tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51810601940915146862024-03-13T18:53:22.737-05:00Fireside MusingsMusings on life, teaching, books, and writingNicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.comBlogger579125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-1620788478782333642015-07-28T11:07:00.002-05:002015-07-28T11:07:22.461-05:00The Big MoveThe time has come for me to move<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">– </span> to a new website.<br />
<br />
I will not be posting here any more, which is crazy to think about, but I <u>will </u>be posting at <a href="http://nicoledevries.com/">NicoleDeVries.com</a> and I'd love for you to join me over there.<br />
<br />
Hope to hear from you soon!<br />
<br />Nicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-47255756014041747702015-07-07T04:30:00.000-05:002015-07-07T09:44:23.184-05:00Why You Should Listen to Christmas Music this SummerContext is usually dangerously important; without it we make wrong conclusions and decisions. Seasons offer an important context to music, but what if they also, indirectly, swallow the meaning?<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
In the season of Christmas we celebrate one of the most important moments in history, but I am guilty of only occasionally thinking of God's human birth outside of the season. And, quite honestly, Jesus' birth is so <u>expected </u>during the season that His incarnation often loses meaning.<br />
<br />
It was the beginning of June and we were about halfway through our 20-hour car ride home from Maine when my iPod played Silent Night, Holy Night. I was caught off guard and almost skipped it, but I listened, trying to understand the reality of it all. I was impacted more by the song than I ever had been before, simply because it was June, and not December.<br />
<br />
It might be a stretch for you, but do listen to the song.<br />
Listen, as if you've never heard the song or its message before.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pP_udrF2tGw" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />Nicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-77207411597185142372015-06-30T04:10:00.000-05:002015-06-30T09:03:40.722-05:00June Readings<u>Corrie ten Boom: Faith Amidst Fear by Sam Wellman</u><br />
Just over 200 pages, this biography was very short. I liked reading about Corrie's life, and somehow it was comforting that, of all her sisters, she struggled the most with faith, forgiveness, and trusting God during the imprisonment and concentration camps. It was a reminder that I don't need to be perfect, I need to have an obedient and determined heart.<br />
<br />
<u>Discipled by Jesus by Hal and Debbie Perkins</u><br />
The writing was not crafted, but that wasn't the intention of the authors. Although I wanted to read with a red editing pen in hand, I learned a lot about discipling questions, the importance of close relationships, and I am excited to use this both in a bible study setting and my classroom this fall. I recommend it not for how it was written, but for its message.<br />
<br />
Books I did not finish:<br />
<br />
<u>What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell</u><br />
I only read the first story in this book, and while it was written well and fairly enjoyable I simply had too much going on this month to finish it. I've returned it to the library, and it is doubtful (though possible) I'll get it again.<br />
<br />
<u>Common Sense Christian Living by Edith Schaeffer</u><br />
I did read a good deal of this book, but I started in the middle and didn't feel compelled to finish the end or go back to the beginning. A lot of the book would probably be better titled, 'Common Sense Christian Motherhood'.<br />
<br />Nicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-11261193176188352442015-06-23T04:00:00.000-05:002015-06-23T04:00:02.055-05:00Rubbing Off<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Every couple of
weeks I assessed the reading abilities of my Kindergarteners. I called individuals to
my desk and had each one read a set of five words with various special sounds
we have been learning. Towards the end of the year, I called a student to my desk and as he came
near he shook his head and half-whispered, “I just really don’t want to do
this.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I looked at him,
frowning to hide my amusement, and asked, “Hmm, is that a good attitude?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">His eyes widened
and he responded right away, “No—that was the Old Me. The New Me doesn’t complain.” And he went on to read all five words. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I was astonished
at his response. Sure, our memory verse for the week had been 2 Corinthians
5:17. And sure, I had been teaching them about the Old Self and the New Self, and about how Christians can only live the New Self through Jesus. But I had
not believed they were actually picking up on it. It’s amazing what happens,
what the kids pick up on, when they listen. And, sometimes more amazing, they
listen a lot more often than I realize. And things were catching on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The question is,
what else is rubbing off on them? </span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
They notice more than what I
intentionally tell them, and that rubs off too. Things like attitude,
character, and a relationship with God are learned through watching. And
goodness, were those kids watching! <o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The good news is
that they don’t have to watch the Old Nicole. That would be a disaster— a
terrible disaster. The good news is that someone else has been rubbing off on
me, though not nearly as quickly as I would like, of course. When I spend time
listening to God, He rubs off on me-- just like I rubbed off on the Kindergarteners.
