Transformed & Transformational

Tessa Sydnor shares with us about her new book and how she pairs her passions of art and spiritual disciplines.

• Spiritual Disciplines for Creative Learners: A Workbook by Tessa Sydnor
• “Spiritual disciplines - practices we do to help us in our faith and grow in our relationship with the Lord.”
• “It helps me to have something tangible. Spiritual disciplines have become tools that I can use to actually meditate on Christ day and night.”
• “As you pray and reflect on your life, let the Spirit guide you.”
• Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Calhoun
• “I have a really hard time sitting still and concentrating and focusing on Scripture, and it helps me to incorporate my art into that.”
• “That’s the beautiful thing about this: We don’t grow ourselves. There’s nothing we can do. We can only put ourselves into a position of looking at Jesus and trusting that He is doing the transformation in our lives.”
• “There’s so many things that I want to pray but have no words for, but I do have colors and shapes.”
• “The key word for me is intentionality. He wants me to be intentional in knowing Him.”
• “What would this look like to do [this] as a spiritual discipline that keeps me fixing my eyes on Jesus?”

What’s changing our lives:

• Keane: New refrigerator ice dispenser
• Heather: Spending time with her nephew
• Tessa: Probiotics and brewing water kefir

Weekly Spotlight: Evangelical Christian Academy

We’d love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast  Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/ 

Harold Klassen, an experienced educator and teacher trainer, shares about how education is inherently missional and central to the Great Commission.

• “Vision has to do with what we want to see in the future, and mission has to do with what we do now in the present to accomplish that future goal. Education always seems to be a present activity, so it’s always missional.”
• Matthew 28:19
• “This disciple-making business has to do with teaching.”
• “Education is really getting back to the very basics, the foundation that makes all of the rest possible. You can’t eliminate it from the work of missions.”
• “Working with children and introducing them to the God of the universe - the Sustainer of all things and the Redeemer of all things - is definitely a major step toward establishment of the Church.”
• “We need to work with children as part of church planting.”
• “Education that is Christ-centered and BIblically-based is going to provide the kind of good soil that the other kinds of church planting, church-related activities that we are familiar with will produce good fruit. Without that tiling of the soil, it’s likely that we are just going to be doing a lot of distribution of seed on stony, hard, thorny ground.”
• “I believe Good News needs to be proclaimed not just in the pulpit, but in the world of science, literature, and the arts. In every area of life, we need to proclaim Good News.”
• Learn more from Harold Klassen here: Transforming Teachers

What’s changing our lives:

• Keane: Music History 101
• Heather: The Amazing Race TV Show
• Harold: Books by Arthur Custance

Weekly Spotlight: Puebla Christian School

We’d love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast  Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/ 

Lauren Wells of TCK Training shares about how to help Third Culture Kids process grief, loss, and transition.

• TCK Training
• “What are the parts of you that do not change and should not change no matter who you’re with and where in the world you are?”
• “The Grief Tower is used to describe why the TCK life can be so difficult. It isn’t just one thing that happens; it’s a lot of little things.”
• “The idea of The Grief Tower is that all of those things are stacking up higher and higher throughout the developmental years if they’re not processed.”
• “What made that feel so hard? What did I start to believe because of that?”
• “If we’re not compassionate for ourselves, it’s harder for us to be compassionate for our kids.”
• “One of the myths that TCKs believe [is] that they can’t have deep relationships with kids who aren’t also TCKs.”
• “Be curious, ask questions, and keep showing them that you want to get to know them.”
• “I really want to know you, not just your cool experiences.”
• “Resilience is something that has to happen through intentional care.”

Other Episodes to Check out:

• Episode 22: Third Culture Kids with Michele Phoenix
• Episode 19: Emotional Health & the Mood Meter with Amy Massingale
• Episode 46: Processing Trauma with Annie Stepanenko
• Episode 31: Transitions with Amy Young

What’s changing our lives:

• Keane: Moving into a new house!
• Heather: Two long weekends with friends
• Lauren: Living near family

Weekly Spotlight: Faith Academy

We’d love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast  Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/ 

Life is full of decisions, isn’t it? In the big decisions and everyday moments, we have opportunities to grow in listening to the Lord. Brian Delamont returns to the podcast to share about discernment.

