Treasuring Up Truth

What's your most recent memory verse? Or perhaps more to the point, when was your most recent memory verse?

Most of us grew up with "God is love" and "Jesus wept" and "In the beginning God created...". And then what? What happened after Cradle Roll, Kindergarten, Primary, and Junior Sabbath School?

Well, the sad truth is that most of us stopped memorizing new verses, and therein lies our weakness.

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Psalm 119:11

When the devil came to Jesus in the wilderness, he could not make Him yield no matter how he lied, prodded, or attacked. You see, Jesus was armed... with Scripture. They were not just passages memorized for the sake of memorizing, of course. They were principles committed to memory and lived out in the life. They were truths hidden in the heart and flowing out in words, deeds, affections, thoughts, desires, choices, and ambitions.

The point is that Jesus took the time to acquaint Himself with His Father's words well enough that He knew them by heart and could recite them from memory - the way a warrior spends time practicing with his sword so that when the enemy comes, he could defeat him with it. Mastery takes time.

And it's time we ought to be spending committing God's word to memory.

None but those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the Bible will stand through the last great conflict. 

The Great Controversy, 593.2

Most people just shrug and say "I'm too old to memorize anything." If you're one of them, there's a promise in Inspiration for you!

Let the more important passages of Scripture connected with the lesson be committed to memory, not as a task, but as a privilege. Though at first the memory be defective, it will gain strength by exercise, so that after a time you will delight thus to treasure up the words of truth. And the habit will prove a most valuable aid to spiritual growth. 

Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 137, 138.

Here are some ways I personally find effective in memorizing Scripture.

1. Understand what the passage is saying point by point.

2. Make the passage personal by finding applications in your own life.

3. Read the passage over and over again. Out loud, too.

4. Break it down into smaller sections.

5. Write it down.

6. Cover certain parts/words as you memorize. There's also the option to write down only the first letter of each word as memory prompts.

7. Sing it. There are lots of Scripture songs out there, especially on common passages like the Beatitudes, the Ten Commandments, etc. I love Scripture songs, and I'd be happy to share my collection with you. Message me.

8. If you have a smartphone or pc, download a scripture memorization app and spend more time on it rather than on Facebook. It will be time more meaningfully spent, I guarantee it. The app I currently use is called Scripture Typer, and is available for both ios and android.

9. Share the passage with a friend. Teach it. Discuss it.

10. One that must go with whatever method you use: PRAY. Nothing is impossible with Omnipotence.

So there. Happy memorizing!

P.S.
What methods do you use? Share them with us in the comments.

Lovely as a Tree: Adventist Youth Program Idea #6

The AY leaders at our church designed our AY programs for this entire year to be spread across five major themes:
1. Nature Study (obejct lessons, etc)
2. Health (Health Principles, Anatomy, Natural Healing, etc)
3. History of Redemption (Bible stories/characters, Adventist History, etc)
4. Christian Home (Love, Courtship, Marriage, Family Life, Christian Association, et)
5. Christian Living (Dress, Recreation, Music, Values, Christian Lifestyle, etc)

This allows us to more easily narrow down brainstorming ideas for a particular Sabbath while better ensuring that no important topics are left out. Leaders then have the privilege of coming up with specific programs and content to go with the theme. I, for one, have a tendency to have small group discussions and activities.

The Sabbath before last, we did "Lovely as a Tree," a nature study on- tada!- trees. I'm sharing here how we did it, along with some content, in the hope that it would be of help to you and your church.

PROGRAM IDEA: LOVELY AS A TREE

OBJECTIVE: To encourage the youth to study more closely the objects in nature and its revelations of God's character and will.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

1. Discussion questions written or printed on sheets of paper

OUR VERSION OF THE PROGRAM (You can always vary this according to your needs and preferences)

First, there was the usual opening ceremony. We sang songs, and offered prayer. It would be very nice to sing songs that are related to trees or that mention trees in the lyrics. One song I would recommend is the scripture song from Psalm 1:1-3 (I think I have an mp3 of this somewhere. message me!).