His self-control rubs off on me, and gentleness, as well as his faithfulness,
goodness, kindness, patience, peace, joy and love. But it all starts with
intentionally spending time with God, listening to Him, and allowing Him to
point out things that need to change. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Actually,
letting God point out those things is the easy part (especially once it’s
over). The part that is the hardest and most painful is living it. The whole
point of the Old Self and the New Self is that I can’t do it on my own, I need
to continually die to myself and chose to act and react as God leads. I fail at
it quite a lot, and that is painful; but it also helps me relate to my students
with more grace, love, and encouragement, which, in turn, rubs off on them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Nicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-44616545463271791632015-06-16T11:40:00.000-05:002015-06-16T11:40:56.270-05:00I Had Set Myself Up. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBVKzsy6zJaFWFdIql5d9OWgDjE_NKDuOvN25hXxT35ZL1127xRcJ3_yephOaUBs9PO0XTbitZF49chAH4RSnwp7UDk1PsCRqfLwOmUHSvEd9VNN0pTXBytcOXlQUyk0I7bQcqzPtrHG1/s1600/my.utmost.for.his.highest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBVKzsy6zJaFWFdIql5d9OWgDjE_NKDuOvN25hXxT35ZL1127xRcJ3_yephOaUBs9PO0XTbitZF49chAH4RSnwp7UDk1PsCRqfLwOmUHSvEd9VNN0pTXBytcOXlQUyk0I7bQcqzPtrHG1/s200/my.utmost.for.his.highest.jpg" width="123" /></a>I had been recognizing some snippy responses and selfish attitudes in myself, and I was ready to be done with them, so I prescribed myself more verses to meditate on, more time alone with God, more passages to study.<br />
<br />
I couldn't have set myself up better for the next day's devotional reading if I had tried.<br />
Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest says:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Can a sinner be turned into a saint? Can a twisted life be made right? There is only one appropriate answer-- "O Lord God, You know" (Ezekiel 37:3). Never forge ahead with your religious common sense and say, "Oh, yes, with just a little more Bible reading, devotional time, and prayer, I see how it can be done. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
It is much easier to <u>do</u> something than to trust in God...We would much rather work for God than believe in Him. Do I really believe that God will do in me what I cannot do?"</blockquote>
I have gotten caught up with my actions rather than staying focused on my relationship with God. The next day's reading said:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Are you obsessed by something? You will probably say, "No, by nothing," but all of us are obsessed by something-- usually by ourselves, or, if we are Christians, by our own experience of the Christian life. But the psalmist says that we are to be obsessed by God. The abiding awareness of the Christian life is to be God Himself, not just thoughts about Him. The total being of our life inside and out is to be absolutely obsessed by the presence of God."</blockquote>
Being obsessed by thoughts about God doesn't seem to be that different than being obsessed by God himself, but that is why it is more dangerous. Either way, we are doing a lot of the same things, but the intentions-- the heart-- are different. <a href="http://biblehub.com/1_samuel/16-7.htm" target="_blank">And God looks at the heart.</a>Nicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-86512150509437237392015-05-31T04:00:00.000-05:002015-05-31T04:00:06.128-05:00Books that Accompanied me through MayThe Problem of Pain by C. S. Lewis<br />
academic and philosophical. It had never before occurred to me to think half of those thoughts. Having thought through some of them, now, I feel more comfortable with C. S.'s conclusions, though they still feel beyond me.<br />
<br />
A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis<br />
a small book brimming with emotion and imagery and beautiful language. A book of true, bitter mourning and loss. It leaves me feeling both full and empty.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-5-Minute-Plantar-Fasciitis-Solution/dp/1598585517" target="_blank">The 5-minute Plantar Fasciitis Solution</a> by Jim Johnson<br />
helpful and effective. The 5 minutes of stretching are explained in only two pages, near the middle of the book, but having read the rest of it as well I understand plantar fasciitis better than I did before, and am hopeful for improvement. The long-term effectiveness of the stretch I do not yet know, but short-term it does seem to be providing relief- especially first thing in the morning.<br />
<br />
You'll Get Through This by Max Lucado<br />
Lucado's mantra through his book is his title, drawn from the principles in the account of Joseph as well as many modern stories of pain and suffering. Not only, Lucado says, will you get through this present struggle, Christians can expect to come out stronger and more prepared.<br />
<br />
Confessions of a Prayer Slacker by Diane Moody<br />
Moody's style left me feeling comfortable. She wrote about her prayer journey with lessons applicable to all. Overall: get up early and pray and read your Bible as if Jesus is sitting right next to you. Make a commitment and actually meet with God every morning. And don't succumb to guilt about the occasional missed day. (author unrelated to D. L. Moody)<br />
<br />
<br />
This month, I started a book called Walking with God through Pain and Suffering by Timothy Keller, but I could not get into it much less finish it. I have returned it to the library.<br />
<br />
I also started:<br />
the Simply the Story Handbook<br />
Tea with Emma by Diane Moody<br />
Brisinger by Christopher Paolini<br />
Where is God When it Hurts? by Philip YancyNicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-509908884235392872015-05-19T14:00:00.001-05:002015-05-19T14:00:33.326-05:00Shipwrecked and Cared ForDo you remember the story of <a href="http://biblehub.com/niv/acts/27.htm" target="_blank">Paul, traveling to Rome as a prisoner</a>? They are well on their way when a storm blew in and wreaked havoc. The sailors had no control over the direction they were heading since the winds and waves were so strong. They tried to tie the boat together, and to lighten it by throwing cargo overboard. Days went by. And then, they <a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/27-20.htm" target="_blank">"finally gave up all hope of being saved."</a><br />
<br />
After a long day on my feet, with my plantar fasciitis acting up, I, too, give up all hope of being saved.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>In the midst of it, it feels like the pain will last forever and that nothing will ever worth attempting.<br />
<br />
I lived one such day last week.<br />
<br />
