A Month of Struggle

 I have been praying for a month concerning a situation that I could not work through with peace. Those involved were no longer available in which to pursue solutions. God has perfect timing in providing answers I thought I had to put aside. God led me through a series of teachings that brought me to a quiet word with me this morning. Many of these teaching moments were subtle and so I cannot recall the beginning or many of the details. I first began to realize again that knowing God for himself is bigger than what culture tries to create in our minds. I am not in a place to question the actions of God in any timeline. We are also studying the book of Joshua in Ladies Bible Study. Through these verses we see the seriousness of sin and how important it is to confront and deal with sin. We tend to justify ourselves or minimize sin. Even as a believer, God does not. When we do not deal with sin, he cannot move us forward.

This morning I awoke and God used that still quiet voice to reveal what had happened in that previous situation. Instead of justifying my actions, I clearly saw that not only did I sin against him, but I could have affected the salvation of others. At first, I thought out my confession and realized the words needed to be verbalized. Verses were brought to mind as I laid it before him and sought his forgiveness and prayed for those I had sinned against. I began my daily bible readings for the day and the first verse I read was to confess our sins to others to be healed. I was set back because personal confession is not a normal practice even in church. I began to think about who I could call so I could act with obedience. Then I remembered the small group at Ladies Bible Study and the opportunity to write out prayer requests. I immediately wrote out my confession and asked for prayer for me to love others when I am hurt and that those affected would have the opportunity to know God. 

I am so grateful that God leads us and guides us in the way we should go. He gives us specific instructions at times and then provides the way to fulfill those things. Thank you, Jesus!

The Quietness of God

 

Psalm 69:13 – “But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God,
    in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.”

God is God. I can’t change his character or his actions, unless I create my own god. And that is idolatry. So, when I think I need him to speak, I can’t make that happen. I have seen through many difficult situations that he seems to be quiet when those big moments happen. I pray and cry and read my Bible and most of the time in those moments, he is silent. I don’t know why, but the fact that he does not act at my whim or even desperation says a lot about my relationship with him. I have not created him and maybe that’s the big takeaway. I must wait on a real entity. I am reminded of his reality in these moments. What I love is the suddenness of his response. At an unexpected moment, the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit speaks into the situation and illuminates his word in profound ways. Once again, I am reminded that I don’t control him. His word often contradicts my expectations and desires. Even then, my heart is flooded with joy and thankfulness for his voice. And then, I must respond to his word in trust and obedience. He has made himself known to me even though I am a sinful person; forgiven, but in need of his continuing salvation. I need to remember that his silence is a sign to me of the personhood of himself.

Preview of "The Dragon Who Laughed Fire"

Once upon a time in the Kingdom of Chalet, there lived a dragon.  His family had left the kingdom a long time ago to live up in the mountains where there were more caves.  The dragon had a friendly personality although he was quite sad and lonely.  He was misunderstood by the people of Chalet and had no friends.  

Everyone avoided the dragon as much as possible because of the fire from his mouth that always burned their houses and fields whenever he flew by.  They did not know the destruction was accidental.  Every friendly greeting or sound of laughter coming from the dragon resulted in a burst of flame and fire.  

The dragon was quite unaware of the fear he caused and continued to greet the townsfolk.  He wondered why no one came to visit him in the last dragon cave left in the kingdom and why no one wanted to be his friend.  He remembered what his mom told him. "To have a friend, you need to be a friend."   So, he kept flying over the villages at least once a week to be friendly.  But, his fiery friendliness was definitely a problem to the good people of Chalet.

song for my children

"When I Leave the Room" by Natalie Grant

Good night
Looks like we made it through the day
The moon sighs
And I know that we're okay

Sleep tight
I love to watch you drift away
I would come with you but on my knees I'll stay

Good night
Five little fingers holding mine
Take flight
Into your dreams and lullabies

There's nothing more that I can do
But just fall more in love with you
And ask the angel armies to stand by
When I leave the room

I'm gonna fail you
I already have
Ten thousand times
I will fall down flat

You'll have a seat in the front row
Of everything I don't know
And all I'm trying to be
You'll see

Good night
There will be storms that we come through
In time
We will slay dragons me and you

I'll always wanna hold you tight
Keep you safe with all my might
So I will leave Jesus next to you
When I leave the room

And you will run ahead
As if you know the way
And I will pray more
Then one should have to pray

There will be words we can't take back
Silences too
And I'll be on my knees
You'll see

One night
When I am old and unsteady
You'll want me to fight
But I'll tell you that I'm ready

When there's nothing left to do
I will still be loving you
Then you'll fold your fingers into mine
And I will let Jesus hold you tight
When I leave the room

Written by Bernie Herms, Natalie Diane Grant, Nichole Ellyse Nordeman • Copyright © Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol Christian Music Group, Music Services, Inc

Talk About Too Much Information!

Information and Education - Video

Change is hard. In the education world, teachers are still trying to use the same methods we have used in the past. This video shows why we are being ineffective educators. The harder we try, the more we get behind. We will either drown in information or we will learn to swim in new waters. As a future school librarian, I am excited by this new world. I want to be an educational partner as I enable others to gain information fluency. Bring it on!

The Buffalo Soldier by Sherry Garland

 Animoto book trailer:

The Buffalo Soldier by Sherry Garland

Happy Birthday, Becky!

Birthday Blessings   Instead of counting candles,
Or tallying the years,
Contemplate your blessings now,
As your birthday nears. Consider special people
Who love you, and who care,
And others who’ve enriched your life
Just by being there.   Think about the memories
Passing years can never mar,
Experiences great and small
That have made you who you are. Another year is a happy gift,
So cut your cake, and say,
"Instead of counting birthdays,
I count blessings every day!"   By Joanna