What is Joy in the Classroom?

This image is from my prayerwalk on the beach collection that helps remind me that joy comes in the morning (Ps. 30:5) Each day is a new day in the Lord. In this 16-9 blog, the “9” in the 16-9 Movement is learning to display the Fruit of the Spirit in a public school classroom while honoring the laws of our great nation.  Have you ever noticed that the 9 fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” are really the fruit of the Spirit (singular). When we truly live out our faith, all 9 fruit are exuded as one.  I don’t know about you, but, displaying all the fruit at once, just doesn’t happen for me.  However, I know that it is God’s will for us to display His fruit, His way, by depending on His Holy Spirit to enable us. As we seek to display all fruit collectively, I would like to take the classroom-eye view of what it looks like to have JOY in the classroom.

            Joy is defined as the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; elation and a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated. When applied to our classrooms, it actually defines part of our high calling. We take great delight or experience happiness when something good or satisfying occurs.  There is keen pleasure for our students and classes when learning takes place and students are achieving. The whole reason we become a teacher is to make a difference and when we do, that’s joy! Perhaps one of the greatest reasons teachers don’t see their high calling or get discouraged is because the joy of impact is not always apparent.  Students don’t necessarily tell us that they understand. Many times we don’t even know if they “get it” until they are tested and too often we don’t even realize how much we meant to them until years later. Isadora Duncan said, “I do not teach children. I give them joy.” Being joyful and giving joy are symbiotic. How can we as Christian educators be purposeful about giving joy? 

            Rather than a state of mind, I would like to have us consider joy as a gift to give. Walking in our classrooms each day, taking time to pray for joy and asking God’s help to give joy on purpose is an awesome way to begin the school year and each and every day throughout. These are a few simple questions we can start with as we arrive in our classrooms:  How can I give joy today to my students?  How can I display the fruit of joy in my life? How can I spread joy to my colleagues and administration?  Being joyful is contagious and often brings a sense of curiosity to others.  Their wonderment of how you can be so happy in difficult times as well as good times can only be answered by being Jesus with skin on.  I think of the thousands that Jesus purposely touched with joy and how they were better for their encounter with Him.  Are our students better because of their encounter with us? Do we display the joy of the Lord in our lives? Only with the power of His Spirit, of course.  When we do, we display the fruit of joy, against which there is no law!

            As I looked up joy in the Word, I was delighted to see hundreds of times this powerful word was used, but was most impressed with the shouts of joy given by God’s people for what He had done for them. Let us be teachers of the Book and have shouts of joy in our hearts for His incredible gift of becoming a teacher.  Be encouraged to purposefully plan how you can give joy throughout the school year and displaying this powerful fruit in your life.  These are a few of my favorite verses of joy.

Psalm 16:11
- You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

John 15:11
- I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Romans 12:12
 - Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Psalm 30:5
- For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

How have you experienced joy in your classroom? What advice would you give others? 

Prayerfully yours,

K

Note: To more fully understand the 16-9 Movement, please read the first blog entry by clicking here.

http://www.one16pray.com

www.aw180days.com

Download the CEAI app

PS. Don’t forget to spread the word about the 1:16PM Prayer Movement and Around the Word in 180 Days:

•      Go to www.one16pray.com  and www.aw180days.com for more information.

•      Visit,  "like", and add comments the 1:16PM Facebook page and the Around the World in 180 days Facebook page.

•      Sign up for text message prayer prompts from Remind 101 

May God bless you with success His way this 2015-2016 school year.

Note: To more fully understand the 16-9 Movement, please read the first blog entry by clicking here.

Christian Educators Association International is the only professional association in the United States specifically for Christian educators in public schools.  CEAI protects our members first in prayer, next with excellent professional liability insurance and other benefits while helping them live out their high calling as a Christian in the public school. 

What is Love in the classroom?

