A Prayer for our Superintendents

 Dear Heavenly Father,

You are our omnipotent ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords.  Your love is perfect, Your wisdom is perfect because You are perfect in all Your ways. Thank You for Holy Spirit for being our Counselor,  Comforter,and the One who leads and guides us in all truth. Your word said that "prayers, petitions, intercession and thanksgiving should be made for all people- for kings and those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness".  So I lift up to You the superintendents of region two here in Virginia: 

Dr. John Gordon III - Suffolk
Dr. Elie Bracy - Portsmouth

Dr. Jared Cotton - Chesapeake

Dr. Aaron Spence - Virginia Beach

Dr. Sharon Byrdsong - Norfolk

Dr. Tamara Sterling - Franklin

Dr. Jeffry Smith - Hampton

Dr. James Thorton - Isle of Wight County

Dr. George Parker - Newport News

Mr. Arty Tillet - Poquoson

Dr. Gwendolyn Shannon  - Southampton County

Dr. Olwen Herron - Williamsburg/James City County

Dr. Victor Shandor - York County

Mr. Charles Lawrence - Northampton County

Mr. Chris Holland - Accomack County

As I lift them up by name, Jesus have mercy on them because the weight of their job has greatly increased and they need Your help.  First Lord, may they learn to or continue to seek You first in all things understandng that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.  In all of their getting, may they get understanding because wisdom, that heavenly wisdom from above, is the principal thing. May they ask You for wisdom and believe that You will give it to them. Open the eyes of their understanding and their ears that they may see each situation through Your eyes and clearly hear Your voice through every decision proceess. Silence the lips of the enemy, the naysayers, and those who critize without full knowledge of the truth.  Bless them with the fruit of Your Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

Now Lord, please protect their health in these times.  Ease their burdens so they can rest, physically and mentally.  I rebuke stress induced heart attacks, strokes, anxiety, and depression from not only them, but those who work directly with them.  May the healing blood of Jesus protect and keep every system of their body and bless them with the strength they need for each day.  Shift their workload so that taking a sabbath rest every week does not seem unrealist to them.  Shift their workload so that they can spend quality time with their family without feeling like they have to choose between getting work done and being a good father, mother, wife, or husband.  Strengthen their families Jesus and send  peace, understanding, and joy from above to their households. 

Finally, Jesus, I ask that You would cover and surround the cities and county where they work. May your angels stand guard around every school and every household of each employee and student. Bless their cities and counties with love in the homes, patience and compassion between teachers, parents, and students, and fervent unified prayer from the people of God. "May they seek the peace and prosperity of their city or county and pray to You for it, because if it prospers, they will propser."  Surround each superintendent with those who will stand in prayer for them and with them. Surround them with people who will hold them to high standards of virtue and integrity.  Surround them with Godly mentors and friends.  More importantly, surround them with Your presence. 

In Jesus' name,

Amen

image retreived from: https://blessedsacramentonline.org/ministries/prayer-ministryprayer-request/

Teaching: It's Not a Losing Battle (Part 2 in revival series)

Happy New Year! I pray that you had a blessed holiday and a restful break.  Depending upon your instructional calendar, you may be either returning to work getting in those final skills before the end of the semester, preparing for a new crop of students, welcoming in the kids who moved over the holidays, or just getting your students ready for the last half of the school year.  Some folks go back to school saying, “Let's get ‘er done!” or “When will this be over?”.

I want to talk to those of you who really didn’t want to go back to work. Not because you would rather stay home with your cute cuddly young’uns or still have housework that lost out to your Netflix binge, but because you really don’t like the atmosphere in which you work; the overwhelming student behaviors, redundant paperwork, unsupportive parents and maybe even unfriendly coworkers.  Been there, done that, so I know how you feel. I also know a solution that I tried once.

Last week I wrote a blog about revival that spoke a little about this solution. But let me tell you a  story first. 

A long time ago, there was a man by the name of Gideon. If you look in the bible in the book of Judges chapters 6-8, you can read about the full life of our story’s hero. Now, this Gideon had been living the last seven years of his life being oppressed. His work was constantly disrupted and destroyed no matter what he or anyone else around him did.  No matter how hard he and his people tried, they couldn’t do their jobs because of the destructive, overwhelming force of the Amalekites and other countries around them.  Seven years! Seven years of feeling like, “Why even bother?  They’re just going to tear it up anyway!”  Seven years of struggling to live and support your family only with little to no evidence of your hard work! 

So, we find Gideon in verse eleven of chapter six in the book of Judges hiding, all alone in a winepress threshing wheat. It had gotten to the point that he couldn’t even do his job the way it was meant to be done! Although he received a visitation by God (whom he doesn’t recognize as such) with the world’s best pep talk ever (which he doesn’t believe) Gideon is reluctant to take on the mantle of leadership that he is being presented with. God has selected him to free his people from their oppression.  Gideon does everything from questioning God’s

faithfulness to His chosen people, listing his reason for being unqualified for the task, to asking for proof (several times) that God will do as He promised. 

