Almost Ready for Takeoff!!! (week 12)
820 words by blemieux
My project is going great as of right now. People are very receptive about my flyers and attending my seminar. The children at my church and even some kids from Truman Middle school will be attending. I expect about twenty kids overall in attendance. I plan to have the seminar in backroom of my church so that we will not disturb the normal church service. I plan to first ask the kids what do they want to be when they grow up and then I will ask them how are they doing in school. The point of this is for them to see the connection between school and their future. If they are doing bad in school, I will let them know that not only they need to do better, but that they can do better. I wish for this to be a very intimate personal seminar: I want the kids to feel comfortable. The more comfortable that they feel, the more open they will be to sharing about what they wish to do with their lives. Maybe if this seminar is successful, I will hold one each month on a different topic. This seminar will be called “Dream before the Takeoff.” I want these kids to know that they must keep their dreams alive. Dreams keep children hoping which will keep them grounded. That way when they have achieved whatever they want, they will be ready for takeoff! I really hope to reach these kids and make a difference in their lives whether great or small.
The book drive is going fantastic. I have collected 57 books and I know I will be collecting more. I have inspired a contest between the kids that will be attending my seminar. The kid who collects the most books will receive a 40 dollar gift card to Wal-Mart which I feel is as good as giving them cash, but the gift card will be better kept account of. I have tried to advertise at Truman Middle School but I have gotten the least amount of help from them. I was puzzled by this at first, until my mom explained to me that the children there barely had any books to call their own, so it would be hard to give something that you don’t have. This inspired me to collect even more books so that these kids could be able to pass knowledge on to someone else, the same as I am doing with them.
Jesus was counter cultural because he believed that women were equal to men. At the time of Jesus’ ministry, women could not be a witness in court, could not vote, and could not actively participate in worship at the synagogue. While women were commanded to observe prohibitions stated in the Law, there were not permitted to study it (Lohse, 1976). In Luke Chapter 7, a prostitute came to a house where Jesus was having dinner and washes his feet. Jesus’ followers could not believe that he would let the woman touch him, but Jesus not only allowed the woman to continue washing his feet, but forgave her of her sins. People of this time could not fathom why Jesus reached out to women when they seen as subservient to men. Jesus reached out to people of all backgrounds, no matter what other people saw them as. Jesus preached love amidst hatred; unity amidst divisiveness; faith amidst the legalistic religious leaders of His day; inclusiveness amidst exclusionary religious leaders; wholeness amidst the brokenhearted; freedom amidst those held in yokes of bondage; love amidst hatred. (Hipps) By doing/preaching these things, Jesus was counter cultural because he looked beyond a person’s social status and into their hearts.
I do believe that my project is counter cultural. My project is not biased towards a certain type of child; it seeks to help all children, no matter social status. My desire is to send a message to all children that they can do great things with an education. I want to reach out to many children as I can.