creating my own unknown

Even with the gas prices the way they are I still find pleasure in lacing up my running shoes, grabbing my water bottle and journal and getting in my car.

Maybe I'll go for a run, maybe I'll have some quiet time...but most of the time I just drive.

Music off. Windows down. Cell phone at home.

It's a powerful feeling to me. I feel like I can speed up and catch up with the world, turn on my blinker and merge into the left lane, pass the world, and speed into an open highway. Most of the time I'm trying to stay ahead of my emotions and driving for the first cloud break I see.

I have no directions, no destination. The one and only rule is that I travel down a road I've never been down before. I create my own unknown.

On one of my recent drives I discovered a beautiful lake nestled in this rural town. Only half of the lake was occupied by residents, and the other half was already burning with autumn colors. Kayaks and fishing boats were within sight and small ripples were seen from the deck of a local ice cream parlor. People were engaged in conversation, enjoying their late afternoon and spending time surrounded by God's creation. It was one of those moments in my life where I was content. I felt at home. I was overwhelmed with this sense of perfection and peace.

If I don't have expectations for where I am going. If I am open to anything that shows up on the side of my road, how much more will I be able to experience God in my life...how much more will I have that "Good to be Home" feeling?

i hope...

Today I hope ....
you found joy when waking up
you smiled really big
you noticed the fall leaves changing colors
you took time with God today
you learned something new about politics
you experienced unconditional love
you looked in the mirror and realized God created you in his image
you did something productive
you were stress free
you ate a delicious piece of fruit
you remembered a part of your childhood
you made a mistake
you realized that you are only human
you found a comfy spot to sit
you realized just how strong God made you (inside and out)
you thought about something funny
you had a great chat with a friend
you confronted the unconfrontable
you asked a hard question
you raised your hand in class
you found peace when sleeping
and that God blessed you in so many unexpected ways today, you are excited to wake up tomorrow and take on whatever comes your way :]

grape jam :]

When I am a PE teacher and have my soccer unit, remind me to teach the kids how to spread out from the ball. Here is my creative cue that I will use to help the kids remember where they should be in relation to the ball... I came up with it in class on Monday and my peers really liked it!

In soccer we don't cluster like grapes, we SPREAD OUT like jam :]

Am I going to be a darn good teacher or what!?

smiles!

five again?

Lately I've been going to bed at night full of excitement for the day ahead. I feel like I'm five again and having trouble sleeping because tomorrow show and tell day! It's a bit crazy, but I think alot of it has to do with the fact that I am around people I love all the time now! Even though I'm busy up the wazoo just like everyone else in this world...I'm busy in a routine...and it feels great!

This summer was far from anything routine, and it was HARD. Working at crazy times and never feeling like I was rested...it all takes a toll on me. Now, with a set routine and a schedule that seems consistent, I really do function at my best. And I'm not ashamed to say that I LOVE routines :] I should probably think more like a five year old and schedule a nap!

On another note...Starbuck's rocks :]

waiting fowardly.

This morning about 5 minutes after I woke up, I started my day with a telephone call from a great friend. We dove right into a heartfelt conversation about love, life, and Jesus. It completed my day before it even began :]

There is something special about the people I am surrounded by and the conversations I've dove into the past 24 hours. Every conversation reminded me of what it means to "wait forward".

If you are waiting for God to tell you something, you can't just stand there still and quiet. You have to keep moving, keep searching, keep reaching...you have to wait forwardly. (If that is incorrect English, I apologize, I read it in a book one time).

At the end of every conversation, I felt like I had new insight to something I never thought of before...and that reminds me that I am no longer waiting on God. Discussing life, Jesus, and our struggles with those around us is one of the most active things we can do in our faith (after prayer).

So that might just be the second part to my favorite phrase.

Enjoy the struggle friends, and continue waiting forwardly.

thanks max.

My little devotional by Max Lucado really spoke to me this morning. I thought I'd type it up and share it with those who read my little blog!

Please note that the following words are not my own, but they are the words of Max Lucado. I am not certain how Blogger wants me to cite my sources (APA, MLA, ESNLA...) but I figure a little paragraph explaining that I didn't have anything to do with the following words in quotes would do :] Please don't call the plagarism police on me.

A Life Free of Clutter
"Your heart will be where your treasure is." Matthew 6:21

"The most powerful life is the most simple life. The most powerful life is the one that knows where it is going, that knows where the source of its strength is, and the life that stays free of clutter and happenstance in hurriedness. Being busy is not a sin. Jesus was busy. Paul was busy. Peter was busy. Nothing of significance is achieved without effort and hard work and weariness. Being busy, in and of itself, is not a sin. But being busy in an endless pursuit of things that leave us empty and hollow and broken inside - that cannot be pleasing to God. One source of man's weariness is the pursuit of things that can never satisfy; but which one of us has not been caught up in that pursuit at some time in our life? Our passions, possessions, and pride - these are all dead things, the result is only weariness and dissatisfaction. "

Max Lucado
"Grace for the Moment"