11 Days Before Christmas

Twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38 when 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven's gate. Their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air. They could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there. They were filled with such joy; they didn't know what to say. They remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day. “where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse...

“This is heaven" declared a small boy. "We’re spending Christmas at God's house”. When what to their wondering eyes did appear, but Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near. He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same. Then He opened His arms and He called them by name. And in that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring those children all flew into the arms of their King and as they lingered in the warmth of His embrace, one small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face. And as if He could read all the questions she had He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of mom and dad. “then He looked down on earth, the world far below He saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and woe, then He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand, “Let My power and presence re-enter this land! “May this country be delivered from the hands of fools” “I’m taking back my nation. I'm taking back my schools! “Then He and the children stood up without a sound. “Come now my children let me show you around. “Excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran. All displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can. And I heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight, “in the midst of this darkness,” I AM STILL THE LIGHT."

---Written by Cameo Smith, Mt. Wolf, PA

Silence for Sandy Hook Elementary

Stick a Fork In Me! 'Cause I'm....DONE!

This picture provides a perfect illustration of my current emotional state.  3 years ago I began this educational journey of training to become a teacher.  I actually started the program as a candidate for secondary certification, but after working as a second grade paraprofessional I fell in love with primary grades and immediately switched to the elementary education certification track.  Since this change, my love and passion for teaching and spending my day surrounded by children has blossomed into one of life’s necessities.  Now 3 LOOOONG years later, I can officially place the professional title Master of Education or M.Ed. after my name and under my list of degrees on my resume.   Thank you Jesus!

Oh, and after reaching the finish line... I received a job offer to work as a para in kindergarten!!!

Do I ever talk about how AMAZING God is? :)

My Little Girl

 

See this little girl right here?  This little girl....

• can drive me up a wall
• is braver than I'll ever be
• gets ALL of my jokes!
• never runs out of "I love yous"
• gives the best hugs
• is my BIGGEST fan
• tends to talk in her sleep
• hates wearing socks
• has the wildest imagination
• is genuinely kind
• loves her some Jesus

and the MOST important thing you should know about this little girl is that she is the BEST thing that ever happened to me :)

Feel Good Friday

So I meant to post this earlier so that those of you who "blog stalk" during the workday would have something uplifting to feed on.  Well, it's evening now and I'm sure after a long work week you can still use a pick me up! This song puts me in a good mood and ignites a "praise party flame" whenever I hear it!  Enjoy!  

Oops, I Did It Again

One of the greatest examples in the Bible of dealing with guilt is the story of King David.  If you recall the story in 2 Samuel 11 the King knowingly took a married woman, Bathsheba, and slept with her.  Ultimately the consequences of their sin led to her pregnancy. One problem: a question of who fathered the child would be presented since her husband was a soldier in the army of Israel and was presently out at war.  Unfortunately, after other methods to cover up this transgression had failed, King David ordered the placement of the soldier to the front lines where he would be guaranteed to face death…and indeed he did.  Yet, from this moral failure David became riddled with guilt.  While I’ve never ordered the death of someone, I can relate to the King’s grappling with guilt.

I’ve made some pretty selfish choices in my life. I still do at times.  One of the selfish choices I ever made was also driven by fear, lack of faith, and it ultimately hurt the other person involved.  Christian blogger, Glynnis Whitwer once wrote that “sinful decisions can bring about a guilt-ridden condition that manifests itself in negative thinking and reduced potential.” 

Indeed, my response to my sin was just like this.  Sure I felt sorry, but I did not immediately try to push past the shame of my failure.   Sure I asked for forgiveness, but I had a hard time believing that I deserved to be forgiven for causing such hurt.  In the midst of my confession, repentance, and plea for forgiveness I lived with immense pain and regret.  Some days it was hard for my mind to think of anything else, and it didn’t make it easier that the individual I attempted to seek forgiveness from flat out refused to forgive me.  I even gave it some time, and I attempted on several other occasions to gain forgiveness from the individual, but no, they would not forgive.  Finally, I turned to God’s word and began to pour myself deeply into Him.  I learned a few things:  Only God can restore; I desperately needed God to support my desire for righteous living; Jesus Christ wants me to live joyfully. 

Like David, I eventually began to accept God’s forgiveness, found focuses for thanksgiving, gained strength from the scriptures and felt the chains of condemnation loose themselves. 

My point is this: Don’t turn away from God in your mistakes. Don’t grapple with guilt for too long; it is a debilitating emotion that produces poisonous lies making you feel unfit for God’s kingdom.  But remember who you are as a believer. We are…soldiers (2 Timothy 2:3)…more than conquerors (Romans 8:37)…friends of God (John 15:15)…His sheep (Psalm 100:3)…chosen, holy and dearly loved (Colossians 3:12).

Saying Goodbye to November

You came and went you multisyllable month. And with yourself you brought:

a renewed fixation on hot chocolate; palm trees and holy matrimony; a leap from my 20’s to 30’s; financial trials; then financial miracles; a reopening of old wounds; lessons on forgiveness; spiritual remedies for mending a broken heart; a resurgence of bad habits; then victory over bad habits; the beginning of the interview circuit; a yearning for a ‘do over’; great reunions; spiritual tug-of-wars; blasts from years past; another 4 years of Democratic leadership; sprinklings of dreams for the future…