Well this week has been pretty good. My students delivered their informative speeches this week and did a very good job. Yesterday was quite eventful. We had a fire drill, I sent a kid to the principal, went to the worlds longest staff meeting (2.5 hours!), and waited in line for over an hour to exercise my right to vote. I really wont mind if today is less eventful... But I am going ice skating tonight!
I sure do miss my best friend Em. She's in Australia. I figure in her honor, I'll post the most recent Facebook wall message we shared.
I wrote:
thursday routine of the past (senior year):
go to the chic for pizza/bosco sticks
watch greys anatomy (in my room while the office was recording in yours)
you go down to the lobby for duty, i "do homework"
you come back and we watch the office in your room
we sit and talk too long and i have to force myself to get up and leave you to be responsible and do more homework while i go crash in my room.
She replied:
Thursday Routine of Sophomore year:
Come back after class and pretty much do nothing.
4:00 watch and make fun of 7th heaven reruns
5:00 watch smallville reruns and make fun of it too
5:35ish RUN to chic-fil-A during a commercial break and run back for the ending.
6:00 Watch the following movie after smallville and groan because of all the commercials for Wildfire.
8:00 to the rest of the night we would then feel sick of TV and then not think of anything else to do and then around 10 or 11 I would do tons of reading while you and Katie would watch the foodnetwork.
you know, I never thought I would miss making fun of 7th Heaven.... Em. Come home soon.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Looking forward to ice skating and pumpkin carving :)
Well my students had their first debate tournament this past weekend. While they didn't make it past the first round, they all did very well. They worked hard and had good attitudes. I am very proud of them.
This past week was so very busy, and I missed out on a lot of sleep. I'm looking forward a less eventful week with a little bit more rest.
This really isn't a very good post... I'll do better later this week.
This past week was so very busy, and I missed out on a lot of sleep. I'm looking forward a less eventful week with a little bit more rest.
This really isn't a very good post... I'll do better later this week.
Monday, October 20, 2008
glorious inheritance
Sleep. I've always been good at this leisurely activity. In high school I would sleep until about 2 pm every Saturday. I could easily sleep for 14 hours straight. Going to sleep has never been a problem for me. However, finding time to sleep is a new obstacle.
If I wake up at 4:30 am then that means for a good 8 hour sleep I need to be in bed by... 8:30, right? WHO GOES TO BED AT 8:30?!?!?! Not I. I should go to bed then cuz I definitely need those sweet 8 hours, but there is still so much to be done at 8:30. I'm doing good if I'm in bed by 10. Ridiculous. Needless to say I feel that I am now in a constant state of yawning. I'd take a nap when I get home for work, but I go to sleep just a few hours after that so I feel like I'd be wasting time that could be better spent. I'll just pray that the Lord daily renews my strength.
So this book Crazy Love, and how obsessed I am with it. I just finished chapter 3. Basically it was about understanding the magnitude of being known by Jesus. We all grew up singing "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so." But do we really only believe that He loves us because "for the Bible tells me so"? This was a question raised in the chapter that really hit me hard. About a year ago my mom gave me this wooden signing that says "Jesus knows me this I love." As cute as it is, it bothered me a little bit that the words were out of order. As I read this chapter though, I kept thinking about that phrase. Jesus KNOWS me. He knows me, Hannah King. There is nothing special about me, nothing worthy of being known by Him, and yet not only does He know me, but He knows EVERYTHING about me and has since before I was created (Jer. 1:5).
The following is a portion of the book that really hit me. I bet you can guess which two words I struggled hearing the most.
"The very fact that a holy, eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, merciful, fair, and just God loves you and me is nothing short of astonishing.
The wildest part is that Jesus doesn't have to love us. He doesn't need me or you. Yet He wants us, chooses us, even considers us His inheritance (Eph. 1:18). The greatest knowledge we can ever have is knowing God treasures us.
That really is amazing beyond description. The holy Creator sees you as His 'glorious inheritance.'
