in the works
which by thine hands were made.

How great, Lord, are thy works!
Each thought of thine how deep it is:
A brutish man it know-eth not;
fools understand not this.
It is that they for ever may
destroy-ed*** be and slain;
But thou, O Lord, are the most High,
forever to remain.

Those that within the house of God
are planted by his grace,
They shall grow up, and flourish all
in our God's holy place.
To show that upright is the Lord:
he is a rock to me;
And he from all unrighteousness
is altogether free.

 

*Public Domain

http://www.utmostchristianwriters.com/

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  HOME SCHOOL TIPS

OUR CHRISTIAN HERITAGE                 

Given the opportunity that we have to homeschool our kids, we need to make sure that we use our opportunity to its full advantage. Our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian principles.  Many of our nation’s early documents support this fact.  Let us teach our kids to rightly understand the contents of the Constitution and the ramifications of re-interpreting it’s message.  Our kids need to become familiarized with the contents of the Declaration of Independence, the Mayflower Compact, and other important documents from our country’s early foundation so that they will know that the original colonists, the Separatists, came with the intent to further the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.

One of our most precious freedoms is the right of freedom to exercise our religious beliefs.  Many countries do not permit such freedoms and go so far as to hinder Christianity.  Many Christians in these countries suffer from intense government scrutiny, persecution, and death.  We are blessed because we can freely gather together and worship the Lord.  We do not fear for our lives.  Yet our freedom is in constant danger from those who would seek to remove God from public life.  Christians are mocked and scorned in our nation today.  Many freely admit they reject God's Laws and standard.  We pray that future generations will enjoy the freedoms we have.  Consequently, we must preserve our religious freedom by teaching our kids to value and to protect it.

Our kids need to understand patriotism and what it means to be patriotic.  By doing so, we can teach them why retaining our national identity is important to maintaining our freedoms.  Let's inspire them to become passionate about this great nation, understanding the responsibilities we have as individuals to foster the cause of freedom. 

This Thanksgiving, let’s teach them about their Christian heritage. 

NOVEMBER THEMES

The month of November is rich in teaching themes.  Choose to emphasize one specific theme or combine several themes for a lively month of study.  Supplement regular coursework with your chosen special themes to enrich the learning experience.  You don't have to spend a lot of time, maybe a half hour at most.  Incorporate all learning styles by reading aloud, listening to seasonal music, doing craft projects, discussing themes.  Make it a fun time of discovery and investigation.  Keep a daily log for your records. 

Following are helpful internet resources to get the creative juices flowing!

Theme Suggestions include:

• The Mayflower Story

• Pilgrims and Puritans and Separatists

• Native American plants and animals

• The First Thanksgiving

• Our Christian Heritage

• Colony Life

• The Thanksgiving Proclamation

• The Election Process

• The responsibility of voting

• Choosing a candidate

• The Electoral College

• Campaign Issues

• How to cast your vote

Suggested Activities:

Use the time to read accounts of early American life etc. from trusted books such as The Light and the Glory or From Sea to Shining Sea. 

Talk about the issues that affect most families and discuss what God would do or how He would react to current issues.

Helpful Resources:

What is the origin of Thanksgiving?  http://www.christiananswers.net/q-wall/wal-g007.html

Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation:  http://www.christiananswers.net/q-wall/wal-alincoln-tgiving.html

America's Godly Heritage DVD by David Barton:  http://christiananswers.net/catalog/america-vs.html

The Light and the Glory by Peter Marshall and David Manuel:  http://petermarshallministries.com/storefront/item.cfm?categoryID=279&itemID=1218

Wallbuilders:  America's Christian Heritage:  http://petermarshallministries.com/storefront/item.cfm?categoryID=279&itemID=1218

Suggested Craft Ideas:

Christian Preschool Printables:  http://www.littleblots.com/BibleCraftTopics/page/show?id=1230297%3APage%3A23166

Audrey's Thanksgiving Links:  http://www.teacherhelp.org/thanks.htm

Annie's Thanksgiving Just for Kids Page:  http://www.annieshomepage.com/thanksgiving2.html

To learn more about homeschooling please contact me!  

TRY OUT THESE HELPFUL PRODUCTS! >>>Just click on the logo to go directly to the site.

TRY OUT THESE HELPFUL PRODUCTS! >>>Just click on the logo to go directly to the site.

Purchase Christian Homeschool Curriculum and online courses for families who want to teach a Biblical worldview to their children. 

TRY OUT THESE HELPFUL PRODUCTS! >>>Just click on the logos to go directly to the site.

This is a wonderful free downloadable program for all your record keeping needs!  I have used it successfully for years!

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What is a spirit of devotion?

Excerpts from Prayer and Devotion by E. M. Bounds

"The great lack of modern religion is the spirit of devotion. We hear sermons in the same spirit with which we listen to a lecture or hear a speech.  We visit the house of God just as if it were a common place, on a level with the theater, the lecture-room or the forum. We look upon the minister of God not as the divinely-called man of God, but merely as a sort of public speaker, on a plane with the politician, the lawyer, or the average speech maker, or the lecturer."

What is a spirit of devotion?

"The spirit of devotion puts God in all things. It puts God not merely in our praying and church-going, but in all the concerns of life."

"The spirit of devotion removes religion from being a thin veneer, and puts it into the very life and being of our souls."

"The spirit of devotion is not merely the aroma of religion, but the stalk and stem on which religion grows.  It is the salt which penetrates and makes savory all religious acts.  It is the sugar which sweetens duty, self-denial and sacrifice."

How is a spirit of devotion manifested?

"The ardor of devotion is in prayer."

"The ministry of prayer, if it be anything worthy of the name, is a ministry of ardor, a ministry of unwearied and intense longing after God and after His holiness."