A Birthday Gift

Ephesians 3:20-21

²⁰ “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

On April 19^th, Larry will celebrate 60 years of life.  Usually, the birthday person is the one who receives presents, cards, phone calls, celebrations, and well wishes on their special day.  Although Larry will be the recipient of all of these, today I am overwhelmingly grateful for God’s “Gift of Larry” to our family, friends and especially me. 

Larry, I am continually blessed because you:

Seek God’s Kingdom first,

You are the spiritual leader in our home,

You love me like Christ Jesus loves the church,

You are a godly father and teacher for our sons,

You model a life of servanthood and service. 

Philippians 1:3-6; 9-11

Thanksgiving and Prayer

 ³ “I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴ In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶ being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

 ⁹ And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, ¹⁰ so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”

Encouraging Words...in Writing

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

 ¹⁶ “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, ¹⁷ encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”

For the past fourteen years, from the first of April through the middle of May, my evenings, Saturdays, and Sunday afternoons were consumed with hand writing letters of encouragement to each of my 120-140 students.  Since no two students were alike, it took time to compose what I needed to write to affirm and challenge each one.

There was an abundance of help from Larry and the boys during those weeks.  They willingly did extra chores so I would have time to complete the marathon of writing letters.  I toyed with the idea of maybe not doing them a few years, because of the time factor, but it didn’t take long to realize that it was a tradition I didn’t want to break.  Besides, the boys said that was not an option.

The day I handed out the letters was my favorite day of the school year.  I saved the last few minutes of each class period to give them to the students.  Before I handed them out, I told them that what I wrote was what I truly believed.  They each excelled in some way whether it was academics, sports, art, music, writing, communication skills, enthusiasm for life, making friends, humor...  My hope was that they would build on their strengths and be encouraged and challenged to add more attributes in the coming years.

Through the years, former students have told me that they still have and read their letters.  Two years ago, a girl was absent the day I gave out the notes.  When she returned the next day, I gave her the letter I had written to her.  On the way back to her desk she asked, “What is this?”  Before I could answer, the other kids said, “It’s a letter to make you feel good about yourself.”  “I had my mom buy me a picture frame so I could have it in my room to see all the time.”  “My mama said that was the first nice thing a teacher had ever written about me.”  That made it all worthwhile.

Whether written or spoken, may our words be an encouragement to someone this week.

Philippians 4:8

⁸ “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

I Thessalonians 5:11

¹¹ “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

Coke Can

Health Update:  I was able to take two longer walks than usual this week, while visiting a friend in the hospital and one in a retirement center.

While teaching 6^th graders in school, I always wanted my classroom to be a safe learning environment.  There were a few years that the students seemed intent on using words to hurt their peers.  So, one day, I took an empty Coke can to class.  I showed them how every time they used words to hurt their classmates it was like putting a dent in the can.  After a few examples, the can was quite scarred.  Then I explained that when they realized that person could help them with work, a project, or a competition they would soon regret their words.

I had them practice saying encouraging words.  Each time a student’s words were kind, they were allowed to try to get the dents out of the can.  Even though some of the marks would even out, the scarring remained.  From that day on, if someone spoke negatively about another student either the offended person or someone else who heard the comment would simply say “Coke can”.  Then the student who made the comment had to stand and say three positive statements about the person they had offended.  After one student had to perform the exercise several times, he commented, “I do this a lot don’t I”.  When his classmates agreed, there was a noticeable change for the better.  Within a few weeks, there were very few times we needed to stop and take care of a situation.

The teacher next door and I noticed that the kids were even saying “Coke can” at their lockers and telling students, who weren’t even in my classes, what they needed to say to make the situation right.  I did have a fellow teacher tease me because in the middle of her lesson a student stood and said 3 nice things about another student.  She was amazed, though, since those kids didn’t have a reputation of getting along very well. 

May our words be gifts of encouragement to the people we speak to this week.

Ephesians 4:29

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Psalm 19:14

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

"Supermoon"

Last Friday and Saturday, March 18-19, there was a “Supermoon” over Houston.  Because of the oval shape of its orbit, the moon was closer to earth than it has been in 18 years.  The news reporters said that the moon would appear 14% larger and 30% brighter than normal and that it would be another 19 years before the Supermoon occurs again.  We definitely wanted to make plans to see that.

