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For 27 Years The Teaching Home Has Been Providing Families
Information, Inspiration, and Encouragement from a Distinctively Christian Perspective.
Cindy Short and Sue Welch, Co-Editors
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Oh give thanks
to the Lord,
for He is good!
Psalm 106:1
•
Thanksgiving Day Activities • Free:
Evangelism Boot Camp • Sunnyside Up
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| Thanksgiving Day Activities |
"Count Your Blessings" Visuals
Poster
Make a poster and cut out objects (see
below). Then write a blessing for which you
are thankful on each cutout and tape or glue
them on the poster. For example: • Poster of a
tree with leaf cutouts • Draw a
leafless tree on a piece of butcher paper or
posterboard. (You can also open up a
paper grocery bag to
use as a large piece of paper.) • Cut out leaves
from colored paper and write (or have young
children draw) something for which you
are thankful on each
leaf. • Tape or glue
them to the tree. • Poster of a
cornucopia with fruit and vegetable cutouts • Poster of an
umbrella or grass with raindrop cutouts
(showers of blessings)
Basket or Box
Decorate a box or basket to hold notes
(e.g., 3x5 cards) written by family members
expressing thankfulness for various
blessings, great or small. Younger children
can draw items. Add more notes throughout the year.
Review them occasionally or read them next
Thanksgiving. One family's tradition is to start a box
on Thanksgiving into which family members put
notes of thanks to each other—with
specific things they appreciate. They add to
this box until Christmas and open the notes
to each other before they share their gifts.
"What Am I Thankful For?"
(with Charades and/or Pictionary)
Have Ready: a chalkboard, whiteboard, or
a large pad of paper with markers. The idea is for everyone to tell what they
are thankful for by using the rules of charades
or pictionary. • Everyone gets
a turn as others guess. This is not a points
or winning game - just fun! • The game can
continue after everyone has one turn as long
as there is interest.
Your Family
Thanksgiving Service
After your Thanksgiving feast, gather your
family and friends for a time of: • Singing hymns
and songs of praise. See words and hear the
music to many hymns of thanksgiving at Cyberhymnal. • Recounting to
each other the blessings of the Lord. • Thanking Him
together in prayer. • Reading or
quoting Bible verses or passages on
thankfulness and God's blessings (many of the
Psalms and Psalm 100).
HSLDA Protects
Your Right
To HomeschoolSince 1983, Home School Legal Defense
Association's primary goal has remained the
same—to bring together a large number
of homeschooling families so that each can
have a low-cost method of obtaining quality
legal defense. HSLDA gives families the freedom to
homeschool without having to face legal
threats alone. (Use discount
group number 299142
for $20 off your membership fee.)
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services can benefit your family.
The Teaching Home
Back Issues
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Always-Relevant
Teaching Home Back IssuesFifty-one back issues are offered online
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encouragement packed into
each back issue never goes out of date. They
are always
relevant, applicable to your needs today. Order securely online. A reader in Indiana wrote, "I have
subscribed for the past ten years. You have
been my mainstay. When I first began home
schooling, I had no support group, and your
magazine gave me the encouragement and
knowledge to continue. I have read countless
letters from your readers who have said the
same thing." In each issue an average of 58 home
schoolers contribute
practical how-to articles, encouraging
letters, and ready-to-use
teaching tips. "The Teaching Home has been a part of my
continuing education since I started home
schooling, and I have kept every issue. "I often go back to old issues to find
creative, helpful hints or inspiration."
Meredith C., Florida
The Pharisee
and the Sinner
I had finally gotten through our bedtime
routine with the children. All I had
left to do was to pray with our 5-year-old
son Joey. I listened as he gave thanks
for his home and family. He asked the
Lord for protection and said a final "Amen." Then Joey looked up at me and announced,
"I didn't have to tell God about my
sins—I didn't do any today." Doubtfully, I told him that was certainly
interesting. I don't know if Joey had been guiltless
all day or not, but I know he "blew it" with
his next move. He rose up from his bed
and pointed his finger at his 3-year-old
brother. The 3-year-old looked quite shaken as Joey
said, "I didn't sin today, but I can tell you
all about Jacob's sins!" Submitted by Carol A., Ohio. Send your humorous
anecdote to
publisher@teachinghome.com.
