There is such power in the spoken word, even the words we softly whisper to ourselves. I often catch myself analyzing what others say, but I think my time would be better spent being mindful of what I am saying to myself. I have a tendency to talk to myself, especially when I am alone. Sometimes it is just meaningless chatter filling the quietness around me. Other times it might be an affirmation for a task completed or a condemnation for something I failed to accomplish. Wha

Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can . Ecclesiastes 3:11-12 The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For He knows how weak we are; He remembers we are only dust. Our days on earth are like

I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back . Philippians 3:12-14 (MSG) I’m a longtime tennis buff. I played tennis competitively from the time I was about

Job: What You Do—Your Occupation Identity : Who You Are—Your Qualities, Your Beliefs For most educators, teaching is much more than a job. It is a calling. When one is called to teach, the lines between what we do every day (our job) and how we define or perceive ourselves (our identity) can be easily blurred. While there is nothing wrong with identifying as an educator, I’ve learned that my work cannot define who I am. It has to be the other way around—who I am must di

We had a hard freeze this past week. Everything that was green and flourishing is now brown and dead. Winter has arrived, and it is hard to visualize the vibrancy once present during the spring and summer. I love nature and always feel a bit down when the dormant season arrives. Our lives can be a bit like the seasons, and as educators our “seasons” often revolve around the school year. We begin each year with great anticipation and excitement, but pretty soon the season chan

Being an educator is often like being on the front line of a battlefield. No matter how hard we work or how hard we fight to do what we feel is best for our staff and students, someone inevitably disagrees with our decisions and makes it known to others. This doesn’t happen all the time, but when it does, our tendency is to take offense. It is, after all, hurtful and unfair. Most of us are just doing the best we can. I first heard the phrase “ Do not take offense ” in an unli

Sometimes the lessons we learn as educators come from major events laced with joy or controversy. Other times lessons result from the little things in life—actions or words that seemed insignificant to us but proved monumental for others. While important events can result in life lessons, I would argue it is the little things that happen day in and day out that not only shape us but impact those around us in ways that are often unknown to us. One day I was walking out of my o

“We’ve learned a thing or two because we’ve seen a thing or two.” Although this is the byline of popular insurance company, this could be one of my mantras. The key word in this phrase is “learned”. Yes, I have seen a thing or two, but more importantly, I have learned a thing or two. Sometimes the learning came from what I saw, but more often than not, the learning came from my decision to engage or not engage in the circumstances around me. Let’s be honest. Sometimes it is m

You want me to do what? Has God ever placed something on your heart to do and your first response was “ What?” Not “what” in a clarifying kind of way, but “ What?” in an “ Are you serious? ” kind of way. Too often when God places a calling on our hearts, our first response is to see our own limitations. I’m reminded of Moses, the Moses who parted the Red Sea. He had a similar response when God first called him. But Moses protested to God, “ Who am I to appear before Pharao

I love music. I often catch myself humming familiar tunes I grew up with although I never remember all the words—usually just the chorus. This was the case with “Higher Love” recorded in the 80’s. As I was praying and thinking about this blog topic, I kept singing, “Bring me a higher love; Bring me a higher love.” If you know the song hopefully, you were just singing it along with me in your head! Those are the only words I remembered, so I decided to look up the lyrics just

Love. The one thing everyone wants, desires, seeks. I am pretty sure it is the most talked about, written about, sung about word out there…and probably the most misunderstood. For most, love is a feeling, an emotion. It is a warm place in our hearts that makes us feel accepted, valued, and cared for. Sometimes it is hard to explain, but we know it (or at least think we do) when we feel it. Too often in this world it comes and goes. God’s Word paints a different picture of wha

I have a confession to make. I was traveling home the other day from a training, and as I walked through the airport, I passed an open area of seating and vending machines. I noticed an older gentleman peering at a vending machine as if he couldn’t figure out how to use it. I walked on to my gate, but something in me said, “Go back and see if he needs help.” So, I turned around and went back. I entered the area—keeping my distance—to assess if he really needed my assistance.

If you read my last blog, you know I am passionate about the role of Christian educators in education—especially those who serve in our public schools. My desire is to encourage and equip educators to let their light shine for Jesus! So many Christian educators I talk to tell me they feel alone and isolated. They desire to connect and bond with other Christians, but there is no framework or system to do so. Yet, God created us for relationship. Educators know the power of rel

As I sit at my computer to pen this blog, I am greatly conflicted. Part of me wants to ignore the nagging I feel to write this. The other part of me is angry and wants to lash out and spill all of my thoughts on the page. To make things worse, I am commenting on an article published by a revered organization—The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. I grew up watching Billy Graham, reading his books, and admiring him from afar. What a tremendous man of God he was. I respect

The command to “obey” or the term “obedience” can conjure up some pretty intense feelings for many people. Why? Because many have been forced to obey someone or something that was oppressive, mean, or downright cruel. This may not be true for all of us, but our human nature seems to buck up against someone else telling us what to do. In fact, that tendency goes back to the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve, who had been given the best of everything, chose to disobey the ONE comma

Dictionary.com defines the word “ignite” as to set on fire . I’m not sure this was my thinking when I titled the first official event of Victorious Educator Ministries. However, I do think it is an appropriate title for a gathering of Christian educators. It is my prayer that our hearts will be set on fire for Jesus and for fulfilling our calling as educators. Please excuse me as I digress this week and write a blog about the this upcoming Saturday! Bottom line—this event is

Before I start this blog, I want to share a quick true story. You see, the blog this week was not going to be this topic. In fact, I had a GREAT (at least I thought so) blog almost finished when my computer froze. No big deal, right? Computers freeze all the time. Well, I won’t bore you with the details, but basically my computer crashed, and I lost everything I had written. Later, when I tried to start over, I couldn’t recall many details at all. To be honest, I was a little

Some might say one of the advantages to being an educator is the opportunity for a fresh start each year while others might say one of the disadvantages to being an educator is the opportunity for a fresh start each year! You see, it doesn’t matter how difficult or how successful the previous year was. We all start over in August! In short order teachers all around the country will head back to school. It is my guess that many will be looking forward to a fresh start; howev

As I write this blog, many teachers are wrapping up their summer to begin a new school year. There is often great excitement and anticipation for what the new year will bring! While teaching has always been a complex, challenging, and rewarding career, I must admit that much has changed since I stepped into my first classroom thirty-five years ago. As I travel the country and talk with teachers, I am encouraged by their tenacity and somewhat astounded by what I hear. The task

If I am honest, I would have to confess that I don’t particularly like the word “suffering.” Over the years I have heard numerous pastors and Bible teachers share about how suffering is just part of life, especially the Christian life. I totally agree. Although I recognize that suffering is part of life, I still don’t like it. We all know there are “levels” of suffering. Suffering can range from getting our feelings hurt by unjust accusations to the loss of loved one. The ran