I usually look forward to Wednesday Nights because I enjoy hanging out with my 7th grade guys and helping guide them through biblical truths. Since this past Saturday, I have been especially looking forward to going to Lifegroups because I was teaching about Revelation...and I had a crazy vision of how to do it!
First off, I have never been a big fan of teaching from Revelation. For one I found it kind of confusing, two I felt like it wouldn't really matter since I am a Christian and won't be left behind, and three because I felt like there were more important things to focus on. Yet, they wanted to hear about it. So I decided to do three main parts; The Seven Seals, The Trumpet Judgments, and God's Bowl Judgment. There is nothing like God's Wrath, plague, and death to get a 12-13 year old guy interested! (Or really any guy for that matter)
The idea came to me of, "What if I actually made scrolls?" Then from that came the idea of, "What if we acted it out? Like we were in the End Times?!?" So then the idea came to me to do a Drama Adventure Lesson Plan. Basically this is where you have a theme and then the students learn from acting it out. They don't have lines or scripts, they just develop characters and act as characters in the drama presented. So tonight I was "Father John" and they were all people who were left behind and wanted answers on what was going to happen.
They laughed at me for the first couple of minutes. I was in a choir robe because I wanted to make it authentic. Then once I really started getting into it and urged them to play along, they became really interested! They were on the edge of their seat when I talked about God's judgments, the death of mankind, the power of the end times, etc. I got really into character and I urged them to come to Christ and to tell others so they wouldn't have to face the wrath of God! One of the kids in my group said that, "This is scary!"
This was one of the first if not the first time that my guys came up to me afterwards and said, "That was a great lesson!" I have to say though in all modesty, that this lesson took a lot of prayer. I was praying to God to speak through me and through all the guys in that room. I prayed that he would make the atmosphere seem so real that it was like we were in the end times. I prayed for strength, courage, and knowledge. I recited things tonight that I read in books from years and years ago! God helped me speak to these guys tonight, and he deserves all the glory.
It's interesting how God can use anything. I learned about how to do a Drama Adventure Lesson Plan in Child Drama at MTSU. The Left Behind Series was the first series I read all the way though, and I used that as an example. I used yarn that I took from my Experimental Science Class to make the scrolls. I used my locked box that I got for my Senior Graduation present to use as the Trumpet Judgments. I used my mother's choir robe to act as an associate pastor of a church. Crazy, isn't it?!?
I was so filled with adrenaline tonight. I also saw the possibilities of what can be accomplished in ministry if you pray and let God work through you. It's an amazing experience.
To quote the great song:
"To God be the glory, to God be the glory,
To God be the glory, for the things He has done.
With His blood He has saved me
With His power He has raised me
To God be the glory, for the things He has done"
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
I'm done! (Kind of)
I am officially done with classes! Well...at least with the physical part of going to classes. I have one exam next Wednesday in First Aid. It's a comprehensive test over 26 or so chapters, so it is kind of scary. I also need to make a 80% or higher on this test in order to be certified. I should be okay, but it will just mean I need to study these next couple of days. For Mr. I like to procrastinate, that will be kind of tough. I also need to turn in a couple of things to my Experimental Physical Science professor too, so that will also take some time. In my mind, I am not done until I see all grades submitted by my professors. The good news is that I know I have 2 A's in at least four of my classes! Awesome stuff.
I was thinking today about an out there kind of question. If you could spend time with anyone (future, past, alive, dead, etc.) who and where would it be? I decided that if it was with a girl, I would pick Amanda Bynes. She seems very down to earth and has a great sense of humor. I think it would be fun to just go to a baseball game or something with her. If it was a guy, I would choose to be a silent member during the 1930s-1949 literary group the Inklings (which included C.S. Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien). I would just like to sit there and hear the kind of discussions that came from the group. I think that would be very cool.
If I could be part of any event, it would still be the unveiling of "Rhapsody in Blue" with Paul Whiteman. A concert featuring the Beatles or Elvis would come in close second. Well, that's about all that's going on. I hope everyone reading this has a great day!
I was thinking today about an out there kind of question. If you could spend time with anyone (future, past, alive, dead, etc.) who and where would it be? I decided that if it was with a girl, I would pick Amanda Bynes. She seems very down to earth and has a great sense of humor. I think it would be fun to just go to a baseball game or something with her. If it was a guy, I would choose to be a silent member during the 1930s-1949 literary group the Inklings (which included C.S. Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien). I would just like to sit there and hear the kind of discussions that came from the group. I think that would be very cool.
