6/8/2025 0 Comments The fear of CommitmentCommitment: God doesn’t ask about our ability or our inability, but about our availability.
This is a quote that I need to hear. So many times my first thought with something new is, “I can’t do that!” I’ve been many places, but it’s never been with the confident demeanor most people think; it’s a fearful thing to step out of one’s comfort zone. Perhaps also, the fear of failure keeps us from trying something. We have it in our heads that everything must be a success story. Edison tried around 1,200 experiments and took 14 months to create the light bulb. Had he given up, we’d be still in the dark about it. (pun intended!) He didn’t let his failure stop him. God also doesn’t need us to be perfect; He knows we can’t. He just wants us to be willing, and then He can use us in ways we’d never have imagined. This is a challenge to me; make sure I choose the right thing, and then be committed to seeing it through with God’s help. It’s hard; I get impatient when things don’t go right. Staying the course can take courage. What are things you are committed to doing or being?
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6/1/2025 0 Comments Natural Comfort
5/25/2025 0 Comments Do unto others...
5/18/2025 0 Comments And the jury says....Christian: If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
This is quite a convicting thought. I have been watching some police/legal dramas and trying to understand the way our legal system works. Movies don’t show the way real life always works, but it does give a bit of input into the need for proper evidence because “circumstances” aren’t always what they may appear to be. So, do I live my life in a way there is no doubt what I believe in? My fellow churchgoers may believe me, but do my colleagues, my neighbours? That is certainly a goal to work toward. I decided this blog would do well to have a picture of a small snowman I made. He definitely didn’t have the character to last long but melted under the heat of the sun. It’s a point to me as I look at him to decide that with God’s grace hopefully I can be a stone statue, not a wishy-washy snowman-Christian. 5/11/2025 0 Comments Simple Sayings - CharacterCharacter: What you laugh at tells plainer than words what you are.
I will admit I have a very strange sense of humor; I can find the strangest things funny. So what does that say about me? But humor, in my opinion, is a vital part of life. It helps to ease stressful situations if you can find something humorous in it, and most people will respond to something funny. Most importantly, learning to laugh at yourself will help you not to become egotistical. I will admit though, as a teacher, my sense of humor can put me in some difficult situations. It’s hard to discipline someone when you’re trying not to laugh. Or if everyone around you is solemn and serious and you can’t keep from snickering - oops! I’ve had a few church episodes that got me in hot water with my father.(But hey, when one pastor stands up to preach causing the 2nd preacher on the other end of the bench to go sailing onto the floor, I just can’t unsee that!!! How do you sober up to listen to the guy speak?! sigh) Have you ever had any good laughs that maybe just weren’t at the right time? Whether you are a funny person, or of more serious demeanour, the important thing is that you build a character that pleases God. 5/4/2025 0 Comments Simple Sayings - Challenge Challenge: If you were another person, would you like to be a friend of yourself?
Ooh, this is a tough one! If I’m totally honest, I would say some days yes, but other days, no. However, I take comfort in the fact that if I can acknowledge some days I’m not a good friend, then I’ve taken the first step to recognize my need to change some of my ways. We are all human; it’s not going to happen in a moment, but step by step we can become better people – and if that isn’t a good challenge to take on, what is? Maybe one challenge I need to apply is to simply “stop and smell the roses along the way”. And if you can’t find roses, enjoy the flowers in front of you. Live in the moment and not in the past or the future. That way you don’t miss out on the here and now! 4/27/2025 0 Comments Simple Sayings - Bible Bible: There are two parts to the Gospel: believing it, and behaving it.
This is short and to the point. I definitely can say I believe the Bible – but I guess I must say that more than I’d like to admit, people might not see me “behaving it” the way I should. This quote poked at my conscience about the times I groused about some driver when I’m travelling on the road, or rolled my eyes when I saw someone doing something I didn’t think very smart. God has shown me such grace – I need to learn to “practice what I preach” in many ways. I can be thankful for each new day to try again. The Bible is our roadmap. We just need to remember to keep checking that we are following the right route! 4/20/2025 1 Comment Simple Sayings - Attitude Attitude: The pessimist says, “It can’t be done;” the optimist says, “It can be done;” the peptimist says, “I just did it.”
