Happy Sabbath!
Blog
Motivation Monday
A great and solemn responsibility rests upon us who profess to obey God’s commandments, to show to the world around us that we are bending our steps heavenward. And as we press against the current that is bearing all down, then we should know for what we should strive. We are to press toward the mark of the prize of our high calling in Christ Jesus. We cannot remain in listless resistance and yet gain the prize….
In Heavenly Places, 263
Sabbath Playlist ~ Easy 10 Commandments Memory Game
Kaboom is a fun game we play in my Sabbath School class to help us with our 10 Commandments memorization project. Totally easy to set up and play.
You need popsicle sticks or strips of cardstock paper, and a pen. That’s it.
I wrote the numbers 1-10 on 10 sticks, and a brief summary of each commandments on 10 more sticks. I wrote ‘KABOOM’ on 4 or 5 other sticks.
I divide my Sabbath School class into groups and each group draws a stick from a cup or jar. They either have to explain which commandment the number refers to, or tell the number of the commandment the summary is talking about. If the answer is correct, they get to keep the stick.
If a group draws a KABOOM stick, they have to give up all of the sticks they have earned so far. The game is essentially endless because the KABOOM stick means someone will always be starting over. I watch and gauge to see if everyone has had an opportunity to participate and learn before I call time for the game.
We’ve been able to learn the 10 commandments quite quickly with this review game! You can change the topic to whatever you want to learn.
Motivation Monday
It is the acts of faith and love in the so-called little things of life, the spirit of Christ manifested at home, in the field, in the workshop, as well as in the church, that make us living epistles known and read of all. Men may combat and defy our logic, they may resist our appeals; but a life of holy purpose, of disinterested love, is an argument in favor of the truth which they can not gainsay. Far more can be accomplished by humble, devoted, virtuous lives, than can be gained by preaching when a godly example is lacking.
The Review and Herald – April 30, 1901
Motivation Monday
Shall we not teach our children that willing obedience to the will of God proves whether those claiming to be Christians are Christians indeed? The Lord means every word He says.
Child Guidance, 489
Bible Crafting Fun for Sabbath
Do you like crafty Bible activities? Here’s a fun website full of printable paper Bible crafts to construct. My Little House is a lovely website full of free paper crafting printables that you can print, cut out and put together.
Isn’t this Bible town awesome! There are lots of different Bible printables, so be sure to take some time to browse through the site. Check out 3-D picture crafts- I made one myself and they turn out exactly like the pictures. Enjoy!
Iceberg Reminder
I was hit by an iceberg recently and I wanted to warn you of the danger. I consider myself a veteran homeschool mom and I thought I was immune to the iceberg danger. I was wrong.
Scrolling through social media one day, I came across a few homeschool-themed accounts with breathlessly beautiful photographs. Visually rich. Everything posed perfectly. I stopped to admire the work that went into the various photographs. They were stunning. The photos made me smile.
And then I looked up from my screen. To see crumbs on my table, to see scattered papers and books. And a neglected basket of laundry. I stopped smiling.
Thud. Direct hit by an iceberg.
Suddenly I was discontent. Why was my homeschool dark and dingy compared to those? Our activities no longer seemed exciting. Boring. Just blah.
As quickly as it hit me, the iceberg floated away. Wait a minute! I know better!
Our homeschool is exactly that. Ours. Full of our family, our needs, our hopes and dreams, and the blessings that God has poured out on us. The crumbs mean we had a fresh homemade breakfast. The papers and books mean that we were able to find resources at affordable prices. The basket of laundry meant we would be comfortable in clean clothes.
I had to remind myself. Those pictures are just that. Pictures. Posed and edited. Nothing wrong with that, nothing at all. They merely show a curated moment in time. Someone else’s vision captured in a photograph. Not your vision, theirs. Not your life, theirs. Not your blessings, theirs. Like an iceberg, there is a huge amount in each photograph NOT seen compared to what IS seen. We don’t know how many years a mother may have prayed to be able to homeschool. Perhaps the photo is the result of a good day after many, many bad days. It might even be an attempt to feel equal compared to others. Good or bad, we don’t know the underwater details of a particular photo, so don’t let it get to you.
We tend to look at the visible parts of others’ icebergs and compare it to the underwater parts of our own iceberg. Not a fair comparison! And there is NO reason for comparison!
May I make an unsolicited suggestion? If you find that scrolling through social media continually makes you feel inadequate as a homeschooler, consider dropping a few accounts or reducing your social media time.
The Adventist Home Educator 