Peacherino Monthly
A newsletter for Christian homeschoolers
Worldview
We all feel it. Often, in one form or another, we all experience it. Longing. Ever gotten that feeling when something is so beautiful or amazing that it completely takes your breath away? Perhaps a stunning rainbow? Or an incredible snow fall that leaves the world blanketed in a frosty layer? Something so amazing and breathtaking that you want… more. What you're seeing is not enough. You want more. You are overcome by pangs of longing. You never want that snow to go away. You never want that rainbow to disappear. So you grab your camera. Snap a few pictures. But you know that they won't turn out. This is something that must be experienced only in the moment.
This happened to me this past summer on my trip to Michigan. My family and I stayed with some friends on the East arm of Grand Traverse Bay. We lodged in a cabin on the lake-side for a week. On the final day of our trip, my sister, a good friend, and myself woke up at five in the morning. We lugged our three kayaks to the beach, and launched into the bay. After paddling in silence out into the middle of the water, we stopped and held on to one anthers' kayaks. All was quiet. The world was dark. The only sound was that of the small lake waves gently lapping at the hulls of our vessels. Then, suddenly, the world was filled with light. The sun was rising. It peeked over the pine trees, casting a gentle orange glow over the beach. As we watched, the silence snapped like a twig, and nature came alive. Immediately, the birds began singing. We heard frogs from the shore. We sat there awhile, and then slowly paddled back to shore.
I have never seen anything as beautiful as that sunrise. I mean, I've seen a lot of beautiful things, but this one was different to me. It reminded me of Genesis 1. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was void, and without form, and the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, 'Let there be light.' And it was so."
And guess what? The light was good.
The image of the sun coming over the trees and radiating the soft glow of the dawn is an image forever ingrained in my mind. As I watched the sunrise unfold, I was overcome with that longing. Later, I would ask myself: 'For what was I longing?'
I was longing for my home. In other words, I was homesick. Homesick for my house here in Indiana? No. I was homesick for my REAL home… not any place here on earth. See, my real home is in heaven.
When we see something truly spectacular, I believe that we may be glimpsing the tiniest portion of what heaven is going to be like. And when we see this tiny portion, we have a moment of realization: this earth is not our home. Sure, the world has some 'nifty' things to offer, but these will all pass away. We are far from our true home, our final destination. You know when you're on vacation for a long time, and you find yourself missing your bed? It's like that. We're away from home. We've been away for a while, and we still may be for a time. But the amazing thing is that Jesus Christ has given us the opportunity to eventually go home. By dying on the cross, Jesus provides us with the passage, the 'passport' as it were, to our home… in heaven
Are you going home?
Before I Go...
A Quick Blurb
Have you ever watched the show AFV, and then felt guilty because basically all you were doing was laughing at people as they hurt themselves? You know, going off bike ramps into a tree, or slamming their heads in a car hood or something? I always feel bad about this. But I guess, at that point you just have to say: "It's only funny until someone gets hurt. Then it's hilarious."
-- by Sam Parker
Bible corner
Chosen
Last night, my devotional book (“Four Sevens” by Tom Hudzina) instructed me to read Luke 10:1-24. This particular passage is about Jesus sending out the seventy-two. I was mildly, though not entirely, familiar with the passage, and I thought it was really neat. In case you too are unfamiliar with it, in Luke 10:1-24 Jesus sends out seventy-two people to preach about God's love and Christ's forgiveness. Jesus gives strict instruction for the people to follow. One part I really, really like is Luke 10:21-22 (NIV). Verse 21 says:
At that same time Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and he said, “O Father, LORD of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way.
God revealed Himself to the ones who would listen numerous times in the Bible – to the shepherds, the little children, the thief hanging on the cross next to Jesus, the prostitute who cried and poured perfume on His feet, and many others. Now check out what verse 22 says:
“My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
At that moment, something struck me: I was chosen! I had accepted the truth of God's love, repented of my sins, and was saved by Jesus Christ! God had chosen me to reveal Himself to! I have a relationship with the Creator of the universe! Isn't that an amazing thought?
