Welcome to Daily Encouragement!
Hi, I’m Charlene Notgrass. I was born a long time before you, way back in 1953. I loved homeschooling — once I learned how to make homeschooling who our family was instead of something I carried around like a big, heavy burden every day. From the lessons God has taught me, I offer you daily encouragement.
Something We All Have in Common
One thing I dread about being on the road is having to “visit the facilities.” It’s so nice to get home and get to use my very own bathroom in my very own home. Isn’t it funny that we call…
Red, Brown, Yellow, Black, and White
I learned to sing “Jesus Loves the Little Children” in Sunday School. In the 1950s version, we sang “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, red and yellow, black and white . . .” When Ray…
End with the Beginning in Mind
Parents make the decision to homeschool for a variety of reasons, but among the most common reasons are the desire to protect the hearts, souls, and minds of their children and to mold those hearts, souls, and minds in the…
Clothespin Dolls and Sandboxes
Miss Frances was one of my special Sunday School teachers. One of my favorite memories of her classroom was the big wooden sandbox table. With a little imagination, a sandbox became a Middle Eastern landscape. It’s easy to share sandbox…
Tickled Mamas
My grandmother and great-grandmothers on my daddy’s side were all called Mama Something. Daddy’s mother was Mama Sue; his two grandmothers were Mama Boyd and Mama Head. I loved all of them very much. A special memory of Mama Sue…
A Trip Around the World
Africa, Antarctica, Papua New Guinea–these were the places where we “traveled” on Wednesday afternoons, courtesy of an elderly gentleman in our congregation. When Ray preached in Cookeville, Tennessee, we became quick friends with one of our elders, Ray Kinslow, a…