Bumper stickers

Sometimes i wonder what it would be like if bumper stickers told pure truth about the driver. Like, "Hey, i text while i drive so keep clear of me." I feel like that would be a real asset to those of us who are trying to survive the daily task of getting to work and back in one piece. Then, i started to think about what my bumper stickers would say. Here are a few (side note...none of these are real...but some should be.)
1. I brake for furry critters in the road...hit a bunny once and it made me cry.
2. Driving under the influence of coffee...use caution.
3. I wait for intersections to clear...so don't honk five milliseconds after the light changes. Trust me i am not asleep or blind. I know it is green. (can u tell it bugs me).
4. Believer inside...careful, i may smile at you for no reason.
5. I sing loudly...keep windows rolled up for your own safety. God just said "joyful noise"....so i qualify.

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Coffee time thoughts

I got to school early today. So i actually had time to think (a rare thing these days). Yesterday while teaching world history I had the chance to teach a little old testament to my teens. It shocked me for two reasons. First, few of them even know the accounts of the Patriarchs. Second, they were riveted to the story. It should not surprise but it always does. GODS word is still powerful. Powerful enough to hold even this technology driven instant satisfaction generation captive to its message. Praise God that the Word and the Blood will never lose its power!!!

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Blessings on Wheels

This will not be a long post. Its main purpose is to record for myself the blessings of God so I do not forget it later. For the last month I have seen God providing in ways that only He could in ways that were so special to my circumstances that I KNEW it could only be God...and in this case...all my blessings revolved around wheels.

First of all, about three months ago, we got an estimate done on my husband's 2001 Ford Explorer ("Exploder") as we called it. It was going to cost close to $2,000 to fix it and the car already had over 150,000 miles on it. So, we tried to go the whole summer with just my car. That was hard. Then we tried to go just one week in the school year sharing a car and that proved impossible. But, buying a car, also seemed impossible. Then Ryan calls me at work and said that my insurance company randomly deposited $1,000 dollars into our checking, which happened to be exactly what we needed as a down payment on a new car for Ryan. Praise the Lord. He provided just in time, with just what we needed.

Next, since the beginning of the sport season this summer and into this school year, my principal has been hounding me to get my commercial drivers license so I can drive my volleyball team to our games on the school bus. I am TERRIFIED to take this test. Not because I am afraid to drive this bus...but because one of the schools we play is in Sarasota which means I have to drive a big, scary bus over a RIDICULOUSLY high bridge filled with loud 6th-8th graders and try not to drive over the edge. It sent me into a panic and I began to just secretly wish that I would not have to do it. God is so good to me. Today in my e-mails my athletic director told me that the games in Sarasota got canceled. So, I may still have to get my license, (which is the least of my fears) but the big, scary bridge is OUT of the picture. It is the little things in which I can see the intimate, compassionate heart of my Heavenly Father. Oh how He loves us!!!

Then today, I had a flat tire. Ordinarily this would wig me out. But, today, I took it all in stride and blessed the Lord that it flattened in the school parking lot and not in the middle of a busy intersection.

Finally, I know God is working in my life. This summer has been the most painful, joyful, growing experience of my Christian life. So many questions left unanswered. Yet, God continues to show me every day that He is not done with me yet. Just the other day at school I was having a conversation with one of my kids and they remarked that his parents did not love him and he knew that and it was almost as though he has accepted that as a fact that would never change. It broke my heart into little pieces. Maybe, just maybe, God took my baby to Heaven so I could spend all my energy on the "babies" He has already given me that I get to minister to each and every day. They need someone to care about them, listen to them, and love them like Jesus would. Oh that I would see those needs in the classroom around me and be a blessing to them.

So, dear reader...maybe you are in a low point in your life. Just keep "rolling" along with Jesus. He NEVER lets you down!!!!

First Day of School

Today was the first day of school. This year it felt...different. I felt like a first year teacher all over again. I cannot tell you why I felt this way. I have no logical reason for my feelings on this. But, whatever the reason, I felt like I was sweating bullets all day, my stomach was in knots, and I stuttered and stammered my way through my entire day.

I opened my Bible at my desk this morning to grab a quick dose of inspiration and I found myself in a familiar passage this time. I found myself in Corinthians and Paul was explaining how we believers are in a race and a good runner does not focus on who is behind him, who is before him, what kind of power bar he has in his pocket for later or what flavor the Gatorade is at the finish line. The only thing that runner is thinking about is the prize...winning this race...finishing the course. That was (of course) just what i needed. I have a lot asked of me this year...probably more responsibility than any other year I have taught. I can already feel the pressure squeezing me like a chicken in a pressure cooker. I feel pulled in a million directions and weary. BUT, I know that my Savior is the one who put me on this course. He called me to this race. All I have to do is run with endurance that comes from God. He will help me finish this course no matter how hard the race may be. I need not focus on what others are doing...I need to do my job and be the light and salt I am supposed to be.

So, while this evening I have a bad case of the "first day" blues....I know God has a reason for the challenges of this school year and I know they are for my good.

My viewpoint

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A new school year has dawned. As of tomorrow (August 10th) I am back to work every day and come Monday, I am back to work full time with student in the room. For some reason this petrifies me. I feel like a first year teacher all over again with bats in my tummy and "tremblies" all over me. This starts year number four for me as a teacher and I cannot for the life of me understand why I feel this way. I do know that I have a brand new class to teach, one that I have wanted to teach for a long time but the schedule did not permit it to come aboard here. Now, I have it and I am so excited/nervous about it...I cannot even decide how to begin preparing for the class.

From where I sit, the room is quiet (too quiet if you ask me). Across the hall I can hear the sounds of teachers shifting their desks around and old posters getting removed and new ones going up. I hear the copier working overtime down the hall getting everyone's "first day of school" materials printed up. The clean, fresh smell of new paint is heavy in the hallways. I LOVE sitting here and thinking about what is ahead. What will my new students be like? What will I be able to do this year to help the "boring, dry world" of history come alive? How can God take me, a broken vessel, and use ME to impact lives for eternity? It is staggering when you think about it. So, basically I go from smiling with glee to trembling with awe. Thankfully I am all alone in this room so no one else but me knows how nutty I am. I love what I do, but sometimes the "bigness" (not a word...I know, I know...I never said I taught English now did I?) of my responsibility washes over me like a tsunami wave and I wonder why in the world God pointed me to THIS profession. Yet, I know His promises are true and that if God calls you, He equipts you to do whatever task He lays before you. So, fresh new year...get ready because here I COME!!!

Excuses

I Know this is no excuse for a lack of posts...but as you can see, i have had my hands full with tasks. A real post is probably coming this weekend.

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Friendship

Thankful for friends...new and old.

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