The irony is that while God doesn't need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don't really want Him most of the time. He treasures us and anticipates our departure from this earth to be with Him- and we wonder, indifferently, how much we have to do for Him to get by."
AH! SO STINKIN' GOOD! Ok, now lets go back to the part that hit me the most- "glorious inheritance." The reference to that is from Eph. 1:18. However, if you back up to verse 13-14 it says, "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory."
What is this inheritance? Is it Heaven? I think that that is part of it. But think about the word inheritance. Webster defines it as "to receive as an heir at the death of the previous holder." Our inheritance (now please know that this is only my interpretation) is Life. Jesus (the previous holder) died for you and me so that we could inherit life. And not just any life, but an enternal life with no pain, no sickness, no hurt. A life where all we do is worship God. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty! There really is no greater love than this! He died for us so that we could have Life. Think about this, He DIED for us, for me. And He KNOWS me, everything about me. I would not die for me. I've screwed up, I am very unworthy of this Life He freely gives, and yet, despite my unworthiness and knowing all my flaws, HE STILL DIED FOR ME!
I'm amazed.
If I wake up at 4:30 am then that means for a good 8 hour sleep I need to be in bed by... 8:30, right? WHO GOES TO BED AT 8:30?!?!?! Not I. I should go to bed then cuz I definitely need those sweet 8 hours, but there is still so much to be done at 8:30. I'm doing good if I'm in bed by 10. Ridiculous. Needless to say I feel that I am now in a constant state of yawning. I'd take a nap when I get home for work, but I go to sleep just a few hours after that so I feel like I'd be wasting time that could be better spent. I'll just pray that the Lord daily renews my strength.
So this book Crazy Love, and how obsessed I am with it. I just finished chapter 3. Basically it was about understanding the magnitude of being known by Jesus. We all grew up singing "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so." But do we really only believe that He loves us because "for the Bible tells me so"? This was a question raised in the chapter that really hit me hard. About a year ago my mom gave me this wooden signing that says "Jesus knows me this I love." As cute as it is, it bothered me a little bit that the words were out of order. As I read this chapter though, I kept thinking about that phrase. Jesus KNOWS me. He knows me, Hannah King. There is nothing special about me, nothing worthy of being known by Him, and yet not only does He know me, but He knows EVERYTHING about me and has since before I was created (Jer. 1:5).
The following is a portion of the book that really hit me. I bet you can guess which two words I struggled hearing the most.
"The very fact that a holy, eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, merciful, fair, and just God loves you and me is nothing short of astonishing.
The wildest part is that Jesus doesn't have to love us. He doesn't need me or you. Yet He wants us, chooses us, even considers us His inheritance (Eph. 1:18). The greatest knowledge we can ever have is knowing God treasures us.
That really is amazing beyond description. The holy Creator sees you as His 'glorious inheritance.'
The irony is that while God doesn't need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don't really want Him most of the time. He treasures us and anticipates our departure from this earth to be with Him- and we wonder, indifferently, how much we have to do for Him to get by."
AH! SO STINKIN' GOOD! Ok, now lets go back to the part that hit me the most- "glorious inheritance." The reference to that is from Eph. 1:18. However, if you back up to verse 13-14 it says, "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory."
What is this inheritance? Is it Heaven? I think that that is part of it. But think about the word inheritance. Webster defines it as "to receive as an heir at the death of the previous holder." Our inheritance (now please know that this is only my interpretation) is Life. Jesus (the previous holder) died for you and me so that we could inherit life. And not just any life, but an enternal life with no pain, no sickness, no hurt. A life where all we do is worship God. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty! There really is no greater love than this! He died for us so that we could have Life. Think about this, He DIED for us, for me. And He KNOWS me, everything about me. I would not die for me. I've screwed up, I am very unworthy of this Life He freely gives, and yet, despite my unworthiness and knowing all my flaws, HE STILL DIED FOR ME!
I'm amazed.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Friiiiiiiiiiiiiii-day
Hooray for Fridays. The following is a list of reasons why I usually love Fridays (note that I say usually because if there is a Debate Tournament that weekend, I'm not a big fan of Friday...)
