Now that I am working full time I like to have my weekends free so that I can just hang with my family. Last Sunday we went to Asbury Woods and took a walk and played on the playground. This Sunday we went to Perry Monument and played football and walked around. Camden is really starting to be interested in history so we read a few of the informational boards. He is fascinated with Misery Bay and why the military sunk ships in it.
On the weekend I also try and catch up on my emails and actually try and read some blogs mainly my husbands. I noticed he mentioned that he would love me to blog about all the conversations I am having with my students at EFCA. It is now Sunday evening and trying to recall all those conversations is hard but I will try and recall one I just had on Friday.
Every Friday in U.S. Government I pick an article that deals with the government and we have a time of discussion. Towards the end of the class I allow the students to kind of go off in any direction they would like if it involves government or religion. We were talking about racism Friday and I read Matthew 25 about the sheep and goats. I wanted them to realize anytime they treat another human being less than a human being (color, race, sex, disability) they are treating God's creation that way. "Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me" That got them thinking about their faith and whether they are living it out daily. Than one of them asked the hard question " Can you lose your salvation?"
Now I could have given my opinion on this and quoted scripture to back that opinion. Instead I let them wrestle with it and discuss it. I told them that I have my faith in Christ and I am steadfast in what I believe but they needed to develop their faith in Christ and they need to wrestle with these issues and make them their own. I told them that in two years they will most likely be on their own whether in college or not and they will be asked the hard questions. They need to be ready to answer them and I won't be there to answer them for them.
Now I could have given my opinion on this and quoted scripture to back that opinion. Instead I let them wrestle with it and discuss it. I told them that I have my faith in Christ and I am steadfast in what I believe but they needed to develop their faith in Christ and they need to wrestle with these issues and make them their own. I told them that in two years they will most likely be on their own whether in college or not and they will be asked the hard questions. They need to be ready to answer them and I won't be there to answer them for them.
It was one of those teachable moments where I saw some of them realize they needed to really look into the scriptures and come up with why they believe what they believe and make it their own.
