Quote of the DAY!

I know this is like my 3rd blog of the day...i'm reading and not motivated to work on yet one more paper...

"It is the supreme art of the

teacher to awaken joy in

creating expression

and knowledge"

....who said this you may ask...it wasn't me...but Albert Einstein.

I was inspired what can I say! Fill your Monday with inspiration!

Who am I?

I was reading a book the other day in my free time (well, not really free time, but time I didn't want to write a paper so I'm going to call it free time.) I thought of nice quote to share with you written by Marva Collins

I am a teacher.
A teacher is someone who leads.
There is no magic here.
I do not walk on water,
I do not part the sea.
I just love children.

That just really said wow to me.

God Bless

MONDAY

well here it goes...I bet your asking yourself here goes what....?
well for me it is one of the last weeks of the semester (I'm not counting the finals i have next week...cause i'm not stressing out on those things) The end of the semester is here and I'm ready to take a deep breath and look futher into the summer for great things to come!
I hope all of you have a great Monday!

God Bless and lots of Prayers,
Kristy

What is a Friend? What qualities make a friend...a friend?

M*A*S*H

The question was asked today (? he knows who he is) where do I think I'll be when I'm 25 year-of-age. I have decided that I have no plans for my life...as a child (or at least from jr. high) I had a whole time line laid out....when I was to be married, where I was going to live, what I was going to be doing...(Remember MASH) Where are you going to be when you are 25 years old...or in like 3 years?

What's in a name?That which we call a rose..by any other name would smell sweet.

I was talking about this with a friend, thought I would share...what does your name mean?

Kristy = follower of Christ, Christ bearer

Please share with me your name and its meaning...what does it say about
you?

Who opened the can of worms?

Don’t get me wrong I like earth worms…(today is Earth Day!), but the smell….not so good. (you know what I’m talking about) So many people say they like the smell after a fresh rain…I’m not really sure what that means because I always smell worms. Some say I’m not your typical girl…some say it is weird that a girl like me would like to fish, play with bugs and worms.
Any ways it is raining… kind of gloomy, one of those days that it is nice to stay curled up inside for us and a good day for the worms to be sprawled out all over the ground. Can you just picture yourself as a worm….your underground suit flooded from drops of rain, mud flowing across your path and your only retreat being the sidewalk where others walk….smushing you, or where children can see you…pick you up and throw you around or pull you apart.
This is just a random thought for the day.

Walking One Step At A Time

Man do I enjoy my walk across campus first thing in the morning. With it being spring it is a spectacular sight, just breath in the fresh air and take one relaxing step after another and look at the beautiful buds on the trees and the yellow tulips that are out ready to soak up the sun. I love this time alone in the morning…I get off work and I head to class, it is my reflection time. As I walk I look at people….I know it isn’t polite to stare…(so I don’t) Most people I pass have this glazed over look their faces and a slow moving glide in their feet….if I didn’t know any better I would say that there had been a mass murder right before finals….and all the zombies are out roaming the campus. Oh as the semester comes to and end will those look dissipate.
Have you ever been walking a just tripped? Oh was there a hole or something I didn’t see…a crack in the sidewalk you say……..nope just my feet with the inability to walk. Laugh it up….do a little chuckle or giggle inside……I know you have all had those days…where you trip up and try to catch yourself….or just hit the pavement. Have you tripped over something that you didn’t see or something that wasn’t even there….with lots of people around you…(I know you have J…don’t deny it) Well if you didn’t guess… not only was the great scenery apart of my morning, but walking…not falling…but walking and almost losing my shoe while surrounded by people…I just smiled..and stated it was way too early in the morning…lol, I’m sure you are wondering where my semi-embarrassing story is leading towards…well it reminded me of a song from DCTalk song comes to mind…what if I stumble, what if I fall, what if I loose my step and I make fools of us all….would our walk continue, or will a walk become a crawl…what if I stumble, what if I fall.
How many times in our lives do we fall away (trip up) I lay awake at night sometimes thinking about how many times I find myself falling down…just a little stumble at a time…do you ever feel that way? James 3:2 “We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.”—I am surely not this perfect creation…and far from it am I. Christ the Lord was a perfect man and is someone to look to for forgiveness, it is who we crawl to.
John 11:9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light.” The Lord should be our guide, our light in our life, so no matter how many times you may make that embarrassing fall…the Lord is there to lead a hand..to help us up.

