"When I stand before your throne, dressed in glory not my own,
what a joy I'll sing of on that day.
No more fears or broken dreams, forgotten is the minor key,
everything as it was meant to be.
And we will worship, worship
forever in your presence we will sing.
And we will worship, worship you,
an endless hallelujah to the king.
I will see you as you are
love you with unsinning heart
and see how much you paid to bring me home.
Not till then Lord shall I know
Not till then how much I owe.
Everything I am before your throne.
No more tears, no more shame, no more sin or sorrow ever known again.
No more fears, no more pain.
We will see you face to face, see you face to face."
~ Matt Redman Endless Hallelujah
This song has been at the forefront of my mind and heart as my school and many others mourn the loss of our beloved instructional learning coach. At 38 years old, she was flown to Louisiana for a liver transplant. With great hope, she was first on the list. The doctors found internal bleeding and her body responded by shutting down her organs. Last Sunday she went to be with Jesus.
I have thought of God's great delight welcoming her into heaven. She was one of the people who carried me through my year in 5th grade. Without judgement, she repeatedly came to my class to help me generate lessons to help my students. She would teach, we'd teach together, and we'd brainstorm ways to help my learners. Even this year in first grade, she sat down with me many times to sift through new curriculum. The position may be filled, but there will never be a way to replace her. Her legacy will live on in my school district for years through the lives of teachers and students she impacted.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
A Season of....
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. ~ Philippians 4:6
This is the verse that I knew, but chose not to live last summer as I was very anxious anticipating all the changes professionally of a new district, school, and grade. This combined with continued home renovations was unnerving me to say the least.
This is the exact verse on the page of a prayer journal one of my students gave to me on Friday, our last day of school. The verse is printed on the page immediately next to his personal note to me. Wouldn't you know that each page of the journal has truth from God's word and one of the next pages says:
To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.~Ecclesiastes 3:1
Amen! I am thankful that I am not in charge of choosing the purpose or seasons of my life. Instead, God in his infinite wisdom and meticulous planning prepared each of these before I was born (Psalm 139).
This Spring has been full of new life, spiritual growth, and celebration. Now that school is out, I'll include a few pictures of what God's been up to in my life. This has been a season of building and gathering friendships, laughing and celebrating, a time of planting, and a time to be born!
In February, my friend, Emilie, came out to visit She helped out in my classroom and we traveled to Redwood forests and Monterey. It was special to share my students with her for a few days and to show her around 'my world'!
In March, a few friends and I hosted Kristin's baby shower.
In May, my students and their parents came to celebrate all they've learned this year at an open house. In this area, it's popular to have an 'Open House' each spring to showcase projects completed throughout the year. It was rewarding to visually see the projects that have taught both the students and myself.
In May, Baby Sellers arrived just a few days late. We are all thrilled to finally meet the little one we've been praying for the past 9 months!
This is the verse that I knew, but chose not to live last summer as I was very anxious anticipating all the changes professionally of a new district, school, and grade. This combined with continued home renovations was unnerving me to say the least.
This is the exact verse on the page of a prayer journal one of my students gave to me on Friday, our last day of school. The verse is printed on the page immediately next to his personal note to me. Wouldn't you know that each page of the journal has truth from God's word and one of the next pages says:
To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.~Ecclesiastes 3:1
Amen! I am thankful that I am not in charge of choosing the purpose or seasons of my life. Instead, God in his infinite wisdom and meticulous planning prepared each of these before I was born (Psalm 139).
This Spring has been full of new life, spiritual growth, and celebration. Now that school is out, I'll include a few pictures of what God's been up to in my life. This has been a season of building and gathering friendships, laughing and celebrating, a time of planting, and a time to be born!
