Joy in the Journey

  Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.” John 14:23   Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22 There is a student in our school who never wears shorts, never.   We live in Florida and still he never wears shorts and is quite verbal about it. Even when he knows we’re going on an outdoor field trip, outside all day, no shorts. Or as he says, “No chorts!”           Imagine my surprise when he said, in his heavily accented English, “Mrs. Searsha, look… Chorts!” (Mrs. Tricia, look…Shorts!)   I expressed my surprise and asked him why he was wearing them.           “My God say!” He said, as if that should clear it up, which in retrospect it should have done.   When I asked what he meant, he told me that while he was sleeping he heard God say, “Fernando, wear shorts.” “So I wear.” He said wit...

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, This is a bit of a departure from my normal message style. Something happened that I want to share with all of you, to encourage you to reach out in Jesus’ name.           Yesterday I published a message on positive attitudes.   From that message I received a very heartfelt email from a sweet friend. She and I go back many years. We didn’t know each super well then. I met her because I was close friends with her brother. Through the years and the quick connect of social media, I have grown closer to her. This morning I read a message from her that tore at my heart.           The odd thing is I have been reminded of her brother quite often this week. He resides in heaven now and therefore does not need my prayers, so I focused them on his family, in particular his sister. As it turns out, she does need my prayers.*       ...

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” Matthew 7:5 In our classroom we have a point system for behavior. The things done well earn points; things done poorly or in a negative way take points away and there are things that are just are, neither giving nor taking a point. Recently we added a category to the mix. It’s a potential point earner and the label is, “positive attitude all day/no tattling.”           Our angels love to point out what the other student is doing or has done wrong. They also love to start arguments with each other and complain about our schedule. (Did I mention that they are pre-teens and ours is a special ED. classroom?) In an attempt to deter conver...

  So do not fear I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 There is a huge difference in being watched and being watched over. Too many people have a concept of God as judge. They see him as standing nearby watching and waiting for the mistake, the sin that will surely come. When it does he will pounce. “Gotcha’!” That isn’t who God is or how he operates. God is omnipresent, yes, but he is here with us to protect us, guide us and love us.           We love the words in Romans 8:38-39.   Nothing can separate us from God’s love. That’s sounds great but does he have to watch every move? Yes, yes he does.           I thought about this the other day when I heard our kindergarten teachers talking about classroom visits from the administrators of our school. For t...

  Your word is a lamp to my feet, a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 A year or so ago I gave my grandson Abram a devotional book that had some great science tie ins.   He loved it and when he and his dad finished reading it he told me that he needed another “important book.”   We were pretty close to Christmas so I made sure that one of his gifts was another devotional book.           The other day he told me that his daddy is bad. I assumed my son had said no to something Abram wanted and I was partially right. The night before Abram had asked to read his “important book” and his dad told him he would have to wait. Abram has two younger siblings, one of whom is just a few months old, and he made his request right at bed and bath time on a night that dad was home alone with the kids. Abram is six and has the tenaciousness that is unique to boys of that age. Dad’s delay was not an acceptable situation.   ...

    Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again; Rejoice! Let you gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7   Anyone who knows me, know that I am very skeptical of anything that presents itself as a formula to get closer to God. It’s as if we have to follow certain steps in a certain order to get His attention or receive His mercy. I am much more an advocate of crying out from the naked, transparent depths of my heart. Trusting that the God who created me and loves me is not checking the order of my steps as I run to Him.           Today I’m going a little bit of a sidestep from that. This morning while praying three phrases came to my mind and...

  Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character. 1 Corinthians 15:33 There is a season for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 For the last several days I’ve had a lot of pain in my neck.   This isn’t the first time I’ve had this and I know eventually it will ease up. This morning while we were praying my husband prayed that God would take away the pain in my neck.   I absolutely appreciate his prayer and I am so grateful and thankful for his support but the first thought that went through my mind was, “Well, there goes somebody.”           My Bible Babes and I have had a few discussions about toxic people. It is so hard to get rid of them. Sometimes because of them but just as often because we won’t let them go. As much as we complain and bemoan the toll that they take on our lives we have myriad excuses why cutting them off feels wrong.     ...