Teachable Moments. February 11, 2017.
Every Monday and Wednesday I spend mornings and afternoons groups of students--about 20 kids between the 2 groups and 3 other volunteers. I'm grateful for a couple community members volunteering and a few of the kids' parents helping out as well. The group is called "Elevar" (tr. Elevate). We work together on homework, design our own robots to learn about purpose, play in the park, and celebrate birthdays with cookies and rooftop campfires.
The purpose is to push a group of young people to be their best--in school, in conduct, in personhood--and to catch the vision for being their best FOR the glory of God in all things. Oh, that they might be a "royal priesthood" that stand out like Daniel in Babylon, put God on display to others, and live confidently and freely in their God-given purpose. Can we pray for that? It's not an overnight process, but it's such a big deal they might thrive in the midst of culture that is accustomed to just getting by, to never leaving the neighborhood, to just accepting the status quo, to "believing" with words and not action, to not investing in or sincerely loving others.
When Alaina asks me what they best part of my day was, it's usually not that a Bible lesson went really well or that Alejandra was really well behaved. It's usually something like, "Madelyn was doing her younger sister's homework for her (not allowed cause no one learns doing that) and then lied to me about it (not allowed cause lying is for da birds)." or "I had to stop the Toros football practice because someone did a tackling drill so poorly." Really? That was the best part of your day? Often, it is, because when the damage is temporary, it's more about what we learn than just about what happens. When people make mistakes that we can all take the time to learn from, we can really move forward.
Let's go Biblical with this. After Job and his pals banter about Job's "undeserved suffering" for 30-some chapters, God makes a teachable moment and speaks, "Brace yourself like a man, I will question you and you shall answer me..." (read Job 38 for more).
When the Pharisees point fingers at the disciples for not washing their hands, Jesus makes a teachable moment by identifying that the Pharisees need to get themselves washed...inside and out.
After the disciples fell asleep while the burdened Lord had only asked them to keep watch and pray, Jesus makes a teachable moment and says, "The spirit is willing, guys, but the flesh is weak."
And when the Corinthian church gets its feathers are ruffled between Paul and Peter and Apollos, Paul makes a teachable moment out of it and says, "Look, we can't be divided as a Church! Our loyalty is to Christ, not to certain people (or pastors) (or denominations)."
And while in the tutoring program I'm the "profe," in the grander scheme in life, I'm the student. I'm the learning, stubborn, disciple. I reckon there's a lot that God wants to teach me in the many "teachable moments" that I miss out on by just carrying on with my busy-ness. When I say no to giving to this person or spending time with that person. When I go days without opening up His Word, the light He's given me to walk by. When I don't live my day steeped in faith and overflowing with the love and power God has poured out on me.
Choose reflection. Choose repentance. Choose depth. Let God teach you through your foolishness.
I love each and every one of the kids that are part of "Elevar." Juanita, Joaquin, Adrianna and David. Gary, Alejandra and Maria. Juana, Thelma, Madelyn, and Kevin. Brandon, Erixon, and Andri. Astri, Pao, Marbella and Nataly. Marck and Melanie. Genesis and Junior. Mishell and Wilder. Could you pick a name and pray for them this week? We're having a meeting with their parents on Monday, hoping to include them in the restorative work of the kingdom within the Bethania community. Pray for that! Pray that teachable moments sink in and that God's love sinks in more.
Thanks for walking with us, praying for us, and some of you even sending things to us via mom's suitcase. Ya'll are the best.
-AJ & Alaina
thewestys.weebly.com
guatemala.team.org
p.s. things to pray about lately.
1. Peace. Alaina's beloved Grandma Jenny died this past week and gets to spend her days in heaven now. She had a weak and tired body, but a heart full of love till the end. We're thankful the weekend cleared up perfectly for Alaina to make a quick trip back for the visitation and funeral. She really needed it.
2. Providence. Silvia, our neighbor who has leukemia, a weak heart, and a blood clot in her brain (and 5 kids), got news that there is a bone marrow transplant available for her! Thankful for some good news.
3. Focus and Depth. I feel the weight of my spreading my world to thin lately. It's difficult for me to focus for too long and any one thing or any one person because I have a list of things I'm trying to put together for the next thing. That's not the healthiest or the most effective.
4. Salvation. There's like 15 new players with the Toros right now (awesome!), with varying levels of dependability. Even so, pray for their salvation. Many know about God, at least, but salvation in being gripped by God and His love, believing His promises and seeking them more than the world, like they really matter. The prevailing mantra is believing in God, not having it invade and interrupt one's life or desires, not really loving God or who He is or what He's done. Oh, that God might bring his salvation!
5. Guatemala. We were so grateful for Mom, Dad, Aunt Sallie, Uncle Mike, Grandma A, and Sarah to come down last week (see the photo album here!). After 5 quick days of ministry, football, birdwatching, boat riding, shopping, serving food and doing church, they shared their prayers for the Guatemala they had seen: Peace in Christ. For Hope. For justice in food and child labor. For Truth. For the Church. For Silvia. For the young folks at Sigo Vivo. We can always pray for these things.
