Trust Without Borders

Well, it's been a full week since we got back from the Gauntlet, so I figure I've had enough time to process what we learned, saw, and did while in Daytona Beach, Fl. Last year was my very first Gauntlet, and I really had no idea what to expect. I came back with my mind absolutely blown and completely on fire for Jesus, so my expectations for this year were very high. Gauntlet 2011 did not disappoint. Check out Brad Cooper's blog for recaps, videos, and the messages that we heard. Otherwise, keep reading to see the three biggest take-aways I had. 1. Running from God always leads to regret in life, and you know if you are running from God. This was muy importante to me because I have first hand experience on the regret that comes with running from God. It's a bad place to be in because when you walk away from God's plan, you are also walking away from his protection. The reminder I was given through this point, however, was that nothing can separate us from God'...

Toward the end of the school year, I slacked on moving my class blog over to this blog and writing the rest of it...I have decided to spend some of my last glorious days of summer finishing up those blogs. Enjoy. ------- If there is one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that life certainly is all about expecting the unexpected. Whether good or bad, any random day can hold an astronomical life change. In one split second, everything we know to be true and right can be turned upside down. In one decision, one announcement, one breath, the trajectory of our lives can be completely redirected. So, is this unpredictable world we live in a good or bad thing? Does knowing that so much is unknown and out of our control make things scary or exciting? How do we handle change when it hits us when we least expect it? Why does it seem that bad things so often happen to good people? Changes are always going to happen. Life at times is going to seem unfair. We cannot control how fast ...

So, I went to Africa. It's actually been almost a week since I've been home, and though I've told everyone who's asked all I could about the experience, I don't think I've fully processed all that happened or all I learned. This blog is that attempt...brace yourselves for a long one. I've always been a writer. It is much easier for me to sit and write letters or type messages or emails than it is for me to talk face to face or even have a phone conversation. I don't know if it's the process time I need or the security of knowing I can erase and restart if I feel I've said something stupid. I guess the keyboard is my security blanket...But even now, as I flip through my journal and reread the notes from my Kenyan rafikis, the words are so hard to come by. How do you put ten days of distraction free learning and eye opening awareness into writing? I guess I'll start with what I learned specifically from the devotions that Jake Beaty shared with...

Now, I'm finally catching up...even though it's last minute, here is the rest of the story to my student blog this week. This week while I was teaching social studies we discussed how the inventor of the radio was turned down by his own company when he suggested creating a radio system for home use. He was told that it would never catch on. Can you imagine a life without the radio for personal use? This got me thinking about other famous people who were initially turned down but later become worldwide success stories. Lucille Ball was dismissed from drama school for being too shy. The Beatles were turned down by a record company because guitar music was supposedly “on the way out.” Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. A teacher once told Thomas Edison he was “too stupid to learn anything” and he should pursue a field in which he could succeed by “virtue of his pleasant attitude.” Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper because he lacked imagina...

Sitting in church today, I realized that I have slacked on my "there is more to it" blogging. I am still sure that no one even reads these, but I know that as I write, I am processing all that God is teaching me, and I am spending some very valuable time with Jesus. Before I even begin, I have to celebrate how good God was today. My aunt and cousin woke up this morning and were going to be late to their church in Augusta. They realized that though they'd be late there, they could make it on time to the second NewSpring service, so they made a spontaneous trip to Columbia. During the service, my eleven year old cousin made the decision to get baptized! After the service, she took the plunge and publicly professed her faith in Jesus Christ! I was SO proud of her, and I'm anticipating what Jesus is going to be able to accomplish through her. I was then able to spend the BEAUTIFUL afternoon celebrating God's goodness with family. It was magical. Now, for the blog...(...

Pastor P definitely brought it this morning at NewSpring Church ...I can't remember the last time I had to write so feverishly to try and get down everything he said. It was just plain good. I am so thankful to have a pastor that I know I can trust to deliver exactly what God has for him to deliver. Perry spoke today about why bad things happen to good people. I feel that this is something that Christians and non-Christians both struggle with...if there is a God, and he is supposedly so good, why does he let bad things happen? Why do young people die? Why does your car break down at a time that you are absolutely broke and have no way to fix it? Why do your parents get a divorce? Why do people you love get cancer? I could list all the "why" questions I've heard for hours...probably days...and we would never get an actual answer. Bad things just happen. It has nothing to do with how good anyone is. They just happen. I want to share some things I took away from the mes...

I just had a forty-five minute conversation (literally) with my grandparents from Tennessee. Whenever they talk to one of us, they put the phone on speaker and both talk at the same time. It’s precious. Before I hung up, my Pappaw prayed over me, my students, and my friends. What a blessing. When I finished my call with them, I called my grandparents from North Augusta. My papa had surgery Tuesday morning, but is doing well. I had a conversation with my nana, during which she of course worried over how I was feeling and doing and asked when my next doctor's appointment is. Grandparents are the best. You are probably wondering where I am going with the blog this week, beginning with a seemingly boring recap of my conversations with my grandparents. Honestly, I am too. It’s funny to not know where I’m going because I stress to my students how important it is to always “start with your end in mind.” Talking to my grandparents just always makes me feel so loved, encourag...

