Psalm 85 - Righteousness and Peace Have Kissed Quiet Book Page

 In Psalm 85, God provides a way for His justice and His mercy to prevail together.

Memory Verse: Mercy and truth have met together;
Righteousness and peace have kissed.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
And righteousness shall look down from heaven. Psalm 85:10-11 (NKJV).

Materials needed to create the Righteousness and Peace Have Kissed quiet book page:

• A4 felt background sheet - I used cream
• my free template
• felt scraps in royal blue and green
• magnetic handshake keychain from AliExpress (not an affiliate link)
• kissing lips button
• alphabet beads
• 7 black grommets and tool set - I used 3mm inside diameter (perhaps 5mm height)
• round hat elastic in black
• 4 small thin buttons
• sewing thread to best match the page

Cut out your hill piece from green felt and insert grommets where indicated. Thread your elastic through to the front and thread your "mercy" and "truth" beads on at either side (remember to thread "truth" in reverse order so it shows correctly - a little ironic, I know!). Detach the magnetic hand beads from the keychains and thread them onto either end of the elastic before threading the elastic back through the "mercy" and "truth" beads and then to the back of the felt. Thread the elastic through a thin button and tie together to prevent the elastic knot from making it's way to the front of the felt, making sure the correct length is achieved for the hands to clasp each other without too much slack or needing the elastic to stretch. Sew the green hill to green felt to cover the back button and cut it out.

Repeat this process with the two cross pieces, although you don't need to double the elastic back through the beads (just thread them straight back through the other grommet to the back). Then addon your buttonholes where indicated. 

Use the template pieces to position the green hill on your page and sew along the sides and bottom leaving the top open to form a pocket.

Use the template pieces to mark the position of where to place the kissing lips button. Add a grommet to the page background. Thread more elastic through from the back of he page and thread on your lips, then pass the elastic back through the grommet to the back of the page. 

Again, thread the elastic through a thin button and tie together to prevent the elastic knot from making it's way to the front of the felt, making sure the correct length is achieved to allow both cross pieces to be buttoned on comfortably.

Finished! Now you can play with your page.

Difficulty Level = Easy

Grommet installation can be scary - but the following YouTube tutorial by Irina Sorokina from My Craft Quiet Books should help.

Eyelets and grommets - My Craft Quiet Books

Key Learning Areas and Skills

• Psalm 85 - the cross was the only solution for God to both uphold justice and extend mercy
• Imaginative Play/Clasping - clasp and unclasp the hands as if they are "meeting together" or shaking hands greeting each other
• Buttoning - button the sections of tthe cross to the kissing lips button
• Spelling - learn to spell the words "mercy", "truth", "righteousness" and "peace"
  
• Pocket Play - young children love pulling things out and placing items and putting them back (not always lol) into pockets - the cross pieces can be stored in the hill pocket
• Fine Motor Skills - all quiet books encourage fine motor skill development
• Hand-eye Co-ordination - all quiet books encourage hand-eye co-ordination

Read the Chapter

Psalm 85

Devotional

There is a great deal to learn from this Psalm and Matthew Henry's commentary on it is very enlightening. I will summarise one point only. Ultimately Jesus is the mediator who brings Heaven and earth together again. He is the truth that sprang out of the Earth (rose from the grave). And God justifies us by looking down favourably from Heaven because of Jesus' restoration. The cross is where God's mercy meets Truth, and where Righteousness brings Peace to men.

The penalty of sin is death. If God wants goodness to exist and goodness to rule, the rules He established to make good conditions must be kept. If He forgave without justice then why bother having laws - kaos and death would dominate instead of love. In order to forgive and keep the good rules in place, He had to pay the penalty (death) for us.

Psalm 85 - A Love Song… With a Kiss!

Selah - Acoustic Psalms

Here is another interesting read on Mercy and Truth by Ismar Schorsch from the Jewish Theological Seminary.

