Christine Lindsay, Writer and Motivational Speaker

I meet the most interesting people, writers from all over the world. One of those friends is Anita Mellot who grew up in India, but who now lives in the US.

Recently I had the great pleasure of reading Anita's just released Devotional book , School is Where the Home is. She wrote this book to encourage Homeschooling parents, but I found the book went far beyond that. Here's a sample.

Hope

“The old order of things has passed away. . . . I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:4-5)

Lisa, my eleven-year-old, drew a stick figure on the magnetic drawing board that her sister Katy had just unwrapped.“Now something cool’s going to happen. Watch!” She slid the bar down its side. Seven-month-old Katy went down on her knees and ran her fingers over the toy’s surface. She picked it up and turned it over, trying to find the missing figure.

“See, you do this.” Lisa grabbed a star-shaped magnet and showed her sister how to stamp on the magnetic board. Soon the toy’s gleaming white surface was as dark as the night sky. Then together, hand over hand, they slid the bar.

Katy squealed and clapped her hands as black gave way to bright white. A similar toy—a “magic slate”—was my favorite when I was a child. I loved the fact that no matter what my mistakes were, I could start afresh.

That’s exactly what a new school year signifies: a fresh start, new beginnings. In Revelation, Jesus declares that the old order of things has passed, and he ushers in newness of life. The biblical meaning of “new” conveys a sense of freshness--something that hasn’t been used before or become worn out.

I’m grabbing hold of that hope as I begin a new school year. My mistakes and the challenges of the past are erased when I come to Jesus in humble repentance. He breathes new life into our school. I’m taking a step toward a new beginning this year.

Thank you, Lord, for new beginnings, for hope.

Digging deeper: For what new beginnings are you thankful?

"Excerpted from School Is Where the Home Is by Anita Mellott, copyright © 2011 by Anita Mellott. Used by permission of Judson Press, www.judsonpress.com."

Christine here again: I highly recommend this devotional book to any parent who is homeschooling their child. But this book would inspire and feed the soul of any Christian parent, whether they are homeschooling or not.

As a grandmother these days, I found my emotions and spirit drawn into these daily stories that contain such fresh and vivid images. I found myself wiping a tear away at times, and at others, chuckling. And then Anita wraps up each image with scripture that goes right to the heart.

This is a book that would be a great gift to any parent, or anyone who is engaged in teaching children. It would also make a great book for your child’s public or private school teacher.

Click here on School is Where the Home is if you'd like to buy it.

And drop by Anita's blog From the Mango Tree.