March of Books Blog Carnival!!!

The Laws of Nature

The laws of nature have once again come upon us, and this past week has been full of cancellations and school delays. I had 8 lesson plans written to do this week, and I only did one. Talk about a great start to my student teaching! Oh well. "Thus begins the blessed winter of my soul," as my friend Shakespeare once commented. (Note: that is not the exact quotation; in fact, it very well could have been altered in slight ways)
I am looking forward to days of sunshine and warmth which promise to come. It is only January, but I always get excited for spring around this time every year. Then spring turns to summer, and days are filled with outdoor activities, dripping sweat, sun burns and sun tans, lazy hours by the pool, warm nights wandering the streets of downtown West Chicago, and singing praises to God around bonfires. Ah, the days of summer! Such memories they hold for me. Yet, thinking of them now, they hold a bittersweet sigh for that which is no longer.
Never again will we travel from Dubuque to the dear old West Chicago lands to spend our summers with the greatest Christ-followers on the face of the earth. Never again will we roam the streets looking for souls to add to the kingdom of God in the historic town of West Chicago. Never again will this happen, for, you see, we have moved further than the streets of West Chicago. Yes, they will be evangelized upon in the future; however, we have moved beyond Jerusalem to Judea, and even to the remotest parts of the world, to paraphrase a Biblical reference. Those of us from Dubuque have started the Core College Ministry; others have moved to Purdue to minister on campus; others are working on moving to certain churches who need help; and still others are staying where they are planted in order to minister in the areas where God wants them.
I say we will "never again" do such and such things, but I know nothing is impossible for God. As bittersweet as it is to remember my last two summers in Chicago, I know God has amazing dreams planned for each and every one of us who seek to do his will. Perhaps we shall never see each other again on this earth, but we will be together for eternity worshiping our Savior together. Perhaps my brothers and sisters are asked to bring the gospel to China and India and Egypt and Angola and Russia. Perhaps we are separated and never hear from each other again while living on this earth. As long as we individually seek to do the will of God, we together will be united. And that, my friend, is a promise we can stake our lives upon.

Time

Oh, for the days when I could jump on and blog for hours on end, when I could write lovely stories and make sure every word was correct, and peacefully write with no worries in mind. Yes, those were the days. However, it has come to my attention lately that my blogging has come to a definite standstill. It most definitely will remain this way until Christmas break. Such is the life for a college student who enrolls in 3 colleges all in the same semester to take all the classes she needs to in order to finish on time. And no, I would not recommend it.
I must turn my undivided attention once again to my homework, which I think must be like a lover: it is always around me, rarely leaves, keeps me up at night..., demands my attention 24/7, and I even bring it with me everywhere I go. Somehow, I don't have the same feelings for it that it must have for me. Ah, yes. What was that? I'm wanted again? I must go, my friends. Farewell. :)

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School in bed anybody?

Thank God for Pain

Thank God for pain. Thank God that my muscles ache and my joints groan when I move. Thank God I have feeling in my body. A day may come down the road when I long to feel pain, feel something, anything. Someday I may be lying in a bed, unable to move, unable to feel, unable to speak.

Thank God that I can move my lips to praise Him. Thank God that I can lift my arms to dance for Him. Thank God that I can see His creation and hear the songs in the wind. Thank God I suffer the trials of living on this earth. Thank God that it will not be like this forever.

Someday we will be transformed. Someday, yes, someday SOON those who have accepted Jesus into their hearts will go to heaven and be like Him. We will know the truth for what it is. All the questions we ever had will be answered, once and for all. And we will praise God.

In the midst of trials, in the times that tears run down our faces and we beg for answers that never come, we can find comfort. As we seek to cover our heartache and grief with artificial smiles, God still sees our pain. In our sorrow, He comforts us. And He blesses us on this earth by giving us trials. With heartaches, we grow closer to Him. With physical aches, we grow our bodies into deeper submission, growing stronger.

And so today, as my muscles ache and my physical body cries out because of the demands I place on it, I thank God for pain. I thank God I can walk, and I thank Him for the pain I feel. If I could not feel pain, something would be wrong. If my body never hurt, never ached, never became tired and sore, something would be very wrong. Thank God for pain.

25 random things about me

1. Someday I will drive stick-shift
2. I used to sew anything from aprons to doll clothes on my sewing machine
3. I love chocolate. And cheesecake.
   
4. I almost died from an appendix rupture-they told me it was the flu
5. Someday I will own a horse(s)
6. I hope to go skydiving some day
7. I've never flown in a plane
8. I hate math and science, love reading and writing
9. I randomly begin writing poetry when I don't know what to write for a school assignment
10. I use the same purse until it wears out and/or breaks. I can't stand getting used to a new purse, so never switch till I really have to.
11. I've never been hospitalized in my life except for two months ago with my appendix
12. I had two extra wisdom teeth-six total-so I had to have surgery to get them out
13. I've never broken a bone
14. I have a really cool apple tree in the backyard I still climb
15. I can't stand the smell of fish-I detest working during Lent season
16. I have half a dozen brothers, five younger than me. And they know karate. Take that.
    
17. Coffee has one of three effects on me: it doesn't do anything, it makes me hyper, or I fall asleep.
18. I always order the same dish when I eat Chinese-Sesame Chicken
19. I look for cool shapes in the clouds
20. I have no relatives living closer than 3 hours away
21. My hair refuses to cooperate. When I want it straight, it curls, and when I want it curly, it poofs.
    
22. I love road trips
23. I am exactly 4 1/2 years minus two hours older than my sister
    
24. I love Aussie, British, Scottish, and Irish accents
    
25. I love God and the Bible more than anything else.