Monthly Archives: March 2013

A Time For…

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In the book of Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 Solomon tells us; “There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”

 No time does this verse speak louder than it does in the Easter story. Jesus was loved and adored while riding into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey, where large crowds surrounded Him, shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9) Only, to be met days later by people shouting, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” (Luke 23:21) Flogged and slapped with a twisted crown of thorns that was put on His head, Jesus carried His own cross, to be crucified and pierced. (John 19) 

Isaiah’s prophetic words speak of how Christ’s sacrifice for us would heal us. He writes that by His stripes we are healed and that He has taken our grief and carried our sorrows. Jesus did all of this because His love for us is so great. I will tell you that teaching children about God’s awesome love, continuously brings blessings. A few weeks ago, my niece and nephew joined our class. This week my nephew came up to me to ask a question. As I bent down to hear what he had to say, I noticed that his nose looked as though it had started to bleed. When I brought this to his attention, he replied, “No, Aunt D, I prayed to God and it stopped.” He was right. It did!

No doubt, as much joy as children bring, along with them can come some challenges. Being a mom and RE teacher, I can honestly say that no matter what their age, their feelings go very deep. From the questions that I have been asked, to listening to the intelligent words they speak, they teach me. My nephew brought one of those special moments when he shared, “I prayed to God, and He healed me!” May his precious words echo in our ears through all the different seasons of life that we may be in. As this beautiful quote expresses, “God, give me the faith of a little child! A faith that will look to Thee—That never will falter and never fail, But follow Thee trustingly.”  Thank you, Ben!

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you…” (Isaiah 43:2) Jesus spoke with wisdom. He shared stories to help us to live better and treat others more kindly. His grace brought forgiveness, healing and peace, and made us closer to God. Jesus gave us the greatest gift when He gave up His life on the Cross, which is God’s power unto salvation, God’s love unto humanity. May the grace of our Lord be with you always. In Jesus’ beautiful and Holy Name, I pray.

Easter blessings always! 

Deanna

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Pope Patrick

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So the Papal Conclave began, right here at 201 Boulevard! Samantha took the key and pretended to lock the door. Red napkins dressed the heads of our class, as we felt for just a moment that we were all cardinals sealed in the Sistine Chapel. We prayed for our families, friends, each other, and guidance from the Holy Spirit to give us a leader in our church who would be a man after God’s own heart, and a reflection of His great love.

The ballots were passed out and the voting began. After the votes were counted, Kristen announced, that the majority rules, and Aiden M. is our new Pope. We pretended to burn the ballots and held up white paper for smoke. Aiden chose his papal name as Patrick and the class cheered!  Now it’s time to get to work.

When I was thirty years old, a good friend shared her testimony with me. She reflected on words from her Sunday school teacher; “Now go home and remember, always love Jesus!” My friend was only twelve years old when she went home that day and kneeled at the foot of her bed and said, “Jesus, how do I love You when I don’t know You?”  That summer, on the beach with her friends, a woman came up to her and handed her a pamphlet that said, “How to love Jesus.”  She shared how her life had changed after that, and she left me in awe.

They say, “It takes a village to raise a child.” They’re right, and you and I are part of that village. I asked our class what they see when they see Jesus on the Cross. If you have read our class blog before today, I’m sure you already know their response. Yes, you got it, “A Hug!” We talked about how we knew that we’re loved. They shared stories of their parents’ cooking them meals, helping with their homework and even how their brothers or sisters give them a hug or a kiss sometimes. The love they feel is from the whole family.

 I shared with them that the greatest love we could ever know, is the love Jesus has for each and every one of us. Corinthians 12:20-26 says; “As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’… But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that were lacked, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”

I am so thankful for my friend’s testimony, and grateful for the blessing and privilege to pass down this awesome message she shared with me. Please join me in praying for  our new Pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio who will be called Francis. May he have the same drive as Peter and all the chosen apostles and saints to sing the most beautiful melody of God’s everlasting love.

God bless you,

Deanna

The ballots were passed out and the voting began.

The ballots were passed out and the voting began.

We pretended to burn the ballots and held up white paper for smoke.

We pretended to burn the ballots and held up white paper for smoke.

The majority rules, and Aiden M. is our new Pope.

The majority rules, and Aiden M. is our new Pope.

Change Of Plans

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I am grateful for the opportunity to share God’s love through our first grade class. During the last two weeks, our class has been involved in the filmmaking of 201 Boulevard. My plan was to film one hour a week for two weeks, to prepare for a film festival that I would like our class to be part of.

At our first week of filming, I was asked to take in a second class. No problem. With Dominique, Kristin, Hope, and Juliana helping, we can do this. I had prepared a lesson, so the girls could lead part of the class while I went into another classroom to start filming. I have to say, after filming for a few minutes, I knew we had a lot of little stars in our class, and they were all ready to give it their best. I’d say, “Okay, say that line one more time,” after they had already said it five times. They’d just giggle, with a sigh and smile, saying, “again!” They were so excited to get it just right.

Back in the classroom, the lesson was going on about Adam and Eve. How God told them  never to eat the forbidden fruit on the tree in the middle of the Garden. As Dominique shared how they bit into the apple, Ewan raised his hand and said, “I eat apples, am I bad?” Thank God for His grace as we enter these precious moments and respond to  sensitive questions! Both filming and class were cut short when we were reminded one of our parish priests was waiting for us at the church. We quickly packed up and headed over.

On our arrival, the priest said, “repeat after me.” He said, “Jesus” and the class repeated, “Jesus” and at that moment a few of the kids began chatting, so to get their attention he turned to them and said “HELLO.” In a moment, 28 first graders repeated “HELLO” in his same tone! It was so funny the priest, himself, could not keep a straight face.

As we plan our time, it’s very important that we leave room for change, because it’s often in the change of plans that some wonderful things will take place. As I plan for this upcoming week, week 3, to finish with the filming project, I pray for God’s blessing, peace, grace, protection and guidance to live my life in the plan He has prepared for me. As David said in the Psalm 139:3-18 , “ You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment You know where I am…” This always reminds me that God takes care of us.

Last week was Dominique’s last week with our class, since lacrosse practice has begun. Now, it’s up to Kristin and me to fill in the joy that Dominique’s presence brought to our class. We are going to miss you Domi!

I look forward to sharing our film production with you in next week’s blog.

Blessings Always,
Deanna
Picture taken by Dominique

Picture taken by Dominique