tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76259961619310646292024-03-12T20:33:05.927-05:00Love Dare for TeachersUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-34589981382236524822011-12-05T17:03:00.001-06:002011-12-05T17:42:15.302-06:00Any Kind of Lovely<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, I'm feeling a little discouraged recently and I honestly feel like posting something new for me to work on would be completely in vain. I'm lucky if I'm any kind of lovely at school right now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> I'm praying for you all as Christmas break draws nearer. Remember so many of our kids don't receive the kind of love they deserve especially at this time of year--which is probably why some of them act the way they do. :) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We love because He first loved us. <br /> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-80134294600811684302011-11-28T21:33:00.001-06:002011-11-28T21:37:07.319-06:00Dare 12: Love Offers Grace<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Galations 2:20... "I have been
crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.
The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God, who
loved me and gave himself for me." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We live in a balancing act between freedom and legalism. It is
easy to live in either of these extremes and extremely difficult to find
the right place on the pendulum. We either judge ourselves against
others making us seem okay or we live a life that is spent entirely on
ourselves and our "rights." Romans 6:23 says the "wages of sin is
death..." and all throughout the gospels we're told of how Jesus came
for us to die for us. Without Jesus, we have no rights. We don't have
the "right" to be treated better by people... we actually deserve to be
treated worse, because we have treated God worse... BUT GOD (probably my
favorite two words together) still offers us GRACE... over and over and
over and over and over... you get the picture. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And
Galations 2:20 says that I no longer live, but Christ lives in me ...
well, then I am called to be offering the same grace God has offered to
me. So, if i really understand God, I will ALWAYS respond out of grace,
NO MATTER WHAT you've done to me, I will give you grace because I've
done worse to God and he still gives me grace. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Do I do that? Big negative. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I just can't seem to wrap my mind around what it looks like to offer
this grace to my students?? How can I offer them grace over and over and
over again and still expect them to respect me and the guidelines of
the classroom and school? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I
understand that there is such a thing as tough love and that God loves
that way too... It is just really hard for me to know what it looks like
to apply all of this in a way that is pleasing to God and works in the
classroom. Not that I don't offer grace to my students ever... but
let's be realistic in saying that I definitely don't offer them grace
after X amount of offenses... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So
my dare for the week is to really focus on what it means to offer your
students grace. Pray that God would provide ways for you to offer them
grace and that He would open your eyes to His grace in your own life. </span><br />
<br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Praying you have a wonderful week and that God would bless your socks off! :) </span><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-61130121024891338342011-11-14T21:30:00.001-06:002011-11-14T21:36:45.228-06:00Dare 11: Love is Unconditional<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The funny thing is... sometimes I copy and paste pretty much from my last round and sometimes I write new ones... running behind (two weeks and a day behind to be exact) and thought I'd copy one real quick... First line of the one I was copying was... </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"My apologies for the late post." </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Haha... must be the time of year. AND the fact that my mom and I are starting a photography business and whenever I get on the computer that seems to be all I'm thinking about. Anyway... here we go :) Better late than never. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Dare 11: Love is Unconditional </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This
week's dare is about unconditional love. Reading over the chapter in
the book, it felt as though it didn't apply much to loving our
students. It dives into the different types of love (greek-- agape,
phileo, eros)... and quite honestly, I would really need to dig into the
meaning of those words deeper for me to feel okay with applying it to
our love for our students. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">But,
part of what I am coming to realize is just how hard it is for me to
fully accept that God's love for me is unconditional, which means that
it is even harder for me to grasp what it looks like for me to love
unconditionally. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I'm just going to quote what the last part of the chapter says here...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>"When
your enjoyment of each other as best friends [referring to a spouse
here]...is based on unwavering commitment, you will experience an
intimacy that cannot be achieved any other way. But you will struggle
and fail to attain this kind of marriage unless you allow God to begin
growing His love within you. Love that "bears all things, believes all
things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Corinthians 13:7) does
not come from within. It can only come from God. The Scriptures say
that "neither death, nor life, nor angles, nor principalities, nor
things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love
of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39). This is
God's kind of love. And thankfully--by your choice--it can become your
kind of love."</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So,
I think what I, personally, need to work on this week, is attempting to
understand, beginning to comprehend just exactly what it means that God
loves us unconditionally. It is obviously the only way that I'm ever
going to begin getting to love thing right. I have to learn from the
only one that does it perfectly... And I need to accept it for myself,
so that I can truly give it to others. It actually feels extremely
overwhelming to even begin to think about it... </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So,
i guess my dare for you this week is to go before God and ask Him to
reveal His love to you in a way so clear that the only possible thing
for you to do is to go share it with someone else... everyone else. Its
the only way we will ever learn to love our students the way God has
called us to love them... </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And
I'll be praying for you, too. Praying that your hearts are open to
receive love... praying that you would allow yourself to KNOW that you
are worthy of His love... it may be really hard for some of us, but it
will definitely be worth it... <b> </b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Must be a God thing, because I wrote all that a year ago... and just in the past week I've begun to struggle with the same thing again. It is hard to accept that I will never fully understand God's love. The perfectionist in me (however dwindling she may be) wants to get it. Right now. And forever. But that's just not the way it works. I will forever be trying to comprehend the depth of God's love for me... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Love you. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b> </b> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-29679536597787361622011-10-30T13:31:00.001-05:002011-10-30T13:31:40.886-05:00Dare 10: Love Makes Good Impressions<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
Strive
for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in
peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one
another with a holy kiss. 2 Corinthians 13: 11-13</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b>Dare 10: Love Makes Good Impressions</b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br />
It
is interesting to me how often scripture speaks of how we should greet
one another. We teased my husband a while back when he told our
LifeGroup that we should be greeting each other with a holy kiss. We
decided that a group hug might be more acceptable. But the reality of
it is, is that Paul has taken time out of many of his books to instruct
us on how to greet each other! He even takes time at the end of Romans
to ask them to individually greet 27 of his friends and loved ones for
him. </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
In
the Sermon on the Mount Jesus speaks about loving your enemies. He
says, "And if you only greet your own people, what are you doing more
than others? Do not even Pagans do that?" (Matthew 5:47) It is easy
for us to address the people we like graciously, but Jesus says we also
need to address our enemies with this kindness. </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Until
I started working on this week's dare, I didn't realize how much
attention was paid to how we should GREET each other! I think it's kind
of neat actually. </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
So,
what does that mean for us as teachers? I'd say a lot, don't you
think?! In a day I have 130 possible first greetings with my students.