Then we had one of our young girls read a poem, Trees! by Stephen Henry Thayer, on the lessons we can learn from trees. I found this in a booklet included in the SonLight Education Ministry curriculum.

Our young people then stood up to offer a song about the God of creation and nature, then proceeded to one by one give object lessons we can learn from trees.

Examples:
1. Trees receive "waste matter" (like decaying leaves, etc) and still give back good things (like fruits and oxygen, etc)
2. Trees planted too close together become stunted or barren. Our associations with other people require "proper distance" and sometimes even separations for us to be fruitful.
3. People throw stones at fruitful trees. If you do well, expect criticism.
4. It's hard to bend a grown tree. But trees that are bent when young remain bent for the rest of its life. Curb bad habits early. Also, educate children toward good while they are still young.
5. A tree's sweetest fruits are those that receive the most sun. When we constantly have the light of Jesus shining on us, we develop sweet characters.
(This list can go on and on)

Small Group Discussion: Trees in the Bible

Divide the congregation into four (or as many as you see fit). Each group receives a card or sheet of paper on which is written a specific tree mentioned in the Bible and a set of questions pertaining to that tree that they have to discuss among themselves. We usually have four or five groups. This time, we had four.

1. Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil - Genesis 2:8-17, Genesis 3:1-7
    a. Where is this tree located?
    b. Describe this tree and its fruit.
    c. What was God's instruction regarding this tree? How did Adam and Eve come to partake of its fruit? What was the result?
    d. How does worldly knowledge/education lead us away from obeying God?
    e. What lessons can we learn from this tree?

2. Nebuchadnezzar's Tree - Daniel 4:10-33
    a. Describe the tree that Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream.
    b. What happened to the tree?
    c. What did the dream of the tree mean?
    d. What did Nebuchadnezzar do that triggered the fulfillment of the dream?
    e. What lesson can we lessons can we learn from this tree?
 
3. The Barren Fig Tree - Luke 13:6-9
    a. Describe the fig tree told in this parable.
    b. What two things can possibly happen to this fig tree?
    c. As the dresser of the vineyards of our souls, what has Jesus done for us that we may bear fruit?
    d. What fruits are we as Christians expected to bear?
    e. What lessons can we learn from this tree?

4. Tree of Life - Genesis 2:9, Revelation 2:7, Revelation 22:2, 14
    a. Where is  this tree located?
    b. Describe its physical attributes.
    c. What makes this tree special?
    d. Who alone will have right to partake of this tree?
    3. What lessons can we learn from this tree?

Allow 10-15 minutes of discussion, then ask the group to choose a representative to share their discussion with the rest of the congregation. Set a specific and reasonable time limit for this.

Another variation to this group discussion is to set up "trees" in different areas of the hall. Label them according to the Biblical trees you will discuss, and have one teammate stationed at each one. Divide the congregation into as many groups as there are "trees." Each group will have ten (or so) minutes at each tree to discuss the questions, with your teammate as moderator. At the end, all the groups will have gone to all the trees and there would be no need to "report" the group discussions to the larger congregation. You may also decorate the trees accordingly in advance.

Close with a short message about how we can be lovely like trees based on Psalm 1 or some other related message as you see fit.

Check out our other AY Program ideas here, and feel free to share your AY Program experiences or your own program ideas in the comments below.

Meanwhile, here's a photo of some of our young people rendering a song during an AY Program.

Have a blessed AY Program!

