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The Big Three
Some days are filled with such long to do lists or other obligations. When life gets crazy busy, I just want to be directed to the main things I need to do. What can I do to survive and still do what is needed? Well, there is no magic list fairy that is going to tame my to do list or give me an outline for how I should spend my time. As much as I would like some kind of direction, I find I am pulled in many different directions each and every day. Even in my faith life I have those feelings. There are many different agendas out…
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When Being Thankful Seems Impossible
Lately I find listening to newscasts extremely frustrating. There is so much hurt and pain in the world. I don’t think a day goes by without some natural disaster occurring or major accident or political turmoil being reported. At times, the weight of it all lies heavy on my heart and mind. It is so easy to find myself drawn to thinking about all these unpleasant things and letting those thoughts detract from my day. Perhaps you are similar – bad reports all around us drain us of our energy. We can feel powerless as we learn of all these terrible things going on in our world, many of which…
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The Good Deposit
The chains are binding his hands and feet. His accommodations are cold and dark. Many have deserted him and at times he is lonely for the life he once had. He knows the end is near and that soon he will be in heaven with Jesus and that brings joy; but there is also an urgency to give some parting words of wisdom to his beloved associate in this time of great persecution. The apostle Paul mentors young Timothy. Now that Paul knows his time on earth is short, he feels it imperative to give Timothy one last farewell letter. In this letter, Paul offers encouragement to stand firm in…
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Who Are You Called to Be?
Piece by piece I wade through piles of paper. It is amazing how much stuff I have collected with years of teaching. The task of sorting through mounds of lessons plans and activity pages makes my brain tired. How do I prioritize? Some choices are easy – like ditching old curriculum. Other choices not so much. As I look through some materials, I envision the plans I had to use all these things – grand ideas of what I was going to do as a teacher. Part of my choices as to what to keep center on what kind of teacher I am now. I need to consider what I…
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God Leads, We Follow
As I look out at my students and see them all on task, I am grateful. Getting my students on track is a big task in the early weeks of school. When we finally get to the point where the majority know what they are to do and when and where they are to do it, we have accomplished a great deal. Our classroom would not be successful without obedience to both school and classroom expectations. Obedience is part of the framework that helps our day run successfully. Of course, I always have those darling little imps who like to frequently push the limits. They quickly learn, however, that obedience…
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Getting to the Root of the Matter
As I putter in my garden today, cleaning up weeds around my fruit trees, I come across what appears to be some thriving bushes and small trees. Their lush green growth and increased size should be indicators that they are doing well. On closer examination, I see that what I perceived as full, healthy leaves is actually another tree that has grown up in amongst the fruit tree or bush. This really annoys me. If I catch the situation early, then the offending tree is much easier to pull out. Pulling out a small seedling can be done by hand without much effort. As much as I try to be…
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All That is Required
My last day of school is done and now I am free for a few weeks. It has been gruelling days of final evaluations, report cards, preparing next year’s class lists, and a multitude of other tasks to close out one school year and prepare for the next. My brain is tired from navigating all the to do lists and trying to make sure I meet all the requirements for my school. Requirements are a necessary part of life in many ways. Schools would not function if they didn’t have a cohesive organizational plan that keeps all staff dealing with students in the same fashion. We have a standard report…
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Casting Your Cares
It is a memory I cherish – my little three-year-old girl singing her heart out. She has always loved music and she was taken with a musical group that visited our church. One of their songs that she latched onto was the praise chorus – I Cast All My Cares. She sang that song over and over for weeks. Even at this young age, she grasped the importance of this beloved chorus which is based on the following verse: “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you.” Psalm 55:22 As she sang that song over and over, I was given the reminder of how our loving God…
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Where Is the Joy in This?
One of the many tasks I have as a teacher is outdoor supervision for recess breaks. Generally, I enjoy walking around and engaging with the students in their various activities. Of course, there are always the moments when conflicts arise. Sadly, bullying and unkindness occur. Some of the hardest words to hear are when children approach me and says others are being mean to them and they don’t know what to do. Sometimes I have to directly intervene, but frequently my advice to these students is to go enjoy another part of the playground and remove themselves from the bad situation. I remind them that it is lovely to be…
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God Can Do Dramatic Changes in Us
A young man stands there with a smug, arrogant look on his face. There is actually delight in his demeanour as one of the followers of “The Way” (another name for the early Christian church) is stoned to death. This is what he is working for – to eliminate those in this new movement; a movement he doesn’t truly understand. Young Saul hears the words of Stephen, whose last speech was a great oracle of faith. Stephen clearly speaks of God’s plan of salvation in Jesus Christ alone. Yet Saul appears immune to all he hears. Saul quickly gains a strong reputation for his tactics to round up and arrest…
