I had 15 envelopes in my mailbox waiting to be taken by the mailman Saturday. These envelopes got sorted at the post office and then each will be delivered to the address so carefully written on the outside of the envelope. A man or woman will pick up my envelope and deliver it to the administrator of a local Christian school. The administrator will open it, and give me a call saying they will recommend me. At least, that's what my prayers are.
Each envelope has my resume, a business card, and a letter requesting to be recommended as a tutor to the families in their school. I have stated that I understand that with every recommendation comes responsibility, so I would be happy to come in for an interview.
I'm praying that I will get at least a few recommendations, and at least 5 students, though 10 would be ideal. Because I know that many of you will be praying with me, I will let you know if I hear from any of the schools.
If this does go well, I intend to reach out to other Christian schools in the area. This may very well be the start to a successful tutoring career in this area. Again, that's what I'm praying for. It took a lot of time and effort to get everything done. Now that they're on their way, I'm praying that God will bless my efforts. I've sown seeds, let's pray them into blossom!
This makes me wonder what you're really working toward. I know I'm not the only one who has hope that things I do will bring forth fruit. If you let me know, I will pray! In fact, with your permission, I will post your prayer requests on next week's page. Let's get praying together for each other. God will surely bless!
I wrote this on Friday, and would like to add that I now have a student to tutor! The parent contacted me on Saturday and asked me to tutor 3 times a week till the end of the school year. I'll post more about this on Tuesday. Have a blessed week! Hope everyone enjoyed their Easter!
Sunday, March 31, 2013
He is Risen!
He is risen indeed! What hope! What blessed assurance! What other truth can banish fear and grief? God conquered everything on that first Easter. Death was defied, and Jesus lived lives!
Easter is by far my favorite holiday. It is the celebration of every true hope. It is the evidence that we need not fear; the truth that everything will be made right again. There is new life, and the knowledge that the only permanent things are those wonderful truths that God reigns and has conquered everything.
It is an annual in-your-face reminder to cling to faith instead of fear. It is a day filled with momentary reflections on how amazing our God is. It is the knowledge that the God of the universe personally cares.
I have often thought about the first Easter, and how the fear changed to faith. It was such a dramatic change that those who had been living in shadows suddenly were running in the streets to proclaim the truth-- Jesus lives!
We have a choice to make every day. We can choose to focus and cling to the grief, pain, and fear or we can choose to focus and cling to the Lord who does miracles and works on our behalf.
It is an easy logical choice. Unfortunately, the continually choosing is more difficult. It's easy to see the boisterous waves as Peter did before he focused on Jesus and walked on water. The waves in our lives are noisy and make a great show of just how terrible things are. It takes deliberate choices to draw our attention from that and have our focus unwavering on our wonderful Lord.
Easter is my favorite holiday because it's one big day that reminds me just how powerful my God is and just how much He cares for me. Can I really continue doubting about the future when I consider that the God who leads my life is the same one who defied the grave? Is there anything that God cannot do? Surely not.
I cannot wait until I see God face to face. And this is one thing that I consider. We will all have perfect bodies except for Jesus. He will yet be bearing the scars in His hands. A continual reminder of His love for us. I need Easter to be a reminder to me here on Earth. When I finally see Him, I will cry into those hands. I cannot wait for Him to carefully wipe every tear from my eyes. Until then, I continue in life with the knowledge that nothing is outside His power. He is my almighty God.
Easter is by far my favorite holiday. It is the celebration of every true hope. It is the evidence that we need not fear; the truth that everything will be made right again. There is new life, and the knowledge that the only permanent things are those wonderful truths that God reigns and has conquered everything.
It is an annual in-your-face reminder to cling to faith instead of fear. It is a day filled with momentary reflections on how amazing our God is. It is the knowledge that the God of the universe personally cares.
I have often thought about the first Easter, and how the fear changed to faith. It was such a dramatic change that those who had been living in shadows suddenly were running in the streets to proclaim the truth-- Jesus lives!
