So yesterday was an exciting day. It was our last day of exams which meant half day and the day before a 4 day weekend!
It also meant something that I need to hold off on telling here just yet... (I'm not pregnant for any who thought it.)
and I went to a Josh McDowell seminar on building relationships with teens to try to build in them convictions. It was very very awesomely good. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who wants to work with teens, is working with teens, who is a parent, or who wants to be a parent.
The meat of the seminar was in two parts--1 part was knowing why you believe in the truth of Jesus and the Bible--for reasons other than faith, or feeling, belief, and such. It was a presentation of the evidence that convinced him of the Bible's truth way back when--the historiography, otography (i think that's the word for studying manuscripts), and from the eyewitness accounts and how many of the eyewitnesses were tortured and killed because they would not deny the Truth. Who dies for something they would know was a lie? therefore, they knew it was not a lie.
The second part of the seminar was about the 7A's of building relationships with your children. This really struck me as something I need to write down and have with me at school--because his premise was that "rules without relationships only leads to rebellion". I hope the inspiration sticks with me--but I really wanted to ask him what to do as a teacher with 70-100 students and how to build relationships with them in order to not have the rebellion in a classroom. Some kids it's easy. Others.....not so much. I can use the principles he gave to parents, but some of them I can't use to the same extent...or in the same way really.
But really. Do try to get to one of these seminars if you can. I think it was called "face 2 face" but I'm not sure. The seminar was in response to recent polls showing that teens who claim to be evangelical Christians aren't much different form their non Christian peers in cheating, lying, stealing, and violence. Also, in response to the fact that only 4% of Christian teens say there is absolute truth apart from themselves. There were some other scary data numbers too. Again, try and get to one. I also have some book titles written down that would give the same information and more than he presented. I'll let you know how those are when I get a chance to get them and read them.
6 years ago I went through a spring semester that pushed me and brought me closer to God and it's a time I don't think I'll ever forget. It was intensively emotional.
My life has changed a lot since that 19 year old girl went through a time of maturing and realization.
Yet I feel like I'm going into another time of that life where I'm going to be stretched and prodded.
The part that makes me think is that I am being tested through a feeling of helplessness and frustration at not being able to make the problems of close friends and family better---feeling like I'm not supporting them they way they REALLY need. I have always thought that one of my strengths is a deep caring for others--a deep empathy.
Six years ago I struggled to place my control under God in that I might place with Him the burdens that I felt for my friends who were going through some pretty rough struggles. It was a time I where I really began to understand what it meant to be supportive by listening (not by solving) and by praying and helping to share the burdens by staying up late worrying and crying and praying through the situations that kept them awake and distracted. A time where having the hope of God working the best of the situation was all we had.
Now I feel that again--me wishing that I could do something or suggest something that would take away the pain and frustration. And again I have to remember that God is working and providing and He will give me the opportunities and wisdom to support those He has placed close to me. Of asking God to help me just stop and pray every time I think and worry for a person.
How awesome it is to have the Hope of God--that even when we or someone we love is going through a rough time, that God is doing something awesome to strengthen and perfect us for His glory. How amazing is His grace as he works in our hearts and works through us.
Just some thoughts from a rather introspective person. I again highly recommend attending a BSF Bible study if at all possible. I wasn't sure just how interesting and "deep" Matthew could get for me that I didn't know and understand already..ha ha ha ha ha ha. Boy was I definitely humanly wrong. I've learned lots and have been challenged lots.
Well, quite a lot has happened since I last posted...and I've finally got my December pictures posted. My favorites at least :-)
Break from school came not a minute too soon but was busy at the beginning trying to get things ready for Christmas. We had a nice little Christmas Eve service at Church and than a fabulous dinner with our friends the L'skis. Christmas was a nice day with my new monopod for picture taking--so much easier to steady the camera :-)--and an afternoon with some family. The day was absolutely gorgeous as you'll be able to tell from the sunset pictures.
Then I enjoyed the next week of freedom....but alas, I fell ill with a virus contracted from a student. It could have been worse, and the week wasn't nearly as sucky as for my friend W--the teacher pregnant with twins--but I wasn't up to do much just the same. The virus peaked right at New-Year's, just in time for me to go back to school.
I was ready to start back mentally--although after a couple of days I'm really beginning to consider different options in 2.5 years...wow, i'm halfway through my obligatory 5 years for loan forgivenes... but, God always provides those moments that remind me why He called me to the job. Hopefully those moments come soon.
Speaking of teaching and with my earlier mention to the sucky break for W, please keep her in your prayers still. You will remember I've mentioned that prayers were needed for the baby girls as there was a weight discrepancy, and than she had the kidney stone...well, W got another bad kidney stone--she was going to just bear the pain, but she started throwing up and then started having contractions (She is now 31 weeks) so off to the hospital she went. She's still on the anti-contraction medicine and is bummed because she's on bed rest for the moment. But the good news is that it looks as if the small baby's weight is catching up to the bigger one.
the other pregnant teacher who had troubles (the one who had the seizures of unknown cause) could also still use prayers as they keep trying to gauge her anti-seizure medicine (which makes her very tired) and now has the flu or something. She's also really bummed because she can't drive and is relying on her very supportive network to get her to school, get her to my campus (she teaches at 2 campuses) and pick her up, along with taking her to weekly ob-gyn appts and bi-weekly neuro appts.
Really, I don't look on being sick as all that bad. and I'm finally over the virus (food tastes so good again...)
Anyways, thanks always for the prayers for my friends. I hope everyone is blessed grandly this year and we look forward to visiting with more friends as they come to us or we go to them for different celebratory occasions.