Turn off the screen and go play!

Jeff Utecht has a great post - Turn off the screen and go play!:

" This week we have been celebrating TV Turn Off week at our school, and when your wife is the counselor leading the charge, you set a good example. So for the past couple of nights we have not watched any TV, turned on a computer or participated in any “Screen” activities....

After some meaningful ponderings, Jeff says something that resonates with me:

We can’t ignore that technology exist for this generation; what we need to do and learn is to balance the use of technology with good old fashion play. Maybe preschool students don’t need to watch a movie every day, or a 2nd grader doesn’t need a Gameboy. How do these activities help foster growth in students? Sure a Gameboy is great when you are traveling. It will keep a kid occupied for hours, but do they need to play it for hours when they get home from school?

I agree totally! I live in the country for a reason. Although I did very well academically throughout my life, it is creativity that has always served me well and prospered me in most every career.

I do not attribute the creativity of myself and my siblings, one of which is a graphic designer at Disney, to our brilliance -- for we are not brilliant.

Father, it is what I call the "Wiggle your toes in the dirt" factor that I think helps us succeed.

I believe it is important to get out of the house and "do stuff." My favorite "stuff" is family time, fishing, running, frisbee, playing with the dogs, reading, talking, telling jokes, riding the Mule (a golf cart like contraption) through the farm, working on the farm, cooking, ping pong, taking pictures, pulling a weed or two and just "doing nothing" outside. Sometimes I just lay on the slide and look at the clouds or swing a little.

These are the intangiable things that I believe are ESSENTIAL to the growth of my own children as well as my own happiness.

Do you know what puts me in a good mood at this moment? The smell of jasmine that covers my entire yard. If I need a lift, I go outside and inhale that dreamy perfume.

I've enjoyed looking at the clouds lately. They have been beautiful and white and fluffy.

The other day it was pouring down rain and I let my two well children go play in it (My daughter just had a tonsilectomy) and jump in mud puddles until they were as brown as the bird dog!

Life is so full of wonder and beauty. It is also full of amazing gadgets and toys. But it is in the diversity of things that I become ME and kids become above average.

For me, it is when I wiggle my toes in the dirt that the cobwebs in my brain disengage on the breeze.

Jeff goes on to quote The TV Turn Off Network which has created a Facts and Figures about TV habits:

Average number of hours per week that American one year-old children watch television: 6
Number of hours recommended by the American Pediatric Association for children two and under: 0

Average time per week that the American child ages 2-17 spends watching television: 19 hours, 40 minutes
Hours of TV watching per week shown to negatively affect academic achievement: 10 or more

Hours per year the average American youth spends in school: 900
Hours per year the average American youth watches television: 1,023

So, get away from the TV, the laptop, the gadget and spend some time like Jeff does and many other greats outside doing "nothing." Perhaps why some of the blogging greats like Jeff and Kathy Sierra are so great is that they push their rolling chair away from the keyboard and get a little "non-screen time."

Can you?

Even more so, can you do that for the children in your sphere of influence?

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Forgiveness: The Supernatural Path to true freedom!

"I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for the day."

Abraham Lincoln

There are reasons that the United States after the Civil War did not become a Bosnia or Ethiopia... trapped in a never ending cycle of revenge. David Hanson of Virginia Western Community college summarizes the state after the war so very well:

For President Abraham Lincoln and Congress, the challenge was great: to restore social, political and economic order to a large geographic area destroyed by war and literally turned upside down by the liberation of four million black slaves. Lincoln had advocated forgiveness and promised a quick and easy restoration of the Union. While Lincoln urged restraint, Congressional Republicans favored revenge...

In a world of ungrace, Lincoln wanted to give grace. To give forgiveness. It was this belief that shaped the nation after Lincoln's assassination. While there were difficulties in the South after the war, there were not the mass reprisals and killings that have taken place after other "civil" wars. Look at the enmity of the Serbians, Croatians, and Muslims in Bosnia, stewing since prior to World War II when, as the Serbian Defense League says:

"The greatest genocide during WWII in proportion to a nation's population did not take place in Nazi Germany, but in Nazi-created puppet state of Croatia." (From Genocide in Satellite Croatia, 1941-1945)

Then the Serbs when rising to power proceeded to revenge the deaths of their ancestors with a genocide of their own under Slobodan Milosevic.

