Faith
-
The Story of Stuff
This is kinda long for a YouTube video, but totally worth the time to watch it. I think it is time we started calling for real change and taking responsibility for being the richest and often, most wasteful country in the world. Check out the website; there are some pretty cool links and information on there too. -
Laughter
Life is so much more fun when you actually enjoy today!
This is the lesson I am learning these days. When you stop worrying and planning for the future and simply enjoy today, life is a whole lot more fun. Once I decided to stop worrying about the next step and just trust God, I started enjoying teaching more and enjoying the island more. Not all the time, not every minute, but in general, life is good.
I spent my evening with four of the other teachers..we ordered pizza, watched a movie, and then preceded to spend the rest of the night laughing. I have not laughed that hard in a VERY long time. I was crying, couldn’t breathe, and having so much fun. It was one of my favorite nights since coming on island! And no matter hold old you get, certain things are still funny.
So if you ever need a laugh, just find an article about Uranus:)
You May Also Like
Being Brave Everyday
-
James 1:27
James 1:27 “ Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
This is one of my favorite verses. I think so often we get caught up in our own definitions of religion, we forget what God’s definition is. After all, He rescued us and adopted us into His family, should it surprise us that He values caring for orphans? I would argue that it should not, but that so often it does. Or perhaps surprise is the wrong word. Perhaps we just ignore it. I watched a dvd on orphans in America over Christmas and there are less orphans than churches. So if each church encouraged one family to adopt, there would be no more orphans. I know, I know, “It’s not that simple” you say. Perhaps its not. But maybe it is. Maybe it is just as simple as presenting the facts and asking our brothers and sisters to pray and seek God’s leading. Or perhaps adopting is not a reality, but what could you do? Can you offer support-emotionally, financially etc? Check out Show Hope or Hope, Believe, Obey.
See, I know someone that lives this verse. My life has been changed, impacted, and will never be the same because I met James 1:27 in a normal, average person doing extraordinary, incredible things. It’s not something I believe only certain people are called to. It’s the way we are supposed to live. Perhaps it doesn’t always look like adoption, but I believe it always looks like caring for the orphan and widow to the greatest of our capacity.You May Also Like
Being Brave Everyday
-
Relational Tithe
I have been really convicted this past year about my finances. God has blessed me with so much and I have just seen ways that I waste that. Along with that, I have been doing a lot of studying on tithing in the Bible and our finances and how they should be used. This brought me to exploring other ways to tithe. I heard about an organization called Relational Tithe via a book I was reading. After many months of putting it off, I finally visited their website. Instantly I was hooked. I found a group of believers working to create a distributive economy in which everyone has what they need. This is done through relationships. Tithes are given and then doled out to people in our circles that need the money. It is a glorious picture of believers from all over coming together to meet mutual needs in light of scriptural guidance. I joined a group and have been getting to know the members. It is a blessing to have all these new friends from all over the world. I am excited for what the next six months is going to bring about in my own life and in the lives of my new friends. As we journey together exploring what it means to have enough, I know that my heart and mind are going to be challenged to give more and love more.
I can’t wait! Bring on a community where everyone has enough and needs are met on practical and relational levels.In other news, I also got connected with a child sponsorship organization that works heavily in the area of Africa I spent a summer in. I requested a child from the village I lived in and got the most precious little girl. I am praying that Lord-willing I will be able to visit her this summer and connect personally with her and her family. Even if not, I am super excited about being able to pour back into a community that changed my life!You May Also Like
Being Brave Everyday
-
Solitude
Dear friends,
I head off to Bali tomorrow. I am so very excited for my trip and the adventures it will bring. Something about traveling to a new place just makes me quiver with excitement!!As part of my journey, I am leaving behind almost all of my attachments for a week. No blog, no Twitter, no Facebook, no e-mail. Life has thrown some curveballs my way lately and I have some VERY big decisions to make about the future. I sit here having absolutely NO idea what to do. So I figured since I have a week planned of being all alone in a foreign land, I might as well use it to my advantage. I am taking the week to go on a soul-searching journey. I am only taking my Bible, my journal and lots of music. 🙂 (well, and clothes of course!)Know that you will be in my thoughts and I would appreciate your prayers. I will update you when I return of all my adventures.Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!AmandaYou May Also Like
Being Brave Everyday
-
Pondering This
Among us English-speaking peoples especially do the praises of poverty need once more to be boldly sung. We have grown literally afraid to be poor. We despise anyone who elects to be poor in order to simplify and save his inner life. If he does not join the general scramble, we deem him spiritless and lacking in ambition. We have lost the power even of imagining what the ancient realization of poverty could have meant; the liberation from material attachments, the unbribed soul, the manlier indifference, the paying our way by what we are and not by what we have, the right to fling away our life at any moment irresponsibly–the more athletic trim, in short, the fighting shape.-William JamesIf each morning I need an Americano from my local coffee shop, I’m not necessarily greedy; I’m just less free to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, to live responsibly toward my fellow human beings.-Shane Claiborne -
Lyrics
I will never harm you. Open your heart, I have loved you from the start.