There is an interesting history of Aaron and Moses representing mercy and truth respectively via the atoning sacrifices and the provision of the law. Additionally, during the Zugot (pairs) time period of Judaism (c. 170 BCE – 30 CE), after the loss of confidence in the High Priest, the Sanhedrin was ruled  by two appointed rulers, the Nasi (President) representing mercy, and the Ab Bet Din (Vice President) representing truth. 

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Ephesians 3 - Christ May Dwell in Your Heart Through Faith Quiet Book Page

  In Ephesians chapter 3, Paul explains that Gentiles can become heirs alongside Israel, and share in access to God through faith in Christ. 

Memory Verse: "so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV).

 

Materials needed to create the Christ May Dwell in Your Heart Through Faith quiet book page:

• A4 felt background sheet - I used bright blue
• my free template
• red/pink felt for the heart
• a ribbon to match the felt colour of the heart - I used an organza ribbon and did some tacking and gathering on it
• felt scraps in mid brown, white, and dark brown for Jesus
• awl and/or darning needle
• sewing thread to best match the page
• scissors!

Cut out your heart from felt and sew it onto the middle of your page. Add the ribbon to the top edge of the pocket part of your heart before sewing it down over the bottom section of the heart.

Tacking and gathering the organza ribbon.

Cut out two feet and hands from your mid brown felt (reverse the pattern to make the right and left sides), sew them down and cut them out. Cut out a tunic from white felt and sandwich the hands and feet between it and a piece of white felt on the bottom. Sew the tunic down and cut it out, making sure to bend back the hands and feet as you go.

Cut out a face from mid brown felt and a hair and beard piece from dark brown felt. Position the hair/beard over the head and sew it down around the mouth and face. Place dark brown felt behind the head/chest area of the tunic with the hair/beard/face on top and sew around the outside of the head (hair/beard), catching the tunic in between at the bottom. Cut out the head around the top and trim at the bottom on the back side at the same width from the sewing as the rest of the head.

Use the awl to make holes in the hands and ankles and use a darning needle to make the hole wider.

Finished!

Difficulty Level = Easy, plus No-Sew Version.

A very easy and quick quiet book page. 
Just use hot glue wherever sewing is recommended for a no sew version, but make sure you don't put glue where you want to put the holes in the hands and feet.

Key Learning Areas and Skills

• Ephesians 3 - God's love is so wide/long/high/deep - let's pray that we will be filled with the measure of all the fullness of God
• Imaginative play - Jesus dwells in our hearts, His love is wide like His arms are stretched wide
• Hand-eye Co-ordination - all quiet books encourage hand-eye co-ordination

Read the Chapter

Ephesians 3

Devotional

I have had this idea churning around for a while. I remember as a child in Bible class we used to hold hearts up similar to this on a stick with a picture of Jesus inside while we sang "Into My Heart".

As I grew up, I started thinking about whether this was a concept that came from the Bible or not. More often, it is the Holy Spirit which is said to live in our hearts. I guess Ephesians 3 is more of an abstract idea due to having faith, rather than Jesus actually living in our hearts. I think the only other place the Bible talks about Jesus (rather than the Holy Spirit) being in our hearts is 2 Corinthians 4, where Jesus' face shines in our hearts. I think this is also alluding to the idea that others ought to be able to see Jesus' love shining out from our hearts, just as we can feel the happiness and peace within. 

The Love of Christ - Ephesians 3:17b-19

Truth Songs

Faith in Christ gives Gentiles access to God too, and we can share the inheritance. In this way, Christ can dwell in our hearts. And we will begin to understand the immeasurable love Jesus has for us. This love is beyond knowledge. Knowledge alone would not cause someone to die in someone else's place. It is only great love that would move someone enough to do that. I made Jesus with his arms outstretched and nail holes in his hands and feet so we can grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ in some small way.

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Ecclesiastes 4 - Three-Stranded Cord Quiet Book Page

 In Ecclesiastes 4, Solomon praises the value of a friend.

