The girl between the lines- Week 3

This week's prompt:

Your go-to meal

Justin and my sister (accidentally) collaborated on my wedding gift.  I say accidentally, because they realized they had both thought of the same idea when it was too late, so they combined their idea into one.  They both asked about 10 ladies and some of my friends to share some of their favorite recipes, which got written onto cute notecards and categorized into a box.  The box was Justin's idea.  Just to brag, it came plain and he painted it red and added the designs. I was so impressed!  My sister got me an adorable apron from Anthropologie and was planning on putting the cards in the pockets, but like I said, they combined ideas, so all the recipes went in the box and I got the apron anyway :)

My go-to recipe is one from this box.  Obviously, otherwise I wouldn't have wasted your time telling you about said box.  It's SUPER simple and only requires 4 ingredients.  I've discovered that guys, or at least mine, like simple dishes.  Almost every time I plan my weekly menu and ask for his input, he suggests spaghetti or hotdogs. This is almost as easy. 

 

 

Enchilada Skillet

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 pkg (8-10) corn tortillas, cut into about 1" squares
2 cups enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded cheese (you can use any kind, but Mexican blend is best)

Directions:

Brown beef in a large skillet and drain fat.
Put beef back in skillet and add enchilada sauce and tortillas.
Bring to a boil, add cheese, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Done!

We like to eat this with chips and guacamole. 

This is seriously one of the easiest dinners I've ever made!  I promise you'll love it!

The girl between the lines- Week 2

This week's prompt:  Your favorite things about the holiday season.

 

I seriously have so many things that I love about Christmas.  My parents did a really great job of making it a special day for family and tradition, so those are the things I really look forward to this time of year.  My birthday is on the 19th, so they have also done everything they can to make sure my day doesn't get lumped in with all the Christmas celebration.  My mom always wants to make a cake for me and have a small "birthday party" which is basically just them, my sister and I (and now Justin) eating cake and opening a few presents.  Last year was my first Christmas to not get to spend with my parents (we were visiting Justin's family), but this year will be both of our first Christmas to not get to be with any family on Christmas day.  We will fly back to Texas on the 26th, but there's something about waking up on Christmas morning in the house I grew up in that I'm going to miss. 

 

I love watching old home movies that my dad was faithful to record every year until we got too old to be cute on film anymore, or he may have just gotten tired of holding that dinosaur of a video camera on his shoulder.  Like I said in my last post, I'm an early bird.  This has always been especially true on Christmas.  I don't care if you want to sleep in, there are presents under that tree and we are waking up to open them!  My sister had the mindset that no one else was going to get to them until we did, so what's the rush?  Every video we have includes me shaking her awake, assuring her there's only presents and no "switches" from Santa, and even once literally dragging her out of bed onto the floor.  Confession:  Before I woke her up, I'd go into the living room and try and make out any big unwrapped shapes sitting around the tree.  Not sure what good this did, but I think it just made me feel sneaky.  Before we got to unwrap anything, we opened our stockings.  Once we got to middle school, I had friends bragging about getting cell phones in their stockings.  I would get so mad that all I got was candy and lip gloss, but looking back I'm glad I wasn't allowed to have a cell phone until I could drive.  My parents are pretty old-fashioned, and I'm thankful for their values.  Anyway, then we got to open presents (finally).  In most cases when we were young, my sister and I would get the same toys but in different colors, just so we could tell them apart and not fight about it.  Within the last 5 years or so, we've started getting together with my older sisters and their families on the Saturday after Christmas.  The adults buy a gift for each kid, but we do a "secret Santa" style gift exchange with the adults.  We have a big dinner and play games and catch up.  I love this event because I don't really get to see my whole family that often.  My three older sisters were grown and out of the house before my younger sister and I came along, so we've always loved getting to hang out at holidays. 

 

Another thing that puts me in the Christmas spirit is snow.  We never got much of it in Texas, but we've had quite a bit the past few days in Virginia.  It's made me feel like a kid again waiting for the announcement that school is closed.  We closed Monday and Tuesday, and have a 2 hour delay today.  These kids are going to be crazy, I can feel it. 

