Detour

A Whole New World. I should be singing that song. God has really blown my mind in the past couple of weeks. You see, I graduated from college in December. I planned NOT to teach. I planned to sub until something more appealing came available. Boy, how He messes up our plans. I started teaching at a homeschool co-op organization that meets once a week. I was planning, grading, and doing all the other teacher stuff! I decided that I would do that along with subbing and just keep doing that right on.

Then one night I got a call from the principal of the school I did my internship in with a desperate plea to sub for a teacher who lost her daughter right before Christmas. It was a 3 week job, and I would have to figure out something for the co-op. I prayed about it, and it only felt right.

As I am subbing in this first grade class, I feel overwhelmed. I feel like I am in a whole new world! Surprisingly, though, it is sooo much fun! I can't believe it! Despite the body juices, tying shoes, crying, and holding hands, we are having a good time! I have learned to be firm and gentle at the same time. It is so amazing!

I do not know what lies ahead for me. I am almost scared to make plans if God is just going to change them! I should trust Him, though. He has never led me astray, and I know He never will.

Explain to Me...

I've had this thought in my head for a couple of days. Do I want God's power in my life at the cost of my unholiness?

I've been thinking about the power of God lately. You know, if you read the Bible, God's power is displayed in numerous great events. People were healed of awful diseases, dead people were brought back to life, demons were forced to leave the bodies they made homes from, and so on. God's power left people whole and at peace. What happened? Why did it stop? Why am I not seeing this kind of stuff around me today? I really feel like we don't want God's true power because if His true power enveloped us, we would have to give up our unholiness. I don't know how many of us truly want that.

I struggle with that. Yet, there is this thirst inside of me for something more than this cute little Christian life I'm living. I want Christ's love shared with those around me. I want them to see a difference by the power of God in my life. I don't want to settle for being sick, seeing people's lives ruined by Satan, and so on. I want His name to be magnified through His own works on our earth.

What does that mean today? Why don't we see that today? What are your thoughts? Are you willing to lose your unholiness to gain His power? That's an excellent question.

This is Big!

So, one of our middle school students said something amazing today:

"Do you ever stop and think about this: we are alive. This is big."

If only we held that in our hearts forever. We are alive. This is big. God has great things for us. Let's live like it.

Thanks, L, for that great moment this morning.

James 1:17

What are we doing?

The Church & A Frying Pan Moment

Tonight, I let things get the best of me. I found myself steaming and very uncomfortable with the church in general. I have discussions with God like "Why couldn't you have put me in a place where there is this amazing church that really has a heart for glorifying You and reaching Your people?" I'm usually just being dramatic and selfish. It is a process that I'm used to, which is kind of sad.

I must say, though, tonight, I was pretty ticked. It was different than before. It wasn't an anger just to be angry and to hate someone. I've been there before. It was kind of a frustration that, as a teacher, I've felt before. As a teacher, you have these students that really frustrate you for one reason: potential. You know that if they put their minds to it, if they would just stop focusing on acting out, if they just did this or that, you know that they could outshine anyone in the class. Yet, for some reason, they choose to ignore their potential. That's the kind of frustration I felt tonight. If the church would just open her eyes...If the church would just read their Bible...If the church would just get their mind off of...

I got so bothered, that I finally had to go into my room, and I was going to find a Bible verse to read about how stupid the church was in general. So I turned in my Bible to Isaiah 57. This chapter is the first of a couple of chapters that talks about how God's people aren't doing right, how the leaders are doing wrong, how they should have purer hearts. I kept reading, reminding myself piously of how I had the right idea and everyone else was wrong.

Until...

Until I came up on this verse. I read these words, and it was one of, what I call, the frying pan moments. I read these words and they jumped up at me. My pride soon turned to humility. My complaints soon stopped. My criticisms turned to tears as my heart broke for our Lord's body.

"He (God) saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessor [no one to intervene on behalf of truth and right]" (Isaiah 59:16 AMP).

POW! Talk about backing up. I wonder how many times God has searched for someone to intervene on behalf of truth and right for His people? I wonder how many times He has found no one? Why, instead of complaining and feeling that frustration, do I not stand before God and ask grace for His people?

When I read those words, I felt God's peace flood my heart. I don't want to be one of the many that is ignoring God's search for an intercessor-in any area. Because of one of my passions, my mind immediately goes to orphans & widows. How many times has God not been able to find someone to intervene for them - I hate that! I want to change that.

I looked up the Hebrew background of "intercessor," and it comes from the word paga. This word means "to meet," "to encounter," "to join," and "to entreat." Literally, when we go before God on behalf of someone or something else, we are meeting God for those people/situations/things. We are encountering the complete grace of God in proxy of that person! How incredible is that! I also found it interesting that this word could also mean "to attack" and "to strike a boundary." Not only am I meeting with God for that person/situation/thing, I am attacking and setting a boundary against the enemy for that person. What power can lie in intercession!

No one else may find this as life-changing or as interesting as I do, but I could not help share what spoke to me on this night. What does it mean to you to intercede for someone?

My Day In Images

Well, today, I started my first day teaching at a local co-op for home school students. I am the resident Geography, Government, Physical Science, Anatomy, and General Science teacher. I was a little nervous, but things turned out well. I have a great group of kids. Granted, I only have them once a week, but they are great for me. After school, I ran a few errands and then came home. You can see some pictures from my ride home.












I did a lot of cleaning and organizing. You know my constant battle with organization. I organized some school supplies that I have gathered in the past couple of months.




What do you think? Do I have a weakness or what?

Praying for Haiti

So something just kind of hit me. I was looking at my entry from earlier today. I can't believe I could be so selfish. Here I am complaining about my life. And my heart turns to Haiti. I can't help but think of the hurt and the need there. Turning my focus off of me, I could be praying for them. They need God's attention and Christ's love more than anything right now. Oh, how my heart is praying for them. Please help them - be an extension of Christ's love. Go to World Vision or Compassion to send some help.

I'm still praying for the people of Haiti. Here are some encouraging words from "Beauty Will Rise," a song by Steven Curtis Chapman. They bring me comfort in my tears and prayers.

"Out of these ashes... beauty will rise
and we will dance among the ruins
We will see Him with our own eyes
Out of these ashes... beauty will rise
For we know, joy is coming in the morning...
in the morning... "

Organizing Life

About every 3 months, if you go into my room, you can find me in a position which I normally find myself at the same time every 3 months. I am sitting by my bed, with papers strung out all over the floor. My purse is usually emptied (and if you know how big my purse is, you know what a great thing that is), my receipts are all on the floor, my computer is open, and I'm squandering, probably doing something as small as cleaning the screen on my cell phone.

You see, I by nature am a very extreme person. I mean by that that if I am not extremely organized, I am extremely messy. If I am not extremely happy, I can be extremely sad. My whole life is this pursuit of balance in different areas- organization being one of them.

Well, today, I sat down, yet again, organizing my life. Only this time, it got in a mess in about a month. Ever since I graduated college, I feel like my brain has oozed out and my organization skills have gone out the window! My house is messy, I have piles in my room, and I just can't seem to get a routine to be productive. I seem so lazy these days!

Anyway, I am organized once again. I like it that way. I just need to figure out a way to keep it that way. Suggestions are well accepted. I'm so glad that God does not get as frustrated with our lives as I do my own. He sees them - just as messy and unorganized as they are, and yet, He still takes them on, cleans them right up and sets us on our way. No matter how many times we disorganize, He's always there, to sit in the middle of everything, and organize. I love it!

Here's to organization and my constant pursuit of its happiness!