Think

found this in my inbox this morning from a friend and just wanted to share it with you.

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There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind.
She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend.
He was always there for her.
She told her boyfriend,
'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'
One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her.
When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.
He asked her,
'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?'
The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind.
The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her.
She hadn't expected that.
The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.
Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying:
'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'
This is how the human brain often works when our status changes.
Only a very few remember what life was like before,
and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.

Life Is a Gift

Today before you say an unkind word -
Think of someone who can't speak.
Before you complain about the taste of your food -
Think of someone who has nothing to eat.
Before you complain about your husband or wife -
Think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.
Today before you complain about life -
Think of someone who went too early to heaven..
Before whining about the distance you drive-
Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.
And when you are tired and complain about your job -
Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.
And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down -
Put a smile on your face and think:
you're alive and still around.

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One World, One People

Even in the turmoil, God is at work.

Today, I picked up a book called Six Months in Sudan. Written by Dr. James Maskalyk, he tells of his journey to Sudan working with Doctors Without Borders. I have begun reading it and I encourage all of you to read it, too. His blog inspired this book. Check it out at http://www.sixmonthsinsudan.com/.

Despite the oppression, wars and disease there are people who are making a difference. Someday, I hope to serve as this man and many of my friends who are doing. Hats off to those serving here in the U.S. and around the world. To those serving in the army, on college campuses, in teaching children and in many other ways too numerous and beautiful to name, thank you for all that you do. You have impacted me and changed my life in extraordinary ways. 

Discipline

"it takes discipline."

ever heard that expression before?
it seems like that very word, "discipline" denotes negative conotations.
unnerving, obligation, choiceless, rules...
could discipline ever be achieved out of love?
could love be discipline?
imagine a parent holding a child's hand while crossing the street. a parent disciplines their child in this way out love. in a similar way, Christ disciplines us. he pulls and prods, gives and takes away from our lives everyday. but like the parent, he is always there.

a friend painted this picture for me today. a child sees his father fixing the pipes underneath a sink. the young boy eagerly wants to help and the father lets him. together, they hold on to the wrench, turning it and turning it until the sink is fixed. God allows us to take part in his mission, never leaving us alone but always holding onto that wrench with us.

Secrets From a Fortune Cookie

I believe that God can speak to us in a variety of ways. Here are some of the things he said.

*Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

*In the midst of every difficulty lies opportunity.

*You will live the life that makes all others not envious, but proud of you.

*Learn to listen, not hear.

*Your smile makes everyone realize that the world is a lovely and beautiful place.

My Life Is Yours

"Take my will and make it thine,
It shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart--it is thine own,
It shall be thy royal throne."

~Frances Ridley Havergal

friends

A Dose of Reality

"...What drives the decision to live divided no more, with the risks it entails?
How do people find the courage to bring inner conviction into harmony with the outer act,
knowing when they do,
that the force of the institution may come down on their heads?

...The difference between the person who goes to the back of the bus and
the one who decides to sit up front
is probably lost in the mystery of the human heart.
But in Rosa Parks and others like her, I see a clue to an answer:
when you realize you can no longer collaborate in something that violates
your own integrity,
your understanding of punishment is suddenly transformed.

Whne the police came to Rosa Parks on the bus
and informed her that they would have to put her in jail if she did not move,
she replied, 'You may do that.'
It was a very polite way of saying,
'How could your jail begin to compare with the jail I have had myself in all these years
by collaborating with this racist system?'

The courage to live divided no more,
to face the punishment that may follow,
comes from this simple insight.

No punishment anyone lays on you
could possibly be worse
than the punishment you lay on yourself
by conspiring in your own diminshment."

(my teacher gave this excerpt out in class today.
if you want to read more:
Courage to Teach by Parker Palmer (1998) p. 171)

life

"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong."

~ Joseph Chilton Pearce

it makes me think...

i saw this in my church bulletin. it made me think of all the countless amounts of time i spend thinking negatively about a person or situation. what if all those times i thought of something positive about the person or situation? what if i start doing that now?

For a Happier Life:

~Do not give in to anger over the past or fear of the future. Do not look backwards or forwards. Enjoy the present.

~Do not waste your time and energy on grudges, gossip and negative thoughts. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

~Envy is a waste of time. God will provide what you need.

~Enjoy the simple things.

~Remember, everything in moderation.

~Play more games and read more funny books.

~Do not take yourself so seriously. Cultivate a sense of humor. Laugh a lot.

~Count your blessings and be thankful.

Smile

Just wanted to share a few pictures with you of my classroom.

"I Will"

found this on pravsworld.com