The Pondering of a Teacher

God surprises me sometimes.

Last Sunday I only had one student in my Sunday school class. That's not unusual, seeing as I have a class of four regular attendees. It's somewhat of a disappointment when the other students who are absent miss the lesson because the curriculum always builds on the previous weeks.

Well, you just won't believe what happened. Tonight the Bible lesson in Olympians club came from the same Bible passage that our Sunday school lesson came from. In order to fully grasp what that means, you have to take into account that our Olympians curriculum and our Sunday school curriculum are exclusive of each other.

During the lesson I sat there thinking about how God must really want my students to hear this lesson and learn these truths for Him to arrange it to work out this way.

Or maybe it's simply about me, and God wanting me to see Him in it and to ponder His sovereignty.

Either way I look at it... it's way cool.

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Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Will you watch the Super Bowl? If so who will you root for? If you are outside the USA what is the 'big deal sporting event' in your own country?

I might tune in once to just see what's going on, but I don't care about the teams playing. I will rather be following my normal evening routine of reading before bed.

2. Is ignorance bliss?

Not really. Ignorance is more like putting off the inevitable, not really bliss. The not knowing doesn't mean the thing isn't going to affect me.

3. Which of the seven dwarfs are you? (and just in case your Disney is a little bit rusty, here they are-Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy)

I identify with Sleepy most. I'm tired a lot.

4. When you are riding in the car with another couple how do you organize the seating? (Men up front? Women up front? Couples sit together?)                                                   

This doesn't happen very often for us, but usually it's couples sitting together.

5. What is beauty?

Wow.. deep question here. Beauty is anything that reflects the glory of God.

6. If someone asks you to bring an appetizer or a dessert to a party in their home, which would you choose?

Dessert. I will always choose dessert.

7. What is your crowd pleasing go-to appetizer?

Hmmm... I don't think I make any appetizers.

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

I've not done very well concerning self-discipline for months. My eating habits have gone a little haywire. I haven't been exercising. And if you hadn't noticed, I've only posted about 5 times on the blog in January. It seems like I can be disciplined in a few things and then the rest go to pot. I'm going to have to figure out how to get the balance back.

This post is in participation with "Wednesday Hodgepodge" at From This Side of the Pond.

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Now I've Heard It All

True story.

I was browsing through my Facebook newsfeed last night and came across something my sister had posted. She was drinking her Diet Cherry Pepsi and kept wondering why it tasted horrible.

I don't know how the story was then divulged, but it seems she has a little chemist-in-the-making at her house. Either that, or he's just a goofball.

My nephew apparently thought it would be fun to make ice cubes out of hand sanitizer and Adidas cologne, rather than water.

I know that hand sanitizer can be deadly to children if they ingest it, but I don't know what effects it might have on an adult. My suggestion to her was that she should induce vomiting, just to be on the safe side. I don't think she appreciated that advice.

Lady In Waiting by Susan Meissner

Jane Lindsay runs an antique store, and one day she buys a random box of antiques from a British jumble sale.  Inside the box she finds a very old prayer book and a lovely ring hidden away inside.  It's not any ordinary ring, though.  It has her name engraved inside the band.  She begins a quest to track down the origin of the ring, and in the process she might just learn something about herself.

The other half of the story takes the reader back to the 16th century as Lucy, who was a seamstress to Lady Jane Grey, relates how she came to work for Lady Jane and became a confidante to her in the midst of religious upheaval and political games.

The ring is central to both stories.

I didn't know what to anticipate with this book.  I just know I'm a fan of Susan Meissner's work after reading The Shape of Mercy, and I wanted to read the book for that reason alone. 

Lady In Waiting is good, but I didn't love it.  I hesitate to say that, though, because I truly believe it's simply a matter of taste.  I had a difficult time reading the portions of Lucy's story that included the various people of 16th century British nobility that I had to keep straight in my head.  I couldn't follow who was whom with titles of duke, duchess, marchioness, protector... I didn't know who they were.  That's all just clutter to me, but again, that's just me.

I can say that the story finally picked up pace for me about two-thirds of the way in with regards to Lady Jane's life.  With history not being one of my better subjects, I didn't know the story of Lady Jane.  I was gripped by the wonder of what would become of her, and it kept me driven to the end.

Meissner has written this well, and I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of her books and anyone who is intrigued by British history.

I wish to thank Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers for providing me with a free copy of this book for review.  I was not required to write a favorable review.  The opinions expressed here are my own.

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A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller

How do I even tell you about this book? There's too much to say.  It is so rich with encouragement and challenge to develop a closeness with the Father. Author Paul Tripp states that this book makes you want to pray. It absolutely does!!

His honesty and transparency drew me in, making this an easy book to read. I found it hard to put down at times because I wanted to soak it all in.

When I closed the book I began to weep. The tears seemingly came out of nowhere, but I was so overwhelmed by a desire to have a life of prayer like Paul Miller describes that I couldn't stop the emotion from spilling out.  I'm tired of living so shallow. I want a closer relationship with God, one in which I can see Jesus taking my hand and walking me directly to the throne with Him;  I come to Him as a child with every need, every want, to learn to listen to Him, to receive His wisdom, to have hope in Him, and see Him move in me and in others.

My heart is full upon reading A Praying Life. If I could give a higher rating than 5 stars, I would.  I'm so glad that Tim Challies had recommended it on his website, and I'm especially thankful for my friend Judy, who put it into my hands.

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Q & A Friday

Pulling a question from the chat pack box today:

Q:  If you had to wear a button with a maximum of six words on it describing your outlook on life, what would your button say?

A:  "Heaven's my home.  Living for it!"

What would your button say?

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Slave by John MacArthur

When I first viewed the trailer for Slave by John MacArthur I knew I wanted to read this book.  He begins by eplaining a cover-up on the part of the translators of the English New Testament to mistranslate the Greek word doulos to say bondservant in most of our modern Bible translations.  In truth, doulos should be translated slave.  MacArthur then explains throughout the book what slavery was in the Greco-Roman period and what it was in the Old Testament, making the comparisons to Christians and their relationship with the Lord.

Once he began explaining the context for the use of the term slave all through the New Testament, it unlocked for me a new way of viewing my relationship with Jesus Christ.  It's not that I hadn't called Him my Lord or my Master.  I do.  It's just that I have a deeper grasp on the real meaning of that Master/slave relationship. 

MacArthur quotes tons of scripture that reference Christ being Lord and we being His slaves.  Reading those familiar passages with this new viewpoint gave a greater depth to their meaning than I have seen before.

Truly, this book should humble a Christian and give them a greater fear and love for the Lord.  I highly recommend it to all Christians who desire to love and serve the Lord wholeheartedly.

I wish to thank BookSneeze for providing me with a free copy of this book for review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions expressed here are my own.

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