Saturday, December 24, 2005

A Feast To Remember

Aunt Suzanne and EthanOur night at the Hotel Del Coronado with family was a beautiful memory in the making. Thanks to Ma and Pa McKay for springing for the crew!!! The cast of Lamb's Players invited us to experience Christmas dinner with the 'Marshall Family', a well-to-do turn of the century Coronado family. With fantastic food, loving family, and Christmas song we'll all remember the outing for years to come! Merry Christmas to you and yours.
A

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Christmas Break is Here!! (well, almost!!)

Finals wrap up tomorrow and let's just say I can't wait for 2pm to roll around and it's 8:30 the night before! While I really and truly love my job, my co-workers, and my students, I am highly anticipating a much-needed Christmas break. Aron and I fly out to CA on Monday and I am eager to see family and friends, eat In-N-Out burgers, get yogurt from Golden Spoon, have Dannielle cut and color my hair, see the ocean, go to a tea party at the Ritz for my nephew, enjoy the Christmas wonders of SoCal, eat a Pedro's burrito, go for a run around lake MV, and sleep in.

suz

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Frequently Avoided Questions

Frequently Avoided Questions Evangelicalism as we know it may be in its final death throws... In Frequently Avoided Questions Chuck Smith Jr. and Matt Whitlock propose this may not be a bad thing. Our generation no longer searches for pat answers, they're tired of the guilt, tired of black and white, they're tired of the finger pointing and judgment. Conversely, they're yearning for authentic spiritual transformation, thirsting for someone to listen, for someone to journey with. Are postmodern 'new-school' Christians willing to compromise the truth? No, yet they are much more comfortable with not having all the answers; they've come to expect a degree of tension in life. Far from giving us the answers FAQ attempts to teach us how to ask the right questions. I highly recommend this read. (Thanks Steve for passing it on!)
A

Sunday, December 11, 2005

Another year for Aron

He turned 28 yesterday and it's just hard to believe that he'll be 30 in two more years. He and I are now both officially in our "late 20s." What does a person look like that is this age? I don't feel 27 and I know that he doesn't feel 28. Age is a funny thing. For me, teaching students keeps me feeling young. On Friday, which is jeans day, I was wearing a pair of jeans (obviously), a sweater, and my Converse, and one of my students told me that I looked like a student! Perhaps this is a compliment?! Anyway, back to Aron, and the reason for this post. His birthday was pretty low-key, but I know he felt loved. A favorite gift was from his pops who got him a sweet new microphone for recording music and he's been using it every day since he got it last week. He'll be signed and famous in no time! :)

Friday, December 9, 2005

Outing to Narnia

I didn't grow up with Lewis as I'm sure many of you did. For those who did I assume you've spent the majority of the day staring at your monitor pretending to be productive, all the while recovering from the 12:01 am showing you had to see last night. I hope it was worth all your co-workers having to pick up the slack?! Don't worry about it... (whisper) we all know it was. I have come to appreciate a little Clive Staples now and again. Particularly when it's cold and dark outside, coffee is within reaching distance... Oh, and I happen to be in Europe... Unfortunately many years have passed since all of these beautiful beautiful factors have happened to align, correspondingly my passions for Lewis have diminished by degrees due to the irresponsible neglect. Strangely, my waning passions remain quite eager to catch the new feature release. Thankfully we have the privilege of viewing the film tonight with the College and Career group, our first official outing. Upon our return both Suzanne and I will weigh in on the evenings events. Stay posted...

Saturday, December 3, 2005

Sparks Precede Fires

"Everyone, including myself, longs to make a lasting difference in the lives of those around us, perhaps many of us in this room even dream of having a global impact. We want significance. We want our lives to have meaning beyond our bank accounts, beyond the length of our SUVs, beyond the number of letters behind our name. I want to briefly highlight the life one such saint who has forever altered the course of history, the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. I am not however going to rattle off a list of his accolades or the highly marketable seven practical steps he took to achieve his best life now. Were going to talk about something much more organic and unpredictable, a painful and humiliating experience, a paradoxically wholly beautiful and liberating experience.

“God ignites sparks to start forest fires. Or to put it literally: personal reformation precedes corporate reformation.” ..." Excerpt from tomorrows teaching out of Isaiah 6 for the College and Career group of Firewheel Bible Fellowship.

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Life in Big D

Were pushing a year and half of life here in Dallas! Cant believe it?! So far our experience has far exceeded our expectations as God has proved Himself faithful at every turn. We eagerly anticipate what this next year of full time course work at Dallas Theological Seminary will bring. The College and Career Ministry is ramping up with Firewheel Bible Fellowship (www.firewheelfellowship.com). I have officially been commissioned as the pastoral leader of the group and we're slated for a full launch Jan 06. We will keep you posted with all pertinent details as the ministry develops. Thanks for the prayers and support! We couldn't do this without YOU our ministry partners!!!
Aron

Reflections On Teaching

Teaching is both a bane and a blessing. While all the lesson planning can be a drudgery, not to mention the mounds of grading (I have 172 seventh graders) that overtake my weekends, I live for those times when students have an “aha” moment, when a student is making progress, or when a student says something encouraging to me. I have had several students tell me over the last 6 weeks that they really like me, that I am their favorite teacher, and this always warms me on the inside. One student baked me a cake for my birthday last Monday, and one girl bought me a wonderful bracelet and earring set (as we share a birthday). Tonight was report card pick up at school and I got to talk with about 20 parents. At the last minute, one student who am very close with, came up with her mom. She, unfortunately, did not pass this 6 weeks and I didn’t feel that her effort was enough to bump her up to a passing grade. She was crying when she came up and sat down with her mom. Right when she sat down, I started to cry. I really love this girl and we have been able to connect since the beginning of school. She trusts me and talks to be about what is going on in her life. Her mom was extremely supportive and we had an incredible talk about how her daughter can do better. The girl continued to cry and I was just so moved because she said, “Mrs. McKay, you are my favorite teacher and I’m so sorry I haven’t been doing my work.” It was powerful. We hugged at the end and I told her that I really care about her and we can get through this. Somehow, as I type, my words don’t really do this night justice, for something special has been etched into my heart from this interaction. I am making a difference in students’ lives and a moment like this helps me realized why I get up each morning.
Suz