Don’t Assume God is a Trump Supporter

This morning, much like everyone else, I am witnessing history occur, and I find my heart aching at the absurdity of it all. There is hate, and there is violence; there are opinions flying, and there is not much listening … this baffles me.

It baffles me because I do not believe that God takes sides. He does not need our politics in order for His agenda to occur. He is not a Trump supporter per say, nor is He a Biden supporter. He is a supporter of humanity and of unity – and He loves every single, solitary one of us.

If the Creator of the Universe loves us all, then should we not also then extend a hand of friendship to each person? The answer is yes, we should. It is actually a command given by God.

Psalm 46:10 – “Be still and know that I am God.” This comes from a passage wherein the Psalmist writes that despite disaster and war, God is in control. “Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
He lifts his voice, the earth melts.” The earth melts. At His word – all of this can and will cease. He allows it to all continue so that ALL mankind has an opportunity to learn of His love. And … we fight, and we war and we do not listen. We are not still. We miss the boat completely – sloshing frantically around in oceans of anger and hate, selfishness and greed, in an inability to see that all people are valuable. Every damn day. It’s tragic. And what God wants from us, what He commands is this …

Matthew 27:37-40 – 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” This comes on the heels of the Pharisees trying to trip Jesus up on his use of the “Law” – they were looking for a reason to ‘over throw’ Him, to be rid of Him. Jesus, in His wisdom knew this. He knew their hearts. He knew their intentions. Just as he knows ours. So, He made it as simple and as clear cut as He could … LOVE GOD. LOVE EACH OTHER. He followed that up with words that could NOT be argued … “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” There is no law against kindness, love, compassion, mercy, grace.

THESE things are God’s command. And these are the things that are ignored in people’s pride, opinions, hate, and greed. Even in churches. Churches are taking sides. Churches are assuming that God is a Trump supporter. God is not dependent upon our politics. He wants us to LOVE.

James 1:27, I believe, addresses the church’s role in this along with Matthew 22:37-40 (and all of the words written in Red). “27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

Believers, we are to be about compassion and service. And to non-believers, I say, these are not bad ideas for everyone to ascribe to no matter a choice of belief system. These are in fact means to compromise and solutions! Compassion. Service. Listening skills. Knowing the person. Removing jumping to conclusions from the playbook. Looking at the entirety of the story. Showing love.

We are to love our neighbors as ourselves.

We are to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength.

We are to be still and know that He is God.

Psalm 46 in its entirety –

1 God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
    and the mountains quake with their surging.[c]

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
    God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

8 Come and see what the Lord has done,
    the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
    to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the shields[d] with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Peer Review is Essential

Recently, I was tasked with writing a 1-page Pedagogical paper regarding one practice I use in my classroom. My mind went immediately to how I teach Peer Review, which was an essential function of the courses in the Master’s Degree I received from Lindenwood University. The process held such value for me in my educational journey, that I include it in the curriculum of the courses I teach.   What follows is the paper I wrote.  I’m sharing it because, perhaps, this idea might find its way into the hands of another professor out there who struggles to explain the concept of Peer Review … perhaps.  

My Master’s degree program was significantly based in Workshopping/Peer Review. The ‘magic’ of Peer Review forever emblazoned itself on me, and it is something I value and know is a skill I must pass on to students in my classes.  In Peer Review, I developed the ability to “take a punch” and to have thicker skin as I developed my communication skills, and thus, I teach it in the following manner:

In Composition 1 class, as we prepare for Peer Review sessions, I present a lesson on how to conduct a Peer Review and explain the potential outcomes of Peer Review. Sharing with them my own experience with Peer Review, I tell them I know how they feel as they consider the thought of someone else critiquing their papers. To address their anxieties and fears as we head into the overwhelming, fearful exercise, I hold a practice session.  After the lecture/lesson on how-to Peer Review, I tell the class that it is time to practice and that they are going to practice on something I wrote. Usually, they look stricken at this idea.  That sounds worse to them – to critique the teacher instead of themselves.  They take the short story in hand when I pass it around and keep their eyes on me – disbelieving what is about to take place.

The short story is one I wrote several years ago called “The Echo of Alone,” and I have enjoyably destroyed it with punctuation errors, misspellings, and stylistic errors.  The formatting is wonky.  The paper is a mess – and is ripe for editing in Peer Review.  I have them follow along as I read it aloud to them, instructing them to listen with a pen in hand.  “Mark errors as we go,” I say, reminding them that their ears will hear mistakes that their eyes will not see.

Once I have read the short story aloud, I have them spend a half-hour silently going through the story on an individual basis, marking mistakes, making suggestions, proposing ideas.  They use editing checklists and the course rubric to assist in their review/suggestions as they individually go through the story.