In February, my friend, Emilie, came out to visit She helped out in my classroom and we traveled to Redwood forests and Monterey. It was special to share my students with her for a few days and to show her around 'my world'!In March, a few friends and I hosted Kristin's baby shower.In May, my students and their parents came to celebrate all they've learned this year at an open house. In this area, it's popular to have an 'Open House' each spring to showcase projects completed throughout the year. It was rewarding to visually see the projects that have taught both the students and myself. In May, Baby Sellers arrived just a few days late. We are all thrilled to finally meet the little one we've been praying for the past 9 months!Monday, May 19, 2014
Unspeakable Joy
"The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy." ~Psalm 126:3
This time of year naturally brings reflection on God's faithfulness throughout the school year. Yet God's fingerprints are evident, not only on the closing school year, but on many long awaited events that have taken place this past week. So, I'm sharing each of them with you, in hopes that you may also rejoice and stand in awe of what he's done. Some may seem insignificant, but I feel like they prove God delights in demonstrating his love through big and little things.
Saturday, May 10th: Baby Shower, Weights, and Mulch
I meet with two friends weekly to study God's word. We met while teaching on the same team 2 years ago. Even though we've all taught at different schools this year, God's continued to grow our friendships.
This time of year naturally brings reflection on God's faithfulness throughout the school year. Yet God's fingerprints are evident, not only on the closing school year, but on many long awaited events that have taken place this past week. So, I'm sharing each of them with you, in hopes that you may also rejoice and stand in awe of what he's done. Some may seem insignificant, but I feel like they prove God delights in demonstrating his love through big and little things.
Saturday, May 10th: Baby Shower, Weights, and Mulch
- The day began with a baby shower for one of my friends.
- After the shower I went to look for hand weights with a gift card I had. Believe it or not, the store only had one box of weights for exactly the amount of my gift card, 5 lbs, and purple! Perfect.
- Later that evening Paul and I were at Lowes browsing the garden section. We've needed mulch for our vegetable garden, but had been putting it off. An employee walks up to us and says he has 5 bags of opened mulch in the color we needed for a $1 each. (They would've been 3-4 dollars regular price.)
- Paul sold a car he'd' been working for the past two months.
- I received a scholarship for the three classes I took between January and April. It paid for over half of the cost!
- Schools in this area have jog-a-thons to raise money for the PTA. My school awarded the top 9 fund raisers a limo ride to a pizza buffet and movie. Since three of the students were in my class, I was invited to go! They hired a substitute for half the day and off I went!
I meet with two friends weekly to study God's word. We met while teaching on the same team 2 years ago. Even though we've all taught at different schools this year, God's continued to grow our friendships.
- Kristin gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Although the little one decided to be a few days late, we'd been anticipating her arrival for weeks. Not knowing the gender of the baby had us all in suspense throughout Kristin's pregnancy.
- At nearly the same time I received a picture of the baby, I received another text from our other Bible Study member. God gave me the gift of her friendship while mentoring her 2 years ago during her first year of teaching. She applied to my school system back in March. 90 applicants were chosen to be interviewed for around 10 positions. She was hired for one of the open positions without being told where or what she'd be teaching. We'd all been waiting to hear her placement. The news was out....her placement is none other than the room right beside of me, at my school and in my grade next year. Unbelievable!
Friday, April 25, 2014
Lesson 2: Sowing and Reaping
"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." 2 Corinthians 9:6
The first day of school I drove to school with the radio off praying. I didn't know what to do and was terrified of the year that lay before me. Knowing God has placed me in this position, I resolved to take it one day at a time.
As I prayed in a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions (fear, resentment, etc.) God engrained the truth of this verse on my mind. He said:
In that moment God left the choice up to me. I had a choice about how I would approach each day. When I am tried, frustrated, or unmotivated, that's the fruit I receive back from my students. When I am cheerful, loving, and energetic, I receive that back from my students.
This principle also applies to family, marriage, and friendships.
The first day of school I drove to school with the radio off praying. I didn't know what to do and was terrified of the year that lay before me. Knowing God has placed me in this position, I resolved to take it one day at a time.
As I prayed in a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions (fear, resentment, etc.) God engrained the truth of this verse on my mind. He said:
You will reap what you sow this year. If you approach your students with joy, they will give joy back to you.
If you approach them with resentment, that's what you're going to get back.
In that moment God left the choice up to me. I had a choice about how I would approach each day. When I am tried, frustrated, or unmotivated, that's the fruit I receive back from my students. When I am cheerful, loving, and energetic, I receive that back from my students.
This principle also applies to family, marriage, and friendships.
