Sleep

“Sleep” early in the morning it is my favorite word. “sleep” “bed” “blanket”...they are all good. But during the middle of the day, sleep is a word that feels menacingly like admitting a sin. Being a human being in need of sleep keeps me from doing all that I would like to do. However, I must sleep because there are some things that are even more important than doing every thing I would like. Being able to graciously interact with other people is not something I want to have anything meddling with (especially when it comes to my family). My family is the most important thing in my life, next to my relationship with Jesus Christ. They are much more important that having a few more hours to do homework and write and read and do all the other things that I would love to have more time for.. Therefore in lieu of doing every thing I would like to do, the Lord has been teaching me to rest.... yes I need to be taught to rest. It seems rather basic, but it is actually a very humbling process. There are certain limitations that God, in his infinite wisdom, has given us. The need for sleep is one of them

Molding A Masterpiece

Master Potter, why do you labor all day,
Giving such effort to rough, worthless pieces of clay?
Why such feeling in your hands?
Why such care in ev'ry touch?
Why all the struggle? Your creation is nothing but dust.

Chorus
I'm molding a masterpiece, a work of great beauty.
I'm molding a masterpiece; my labors not done.
A trophy, a treasure of worth beyond measure
I'm molding a masterpiece, a masterpiece of love.

Loving Jesus, why are the children all here,
Gathered around You and eagerly clinging so near?
Urgent matters clamor loudly, and the children interfere
Why do You hold them, Why do you hold them,
Why do you hold them, and so tenderly dry ev'ry tear,

Heavenly Father, sometimes I question Your way:
Why do you ask me to mold simple pieces of clay?
Give me eyes to see the future, though it's hidden from my view;
Give me compassion as I'm molding a treasure for You.

Chorus
I'm molding a masterpiece, a work of great beauty.
I'm molding a masterpiece; my labors not done.
A trophy, a treasure of worth beyond measure
I'm molding a masterpiece, a masterpiece of love.

Ron Hamilton

Softball or Work?

Yesterday when I went to work much of the conversations I had with my manager and other employees revolved around softball, while we did sale an occasional pretzel softball was much more interesting to employ our imaginations with. We were all very enthusiastic about the softball game that night. (For those of you who don't already know, the Assistant Manager at my work and I were on opposing teams.) For the last week there has been scheming and threatening going on at work in reference to softball. Although most of the people that I know from work were cheering for the other team they yelled (quite loudly I might say) for me also.

Furthermore I learned that the “Bumble Bees” are much less scary in person than they are when you are being told all about their skill and many strong points. Also, Despite my fears, it was very fun to play against someone I work with. She kept us entertained (crawling to third base to assure herself that everyone got a “good show”). The entire game was a ton of fun but was made even more fun by the special rivalry and encouragement form coworkers.


So (to get to the point) yesterday was a bit confusing. Work was all about softball and during softball I continually heard voices that reminded me very much of the smell of hot, fresh, golden brown pretzels.

Today was much less confusing. I didn't play softball and I didn't go to work. Tomorrow I am sure I will be back to the fascinating occupation of baking pretzels and discussing softball.

Things I Wonder

I wonder if we will all be flying rather than driving by the time I'm my parents age.
I wonder if I will ever feel like I accomplished enough.
I wonder if you can sleep and exercise at the same time.
I wonder if you can teach a dog to clean the house for you.
I wonder if someone will invent clothes that never need washing.
I wonder why different people see differently colors when shown the same item.
I wonder if someone will invent a way to be in two places at once.

Who Is Infallible? Not I!!!!

And the pain falls like a curtain
On the things I once called certain
And I have to say the words I fear the most
I just don't know
And the questions without answers
Come and paralyze the dancer
So I stand here on the stage afraid to move
Afraid to fall, oh, but fall I must
On this truth that my life has been formed from the dust

CHORUS:
God is God and I am not
I can only see a part of the picture Hes painting
God is God and I am man
So Ill never understand it all
For only God is God

And the sky begins to thunder
And Im filled with awe and wonder
Til the only burning question that remains
Is who am I
Can I form a single mountain
Take the stars in hand and count them
Can I even take a breath without God giving it to me
He is first and last before all that has been
Beyond all that will pass
CHORUS

