Blended Life of an Educator

 "The imagination is the seedbed for faith." Wendy Backlund, Igniting Hope Ministries I love this quote from Wendy's book "Victorious Emotions." And isn't it so true?! We have to imagine the possibilities... the WHAT IFs of God, I like to call them... intentionally choosing to ignore fear's lure to drop low into its labyrinth of potential scary outcomes, and instead look up into the face of hope. We have to intentionally ask ourselves: What's the best possible outcome of THIS circumstance I'm facing?  Intentional thinking... it takes work, right? We've got to build some new neural pathways that reroute us to imagine the best, right?  It's much easier to take a few spins with the foreboding music flooding our ears and the looming feeling of dread sinking us further still, but what if we unlatched from the popular fear route and had another thought? What if instead, we engaged our imagination, the seedbed of faith, and "woke up" t...

Are the Signs of the Times Causing You to Panic? The other day I was greatly distressed. I had been doing research about the move of Critical Race Theory invading our curriculum in my state. Scanning through online lesson plans, seeing correlations with Black Lives Matter agendas to try indoctrinate our youth to live with chips on their shoulders, draw racial lines that will "remake" history, and redefine identity based on a child's choice of sexual preference... gave me a migraine and sent me into the land of FEAR. How could my kids be growing up in this day and age when truth is so grey? What are the standards of morality if everyone defines them and everyone is "right?" The fact that the truth, or the "right" way, is being blurred so badly caused me have a mini emotional freak out.  My husband gently pulled me out of my downward spiral into the abiss of FEAR with this quote from  Fear Factor  by Kevin and Chad Dedmon:  "Fear is the last battle ...

You know when you have one of those situations that you didn't plan for  and you absolutely didn't want? In fact, you might have thought "that situation" would be a nightmare. But when "it" happens, what do you do? How do you think? How do you respond?  I feel like these situations happen a lot in the world of teaching.  It seems like we're constantly coming up against the unknown, or perhaps the dreaded. We have a moment where we're faced with a decision: Am I going to choose to agree with the lemon and go down the path of self-pity? ("I'm caught. I'm stuck. I don't know what to do here!") Which sends us spiraling downward into becoming a victim of circumstances... or even our callings. ("I can't do this! This is too hard. Why did God call me 'here'?) I'm certainly not pointing fingers. I've been there--in the downward spiral of self-pity, becoming the utlimate victim of my circumstances. My own negativ...

I've been pondering God's faithfulness lately; He's so gracious to us. He wants to use us when we don't have everything together. God wants to use us when we don't look the part, or maybe we don't even feel like we know what we're doing. He's looking for our willingness. Our open heart to hear his voice. To follow His promptings. Last month was extremely full... preschool ended the same day my parents flew into town, our oldest daughter turned 17, our oldest son graduated from high school-- graduation party, graduation dinner, and graduation itself... one of our twins had a band concert, we attended preschool dance recital, and 5 of our 7 kids were getting summer plans nailed down for work and sports camps, as well as summer school. School let out May 27th... YOU might even have had a fuller end of the school year than me, or you're about to... that's not the point. The point is: WHERE is my heart? Where is my heart resting? Where is my heart fi...

 This morning I took a PAUSE.  Yes, I was that Mom in her car with the music cranked up. Eyes closed. No kids in the car. Shoulders dropping. Heart engaged. Reengaging with the One who called me to be "here" right now at this point in HIStory. Sometimes we just need to BREATHE and remember, recenter our heart's affections, to SEE what Jesus sees... to celebrate the breakthroughs inside yourself and also what He's doing in and through you to bring breakthrough in the lives of others. Remembering to PAUSE to remember. To give thanks! To continue to surrender to His heart for YOU, and then those you're called to love and serve is paramount to being people of purpose.   Do you need to hit PAUSE to the noise? The noise in your head. The noise of the voices around you. The noise of the NEWS.  Do you need to hit PAUSE on the busyness? Do you need to slow down and PAUSE to turn-up the Rest on the INSIDE with a PAUSE for your own heart health?  What do you need to s...

Grab hold of the True You: An Ambassador of Heaven Some practical ways you can take up this privelege of setting an atmosphere for Heaven to reside in your classroom, office, or workroom 1.  As Ambassadors of Heaven, we are those who set the atmosphere; we are not the thermometers. We are the thermostats. Anoint the desks, tables, chairs, and doors etc and ask the Holy Spirit to wake up the hearts that use the workspaces to his presence, to his love, and his revelation of how he delights in each one just because he made them  Pray over your teaching space, the hallways, office... take "prayer walks" by tuning your ear to the voice of the Holy Spirit as you run daily errands around the building. And set aside specific prayer walking times, too, with other Believers in your building to invite Jesus to invade the atmophere, show you what He's up to, ask for wisdom from Heaven for your administrators, district leaders, teachers, and those who design curriculum. Invite Friend...

This young man has a great deal of passion...  Passion for what he feels is right.  Passion to promote justice.  Passion to protect what he deems valuable. Passion to be the BEST. Passion to have a rewarding future.  Passion to employ his industrious and entrepreneurial self.  Joshua is our curious son. He always wants to know more. How does that work? How do you make that? Why did you decide ____?  Sometimes these questions seem like he's prying, but there's a genuine desire to learn in this young man. He likes research... especially about sports and the daily news reel. Joshua can be caught talking with the adults we have over for dinner just because he likes learning about others' lives. He has a contagious laugh! Probably one of my favorite things about him. You cannot hold back a smile when this young man explodes with laughter! He's got the best smile and when he genuinely laughs at something sincerely funny, he lights up a room! (We often all end up ...