The “9” in the 16-9 Movement is learning to display the Fruit of the Spirit in a public school classroom while honoring the laws of our great nation.  Have you ever noticed that the 9 fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” are really the fruit of the Spirit (singular). When we truly live out our faith, all 9 fruit are exuded as one. Wow, that’s a huge charge. Teachers who are living out their faith know that there are just too many of those days when we don’t feel so joyful or peaceful or even under self-control.  However, as Christians we are forgiven for our sins and convicted quickly to repent.  When we don’t display these fruit, we must acknowledge before God and with His Spirit be transformed. It’s no easy process and will certainly take us a lifetime, but for this discussion, I would like to take the classroom-eye view of what it looks like to LOVE in the classroom.

Love is powerful. It covers all sin. That student that gives us the most difficult time is loved also. Loving the unlovable is God’s way.  To be Jesus people, we look to Him.  Who did He touch? – the untouchable. Who did He seek? – the lost. Who did He love? – the outcast. Our classrooms of America are filled with students who have never had a kind word, a touch without strings attached and a life of difficulty. It’s not easy to love the unlovable, but that’s what we are called to do as Christian educators.  What does love look like in the classroom? When we love our students, we serve them.  We seek ways to enter into a personal relationship with them to truly get to know their needs in order to meet them. We all know how hard that is to do with classrooms that are too huge or full of issues, but love always covers.  Loving our students means setting boundaries that are clear and consistent. Students always want to know the limits and will push them until the boundary is defined. 

Loving our students can also be a simple task of greeting them at the door as they come in. This small but powerful move, sets the stage of caring. One of my favorite teachers of all time greets his students at the door every day, every class period with a fist pump and the words, “Welcome home.” His students feel loved and know they can trust him.  Love is always displayed in unexpected ways. No one has a right to love, that is why it is such an elusive commodity. We all hunger for it, yet are often afraid to love.  Be bold. Love your students with kind words, random acts of kindness, Pay It Forward initiatives and smiling. Jesus loved the little children and we may be the only touch of Jesus on some of the lives of these children.  John 13:34
 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Please let us know other ways to display love in the classroom in the comment area.  You are loved!

Prayerfully yours,

K

Note: To more fully understand the 16-9 Movement, please read the first blog entry by clicking here.

http://www.one16pray.com

www.aw180days.com

Download the CEAI app

PS. Don’t forget to spread the word about the 1:16PM Prayer Movement and Around the Word in 180 Days:

•      Go to www.one16pray.com  and www.aw180days.com for more information.

•      Visit,  "like", and add comments the 1:16PM Facebook page and the Around the World in 180 days Facebook page.

•      Sign up for text message prayer prompts from Remind 101 

May God bless you with success His way this 2015-2016 school year.

Note: To more fully understand the 16-9 Movement, please read the first blog entry by clicking here.

Christian Educators Association International is the only professional association in the United States specifically for Christian educators in public schools.  CEAI protects our members first in prayer, next with excellent professional liability insurance and other benefits while helping them live out their high calling as a Christian in the public school. 

Just Be

"Just Be" in your classroom

The Name of God that summarizes all His Names is “I Am.” What a name! I’m sure that there are theological scholarly studies that can help with a thorough and beautiful understanding of this powerful name, but I met a teacher in Charlotte that applied its power to us as teachers.  Karen Barber said that all she needs to remember when she walks in the classroom is to “just be.” Isn’t “am” one of the conjugations of the verb “to be?” When we are in our classrooms, we don’t need to necessarily say we are Christians, we need to “just be” Christians. What does that look like? How would you know?  Can it be learned? Why would you want to “just be?”  How can our actions reflect the Great I AM? The simplest things are not the easiest things and on our own it is impossible, but we are Jesus with skin on in our classrooms and without a word spoken about it, we can “just be.”  You know you are there when people ask, “Why are you always so happy?” “Why do you always smile?” or “What makes you so nice?” and/or any combination thereof. That is our opportunity to tell them about “I AM.”

