Goodbye

Fellow bloggers,

The time has come for me to say "goodbye." A week from Monday I start graduate school, and I am sorry to say that this hobby will have to go for now. I have really enjoyed reading all your blogs and writing my own, but it is my goal to graduate with honors and to do that, I must eliminate some extraneous activities. I will pray for all of you, and from time to time, I may post a few words (probably through Chris' blog). Please do not be hurt if it is a while before I can read your blog- I will try to read through occasionally, but I'm not sure how much time I will have.
I love you all!
-S
PS I'd like to leave you with an excerpt from a well-known poem; if I could rename it, I'd call it "Practical Faith" (the real title is "If" and it is an awesome poem). I hope you enjoy it.

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
...If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And-which is more- you'll be a Man, my son!
-Rudyard Kipling

Bigger news than potty training!

Okay, you thought I was excited before- wait until I tell you what just happened: Hannah asked Jesus into her heart! She has been talking a lot about Him and wanting to see Him, and so today she was just adamant about it and I felt the Holy Spirit telling me to share the Gospel with her. So we talked about the beginning and Adam and Eve and Jesus' birth, death and resurrection. Then we talked about how it was all for us and she said a prayer asking Jesus to be her friend and Lord and to be a part of His family! I am so excited! Please pray for her and Chris and myself so that we can lead her continuously on the straight and narrow.
One really excited Mommy!
-S

I can't believe it!

My son is potty training! At 20 months and without any real prodding from me!
I put him on the potty once or twice before his bath, and now he wants to go all the time!
Yes, I am excited b/c Hannah took forever to potty train- over 16 months! Jeremiah asked to go this morning when he got up and after his snack. When he went after snack, he was dry (2.5 hours) and went! Wow! Kids really are different aren't they! I thought being a boy that he would be the slow one, but he's not. He even wants to use toilet paper (it's so cute). Anyway, I just am amazed. I think it's time for easy ups (I have to remove his diaper all the time) and a potty of his own.
An impressed Mommy,
-S

The Call

On my way to the bus stop, during my 17th year, God spoke to my heart: " I have a great work for you to do." Later on, I felt the distinct call to be a missionary- but I didn't know how or when. I remember going to see Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" with my grandmother that same year and I remember my heart stirring- no, practically bursting as Belle sang, "I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell... I want so much more than they've got planned." And I wanted to yell, "That's exactly how I feel!" I remember also when I received the call to be a missionary that I stood up in church and told the congregation, "I'm not sure where I'm going, but I know that God has called me to preach the Gospel." Shortly thereafter, my pastor began asking me to preach on Sunday nights. At 17, I preached my first sermon. A little later on, I went to Emmanuel to get a teaching degree so I could be a missionary. I was focused. Along the way, I met Chris and married and had two beautiful children- but the desire to teach God's word has not left me. Over the years I have been burdened to speak to women and teach them God's truth. FOr seven years I kept up a list on my wall to have a women's ministry- my goals for that ministry and prayers. Now, I am feeling the desire to teach and preach again- stronger than it has been for a long time. And I have recently heard the Holy Spirit whispering to me, " I want you to teach my people." Now, I am not sure what that means, because as a young mom, I know I have time b/f I can do a lot. I also know that I must be in agreement with my husband- but the call is unmistakable and it is a like a fire shut up in my bones- I must speak the truth to all who will hear. I must tell them the truth. I am not sure how. I am not sure when. I am not sure to whom (women, children, families...) I only know I must speak it.
I am also not sure why I am blogging this, but I felt I must. Please pray for me- I only want to do His will.
-S

Will the real Jesus please stand up?

Yesterday, when the kids and I went to pick up Chris, Hannah saw a man with a beard and shoulder-length hair at his work. She piped up, "It's Jesus!" Needless to say, we all had a good laugh!

