Oh be Careful Little Tongue What You Say

               Ephesians 4:29 states: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” It seems like anywhere we turn today people are not following this verse. I believe this is one of the most overlooked sins of Christians today. A person only needs to look at the media or Christian blogs to see that this is happening. In fact in Dr. Cleary’s blog he states “Everywhere one turns the tv, or radio tuner, at least everywhere there are people talking about news and/or sports, Rice is being roundly condemned.” Everyone is entitled to their own opinions but there is a fine line between saying what you believe and tearing someone down with our speech. Other people are also talking about Rice hitting his fiancé; but they are not saying what they believe as kindly as Dr. Cleary was. We, as Christians, need to be careful not to fall into the trap of complaining, tearing others down, and gossiping.

                This is especially important when it comes to being a teacher. Some students struggle in school. Teachers need to do what is best for their students. This does not mean that the teacher can talk about how much of a pain the student is. Rather the teacher should look for the positives in each student and situation. We need to condition ourselves to think positively and not tear others down.

                http://clearysviewpoint.blogspot.com/​

I Am a Saint

                Have you ever heard someone say the phrase “he’s a saint?” Did you ever stop to think about what that meant? Bridges sheds some light on that subject in his book Respectable Sins. According to Bridges a Saint is: “someone whom Christ bought with His own blood on the cross and has separated unto Himself to be His own possession” (13).

                This is not what a person usually thinks about when they hear the word Saint. In fact many people think about an older man who is spiritual. Typically most people will think about Catholics.

                One big topic in the Catholic Church right now is Pope Francis’ opinion on homosexuality. People were surprised to hear the pope say about gay people “who am I to judge?” 

                This is a newer view for the church but I believe the pope has a point. It is true that a saint is someone who is bought with Christ’s blood; but Christ died for all those who would accept him, no matter what point they are at in life. We are all sinners so why do we think we have the right to judge others?

                As a teacher I will have to deal with topics like these every day. I will have students who are from different families and cultures. I must accept them for who they are, love them like God does, and let my light shine in the hope that they will see I am different. I am a Saint.

                http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/09/19/pope-francis-church-cant-interfere-with-gays/comment-page-34/

The Shoe

               

                The Shoe. It is a strange name for a blog from a soccer player and future teacher with not much of a fashion sense; but I did not choose this title because I wanted to be fashionable. Instead this title came to me this week as I was contemplating what I wanted the blog to be called. I wanted it to have a deeper meaning behind the title. This is when I came up with the title The Shoe.

                Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (ESV).

                You see we are all on a journey and on this journey we have many choices. One major choice we have is whether we will trust God or not. God wants to be a part of our journey and, if we trust him, he will be with us and see us through all of our trials in this life. So I encourage you to put your “shoes” on and continue your journey with God.