If I could be part of any event, it would still be the unveiling of "Rhapsody in Blue" with Paul Whiteman. A concert featuring the Beatles or Elvis would come in close second. Well, that's about all that's going on. I hope everyone reading this has a great day!
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Update for Spring 2008
It has come to my attention that I really don't update this blog very much. There has been a lot of stuff going on, and I haven't really been talking about it. Hopefully this will clear some things up on what's going on.
First off, things are going really well with my church. I'm enjoying the time I spend with my 7th grade Life-group on Wednesday nights. We just got done with a study we did correlating with the book, "Don't waste your life" by John Piper. Next Wednesday we will be on week three of our three week study on Jonah. I was really excited about this study and I still am. We're going to be talking about the last chapter, so it should be exciting. Other than that, the College Ministry is growing like crazy. I have been going to the College Life-groups on Thursday nights and that has been a lot of fun. It's good to just be in a small group and discuss things whether they be spiritual or just things that are going on in your life. The only sad part is I missed all my friends at the BCM (Baptist Collegiate Ministry) this semester. Hopefully I can do more with them next semester.
School is going...okay. I am going to have to go an extra semester because I am 7 hours behind where I should be. My parents are okay with it, so I will just continue to do the best I can. I have enjoyed my classes this semester. I'll even end it with being trained in Coordinated School Health and First Aid and Safety! I also got to work with first graders in a reading group and teach some this semester. I'm going to miss the friendships I formed. I hope I see them in the future whether it be classes or as my colleagues. The only down part to this semester was I had a huge amount of projects and I still have some due before my final week of classes (which is this next week). So let's hope that I don't die of stress overload!
Things are going well personally. I have accepted the fact that I am naturally introverted but can push myself to be more extroverted. I feel that this is a good thing, but people can take this the wrong way. The only real bad part is I tend to internalize everything which means I am in my own little world most of the time. Trust me, no one wants to get out of it more than me sometimes :-).
I am also single again. I don't want to go into a lot of details about it. I just felt like it was the right decision and I think that since then it has really made both of us focus more on different things that we weren't as focused on before.
I hope that gives you a peek into what's going on. If you want to know anything else, let me know. I'll try to keep this updated. Have a great rest of the day!
First off, things are going really well with my church. I'm enjoying the time I spend with my 7th grade Life-group on Wednesday nights. We just got done with a study we did correlating with the book, "Don't waste your life" by John Piper. Next Wednesday we will be on week three of our three week study on Jonah. I was really excited about this study and I still am. We're going to be talking about the last chapter, so it should be exciting. Other than that, the College Ministry is growing like crazy. I have been going to the College Life-groups on Thursday nights and that has been a lot of fun. It's good to just be in a small group and discuss things whether they be spiritual or just things that are going on in your life. The only sad part is I missed all my friends at the BCM (Baptist Collegiate Ministry) this semester. Hopefully I can do more with them next semester.
School is going...okay. I am going to have to go an extra semester because I am 7 hours behind where I should be. My parents are okay with it, so I will just continue to do the best I can. I have enjoyed my classes this semester. I'll even end it with being trained in Coordinated School Health and First Aid and Safety! I also got to work with first graders in a reading group and teach some this semester. I'm going to miss the friendships I formed. I hope I see them in the future whether it be classes or as my colleagues. The only down part to this semester was I had a huge amount of projects and I still have some due before my final week of classes (which is this next week). So let's hope that I don't die of stress overload!
Things are going well personally. I have accepted the fact that I am naturally introverted but can push myself to be more extroverted. I feel that this is a good thing, but people can take this the wrong way. The only real bad part is I tend to internalize everything which means I am in my own little world most of the time. Trust me, no one wants to get out of it more than me sometimes :-).
I am also single again. I don't want to go into a lot of details about it. I just felt like it was the right decision and I think that since then it has really made both of us focus more on different things that we weren't as focused on before.
I hope that gives you a peek into what's going on. If you want to know anything else, let me know. I'll try to keep this updated. Have a great rest of the day!
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Spring, Spring, Spring!
"Oh, the barnyard is busy in a regular tizzy, and the obvious reason is because of the season. Ma Nature's lyrical, with her yearly miracle Spring, Spring, Spring."
