"Until I Proclaim Your Name to the Next Generation..."

Most days the responsibility of being a teacher bares down heavily upon me. I realize it's huge and I do not take it lightly. Today I was listening to a sermon by John Piper, called "Let No One Despise You for Your Youth". It was a great encouragement to continue in the excellence of my calling. Here's a few scriptures I picked up on:

Psalm 71:18: “Even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.” - - - I'm not working for retirement, I'm working to proclaim God to the next generation.

Judges 2:10: “All that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.” - - - My prayer is that this does not happen. That I do not go throughout my life and leave behind a generation that does not know the Lord.

Psalms 71:17: “O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds” - - - I had the extreme blessing of coming to the Lord at a young age and I want to be a part of leading other youth to the Lord so they may proclaim the words of this Psalm.

In light of these Scriptures and the truths gleaned from John Piper's sermon, I am so happy to make the announcement of where God has lead me to continue His ministry:

I have received an offer to become a part of the faculty of Christian Heritage Academy next school year as a 3rd (or possibly 4th) grade classroom teacher. I cannot express how excited I am to accept this offer and continue learning how to minister truth to God's little children.

Tag, You're It

Summer tagged me!

Here are the rules:

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player tags 5 people and posts their name, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

What was I doing 10 years ago? Oh wow, ten years ago? I was a week away from turning 20, going to school at University of Central Oklahoma and spending most of my time in the studio of the art department.

5 snacks I enjoy in a perfect non-weight gaining world:
Crunchy Cheetoes

Chocolate Donettes (best from the snack bar at my school in China)

Starbuck's Caramel Macchioto

Otis Spunkmier's (is the spelled right?) Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Taco Bueno's Party Burritos (who can beat a complete meal for under two bucks?)

In the real world:
I'm counting calories - trying to lose those winter pounds : ) So,...
Almonds
Quaker Caramel Multi-grain Cakes
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (made with apple sauce and whole wheat flour)
String cheese
Plain yogurt with all natural strawberry jelly mixed in...yum!

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Buy my parents a house
Travel EVERYWHERE!
Support all my friends working overseas and in ministries
Become a perpetual student
Quit my day job an open an art studio

Five jobs that I've had:
ACE Hardware cashier
Waitress/Dishwasher
Patient Accounts Representative at three different hospitals
English teacher in China
Art teacher

Three of my habits:
Why only three? There were five of everything else? Oh well...
Spelling words in the air with my fingers, or toes, or tongue (don't ask)
Editing anything that comes across my desk (grammar and spelling mistakes just jump off the page at me - my red pen never stops)
Answering questions with random Chinese phrases

Five places I've lived:
Joplin, MO
McCunn, KS
Edmond, OK
Beijing, China
Bartlesville, OK

And the five people I'm tagging are:
Hmmm...I don't know too many more people with blogs....
Kendall
Jennifer
Kelley
Amber
Alissa

(this is where I write something about not feeling obligated to do this...but the truth is, I will NEVER speak to you again if you do not continue the tag...ha ha...just kidding, of course.)

Crazy Busy With No Time to Blog

The last two weeks have hit the overload of work here on my Oklahoma plain. My school is going through an accreditation process with ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International). While this will help us in the long run, it has made for an intensely busy 4th quarter. And numerous opportunities for soul-searching questions, "why did I become a teacher again?" I've spent hours on scope and sequence, self-studies, evaluations, backboard and presentations, lesson planning and room cleaning. Needless to say, this has left me little time or energy to post or to even read other's blogs. It's been a sad world I've lived in lately. And it's not over yet. But to keep this thing going, I'm leaving you with some pictures of my life: school, school and more school. Enjoy. And I'll see you on the other side.

Backboards for my classes (on display for ACSI):

Junior High Art, critiquing each others projects:

Elementary Art:

Eighth grader "giving a report" (this picture was a posed reproduction of the original event):

My crazy eighth graders (how many hands can we get on my head?):

Good Morning, Sunshine

Alright, I'm just gonna say it: I'm a morning person. Now, I don't jump out of bed and skip my way down the hallway. But, I'm pretty much ok with getting up. In fact, it's hard for me to sleep in and I don't sympathize well with others who want to, just ask my little sister. Even though mornings are not torture for me, there are a few things I like to make them "just right".

1. Alarm clock - I am slightly OCD when it comes to my alarm clock. I've mis-set mine many a time and found myself driving to work like a crazy lady with no make-up and my hair in a ponytail! Not fun. So, now I maticulously set and recheck my setting of my alarm clock. I set a digital one and then just in case the electricity goes out in the night (it happens), I set my phone. I always set my alarm about 15 minutes early because I like to hit it a few times so I can snuggle into my pillow one last time.
2. House shoes - I have these great green, fuzzy house shoes that I wear ALL the time. It must be a hold over from my China days, but no respectable person wears outside shoes or goes barefoot in the house. House shoes all the way. I have to have these in the morning to keep my feet cozy when I get out of the shower. Plus, they just feel comfy and homey.
3. Suave conditioner - Because of my curly locks and the revelations I found in the book Curly Girls, I gave up shampoo two years ago. I've had soft, luscious hair every since. I wish. Anyway, conditioner is all I use on my hair and Suave is my brand of choice. It's cheap, it works and it smells good. Weither you're feeling tropically coconutty or sweetly lavendary, Suave has the conditioner for you! Well, for me anyway.
4. Eye lash curler / mascara - I believe in the woman's right to wear make-up. I like make-up. It makes me feel good about myself. However, if I had to do with just one item in my little black make-up bag, it would be my eye lash curler (and can I please have my mascara, too?) My eyes just need a little pick me up. Without it, I look like a 15 year old with an early onset of crow's feet.
5. Morning news - The early edition of channel two news is my only connection to the local world. I get a pretty good feel for what's going on globally from different new sites that I read. But to get the local flair, it's channel two for me. Julie Chin is my meteorologist. She's cute.
6. Coffee - You knew I couldn't end a list of must-have morning items without the oldie but the goodie. Usually, I don't get my coffee until I get to work and then I nurse on it for the next four hours - heating and reheating with each and every class period. But man, it's good. I neeeeeed it!

So, calling all morning persons (and those of you who are not) - what do you have to have to make your morning "just right"?

I John 2:18-26

18Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.

20But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.[a] 21I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. 22Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. 23No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

24See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25And this is what he promised us—even eternal life.

26I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.

Disappointment

When a fat girl loses all her weight and realizes she DOESN'T have a pretty face.