WeChat ESL CLass on August 6, 2016

A. High Lights of the week

B. Breaking News of the world

C. Short Story: A Social Media Fast

Nowadays many people are social media fanatics. They are always looking at their mobile phones or tablets, and updating their Twitter or Facebook accounts. They are taking pictures of what they eat, or taking pictures of themselves, which is called "selfies". When people are not oversharing, they are constantly reading or looking at what friends and family members are posting. Social media is becoming addicting.

Research shows that most people spend on average almost 4 hours a day on social networking sites. That's almost 30 hours a week. While some people need and use social media for work or to stay in touch with friends, other people find that using social media so much causes anxiety and stress. People also tend to use social media as a way to procrastinate. So just as many religions ask people to abstain, or not to have certain foods or drinks for a certain time, many people are taking social media fasts. They are not updating their statuses, and they are also not reading what other people are posting. They choose to stay away from social media for 30 days.

Ironically, the details of these fasts can be found on social networking sites all over the Internet. The reasons people undertake a fast are varied. Some people want to reconnect with their families or friends by disconnecting from their cell phones. Some people want to be more productive at work. What did some fasters do instead of logging on? Some decided to connect with friends by actually sitting down and having face-to-face conversations. If friends or loved ones were far away, they would call them on the telephone instead. Some even wrote handwritten postcards or letters. The results were mixed. Some people felt that not using social media made them more anxious. Others developed more positive habits like journaling or meditating.

D. American Idioms

1. A hot potato
2. A penny for your thoughts
3. Cry over spilt milk
4. Cross that bridge when you come to it
5. Costs an arm and a leg
6. Caught between two stools
7. Burn the midnight oil
8. Blessing in disguise
9. Bite off more than you can chew
10. Best of both worlds

E. Bible Lesson: 

A Story About Forgiveness

21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, when someone[d] won’t stop doing wrong to me, how many times must I forgive them? Seven times?”

22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, you must forgive them more than seven times. You must continue to forgive them even if they do wrong to you seventy-seven times.[e]

23 “So God’s kingdom is like a king who decided to collect the money his servants owed him. 24 The king began to collect his money. One servant owed him several thousand pounds[f] of silver. 25 He was not able to pay the money to his master, the king. So the master ordered that he and everything he owned be sold, even his wife and children. The money would be used to pay the king what the servant owed.

26 “But the servant fell on his knees and begged, ‘Be patient with me. I will pay you everything I owe.’ 27 The master felt sorry for him. So he told the servant he did not have to pay. He let him go free.

28 “Later, that same servant found another servant who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him around the neck and said, ‘Pay me the money you owe me!’

29 “The other servant fell on his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me. I will pay you everything I owe.’

30 “But the first servant refused to be patient. He told the judge that the other servant owed him money, and that servant was put in jail until he could pay everything he owed. 31 All the other servants saw what happened. They felt very sorry for the man. So they went and told their master everything that happened.

32 “Then the master called his servant in and said, ‘You evil servant. You begged me to forgive your debt, and I said you did not have to pay anything! 33 So you should have given that other man who serves with you the same mercy I gave you.’ 34 The master was very angry, so he put the servant in jail to be punished. And he had to stay in jail until he could pay everything he owed.

35 “This king did the same as my heavenly Father will do to you. You must forgive your brother or sister with all your heart, or my heavenly Father will not forgive you.”

Discussion Questions:

1. What was your reaction when the servant refused to forgive the man who owed him a little money?
2. How were the two servants alike and different?
3. How were the first servant and the master alike and different?
4. Why did the master punish the first servant?
5. How do you think that servant felt now?
6. How could things have been different for the king's servant?
7. What does Jesus say about forgiveness?
8. What do you think we should do about forgiving someone who isn't sorry?
9. As people who have been forgiven for our sins, what does this parable tell us?

WeChat ESL CLass on July 30, 2016

A. High Lights of the week
B. Breaking News of the world
C. Short Story: An Apple Pie
The tree was full of red apples. The farmer was riding his brown horse. He stopped under the tree. He reached out and picked an apple off a branch. He bit into the raw apple. He enjoyed the apple. His horse turned its head to look at him. The farmer picked another apple off the tree. He gave it to the horse. The horse ate the raw apple. The horse enjoyed the apple. The farmer put a dozen apples into a bag. He rode the horse back home. He put the horse in the barn. He walked into his house. The cat rubbed up against his leg. He gave the cat a bowl of warm milk. He sat down on the sofa. He opened a book to read. His wife came home. She cooked the raw apples. She made an apple pie. They ate bread and hot soup for dinner. They enjoyed the bread and soup. They had hot apple pie for dessert. They both enjoyed the apple pie.
D. ENGLISH GRAMMAR QUIZ 
topic: ARTICLES: Mixed Articles Exercise #1 (A, An, The, No article) 

