Matthew Talks Time
Time goes so quickly.
I am considered young by most. Even my elementary school students say so. I am 27 currently - 28 by month's end. I still have 2 very full years to live in my 20's before I even reach my 30's which are still considered youthful.
However, times goes quickly.
Much of my life as a child was plagued with trying to prevent this river of time from flowing forever onward.
Even the Bible says that God has put eternity into the heart of man. Even if we all lived to be 1000 - it wouldn't be enough.
The dilemma's answer is found only in eternal life with Jesus. I still struggle once in a while with how quickly my life is dripping away, but free eternal life (and I get to give up my heart of pain and suffering) sounds like a deal too-good-to-be-true.
I say we take it!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
Surprised by Love by Beth-Anne
There are years you are glad to leave behind.
And yet, as excited as I was about this year I was a bit apprehensive, to say the least. I just wanted to share how God has lifted my heart this week. Each day is its own but God has reminded me this week that He is with me.
At lunch time the students do this thing that I don’t have a name for but it goes like this.
Student A: “Who has applesauce?”
And all the students who do raise their hand or the applesauce.
Student A: “Who has ever almost drowned?”
Again, all the students who do raise their hand and/or add commentary on how they are part of this category.
Well this week they were doing their question/hand raising thing when I heard, “Who loves our teacher?” I couldn’t help but look up and see all the hands raised. What was really touching is that it was a student that I had been having some difficulty with since school started that had asked and initiated the question.
And yet, as excited as I was about this year I was a bit apprehensive, to say the least. I just wanted to share how God has lifted my heart this week. Each day is its own but God has reminded me this week that He is with me.
At lunch time the students do this thing that I don’t have a name for but it goes like this.
Student A: “Who has applesauce?”
And all the students who do raise their hand or the applesauce.
Student A: “Who has ever almost drowned?”
Again, all the students who do raise their hand and/or add commentary on how they are part of this category.
Well this week they were doing their question/hand raising thing when I heard, “Who loves our teacher?” I couldn’t help but look up and see all the hands raised. What was really touching is that it was a student that I had been having some difficulty with since school started that had asked and initiated the question.
The past two weeks I have been introducing a theory/practice that the conference is letting some school pilot. The program is called the Peace Rug. The rug is a place where students can invited someone they are having habitual problems with and work things out. The students practice not blaming the other person but taking responsibility for their actions and how they will change them. It’s a good was to begin young with conflict/resolution.
I had taught this to my class and at recess two of my students were arguing with two of the students from the other class. I mediated and then after some conversation said they could go play. One of my students asked the two students from Matthew’s class to wait. I saw that student lean over and whisper to the other student from my class, “Do you want to invite them to the Peace Rug?” After a small deliberation they asked the two from Matthew’s room if they wanted to go to the Peace Rug. I briefly told them what it was and the four of them, plus me went to the Peace Rug. They didn’t use the five steps perfectly but it was really amazing to see them use it and have them work out a little solution for their problem.
Sometimes when I am sure they haven’t learned anything I’ve tried to teach them for the last hour God reminds me that I am wrong.
Today I had to take my dog, Nani, to the vet to have her gums reattached to her teeth. She was a rescue dog and had bad teeth and this will prevent respiratory issues. So I took my car to the vet and Matthew went to school. I filled out the paper work and hug Nani and then the lady slipped a collar around Nani’s head and I had to take her collar and leash off. (If you are not a dog/pet person this won’t make sense to you). She looked at me like I was abandoning her. I was leaving her in a strange place with a strange person and I was taking the stuff that proved she was mine. I stood to leave and she just watched and waited and I walked away. If you’ve never seen a Nani look you won’t understand this either. It broke my heart. She is an older dog and older dogs have trouble with anesthesia sometimes. So all this is whirling through my head and by the time I pulled out of the vet’s parking lot I was crying. I prayed outloud, “God please take care of my Nani.” Seconds after that I got a text message from my neighbor, Marilyn. She said, “Did I just see you on 10th Street?” I texted back to explain the situation and she told me she would be praying for Nani.
It was an immediate response from God. I prayed and God told me, “I have you. I am surrounding you with love and prayer for the things that your heart needs.”
It was an immediate response from God. I prayed and God told me, “I have you. I am surrounding you with love and prayer for the things that your heart needs.”
Nani didn’t end up having the teeth work done today because of a mix-up at the vet but Marilyn called me the evening to see how I was doing and wanting to know about Nani. I am blessed to have a God who cares about my heart-needs.
