Saturday, September 18, 2010

Prayer at 4:30


In my hurry for holiness, don't let me mistake feeling for filling . . .

Slow me down that I may not miss one drop of You. Open every crevice and the secret dark places that I may truly be filled to overflowing with Your Spirit. Pour Yourself into me, and may I pour myself right back into You . . .

Cup my face in Your hands and kiss good-morning life onto and into my sleepy features.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

The gecko's back!

(This is my desk some time during last semester . . . Thank goodness for NEW school years! Even with the challenges they bring! And don't worry, my desk looks very different this semester. Well, kinda.)

"Set your minds, then, on endorsing by your conduct the fact that God has called and chosen you"
(1 Peter 1:10a, Phillips).

Some mornings when I curl up on the couch to jot down a few thoughts in my prayer journal, I end up reading older entries instead. This was one of those mornings, and I couldn’t help but grin at how appropriate the words from seven years ago are for my here and now. I thought some of you might relate to them, too.

October 4, 2003

This is the kind of day that threatens to make me crazy -- from the moment my feet hit the floor, I’ve felt like there would not be enough hours between this brush fire and that one . . . so much to do today, and I feel I’m starting out behind! It’s the kind of day with a schedule that wants to yank at the leash -- straining to run beyond my control -- to bust lose and run wild. So what’s a girl to do?

Well, this ol’ gal is going to remember that she is a woman of abundance, and I’m going to stop grasping at the reins and turn them over to You [Sweet Papa-God]! I am going to forget about what I maybe shoulda, coulda, woulda done earlier this week, and realize that this is where I am right now, and it’s okay -- it’s A-okay and You and I will walk this day together, and we will get done what You deem needs to be done and not go crazy! I will sit here for a moment and listen to the swish and hummm of my Kenmore tell me that, today, Life is good! Oh, Papa! Thank You that Life is good! You are the most awesome Papa!

Yesterday morning, my immediate supervisor, one of our assistant principals, asked to see me, and, of course, being the Pamm that I am, I always think I'm in trouble . . . but when I got to her office, she said, "Nah, you're not in trouble, but you're not going to be happy . . . " and she proceeded to tell me that she needed to switch me over to seventh grade.

I said, "When?"

"Now." (Well, actually, at that time, "tomorrow.")

A full week and a half already into the school year!

It seems that some of the seventh grade classes are just too full, so they divided my itty bitty sixth-grade 6/7 period among the other sixth grade teachers (only one little boy left for the day in tears) and pulled some of the seventh graders from the fuller classes and moved them over to me to teach during 6/7 period.

I assured her that it was really okay but added that I needed to go scrounge up some seventh-grade materials from the book room, like immediately! She gave me her keys, and off I headed for the book room (since I had already given away all of my own seventh grade stuff when I got my teaching schedule for this year).

And what do you think I saw when I unlocked the book room door? A tiny gecko skittered across the book room floor right in front of me . . . and I think I heard his little voice say, "Hang on!" Lol!

How absolutely cool is that!

So instead of freaking out, I'm excited and positive that God is going to do something wonderful with my now seventh-grade 6/7 period! Because it is a fact that God has called and chosen me. And if I endorse and embrace that in my spirit, then my conduct will follow!

Where are you called? (Because you ARE chosen, y’know, and that means you are called.) I’d love to hear . . .

"Set your minds, then, on endorsing by your conduct the fact that God has called and chosen you"
(1 Peter 1:10a, Phillips).

Grins,
Pamm
PS Did you know that James Avery makes the cutest little gecko charm? I know because my sweet Oldest Daughter, after reading the "Being Green" post, sent me this one with the attached note: "Hang on!"