WeChat ESL Class on Nov. 12, 2016

A. High Lights of the Week
B. Short Story

The Ant and the Dove 


  AN ANT went to the bank of a river to quench its thirst, and
being carried away by the rush of the stream, was on the point of
drowning.  A Dove sitting on a tree overhanging the water plucked
a leaf and let it fall into the stream close to her.  The Ant
climbed onto it and floated in safety to the bank.  Shortly
afterwards a birdcatcher came and stood under the tree, and laid
his lime-twigs for the Dove, which sat in the branches.  The Ant,
perceiving his design, stung him in the foot.  In pain the
birdcatcher threw down the twigs, and the noise made the Dove
take wing.


 One good turn deserves another.

C. Idioms

1. Chew someone out: 
2. Chip on his shoulder: 
3. Chow down: 
4. Close but no cigar: 
5. Cock and bull story: 
6. Crack someone up: 
7. Cross your fingers: 
8. Cry over spilt milk

D. Read the sentences below to remember how comparatives are formed. Write a sentence using the comparative form for each of the adjectives listed.

• Tennis is a more difficult sport than Rugby.
• I think John is happier now than a year ago.
• Could you open the window, please? It's getting hotter in this room by the minute.

• interesting -> ______________________________________
• weak -> ___________________________________________
• funny -> ___________________________________________
• important -> ________________________________________
• careful -> ___________________________________________
• bad -> ___________________________________________
• big -> ___________________________________________
• far -> ___________________________________________

E. Bible Lesson: Jesus gives life to a Widow's Dead Son

Luke 7:11-17

Jesus Raises a Widow's Son

11 Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you,arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” 17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

Vocabulary:

• compassion
• considerable
• bier
• seize

Discussion Questions: 

1. Who were with Jesus in the story?
2. Where did the story occur?
3. Who did Jesus help in this story?
4. How did he do it?
5. Jesus felt compassion for the widow. Why?
6. What does this story tell you about Jesus?

WeChst ESL Class on Nov. 5, 2016

A. Reading : Unhealthy Breakfast
Jack is a bachelor. He works in downtown Chicago as a shoe salesman. Every morning on his way to work, Jack stops at a donut shop and buys a chocolate donut and a cup of coffee. Jack likes this morning routine because it is quick and easy. He doesn’t have to cook breakfast or wash the dishes. Last time Jack went to the doctor for a check-up his doctor told him that he had high cholesterol. The doctor told Jack to stop eating foods that are high in fat. Donuts are fried in a lot of fat.

B. True or False
1. ________ Jack is a shoe salesman in Seattle, Washington.
2. ________ Jack is married, but he and his wife are getting a divorce.
3. ________ The nurse told Jack to stop eating fatty foods like donuts.
4. ________ Jack doesn't cook breakfast or wash dishes in the morning.
5. ________ Donuts are healthy because they are fried in fat.

C. Writing – Write a conversation between Jack and his doctor.
Doctor: Jack, your cholesterol is high. You need to eat healthy foods with little fat. 
Jack: But I like to eat chocolate donuts, hamburgers, and fries. 
Doctor: ______________________________________
Jack: ______________________________________
Doctor: ______________________________________
Jack: ______________________________________
Doctor: ______________________________________
Jack: _______________________________________
Doctor: ______________________________________

D. Idioms

1. Against The Clock: 
2. All Bark And No Bite: 
3. All Greek to me: 
4. All In The Same Boat:
5. Back Seat Driver: 
6. Bite Your Tongue:
7. Buy A Lemon: 
8. Bend Over Backwards:

E. Bible Story: Daniel 2:17-30

God Reveals Nebuchadnezzar's Dream

17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known toHananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 18 and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 20 Daniel answered and said:

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
    to whom belong wisdom and might.
21 He changes times and seasons;
    he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
    and knowledge to those who have understanding;
22 he reveals deep and hidden things;
    he knows what is in the darkness,
    and the light dwells with him.
23 To you, O God of my fathers,
    I give thanks and praise,
for you have given me wisdom and might,
    and have now made known to me what we asked of you,
    for you have made known to us the king's matter.”