Today is Friday and we do something in my class called Sabbath Celebration. We celebrate what God created on each day of the week and part of it is that we say what we are thankful for. Today three of the students said they were thankful for me! This is a record because even though I know they care about me, it’s usually other things that come first to their mind. And what was really, really touching was that it was the three students I had to work with the most these two weeks.
There are many moments I struggle as a teacher, wondering if my students see how much I love them, even if I am correcting them more than I wish I had to. To me, it was God telling me that He is with me each day that I ask Him to be.
The last highlight of my week, and maybe the sweetest one wasn’t even spoken with words. As the students were gathering on our round rug for Sabbath Celebration one little students said, “Miss. Beth-Anne!” I looked over as I came to sit with them and saw this little student put their hand in the sign of “I love you.” They smiled as I smiled and signed back, “I love you.”
Monday, August 8, 2011
Blessings in Hard Places
Life is teaching me that I cannot without God. I cannot. Life is teaching me that as I rely on Him, even in the midst of joys or pains - even scorn - my life is blessed more and more.
In the life of Joseph, circumstances foretold his ruin, but his trust in the God who works specifically through the dilemmas in life saw him through. God blessed him while yet in the hold of tragedy.
"From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph."
Maybe those who in our lives appear as our masters are receiving the blessing of God through us. Look for the blessings of God in the hard places. Search for the peace of God in places of darkness. Linger in God's joy throughout life's pain.
-Of Matthew
In the life of Joseph, circumstances foretold his ruin, but his trust in the God who works specifically through the dilemmas in life saw him through. God blessed him while yet in the hold of tragedy.
"From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph."
Maybe those who in our lives appear as our masters are receiving the blessing of God through us. Look for the blessings of God in the hard places. Search for the peace of God in places of darkness. Linger in God's joy throughout life's pain.
-Of Matthew
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Summer Craziness
(A blog of Matthew)
Wow! Life is something else. We come back from Korea (2 years ago now) and expect life to calm down. In certain ways it has, in other ways it has not. What is the solution to this? Read on....
This is not a comprehensive update, but a basic update on the status of our summer.
So far this summer, we have joined friends in the Carolina campmeeting, backpacked with family in Mount Rogers (and made extensive plans for future backpacking trips which will most likely be altered and re-altered many times over), borrowed a friend to fix massive backdoor damage (thanks, John!), had family visit us in Cookeville, visited family in Knoxville, visited family in New Market (for a night), and visited family in Hamburg. Oh, and in the midst of it all we traveled with friends to Key Largo. The diving was surprisingly good. The tennis, even better (if possible).
So, what's next? With the summer about halfway over we have 3 weeks of summer classes (we are less than thrilled about this), 1 week with family, and 1 week of preparations for school, then school begins again.
As life speeds on and on, we seek to slow and slow down. In the midst of summer craziness we have again discovered the final solution to the ever-increasing cycle of life....Jesus' soon return! May the Lord find us faithful in all He asks of us. And give us the peace of the Spirit.
Wow! Life is something else. We come back from Korea (2 years ago now) and expect life to calm down. In certain ways it has, in other ways it has not. What is the solution to this? Read on....
This is not a comprehensive update, but a basic update on the status of our summer.
So far this summer, we have joined friends in the Carolina campmeeting, backpacked with family in Mount Rogers (and made extensive plans for future backpacking trips which will most likely be altered and re-altered many times over), borrowed a friend to fix massive backdoor damage (thanks, John!), had family visit us in Cookeville, visited family in Knoxville, visited family in New Market (for a night), and visited family in Hamburg. Oh, and in the midst of it all we traveled with friends to Key Largo. The diving was surprisingly good. The tennis, even better (if possible).
So, what's next? With the summer about halfway over we have 3 weeks of summer classes (we are less than thrilled about this), 1 week with family, and 1 week of preparations for school, then school begins again.
As life speeds on and on, we seek to slow and slow down. In the midst of summer craziness we have again discovered the final solution to the ever-increasing cycle of life....Jesus' soon return! May the Lord find us faithful in all He asks of us. And give us the peace of the Spirit.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Photobooks
These are photobooks that Matthew has made with Blurb.
Korea in photos! There were so many photos we had to do two books.
These are othere photobooks Matthew has made.
Yap
Colorado
And our honeymoon
Korea in photos! There were so many photos we had to do two books.
These are othere photobooks Matthew has made.
Yap
Colorado
And our honeymoon
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