Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Students Say the Darndest Things
I also thought it would be fun to add the funny things I hear kids say throughout the day. Who knows? Maybe one day I'll have enough of these quotes saved up that I can write my own book.
I'm walking around the room and I pass a rather opinionated and blunt first-grader. He glances at the name tag hanging from my neck. He then grabs the tag and says, "Let me see that." Taking a long look at my picture which adorns the tag, he then looks up at me with a thoughtful expression. He takes a second look at the my name tag picture, looks up at me quickly, and says, "You look better in the picture."
This is a really funny one that happened during children's church one Sunday. To set the stage, we were having our welcoming activity in which the morning's Bible story is introduced. We were going to be learning about God's power. Therefore, the children were listing things that they thought were powerful.
Me: What are some things that are powerful? What do you think of when you hear the word "power"?
Kids: Hurricanes! Wind! Superheroes! Earthquakes!
I was impressed by their examples.
Me: Great! Those are awesome examples. Can you think of any more?
Kids: Wind energy! Mustangs! Water!
Andrew: Commas!
Me: I'm sorry. What did you say? Comets?
Andrew: No, commas!
Me (half-expecting the answer I received): And why would you say commas?
Andrew: Because, depending on where you put them in a sentence or if you use them at all...well...you can change the WHOLE meaning of a sentence!
What every teacher wants to hear!
I'm walking around the room and I pass a rather opinionated and blunt first-grader. He glances at the name tag hanging from my neck. He then grabs the tag and says, "Let me see that." Taking a long look at my picture which adorns the tag, he then looks up at me with a thoughtful expression. He takes a second look at the my name tag picture, looks up at me quickly, and says, "You look better in the picture."
This is a really funny one that happened during children's church one Sunday. To set the stage, we were having our welcoming activity in which the morning's Bible story is introduced. We were going to be learning about God's power. Therefore, the children were listing things that they thought were powerful.
Me: What are some things that are powerful? What do you think of when you hear the word "power"?
Kids: Hurricanes! Wind! Superheroes! Earthquakes!
I was impressed by their examples.
Me: Great! Those are awesome examples. Can you think of any more?
Kids: Wind energy! Mustangs! Water!
Andrew: Commas!
Me: I'm sorry. What did you say? Comets?
Andrew: No, commas!
Me (half-expecting the answer I received): And why would you say commas?
Andrew: Because, depending on where you put them in a sentence or if you use them at all...well...you can change the WHOLE meaning of a sentence!
What every teacher wants to hear!
Entangled in Yarn
A few weeks ago, I had a really good quiet time that I wanted to share with them women in my small group since it went along with a discussion we had. I was told it would make a good blog post, so I am going to post it. It is actually the exact words I sent in an e-mail to the women in my small group.
I had a good quiet time today that I wanted to share—mostly because I came up with this illustration about sin. It’s somewhat corny, but since I wrote the whole thing down, I would be disappointed if I didn’t get to share it.
After last night’s discussion on the importance of Scripture memorization, I decided I would do that today for my quiet time. I just flipped through the pages in the New Testament and wrote two down. I began memorizing them and then later broke them down into parts so that I could take away more meaning. It’s the following verse that I specifically want to share: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1
It was the words “let us throw off” that caught my attention and reminded me of our discussion on sin last night. I thought of the other words used throughout what we read: flee, destroy, cut, gouge, remove, etc. Then I noticed that it says to throw off everything that hinders us AND the sin…It’s not just referring to sin; it’s referring to anything that hinders us from eventually accomplishing the goal of Christ (or “running the race”). I then read “and the sin that SO EASILY ENTANGLES”. I dwelled on the word “entangles” and thought of how it made me feel. I immediately thought of this (like I said, probably corny) analogy.
