1/3 to go

according to today's isp totals, i have raised 2/3 of my total! Thank you for the support. Continue to pray for everything involved in the trip!

Aliens on Mt. Baldy!??

In the afterschool program I run, on a clear day there is a beautiful view of Mt. Baldy. Also, because the percent chance of everything running the way you plan is quite low, most of the time you need to adapt to the current conditions. Yesterday the MPR was in use, so I opted to keep my group outside at the lunch benches. Hey, it was nice out there. So anyway, the students are to work on editing a story. Using small groups they had the a 1 page story with errors all over, and they need to practice using proper editing marks as defined by their low standard strand scores. So, as they pretend to work diligently, I had little Miss Sydney exclaim to me that there was a weird thing on the top of the mountain. Now, let’s pause.

These are 2nd-3rd grade students. Their imaginations are not tainted yet. They mean no harm, and they certainly can play the innocent, ignorant child card. I took a look at the mountain which is REALLY FAR AWAY, and make a very bold observation, turn back to sweet Miss. Sydney and say, “Oh, that’s just the aliens.”
WHHHAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!?????????
Now Sydney tells her friend, and she tells her 2 friends, and she tells her 2 friends… and so it goes. So now, as they continue to work on their assignment, I can hear them trying to point out the strange brown alien ship on the mountaintop. How elaborate their little minds are.

Mr. Awesome, here to confuse the minds and exercise the imagination of youngsters each and every day.

Sandals 1st John Email Study Responce

unedited, uncut version:
how real are we? this is not a challenge, this is my conviction. i mean seriously, how real are we? i know my sins. and I'm not afraid to tell you. its #1 Fear. #2 Pride #3 Lust. there you go. i know mine. now you know mine. why do i say this? because we Sandalittes are trying to be real with selves, others, and God. Now just knowing your core sins is a good start, but what do you do next? accept them or run from them? depart from the behavior. get out of the situation! if you struggle with drinking too much.. STOP DRINKING if you cant keep it in the boundaries with your significant other.. STAY IN PUBLIC. see my point? Those who struggle with telling the truth, I urge you to think before you speak and tell the truth as it is clearly identified in James. these verses guys, clearly identify us as sinners. the goal is to not sin any more, not to minimize it. not to occasionally sin, not to "its ok once in a while to have fun" sin, not "OK God, this is the last time I'm going to do it, i promise" sin. SIN NO MORE! I think this basically pulls the blanket back from over our heads when we are trying to hide from God. He knows our sin. I want to issue a charge to ourselves. take an inventory, evaluate your actions. find the problem, find a cure, whether it is a process of recovery, or a 180 degree turn from the behavior. My friend Matt responded to me and said that we also should ask ourselves, "do i love God more than i love this sin?" that one hurts. i love you all and i promise you, this is a goal i am and have set for myself. i encourage us to be blameless.
-coppers

halfway!

This shall be a 2 part blog.

Half way there:

I realize nobody reads my blog. That is totally fine with me. This week marks a half way point in my fund raising efforts for Team Rwanda. I have just crossed the half way point and realized that it is humbling to know people care enough to have given me over 1500 dollars toward my goal. People believe I can do my job and will financially back me. That really helps my confidence levels. I know I have another 1400 or so to raise, but it seems as if it is an accomplishable goal.

Second note:

My anxiety raised its ugly head last week. An issue at the school, although quickly squashed and resolved, really put a damper on my week. Its remarkable what children can say and do. I am thankful for my fellow staff members that reassured me of my abilities and honestly know my heart. It makes it hard however to really enjoy my job sometimes, because I feel like the second I get comfortable, there is something I need to resolve.

God is so good to me. Thank you, Lord for loving me and giving me a wonderful opportunity to work, learn, and grow.

Still my weekly burden.

Sandals Church has taken on a vision for the year 2009. We are studying John. I didn’t realize how much there is to grasp in this book alone. My meditation still rests in the first 5 verses;

“Everything was created through Him. Nothing, not one thing, came into being without Him. What came into existence was LIFE, and the LIFE was the Light to live by. The Life Light blazed out of the darkness and the darkness could NOT put it out.”
John 1:1-5

I believed that I have mentioned this in prior posts, but the application still burdens me. Pastor Matt said that we as individuals on this planet, lone workers at jobs that may not appreciate us, could be the only “Jesus” that our coworkers ever see. What are we doing that makes us different? What makes us stand out from the crowd? Is my daily practice at work enough “light” that someone is going to know I am a Christian and I am here to love on them. To challenge them in their faith and be challenged in return? This continues to be my prayer.

Lead me, Lord.

One of the songs the worship team at Sandals sings is, "Lead Me to the Cross." Written and performed by Hillsong United, I think they have encompassed a vision and passion for the church. The lyrics are as follows:
Savior I come
Quiet my soul remember
Redemptions hill
Where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom
Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost

Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Lead me, lead me to the cross

You were as I
Tempted and trialed
You are
Te word became flesh
Bore my sin and death
Now you're risen

To your heart
To your heart
Lead me to your heart
Lead me to your heart

Paul exclaims in Philippians 3 that the church at Phillipi should model their lives after him. Not because he is perfect and blameless, but because he is in true search for Christ. Anyone, (which is few and far between) who reads this blog, I challenge you to do the same. Follow after Christ. Seek Him. Let Him lead you to His heart. Also, keep me challenged as well.