At the buzzer, I tell them they will now discuss their findings as a class – out loud and amongst each other, while I stand and listen – that I will not speak. I direct them not to look at me, not to acknowledge me, to refer to me only in the sense that I am the ‘author’ of the piece under discussion. I state, “I am not here.”  Eyes widen – and the brief courage they found while writing on my short story fades until the first brave student chooses to speak up.

At that point, the dam tends to break, and the conversation picks up.  They find their ideas are not foolish and that other students agree or disagree with them, and that it is all okay.  This Peer Review session goes as long as I allow (generally another half-hour) – and depending on the strength of their review and/or our time constraints, I step in and open up a discussion of the Peer Review session.

Typically, they have questions about my short story, so I address those, but I steer the conversation to the Peer Review, their emotions, their thoughts. The consensus tends to be that the class – as a whole – feels better prepared to step into a Peer Review session of each other’s work in the next class session. They understand, from my example, that they must work on having thicker skin and that accepting critique is essential for growth and improvement.

I find having them practice on me to be the greatest tool at not only explaining how to conduct the Peer Review process but also to address their fears and anxieties and build confidence before beginning the Peer Review sessions of their first essays.  This process has worked successfully for several years in my Composition 1 classes.  My goal is to always have Peer Review as a central function of the coursework.

Application for other disciplines – we, as faculty, make ourselves more human to our students if we allow students to see our educational journeys and struggles in some way – letting them know that we grew through struggles/critique and how/what we learned.  Do what I do/what I did, not just what I say.

That is the value. It works.

COVID-19 = Spin The Bottle in a way

COVID-19 is like playing a mashup version of Spin The Bottle and Russian Roulette. You know the bottle will eventually point at you, and the gun is fully loaded. That’s the anxiety, isn’t it?

The waiting on the invisible to our naked eye has many people scared, perhaps a better word is “concerned,” but I see more fear and anger born out of the game-driven anxiety. I get it. I was there. Until I tested positive for COVID-19.

Then, it was surrender. Okay, now what. We survived it with mild symptoms, as do 8 out of 10 patients, according to WebMd and Healthline news. The CDC site says the hospitalization rate is 4.6 per 100,000. The Who says 80% of infections are mild to asymptomatic, 15% are severe, and 5% are critical.

It is real. I have had it. I understand the anxiety of “if I get it” or “when I get it.” I’ve been in your proverbial shoes. Breathe, y’all. Please. Yes, it is a kindness to wear your mask in public, so let’s do that. But, the anxiety, fear, anger … let’s let that go.

Let’s stop saying politics has anything to do with this. I read someone say the way the President has handled this is abysmal. I rolled my eyes, because here’s what I know … I wouldn’t have known what to do with a rapidly changing, faster spreading virus in a world where germ warfare is easily accomplished. Would you? Seriously. We, as people, are quick to judge, hate, protest, be the loudest in the room … kinda baffles my brain.

How about we breathe. Think, in kindness, about the needs of others around us, and not just the people whose politics align with our own. Let’s be folks who listen to others, put ourselves in other’s shoes. Consider. Let’s be people who can engage in true argument, which means rational debate. Non-emotional. Without judgment. Without fear. Without anger. Let’s work toward solution together.

Perhaps that’s too difficult. It shouldn’t be.

Btw … as far as my “rights” go … it is my “right” to love my neighbor as myself, Scripturally speaking. That is my value. Hearing Christians profess their “rights” all over FB and IG is confusing to me, because our mandate is to Love. That does not align with selfishness. It aligns with selflessness.

Breathe. Chances are decent you may get the virus, but the majority who do will be mild. You can handle the symptoms. Stay home. Rest. Let it pass. I’m telling you, in my experience, the loss of taste and smell for 10 days was the most bizarre part. I didn’t enjoy diarrhea for 17 days, but it passed.

On the other side now, I need you to hear me say … breathe. Stop making it political. Be kind. Research. Participate in true argument. Be rational, not anxious or angry. Help your fellow man/woman by being informed and by loving your neighbor as yourself. It will help.

No need for the twisted version of Spin the Bottle/Russian Roulette/hate mongering so many are playing.

I love you all. 😘

Continue to think of myself as COVID-19 positive? Nooooooooooo

Anyone else feeling conflicted over this whole COVID-19 mess? Hearing one thing is true, and then hearing completely other narratives. All coming from seemingly reputable ‘scientific’ sources, so many opinionated people, and it seems like ALL politicians on a warpath in election season using this as a crutch for their agendas – both sides trying to be the loudest and red herring everything … and all I know is this …
 
I have it. I have this dad-blame, stupid-arse Coronavirus. My doctor told me today to continue to think of myself as positive until I show NO symptoms. I could cry. It has been 25 days of sick. Feeling better, but then bam, some variant comes back. Diarrhea returned yesterday. I think it was related, but maybe it wasn’t. At this point, I’m wondering what is COVID? Is it COVID or is it the change of the weather and allergies? I feel like I’m in a cloud that’s spinning around in the air out of control – I’m getting nauseous and confused. The Tulsa Health Department says you’re good to be out of quarantine 10 days after symptoms BEGIN and/or 3 days after a fever breaks. Okay … so … I am WAY past the first one. Then, that second fever snuck up on me last week. Sneaky booger fever. That’s me cussing right now. I’m not happy. And … the CDC says you have to have 2 consecutive >48 hours apart negative tests to be considered recovered. OMG. My doctor said he is scheduling me a test.
 
