catching up

Hiya friends. Long time no talk. I've been looking at my pictures from my recent adventures and thought I would share! Goodness! So much has happened in the last few months.

The Lord has brought me through two really difficult things recently. I then went to Hawaii on a honeymoon after the Lord delivered me through the tough crap, come home only to another difficult thing. So thankful the LORD knows just what our breaking point is.

I found this picture of Jo and Jess from Valentine's Day. I've spent the last 9 months with these beautiful ladies every other Thursday night. We've been studying Beth Moore's teaching of Daniel--which has been helpful lately as we've been going through Revelation on Wednesday Nights. As Beth says..."Can I get an Amen?"

Just a random cute little photo of my students. We went on our yearly adventure to the aquarium. Here is just a handful of my lovely 25 Kinder and 1st graders. Only 4 years under my belt, but these are the best little monkeys by far--and I have 5 more kids than normal and Kinders and 1st graders in the same class!

I was able to fly down to San Diego two days after getting back from Hawaii to go to Jason Krach's wedding. I finally got to meet his beautiful bride and was sooo excited to see that Jason's biggest dream of getting married was coming true! He was glowing more than the bride. :-D Yeah for Jason!!

waiting-copied from roger and janet’s blog.

Blessed Is the One Who Waits"
It may seem an easy thing to wait, but it is one of the postures which a Christian soldier does not learn without years of teaching. Marching and quick-marching are much easier to God's warriors than standing still. There are hours of perplexity when the most willing spirit, anxiously desirous to serve the Lord, knows not what part to take. Then what shall it do? Vex itself by despair? Fly back in cowardice, turn to the right hand in fear, or rush forward in presumption? No, only simply wait.
Wait in prayer, however. Call on God, and spread the case before him; tell him your difficulty and plead his promise of aid. In dilemmas between one duty and another, it is sweet to be humble as a child and wait with simplicity of soul on the Lord. It is sure to be well with us when we feel and know our own folly, and are heartily willing to be guided by the will of God.
But wait in faith. Express your unstaggering confidence in him, for unfaithful, untrusting waiting is but an insult to the Lord. Believe that if he keeeps you tarrying even till midnight, yet he will come at the right time; the vision will come and will not tarry.
Amen. A very encouraging meditation for us, especially in a season of waiting. God is so very good. We are enjoying the beauty of the desert, hiking, and each other. There is so much to be in prayer for. And as the prophet Isaiah says, "There is joy in my house of prayer." (Isaiah: 56:7)

Sunday-Saturday Prayer

If you are praying for someone who has gone astray in some way---the Lord gave me a way to remember to pray for that person Sun-Sat. My dear friend has been gone for over 3 months now, and I was getting discouraged praying the same thing.

This may be case specific-but it may work for you!

Sunday-Sorrow (Godly) will lead to repentance. (2 Corinthians 7:10-For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.)

Monday-Mom/Daughter

Tuesday-Tired (He will grow tired of his sin)

Wednesday-Weather and elements will bug ‘him’ the wrong way to just return home.

Thursday-Thoughts (That the enemy will have no reign over his thoughts and that he will remember scriptures and memories of the times he was clean.

Friday-Fears and Failures

Saturday-Sin that separates.

God loves His Stupid Sheep

So tonight Pastor Geoff spoke on God being our Father, Shelter and Shepherd. The thing that stood out to me is God as my Shepherd. I learned that sheep refuse to drink from running water. He leads me beside still waters. He makes me lie down in green pastures. I love that God will make us be where we need to be. A shepherd sometimes needs to use his ROD to push the sheep down, even if the sheep fights, the Shepherd knows what's best for his sheep. A Shepherd spends 100% of his time staring at sheep. His job is to keep the sheep safe, even when the sheep think they know what's going on.

In high school, one summer at camp, we made up a song--and one of the verses was, "God loves his stupid sheep, even when we get no sleep."

Sheep are so stupid, but think they know everything!

The summer of 2005 was spent in Austria living at a Castle doing housekeeping. I almost despised every second of my time there. I met a few special people and I feel like that's why God had me go....but after tonight I can think of another reason. Sheep.

The weather at the Castle is nuts during the summer with the biggest thunder and lightening storms I had ever experienced. Lightening that flashed the entire sky and thunder that made the whole castle shake!