You reap what you sow
Lesson 1: Identity
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith."~ Hebrews 12:2
This was the verse in my devotional this morning. I'm in a season, where the truth of the verse immediately began to seep into my soul.
Fix my eyes.....focus on Jesus
Why? because he perfects my faith.
What a year! As the school year winds down, I find myself unable to express all the truths God has taught me this year. However, I'd like to share a few lessons God's taught me in hopes that they encourage you and may even be true in your own life.
My identity is in Christ.
As many of you know, I moved to my husband's hometown in California a few years ago. The first few months were hard as I pursued a job, church family, friendships, etc. God provided a job within 2 months of substituting teaching in a grade I loved. God used my 2 years teaching at the school to build local friendships and even a Bible Study group with a few other teachers. However, it was clear this was not where God wanted me to permanently teach. Last Spring when I began to knock on doors of other opportunities. God had filled me with peace and joy on the way home from one of my interviews. Afterwards I felt this was his way of preparing me for the shock of the offer, because later I was offered a 5th grade teaching position in this well respected district. After 7 years of teaching (and loving) kindergarten-2nd grade, I worried about it all summer. By the end of the summer I realized that though I was intimidated by teaching a grade I had no experience in and knew little about, my real battle was a spiritual struggle.
I felt like so many parts of my identity changed when I moved here- living near my family, my home church, cats, friendships, my home, and so on. Teaching "little ones" was one part of who I was that God had allowed to be constant until last summer. I begged God to please open up a younger grade and allow me to do what I loved. He said no.
He wanted me to learn that my identity was in HIM.....not in the grade I teach.
The first 3-4 months of the school year were just as hard as I thought they'd be. Once December hit, I began to relax. I've learned that I love teaching period...yes I still prefer the younger grades, but God can provide purpose in any grade. and.....I LOVE my students. Saying goodbye to them and sending them off to middle school in a few weeks is going to be very bittersweet. God's used these students to bring joy, encouragement, and growth in my life. I will miss their smiles and laughs. I will miss the relationships God's grown over the last 10 months. His faithfulness to me this year humbly brings me to my knees. I'll NEVER forget this year.
I needed to learn this lesson from God. He's placed me at a great school with a great team and staff and now, next year, he's allowing me to go back to first grade. However, in the future, if he decides to move me back to an older grade, I desire to trust him and go without such a fit.
This was the verse in my devotional this morning. I'm in a season, where the truth of the verse immediately began to seep into my soul.
Fix my eyes.....focus on Jesus
Why? because he perfects my faith.
What a year! As the school year winds down, I find myself unable to express all the truths God has taught me this year. However, I'd like to share a few lessons God's taught me in hopes that they encourage you and may even be true in your own life.
My identity is in Christ.
As many of you know, I moved to my husband's hometown in California a few years ago. The first few months were hard as I pursued a job, church family, friendships, etc. God provided a job within 2 months of substituting teaching in a grade I loved. God used my 2 years teaching at the school to build local friendships and even a Bible Study group with a few other teachers. However, it was clear this was not where God wanted me to permanently teach. Last Spring when I began to knock on doors of other opportunities. God had filled me with peace and joy on the way home from one of my interviews. Afterwards I felt this was his way of preparing me for the shock of the offer, because later I was offered a 5th grade teaching position in this well respected district. After 7 years of teaching (and loving) kindergarten-2nd grade, I worried about it all summer. By the end of the summer I realized that though I was intimidated by teaching a grade I had no experience in and knew little about, my real battle was a spiritual struggle.
I felt like so many parts of my identity changed when I moved here- living near my family, my home church, cats, friendships, my home, and so on. Teaching "little ones" was one part of who I was that God had allowed to be constant until last summer. I begged God to please open up a younger grade and allow me to do what I loved. He said no.
He wanted me to learn that my identity was in HIM.....not in the grade I teach.
The first 3-4 months of the school year were just as hard as I thought they'd be. Once December hit, I began to relax. I've learned that I love teaching period...yes I still prefer the younger grades, but God can provide purpose in any grade. and.....I LOVE my students. Saying goodbye to them and sending them off to middle school in a few weeks is going to be very bittersweet. God's used these students to bring joy, encouragement, and growth in my life. I will miss their smiles and laughs. I will miss the relationships God's grown over the last 10 months. His faithfulness to me this year humbly brings me to my knees. I'll NEVER forget this year.
