Hebrews 6:12-19
That Yahweh, when He could find no one greater to swear by, swore by Himself. That He is the oath and Yahshua's obedience is the confirmation and there is no more dispute. And all we have to do is come into agreement (faith) with this immutable truth, for it is impossible for Yahweh to lie. And it is already done, though we await the full manifestation with patience.
HalleluYah!
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Matthew 25
So I've been reading the parable of the talents lately. Yahweh's drawn my attention there, and it's been very interesting because I've had to read it multiple times, pressing in, to get anything out of it. This morning, I realized something.
But first, the background. The parable of the talents is found in Matthew 25:14-30. In these verses, Yahweh is likened to a man who had three servants and entrusted to them his goods before going on a trip. The first servant is given 5 talents, the second servant 2 talents, and the third servant 1 talent. "Each according to his ability."
You know the story, the first two servants go an earn the number of talents they were given over again so that the first servant returned to his master 10 talents and the second servant 4. But the third servant, out of fear, hid his talent in a hole in the ground, and though is master received his talent back, he was not pleased with this servant.
The first two servants were both commended, however, with the same phrase (vs. 21 and 23): Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over few things, now I will make you ruler over many. Enter into the joy of your Lord.
Because these servants were not afraid, like the third was, they put their talents to use and gave their master back more than he had when he left. This is us, the Kingdom sons of Yahweh who have been entrusted with the stewardship of the earth until such time as Yahshua Himself returns to govern it.
And here's what's interesting to me: it didn't matter what the capacity of the servant had at the start...how many talents he received. Both the servant with 5 talents and the servant with 2 were commended in the same way: Well done! Because it wasn't the amount that mattered, but the faithfulness. And doesn't that make sense? Yahweh has limitless capacity and as long as we keep trusting Him and keep changing, conforming more and more to His nature, our capacity will always be increasing. We just have to be faithful and fearless. And He will say, "Well done!"
But first, the background. The parable of the talents is found in Matthew 25:14-30. In these verses, Yahweh is likened to a man who had three servants and entrusted to them his goods before going on a trip. The first servant is given 5 talents, the second servant 2 talents, and the third servant 1 talent. "Each according to his ability."
You know the story, the first two servants go an earn the number of talents they were given over again so that the first servant returned to his master 10 talents and the second servant 4. But the third servant, out of fear, hid his talent in a hole in the ground, and though is master received his talent back, he was not pleased with this servant.
The first two servants were both commended, however, with the same phrase (vs. 21 and 23): Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over few things, now I will make you ruler over many. Enter into the joy of your Lord.
Because these servants were not afraid, like the third was, they put their talents to use and gave their master back more than he had when he left. This is us, the Kingdom sons of Yahweh who have been entrusted with the stewardship of the earth until such time as Yahshua Himself returns to govern it.
And here's what's interesting to me: it didn't matter what the capacity of the servant had at the start...how many talents he received. Both the servant with 5 talents and the servant with 2 were commended in the same way: Well done! Because it wasn't the amount that mattered, but the faithfulness. And doesn't that make sense? Yahweh has limitless capacity and as long as we keep trusting Him and keep changing, conforming more and more to His nature, our capacity will always be increasing. We just have to be faithful and fearless. And He will say, "Well done!"
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
School Updates
Teaching is fun, teaching is rewarding, teaching is difficult, teaching is not boring.
What's important to remember is focussing on the kids. This is done in various ways. For me, I tend to focus on them as individuals, on their personalities, lives, and what they need to be successful.
The sure keep things interesting. For example, today I was asked what I think was my favorite question in teaching thus far. "Were there Wednesdays in 1945?"
Yes, yes there were.
However, I've gotta commend the kid for being aware of the possibilities that Wednesday didn't always exist. It actually comes from a German day's name and did not exist before the advent of English. So, you know, he was on to something there. I didn't explain that to him, though. I just enjoyed the question.
I'm seeing more and more how kids need to learn some things that are beyond the textbooks. Basic social skills like how to de-escalate an argument, how to sit still, how to wait patiently. Many times, kids are taught these kinds of things at home, but sometimes they are not. When you combine many students with various backgrounds into a classroom, you get an interesting group dynamic that can cause children to act very differently than they normally would.
These beautiful children with so much potential need to learn how to use this potential to their fullest. This can only happen if they have some of these foundational life skills, in addition to the curriculum we teach in school of reading, writing, and math.
