Giving Tuesday – Booklets for Bibles

           Seasonal Jokes Cover Names of Jesus Cover

 

A couple weeks ago, our oldest girls came to us desiring to do some type of work to raise money for a charity during this Christmas season.  After ruling out a few ideas, what should they finally choose?  Well, it is often said that our children are always watching us and will model what we do.  So, following in the footsteps of their mama, they decided to create Christmas related materials for parents and teachers. =)

Booklets for Bibles

Please assist us in raising money to help print Bibles through Wycliffe for the Mayogo people in their heart language. They live in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

To read more about this project click the link below https://www.wycliffe.org/giftcatalog/projects/give-scripture-for-the-mayogo

Our goal is to raise $120 by selling Countdown to Christmas Math Puzzles: Names of Jesus  and  Countdown to Christmas Math Puzzles: Seasonal Jokes.  This amount will allow for 20 New Testaments to be printed for the Mayogo people.

 

These booklets have 24 different puzzles with math problems (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) to figure out either a name of Jesus as found in Scripture or the answer to a fun seasonal joke. They were designed with 3rd-4th graders in mind.

~The Hubbard girls

The girls have been working hard to have these materials ready for December 1st so that you, dear teachers and moms, can have them for use with your children.

Booklet Making
Won’t you, please support them in reaching their goal?

The booklets are available for purchase at our Joyful Heart Learning store for just $3.00 each.  All proceeds from either of these products this Christmas season will go toward the girls’ goal to give Bibles to the Mayogo people.

                             Seasonal Jokes Cover     Names of Jesus Cover

Countdown to Christmas Math Puzzles: Seasonal Jokes

Countdown to Christmas Math Puzzles: Names of Jesus

Giving Tuesday – Booklets for Bibles
www.givingtuesday.org

Psalm 103 – Overflowing With Praise

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Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion…

I’ve always been drawn to this Psalm, but today, as I spoke the words aloud, tears began to well up in my eyes.  A sense of amazement –  at how loving, compassionate, and gracious my Lord is  – overtook me.  I was crying tears of joy at how wonderfully merciful our God is!

I am so appreciative of friends who challenge me to memorize longer passages of Scripture, who are great role models in persistence as they set to the hard task themselves, and who walk alongside me and keep me accountable.  I’m also thankful for the sweet little ones in our own home who, likewise, are excellent examples for me as they are diligent to learn the Word through AWANA each week – and who show interest, patience, and excitement as they listen to me practice and recite aloud to them!

IMG_6333 As a family, we’ve memorized a few passages of varying lengths at different times over the years and it has always been such a blessing.  We need to continue to do the hard, but joyous task of memorizing His Word.

There are so many benefits to memorizing longer passages of Scripture.  Here are just three quick reasons to encourage us in our memorizing of entire Scripture passages…

  1. Understanding
    As we memorize, it is inevitable that we begin to let the words (God’s Holy Word) wash over us.  As we meditate and reflect on the meaning of what we are memorizing, it makes God’s Word come alive and we gain a deeper understanding.
  2. Transformation
    As we work on memorizing sections, it fills our hearts and minds with His Word.  God’s Word renews and transforms our minds.
  3. Praise
    Memorizing and meditating on God’s Word causes us to well up with springs of overflowing thankfulness, praise, and gratitude to our great God!

Time spent in God’s Word, striving to memorize and hide His Word in our hearts, is never wasted.  Memorizing and meditating is a rich endeavor that only results in GOOD.

Would you like to join me in memorizing and meditating on Psalm 103?  It is an excellent passage to cultivate a heart of gratitude to our merciful Savior as we come upon the holidays!

Below is a link to a free printable booklet with cut apart Scripture cards (to take with you), a full passage sheet to post (maybe near your kitchen sink, shower, or mirror), and a few pages of spaces to handwrite the verses, write prayers of thanks, and place checkmarks as you memorize each verse.

Psalm 103: Memorization & Meditation

 Psalm 103 memory cards Psalm 103 sample

May you be blessed in whatever Scripture passage you choose to undertake!

