2020 Vision

What is your vision for 2020? The joke is, “If you wear glasses you won’t need to this year, because you will have 2020 vision”. I expect there will be a lot more puns like this come in the New Year.

Many people get caught up in the hoopla of festivities of celebration of 2020. It is also a good time to plan out positive goals. I remember a friend saying just be sure to leave room for God.

Unfortunately, we often forget to include God in our decisions especially when life is good, but are all to quick blame Him when things go wrong.

What we should be doing is putting God in the mix because He can already see the future. For 2020, I pray that you learn to trust God for all of your needs every day. Happy New Year!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Many people still don’t know who Jesus is. Some people only visit church two times a year, as Christmas Eve and Easter are the most visited church services throughout the year. This week we, as Christians, celebrate the birth of Christ.

In the Bible, Christmas represent when God sent His one and only son, Jesus Christ, to become our Lord and Savior. His parents Mary and Joseph endured hardship having to travel far, so that Jesus could safely be born in a manager in the town of Bethlehem. Later on, the three wise men followed the bright star in the east to find their way to Jesus. Since then, Jesus is referred to as the bright and morning star.

If you are struggling, then look up, for Jesus is there to help you. Rest assured God accepts and loves you just as you are. If you want Jesus as your personal savior, then simply ask God into your heart, by saying the sinner’s prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus name, Amen.

If you said this prayer for salvation, then Congratulations you are now a child of God. Go and tell another Christian friend and seek out a Bible believing church for worship with God and fellowship with other Christians.

May this devotion encourage you to let your light and love shine brightly for God, so others can find Jesus. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Birthday to Jesus!

Prison Education

Tonight, I completed my 2nd summer session. It actually my 3rd time teaching inmates and 1st time inside Sing Sing Prison Program. It is interesting to see how different prisons are built and what type of technology is available to their college students.

It takes tremendous dedication and commitment for these students even to get into the prison’s college educational program. Students must have a high school diploma or a ged. Next, they must pass pre-college testing in English and Math. Once they pass, then they can enroll in Liberal Art courses.

People always ask if it’s scary, but it isn’t, as these students really have the desire to learn. They want to gain a college education. They have jobs to do during the day, so classes are only held at night or on Saturdays. If you respect them, then they’ll respect you.

The next two weeks, I am teaching two back to back sessions of Library Literacy at Shawangunk Prison. Thank goodness, there is a 5 day lesson plan to follow. Pray I convey the material, so students can comprehend it.

Research Topics

The students will be asked to do a team research project based upon a certain topic that highly affects our society.

The five topics include:

1. Homelessness
2. Drop Out Rates
3. Religion and Education
4. Inequality
5. Wealth

The featured photo below is of the five scholarly books that will be distributed to the teams as part of their research project.

The class will also be given academic articles, a section from an encyclopedia, popular magazines stories, and web articles on these selected topics for review. The teams are required to narrow down their topic and present what they have learned about the subject.

I am looking forward to hearing the various team presentations. It is always rewarding to see students grow in their knowledge of library literacy and how by doing research broadens their minds.

Good Luck Dory!

As a Guiding Eyes for the Blind home socializer, the hardest part is saying goodbye to a puppy on program. The only way I get through returning Dory is knowing that she is going to help someone who is visually impaired one day.

I came home to find Shadow napping and looking at me wondering where Dory the daring pup went. I am very proud of Shadow for welcoming her great-niece Dory and for playing nice with Dory all weekend.

I pray Dory gets a good puppy raiser and continues to pass her IFT tests, so she can be a successful guide dog in the future.