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“Full of Good Works”

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Just yesterday while we were having family worship I came across what is now one of my favorite quotes.  We are reading Last Day Events, and there Mrs. White is quoted as saying, “Crowd all the good works you possibly can into this life.” —Testimonies for the Church, Vol 5, pg 488 (LDE 76).  Isn’t that fantastic?  That is what life should be about.  

Tabitha knew this principle well and it was the theme of her life.  In Acts 9:36 it says, “At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas.  This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did.”

Tabitha, or Dorcas, was an amazing lady who was always going about doing good.  Did you hear what the Bible said about her?  Dorcas was “full” of good works and charitable deeds. This means that she (1) intentionally looked for opportunities to do good and (2) this was not an occasional thing.  She overflowed with good works. This shows us that she didn’t just do good things when the opportunity arose, but she went looking for ways to do good and to give to others and she did it all the time.

Acts of the Apostles says about her, “At Joppa, which was near Lydda, there lived a woman named Dorcas, whose good deeds had made her greatly beloved.  She was a worthy disciple of Jesus, and her life was filled with acts of kindness.  She knew who needed comfortable clothing and who needed sympathy, and she freely ministered to the poor and the sorrowful.  Her skillful fingers were more active than her tongue.”  (AA, 131)

We all know what happened to Dorcas.  Somehow she became very ill and died.  The whole community was deeply saddened by losing Dorcas.  They sent for Peter and he, through the power of God, was able to bring her back to life.

Acts of the Apostles goes on to say, ““Dorcas had been of great service to the church, and God saw fit to bring her back from the land of the enemy, that her skill and energy might be a blessing to others, and also that by this manifestation of His power the cause of Christ might be strengthened.”  (AA, 132)

In the story of Dorcas, Christ illustrates the nature of the true Christian spirit.  He shows that the truly converted heart will live a life of intentional good works, not because they are working for their salvation, but because they truly love the Lord and love their fellow man. 

There are many ways that we can be “full of good works.”  Over the course of a few blog posts, I would like to share some of the ways that my family has found to reach out to those around us. We are cultivating a lifestyle of good works!

** THANKS AMY!

Thanks, Amy, for the great post! We look forward to your series that will give us all lots of ideas to add service into our homes and our daily activities! This is post 1 of 6. Come back next Wednesday for the next installment!

Jump Start Your Nature Studies

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Are you just starting out with nature study or trying to revive flagging interest?  Here are a few ideas to jump start nature study activities with your family:

1. Set out a bird feeder.  It is winter in North America and this is a perfect time to set out a feeder and attract hungry birds.   If you place your bird feeder in view of a window, you can enjoy your new feathered friends from the comfort of indoors.  Don’t forget to also pick up a bird identification book at the library.

nature study with binoculars
A pair of binoculars can awaken a child’s interest in nature.

2.  Start a collection.  Leaves, rocks, seeds, pressed flowers, shells, the list is endless.  Young children especially love to fill an empty egg carton with their treasures.

3.  Get new lenses.   A sturdy magnifying glass or a pair of binoculars will entice your children to observe the world around them more closely.   How about an inexpensive camera to give you insight into how your children view the world around them?

4.   Add to your library.   New field guides and nature themed books with bright photos and colorful illustrations are sure to catch the attention of your children.  Our family loves the Smithsonian Handbooks series.

paints for nature drawing
Is your child artistic? Let him/her express their nature learning with art.

5.  Appeal to the arts.   If your children are artistic, a new pad of paper and a set of paints or watercolor pencils will delight them as they capture the line on a leaf or the wing of a bird.

You can find more nature study inspiration under our blog’s nature study category.

Keys To Homeschooling Success ~ Key Five

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Keys to SuccessGive your homeschooling to God

Please don’t dismiss this last key as a trite phrase. Turning over our homeschooling to God is the most important key when it comes to homeschooling success. It goes without saying that as Seventh-day Adventist homeschoolers, we want to give our children a solid Christian education, however choosing an evolution-refuting science book is not enough. Giving every aspect of our homeschooling to God has to be a deliberate decision. Allowing God to be the superintendent over your family’s school must be a conscious choice. God desires to give us divine guidance in our efforts to educate our children, but sometimes in the excitement of organizing a learning space and ordering materials, we forget to put Him at the center of our planning. Present your budget for materials, the support system you need, even the disapproving family members to God. Spend some staff development time with our Creator becoming the teacher He wants you to be. God wants to bless your homeschool. Let Him.

 

 

Keys to Homeschooling Success ~ Key Four

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Abandon the Island

The famous John Donne quote says, “No man is an island…” That is true of homeschooling as well. We need the fellowship of other homeschoolers for the exchange of ideas, for gentle Tropical island, Thailandredirection when we get off-balance and for encouragement. If you are the only homeschooler in your church/area or are facing disapproval from family and friends, it is especially important to make the effort to build a support system. Online homeschool email groups or message boards, homeschooling social media sites, local co-ops or classes are just a few of the places to actively seek out people who can encourage and advise. Your support system might be even be a non-homeschooling friend who is willing to listen over a bowl of soup. If you are more of an introvert and joining a physical group seems overwhelming, try the online support group route. You can stay fairly anonymous and “lurk” until you are ready to join the conversation. Finding your best support group fit might require exploring more than a few options but it will be worth the effort.

