Did You Hear a Who?

by Jennie Smith
Secondary Principal

"If you can't see it, hear it or feel it....it doesn't exist!," said Sour Kangaroo to Horton, and anyone else who would listen.

As I sat in the movie theater watching Horton Hears A Who with my three boys, I was struck by the amount of discussion material packed into this movie!  In case you haven't read the book or seen the movie, here is a quick summary (spoiler alert).

Horton, an energetic elephant, hears a noise from a speck of dust that is travelling through the air.  That speck holds the entire world of the Whos.  Horton has to get that speck of dust to a safe place - otherwise, all of the Whos will perish.  However, Sour Kangaroo does not believe there is any world on that speck of dust and since she is the official boss of the forest, she attempts to convince everyone that Horton is wrong.  She hires an evil vulture, Vlad, to get rid of the speck.  When Vlad is unsuccessful, Kangaroo organizes a mob who ties up Horton and threatens to put the speck in a boiling vat of oil.  All Horton has to do is to deny the existence of the world on the speck and all will be alright.  In the end, the speck is saved and, in a shocking turn of events, Horton forgives Sour Kangaroo and befriends her.

There were so many things to talk about with my kids after we saw this movie!

Knowing God Exists
We started by talking about Kangeroo's thought that "If you can't see it, hear it, or feel it...it doesn't exist."  I asked my boys if they thought that was true.  We discussed how many people think the same of God - that because you can't see Him or hear Him, He must not exist.  We talked about how we know God exists - and how we see Him, hear Him, and feel Him.  We see Him in His provision for our family.  We hear Him when a Scripture speaks directly to our pain or convicts us.  We feel Him when we have unexplainable peace in the middle of the dark times.  It was wonderful to hear my young boys realize that they do hear God, they do see His hand, and they do feel Him.

Renounce Your Faith
Later we moved into a discussion about the end of the movie when all Horton has to do is say the world of the Whos does not exist and all will be alright.  There will come a time, and it may be in the time of our children's lives, where we are asked to renounce God or lose our lives.  Those times are quickly on the horizon.  But my children and I talked about times they are asked to reject God in their actions.  It is hard when you are asked by friends to do something you shouldn't.  It's very difficult to say "That's not right.  I can't participate in that because God would not be pleased."

I love this passage from 2 Timothy 3:12-15:  "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted...But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."

We need to encourage our kids to be strong in their faith, just like Horton was strong in his conviction and was willing to face a vat of oil for the truth.

Forgive!
The last lesson from the movie is an important one.  Sour Kangaroo was so mean to Horton!  She was cruel in her words and her actions and she almost killed Horton's Whoville friends.  But Horton forgave her; he invited her in as his friend.  What a witness that was to my kids!  We talked about the way that Christ forgives us and how we are to carry out that same forgiveness to our friends and to our siblings.  A great verse for the family to memorize is Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

I didn't expect to go to the movies that day and walk away with deep theological conversation ideas for my kids.  But it was a beautiful time of encouragement and one we speak of often.  What a beautiful illustration of some of life's toughest lessons.  Have you seen great movies that lead to amazing conversations with your kids?  Leave some ideas in the comments below or interact with us on our Facebook page!

I'm Scared!

by Jennie Smith
Secondary Principal

I can't watch the news anymore.  We live in such a fallen, sinful world, and the news on the news is never good.  Murders.  Robberies.  And don't even get me started on Ebola!  There is so much to be scared of, and I can be the biggest scared-y cat of them all.  Just the other night, there was a police helicopter going around and around in the middle of the night, and someone was on the megaphone saying unintelligible things.  I laid there for hours feeling fear (and listening to the police scanner app I have on my phone) while the rest of my family slept in peace.


Sometimes, I think I must be the only one who experiences this crazy level of fear.  Thankfully, I've realized that even great heroes of the faith have experienced fear.  Adam and Eve hid from God out of fear after they had sinned.  Abraham lied about Sarah being his wife on two occasions, motivated by fear.  Moses didn't want to fulfill his calling and tried to talk God out of it...because he was scared.  Saul disobeyed God because he feared the people of the land, and Peter had such great fear that he denied Jesus three times.

So, what do we do to combat fear?  

Call it what it is....Disobedience to the Almighty God
The Bible has a lot to say on the issue of fear.  I saw on Facebook this popular meme...

I've been trying to do some research about the accuracy of this, and most are concluding that there aren't exactly 365 verses, although it is a nice thought.  The most important thing is that God said "Do not fear..." many times, even though ONE time ought to be enough for us!  Here is my favorite (emphasis added):

Isaiah 41:10  "FEAR NOT, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

If God has told us not to fear, and yet we spend time in fear of the various crisis that can befall us, we are in direct disobedience to Him.  And He gives us a reason not to fear....He is our God; He will help us.

Trust, Trust, Trust
Our Father is so worthy of our trust.  Has he been faithful to you through past trials?  Has he sustained you in your times of struggle?  Has he provided for you in times of want?  Has he comforted you in times of grief?  He will never change and will speak to our pain when it arrives again.  When we understand that God is in complete control, and has all resources at his command to help us, we can exist at a new level of peace.  

