The Story of Your Life

I can't begin to tell you how blessed I continue to be by the preaching of Andy Stanley. We have decided to listen to one of his sermons each night that we are home. I would challenge you at least once a week to forgo watching one of the many TV programs that you watch and watch Andy and listen to what he has to say about God's Word. I guarantee you that it will do you a lot more good than anything else you planned to watch. You can find him by just googling him or by following these links:

www.northpoint.tv

www.northpoint.org

(For some reason I couldn't activate these links.)

We have been listening to his series called Your Move. It is all about the questions you need to ask yourself when facing big decisions, especially big decisions that you didn't expect to have to be making.

The first question to ask is "Why are you REALLY making this choice?" Andy proceeds to explain how good all people are at selling themselves on ideas when we really want to. He said that lots of people want to follow their hearts. But that is dangerous because Jeremiah 17:9 says "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?" Our culture and the media often celebrate people who follow their heart. But we must be careful, and as parents we need to address this with our children. Andy says that our hearts are not just dishonest; our hearts are deceitful. Our heart is purposely trying to mix a little truth with some lies so that we will follow it.

The next question Andy says we need to ask when facing big decisions is "What story do we want to tell with our lives?" Every time we come to a decisive point in our lives we are faced with the choice of telling a good story, or telling a bad story. We looked at the life of Joseph. He was put in terrible situations over and over in his life and each time these things happened he chose to trust God, to do his best in the storm. Joseph told a great story with his life.

Every season of our life will eventually be boiled down to a few sentences, probably a couple of paragraphs at the most. Each time we face a trial we get to choose how that trial will be remembered in our lives. How I need to remember this in my life right now!

So wherever you are, whatever season of life you find yourself in...

tell a good story.

He knows...

I have been in Ohio visiting my dear friend, Jane. She is just a few years younger than I am, and I have known her a long time. She was raised in my church, and I have been a friend of her family all these years. Several years ago, I decided to take Will to Washington D.C. for fall break. Jane lived in the DC area and opened her home up to us for a visit. Little did we know that those visits would become an annual affair over the next few years. So we became fast friends.

Jane and her family moved to Ohio last year. Just two weeks ago she found out she has lung cancer, very advanced. So Phil and I took a day to drive up to see her and to let her know that we love her and are praying for her.

She looks so good and healthy and strong (except for the acne-like rash caused by the medicine she is taking). She has a wonderful family…beautiful girls and a great husband. And in all that she’s going through, she ministered to us. She spoke with us at length about the troubles that are facing our two children. We know that she cares so much about them and that she is praying for all of us. We came away blessed to have been with her. And resolved to continue to be there for her and her family.

She told us that she had recently had a dream in which she was going about some ordinary tasks when she opened a door and a tornado sucked her up. And that is what her life feels like right now. She told us that in herself she would just remain in a state of panic and fear, and she would just stay in bed and pull the covers up over her head. But God has been there with enough grace and mercy for each day, and each task. And God has proved Himself enough.

We were pretty frank in our discussion of life and death and the realities of living in faith. We shared some thoughts on different scriptures and how they are playing out in our lives.

Recently I heard Andy Stanley preach about Jesus being our high priest. He read these verses from Hebrews 4:14-15:

14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens,[a] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.

Andy said that Jesus doesn’t just sympathize with our weaknesses; He empathizes, which means He has been there and knows just what that feels like.

In Jane’s case that means He knows what it is like to feel that your days are numbered and your time is short. He knows what it is like to face death. He knows how it feels to not want to go down the road that God has laid before you. “If it be possible let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not my will but Thine be done.”

He knows what it feels like to face leaving behind friends and family and having concerns about what will happen to them. He said to Peter, “But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.” He asked John to look after his mother.

He knows…

Yes,He knows…

But we move to verse 16:

16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

And we see this verse playing out in Jane's life too. She has received mercy and she has found grace to help in her time of need.
God is working in all that is happening in Jane's life. And we know that as we desperately plead for her healing, and know that God is able to bring her back to perfect health; we know that whatever happens, He is receiving glory and honor and touching many lives through her.

Praise God for what He is doing and will continue to do.

Back to the Blog

I received some prodding from my dear friend Alyssa this weekend, and so it is time to take to writing again. Things in my personal life are not settled but are calmer so I will try to write consistently.

Today in Sunday School we listened to Andy Stanley. The series of messages that we are working through is called Time.

The lesson we listened to introduces us to the reality that our time is short. In light of this fact we find ourselves asking, "What's the point?" In order to really understand the answer to that question we looked at Psalm 90. This Psalm was written by Moses, who had his own unique perspective on time. After being raised in a palace in Egypt, Moses spent 40 years of his life (the BEST years of his life?) as a shepherd. After these years of nothingness, God called him to be the man He would use to deliver His people from slavery.

First, Moses tells us, "From everlasting to everlasting, you are God." This gives us the bookends for our lives. With God in the middle we find the true purpose of our lives, God and His glory.

