By Deborah Wuehler, Devotional and e-Newsletter Editor
Reprinted from the February 2004 TOS e-Newsletter and Crosswalk.com

Another year went by and no valentines. No card, no candy, no flowers, no nothing! After 17 years of marriage, you’d think my husband would get the hint. Each year, someone would invariably ask me, “What did you do for Valentine’s?” or worse, “What did your husband get you?” to which I would reply, “Nothing.” I was in a state of agitation, frustration and hurt. I wanted to be loved … or so I mused. Why can’t he be like the rest of the world and remember me on the days he’s supposed to? These were my sentiments two years ago.

Valentine’s Day 2002 had come and gone, and I thought I was doing pretty well with having gotten through that day with no tears. Then, the next day, someone called and asked me one of those awful questions. After answering, “Nothing,” I hung up the phone and after the lump in my throat started to go down, I began to ask myself a few questions. What was it I really wanted? Was it the candy or flowers? No, not really. Was it a pretty pink and red foil card with someone else’s poetic lines? No, not really. What did I actually want, then? After searching my heart, I found that these things are what I truly desired:

To Be Like Christ
I thought what I wanted was to be like the ‘Joneses,’ or if not, at least look like them. They all gave each other gifts on Valentine’s Day. Because my husband didn’t conform to the world’s standards for that day, he was making me look bad. It was all about my reputation, and it was an unpleasant odor. In my heart of hearts, I knew that what I really wanted was to be like Christ. What was He like? He became a sacrifice. Biblical sacrifice means something has to die. In me, it required the death of reputation, which, when complete, brings forth the sweet-smelling aroma of Christ.

Philippians 2:5-8 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” (Emphasis mine)

Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”

To Adore Christ
I thought I needed to be lifted up and adored. To be remembered and worshipped once a year wasn’t asking too much, was it? Yes, it was, when it was all about my prideful esteeming of self, and it was revolting. In my heart of hearts, I knew what I really wanted was for others to adore Christ. To adore Him is to remember our low estate and the pit of miry clay which we wallowed in before He rescued us, and to highly exalt His name. I needed to die the death of prideful self-esteem, which, when complete, brings forth humility and true adoration of Christ.

Luke 16:15 “And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”

Philippians 2:9-11 “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

The Love of God
I thought what I needed was to be loved by man. But to be loved by God is a far greater thing. I presumed I knew what love was—but my idea of love was based on words of praise, material gifts, and those all-too-fickle feelings. This is not true love. It was all about the love of man, and it was iniquitous. True love requires sacrifice. Sacrifice means death. I needed to present myself a living sacrifice, put on the altar my desire for the love of man, and die the death of love, which, when complete, brings forth true life. For I have been loved with a greater love than any man can give, and if I love others with the same sacrificial love, I will be called His friend and filled with joy!

Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

John 15:11-12 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

Set Free
Before my husband came home from work that day, I thought about how generous he is all the other days of the year with his time, his money, and his affection. When he finally came through the door, instead of my usual Valentine’s depression, I was actually full of joy and greeted him with a smile and a big hug. He was hiding something behind his back—a huge velvet heart full of chocolate, and a bottle of my favorite perfume. What had gotten into him? I had no idea, but I knew what had gotten into me: Truth—and it had set me free.

WORLD’S BEST VALENTINE: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Sing, Spell, Read and Write
(Level 2 Homeschool Kit)
www.pearsonlearning.com/singspell/

Calling all Sing, Spell, Read & Write fans! If you’ve finished Level 1 and don’t know what to do next, this just might be the answer for you. Picking up where Level 1 leaves off, Level 2 covers phonics, spelling, vocabulary, reading and comprehension, grammar, cursive, proofreading, reference skills, and creative writing. The homeschool kit includes two student workbooks with answer keys, a guide to teaching cursive, and a dry erase marker and eraser to use with the back pages of the workbooks. Even if you did not use Sing, Spell, Read and Write Level 1 to teach your child to read, you could still use this program with your second grader. It is recommended that you review the songs and play the games from Level 1 throughout the first few weeks; however, other review activities could be substituted, if necessary.

Spelling is taught using phonics and spelling rules. Ten words are studied each day using fun activities such as word searches, crossword puzzles, secret codes, or riddles. Many of the spelling lists are incorporated into short stories that your child reads. Following the story, students answer comprehension questions, draw a picture, or do a writing assignment based on the story. Stories are wholesome and family-based. Manuscript writing is reviewed the first half of the year, and traditional cursive is taught the second half. Vocabulary is taught in context using spelling words. Reference skills, such as alphabetical order and dictionary use, are taught throughout the year using specific skill-building exercises. These skills are then reinforced in context when students have to alphabetize their spelling words or write a short encyclopedia report on something they read about in a story. Writing lessons progress logically from writing words, to writing good sentences, to writing a different ending to a story, to writing whole stories. Other types of writing assignments include personal narratives and short (one paragraph) reports. Proofreading using standard symbols is also covered.