It reminded of the yarn—that stubborn, frustrating yarn. I recently ventured into the world of blanket knitting. And I’m terrible at it. Anyway, when I began knitting the baby blanket, the roll of yarn was so tangled! It doesn’t help that I wanted to forgo the task of wrapping all the yarn into an easy-to-manage ball. The roll wasn’t as bad when I started so I thought I’d be fine using it. As I went along, it got worse. For awhile, it worked because I would untangle it little by little. It would be workable for a few feet then I’d have to stop and untangle it more. I thought this would work. I was patient for awhile, but each time I untangled it, it got more difficult. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that this untangling every few feet was ridiculous and exhausting. I was also afraid that if I worked myself too far into the roll, I would have no way out and I would have to give up on the blanket entirely. I would rather just completely cut the roll off where it was and start over with a new, good roll. So I just cut off the old tangled yarn and tied on the new. I didn’t care that the first roll would be discarded and wasted. I was just glad that I was no longer working in the tangled mess. I was now free!
This frustrating experience is what came to mind when I thought about the word “entangles”. The more I thought of it, the more it looked like what happens with our sin.
Last night’s discussion about sin was a good one. Like the tangled yarn, we think our sin is fine—especially when we get rid of it little by little. We snip here and there. But snipping doesn’t work. In fact, the deeper we get, the more entangled we become in that sin. With the knitting, I had eventually realized that if I kept using that same tangled yarn, I would not be able to accomplish my goal—to make a baby blanket. Not only does sin hinder us from leading a non-frustrating and simpler life, it hinders us from accomplishing our goal for Christ and for His Kingdom. We have to completely cut the sin out—or flee from it, remove it, gouge it out, destroy it. In order to run the race with perseverance (which includes accomplishing God’s mission for His Kingdom, and the mission includes the “cloud of witnesses” mentioned at the beginning of the verse), I must remove the sin. When I remove it completely, I can accomplish that goal and also do it with a sense of freedom and peace.
I can now apply this verse to my own life by realizing that my sin doesn’t just hinder myself and my relationship with God. With the sin, I cannot help fulfill God’s mission to other people, the community, and the world. My sin affects others. And the only way to get rid of it is to destroy it at the root.
I had a good quiet time today that I wanted to share—mostly because I came up with this illustration about sin. It’s somewhat corny, but since I wrote the whole thing down, I would be disappointed if I didn’t get to share it.
After last night’s discussion on the importance of Scripture memorization, I decided I would do that today for my quiet time. I just flipped through the pages in the New Testament and wrote two down. I began memorizing them and then later broke them down into parts so that I could take away more meaning. It’s the following verse that I specifically want to share: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1
It was the words “let us throw off” that caught my attention and reminded me of our discussion on sin last night. I thought of the other words used throughout what we read: flee, destroy, cut, gouge, remove, etc. Then I noticed that it says to throw off everything that hinders us AND the sin…It’s not just referring to sin; it’s referring to anything that hinders us from eventually accomplishing the goal of Christ (or “running the race”). I then read “and the sin that SO EASILY ENTANGLES”. I dwelled on the word “entangles” and thought of how it made me feel. I immediately thought of this (like I said, probably corny) analogy.
It reminded of the yarn—that stubborn, frustrating yarn. I recently ventured into the world of blanket knitting. And I’m terrible at it. Anyway, when I began knitting the baby blanket, the roll of yarn was so tangled! It doesn’t help that I wanted to forgo the task of wrapping all the yarn into an easy-to-manage ball. The roll wasn’t as bad when I started so I thought I’d be fine using it. As I went along, it got worse. For awhile, it worked because I would untangle it little by little. It would be workable for a few feet then I’d have to stop and untangle it more. I thought this would work. I was patient for awhile, but each time I untangled it, it got more difficult. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that this untangling every few feet was ridiculous and exhausting. I was also afraid that if I worked myself too far into the roll, I would have no way out and I would have to give up on the blanket entirely. I would rather just completely cut the roll off where it was and start over with a new, good roll. So I just cut off the old tangled yarn and tied on the new. I didn’t care that the first roll would be discarded and wasted. I was just glad that I was no longer working in the tangled mess. I was now free!
This frustrating experience is what came to mind when I thought about the word “entangles”. The more I thought of it, the more it looked like what happens with our sin.
