Hope and the Christmas Spirit

For many, the Christmas season is just parties, gifts, decorations, and time off work. But for Christians this time of year is a happy reminder of the hope we have because of Jesus.

Before Jesus birth, God seemed distant, hidden in the Holy of Holies in the temple, accessible only to the high priest. Worshipers wondered whether their sacrifices were acceptable. They doubted their salvation.


The birth of Jesus brought hope—to the person out of work, to the struggling single mother, to the dying believer. Even if you're just slogging your way through the disappointments of life, when you have Jesus, you have hope.


And He's not a false hope, a childish fairy tale that we wish will have a happy ending. It is more than believing an old man will give us gifts. It is more than a feeling of love and goodwill with snow gently falling. When Christ rose from the dead, that ended the argument—Period!


Our hope in Jesus is solid.  Christmas is a renewal of that hope. It reconfirms it for us if our vision has grown dim. It was settled that long ago night when Christ was born, so we don't have to doubt any more. Jesus is the fulfillment of our hope, our deepest longings come true.


Ellen White tells us, When you look to Calvary it is not to quiet your soul in the nonperformance of duty, not to compose yourself to sleep, but to create faith in Jesus, faith that will work, purifying the soul from the slime of selfishness. When we lay hold of Christ by faith, our work has just begun. Every man has corrupt and sinful habits that must be overcome by vigorous warfare. Every soul is required to fight the fight of faith. If one is a follower of Christ, he cannot be sharp in deal, he cannot be hardhearted, devoid of sympathy. He cannot be coarse in his speech. He cannot be full of pomposity and self-esteem. He cannot be overbearing, nor can he use harsh words, and censure and condemn. (MS 16, 1890)


When we experience the hope of Jesus birth, we want to share the true Christmas Spirit. The true Christmas spirit will give us the desire to do for others.


“While it is true that our busy activities will not in themselves ensure salvation, it is also true that faith which unites us to Christ will stir the soul to activity.” (Ibid.)


It's not the business of Christmas that brings us the joy of the season. It is the fact that Jesus love is in us and that He wanted to live with us that makes the season one of Hope and Joy. Now we can wish others, “Merry Christmas.” It's the joy of IMMANUEL, God with us.

I recently heard one of the new Christmas carols on our Christian radio station. It's called, “How Many Kings?” It's a beautiful story of how God gave His Son for us. Who else would give up their Son to save a world in sin?

The chorus says,

How many kings step down from their thrones?

How many lords have abandoned their homes?

How many greats have become the least for me?

How many gods have poured out their hearts

to romance a world that was torn all apart?

How many fathers gave up their sons for me?”

You can listen to the song at this link.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOitm8JCuK4&feature=related

Let's pray that we can understand more completely that love which caused God to step down from His throne. He

abandoned His Heavenly home to become the least for me. God poured out His heart to romance a world that was torn all apart.

He is the only one who did that for me...All for me!

Celebrate the spirit of hope and this Christmas season.

BLUEBERRY STORY

A Businessman Learns a Lesson

by Jamie Robert Vollmer

"If I ran my business the way you people operate your schools, I wouldn't be in business very long!" I stood before an auditorium filled with outraged teachers who were becoming angrier by the minute.. My speech had entirely consumed their precious 90 minutes of in-service. Their initial icy glares had turned to restless agitation. You could cut the hostility with a knife.

I represented a group of business people dedicated to improving public schools. I was an executive at an ice cream company that became famous in the middle 1980s when People Magazine chose our blueberry as the "Best Ice Cream in America." I was convinced of two things.

First, public schools needed to change; they were archaic selecting and sorting mechanisms designed for the industrial age and out of step with the needs of our emerging "knowledge society."

Second, educators were a major part of the problem: they resisted change, hunkered down in their feathered nests, protected by tenure and shielded by a bureaucratic monopoly.

They needed to look to business. We knew how to produce quality. Zero defects! TQM! Continuous improvement! In retrospect, the speech was perfectly balanced equal parts ignorance and arrogance.