I really like how all the language arts areas are tied together. While exercises are used to teach specific skills, they are never done completely in isolation. Spelling ties into reading, reading ties into writing, and writing ties into grammar. It is like having Explode the Code, Spelling Workout, Wordly Wise, reading worksheets, Daily Grams, Zaner-Bloser Cursive, and Writing Strands all pulled together into two comprehensive, correlated workbooks. (I say this from experience; these are all the things I pulled together on my own to cover second grade language arts!) Like many homeschoolers, I prefer my children to read “real books” for reading time, but the short stories included in the program are cute stories and reinforce all the language arts and give children practice at taking tests. Workbooks are colorful and inviting, and my second grader saw them and said, “Oooh! Can I do those?” Each workbook has 176 pages, so just one page, front and back, is all you need to do each day to cover all the second grade language arts skills in a year. (This is not counting time spent doing the writing assignments and any extra reading.) My second grader will surely like that, and so will I! Take a peek at Pearson Learning’s new homeschool site at www.pearsonlearning.com, and see what other great products they have to offer.

—Product review by Heather Jackowitz, Staff Writer, The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC

His Testimonies
By Ana Huron, San Antonio, FL

“How sweet are Thy words unto my taste;
Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Psalm 119:103

My dear sisters in the Lord,
I have a longing to encourage you in your various walks and situations, just as I need the encouragement. I am quickly reminded of my limitations as I look around and see many lives that need my attention. Sometimes I’m tempted to think that my household could do well without me. It is then that the Lord speaks to me and shows me how much more needs to be done … needs to be said … needs to be written … needs to be cleaned … needs to be cooked … needs to be fixed!

I know it’s the same with you and so I’m just using this precious time to reach you through words. “My heart is inditing [composing or writing] a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” Psalm 45:1

Recently the girls and I tried to make “blender batter” pancakes. This involves putting all pancake ingredients into the blender, turn it on, whir away, and pour ’em out onto the griddle. Never mind how they turned out. I was mesmerized by the vortex created by the swirling stuff in there. I thought, “I feel like I am in that vortex.” I go round and round and keep having to learn the same lessons over and over again. I’ve been here before, Lord, I say to Him. When will I become a spiritual giant? And then another startling picture is in the grain grinder. I stand there hypnotized like a 5-year-old, fascinated by the chunky kernels of grain falling through the hole and then … poof … they’re pulverized into … dust. I feel pulverized, Lord. When am I going to wake up in Thy likeness?

While nursing the baby one day (I do this many times on many days), I thought about my list of goals. I created this lofty list this past January. My husband has us all list some of the things we feel that the Lord would have us achieve during the year. It’s a good thing … “If you aim at nothing, you will surely hit it.” It’s easy for me to get discouraged when I see that I have obviously not achieved most of them. With tongue in cheek, I did decidedly write, “Have a baby in 2005.” I checked that one off with a swift swipe of my pen, but really, I didn’t do that … God did.

I know that He would not have me be discouraged, and neither would my husband. The key to achieving goals is accountability. I should have taped those onto my mirror so that I could see them everyday and be reminded of those good things. But even notes taped in plain view tend to fade in my sight. I glaze over them and do the next urgent thing. I don’t even remember what those urgent things are anymore! I was supposed to lose a few pounds, read through the whole Bible, write notes to my children often, memorize great portions of Scripture, and maintain a working schedule with our homeschooling.

I will say that I have been reading through the Bible. We’ve maintained a great pace in schooling since having the baby, which is thrilling to me! I have been memorizing Scripture, but not consistently … this brings me to something the Lord showed me recently.

About three months ago, the Lord motivated different members of our family to get back into Scripture memory. It was amazing, as we never told the children they had to do it. What a neat thing to hear murmurings of verses from corners of the house. I also was moved to put Scripture away. I find that keeping a small Bible nearby is so nice when baby is in my arms. It’s a wonderful time to think, meditate, and memorize. I renewed my memory work and began verses in Psalm 119. Well, unknown to me, Ben and Olivia had been helping Jon-Michael memorize the first chapter of Mark.
 
One day, Jon Michael quoted the first two verses to me word perfect, and I was stunned. “How did you do that?” “Oh, Benuel’s been helping me, Mama.” I want you to know also that Jon-Michael is our firecracker; he keeps me humbled in my efforts to discipline. Ben was obeying Jesus in choosing to love his brother by spending time with him in this way. I cried as I realized what the Lord was doing here. Of course, I thanked Ben and Olivia for their love and then I humbled myself to hear God’s lesson for me in this.

