This week I'm down in North Carolina with our 7th grade students working with ReCreation Experiences. A lot of you were on this trip last year. It's sort of ironic that this week's chapter is on endurance...it's a good reminder for me. We're digging another septic system like we did last year, and even though we're tired & sore & everything, we've gotta endure. The person that we're helping out is pretty amazing and we're learning a lot (you can take a look at our blog here).
What was the one thing about this chapter that most stuck out to you?
For me it was:
"I think it's really cool that God chooses to use us to alleviate suffering. God hears the cries of the oppressed. If we open our hearts, we can be the answer to their cries for relief and hope, so their enduring will not be in vain."
Take a moment to read Proverbs 31:8-9, and don't forget to answer the questions in the book.
About Me
- joeldaniel
- i like to pick and choose when i use capital letters. i do middle school youth pastor sorts of things at First Friends, and am also their Instigator of Justice (the job title came with a sweet super hero cape, so i had to say yes). in my free time i give leadership to a small group ministry related to sexuality known as six19 and am an Associate Staff member with the CCO. i grew up in Canton, Ohio and live in a house there where i try to think about what it means to be a good neighbor. i hang out with students at Malone College (the college from whence i graduated), trying to help them think about living lives without compartments. I worked at Camp Gideon for 10 years. i miss the sunsets (among a myriad of other things). i enjoy discussing the emerging church, Quaker theology, HIV/AIDS issues, and the intersection of culture and Christ followers. i love the outdoors, get a kick out of leading worship, and half-heartedly pursue long-distance running.
49 comments:
The thing that stuck most with me from this chapter was the quote at the beginning of the chapter. "We could never learn to be brave and patient if there was only joy in the world."-Helen Keller It stuck with me because it's so true. We things are easy we sometimes forget God for bit. And God is patient and God is brave. So when we forget him how could we can't really be those things.
What was the one thing about this chapter that most stuck out to you?
One thing that stuck out to me was how Jessie Owens was treated. He was a great man and I don’t think he deserved to be lower because of his color. After all, the book did say that Jessie was the first American to receive 4 metals in the Olympics. It is very difficult to think about how he had to live every day of his life. Jessie Owens has seen and heard many things that most humans should never hear or see. (desegregation & racism)
The thing in this chapter that stuck out the most to me was when Zach wrote about a bad day in our lives, and a bad day in a slave's life. We all get cranky when we don't get what we want, or when we get a bad grade, or when we get in a fight with our best friend. But that compared to a slave's life is nothing. I pray that all of us as a team in Boston can be thankful for what we do have, not what we don't. Yea, we'll be sleeping on the floor but who cares. Some people sleep like that every night. As Zach said, we can't let the petty things bug us and we can't compare us to each other. Try looking at how much we do have and just how fortunate we are.
-Special K
One thing that stuck out to me? No...2-3 things? yes
The first thing that stuck out for me was the quote on the first page of this chapter: "we would never learn to be brave or patient if there were only joy in the world"--Helen Keller
The second thing was how David Ngure viewed his amputation. He said that he would rather have his amputation and be doing God's will, rather than having his arm, and doing his own will. I thought that was sorta kewl. He didn't blame God at all, in fact he used it for God's glory, rather than using it to throw a giant pity party for himself.
The 3rd and final thing that stuck out for me was the quote by Thomas Edison near the end of the chapter: "Many of life's failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up" This also got me thinking about how true that statement really was. If Edison had given up, we probably would have many inventions/conveniences (i'm pretty sure i didnt spell that right) we have today. I also think this was about Edison (I'm really bad at history so I might be wrong): Edison had tried and failed 10,000 times on the lightbulb, then someone asked him if he was going to give up, and he replied: "Why of course not! I have found 10,000 things that don't work, therefore the method that DOES work must not be far off!" or something rather close to that. Edison didn't give up, and therefore has been marked as one of the greatest inventors in history!
TJK (Tyler J. Kelly)
One thing that stuck out to me was the quote by John Q. Adams
"Patience and Perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish." This stuck out to me because It says that if someone really wants to succeed thay shouldn't give up. This all too true with society. One perfect example was as Tyler said Thomas Edison. This is a perfect example because he was almost broke and still didn't give up. Because of this he became a success with the lightbulb (among other things).
