Happy New Year from the Craig Family

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year from our family to each of yours! God has been very kind and merciful to us in 2016, and I am excited about what He has in store for 2017. I don’t know what that will be, but I know it will be good since He has promised that “All things will work together for good to those who love him and are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

I pray that your family is entering the new year with this same confidence and optimism as well.

I would like to recommend a passage of scripture that, if adhered to as a guide for all of your 2017 goals, planning, and activities, will guarantee your homeschool will accomplish what is ultimately required of it in the coming year.

Are you curious? The passage is 2 Peter 1:5-8. It’s a familiar one, and for good reason.

It starts with a pretty forceful kick-in-the-pants. “For this very reason, make every effort to …” Stop. Did you catch it? Whatever you’re about to read next, it’s a big deal. So much so that you are to make EVERY effort toward carrying it out.

So here are the marching orders. God says that you are to do everything possible to make sure you (and your children) add to your faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love.

That’s it. Just eight qualities that summarize the focus of what you should be working toward in 2017.

And there is a pretty good payoff if you do! God says that if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful.

So, make sure that at the top of your list of new year’s resolutions is the one resolution that will guarantee 2017 will be a prosperous one for you and your family: growing in faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love.

May God cause you and your family to abound in these things in 2017 for your good and for His glory!

Sincerely,

Steve Craig

“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8).