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Teaching Art and Spritual Walking
Dec. 27, 2008
Two Free Software Programs to Download that Kids Will Love
| Well, moms, I just put in an article about the economy and now I'm going to give you two great free programs to download that are absolutely FREE. Tuxpaint is an excellent program for children K-12. You can create posters, invitations, pictures....the ideas are endless. The magic part allows you to build walls, houses and fences. It lets you put flower gardens and spectacular effects to your picture. Children learn how to type and write words on their pictures. Just type in tuxpaint and download. For older students you want to download SCRATCH, an excellent free program from MIT. It teaches kids how to program and how to animate. It is excellent. I'm teaching on SKYPE for homeschoolers and SKYPE is free to download, too. Well, hopefully I'll hear from someone. I want to blog and have so much to share and write, but have never done it before, so please let me hear from you. Sharon Jeffus |
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Dec. 27, 2008
What about the economy? A time for spiritual enrichment?
The Secret of Appreciating the Commonplace
With the economy in a seemingly endless spiral downward, many people are loosing their perceived necessities. There is one of the greatest lessons in life to learn in this change of circumstance.
Someone in a bad circumstance
once told me that they were not really happy, but they had lots of joy. It made me wonder what they meant. I am beginning to believe that happiness and joy are based soley on our attitude of appreciation for the little things God has given us. To really be able to appreciate a hot bath knowing that perhaps next year, it would be a luxury instead of something taken for granted, is quite a gift. The taste of an ice cream cone becomes suddenly more flavorful when we think it could be our last in quite a while. People who are used to getting on a plane and traveling whenever they feel the whim, find that things have changed into taking a flight only as a luxury, or even a necessity. What once was just a means to get to a destination becomes an amazing adventure. The good thing about this is that something taken for granted can become an experience of wonder. All of the experience is still the same, but suddenly appreciation becomes more intense. If we treat people as this may be the last time we ever see them, suddenly little things that bothered us about them doesn't matter. Suddenly the smile on a child's face or the flavor of a piece of cake is something to be savored instead of rushed. The busy lifestyle we live is about to take flight for some, giving us an opportunity to really appreciate what we do have. It even gives some of us an opportunity to reflect on people less fortunate, people that we were too busy to see before. We suddenly get a true look at the beauty of "commonplace." This poem by J. Sidlow Baxter expresses an attitude of gratitude for the commonplace.
"A commonplace life," we say as we sigh;
yet why should we sigh as we say?
The commonplace sun in the commonplace sky
Makes lovely the commonplace day.
The moon and the stars they are commonplace things,
The flower that blooms and the robin that sings:
Yet sad were the world and unhappy the lot.
If flowers all failed and the sunshine came not!
And God, who considers each separate soul,
From commonplace lives makes a beautiful whole.
May 2009 be a year of appreciation for the little things overlooked in 2008.
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Jul. 3, 2007
Newsletter on bridges
Jun. 25, 2007
God's Bed and Breakfast
If you are involved in conventions and traveling, you have probably come upon a situation of "there is no room in the inn." Last week I tried frantically to get a room for the St. Louis Homeschool convention and there was not one hotel room left in the entire city!!! I tried everywhere and came up with nothing. Well, how about a bed and breakfast? My logic and reasoning said this was a go, so I called several and only found one opening. After the first day of the convention, my friend and I checked into one of the best blessings I have ever had. The bed and breakfast was like taking a journey back into time and relaxing into a different era...the Victorian era! The art was amazing, including several Tiffany lamps and two original Renoirs. The garden was like a garden I would imagine in heaven. The wonderful hostess said that working in the garden brought her closer to God. The room had a wonderful hot tub, good snacks, and beautiful decor. The breakfast in the morning was total gourmet. We were served on the finest china. I felt like I was the daughter of a king! We are! How amazing when it hit me that this is what God has for us in heaven. We will sit down at he wedding supper and be amazed at the beauty. I also thought about how often I try to do something in my own power and God has something just waiting for me that he has chosen. I wanted to share this as an encouragement to many of us who need it....God is waiting with wonderful blessings when we least expect it!!! |
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Jun. 4, 2007
Nov. 3, 2006
FREE DRAWING AND PAINTING PROGRAMS/ALSO INVENTION
| We at Visual Manna want to share some wonderful websites and free downloads with you. Hopefully this blog will grow. At scribus.net you can get one of the best desktop publishing programs available. It is comparable to Quark Express. I used Quark Express, a one thousand dollar program, to write books for many years. Now I only use Scribus. A great children’s art program for free is at tuxpaint.org. We have used it with many children and is as good or better as anything you could ever buy. Next, I want to take you to two websites. One is . This is a free paint program. The other is a wonderful inventor drawing program. It is at . We believe we have the most exciting educational materials available on the market today. Our goal is to make children love to learn. See you on the first Monday in December. We are enclosing some free lessons, etc. Enjoy Art! Enjoy Learning! Also we are looking for a place to do Visual Manna workshopS. If you would like to host one, let us know. We have a wonderful Narnia workshop, a great Renaissance workshop that would be perfect for Christmas, and many more. They are seen at our website .If you host the workshop, your children get in free. This just means you would help us get the word out and see that a facility is provided. Thanks and hope to hear from you. Sharon Jeffus1-888-275-7309
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Oct. 25, 2006
Establish copyright
It is very important for children to establish ownership of their work. Art promotes out of the box thinking. You want to encourage creativity and original thinking; problem solving. Art is a catalyst for engineering and invention. Telling children about the copyright symbol and allowing them to put it on their work establishes ownership. It is the opposite from the coloring book approach, which you want to avoid in younger children. A good art lesson establishes amazing self-concept enhancement, which is just one reason why you need to encourage ownership.
