OMG

Since it’s the start of the school year, the kid’s leader at church thought they would discuss some school stuff. So after church we re-capped what went on.

 Leader: What do you hope to accomplish this school year?

Lil Man: Well…the 5^th graders have been beating us as kickball and I want us to win. I hope we can win the next time.

Blink, blink.. trying not to burst out laughing but composing myself, thank God I was driving. 

Me (seriously): So how about something academic,  what you hope to accomplish?

Lil Man: Well Mommy, recess is part of school so winning kickball is important.

End of conversation while I laugh and cry at the same time. Is anyone else’s kid obsessed with recess? Should I be concerned? I'm investigating "How to make Math, Science and other school work as fun as kickball" ASAP.

dear fourth grade, be nice

On the fourth day of school, I asked my lil man how things were going.  I was expecting some positives seeing as we have a nice teacher, no homework. “School is not fulfilling anymore…” Hmm, that caught me off-guard wondering whether to first clarify the meaning of ‘fulfilling’ or ask why it wasn’t.  “They just keep coming up with rules. First It was the STAR position, now we have to tuck in our shirts including gym shirts….”. The STAR position is some acronym for sitting upright and tracking the teacher and I clearly don’t remember what it stands for. My son demonstrated it with shoulders held unnaturally high and straight neck; I could see why he wasn’t surviving the day. I asked him to relax his shoulders a bit.  I agree, it is becoming a bit ‘military’, I mean untucked shirt has nothing to do with learning eh? He’s lucky he wasn’t around when I was growing up-, unpolished shoes (yikes), slightly unkempt nails, hair that was not in place, uniform that wasn’t pressed crisp among a myriad of other unrelated issues could earn you a proper punishment.  We all thought it was part of school life. I don’t know how much good that did, I hate ironing, don’t ever polish my shoes, the only school approved hair style in my day(cornrows) puts me in anxiety,  I do my nails real nice though.

How do you keep a fourth-grade boy motivated?  This morning, he was excited that he had Gym and since it had rained all night, the default outdoor activity would be kickball due to a flooded playground. “I’m glad it rained because I have my good shoes on for kickball”. See, on a regular day when there is no Gym and it rains, his dress-up shoes are not conducive to a good kickball session. My son lives for recess. It’s a phase right? I mean he gets good grades; I guess that is more than I can ask for. 

When asked what in math he finds difficult, he said “nothing” (initially) and that he doesn’t really know what he hopes to learn this year. After mini-session on ‘we all have things we could polish up on’, the answer changed to fractions, but he was adamant that he didn’t find any math difficult, just did not find anything fun about it. I beg to differ remembering countless homework wrangles that we had last year-undermining my traditional learning methods, counting beans and what not over some new era rounding off methods. If this boy did not learn any more math moving forward he would be ok with life. I guess that is why I’m the parent and he is the kid. I don’t remember having ideas about school or otherwise but I was scared cold of becoming a farm hand-because that’s what you became around my parts if school came in one ear and out the other.  There were no options to school and doing well in school. You knew better than answer that recess is your favorite part of the day, there was a right answer to that question, no need putting your opinion or dreams in the path of your future.  So I’m trying to be a parent of the future without veering too far off the more trodden path, balancing opinions and necessity. Lord help me.

The word..grow up!

God has really been blessing and speaking into my life in the midst of all the craziness. I'm so grateful for all the trials he has brought my way so that I can grow into the person he wants me to be. Yesterday's sermon notes on "A mature mind":

Mature mind
A mature mind means to be fully developed in spiritual character and emotion.
God will make it clear where there is error in your ways and spiritual thinking.

Philippians 3
Take away :When I can't forget, I can't focus.
Christians need two core practices:

Forget and Focus

Forget:

God doesn't remember our sin after we ask for forgiveness. To forget is to lack concern for-enables healing. Must forget the hurtful, immoral, distressful, and boastful things.

Hurtful

Mature mind rejects the temptation to be obsessed with pain. Let it go. Be willing to let someone else's sin under the blood of Christ. If we refuse to forgive we become defined by our past. Root of bitterness defiles- like pickle glass always spills into whatever comes in touch with, no matter how good. Accept the lords dealing, he says ‘vengeance is mine’.
Immoral
Mature mind stops allowing the devil to diminish the power of the blood. If you are living in sin, bring under the blood, bring it to light. He forgives completely- let go of shame and guilt.
Distressful
Mature mind resists the control of the traumatic. Past events.
Boastful (Victories that make us boastful)

Mature mind rejects allowing our resume to be our downfall. The only one we should cheer for is Jesus. Must deny yourself and follow Christ.

Focus:

1.      Sober mind 1 Pet 4:7-life is not all about enjoying. Used to think like a child...now you are grown. All things are permissible, not everything is beneficial. 1 Pet 4:7- “The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.”

2.      Set mind -Mature Christian, it's not about you, there is an upward call. God gets to choose. Col 3:1- “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”

When you can’t forget, you can’t focus, let it go and focus on what God has for you.