 

We had a women's event at church last weekend that I got to be a part of.  The way it was set up was there were three speakers (including myself) who each had a conversation with Mary on her way to Bethlehem.  These conversations were just us sharing part of our story with her and encouraging her.  While I am really not much of a public speaker, I agreed to speak and I think it went pretty well!  No one booed me off the stage anyway.

 

Even though I won't get to see my family on Christmas day, there's a part of me that's excited about just waking up in a quiet house with just Justin and I, making breakfast, and opening presents.  My mom mailed our gifts to us so we would have presents from her and my dad to open that morning.  I am SO pumped about getting to see my family and friends when we go visit, but who knows, it might be nice to start our own Christmas morning traditions this year.  

   

A day in the life

Have you ever taken a picture of something you're doing, or even a selfie, and thought, "Ew, I can't post that... Retake!"  I do it all the time (not so much the selfie part, mind you.)  I find myself way too often comparing my life to what I see on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, wondering why my life can't be that perfect.  The truth is, I would be much more content if it weren't for social media.  Don't get me wrong.  I love being able to stalk keep up with friends.  But if we're being honest, I do a lot more comparing than catching up.  I felt convicted on the other end of this situation as well.  Do I try to portray a life of perfection to others?  Do I make it a point to edit my life so that others will only see the good?  It's possible.  For that reason, I wanted to post what a real day in my life looks like. 

(I got this idea from Lauren over at The Albrechts Blog.  Check it out!)

We had a snow day today, so that means NO SCHOOL! We woke up around 6:30 thanks to the power going out. We normally have a fan going since I can't sleep in total silence, but because the power was out, that meant no fan.  Justin is not one to wake up that early, especially on a day off.  I, however, am a hardcore early bird.  I went downstairs and opened the windows and read for a good 2 hours.  It then dawned on me that if the power didn't come back soon, I would need to find some place to put the milk, yogurt, etc.  I loaded up a cooler and put it outside.  It was colder than the fridge out there anyway, right?   

When Justin finally woke up, he noticed that the roads were clear enough to drive, so we decided to venture out and escape our house that was slowly growing colder.  We went to lunch at Chipotle and bought some Christmas gifts at Target and Bed, Bath, & Beyond.  Since it starts to get dark here around 4:30, I wanted to buy some more candles to help light the house a bit until the power came back.  Justin insisted that we already have, and I quote, "a million candles."  I haven't counted, and obviously neither has he, but I'm pretty sure we only have about 5.  Anyway, we ended up buying this beauty, along with some pricey D batteries.  The power was back on when we got home....
 

 

Justin and I do something together called a HEAR journal.  HEAR stands for highlight, explain, apply, and respond.  For example, we are currently reading 1 Corinthians.  We read one chapter every day, complete our journal, and then talk about it.  It's something that we really enjoy and is a great way for us to share our thoughts on what we're reading.

 

 

We were both feeling kind of blah after an entire afternoon yesterday and most of today just sitting around, so we thought it might be a good idea to pump some iron at the gym in our neighborhood.  And by pump iron, I mean run/walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes.  It was moral victory.

 

I probably should have taken a picture of my sweaty self after working out, but I thought of this post while I was in the shower.  I thought a no makeup, wet hair picture would be just as good.

 

Did I even bother to make the bed today? Nope.

 

 

We are expecting more snow tomorrow (which hopefully means another lazy day at home!) but it also meant I needed to shovel the existing snow off my car so my windshield doesn't break.  Does that even happen?  I've heard of it happening with carports or garages.  I'm new at this, people!

 

 

As I'm writing, Justin is setting up one of our many games for us to play.  We like to play tabletop games, or "nerd games" as I lovingly call them.  I believe the one he is setting up is called Revolver.

 

 

Well friends, that was my day.  I wanted to be as real as possible, and hopefully I did that!  There was nothing extraordinary about our day, but it made me appreciate the little things, like electricity.  Peeing in a dark bathroom is a terrifying experience.