24 Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.”

25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.” 26 The king declared to Daniel,whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” 27 Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: 29 To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. 30 But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.

 

WeChat ESL Class on October 29, 2016

A. Speaking: High Lights of your week.
B. Reading:
It’s Arbor Day, and Marla and Tio are planting a tree in their backyard. Their parents are watching TV in the living room, and they don’t know what the children are doing. Marla and Tio learned about Arbor Day in school. Their teachers told them trees are important to the environment because they create oxygen and provide a home for birds and other small animals. Now, the kids want to surprise their parents by planting a tree in the middle of the backyard. They hope their parents will be happy. C. Writing – What should Marla and Tio say to their dad and mom? Complete the conversation below. When you finish, practice the conversation with friends.
Mom: Hi, kids. What are you doing?
Tio:____________________________
Dad: ____________________________
Marla: ____________________________
Mom: ____________________________
Tio: ____________________________
Dad: ____________________________
Marla: ____________________________

D. Idioms

1. Under scrutiny
2. Under someone’s thumb
3. Under the gun
4. Under the hat
5. Under the weather
6. Under water
7. Under way

E. Bible Story: 1 Samuel 25:1-12

David and Abigail

Then David rose and went down to the wilderness of Paran. 2 And there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3 Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite.4 David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. 5 So David sent ten young men. And David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal and greet him in my name. 6 And thus you shall greet him: ‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have. 7 I hear that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing all the time they were in Carmel. 8 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David.’”

9 When David's young men came, they said all this to Nabal in the name of David, and then they waited. 10 And Nabal answered David's servants,“Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters. 11 Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?” 12 So David's young men turned away and came back and told him all this. 13 And David said to his men, “Every man strap on his sword!” And every man of them strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword. And about four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage.

14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, “Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he railed at them. 15 Yet the men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm,and we did not miss anything when we were in the fields, as long as we went with them. 16 They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. 17 Now therefore know this and consider what you should do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his house, and he is such a worthless man that one cannot speak to him.”

18 Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared and five seahs[a] of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys. 19 And she said to her young men, “Go on before me; behold, I come after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal. 20 And as she rode on the donkey and came down under cover of the mountain, behold, David and his men came down toward her, and she met them. 21 Now David had said, “Surely in vain have I guarded all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him, and he has returned me evil for good. 22 God do so to the enemies of David[b] and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him.”

23 When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkeyand fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground. 24 She fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant. 25 Let not my lord regard this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal[c] is his name, and folly is with him. But I your servant did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent. 

WeChat ESL Class on October 22, 2016

A. High Lights of the Week

B Easy Dialogue: Choosing a Job
A: I have a problem.
B: Tell me about it.
A: I got hired at a restaurant and a clothing store.
B: What's the problem?
A: I can only work for one of them.
B: I think you should work at the restaurant.
A: Tell me why.
B: Folding clothes is annoying.
A: What else is bad about clothing stores.
B: Customers always mess up the clothes.
A: Anything else?
B: You get tips at restaurants.
A: That's a good point.

C. Biography: 
Theresa Dankovich
Co-founder, chairperson, and chief scientist for Folia Water, a benefit corporation dedicated to the scaling and distribution of the new water filter paper, called Folia Filters, as seen in the Drinkable Book TM.

Previously, a post-doctoral researcher at University of Virginia. Through UVA's collaboration with University of Venda in South Africa, my team tested the antibacterial nanoparticle paper filters with contaminated field samples from streams in South Africa. I was part of an interdisciplinary program with the Center for Global Health and the Civil and Environmental Engineering department to investigate water purification in developing countries. Also, I invented antibacterial paper filters using copper nanoparticles at UVA.

Prior to this, I completed my Ph.D. in materials chemistry, where I worked on an interdisciplinary project, which incorporates materials chemistry, microbiology, nanotechnology, water purification, and green chemistry. My doctoral research showed that a really thick sheet of paper could eliminate bacteria from drinking water by adding a silver nanoparticle (AgNP) coating, something which had not previously been demonstrated.

