February is the shortest month...but full of fun!

Hello Friends,

February is a short, but fun month. Is it because we have to get through these last days of the winter? 

February 2 is Ground Hog Day. The official pronouncement from Puxatauny Phil was six more weeks of winter! Brrrrr. That forecast is accurate.

February 4 is Superbowl Sunday. This is a great American holiday. The Philadelphia Eagles are pitted against the New England Patriots. The game will be played in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Important talking points for football and non-football fans:

• Tom Brady (the quarterback for The Patriots) is 40 years old and yet he looks younger than ever! He is also the "the most winningest" quarterback in Superbowl history. "Deflate Gate" is Tom Brady's last Superbowl scandal where the footballs used in the weren't inflated to the proper pressure.

• The Eagles are the underdogs of the season and of this game. Pregame picks have been against the Eagles and now rumor has it that many of the first string players have the flu!

• This is the sixth Superbowl for the Patriots. They are favored to win.

• This match is 52 but you will see the competition written in Roman numerals, only:

• Superbowl LII (yes, it's big and bold!)

February 9 is the little known National Pizza Day. This versatile dish can be enjoyed any time of day. Cold pizza for breakfast is legendary. Some other pizza trivia for your consideration:

• Pepperoni is the most popular, preferred by 36% of the people. 

• Over 3 Billion pizzas are sold n the U.S. each year. 

• More pizzas are sold on Super Bowl Sunday, than any other day of the year. 

• Halloween is the second most popular day for eating pizzas.   

• The first pizza was sold in Naples Italy in 1738.

• Americans consume over 23 pounds of pizza per year. 

February 13: Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday the "party day" before the season of Lent.

February 14: Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent (the 40 days before Easter), a season of meditation and fasting in anticipation of Easter.

February 14: Valentine's Day is celebrated in schools and homes. Recognize the one' you love. Every family looks at this holiday differently. Elementary school children exchange cards. Middle School and High School students can buy flowers or balloons as fundraisers to give to their friends and crushes. Girls in these age ranges give cards and small gifts to their friend group (also known as posse or squad).

In case you want to chase the winter blahs with more February holidays, check Holiday Insights to discover more reasons for fun.

International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, room 100. 
Our study group continued our reading and discussion of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:21-32. In Old Testament times, God had given the Ten Commandments to Moses to share with the Children of Israel. They were a guide for how to live for the Jewish believers. Every devout Jew knew these Commandments well. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus dug deeper into them.

"Do not murder." No problem. I have never seriously entertained the thought of taking another person's life. However, Jesus says it's just as bad when I get angry with someone or call someone an idiot or a fool or worse. Uh-oh! Now I'm not feeling quite so smug about my behavior.

"Do not commit adultery." I'm in good shape here, married to one man whom I've never cheated on. However, Jesus says that if I've ever had an impure sexual thought, I'm guilty of adultery. How does that make me feel? Convicted. Humble.

Jesus speaks about divorce and raises the bar on that as well. Sin creates discord. Jesus outlines how to solve the conflict and how we can reconcile our relationships with Him and with others. He tells us, "You are broken, but I can fix all your troubles."

When Jesus spoke, He expanded on what it means to live a God-pleasing life. As the notes in my Concordia Self-Study Bible explain, "He emphasized the deep, underlying principles and total commitment to it (the Law) rather than mere external acknowledgment and obedience."

How can we achieve this purity of heart that God desires? We can't. But Jesus did fulfill the Law in the sense that He gave the Law its full meaning. He kept it perfectly, and He showed His love for us by taking the punishment for our failures. Then He rose from the dead to show that He had completed the work of salvation for us.-Jan Heimann

February 6:  We are learning so much about God's Word and His promises for us. Join us next week when we finish Matthew chapter 5.

International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, room 100. 
We met to plan through February. We have a lot of fun and friendly activities ahead of us. Check out what we plan to do on our International Friends Calendar.

February 6: Join us and celebrate Reina's birthday. Come and play party games and eat cake and ice cream and other snacks. Bring your kids.

Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, room 209. 
Our plan was to talk about American quirks and articles from the Easy English News, but instead we talked about politics and religion. These two topics are usually avoided in casual conversation, but they are important to discuss as they are difficult to articulate in your home language, so how much harder would they be in a new language. It is difficult to talk about spiritual and emotional topics because words (in any language) are hard to find to express what we are feeling. In addition to politics and religion, we noticed that economics also falls under the don't talk category! So true. 

February 7: OK. This time we WILL talk about Americanisms and the papers! Pick your favorites to discuss.

English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms.  

official pronouncement: a decree; making a statement that is 

talking points: important ideas for discussion

than ever: more

scandal: a morally wrong act that causes public outrage (anger)

rumor: gossip, stories that are being told without validation

first string: first or top players in a game

underdogs: not favored to win

inflated/deflated: filling (or not filling) a ball, balloon or tire with air

big and bold: larger than life, important

trivia: details or information that is often without value

winter blahs: feeling tired of the cold and gray weather

smug: contentedly confident of one's ability, superiority, or correctness
devout: earnest or sincere; pious
reconcile: to bring into agreement or harmony; to make compatible or consistent

articulate: put into words, talk about

Americanisms: words/habits of Americans