Nuggets of Knowledge: The Smucker Family

THE SMUCKER FAMILY

 - Spread Pioneer

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Bull's Eye!

      Are you familiar with the word Bull's Eye? As per Oxford dictionary, a Bull’s eye refers to the center of the target in sports such as archery, shooting, and darts. The origin of the expression Bull's eye dates back a hundred years when English archers would gather together after church services in small villages to shoot at a bull's skull. An archer with the greatest skill is the one who can shoot through the skull's empty eye socket, hence the name.

      You may be wondering why I've been talking about bull's eye, right?  It's because I've been hit recently in the bull's eye.  It was an experience I didn't expect to happen.The other night,  While I was massaging my dad and my brother was doing his Bible memory verse.While my brother was reciting his verse to my dad, I thought I felt something hit my eye. I accused my brother of spitting his saliva on my eye. Even if I am not sure if that is really my brother's fault, I still stand to my story and told my mom.  I tried convincing my mom several times that I was the good guy in the story and my brother was the bad guy. Thinking my mom was already convinced, I suddenly remember i still had to do my memory verse. As I turn to my Memory Verse List, I was surprised. The verse was Exodus 20:16 "You shall not give false testimony to your neighbor"! God hit me directly in the bull's eye! His word is like an arrow that pierce through my heart.  

      That was one of the most astonishing experience I ever had! That night, I had to make amends with my brother and had to tell my mom the real story. Surprisingly, I did not hear anything from her. The next day, I asked her why I didn't hear any word from her even if  I did something wrong, she replied "No need, because God’s message to me was already enough.It is as clear as a crystal that there’s no need to further explain it to me." God really talks to us. That moment, He told me that I was saying the wrong thing about my brother! It’s really amazing that God is up front in dealing with my wrong-doing! He gives a message that is straight to the point. He doesn't beat around the bush, because He wants us to learn and understand Him. He cares for us not to be in trouble. Lastly, I realized sometimes people may think since human's eye cannot see or chooses to ignore what is happening, everything is just fine. Thankfully, we have the eyes of God upon us who is gracious enough not to turn His eye blind in everything that we do.

Prayer

Lord,
      Thank you Lord for letting me know that you are always watching me. Thank you for not turning a blind eye on the wrong things I sometimes do. Forgive me if there are times I still choose to listen to myself. Please bless me with a teachable heart that is humble enough to listen and obey You.   In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

Psalm 32:8

-By Tim

Idiom of the Day: Get in on the Act

Meaning: 
      The expression "get in on the act" means that something or someone gets involved in something someone else is doing. The other person usually doesn't want the first person to get involved.

Example:
      Michael always gets in on the act when someone is about to take a picture.

Reader's Corner: Wish I May Wish I Might Wish Upon a Tree Tonight

      When you see a wishing star, what do you do? You will wish for something right? In this Katherine Applegate’s mind blowing story switches the role of a wishing star to a wishing tree! The story is about a Tree named Red. Red is what the local people call the Wish tree. Red has been in their town for all of her life and has experienced a lot of things. But when a new family moves, a lot of people are not that kind to them. Red wants to help, but how will a tree be able to help this family? Red does not know, but she is willing to try her best!

     

      I’ve been avid reader of Katherine Applegate’s books for a while now. Some of her books I already read were “The One and Only Ivan”, “Crenshaw”, and “The Wishing Tree”. The Wishing Tree is definitely one of my much loved selections of hers. In this story, she was able to give incredible narrative that made me feel like I was talking to the main character “Red.  The story also manage to show that even though you might be somebody that isn’t capable of doing a lot of things, you can still extend hope and kindness to other people. For example, Red is a tree who can’t do anything but stand. She wants to help the people in trouble. If I was choosing my favorite character, it would definitely be Red. Red is a very old and wise tree who is really kind and has a spirit of helping people. I applaud the author for her good story-line, the soul-stirring scenes and the different emotions that readers would feel throughout the story.

      This book is totally recommended to children (10 years and above) and adults who love heart-warming stories. It is definitely worth reading!

-By Tim-

Proverbs to Ponder: Every Man for Himself

Meaning:
     The proverb "every man for himself" means that in times of crisis, it is the responsibility of each individual to protect himself or herself.


Example:
     The tigers have escaped! Every man for himself!

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Nuggets of Knowledge: Gatorade Developer

ROBERT CADE

 - Developer of Gatorade

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I Lift My Hands by Chris Tomlin

I LIFT MY HANDS

by Chris Tomlin 

     "Arrrrrrgh! How come I keep on making mistakes?! I'm too tired of this!" I exhaustedly said to myself. Have you ever been in this situation wherein you felt so tired and had the thought of giving up? Or experienced where you gave your very best in a task but just can’t seem to finish it?

