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Safe Haven Homeschool Newsletter for September

Greetings Safe Haven Family!

Happy September! 

How are you all doing? Are you feeling happy because the temperatures will be getting more reasonable soon, depending on where you live? Or are you looking forward to the changing colors of autumn? Or are you struggling with the idea of starting it all over again – the school year, the routine, the attempts to bring order to the chaos that sometimes result in anger and resentment in you and your kids?

Or is it a combination of emotions that you’re experiencing – some good, some bad, some ugly.

The economy is certainly causing fear and doubt in the minds of many. The culture war appears to be going poorly for those of us who believe in biblical values and morality.

But remember that as darkness gets darker, the light shines brighter. The drag shows for children are shining a light on the level of depravity that popular culture has sunk to and the truth that people can get used to anything and start to accept perversion as normal and tolerate destructive behaviors in the name of being virtuous.

Also remember that God is in control. And He has spoken good things over His people. He gives us a future and a hope. He is coming to our rescue.

In your homeschooling, in your family life, in your finances, in your relationships, God has solutions for every problem. He is aware of what is happening with you. He is concerned about what concerns you.

I pray that you will see God during this time and feel His arms surrounding you. I hope that you will spend time with Him in two-way journaling and listening prayer and hear His voice. He will speak to you in these quiet times and give you solutions, wisdom, direction, and peace that passes understanding. He may give you strategies and ideas and inventions that you never thought of before. Make time to be with Him to unburden your heart to Him and to listen to what He says back to you. Then write down what He says.

Teach your children to do this, too. My oldest son and his wife do two-way journaling every day. They are thriving spiritually and relationally because of it. I have seen a transformation in them since they started this practice.

I like to get out in nature to spend time with God. I feel more connected with Him as I admire His beautiful Creation. My kids are very observant of nature, too, and know a lot about different plants and animals. They see a new specimen of plant or animal or cloud or whatever and then go look it up. I think this is the best form of learning.

I try to make learning fun and meaningful. If they are interested in something, I encourage them to learn more about it. I provide books and classes and technology they need to research for themselves. I also make sure to point them toward the Creator of all of these fascinating things.

My kids have thrived with this kind of education. They are curious. They love to learn. They have become lifelong learners.

No matter what is happening in the world, God is still on the throne. None of this takes Him by surprise. We can take our burdens and cares to Him knowing that He hears us and will answer our prayers. He is the only one who can turn things around. And I see signs everywhere that He is using people all over the world to expose evil and mete out justice to the perpetrators.

The illegal raid on Mar-a-Lago is being exposed as a political hit by the FBI and the fake president, who claims he knew nothing about it. But the story behind the story is that this whole thing will come back to bite them. The American people are seeing how corrupt and dishonest Bidan is (misspelling on purpose). The FBI and the DOJ are being exposed. And legal precedent is being set that will allow the classified documents that other former presidents took with them to be seized and inspected. Just imagine what will come from that! HiIlary’s 33,000 emails, Uranium 1, the impeachment hoax, etc.

They didn’t mention finding anything about “nuclear secrets” that they feared he might have. It may have had something to do with the DOJ wanting information about Trump’s dismantling Obama’s Iran nuke deal. Paul Sperry says on Telegram: “Who would be most interested in securing that information? The architect of the Obama deal who’s now busy in the West Wing hammering out another sweetheart deal for Iran: Jake Sullivan. He is Bidan’s national security adviser. Who is Sullivan’s spouse? The counselor (top aide) to Attorney General Merrick Garland, who personally ordered the raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate to allegedly find and seize “nuclear secrets.” His aide’s name is Maggie Goodlander. Coincidence? Don’t bet on it.”

The American people are awake now as are millions of people around the world. They are not letting the status quo continue in their governments. They are protesting and forbidding their leaders to keep stealing and laundering money and raising taxes over false narratives like climate change (or whatever they’re calling it this week). The globalist agenda is being called out for what it is, and the people of the world are uniting behind a different agenda. One called, “Get rid of the globalist elites”.

If you are looking for good sources of information (truth) for yourself and your kids, here are two sources that I highly recommend.

Prager U
and
Theresa Griffith at Someone Believes in You.

There are lots of other good sources, but I’ll just give you those two for now.

If you want to know of some others, hit reply and I’ll send you some more of my favorite sources of true news.

And if you need prayer, hit reply and tell me how I can pray for you.

Which reminds me, I have a Facebook group called “How Can I Pray for You?” If you’re there on Facebook, please join us there. We would love to pray for you.

Lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh! Luke 21:28.

This is a good thing. It’s called REDEMPTION. So don’t fear. He is near.

Resting safely in His arms,

Penney Douglas, B. S. in Ed.
Safe Haven Homeschooling

https://amazon.com/author/penneydouglas
https://amazon.com/author/safehavenhomeschooling
linktr.ee/penneydouglas
https://changed-by-love.teachable.com

Psalm 107:30 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and He brought them to their desired haven.

Copyright © 2022 Safe Haven Homeschooling, All rights reserved.

Teens Unleashed: A Book Review

 

If you have teens and you homeschool, or if you have pre-teens and want to be prepared for the teen years, this book is for you! You don’t even necessarily have to homeschool to glean a lot from this book.