Stepping Closer to Christ in Joy (sharing an audio book of Steps to Christ)

Yesterday, as I went about the everyday duties of the home life I have chosen, I was kept from straying too far into the path of discouragement by the words of Inspiration channeled to me through an audio book of Steps to Christ (chapter 13) that I had on as I worked:


         Many, walking along the path of life, dwell upon their mistakes and failures and disappointments, and their hearts are filled with grief and discouragement. While I was in Europe, a sister who had been doing this, and who was in deep distress, wrote to me, asking for some word of encouragement. The night after I had read her letter I dreamed that I was in a garden, and one who seemed to be the owner of the garden was conducting me through its paths. I was gathering the flowers and enjoying their fragrance, when this sister, who had been walking by my side, called my attention to some unsightly briers that were impeding her way. There she was mourning and grieving. She was not walking in the pathway, following the guide, but was walking among the briers and thorns. "Oh," she mourned, "is it not a pity that this beautiful garden is spoiled with thorns?" Then the guide said, "Let the thorns alone, for they will only wound you. Gather the roses, the lilies, and the pinks."  {SC 116.3}

         Have there not been some bright spots in your experience? Have you not had some precious seasons when your heart throbbed with joy in response to the Spirit of God? When you look back into the chapters of your life experience do you not find some pleasant pages? Are not God's promises, like the fragrant flowers, growing beside your path on every hand? Will you not let their beauty and sweetness fill your heart with joy?  {SC 117.1}

         The briers and thorns will only wound and grieve you; and if you gather only these things, and present them to others, are you not, besides slighting the goodness of God yourself, preventing those around you from walking in the path of life?  {SC 117.2}

          It is not wise to gather together all the unpleasant recollections of a past life,--its iniquities and disappointments,--to talk over them and mourn over them until we are overwhelmed with discouragement. A discouraged soul is filled with darkness, shutting out the light of God from his own soul and casting a shadow upon the pathway of others. {SC 117.3}
   
          Thank God for the bright pictures which He has presented to us. Let us group together the blessed assurances of His love, that we may look upon them continually: The Son of God leaving His Father's throne, clothing His divinity with humanity, that He might rescue man from the power of Satan; His triumph in our behalf, opening heaven to men, revealing to human vision the presence chamber where the Deity unveils His glory; the fallen race uplifted from the pit of ruin into which sin had plunged it, and brought again into connection with the infinite God, and having endured the divine test through faith in our Redeemer, clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and exalted to His throne--these are the pictures which God would have us contemplate.  {SC 118.1}


Exactly. Christians should be the happiest people in the world. We have Christ! What more can we desire? We only need to trust that His love will never fail us. That reminded me of the quote that I put into a bookmark I made early this year.

Because we are the gift of His Father, and the reward of His work, Jesus loves us. He loves us as His children. Reader, He loves you. Heaven itself can bestow nothing greater, nothing better. Therefore trust.  {DA 483.3}

I praise the Lord for speaking to me with the words I most needed to hear at that moment. In gratitude, I would like to share this audio book with those who desire to be blessed with God's word even as they go about the needed earthly work. 

Click here to view/download all 13 chapters of the Steps to Christ audio book.




A couple of years ago, a sister said to me, "Every moment must be a moment of learning." 
Thank God for a way to do just that.


(Written with Great Controversy playing in the background.)

Free SDA Hymnal App for Android

Finally, an SDA Hymnal app for Android that's free, available for offline use, and comes with MIDI files for some songs.

The app is available for download at the PlayStore.

Smiles for every Seventh-day Adventist who's been waiting for this. Thank you, developer! :)

Walk with God... to Work

The two hours I spent walking to work this morning gave me lots of time to think of reasons why walking to work is good:
   
     1. Saves me money (about PhP800 a month)
     2. Puts my legs to work, thus preparing them for more work (i.e. overnight mission trips to remote areas that cannot be reached by cars or even motorcycles)
     3. Improves my breathing
     4. Allows me time alone with God

How I manage that fourth one is by listening to a sermon that I saved earlier on my smartphone. Today it was "Tools for Perfection" by Pastor Patrick Herbert of the Gilead Institute of America and the International Association of Free Seventh-day Adventists. The message was too wonderful to keep to myself, so I'm sharing the highlights here for you.