What stuck out most to me in this chapter is that there are people out there that are going thru the hardest things and I have nothing to complain about. I mean I have a nice home, family, food, and I'm not dying of any sickness, so why then do I complain so much? We always want something better then what we have, when relly we should just be thankful we have so much. God provides for us what we need. He also told us that he would never put abything in our way that would be impossible to overcome. I just have to trust him.
Another thing that I found interesting is that Jessie Owens had so much perserverance. If people were treating me the way Jessie was treated, let me tell you what, I fur sure would not be running for them. I mean, he couldn't even sleep in the same hotel as his team mates. But Jessie had way more stength and endurance then me obviously because he proved to others that just cuz he's black he can still whoop people at sports and what not! :)
I'm gonna pray that God helps me be more like these people that have so much endurance cuz I can't do it without him!
-The Laurenator
i really liked the part that you put down, Joel. its such a true statement. but one of my other favorite parts was on page 94. when he quotes 1 Timothy 4:12- "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young". I'm sure everyone has been looked down upon by people just because they're young. but what a lot of kids and teens don't understand is that we are just as important as the adults that know everything, if not more important! just because we're young doesn't mean we haven't 'seen things' or had experiences that older people have had, and it doesn't mean we are any less important either.
The thing that most stuck out to me is about David Ngure. The reason is because even when he went to jail he never gave up on God and he always believed God had big plans for him and that he was proud of him for speaking to the oppressed. I always hop that god has big plans in my life. I think some of the plans are going to Boston and try my and are hardest to make people happy. So lets have endurance and don't give up in Boston.
The thing that really stuck out to me in this chapter was the saying that Thomas Edison said "Many of life's failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." i think this is so true too many people give up when they get close too finishing but they can't go on any further (or so they think) but unfortunately, people give up when the going gets tough.
Gary Older
The part in the chapter that stuck out to me the most was the part where zach talked about how most of us have never had a truly bad day. I think we are spoiled so much that we don't realize how great we really have it; we have nice heated homes, beds, food, clothes, loving parents, and tons of stuff we don't need-like TV's and computers. Slaves honestly can say they've had a bad day. From what zach has told us about slaves' life styles, they have nothing to look forward to, except their faith in God (that is, if they have that faith). I think this part encourages us to think of how great we have it.
- J-Breezy
The thing that stuck otu most to me in this chapter was the part where he said how much we complain abotu the little things and things that sem like "a bad day" to us.. and he started to explain a day of a slaves life.. and i almost criend.. i get myself worked up and all mad about what? my hair? my make-up? or something my friends said to me?... and the fact that i wake up in the mornings and the first thing thats on my mind is my hair..or how i look...kinda sickens me.. slaves in other countries wake up thinking "am i going to live today? will i get enough to eat so that i can work..so i wont be beaten?"
when my mom came home from he parents meeting for the boston trip..and told me the rules.. no hair straightners..or blowdryers..i flipped.. i was soo mad.. and i look back at how i acted.. what i did was so selfish.. it was unbelieveable...i acted like a 2 yr old because i wasnt going to be able to "fix my hair" for 7 days...
i never really thought about how much we exaggerate and complain on our "bad days" and then i read that page.. and my bad days are amazing compared to a slaves.. that really slapped me in the face.and was definatly a wake up call...wow..
What sticks out most to me was when he was talking about how we shouldn't complain about every thing that doesn't go our way in our lives. That is a major problem in my life I complain so much and never really think about how its not necessary to do that all the time hahahaha I was just thinking about how much Jesus went through on earth and the fact that he didn't complain once is AMAZING hahahahaha thats the oposite of me!
what stuck out to me the most was the quote by thomas edison "Many of life's failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up" this just shows that we shgould never give up and when we dont we can accomplish great things because most of the time we are closer than we thing to achieving our goals
~Sam S.
Lingy here
Yeah so um the thing that struck me the most was the fact on page 84. The people who do drugs had a choice but people who are caught in trafficking have no choice. They should have at least the same funding if not more. Hopefully the goverment will see this too.
The thing that stuck out the most to me is the story about Jesse Owens. I thought that what he went through was unbelievable and really unfair. He was amazing at what he did and they still treated him that way. I would think that if you had someone that good representing you that you would want to treat them very well. I also thought that the way Jesse kept going through all this was amazing too. Even though he wasn't treated fairly he kept going and kept winning.
cassie t.
