Faith, Hope, and Love

For work, we recently had to take the StrengthsFinder test. The test gives you your top 5 "talents" and those talents, plus knowledge and skills, become your strengths and can make you better at whatever you do in life (in this case, teaching). Doing this made me think: What if my students were equally aware of who they are and what natural talents they have because of their personality? How might this shape how they work in class? And if I am aware of their talents, how might I better relate to my students? Could it make me a better teacher if I knew both my talents and my students ? Well, we're giving it a shot. And so during the 6th grade Culture/Testing Week, one of the sessions will be about personalities. I'm not actually teaching/leading it, but I helped plan it and during that process we took a variety of tests to figure out the simplest version for 11- and 12-year-olds. We settled on the True Colors test (another version we considered and could be c...

So just before I left for this mission trip, I re-read and finished the Gallagher Girl series by Ally Carter (awesome author, by the way). So... I'm going to take a page out of Cammie Morgan's book and create a pro and con list for everything I've experienced so far and what I've been taking away from this mission trip (also the amazing sisterhood I've seen among the daughters of As Our Own kind of reminds me of the GG sisterhood... only this one is real and a lot more life-changing, in my opinion). While the approach might be a little tounge-in-check/silly, there are two things I want to point out: There are infinitely more pros than cons. Many of the cons are actually just pros in disguise. Writing both out is in a way recording the little and big joys and gifts of this trip. Whether pro or con, I've learned so much about me, God, my relationships with Him and others. I'm still processing, and I don't feel radically different right now, but I a...

How is God calling us to care for the oppressed and the fatherless? As Christians we tend to do good works often--we spend a day volunteering or we donate a certain sum of money. We do our due diligence. We tell ourselves that we've made their lives better than it could or would have been. It's easy to think that providing a place for them to live, feeding them, and meeting basic survival needs is enough. But is it really? Earlier this week, one of my devotions was on identifying with the poor. It started out looking at Nehemiah 5: 14-18. Nehemiah was governor of the land, and his position entitled him to many great perks. But knowing that his people were poor, that they were suffering, led him to forsake what was rightfully his for their benefit and for God's glory. After all, isn't that what Jesus did for us? "Have in mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be ...

India has some of the best  food. Or at least, everything we've been given has been divine. And the culture is so service-oriented. Everyone wants to serve you. All the time. Even with things you'd rather do for yourself (like put food on your plate, or turn on your own TV). A lot of people warned me to be careful when they knew I was coming to India. It was actually kind of annoying to have some people's first comments be, "Better pack some diarrhea meds!" But we've been well taken care of and since we're only here for a short time, there are many things we are avoiding to make sure we don't get sick. No fresh fruit (which is kind of a bummer since it's bound to taste a million times better than what we get in America), but we can have bananas and oranges. We only use bottled water--for drinking, but also to brush our teeth and stuff. And in general, a good range of mild to spicy foods are offered for anyone with a sensitive stomach. And secur...

Here's the funny thing about God: He's never late. Even when you feel like things are not going to happen and you're down to the wire and you're stressing, He comes through. Just when He wants to. I've had God do things in His timing many times in my life, and so I've learned to not worry and trust in that He will provide what I need when He wants. That doesn't make the wait any easier... but I am learning. There was the time I graduated from masters and had no job and no plan. I came back to Houston and spent about 3 months looking for something. I was at a point when I was ready to give up. And then I got a call and was offered an internship I never even applied to. His Perfect Provision and in His Perfect Timing. And then when the three-month internship was ending, I was once again feeling the pressure of the job hunt. Nothing seemed to be available and the few jobs that were wouldn't even acknowledge my application with a form rejection lette...

"I've been around the world, they say that love is blind, but I love you cause I've seen you a hundred times So amazed at the world that You made"    -- Jimmy Needham, "How Great Thou Art" That's exactly what I think when I reflect on my trip to Peru. From the ocean to the mountains and valleys. The salt mines and ancient ruins. I was constantly in awe of the beauty this world holds. And how can we live in a beautiful world and doubt that there is a God? It's hard for me to fathom because I couldn't help but give glory and worship God as we drove up mountains, took trains and boats along the riverbed, and trekked through the rain forest. Peru is a fabulous place. When I first decided to do this trip, it was solely to see Macchu Picchu. I read some National Geographic article about "Places You Want to See Before It's Too Late," and they implied that the government might shut Macchu Picchu down to help persevere the archa...

As I mentioned in an earlier post , I'm totally playing catch-up on a lot of the resources the IF:Gathering has on their website (I bought their conference webcast stuff and still haven't sat down to watch any of it yet). While doing this, I fell upon this spoken word piece by Amena Brown Owen and Ann Voskamp .   Can I just say, "Window to my soul?" Fear that I'll never move past my past... That I'll never be perfect, that I'll never be worth it, that I'll never be enough... Tug of war between my fear and my calling... Fear is my chain... He is second chances... His love never runs out... His love is looking for me. So who would I be, if I wasn't afraid? Where ever He takes me, He is always the Comforter. To take the weight on my backs and offer it back to the Savior... that my life may be chiseled by his pen. Who would I be? And what would I do?

All throughout the day, I find myself writing mini-blogs in my head. But somehow these blogs never make it to the actual web. I tend to put things off and then it slips my mind altogether, or feels too late to bother. It's why there was one mega-blog about my California trip, and why there has yet to be any post about my adventures in Peru (they are coming, along with some epic photos). The plan is to do a lot better... especially while I'm in India. I hope to write a few times while I'm there. Well, I actually, I feel honor-bound to write. You see, last year, I did a run for As Our Own . My I put off really training (although I did run about 4+ of the 6+ miles I was supposed to), I put off writing thank you notes to all the people who supported me. And I put off raising money for the mission trip I am about to depart on in a little over a week. Just before Peru, I finally sat down and sent out a few letters to my childhood church families, and then wrote out letters ...