Transformed & Transformational

Tune in to hear about Christmas celebrations in different cultures and classrooms around the globe!

What's changing our lives:

• Keane: Playing board games
• Heather: Volunteering with Foster Love Project

Weekly Spotlight: Go Beyond

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

Why do I always feel awkward sharing my faith? What could it look like to have intentional spiritual conversations? Author Kevin King shares about the power of living authentically and letting the Lord lead.

• Living Out Loud by Kevin King
• Deuteronomy 6
• Luke 10
• "Living out loud is not living obnoxiously."
• "If you're not awkward about your spirituality, they won't feel awkward about it."
• Matthew 10:19
• "This is not about a strategy for how to get to the Gospel. It will get to the Gospel for people who are interested. It's just about feeling comfortable in our own spiritual skin, dismantling all of this false narrative and false belief that we have built up. Become comfortable, live out loud, and you will actually find out that the harvest is plentiful."
• "It's not even about evangelism; it's really just about being genuine spiritual people, and then the result is that Gospel conversations happen."
• "Be who you are without an agenda."

Access Living Out Loud resources for churches here!

What's changing our lives:

• Keane: Having an opinionated 2-year-old
• Heather: Celebrating 15 years with TeachBeyond
• Kevin: Verses app and getting more done with a new team member

Weekly Spotlight: ESL/TEFL Teaching Positions

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

Are we really called to "be perfect"? Brian Delamont unpacks the meaning of "teleios" and how God's own completeness becomes our refuge and righteousness.

• Matthew 5:48
• Greek: teleios
• Colossians 1:28-29
• "It's the work of God Himself in Jesus on the cross and in His resurrection power, which enables us to be complete and filled with His Holy Spirit."
• 2 Samuel 22:31
• "God uses His perfection as a shield for those of us who come and take refuge in Him."
• Deuteronomy 32:4
• Hebrew: tāmîm
• "A perfect spotless lamb in the Old Testament points toward the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world in the New Testament."
• "Perfection is not something God has to work at; it's something He is. It's His nature."
• "We come to take refuge in Him because we're not perfect, and so it's His righteousness, His completeness, His perfection that is applied to you and me by the complete work of Christ, and we are empowered to live in this completeness by the Holy Spirit."
• Matthew 19:16-22
• Lead by Paul David Tripp
• "The perfection that Jesus is asking [for] isn't perfect behavior. That's not what God ever demands from us because He knows we can't deliver on it. The perfection Jesus is hoping to see is the perfection of complete commitment, to be fully devoted, to be all in."
• 2 Corinthians 12:8-10
• Psalm 19
• "The perfect God who made the universe and more, the One who reveals Himself in the Law and the Prophets, is the One who is so complete that He can be trusted all of the time. That's perfection."
• Hebrews 10:14
• Romans 12:2

November Reflection: When you think about God and yourself in relationship with Him, do you see Him accepting or rejecting you? Is it based on who you are or what you can do for Him?

What's changing our lives:

• Keane: His kids enjoying swinging
• Heather: The launch of Go Beyond
• Brian: New pages in his refillable journal

Weekly Spotlight: Art and Music Positions

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

Hear from Rio Handley, Associate Regional Director of East Asia and Oceania, about how God has been at work as she has lived in different homes and held different roles over the course of her years in missions.

• "I feel at home where God has placed me. I feel at home at the center of His will."
• "I've seen the grace of God in my life, and I've seen how God moves."
• "Missions is not just the missionary's responsibility; missions is the church's responsibility."
• "We cannot put missionaries on a pedestal because we are all part of one Body, and when God calls people to missions, it has to be the whole church in support of that."
• "Being a teacher and being intentional in doing missions is very important."
• "Being a teacher is having that connection in the lives of your students and that opportunity to change lives and let alone the opportunity to share life [and] Jesus Christ."

What's changing our lives:

• Keane: Reading Father Brown mysteries
• Heather: Scheduling posts and chats in Microsoft Teams
• Rio: Learning how to drive

Weekly Spotlight: East Asia and Oceania Region

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

It takes humility, intentionality, and the power of the Holy Spirit to create a workplace of trust and unity amongst school staff. Hear from members of the team at GDQ International Christian School in Albania about their experiences with navigating conflict.