Last night’s discussion about sin was a good one. Like the tangled yarn, we think our sin is fine—especially when we get rid of it little by little. We snip here and there. But snipping doesn’t work. In fact, the deeper we get, the more entangled we become in that sin. With the knitting, I had eventually realized that if I kept using that same tangled yarn, I would not be able to accomplish my goal—to make a baby blanket. Not only does sin hinder us from leading a non-frustrating and simpler life, it hinders us from accomplishing our goal for Christ and for His Kingdom. We have to completely cut the sin out—or flee from it, remove it, gouge it out, destroy it. In order to run the race with perseverance (which includes accomplishing God’s mission for His Kingdom, and the mission includes the “cloud of witnesses” mentioned at the beginning of the verse), I must remove the sin. When I remove it completely, I can accomplish that goal and also do it with a sense of freedom and peace.
I can now apply this verse to my own life by realizing that my sin doesn’t just hinder myself and my relationship with God. With the sin, I cannot help fulfill God’s mission to other people, the community, and the world. My sin affects others. And the only way to get rid of it is to destroy it at the root.
Craving Spiritual Milk
I finally made the decision the other day that I need to really watch what I eat. I think I eat pretty healthy meals, and I don’t over-indulge, but the constant snacking has gotten out of hand. I was having a conversation the other day with a friend about how I always feel hungry. I know I’m not really hungry; I just crave food all the time. I can finish a large meal and a half an hour later I’m craving more food. Dave says I’m addicted to sugar, since what I crave is usually something sweet. I know the craving is completely mental. My problem with this craving is that I usually satisfy it by eating small snacks or little pieces of candy throughout the day. We don’t buy unhealthy foods and we don’t keep “snacky” foods in the house, but I somehow find a way to eat something when I get these cravings. And to some of my friends I must say I AM NOT PREGNANT. I’ve been this way for a long time. And for a long time, I’ve felt innocent about the snacking because . . . well, I just never gained any weight. However, I am now aware that there comes a time when your body no longer wants to put up with the food and it starts to gain weight. Therefore, I have had to make the conscious decision to REALLY watch what I eat (especially because I could become hypoglycemic).
So why I am sharing all this? It has to do with 1 Peter Chapter 2. We’re studying 1 Peter in Small Group, and I read the second chapter ahead of time. I was taking notes and wrote down that 2:2 stood out to me specifically: “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” I like the analogies used in Scripture comparing our spiritual growth to infants who need milk before they can begin taking in solid foods. The word in this verse that really struck a chord was “crave”. Here are some definitions for the word “crave”: (1) to long for; want greatly; desire eagerly (2) to require; need (3) to ask earnestly for.
I can’t help but immediately make a connection between craving food and craving God. In my spiritual life, my greatest desire is to have a genuine desire for Him. Often, my prayers are that I will have a hunger for His Word—that I not read the Bible out of mere obedience, but because I want it and need it. It was ironic (or it was from God) that I read about craving spiritual milk (a.k.a. God’s Word) on the first day that I started putting my decision into action. I thought, “How pathetic it is that I have such a strong craving for food, particularly sugar. Just imagine if I had that kind of craving for the Word of God!”
What if I longed to be fed by Him? What if I couldn’t wait? What if I satisfied that craving with a heavy dose of Scripture just to have another strong craving only minutes later? What if I couldn’t get enough? I prayed, “God, make my craving, my desire for You as strong as this.”
It was then that I made another decision. Like the spiritual discipline of fasting (which I myself have never done), I would “stuff” the food craving with God. I would use that moment to meditate on His Word and on Him. Fortunately, I have begun a new discipline of memorizing Scripture. By God’s power, I’ve somehow managed to actually remember them—weeks later! Of course it helps when I actually meditate on these truths. I decided to use this new discipline to distract me from my food and sugar cravings.
My purpose with this whole experience, however, is not to end my food cravings by using Scripture but rather to use my food cravings to teach me about how I am to crave God’s Word. I want to crave it. I want to long for it. I want to want it greatly. I want to desire it eagerly. I want to require it—to need it. I want to earnestly ask for it. I want to “grow up in my salvation”.
