Swell

I went to the ocean the other day.

Not the soft sand- inside the reef- relaxing ocean, I mean..

the OCEAN.

Ten foot swells thundering against jagged, infinitely textured hard-as-iron coral rock.

I watched, listened, and felt as they crashed ashore hurdling rocks, shells, sand, and whatever else happened along with an unimpressed air.

Then I went home.

I took a shower.

I turned the faucet, adjusted it to the proper temperature (from cold to cool), and when I was done I turned it off. I grabbed my towel, and removed the unwanted excess.





Is this what we make God?

Is your God the OCEAN or the shower?

Can you control Him? Do you know what is in His deepest parts? Are you afraid of Him? Do you completely understand Him? Can you be immersed in Him or like the shower, do you keep Him in one place, in a corner of your house? Do you only go to him when you need a little refreshing? Can you turn Him on and off? Can you adjust Him when He makes you uncomfortable? When you are done with Him, do you brush the evidences of His presence from your life? Is He a little sprinkle on your skin or a crushing, overwhelming force in your life?







Maybe it's time to go swimming

Eggwhite

*Takes deep breath, writes semi-controversial post*

So the kids are rehearsing for the Christmas program this week quite a bit during the day.

I was making one of my usual office-hang-out runs, chillaxing and fraternizing with the office staff when in walks one of the students. We greet her, make small talk, expecting her to tell us at any moment where her boo-boo is so we can put a band-aid on it and send her back to class. After a minute or two, she sits down, so I just ask her why she's in the office. Turns out, she's sitting in the office because her parents forbid her to VIEW or PARTICIPATE in anything pertaining to 'theater'. For those of you who are SDA, you already know where this is headed. And why, might you ask, is theater (stage plays, in this sense of the word) so bad?

Because the venerable prophetess E. G. White said so.

-Messages to young people- p398/399
"The true Christian will not desire to enter any place of amusement or engage in any diversion upon which he cannot ask the blessing of God. He will not be found at the theater, the billiard hall, or the bowling saloon. He will not unite with the gay waltzers, or indulge in any other bewitching pleasure that will banish Christ from the mind.

To those who plead for these diversions, we answer, We cannot indulge in them in the name of Jesus of Nazareth. The blessing of God would not be invoked upon the hour spent at the theater or in the dance. No Christian would wish to meet death in such a place. No one would wish to be found there when Christ shall come.

When we come to the final hour, and stand face to face with the record of our lives, shall we regret that we have attended so few parties of pleasure? that we have participated in so few scenes of thoughtless mirth? Shall we not, rather, bitterly regret that so many precious hours have been wasted in self-gratification,--so many opportunities neglected, which, rightly improved, would have secured for us immortal treasures?

It has become customary for professors of religion to excuse almost any pernicious indulgence to which the heart is wedded. By familiarity with sin, they become blinded to its enormity. Many who claim to be children of God gloss over sins which His word condemns, by linking some purpose of

399

church charity with their godless carousals. Thus they borrow the livery of heaven to serve the devil in. Souls are deceived, led astray, and lost to virtue and integrity by these fashionable dissipations."

Ok so let me get this all together here and straight in my mind. On a good, conservative day, I can understand the gist of what she's getting at. To summarize, her point seems to be that by engaging in frivolity, you are essentially wasting the precious gift of time/ life that God has given us to further His kingdom; that by participating in activities that cause you to enjoy this earth, you are lessening your relationship with God. And, that more or less makes sense. It's a song that she often sings in fact, even to the degree of saying that such 'frivolous' things as pickles, bicycles, and playing checkers are not to be a part of your life. This is where I start to lose her.

But first, back to the school play.

From reading her words, the best way I can interpret it even if I wanted to agree with this little girls parents, is that you aren't supposed to go to a theater (a place which at the time of her writing was lavish and full of 'spiritual distractions').

"The true Christian will not desire to enter any place of amusement or engage in any diversion upon which he cannot ask the blessing of God". But the play is being done by an SDA school, and it's about Jesus. So..

"He will not ... indulge in any other bewitching pleasure that will banish Christ from the mind." Again, doesn't sound like a play TELLING THE STORY OF JESUS.

