Greetings Everybody,
Yeah I know...I've been kinda quiet for a few weeks :)
But there was a reason for that.
Perhaps you are familiar with the scripture that says
"Be Still And Know That I Am God..." Psalms 46:10
I was quiet & not writing in this blog because I was being STILL.
There has just been alot of drama going on lately, and I needed to just be still.
Don't get me wrong, there have also been a ton of blessings.
Not the least of which is this: I do NOT have cancer.
There was some concern due to some changes occurring in my body.
But yesterday, after a diagnostic mammogram, the radiologist told me that everything looks healthy and exactly as it should.
I have been through this scare before...and I would venture to say that at some point in their lives, MOST women go through a breast cancer scare.
But praise God, I am OK.
This doesn't mean that I didn't consider what my response would have been if I had been told otherwise.
I spent some time pondering this.
If the goal of every Christian is to get to heaven, and such a Christian develops a life threatening disease...it seems that on a very spiritual level, it might just be cause for joy...because heaven would be that much closer.
Now before anybody accuses me of martyrdom...that's NOT how I mean this.
I am just remembering the Apostle Paul who said,
"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21
And isn't that how we should ALL be living EVERY DAY?
In Him,
Grace
The Reward for Surviving Rough Seas
We are all like sea shells tossed about in rough waters and being re-shaped in wondrous ways. But have you ever contemplated the notion that sea shells have to complete their journey through the rough waters before they get to rest on the shore? Yeah, we are ALL like sea shells and Heaven is The Great Shore.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Student G and Hallway Prayer
Greetings Everybody,
One day last week, as I was sitting at my desk working on lesson plans and my student teacher was greeting incoming students, a young man whom I am going to call "Student G" came to my door.
My student teacher did not know who he was, and she asked him what she could do for him.
He was very serious looking.
And to be honest, he was somewhat dismissive of her presence, but he muttered that he needed to speak to Mrs. Grace.
She looked over her shoulder at me as I looked up to see what was going on.
I recognized the young man, and gave her the head nod.
She walked away from the door to start class, and I walked out of the door, shutting it behind me as I stepped into the hallway.
And there was Student G...a young man I taught several years go. He is a senior now. And he looked terrible.
Let me word-paint this student for you:
This young man is immaculate. He is the essence of the well dressed African American male at the high school age. His hair is trimmed in a stylish cut. He dresses with attention to detail and is always wearing clothing that this is stylish. He is articulate, well mannered, has a ready smile and is a hard working student.
He makes good grades and is the kind of kid that employers would love to hire.
And he is very popular. The girls swoon over him and say that they love his caramel colored eyes.
But something was wrong with those eyes when he looked at me that day.
For one thing, he could barely make eye contact with me...kept looking at his shoes.
And for another...when he did look up, those eyes were very sad.
I realized that whatever he was about to say to me was going to be something difficult.
I called him by name and asked him what was going on.
And he took a deep breath, and then said, "Mrs. Grace, I am here to ask you to pray with me. I did something really bad last night. And I need to you to pray with me."
Then it was MY turn to take a deep breath.
And I asked him what happened.
Student G went on to tell me that he had gotten caught shoplifting and had been sent to jail the night before.
He had spent 6 hours in that jail.
This kid has everything going for him and then in the blink of an eye, he made a decision that will greatly impact his life.
He told me that his dad had been able to get him released.
He told me that he is ashamed of what he did and that it was wrong and stupid.
As he finished his story, he said that he is going to have to go to court.
So right then, right there in the hallway, I put my hands on his shoulders, bowed my head and began to pray.
He cried while I spoke to God...and I did to.
And when I was done, he hugged me, and then I escorted him to his next class.
On the way, I asked him if he noticed that I did not ask God to take away the guilt he was feeling.
He nodded.
I had prayed that the judge would be a Godly person and able to render a verdict that was a blend of justice and mercy.
And I prayed for the relationship between the young man and his parents.
And I prayed for the young mans' relationship with God.
But I did NOT ask God to take away the guilt...because I know that the guilt he feels is between God and him and that he needs to approach God all by himself on that issue.
I did tell him that I wanted him to remember this horrible feeling of guilt.
And I told him that guilt is what we are SUPPOSED to feel when we do something wrong.
And I told him that he needed to talk to God about it.
He nodded.
And I know he understood.
Now here's where this story shows how God puts people in the right place at the right time....
The class he was now tardy for (because he came to see me instead of going to his next class), is taught by a retired minister. (Yes God really is THAT Good!).
When we arrived at Student G's next class, I asked the teacher to step out in the hallway...and the young man spoke honestly with this teacher about why he was tardy.
He told the man about the crime had committed and about jail... and about coming to see me for prayer.
And I left the young man in the hands of a Believer whom I knew would not write a tardy referral for a kid who had been seeking spiritual help.
If people think that God is dead in Public Schools...they are very wrong.
God is alive and well and thriving in Public Schools.
And God positioned not just ONE, but TWO Christian Teachers to help this young man on a day when he needed it so badly.
We are called to be Salt and Light, wherever we are.
In Him,
Grace
One day last week, as I was sitting at my desk working on lesson plans and my student teacher was greeting incoming students, a young man whom I am going to call "Student G" came to my door.
My student teacher did not know who he was, and she asked him what she could do for him.
He was very serious looking.
And to be honest, he was somewhat dismissive of her presence, but he muttered that he needed to speak to Mrs. Grace.
She looked over her shoulder at me as I looked up to see what was going on.
I recognized the young man, and gave her the head nod.
She walked away from the door to start class, and I walked out of the door, shutting it behind me as I stepped into the hallway.
And there was Student G...a young man I taught several years go. He is a senior now. And he looked terrible.