Easter Sunday – the perfect Sunday for this saying – Christ “just did it” for us! He is risen indeed, and He is the perfect example of right attitude. I don’t know about you, but I find it’s easy to have a good attitude when things are going well; however, when things go wrong and every time you take one step forward it feels like you’ve gone backwards two – well, Miss Groucho comes to the forefront quite quickly. Or have you ever started the day out in a good mood, and after 10 minutes with someone who is totally negative, you find yourself grumbling too? Why is it that a negative attitude can quickly pull the positive one down, instead of the other way around? Since it is Easter, it’s also important to understand that despite the ups and downs in life, Christians will end with a positive outcome. The grave is not the pessimistic finish for us. It’s the start of eternity! So my goal for this week is to try and be the peptimist (I like that word) instead of the other two. How do you rate your attitude? Are you the pessimist or optimist? What are guidelines you have to aim towards the positive outlook on life? 4/13/2025 1 Comment Simple Sayings - Anxiety Anxiety: If you brood over your troubles, you will have a perfect hatch.
I believe I can safely say at least 99.9% of mankind has had to deal with some type of anxiety. Some people struggle with it more than others. Unfortunately I am one of those that have a lot of anxiety. I don’t know if it is because of my vivid imagination, but I have no trouble coming up with “worse case scenarios” in the flash of a second. So this saying is very opportune for me. One of my ways to combat my tendency to worry is to look at the skies. I live in an area where God sends me the most amazing sunrises and sunsets. To watch the changing colors and vastness of the sky helps me to put things in perspective. Then I realign my thinking to the fact I serve an amazing God who is never surprised or caught off guard by events. Don’t let your troubles hatch. What do you do to cope when anxiety starts nipping at your heels? 4/6/2025 0 Comments Simple Sayings - AmbitionAmbition: No one is a failure in this world who lightens a burden for someone else.
Ambition is certainly a good thing to have as long as one doesn’t take it to excess. It’s a hard, cold thing when a person puts ambition to succeed above anyone or anything else. But where would we be without ambition? Our ambitions give us a goal and a reason to keep going. It doesn’t have to be complex. It might be as simple as getting out of bed some mornings! Perhaps it’s to graduate, to get a new job, to save money for something. Whatever the objective, ambition can help us learn something new, to challenge us to become better people in our personal lives and in our communities. You can also have short term or long term ambitions. As I am just ending my spring break, my newest ambition is to head to the classroom this next week and finish off the quarter well. What ambition might you want to challenge yourself with this next week or month? Even if it's simply to do something for someone, that's special! Whatever you choose, be a bright light on your horizon – someone may need that from you! Your light might start someone's else's light. |
CategoriesFebruary 26, 2021
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What a week! As a teacher on a Hutterite colony for grade 5-12, life is non-stop from 9:00-3:30. This coming Friday is the end of quarter, so report cards will be due. So that always makes one extra busy.
But I had 2 highlights in this week. The first: I came home and stumbled over something on my step. When I picked it up and entered, I found out I was holding MY copy of my book! I felt like a mother receiving her first child. The awe and wonder of holding something I'd created and labored over for - yes, about nine months- well, that is quite the feeling. The second: Last night the doorbell rang. I answered and a man stood there with a floral arrangement. I was sure he'd come to the wrong house, but he had the right name. Imagine my amazement when I saw that friends from the States had arranged these lovely roses to be delivered to celebrate this milestone in my life. In today's Covid restrictions, such a thoughtful, kind gesture means SO much! I never get flowers, so I'm still just smiling over it. |
January 5, 2021
How many of you make New Year's Resolutions? How many of you don't because you know you won't keep them?
As I look at 2021 and wonder what this year will bring, I've decided to try a couple resolutions.
A poet once said, "It is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all." I feel that can be applied to resolutions too. As I start this year as a new author, I'm scrambling to figure out what I'm doing! This has definitely pulled me out of my comfort zone. I've asked the Lord, "What have I done? Am I stepping off this cliff to float or fly?"
So my New Year's Resolution is to have a website and put a blog on it. Will this last? It will be interesting to look back in December 2021 to see what has happened here! Tech stuff is NOT my thing. But as a teacher, I always tell my students, "Just try. You never know what might happen." So how can I do less than I preach? I will try this. No guarantees, but I've made a start! Happy New Year to you all!
As I look at 2021 and wonder what this year will bring, I've decided to try a couple resolutions.
A poet once said, "It is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all." I feel that can be applied to resolutions too. As I start this year as a new author, I'm scrambling to figure out what I'm doing! This has definitely pulled me out of my comfort zone. I've asked the Lord, "What have I done? Am I stepping off this cliff to float or fly?"
So my New Year's Resolution is to have a website and put a blog on it. Will this last? It will be interesting to look back in December 2021 to see what has happened here! Tech stuff is NOT my thing. But as a teacher, I always tell my students, "Just try. You never know what might happen." So how can I do less than I preach? I will try this. No guarantees, but I've made a start! Happy New Year to you all!