The Power of a Simple Gift

It's time we thought about being thankful. My students are studying gratefulness these days. The 7th graders are getting ready to read A Christmas Carol, and the study of London's Victorian age would make anyone grateful that we aren't living then! We are discussing the biblical reasons to be thankful, and my students are using their own reasons to adorn our bulletin board.

These are part of the 70-odd OCC Shoeboxes residing in my classroom right now. I love this beautiful ministry. It allows us to think outside our own circumstances, and it helps us to increase our sphere of influence in the name of Christ. Each box will go to a child  who lives in an orphanage or in another poverty-stricken situation.  Shoeboxes are due next Friday,  November 22, so please consider sending a box or an item to go in a box any time next week. Boxes will go to Jonesboro Heights Baptist Church during 7th period next Friday. From there they go to Charlotte, and then they go all over the world. One of these boxes can help lead a child to Christ. These little gifts help bring God's Kingdom down to earth. 

Upcoming Dates

7th grade : Christmas Carol field trip coming soon

6th grade: "The New Colossus", due Nov. 21; Vocab test the same day. Say your poem early!

8th grade: "If", by Rudyard Kipling, due November 21

I am so thankful for my students and for our school. I love that we get the chance to speak life into our kids every day, and to show them the importance of scripture. May God bless your family as we approach the Thanksgiving season, and as we prepare our hearts for Christmas.

Here are some beautiful verses for your weekend:

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” - Psalm 46:1-3 (NIV)

And here's an interesting new word for you:

Ataraxy : noun: 1. a state of calmness or tranquility;  2. freedom from mental disturbance or anxiety ADD-uh-rack-see May this weekend provide you with ataraxy!