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Look and Find
Favourite books for my children and grandchildren, as well as my students, are Look and Find books. These books have vivid pictures filled with many intricate details. The objective of the books is to find particular items within the multitude of pictures on each page. I have had young ones fascinated for long periods of time with these delightful books. I must confess – I enjoy searching with the kids. I love puzzles and mysteries and these books are a fun way to do some problem solving. It’s so exciting to finally succeed at finding the hidden object. Sometimes when we are feeling low, it can feel like we are…
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When Being Thankful Seems Impossible
Lately I find listening to newscasts extremely frustrating. There is so much hurt and pain in the world. I don’t think a day goes by without some natural disaster occurring or major accident or political turmoil being reported. At times, the weight of it all lies heavy on my heart and mind. It is so easy to find myself drawn to thinking about all these unpleasant things and letting those thoughts detract from my day. Perhaps you are similar – bad reports all around us drain us of our energy. We can feel powerless as we learn of all these terrible things going on in our world, many of which…
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The Good Deposit
The chains are binding his hands and feet. His accommodations are cold and dark. Many have deserted him and at times he is lonely for the life he once had. He knows the end is near and that soon he will be in heaven with Jesus and that brings joy; but there is also an urgency to give some parting words of wisdom to his beloved associate in this time of great persecution. The apostle Paul mentors young Timothy. Now that Paul knows his time on earth is short, he feels it imperative to give Timothy one last farewell letter. In this letter, Paul offers encouragement to stand firm in…
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Who Are You Called to Be?
Piece by piece I wade through piles of paper. It is amazing how much stuff I have collected with years of teaching. The task of sorting through mounds of lessons plans and activity pages makes my brain tired. How do I prioritize? Some choices are easy – like ditching old curriculum. Other choices not so much. As I look through some materials, I envision the plans I had to use all these things – grand ideas of what I was going to do as a teacher. Part of my choices as to what to keep center on what kind of teacher I am now. I need to consider what I…
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Getting to the Root of the Matter
As I putter in my garden today, cleaning up weeds around my fruit trees, I come across what appears to be some thriving bushes and small trees. Their lush green growth and increased size should be indicators that they are doing well. On closer examination, I see that what I perceived as full, healthy leaves is actually another tree that has grown up in amongst the fruit tree or bush. This really annoys me. If I catch the situation early, then the offending tree is much easier to pull out. Pulling out a small seedling can be done by hand without much effort. As much as I try to be…
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All That is Required
My last day of school is done and now I am free for a few weeks. It has been gruelling days of final evaluations, report cards, preparing next year’s class lists, and a multitude of other tasks to close out one school year and prepare for the next. My brain is tired from navigating all the to do lists and trying to make sure I meet all the requirements for my school. Requirements are a necessary part of life in many ways. Schools would not function if they didn’t have a cohesive organizational plan that keeps all staff dealing with students in the same fashion. We have a standard report…
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Where Is the Joy in This?
One of the many tasks I have as a teacher is outdoor supervision for recess breaks. Generally, I enjoy walking around and engaging with the students in their various activities. Of course, there are always the moments when conflicts arise. Sadly, bullying and unkindness occur. Some of the hardest words to hear are when children approach me and says others are being mean to them and they don’t know what to do. Sometimes I have to directly intervene, but frequently my advice to these students is to go enjoy another part of the playground and remove themselves from the bad situation. I remind them that it is lovely to be…
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God Can Do Dramatic Changes in Us
A young man stands there with a smug, arrogant look on his face. There is actually delight in his demeanour as one of the followers of “The Way” (another name for the early Christian church) is stoned to death. This is what he is working for – to eliminate those in this new movement; a movement he doesn’t truly understand. Young Saul hears the words of Stephen, whose last speech was a great oracle of faith. Stephen clearly speaks of God’s plan of salvation in Jesus Christ alone. Yet Saul appears immune to all he hears. Saul quickly gains a strong reputation for his tactics to round up and arrest…
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I Remember You
The early Christian Church faced many trials and tribulations. As the fledgling Christians tried to make sense of their new way of life, they had many questions. It wasn’t an easy road they faced. There were many ups and downs as they navigated new relationships and a new lifestyle. Psalm 63 was written by David when he was facing deadly enemies. It was prescribed for daily public prayers for the early church. As the early Christians faced trials, these words offer great solace and hope: “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary…
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Take Heart
Right now, I am going through some major dietary changes with the hope of healing my gut as a result. While I eat very healthy, my body has not been responding as it should. Years of high stress have taken their toll on my system. The changes are very hard to do and mean that I must omit some favourite and staple foods from my diet. As I read the labels of the foods in my kitchen, I frequently get discouraged as I discover another food I cannot eat. The six months needed to heal my gut seem like forever. In the midst of this struggle, someone reminds me to…
