On a More Serious Note… November 17, 2009

So I definitely have Kenya on my mind–that might have something to do with the fact that I leave in less that 48 hours.  It seems like just yesterday that I posted this.  It has already been a journey preparing myself (heart, mind, and body) for this trip.  

The best part of this preparation is coming to the understanding that God has chosen me to do this because He loves me.  I also love that He has reminded me of that daily.  Everything from providing more than enough money for the trip from many generous people, to providing me with a wonderfully supportive work family who doesn’t mind me missing the 4 days of school before Thanksgiving (I am praying they won’t be full moon too), to giving me an overwhelming sense of peace and excitement about the trip…through all of this, God has shown me that He is really in control of the details and all I have to do it get on the plane and go on the trip.  I have heard over and over, “Heather, do you trust my love for you?”  Such a tough question to answer–so convicting every time I realize that I have slipped into yet another frenzy of control-freakiness.

All of this hit me the other day with the words of a dear friend who sent me this text:  “And we see this trip isn’t just about God using you but also about him loving you.”  Wow!  I need to tape that to my forehead so I can remember that every day that I’m in Kenya (maybe writing it on my heart will be a little less awkward ).  I think it’s pretty good advice to remember when I get back and face other challenges too.

Advice for my trip to Kenya… November 16, 2009

…from my 8th grade students at school .

My kids got so excited today when I told them I was going to Africa for my Thanksgiving break.  They didn’t believe me at first, but when they realized it was true, they had lots of questions and even more advice to offer.  Here are some of the best pieces of advice they gave…

1)  If I see a real lion, I should run.  They really will eat me!  (I think they may have heard that on the Discovery Channel for Kids or something.)

2)  We should definitely pack a turkey, so we can have a Thanksgiving dinner…instead of eating goat.

3)  I should try eating monkey brains while I’m over there.  (They’ve heard they really do eat that in Africa…who knew?!)

4)  They (all 95 of them) should be at the top of my souvenir shopping list.

5)  This is my favorite…ladies, they think we should take turns washing each other’s hair in the sink in the bathroom.  This way we don’t have to endanger ourselves by swallowing any water.

My Top 10 October 26, 2009

One thing I love about have a musical sister is that she helps me keep my iPod updated with some pretty cool music. This past weekend, I drove to Anderson and had a chance to really bond with the iPod. These are the songs I’m loving on my iPod right now…

“What Do I Know of Holy” by Addison Road
“I Need a Savior” by Among the Thirsty
“How He Loves Us” by David Crowder
“A Breath or Two” by Jimmy Needham
“While I’m Waiting” by John Walker
“Savior, Please” by Josh Wilson
“Whatever You’re Doing” by Sanctus Real
“Reign in Us” by Starfield
“Jesus Paid It All” by Kristian Stanfill
“City on Its Knees” by TobyMac

So…what are you listening to?

I Just Love this Guy! October 11, 2009

Going back to the “New (School) Year’s Resolutions” that I made when school started this year…

I am working on number #3–finishing my way through the Bible.  I won’t tell you when I started this one, but I will admit that it has been a slow process.  However, I have made my way to Nehemiah and I just love this guy!  Nehemiah is such a neat character–he is obedient, full of discernment, and such a great leader.  My prayer right now is that I can be more like him.

From the very first chapter, we learn that Nehemiah is the cupbearer for the Persian King–one of the king’s most trusted positions.  (I will admit I don’t want his job–testing the king’s food for poison and what not.)  Nehemiah knew that God had him in this position to do something great!  I pray that God will help me to see my position at school and church the same way.  He has shown me so much favor and allowed me to earn trust from so many people, I pray that I will seek the larger purpose in my position.

Next, obedience is Nehemiah’s focus.  He knows that God wants him to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem and he does whatever it takes to get that job done.  Along the way, he casts vision and reminds everyone around him that “the gracious hand of God [is] upon [him]“.  His confidence comes from knowing that God has set this task before him so He has also equipped him to accomplish it.  I pray that I will be so in tune with God that I will know–without a shadow of doubt–that I am being obedient so that I can walk in the same confidence that Nehemiah had.

Nehemiah is not afraid to fight when necessary.  He says, “Don’t be afraid of them.  Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight…” (4:14).  Nehemiah was fighting some very real and tangible enemies that were trying to get in the way of the work God had called him to do.  He didn’t let discouragement or distractions get in the way.  He didn’t let silly people who didn’t understand what he was doing stop him from working.   I pray that God will give me the courage to fight the enemy that tries to get in my way every day (Satan).  I pray that I can have the same attitude Nehemiah had…”I am doing a great work, and I CANNOT come down” (6:3) and pray the same prayer he prayed…”Now strengthen my hands” (6:9).