I would like to suggest 5 Baby Steps for Christian educators in the public school:

1. Know Jesus
2. Frame your worldview
3. Practice the Fruit of the Spirit
4. Learn the law
5. Be in communion

Baby Step #1 – Know Jesus.  Read about Jesus. Sing about Jesus. Listen to audio/video about Jesus. Immerse yourself in Jesus. He’s so amazing.  Who wouldn’t want to be more like Him? Begin to apply his questioning skills, embrace everyone who is needy, laugh with the downtrodden and love the unlovable. These are quite the shoes to fill, but when you can recall stories about Jesus, you can place yourself in His shoes (or at least try to!) 

Baby Step #2 – Frame your worldview. This is what makes us different that. We look at everything through the lens of the Bible. We frame our thinking around life and love and what God has done for us. We are in humble adoration of the great I AM and know where we have come from and where we are going. That quiet confidence can be a cornerstone to “just be.”

Baby Step #3 – Practice the Fruit of the Spirit. Memorize them. Can you “be” love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, gentleness, patience, self-control and faithfulness? (Gal. 5:22-23) I am looking for teachers to help me describe what each of these fruit looks like on daily basis in the classroom. Do you have a story or example to share?  Theory is great, but teachers want practice.  Please let me know what you do and consider being a guest blogger for the 16-9 movement!

Baby Step #4 – Learn the law.  As government employees, public school teachers must know what they can and cannot say and do in the classroom.  We have been incredibly misinformed over the past 3-4 decades about separation of church and state and at times do not even realize just how much we can do under the First Amendment. It is imperative that all teachers and administrators come to know and understand, at least the first 16 words of the First Amendment, “Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; ………”

Baby Step #5 – Be in communion. Our God is in constant communion with Himself and us. He created us to be in communion with Him and others. As a Christian educator, you are not alone.  There are thousands upon thousands of us who share this high calling. Unfortunately, we can be in a school for years without even realizing that some of our colleagues are Christian also. We need to seek prayer partners and friends on campus who want to learn how to “just be” so that we may transform our schools through God's Love and Truth. Being in an organization like CEAI, is a huge start in uniting Christians across our nation. Won’t you consider joining us to build this communion between Christians in our schools, districts, states and nation?

As always, I am

Prayerfully yours,

K

http://www.one16pray.com

www.aw180days.com

Download the CEAI app

PS. Don’t forget to spread the word about the 1:16PM Prayer Movement and Around the Word in 180 Days:

•      Go to www.one16pray.com  and www.aw180days.com for more information.

•      Visit,  "like", and add comments the 1:16PM Facebook page and the Around the World in 180 days Facebook page.

•      Sign up for text message prayer prompts from Remind 101 

May God bless you with success His way this 2015-2016 school year.

Note: To more fully understand the 16-9 Movement, please read the first blog entry by clicking here.

Christian Educators Association International is the only professional association in the United States specifically for Christian educators in public schools.  CEAI protects our members first in prayer, next with excellent professional liability insurance and other benefits while helping them live out their high calling as a Christian in the public school. 

The 14th Annual Back-To-School Prayer Breakfast

The 2015 Back-to-School Prayer Breakfast, sponsored by CIPE (Christians in Public Education) held a powerful prayer breakfast for those who love our schools and love the Lord. Coming together to pray for each other and specifically for our superintendents, administrators, teachers, paraprofessionals, parents and precious students is our paramount goal. The CIPE team celebrates another very successful time of fellowship, prayer and worship.

The program kicked off with the exciting Seminole County Gospel Choir. These talented young adults sang two songs with intensity and joy. Our only complaint is that we couldn’t have more! The breakfast was opened with prayer by Pastor Ron Williams and then I gave a short description of a few tools the Christian educators have for their toolbox. It is important for all educators to know the law and to remember these two numbers 16 and 9. Know the first 16 words of the 1st Amendment to be a legal Christian in the public schools and the 9 Fruit of the Spirit to walk the walk with grace. Second, we invite all Christians to pray with us at 1:16PM each day and to be in the same chapter in the Bible through Around the Word in 180 days. 

