I took an idea from Roan and created a bible study binder. Of course, I took my own twist on it...but for the most part its the same. I really enjoy using it and keeping all my bible study materials organized in one binder. (a pretty one I might add! yes, I went in search of a "pretty" binder at Target and found one. ha!)

I began going through Galations 1 today. I have begun to take a chapter of the bible at a time. While reading through the chapter, I choose one verse that I can apply to my life at the moment. Then, I write that down in my Bible Study Notes section of my binder and reflect on that verse and how it applies to my life.

Today, the verse that I chose was Galations 1:10:

" Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."

My reflections:

- I am guilty of being a people pleaser. This verse tells us to stop worrying about pleasing people. Start worrying about pleasing God and follow His will. God is the one approval you need! Who else is higher?! NONE!

- Please God and do your work to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31 "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God."

- Teaching has become so much about pleasing administration and pleasing parents. At times, we lose sight of our purpose - shaping the lives of our youth. How much greater is seeing Jesus in/through me than learning multiplication facts and having high test scores?

- Working for His glory - not a stumbling block - God's work ethic should be ours! So, do your work well!

- Ask yourself: "Does this action glorify God?" or "How can i glorify God through this?"


Challenge:
Make an effort to glorify God in your actions - no matter how small or large.
- at home
- at school
- blogging (ha!)
- with friends
- with family


Do these things so that you may say as Paul did in Galations 1:24 "And they praised God because of me."

Fun Corinth Weekend

This weekend, we traveled up to Corinth to visit with family. It was our first time back since Christmas, and we had a great time. We spent all of Saturday visiting with Russ's brother and his family. Roan and I met each other with "surprises." I had her blog published in a cute book. She gave me a book called, Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit. It's great even for someone who is not homeschooling. I can definitely use it in my everyday life AND in the classroom! Thanks so much, Roan! Roan and I spent most of the afternoon "blog hopping" and TRYING to change her background. In case you are wondering, we were unsuccessful! Russ's sister came over later with her three children. Then, we all went to visit Russ's grandmother. Russ hasn't seen her in quite a while, so we were delighted to have the chance to visit.


After visiting with Munu, Russ and I met my parents at the Corinth High School basketball game. It was playoffs for North Half Champions. Corinth won. They will be traveling to Jackson next week for the State tournament. I can't wait to go see them play! We had a great time! Jimmy and Roan and the kids came also. There wasn't enough room to sit together at the game. But, don't worry! There's always text messaging!! And, we used it.

Of course, as we do every Sunday in Corinth, we went to our home church where my dad is the pastor. Then, we ate lunch with my family. We had a great weekend! We can hardly wait to be back home for good!! Only five more years to go, right?

Bow the Knee

Once again, I am reminded of the importance of prayer. In church this morning our choir sang a beautiful song that I have heard several times before. However, this morning was different. Maybe it was the happenings before church or my commitment to get on my knees every day in February. It was different. I could not keep my tears at bay...just as I had struggled since the beginning of the service. Though we may not understand God's plan, His way is perfect. This song served as a reminder to come to Him when we just don't understand his plan and cannot see a way. Come to Him when the answers are not clear and our plan is not working out the way we had hoped. Come to Him when storms arise and exhaustion sets in. Come to Him when everything is out of our control. Come to Him because He is the only ONE who is in control! BOW THE KNEE.

Please pause my playlist and listen to the song. Listen and let it speak to your heart. I posted the words below the video. Join us as we "bow our knees" and experience the power of prayer in our lives.

Bow the Knee

There are moments on our journey following the Lord

Where God illumines ev’ry step we take.

There are times when circumstances make perfect sense to us,

As we try to understand each move He makes.

When the path grows dim and our questions have no answers, turn to Him.

Bow the knee;

Trust the heart of your Father when the answer goes beyond what you can see.

Bow the knee;

Lift your eyes toward heaven and believe the One who holds eternity.

And when you don’t understand the purpose of His plan,

In the presence of the King, bow the knee.

There are days when clouds surround us, and the rain begins to fall,

The cold and lonely winds won’t cease to blow.

And there seems to be no reason for the suffering we feel;

We are tempted to believe God does not know.

When the storms arise, don’t forget we live by faith and not by sight.

Gotta Love It!