Not to mention my coworkers! </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<b>"When
someone communicates that they are glad to see you, your personal sense
of self-worth increases. You feel more important and valued. That's
because a good greeting sets the stage for positive and healthy
interaction. Like love, it puts wind in your sails." </b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Harry Wong (the<a href="http://www.effectiveteaching.com/"> First Days of School </a>guy)
always talks about the importance of greeting your students before
class with energy. I think some of my better days with my students,
especially when I've had a tough group of kids in the past, started with
me standing outside the door and giving each student a high five or a
big smile and "How are ya!?" as they walk into my classroom. </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<b>"It
doesn't have to be bold and dramatic every time, but adding warmth and
enthusiasm gives you the chance to touch [you students'] heart in
subtle, unspoken ways." </b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<b>This Week's Dare</b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<b><br />
</b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
This week
is an easy dare! Think of a few ways you would like to greet your
students. Remember, you probably greet your students several times a
day, even if you have the same group of kids all day long. Practice
greeting them with a smile and enthusiasm. Each one of them.
Remember... you might be the first person who has ever shown excitement
to see any particular student. You might be the first person who is
truly working to love that student. Do it well. </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<3 <br /><b> </b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-16358062095361123152011-10-24T22:14:00.002-05:002011-10-24T22:14:38.325-05:00First John<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I won't be posting a new dare this week. I was out of town for the weekend and now I seem to be coming down with something. But I do want to encourage you all to read through 1 John. It is only five chapters and an easy read... and its all about LOVING PEOPLE.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Let the Word encourage you to love this week. </span><br />
<br />
<3 <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-65151436330783493182011-10-16T20:01:00.000-05:002011-10-16T20:01:07.993-05:00Dare 9: We LOVE because He first LOVED us<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaMub1vyer6_XDZUilB9N3Ok6miRPxuAoLob_QtRYEKiAvk_X_NTCoYriCmZK303m9PrjUtKISjClNWqewZtuwk360NT9MmrsqIg8awNnEUaTGBFWEQ7c4fucc6TiZWSjA3BFuQT6nlsm/s1600/chalkboard-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaMub1vyer6_XDZUilB9N3Ok6miRPxuAoLob_QtRYEKiAvk_X_NTCoYriCmZK303m9PrjUtKISjClNWqewZtuwk360NT9MmrsqIg8awNnEUaTGBFWEQ7c4fucc6TiZWSjA3BFuQT6nlsm/s320/chalkboard-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Here we are, on week 9 of the Love Dare and I was beginning to get that feeling again... that <i>why am I doing this</i> feeling. And again God has told me very loud and clear that even if I'm only doing this for myself, this is what He has called me to do. I have been so challenged with the calling to LOVE this past week that I am completely overwhelmed by it. Where do I even begin? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We are doing a series over 1 John at church right now. And if you are familiar with 1 John at all, you know it is ALL about loving people. And if you've ever studied it very much, you also know it can be hard to not become overwhelmed with feeling like you just aren't getting it right. But that's where the sweetness of it all comes in: You aren't; but Christ did. He is our advocate and BECAUSE He first loved us, the light is already shining. We've already won. LOVE has already won. Amen! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, we talked about this at Lifegroup and we decided that to become good at anything, for anything to become second nature, you must practice first. Love is NOT going to come easily; people are difficult to love. So at first, practicing loving your students may seem forced, but after you've practiced for so long, you'll start finding that it comes a lot easier, and a bit more naturally. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6XUSPFrt4UHHFUIJZzg0He2SIXClBpy8IEviBPomgfI3VL-J8wUHXXfmkKgWYraDwB6VWk1fG09KbCFbBhtZ49XW_3n6Y38akBN_9jZ0ND2ep_e9CkOT79LzcGPFWCfSt5a5XBrC-GbH/s1600/Lisa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ6XUSPFrt4UHHFUIJZzg0He2SIXClBpy8IEviBPomgfI3VL-J8wUHXXfmkKgWYraDwB6VWk1fG09KbCFbBhtZ49XW_3n6Y38akBN_9jZ0ND2ep_e9CkOT79LzcGPFWCfSt5a5XBrC-GbH/s200/Lisa.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And it just so happens that I have a perfect example of a teacher loving her students this week. My cousin, Lisa Baker, is a middle school teacher in Webb City. One of her students has just been diagnosed with cancer and Lisa decided to start a fundraiser to raise money for this students' traveling expenses for his medical care. The catch? If the school raises $5000, she will shave her head. They raised $4000 in a week. <span style="font-size: large;">She loves her students</span>. Obviously, we won't all have the opportunity to do something quite like Lisa, but would you if you were in that situation? I've been struggling with that question all week... </span><br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1356134789"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.koamtv.com/story/15661074/teacher#.TpRsnQcsypx.facebook?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=6336618" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Story </a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">(If you'd like to read more about Lisa and her student) </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu271Y9djo83-QVqvfdwKa_oiZyXl1D1BWfjMPTHJj3RRMcDP7VgiEOu7AYC0XgK_7m4a3VXHnWgmVMiBkAeNBVaLPLolxLirqed5CbMM8DItzKYDCwLn-aC3BhFQ-zeSZofwHWu1TqJcG/s1600/gabi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu271Y9djo83-QVqvfdwKa_oiZyXl1D1BWfjMPTHJj3RRMcDP7VgiEOu7AYC0XgK_7m4a3VXHnWgmVMiBkAeNBVaLPLolxLirqed5CbMM8DItzKYDCwLn-aC3BhFQ-zeSZofwHWu1TqJcG/s200/gabi.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And God continued to challenge me to love in a bit harder ways this morning. During the opening worship at church today it was pretty apparent to me that something was "heavy" in the air, but I hadn't heard the news yet. Josh hinted at it when he when he was opening, but continued on with his sermon... on LOVE... and shared with us at the end of the service that three Bolivar students were killed in a car crash during the night last night. One of them was my student when I student taught 4th grade in Bolivar 5 years ago. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Life is fragile. And unpredictable. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I'll preface this with saying that we should never live a life of "What ifs" but I feel like this is an important question to ask...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">What if I chose <i>selfishly </i>not to love a student (or anyone) and something happened? </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">But instead of focusing on the answer to a what-if question, I just want to focus on the solution: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">LOVE</span>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Love because He first loved us. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Love because if we love God, then obedience will follow. And what does obedience look like? LOVE. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Praying for the families who lost their daughters and the friends whose hearts are broken. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Praying that we can all learn to love, for no other reason than He first loved us. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-87220670313117382682011-10-10T18:19:00.002-05:002011-10-10T18:20:02.213-05:00Dare 8: Love is Not Jealous<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSpGvgk_R1ywRZC4ef2zNQYzf-KLpsd4RE6cqL_wfdrcXyw5Lktvy7xOY4b4frODiVt_7trEwWdW1f1vQqc_wFOZgKuh9HMB4skrvltLJ7DjblaQNEdnmiUz7NcD60qMvAqjJ9R28ALSAD/s1600/chalkboard-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSpGvgk_R1ywRZC4ef2zNQYzf-KLpsd4RE6cqL_wfdrcXyw5Lktvy7xOY4b4frODiVt_7trEwWdW1f1vQqc_wFOZgKuh9HMB4skrvltLJ7DjblaQNEdnmiUz7NcD60qMvAqjJ9R28ALSAD/s320/chalkboard-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>"Jealousy is one of the strongest drives known to man. It comes from the root word for <i>zeal</i>
and means 'to burn with an intense fire.' The Scripture pointedly
says, 'Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood, but who can stand before
jealousy?' (Proverbs 27:4)"</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">To
clear up a misconception of God and jealousy first it is important to
recognize that there are two forms of jealousy: a legitimate jealousy
and an illegitimate jealousy. When scripture speaks of God being a
jealous God it is referring to the legitimate jealousy which means that
God is longing for us, desiring that we keep Him as our first love. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Unfortunately,
the jealousy that we struggle with is typically the illegitimate kind.