We have a choice to make every day. We can choose to focus and cling to the grief, pain, and fear or we can choose to focus and cling to the Lord who does miracles and works on our behalf.
It is an easy logical choice. Unfortunately, the continually choosing is more difficult. It's easy to see the boisterous waves as Peter did before he focused on Jesus and walked on water. The waves in our lives are noisy and make a great show of just how terrible things are. It takes deliberate choices to draw our attention from that and have our focus unwavering on our wonderful Lord.
Easter is my favorite holiday because it's one big day that reminds me just how powerful my God is and just how much He cares for me. Can I really continue doubting about the future when I consider that the God who leads my life is the same one who defied the grave? Is there anything that God cannot do? Surely not.
I cannot wait until I see God face to face. And this is one thing that I consider. We will all have perfect bodies except for Jesus. He will yet be bearing the scars in His hands. A continual reminder of His love for us. I need Easter to be a reminder to me here on Earth. When I finally see Him, I will cry into those hands. I cannot wait for Him to carefully wipe every tear from my eyes. Until then, I continue in life with the knowledge that nothing is outside His power. He is my almighty God.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
A time of fear
Their leader had not only died, but He had been crucified. The twelve disciples and other followers of Jesus must have been horribly confused and very scared. If Jesus had been killed, would they be next?
There are times in our life when everything seems wrong. It may even seem like God Himself has deserted you. The disciples surely felt this way. Peter had denied Jesus. My heart aches at the thought. They had so many reasons to fear, and yet they had none.
God Himself had walked with them, told them of His death and resurrection. They had seen miracle after miracle, yet fear broke their faith. I imagine many of us think that we would do better than they did, but I know we wouldn't.
God has given us each promises. In times of difficulty, do we cling to His promises or do we cling to fear? Personally, I have seen Him perform miracles in my own life. Yet in this difficult circumstance, I must fight fear and fend off depression. We are flesh, and so were the disciples.
There is a good ending, of course, but these days must have seemed like years. They lived in hiding, denying Jesus and just hoping to survive. This is such a different picture than the disciples showed later. Once they clung to faith, they were fearlessly preaching Jesus, and they died for it, but Jesus was preached!
Although this all has to do with events after the resurrection, I'm going to share it here. I have a link that tells how the disciples died. As I read it, I'm overwhelmed with just how much faith they have. May I have such a faith! Enjoy! http://www.gotquestions.org/apostles-die.html
There are times in our life when everything seems wrong. It may even seem like God Himself has deserted you. The disciples surely felt this way. Peter had denied Jesus. My heart aches at the thought. They had so many reasons to fear, and yet they had none.
God Himself had walked with them, told them of His death and resurrection. They had seen miracle after miracle, yet fear broke their faith. I imagine many of us think that we would do better than they did, but I know we wouldn't.
God has given us each promises. In times of difficulty, do we cling to His promises or do we cling to fear? Personally, I have seen Him perform miracles in my own life. Yet in this difficult circumstance, I must fight fear and fend off depression. We are flesh, and so were the disciples.
There is a good ending, of course, but these days must have seemed like years. They lived in hiding, denying Jesus and just hoping to survive. This is such a different picture than the disciples showed later. Once they clung to faith, they were fearlessly preaching Jesus, and they died for it, but Jesus was preached!
Although this all has to do with events after the resurrection, I'm going to share it here. I have a link that tells how the disciples died. As I read it, I'm overwhelmed with just how much faith they have. May I have such a faith! Enjoy! http://www.gotquestions.org/apostles-die.html
Friday, March 29, 2013
What's so good about Good Friday?
I heard a phenomenal message this past Sunday. Because of the importance of the anonymity, I cannot share the preacher's name or the church. However, I had to share his sermon. I'm been thinking about it all week. May it make a positive impact on each of your lives as well.
