Jesus

Do you really know Jesus?

I think I have wasted alot of my life as a Christian focusing on doing all the good and right things.  What I'm realizing lately is that I have not invested much quality time in reading my Bible and getting to know Jesus.  Jesus is KEY.  He really is.  I am the type of person who needs to read the story of Mary and Martha everyday.  :)  

"Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village.  And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching.  But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Tell her then to help me."  But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but few things are necessary.  Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.  

I want to make time with Jesus as Mary did. 

Thanksgiving update

Last nite I caved and bought a ticket to fly home for Thanksgiving.  :)  I had looked at tickets a few weeks ago, but decided I couldn't afford tickets for both this and Christmas.  Well, as I talked with my dad last nite, he kinda gave me a hint that he wasn't too excited for me to make the drive all in one weekend.  (He is very smart!)  :)  So, after a little persuasion, ( a little ) I was quickly looking up ticket prices online.  My flight goes out next Wednesday nite at 940pm and I will get into KC by 1130pm!  That really excites me that I will be home that same nite I get off work for the holiday!!   My return flight will be that following Monday afternoon.  I'd say that's a pretty good weekend!

Tonite was the last nite for my Wed. nite class, "Intro to Faith".  We had the opportunity to sign up for church membership and I went for it.  I'd been

 hesitant and going back and forth for a while now, mostly because of the question of length of time I will be here in Lafayette.  But, either way, I desire to be directly and actively involved in a church body locally while I am here.  So, I will be "voted in" or officially join as a member on Dec. 7th.  I am excited for it!

For those of you who are aware of the challenges I've encountered at work this past week and a half, I must say that God is at work and I see change!!  :)  Woo!! Praise YOU God for working and allowing me the honor of seeing your work!  It is amazing to me that even when I don't ask God to work in certain ways, and lack faith to pray for certain things, He chooses to work!  We as humans have the choice to change in many areas of life, but God in His grace chooses to have the Holy Spirit work in people's hearts in his own way.  One of my co-workers made a comment to me that she is realizing things abo

ut herself and seeing ways in which she can grow that she has never seen before.  Praise God that He allows us to see the condition of our hearts!  There is much work to be done in my heart...

Well, next Monday is the last week of counseling class.  I am in denial right now!  :(  I just can't picture my life without it now!!!!....just kiddding.  But seriously, that class was my main reason in coming here and I think Ill feel lost without it!  Maybe at least for a while.  God is the ONE who brought me here, and He has his purposes for me .  So I must rest in that.  I have learned quite a bit....so much that I would love to write about and expound on, but my responsiblities at work are just not allowing me the time to do that right now.  Soon I hope.  

For everything there is a season....

Poor Tanner had to wait a whole year to get another piece of turkey!  

Crave

The last few days, I have been "go go go!" and have not eaten the quantity of food I have been consuming recently.  Also, I have been eating nutritious foods - especially my fruits and veggies.  It is amazing how you can change your "cravings" or appetite by what you eat.  As I have been consuming these healthier foods, I haven't had much desire to eat fatty or sugary foods.  Ever since coming to Lafayette, I have gained some weight and have not eaten as healthy as I usually do (because I've always eaten healthy...;)  

As I thought about eating and how you can change your cravings by what you eat, it made me think about my time reading the Bible.  The more time I have spent reading God's Word, the more I tend to "crave" and desire to read it and learn more about it.  You can see it both ways I think. 

"Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!  Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!...The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."

Psalm 34

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."

Matthew 5:6

Relaxing with a friend

Looking back on the past week, it would rank high up in "one of the most challenging weeks".  There were many challenges at work : reorganizing, regrouping, disciplining, confronting, loving, serving, creating, pursuing, running, etc.  I've been at my job now for about a month, and my co-ordinating teacher and I still have many areas in which we need to redevelop and change in our classroom.  The first thing to be dealt with is me. ( I often find it so entirely easy to point out the faults and weaknesses and negatives in the people and activities and systems around me, that I fail to "take the plank out of my own eye first!")  There was one day this week in which my co-ordinating teacher was gone and a number of events happened in result.  All those events were smashed together and caused an enormous title wave to come crashing down today.  

The events don't need to be recounted on the internet, because God has been faithful to teach me many a lesson through this...

So anyway, after a long week, I went out for dinner and walked the aisles of Barnes and Noble with a friend.  There's just something about walking the aisles of Barnes and Noble with a friend that soothes and relaxes.  ;)  We started out in the "Christian literature" section, picking up devotionals and reading snippets of wisdom from "July 21" and "November 14".   Next we meandered over to the music section and chit chatted about past time favorites.  By the time we waltzed out of the music, my muscles felt like jell-o and mashed potatoes.  God in His grace decided to bless me tonite with the company of a good friend to relax and sooth my anxious and stressed out heart.  I'd been worrying and stressing over many different methods and details in planning lessons for my class this week, failing often to acknowledge the power and greatness of God.  But, God was faithful to me everyday.  Tonite, He decided to remind me of who He is.  That's the kind of God I serve.  

He's got the whole world in His hands!

He's got the whole world in His hands

He's got the whole world in His hands

He's got the whole world in His hands, 

He's got the whole world in His hands!

I heard these old lyrics in a song tonite on the radio and was reminded of the many times I sang them growing up.  When I sang them as a little girl, I probably wasn't thinking about God's "sovereignty", or even how He works all things in this world for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose!  (Romans 8:28-29)

As a believer, I'm seeing the importance of that passage in my daily life.  I really need to believe the truth of that for me.  It is very challenging to break through doubts of His sovereignty in trial and suffering.  BUT, yet, it is the best place to be when you choose to.  Peace.  

p.s. to "Mercy"

Run to HIM!   The longer you wait, the longer you will not recieve peace and true love.  He is a God who steadfastly loves and gives.  EVERY day.  