So again, I say, it's important to focus on the children, focus on the future. The next generation is huge and strong, and they're going to inherit a world that is vastly different than the one into which they were born.
I'm glad and honored to be a teacher, to be given stewardship over the future. And I know that only with the Holy Spirit can I even hope to help them realize and receive all that Yahweh has for them. HalleluYah!
What's important to remember is focussing on the kids. This is done in various ways. For me, I tend to focus on them as individuals, on their personalities, lives, and what they need to be successful.
The sure keep things interesting. For example, today I was asked what I think was my favorite question in teaching thus far. "Were there Wednesdays in 1945?"
Yes, yes there were.
However, I've gotta commend the kid for being aware of the possibilities that Wednesday didn't always exist. It actually comes from a German day's name and did not exist before the advent of English. So, you know, he was on to something there. I didn't explain that to him, though. I just enjoyed the question.
I'm seeing more and more how kids need to learn some things that are beyond the textbooks. Basic social skills like how to de-escalate an argument, how to sit still, how to wait patiently. Many times, kids are taught these kinds of things at home, but sometimes they are not. When you combine many students with various backgrounds into a classroom, you get an interesting group dynamic that can cause children to act very differently than they normally would.
These beautiful children with so much potential need to learn how to use this potential to their fullest. This can only happen if they have some of these foundational life skills, in addition to the curriculum we teach in school of reading, writing, and math.
So again, I say, it's important to focus on the children, focus on the future. The next generation is huge and strong, and they're going to inherit a world that is vastly different than the one into which they were born.
I'm glad and honored to be a teacher, to be given stewardship over the future. And I know that only with the Holy Spirit can I even hope to help them realize and receive all that Yahweh has for them. HalleluYah!
Thursday, January 15, 2015
When Your Students Find Out About Your Blog...
They do silly things to get on the blog! Naturally...
So I have this one girl in my class this year who was in my class last year, also. She is a great kid, and she likes to be silly. Well, last year we experienced "The Nutella Incident of 2014" (not to be confused with the Frosting War of 2014). In this incident, I was innocently teaching at the white board when all of the sudden, I turn around just in time to see a jar of Nutella fly across the room.
Then, no more Nutella was allowed in my room.
Fast forward to this year. The girl of whom I'm speaking was a part of "The Nutella Incident of 2014" and she decided that she hadn't been on my blog in a while. She walks into my room, asks if I still have this blog, and proceeds to pull out a jar of Hershey's Spread (which is NOT Nutella, and so allowed, according to her). She then tosses it in the air and catches it while running around the room and saying, "Whoooo!"
Lest you think we do no learning whatsoever, I must say this was before the bell rang.
Eventually she put the jar away and class went on. And now I'm posting about it here.
Other exciting incidents at school this week include the Happening that some of my 6th graders did. For those who don't know, a Happening is a theatrical event that encourages audience participation, often by not informing the audience that something was staged and attempting to get them to react to the event as if it were real.
So, my students wrote a script for their Happening whereby they were give a presentation in front of the middle school at lunch about "anti-bullying." They'd previously painted a poster that said "No Bullying" and written a script of this presentation. The exciting part was at the end, however, when the script called for them to throw paint on each other! Boy did the kids in the lunchroom laugh! We, the adults, pretended to be mad and I think about 1/2 the kids think it was real.
All-in-all, it went pretty well. The clean up took a little longer than I expected, but other than that, it was rather fun.
All that to say, children are interesting creatures.
And now I must go because my dog is acting like a cat and sitting in my face while I'm trying to type this...just another interesting creature.
So I have this one girl in my class this year who was in my class last year, also. She is a great kid, and she likes to be silly. Well, last year we experienced "The Nutella Incident of 2014" (not to be confused with the Frosting War of 2014). In this incident, I was innocently teaching at the white board when all of the sudden, I turn around just in time to see a jar of Nutella fly across the room.
Then, no more Nutella was allowed in my room.
Fast forward to this year. The girl of whom I'm speaking was a part of "The Nutella Incident of 2014" and she decided that she hadn't been on my blog in a while. She walks into my room, asks if I still have this blog, and proceeds to pull out a jar of Hershey's Spread (which is NOT Nutella, and so allowed, according to her). She then tosses it in the air and catches it while running around the room and saying, "Whoooo!"
Lest you think we do no learning whatsoever, I must say this was before the bell rang.
Eventually she put the jar away and class went on. And now I'm posting about it here.