And in the midst of it, with the pain forging on, my family surrounded me with support. They offered advil, and essential oils, and comforting pats and compassionate words. Eventually (several hours later) the pain did subside, and I was reminded of Paul's shipwreck.<br />
<br />
See, when the storm had calmed quite a bit they ship ran aground a ways away from an island, and the centurion decided everyone would swim for shore or float there on planks. All 276 that had been on board made it to the island. And here is <a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/28-2.htm" target="_blank">where it gets interesting</a>!<br />
<br />
When they paddled on shore, freezing and soaking wet, greeted by wind and cold rain, the natives from the island were there waiting for them, welcoming them and building a fire for them to warm themselves and dry off. The storm had not completely passed yet, but they were being cared for in the midst of it. Rather like my family cared for me in the midst of my pain.<br />
<br />
So keep a look out, I tell myself, and you're welcome to listen too, for people in the middle of storms who need comfort or compassion that you can offer.Nicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-40892259608861319632015-05-12T19:39:00.000-05:002015-05-12T19:39:21.970-05:00Selfish Bird FeedingEarlier this Spring, I bought birdseed and filled the little bird feeder by the window. I sat there, watching the many finches and cardinals come by for a meal. They hopped and chirruped, shaking their little winds and defending their portion of the seed. I sat there a long time, taking it all in.<br />
<br />
The feeder started to look empty, and I decided I would fill it -- in the morning.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>But the next morning I saw that it had snowed and I didn't much feel like lacing up snow boots and lugging the ladder and a bag of seed out, especially when I was already crunched for time. So, I didn't.<br />
<br />
Eventually, I did fill the feeder again. Only, I waited until it was a weekend and I knew I'd have time to sit and watch them.<br />
<br />
Goodness, I'm glad<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A25-34" target="_blank"> God is a better caretaker than I.</a>Nicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-85596466362268845362015-05-06T19:32:00.003-05:002015-05-12T19:57:55.307-05:00God Goes Green<div class="MsoNormal">
Some of my Kinders could really care less about saving paper
or going green. They toss used papers and scraps right into the trash without a
second thought.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Other students, however, are crazy about recycling. No matter
how small the shreds of paper are, they eagerly deposit them into our recycling
box.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pain is an unavoidable byproduct of life on earth, and God
does not waste it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although the pain itself is often senseless and even
unbearable, its lasting results don’t need to be fruitless. God can- wants to,
even- take the pain that is offered to Him and use it for good. </div>
Nicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-49796364609025888822015-04-21T05:00:00.000-05:002015-05-12T19:58:34.247-05:00The Thunderstorms Bring SpringThe earth trembles and the sky shatters. The thunder falls with a crack so packed with power it is felt in walls and floors and ground. The lightening splits and careens with the electricity of life and the speed to illuminate the world.<br />
<br />
The rolling tremors wake the trees. Starting in their very roots, shaking the heavy sleepers. Groggy and chilled and wanting to stay tucked in their moss blankets until summer, they finally stir and put out buds.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
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The flashes, haphazard and purple, help the colors with their return migration, drooping the greens on the grass, the yellow on the daffodils, and leaving the blues in the heavens to be reflected by ponds and lakes and puddles everywhere.<br />
<br />
The storm passes, and the creatures rush in. They hadn't intended on returning yet, but they had to check the damage and protect their homes from further threats.<br />
<br />
The squirrels are responsible for ensuring the security of each individual limb, and they are not the sort of creature to shirk responsibility.<br />
<br />
The rabbits check the ground, searching for unsafe flooding, swamped plants and the like. They dart into and between the bushes to survey the hidden branches and inspect the critters.<br />
<br />
And the birds? They are the harolds, the messengers, to let the rest of the critters know what is safe and unsafe, and that, once again, the thunderstorm brought spring, dropping color like rain and breathing warm sighs of relief.<br />
<br />
<br />Nicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-57555594059965324362015-04-13T21:32:00.000-05:002015-04-13T21:32:29.417-05:00The Old and New Covenants: Kindergarten StyleWe have three rules in Kindergarten, and the day would run so marvelously smoothly if they were simply obeyed at all times. I imagine God feels the same way. He urges us to follow his laws for our lives, knowing it is better for us if we do. <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But the Kinders, like the rest of us humans, have a hard time obeying. It's not that we are ignorant, or even openly defiant, yet we struggle so deeply with obeying to the fullest extent, obeying from the heart.<a name='more'></a> Even Paul, God's chosen apostle to us Gentiles, <a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/7-19.htm" target="_blank">admits this about himself.</a> It is a fault as rampant and widespread as <a href="http://biblehub.com/1_john/1-8.htm" target="_blank">humanity itself. </a>We are incapable of keeping covenant. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, God created a new covenant. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
First, He came as Jesus to fulfill the old covenant and make a way for the new. This, as always, required blood-- which Jesus willingly gave. This allows <a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrews/8-12.htm" target="_blank">God to forgive us. </a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Then, He came as the Holy Spirit, to dwell with any human<a href="http://biblehub.com/luke/11-13.htm" target="_blank"> who would have Him</a>, thus empowering us to <a href="http://biblehub.com/hebrews/8-10.htm" target="_blank">be attentive</a> to Him and His laws, and, being a new creation, live <a href="http://biblehub.com/galatians/2-20.htm" target="_blank">by the Holy Spirit's power</a>, and, gradually be <a href="http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/3-18.htm" target="_blank">transformed into the likeness of Christ</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Trying to keep the law, and then making sacrifices when it isn't kept, didn't train the Israelites to have heart obedience, so why do we think a behavior chart will work with kids? If indeed it was successful in training them to obey the idea behind the rule, we wouldn't need it at the end of the school year, much less every recurring year. Instead, Kinders are <u>still </u>losing 'smilies', and Christians are <u>still</u> falling short of God's standards. In both cases, we need God living in us, and our own attentiveness and obedience to Him, for there to be any true heart change and victory in living. </div>
Nicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-30683915683273727352015-03-31T09:29:00.001-05:002015-04-10T15:43:17.874-05:00Easter: When Murderers Go FreeThere once was a group who rose up against the governing authorities in rebellion. There were many men involved in this uprising, trying to get control of their own little nation again. They murdered during this insurrection, killing heedlessly.<br />
<br />
It didn't go so well for them- their uprising fell. And the survivors were imprisoned. One of these men was notorious among the prisoners, and probably not someone you would want back in society just yet.<br />
<br />
His name was Barabbas.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
One day, while brooding in his cell, the soldiers came and brought him outside. The governor was there, along with another prisoner, and the restless crowd was before them.<br />
<br />
"It's that time of year again," the governor told the crowd, "and you get to pick one prisoner to be released to you. I'll give you a choice: you can have Barabbas, or Jesus called the Christ."<br />
<br />
Any hopes that had been rising up in Barabbas probably plummeted. It was himself, or this other man that people had been calling the Christ? Of course they would let the Christ go- the Christ was the one they were all expecting God to send; the Christ was their only hope for freedom. This Jesus was probably in custody by mistake, and the people would want him freed at any cost.<br />
<br />
But then, wonder of wonders, he heard the crowd calling out for <u>him</u>. "Barabbas! Give us Barabbas!!"<br />
<br />
Maybe he thought it was some terrible dream. Maybe he thought it was all a joke. Maybe...<br />
Maybe it was real.<br />
It must be real, because they were releasing him!<br />
<br />
He could hear the governor asking the people, "Then what should I do with Jesus, called the Christ?"<br />
And he could hear the crowd chant, "Crucify him! Crucify him!"<br />
Barabbas probably shuddered.<br />
<br />
Barabbas walked out, free.<br />
And my guess is that he started asking around about this Jesus, and what had happened, and what he had done to anger the people so much. And, odds are, days later he heard the reports that the tomb was empty, and the testimonies of the people who had seen him and eaten with him and touched him.<br />
<br />
And Barabbas probably understood more than anyone else about being set free because of Christ's sacrifice. And Barabbas probably got it more than others when the apostles preached about Jesus taking our place and our punishment. <br />
<br />
But what if no one told Barabbas about Jesus?<br />
<br />
<br />Nicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-48691701522463108912015-03-24T06:00:00.000-05:002015-04-10T15:42:54.672-05:00The Crazy Things You Do For LoveThere was this couple once who'd gone through some rough patches. (And, let's be honest, <u>she</u> was the problem.) They'd had their ups and downs, their break-ups and make-ups, but it didn't make sense for them to stay together anymore. Probably the wisest thing would have been for him to break up with her and forget her.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://biblehub.com/deuteronomy/31-6.htm" target="_blank">But he wouldn't</a>.<br />
<br />
He loved her, was kinda blinded by his love, and determined to stay with her. Even when <u>she </u>dumped <u>him</u>.<br />
<br />
She became his self-proclaimed <a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/5-10.htm" target="_blank">enemy</a>.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
But that didn't stop his love.<br />
<br />
She kept making bad choices, kept shunning his attention and help. She got pretty deep into trouble and in one huge, sloppy mess and the judge decided she would be <a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/6-23.htm" target="_blank">given the death penalty</a>.<br />
<br />
This guy was so in love with her that he <a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/5-8.htm" target="_blank">couldn't stand to see her killed,</a> even though he knew, better than anyone else, that she deserved it.<br />
So he took the <a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/5-8.htm" target="_blank">death penalty for her</a>.<br />
<br />
Crazy, right?<br />
<br />
You should know that he <a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/2-24.htm" target="_blank">didn't stay dead</a>. He rose again and continued to pursue the love of his life, and her acceptance of his love means <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A38-39" target="_blank">nothing can separate them again</a>.<br />
<br />
The happy ending of this story depends on you. Nicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-22848226963942321062015-03-19T20:04:00.000-05:002015-04-10T15:42:15.582-05:00Side EffectsWhen I came-to, I was on the floor in the atrium at church surrounded by people. As my hearing slowly faded in, I heard a kid ask, "Did you <i>die</i>?" No, kid; I fainted.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
I had been standing there next to my dad when I started feeling very dizzy. And then my vision started to go out, the edges of my sight blackening. I was somehow aware that I was about to pass out, and I think I communicated that to my dad, but I'm not sure. I just remember my vision going out, and then my hearing coming in.<br />
<br />
I had been taking medicine for my migraines (before we knew they were my allergic reaction to dairy) and apparently the side effect was lowering blood pressure. Well, that it did.<br />
<br />
*<br />
<br />
There are some side effects that I'm glad about, though. Like the <a href="http://biblehub.com/galatians/5-22.htm" target="_blank">side effect of a relationship with God</a>-- the side effect of God and I communicating regularly. See, that results in me becoming more like Christ, less dependent on me, and it changes me into a better person. A loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, gentle, faithful, and self-controlled person.<br />
<br />