-I get to wear jeans and a tshirt to work. Best day ever.
-My students are in fairly good moods.
-I clean my apartment on Fridays, and yes I do enjoy this.
-I get to sleep in until 5 am (as opposed to the normal 4:30 am)
-Hanging out with friends
-NO agenda. No papers to grade, no lesson plans to work on, just an enjoyable evening.
-Staying up past 9:30 pm. Although, usually right around then I start the yawning... just because I get to stay up later doesn't take away from the fact that I woke up so early.
Anyway. I am thankful for Fridays. I think God created them just for me. Oh, I started reading The Shack. A very interesting (and slightly confusing) book. But I am enjoying it so far. I'll keep you posted.
I think I'm gonna see a movie tonight! Whoop!
-I get to wear jeans and a tshirt to work. Best day ever.
-My students are in fairly good moods.
-I clean my apartment on Fridays, and yes I do enjoy this.
-I get to sleep in until 5 am (as opposed to the normal 4:30 am)
-Hanging out with friends
-NO agenda. No papers to grade, no lesson plans to work on, just an enjoyable evening.
-Staying up past 9:30 pm. Although, usually right around then I start the yawning... just because I get to stay up later doesn't take away from the fact that I woke up so early.
Anyway. I am thankful for Fridays. I think God created them just for me. Oh, I started reading The Shack. A very interesting (and slightly confusing) book. But I am enjoying it so far. I'll keep you posted.
I think I'm gonna see a movie tonight! Whoop!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Humor Me Lord
Here's an interesting concept: Sometimes God answers our prayers with humor. I've been praying about something in my life pretty hardcore, and basically had asked God to do the typical "give me a sign" because as we all know faith is so much easier when it's something tangible (that is sarcasm at myself by the way). Anywho, it was not necessarily a laughing matter but the way God choose to answer my prayers was most definitely something to smile about. In fact, I feel like I've been laughing about it for over 12 hours, and know that I'll probably laugh at this for years to come. God is good. He gave me my answer and something to smile about. He's pretty cool like that.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Good Morning.
Some people are early morning joggers. I think I shall become an early morning blogger. It is currently 5:18 AM. Ridiculous. I will say though that I am "getting used to" waking up so dang early.
The conference in Corpus was pretty great. I will admit that it was hard sitting in so many different lectures, but the resources were well worth it. I'm looking forward to applying all my new lesson plan ideas to the classroom.
I'm beginning to set aside a little bit of each paycheck so that I can go to Panama over Christmas break. Be praying that God works it out. If it is His will, I'll be there.
Small groups last night was pretty much thebomb.com. I am obsessed with this book Crazy Love and encourage everyone to go out and pick up a copy. Pretty convicting. Ever since my first summer working at Pine Cove I have been learning that this life is not about me, and this book is showing me that I never fully grasped that concept. This life really isn't about me, although I live as if it is. My only purpose (and incredible purpose at that) is to glorify my Maker. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. Think about it though. My soul purpose, your purpose in life is to bring glory to God. Sounds simple huh? So how come we make it so complicated and screw it all up? I'm working on that answer.
Thought for the day:
"Whatever God's reasons for such diversity, creativity, and sophistication in the universe, on earth, and in our own bodies, the point of it all is His glory. God's art speaks of Himself, reflecting who He is and what He is like." -Crazy Love
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world." Psalm 19:1-4
The conference in Corpus was pretty great. I will admit that it was hard sitting in so many different lectures, but the resources were well worth it. I'm looking forward to applying all my new lesson plan ideas to the classroom.
I'm beginning to set aside a little bit of each paycheck so that I can go to Panama over Christmas break. Be praying that God works it out. If it is His will, I'll be there.
Small groups last night was pretty much thebomb.com. I am obsessed with this book Crazy Love and encourage everyone to go out and pick up a copy. Pretty convicting. Ever since my first summer working at Pine Cove I have been learning that this life is not about me, and this book is showing me that I never fully grasped that concept. This life really isn't about me, although I live as if it is. My only purpose (and incredible purpose at that) is to glorify my Maker. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. Think about it though. My soul purpose, your purpose in life is to bring glory to God. Sounds simple huh? So how come we make it so complicated and screw it all up? I'm working on that answer.
