Our life | In Focus

Back to School, Back to School (cue Billy Madison…)

// August 11th, 2011 // No Comments » // blog

It’s that dreaded exciting time of year, once again! (Really…I do find it exciting and don’t dread it, but isn’t there a certain pressure from people to act like you’re totally bummed about going back to work after such a long break? Right teachers??) The school year officially begins Monday for a Teachers Institute Day, with students skipping  trudging down the hallways on Tuesday. This year will be just a bit different. When you’ve been somewhere for 5 years, you kind of settle into a little niche. You know who you are, have started a reputation, know how you fit into the bigger picture. It’s comfortable… But like many other things, being ripped out of your comfort zone is necessary sometimes to avoid complacency. And so that ripping has begun! I have moved and semi-unpacked my teaching “stuff” (Grant’s happy it’s out of the house!) into my new, shared, classroom. I have begun meeting my new coworkers, and even tried to win them over shared some delicious gourmet cupcakes today!

The beauty of new beginnings is that all of those things you’ve settle into are now easier to change. Curriculum is slightly different, so I get to try new things. I’m in a new room, so I can organize differently. Different technology is available; I can use tools I’d never considered. I find myself staying up working on new ideas (well, let’s be honest…that’s only been two nights so far! I’m sure it won’t last.). I have a website in the works for students and parents to keep them in the loop and provide extra resources. I am looking forward to these changes! Without a doubt, I will still use my tried and true methods, but hope to improve the arsenal I currently have.

At my first school, I had one special teacher friend who functioned in many capacities for me (teaching mentor, spiritual mentor, counselor, relationship advisor, dear friend). When I moved to a new school, I thought I would never have someone who compared. I was right…I didn’t find my Darci there…instead I found an arsenal of people who all filled different roles in my life. As a team, they were my Darci. They were my professional, and at times personal, support system. I won’t find my Tamara, or Jill, or Kristie, or Katie, or Mike, or Rachel here….but I will have a support system, whether inside of the school building, or our church, or simply my family.

I am sure that God will take care of me…He always does! I am sure that He knows exactly how I fit into this new place, even though I have no idea right now. I am looking forward to seeing Him at work as I get a chance to teach our youth and serve in the community in which I am now living. I look forward to the relationships that will be built, the challenges that will be overcome, and the ways I will change throughout it all! Here’s to a new year!

Admiring the Creator, Part II

// August 10th, 2011 // 1 Comment » // blog

If you read my post from last week, you probably noticed I didn’t even talk about the sermon from Sunday. I saved that for a separate post. Grant preached during the first preview of our “coming soon” 11:15 service (9.11.11 to be exact), and as a part of this new service used a portion of the service for the congregation to worship through experience. He had several stations set up around the sanctuary with four elements at each station: dirt, water, flowers, and rocks. Our instructions were to interact with the elements and reflect on how God has used them. While I didn’t feel like I had a ton of time to reflect on them, I knew that I could spend more time reflecting later.

Have you spent time thinking about dirt lately? If you’re my mom you have…as they have a line of it and another pile of it in their yard, after having to have water pipes replaced last week!  Think about dirt, though…it really is pretty incredible. Why? We were created from it (Gen 2:7). Plants are nourished by it (and these plants nourish us!). Trees take root in dirt; it provides a foundation for them to stand tall and strong. What would life be like without this dirt that provides so much for us, and also provides pleasure for children as they play out in the dirt (not our child, though, he seems to shy away from messy stuff like that!).

What about water? Our bodies are 60% to 70% water! Water sustains us. The ability to have access to clean water is a huge privilege and blessing. We use water to cook, to wash, to grow plants (for enjoyment and food!), and to hydrate us. Without water there is no life, not to mention the fact that Jesus is referred to as the living water…the water of eternal life (John 4, John 7, Revelation 7)!

And flowers…simply beautiful. Without a lot of reflection time spent on them, I was reminded of the beautiful things God has placed in front of us for our enjoyment.

