Saturday, April 3, 2010

Teeth and Eyes

Here is another post in my Conversation Ideas series.

TEETH
Is anyone in your family a dentist? Is that a very high paying job in your country? How old were you when you first went to the dentist? Was it for a check up or some specific problem with your teeth? How do you feel when you go to the dentist?

Talk about: toothaches, cavities, fillings, root canals, crowns, cleaning, polishing, braces, dentures, implants, and wisdom teeth.

Discuss what foods make your teeth strong or weak.

The Injeel talks a little about teeth. But it’s usually in regards to hell(ja-hannam). There will be gnashing of teeth(Matthew 8:12 – Jesus’ own words) Does the Qur’an say this, too? What do you think it means? (You can share the good news that Isa al Masih has made it possible so we can be spared from jahannam and that misery.)

EYES
Is anyone in your family an optometrist? Have you ever worn glasses or contacts? Discuss what foods are good for eyesight.

Our eyes are like mirrors that tell us what someone is feeling. Talk about angry eyes, hateful eyes, loving eyes, flirting eyes, lustful eyes, depressed eyes, twinkling eyes, etc. Our eyes “talk”.

Do you know anyone who is blind? Discuss blindness and what it must be like and if there are special schools for blind people in your friend’s country. (You can share about Braille for reading and that there are special dogs that are trained for blind people.) How do blind people get around in your country? By a friend, a special stick or a trained dog? (You could tell her the story of Jesus healing a man born blind from John 9)

I understand many Muslim women are afraid of the evil eye(al ayn or al hasooda - Arabic or nazar – Urdu, Persian. This is about someone who is jealous and by a glance can cause harm, like sickness or a curse, to someone else. Jealousy is called “hassad” Check for info at http://islamicarticles.wordpress.com/evil-eye/ ). Can you tell me what that is all about? Are you afraid of al ayn/nazar? Why? (This is a big topic of interest and concern to Muslim women. Assure her of God’s eye upon her which is a good eye. He looks at us with love and His eye is much stronger than any evil eye.)

Share the story of how King Saul became jealous of the nabi Daoud(prophet David in OT). Discuss the issue of jealousy/hassad. God is also jealous but His jealousy over you is a perfect good jealousy and is from a heart of love. If someone tries to harm you God is jealous and wants to protect you because He loves you so much.

Another possibility to talk about is that the Injeel says Isa al Masih will come back “in a twinkling of an eye.” Demonstrate what a twinkling of an eye looks like. Discuss the need to be ready for His return because it will happen suddenly. You could read Revelation 1:7 to her. Every eye will see Isa al Masih return in the clouds. (This could lead on to a rabbit trail of the Second Coming).