Specialties: Materials chemistry, nanotechnology, renewable materials, green chemistry, environmental analysis, antimicrobial materials, water analysis, WASH, international field tests, water purification, surface and colloid chemistry.

D. Reading and Discussion

Read: John 4:7-15
John 4:7-15 English Standard Version (ESV)
⁷ A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” ⁸ (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) ⁹ The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) ¹⁰ Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” ¹¹ The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? ¹² Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” ¹³ Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” ¹⁵ The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”
E. Bible Lesson - Listening

The water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.—John 4:14

Because it is so difficult in parts of the world to find clean drinking water, an organization called Water Is Life developed a wonderful resource called “The Drinkable Book.” The paper in the book is coated in silver nanoparticles that filter out almost 99.9 percent of harmful bacteria! Each tear-out page can be used and reused to filter up to 100 liters of water at the cost of only four pennies per page.

The Bible is also an unusually “drinkable” Book. In John 4, we read of a particular kind of thirst and a special kind of water. The woman at the well needed much more than to quench her physical thirst with clean, clear liquid. She was desperate to know the source of “living water.” She needed the grace and forgiveness that comes from God alone.

God’s Word is the ultimate “drinkable” Book that points to God’s Son as the sole source of “living water.” And those who accept the water that Jesus gives will experience “a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (v. 14). —Cindy Hess Kasper

Father, we yearn for the satisfaction that only You can give. Help us discard the things that leave us empty and thirsting, and exchange them for the satisfaction of the living water You offer.
 

Jesus is the sole source of living water.

INSIGHT: The Samaritan woman thinks of “water” as purely material—just H2O. So, in her conversation with Jesus, she is stuck on having to trudge tiresomely back and forth daily to this well—perhaps a hundred feet deep—and use muscle power to draw and hoist the container of water homeward. Jesus’s statements symbolize salvation and satisfaction in what is both essential and enjoyable in water; He wants to ratchet up her understanding of eternal life in Him (John 4:14). Perhaps the closest thing to a definition of “eternal life” is found in John 17:3: “This is eternal life: that they might know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Eternal life means having a relationship with God by knowing Jesus Christ. Jim Townsend

WeChat ESL Class on October 15, 2016

A. High Lights of the Week
B. Breaking News of the World
C. Short Story: Identity in Life

Every human being who has ever lived has asked this question: "Where is my meaning and purpose in life to be found?"
The way you answer that question will determine how you speak to and treat the people in your life. For parents,
The Bible says that there are only two places for you and me to look for meaning and purpose (or identity). One place to look is vertically from God — from his love and acceptance, his forgiving grace, his constant presence, his power and his promises, and the glory of all of these that he's showered down on us.
But if you're not resting in your vertical identity, you will look horizontally, searching to find your reason for living in something in the created world. That could be your possessions, your accomplishments, your career, or the people in your life.

The problem with this horizontal identity quest is that created things were never designed to give you meaning and purpose. They were never designed to satisfy your heart and give you peace. On the contrary, every good thing in creation is designed to point you to the One who created them and who alone can satisfy.

D. Idioms

1. A hot potato
2. A penny for your thoughts
3. Back to the drawing board
4. Be glad to see the back of
5. Best of both worlds
6. Burn the midnight oil
7. Cross that bridge when you come to it
8. Devil's Advocate

E. Bible Lesson: Good Medicine - Proverbs 17:22

Questions:

Think about a time when you were angry with someone or when you had an argument. 

How did you feel inside? 

What parts of your life did it affect?

Careless driving, rising tempers, and use of foul language among some taxi and minibus drivers are a constant source of traffic fights in our city of Accra, Ghana. But one traffic incident I witnessed took a different turn. A bus was almost hit by a careless taxi driver. I expected the bus driver to get angry and yell at the other driver, but he didn’t. Instead, the bus driver relaxed his stern face and smiled broadly at the guilty-looking taxi driver. And the smile worked wonders. With a raised hand, the taxi driver apologized, smiled back, and moved away—the tension diffused.