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.  (Colossians 3:16)

 

More Ideas for Cultivating Thankfulness…
20 Days of Thanks
Thank Him Tree

Thoughts on Psalm 103…
Psalm 103…What I Believe

His Great Grace

I remember this photo, this captured moment in time…
April 2010 kids (2)

That year our family grew from four sweet kids to five blessings aged eight and under.
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When our youngest child was born, we were a month or so away from wrapping up our homeschool year with a 2nd grader, kindergartener, preschooler, and toddler.

Yes, we were in the thick of it then– a beautiful mess of sleepless nights, diaper changes, toilet training, beginning reading, meal preparation and cleaning with little helpers wrapped around my feet, singing Bible verses, tears and crying out to God, survival mode, princess dresses, all the fun from this precious group of little kids, the exhaustion, the love, laughter, and hugs!
Chiris and the kids (2)DSC_2686 (2) DSC_1298 (2)
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And, as long and lonely as some of those days felt, I can never forget that this mama was being wrapped in the strong arms of God and His great GRACE.  Grace to say ‘yes’ for reading one more book, grace to keep going on planning and schooling through all the doubts and fears, grace to juggle and be spread thin each day, grace to grow through the reading of His Word, grace to have encouragement sent through a loving husband and friends, grace to share His love with these precious children that He sent to us.

His grace found me in the midst of it all.
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I look back at these photos and I can’t help but get all teary eyed.  Friends with older kids tried to tell me…  They’d say that the kids wouldn’t always be that little and to cherish every moment.  I think it was hard for me to believe.  You know, when I was in the midst of it, the days seemed so long, the nights too short, and it appeared as though those little ones would be at that stage forever.

But, five short years later, as if in the blink of an eye, I can honestly say that those years passed –way –too –fast.

Those tiny eight and six year old little girls… are now young ladies, bright, cheerful, helpers who come alongside their mama, independent learners, middle schoolers (gasp), and rivaling me in height!  That sweet, sun shiny toddler who would run around the school room and steal our hearts (and erasers) is now an upcoming second grader herself – still giggly and in love with her siblings and her Savior.
oiur girls

And, oh, those sweet boys (the once so small baby and the eager preschooler) are now handsome young boys – one preparing to enter kindergarten (how can it be?) and the other one a big 4th grader.  They love to wrestle with each other, build wonderful contraptions from Legos, are adorably goofy, help their mama, and of course argue as only brothers do.
our boys2

GRACE.

The seasons change.  Our kids grow and blossom.  The challenges are different.
But God’s great GRACE and love towards His children never change.

I’m praising Him for all these years – the past, the present, and those yet to come!
I’m still in need of God’s grace and am thankful for His loving arms wrapping me tight.  He is faithful and His Grace still finds me…

  ‘ Your Grace Finds Me
by Matt Redman

It’s there in the newborn cry
It’s there in the light of every sunrise
It’s there in the shadows of this light
Your great grace

It’s there on the mountaintop
It’s there in the everyday and the mundane
There in the sorrow and the dancing
Your great grace
Oh, such grace

From the creation to the cross
Then from the cross into eternity
Your grace finds me
Yes, Your grace finds me

It’s there on a wedding day
There in the weeping by the graveside
There in the very breath we breathe
Your great grace

Same for the rich and poor
Same for the saint and for the sinner
Enough for this whole wide world
Your great grace
Oh, such grace

From the creation to the cross
Then from the cross into eternity
Your grace finds me
Yes, Your grace finds me

There in the darkest night of the soul
There in the sweetest songs of victory
Your grace finds me
Yes, Your grace finds me

Your great grace
Oh, such grace
Your great grace
Oh, such grace

So I’m breathing in Your grace
And I’m breathing out Your praise
I’m breathing in Your grace
Forever I’ll be
Breathing in Your grace
And I’m breathing out Your praise
I’m breathing in Your grace
And I’m breathing out Your praise
Breathing in Your grace
For our God, for our God

Yes, Your grace finds me
Yes, Your grace finds me

 

”I’m breathing in Your grace and I’m breathing out Your praise…”

5 Ways to Remember Luke 2

During the days leading up to Christmas, regardless of the ages or stages of our kids, the crafts we were able to create, the baking projects we were able to do, or the activities we participated in, when we have taken time to read, recite, and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas through the study of Luke 2:1-20 it has been a great blessing.  Looking back, I would have to say that it has become a family tradition to review and recite the Biblical account of Christ’s birth each December – and it brings joy!

