Always Something New!

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge... ~ 2 Peter 1: 5

Do you know one of the things that I love about reading the Bible?  I love that I can read passages over and over and then one day while reading God decides you are ready for Him to reveal more meaning.  It happened to me this week.  I was studying my Sunday school lesson (John 19: 23-30, 38-42) on the crucifixion of Christ.  I don't know how many times I have read the scriptures that tell of Simon of Cryene being drafted by the Roman soldier to carry the cross beam for Christ.  The scriptures do not tell us the reason why; however, there must be significance in the task or why would God have it recorded. Was it because Christ was beaten so badly that He was too weak to carry the beam?  Doesn't the Bible make that point several times?  Why tell us that Simon was drafted to carry the cross beam?  After doing some reading on crucifixion, I learned it was customary for the criminal to carry his cross, or the crossbeam, from the place of sentencing to the execution location.  The bearing of the cross was the mark of guilt.  The criminal carried his guilt to the place of crucifixion.  Could the recording of Simon carrying the crossbeam for Christ be the Father's way of reminding us yet again that His son was blameless--innocent?  Was it a subtle reminder to us that Christ was going to the cross by no guilt of His own?  Yes, He died on the cross for our sins but He carried no sin of His own.  Could that be the reason God recorded it--as a reminder to us?  

I also read where the criminal had a placard telling of the crime committed. Jesus' placard read "King of the Jews".  Pilot knew that this would be an insult and embarrassment to the Jewish religious leaders.  It is the reason he chose the words.  However, I learned that it was written in Hebrew, Greek and Latin.  Think about that--Hebrew was the language of religion.  Greek was the language of philosophy, and Latin was the language of the law.  All three of those things combined to crucify Jesus.  And then think about Pilot's motives in the wording of the placard--"King of the Jews".  Pilot considered it an insult and embarrassment to the Jewish religious leaders.  However, God used it as a gospel tract.  One of the thieves discovered he was crucified with the King and received entrance into the Kingdom of heaven.  The placard Pilot used to insult; God used to save a thief whom He loved.  How great is our God!!  

And, as always, I've included a few pictures of our week. 

This poor turtle contained three years of teaching on it.  It fell out my car at the Roosters' school and I found it in the carpool line AFTER the snow storm we had and a few days of carpool.  I was just sick.  All my PowerPoints, lesson plans, units, assessments, etc.  Look at it!  Pitiful.

I told the Colonel about it and somehow he got it to work. He copied all those files to my computer's hard drive and then uploaded them to a new owl USB drive.  I was one happy gal.  

This is one of the units on the drive--penguins.  The students and I have been enjoying research and essay writing using these little guys as the topic.

Gathering research for their expository essays and presentations.

The Roosters had NASA night at their school this past week.  The teachers did an awesome job incorporating the Olympics with art and science.  The pictures below are the Roosters going to different classes.

Learning the science behind how salt helps an ice cube in water stick to a string.

 

Before service today

I love the "three minute" countdown.  Music starts, the screens show fellowship pictures and the clock lets everyone know that service is about to begin.  Even the music that plays during this time is awesome.

Mission booths in the Gathering Place

I got a new phone yesterday because the charging port on my old phone was damaged.  I was playing around with the camera features today.  I showed this picture to Sister and she said I looked like Lady Gaga.  Geez.

These are just my silly boys refusing to let me get a decent picture of them.

Have a great week!  I hope to be back before next Sunday.