The author describes how she went from trying to control everything her kids did in their homeschool program to letting go of control and allowing them more autonomy. She realized that her requirements of her children were based on her fears and lack of understanding. She said, “They were all templates that just did not take my kids’ needs, learning styles, interests, and natural talents into account.”

 

She talks a lot about unschooling, but this book is good for all homeschool parents (actually all parents) because she also talks a lot about parenting and getting to know our kids. She also emphasizes freedom and exposing our kids to all kinds of experiences. She encourages us to discover the passions of our children.

 

And a great quote from her to describe her role as a facilitator instead of a teacher is,

 

“Like a band instructor, I don’t play the instrument for my kids. I show them how to play their own instrument.” 

 

And speaking of quotes, she has included many great quotes from educators and experts on unschooling and on best educational practices. People like Peter Gray, Charlotte Mason, and John Holt. 

If you are looking for a book to help you motivate your teens to develop their skills and discover their passions, this is the book you’re looking for.

You can find it here.

I hope you find this helpful!

Penney Douglas, B. S. in Ed.

Safe Haven Homeschooling

How to Get Your Kids to Do Their Work Without a Fight

 

HOW TO GET YOUR KIDS TO DO THEIR WORK WITHOUT A FIGHT

It starts with relationship. We need to build relationship with each of our children. We need to spend time with each one getting to know them. We need to win their hearts, tie heartstrings, through the way we treat them, the things we do for them, the things we do with them, etc. We need to make sure they know how much we love them.

Then from there, we can lead them to the Lord. If they see us as kind, loving parents, they will be more likely to see God that way. As they grow in maturity and in their personal relationship with God, they will desire to please Him, and that will transfer over to pleasing their parents. We teach them what the Bible says about how children can please God. Children, obey your parents. Honor your father and mother. We teach them the commandments, and their behavior and attitudes start to line up with the Word of God.

This leads to our children wanting to obey, for this is right. So when we ask them to do their schoolwork, they are more willing to do it, out of obedience.

Now, we need to do our best to make the work as pleasant as possible and make sure that what we’re requiring of them is truly beneficial to them. We should not give them busywork. We should not load them down with more work than they are really capable of doing. We should think about how we would feel if we had the assignment that we are giving to our child. We should focus on real-life learning.

We should make sure the skills are taught when they are ready to learn them. We should make learning a lifestyle so that it is natural and not forced.

Homeschooling shouldn’t be difficult or tedious. Make learning an adventure. Get excited about the topics that your children are exploring. Find out what they’re interested in and provide materials and resources for them to go deep into the topic.

If they are studying and reporting on a topic that really interests and excites them, they are not going to fight you about doing it.
So build a strong relationship with your kids and make learning an adventure, and you will not have to fight your kids to get them to do their schoolwork.

This post was first written for my Facebook Page called Kingdom Homeschool Mom

https://facebook.com/kingdomhsmom

 

It’s Pentecost Here at Safe Haven

 

It’s Pentecost!

Let’s pray for a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit during this Pentecost.

The 120 disciples waited in the Upper Room for the promise of the Father. They didn’t know what they were waiting for. I’m sure they were surprised when they heard a loud wind inside of the room. And can you imagine what they thought when they saw fire on top of each other’s heads? Then I’m sure their minds were blown when they heard others speaking in other languages. And what must they have thought when they started speaking in other languages themselves?

I heard about the experience of the baptism of the Holy Spirit when I was in my teens. I was afraid of it at first. Gradually, I learned about the benefits of the infilling of the Holy Spirit. I heard of the gifts of the Spirit and the power for evangelism.

It took a couple of years of prayer, alone and with others, for me to finally receive the baptism.

I finally got over my fear of what others would think of me. I had been so self-conscious that I didn’t want to be embarrassed by sounding or acting strange.

It happened when I was a camp counselor, and I saw young children receiving the baptism and speaking in tongues. An altar worker had me read Isaiah 43, and I suddenly knew that God had called me by name, me – Penney! And that He would be with me through anything and everything for the rest of my life. I was filled with a kind of love I had never felt before. I felt love for everybody, even the people I didn’t like. I went around hugging everyone. That was not like me!

 I finally got over myself and just yielded everything to God, and I received.

Now I’ve been Spirit-filled for many years.

And I’m feeling like I need a fresh baptism of the Spirit. I need a boost of the power and love I felt the night that I received the baptism.

I don’t know if you’re feeling it too, but if you are, let’s pray together for a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire.

We need to be people of power and love during these times.

The world needs God’s power to turn things around and rescue us from the violence and fears on every side. And He fills us with power to save and deliver and to work miracles.

Pray with me this week for a fresh baptism. I’m going to set a time every day this week to pray specifically for this. I’m going to pray at 7:00 PM every day.

Let’s receive all that God has for us.

Hit reply and tell me if this resonates with you and you decide to pray for this, too!

