Let’s see, what is most pressing on my mind at this moment, or what is currently the most exciting thing in my life, or what is most likely to keep your interest for ten minutes as you read this post? I wish I knew! I’ve had several ideas come up in the last month since my most recent post, but I can’t recall all of them. If I were to pick something to rant about I would write about whatever genius thought it was possible that every school child in America would ever be proficient in both reading and math, let alone by a set deadline. I might also mention the hammer of professional development which is currently beating my district’s teachers into the ground while their oblivious students continue to deliberately or accidentally perform poorly on tests and behave or misbehave in exactly the same way as usual. However, I really don’t feel like ranting, and am appreciative of my principal’s OK to ditch a few of my responsibilities, even though the things I want most to ditch are non-negotiable.
If I wanted to tell you about the fun parts of my life, I would tell you about fun pizza and movie nights with Angie, Amanda, and Teri, and submit brilliant reviews of the last three movies we rented from Netflix. I would also dedicate at least four paragraphs to the Homecoming weekend that I just spent in Morris, specifically praising my excellent former roommate Kristine for her great job as hostess (she makes a mean Sunday brunch), thanking Jill and Andrea for the lovely walks, appreciating my friends Shauna, Ketsa, Tabitha, and Belle for being such wonderful ladies to spend any amount of time with, telling Jake how much I like seeing him and how cute his dog is, and rolling my eyes while being slightly nostalgic for my football players, Counterweight boys, and tenors. However, as fun as that would be, I guess I can deliver all of my praise to my wonderful friends individually, and if I wanted to fill you in on how Homecoming weekend was, I guess I could just call you, like I called my dad to report on my tour of the UMM biomass plant.
If I wanted to tell you about the humdrum details of my daily life, I could tell you about funny things my kids do, like the 8th graders who all decided to write stories in which Miss Osthus married one of their relatives or the 7th grader who makes all of the teachers laugh and drives his classmates crazy with his “clever” comments. I could tell you that we’ve gotten close to twenty new high school students within the last month, and that I haven’t been able to enter grades or information for any of them online because with a new clerk and without our lab manager the EC is a bit behind on clerical things. I could tell you some great stories from youth group, like how much Katie and Jacob make me laugh with their arguing and how great it is that Nico and James brought a friend when Pastor Del Palmer made a missions presentation last Wednesday. However, I’ve found that not everyone appreciates exhaustive accounts of my life, and it would probably take more time than I have to give.
If I wanted to give my readers things to pray about, I could give a list of concerns for my family, particularly that Michael and Marretta would continue to settle into their new surroundings and that Julia wouldn’t, so that she will come home from Brazil! I could also tell you about all my missionary friends, some of whom are facing challenges in ministry, some of whom are working to raise funds either to go to the field or to stay there (like Sigi, Richard, and John), and some of whom are in places that are lately unsafe, like the Pacchas and the Schierkolks. I could even tell you about a long list of friends back in Morris who need some heavy duty prayer, like Sarah, Ted, and Rachel. I guess I just gave you that list, didn’t I?
If I wanted to tell you what God is teaching me lately… I’m never very good at encapsulating that, but I might take you on a walk through Ephesians or Malachi, where I’ve been reading lately. I might tell you that He’s teaching me a whole lot about love, and that I’m trying to find different ways of showing my love toward Him. I might say that I’m finding different ways both to value and to evaluate love, and that I’m trying to remember the One who chose me must always be first in my heart. The book of Malachi is all a conversation between God and His very confused people, who really are hurting God and don’t have a clue what they are doing. He tells them all of their offenses one by one, and they ask Him, “How have we done these things?” I am examining myself to look for any areas of my life in which I forget that God is touched. Have I robbed God by holding back too much of the wealth He has given me? Have I been unfaithful by investing in an earthly relationship more than I have invested in Him? Have I rejected God by ignoring a beggar on the street? I know I have all done all of these things before. Anyway, like I said, I’m not very good at giving a little tidbit of what God is teaching me at the moment.
Those are all options that I suppose I have when I blog. I usually do a little mixture of all of these things, and I guess this post was no exception. I continue to keep my goal in mind to write more often and more pithily! According to spell check, that adverb works, so I guess I’ll keep using it. I love you all, and I am signing off to go to sleep! Pray for Ecuador, my students, and the other requests that I gave you earlier! Showers of blessings be upon you! Christina
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