I needed to learn this lesson from God. He's placed me at a great school with a great team and staff and now, next year, he's allowing me to go back to first grade. However, in the future, if he decides to move me back to an older grade, I desire to trust him and go without such a fit.
Monday, December 23, 2013
Worth
"Long lay the world in sin and error pining till He appeared and the soul felt it's worth." O Holy Night
"I think of Mary and the virgin birth, and I'm amazed by how much God thinks we are worth, that he would send his only Son to die and sometimes Christmas makes me cry....tears of thankfulness, tears of hope. I cry tears of joy at Christmas cause I know there is peace on Earth for every heart to find."~ Mandissa and Matthew West , Sometimes Christmas Makes Me Cry
These two songs' lyrics prompt reflection within my heart this Christmas. These words remind me that Christmas is about Jesus. He doesn't change, his presence doesn't fade, his love is constant....
Christmas is about God telling you that YOU are of great worth.
Christmas is about God showing you your worth. God sent Jesus, his Son, to Earth. God knew without Jesus we'd be eternally separated from him. Jesus came and died for our eternal salvation. That's how much God thinks we are worth. When we place our trust in Jesus, God sees Jesus' righteousness when he looks at us instead of our sins, mistakes, shortcomings, etc.
That's how much God thinks we are worth.
Praying you find Jesus' peace on Earth.
"I think of Mary and the virgin birth, and I'm amazed by how much God thinks we are worth, that he would send his only Son to die and sometimes Christmas makes me cry....tears of thankfulness, tears of hope. I cry tears of joy at Christmas cause I know there is peace on Earth for every heart to find."~ Mandissa and Matthew West , Sometimes Christmas Makes Me Cry
These two songs' lyrics prompt reflection within my heart this Christmas. These words remind me that Christmas is about Jesus. He doesn't change, his presence doesn't fade, his love is constant....
Christmas is about God telling you that YOU are of great worth.
Christmas is about God showing you your worth. God sent Jesus, his Son, to Earth. God knew without Jesus we'd be eternally separated from him. Jesus came and died for our eternal salvation. That's how much God thinks we are worth. When we place our trust in Jesus, God sees Jesus' righteousness when he looks at us instead of our sins, mistakes, shortcomings, etc.
That's how much God thinks we are worth.
Praying you find Jesus' peace on Earth.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Thanks-remembering
I woke up on Thanksgiving morning trying not to cry the tears that were forming. One by one, the generation of my dearly loved grandparents have gone to be with Jesus. As a child, you think traditions will hold forever. I grew up traveling the four hour drive to my parents' hometown in rural West Virginia. The soundtrack for the drive was a Reader's Digest Country Christmas Collection.
My family always arrived to countless hugs and feasts on both my mom and dad's side. When my grandma had her own house it was always full, each bedroom and couch filled with extended family. You'd never know she had extremely painful arthritis and back pain from fused vertebrae. Once we all showed up, she came alive in the kitchen. You didn't bother asking for recipes because she didn't need any. "A little ____, a little ________" etc. Her specialties? green beans and homemade bread. Oh yeah...and pies: cherry, lemon, chocolate, mincemeat, apple, peach, and so on. If she knew it was your favorite, she made it and lined it up with the other pies across her piano. In her later years I drove up a few days early to help her make pies, only to be fussed at, "Those aren't pie making clothes! You can't make pies in those clothes!" So I'd change and return...she'd accept the help only under direct supervision. Whether there were more side dishes or pies, it's hard to say. Even as an adult, my seat was usually at the "kids table" with my sister, brother, and a few cousins.
After days of preparation and cooking, you'd think she'd take a few days to recuperate. Oh, no! Because next to cooking, shopping was one of her favorite activities. So, around 5:30 a.m. on Black Friday my sister and I would get in her car and ride 30 minutes into Maryland to go to the mall. This began when she no longer knew what to get us for Christmas. So she'd give us an envelope of money and help us pick out Christmas gifts from her. Grandma freely gave her fashion advice. The most important rule: Don't buy something drab. She wasn't afraid to tell you, "That's drab!" We started each year with breakfast biscuits at Chickfilla. Then we'd roam from one side of the mall to the other skipping very few stores. Even in her last years she took us, waiting for us outside the stores. By noon when all the door busters were over, mom and dad would meet us at Jerry's Pizza for lunch. Grandma and dad would pile a plate full of banana peppers for their pizza and I'd get a Strawberry drink at Orange Julius. This continued at least 10 years.
