Oct 26, 2021 | Care Conversations
Inadvertent Outcomes
Our starting point in this series was “how does our faith inform our everyday practices in schools and classrooms?”
All teaching includes some kind of student formation, but sometimes our attempts at formation are not what we intended.
David Smith provides us with an example:
“He relates how when his son was 16, he came home from his Christian High school one day and said, that he had homework from his religion class. His son asked if his dad could help.
I said, “Sure.” So, we sat down and he had a worksheet with twelve words down the left side and twelve definitions on the right. The words were all theological words — “justification,” “sanctification,” “kingdom of God,” “Trinity,” “ascension.”
He said, “I’ve got a test on Friday. I’ve got to know this stuff.”
So, I started asking him hard questions — “What’s the difference between justification and sanctification, and how would you recognize either one if you found it in your lunch?” “Can you think of a story that illustrates any of these?” “Can you think of a Bible story that goes with any of these?”
His response was, “I don’t need to understand it that well, because on the test, they’re only going to make me match the words with the definitions.”
He concluded that since the material was presented as simply matching words to meanings, then the assessment would simply require the same thing.
“Therefore, I don’t need to understand the material. I only need to remember which word goes with which paragraph.”
The teacher in my son’s class is one of the best in his school. I know that the teacher didn’t come into class that morning with a lesson plan that said, “Today I want to teach my students that theology is not important.” Yet the learning outcome was that my son had a list of the twelve most important theological words in the New Testament and he’s saying, “I don’t need to understand this well.”
The teacher did not stand up and say, “Hey guys, this is just theology. It’s not that important so don’t put too much time into this.” That learning came out of the correlation between the structure of the worksheet and the patterns of teachers’ behaviours and their testing strategies.
Sadly, my son’s relationship to theology is being shaped by this set of teaching strategies.
The problem is not content. You couldn’t get more Christian content onto that sheet of paper without using a smaller font. The problem is with the way the process relates to the content. What choices do we make in how to teach? And how does that affect how students receive what we teach?”
Blessings
Brian
Reference:
- I&K Neuwsbrief. (2019, March 5). What being Christian has to do with how we teach: Interview with David Smith. https://www.ienknetwerk.nl/V2X/verdieping/interview-met-david-smith/
Oct 26, 2021 | Wens Pen
Hello Everyone
Truly human. I’ve heard it said that we humans are the sum or our experiences. Whilst it is true that our experiences help to shape us in life, our humanity is far more exquisite and defined than just being the sum of our experiences. Stepping inside the shape of an-experienced based definition of our humanity, is a hollow shell that ultimately echoes a sense of hopelessness, particularly when life sifts us. It might sound all sweetly philosophical to say we are the sum of our experiences, but it is a sugar-coated view of our personhood and misses the dignity and sacredness of life as being a grand creation of God. Psalm 8:3-6.
God’s definition of what it means to be truly human is rather magnificent and reverberates with powerful chords of truth across our souls. God’s Word affirms every human being is created by God, and for God, made in His image and likeness. Genesis 1:26. Think of that for a moment. We are made by the very hands of God, the great master and creator of all things. As resplendent as creation is, it is us, human beings that are made in God’s image. It is no small thing to come into an understanding of what it means to be truly human, bearing His likeness. This revelation is transformative as we realise our value is not determined extrinsically, measured by our circumstances or experiences. Rather it is intrinsic, where God seeded worth and value into the DNA of our personhood which means our worth and value will never be diminished. But that is not all. To be truly human is to be granted the privilege of living in relationship with God, our maker, as His finest jewel in all creation, here on earth and into eternity. Although we broke relationship with God, He remains as committed as He ever was to polishing up or renewing His image in us so we reflect His essence to others.
So, it’s quite a relief that it is not up to us to become truly human by being the sum of our experiences. Even in our fallen state as “cracked” image bearers, Jesus does a work of transformation in us as He returns us to our original creative purpose. To fall for the premise that we are the sum of our experiences is a huge burden to live under when God has already made us truly human. It is counter-productive and way too much work to keep pacing it out on a treadmill that requires us to continuously reinvent ourselves through every experience we have to ensure that we remain intact as human beings and feel worthwhile. What a consolation it is to have the gentle, patient, loving hands of the Father to both define us and to refine us by making us truly human .
So, friends, get your “truly human” on today.
Best days to come.
Wen
Oct 19, 2021 | Wens Pen
Hello Everyone
It is well with my soul. As I have pondered the idea of being able to truly exclaim “it is well with my soul” when we face difficulty, the words penned after Horatio Spafford suffered such a swipe of tragedy that deeply gashed his life, it became clear to me that there is only one possible set of shoes we can ever stand in to make such a declaration in all seasons of life and that is to stand in the truth and reality of Jesus; in who He is and what He has done for us. It is easy to say “it is well with my soul” in seasons of flourishing and not so easy in the face of grievances. In life’s more strenuous times, our only hope of declaring “it is well with my soul” is to cling to Jesus and to know with deep assurance that He will faithfully hold us close to His own heart as He identifies with any broken threads in our lives and walks us through to the other side of the troubles we face.
Not only does Jesus identify with the splintering of our lives when we crash against the rocks of hardship, be it minor or major, His own life was offered up for our sake as a sacrificial redemptive act. No one gets the agony of adversity like Jesus does as the scarlet strands of pain have left Him scarred on our behalf. As He invites us to hold fast to Him and enables us to whisper “it is well with my soul” in our distress, we do so knowing that He is our compassionate, faithful, comforting, good and honourable Saviour whose formidable love compelled Him to suffer on our behalf so He could save us in our own times of crisis. Jesus knows our pain firsthand. In that single moment, when we turn to Him and either hasten or hobble towards Him, He is already running to gather us up in His strong and tender arms, to draw us close, to bear with us and to pour out His healing balm on our needy hearts.
