Pack Well For Your Journey

Not too long ago, I posted my triple 'R' blog.  You know, the "Realize, Repent and Return to Teaching" entry.  Well, not wanting anyone to have to flounder like I did in that space of time before I got to the first 'R', I wanted to sort of unpack my attitudinal (I like that word) suitcase from last year with you. Maybe if you see what I mistakenly packed and carried around with me, you won't make the same mistakes that I did.      
                              There's just one condition..
As with any packed suitcase, there are some personal items inside so don't giggle or gasp when I pull out my... well, "unmentionables".  

As you recall, I ended the school year having begrudgingly signed my contract, stalking job search apps, and being depressed because my prospects were slim. How did this happen?  At what point did I start to question my purpose in this profession? 

So that no one gets the idea that God abandons His children. (Yes, He is my Father) The bible is clear that God is very much involved and in control of our lives.  
"All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." - Psalm 139:16
"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord - Jeremiah 29: 11
"For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose." - Philippians 2: 3

And those are just a few of the scriptures that validate that fact. 

However, we have also choices within the paths and plans that He puts before us.  
"Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it" - Jeremiah 6:16
"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.  Now choose life..." - Deuteronomy 30:19
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." - Romans 12: 2

And those are just a few scriptures that validate that fact.

So.... one can view teaching as just a job/career or an assignment/plan from God.  The outlook makes all the difference. Once, it registers that what we do is because of God, by God and for Him, it places a level of accountability on us when we get into less than desirable situations.  When we revert back to seeing what we do as just a job instead of God's plan, it can make for a long unpleasant year.

For me, this past school was preceded with warnings about its level of difficulty well before it even began.  Opinions were flying around about new administration and the end of the year academic data for the incoming class was disheartening.  
So I knowingly packed my positive items: 
                                               - prayer
                                                - hope
                                                - chips

Unfortunately, I still had some items left over from the year before in one of those side zippers that I overlooked.
                                     -judgement (that's a whole 'nother blog)
                                     -fear of change(Sweet Jesus, I never seem to unpack that)
                                                        -leftover chips

Then, with each passing bump and curve in the road during the year, I would add three more items in my suitcase
       -disgust  (the offspring of judgement)
       -complaints (an offspring of fear)
       -indifference (the love child of frustration and disgust)

Here's the thing with these items. They aren't items that you would intentionally pack. They can, however,  get in your suitcase and ruin your year when you don't plan about about what to pack or when you let others influence what you take on your trip. 

 Let's face it! In our profession, there are countless opportunities to feel "some kind of way"  concerning the actions of others. However, if we are not praying for God to fix what is broken in those people, we can pick up a pretty pair of judgement, fold it up

neatly, and place it right in our suitcase without batting an eye.  You put enough pieces of that in there and now you're disgusted with a whole group of folks.
And hey! We're teachers.  We're supposed to complain. Right? We have the right to.  Right? I mean, the internet is filled with funny memes and video clips about the perils of teaching....which are often very true.  So I watched them and laughed. I sent them and laughed.  I created them and laughed. But let me tell you, if you are having a tough year, remove yourself from those.  Remove yourself from conversations riddled with complaints and worry that don't end with affirmations or encouragement. It can reaffirm a gnawing suspicion in you that the teaching profession is going downhill with no hope in sight. Don't get fooled into believing that what's going on in education is too big or too insignificant for God to intervene.
1 Timothy 6:20 " O [teacher] (name change) Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge..." 

There are just some things you don't need to pack!! 

Prayer, hope... and potato chips are good to keep you covered during the school year, but adding the knowledge of God's will, perseverance, and compassion is a must.  While most of us do, the challenge is making sure that we keep  judgement and fear out because it breeds and transforms into frustration, complaining and indifference all of which make our problems bigger than the God who can solve them.  That's where I missed the mark.  It all just got too much to handle....

So before you grace the inside of your school, look at the year before you.  What do you need to have within you to succeed? What do you need to get rid of to succeed?  

Somewhere in the wonderful book we call the Bible is proof that God is willing and able to pour in the wonderful attributes of His Holy Spirit and burn away those which are displeasing to Him. 
Search for His promises among the pages, pray for His guidance, and pack well my friend.
Have a blessed school year

"[Not in your own strength] for it is God who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power to desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure, satisfaction and delight."  

