Humility.

I have been reading "Radical" by David Platt. I am on the last chapter and savoring it to the last drop. The Lord gave him just the words I needed to read at just the perfect time. The Lord is good. I am humbled.

The last chapter offers a challenge to the reader. The Radical Challenge is comprised of 5 challenges:
-Pray for the entire world
-Read through the entire word
-Sacrifice your money for a specific purpose
-Spend your time in another context
-Commit your time to a multiplying community...

Since I am "savoring" the last chapter I have only read through the first challenge and the scripture that tags along.

In Matthew 9 Jesus sends out His disciples. He sends them out and asks them to pray. That seems easy enough because at the time they found themselves surrounded by destitute, starving, hurt, troubled, LOST people. It's easy to pray when it's so obvious. Jesus then became a little more specific. He challenged and sent His disciples out to pray for the CHURCH. The CHURCH which was at a "better" place...the people of the CHURCH which were healthier...the people of the CHURCH who weren't consumed with such circumstances...and they weren't lost...but were they really better off? Jesus' concern wasn't with the hurting people and if they would come to know the Father--Jesus had a bigger concern. Jesus was concerned with His people not going to the lost like He commands.

There are a multitude of lost people waiting to hear and so my biggest prayer is that the Lord would begin preparing the hearts of His people (and my heart) that He will begin sending out into the harvest field...My inadequacy and my inability to accomplish anything apart from prayer has become very clear to me since my move to Arkansas in August. I have learned since August that I am: a planner, strategic, controlling, and an implementer of the plans and strategies I make for my life. Yet, the greatest call upon my life is obedience to Christ no matter the obstacles, and true obedience to Christ requires that I be a woman of prayer.

Enjoy your day!

so much JOY!

...and I have created a monster. I figured out I can change my blog background as much as I WANT to coincide with the upcoming holiday. Christmas is next and that brings me so much JOY because it means MORE family time. I love my family, so this is the perfect blog background. I have also figured out how to create a signature. Oh my goodness!

Speaking of my family...I just got back to Arkansas from the best week of rest and family time. I say family time because my friends are just as important to me as my family and I got a lot of time with EACH. It was a time of renewal, refreshment and so so so perfect. Three weeks until more...BUT I will not wish the time away. When I walked into my apartment last night I was a little giddy because I know that for the next 3 weeks I get to hang out with 15 of my favorite people. They are good for my heart.

My break was so wonderful. Seriously. I can't even put into words how blessed I feel to have spent so much quality time with such wonderful people such as:




MY Garlich boys, and their wonderful parents- Andy and Alli. I love this family. :)




My lovely, Prue.




My wonderful family.




My Momma. So beautiful!


I took more pictures but they haven't found their way into iPhoto yet. Soon!

Here's to:
3 Mondays
Sweet family
Lots of turkey
Fun 4th graders who make me laugh
My Jesus who saves
Kansas City
Arkansas
JOY! ...in YOUR presence their is fullness of JOY! -Psalm 16:11


Enjoy today!

Thanksgiving...

As I go into the last week before a week long break I am scrambling to prep for the week, entering grades, listening to a podcast and sipping on tea. Life is happy.

I am trying SO HARD not to wish this week away. Kansas City is waiting and I CANNOT wait to reconnect with friends I haven't seen since July. BUT I still have a week of life to live here. A week to love on my kiddos. A week to live life with my friends HERE.

We are such fast-paced people that it is hard for us to slow down and enjoy the time we have now. There is always something more fun or more exciting going on TOMORROW and we look to that time, leaving the down time we haven't even lived yet in the dust in anticipation for the fun of tomorrow.

I pray that I won't wish away this week. That I would embrace each day that the Lord has made. That I would find Jesus in the center of each moment. That I would recognize his sovereignty in EACH moment. That I would seek out each unique quality of my 4th graders this week and that I would love them for it...because Jesus does. I pray that I would give the Lord my weak moments. That his strength would shine through them all---and that my students would recognize that their teacher is only strong because Jesus is strong through her.

I have many hopes for this week.

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10

I am thankful for my weakness. Because when I admit my weakness, He then can be strong through me.

Enjoy today!

A big CHECK off the list of firsts.

I made it. My first field trip has come and gone and I am here to tell you about it. While I may be being a little dramatic, I did make it through my first field trip with no more than a splinter. That's a good feeling. The first year "firsts" are slowly being checked off my list.

This week I checked off my list:
--Successfully completed Parent/Teacher Conferences with minimal tear shed.
--Went on my first field trip as a teacher.


I would say that is a productive week!



Obviously I cannot check off my list: Got all kids to look at camera and smile.

Baby steps.

I am also learning how much my students love to hunt. With this realization I am learning how little I know about hunting. Little being none. I know zip. BUT I can listen and smile and nod with the best of them.

Thanksgiving is in 2 weeks. Right now I am feeling good. I feel rested and still haven't reached a point where I have felt completely overwhelmed. I don't think I will get there. I am confident in the Lord and Him leading me here, and comforting me while I am here. Plus, I have my lesson plans done for the next 2 weeks so I am happy.

