Welcome to the 3rd Annual
Merry CHRISTmas Carnival of FUNschooling!
Keeping Christ in our CHRISTmas is getting more and more difficult. In recent years the true meaning of the HOLYday has been obscured by commercialism, the focus on Santa and Hollywood's insistance that the true meaning of CHRISTmas is the joy of family. With the economy so bad, everyone is having a hard time buying gifts this year.This can be a blessing!There has never been a more perfect time to bring back the true meaning of CHRISTmas.Let’s celebrate CHRISTmas this year.CHRISTmas with a capital CHRIST!
Come walk the Merry CHRISTmas Carnival of FUNschooling this year and visit the blogs, videos, sites and newsletters that help us keep Christ in our CHRISTmas.Grab your eggnog and enjoy the 3rd Annual Merry CHRISTmas Carnival of FUNschooling!
Grace Talk Soup
Our first stop along the carnival is Grace Talk Soup, my weekly podcast. This Thursday, December 18th at 8am PST/ 11am EST is my Open Discussion where you are invited to share how YOU keep Christ in your CHRISTmas! Come share your family traditions with my listeners and hear how others work to keep Christ in their CHRISTmas each year!
It's OK to Say Merry CHRISTmas!
Two women from Ohio are spearheading a billboard campaign that encourages people to say "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays." Last year, Joanne Brown and her friend, Linda Bennett, noticed that employees at many retail stores did not say "Merry Christmas." The pair, part of a group called the Merry Christmas Billboard Ladies, raised money to put up billboards encouraging people to say "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays." This year, Brown and Bennett are raising money to place billboards that say "I miss hearing you say Merry Christmas" and "It's OK to say Merry Christmas." Both billboards are signed "Jesus." Read the rest of the story here!
O Come O Come Emmanuel!
TEACH Magzine's
Putting the Holy in Holidays Series! Part 1Simple creative and fun traditions and recipes Part 2 More traditions and crafts Here's an example from part 1:
Pray for the Sender
This is the time of year we start getting cards and notes from friends old and new, far and near. What to do with all the Christmas cards you receive? Keep them in a basket or bowl. Every night when you read aloud as a family, bring one or two out and pray for the family who sent it.
Communication FUNdamentals JoJo's blog post, "What are you doing this year to show Christ in CHRISTmas?" shows us how we can communicate Christ this CHRISTmas so that we are a shining example to those around us of God's agape love? Here are some ideas:
1. No matter how crowded the stores or how difficult it is to navigate rush hour traffic, let's vow to smile and be courteous this CHRISTmas.
2. No matter how busy we are, let's pledge to take a few minutes to hold the door open for that elderly woman holding six packages and keeping track of four grandkids.
3. No matter how many times Uncle Elmer has made rude comments about our homeschooling and tested your son to see if he "knows anything", let's treat him with respect and kindness.
Keep Christ in CHRISTmas Carol Contest! They are no longer taking entries but you can vote on your favorites! I wanted to include this blog contest because it is so creative and fun! The idea was to call in and record your favorite CHRISTmas song that is about Jesus and not anything secular. Way to keep Christ in your CHRISTmas, Teach Kids the Bible.com!!
Say What You Mean Defending the Faith One way to keep Christ in your CHRISTmas is to truly internalize your faith and be ready to share and defend it. Understanding God's Word strengthens your faith, but being able to articulate it allows you to make a difference in the secular world and bring faith to others. You cannot effectively share or defend your faith without good communication skills. No two people see the world exactly the same way so there is no one size fits all way to share your faith! That's why Say What You Mean Defending the Faith is so unique! We must relate to each soul individually. That's why sharing and defending the faith is really a communication skill that takes practice! Online classes beginning again in January!
Jars of Clay's Little Drummer Boy
Creating a Jesse Tree
Creating a Jesse Tree is a family activity that children enjoy in Advent Season, during the month leading up to Christmas. This tradition gets its name from Isaiah 11:1 “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” In this verse Isaiah wrote that a ruler “from the stem of Jesse”, the line of David, would come to rule in peace, foretelling the birth of Jesus. Read the rest here!
***Scroll down or click here for part 2 of the Merry CHRISTmas Carnival of FUNschooling***
I was raised by two Atheists of Jewish heritage, married a non practicing Catholic and became a non denominational Christian due, in part, to some Amway meetings and a Jehovah's Witness who came to my door. My purple crayon writes with humor and almost always a little out of the lines.
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This blog is my creative and fun way of sharing my thoughts on communication skills relating mostly to homeschooling and sharing and defending the faith. It also reveals a bit about how the Lord took this shy Agnostic girl and allowed her to find her voice and her purpose, a zany voice to the Christian community with insight as to what unbelievers need to hear about Christ Jesus.
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I'll share news items, quotes, family friendly humor, tips, trivia, and my newest feature: Question of the Week. I invite you to come share your thoughts!
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For more creative fun with JoJo you can visit www.ArtofEloquence.com
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"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." -Proverbs 25:11
