This morning I awoke to a very strange sight:
Snow on the second day of Spring! What a fantastic birthday present from my Heavenly Father!!Wednesday, March 21, 2012
An Unusual Birthday Present...
Snow on the second day of Spring! What a fantastic birthday present from my Heavenly Father!!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Happy Spring!
Beneath the earthen mounds of fallen leaves
Reduced to loam by winter’s rain and snow
Three sisters slumber, till Spring's call relieves
Their drowsy captivity therebelow.
Brave Snowdrop with great hope emerges first,
Sweetly she bends her most elegant head
To bear the cold retreating winter’s worst
Before rousing her sisters from their bed.
Reduced to loam by winter’s rain and snow
Three sisters slumber, till Spring's call relieves
Their drowsy captivity therebelow.
Brave Snowdrop with great hope emerges first,
Sweetly she bends her most elegant head
To bear the cold retreating winter’s worst
Before rousing her sisters from their bed.
Then Crocus climbs to her perilous post
To cheer and gaze upon the passers by
While humble Violet wakes, by grass engrossed,
To spread her sweetness, half-hidden and shy.
Each sister in her peculiar way
Proclaims the coming of Spring’s first bright day!
To cheer and gaze upon the passers by
While humble Violet wakes, by grass engrossed,
To spread her sweetness, half-hidden and shy.
Each sister in her peculiar way
Proclaims the coming of Spring’s first bright day!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Saturday, December 24, 2011
The Joy of Christmas
On Christmas morn in manger bed
How sweetly lies the Babe!
The Son of God, come down to earth
man's sinful race to save.
And as He grows, that sinless Babe
Becomes a sinless Man
To bear our punishment for sin.
Fulfilling redemption's plan.
Upon a cross, with crown of thorns
Upon His head, He dies.
Then placed within a cold, dark tomb,
How silently He lies!
Yet, from His cold, dark tomb, from death
Behold Him now arise!
He conquered death, and rose in life
To win us for His prize!
May you be blessed this Christmas by the reminder of all Christ gave for you.
Merry Christmas!
Friday, September 2, 2011
Doing What You're Told...
This week I met the sixteen young students with whom I will be spending my schoolyear. I enjoy working with the little ones, but with sixteen (instead of last year's twelve) it has been a challenging week.
As I thought over my day, trying to figure out better ways of working with those who were struggling, a thought came to mind:
If they would just do what I tell them, their time in school would be so much more pleasant for them!
As soon as I thought the above, I realized that my students aren't the only ones who make life harder for themselves by disobeying!
So often I find myself inwardly rebelling against some small thing that I'm supposed to do. For example, I have been described as having "phonaphobia". I do not like calling people.
In orientation, I was reminded that each teacher was supposed to call the parents of thier students sometime during the first two weeks. Immediately, I had to fight against my natural propensity to fuss inwardly. I had reasons other than my "phobia" for not wanting to make the calls, but I knew that I needed to submit to authority and do as I had been told.
This was the day I had that convicting thought. I knew that this had not been about phone calls. God was showing me that I have not conquered my rebellious nature. It is still lurking in the background, waiting to make trouble.
I knew then that I needed to make those calls. It was too late to do so at that point, but I planned to make my calls the next evening.
Long story short, the Lord worked out a different way for me to accomplish the same thing as the phone calls, but only after I submitted to making them.
--Obedience is really better after all! : )
As I thought over my day, trying to figure out better ways of working with those who were struggling, a thought came to mind:
If they would just do what I tell them, their time in school would be so much more pleasant for them!
As soon as I thought the above, I realized that my students aren't the only ones who make life harder for themselves by disobeying!
So often I find myself inwardly rebelling against some small thing that I'm supposed to do. For example, I have been described as having "phonaphobia". I do not like calling people.
In orientation, I was reminded that each teacher was supposed to call the parents of thier students sometime during the first two weeks. Immediately, I had to fight against my natural propensity to fuss inwardly. I had reasons other than my "phobia" for not wanting to make the calls, but I knew that I needed to submit to authority and do as I had been told.
This was the day I had that convicting thought. I knew that this had not been about phone calls. God was showing me that I have not conquered my rebellious nature. It is still lurking in the background, waiting to make trouble.
I knew then that I needed to make those calls. It was too late to do so at that point, but I planned to make my calls the next evening.
Long story short, the Lord worked out a different way for me to accomplish the same thing as the phone calls, but only after I submitted to making them.