(Song for You by Jenny and Tyler)
Those words hit me today. I was listening to the song they came from and that line is repeated ten times. I think the songwriters knew I needed to hear that. Lately, I have sorta felt like life is falling apart and I don’t know which way is up. As I try to muddle through big decisions with little information, I am coming to the realization that the core of my struggle is an inability to trust. I don’t trust God or myself. I don’t trust that God has the right or perfect plan and I don’t trust that even if He does, I am adequate enough for that plan. I know that the passions and gifts I have are unique. I mean how many people find organizing a classroom enjoyable. Or get an adrenaline rush out of planning a trip, a lesson, or anything really. And the compassion He has placed in my heart is a gift as well. I am willing to get my hands “dirty” if thats what it takes to reach people. I love to love and give. Not that I am unique in that..but I know God has given me all these things for a reason.
Yet..I still struggle. I struggle because I can’t see the plan. I can’t see how these passions fit into a bigger purpose. I can’t figure out what decision to make. I can’t figure out how to let go and let God in. To trust Him once and for all. To trust that He has loved me from the start. Although I am adventurous in a lot of areas, the future is one where I lack the ability to take a risk. I want a clear-cut, no messing around, full-proof plan that is laid out with steps 1-10 and if those don’t work, then plan B will be there to quickly pick up where plan A left off. But I feel like lately, God is asking me to take a risk. To not know all the details, but to trust in Him. That gives me a heart attack. But I know that is what in reality needs to happen.
I just have to figure out how to let that happen.You May Also Like
Being Brave Everyday
-
One Semester Down
Its official! I have finished my first semester of teaching. It seriously seems like just yesterday I was getting off the plane for the very first time, and yet before I know it I will be getting back on that plane. It has been a crazy few months and I never thought this is where I would be right now. I can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that its Christmastime as it is 85 and sunny outside. Nor can I believe that I am almost halfway through my year here in Saipan.