The thing that stuck out to me is what he said about what we think is a bad day. He's right, we think if something doesn't go perfect and how we want it, then somtimes it ruins our whole day. If we get a bad grade,if we don't look how we want to. We complain so much, and we're not as thankful for what we have as we should be. I also liked the story about Jesse Owens, and what he did in the Olympics. I thought this was a good chapter.
-Jacob A.
kevin s
one thing tha stuck with me the most was when david ngure said he would rathe not have his hand and serve god than to have his hand and to be living his own way. I think to be that commited and to be such a strong follower to God is amazing. I am not sure if I would be able to say those things, just imagining how life would be if everyone could say that
Howdy, It's Hayden, again!
Stuck out...
I agree with Kevin on ehat stuck out the most was David Ngure. His saying "Never Say Die" isn't something u would expect him to say. He was shot thrown in jail and almost killed for something he never did. But through all of this he still says "Never Say Die". I'm not sure in that kind of situation I would have that much hope and endurance. I hope someday I will be able to, but not now.
~Haych-Dizzle
hola!
the thing that stuck with me most was the story about how David Ngure was persecuted, yet still lives for Jesus. I think that that's the kind of example that God wants us to follow. I also think that the part about "bad days" was very interesting. I mean, people all around the world have days where they do hard labor and get beaten for no pay, and we sit around and worry about that homework we didn't get done and if we'll have to stay after school for it or not. there's a lot more important situations that people are in than the one that your'e worrying about now.
One thing that stuck out to me was Jesse Owens. The way he didn't get any respect because he was black but kept running anyways,and when he hurt his back, how he convinced his coach he could run that week after his treatment which had to be very painful. That had to take a lot of endurance and the crazy thing is he broke three world records that week. That made me realise that if you have alot of endurance and don't quit you will be able to succeed and do well or get through a tough time. There are going to be times on the Boston Trip that will take alot of endurance.
Daniel A.
The thing that stuck out the most was on page 95. Zach explained what we thought was a bad day then he explained a real bad day. We think so much of ourselves sometimes and we think oh! My Xbox broke or my boyfriend broke up with me. We think that’s a bad but for others some work till the skin on their knuckles are rubbed off or beaten. The way Zach explained it, it sounds like we have it pretty good.
When i read proverbs 31:8-9,
What also stuck out was the quote from John Q. Adams.” Patience and Perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish."
He's basically saying is that if you want to succeed, you shouldn't give up!
tata for now!
-Abby :p
(p.s. sorry I wrote this late!)
One thing that struck me the most was near the very end of the chapter. Zach was talking about how what we think is a bad day, isn't compared to the slaves. Like whenever i get in a fight with my best friend or get a bad grade on a test, I think its a bad day. Then when i look at a slaves life, my day looks pretty alright. I like how Zach says we should always thank God even if something isn't going our way. Its kinda like we should find the good in every situation.
-hailee
The think i liked most about this chapter was when Zach talked about how our bad days are different than a slaves. Eventhough we might get mad at our siblings or upset about something that slaves have it way worse than we could ever imagine. And it makes me think how lucky we are to have all that God has blessed us with.
Heather C.
Hey!
The one thing in this chapter that stuck with me the most was the story of David! My favorite partof his story was hen he said:
"He would rather not have his hand and serve God than have his hand and be living his own way!
hmm.. one thing which stuck out to me in this chapter was the fact that although David Ngure went through soo much pain and suffering, he still stayed faithful to God through his kidnapping, hospitalization, arrest, and imprisonment. i also liked the verse from Job "though he slay me, yet will i hope in him." i like the fact that its saying, no matter what we are going through, all the struggles and hard times, although we are put through trials, we need to always find hope in GOd, and know that he will be right beside us, helping us make it through. and helping us endure it all.
i also like how he talks about what a bad day to us sounds like, and then what a bad day to slaves is like. and just how it brings all of us to the relization that our bad days could be a lot worse and that we shouldnt complian about the small things, knowing our bad day, is nothing compared to those who have it tons worse.
One thing that stuck out to me was how David Ngure was not angry toward God for having his hand amputated.