1. I love living in this __________ city. 
  no article
  a
  the

2. Generally speaking, __________ boys are physically stronger than girls.
  a
  no article
  the

3. Bill enjoys reading __________ mystery novels.
  a
  the
  no article

4. Do you remember __________ girl that we saw last night? 
  a
  the
  no article

5. P1: Did you go to the Thai restaurant? P2: No, I went to __________ place where you and I normally go. 
  the
  a
  no article

6. He is __________ really good person. 
  the
  a
  no article

7. My brother is __________ expert at fixing cars.
  the
  no article
  an

8. __________ Paris is a beautiful city. 
  A
  no article
  The

9. My __________ teacher's name is William. 
  no article
  a
  the

10. We got our son __________ dog for Christmas. 
  the
  a
  no article

E. Bible Lesson: Psalm 20

 1 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!

    May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
² May he send you help from the sanctuary
    and give you support from Zion!
³ May he remember all your offerings
    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! 

⁴ May he grant you your heart's desire
    and fulfill all your plans!
⁵ May we shout for joy over your salvation,
    and in the name of our God set up our banners!
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!

⁶ Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;
    he will answer him from his holy heaven
    with the saving might of his right hand.
⁷ Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
⁸ They collapse and fall,
    but we rise and stand upright.

Key verse:Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. —Psalm 20:7

How about us? Where do we place our trust? David observes in Psalm 20:7: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Chariots and horses represent material and human assets. While these represent things that are useful in daily life, they don’t give us security in times of trouble. If we place our trust in things or possessions or wealth, we will find that they eventually give way beneath us, as the branches gave way beneath the crows.

Those who trust in their chariots and horses can be “brought to their knees and fall,” but those who trust in God will “rise up and stand firm” (v. 8). —Lawrence Darmani

Discussion Questions:

1. Have you ever trusted someone or something and been disappointed or let down? 
2. Who or what was it? 
3. What do you trust in the most?

In a world of change, we can trust our unchanging God. 

WeChat ESL Class on July 23, 2016

A. High Lights of your week
B. Breaking News in the world
C. Short Story: Passover - A Jewish Holiday of Remembering
Passover is a Jewish holiday that remembers and celebrates their liberation from ancient Egyptian slavery as described in the Old Testament of the Bible. It is traditionally celebrated in the spring and lasts about a week.

According to the story in the Bible, God punished ancient Egypt with 10 plagues. The last plague killed Egyptian first-born males. Jewish people were told to mark their doors with lamb's blood so that God would know to pass over these houses and not kill any first born males inside. This is where the name of the holiday, Passover, comes from. After this last plague the Egyptian king, known as the Pharaoh, agreed to release the ancient Jews from bondage. The Bible story also says that the Jewish people left their homes in such a rush after they were freed that they didn't have time to wait for the bread to rise. This is why at the commemorative Passover meal, Jewish people eat matzo, bread without yeast, also known as unleavened bread. The matzo and other foods are eaten at a special meal called a seder.

There are very specific rituals that happen at the Seder meal. These rituals are all in a book called the Haggadah. Inside the Haggadah is also the story of the Jewish exodus from Egypt. During the seder meal parts of the Haggadah are read aloud. The first part of the meal is a blessing over wine. The second part of the meal is the washing of hands. The third part of the meal is when someone dips some sort of vegetable in salt water and then eats the vegetable. The vegetable symbolizes the humble origins of the Jewish people. The water symbolizes their tears. The fourth part of the meal is when three pieces of matzo are broken.

D. Commonly-used American Slangs
ace
He's an ace reporter.

Meaningvery good

action

Do you know where the action is in this town?
Meaningexcitement

airhead

My sister's boyfriend is a real airhead.
Meaningstupid person

all wet

Your ideas about politics are all wet.
Meaningcompletely wrong

all-nighter

I almost fell asleep during the test after an all-nighter.
Meaningafter studying all night.

ammo

The gun was useless after the killer ran out of ammo.
Meaningammunition

antifreeze

I really need some antifreeze in me on cold days like this.
Meaningliquor

armpit

This town is really an armpit.
Meaningundesirable place

awesome

What an awesome sunset.

Meaninggreat

E. Bible Lesson: Scripture: Matthew 15:21-28

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

²¹ And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. ²² And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” ²³ But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” ²⁴ He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” ²⁵ But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” ²⁶ And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” ²⁷ She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” ²⁸ Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly

Observations:

1. Where were Tyre and Sidon?
2. How did this Canaanite woman find out about Jesus?
3. What did the woman call Jesus?
4. What did that tell about her faith?
5. What was wrong with the woman's daughter?
6. Why do you think Jesus said this to the woman?
7. How did the woman respond?
8. How did the woman answer Jesus?
9. What did Jesus say to her?
10. What did Jesus do?