As soon as I finished, a woman's hand shot up. She appeared polite, pleasant - she was, in fact, a razor-edged, veteran, high school English teacher who had been waiting to unload. She began quietly, "We are told, sir, that you manage a company that makes good ice cream."
I smugly replied, "Best ice cream in America, Ma'am."
"How nice," she said. "Is it rich and smooth?"
"Sixteen percent butterfat," I crowed.
"Premium ingredients?" she inquired.
"Super-premium! Nothing but triple A." I was on a roll.
I never saw the next line coming. "Mr. Vollmer," she said, leaning forward with a wicked eyebrow raised to the sky, "when you are standing on your receiving dock and you see an inferior shipment of blueberries arrive, what do you do?"

In the silence of that room, I could hear the trap snap. I was dead meat, but I wasn't going to lie. "I send them back."
"That's right!" she barked, "and we can never send back our blueberries. We take them big, small, rich, poor, gifted, exceptional, abused, frightened confident, homeless, rude, and brilliant. We take them all: GT, ADHD, ADD, SLD, EI, MMR, OHI, TBI, DD, Autistic, junior rheumatoid arthritis,
English as their second language, etc.
We take them all! Everyone!
And that, Mr. Vollmer, is why it's not a business. It's a school!"

In an explosion, all 290 teachers, principals, bus drivers, aides, custodians and secretaries jumped to their feet and yelled, "Yeah! Blueberries! Blueberries!"
And so began my long transformation.

Since then, I have visited hundreds of schools. I have learned that a school is not a business.
Schools are unable to control the quality of their raw material, they are dependent upon the vagaries of politics for a reliable revenue stream, and they are constantly mauled by a howling horde of disparate, competing customer groups that would send the best CEO screaming into the night.

None of this negates the need for change. We must change what, when and how we teach to give all children maximum opportunity to thrive in a post-industrial society
But educators cannot do this alone; these changes can occur only with the understanding, trust, permission and active support of the surrounding community.
For the most important thing I have learned is that schools reflect the attitudes, beliefs and health of the communities they serve, and therefore, education means more than changing our schools, it means changing America.

Top Ten Things Adventist Teachers Need To Do

Top Ten Things Adventist Teachers Need To Do

10. Take care of yourself. Teaching is a marathon, not a sprint. Adventist teachers are out there early and often. Teachers have to take time for themselves every day. You MUST take time to talk with God, to study from The Word, read devotional books. But you also need to take trips, go to conferences, spend time with family and spend time with each other when you don't talk about school.

9. Understand that your class is only one of many things that kids have to do. What goes on in your class is important, but remember that, at any given moment in time, there are pressures on their kids' lives that makes what goes on in your class seem powerfully inconsequential. Help them to keep God, family, and friends in the proper perspectives. Your class needs to fit in with every part of their life.

8. Never be afraid to bring an idea or a critique to your superintendent or principal. Don't be afraid to tell them what you think. It is their job to help you be a better teacher. Share with them what you think would make your school a better place and ask them how they can help you.

7. Be as transparent as possible. That means opening your classroom door to colleagues, to parents, to visitors. Give students opportunities to publish their work. Publish a classroom newsletter or blog. Never play "gotcha" with the kids when it comes to expectations.

6. Dictatorship may make for an orderly class, but it rarely helps kids improve. Give students opportunities to feel ownership of the classroom. In the end, you will get what you want or you will get much more. Let them feel that they have a say in the society of the classroom.

5. Remember that inquiry isn't just for kids. If we want our students to push themselves to question more, dig deeper, figure it out for themselves, we must be willing to do that too. Learn with your students.

4. Take ownership of the school outside your classroom. Adventist schools work because everyone makes it happen. Run a club, chair a committee, write a grant, do the thing you always wanted to do in a school but never thought the structure of school could support.