My heart is breaking because I’m supposed to have my boys for two weeks starting this weekend. But we don’t know if we are Virus-free yet – and we are ALL still coughing.  I am PRAYING for a negative brain-poking test result – I want my babies.  This VIRUS is the devil at work. That I do know. I want to spend time with my babies. I need to spend time with them. I’m just heart-sick tonight – and sad – and mad – and confused.
This is a rant, and I somewhat apologize.  This is what it is like to be on Day 25 of symptomatic COVID-19 for me.  I understand it is different for each and every person who has it – who will have it – and I hope my sharing this helps some people understand what this virus is, and how it messes with you, and it changes from day-to-day.
Parent update: My dad doesn’t sleep much at night, most of his sleeping is accomplished in the late mornings because he lies awake listening to mom breathe as she sleeps.  Her cough gets worse at night, so dad cannot sleep.   In the mornings, she is awake and ready for breakfast while he finally finds rest.  Please keep my sweet parents in your prayers.

I am a COVID-19 Survivor – So far

On June 15, I started feeling “under the weather,” and naturally, in today’s climate, I thought, please don’t be the ‘Rona.  Aches.  Chills.  Congestion.  Then, on the 18th, about 4:30 p.m., I knew the fever was coming.  I could not stop it.  It crept on slowly, but with rapidity.  By 8:00 p.m. I was laying in my bed fully chilled but burning up.  My fever was 101.5 at that point, and I stopped taking it then – I just laid there tossing and turning, pulling covers on and then, tossing them off.  I, at the age of 47, silently cried for my Momma – knowing I could not ask her to come and place a cool wet washcloth on my forehead like she did when I was a kid … she was in the next room, but on the off chance that it was the ‘Rona, I dared not ask for help.  She sat in the next room with her oxygen tube firmly attached to her face, where it always is, because her COPD is severe.  She and dad watched TV.

At midnight, I heard my father’s voice in the hallway, and his frantic tone registered in my feverish head.  I hopped out of bed, made it to my door, and went into the hallway.  I looked down toward my parents’ room and saw my mother splayed out on the floor, unmoving.  SCARED out of my mind, I stood there – my mind not fully processing the scene, and I heard my father tell me to let the ambulance in the gate.  I scrambled for the keys.  My clouded head not fully registering what was going on.  Dad told me that mom’s oxygen levels dropped dangerously low and that she could not get up.  I pushed the button to let the ambulance in the gate, and I went onto the porch to wave them down.

Once they were headed toward our door, my dad told me to go to bed.  Knowing my fever was an issue, and the nagging fear that I was infected with COVID-19, I went to bed – and climbed back in – listening to the ambulance people work with my mom.  Lying there helpless, I cried, and the tears stung my hot cheeks.  Then, they were gone.  The ambulance took my mom.  My dad followed them.  I was alone.  With my stupid fever.  I was angry at the fever.  Angry at the possibility that I had COVID-19.

About 2:00 a.m., after fevering for hours and worrying about my mother and being angry at my helplessness to help her, I determined that if I continued to feel like my body were aflame and chilled all at the same time, that I would call an ambulance for myself.  9-1-1.  I’d give it just a while longer.   And then, it was 6:00 a.m.  I was covered in sweat.  My sheets were wet.  I was wet.  Salty wet.  The fever had broken, and my parents were not home.  My mother had been lying flat out on the floor.  I remembered.  The image blazed in my head, and I grabbed my phone and called my dad.  HOW IS MOM?

She was still in the ER, and he was still in his car in the hospital garage.  It was a long morning, to say the least.  But in the ER, they determined that she did not have COVID, and that it was a flare-up of her COPD.  Okay.

Still, I decided to call my doctor.   He said, yes, let’s get you tested for COVID based upon my symptoms since June 15. That was the 19th.  My dad came home from being with mom at the hospital on the 20th.  He stayed here that night and went back to the hospital on the 21st.

So, on Monday, June 22, I went and had my brain poked.  My response to the invasive nature of the swab piercing the internal places of my head was to call my daughter Kennedy and exclaim, OH MY GOD! THAT WAS AWFUL!  I generally try to downplay things when I describe them to my children, not wanting to scare them … you know.  Like a good mom.  Well, at least a decent one.  BUT, on June 22, I could do nothing but say … DO NOT have to get that test!!!!!  Way too many exclamation points for an English teacher to use appropriately, but in this case, they are warranted.