I have had this song stuck in my head all day. It's from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. It was a musical that was made in 1954. If any of you haven't seen it, it's pretty good. My favorite song is actually, "Bless your Beautiful Hide." He's looking for a bride and he is mentioning all the stuff he wants in a woman. He finally finds a woman that is, "Pretty and trim but not too slim. Heavenly eyes and just the right size
Simple and sweet, and sassy as can be!"
On the topic of musicals, Choir and being part of the Musicals are two things that I definitely miss about High School. In fact, I had a dream last night that I was singing in the Quartet for Mozart's Requiem that we did my Junior Year.
Well, I guess I should be going. Only two more weeks than my semester is done! Crazy, isn't it?
I have had this song stuck in my head all day. It's from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. It was a musical that was made in 1954. If any of you haven't seen it, it's pretty good. My favorite song is actually, "Bless your Beautiful Hide." He's looking for a bride and he is mentioning all the stuff he wants in a woman. He finally finds a woman that is, "Pretty and trim but not too slim. Heavenly eyes and just the right size
Simple and sweet, and sassy as can be!"
On the topic of musicals, Choir and being part of the Musicals are two things that I definitely miss about High School. In fact, I had a dream last night that I was singing in the Quartet for Mozart's Requiem that we did my Junior Year.
Well, I guess I should be going. Only two more weeks than my semester is done! Crazy, isn't it?
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Education and Prayer
Have you ever had one of those times when you got an obvious answer to prayer? That happened to me today. Brentwood Baptist Church is having construction done to build the new Discipleship Connection Center which will be a place to help students both spiritually and academically. The intention is to reach out to the community and let students/parents know there is a place where they can get help in any capacity. God may have even bigger plans than that, but we're just taking it one step at a time.
The prayer ministry of our church has arranged this week and next week as a time to partake in a "Starbucks Prayer Tour" where a small group of people meet at Starbucks and then go to various schools to pray for the faculty, students, and the various issues that they face (mentally, physically, socially, spiritually, etc). I was able to go to the one today.
I am an Elementary Education Major, so school-aged kids and the education system have always been part of my heart. Lately, I have really been questioning what I should do. We prayed for schools, the teachers, the students, and all that they were facing. We then discussed the prospect of Christian teachers and Male teachers for the lower grades...and about how we needed them to be planted in our school systems. Students spent more time in schools than they do a lot in churches or even their own homes.
During one of these stops at the High School I graduated from (Brentwood High) and one that a lot of the kids in my Lifegroup go to (Brentwood Middle), a couple of the adults I was with started to pray for me! It was very encouraging and uplifting, and it really made me proud of what I am doing in College and what I may plan to do in the near future. This gave me encouragement to know that when I go into that field, there will be people praying for me. I don't have to do it alone. What a great answer to prayer!
Our Educational system is a HUGE mission field. It is good to take time out of our schedules to remember this and set aside some time to pray for the faculty, students, and all the issues they face.
If you would like to pray for our public schools, here is a link you can go to to help guide your prayer. It is in a PDF format and you can print it out.
http://www.navpress.com/Assets/PDF/Product/Sample/9781576839010.pdf
The prayer ministry of our church has arranged this week and next week as a time to partake in a "Starbucks Prayer Tour" where a small group of people meet at Starbucks and then go to various schools to pray for the faculty, students, and the various issues that they face (mentally, physically, socially, spiritually, etc). I was able to go to the one today.
I am an Elementary Education Major, so school-aged kids and the education system have always been part of my heart. Lately, I have really been questioning what I should do. We prayed for schools, the teachers, the students, and all that they were facing. We then discussed the prospect of Christian teachers and Male teachers for the lower grades...and about how we needed them to be planted in our school systems. Students spent more time in schools than they do a lot in churches or even their own homes.
During one of these stops at the High School I graduated from (Brentwood High) and one that a lot of the kids in my Lifegroup go to (Brentwood Middle), a couple of the adults I was with started to pray for me! It was very encouraging and uplifting, and it really made me proud of what I am doing in College and what I may plan to do in the near future. This gave me encouragement to know that when I go into that field, there will be people praying for me. I don't have to do it alone. What a great answer to prayer!
Our Educational system is a HUGE mission field. It is good to take time out of our schedules to remember this and set aside some time to pray for the faculty, students, and all the issues they face.
If you would like to pray for our public schools, here is a link you can go to to help guide your prayer. It is in a PDF format and you can print it out.
http://www.navpress.com/Assets/PDF/Product/Sample/9781576839010.pdf
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