Keep walking that path of rightousness.

~Kris

Ps. sorry for errors...and if you have read past blogs this week or last..i'm not even sure how you made sense of them...i read back through them half of them are all mixed up or a few sentence here and there didn't make sense....all i can say is sorry bad typing comes from typing too many papers...and being really scattered brained.

Grace is born

Today Melissa had a baby girl, her name is Grace. I'm not sure how long she is or how much she weighs...but she is health. Grace is a fabulous name for a little girl. The name means gift and she truely is a gift from God.
God Bless the children of the world.

~Kris

Love

Yesterday night instead of writing a paper I went to Bible study and watched Shrek…haven’t seen it you say…well you should go rent it. We focused on love, if you have read previous Blogs, then you know I talk about this a lot. In class we took a look at….you guessed in 1 Cor. 13. Did you know that in the Greek language our English word love has four different words…

Storge-love of family
Eros-sexual love/attraction
Philio-brotherly
love/friendship
Agape-God’s love

1Cor 13. is talking about that unconditional love (there is an equilibrium) this verse isn’t about our love, but God’s love (Agape)..how do we know this? In verse 5 it talks about the characteristic of “not self seeking” so with other loves there is always a give and take. So while this is a verse often used in marriage ceremonies….we should just be asking for agape to be apart of eros and philos.

Matt 5:43-48 you always can love, but how is that different than the pagans? These verses are talking about loving someone that maybe unlovable…(am I saying you have to like the person?…nope just love them) Look at the people around you…do you love them like you should…are you showing them philio?

Oh and a really good verse that tells us that it is ok to philio, that we aren’t capable of agape. John 21:15-19 Jesus questions Peter… “Peter do you agape?” “yes I philios”-Peter replied. “Peter do you agape?” “yes I philios”…then Jesus asked one last time… “Peter do you philos?” “Yes Lord I philos you.” It was at this time we see that it is ok that Jesus is excepting of the philos we have to offer him. Peter (us) can now see the weakness in our love….we can never agape, but we can love all. You may be thinking why did he ask the same question thee times in a row…well remember Peter earlier on denied Christ three times.

I talk about love a lot because I think it is essential in life. In John 4:7-16 Love=God. The only way to see love is through God. We can give nothing back to God that is why his is agape…no strings attached kind of love. Love comes from faith in Christ. (I’m not saying that people who are not Christians can’t love, but they might not understand agape..the meaning of love from God.)
Just a thought for the day…..our love is not perfect..., but God accepts us the way we are.

Love,
Kris

Sorry for the errors and the jumbledness..i’m in class!

Motivation

What drives you? What motivates you to get things done? What makes you want to be a better person? Maybe you don't ask yourselves these questions....but these things are running through my head as the end of the semester is near....(scary scary) this past Sunday Pastor Mark talked about motivation or being lead. How do we lead in our lives? These are some questions I throughout at you so please take the time and let me know your thoughts! God Bless you and for all of you who are go going through study issues, loads of papers, group projects I pray for motivation and diligence.

Have a fabulous day!
Kris

"In the long run you hit what you aim at, so aim high "
~Henry David Thoreau

"To accomplish great things, we must not only act,
but also dream; not only plan, but also believe."
~Anatole France

Children

There is no greater love than a love of a child. (Except God’s love…of coarse) As I sit rocking a small child to sleep at 11:30pm. (I was thinking wow, I’m glad I don’t have to do this every night) Really I was thinking how pure babies or young children are. They know how to sit up, how to eat, sleep, cry, and poop and possibly pee all over if you’re not careful. They also know love and a how to smile (a natural expression). For a child’s love is unconditional…you could be a drugged out father sitting in a rocking chair all day, but I’m sure your own child loves you….you could have given up your child for adoption and 19 years later found them and there is still love.
Someday I would love to have my own children (I will wait until I get out of college and get married) until then I will continue to thank God for the children in my life. They have a lot they still need to learn, but they make really good teachers. I pray that my relationship with God is as that as a child’s relationship with God. Pure, untouched by sin acts, meaning the greatest Sunday school answer (Jesus) is believed whole-heartedly. Children come to God and are accepting as we grow we tend to question and grow away from God…some of us are fortunate to find the path again but our view is distorted by sin as an adult. I pray that like the child whom sleeps in their crib tonight always keeps that child like faith. I pray that all of us can find that faith again.
God Bless,
Kris

"Its the end of the world as we know it.."