It is very clearly in opposition to love. It is rooted in
selfishness. <b>"This is to be jealous <i>of</i> someone, to be 'moved with envy.'" </b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This
week's dare will focus a little more on our relations with our
coworkers. While I'm sure it is possible to become jealous of our
students, I imagine that jealousy of our coworkers is a far bigger
issue. Jealousy happens when someone else has something, or gets
something, that you want. Instead of feeling happy for them, you get
angry. It's so important to harness that anger and let love win out. If
that doesn't happen, that jealousy can take a deep root in your heart.
The book of James says that envy leads to fighting, quarreling, and
every evil thing (James 3:16, 4:1-2). <b> </b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>"Because love is not
selfish and puts others first, it refuses to let jealousy in.... It is
time to let love, humility, and gratefulness destroy any jealousy that
springs up in your heart." </b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This Week's Dare</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Determine to become your
coworkers, and your students, biggest fans. Reject any thoughts of
jealousy. Last week I asked that you make a list of the positive and
negative things about some of your students. This is where you will
throw out the negative list--a way of showing you are ready to only look
at the good in people. Encourage your coworkers and students in their successes--rejoice with them! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">What
are some positive experiences you can celebrate in the life of your
coworkers and students? How can you encourage them toward future
successes? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Sidenote: Sometimes I look
back on a week and wonder how well I have actually done with that
week's particular dare. It is easy to get caught up in the business of
the day and forget to focus on one thing in particular. What I'm trying
to say is, don't get to caught up in the particulars. The goal of this
is to love our students better. If you are striving to love your
students (and coworkers, and family, etc.) then you're striving toward the right goal. I hope God is showing you new ways to love and
is placing people in your lives that show you His love. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-87332256360964001332011-10-02T22:22:00.001-05:002011-10-02T22:22:12.480-05:00Dare 7: Love Believes the Best<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">...Love believes all things, hopes all things...1 Corinthians 13:7</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Dare 7: Love Believes the Best </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It
can be very easy to become discouraged by our students' "failures." At
points it may be hard to remember that inside our students is something
good. Maybe its the desire to learn, or maybe the ability to be kind,
or the desire to be good. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We
can create excuses for them or possibly give up on them. And in the
process we add to what the Love Dare refers to as the "Depreciation
Room." It is full of weaknesses and failures of students. It can house
very hateful thoughts or feelings toward students and make a teacher
ready to fire when that student "fails" again. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Luckily,
there is also an "Appreciation Room." This is where we keep all of the
successes of our students. All things true and good about our
students... ALL of our students, not just the ones who are easy to
appreciate. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The
items in both rooms may be true for the student, but it is important to
focus on the Appreciation Room. Love lives in the Appreciation Room.
Love chooses to believe the best in people. To give them the benefit of
the doubt. And when our students fail us, love chooses to move forward
to agree to focus on the good. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"It
is time to let love lead your thoughts and your focus. The only reason
you should glance in the door of the Depreciation Room is to know how
to pray for your [students]. And the only reason you should ever go in
this room is to write "COVERED IN LOVE" in huge letters across the
walls." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It is SO important to
develop the habit of throwing away your negative thoughts and focusing
only on the positive ones. I know that in the process of the day, this
can feel very difficult. I've experienced some very, very unlovable
kids... and I know I definitely haven't always done my best in my
attempts to love them. But they still deserve love. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This Week's Dare</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For this week's dare, get
two sheets of paper. It would be great if you could do this dare for
each of your students, but I realize that is not always possible. So,
if it isn't possible in your world, choose a few of the hardest to love
students. On the first sheet of paper, spend a few minutes writing out
positive things about the student. Then do the same with negative
things on the second sheet. Place both sheets in a secret (and secure!)
place for another day. There's a different purpose and plan for each.
At some point throughout the remainder of the week, pick one positive
attribute and thank your students for having this characteristic. </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I
hope you all are doing well. Praying for you and hoping your week goes
smoothly. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-51946342409137569462011-09-25T21:52:00.001-05:002011-09-25T21:52:55.066-05:00Dare 6: Love is not Irritable<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Better a patient person than a warrior; one with self control than one who takes a city. ~ Proverbs 16:32</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Dare 6: Love is not Irritable </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We
have reached the point in the school year where being irritable almost
becomes acceptable to teachers. We are almost through the first
quarter, it has been a while since we've had a break, and quite frankly,
we're getting a little worn down by our students. I realized the other
day that this has become acceptable when a coworker complained in
passing about needing a break, and without thinking I responded in the
same manner. I didn't offer any positive encouragement; I didn't stop
to think about my words. When I walked away I was a little put-off with
myself. When had I become so irritable about being at work?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Love Dare suggests that there are two main reasons that people become irritable: stress and selfishness.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Stress.