"When we come to the final hour, and stand face to face with the record of our lives, shall we regret that we have attended so few parties of pleasure? that we have participated in so few scenes of thoughtless mirth?" Oh, you mean like... You get the point.

I am most frustrated by this (and these types of people) because they MISS THE POINT BY SO LITTLE. They are so close to getting it, and instead make a slight miscalculation if you will and in the end miss it by a mile.

I hesitate even to say this because it's a slippery slope, but bear with me. The other thing at play here is the time issue. As I mentioned before, theaters in her day were not the same as theaters today. If you live in MD, you would in no way view the BSO to a burlesque show. Likewise, going to the IMAX to watch a film about nature does not strike me as a waste of time or something that would pull me away from my Creator.

Another thing to consider: what does it even mean to live by that standard of seemingly avoiding pleasure in exchange for spending time devoted to growing closer to God? Does that mean we shouldn't go snorkeling? Hiking or mountain biking in the woods? For drives along coastal highways late at night? Didn't God fill this earth with pleasurable things? Good things to see, to taste, to smell, feel, etc? Why do we have senses? What if pleasurable things bring us closer to God? Didn't God say he was the SALT of the earth?! Salt is an additive! You don't NEED salt. It's something FANCY. So ...?

I believe that up until the point where it conflicts with Gods clear law, he wants us to be HAPPY. To enjoy life. To live vibrantly, fully. To skydive (He wants OTHER people to do this, not ME lol). To explore. To sing, dance, yell at the top of a mountain, whisper in a lovers (within the proper parameters) ear, taste hot peppers, drink from a mountain stream. I believe it is the job of the Holy Spirit to impress upon the heart of a person when their pleasure seeking becomes a distraction from their walk with Christ. I really don't feel like eating pickles is going to keep me out of heaven. I wonder which is worse, to indulge in playing checkers, or to be proud of your 'clean record'?

--

All of that being said, theres a side of me that struggles. There are two extremes when it comes to Christianity. Either too conservative, or too liberal; and I have to say, if I had to pick one, I'd go with the first every time. The Amish are a perfect example. They seem to me to be pretty crazy to be honest. Almost masochistic. Why avoid so many modern conveniences such as cars, electricity, etc? But. When was the last time you heard of the Amish mafia? How many abortions do the Amish have yearly? How about theft? They leave their houses unlocked. How about murder? Adultery? Bullies? You can't help but scratch your head. Maybe they're on to something after all. And it's worth noting, that the girl in the office is one of the best students in the school. Well behaved, smart, obedient, helpful, the list goes on and on.

So what do you think? I have to go do work now :)

*Article I wrote for the school newsletter*

Obiyan Beach 8th Grade Pathfinder Camp Out 11/19/10

Growing up, I remember fondly going on Pathfinder camp outs. They were usually in the fall, and the smells and sounds and feelings I experienced are still with me. I remember the smell of a camp fire permeating the material of a favorite hoodie, the feel of hot cider in a paper cup warming my hands, the crackling of leaves underfoot; The steam of my breath in the morning and the cool, musty smell of a log turned over as we searched for critters. All these things are memories I hold dear to me.

So it was quite a contrast then, to go to sleep with the sound of waves gently lapping against the shore at Obiyan beach; to go snorkeling on Friday afternoon before supper instead of throwing around the ‘ole pigskin; to wake up sweaty, rather than shivering.

Some things were different, but there were many things that I couldn’t help but chuckle at how similar they were. For example, the kids all ravenously devoured enormous quantities of food for supper and breakfast. There was the usual drama that characterizes the relationships between adolescent boys and girls. There were the pranks, the sleepy conversations, and the bonding that all help to make Pathfinders such an important influence in the lives of youth around the world. It was interesting to see just how similar young people are, no matter where they happen to be.

Friday night, Mr. Odiyar led us in a thought provoking worship about how God reveals Himself to us through nature, and many of the kids shared how this was relevant to their lives. In addition to the serious side, there were a lot of just plain fun things that we did. That night, a few of them couldn’t sleep and stayed up all night with us chaperones. Mr. Odiyar fended off an ant attack, and we went hunting for shrews and bugs. We found an uncomfortably plentiful population of these, in addition to a rather large green lizard who was not altogether enthusiastic about being woken up at 4:00 AM. Sabbath morning eventually came and (after disposing of a massive spider that had spent the night with Mrs. Calla) we had church and a scavenger hunt for hidden letters spelling out ‘CREATION’. Everyone had a great time, and nobody wanted to be the first one to leave.