Oh, how great are the riches of His wisdom and knowledge
How unsearchable for to Him and through Him and from Him are all things
So let us worship before the throne
Of the One who is worthy of worship alone
CHORUS

Steven Curtis Chapman

Stages in Life

Lately I have been thinking a lot about how we go through different stages in life. I have noticed that “stages” is a rather controversial issue. Questions such as “Is this child going through a stage or is this something that needs to be corrected?” or “What should a person be doing during the stage of single adult?” I'm sure that you can think of many more issues in regard to stages in life. Then I started thinking about one stage in particular. It is the one and only stage that really matters. It is in preparation for this stage that we have all other stages. It is the time in the eternal existence of our souls that we spend in Heaven. Besides preparing for that ultimate stage nothing else matters in any stage of life. So, during this stage of my life the things that I should be doing is preparing me and those around me to face our LORD.

Clarification

Recently someone very graciously pointed out to me that the idea of giving an analogy of Christ being in the center ring (in my last post) might be a stretch. In a circus the ring master dictates which ring the audience shall see. Well, in our Christian walk we are not the ring master Christ is both the center focus and the controller of all things. Like any analogy this one can only go so far. I apologize for any confusion. If you ever feel uncomfortable or confused about any thing on this blog please let me know. Thank you for your patience.

The Center Ring

“Ladies and gentlemen, now performing in the center ring” Could you say that to those around you in regards to your life? What would they find in that center ring? Would they find Jesus? Or would it be something else? What takes up the majority of your thoughts? I must admit that often there is something in my center ring other than Christ Jesus. Whether it is a career, school, family, marriage, church, ministry, friends or any other number of possibilities for any of us these things are to be in the right and left rings not the center ring. The center ring is reserved only for the cross. There is only room for the cross in the center ring. There is only one thing that can consume us, we cannot serve both God and mammon...or any thing else for that matter. If we are to call ourselves Christians people should know what is in the center ring.

Complicated?

Sometimes I wonder why it is so complicated to find God's will for my life. I was agonizing over that topic recently. Then all of a sudden it hit me. It isn't complicated at all. I thought of the battles fought in the Bible. God's tactics were simple they included things like: blow trumpets and break jars, have the leader hold up his hands and you will win, get rid of the majority of your army, hit a giant with a stone tossed from a sling, march around a city and then yell, and my favorite, fight and He will keep the sun up! Were all of these easy? I don't think so, but with God's tactics it was simple. As far as I know there is no record of God giving orders of some complex military tactic that involves more than two or three things to be done. I'm not saying that what He did say to do were always easy (Moses had to have men help him keep his arms up because it was too difficult to do all day, the men of Israel still had to fight, David had to know how to use a sling...) Just like God's war tactics so are His tactics (often) for our lives. What are the tactics in my life as of late?

DOING- continuing to do the things He has given me to do and to be faithful in the small things. To continue to learn all that I can to prepare myself for whatever may be His plan for my future.

WAITING-waiting patiently for Him to give me the next step in life and trusting in His perfect timing and that He will fulfill his perfect will.

Is this complicated? I don't think so. Is it hard sometimes? You bet it is.

School Stories

This is an essay that I wrote in my last English class. It is about “school stories” I hope you enjoy it.

The Place Where Stories Come From
Every one loves a good story, but where do good stories come from? There are stories of ancestors long ago, fairy tails, of heroes, of villains, of princesses, and of knights in shining armor. Despite all the varieties of good stories the most heart warming is perhaps stories that revolve around children. What better place to find stories about children than in a school? Actually, schools have been known through times past and the present day news to be the home of many good stories.

The school experience is different for each person. For my own life I was home schooled and so it was very different for me than it is for most other people. I loved being at home. I feel that for me it was the perfect opportunity to learn how to rely on myself for education and to learn from books and from listening to my parents. I would love to home school my children some day and give them that experience also. My story would consists a lot around my brothers and my parents such as Saturday mornings going through math flashcards with my father for rewards or many hours of snuggling up on a couch with my mother reading together or practicing math and writing skills at the dining room table. My story may be very different from many other peoples story but each one of us is different no one can claim another person's story as their own.

