Tag Archive for: Transformational Perspectives

Confessions of a Stressed-Out Teacher

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I took a break from my teaching at one point to pursue further studies. While studying, I worked part-time as a waiter. I missed many things about the teaching environment: interacting with colleagues, watching students learn, preparing for class, and sometimes even grading. Yet, there was one thing I did not miss at all: I NEVER had to take work home!

Perhaps taking work home simply comes with the territory. As teachers, we are concerned about our students’ well-being and look for ways to make their learning experience better. We often have assignments to grade and materials to prepare for tomorrow’s class.

While several good things may come out of all this hard work, there is also a side-effect: we’re worn out. And when we’re worn out, we lose the joy of teaching and become less effective at what we do. We get more impatient, irritable, and bitter, displaying character traits that resemble the works of the flesh more than the fruit of the Spirit.

I decided to write on this because, more than anything, this pandemic has left me tired. I’ve seen many teachers tired as well. So, what can be done?

The biblical answer is Sabbath-keeping, not as a rule but as a day to rest. In the Old Testament, the people of Israel were directed to separate a day dedicated to rest and worship every seven days. The word “Sabbath” comes from a Hebrew word derived from the verb “to stop” (shabat), which sounds similar to the number seven in Hebrew.

In the fourth commandment (Exodus 20:8–11), we read that we were created to work, but also to rest. Keeping a Sabbath is not a random command, for the rhythm of work and rest is embedded in the created order. God rested after He had completed making the heavens and the earth (Genesis 2:2–3). On one hand, He was expressing the satisfaction we also experience after successfully accomplishing a task or project. On the other, there was still much work yet to be done! After all, God delegated to us the ruling over creation, the filling of the earth, the tilling of the ground, and the naming of the animals. So I wonder, if God didn’t do everything that could have been done, why do I have the urge to act as if everything is up to me?

Interestingly, in the other version of the Decalogue (Deuteronomy 5:12–15), there’s a different reason for Sabbath-keeping. Here, the practice is grounded on God’s redemptive work of setting Israel free from under Egypt’s thumb. Having experienced God’s grace, Israel was not to act in oppressive ways. Not only was the head of the household entitled to rest, but also his children, servants, foreigners that worked for him, and even his animals. Everyone was entitled to catch their breath (Exodus 23:12). I wonder, how often is my drive for effectiveness making my students stressed?

In New Testament times, Sabbath-keeping became distorted. The Pharisees, through their misguided understanding, managed to change what was meant to be a source of joy and refreshment into a legalistic burden. They believed they couldn’t walk more than 500 yards to visit a friend or start a fire to cook a meal on a Sabbath. Jesus corrected them by saying “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). Having a day of rest is not a rule we obey to please God; it is a gift we receive from Him. It makes me ask: is my lifestyle a source of stress and tension, or a fountain of blessing and grace to the people around me?

In the Hebrew mindset, a day was not from midnight to midnight, but from sunset to sunset. When we wake up to go to work, we are not starting anything, but merely joining God in what He’s already doing. God is always at work in the world, even while we sleep (Psalm 127:2). Perhaps, our rhythm should not be seen as work-then-rest, but as rest-then-work. We can only properly work when we are well-rested in our Father’s arms. Taking this into consideration, does my reluctance to having proper rest reveal my lack of faith and dependence on God?

So what can we do to establish a healthier life rhythm? First, we must realize that Sabbath-keeping is a weekly rhythm. Vacation time is important, but we must also create resting spaces in our weekly planners.

Second, we need to acknowledge different kinds of rest. I need time to rest…

  • my spirit, by taking time to connect to the Spirit of God individually and with my brothers and sisters;
  • my body, by getting enough sleep and having proper physical posture at work (and if you lead a sedentary lifestyle like me, physical rest might also mean exercising a few times a week);
  • my mind, by slowing down my thoughts and not thinking about my work all the time, and by disconnecting from the constant stimuli of social media, music, online meetings, group chats, etc. 

Finally, resting is not only about not doing things, but also about doing different things. It’s about going on a hike and enjoying God’s creation, or developing your creative or artistic side through a hobby, or taking time to visit a friend you haven’t seen in a while.

Slowly I’m learning that God has called us to work, but not to be stressed. I guess I’ll stop here and have some rest.

Raphael Haeuser
Educational Consultant
TeachBeyond, Brazil

Photo Credits:
Teacher’s To-Do List. E. Burnham
Working Overtime. Piqsels.com
Sunset. E. Burnham

Frustration, Transformation, and Holiness

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Which glass of water would you like to drink?