The end is coming, no I'm not talking about the end of the world...though that is coming too. The end of the semester is near, I'm counting down. (can't say I’ve done that since my senior year of high school) I'm ready to celebrate, celebrate the end of the hardest semester I think I have ever done. *I know some Sped people reading this are nodding right now....* As the semester comes to an end I start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Today I sat with children at a young writers conference and in an introduction my partner and I were like "we are almost teachers" and it was like wow...almost a teacher....light at the end of the tunnel. I'm a senior with one more semester of classes and one semester of student teaching left...I'm not sure I'm ready to be done. I am, but I'm not. I have made some of the best connections at the University that I'm at and I don't know where those connections will go when we are all graduated. I have friends that are done in three weeks....and I'm like whoa, where are they going from here...friends getting married...that is a big whoa in my book because a lot of them are a lot younger than me....I think I have been laying around too long by myself tonight...I'm getting to deep in to thought and dwelling on way too much.
I know that things have to be in constant change and though the semester is almost done I know there are other things throughout the summer that are going to push my buttons or just push me right off a cliff. Things are going to change and challenge me and I just pray that I can be accepting of all of it. Right now I'm sitting in front of my computer...my day has been ok, nothing extra special I'm holding a lot of feelings inside right now dealing with personal issues with people being honest with me. I know that not everyone is going to like me....I'm ok with that (i guess), but I'm not for getting blown off and lied to...(who does that honestly) I want to thank those who I am friends with....if you don't know this already...friends mean the world to me....so now you know! Well I'm off to sleep, so that my day tomorrow can be spent diligently working on research papers!
dream sweet, God Bless
Kris

forgive typos..i'm tired

Flower Power

Today is just another day. I walked across campus for the second time today (I was forgetful so I had to make an extra trip) On the way back to class a random guy walked by and handed me a flower. I little white daisy that really made me think about my day. For some reason it was something so simple that it brought a smile to face. Then I walked into the courtyard and took a deep breath and the smell of magnolias filled my sense. I’m normally not a flower girl, but we all have our moments where we get all sensitive and stuff. Often times we go through life we let things pile up, things are on our minds constantly and distract us from what is important, even if it is something simple as looking at some of God’s greatest creations and we shouldn’t have to worry so much about everything else blocking our hearts…taking up space on our minds.
Take a step back and breath in life…this is what I’m working on (following my own advice)

God Bless,
Kris

Doubt

How many times do you doubt your own abilities or the abilities of others? How many times do you question yourself, your beliefs, your mind?
Jesus appeared to Thomas (Didymus). Thomas wasn’t with the other disciples when Jesus had come previously. He had heard the rumors that Jesus lived and yet he still doubted. He walked with Jesus. He listened to His teachings and yet he had little faith that this wonderful thing could have happened, that Christ lives. Thomas wanted to see everything with his own eyes, to feel Jesus side with his own two hands. John 20:21 Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. How often we find ourselves thinking the same thing having doubt or asking God to prove His presence. Matthew 14 is when Peter decided to walk on the water. I’m sure if he would have thought about it clearly before he may have hesitated a little more. He had faith in His Lord and the mighty power and started walking across the waves. Like most men he got scared, he looked down and doubt over powered what faith He did have. “you of little faith, why do you doubt?” With the semester winding down I find myself looking at my future even more, praying for the days to come. Often times I find the feeling of doubt going through my head. Doubt is a strong feeling that often times gets mixed up with confusion, frustration, or just plain stupidity on the part of being of the human race. Mark 11:-22-25 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain,” ‘Go throw yourself into the sea’, and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen; it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that you Father in heaven ay forgive you your sins.” Am I saying you can pray for a million dollars and receive it…nope that isn’t what I was thinking about when choosing this passage to share. God has the mighty power to do what He wills. I feel that even if we ask for it God chooses when the best time is for us to have answered prayers. We might not always see prayers answered in the way we want them…but God has a plan for that answer. James 1:2 –12 talks about the crown of life and the man who perseveres, it also says “but when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord….” I pray that you may not doubt in the Lord God’s power over us. I pray that though the weeks get long and as many times over I ask myself what if, why, what am I going to do questions that I remember that I’m not really alone and that I should not forget to praise Him, that I should not doubt in myself and my own abilities. I should not doubt in the Lord.

God Bless, Kris