Wonderful World of Color

(Thanks Andy, Lindsay & Maw)

Ashley really loves bright colors and that is definitley reflected in her bedrooms new look. If memory serves me correctly the color is called "Rushing Stream".

It really is all about relationships.

Lately for me the constant theme in the events of my life has centered around the affirmation that life really is all about people and how we relate to one another. Life is not about money, possessions, amusement, careers, health, education or any of the other aspects of my life. Life is all about God & people and how I relate to them. How I relate to God, my parents, grandparents, siblings, spouse, children, friends, neighbors, coworkers, in-laws, neices, nephews, strangers, enemies, is really all that matters. I must constantly strive to humble myself, put others first and seek to be a mirror by which the love of Christ can be reflected for others to see.

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?" Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it; Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" - Matthew 24:36-40.

How can you love if you don't relate?

Why - Why - Why

Why do I do what I do? - Because we have always done it that way.
Why do I say what I say? - That's what my friends say.
Why do I think what I think? - Because someone told me that once..
Why do I believe what I believe? - My parents believed that.

Why ..........? Because..........

I think that most people, as they travel through life, ask themselves these types of questions fairly frequently but in my own personal experience I find that answering questions like these can be quite difficult, challenging and requiring a form of mental discipline that can be difficult to exercise. These types of questions can lead a person to more questions which can lead the individual deeper into their own mind, beliefs and thoughts. The decision to deliberatly look deeper into one's own thoughts and beliefs can be a very difficult process to start and an even more difficult process to continue much less make a life long practice. I believe though that the process of evaluating ones own thoughts and beliefs is a journey that each of us must embrace and embark on. Really though, each of us has already embarked on this journey but like ships sailing on the ocean some are making way to a specific destination while others are drifting wherever the currents, winds and tides take them. Which type of journey is your life on?

Also, some may ask, "Why bother with such an exercise or journey?" and I would answer "Good answer, enjoy the rest of the journey and let me know what you find."

Ready or Not

At work someone forward a presentation created by a Mr. Karl Fisch, an educator for Araphahoe High School in Littleton, Co. He maintains an interesting blog, http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/, the purpose of which is to help "staff development on the topics of constructivism and the use of technology to foster student-centered classrooms." The presentation forwarded around my work was titled "Did You Know", http://www.lps.k12.co.us/schools/arapahoe/fisch/fischbowlpresentations.htm, and focused on the global environment our children are growing up in and the future they are being educated to participate in. I found his three presentations extremely thought provoking at many levels. As an parent, a US citizen, an employee and most importantly as a Christian.

"We are currently preparing students for jobs that don't exist yet...

using technologies that haven't been invented yet...

in order to solve problems we don't even know are problems yet."

I also find it very troublesome when I hear educators I am friends with talk about the environments they are currently work in within the public school arena. So many children, it seems, don't stand a chance in the fast changing, technology centered, knowledge oriented, lifetime of learning, global economy they will be participants in whether they are ready or not.