Climbing Walls with God

Today was a particularly difficult day for my family and I as we made arrangements to move my grandfather into a nursing facility close to us. This chapter- Psalm 18- really stood out to me today, and I trust it will encourage you also. 

Truly, God is perfect, infinite, all-powerful, and He doesn't need my help to be awesome. 

Psalm 18:29-35 (NLT translation)

The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.
²⁹ In your strength I can crush an army;
    with my God I can scale any wall.

* Our God is so awesome, that nothing takes Him by surprise! He has the power to do anything under the sun, and the power to equip us for battle. 

³⁰ God’s way is perfect.
    All the Lord’s promises prove true.
    He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.

*Don't you love the 'ta-da' feeling of this verse? "God's way is perfect." the end. Why do we question His ways? Stop second-guessing Him! God doesn't need a supervisor. 

³¹ 

For who is God except the Lord?

    Who but our God is a solid rock?

*Don't worry about having a back-up plan when you rely on God; He's It. He's where the 'buck stops,' and nothing gets past Him. 

³² God arms me with strength,
    and he makes my way perfect.

³³ He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
    enabling me to stand on mountain heights.
³⁴ He trains my hands for battle;
    he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow.

*God knows what trials await us, and He will adequately prepare us for each and every one of them- and give us the strength as we need it.

³⁵ You have given me your shield of victory.
    Your right hand supports me;
    your help has made me great.

Tonight, I'm sitting in that right hand, trusting it will support my family and me in the days and weeks to come as we care for my grandfather during this final stretch. With the help of the Almighty God, He will make me victorious in this continuous battle of trust, and give peace in the most difficult of times. 

until next time. . . 

e

Trust and Obey

There is something very unsettling about the end of a year, and the beginning of a brand new one. With the beginning of a new year, there are set before us a whole new set of unforeseeable circumstances, difficulties, problems, and frustrations. Of course, with that, there is also the joy in surprises, delightful events, and the suspense of the unknown. Whichever set of circumstances will ring in the new year, here is a wonderful thought on 'trust' by Sarah Young: 

"Trust ME with every fiber of your being! 

What I can accomplish in and through you is proportional to how much you depend on Me. 

One aspect of this is the degree to which you trust Me in a crisis or a major decision. Some people fail miserably here, while others are at their best in tough times. Another aspect is even more telling: the constancy of your trust in Me. People who rely on Me in the midst of adversity may forget about Me when life is flowing smoothly. Difficult times can jolt you into awareness of your need for Me, whereas smooth sailing can lull you into a stupor of self-sufficiency. I care as much about your tiny trust-steps through daily life as about your dramatic leaps of faith. You may think that no one notices, but the One who is always beside you sees everything- and rejoices. Consistently trusting in Me is vital to flourishing in My Presence."

-God-

As I approach the coming year, there are many things I will strive to accomplish, flaws I will endeavor to change, and things I would like to occur in my life. It's a rather powerless and humbling realization that I have absolutely no idea what will happen in the coming year. Yes, I have a vague calendar of academic events, but as for day-to-day happenings? I have no idea. I may not be able to control the circumstances and happenings in 2013, but I can control my response to them, and maintain my connection and trust in the One who approves the coming events. 

"Trust and obey, for there's no better way to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey." 

Happy 2013! 

God is great, God is good

I've done it again. 

That which I promised myself I would do at least once weekly, has become an unconquerable monster of once monthly. 

That which brings me joy has been replaced by a new sort of monster:

graduate school. gasp Oh yes. 

Well, enough with the dramatic soliloquy- but I really 

have survived my first 2 1/2 weeks of graduate school at UNCG School of Music.

And, besides the dreadful assignment last week in which I had to 

cite 200+ sources in turabian, I'm really loving it. 

I'm learning really great piano literature from a phenomenal professor.

Learning answers to questions I've had for a long time. (love that feeling.)

Making really good grades. (thank you, Lord.)

Hating Music Research Class. (it's to be expected.)

And thoroughly loving living my dream. 

So thankful to Jesus for helping to work out all the details! 

It's really incredible, and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to further my education.

That being said, my sister, Kimberly, is also embarking on her

own educational journey by beginning her BSN Nursing at Bob Jones University,

and plans to continue schooling to become a Physician's Assistant. 

Miss her like crazy, but very proud of her. 

I can't reiterate enough how extremely thankful I am for God 

working out details in my life recently. Things I thought I had planned/prepared

quite nicely, He thought differently. 

I've been living by the motto: "Don't confuse the will of God with the will of the majority." 

No matter how hard you or I try, there's no possible way to please absolutely everyone-

that's humanity for ya. However, I'm realizing this. 

If: 

1) God says do it

2) Parents support it

3) It just makes sense, and even if

4) A few people you highly respect just 'don't get it,' 

do. it.  

Don't let the opinions of a few keep you from doing what you should. 

It's hard.

Difficult.

Confrontational.

Uncomfortable.

Weird.

Embarrassing.

all of the above, but it brings peace with God, which is worth it. 

And, in the end, God's approval is what really matters anyways, right? right. 

I'm done with my soapbox :), just thought I'd 'throw that out there.' 

(food for thought, if you will.)

God is great, God is good. 

until next time...

e.d.

...all in a day's work...

I'm sure you must be wondering at my absence of writing the past week or so...

