Huddle In

What do you "huddle in" around you? I used to have morning meetings when I was teaching. I would sit on my comfy chair while crossed legs and smiles  made a circle in front of me. (I would have been on the floor with them if I could have gotten up!) I loved "huddling" in with them. It felt like if we "huddled" closer, we were set apart and we belonged together; connected, like a family. I do that now, at home but I huddle in with my books and my writing and I have found that what I "huddle" with are the important things in my life. What do you "huddle" with? Do we bring Jesus into our "huddle"? Whatever we "huddle" with, Jesus will fit. We need to belong and be connected to Him above all. Read in John 15 about the vine that we, as branches, are connected to and how without that connection, we can do nothing. Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored.

                                                            What's in a Name?
Quite possibly many of you learned some new names last week. The trick now is to remember them all. Your students have one name to remember but you...well you have many. Besides the Miss, Mrs., or Mr. you hear most often, do they sometimes call you "Teacher", or even "Mom", or I remember being called "Grandma" more than once. Early in my career I corrected many students every time they called me "Teacher", reminding them of my proper name. Then one day it occurred to me, I AM their teacher, and I love being their teacher, so who does it hurt if they call me that? Our Father God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit have many names too. Think of as many as you can. (Father, Holy God, Redeemer, Savior, Rock, Refuge, Anchor, Comforter, and hundreds more.) I'm pretty sure we use different names to call on God depending on what's on our  mind or what we're asking for. I'm thinking because our God is so many things to us, we see Him in many roles and He delights in hearing from us when we call upon Him. Your students see you in many loving ways too. Enjoy being their Teacher this week. Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored.

If you are a seasoned teacher, the past week may have seemed like very familiar repetition. You unpacked, arranged, and set up a room that would be welcoming to your students. If you are a new teacher, you did all that plus you were probably filled with a mixture of excitement and fear! Either way, I would invite you to do one more thing for your room. Invite the Holy Spirit to be a part of your preparation and eventually your life in that room. Invite Him to surround your students. Invite Him to hold you up. Invite Him to inspire you when you have no energy. Let Him guide your words and works and trust that you will feel His presence every day. I pray for God to reveal Himself to you from start to finish. Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored.
Barb

Easy Access

Where do you wish you could go? How often would you want to go? How easy should the trip be? What I'm thinking of right now is easy access to my neighbor's house! There is one common neighbor's backyard separating the two of us and in the summer we can walk through grass and a few stray bushes and within a minute, we can be sitting together over iced tea and hilarious conversation. I love it. It's like an extension of  my own yard and the years of friendship are evident to both of us. But in the winter, deep snow and lately, perilous ice, have prohibited easy access for both of us. I really miss that! I can still walk down the driveway, follow the sidewalk, and climb her driveway and there I am, but that easy access in the backyard has become the norm. Easy access may be something I will continue to seek the older I become. But think of the easy access we have to our Father-all year long. Deep snow, perilous ice, pelting rain, nothing matters. No backyard extends our access and with a repentant heart and faith in Jesus as our newborn Redeemer, God is accessible every minute of every day. It couldn't be easier. Remember to "access" Him this busy season. He doesn't get too busy for us and longs for us as His children. Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored. Merry Christmas. Barb

Path of My Prayers

The path I cut with our snow blower takes nothing more than a pull of the starter and a little gas and oil. No pleading or communication needed. The conversation I have with my cousin after not speaking to her in person for months, requires no effort because our relationship consists of one long conversation with very long pauses. But what about the path of my prayers? For me, that takes a little effort and some words; very specific words that will clear the path and open a way for my words to make their way to God's ear. Clutter falls into my life and chokes out goodness and forgiveness leaving behind the litter that will stand in the way of the petitions and thanks I am trying to pray. In order for my prayers to be acceptable to God, even with my Precious Savior interceding for me, I need to clear out the clutter and debris that is in the way. That means I start my prayers with confession. I ask the Lord to reveal to me any unconfessed sin that is in me so I can confess it. I declare my forgiveness for others so I can be open to His forgiveness for me. That begins to open the path of my prayers so I can present my thanks, praise, and petitions and nothing will be standing in the way to stop my prayers. We are in a season full of reasons to pray often and love much. Keep prayer paths open. We don't want to miss one thing the Lord has in store for us. Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored.
Barb

Thankfulness

I only need to look at the calendar or listen to the radio to turn my thoughts to the approaching holiday. I always loved Thanksgiving. What's not to love with a fantastic meal and less stress than the hustle and bustle of Christmas. Everyone talks about all the things they are thankful for and we try to model for our kids the importance of being thankful for everything we have; our abundance, health, home, etc. The older I get, my thankfulness changes. Not that I'm not thankful for all the things mentioned here, but maybe it's age that changes perspective. During a recent trip to my small hometown to bury my mother, I saw family I hadn't seen in forty years and special friends I've had for over fifty-five years! I realized how thankful I was to still have all of them; that each one is irreplaceable and filled my heart to overflowing. Imagine how much our Lord loves us. We love with a human heart and He IS love! He loves us so that we have love to pass around...whether to our family, students, or friends. He IS love so we HAVE love. I'm thankful His pure love depends on nothing I do but solely on His mercy and grace. His mercy, grace, and love. Now there are reasons to be grateful. Have a happy Thanksgiving; blessed by the Lord and highly favored.
Barb

Have No Fear of Bad News

What would it feel like to drive to work in the morning knowing no one could deliver bad news? That nothing anyone could say to you would be bad. No parent could question you, no administrator or principal could hand down one more responsibility or make you accountable for any more tasks. What if you could feel that assurance? Would you walk a little taller? Feel a little more confidence? Have some peace in your heart? Well, as a believer, you have a God that you can trust completely. You might falter during the day, you may fail to meet a deadline, you may use your words to hurt someone, or not use words to help someone. But every day, every slip, every sin, can be forgiven and we can trust that the Lord will pull us back up toward Him. Psalm 112:7 says, "He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord." I believe we walk with His confidence and assurance; not that we won't ever get bad news, but we won't get it from the Lord. And when we do get it, He will walk with us and give us what we need to walk through it. Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored.
Barb