Praying for power in the waiting,

Penney

Safe Haven Homeschooling

Linktr.ee/penneydouglas

Https://Penneydouglas.com

Https://amazon.com/author/Penneydouglas

Safe Haven News for June

Safe Haven Newsletter for June

Dear Friends,

Well, now we’re in the place that I insisted that we were not going to go. We are in Ohio. Where we came from. Full circle, I guess. We got that word when we were holed up in the hotel a few days after we left our house. And now it has come to pass.

My brother has been very kind and hospitable. Fortunately, he has a nice big house with 4 extra bedrooms and 13 acres of beautiful land. 

So I’m still able to spend time out in nature, enjoying God’s Creation.

This is me and Pete! He thinks we’re bosom buddies. He wants me to go out to play with him, but I’m busy tutoring.


My brother’s house could easily be an Airbnb. But this stay is nicer than those seven stays in wonderful Airbnb’s because we don’t have to pay an arm and a leg, and we don’t have to leave by 11:00 AM on a certain day. 

Packing up and driving to the next house, many times in another state, became very wearying. The supply finally ran out, and we prayed about what to do next, and, sure enough, the Lord said to go to Ohio. 

He had been softening my heart about returning to Ohio throughout our two months on the road, so I wasn’t struggling with the idea. I just thought He would open things up for us to find a house in North Carolina or Tennessee. That was why I was so adamant about not going to Ohio. I also didn’t want our older kids who have planted roots in Texas to think that we were moving so far away.

I wouldn’t think of complaining about the two months’ worth of vacation-like stays in houses that were decorated and set up for enjoyment and relaxation. God provided over $11,000 for us during that time! 

So, here we are – where I least expected to end up.

But I’m not complaining about this, either. Gary and the kids are looking for jobs here. Morgan already got hired at a grocery store. At his interview, they told him he’s a dream come true and asked if they could hug him! The other 3 kids might get jobs, too. Update: Garrett is now working for the same grocery store.

Gary has had some promising interviews lately for remote jobs. It would be good if he got a remote job. During the waiting. 

 

We had a nice visit with Anna and Jose! They had already planned to come to Ohio and we just happened to already be here.

We are still believing for a magnificent turnaround very soon. God is at work behind the scenes. 

Even though the news is scary, God is using many of these things to expose evil and to cause people to rise up and say enough is enough.

Biden tried to give up our national sovereignty, but he wasn’t able to. They still have all of their plans to implement vaccine passports, and they’re trying to start another pandemic – monkeypox of all things! – which they have been planning for a while, but God has solutions for all of this. None of this takes Him by surprise or makes Him worry or wring His hands as He sits on His throne in Heaven.

Food shortages? I know how God has handled things like that in the past. He raised up Joseph to store food ahead of time. I wouldn’t be surprised if God hasn’t already done something like that again, and we just don’t know about it yet. And this stored food is probably healthy, non-GMO food that will actually be good for us. 

We should all hold on to hope and believe for the best. God honors our faith. And our faith honors Him. He absolutely loves our faith. It means so much to Him. Our faith is precious to Him. So, I, for one, will never doubt Him.

He constantly proves His steadfast love and care for us.

I know He is doing great things for you, too. 

Please hit reply and share the great things God has done and is doing for you. I love to hear testimonies of God’s goodness.

~ Homeschool Corner ~

Homeschooling has been difficult during all of this moving around, but we are continuing in our Math books and doing some reading and listening to audiobooks. My twins are now 18, and this is the end of a traditional school year, so we’re basically calling them graduated. They have put in applications at a grocery store, so they may get jobs soon. That’s the route many of my kids have taken. They haven’t wanted a graduation ceremony. They just go straight into a job. My older kids already had jobs before they turned 18. I guess, for us, graduation and getting a job are pretty much the same thing. They have all done very well in their jobs, and it seems that they have finalized their education that way. 

My one son is taking college classes, but the others have not chosen to do that. 

My oldest son and his wife are in ministry to Generation Z and victims of trafficking. They do a podcast and will soon be speaking at churches and other venues. 

I’m blessed to be helping my friend, Jessica Anderson, with her homeschool coaching club membership. I love being able to share with other homeschool moms the things that I’ve learned along the way. I try to use my training and experience as a teacher and tutor, along with the new adjustments and adaptations I learned to make when I started homeschooling to help moms who are just beginning and to lend my reassurance to them that they are doing a great job. 

I was able to meet with 100 homeschool families every year when I lived in Ohio so that I could do their assessments, and I enjoyed it immensely. Now I get to do something like that online, and I’m thankful for the opportunity.

If you know a new homeschool mom who could use some support, please send her my way. I love to support and encourage homeschool moms and moms in general.

If she needs a book about the basics of homeschooling, I’ve got one for her!  

https://amzn.to/3a3iTQi

And if she needs a book of prayers especially for homeschool moms I’ve got one of those, too!

https://amzn.to/3wSvfT3

And this e-course would teach her some great ways to cultivate a love of learning in her children.

https://intentional-in-life.teachable.com/p/the-5-day-love-of-learning-challenge

I pray blessings and favor on all of you who read this newsletter. 

Grace and Peace,

Penney Douglas, B. S. in Ed

Safe Haven Homeschooling

Mom of 10

linktr.ee/penneydouglas

https://penneydouglas.com