Because we have been separated from God by
sin, Jesus Christ died in our place, then
rose to life again. If we trust Him as our
Savior and Lord, He will forgive our sin and
give us eternal life. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."
(John 3:16)
Free Evangelism Boot Camp
|
The Pocket Testament League offers a
7-part online training course. These lessons
will help you to share your faith in Christ. pocketpower.org
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Ready-To-Use
Thanksgiving Bible Study
Based on Psalm 100
Also use as a mini unit study or
devotionals.
1. Praising God for Who He Is 2. Thanking God for What He Has Done 3. Ways To Praise and Thank God
Thanksgiving Day Activities – Sidebar at Left
Greetings,
Are you busy with Thanksgiving Day
preparations for extended family, guests,
food, and more? In this issue we offer you a ready-to-use
Bible study which includes learning
activities and practical suggestions for how
your family can praise and thank God this
week—and all year long! You might use all or parts of this Bible
study during your school time, as a guide for
your family devotions, or for a family
thanksgiving service. We have also added some ideas for
activities in the sidebar at the left. They
are fun and meaningful ways of expressing
thanks that all ages can join in and enjoy. May your family come to a deeper
understanding of who God is and what He has
done by studying God's Word together at this
Thanksgiving time -- resulting in praise and
thankfulness to our wonderful Lord for His
goodness to us.
Cordially,
The Pat Welch Family, Publishers
Pat, Sue, Heather, Holly, and Brian
The Teaching
Home is a home-school, family-run
business operated in our home since 1980.
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1. Praising God for Who He Is
Praising God
1. Bible Study and Memory
Read, Discuss, and Memorize Psalm 100:1,
2. "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye
lands.
Serve the Lord with gladness:
Come before his presence with singing."
2. Word Study
Study the words "praise" and "thank." •
Look up both words in a dictionary
and a thesaurus. •
See Webster's 1828 Dictionary online
and look up praise
and thank. You can buy
this dictionary from Foundation for American
Christian Education. •
Point out that there is a difference between:
praising God for Who He is and thanking Him
for what He's done.
3. Further Bible Study
•
Look up verses that contain the words
"praise" and "thank" in a concordance or
online at Crosswalk.com. •
Look up "praise" and "thankfulness" in Baker's
Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical
Theology for discussion and more
references.
4. Nature Study
•
Read Psalm 19:1-6 and answer: "How does
the earth and all creation praise God?" •
Write a poem
or paint a picture of nature praising God.
Who God Is
1. Bible Study and Memory
Read, Discuss, and Memorize Psalm 100:3. "Know ye that the Lord he is God:
It is he that hath made us, and not we
ourselves;
We are his people, and the sheep of his
pasture."
2. Considering God, Our Creator
•
Read Psalm 139, consider, and answer the
questions: "Did God make each of us
individually? Who knows us, our
character, and our thoughts better than
anyone else? What does this mean to
you?"
3. Considering God, Our
Shepherd
Psalm 100:3 tells us that we are God's
flock. Psalm 23 gives us a picture of what it
means to have God as our Shepherd. •
Read Psalm 23 and think of how this
description makes you feel (e.g., safe,
loved, etc.). •
List things to praise God for from Psalm 23.
4. Studying the Character of
God
What is God like? In addition to God being holy, loving,
just, and true, older children can learn the
meaning and implications of terms such as
omnipotent, omniscience, omnipresent, and
immutable. •
See "The
Doctrine of God" for a list of the
attributes of God with Scripture references. •
Write a character description of God based on
Scripture. (See Exodus 34:6, 7; Deut.
6:4; 10:17; Num. 16:22; Ex. 15:11, 33:19;
Isa. 44:6; Hab. 3:6; Ps. 102:26; Job 34:12;
Rev. 5:12, 7:12; and ChristianAnswers.net.)
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2. Thanking God for What He Has Done
Thanking God
1. Bible Study and Memory
Read, Discuss, and Memorize Psalm 100:4. "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise:
Be thankful unto him, and bless his name."