• Development > Destination (For all the math teachers: we know this is an inequality, not an equation!)
• “God is more concerned and hands-on in the process of our development to become all that He intends and has created us to be than He is about the specifics or the destination.”
• Isaiah 58
• “In this negotiation, I’m placing myself as an equal partner with God.”
• “God wants to develop us for us to deal with our quarrels, deal with our disagreements, so that we can hear His voice more clearly.”
• “Doing as I please will always make it difficult to hear from God.”
• “It takes engagement - heart, soul, mind, and body - with what God shows us His will is.”
• “How does what I’m thinking about align with the overall narrative of Scripture?”
• “The best way to hear from God, and a very practical one, is to create a lifetime habit of listening to Him - listening to Him in the everyday small things, all the little decisions over the course of the day.”
• Pursuing God’s Will Together by Ruth Haley Barton
• “God can direct you to any outcome He wants, but it’s His own presence within you, the Holy Spirit, who’s the amazing gift God gives you for exactly these moments of seeking direction and discernment.”
• John 16:13-14
• “He doesn’t leave us alone to just figure it out. And yet, it’s helpful to understand that God’s will is not something you can miss. You don’t have to be afraid of that.”
• “If you think you’ve made a choice in the past that’s not been in God’s good plan for you, God is able and longing to redeem that for you today.”
• “What matters is whether you’ll listen to HIm for the very next step, the very next decision, the very next thought that you’ll think.”

February Reflection: What am I doing today in the small decisions, which is preparing me for a moment where God may place a larger decision in my path? What listening habits am I developing, which will lead me step by step to the destination that glorifies God?

What’s changing our lives:

• Keane: Obsidian
• Heather: Wordle
• Brian: Ab exercises

Weekly Spotlight: Greater Lisbon Christian Academy

We’d love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast  Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

Jack Meckfessel and Madde Mauck serve in Thailand and co-host the Getting There podcast for high school students. Listen in to hear their thoughts on calling and discipling teenagers!

• Getting There with Jack and Madde
• “We haven’t arrived yet. We really see our relationship with Jesus as a journey, and we’re just a little bit further down the road. We’re not there yet - we’re getting there.” - Jack
• “[We reflected on] what it feels like when we hear the voice of our Good Shepherd inviting us into something and the small moments of invitation, but also the larger understanding of how we position our lives to follow Jesus in a way that incorporates our whole self, not just a part of us.” - Madde
• “As followers of Jesus, He’s made certain callings very clear in Scripture - we’re supposed to disciple under Him. We’re called to love God and love other people, and that can take so many different forms.” - Jack
• “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” - Frederick Buechner
• “What do you love to do, and where is there a need in the world? That’s probably where God’s calling you.” - Jack
• “What sets your heart on fire? What are the things you think that God has made you uniquely good at?” - Madde
• “What would be the most exciting version of this to you? What do you think that God is stirring in you when you think about that?” - Madde
• “What do you want to do? What hits on your deep desires and passions?” - Jack

What’s changing our lives:

• Keane: Family scavenger hunts
• Heather: New coffee maker
• Jack: The Lord of the Rings
• Madde: Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci

Weekly Spotlight:  Grace International School

We’d love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/ 

School librarian Tricia Fraser shares how educators and parents can foster a love of reading in their children. Don’t miss her book suggestions for all ages!

• Click to read the article by Tricia
• “When we slow down and read a book, it gives us an opportunity to think about things deeply and to use our imaginations.”
• “When kids have a choice of what to read, it helps them discover more of what they like.”
• “We want to be modeling a love of books, we want to be sharing books with them, because the goal is to have them have their own motivation to read that’s internal.”
• “The single biggest thing that anybody - teachers and parents - can do to help kids learn to love to read is to read to them.”
• Battle of the Books
• Sources for finding books: Redeemed Reader, Read-Aloud Revival, WORLD Magazine, Triple Crown Awards, The Tome Society, Shadow Mountain
• Tricia’s recent read: Within These Lines by Stephanie Morrill
• Keane’s recent reads: Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett and Bo the Brave by Bethan Woollvin
• Christian authors with undertones of Christian worldview: Books by N. D. Wilson, The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson, The Green Ember series by S. D. Smith

Book Suggestions from Tricia:

