Hey, I just got an iPod touch so I figure that anything that I can do with it I will try to do. That includes blogging from it even when my computer is mere inches away I amgetting the hang of typing on this thing so it is not as rediculious to type on it.
Posted with LifeCast
Proverbs 16:9 "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." The big news right up front: I have been hired in a certified teaching position as a librarian and computer teacher for Beaverton Primary (kindergarten through third grade). This is impossible. I'm a little tired as I started two days ago. The work I have been doing has not been physically exhausting, but the anxiousness of getting classes up and running is tiring. I'm sure that I will only be getting more and more bust as things progress so I wanted to document the amazing set of miracles that brought me to this point. As you may or may not know it's almost impossible to get a job in Michigan. It is even harder to get a position in teaching. Most, if not all, districts are reducing budgets and laying off staff. The district I got a position in is laying off staff, but created this position in the middle of the year and I got that position. For all intents and purposes the impossible has happened! It started happening a long time ago. I can trace it back to as far as last January. Working backward the first link in the chain of miracles is finding the posting for the position. Despite searching the websites for job postings regularly, both my wife and I had missed a job posted in December for Beaverton Rural Schools. Well, on Monday, January 7th, we had an unusual fog day and schools were cancelled. This left us home to work on various projects. I was fiddling around with my new laptop and my wife, Jen, decided to sweep the job postings again one last time. She discovered a posting for a media specialists (librarian/technology teacher) for Beaverton Primary. The deadline was at 4:00 p.m. that same day! There was only two hours left! Beaverton was an hour drive (in the fog) away! I high-tailed to Beaverton and, after careening through the fog at well above the speed limit, I made it to the central office with 5 minutes to spare. The next day they called me and set up an interview. That's pretty exciting: If we hadn't had a fog day, I wouldn't have applied for the job. It gets better. The host teacher I student taught under in Vestaburg is the daughter of the assistant principal of the middle school in Beaverton and she graduated from Beaverton High. Read that sentence again. So my primary reference is someone that graduated from the small rural community that I applied in. So she gave me a great recommendation. It goes further. She picked me by mistake. She thought I had a science minor. I do not. She teaches science and, because of that mistake, I became her student teacher. It goes back even further than that. I wasn't supposed to be teaching at Vestaburg in the first place. I was going to teach at Winn, but the school decided not to accept student teachers this semester, so I got bumped to Vestaburg. See how it all lined up? God does the impossible.
Did you know that you can publish to your blog from Word 2007? You can. I wouldn't recommend the upgrade for that feature alone. I had to use 2007 because, by strange circumstances, I have a free copy of Office 2007 that is completely legal and no legal copies of 2003. So that's the second cool feature of Office 2007 (the other is the live preview of changes to your document as you change the settings).
Romans 13:14 "Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature."
Today I'm in for another day of searching for a job. I like to refer to myself as "semi-employed": I'm substitute teaching, but I have no idea if that will result in employment on a daily basis. Today - no call and no job.
So, today I got up and dressed up for job hunting. I doubt I'll talk to any managers and no one of importance may even see me today, but I have to be wearing the right attire. It's important to make the right impression.
Why dress up? What does that say about me? Hopefully it says many positive things. There's one message I want it to send above all: "I'm here to work for you". It communicates that I've made the decision to wear clothes that are uncomfortable for me, but pleasing to my employer.
Looking at the verse above, I see some of the same principles. I am to choose each day to put on Christ and reject what I find to be comfortable. I'm here to work for Him.
I haven't posted in a solid four months. I know that is lame, but I've been busy with student teaching and other things.
Merry Christmas! My wife bought me an expensive gift for Christmas that I love. I can never repay her. The items I bought her cost about 2% of what she got me. Because of the circumstances she bought the gift under, it can't be returned.
It's done my soul a lot of good too. I've felt pretty worthless lately, but this gift reminded me that it is not how much I think I'm worth that counts - it's how much I am worth in the eyes of the One who loves me the most. I've been angry and sad. I've felt I am all alone, but that has got to stop because God gave me the most expensive gift imaginable, when He gave me Christ. My Savior is a gift that tags me with more value than I could ever repay. Because of the circumstances my salvation was bought under, it can't be returned. No matter how unworthy I feel of it and no matter how much I wish God wouldn't have spent so much of Himself on me, the gift remains being offered to me everyday; quietly pressed into my hands. Thank you Jesus! Open my eyes and let me see You as the gift I could never pay for. Let me find my worth in You!
Merry Christ-loving-Christmas!
Psalm 25:4-5
"Show me your ways, O LORD,
teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long."
I've been marvelling at what I have thought of as a persistent peace on the inside of me. When I read this verse, I realized it was actually hope. What's the difference? From my perspective, they are similar. This is my working definition of hope: Hope is peace about the future. At any rate, These two verses sum up what I have been experiencing. God has been showing me how to please Him and how to follow Him; I have been worshipping Him as my Savior; and this has placed in me a deep sense of peace about my future.
I recently realized that my anxieties were rooted in my own selfishness. There was a fear in me that I would not get what I wanted. I given up my wants and rested in the faith I have that God "rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6). It is foolish for me to insists on what those rewards should be. I am a friend of God and that is the greatest reward I could wish for.
Romans 3 (The Message)
27-28So where does that leave our proud Jewish insider claims and counter-claims? Canceled? Yes, canceled. What we've learned is this: God does not respond to what we do; we respond to what God does. We've finally figured it out. Our lives get in step with God and all others by letting him set the pace, not by proudly or anxiously trying to run the parade.
God, help me to walk in your ways. I ask for your wisdom and your discernment, so I will see clearly the path you have designed for me. I want to keep step with you.
This verse is pretty straight forward. The whole goal of Christianity is to know God and to make Him known.
Ephesians 6
" 10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
I'm so excited! Camp is starting next week and I can't wait. I believe that God has something special planned for me there- and something for my campers.
I selected these verses because they are the camp verses for our upcoming camp. I've found a lot of strength in these verses and from meditating on them. I want these kids to see that they can be mighty warriors in Christ.