Breakfast at the beautiful Orlando Lake Mary Marriott was delicious and served by a class servers. We were blessed to have Erika Dunlap as our guest speaker this year. Erika is a native of Orlando and presently serves as the major gifts officer at FAMU. However, Erika is best know as the 2004 Miss America! Her passionate message of encouragement to educators to love with our eyes. She shared from her heart and made most of us cry with her.

Jane McCann lead us in a corporate prayer as she placed us in groups of 3-4. Praying as a team yet in such an intimate setting was powerful and beautiful. It’s a precious sound to hear the small voices of others calling out to God in petition and praise. Jane guided us through prayers of adoration, supplication, confession and then for our leaders, colleagues, students and more. What a precious time of communing.

Finally the prayer breakfast was concluded with an accounting of funds as CIPE continues to support schools in Africa, community networks and Honor the Grads for the first time this school year. Teachers were encouraged to form prayer groups in their schools before or after the school day. We sang two upbeat songs lead by William Tillman, 2nd grade teacher, on keyboard and his team of two singers and a drummer. They rocked it as if they were a 10 piece band. Kathy Morganelli helped us conclude the morning with Amazing Grace. 

Having a prayer breakfast to give honor to God and to help educators understand that they are not alone in the public schools in our goal of connection. It was an honor and privilege to bring so many dedicated servants of God together to join together to transform our schools with God’s love and truth. We would like to thank Children’s Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) for such a large group of supporters.

For more information on putting together a prayer breakfast in your community, please contact the CIPE team.

Mail: CIPE, P.O. Box 621589, Oviedo, FL 32762-1589 

Email: Christiansinpubliceducation@yahoo.com

Call:

Kathy Phillips at 407-927-9634

Gracia Miller at 407-349-5830

Rebekah Richey at 407-252-7009

Karen C. Seddon at 407-892-5651

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christians-in-Public-Education

As always, I am

Prayerfully yours,

K

http://www.one16pray.com

www.aw180days.com

Download the CEAI app

PS. Don’t forget to spread the word about the 1:16PM Prayer Movement and Around the Word in 180 Days:

•      Go to www.one16pray.com  and www.aw180days.com for more information.

•      Visit,  "like", and add comments the 1:16PM Facebook page and the Around the World in 180 days Facebook page.

•      Sign up for text message prayer prompts from Remind 101 

May God bless you with success His way this 2015-2016 school year.

Note: To more fully understand the 16-9 Movement, please read the first blog entry by clicking here.

Christian Educators Association International is the only professional association in the United States specifically for Christian educators in public schools.  CEAI protects our members first in prayer, next with excellent professional liability insurance and other benefits while helping them live out their high calling as a Christian in the public school. 

FL Daniel Weekend

Our 1st Daniel Weekend took place in Florida on August 7-9, 2015 just before school got rolling for our 27 participants. The Daniel Weekend is a unique time of spiritual renewal designed by Tentmakers and supported by Christian Educators to encourage, equip and empower educators to transform their schools through God's love and truth. The setting was the beautiful Cocoa Beach Hilton where the teachers were treated to all their materials, a 2-night stay and all their meals. Funds were raised and supporters caught the vision of teachers as missionaries in the public school. They gave so that the teachers need only to bring themselves.

All 27 participants created Action Plans for their schools and students (when appropriate) and are fired up to see their plans through. The plans ranged from creating an intentionally positive experience for the children this year to starting prayer groups on campus. All the educators were excited to be with other educators from around the state to realize that they are not alone.

Being a Christian in the public school can be tricky at times because most administrators and teachers do not know the law. Teachers do not lose their 1st Amendment rights at the classroom door and can participate in prayer and Bible study groups before and after school. Teachers cannot pray with the students but can certainly pray for the students. As long as there are tests in school, there will be prayer!  Finn Laursen, executive director for Christian Educators Association, Int. (CEAI) gave an exciting presentation of the legal rights of teachers and students that helped all the participants understand how to be both a legal and graceful Christian in the public school.