June 23, I awoke, and the first thing I did was check “My Chart” to see if the test results were in.  Positive.  It said I was COVID-19 Positive.   At that moment, the world swirled around me and stopped.  Everything paused, and I internally screamed … thinking OH MY GOD, what now.  My mother was still in the hospital and had been pronounced COVID-19 negative.  What in the Hell was I going to do?!?!?   So … I put in a call to my doctor, but I also called my mom to tell her my news.

Long story short.  I told mom I was positive for COVID-19.  She told her nurse.  The hospital promptly kicked my dad out – as he had been home that weekend around me.  Then, they poked my mom’s brain – AGAIN.

I spent my morning in a FLURRY of calling doctors, my kids, my fiance’, my friends … trying to make a plan.  I had to get somewhere else for at least 2 weeks to keep my parents safe … because the hospital wanted to send Momma home.  I could not be there.  So … I commenced planning.

Mom’s test came back positive – and she was, without hesitation, moved from the senior floor to the COVID floor where things are MUCH different and cold.  Her descriptions of what it is like to be on the COVID floor are chilling … and sad.  Dad had to get tested.  His test came back positive.  It was a nightmare – but, on the ‘positive’ side, I didn’t have to get a hotel room for 2 weeks.

The hospital believed mom would be safer at home where there was likely just ONE strain of the virus than at the hospital where there were multiple strains, so they sent her home.   On the 25th, we were all home – quarantined together.  Mike too.  My fiance.

He came over – lock, stock, and barrel, to quarantine with us.  See, he had been sick that week too – June 15 and on – just like me, and if I was positive, he was too.  So the 4 of us settled into quarantine together.   Every moment, I feared for my mother’s life, and I felt guilt upon guilt – even though the truth is … we have NO idea where this thing came from.

We have NO idea.  Mike and I have done the grocery shopping for my parents for a while now, but we have always been careful.  Washing hands, using sanitizer, wearing masks.  He’s an essential worker, so he has been to work, but he is a fanatic with the hand sanitizer.  We have ordered food delivered.  We have had some things delivered from Amazon.  We were taking care. And yet … it got us.

The ‘Rona.

Here’s what I can tell you.  GOD is GOOD.  It is July 11 and my mother has only shown mild symptoms thus far.  I count each day as a gift from God.  I need her.  Not ready for her to not be with me, and this virus could easily take her, but it hasn’t.  This lady is a fighter and has purpose still!  I love that about my prayer warrior Momma.  She has COPD and Congestive Heart Failure.  Each day, I choose to just be grateful and to be mindful.  To do what I can for her, so that she can rest as much as possible.

There has been so much together time.  Mom, Dad, Mike, and me … we’ve weathered this quite well together, and I have had it the worst.  I am SO grateful for that.  SO grateful that out of all of us, I have been the sickest.  Not that I’m happy to have been sick.  It’s not that, but I am RELIEVED that my parents have both weathered this with mild symptoms thus far.  I do not want either of my parents to know this virus in the way that I have.

My symptoms have been sporadic and inconsistent.  They have been strange.  I have experienced congestion, coughing, fever, loss of taste and smell (for over 7 days), diarrhea (for 17 days), fatigue, aches, chills, sneezing, runny nose, dry nose, headache – none of it ALL at the same time – but all of it intensely, and it comes and it goes.  Some days were good, other days were not so good – yucky in fact.   ALL of it is strange.  Not like a cold.  Not like the flu.  Something new.  Something I don’t wish on YOU.  Well … maybe a couple of folks.  But not MOST.  At all.  It is weird.

It is July the 11th.  Today I felt GREAT.  Today, I did a ton of stuff.  Cleaned all day.  Organized my room and the kitchen.  I accomplished so much, and I know that means am better.  WHAT a blessing!!!!   I am a COVID-19/Coronavirus Survivor!  Woot!

I guess.

Is that a thing to celebrate?  What does that mean moving forward?  Am I marked for something?  Am I susceptible to something else?  I tend to be a conspiracy theorist, so my brain is over-active about what being a survivor means for me.  Will I become a part of some robotic uprising?  Will the survivors begin to show some odd behaviors?  Do we have a new genome structure?  Is this all genetically constructed by scientists to produce world-ending effects?  These are the places my brain goes.  What am I a part of now?

Realistically?  I’m a survivor of a new virus.   BUT, my brain tells me that there are under-handed things at play.  So … y’all … here’s my story.  If I start acting strange … bear in mind what I’ve said here.  Lol.  This is how it has played out for me.  And who knows what will come moving forward.

I will tell you that this week I experienced brain fog.  On July 9th, I experienced an inability to read words in order.  I had to read and reread things in order for them to make sense to me.  It was scary.  I spoke to the manager of our apartments for a while, and when I got back to our apartment, I was unable to reguritate to my parents or to Mike what I had talked about with the manager.  My second fever hit soon after this brain fog.  Mike told me to cover up under blankets and sweat the fever out.  I did.  And within hours, the fever broke.  I woke up fever-free, and I have felt fine, sans a morning cough, since that time.   I don’t understand all of this.  It is hard to know what to think.  What to know.  What to trust.