Until the next blog,
-S

7 children playing, 6 activity stations, 5 cups of Gatorade (a piece)!, 4 pounds lost, 3 potty breaks, 2 points, hooray! and a fly that

I swallowed last night!
Just a short update on VBS: IT'S GREAT!!! The kids seem to really be having a great time, the volunteers are soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
incredibly wonderful- as well as a group of people with hidden talents, and it hasn't rained (don't boo- I know we need it, but how about next week)? Oh, and I really did swallow a fly last night- go ahead and sing the song... There was an old lady who swallowed a fly... (but please change old to at least middle age).
Thank you LORD for helping us all have such a terrific time! Amen!
Until the next blog,
-S

talking

So, I found a verse for all of us (myself included) talkers: In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he that restrains his lips is wise- Proverbs 10:19

Sin is not lacking... oh how true that is! When I get nervous, I babble, especially when I am trying to confront someone about something. I mean, I don't want to hurt their feelings. But have you ever noticed that the more someone talks, the worse it gets? Jesus said to let your yes be yes and your no no, because after that sin comes.
So, how do we gregarious people watch ourselves on this one?
That's where the Holy Spirit steps in. He's really good to say to me, "Hush, SHawna. That's enough. Or don't go there, Shawna." Once, when a good friend of mine proposed to me, the Holy Spirit literally shut my mouth; I mean I couldn't say one word! As I said before, I get nervous during confrontation, so maybe I would have ended up saying yes and messing up everything if i had had access to talking that night. WHo knows?
Well, I'd better go. And if you're a talker like me, meditate on this verse. Hopefully it will help dampen all those fires that our tongues try to stir up.
Until the next blog,
-S

Noise in a pool

Okay, I just have to have a response on this one. Parents were taken to court b/c kids were playing too loud in the pool they have in their backyard. Go to yahoo.com and click on Pool Noise Goes to Court to read the story/watch the video; then comment. I'd really like to know what you all think.
Until the next blog,
-S

Nickel and Dimed...

Good book- very thought-provoking. Profanity is pretty raw but not great in quantity; still, I'd be careful if you can't handle that kind of stuff. Found out author is an atheist. One night she attends a tent meeting at a church and this is how she ends... "But Jesus makes his appearance here only as a corpse; the living man, the wine-guzzling vagrant and precocious socialist, is never once mentioned, nor anything he ever had to say. Christ crucified rules, and it may be that the true business of modern Christianity is to crucify him again and again so that he could never get a word out of his mouth... I get up to leave...and walk out to search for my car, half expecting to find Jesus out there in the dark, gagged and tethered to a tent pole." (Ehrenreich 68-69)
Oh boy does that make you think.
In another part of the book she says the following: " The worst for some reason (she was a waitress), are the Visible Christians- like the ten person table, all jolly and sanctified after Sunday night service, who run me mercilessly and then leave me $1 on a $92 bill." (Ehrenreich 36) Hmm...
How often do we spout our Christianity instead of demonstrate it- Christ's love- to others?
I have a friend who will never go out to eat unless he can leave a larger than normal tip. That is not because he wants to appear better than anyone; it's because he believes that as Christians we should go above and beyond what others give- give abundantly. I agree with him.
Feel free to comment about either passage.
Until the next blog,
-S

