I've learned how to laugh and I've learned how to pray
Several years ago our pastor recommended a movie he and his wife had seen over the weekend. He told us it was a movie with a Christian theme, filmed by a Christian studio, that they had really enjoyed it, and we should go see it. So, being the compliant, obedient rule-followers that we are, my wife and I went to see it.
It was not great.
It was not good.
The school where our son-in-law works bought a 3D-printer so they could print various things around the school that they needed and couldn’t get elsewhere. While we were visiting them for Christmas, he asked my wife and I if there was anything small we would like printed for us. My wife chose a pencil cup that looks great in the multi-colored filament he used to print it. I chose something in black-and-white, for … reasons.
We’d almost made it out the door of church on Sunday when I was pulled into a conversation by a friend who was engaged in a discussion with someone I didn’t know. The discussion concerned a “short answer” for those whose response to “God loves us” was to ask where God’s love was when He told Israel to kill all the Canaanites (as one example). According to the person asking the question, this is a common attack point on TikTok, and he wanted a quick comeback that was also TikTok-sized (short).
Ran across this today (emphasis mine).
A teacher is someone who stands with you in the dark and holds their flashlight just long enough for you to find your own flashlight.
—Steve Jobs
The two big problems I’ve observed with teachers (and occasionally parents, but I repeat myself) over the years are:
(I should state the obvious and say that I’ve been guilty of both.)
Be a flashlight.