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Showing posts from March, 2013

He Is Alive!

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Happy Easter!! Today is a day of celebration! Christ is Risen! Death has lost its sting. It no longer holds power over us. Christ stands in victory.  Jesus is the way, the truth and the light. Here is where my hope is found. The best way to express this wonderful day is through a couple of verses from one of my favorite songs, "In Christ Alone" by Stuart Townend & Keith Getty                            Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,                                For I am His and He is mine -                      Bought with the precious blood of Christ.                          No guilt in life, no fear in death,                         This is the power of Christ in me;                        From life's first cry to final breath.                             Jesus commands my destiny.                       No power of hell, no scheme of man,                         Can ever pluck me from His hand;                           Till He retu

It is Finished

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Today is a day of remembrance. Good Friday is when the hope of Easter began. "But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole He was whipped so we could be healed." Isaiah 53:5 “ They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!”   And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it. When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.” Matt. 27:29-31 "A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. When He has received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed His head and gave up His spirit." John 19:29-30 "He

Not Goodbye But See You Later

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Today is the day that we have looked forward to yet dreaded. Today 2 of our best friends will travel across the country to fulfill their calling in life, Missionaries. It's a joy and a blessing to see them go through the process of following God's will. It has been a 2 year journey whose chapter ends here and will continue in Georgia. We said our farewells this past weekend at an open house and a church gathering. Each time trying to fight back tears; unsuccessfully at times. These 2 people have been such an important part of our lives. I can't begin to describe the blessing they have been to me and my husband. They have been part of our family for so long, that having to see them go has been difficult. Yet it has also been a time of joy, for they have been called to serve God in a most wonderful way. Gino, Laura, Sean, Kayleigh and Hugh,               We are so blessed that God allowed us to cross paths. Our lives have been changed because of you. Having friends w

The Heavens Rejoice

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This year I was blessed with 17 little ones that have brought joy, frustration, laughter, stress and constant surprises into my life. Each one has left an imprint in my heart. With only two months left of instruction bittersweet emotions has begun to surface. It is the price we paid as teachers. We pour so much of ourselves for 9 months that it's hard not to feel a little empty at the end of the year. Like with any class there are some students that have required more attention and redirection than most. That certainly has been true this year. One boy in particular. I'll call him "Derek." Derek is a typical boy with unending energy who doesn't know when to quit. He also had a problem with anger. At the beginning of the year he would get angry when he didn't get his way, especially on the playground.  His remedy was to hit the offender. He spent much of his time in the principal's office. I spent time with him talking him through the anger and gave

1st Day of Spring

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Today is officially the first day of spring. Spring is the return of new life. The bare trees begin to flower delicate blossoms, the chirping of birds is more prominent and the ground begins to regain its green. The world becomes more colorful. The earth has begun a new cycle of life. What was once dead now is alive again. It's so fitting that Easter, only 2 weeks away, is celebrated during this time of year. A time when we remember the death and sacrifice of Jesus and rejoice in celebration of His Resurrection! He once was dead and now is ALIVE again. Do you see the connection?  It's a wonderful parallel. Even though it's spring the benefits do not come immediately. The flowers don't just pop out of the ground as if they were on a timer. It takes time. The ice must thaw. The sun must shine. The showers must fall. There is still work to be had before the colors return. Just as it is in nature, so it is in life. There are times where we still feel as we are in

Tears

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Grief- deep sorrow, deep and poignant distress.  We have all experienced grief. We have all lost a loved one and understand the process, yet the length of the process is different for everyone. The deeper the connection the deeper the loss is felt. This year grief has been felt very deeply by many around me. Students have lost grandparents and parents. Friends have lost siblings, uncles and an expected child. The pain has been felt by many. It's so hard to see others suffer and grieve. Words spoken never seem to say enough. You want to give them encouragement and peace, but at times it just doesn't bring comfort. We can't force comforted upon them but what we can do is allow them to grieve. Allow them to feel the loss of pain and offer a hand to hold, a shoulder to cry on and arms to hold and hug. Pray for them unceasingly. Grief is undoubtedly one of the most difficult experiences. Though pain stirs in our hearts and we don't understand why this has happened,