random thoughts

• Thanks Debbie for the comment! I agree wholeheartedly. One thing that really bothers me as an educator is that on a lot of the Disney sitcoms, most of the teachers are portrayed as complete idiots (the one exception I've found is Mr. Feeney from Boy Meets World). I think this is ironic since Disney rewards educators for all their hard work and exceptional teaching practices. Come to think of it, most grownups are portayed that way- as buffoons- and yes, as the ones who are wrong all the time. Do you think this is anarchy in the making?
• I just got a new book. It is not the type I usually read, but it just really jumped out at me. The book, Nickel and Dimed...On (Not) Getting By in America, (by Barbara Ehrenreich) is about a journalist who went undercover to see how the working poor in America really survives. So far it is very interesting. I'll keep you all informed.
• I just saw "The Nativity Story." In my opinion, it was very good. I especially loved the slight humor of the wisemen and the sweetness of Joseph. You know, it's funny. As a young adult I never thought about the ramifications of Mary's conception. I never thought of her being shunned by others for her apparent lack of self-control. Or what Joseph must have gone through knowing that the child was not his but choosing to accept Him as his own. Makes you think twice about judging others because how do we know what is going on in someone's life. And like I am learning a lot about- not everything is as it appears. The movie is well done and very enchanting to watch- a good family film- even in late June!
• God is moving in the COTN Patch!! I have two key people who now want to get really involved with the Patch! I am so excited! God is answering mine and other's prayers. Thank you LORD for this blessing of help!
• Please be praying for VBS. Kristin and I are really wanting to see God bless through this major event. We would love to see kids come to know Jesus during this week. Please pray for all hindrances and distractions that satan would throw out would be thwarted. Also pray for Kristin, her team, myself, and my team that we would hear what God is saying to do/pray for and be united to help show the love of Christ with parents and children alike. Thank you!
• I am sooooo proud of my husband for sharing his heart today. I knew he was going to speak, but I did not know about what. For Chris to talk about his anger problem is a huge deal. You have to know my husband; this is way out of his comfort zone. I know that God is working on him and drawing him to a closer relationship with Him. Please pray for him often; it is not easy to change.

Well, that is all for now.

Until the next blog,

-S

A biased media

I was watching a snippet of Kyle XY the other night and noticed a few things. First, the young man wanted to go to church in the first place because he met a new girl who went there. Then the mother told the father (or vice versa -I can't really remember) not to smile because church was not meant to be fun. Finally when Kyle got there, he pointed out all the incongruities and hypocricies in the church (i.e. unfaithfulness...) Now I did not watch much b/c I was just flipping through, but I noticed that Kyle did not mention anything about the good stuff he noticed, nor did he even seem to notice good stuff. He was respectful of the quiet atmosphere, but really all in all it was all negative, and this got me thinking.
To be unbiased you need to have both view points. Well, television does not! Christians are portrayed as legalists or fruit cakes or both! What is with that?? Is the media that scared of the truth? And don't you dare mention the name of Jesus! Wow! I mean people go off on you.
So what is the media afraid of? Are they afraid of being called out if they show both sides? What happened to freedom of religion? Why are other religions shown as great and wonderful, but Christians are portrayed as boneheads? What is the deal with this?
These are questions I am pondering- would love your input.
Until the next blog,
-S

Thoughts for the morning

• So I was thinking and this is what God dropped into my thoughts-

Many times we see God as a prism- minus the light. We see Him (God) in only one way: i.e. - all holiness- we then create all these rules and regulations-and live according to that one view of God- a clear crystal- a one-sided God
But God is not a clear crystal nor one-sided and as we get to know Him we see how He truly is: a beautiful, multi-colored God, not a clear, plain one!

• Parenthood is teaching me a lot about my relationship with God- This morning Jeremiah wanted a banana, so I got one out and started to put it in the snack section of his bouncy seat. Then I noticed how dirty the snack holders were, so I carried the banana back to the kitchen so I could get a wet paper towel. Well, when Jeremiah saw me leaving with the banana, he went nuts! He screamed and screamed all while I was wetting the paper towel. I tried to tell him I'd be back, butI have to admit after a short while, I no longer felt like giving him the banana- after all, I was only trying to make the eating experience better by cleaning up the mess and germs. But he would not stop screaming until I came back with the banana- then he was fine. Hmm?? Makes me think. Does God many times want to give us something good, but first He has to clean some other things up so we will enjoy our blessing(s) better? How do we react? Do we scream and yell probably causing Him to rethink the blessing, or do we wait patiently and trust Him. Something to chew on, hmm?