Through out history boarding schools have been known to have many stories. Stories can vary from an old legend that is told about bewitched people who lived in the building years ago, to pranks that one boarder plays on a fellow classmate or even teacher, to boarders simply disobeying the rules and going on grand adventures. To me one of the most memorable of such stories is from the movie Anne of Green Gables where Anne Shirley and some other girls end up going out on the roof at night and then Anne falls through a skylight. Another story that is a bit less innocent is the one that took place in Luisa May Alcotte's book Little Men Where some boys decided to smoke and the bed covers caught fire and one boy was burned badly.

What school stories end up in the news paper or in front of television cameras? The stories in the news are most often those that are life changing and violent. A real live example of this is the Columbine School shooting. This story was in the news multiple times and several books have been written about the lives of those who died that day. Those who were murdered died because of their diversity, some because of the color of their skin, and some because of what they believed in and their sharing of those beliefs, such as Rachel Scott, a student at Columbine High school, who died because she told her attacker that she was a Christian and would not relinquish this statement.

School teachers are a source of many memories and perhaps stories as well. It is not uncommon to hear a business man telling about an experience he had with a school teacher in second grade or to hear a college professor tell of experiences with previous teachers. Although teaching may not be a job that regularly is hailed or publicized it is one that makes a difference in the lives of the children who go through the classroom. Teachers can be remembered both positively and negatively. In Laura Ingles Wilders series Little House on the Prairie Laura starts out as a student who is treated unfairly by her school teacher who has a difficult time keeping all of the children under control. Although Laura feels mistreated she soon find out how her teacher felt when she herself goes to work as a school teacher in another town. Teachers have feelings too and the school experience is a story for them just as much as it is for the students.

The book Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes illustrates stories that the students may never see published in their local paper but are non the less worthy of the retelling. Each of the individuals in that book have a struggle inside of them. Each person is different and each has a different story to tell. Part of what makes a good story is the soul of the people in it. The people are what make up the story. Perhaps the story belongs only to them and cannot really be told or understood by any one else. If one were to go into the mind of each of the fictional characters in Bronx Masqueraid perhaps then the reader would begin to understand the story of that school. Oh yes, a school has a story. It is the story of each of the pupils and teachers that go through it's halls each day. What would walls tell if only they had mouths to speak from. Would they tell of all of the giggles, the tears, the shouts, the whispers that passes through them every school day?
Stories, every one has them. The story of school makes up much of a child's life. They have adventures there. They learn there. That is where many of their friends are. Some experiences may not seem as exciting as others but non the less stories are what makes up a person, the stories of his or her life. I have been blessed through my school story. Being home schooled was great for me, I had many friends form my local church and from other activities I was involved in. I don't feel as though I missed out on any thing important from not going to a public school. Even though being home schooled was right for me it might not be right for every one Each person is different and in need of different experiences. I have also enjoyed learning about other people's school stories. Both the good and the bad experiences make up the light and dark threads of the tapestry of society.

Christ is Risen

Christ is Risen
Hallelujah
Praise the Lord
We serve a Risen Savior
It amazes me, every time I think about the suffering that Christ went through for me, that He would be willing to do that! Then it amazes me that I still sin against them. But more than any thing else I'm amazed that He has chosen me and adopted me into His kingdom!

Anchor in the Storm

Lately my schedule has felt something like a storm. I have been spending my mornings doing an internship at an elementary school. Next I go to work, which happens to be a brand new job (for me) and has a lot for me to learn. Then I go to school where I take a couple of classes. Amidst all of this I still try to keep up with friends and family and a few various ministries. If I didn't have a solid anchor then my mind would constantly be racing and my heart would be beating far about a healthy rate. However, since I have assurance that there is more than this life to look forward to and since I know the One that I serve loves me beyond what I can imagine I have peace in my heart. There are still times when my heart races wildly and my mind is in a million places at one time yet the anchor still holds me fast.

Effective and Productive

I was reading my Bible at Starbucks earlier this week and came across these verses.

1 Peter 1:5-8
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Lately I have been feeling really ineffective and unproductive. These verses were such a huge encouragement to me to read about the character qualities required for being effective and productive. I'm so glad that these verses do not say something like- and add to your high school diploma a Bachelors Degree, and to your Bachelors Degree, a Masters Degree, and to your Masters Degree a successful career and to your successful career, a perfect family and to your perfect family a perfect retirement etc. No. God, through Peter, has given us the character qualities we need to work on to be effective and productive for Christ's Kingdom!