Other exciting incidents at school this week include the Happening that some of my 6th graders did. For those who don't know, a Happening is a theatrical event that encourages audience participation, often by not informing the audience that something was staged and attempting to get them to react to the event as if it were real.
So, my students wrote a script for their Happening whereby they were give a presentation in front of the middle school at lunch about "anti-bullying." They'd previously painted a poster that said "No Bullying" and written a script of this presentation. The exciting part was at the end, however, when the script called for them to throw paint on each other! Boy did the kids in the lunchroom laugh! We, the adults, pretended to be mad and I think about 1/2 the kids think it was real.
All-in-all, it went pretty well. The clean up took a little longer than I expected, but other than that, it was rather fun.
All that to say, children are interesting creatures.
And now I must go because my dog is acting like a cat and sitting in my face while I'm trying to type this...just another interesting creature.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
The Dromedaries of Midian and Ephah
The title of this blog post comes from Isaiah 60:6, which is discussing the immense prosperity of Israel, saying that even foreign nations shall bless Israel with goods to the praise and glory of Yahweh.
I have been reading Isaiah 60 a lot recently, as Yahweh has told me that it pertains greatly to my life in this new year of 2015. Mostly, I resonate with the verses about light and shining for Yahweh and His glory being sung in the Earth. I kind of skimmed over verse 6 at first, except for the last part where it talks about Yahweh's glory. The only reason it really caught my eye was because of the word "dromedary." I mean, I'm a linguist. That was bound to be noticed!
FYI, a dromedary is a type of camel. (I looked it up.)
Anyway, I realized through something that happened recently--namely a flat tire--that the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah are important. For how can we glorify Yahweh if we refuse to receive the prosperity He is offering us?
So yesterday, I was coming out of my apartment to go to ecclesia. I'd been battling emotions lately, so ecclesia was exactly where I wanted to be and I couldn't wait to go! When I saw that my back tire was flat, I was upset mostly because I wouldn't be able to get to ecclesia that night. Also, I wasn't looking forward to paying for a new tire, but I knew that Yahweh provides financially from previous experience.
In examining the tire, I found a screw firmly lodged therein, in a place screws definitely do not belong. So it's freezing and the tire is flat and I try to figure out what to do. My car is my only means of transportation and I cannot be without it. I call my parents and get out the insurance card and try to figure out if I need to call a tow truck because I'm pretty sure I don't have the equipment (and certain I don't have the knowledge) to change my tire. My dad reminds me that I have a Fix A Flat container in my backseat, so I get that out of the car and try to figure that out.
While I'm sitting on the ground next to the flat tire trying to read directions on the Fix A Flat, a neighbor I've never met before asks if I need help. (Yes! Yes, I did!) He jacks the car up and tries to remove the tire while I post on Instagram the fact that the tire is flat and I won't be able to make it to ecclesia.
So it turns out that tires can rust to the car. Even though my neighbor got the car jacked up and all the bolts (I think that's what they're called) out of the tire, it won't come off the car. Still, he tried and I blessed him for it. Meanwhile, two lovely friends who live somewhat nearby offer me a ride to ecclesia because of the post from Instagram. Dromedaries.
So I get to ecclesia and reboot my faith. (HalleluYah!) While I'm there, another good friend offers to come out and take a look at the tire. (Again, yes!) Someone had told me that beating on the tire with a rubber mallet might help the rusty thing come off, and I figured that maybe he'd have some luck, so I agreed to let him come out and try to get the tire off again.
He comes out and does his best, but the tire still isn't coming off. While we are out there, though, another neighbor asks if the tire is flat and says she has an air pressure pump that we can use to air it up. It works great, and my friend follows me to Walmart so we can get the tire patched up. AND the screw was in the perfect place to get it patched, so no new tire fee. Dromedaries. Actually, it ended up being a really fun day with my friend whom I don't get to see that often.
Through all of this, I remembered: I am not alone. Yahweh always provides and He will always send the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah to us when we have need. Our purposes come with their own equipping and no matter how many things don't work, Yahweh will keep sending things until they do. Everything worked together for His glory and my good.
So consider the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah. If Yahweh purposes to bless you, receive the blessing. Every purpose will need the proper equipment for it to be fulfilled, and Yahweh will ensure that it is available to you. Sometimes the purpose is transportation or fellowship. Sometimes it is simply to glorify Yahweh by being prosperous. Whatever it is, I am grateful for all of Yahweh's provision and the people whom He used to provide it. I bless their seed, whether they understand the principle of seedtime and harvest or not. HalleluYah!
