A Net in Time

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Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken

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A former slaver wrote Glorious things of Thee are Spoken, a song that speaks to God’s love for Zion and for his people.   I am most familar with the first four stanzas, but the fifth holds truth as well. 🙂  Get to know this Newton hymn, you’ll be glad you did!  🙂

Glorious things of thee are spoken

Lyrics

Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Zion, city of our God!
He, whose word cannot be broken,
Formed thee for His own abode.
On the Rock of Ages founded,
What can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation’s walls surrounded,
Thou may’st smile at all thy foes.

See! the streams of living waters,
Springing from eternal love;
Well supply thy sons and daughters,
And all fear of want remove:
Who can faint while such a river
Ever flows their thirst t’assuage?
Grace, which like the Lord, the giver,
Never fails from age to age.

Round each habitation hovering,
See the cloud and fire appear!
For a glory and a covering
Showing that the Lord is near.
Thus deriving from our banner
Light by night and shade by day;
Safe they feed upon the manna
Which He gives them when they pray.

Blest inhabitants of Zion,
Washed in the Redeemer’s blood!
Jesus, whom their souls rely on,
Makes them kings and priests to God.
’Tis His love His people raises,
Over self to reign as kings,
And as priests, His solemn praises
Each for a thank offering brings.

Savior, if of Zion’s city,
I through grace a member am,
Let the world deride or pity,
I will glory in Thy name:
Fading is the worldling’s pleasure,
All his boasted pomp and show;
Solid joys and lasting treasure
None but Zion’s children know.

this tune I am most familiar with

Author

John Newton wrote this hymn in 1779 for Book 1 of the Olney Hymns.   He collarborated on this hymnal with William Cowper.  How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds is just one of several hymns that Newton wrote. 

Newton intended this songs more “for public worship, and for the use of plain people”.  His evangelical heart yearned to help the poor and to be of service to the people of the church.   (source)   

John Newton is a former slave trader who turned abolitionist.  He loved the church and used music to help teach gospel truths. 

this tune is completely new to me

Pondering more

Based on Psalm 87 (ESV)

Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. A song.

1 He has founded his city on the holy mountain.
2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion
    more than all the other dwellings of Jacob.

3 Glorious things are said of you,
    city of God:
4 “I will record Rahab and Babylon
    among those who acknowledge me—
Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush—
    and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’”
5 Indeed, of Zion it will be said,
    “This one and that one were born in her,
    and the Most High himself will establish her.”
6 The Lord will write in the register of the peoples:
    “This one was born in Zion.”

7 As they make music they will sing,
    “All my fountains are in you.”

Can you see the words of this Psalm in this hymn?  Does it help you understand Psalm 87 better?   Seeing God’s love for Zion and her people, it’s so apparent in Newton’s hymn. 

Aren’t you glad we can sing?

Savior, if of Zion’s city,
I through grace a member am,
Let the world deride or pity,
I will glory in Thy name:

My Son, If you Accept My Words

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FTC lavidge

Today I am reviewing a book for you from a mom who wanted to help her boy.  She so badly wanted him to know what God wants for him in his life.  Her original intent was not to share it.  You know though that word gets around, and so we are now able to share her words with you.  The book?  My Son, If You Accept My Words. 

My Son If you Accept my words

What I am Reviewing

My Son, If you Accept my Words is written by Sondra Lee.  Published by Westbow Press, and running at 182 pages.  Black and white photos dot the pages.  The sole purpose is to encourage young men to become the men that God calls them to be.  Learning how to live as a Christian man in a secular society is a challenge.  Helping our young men see scripture clearly and take God’s word to heart is an important step in that process.

The Details

My Son, if you accept my words cover 15 chapters.  The first nine chapters broaching on the lives of key biblical figures.  We’ll discuss Ruth, Isaac and Rebekah, Joseph, Samson, Joseph- Jesus’s Earthly Father, Mary, Hosea, Hannah and Peter.  

The last six chapters are

  • Identity Theft
  • No One Escapes
  • Guard Your Heart
  • Finish Well
  • Weathering the Storms
  • Sometimes the Journey is too Much
My Son, If you accept my words sample page

You will find KJV scripture printed out for ease of reading.  If you prefer to read in the translation of your choice it is easy to do. 

My Son, If you accept my words sample page

You’ll find that each scripture passage is followed up with an explanation.  These readings are directly based on the passage.   Occasionally the explanations were too personal, directed at her son and not a more general audience. 

My Son, If you accept my words sample page

Prayers were often included.  Prayers for God to prepare a young man’s heart, to guide his choices, and lead him throughout his life. 

My Son, If you accept my words sample page

Some of her advice is very practical. Like be discerning in what you believe, protect your reputation, give people no reason to gossip, and so forth.  Good advice for everyone, regardless of gender or age. 

