Tag Archives: back to school

I Did It My Way: Back to School Sermon

Posted on by

I was talking to Josh, an elementary teacher, this week. I asked him, “How much time do you have influencing students? Don’t include recess. Do include assignments.” He said, about 8 to 8 ½ hours per day.

backtoschoolDo the math on that. 8 hours X 180 days = 1,440 hours of influence in a day. That’s a chunk of time.

School is a powerful influence in anyone’s life.

If that teacher is Josh, who treats people with respect and who knows Jesus, that’s time well spent. If that teacher is cynical, atheistic, or misanthropic, that’s problematic.

We are really blessed, in Clearfield County, to have a great bunch of teachers and good school systems. And we, as a nation, are blessed with great tech schools, colleges, and universities. But that doesn’t diminish the need for students to be prepared for what’s ahead — whether in high school or college.

School always comes with pressures to conform, to fit in, and to concur with ideologies that you might not naturally agree with.

This podcast talks about being yourself in school

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

PODCAST: Living Above Your Nature at School

Posted on by

Back to School Sermon Presented August 19, 2012 at Curwensville Alliance

Just last year, Austin Smith, a 15-year-old from Michigan, was bleeding the brakes on a 1991 Buick Century with his grandfather.

muscleWhile Austin was inside the car pumping the pedal, the vehicle shifted and after he got out, it fell off the blocks, pinning Grandpa Ernie under 2,000 pounds of steel.

As he tells the story, Austin says, “I was just so scared. I didn’t know what to do.” So Austin grabbed the car by its front bumper and lifted. He lifted it high enough that his grandpa could crawl out.

How did he do that? Huey Lewis might say, “That’s the power of love.” We all know it’s adrenaline. When you are in that kind of situation, sometimes, your body can do things that aren’t humanly possible. Or at least not ordinarily humanly possible.

Austin was living above his natural abilities — empowered to do something he could not naturally hope to do. God does that for Christians — empowers us to live above our nature.

This podcast suggests that you can do that as you head to school this fall.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

PODCAST: Back to School Sermon on Wisdom

Posted on by

 

I think we have all had good and bad experiences in school. That’s why Alice Cooper’s School’s Out and Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall will always be popular.

One of the most important things you can take with you to school is wisdom.school lockersSolomon, the wisest who ever lived, tells us to get wisdom.

But what does that mean? What is the wisdom of which he speaks? Don’t worry — Solomon unfolds that wisdom throughout Proverbs 4.

This podcast looks at Solomon’s wisdom and applies it to us all — especially to those who are going back to school.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download