Teaching teaches you a lot. I think it goes for most careers working with students-they teach you as much as or maybe more than you teach them. One of things I really wanted to my teaching to be about was listening. I wanted to hear the students’ ideas and their thoughts. Was I perfect in this? NO! But one day I sat down my students in a circle and we just talked. I learned more in that one class hour from a group of 7th graders than I had in a long time. They “got” it. They knew what it meant to be treated right and what the Bible said about their actions and our actions as teachers. It made me step back and realize that my junior high students are wiser than I often give them credit for and struggling with serious things that often make school the last thing on their mind. On the other hand, they can also be very flaky and made you just want to scream because you have said the same thing 1000 times! All of this causes you, as the teacher, to work hard to figure out the balance between compassion and accountability, discipline and grace. That my friends is a very hard road to walk. However, as I read course evaluations and began my planning for next semester, I got excited about more chances to grown in those areas and new students to challenge my teaching and my life.Being a computer teacher, I will get a whole new batch of students after our break. This both excites me and saddens me. I really liked my students. We had started to bond and mesh and now I have to start from scratch again. However, I get to start from scratch again! The mistakes I made and things that didn’t work get to be re-worked and re-done. And do I have things I want to change! I also plan to re-vamp my ESL classes to make them more productive for both my students and myself and to provide more structure and consistency. It causes me to think that some days I might almost like this teaching thing!Thus, I am now faced with the decision of what to do next year. As I sat in my apartment tonight with nine rather hyper 6th grade girls, I realized that I love them. God has placed them in my life and given me a special spot for those girls. As we laughed and talked about school, life, and boys, I decided that saying good-bye will be hard no matter when I have to do it. I have fallen in love with a small island in the middle of the ocean and with a student body/school that is diverse as the ocean. I have made friends that have become family. I have experienced things that most people never get to. And ultimately I am in the exact place God wanted me to be.As I head into my break, I plan to do a lot of soul-searching. I think Bali will be good for that and you can expect a 2010 recap when I return. I have no answers nor have I made any decision as far as what is next. I am leaving those thoughts for my week alone in Bali. Perhaps being away and disconnected will give me clarity of thought.So with my first semester of teaching down and with all the highs and lows, ups and downs, laughter and tears, and all the memories that will forever be etched in my heart and mind, I can’t complain. Life is pretty good! Thanks for reading my dear blog friends and look for more of my adventures to come!You May Also Like
Being Brave Everyday
-
Check That Off My List!
Hell of the Marianas-Toughest Bike Race in Micronesia. Done and Done!Andrea and I finished the race in five hours and 20 minutes. 62 miles total, 31 miles each up and down almost every hill on my small island. We made our first cutoff time with 30 minutes to spare. Andrea finished the first leg in a little over an hour and I finished my second leg in under two hours. I was so excited! I had a very tough leg and rode it faster than I had at any point during training. At that point, it was all smooth sailing. Andrea finished the third leg in under two hours and I crossed the finish line at 11:20 or so. It took me only 50 minutes to bike the last 15 miles! I felt so awesome when I crossed that finish line. Chris, Joyce, Anna, Kayla, Ross, Kyla, and of course Andrea and Aaron were there to cheer me on. It was one of the few times I have actually felt like this was home. I think my dad is the most proud of me too-his little girl who refused to ride a bike for ten years finished a very tough bike race. I learned the importance of pushing hard and focusing on the goal. And that I need to stop under-estimating myself. I was so nervous all week that we would miss our cutoff time and we had no problem meeting it with time to spare. Andrea was an amazing teammate and her brother Aaron drove us around all morning which was a huge stress that neither of us had to worry about!Overall, the morning went amazing! No flat tires or crashes or bike malfunctions. I am so glad Andrea and I are a little crazy and decided to do it! It will be a memory I have forever. This morning my legs are tired, but I am going to give them a few days rest while I figure out what to train for next. I think a triathlon is in the works, but I will keep you updated! -
If You Had Unlimited Resources, What Would You Give This Christmas?
If You Had Unlimited Resources,What Would You Give This Christmas?I posed this question to my 6th-8th grade computer classes and thought I would post their answers as well as ask for yours.-Toys for kids that can’t afford them-Money to a person in Saipan whose house just burned down-Houses and food for homeless people-Money for moneyless-Peace for North and South Korea-Money to the poor in Saipan-Snow for N. Africa-Food for Africa-Ice to the North Pole-Water to Africa-World Peace-Joy-I will start green factories-A mansion-To everyone who doesn’t have a house, a big house-A new car for my grandpa-Houses, cars, and money for all the poor people-Food for the poor people-Clothes to the poor-Supplies to the US Army-1 billion to Make A Wish Foundation-Have businesses come to Saipan-Food and Clothes for the homeless-Help strays-Buy all the kids in the hospital everything they have ever wanted-Help Haiti-Buy a car for William-Give a tennis racket to all my friends-Help SCS make any renovation it needs-Help any kid learn music that want to, but can’t afford it-Clean water for all people on earth-Food and water to the poor-I would buy everyone presents-Feed South Africa-Give Yesul (his girlfriend) a pretty necklace-Send water and food to places that are poor*I would provide micro-finance loans to credible groups around the world to help them lift themselves out of poverty and make sure my parents never had to work again.What would you give?
