Feces Infographic

This morning a friend e-mailed me this nifty fact sheet. I never knew how amazing caterpillars, rabbits, and elephants are. I had three cups of coffee today, but none of which was civet coffee. However, I bought a bag of civet coffee beans on a trip to Vietnam a few years ago. Good stuff.

Reviewing Kathryn O'Brien's I'd Be Your Princess

 In Kathryn O'Brien's I'd Be Your Princess, a little girl imagines to be a princess and her father plays along and praises her for her Godly Character. With the exception of the first page, Bible verses are found on every page. There are eight verses from the New Testament and six are from the Old Testament. The colorful illustrations are outstanding. I like how the dad has dark hair, but the girl has blond hair. The people found in the drawings come from all walks of life - different professions, attire, ethnic backgrounds, etc. Unfortunately, Jesus is never mentioned in this 2005 ECPA Gold Medallion Book Award Winner, and only one verse is from the Gospels. I find that quite disappointing so I emphasize to Rose and Grace (ages 8 and 5) that in order to be humble, loving, generous, and all the things the Bible states we should be, Jesus needs to be our Lord and Savior.

Coffee and Cavities

Earlier today I was excited to learn that the coffee grinder I ordered 2 days ago arrived at our home safe and sound. Unfortunately late this afternoon the dentist told me I had four cavities and a cracked filling. Instead of getting upset, I choose to enjoy a hot cup of joe with my new teeth.

Thanksgiving Messages 2010

Abraham Lincoln Offers Thanksgiving to God by Randy Alcorn

What are your thoughts on celebrating God during the Thanksgiving holiday? by John MacArthur

Why Thanksgiving Matters by Albert Mohler

Thanksgiving  by R.C. Sproul

Floating Water Vapor

During my trip to Malaysia earlier this month, I was captivated by the blue skies and the amazing array of clouds. Blue skies are not common in Tianjin, and clouds like these simply can't be seen in these neck of the woods.

Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who has perfect knowledge?           Job 37:16

Saving His Brother's Life

Ryan Arnold saved his brother Chad's life by donating part of his liver - but died doing it

By PAULINE ARRILLAGA

                                                                                                                                                            By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 1 John 3:16

Bathroom Signs

Several days ago I had the opportunity to visit another international school, and I was very impressed with their facility. I especially liked their creative signs outside of their bathrooms. This school not only does a wonderful job of integrating art, English, health, math, science, and social studies into dynamic lessons in the classrooms, but they are even reaching the students during the passing periods. Signs like these need to be posted at every bathroom in the world!

Reviewing Kenneth O Gangel's Called To Teach

Dr. Gangel was one of the most significant Christian educators in the last century. A leader in Christian education for over forty years, he wrote or edited nearly sixty books. He strongly believed that studying God and His Word are the foundations of Christian education. Dr. Gangel stated, "If there is no integration of faith and learning, there is no Christian education." This was a man that was driven by the gospel and truly lived out his philosophy of education.

In Dr. Gangel's 186-page book, Called To Teach, he provides a compilation of 18 keynote addresses that he delivered from 1978 to 1995 at ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International) conventions. Although the book covers some of the practical aspects of teaching, Called To Teach focuses more on the what and why of Christian teaching. The book provides a great deal of Scripture and highlights important events in the history of ACSI. I did not always agree with Dr. Gangel's interpretation of the Bible and felt he could have quoted more theologically sound people, but I still believe Called To Teach can help teachers teach Biblically. It is of the utmost importance that teachers teach Biblically integrated units, but many teachers simply do not understand how to do this. There are many teachers who believe adding a Bible verse to a lesson is Biblical integration. Dr. Gangel shows us that this is not Biblical integration.

Another issue related to improving instruction is that educators often forget that all teachers, not just Bible teachers, are to share the message of Jesus with others. However, Biblical teaching must permeate everything. God has called teachers to be different. Dr. Gangel reminds us that teachers are to be His teachers in His school system in His world in preparation for the coming of His Son.

"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."                Philippians 3:14 (English Standard Version).

Reviewing Nancy Pearcey's Total Truth

Nancy Pearcey, former scholar for worldview studies at Philadelphia Biblical University's Center for University Studies, wrote Total Truth in 2004. The 512-page Study Guide edition was published the next year and won a Christianity Today Award of Merit and the ECPA Gold Medallion Book Award in the Christian and Society category. Total Truth is one of seven additional books you must choose from to read in order to complete the ACSI Christian Philosophy of Education requirements. It is a book that helps the reader understand how to develop a Biblical worldview and is a follow-up book dealing with the worldview themes in How Now Shall We Live?. Pearcey shows us that there are many, including Christian educators, who are dividing matters into sacred and secular. This is even happening at Christian universities across the United States. Many Christians fail to see that all truth is God's truth. Christianity is not just religious truth, but total truth. I have met in small groups on a couple different occasions to discuss the contents of this book, and more meetings are planned for the future. Total Truth is not light reading and much can be taken from it. I found the last two sections to be more enjoyable than the first two sections primarily because I found the first two sections to contain a lot of information that I have already read. Despite that, I benefited greatly from reading Total Truth and would recommend it to others.

Racist Candy

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Earlier this month some chocolate covered peanuts and raisins at the Kota Kinabalu airport in Malaysia caught my eye. Unfortunately, they're called NIPS which can be a derogatory term for someone of Japanese descent (a shortened version of Nipponese, from the Japanese name for Japan, Nippon). In an attempt to learn more about candy produced from Jack'n'Jill, I discovered that Jack'n'Jill is not the only company using this four-letter word. Nestle makes some hard candy called NIPS. There are Nik-L-Nips syrup-filled wax bottles, and let's not forget about Kraft's Cheese Nips. What up with this? Why everyone be attacking Japanese people? In all seriousness, I feel confident that these companies are using the late Middle English form of the word and not the mid 20th-century version. It's time to nip off to bed now.

Don't Read and Drive

A young Canadian man is charged with careless driving after reading behind the wheel. Unwise.