How Can Social-Emotional Education Reinforce Biblical Truth?

Most people who hear about Compassion understand how sponsorship provides education, health care, and nutrition. But this is a great blog post about how the children receive social-emotional education, which can be one of the hardest components of Compassion's ministry to explain.

How Can Social-Emotional Education Reinforce Biblical Truth?

It is after noon and I am still in my pajamas. I have barely done anything today, besides getting the kids dressed and ready for our church's egg hunt and feeding them breakfast and lunch. The rest of the morning I have been reading, snuggling and wrestling with my family and just relaxing and it has been wonderful! I actually am not even minding the rain. Bella has a game at 3 and I am hoping for another cancelation. Josh said she has to go play if they don't cancel. I know I am being sexist, but it is so much harder to see her go out and play in this weather than it was for me to let Elias. He promises me that she won't melt. I am more concerned that she'll get buried in the mud and we'll never find her again! Thank God for lazy days!

“One act of obedience is better than one hundred sermons” - Bonhoeffer

Yesterday afternoon, I decided to watch a documentary that has been sitting in my Netflix queue for a while.  It was the about the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  I am not sure why I decided to watch this particular documentary yesterday, but it was just what I needed. I know it may sound odd to think that a documentary of any sort would lift me from my funk, but this one did.

If you are not familiar with who Dietrich Bonhoeffer is, I would encourage you to google him or, better yet, watch the documentary about him on Netflix.  But I will offer a short biography, so that my commentary on the movie will make more sense.

Bonhoeffer was a German who came from a conservative, but non-religious family and became a theologian early in his life.  He had massive influence on Christianity that still lasts today.  He was a passionate pacifist, but became one of the first to speak out about his resistance to Hitler's rule and he ultimately was part of the resistance movement that attempted several times to assassinate Hitler. He was executed at the age of 39 in a concentration camp for his participation.

Now, when I hear about people who are considered heroes in history, I mistakenly believe that they knew exactly what they should do and then did it with complete focus and certainty that what they were doing was right and that they didn't make major mistakes and not even that many minor ones!

But there were a few lines in the movie that struck me.  First, the commentator said that Bonhoeffer came to realize that Christian ethics was not a set list of principles, as much as it was discerning the will of God at every part of your life - in the moment or in the circumstance.  Secondly, the commentator said that the men who formed the resistance didn't even know if what they were doing was the right thing or if it would be perceived positively or negatively by those inside and outside Germany, and yet they were willing to lay down their lives to do it because they knew they needed to try to stop the slaying of the Jews.  Third, it talked about how the Catholic church, afraid of Catholics being ostracized or treated like the Jewish population within Germany actually signed an agreement with Hitler that they would offer no resistance to Hitler's regime.  And even Bonhoeffer himself refused to perform the funeral of his brother-in-law's relative because they were Jewish early into the reign of Hitler because he feared the repercussions. Lastly, the commentator mentioned that Martin Luther, the father of the protestant faith, had a part to play in German churches having negative feelings toward the Jews.  Late in his life, when many of the Jews that Luther tried to convert to Christianity refused, he began to feel negatively toward them and was quite vocal about it.

Now, this seems like a big conglomeration of unrelated facts I pulled from the movie, but here is what I got from them.

First, God isn't as worried about success as we are.


In America, we think that if something isn't successful, then it is wrong.  I believe that it stems from our "American Dream" mentality, that tells us that if we put our mind to anything, we can achieve it.  Therefore, if something doesn't go well, we automatically assume that we or someone else went against the will of God.  But really it is the journey and not the results that God really cares about, because ultimately, he's in charge.  It is just like when my kids try to do something with their whole might and really wish to please me with their efforts.  I don't look at the results and say, "I am really disappointed that you didn't do that better.  Now look how much I am left to do."  No, I am pleased that they tried their best to do as I wished.

Secondly, I will make mistakes - BIG ONES - but I can still be used by God to do incredible things. And that often doing things to "save our own skin" can cause us to make decisions and compromises that we would not otherwise make.  It is shameful how many things I do in the name of God that are really for my own protection.

Third, I can't just assume that the convictions I hold or everything I feel God is calling me to do today will be the same next year, 5 years from now, or even tomorrow.  So I need to constantly be looking for his guidance from Him, not my circumstances.

I know these may sound like pretty elementary lessons to learn, but I have to relearn things quite often!

I finished off the day by going to see Soul Surfer.  It was one of the best movies I have seen in a while.  It is just a reminder that circumstances do not define who we are, but our reaction to them does. 

So with the sun shining, temperatures rising, and some good things to think about rolling around in my head, I think I have won this most recent battle of the blues.

Grace Spots. | Stuff Christians Like – Jon Acuff

After my particularly gloomy post yesterday and my inability today to quite shake off the blahs AND because I just read a friend's comical blog post about the mishaps of dealing with a foreign mail system, I found this post from Stuff Christians Like very poignant. Enjoy!