Both demonstrate the work of a BioSand water filter, invented by David Manz in the early 1990’s. Since then, these simple, durable filters have been used all around the world for water purification. The glass on the left is what the water at the top of the filter looks like; the glass on the right was drawn out from the bottom of the filter. The difference? Time. Filtration is a slow, gravity-fed process through sand and gravel. The filter removes up to 100% of helminths (worms), up to 100% of protozoa, up to 98.5% of bacteria, and 70-99% of viruses.[1] The water is present all along, but time produces a clear result in the glass.
 
Time and process can be frustrating, can’t they? We know clarity and purity, or muck and potential toxicity, when we see them. We know what the end result should be. Yet arriving at that result involves getting rid of impurities, removing what’s life-threatening, and even just plain old waiting. You don’t just turn on the tap and “poof,” there’s your pure water!
 
“For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:18-19)[2]
 
Do you resonate with Paul’s self-disclosure here? It’s the process of removing all the impurities, all that will kill me. This is slow, arduous and possibly even frustrating. “I do not do… what I want to do.”
 
“I’ll never, ever, do that again.”
“This was the last time. For sure. I want to be different now.”
“What’s going on in my head? Why am I thinking this? I don’t even want to. It’s so frustrating!”
 
As members of TeachBeyond, we’re committed to transformation – to seeing everyone become all that God intends. And one of the things God intends is for us to be like him. “Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” (Lev 19:2) Holiness is one of our core values: “Valuing the moral perfection of God, we pursue a life of purity as He instructs us to in His Word and enables us to live through His indwelling Spirit.”[3]
 
But how is this possible? We know we can’t behaviourally manage someone into life-change. Not in a classroom, and I certainly can’t in my own heart, soul, mind and body. Charles Spurgeon said it well, “Holiness is not the way to Christ; Christ is the way to holiness.”[4] On my own, I can’t produce holiness any more than I could produce clean water.
 
This is the beautiful news of the gospel; holiness is given to us by the One who is eternally holy. The writer of Hebrews lifts our heads and hearts to see that “we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10). Look closely at the action of God, through Christ: “we have been made holy.” That’s it! That’s our position in Christ. A position we are given as daughters and sons, not because we’re able to squeeze the impurity out of our lives after enough effort, rather, because his indwelling Spirit is our life.
 
But we know all too well the feeling of being filtered and in-process, don’t we? God knows this too, and has planned this process specifically for you and me to learn to live in him. “For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” (Hebrews 10:14). Look closely at this verse, “those who are being made holy.” We “have been made” and we “are being made.” This is the powerful dynamic of the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
 
Here’s one final gospel encouragement for you. Just as the pure water in the glass on the right was latent in the water in the glass on the left, so you are becoming what God has always desired for you to be in the power of his Spirit. Here’s a passage framed pedagogically: “You were taught… to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Eph 4:22-24) You are created to be just what God hopes you will be – righteous and holy.

May you be encouraged to allow the Holy Spirit to continue the process he has begun in you. May you be confident in the removal of toxic things from your heart and habits, your being and doing. And may you be inspired to live a holy life where God’s purity shines through you and those you impact for transformation.
 
For further reflection:

  • In what area of your life are you longing for more holiness? How is God prompting you to continue to be made holy?
  • How would you share the concept of holiness with a student so that they could become a holy 4th grader? (or whatever grade you impact)
  • How is God’s holiness the needed good news for your neighbourhood?

Brian Delamont

Director of Global Spiritual Development
TeachBeyond
 

[1] “What is a Biosand Filter?” CAWST, www.cawst.org/services/expertise/biosand-filter/more-information.

[2] Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible. New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. TM Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

[3] “Mission & Vision.” TeachBeyond, teachbeyond.org/learn/mission-vision/

[4] This saying is attributed to C.H. Spurgeon in a variety of sermons and articles.
 Photo Credits:
Clean Water. Neverthirst via Instagram/neverthirst_water.
Open Book on wood background by Anelina/Shutterstock.com
Woman Praying by MIA Studio/Shutterstock.com

A Step towards Biblical Integration

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Transformational education – from a Christian perspective. Isn’t that what we’re about in TeachBeyond? Seeing God work through education to transform individuals and societies to be what He designed them to be? Absolutely!

