Hey guys! Just wanted to take the time to update you on the latest at Restoration Academy. As always, I'm happy to tell you more than I'm sharing here, but I want to give you all a little snapshot of life at Restoration that will, hopefully, inform and shape your prayers! Also, in case I don't get to say this to you personally, thank you for praying for me!
I have seen a lot of growth this past month in the way that I discipline my students, and I know that this is a direct result of the Lord working in my heart as you all pray for me. Again, thank you. I haven't had any more chances to talk with Tim, but another teacher gets to meet one on one with him every week, so please keep him in your prayers! I'll get to KD in a second, but Gerald and I are growing closer, so I ask that you keep on lifting up opportunities for me to connect with him on a deeper level.
So, about that substitute teacher....
If you and I have talked in depth about my time at Restoration Academy, you know that the 10th grade is my "favorite" class. They talk way too much, and they are difficult to manage, but they have tender hearts and good attitudes. They get excited to talk about the Word, and I just have a good time with them. With all that being said, I have wanted to pull my hair out when I have been with them these past few weeks. I have been trying to deliver what I thought were perfectly good lectures, and I have not been able to get them to sit quietly and pay attention. Finally, on Tuesday, I gave up. To kill the last 20 minutes of class, I told them to sit and read Matthew 26 and 27 to themselves. I figured that this would be a way to hit the "reset" button and start again the next day. My intention was for every student to read to themselves, but they insisted that they would enjoy it more if they read it out loud. Wanting to keep the peace, I gave in and agreed that the class could read it together. I would read 5 verses, and then I would call on students at random to read the next 5.
Well, as I'm sure you can guess, the results were incredible. The kids paid attention, were eager to read, and, best of all, had some great questions based on God's Word. After we read, one kid asked, "Mr. Wood, why didn't Jesus just get down off the cross?' I told him that that was the most important question anyone could ask, and then the bell rang. Encouraged, I started Wednesday with what turned out to be a wonderful discussion on that very question. I realized that I've been so busy trying to teach the kids ABOUT the Bible, that I have neglected to expose them TO the Bible. No matter how good my material is, no matter how good my delivery is, I am nothing compared to the Word of God unleashed in a classroom. I confessed my sin of pride, and dedicated myself to reading the Word of God every day in all of my classes. God is a way better teacher than I am, and I am excited to see what God does over the rest of this year as the kids get to hear Him, and not me, teach daily. He gets to increase; I get to decrease.
Now, about KD. I gave what turned out to be a very difficult test last Wednesday. It was so difficult that I ended up giving the test again on Monday. During that retest, I caught three of my students cheating, and KD was one of that three. The fallout from that cheating has had some pretty profound implications at our school, and in the junior class specifically, but I'm not ready to go into all of that right now. What I wanted to share with you about this situation is the way that God brought peace to me after it was all over with. I was grading quizzes on Friday, and I was feeling pretty discouraged by the cheating that had occurred. As it "just so happens," guess what the passage that I was grading said?
"3 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? 4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written,
“That you may be justified in your words,
and prevail when you are judged.”
I had only graded 18 out of the 23 quizzes when I finally got the point. Through the ups, downs, triumphs, and momentary setbacks, our God is faithful. He will be justified. His Word is eternal. His word is powerful, and His word is good.
Praise: Praise God for continued growth in my life as God shapes me through this ministry. Praise God for His faithfulness to speak to the kids AND me through His word.
Request: Pray for the junior class. Pray that all of them would see the high cost of sin, and that they would measure the faith they claim against what their lives look like. Pray for salvation to come to them. Pray also for my relationship with a senior named John. Ask the Father to grant me opportunities to encourage him and to pour into him.
Love you guys!
