Thanksgiving Break!

It is Thanksgiving break and we have many things to be thankful for. The first and most obvious is for the break. Yay, however looking a little deeper there are many more wonderful things to be thankful for than a break from school. There is family, friends, shelter, food, etc. I know I have been blessed above and beyond imaginable when it comes to my family. They are the perfect set of people for me. Also God has blessed me with numerous friends from many different places. I have friends from church, friends from school, friends from where I grew up etc. God is so good to give us the exact variety of people in our lives that we have!

Have a wonderful day everyone! Enjoy your break!

The Feet Man

This poem reminded a friend and I so much of what we really are doing when we sin that I just had to post it. Today a teacher hand us this poem and we listened to the author read it. It was amazing, so powerful, not only to put yourself into the sandals of the solder who nailed Jesus to the cross...but then to realize that that really is you. We as humans are all in the business of sinning. Before we became Christians our foreman was the foreman for the business of sin. He told us that we had to keep going if we wanted to keep our jobs. The good news is that we didn't. Those of use who have chosen Christ are no longer on Satan's assembly line. Praise God!

The Feet Man

The worst job I ever had was nailing
Jesus' feet to the cross on the
assembly line at the crucifix factory.
Jesus! I'd never thought of myself
as religious before that, but when
I had to strike those nails-- I figured
it up once—more than two thousand times
a day, my mind began seeing things:
little tremors along the skin, jerks of
those legs that were bonier than
models' legs, his eyes imploring,
forgiving. I swear, if a tiny drop of blood
had oozed out of that wood at my pounding,
I wouldn't have been surprised at all.
I was ripe for a miracle, or a vacation.
All I got was worse: with each blow
of the hammer, I flinched, as if I
were the one getting pierced. Doing
that job day after day was bad enough,
but doing it to myself—my arms
spread out from one end of my paycheck
to the other—was crazy. I began
to sweat constantly, though the place
was air-conditioned. It wasn't long before
the foreman took me aside and told me
I was taking my job too seriously, that
if I wanted to keep it I had better calm down.
He was right. I pulled myself together
like a man and put all pointless thought
out of my head. Or tried to. It wasn't easy:

imagine Jesus after Jesus coming down
at you along that line, and you with
your hammer poised, you knowing
what you have to do to make a living.

Philip Dacey 1991

Feet Like the Shepherd

“It is quite true that the up to the High Places is both difficult and dangerous,” said the Shepherd. “It has to be, so that nothing which is an enemy of Love can make the ascent and invade the Kingdom. Nothing blemished or in any way imperfect is allowed there,and the inhabitants of the High Places do need 'hinds' feet.' I have them myself,” he added with a smile, “and like a young hart of roebuck I can go leaping on the mountains and skipping on the hills with the greatest ease and pleasure.

Oh that we would all fallow the Shepherd despite the long journey and the accompaniment of Sorrow and Suffering so that we may have feet like the Shepherd. I'm so glad that He calls me to the High Places and gives me strength to follow Him there.

Preparing for Club Takes Over My Room

Preparing for clubs takes more than just time. It takes space. Lots and lots of space is taken up when I start getting ready for club. Got to get all of those snacks in place. Oh, and the curriculum all in the order that I'm going to teach it. Where is that candy box or the prize treasure box? Oh, don't forget the tickets. Remember the missionary story. Is the Bible story memorized? How can I best share the gospel with the kids this week? These are all things that need to be answered, sorted through, and organized before club starts.....and it takes my bedroom floor to do it. A small sacrifice for a great club.


Snacks and treats

Stories, lessons, visuals, verses

Good News Club member shirt

Change

Yes, this is still my blog. I just changed a few things. The title may be the biggest surprise. What does smiling sunrises me anyway? Well to me they mean smiling at each new opportunity God gives you. To be alive each day with a smile on your face happy for each small blessing that God gives you. To be excited for each ray of sunshine he brings to your life.

Grandpa's Beard

How could that man laying in that bed be the same man who's strong arms carried me safely across the roaring stream? How could he be so happy and so concerned about others when his once very active life is now spent in a nursing home bed? He has spent his whole life working hard to serve others. He served our country in WW II, provided for his family as a laborer and a farmer, and always gave the most patient love to each one of his grandchildren. Now, he sits in the nursing home praying for them. Time changes every thing. The grandfather that carried me across the raging river is the same man that I push in the wheelchair. It seems hard to believe, until you look into his eye and see that twinkle. Sometimes it is hard to see beyond the glazed over look he has so often but it is there, when he smiles and when he laughs I can remember the tickle of grandpa's beard when I gave him good night kisses as a little girl.

The Letter

“You have a letter at home.” The words didn't register at first as I looked confusedly at my father. “The one you have been waiting for.” he stated with drama. Oh, how was I going to possibly wait until after Bible study to go look at that letter “Is it good ?” I asked. “I don't know” was the simple reply. Well I knew that I needed to completely forget about it until after Bible study if I was going to be able to focus at all. But on the way home I was tempted, very tempted, to speed (I didn't for those of you who wanted to know....or at least not much) I ran into the house and looked on the kitchen counter for the letter. Wasn't there. So I looked on the dining room table. Wasn't there. So I asked my mother where it was. “Oh, in your room” she replied “You're going to read it before you even get your stuff out of the car?” she asked bemused. “Yes!!!” was my response as I ran down the hall and burt out the door toward my room (located just behind the house) there it was sitting on the chair by my desk. Reverently I picked it up and looked at it. It was heavy. It was thick. In a moment I ripped open the envelope. Glancing at the first two lines I saw the words I was looking for “Congratulation! You are one of the candidates we wish to welcome into Elementary Education and look forward to having you in the program.” YES!!!!!!