Memory Verse: "And though one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken." Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NRSV).

Materials needed to create the Three-Stranded cord quiet book page:

• my free Ecclesiastes 4 - Three-Stranded Cord Bible Quiet Book Page Template Pattern
• A4 felt background sheet - I used a marle grey
• three coloured shoelaces in blue, yellow and pink
• shank button
• sewing threads to best match the page
• scissors!

Firstly, measure the length of shoelace you will need to fit your page. Insert pins to mark the spot where you want to sew them to the page, and one on the page where the button at the bottom will go. Plait the strands so you can see what length you will need to reach the place where you want to put a button at the bottom and mark with a pin on each strand. Once unplaited again, I found my pins were at the length of the bottom of my page (about an inch or so below the position of the button).

Sew the top end of the shoelaces down to the page in the three positions marked on the pattern (or adjust as necessary to fit your page), using a zero stitch width zig zag stitch (so it goes back and forth over the same spot). Leave enough of a tail to tie a knot over the stitching to hide it. 

Fold the other ends of the shoelaces over themselves to form loops large enough to fit comfortably over the shank button. Sew the loop closed using the same zero-length zig zag stitch. 

Tie another knot over the stitching. Cut the remainder of the shoelace off with a short tail and melt the edges if made of suitable material - see my post on How to Stop Ribbons Fraying. 

Hand sew down a shank button where indicated on the pattern (or adjust to your page). The shank will allow enough room for all three loops to fit under the button.

Lastly, plait the shoelaces and loop them around the shank button to keep them in place.

Difficulty Level = Easy

One of the easiest pages to make!

Key Learning Areas and Skills

• Ecclesiastes 4 - God designed us to have friends and family - we are stronger together
• Plaiting - learn how to do a three-stranded plait
• Buttoning - learn how to thread a loop over a shank button
• Fine Motor Skills - all quiet books encourage fine motor skill development
• Hand-eye Co-ordination - all quiet books encourage hand-eye co-ordination

Read the Chapter

Ecclesiastes 4

Devotional

I got the idea for this page from a myriad of Christian wedding knot-tying ceremony boards I saw on Pinterest. I loved how they incorporated an Old Testament verse with the image of a cross and the Trinity, for indeed these concepts can be found throughout the Bible.

Cord of Three Strands - Tony Elenburg

I guess a wedding is a perfect example of the Trinity because marriage should be a unity of three - a man, a woman and God. The word used in the Shema to describe God being one is actually the same word used to describe Adam and Eve being one, so it in no way proves a unitarian viewpoint. 

The word Elohim is very interesting. "El" is singular, but the "im" suffix is plural. Although there is a Jewish view that God was speaking to the angels when He said "Let Us make man in Our image", I can't see that we were made in the image of a mixture of God and angels. 

Different versions differ in how Malachi 2:15 is translated, but the ESV is pretty awesome. "Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth."

We were created in God's image, and I believe this includes a tri-une relationship in marriage.

A three stranded cord is not easily broken.

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Mini Sealed Scroll craft for Bible Class

These are a great craft to do with your Bible class if you want to encourage them to learn memory verses in a fun way. The wax seals really give a certain charm about them.

A page I recently wrote about, Letters to Early Christians quiet book page - Interview with Jessica, has inspired a whole lot of scroll creations. This was not the first, but it seems to be the first I am going to post.

I kinda really like these Mini Sealed Scrolls and I kinda don't. 

They are really cute and fun, but they don't demonstrate that a seal can't be re-sealed after it has been opened...

(Have I mentioned before that I like toys that "work")?

Oh well, they are helping us learn more memory verses.

We used a Posca fabric marker to write the Bible verse. You need to iron it to set it so it doesn't wash out if you need to clean the scroll. But I have used regular pen before and it seems to work fine as well (not sure about the wash-ability though).