Where does it stop?

Well, in a world that wants justice and tit for tat, "it" doesn't stop. Revenge repeats itself with more revenge. Anger meets anger. Unkindness meets unkindness. Always reprisals. Never stopping.

The only way that such things stop is grace. Forgiveness.

Forgiveness is the one thing that SHOULD set us Christians apart! I seem to only find one condition of the forgiveness of God:

Mark 11:26
But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

Matthew 6:14
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Matthew 6:15
But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Great debates arise about injustices, wrongs, and all of the justifications of why a person doesn't deserve to be forgiven. Or how a person should repent before being forgiven by another person. (Remember, however that our repentance to Christ is an essential first step towards receiving HIS grace. The other person's repentance is not necessary to receive grace from us!)

However, the greatest instance of forgiveness ever recorded is this:

Luke 23:34
Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

No one repented at that moment. Immediately after this sentence spoken by Christ on the Christ, they stripped him naked and gambled over his clothing.

But Jesus forgave right then and there WHILE the wrong was still happening and BEFORE anyone was sorry for what they did.

He is our model.

This is a superhuman, miraculous thing that so many of us do poorly. Instead of finding grace in church, there seems to be a lot of ungrace.

Secular humanist and novelist Marghanita Laski said just before she died in 1988:

"What I envy most about you Christians is your forgiveness. I have no one to forgive me."

Forgiveness is part of who we as Christians are. Refuse to forgive others and you also refuse to receive the forgiveness of God. For he who has been forgiven much, loves much.

I struggle with this daily. But I want to forgive because I become more like Jesus. I want to forgive because He tells me to.

I want to forgive
for when I finally do
and I release that other person from the debt I think they owe me,

I find
that I have set
myself
free.

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Sometimes God uses a big fish

Jonah 1:17
[ Jonah’s Prayer and Deliverance ] Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Life becomes real when we are swallowed by a great fish!

The tougher you are, sometimes the more God has to do to get your attention! There are several things I learn from Jonah:

1- I can never be too far away for God to hear me!

Jonah 2:1
Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish’s belly.

2 - God controls the fish

Jonah 2:10
So the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

3- Jesus knows what it is like to suffer in the agonies of "the great fish"

Matthew 12:40
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

So many people look down on those of us who believe in this divine purpose. This God who has a purpose even in the sufferings we hate and try to avoid.

I've been asked how I, an intellectual, could be dumb enough to believe in God. Those who ask show me that they are missing out on the greatest experience of life itself... a relationship with God Himself!

Many hail Albert Einstein as one of the most intelligent men in the history of the human race. Listen to what he said:

"The most beautiful and profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the source of all true science and art. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead. To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their most primitive forms - this knowledge, this feeling is at the centre of true religiousness."

Yes, God is the source of science. To me, the method of creating the world is not so relevant -- God is God, He can create the world any way He sees fit! A day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day so timing too is irrelevant.

The point is that I believe He created it all! His ways are so much higher than my ways and His thoughts so much higher than my thoughts! I am fascinated by history and science and how God created things but I wouldn't pretend to know that I could understand it all -- even if He told me how He did it!

In efforts to PROVE that God created the world, Christians forget the definition of faith -- "substance of things hoped for, evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1)." I doubt God will allow us to PROVE it unless "with eyes they see and with their ears they hear." Faith is a permanent ingredient in our covenant relationship.

So, today, remember to pray if you have been swallowed by a fish!

If you're running from God, you do not have to return to church before you return to God. Return to God first, He'll give you back your love for the church that has been lost admidst your humanness.

Lord, guide and lead us. Help us to follow you. Let us pray. In Jesus name. Amen.

