Saturday, February 25, 2012

What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone.
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean i'm over cos you're gone

These are the lyrics to the chorus Stronger by Kelly Clarkson. I hadn't heard this song until Thursday. I was so blessed to get the oppurtunity to come home to Oklahoma for the weekend and while driving I hear this song. The song is actually about being stronger after I break up I think but when I heard what doesn't kill you makes you stronger I just started crying.

The journey my family has been on the past eight months has been a long tiring journey. My little brother is loved and adored so much by everyone in the family. He is such a joy to be around. So, when he first got sick it was like a meteor hitting my family. My family has become closer and definitely stronger over the past eight months. My brother had surgery on Monday and after surgery he lost his eyesight. The doctors did an immediate surgery for his eye. They don't know what caused this to happen but he lost blood flow to the retina and now all the nerves are swollen as well. This is causing him to continue to have a loss of vision. He is PRAISE THE LORD getting a little bit more vision back everyday. We don't know how much he will recover. Currently he has to have help getting around by holding onto someones arm. He can see within two feet of himself but mostly objects that he already knows and can identify from his knowledge of the object. He lost all eyesight when he was a lot younger due to glaucoma in that eye. I am believing in devine healing from the Lord. I also know though that none of this is a worry to the Lord so it should be of no worries to my family. I pray everyday that all of this will be worked out all for God's glory and that Connor's testimony one day will bring people to Jesus because of His works in Connor. I struggled when Connor first got sick but Connor is the Lord's child before he is anything to us here on Earth. So, I know that He has a wonderful plan for Connor that is designed to glorify Jesus.

That being said What doesn't kill us makes us stronger. I am holding up so well all because of Jesus. He is my strength and He has held me up through all of this. Daily I think about the things that I have and how I don't deserve any of it. I am so blessed to have the gift of eternal life how could I ever expect anything else. However, God continues to bless me and for that I will lay down my life to Him and serve Him. When I lay down my life He blesses me more and one of the ways has been through strength. How could I ever not believe in my God? I hope and pray that you will see the God that I see and get to love everyday.

In the lyrics it also says what doesn't kill you makes you a fighter. I see this as fighting Satan. He can't get me down. He hasn't killed me, so, I'm going to fight for God's glory, God's word, and His people.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Worshipping Our Father

I was in church this morning and the sermon was so good. I thought I might share some of what was said and how it has impacted me today and how I hope to make changes in my life. The sermon was about worship. I have heard before that we need to worship in all that we do and everything we do should be for the Lord. Today for some reason the words I heard were just so different. The scripture was Genesis 22:1-12 which is the story about Abraham and how he was going to sacrifice his son for God. This willingness to obey the Lord is a representation of worshipping the God that I serve and the God that has created me at a level that is so incredible.

Often people think of worship as the music portion of church. I often think that too. I have had a hard time finding a church in Memphis. I am constantly comparing churches to Journey and Antioch back in Norman. This ones worship isn't good enough, this one isn't as community based, and so on and so on. I have recently realized that church is a gathering of people that come together to hear the word or be taught and a place where we can serve to reach the unreached. To me that is what church really should be. I want to be a church that has good sound biblical teaching and where I can serve.

Anyway back to the sermon. So worship often thought of the music part of church. The pastor today said worship has to start with a picture of the God that created us. He is so amazing, so big, so mind-blowing and if I can start with some image of Him then I can start to worship. Worship is not about the music it is about serving that God! He is not a file to be put in a file cabinet but he is the file cabinet. He is our hearts. This all was like brand new words being spoke that I have never heard. The pastor then went on to say what is your Isaac? Our Isaac could be money, a job, relationships or anything that has become an idol or close to an idol in our lives. We have to remember God gave us that Isaac just like He gave Isaac to Abraham a man at 100 years of age a son. We have to be willing to sacrifice our Isaac and worship the Lord. We need to lay it down and then our Isaac and ourselves choose to worship the Lord together.

