Lesson(s) Learned

The roadless journey Most roads take us on fairly predictable journeys. But what about the journeys that take us off-road and come at us as a surprise? Does it all have purposeful design in each and every step of the way? Some days I readily accept and believe that they do. On other days, I tend to doubt it. Thoughts like these and many others have run rampant through my mind since the moment my fiancé found out for sure he'd be on 400 day orders with the US Army and deployed back in November. I'm often nudged/reminded of very small, yet very significant pieces of truth along the way. Things like where the Bible says, "A man plans his ways, but his steps are ordered of The Lord." Oh. So. True. Even when we don't know the details or the details are ever-changing, God knows the plan from beginning to the ending. As one of my all-time favorite speakers/authors Priscilla Shirer once said, "Everything that comes into our lives passes through the fingertips...

Over the past couple of days, I’ve experienced some not-so-fun events of life in both professional and personal realms. These circumstances and situations have taken me back, made me pause, and definitely made me think, over-think, and think some more. Overall, they’ve bothered me more than they should’ve for the wrong reasons, and not bothered me enough for the right reasons. I know I’m being vague here – that’s part of the point.  Because, really, these situations – they’re not about me.  There’s a much bigger principle and lesson to learn for all of us here. Throughout it all this week, I’ve come to the grips why these things have bothered me so. Each of these situations has attacked me at a point of my great weakness – they have threatened to take away the things I love the most. Put another way, they have pinpointed some of my personal fears . Some may be able to relate and say God is using this for His glory and just getting my attention and heart’s focus ba...

First of all, I want to thank the well-known-yet-ever-humble John Piper for the idea/concept behind the third part of this post. Sometimes, it takes a mouthpiece/instrument of God to verbalize what our hearts and minds are going through. To speak into our lives what our hearts are already overflowing with. To recognize it’s okay to acknowledge where we are and remember that God is so-big-and-powerful, yet right-in-our-midst – even and especially when we don’t “feel” it to be true. Part 1: Words To start, let’s go here: There’s power in words. I know this to be true. You know this to be true. We’ve all felt the stings, zings, and overwhelming things people can inflict or infuse into us with their words. Knowing that words have power is more than a first-hand experiential knowledge, however. It’s Biblical truth. In fact, the Bible says that life and death are in the power of the tongue. Life. And. Death. Before you open your mouth to pronounce another syllabl...

When most people go to the movies, they leave during the ending credits. That is, unless there’s an after-show preview (for lack of knowing the name of those things, let’s just call it “an after-show preview”). I’ve always known this to be true; mainly, because I’ve done it. Yes, I am one of the many people who leave during the credits, too. [ or… I used to…] Yesterday, this thought was refreshed in my mind because I showed a short video clip to my students. And guess what? They did the same thing. No, they didn’t get up, leave, and retire their educational-careers at the ripe old age of discovering-double-digits. But their responses were starkly similar to people in a movie theatre. All was quiet-and-attentive on the homefront during the video. Immediately after the movie was over and the credits began to roll, it was like a talking-levee broke through in the classroom. Silence, in that moment, was no longer an option. ADD was present, and no amount of training or Ritalin was goi...

As I type this, tears begin to sting my eyes, which is exactly why I’ve avoided writing for a while because I knew this would happen. Each one of the words/phrases above: “engagement,” “deployment,” and “Living in the God Margin” bring a host of emotions to the table that words alone cannot justly or appropriately serve. Since I don’t even know where to begin, I’ll simply start here: Every good story has a certain amount of shock value to it.   From children’s literature to screen plays, twists, turns, and surprise endings catch us at every corner and keep us coming back and browsing around for more. This October, I have lived what some may call a “great adventure,” ridden what some may term an “emotional rollercoaster,” and experienced what some may even deem a “God encounter.“ While I’m honestly still trying to sort everything out and process it all, allow me to share with you my story… It all started on Wednesday, October 2 nd . My school (LCA) deci...