Tags: religion, prayer, Christianity, God, Albert Einstein, SBC, Christian, Jesus, blog, blogs, Vicki A Davis

1 Peter 1:18-19

When you feel down and don't feel like you're worth much, remember what the Bible says:

1 Peter 1:18-19: "“ For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. ”

You are the priceless gift purchased by God's most priceless gift. You are redeemed from an empty life.

If your life feels empty, it is time to hit your knees. I often find that when I'm running from God that I start eating to fill the hole in my heart. We all struggle, we all have problems.

God is always sufficient. When I seek Him with all of my heart, He is always there!

If you feel empty, come home! Return to Jesus Christ! If you feel far away, remember that He never moves, but you and I do!

Have a great day!

You can't pour water from an empty bucket! Fill it up!

Time for a break
I'm taking a hiatus for a few days. I will come back a renewed and excited blogger, a better teacher, and a better mother.

This is a tough time of year. Remember that:

"You can't pour water out of an empty bucket."
Quote: me!

Refill your bucket by taking time for yourself. Smelling the flowers. Enjoying the scenery. Reading a book. Taking a run! Doing something non work related. This is about living life not just about how many things you cross off your list!

You won't remember if you missed a few days posting your blog. Your child will remember if you never have time to watch their game. Or if every time you showed up, you spent it talking on your cell or texting. Take time to actually BE with your family. Mind, body, attention, focus. Family and friends are important!

God has a plan and a purpose for us!

"In moods of discouragement or despair,
never forget that the sunshine will ultimately come back,
that it's absence never is permanent.
Hang onto your faith, knowing that soon
you will rise into the sunshine again."
~Norman Vincent Peale~

" I have been driven many times to my knees by the
overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go.
My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed
insufficient for the day."
Abraham Lincoln

James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Do not be frustrated. Rest in the Lord today. Take a moment right now and close your eyes and breathe deeply. Feel yourself relaxing from your toes to the top of your head. Then, take a moment to thank God for just one thing that just happened.

Remember, there is a purpose and a plan for you. Be encouraged. Take time. You are great! Thank you for taking time to read. I hope you are encouraged.

Lord, guide and keep us. Encourage us and keep us strong. Let us take time for what is important and discern the things we should remove our focus from. Let us be your light in a world gone crazy. In Jesus name. Amen.

Tags: Christian, inspiration, hope, religion, SBC, Bible, Jesus, God, blog, blogs, Vicki A Davis

Do you dig at shadows?

Are you digging at shadows?

I heard the most hilarious story today about one of my student' s dogs. This dog is giving them fits. This little "weiner dog" named Rusty is fixated with his own shadow. So fixated in fact, that he often lunges at it, fights it, and digs holes into it to fight it.

What has resulted is a back yard that has more holes than a World War II battle zone. This little dog has found his shadow in countless places and digs until he tires!

Rusty hasn't learned that his shadow is not real and spends all his energy digging. He never finds anything. It is never real. It goes away when the sun goes down it is gone and only reappears tomorrow when he ventures outside.

Poor Rusty.

How do we dig at shadows?

We go out into the world each day about or business.

Oh, what is that over our shoulder?

Did I catch a bad look?

When so and so said something did I detect a tiny glint of resentment towards me? I gotta dig. I gotta find out. Did she? Did he? Did they?

When I leave the room are they talking about me? What did they say? Did he? Did she? Did they? What? Why? Why do I deserve this?

Everywhere I go, its just like this!

Focus on the master gardener

The world is a stormy place, that is for sure. But we are not to be surprised when we have problems!

18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
John 15:17-19

Of course people aren't going to like us! Of course there are problems! Of course there will be in the future.

However, I don't believe that God created us to be paranoid and constantly looking over our shoulder. We are to be wise.

Psalm 91:4
He shall cover you with His feathers,And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

Like a Mama Bird

This is a picture of a Mama bird with her helpless chick sitting on them amidst a storm. We must stay close to our Savior. He will cover us and give us our refuge.