Well imagine a whole bunch of dumb sheep having to be outside during a thunder and lightening storm. This thunder shook the ground, and not just for a few seconds, but almost a minute at a time shaking! Those sheep cried like mad. I have never heard a group of animals complain about how miserable they were like those dumb sheep. They also stunk. After a hard rainfall, those sheep were soo stinky.

We were able to compare humans to sheep in so many ways that summer, and got a greater understanding of why God compares us to sheep. We deserve it. We think we know best. We try to fight our shepherd. We cry and get scared when we shouldn't be. We also are good at making ourselves stink. (not physically, but we can totally stink spiritually.)

He Walked Away-changed “She to He” By Barlow Girl

"He Walked Away"
He couldn't take one more day
Home was more his prison now
Independence called out
He had to get it
A fight was all he needed
To give him reason
He slammed the door with no goodbye
And knew that it was time
Now he's driving too fast
He didn't care to glance behind
And through his tears he laughed
It's time to kiss the past goodbye
I'm finally on my own
Don't try to tell me no
There's so much more for me
Just watch what I will be
He walked away
Couldn't say why he was leaving
He walked away
He left all he had believed in
He walked away
Not a day goes by
For the one he's left behind
They're always asking why
And thoughts of him consume their mind
God please let him know
The love we tried to show
We'd promise anything
If you'd just bring him home
Tell him we love him
Tell him he's wanted
One more thing God
Tell him please come home
Please come home
The choice is yours alone now
Tell me how this story ends

[spoken:]
While the son was still a long way off
His father saw him, and felt compassion for him
and ran and embraced him and kissed him
"Let us celebrate for this child of mine was dead
and he has come back to life,
He was lost and now he is found"
and they began to celebrate
[Luke 15:20 and 24]

just a test

just a test to see if this works! i’m setting a link from my computer directly to the blog!

Don’t know where to begin, it’s like my world’s caving in

And I try but I can’t control my fear

Where do I go from here?

Sometimes it’s so hard to pray when You feel so far away

But I am willing to go where You want me to God, I trust You

There’s a raging sea right in front of me

Wants to pull me in, bring me to my knees

So let the waters rise if You want them to

I will follow You, I will follow YouI will follow You

I will swim in the deep ‘cause You’ll be next to me

You’re in the eye of the storm and the calm of the sea

You’ll never out of reach

God You know where I’ve been, You were there with me then

You were faithful before, You’ll be faithful again

I’m holding Your hand

God Your love is enough,

You will pull me throughI’m holding onto You

God Your love is enough, I will follow YouI will follow You

prayer

Please pray for my friend who is making some really dumb choices right now.

I Believe

I Believe in the Sun

Even when it's not shining

I Believe in Love

Even when I don't feel it

I Believe in God

Even when He is Silent

----Barlow Girl

Pretty Bad

I haven't updated in ages, and its pretty bad when I can scroll down on the same page and find that there was a post from April! I went and saw Julie and Julia last night and was a little bit inspired to start blogging again. I just feel with the new school year beginning there is always something more important to do than sit down and blog. BUT! It pays off later when in a few years I can get online and remember all the different things that were going on in my life.

So for the updates:

I was laid off in June this year and got called a week before school started to get my job back! I was so blessed. I started teaching August 10th and I have 7 kinders and 18 1st graders in my K/1 combo class. Kindergarten sure scared the crap outta me at the beginning of the year, but it seems to get better day after day. They are all so adorable, so it makes up for their lack of skills! They will come up with the funniest things to say at the funniest time to say it.

During the time I teach reading I have 35 in my class! I have decided this year that I really LOVE teaching phonics and reading. It is a lot of fun, and it is soo rewarding to watch little ones who can't read develop into strong readers and writers. Getting to dissect the different sounds of our language and try to teach them to 35 different little minds is a great but fun challenge! I only had 20 last year but it was such a difficult class. Even though I have a bunch more students--this year is going great!

I also get to work closely with a strong christian who loves to talk about God all day long. Its a great encourgament for me. I thank God that not only I was able to come back to King (like I prayed so boldly) but I get to work with another believer!

Alright, maybe I'll get back on the bandwagon and post more each week. I'll try to find some pictures someday too.

Thanks for reading!