Smart Boards

Recently, my wife and I visited "Open House" at the school that our two oldest children attend.  Most of the schools these days are equipped with state of the art technology.  In the class rooms the teachers had a smart board, which is an interactive white board that is equipped to the internet but can also be written on for teaching points.   Sorry folks, they don't have blackboards or chalk boards anymore.  Overhead projection is OLD SCHOOL!

As I witnessed all of the classroom setups and the teaching tools, I was reminded of our Jesus.  He called his first disciples to go make disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit.  He challenged his first disciples, as he does His disciples today, to teach others to observe everything that he taught.  That very word "disciple" means learner.  As followers of Christ we are expected to be learners.  My High School Literature teacher challenged our class saying, "Never stop reading.  The day you stop reading is the day you stop learning.  The day you stop learning is the day you start dying."  To live is to learn.  This is the way of the follower of Jesus also.  To learn each day from the Lord the most precious lessons of life.

So How did the Lord teach?  He almost always taught by interactive means.  For instance, just after raising Lazarus from the dead Jesus stated, "I Am the Resurrection and the Life.  He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die."  (John 11:25-26) After seeing Jesus raise the dead, that lesson had much more staying power.  Or what about when Jesus calmed the raging seas?  If even the winds and storms obey His command, and if Jesus can calm the storm at sea, couldn't he calm the squall in my own heart?  Or what about when Jesus washed His disciples feet?  Is there any better lesson in servant leadership?  Jesus didn't just tell the disciples, He frequently displayed through object lessons and hands on experience so that they might grasp the concepts and teachings that he had to share.  In His teaching, Jesus frequently reminded the disciples that their learning was truly dependent upon the teacher.

My prayer is that we may utilize technology to instruct disciples, provide medium for outreach and grow the Church.  It is my prayer that we follow the example of Jesus who utilized a variety of means to communicate the message of God's love and saving grace, but always kept relationships at a premium.  However, it should be our prayer that we will never become so learned that we mistakenly think we are smart enough to dictate our own direction in life.  (Proverbs 3:5-6)
 

Green Blackboards by Michael Quoist

The School is up-to-date.
Proudly the Principal enumerates all the improvements.
The finest discovery, Lord, is the green blackboards.
The scientists have studied the matter at length, they have made experiments;
We now know that green is the ideal color, that doesn't tire the eyes, that it is quieting and relaxing.

It has occurred to me, Lord that you didn't waits so long to paint the trees and the meadows green.
Your research laboratories were efficient, and in order not to tire us, you perfected a number of shades of
      green for your modern meadows.

And so the "finds" of men consist in discovering what you have thought from time immemorial.
Thank you, Lord, for being the good Father who gives His children the joy of discovering by themselves
      the treasures of his intelligence and love.

But keep us from believing that by ourselves we have invented anything at all.