FL districts that were represented were: St. Johns, Clay, Indian River, Seminole, Orange and Osceola.  Positions included principals, assistant principals, district leaders, classroom teachers, support teachers and retired educators. We even had a representative from CEF - Child Evangelism Fellowship who sponsor Good News Clubs for the elementary level.

If you are interested in partnering with us to support another group of teachers through a Daniel Weekend, please contact Karen C. Seddon. A teacher empowered by the Lord is a jewel for the public schools. Not only do they know how to love the children as image bearers of God, they also know what they can and cannot do. Heather, one of the Daniel facilitators gave the participants frogs to help them remember to be Fully Reliant On God. When it came time to try to explain the Daniel Weekend in  one or two words, one of the participants said, "FROG license." He now has the legal backing to be all He can be for the Lord in his classroom. Special thanks to Tentmakers, Christian Educators and all our sponsors for making this one of the greatest outreaches to public school educators anywhere.

As always, I am

Prayerfully yours,

K

http://www.one16pray.com

www.aw180days.com

Download the CEAI app

PS. Don’t forget to spread the word about the 1:16PM Prayer Movement and Around the Word in 180 Days:

•      Go to www.one16pray.com  and www.aw180days.com for more information.

•      Visit,  "like", and add comments the 1:16PM Facebook page and the Around the World in 180 days Facebook page.

•      Sign up for text message prayer prompts from Remind 101 

•      Follow us on Twitter for the prayer prompts @one16pray

May God bless you with success His way this 2015-2016 school year.

Note: To more fully understand the 16-9 Movement, please read the first blog entry by clicking here.

Christian Educators Association International is the only professional association in the United States specifically for Christian educators in public schools.  CEAI protects our members first in prayer, next with excellent professional liability insurance and other benefits while helping them live out their high calling as a Christian in the public school. 

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to the 2015-2016 school year! This is the time of new beginnings: new ideas, new students, sometimes new schools and new classrooms and new colleagues. Let's concentrate also on new prayers. Prayer is the foundation of your successful classroom. Prayer releases unity in our profession with God's favor. Prayer is your direct connection to the Teacher of Teachers! Pray for all the new beginnings. Pray for new ideas to inspire your students. Pray for your new students. Sit in their desks and pray individually for them, prayer walk your classroom and school. Pray for your colleagues because we all know there is great pressure in the beginning of the year to get all the ducks in a row.

You are not alone! There are thousands of Christians in the public schools beginning the school year just like you. In fact, there are probably a lot more right in your own school that you are not aware of. Begin praying where you are for those in your sphere of influence. Ask God to bring you prayer partners. When we pray God's Word we know it is His promise. Jesus told us in Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three gather in My name, there I am with them," How incredibly exciting is that!  As a Christian, know your legal rights. Respect the law. Read the first entry of this 16-9 blog for a more in-depth understanding, but in a nut shell - You are Congress when you are on the clock. According to the 1st Amendment, " Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;" That means that while you are being paid by the school district, you cannot establish a religion in your classroom by praying with the students or proclaiming your religious beliefs. However, the second part "or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" also means that when you are not on the clock, you are a 1st Amendment protected American who can gather with your colleagues to pray and study God's Word. What a blessing you will be to your school as a legal and graceful Christian.

Here are some tools for your new school year:

• Join the 1:16PM Prayer Movement by setting an alarm at 1:16PM each school day and join hundreds of other educators across the time zones as we petition God for school requests. We even offer text prompts at either 6:30am or 1:00pm www.one16pray.com
• Begin a 1st step prayer. The 1st step that you take out of your car and walk into your building, begin praying for your colleagues and students and the specific needs of your school.
• Be in the Word of God daily. Listen to Around the Word in 180 Days specifically designed for educator needs with a Biblical worldview. Around the Word in 180 Days begins on August 24, 2015 for this school year. www.aw180days.com.
• Download the CEAI (Christian Educator) app for a wealth of resources and tools for your Christian walk in the public schools. http://get.theapp.co/394c
• Subscribe to Christian Educators Daily Devotionals on school days.

