With the exception of Thursday afternoons when Kyle picks them up, my three boys stay in my classroom with me after school. As Kyle often reminds me, this is something I've always wanted. To have my kids attend the same school in which I teach is one of the reasons why I decided to become a teacher in the first place - WHAT WAS I THINKING??? Teaching lends itself naturally to the blending of job and Mom, but there are times (and for me they're frequent) when being Homework Enforcer, Reading Advisor, Math Mentor and Sibling Referee all while trying to grade papers and create lesson plans can make life a bit crazy.
This past Friday afternoon was no exception as I stepped in to settle a disagreement between my two oldest boys. How is it that brothers always seem to know exactly which buttons to push in order to send each other over the edge? Instinct, I guess.... It took only moments to assign blame as to who pushed whose buttons first and more often, leading me to fuss, "Ian, you're being an irritant!" Ian gave me a look that only 10-year-olds can give when Mom uses unexpectedly advanced vocabulary words in her description of him. It took a second for him to search through the dictionary in his mind and figure out the meaning of the word "irritant", then he just shrugged his shoulders and went back to his computer game. So much for meaningful chastisement.
I, on the other hand, experienced an epiphany. Only a few nights before, I watched a show on TV about a man who purchased a rare (and valuable) freshwater pearl from a Thrift Store for like $14 (why this kind of stuff can't happen to me, I don't know....). Anyway, as the storyline progressed, the narrator went on to explain how freshwater pearls are created. A grain of sand is introduced to an unwilling oyster who, by nature, cannot easily rid itself of said sand. The continual irritation of the sand to the oyster will, in time, create a remarkably beautiful pearl and can, for some lucky guy who hangs out at Thrift Stores, single-handedly fund your retirement.
The info about oysters and pearls was not news to me; I'd heard it all before. But it was definitely fresh on my mind as I unintentionally phrased my rebuke with "you're being an irritant". My own words stopped me short. How like God to use something ugly, like oysters, and plain, like sand, to produce something beautiful and valuable, like a pearl! And it all started with a little irritation. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that my son is ugly or plain but I am saying that his penchant for being irritating can help produce a pearl in me - if I allow myself to see the experience for what it is, an opportunity to polish my pearl!
Scripture tells us in Galatians that all Believers have been given the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. I'm convinced that God allows irritating experiences (and people - LOL!) to come into our lives so that he can polish the Fruit of the Spirit in us, creating a beautiful pearl that easily reflects Him to the world around us.
So the next time you burn the cookies or get stuck in traffic or drop your cell phone in the toilet or face off with a neighbor, remember the lowly oyster. If God can use an irritating grain of sand to create a pearl within an oyster, how much more can He create beauty within you using nothing more than an irritating experience or person. The world, my Friend, is your oyster!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
The World's Most Creative Time-Out
Jonah. One of the many people in the Bible who managed to give us a fantastic example of what NOT to do. And yet, he was able to get his act together (for a time, anyway), with a classic illustration of reluctant obedience :-). Looking for some spiritual introspection today? Read on to see what we can learn from our good friend, Jonah....
Jonah 1:1-3 (NLT) says "The LORD gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: 'Get up and go to the great city of Ninevah! Announce my judgement against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.' But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction in order to get away from the LORD..."
Jonah was told by God to do something he didn't want to do so, like a petulant child, he manipulated his circumstances to try and find a way to escape. Jonah's disobedience eventually landed him in the belly of a huge fish where he sat in a divinely appointed "time-out" for three days and three nights.
PONDER THIS:
Have you ever felt God telling you to do something you didn't want to do? Or to NOT do something you DID want to do? Was your response similar to Jonah's; a frantic attempt to manipulate your circumstances in a pitiful effort to escape God's notice? Have you ever found yourself stuck in the stench-filled belly of your consequence, wondering what in the word you were thinking in the first place?
Our sinful nature is in a constant battle with the Holy Spirit that is alive within us. God, in an effort to make us more like Christ, will challenge us to chip away at anything that doesn't resemble Him. Trying to escape his divine chisel will only lead to heartache and pain.
READ JONAH 2: 1-10
Jonah's prayer illustrates his profound repentance, his acknowledgement that God is sovereign and his gratitude for God's salvation. Take a moment to think about Jonah and his earnest prayer after being delivered from such an extraordinary circumstance. Can you relate to Jonah's experience? Jonah had to learn the hard way that trying to "get away from the LORD" can lead to painful consequences, enduring the world's most creative time-out in the process. What can you learn from his example?
Jonah 1:1-3 (NLT) says "The LORD gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: 'Get up and go to the great city of Ninevah! Announce my judgement against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.' But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction in order to get away from the LORD..."