I had been focusing so much on outward discipline that I had failed to put anything into his brain. I remembered something that my husband always says: “A thought leads to an action, the action becomes a habit, and the habit becomes a life.” The mind is the devil’s playground, and I had neglected it in my son. I realized that THIS WAS THE KEY to his heart and his behavior! I am so excited as Jon-Michael now works to finish the book of Mark.

I hope you are encouraged a bit as I was when I realized that my focus each day should be my time with Jesus and to make “His testimonies my meditation.”

“How sweet are Thy words unto my taste;
Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Psalm 119:103

P.S. I did actually lose a few pounds … he’s over there in the crib!

Ana Huron is from San Antonio, Florida. Ana and her pastor husband have 13 children, ranging in age from 21 to 3 months. They have home educated their children all their lives and love the life God has blessed them with. She prays that this devotional will be a source of encouragement and perhaps a chuckle to someone along the way.

HAPTOONS—We have two of these cartoon books to give away. Each contains 23 of Michael Halpin’s wonderful Christian cartoons. See below for more information.

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine—If you’ve never subscribed to the magazine and are curious to see what’s in it, here’s your chance to get a free copy. We will be giving away ten copies of the Fall 2005 issue.

TO ENTER: email devotions@TheHomeschoolMagazine.com with your name and mailing address for a chance to win one of these gifts.

Website Contests: See our website for more exciting contests: www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com/Contests/index.php

Who will rally Christian teens today? How about a couple of kid brothers?

At 17 years old, Alex and Brett’s success in homeschool speech and debate (ncfca.org) is demonstrated by six national championships. Now, following in the footsteps of their older brother (Joshua Harris, author of best selling book, I Kissed Dating Goodbye), the twins are speaking out with a challenge for their own generation.

Co-authors of the award-winning blog The Rebelution, Alex and Brett now join with their father to communicate the messages of “the myth of adolescence,” “do hard things,” “the power of companionship,” and “getting the gospel right” to a world that will not survive another generation of Christian young people who fit in.

What is the Rebelution?

• It’s a movement among Christian youth from around the world to throw off the shackles of low cultural expectations.
• It’s a cry for young people to return to historic levels of Christian character and competence.
• It’s a network of young men and women who are mutually committed to glorifying God by “doing hard things” in their teen years.
• It’s a reformation by those who recognize the biblical commandment to use the teen years, not as a vacation from responsibility, but as the launching pad for all of life.

Be sure to make your plans to join us in Sacramento on Saturday, March 11th, 2006.

I plan to be there with my teenage sons—I’d love to meet you there! Hurry, registration will fill up fast! For more information and to register online: www.rebelutiontour.com/.

NEW from the publishers of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine: The Secrets of Successful Homeschooling e-book
 
If you want to know the secrets of successful homeschooling, here’s where you start! This e-book is full of incredibly gifted writers who made me think, “I can DO this thing called homeschooling.” I’ve already been doing it for some years now, but not always with the confidence I needed. I had the privilege of authoring a chapter of the book along with many other writers, including Terri Camp, Christine Field, Cindy Rushton, Lorrie Flem of TEACH Magazine, and other brilliant homeschool moms (even Jenefer Igarashi’s daughter Coie is here to give you a teenager’s perspective).

So what’s in this ebook? You will find chapters that are not only encouraging but extremely practical, on subjects ranging from how to start homeschooling to how to homeschool frugally, how to teach math and how to make “lapbooks,” how to answer inquisitive folks and how to teach special needs, how to teach a child to read and how to have your own home business. It’s all in here and more. There are sixteen chapters and 60 e-book pages. A huge amount of information is covered without being overwhelming to read. I know if you are new to homeschooling you will greatly benefit from this e-book, and if you are a veteran homeschooler, you will be encouraged to continue your journey, and with some fresh ideas to boot. And you will be encouraged that, as the e-book subtitle says, “You have what it takes to homeschool!”

Interested in purchasing a copy? The e-book is only $12.95, and of course, there are no shipping costs. Click here to order:

www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com/subscribe/secrets.php

Sign up for our affiliate program and you can earn 66% of each sale by telling your friends about our e-book. Sign up here:

www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com/subscribe/affiliate.php

Did you know The Old Schoolhouse Magazine has eight other e-Newsletters available? We have Leader’s e-News, history and unit study e-Newsletters, and a newsletter with lots of free stuff! We believe these resources would be invaluable to your home educating. Check out our archives here: www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com/e_newsletter/index.php

Like to Blog? Come on over to www.HomeschoolBlogger.com and join us! Don’t know what blogging is? Come on in and take a look! We’d love to have you!

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine's Homeschool Winter Promo 19 Total Gifts To the Next 3,000 New Subscribers Postage Paid!