Here's to bonfires and cooler weather--Fall is here!

Break Dancing.

I can't believe that in 1 week it is going to be NOVEMBER. Time is flying by! Fall is definitely here. Arkansas has confirmed any thought I have ever had that Fall is my favorite season. It's gorgeous here. The only part I forgot about was how dark it is in the mornings. Leaving my apartment at 7AM without the sun up is a little disheartening, but watching the fog rise across the field makes it worth it. Breathtaking.

I am still doing really well. I feel like the first year chaos is settling for now. I am feeling organized and that this lifestyle I have chosen is great. I'm falling into a nice routine when it comes to my planning. I love my kids, I love my kids' parents. There is such a strong partnership between school-teacher-parents. It's really nice to see.

Since I last blogged I have learned:

4th graders STILL say the funniest things. Today we were writing notes and drawing pictures for the Operation Christmas boxes that we put together last week. One of my boys who really needs a lot of clarification when given an assignment asked me if he could draw a picture of Moby Dick for his box. Well of course. :) Such a funny thing to want to draw, but he's passionate about animals...so why not?!?

4th graders are also full of germs. Who isn't, really? 4th graders just seem to be more skilled in the art of passing them around. For example: 4th graders put everything in their mouth: shoe laces, hoodie strings, bracelets, paperclips found on the floor...the list could go on and on. 4th graders cough a lot. They rarely cough in their sleeve. Usually it's in my face. Which is fine. My immune system is either going to become rock solid or crumble before us all. I will keep you updated.

I love 4th graders. Even when they are break dancing during my spelling tests.

Outside of school (sort of...it's in the same building) I have plugged into a really great group at church. There is a lot of love and a lot of striving to live like Jesus. To fulfill his commandment to us to GO. It's really refreshing. Today I was reading in James. God inspired James to write some words that really kick me in the hiney. That's what it takes sometimes. I am thankful for being surrounded by those seeking the Lord and sharing what they are learning with me, humbly.

Humility cures worldliness. Alright. A redeemed heart is more than knowing God and resisting the devil. A redeemed heart seeks out constant communion with God.

mmhmm.

Here's to germ-ex and cough drops.

Sweet Prayers.

"Pray without ceasing." ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:17
"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." ~ Romans 12:12

This is what my kids have taught me. While I've always known that the Lord ALWAYS hears our prayers, and is ALWAYS listening, my 4th graders have taken this to a new level for me.

Before we start our day we share prayer requests and pray for one another. My absolute favorite part of the day. They have such sweet prayer request and the sweetest prayers. It's funny to hear how they pray because I know they have heard their parents say the prayers that they inherit and pray in my classroom each morning.

So, I feel blessed.

Don't worry. I still love it here. I get asked on a regular basis if I am still loving it, and truthfully I am. I love everything about it. Sometimes I am exhausted and sometimes my days are long, but the Lord remains the same. The Lord has brought me near to Him, I feel like I have come alive, and that I am doing exactly what I was created to do. I am building relationships with 9 year olds. I am guiding them through their 4th grade year. I am showing them that God IS the center of all that we do and He should be glorified in our every breath. My prayer is that I am successful. That they see the Lord in my every move, and notice how important it really is. They are little, but they are wise. We celebrate our freedom in Christ every day. It is good. 4th grade is fun.

If my classroom isn't a model of Matthew 19:13-15 then I am doing all of this for the wrong reason. May the little children in my classroom see Christ alive in my life, and may they not see me at all, but may Christ be glorified in it all.



So, we're still doing well. We're still loving 4th grade and having a great time. On Friday we are celebrating good behavior. Yeah! We made it :) I will post pictures. It is involving sleeping bags and a fun time of reading! Yeah!!

Last Thursday night I played flag football. It was faculty vs. students. Our team was so eloquently named "Staff Infection." Gross, but we won. :) We might be older but we are stealthy. It was a great evening. Good to see students outside of school. I love my job. :)

Here's to another week. May we draw near to Christ. He's already drawn near to us.

.OVER.WHELMED.

I love the Psalms. Honestly, they make me feel better about my own life at times. That sounds somewhat negative, so let me retract for a brief moment. I LOVE my life. I LOVE Arkansas, and finding my purpose here. I know part of that purpose is to teach 4th grade, but I'm not satisfied saying that is all. Those 15 kids bring me SO much joy- but I need interaction with someone who wears velcro-less shoes.

So now, back to why I really love the Psalms right now. When I read the Psalms, I am OVERWHELMED in such a beautiful way, of heart-saturated, deeply personal expressions of the inner life of the psalmist, whom is most often David. David has taken the time to recognize his own broken soul, and THEN he musters up the courage to share it with the Lord, and ask for the healing that only the Lord can give, so that David can share his life and love people. He takes part in the spiritual discipline of Lament. I am encouraged by his obedience.

