Enough: A Reminder

Five Minute Friday             Writing Prompt: Enough


Sometimes it seems my prayers are full of requests. Please be with so-and-so, help me to ..., give me ..., I need ..., please do this-or-that. It seems like I'm always asking God for more; it's never enough. 


Although these types of prayers aren't wrong, when I get off-balance in my types of prayers, I need to remember that He has given me enough.  There's an ancient Jewish song that begins: "If the Lord, the Lord, had rescued, only rescued us from Egypt, just the rescue would have been enough for us."  I need to remember that the Lord's rescue of me from my sin by Jesus - my salvation - is enough.


As I sat in the afternoon sun on my deck in the backyard earlier this week,  I heard the strong, clear sound of a cardinal. I peered up into the tree branches until I saw his bright red coat and then just watched him sing for several minutes. I could see his vibrating throat as he repeated his song of praise over and over. And I was reminded again of the numerous gifts God has given me.


If a cardinal can praise God through his song, surely I can praise Him in my prayers. I have enough. You, Lord, are enough.

Summer Reading (part 1)

I Love to read. That's one of the reasons I love summer - I can sit and read all day if I want to. And I've spent a few days doing just that this summer. When the daily "To Do" list includes weeding, cleaning the house, working on tech. curriculum for school, etc. it's so much easier to pick up a book and read just a chapter or two ...


So, now that I've finished one sheet from our local library's adult summer reading program, I'd better start working on some of my other projects before beginning my second sheet. Meanwhile, here's a look at the books I've already read this summer. Maybe there's one or two that will interest you as well. 

• Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks  Geraldine Brooks often takes an obscure historical fact and then develops a novel around it.  In this book, set in the Puritan 1660s of New England, two children: a daughter of a Calvinist minister and a native Wampanoag boy become friends and grow up together. We experience the culture clashes of the Puritan English and the Native American as Caleb, the Indian boy, becomes the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. The true historical fact is that a young man named Caleb was the first native American to graduate from Harvard (in 1665).  I also enjoyed Geraldine Brooks' previous novel, People of the Book, based on another historical fact - the discovery of an ancient Jewish Haggadah.

• Lost in Shangi-La by Mitchell Zuckoff  I can't remember how I discovered this book, but it is a fascinating true story about a small US military plane that crashed in the remote New Guinea area at the end of World War 2. The book tells how the injured survivors hiked down a mountain into a valley, met the native tribespeople, and eventually were rescued in a daring operation as the inaccessible valley was too narrow for most planes. The valley was called Shangri-La after the book Lost Horizon, so of course I had to watch the old movie "Lost Horizon" after finishing this book. 

• The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis  I read this book in preparation of seeing the play based on the book.  It was a great combination of reading and then hearing/seeing the words come to life on stage; lots to ponder!

• State of Wonder by Ann Patchett  This novel takes place in the remote Amazon rainforest as a young pharmaceutical doctor sets off to find an older doctor who is doing research for a new drug in the rainforest. There's more to the story, of course, but it's a little difficult to describe quickly. It was an interesting book, but not one of my favorites. It's rather slow-moving and I couldn't really connect with any of the characters. I did realize that I have no desire to live out in the Amazon rainforest! 

• A Grown Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson  I've read several of Jackson's novels, all set in the south, after hearing her speak at Calvin's Festival of Faith in Writing conference several years ago. This story deals with three generations of women, their relationships with each other, and their personal growth as they deal with the effects of a long-ago secret after a small grave is discovered in their backyard.

• Sister by Rosamond Lupton  Wow! I discovered this author from another reader on Facebook. She's written two mystery novels; I read them both within a week. Lots of twists (some I figured out, others surprised me) in this mystery set in London, England. The story revolves around a young woman and her investigation into the death of her younger sister. Did her sister commit suicide or was she murdered?

• Afterwards by Rosamond Lupton  Another mystery, this time involving a school fire in which a mother and daughter are injured. In an unusual manner, the mother and daughter try to discover who set the fire and why. Again, lots of twists, along with an interesting storytelling technique.

• The Weight of Heaven by Thrity Unrigar  This is the third novel I've read by Unrigar, whose stories are often set in India. This novel relates the story of Frank and Ellie Benton, an American couple who move to India after their young son dies. It describes their different ways of dealing with grief  as well as the way they deal with a new culture as they befriend the young son of their housekeeper and cook.

• One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp  I finally had time to sit down and read this book that so many people have recommended. It actually took quite a while for me to get into it as I found her writing a little distracting. She uses so much description that I felt it interfered with her overall message at times; I found it tiring to get through and had to force myself to continue with it.  It wasn't until I was over halfway through the book that I could finally focus on what she was saying. Although I was a little disappointed in her style of writing, I'm glad I read it as I really like much of her message and am trying to apply it - living in thankfulness and finding joy in all circumstances because of the love and grace of God.

Afternoon on the Lazy (Muskegon) River

Summer -

       sun, water, family, relaxation, nature ...

We had it all yesterday afternoon as our family meandered down part of the Muskegon River in Newaygo, floating on tubes and enjoying God's creation. My parents hosted this excursion to celebrate my niece and nephew's birthdays (they both love the water!). An originally planned 2.5 hour trip turned into 3+ hours of floating along the current, stopping to collect stones and shells (and watergrass to throw down the adults' backs!), playing in the water, and looking for wildlife.