Today is Good Friday. It is the day most of Christians set aside to celebrate Christ's sacrifice. It is in memory of the day He died. But He died a gruesome death. He was beaten, mocked, and mercilessly killed despite the fact that He was completely innocent. Even a convicted thief defended Him against another. The three were on the cross. The first mocked Him and the second defended our Lord, stating that they deserved their punishment, but this Man had done nothing to deserve crucifixion.
Even a Roman guard admitted, "Surely this Man was the Son of God." But it was too late. By this time, Christ's body lay limp, mangled, and beaten to the point that it was not recognizable. Good Friday? Our Savior suffered a terribly painful death in the face of mockery.
He could have silenced their cruel mockery in an instant and halted the pain. He didn't, and that's why this day is celebrated. He would have been completely justified in stopping his execution and condemning the masses then and there. He had done nothing wrong.
He continued on for your sake and for mine. He who knew no sin became sin for us and took upon Himself the death of the cross. Through His death, we may have life eternal. Through His torment, we have peace. Through His death, we have newness of life.
That is why it is a good Friday. He gave everything so we could have life fully, so that we would never know the condemnation for our sins. So that we would forever be justified in the eyes of a righteous God. Christ died that we may live.
Today, may you and I remember the suffering of our God so that we can live. May we each at least thank Him today for everything He went through.
Today is Good Friday. It is the day most of Christians set aside to celebrate Christ's sacrifice. It is in memory of the day He died. But He died a gruesome death. He was beaten, mocked, and mercilessly killed despite the fact that He was completely innocent. Even a convicted thief defended Him against another. The three were on the cross. The first mocked Him and the second defended our Lord, stating that they deserved their punishment, but this Man had done nothing to deserve crucifixion.
Even a Roman guard admitted, "Surely this Man was the Son of God." But it was too late. By this time, Christ's body lay limp, mangled, and beaten to the point that it was not recognizable. Good Friday? Our Savior suffered a terribly painful death in the face of mockery.
He could have silenced their cruel mockery in an instant and halted the pain. He didn't, and that's why this day is celebrated. He would have been completely justified in stopping his execution and condemning the masses then and there. He had done nothing wrong.
He continued on for your sake and for mine. He who knew no sin became sin for us and took upon Himself the death of the cross. Through His death, we may have life eternal. Through His torment, we have peace. Through His death, we have newness of life.
That is why it is a good Friday. He gave everything so we could have life fully, so that we would never know the condemnation for our sins. So that we would forever be justified in the eyes of a righteous God. Christ died that we may live.
Today, may you and I remember the suffering of our God so that we can live. May we each at least thank Him today for everything He went through.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Not knowing is the worst!
So much of my life is dependent on variables that I have little or no control over. It's overwhelming to think that my life could be forever changed by one little thing. I suppose this is always true, but here, my future hangs in the balance. Unfortunately, there are more than one things that could sway the direction I must go.
Not knowing how these pieces will fall constantly threatens to stress and overwhelm me. I keep re-trusting God with the particulars, but the worries keep popping up. It's like an emotional game of whack a mole. It used to be that they would pop up all the time, very unappreciated. For the most part, I have these worries under control.
However, today, something happened that sprang the game into full-force action. I missed a call from my husband's supervisor. The possibilities of what he was going to say seem to taunt me. Is he losing his job? Is my stuff on its way soon? Is he getting re-assigned? Is he going to jail? The possibilities seem endless, and, of course, when I tried to return the phone call, he wasn't available.
I wish there were a way to unplug the whack a mole game that plays in my mind and plays with my emotions. Unfortunately, I don't know how. I do know that God will provide no matter what, but my next steps depend so much on what is decided.
The best thing for me to do is trust and rest in God's amazing care, but I find myself worrying through each situation. My mind races through the possible endings, trying to ascertain my appropriate and most logical respond to each scenario. It's driving me a little crazy, but I don't know how to turn my mind off.