With This Ring

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This past weekend my husband and I had the pleasure to attend a co-worker's (Scott's) wedding. It was a touching ceremony. The pastor presiding over them had some very beautiful words to share with the couple and to those in attendance. He reminded us of how special love is. Love is tender and precious. It is something that we need to protect and cherish. The part that moved me the most was when they exchanged rings. The pastor explained the significance of the rings in a way I hadn't hear before. We all know that the circle of the ring represents our infinity love for one another. It's put on the left finger because it's closet to our heart. The ring is also a outward showing that we are promised to someone. But lets consider how the ring came into existence. The ring started off as unrefined gold. The gold was put through extreme pressure and heat so it could be molded. It was shaped and stretched into a perfect circle glistening and refined. Just as the ri

I Feel Like A Woman

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  Today is International Women's Day. International Women's Day has been observed since in the early 1900's. Since that time Women have tirelessly fought for economic, political and social equality. This celebration has extended from USA & Europe to include women from different regions were the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women's economic, political and social achievements. The date of this celebration has varied through countries. In 1913, Russia on the eve of World War I campaigning for peace, Russian women observed their first International Women's Day on the last Sunday in February 1913. In 1913 following discussions, International Women's Day was transferred to March 8 and this day has remained the global date for International Women's Day ever since. I want to single out Russia for a moment. Russia has made International Women's Da

1 Word 4 Hearts

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I have probably heard a sermon on the Parable of the Sower (Luke 8)  3 or 4 times. Most of those times I was young and didn't really grasp it's complete meaning; all I knew is that I wanted to be like the good soil. Never really thought about what the other three soils represented,  that was until I taught it to my class. When you're trying to explain certain concepts to little ones you have to think in the most basic and fundamental truths so they can grasp the parable. The bible lesson was integrated into the science unit on plants so they got the message throughout the week. On top of that the speaker for chapel that week spoke about the parable of the sower, who didn't even know that was our bible lesson.  I began to realize that all of this repetitiveness was not solely for the children's benefit but for mines as well. At one point or another I feel that our hearts have represented each soil.    The Hard Soil When our hearts are hard and stubborn and don

Beware of Christians

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I came across a documentary, on Netflix, made by 4 christian college students (boys) who traveled to Europe to understand & confirm what they believe. The outcome of this journey was "Beware of Christians." The quote that begins the documentary is by Brennan Manning, "The single greatest cause of atheism today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and deny Him by their lifestyle." This a perfect set up to their message, "Beware of Christians." This is the trip Mission Statement: "Sometimes it's tough to see where Jesus fits in Christianity. This film follows 4 college Christians who travel to Europe to escape the routine of American Christianity. Along the way they will examine every-day Christian habit in comparison with Jesus actual teachings. This is a story about replacing religion and comfort with relationship and truth. How can we get past a label and take on a lifestyle? What happens when we give up o

The Bible = History

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The History channel will be airing a 10 episode series on the Bible starting Sunday, March 3rd. The series is produced by husband/wife team, Mark Burnett & Roma Downey. They have worked hard to stay true to the Scriptures. They wanted the stories to stand on their own merits and reveal the beauty and truth that lies within them. Knowing the skills of Mark Burnett and the excitement that is the Bible I can't wait to see this extraordinary series. I am so inspired by them. They believe that the Bible is the word of God and absolute truth. They don't question it. They truly live by faith. Despite being part of the Hollywood world they are not ashamed of their faith or proclaiming that Christ is Lord. Sadly, not all people see the Bible as absolute truth. I came across an interview they had with Bill O'Reilly, promoting this mini-series, which left me upset. What upset me wasn't what they (Burnett's) said but what the host said. (If you're an O'Rei