Wednesday, May 25, 2016

WeChat ESL Class on June 4, 2016

A. High Lights of your week

B. Breaking News in the world

C. Short Story: Book Him.


A man accused of failing to return more than 700 children's books to five different libraries in the county was released from jail yesterday after a book publisher agreed to post his bond of $1,000. The publisher said, "There's a story here. This is a man who loves books. He just can't let go of them. He hasn't stolen a single book. So what's the crime? We think that Mr. Barush has a story to tell. We plan to publish his story."
When asked why he didn't return the books, Mr. Barush said, "Well, how could I? They became family to me. I was afraid to return them, because I knew that kids or dogs would get hold of these books and chew them up, throw them around, rip the pages, spill soda on them, get jam and jelly on them, and drown them in the toilet."
He continued, "Books are people, too! They talk to you, they take care of you, and they enrich you with wisdom and humor and love. A book is my guest in my home. How could I kick it out? I repaired torn pages. I dusted them with a soft clean cloth. I turned their pages so they could breathe and get some fresh air.
"Every week I reorganized them on their shelves so they could meet new friends. My books were HAPPY books. You could tell just by looking at them. Now they're all back in the library, on the lower shelves, on the floors, at the mercy of all those runny-nosed kids. I can hear them calling me! I need to rescue them. Excuse me. I have to go now."

by Paul Tripp

 D: Idiom Quiz on the word "count":
  1. Count ___ twenty and then open your eyes.
  2. They are starting to count ___ before the spacecraft takes off.
  3. I love pizza, so if you're planning to buy one, please count me ___.
  4. I can't go to the party next week so please count me ___.
  5. Form groups of four; then start counting ___ from one to four.
  6. You can count ___ me when you are in trouble.
  7. J. T. is counted ___ the best singers / dancers in the 20th century.
  8. J. F. was counted ___ in the seventh round.
  9. I didn't count ___ arriving late for the meeting today.


  11. She has lost count ___ how many times she has watched the program.
E. Bible Lesson:

E. Bible Lesson: Mark 10:17-27

The Rich Young Man

17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus,looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again,“Children, how difficult it is[b] to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
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Friday, May 20, 2016

WeChat ESL Class on May 28, 2016

A. High Lights of your week

B. Breaking News in the world
C. Short Story: A Birthday Bike
January 7 is Benny's birthday. He will be eight years old. He is in the third grade. He goes to Park Elementary School. An elementary school is for kids. It is only one mile away. He walks to school. It only takes 20 minutes. When it rains, he wears a raincoat. He used to take an umbrella. But he lost the umbrella. His mother gave him another umbrella. He broke that one. His mom said, "You and umbrellas don't get along." For his eighth birthday, Benny wants a bicycle. He can ride the bike to school. After school he can ride with his friends. He can ride the bike to the swimming pool. He can ride the bike to the library. His mom and dad took him to the bike store. They asked him to look at the bikes. He looked at all the bikes. He chose a red bike. He showed his parents. Dad said it cost too much. He told Benny to choose another bike. Benny chose a blue bike. Dad said the blue bike was the right price.
D. Write a short story about "My Birthday ___________. ( you can fill in anything in the blank and describe it.)
E. Idiom Quiz
  1. He was all _____ when his boss talked. (listening carefully).
  2. He is a chip of the old ______. (like his father)
  3. They were _____ after three days of hard work. (exhausted)
  4. To be hit by a car or bus is the same as to be ___ down.
    a. cooled
    b. marked
    c. knocked
  5. To reduce the amount you do something is the same as to ___ down.
    a. cut
    b. tear
    c. fall
  6. To fail to do something when someone is relying on you is the same as to ___ down someone.
    a. let
    b. quieten
    c. sit
  7. If it is raining very heavily, it is the same as to ___ down rain.
    a. pour
    b. cut
    c. tear
  8. To have a lot of stress is similar to being ___ down by a lot of problems.
    a. poured
    b. cut
    c. weighted
F. Bible Lesson - Genesis 4:1-16 Two Brothers

1 Adam had sexual relations with his wife Eve. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Cain. Eve said, “With theLord’s help, I have made a man!”
2 Eve gave birth again to Cain’s brother Abel. Abel became a shepherd, and Cain became a farmer.