Elyse Fitzpatrick, author of the book Overcoming Fear, Worry, and Anxiety (2001), says "God's sovereignty is the only safe harbor when we're assailed by the winds of fear, doubt, and worry" (pg. 128).  At the time when the fear of the Ebola crisis had me on edge, I googled "sermons on God's sovereignty" and found an excellent sermon by John Piper.  I was so encouraged to be reminded that God is not surprised by any problem that we are faced with and there is not one thing that God can't handle!

Realize that our fear does nothing to help the situation.
Did my laying there in bed, awake, listening to the dispatchers talk to the police through the night make me any less in danger?  Does imagining my boys coming down with Ebola make my children at any less risk of getting the disease?  Jesus said "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Matthew 6:27).  Elyse Fitzpatrick (2001) says that worry "can't change anything.  It won't make you live one more day than God has ordained.  It won't influence whatever you may face in the future.  Worry is powerless" (pg. 111).  The threats of bad things happening will always exist, but stewing about them does not decrease the chances of them happening to us, it only makes us feel miserable and wastes valuable time.

Our only hope lies in the fact that our God is sovereign - He knows all the things that lay before us and He is in complete control of them.  Bad things are going to happen.  Police helicopters will fly over head.  People we love are going to suffer.  We may be asked to walk a difficult and terrible road.  But He is good, and loving, and will meet us in these trials and give us exactly what we need to endure them.  Let us be like the Psalmist who said  "I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears" (Psalm 34:4).




Fitzpatrick, E. (2001).  Overcoming Fear, Worry, and Anxiety.  Eugene, Oregon:  Harvest House Publishers.

God's Provision

It never ceases to amaze me how God provides in times of greatest need. As I look back on my life, I can clearly see the evidences of God’s hand guiding, directing, and intervening in situations both big and small.  And yet, I admit there are times where I’ve cried out to God knowing that He could help me, but didn’t want to presume that help would be part of His good and perfect will for my life. Maybe you have cried out to God fervently, all the while fearing that your need was too insignificant or your worthiness too non-existent for God to intervene on your behalf. Yet, despite your doubt, how many could speak to the times that his goodness and faithfulness were revealed just the same? How grateful I am that I can see example upon example of this in my life.

I hope we can all recognize these times of provision in our lives. It’s the time when you only had x amount of dollars in your account and somehow it multiplied and stretched way farther than it should have.  It’s the unexpected check that shows up in the mail to cover just the amount you needed for something. It’s a tumor, disease, or condition that was diagnosed one minute and then gone the next. Or maybe it’s that blessing in disguise—a sprained finger that reveals a bigger issue that would have never been discovered otherwise. Do you have stories?

Last year, my husband and I were going through a time that was really financially tight. We didn’t know how we were even going to put gas in the car to get to work. All we could do was pray that God would intervene and that He would be glorified through our circumstances somehow. Then it happened. That Saturday afternoon, I opened the garage when I heard an awful noise—the kind you know can only be BAD. This was not the answer to prayer I was hoping for.  The garage door proceeded to fall off the tracks and wedge itself diagonally into the frame of the garage. It wouldn’t budge. Not only that, but my car was trapped inside. This was a “now what” moment. My instinct was to panic. To throw my hands in the air and say, “I give up.” And yet, God was saying, “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.” Twenty minutes later, our doorbell rang. It was a garage door repair man! He just happened to be driving by, saw our mangled garage door, and wanted to know if we wanted him to fix it . . . for free. What an amazing example of God’s provision. I have often looked back on that day and smiled. God had it all under control.

In chapel last week, Mr. B. spoke about George Mueller and God’s provision demonstrated time and time again in his orphanages—times when they didn’t know where the next meal would come from or how the next need was going to be met. And yet, they never asked anyone for anything and never wanted for anything. Sometimes His provision is nothing short of miraculous, and sometimes it is the sound of God’s soft voice reminding us, “Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

This is not to say that God’s faithfulness and goodness is diminished in any way when it seems like He has not answered the prayer or fulfilled the need. At a conference I attended not long ago, one of the speakers made the following statement, “Don’t confuse the results of something bad with how good God actually is. His goodness doesn’t change.” Unfortunately, what we want and what we need is not always known to us. Luckily though, God knows because He cares for us. I love the words in these promises from Matthew:

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26)“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29–31).

When I read those verses, I am reminded of one of my favorite childhood hymns (and one that continues to encourage me in times of trial).

His Eye is On the Sparrow

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me

When you think that nothing else could go wrong and then it does, remember in those times that God is right there to prove His faithfulness and maybe to teach you something that you could not have learned any other way.

I pray that someday God allows me to encourage others with my stories of His provision. Do you have stories to share? If you have one, feel free to share it here so we can be reminded that God is at work every day in our lives.

His eye is on the sparrow, so I KNOW he watches me.