Everyday there is something to shout about. I know most of life is ordinary “stuff” – but I cannot help but see that there is SO MUCH extraordinary in spite of it! Today we worked with the two 5th grade classes. One of these classes we had last week so this was our second session. Oh my goodness! It was so much fun. This is Christina’s class.. the one I mentioned earlier on the blog. So today we did our process with them:
Read the Scripture (John 15:1-8)
Talk about what it means (they share their thougths FIRST and we clarify and keep drawing it out of them, teaching as we go)
Pray to God about how we want this teaching to be real in our lives.
Express what we learned by saying what we will DO with it! (today this was not art, it was action)
Chester did a lot of the teaching today. We seem to get better as we go and he takes on more of the lesson and adds his stories to it. It is very good! Our time discussing this John 15:1-8 passage today with the class was just incredible. Christina helped and we all learned from one another. This is what just gives me so much joy. God is so faithful when we humble ourselves and listen to what is in the heart of those who seek to the wisdom and love of Christ. How will they know if no one will teach them?
The reason I know about the Life Journal practice of daily reading and applying the Scripture to my life is because my Bishop, Dick Wills, taught us about it at the 2006 Tennessee Annual Conference. The reason he knew about it is because Pastor Wayne Cordiero in Hawaii taught him. The reason I know the Bible is because my mom raised me in the church and every Sunday School teacher I ever had taugth me daily to read and memorize Scripture. When I later needed those verses (in my teenage turmoils) I knew how to find them and use them! The list goes on and on and on…… I bet you have a list too?
We ran into Manuel today which was an answer to prayer. I gave him pictures from BJ (a member of our team last month) and also the last 5 Life Journals. He invited me to preach on Sunday so we accepted and I will preach for his church. It is about 20 minutes from La Toma. Manuel’s church is very strong and our Tennessee mission teams have done much work there.
Thursday is a big day so please pray for us. We will teach the 5th graders and we spend about 1.5 hours with each. Then we teach more people (I’m not clear how many) at Felix’s church and he will bring us a white board to use:) After this Hanniah has invited us out to dinner so we will end the evening with this sweet fellowship. Pray for me to know the best things to teach and share. Pray for Chester to have everything he needs to translate for me. Pray for both of us to have energy, good health and complete focus for whatever God gives us to do as the day unfolds.
I can feel the prayers of so many and it is a great blessing. I keep telling the students and adults here… God is raising up a generation for something amazing. it is happening in Franklin, TN and it is happening here. It will take all of us and we are in it together. It is an honor to serve and to see the reign of God’s love cover the wounds of all. The gospel of Jesus Christ says that we can do NOTHING without Christ (John 15:5) and it also says ALL THINGS are possible with God! (Matthew 19:26). I trust God completely. Let it rise.
Life in the Deep End 