A Father's Blessing

Passage of the Week:
Prov. 11.11: Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.

Thought of the Week:
Countless people of our generation struggle inwardly with having never received their father’s blessing. The biblical art of the blessing, performed in antiquity by prophets, priests and parents has been lost in the Church at large, and become utterly unknown in our secular culture. However, the Bible, Jewish culture, history, and life experience all teach us the importance of receiving the blessing of those who have authority in our lives -- and about the struggle that can ensue for children who miss it. This presents a wonderful opportunity for us as teachers: as those with a certain amount of authority in the lives of our students, we will have many opportunities to bless them. How does one bless a student in a public school setting? By following the prompting of the Holy Spirit when the opportunity arises to look a student in the eye and say, “Eric, I believe in you, I think you are a gifted young man of character and that your life is going to make a difference in our world.” A few simple words can change the life a student who is secretly suffering from deep rejection at school or at home.

Great News of the Week:
Moms In Touch are praying for you! Aiaga Nichols who oversees Tacoma’s MIT ministry wrote me about one teacher at Larchmont who cried all the way home and told her husband she was moved to tears because the MIT moms gave her a thank you card, a single rose and a note to tell her they were praying for her. It is good to know someone is praying for you when you start to feel isolated! Find out what Moms In Touch is doing at your school by visiting their website:

http://www.momsintouch.org/

How You Can Help:
If you would like to help us encourage Christian Educators in our public school districts, simply send us the e-mail addresses of teachers who would be willing to get networked with us. Then send us your thoughts to pass on to them. We will never try to sell you anything, we will never ask anyone for money, and we will never share our mailing list with anyone who would.

A teacher affects eternity;
he can never tell where his influence stops.
— Henry B. Adams