Unexpected

Every Friday morning I wake up well before the sun and head to work early. Friday's are FCA days. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes Meets at 6:30 am at our school. It is the only time that we can meet. It hurts to get up that early, but I do it for the students. Now, I am no athlete, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to openly share what I believe and meet some different students in the school, so I volunteered to help out. We have around 20-35 students on a regular basis. Pretty good for 6:30 in the morning. 

Today we had a new guest speaker. We often have youth pastors in to speak( if you are ever interested, please let me know!) but today was someone new. They are called Broken Voices. They make films and challenge people about how they walk out their faith. It was really encouraging. I am going to watch their new DVD, Anthem, tonight. Anyway, they showed a short film and then spoke. I think that the students really enjoyed it. All I  knew was that my heart said "pray for me."

After they wrapped up, I told the guys that I felt like I was supposed to ask them to pray for us as teachers, walking the halls of a forgotten mission field. I started crying. The other leader got emotional. Times are tough. As many times as you tell someone you work with drug dealers and gang members, that one of your students has had three abortions by the age of 17, it takes a while to sink in. This is our everyday life. This is our everyday walk. We can't openly profess our faith in the classroom. It wears on you. They agreed to pray for us. They are visiting other schools in the area. I am curious to know the differences between the schools. We are going to stay in touch. 

I found my self praying on the way to class, "God let your light shine through me." Now, I am asking you to pray for me, that God's light would shine through me. So many of these students are in a desperate state. They need the Lord. I want them to meet Him. All that I can do is pray. 

So, today, I cried in front of strangers and some students. That was unexpected. God moved on my heart for my school, my workplace. If I can cry in front of them, I can cry in front of you and ask you to pray. Not just for me, but for all of the teachers walking out their relationship with God in front of students and coworkers. They may be the only Jesus that those students ever meet and so many times their hands are tied with what they can and can not say. Please pray that they would have opportunities to share one on one with students. Pray that they would have discernment. Pray that God would shine through them without words. 

Thanks for praying, and thanks for reading. Has anything unexpected happened to you lately?

Tea Party

There are a lot of tea party's going on today. Will someone take a tea bag for me?

Just Thoughts

My friend Meghan wrote a beautiful post on her blog about her mother. It made me think. I thought about writing a couple of days ago and didn't. So here I am. 

I have mentioned my neighbor before. She is now 94. She lives on her own. She has never driven. She used to work in cotton fields. She always wears dresses. She loves to eat strick-o-lean. She hates to cook and clean. She loves to garden. She doesn't like reading, but always reads her Bible. Her name is Alice W. She has known me since I was in my mother's womb.

Every week I try to take some time to visit with Mrs. W. Usually I take her some leftovers so that she doesn't have to cook, and we visit for awhile. I love our visits. Sometimes I hear the same stories over and over. Sometimes she tells me how the reports on the news worry her. Sometimes we talk about the weather. Sometimes we talk about God. I love our visits. 

I was thinking after our visit last night, why don't we spend more time with our neighbors and our elderly? It doesn't take much time. It doesn't cost me a thing to visit with Mrs. W but I am richer for our friendship. I find myself visiting her more often lately, as I leave wondering if that was the last time that I will see her on this earth. One day she won't be here to go visit. I know this. I am trying to soak up our times together. She is full of wisdom. She taught my mom that you don't have to go to church to have a relationship with God. That was during a rough spell when I was really sick. She helps me to slow down. I try to enjoy our lulls in conversation.

This isn't very poetic I know. And I am ending abruptly. I just wanted to remind myself to slow down, to take the time to enjoy those that are in my life. When it comes down to it, I know that those are the times that I will cherish. What will you cherish?

Spring Fever Made This

The warm weather got my gardening instincts going. I started some tomato seeds and some basil seeds. The top photo is the basil. They look like tiny green mushrooms. The tomato plants take a long time to get big enough to transplant. That is why I started them so early. I planted some heirloom varieties and some hybrids. Only one kind has yet to sprout. We will see what the next few days bring. 