All I want is to get married to my Mike, love my position at TCC, and teach my classes with aplomb in whatever is presented before me to tackle this new world in which we live.  I will do it as a SURVIVOR.  I want my children to know each and every day that their mother LOVES them.  She is not perfect.  She has made BIG mistakes … but that GOD IS GOOD.   God is bigger than this COVID-19, and HE is bigger than any mistakes we make.

The key is GRACE.  It comes in recognizing our need for HIM and asking HIM to love us and to accept us and to forgive us.   God is good.

I’m so grateful that to this point our journey with COVID-19 for my parents has been MILD.  What a grace-filled thing that is.  Thank you, God!   Thank you!

Where do I fall politically in all of this COVID mess?  Wear a mask, y’all.  It doesn’t hurt you to do so.  So, do it.

And … wash your hands.

 

It Can Happen To You

“It won’t happen to me.” Never say that.

This morning, I received the test results. Positive for COVID-19.

My mother has also tested positive. She’s been in the hospital since this past Friday for a COPD issue, and was scheduled to be released today, until I got my test results. They retested her. She is positive and has been moved to the COVID floor.

My dad is on his way to a testing site right now.

Today has been chaos in my mind. But I wanted to briefly talk about this illness and my experience thus far. Spread awareness.

None of the symptoms have been consistent other than an overall sense of blah. Since Monday evening, June 15th, I have experienced all of the following but not all at the same time:

– achiness

– chills

– fever (began on Thursday, June 18th at about 4:30 p.m. and lasted until sometime between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. the following morning. I woke up in a sweat. The fever was horrid, and it has not returned.

– dry cough. Almost 0% mucus.

– sneezing

– headache

– lack of taste and smell

– chest feels heavy and tight

– once I experienced pain with breathing on the night of June 19th when I laid down to sleep. It hurt, and set me to coughing and I did, at that time, feel a difficulty in breathing. I drank water and was able to go to sleep.

– if I take a deep breath, I cough

These are the things I can think of as I sit here mulling over the last week. Not one symptom beyond an overall feeling of blah has been daily or consistent. In fact, most every day I have had periods of time where I have felt totally fine. Well, better, and then, the achiness returned.

It is an odd illness, and I do not enjoy it.

I assured my 20-year old daughter this morning that the “Rona” is not going to take me out. My children are all concerned, and I understand that. I, too, am a child though I am 47 years old.

I am very concerned for my mother, who has COPD and Congestive Heart Failure.

The doctor wants to send her home from the hospital tomorrow to quarantine, as it will be safer for her overall because most likely we have the same strain of the illness. This is his thought process.

There is NO way to tell where this came from for us. No blame to toss. Just know, it is out there, and it is weird.

Please pray for us, most specifically for my mother and my father – that we will weather this illness and be healthy very shortly.

Keep washing your hands! Know it is lurking anywhere and probably everywhere. You don’t want this.

Grading Policy & Feedback – Today’s Must for Teaching Online Classes

So, I am nerdily excited right now.  Since June 1st, I’ve been in an online certification course with my school, and I’m having a ball.  In this class, just like most any class, you complete the assigned work and turn it in, then wait (patiently) for the grade and the Feedback.  Feedback is life-giving. I mean, initially, I want to believe that my work does not need revision – ha!  But, in truth, I crave the Feedback because improving is always the goal. Critique is a life force for a writer, and it is nerd-fun for this English teacher. I cannot wait to turn in my work later today, and then to wait for the Feedback from my workshop advisor!  Oh, the (excellent) anxiety! Woot! THEN … I get to make adjustments based upon her suggestions, and it is SO good to see my grade change from “Needs Revision” to “Meets Expectations.” I feel like jumping up from my chair and doing a victory lap around my office space. Is it wrong to have this much fun with homework?  Nah.  It means I love what I do.

Today’s focus is on creating a Feedback policy and a Rubric for online learning.  I have completed mine – and I’m ahead of schedule.  So anxious to dig in and get it uploaded after the second workshop session this afternoon. Here’s my initial work on my Grading Policy, which I cannot wait to get Feedback on … (because I cannot help myself).

Grading Policy / Feedback

Teaching Methods:

This course assists students in learning the course goals through class lectures on Zoom and discussions, interactive group work, quizzes, essays, and readings from our texts; providing instructional handouts, engaging talks, and entertaining videos; commenting on student work/Feedback, and meeting individually with students over Zoom meetings.

Format for course work:

All essays and precis/summaries must be submitted to Blackboard as Microsoft Word documents or PDF files. NOT Google Docs. Follow current MLA formatting guidelines.

Quizzes / Discussion / Final Exam to be completed on Blackboard.

Feedback: 

Essays & Precis/Summaries – You must have all the information possible regarding your growth in the class as the class moves along.  Therefore, I will do my best to have all assignments graded within a week after the due date. The goal is to have your paper graded and back to you BEFORE the next project is assigned so that you have an opportunity to review my Feedback and ensure you’ve taken steps to adjust those issues pointed out before your next project is due*. Turnaround by ME is essential to your ability to be successful in this class. We are a TEAM. That is how I see this. You work. I work. We function as a team.

*If you are unsatisfied with your grade and feel you can do better, especially after reviewing my comments inside your submission on Blackboard, then it is your responsibility to text or email me and request an opportunity to revise your paper.  Explain to me why and how you will accomplish this.  I may indeed allow your revision. But it must come upon you requesting the opportunity to resubmit.

Quizzes / Final Exam – these will be automatically graded inside Blackboard as they will be multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank.

Blog/Chat/Discussion – the discussion will be graded with a week following the due date.

Final Grades: Final grades will be determined according to the following points:

  • Assignments (Outlines & Precis/Summaries) – 9 @ 50 pts each                          450
  • Narrative Essay                                                                                                             100
  • Literary Analysis Essay                                                                                                100
  • Rhetorical Analysis/Comparison/Contrast Essay                                                    100
  • Academic Argument Analysis Essay                                                                         100
  • Quizzes – 10 @ 25 pts apiece                                                                                      250
  • Blog/Chat/Discussion                                                                                                      50
  • Final Essay Exam                                                                                                          150
  • Total                                                                                                                               1300

Points to be averaged in % for a Cumulative Grade.

I do not round grades up or assign extra credit.

Grade Challenge:

I challenge you to look at making good grades like collecting points in a video game.  Keep at it.  Make the jumps.  Practice.  Keep going.  Grab all the coins you can! Read all the Feedback.  Take notes.  Do not let any of it defeat you.  Win this game.  Collect all the points.  Be Mario.  Save the Princess.

It Doesn’t Seem to Matter

It does not seem to matter what a Democratic or Republican President accomplishes. Half of the people in this country will hate on him and say he has done nothing or destroyed it all. In my lifetime I’ve witnessed this under Reagan, Clinton, both Bushes, Obama, and Trump.

It’s a constant barrage of drama and party-ism, of yelling and protesting, of “unfriending” and a constant lack of good argument – meaning a rational debate/conversation. It’s all or nothing – and people divide into groups of agenda pushing.

Fortunately, our government is set up for just this kind of power balance. No one group can be in power all the time. It would be super good if Civics classes were required at both high school and college levels. Most Americans, as things stand now, would not be able to pass the citizenship test for our own country. This is a sad state of affairs.

Still, I am grateful for our system of government, for my Civics, Government, and US History teachers, and I am proud to be an American with the right to vote according to my values and beliefs … and to respect those who disagree with my stances … which I rarely share out loud. I try to make my stand in private conversation, perhaps a bit on my blog, and at my polling place.

As far as “Religion” goes … God loves Democrats and Republicans. He loves the Obamas and the Trumps. He wants all people to Love our Neighbors as Ourselves. It’s that simple.

Crazy, isn’t it? Sometimes the simplest things are the hardest.

#politics #trump #obama #politicalunrest #civics #proudtobeanamerican #patriotic #citizenshiptest #governmentclass #ignoranceabounds #learn #bekind #listen #loveyourneighbor #republicansvsdemocrats

I Took My Eyes Off of Jesus

The crazy thing about all of this anger, hating, and finger-pointing is that no single person is infallible.  Unfailing.  Error-free. Faultless. Each person alive is capable of inciting hurt and anger, of committing wrong.  Sometimes knowing it is accomplished, and at other times, a person has no idea of the pain left in his or her wake. Ignorance, in the truest sense of the word meaning a lack of knowledge or information, exists in each person walking this planet.  No one is capable of knowing how each action or word is perceived and what the ripple effect is as time plays out its game of Life.  

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them because they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:24) in response to the crowds’ riotous behavior as he hung on the cross – to die for their sins.  Even as he hung there dying, he wanted forgiveness for his persecutors, and he offered unconditional love to the thief next to him who begged, in his recognition of the deity of Christ, for forgiveness – at his own eleventh hour.  Jesus gave it.  In the midst of his anguish, the Son of God wanted peace for those who mocked and tormented him, for the sinners before him, and for those to come.  

When issues arise, it is easy to choose sides, take eyes off of Jesus, and forget that God wants all people to come to salvation and knowledge of Him.  He wants all people to accept His grace, peace, and mercy.  He is not a puppet master. He allows free will and choice.  He waits with open arms … and people argue and fuss and fight and push and pull and keep all focus on hurts and prejudice and fear and hate grow.  