Thought for the day:
"Whatever God's reasons for such diversity, creativity, and sophistication in the universe, on earth, and in our own bodies, the point of it all is His glory. God's art speaks of Himself, reflecting who He is and what He is like." -Crazy Love
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world." Psalm 19:1-4
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
my longest post EVER
Ok. SO here is a legit blog for those of you who are faithful readers. (ps: I would really like to know who my readers are, so please leave a comment.) I'm currently sitting in an air port waiting to board for a flight to Corpus Christi. Myself and the other speech teacher from my school are going there for the remainder of the week for a speech teacher conference. I'm looking forward to the workshops and am already excited about applying what I learn in the classroom, but I'm not looking forward to sitting in workshops from 8 am to 9 pm for the next 3 days....
Where to begin! For those of you who have not quite caught on, I moved to the Houston area in August. Pasadena more specifically. I'm teaching high school speech and lovin' it! It is way harder than I had expected, but I like the challenge. God has been so faithful to me. The move was flawless, getting started at school was a smooth transition, and I fell in love with the first church I visited. I've made friends, and feel "at home" here in this great town. Of course I miss my family dearly, but my busy schedule helps distract me.
Pasadena: I really like it here. Close enough to the water that I can satisfy my love for the ocean, far enough away from downtown Houston that I don't feel like a fish out of water, 10 minute drive to work, and I live next to a Barnes & Nobles. Life is good. I should add that three weeks into the semester I evacuated for Hurricane Ike. Awesome. School was closed for 2 weeks. I received only minor damage at my apartment (praise the Lord!) but many I know lost almost if not everything. My electricity was only out for a few days, but everyone around me (including next door) went weeks with out electricity. It has been hard on our area, but God has changed the lives of many through this disaster.
School: I have about 130 students, the majority of them are Hispanic. A few of my students speak very little English, and I am suddenly aware of why God called me to "learn" Spanish. I'm getting to practice it daily, which is wonderful. It amazes me how the majority of my students are the same age (Juniors) and yet everyone of my 5 classes are soooo completely different. 1st period- extremely quite. But that is totally understandable. It is after all 7:15 am (did I mention I wake up at 4:30 am? My dad would say that's karma). 3rd period is a great class. They are well-behaved and responsive to our lessons. You'd think they'd be my favorite, right? Just wait. 4th period is a fun class, the only hard part is they are in there for almost 2 hours. It is so hard to keep them awake when they are ready to get up, move around, and eat lunch! (Speaking of lunch, it starts at 9:45 am. Crazy!) Then there is 6th period, my biggest class. I have 33 students in there. Individually, they are great. However, they all have a TON of energy and lots to say. I have a little trouble managing that class, but I'm learning. And finally, 7th period. My favorite, and not just because it's the last class of the day. I would never tell them they are my favorite class, but I don't mind mentioning it here. So what is so great about them? Well first of all, about half the baseball team is in that class which is just fun. Secondly, they are hilarious! I'm positive I teach some of the funniest kids in the school. But finally, they are my favorite because they are good learners and seem to enjoy what we are learning. They are fairly easy to teach, and help make the learning environment enjoyable. I can't think of a better class to end the day with.
I'm also help coach Debate. The head coach heads up the actual debate part of the team (believe it or not, you do more than debate at tournaments!). I help the students write their speeches, practice for improv speeches, prose, poetry, and theater. Yes, those are all events with in debate. Amazing, huh? I'm learning a lot and enjoying it, but there is a down side... it keeps me at school for about 2 extra hours everyday and we travel for tournaments almost every weekend. However, it is all worth it. So that is enough about school.