• "We want to have the school be a safe place so that people can voice disagreements that they have and know that someone will listen to them." -Lori
• "One thing that helps to resolve conflict is, on some level, to expect there to be at least different perspectives." -Nate
• "Continue to build into relationships among the staff so when you have to come with things like that, it's not just negative all the time, but you do have these trust banks to pull off of." -Lori
• "You really do need to have a culture of unity in place to be able to handle things like this." -Nate
• "Unless people see you acting in a way that is healthy in resolving conflict and in communicating, then any policy that you have, any professional development is useless." Lori
• "You have to be able to say, 'This is not against me. Same team!'" -Lori
• James 1:19
• "Something that is really helpful for me when I am offended is to remember how much God has forgiven me." -Peter
• "We have to give glory to God for being our captain." -Nate

What's changing our lives:

• Keane: Finishing the entire Chronicles of Narnia series
• Heather: Autumn scenes on YouTube
• Nate: Using ChatGPT to wean off of coffee
• Peter: Hot cocoa with homework, fresh persimmons, and pumpkin pie
• Lori: Cozy blankets

Weekly Spotlight: GDQ International Christian School

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

Katie Davis Majors, bestselling author and founder of Amazima Ministries, shares about the experience of following Jesus one step at a time into a story she couldn't have imagined. Hear the remarkable story of childlike faith and community impact through education and discipleship.

• Amazima Ministries
• "Meeting people's needs is good and is right and is what Jesus calls us to do, to make sure that our neighbors do have access [...] but also, we don't want to give people those things without giving them the hope and the truth of the gospel."
• "Jesus says to have faith like a child, and I think as children, we are bolder and we are less afraid, and we are more trusting. I really did just see a need in front of me and think, 'I could do something about that.'"
• "I can step confidently into those things, even without knowing specifics, because Jesus has already given me the instruction to do so."
• "There are people who need the gospel, who need the love of Jesus, right outside all of our front doors, and as we kind of slowly step into meeting other people's needs and sharing the love of Jesus with others, I really believe that God is going to refine that and narrow that. As we just keep taking steps, He writes these stories that we never could have come up with on our own."
• "He was growing my dependence on Him and my relationship with Him as I kept stepping into these impossible things and seeing Him be faithful."
• "We're not going to end poverty, but we obey Jesus by stepping into the things that He puts in front of us, and in the process, we are made more into His image."
• "For anyone who's just feeling so paralyzed [...] It really is just a drop in the bucket… and that can't keep us from kindness and obedience to Jesus."
• "Living authentically and living your life for Jesus in front of other people causes such a ripple effect."
• "[Education] is such a great way to disciple a child and share the gospel."
• "I need to be dependent on God to achieve anything at all."
• "To step into what God puts in front of you, just one day at a time and one moment at a time really can lead to such a beautiful life."
• "I want what You want for me, God."

What's changing our lives:

• Keane: Cricut machine
• Heather: Late-blooming dahlias
• Katie: Having a puppy

Weekly Spotlight: Elementary Teaching Positions

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

Have you ever thought that "calling" was just for certain people or wondered if you had somehow missed God's call for your life? Or, do you worry that God might call you to something you don't want to do? Brian Delamont joins Heather and Keane to tackle the myths about "calling."

• 1 Timothy 2:4
• "God calls people to Himself."
• "Once we know Him and His truth, we become a part of His body, a part of the Church, and as His disciples, we enter into a lifelong process of becoming who He knows we can be and doing what He asks us to do."
• Matthew 28:18-20
• "Calling rests on a lot more than just me and my understanding. God's calling is always part of God's plan, and this includes His plan for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth and in the life of each individual who hears this call and then follows."
• Matthew 4:18-20
• "We always have to give up something because we give up our old life, we give up our old self, to become what God is calling us to be and become."
• "Who knows me better than the God who made me? He will be the One who calls and leads."
• "'God doesn't call the equipped; He equips the called.'"
• Redeeming Work By Brian Dik
• "God does call the equipped, and He's also the great Equipper Himself."
• Luke 10:45
• Ephesians 2:10
• "God has a powerful and a long history of taking human action and redeeming it for His divine purposes."
• Genesis 50:20
• 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
• "It's our God who makes us worthy of His calling, not the other way around."
• Judges 6:14
• Isaiah 6:8
• "A clear call from God does not necessarily mean that things will look successful from a human perspective. We may only see difficulty, and yet that doesn't negate God's call or God's presence."
• John 10:27
• Mark 8:34
• Exodus 3:10-14
• Deuteronomy 31:23

October Reflection: What am I waiting for? What's my role in this, and what is God's role? How can I help break down the myth of calling in my community and call out the gifts I see in others?

What's changing our lives:

• Keane: Joining a film group at church
• Heather: Embracing "hygge"
• Brian: Spending time with TeachBeyond National Directors

Weekly Spotlight: Asuncion Christian Academy

Teachers have been missionaries throughout history! Learn today about Lottie Moon, a missionary who used education in bringing the Gospel to China.

