March Question of the Month

The Question of the Month is a bloghop that occurs the first Monday of each month and it is hosted by Michael G D'Agostino from A Life Examined. Here is the question for March:

“Have you ever met an idol/influence/someone you really admire? How did it go?”

            Over the years, I’ve admired various people, known and unknown, for their traits and abilities. I looked up to my cousin when I was a kid and thought she was the coolest person I knew. She was on a swim team and had a huge Cabbage Patch collection and I wanted to be just like her. I’ve had my share of celebrity crushes as well. There are still a few celebrities I would love to get to have a conversation with, including Benedict Cumberbatch, David Tennant, or Johnny Depp. Of course, if I actually met them, instead of acting suave and conversing quietly, I would probably say something like “Oh wow! It’s you! You’re here! Please, will you take a picture with me, please?!”

The Graham Norton Show in London. Matt Crossick/PA Images/Startraksphoto.com

 

            Lately, though, I have been a little more down-to-earth with the people I admire. I highly esteem missionaries and people who maintain a strong faith in the midst of trying circumstances. I enjoyed attending a single ladies’ retreat my second time last July and I met a lot of interesting women of all ages who are single, like myself. The two women who put the event together, Mirren and Taryn, are so courteous and kind. I met them a few years ago. They are sisters in their late 30s and never married, and they are actively serving God in their father’s ministry and through women’s ministries, like those retreats. And they both do it all with smiles on their faces. Their great attitude is contagious and they show characteristics that I feel I need more of in my own life. I’m glad I met them and I have enjoyed the handful of times I’ve been able to talk with them.

When You Leave the Mountaintop

            The youth from my church have been at church camp this week, and since the camp is in our town, I went to the evening services on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.  There has been some good preaching and a lot of decisions of salvation and rededication have been made.  I have helped as a camp counselor a couple times in the past and it is amazing to see God working on those kids throughout the week.  Although I haven’t been highly involved this year, I know that God is still working in their lives.  The catch is that they eventually have to go back home.  A very common problem that we have all probably faced at one point or another is having those mountaintop experiences, and then returning home and forgetting what happened or just falling back into the same habits from before.  Sometimes, it’s an emotional high, and the decisions made are not truly genuine.  Sometimes, a real commitment is made, but no effort to follow-up.  Either way, these kids need our prayers.  Ever since I was their age, I have watched teen after teen get saved or dedicate their lives to the ministry and they appear to be on fire for God.  Some of them do go on to serve God in missions or ministry, but more often than not it seems that many eventually fall away from the church.  This deeply saddens and troubles me.  When I see someone on fire for God, I want them to stay that way, especially since I have been working with these kids on Wednesday nights for the past eight years.  Watching them spiral downhill is hard because I committed some of my time to help them and I want to see them succeed in God’s kingdom.  I know there comes a time in everyone’s life when they must make their own decisions, but I hate it when those decisions lead down the wrong paths.  Sometimes, they will return to the church after a while, but there may be some scars they will have to live with for the rest of their lives.  Sorry, if this sounds a bit discouraging, but I have watched this happen so many times.  The youth from my church are going home today, so keep them in your prayers.  Not just them, but all the kids, counselors, pastors, ministry leaders, missionaries, or any other adult that makes a decision to follow Christ.  Pray that their decisions are genuine and that they commit to following through on the choices they made.  Because the struggle is real and Christians do need to commit themselves daily to following Christ, especially when they leave the mountain to go back into the valley.

“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”  Luke 9:23 (KJV)

Ministry

“But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.” Acts 6:4 (KJV)

 "Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not.” 2 Corinthians 4:1 (KJV)

 I wrote about showing God’s love yesterday, and by being kind and showing compassion, we can open the door to share the Word of God. If we don’t show people that we genuinely care about their needs, they may not be receptive of the gospel. That is why I really admire missionaries who choose to live among the various peoples and do ordinary work. I know missionaries who are carpenters, nurses, English teachers, and cooks, among many other positions. They perform a service for the people and build relationships, and then, they share the gospel. But it does not have to be just missionaries who participate, it is the Christian’s ministry. As a Christian, I should be longing for others to come to know Christ; that is what I’m here for. Jesus said in His great commission: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matt. 28:19-20, KJV) I like the end of that chapter, Christ is always with us, and we are not alone in sharing His ministry. 2 Corinthians 4 is also a great chapter on this subject.

