At first, I thought it was crazy that they would spend time on this type of education, but I have come to realize that people learn these types of sayings only because they are exposed to them. Anyway....
The current topic for social studies is the early American settlers and the American Indians. Evidently, the saying for this period is "Smoking the peace pipe." (Daddy Mac went hysterical when he heard this one...he said that he would have gotten detention if he had been talking about smoking the "peace pipe" in his day...but I digress).
After hearing a really good sermon one night about repaying evil with good, I thought that I had a really good teachable moment and started to chat with Goosey about a scenario that she had just went through a school.
Me: I want to know what you would do in this situation, Goosey.
GL: Sure.
Me: Say a little girl was telling everyone at recess that you were hateful, and mean, and a gossip and that no one should play with you. She makes up all this bad stuff because you are playing with someone she wants to play with by herself.
GL: I bet you are talking about Hannah G.
Me: This is hypothetical. Do you know know what the Bible tells us that we should do when someone unjustly attacks us?
GL:
Me: Jesus commands us to do this....
GL: Smoke the peace pipe?
I went nuts! I was laughing and she was confused as to why her answer was so funny. I explained that "Smoking the peace pipe" was not part of the Scriptures, but the gist of it could be taken from the Bible...be at peace with others...
I told Goosey not to be embarrassed. When I was in first or second grade, one of our Sunday school lessons was about tithing and how God will bless those that are faithful with their income. The example was J.C. Penny. He was an evangelical believer in Christ and tithed his income from his department store. God blessed his business.
After hearing that lesson, I remember getting out of the car at the mall and reading the store sign: JCPenny's. I declared to my mom that I knew exactly who Penny was: One of Jesus's disciples and a minor prophet in the Bible. My mom rolled with laughter and had to correct me: J.C. Penny was not one of the original 12 disciples, nor was he a minor prophet.
Daddy Mac, hearing this story at dinner a few nights later, thought it was funny and decided to educate the kids a little further on the Bible. He quizzed both Goosey and Little Man on the 13th disciple since it evidently was not J.C. Penny. [Side note: I was SO impressed! I knew that we had heard a bit on the 13th disciple during a sermon in the last several months and thought that Daddy was really stepping up in his Biblical knowledge.]
The kids sat there having absolutely no idea what the answer was...
Daddy Mac then dropped the "answer" on them: The 13th disciple was...BILLY GRAHAM.
I almost fell in the floor I was laughing so hard! I was protesting and going on. Daddy was laughing and admitted that he was joking (the kids did not see much humor in it).
I am just waiting for one of the Sunday school teachers to relay Carter's response to the name of the most beloved disciple...
(For the record, after Judas betrayed Jesus and then committed suicide, his replacement was Matthias...found in Acts 1.)