And, as side effects come, those are pretty good ones.Nicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-33937997749732683392015-03-10T21:00:00.000-05:002015-04-10T15:42:03.399-05:00WorshipThe sun. The quiet whispers of the sun, the sky that lightens in anticipation, before it is quite ready to rise. Harsh and searing, penetrating sun glasses and not high enough in the sky, yet, for the visor. Distant, but intentional; yellow and cool and preparing for spring. Glorious and valiant as it sets, trying to get the last word in over the night by scattering rays into the clouds.<br />
<br />
Air, oddly warm, begging for deep breaths, filling one's lungs<br />
to the point of satisfaction. Snow, melted by the sun, that smells something like rain.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
The generosity of strangers, sending newspaper pages, multiple <a href="https://www.postcrossing.com/" target="_blank">postcards</a>, and detailed information for the benefit of myself and my Kinders.<br />
<br />
A forest of icicles hanging, hidden, in a pine bush. They glimmer in the sun, fragile and resolved.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRTR6OzomGT1MqKSKJCv92XdVBcRFHNJWcwgg7wRXnLitdb8UsrQe3QEaf2swpDRgJ_a5tfwARC7Jc_7fisjRWPTP635rUnD0-MIgI9J6moLn_xVr493trM0X5nq-Jro_eFFxLhsPw9kP-/s1600/icicles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRTR6OzomGT1MqKSKJCv92XdVBcRFHNJWcwgg7wRXnLitdb8UsrQe3QEaf2swpDRgJ_a5tfwARC7Jc_7fisjRWPTP635rUnD0-MIgI9J6moLn_xVr493trM0X5nq-Jro_eFFxLhsPw9kP-/s1600/icicles.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Cool, rushing air through the cracked windows of the car. Self-inflicted goose-bumps, willingly accepted for the knowledge that spring is on its way.<br />
<br />
Smells so thick and remembered that you can taste them and that you could almost fill up on them. And then the flavors themselves, dancing and settling at the same time.<br />
<br />
*<br />
<br />
Worshiping the creator, <a href="http://biblehub.com/romans/1-25.htm" target="_blank">rather than created things</a>, by acknowledging the creator. Notice what God has created, what <a href="http://biblehub.com/james/1-17.htm" target="_blank">good things he has given you</a>, and thank him. That is one aspect of worship.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />Nicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-30955365502226480252015-03-04T19:26:00.001-06:002015-04-10T15:41:35.919-05:00Talk Talk TalkI used to think adults were joking around when they couldn't remember, on demand, how old they were. That is, until my church's women's retreat this weekend.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
While there, I was asked several times how old I was (I'm often mistaken for a high school student, and then told I'll be grateful for that someday). Each time, not remembering if I was 23 or 24, I had to pause and think, "How old <u>am </u> I, anyway?"<br />
<br />
My Kindergartners know how old they are. We don't let them forget it! We're always asking them how old they are, and making a big deal about turning 6, and just bringing it up into conversation with them. But as we get older, it becomes more socially impolite to have those conversations. Suddenly, we age to the point where we stop getting asked quite so often what our age actually is. And so we forget.<br />
<br />
We remember what we talk about.<br />
<br />
And so <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+6:4-7" target="_blank">God commands Israel,</a> "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."<br />
<br />
I'd always imagined God intended these conversations for the children, but as I reflected on my own forgetfulness I thought perhaps God gave this command for the parents, too.<br />
<br />
God knows our forgetfulness. And, goodness, if I forget something like my own age it's pretty unlikely I'll remember God's commands, or how He has provided for me, protected me, forgiven me, and loves me.<br />
<br />
So get talking this week. Find something God has taught you, some way God was present to you, or something God revealed to you in studying His word and talk with someone about it, be they your child, a parent, or a friend. Or better yet talk about it with all three, keep calling it to your memory.<br />
<br />
Don't forget.<br />
<br />
Talk.Nicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-25474204053064081162015-02-24T02:00:00.000-06:002015-04-10T15:41:21.959-05:00Those Dangerous Green EyesThere's this awesome moment in Acts when, although people are cautious about joining the Way because it is evident the <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+5%3A4-5&version=NIV" target="_blank">Spirit knew each person's motives</a>, <a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/5-14.htm" target="_blank">"more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number."</a><i> </i>And crowds kept gathering to be healed, and Peter was so filled with the Spirit and His power that even his shadow was healing people. <i><u>His shadow.</u></i><br />
<i><u><br /></u></i>
Now the religious leaders had a couple choices, among them the choice to believe this new life that Paul and the other believers testified about through words and power. But in order to believe this new life that Paul preached they would have to believe that Jesus rose from the dead-- <a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/23-8.htm" target="_blank">and the Sadducees don't believe in the resurrection of the dead. </a><br />
<br />
And they <u>aren't </u>about to change that.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
So instead of admitting the error in their tradition, the Sadducees have the apostles arrested. They are <a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/5-17.htm" target="_blank">jealous</a>-- they don't like the thought that these unschooled, ordinary men have such a following. <a href="http://biblehub.com/context/acts/5-38.htm" target="_blank">In the end, they decide not to risk the possibilities of fighting against God, but they do try to curb the message preached by the believers. </a><br />
<br />
It was similar jealousy that lead to<a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/7-9.htm" target="_blank"> Joseph's brothers selling him</a> back in Exodus, and even to the J<a href="http://biblehub.com/matthew/27-18.htm" target="_blank">ewish leaders so desperately wanting Jesus to be killed</a>. Even Pilot saw the root of it was jealousy.<br />
<br />
There is another story, later in Acts, with similar gravity. It begs the question that, if God were to begin to work in ways that were contrary to everything you believed, would you let jealousy fester and fight this new move, or change your mind, embrace it and praise God?<br />
<br />
