This Week’s Featured Resource for “Redeeming the Time”:
Many of us have been confronted with areas of life where we feel “out of control” – especially during the days of this pandemic. Most of us experience this realization with a tinge of panic – but it is actually a life-giving and peace-giving realization when we recognize who is One we can trust to be in control of the times of our lives. Here is an excerpt from Bradley Baurain wrestling with this very issue in a recent blog post on the Master Teaching blog:
“I had thought my faith was central to my teaching. Then the pandemic exposed how weak my faith in this area truly was. What I was really trusting in were my teaching skills, lesson plans, materials, and so on. Not the Master Teacher. I preferred to remain in control. I believe that He is in control and sovereign over all circumstances. I treasure the reality that He is our Good Shepherd and we are His sheep. But somehow in practice my classrooms were often exempted from these truths. Hiscontrol was exercised through my lesson plans—ha!
The life of a follower of the Master Teacher does involve elements of “control”—namely, spiritual habits, disciplines, and self-control. And I’m certainly not throwing teacher skills and best practices out the window as I continue to seek to be an excellent teacher for His glory. But the flip side of following Him is trusting when things spin out of control. Utter trust, complete dependence, committing myself and my students unreservedly to His wisdom and love when there’s nothing I can do to “control” much of anything.”
For the entire piece, check out his article at: https://masterteaching.leapasia.org/2021/09/01/out-of-control/
Articles:
Gentle Discipleship: Theological Reflections on Dementia: http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2016/07/11/4498510.htm
https://masterteaching.leapasia.org/2021/09/01/out-of-control/
Read Chip Ingram’s blog on “Why Thanksgiving in Prayer is So Important”: https://livingontheedge.org/read-blog/blog/2018/04/26/why-is-thanksgiving-in-prayer-so-important/
Books on Prayer:
With Christ in the School of Prayer by Andrew Murray
A Guide for Listening and Inner-Healing Prayer: Meeting God in the Broken Places by Rusty Rustenbach
A Praying Life by Paul E Miller
Dear Abba: Finding the Father’s Heart through Prayer by Claire Cloninger
1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp
Faith-Based Blogs:
Dr. Melissa Smith: MasterTeaching
Kate Motaug: Five Minute Friday: Christian Writing Encouragement and Community
Loren Pinilis: Life of a Steward by Loren Pinilis
Pete Scazzero: Emotionally Healthy Blog
Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary: Discipleship and Ethics
Christian Woman Writers: Grace and Such
Catholic Cultural blog: Crisis Magazine
Malcolm Guite – Poet and Song-Writer: Malcolm Guite’s blog
Heartbeat of Time 