Congratulations to all who have made it to the half-way point of this A to Z challenge with me. 13 letters down, 13 more to go! We can do it!

 

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I am currently participating in the Blogging from A to Z April 2015 Challenge. My theme is life lessons from the Bible. You can find more information about the challenge by clicking on the badge to the right or click here for a list of participants. It has been an interesting experience so far and I have enjoyed finding and visiting other blogs. If you are a fellow participant, thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a comment!

Knowledge

“The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out.” Proverbs 18:15 (NIV)

God wants us to have knowledge of His Word; to study and meditate on it. In 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV) it says, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” My pastor often says that we know the Bible as well as we want to know the Bible. Studying God’s Word can be exciting, in fact, I’ve already written about a time when my enthusiasm was renewed in my post called The Greatest Story Ever Told. Not only should we seek out knowledge, but we should share that knowledge with others and pass it on to our children, teaching them also to study the Bible. If you want to read and study God’s Word but don’t know where to start, Proverbs is full of short sayings and advice. It even states in Prov. 1:1-7 that its purpose is to give knowledge and insight. Do you have a favorite passage or book in scripture that you have studied?

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I am currently participating in the Blogging from A to Z April 2015 Challenge. My theme is life lessons from the Bible. You can find more information about the challenge by clicking on the badge to the right or click here for a list of participants. It has been an interesting experience so far and I have enjoyed finding and visiting other blogs. If you are a fellow participant, thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a comment!

 

Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim It

            Recently, after sharing his own testimony, Pastor Clay encouraged those who are Christians to share their own. A few weeks later, at the camp in Missouri, the counselors and campers were encouraged to share their testimonies during the girls’ nightly devotion. I had never really told anyone the full story until that night. I guess it's because I compare myself to others too much. I don't remember the specific date. I wasn't saved from a life full of regrets. Many testimonies people give include factors like those and I guess I always found mine to be uninteresting in comparison. In retrospect, I now know that my viewpoint has been wrong. Jesus Christ saved me from my sins. It doesn't matter how great or small those sins are in the world's eyes "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). So, getting saved was the most important thing I've ever done, and I will share my personal testimony.

            For most of the first 9 years of my life, I attended Mesa Baptist Church. I remember some of my Sunday school and singing in the children's choir. My more vivid memories come from AWANA on Wednesday nights. I remember practicing verses and struggling with praying in front of my mom. I also remember one night when the leaders invited us to accept Jesus in our hearts and I raised my hand and was led to another room with some other kids. I was 6 and I really didn't understand what was happening. I knew who Jesus was, but I didn't have a grasp on what it meant to be saved. A few years later, my family moved and we had a hard time finding a new church. I still wanted to be involved in AWANA, so my dad took me to a new church on Wednesday nights, but the rest of my family didn't come. During those years, my family was struggling a lot. We would attend church together some Sundays, but it was always somewhere different. We tried my cousins' church for a while, we tried local churches, and we even went with a family friend, but his church was a little too far. Eventually, Sunday church seemed to fade out except when I visited my grandma, who was as devoted to her church family as she was to her ailing husband. Despite the spontaneity of my church attendance, it seemed that one message still rang through everywhere I went. God loves me, He has a plan for me, and He sent His Son to die on the cross to save me. I think understanding finally hit me after my cousins were baptized when I was 10 or 11. I remember asking questions about what they were doing and my mom explained that baptism was a visual representation of salvation. I don't know how much time passed after that, but I do remember reading my Bible one night in my bedroom, and I fully understood that I was lost and needed a Savior. I remember talking with my mom and I accepted Jesus into my heart that night and I was excited! I brought my Bible over to my neighbor's house the next day and tried to lead her and my brother in a salvation prayer. Only God knows if they really understood what I was so excited about or what the words they repeated meant, but I hope that I at least planted a seed. Since I was not a member of any particular church, I was not baptized until my family moved to Oklahoma. Although baptism is not necessary for salvation, it does symbolize the cleansing and new life God gives us when we are saved, and I was glad to finally feel like I was a part of the church body. That is the story of how God saved me. I wish I would have shared sooner, I felt so free after sharing with the girls in Missouri. I also wish I would have had a better grasp of time when it happened; I think it was part way because I was homeschooled for 3 years and I had no sense of time or what day it was or even the month! It took me many years before I began keeping track of time. :)