--Obedience is really better after all! : )
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Unspoken
The door is closed, yet on my lips
Are clinging words unspoken yet.
The thought to speak the words was there,
And lips had formed their shape, but e'er
The voice and lips the thought had met
The moment vanished; silent stood the air.
Oh Lord, help my thoughts and words to meld
Inseperably with Thy will.
May, when Thy Spirit gives a thought,
That very instant the deed be wrought.
That when life is over I find not still
Thy words unspoken past the doorway brought.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
God's Perfect Plan
In sorting through some boxes of music recently, my mom discovered a song that someone had written for me when I was born. We have been unable to unravel the mystery of who wrote it, but one phrase that was repeated through the song struck me.
"God has a plan for you."
When I was born, my parents decided that I should be an organist. You see, I was born on J.S. Bach's birthday, and had long spindly fingers and restless feet. My parents started my brother and I with piano lessons when I was about 8, and no matter how I complained and pleaded to quit, they would not let me give up. When I was about 13, I switched to a different teacher, who helped me to play well enough that I actually enjoyed playing. After about two years of lessons with her, she suggested that I begin teacher training. Now, I had long thought that I would like to teach, and when my mom came home from meeting with my teacher and told me her suggestion, it was as if a light dawned and I suddenly realized that teaching was what I was supposed to do, even though it had not been part of my plans.
After I had been teaching for several years, God reminded me of one of His plans for me that I had resisted for many years. My parents had gotten the idea "somewhere" that I was going to be a church pianist (playing for church services, choir practices, etc.) The church we were in did not present many opportunities for this, and I was surprised when Daddy started telling people that I was going to be a church pianist. This was also not in my plans, and I protested that I was a teacher, not an accompanist.
Then, God's plan moved my family to our present church, and soon after we settled there I was put on the offertory schedule. From there, I learned how to play for congregational singing, and now am not only playing for congregational on Wednesday nights, but I am also accompanying the teen choir!
Then, two years ago, God once again reminded me of another long-resisted plan. In talking with a friend at church, the subject of the organ came up, and my friend asked if I had ever considered playing the organ. Just as when I realized that God wanted me to teach, it seemed as if a light had dawned, and I suddenly thought that yes, I could do that! We "happened" to have a small organ in our house, and my piano teacher "happened" to have majored in organ at college. The church I was teaching at had a beautiful organ that I was allowed to practice on for hours on end, and soon I played for church for the first time.
Then our church's organ died, and through that God provided a beautiful new Rodgers organ --but our primary organist had moved away, so now I find myself playing the organ every Sunday --just as God had planned before I was even born!
"God has a plan for you."
When I was born, my parents decided that I should be an organist. You see, I was born on J.S. Bach's birthday, and had long spindly fingers and restless feet. My parents started my brother and I with piano lessons when I was about 8, and no matter how I complained and pleaded to quit, they would not let me give up. When I was about 13, I switched to a different teacher, who helped me to play well enough that I actually enjoyed playing. After about two years of lessons with her, she suggested that I begin teacher training. Now, I had long thought that I would like to teach, and when my mom came home from meeting with my teacher and told me her suggestion, it was as if a light dawned and I suddenly realized that teaching was what I was supposed to do, even though it had not been part of my plans.
After I had been teaching for several years, God reminded me of one of His plans for me that I had resisted for many years. My parents had gotten the idea "somewhere" that I was going to be a church pianist (playing for church services, choir practices, etc.) The church we were in did not present many opportunities for this, and I was surprised when Daddy started telling people that I was going to be a church pianist. This was also not in my plans, and I protested that I was a teacher, not an accompanist.
Then, God's plan moved my family to our present church, and soon after we settled there I was put on the offertory schedule. From there, I learned how to play for congregational singing, and now am not only playing for congregational on Wednesday nights, but I am also accompanying the teen choir!
Then, two years ago, God once again reminded me of another long-resisted plan. In talking with a friend at church, the subject of the organ came up, and my friend asked if I had ever considered playing the organ. Just as when I realized that God wanted me to teach, it seemed as if a light had dawned, and I suddenly thought that yes, I could do that! We "happened" to have a small organ in our house, and my piano teacher "happened" to have majored in organ at college. The church I was teaching at had a beautiful organ that I was allowed to practice on for hours on end, and soon I played for church for the first time.
Then our church's organ died, and through that God provided a beautiful new Rodgers organ --but our primary organist had moved away, so now I find myself playing the organ every Sunday --just as God had planned before I was even born!
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