While not knowing may be the worst, trusting is certainly the most important. I am trying. I will certainly need to give it all to God again. He leads step by step, not year by year. I need to remember that just as He is supplying for my needs now, He will in the future as well. One step at a time.
Not knowing how these pieces will fall constantly threatens to stress and overwhelm me. I keep re-trusting God with the particulars, but the worries keep popping up. It's like an emotional game of whack a mole. It used to be that they would pop up all the time, very unappreciated. For the most part, I have these worries under control.
However, today, something happened that sprang the game into full-force action. I missed a call from my husband's supervisor. The possibilities of what he was going to say seem to taunt me. Is he losing his job? Is my stuff on its way soon? Is he getting re-assigned? Is he going to jail? The possibilities seem endless, and, of course, when I tried to return the phone call, he wasn't available.
I wish there were a way to unplug the whack a mole game that plays in my mind and plays with my emotions. Unfortunately, I don't know how. I do know that God will provide no matter what, but my next steps depend so much on what is decided.
The best thing for me to do is trust and rest in God's amazing care, but I find myself worrying through each situation. My mind races through the possible endings, trying to ascertain my appropriate and most logical respond to each scenario. It's driving me a little crazy, but I don't know how to turn my mind off.
While not knowing may be the worst, trusting is certainly the most important. I am trying. I will certainly need to give it all to God again. He leads step by step, not year by year. I need to remember that just as He is supplying for my needs now, He will in the future as well. One step at a time.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Pick a state, any state
I've been attempting to figure out my future with my daughter. It's been amusing, to say the least. I've come to the realization that I really don't know what I'll be doing or where I'll be. Here are some examples:
I have that the southeast is the region for me. I despise the cold, so that's an easy one. And I really don't care for the dry heat of the west. Southeast it is! Or so you would think. And yet, my mind has placed us frontiering in Montana and living well in Thailand. But both of those were quickly squelched. Montana is cold, despite the website that said it doesn't get too cold in Montana. I was sure it did, though, so I did some digging. It "only" gets to -20 instead of -60. I can't comprehend either of those temperatures, so that's definitely not for me! And Thailand, aside from it being way too far away, a friend told me it's known for cross-dressing and prostitution. Definitely not where I'd like to raise my little girl.
So, back to the southeast... again. I've thought about every single southeast state for varying reasons. I looked up the best cities to raise a family. Waco, Texas and Virginia Beach, Virginia were both listed. Those could both work. I've seriously looked into the foothills of the Appalachians in Tennessee. But it seemed lonely to be a single mom out there all by myself. So, I think I'd like something a little bigger, but smaller than a large city. That hardly narrows it down. I know people in Florida, and it would neat to move and already be with friends, but I'd have to find a suitable place, and I'm not sure that Florida has the southern charm I'm looking for.
Essentially, I really have no clue where I'll end up. It would be so much easier if I had to be somewhere. I just don't want to move just to move again and again. I'd like to put down some roots somewhere. Feel free to share your suggestions. Until then, maybe I should pin a map of the southeast over a dartboard. It kinda feels like that's what I'm doing. The future is a mystery. I guess I've just gotta keep putting one foot in front of the other, but it sure is fun to dream.
I have that the southeast is the region for me. I despise the cold, so that's an easy one. And I really don't care for the dry heat of the west. Southeast it is! Or so you would think. And yet, my mind has placed us frontiering in Montana and living well in Thailand. But both of those were quickly squelched. Montana is cold, despite the website that said it doesn't get too cold in Montana. I was sure it did, though, so I did some digging. It "only" gets to -20 instead of -60. I can't comprehend either of those temperatures, so that's definitely not for me! And Thailand, aside from it being way too far away, a friend told me it's known for cross-dressing and prostitution. Definitely not where I'd like to raise my little girl.