Almost the end of the quarter. Projects and papers to grade. Parent teacher conferences around the corner. And I
don't know about the rest of you, but our school is really stepping
forward and making some much needed changes; this is definitely a good
thing, but it also leads to a good amount of stress. Not to mention all
the other stress life may be throwing your way. But lets face it,
when we are stressed, the easiest mood to revert to is irritable. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Luckily, the Bible offers wisdom on helping us to avoid stress. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">- Let love guide our relationships. <i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></i></span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Therefore,
as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.</span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">~ Colossians 3:12-14</span></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">- </span></span></span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pray about our anxieties. </span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Do
not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace
of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:6-7</span></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>- </i>Delegate
when you are overworked. This one is particularly hard for me to do at
work, but it is so very important. ( Exodus 18:17-23 ) </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">All
of these, as well as taking a "sabbath" every week. Make sure you have
a day when school is not part of your day. I know I'm horrible about
this, but I always feel better when I have one day of the weekend that
is completely school-free. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And the second part: selfishness. <b>"Being
easily angered is an indicator that a hidden area of selfishness or
insecurity is present where love is supposed to rule." </b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>This Week's Dare </b></span></span><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Choose
to react to tough circumstances with your students in loving ways
instead of becoming irritable. Also, take some time to recognize where
you should be adding in margin to your schedule. Planned time away from
the stress of work can only be a good thing :) </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">And
hang in there! When you catch yourself being irritable with a student,
don't beat yourself up, just resolve that the next time you will handle
the situation better. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Love you. Have a great week! </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Kendrick, S, & Kendrick, A. (2008). <i>The Love Dare</i>. Nashville: B & H Publishing Group.</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-43487869775234974272011-09-18T22:31:00.001-05:002011-09-18T22:31:55.763-05:00Dare 5: Love is not Rude<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
Love
is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant
or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or
resentful... </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
~1 Corinthians 13: 4-5 </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Dare 5: Love is not Rude</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<b>"Nothing
irritates others as quickly as being rude. Rudeness is unnecessarily
saying or doing things that are unpleasant for another person to be
around. To be rude is to act unbecoming, embarrassing, or
irritating." </b><br />
<br />
I don't know about the rest of you,
but I teach 7/8 graders. Translate that to I am constantly surrounded by
all that is rudeness. It is SO easy for me to respond rudely. <br />
When
I get frustrated by a rude student and respond in a similar manner, I
am only letting them know that somehow I believe that their behavior is
acceptable, and possibly even expected. I think this is one of my
biggest failures at being a good role model for my students. Not that I
am horribly rude to them, but I know they see me react in snide ways. <br />
<b>"There are two main reasons why people are rude: <i>ignorance </i>and <i>selfishness."</i></b><i> </i><br />
I sure hope neither of those qualities speak of who I am or who I am perceived to be. <br />
Here are three questions (adapted) the book offers to test yourself:<br />
- How do your students feel about the way you speak and act toward them?<br />
- How does your behavior affect your students' sense of worth and self-esteem?<br />
- Would your students say you are a blessing, or that you are condescending and embarrassing?<br />
<br />
If
you are thinking of other teachers who may act this way, please
remember to check yourself as well. Often times if we are quick to
label others in their faults, we have a much bigger issue to be dealing
with ourselves. <b>"Your likely suffering from a bad case of ignorance, with a secondary condition of selfishness." </b><br />
<br />
The book also offers some guidelines to practicing etiquette:<br />
<b>-</b><i>Guard the Golden Rule</i>. Treat your students the way you want to be treated (or the way you would like them to treat other students)<br />
- <i>No double standards. </i>Be as considerate to one student as you are to another. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>This Week's Dare</b></div>
<br />
This
dare will be in two parts. First, find a time throughout the week to
hold a class meeting and discuss some qualities they really like in
teachers. Obviously, you will have to be careful with this discussion
and offer guidelines for what is appropriate to say, etc. Next, take a
look at your own teaching. Evaluate if there is anything you do as a
teacher that could be irritating or embarrassing to your students.<br />
What do you notice about your behavior? What do you plan to do to improve these areas?<br />
<br />
<br />
I'm praying that this is beneficial to you. I know that so often I start my day or week remembering these things, then as the day progresses and things happen I am quick to forget. I also know that I'm not the best model of love, but no one is. God is love and that's all we need. Praying that the fullness of His love would overwhelm us so much that it spills out through our lives. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Kendrick, S, & Kendrick, A. (2008). <i>The Love Dare</i>. Nashville: B & H Publishing Group.</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><br />
</b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-40474633379896562582011-09-11T21:37:00.000-05:002011-09-11T21:37:06.351-05:00Dare 4: Love is Thoughtful<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Do
nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility
consider others better than yourself. Each of you should look out not
only for your own interests, but also for the interests of others. -
Philippians 2:3-4</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Dare 4: Love is Thoughtful </span></b></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I
don't know the depth of a lot of my students' stories, and I probably
never will. But I do know that many of them do not go home to loving
and thoughtful homes. (I also know that many of them do--I don't want
to discredit those parents that are obviously doing their best for their
children.) </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Sometimes
it is overwhelming to think that perhaps no one has ever prayed for
some of these students. No one has ever taken time out of their day to
do something thoughtful for them. It is written all over their faces
when they come to you with story after story, longing for you to
listen. Or when they sit so reserved in your classroom and never open
up to anyone. Everyone longs to be loved... and everyone longs to be
thought of... </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It
is not a coincidence that being thoughtful comes after not being
selfish. If you are stuck in your selfish patterns throughout the day,
you can pretty much bet you aren't doing anything thoughtful for your
students either. Thoughtfulness is selflessness put into action. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>This Week's Dare</b></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The
idea this week... along with being patient, kind, and selfless... is to
really show your students that you care for them. What does that look
like? Maybe it is standing at your door when they come into your
classroom and saying hello. Maybe its taking a few minutes out of class
to ask a student how they are doing--with no other agenda than to
really know how they are doing. Maybe it is evaluating what you could
do for your students (as a whole or individually) that would make their
lives a little bit easier. Or maybe you will take a more private route
this week and decide to pray for your students individually--truly
interceding on their behalf--and asking the Lord to reveal Himself to
them and bless them. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Please share ways you have
discovered to practice being thoughtful with your students. I hope you
all have a wonderful week. Praying for you and your kiddos. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Kendrick, S, & Kendrick, A. (2008). <i>The Love Dare</i>. Nashville: B & H Publishing Group.</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Side note:</b>
I hope that if you are truly participating in the love dare each week,
that you are not only acting these out in your classrooms. While I am
focusing only on our students and how we can love them--they are not (or
probably should not be) the most important things in our lives. Your
relationship with the Lord and your family should always come first.