Grace Spots. | Stuff Christians Like – Jon Acuff

I need to count my blessings

The rain doesn't usually get to me, but today it has made me especially blue.  I think it is because I keep feeling hopeful that Spring temperatures are here to stay and then they go away again.  This has been one back and forth Spring! 
Josh and I had our 16th wedding anniversary last Friday.  Josh had a business trip to Miami, Florida, to go to and so I had decided to go with him, which was completely out of character for me.  A trip to Florida for just the price of an airline ticket and a few meals didn't sound like a bad way to celebrate our anniversary, even if Josh would have been gone most of the day at meetings.  But last week, I started making the arrangements to go - which entailed leaving the children and their crazy school and sports schedules for others to handle - and I started to feel that I shouldn't have made plans to go.
But, due to the proposed government shut down, the conference Josh was attending was canceled and so, therefore, we no longer are going to Florida.  At first, I was completely relieved and just thankful that I didn't have to prepare to go on the trip after all. 
Today would have been the day we would have left.  We would be in Florida right now as I type this.  And now, I do feel a bit sad that it was canceled.  I know that it is easier this way and my reason tells me that I am being ridiculous in many ways.  But, man, this cold, dreary weather is making me just want to have a good cry right now.  I think it is an especially big bummer because Josh and I didn't have any back-up plan, so our anniversary went by fairly unnoticed.  We had a quiet lunch together last Friday on his lunch break and we got each other a small gift, but when you are expecting to do something completely out of the ordinary, the ordinary seems...pretty ordinary.
I have mentioned before on this blog that Josh and I aren't good at taking trips.  We barely ever vacation and when we do, it is very minimal.  But now as I am preparing to go get Elias from the bus, then get Bella suited up for what promises to be a very muddy soccer game with muddy laundry to do afterward, make dinner, help Elias with his homework, then get the house ready for small group, and then afterward try to make bedtime go at the speed of light, so that the kids can get a decent amount of sleep to be prepared for school early tomorrow morning, I seriously want to get away.  It isn't that any of these things are bad or even things that I don't want to do.  In fact, I love it all, but I just want a break.
I know I am being a big downer today.  Tomorrow is another day, right?  I need to be counting my blessings instead of boo-hooing!  So I am thankful that I have a husband who loves me dearly, children who are healthy and active, a warm and safe home, food on my table, clean water to drink and bath, friends who love me, and a healthy body and mind.  I actually do feel better and I know that I could continue counting...Now, I am off to enjoy my ordinary day (which has gotten better in the last 5 minutes already because I just learned they canceled Bella's game).

Count your Blessings

1. When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
   When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
   Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
   And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
   
   • Count your blessings, name them one by one,
     Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
     Count your blessings, name them one by one,
     *Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.
     [*And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.]
2. Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
   Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
   Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
   And you will keep singing as the days go by.
3. When you look at others with their lands and gold,
   Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
   Count your many blessings—wealth can never buy
   Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
4. So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
   Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
   Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
   Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Just another Manic Monday.

Josh just rushed in from work and was stressed because the rain made the soccer practice scheduled for this evening somewhat of an unlikely and/or unpleasant experience.  We had a rushed dinner of hot dogs and the boys flew out the door and us girls opted to stay home, since we figured the boys would be back fairly early since it was raining pretty steadily.  But then the sun started peeking out of the clouds as I was doing the dishes and I asked Bella if she wanted to jump in the car and go to practice (after all, I did promise Josh I would be his assistant this season!).  She said no, and I quietly finished the dishes while she watched television.  But when I came into the living room, she was sound asleep on the couch.  These past few days of running around outside have finally caught up with her.  She often seems to be growing so quick, but then to see her sweetly sleeping on the sofa reminds me that there is a lot of little left in her too.

As I look around my very messy house, it seems like it is full.  It is full of activity, of life, of kids being kids and that is such a blessing, no matter what is on our schedule.

One Day Without Shoes

 Compassion is participating with TOMS Shoes in the "One Day Without Shoes".  It is a national day to raise awareness of all the people around the world who will go involuntarily without shoes.  When I returned from Peru, the tennis shoes I wore there smelled so bad from walking in the poverty-striken communities, that I had to wash them several times to get the smell out of them.  But I witnessed literally 100s of women and children walking around in these same communities either barefoot, with flip flops, or shoes that were so dilapidated they offered little protection - and the average temperature was probably between 35-50 degrees. 

Even if you don't want to go without shoes tomorrow, I encourage you to read the blog that I have copied and pasted below.  It is written by one of my companions from my Peru trip about how you can donate new or gently used shoes to those who live without shoes everyday.  And if you want to see pictures of her family's "Day without shoes", you can visit the blog post.

Do Something Together

from Compassion Family by Jill Foley

I think one of the best ways to help our families to understand missions is to actually do something together. I'm always looking for ways my children can help me serve others. Recently I've come to know a remarkable young lady, Isabel Jones, founder of Shoes for Kids.

Both of Isabel's parents work for Compassion. A couple years ago, their entire family took a trip to Kenya to see Compassion's work up close and personal. Isabel was particularly moved as she noticed how happy the children were - even though they had nothing - even though they were barefoot.

When she came back to the US, she was inspired to begin collecting shoes for children who have never had any. Isabel turns 12 this Saturday - April 2nd. She has declared her birthday International Make a Happy Foot Day and is encouraging everyone to go a day without shoes.

Isn't this a wonderful opportunity for us to understand poverty just a little bit more? It's also a wonderful opportunity to talk to our kids about making a difference now. You do not have to be an adult to make an impact on the world.

Please read all about Isabel and her endeavor on her website Shoes for Kids. There is a great (short) movie where Isabel talks about her heart for this ministry. You can also read a couple posts her mom wrote HERE and HERE.

I'm encouraging you to try this as a family...and then go shopping for shoes for children living in poverty. Most of the shoes Isabel collects end up going to children in countries where Compassion works. When her parents travel with Compassion, they take shoes with them and make happy feet.

My own daughters and I have enjoyed picking out shoes for other kids. As we shop, we talk about how happy the kids will be to have shoes that protect their feet. It's so much fun to shop for other people, and to imagine what the shoes will be used for. Will little girls dance in the shoes? Will little boys play soccer? Will a teenager go to her first job interview? Will a high school student wear them to graduate?

Don't forget to shop in your own closets, too. Maybe you have a couple extra pairs that are gently worn and would love to be worn regularly by another child.