That little bird is nestled under Mama resting, warm and safe. Could you picture that little bird shivering and scared under Mama? NO!

Under the shelter of the wing, the bird is safe. Out in the cold world alone, the bird is vulnerable, cold, and afraid.

We are in the world but not of it. We are out in the world but under the shelter of God Almighty's wing if we follow Him and stay close! Even in death, He keeps us safe as He sends his angels to escort us home to Him.

Ecclesiastes 7:1b
... the day of death [is better] than the day of one’s birth;

Why would God say such a thing unless He meant it! From dawn to dusk, Jesus is our Shepherd and will not leave us. The Holy Spirit is in us and Jesus promises.

5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”^[a] 6 So we may boldly say:


“ The LORD is my helper;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?”^{[b]
Hebrews 13:4-6}

<sup>I will not fear.

When we dig at shadows and waste our time pursuing things we "think" are there, we are giving Satan a foothold. We can spend all day overanalyzing what people think. Remember this, Jesus said:</sup>

Luke 16:13
“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

<sup>If you spend your time digging at shadows, you will neglect the work God sent you to do.

You will expend your energy digging at things that aren't there and not dig where God tells you to dig.

Focus on the meaningful

Focus where God wants you. When you are tempted to explore the odd glances, strange looks, and off the cuff remarks of your coworkers and friends you will most often find people, like yourself, who say things without thinking or just have a bad day. You will waste your time thinking about things that aren't really there. You will waste your day digging at shadows.

When you spend your time thinking about all the things that COULD happen you don't focus on what God wants you to do right now! He says He will take care of tomorrow. He doesn't need our worrying to make that happen. He can see tomorrow without us playing out all the scenarios in our mind.

When we worry about something and it happens, we have just done three terrible things:</sup>

• ^{By focusing on what could happen, we may invoke the "self fulfilling prophecy" by inadvertently making it happen}
• ^{We live the terrible incident many times before we live it once. A bad event can only happen once THAT time unless we let our mind live it over and over before or after.}
  
• ^{We tell God we don't trust Him to do what is best for us.}
  

^{Jesus says:}

Matthew 6:34
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Hey, Christians, let's stop digging at shadows and start living in the LIGHT!

^{Lord, as we seek you and look towards you, let us only spend our time and energy on things which are not from you. The enemy causes confusion and you cause peace. Let us focus our hearts on your peace and reject the confusing thoughts and worries that bombard us. Thank you for guiding us. In Jesus name. Amen.}

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We need the winds of hardship

Jay Akkerman writes about the Biosphere 2 experiment. When scientists created an artificial environment and shut themselves in for two years, they could simulate every weather condition except wind. In this Biosphere 2, the effect of the windless environment was very noticeable.

"A number of acacia trees bent over and even snapped. Without the stress of the wind to strengthen the wood, the trunks grew weak and could not hold up their own weight."

Our culture values comfort, pleasure, and wealth above most everything else. But we must remember that God uses hardship "for our good, that we may share in His holiness." (Hebrews 12:10)

Today, I heard from our missionary to the Tuareg. We call her Mrs. T. She says:

Things have been terribly busy here for me the last couple of weeks. My husband is traveling and has only been home 3 days since Jan. 25 so some extra work is falling on me also.

Pray for me to not grow weary in well doing.

Pray for me to be strong in the Lord.

As I pondered her prayer needs, this is the verse that came to mind:

Isaiah 40:30-32 (New International Version)

New International Version (NIV)