2. What To Thank God for
Make a list of things your family is
thankful for and keep adding to your list all
year long (see suggested activities in the
sidebar at left). Be sure to include
the following: •
His Love and Free Offer of Salvation "For the wages of sin is death, but the
free gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23) •
His Provision "And my God will supply all your needs
according to His riches in glory in Christ
Jesus." (Philippians 4:19) •
All Good Things "Every good thing given and every perfect
gift is from above, coming down from the
Father." (James 1:17) You can rightfully thank God for anything
and everything good, including a found
parking space, safety during a near accident
that you avoided, good news from a friend, or
the beauty of the day. •
Unasked-for Blessings "For He gives to His beloved even in his
sleep." (Psalms 127:2) "He causes His sun to rise on the evil and
the good, and sends rain on the righteous and
the unrighteous." (Matthew 5:45) We can thank the Lord for those things we
have received from God without specifically
asking for them.
3. Studying the Names of God
•
List some of the names of the Lord (e.g.,
Jehovah Jireh - The God Who Provides). •
See a list of hundreds of names of God, many
with Scripture references, at ChristianAnswers.net. •
What names would you give God, based on your
personal or family relationship with Him?
What God Has Done
1. Bible Study and Memory
Read, Discuss, and Memorize Psalm 100:5. "For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness
is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations."
2. Lovingkindness
•
(See Webster's 1828 Dictionary online for
definition of kindness.) •
Read Psalm 136 and using it as an example,
write a family Psalm telling about God's
lovingkindness to your family.
3. Faithfulness
•
Read about God's faithfulness in Lamentations
3:22, 23. •
Sing "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." •
How has God been faithful to you? Write
one or more verses to the above tune praising
and thanking God for what He has been and
done for your family.
3. Ways To Praise and Thank God
"I will bless the Lord at all times: his
praise shall continually be in my
mouth." (Psalm 34:1)
1. In Private and Family Prayer
•
Private Prayer Talking to God in prayer throughout the
day is how we can "pray without
ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
And the majority of our words to Him should
be praise to Him for Who He is (His
attributes) and thanks for what He has done
for us. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything
by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known to
God." (Philippians 4:6) "Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping
alert in it with an attitude of
thanksgiving." (Colossians 4:2) •
Family Prayer Teach your children to begin their prayers
with praise and thanksgiving before
presenting their petitions. During your family prayer time, ask your
children to think of one specific thing that
happened that day (especially to them
individually) for which they can thank the
Lord.
2. In Song, Singing Hymns and Spiritual
Songs
Throughout Scripture, thankfulness to the
Lord is expressed not only in words, but
through music. "I will praise the name of God with song
and magnify Him with thanksgiving."
(Psalms 69:30) "Let the word of Christ richly dwell
within you, with all wisdom; teaching and
admonishing one another with psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing with
thankfulness in your hearts to God."
(Colossians 3:16) •
Learn (memorize) and sing hymns and songs of
praise and thanksgiving.
See a list of 293 songs of praise at CyberHymnal.org
(choose menu item "Praising Him" on the
left). •
Sing "All
People That on Earth Do Dwell," based on
Psalm 100. •
Sing alone, either aloud or to yourself, as
you work or travel. •
Sing as a family, at meals, devotional times,
and in the car.
3. In Public, as a Testimony to
Others
Giving thanks to God should also be done
before others as a testimony of His goodness
to all mankind and our appreciation of Him. •
In Everyday Talk The phrase "Praise the Lord" is
appropriate many times in our daily
conversations, before our family and in front
of the unsaved or strangers. We should not
tire of using it with sincerity! •
Corporate Worship and Prayer Our corporate worship during the song
service and public prayers at church should
be meaningful praise and thanksgiving to the
Lord. "In the midst of the assembly I will
praise You." (Psalms 22:22) •
Direct the Praise to God. Teach your children by your own example
that when we are praised by others, we should
acknowledge the Lord's grace that enables us
to do anything good or praiseworthy. In this
way we give the glory and praise to Him. "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your
name give glory because of Your
lovingkindness, because of Your truth."
(Psalms 115:1) •
Ministering to Others Singing praise and thanks to the Lord at a
rest home or rescue mission is a real
testimony.
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