Just for Fun

Ok…I have to say I’m very jealous of my friend Crystal‘s blog.  She has a knack for creativity in her posts, whether serious, funny, or completely random.  Her most recent post featured an assortment of videos of funny babies.  I just had to copy my favorite for your viewing entertainment:

Busy, Busy, Busy

Have you ever intentionally chosen the longest line at Wal-Mart just so you could have five minutes with nothing to do?  That was me last night.  Insane, isn’t it?

Sweet, Sweet Students

I am so thankful for my PRECIOUS group of sixth graders this year.  They are without a doubt the most well-behaved, motivated group of students I have ever taught.  My teammates and I watch them almost in amazement over just how good they are.

To give an example…

Yesterday one of the boys in my homeroom approached me as I was monitoring the hallway before school began.  He asked, “Miss Nichols, can I stand up?”

Confused, I responded, “What do you mean?”

He said, “I’m sitting right by the air conditioner, and it’s cold.  So can I stand to the side until the bell rings?”

Precious baby!!!  After my last year’s group, I was thinking, Honey, as long as you aren’t busting through the windows, you are just fine!  Instead I said, “Of course you may!”  I peeked inside the door to see a classroom full of seated, quiet students waiting patiently for the tardy bell.

I can’t wait to watch them learn from all of the fun activities that we will be able to do.  It’s going to be a great year! 

Reckless Imaginations and the God Who Exceeds Them

“We take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.”                    2 Corinthians 10:5

“Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations foever and ever.  Amen.”  Ephesians 3:20-21

I keep thinking I need to keep my promise of “more to come…” that I mentioned in my first post.  I do have a story to share in reference to my original question of how God speaks to us.  However, I’ll have to save it for another time (sorry!) because right now God’s theme on my heart continues to be His perfect timing.

If I were a more diligent blogger, I would have already shared how my small group’s choice to begin Beth Moore’s Breaking Free last Tuesday left me dumbfounded at His purposeful hand in my past, present, and future.  I would have shared how I ”just happened to run across” Isaiah 54:1 the day before I was repeatedly confronted with the reality that my best friends’ babies will probably be old enough to babysit my own.   I would have shared how telling a story to my friend Jamie prompted her to say, “That’s interesting.  I’ve been praying for you a lot in that area lately.”  Interesting, yes; coincidence, no way.

This morning I started flipping through Walking with God to try to find the page where I left off on the plane in Africa.  (No, I hadn’t forgotten the book; I just let a friend borrow it before I was finished.)  I read for the second time Eldridge’s thoughts on submitting our imaginations to God.  In my small group, we constantly strive to remind one another to “think on things that are true” (from Philippians 4:8).  It is so easy to let our minds focus on things that are past or imagine events in the future.  It is easy to allow our own speculations and perceptions of another’s actions cloud our view of their character and our relationship. 

Not only does my imagination sometimes hinder my relationships, it also etches a picture in my mind of what I think is best for my future.  What a dangerous place it is when we pretend to know what is best!  Dangerous because we fail to yield our hearts fully to God’s direction.  Dangerous because we fight with Him to hold on to our tunnel vision dreams.  Dangerous because we stop trusting the only One who can truly be trusted with the future. 

I feel like I camp here daily.

Thankfully, God reminded me this morning that He wants to “do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think” (many translations say “ask or imagine”).  May I think on this truth and let Him do His unimaginable work in and through me.

Africa Highlights

After ten long days of fighting with my computer, the Africa highlights videos are FINALLY here.  The original is the better video, but it takes 20 minutes to watch.  Don’t miss the “outtakes” after the credits! 

Or, if you don’t have 20 minutes, here is the mini version:

Enjoy! 

Timing

Why is it that I am always surprised by God’s perfect timing?  I’ve seen so many instances of how He orchestrates the tiny details of my life to provide answers to my questions before I even ask, before they even come to mind. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD (Psalm 139:4).  How quickly I forget. 

I recently returned from a mission trip to South Africa with some close friends from church.  About a week before I left, I stopped at Lifeway to pick up a birthday present for my mom.  I noticed that John Eldredge has a new book out, entitled Walking with God.  Interesting title.  I was pretty much obsessed with Wild at Heart in college, so I felt compelled to sacrifice the $20 to go ahead and own his new book now, even though all logic was telling me to wait until it came out in paperback.

During the 20+ hours it took to fly from home to Johannesburg, I found plenty of time to become engrossed in my new book.  Unlike Wild at Heart, which I read with heartfelt nods of agreement and so-that-explains-why-I-feel-this-way revelations, Walking with God perplexed me.  John Eldredge seems to think that it is possible to talk to God and actually hear Him talk back. 

About ordinary things.  

On a daily basis.

Of course I believe that God can speak to people.   I believe that He still does.  But aren’t those instances usually limited to extremely important conversations, such as, I don’t know, Moses, I need you to lead the people out of Egypt?   Eldredge seems to think He takes the time to talk to us about far less important topics.  Things that I would consider trivial, like Yes, you should go camping tomorrow.  Hmm.

So, of course I had to ask Him.  Funny thing though.  I asked, “God, do You really talk to people like that?”  

I might have heard, Yes. 

Laughing to myself, I thought, God, you’re going to have to answer me with something a little more concrete than hearing voices. 

So, like He always does, He heard my thoughts before they even came to be.  He had already orchestrated the answer.

More to come…