Have a great week! Stay warm!

Kristen

 

 

 

 

The girl between the lines- week 1

This is the first time I've done any sort of bloggish (if that's a word) type of thing, but here goes!

The prompt says: share a photo of you and 3 things you love about yourself.

I've always hated the part in an interview where they ask you what your strengths are and what you can bring to the job.  I guess I'm just not great at bragging about myself.  Oh well.  It's worth a try!

1.  I love my sense of humor.  I can laugh at pretty much anything.  It's probably the most immature form of humor one can have.  I'd describe it as a mix of sarcasm, wit, and anything involving poop.

2.  I'm extremely compassionate.  I love that I care about people's feelings.  Sometimes I care a little too much, and get overly concerned that I came across as rude during a conversation.  I can usually make someone who is upset feel better.

3.  I'm really good with kids.  Thankfully, because I teach 3 and 4 year olds every day.  I love that I can be silly and they just think it's the best thing ever.  I get smothered in hugs, open pudding cups, apply band-aids, and teach kids the beginning stages of reading and writing.  I love every minute of it!


Looking forward to next week's prompt!

Kristen

Feelings

KK

Feelings are interesting things.  I have yet to meet someone who can control what they feel.  Sure, we may deny or suppress them, but we can't keep them from happening.  Some people have more or less than others, but regardless, they exist.  At the same time you can't hold feelings at bay, you can't force them to show up when you want them.  It's happened in many a movie, where there's nothing "wrong" with the guy, she just doesn't feel anything for him.  I think the same can be said in our (or at least my) relationship with God.  We go through seasons in which we may be totally excited to spend time in prayer and reading the Bible for a little while, and then for one reason or another, the excitement dwindles.  I've gone through both seasons, and if I'm being honest, I'd have to say that I'm currently in the latter.  I'm in a season where spending time with God for prolonged periods of time is an obligation more than anything.  I don't find the same joy in following him like I used to.  I was talking to a friend the other day who said she's struggling with the same thing, and was sharing her frustration with me.  We both know the goal. We know how we are SUPPOSED to feel.  But we don't.  There's no switch that can be flipped on to make everything exciting again.  I know I can't control my feelings, but He can.  My problem isn't my lack of feeling, it's my lack of prayer.  I have yet to ask Him to make me excited again.  (I'm sure some of you are gasping and judging at that...so be it). See, girls have this problem with wanting to be in a bad mood sometimes.  Don't try and talk us out of it, gentlemen.  It will blow over, but for some reason we savor it while it lasts.  But whatever storm I'm in started to clear up this morning.  This morning at the gym I decided to pray something simple.  

"I know I've been avoiding you and not dealing with things I need to.  I need to be reminded that you want to be around me."  

I switched my Pandora station and the first song that played was "My Dear" by Bethel.  If you aren't familiar with that song, here it is: 

My Dear

The lyrics quote Song of Solomon, which, in short, says he is totally blown away by this girl.  It also just simply says "I love you, my dear."  That's what Justin calls me.  He came to me in my moment of doubt and spoke to me using words already so personal to my heart.  Friends, we serve a personal God.  One who loves us and pursues us in our darkest and loneliest moments.  He reminded me that He will always fight for my affection, but will never force it.  

We can't change how we feel, but He can.

Update

KK

I know it's been awhile since either one of us have written about what's going on in our lives, so for that, I apologize.  We haven't necessarily been too busy to write, but every time I've gone to write something, it has sounded more like an "I miss Texas" post than a "here's what's new in Virginia" post.  So here is (hopefully) my final attempt at updating you on the past 3 months.

The first thing I did when we moved in was decorate.  I can't stand living in a house that doesn't look like it's, well, lived in.  That took me less than a month, which has surprised many people.  For some reason, I think people feel the need to ask how we're getting "settled in". I think they expect our house to be full of unopened boxes and a freezer full of TV dinners. I have made a note to never use that term when welcoming anyone new to town.  

