Monday, October 27, 2008

God, In The Words Of An Eighth Grader

(If you have read the past few nights, this is what my eighth graders answered in describing Jehovah.)
This week, we watched a section from Philip Yancey's video series, The Jesus I Never Knew. In this particular unit, Yancey shares a film clip from a movie that looks at religion called Heaven. This clip showed snippets of interviews of random people trying to describe the Lord. At the conclusion of the tape, my students put their own thoughts on paper, attempting to convey the essence of God. Here is a sampling of their views:

"God has no bodily form. He can be right next to you and you would not know it. He is the forgiver of sins and He understands us. I don't believe that God talks to you. I think He shows signs and tells us in our dreams when He is trying to give us a message."
Giselle


"Who is God? He's the best drummer because He never misses a beat and I think He plays Quads because He can have different tones. God plays all kinds of tones; rap when you're upbeat, blues when you're sad, and He plays R & B when you're happy."
Vincent


"God is everything: He is life, death, sadness, happiness. He is the air we breathe, the grass we walk on, and the life we live. God helps us in every situation, whether good or bad- there is always a way. Always believe because you never know what He might give you!"
Kaitlyn


"In today's world, I would think of God as having multiple televisions and through each screen, He could see what we are doing and thinking. Also, when we pray, it's like He has an e-mail address and when we say, AMEN, a new message alert pops up! I know it's not really that way. He can watch us without TVs and He can answer our prayers without computers. I think He does all this just by His awesome self!"
Tosin


"God is probably a race all His own, but people can't see Him when he comes to them. He's like a big bright light that you can't look at without going blind."
Gabriel


"I can tell God is a good listener and appears to be bold. I can see Him wearing a white robe that isn't stained by sin. His eyes are truthful with no hesitation."
Don


"God is happiness, love, and anger in one big package. He is the entity without a beginning and so, has no end. He is a great force capable of wiping out the universe in the snap of His fingers but kind enough to become a helpless little child. He is a guide, unwavering and never waning."
Joseph

"I picture God as being almost like a doctor. He can heal those who need it and make them better. He provides medicine for us (the Bible) and tells us what we can do to get healthy."
Kwa

"I think God is always watching and caring and following your actions. No matter what, He loves you. There is no getting around what you have done because He knows, even if it went unnoticed by others, But He is always ready to forgive you and acknowledge the good things you have done."
Cody


"I imagine God like one of those people who seem and are very kind, but you can tell they have a lot of authority. God kind of appears to me as a teacher, a teacher everyone would like."
Angelica

"God is the creator of our world. He is our right and our left. He loves everyone equally and would never do anything to make us cry or be sad. God supplies us with food, water, clothes, education, and everything else. We need to make better choices. People blame God but they need to blame themselves. Trust God, trust yourself, love God, and it will work out!"
Alexia


God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com

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