3-4 At harvest time, Cain brought a gift to the Lord. He brought some of the food that he grew from the ground, but Abel brought some animals from his flock. He chose some of his best sheep and brought the best parts from them.
The Lord accepted Abel and his gift. 5 But he did not accept Cain and his offering. Cain was sad because of this, and he became very angry. 6 TheLord asked Cain, “Why are you angry? Why does your face look sad?7 You know that if you do what is right, I will accept you. But if you don’t, sin is ready to attack you. That sin will want to control you, but you must control it.”
8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” So they went to the field. Then Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
9 Later, the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
Cain answered, “I don’t know. Is it my job to watch over my brother?”
10-11 Then the Lord said, “What have you done? You killed your brother and the ground opened up to take his blood from your hands. Now his blood is shouting to me from the ground. So you will be cursed from this ground. 12 Now when you work the soil, the ground will not help your plants grow. You will not have a home in this land. You will wander from place to place.”
Questions 
1. Why did Adam and Eve have to learn to grow food in the rocky ground? 
2. Why did Eve have pain in childbirth? 
3. Why did God accept Abel’s offering? 
4. Why did God not accept Cain’s offering? 
5. Why was Cain jealous of Abel? What did he do and why? 
6. Did Cain think he could hide his actions from God? 
7. What were the consequences of Cain’s actions?
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Thursday, May 12, 2016

WeChat ESL Class on May 21, 2016

A. High Lights of your week

B. Breaking News in the world
C. Short Conversations:  
    1. Walking the Dog
A: Where are you going?
B: I have to walk the dog.
A: What kind of dog do you have?
B: I have a little poodle.
A: Poodles bark a lot.
B: They sure do.
A: They bark at everything.
B: They never shut up.
A: Why did you get a poodle?
B: It's my mom's dog.
A: So she likes poodles.
B: She says they're good watchdogs.
   2. Going to the Beach
A: Let's go to the beach.
B: That's a great idea.
A: We haven't been in a while.
B: We haven't been in a month.
A: The last time we went, you almost drowned.
B: No, I didn't.
A: Then why did the lifeguard dive into the water?
B: I think he wanted to cool off.
A: He swam right up to you.
B: And then he turned right around.
A: Maybe you're right.
B: Maybe we should get going.
D. Idioms: Fill in the blanks.
1. How did you find out that Jill was engaged?
I got the information from a very reliable source.
You mean Jill told you so herself?
That's right. I got it straight from the _________ mouth!
2. They went to a poetry reading, but they got bored and restless. As far as they were concerned, it was for the ____________! They left during an intermission because they found the reading totally uninteresting and meaningless.

E. Bible Story - Matthew 6:24-34
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.[a]
Do Not Be Anxious
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you,even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Words to Know :
  • avoid – have nothing to do with (something) 
  • provide – to get things for us 
  • worry – to let bad thoughts and feelings come into our minds because of fear 
Questions :
1. Why did Jesus tell the people they should avoid “worry”? 
2. What is the greatest joy for God? 
3. What did God promise us? 
4. What is the “condition” for receiving that promise? 
5. How is it possible for God to provide everything we need? 
6. Did Jesus mean people should not have to work – just let God provide what we need? 
7. Did Jesus say that God will give us everything we want?
God’s Greatest Joy :
Jesus often taught groups of people gathered around Him. One day He explained to them the need to avoid worry. Worry does many bad things to the mind and body. That is not the way God wants people to live. The greatest joy for God is for people to trust Him. He has promised to help us get everything we need if we remember that everything in the world already belongs to Him. He has the power, the love and the desire to provide us with everything we need, if we give Him first place in our hearts. 
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Sunday, May 1, 2016

