The joy of reading

I love reading. Jacin unwinds by watching TV; I relax by reading. It's one of my favorite things to do. It challenges me while also providing escapism. I firmly believe that readers possess a deeper understanding of the world and of themselves than non-readers (not to mention that it's just plain fun!). So it's no surprise that I find great joy in reading to my JBird. I get even MORE excited, though, when his Daddy reads to him. :) Too sweet! The bird is starting his tractor education early.

My 2 birds reading about tractors.

At school, I so enjoy teaching literature to my 2 Gifted/Advanced 7th grade classes. We've recently begun reading CS Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. My Aunt Sarah gave me the Narnia series when I was in middle school, and I've loved them ever since. I've read them countless times, and each time I gain new insight. So far my classes are enjoying the storyline, but we're also analyzing it as an allegory of the gospel. It's been amazing so far, and we've just started! Over the last 3 days of the past week, we discussed absolute truth, sin and temptation, the existence of good/evil, and the sovereignty of God. We're even reading Scripture in class! After all, the Bible is one of the greatest (THE greatest in my opinion) works of literature ever written! Even those who don't ascribe to its doctrine recognize its significance. In class, I'm being careful to tie everything closely to the novel, but looking at the allegorical aspect is such a huge opportunity to share the gospel in my classroom. I truly believe that teaching middle school is my ministry. It's not always easy to boldly proclaim the gospel as a teacher, but it's neat to watch God provide ways for me to share Jesus' love. I pray that God will impact lives as we continue reading.