Wisdom for Wednesday - What do I Savor?

Happy Wednesday! I hope you are off to a wonderful week. 

I was sad to see our volleyball season end on Saturday, but I must admit I am looking forward to some time at home after school the next few weeks before basketball begins! I'm not sure I will know what to do with all my free time...although so far I've grocery shopped on Monday and did some cooking and cleaning on Tuesday. Something tells me that free time will be gone before I know it!

Let's jump right into our Wisdom for Wednesday. I don't know if I should call this a quote or a question. It is a question, but it is also a quote. ;-)

Taken from the Bible study I wrote, There's a Fly in my Tea (aff. link).

When I think of savoring something, my mind immediately goes to chocolate. I love chocolate, especially rich, dark chocolate. In order to control my chocoholic tendencies, I will take one of my favorite dark chocolate truffles from the bag, carefully unwrap it, and take a tiny bite. I let that morsel of chocolate sit on my tongue until it is completely melted, take a drink of water, and repeat until the truffle is gone. As you can imagine, one truffle lasts a long time when eaten this way and by the time I'm finished, I am satisfied and have no need for a second truffle (this paragraph also taken from the study).

So what does savor have to do with anything?

In Matthew 16:21-33, we find Jesus had told the disciples of His coming death, burial, and resurrection. Peter rebuked Him. I just love Peter! His battle with his tongue is so much like my own. Anyway, Peter's rebuke definitely came from a lack of understanding, but there was something else to it. Jesus responds, "Get thee behind me, Satan..." (the very familiar part of the verse) but he goes on to say, "...thou art an offence unto me: for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men."

It made me wonder...what do I savor (besides chocolate)? Do I savor the things of men? Or the things of God?

If I'm honest, I know that I spend more time savoring the things of this world than I do savoring the things of God. I also know that I can't be perfect in this area, but I can be diligent to keep a right relationship with the Lord. 

What about you? What do you savor?

P.S. If you're interested in seeing how Peter eventually "got it," check out II Peter 1:3-14. ;-)

P.S.S. Feel free to check out my author page or FB page. 

Wisdom for Wednesday - God is preparing us...

Hello there!

I'm in the middle of celebrating my "birthday week" as my husband calls it and enjoying the last few weeks of summer vacation. 

I don't know about you, but the last week of July always feels like my break is over even though I don't officially return until August 21st. I think it is because once August hits, my back-to-school to-do list starts overwhelming me a bit...and I can't stop thinking about it!

Anyway, I'm glad you're joining me for this week's wisdom post. I know I say this a lot, but I LOVE this quote! ;-)

As I've been going through my Bible study, There's a Fly in my Tea (affiliate link), with my online study group, the Lord has continued to use it in my life. I know that seems odd...since I wrote it, but it is the truth! This summer study has been so good for me!

This last week, I encouraged the group to read Genesis 37-50 in preparation for a chapter on service. As I reread these chapters about Joseph, the Lord had me considering this idea of preparation (and forgiveness) as well.

If you are unfamiliar with the life of Joseph, I'll try to give you a brief summary here before I jump in to this quote:

Joseph's brothers hated him, envied him, and wanted to kill him. He was sold into slavery, falsely accused and imprisoned, and then forgotten in prison. He was the only one--he gives God all the credit--able to interpret Pharaoh's dreams warning of the coming famine. Pharaoh then sets Joseph up as ruler over the land of Egypt.

During the famine, Joseph's brothers come to buy food from Egypt, and we get to read about an amazing story of forgiveness and restoration.

Joseph was never angry or bitter.

Instead, he says things like this (emphasis mine):

"...be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life." 45:5

"And God sent me before you to preserve you..." 45:7

"...it was not you that sent me hither, but God..." 45:8

"Fear not: for am I in the place of God?" 50:19

"...ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good..." 50:20

All throughout the story, Joseph has an understanding that God had put him exactly where he needed to be for a greater purpose.

God had prepared Joseph for what he had prepared for Joseph.

And he does the same for us...

God is always preparing us for what He has prepared for us.