I’m not going to say that I agree with everything she had to say, but there is much wisdom to be found within the pages of My Son, If You Accept My Words.  

My Son, If you accept my words sample page

Should You Get It?

I think so.  There is much that I would find useful as I guide my son toward maturity.  My prayer is that he be a solid man of God. The help that Sondra Lee provides will aid in that journey.   I haven’t read the entire book, I’m about 1/2 way through. 

The included prayers, the qualities to look for in a wife, and the abilities to develop in yourself as a young man make this a good book for a growing young man. 

I think one of the things I most appreciated was how focused Ms. Lee is to her purpose.  She pulled items out of the scripture text that I wouldn’t have previously considered as a point of manhood.  Ms. Lee worked hard to show scriptural reasoning for character traits young men need to develop.  She does the same for the traits to look for in a wife. 

Adjustments Made

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It’s a time of transition, the world is adjusting to a new norm.  I can’t say I think it will last.  People will get tired of not being around others, and tired of not being able to find what they need.  And they will head out and get what they need and say heck to the consequences. People are not meant to be in isolation from each other, even the strongly introverted have people they want and need to connect with. 

I’ve watched the news reels and seen those who deny Covid-19 is dangerous, or even a virus that can be spread, that it is all a hoax.  I’ve seen those infected with Covid go out of their way to infect others.  Deliberate action to harm others. I’ve watched the Spring Break revellers and wondered at their foolishness.

I’ve noted the fear and the anger.  A mom telling a little girl to move away from the sidewalk to the other side of a car, giving even more than the six foot minimum.  The security guard needed at the local grocery store to maintain order. Signs on floors reminding people to keep their distance.  People can adjust if they give themselves time, and we need to encourage them in their adjustment. 

Adjustments Made

Adjustments Made – a poem

Alert! Alert!
Stay at home!
The alert came through the phone.
Startling me it seemed
out of a year of growth.

People fail to understand
The need to exercise care
Home from vacation
Yet going to the store.
Children oft in tow.

I have mixed emotions about this need.
To fill the fridge and cupboards bare
taking along the whole family.
It’s so easy to focus on just the self
To forget our larger community.

But the alert sounds
This is not just about you!
Protect families, see to the weak
How will you help
Preserve the economy?

Fear rises, avoidance a norm
And with it a counter point.
Remember kindness, to think of others
To keep yourself and others safe
Sidewalk signs appear

And so we see
Adjustments made
People slowly learning
To be a community.
Think beyond themselves.

The five minute friday word for the week is Adjust.  I hope you’ll take the time to join in with us.  It’s a fun writing activity.

Review: Timeline Collection: A collection of historial timeline figures

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FTC disclaimer review

Over the past few weeks it was been our privilege to use Timeline Collection: A Collection of Historical Timeline Figures .  Being able to use time line figures has been a great way for my son to focus on specific WW2 figures and events.  Home School in the Woods has put together an extremely useful set of figurines all in a bundle.  Let me tell you how we used them. 

Home School in the Woods Timeline Collections review

What I am Reviewing

Timeline Collection: A Collection of Historical Timeline Figures was created by Home School in the Woods.  Geared for students in grades K through 12.  The Timeline Collection is a bundle containing four sets: Creation to Christ, Resurrection to Revolution, Napoleon to Now, America’s History,

These timelines are

The Time Travelers bundle comes as zip file in which will come an embedded page which will guide you in how to download your product and in which size you want it.     You can purchase this bundle in a variety of formats and with different liscences.  Check this page for more details. 

You will receive a number of illustrations reflecting people and events from the different history periods.  These historical timeline figures are available with or without text, and an easily resized format. 

Home School in the Woods logo

How We Used the Timeline Collection

When I agreed to take on this review I mentioned that we would only be using the illustrations for World War 2 as that is what my son is currently studying for history.  As it turned out we used the illustrations from World War 1 as a bit of look back to last year.   We didn’t really use them beyond “what more do you remember about ________”

World War 1 and 2 are part of America’s history which starts at the Magna Carta and ends, 40 pages later, with the 1999 Mississippi Flood.

Treaty of Versailles image

The figures can be printed either with text or without.  They come in resizable formats so that it is SO easy to use them however you want.  You can create a wall timeline, or create a book of important people, places and events.  Another option is to make a smaller timeline with pages taped together to make a long timeline.  Combining all the options would work well too.

Home School in the Woods works hard to make it as easy for you as possible. Two CDs with all the images, labeled and organized in different ways to make them easy to find. On CD2 you’ll find the list of all the images. 

History timeline table of contents

Each of those HTML files opens a window in your browser that will look something like this: 

Home school in the woods HTML file

It took my son a while to decide if he wanted to do a smaller timeline or do larger images and make a book.  He decided he mostly just wanted to do a folder with the images with text.  This way he could write on the back any additional information he wanted to have.