Here are five quick ways to help hide God’s Word in your heart and focus on the birth of Christ Jesus this Christmas…

1) Read and Listen from God’s Holy Word

Read it daily and let it soak in!

Bible

2) Practice Reciting the Scripture Passage Orally as a Family

Simply sit together and recite the passage aloud with one another.
   OR
Take turns listening to each other say as much of the portion of Scripture that they know.
Try to encourage the use of emphasis and expression!  
   OR
Take turns tossing a ball or beanbag and saying a word or two from the text you are working on together.  For example, one child tosses the ball and says, “In”.  The child that catches the ball says the next word needed, “those”, and tosses it to someone else. Continue in this manner until the verse(s) are complete. 
toss and say

3) Use Pictures to Aid Comprehension

Luke 2:1-20 flows so well and is a great Biblical account to share orally.  Help your youngest children retain meaning by connecting the text to pictures!

You may desire to use printable sheets or cards, such as those shown below.
Luke 2 Scripture Cards

OR

Recite, Read, and Color using The Christmas Story Booklet!
(The text for this booklet is completely from the NIV, 1984 version.)

The Christmas Story Booklet Sample  Booklet

We have it in a Spanish translation as well!
The Christmas Story Booklet Spanish Cover

Our four year old enjoys coloring each picture after he has successfully memorized the verse on the corresponding page!
coloringbooklet

 

4) Write it out!

It is so easy to just copy the text from your own Bible and a great way to assist in memorizing God’s Word!

As part of our Celebrating Christmas eBook, we have included printable copywork sheets, shown below, in both print and cursive for each verse.

copywork sample- print copywork sample- cursive

A simpler version of print can be found at Hubbard’s Cupboard for free as well.

5) Retell Luke 2 in creative ways!  

Move pieces of a flannel board or of a nativity set as you recite Luke 2 from memory.
flannel board

Use nativity stamps to print the story.  Then, point and retell using exact wording from Scripture.Luke 2 Stamp Story

 

And, of course, it is always fun to gather props and willing family members to act it out!

 

May you and your family be blessed this Christmas as you learn His Word and reflect on the true meaning of the season!

God’s Word is for LIFE

For Life

While in Panama City, Panama for the Kuna Scripture Dedication, we were blessed to be able to be present for a traditional evening Kuna worship service as well as a Sunday morning service held at a local Spanish/English church that several missionaries (including Keith and Wilma Forster) attend.   On this particular Sunday morning, a Kuna choir led in worship, the Forsters were honored, the completed Kuna Bible was celebrated, and a sermon was taught on ‘What the Bible Tells Us.’

 
RH Choir

                       DS Flute player   IMG_4503 (2)

RH Choir Close up

Where would we be without God’s life giving Words as found in the Bible?  Would we be able to know who He is?  who we truly are?  that God loves us?  how we can love God?  how we can live to please Him?  and why we are here?  

The Bible reveals…

1) who God is.
     He is holy!

For this is what the high and lofty One says—
he who lives forever, whose name is holy:
“I live in a high and holy place,
but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly
and to revive the heart of the contrite.
~Isaiah 57:15

2) who we are.
     We are sinners, separated from the Holy God.

…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…
~ Romans 3:23

3) that God loves us. 
    
God loves us and made a way, through the death and resurrection of His One and Only Son Jesus, for us to be reconciled to Him.

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
~ 1 John 4:9-10

4) how we can love God.
     We can show we love God by obeying His commands.

This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome…
~ 1 John 5:3

5) how we can live to please Him.
      We can please Him by living in faith!

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
~ Hebrews 11:6

6) why we are here.
     We were to created to glorify Christ!

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”
~ Revelation 4:11

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
~ Colossians 1:16

 

One of the pastors emphasized…

Just having the Scriptures is not enough.  It is to be used.

CB Bible

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,  so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
~ 2 Timothy 3:17

Yes, God’s Word is for LIFE.

RH Families

But these are written that you may believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that by believing you may have life in his name.
~ John 20:31

                                           RH Child          IMG_4482

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