Keep learning lady!
Posted on Dec 21 2006 | Tagged as: community, learning
This past weekend Marta and I were invited to attend a hooding ceremony and graduation at George Fox Seminary. It was a pleasure to listen in as professors spoke one last time into the lives of their adult students. The students had the opportunity to share with those in the audience who have sacrificed so much to make their education possible. Students also gave praise to their instructors and fellow students who they have shared life with over the past few years. As the graduates walked in front of us I was looking for the face of that special lady we came to support. She was so beautiful! She was clearly beaming with pride and a sense of accomplishment. We were all so proud of her. Let me tell you a little about this amazing lady.
She is one of seven children. This has its challenges and rewards. She has persevered through life’s pain in the most gracious and classy way possible. This lady is an elegant fighter and has not allowed life’s challenges to keep her down. With every curve she has found a way to seek God’s discernment and discover healing. She is continually growing and I suspect she will do so until her last breath. Her passion is to inspire the development of the inner life; a life that is in tune with and listening to Christ with each breath. This lady is real; there is no room for superficial fluff.
She has inspired me to live a life of purpose; influenced me to develop a healthy marriage relationship, helped me to learn perseverance, compassion, empathy, independence, the importance of service, good communication, and personal hygiene. I am still working on that last one. You may be asking who is this person and how could I get to know her. This amazing women is my Mom. I am so proud of her!
Well done Master Mom!
Ecclesiastes 1:18 MSG
Much learning earns you much trouble. The more you know, the more you hurt.
Proverbs 1:7 MSG
Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning.
Get over the idea that only children should spend their time in study. Be a student so long as you still have something to learn, and this will mean all your life. ~ Henry L. Doherty
Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned. ~Mark Twain
Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes
I don’t think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday. ~Abraham Lincoln
Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. ~Henry Ford
Learning is like rowing upstream: not to advance is to drop back. ~Chinese Proverb
Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance. ~Confucius
Patience is the companion of wisdom. ~St. Augustine
The years teach much which the days never knew. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom. ~Isaac Asimov
We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future. ~George Bernard Shaw
Quotes from “The Quote Garden!”
I must make a confession. When I was in high school learning did not come easily to me. Isn’t it like God to take an area of weakness and give us a passion to serve others in it? Let me continue to confess. Although I love to read and write it requires incredible focus for me to perform well. I will continue to be honest… To this day I have incredible test anxiety. I remember a few years back one of our Bible teachers handed out a test to the staff at an in-service meeting. He was giving us a Biblical knowledge test for fun. As soon as a copy of the test was placed in front of me I froze. In my mind it took me back to high school; to memories of walking into class the day of a test feeling unprepared and doomed to fail. It has taken me years to overcome some of the self doubt that resulted from my less than stellar high school academic career. My attitude toward learning has changed dramatically over the years. I believe that one of the primary contributors to that change is an understanding that learning is so much more than the ability to memorize information and repeat it back on a test (although this is an important part of learning)
- A presentation for Advent at Newberg Friends Church -
Over the past few months I have been writing about three elements of our theme for this school year – an extraordinary community of purpose. At the beginning of each year we develop a theme derived from our core values, mission, or vision. This theme is more than a slogan. We use our theme as a reminder of the core beliefs that have given direction to our school for over twenty five years.
I placed my hand into the water in front of me to check the temperature. “It feels warm, are you ready?” I looked up to see the grimace of pain as Russell removes his socks. “I have an unusual sized foot, so my shoes rarely fit me.” As I looked at his feet I saw a number of large blisters and asked, “Are you sure you want me to do this?” Russell replied with an honest smile, “You will do a great job.” He placed his feet into the soapy water with pain written all over his face. I noticed that every time I dipped the cloth into the water and gently washed his feet I was causing him pain. I apologized, “I am so sorry this is hurting you.” Russell would reply in a very kind voice, “Andy, you are doing a fine job, thank you for washing my feet.”
According to Wikipedia an iceberg is a large piece of ice that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water. Since the density of pure water ice is ca. 920 kg/m3, and that of sea water ca. 1025 kg/m3, typically, around 90% of the volume of an iceberg is under water, and that portion’s shape can be difficult to surmise from looking at what is visible above the surface.
Element 1 – Centering – The depth of community
Element 2 – Connecting – The width of community
Element 3 – Challenging – The height of community
Love my family. Impressed by humility. Eager to learn and grow through conversation, study and experiences. Energized by my passion to see heart level change in the lives of others. I am hopeful, optimistic, and believe that Christ is present and working in this world. I want to be where the action is. (Colossians 3:1-2 MSG)