30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Lord, I ask you to be with our precious missionary. Bless her and keep her strong.
Send her a peace that passes all understand and let her hope in you.
"Help her to run and not grow weary and walk and not be faint. Send
her a blessing of peace and not anxiety for confusion is never from
You. Give her peace as she misses her husband and help her be strong.
Work in the hearts of the people that she is touching and help them
be strong as they face temptation. Bless her ministry and bring her
to a closer walk with you. Remind her that she has left family and
lands and friends for Your kingdom and will be richly blessed for her
sacrifice. Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you paved the way of sacrifice
for we have not resisted to the point of shedding blood. As you put
Sharon in the world spotlight keep her safe and strong. Help her to
do your will in everything. I love you, Jesus. In Jesus name. Amen.
Help her to run and not grow weary and walk and not be faint. Send
her a blessing of peace and not anxiety for confusion is never from
You. Give her peace as she misses her husband and help her be strong.
Work in the hearts of the people that she is touching and help them
be strong as they face temptation. Bless her ministry and bring her
to a closer walk with you. Remind her that she has left family and
lands and friends for Your kingdom and will be richly blessed for her
sacrifice. Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you paved the way of sacrifice
for we have not resisted to the point of shedding blood. Help her to
do your will in everything. I love you, Jesus. In Jesus name. Amen.

Tags: Jay Akkerman, Biosphere 2, comfort, hardship, prayer, IMB missionary, Christianity, Jesus, God, hope, blog, blogs, daily, daily life, journal, life, religion, weblog, thoughts

Prom Advice: Reprint of Sometimes a Teacher's Gotta Preach

I thought you might like this summary of what I shared with my classes on the Friday before prom. This is reprinted from my coolcatteacher blog.

---

It is 10:30 the day of Prom and I'm exhausted! You see, there are days "when a teacher's gotta preach" as I tell my students.

The day before Winter break. The day before Spring Break. The day of Prom. The last day of school. When difficulty hits a class. When there are struggles.

So, today, although we have classes until noon, I've had my three classes and three speeches. Here is a copy of some of what I told them.

1) Sometimes the only choice you can make in a night is to take the first drink or not.

When you get on a slide, once you're moving you're not stopping. When you drive on a muddy rode and start to skid, you just hope the car comes to a stop in a good place and not in the ditch.
When you choose to take that first sip, you do not know nor do you understand what you are saying yes too.

You may be saying "Yes, I'm going to kill my best friend tonight," or "Yes, I'm going to be raped tonight" or "Yes, I'm going to die tonight." You do not know what you are saying yes to.

I hear so many people complain about the war in Iraq. Many more teenagers die from drunk driving than died in Iraq last year. That is the waste.
You have one choice. One choice that you must make. One choice to decide.

The choice to stay away from alcohol and drugs will make sure that you can stay up till dawn and have fun with your friends and not be stuck in an emergency room on what is supposed to be one of the best nights of your life.

2) Sometimes your only choice may be to fix your own drink or not.

There are many people who never choose to drink but receive a spiked drink from "a friend" or "a date."

Since the beginning of time when cavemen whacked cavewomen on the head so they could drag them in the cave, people have tried to exert influence over other people to take advantage of them.

We laugh about the caveman but it is not funny when you lose your virginity through no choice of your own. This is the worst form of robbery and thievery that has ever existed.
Under no circumstances should anyone let another person fix them a drink. Period. End of story.

Choose to be wise and protect your decision to stay away from alcohol. There are people out there who are going to drink who think it would be funny to trick you in to drinking. Then, you'll drink to forget the embarrassment of your first night drinking and who knows where that road will lead.

Be wise.

3) There are some things you can't take back.

There was a guy I knew in college who chose to take that first drink. He was "elevator surfing" at his college spring break and bashed his head in. Now, he's thirty six and sits in a nursing home. He didn't graduate from college. He never got married. He didn't have children. He can't even feed himself. He stares blankly into space. He can't go back and refuse that first drink.

After a test is graded, sometimes a teacher may let you have a retest. But in life, there are things that you cannot get back. Your virginity. Your innocence. A life that is gone. It's not worth it.

If a person gambles, the rule is "never bet something you can't afford to lose." When you drink you are gambling. Don't bet your life. It is foolish.

You'd never dream of watching a poker game on TV where a person bets their life and if they lose, they are killed right there on TV. We'd never dream of that.

And yet, we encourage and watch people play drinking games and sit back and laugh. It is a poker game where every participant is betting their life. Stupid.

