Saturday, March 5, 2011

Self....What?

After a little back and forth with one of my students yesterday, I finally talked to him about his need to exhibit more self-control. His lips pursed as if to bring another excuse or backfire some comment, but they stopped before sound was produced. He finally looked up and said "I would say something if I knew what that word meant."
"What word?" "self-control?" I asked. "Yea" was his only response. This morning thinking back about that conversation, I find it to be very telling about our society. When a 12 year old boy does not know what self-control is, we can truly say "America, we have a problem."
Parents please "train up your child in the way he should go so that when he gets old he will not depart from it." -Proverbs 22:6

The fruit of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and SELF-CONTROL!

-A Teacher

Friday, January 7, 2011

God's People Everywhere

Jim and Elizabeth Elliot courted at this woman's table, and now she is helping me find a job. You have to understand that ever since childhood Jim Elliot has been a huge part of my missions inspiration. He had so adequately penned what my heart felt with words such as "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose" or "I desire not a long life, but a full one like yours Lord Jesus."
The woman who owned that kitchen table so many years ago in Ecudor is Keitha Wittig. She now lives in a retirement community not to far from my house. I stumbled into her room a couple of years ago and can't help but go back. Now she is tracking down job information for me in an area I had expressed interest in clear across the world. God is truly amazing as he works sometimes in the most mysterious/hilarious/ironic/cool/touching/tender/marvelous ways.
What a delight to know and have a body of believers so united in Christ all over the globe, all through history, right in our backyards, and now in 2011!