Part of that “Christian perspective” on transformational education is teaching from a biblical worldview and helping our students develop such a worldview. In his book, Beyond Biblical Integration, Roger Erdvig explains that a biblical worldview is one in which a person’s thoughts, desires, and behaviours are aligned with God’s thoughts, desires, and behaviours as shown in His Word.[1] Erdvig shares the biblical framework of Creation – Fall – Redemption – Fulfillment that serves as a foundation for a biblical understanding of God’s world[2] and provides four questions which can serve us in analyzing the many facets of our world in light of that biblical framework:

  1. What is good in our culture that we can cultivate?
  2. What is missing that we can create?
  3. What is broken that we can cure?
  4. What is evil that we can help curb?[3]

In the classroom, when there are so many tasks to be completed and where it is all too easy to “get down to business” and set aside any add-on material or activities (especially in this time of stressful online learning), how can we nurture in our students a biblical understanding of what we are teaching them? How can we engage them in that important skill of reflection so they can build that biblical worldview? Here are a few ideas to get you thinking, ones that can be implemented in either in-person or online settings.

Discussion Questions
Leave some time at the end of a lesson to ask students how the particular topic they’re studying can be used to create/cultivate something good in the world or curb/cure something bad. This doesn’t have to be done each day – but once or twice throughout the week will allow students to get into a habit of seeing how a limited topic has a place in God’s broader world. Ask them as a whole group or split them into smaller groups (if online, use breakout groups) to process these questions with each other.

Journaling
Writing can and should be more than an academic exercise. In their article on using writing to combat traumatic experiences, Goodwin & Jones point out that it has been used as a therapy practice, as it helps individuals process their thoughts and experiences.[4] These authors also note that guided writing, with support from adults, is more effective than freewriting in processing experiences, and one suggestion they offer is using writing to share advice with another person. Response journaling can help students connect their learning with a biblical worldview and encourage thoughtful processing of the questions of how to cultivate, create, cure, or curb within the subject area. Students can also write letters of advice or explanation to help others see the subject matter in view of those questions. For younger learners or for learners who find writing overwhelming, journaling through drawing would work as well – have them draw out their responses or give illustrations for advice regarding the questions of how to use the subject matter to cultivate, create, cure, or curb.

Whiteboards
In our current world of online learning, using an online whiteboard can provide an interactive substitute for in-person activities. (A regular poster board could be used for in-person classes.) Students can collaborate by creating original collages, posters, drawings, or text responses to synthesize their learning and consider how it relates to cultivating, creating, curing, or curbing something in our world.

When students are given the opportunity to develop a habit of reflection that considers how all of learning and all of life fits into God’s purposes, desires, and actions, it is truly transformational. It allows them the chance to focus their attention on the God Who transforms, the God Who cultivates and creates good in our world and Who cures and curbs the evil that taints it.

Esther Burnham

School Services Conference Coordinator
TeachBeyond Global

[1] Erdvig, Roger C. S. Beyond Biblical Integration: Immersing You and Your Students in a Biblical Worldview, Summit Ministries, 2020, p. 10.
[2] Ibid, pp. 10-11, 48-52
[3] Ibid, pp. 59-64. Erdvig adapts these questions from John Stonestreet and Warren Smith’s work in Restoring All Things: God’s Audacious Plan to Change the world through Everyday People, Baker Books, 2015.
[4] Goodwin, Bryan, and Lisa M. Jones. “A ‘Write’ Way to Address Trauma.” Educational Leadership, Oct. 2020, pp. 74-75.
Photo Credits: Collaboration via Shutterstock.

Cascading Impact–Moving from Doing to Being

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One of my favourite moments is sitting beside a rushing stream in the mountains of Colorado. Dana and I have hiked from above tree line to the whitewater of the Arkansas River. Tucked in crevices on the mountains are hundreds of waterways that cascade from the high mountain lakes and melting snow to the Arkansas River, flowing towards the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico.

Sitting along a roaring creek in an unknown little corner brings peace and perspective. I can’t hear anything but the water; it splashes and roars over and over but never the same as the moment before. There is a power that is beyond me and that I can’t control.

Our fourth pillar for transformational education is about cascading, and the streams falling out of the mountain help me understand.

Doing the First Three Pillars

We explored the first three “pillars of transformational education” this year. We looked at how transformational education works and what we can do to help it along, knowing that the Holy Spirit brings about transformation, not us.

