Saturday, January 12, 2008
Creativity At Its Best
I love creative people! Unfortunately, I am not one of them. I can take other peoples ideas and implement them, but to actually come up with the idea--I would probably fall asleep trying to do so. I love the movie Mary Poppins because there is nothing like it. I mean who comes up with the idea that if we sing a song and snap our fingers, we can clean up a whole room, or say a few words and jump into a picture and be wherever we want to be or have a tea party on the ceiling! I'm not a huge fan of art, but I do like graphics and shots of real people. Working at Gateway, I was able to work with one of the best designers ever, even if he is a Canadian. All I had to do was tell him what our theme was and he would come up with something more than we ever imagined that totally captured the message we wanted to convey. It was amazing...I never once had to tell him I didn't like his work! He was creative and used that to shape the kingdom of God.
There are other people out there that are heroes of creativity--those working with kids' prayer. This weekend, we had our prayer summit at church and I was privileged to be a part of the kids' summit as we brought some of the bus kids. Our kids' prayer leaders never cease to amaze me with their ingenious ways of getting kids to pray. Here are a few things I saw this weekend: M&M prayers to pray for different groups of people (i.e. unreligious, orphans, tribal, etc.), coins to pray for our families' finances, the poor, and the church's finances (a few kids had trouble coming up with something for this one, so I suggested they pray for enough money to buy a bus to bring more kids to church--not a manipulative leader at all!), puppets representing different jobs to pray for, handcuffs to pray for freedom from the past, addictions, etc., oriental fans to pray for China, globe squeeze balls to pray for the people of the world, magnifying glasses, toy soldiers, clackers, and the list goes on. It was really amazing and the kids were totally excited and left with a bag full of prayer tools! I was able to hear a couple of our bus kids pray for the first time. Some of them even volunteered to pray in front of everyone which was a huge step. As they spent time learning about hearing God's voice and putting it into action, they drew pictures of what God had said to them. One of the girls drew a picture of a rainbow and herself, which represents God's promises. Another child had the same picture, yet they were sitting on the opposite sides of the room! It was really an eyeopening weekend for me and also helped me realize how the smallest thing could be used to teach prayer. And I realized that I missed out as a kid not having these people to teach me to pray! These kids are blessed to be growing up, learning how to pray at a young age, and learning how to pray so many different ways and for so many different things.
Another exciting thing was seeing one of our kids "Jordan Jr." make friends with another boy. This is one of the key issues for our success in making these kids truly feel a part of the church. A lot of times they don't make friends easily because they are only there once a week, don't have the opportunity to go to each other's houses, and because they are different in a lot of ways. I watched as "Jordan Jr." imitated everything the other boy did and followed him everywhere. By the end of the weekend, I saw them putting their arms around each other's shoulders and they were calling each other "brother". The other little boy even decided to ride on the van with us to take the kids home. It brought tears to my eyes.
Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!
There are other people out there that are heroes of creativity--those working with kids' prayer. This weekend, we had our prayer summit at church and I was privileged to be a part of the kids' summit as we brought some of the bus kids. Our kids' prayer leaders never cease to amaze me with their ingenious ways of getting kids to pray. Here are a few things I saw this weekend: M&M prayers to pray for different groups of people (i.e. unreligious, orphans, tribal, etc.), coins to pray for our families' finances, the poor, and the church's finances (a few kids had trouble coming up with something for this one, so I suggested they pray for enough money to buy a bus to bring more kids to church--not a manipulative leader at all!), puppets representing different jobs to pray for, handcuffs to pray for freedom from the past, addictions, etc., oriental fans to pray for China, globe squeeze balls to pray for the people of the world, magnifying glasses, toy soldiers, clackers, and the list goes on. It was really amazing and the kids were totally excited and left with a bag full of prayer tools! I was able to hear a couple of our bus kids pray for the first time. Some of them even volunteered to pray in front of everyone which was a huge step. As they spent time learning about hearing God's voice and putting it into action, they drew pictures of what God had said to them. One of the girls drew a picture of a rainbow and herself, which represents God's promises. Another child had the same picture, yet they were sitting on the opposite sides of the room! It was really an eyeopening weekend for me and also helped me realize how the smallest thing could be used to teach prayer. And I realized that I missed out as a kid not having these people to teach me to pray! These kids are blessed to be growing up, learning how to pray at a young age, and learning how to pray so many different ways and for so many different things.
