Encouragement

Christian Perspective

"Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore." Psalm 105:4

www.christianperspective.net
info@christianperspective.net

Fall Greetings

Don't you love this time of year? I can't seem to get enough of the fall color--some days the trees are so beautiful I can hardly keep from gasping at the brilliance. God sure knows how to weave the colors together, doesn't He?

As we head into the winter season, it's my prayer that we'll remember this same Master Artist is orchestrating the details of our days. Some seasons are like fall--filled with spectacular color. Others are more like winter--a time of resting where the cold and snow prepare the earth for another spring.

May the Lord bless each one of you and grant you grace to keep your eyes upon Him through each of life's seasons.

By His Grace,

Katherine

Devotional Sale Extended Until Friday
We've extended our sale on our Thanksgiving and Christmas devotionals through this Friday (November 5)--we hope you'll be able to take advantage of the savings. The kits make a great gift, and are a meaningful, fun way to prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas as a family.

New review! As a Christian mother and a veteran Sunday school teacher, classroom teacher and homeschooler, I have fallen in love with Katherine's Devotionals. If I still had a child in early elementary or younger, I would be using these Devotionals. Not just one year, but again and again, and each year creating treasured memories! - Lynda Ackert. Read the rest of her review on her Homeschooling Examiner page.

Thought: A Lesson from the Fall Colors

The beauty of the colors here this fall has been so breathtaking that at times I've simply had to pause, completely overcome by the beauty around me. Oranges, reds, greens, and yellows--all of them combine to produce a brilliance no painting could ever fully capture.

God could have made all the tree leaves the same color. For that matter, He could have made everything around us the same color. But He didn't. He chose to put variety everywhere--and to give mankind the ability to appreciate that variety and beauty. Each subtle hue--each leaf--forms a tiny part in a beautiful masterpiece.

I believe there's a lesson to be learned from the fall colors. God didn't make all the same trees or leaves--or people. Each one of us is fearfully and wonderfully made uniquely to form a specific part of the body--we're not all eyes or ears. It's the combination of body parts that makes a body, and the combination of fall colors that renders a breathlessly inspiring effect.

So the question is, how do we fill the unique role God created us to fill? It's a question I've been asking the Lord a lot lately. I find it all-too-easy to put my eyes on the "trees" around me, trying to please others or live up to my own or other people's man-made ideals or rules rather than really listening to the Lord.

Here are two truths that have been speaking to me in this area: 1) God loves us unconditionally and 2) our righteousness comes from Jesus, not from what we do or say. As we focus on God's love, it frees us to not care so much about what others think of us. As we rest in Christ's righteousness, it helps us worry less about getting it "right" and focus more on listening to what the Lord is trying to tell us.

This month, join me in asking the Lord keep our eyes on Him, our ears listening, and our spirits resting in His love and care.

Story: Better Than All You Desire

Everyday, thousands of people hurried through the intersection. Some rushed to their next appointment; others were bent on some act of charity. Some longed to gain wealth; others sought achievement. Still others just longed to be loved.

Very few noticed the woman who faithfully stood at the corner of the intersection, calling out to all who passed by. Fewer still actually heard her words--most tuned her out, intent upon their own agendas or preoccupied with their own problems.

Despite the disinterest and apathy of most, Wisdom still faithfully kept her post, calling out to everyone. She had a tremendous treasure to give to anyone who would take it--a treasure that, unlike everything else, truly satisfied.

Would the people ever listen? Would they never realize that wisdom was better than rubies--that nothing else they desired even compared with it?

"Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths...For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it." Proverbs 8:1-2, 11

Homeschool Tip: Are You Listening?

- Cris Loop

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath." James 1:19

"Are you listening?" This was a question that has been brought to my attention a number of times over the last couple of months. It got me to thinking how do we really hear God's voice? Am I really listening to God? And if so, am I acting on what I hear?

I found I was not listening as carefully as I would like to--and I am definitely too quick to respond. Thinking back to how my deaf ears and quick tongue affected my homeschooling made me sad. There is so much wisdom in listening, waiting to speak, and letting God take care of the situation.      

My tip for you this month is to embrace this wisdom. Really listen! Show your children how to really listen to what is being said. Before speaking, take a minute to be sure you are speaking according to God's Word. And instead of taking any circumstance personally, be slow to allow wrath a foot in the door. You'll be glad you did.

Tidbits on Math from a Christian Perspective

Here are the most recent posts from the Math from a Christian Perspective Blog. If you like, you can sign up to receive an e-mail of the posts as they come out here.

Math Behind Fireworks, GPS Units, and More
Free Videos: For All Practical Purposes
Free Geometry Resource

Hymn/Poem: He Knows

He calls each star by name;
He knows each sparrow that falls.
He sustains the universe with a word--
The galaxies spin at His command.

He gives the camel its hump,
The oak tree it's roots,
The grizzly its ability to hibernate,
The bird its amazing feathers.

God knows each creature's needs.
He provides and equips.
And this same God watches over me--
He knows.
He cares.
I can rest in His care.

Unless otherwise indicated, articles are written by Katherine Loop, © 2010. Where marked Cris Loop, articles written by Christina Loop, © 2010. Feel free to forward these e-mails in their entirety and to reprint/share articles by Katherine or Cris Loop within these e-mails (please include a link to our website when you do). Please contact us for information about reprinting articles written by people other than Katherine or Cris Loop so we can put you in contact with the appropriate person to ask for permission.

If you do not regularly receive Christian Perspective's monthly e-mails and updates and would like to receive them, please send your e-mail address to info@christianperspective.net or sign up on our website, www.christianperspective.net. If you would like to be removed from the e-mail list, simply let us know, and we will promptly remove you. We always enjoy hearing from you. Drop us a line sometime and share with us your thoughts and suggestions.

Unless otherwise indicated and where marked KJV, scripture is taken from the King James Version.