In which the Bible Teacher preaches it...

I don't typically blog. My thoughts worth sharing are usually simple enough to fit into a 140 character limit. However, recent events have inspired me to share what is on my mind and heart in a more complete way.

I have cried at some point every day since last Friday. I have cried as a teacher, as a soon-to-be parent, as an American, and as a Christian. I have heard all the arguments for gun control, against gun control, for more mental health care, for more video game regulation....everything that we have discussed to try to make sense of a senseless act.  I have opinions (just ask my husband!), but I value my friendships too much to share them and alienate people I care very much about.

But there is one talking point on which I cannot, and should not, keep silent.

There is a cartoon that circulated on facebook (and I've seen it before) that says something like "God, why do you allow so much violence in schools?" and God replies something like, "I don't want to, but I'm not allowed in schools anymore."

That cartoon makes my skin crawl.

Because it is a lie.

First, I have to argue this from the theological side. We believe God is Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent. That means he is all-knowing, all-powerful, and present everywhere. "Everywhere" means all places at all times. We simply cannot say that just because there is no formal "faith declaration" at a place, God does not still dwell in said place. That would go against the very nature of God.

You absolutely, positively cannot "banish" God from anywhere.  It is impossible. For the love of all sanity, can we PLEASE stop spreading this lie to our children? 

Instead, we must teach our children that since God is everywhere, they have the freedom to practice their faith anywhere. Yes, they can bring their Bible to school. Yes, they can pray before a test or before lunch. Yes, they can share their faith with their friends. Yes, they can start a Bible club. Yes, they can model Christlike behavior to their teachers, friends, and especially to those who are bullies or outcasts.

In fact, here's a direct copy/paste from the ACLU's "Religion in Schools" briefer:

Free Exercise of Religion
The ACLU has always defended students’ right to pray individually and voluntarily in school as long as they do not disrupt regular school activities. For example, students may be allowed to read their Bibles on the school bus or pray together before lunch; however, they may not force other students to read along or listen. We also have defended the Free Exercise rights of students of many faiths when government officials have interfered with their religious freedom. To cite just a few examples, the ACLU has defended: a high school basketball player in Alabama kicked off the team because he missed Sunday practice in order to attend church; an eighth grader in California barred from wearing a shirt that read “Real Women Love Jesus;” and a Vermont family who refused to provide their child’s Social Security Number to school authorities because of their fundamentalist Christian beliefs.
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This leaves parents with a huge (and biblical) mandate: teach your kids your faith, and teach them to be strong in that faith. Just like any teacher will tell you that it is absolutely vital to practice schoolwork at home, it is absolutely vital to instruct and train your children in their faith at home. Biblical instruction is not reserved for Sundays from 9:30-10:30am...if they don't have a ball game...or friends over....or were out late Saturday.....or its a beautiful day....or mom and dad have a lot of work to do on the house.....

Biblical education and teaching your children about the Lord is a 24/7/365 job.  And it is Priority Number One. It is the foundation for all other lessons you will teach them on responsibility, ethics, and just being a decent human being.

Could you imagine if every Christian parent taught this to their children? Could you imagine if every Christian parent taught their child they can pray at school? Could you imagine if every Christian parent instilled a love for the Bible in their children so that they wanted to take it and read it at school every day?

I have students who do this. I have students who pray, bring their Bibles, and discuss their faith at school. And you know what? You can tell a HUGE difference in these students, and you can see the impact they have among their peers.

So, to sum this all up--- I am at a public school every day. Many teachers, myself included, pray for their students daily in that school building. God is there, and He's not going anywhere.

Oh, and P.S. Yes, the Bible can still be taught in schools legally.

Map Coasters

Recently I have jumped on the bandwagon known as Pinterest. I don't think I've reached the point of it sucking my life away, but it is fun to use to get inspiration. Last week I was looking for an idea for my husband for our first anniversary and kept coming up short. I kept having to remind myself that just because I think something is cute and fun to make, it doesn't mean that my husband will enjoy it. Because, you know, he's a guy. A Scrabble tile mosaic of our love is not going to have the same impact. :) Especially since my hubby doesn't really like Scrabble. He's a math person.  But he does love maps, and has been talking for awhile about how we need coasters...ah ha!

Romantic and practical!

So I decided to come up with my own thing inspired by many different Pinterest users, and customized for my own needs. For this reason (and because my FB friends told me to), I am posting a "how-to" for this project.

SKILL LEVEL: Easy

TIME: About an hour, but because of cold weather, I waited several hours to do each coat of sealant. In warmer weather it would be much faster.

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

-Tile with two flat sides. I used stone tile from Lowes. DO NOT get the glazed kind.

Make sure there are no major flaws in the tile. The one on top is okay, the one below is not.

-Map of special places to you and your significant other.  Local maps can be gotten for free from your Chamber of Commerce for free. Mine was just sitting in my desk from new employee orientation two years ago.

-Mod Podge and sponge brush

-X-acto knife

-1 sheet of vellum

-Sharpie/ paint pen. DO NOT use a washable marker!

-Acrylic waterproofing sealer. I got mine from Hobby Lobby in the decoupage section.

-Velcro or felt dots.

Flowery tablecloth optional.

Step One: Figure out what places are significant to you. I decided on where we met (church), where we got engaged (a local park), where we got married (his parents' house), and where our first house is being built (which was really fun because it is just a blank spot on the map right now).

Place the tile on the map and cut around it with an x-acto knife.  Try to get as close as you can to the edges, but you will have a chance to really clean it up after you start the gluing/sealing process.

The places don't have to be centered, I tried to include water features, major roads, city names, etc.

Mark the place with a Sharpie or paint pen and let dry.

Step Two: Using Mod Podge or spray adhesive, glue the picture to the tiles. You will need to squeeze out bubbles as they form.  Once the glue starts drying, the map will get bubbly no matter what you do. Don't stress, just keep pushing on the bubbles, getting it as flat as you can. As you add the layers of sealant, the bumps will flatten on their own.

Step Three: Print labels on the vellum using your computer. I suppose you can hand write it, or you can print it on colored paper, but I liked the vellum look. Also, use a cool font- NOT Comic Sans! 
DISCLAIMER: I used a laser printer, I'm not sure what an inkjet will do when it comes to ink bleed.

Mod Podge these labels to your tile. Again, watch for bubbles and wrinkling.  Let dry.


Step Four: Seal the mess out of it.  Using the spray sealer, spray the tiles and let the first coat dry.  Do not get too close on this first coat because the Sharpie will start to bleed. If that happens, don't freak out, just quickly and gently wipe up the bleeding part with a q-tip. After the first coat sets, this won't be an issue.  I did three coats of sealer over 2 days. Then I went back and trimmed up the little bit of excess map and did a fourth coat.

It'll look really shiny when you are done.

Step Five: Velcro dots.  You don't want your coasters to stick together or scratch anything, so you'll need to put something on the bottom to protect it. I used the soft side of Velcro, but you can also use sticky felt dots, or cut felt squares.

Felt would probably be cheaper, but I didn't think about that until I was finished.

Wait at least 24 hours before using. 

That's it! Pretty easy, huh?  They were a huge hit, by the way. :)