I recently discovered a quote by C.S. Lewis that I really like. Here it is:
“He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less.” - C.S. Lewis
Do you see what that means? Even if you were the only person on the planet, Jesus still would've died for you. He loves you that much, and more! You are chosen. Can't you feel God tugging at your heart, saying, “Come to Me. I'm enough. Trust in Me. I will never leave you, and I will never forsake you. I love you.” Don't turn your back from the One who loves you so much that He would die a cruel and terrible death for you. He was pierced for you. He was nailed to the cross for you. He bled for you. He cried for you. He loves you. You are chosen.
-- by Talia DeAndrea
Comic
So sorry it's sideways, my computer wouldn't cooperate!
-- by Melody
Things you don’t know about…
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola has such a great taste, I think everyone loves this soft drink! You may think you know everything about this fizzy beverage, but I bet the history of coke may surprise you.
John Pemberton, a pharmacist from Atlanta, Georgia was making concoctions in his backyard sometime in May of 1886. After a day of mixing and stirring, John had made an odd looking beverage that tasted amazing! At first, Pemberton had no idea what to name this funny tasting beverage, but with the help of his book keeper, John found the perfect name for his drink, Coca-Cola.
The very same year, at a nearby pharmacy, Coke was first sold to the public. Soon, the love for Coca-Cola spread throughout the town of Atlanta, and everyone was talking about this fantastic drink!
Now, more than 1.7 billion servings of Coke are consumed every day, and what was once a crazy concoction is now a multimillion dollar company.
--by Emma Campbell
Sports
Hiya!
In case you didn’t know, I’m Nathan...the new kid on the block.
I’m gonna do a quick update on what’s been going on in the sports world this last month.
Unless you guys live in a remote island in Micronesia, or you generally just don’t care, you know that the New York Giants won Super Bowl 46! It was an incredible game capped off by a miraculous catch/pass from Eli Manning (Super Bowl MVP) to Mario Manningham...if you haven’t seen it yet, you can watch it here. Now we have to wait TWO WHOLE MONTHS until the NFL draft rolls around and the 2012 season officially starts again!
The NBA season is in full swing. The Oklahoma City Thunder are dominating the West...and The Chicago Bulls are leading the East. Jeremy “Linsanity” Lin is sweeping the nation. I will explain for those who don’t have a clue what I am talking about: Jeremy Shu-How Lin, an undrafted Harvard grad, came out of nowhere when he got his first NBA start on February 4. He then led his Ney York Knicks on a seven game win streak where Lin scored a total of 168 points. This is a magnificent and moving story since Lin faced speculation not only because he was a Harvard grad, but also because he was Asian-American.
In other sports news; with the NBA season starting late due to the lockout, it’s already about half way over. The MLB season kicks off on April 4th with the reigning champions The St. Louis Cardinals at The Miami Marlins. In the NHL; the high powered Detroit Redwings are leading the league in points scored and the New York Rangers are dominating Eastern Conference.
--Athletically Yours,
Nathan Woodruff
Photography
The simple joys of driving in the middle of nowhere… also known as Kansas (; I am easily delighted by the small things in life… a street sign, some railroad tracks… they just make me so happy! Finding the beauty in the little tidbits isn’t something that everyone experiences. But God has blessed me with an eye for detail, and I love it!
-- Kiera Sterken
Short story
Part V.
The king’s people are under attack from rebel soldiers! Will Meriel’s plan save them?
Meredith ordered the women and children to the forest as the ground rippled once more. Swords clashed behind her as the fathers fought the army. More and more of the rebels poured out from the castle.
The ground shook once more; screams erupted through the air. Yet Meredith urged them not to stop. They must keep going to the forest of safety, before the tremors grew even worse! As she ran, Meredith felt something shift underneath her foot. She looked down to see a small crack in the ground. She kept running.
“What is this?” Tanya cried. She turned Meredith’s attention to a spider web of cracks, all over the ground. The two girls stopped running and stared in horror as the cracks widened.
“What can we do?” Meredith murmured, not expecting an answer. “There’s nothing we can do.” As she stared hopelessly at the ground, a child’s cry interrupted her thoughts.