3. Be a community of teachers and learners...Speak the same language. Kids spend too much time figuring out teachers, and that detracts from the work they can do for themselves, not for us. Incorporate the school's core values into your planning, use Journey to Excellence Curriculum Guides to plan units. The way we teach and learn needs to be Bible based and oriented to Adventist schools.

2. Treat your class as a lens, not a silo. Help them to make truth obvious, not simply store it up for the future. The goal is for our kids to be well-rounded, thoughtful Christians. Not all of your students will become leaders in the church. Make sure the others know that what they are learning with you helps them to be a better person.

1. We teach students before we teach subjects. Adventist teachers need to understand and live the profound difference between the statements, "I teach math," and "I teach kids to understand math." Children should never be the implied object of their own education. A teacher is more than a distributor of knowledge. They are models for Christian life. We are guides on the Journey to Excellence and our students need to know God's grace.

And one more – Show love. Show your students, their parents, your colleagues, even your principal and superintendent, that you love them. God is love and more than anything else, you need to show your students that they are loved.

Whatever you do, Show love.

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The idea for this list came from Chris Lehmann.

Read the original list at http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2010/10/what-i-ask-of-sla-teachers.html

Christmas Gifts

As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods--merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is!

It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?

Everyone, well almost EVERYONE, gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon or barber?  Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement. How about subscriptions to the local newspaper, or a favorite magazine, or NRA?

Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.

Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plunking down the Benjamin’s on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.

There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants -- all offering gift certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what
about a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks, this isn't about big National chains -- this is about supporting your home town Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.

How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?

Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day.

My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running.

OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.

Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theater.  Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.

Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of light, about fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip.

You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so that China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn't imagine. THIS is the new American Christmas tradition.

“We didn’t have [x] when I was a kid and I turned out okay”

I want to share a post from a blog I find quite interesting.  It is called, Dangerously Irrelevant.  Go to  http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org  to enjoy more from this blogger.  Sign up for the e-mail list and enjoy more topics.  I did.

This week the subject is one of my pet peeves.  When discussing technology, people often say, "We don't need that in schools!"

“We didn’t have [x] when I was a kid and I turned out okay” Posted: 05 Nov 2011 08:58 AM PDT Here's a statement that I'm getting really tired of hearing: "We didn't have computers when I was in school and I turned out okay. There's no reason why kids today need 'em." I'm sure that this argument was offered in the past as well: "Buses? We walked to school barefoot, in the snow, uphill both ways!" "I don't want to pay for indoor plumbing for the school. We didn't have it when I was a student and I turned out alright." "Electricity? Pshaw! Do you know how dangerous those wires are? When we were kids we had oil lamps and candles and everything was fine." "Back in our day we didn't need that newfangled writing and alphabet stuff. We actually used our brains and memorized things." "Agriculture? Hah! It's the ruin of society! Kids are just sitting around getting soft while they watch the crops grow. When I was a child we actually had to run after our food. We were tough, not like these kids today." And so on... At some point we have to label this what it is: ridiculous. When we actually acknowledge and support this misbegotten, history-blind nostalgia, all it does is delay our much-needed recognition that the world is constantly changing and that we need to adapt in thoughtful but necessary ways. Change be can scary, but there's a huge difference between intelligent, reflective criticism and mindless, reactionary dismissal. Remember all of the hubbub a few years back when everyone above the age of 30 was absolutely convinced that Facebook was PURE EVIL? Then they started using it themselves and realized that it was just another (albeit different) way to communicate. The furor died down and we started having interesting conversations about when and how Facebook might be a useful learning tool. How many of those Facebook-is-pure-evil folks reflected on that process and resolved to think about the next new technology differently? How many of them apologized to the young people in their lives for their knee-jerk comments a few years back? Very few, if any. Is it wrong of me to wish that people who espouse this view be prohibited from holding political office or serving on school boards? [cross-posted at Education Recoded] Related posts: No Facebook for you! Don’t teach your kids this stuff. Please? Facebook, college students, and lower grades