Seeing God in action in the lives of young people is a beautiful thing, and I thank Him for the privilege of playing a part in these important years. It is my hope that the time they spend in Pathfinders is as beneficial for them as it was for me.

Of mice and men

One of the perks to living in a tropical place is the abundance of roaches and spiders and various other assorted critters. Last night, I had the pleasure (no sarcasm really; it was an awesome man moment) of dispatching of a rat.

---

It all started a few days ago. We (the girls and I) were sitting around gossiping about the students, comparing war stories, when one of them suddenly shrieked. MOUSE!!! I jumped up, ran over to my apartment and grabbed my machete. A great commotion followed as couches, tables, and refrigerators were thrown asunder while I in hot pursuit chopped wildly at the enemy. That night, he managed to escape the mighty claws of death. But I am a foe not easily discouraged. Night after night I kept careful vigil out of the corner of my eye during movies, conversations, meals, etc. From time to time a small grey nose would appear then dart into cover before I could eviscerate him. My nemesis was mocking me.

Then last night, he slipped up. I was halfway through my movie when I saw him dart behind the fridge which is located in a corner. I knew I had him. I carefully arranged a series of roadblocks which rivaled the trickiest of mall parking lot exits in an effort to keep him at hand, should he manage to make the short trip from the fridge to the wall safely. I wanted him out in the open.

Then, I waited.

Like a sniper, like a trap door spider, like a stalking butler I waited. Spear (mop handle) in hand, poised to strike. My muscles were taut. My eyes (all 1 1/2 of them) were keen. My heart was thumping wildly. I waited. And waited. So long I thought I would die. I began to wonder if somehow in the excitement he had slipped out unnoticed.

Then.

Whiskers. I held my breath, perfectly still- waiting for that perfect shot. He came out, I struck. Miss. He retreated. I regained my composure. And waited. Minutes passed. Again he ventured out. This time, I waited until he was clear of the fridge before striking and when I did, BAMSQUEEKSQUEEKSQUEEEEK! My heart was filled with gladness! I held the spear in place and bent down to look closer at my prey and ALAS!

Gone.

He had slipped out.

I drearily went back to my watch. However, instead of the same mouse coming out, wonder of wonders, in my periferal vision I see another, LARGER rat run under the ridge! This was more than I could have asked for! Filled with a new strength and vigor, I assumed my striking position. He would ever-so-tantalizingly poke out his nose, but then retreat. I brought in the reinforcements- bombed the underside of the fridge with RAID. More waiting. More jostling of the fridge. More waiting. Literally it seemed like forever (about an hour and a half had passed since the first contact).

Then the money shot.

The big rat.

I struck like a message from the gods. No mercy. Such an eruption of squeaking and scratching (on the rats part) and primal screams of victory (on my part) erupted as to wake the dead. I trapped him up against the corner of the wall. My strength was crushing! He was fading fast. As one final death-blow, I filled his gaping maw with a heavy handed blast of RAID and slowly the life went from him.

I sat down, shaking, gasping for breath from the struggle. One had triumphed, one had tasted the bitter wine of defeat.

I gloated for a while, basking in my glory.. His limp soggy rat body hoping to serve as bait for his wily companion; but after another several minutes of no sound and no activity, I concluded that the initial wound and repeated doses of RAID had done the trick.

I bid the womenfolk goodnight, they paid me with kisses and song (hey a guy can dream, can't he??), and I went home to bed.

I slept like a baby.

The days they fly

Man. So much.

Last week recap...
Two teachers down and out sick, Silvia Virlie Tina and myself taking turns covering all the classes for K and 3/4 grade. Craziness. Good craziness.