If you want to start tomato seeds, now is the time. My friend Kristie had the idea of keeping the soil warm on the clothes dryer. I think it made a difference. After they sprout they need sun, so into the dining room they have moved. Mine sprouted in about 7 days. They still have about 2 months before they get to go live outside. They have a lot of growing to do! I will keep you posted on their progress.

A Portrait of Us

I was walking into the kitchen this morning when I saw this.

It dawned on me that this is such a clear image of me and Dave. My african violet that I bought myself for Valentine's day and the tube amp that Dave built. They were on the kitchen table together. Dave had been taking pictures of his amp yesterday and left it there. I just thought that it was neat to see this morning. 

I love my husband. I love that he likes to build things, like this amp. He researched it and built it. It works and sounds great. Yesterday he worked on my car. Last week he put siding on the house. He has built me countertops and ceilings, a digital tv system and dvr. I love that my husband can do anything that he puts his mind to. I don't care if building an amp is nerdy, I think it is pretty sexy. 

Have you told your man lately how much you love and appreciate him? Make sure that you do!

some down time

This weekend we get some downtime- a nice day off of work. I get two. This always causes us to move slowly through our weekend. The rain yesterday didn't speed us up either. I got caught up on laundry and some shopping. 

This last week I got a head start on yard work. I took advantage of the warm days and cut down a holly tree, raked a bit, trimmed the roses, tidied the flower beds and started some seeds. I still have a lot that I want to do. Maybe I will cut down some more stuff on Monday. Dave and I hope to get some more siding on the house. Winter will be back soon. We are just getting a head start on spring.

Not too much else to report on here. That's a good thing. 

Tuned In

Wow! I decided to go for a bike ride this afternoon instead of a walk. I thought that it was a good idea, but now my ears are freezing and they hurt. At least I got some exercise!

I have had so many things swimming through my mind that I want to talk about, well, write about. On the way home from work today, and it wasn't the easiest day, I heard part of a song that hit me hard. It said something like "When I see my Daddy I am going to throw my arms around his neck and tell Him that I've missed Him." I put in the capitals because I realized that is how I felt this afternoon. I just wanted to crawl up into my heavenly Father's lap and tell Him that I missed Him and hug on Him a while. It brought home the point for me that I work in a place that isn't very friendly towards God. I know that He walks with me through the halls every day, but sometimes, we need our Father's warm lap. So I am going to to some snuggling with God in a bit.

Dave has been building and working on our myth box and digital tv signal lately. A myth box is kind of like a homemade tivo or apple tv. Anyway, he has worked very hard on it and when we hooked everything up and got our first digital signal it was so clear! We got ABC clearer than I have ever seen it in this house. Amazing! We also get some new channels like Retrotv and a weather channel. So cool! All it took was a digital tuner and some tweaking of the antenna. Now Dave is building a huge antenna so we can get even more channels and better signals. It is very exciting.

What has this got to do with anything? Well, I realized, as we tuned in and got a different, clearer signal, that our relationship with God is very much the same. No, I don't need a digital tuner to hear God. But how much have I missed because I haven't been tuned in to Him? Maybe I was only getting part of what He has for me, or I could have seen a clear picture instead of getting static.  This has made me ponder, "How I can get more tuned in to God?". The biggest part of that for me has been reading the Bible every day. My days go so much better when I read the Bible. My attitude is better. I have more peace. 

Hmmmm... maybe I am on to something here. When I actively seek God and study His word I am more tuned in to what He is doing in my life and how I can extend His love to others. 

This is what I have been using as a guide to start daily reading. It is published by YWAM. Every week has a people group to pray for- including statistics, a memory verse for the week, daily reading suggestions to get you through the entire Bible in one year, prayer points for every day and information to help you pray for things like people who work in science, missions, the church, etc. It has really been helping me to stay focused and excited to get into the Word of God. If you are interested in ordering one I have made the picture a link. I also use the calendar at work, so I can sit and stare at my calendar and be reminded to pray for a people group or read the memory verse for the week. I love this!! It has made many days much better just by getting my focus right.

Ok, my ears still hurt and I think I am getting a headache from having been in the wind. I am going to make a hot cup of tea, pull out my planner and Bible and get to it. Love you all! Hope you are encouraged to get tuned in!