The last of the items at the stations were rocks. So many reminders packed into one simple rock. (On a side note, Gavin seems to randomly have an obsession with rocks…not all of the time, but only on certain occasions! He’ll find one in the parking lot, or someone’s landscaping and hold onto it for HOURS. Silly Gavin—to which he responds “Silly goose!”) Back to rocks…rocks are strong and steady. I think of large rock formations and am reminded of how BIG our God is, and then think of how rock breaks down to sand and how tiny a grain of sand is. The sand makes me think of small and insignificant I am, one tiny grain on a magnificent beach, and yet God spends time thinking of ME (Psalm 139:17-18)! God is our rock, and is referred to several times in the OT as the Rock. Something so small can remind us of something so big.

So four simple, every day elements that can remind us of so much more! They seem insignificant at times, but I find myself thinking about things a bit differently now. What other objects do we run into on a daily basis that can remind us of who God is and what Christ has done? Salt, light, our house…the list is unending. Grant has been doing “brown bag children’s messages” all summer. The kids take turn taking a brown lunch bag home and putting a random object. They bring it back and he opens it on the spot and crafts a message about how it can remind them of their faith. It is a fun exercise (that I think the adults enjoy as much as the kids!), but a great reminder all things are a reflection of our Creator.

Admiring the Creator

// August 4th, 2011 // No Comments » // blog

Last Sunday (7.31), the sermon at church was titled “Admire the Creator”. It happened to be the first Preview service of a brand new service that is beginning at FCC, so that meant Grant would be preaching. While he doesn’t tell me every detail of his sermon ahead of time (I prefer it that way!), we usually spend some time talking about the topic. So, I’d been thinking about God’s creation a little more. Last week I also downloaded some podcasts I had been falling behind on, since I no longer spend 2 hours and 20 minutes on the road each day…I was listening to the summer series at Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, CA. You may (or may not) know this as the church at which Francis Chan used to be a Pastor (that’s how I happened upon it, anyway). The sermon I listened to was by Preston Sprinkle, a professor at Eternity Bible College, and was called The Creator God: Transcendent and Personal. How timely!!

Look up the podcast on iTunes or find it a the Cornerstone website. It was a good listen!

One of the things Sprinkle mentions is that in Genesis 1 (the history of creation) God (elohim) is used something like 35 times in the 31 verses (which he points out is bad English…haha…but repetition creates emphasis). Anyway, the emphasis in Genesis 1 of God being our creator was something I’d never noticed. I believe that God created the earth and all that is on it, but had never noticed the repetition Moses used in recording the event. Interesting…no? Well, to me it was! Then Sprinkle pointed out how much action occurs in Genesis 1. What is God doing? (Now, I know I teach math, but I can also identify action verbs!) He created, separated, made, gathered, and more. Who is doing all of the action? God. Every single action verb has God as the subject (or the actor). Take a peek at Genesis 1, for yourself and see how active God was in creating.

Genesis 1 gives a picture of how enormous and powerful God is. It shows how He is in complete control! It is pretty much impossible to wrap my mind around the enormity of God, let alone how someone so powerful cares about me, one tiny speck in the greatness of His creation! Crazy stuff! He set the earth in place, spoke light into darkness, put vegetation in place to sustain the animals he created, and breathed life into humans (who were created in His image!). And He was pleased with His work. He called it all good, and called humans very good! I’m not an artist, by any means, but I like to think I have some creative talent when I make time to make something. I don’t know if all artists feel this way, but there aren’t many times when I make something and am totally satisfied with the outcome. I usually have to do some tweaking or be satisfied with one small part of the project not quite meeting my standards. Maybe I’m a bit of a perfectionist, but I always know the little part that isn’t right (and sometimes dwell on it entirely too much). But God? He created the entire world, and did He tweak or sit back satisfied with imperfection? No, He created all things to meet His high standard. Do we look at all that He created with that in mind? That He created all things perfectly? That He created man (and woman) in His perfect image? Just something to ponder…

Before this “short” post turns into a novel, I will press pause. I have more reflection based on the sermon Sunday…but will save that for another post.