while reflecting on the paper I must write, I realized that being a teacher is, in some ways, more important than any other profession. One reason is because we have to BE the example of what we wish to see our students become. As this role model, young minds are a vacuum to our actions and our words. We are unlike many other professions because, other professions, such as doctors, are not in contact with any one child for as long as a time period as an educator. ..... Lost my thought.. man...

I am SOO happy-

THE END

ps on the phone :-))))

Thereafter Education Retreat

Blood Assurance

No words can express my happiness at that moment :-)

The Message bible does not speak to me anymore so I am putting it back on its shelf and pulling out the clear word for a little while and putting that next to the NIV to read. Going to get open minded about clear word because i saw a few verses in it i really liked and am liking the way it was translated.

ive made a compilation of verses i received and highlighting them. :-) Then off to reading more Old Testament. probably not today though....

Good Night

A moment

Today I took one of my moments and Toria captured it for me.

So thanks Toria :-)

I am not afraid

Kyle Nase, I miss you. So if anyone sees him give him a big hug for me, thanks :-) For the whole world to know, he is awesome. Don't doubt his superhero powers!

-The End

Weekend Via Photos

One More

A lot must be learned while at college. These are a few.

An Ounce of Leadership

^"1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ²then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose." - Phillipians 2: 1-2

As author John Maxwell has noted, there is a difference between being a leader and being a manager. He often points out that management focuses on maintaining systems and processes, while leadership is about “influencing people to follow.” One way to cultivate such influence is breathtaking in its simplicity: Influence involves caring sincerely about others.

This article continued on about how one day during a student's senior year, he had been going through his day and he had been having a particularly rough afternoon. Going to check his mailbox, he found a card with a note written in blue ink. There was not any signature to identify the person. The note had done its job and a signature was not necessary.

A few words of encouragement or an act of service can go a long way for the unsuspecting person. What is even better is that prayer can give an additional lifting. James 5:16 also says, “the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results."

Thinking about prayer, lately i've been reminded of prayer circle at BMA and how refreshing it was to watch from afar or (sometimes) participate in it. A few moments to bring together different friends and pray for each other. Seeing those moments on a campus like SAU would be awesome too. So next plan, grab BMA people and start! Our schedules are a bit different i would guess so it'd be a matter of working around that.

Yay for ambitious self. }l{

Holy War?

(From Deepen your Faith Devotional)

The involvement of our country in the war in Iraq inspired many polls for or against the war on the Internet. While many people are quick to point out the need for the war (to gain justice for the human rights violations and acts of terrorism suffered by many; to punish the terrorists), others seem doubtful. Some Christians have asked themselves, Should a Christian ever go to war? Or should Christians be pacifists, refusing to take up arms no matter what the cause? Have you asked yourself those questions as well?

Let’s examine God’s orders for his chosen nation of Israel in the Old Testament. In Numbers 31, God tells his people to go to war with the Midianites and to utterly destroy them. Why did God require such terrible punishment for Israel’s enemies? Aren’t Christians supposed to be loving and kind peacemakers?

To answer this, we have to understand some basic differences between the Old Testament nation of Israel and God’s people today. In the Old Testament, God led his nation to their new home--Canaan. Along the way, they were opposed by numerous other nations, like the Midianites. (After all, who would voluntarily give up his or her home?)

The problem wasn’t simply that these other people were in the way. They also worshiped idols and routinely sacrificed children to these idols.

For Christians today, however, our war is a spiritual one. 'For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places' (Eph 6:12). God’s people today are not determined bynationality, but by spirituality. Whereas God’s blessings and promises before belonged to Abraham’s physical descendants, they now belong to those who are spiritually 'grafted' into Abraham’s line (Rom 11:17). Therefore, when any nation goes to war today, its cause may be just, but it cannot be considered holy in the way Israel’s wars were. Israel had God himself fighting battles for them, and he often gave Israel miraculous assistance and assurance of victory. No modern nation can make that claim.

So, should a Christian go to war? Unfortunately, you won’t find the final answer here. We see in God’s Word that God has, at times, told his people to go to war with other people; therefore, those who believe war is never right should reconsider.

No Music on the Promenade

The cold, breezy weather reminded me of times I would walk along outside looking up towards the sky, imagining what it is like for God to be looking down. I suppose, I will begin to run instead though. This feeling of resentment towards cold, breezy weather will never last more than a few more minutes. In a few minutes, I'll be back to my normal self. Like right now: I understand the sentimental value behind the music department on a cold night. I understand what it means when asked, "do you want to go for a walk?" Going for a walk means one of two things, something will be begin or something will end.