Why this Title?

Any kid who has been in my Sunday school class can tell you that I'm a teacher wannabe... and that they reap the "benefits" in the form of pop quizzes and final exams! I really don't think they can complain too much though... judge for yourself, the last question of the 2007-8 final exam for pre-teens was: "True or False, pepperoni pizza is clearly superior to cheese pizza." Of course, we had to have pizza of each variety to assess which was the correct answer!

But, really, I don't intend for this post to be all about me... I believe God is the ultimate "Pop Quiz Giver" and that He's orchestrated the circumstances in my life to test me and see how I'm doing on this life-long journey of learning. He already knows the answer to that question, but sometimes the "quiz" of the day opens my eyes to what I'm really thinking or believing... and whether or not it's right.

In college I took a class called "Methods of Secondary Education". One night in class the professor asked each student, "How do you learn?" One by one, my classmates gave up the textbook answers, "I read the material, then re-read it, then do the assigned questions" and other such tried-and-true methods. When the prof got to me, he gave me "the look", which seemed to acknowledge that he expected me to come out with something different (a reasonable expectation based on everything he had witnessed from me in the class thus far), and I responded, "I learn the hard way... every time".

So, that's the premise of this post. A ground for me to share the latest quizzes and tests dished out in my crazy life - and perhaps it will help someone else avoid "learning the hard way... every time". And, maybe, it'll give someone an opportunity to consider what God really hopes to find when He gives those tests...