Let me word-paint this student for you:
This young man is immaculate. He is the essence of the well dressed African American male at the high school age. His hair is trimmed in a stylish cut. He dresses with attention to detail and is always wearing clothing that this is stylish. He is articulate, well mannered, has a ready smile and is a hard working student.
He makes good grades and is the kind of kid that employers would love to hire.
And he is very popular. The girls swoon over him and say that they love his caramel colored eyes.
But something was wrong with those eyes when he looked at me that day.
For one thing, he could barely make eye contact with me...kept looking at his shoes.
And for another...when he did look up, those eyes were very sad.
I realized that whatever he was about to say to me was going to be something difficult.
I called him by name and asked him what was going on.
And he took a deep breath, and then said, "Mrs. Grace, I am here to ask you to pray with me. I did something really bad last night. And I need to you to pray with me."
Then it was MY turn to take a deep breath.
And I asked him what happened.
Student G went on to tell me that he had gotten caught shoplifting and had been sent to jail the night before.
He had spent 6 hours in that jail.
This kid has everything going for him and then in the blink of an eye, he made a decision that will greatly impact his life.
He told me that his dad had been able to get him released.
He told me that he is ashamed of what he did and that it was wrong and stupid.
As he finished his story, he said that he is going to have to go to court.
So right then, right there in the hallway, I put my hands on his shoulders, bowed my head and began to pray.
He cried while I spoke to God...and I did to.
And when I was done, he hugged me, and then I escorted him to his next class.
On the way, I asked him if he noticed that I did not ask God to take away the guilt he was feeling.
He nodded.
I had prayed that the judge would be a Godly person and able to render a verdict that was a blend of justice and mercy.
And I prayed for the relationship between the young man and his parents.
And I prayed for the young mans' relationship with God.
But I did NOT ask God to take away the guilt...because I know that the guilt he feels is between God and him and that he needs to approach God all by himself on that issue.
I did tell him that I wanted him to remember this horrible feeling of guilt.
And I told him that guilt is what we are SUPPOSED to feel when we do something wrong.
And I told him that he needed to talk to God about it.
He nodded.
And I know he understood.
Now here's where this story shows how God puts people in the right place at the right time....
The class he was now tardy for (because he came to see me instead of going to his next class), is taught by a retired minister. (Yes God really is THAT Good!).
When we arrived at Student G's next class, I asked the teacher to step out in the hallway...and the young man spoke honestly with this teacher about why he was tardy.
He told the man about the crime had committed and about jail... and about coming to see me for prayer.
And I left the young man in the hands of a Believer whom I knew would not write a tardy referral for a kid who had been seeking spiritual help.
If people think that God is dead in Public Schools...they are very wrong.
God is alive and well and thriving in Public Schools.
And God positioned not just ONE, but TWO Christian Teachers to help this young man on a day when he needed it so badly.
We are called to be Salt and Light, wherever we are.
In Him,
Grace
Saturday, February 4, 2012
The "Gender Reveal" Party
Greetings Everybody,
This past Thursday we found out the gender of my unborn grandchild. But we found out in a very cool way: A Gender Reveal Party.
For those of you who do not know what a Gender Reveal Party is, please keep reading. It's a pretty spiffy idea!
Steps to be Taken:
1. Mother-to-be needs to get a very reliable Sonogram.
2. The Sonogram Technician must be told to turn the
screen away so that no one else can see it.
3. The technician then accurately determines the
gender, and writes either "BOY" or "GIRL" on a slip
of paper, and then seals the slip inside an envelope.
4. The sealed envelope is taken to the Baker.
5. The Baker makes a cake with a neutral frosting.
6. (Hint: The inside of the cake will either be Blue for
Boy or Pink for Girl, but no one knows until later.)
7. Host a party with family & friends.
When it's time for dessert get everybody to place their
bets on which gender they think that the baby will be.
8. When all bets are placed, the expectant parents stand
and together they cut the cake. All eyes are focused.
8. And Presto, everybody sees the color of the inside of
the cake and the gender of the baby is revealed.
9. This is a wonderful celebration with laughter and
squeals and hugs for all.
10. Not to mention...a Great Cake :)
...by the way...WooHoo...it's a Girl
I will have to wait until early June to hold my little granddaughter, but until then I can dream!
Hope you guys enjoyed this idea and will pass it along to folks you love.
In Him,
Grace
This past Thursday we found out the gender of my unborn grandchild. But we found out in a very cool way: A Gender Reveal Party.
For those of you who do not know what a Gender Reveal Party is, please keep reading. It's a pretty spiffy idea!
Steps to be Taken:
1. Mother-to-be needs to get a very reliable Sonogram.
2. The Sonogram Technician must be told to turn the
screen away so that no one else can see it.
3. The technician then accurately determines the
gender, and writes either "BOY" or "GIRL" on a slip
of paper, and then seals the slip inside an envelope.
4. The sealed envelope is taken to the Baker.
5. The Baker makes a cake with a neutral frosting.
6. (Hint: The inside of the cake will either be Blue for
Boy or Pink for Girl, but no one knows until later.)
7. Host a party with family & friends.
When it's time for dessert get everybody to place their
bets on which gender they think that the baby will be.
8. When all bets are placed, the expectant parents stand
and together they cut the cake. All eyes are focused.
8. And Presto, everybody sees the color of the inside of
the cake and the gender of the baby is revealed.
9. This is a wonderful celebration with laughter and
squeals and hugs for all.
10. Not to mention...a Great Cake :)
...by the way...WooHoo...it's a Girl
I will have to wait until early June to hold my little granddaughter, but until then I can dream!
Hope you guys enjoyed this idea and will pass it along to folks you love.
In Him,
Grace
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