See, even though this group of Jews believed that Jesus was the Messiah and had been killed and raised back to life, they still <a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/21-24.htm" target="_blank">kept Jewish law</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://biblehub.com/niv/acts/11.htm" target="_blank">"So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him and said, "You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them." Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story"</a> about the vision that taught him that he should not 'call anything impure that God has made clean', and about going to Cornelius' house-- <a href="http://biblehub.com/acts/10-2.htm" target="_blank">a devout and God-fearing Gentile</a>-- and the Holy Spirit coming on Cornelius and his relatives and close friends. This would have sounded crazy to the Jews because God had chosen <u>them</u>, set <u>them</u> apart, and these Gentiles weren't even circumcised. If there ever was reason to be puffed up with green-eyed jealousy, this was it.<br />
<br />
But instead of turning their back on Peter and ignoring how God was moving, the story concludes like this : "When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, "So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life."Nicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-58026116802515415342015-02-17T03:30:00.000-06:002015-04-10T15:41:00.360-05:00Bliss<div style="text-align: right;">
Keep your bliss, </div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
your false, selfish bliss. </div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Keep your eyes closed</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
and your ears covered and</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
your heart hardened like concrete.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Reality isn't changed by your ignorance.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
It continues.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
On and on.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Spiraling. </div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Reality. </div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Trees that fall?</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
They make noise. </div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Even when you are ignorant</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
of their painful, thundering crash.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Reality. </div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Knowledge isn't bliss. </div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Knowledge is painful and messy and harsh. </div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Paralyzing. Overwhelming.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Tear-stained and heart-hurting. </div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Reality.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Tears and hurts and groans</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
that paralyze you.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Or mobilize you. </div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
(Let them mobilize you.)</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Reality. </div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Take that knowledge</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
that less-than-blissful knowledge</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
and use it. Wield it. </div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Don't accept or condone it. </div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
The lethargy of ignorance accepts and condones.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Good men doing nothing. </div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Reality. </div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Good men paralyzed into inaction. </div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Reality. </div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Good men ignorant. </div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Intentionally ignorant.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Preferring to pretend</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
there are no problems. </div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Preferring to presume</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
they can do nothing anyway, so why know?</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Reality.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Discard your bliss. </div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
That sham of happiness and peace. </div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
Know. Get up. Change reality.</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
And that?</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
That is something more-- something greater-- than mere bliss.</div>
Nicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-75126175568307762652015-02-10T02:00:00.000-06:002015-04-10T15:40:39.018-05:00Flossing and PrayerSometimes we pray like we brush our teeth. We polish things up and confess our sin, we have that Fresh Mint taste as we praise and thank the Lord, we brush every tooth- not stopping until it's clean- like we persist in requests on behalf of others. It's wonderful, really. But you can still build up plaque and even end up with a cavity.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
We need to floss. The other day I decided to floss (I'm still trying to make it a habit, okay?) and I was surprised at what came out. I hadn't even realized all those little left-overs were hanging out between my molars.<br />
<br />
It can take a searching to find the cause of the plaque.<br />
<br />
Have you ever<a href="http://biblehub.com/niv/psalms/139.htm" target="_blank"> asked God to search you and reveal to you your sins</a>?<br />
You may be surprised what comes out if you humbly sit and listen.<br />
<br />
<br />Nicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-66491357327603556932015-02-04T20:55:00.002-06:002015-04-10T15:40:08.319-05:00Plans A and BMy phone dropped from 11% to 6% just pulling up the map, and I knew I wouldn't make it home without that guidance. So I had to return to my friend's house for a plan B. Someone lent me a charger, they pulled up a map online, and they wrote down directions for me.<br />
*<br />
You only have to go to Plan B if Plan A didn't work.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
Creating a Plan B in the first place means you're not <u>quite</u> sure about Plan A. It means things aren't going the way I intended so I'm taking matters into my own hands and creating a new plan.<br />
*<br />
With God, don't make a Plan B.<br />
<br />
"Ok, God, but if your plan doesn't work, I'm going to try..."<br />
<br />
