September 2013
Go Girls!
School Days New pencils are sharpened, and notebook pages are ready to be filled. Somewhere a first-grader is learning to spell, a high school student is solving an equation, and a college class is completing a lab assignment. School days are here, and learning is happening all around us…but is it also happening in us? As adults, are we still taking notes, experimenting, and solving complex problems? Most of us spent years in school classrooms concentrating on learning—until we graduated. After the ceremonial hat toss, much of the geometry and complicated chemistry formulas we learned end up collecting dust in the distant corners of our brains. But while it’s inevitable that we graduate from school, we never graduate from life. And life is full of interesting things to explore and learn! Today, for example, you could try kale chips for the first time, learn how to say “bird” in French (oiseau), or practice paddling a kayak. This learning, both from life and from God, is no classroom experience—it’s a real-life experience. Instead of just studying books, God wants us to learn from our teacher—Jesus. It’s interesting to note that rabbis were the teachers in Jesus’ day; and to learn the most they could, students would follow the rabbi closely in small, tightly pressed together flocks. Everywhere the rabbi went, they followed—so close that they were always covered in the dust kicked up from his sandals. And this is exactly what Jesus wants us to do. Follow him so closely through life that we are covered in his dust, always listening for what he has to teach us in the everyday lessons of life: the solutions to complex problems; the geometry of relationships; the history of his love, grace, and redemption. We may not be in school right now, but it’s never too late to start learning from God. So let’s put on our walking shoes, grab a sharp pencil, and open the notebook of our hearts. Let’s follow in the dust of his sandals and listen for the words of truth and love he wants to impart to our lives each and every day.
A ministry of: FUMC Berkeley Springs 49 South Green St. Berkeley Springs, WV 25411 304.258.2766 | gofirst.org Pastor Andrew Cooney
THE WORD “Wise men and women are always learning, always listening for fresh insights.” — Proverbs 18:15 (The Message)
Think About It What are three new things I could try today? 1.________________________ 2________________________ 3.________________________