• School is getting closer and closer. If you haven't figured out by now, I love (phileo, not agape mind you) school. I love to learn new things! I love school supplies! Went to Office Max to get some binders, paper... and I felt giddy as soon as I walked in the door. THe smells, the textures, the colors- ahhh, my senses went wild! Textbooks came last week, and I admit, I have been pouring over them (yes, I was the child who loved to get her books on the first day of school so she could look at all the stuff she was going to learn that year) and I am learning a lot already. Can't wait to meet all my classmates and professors!

• Hannah is finally potty trained- yeah! yesterday, however, she had an accident in the living room. I looked at her and I sighed. Before I could say anything else, Hannah said, "It was an accident Mommy." She said it with such authority- but not disrespectful- that I had to smile. So, we sprinkled baking soda, washed legs, and went back to life. Hmm? What would happen if we gave that kind of grace to others.

Okay, have to go. COming next blog, the biased media.

Until the next blog,

-S

in a box

After highschool I dated a guy who told me I lived in a box. I wonder if that's how Jesus felt when He came to Earth? Did He see His people as living in a box? Do you live in one? Think about it.

Quick post

Haven't forgotten about everyone. Spending a lot of time preparing for school and VBS. Reading ahead in text books- wondering a lot about what all I am reading. Love you all!
Until the next blog,
-S

EEC

For many students at Emmanuel those initials caused heart palpitations. Not her; anybody but her! If you don't know, I am referring to Dr. Edna Earl Christmas, professor and terrorizer of Emmanuel students pursuing an education degree. Her tests were unbelievable, and her papers were even worse.
I ended up with Edna Earl three times during my undergraduate studies; First time I had her for Human Growth and Development, and I got my first "C" in college. The following year I had her for Ed Psych. I remember a time I spent four hours in Dr. Christmas' office revising a paper she had returned to me for this class. Four hours, and I ended up with a B, I think. A "B"! And I worked my heart out! For the course I ended up with a "B" also. Finally, during my student teaching, I had her for Behavior Management. Along with a 50 page paper, I had to attend lectures on student behavior, etcetera. For that class, I made an "A". I also scored really high on my Praxis II test because of her attention to detail (we had to read the entire book pretty much, and know everything about it!).
So why am I bringing up Edna Earl? Because she pushed me harder than very few ever had. She made me question my values, beliefs, and educational philosophy. She made me so uncomfortable, that at times I wanted to scream! She did not accept excuses, but neither did she lack compassion. She was very logical and analytical. She examined all pieces of evidence very objectively, and did not play favorites...and I loved her for it.
Dr. CHristmas and I got really close over the three years I studied under her (for my 25th birthday,she and the rest of my behavior management group, even threw me a party), and I will always have fond memories of her of her because she took a little girl and made her question the world. Hats off to you Dr. Christmas! And thanks!

Glory in a cloud

Short blog today- Last night saw a huge cloud coming home from church. Suddenly there was a burst of orange light from behind it- I'm guessing heat lightning. But when I saw it, my heart started pounding and I started watching that cloud more and more. What if this were the day? I got so excited thinking: what if the rapture occurs right now? I felt so elated and my ears were straining; listening for a trumpet. Hallelujah! He is coming! Didn't happen last night, but it is going to happen.
Until the next blog,
-S

Life in a gold fish bowl (random thoughts)

Aren't goldfish cute to look at? I know kids really like them. But I wonder how the goldfish feel? What if they knew that they were destined to be a lot bigger and have large ponds to swim in instead of a tiny bowl?
Stay with me here:
I was just looking at my potted plants on the front porch, and I noticed that they are overflowing- seeking more space. And I thought, they would actually be okay if I left them there, but they wouldn't grow anymore really. And what kind of life would that be for them?? Now, I know that neither the goldfish, nor the plants probably notice any difference, but what about us? how often do we find ourselves swimming in a little bowl, afraid to move to the pond- or overflowing our pots, but afraid to move to a roomier one. God knows, however, just when we need to move.
I thought about my kids also while looking at the plants, and I thought- how easy it is to keep them in a small bowl- safe, where I can watch over there every move- close to me- but then they wouldn't grow like God intends for them to do would they? Yes, they would be cute to look at, but they wouldn't grow to be all they could be. And this really made me think about life in a goldfish bowl. God said in John 10:10 that He (Christ) came to give us life and life more abundantly." Doesn't sound like a fishbowl does it? Yet, how many times do we "freak out" the minute God tries to move us to a larger area of our walk with Him? (Ever see a fish out of water?)
We don't trust- God, ourselves, whatever, -we can't see a bigger tank being prepared for us; we just see a small bowl we are put in while He is preparing our new home.
What if the next time He moves us, we just swim around peacefully, knowing that He is a good God and that HE will work everything together for our good, and wait expectantly for our bigger tank? Exciting thought, hmm?
Would love any thoughts/comments you have on this.
Until the next blog,
-S