This part of the Muskegon River holds special memories as my dad's parents had a trailer up here at Old Women's Bend many years ago. My sister and I remember spending time up here when we were kids. It was fun to find "our" island again. We even found their old trailer and dock, although it has changed quite a bit in forty (can that be right?) years.

A wonderful, summer day spent with my parents, sister & brother-in-law, niece, and one of my nephews.

Storytelling in Africa

Trying Five Minute Friday again                             Writing Prompt: STORY

I can still see the joy on the faces of the children crowded around me in the rural municipality of Ndwedwe, South Africa, seven years ago as I told the story of the Good Shepherd. Bridging the language barrier with paper cutouts and pieces of felt (representing grass, rocks, and water), we acted out the story as they eagerly told me the Zulu name for each object. Grubby hands reached out to take their turn holding the shepherd or sheep as they retold the story over and over and over. And I remember their delight at the mention of Jesus – “Jesu” – both their Good Shepherd and mine. 

A single story binds us together forever: Jesus loves and cares for us.

Path

This "Five Minute Friday" writing prompt comes from http://thegypsymama.com/ where every Friday people write on a given topic for five minutes. Although I've often read various entries, I've never posted myself, being a busy teacher. But today I'm on vacation - so here's my first try at Five Minute Friday!

PATH

When I was in Israel I walked on the “paths of righteousness” – the sheep paths carved in the rocky, desert hills over hundreds of years by many flocks of sheep, always led by their shepherd. From a distance these paths look like little brown ribbons; when you’re standing on them you realize how narrow they really are and how difficult it is to stay on them. The importance of staying on the path, however, was made clear when one of our group veered off and broke her leg.  

Just as the shepherd led the sheep along the sheep paths on Israel’s desert hills so many years ago, so my Shepherd leads me on the path of life He’s chosen for me. Although I don’t always understand (and wouldn’t always choose) the path, I trust my Shepherd and pray He will continue to guide me in the path He’s chosen for my life.

photo by: http://bleon1.wordpress.com/category/sheep-2/

Never Say Never!

I must admit this blog post would have had a different title had it been written last Monday evening. Something more like Never Again! described my mood that night regarding a social studies project I was doing with my second graders.

As part of our study of economics and communities I often have my students learn key terms like goods and services, producers and consumers, and needs and wants by participating in a class business and having a popcorn sale. The students package small bags of popcorn, create posters to advertise our sale, sell the popcorn and practice making change, and then count the money and figure out our profit (and how to Save, Spend, and Share the money wisely). It’s always been a great project: the kids have fun and learn a lot.

In the past, I purchased bags of popped popcorn from a local retailer. However, they stopped carrying these a few years ago and I haven’t been able to find any suitable (cost effective) replacement, so I discontinued the project.

When a school family offered the use of their popcorn popper I decided to revive the project this year, not realizing how long it would take to pop enough popcorn to sell to our whole school. We started the machine early Monday morning. The kids were excited to see the popcorn popping and it was fun … for about 15 minutes. After 45 minutes we had popped enough popcorn for about 18 bags (our goal was 300!), the little container of oil/corn had slipped out of it’s lock twice (spilling unpopped kernels all over the machine), and I had burned my arm.  We moved on to Plan B.

Plan B consisted of my popping almost two cases of popcorn after school Monday, finally finishing just before 9:00 at night with 5 large bags of popped popcorn ready to be packaged by the students the next morning, and my vow that I would never (never, ever!) do this again! At that point I never wanted to see popcorn again!

But then …

- the kids came to school on Tuesday morning, eager to package the popcorn. (They did a great job, making 285 bags to sell - close enough to our 300 bag goal.)

- Rose Park students and staff lined up to buy the popcorn. (We sold out!)

- And this year, instead of separating our profit into 3 categories (Save, Spend, Share), we decided to Share all of it with a fellow second grade student who has numerous medical expenses. Because of this, a number of Rose Park students and staff contributed extra donations to increase our profit.

- We raised $185.50 to help a school family and show our Christian community, demonstrating our school theme by “Living the Truth.”

And so, when I weigh one long, frustrating afternoon/evening of popping popcorn against all of these benefits …

I change the title of my blog post!

Know the Truth, Love the Truth, Live the Truth

One of the privileges of teaching in a Christian school is sharing the Truth with my students each day. Our society is filled with mixed messages about truth, often from the viewpoint that there is no absolute truth - what is true for one person might not be for another. I want to help my students learn to be discerning when they hear these messages and recognize that there is an absolute truth - God and His Word. And I love our school's theme for this year: Know the Truth, Love the Truth, Live the Truth. 


I was part of a small committee chosen to develop the theme and plan/write our school's spring program. We focused on each of the three aspects: know, love, and live. Throughout the year we've talked about knowing God through the creation and the Bible and focusing on God's plan for salvation. We've discussed ways we show love to God in gratitude for His love and grace to us. And each grade planned service projects to demonstrate ways to live in thankfulness to God.


The culmination was our school program on April 19. The children (preschool - 4th grade) proclaimed The Truth through song, scripture, instruments, sacred dance, pictures, and narration. It was a beautiful worship experience and I was so blessed to be a part of it.  

This is one of the many reasons I am so thankful for the opportunity to teach in a Christian school.


I was able to videotape parts of the program; below are some video highlights.

Stand on the Rock, Firm Foundation, Hide God's Word

3rd grade liturgical dance (Here With Us, Joy Williams)

Jesus Loves Me (GoFishGuys version)

Service Projects

Go Light Your World

(the final song is "This Little Light of Mine" but I couldn't record it 

as I was leading my class down the aisle)