Christian Nation

      Christian Nation…the political ad stated that Barack Obama said in the Middle East that we are not a Christian nation.  The statement was considered offensive by the ad makers and to hear it spoken sounded very harsh and ugly. I thought:"How could he say this boldly in a foreign land?"  Then, I asked myself: "Is it true?  Are we a Christian nation?"

      A Christian is a follower of Christ or “one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ” (Merriam-Webster).  Would there be any doubt in a Christian nation whether the Ten Commandments could be posted?  Would there be any doubt in a Christian nation whether there could be prayer in any public school, building or venue?  Would there be any doubt whether the Bible could be freely taught or discussed?  Would there be any doubt whether abortion was acceptable? Would there be any doubt whether we could say “In God We Trust”?  I could go on and on.  Barack Obama is right. We are not a Christian nation. We do have many Christians who live here and have a glorious hope.

       Our hope is that someday we will be a Christian nation and all other nations will be Christian nations.  Until then, those who are Christian should let their lights shine in this very dark world. “.. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. ...”Matthew 5:16

 Quotes by Barak Obama                            

"One of the great strengths of the United States is... we have a very large Christian population - we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values."  
 "Whatever we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation – at least, not just. We are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, and a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers."

 

Black Swallow Butterfly

Black Swallow Butterfly

       Willow sent me this story.  It is certainly about joy.  “I thought this would be nice for your blog. While we were in Ohio, 6 caterpillars ate all the parsley in our garden. Lee was ready to squish them, but I said, ‘Let's wait & see what they turn into.’ We saw 6 butterflies come out of their chrysalises.”

Working Together

    Today we held an event to mulch the pathways of our school garden.  We finally had our 16 large garden boxes built and filled this spring. The children planted all of the boxes with seeds.  A few families and teachers kept the boxes weeded and the pathways between the boxes mowed and trimmed this summer.  In  a year when it rained constantly for most of June and July, we did not have to worry about watering as much.  (Our resident groundhog and his family have been enjoying a lot of very wonderful eating and we are so glad that they do not seem to like cucumbers. Thus is the life of gardeners.)
    Today was the big day, a week before the school start date.  At last, we were going to groom this garden and make those pathways really finished looking by adding the mulch.  Putting down landscape fabric, newspaper and shoveling mulch did not sound like fun, but it had to be done.  Volunteers have not exactly been knocking down doors to help us out.  Three current teachers ; the 9 year old son of a teacher, who is on crutches: a recently retired teacher; and a young family with four children under seven made up the mulching crew. Please note that the children were every bit a part of this team! The 8 month old baby did his part by being so quiet and good while his parents worked. It was amazing that all of that truckload of mulch could be moved by this somewhat motley and, at times during the day, very sparse crew! 
     Working together toward a very specific and defined goal was the very satisfying part and seeing the beauty when we were done was the inspiring part. Some people could not stay until the job was complete, but that did not matter: they gave what they could.  From  7 AM to 1:30 PM,  the project lasted and it was really fun in spite of our preconceived ideas.  Being stiff was my badge of courage and feeling that special camaraderie that only working together can give was my joy!

Team Building

                                                             Team Building

        Our school staff went to an outdoor corporate team building event last week.  Everyone was dressed in outdoor clothes and prepared for an adventure.  We started indoors by getting to know each other by moving around the room and finding people we had something in common with.  Then, using a rope, we handcuffed ourselves together with a partner. We had to figure out how to get out of that and teach others the trick when we figured it out.  Finally, we did a little arm wrestling.  After each activity there was debriefing and figuring out what this had to do with the collaborative work we would need to be doing to build school success.

     After those activities, we went to the woods where we were divided into two groups.  Each group was given a different task with props and challenges.  Our first task was a gigantic teeter-totter, in which we all had to balance and move around on in specified ways.  For 13 people, that was not easy.  When our group completed that task, we moved to an area where the other group met us and we explained our task to them and they explained their task to us.  This, too, was difficult, because we could not see each other’s props.  Our second task was to beat the other team’s time completing a relay task, then tapping numbered circles with foam noodles in a specific order.