So why I am sharing all this? It has to do with 1 Peter Chapter 2. We’re studying 1 Peter in Small Group, and I read the second chapter ahead of time. I was taking notes and wrote down that 2:2 stood out to me specifically: “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” I like the analogies used in Scripture comparing our spiritual growth to infants who need milk before they can begin taking in solid foods. The word in this verse that really struck a chord was “crave”. Here are some definitions for the word “crave”: (1) to long for; want greatly; desire eagerly (2) to require; need (3) to ask earnestly for.
I can’t help but immediately make a connection between craving food and craving God. In my spiritual life, my greatest desire is to have a genuine desire for Him. Often, my prayers are that I will have a hunger for His Word—that I not read the Bible out of mere obedience, but because I want it and need it. It was ironic (or it was from God) that I read about craving spiritual milk (a.k.a. God’s Word) on the first day that I started putting my decision into action. I thought, “How pathetic it is that I have such a strong craving for food, particularly sugar. Just imagine if I had that kind of craving for the Word of God!”
What if I longed to be fed by Him? What if I couldn’t wait? What if I satisfied that craving with a heavy dose of Scripture just to have another strong craving only minutes later? What if I couldn’t get enough? I prayed, “God, make my craving, my desire for You as strong as this.”
It was then that I made another decision. Like the spiritual discipline of fasting (which I myself have never done), I would “stuff” the food craving with God. I would use that moment to meditate on His Word and on Him. Fortunately, I have begun a new discipline of memorizing Scripture. By God’s power, I’ve somehow managed to actually remember them—weeks later! Of course it helps when I actually meditate on these truths. I decided to use this new discipline to distract me from my food and sugar cravings.
My purpose with this whole experience, however, is not to end my food cravings by using Scripture but rather to use my food cravings to teach me about how I am to crave God’s Word. I want to crave it. I want to long for it. I want to want it greatly. I want to desire it eagerly. I want to require it—to need it. I want to earnestly ask for it. I want to “grow up in my salvation”.
Friday, April 10, 2009
The Reason for the Blog Title
Why “The Drive”?
The other day I was hanging out with my friends Stephanie and Holly. We got on the topic of God, which is easy for us to do. All three of us agreed that it was during long drives that we have had some of our closest experiences with God. We talked about why this was so—the alone time, worship music, and—in West Virginia—the beautiful scenery.
My husband loves the outdoors. His reason for this is the closeness he feels to God when he is all alone looking at things only He created. For me, driving is the same. What better way to escape the everyday mundane and chaos? In my car, I can retreat to my sacred place—all by myself with great music, greenery, trees, nice smells (when the windows are down), and wildlife.
I don’t mind the two-hour drive home to see my parents. I don’t mind the 40-minute drive to North Marion where I usually substitute teach. It’s during these drives when God becomes so real to me. I reflect on everything, and God teaches me a lot. Much of my reflection, thought, and learning occur while I’m driving as well as in my quiet times in the morning. Therefore, I’ve included “The Drive” in my blog title—to remind me of my sanctuary on wheels.
The other day I was hanging out with my friends Stephanie and Holly. We got on the topic of God, which is easy for us to do. All three of us agreed that it was during long drives that we have had some of our closest experiences with God. We talked about why this was so—the alone time, worship music, and—in West Virginia—the beautiful scenery.
My husband loves the outdoors. His reason for this is the closeness he feels to God when he is all alone looking at things only He created. For me, driving is the same. What better way to escape the everyday mundane and chaos? In my car, I can retreat to my sacred place—all by myself with great music, greenery, trees, nice smells (when the windows are down), and wildlife.
I don’t mind the two-hour drive home to see my parents. I don’t mind the 40-minute drive to North Marion where I usually substitute teach. It’s during these drives when God becomes so real to me. I reflect on everything, and God teaches me a lot. Much of my reflection, thought, and learning occur while I’m driving as well as in my quiet times in the morning. Therefore, I’ve included “The Drive” in my blog title—to remind me of my sanctuary on wheels.
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