            If you are reading this and you don't understand what I'm talking about, then I would be happy to show you some more verses from the Bible that explain our sinful nature and our need for salvation. We all are like lost sheep in need of a shepherd to save us. I don't really think there's a right or wrong way to pray, you just need to admit to God that you are a sinner and that you believe with all your heart that His Son, Jesus Christ, died on a cross for our sins and He rose from the grave on the third day. Salvation is a gift from God, and if you accept His sacrificial gift, you can be saved from an eternity in Hell. If you are a Christian, then I challenge you to share your salvation testimony with at least one other person. It truly feels great to let others know what God has done for us. Like one of my pastors likes to say: if God never blessed you after the moment of your salvation, you are still blessed and have a reason to be joyful! I have been blessed in so many ways beyond my salvation, and I know I’m not usually the brightest light to others, so this challenge goes to myself as well. We do have joy and hope and even if circumstances are tough, we know that one day we will all be in Heaven. Let’s share this message that God has commissioned to us so that others may join us.

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:19-20

Turn Your Eyes to the Cross

I thought I’d share a couple poems I wrote in the past couple years.  I wrote the first one not too long ago as just a reminder to put my hope in the Lord.  As for the second one, I started the first four lines last year and finally decided to finish it up for today. Hope you enjoy:

Do we live to dream or dream to live?

     That phrase just makes you wonder...

If I give my life to the dream will it

     come true or take me under?

Underground and out of mind,

     depression takes its toll.

Life becomes a dreadful thing

     that's relentless, grim, and dull.

But hope remains for those who turn

     their eyes upon the cross.

Without the love of Jesus Christ

     our efforts would all come to loss.

He gave His life to set us free

     from the awful curse of sin.

He rose again to life

     so those who follow Him can win.

 

It’s not about bunnies or baskets or candy,

It’s not about bonnets or dresses so dandy.

Egg hunts and parades become such trivial things,

If we sit back and listen when the true message rings.

Jesus died on the cross and then rose again,

He gave His all to save us from our sin.

So whether your Easter is full of rain or shine,

Make sure to give Jesus a moment of your time!

Letter of Resignation

Warning: The following blog is a personal soapbox.

                Recently, I watched what this country would consider to be a controversial documentary called IndoctriNation.  It was about the decline of the American public school system and what it has done to our children and the people overall.  I taught kindergarten for one year after I graduated from OBU and it was a very tough year, so tough that I decided that something needed to change in my career.  After taking a year off, I started the application process again.  I tried adding English as a second language to my certification, thinking that working with smaller groups was what I needed.  I tried applying at smaller, local schools thinking that the inner-city system was what made my first job so hard.  I did get a few interviews, but, for some reason, I was never offered a job over the last few years.   I will admit that I did not put a lot of effort into applying because I was not sure if I wanted to return.  I was on the fence, but I believe God has used this movie to push me over the edge, and this is why I will not be applying for a public elementary teaching position this year:

                When I was in elementary school in Arizona, I remember learning many things and never felt a lot of pressure from the teachers to do well on a test.  We learned through hands-on experiences and teamwork.  I understood math better than most of the other students, but I was not bored because my teachers offered me the chance to work independently.  There are many other examples of how the teachers I had would cater to the different needs of the students.  My experiences in Arizona planted the first idea of becoming a teacher. 

                Unfortunately, things changed a lot over the years since I was in elementary school.  No Child Left Behind was passed, and from what I’ve observed in the schools, it seems to do the opposite of its intent with many students.  Learning and teaching is not as fun anymore with all the push for testing.  At the school where I did my student teaching, I was told that I could only have 15 minutes each day to teach a science lesson to the second grade class.  Many principals whom I have worked and interviewed with have said things like: “Students will not need to learn science and social studies until 4^th grade when they are tested over it,” “You can teach science and social studies to the kindergarteners through the literature you read,” and worst of all, “Those kindergarteners will not have time to play, you must focus solely on getting them to read by the end of the school year.” Now, I’m not saying that children should be running around wild in the classroom, but sometimes, learning can look like play.  Children learn best through interacting with their learning and by being given a chance to explore and discover things on their own.  Of course, the teacher is in charge of directing and guiding the children in their exploration and each child is unique in his or her pace.  I feel as though I have been told that type of learning is no longer acceptable and the teacher is expected to be standing in front of the class, holding a book.  It’s all about those dreaded tests held in April.