Pillar one is about pursuing the Creator’s design while trusting the Spirit for complete transformation into the image of Christ—essentially our “teaching objective,” what we want to happen in a learner. Pillar two talks about the Spirit using excellent educational environments—our “teaching methods.” And  pillar three notes that transformation happens in the heart-mind before behavior—a reminder to always “know your learner” and how learning works.

These three pillars are things we can work at. They are rich in possibility as we live out transformational education and pray that God uses them.

Watching and Praying for Pillar Four

But then we get to pillar four. It is different. We don’t do much. We affirm it and we hope for it and like the mountain stream, we mostly watch as it cascades to larger places. Pillar four tells us that “Transformation cascades from the individual to communities and beyond.”

We hope and pray that God will grow fruit from our work, “some hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty,” as Jesus says in Matthew 13:23. We hope we will see God “pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on dry ground.[1]” We look forward to God transforming lives and neighbourhoods, cities and nations. Even the world.

It is His way to begin with individuals. Look at the disciples: Jesus left them, and Christianity spread to millions and millions. When God is doing the work, nothing stops it. The Good News pours into crevices and to rivers and oceans, flowing out to more and more people and places.

How can we affirm this Cascade of Transformation?

  1. Know that transforming communities begins with individuals. Your moment by moment engagement with learners and neighbours is valuable. You don’t know what seed will spring up, grow, and drop more seed in places beyond you. Don’t minimise even the smallest transformation in one leaner. We value each person and look forward to what God will do.
  2. Know that transformation takes time. You will hardly ever see the downstream results of what you do tomorrow. But God uses your work, the life He gives you overflows and the Truth of His Word is molded in His great plan. Never give up. Changed communities take time that may be beyond your eyes.
  3. Don’t get in the way. Maybe we can’t stop a rushing stream, but we can certainly pile rocks in a small one or channel it in different ways. Encourage and support an outward view for learners and yourself. Arrange opportunities for your learners to reach others outside your walls and into communities. Then watch what happens.
  4. Enjoy moments when you can see a stream starting to flow. God is at work in our world. When you can hear or see His power, let it fill your heart and tell someone else.

Don’t forget that the streams cascading down a mountain start up high, they come from snow melt and peaceful lakes. Transformed communities begin with letting God transform you. One peaceful and loving classroom at a time. One sip of cold snow melt. This is where it starts. What you do and who you are is at the top of the cascade

Joe Neff, Th.M.
Coordinating Director of Education Services
TeachBeyond Global

[1] Isaiah 44:3
Photo Credits: all photos by D.Neff. 

Knowing your destination

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I travel a lot. As a result I have become pretty good at navigating through airports. I know all the tricks—how to pack so that I can whip out my electronics and liquids at security, how to dress so that I don’t freeze in the waiting areas or on the plane, where to wait to maximise my time and minimise the distance I need to travel to get to the gate. I’ve learned how to excel as traveller. But here’s the thing. None of this knowledge does me much good if I don’t know where I’m going.

A few months ago, I was headed out on a trip where I had a layover in Spain. No big deal. I checked in for my flight, headed to the nearest Costa to grab breakfast, and sat down to wait. When I saw the gate flash for the 10:15 flight to Madrid, I gathered my belongings and made my way to the boarding area. All was going swimmingly until the gate agent swiped my ticket. Turns out my ticket was for Barcelona, not Madrid. All my travel knowledge and preparation did me no good as I rushed back through the terminal looking for a monitor to find out where I was supposed to be. I did make the flight, but only just.

Destination matters.

That’s true when flying, and it’s equally true when learning. How many of your students have mastered the art of school? They know all the tricks for being a good student—where to sit, when to take notes, how to navigate multiple choice tests, exactly how many sentences you require for short answer questions, etc. They come to class and appear to have it all together. This is great, but if they don’t know what they are supposed to be learning it may not actually do them much good. They need to know their destination.

This is where communicating strong learning objectives comes into play. In my experience, most teachers are aware of the learning goals they have for their students. They know what knowledge and skills they want their students to master at the end of each unit of study. They’ve considered the different thinking skills they hope their students will use in the course of the unit, and the outcomes that students should achieve.

Unfortunately, while most teachers are aware of where they are going, the same is not always the case with students. Many students come to class with a working knowledge of how to do school, but without any sense of their destination. They can go through all the motions of learning, appearing confident and capable, only to get to the test and discover they’ve ended up at the wrong gate. How demoralising!