However, I am writing now as a survivor of my very first week of school

as a full-time teacher of Jr. High classes, Elementary Music,

 Jr/High Choir, and 12 private students (music classes and

lessons begin this coming week). 

(HOORAY, everyone!)

WHEW, and what

a week it has been indeed! 

It was something like this...

But, I must say, that the classes I had anticipated

as being the most difficult, are in fact my absolute favorites! 

While Jr. High (7-8th) classes are very different from anything

I've ever taught, I'm really enjoying the experience! So thankful for a 

genuinely terrific group of kids to teach- makes my job

a lot easier. :) 

There were several times this week when I began to feel like this...

...but then I remembered, 

All in all, it was a good week. I entered this 

school year with a plethora of different feelings

about the year, but I already feel as if I've learned 

more than the students! Guess that's good, right?

To shorten this, I'll just share the highlights from this week

to give you an idea of what I've been up to! 

Welcome to my 7-8th Homeroom

where I teach 7th grade Math, NC State History,

and Jr. High Bible Monday-Thursday. (We get

Fridays off...beautiful thing, isn't it?!) 

I do not have 'before' and 'after' pictures of this room...

because...because. :) Let's just say, 

it got a face lift, and my goal was to 'fun-ize' and color it, 

so this is what I came up with...

Our "News Flash" (aka, Current Event) section

with magazines, articles, etc. and the bulletin

board of the month... 

"The Value of an Idea is in Using it."

The little blue hands have words such as

'design,' 'create,' 'inspire,' 'invent,' etc. on them. 

View of my desk and student work display area. 

I never really thought I wanted to be a teacher...

even in college. But suddenly, I can't imagine doing

anything else! Even after days like Wednesday.

(Wednesday was something like Garfield's Monday,

except intensified x 1,000,000. 

But hey, at least

I'm alive to tell about it. :) 

More pictures about activities of the past few weeks 

are soon to come...but first, sleep.

So very invigorated about a long weekend...

No school until from Friday to Monday for me. 

Oh, yes, please! 

Until after zzzzzzzzzz...

Me? just busy being thankful...

it's been one of those days. 

You know... the kind where a persons' state

of being degrades from 'good' or 'fine' to just 'existing.' 

the kind that makes a person actually wish the clouds

were looming and grey instead of bright and sunny.

indeed, definitely on of those today. 

Here are a few highlights, to give you an idea. . .

1) it's been Monday. all day. 

2) worked in my classrooms for 5 hours

3) various stressful situations interrupted my 

process of classroom organization

4) I began to wish people did not exist

5) everyone else seemed to be having

 a 'Monday' today, also

until tonight. 

after some thought, I have a new perspective.

1) it's not just Monday; it's pre-Tuesday

2) got a huge amount of work done at school today,

and enjoyed the opportunity to listen to  my 

favorite classical music for 5 hours

3) had the opportunity to practice grace rather

than truth during situations

4) you never know what other people are facing. a seeming

harsh or rash statement may in fact be 

a reaction to a personal or tragic situation or circumstance.

5) just when I was at my 'whits-end,' a teacher-mentor-friend

popped in just in the nick of time to offer

an encouraging smile and kind words.

no, I'm not one of those individuals blessed 

with constant pleasant and positive outlooks on life,

but I am in the process of becoming more like Jesus. 

because I have His example, I can learn...

"in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content..."

all things considered, today was just another 

opportunity to practice what I tell others:

"don't look at your circumstances as bumps in the road,

but rather as another small detour of grace." 

so, at the conclusion of this long stressful day,

if you were to ask, 'how are you?,' my answer would

be: 'just busy being thankful.' 

and so I am. 

This song by Josh Groban typifies the

feelings of my heart tonight. 

just thankful.

The closing of a Chapter...beginning of a life.

Alas, such exciting things have occurred in my little corner of the world since my last posting. Do allow me to include you in this bulletin:

1) I am an official college graduate! The proud owner of a beautiful diploma and nifty pink tassel (representing my BA in Music).

Graduation celebratory pictures with the Davis side of the family.

Two graduates of the evening.

The tassel truly was worth the hassle! (I think...)

2) I am no longer a resident of the dorm- gleefully home in NC for the summer with my family, basqueing in the glory of Lexington BBQ and setting up my portion of the house.

3) I am pleased to announce exciting plans for this fall, God willing. I have accepted a position as an upper-level Piano Instructor and Accompanist at the Bach Children's Music School in Stuart, FL and will also be teaching private piano lessons in the surrounding areas. (Stuart, Hobe Sound, Port St. Lucie.) I will also be working part-time at the Hobe Sound Bookstore with the famed authoress Jenness Walker. :) I also plan to begin my MA in the spring at FAU.

The end of this summer vacation does not lead to college for me. A simple, profound, but shocking reality nonetheless. All entailed with College life has come to an end. Memories of choir, final exams, classes, frivolity, and fun times are but a black and white page of cluttered photographs in my yearbook. The signature on my diploma serves as the fine' to this chapter in my life, yet there is a Coda awaiting. Many individuals see the completion of a college degree as an ending to the 'fun' of life and a harsh introduction to reality, but I see it a little differently. It is true that the college-stage-of-life is complete for me, and yes, it is a little bittersweet. But do tell me HOW, in the name of Feta cheese, can a college degree be the end of life?! Mere irony at its finest! Therefore my beloved readers, it is with great anticipation that I dream uninhibitedly about the future and begin my career. So there you have it.

Let Life Begin.