The Next Chapter (and God's Incredible Faithfulness)

At the beginning of the camp season, our sweet summer mama (Duonna) challenged us (the staff) to do the 40 Day Prayer Challenge, as enumerated by Mark Batterson, with her. The challenge is based around an account from Jewish tradition of a prophet named Honi, who lived somewhere between the times when the Old Testament was finished and the New Testament had yet to begin.

There was a great drought in Jerusalem during Honi's life, and he cried desperately out to God for it to be ended. He drew a circle in the ground outside and declared that he would not leave the circle until God answered his prayer for rain. He begins to pray, and a drizzle slowly begins to fall. Amazed, the people around Honi rush to him and urge him to seek shelter. He refused, pointedly declaring "Not for such rain have I prayed," and he resumed praying. The rain changed at that point, becoming violent and soaking the earth. Again, the people urged Honi to seek shelter, and again he answered that this was not the rain that he had prayed for. Finally, the rain shifted once more. This rain was different from the light drizzle and the violent downpour; this rain was sweet and refreshing. It soaked the earth gently, and only then did Honi stand up and leave his circle. This was the rain for which he had prayed.

The entire point of the challenge was to pray persistently. Too often, we presume that we have received an answer and quit praying before we have really gotten what we wanted. Now, of course, there are caveats to this. God's plans are not ours, nor do we understand his ways. However in the Bible there is a precedent set of praying persistently (Elijah and Jesus come to my mind immediately).

When I was offered the job in Concordia, I was incredibly apprehensive. After a semester of job hunting disappointment, I was ecstatic to think of having a job, but I wanted to be sure that I was accepting the job that God wanted me to take - not just seeking to provide for myself. As I have spent the past few days starting to settle into Concordia, I truly feel that this is the rain that I have prayed for. As tentative as I was to accept a job in a town with which I have no prior connections, I have seen God confirm in so many small ways that I am where He wants me.

Although Concordia, Missouri is far from the inner city school I planned to teach in (a dream that I have not given up on by any means - after all, I have about another 50 years of teaching ahead of me) it is so clearly where I am to be for this season. I couldn't be more excited to begin my teaching career anywhere. I can see how all of these tiny pieces of my life and preparation for teaching are fitting together in Concordia. It is an incredibly wonderful - and peaceful - thing to watch God's faithfulness and His answers to SO many of my - and others' prayers on my behalf - unfold.

It reminds me of how the ancient Israelites would set up memorials to remind themselves of instances of God's faithfulness and deliverance (Joshua 4, Deut. 6:7-9). In some small way, I want this blog post to be my "pile of rocks." I want to remember this time of seeing God's faithfulness so clearly and definitely.

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;

    I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

 I will be glad and rejoice in you;    I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

Psalm 9:1-2

Grandpa

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to spend a weekend with my family. We gathered together around my grandfather, and we reminisced and laughed and sang and prayed. As we each left, we made a point to say good-bye to Grandpa.

It was an emotional weekend. Walking away from the bed after the last hug was probably the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Tears poured openly and the sobbing didn't slow until I was well on my way back to Joplin. The doctors had discussed with us the situation; they expected him to live a few more weeks. Grandpa didn't want to pursue any treatment, and with each labored breath it was clear how uncomfortable he was. The hospital staff worked hard to alleviate his discomfort, but he was restless to be with Jesus. His death is a celebration of a life of serving Jesus. He has crossed the finish line boldly. He ran the race with perseverance and endurance and grace. I could not be more proud of the man that I get to call Grandpa.

If I had to capture this man in one word - if one word could effectively summarize everything that he poured his 86 years into (which would be a failed endeavor, I realize) - I would choose faithfulness. My Grandpa faithfully pursued Jesus all of his days. It is incredible to hear stories of his life and the faith that he had. In so many situations, I am awed by his tenacity and reliance on Jesus.

Even in these last few months, he has been so faithful to Jesus. He gradually lost the ability to do normal day-to-day tasks but he continued to sing praises to God. Even when his voice became weak and couldn't support his singing, praises were still on his lips.