When the ticket agent told me I was in the wrong place that day, my stress levels went through the roof. All my confidence in my travel expertise flew out the window. I felt frustrated, stupid, and incompetent. Even though I ultimately made my flight, I certainly did not count the experience a success.

This is not the experience we want for our students. So what can we do?

  • We can be intentional about communicating—clearly and often, orally and in writing—the learning objectives for a particular unit.
  • We can engage in a variety of formative assessments—formal and informal—and ensure that our students understand how these assessments connect to the unit objectives.
  • We can provide rubrics and scales to help our students know what steps they still need to take to master the learning objective.
  • We can draw explicit connections between past knowledge and skills and the current learning objectives—and ask our students to do the same.

The more that we can remind our students of where they are going, the more likely they are to find themselves successfully arriving at the right destination. This is a simple thing to add to our classes, especially as we already know where we are headed.

Knowing your destination is important! Let’s do what we can to be sure that our students end up at the right gate so they can reach their destination successfully.

Becky Hunsberger, M.Ed.

Coordinator of Teacher Education Services

TeachBeyond Global

Photo Credits: Traveler. w4nd3rl0st (InspiredinDesMoines) Flickr via Compfight cc. Objectives. pic. B. Hunsberger, board design, L. Estes. 

Teaching Beyond

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Beth[1] taught a world history class. When she came to the section on Korean history, she realised she was out of her depth. She connected with several of her Korean students and their Korean School teachers. They worked out a joint project where the Korean students taught this material to the rest of the class. This initiative served to build bridges between the international school and the larger Korean community.

Dan coached high school girls’ basketball. Because of the school’s size and location, the team ended up playing the same few schools multiple times a season. During one game, Dan and his girls discovered that a starter on the other team was pregnant and would be out the rest of the season. The next time the two teams met, the girls on Dan’s team presented the mother-to-be with a number of baby-shower gifts. The relationship between rival schools was radically changed that day.

Jenni taught middle school Bible class. As the students were studying the prophetic books of the Old Testament, Jenni emphasised God’s heart for the poor and the oppressed. In the country where Jenni served, Asian women were frequently duped into taking service jobs that promised to pay more than those in their home country. Unfortunately, once they arrived, they often found themselves in abusive and unsafe situations. As a part of their study of the prophets, Jenni and her students raised over $500 which they donated to an organisation that rescues these women and helps them to return to their passport countries.

Lara and her second-grade students were studying volcanoes as a part of their science curriculum. They lived in a country with several active volcanoes. One of the parents at the school worked as a pilot for Mission Aviation Fellowship. Lara reached out to him, and as result her students were able to fly over one of the volcanoes and get a birds’ eye view of what a volcano actually looked like. Then they learned from the pilot how his job was impacted by volcanic activity in the region.

What do all these scenarios have in common? In each instance, the teacher or coach leveraged their connections within the local community. They invited their students to look beyond the school walls and invited those outside the school to come in.

One of the distinctive values of TeachBeyond is “our commitment to the idea of “teaching beyond.[2]” We want our students—and our schools—to be “always thinking beyond to the world and its needs,[3]” and one of the ways we can do this is by proactively reaching out into our local community.

As you begin this new school year, I challenge you to think about ways that you can invite others in the school and local community into your classroom. What resources or expertise can parents, church members, or local neighbors bring into your students’ learning experience?

I also urge you to think about ways that your students can look outward and have an impact in the local community. Are there opportunities for you to serve or encourage or simply to love those outside the school walls? What would it take for this to happen?

Jesus instructed his disciples that “by this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another[4].” When we create opportunities for our students to connect with others in the local community both inside and outside our classrooms, we provide the chance for them to look beyond themselves and love others. We enhance the curriculum beyond what we alone can teach. And we build bridges to the local community, signaling we care about our neighbors, rather than walls which can create suspicion and hostility. It’s a win no matter how you look at it!

So, how will you teach beyond this coming school year? Please drop us a line at onpractice@teachbeyond.org and let us know.

Becky Hunsberger
Coordinator of Teacher Education Services
TeachBeyond Global

Photo Credits: Basketball. Franchise Opportunities, via Flickr, CC-02. Volcano. ZackClark. wiki-media. Public Domain. Field trip. Arbor Christian Academy, 2019. 

[1] Names of all teachers have been changed for the sake of this article.

[2] TeachBeyond Distinctive #2.

[3] Ibid.

[4] John 13:35

Sacred Wounds or Meaningless Suffering

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The Epicurean paradox states
           If God is omnipotent, omniscient and wholly good, whence evil?