Daniel didn't have a Plan B if following God's dietary rules didn't pan out.<br />
<br />
Daniel didn't have a Plan B if God didn't show him Nebuchadnezzar's dream and it's interpretation.<br />
<br />
Daniel's friends didn't have a Plan B if God didn't step into that fire with them.<br />
<br />
Daniel didn't have a Plan B if God didn't send an angel to stop the mouths of the lions.<br />
*<br />
Maybe I'm not ready for absolutely no Plan Bs. Maybe you're not ready either (but maybe your are). For me, I'm going to start with <u>fewer</u> Plan Bs. That's heading in the right direction, anyway.<br />
<br />
Wholehearted, dependent faith.<br />
<br />
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<br />Nicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-88981799240133618902015-01-29T19:09:00.000-06:002015-04-10T15:39:42.918-05:00These Aren't My Words<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/context/james/3-3.htm" target="_blank">If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that theyobey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.</a> <a href="http://biblehub.com/context/psalms/141-3.htm" target="_blank">Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!</a> <a href="http://biblehub.com/context/james/1-26.htm" target="_blank">If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.</a> <a href="http://biblehub.com/context/proverbs/18-21.htm" target="_blank">Death and life are in the power of the tongue. </a><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/context/matthew/12-36.htm" target="_blank">I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.</a> <a href="http://biblehub.com/context/romans/12-14.htm" target="_blank">Bless and do not curse</a>. <a href="http://biblehub.com/context/proverbs/15-1.htm" target="_blank">A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.</a> <a href="http://biblehub.com/context/ephesians/4-29.htm" target="_blank">Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion.</a> <a href="http://biblehub.com/context/ephesians/5-4.htm" target="_blank">Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking.</a>
<a href="http://biblehub.com/context/proverbs/10-19.htm" target="_blank">Whoever restrains his lips is prudent. </a><a href="http://biblehub.com/context/colossians/4-6.htm" target="_blank">Let your speech always be gracious,seasoned with salt.</a> <a href="http://biblehub.com/context/proverbs/16-24.htm" target="_blank">Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.</a> <a href="http://biblehub.com/context/james/3-8.htm" target="_blank">No human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">BUT. <a href="http://biblehub.com/context/2_corinthians/5-17.htm" target="_blank">The old has passed away; behold the new has come.</a>
<a href="http://biblehub.com/context/john/12-49.htm" target="_blank">The Father… gives me what to say and what to speak… What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.</a> <a href="http://biblehub.com/context/hebrews/4-12.htm" target="_blank">The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword… discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.</a>
God’s word <a href="http://biblehub.com/context/isaiah/55-11.htm" target="_blank">shall not return to [him] empty, but shall accomplish that which[he] purposed</a>. <a href="http://biblehub.com/context/john/3-34.htm" target="_blank">He whom God has sent utters the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without measure.</a> <a href="http://biblehub.com/context/romans/8-5.htm" target="_blank">Walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. </a><a href="http://biblehub.com/context/galatians/2-20.htm" target="_blank">I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="http://biblehub.com/context/psalms/119-105.htm" target="_blank">Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.</a>
<a href="http://biblehub.com/context/matthew/15-18.htm" target="_blank">What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart.</a> <a href="http://biblehub.com/context/psalms/51-10.htm" target="_blank">Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.</a> <a href="http://biblehub.com/context/psalms/19-14.htm" target="_blank">Out of the abundance of theheart the mouth speaks. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.</a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Nicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-22401149600541358162015-01-20T06:00:00.000-06:002015-04-10T15:39:18.693-05:00Fruit Growers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifAkJ9fP5Oi-iVWO1AQTH1JaN1cG8UTIcPc-oTnUdSKGYgvAIdBQ3vb2iUR252y0KIcVfBKiVhyphenhyphenF8ieC6gsEvhqGGop1GPJqcoMuZA2Mx0mqPMXu9e6F1ZlmQJXWln-bHUvYAKsRoWUCBG/s1600/CAM003501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifAkJ9fP5Oi-iVWO1AQTH1JaN1cG8UTIcPc-oTnUdSKGYgvAIdBQ3vb2iUR252y0KIcVfBKiVhyphenhyphenF8ieC6gsEvhqGGop1GPJqcoMuZA2Mx0mqPMXu9e6F1ZlmQJXWln-bHUvYAKsRoWUCBG/s1600/CAM003501.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a>I tried to grow a strawberry plant over the summer. It took a long time, and lots of weeding and watering and pruning, but eventually it sprouted a few exciting berries! The squirrels may or may not have gotten to them before me, but that's beside the point.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
The strawberry plant doesn't tell itself not to grow so many leaves so the berries can be sweeter. It doesn't hydrate itself, especially during a drought. It can't make itself to produce 20 full sized berries overnight.<br />
<br />
It takes time, but the berries do grow.<br />
<br />
When I'm trying to 'grow' things in my life (like, say, the <a href="http://biblehub.com/context/galatians/5-22.htm" target="_blank"><u>fruit</u> </a>of the Spirit?), I tend to do a lot of striving. I correct myself a lot. I say, "Nicole, stop it. You know better." That doesn't work so well.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://biblehub.com/galatians/2-21.htm" target="_blank">I can't make me good. </a><br />
<br />
But Jesus can, and does, and that's good news.<br />
<br />
Jesus makes us more like himself as we spend time with Him. You've no idea how profound and freeing that is to me, however backwards it feels. Rather than my efforts be directly aimed at stopping sins in my life or producing Christ-likeness, I ought to attack it from the side by spending time with God.<br />
<br />
It is through daily spiritual disciplines that bring us closer to God and closer to the<a href="http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/3-18.htm" target="_blank"> image of Christ</a>. Not through solely telling myself not to do things, not by just trying over and over again on my own. Those things have a place, but they are useless if they are all I do. If I am not spending time with God regularly, coming to know Him better and letting Him transform me, then anything I do will be futile.<br />
