Hold the Rod

Do you know the story in the Bible about Joshua fighting Amalek? The only way Joshua could prevail over Amalek was when Moses was holding his rod above his head. When his arms got tired and the rod was lowered, Joshua would begin to lose. Aaron and Hur helped Moses hold his arms up under the weight of the rod until Joshua finally defeated Amalek.

This story made me think of life's battles today. We can't really fight them alone. We don't have the strength. If we're lucky we have friends or colleagues that will help us fight the battles; friends to pray with us and support us. As teachers, we all face common problems and battles and having a "team" to lean on is a blessing we don't want to be without. Go to your "Aaron and Hur" today and thank them for helping you hold up the rod. May you be blessed by the Lord and highly favored.
Barb

Keys of the Kingdom

I wish to share with you an idea I got from God's Best for My Life, by John Ogilvie. He based his idea on Matthew 16:19. It says, "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Ogilvie goes on to say that Jesus has given US the keys of the kingdom and we use these keys to unlock the various kinds of doors we meet in other people. There is a key of listening, a key of discussion, a key of witness, prayer for another, and the key of unchanging love. We can use these keys to admit people to the kingdom or we can block them if we don't share what we know or have found.

My favorite sentence says, "We have the power to forgive in His name and to assure people of His love." What an awesome responsibility! What will you do this week with the keys that have been given to you? Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored.
Barb

Hangin' On

It's the middle of September and I managed to get sunburned at the beach yesterday. The sun doesn't care what the season is. It still burns.While I was there I was reminded of the water show I watched a few weeks ago from the same spot. I sat fascinated while three men danced and sped all over the waves on small boards the size of skate boards. The difference was they were attached to long ropes that were then attached to sizable sails. Maybe sailboarding? I don't know the term but during this two hour performance, I noticed how effortless they made it look. They held on, they followed the direction of the wind, they jumped and somersaulted in the air, landed on their feet, breezed into shore, turned and sped back out towards the deep, and started all over again. All the while they seemed carefree and safe. Never having seen this kind of "sport," I was mesmerized. Then it came to me. These men were at the mercy of the wind and their sails. They probably were exerting a lot of energy but their level of expertise made it seem simple. It's like us. In life, we are at the mercy of a Holy God, connected to us by His Son, Jesus. God does all the controlling while we speed, jump, turn, expend energy, and try to act like we're in control. But if our wind shifts or dies down or we get in over our heads, we find we are really not in control at all. I want to remember every minute of every day, who really provides the ropes and the sails in my life. I'll hang on for safety, mercy, and goodness. Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored.
Barb

Overwhelmed?

Isaiah 43:2 says, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when  you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;" We heard this in church this morning as the pastor was addressing the topic of being OVERWHELMED, and what we can do when this happens.

My guess is there are several of you who are already feeling overwhelmed and you've completed only a few days of school. The advice we heard was the path Mary, the mother of our Lord, took when the angel told her she was going to have a baby. ( Her feelings might be similar to what you might be feeling now; specifically in your job. Not to say there are no other areas that are overwhelming in your life.) What I heard was this: let go of the need to control the situation...we live in a broken world and don't always know ahead the path we walk because we walk by faith; let others help you out...we as teachers rely on each other all the time, and let God give you strength...we know we don't have enough for the job anyway so why not ask He Who is Most Powerful to be your strength?

My prayer for you this week is that while you acknowledge those times when you feel you are overwhelmed, you seek the face of Jesus, knowing He is ultimately in control and it is in Him you will find your rest. And the reprieve from feeling "overwhelmed." Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored.
Barb

It's All New

Greetings to all teacher friends and others! I took the summer off from writing and from everything really, and loved every minute of it. But all of a sudden it's almost September and while I am not setting up a classroom, fall does bring a bit of "new." I know the trees shed old leaves, the grass needs no more attention, I will get rid of annuals in my pots, but for us Christians, there is newness. The newness comes in more than new school clothes, new shoes, new pencils, or even new classroom assignments. Our "new" comes in a "new heart and new spirit," (Ez. 18:31), in a "new life," (Rom. 6:4), "new birth into a living hope," (1 Peter 1:3), and God's compassions which are "new every morning," (Lam. 3:23.) The good news is that we can claim all this "new" every day of our lives, not just when a season changes or a new semester begins. Blessings to all of you as you start your "new" school year. Remember whose child you are and be blessed by the Lord and highly favored.
Barb

Time to Make Noise

I'm sure, as teachers, we have all had days when we say, "1-2-3-eyes on me," or we flash the lights, or we clap our hands or raise our hands (hoping students will see us) and the whole point of whatever we do is to get everyone to be quiet. If they would just listen! Then there are those times of the day when we allow the noise and in fact, hope that the noise and movement will transform students into better, quieter learners later.

Believe it or not, there are times for us, as adults, where we should not be silenced; where we are free to make some noise and offer celebration. One of those times is now, at Easter. Now is when we should be shouting our loudest and lifting our hands the highest. I love the account in Luke 19 where Jesus is riding into Jerusalem on the donkey and people around him are yelling, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" They are making so much noise, it is making the Pharisees nervous and they ask Jesus to keep his people quiet. Jesus' reply is, "I tell you...if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." v. 40. It's as if this message of praise, Jesus' impending sacrificial death, His gift to us, this act that would save all who choose to believe, is so magnificent, so miraculous, that it cannot be squelched. It must come out! It cannot be held in.

This Easter weekend we celebrate the greatest gift of all. But we can make noise about it all year through. Share your joy with someone and make some noise about your Redeemer, Creator, and Risen Lord.

Be blessed by the Lord and  highly favored,
Barb

Focus

What is your focus? And if I knew the plural of "focus," I could ask you about many of your "foci"? As teachers and staff in school buildings, we probably feel inundated with stimuli all day long and what we thought was going to be a focus, becomes just one little part of our day; maybe not even a very important one.

How does this happen? I remember the speed at which I had to think on my feet and change direction by the minute sometimes. Kids demanding attention, my lesson demanding some attention, hopefully, and then there's those that I answered to as a staff member and employee. The list goes on. And it could be different every day.

But what does the Lord say about  my focus? Do you think He doesn't care about our daily responsibilities and distractions? He tells us plainly in Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."

So where do you see things in your day that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy? On any given day you most certainly can and do witness these kinds of things, but on other days, doesn't it seem impossible to find?

I don't have an answer as to how you keep your focus on the above command. But I do think that by knowing that that's where the Lord wants our thoughts and by watching for them or modeling them, we will increase our chances of experiencing the kind of focus that's good for our hearts and glorifying to God.

Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored,
Barb