• Lottie Moon: The Girl Who Reached the World by Amy Whitfield
• "We've always been open to if the Lord would send us overseas, we would go, but for now He's called us to point people here [...] to the other side of the world."
• "I think it's imperative for us to know the stories of the past, particularly those who have gone on before us in the church, to get the context, the history that we have come from."
• "It matters to know the story of how the Gospel has spread to places around the world."
• "She had one idea, and now missionaries all over the world are supported because of it still."
• "Reading missionary biographies or reading missionary journals helps people to see, to understand the need, but then also to see how the Holy Spirit is working in these places."
• "It's important in our churches that we are educating our kids about the Bible, about the doctrines of the faith, and about the call to go and make disciples."
• "A lot of times, I think people don't understand the role that we all play in the Great Commission, even in sending."
• "God woke her up to know Him, and she didn't rest until she told the world His story. Through the simple acts of baking cookies and writing letters and quite a bit of feisty determination, Lottie's dream of reaching the world for Jesus came true."
• "I really think it begins with opening your eyes and saying, 'What's one thing I can do this week, and what's one thing I can do next week?'"
• "We are called to be the church out there – every day, everywhere we are."

What's changing our lives:

• Keane: Tzatziki sauce
• Heather: Single Today by Ryan Wekenman
• Amy: Matin music from Jess Ray

Weekly Spotlight: Opportunities in Creative Access locations

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

Zoe and Chris Fletcher share their inspiring story of serving at the International Christian School of Budapest – the impact of their school, Chris's childhood that shaped his perspective on cross-cultural living, a powerful moment that led Zoe to move to Hungary, and how they aim to live open-handedly following the Lord.

• "This is the right place that God was guiding me to [...] and so this was the place that, in the end, it worked out. Doors were opening, and that's where I ended up." -Chris
• "Everything leading up to it was so obvious to everyone else, and to me, I was the last person to realize what was happening." -Zoe
• "I know that this is God, and I know this needs to happen." -Zoe
• "God has given us so many passports between us, and how can we maximize that for His glory?" -Zoe
• "Our citizenship is in heaven [...] When we're not tied down to a specific [home], it actually frees us up to say yes to God and to obey Him wherever that is and to just be more tied to heaven than to earthly things." -Zoe
• "Hungary is where God has us. He'll let us know if it's not." -Zoe
• "Just because we're here now and just because we don't see that there's any chance that we're moving home in the foreseeable future doesn't mean that we're not going to or that God won't send us somewhere." -Zoe
• "I felt that call, and I was obedient. I just wanted to be obedient to God." -Chris
• "God calls us to a radical life. [...] Don't be afraid of living radically for God, whatever that would look like." -Chris
• "The cost is great, but You are worth it [...] What does the cost look like now? How can I be bold?" -Zoe
• "It's an immense privilege to be able to teach the kids of missionaries." -Chris
• "I went into being a teacher because I knew that education happens everywhere in the world, and I was just wanting to go somewhere overseas. I think education reaches places, ministering to so many different nationalities and families." -Chris
• International Christian Educators Conference

What's changing our lives:

• Keane: Writing date of replacement on lightbulbs
• Heather: Asking myself the question, "What does 'space' look like now?"
• Chris: Making yogurt at home
• Zoe: Anticipating oldest daughter going to preschool

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/

How might everyday classroom moments become places where God's presence is made known? In this conversation, Dr. David I. Smith invites teachers to see their ordinary practices, from prayer to assigning work, as sacred opportunities for faith to shape learning.

• Learn more about Dr. David I. Smith
• "Getting a job at a Christian school doesn't instantaneously transform the way you think about how to teach your discipline or the way you think about how to organize your classroom or how to manage classroom relationships [...] Becoming intentional about that is a lifelong project."
• "If I'm going to have integrity as a Christian teacher, I have to figure out how I'm going to live with the teaching process wherever I teach."
• 1 Corinthians 12
• Acts 2:44-45
• "What story am I providing for my students about what it is that they are doing right now?"
• "Assignments [are] about trying to be intentional about how I actually want my students to grow - intellectually, morally, spiritually, socially - through the task that I'm giving them."
• "What is my vision for how students grow?"
• "The way you use pauses are part of how you communicate what you value and who you value."
• "Talk yourself out of the idea that your faith is primarily your words about faith."
• 1 Peter 3:15
• "What human being are you becoming? Who are you going to be in five years, and how is what we are doing here contributing to who you are going to be in five years?"
• Practical next steps:
• Which of my assignments actively and explicitly teaches students how to care for one another while doing the work?
• Identify the student who might be finding it hardest to learn in your class. Take him/her out for coffee to hear their perspective.
• What pictures do my students see on the screen during the semester, and what vision is that giving them about who human beings are?
• Ask a fellow teacher to try this with you!

Visit TeachBeyond on Instagram or Facebook to enter the giveaway for a copy of Everyday Christian Teaching for you and a friend!

What's changing our lives:

• Keane: Sister getting married
• Heather: Participating in the trial for the new terminal at Pittsburgh International Airport
• David: Spending sabbatical reading and translating the works of Comenius

Weekly Spotlight: Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center

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