WeChat ESL Class on May 14, 2016

A. High Lights of your week
B. Breaking News in the world
C. Short Topic:  SECURITY GUARDS

If you've been following the recent political campaigns, you probably watched a presidential hopeful give an impassioned speech at a rally to a cheering crowd of supporters. But if you watch closely enough, you'll notice a group of men who never cheer.
You can spot them by their outfit - black suits and sunglasses - and they won't cheer because they're on high-alert, providing a constant shield of protection around the candidate. This got me thinking: if I had security guards around me 24/7, would I ever be afraid?
The reality is that you and I don't have an entourage who travel with us. We're vulnerable people, and in our vulnerability, we run to a variety of systems that we hope can provide us with some sense of security. Do you find security in any of these below:
WEALTH. Maybe you work long hours or always pick up the overtime shift or spend much of your spare time tracking your investments and building a retirement portfolio. Money can solve a lot of problems, so the more we have, the fewer problems we'll have to face (or so we think!)
RELATIONSHIPS. The love, support, and respect of another person can be very powerful, so you build a network of partnerships with people who are your allies in life. You find a real comfort in harmonious relationships, and you do everything you can to maintain the peace.
SUCCESS. If you've been successful in the past, you'll find security in yourself. You trust your decision-making, your intuition, and your instincts. There hasn't been much to confuse or derail you, and even though you don't know what the future holds, you're not too concerned because you believe you can handle what life throws your way.
Here's the problem with those, and all other, security systems: life is ultimately outside of our control. No matter how hard we work, wealth can be wiped out in an instant. An accident or a disease can take a loved one away from you. Sin can do irreparable damage to a relationship. What made us personally successful today is not guaranteed for tomorrow.
But there's another group of people who feel little or no security whatsoever. Maybe your days are a cycle of concern, fear, and dread. Perhaps you hyper-analyze every decision you make, and you brutalize yourself with doubt after you make them.
Maybe, if you were totally honest, you would have to admit that you not only fear people, circumstances, and the future, but you fear something closer: you fear you. You have no confidence in yourself, and you're just anticipating your next big screw up.
Into this mess of false security and insecurity, the Bible introduces us to the world's best security guard. Psalm 27:1 says, "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (ESV)
It's fundamentally impossible to be in a situation, location, or relationship where God isn't present. It's impossible for anything to exist outside of the sphere of his control. It's impossible for anyone to be more powerful than him. It's impossible for what he desires and has chosen and planned not to come to be.
You should feel secure today, but not because you have control or understanding and not because you're strong and competent. No, you're secure for one reason alone: God exists and he is your Father. He will never leave your side. He will never fail to provide. He will make good on everything he has promised.
Only he has the power to do so.

D. Idioms:

Idioms - Matching Quiz

Click on the answer button to see if your answer is correct.


    As ___ as a bat.
    As ___ as a bee.
    As ___ as a bell.
    As ___ as a daisy.
    As ___ as an eel.
    As ___ as a feather.
    As ___ as a fox.
    As ___ as the hills.
    As ___ as a mouse.
    As ___ as a mule.
E. Bible Story: Luke 19:1-10

Jesus and Zacchaeus

19 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich.3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I havedefrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

*****Last week's Idioms' answers:***
Bite Off More Than You Can Chew: 
To take on a task that is way too big.

Bite Your Tongue: 
To avoid talking.

Blood Is Thicker Than Water: 
The family bond is closer than anything else.

Blue Moon: 
A rare event or occurrence. 

Break A Leg: 
A superstitious way to say 'good luck' without saying 'good luck', but rather the opposite.

Buy A Lemon: 
To purchase a vehicle that constantly gives problems or stops running after you drive it away.

 Can't Cut The Mustard : 
Someone who isn't adequate enough to compete or participate.

Cast Iron Stomach: 
Someone who has no problems, complications or ill effects with eating anything or drinking anything.

Charley Horse: 
Stiffness in the leg / A leg cramp. 

Chew someone out: 
Verbally scold someone.

1 Thessalossians 5:28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
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