A smile has a fascinating effect on our brain chemistry. Researchers have found that “when we smile it releases brain chemicals called endorphins which have an actual physiological relaxing effect.” Not only can a smile diffuse a tense situation, but it can also diffuse tension within us. Our emotions affect us as well as others. The Bible teaches us to “get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another” (Eph. 4:31-32).

When anger or tension or bitterness threatens our relationship with the Lord and with others, it helps to remember that “a cheerful heart is good medicine” for our own joy and well-being. —Lawrence Darmani

Read: Ephesians 4:25-32

Insight:
Paul tells his readers to “get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” (Eph. 4:31). The Greek word translated “get rid of” is artheto, and it means to lift something for the purpose of carrying it off or putting it away. Getting rid of sinful and destructive behavior requires that we allow the Holy Spirit to remove those things that mark our former life (4:17-24) so that the compassion and forgiveness of Christ (v. 32) will flourish.

WeChat ESL CLass on October 8, 2016

A. High Lights of the Week

B. Talk about Your Interests and Hobbies

C. Short Story and an idiom: The Goose with the Golden Eggs
Once upon a time, a man and his wife had the good fortune to have a goose which laid a golden egg every day. Lucky though they were, they soon began to think they were not getting rich fast enough.
They imagined that if the bird is able to lay golden eggs, its insides must be made of gold. And they thought that if they could get all that precious metal at once, they would get mighty rich very soon. So the man and his wife decided to kill the bird.
However, upon cutting the goose open, they were shocked to find that its innards were like that of any other goose!
MORAL: THINK BEFORE YOU ACT
Kill not the goose that lays golden eggs is a popular proverb in English that is rooted in this story.
When we use this proverb, we mean that anyone who feels entitled to, and tries to get more than he is already receiving, is most likely to get nothing at all in the future.
Read the following example:
Young Johnny had a very kind and generous uncle. Every time Johnny visited him with his parents, he was given five cents. One day, Johnny thought of buying a bike. The next time he met his uncle, he asked him for 50 dollars. “50 dollars?” exclaimed his uncle. “That is a lot of money!”
“Well, you can afford it, and I want to buy a bike,” said Johnny. “You don’t have any children, so you should have a lot of money.”
Johnny’s uncle was very angry. He did not like Johnny’s attitude.
Johnny did not get 50 dollars. He did not get his five cents also any more.
He had killed the goose that laid golden eggs. If he had been wiser, he would have at least got his five cents.
Sometimes, we are not content with what we have, and wish for more. Such discontentment always results in unhappiness, and regret.

D. Bible Story: Daniel3

The Image of Gold and the Blazing Furnace

3 King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. ² He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. ³ So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it.

⁴ Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “Nations and peoples of every language, this is what you are commanded to do: ⁵ As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. ⁶ Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”
⁷ Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the nations and peoples of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
⁸ At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. ⁹ They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever! ¹⁰ Your Majesty has issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, ¹¹ and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. ¹² But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.”
¹³ Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, ¹⁴ and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? ¹⁵ Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”
¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. ¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us^[c] from Your Majesty’s hand. ¹⁸ But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
¹⁹ Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual ²⁰ and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. ²¹ So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. ²² The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, ²³ and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
²⁴ Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”
They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”
²⁵ He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
²⁶ Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, ²⁷ and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
²⁸ Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. ²⁹ Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”
³⁰ Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

Discussion Questions:

1. One story of level of an average modern building is  10 to 12 feet high. How many stories tall was the statue?
2. Who attended the dedication ceremony?
3. What would happen to those who refused to worship?
4. Why do you think Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego refused to bow?
5. How did Nebuchadnezzar underestimate the God of the Jews?
6. What do you think the men meant then they said they didn't need to defend themselves?
7. What did the three men say that showed their trust in God?
8. Why do you think God revealed a fourth man in the furnace?
9. What added to everyone's amazement about the three men's survival?
10. How had Nebuchadnezza's opinion of God changed?
11. Why do you think Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego were able to have such courage?
12. What was the most amazing part of this story?
13. When are some times in your life when you need to rely on God to lead you to safety?