Grandpa has become for me the picture of praising God in every circumstance. My memories of my grandfather are interlaced with hymns and pictures of ministry. It seems like every meal we ate together ended with him singing. Some songs were simply from his childhood favorites. Most songs were hymns that he treasured. I am so honored and blessed to be a part of the legacy of a man so devoted to glorifying God and serving him faithfully. He spent years preaching and teaching about the Word of God. When his days behind the pulpit ended, he took up a ministry of encouragement and writing. Even two weeks before his death, while he was in the hospital, he took the time to write a final article for the church newsletter - an article that focused not on his limitations and pain, but on the joy of finally seeing Jesus. After a lifetime of faithfulness, I can't imagine a better reward.

My grandfather's faithfulness has inherently placed such a high standard on my own life. Standing beside his bed a few weeks ago, I was struck by the great privilege of being related to a man who had spent so much of his life working for the kingdom. The legacy that he leaves is not one of brokenness and discouragement, but of challenge and faith. I want to conduct myself in a manner that honors his choices and sacrifices, a manner that prioritizes the kingdom and glories God. I want my life to be a legacy of faithfulness and love for my great God.

A Moment

A moment is powerful.

A moment can change absolutely everything.

Last October Abbey, Anna, and I embarked on a fall-themed adventure. We were at an apple orchard/pumpkin patch. It was a beautiful day and my Mom took us out to the farm and bought us delicious fall themed treats and tickets to a horse-drawn hayride. Mom elected to stay behind, but Abbey and Anna and I climbed into the wagon with a few other adults and a few children. As we started into the woods we chatted with the driver about the horses and their jobs. They were cousins of Clydesdales-big, strong, and good workers. Despite this, they seemed a little skittish and weren't working as a team. 

Then they started to pick up their pace. The driver couldn't regain control. We were careening through the woods in a matter of milliseconds. The wagon bumped back and forth across the path, coming close to trees and jumping out of the way at the last second. After a few near misses, we were bound to strike one. Right before my eyes the side of the wagon was torn away. My eyes lost focus as I was thrown into the center of the wagon. A few more bumps, and the wagon moved out from under me. I found myself in a pile of brush on the side of the trail. I slowly sat up. The wagon was in front of me maybe twenty feet, tilted on one side. People were strewn around the path, and the driver stood beside the horses to calm them. 

Throughout the rest of that day, I kept having flashbacks of that moment - the moment where everything changed.The wagon went from being complete to being shattered; we went from being normal and healthy to aches and bruises and concussions. As I thought about it later, I thought about how much a moment can change things. Because I was preparing a communion meditation for the next day my mind jumped to the cross. 

It only took one moment for sin to enter the world. One moment condemned the entire world to death. But in one moment the world was saved. In one moment, Jesus died. In one moment, he rose from the dead. In those snapshots of powerful moments lie the most insane love story that ever existed. A God loved His people so much that He wrapped Himself in flesh and died for them, then rose from the dead so that we could lie again. 

So far in 2014...

I have spent the last two weeks learning so much that I think my head will explode! Student teaching, so far, is everything that I wanted it to be and so much MORE!

The elementary classroom has changed a great deal in the past decade, and I am so excited to see where education is going. I have the privilege of teaching in a classroom with a 1:1 iPad ratio. That technology alone has changed EVERYTHING. Our students use the Google apps to create and submit a good deal of their work. They have apps on their iPads to take spelling tests, to practice their multiplication facts, and to ponder the universe on Wonderopolis. Through this technology, and the mobile Macbook lab, students are able to collaborate with students from a whole other elementary school to research and create a virtual poster on a famous Missourian.

By creating custom search engines through Google and using resources like smore.com flyers, we can provide students with specific (trusted) resources. We can even use Google docs to create citations AND to record (vocal) feedback on student documents. What a game changer!!!!

I am learning so much about classroom management and developing positive student-teacher relationships. I've learned about being flexible and making reflective decisions. I am learning content related skills that differ from the way I was taught - which is GREAT because that's what educational innovation is.

Today my cooperating teacher got me into a seminar about integrating technology into the classroom and being innovative. It was an incredible honor to be in the presence of so many wonderful educators. I've learned about so many sites and great ways to communicate with parents and students.

I am so excited to keep learning!!!

Here's my cooperating teacher's blog: http://fancying4th.blogspot.com/
Feel free to look it up and be impressed!