Apples of Gold

-
Before we get to the apples...March has flown by, and it is with a bit of disbelief with a trace of denial that I find myself near the end of it. The beginning weeks were consumed with preparations for our state-wide Fine Arts Festival. The day was extremely successful on many fronts. Our students did exceptionally well, placing high in many different categories that allowed Pilgrim to place first overall. I enjoyed competing in this festival myself during high school, but there is a distinct joy that comes when you see your students excel that far outweighs any of my own personal achievement. I was particularly proud of my own brothers, Peter and Mark as they placed well in many different categories, and also of my dad as he prepared and directed numerous musical groups! See pictures below!

I wanted to briefly share with you a verse and a thought that my freshman Bible class discussed this morning. 

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver." Proverbs 25:11 

I think it is often hard to recognize that in high school one sets precedents and builds habits that are continued later in life. It is much easier to focus on the here and now, making the grade, winning the game, turning in the project or assignment. All of those things are important. However, it is incredibly important to be able to recognize that the thoughts we think daily have a massive impact on our attitudes, words and actions, and ultimately on those around us. Therefore it is particularly important to realize the import and impact of our words on those around us and to chose our words with care. A negative or harmful word or interaction has the power to distort the color of an entire day. Equally, a word of admonition or encouragement is extremely formative, and stands out when spoken into someone's life. A word well-timed, a kind word, words that build up, and even a word held back, are extremely valuable in their time and way, even more so because they bring glory to God our Creator. They are as distinct as a beautiful piece of guilded art or architecture. May our words be as 'apples of gold in pictures of silver today.'

             Mark and Peter celebrating with TPA's Quality Award and overall 1st Place.

                                         Dad and the TPA Festival Orchestra 
                                       TPA group photo to celebrate the win!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Remembering Easter Week

-
Image
    It’s been a while! This summer marks three years of living life and seeking normal in the United States. I haven’t figured it out. But I have realized that writing helps, so I’m going to do more of that. Putting my thoughts here sometimes feels like I’m writing to a void, but if you’re a human and you’re reading this, I'm grateful. I'm just looking for a place for my thoughts to belong. I’m working on a new title, too, so stay tuned.      Easter week holds a wide range of emotions for me and at the close of Holy Week, they're feeling a little more pronounced. I have happy memories of childhood celebrations with my grandmother and immediate family. Chocolate and celebrations of Christ’s resurrection are closely associated in my core memories, which can’t be a bad thing. In adulthood, learning how to celebrate with new traditions has been a difficult process. When I approach this week, though, several key memories from the recent past are on my mind. Near the beginning of
Read more

Commissioning

-
It's funny to discover how God has directed our paths even when we didn't realize He was doing it. My pastor had scheduled a Commissioning Service for me during tonight's evening service on Wednesday, and we were thankful God had directed him this way when we found out I was leaving on Monday! Tonight's service was a huge blessing. A former missionary, and great student of the Word, gave the challenge to me out of Micah 6:8. This was very special because God had begun to use that verse in my life during the time at Csehy this summer. Now it's meaning is intensified for me.   " He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8  The first two commands pertain to dealing with mankind, and the last to my relationship with God. If God is first in a person's life, everything else will fall into place. This is my prayer as I enter this new phase in m
Read more

Advent Week 1: Hope

-
Image
Advent Week 1: Hope Hope is not easy to write about, but as we begin this season of Advent, it has been helpful to me to reflect why hope is difficult. I hope that my reflections encourage you in some small way.  I have always been a do-it-myself kind of person. If someone needs to step up and take action, I will feel compelled to do it. If a better grade can be achieved, I’ll figure out what I could have done to get it. If a system or program could be more efficient, I’ll find a better way. The last two years have been very frustrating for me. It seems as though grief, loss, pain and so many other things, are rampant. The other day I saw an instagram post that encouraged readers to do “whatever felt right, because nothing matters anymore.” Yikes. It resonates, though. I wish that a word, deed or action could do away with the problems racking the world. And yet, I find myself wondering if these problems - pain, heartache, grief and loss - had been lurking beneath the surface, until the
Read more