Hey everyone!
I have completed one FULL week of my teacher internship at Meridian High School and I am still alive! The students have been very nice to me. I did my first lesson last Thursday and it was ok. It could have been better; I needed to speak louder, I forgot to model the activity I wanted them to do first, I wrote on the bottom of the board, etc. But, all in all, I was not nervous of the students. More nervous of making mistakes. But, I AM human so...
My teacher supervisor and my university supervisor are both nice. Not scarey people at all. I know... everyone was at this place at one point in their lives, but when it's you...it's different. My teacher supervisor is very knowledgeable and I am gleaning some helpful tips from her.
I found this in one of my old notebooks and wanted to share it. I know some of you have already seen it, but I absolutely love David Nasser. He is such a terrific youth speaker. Anyway, I think it was published in Family Life or Parent Life, one of those magazines you get at church:
Lavish Love: Let it pour over you by David Nasser
God wants to forever win our hearts and steal our affection. He's constantly looking for ways to suck the air out of the room so that we have no choice but to recognize His glory. But sometimes, just like in any relationship, we begin to take His love for granted. Instead of being quieted by His all encompassing love, we whine.
Look around you. You have more than one book to read. More than just a slice of bread to eat. More than one shirt to wear. Do you ever lose sight of how many blessings touch your life? Do you ever let yourself come to expect it? Is it time to reflect upon just how much He's done for you?
How does He love you? Let me count the ways. God loves us so lavishly that in addition to the ways He pours out His love on our lives now, He left us a trail of love letters through His infallible Word. He created a masterpiece that speaks to us from history even as He speaks to us through blessings and grace in our everyday lives. Talk about leaving us speechless!
Adapted from Glory Revealed: How the Invisible God Makes Himself Known by David Nasser, Redemptive Art Publishing.
How about you? Have you been walking around day after day just expecting to be blessed? Have you forgotten how much He loves you? Are you complaining about every little stroke of "bad luck" you've had? Or are you reading His love letters to you and remembering that you have a Savior who loved you enough to give His life for you?
I love you guys and pray that you are drawing closer to Him every day!

¡Hola! ¡Feliz año nuevo!
My sister is awesome! Can you believe she drove all the way to my house in Mississippi from Florida on Friday and helped me CLEAN all day on Saturday. I don't think my kitchen cabinets have EVER been so white. If you could find a way to keep the plates from falling, you could literally eat off of the cabinets. If you haven't ever used Greased Lightening to clean, get some! It cleans everything. We went from the kitchen to the bathroom. A little bleach on the tile and it is shining so bright it nearly blinded Joshua when he took a shower!!! I said nearly, it did not hurt the eyes he desperately needs for sending and receiving texts one little bit. (No children were harmed in the actual cleaning of my home!)
I really wanted to share something from my Sunday School lesson this week:
"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:22-24
The author of this particular lesson is Chip Ingram and I have really enjoyed these lessons. (The title is The Miracle of Life Change). He says that as believers, we are called to lead lives that are progressively characterized by moral purity and that this change in our lives happens because of who and whose we are. We have been changed and no longer belong to the world but to Christ. He goes on to say that a "good moral life is simply the natural by-product and reflection of a genuine, loving relationship with God." These verses deal with the past, present, and the future. (put off your old self - past; to be made new in the attitude of your minds - present; and to put on the new self - future). All three of these things work together to transform our lives, to make us more like Christ. Putting off your old self is getting rid of the past - we have to get rid of all that stuff. We can't move forward in our faith if we are holding on to the past. God desires to grow us, not keep us in the same place. As we grow, our relationship with the Father becomes so much more beautiful.
Just wanted to share.