Father's day

How to Bless Your Homeschool Dad

June 14, 2018 by Ben

Every Father’s Day, children struggle to come up with a way to bless their homeschool dad. “We want to buy him a gift, but what can we get him that he wouldn’t already be able to get himself?” What is the best blessing you could offer a Christian dad?

Psalm 128 provides an excellent way to think about honoring dads on Father’s Day. In six short verses, this psalm inventories the blessing of a father who fears the Lord. The blessings are appropriate goals for every Christian dad, and children can honor him by contributing to those aspirations.

Wise Dominion

For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be.

Christian homeschool dads work hard to provide for their families and attempt to be wise stewards of the resources God gives them. Psalm 128:2 describes a blessed man enjoying the literal fruit of his work. He has fulfilled the blessing of dominion over God’s creation.

Children can join in on that blessing by diligently contributing to their household. But beyond carrying out chores, children should be preparing for their future vocation as well. Few things bless a father’s heart more than seeing his children study hard and prosper academically. It assures dads that their children are on their way to exercising good and wise dominion within God’s calling on their lives. That is being truly blessed.

Little Olive Plants

Thy children like olive plants round about thy table.

I love the metaphor found in Psalm 128:3. Children gather around the table, enjoying the fruit of their dad’s labor. As he nurtures them, they too will grow to be fruitful olive trees.

One of most basic characteristics of living things is that they perpetuate. If they didn’t reproduce, living organisms would go extinct. And this principle is linked to Genesis 1:28, where God blessed the animals and people to be fruitful and fill the earth.

Little children are such a delight to dads. They are a fulfillment of God’s blessing on their lives.

But more than having physical descendants, believing dads want to see their children experience new birth. We perpetuate by making disciples. Our commission is to perpetuate to the uttermost parts of the earth. For dads, the natural location to begin doing that is in our homes. Knowing the sweetness of our life in Christ makes it natural for us to want our children have the same lifelong experience. Children can bless their fathers by giving their hearts in response to their dad’s efforts to disciple them.

The Next Generation

Yea, thou shalt see thy children’s children.

The final verse of the psalm telescopes out to the third generation. Here, a blessed man (first generation) is enjoying his children’s (second generation) children (third generation.) It envisions the little olive plants growing to maturity and being fruitful themselves. They too are working hard to provide for a family. And God has blessed them with their own little olive plants.

This is the blessing of multigenerational discipleship. God-fearing dads are most blessed when they see their grandchildren also following in their ways. My dad is honored as I seek to disciple his grandchildren.

This Father’s Day, as you seek to honor your homeschool dad, meditate on Psalm 128. God wants to bless your dad, and He knows the best way to bless him. In fact, you’re an integral part God’s means of blessing. So if you give your heart to what God is doing, you will bless your dad.

Dates to Remember in June

May 31, 2016 by Meredith

To me, June is the official start of summer. The weather has finally warmed up in most regions of the country, and our days are still getting longer as the northern hemisphere tilts toward the sun. And when I was a kid, June also meant that my workbooks and academic projects were put aside for swimming lessons and family visits.

But the one thing I didn’t take a break from was reading! Every time we got in the car, I brought a book along. For you and your little bookworms, our JourneyForth books provide great summer reading material. We’re also going to be promoting reading the entire month of June. Keep an eye out for what’s coming!

Writers Born in June

Gwendolyn Brooks (born June 7, 1917) wrote the poem “We Real Cool” found in Fundamentals of Literature.
Ben Johnson (born June 11, 1572) wrote the poems “Song to Celia,” “Still to Be Near,” and “On My First Son” included in British Literature.
Anne Frank (born June 12, 1929) wrote a journal, now published as a book titled The Diary of a Young Girl, excerpts of which can be found in Excursions in Literature.
Joyce Carol Oates (born June 16, 1938) wrote the short story “Murder” included in American Literature.
Helen Keller (born June 27, 1880) wrote an essay called “The Most Important Day.”

June 6

Known as D-day, June 6, 1944, was the day near the end of World War II when the Allied Forces began an attack to free Europe of Nazi occupation. General Dwight D. Eisenhower led this campaign—Operation Overlord—the largest amphibious operation in military history. It quickened the end of the war in Europe. View the Untold Stories of D-day from National Geographic to learn about the planning and scale of this invasion.

June 14

Show your patriotism on Flag Day. Today we remember when the Continental Congress passed a resolution to choose a flag that represented our nation. The US flag changed in layout and design as our nation grew, but today its form is defined. The Stars and Stripes is an important national symbol that reminds us about our freedom. Each of the fifty stars represent one of our fifty states, and there are thirteen red and white alternating stripes to symbolize the original thirteen colonies. See how the flag changed as states were added to the Union.

June 19

Don’t forget to tell Dad you love him on Father’s Day! A father’s love is the closest human comparison we have to our heavenly Father’s tender care for us. And despite the times our earthly fathers disappoint us, we can be sure that God in His wisdom always does what is good (Romans 8:28-32). The kids can offer to wash the car, clean the garage, or take Dad to his favorite game with this coupon template.

June 20

This year summer officially arrives on this date. Today is the summer solstice. That means the sun’s rays are shining straight down on 23½ degrees N latitude at noon. This latitude is also known as the Tropic of Cancer. The seasons are a direct result of the earth’s motion around the sun, and this day is defined by a distinct point in the earth’s orbit. It’s when the North Pole is tilted toward the sun, and that’s why we have warmer temperatures and longer days. Take advantage of the longest day of the year to go on a family hike. This blog post has some nature trail tips and a hiking trail journal for the kids.

How do you celebrate the beginning of summer? Let me know in a comment.

Showing Dad Love

June 18, 2015 by Megan

Father’s Day is approaching, and with it comes an opportunity for your children to honor their dad. Honoring fathers is a command that every child of every age (even those who are grown up enough to have children of their own) should take seriously every day, and Father’s Day is a good day to remind your children of that responsibility. It’s also a good day to encourage your children to show their dad how much they love him.

Tokens of love don’t have to be expensive. When I was a child, I had very little earning power, so when family birthdays and holidays rolled around, I usually had to be creative. My parents got a lot of homemade gifts over the years—cards, potholders, wreaths, homemade books, and more. I used to feel bad that I couldn’t give them more expensive presents, but now that I’m a mom myself, I don’t feel that way anymore. Homemade gifts are the best gifts.

Here are a few ways your children can show love to their dad this Father’s Day.

1. An “I Like You” Book

Sandol Stoddard Warburg wrote a book titled I Like You. In the book, the narrator presents numerous reasons for liking a particular friend, reasons such as:

I like you because
You know where I’m ticklish
And you don’t tickle me there
except
Just a little tiny bit
sometimes¹

This Father’s Day, encourage your children to put together a book of reasons why they like their dad. Be sure they illustrate it!

2. Coupons

Another low-cost way your children could show Dad their appreciation is by serving him. Even small children can help him with home-related chores (for example, picking up sticks in the yard) or perform some other special service (such as giving him a shoulder rub after a long day at work). Print out this coupon template, and have your children fill in several and present them to him for Father’s Day.

3. Recordings

Toddlers and preschoolers might not be able to create a Father’s Day card or any other gift, but they can still encourage Dad. Technology has made it easy to make audio and video recordings. So why not record your small children singing a simple song, reciting a Bible verse, or just saying, “I love you, Daddy!”?

What are some other ways your children have shown love to their dad on Father’s Day?

1. Sandol Warburg, I Like You (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1965), 10.