Then theres this: I have more classes to teach full time now! :) One of the other teachers here was intending to be teaching a certain number of classes. However, since this is Saipan, we all wound up taking on extra stuff. He took on a LOT of extra stuff, more than he was expecting. So I have been assigned some of his classes. This is a huge blessing for a couple reasons; he gets a bit of a break, and the school saves on money because he will be working as part time. He will be working part time then also for his former employer, a hospital in Florida. Everybody wins :) It's cool the way God is looking out for the school, helping things work out in a way that is best for everybody. And I'm happy, because I feel like I have a more active part in the success of the school. The classes I'm taking over are Lit. and Typing for grades 7/8 and Bible for grades 3/4. The last one is for another teacher who will be covering the first teachers Algebra class... Because we all know that I would definitely not be a good choice for Algebra ;)

That's all for now. Stay tuned!

Lessons

You know, it's funny how we spend our time. When I have the will to write in this particular blog, it's usually during the day at a time when I only have but a few moments to spare and then they usually get spent on Facebook checking to see who is the latest to change their profile picture or some such nonsense. Then when I have plenty of time, like after watching the kids in aftercare, I usually just want to go home. So now I'm willing myself to post.

Lately (most every day at some point actually) I have moments where I feel like I'm learning more from the kids than they are from me; which may be of course terrible, or it may sneakily be what this whole SM thing is about after all. At any rate, here are some recent events that have given me pause.

The other day at Kindergarten PE, we were playing tag. They tired of this after a few minutes, so in an effort to freshen it up a bit, I sprung upon an idea. One of the kids is faster than the others, and likes to be the center of attention. So I considered all the possible (or so I thought) negative outcomes and acted on an idea that I thought would cater to both points. I told them that next we would play reverse tag! Meaning of course, that every one BUT this one person would be it; they all would try to tag him. Squeals of skepticism and glee erupted, and the game was afoot. He kept them at bay for a while, but soon the inevitable caught up with him. However, instead of merely TAGGING him, all the kids (who are all friends and feel no ill-will towards one another) dog-piled on him and pushed him into the dirt with great zeal. It took me a second to respond, and when I finally got them all cleared off of him, he had a somewhat dazed and perplexed look on his face as though he, too was caught off guard at the ferocity of the attack. Lesson learned: There is a reason tag has not evolved one bit over who knows how long; it's pretty safe to say that it works just fine the way it is, and requires no tampering.

Yesterday (or the day before, this week has kinda run all together), I was not feeling well at all. So when it came time for 1-4's PE class, I told them that they had a brief exercise time and then would have (what I thought was) every child's dream, free time for the period. Imagine it! Free to play any game they liked, free to run and jump, and I (or so I thought) free to sit dejectedly on the bench feeling sorry for myself. Well, the first 30 seconds of free time went swimmingly well. A cheer went up, they went running onto the court, and I sat down. Then before my head could even reach my hands, disaster struck. All of a sudden, that sinister fiend that is boredom reared its ugly head.

"Miiiiister, I don't know what to play".
"Miister, I'm bored".
"Mister can we play dodgeball?".

Well of course you can play whatever you like my children, it is FREE TIME. However, that did not satisfy them. So I encouraged one or two of the leader types to go about and try to drum up support for their game of choice. The half-heartedly wandered about trying to make the sell, and wouldn't have succeeded at selling a coat to an Eskimo with their sullen faces and weary tone. It was pitiful. Never in my life would I have predicted that a group of 1-4 graders would tire so quickly and enthusiastically of FREE TIME. I mean, what kid doesn't like recess?!

Along the same lines, the other day I was subbing for one of the sick staff and in the morning I had to take them (5 and 6 year olds) outside for about an hour and a half while some needs were attended to in the room. It was barely halfway through before they started asking when we were going back inside.

Now this means either of two things to me: either they are dependent on TV and have no will of their own to be active outside in a ball court or on a playground with slides and swings and future generations will have no idea what it means to get fresh air and exercise OR we are doing such a great job of teaching them that they can't bear the thought of being out of the classroom or without instruction for too long. I always suspect that the truth is stirring around somewhere near the middle.

Until next time!

Made

We are having a few half days due to parent-teacher conferences, so the schedule is all tweaked to accommodate. This conversation resulted:

Jude- Mister are we having PE today?
Me- Yep
Jude- YESSSS!


Day is made.