The world today has been deluded into believing that humans can't be perfect. This is altogether contrary to Bible teaching which expressly asks us in Matthew 5:48, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." This is Jesus asking us to perfect and we know He would never ask us to do something that is impossible for us to do. All the Lord's biddings are enablings.

He didn't say the road to perfection would be easy, but He promises to be there to give us all the help we need to make it. He gives us tools:

1. Laws. The Ten Commandments. "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple." Psalm 19:7. To convert = change = transform. We can be like God, not in power, but in character. The laws have been provided to bring us back into the image and likeness of God.

2. Affliction. "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy."  1 Peter 4:12. Hardships, trials, temptations, difficulties are tools in the hands of God. Jesus learned obedience and perfection "by the things that He suffered." Hebrews 5:8,9. Afflictions help us realize our need for God and draw us closer to Him.

3. Work. Both our evangelistic effort and the performance of daily duties. "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Matthew 16:24. Do your work with all your might as if doing it for God, take it up even if you don't like it. Deny yourself. Jesus was a Prince in heaven, but He worked at Joseph's carpentry shop many years. Adam and Eve were given work after they sinned because it was a way back to God. Work not just for yourself, but for the salvation of others as well.

4. Sanctuary. The church. Jesus wanted His children to be united under one name. "Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we [are]." John 17:11. Jesus wants His children to be together, to work together. "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is]; but exhorting [one another]: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." Hebrews 10:25. The church is to be a means for us to be exhorted and corrected, that we may be edified to perfection.  

5. Study. "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15. When you begin to study, you begin to understand the things that God reveals to you on a very personal level. So make time for study. 

6. Obedience. "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land." Isaiah 1:19. Canaan on earth and Canaan in heaven requires the same thing: willing obedience. We have to do what we believe to be right. What you know could kill you or save you, depending on what you do with it. Ask the Lord for help to be obedient. Without the Spirit, it is impossible to obey.  

7. Prayer. "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak." Matthew 26:41. Praying is communion with God. By constant beholding we are changed.

There you have them. Seven tools. Seven - the Lord's number for perfection and completeness. And for Seventh-day Adventists, did you notice? the first letters of these seven tools form the acronym LAWS-SOP. Every tool we need God has provided. And when we begin to use and apply them, God will have a people prepared to meet Jesus when He returns.

If you want to hear the entire sermon, just leave a comment below with your email address and I'll get the sermon across to you. :)

Meanwhile, the walk also gave me opportunity to see the wonders of God's creation in the flowers along the way.

have a happy weekend! :-)

Adventist Youth Program Ideas

Idea # 4: A Church Ministry for You

Objective: To find a place for every church member in the work of God. This is also useful for Ministry Heads to identify possible recruits for ministry projects.

Materials Needed: A list of all the ministries in your church (Prison Ministry, Radio Ministry, Publishing Ministry, Welfare Ministry, etc.), active and otherwise. Names of the ministries written in individual signboards. You can also have the option to make a list of the activities, projects, and plans of that ministry to go along with the signboard.

Mechanics:  Before the start of the activity, group seats according to the number of ministries in your church and place a signboard at each seat group. Have assistants stationed at each location. It might even be better if you can ask the Ministry Heads to act as your assistants for this activity. Begin by saying that the Church is organized for missionary purposes and that every member is called upon to be a missionary. Briefly introduce the ministries you have at your church. Instruct the congregation to take a tour of the different stations and find the ministry they feel they are best suited for. They are then to stay at that station with the others who chose the same ministry. When everyone is already seated, the assistants/Ministry Heads will begin to ask each person at his station to say why he/she chose that ministry and what he/she thinks he/she could do to contribute to that ministry. Ideas for new projects may also be gathered. Allow about 20-40 minutes for the discussions, depending on the size of the groups. If you have small congregation (like we do at my church), you can skip the regrouping and just ask the members to come up to the microphone one by one. When everyone has had the chance to share, end by saying that there is a place in the church's work for everyone and that God would be very happy if all would enlist and share in the burdens and joys of the church.