Jonah was told by God to do something he didn't want to do so, like a petulant child, he manipulated his circumstances to try and find a way to escape. Jonah's disobedience eventually landed him in the belly of a huge fish where he sat in a divinely appointed "time-out" for three days and three nights.
PONDER THIS:
Have you ever felt God telling you to do something you didn't want to do? Or to NOT do something you DID want to do? Was your response similar to Jonah's; a frantic attempt to manipulate your circumstances in a pitiful effort to escape God's notice? Have you ever found yourself stuck in the stench-filled belly of your consequence, wondering what in the word you were thinking in the first place?
Our sinful nature is in a constant battle with the Holy Spirit that is alive within us. God, in an effort to make us more like Christ, will challenge us to chip away at anything that doesn't resemble Him. Trying to escape his divine chisel will only lead to heartache and pain.
READ JONAH 2: 1-10
Jonah's prayer illustrates his profound repentance, his acknowledgement that God is sovereign and his gratitude for God's salvation. Take a moment to think about Jonah and his earnest prayer after being delivered from such an extraordinary circumstance. Can you relate to Jonah's experience? Jonah had to learn the hard way that trying to "get away from the LORD" can lead to painful consequences, enduring the world's most creative time-out in the process. What can you learn from his example?
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
What's the Deal with Black-Eyed Peas?
I hate black-eyed peas. As a kid, my mom wouldn't let me walk away from my plate until the whole odious mound of black-eyed peas was gone. I can still remember sitting alone at a table that had already been cleared, watching the sun set through our sliding glass door and listening as my little sisters said their nighttime prayers. It took me HOURS to choke down what was probably less than a half cup of the stuff!
So you can imagine the horror I felt when I celebrated my first New Year's Day with my new husband and his family, whose southern roots go back at least six generations in Texas. Eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day was an actual tradition? Seriously? I moved to Texas in the mid-80's and had always wondered at the bags of black-eyed peas piled in pyramids at the grocery store at the end of every year. I wasn't about to draw my mom's attention to them by asking why, so I just kept my Yankee wonderings to myself. The irony of the situation is that eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day is supposed to bring you good luck - believe me, "lucky" is the LAST word I would use to describe myself when I realized I'd have to eat black-eyed peas or risk insulting my new, very southern mother-in-law.
And so I unwillingly consumed my annual bowl of black-eyed peas, all the while hunting for a decent recipe that would make them more palatable and hopefully shake my traumatic childhood memories. I knew my husband loved those loathsome legumes and would enjoy having them more than once a year, so I was excited to discover an online recipe for black-eyed peas whose 2nd ingredient was bacon! BACON!! I'm a firm believer that everything's better with bacon :-) so I eagerly tried out the recipe (with a few little tweaks) and discovered, much to my shock and surprise, that black-eyed peas CAN taste good! This recipe is uh-mazing! Why don't you give it a try? Maybe it'll bring you good luck ;-).
Lisa's Lucky Black-Eyed Peas
Ingredients:
* one bag of black-eyed peas
(rinse well and soak for about 30 minutes prior to cooking)
* 5-6 slices of bacon
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1 stalk of celery, diced (optional)
* 4 cloves of garlic, minced
* 6 cups of chicken broth (or 4 cups broth and 2 cups water)
* salt and pepper to taste
* splash of Worscestershire Sauce
Directions:
In a large pot, fry up the bacon until crisp then set aside to cool (pat off excess grease). Drain all but just a tablespoon or so of bacon drippings, then add onion, celery and garlic to the drippings that remain. Cook veggies and garlic until tender, then add broth, peas and seasonings. Turn heat up to high and bring mixture to a boil. Meanwhile, crumble bacon and add to the peas. Once the mixture comes to a boil, turn heat to low and simmer for at least 30 minutes (45 minutes to an hour is best). Adjust seasonings to taste and serve (I like to serve mine over cornbread, as pictured). Enjoy!
So you can imagine the horror I felt when I celebrated my first New Year's Day with my new husband and his family, whose southern roots go back at least six generations in Texas. Eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day was an actual tradition? Seriously? I moved to Texas in the mid-80's and had always wondered at the bags of black-eyed peas piled in pyramids at the grocery store at the end of every year. I wasn't about to draw my mom's attention to them by asking why, so I just kept my Yankee wonderings to myself. The irony of the situation is that eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day is supposed to bring you good luck - believe me, "lucky" is the LAST word I would use to describe myself when I realized I'd have to eat black-eyed peas or risk insulting my new, very southern mother-in-law.
And so I unwillingly consumed my annual bowl of black-eyed peas, all the while hunting for a decent recipe that would make them more palatable and hopefully shake my traumatic childhood memories. I knew my husband loved those loathsome legumes and would enjoy having them more than once a year, so I was excited to discover an online recipe for black-eyed peas whose 2nd ingredient was bacon! BACON!! I'm a firm believer that everything's better with bacon :-) so I eagerly tried out the recipe (with a few little tweaks) and discovered, much to my shock and surprise, that black-eyed peas CAN taste good! This recipe is uh-mazing! Why don't you give it a try? Maybe it'll bring you good luck ;-).