Applications:

1. These verses sound as if we can get whatever we want in prayer. What do these verses really mean?
2. Will God answer every prayer?
3. What can we learn from the example of the Canaanite woman that will help us get answers to our prayers?

WeChat ESL Class on July 23, 2016

A. High Lights of your week
B. Breaking News in the world
C. Short Story: Passover - A Jewish Holiday of Remembering
Passover is a Jewish holiday that remembers and celebrates their liberation from ancient Egyptian slavery as described in the Old Testament of the Bible. It is traditionally celebrated in the spring and lasts about a week.

According to the story in the Bible, God punished ancient Egypt with 10 plagues. The last plague killed Egyptian first-born males. Jewish people were told to mark their doors with lamb's blood so that God would know to pass over these houses and not kill any first born males inside. This is where the name of the holiday, Passover, comes from. After this last plague the Egyptian king, known as the Pharaoh, agreed to release the ancient Jews from bondage. The Bible story also says that the Jewish people left their homes in such a rush after they were freed that they didn't have time to wait for the bread to rise. This is why at the commemorative Passover meal, Jewish people eat matzo, bread without yeast, also known as unleavened bread. The matzo and other foods are eaten at a special meal called a seder.

There are very specific rituals that happen at the Seder meal. These rituals are all in a book called the Haggadah. Inside the Haggadah is also the story of the Jewish exodus from Egypt. During the seder meal parts of the Haggadah are read aloud. The first part of the meal is a blessing over wine. The second part of the meal is the washing of hands. The third part of the meal is when someone dips some sort of vegetable in salt water and then eats the vegetable. The vegetable symbolizes the humble origins of the Jewish people. The water symbolizes their tears. The fourth part of the meal is when three pieces of matzo are broken.

D. Commonly-used American Idioms

ace

He's an ace reporter.
Meaningvery good

action

Do you know where the action is in this town?
Meaningexcitement

airhead

My sister's boyfriend is a real airhead.
Meaningstupid person

all wet

Your ideas about politics are all wet.
Meaningcompletely wrong

all-nighter

I almost fell asleep during the test after an all-nighter.
Meaningafter studying all night.

ammo

The gun was useless after the killer ran out of ammo.
Meaningammunition

antifreeze

I really need some antifreeze in me on cold days like this.
Meaningliquor

armpit

This town is really an armpit.
Meaningundesirable place

awesome

What an awesome sunset.
Meaninggreat

E. Bible Lesson: Exodus 12:29-32, 40-51

The Tenth Plague: Death of the Firstborn

29 At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt,from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. 30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead. 31 Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as you have said.32 Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!”

40 The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. 42 It was a night of watching by the Lord, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night of watching kept to the Lord by all the people of Israel throughout their generations.

Institution of the Passover

43 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it, 44 but every slave[b] that is bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him. 45 No foreigner or hired worker may eat of it. 46 It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones. 47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. 48 If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.49 There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.”

50 All the people of Israel did just as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 And on that very day the Lord brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.

WeChat ESL Class on July 16, 2016

A. High Lights of your week
B. Breaking News of the nations
C. Short Story: Driver Loses Mabel, Finds Jail

A fifteen-year-old boy was injured in a car accident when the minivan he was traveling in was hit by a pickup truck at an intersection. The boy was taken to a nearby hospital. The paramedics said that it appeared that the boy had nothing more serious than a broken left leg, but that internal injuries were always a possibility. The boy was conscious and alert. His mother, who was driving, was uninjured. She said that the truck appeared out of nowhere, and she thought she was going to die. She turned the steering wheel sharply to the left, and the truck hit her minivan on the passenger side.

The driver of the truck was a 50-year-old man who was unemployed and apparently had been drinking—police found 18 empty beer cans inside the truck. The man denied drinking, but he failed the police test for sobriety. When asked to touch his nose with his arms outstretched and eyes closed, he was unable to touch any part of his head.

The handcuffed man asked the police if they knew where "Mabel" was as he was put into the back seat of the police vehicle. The police asked him if Mabel was his wife. He said, "She's my dog, my dog! Where's my baby?" A dog with a collar, but no identification, was found minutes later, half a block away. The man was taken to the city jail and booked on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and on causing an accident.

D. American Idioms

"Read the Riot Act:"

"By the skin of my teeth:"

"Paint the town red:"

"White elephant"

"Green-eyed monster:"

"Apple of my eye:"

"Bring home the bacon

"Heard through the grapevine:"

E, Bible Lesson: 2 Peter 1:1-10 New International Version (NIV)

1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:

² Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Confirming One’s Calling and Election

³ His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴ Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. ⁸ For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
¹⁰ Therefore, my brothers and sisters,^[a] make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble