Saturday, March 24, 2007

The Message


2CORINTHIANS 5:16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

"Somehow we all must be made to understand that through the miracle of spiritual transformation in Christ, we, too, become the message. No matter what words we say or how we act, it is our deeds and our being that people will remember. Too many of us are trying to be like, look like, or sound like someone else. Yet God is calling each of us to find, and live, his or her authentic voice. You and I are the message. We are God's thoughts, God's hopes, God's dreams, God's passions, with skin on." Jesus, Life Coach

What a responsibility...to be the message of God. So...what does my life say? What do my actions say? Help me to be Jesus with skin.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Friendship

A long time friend died last week. I have known Sharyl since I was 16 years old. Although our friendship had it's ups and downs I always knew that Sharyl loved me and my family. I pray that she knew I loved her. Since her death I have been thinking a lot about friendship.




To Sharyl, my friend, you will be missed!








"Nothing in life takes the place of a true friend. A friend will be a rock you can cling to when the storms of life try to pull you under. A friend will share your joys. A friend adds glory to your victories and takes some of the sting out of your defeats. A friend brings out the nobility within you. A friend accepts your shortcomings and praises your strengths. And when you get too big for your britches, a true friend will remind you that humility is the best prescription for pride."
8 Critical Lifetime Decisions: Choices That Will Affect the Quality of Your Life. -Palmen






"Do not save your loving speeches

For your friends till they are dead;

Do not write them on their tombstones,

Speak them rather now instead."

- Anna Cummins



Popular Lincoln-Way Central teacher dies
March 16, 2007
By Patrick Ferrell Staff Writer



NEW LENOX -- On Wednesday, she was at the front of the classroom, guiding would-be actors and actresses at Lincoln-Way Central High School. On Thursday, students were mourning her loss.
Sharyl Griffin, the drama teacher at Lincoln-Way Central High School, who one student described as "an amazing director," passed away early Thursday morning. Students were told Griffin has been experiencing leg pain and that doctors believe a clot may have moved to her heart.
"It was a big shock," senior Chris Kochinsky said. "Everyone saw her yesterday. On my way out, I told her I would see her tomorrow and gave her a hug."
Griffin, 52, of New Lenox, directed 19 plays in her 10 years at Lincoln-Way Central. She spent 19 years working in education.
"She always knew when something was wrong," Matt Jones, another senior at Lincoln-Way, said. "She had a talent for dealing with you as a person. But when everybody got together, the production was great."
Griffin also wrote plays of her own, some of which were performed by Jubal Players for Chicago First Church of the Nazarene in Lemont, where Griffin served as drama director for the past 12 years.
Several of Griffin's current and former students have started plans to perform one of her plays in July.
"She loved plays, that's a good way to honor her," Jones said.
The group plans to use proceeds from the proposed production to fund a scholarship in Griffin's honor.
Griffin was nominated three times by students to be honored in Who's Who in American High School Teachers, and in 2004 Griffin was nominated as Teacher of the Year from the National Honor Society at Lincoln-Way Central. As a keynote speaker, she recited her original poem; "I Want to See You Fly" which reflected her philosophy as an educator.
Twice a year Griffin would take her students to the Sunny Hill Nursing Home in Joliet to put on a performance for its senior citizens, and during the summers Griffin would take her students on a tour of England and Ireland, exploring the homes of many poets and writers. She received a bachelor's degree in education from the College of St. Francis and earned her master's degree from Rockford University.
Griffin is survived by her husband, William Griffin, and three children, Craig, Chad, and Tina. Visitation will be from 2 to 9 p.m. Sunday at Chicago First Church of the Nazarene, 12725 Bell Road, in Lemont. Funeral services begin at 10:30 a.m. Monday at the church.