Moses spends a lot of time telling us about just how short life really is, and then we come to verse 11. It is a difficult verse but the essence of it says this: If we could really see God as He is, we would give Him the reverence He is due. These words come from a man that had seen more of God's glory than any other human had. So he really knew what he was talking about.

And then we finish up with verse 12. "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Brides know how to number their days. Students with assignments due know how to number their days. People who have terminal diseases learn to number their days. And if we want to be wise, we must learn to number our days aright. We'll see where this leads next week.

Ladies' Bible Conference and More

My last post said I was in the midst of tough times. They continue and that has made it hard to write here. I feel the need to be guarded in what I say and share. Pray for me if you I come to your mind.

That said, I did want to reflect upon the Ladies' Bible Conference I attended at our church this weekend. This is an annual event and one that I have come to look forward to. It was the 20th anniversary, and we honored the past by asking Lois Jane Wallace to speak and sing on Friday night. She has been with us several times, but I thought she was exceptionally good in sharing her testimony in word and song. On Saturday, we moved into the future by hosting a Beth Moore live simulcast. It came off without a hitch, and it was a joy to listen to her share the word with us.



Here are the main points:

Proverbs 31:26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.

1. Kindness is not weakness.
Kindness knows and sees evil but makes the choice to be kind anyway.
2. Kindness is not an action; it is a disposition.
You can fake "nice" but you can't fake kindness.
3. Kindness wears down when we wear down.
4. Kindness looks pain in the face.
5. Kindness is a Savior.
Jesus was the epiphany of God and His kindness.
6. Kindness has good memory.
Rebellion forgets God's goodness.
7. Kindness craves an outlet.
8. Kindness leaves a legacy.

In such a mean world, it is good to spend a whole day thinking about kindness. May it make a difference in my behavior today and hereafter. God be praised!

Tough Times

We all have stuff to deal with. This past week was a hard one for me. Things I can't control, don't understand. I am thankful that these hard times don't change the fact that God IS in control. The words to this song have been especially dear to me this week.

***************************
Everyone needs compassion,
Love that's never failing;
Let mercy fall on me.

Everyone needs forgiveness,
The kindness of a Saviour;
The Hope of nations.

Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.

Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.

So take me as You find me,
All my fears and failures,
Fill my life again.

I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in,
Now I surrender.

My Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.
***********************************


Since Jesus "conquered the grave" I am assured that nothing I am facing is too big or hard for Him to handle. That has made this week bearable. Praise God for He IS mighty to save!

I forgot to tell you about this.

When we were in Canada we saw something that I wanted to share but forgot about it until I saw a picture on a friend's FB page. All along the highway there are stacks of rocks, which have been put there by humans.




Here's a good explanation of the phenomenon:


"Inukshuk (singular), meaning "likeness of a person" in Inuktitut (the Inuit language) is a stone figure made by the Inuit. The plural is inuksuit. The Inuit make inuksuit in different forms and for different purposes: to show directions to travellers, to warn of impending danger, to mark a place of respect, or to act as helpers in the hunting of caribou. Similar stone figures were made all over the world in ancient times, but the Arctic is one of the few places where they still stand. An inukshuk can be small or large, a single rock, several rocks balanced on each other, round boulders or flat. Inuit tradition forbids the destruction of inuksuit."

I just found it fascinating.

Beginning a New School Year

The beginning of a new school year is always exciting. I think I like it most because it is a clean slate. No matter what has happened in previous years, now you begin again. It can be whatever you make of it. It is a chance to try new things, relate to new students and also revisit the things you know work and enjoy teaching most.

We've just finished a week of inservice. Most of it was outstanding. It has lead to many interesting and challenging conversations throughout the week. Here are a few highlights:

Kim Ellis spoke on Monday about students in poverty. I had heard some of this stuff before, but it always hits home. It reminds me that the students I serve (even though they are very smart) have issues related to growing up in poverty or from being surrounded by people who are in poverty. They think differently about things than I do, and I need to be aware of their perspective. It was also interesting to hear from teachers who came out of poverty to be the first person in their family to graduate high school, then college. It reminded me of the impact teachers have on lives.

Tuesday we had Mark McCloud who gave a great presentation about classroom management, procedures, and building appropriate meaningful relationships with students. He was so dynamic and all his material was very practical. He engaged every teacher in the room from the first year beginners to the veterans like me. He made us all proud of our profession and eager to greet our students when the first day comes along.


Thursday we had a couple of fairly typical inservice sessions and then had the community celebration in the evening. Steven James performed several stories for the crowd and a free meal was served. It was an enjoyable evening.

Today we heard from all the central office staff and I have to say they are a top-notch group of people. They work so hard and care so much about excellence. Phil gave a brief talk, and I was so proud of him. We wrapped it all up with Steven James once again. He did a great job instructing us on stories and how important they are in engaging our students. I love storytelling, so everything he did today was right down my alley.


All in all it has been a really interesting and stimulating week. It's not often you can say that about inservice. Special thanks to all who made it happen.

Now let's get to work!