     I do remember of an instance when I faced this kind of dilemma. My mom assigned me a new piano piece that I need to study as part of my Music Project that I need to present in my portfolio review. Upon seeing the song I am supposed to study and memorize, I find it a bit difficult and challenging given the short span of time I had during that time. Every day I would spend time to practice the song piece.  A few days away from my deadline, pressure, frustration and lack of motivation n were slowly creeping up inside me!  I couldn’t do this anymore! Feeling very helpless, I prayed to God to give me strength and patience to complete my song. I lay down all my frustrations to Him and admit that I couldn’t do it by my own.

     In this song “I Lift My Hands”, it reminds us of who God is in our lives and what He can do as long as we allow Him to work on our troubles, tiredness, frustrations, sicknesses, or anything that worries us. There is nothing God can't do and there is nothing we can do without God!

     Hope you enjoy listening to my piano cover of the song "I Lift My Hands"!

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."

Psalm 46:1-3

"I Lift My Hands"

by Chris Tomlin

Be still, there is a healer
His love is deeper than the sea
His mercy, it is unfailing
His arms are a fortress for the weak

Let faith arise
Let faith arise

I lift my hands to believe again
You are my refuge, You are my strength
As I pour out my heart, these things I remember
You are faithful, God, forever

Be still, there is a river
That flows from Calvary's tree
A fountain for the thirsty
Pure grace that washes over me

So let faith arise
Let faith arise
Open my eyes
Open my eyes

I lift my hands to believe again
You are my refuge, You are my strength
As I pour out my heart, these things I remember
You are faithful, God

You are faithful, God, forever  

Lyrics by Lyricfind

- By Jerry -

Idiom of the Day: As Bold as Brass

Meaning:  
      You describe someone as being "as bold as brass" when they behave in a very confident or arrogant way.

Example:
      You must be as bold as brass if you want to stand up to her.

Reader's Corner: The Dramatic Story of a Hunter and His Dogs

     “I found her lying on her stomach, her hind legs stretched out straight, and her front feet folded back under her chest. She had laid her head on his grave. I saw the trail where she had dragged herself through the leaves. The way she lay there, I thought she was alive. I called her name. She made no movement. With the last ounce of strength in her body, she had dragged herself to the grave of Old Dan.” These heart-breaking lines are taken from Wilson Rawls’ Where the Red Fern Grows.

     Would you want to try reading a story that would certainly pinch your heart and bring your eyes to tears? Wilson Rawls’ Where the Red Fern Grows would be the best pick. This story brings you into a farm in the Ozark Mountains, showing you the life of a young, but bold and hardworking kid name Billy Colman. Billy had always wanted dogs, but his family had money troubles and could not afford. Unexpectedly, Billy sees an opportunity to get himself not only one but two dogs. Is this the beginning of a dream that he sought after or just a nightmare that is just waiting to unfold?

     My favorite part of the story is when Billy meets his dogs for the first time. I liked this part because of the author’s detailed and realistic description of the dogs. It helps me boost my imagination of how pleasing would it be to have dogs too!!! Like most of the stories I have read, there are morals that we can learn. One of the morals that the story made me realize was is that we must love and respect our siblings, even if there are times that arguments occur. It also sends a message to not let pride take control of us and lastly do not hurt others, physically and/or mentally.

     I recommend this book to kids ages 11 and above as well as those who can take on stories that have serious and heavy emotions involved. This book is a blend of serious, suspenseful, and dramatic scenes which would surely make your heart pound and melts.  On a lighter side, it gives the readers a glimpse of the lives of the people in farms and how do they survive. Lastly, through Billy and his dogs’ relationship, real love of human to animals was shown. At first glance, I thought the book looked dull and wearisome. However, once I started reading it, I was drawn into its thrilling and dramatic tale, which held love and companionship as its key source.

-by Jerry

Proverbs to Ponder: Everything Has An End

Meaning:
     The proverb "everything has an end" means that nothing lasts forever.


Example:
     The game "Galatica" was an awesome game, but everything has an end.

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Nuggets of Knowledge: Ketchup Maker

Henry John Heinz

 -The Ketchup Maker

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Biker's Problem

       "I finally figured out the cause of my slowness in biking!" muttering softly to myself. Do you like biking? I do, but there's a little bit of a problem about my biking that I want to share with you. 

     Usually, during weekends our family would go biking together. It's one way of our family bonding and exercise. One Saturday afternoon, my dad and mom asked us to go biking with them at Lake Seletar Park, which is a few kilometers away from our house. We prepared some snacks and set off to our destination. My mom and dad went together on one bike. While my brother Tim used his red bicycle and I rode the blue one.  As we were biking along the road, my father would be stopping once in a while if my mom would see me lagging behind much to them. Every time, they would stop and check on me I would complain the bicycle that is causing me to become slow in our journey. Well at least that was I thought the problem was. But it turns out that I was  wrong. My brother Tim, volunteered to use my bicycle and lend me his red bicycle, thinking his bicycle was way faster than mine. However, when my brother started using my bicycle, the shocking truth slapped me right in my face. The truth was, I was the one slower and not the bicycle I was riding! All the while I kept blaming the bicycle, the path we're biking at, even the blowing wind but never bothered to check on myself.