I have been reading Isaiah 60 a lot recently, as Yahweh has told me that it pertains greatly to my life in this new year of 2015. Mostly, I resonate with the verses about light and shining for Yahweh and His glory being sung in the Earth. I kind of skimmed over verse 6 at first, except for the last part where it talks about Yahweh's glory. The only reason it really caught my eye was because of the word "dromedary." I mean, I'm a linguist. That was bound to be noticed!
FYI, a dromedary is a type of camel. (I looked it up.)
Anyway, I realized through something that happened recently--namely a flat tire--that the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah are important. For how can we glorify Yahweh if we refuse to receive the prosperity He is offering us?
So yesterday, I was coming out of my apartment to go to ecclesia. I'd been battling emotions lately, so ecclesia was exactly where I wanted to be and I couldn't wait to go! When I saw that my back tire was flat, I was upset mostly because I wouldn't be able to get to ecclesia that night. Also, I wasn't looking forward to paying for a new tire, but I knew that Yahweh provides financially from previous experience.
In examining the tire, I found a screw firmly lodged therein, in a place screws definitely do not belong. So it's freezing and the tire is flat and I try to figure out what to do. My car is my only means of transportation and I cannot be without it. I call my parents and get out the insurance card and try to figure out if I need to call a tow truck because I'm pretty sure I don't have the equipment (and certain I don't have the knowledge) to change my tire. My dad reminds me that I have a Fix A Flat container in my backseat, so I get that out of the car and try to figure that out.
While I'm sitting on the ground next to the flat tire trying to read directions on the Fix A Flat, a neighbor I've never met before asks if I need help. (Yes! Yes, I did!) He jacks the car up and tries to remove the tire while I post on Instagram the fact that the tire is flat and I won't be able to make it to ecclesia.
So it turns out that tires can rust to the car. Even though my neighbor got the car jacked up and all the bolts (I think that's what they're called) out of the tire, it won't come off the car. Still, he tried and I blessed him for it. Meanwhile, two lovely friends who live somewhat nearby offer me a ride to ecclesia because of the post from Instagram. Dromedaries.
So I get to ecclesia and reboot my faith. (HalleluYah!) While I'm there, another good friend offers to come out and take a look at the tire. (Again, yes!) Someone had told me that beating on the tire with a rubber mallet might help the rusty thing come off, and I figured that maybe he'd have some luck, so I agreed to let him come out and try to get the tire off again.
He comes out and does his best, but the tire still isn't coming off. While we are out there, though, another neighbor asks if the tire is flat and says she has an air pressure pump that we can use to air it up. It works great, and my friend follows me to Walmart so we can get the tire patched up. AND the screw was in the perfect place to get it patched, so no new tire fee. Dromedaries. Actually, it ended up being a really fun day with my friend whom I don't get to see that often.
Through all of this, I remembered: I am not alone. Yahweh always provides and He will always send the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah to us when we have need. Our purposes come with their own equipping and no matter how many things don't work, Yahweh will keep sending things until they do. Everything worked together for His glory and my good.
So consider the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah. If Yahweh purposes to bless you, receive the blessing. Every purpose will need the proper equipment for it to be fulfilled, and Yahweh will ensure that it is available to you. Sometimes the purpose is transportation or fellowship. Sometimes it is simply to glorify Yahweh by being prosperous. Whatever it is, I am grateful for all of Yahweh's provision and the people whom He used to provide it. I bless their seed, whether they understand the principle of seedtime and harvest or not. HalleluYah!
Sunday, December 21, 2014
How I Lost 200 Pounds and Kept it Off
Well, technically, it fluctuates from 200 to 195 pounds, but still, I feel it is an accomplishment that glorifies Yahweh. One of my friends advised me to write a blog about it after I posted this picture on Instagram.
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| Me in 2010 |
That's approximately 200 pounds ago.
How I Got to Be So Huge
From the age of 10-21, I was diagnosed with clinical depression. I took quite a few antidepressants and tried to survive. I also didn't really socialize with my peers, since I was one of those gifted and talented students who had a hard time connecting with people my own age. I was so bullied and ostracized that I liked to imagine that I was hiding inside a suit of armor so that nobody could hurt the real me. I then constructed that suit of armor with fat.
Of course, I didn't even know who the real me was.
When I was 21, I was healed of clinical depression by Yahweh, My God, who is able to do all things and SO MUCH MORE than I ever imagined! At that point, He told me it was time to let go of the weight I had been wearing as protection for so long.
