The SG Notebook

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth’s flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

~ Joyce Kilmer

I posted this on my personal blog, and thought it good to post it here as well. What a lovely poem to teach in your little school or in family devotions. Perhaps you have already. Why not do a little unit study for science, integrating it with English and Bible? Only God can make a tree. He is the Maker of all things. What a necessary truth to teach our children.

Maxine, a/k/a Nanna

When I first heard about homeschooling, I thought it was something weird. I had no children then and a young lady from the church I was in said something about teaching her children at home. At the time, I remember thinking it was just one of Jan’s off the wall ideas. Then, after meeting more folks who were doing it, I figured that maybe there was something viable about it after all. Who would have thought just a few years down the road that I would be a homeschooling mom myself. Having seen one daughter graduate as a homeschooler, we are now on our second leg of the journey. (Our girls are twelve and a half years apart.)

Not only do I think it’s a viable alternative to traditional schooling, I firmly believe that it’s a huge success when it comes to education. It’s a force to be contended with here in the U.S. Just watch what happens when the big giant government comes out with threats against the little David homeschooling community. Little David comes forth with its sling shot and aims right at the head of Goliath. And more often than not, Mr. Goliath listens. That’s primarily because there are so many in David’s army. I’m praying that the Lord will continue in His mercies towards the homeschooling community. After all, it’s a tough call and hard work, but we are doing what we feel is a call from our God as parents to our children. And please, Mr. Goliath, be kind to us as we mean you no ill at all.

Now this little force of David’s army has gone so far as to have its own toolbar! Now I think that’s really something. I would suggest checking it out–it’s all self-explanatory. So any of you moms who don’t know about it, hop on over and see what you think.

Homeschool Toolbar

Maxine, a/k/a Nanna

My granddaughters love to go to church. Well, at least the two year old does. How about your children? Do they LOVE going to church and what do they do when they go? Our feature in the current edition of “Helping Children Grow”, our bi-monthly enewsletter, is all about the subject of children in the worship service and my opinion about the whole topic. Granted, it’s only the opinion of this humble servant of yours, but I thought you still might be interested in reading about it and also taking advantage of a couple of links to worthwhile articles which you may find helpful. Well, you can do all that if you subscribe. You’ll only have to hear from us every other month, but just maybe there will be something helpful to you and your family here and there. Want to try it? Go here to subscribe today!

In one of his final actions in the White House, President Bush on Thursday declared Jan. 18 to be “National Sanctity of Human Life Day.”

“All human life is a gift from our creator that is sacred, unique and worthy of protection. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, our country recognizes that each person, including every person waiting to be born, has a special place and purpose in this world,” reads the presidential proclamation.

Please be praying for this in your homes. Gather your children around you and pray for our Nation. We sorely need those prayers.

Maxine, a/k/a Nanna

Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Psalm 104. 1

Bless the LORD, O my soul. This psalm begins and ends like the Hundred and Third, and it could not do better: when the model is perfect it deserves to exist in duplicate. True praise begins at home. It is idle to stir up others to praise if we are ungratefully silent ourselves. We should call upon our inmost hearts to awake and bestir themselves, for we are apt to be sluggish, and if we are so when called upon to bless God, we shall have great cause to be ashamed. When we magnify the Lord, let us do it heartily: our best is far beneath his worthiness, let us not dishonour him by rendering to him half hearted worship. O LORD my God, thou art very great. This ascription has in it a remarkable blending of the boldness of faith, and the awe of holy fear: for the psalmist calls the infinite Jehovah “my God, “and at the same time, prostrate in amazement at the divine greatness, he cries out in utter astonishment, “Thou art very great.” God was great on Sinai, yet the opening words of his law were, “I am the Lord thy God; ” his greatness is no reason why faith should not put in her claim, and call him all her own. The declaration of Jehovah’s greatness here given would have been very much in place at the end of the psalm, for it is a natural inference and deduction from a survey of the universe: its position at the very commencement of the poem is an indication that the whole psalm was well considered and digested in the mind before it was actually put into words; only on this supposition can we account for the emotion preceding the contemplation. Observe also, that the wonder expressed does not refer to the creation and its greatness, but to Jehovah himself. It is not “the universe is very great!” but “THOU art very great.” Many stay at the creature, and so become idolatrous in spirit; to pass onward to the Creator himself is true wisdom. ~ Charles H. Spurgeon

In a gem of a book, The One Year Christian History, the entry of the day is about Charles H. Spurgeon, beloved by us all. Do you know the story of his conversion? He was caught in a snowstorm and for shelter ducked into a Methodist chapel. He heard a simple sermon that day, one in which he was exhorted to “look” to Jesus and be saved. He did and he was on the day. The date was January 6, 1850 and his life was forever changed. Wouldn’t you say that we’ve all benefited from that day?

I hope you read the priceless writings of Mr. Spurgeon in your home. He’s a Christian hero, you know.

Maxine, a/k/a Nanna