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dancingwithjoy
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Name: Chelsea
Birthday: 10/22/1982
Gender: Female
Interests: I enjoy the Word, dancing, reading, hiking, biking, the great hobby of eating, singing/music, interior design, art, working with kids, hanging out with friends and family and loving on my husband.
Expertise: Seeking God, singing, dancing, children and eating....not eating kids!
Occupation: Education/training
Message: message me
Member Since:
2/16/2006
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| This is a true story from my friend Lynn. You see these sort of things in inspirational movies but this happened in our town because of the faith and perseverance of a real person. Enjoy!
A typical day in the life of Mrs. Hare, substitute teacher
Last Thursday, I subbed for a second/third grade class that was tough. They talked out. Rowdy, they shook one another by the collar, gave piggy-back rides during math class, and made faces. I got tuckered out fighting fires all day.
The teacher had been out sick several days. The other second grade teachers assured me that there'd been a series of subs, but none had returned [alive]. Given no sub plans, I was winging it as best as I could.
"What's up?" I asked God. "What am I doing here?" I prayed all morning. I asked for God's presence to show up in that room. I put on the armor of God. I quietly spoke to the evil spirits and told them that they could not speak or operate while I was there. I asked God to send angels. I prayed the blood of Christ over that class. And then I asked for a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit.
I gave constant feedback to the class. Determined, they continued to be rude and disruptive. In spite of everything, it was clear I was losing the battle. Relentless, I continued to pray.
And then a funny thing happened. After lunch, I read the final two chapters of the novel Because of Winn-Dixie to the class. In the story at that point, we stumble upon a scene where 10-year-old Opal is reunited with her big, ugly, happy dog, Winn-Dixie. It is a dramatic scene, which I read with great emotion.
Now comes the good part. A character was humming a hymn in the story. So I asked, "Does anyone know what a hymn is?" No one knew. (One girl suggested that it's another word for "he.") I told the class that a hymn is a song that people sing; it's about God. It's a form of worship, and we can get into God's presence as we sing.
On the last page of the story, the characters sang a hymn together. I read that aloud, and began to sing "Amazing Grace." To my surprise, the whole class joined in! We sang every verse. I mean, I was praying in my heart, "Lord, show me more!" And He did. We sang, "When we've been there 10,000 years...we've no less days to sing God's praise." And yes, we even sang, "Praise God, praise God, praise God, praise God!"
After we finished, I looked up. You could hear a pin drop. You can't fool this crowd. It seemed like they were saying, "That was the real thing." I felt the Holy Spirit in that room. I am not even kidding you.
Later that afternoon, the counselor came down and did some problem-solving with the kids. We discussed options that kids had when things didn't go their way. Soon, one at a time, the spirit of repentance came over that class. Several kids turned to me and apologized to me for being rude & disrespectful. I surprised myself by beginning to cry. The kids saw the tears. I think that the tears were God showing up. Normally I would be embarassed by that, by somehow this time was different.
It is amazing to me how open kids' spirits are when you give them the chance.
No wonder God says you must be like a kid to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Don't ask me what I wanna be when I grow up. I'm just gonna stay a kid, later get to heaven, and skate right through.
I'm gonna write a sequel. "Because of Winn-Dixie.... a bunch of 7- and 8-year-olds experienced Christ one crisp October afternoon." Love, Lynn
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| 1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I read this a couple times today before noticing the word dwell. Ah crap. That word makes all the difference. Boastful, I though to myself on the first read through, "Yea, I 'qualify'...." Humility gave pride a swift quick the second round. See, more than dwell in the shelter of the Most High, I visit. I dwell in my home, I visit the grocery store. I dwell in my home because it is mine, it keeps me safe and holds all that I possess. I live there. I go the grocery store when I need something. Now, I don't expect on this side of heaven to ever say, "yes, I constantly dwell in the presence of God," because even Paul (who through the Holy Spirit wrote a good portion of the New Testament) said "not that I have already obtained it (perfection) but I forget what is behind me and press on to lies ahead of me. Even Paul had to repent, forgive himself, dust himself off and move forward."
But I raise this "dwelling vs visiting" point because the rest of the psalm which speaks of God's awesome covering and protection is based on dwelling in Him. If I dwell in His presence, then the promises that follow apply. Or better put WHEN I dwell, then the promises that follow apply.
So the objective set forth is to be interactive with Jesus all day....not just when I am brimming over with frustration and self-pity. What's that look like? Probably a bit different for each of us, but giving thanks and lifting up praise as we go along the day and praying with and for those around us as needs and opportunities present themselves.