6. Baptisms! Two of our very good friends here, Hans and Celestino, are getting baptized in a week...along with like 10 other people at Iglesia Reforma! We're so excited to see God make moves in their lives. Pray for continued hunger for God, His word, and transformation and repentance to be real.
The purpose is to push a group of young people to be their best--in school, in conduct, in personhood--and to catch the vision for being their best FOR the glory of God in all things. Oh, that they might be a "royal priesthood" that stand out like Daniel in Babylon, put God on display to others, and live confidently and freely in their God-given purpose. Can we pray for that? It's not an overnight process, but it's such a big deal they might thrive in the midst of culture that is accustomed to just getting by, to never leaving the neighborhood, to just accepting the status quo, to "believing" with words and not action, to not investing in or sincerely loving others.
When Alaina asks me what they best part of my day was, it's usually not that a Bible lesson went really well or that Alejandra was really well behaved. It's usually something like, "Madelyn was doing her younger sister's homework for her (not allowed cause no one learns doing that) and then lied to me about it (not allowed cause lying is for da birds)." or "I had to stop the Toros football practice because someone did a tackling drill so poorly." Really? That was the best part of your day? Often, it is, because when the damage is temporary, it's more about what we learn than just about what happens. When people make mistakes that we can all take the time to learn from, we can really move forward.
Let's go Biblical with this. After Job and his pals banter about Job's "undeserved suffering" for 30-some chapters, God makes a teachable moment and speaks, "Brace yourself like a man, I will question you and you shall answer me..." (read Job 38 for more).
When the Pharisees point fingers at the disciples for not washing their hands, Jesus makes a teachable moment by identifying that the Pharisees need to get themselves washed...inside and out.
After the disciples fell asleep while the burdened Lord had only asked them to keep watch and pray, Jesus makes a teachable moment and says, "The spirit is willing, guys, but the flesh is weak."
And when the Corinthian church gets its feathers are ruffled between Paul and Peter and Apollos, Paul makes a teachable moment out of it and says, "Look, we can't be divided as a Church! Our loyalty is to Christ, not to certain people (or pastors) (or denominations)."
And while in the tutoring program I'm the "profe," in the grander scheme in life, I'm the student. I'm the learning, stubborn, disciple. I reckon there's a lot that God wants to teach me in the many "teachable moments" that I miss out on by just carrying on with my busy-ness. When I say no to giving to this person or spending time with that person. When I go days without opening up His Word, the light He's given me to walk by. When I don't live my day steeped in faith and overflowing with the love and power God has poured out on me.
Choose reflection. Choose repentance. Choose depth. Let God teach you through your foolishness.
I love each and every one of the kids that are part of "Elevar." Juanita, Joaquin, Adrianna and David. Gary, Alejandra and Maria. Juana, Thelma, Madelyn, and Kevin. Brandon, Erixon, and Andri. Astri, Pao, Marbella and Nataly. Marck and Melanie. Genesis and Junior. Mishell and Wilder. Could you pick a name and pray for them this week? We're having a meeting with their parents on Monday, hoping to include them in the restorative work of the kingdom within the Bethania community. Pray for that! Pray that teachable moments sink in and that God's love sinks in more.
Thanks for walking with us, praying for us, and some of you even sending things to us via mom's suitcase. Ya'll are the best.
-AJ & Alaina
thewestys.weebly.com
guatemala.team.org
p.s. things to pray about lately.
1. Peace. Alaina's beloved Grandma Jenny died this past week and gets to spend her days in heaven now. She had a weak and tired body, but a heart full of love till the end. We're thankful the weekend cleared up perfectly for Alaina to make a quick trip back for the visitation and funeral. She really needed it.
2. Providence. Silvia, our neighbor who has leukemia, a weak heart, and a blood clot in her brain (and 5 kids), got news that there is a bone marrow transplant available for her! Thankful for some good news.
3. Focus and Depth. I feel the weight of my spreading my world to thin lately. It's difficult for me to focus for too long and any one thing or any one person because I have a list of things I'm trying to put together for the next thing. That's not the healthiest or the most effective.
4. Salvation. There's like 15 new players with the Toros right now (awesome!), with varying levels of dependability. Even so, pray for their salvation. Many know about God, at least, but salvation in being gripped by God and His love, believing His promises and seeking them more than the world, like they really matter. The prevailing mantra is believing in God, not having it invade and interrupt one's life or desires, not really loving God or who He is or what He's done. Oh, that God might bring his salvation!
5. Guatemala. We were so grateful for Mom, Dad, Aunt Sallie, Uncle Mike, Grandma A, and Sarah to come down last week (see the photo album here!). After 5 quick days of ministry, football, birdwatching, boat riding, shopping, serving food and doing church, they shared their prayers for the Guatemala they had seen: Peace in Christ. For Hope. For justice in food and child labor. For Truth. For the Church. For Silvia. For the young folks at Sigo Vivo. We can always pray for these things.
6. Baptisms! Two of our very good friends here, Hans and Celestino, are getting baptized in a week...along with like 10 other people at Iglesia Reforma! We're so excited to see God make moves in their lives. Pray for continued hunger for God, His word, and transformation and repentance to be real.
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