Soak it in

Why do we study His Word?
To know Him more. To rip out the sin that resides in our tents of flesh.
For no longer are we captives!
No longer are we slaves to sin.

That is the reality.

We are FREE.
We are BLESSED with EVERY spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
We have the power of the Holy Spirit -- Who is our guarantee -- the very same One who worked to rise Jesus from the dead, living in us.

So, how do we live out these blessings?
How do we live in the light of His good gifts?

Hmmm...

Soak them in daily, momently.

How else can they pour from us and on to others?

SOAK!

We must attend to the needs of our souls. We must soak in the fellowship we have been chosen to enjoy, for we are the manifestation of His wisdom. (We are His tools to display His glory.)

Praise the Lord for such an inheritance that we can taste now, but will fully see in the future.

Beyond our ability to imagine.

Kids' Quotes

“I like to paint. I don’t like to think.”

“Your hair is crazy, but it is still beautiful.”

“Miss Martin! This is YOUR hair!”

--No denying that one. Curly and orange. Kind of stands out.

After my student read a note of love given to him by a female admirer from the other class:

"I knew it! I knew she would love me. I knew it, Miss Martin. But, she doesn’t even write straight lines. Her words are all running together. I can’t read them.”

"How did you know she would love you?"

“She was in my class last year and we played a lot together.”

After a student went missing for some length of time, I went to search him out in the bathroom.

This was at the beginning of the year and his English abilities were not so great. There were times when he wouldn't even respond to his English name because he wasn't used to recognizing it yet.

I stood in the doorway of the bathroom and called out for him. I heard a sound. Not wanting to intrude upon his privacy I asked if he needed help.

No response. He couldn't understand my question. I tried to offer my assistance again. No response. I let him know that I was going when one of the stall doors opened to reveal the 5-year-old Korean boy sitting on the toilet helplessly trying to figure out how to clean his booty and throw away the tissue.

The poor guy started whining and indicating that he needed help.

With what did he need help?

Hmmm...

What does a teacher do in such a situation, but what is needed?

To his delight, the young boy was finally able to get off the toilet. He seemed to be confused as to how to flush the toilet. (Why, I don't know.) But we worked through the situation with some acting and enunciated English and returned to our classroom -- cleaned booty and all.

Merry Old Land of Oz

You know, when I signed up to come to China I was expecting that I would have to be “roughin’ it” for a while.

I bought and packed up enough deodorant, mascara, eye shadow, lotion, body spray, etc. to last me for two years.

But I came and have discovered that it's not the "roughing it" I imagined. The Lord had/has other plans for refining.

And so, I have come to realize (I think I have said this before, but I want to be sure that it's clearly stated,) that where you live doesn’t make the difference. It’s HOW you live wherever He places you. That’s the difference, always: ATTITUDE and the focus of your soul.

Good.

Good.

Am I Dorothy? Is this Oz?

Structures and Atheism

Sometimes I can count a handful of stars as I walk around the streets of Tianjin.

Sometimes the pollution has dissipated; sometimes there are no clouds in the night sky.

It dawned on me that it’s not SO much the pollution’s fault that I can’t enjoy staring up into the vast night; it’s because of all the tall buildings that obstruct our view (in Tianjin).

Maybe that is another way to encourage atheism.

If, when I look up, my eyes merely see massive man-made structures rather than the humbling sight of stars numbering beyond my ability to count, what will capture my thoughts?

Questions of cosmology, or greater architecture?