And that's it. Everyone participated, everyone found out what they can do for the church, and the ministries found a fresh batch of possible recruits. Make sure to do a follow up with the Ministry Heads regarding projects and activities.

If you try this at your church, I'll be glad to know how it goes.

Enjoy your AY Program!

my newest challenge

this quarter, i was given a new challenge at church: teaching sabbath school for kids ages four to six. i did teach Vacation Bible School Kindergarten for two consecutive years, but this new teaching stint is different because of at least three things:

(a) all the kids have prior sabbath school kindergarten experience; i don't.
(b) they have preference for the routine and songs from their previous teacher (which they've had from the day we put up sabbath school kindergarten); and
(c) 90% of the kids will have their parents in the classroom with them

these past two weeks, i spent a substantial amount of time just preparing lesson plans, learning songs, printing and cutting out materials, organizing visual aides, purchasing supplies, and basically just being nervous.

i'm not sure how many quarters i'll be teaching this class. this sabbath will be my third out of the 13 sabbaths in a quarter. so far, i have been able to keep the kids satisfied, but not ooh-ahhh-clap excited. the parents have been helpful, too - singing along when teacher doesn't know the song the kids want to sing and etc.

i have also managed to forget and completely skip major parts of the routine. boo!

so this week, i'm doing more prep work: researching on teaching strategies, organizing my materials better, and studying the lesson harder. i'm also going over their songs and fingerplays and thinking up ways to make our classroom more interesting for them.

my students, designing clothes (like Hannah for Samuel) in our makeshift classroom

in doing all this, i find many helpful places in the internet, such as

http://www.gracelink.net/article/3/kindergarten for lesson helps
http://www.kindergarten-lessons.com/kindergarten-teaching.html and http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/Play/Ktodayplay.pdf for teaching strategies
http://www.youtube.com/user/maranathakids/videos for children's music
http://www.mrprintables.com/ and http://www.activityvillage.co.uk for free printables

but my greatest help, as always, comes from the greatest Teacher. 

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  James 1:5

“For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” Luke 12:12 (NKJV)

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.  1 Corinthians 15:58

so bring it on!

Adventist Youth Program Ideas

Idea # 3

Music is a huge part of any worship service. It is a gift that God wants us to use and enjoy to His glory. These days, the gray area between good church music and otherwise has widened along with the musical generation gap. It probably also happens in your church: the older members complaining that church music now just isn't as good as in the old days. But God has bestowed musical talents just as wisely on this generation as in previous ones. So this is what today's AY program idea is about: bridging the musical generation gap.

MUSIC: OLD AND YOUNG

Materials: writing board and chalk or papers and pens (for copying song lyrics)

Mechanics: Group the congregation into two or more (depending on the size of the congregation). Make sure that each group has enough young members as well as older ones. Instruct the older members of the group to teach their younger members a song from the old days - one that the youth are not familiar with. Also, ask the youth to teach their older members a song that is from their generation. Allow practice time. Now, each group will be given time to perform both songs - the older ones singing the new song, and the younger ones singing the old song.

Now you have young people learning and singing old songs and older people learning and actually singing new songs! This may just start everyone on a road to appreciating music from different generations. Plus, you   just gave them an avenue to interact and work with each other toward a common goal.

At my church, everyone enjoyed the activity, especially the older ones as they sang their newly-learned song while their young teachers looked proudly on.

The important thing to emphasize here is that the sacredness of the musical gift cuts across generations. God designed for music to be as much a part of worship as is prayer. In the words of the Apostle Paul:

I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. 1 Corinthians 14:15

What do you do to bring out the good music at your church?


Check out other AY Program Ideas in this blog by clicking here.

