WeChat ESL Class August,19 2017

A. High-light of the Week
B. Short Story:

becoming as little children

--Author Unknown



We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly eating and talking. Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, “Hi there.” He pounded his fat baby hands on the high chair tray. His eyes were crinkled in laughter and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin, as he wriggled and giggled with merriment.

I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man whose pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked out of would-be shoes. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his nose was so varicose it looked like a road map. We were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he smelled.


His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists. Hi there, baby; Hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster,” the man said to Erik. My husband and I exchanged looks, “What do we do?” Erik continued to laugh and answer, “Hi, hi there.” Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at the man. The old geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby. 


Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room, “Do ya patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows peek-a-boo.” Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously drunk. My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence; all except for Erik, who was running through his repertoire for the admiring skid row bum, who in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments. 
We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot. The old man sat poised between me and the door.

“Lord, just let me out of here before he speaks to me or Erik,” I prayed. As I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to sidestep him and avoid any air he might be breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby’s “pick-me-up” position. Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my arms to the man’s. Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby consummated their relationship. Erik in an act of total trust, love, and submission laid his tiny head upon the man’s ragged shoulder.


The man’s eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain, and hard labor, cradled my baby’s bottom and stroked his back. No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time. I stood awestruck. The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms and his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. He said in a firm commanding voice, “You take care of this baby.” Somehow I managed, 
“I will,” from a throat that contained a stone.


He pried Erik from his chest unwillingly, longingly, as though he were in pain. I received my baby, and the man said, “God bless you, ma’am, you’ve given me my Christmas gift. You see, m’am, I never saw my child grow up. My wife and son were taken from me in an automobile accident when they were both too young. I was never able to get over it.”


I said nothing more than a muttered thanks and “I’m sorry to hear that.” With Erik in my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering why I was crying and holding Erik so tightly, and why I was saying, “My God, my God, forgive me.” I had just witnessed Christ’s love shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a mother who saw a suit of clothes. I was a Christian who was blind, holding a child who was not. I felt it was God asking, “Are you willing to share your son for a moment?” when He shared His for all eternity. The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me...

“I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” -- Matthew 18:3 (NIV)

C. American Idioms: Choose the best answer.

1. After the unsuccessful test, we had to go back to the _________ board. (school, drawing, black, white)
2. After disappointing sales, the company decided to pull the ____________ on the new SUV. (plug, fuel cell, battery, jack)
3. No matter how aggravated the customers get, she stays as cool as a ____________. (banana, apple, tomato, cucumber)
4. Going into business in that town was a catch-_____________. (12, 22, 33, 13)
5. This could never happen; are you pulling my _________? (arm, nose, leg, ears)
6. He tried to fool the judge even though he was caught ______-handed. (red, orange, yellow, blue)
7. Are you guys going to tie the __________ this year? (knot, note, car, tie)
8. The team that worked down to the ________ has won again. (wire, cable, switch, light bulb)
9. The latest weather forecast was a bitter _________ to swallow. (cake, pill, onion, candy)
10. Give a big __________ to the band from New Jersey! (arm, hand, foot, shoulder)

D. Bible Lesson: Genesis 26:12-33

Isaac Becomes Rich

¹² Isaac planted fields in that place, and that year he gathered a great harvest. The Lord blessed him very much. ¹³ Isaac became rich. He gathered more and more wealth until he became a very rich man. ¹⁴ He had many flocks and herds of animals. He also had many slaves. All the Philistines were jealous of him. ¹⁵ So they destroyed all the wells that Isaac’s father Abraham and his servants had dug many years before. They filled them with sand. ¹⁶ Abimelech said to Isaac, “Leave our country. You have become much more powerful than we are.”
¹⁷ So Isaac left that place and camped near the little river of Gerar. He stayed there and lived. ¹⁸ Long before this time, Abraham had dug many wells. After he died, the Philistines filled the wells with sand. So Isaac went back and dug those wells again. He gave them the same names his father had given them. ¹⁹ Isaac’s servants also dug a well near the little river and found fresh water. ²⁰ But the men who herded sheep in the Valley of Gerar argued with Isaac’s servants. They said, “This water is ours.” So Isaac named that well Esek. He gave it that name because it was the place where they had argued with him.
²¹ Then Isaac’s servants dug another well. But there was an argument over this well too. So Isaac named that well Sitnah.
²² Isaac moved from there and dug another well. No one came to argue about this well. So Isaac named it Rehoboth. He said, “Now the Lord has found a place for us. We will grow and be successful in this place.”
²³ From there Isaac went to Beersheba. ²⁴ The Lord spoke to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Don’t be afraid. I am with you, and I will bless you. I will make your family great. I will do this because of my servant Abraham.” ²⁵ So Isaac built an altar and worshiped the Lord in that place. He set up camp there, and his servants dug a well.
²⁶ Abimelech came from Gerar to see Isaac. He brought with him Ahuzzath, his advisor, and Phicol, the commander of his army.
²⁷ Isaac asked, “Why have you come to see me? You were not friendly to me before. You even forced me to leave your country.”
²⁸ They answered, “Now we know that the Lord is with you. We think that we should make an agreement. We want you to make a promise to us. ²⁹ We did not hurt you; now you should promise not to hurt us. We sent you away, but we sent you away in peace. Now it is clear that the Lord has blessed you.”
³⁰ So Isaac gave a party for them. They all ate and drank. ³¹ Early the next morning each man made a promise and a vow. Then the men left in peace.
³² On that day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. The servants said, “We found water in that well.” ³³ So Isaac named it Shibah. And that city is still called Beersheba.

Memory Verse: Proverbs 15:1 "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."
Discussion Questions:

1. Why did the Philistines want to make trouble for Isaac?
2. What did the Philistines do?
3. Now do you think Isaac and his shepherds felt about what the Philistines were doing?
4. Why did Isaac choose to move?
5. How did God end up showing that He was with Isaac?
6. In the memory verse, what does "wrath" mean?
7. What are some ways you could settle problems you face without fighting?
8. What will help you remember to try to settle problems without fighting?