                I really could go on and on about that subject alone, but there are many other ways things have changed over the years for the school system.  The movie focuses on how God has been removed from the schools, and that is a far worse occurrence than NCLB.  Removing God and prayer from the schools has led to an overall disrespect for authority and a physically and morally unsafe environment.  IndoctriNation explains this and so much more and I would highly recommend it to anyone, especially teachers and parents with students in the public school system.

                At first, as I was watching the movie, I thought I should still try to teach to be a light for Jesus to my students, and I related my thoughts to one of the teachers they interviewed.  But, as they told her story, she mentioned that if she ever stood up for God in front of her students, she would be asked to resign immediately, and that is exactly what happened.  How can I be a light in a place controlled by a government that extinguishes all flames as quickly as possible?  Now I know that here in Oklahoma, things are not quite as bad as other areas, and I could talk about my beliefs in the classroom, but how much longer will it last?  Given the choice between my degree and God, I most definitely choose God.  I feel like a burden has been lifted from my shoulders.  I still may not know where God is leading me, but at least I know one thing He will not have me doing. 

P.S. Anyone know of any good private schools?  Can an elementary teaching degree be used for things other than teaching?  At least I know some tips for teaching my own children someday :)

www.IndoctriNationMovie.com

"But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

A Life Worth Remembering

            This has been on my mind since my church’s ladies’ retreat back in September. The theme was “A Legacy to Remember” and each of us was asked to name someone who left a legacy in our lives. Almost half of the women present, myself included, named our grandmothers. With Christmas just around the corner, I can think of no better time to celebrate the life of my mother’s mom and remember all those childhood Christmases I spent at Grandma’s house. I was only 12 years old when she died, so I was too young to notice some of her character traits. But, looking back, I can see some of those qualities that make me wish I still had her here today.

Louise Swoboda was a devoted wife. Granddaddy had a stroke before I was born, and it got to the point that Grandma could not handle taking care of him by herself, so she put him in a nursing home. Whenever I came to stay a few weeks over the summer with Grandma, she would go to the nursing home to visit Granddaddy at lunchtime, every single day. I would sit in the floor and play with Polly Pockets or explore the corridors with the nurses. Sometimes she would bake cookies for him and his roommate. I remember one time that my cousin, Susan, and I got into an argument over who would give the cookies to Granddaddy and who got stuck with the stranger. When it came to Thanksgiving or Christmas, Grandma would take Granddaddy home to celebrate with the family. I remember he slept in his old chair most of the day, but now I know that those were probably some of their favorite days, spending time at home together. Granddaddy died in July of 1996, and Grandma died a few months later. She was so devoted to her husband that she didn’t want to live without him.

Louise Swoboda cared about people. She was very giving, not only with gifts, but with her time. I got an extra aunt because my Grandma took her in as an “adopted” daughter. Mary loved Grandma as her own mother because of the care and time that she gave Mary’s family. I have almost as many memories with my “adopted” aunt as I do with my real aunt. I asked my mom about my grandma, and I found out Mary wasn’t the first. Grandma had a heart for teens and young women. She would invite them in her home and provide them with a meal and Godly counsel. I remember getting to know the small town of Globe, Arizona pretty well. Whenever I stayed with her, she would always be visiting someone. She liked to play dominoes with some ladies her age, she visited the homes of her pastor and his wife and their grown children, and she would even visit with and get to know some of the other residents in the nursing home. At home, she kept herself busy with phone calls, writing letters, baking, and caring for grandchildren. And she didn’t keep these traits to herself; she passed them on to those she came in contact with. She taught me and Susan how to decorate Christmas cookies, and more importantly, how to share with others and that giving is much better than receiving.

Louise Swoboda was a faithful servant, and her life is an example of her love for others. She was truly the matriarch who held our family together. Maybe she didn’t do everything perfect, but her love for God allowed her to become a great woman, at least in the eyes of those whose lives she touched. This will be my 15^th Christmas without her, but I hope that her legacy will live on in my life.

With love to Grandma Louise (Ryan) Swoboda, you are and shall continue to be greatly missed. One day we will meet again in Heaven. Thanks for the treasured memories here on Earth.