Live What I Believe

Have you ever felt like people looked at you funny or noticed the rolled eyes when you voiced a belief aloud?
This happened to me tonight during the class that I had at a local "Christian" university. For this class, I am required to read an autobiographical novel by a southern writer about his experience as a white guy teaching black kids on a remote island in SC in the 1970s. This would be a fine story, except for the fact that every other word in the novel is some slang term for African Americans or some profane obsenity and that my God's name is taken in vain several times throughout the book.
I explained my disdain for this book to my professor tonight. I told her that this book was highly offensive to me and that I could not see how the university could have her open class with a biblical devotion and then require that the students read a book like this and take a test that counts 20% of our grade on this novel.
She began to demean my intelligence by explaining the premise of the book and its purpose in this class. I had to let her know that I understood well the point of the story, but I felt convicted about reading this novel and then going home to read my Bible. If I heard this language on TV, I would change the channel or more likely turn it off. If I was among people speaking this way, I would remove myself from the situation.
My stance fell upon deaf ears as the students in the corner rolled their eyes at me for voicing my concerns and said that they enjoyed the book and the professor made an attempt to persuade me to look past the language.
I am accountable to God alone and I'm going to stand up for Him regardless of how many rolled eyed frowny faced looks I encounter. I am ready to live out loud for God!! As far as I'm concerned, those rolled eyes are a sign of conviction. So all I got to say is roll on...

Peace!

Here I Am Again

Ok, so the other day when I wrote about following Jesus and laying my burdens down, I felt so much better instantly. I felt (and still feel) like a weight was lifted from my shoulders. My decision has been to follow Christ where ever He leads and in whatever direction He asks me to go, even if it is an unexpected direction.
Of course, I was convinced that this meant that I would be leaving my career in teaching behind and moving on to something else (what i wanted). However, not long after I made this decision, several people approached me at school and talked to me about this, even though they had no idea about what I had contemplated and prayed about.
These women all said basically the same thing. One talked about the importance of Christian teachers being a positive influence in public schools, I beleive she said we are a "light in the darkness." Another spoke to me about the fact that there are always kids coming by my room to say hi, even kids I don't teach, which I have to say is kinda cool. The last teacher talked about the "good kids" in public school and how they make it worth while.
Today, Barry shared something with me that made me feel like what I thought God was leading me to (quitting my job) isn't actually God's plan for me right now. So, it appears that I will remain in education at my current school for a bit longer. Although this is not my desire, I feel like God is not through with me there yet. I will continue to pray that God will guide me and direct my path, but I have realized that this is not about me...It's about God and how my family is going to serve Him in ways that I cannot even begin to know.
For now, I will take satisfaction in knowing that I am following God and that summer vacation is only 22 more days away!!
Love, Peace, and Hair Grease!

I Have Decided...

I had a bad day at school yesterday...I mean the worst in my teaching career. After much aggravation, upset and finally prayer...as the hymn goes "I have decided...to follow Jesus...no turning back, no turning back..." I am going to follow Jesus and what has been laid on my heart for some time now. I beleive that God has something better for me, and so I am finally willing to lay it all down and leave it in His hands.
I have to admit that I am scaired. I am not quite sure where this will lead...but I know that God will take care of me.
So Devil, you might as well give up!! God's got you beat and I'm KICKIN' YA' TEETH OUT!!! WOOO!!
PEACE!!

Facing the Giant

It has been a while since I have posted. I have been very busy - busy fighting Goliath. Our Sunday school class is reading Facing Your Giants by Max Lucado and the first week of class Barry asked us to write down our giant on an index card. I believe that Barry's hope is that we would, with God's help, hopefully be able to defeat our giant by the time we got to then end of the book.
I have taken this challenge very seriously and I thought that I was doing good in the battle against my giant until this week. The giant has reared its ugly head again and once agian is making an attempt to squash me under its feet. I don't want to let this giant get the best of me, but it seems that every time I turn around, there it is.
I listened to Clayton King on the way to school Friday morning and he said that God has created an abundant life for us...all we have to do is live it. I know that what he is saying is true and I want to, but I am afraid because my giant makes me doubt myself. I know that God does not want me to be unhappy and I have been praying for some clarity on the issues in my life that keep resurrecting my giant.
To anyone who reads this blog...I need your prayer. Pray that I will be able to slay my Goliath once and for all and that God will open my eyes to what He wants me to do...

He Knows My Name

As Easter Sunday approaches, I am filled with hope and anticipation. I pray that many people will attend Sunday morning's services and that many who don't know Christ will come into a saving relationship with Him. I am praying specifically for two people who I love dearly...one of them does know Christ, but has not had the relationship with Him that she so desparately needs due to questions and anger over the past - I pray that she would recommit to nurturing her relationship with God and allow Him to begin a mighty work in her life.
The other one does not have a relationship with Christ, though I know that the Lord has had His healing hand upon this man and allowed him to continue to live. I pray that this man would come to church on Sunday and that God would speak so strongly and so loudly that this man would not be able to ignore the voice of God calling him to give his life to Christ.
I am so glad that the Father knows my name, but there are so many who don't know Him. Does He know you? If He does, please invite someone to church on Sunday to receive the Father's word. If He doesn't, please come to church on Sunday morning and receive the love and salvation that can only be found in Christ.

Something is in the air...

I just got in from praise team rehearsal and I can hardly wait for Sunday. I feel like a little kid on Christmas Eve anxiously awaiting Christmas morning to see what Santa had brought. Except this time, I'm waiting on someone much bigger and better than Santa and I know for sure He will show up.
Our new children's ministry Elevate will begin at the 8:30 service and it is going to be awesome!! I can not wait for Reese to experience worship that is created just for her and children her age!! Invite as many kids as you can - they will not want to miss this!
It is hard to believe that God's love is free...free to all who seek salvation openly and honestly. What a heavy price Jesus paid so that I could go free...so that I would be free from condemnation...free to worship and adore a living God!!
Sunday is going to be exciting...Pray like never before for those you love and want Christ to draw unto himself...Invite people to church...God will be there with open arms, make sure you are too!
Peace Out!

Why?

Last night Barry and I went to an Easter drama at Forestville Baptist Church in TR with Willie and Kim. I could tell that many months of planning and promotion had gone into this production before any actors even took the stage.
Willie and I drooled over the award-winning sound system and audio visual equipment that the church had installed in the brand new state of the art facility. The pastor even referenced how much technology was used in the production when he said that "there are more microphones in this thing than fried chicken legs at a baptist pastor's conference" - wow, must have been a lot!
Anyway, as the story of Christ's life unfolded and the truth behind the crucifixion emerged, I prayed intently that those who were lost would come to know Christ. Sure enough, at the end of the production, about 50 people gave their lives to Christ. It was a miraculous thing to watch how God had used the people in that church to draw the lost to himself.
After pondering this production, I understood that God doesn't need for us to have state-of-the-art facilities or expensive productions to bring people to him. The only thing we need to have is a willing and open heart! God wants us to be empty so that He can fill us with His love and so that we will go out and share what He has done for us with those who don't know Him. God isn't a secret that we should keep to ourselves - His love is abundant and we should want as many people to share a relationship with Him as possible. We must never forget the reason that Jesus came to earth and endured what He knew we could not.
Invite someone to church this Sunday so they can know the reason why....