So, back to the southeast... again. I've thought about every single southeast state for varying reasons. I looked up the best cities to raise a family. Waco, Texas and Virginia Beach, Virginia were both listed. Those could both work. I've seriously looked into the foothills of the Appalachians in Tennessee. But it seemed lonely to be a single mom out there all by myself. So, I think I'd like something a little bigger, but smaller than a large city. That hardly narrows it down. I know people in Florida, and it would neat to move and already be with friends, but I'd have to find a suitable place, and I'm not sure that Florida has the southern charm I'm looking for.
Essentially, I really have no clue where I'll end up. It would be so much easier if I had to be somewhere. I just don't want to move just to move again and again. I'd like to put down some roots somewhere. Feel free to share your suggestions. Until then, maybe I should pin a map of the southeast over a dartboard. It kinda feels like that's what I'm doing. The future is a mystery. I guess I've just gotta keep putting one foot in front of the other, but it sure is fun to dream.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Do what's best, not what's easy
I watched a documentary the other day that was talking about food, but I found one part of it that I have applied to much of my life. They said that as part of our human nature, we go for the easier road, even if that means it's the worst option for us. That was one thing that really stuck out to me, though it was a small point in the whole documentary. As I was thinking about it, I came up with this concise phrase: "Do what's best, not what's easy."
I've found that this little sentence has really helped me in many of my daily tasks, especially as I fight depression. It's so easy to do a slip-shod job or let things slide entirely. This reminder has helped me improve much of my life. Things are cleaner, I'm eating better, and I am not procrastinating!
The neat thing is that this has really brightened my mood! I'm happier without an unending list of things I didn't do trailing behind me as I gaze at the growing list of things yet to be done. It's nice to be able to walk unencumbered, knowing that things are done well when they need to be done. It's put a lightness to my step and seems to have brightened my days. I literally notice the sun more!
Did I mention that I'm eating better? Remember my goal to gain weight? It's rough getting all those calories in a safe way, especially because I'm also endeavoring to eat more fruits and vegetables. Today, I haven't even had dinner, and yet I'm less than 300 calories away from my goal. I'm embarrassed to actually admit not just to you, but to myself, that part of my problem with gaining weight was sheer laziness. Isn't that terrible? I shudder at the realization. But there it is, the hard truth. Perhaps now that I'm deciding to do what's best and not what's easy, I'll be able to gain weight very soon.
It's amazing how vicious a cycle depression is. You're depressed, so you let daily tasks slide. Those daily tasks constantly nag you, and you're more depressed, so you do less. It's a terribly sticky mud that you soon discover is sinking sand. Praise God for throwing me a vine. I had to pass it on!
I've found that this little sentence has really helped me in many of my daily tasks, especially as I fight depression. It's so easy to do a slip-shod job or let things slide entirely. This reminder has helped me improve much of my life. Things are cleaner, I'm eating better, and I am not procrastinating!
The neat thing is that this has really brightened my mood! I'm happier without an unending list of things I didn't do trailing behind me as I gaze at the growing list of things yet to be done. It's nice to be able to walk unencumbered, knowing that things are done well when they need to be done. It's put a lightness to my step and seems to have brightened my days. I literally notice the sun more!
Did I mention that I'm eating better? Remember my goal to gain weight? It's rough getting all those calories in a safe way, especially because I'm also endeavoring to eat more fruits and vegetables. Today, I haven't even had dinner, and yet I'm less than 300 calories away from my goal. I'm embarrassed to actually admit not just to you, but to myself, that part of my problem with gaining weight was sheer laziness. Isn't that terrible? I shudder at the realization. But there it is, the hard truth. Perhaps now that I'm deciding to do what's best and not what's easy, I'll be able to gain weight very soon.
It's amazing how vicious a cycle depression is. You're depressed, so you let daily tasks slide. Those daily tasks constantly nag you, and you're more depressed, so you do less. It's a terribly sticky mud that you soon discover is sinking sand. Praise God for throwing me a vine. I had to pass it on!
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