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"God must do everything for us. Our part is to yield and trust." A. W. Tozer.<br />
<br />Nicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-83815121562075135102015-01-13T06:00:00.000-06:002015-04-10T15:38:59.039-05:00In the Car of my my life, God is not my Driver<u>If </u>God were the driver of the car of my life I don't think I'd keep driving the wrong way. I wouldn't be able to make wrong turns, I wouldn't be racing along to get the the next destination as fast as I could, and I certainly wouldn't need so many u-turns. <b>I wouldn't have choice, free will, if God were chauffeuring me through life.</b><br />
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Rather than the driver, God is more like the GPS (note, <u>not </u>exactly like- just <u>more</u> like). A GPS that picks it's own destination and doesn't always let you see all the upcoming steps. <a href="http://biblehub.com/jeremiah/29-11.htm" target="_blank">God knows the plans he has for me</a>, and the GPS has a route - a good route-- mapped out. <a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/2-10.htm" target="_blank">God has things ready and waiting for me to do</a>, and the GPS tells me when this turn and that merge are coming up (sometimes without much warning...).<br />
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Recently, I was heading to a sandwich shop on La Grange. "<u>Well</u>! I know where La Grange is, so this shouldn't be a problem." So I leave the GPS off. And miss my turn by several miles.<br />
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Arriving late to a sandwich shop is small on the spectrum of messes I could get myself in, I get it. But if we attempt life without God, trying to do things in our own strength and by <a href="http://biblehub.com/isaiah/55-9.htm" target="_blank">our own wisdom</a>, we can work ourselves into <u>quite </u>a mess. Quite a disobedient, complicated mess.<br />
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"Go ask her how you can pray for her," God says after church. "That'd be weird-- I don't even know her," I counter. But after a battle of wills (ha) that resulted in obediently approaching her by the coatrack, I realized that God gave the direction because He had everything in motion. That lady had had something on her heart, and she was so thankful. We prayed right then and there.<br />
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In college, I felt that God wanted me to contact some shut-ins and help them out where they needed it. After I got a short list from the church I was attending, I put off calling anyone for several weeks. And then finally I couldn't ignore the list, or God, anymore, so I dialed the first number. After I explained what was going on, the lady on the other end started crying. <b>"You're an answer to prayer!"</b> she said. God had already been setting everything up, already in motion.<br />
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My disobedience (because slow obedience is no obedience, as I tell my Kinders) almost kept that woman from an answered prayer.<br />
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God knows what he's doing. Don't turn left when he directs to turn right. <b>Don't turn Him off or tune Him out</b>.<br />
<a href="http://biblehub.com/isaiah/30-21.htm" target="_blank">"This is the way, walk in it." </a>Nicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-28467207622742437812015-01-06T20:42:00.002-06:002015-04-10T15:37:44.340-05:00My Short-Lived Career as a Fortune TellerBack in High School, I was adamant that I would not be a teacher- not if it was the last job on earth.<br />
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When I was younger, somewhere in middle school, I didn't want to go to the doctor because I was sure the pain in my feet was normal, and other people were just better at dealing with it.<br />
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All through High School and college I was sure sure I'd never beat my dad at Boggle.<br />
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Just today, I was confident that school wouldn't be called off.<br />
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School has been called off tomorrow because of the cold.<br />
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Eventually I consented to going to the doctor for my feet. Turns out I have plantar fasciitis in both feet. (I still have bad days, but it's a lot better now, thanks for asking ;) )<br />
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I <u>am</u> a teacher now-- currently in a kindergarten class. And I absolutely love it! I can't imagine doing anything else. Seriously.<br />
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And Boggle? Well, I've still never beaten my dad. We've moved on to Scrabble now, and he still wins. (But there's hope, right, because all these other predictions crashed and burned?)<br />
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Niceties like, "2015. It's going to be a good one!" are just the same. We really have no idea what this year holds. And I'm not going to try to guess- we've seen how that has turned out. The above examples are a modest sampling. But I'm not worried about this unpredictable future. Not a bit.<br />
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God made the future, and He's more than enough to get me through it. And not only to get me <u>through</u> it, but to <u>prepare</u> me for it.<br />
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"Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." <a href="http://biblehub.com/isaiah/41-10.htm" target="_blank">Isaiah 41:10</a><br />
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<br />Nicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181060194091514686.post-86613239843894491812014-12-30T09:37:00.000-06:002014-12-30T09:37:38.288-06:00Pennies on a TombstoneWe visited his grave when we were all together for the holidays. We gathered together, huddled together.<br />
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It was the cold that drew out tears and made eyes red. It was. Wasn't it? The blowing, biting wind? The chill of remembered loss?<br />
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A nearby tombstone boasted an array of pennies, spread out so you could see them all. So many visitors.<br />
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Maybe next time we could pass out tokens before we visit. Not just pennies, though. Not just to say we'd visited, but that we remembered.<br />
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Maybe next time we leave Hershey Kisses and sticks of Big Red gum.Nicole http://www.blogger.com/profile/15800258743179905990noreply@blogger.com1