Here is a tutorial on how to do the wax seal (I just used felt instead of paper):

Wax Seals for Beginners - Everything You Need to Know! Channel: Katrina Crouch

For the first version I tried making I sewed press studs down on a single sheet of felt, but then I realised that the cotton showed through to the other side - right in the middle of where I wanted to write the Bible verse.

I tried hot gluing the press studs onto felt instead. That seems to have worked, but I am not confident it would last, and this is of course dangerous for small children, so I didn't proceed with that idea.

I tried using Velcro dots instead. Just make sure you set the pen with an iron before adding the Velcro dots or the iron will melt the hot glue and it may come through onto the side with the Bible verse written on it (as you can see below).

I had hoped that using a Velcro dot would make the seal sit flush with the rest of the felt underneath so it looked like it was doing more of the job a seal should be doing, but it is rather thick and the press stud actually looks better.

My stick of seal wax ran low pretty quickly, so I looked up if you can use candle wax instead. You can't - it's not flexible enough. So now I am hankering to try using cheese wax... wish me well!

Now we can't wait to make a bunch of these with everyone in Bible Class!

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Which Bible verse would you choose to write on one of these?

Isaiah 54 - A Promise of Peace Quiet Book Page

God promises a covenant of peace in Isaiah 54. 

Memory Verse: “The Lord says, “This day is like the time of Noah to me. I promised then that I would never flood the world again. In the same way, I promise I will not be angry with you or punish you again. The mountains may disappear, and the hills may come to an end, but my love will never disappear; my promise of peace will not come to an end,” says the Lord who shows mercy to you.” Isaiah:54-9-10 (NCV).

Materials needed to create A Promise of Peace quiet book page:

• A4 felt background sheet - I used green
• Betty Lukens Felt book 00001 Bible Stories Felt Activity Kit (not an affiliate link)
• sewing thread to best match the page
• scissors!
• pony beads in rainbow colours
• 1.5mm black elastic
• alphabet beads
• small button tie tie off elastic at the back
• two 3mm grommets (and grommet tool set)

Cut out all the pieces for this page and the page itself from the Betty Lukens set. The Betty Lukens FAQ section has posted a cutting tips PDF.

Sew the Betty Lukens page onto the background felt along three sides, leaving the top edge open to form a pocket. 

Add two grommets to the top right and top left of the Betty Lukens page. I went through both the pocket and background page together (you will still be able to open the pocket. You can google how to do this - it is not as scary as it looks!

Thread the elastic through the grommet from the back of the page and thread on some pony beads in rainbow order (I used two beads per colour), followed by the word 'promise' using your alphabet beads, and then more rainbow beads in reverse order. Thread the elastic back through the other grommet and tie it off through a button at the back (like I did on the Leviticus 25 - Jubilee Calendar Quiet Book Page). This is to prevent the knot coming through the grommets to the front of your page.

Pop the animal pieces inside the pocket (or better yet - play with them)!

Finished!

Difficulty Level = Easy, plus No Sew version.

A very easy quiet book page! Grommets are not as intimidating as they appear.
Just use hot glue wherever sewing is recommended for a no sew version.

Key Learning Areas and Skills

• Isaiah 54 - Learn about the Covenant of Peace promised by God
• Imaginative Play - position the animals around Noah's ark and remember God keeps His promises - just like He kept His promise to never again flood the entire Earth like He did in the days of Noah
• Fine Motor Skills - all quiet books encourage fine motor skill development
• Hand-eye Co-ordination - all quiet books encourage hand-eye co-ordination

Read the Chapter

Isaiah 54

Devotional

Whilst Isaiah was speaking to the Israelites about the captivity and those that God would bring back afterwards, they prefigure the goodness God will bring upon all believers in the covenant of peace made with blood in the previous chapter (prophesying Jesus' death). This covenant is certain because it is not built on our merit, which is a changeable thing, but on God's mercy, which is from everlasting to everlasting.

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Has this page inspired you?