So, I say all of that to come back to the fact that I am loving Nehemiah!  I’m only half way through the book, and I can’t wait to see what else this dude has to teach me.

True Obedience September 27, 2009

I am going to Kenya in two months.  I haven’t shared too much about this with many people, but it is definitely something God is using to teach me so much.

Let me start at the beginning…when my church, NewSpring, first announced their partnership with 410Bridge and their trips to Segera, Kenya, I knew God wanted me to be involved.  However, I was prepared to give money so someone else would be able to go.  For about a month, I prayed about who needed money and how much I should give.  God was not giving me any answers.  What he was saying, though, was that He was making a way for me to go.  He put it on my principal’s heart to support me taking a few days off of work to go, he provided multiple opportunities for me to make extra money this summer, and he provided friends and family who wanted to give money to help me pay for the trip. 

In addition to all of that, He has also been preparing my heart and mind for this trip.  For the last couple of months, I have said I was going, but I have been quick to say that I was going against my will–kicking and screaming would be a great way to describe it.  I thought that, as long as I’m going, my attitude really doesn’t matter.  However, just this past week, I read, “We must search our own hearts and root out any resistance to obeying God.  Grudging compliance is not true obedience.“  Ouch–what a nasty but accurate way to describe my attitude–grudging compliance.  So, this week, I have been praying that God will help me be willing to take this trip.  I am praying he will help me treat this like the blessing that it is and that I won’t be selfish and think that I’m making such a huge sacrfice by taking this trip even though it’s not something that I am excited to do.  God is giving me an incredible opportunity and he has taken care of all of the details.  All I have to do it trust him and ENJOY it .

Living it up September 26, 2009

When school started, I wrote this.  Last weekend was my first chance to fulfill #6 on this list.  We had our first ever “Siestas Weekend” (that’s what we’re calling them now). 

Last Saturday morning, we drove to Carowinds.  It was just us girls (Hannah, Sarah, Holly, and me)…no youth to chaperone, no big group to keep up with.  It was one of those weekends that doesn’t come along too often–one where you can just enjoy good friends.  We spent the day riding roller coasters and bungee jumping.  Well, I only watched the second part and videoed it.  Those girls are SO BRAVE…and I have no shame in admitting that I am scared to death of heights .

After we were all “rided” out, we went to the Christian Music Day concerts.  Our plan was to watch BarlowGirl and then run out for dinner and be back in time for Chris Tomlin.  Well, right after BarlowGirl, this happened.

The torrential downpour hit and continued for like 2 hours.  Since the amphitheatre only has a tin roof, it began to leak and rain inside on us.  It was definitely a great opportunity to complain.  Everyone crowded under the shelter, everyone was wet, and we girls were hungry.  However, it turned out to be so much fun. 

The rain forced us to stay for the Skillet concert.  I must confess that I’m not a huge fan of this kind of music, but I was surrounded by teenagers who loved it.  Skillet definitely loves Jesus and led these kids in worship.  I am so glad I got to experience that!  However, another confession–I loved the Chris Tomlin concert more.  It was such an A-mazing worship experience.  He is an incredible worship leader.  He even reminded us that we should be thankful for the rain and see them as “showers of mercy and grace being poured on us.”

After dinner at WaHo (Waffle House) and a night at the Marriott, we went to Elevation Church where my friend, Chris Brown led worship and Steven Furtick preached an amazing sermon about student ministry.  We got the VIP treatment and incredibly comfortable t-shirts for being first time visitors.  This was a great way to end this wonderful weekend.

You can read more about our weekend at these links:  Sarah’s Facebook post and Holly’s blog post.

Words to Live By September 6, 2009

As a teacher, I am constantly being asked how my kids learn best. I love how God is the model teacher and He knows exactly the best method for teaching each one of his kids. For me, God knows that I need lots of repetition. Lately, I’ve noticed how He teaches me lessons with themes and then repeats key words over and over. A few months ago His keywords were “obedience” and then “surrender”. Everywhere I went, I was learning new lessons about these two “words.”   The result of these lessons was a HUGE move from Anderson to Conway…a change in my job, a change in my living arrangements, a change in church.  However, I knew the whole time that  God was guiding and my job was to simply be obedient. 

Now, I can’t pretend like I have these down. I won’t even try to say that I have learned all I need to know. However, I am realizing that God has moved onto some new lessons. Our current theme of study involves the words, “all” and “enough.”  I am really struggling this with these lessons.  I am struggling with letting God be enough for me.  I am struggling putting His desires over my own heart’s desires.  I am struggling being satisfied with what I have right now and with my current circumstances. 

