Dear Student,

        Here it is- what you've been dreading since May 24th: the end of summer vacation. For the last two months, you have spent your time splashing around in the pool, making money at your summer jobs, consuming vats of hot Cheetos while staring at some sort of pixelated screen, and posting selfies on social media with hashtags completely unrelated to the 6 inches of face in the photo. In a few days you will be asked to swap shorts for jeans, tanks for tees, and smartphones for calculators. Your notebooks will have lined paper instead of a screen and your texts will be limited to what you can type without looking. It will take a while to get back in the swing of things and recoup the years of material you've forgotten in eight weeks. But you will, just like you have every year.

        As you have been preparing for your first day back, know that I have been as well. I rearranged my desk, there's a new table in the corner, and you have new mail slots for your interactive notebooks. Most importantly, I have been praying for you. I pray that God prepares your heart for my classroom and my heart for your presence. I pray He will open my eyes to opportunities to help you, serve you, and love you. I pray for wisdom to answer the questions you ask about my faith and reason for my hope (because you always ask). But mostly I pray that when you walk into room B9 for another day of algebra, you see Jesus. When I explain my belief in and love for a God who took away your parent or sibling, I pray you feel comforted. When we talk about how the answer to all your questions can be found in Him and not a razor blade, I pray you feel loved. I also pray that if you reject this hope I have, you know you are rejecting Him, not me. For I have nothing to offer you apart from my Savior.

        I am looking forward a great year and I hope you are, too. I can't wait to meet you on Thursday!

not by bread alone

Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. 

Proverbs 6:21-22   

 I have Bible verses posted, framed, crammed, and hidden all over my house. Not because I'm a great person, but because I'm not. I need to see them. Often. I need to be reminded of His promises. Deuteronomy 6 tells us to write scripture on our door frames and gates, to carry them wherever we go, to speak of them from the time we wake up until we go to sleep. His Word should dwell in us richly (Colossians 3:16) and keep us from temptation (Psalm 119:11).
     There are tons (and I mean tons) of adorable prints on Etsy or in other local shops with verses, passages, promises, or themes than can help serve as little reminders throughout your day. Personally, I didn't like the idea of paying for the print plus shipping when I have paper and pens on my kitchen counter at this very moment. So I grabbed a page of white copy paper and a pencil and went to town.

     When you get it how you want it, buy some scrapbook paper that matches your color scheme (that costs a whole dollar, y'all), and use tracing paper to transfer. The biggest expense will be the hour that you spend on the whole thing.{TIP: If you don't like to free-hand, use fonts to design and trace the original through the computer screen before transferring onto final paper.}

     Voila! Can't get much easier (or cheaper) than that. Now cut paper into several different sizes, dig out old frames, and go cover your house in them.

“You’ve got a good one there.”

fabricspa

       After a long afternoon in an old, worn building aptly named The Laundromat, a small older lady who I’d never met whispered these sweet words in my ear. I followed her nod to the counter where my husband was exchanging bills for quarters. I smiled. She was right- the man across the room was a good one- and I didn’t deserve him.
        Earlier that day, you could’ve found me scowling in the passenger seat of our car, making our way across town to do laundry. I didn’t want to go. I had my own washing machine. I had my own dryer. But we weren’t bringing our clothes- just a bag full of change. As part of a Sunday school outreach, Loads of Love, we went to pay for washing and drying cycles, to meet people, and to love them. The idea of walking up to strangers makes me uncomfortable. I am very much “to myself” and feel awkward in forced situations. For a moment I thought maybe if I acted like I was in a bad mood, then Travis would offer to go alone and I would be off the hook. He noticed, but never said a word. We pulled up to The Laundromat, he grabbed his Bible, and I followed him in like the child I was acting. My plan didn’t work, and now I had four hours to sit around and wait for people to walk near the machines in the corner where I sat, offer them quarters, and somehow engage them in conversation.
        Business was slow that day, and we waited several minutes before a customer came in. A tall, middle-aged man with a cloth hamper and family-sized bottle of detergent came in and put his clothes in front of the nearest washing machine. Travis walked straight to him.
                       “Hey, how are you? I would like to pay for your laundry today.”
        The man looked at Travis, paused for a moment, and asked, “Why?”
                       “I just want to show you the love of Christ.”
        The man obliged, took the quarters, and for the next hour sat in a broken orange chair and listened as my husband shared the Gospel with him.

Boom. Attitude changed.

        As difficult as it was for me to approach strangers, I could be confident that I was not doing it alone or under my own power. God prepares His servants for servanthood, as well as the hearts of those we serve.
        Not all of the conversations we had that day were as in-depth as that one. Some people just enjoyed having someone to talk with while their whites were spinning. But that afternoon, I loved people like Christ loves people, and my husband showed me how.

        Over the last two years my relationship with my husband has strengthened my relationship with Christ. He has exemplified what marriage should- Christ’s love for the Church, His bride. He is my live-in accountability partner, my prayer warrior, my best friend.

Who in your life makes you better?

two years

It has been two full years since I've typed a single letter on this page. So much has happened since we last spoke. Let's take a look:

 

  

I turned 25 yesterday. TWENTY. FIVE. As cliche as it may sound, I feel like a totally different person than the girl who logged off two years ago. So to embrace the new me, the blog got a new name. However with that comes no attachment or promise that I will be a regular here. I only hope to keep tabs on this thing called life- hopefully with no more two-year gaps. And even more hopefully- I will eventually get around to recapping the last 730 days.

I will be the first to point out that I am not a blogger. As much as I love writing in that 7th grade essay contest sort of way, this is not my comfort zone. I know nothing about html codes, sponsors, or other blog lingo (insert unfamiliar vocabulary here). Though I do know the power words have on the soul- not only of the reader, but of the writer as well. "Letting it out", seeing it in print- however you want to put it- is a learning experience like no other. Bear with me as I learn my way through this chapter of my life, and thanks for joining me for the ride.

So if you've been here before, bless your heart for finding your way back. And if you're new here, welcome! I'm looking forward to what this blank page has in store.