31 Days

October's almost here, and all around the web, bloggers are posting for 31 days on every topic under the sun.

This year, I'm trying to be one of them.

There's a slight concern.

What, after all,do I have to talk about for 31 days straight?

Lesson plans?  Most of you, as far as I can tell, aren't teachers and might be bored into a coma.

Pinterest projects?  I'd like to say I'd get that done, but we both know that would be an epic fail.

Devotionals? Maybe.

Photos?  Could be doable.

Chocolate recipes? Hmmm....

My mind flitted from one idea to another until inspiration struck this morning right in the middle of my second cup of coffee.

Why would the World's Most Overwhelmed Blogger attempt 31 days of posting?

For a while now, I've been running on grace and a Saturday sleep-in, and I had my eyes focused on the King.

But school started

, and we had eleventy-million parent conferences in one week,

 and I got behind grading papers, 

and 116 blank stares looked back at me when I explained topic sentences.

Then in a meeting

 I sat all by myself out on a limb 

(where I'm pretty sure God put me), 

and it wasn't fun in the least bit (though necessary),

 and I cried

 and discovered that once I started, 

it was difficult to stop.

Like most perfectionists, when I get overwhelmed, I shut down. 

 Doing anything productive takes longer than  a bill through Congress.

Anybody??

Planning my errand list this morning, I realized it was time to do some things I'd been putting off,

 and that made me think of other things I'd avoided,

 and I knew I wanted to get focused.

In the Gospels, Jesus talks a lot about following and focusing-

 following Him and focusing on the right priority (Him).  

This month, will you walk with me 

as I follow hard after Christ and refocus on Him?  

Click here to see all posts as they come up!  Thanks for joining me!
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4

Be blessed,
Ginger

Favorite Fall Mantel

Now that September is nearly over, I'm finally here to show you my favorite fall mantel evah, my accidental school-themed mantel.  It was a bit like the best of lesson plans, uninspired at the outset but ending with an ah-ha! moment that makes the whole thing work.

It begins with a few pencils and books and the antique chalkboard that appears here regularly.  

There it sat until I hit the jackpot in my basement, where my rummaging around unearthed class pictures from my mother's college and teaching days. 

 Strung from a twine and miniature clothespins, they added the perfect vintage touch.  

Don't they all look spiffy?  

They look considerably more pulled together than I do on my best days.

I love it when my favorite vintage looks are also meaningful.

I wish my mom could see it, though if she's anything like me, she won't remember anyone's name.  

(I have trouble with kids I taught last year; sixty years later isn't looking hopeful!)

Be blessed,

Ginger

Pebbles and Boulders

Some days are full of pebbles-

a myriad of small, stinging pains,

any one of them minor,

together an onslaught that flings dirt in the eyes, 

draws tears,

leaves a thousand tiny bruises.

Then there are boulder seasons-

breathtaking, crushing things 

too large for my finite mind,

blocking the view,

impeding progress.

These are boulder days.

Church issues.

A friend's heart and home shattered by infidelity.

Administrative changes in our school district.

A senior and a freshman.

Students in darkness breaking the surface as anger 

and kids in darkness masked by a pleasant demeanor.

Amid the boulders,

I cry out to Jesus--

to be salt and light,

gentle, winsome, truthful, faithful--

but mostly just for Him.

Do not tremble, do not be afraid.

    Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago?

You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me?

    No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.

Isaiah 44:8

Nose in a Book

The 13.8 seconds that I've had for reading the past few days have been devoted to this:

Read it.

Be blessed,

Ginger

Letter from God

It came in the mail this summer.

With a cryptic return address and no signature,

it might as well have appeared out of nowhere.

It was short,

but it spoke volumes,

shouting the voice of my Father 

when things had been very, very quiet for months.

 Though it resonated those first few days,

it has become increasingly meaningful as months have passed, 

and I see the nuances that have woven their way through this strange summer.

Not long after it came, I learned who sent it from someone else

blessed with a word

 (a very different word than mine, I might add) 

 from this anonymous author.

Surprisingly, knowing who wrote did not diminish its power.

For, 

you see, 

the author was not someone I know well.

She doesn't live in my town,

and there is absolutely no way she would have ever known,

ever guessed

that I needed those words

unless

she had spent much time on her knees

talking to my Father 

about me.

Be blessed,

Ginger

A Love Story

If you've read this blog for long ( and someone is reading this blog, aren't you?), you may have gathered that it's been a weird year so far at the 'House.  Not bad, per se, just...odd.

God is up to stuff.  Silent stuff. Loud stuff.  

Church stuff.  Personal calling stuff.  School stuff.  Kid stuff.  Answering prayer stuff.  

I don't know what it's all for or where it's all going, but I know it's going somewhere.

Maybe gradually, maybe all-at-once, we may find out the why.

Or maybe we won't know this side of heaven.  

That's okay, too.

Earlier in the summer, someone asked me to write my "faith story."  If it's not too late, I still want to, but I admit I kept putting it off.

I was waiting on the Big Finish, the Concluding Statement, the Object Lesson.

You know, the "Through it all, I've learned...."

It hasn't come yet, not for this chapter, anyway.

This is the faith story in progress, as all good faith stories are, really.

Otherwise we're a)not really walking in faith in Christ  or b) are already in His Presence in Heaven.

In this faith story, we're somewhere in the rising action.  The conflicts are still developing--(wo)man against herself, against the world, against the thousands of little (and large) life pitfalls that separate the real from the fictional.

It's a faith story.

But it's really a love story.

In it my Prince came, 

and He loved me.

He has written the story,

beginning to end.

He's the Hero, and He wins.  (He's won already.)

(And since I'm riding on the back of the white horse, holding on for dear life, I win, too.)

Be blessed,

Ginger

Hello, Monday: Hit the Ground Running

Ever had a weekend that wasn't quite as weekend-y as you thought it would be?

Had one of those.

Saturday was a good day in some ways, but it was overshadowed by bad (no, more than bad; horrific) news, and I've spent a lot of the weekend praying to know what to say and how to say it.

Fortunately, today was a diagnostic testing day for ELA, so it was quieter than usual today in my room.

Some hellos:

Hello, heat!  

You waited until the last week of August to show up, about the time I always hope you'll go away.  Don't stick around long; I enjoyed your absence.

Hello, stomach bug.  You've arrived early, and you need to vanish quickly.

Hello, teenage hormones.  When you're gone, it will mean my kids are grown.

 I have a love-hate relationship with this truth.

Hello, tomatoes.  You're taking over the counter. 

 That means I should do something with you, doesn't it?

Hello, questions.

 Questions, questions, and more questions.

You are the faith story in progress.

Be blessed,

Ginger