“Look, Mommy!” A little boy waved one arm to his mother; with the other, he clung to the tree.
“Climb trees,” Tanya said.
“What?”
“Tell everyone to climb the trees.”
A small sapling in the distance tumbled into one of the large cracks.
“Are you sure about this? What if the trees…?”
“It’s worth a try,” Tanya insisted.
Women and children struggled up the tree trunks, perching themselves on branches or clinging tight to the tree’s bark. Meredith and Tanya scrambled up next, after helping others into the leafy boughs.
As they stared down at the desperate fight, something sparkled. Meredith could see water rising from the cracks. Soon, a few inches or so of water covered the ground. A flood?
“The trees could be washed away,” Tanya said. Even as she spoke, the water rose higher.
“To the trees, to the trees!” Meredith yelled at the men.
Several of the king’s men remained to fight so that the others could wade toward the trees. One man lost his footing in one of the cracks, but swam back to the surface, coughing.
Meredith glanced over in Tanya’s direction, and saw tears filling her friend’s eyes. “I feel so hopeless,” she exclaimed. “There are eleven men down there, giving their lives fighting so their comrades can swim to safety. And there’s nothing I can do to help them!”
“You’ve helped me,” Meredith said. “You’ve helped the women and children…”
As the last of the men reached the trees, a huge surge of water came from the west. A giant wave crashed into the castle and into the remaining men. The rebel army and the king’s men remaining in the water disappeared as the huge wave of water swept them away. Tanya wept even more, probably thinking of the good men who were taken away along with the rebels. Victory, it seems, is always bittersweet.
But Tanya and Meredith had another job at hand. Would another wave of water possess enough force to crack the tree trunks? Their place of safety didn’t seem so safe anymore.
“Look at this!” a voice called out. Meredith followed the shout to a group of men clutching at the shelter. “There’s a boat back here!”
Meredith looked at Tanya in surprise. The men at the castle were their men – those who had fought off the soldiers while the others had swam to the trees! They hadn’t been swept away after all – somehow, they’d manage to grab a hold of the shelter’s stones!
“There are a lot of boats back here!” another man added.
As if they’d known about the danger, the people who had lived in the shelter had kept rowboats behind the building. The men climbed inside and rowed them over to the trees.
“Hurry,” Meredith added, “in case another wave comes.”
The women and children climbed inside, and soon everyone was packed into the little boats. Tanya and Meredith sat side-by-side, looking out at the watery world.
Something splashed beside me, and I looked over to see the oar moving.
“Wait,” Meredith said. “We haven’t decided where to go yet.”
“I didn’t do anything,” the rower said.
“Never mind then. Listen, everyone, we have to decide where to –”
Another splash. Someone’s oar had moved. Then another, and another.
Except, no one was touching the oars. The boats were rowing themselves!
“This is a trick!” someone wailed. “These boats weren’t left here by the shelter – they were left here by the rebels!” All the people began to cry and moan.
Meredith wanted to stand up in the boat and yell to get everyone’s attention, but she wasn’t sure if that would overturn the boat or not. “Listen,” she said loudly. “Listen! Maybe these boats aren’t from the shelter, but maybe they are! They’re our last resort. We can’t stay in the trees forever. We’ll just have to take the chance.”
“No!” someone – a young man – objected. “You say, ‘We’ll just have to take the chance.’ I say, ‘We’ll just have to take a vote!’ You’re not the leader of our mission.”
“Fine then!” Meredith shot back. “I’m not the leader of this…‘mission’. You are!”
The young man looked shocked for a moment; then he stood up. Meredith glared at him as he began to make a long speech about how they mustn’t stay in the boats, and that they could swim inside the shelter and climb up the stairs. They would be safe there. He was praised by “Here, here!” and “That’s the way to do it!”
Have I failed? Meredith wondered. Or is my job in this whole mess finally over? Will I be allowed to go home now?
But as she looked at the people, she felt a dreadful sense of foreboding. She knew, she just knew that that man had convinced the people to make a wrong decision.
-- by Kara Siert
Word of the month
Pettifog
\PET-ee-fog\
-To bicker or quibble over trifles or unimportant matters
Contents found in: dictionary