4) You become like your friends.
I love mud fights. There is no such thing as a spectator in a mud fight, however. Yesterday I was in the yard with the kids and they had one. After they finished, they were soaked in mud. I also had it on me. In my hair. On my clothes. On my face.

I never threw mud. No one ever threw it at me. But by being close to the mudfight I got muddy.

You may never drink. You may never do drugs. You may not have premarital sex. But when you are around those who do, it affects you. It affects your reputation. It affects how others view you. It affects what you think about those things and how likely you are to try them in the future.

If your friends start doing things you don't agree with, you can either get new friends or become like them. Get new friends.

5) Popularity isn't worth sacrificing "who you are"

Five years a go, Brittney Spears was every little girls object of worship. Brittney this and Brittney that. Now, well, the kids tell me she's a joke.

What did being the most popular girl in America get her? Nothing permanent. You can never have enough shoes. Enough clothes. Enough A's to fill the hole in your heart. These things are passing.

Many of those who were popular in my class in high school are now the joke. (Some aren't.) There is more to life than being popular.

6) Don't believe the lie that this is the greatest night of your life.

I've had many "greatest nights" and most of them happened by accident and didn't coincide with some great event. If you build it up to be something it is not, then when you wake up in the morning you have nothing to live for.

Yes, it is a great night! Yes, it is going to be fun! But Life goes on tomorrow. So have fun tonight but don't do things that you'll regret the rest of your life.

Prom night isn't the night to do something you'd never do any other night. Prom is perfect without sex, without drinking. Just being with your friends and laughing and having a good time.
Prom night can turn into the worst night of your life if you gamble with something you can't afford to lose...your life, your virginity, and that of your friends. It is not worth it.

7) When you have questions ask someone who cares about you.

This morning I read in Reader's Digest about kids who are struggling with things and go on the Internet to figure out what to do about them.

I thought of "Rhonetta Johnson."

"Rhonetta" was a girl that was on one of the tryout episodes of "American Idol." She talked a big talk. You would have thought she was an Aretha of Beyonce. But she got in the room and she choked. She whispered her song and giggled and couldn't hardly get a word out. When Paula Abdul asked her that she learn her song next time, she left in a huff.

When she left Rhonetta began talking "trash." Every other word was a "Bleep" and she was talking about how she would make Paula Abdul become a no name know nothing. It was embarrassing. She talked a big game but she didnt' know much.
The Internet is full of them. People who want to tell you that if you cut yourself or if you throw up or if you have sex or get a certain score on a video game or whatever that you'll feel better about yourself. These are lies.

I believe that nothing can fill the God sized hole in your heart but God and He shows us that there is a plan and a purpose for our lives.

If you have a question, I care about you and love you as do many other teachers here. Please ask us when you have struggles. You know who we are and that we care. When you go to a strange Internet website it would be like me going and asking Rhonetta to tell me how to sing!

None of these destructive behaviors are going to make you happy. That is why meth and drug addictions are so dangerous...the only answer is to do it again...and again...and again.

Doing drugs is like having that Alien that lived inside Sigourney Weaver in the last Alien movie. (Alien 3 I think) You may think you can coexist but one day that Alien is going to hideously burst out, take over your life, and make a bloody mess. That is what drugs do to you.

Conclusion

To conclude, I asked them to bow their heads and I prayed for them. I know that is something that cannot be done in most classrooms and it saddens me. I always preface my thoughts with "I believe." They need to know that a whole part of me is a spiritual side that cannot be divorced from my intellectual or physical. It is important for students to know that there are beliefs worth living for. I think those that tend to force it upon others have ruined it for a lot of good people. I focus on trying to live it but sometimes I need to say it.

I pray that all of my students make wise choices. Unfortunately I know that some will not. I pray that they will all make it back in one piece.

I also know that I will sleep better and be able to live with myself because I gave my "teacher speech."

So what if they roll their eyes. So what if they groan. So what if they make fun of me.

Don't think you have to pray or talk about God to give them "the speech" either. Kids know you love them whether you can talk about those things or not. Kids know what you believe by how you act.

