Parents, teachers, and students have had to make significant adjustments to a new normal in recent weeks. We are all feeling these adjustments in various ways: limited our out-of-home movement, restricted in-person social interaction, and endless cancelled activities and plans. And perhaps one of the biggest shifts is working and studying at home.

Human communication has taken on a whole new flavor of creativity as technology continues to increase and expand. Particularly in the realms of social media and texting, people rely on more than just the written word to express themselves. We now have emoticon, emojis, Bitmoji, filters, and more to add a visual component to our words. For my generation (Gen Z), videos, GIFs and memes are part of our native language. As such, it's a good idea for parents to stay up-to-date on the meaning of GIFs and memes popular among teens.

I may be a glutton for punishment, but I love the Israeli wilderness. It’s one of my favorite places to take people during study tours in the Holy Land. It’s barren, hot, and rocky. It’s what I imagine being on Mars must feel like. Needless to say, it’s certainly not a walk in the park. However, there’s an unseen beauty in the wilderness.

I think of the wilderness as one of God’s favorite classrooms to teach His People. It’s a place He takes them to learn who He is, who they are, and how they should live.