Preacher’s Wife Teaching Life

Sun kissed and fully rested, teachers walk into the school building for in-service and the start of school full of zen and good vibes. Now let me ask how long you think all those good vibes are going to last? Come on...we all know that teachers are notorious for drama. gossip and COMPLAINING. BUT with Jesus fresh on the mind, you can steer clear of that this year. This year, let’s approach each situation with prayer first and action later. Here are my tips for a more pleasant work environment... Avoid Drama: STEP AWAY from the he said, she said game and mind your own business. If someone wants to talk to you about an offense towards someone else or takes competitiveness a little too far, emotionally back away. Change the subject or even say, “I’d rather not talk about that.” Old habits die hard so when you’re alerted to drama ask God to help you back away.  Proverbs 21:23 “Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.” Stop Gossiping: ...

Negativity is a nasty thing. It creeps in and takes over our thought processes to a point that can be paralyzing. Being negative becomes a habit that is so hard to break that we don't even want to try. It's a comfortable rut that we sit in and complain about. We spread negativity around like a stomach bug and think it's normal. So how do we get out? How can we dig ourselves out of the rut and change our bad habit of being negative? I know one way: through Jesus. Here are four easy steps to being a more positive person: FIRST: You have to be alerted to your negative words and thoughts. Start each day asking Jesus to alert you when these thoughts develop and especially when those thoughts become words. SECOND: Ask Jesus to reveal the source of these thoughts and squash it like a bug! Get rid of it! You don't want a lying source sitting around in your thoughts. THIRD: Ask Jesus to be the source of your new thoughts: the truth that covers over the place where the...

Do you know what I like best about conflict? I like the moment conflict gets resolved. I love that feeling of relief. I love the sense of pressure being released that comes after a problem is solved. The only hard part is the path leading up to resolution. The difficulty lies in the fog that surrounds disagreement, false information or confusion. We found a way to clear the fog and I’m going to share that with you, today! I’ve had several year long conflicts and a few moment long conflicts, but each one has the same result: a compromise or agreement that leads to resolution. I’ve had conflicts with other people, conflicts with myself and conflicts with something evil working against me. Each one requires a laying down of something on my part, but the end result is worth the compromise. Now I can almost hear what you are thinking… In most of these instances we have learned, or have been taught NOT to compromise. To put your mind at ease, I’m talking about agreement with Jesus rathe...

I wrote in an earlier post about our dog, Troop . He went to live with Jesus and we were devastated by the loss. He was my little buddy and we did everything together. Because of that, I’m still getting over missing him. Every day gets easier, but I can’t help but notice his absence when just a month ago he was so present. We have an 8 by 8 chain link fence in the shade with a dog house that we used for him when we went to work (otherwise, he was running around or in the house). Our good friend has Troop’s brother and would like for him to breed a female so we can have another puppy. She innocently asked if she could borrow our cage so that she could have a place for the dogs to do their thing. Jarrod and I were discussing this and I quickly responded with a harsh “NO.” If she had been standing there, she would have walked away with a nub. I had lots of excuses to justify my “no,” but my reaction was a sign of where my heart was.  My sweet husband noticed something was obvious...

You know when you go to the cabinet and pull out a cup? It looks clean, but then you look inside and realize it's dirty. My guess is you throw back into the sink or dishwasher to clean it up properly. Jesus addresses this issue with the Pharisees in Luke 11:37-41 . They get upset with Jesus when he comes to dinner because he didn't wash his hands like the rest of them. Jesus rebukes them saying "you Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy..." He also points out that God made the inside as well as the outside, and he encourages them to clean both. So, what does a "dirty cup" look like in us? When we are dirty on this inside, the fruit produced is not from God. The filth might come out in the form of greed, doubt, blame, victimization, anger, anxiety, depression, hatred, worthlessness, shame, etc. When you notice this fruit in your life, be alerted to the fact that you need a Jesus bath. A clean c...