Katie
for me this chapter really showed me that i shouldn't take for granted all the stuff that i do. for instance i hate doing dishes but i should be glad that i actually have something to eat off of and some people don't. i also don't like cleaning my room and yet some people don't even have a shelter that they can live under yet alone have their own room.i think that we should all be happy for what God has given us and not think that we should have everything and take things for granted.
heyy its tonyaa :]]
The thing that stuck out most to me in this chapter was when we was compared to slaves and how much they had to endure and what they had to go through every day, and how little we have to endure. Every day they have to wake up and work all day, and we complian if e have to work over or have to do chores and stuffs. and i just was everyone to realize that yeah we might not have the best day sometimes, but to some people it would be a good day. so we should realize how good we have it :]
What stuck out to me was Jesse Owens because he was the greatest olympic athlete of all time, setting world records and running the 100-yard dash in 9.4 seconds! After he injured his back, he had the endurance to compete in the olympics still setting records. He must have had great endurance to overcome his injury.
two things that really stukk out to me 4m this chapter were how that David guy, even tho he lost his hand and went thro so much suffering, looks at what happened to him in such a positve way. i also really liked the quote at the end, the one by thomas edison about giving up so close to success.
ericm/ezmac
Sorry I’m late I got back from camp this weekend and for a day or so the site wasn’t working. The part that stuck out to me the most was where he was talking about the slaves and how we complain about everything that doesn’t go our way. We really should learn to appreciate what we are given and not complain so much.
The part that I liked was:
"We shoudn't complain about every little thing that doesn't go our way. Or the petty things that bug us about others." Compared to the modern day slaves out there, our lives are pretty good. We may have that day when something bad happens, but we can't really complain about our lives.
cameron H
the thing that most stuck out to me was about Jesse Owens, and how he worked really hard to be the best, even while he was injured, and when people didn't accept him for who he was.
The thing that stuck out the most to me was the fact that Jesse Owens showed endurance by competing in the four events at the track meet even tho he was injured right before that. He won them all. The racial stuff when he was in collge really stuck out to me. Even tho he was the best athlete he was treated unfairly because of the color of his skin. Even tho he was treated unfairly he stayed strong and went on to make his mark on the world.
I'm glad God doesn't look at the color of our skin or our nationality - he treats everyone fairly and loves everyone equally.
Wat really stuck with me about this chapter was the way David Ngure stuck it out throgh all the stuff that happened to him. Like i always say Never lose hope or faith, because God is the guy whos always like really calm and cool who says "Dude its ok i got this lemme handle it". And it just fills me with joy to kno that i gotta God wholl always have my back. And that i and everyone else should just trust him completely and have undying faith in him.Bottom line dont whine and complain bout somethin cause its not looking good for you..just have faith. If everyione did that we would all be at complete peace.
-M.Swires
I agree with Antwan on this one.
It's so true that we think we are
having a bad day just because we
got a bad grade on a test or we can't find the shirt we wanted to
where that day. But a bad day for
many people around the world is
being treated like dirt by their
slave master and working all day in
the fields with nearly nothing to
eat or drink. This makes me realize
how truly blessed I am. I also enjoyed that brief story about Jesse Owens.
David L.
howdy its luc luc
im really really sorry this is late joel..i know its not an excuse but we just bought a new house and i have been working on moving stuff over and this just completely slipped my mind..whoopsy daisy!
really the thing that stuck to me most in this chapter was how people didnt even care that he was breaking records...all they saw was that he was black. jesse had great potential and it seemed that none of these people (white) really cared at all..i definately give some kudos to jesse owens.
kudos kudos kudos kudos (snapping my fingers yo)
One thing that stuck out to me was how much we complain! Like, SERIOUSLY!!! We do allllll the freakin time about NOTHING! Like, today I was in Hollister and my mom wouldn't buy me this shirt I wanted. I got all and, and I showed it rather well. I was being a real brat, even though she was buying me shorts and a tank top! How annoying am I?
I mean, I have sooo many nice things that I don't thank God for! My loving Family, frannss! And an awesome church(wink wink) . We should be thanking God for those things and not nit picking at the little things that bug us about them .
I never thank God for all the stuff I have. Like my guitar and piano. I can go play whenever I want! God provided those things and honestly...without them, I would toooooootally die. So god, thank you for EVERYTHING you've given me. The good things AND the bad. My friends AND my enemies. My good days AND my bad days. Thank you.