This has become such a wonderful verse that I carry around with me on an index card…
“Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.”  Psalm 90:14

New Year’s Resolutions August 23, 2009

A teacher friend of mine said the other day that teachers are the only people who make New Year’s resolutions in August. So here it goes. This is what I resolve for this (school) year.

1. to pray for discernment every day so I will be able to know what each of my students need from me
2. to work out regularly (meaning at least 3 times a week)
3. to finish reading through the Bible
4. to make it home to watch Gilmore Girls in the afternoons (That means that I leave school to be home at 5.)
5. to use my evenings and weekends to invest in friendships
6. to do something FUN for myself at least once a month
7. to only bring home what will fit into my new, smaller teacher bag
8. to say NO to things that don’t fit onto my plate (Visit here for more info.)
9. to get excited and prepared for Kenya trip in November
10. to enjoy spending time pouring into KidSpring and Fuse in Florence

So, are you up for it?  Why wait until January to start looking ahead?

Oh, The Places We Go August 9, 2009

So this was my last full week of summer.  I go back to school this Wednesday.  I decided that I needed a little vacation from the norm.  I went up to Anderson…my old stomping grounds…and had the chance to catch up with some pretty amazing people.

I have written this photo-story to give you just a small peek into last week :).

 

 

 

First, I got to visit with my very dear friends, Jon and Carol. They were such gracious hosts and let me share their house with them for a few days.

Then, I got to share in a very special day with a very special girl. Amber and Marissa (both pictured above) were in my small group at Fuse.

On Sunday morning, I visited NewSpring Greenville for the first time. It was so good to see how they are paving the way for us in Florence.

I absolutely love Target in Anderson! It is truly one of my favorite places on earth. I spent a little time Sunday afternoon perusing the well-organized aisles. I bought more than I had on my list and spent a little more than I had planned, but that is typical of a visit to this place.

On Sunday night, I had dinner at Cracker Barrel with one of the girls from my very first Fuse small group, Ashley. She makes me so proud. She now leads her own group of girls. Anyway, this was my plate. The waiter said this reminded him of a character from SpongeBob SquarePants.

Monday, I visited another one of my favorite places…BAMM! I spent hours here (literally) enjoying one of their Artic Frozen Lemonades, their free WiFi, and their Fiction/Literature section.

This place made me such the grocery store snob. This was my local Publix…literally 5 minutes from where I lived. I finally tried a chicken tender sub after it received a glowing recommendation from a trusted friend (VaneBrown).

Monday night, I got to hang out with my favorite soccer mom, Michelle. She is managing her daughter’s soccer team this season, so I sat with her at soccer practice. It turned out to be such a great place to catch up!

Then, Michelle was so wonderful and let me stay with her Monday night.

Tuesday was a day of meeting lots of people…most of them at Panera. By the way, they have their summer salad back–strawberry and poppyseed–delicious! While here, I had a surprise visit with a very dear friend and then a planned visit with another one. Rachel was stopping for a quick bite and I joined her for a Diet Coke. Then, my sweet friend Megan, who is leaving to go overseas soon, joined me for lunch and great conversation. Later on Tuesday, I met with McKinsey, one of my old students, for dinner at O’Charley’s. We talked for hours!

I packed up everything and moved to Jill’s house on Tuesday. She and her roommate, Sarah, were so great. They even put up with the cold that I brought with me to their house.

On Wednesday, I got to go to one of my favorite places! I visited the new Fuse building for the first time. It was such an amazing time of worship with teenagers who are in love with Jesus! It was INDESCRIBABLE, so here is a link to the worship! (http://www.bradcooper.us/?p=1521)

 Alas, all good things must come to an end!  On Thursday, I returned home…by way of Florence.  I had one last stop to make at Vanessa’s.  So, it was definitely a week spent with good friends and visiting some places that are very near and dear to my heart.

Now, with my heart and mind refreshed, it is time to begin a brand new year!

Forgetful?! July 27, 2009

On the radio the other day, one of the feature stories was on how forgetful people are.  They said that the average person forgets at least 3 things every day.  I don’t know about you, but I know that it is a good day when I don’t forget more than that. 

Things I Often Forget…

• directions to places (especially if I’ve never been the one to drive there)
• to take the dishes out of the dish washer
• to take the clothes out of the dryer
• how good it feels to see old friends
• to buy milk (actually to realize that it has expired)
• any appointment that I don’t write on my calendar
• to go to the ATM to get cash after I get paid (Dave Ramsey would be disappointed.)
• to charge my IPod
• birthdays (sorry!)
• to return phone calls (sorry again!)
• to go to the dentist every six months
• to buy toilet paper and shampoo
• to recycle cans and boxes

The sad part is that most of these things I have probably forgotten in the last couple of days.  This list could probably go on for much longer, but I’ll stop before I make myself feel really bad about how forgetful I am.