Your thoughts should never be so consumed with loving your students that
you forget to love your spouse or your own kids. I know that sounds
like a "duh!" comment, but I also know that it is incredibly easy to be
consumed by work and all the baggage it can load on you. So if you have
a rough day at school practicing patience, that doesn't mean its okay
to come home and throw it all to the wayside because it is hard. We
aren't just called to love our students... we are called to love. In
general. Everyone. All the time. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Every part of our lives is a reflection of the Gospel inside us... what does your reflection look like? </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-10283472560770728962011-09-01T23:24:00.000-05:002011-09-01T23:24:56.957-05:00Dare 3: Love is not Selfish<h3 class="post-title entry-title"></h3><div class="post-header"> </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor. Romans 12: 10 </div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><b>Dare 3: Love is not Selfish </b></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"We live in a world that is enamored with 'self.'. . . If there were ever a word that basically means the opposite of love, it is <i>selfishness</i>." </span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We are selfish from birth--it is part of our sin nature. Think about it, no one ever teaches a child to be selfish--but they are very selfish beings. Most sinful actions can be traced back to selfishness. <b>"It is a trait we hate in other people, but justify in ourselves." </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This is a hard idea to wrap my mind around when relating to our students. I should not be selfish around my students, but I <i>am</i> the teacher... and what I say, goes :). Here's where it got me though...<b>"The bottom line is you either make decisions out of love for others or love for yourself." </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Here's the questions the book says to ask yourself...(modified of course)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">- Do I truly want what's best for my students?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">- Do I want them to feel loved by me? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">- Do they believe I have their best interest in mind? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">- Do they see me as looking out for myself first? </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves." --Philippians 2:3 </span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This Week's Dare</span></b></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It is hard to care for something that you are not investing in. Look for ways you can invest in your kids. Maybe it is listening to a kid's stories when you'd rather be grading... buying a kid a new binder because his is broken... surprising your kids with a bonus of some sort... Or simply letting them know you're thinking of them....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And of course, continue working on patience and kindness. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Please share ways you are practicing patience, kindness, and selflessness with your kiddos... I would love to know how everyone else is living it out in their classrooms. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Have a wonderful LONG weekend and a blessed week! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><3 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Kendrick, S, & Kendrick, A. (2008). <i>The Love Dare</i>. Nashville: B & H Publishing Group.</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b> </b> </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-152667202949690482011-08-28T00:50:00.000-05:002011-08-28T00:50:57.936-05:00Dare 2: Love is Kind<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue" </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Proverbs 31:26</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Dare 2: Love is Kind </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Practicing patience helps to avoid negative situations, whereas practicing kindness helps creates positive situations. </span><b> </b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>"Love makes you kind. And kindness makes you likable. When you're kind, people want to be around you. They see you as being good <i>to</i> them and good <i>for </i>them." </b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and repute in the eyes of God and man." Proverbs 3:3-4</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, what does it mean to practice kindness on our kiddos? The book has broken the term into four separate ideas. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1. <i>Gentleness</i>. First let's think about what gentleness is <i>not... </i>It is not harsh, bitter, argumentative, careless, impatient, irritable, insensitive, and maybe this is important for some to hear: gentleness is not weakness. In fact, <i>The Full Life Study Bible </i>defines gentleness as restraint coupled with strength and courage. I think gentleness with our students simply means being careful how we treat them (even the roughest piece of sandpaper in your class!). When we have to discipline our students, gentleness means making the discipline as easy to hear as possible. I really liked my friends idea of having an "Australia"<br />
corner in her classroom--where she sends a student to chill out and have a second to think about what's happening before any discipline occurs. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2. <i>Helpfulness. </i></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The idea of being helpful is to meet the needs of the moment.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </i>What needs do your student need met? Let's think beyond Bloom here for a moment... and maybe go a little more simple. Many of my students need help getting organized, an extra bit of attention, or a little eye contact to help them remember to do the right thing. Many times their greater needs are completely out of our hands. Let's not forget that we can still be helpful in the small instances. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">3. <i>Willingness. </i>Willingness to listen, to offer our time, to offer our insight, and to help them in any way possible. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">4. <i>Initiative. </i>Taking initiative means we greet our kids first, smile fist, serve first and forgive first. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Jesus gave us a perfect picture of kindness in the story of the Good Samaritan. A Jewish man is attacked by robbers and left for dead on the side of the road. Two religious leaders pass by and do not stop--too good for such a lowly man. But another man, a Samaritan--who culturally does not get along with Jews (understatement)--stops and takes care of all of the man's needs. This act of kindness brought two enemies together. </span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>"Love determines to show thoughtful actions, even when there is no reward. You will never learn to love until you learn to demonstrate kindness." </b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>This Week's Dare</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In addition to saying nothing negative (patience) to your students this week, do at least one unexpected gesture as an act of kindness. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Try to reach as many students as possible. And remember, as with patience, kindness and gentleness are fruits of the Spirit. If you've already got the Spirit inside of you, tap into the gifts He's given. :) </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Praying you have a blessed week. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Kendrick, S, & Kendrick, A. (2008). <i>The Love Dare</i>. Nashville: B & H Publishing Group.</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b> </b> </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-9220231249661654822011-08-21T23:15:00.000-05:002011-08-21T23:15:44.961-05:00Dare 1: Love is Patient<h3 class="post-title entry-title"></h3><div class="post-header"> </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;">And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.<br />
1 Corinthians 13:13</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Dare 1: Love is Patient</b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b> </b></span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;">Be completely humble and gentle; be patient bearing with one another in love. </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;">Ephesians 4:2</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Everyone, whether they like to admit it or not, has a deep rooted desire for love. Love changes things. It always does what is best for others and empowers us to face our greatest problems. Love makes relationships meaningful. Love makes <i>life </i>meaningful. </span><br />
<br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">So many of our students have not been offered love—and perhaps some of you haven’t either. A very wise man told me once that when you are longing for something, the easiest way to receive that something is to give it. So, <span style="font-size: large;">our goal for this year is to give love</span>. I know God will show up in BIG ways when we follow His commandment to love. Our students will be blessed… and we will be blessed. </span><br />
<b><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">“Love is built on two pillars that best define what it is. Those pillars are patience and kindness. All other characteristics of love are extensions of these two attributes. And that’s where your dare will begin. With patience.” </span></b><br />
<br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Part of me wants to run away screaming at the thought of practicing PATIENCE with some of my students! I hear myself saying, “It’s just not possible! This kid is so __________.” I’ve adopted the term “sandpaper kids” to refer to those not-so-easy-to-love students. They are smoothing out my imperfections through a very uncomfortable process. </span><br />
<br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Loving those students will inspire you to be a more patient teacher. You will begin to respond to negative situations in positive ways. It will provide a calm in the midst of the storm our classrooms can sometimes become. Perhaps you will even find ways to extend mercy (not giving something that they deserve; a disposition to be kind and forgiving) to your students. </span><br />
<br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Reacting out of anger will never make a situation better. You may win in the moment, but what have you done to that child? Anger typically will stir up new issues, while patience will put a stop to them. <b>“It is a choice to control your emotions rather than allowing your emotions to control you, and shows discretion instead of returning evil for evil.” </b></span><br />
<br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>“Patience stands in the doorway where anger is clawing to burst in, but waits to see the whole picture before passing judgment.” </b> How often do we truly get the opportunity to see the whole picture of our students’ lives? How often do you take their lives outside of school into perspective before reacting to their poor behavior? Please don’t mistake me here; I believe whole-heartedly that students need to be disciplined. Disciplined, not punished. Perhaps this is where we need to take a step out of our busy days and attempt to understand where our students are coming from. </span><br />