One of the funny things about working with our students is the hair. I had one student miss two days of school because she was getting her braids put in!!! This morning, a teacher next door came to my room with a big smile on her face. She informed me that one of her students had his hair cut...with a name shaved in his hair. She looked at it, and asked, "What does it say?" "Michael Jordan," he replied. She looked again. She soon realized that she was unaware of the new spelling of Jordan. Notice his hair says, "Jordon" with an 'O'.

Of course, I begged her to take a picture of it for my blog!

You gotta love it!

Another thing I love about teaching third grade in JPS is learning multiplication! During Thanksgiving, I was talking to my sister-in-laws about multiplication tips. My sister-in-law (who homeschools) mentioned a sweet/cute little cd with cute songs to remember the facts. Well, I quickly informed them that Multiplication Rap is much better!! Ha! I love it! And, obviously, the kids do too! I recorded my class working on their 5's today. Listen and learn!

Sorry about the quality...couldn't get it to upload any other way!

Gotta love it!

Happy Birthday, Russ!!

Yesterday was Russ's 27th birthday! I know, he's getting old! Ha! I keep reminding him that he will always be older than I am! We were pleasantly surprised with candy and balloons from Russ's mom (The mail didn't run yesterday, and I think she panicked.) and books about San Fransisco from Jimmy and Roan. We are going with them this summer. Russ is obsessed with Dairy Queen, and I'm not a big fan. So, I got him a gift card from DQ and an ice cream cake from there too. We had planned to go to the 9:35 movie last night after supper and One Tree Hill (can't miss that!), but I fell asleep! I guess I'm the old one. Anyway, we are going to see Taken tonight. We had a great birthday with just the three of us: me, Russ, and Farley!

Russ blowing out his candles

The cake

The mail did run today, however, and Russ has received many of his birthday goodies from our out-of-town families. Thank you all so much! Russ loves everything!

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

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I DID NOT put gorilla tape on my nice black dress pants to hold up the unravelled hem a few weeks a go! I most certainly did not! I would never use gorilla tape for weeks, washing and drying it after each wash. Surely gorilla tape isn't strong enough for that! I do not STILL have gorilla tape on my pants either! Not me!

I DID NOT watch Grey's Anatomy last week and ask my friend, after Callie said she was lonely and celebate, "How long has she known that?" This question most certainly did not send my friend into an uproar of laughter causing her to run into the other room to tell our husbands what I had just asked. I did not follow up by asking, "Oh...what is celebate?" I'm much to cool to ask such questions!

I DID NOT make my husband stop all operations of helping to cook breakfast for dinner when my phone rang only because I thought Felicia may have fixed chicken spaghetti. I would never throw away a perfectly good meal for a better offer! Not me!

I DID NOT tell my students, after our vocabulary lesson including the word stumble, that grown-ups do this late at night sometimes. I would never to such a thing! (Note: My students weren't even listening when I did not say this!)

I DID NOT ask my husband to scrub the bathrooms in exchange for me paying for dinner and a movie on Valentine's Day. I am most certainly not that old and married!

I DID NOT allow my husband to buy me an Easter dress from Anthropologie while we waited two hours to be seated at PF Chang's. I would never wait that long! And I would never buy something that nice!

I DID NOT throw toys down our long, new wood hallway just to watch my dog slide into the door multiple times. Not me!

I DID NOT text Roan last night to tell her that I emailed her. And she surely did not text me back to say that she emailed me back.

I DID NOT buy a paper shredder to shred all sensitive material. I did not do this because I did not have someone order checks in my name and write $450 worth of checks and $300 in online charges. I am not paranoid by any means! Not me!

I DID NOT become friends with Ridgeland police, Jackson Police, and two detectives over the last two weeks. I do not have any reason to talk to them!

I DID NOT wear striped socks to school today simply because my black socks weren't clean. I would never do something so crazy and "uncool!"

I AM NOT typing this during my break at school! Not me!

And, finally, today is absolutely, positively, definately NOT my husband's 27th birthday! NO WAY!

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What have you NOT done this week?

The Big Reveal!