School Again

Getting ready for school again (after not having been on campus for a week) I almost forgot how to do that. This morning my mind was so confused – do I look ok? What books do I need? Do I have a lunch? It felt like a brand new quarter....until I looked at my books. Oh yeah, this is what I do. I study and ride the bus and study and sit in class and study and read and study and write and study and print out homework and study. Yeah. It's great. Good thing I like school!

We All Like Sheep

As I watch the sheep outside my bedroom window I'm reminded of how God compares us to wandering sheep. I really don't think that this is a compliment. Although it isn't raining at the moment I think of the sheep standing miserably in the rain. Their wool soaked and heavy. I guess they would rather stay out and be miserable than go into the warm bard that their shepherd (our family) has provided.

Sometimes I find myself doing this too with God. Rather than go into the shelter of His presence I would rather, in my own pride, take care of every thing all on my own. (yeah right like that really works)


We like sheep
have gone astray
and turned away from God
our hearts are stained
dark with sin
but Jesus' precious blood
paid the price for our sin
now we can be forgiven
and we like sheep
can hear His voice
and follow God each day

(VBS song)

Missionary Story -- Rebekah's Great Adventure -- Part One

The Missionary Story Part One

Rebekah listened closely. Her heart pounded with fear. The doctor was using words she'd never heard before-- words that scared her.

“you're having convulsions,” Dr. Kisler said in a serious tone. “I don't know what's causing them but I want to find out. That means you'll have to go to the hospital for a wile—probably this summer.”

Rebebekah wanted to run and hide. She wanted to pretend she was okay—that nothing had changed She'd been sick for a while but she'd learned to ignore the times she blacked out or forgot things. She'd learned to pretend that her throbbing head didn't really hurt that much. But now everything was falling apart. Dr. Kisler wasn't going to let Rebekah pretend any longer.

At home Rebekah buried her head in her pillow. “Oh God,” she cried, “I want to do something for You this summer. I want to go to Christian youth In Action training camp and teach 5-Day Clubs but now I can't I want to reach the children who don't believe in you—who have never heard about you—but how can I unless You let me”? How can I unless You make me well?”

God heard Rebekah's cry and answered her prayer. Dr. Kisler gave his permission for Rebekah to go to camp. “I can't stop you from going,” Dr. Kisler said solemnly, “but please be very, very careful. Take care of yourself.”

Rebekah did take care of herself. She ate well and rested often. The days at training camp were long and Rebekah worked hour after hour to learn everything she needed to know in order to teach the children. Rebekah's parents. Brother and sister prayed for her from home, asking God to give her strength. When Rebekah's head hurt too much to sit at her desk, she propped herself up in a lawn chair and listened closely to the training classes. Rebekah was happy to be at camp and made friends quickly with the girls there. She was finally doing what she'd dreamed of doing for so long.

But late one afternoon something horrible happened. Rebekah collapsed on the dormitory floor and no one could wake her up. Was Rebekah going to be okay? Would she be able to fulfill her dream of teaching 5—Day Clubs?

Come back next week to find out what happens to Rebekah.

Good News Club

Tickets, candy, games, songs, snacks, soccer moms, kids, hugs, hours of preponderation rewarded. Yeah, that sounds like a Good News Club. Although those things are all part of a GNC the heart and soul of these special clubs is that we share the Gospel and that kids come to Christ. This is why we continue on week after week pouring hours into preparations. This is why not one minute with those kids or spent for those kids is a waste of time. I hope to spend all of eternity with those kids. I want to start investing in them now. They are so worth it.

My heart's desire has been to have a club that was over 20 kids now the Lord has blessed one of the clubs I help with with that many kids. Now my prayer is for 30 kids or more. However another club only has two. I prepare for both and they are both worth every moment of my time. My part is only to be ready. It is God's part to bring the children to the club. That is such a relief to me. If I was responsible for making sure they come I would be extremely discouraged. However it isn't and I can be faithful and God is faithful.

Elections Past

Although I know that many of us are very sad about the outcome of the elections, some of the facebook statuses I saw last night were downright depressed, I know that God provides for His people. Although I don't know what the future holds and I feel extremely uncertain about tomorrow I can hope in God because I have confidence in where I'm spending eternity.

Even though the initiative 1000 was not turned down and assisted suicide will become more and more the norm I know that I have a God that has created life and gives life eternal.

Whatever your thoughts are on this election, no matter how you are feeling we have a God that is in control of it all. He sees every thing that happens. The blood of the innocent has been crying out to Him and He is not deaf. His will is done and we know Who wins in the end.

Rose from Brier

Thou hast not that, My child, but thou hast Me,
And am I not alone enough for thee?
I know it all, know how thy heart was set
Upon this joy which is not given yet.
And well I know how through the wistful days
Thou walkest all the dear familiar ways,
As unregarded as a breath of air,
But there in love and longing, always there.
I know it all; but from thy brier shall blow
A rose for others.
If it were not so I would have told thee.
Come, then, say to Me,
My Lord, my Love,
I am content with Thee.

-Amy Carmichael

If My People

“If My people will humble themselves and pray....” that was the thought going over and over in my head as I prayed for and thought about the upcoming elections. In four days we will know who will win this election. The thing that I keep reminding myself of is that God knows now, and He “controls the heart of the king.”