Matthew 20

This morning the daily Bible reading was in Matthew 20:1-19. The story of the laborers in the vineyard is like the kingdom of heaven. At the end of Matthew 19 Jesus reminds the disciples that the first will be last and the last first. This parable teaches the same principle. Those who were hired in the 6th hour received their pay first and those who were hired at the beginning of the day received pay last. They complained about it. Why the repetition of the first shall be last? It's my opinion that this message is extremely important. Why do we ever repeat anything? Because we want the audience to catch the message-it is vital! What next? How do I become last?

Matt.19

I was doing my daily Bible reading this morning. Matthew 19:16-30 was one of the passages. This is the story of Jesus with the rich young ruler. Obviously from the title the young guy is very wealthy. So he comes to Jesus and asks him what else he has to do to receive eternal life (Matt. 19:16). Jesus tells him to keep certain commandments like don't steal, honoring your parents, and loving your neighbor as yourself. So the guy says to Jesus he's done all of this and wants to know what else is there. Jesus says sell all your stuff and give the money to the poor so he'll have treasures in heaven and follow Jesus( verse 21). The young guy goes away from Jesus really sad. He is unwilling to do what Jesus has told him. Jesus goes on to say that if anyone has left their father, mother, sister, brother, children, or property for his sake will receive a hundredfold in return and receive eternal life(Matt 19:29). The chapter ends with this verse "But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now, will be most important then"Matt 19:30 New Living Translation. After reading this I wondered "What now?" Another question hit me "What am I willing to give up for Jesus?"

Kesystone State

Mom and I are heading out in a little while to go to central Pennsylvania. We'll be stopping in Punxsatawney, Pa home of the groundhog Phil. We lived there for several years when I was around 2 til I was about 5. So excited about seeing Phil! Mom and I have not had a road trip since 2007 when she came to visit me in Germany and we drove from Zwochau to Dresden. So it should be some good times. We'll go to Gram's after we stop in Punxsy. Howard is where she lives which is in Centre County, smack dab in the middle of the Nittany Mountains. My aunt Cheryl is having a barbecue tonight so I'll get to see my whole family! I haven't seen most of them in at least 3 years if not longer.

Northern Exposure 2010

I am on a road trip with various stops along the way. It began Sunday, June 13, 2010. First stop Cincinnati, Ohio approximately 292.5 miles from Nashvegas. The drive was fairly uneventful and I was so thankful for that. Let me go back to the drive for a minute cause there was one thing I would have changed--the heat. When I left Nashville it was in the 90s. As I was driving on I-65 the thermometer in the card said 99 and my air conditioning was struggling a wee bit. I was soaked in my sweat as I drove. It was disgusting. Finally I figured out if I switched the ac setting to just the top part of the car it would get cooler faster and the remainder of the drive was very pleasant. It also helped that the further north I drove the cooler it got. I got to my sister's but she wasn't there yet. I hung out and started watching TV to pass the time. She finally got home from her trip to Pennsylvania and we hung out for while, but she had to go to work the next day. We said good-night and I had an amazing night of sleep. The next I woke up and did my routine which is breakfast, e-mail, prayer, Bible reading, and maybe some journaling thrown in there. My sista had been kind enough to leave her pool key with me so around 11:00 the sky turned a marvelous shade of blue and I threw my suit on, packed some snacks, and headed for the pool. I lounged there while reading Breaking Dawn the final book in the Twilight series. It was so intense I read for 3 hours. Then, I realized I was a wee bit red as I had only applied sunscreen to my face. Chantelle had instructed me to put the chicken in the crockpot around 2 anyway, so I headed back to her place to start our dinner. Then, I went to the fitness center of her complex and worked out for about an hour. When I got back I read for about another hour and a half after a shower of course. We ate dinner, then got ready for the main event--Ingrid Michaelson's concert. We left her apartment around 7:15, got a little lost downtown, but made it to the Southgate House where the concert was around 7:45 where we got in line. The concert didn't start until 9 so we stood in there and played a game "Would you date a guy _____"? It was very fun and I suggest it to any single ladies or just anyone who is bored. Matt Morris opened for Ingrid. We think he was on the Mickey Mouse Club in his younger days. I still have to research to confirm that. He was really good. mattmorris.net if you're interested in checking him out. He's got a free song you can download. About an hour later it was time for the big show. Ingrid started off with Soldier one of my favorites and the concert just got better from there. She sang "Creep" by Radiohead and covered "Toxic" by Britney Spears. Ingrid is so hilarious and always delivers an amazing concert. The only complaint was that it was so stinking hot in there. Literally there was sweat rolling down my back as I sang along to "Be Ok". It was unbelievable. We got home around 12:30 as the sky was lit up with lightening. We never saw any rain though. That was when I suppose Touchdown Jesus got struck and was on fire. Chantelle and I had to say good-bye when we got back, because she had to work the next day. I love her apartment and want to live there--sidebar. I felt bad for her to have to get up and work the next day when I got to sleep in. I'm sure she made it through just fine though. Next morning I woke up and went through my routine, then packed up. I left around 11 and headed to Fort Wayne, Indiana--190 miles from Cincinnati. I was looking forward to the drive because I thought I'd be able to see T.D. Jesus, however, He was gone. I could have also missed him. I saw some interesting things on the drive though. When I got to my parents my Dad was here and he was kind enough to help carry my luggage in. Then, Mom got home and she and I went to Culver's for lunch, then to Kohl's to do some shopping oh and Wal-Mart. Tomorrow, Northern Exposure goes eastbound to the Keystone State for the next leg. Can't wait!