For more information go to visualmanna.com and look at our website for ideas on promoting creativity. Enjoy art!
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Nov. 11, 2005
God's provision
God’s Wonderful Provision ....when going through trials....by Sharon Jeffus
Part 1 of 10
God is able to do exceedingly above that which we ask or think......
Well, this is my first try at writing a letter on God’s provision and
answered prayer. Many times I have promised to do this.....”God,
if you can only get me out of this one!`` Last February we
were in North Carolina doing a two week workshop arranged by this
amazing and Godly mom. My car was starting to go out......I knew
I couldn’t afford a major mishap....so I prayed....God get me out of
this one one more time and I’ll write about your amazing
provision....well, he did.....the major car problem turned out to be
that my car was in 4 wheel drive and I didn’t know it.....Although
everyone struggles with these issues; as a widow who has done an
enormous amount of traveling, perhaps I can encourage others with my
perspective. Again, unless you are a widow and have been through
these trials, it is very easy to judge others. But I believe the
more trials you go through, the greater God is able to use you and give
you a spirit of understanding and compassion that can enable you to
lift others up. So if you are going through trials, truly rejoice, for
you will be a better person and come through it much wiser.
It all started when I slipped in the bathroom today. What could
have been a major break, was only a bruise...how merciful is God.
I came to think of all the times he has stopped me from falling.
I believe it happened in the same way. I was reckless and
unthinking, and he was right there all the time, understanding and
loving me. Before my husband was killed, many times I was so
aware of the amazing provision of God. The most amazing incident
was I believe, to show my oldest son God is real. We
were having car problems after doing an art workshop in Texas.
Someone walked up to my son with an envelope that contained 5 one
hundred dollar bills. They said it was for the car...bear in mind
we had not taken it anywhere to know the problem. We took it to a
service station after the workshop and they said they had some
expensive news....yes, you guessed it....$500.00. God laid it on
someone’s heart and that someone was obedient. Since then I have
been overwhelmed with God’s provision. I was reading this and
wanted to share from The Music of His Promises, “ If God granted us
only what we asked for we would be dead in a second. Our
very breath is an unasked for gift of grace. The power to move my
pen--on how many un-asked for faculties does it depend? On my brain for
one thing, which at this moment is functioning. At this moment I
am awake and not asleep; sane and not insane; warm and well; not cold
or sick; free to write; free to choose; free from prison chains; and
the terrible bond of drinks, drugs and hatred. I have a brain and
a hand and a pen and a notebook and a place to sit comfortably and the
ability to write cursive script and the knowledge of language and the
Book of Books, which is my source of the knowledge of God.
Solomon’s prayer in I Kings 8 shows me afresh that most of the
blessings of God---millions and millions of them come
unasked....” Most devout Christians I know are going through
amazing trials right now. I believe this is a refining fire that
we must endure until the end. All the trials are difficult but we
can be sure of one thing....the amazing provision of God....stay tuned
for part two.
Part 2
This will be short but I wanted to share with people how amazing God
is....I have been having lots of struggles and battles and have a
particular person I have cared for for over two years as a widow and it
hasn’t worked out so far so in my spiritual immaturity, I went to
church and had the attitude, “God you hate me....you don’t care.”
Have you ever been there? Very silly and childish...and this is
true. A young man came and sat right in front of me and right on
the back of his T-Shirt were the the words, “ So you think I don’t love
you.” and a picture of Christ on the cross. If we could only see
what is really important. Vision is so clouded by earthly
things. Just like God has a plan, so does the devil, so beware
because he walks around like a roaring lion seeking who he can
devour. Jesus loves us so much...he is there....and all the
earthly things some day will fade away. I now know and clearly
believe that we do the right thing; the Godly and Biblical thing; he
will truly bless us and that is its own reward.....
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