Psalm 11 - Flee as a Bird Thaumatrope Quiet Book Page

Psalm 11 asks why we should flee as birds to a mountain when we are trusting God for protection.

Memory Verse: “I trust in the Lord for protection.

So why do you say to me,

“Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!" Psalm 11:1.

Materials needed to create the Flee as a Bird Thaumatrope quiet book page:

• A4 felt background sheet - I used dapple grey
• My free Psalm 11 - Flee as a Bird Thaumatrope Quiet Book Page Template Pattern
• cotton fabric for the green mountain
• fabric glue or double sided iron-on interfacing
• felt scraps in green, sky blue, orange and dapple grey
• decorative beads in orange and silver
• short dowel rod (about 20cm in length, 7mm in diameter)
• hot glue and glue gun
• sewing thread to best match the page
• scissors!

Mark and cut out the mountain shape from your mountain fabric and use fabric glue to glue it to a piece of green felt (or use thedouble-sided iron-on interfacing according to the directions). Once it is dry, cut it out and sew a fine zigzag stitch along all edges to stop it fraying and peeling. Then sew it onto your background felt to about just below half way up the sides of the mountain leaving the top open to form a pocket.

Cut out the circles from the sky blue felt and sew down your orange birds followed by their dapple grey wings, making sure to position one in the upper position and the other in the lower position. Hand sew on your decorative beads.

Testing different decorative bead positions

Position your circles back to back (ensure the birds are level with each other) and sew around the circles, leaving about a 2cm hole at the bottom. Use hot glue on about 4cm of the end of your dowel rod and insert it into the hole and press the birds together to attach it. 

Spin the thaumatrope rod between your hands to watch the bird fly away to the mountain.

Finished!

Difficulty Level = Easy, plus No Sew version.

A very easy quiet book page!
Just use hot glue wherever sewing is recommended for a no sew version.

Key Learning Areas and Skills

• Psalm 11 - Putting your trust in God is the best way to stay safe and remain calm when you are in danger.
• Imaginative Play - Fly your birdie to safety in the mountains.
• Fine Motor Skills - all quiet books encourage fine motor skills through turning pages, and on this page, through using the thaumatrope.

Read the Chapter

Psalm 11

Devotional

This Christian Hymn seems to be to be using the phrase "flee like a bird to your mountain" in the opposite way to what David's adviser was. But the point in the end is the same. God is your refuge, put your faith in Him.

I have heard stories of many people who chose to stay in dangerous places because they felt that is where God wanted them. They trusted Him and escaped all kinds of danger because He looked after them. The most dangerous place in all appearances may actually be the safest because God is with you. The safe places might actually be the most dangerous because you are no longer relying on God.

I looked up some of the birds that inhabit Israel and tried to model mine on the Oriental Turtle-dove and the Laughing Dove.

Oriental Turtle Dove : (Streptopelia orientalis) in Satara
I, Ravivaidya - CC BY 2.5

Laughing dove (Spilopelia senegalensis cambayensis)
at Zighy Bay in the Musandam Peninsula, Oman
Charles J. Sharp - CC BY-SA 3.0

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Letters to Early Christians quiet book page - Interview with Jessica

Today I would like to introduce you to Jessica and find out how she came up with such a simple Bible quiet book page that keeps kids entertained for ages. When the pages are so easy to make, you might have to start coming up with other reasons for not making a start on a quiet book project!

Carissa D: Hi Jessica and thanks for letting me share your Letters to Early Christians quiet book page. I know you made this page as part of a New Testament quiet book swap because I participated in that swap and received this page (among others) back. 

You can read about what a quiet book swap is in my post about my participation in a Puzzle Quiet Book Page Swap.

Carissa D: I must admit that your page was probably Tahlia's favourite from that swap, and she absolutely LOVED this page at around 5 years old. I can't remember if topics for each page were already chosen and we picked from a list or if we made up our own page topics, but this is a unique idea I haven't seen anywhere else. So I am wondering how you came up with the idea?