What is important is that some adults in these kids lives have got to stand up and speak out for the truth and what's right amidst a generation of kids hearing lies on TV in magazines and from their peers.

Sometimes, the teacher's gotta preach.

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They still need help in New Orleans?

Let's not forget New Orleans
Jason Sampler is working with many Southern Baptist Groups who are working in New Orleans. Yes, they still need help. Please pray for them.

If you know any groups who can go, you can get in touch with Jason. He posted some photos on his blog for you to look at, one of which is a debris pile where they were working last Sunday.

Refocusing on my purpose
It is vital as a blogger to know WHY you are blogging. On my teacher blog, I feel certain of my purpose.

I must admit I've had some struggles on my Christian blog of late. I feel inadequate.

To Encourage

I was talking to my mother yesterday and she was talking about one of her favorite writers, the Flylady. She gets her e-mails every day and it is encouraging to her.

I feel that my purpose is not only to spotlight missions but to encourage YOU and myself in the process. I want to help you see God's great purpose for You. How much He loves YOU!

Don't be distracted

Lately I've been disheartened by legalism and theologic minutia that's everywhere! That is just not me. I'm not a theologian or a wise sage or overeducated professor. I'm me. I'm in the trenches. I do the best I can. I love Jesus Christ the best I can.

I don't write to you because I'm so good. He loves me not because of anything. Just 'cause. I have been forgiven much but He loves me more!

He loves you more!

You may love Him but He loves you more! You may have loved Him most of your life, He loved you first.

Many of the parables in the New Testament were not to teach us how to live but how God feels about us.

God wants you to know that He loves you. Period with a red pool of blood at the end of a sentence.

Parables help us know who God loves. To know who we should love.

Don't get tied up in rules

Shun legalism. Jesus is THE WAY -- not THE RULE.

Ben Franklin's thirteen virtues couldn't pull a good person closer to heaven. God's grace makes the vilest criminal clean.

It threatens our sensibilities that a criminal and murderer can become saved on their deathbed and still go to heaven. But it is the truth. Jesus forgave the criminal on the cross. (Luke 23:43)

We name the wrong prodigal in the parable of the prodigal son

I think in the story of the Prodigal Son that we call the wrong son the prodigal. (Luke 15:11-31)

The son who squandered his wealth came home. The son who stayed and served his Father never really was at home. At the end of the story, the son who was in the house was the one estranged from the father, not the "prodigal." (But he was angry and would not go in. v28)

Churches can be full of prodigals

People who aren't happy when sinners, crack heads, sexually promiscuous, ex-cons, and drug users come into the church seeking forgiveness and grace. People who don't love little children and care more about the paint on the church steeple than a ministry to the hungry. People who resent new ideas and feel like that if they are not the center of it, then it can't be from God.

But although the prodigals are there, Jesus died for the church. He loves the church. I cannot let my frustration with church members cause me to sin by forsaking my own church! (Sometimes I'm the prodigal myself if I don't watch my own attitude!)

Don't let frustration cause you to sin!

I cannot let my frustration cause me to sin. God cares HOW we do things as much if not more than WHAT we do. Ramrodding the "right thing" through is doing the WRONG thing. Henry Blackaby had it right about praying and working together.

John 13:35
By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

In Conclusion: You are important

You are important. You matter. Your work that God has called you to do matters. You are His precious workmanship and a pearl of great price. Do not be discouraged but keep the faith.

Galatians 6:9
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

2 Thessalonians 3:13
But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.

Lord, be with our Christians in New Orleans and all disaster areas. Encourage those who are frustrated. Be with us and renew our purpose and our strength as we seek You. Forgive us and guide us. Thank you for making us with a plan and a purpose. In Jesus name. Amen.

Tags: New Orleans, Katrina Disaster Relief, Jason Sampler, encouragement, Christianity, religion, SBC, flylady, Jesus, love, legalism, prodigal son, church, blog, blogs, Vicki A Davis