Another exciting thing was seeing one of our kids "Jordan Jr." make friends with another boy. This is one of the key issues for our success in making these kids truly feel a part of the church. A lot of times they don't make friends easily because they are only there once a week, don't have the opportunity to go to each other's houses, and because they are different in a lot of ways. I watched as "Jordan Jr." imitated everything the other boy did and followed him everywhere. By the end of the weekend, I saw them putting their arms around each other's shoulders and they were calling each other "brother". The other little boy even decided to ride on the van with us to take the kids home. It brought tears to my eyes.
Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
A Little Bit of This and That From School
School has been very busy this week. I finally finished up all those lovely comments on the report cards where you try to be super sweet and yet honest at the same time. It's really a tough thing to do, especially when you are a very frank person and just like to tell it like it is without sugar coating it. Thankfully, I recognize that I'm that way and so I've on many occasions discussed how to approach certain situations with the principal and other teachers, so that I can be a little nicer with my candidness.
My patriotic theme in the classroom came along with a cd full of all the famous patriotic songs. My class wanted to listen to music today while working on their reports, so I turned on this cd. Now, the songs are the original versions of most of them, so some of them sounded like old people singing and of course, was not in the style they are familiar with, so there was laughing throughout. And a lot of, "I've never heard this song." I guess growing up in a family where a lot of relatives were in the Army and my dad being in the National Guard, I just assume people know the songs that represent their country. I remember being 10 years old during the first Gulf War and marching in parades, wearing army fatigue, carrying posters to support our troops (my aunt and uncle were both sent over to fight), and singing Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA", which I thought was called "Proud to be an American" for years.
Tonight was family game night at school. We sat around playing board games and card games. I beat all the 5th grade girls in a rousing match of Chutes and Ladders and then moved on to play Rook for the first time ever. Normally, I probably would have just said I don't know how to play, so why don't you get someone else to play. This time though, the people wanting to play were very special people. They are my adopted St. Louis family. The Brazzys are the greatest and have just made me totally feel like a part of their family. I'm the most wonderful daughter of the family, which doesn't please the other daughter, who now affectionately calls me her "evil stepsister" (I'm dead if she reads this on here). Anyway, they were so kind as to teach me how to play according to the actual rules located in the rulebook. We played the beginners version and once I had mastered that level and beat the socks off them, we moved on to the classic version. Mom and I lost thanks to one bad hand, but hey, I learned something new today.
Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!
My patriotic theme in the classroom came along with a cd full of all the famous patriotic songs. My class wanted to listen to music today while working on their reports, so I turned on this cd. Now, the songs are the original versions of most of them, so some of them sounded like old people singing and of course, was not in the style they are familiar with, so there was laughing throughout. And a lot of, "I've never heard this song." I guess growing up in a family where a lot of relatives were in the Army and my dad being in the National Guard, I just assume people know the songs that represent their country. I remember being 10 years old during the first Gulf War and marching in parades, wearing army fatigue, carrying posters to support our troops (my aunt and uncle were both sent over to fight), and singing Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA", which I thought was called "Proud to be an American" for years.
Tonight was family game night at school. We sat around playing board games and card games. I beat all the 5th grade girls in a rousing match of Chutes and Ladders and then moved on to play Rook for the first time ever. Normally, I probably would have just said I don't know how to play, so why don't you get someone else to play. This time though, the people wanting to play were very special people. They are my adopted St. Louis family. The Brazzys are the greatest and have just made me totally feel like a part of their family. I'm the most wonderful daughter of the family, which doesn't please the other daughter, who now affectionately calls me her "evil stepsister" (I'm dead if she reads this on here). Anyway, they were so kind as to teach me how to play according to the actual rules located in the rulebook. We played the beginners version and once I had mastered that level and beat the socks off them, we moved on to the classic version. Mom and I lost thanks to one bad hand, but hey, I learned something new today.
Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!
Recognizing That Still, Small Voice
So it's been a busy last couple of days and the weekend will be the same.
Last night, the other children's church teachers and I were talking with a parent, discussing how people often put out a "fleece" before the Lord. I've often put out fleeces to God and what's funny is that I often kick myself when he actually does what I ask him! For instance, I spent a few years fighting a call to missions when I finally said, "Okay, if I'm supposed to do this, then this person or their wife (former missionaries and my pastor away from home at the time) has to come up to me and say that they feel that I'm supposed to be in missions. The very next Wednesday night during altar call, the pastor's wife came up to me and said, "Sometimes, I feel like you are supposed to be a missionary." Okay, God, no doubt in my mind since then, just the questions, when and where. Then, when I was trying to figure out if I should get involved with the youth here at New Life (I had been coming to the church for 5 months at that time), I told God to give me a clear sign that he wanted me to be there. The youth pastor at the time came and prayed for me that weekend and the things he told me that God wanted to do through me were things that had been prophesied over me 5 years prior that I had never told anyone. It also gave me a trust in him as a spiritual leader. We discussed the importance of being able to recognize the "voice" of God. This came about as we shared stories of one person praying/telling you one thing and another person praying/telling the exact opposite and how you have to be able to distinguish what is really from God. A few months ago, I had someone who was very concerned for me say a bunch of things that really hurt but caused me to examine who I was. I had a hard time believing I was that horrible, but I know that I can be rather partial to myself! So I prayed that if I truly was that way, then this other specific person would pray for me and tell me I was in the wrong. The person prayed for me the next week and said the exact opposite of everything that had been previously been told to me. And this person had no idea what was going on and is the type that if I was in the wrong they wouldn't hold back. I don't usually talk to them other than to say hello, but I know from watching them at church, listening to other people who trust them, and having seen/heard them praying that they know the "voice" of God. It's very important to have those people in your life that you trust that they are in tune with God and that they will tell you like it is, but that you know they are doing it for your betterment.
Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!
Last night, the other children's church teachers and I were talking with a parent, discussing how people often put out a "fleece" before the Lord. I've often put out fleeces to God and what's funny is that I often kick myself when he actually does what I ask him! For instance, I spent a few years fighting a call to missions when I finally said, "Okay, if I'm supposed to do this, then this person or their wife (former missionaries and my pastor away from home at the time) has to come up to me and say that they feel that I'm supposed to be in missions. The very next Wednesday night during altar call, the pastor's wife came up to me and said, "Sometimes, I feel like you are supposed to be a missionary." Okay, God, no doubt in my mind since then, just the questions, when and where. Then, when I was trying to figure out if I should get involved with the youth here at New Life (I had been coming to the church for 5 months at that time), I told God to give me a clear sign that he wanted me to be there. The youth pastor at the time came and prayed for me that weekend and the things he told me that God wanted to do through me were things that had been prophesied over me 5 years prior that I had never told anyone. It also gave me a trust in him as a spiritual leader. We discussed the importance of being able to recognize the "voice" of God. This came about as we shared stories of one person praying/telling you one thing and another person praying/telling the exact opposite and how you have to be able to distinguish what is really from God. A few months ago, I had someone who was very concerned for me say a bunch of things that really hurt but caused me to examine who I was. I had a hard time believing I was that horrible, but I know that I can be rather partial to myself! So I prayed that if I truly was that way, then this other specific person would pray for me and tell me I was in the wrong. The person prayed for me the next week and said the exact opposite of everything that had been previously been told to me. And this person had no idea what was going on and is the type that if I was in the wrong they wouldn't hold back. I don't usually talk to them other than to say hello, but I know from watching them at church, listening to other people who trust them, and having seen/heard them praying that they know the "voice" of God. It's very important to have those people in your life that you trust that they are in tune with God and that they will tell you like it is, but that you know they are doing it for your betterment.
Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Back to Work I Go
The holiday is over and it's back to the everyday grind. I was happy to be back at school, but my kids were not! Prayer requests this morning included a prayer for a snow day so they could have another day off (mind you it's 65 degrees out!).
Since it was the first day back after such a long break, I had to be a meanie today and act like I am this fierce monster that won't let you do anything. They would have talked non-stop all day long otherwise. It was almost lunchtime before I smiled--probably more because the cook made my favorite, nacho grande, and even made sugar cookies. She tries to pretend she doesn't love me, but I know better! Anyway, the kids actually were very well behaved today. I'm sure I will have some stories to share over the next few days. While I'm thinking of it, one of the kids told his friend he was trying to get me fired! His friend went home and told his mom they needed to pray for me because he didn't want me to lose my job! We've all had a good laugh around here about that. Oh, how I wish you all could meet my nose blower! This kid must exit the room in order to blow his nose because I have a feeling it could rival the trumpet at the coming of our Lord! It really is obnoxious. The first time he asked to go blow his nose, I told him that he could blow it in the classroom just like everyone else. Boy, did I learn my lesson!
My evening has been spent smiling really pretty for the camera, so that I don't look like an ogre in the church directory, and working on report cards. The hardest part about the report card is the comments section and, alas, that is the only part left to do, so I will put it off until tomorrow.
Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!
Since it was the first day back after such a long break, I had to be a meanie today and act like I am this fierce monster that won't let you do anything. They would have talked non-stop all day long otherwise. It was almost lunchtime before I smiled--probably more because the cook made my favorite, nacho grande, and even made sugar cookies. She tries to pretend she doesn't love me, but I know better! Anyway, the kids actually were very well behaved today. I'm sure I will have some stories to share over the next few days. While I'm thinking of it, one of the kids told his friend he was trying to get me fired! His friend went home and told his mom they needed to pray for me because he didn't want me to lose my job! We've all had a good laugh around here about that. Oh, how I wish you all could meet my nose blower! This kid must exit the room in order to blow his nose because I have a feeling it could rival the trumpet at the coming of our Lord! It really is obnoxious. The first time he asked to go blow his nose, I told him that he could blow it in the classroom just like everyone else. Boy, did I learn my lesson!
My evening has been spent smiling really pretty for the camera, so that I don't look like an ogre in the church directory, and working on report cards. The hardest part about the report card is the comments section and, alas, that is the only part left to do, so I will put it off until tomorrow.
Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!
Monday, January 07, 2008
"Out of the Mouths of Babes..."
Sunday was very long and tiring! Thankfully, all the bus kids were angels--this is a very rare occurrence! To be honest, though, it's a little boring when they're all good, but at the same time it shows an amazing amount of progress with these kids. We've come a long way in the last year or so. I think I notice it most in the conversations we have. "Tiff Jr.", as I will call her, is seven years old and has probably developed the most. She is one of them that lives with her grandpa. In a recent conversation, I asked her if she is able to visit her mom very often. She replied, "Usually yes, but she told us a bunch of lies, so we're not able to go see her right now. God cried tears because she lied to us." "Tiff Jr." won us all over when she asked for a Bible for Christmas; my reply, "I think that's one thing we can guarantee you will get." She's asked us to pray for her and her two brothers ("Sam Jr." and "Jordan Jr."--two of our menaces that you can't help but love and adore) and to teach them how to pray. She soaks up everything you have to say.
I also had an interesting conversation with the little boy I've been baby-sitting. He is 6 and their family is Catholic. He was going on about how bad his 5 year old brother is because he doesn't want to go to church. So I asked him why he likes to go to church. His reply, "Because I get more time to play legos if I go to church!"
Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!
I also had an interesting conversation with the little boy I've been baby-sitting. He is 6 and their family is Catholic. He was going on about how bad his 5 year old brother is because he doesn't want to go to church. So I asked him why he likes to go to church. His reply, "Because I get more time to play legos if I go to church!"
Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail!