• Kindergarten-Grade 2:
• • Tales That Tell the Truth by Various Authors: Bible story picture books, all illustrated by Catalina Echeverri. 
  • Hanna's Cold Winter by Trish Marx: This is a story of trying to keep the hippos in the Budapest zoo fed all winter during WWII, based on a true story. 
  • Mars Needs Moms! by Berkeley Breathed: I read this story at Easter as a new way of illustrating Jesus' sacrificial love for us, comparing our relationship with Him to the relationship of the little boy in the story with his mom. 
• Grades 3-5
• • The Penderwicks Series by Jeanne Birdsall: These are adventure-filled friendship stories with a lot of heart.  
  • Inkling by Kenneth Oppel: An inkblot comes to life and the son of a famous artist has to decide whether or not to let the inkblot do his art project for him. Adventure and peril ensue. 
  • The Dead Sea Squirrels series by Mike Nawrocki: Some Bible-era squirrels are found in the Dead Sea caverns and come back to life in the modern United States. This leads to adventures, along with lessons that the squirrels picked up from a certain preacher they heard near the Sea of Galilee.
• Grades 6-8
• • The Invisible Boy by Alyssa Hollingsworth: Modern-day slavery hiding under our noses is addressed well, for middle school audiences. 
  • The Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan: Adventure, bows & arrows, good guys vs. bad guys, what's not to love?
  • Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk: This beautifully written historical fiction is set in Appalachia during WWII. It deals with racism and one young girl's response to injustice in her community. 
• Teens
• • Deleted by Ruth Mitchell: What if our iphones were glasses, connected directly into our brains through our ears? And then what if someone figured out how to hack our brains and delete memories? The concept is so interesting, with a lot of peril, combined with just a touch of philosophy. 
  • You Bring the Distant Near and Forward Me Back to You by Mitali Perkins: Perkins deals with issues of immigration, race, abuse, human trafficking, and other difficult issues, without shying away from the hard stuff, but also not too graphic for students middle school and up. 
  • Ultraviolet by R. J. Anderson: A sixteen year old wakes up in a mental institution and tries to figure out if her memories are true. Is she mentally ill? Or is something else going on? This book has a lot of twists and turns that I really enjoyed. 
• All-Time Favorites for Family Read-Alouds (Elementary and up):
• • The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
  • Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
  • The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong 

What’s changing our lives:

• Keane: Bookmarking things more often
• Heather: Walks in the wintry woods
• Tricia: Becoming TeachBeyond team leaders in Hungary

Weekly Spotlight: International Christian School of Budapest

We’d love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast  Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

Author Tsh Oxenreider returns to the podcast to share about her new book, Bitter and Sweet, in anticipation of the upcoming season of Lent. Listen in for an overview of the pillars of Lent, practical suggestions for observing Lent, and the significance of “bitter and sweet.”

• Bitter and Sweet: A Journey into Easter
• “Lent is the 46 days, the weeks leading up to Eastertide in the liturgical calendar.”
• “Because of Chrst’s death and resurrection, and therefore victory over that death that you remembered on Ash Wednesday, you will actually live for eternity. It’s not forever; death has lost its sting.”
• Pillars of Lent: Fasting, Almsgiving, Prayer
• “We’re remembering that even though life is hard, and we live in broken bodies and a broken world, this is not all there is.”
• “Lent is long and it gets tiresome when we’re doing it just for the sake of seeing if we can do it.”
• “When we’re depriving ourselves of something when we fast or we’re letting go of something, it’s in order to make space for something else.”
• “The whole point of Lent is that you’re not going to be able to do it - meaning, you will fail at Lent [...] That’s kind of the point. It’s supposed to be hard and challenging. We’re supposed to recognize our need for God.”
• “That’s what our fast does - it reminds us that we live in broken bodies.”
• “Make sure your head is in the right place, that this is about hearing from God, not so much about seeing what you can do.”
• “I love that Lent has put Easter in its rightful place for me.”
• “The biggest suggestion I give to parents and adults who are working with kids is not so much to make it fun, but connect the dots with something that makes it really tangible.”
• “When we recognize that failing is just a natural form of growth, that it’s just something God uses to teach us and to make us more into who we’re meant to be, then it makes failure less scary.”
• “When we remember the hard, it makes the sweet so much better. That is a real beauty of Lent - fasting in order to enjoy the feast even more.”

What’s changing our lives:

• Keane: Son’s cast removed
• Heather: Bridge collapsing nearby
• Tsh: Living within 100 mile radius

Weekly Spotlight: Lezha Academic Center

We’d love to hear from you! [email protected] Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast  Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

Are we trusting God fully or living with a scarcity mindset? Listen in for a conversation about the abundant provision of our Heavenly Father, and as always, Brian Delamont leaves us with reflection questions as close out this month.