P.S. Visit me on my author FB page!

Wisdom for Wednesday - Get out of the boat!

Hey there! Happy Wednesday!

Is anyone else feeling like their to-do list is longer than the summer break they have left?

I mean, I'm looking ahead at my July calendar and seeing August will be here before I know it. And I know my mind will immediately shift to my back-to-school to-do list and all these unfinished summer projects will become...ahem...Christmas break projects (maybe).

Anyone with me? Anyone? ;-)

Oh, well. It is what it is!

Let's get on with today's bit of wisdom.

I love this phrase! In fact, it might be my favorite chapter title from my Bible study, There's a Fly In My Tea! (affiliate link).

This summer I'm going through my study with some ladies in a Facebook group. It has been a great refresher to me (yes, I can still be convicted by my own writing ;-)) and so fun to interact with these ladies as we strive to grow in our walk with the Lord. 

We covered this chapter a couple of weeks ago, and I found myself once again thinking, "Get out of the boat!"

The phrase came from the passage of when Peter walks on water in Matthew 14:22-33. Instead of just focusing on how Peter began to sink when he took his eyes off of Jesus (which is a great lesson), the study includes a portion celebrating that "at least he got out of the boat!"

Getting out of the boat is being obedient to what God asks us to do. Maybe it is steps of simple obedience--spending time with Him in prayer and Bible study--or maybe it is something bigger. 

One of my bigger "getting out of the boat" moments was the writing of the Bible study which I share in the book. Another was when I decided to go back to school and become a teacher. 

This year, I'll be "getting out of the boat" and starting a new position at my school. 

Reading specialist. 

I'm extremely excited...and a little nervous. Sure, I could have stayed in the comfort of my boat (2nd grade classroom), but I knew God was calling me to something different. Stepping out in obedience can sometimes be uncomfortable and a little frightening, but so worth it in the end!

Here's  another quote from the chapter that I love:

I know I'm writing to an amazingly talented group of people--we're teachers after all! So tell me...do you need to get out of the boat? :-)

P.S. I'd love to have you visit my author website and/or Facebook page if you're interested. :-)

Wisdom for Wednesday - Seek Him

Good morning!

I hope this Wednesday finds you well, and glad you stopped by for a little wisdom. :-)

I have yet to load some things on my new computer, so I'm just going to use one of the pictures that I posted earlier this week on IG and FB to share this week's quote. 

***By the way, I'd love to know how many of you reading this only follow us on our blog. Please, pretty please, comment and let me know! 

Are you seeking to know the Lord?

I just love this passage! 

We can't glory in our wisdom, our might, or our riches. 

We can glory in this, that we understand and know God.

The only way we can truly know God is through His Word. This is how He speaks to us. We must seek to know Him.

Since publishing my Bible study, There's a Fly in my Tea, I've learned that there are many women out there who desire to study the Word of God. They want to start having "devotions" but they feel like they don't know how.

In truth, there is no right or wrong way to study the Bible. I came across an article this week that talked about some different methods for having devotions that I thought I'd share. She shares some great ideas to help you get started on your own.

I'm also looking to do something online via my Facebook page for those that are interested in a little assistance and accountability. Visit my page and comment on the pinned post to let me know you'd like to do my study along with me!

Have a blessed week!

Five for Friday--A Whole Lot of Random!

Happy Friday (a day early)!

If you are like me (and are off tomorrow), all day today felt like Friday and you are completely confused.

For some reason, I could not wrap my mind around that!

Add to that Spring party day, and I was completely confused. 

Really.

This was a real conversation this morning...

Student: "Yay! It's party day!"

Me: "What? What party? 

Student: "Easter party!"

Me: "Rrrrriiiigggghhhhttttt." (said slowly, as I thought, Is that today?)

Thankfully, our PTO is in charge of getting room parents who will plan parties, so I knew everything was fine for the actual party.

Despite my confusion, I did manage to snap some pictures to share this week (two of which made this teacher do the happy dance). 

Kacey even has the linky ready early!