Lament is an act of love. It is saying, to me, that in order to love, we have to understand that we are broken, and if we are interested in TRULY loving one another and loving GOD like he loves us we have to be honest. David's words are sometimes angry, sometimes sad, accusing, confusing, but ALWAYS relate-able for me.

Lament is a way of honoring God, of taking Him seriously. AND it teaches me how important it is to love, share life, and encourage one another, in Christ.

Life is sweet. Enjoy it!

I'm much older than I look...

Today while walking to my classroom after school I hear a Kindergartner run up to his mom as I passed and point and ask "How did that little girl get to be a teacher?"

One day I will find this flattering...

Sometimes you just need a crafty day...

After a wonderful week with my 4th graders. Haley and I needed a mental break. We had a hankering for something crafty and decided headbands would be our theme. After perusing the ribbon aisle at Hobby Lobby this afternoon (50% off..hello!) we went to work.

These headbands are SO easy to make. AND so much fun. We decided after both being mistaken for high schoolers and younger since school has started we will embrace our age. I think as elementary teachers we can.

Anyway...here is what came of this glorious day.



Success!

where you invest your love...you invest your life.

I haven't blogged since I started school! BUT it has been SO wonderful! Seriously. I can't even think of adequate words to tell you how much I love being here. My class is full of 15 fantastic kids. I truly love each of them for their uniqueness, quick wit, and shining personalities. They all make my laugh at least 4 times a day- the Lord fills my heart full of JOY through them! Let me introduce you to my sweet class...:)






Here we are...I couldn't ask for a better class, a better start to the year, better co workers, or a more positive working environment. Seriously. so good. I also got the sweetest note from one of my little ones Friday. It read:

Dear Miss Madden,
Here is a pack of silly bandz for the treasure box. You are a fantastic teacher. Please never forget we're all in this together.

How precious is that? It made me smile..:)

In other news, NW Arkansas is gorgeous. I have found myself perusing the Bentonville Farmer's Market (and wal-mart ohhh toooo many times), relaxing at the "beach" and spending countless hours (quite seriously) at the Boyd's lovely home. I am so thankful for them. Seriously. They are a God-send to me. Simply wonderful.

The Lord has been making his presence known to me so evidently. Sometimes I become apathetic (due to sheer exhaustion I do believe) and find myself hoping that the Lord will make His presence known to me. Yet I really should be expectant that through His divine power He will show himself to me, stretch me (and has been stretching me...) to go and be His light everywhere I go. I just have to remind myself to seek the Lord with wide eyes every day!

Grace and Peace.

I made it!

I live in Arkansas. AND I love living in Arkansas. So far it's been SUCH a peaceful transition. AND Matt and Haley KEEP blessing me with their company and helping hands (and yummy dinners)...

The move went really well! I left KC on Sunday furniture-less due to a mishap with the U-Haul. My biggest crisis with the entire move has been the hidden outlet in my bathroom. I was convinced for 3 days that an outlet didn't even exist. I was appalled! But the Lord provides flawlessly and so I am now sitting quite cozily in my furnished apartment (with adequate outlets) listening to the sweet sound of Mumford and Sons and that motorcyclist neighbor of mine...I'll put pictures up as soon as everything really is looking nice :)


I am really thankful for my parents. Yesterday they drove from KC with a truck full of my furniture. They also drove back to KC last night after unloading it all and making a quick trip to our neighborhood Wal-Mart (of which I think there are 5-6). I live in Wal-Mart country and have already cheated and ventured to Target. I can't help it- their dollar aisle calls my name!

I start teaching my first class in 1 week. I've met a few of the kids already because their parents are teachers. I have a lot to do between now and then, and a lot of training to undertake--but I think I can handle it. :) My principal keeps asking Haley if I'm okay... I guess she's not used to how relaxed I am. I'm just soaking it all in, and thanking Jesus that such a sweet opportunity presented itself to me. I have been humbled by the people I work with. SUCH sweet spirits and SO much love for the Lord.

Pastor Stuart challenged us with Psalm 34 for this school year. He's such a great man of God! I'm quite thrilled to have such great leadership here.

I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.

Psalm 34:4-7

here we go...

The past 3 months have been a thing of joy. My heart is so full of emotion right now that I can hardly stand it- and I'm in awe of my Creator who has showered me with a lot of joy, blessings, and wonderful people to share in them.

This is the beginning of a very exciting time in my life. As I write this I am sitting by my sweet friend Prue as we blog together- precious. I'm at camp, one of my favorite places on earth. In 3 days I won't be here anymore. I'll be in Arkansas setting up my new apartment. I am a little overwhelmed- but I know I can do this.

Wednesday starts the beginning of a new season of life. I am a 4th grade teacher. I have 16 sweet kiddos in my class who are going to make my first year wonderful. I have been praying for these sweet kids and their hearts. I pray for hearts of patience with me as I lead us through a year of learning- together.

I think we could all pray for a little more patience anyway.

Grace.