           If God wills to prevent evil but cannot, then He is not omnipotent.

           If He can prevent evil but does not, then he is not good. In either case he is not God.

Update Epicurus’ language a little and we have the commonly stated reason why Christians are deserting their faith.  They say, “I prayed to God to alleviate the suffering and He was nowhere around,” “I cannot believe in a God who allows this kind of disaster to take innocent lives,” or “Why would God create, only to destroy?” Christianity is being rejected because its adherents can not reconcile suffering and God’s nature. This is especially problematic as our culture’s meaning and purpose in life is increasingly linked to happiness.

 

Is there a role that we can take as transformational educators to prepare our students with a theology of suffering that would not only prevent their apostacy, but to help them grow and experience God’s presence because of suffering? Knowing that this is one of the main reasons people reject Christianity could we be more intentional in how we prepare our learners for suffering? A comprehensive response would certainly take volumes more space than we have here. However, here are some exercises to get the conversation started:

Exercise 1:
Please read the scripture below (1)  with the purpose of drawing conclusions about prayer.
Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”
1 Kings 3:5 “In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, ‘Ask what you wish me to give you.’”
Psalm 91:15 “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.”
John 14:14 “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”
John 15:7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
Matthew 21:22 “And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

When looked at together like this, these verses seem to suggest that if we ask God for something, He will give it to us. I call this the Cosmic Sugar Daddy view of God. Often—even if unintentionally—we present this view to our students. Even our textbooks sometimes seem to shore up this view, possibly by citing some of these scriptures.

So, if we pray for someone to be cured from cancer, then God will do it? Do your students believe this? What happens to the Christian who has not considered the whole counsel of scripture and finds that the loved one they prayed for died? Do our students know that other scripture gives a much different view of asking God? Paul asked three times for his “thorn in the flesh” (3) to be taken away, and it didn’t happen. Jesus asked for “this cup to be removed” (4) when he was in the garden, and yet He was still crucified. Thank God He did not respond to all prayer as requested!

There is much our students need to understand about suffering and God’s character. Are we preparing them for their dark moments as well as those moments when they are “offering comfort to those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God ” (4)?

Exercise 2:
Accept the challenge to join colleagues in thinking hard, discussing often, and praying fervently about this all too common stumbling block around suffering. How can we prepare our students with a theology of suffering that equips them to stand firm in the faith even when faced by “trials and tribulations of many kinds ” (5)? How can we facilitate discussions surrounding prayer that avoid the “Cosmic Sugar Daddy” trap? What messages are our lives sending to our students—both explicitly and tacitly—about suffering and disappointed expectations?
We cannot say enough about the importance of creating Christian communities of practice and speaking into one another’s work as transformational educators. How about tackling it at your next staff meeting?

Helen Vaughan, Ph.D.
TeachBeyond
Senior Consultant for Transformational Education

 

Photo Credits: emergency vehicles. juanemergencias Flickr via Compfight cc. Pieta. Lawrence OP Flickr via Compfight cc.

(1) all scripture quoted from the New International Version

(2) 2 Cor. 12:8
(3) Luke 22:42
(4) 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
(5) James 1:2

The Image of God: Image Reflectors

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While this article may seem primarily reflective, it is, in fact, highly practical; our understanding of ourselves and others shapes everything we do and the way we do it. At the heart of all self-understanding is that most practical (and important) of all things: “what comes into our minds when we think about God…”[1]. As such, the teacher’s task is prophetic – seeing things and people from God’s perspective; and priestly – leading our people to the Lord and restoration. The teacher’s high calling helps students see and become what God sees them becoming: a unique beautiful expression of His own image, restored in Christ.

At creation new life burst forth from the Father by Son in the Spirit of love. Earth and all in it mysteriously imaged and revealed something of Heaven’s Glory, as the invisible was made visible.

The climax: “let Us make mankind in Our image, to be like Us!”[2] In His most beautiful, exhilarating, joyous and solemn creative act, God shaped us. He made us fruitful, to re-create and co-create from His inexhaustible creative storehouse, to extend God’s eternal creativity in expanding manifestations of His image, loving rule and generative activity, for His greater glory and His creation’s greater good.When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is mankind, that You take thought of him? And the son of man, that You care for him? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honour. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet.[3]
God directly shaped Adam from the dust breathing Spirit-energy into him; then He crafted Eve from sleeping Adam’s side, breathing His Spirit into her.

