Friday, September 16, 2011

Blessings

The blessings have been a bit overwhelming recently! I thought I’d just make a list here…may you have a day of focusing on blessings.
1. Last Saturday: My alarm goes off. I clean my home. Friends come. We read from God’s Word together. We dig into John together. We talk about our struggles and fears. We are real, with our hands joined as we help one another on this journey of following Jesus.
2. Saturday: I spend a quiet day in my little bungalow. I read, think, organize, etc. At 5:30PM different friends come to play games. We eat. We play delightful games. We laugh. At 8:30PM the conversation turns. Now, issues are discussed. Questions are asked. Answers are analyzed. It lasts late into the evening.
3. Sunday: I teach Sunday school. The children are precious. They’ve grown so much! It is a delight to teach them. I go to lunch in the cafeteria. The chicken is much better than my normal frozen pizza. Conversations again. Deep conversations. Questions are asked and hearts are opened.
4. Monday: Family dinner again. Everyone brings something. We gather. We eat. We discuss worldviews. We talk about following Jesus.
5. Tuesday: A wonderful student teacher is in my classroom this year. Fresh ideas are shared. I am challenged.
6. Wednesday: Testimonies are given during the evening service. There is a one sentence limit. God is good!
7. Thursday: Starbucks with good people. Fun activities are planned. Reminiscing occurs about the past. Short drinks are wonderful.
8. Friday: A chance to look at Face Book. A wonderful video. My heart is encouraged! I am blessed.

Monday, September 5, 2011

A New School Year

Another school year has begun. I’m continually more and more amazed by how quickly time passes. I am overwhelmed with thankfulness to have a job that I absolutely enjoy taking part in each day. It isn’t a chore to get up to see eleven shining faces, eager to learn!

This summer was full of business, but it was absolutely wonderful. I had the awesome privilege of enjoying the company of two of my most favorite people in the entire world. Lucas, Rachel, and I worked together on moving, VBSing, shrub trimming, etc. God has blessed me with two of the best siblings a girl could ask for!

Recently, as always, thoughts continue to churn inside my mind. I’ve been overwhelmed of the brevity of life! The cultural messages of what is important are overwhelming, but if I can keep this thought at the forefront, it helps me to weed through these faulty, fleeting views.

We are here to get ready for eternity.

It’s just a brief time that I must lose my life to find it….. It is only for a moment that I must bear these burdens…. It is only for a breath that I must work through the layers that make me who I am…

THEN…..
If I am found faithful….if I have done well…. I will spend

ETERNITY
with the one who loves me, who knows what’s best for me, who died for me! Oh…..(she says with a bit of a squeal) ….I can’t wait!

“Heartache forces us to embrace God out of desparate, urgent need. God is never closer than when your heart is aching."
— Joni Eareckson Tada


Tuesday, April 12, 2011

It made my day...

It was passed to me secretly before class. I was at my desk answering before school questions and listening to the before school stories. A shy face smiled, dropped the note with a quick, "Please don't read it outloud." I opened the white evelope to find three notebook pages with fourth grade, double spaced writing.

Dear Ms. Ryder,
did anybody ever tell you that you are the Best teacher ever! Thank you for working with me throwout this year you corrected me when I kneeded it. If something happy happened you laughed with me if I did Something wrong you handled it Thank you

Your Student

P.S. You show me at Bible time about Jesus life and how to be content with all I have and to be loving of my neighbor I thank you helped me change my bad reputation this year and at tough times you pray for me and my family and the other kids You care about each and every one of us and you love us! Just to let you know we all love you to all 19 of us this year we learned a lot in the areas of Math, Science, Language and History :) Miss Ryder your the Best also I have never given anything like this to another teacher that's how special you are to me as this year comes to an end I want to say thank you and may God Bless you for ever and ever amen

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Shhh......we're sleeping......

Good evening, dear reader. It's nice and quiet here in my little cottage. It's been a busy Sunday and I should be snoozing under my comforter meandering through dreamland. But, I'm here, in my floral chair, instead...I'm thinking...about a lot...but especially about the sermon from church tonight.
So, Jonah...a character whom I have not spent tons of time analyzing. Yes, I've known the story for years, but I've been caught up in the adventure of the whale and the storm. Tonight Pastor Loper focused on Jonah being asleep in the boat. He had become comfortable enough with his decision to turn away from God that he was calmly resting while a storm was brewing.
Oh, Jesus, help me not be to a complacent Christian. Search my heart and know me! I don't want to be deceiving myself.
Here is a song that I found tonight as well. It seems to fit my thoughts this evening.

"While You Were Sleeping"

Oh little town of Bethlehem
Looks like another silent night
Above your deep and dreamless sleep
A giant star lights up the sky
And while you're lying in the dark
There shines an everlasting light
For the King has left His throne
And is sleeping in a manger tonight

Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
For God became a man
And stepped into your world today
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

Oh little town of Jerusalem
Looks like another silent night
The Father gave His only Son
The Way, the Truth, the Life had come
But there was no room for Him in the world He came to save

Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
The Savior of the world is dying on your cross today
Jerusalem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night
As we're sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children
And while we're lying in the dark
There's a shout heard 'cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night

America, what will we miss while we are sleeping
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay
America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King
Will we be sleeping
Will we be sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night

Sunday, January 9, 2011

He's Always Been Faithful to Me

I'm a little late in getting a New Year's post completed. It has been a week since I arrived back in the fair state of Florida. The sky is blue here. There are many happy things, sad things, confusing things, and down-right stressful things. These of course are all just a part of all of our lives. In fact, it's just life.

This morning I awoke to a rather yucky situation. I was in desperate need of a gentleman in my life to help, and yet, my Jesus gave me the strength to conquer the issue.

This, in the grand scheme of things, was a rather small issue, yet He gave the needed strength at the time it was needed. He has my complete and utter trust today. So whatever may come in the year 2011, I surrender and trust Him! I know He won't fail.

I've been enjoying Sara Groves. Here are the lyrics to her song, He's Always Been Faithful to Me.

Morning by morning I wake up to find
the power and comfort of God's hand in mine.
Season by season I watch him amazed, in
awe of the mystery of his perfect ways

CHORUS:
All I have need of his hand will provide.
He's always been faithful to me

I can't remember a trial or a pain he did
not recycle to bring me gain. I can't
remember one single regret in serving
God only and trusting his hand

CHORUS

This is my anthem, this is my song, the
theme of the stories I've heard for so long.
God has been faithful, he will be again.
His loving compassion, it knows no end.