We went and got our new licenses shortly after moving.  The DMV was delightful as usual, full of people wanting to renew their vanity plates (which apparently are super popular here) and a mom loudly reprimanding her son for leaving his seat to go to the water fountain.  We also were unaware that showing teeth in your picture is not allowed, so we both ended up with pictures that make us look like super creeps.  Side note about vanity plates:  we have seen some great ones, including ITS PAPA, ENJOYN ME, L8 MOMMY, and UR SLOW.  I'm thinking about getting one that says KKK4LYFE (in case you didn't know, those are my unfortunate initials). 

I was able to coach volleyball at a private school in town, and even though our season was less than extraordinary, I loved it.  I've also been able to do photography on a more professional level.  Both of these things have been goals of mine for quite some time now, and I'm super excited that I've gotten these opportunities!  

Justin is right in the middle of planning for D-Now in January, as well as camp and our mission trip to Philadelphia in July.  That's keeping him pretty busy.  We've joined a weekly home group, which has been nice to get to hang out with other couples and do a Bible study together.  

My parents came to visit in the beginning of October, and my sister will be here on Tuesday and stay through Friday.  We are also really looking forward to coming home for Christmas for a week, when we can reunite with family, friends, and Whataburger.  

Thanks for reading.  Have a great Thanksgiving break!

Wedding Bells

KK

I have quite a few friends who have either just recently gotten engaged or married, so the process of wedding planning has been fresh on my mind.  Having not too long ago planned my own wedding, I know all too well the stress that comes with it, not to mention the idea overload that comes from a shameful (or not) Pinterest binge.  As I was often reminded by my well-meaning mother: "There's just a lot to think about!"  There's the cake, dress, flowers, music, food, decorations, and trying to figure out which random fringe friends and/or family members get the boot.  Quite frankly, it can be exhausting.  Thinking back to our wedding, I honestly wouldn't change a thing.  Not to brag (or maybe I am..what of it?) but I have had many people tell me they had more fun at our wedding than any other they've been to.  I may be biased, but I'd have to agree as well.  I highly doubt any of it had to do with the cake (although it was amazing! Even after being frozen a year!), my dress, the decorations, or anything else that I spent so much time caring too much about.  I believe it had everything to do with the people that were there and the joy that everyone had.  Like I said, seeing so many people get engaged or married recently, I've been thinking about what advice I would give to any bride-to-be.  Take it or leave it.

1.  The dress

 

Now ladies, don't think I'm here to downplay the importance of the perfect dress. But let's be honest, this is the dress that your grandchildren will look at pictures of you wearing and think, "Grandma...what were you thinking?!"  I completely understand that doesn't change the fact that you should feel beautiful and confident in it.  You should feel more beautiful on your wedding day than on any other day in your life.  However, thanks to shows such as Say Yes to the Dress, I think there is wayyyy too much emphasis placed on this part of the wedding.  Let me say though, that out of the planning categories, I do think that the dress is one of the more important ones.  Simply because, like I said, if you feel beautiful and confident in it, that will set the tone for how you enjoy your big day.  One thing I will say about choosing your dress: you pick the one YOU love, not one you feel pressured to buy to appease anyone else.

2.  Registry

Can I be honest? Nothing irritates me more than when I see a registry list for a bride and it says something like, "The happy couple is registered at Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma, West Elm, and Anthropologie".  I guarantee you none of those places were homeboy's suggestions. And I hope they invited some rich relatives, otherwise they probably won't be getting too many gifts.  Sweetheart, we all want designer kitchenware, but get off your high horse and register at good 'ol Target as well.  Give your guests some options as far as price goes.  Some may be traveling quite a ways to be a part of your big day, so do what you can to be nice to their wallets. 

