One week of school is done, and I am pretty happy with the seventh graders I got in my classes. There are a few ones that will need work, but overall I am pretty happy, especially considering how things went last year. I was very concerned about the number of boys I have, and the wierdness of my class sizes (the extremes are one class of 2 students, and one of 28), but so far so good.

But more importantly: who's going to be in the Kingdom? After reading through Genesis, it is easy to make a short list of those I feel fairly certain are going to be there: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph with maybes going out to Lot and the other 11 sons of Jacob. On the women's side, though, it is harder to tell. I would definitely go with Sarah, but then there are a ton of maybes: Rebekah, Leah, Rachel, Tamar, and the wives of most of the rest of the men listed above. While the Bible goes to length to develop the men's stories, it does not do the same for the women. So while we know that the men overcame most of their weeknesses, I don't see the direct evidence that Rebekah overcame lying and manipulation, or that Leah and Rachel ever forgave each other, or that Tamar abandoned her Canaanite ways for a new way. I think the implication is there in large parts, but the exact wording is not (or at least not in Genesis).

Interesting stuff. Especially as I consider what these men did to prepare for their challenges (Joseph is probably the best example), I wonder what the role of women is in preparing for the times ahead when my wife and I will face the tests coming on this planet. Something to think (or meditate!) about I guess.

Have a great Sabbath!
Mark

I'm not sure if this is wise. I think starting a blog could be really good, but on the other hand, it might not work at all. Perhaps this will be a great way for friends to keep up with me, but I don't really have any way to access this at the moment. Well, at least not at home or at school. But perhaps we'll give it a try, because we all know that nothing will come from not doing it.

Monday I get a new group of 7th graders, which is a bit nerve racking since 7th graders are by nature nerve racking. I had planned on buying a big stick, but I guess I will have to rely on my height to intimidate them.

Speaking of them, I need to plan at some point, and I am a firm believer in short posts.