The first 3,000 new subscribers will receive 19 free gifts from popular homeschool companies with a paid two-year subscription to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine! And yes, it's true – even the shipping is paid for.

Your NINETEEN free gifts include valuable resources from the following companies. Below is each one's value with shipping and processing. (You get ALL of these):

Focus on the Family - Your family will love this 1-hour CD from Adventures in Odyssey! Provided by Focus on the Family—Committed to Nurturing and Defending Families Worldwide. Adventures in Odyssey presents exciting entertainment that brings biblical principles to life. Games2Learn - Receive either a Classic Veggie Song Sampler CD - A toe-tappin' collection of Veggie Tales songs for you and your child to enjoy, OR choose the American Heritage Children Dictionary CD and bring words to life as never before!(mac or Windows) Christian Book Distributors - One $10 Gift Certificate! As a leader to home educators worldwide, we offer low pricing, live support, quick shipping and 25,000+ homeschooling products. Knowledge Quest - Starter Pack of Blackline Maps (plus two additional free gifts) b. dazzle, inc. - One Scramble Squares award-winning puzzle, brainteaser! Sue Gregg Cookbooks -One Demo CD & Whole Foods Recipes Sampler Cookbook The Math Worksheet site.com - Unlimited access to the online worksheet generator for 3 months. Barker Creek's Draw Write Now - One thick penmanship/art/unit study book. Publisher's choice. Christian Liberty Press - Christian Homeschooling: Foundation and Practice provides detailed advice on how to thrive in home education. Treasure Box Press - Sam's Science Adventures! Mini-Science Adventure Kit No Greater Joy - Debi Pearl’s best homeschooling ideas from 20-plus years of homeschooling. Master Books - Historical Champions of Science, invention, and math affirm Bible teachings. One book from our series! BJU Press - One free book, Jericho Ride, by Betty Gaard. Saddle up with Tony, a young riding instructor looking for hope. Googol Learning - One Year Googol Power Website Membership The Googol Power members section provides a safe educational website for families to be able to watch math videos, listen to award-winning music, print off layered learning worksheets, read e-books and have fun while learning their math facts. Act Advantage -Free three-month subscription! Enhance your curriculum with our extensive educational video rental library! Write Shop - One Copying and Dictation Exercises for WriteShop I, plus a WriteShop I sample lesson. American Vision -Free six-month subscription! Biblical Worldview is devoted to educating Christians to effectively advance the Kingdom of Christ on earth Explorer's Bible Study - Explorer’s Bibe Study Curriculum One “Let’s Get Started” Workbook. Great Commission Languages - Free sampler CD containing the first 3 lessons of French AND Spanish. Christian, Explicit Phonics, Lots of Culture. Bonus: includes a $15 discount towards the purchase of either The Easy French or The Easy Spanish.

Hi, I love the devotional newsletter! As soon as I get it I skim through it really quickly and then come back to it when I can reflect on the devotions. Your devotions are designed just for the homeschooling mom who wants to do her best for her Lord, her husband, and her children. They are always encouraging. I also like the fact that you include the product reviews and interviews. They often remind me about products that had crossed my mind before and then I had forgotten about. Thanks for your great newsletter! —Jennifer G.

Good Morning! I just finished reading your e-Newsletter, and wanted to let you know how much I appreciate it! When I receive your e-mails, I put them in a special section of my inbox, so that I can find them when I have enough time to sit down and *really* read and ponder (not just skim). I appreciate the excellent, timely articles and the Godly encouragement and wisdom I receive each time I read them. Thank you for this wonderful blessing! —Jill Dobis, Moorhead, MN

Do you have something to say? Write and tell us what you think about the e-News and you may see it featured here! Email devotions@TheHomeschoolMagazine.com.

$70 of fantastic gifts FREE with a 2 year subscription to TEACH Magazine.

Thank you for spending time with us here at The Old Schoolhouse e-Newsletter!! We pack into every issue as much practical homeschooling help and godly encouragement as we possibly can and send it out once a month via email. As your e-News Editor, I have listened to your recommendations, and I think we have come up with a pretty good end product here! If there is anything you’d like to see added or changed, or if you have a question about homeschooling—just email us and let us know what we can do for you! Here’s the address: devotions@TheHomeschoolMagazine.com. Don’t forget to check out our website and magazine. Until next month, happy homeschooling from Deborah Wuehler and all the TOS Staff!

You may forward this e-Newsletter to your friends in its entirety. Don’t forget to look for the Winter issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, now in stores and mailboxes! Right now, 19 free gifts to the first 3,000 new subscribers!

• Subscribe to this or other free TOS e-Newsletters.
• Subscribe to The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.
• Advertise in this newsletter: email Sales@TheHomeschoolMagazine.com.

Copyright © 2006 The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, LLC
PO Box 1701, Dandridge, TN 37725
All rights reserved.