He had me print off some of the smaller images to add to his timeline for World War 2. 

home school in the woods timeline images

Samples of the Lad’s work

One of the things I love about the Timeline Collection is the sheer versatility of the figures.  From using the larger ones as a wall mount timeline, using them in booklet form, sizing down for a nottebook sized time line or lap book elements, sizing to medium size for notebooking pages or even creating puzzles using the larger images.  Just so many options!

I love that my lad can take the wall sized ones and use them as a way to document important details he wants to remember.  His goal is to add them to his WW2 binder.   He is steadily working his way through each person and event.

Home school in the woods

He has taken the liberty of adding some of the smaller figures to his timeline. It’s quite the extensive timeline and I like how he can go back through and give me details throughout the war. 

Home School in the woods - timeline

Should you get it?

YES!  These timeline images have been an excellent addition to the WW2 study my son is undertaking. We’ve been using the WW2 study from Home School in the Woods Time Travelers series as a spine.  We’ve added additional elements to increase the challenge for a high school student. 

The wall mount size has been met with an enthusiasm I didn’t expect.  So I urge you to add Timeline Collection: A Collection of Historical Timeline Figures to your history studies today. 

home school in the woods

Closing Notes

I want to take a moment to highlight the U.S. Elections Lap Pak.  To learn more, they have highlighted this pak on their blog. 

80 members of the Homeschool Review Crew are looking at the following products. Please do check out our reviews. 

Home School in the Woods Collections - Lap-pak, Timeline Figures, History Studies & Activity-Pak {Home School in the Woods Reviews}

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Why? Why So Many Tabs Open?

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Did you know it’s a proven fact that women tend to have more tabs open in their browser then men do?   I see this in my family as well.  My hubby and son only have one or two tabs open at a time.  Me… at least 10.  Today it’s gotta by about 30.  So why is this?  Why are so many tabs open in my browser?   What causes this?

why so many tabs open in browser

The Why

There are a variety of reasons why we have so many tabs open.  In fact I’ve talked about tabs open in my browser before. 

For me it’s a “I’ll get to a later syndrome”.   Because there is something I want to keep or I want to look more into, so I leave the window open so I can go back to it when I have time.   Problem is… I rarely make time to do so and I end up having way to many tabs open. 

For others it’s a “I’m doing a bunch of things and want to have all the things I’m working on right at my finger tips”. 

And sometimes it’s just a matter of you are reading an interesting article with links to sources.  You click on them with the intention of following through.  One thing tends to lead to another in this situations.  

Browser meme
https://www.someecards.com/usercards/viewcard/MjAxMy03MzhkYjc5ZWUzZTY1NmQy/

Solutions for too many tabs

Bookmarks! 

Do you know that I am learning the value of bookmarking?  Just save it to a tab on my bookmarks bar.  I have things like school work, generic pages, my websites (and stuff that supports them), rabbits, recipes I want to try, info on diabetic cats and so forth.   It keeps things organized.  

Within each of those tabs I have other categories such as under school work I have “The lad’s current course work”, “curriculum for next year”, “interesting ideas”, “for me”, and so forth.   I would take a picture of one of them but can’t figure out how to do so.  🙂

When I remember, I use all those bookmarks wisely and it keeps my tabs open count much lower. 

Fingertips: Use trello or similar

Another tool I have learned to use is trello.  With trello you can organize your information so it’s all at your fingertips.  Working on a project and found an interesting webpage?  Save it!  Then you can come back to it and have everything right there when you need it.

Just X them out

Sometimes you need to make a choice.  Close that tab.  Let it stop being a distraction. Ask yourself: Can I find this information later?  Do I need this right now?  Is this really worth slowing down my browser?  Where can I bookmark it to?  Just call it done and a day!

why so many tabs open (text) computer screen background

What Tabs Am I Closing?

On-line Learning Resources

Avon Maitland School Board.  Help for K-12 while schools are closed for Covid-19.

PHET resources.  Just some interesting math.

Education Companies Temporary Free Subscriptions. Some companies are choosing to be kind during this Covid-19 scare. 

Ontario’s Learning Hub for highschool students. 

Homeschooling Links

I’ve been sussing out materials for learning about Anne Frank for my son’s next unit study.  List on TPT, Anne Frank lapbook,  Free unit studies, Stewart’s Unit Guide, and Penguin House Teacher Guide.

Of course I have SchoolhouseTeachers.com open as I continue to work through Inkscape. 

Architecture Unit Study that I thought the lad might be interested in. 

Animals of Fresh Water Marshes which I was intrigued by. 

I use Trello for different things, but I saw Airtable and I’m considering giving it closer look. 