<br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Patience will not come naturally. Often times when you are praying for patience, that is when your patience is most tested. For those of you who have accepted Christ, remember that we already have His patience inside us. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit—tap into it! </span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This Week’s Dare</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></b></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The way we treat our students and the things we say may very well be a reflection of the condition of our heart. For the next week, resolve to practice patience with your students. The best way to pay attention to this is to check what we say to them... and when and if you feel your impatience building, take a step back and breathe, then respond. What’s the rule we always teach them? If you can’t say anything nice… don’t say anything at all!</span><br />
<br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><br style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A couple things to keep in mind...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">- It may be a while before you see changes in your students—so start the change with yourself</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">- Your coworkers need love (and patience!), too!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Praying that God will bless us all with patience. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Kendrick, S, & Kendrick, A. (2008). <i>The Love Dare</i>. Nashville: B & H Publishing Group.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-5361221255261027252011-08-15T22:37:00.000-05:002011-08-15T22:37:41.373-05:00A Fresh Start<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Well, I kind of made it last year! For those of you that journeyed with me, thank you, and I'm sorry I didn't finish. Life gets busy and it sort of became an out of sight, out of mind kind of thing...unfortunately. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I honestly wasn't really planning on starting it back up again. Satan has a way of taking a good thing and threading lies through it. I'll be completely honest with you, not many people commented on my posts and I sort of felt like I was doing it for nothing. Should have realized Satan's schemes quicker. I've been very surprised by the number of people who have mentioned the blog recently and asked me if I was planning on doing it again. I think that's God's way of telling me I should reconsider. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, here I am. School is beginning and there's no better time to pick this back up. I'll revamp the dares I redid last year and begin working on the new dares. But I will need your help! The Love Dare book offers all kinds of great dares for married couples, but let's be honest, that kind of love does not always apply to our students. So, I'll need you to help me out with dares that you think are applicable to teachers... what do you think we need to work on the most? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>A Quick Refresher...</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This is taken from my very first post on this blog, just about a year ago. I went back to it to remind myself what my initial goal was...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>You quickly realize when you are teacher that the one thing above everything else that your students need is love. Many students practically cry out for it on a daily basis. And they all have different reasons. I've found that many of my students do not receive the love they deserve at home--which I'm sure is the case for many teachers these days. Even the ones who do receive adequate love desire to feel accepted and a sense of belonging. What better way to care for our students than to love them?....</i></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm going to go along with the "Love Dare" book and tweak it to fit the needs of a teacher attempting to love those sometimes-not-so-lovable students (as well as those that are just easy to love!). My hope is to have fellow teachers post about how they are carrying out each week's dare with their students </span></i><span style="font-family: verdana;">{being careful not to breach confidentiality!}</span><i><span style="font-family: verdana;"> I love to learn from my fellow teachers!</span></i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i> </i>...</span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is my warning that although I may be an English teacher, I will not always compose my sentences correctly, and I will probably get caught up in what I'm saying and forget to add punctuation and do a lot of "dot dot dot" and use some sort of improper English...forgive me.<br />
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The goal is simply to love. <br />
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Will you join me?</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">First dare will be up this weekend. Hope the year is starting off well!! God Bless! </span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-49388657899331208322011-03-13T22:43:00.000-05:002011-03-13T22:43:48.562-05:00Dare 19: Speaking Truth in Love<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I hope you all had a blessed week last week and have had some time to relax this weekend. I know this is the time of year where things start to pile up quickly. Grades are due, plans need to be made, testing is coming up quickly. It is very easy to be distracted by all these "things" and to forget what our purpose truly is. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I felt very blessed this morning when our pastor asked the teachers in the room to stand up and asked everyone else around to pray over us. I can honestly say that my heart feels lighter than normal approaching a new week :) Especially a week like this one... conferences most of the day Thursday and my yearbook is due on Friday... It's going to be a busy one :) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So with conferences approaching my thought for the week is wondering how I can love all those parents I will be coming in contact with on Thursday. I want to communicate clearly to them, but I don't want to intimidate them or bash their children. I want to tell them the truth in love and hopefully offer assistance where its needed. <br />
Part of being able to do that is preparing for the conferences beforehand... The way my school does it is we all sit in the gym and parents are able to walk up to our tables and speak to us. During the busier parts of the day, lines will form, but in the past it is typically a steady stream of parents throughout the day. This means I don't know what parents to actually expect to be meeting with-- and when you have 70 kids it is hard to feel adequately prepared for all of them. So everyday this week I will be meeting with my kids one and one... talking about their grades, taking notes, etc. in order to feel more prepared for Thursday, and in the process being able to invest a little bit of my time specifically into each student this week. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I also want to offer love to the parents simply because THEY need love just as much as our students do. I'm praying for discernment for all of us as we speak with parents (whether its in conferences, over the phone or via email). Remember, their lives are tough too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Praying you can speak the truth in love. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><3 </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-91276092751598803392011-03-06T21:41:00.000-06:002011-03-06T21:41:00.764-06:00Dare 18: Tough Love<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Do not withhold discipline from a child... Proverbs 23:13 </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This past week I was pegged as "the mean teacher" because I caught several of my students plagiarizing and they (as promised) received zeroes on a very large assignment. I was very, very upset, angry, disappointed, etc. with my students, and I'm sure I came across more strict than I typically do, but I wanted them to understand the consequences for their actions and that it was in no way okay. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Even though I can honestly say (and only after a few years of teaching under my belt) that I truly don't mind if I have a student that doesn't like me-- I mean, its bound to happen. But it still really bothered me that I was the "mean teacher" when <i>I </i>had not been the one in the wrong. Of course, that's typically how it goes, especially when you teach middle schoolers :) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I really had to convince myself that I wasn't in the wrong. That their actions required a consequence. And the consequence was known and out on the table before they decided to follow through with their behavior. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It is good to discipline your students. They <i>need</i> it. Of course, there are lines that I'm not going to attempt to draw here between discipline and punishment that need to be taken into consideration. But my heart's desire in disciplining my students is not for them to be in trouble, its for them to learn from their mistakes and move forward. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, this week I want you to think about how you give tough love. Is it really tough love or are you just frustrated and angry? I'm sure many of you do this already, but consider explaining the process of tough love to your kiddos... tell them the why behind the consequence. Sometimes it is easy to get wrapped up in the business of the day and I know students receive consequences in my classroom without me ever taking them aside and explaining my reasoning behind it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Have a blessed week. Love you. <3 </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-2025270980059043902011-02-27T19:43:00.000-06:002011-02-27T19:43:10.017-06:00Dare 17: Love is Satisfied with God<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I almost decided not to post this week. This past week has been incredibly draining emotionally as we said goodbye to dear friend who lived an incredibly beautiful life and went to see his Maker what seems like much too soon for those of us still here. I will admit that this past week my mind was not focused on school or my students like it normally is and my heart was going out to my dear friends and seemed to stay there and ache a while. For the past two hours I've been sitting on my couch looking over students' writing that for the most part is far less than perfect and wondering quietly what it is I'm doing here. I'm frustrated that my kids still don't seem to know where to put a period or a capital letter and are in 7th grade. I'm out of ways to teach them how to put a comma in a compound sentence. I don't understand why putting quotations around what someone says out loud is so hard. I'm frustrated. I'm worn out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I decided I needed a break from looking at their work and should go ahead and write the dare. (Even though, honestly, my heart doesn't feel like loving them right now. Hopefully you don't think I'm awful for saying that--just trying to be real here.) The next dare on the list is "Love is Satisfied with God." The theme verse comes from Isaiah 58:11, "The Lord will continually guide you and satisfy your desire." (Ironically the printed text put a comma in that sentence- which would make it an incorrectly punctuated compound sentence, haha.) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The book says, "<b>He alone can satisify, even when all else fails you." </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Thank you, God. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I feel like my students are failing me and my frustration with them makes me feel like I'm failing them. But GOD SATISFIES. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Does that mean that I don't feel frustrated with my kids anymore? No. But it does mean that thirty minutes ago I was feeling like a complete failure as a teacher and then God lead me here. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled... I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:12-13). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>There are needs in your life that only God can fully satisfy. </b>"My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>The needs of love, peace, and adequacy are real. </b>Thank you, Jesus that you fill those needs. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>When we are seeking Him first, loving Him first, making our relationship with Him top priority, He promises to supply us with what we really need--which, actually, is all it really takes to satisfy us. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>God is your everyday supply. Of everything you need. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My heart still hurts. And I'm still frustrated. BUT God is good. He's good all the time. And He is my adequacy and He will lead me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And ironically, a dear teacher friend just sent me a text of encouragement about my students. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I hope you are filled to the brim with HIS love and HIS peace. Let him satisfy your needs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><3 </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-61725680935685913102011-02-21T16:46:00.000-06:002011-02-21T16:46:03.923-06:00Dare 16: Love is Jesus Christ<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I hope most of you were able to enjoy a three day weekend! I know I've definitely soaked up today :) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This week's dare is another one that I will take mostly from the book, as it says what needs to be said perfectly, and I would only add my wordiness. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Dare 16: Love is Jesus Christ</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>While we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodlyy. --Romans 5:6 </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>"The previous [week] and dare lead to no other conclusion than this. Thankfully, it's a conclusion you can live with--today, tomorrow, and forever. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Jesus has come "to seek and to save" you (Luke 19:10). Everything you've failed at and haven't been able to do, every minute you've wasted trying to fix things your own way--all of it can me forgiven and made right by putting your life into the hands of the One who first gave it to you. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><i>Maybe you've never done this. </i>Then today is your day. "Now is the acceptable time, behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2).</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><i>Maybe you did it years ago, </i>but you've wandered far from your spiritual roots. Then "repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19). Even if you have already made Christ your way of life and have never stopped walking in fellowship with Him, the follow Scriptures will be a grateful reminder of all He's done for you. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>The Bible says we are sinful from birth, from the moment we arrive. "Behold, i was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me" (Psalm 51:5). "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment" (Isaiah 64:6). It's not as though God sends innocent people to hell. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>We deserve it. We simply can't be good enough to live with a pure and holy God.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>However, "God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him" (1 John 4:9). "/although He existed in the form of God, [He] did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant...He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:6-8). "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His woulds you were healed" (1 Peter 2:24). By His death, He made invalid the very idea that you are unloved and devalued. If you ever feel that way, you're not looking at the cross. He proved His love for you there. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><i>Love like this cannot be fully understood.</i> "One will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare to even die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:7-8). </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><i>Nor can love like this be earned. </i>"The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of words, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><i>But it must be received. </i>"If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation" (Romans 10:9-10). </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>And when you have received this new life and love as your own, you are free to love in ways you've never been capable before. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down hie life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers... This is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us" (1 John 3:16, 23 niv). "The one who does not love, does not know God, for God is love" (1John 4:8). </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>He was willing to love you even though you didn't deserve it, even when you didn't love back. He was able to see all your flaws and imperfections and still choose to love you. His love made the greatest sacrifice to meet your greatest need. As a result, you are able (by His grace) to walk in the fullness and blessing of His love. Now and Forever. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>This means you now share this same live with your [students]. You can love even when you're not loved in return. You can see all their flaws and imperfections and still choose to love. And though you can't meet their needs the way God can, you can become His instrument to meet the needs of your [students]. As a result, they can walk in the fullness and blessing of your love. " </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I love you all and pray that you know the fullness and blessings of God's love. Now, go show that same love to your students. Have a blessed week. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><3 </b></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-84525420094370895852011-02-13T18:15:00.000-06:002011-02-13T18:15:48.548-06:00Dare 15: Love is Impossible<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It almost feels strange to be thinking about school right now. Over the past 10 school days, 8 of them have been snow days!! Hence why there was no dare last week... I had no school last week, and it really wasn't on my mind!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So this week's dare is "Love is Impossible" ... I am definitely skipping around in the book now... because I'm pretty sure the "Love Leads to Intimacy" one doesn't apply here. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"Let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7 </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"<b>The Love Dare starts with a secret. And though it's been an unspoken element throughout each day, you've likely grown more and more suspicious of it all the time. Now that you're this far, it's a secret you're discovering for yourself, even if you haven't exactly know how to put it into words. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>The secret is this: you cannot manufacture unconditional love (or agape love) out of your own heart. It's impossible. It's beyond your capabilities. It's beyond ALL our capabilities. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>You may have demonstrated kindness and unselfishness in some form, and you may have learned to be more thoughtful and considerate. But sincerely loving someone [or in our case, a bunch of someones] unselfishly and unconditionally is another matter altogether. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>So how can you do it? Like it or not, agape love isn't something you can do. It's something only God can do. But because of his great love for you--and His love for your [students]--He chooses to express His love through you. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Still you may not believe that. You may be convinced that with enough hard work and commitment, you can muster up unconditional, long-term, sacrificial love from your own heart. You want to believe it's in you. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>But how many times has your love failed to keep you from lying, ...overreacting, and thinking evil of... [ your students ] ...? </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>It's this failure that exposes mankind's sinful condition. We've all fallen short of God's commands (Romans 3:23). We've all demonstrated selfishness, hatred, and pride. And unless something is done to cleanse us of these ungodly attributes, we will stand before God guilty as charged (Romans 6:23). That's why if you're not right with God, you can't truly love your [students] </b>(or anyone else for that matter) <b>because He is the Source of that love. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>you can't give what you don't have. You can't call up inner reserves and resources that aren't there to be summoned. In the same way that you can't give away a million dollars if you don't have it to start with, you cannot pay out love in greater measure than you own. you can try, but it will fail. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>So the hard news its this: love that is able to withstand every pressure is out of your reach, as long as you're only looking within yourself to find it. You need someone who can give you that kind of love. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>'Love is from God' (1John 4:7). And only those who have allowed Him into their heart through faith in His Son, Jesus--only those who have received the Spirit of Christ through beliefe in His death and resurrection--are able to tap into love's real power. 'Apart from me,' Jesus said, 'you can do nothing' 9John 15:5) </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>But He also said, 'If you abide in Me, and MY words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you' (John 15:7). god has promised through Christ to dwell in your heart through faith so that you can 'know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the likeness of God' (Ephesians 3:19). </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>When you surrender yourself to Christ, His ppower can work through you. Even at your very best, you are not able to live up to God's standards. But He 'is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us' (Ephesians 3:20) </b>(my favorite verse!) <b>That's how you love [your spouse, your students, people...]