    Are you familiar with the story when Adam and Eve ate the fruit that God had forbidden them to eat? When God asked them what have they done, they started pointing fingers at each other. Looking for who to blame and not recognizing their own shortcomings. It's a common scenario that we have now in our times.

      The same way in my story, I kept blaming many things for my slowness in biking.  My experience taught me that I am not suppose to put on blame to others or to something if there are bad things that is happening to me, instead I need to check myself first. In life, we may blame someone or something of our troubles. We might even blame God of our problems. We need to remember, God gave us freedom to make our decisions. That's why we need to be careful and wise with our choices. We must hold ourselves responsible of the choices we make in life. If we don't want to make bad choices, we need to ask guidance from God and be willingly ready to obey Him. 

    Next time, if you think that your bike is slow, before you point fingers check first maybe you might be the one who is making yourself slow!

Prayer

Lord

      Help me in the problems I face in my life. Let me not blame others for my troubles, especially You.  Help me be brave to ask help from those who understand me, like my parents. Help me be wise and careful in the choices that I make.May you be my compass in my life. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye 
and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  
How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ 
when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 
You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, 
and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."
Matthew 7:3-5

-by Jerry-

Idiom of the Day: In Someone's/the Blood

Meaning:

     The expression "in someone's/the blood" means that someone or something could naturally do something well because other members of that person's family have done the same thing before the person himself.

Example:

     Basketball is in Stephen Curry's blood. It's no surprise, since Stephen Curry's dad, Dell Curry, was a basketball star.

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Reader's Corner: The Humongous Adventure of Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach!

     Have you ever seen a peach? Not the regular ones that we usually see at the market! What about a peach that is the size of a 3 story house? That’s humongous right? This original book by Roald Dahl tells the story of James, a seven year old boy who lived a happy life with his parents, but then in a sudden twist of fate, his once happy life started to crumble. How did James’ blissful life come to an end? How did James manage to find that giant peach? And a whole lot more questions that is circling our minds will be answered once we get a hold of the book.

     This is a wonderfully written book by Roald Dahl! This book has a pinch of excitement, a spoonful of adventure, and a potful of peach on the side! Roald Dahl has authored a lot of brilliant books, and this book is definitely one of them! They even created a movie version that children would surely enjoy watching! Of all the characters in the story, James is the one I like the most. He is certainly the best because of the traits he exude throughout the story like braveness, full of wit, and a friend to everyone.

     I recommend this book for children ages 8 years old and above because it is a little bit long however it would capture the interest of the reader. It has a very adventurous theme that can be entertain adults who love fantasy stories. Kids’ imaginations would surely soar! Have an enormously fun time reading it!

-By Tim

Proverbs to Ponder: Better Late Than Never

Meaning:
     The proverb "better late than never" means it is better to do something late than not doing it at all.

Example:
     You are one hour late Randy! Better late than never!

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Proverbs to Ponder: Knowledge is Power

The proverb "knowledge is power" means that people who know more than others have an advantage.

Example:
      Reading books is a great way to increase your knowledge! Remember, knowledge is power!

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Idiom of the Day: A Fly on the Wall

Meaning:
      The expression "a fly on the wall" means a person who can see and hear what is going on somewhere without being noticed by the people in the place.


Example:
      It was not nice to be a fly in the wall when Jessica was talking to her group about their surprise party for Janice.

Proverbs to Ponder: What Goes Up Must Come Down

Meaning:
     The proverb "what goes up must come down" means that something that has risen must go down to its old self.


Example:
     Joe "The Bolt" Anderson used to be a famous wrestler, but what comes up must come down. Due to age, Joe is now retired.

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All for One, One for All!

      Do you know the Three Musketeers? The most distinctive thing about them is that they always stick together even though they are in trouble. You are and your family are the same. You trust each other to help each out when one of you are in trouble.

      The Bible says that you should help each other out in bad or hard times. Even though there is a member of your family that that you don't get along very nicely, you need to stick up for them or help them out in a problem, even if you are not in the mood. Jesus had sticked up for us by dying for us, even though we did a lot of sin.

      Thank God and Jesus for blessing you your family. And even though sometimes you don't want to help your brother or sister, remember that Jesus sticked up for us first, and that you should be the same. Repeat this verse “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” -Romans 12:9 if you can't decide if you should stick up for your family,  go out there and do what's right!

Prayer
Lord,
      Thank you for blessing me with a family. Help me stick together with my family when hard times come. Let me stick up for my family even though some of then don't get along with me. And please protect my family from danger or trouble. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.

"How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!"

Psalm 133:1

Idiom of the Day: Go the Distance

Meaning:
      The expression "go the distance" means that somebody continues doing something until they have completed it.

Example:
      Jason says that he will go the distance to finish that model.

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