Eden—the beautiful, restful, fruitful Garden of God—was a stunning backdrop for the work-play of God’s children. The grandeur of God’s image—mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, creative—was perfectly expressed in Adam and Eve! God’s royal representatives ruled wisely, maintaining the harmony of the Garden of God. Knowing God, they knew the secrets of His creation.

Their prayer life was quiet, brilliant, energising, beautiful, true, kind, restful, comfortable, strong, gentle; deep words interspersed with golden, restful, informative, expectant, receptive, expressive silence.

Our longing for a better world is our shared memory of Eden and a yearning for a future better world – past and future glory in this moment’s disappointment, the awakening of our soul to our true longing.

At the heart of being God’s image is choice, without which love cannot exist. Right choosing means choosing to love, obey, trust, and serve God. Our fullest capacity to create flows from full alignment with our Creator; here we are most creative, joyful, effective and loving, most fully alive as God’s image.

Choosing for self-advancement, self-glory, self-reliance (i.e. against God and His glory in seeking the best for the other and for God’s creation) is sin, a posture and activity whereby we miss the mark, falling far short of the glory of God.

The secret of strength—doing the will of the Father in humble reliance and obedient response to having received all from him—becomes twisted into what Satan calls a weakness. All we are and have is gift and grace.

Because of God’s grace and mercy freely offered by Christ, the way back is always available. Our pilgrimage is all about God restoring us – and through us others and His creation – as His image in Christ, who is the perfect image of God.

Augustine states: “the Godhead of the Holy Trinity and the image to which man is made are one”[4]. God’s will is that we who were created like Him, yet distinct from Him, should be united with Him in fruitful, intimate union. Our destiny is to become reflectors of God’s restored image:
And the glory which You have given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them, and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, in order that they may behold My glory, which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world[5].

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart….”[6]

Howard Dueck, M.A.
Latin America/Beyond Borders Regional Director
TeachBeyond Global
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[1] Tozer, A.W. The Knowledge of the Holy. 4.
http://www.fremontalliance.net/hp_wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/KotH-Tozer.pdf
[2] Genesis 1:26
[3] Psalm 8:3-6
[4] Augustine. Confessions. Book XII, article 5. Translated by R S Pine-Coffin. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin Books, 1979.
[5] John 17:22-24
[6] Ecclesiastes 3:11

Photo Credits: Sunlight. Le dahu Flickr via Compfight cc. Sunset. JerzyGorecki via Pixabay.
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Howard Dueck (MA, Biblical Counselling), together with his wife Eileen, began their service with TeachBeyond in 1988 in Brazil, where Howard taught, counselled and was involved in leadership at the Gramado Bible College. He continued counselling and teaching when they moved to Germany. He is currently based near Winnipeg, Canada, and serves as the TeachBeyond regional director for Latin America and director for Beyond Borders (TeachBeyond’s education outreach to displaced persons).

Learning is Fun!

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When was the last time you approached life as a learner? Can you remember the feeling of curiosity that drove you to press deeper into some topic, to ask questions that would push past the obvious and help you make connections to other areas of life?

Gertrude Bell (3rd from left)For me, this happened last weekend as I watched a biopic called Queen of the Desert. I was fascinated by the life of Gertrude Bell (3rd from right), a Victorian debutante who ended up traversing Arabia and influencing the national borders post-Ottoman Empire. How had I never heard of this woman, this maker of kings? After all, I lived in that part of the world for four years. As soon as the movie ended, I had my phone out, researching to see how much of what I’d just seen was based in fact. I’ve now got my eye on a book of her letters that I’m hoping to find in the library on my next trip. My curiosity has been whetted; I’m eager to learn more.

How about you? When is the last time your inquisitive juices got flowing? We’ve all experienced this drive at some point or another. It’s one of the reasons why we’ve chosen to take up this mantle of teaching. My hope would be that you’ve experienced this drive to learn in the very recent past.[1] When your imagination is captured by curiosity, learning becomes exciting. It becomes fun!

Now I wonder, when was the last time that you’ve shared this enthusiasm with your students? When did you last share with them something that you were learning and how jazzed you were about the connections you were making? If it’s been a while, you might want to ask yourself why.

Luke 6:40 reminds us that “a student is not above his teacher.”[2] If our students never see the light inside us turned on by the joy of learning, why would we expect that they would approach our classes with eagerness? What is it that we have to offer them, if not the joy of making connections?

