New Beginnings! New in Christ!

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A New Year!!  New Beginnings…who are we in Christ?


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I remember as a little girl only imagining the year 2000…and now we are at 2014!  As I have aged, time has decided to go faster.  Interesting how that works, isn’t it?

How exciting to think that the New Year brings new beginnings.  And to know that the Father is the author of new beginnings does my heart good.  Starting a new year reminds me that I was made new in Christ when I trusted him at 12 years old.  I need to be reminded of that daily.  One way is for me to keep my thoughts on Him in the midst of life and it’s swirling circumstances.  

Psalm 119:105 says “They word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”  How?  Worship can lead us into His presence, as well as the word of God.  The Bible illuminates our path and helps us to see truth and the “new” of who we are in Christ. Remember our “lighthouse” entry previous to this one?  He is our light, He is our Word.

As we enter into this new year, I wanted to remind myself of the truths that I often lose sight of.  I had many misconceptions of myself for many years.  Even though I was “new” in Christ, I never really grasped it.  I was not into the Bible, nor was I encouraged in that way by other believers.  I believed lies and that was disasterous for me.  I lived my life trying to perform for others, perform for the Father thinking I could gain His love.  What a lie that was!!

I am loved unconditionally because of what Jesus did for me on the cross.  You are loved unconditionally!!  Let me identify some of those “untruths” and give you scripture to prove it wrong. Read and hear the truth…may it speak to your heart.

1.I cannot resist sin….. “For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.”  Romans 6:7…..SO, Christ freed me from sin’s control.

2. I feel like God has given up on me….”Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”  Romans 8:1…..SO, I am not condemned either now or in the future.

3.I feel like no one loves me….“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”  Romans 15:7…….SO, I am fully accepted in Christ.

4.I am not a saint you know….“To the church in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ-their Lord and ours.”  1 Corinthians 1:2…SO, All those who are in Christ are saints.

5. I am so inferior….“Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.  If the foot should say ‘Because I am not a hand, I don’t belong to the body.’  And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body…As it is, there are many parts, but one body.”  I Corinthians 12:14-16, 20   SO, I am a part of Christ’s body equal to all.

Isn’t is wonderful to realize who we really are IN CHRIST?  We have to know this, commit this to our heart and remind ourselves these truths over and over.  The enemy would prefer that we did not know these truths, thus rendering us “unusable”.  When we have this confidence, we choose life and we choose love.  We cannot help it, it is a natural by-product.

I will continue to share these truths from the Word through these next few entries.  I believe that I need to review it again, and someone else needs to be reminded as well.

Be blessed dear ones!

IN CHRIST ALONE

Isaiah 55:8-9
*google image*

The First Year of Teaching

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It was a long time ago….but I remember well!

1982.  Yep, over 31 years ago….can I remember back that far?? Or that far back??  Oh yeah.

I graduated the summer of 1982 and was blessed to get a job as a special education resource room teacher.  It started two weeks after I graduated.  It was in a small, rural district.  The catch was….senior high and junior high students all wrapped into one job.  Little did I know that I was about to learn some lessons myself.

However, I knew it all. I was a college graduate.  I had been trained.  I had student taught and learned from the best.  I had sat in classes for 4.5 years.  I had both my elementary teaching certificate and my special education teaching certificate, so I was ready.

Here is where I insert LOL.  Or even “roll on floor while laughing out loud.” No amount of student teaching could have prepared me for some of the situations I encountered.

Three of my high school students were boys over 6 foot tall.  Not only were they over 6 feet, two were only 3 years younger than me, and the tallest one was..gulp..only 2 years younger. (See, being a child prodigy…I was able to skip kindergarten in my birth state of Kentucky, thus graduating at 17 years of age.  Truth be known, it was not available and when we moved to another state I was already able to enroll in first grade.  So…I graduated at 17 years of age, but I digress…)  These boys had surpassed that age, so I had to act older, look older and be tough.

The first day I laid down the law.  Another LOL inserted here.  Excuse me, but they would simply not do what I had told them. One of them told me as much as he looked “down” into my face. Hmmm…I got through the first day, but went home crying, telling my husband that I could not do it.

Second day I appeared with a new resolve.  And there was tobacco juice all over my chair, and in and out of my desk.  Ok, some authority had to be established here.  I marched down to the principal’s office and explained my dilemma.  THANKFULLY, he was in complete support of my situation and promised to intervene.  These students had caused trouble in all their classes basically.  And intervene he did.  At that time “paddling” was allowed, and he made sure they knew it.  It was my job to let them know I could help them learn in the ways that were best for them.

Things gradually got better.  They knew that I meant business and I demanded respect.  I did not allow any “kidding around” and would not put up with anything.  I was actually very mean, by their definition.  I did not try to be their friend…yet. They were learning that they each had specific learning styles, and that accommodations just leveled the playing field for them. They could succeed.

By the spring of the year we were close to graduation and two of the three were going to make it.  The last one, the eldest, needed to pass the Constitution test.  And there was a government teacher who did not like this kid and saw no value in him.  He had given up on him.   Long story short (which by now you know I am not good at), the kid passed after my fight for accommodations.  They all graduated and no one could believe it.

Many years later I was in a store and heard my Mrs. name being yelled out in a baritone voice.  I turned around and there was a man with grey hair in a ponytail alongside a very pregnant lady.  It was one of those first year students.  I wanted to tell him that “Mrs.” wasn’t necessary since he looked older than me, but I stopped myself.  After all, I had never told any of the students how old I actually was at the time.