I know some of you are wondering where the final pictures are of the Extreme Home Makeover - wood floors. Well, since all this started, we haven't had our desktop plugged up...so blogging has taken a back seat! I'm on Russ's laptop now, and I'm ready to post pictures! Russ, Pat, and Matt did an incredible job on the floors! I absolutely LOVE them! I have fallen asleep in the living room for the past few nights....just laying here enjoying my new floors, rug, and - YES - my new entertainment center!!!!!!! Yay!!! I found one at Miskelly's 40% off and Russ said, "Let's just go get it!" I think he was just overwhelmed with pride over our finished floors! When Russ and I first married, we spent the first year of our marriage with our television sitting on a green cooler that Russ had since high school. After a while, we just got used to it. Ha! Then, my college roommate, Kelly, gave us her bed, mattress, and nightstand from her high school bedroom. The bed still sits in our guest room and sleeps wonderfully! And the nightstand has held up our television for the past 3 years! Our DVD player and Playstation (along with the guitar from Guitar Hero and dance mat from Dance Dance Revolution) and all our million DVD's sat out in the open in our living room. It really looked pretty bad. But, after a while I didn't even notice! Ha! ANYWAY....it just didn't seem right to disgrace our new lovely wood floors with the same entertainment "area," so we bought our television a new home! It's beautiful! We also completely rearranged our living room. So, we've been a bit busy...and I'm now ready to reveal the final product. Enjoy!

The view from our dining room- notice the new rug and the new painting on the wall!

Our front door

The view from the front door

The hallway and dining room view

View of dining room from the front door

The hallway
This was the biggest project with all the thresholds and corner cuts, etc. The closets even have wood floors!!!

The floors look amazing, don't you think? Thank you so much, Russ, for my favorite Christmas present EVER!!!

God in the Small Things

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12

On a week like this has been for me, it is so refreshing to see God in the small things. When you work with children, you can't help but catch a glimpse of His goodness every once in a while. We took mid-terms this week. As students were finishing, they began to pull out books to read. I walked by Tyrell and smiled to myself. Wow! Of course, I ran and got my camera. Then, I thanked God for showing me Himself in the "small things" - Tyrell. He was glued to his Gideon Bible...not even taking his eyes off the pages for a second! When I finally had to ask him to put it away and listen, he stuck it into his cargo pocket of his pants for easy access. So cute

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P.S. - Don't forget to get on your knees today!

Extreme Makeover Almost Complete!

Pat and Felicia came back tonight so Pat could help Russ work on the floor. God has really blessed us with special friendships! And they got SO much done!! I'm expecting another day and some detail work...and they will be finished!

Pat and Felicia in the half-finished living room

When I came out to see the half-finished rooms...I got a little excited. I began tap dancing and sliding around all over the place! I told Felicia to join me. If she fell she would just roll! Haha! She absolutely has permission to make fun of me when I'm pregnant too!!! Love you Fe!

Felicia and me sliding around - Farley is looking at us like we're crazy!

This is the latest photo taken right before I sat down to blog. Doesn't it look awesome!?

Extreme Makeover Continues With More Help!

Tonight, Russ and I had a surprise helper! Pat and Felicia came back over to help with the floors. But, Matt and Lindsey came too!! Yay! Matt does this stuff all the time. I would consider him a pro! So, Russ, Pat, and Matt got busy until 10:30 tonight.

Russ making the perfect cuts...Thanks to Jay and Patricia for lending us this awesome tool!

Pat, Russ, and Matt making sure all is even

While the guys worked, the girls stayed busy too. Well, at least some of them. I was feeling a little under the weather, so Felicia and Lindsey brought blankets to work on...and sat on the bed with me. It was so great to visit!

Felicia and Lindsey working on baby blankets

The guys admiring their work so far

Farley decided he likes the floors. He wouldn't even step on them for a while. Finally, we coaxed him onto the "dark side." He's been all over them since then.

Everything is looking so good!! I can't wait to see the finished product. I'm sure I'll want to redecorate the whole area once I see the fancy new floors! Ha! Pat is coming back tomorrow night to help. It shouldn't be too much longer! Yay!

P.S. - Don't forget to get on your knees today!

Extreme Makeover Home Edition

The title of this post came from Pat. He helped Russ all night take up carpet, nails, and furniture! So, the least I can do is name a post as he requested! Tonight, Pat and Felicia met us at Abner's for an early supper. We ate and then headed to work! Well, the guys did. Felicia and I made a stop by Old Navy while they got started at the house! Surely they didn't expect us to break a sweat! Ha! They worked so hard and never once complained of all the major dust bunnies under furniture! It was SO embarrassing! My entire main area of the house is concrete! Which comes with ECHO! It's so weird, but exciting! I just hope it doesn't last too long. Ha ha!

