Today’s message focused on a couple of items for which I needed reminding. The one is that trials in our lives are nothing more than lessons God is using to bring us into more of His likeness. The other focus is that reasoning is quite different from discernment. A gentleman I’ve been meeting with is truly struggling with trials in his life presently. As we talked yesterday for a moment, I reminded him that his obedience to God’s leading today will take these trials and turn them into growth lessons which will result in his being more Christ-like. He’s very discouraged with himself presently. I think all of us have been at this point in our lives (more than a couple times!).

This other point about reasoning vs discernment is a real awakening for me. When we are in the midst of deep trials–struggles in our lives, our minds try to give us guidance: flee, fight, ignore, lash out, etc. However, God’s Holy Spirit often gives us a discerning message which doesn’t make sense at the moment, yet, if we listen and obey it, we find a peace in the midst of it. God’s discerning message is to always follow His timeline and not to create our own from our own reasoning. Discernment requires Trust and Obedience. Reasoning requires answers which satisfy our self-thinking.

When Jesus was telling His disciples about what He needed to do: suffer many things, be tested, be disapproved, be rejected and lastly–put to death (Mark 8:21); Peter took him aside to rebuke what He was telling them. However, Peter’s reasoning was way off-base. He hadn’t yet learned to discern–TRUST what Jesus says. This is a huge lesson which all of us must face in life far more than one time. Yet, in so doing, God becomes more and more real and intimate for He is our One True God!

Well, God is always Almighty! The meeting yesterday was actually very touching. To my surprise, one of the teachers was at college when I was there (a class behind me) and introduced herself to me saying she was glad I could be part of them for a year. Another teacher came up and introduced herself as a teacher who had been in another school 10 years earlier where I’d worked. It is always nice to have an entry point so one is not a complete stranger.

As the day went on I wanted to get several things done at home in my yard and garden. My one grandson came to help. He had lost his wallet a few days ago and had been unable to find it. He helped me pick almost 4 gallons of blackberries and them we picked over 5 gallons of green beans. When we took a break he sat down in a recliner in the family room only to stick his hand down alongside of the couch pad. He yelled, “Grandpa, here’s my wallet!” When he had been staying at our house a week ago while I was with the school district in Montana, it must have worked out of his pocket. He was so happy and I thanked Jesus for caring so much!

I am always touched by the caring nature of our One True God–Jesus Christ! There were several other little details which took place yesterday where I thanked Him. He reminded me this morning that putting my faith fully in Him and keeping my eyes always on Him will keep fear and anxiety at bay. How thankful I am for our One True God–Jesus Christ!

Today I meet a new staff of teachers as I begin to work with this new school for the year. I have met a couple of times with the principal and today is the staffs’ first day back. I won’t stay long for the purpose is for them to know who I am and remove as much of the stigma as possible as I begin next week coming to their classrooms. The work with them is to prevent them from falling into an under-performing school. This year is their last year to improve their student learning before the problem is identified as severe. The superintendent and principal have asked for this help ahead of time which is good. Sometimes one walks into these situations and finds a good deal of resentment and fear. However, my role, even if these characteristics exist, is to move forward with help and let them know I’m nothing more than a helpmate for them.

When I was younger a lot of what I felt nudged to do by God’s Holy Spirit was fear invoking and many times I’d just not do this fear. Having learned and experienced the truth of God’s nudges–He never nudges without giving the strength and wisdom to follow through–I’ve attempted to apply this to the work God has me doing. I never come with an ax and hammer and neither does God when He is leading us.

My scripture reading this morning was Mark 4. In it Christ is sharing the parable of the farmer sowing seeds. Today I will be sowing seeds which I pray fall on fertile ground so the crop is abundant as we grow the seed throughout the year.

I wrote yesterday that we’d be meeting last night with a couple whose marriage is highly at risk. We did that and there were a couple of things which came from the meeting for which I wasn’t expecting. One of them was helping the man see his need to change for his own sake regardless of the outcome of their marriage. No wife wants to be married to a raging man. In fact, no man wants to be married to a raging woman. Anger is an ugly beast when left unattended.

The second awaking for me was personal. The gentleman wanted to talk privately at one point so we went to another part of the house to do so. It was there that I began to recognize some strongholds he has which I no longer have. As he talked about the grip of fear and anxiety which trigger his anger, I could quickly see that the grip of fear and anxiety which triggered my silence for so long is gone–simply gone. I remembered their grip, but the shackles he knows are no longer a part of me. We didn’t talk about that but I simply thanked God for this wonderful gift He has provided me.

The evening ended with a spotlight on the gentleman getting focused on himself and his relationship with God and a few other support men for accountability. Only God knows the outcome of this marriage, but what I know is that when we stay focused on God’s agenda in our lives, we not only become the new person God created us to be, but God becomes the True God He is. We begin to know Him as our LOVING FATHER!