Adventist Youth Program Ideas

Having been thrown into AY leadership at the age of 15, with virtually no leadership education and no idea what to do, I basically know how it is to dread Adventist Youth Programs that I have to plan as leader.

So here are a couple of ideas that I hope will help leaders out there to make programs interesting and educational without taking away the sanctity and solemnity of a Sabbath afternoon. Both these ideas are centered around an exploration of the Bible, with the congregation working in small groups. Groups can be made according to the seating arrangement, age levels, gender, existing grouping, or whatever works for you.

Program Idea #1


MY BIBLICAL BODY

Materials: White Board and Marker (or Chalk board and chalk), Eraser, several Bibles in each group, pen and paper

Mechanics: Have groups look up Bible verses that mention different body parts and how these parts are supposed to be used to glorify their Maker. Give a few examples. Allow about ten minutes for this. After ten minutes, have a representative of one group come up front to read their collection of verses. Another group member will be assigned to draw on the board the body parts they found verses for until they can complete a whole human being. When all the groups have had their turn, check to see who has the best and most complete drawing. Close by reading Psalm 139:14, 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20, Matthew 18:8, 9.

Important Note: Take care to clarify to the groups that the verses must not only mention a body part but also contain a message on how that body part is to be used or not used or how it is to be taken care of. For example, Daniel 2:32-34 isn't valid because it only mentions the body part but there's no message on how that part can glorify God. Also make sure that they look up verses that refer to HUMAN body parts. One group in my church used Genesis 1:2 which mentions "FACE of the WATERS."

Examples of valid verses:  
Job 31:1 I have made a covenant with mine EYES...
Psalm 51:15 O Lord open thou my LIPS; and my MOUTH shall show forth thy praise...
Ephesians 6:15 And your FEET shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace...
Psalm 144:1 ...which teacheth my HANDS to war and my FINGERS to fight...
Revelation 2:7 he that hath an EAR let him hear...
Ezra 9:5 i fell upon my KNEES...

How the drawings turned out at my church. Thanked God for designing me. :)

Program Idea #2


BIBLE STORIES FROM NATURE


Objective: To refresh the congregation's minds about Bible stories and to help them see objects around them as reminders of our God's power and our Biblical heritage.

Mechanics: Have each group choose an object of nature (e.g. soil, rock, flowers, tree/branch, leaf, water, etc) obtain a sample of such object. Each member of the group must now recall one or two (depending on the number of members and the time available) Bible story/ies that involved that object. Give the groups 7-10 minutes to list down the stories. At the end of time given, have one group come to the front with their sample. The first member holds up the sample and recalls a Bible story involving the object, beginning with "This is the rock/flower/soil/water/etc....". The sample is now passed on to the next member who also shares another story and so on. Have the other groups do the same.

Example: Water
The group can bring a glass of water.
Member 1: This is the water that Jesus turned into wine at a wedding in Cana. (passes the glass to Member 2)
Member 2: This is the water that Elijah poured over the altar he made for God in Mount Carmel. (passes the glass to Member 3)
Member 3: This is the water that Jacob drew from a well to feed Rachel's animals. (passes the glass to Member 4)


I hope these ideas help somehow. If you have more ideas, please do share.

writing is a path to understanding

next to air, food, water, clothing, shelter, family and friends, the two earthly things i could not live without are pen and paper. that's how things have always been for me since as far back as i could remember. not that i write anything earth-shattering; mostly it's just doodles, ideas (that fleet without paper and ink), reminders, to do lists, insights. but you get the idea. i love words, the worlds they create, the worlds they make known.

when i look at kids of the younger generation - the ones who compose the Sabbath School class that i teach - i see a lack of this love, if not a complete absence of it. oh, how much they are missing!