Tough

My friend Jana is undergoing surgery # 9 tomorrow morning for cancer. SHe had only recently finished chemo when she discovered a lump in her chest; it turned out to be a malignant tumor. Jana has AMAZED me with her spirit of " I REFUSE to give up!" (You'd have to know Jana to hear her say that in her loud, Southern accent!) I came across a song by Craig Morgan (Country Music star) and oh boy did it fit her!The song is called "Tough", and I encourage all of you to listen to it as soon as you can. It will put some perspective on your life!
Another song by Craig is called , "If I had my way." Now, I have never had cancer, so I cannot relate to that personal fight, but I have been through other tough times, and when I heard this song, it really made me think. I for one, knowing myself, would definitely have taken the "easy path", but if I had, I would never have learned how good God is. There have been times when I have wanted to give up and go to the "the woods (that) are lovely dark and deep (1), but God always reminds me , "but I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep." (1)
In other words, I have too much to do before I am called to heaven. God says that the "harvest is white"- in other words it is ready- ripe.

Also, I would like to answer the tag PR gave me about our COTN volunteers. I truly am blessed to have such wonderful workers in the COTN Patch! People who faithfully give of their time to sit, play with, and teach all the little ones who come our way. I am honored to lead such a terrific group of people!
I love you all!
Until the next blog,
-S

(1)- Robert Frost, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"

I love you all!

I got in!

Just wanted to tell all my blogger friends/family that I was accepted to Capella Univeristy!THanks for all your prayers!
ANd hey Debbie, I didn't know you read my blog. Welcome!
Love you all!
Until the next blog,
-S

Grad School Here I come!

For the past several months, I have been working on getting into graduate school. I have read numerous books, looked into universities, prayed, talked to different admissions counselors, prayed, checked out various programs, prayed... you get the picture! Anyway, after all this, I have applied to Capella University- one of the top on-line universities. I am awaiting my actual admission, but it looks very good for me and I'm walking by faith. I am sooooooo excited. I will be pursuing an MS in Reading and literacy (one of my absoulute passions). Chris has been working to put together a nice computer set up for me, and I am so proud of him for installing more ram and a usb card in my computer- all by himself! Go baby!
I am scheduled to begin on September 1st, so I don't have long to go.
Even though I know it is going to cost, I have been scouring books and preparing to apply for numerous scholarships and grants. I also am kicking up my tutoring services. And my sweet husband has graciously given me permission to use our "Canada" money until I finish (which by the way I have four years to do so) and then we can start saving for our trip again. I am going to do all I can to keep my costs really low. Please join with me if you would in prayer that God would open up the doors for me to bring the money in. But I'm not worried; He'll provide.Well, it's late (or early depending on how you look at it) so I am going to get back to bed. I will let you know when I receive my actual acceptance (the enrollment director said she'll call me by Wed at latest but probably earlier). If I was superstitious I'd say do a Haley Mills like on Parent Trap and cross your fingers tight! But instead I'll just say, pray (and okay, if you want to cross your fingers; I won't mind)! Blessings to you all and until the next blog...
-S

P.S. Thanks for the "thought" you gave me to ponder PR! It was good to zoom out.