My lad has been struggling a bit with his grammar book so I thought I would look into other options.  Not settled on getting something different yet, but just wanting to know what might work.  Easy Grammar, Daily Grammar, Grammar and Language Book, 

Look up things in Canada’s History.  Historica Canada. 

If you haven’t discovered Archive.org yet, I’m sad for you.  Lots of archived materials here. Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.

A novel Study on Japanese internment.  Good unit for the lad. 

Homeschool Manager listed some vendors who are doing conference pricing with all the conferences that are not being hosted. 

Notgrass Catalogue.  Was looking at history and economics. Still thinking.  I’ve heard many good things about Notgrass. 

Dr. D Math Courses.  My son likes Dr. D. 

Non-homeschool tabs

Blog Helps

Miscellaneous

Curiousity Stream I often wonder about getting, and it keeps showing up in the facebook feed.  I just am leery about commitment, and wondering if it’s really worth it. 

Life Bible Booklets.  Discovered these, thought they might be helpful to some folks. 

Posts Where I am Mentioned.

abcblogging

Others in this Series

In Christ There is No East or West

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I’m sitting here, watching Star Trek Enterprise with my sweetheart, as I try to recall the last time I sung In Christ there is no East or West.  It’s been quite a while.   I hope you take the time to get to know it, it’s a lovely hymn. I was so pleased to be reminded of it in the Lift Up Your Hearts hymnal. 

in Christ there is no east or west

The Lyrics

In Christ there is no East or West,
In Him no South or North;
But one great fellowship of love
Throughout the whole wide earth.

In Him shall true hearts everywhere
Their high communion find;
His service is the golden cord,
Close binding humankind.

Join hands, then, members of the faith,
Whatever your race may be!
Who serves my Father as His child
Is surely kin to me.

In Christ now meet both East and West,
In Him meet North and South;
All Christly souls are one in Him
Throughout the whole wide earth.

I grew up with this tune

Author of In Christ there is no east or west

William A. Dun­ker­ley is the author of this hymn according to the Cyber Hymnal, other hymnals attribute authorship to John Oxenbaum.  Oxenbaum is one of Dunkerley’s pseudonyms.  So regardless of who it is attributed to, it’s the same person.  🙂

William A. Dun­ker­ley lived 1852-1941, an Englishman. 

This is a new tune to me

Pondering Truth in a Hymn

Do you see it?  I know.. right now with people sequestering themselves away into homes and aways from fellowship with each other it might be hard to see.  BUT without Covid-19 interference, do you see that the church is one great fellowship of love?  We are all part of one body of believers, worshipping the same God.  Whether we are believers in China, Ghana, Europe, Australia or Canada.  One large body of believers. 

We are all gathered around Christ, he is our head, our connecting point.  So regardless of creed, nationality, or colour.  Let us remember that central truth.  We are all believers together. Let’s work together, proclaiming that Jesus is Lord!  Brothers and sisters, one and all, joined in faith. 

The Jane Austen Society

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raincoast FTC

As well-known as Jane Austen is, do you know that I have never read any of her books?  When I started reading The Jane Austen Society I feared that my lack of knowledge of her works would prove a deficit. I am happy to tell you that this was not the case.  🙂  It has been my pleasure to review this wonderful tome. 

The Jane Austen Society Review

What I am Reviewing

The Jane Austen Society was written by Natalie Jenner. Published by St. Martin’s Press, this historical novel recounts the story of The Jane Austen Society.  At 320 pages it comes in a variety of formats, I received an ARC copy as a trade paperback.  I am reviewing The Jane Austen Society on behalf of Raincoast Books.  An women’s fiction book covering English society in the mid-1900’s.  World War II has just finished and lives were being rebuilt. 

Just after the Second World War, in the small English village of Chawton, an unusual but like-minded group of people band together to attempt something remarkable.             One hundred and fifty years ago, Chawton was the final home of Jane Austen, one of England’s finest novelists. Now it’s home to a few distant relatives and their diminishing estate. With the last bit of Austen’s legacy threatened, a group of disparate individuals come together to preserve both Jane Austen’s home and her legacy.   This is their story.

The Details of The Jane Austen Society

Part historical novel and part romance, this delightful read takes you deep into the lives of the characters.   I grew to love Evie Stone, and to delight in Mimi Harrison.  Yardley Sinclair raised my hackles more than once, and the doctor.  Oh my, I wanted to give him a good shake once in a while and tell him to just get on with things!  Isn’t that what a good story does though?  Evoke the senses and the emotions, drawing you into lives and time periods?  

The Jane Austen Society
The Jane Austen Society, chapter headings

Should you Read it?

YES!   Go out, get this book, and take your time.  Savour each of the characters, enjoy the look back in history.  The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner draws you into an captivating read.  A charming debute novel by a Canadian author.   If you read Miss Austen, you will also enjoy Ms. Jenner’s first published novel.