Are you a veteran homeschooler? There are so many new families that would love to be tuckedKeys to Success under your wing for a bit of mentoring and guidance! Reach out those just starting out with a kind word, a brief phone call or simple email. Doesn’t have to be anything time-consuming or overwhelming. The year of my youngest son’s cancer diagnosis became so difficult that we ended up starting over again in the middle of the school year. I was very discouraged, partly from holding myself to unreasonable standards that I could not maintain in a crisis situation. A very dear veteran homeschool mom gave me just a few words of encouragement that bolstered my spirits to be able to face the remainder of the school year with new courage.

Keys to Homeschooling Success ~ Key Three

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Give Yourself an Out

Keys to SuccessDon’t paint yourself into a corner with an overly strict schedule/routine. Building too tight of a schedule is a recipe for disappointment when the unexpected gets in the way. Lack of breathing room will also increase the chances of early burnout and decrease the chances of spontaneous teachable moments. Plan a little flex-time into your program. Sooner or later, you will need that extra time.

When I am making my lesson plans, I often leave a week open every six weeks or so for catching up or reorganizing if needed. Alternately, I will leave one math assignment open this week, a grammar lesson open the next, and science module open the third week. If we need that unscheduled time for catching up or re-teaching, the time is available. If it is not needed, we just keep moving. Think of the open time slot as a safety release valve. If you need a day off to regroup or catch up on the laundry- just consider it ‘staff -development’ time.

Keys to Homeschooling Success ~ Key Two

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Be Prepared to Un-Learn, Reevaluate and Think Outside the Box

box

Just because you have always ‘done school’ in a particular way does not mean it should stay that way forever. Be careful of falling into a homeschooling rut simply because you refuse to un-learn old habits. Being open to change can help you to avoid burnout. Year-round homeschooling worked well for my family for several years, and then suddenly it was a struggle. Instead of fighting it, we chose to adjust our school calendar and are much happier and productive as a result. Just as a tasty new curry recipe adds fresh life to your menu rotation, a new way of doing school may add fresh life to your homeschool program.

As your family grows and changes, it is important to revisit your goals, strategies and curriculum to make sure you are meeting the needs of your children in the best way possible. Sometimes a particular curriculum works well for younger children, but loses its effectiveness with older learners. We parents may have strong opinions about the materials our children are using, but have we asked our children to share their thoughtful evaluations? If its not broken, there’s no need to fix it, but at the same time there is no harm in re-evaluating what you do to find new ways to learn. It may be helpful to include an evaluation time in your calendar at regular intervals to specifically discuss with your family how to make your homeschool the best it can be.

The best learning opportunities don’t always come in a textbook. Look for ways to learn

Keys to Success

something new away from home. Botany can be studied by joining a gardening club. Sign up for a plein-air watercolor class as a way of learning nature journaling. Why not take a chance and move outside of your comfort zone? Try something new. You might discover birdwatching or stargazing or geo-cacheing to be not only educational, but truly enjoyable. Perhaps you never thought you would do a literature-based unit study or try a computer-based curriculum. Give it a try, you might like it! Check with your family members, friends or fellow church members who might jump at the chance to teach your family something new. Don’t make changes solely to keep up with the homeschooling Joneses, but to move yourself and your children to new heights.

Did you miss the first key to homeschooling success? Check out our blog’s recent posts.

Keys To Homeschooling Success ~ Key One

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Join us each Tuesday this month as we share 5 keys to having a successful homeschooling year. We pray that these posts will both encourage and inspire as you endeavor to educate your children this school year.

Keys to SuccessFind Your Fit

It is easy to look at what other families are doing and get discouraged. Does your friend create fabulous in-depth unit studies for her children that leave you feeling envious? That’s okay, she is not making the adjustment to caring for an elderly parent in your home like you are. Go ahead and purchase the unit study kit you’ve had your eye on and enjoy using it. It really is okay if you never ever write your own curriculum or make a lapbook!

I remember a mom who proudly announced that she never used workbooks – as if workbooks were the lowest form of education. I had just bought a stack of workbooks for my 4th grader and it was very hard not to take her statement personally. I had to remind myself that her conviction was for HER household. I had a newborn baby and was doing what I could handle at the time. If your child is excited at thought of a new workbook, then go ahead and give your child a reason to smile. Don’t forget some new colored pencils to go with the new workbook!

Your household structure, your child’s learning style, the support systems in your area and other factors will all combine to create a your family’s unique homeschool. Prayerfully work towards doing what is best for YOUR family. If you are a square peg, don’t try to fit in a round homeschooling hole.