Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Smoking Stinks

I am a science teacher and right now we are studying pollution. I was shocked when I read this excerpt from our book.

Smoking is a major form of air pollution. Every year 390,000 people die from the effects of smoking. About 1 in every 6 deaths in the United States is due to smoking.

Here is the shocking part...

Why are cigarettes so harmful? Cigarettes contain 4,000 different chemicals. Some of the chemicals have never even been scientifically studied. And those that have been aren't so great either. They include acetone (nail polish remover), ammonia (toliet cleaner), arsenic (rat poision), formaldehyde (a fluid used to preserve bodies), hexamine (barbecue lighter), hydrogen cyanide (gas chamber poision), methane (swamp gas), methanol (rocket fuel), micotine (insecticide), and toluene (industrial solvent).

Interesting isn't it?

Susan

Monday, February 27, 2006

Catching Up and Middle School Insight

Freddy told me last night he was going to take a break from blogging this semester due to the demands on his school work. He suggested I take over, but I'm not ready to be a true dedicated blogger, so I told him I would fill in every now and then.

The most exciting thing going on in our family right now is that last Friday we got to meet our new nephew Trevor Wade Cherry. Trevor's parents are Bubba and Kristi Cherry. He was born on the 24th of February at 7:30 a.m. He weighed 7 lbs. 6 oz and is 21 inches long. We love our sweet nephews (Wyatt 6, Patton 2, Trevor 3 days) and have fun being Uncle T. and Aunt Susan. We'll be in Clarksville again in 2 weeks and I need an updated picture with the nephews so I'll post it as soon as I do.

I got to be at the hospital waiting as Trevor was born, but he cut it close because I was scheduled to leave for Birmingham at 8 a.m. with my mom and 2 aunts to go to a Beth Moore conference. The conference was wonderful! She spoke on generations and it was really good and challenging. (I'm thinking of collecting my thoughts and posting about those later in the week).

Some of you know that I teach 8th grade. I love being around 13-14 year olds. I watch them interact all day long and often wonder how they perceive things. I'm not sure why, but today I began wondering what they thought about biblical manhood and womanhood. Here are a few of their responses:

Manhood
- Men should be the head of the household and men should provide for their families. But that does not mean that men are better than women.
- Men should put a roof over their wives head and give them the best possible life you can and love their family.
- Men should share God's word, reproduce, and take care of God's creation.
- A man should set a good example for his family.
- A man should help the woman with cleaning.
- A man is the image of God.
- A man can make a rule, a woman can make a rule only if she discusses it with the man.
- A man needs to protect the woman from danger

Womanhood
- A woman should aid the man in tasks.
- Women should raise children, be obedient to their husbands, take care of the house, and be
Godly examples of modesty.
- Women should help the men out and stay at home.
- Women should take care of the men.
- Women should reproduce and be a Godly mother.
- Women should keep order while the man is at work and to love the family.


Interesting isn't it? Some are heading in the right direction, I think they all need some tweeking. I know I still have a lot to learn. For the girls. You should check out www.girltalk.blogs.com . This is a great blog that speaks to Biblical Womanhood often.

Susan

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Contentment

Contentment is something that all of us struggle with from time to time. Currently I am reading a series of books by Francine Rivers. (I recommend them; they are fairly short and easy reads) They each revolve around the lives of women mentioned in the lineage of Jesus Christ, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. I’m almost finished with Bathsheba, but as I read today I was once again reminded of how good God is to give us what we have and nothing more.

2 Samuel 12:7-8 speaks to this. Nathan is rebuking David,

Nathan then said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. ‘I also gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these!

David had everything it seemed like. Wives, respect, honor in the city, yet he was not content. When he saw Bathsheba on her roof he wanted her too, even though she was married to another man. We too are like this. We have in our minds what would be “perfect” or ideal for us and begin making idols of these desires. The Lord gives us the desires of our hearts (husbands/wives, kids, the job we want, a home, etc) and we only want more. We are never satisfied. I can’t remember where, but not to long ago I read this about contentment, “because God is sovereign, ultimately knowing what is best for us, it would be unloving of him to have us doing (or in this case having) anything other than what he has us doing now.” That encouraged me and caused me to be thankful for what God has me doing today. As a Christian my greatest need, my need for a Savior, is satisfied in Jesus. Because I believe God to be who he says he is, then I can put my hope and trust in God and believe that everything that goes on in my life is for my good (Romans 8:28), even the aspects that don’t always seem that way. And I can be content, joyfully content doing exactly what God has me doing today.

Susan

Wednesday, February 01, 2006