1

 I have a cabinet of games (inherited from previous teacher) that we pull out for Fun Friday. This is my fourth year at this school and this is the first time my students were curious enough to open up a bag that was unmarked. They were excited to put together and play this bean bag toss game. :-)

2

Let's just say last week didn't go so well... 

However, I'm happy to report that with me being EXTREMELY consistent (sometimes that is so hard--can I get an amen?), we had a much better week!

3

This was such an exciting moment, I had to snap a picture! 

I had a student actually transfer what we have been learning about open number lines to his counting coins on his HOTSHOT!

WOOHOO!

P.S. Open Number Lines task cards came from Blair Turner.

4

These boys were actually choosing to read during our Spring party! We are having a friendly AR competition between the boys and the girls, and right now the boys are behind. The party games didn't last quite long enough, so everyone was working on some Easter coloring pages. These three opted to read instead. Insert heart emoji here. :-)

5

Our church recently hosted a ladies retreat for about 300 ladies. I had my table set up in the craft room to sell copies of my Bible study, There's a Fly in my Tea! The retreats are always a good time and the messages were wonderful. It was also fun to meet people who had been reading the study and those that were seeing it for the first time. I pray daily for those who are reading it--that it would be a blessing and an encouragement to them. If you are interested in my writing, please visit me here.

That does it! I'm officially ready to start my long weekend!

It is going to be a wonderful weekend to celebrate The Risen Savior!

Wisdom for Wednesday - Don't Panic!

Well, good morning! 

I thought about my Wisdom for Wednesday post all day yesterday and still somehow laid down for the night and realized I hadn't actually posted it! Forgive me…my husband said it could be called Truth for Thursday. ;-)

This week's quote again comes from my Bible study, There's a Fly in my Tea! (to be released Monday--eeek!) It is so familiar to me that I had to go back and do a search on the blog to make sure I hadn't used it before. I found that while I have referenced this idea, I have never highlighted it as the quote. Take a look:

I first heard this during a message taken from the account of when Jesus calmed the sea in Mark 4:35-41. Jesus tells the disciples, "Let us pass over unto the other side." The great storm arises--and I do believe it had to be great to cause these fisherman to panic--and the disciples find Jesus asleep on a pillow.

Asleep on a pillow! Can you imagine?

Jesus knew the outcome! He had already told them they were crossing to the other side. 

My study goes on to say, "We panic and overreact to things in our lives because they are a surprise to us. However, God is not surprised by any of it…He knows what is going to happen in our lives before it happens, which means it is part of His master plan. And if it is part of His master plan, we can TRUST Him for the outcome."

Trust.

It seems so simple.

Yet I have to remind myself often to simply trust. 

How 'bout you?

P.S. If you're not already following along with my writing blog or Facebook page, I'd love to have you join me on the journey!

Wisdom for Wednesday - Personal Relationship

Good morning! I hope you are having a wonderful week! 

The weather has been absolutely beautiful here! We even went outside for math yesterday. That opportunity in the Kansas winter was just too tempting to pass up.  :-)

This week's wisdom quote is from my soon-to-be-released Bible study, There's a Fly in my Tea! I love doing these wisdom posts, but sometimes I do struggle to find a quote--especially if I'm not currently reading a devotional book. And Kristi said if I didn't use my study for some of our wisdom posts, she was going to! Ha!

This quote is from the first chapter where I am taking a look at the difference between our personal salvation and having a personal relationship with the Lord--although I think it really applies to all of our relationships. Take a look:

As I considered using this quote for today, I kept thinking of the time and effort we put into earthly relationships we care about. We constantly invest in those we love…spending time with them, talking to them, doing things for them, calling and texting them (if they don't live nearby), and encouraging them. If we didn't do those things, there would be no relationship. It is ongoing. It is a daily decision we make to invest our time and effort into those relationships.

The same can be said about our relationship with the Lord. We have to make an ongoing, daily decision to spend time with the Lord through prayer and Bible reading if we want to have a relationship with Him.

And he said to them all, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Luke 9:23

How's your relationship today?