As teachers, we are privileged to spend a majority of our waking hours walking and living among our students.[3] Our lives and our attitudes influence our students’ education far more than our stated curriculum ever will. I’ve never heard adults talk about their favourite lesson plan from when they were in school. But I hear discussions about favourite teachers all the time. So I challenge you, the next time you find yourself jazzed about something new you are learning—whether that be the way ancient kingdoms align with the Bible stories you learned in Sunday school or the latest recipe you’ve discovered for making a yummy autumn treat—share this joy with your students. Let them in on the secret: learning is fun! It’s part of what we were created to do.

Becky Hunsberger, M.Ed.
Coordinator of Teacher Education Services
TeachBeyond, Global

[1] I also remember, during my days of full time teaching, how utterly exhausted I was and how little energy I had at the end of the day to pursue anything that wasn’t directly related to the next day’s lesson plans, so there is no judgment here if this is where you find yourself!
[2] “He also told them this parable: ‘Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.’ ” (Luke 6:39-40)
[3] As I write this line, I am struck by the echoes of incarnation that ring through it. As Jesus became man and dwelt among us, we have the opportunity to dwell among our students in our capacity not only as teacher, but also as co-learner; we become fellow travellers in this journey of connection making.

Photo Credits: Gertrude Bell. via Flickr. public domain image. Elementary Pupils Geography Class with Teacher. Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com.

The Joy of Teaching God-Worship

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Can you identify times in your life when you have been worshipping God, but you weren’t in a church?

My first memories of that were at camp, worshipping God in the splendour of His creation. But perhaps more surprisingly, I can still recount the first time I worshipped God in class. It was Biology 101. We were learning about the human body, and as I learned how this system worked with that system, I marvelled at the complexity and beauty of it all. I began to feel my heart lean toward Heaven. “What a wonderful Creator!” I wanted to yell. I did restrain myself, but that is the day I decided to be a science teacher. I wanted to share that amazing experience with students so that they too could worship our wise God in the middle of class.

I have also caught myself worshipping God while playing my favourite sport, exploring colour on a canvas, writing a poem, or solving a crazy-hard maths problem (“Praise the Lord, I finished!”). But in seriousness, how do we define worship? If it is only singing in church, we have narrowed the chief aim of our life to one hour on Sunday. Years ago, I heard that worship means reflecting back to God His worth-ship, His worthiness. So, when we teach the throughline of God-worshippers, we are wanting our students (and ourselves) to reflect back to God how worthy He is of our praise. We don’t need to be in a church to worship God, we don’t even need to be singing, although singing is a great way to worship. Worship can be anywhere, anytime we realise and recount just how different, radical, stunning, amazing, truly awesome our God is.

And how much fun it is to do this with students!

Anytime we learn something new can be a moment to reflect on God’s worthiness. God doesn’t need to learn anything – He knows everything as our all-knowing God. Even that truth is mind-blowing! As we try practically to integrate worship in our classes, it is helpful to have a list of God’s attributes nearby. I would love to have something like this as a reference.

 

I have also found the Encyclodpedia of Bible Truthsby Ruth C. Haycock, an invaluable reference. She has listed appropriate verses for each subject matter. It was through her research that I made an invaluable connection. I was teaching 8thgrade Chemistry at the time and enjoyed teaching the skill of balancing equations. To me it was like a strategy puzzle. What I hadn’t connected on my own was the way that balancing chemical equations was actually a reflection of God’s character. You see, one side of the equation has to balance with the other side. In a chemical reaction, nothing can be created or destroyed, it just changes form. Through her book I came to see that John 1:3 was describing this very law of nature, “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” We can balance equations because nothing can be created or destroyed without God. He is the Transcendent Law Giver. As this truth hit me, I was able to lead my students to it the next day with questions like, “Why can we balance equations?  Does this work every time?  What if we could create and destroy matter? Who is the only one that can create and destroy?” In those few moments we were able to discuss and reflect on the character of God and hopefully that led to worship. I was recounting just how powerful and wise is our God. I can tell you I was worshipping!

And that is where teaching the throughline of God-worshippers begins – with you, the teacher, worshipping God regularly in the middle of class. What a joyful calling this is!

Christy Ware Biscocho, M.Ed.
Teacher Education Services/Assistant Director of US Mobilisation
TeachBeyond

 

 

 

Photo Credits: Attributes of God. Free poster available to downloador for purchase from Visual Theology. Chemical Equations.via WikiHow. cc.