what i did was provide them with notebooks to use as journals with the instruction that they write two entries per week. i don't care what they write about, their grammar, the language used (just as long as i understand), the spelling, the length, the viewpoint, the attitude. what i want them to do is to look at their subject and write about it. i am hoping that by doing this, they will learn to look beyond what meets the eye, inspect, analyze, compare, contrast, describe, think critically, form opinions, form attitudes and understand.

writing is a lot like public speaking, only you get more preparation time. the process usually compels a person to bring his thoughts together, choose the most appropriate words, structure a whole out of disjoint parts, and stretch creativity muscles. thus, a person's mind is exercised, strengthened, deepened, broadened and hopefully, elevated.

above all, i pray that the comprehension they develop will become one of their tools for understanding the Word of God and how it applies to the things they see and experience. God wants His every child to make full use of every opportunity for intellectual and spiritual growth. writing is one of those opportunities because it allows you to look not only at what you write about but more importantly into yourself and the things you value.

i am not expecting to suddenly discover Shakespeares or Davids in my students. i can't even expect to get them to share my love for words and writing. but who knows, i might be in for a surprise. this coming Sabbath, i'll find out. :)

what strategies do you apply to help your students understand?

i finally have my coloring books :)

yesterday, i got a set of books that i couldn't afford. a set of seven coloring books.

i've been wanting these books for the longest time but, like i already said, i  couldn't afford them. but God gave them to me at a much (a much much) lower price that i could pay in installments. how's that for a Father? :D

actually, this set is only a part of the entire (and endless) book collection that i want to start. one of my goals as a worker for our publishing ministry is to set up a library of resources for use in the education of children, youth, and adults. 

the money part is a bit difficult, but i'll get to my goal.

next quarter, i'll buy a few copies of Messages to Young People by Ellen G. White and hopefully other books in between now and then.

this set will be good for children who cannot sit to hours and hours of lectures. it enhances creativity and encourages learning and educates about limits. we currently study the Bible with a mother of an energetic five-year-old boy. this coloring book will really help the mother to focus. :)

in the next posts, i'll be sharing other resources that i find very useful at work. what resources would you recommend? :)

-o-

thank God for the internet!

it's true that we never fully appreciate the worth of something until we lose it. or at least, it's more often true than not. two weeks ago, i learned the value of the Ellen G White folio files program installed in my computer. and yes, i lost it.

besides the basic office applications and the internet browser, that program was unarguably the most important application i could have. ever. the program allows me to read and search all [or almost all] of Sister White's works and the KJV Bible, among other things.

in my work, i research, outline, and layout our Sabbath School lesson (we make our own because we're a self-supporting church. more on that in later posts). so it's really easy to see why i very badly need the infobase. i don't know how i lost it, i just know that i lost it in the middle of my layout job a couple of weeks ago and that my computer's usefulness has been cut to half since.

lucky for me (and for most people), there's the internet. so i downloaded html copies of the book i was working on. that worked pretty fine, though not as fine as having my EGW infobase. i also downloaded a Bible program. there are many on the internet but i didn't have the time to go through them all. what i got was one that was both simple and complicated and i ended up using an online Bible. i actually still couldn't get the hang of that program until now.

i had been using the EGW infobase for years and i think that i got so used to the workflow that it became difficult for me to work with other resources. i miss just clicking a button in my taskbar to open the program, having both EGW writings and the Bible in one place, the standard paging, and the way i could highlight text in different colors (categories!). i even miss the very button in my taskbar!

but what i miss most is having all the books in a single program and being able to search through them all at once. the many ways i could search the files. a powerful and simple (my fingers know the keyboard shortcuts like reflex) search feature, ahhh, bliss. 

i already tried removing the program and re-installing it to no avail. this only means one thing: i need help. :D

for now, i really just thank God that the internet was there when i lost the program. it got me through work by saving me from typing every word of the 78-page lesson. 

He even allowed me to print the entire lesson before the printer went crazy a few minutes later. the nth reason why i thank God everyday. :)

-o-