Peace,
Mads=]
The thing that most stuck out to me this chapter is when David Ngure said,"He would rather not have his hand and serve God than to have his hand and be living his own way." That shows all the love this guy has for God and that he would do anything for him.
I also like how Zach talks about how we have a bad day over the dumbest things sometimes and we need to be thankful for what we have.
~Brandon S.
What stuck out most to me was when Zach Hunter states "We shouldn't complain about every little thing that doesn't go our way. If your upset about something that happened at school, be thankful you have a chance to go to school, get a good education, and visit with friends instead of weaving rugs all day." Most people don't realize how good we have it compaired to other countries around the world. We should be thankful with what we have, because who knows, we might wake wake up one day and not have what were used to having, and realize that what we had in the first place was great the entire time.
soorry im late
umm the quote about thomas edison rlly stuck put to me. cuzz i know when i try something and i fail at it, it pisses me off. so ill either keep trying till i get it right no matter how long it takes or ill just quit. i think thts what make the difderence in the sucess and the failures in life, if you keep trying youll eventually susceed, but if you give up youll never learn lifes lessons. You just have to endure threw the little things in life.
I also liked the part where he said people complain too much about dumb stuf like the trash, or raking leaves. i think we alll need to think about those slaves all over the world be for we open are big mouthes and say something.
The thing that stuck most to me in this chapter was how David looked at his amputation as a way he could serve god. I'm pretty sure if I lost one of my arms to god I would be so spiteful because I need it so much. Athletics are a major way I define myself, and without an arm I would be heavily hindered. This is a great example of a true follower of god. Also the way he says nobody has the {right} to say they want to die. Hit me hard as i've thought it before.
The part of this chapter that stuck out for me was the quote that said "Patience and perserverance have a magical effect before which difficulties appear and obstacles vanish."
It's a perfect definition of endurance, and it really puts into perspective what little can do so much.
*Desi* :)
We need to keep working on what we are doing, working harder. We need to stick with something that is hard instead of giving up. I think David was feeling mad for awhile, maybe he was sad and wondering why God wasn't helping him. But God did help him by saving his life and not letting the men beat him to death. I think it's cool that he has the strength to talk to people about what happened to him. okay-this is elijah, saying peace to you!
hay its me Ashton Marie!!!
let me c the thing that stuck out to me most was allot of things i mean these people he talked about in this chapter were amazing they had allot of endurance to do what they wanted to do...
One thing that really suck on to me was the jesse owens or JC was a fast runner and did what he loved even tho many didn't like him because of his skin color...Your team is suppost to be like family i mean u travel togeather u eat togeather (most of the time) and they are always togeather and to think that his team no "his family" would make him sleep somewere else and make him eat somewere else cuz he was black...
i kno for a fact that i wouldn't be able to deal with that i would have left the team and gone somewere else if i was as fast as him...i think he had allot of endurance to do what he did and that stuck out to me the most...
HEYY SRRY I'VE BEEN SOO LATE WIT DIS I HAVN'T HAD A COMPUTER FOR LIKE THREE WEEKS... SRRY...
ASHTON MARIE WEBER!!!
The thing that really stuck out to me in this chapter was the saying that Thomas Edison said "Many of life's failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." i think this is so true too many people give up when they get close too finishing but they can't go on any further but unfortunately, people give up when the going gets tough.
Ryan .W.
One thing that stuck out to me was the quote by John Q. Adams
"Patience and Perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish." This stuck out to me because It says that if someone really wants to succeed thay shouldn't give up. This all true. this also remides me of how i never gave up and with things i couldnt do but i tryed harder and i can do some of them now others i am still working on.
For me the thing that stuck out the most to me in this chapter was the section about Jesse Owens. I mean he had to go through so much with being black but he never let that stop him he never quit or gave up he always did his best. That right there is an example of how little we go through compared to Jesse Owens.
Sam H
the thing that stuck out the most to me was when in the chapter how they mentioned when David Ngure said "Never say die". it made me think for a little bit when i read that.and after reading his story i realized that he really did have a right to say that becuz he had experienced nearly death himself.and that people who havent been through things like him say things and judge too quickly before they truly understand something.
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