</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>So this unseettling secret--as defeating as it may feel--has a happy ending for those who will stop resisting and will receive the love God has for them. This means that the love He has 'poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us' (Romans 5:5) is always available, everytime we choose to submit to it.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>You simply won't be able to do it without Him. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Perhaps you've never given your heart to Christ, but you sense Him drawing you today. You may be realizing for the first time that you, too, have broken God's commands, and that yuor guilt will keep you from knowing Him. But Scripture says that if you repent by turning from your sin and turning to God, He is willing to forgive you because of the sacrifice His Son made on the cross. He is pursuing you, not to enslave you, but to free you, so you can receive His love and forgiveness. Then you can share it with the one(s) you've been called most specifically to love. </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>...</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>The truth is, you can't live without Him and you can't love without Him. But there is no telling what He could do in your [life] if you put your trust in Him. "</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, all of that is taken mostly word for word from <i>The Love Dare </i>(Kenndrick). It wasn't my intention to just copy what they said, but it was all very real and phrased much more precise than I could try to make it on here. If you have any questions about any of it, please let me know. And your dare for the week will be to really examine where you are at with the Lord and to call upon His strength and His love to give you the strength to love your kiddos. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Have a blessed week. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-18072161956250002572011-01-30T23:13:00.000-06:002011-01-30T23:13:47.442-06:00Dare 14: Love Intercedes<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 2</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Dare 14: Love Intercedes </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>"You cannot change your [students]. As much as you may want to, you cannot play God and reach into their heart and mold them into what you want them to be.... </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>Insanity has been described as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. But isn't that what happens when you try to change your [students]? It's frustration at the highest level. At some point you have to accept that it's not something you can do. But here's something you <i>can </i>do. You can become a 'wise farmer.' A farmer cannot make a seed grow into a fruitful crop. He cannot argue, manipulate, or demand it to bear fruit. But he can plant the seed into fertile soil, give it water and nutrients, protect it from weeds, and then turn it over to God. Millions of farmers have made a livelihood from this process over the centuries. They know that not every seed sprouts. But most will grow when planted in proper soil and given what they need." </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Just like not all the seeds will sprout, not every student will be changed by your attempts to love. But the reason for going through the love dare with your students is not so each of them will change. The reason you are going through the love dare is to stretch yourself to love as God has called us to love. Even if you don't see a change in one student this year, hopefully you'll see a change in your heart. And chances are, if you are truly trying to carry out each dare, your students will be affected. You may not see the change in them now, and you may never know just how much your love for them touched their hearts... but it will happen. <b>"But you won't be able to do this alone. You will need something that is more powerful than anything else you have. And that is effective prayer." </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And boy, do our kids need prayers. Not a day goes by that my heartstrings aren't pulled by a glimpse of a students' home life. This won't surprise you, but I tend to be a forgetful person, and unfortunately, often times I simply <i>forget</i> to utter up a prayer for them. It is my prayer that God hears my deep concerns for each of them as prayer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It is my desire, and I know it is God's desire, to pray more fervently for my students. I truly believe it is one of the most loving things we can do for them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So this week, take time to pray for your students' hearts. Pray that God would work in their lives and that you might be given opportunities to speak to their hearts. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">love you all. praying for you as well. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-29886760478496027402011-01-25T23:27:00.000-06:002011-01-25T23:27:25.091-06:00woa.<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">No one deemed it necessary to tell me that the weekend came and went and now suddenly it is Tuesday and apparently I had no idea. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">YIKES! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Grace it is, my friends, grace it is. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">God bless. Have a good week. Don't give up on me :) </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-26464173407324619642011-01-16T19:52:00.000-06:002011-01-16T19:52:48.687-06:00And again...<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I don't know about the rest of you, but I only had two days with students this past week due to snow days... I know its going to take me a while to be conscious of practicing grace, so here we go again...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Praying for all of you. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-77927791616301148742011-01-09T21:50:00.000-06:002011-01-09T21:50:47.590-06:00Dare 13: Love Offers Grace<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I realize that offering grace and letting them start fresh is very similar, but I've really been challenged lately with what it looks like to offer our students grace. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We are in the middle of a series at church over Galations 2:20.... "I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Today we discussed the balancing act that is freedom and legalism. It is easy to live in either of these extremes and extremely difficult to find the right place on the pendulum. We either judge ourselves against others making us seem okay or we live a life that is spent entirely on ourselves and our "rights." Romans 6:23 says the "wages of sin is death..." and all throughout the gospels we're told of how Jesus came for us to die for us. Without Jesus, we have no rights. We don't have the "right" to be treated better by people... we actually deserve to be treated worse, because we have treated God worse... BUT GOD (probably my favorite two words together) still offers us GRACE... over and over and over and over and over... you get the picture. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And Galations 2:20 says that I no longer live, but Christ lives in me ... well, then I am called to be offering the same grace God has offered to me. So, if i really understand God, I will ALWAYS respond out of grace, NO MATTER WHAT you've done to me, I will give you grace because I've done worse to God and he still gives me grace. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Do I do that? Big negative. Was I guilty of not doing that 5 seconds after I left church this morning? Unfortunately, yes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And I just can't seem to wrap my mind around what it looks like to offer this grace to my students?? How can I offer them grace over and over and over again and still expect them to respect me and the guidelines of the classroom and school? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I understand that there is such a thing as tough love and that God loves that way too... It is just really hard for me to know what it looks like to apply all of this in a way that is pleasing to God and works in the classroom. Not that I don't offer grace to my students ever... but let's be realistic in saying that I definitely don't offer them grace after X amount of offenses... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So my dare for the week is to really focus on what it means to offer your students grace. Pray that God would provide ways for you to offer them grace and that He would open your eyes to His grace in your own life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I know that there's a good amount of you that read this, I get the stats on here. Most of you never comment, which is fine, but I'm asking that you would share with us all how you have learned to offer grace in your classroom or in your daily lives... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Praying you have a wonderful week and that God would bless your socks off! :) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625996161931064629.post-65023241325189597352011-01-03T18:07:00.000-06:002011-01-03T18:07:16.865-06:00Dare 12: Love Lets Them Start Fresh<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And after a long reprieve... here we are again! Hopefully I didn't lose you along the way. Things got a little crazy around Thanksgiving with my husband and I moving to a new home and then being without internet for what seemed like forever! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I know many of you started back with kiddos today... our district is lucky enough to have a work day the first day back after break, so I was able to make copies and set my lesson plans in place today. I'm so very thankful to be able to ease back into the groove of things. Breaks always seem to spoil me a little too much :) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I think I'm going to have to start getting a little creative with our dares. The further you get into the book, the "deeper" the kind of love it talks about. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, my dare to you this week is to let your kids start fresh. Part of the work day today included going over all my kid's grades from last semester and double checking them before I imported them for grade cards. Browsing through some of their grades, I found myself getting frustrated all over again at their lack of effort. It made me dread tomorrow. And then, I sat through a meeting where we discussed our repeat offenders for lunch detentions. (Let me tell you, I was really looking forward to tomorrow after that one.) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I could feel my negativity welling up and realized that I needed to cut it out! So I told myself that I was going to make tomorrow be a good day just by having a good attitude. I'm going to let my students start fresh in my book. Those repeat offenders deserve grace just as much as the others. So, my goal will be practicing grace and helping my students feel like they can start fresh and move forward. I'm excited! I just know that some of those kids are going to jump at the chance of a clean slate. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0