Have the last 2 months been crazy hectic, or is that just me?? My goodness, with the post holiday wind-down, the dawn of a new semester, taking on more classes, and being sick with allergies, I have been RUN DOWN. My laundry piled up, the dishes sat dirty and dinner was served late more than I'd like to admit. It was easy to see that crumbling of my physical life was a reflection of distraction in my spiritual life. I had shifted my focus away from spending intentional time with Jesus to juggling the chaos of everyday life in my own strength. As I looked around, I could easily see the effects of not being renewed each day by his light and love. I needed a reboot. Desperately. My new schedule doesn't allow much morning time to soak in his presence, but I do get two 30 minute breaks throughout my work day. In those 30 minute breaks, I've sought God as my refuge amidst the stress and chaos associated with a new semester. He gives me energy and strength to finish the day and ...

God showed me a little bit about our identity through my understanding of mathematics. It may seem scary at first, but I'll explain it so stick with me :) I'll start with a simple example to explain what God is saying in the above graphic. 1*3 = 3, right? Yes. 1 is the identity for multiplication because it is the only number that won't change the characteristics of other numbers. 1*4 = 4 1*5 = 5 and so on. Jesus is a Christian's true identity so: Jesus * you = YOU He is the only factor that can produce the true you. The you without the hitch hikers that jump on your mind and heart from the troubles of this world, your upbringing and your worry for the future. . My husband and I have been focusing our mornings on spending more time with God. He prefers an unhindered quiet time of soaking, praying and reading while I enjoy time on the sofa with coffee, puppies, reading and praying. I love to see how the word applies to my life and also how it provides e...

You know that feeling when things aren’t working out the way you planned? Maybe you expected a better outcome for yourself and you’re worried about how everything will turn out? You lose sleep over issues that are out of your control and you have anxiety about the future. As the reader, you might notice all the “you’s” in the above sentences. There wasn’t much of “God” mentioned but there was a lot mentioned about your own well-being and yourself. This is an example of operating in the flesh. If you haven’t grown up in church, you might associate “flesh” with skin and you’re wondering why I’m talking about skin. “Flesh” in church-ese for operating in this world without the guidance and fruit of the Holy Spirit. Flesh focuses a lot on “self” – self-gratification, selfishness, self-satisfaction, self-advancement, self-consciousness, self-protection, etc. Walking in the flesh usually ends in anxiety, worry, depression, addictions, destruction, anger and fear. Matthew 7:13,14 Ent...

If I asked you what you think God's will for your life is, how would you answer? You might answer stating the purpose of your life or saying what drive's you or what your passion is. God's will is stated clearly in 1 Thessalonians 4 : that you should be sanctified. I talk more about that in this video. But before you watch, please know that conviction from God is different than shame. I'll put it this way: If God is good and shame is bad, then shame is not from God. So please, if you feel shame, cast it off in Jesus' name and ask him to fill you with his love, peace and wisdom as you deal with the actions he brings to your mind.

If you’ve followed my page on Facebook , then you’ve seen the “how-to” videos my husband and I prepared. Staying true to the blog format, I’d like to write out what we spoke about in those videos. In between making those videos, on our way out of the driveway, we ran over one of our kittens. I was forced to walk out my own teachings yet again as we faced a tragedy beyond our control.  My husband and I know enough to understand that we don’t have to wallow in our pit of despair; we know hope is available to us and that we want it. My husband lined out a 4 step plan to find hope and we walked it out together as we mourned the loss of our kitten. Step 1: Acknowledge Him as God- This simply involves addressing him and acknowledging that he is real and his presence is known in your world. {Proverbs 3:6 - In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will makes your paths straight.} Step 2: Worship Him -  Let your worship, praises and thanksgiving flow out of your mout...

In a world of social media, quick news reports and the web at our fingertips, a lot of bad news and negative information gets funneled into our minds. There’s not really a way around it and it would be stupid to shut yourself off from being aware of current events. Staying positive and encouraged becomes a rarity in a place crowded with negative thoughts. Being negative becomes a way of life, a habit, a mind-set; God wants us to be the light, the good, the hopeful, the encouraging in the midst of all the dark. He also wants us to be strategic about what we expose ourselves to as we shine our light from within. But we must also be conscious of being self-focused or self-centered in our strategies. To become rightfully aligned, we need to become people of peace, with a peace that comes from the Holy Spirit living inside us and being Christ-centered. Psalms 120:6-7 says: I’m tired of living among people who hate peace. I search for peace; but when I speak of peace, they want war! ...