Lisa's Lucky Black-Eyed Peas
Ingredients:
* one bag of black-eyed peas
(rinse well and soak for about 30 minutes prior to cooking)
* 5-6 slices of bacon
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1 stalk of celery, diced (optional)
* 4 cloves of garlic, minced
* 6 cups of chicken broth (or 4 cups broth and 2 cups water)
* salt and pepper to taste
* splash of Worscestershire Sauce
Directions:
In a large pot, fry up the bacon until crisp then set aside to cool (pat off excess grease). Drain all but just a tablespoon or so of bacon drippings, then add onion, celery and garlic to the drippings that remain. Cook veggies and garlic until tender, then add broth, peas and seasonings. Turn heat up to high and bring mixture to a boil. Meanwhile, crumble bacon and add to the peas. Once the mixture comes to a boil, turn heat to low and simmer for at least 30 minutes (45 minutes to an hour is best). Adjust seasonings to taste and serve (I like to serve mine over cornbread, as pictured). Enjoy!
Monday, January 2, 2012
And here we go...
Blogging. My husband's been doing it since 2005, but I've always been reluctant jump on the Blogger's Bandwagon. They carry on their shoulders the responsibility to both inform and entertain their Followers. Ugh! I'm fighting the persistent feeling that MY blog will serve as their fail-safe cure for insomnia.
I first set up this blog in summer of 2011 during a technology conference hosted by my school district. We were required to practice setting one up, so I gave mine a title and picked my background. Then I logged out and never gave it another thought. It wasn't until I discovered PINTEREST that I began thinking about blogging again. There are so many great ideas on that website and most of them link back to someone else's amazing blog. The more I looked at their cool stuff, the more I began to think about MY cool stuff! So here I am, revisiting my 6-month-old blog and making plans to share mymediocre inspiring ideas with the world!
It's not all about PINTEREST ideas, however. My husband, Kyle, and I have been told on more than one occasion that our life would make a great reality show. Believe me, we've certainly considered the idea of installing cameras throughout our house, but it wouldn't be for television. We'd gladly use the footage to identify the reason behind the screams and growls coming from the game room or to definitively settle arguments between siblings or (best case scenario) to submit them to America's Funniest Home Videos in the hopes of winning some cash. I'm sure my children are secretly hoping that I won't divulge too many embarrassing moments on my blog, but I'm not making any promises.
On a more serious note, I'm hoping to use my blog as a place to help inspire women with words of hope and encouragement. God has done so much in my life and the lessons I've learned (and continue to learn) are nothing short of amazing! Out of all things I hope to accomplish through my blog, this is by far the mostdaunting exciting. My prayer is that God would blow my mind with how He uses "My 360° Life".
Won't you join me on my blogging adventure? Perhaps you'll be inspired by my one-hit-wonder teaching ideas or chuckle at the antics of my children (and my husband!) or find encouragement as I share about my amazing God moments. If all else fails, you can always use my blog to cure your insomnia.... :-)
I first set up this blog in summer of 2011 during a technology conference hosted by my school district. We were required to practice setting one up, so I gave mine a title and picked my background. Then I logged out and never gave it another thought. It wasn't until I discovered PINTEREST that I began thinking about blogging again. There are so many great ideas on that website and most of them link back to someone else's amazing blog. The more I looked at their cool stuff, the more I began to think about MY cool stuff! So here I am, revisiting my 6-month-old blog and making plans to share my
It's not all about PINTEREST ideas, however. My husband, Kyle, and I have been told on more than one occasion that our life would make a great reality show. Believe me, we've certainly considered the idea of installing cameras throughout our house, but it wouldn't be for television. We'd gladly use the footage to identify the reason behind the screams and growls coming from the game room or to definitively settle arguments between siblings or (best case scenario) to submit them to America's Funniest Home Videos in the hopes of winning some cash. I'm sure my children are secretly hoping that I won't divulge too many embarrassing moments on my blog, but I'm not making any promises.
On a more serious note, I'm hoping to use my blog as a place to help inspire women with words of hope and encouragement. God has done so much in my life and the lessons I've learned (and continue to learn) are nothing short of amazing! Out of all things I hope to accomplish through my blog, this is by far the most
Won't you join me on my blogging adventure? Perhaps you'll be inspired by my one-hit-wonder teaching ideas or chuckle at the antics of my children (and my husband!) or find encouragement as I share about my amazing God moments. If all else fails, you can always use my blog to cure your insomnia.... :-)
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