3.  Decorations

Want a tip on saving money? Forget the flowers.  I had none at our reception and I'm pretty sure no one complained about it.  And if anyone did, I doubt they even remember now whether I even had flowers or not, and if they do and still bring it up as dinner conversation, then it's clearly no longer me with the issues.  I learned quickly that in order to save money, no one is too fancy for fake flowers where flowers are needed. With the exception of bouquets and boutonnieres, we had fake flowers as decoration at the ceremony.  I guarantee you, no one will care.  

I'm running out of ideas.  Maybe there will be a part 2. Who knows.  But all this to say: please ladies, put more emphasis on preparing for your marriage than for your wedding.  That's what is important in the long run.  You can care more about impressing a lot of people with your grand and extravagant wedding, or about impacting a lot of people with a marriage that starts with you preparing your heart months in advance.  You decide.  

The seemingly unattainable pursuit

KK

I've recently been reading a book called "Pursuit of Proverbs 31" and so far I enjoy it.  It has prompted me to do my own further study of what it looks like to emulate this woman that has intimidated me ever since I learned about her in middle school.  For years, any time I heard a sermon on what it means to be the Proverbs 31 woman, I have rolled my eyes (on the inside), knowing that there's no way anyone can actually live up to her status.  The girl makes her family's clothes and bedding (not to mention the clothes she makes to sell), wakes up before dawn to make breakfast, serves the poor, is business savvy, all while still finding time to work out and get a few laughs in. Understand my frustration? I'm not sure I know anyone who does all these things every single day.  If so, she probably has a stunt double.  If you're anything like me, you read this chapter and feel like you're doing something wrong.  Through reading "Pursuit of Proverbs 31" and in my own personal study, there are a few things I have learned that helped to relieve me of this frustration.

1.  The P31 woman is not even a real person 

     

I'm not sure if I missed this memo in the hundreds of sermons I've heard about her, or if this is the first time I've ever actually read this, but regardless, this was mind-blowing to me.  I've grown up thinking that there was this girl who was so awesome that God chose to make an example of her in the Bible of what the perfect wife looked like.  Looking back, and now being married, I should have known that there is no such thing as the perfect wife.  In biblical times, Proverbs 31:10-31 was a common poem recited to young boys by their mothers to help them recognize desirable qualities in a wife.  Nowhere does it say that if you don't do all of them every day that you are a bad wife.  How relieving! For years I, along with countless other young women, have been stressing about having no idea how to buy and sell real estate or sew my own comforter!  If you don't feel like you live up to this persona, don't stress.  These verses are simply words from the heart of a mother to her son.

2.  The root of her "perfection"

I don't think it's possible for every woman to be strong in every one of the categories P31 discusses.  That's what makes us all different and unique.  However, there are some verses I feel that we should all be striving towards.  For example, verse 24 says "She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant"(Proverbs 31:24 ESV).  I don't think it's essential for every woman to be a seamstress.  But verse 26 says "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. (Proverbs 31:26 ESV).  While sewing may not be a necessary quality to honor God and your husband, speaking with wisdom and kindness certainly is.  I think most of these verses are taken too literally or out of context.  In verse 17, it says that she dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong. Does that mean that the perfect wife must work out every day? I hope not..  But I do think it means that in order to honor God and your husband, it is important to take care of your body (God's temple) and stay healthy.  A few other verses I think are vital to being a God-honoring wife are 11 and 12 which say "The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. (Proverbs 31:11, 12 ESV). But I believe above all these qualities, what makes this girl so desirable is her devotion to honoring God.  Verse 30 is one we have seen plastered on bumper stickers, t-shirts, bookmarks, etc. but it is probably the most important quality we should be striving for.  It says "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." (Proverbs 31:30 ESV). There's no way any one woman can succeed at every single one of these qualities every day, but if we make it a priority to honor The Lord above every task we have throughout the day, I believe He will bless that.  Because the P31 woman puts God first in her life, we see that she is blessed in her tasks being successful.

I hope this has been encouraging to you.  I know I have been encouraged through this study, having been relieved of so much pressure put on me by my own pursuit of unattainable perfection. 

I'm not finished with the book yet, so I'm sure there's much more to learn.  But for now, I'd love to hear your thoughts about this! Thanks for reading!