When we went outside Friday night, we were not disappointed.  The sky was clear and the moon was truly amazing to see.  We could see more than the usual outlines of land features and spots.  What a great way to celebrate God’s creation.    

Saturday night was said to be the closest proximity of the moon and earth.  After Friday’s viewing, I could hardly wait to see if it was bigger and better.  Due to the cloud coverage, when we first looked, you couldn’t even see the moon!  We had to patiently wait for breaks in the coverage to see it at all.  Since the clouds were moving at a fast pace, sometimes we only had quick glimpses of the Supermoon.  We had to stay focused to make sure we didn’t miss the chance to see it again.

How much like our spiritual lives.  Sometimes it seems so clear and easy to see and focus on what God wants us to do and be.  Other times, “the clouds” or distractions seem to hide or get in the way of what God is revealing at the moment.  It’s times like that, especially, where I need to keep focused and listen and look with my eyes, ears, and heart to make sure I see clearly, even when it’s little glimpses at a time.  I don't want to miss out on that sighting.

Jeremiah 29:13

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

What are you wearing?

Health Update:  I’m attempting to add a third workout each week.  I am rejoicing this week remembering that it has now been months since my foot and ankle have been swollen.

Spring cleaning and organizing are continuing. It’s now time to move the winter clothes to the back of the closet and the spring clothes forward.  Progress is being made.

Speaking of clothes, this week, in my Read the Bible Plan, I again read a scripture that always amazes me.  Moses is giving his final farewell address to the Israelites, before they enter into the Promised Land, and he is reminding the people of God’s words, expectations, and provision.

Deuteronomy 29:5-6

⁵ During the forty years that I led you through the desert, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet. ⁶ … I did this so that you might know that I am the LORD your God.

Paul has a word about proper attire in the New Testament.

Colossians 3:12-14

 ¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

That's clothing worth wearing, no matter what the season or year.

New Beginnings

I like the excitement, challenge, and encouragement of new beginnings.  It was always exciting to begin a new school year with a new notebook, new crayons and map pencils that had sharp tips, fresh and unwrinkled notebook paper, a new lunch bag, and new clothes that Mom had sewn to prepare for the next school year.

The beginning of summer always brought about the thrill of reading, swimming, relaxing, dreaming, and doing the extras that the school year did not always make available time wise.  Amazingly, the same excitement came as much as an adult teaching school as when I was a student in school.

New Year’s Day brings reflection and the anticipation of a new beginning for a new year.  Since my birthday is in March, it seems like a second chance at a new year, as well.

In the next week or two, my nephew Adam and his wife Jordan will be welcoming a new life, their son Eli, into their family.  What an incredible blessing to anticipate and rejoice in their soon to be “Family of three”. 

Paul reminded us of the ultimate new beginning in

2 Corinthians 5:17.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

And I’m grateful for the promise in Lamentations 3:22-23.

“ Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
   for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness.”

Watching out for Bumps

When using the walker, I am learning the importance of watching out for bumps.  Even though there is a basket underneath the seat, I usually have items on top of the seat of the walker to take to different places in the house.  For some reason, I like the challenge of taking things to their location without them rolling off or sliding to the floor.  It gets a little tricky whenever the floor elevation changes…going from carpet to wood or wood to carpet, but as long as I am paying attention and being careful it’s usually a successful trip.  I’ve also learned to navigate around obstacles.

Stepping down from a curb or shorter step usually involves extra strategies and maybe a helping hand.  I’ve noticed that I am automatically cautious when the elevation difference is the greatest.  Sometimes I can tend to go too fast or I am not quite as careful when the difference is less.

That is so much like life.  With the major decisions and events (big steps and bumps) I tend to pray, think through the process, and give it my full attention.  But it is the little bumps in the road that can sometimes distract and throw me off track if I am not focused and giving the proper concentration.

Here’s hoping for a great week…with the walker and with life, watching out for the bumps and obstacles along the way.