| Prior Date | Archive Index | Next Date |
|
WITandWISDOM(tm) - July 16, 2002 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: Happy laughter and family voices in the home will keep more kids off the streets at night than the strictest curfew. - Author Unknown Subjects: Parenting ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: I left work early so I could have some uninterrupted study time right before the final in my Youth Issues class. When I got to class, everybody was doing their last minute studying. The teacher came in and said he would review with us for just a little bit before the test. We went through the review, most of it right on the study guide, but there were some things he was reviewing that I had never heard of. When questioned about it, he said that they were in the book and we were responsible for everything in the book. We couldn't really argue with that. Finally it was time to take the test. "Leave them face down on the desk until everyone has one and I'll tell you to start," our prof instructed. When we turned them over, every answer on the test was filled in! The bottom of the last page said the following: "This is the end of the Final Exam. All the answers on your test are correct. You will receive an 'A' on the final exam. The reason you passed the test is because the creator of the test took it for you. All the work you did in preparation for this test did not help you get the A. You have just experienced . . . grAce." He then went around the room and asked each student individually, "What is your grade? Do you deserve the grade you are receiving? How much did all your studying for this exam help you achieve your final grade?" Now I am not a crier by any stretch of the imagination, but I had to fight back tears when answering those questions and thinking about how the Creator has passed the test for me. Discussion afterward went like this: "I have tried to teach you all semester that you are a recipient of grace. I've tried to communicate to you that you need to demonstrate this gift as you work with young people. Don't hammer them; they are not the enemy. Help them, for they will carry on your ministry if it is full of GRACE!" Talking about how some of us had probably studied hours and some just a few minutes but had all received the same grade, he pointed to a story Jesus told in Matthew 20. The owner of a vineyard hired people to work in his field and agreed to pay them a certain amount. Several different times during the day, he hired more workers. When it was time to pay them, they all received the same amount. When the ones who had been hired first thing in the morning began complaining, the boss said, "Should you be angry because I am kind?" (Matthew 20:15). The teacher said he had never done this kind of final before and probably would never do it again, but because of the content of many of our class discussions, he felt like we needed to experience grace. Have you thanked your Creator today because of the grace you have experienced? Author Unknown Submitted by Rod Keen Subjects: Grace, Tests ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: "CAT'S COMPUTER DICTIONARY" Copyright 2001 Mark Mason All Rights Reserved http://www.catdiary.com BROWSER: What I like to be at 3:00 am when I rearrange all your books on your desk. Where's a kitty supposed to lay down with all that mess? WALLPAPER: My favorite stuff, mostly in the kitchen and bathroom, I use to exercise my claws on. DEFRAG: Coughing up hairballs. Hey, it's just a little maintenance! HYPERLINK: Fake hot dog filled with my favorite pick-me-up: cat-nip. SERVER: My human subject. You can't call them waitress, or waiter, or slave anymore; it's not politically correct. SHUT DOWN: Nap time - my favorite 16 hours of the day. LAPTOP: Little ol' me. Certainly cuter, more useful, valuable, and entertaining. and no batteries are required. DEFAULT: Blame. If something gets broken around the house, don't look at me! It's probably that human I have to share my house with, or the dog's fault! WINDOW: The best place to watch birds, squirrels, and that weird dog next door eat out of the trash can and chase cars. HOME PAGE: My papers - newspapers, that is, that I used before graduating to the real kitty litter box. I think they were the "Wanted: DOG" ads. To subscribe to Cat Diary, send a blank email to catdiary-subscribe@topica.com Source: Kitty's Daily Mews, Copyright (c) 1997-2002 All rights reserved worldwide, http://www.katscratch.com/ Subjects: Cats, Definitions ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: The fourth-grade class was studying the development of the auto industry. The teacher had emphasized the role played by Henry Ford, whose assembly lines decreased production costs. At the end of the unit, she gave a test including the question: "What did Henry Ford invent that made buying a car more affordable?" One of the brightest students in the class wrote: "0% financing." Source: The Funnies, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/andychaps_the-funnies Subjects: Debt, Automobiles, Henry Ford ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: SIMPLY GENEROUS Part 2 of 5 [Jul 15, 16, 17, 18, 19] If you can't afford to buy gifts for loved ones and friends this year, use something other than money to create what you want. Give gifts of the heart. GIFTS YOU MAKE Make and give your specialty items, whether it's a German chocolate cake, spinach quiche, or fudge. If you're giving salad dressing, relish, jam, or jelly, decorate the jars with ribbons, decals, and festive stickers. Put together an attractive recipe book or index cards in an inexpensive tin for those who have expressed an interest in some of your favorite dishes. Personalize stationery. Purchase inexpensive colored paper with matching envelopes in bulk from a stationery outlet or discount store. Either draw freehand or use stencils or inked stamps to add designs to the stationery and envelopes. Tie them together with colorful ribbons. By Patricia L. Fry Source: Signs of the Times, Copyright (c) December 2000, Pacific Press, http://www.signstimes.com Submitted by Dale Galusha Subjects: Gifts |