• Luke 12:22-34
• “There’s more going on than what you and I physically experience.”
• “How connected is your physical reality to your emotional reality?”
• “It’s hard not to feel guilty if we’re worrying about these things. It’s hard not to doubt when we don’t see these resources.”
• Psalm 111:4-5
• “What am I remembering?  What’s this narrative that I keep rehearsing in my mind?”
• “Creating a god who meets my expectations and does what I think should be done is actually called making an idol.”
• Winning the War in Your Mind by Craig Groeschel
• “What I value is where I’ll focus. If I value being in control, then that’s where my focus is going to be. If I value comfort and convenience, that’s where my heart is going to want to live.”
• “Where is my heart, and what am I treasuring?”
• “One part of me is saying that I trust God’s abundance and His ability to care for me, while another part is madly planning because, when push comes to shove, I [feel that I] might have to trust my plan rather than God’s plan.”
• “When we choose to trust, we set a pattern of trust in our brains.”
• “When we remember God’s character, when we remember His actions, His wonders, we’re reinforcing this transformation of our hearts and of our minds.”
• “We see our minds transformed by simply resting ourselves in the character, nature, attributes, and actions of God.”
• “If my trust in [my] plan supersedes my trust in God’s love and care and ability for me, then I’m trusting something that’s way more limited than who God is.”

January Reflection: Who or what is my functional god in this moment? Who do I really believe has the resources, experience, and ability to come through?

What’s changing our lives:

• Keane: Magna-Tiles
• Heather: Guided journal for 2022
• Brian: Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas

Weekly Spotlight:  Rift Valley Academy

We’d love to hear from you! [email protected]. Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast  Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/

Sarah Trussell, TeachBeyond Associate Regional Director of Latin America, shares the story of God’s faithfulness and her proactive obedience in following His leading to serve in international missions.

• “The world was my oyster basically. Where could I go? I know I want to serve somewhere, I know I want to do something for the Lord, and I know I want it to be in missions. So, where?”
• “In each little step of obedience, He has met me there.”
• “Just take one step at a time.  Don’t try to put all of the puzzle pieces together.”
• “There’s work to be done around the world, and we can be a part of that.”
• “We want students to learn and to have the skills that they need to be a good student, to be successful in the world, but really we want them to know God’s love.”

What’s changing our lives:

• Keane: Guess Who? game
• Heather: Confetti poppers
• Sarah: Encanto movie

Weekly Spotlight: El Camino Academy

We’d love to hear from you! [email protected]. Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast  Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/ 

Sandra Paetkau shares about creating online communities based on encouragement, collaboration, challenge, and support. Tune in for actionable principles for building connections online, as well suggested digital tools and a peek into tech of the future!

• Masters of Leadership in Global Christian Education at Prairie College, Alberta
• “Building Community: Encouragement, Challenge, Support” by Sandra Paetkau
• “When we’re talking about online community, I’m thinking of online collaborative platforms - so, any kind of a platform that allows people to come together, not just to share ideas, but to create new ideas based on what has been said or discussed or provided in those communities.”
• “Community is where people come together to exchange ideas and to build off those ideas in a tangible way.”
• Hebrews 10:24-25
• Ecclesiastes 4:9
• “My ideas in silo are just that - they’re ideas. I often need somebody else to help me figure out how to make them tangible or to make them practical in application.”
• 1 Thessalonians 5:15
• 1 Corinthians 14:26
• “[Online collaboration] plays to students’ different strengths. Those students who may not come forward immediately in a class might be expert people at finding resources or developing materials.”
• “The future of our community really is going to take us more online. I think that, as Christian educators, we have an exciting opportunity to be in there and to be creating a culture of online community that we want to see using principles that we have learned and that are grounded in our Biblical principles, in Christ, and we have this opportunity to share that and be that.”
• “How can I teach my students to be involved productively and positively in the online community?”
• “Digital naives” (term coined by Danah Boyd)
• “The challenge is to create these spaces [...] and opportunities for students to be encouraging, collaborative, challenging, and supportive.”
• Marching Off the Map by Tim Elmore
• The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch
• “I believe that everybody needs to have some time off from their digital interactions.”
• Seesaw
• Book Creator
• Common Sense Media
• Episode 45: Safeguarding
• Episode 41: The Triangle: Teacher, Student, and Subject

What’s changing our lives:

• Keane: Son’s broken arm
• Heather: Children’s book collection
• Sandra: Learning to say no

Weekly Spotlight: International Academy of St. Petersburg

We’d love to hear from you! [email protected]. Podcast Website: https://teachbeyond.org/podcast  Learn about TeachBeyond: https://teachbeyond.org/