If you read my last blog, you know about the tragedy that happened in the life of one of my friends this week. A young man, the boyfriend of a close friend of my family, died suddenly Monday night. I'm going to describe this boy, and I want you to know that I'm not trying to be stereotypical. Unfortunately, we live in a very "quick to judge" world, and I want you to know exactly what the world thought about him so that you can understand and see what amazing transformations can occur when God's people go out and be Jesus to the world. If you saw this boy out and about, you would think he was probably a thug. He wore baggy jeans, a big coat, a hat cocked to one side, and was Hispanic. He wore earrings and some jewelry and generally looked rough around the edges. He even got shot a few months ago. From first glance, he is the type of person your parents tell you not to get involved with. From first glance. What you may not know from first glance is that he had a sm...

My world got rocked today. In a major way. I honestly can't remember a time that the wind was so suddenly sucked out of me as it was today when I got the text message saying the boyfriend of a friend of mine had died suddenly in the night from a blood clot. Now, I didn't know him well at all...but what I do know is that I had an opportunity to make a difference in his life, and I don't know if I did. You see, he came with his girlfriend's family this Sunday to dinner and church to celebrate my upcoming birthday. I don't know all the details of his past, but I know there have been some rough spots, so I was very excited to see him come and be excited about attending. He seemed to really enjoy the service, and he was very happy afterward. I thanked him for coming, and that was it. He got in the car with his girlfriend and my mom, and off they went. Flash forward to today...I get the text. It hit me immediately...I don't know if he was saved. I didn't have enou...

What a weekend I have had. Saturday night in Charlotte at Elevation Church and all day Sunday at NewSpring Columbia...I'm not sure I (or anyone) could find two churches more in the middle of a movement of God. Tonight as I sat listening to Pastor Perry 's sermon for the second time today, something just hit me. It seems like over the past week God has been bombarding me over and over with the same message, and I finally had to say, "Okay, God, okay...I get it!" Isn't it wonderful that we have a God who won't give up on us understanding the truth we need to hear, know, and believe? I've talked in my blogs a bit this week about how important it is to realize that we are CHOSEN and LOVED by God. That message has sneaked into every single one of my quiet times and church services this week...I think the Lord is trying to tell me something! Let's start with Elevation Church last night. My friend Lisa and I drove to Charlotte to the Matthews Campus of Eleva...

I am absolutely exhausted today….It's that "my eyes hurt and won't stay open" type of fatigue, and I’m not sure why I have it. I mean, I did just have a SIX DAY unexpected break. Today was just a teacher work day, and now I have three more days off. I guess my body adjusted to staying up late and sleeping in a bit, so when the alarm went off bright and early this morning, I just wasn’t ready for it. After our work day today, I went to my favorite place in the world (Barnes and Noble) for a little QT. My extreme tiredness coupled with distractions disguised as small running and screaming children kept me from focusing like I wanted to for a while. Finally, I decided to block it all out with a little music. I went right back to Hillsong's With Everything...if you read my last post , you know why this is my "go to" song lately. Something about it literally makes me want to stand up and sing at the top of my lungs. I can feel my heart about to burst as my ...

If you are on to reading blog number three for the day, you are probably thinking, "Geez...she is going a little overboard with these posts!" Well, no worries. It won't always be like this! After four days of being snowed in, I just happen to have a lot to say. The best thing about this spontaneous vacation was the opportunity to spend a little more time with my Bible...and the Lord wasted no time in speaking some serious truth to me. This blog may seem a little haphazard and disjointed, but I've been all over the place in my quiet time this week... First, who and what God uses to teach me never ceases to amaze me. There have been times I've been walking around or driving down the road and seen, heard, or read something, and then like five minutes later thought, "Wait, what?" God sneaks truth in my life all the time, and as I am learning to hear and receive it, I am finding myself beginning to continuously seek it out. So many times a smile has crossed m...

Well, who would have thought after only one week of school we would be given another week off!? As I looked out my window Sunday night to absolutely no snow, I will admit that I thought school had been canceled a little prematurely. When I woke up entirely too early Monday to the terrifying sound of “thunder snow” and a complete winter wonderland, I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning! I could not wait to go out and play in it. Around noon my friend Katelyn texted to say her dad was going to venture out onto the treacherous roads to come rescue me and take me to her house where several of my other friends were. I was so excited until I found out her dad’s truck couldn’t even make it out of their driveway. Luckily, our friend Stanley was on his way over to her house and was able to stop and pick me up on his way. By the time all of the new arrivals showed up, there were almost fifteen people in Katelyn’s house! Snowed in with all my friends for days was such a fabulous time. We ...

Every week I write a blog for my fifth grade students and their parents. I include it in our weekly newsletter to parents, and I read it with my students on Friday. Once we’ve read it together, I have the students respond to it as a part of their weekly language arts grade. As I sit down to write on Wednesday or Thursday, I always try to think of a situation in my life from which I have learned some valuable lesson that I can pass on to my students. I want to use parts of my life to teach them not only academic skills but also skills to help them learn and live as respectful, happy citizens of our fast paced, ever changing society. I want to offer a part of me to better relate to them and their families while offering pieces of advice and encouragement I feel that I have received over time. As I reflect on my life and all it entails each week, I continuously realize that my blogs are missing what I truly wish I could talk about with my students and their families…my spiritual life an...