The Process
Yahweh used the doctor to tell me that I needed to lose weight. It's not like she hadn't been telling me for years. I weighed almost 400 lbs and I was well aware that a diet consisting solely of fast-food, pasta, and sugary substances was not going to lead to a long life. But what did I care? Life was miserable and sugar was tasty. But a few months after I was healed of clinical depression, the doctor said I was heading for Type II Diabetes.
She was probably hopeless as she wrote me a prescription for a glucose regulating pill and told me yet again that I needed to exercise and eat right to lose weight.
Only this time, I was ready to listen.
I began by walking for 10 minutes on a treadmill. I know, 10 minutes doesn't seem like a lot, but believe me it is when you are carrying 387 lbs around. Each day, I increased the time by one minute until I was walking for 30 minutes a day. I knew I couldn't skip a day or I would quit, so for the first year of weight loss, I walked 30 minutes a day every day, with only weekends as a break. For those of you who like exercising and think that sounds like fun, it wasn't. I still don't like exercising, really, but I love the results!
I also started eating health bars. Now, at this time, I had no idea what I was doing, but eating health food bars for breakfast and lunch and then having a more healthful dinner was certainly better than eating Spaghetti-O's for three meals a day. (Yes! I did that!)
All of this lasted about a year until I got the stomach flu. Then, with prompting from Yahweh, I went to the doctor. She tested my blood sugar levels and they were legitimately perfect. Right in the middle of the normal range. I didn't have to take any medicine anymore, and though they wanted me to keep taking it because it was helping me lose weight, I refused to take a medicine I didn't need.
After moving out of my parents' house to accept my first teaching job, I decided that I couldn't spend the rest of my life eating health food bars for 2 meals a day. So I tried to eat healthier meals for breakfast and lunch, and it worked somewhat.
A year later, I met my friend who is a nutrition expert. He offered a class, which Yahweh told me to take, that taught me how to eat healthily. It was simple. All I had to do was avoid the chemically processed food and stick to the things that Yahweh created for us to eat. While the first six weeks or so are supposed to be plant-based foods only, I basically ate a plant-based diet for a year and a half.
After that, as part of the first fruits offering at our ecclesia, I spent 2 months eating as recommended by the Ketogenic Diet: high fat and low carb. I love carbs... during those 2 months, I literally dreamed about hot fudge sundaes and fruit! (That's right, 2 months without fruit!)
Then, Yahweh told me it was time to focus on balance. While I still eat mostly non-processed foods, I am no longer as legalistic about it. If one of my students shares five Reese's Pieces with me, I will eat them instead of telling the child no thanks. This is more of a lifelong sustainable eating method and I think I'm going to enjoy it.
I have also kept exercising, though the method has changed. Right now, I do a class called "Praise Moves" once a week. It is a Christian alternative to the Hindu practice of Yoga and it is so fun because the lady who teaches my class is incredibly encouraging.
The Future
I figure I've got 30-50 pounds more to go on this weight-loss thing. I'm almost done, and I can't believe it. Yahweh has been so faithful and I've learned so much.
As I've pressed into Him and been faithful in the natural processes listed above, Yahweh has been continuously healing me of old fears and mindsets that were hindering my ability to lose weight and walk freely in this world. It is as He has eliminated the fears that I have been able to walk this process out. And I've learned that what's important is to be healthy, not skinny, so that I can live long and glorify my Father on this Earth.
And isn't He worth it all?
So how did I lose 200 pounds? With the help of my Father, Yahweh. Why? For His glory? Could I have done it without Him? NO! Believe me, I tried, but every time I tried to do it in my own effort, I couldn't make it last longer than a week.
So this is His Story, His Glory, and His Accomplishment. And I was faithful to obey His Word.
HalleluYah!
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| Me Last Month |
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Interesting Creatures in my Classroom
So the following are interesting creatures from my classroom:
1) The mouse. There is a mouse that has been crawling around my classroom. Let me just tell you that when a mouse darts between bookcases, it can be difficult to keep students on task... O.o
2) The fish. I have class pets. There's Pablo, the angelfish, and Marco, the algae eater.
3) The children. They're always strange... but never boring. ;)
1) The mouse. There is a mouse that has been crawling around my classroom. Let me just tell you that when a mouse darts between bookcases, it can be difficult to keep students on task... O.o
2) The fish. I have class pets. There's Pablo, the angelfish, and Marco, the algae eater.
3) The children. They're always strange... but never boring. ;)
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