January 5, 2022 – New Year, New Attitude, New Schedule . . . and Why it Works

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Hey, Mama!

Gena Suarez, Publisher of TOS

His Mercies Are New Every Day This New Year

Hey Mama,

I heard your yesterday was something you’d like to drop-kick to the curb. And maybe it wasn’t just yesterday. Maybe it was last week, or last month, or even last year. 2021 was hard for a lot of people. Didn’t go well. Was just bad, very bad.

At those times, the first reaction is often to go into “I don’t care” mode, to shrug our shoulders and say, “Whatever! This life is too hard anyway.” To feel like a failure, to drop into depression—it’s a tool of the enemy. It’s not of God.

If the enemy can keep you looking at your situation, your failures, your problems, then your eyes are off the Lord and His promises.

You can, with intention, turn it around. Deny the feelings of being cast low. Resist the urge to go with them. Instead, get God’s word into your hands and let Him speak TRUTH to you. Right now.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13, NKJV).

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him” (Psalm 28:7, ESV).

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6, ESV).

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (II Timothy 1:7, ESV).

Your yesterday (or last week or last month or last year) may have really stunk to high heaven. But today is new, meaning His mercies, too, are new. This year is also new. Start it with a fresh perspective. Create a schedule with some breathing room. Allow time for nature walks, and read-alouds, and quiet time. I know it’s not easy but try to give yourself that time. You will feel better for it and your children will too.

Maybe you’re the type that has a difficult time with scheduling.

These articles from The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine can help with that:

Charts, Schedules and Printables for Preschoolers by Kendra Fletcher
Homeschool Planning Using Checklists and Schedules by Malia Russell
Get Organized for Homeschooling by Stephanie Green

You can do this, Mama. The Lord is there for you always. Lift up your eyes to Him. Cry out for our great God to take away your doubts and your fears—and to guide you in His will. He hears your prayers when you share your feelings of depression or unworthiness. Those things are very real, but remember: God has endless compassion, so you can truly lay those at His feet and walk joyfully today.

Lord, be with our friends here today who read this. Bless them with Your comforting arms. Draw them closer to You than ever. Let them see You for who You are. Lord, I pray You increase Your kingdom even now as You soften hearts and reveal Yourself to those who would cast their cares on You today. In Christ Jesus, amen.

And, Mama, guess what? His hand is right there, guiding you every step of the way.

~ gena

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Raising Real Men

Hal & Melanie Young, RaisingRealMen.com

Be Thankful for Fresh Starts

There is something so delightful about a fresh start.

Life is messy. It’s a fallen world. Kids don’t always cooperate. Things don’t always go like you’ve planned. Of course, if you’ve been homeschooling a minute, you’ve found that out for yourself.

By the time the holidays come along, most of us are behind, our houses are a mess, and frankly, it’s a relief to have an excuse to stop trying to pull off homeschooling for a while! It’s not just you. It’s nearly all of us.

Here’s the thing, though.

We serve a God who is full of grace! He’s the same God who loved us before we could love Him. Scripture reminds us, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). He is the One we answer to for our homeschooling, and He sees us with compassion and grace.

Just as He gives us a fresh start in Jesus Christ when we trust in Him for the forgiveness of sins, He also keeps forgiving us, keeps giving us fresh starts.

So, wipe your slate clean.

Start out fresh, but this time – give yourself grace. Don’t plan so much that you are sure to fail. Don’t make the schedule your master.

Instead, start the new year with a little more flexibility. Change up your schedule. Do some assignments orally instead of written. Do a few hands-on projects. Spend some time discussing things with your kids instead of stressing over getting another worksheet done.

Here’s some help with the practical part of homeschooling and managing your home. Get “Homeschooling a Houseful” FREE here!

And realize that the most important part of homeschooling isn’t the work you get done, it’s what kind of people you and your children become – the relationships grown, the character developed, the discipleship experienced.

Happy New Year!

Hal & Melanie

About the authors

Hal & Melanie Young are the award-winning, best-selling authors of Raising Real Men, No Longer Little and Love, Honor, and Virtue. They are publishers, writers, bloggers, and popular conference speakers internationally, known for their Christ-centered focus and practical, real-life stories. They are the parents of six real boys (five grown!) and two real girls and live in noisy, messy happiness in North Carolina.

Diane Heeney

Pillar of Faith
Diane Heeney – Fresh Resolve for the New Year

Almost exactly three hundred years ago, Jonathan Edwards wrote some New Year’s resolutions—the first of which was, “I will live for God.” The second was, “Even if no one else does, I still will.” The culture and climate we live in today is calling out that “I still will” for Christian homeschoolers.

What have you resolved for your 2022 educational journey? Have you ever written a mission statement for your homeschool? It’s a valuable tool to revisit, to help guard your heart when things get hard—whether it’s because loss or heartache touches your home, or finances are dire, or you find your legal rights coming under scrutiny.

While England faced uncertainty in December of 1939, King George VI addressed the Empire, quoting a poem entitled The Gate of the Year: “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.” Heartening words we can also heed. The Lord is our light; He knows tomorrow’s needs; He’s continually with us, holding our hand as we begin a new year.

Yes. We will live for Him.