Philippians 2: 13 AMP

The Lord is with you and you are loved,

Toni
                                         

Book excerpt: Teaching Tips from Week 36

As we come to the end of our school year, I just wanted to share a few pages from my book that will help you coast your way to the end.  Sometimes you just need a little reminder...  

Ten Tips For Better Teaching

1. Purpose – Remember that you have been destined and designed for this.  Regardless of what you think, God has created you, everything about you to impact the life of your students.          Jeremiah 1: 5
2. Prayer – Continue to pray without ceasing.  Be specific in what you desire and what you need. God has promised to give you wisdom and rest.  Just A.S.K. (ask, seek and knock)  Matthew 7:7 and Matthew 11: 28-30
3. Power – Understand that you have been given power from on high to trample the enemy.  Your words, God’s Word spoken again by you are weapons against the enemy and they are life to your every need.  Speak life.           2 Corinthians 10: 4-5
4. Preparation – Plan up to the very end.  Kids who have nothing to do can and will begin to get on your nerves.  You don’t need the bible to tell you that!
5. Pollinate – Although you may feel a little stretched, be willing to speak encouragement or help out a fellow teacher (especially the new ones) during this time of year.  Help out those who need help in growing. 
6. Perseverance – 2 John 1: 8 Says it best: Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.  Don’t give up now.
7. Personality – Nehemiah 8:10 says that “the joy of the Lord is your strength”.  Now’s not the time to be a sourpuss.  Draw joy and love from Jesus so that you can be a reflection of His joy, His compassion, His loving kindness towards others.  Let your light so shine…
8. Pleasing – Hebrews 13: 20-21 says “May the God of peace,… _v21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ…”  Allow God to do the work in you so that you will be pleasing to Him.  In doing so, you will also become pleasing to those around you.  
9. Placement – Jeremiah 29:11 God knows the plans He has for you.  This tip on placement is not just about a choice in grade level, school or district, but it’s much deeper than that.  It’s really about trust.  Trust God to place you in situations, in ear shot of conversations, around your colleagues so that you can be used HOWEVER God needs for that particular need.  Someone may just need your smile or encouraging word and God places you two in the hallway alone.  Every time, every situation belongs to God.  
10. Peace - Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.  Trust in God and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct you paths.  Peace comes directly from God. Seek Him and you will find it.

Hold His hand and finish this race.

Remember keep starting your Monday with the Master.

Young, T. (2014). Start Your Monday With The Master. Sandston, Virginia: JDI Publisher Co.

Image retrieved from:  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/471611392198706215/

Forty Days of Prayer for Education: Day 1

Section 1 -Prepare Your Heart

TAKE OUT YOUR SWORD

 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,  and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.                                       - Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV

Thank you for joining me today on our first day of prayer for education!  It is imperative that the children of God understand that education is one of the primary avenues of attack that satan (And no, I will not capitalize his name.) uses to turn people away from God. His attack on education became evident when prayer was removed from schools, our children were chided for promoting their religion in anyway shape or form and Jesus' name was stricken from school gatherings for fear of offending others.  

Our children are allowed to be inundated with lessons on evolution and atheism from teachers and text books from from the time they begin school until they graduate from college, while the phrase "one nation under God" rapidly loses its meaning.

My dear educator, we are in a war!  We war in the spirit against the enemy's attack on our schools, our students and their families, our curriculum, finances, health and our sanity. We cannot afford to sit back and wait for things to get better.  We can't even try to make things better on our own.  We need the wisdom, protection and favor of the Almighty God!

Therefore, in today's prayer, we will exalt the One and Only, True, and Living God. We will prepare ourselves to stand with God as we repent of our sins and we will use our unified power to declare and decree those things that need to be bound or loosed. 

Join with us and pray our prepared prayer on pages 8 and 9 of the Forty Days of Prayer for Education or pray independently from our focus scripture, Ephesians 6: 10-18.  Afterwards, take some time to just listen for Jesus' voice.  What does He want YOU to do this school year? 

Armor up ladies and gentlemen.  This means war! 

The Lord is with you and you are loved,

Toni

Get Up!

OK! OK!  I know I've written a post before on Isaiah 60:1, but this verse was so on time this week that I had to explore it with you...again.

Some of the greatest singers of our times have sung song after song about taking action in the form of standing up.  In a call to dance, we've been told to not only "get up, get down and get on out of our seat", but to "get up, get down, get funky, and get loose".  On the opposite end of the spectrum, in a call to political action, we've been called to, "Get up. Stand up. Stand up for our rights." 
None, however, has written such a call as the the prophet Isaiah speaking to the children of Israel in Isaiah 60:1 when he said: 

Arise, shine;

For your light has come!

