"A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him." (Isaiah11:1-2).
These words from last night's liturgy have stayed with me during the day. Our salvation comes from something small, tender, and vulnerable, something hardly noticeable. God, who is the Creator of the Universe, comes to us in smallness, weakness, and hiddenness.
I find this a hopeful message. Somehow, I keep expecting loud and impressive events to convince me and others of God's saving power; but over and over again I am reminded that spectacles, power plays, and big events are the ways of the world. Our temptation is to be distracted by them and made blind to the "shoot that shall sprout from the stump."
When I have no eyes for the small signs of God's presence - the smile of a baby, the carefree play of children, the words of encouragement and gestures of love offered by friends - I will always remain tempted to despair.
The small child of Bethlehem, the unknown young man of Nazareth, the rejected preacher, the naked man on the cross, he asks for my full attention. The work of our salvation takes place in the midst of a world that continues to shout, scream, and overwhelm us with its claims and promises. But the promise is hidden in the shoot that sprouts from the stump, a shoot that hardly anyone notices.
I find this a hopeful message. Somehow, I keep expecting loud and impressive events to convince me and others of God's saving power; but over and over again I am reminded that spectacles, power plays, and big events are the ways of the world. Our temptation is to be distracted by them and made blind to the "shoot that shall sprout from the stump."
When I have no eyes for the small signs of God's presence - the smile of a baby, the carefree play of children, the words of encouragement and gestures of love offered by friends - I will always remain tempted to despair.
The small child of Bethlehem, the unknown young man of Nazareth, the rejected preacher, the naked man on the cross, he asks for my full attention. The work of our salvation takes place in the midst of a world that continues to shout, scream, and overwhelm us with its claims and promises. But the promise is hidden in the shoot that sprouts from the stump, a shoot that hardly anyone notices.
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HCOS RESOURCES
Math
Johnnie's Math Page: http://jmathpage.com/
Adrian Bruce's Math Games: http://greatmathsgames.com/
Sparkle Box: http://www.sparklebox.co.uk/maths/#.VIYSAjHF_WH
Reading
40+ of the absolute BEST books for boys in their pre-tween, tween and teenage years.
Let me start by saying that my now-teenage boys are not avid bookworms. They’re decent readers, but they don’t just hunker down with a book whenever they’re bored. They’d just rather be doing something like throwing a baseball or watching hockey game. However, they always loved ME to read to THEM, and I did, every night, from the time they were babies until they were far too old for bedtime stories. I won’t tell you exactly how old they were when I stopped reading to them at night. They’d never forgive me.
Want to know a secret though?
Check out this blog for more information: http://happyhooligans.ca/best-books-for-boys-ages-8-16/
Learning Camps
HCOS invites you to join us for
Lego Robotics presented by Gateways
https://fluidsurveys.com/s/2015-ft-langley-lego-robotics/
HCOS invites you to join us for the
Vancouver Symphony Orchesta's
Once Upon An Orchestra
Once Upon An Orchestra
https://fluidsurveys.com/s/vso-once-upon-an-orchestra-feb-2015/
Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA's)
Please note if you have a student in Grade 4 or Grade 7 then be aware that information from HCOS will be coming out in the coming weeks about upcoming FSA's that will take place January 12 - February 20, 2015.
There is more information on the Ministry of Education website: https://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/assessment/fsa/
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