El Presidente

It's Saturday morning and I woke up with a hankering for pancakes. While I was cooking them iTunes was on and the Wall Street Journal was playing. There was a need within me to be in touch with what is happening in the world on June 12, 2010. Gordon Deal is the host and he's got the best radio voice--it just pulls you in. I digress. There was a segment that came up discussing the president's use of the phrase "Who's ass to kick"in reference to the oil spill in the Gulf. Pardon my usage of this phrase. I was so bothered by this phrasing and usage by our president that it's been distracting me from my typical morning routine. I don't remember if it was Gordon or the other reporter on the segment who pointed out that the president is the moral leader of our country. They went on to discuss that this particular language was ok to use because it conveyed his emotion to the people of the United States. I just feel extreme disappointment by this and a little embarrassed to be honest. Also, what kind of impact will this have upon students, I'm talking about younger students, elementary age kiddos. Their hippocampus(part of their brain) is not developed enough for them to distinguish that this line is not appropriate for them to use. Would you want your child going around saying that and using the excuse that it's ok for him because the president said it? Is the president the moral leader of our country or not? I'd like to think that we take into consideration their moral and ethical code to some extent. Their morality will impact the way in which they lead us to a degree. Ethics and morality are part of a good leader. When those qualities are strong, then the leader will in turn be strong. The leader does deserve grace as he or she does the job. So while, disappointment still lingers in my morning, I am willing to forgive and move on from this mistake. That's what I would like to receive from someone whom I have disappointed.

The End is Near

So, the end of the school year is quickly approaching. Only 4 and a half days with the kiddos left. It's a bittersweet time. There are many students I am sad to see go. They have all worked hard, some harder than others though. I can not imagine what it's like to be a parent and to let your child go off after they have grown-up. I have only had these kids for 10 months. Thoughts creep into my mind about what will happen to them over the summer. Will they practice their English? Will they read? Will they be safe? It is easy to spend a lot of time worrying over these things, but I have no control over them. These unsettling thoughts have to be turned over to the Lord. In God's word it says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God" Philippians 4:6. There should be an attitude of thankfulness that I was entrusted with these children for this time and give it to God. He is in control!

The Olympics

So yesterday I was watching figure skating, because my roomie had recorded it on Tivo. One couple from Russia was up next. As I glanced at the competitors I thought to myself "The female doesn't look Russian at all, but Asian." The commentator went on to give some background of the skaters. The female competitor had been born in Japan and had gone to Russia to seek out a particular skating coach. Through certain events the coach took her on as a student and the girl has since become a Russian citizen. Now, when she wants to visit her family in Japan, she has to get a Visa to do so. The sports commentator went on to say that this skater has adapted and adjusted to Russian culture so well. She put off her natural self and made a conscious decision to become something completely different. Russia and Japan, think about the contrast in these two cultures and languages. It kind of makes my head spin. This is a really good illustration for Christians. We must put off our natural, sinful selves when we become followers of Christ. It is a decision that we make and there are big changes we must go through in order to be able to really call ourselves Christians. If we want it bad enough though we are willing to make the sacrifice to do so. In the end we have something even better than a gold medal waiting for us.

Life Lessons

So I got up this morning and ate some pancakes. Then I settled down on the couch to read over some notes from my Bible study. I had some great quiet time and felt ready to tackle the day ahead of me. As I got ready and chatted with my roomie I was looking forward to what was ahead of me at Quantum Learning Training. I should have known it was going to be an off day as I nearly face planted on my icy doorstop. Successfully I made it down three flights of stairs to the treacherous parking lot, got my car scraped off and headed to work. Traffic was slow moving due to the "inclement" weather. To Tennesseans the word inclement weather means moisture in the air. Once I turned down the street getting closer to my school I noticed quickly there were only two cars in the parking lot. Keep in mind it was 7:50 and I was to be there at 7:45. An eery feeling crept into my stomach as I pulled in the parking lot. The front door was propped open with a planter which was unusual considering the cold temperature. I decided to park near the front door and enter that way. I walked in and the lights are on in the front, but the lights down the side hallways were off. Weird, I thought. Have I entered the twilight zone? The media center had lights on and again the door was propped open. My fearless principal was inside and greeted me with the news that we were on a two-hour delay. Lesson learned watch the news in the morning.