"He who did not spare His own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him (Jesus) graciously give us all things?"  Romans 8:32

"If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities (sins), O Lord , who could stand?  But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared."  Psalm 130

Psalm 107

Psalm 78

"Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation."  Psalm 68:19

"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance"  2 Peter 3:9

Mercy

"Ah, stubborn children," declares the Lord, "who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin;"

"For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, "In returning (repentence) and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength."  But you were unwilling, and you said "NO! We will flee upon horses"; therefore you shall flee away ;"

"Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exults himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him."

Isaiah 30:1, 15, 16, 18

It is an unfathomable thing sometimes to realize that the Lord still pursues me when I literally run from him.  When I sin, it is my first response to run from him and HIDE.  Just like Adam and Eve in the beginning of this earth.  They hid and feared what God would do to them when they would encounter Him.  They had no reason to believe that God was out to get them.  But that's what sin does.  It puts fear in us.  We should have a little fear, but that should be fear of the Lord because of His holiness.  We should

 fear Him in  a way that is in reverence.  Not a fear that He would hurt us like humans do. Humans intentionally hurt us sometimes because their motives and intentions of the heart are evil.  God's intentions are always to LOVE. 

But it is just amazing to me that God sought them out after they did exactly what he warned them not to do!!  He didn't just seek them out, but He showed them grace by not allowing them to live in that sin for the rest of their lives.  He didn't have to allow Eve to have children. He didn't even have to let Adam be able to work for his food!  After they realized they were naked, he didn't embarrass them and make them experience shame.  He clothed them.  :)

God pursues us especially in our most shameful, rebellious times.  That is the kind of God HE IS.  He is just as equally merciful and kind and loving as HE is wrathful and angry.  Kinda hard to understand, but it is true.  I am learning that that is true because of the MANY ways He has pursued me like that in my past.  Wow.  Do I have many. I can trust Him because of how He has never stopped pursuing me.  I cannot think of a time where He didn't.  

I've started thinking about these aspects through reading "Caught off Guard: Encounters with the Unexpected God" by William P. Smith.   

I am just so thankful for my family...Can't help but put a picture in this entry.  

These past few weeks

"Oh the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements and how inscrutable his ways!

For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?  For from him and through him and to him are all things.  To him be glory forever. Amen."

Romans 11:33-36

Over the last week, there have been many a time that I was inspired to write on my blog, but did not have much time.  Tonite however, I am tired and not really "feelin it", but I would like to put some kind of update on what's been going on for me lately. 

My job sure is keepin me on my toes! With new jobs, it always takes time to learn and get accustomed to the way things flow.  It has been fairly smooth for me so far.  The biggest challenges have been knowing how to discipline and change bad behavior.  The lead teacher I am with likes to give candy as a reward for good behavior.  The center actually prohibits the use of food to reward or discipline - but somehow it is "ok" for us to do it.  Hmm...any thoughts on that?  In my Biblical counseling class, we've been discussing what people have to do to really change.  We first notice a "problem/issue" in someone by their behavior- by the way they are responding to things in their life.  It makes alot of sense to want to change the behavior to fix the problem, but it often is not really fixed.  The Bible is full of truths about our hearts and that our hearts are where the real issues lie.  Mark 7 "This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men."  Verses 14-23 talks about how it is not the things that we eat or put in our bodies that defile us, but what comes out of us that defile us.  "For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."  

So maybe I'm seeing that I shouldn't be so concerned about their behavior, but start working on how they understand and think about things.  Just getting a child to do things the right way should not be my goal and focus.  As a Christian, I see that true change comes from the heart (their thinking, desires, etc).  I really desire to be an example of Jesus to these young, impressionable, vulnerable children.  But, we have to realize that these children are not just vulnerable to hurt and harm and influence from other people. They are vulnerable to their own heart's deceit!  Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?"  We've been talking about parenting in class too, and looking at what God's Word says about children. "Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him."  Proverbs 22:15 

Children NEED discipline and instruction.  This is the side of working with children that I struggle with, so I really appreciate knowing what God's Word says about it. And that His ways of working with them are best. 

Another struggle with work for me has been teaching .  ;)  Ha!  That is what my job is, and yet, that's what I feel so inadequate at doing.  My experience with children before this job was as an assistant teacher, but with younger infants and toddlers.  And with smaller groups.  It is very challenging to try to get the attention of 20 3 yr. olds to give them instruction for activities.  I am quickly learning methods of song and such.

In the last month, I've been thinking through the idea of church membership - why do we need it? What is it supposed to look like? Is it Biblical?  How? Why do some churches stress it larger than others?  So, to help answer some of my questions, I decided to take the "Intro to Faith (Baptist)" class offered on Wed. nites.  It is for people interested in membership at Faith Baptist to have opportunities to ask questions and look at what the Bible says about "the Church".  This last week was the first of 4 sessions.  Pastor Steve Viars taught the first class.

On Friday at school, we celebrated Halloween by doing a parade with all the classes.  I dressed up as Belle from Beauty and the Beast.  :)  I fit in pretty well with all the other little princesses running around!  And they really were running around!  Sugar running out of their ears!  One precious child had it coming out of his mouth by the end of the day, but that's another story...! The Career class held a "Harvest Party" later that nite.  My top three choices for a costume: 1. Dorothy 2. Lee M. 3. Sarah Palin.   I somehow ended up as Belle again, but this time as a "Southern Belle".