Have a few minutes to spare? If so, enter my classroom at-a-glance and appreciate this teachable moment with me: So there I was.... teaching the kids in my Bible class about Jesus' forgiving mercy. As I was listing off examples from the top of my head of people in the Bible who Jesus demonstrated his kindness, mercy, and forgiveness to, God quickly brought to mind the woman at the well.  Of course, He would bring the woman at the well to my mind in this moment.  But these are kids,  my thoughts said back to the Lord. How in the world are they going to understand that situation? Really, Lord, how am I supposed to set this one up?  My mind continued to reel. As the words began coming out of my mouth, I realized (faster than I could stop and think about it) that I was mid-story with no chance of turning back.  I think I explained her as somewhat of a "bad best friend" who "couldn't get along with any husband who lived in her house," so she "kept t...

What do you do with life's unwanted surprises? Every now and then, I get a song stuck in my heart/head and just have to bust out singing it at random intervals throughout my day. Mostly, I find myself being urged to sing when I’m in my car or just wandering throughout my apartment. (My roommate can vouch for that…. or, really, anyone who has ever sat next to me at a red light or a stop sign could vouch for it too. #I’mthatgirl ) The current song on the playlist of my mind? A song from children’s church. Not from a children’s church that I’m currently serving in, or anything. But from the recesses of my own recounting of childhood children’s church memories from the 1990s. The song is simple. It’s child-like. But it also packs a lot of theology. Without further delay, it goes something like this, “He’s able… He’s able… I know He’s able... I know my Lord is able to carry me through.” (and when I’m done with that part, I simply repeat it. Over and over again. Partial...

Waking up Whiny: What Lipgloss Teaches about Life This morning was a strange event for me. Let me explain: I'm typically a morning person during seasons of routine and order in my life. And I'm (for the most part) a go-getter, once I finally make it out of bed on my not-so-structured-summer mornings as well. But this morning was different. For some strange reason, I woke up whiny. Thankfully, I'm currently living roommate-less, so no one was around to see or hear me. (To clarify, I wasn't talking aloud to myself. The whininess was really more revealed in my attitude and thoughts. But still.) If you're anything like me, you probably forget all-the-time the presence of the Lord. And how it is He that is always with you. He, Who always goes before you. He, Who is a a Shelter in the times of storm. He, Who is your Rear-guard and your Defender. He, Who overwhelms and satisfies your soul. He, Whose joy gives you strength. He, Whose salvation brings you hope....

Interesting, isn’t it, the places people will go and the things people will do to “get inspired.” For many, inspiration comes from the Bible. As it ultimately should. For most women, teachers, and men who feel strong in their manhood, inspiration comes Pinterest. (Side note: After testing out a Pinterest idea of putting brown sugar in my hair to “straighten” it and only coming away with sticky hair and a leftover bottle of home-made ridiculousness, I suggest everyone proceed on Pinterest with cautionary measures. I know I do. Now, anyway.) For some, inspiration naturally flows from music or poetry or nature or the like. For others still, inspiration is birthed into their hearts and lives through a heart-stirring story, an act of heroism, or a random act of kindness experienced or observed. If I’m being honest, I’ve been guilty of all of the above ways to find ideas, get involved and interested in something beyond myself, and become inspired by the crea...

Today, once again, I found myself scurrying from the front doors of the local Target Superstore to the front seat of my car. In a thunderstorm. As it happened, I couldn't help but laugh at myself and how-very-often this scenario repeats in my life. Without a doubt, it always seems to be raining when I enter/exit a Target. Some may excuse this away as being "Florida summer weather;" however, it's happened to me in other seasons, too. And it's even happened to me in other states. In fact, when I lived in Lynchburg,Virginia before, I got to the point where I had to resolve to getting soaking-wet because I absolutely refused to buy yet-another Target-branded umbrella. My umbrella collection was getting to be quite extensive and unruly. And, oddly enough, my umbrellas were quite inaccessible when I needed them the most. They always happened to be in the coat closet at home. Or in the closet of my classroom. Or in the trunk of my car. You know, conveniently tucked any...