vous avez placé les étoiles dans le ciel

God is so amazing. Every day I find new clarity and more answered prayers!

I struggled for so over a month wondering if I had heard him wrong - if perhaps I shouldn't be a teacher. I prayed and prayed for guidance, for strength and for his will to be made clear to me. A light went off one day and I decided that perhaps I should try a private Christian school - after all, the troubles with my post-bacc plan would not matter in a private school AND I'd be able to share my faith with my students.

The very first call I made to a secondary school was met with enthusiasm and God's providence was shining brightly on us. The dean of the school "just so happened to have" the department head in his office and he "just so happened to have" me on speaker phone when talking to me. God secured an interview for the following weekday.

I put everyone I know on prayer alert. I wanted to make sure that I was moving in the direction God chose for me, that I was following His will and above all else, guidance in the days to come.

The interview that following Monday went extremely well. The dean, department head and myself seemed to be on the same page about many things. I came prepared - I had spent the weekend researching the school, their statements of belief and the course outlines that I would be teaching as well as modifying my teaching portfolio to accommodate the unique needs of a private Christian school.

The job as described to me would be challenging and spiritually strengthening. I knew in my soul that God could give me the power to meet the challenges were He to bless me with the position.

Tuesday afternoon rolled around and once again, little things that normally don't happen, happened. Traffic on the way home was slow. As I became impatient, the Spirit reminded me that I would get home and to relax. When I pulled into my driveway I received a call from my oldest son's school telling me that his bus was running extremely late and that I could pick him up if I wanted to. I decided to go get him. As I was pulling into the parking lot, my phone rang again and this time it was the dean of the school. Normally, when I get home, I put my phone away and don't look at it again. Today, I hadn't made it home yet, so my phone was on hand. In the course of this conversation, I was offered the job! Praise His Holiness!

Not only had I been praying for this job, but I had been praying for God to guide me so that I could become stronger in his word and in my faith. God is so miraculous that he met all of those needs at once.

On Tuesday, I spoke with a friend of mine who is also attempting to become a teacher. We were talking about her choice for daycare in the fall. The one she chose has curriculum and good hours. I had intended to enroll my youngest son in pre-k in the fall. After asking her how much the center cost, I called the daycare to find out if they had any openings. They did! I enrolled him in the center and ended up saving $100 a month in daycare expenses as well as providing him with pre-k education!!!!

I have also been heart sore because my youngest son seemed so far away from me. During most of his infancy, I was working and in school. As a result, he spent a lot of time with my mother. I am grateful for her help, but it hurt me that he seemed to be closer to her than to me. After all, he is my son! I prayed that God help me re-strengthen that bond. On Friday, I was able to take him to work with me, then we had a "date" and he had a friends birthday on Saturday. It may seem like nothing to some, but suddenly, my son was my son again! Instead of calling me "mom" all the time (a habit he picked up from me calling my mother mom) he started calling me "mamma" again and he cries out for me again when he's happy, sad or hurt. And now I have the entire summer to nurture that relationship!!!

I praise God for all of the blessings and goodness he has given me!

Psalm 103

¹ Bless the LORD, O my soul,

and all that is within me,

bless his holy name!

² Bless the LORD, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits,

³who forgives all your iniquity,

who heals all your diseases,

⁴who redeems your life from the pit,

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

⁵who satisfies you with good

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

⁶The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
⁷He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
⁸The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
⁹ He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
¹⁰He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
¹²as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
¹³As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
¹⁴For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
¹⁶for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
¹⁷But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children,
¹⁸to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
¹⁹The LORD has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.

²⁰Bless the LORD, O you his angels,

you mighty ones who do his word,

obeying the voice of his word!

²¹Bless the LORD, all his hosts,

his ministers, who do his will!

²² Bless the LORD, all his works,

in all places of his dominion.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

providence de Dieu

God is so amazing. I have been hired to teach texas history, geography, government and economics at a Christian high school for the upcoming school year.
Praise HIM!

ennui

Praise Him that He is more faithful and true than any human.

ennui descendant

heart shaped world.

i'm really struggling with "letting go" and giving it up to God.

i spent so many years intent on one professional calling - law. last summer, i was moved to abandon that calling so that i could spend more time with my children - in the short and long terms. everything fell immediately into place for me as far as accomplishing my teaching goals. i firmly believe(d) that God is working in my life and directed me to this path.
i am getting certified to teach social studies 4 - 8. these positions are hard to come by, knowledge that i only gained late into my certification process. however, this spring there are more than 6 openings in my particular field for the 2010/11 school year! when i got that news, i just *knew* that God was working hard for me.
this past week has been a blur of phone calls and frantic activity. unless God intervenes again, the past year of work will be laid to waste. there are two tests that one must take to become a certified teacher in the state of texas; the pedagogy and professional responsibilities (PPR) and a content test (to meet the NCLB highly qualified standards). i am registered to take the PPR tomorrow morning.
there is a job fair tomorrow night for a school district here in setx that has 4 of the SS 4-8 positions. unbeknown to me when i registered for my PPR, i will not be allowed into the job fair without having taken my content test (something that i cannot change at this date). i am lifting my life and work to God, because i cannot see a way for me to do it. if this is indeed His will, i pray that He will put His hand to work in my life once again.
there are several other obstacles in my path to a career in teaching as well. i am doing everything i can to give it up to Him, 'cause i just don't see how they will be accomplished without him.

my current struggle is one of desperate need to "fix" it - even though i know i can't. and i feel the anger trying to worm its way into my spirit - blaming Lamar for their inefficiency and general inability to guide their students in a manner that makes sense. i'm giving it over to Him. i cannot control it.
please add me to your prayers.