SEEING GOD IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Today I was teaching 9th grade Science. The class was very small so it allowed an opportunity to sit with the kids and just casually talk. The subject of the Virginia Tech shooting came up and I asked the kids what they thought. One girl started talking about the professor who barricaded the door while students jumped out the window. She went on the explain how he took the bullets in order for the students to jump to their freedom. "He was like Jesus that day" she said. I thought to myself...how cool is that. I said, "you're exactly right!" It was so neat to hear a high school student understand what Jesus did for us and how this man sacrificed his life for his students. I went on to ask them what would they do if a shooter entered this classroom. Would they be sacrificial. Everyone hope that they would but we agreed it would be hard to honestly say what you would do until you're in that situation. Of course...the girls all agreed that they would have to grab their purse first.

In the same class I realized that one of the boys looked very familiar. I finally asked him if I had subbed for one of his classes before. He reminded me that I had taught his math class and that I had kicked him out of the class. Now I remembered. He was in a math class that was completely out of control one day. One of the students threw something at me and I thought it was him so I sent him out. He told me that it wasn't him but he wasn't about to snitch on the student who was guilty. I explained to him that I did feel bad about that day. I questioned my decision later if I had punished the right student. We laughed about the situation and I asked if he would forgive me for my mistake. He said yes. I love that kid now. I even gave him some candy. Yes...I gave a freshman in high school a tootsie roll pop.

WALKING THE WALK/TALKING THE TALK

I have been subbing this week at the high school. I enjoy the high school kids and love to see the look on faces of kids at our church when they walk in and see that I am their sub. I was so proud of one of the teens at Hope when I saw how he "lived out his faith" at school. I know he didn't do this to impress me since he had no idea I would be his teacher for the day. He had a Christian book that he had brought to share with a classmate. She read the book the entire period. Normally I wouldn't allow this...but...we were watching a movie. This boy is a boy who is normally very quiet at youth group but a real leader at the high school. I was so proud of him. It was great to see that he is genuine. I am back at the high school today and then off to kindergarten tomorrow. I love the variety of the different ages. I am also excited about tomorrow. Why? Kindergarteners play a lot and take naps. It's going to be a fun day.

SPRING BREAK

Spring break is coming to an end and we are exhausted. Our trip began with an overnight stay at Kalahari in Sandusky. The kids had a blast. I highly recommend this place for a quick getaway. It also motivated me to get back to running. I did not enjoy putting on a swimsuit. The best part of the stay was the way they took care of its guests. The resort goes above and beyond what is expected. They making staying there enjoyable and easy. There are a lot of places (including churches) that could learn from a place like Kalahari.

The next night we were off to Bethel College to visit Ashley. Here are some highlights:
1) We had a chance to have a wonderful dinner with Ashley and Allison Schuck. It it always great to catch up with Allison and to hear about her plans and possible internship.

2) Our Allison had a chance to stay on campus with Ashley and experience college life. I think she saw some real benefits of attending a Christian College.

3) I had a chance to attend class with Ashley. It was her Bible class with a professor that students stand in line in order to get a spot in this class on registration day. I can see why! Dr. Bob brings the Bible to life with his enthusiasm and relaxed teaching style. He made us feel very welcomed. He had us stand and he even asked Allison to "scope" the class for any boys that she would like to meet. I immediately pulled her down in her seat (ha ha). Allison has grown into a beautiful young lady and no mom wants to rush the dating process. I don't think asking her to wait until she is 30 is too much. ha ha

4) Next stop was Chapel. It was great. They had a guest musician who sang about inner beauty. (my passion)

5) Later that night we fixed dinner for 18 college students. Boy can they eat. We had fun doing this and the best part was spending time with them and hearing about what God is doing in their life. Out of 18...almost all of them having future plans to go into ministry. One guy, who is only 21, will be preaching this Sunday at a church.

All in all, it was a great spring break. We enjoyed spending time with my mom and my sister. Now...laundry, rest ...and back to school.