I promised pictures of progress, so here goes!

Pat - maybe he didn't WORK all night!

Russ was flexing I THINK! Ha!

Rolling up the carpet in the living room - wow!

Way to work, Russ!

Now, you may have noticed how much fun the guys had "working." Ha ha! They really did work...until I brought out the camera. Then, they started acting like a couple of goofballs! Felicia and I were so impressed by their hard work! We appreciated them from a distance.

...from my bedroom!

You didn't expect for us to miss The Bachelor and One Tree Hill, did you!?

Seriously - THANK YOU so much Pat and Felicia for coming over. It's so much more fun and entertaining to work with friends!

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P.S. - Have you gotten on your knees today?

Becoming a Woman of Prayer

Today, in church, the pastor read from Luke 11:1-13 before beginning his sermon. It seems that this sermon was meant for me. This year has been a challenging one, to say the least. This past year has been filled with unknowns, frustrations, and "unanswered prayers." As I struggle with my selfishness and impatience...I find myself coming to the One who should be my FIRST stop - my ONLY stop. He is the one who can move the mountains. Why do I try so hard to take care of my burdens myself? Of course, I ask Him. But, I always end up taking control of the situation instead of letting God carry me. Jesus teaches us, in Luke, how to come to God with prayer. Who better to teach us than Jesus himself?! I want desperately to see the power of prayer in my life!

Luke 11:1 "One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples..."

The sermon focused on the power of prayer. Chip began by asking if we believed in the power of prayer, giving evidence of testimonies where prayer was powerful. He took these verses piece by piece as a "guide" to prayer.

1. First, to benefit from the power of prayer, we must pray like Jesus taught us. We must pray the pattern Jesus taught us.

2 He said to them, "When you pray, say: "Father,

Come to God as your father - "Daddy, I need you!"

Galations 4:6 "Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."


Hebrews 4:16 "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

We can go to God with confidence! Come as His child - on the basis of his faithfulness to you.

3 "...hallowed be your name, your kingdom come."

Prayer is not bending God to your will. Prayer is pulling our hearts closer to God's.

James 4:3 "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."

Ask yourself, "Will this bring glory to God?"

2. Pray with persistence. Persistence is a Greek word meaning "shamelessness."

(5-8) Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.' Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs."

Be persistent in your prayers. Come to God shamelessly. Jesus tells us to pray the pattern of prayer and pray with persistence.

3. Believe the promise Jesus gave us.

(vs. 10) "For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

Do you really believe it? Do you really have faith that God will answer prayers that align with His will and bring glory to Him?

Matthew 21:22 "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

You gotta believe! Faith as a mustard seed can move mountains. If you pray in the pattern of prayer with persistence, believing God's promise - God will answer if it gives Him glory! You must believe that!

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To close the morning, the pastor asked us one question: "If you had one prayer you could ask for and receive...what would it be? What would you pray for?

So, now, I'm asking you! If you had one prayer you could ask for and receive...what would you pray for? Would you pray for healing? Forgiveness? Mended relationship? Fertility? Renewed spirit? What would you pray for?

Join me in the challenge set before us this morning. For the next 28 days of February, take 5 minutes every day on your knees in prayer. Pray as Jesus taught us. You can get on your knees as soon as you wake up, before going to bed, in the shower...whenever you can give God your complete attention. Not multi-tasking. Spend at least 5 minutes on your knees, humbled before God, praying shamelessly for that one thing. Watch and experience, with me, the power of prayer in our lives.

Join me in becoming a woman of prayer!

Super Bowl Sunday

Russ's classmates got together tonight for the Super Bowl. Now that everyone is getting close to graduation and different rotations and interviews, they rarely see each other. It was great to see everyone and catch up. We all brought a dish...and all the food was GREAT! Thanks to Ginny and Chad for having us over to their new home! It is gorgeous!

Everyone passing around the 3-D glasses to watch halftime commercials.

Did you get 3-D glasses?

Felicia and me holding down the couch! ha! Notice her baby bump.

Pat and Felicia

Russ and me

Russ, Matt, and Pat talking "medical talk" I'm sure!

Yes, we did watch some of the Super Bowl! Mostly talking...but we did manage to watch a little bit.