Writing this, I realize it may come across like I am standing outside and speaking to all people other than myself, as if I am not a sinner or not responsible for causing hurt to others.  At one point in my life and as the holder of a Bible College Bachelors degree, I would have secretly held this to be true, thinking myself to be righteous and ‘good’ because of the legalistic way I approached life. Committing no obvious wrongs (never had an alcoholic drink until I was 32 years of age, and even at that point, thinking lightning might strike).  I looked down on others and judged their ‘righteousness’ according to their outward behaviors – thinking I was above reproach. This is shameful and not the truth about me, not the inside of me.  I take my eyes of Jesus.  I forget.  I don’t keep my mind and soul on the things of God like I should.  Life happens, and I fail.

Sadly, it is easier to see the speck in someone else’s eyes than the plank in my own.  However …

In the recent past, I took my eyes off of Jesus and people were hurt by the results of my anger, my sin, my choice to look away from the faith I grew up in, and to succumb to a numbing of all of my own pain because I felt like God had abandoned me.  I stopped attending church.  I closed off and found myself in turmoil  – much of my own making.  I could not care for anyone outside of myself as I dwelt in anxiety, fear, isolation, victimhood, alcohol, and adultery.  Twice I had hospital stays in mental health wards on suicide watch.  In sin and fear, my marriage crumbled, and my children’s worlds turned upside down.  Like a zombie hopped up on medications and fear, clinging to a variety of diagnoses, I lived through months of self-medicating ugliness which turned into at the least a couple of years of turmoil, and at the end of it all, I found myself in desperate need of the mercy and grace of God.  

I found God’s arms wide open, and I now know what it is to be the woman in John 8. 

8 1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

2 At dawn, he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now, what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

11 “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

All the legalism is stripped off of me, and I state straight out … I am a sinner, and I am grateful for the grace and mercy of God.  I do not deserve it for the hurt I’ve caused, for the muck left in my wake.  But, I know that it is mine.  That God loves me despite myself and the ugliness I have possessed inside in so many forms.  There are consequences to sin, and I walk through those now, knowing that God loves me and that He has a plan for my life.  I am grateful to Him, and I pray He continues to give me the opportunity to share His love with people every day.  

It is not mine to condemn others nor to judge them, nor to drudge the sins of others through social media or share them over back fence posts, trying to justify myself and claim some variant of ‘salvation’ or ‘rightness’ on my own. It is not mine to try to justify my own sinful behaviors upon the actions or words of another or others.  Life has happened, and I have been worthy of Old Testament stoning in my response to the ugliness I existed inside, BUT God interceded for me with the blood of Jesus.  He saved me just as He longs to save every single person alive and to come – no matter who they are, what they say, or what they do.  His grace is sufficient, and it can, it does, and it will cover over a multitude of sins.  

At one time I had thought I would use this blog space to work through my pain and to talk about it all – that was my intent back in January of 2019 when I first attempted to start writing again.  My ability to write ceased while I walked through all of the horror of the consequences of sin.  So, my intention was to use this as therapy, telling myself to put it all out there “to help other women” going through similar things.  But, the words didn’t come through my fingers to the page.  They’re all inside me, and God has given me one-on-one opportunities to share His grace and mercy and my testimony, but that has been in person and not in writing.  I still do not feel the call to spew ugliness here in this space, and as much as I want to say my intent would have been to have been helpful to others, that is not the absolute truth.  My intent would have been to establish ‘rightness’ for myself and justification of my choices.  And … truly, looking at it all objectively now … the part I am responsible for as I stand before the Lord is my own actions, my own behaviors, and my own responses.   I see my inability to put the words to paper last year now for what it is … the Holy Spirit saying ‘No.’  God will give me opportunities as He needs me to share mercy and hope.   I am good with that.  

I am also good with this … God loves each person.  I have to keep that in mind as I remember my past.  People who have hurt me, people I disagree with, folks who I’d rather not see again, people who don’t want to ever see me again … God loves those people.  As He loves me.   He wants me with Him just as He longs for each and every other person on this planet … each one created in His own image. 

Who am I to judge someone else in light of that?  No one.  I am no one to do that.  Yes, other people have different opinions than me, and I do not always understand why … but I do know this, and I share it each semester in my classroom, that each person alive has value and holds opinions and ways of seeing the world that are based on their unique environment, the way they were raised, their culture, their life experiences.  Close to 7 billion unique perspectives exist all at one time.  We are all shaped by life as it unfolds around us.  Those things create who we become, and there are reasons behind each person’s beliefs.  THIS validates the way people see things … it doesn’t mean that each person walks in absolute truth – but, they do walk in their own truth, which is often relative – based upon their individual life experiences. 

There are few things that I firmly hold to be TRUE in life – and these are based upon my upbringing, my education, and my personal experiences.  For me, that God is real and that Jesus is His Son and that LOVE is the second greatest commandment … these are unshakeable.  These are TRUTH.  Most anything else merits discussion and consideration … understanding the why behind other people’s perspectives. This is missed when there is yelling, talking over others, hating, violence, rioting … jumping to conclusions, needing my own voice to be heard for personal validation that only my truth is right and real and must be believed by all.  As long as these things ‘win’ in my, and truly, in our spirits, discord will continue to exist.  