Enough for now, there are babies to tend to.
Psalm 91
Security of the One Who Trusts in the LORD.
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say to the L ORD, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” 3 For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper And from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. 5 You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day; 6 Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. 7 A thousand may fall at your side And ten thousand at your right hand, But it shall not approach you. 8 You will only look on with your eyes And see the recompense of the wicked. 9 For you have made the L ORD, my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place. 10 No evil will befall you, Nor will any plague come near your tent. 11 For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. 12 They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread upon the lion and cobra, The young lion and the serpent you will trample down. 14 “Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. 15 “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. 16 “With a long life I will satisfy him And let him see My salvation.”
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| This week, it dawned on me: we've made it to the Promised Land. What I mean is that many of the hopes and desires my husband and I have prayed for have become a reality. For example we are living in the home we were not sure we'd get, our baby has been healthily born (though some didn't think he'd make it through the rough patch), our business is now certified instead of just registered even though the process was horrible, we have renters in on condo after fearing we'd get sucked into a financial downward spiral, my health has greatly improved since the crap hit the fan back in February and so on.
This is a place where we felt God calling us and though we often wanted to wave the white flag and retreat, when we pressed into Him, He carried us through. For each victory, there was a battle that had to be fought. And for each fight, there was endurance and faith to be chosen. It is safe to say that without the Holy Spirit depositing words of hope and covering us in His strength that we wouldn't have made it. And in the same breath I have to confess there are countless promises that we still contend for: a complete healing in my body, Will branching out in his area of expertise, family relations, ministry callings, overcoming fears that still loom.....
When the children of Israel crossed the Jordan and set foot on the land, they took hold of their Promised Land. And yet, there was battle after battle that had to be fought and won to remove the previous inhabitants before they had the fullness of the promise. When we declare Jesus as Lord and confess our sins, we have crossed our Jordan River. But there is so much more to be had than just to stand on the other side of the river.
It sure seems like the long journeys through the valleys far outnumber the moments when we stand on the mountaintops. Why is this? Graham Cooke speaks of the passage when Jesus was baptized by John. The heavens opened up, a dove landed on Him and Father God spoke, "this is My Son in whom I am well pleased". That's dandy, but have you ever noticed what happens immediately after that? Jesus hops out of the river and leaves to be tempted by Satan in the desert for 40 days on an absolute fast (no food, no water). Graham's conclusion is that the desert is a place where God brings you when He is well pleased with you. Do you know what that means? If you are walking through a rough time with the odds faced against you, it's likely because God is pleased with you and desires to reveal Himself to you in new ways. That sounds like a load of crap when I'm in the tough times because it feels like God is out the lunch and doesn't intend on returning my call: He is no where to be found. But think about it, if He and His plans were found then we wouldn't need to seek Him. It is in seeking Him in desperate hours that we press and receive the most precious discoveries.
[Though I must note that like David with Bathsheba, we sometimes land ourselves in hot water as a natural consequence of sin].
The bottom line is that victory is up to us. (Suck it up). It's true, we don't need pity (we give ourselves more than enough). Jesus has paid the price for our sins and has set us down on the other side of the river. He has paved the way in every regard. What is left up to us is to put on the whole armor or God and step out with our shield of faith and sword of the Spirit and go kick some butt. He tells us how it is and He tells us how it ends. How it is: "in the world you will have tribulations, but take courage I (Jesus) have overcome the world". How it ends: "you are more than a conqueror in Christ". Notice that how it is and how it ends both center on Christ as the source of victory not our ability, experience, wisdom or plans. Thus, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all you ways and He will make your path straight."
Peter walked on water. The strong winds blew and that brother started to sink. He reached out to Jesus and Jesus pulled Peter up and Peter walked on water a second time. It's one thing to say you are in the Promised Land, but will you take hold of it again and again and again and again.....?
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| Here's the quick version of labor:
My water broke 7/27 sometime before 5am, but labor didn't pick up. Was induced. 39 hours later, baby's heart rate dropped twice and if it happened again they'd do an emergency C-section. Since I was only half way dilated making little to no progress the chances he'd continue to have problems were high, we opted to do the C-section while he wasn't in distress. He was out and about 10:14am 7/28/09. Everyone is healthy and happy.
His name is Aaron Samuel Jones.
At birth he was 7.4lbs and 19.5 inches long. At an appointment on Monday (5-6 days old), he weighed in at 7.11. Aaron likes to eat. :)
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