So on Thursday, I woke up smelling the feast, hearing the voices scurrying around, and trying to keep warm. These memories are ingrained and available to replay anytime. That's when the tears started to form. Tears of thankfulness that I have these memories, yet tears of sorrow that they'll remain in the past. Tears that Paul never got to meet my grandma and that she couldn't be at our wedding.
My grandparents are a treasure. They taught me about love and the importance of family despite distance. They taught me the importance of connecting and relating to each other despite differences.
Looking back, makes me realize how much more I should treasure the present. Nothing in life is constant except the Lord. People come into our lives, and we can't take their presence for granted. On Thanksgiving evening Paul and I walked a block down the street to his parents' house and gathered with his whole family. I carried a bowl of green beans I'd made that were a far imitation of grandma's. We have two nieces and two nephews on his side, one of each celebrating their 5th birthday. I sat on the floor with my one year old niece, Molly, in my lap playing the princess game and Scooby Doo game we bought for the twins....and I thought...these memories are precious too.
My family always arrived to countless hugs and feasts on both my mom and dad's side. When my grandma had her own house it was always full, each bedroom and couch filled with extended family. You'd never know she had extremely painful arthritis and back pain from fused vertebrae. Once we all showed up, she came alive in the kitchen. You didn't bother asking for recipes because she didn't need any. "A little ____, a little ________" etc. Her specialties? green beans and homemade bread. Oh yeah...and pies: cherry, lemon, chocolate, mincemeat, apple, peach, and so on. If she knew it was your favorite, she made it and lined it up with the other pies across her piano. In her later years I drove up a few days early to help her make pies, only to be fussed at, "Those aren't pie making clothes! You can't make pies in those clothes!" So I'd change and return...she'd accept the help only under direct supervision. Whether there were more side dishes or pies, it's hard to say. Even as an adult, my seat was usually at the "kids table" with my sister, brother, and a few cousins.
After days of preparation and cooking, you'd think she'd take a few days to recuperate. Oh, no! Because next to cooking, shopping was one of her favorite activities. So, around 5:30 a.m. on Black Friday my sister and I would get in her car and ride 30 minutes into Maryland to go to the mall. This began when she no longer knew what to get us for Christmas. So she'd give us an envelope of money and help us pick out Christmas gifts from her. Grandma freely gave her fashion advice. The most important rule: Don't buy something drab. She wasn't afraid to tell you, "That's drab!" We started each year with breakfast biscuits at Chickfilla. Then we'd roam from one side of the mall to the other skipping very few stores. Even in her last years she took us, waiting for us outside the stores. By noon when all the door busters were over, mom and dad would meet us at Jerry's Pizza for lunch. Grandma and dad would pile a plate full of banana peppers for their pizza and I'd get a Strawberry drink at Orange Julius. This continued at least 10 years.
So on Thursday, I woke up smelling the feast, hearing the voices scurrying around, and trying to keep warm. These memories are ingrained and available to replay anytime. That's when the tears started to form. Tears of thankfulness that I have these memories, yet tears of sorrow that they'll remain in the past. Tears that Paul never got to meet my grandma and that she couldn't be at our wedding.
My grandparents are a treasure. They taught me about love and the importance of family despite distance. They taught me the importance of connecting and relating to each other despite differences.
Looking back, makes me realize how much more I should treasure the present. Nothing in life is constant except the Lord. People come into our lives, and we can't take their presence for granted. On Thanksgiving evening Paul and I walked a block down the street to his parents' house and gathered with his whole family. I carried a bowl of green beans I'd made that were a far imitation of grandma's. We have two nieces and two nephews on his side, one of each celebrating their 5th birthday. I sat on the floor with my one year old niece, Molly, in my lap playing the princess game and Scooby Doo game we bought for the twins....and I thought...these memories are precious too.
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