I want you to realize that the Amalekites weren’t just some pestering group of people that got on Israel’s nerves. They totally outnumbered the Children of Israel.  Then to make matter worse, the Amalekites joined forces with the Midianite people and more people of the East so much so that their total numbers were beyond recording and only listed as “numerous as locusts with their camels as the sand by the seashore in multitude”.

Gideon armed only with the assurance that God was with him, gathered a force of over thirty-two thousand fighting men. However, God told him to send twenty-two thousand home! Then, to make matters worse,  God ordered Gideon to send all but three hundred back home.  

Why?  

  Israel’s successful outcome of this uneven battle would never be attributed to their own methods and strength, but by God’s and God’s alone.  

If you continue reading Judges chapter seven, you’ll see that before Gideon and his men had the opportunity to employ their own strength, God’s strength and methods were already at work in these three ways:

        -specific instructions with confirmation  (Judges 7:9-11)

        -sound  Judges 7: 16-18

        -light  Judges 7: 19-21

With just trumpets and clay jars holding lit torches, Gideon and his army of three hundred like-minded men watched as God fought their battle for them. 

The impossible became possible because one person answered the call, gathered others, listened for God’s voice and followed the instructions to sound the trumpet and shine the light.

So, do you really work in an environment that’s never going to change?  Will the teaching profession just continually get worse?  In all honesty, the outlook doesn’t look very promising for some who are in those challenging and struggling school systems.  But is it something that one just has to accept, deal with or get out of?  

There is a solution and yes I’m going to say “prayer”.  

Don’t look at me with that tone of voice! Yes, I heard your question, “Well if it worked so well for you, why do you have all those blogs about wanting to quit and being frustrated?” 

Remember in the case of Gideon, there was a lot involved with winning that war; belief, obedience, repentance, unity, and perseverance.  If you keep reading the rest of Gideon’s story, you’ll see that he and his small army still had to pursue their enemy even past the point of exhaustion and were denied assistance from those who could’ve helped. 

I did not pursue to enemy past the point of exhaustion. I was once a

I was once a part of a gathered group of teachers who purposed the enemy together in fervent prayer for our school, our system, our students, and our own families and our prayers were answered.  But the fervor died down when the smoke cleared and some folks moved away.  I was content with focusing on battles in my own classroom because it was out of my comfort zone to actively look for fellow soldiers in my school to join me in fighting the war.  

While I am currently not assigned to any school, I still see the need for revival.  I am no longer on the front lines, but I still hear the cannons in the distance and smell the smoke on my daughters in high school and my husband who is both a teacher and coach.  It is while gazing at my own battle scars that I urge you to rethink the enormity of the issues you are facing as an educator and the power you have to make a difference.   

Meditate on the story of Gideon and know you are not in a hopeless situation.  Remember God’s method involved these three things:

        -specific instructions with confirmation

                Listen to what God is saying to you and obey

        -sound  

                Speak up and out for Him

        -light 

                Be the light so that others can see Jesus with 20/20 vision

The Lord is with you and you are loved,

Toni

Forty Days of Prayer for Education: Day 32

Section 6: For Our School Systems

Join with us today and pray our prepared prayer on pages 56 and 57 for administrators from the FORTY DAYS OF PRAYER FOR EDUCATION free eBook or pray independently from our focus scripture, 1Timothy 2: 103 NKJV and enjoy the accompanying song entitled, The Oil of Your Anointing, by Stephen Hurd.

Continue praying for those in leadership positions in the field of education.  Pray specifically that the superintendents, directors, principals, deans and presidents at those institutions of education in your community will have a heart that follows after God and seeks His vision. 

MAY THEY BE IN THE WORD

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior

1 Timothy 2: 1-3 NKJV

Dear Heavenly Father,

We thank You for being a great leader. You love, protect and teach those who follow You. You guide in justice and give wisdom, knowledge and understanding to those who seek after You.

Today, we lift up every principal, assistant principal, director, dean, president, and superintendent of our country's educational institutions. May those who are called by Your name immerse themselves daily in Your word and realize that the school in which they are leading belongs first and foremost to You.

May You continue to increase the faith and wisdom that You have placed within them to lead others with integrity, self-control, perseverance, holiness, brotherly kindness and love. Quiet the noise around them so they may hear Your voice and be obedient to the guidance of the Holy Spirit concerning the school You have given them charge over. Teach them to seek and speak Your presence in their buildings and campuses.

Our Lord, by the Blood and the Light of Jesus, we speak an overhaul of the schools that are lead by men and women who cheat, lie, steal and bully to gain success and notoriety. Soften their heart to accept You. As they turn to You for wisdom and trust that LOVE can lead successfully, may You protect them from the backlash of the enemy.

Place a blood soaked hedge of protection around our leaders. Grace them with peace and bless them with favor to open doors of opportunities for their teachers and students.

In the Name of Jesus, our Great Leader,

-Amen