Jessica: I do believe we had topics for the pages. If I remember right we swapped about 10 pages but I ended up making a bunch more at home to complete an Old Testament Book and a New Testament book. I think the idea was just that the new testament letters are so hard to capture unless you only represent one single powerful verse such as John 3:16. But I wanted to capture all of it. The concept was that the original letters were written on scrolls and to provide the kids an image of a scroll and then they could point off the ABC's or trace over the letters on the page. For very young kids they can use a pretend feather pen that was tucked behind the scroll, and trace the letters. For older siblings they could practice reading the name of the Letters from the Apostles or even memorize the names of the books.

Carissa D: I love pages that can suit multiple age groups and can sort-of grow with the child. What significance do the New Testament letters hold for you? Was there a particular attraction to the topic of this page?

Jessica: I think I chose this page simply because I had an idea I thought I could do. I don't consider myself very artistic and so if I had any idea for a page I went for it!

Carissa D:  What do you think of quiet book swaps and would you recommend people join them?

Jessica: Many many mother's struggle through going to Mass with little ones. I love Quiet books because it is an activity that the kids can do that still keeps them at least in some way thinking about God, while not letting them have a toy that they can bang into the pew and make us Mom's worry about disturbing others. Little ones need to be active and they do belong at church with us. Anything that makes it easier for them is a worthy effort. We have made four quiet books now.

Carissa D: Well done! Could you explain how you made this page please?

Jessica: Supplies- 

Background color of your choice in Felt or Fabric
1 sheet of white felt
1 feather
1 bottle black puffy paint

To recreate this page is easy. Cut out a piece of felt in the shape of a scroll (maybe practice on paper and then transfer to white felt). Sew all sides down except one so that you can tuck in a feather behind it. If you feel conformable with a sewing machine sew your lines across to give the appearance of a scroll like you see in a line drawing or you can sew the edges and use puffy paint for the lines. I used a google image for "scroll line drawing" as an example. Once your sewing is done, write out the names of all the letters in puffy paint (hopefully your handwriting is better than mine), and keep a feather behind the white felt, on the side your didn't sew for kids to practice tracing with.

Carissa D: It does sound easy. I love the embossed felt you used (we don't have such a variety of felt available in Australia). It looks like you painted the tip of your feather as well which really makes it feel authentic when you are pretending to write. Was there anything about this page that you would change if you made it again?

Jessica: I would probably have someone with better handwriting write the names!

Carissa D:  What encouragement can you give to others who might be thinking of starting a quiet book?

Jessica: I think I would have never started quiet books if it wasn't for my crafting group. Getting the unique ideas from so many different people and only having to come up with one or two unique ideas yourself makes the entire project so much more manageable. Find a community online and start from there.

Carissa D: Did/do you use your quiet books to keep your children quiet in church or do you use them elsewhere? Do they live up to their name?

Jessica: I keep at least 1 in my car at all times when I have children under 2 years old, but we use them during car rides or at church most often. Quiet books work for us unless the kids decide to argue over who gets to hold which one. We have a Mass book, Old Testament, New Testament, and a generic baby book (that my 8 year old made for my infant when I was pregnant, it is a great project to teach young ones how to sew).

Carissa D: That sounds amazing, I am really hoping my daughter Tahlia wants to start making quiet books one day too. Thanks so much for sharing your page idea with us. Sometimes getting the ideas is the hardest part!

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Leviticus 25 - Jubilee Calendar Quiet Book Page

In Leviticus chapter 25, God explains the Jubilee cycle.

Memory Verse: "‘And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family." Leviticus 25:8-10 (NKJV).

 

Materials needed to create the Jubilee Calendar quiet book page:

• A4 felt background sheet - I used hot pink
• my free Leviticus 25 - Jubilee Calendar Bible Quiet Book Page Template Pattern
• 16 silver grommets with a 3mm diameter
• hole punch / grommet tool
• 1mm black elastic
• 42 wood coloured beads, 7 blue beads, and 1 yellow/gold bead - I bought these (not an affiliate link)
• small flat button

Punch holes and insert grommets in your background sheet using the template as a guide (where the x's are marked) - see the video tutorial in the difficulty level section below. 