I’ve always said I need a good secretary to keep details straight for me. Last night was another good example of this. I had a quartet practice where we are preparing for a big occasion the first of September. The date had been set but then adjusted from a Saturday to a Friday. I had the Saturday date in my calendar but neglected to adjust it to Friday. Thus, I had myself in Montana when we were to sing. As hard as I try to keep these things from happening, they just do. I contacted the superintendent when I got home and he’s working with his team to adjust the days to the week before or the week after. Tracking details like this just never seem to develop into a strength!

Tonight Kathy and I will meet with a couple whose marriage is highly at risk. I’ve mentioned the husband contacting me last week. I have no idea what we will accomplish in the time but I have surrendered it to Jesus and asked His Holy Spirit to completely lead. I pray for the Light of Hope to come. This couple has 3 boys and have been married over 20 years so there are huge reasons to work this through letting God take charge of their lives personally and together. How much I love this Father of ours! He cares so deeply.

I am starting my 50th year working in education. Yet, in all of these years I still forget how tight time becomes at this starting point. The details are lengthy and the importance of meeting everyone’s expectation weighs heavily on you. All this said, as I work with several administrators I see this over and over and I’m reminded how much I always felt this pressure at this time of year. Helping them address this with less anxiety and more assurance is a big item. God is the Master at taking care of details and reminding us of our part and letting Him do His.

Someone I’m very close to is relying heavily on God’s leading today. I can’t go into detail but I am assured that God is already taking care of them. God’s Presence through His Light disallows any darkness to remain. How I pray for His Light to shine brightly in this very day!

Yesterday turned out to be a full and good day. The class of men going through Mending the Soul topped the list for me. It is so tough to admit what one has kept buried inside oneself for one’s entire life. It brings tears to my eyes each week as I listen to these men gruelingly tell their connections to the questions we process. I know their responses so well and it brings back horrid memories of my own. Yet, I know this freedom they don’t yet know. Hope is the ingredient which brings them back each week. One gentleman yesterday said right up front that he was not going to give a response to one question. It was the question, “What secrets are you still carrying inside as an adult?” However, by the time all of the rest had shared, he said, “If I’m going to have freedom from this bondage I will need to share–right?” We all said together, “Yes!” He said he would share next week. God is working! How I love Him for this!

Well, the excitement of picking beans turned into finally having 50 jars canned by evening. My grandson who was taking care of our place while we were gone stayed and helped me pick and snap them which, if he didn’t, I think I’d still be in the process. He’s one good kid!

While we were snapping the beans to get started canning my phone rang. It was a man from our Celebrate Recovery who faithfully attended a few years ago but had dropped away. He wanted to know if he could meet with me? I told him to come at 7 last night thinking I’d be done with the canning by then. When he arrived I had 9 minutes left for the pressure cooker. We talked for a moment while I watched the gauge and then went to our back room for the visit. I won’t go into details, but his marriage is likely ending and he isn’t sure even if he does change it would make the difference. He opened up with a good deal of detail and is truly broken. He had already given himself a couple of healthy assignments which I reinforced. However, I suggested a simple adjustment to them and for him and his wife to meet with Kathy and me. He wasn’t sure that would happen because she was no longer willing to take this step. However, this morning I had a text which came after I’d gone to bed saying his wife was willing. She and Kathy know one another quite well.

God is so amazing! This couple has the potential to impact many. Satan sure doesn’t want this to happen, but God is the Almighty One, not Satan. “One day at a time, one moment at a time, accepting hardship as a pathway to peace.” This quote from the Serenity Prayer is a powerful guide as we begin to implement change in our lives. God is never done with us if we will simply follow this guideline. This one step gives HOPE where Satan wants us to think we are hopeless.

The district work is finished for this trip and God was glorified. It is so nice to do this work with a believer at the helm. I went in early so the superintendent and I could talk for a moment about the gifts God had given him for this point in time. Then, we talked about how he could use them during this present work. It was an enjoyable moment. It was also interesting how one of the admin opened up with me privately to share that she had lost her husband suddenly 4 years ago and she just wasn’t sure about moving forward. She said she was a believer and needed to know God’s place for her. We were able to do some processing along this line trusting God’s leading.

It seems funny, but now I get to fly home this morning and then pick beans from the garden so I can can them. I’m almost more excited about doing this than I was about coming to this new district! God is so good and it is such a privilege to serve Him!

I’m sitting at breakfast in my motel and suddenly remembering I didn’t write my blog entry earlier when I’d finished my devotions. My mind has been full from yesterday’s work and today will need to make goals from yesterday’s conversations. I start with the superintendent this am and because he’s a Christian I sense the Holy Spirit nudging me to bring Him into this conversation. I had already prayed He’d lead today but now I know I’m to call Him by name. God is so good. What an honor it is to serve Him in our world of work whether it is secular to man or not. It has taken me a lifetime to come to this reality.