A New year
Two months ago I thought what I would even be writing about this year. It all seemed so blah I had already spent a year here and nothing was seeming new and exciting. At the same time there were so many new things.
Some of the new things involved a new teaching team. I miss my old team members (Rest in America, Katie and Amanda), but I am loving the opportunity to work with seasoned veterans (this might make Shannon and Jonah sound old, they are not:) who have a few more teaching years under their belt.
This year I have also had the honor of being an assistant coach for senior girls soccer. The age range from grade 8-grade 12. Never did I imagine coaching soccer at this level (being the bench warmer that I was). It has been fun getting back and coaching high school age kids. I have enjoyed seeing how the relationships have spanned the grade levels. They started as a group of girls who only knew people in their grade level and only speaking to them, to singing wildly on the bus together after losing game, after game.
So yeah, I guess that there are some new things, I just tend to forget about them sometimes.
imago Dei
Yesterday I was listening to a podcast by Pastor Matt Chandler. His series is all about God's beautiful design. Now most of what I heard him talk about was nothing new, but there was a Kaploooyy moment for me. If you don't know what a Kaploooyy moment is please read the following defenition:
Kaploooyy Momment: Something that you have known about, but then it comes to life in your brain and makes it explode. From the dictionary of Peter Randall :)
Matt Chandler was talking about the fact that we are created in the image of God. Which means that we are imago Dei, the image of God. I have known that for quite awhile. But what really was the Kaploooyy moment was when he talked about how we treat people. If people are truly imago Dei, which I believe they are, then I should see value in these people and think about how I treat them.
This sermon went right along with a professional development class I took two weeks ago, on compelling worldviews. I believe people are made in the image of God. This also includes students.
So as you look at the people around you, do you see them as nuisances, a waste of your time, or like I had just this last week been reminded that each person I come in contact with is made in the image of God and I need to be reminded of that daily.
As always I apologize for the non-fluidity of this, and spelling/grammar mistakes.
Prayer: Remember to see my students as imago Dei
The start of Term 2
The following are pictures from a safari in Indonesia.
