Organic Laundry Detergent

So I found an exciting new way to clean laundry and make those white clothes come out super bright!  It’s completely organic and totally free!  No doubt at this point you are starting to think… “laundry detergent that works and is free?  Surely not!  It must be too good to be true!”  Well, I’ll let you be the judge on whether or not it is too good to be true.  Take a look at the following website for some eye-opening information about how laundry can be cleaned for that satisfactory bright white look!

www.associatedcontent.com/article/288088/urine_the_natural_way_to_clean_your.html

In case you’re wondering how I even knew this, I read about the unique laundry method in one of my history books last week, Family Fortunes a class study on early nineteenth century British society.  Apparently, even in the early 1800s peasants and lower class society still used urine to wash their clothes.  No wonder perfume was such an important commodity!

Contemplations of a Barista

As I looked out at the semi-crowded cafe, I noticed a couple who had come in for lunch.  Each was in the middle of a meal and each was on a cell phone.  Carrying on two different conversations, the wife discussed her plans for cleaning house while the husband talked about one of the football games.  On the opposite side of the cafe was a couple who sat on the edges of the comfy chairs, engrossed in a game of checkers, laughing and teasing each other as one or the other made a wrong move.

What is the difference between the two couples?  Why does one set waste their time and money on a meal that they cannot enjoy together, while the other takes the opportunity of the checkerboard to enjoy each other’s company while waiting for their food to cook?

What has happened to today’s society to make it at least plausibly acceptable to carry on a long cell phone conversation while eating out in a public establishment?

Lessons from the Jail

The girl was young.  Her hair was braided, her face was clean, and the orange jumpsuit that she wore looked bright in the small room.

I sat across from her and wondered what to say.  An uncomfortable silence filled the room, and I looked down at my hands.  The Chaplain had just left, and I was supposed to share the “fundamentals of Christianity” to this girl.  From our previous discussion, I knew that she had attended Sunday school classes and church as a little girl, but she admitted that she didn’t understand it much, and had spent most of the time chatting with her friends and playing around.  Now she claimed to want to understand, but it still sounded like she wanted God to get her out of the mess she was in and calm her fears without asking her to change her lifestyle.

I didn’t know where to begin.  I was pretty sure I knew what Dad wanted, and I knew what the fundamentals of the faith were, but where did I start?  For the first time in my life an opportunity was dropped in my lap to explain Christianity to an unbeliever, and I was tongue tied.  I decided to start simply.

“What do you think a Christian is?  What comes to mind when someone talks about being a Christian?”

“I dunno.  I guess, if one of my friends came up and said she was a Christian, I’d think that meant that she was a good girl, she tries to do the right things, and goes to church a lot and prays a lot to God.”

From this definition I knew where we stood.  My friend, like so many unbelievers, looked at Christians and saw only the outward actions, and nothing of the motivation for these actions.  As we talked about what it means to be a Christian, and I outlined for her the fact that we are sinners in need of forgiveness, and the basis for that forgiveness, I realized that I had taken for granted the true definition of Christianity, so much so that I had become guilty of propogating a misconception.

Let me explain.  Think of the last time that you chose not to do something, and an unsaved friend asked you why.  What did you tell him/her?  Did you say, “oh, I don’t do that because I’m a Christian”?  Did you say, “Well, I don’t think God would be happy with me if I did that, or, doing that would disobey God”?

These are fine answers, but alone they tell very little about Christianity.  These answers merely encourage a view that sees Christians as do-gooders who are living their life to appease an angry God who might send them to hell if they misstep.

As I shared the motivation for good works, kindness, attending church, and prayer, I was struck anew at the many times that I have been presented opportunities to witness and let them pass because I saw them as opportunities to justify my actions.

So think about it.  What is a Christian?  Your answer tells a lot about your understanding of your relationship with God and Christ.

The next time that someone asks you why you do (or don’t do) something, don’t just give them a pat answer.  Use it as an opportunity to share with them the sacrifice that God made for you so that you could stand blameless in His sight and be spared the just punishment of your sins.  Don’t leave the other person thinking that you’re just a goody-two-shoes trying to appease and angry God, but rather, you’re a broken sinner who has been saved from a fate worse than death by a loving God and a self-sacrificing Savior.

A Humorous Story

As a teacher, I have plenty of funny stories to share – some that involve students and some that don’t.  Just thought I’d share this little faux-pas for those of you who need a good laugh at someone else’s expense.  )

Last year, Doc blessed me with my planning periods back to back sandwiching the lunch period.  This is most definately the best time for planning periods because it gives one the option of a long lunch break every now and then.

Well, my birthday was the first full week of school, and one of my sweet friends decided to take me out to lunch as a celebration.  As this was the perfect opportunity to celebrate my great schedule and a chance to get dressed up and go out, I was not about to pass up the offer.  I was pretty excited about going out and I’m afraid it was all I thought about that morning.  I took off right before 12, telling Mrs. Fort that I would be back for my next class.

We went to the French Quarter Grill where we enjoyed a leisurely lunch, quiet conversation, and a jazzy atmosphere.   I returned to campus literally right before class began and I was rather preoccupied with getting set up for class so I didn’t listen to my student’s comments about being late.  After all, I was in class before the bell rang, so why would they be calling me late?  At least, that’s what I thought until I realized that the question wasn’t directed at my tardiness to literature class.

“Miss Lennon,” one student asked insistently, “why did you skip history class?”

Of course my first thought was that my student was teasing me.  This one had a tendency to try to tease whenever he could.  Besides, we didn’t have history that day.  Or did we?  I looked at my class, aghast that I could possibly have forgotten something so important and realized that Cameron wasn’t the only one who wanted that question answered.

Talk about an embarrassing moment!  I’ve never skipped a class intentionally and only rarely been late to class, but as a student one can be forgiven for that kind of thing when it happens on occassion.  For a teacher to just not show up to class without explanation….well!  That just does not happen.

School Thoughts

Tomorrow I begin teaching.  I’ve been back at school for so long it seems strange that I’m only just now teaching my classes, but it is true.  School started Monday, but for the past two days we have been going through the orientation process.

Orientation is good for many reasons.  First of all, it gives the students a chance to attend lectures but not to have to take notes or worry about listening and doing homework.  Also, students get a chance to hang out and get to know other students at the school.  The best part of orientation is the humongously long lunch break.

The best part unless you are the teacher monitoring the lunch area.  For an hour and a half (with a few much needed breaks, stolen in the cool of a classroom) I wandered around the campus, checking parking lots and building shadows for errant students who were trying to avoid the eye of authority.  Of course, since it’s the first two days most students were actually good and stayed mostly where they were supposed to while they ate.  Once they finished eating though, they started wandering to places where they might be able to escape the merciless heat of the Florida sun.  Places like the hallway of the gym building and the gym, both places where I was then obliged to scoot them out and back to the embrace of the great outdoors.  There was shade by the tables, I guess students just didn’t really want to sit in it.

As for the first day of school, I have decided to join the ranks of the “nazi” teachers who actually do real work on the first day.  I am determined to combine first day ritual of rules and regulations with a full lesson.  This means that I might have to cover some of the rules tomorrow.  A far cry from the days long ago when I enjoyed wasting fifty minutes or more going over rules that the students can read for themselves and telling stories that no one cares about just to fill time until the bell rings.  )

While it may be a bit ambitious to try for a full lesson tomorrow I think I may be able to pull it off.  I certainly hope so because failure to do so could mess up my well written lesson plans for several weeks.

My prayer for this year though is to give my students more than just knowledge and good behavioral patterns.  I want to also touch their lives and teach them about Christ.