Since moving to Memphis I have let the busy and idea of not having a church home affect my relationship with the Lord. I now am going to make a concious effort daily to get closer to the Lord. I want to worship Him in everything that I do. I want everything that I do to be a complete reflection of Him because He deserves all glory from me and my life because I am nothing. If it weren't for His love and His mercy I would not have anything nor the future that He has for me.

What are you holding onto that is an idol or close to becoming one that the Lord has blessed you with? Lay it down and allow that thing and yourself to worship the Lord. He is worthy!

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Servant Minded Work

... It has been a really long time since I have posted about life in Memphis. I will try to shed light on all that has happened since August without gettting too detailed to keep this from being excessivly long.

1 I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. 2 My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. 5 For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is. 6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces[a] of this world rather than on Christ.
Colossians 2:1-8

Life over the past 8 months has been like a rolling, twisting, and never-ending roller coaster. I am so thankful and blessed that my constant and safety bar is Jesus. There is no way that I would have made it this far through the work here in Memphis without the Lord. I will update today about my family, teaching, and myself.

Family is one thing in life that we are blessed with no matter how crazy, dysfunctional, amazing, supportive, or uninvolved they are. Family is always there no matter how crazy, dysfunctional, amazing, supportive, or uninvolved we are. I love my family a lot and that also includes my adopted family of my best friend. Connor, my little brother, has been through a lot these past 8 months beginning with my families return home from moving me to Memphis. I am so ecstatic to say that he is finally doing great. Doctors released him to go back to school in January. He will have to have some more surgeries eventually, but my mom is waiting for the time being. He had two surgeries within 2 weeks of each other in December. I was home for Christmas during one of the surgeries. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness and helping Connor get healthier after the two surgeries. My mom returned to work as Connor went back to school as well. I will get to go home for Spring Break and see them then and I cannot say how excited I am to see them.

Teaching is possibly one of the hardest professions in the job force. Teaching in an urban setting is almost impossible if you do not know the Lord. Honestly I do not know how people could ever do this work without the Lord. Everyday that I walk into my classroom I have 26 little people sitting in front of me waiting for my guidance. I wish it was as easy and pleasant as that sounds too. They depend on their teachers to get the information they need for their future lives. The students in urban classes do not get the knowledge and stimulation that students in suburban setting receive. I really never thought the educaiton I received growing up was that great, but in comparison I was so blessed to attend the schools that I did growing up. Students in the urban setting don't usually recognize the importance of an education unless you really inspire them to know they can go to college. We really have to create cultures in our classrooms that are so different than classrooms they have been in before and different from the cultures on the street or in their homes. Teaching is an exhausting career. The students in my class need so much more than just a teacher. I am so blessed to be in that classroom really, but I honestly do not always feel so blessed. The great thing is that the Lord can give me the strength to be there for my students. A huge growing point for me  this year was that I cannot be my students savior Jesus has to be their savior. I am in that classroom fighting for a just education for my students. ... I will try to write more often and give more updates about teaching.

I definitely have had a quite a trip over the past 8 months. One of the biggest transitions has been adapting to this new season of life. I have a great community and family here in Memphis, but it is not the family and community that I came to know and love in Norman. I still do not have a home church. That is a mountain that I am climbing but I know that my relationship with the Lord is most important. I have attended many great churches here but none of them are home. That may seem silly but that is truly how I feel. I have had to overcome comparing churches here to Journey and Antioch in Norman because there will never one like another. Church families are kind of like people they all are unique and different from others. I also love to be involved in church and love serving but so far I just cannot make that commitment to any of the churches here. I want to make sure that when I commitment to a church that I am definitely committing for the next few years and season of my life.
During the rollercoaster time I have clung to the Lord and I know that He has a great plan. I know that I am here serving Him in Memphis. I do not always see it that way though. I have rough days and all I want to do is go home, but ultimately I know that I am where I am supposed to be. Memphis is a great city, the people are great, and I believe that public education here can be changed all for the glory of the Lord.

To see a video about what we are doing here in Memphis check out this video....
http://video.pbs.org/video/2194187203/