10/31/07

Heart Excitement

God might be opening my eyes to see that His hand may be working through some interactions. Like today after my last class, a couple of the students lingered for a chat...and it was such an interesting conversation! One of today's chat topics touched upon beliefs -- one guy was trying to express a belief -- maybe his belief -- that after people die there is like a new garden of Eden on earth -- or something. I wonder if he was trying to express an idea related to the Jehovah Witness or Mormon religion. But my guess is that he might not consciously belong to either of the two religions. And also the number "666" came up in our discussion... I guess real, sincere discussions of depth grab my heart. Today in groups the students were to talk about superstitions or/and related topics that kind-of relate to the supernatural. I want the students to talk about these types of topics again tomorrow. Oh...I hope God works in their hearts! God, please work in the hearts of my students, get them to perhaps examine their beliefs, guide the conversations, and please, somehow work in them to draw them to or closer to You....thank you!

10/22/07

Good endurance training...

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." -- James 1:2-4

So, God, please teach me to 'count it all joy'...please grow in me steadfastness, please mature me through them...

"May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy," -- Colossians 1:11

God please strengthen me with your power, for joyous endurance and patience...

Perhaps challenging times are good quizzes for bigger trials -- loved ones' deaths, possible nursing home residence -- we might encounter in the future.

...created FOR Him!

Col. 1:16b -- "...all things were created through him and for him." So that must include me. I must have been created FOR Him. Interesting. So it would be good if I could try to do my best to "work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men" (Col. 3:23b). And if I do my best, hopefully I wouldn't get discouraged with my life circumstances, even if I don't find them completely fulfilling. Just my existence is for HIM. The concept is not a license to sin. But even if we are disappointed in our seeming unfruitfulness, life activities, or/and relationships, perhaps if we could remember that even our mere existence is for Him, it could serve as an encouragement? Our very breath is for Him, and given by Him.

10/21/07

BE the change...

I googled a certain idea to see if it was said by someone before (perhaps I'd come across the quote/idea at some earlier point in time), and found that "be the change you want to see in the world" is attributed to Gandhi.

Perhaps it would be beneficial if I consciously put that idea into practice.

Gandhi isn't the only one who thought along these lines. St. Francis also appears to have thought along these lines. Here is much of his prayer, which I found in the bulletin of the church I tried today:

"Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love; for it is in giving that we receive, [...], and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."

And there are "The Paradoxical Commandments" written by Kent Keith. A version which may be based on that, and which might be credited to Mother Teresa is:

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. [...]If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway. [...] The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway. In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.
And then there's Matthew 5:44: "[...] Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

10/17/07

"mastering the mundane matters"

I found these words in the following blog entry: http://www.boundlessline.org/2007/10/doing-boring-st.html , in which the author comments on information found on Lifehacker.com . Here's another blurb from this entry:

"Everybody always wants to do the fun stuff, but it's the menial stuff that defines you, especially Christians. It's sort of like that saying about what you do when nobody's looking. Anyway, Lifehacker has some tips on how to do it and like it.

1. Look at the long-term benefit
2. Find what you can learn from it
3. Think of doing it for someone you love
4. Enjoy the interaction with the people
5. Think and say something positive
6. Gather with passionate people

It seems that number three fits perfectly with Paul's command in Colossians to work 'as working for the Lord.' All the others could become a natural outflow from it if you get that one right."

10/16/07

Students are human, too!

Obviously. But really, encountering a wide spectrum of personalities is one of the fascinating aspects of teaching!

Two examples from today --

1) Honesty -- One student approached me because he thought he should have received one point less. I used to be like about points when I was a student, too!! Wow!

-- After school today, I helped and chatted with another student. One question she asked me was about a sentence she wrote for another class. She was supposed to have written a compound sentence, so she was supposed to rewrite the sentence she wrote. I think her concern was not knowing what else to write about to expand the sentence because she'd already written about all the pets in her home in America, I think.

2) Passionate Frustration -- So today in class a student was frustrated about a question on the quiz. He was also frustrated about a particular section (he only underlined the part he thought was the mistake; he didn't change the mistakes like he was supposed to). I addressed his question for awhile before moving on, and after the class it seemed as if his passionate frustration had subsided or disappeared.

3) Concern -- As I mentioned in #1, I met with a student after school today. She seems sweet and bubbly, but also she seems to have her share of difficulties with her life here (ie. transportation, not speaking English at lunchtime). I am glad she shared those concerns with me.

I like the relational aspect of teaching! And even #2 had a benefit -- seeing how wait time can truly seem to heal or subdue 'trauma' (even if it's seemingly very minor to most people).

10/10/07

"You have 6 months..."

How do people feel who are given the number of days or months they are expected to live? I bet for many their whole life perspective changes - how they view life, their interactions, etc. When they walk down the street (if they're able), do they think "nobody knows"...? Is life often put into perspective...an eternal perspective (for believers)? Is it scary? Do they worry about the unknown, about those they'll leave behind?

Life...it's so short. I wonder, though if being told you have a terminal illness can be a blessing in some ways. If the person has a loving family, it might lead to the strengthening of family ties. It might cause the person to reflect more upon God and things eternal, on what matters...

10/9/07

In Short

(deleted a bit on 10/15)

Just a few words on a few topics...

1) Politics (at work) -- Not really into them, but, at the same time, it's interesting to listen to discussion of them.

2) Politics (ie. president) -- Not really into people's president-bashing, but if they are going to criticize the president, why don't they talk rationally and objectively about the actual politics vs. the intelligence/verbal abilities of the president. I can be clumsy at communicating; perhaps people who bash the intellectual capacity of the president internally judge me as well.

3) It's all in the name -- politics vs. selfishness, passionate vs. obsessed, busy-minded vs. procrastinator, too busy/stressed vs. uncaring

4) Confession -- I wonder if the confession of one's own personal sins among Christian friends/relatives is simply not often done. And if people were to do that more often, there is the risk of being gossiped about.

5) Setting the mind on things above -- Would be neat if I could more often focus on the deeper aspects of life and interactions that if extended might become more meaningful. Should think more about things that matter.

6) Life is life -- Mon. - Thursdays of this quarter, I've been trying not to do work at home. But if one is single, and there are no commitments on particular nights, is the ideal life necessarily getting all work done in a timely manner and saving the evenings for oneself? There is no mandate. Even if one were to work from morning to late night at the same place, God could still bring joy in that case. Who says that work has to finish by early evening, and pleasure must be had at home (again, on commitment-free nights)? Life is...life. "Wherever I go, there I am."