Without Jesus, the ability to say “it is well with my soul” in the midst of trials seems like a contradiction in terms. But with Jesus, there is a transcendent peace that He fuses into our souls that eclipses our pain and marks us with His hope, light, and rest. It is not easy to declare “it is well with my soul” when hardship hits, and it doesn’t negate our pain, but it becomes possible because of Jesus. Isn’t He a magnificent Saviour?
So, friends, get your “it is well” on in Jesus today.
Best days to come.
Wen
Oct 19, 2021 | Hope_Tina
Contentment – God’s Assurance
Observing my grandchildren is one of life’s great delights. One of the things I have noticed is the sense of contentment they have that comes from the assurance their father gives them. Their faces beam when they snuggle in their dad’s arms or play games with him, they enjoy him tucking them into bed, and they laugh joyously when he is acting out the characters in the books he reads to them. As he engages them in relationship, he demonstrates his commitment to them. He invites them to enjoy him as their father and continuously reveals his love, commitment, faithfulness, and reliability to them. They know him and are confident in his character. In a nutshell, he provides them with a deep sense of assurance and that allows them to be content. It is a picture of the assurance our heavenly Father gives us that leads us to contentment.
As we stand on the shores of life, we see a continuously changing landscape that breeds a level of insecurity. So many cultural shifts surge in with the tides of time, and we are never quite sure what will wash up on the shifting sands of our world. How do anchor ourselves and enjoy the continuing sense of contentment we seek when we live with such agitation and instability whirling around us relentlessly? We need the assurance of a Father who is unchanging, who is predictable, who is exactly who He reveals Himself to be, and who is completely capable of keeping us buoyant in these turbulent times. We need the assurance of the one and only perfect Father and as we look into the light of His authentic face, we can be content.
Psalm 46 is gives us an assuring revelation of who God is and what He does to secure His people, enabling them to be content in all circumstances. This Psalm speaks of the assurance God gives His children. He declares that He is ever-present, our refuge, and our strength. The waters of attack can roar and foam all around us. The foundations our our society and earth can be crumbling and the mountains of influence in our culture can crack. Life as we know it can be smashing and splintering against the rocks, but our Father whispers to us “fear not . . . be still and know that I am God”. To know Him is to be absolutely sure of Him and not by any ability we muster up to know Him, but because He has shown us His character and His character is perfect. What a Father and what an assurance that allows us to engage the Father’s heart, remaining sure of the Father we know, the Father who is in control and the Father who vows to keep us safe. Right there, in the assurance of our Father we can grow in contentment.
These words of God are not some kind of magical message in a bottle that mysteriously and randomly washed up on the shore at a point in time. They are the living, breathing and resounding words of God that He intentionally spoke to reveal Himself to humanity. As we take hold of God’s words we will know the transformation of a life that was once planted in the grounds of a shaky world to a life where our feet are planted in the words of God’s truth. God’s truthful words of assurance hold us tightly and keep us content.
Friends, as you ponder and experience the assurance God our Father gives us, may you know Him as your perfect Father as your sense of Christian contentment grows in response to this reality.
Blessings
Tina
Oct 19, 2021 | Hope_Tina
Contentment – God’s Assurance
Observing my grandchildren is one of life’s great delights. One of the things I have noticed is the sense of contentment they have that comes from the assurance their father gives them. Their faces beam when they snuggle in their dad’s arms or play games with him, they enjoy him tucking them into bed, and they laugh joyously when he is acting out the characters in the books he reads to them. As he engages them in relationship, he demonstrates his commitment to them. He invites them to enjoy him as their father and continuously reveals his love, commitment, faithfulness, and reliability to them. They know him and are confident in his character. In a nutshell, he provides them with a deep sense of assurance and that allows them to be content. It is a picture of the assurance our heavenly Father gives us that leads us to contentment.
As we stand on the shores of life, we see a continuously changing landscape that breeds a level of insecurity. So many cultural shifts surge in with the tides of time, and we are never quite sure what will wash up on the shifting sands of our world. How do anchor ourselves and enjoy the continuing sense of contentment we seek when we live with such agitation and instability whirling around us relentlessly? We need the assurance of a Father who is unchanging, who is predictable, who is exactly who He reveals Himself to be, and who is completely capable of keeping us buoyant in these turbulent times. We need the assurance of the one and only perfect Father and as we look into the light of His authentic face, we can be content.
Psalm 46 is gives us an assuring revelation of who God is and what He does to secure His people, enabling them to be content in all circumstances. This Psalm speaks of the assurance God gives His children. He declares that He is ever-present, our refuge, and our strength. The waters of attack can roar and foam all around us. The foundations our our society and earth can be crumbling and the mountains of influence in our culture can crack. Life as we know it can be smashing and splintering against the rocks, but our Father whispers to us “fear not . . . be still and know that I am God”. To know Him is to be absolutely sure of Him and not by any ability we muster up to know Him, but because He has shown us His character and His character is perfect. What a Father and what an assurance that allows us to engage the Father’s heart, remaining sure of the Father we know, the Father who is in control and the Father who vows to keep us safe. Right there, in the assurance of our Father we can grow in contentment.
These words of God are not some kind of magical message in a bottle that mysteriously and randomly washed up on the shore at a point in time. They are the living, breathing and resounding words of God that He intentionally spoke to reveal Himself to humanity. As we take hold of God’s words we will know the transformation of a life that was once planted in the grounds of a shaky world to a life where our feet are planted in the words of God’s truth. God’s truthful words of assurance hold us tightly and keep us content.
Friends, as you ponder and experience the assurance God our Father gives us, may you know Him as your perfect Father as your sense of Christian contentment grows in response to this reality.
Blessings
Tina