We must be people who listen more than talk.  People who recognize our own failures and admit our fallibility.   Humbly accept that we do not have all the answers.  Understand and acknowledge that each person’s life experience has shaped their values and beliefs.  Without an ability to do this, honest conversations will not happen. 

This puts me in mind of my educational guru – Christopher Emdin – who teaches Reality Pedagogy.  His ideas hit a chord with me. As a teacher, I cannot expect to be effective with my students unless I know my students, unless I am willing to walk in their shoes, see where they come from, understand or at least try to understand their ‘why’ in how they approach learning.  Meet them in their space … and then challenge them to grow, based in a respect for each one’s story and uniqueness.  (  https://youtu.be/2Y9tVf_8fqo – Christopher Emdin – Ted Talk on Reality Pedagogy.) I’ve written other posts regarding his message.  One reached the man himself, and he commented on it, calling me “Fam” … and I don’t think I ever fan-girled more.  Asked my students what “Fam” meant, and they said, “Ms. D, he’s calling you ‘Family.'”  AWESOME!  So … Reality Pedagogy.  It applies not only to the classroom, but to life and every person I interact with.  We all have value, and we are all beautifully fallible.

Having been knocked off my high-horse and made to look up and see myself as unworthy and riddled with errors, I can now admit that life is not about just me and what I have going on, nor is it about appearing ‘righteous’ or accumulating the most Sunday School stickers or collecting church bulletins as a billboard to proclaim any sort of thing, or even just about being right and making my voice louder than someone else’s despite the consequences.  That is not what life is about.  Not for me anymore. Life must be about seeing the plank in my own eye before pointing out the specks in the eyes of others.  Recognizing my perspective is NOT the only one that merits justification or being heard.  I do fail in this, have failed in this, and I regret that my choices and actions have grieved God and have hurt others – and for some, there is no forgiveness for me – anger and bitterness burn, and I understand that – cannot change what is done and in the past.  However, I can admit that I am fallible, BUT I cling to the mercy of God and to this TRUTH … Love is key.  

Matthew 22:37-40 – 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Galatians 5:22-23 – 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

I Peter 4: 1-11

4 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. 2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. 3 For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 4 They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. 5 But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

I Corinthians 13: 1 -10

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.

Maranatha!

 

 

 

Even Believers are Hating Each Other

Facebook breaks my heart. It has become a house of outrage, opinions, and hate. What makes it heart-breaking is that these things are coming from the hearts and minds of people who profess to be lovers of God. They are at war with one another. Saying “delete me” if you don’t like my words. It’s ugliness, and they claim to state their opinions and their angry speech for God and because of God.

Y’all … stop and think. Please. About the bigger picture.

What God is outraged about is hate and ugliness of the human heart. In all it’s forms and in His people. Hate the sin, not the sinner. He will use the leaders of the land to move His will forward, no matter who they are! His will is not reliant upon a Trump or an Obama.

God’s Will is that believers spread LOVE and the GOSPEL. His Will is reliant upon Believers spreading love, grace, and mercy! But, even in that, the Scripture says that if we don’t cry out for God, nature will.

We should, as believers, be outraged at the devil for the chaos he is creating and reveling in right now. It is the Devil doing all of this! It is the Devil! He is real, and he is laughing his ass off at all of this chaos! That should OUTRAGE believers!

I just watched the Black police chief in St Louis break down because 4 of his officers were shot last night and are in the hospital. He cried, can we just make sense of all this? Calling for peace. This is utter chaos. Chaos that the Devil is puppet mastering! He is the author of hate, anger, racial problems, ageism, sexism, just ugliness in all of its forms. Pride. Greed. Selfishness. Disparity between believers of God.

For so long, I heard people say Obama was the anti-Christ. Now, it is Trump who apparently holds the tickets to hell. There were horrid things said about the Bushes, Clinton’s. Ronald Reagan. The world didn’t end under any of them, because God is in control. Shame on believers for giving political leaders more power in their hearts and minds than they give to the greatness and plans of God. He will accomplish HIS will despite us.

God wants as many to come to him as possible before he sends Christ back to this earth to get those who have called on His name.

That is truth. That is what believers are to be about. We are to be about fighting the devil with the LOVE of God. We are to be sitting with people and having conversation. Serving people. Showing kindness. It is not ours to seek vengeance or to shout about how we are mistreated. Jesus did not do that. He ate with prostitutes, tax collectors, and sinners. He showed love to Samaritans, who were despised by the Jews. He chose Saul/Paul to be a changed man to spread His love. He did not even “unfriend” Judas.

Maranatha, Lord Jesus. May we band together as believers to win the world for God’s love, grace, and mercy! Micah 6:8 is the verse for today … “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”