Oh wait, I'll add one more thing. I sent my first kid to the principal. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done, and I felt so bad. After all my students left the classroom, I cried. I dreaded seeing the student the next day, but to my surprise I am still his favorite teacher. Gives me a cool picture of how it must be for God to discipline us. It pains Him but we love Him all the more for it.
Church: My church is AMAZING! A friend had invited me, and I praise the Lord for that friend. The church has made my transition here so much better. The college+ group is wonderful, my pastor is oozing with wisdom, and the people are so loving. I am truly blessed. Oh and I got invited to start attending a small group which I'll begin on Sunday. We are going to be reading Crazy Love. I'm definitely looking forward to this. I miss having a group of girls to grow with.
A final thought: EMILY POTEET COME HOME PLEASE!!!!! My best friend is living it Australia and will be there until the middle of Dec. I haven't seen her since May. We talk almost daily, but it just isn't enough. I miss my 'lil Poteet! I can't wait for her to come home and then move to Pasadena to live with me! (wishful thinking, I know...)
My heart and flesh may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:26
Where to begin! For those of you who have not quite caught on, I moved to the Houston area in August. Pasadena more specifically. I'm teaching high school speech and lovin' it! It is way harder than I had expected, but I like the challenge. God has been so faithful to me. The move was flawless, getting started at school was a smooth transition, and I fell in love with the first church I visited. I've made friends, and feel "at home" here in this great town. Of course I miss my family dearly, but my busy schedule helps distract me.
Pasadena: I really like it here. Close enough to the water that I can satisfy my love for the ocean, far enough away from downtown Houston that I don't feel like a fish out of water, 10 minute drive to work, and I live next to a Barnes & Nobles. Life is good. I should add that three weeks into the semester I evacuated for Hurricane Ike. Awesome. School was closed for 2 weeks. I received only minor damage at my apartment (praise the Lord!) but many I know lost almost if not everything. My electricity was only out for a few days, but everyone around me (including next door) went weeks with out electricity. It has been hard on our area, but God has changed the lives of many through this disaster.
School: I have about 130 students, the majority of them are Hispanic. A few of my students speak very little English, and I am suddenly aware of why God called me to "learn" Spanish. I'm getting to practice it daily, which is wonderful. It amazes me how the majority of my students are the same age (Juniors) and yet everyone of my 5 classes are soooo completely different. 1st period- extremely quite. But that is totally understandable. It is after all 7:15 am (did I mention I wake up at 4:30 am? My dad would say that's karma). 3rd period is a great class. They are well-behaved and responsive to our lessons. You'd think they'd be my favorite, right? Just wait. 4th period is a fun class, the only hard part is they are in there for almost 2 hours. It is so hard to keep them awake when they are ready to get up, move around, and eat lunch! (Speaking of lunch, it starts at 9:45 am. Crazy!) Then there is 6th period, my biggest class. I have 33 students in there. Individually, they are great. However, they all have a TON of energy and lots to say. I have a little trouble managing that class, but I'm learning. And finally, 7th period. My favorite, and not just because it's the last class of the day. I would never tell them they are my favorite class, but I don't mind mentioning it here. So what is so great about them? Well first of all, about half the baseball team is in that class which is just fun. Secondly, they are hilarious! I'm positive I teach some of the funniest kids in the school. But finally, they are my favorite because they are good learners and seem to enjoy what we are learning. They are fairly easy to teach, and help make the learning environment enjoyable. I can't think of a better class to end the day with.
I'm also help coach Debate. The head coach heads up the actual debate part of the team (believe it or not, you do more than debate at tournaments!). I help the students write their speeches, practice for improv speeches, prose, poetry, and theater. Yes, those are all events with in debate. Amazing, huh? I'm learning a lot and enjoying it, but there is a down side... it keeps me at school for about 2 extra hours everyday and we travel for tournaments almost every weekend. However, it is all worth it. So that is enough about school.
Oh wait, I'll add one more thing. I sent my first kid to the principal. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done, and I felt so bad. After all my students left the classroom, I cried. I dreaded seeing the student the next day, but to my surprise I am still his favorite teacher. Gives me a cool picture of how it must be for God to discipline us. It pains Him but we love Him all the more for it.