And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

 Think over your school year so far.  Have you been in a place of darkness about anything?  If so, it's time to get up!  It may be that school is just as fine as frog's hair split three ways, but your relationships, finances, or health need His light. The command is still the same, "Get up!" 

 How does getting up make everything better? Sound too easy?  Well, our obedience to God's command to stand positions us to see the arrival of His blessings so that we'll know without a shadow of a doubt that it was our Savior, Jesus who has performed the marvelous deeds in our lives.   Thus, I choose to hit the button and get up!  (Here's a great bible story to read this week on courage and obedience to do what God has destined for your life.)

When one looks at the translations of the words "arise, shine, light and glory" they truly can see influx of their covenental blessings.

Arise [ stand and be established in the word of God, be immovable, and steadfast in your mind and thus become powerful in Christ], shine [ be illuminated with His Spirit, let His word be a lamp to your feet and a delight to your soul], for your light [light of Life, God's instruction, His face towards you and the prosperity which comes from being a recipient of His love, Jesus in you, through you and for you] has come, and the glory [riches, splendour, dignity, reputation and weight of His honour] has risen upon you.

As we start this work week, let's do so full of His inspiration to go out and make a difference.  Our Savior is with us through it all. Take full advantage of what it means to be called of God.  He has predestined, individual assignments for each and every one of us and He will either provide the seed or the fruit  (or maybe even both) for us to glorify His name.  

Remember, it's our job to get up and go get it done! 


The Lord is with you and you are loved,

Toni



Oh, please enjoy this inspirational video.  It's sure to get you revved up for this week!

Images retrieved from: http://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Get-on-Up#tab=summary

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20060807005512/en/Staples-Brand-Icon-Noise---Staples-Sells

Back To the Future...in Your Bible

The bible is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best book ever written! What book do you know that can teach and guide you concerning your present, predict the future while telling a story from the past,...and is totally true?  

While you can't find the answer to evvvvvery question in the bible, (It won't tell you when your administrator is coming to observe you...but it does tell you to "watch ye therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape these things that shall come to pass...) you will find out how to access the One who gives wisdom for your questions and patience and peace to wait for the answers.  

It is vital to our very existence to be an avid reader of the Bible. What we read in the Bible is described as living, breathing, active and inspired by God. It's capable of cutting away all of life's unnecessary excess baggage, revealing truths and exposing lies. The Word of God is the air that we breathe. It is our spiritual food and drink.  It is Jesus, our Lord and Savior.  

So before school starts this week, we're going to do a little time travel in this great book. Ready?  Let's go..................................

Thankfully while reading the bible, you do not have to charge your "flux capacitor" with the 1.21 gigawatts necessary to replicate the nuclear reaction needed to transport you through time. A simple turning of the page will do.  So, let's travel to these three verses: Isaiah 11:2, 1 Corinthians 1:4,5,8, and Proverbs 1:7 for this week's inspiration.

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on  Him (me) [emphasis mine] - because of His grace given me in Christ Jesus.  For in Him I have been enriched in every way,- the Spirit of wisdom, and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord- in all my speaking and in all my knowledge. He will keep me strong to the end - , and I will delight in the fear (awe) of the Lord. - for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Having taken previous trips to books in the New Testament, I am aware that I am supposed to live as Jesus lived (1John 2:6) and that His Spirit lives within me. (1 Corinthians 3:16) Knowing these things allows me to confidently beleive that with God in my life, all things are possible.  I suggest that you read these verses to gain a better understanding of the responsibility and blessing you already possess as a believer and follower of Jesus.

Now, let's take a look at the week ahead and put those three verses in to perspective.  Because of God' grace and His Spirit resting on you, understand that you are enriched in every way.  As you teach and interact with your students, do so by following the Spirit of wisdom, getting understanding and being obedient to His counsel.  Remember God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.  Believe that the Spirit of knowledge will guide you in becoming a better educator.  You'll even speak better this week using His language of love.  Don't start this week with a dejected mind because God has promised to keep you strong to the end.  Delight in His omnipotence and holiness, for when you do, you will no longer just follow wisdom, it will dwell within you.

Have a blessed work week!

The Lord is with you and you are loved,

Toni 

Images retrieved from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11198865/Time-travel-and-teleporting-a-reality-for-todays-children.html