Then came the thank you. 

“I graduated and went on to be a mechanic.  You helped me believe in myself.  My life would have turned out different if you hadn’t been mean….and believed in me.  Now we are going to have our first child, and I can be a good dad and provider.”

Can you say “weeping loudly”?  Yep, right there in front of God and country, I cried.  I had taught, I had instilled, I had nurtured.  Through that tentative first year, I learned what it took to be a good teacher, a “Teacher Mom”.

Some lessons I learned as a first year teacher…(this is not an exhaustive list by any means)!

1. You will not know everything.  If a mentor is not assigned to you, find one!  I was so encouraged by a seasoned teacher.

2.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help and admit you don’t always get it.  You will not survive if your pride gets in the way (especially in today’s educational environment).

3.  Do not let down your guard.  Demand respect.  It seems like it was easier to attain back in the 80’s than it is now.  But hold your ground. Be fair, but be strict.

4.  Don’t try and be the student’s best friend.

5.  Do become acquainted with the janitor, secretary and cooks….You will be glad you did for a lot of reasons.

6.  Do not take your work home with you.  I know that this is not always possible, but I tried to get everything done at school before going home.  Often times I went home at 7:00pm or went in early the next morning.

7.  Admit when you are wrong….say you are sorry…even to the students.  (Remember the respect issue).

8.  Dress like a professional.  I know that in this day and age it is more relaxed, but as a new teacher it was important for me to separate myself from looking like another student.

9.  Do not feel like you need to defend what you do.  If you are called to teach (see earlier entry), then you are called to teach.  The Father will enable you to do your job.

10.  Pray….and pray.  I have always believed that praying for my students was one of the most important things I could do for them.  I might have been the only one doing so….

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives..” Colossians 1:9

Blessings dear ones, 

Isaiah 55:8-9

To a TEACHER MOM….teaching is a calling! What??!!

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photo 1-20photo 2-20Teaching is a calling…private school, public school or homeschool.

I know, I know….if you want a “cush” job, you teach!  Who else has hours of 8-3:40pm, summers off with pay, great retirement pension? If you are a homeschooling mom, you don’t really do anything anyway, do you?

STOP!  Before you start emailing me and throwing things at the screen…I was being extremely sarcastic.

I just resigned from my teaching position in October.  I loved the kids and the people I worked with…but that was about it.  The ridiculous amount of paperwork, rules/laws, standardized tests was killing me.  I was stressed out completely over trying to actually teach, while having to make everyone happy.  I could not do it another day.  So, after much prayer, tears and discussion…I quit.

When I was a little girl, I knew I would be a teacher.  In fact in 8th grade I did a report on being a “Missionary Teacher”.  The poster was out of toothpicks.  Don’t ask, I don’t remember.  ANYWAY, my parents went through a messy divorce, and three of my teachers in the junior high mentored me and helped me.  They listened.  This just reaffirmed my desire to teach.  That is what I was called to do.

And that I did.  I graduated in the summer of 1982 and was blessed with my first teaching job.  And what a job it was.  Junior and Senior High students that were not going to listen to me.  Goodness, four of the boys were just 3 years younger than me!  But I made it and so did the students.  Those learning disabled kids that had always been in trouble and were told they would not graduate…did.  Much to the surprise of the government teacher!!  Sorry, but it was one of those moments!!

I then got pregnant with our first son and I resigned my teaching position to be a mommy.  I loved every single minute of it.  A baby who slept through the night after one week, took naps consistently and loved to go with me everywhere.  He was my little buddy.  Soon he was joined by his brother.  This little guy, however, chose not to sleep longer than four hours through the night, not take naps and cry constantly.   I was worn to a frazzle.  But I tried to be the best mom I could be…reading to them and teaching them as much as possible.  I was a TEACHER MOM!!

Soon these adorable little kiddos became “school age”.  My husband knew I was to homeschool.  I was not convinced.  What would people think of me?  What about socialization?  What if I ruined them for life?  The Lord has His plans and I soon learned that He would guide me over and over.  Isaiah 54:13 is where the Father sent me when I knew I had to be hit in the head to have my answer.  “Both your sons will be taught by the Lord and great will be your children’s peace.”  

Ok, that sounds like an answer to me!! I was called to teach my boys… I was a TEACHER MOM, after all!!

Ten years of homeschooling, and the Father, with His delightful sense of humor…sends me back into the public school system. Long story short…we needed money for college and suffice it to say I was called.  In one day I “just happened” to find out about a part time position, applied for that position, interviewed for the position and picked up my husband from work with employment in that position!  I was still a TEACHER MOM!

So here I am, a teacher who resigned because I knew that season was over.  I think the Lord literally saved me.  I don’t know exactly what He has planned, but I know that teaching is a calling.  You cannot go in thinking any thing else or you won’t make it.  I was blessed to work with some of the most incredible people the last 9 years.  They poured their lives into their teaching.  None left at 3:40, all worked well into the night.  Summers were often spent taking classes, furthering their skills, trying to become better teachers.  Many were moms themselves…raising their children and being TEACHER MOMS!

So, my hat goes off to all teachers and teacher moms.  You are called.  And my prayer is that I can bring a little encouragement into your life right now.  That seems to be my calling now….and I will always and forever be…a TEACHER MOM!

Blessings dear ones,

Isaiah 55:8-9  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”