Most of all, give praise and thanks to God for being an educator. Whether you are a Christian teacher, custodian, secretary, paraprofessional, administrator or bus driver, God has placed you at your specific school for a specific purpose of touching the lives of those around you for His glory. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord shine His face upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His countenance towards you and give you peace.

Abundant blessings for the 2015-2016 school year.

As always, I am

Prayerfully yours,

K

http://www.one16pray.com

www.aw180days.com

Download the CEAI app

PS. Don’t forget to spread the word about the 1:16PM Prayer Movement and Around the Word in 180 Days:

•      Go to www.one16pray.com  and www.aw180days.com for more information.

•      Visit,  "like", and add comments the 1:16PM Facebook page and the Around the World in 180 days Facebook page.

•      Sign up for text message prayer prompts from Remind 101 

•      Follow us on Twitter for the prayer prompts @one16pray

May God bless you with success His way this 2015-2016 school year.

Note: To more fully understand the 16-9 Movement, please read the first blog entry by clicking here.

Christian Educators Association International is the only professional association in the United States specifically for Christian educators in public schools.  CEAI protects our members first in prayer, next with excellent professional liability insurance and other benefits while helping them live out their high calling as a Christian in the public school. 

Summer is here!

We have reached that time of year when rest is real! Even if you have some responsibilities over the summer, the pace of the school year is behind us for a little while. Relish it, enjoy it, give God the praise for His goodness in calling you to be an educator. What will you do this summer? Will you be able to spend more time with family and friends? Will you travel? Will you sharpen your skills? No matter what you have the opportunity to do, make God your priority. Pray daily for His wisdom, even a double portion, that you may serve Him well next school year. Ask Him to show you what is important and even to prioritize your lists. He is a mighty God Who knows all our plans. He actually allows us to plan! He, however, directs our steps. What a gift that we don't have to depend upon ourselves.

I would like to encourage you to gather with other Christian educators over the summer. There are thousands of us across the nation totally un-unified. Many of us feel like we are the only Christian in our school, but I can assure you that there are more. In fact, there are thousands upon thousands of Christians in our public schools, but we have been told so long that we can't mention anything to do with God that we have gone underground. It is time to gather together that we may be fully followers of our Lord Jesus Christ. We can be gracious, legal Christians pouring His goodness into our students and colleagues daily. It takes a team. You are not alone!

One of the initiatives we are doing through Christian Educators (CEAI) is to host Daniel Weekends around the nation. There have been 12+ Daniel Weekends through the nation and even one in the Czech Republic! Our first one in Florida is this summer at the Cocoa Beach Hilton where we scholarship 25 teachers to a "think tank" environment. Most teachers who attend a Daniel Weekend come in loving the Lord, but leave missional. It is one of the most life-changing, career-changing events one can attend. Can't wait to let you know about our new Florida warriors!

More information about Daniel Weekends can be found on the CEAI website. We also have a Dare to Be a Daniel Facebook page if you would like to check it out.

As always, I am

Prayerfully yours,

K

http://www.one16pray.com

www.aw180days.com

Download the CEAI app

PS. Don’t forget to spread the word about the 1:16PM Prayer Movement and Around the Word in 180 Days:

•      Go to www.one16pray.com  and www.aw180days.com for more information.

•      Visit,  "like", and add comments the 1:16PM Facebook page and the Around the World in 180 days Facebook page.

•      Sign up for text message prayer prompts from Remind 101 

•      Follow us on Twitter for the prayer prompts @one16pray

May God bless you with success His way this 2014-2015 school year.

Note: To more fully understand the 16-9 Movement, please read the first blog entry by clicking here.

Christian Educators Association International is the only professional association in the United States specifically for Christian educators in public schools.  CEAI protects our members first in prayer, next with excellent professional liability insurance and other benefits while helping them live out their high calling as a Christian in the public school.