Thread the black elastic through the holes in rows, adding beads as you go. The beads should be in seven rows of seven beads (six wooden and one blue for the six working years and the seventh year of rest) followed by a single yellow/gold bead to represent the Jubilee year. Since I wanted to save elastic, I threaded the elastic through the nearest hole rather than going to the start of the next row. That meant I had to add every second row of beads in the reverse order.

Ensure the elastic is pulled so it is not too loose on the front and cut it to the appropriate length to allow you to tie it off nicely. Thread the elastic ends through the button and tie them together in a tight knot to prevent the knot from moving to the front of the page.

Finished!

Difficulty Level = Easy, plus No Sewing involved.

A very easy quiet book page!

You can watch the below video by Irina Sorokina from My Craft / Quiet books to see how to install grommets.

Key Learning Areas and Skills

• Leviticus 25 - the Jubilee year represents Eternity and what God is going to do for us - set us free, restore us to our families and give us our land back
• Counting - count seven lots of seven years until the 50th year - the Jubilee
• Fine Motor Skills - all quiet books encourage fine motor skill development
• Hand-eye Co-ordination - all quiet books encourage hand-eye co-ordination

Read the Chapter

Leviticus 25

Devotional

The Jubilee is such good news! I believe it represents eternity on the New Earth, when we will all be released from slavery, returned to our families and given land to inherit. The Jubilee year follows seven lots of seven year "weeks", where the land was given a rest every seventh year. It was not to be sewn and grape vines were not to be pruned, etc. This would rejuvenate the land, and God promised that if they would keep the Sabbath rest for the land every seventh year, that He would bless the harvest in the sixth year so there would be enough to feed everyone for three years (which would of course last until the harvest came in in the first year of a new Jubilee cycle, with a Jubilee resulting in two Sabbath years rest for the land in a row). This was reported to have occurred during the reign of Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:29).

Although the first day of the seventh month (on the religious calendar) is New Year's day on the civil calendar, the Jubilee is not announced until Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), which is ten days later. I'm not quite sure why that is yet, but I'm sure there is a reason. Nevertheless, I can certainly see the contrast the God is intending announcing a Jubilee celebration on a day of traditional fasting. And He does state that the four major fast days will be turned into joyous occasions (Zechariah 8:19) - and what more joy could you have than when set free from slavery, returned to your family, and given an inheritance?

Ron Kenoly - Jubilee (Official Live Video)

I have previously explained my reasons for believing that the Jubilee is the 50th year (and not the same as the 49th year as some people propose) in my Time to Celebrate: Jubilee Bead Cycle tutorial (plus bracelet craft) for the High Holidays post. 

Most people would have only experienced one Jubilee in their lifetime, at least only one that they remember. It is the countdown to restoration. Ultimately, the land belongs to God, and He divided the land between the tribes of Israel. Because the land belongs to God, it was not allowed to be sold permanently. At the Jubilee, if you had sold your land sometime during the 49 years, you would get it back. The price of the sale was to reflect the amount of time remaining until the Jubilee (if there were many years, the sale price would be more than if there were only a few years left). The family that the land had been given to always had the right to buy their land back (called redeeming it), with the price again reflecting how many years were left until the Jubilee. An example of this might be the story of Naomi and Ruth, where Naomi's husband sold his land because of a drought, and when Naomi and Ruth returned, Boaz became their Redeemer. Not only did he have to marry Ruth, but I imagine he would have paid the price due on their land. 

It seems that Sabbath rests for the land were not often kept, since the children of Israel were required to go into captivity for 70 years to allow the land to have it's rest (2 Chron. 36:21)! 

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What does the Jubilee mean to you? Comment below!