The First Days of School

I have been meaning to write here for a while now, and tonight seems just as good a time as any. The last couple weeks in particular things have really picked up as far as getting ready for the students to come. I have met with one of my mentors several times to work on my classroom and go over some of the curriculum. I have also been through three days of professional development training for new teachers. Two of those days consisted of learning the Boys Town model for classroom management. They really focus on proactively teaching positive behaviors, which really goes well with Harry Wong's emphasis in his book on practicing procedures from the beginning. Today was a literacy strategies class in which we looked at the Six Traits of Writing, a program called Step Up to Writing, and a couple workshops on personal narratives and reading comprehension strategies. Overall, I feel thoroughly overwhelmed at the thought of 27 nine-year-olds entering my door on August 12. However, I know that the Lord will be with me.

God loves me!

He loves me, even though I do not glorify him as I ought. He loves me, even though I desire other things more than him so much of the time. He loves me, even when I disobey his commands and forget his promises and trample his name in the dirt because of my sin. He loves me.

And the reason he loves me is because he loves me. Crazy, isn't it?

Read Deuteronomy 7:6-8. There you will see this clearly. It is one of the most amazing passages in the Bible to me. God says that he chose Israel and set his love on them, not because they were more in number than any other people, for they were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loves them. Incredible!

So, no matter what I do, God loves me. And I love him in response (1 John 4). It is so simple yet so profound. I am just beginning to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ (Ephesians 3:18), and nothing can separate us from it (Romans 8:28-39)!

And this love, rather than excusing my sin, motivates me to love God in return and pour myself out in love for others (1 John 4 again).

Lift Up Jesus

I heard two messages this weekend that had great potential but were very disappointing in that they could have pointed to our Savior and the cross but instead directed the attention at us.

The first was at baccalaureate Friday night. The message was on Isaiah 42:1-9, which is clearly talking about Christ, but the speaker instead turned the passage on its head and made it about the graduating class of 2009. This was disappointing because while Jesus can offer hope for the future, we cannot. Sure, we can act as God's servants by his grace, but without the assurance of knowing what he has already done and promised to do, our efforts will be weak and pointless.

Saturday morning might have been worse. The title of the address was "Please Don't Save the World," and it was supposed to be based on Philippians 2:1-11. Once again, there was great potential, but rather than saying that only Christ can change hearts for eternity, he said that we cannot really do anything. How is that encouraging or inspiring? I might as well stay in college if that is the case.

Lift up Jesus. Show us that he is the one who will bring about justice. "He will not falter or be discouraged" (Isaiah 42:4). There is glorious hope awaiting us. That is motivational.

One day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11), and until that day, we are to serve him faithfully with that hope in mind.

Satan

Before we sin, Satan says, "It's just one."

After we sin, Satan says, "What you have done is so bad. There is no hope."

Both are lies.

Biblical Confrontation

by Michael Herrington

Reasons we do not confront one another:

1. We love the relationship more (than we love God).
2. We love comfort more (than we love God).
3. We love peace more (than we love God).
4. We love appreciation more (than we love God).

Living with Pav

Rooming with Pavel was great. He really challenged me in so many ways. We had Coaching Methods class together which was really good because we could talk about Coach Korver and things that he said. Together, we learned to be warriors. Yes, we had our moments where things were not always well, but that’s the way it is in every relationship. In fact, I think that those times make relationships stronger.

The Two Towers

Frodo wouldn't have got far without Sam.