     The next task was to get everyone in our group through various sized panes made of bungee cord without touching the cord. Some panes were low and some were high.  When we switched with the other group this time, our final task was to stand on 2 foot long railroad ties and keep moving them forward without getting on the ground.

     There was always a consequence, if someone fell off or touched the ground in all of activities.  Usually, you had to start the entire activity over.  Obviously, these activities helped us to support each other physically and emotionally.  There were a lot of lessons we extracted from this fun day.  It was impressive that we felt such camaraderie in such a short time.  Everyone was needed and everyone supported and helped each other.  Lessons about leadership and working together abounded.  It was inspiring!

      Here’s an idea for our next team building event!  Put everyone in groups of four or five in a car with a map, written directions, a GPS system and access to Siri on an I phone.  Tell the group to take a trip about six hours away at a specified location.  See if they can cooperate enough to get there and get home without any irreparable damage to the relationship!  It is a risk!

     A trip on the highway with four friends and Siri was exactly what we did a few weeks ago. It was a road trip to Lake Michigan with the dearest of friends. We had all the equipment listed above and we still managed to get turned around a number of times.  Siri is not perfect, but she is entertaining!  None of us got our way all of the time (not even Siri), but we all got our way some of the time. 

     The best thing about cooperation is that we all get to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. We work toward the mutual good and discover that it is often better than our own way. If anyone says to you, “It’s my way or the highway”, pick the highway!  It is a lot more fun; especially, if you love adventure, challenges and team building! 

     

Learn Something!

           Driving to and from the elementary school in an economically disadvantaged urban community, where I teach, gives me a lot to think about. The boarded windows and the trash everywhere is sad. The bright spots are definitely the clean, well-maintained homes, though they are few. The innovative little businesses that pop up along the way are noticeable with their colorful, inexpensive signs, but these too are few and far between.  The churches offer rays of hope, but their influence is sometimes minimal. As one looks around, an older adult sweeping the sidewalk or planting flowers might be seen. These are signs that a few adults do care. Why would some even vandalize their own neighborhood or permit others to do so? Our beautiful school garden was vandalized last night for the second year in a row. It was not theft of the produce.  It was deliberate destruction. Why?

            The brightly scrubbed children with their hair neatly braided or combed stand with parents tightly holding their hands waiting for a bus.  There are others walking to school with loving parents guiding them and chatting on the way. There is something exciting and hopeful about going to school for the children wearing backpacks on their backs and carrying anticipation in their countenance.  The skipping, hopping, running and chatting show that many of these children do want to go to school. Their movement shows excitement. They are full of hope. It is rare to see a child under ten who is not bouncing on his or her way to school. School is about hope and opportunity.  Learning and discovery are fun and they know it. 

            What are we doing that robs these children of their hope?  What is it that turns the many children who care to only few adults who do?

            One of my favorite of all sights on my drive is the teenage student waiting at the school bus stop so oblivious to the world around him, because he is totally engrossed in a book. A book that can take him to a different time and place if he so chooses.  The desire to read that book can make a difference to the young person and the community, because it is within those pages that dreams are created and become real.  Why do some teens care so much and others not at all?

            Are we as a society too demanding or not demanding enough?  The passion and motivation for learning seem to slip away as the years go by for many of our students. Do we fail to encourage and discover strengths, because we are focusing on the wrong things?  We know that we are doing something that is not working, but we cannot see what it is. Are we learning how to solve our problems?

            One of my all-time favorite quotes is from T.H. White in The Once and Future King.   “The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you…”

            Will we as a society, as communities, and as human beings learn the lessons of cause and effect?  Will we learn as fellow sojourners how to improve our world and our individual lot in life? Can we keep hope and joy alive?  The only way to make something positive out of a bad situation is to learn something.  Will we?