Kristen

New adventures

New adventures

As many of you already know, Justin and I will be moving to Virginia in August.  He has been hired as the youth pastor at a church in a suburb of D.C.  Even just saying those words still doesn't feel real.  Many emotions (at least on my end) have come from the process of making this decision, and I just wanted to take an opportunity to be honest and share them with you.  Prior to March 2013, living anywhere other than Texas seemed like something I would be okay with for maybe a year max, just to say we did it.  That began to change when we went to visit friends in Georgia over spring break.  Over the course of our stay, my mindset of "Texas is the greatest place ever!" began to turn into "I could do this!"  At the airport waiting for our flight home, we began talking about the potential for moving out of state.  Flashback:  About a month or so before that, Justin had received requests from 3 different churches in Texas to apply to be their youth pastor.  We weren't sure what that meant, but decided to follow these leads, trusting God to shut any doors he didn't want us going through.  Fast forward back to the airport.  We remembered a church in Virginia that had found him last summer before we got married.  We had gone pretty far in the process but ultimately we knew it wasn't God's timing and decided to call it off.  Skeptically, I suggested contacting them again and seeing if they were still searching.  Turns out they had been looking ever since talking to them last year, and were very excited that Justin was contacting them again.  They offered to pick up the process where they left off last year.  A few Skype interviews later, we found ourselves on a flight to Virginia to visit.  At that point it still didn't feel real.  Things went well and we were invited back for a second visit and a congregational vote. Still, not happening. On July 1st, while preparing to leave for Spain, Justin tells me we're in. We're moving. I was excited, but at the same time, terrified. We came up with the word excerrified.  Here's where I share my emotions, so if all you wanted was the story, feel free to stop reading.  There were many points during this process where my fear told me this was not what God wanted.  What about my friends? What about my family? No God. I'm not leaving them.  There were many times where I found myself pushing away his hand of comfort in order to justify my feelings of doubt.  I didn't want to be comforted. I wanted to stay. My biggest fear was and still is missing out on the lives of the people I care about.  Missing weddings, graduations, birthdays, and family reunions, all because we are too far away and can't afford the plane ride back every time.  Although I knew deep down this was what God was calling us to do, I couldn't help but be angry about it.  I have learned that "where You go, we will follow" is easier said than done, especially when it's referring to picking up your entire life and starting over with no timeframe or clue how long He wants you there.  However, He is still good, and it's not about me.  He has provided a job for me, the potential for new friends, more opportunities for ministry, and Target (why am I complaining..). Over the past few days of filling boxes, meeting with moving companies, and making tough announcements to church families, I have seen his hand moving.  He is softening my heart to focus on the ways that I can be joyful there.  I will miss everything about my home state, but I am putting my trust in Him to someday make Virginia feel like home.  

Girls Bible study

KK

For about a month now I have been leading a girls Bible study in our home.  During this hour or so every Monday night, my dear husband has to find a place to relocate so as to not interfere with our deep conversations about nail polish and tampons.  I'm sure he doesn't mind.  It has been such an incredible growing experience  for me since it requires me to put in extra time going deeper in the Word and continuing to practice leading discussion.  We have been going through a study by Kelly Minter called Nehemiah: A Heart That Can Break.  When I first read Nehemiah on my own, I didn't get anywhere near all of the things out of it that she discusses! I love it! It talks about how Nehemiah's heart breaks for the devastation of his city and people and it drives him to action.  It especially stirs my heart because of the recent devastation so close to home.  When we first meet Nehemiah, he is governor living in a Persian palace.  Because of his position, he is rightfully entitled to all the luxuries that go along with it.  He could so easily have just donated money for other people to do the work, but instead, he has compassion on his people and goes to work re-building the wall himself with the help of others.  Throughout this study, there are many things I have learned.  I'll share a few of them with you!