Church: My church is AMAZING! A friend had invited me, and I praise the Lord for that friend. The church has made my transition here so much better. The college+ group is wonderful, my pastor is oozing with wisdom, and the people are so loving. I am truly blessed. Oh and I got invited to start attending a small group which I'll begin on Sunday. We are going to be reading Crazy Love. I'm definitely looking forward to this. I miss having a group of girls to grow with.
A final thought: EMILY POTEET COME HOME PLEASE!!!!! My best friend is living it Australia and will be there until the middle of Dec. I haven't seen her since May. We talk almost daily, but it just isn't enough. I miss my 'lil Poteet! I can't wait for her to come home and then move to Pasadena to live with me! (wishful thinking, I know...)
My heart and flesh may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 73:26
Monday, October 6, 2008
i'm lame.
So I'm so very over due. The following is a post I started after I got back from Panama at the beginning of August... It's not a complete post, still had thoughts to be expressed/refined and details to be added, but it probably wont ever get finished... so here it is. A REAL post will be coming this week with updates of the here-and-now. No worries.
I'm not even really sure where to start. The last few weeks have been an emotional roller coaster. Camp in Panama was so much more than I could have imagined. God was totally in control of all that happened, and He deserves all the glory. I really feel like the Panamanians have finally grasped the vision of camping ministry, and that they will continue to move forward in their ministry. It was so hard saying goodbye to my friends there. Aylen and her family have been so wonderful to me the last 3 years. They have taken me in and truly made me apart of their family. I praise the Lord for that relationship, and I am excited to visit them some time in the future.
Saying goodbye to Robert, Nina, Nicole, and Johann was real hard too. I love that family. But they'll be in the states for a few months pretty soon, so I know I'll see them.
It was weird leaving Cresta del Mar. For the last three years I have been blessed to serve there, and as we drove away, I wasn't real sure how I felt. I'm still not. I just feel so emotionally worn out. I was pretty distracted on the trip too. That didn't really help. I realized that as soon as I stepped off the plane in Houston, everything would change. My mom picked me up there, then we drove all around Pasadena looking for an apartment to move into. I think we found one, we are gonna fill out all the paper work and meet with them tomorrow. I'll move here on Monday. Welcome to the real world.
My alternator in my car went out the day before I left. Hopefully it wont be too expensive to fix. I hate money. (ha ok so here is something funny. this post was written almost 2 months ago and just a couple of weeks ago my alternator went out... AGAIN!)
I know this post is mostly gibberish, but I can't really think straight right now.
I'm not even really sure where to start. The last few weeks have been an emotional roller coaster. Camp in Panama was so much more than I could have imagined. God was totally in control of all that happened, and He deserves all the glory. I really feel like the Panamanians have finally grasped the vision of camping ministry, and that they will continue to move forward in their ministry. It was so hard saying goodbye to my friends there. Aylen and her family have been so wonderful to me the last 3 years. They have taken me in and truly made me apart of their family. I praise the Lord for that relationship, and I am excited to visit them some time in the future.
Saying goodbye to Robert, Nina, Nicole, and Johann was real hard too. I love that family. But they'll be in the states for a few months pretty soon, so I know I'll see them.
It was weird leaving Cresta del Mar. For the last three years I have been blessed to serve there, and as we drove away, I wasn't real sure how I felt. I'm still not. I just feel so emotionally worn out. I was pretty distracted on the trip too. That didn't really help. I realized that as soon as I stepped off the plane in Houston, everything would change. My mom picked me up there, then we drove all around Pasadena looking for an apartment to move into. I think we found one, we are gonna fill out all the paper work and meet with them tomorrow. I'll move here on Monday. Welcome to the real world.
My alternator in my car went out the day before I left. Hopefully it wont be too expensive to fix. I hate money. (ha ok so here is something funny. this post was written almost 2 months ago and just a couple of weeks ago my alternator went out... AGAIN!)
I know this post is mostly gibberish, but I can't really think straight right now.
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