When We've Been There 10,000 Years...

My mom's been with Jesus for 4 years today.  It seems like so long that I've been without her on this earth, but I am reminded that it's such a speck of time compared to eternity. She's only been in heaven for 4 years, but even after 10,000 more, she'll have no less days to sing God's praise than when she'd first begun.  I am encouraged by that, even though I miss her terribly here. 

This is what I read from my Daily Light book this day four years ago - it brought great comfort to my soul then, and I want to remember it again:  

~It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

~Has God forgotten to be gracious?  Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies?  

~I said in my haste, "I am cut off from before your eyes"; nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications when I cried out to You.  

~Shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?  I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.  

~Wait for the Lord, and He will save you.

~Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.

~You will not need to fight in this battle.  Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.   

I am so thankful God rescued my mom from her sin, and even though her life was filled with trial after trial, He rescued her, in His time, and took her home to be with Him forever.  He is so good.

Joe Dirt, the Tall Tale

A few weeks ago, I mentioned a Tall Tale that one of my students wrote that sounds vaguely like the screenplay for the movie Joe Dirt.  Here is the completed work, for your enjoyment:

"When Joe Dirt was 8 he had got lost at mount rushmore.  And 20 years later he was poor and he did not have any friend.  Until he saved karen puppy dog and she like him.  

Joe Dirt was starting his jurney to find his parents.  He had lost Kim and she was heartbroken. he had found an astrode but it turned out to be a pile of mud.  

Joe Dirt had saw his favorite car on sale.  an old lady said that he can have it and a storm came up and had to put rock in the hot air ballon.  and he had fell in it and flew to pensulvanya. 

Joe Dirt met 4 friend and they all were from different places and 2 got married and he found kim and they got maried and they had a baby boy

And he came to look like his dad and know one knows what happen to Joe Dirt.  next but I know he chaned the world a little"

27 pencils - $2.50

27 composition notebooks - $30.00

getting a glimpse into their little 10-year-old minds:  Priceless

:-) 

Truth

My pastor started a sermon series on 1 Timothy several weeks ago.  I have been so encouraged by the truth being taught at our church.  After hearing the word of God, I realized that I have become a friend of the world, subtly, over the last year.  I think this comes from a lot of different venues - tv, music, working in a public school, laziness.  I don't think I even realized it until we read the first chapter of 1 Timothy.  It's so good to be reminded that there is truth, and without it, we have no standard to weigh anything by.  This is truth, and worthy of full acceptance: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost." This knowledge is a comfort to my soul, and I know that no matter who may be offended by that statement, it is true and good for every person who hears it.  I have focused too much on what others think of me and how I am perceived.  What I must contemplate now is how to balance speaking words of truth while loving others without judgment.  

I feel pensive.

It may be because my roommates have both been gone since Wednesday, and I haven't talked that much.  I feel pensive, but I still don't have that much to say.  Here are a few stories of my week:  

I went to the mall earlier today, and before I shopped, I bought some chicken nuggets and a sweet tea.  As I was waiting to get my food, one of the girls behind the register passed out. There were about 5 people all around her, and 2 others trying to decide if they should keep taking orders like nothing was going on, or stop and turn around to help.  All of us (the customers) were kind of looking around as if to say, "I'm not sure if I should look at her, or if I should act like nothing's happening."  They called the mall cop over, and whether or not he was qualified to give medical advice, he gave some.  They got her off the floor eventually and into a chair, and then they rolled the chair into the back room.  I assume she is ok.  Then, when I sat down to quickly eat my chicken, I felt something really hard inside of the nuggets.  It was a bone. Ha!  At least we know that Chick-Fil-A uses real chicken.  

We have been studying tall tales in school, and I had my class write one of their own.  They worked hard on them all week, and when one of my students turned it in, I realized that he basically rewrote the entire screenplay of Joe Dirt, the movie.  I wanted to laugh so badly, but I just took the paper from him and said we'd talk more about it later.  It's in my classroom currently (and I am not), so when I get it, I'll have to type a little excerpt and put it on here.  

I enjoy teaching where I teach, and I get to hear a lot of fun things.  All the students have nametags with their names and my last name under that (to show whose class they're in).  One of my students had circled my name and point with an arrow to the word b****.  Nice.  We get to hear a lot of choice things like that.  We also get to hear a lot of new slang and we're pretty down with all the new stuff that kids are into.  Here is a conversation I had with another teacher last week:

"Zaire threw some chicken today."

"Really? (pause) Wait, what's that mean?"

"It means he threw a piece of chicken."  

"Oh.  I thought that was slang for something I didn't know about yet."

"No.  He just threw a piece of chicken."  

:-)   I think those short stories satisfies my writing quota for the day.  Until next time.  

God is so faithful and kind...

Today, God reminded me how he cares for me even in small things... A few months ago, I got my mom's wedding ring fixed and I have been wearing it.  It's the most sentimental thing I have of my mom's and it's a representation (to me) of my family before divorce and death entered into it. So, yesterday at school, I took it off at our classroom sink to wash my hands and laid it down on the counter.  I didn't think about it even once until last night when I was almost asleep.  It was out of my control, so I just prayed that it would still be there when I got to school today.  When I got there, it was gone, and I got very upset... the maintenance guys looked in the sink drain (just in case a kid had knocked it into the sink), but it wasn't there.  I prayed that when I talked to my classes about it, God would move in the heart of whoever took it to return it to me.  When the kids all arrived, I tearfully explained why the ring was so important to me, and that whoever took it would not be in trouble, I just wanted it back.  I set up a spot on my desk for them to put it, and I wouldn't even have to know who did it, they could put it there when no one else was in the room.  When I was done talking to them about it, another teacher came in and told me that a girl told her that one of my students was showing all the other kids her "new ring" on the bus.  The neat thing is, even before I could speak to my student about it, she came to me and told me she found it and had taken it home, and it was still there.  I am so thankful that God moved her to tell me that she had it.  I drove her home today (my assistant principal suggested that), and met the lady she "stays with" and then my student brought the ring outside and gave it back.  I am thankful that God graciously gave this "memory" of my mom back to me, and I trust that God will also use this in the life of my student.