1.  We need to pray for a compassionate heart.

     Jesus did not live life on earth simply praying for others and donating money.  He chose to associate himself with those that others deemed unlovely.  I understand that not everyone is called to live in another country, but we are all called to love others and place their needs above our own.  That may mean serving across the world, but for many of us that could mean cooking dinner for a family that struggles to buy food, sitting by the "weird" kid in the cafeteria, or just simply doing simple acts of kindness for those we see every day.  A good quote Kelly said is that there is a huge difference between giving to the poor and identifying with them.

2.  Being in the will of God can be scary and uncomfortable.

       There were multiple times where people told Nehemiah that what he was doing was crazy and there was no need to rebuild Jerusalem.  He could have agreed and gone back to his cushy lifestyle in his palace, but he kept his heart and mind on what God has called him to do.  This reminded me that God may call us to do something that doesn't make sense to the rest of the world, but there is no reason not to trust him.  He always sees the bigger picture.

3.  Rebuilding is much harder than building

       Nehemiah talks about the amount of rubble that they had to get rid of before they could build.  There even comes a point where he confesses that their strength was giving out because there was so much rubble that they didn't feel like they could rebuild the wall.  This gave their enemies ammo to use against them.  This one particular bro named Sanballat was always giving them a hard time. Jerk.  This could have easily caused Nehemiah to give up; however, he prayed and proceeded to station guards at the points of most vulnerability.  This is such an awesome picture of how we are to live as Christ-followers! We all have areas of vulnerability that we have given into at some point.  Some of us more often than others.  These areas, or "rubble" if you will, are the things that need to be dealt with between us and God before something beautiful can be built.  That's not to say that we need to get our act together before God can use us, but it is to say that these areas in our lives that we find we can't overcome without God's help need to be confessed and held accountable for.  Through that process, He can reveal ways in which he wants to use us.  The guards that Nehemiah sets up at the vulnerable spots on the wall is a great picture of the accountability we need to set up in place in our lives.  By giving a few trusted Christian friends the permission to ask you tough questions to keep you safe is a huge part of being a Christ-follower.   We are not meant to take on our struggles alone.

These are just a few of the things that have stuck out to me as we have been going through this study.  If you are looking for a great bible study that really digs deep into the Bible, I would highly recommend this one!  

Have a great weekend!

Kristen

Rookie mistakes

KK

Long time no post!  Well, I survived my first semester as a teacher.  It has by no means been easy, and there have definitely been moments where I thought about how happy I would be if I never had to go back, but the past 4 months have taught me many things. And because I love you, dear reader, and hope that if you are a prospective teacher you don't make the same mistakes I did, I will share them with you.

1). You are not their friend.

     I have learned that there is a huge difference between being friendly to your students and being their friend. I am a self-proclaimed people pleaser.  From day one I have been so concerned with whether or not my students like me. This has earned me the title of "cool teacher" at the expense of respect.  Remember: you can always lighten up but you can never get tougher.  

2). Make friends with the office staff.  

       There will probably always be a parent/co-worker who will have something negative to say about you to the principal about the way you are doing your job.  The closer you are with the office staff, the more likely you will be defended if that does happen.  My job involves more than just teaching students.  I am also in charge of helping other teachers with technology issues.  I certainly don't know everything about computers, but I do my best, and I have a few higher-ups to help me if I get stuck.  They also help the tech's at the other 4 campuses so sometimes it takes awhile to get problems solved at my campus. Naturally that's my fault so the principal hears my name fairly often.  Point being, had I made more of an effort to make better friends with the office staff, this semester would have gone a bit smoother.

3). Establish procedures in the beginning and follow through with them.

        For some reason I thought we had to jump right into the curriculum.  I spent one day on rules and expectations.  That day ended up being pointless.  The key is to figure out what your procedures are going to be before the start of the school year.  I kind of made it up as I was going and when something didn't work, I just stopped doing it.  I guess for my first year, trial and error was really all I had to go off of, but I probably should have talked to some of the other teachers about my ideas before I ran with them.

That's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure many more lessons will be learned (and hopefully taught) as this new semester progresses.