Oooooopps...

I forgot to post yesterday... I did not forget to pray...just post! You know that saying "When it is hardest to pray, pray hardest." That is where I am right now...

School Testing ...

There are 18 school days left!!! YAY!!! That means that we have been in school 155 days... instructional days that is, we have actually been here 157 days. We have spent the last 3 weeks testing our kiddos...yep 3 WEEKS...the state testing window opened on April 10th and it closes today... So we have tested every (school) day since then and it has been AWFUL!!! The kids have been under tremendous pressure and the teachers have been under tremendous pressure and the daily schedules and routines we have worked all year to cultivate have been thrown out the window.. I am so ready for tomorrow and the 17 days that follow that I want to the happy dance! 

It is written: “As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.” Romans 14:11

As I think about my prayer for Ryan today, I think that this verse is appropriate. Isn't this what missionaries do? They are out sharing the gospel, sharing and showing God's love so that every knee will bow and every tongue will know that Jesus Christ is Lord. They are taking the word of God to the many.  So today I will pray that they are able to reach many and that they many they reach have a heart that is ready to accept the message of God's love and salvation.

~Charity

Today ... SUCKS!!!

So I started my day off by locking my keys in my car...YEP at 7:15 am as I was on my way to school...who does that and how is that even possible??!! So my day has gone from bad (and I know it isn't bad in the grand scheme of life) to even worse... I was supposed to have a phone conference with my professor today at 4:00 pm (to discuss my final, which is due in one week) so now I have had to postpone that, luckily he has been very gracious...maybe it has to due with the fact that I have been a model (seriously) student in grad. school and he knows this is out of my character. Plus, I am supposed to tutor after school today...I can't because I have to meet AAA to unlock my car...oh and a bug squashed onto my white jeans earlier...SMH!!! 

As I continue on my rant, I am constantly reminded to "be still." So that is my prayer today, for myself and for Ryan "be still and know that I am God." Isn't that a wonderful promise. Be still, be still, be still. I know that I need to constantly be reminded of that. My mind works 1,235,789,654,321 miles per hour all the time...usually even when I sleep. I need to take the time to take pleasure in the small things and to stop worrying and stressing about everything and to just be...still. 

Psalm 46:10
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 

~Charity  

A Thankful Heart

Mark 10:45
"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

"Father, today as I sit in church, in Oklahoma, freely worshipping you, I come to you with a thankful heart. I am thankful for your Son and for my salvation. I am thankful for my health and my job. I am thankful for my family and the many, many blessings you have bestowed upon us. And I am thankful for your servants. For those women and men who are serving you above all. Thank you father for Ryan and for all those with him, who are serving others and therefore, serving you."

~Charity

Esther 4:14

Today my prayer is that every situation he is in, every person he meets, every place he goes, he will know that he is not there by accident. He has been placed there to further the kingdom of Heaven.

~Charity

Prayers Day 3

Joshua 1:9 

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

 

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. I don't know that I have an  "all-time" favorite, but I do have a few that I tend to cling to and this is definitely one of those.

 

So today my prayer for Ryan is this:

 

That even in the dark corners of the earth and on days as scary as today (April 19 is a dark day) that the men and women in the mission fields, spreading the word of God will be safe and brave. That they will find courage in the Lord. That in all of the wars and fighting going on and in all of the chaos that our world is, that they will not be afraid, that they will remember the promises of Joshua 1:9.

 

Lastly, I want to take a minute to remember and mourn for all the men, women, and children who lost their lives on this date 18 years ago, at 9:02 am. You are gone, but you will never be forgotten. #OklahomaStrong

 ~Charity

 

 

 

Prayers for Ryan and by Ryan I mean Asia..

My friend, Ryan and some more of the men from my church are on a mission trip right now... They left early yesterday morning for Asia, so I am not really sure if they are still traveling or if they have arrived at their destination... 

I promised Ryan that I would pray for him and I plan on it and I intend to do so daily, but I need this blog to keep me a little more accountable...so here is my plan... Everyday that he is in Asia (until May 1st) I am going to post my prayer for him and a corresponding verse.

Yesterday (April 17th) I prayed for safe travels for Ryan and all the men traveling with him. 

Today (April 18th) my prayer is that everyone they meet on their travels is touched by their love and passion for Christ. I pray that no one they met will walk away from them unchanged. I pray that they will be met with open arms and more importantly open hearts.

Romans 8:31

More Than Conquerors

³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?


~Charity


 
 

Missing Eric

8 years ago (I can't believe that it has actually been that long) my dear, sweet friend Eric died suddenly and tragically. I will never forget that day...EVER! I was still in college and I was driving to Durant that morning and I had the sudden urge to call his mom, but I didn't. I went on to SOSU and attended my morning classes, when I checked my phone after class (remember the days before we were constantly in contact with the entire world at all times) I had a significant number of missed calls; my mom, my best friend from high school, people from high school I hadn't spoken to in a while, former teachers from high school, and an ECU friend...but I had NO voice mail and no texts (this was a time when we still used phones to TALK to each other) ... I knew something was up and I was WORRIED. I called my mom first...NO ANSWER. I called Renee next... NO ANSWER. I called Amy... NO ANSWER... I was beyond worried and I had that pit in my stomach that something was really, really wrong. I was finally able to get a hold of Amy and when she answered she said something along the lines of "How are you handling this?" Are you OK?" and I said "What, how am I handling what? WHAT IS WRONG?"...silence......... I don't remember what she said or how she said it, all I remember is she told me that my friend, my dear, sweet, compassionate, loving friend Eric, was dead. The rest of that day and most of the days after are a blur... I think I have blocked them out because they were painful.

Last night, I had the most realistic dream that I have had in a very, very long time (maybe ever) ... I had a dream that I had a picnic with Eric. I don't remember a lot of the details of the dream... I do remember that we just talked and talked and talked and he gave me wonderful advice on everything that I need advice on. When I woke up, I wanted to go back to sleep and see Eric again... In my dream he was happy and at peace and wanted both of those things for me. Even as I sit here writing this, the details of the dream are slipping from me and I want nothing more than to remember them and hold on to them and cherish them (especially hearing his voice and seeing the light in his eyes). I am missing Eric today. I wish you all would have been lucky and blessed enough to know him and I hope I get to visit with him in my dreams, soon!! Love you and miss you, Eric.

~Charity

Pink Hair

I LOVE LOVE LOVE teaching...but I hate HATE hate high stakes testing!! I will not get on my soap box on that subject YET!! Anyway, today my 3rd and final class took their OCCT and they did AWESOME!! I am so proud of how hard my kids (all 73 of them) have worked (all year and especially these last two weeks) in preparing for these ridiculous tests. I promised my kids that if they worked hard that I would dye my hair pink...and I am telling you as hard as they worked, I will PROUDLY rock pink hair for them.

~Charity

If you become obsessed with me...

You can follow me on twitter @charitynacole

If you make the decision to follow on me on twitter beware:

• I LOVE the Texas Rangers, especially Kitten Face :)
• I tweet and retweet...A LOT
• I am somewhat kind of VERY opinionated...

~ Charity

Let's Do This ...

I'm not sure how many times I have set out to start a blog and failed...or how many times I have started a blog and quit...but here I go again on my own. I don't promise to always be funny, politically correct, grammatically correct, or even nice...ok I do promise to always be nice (that was one of my New Year's resolutions ...) but I do promise to always be entertaining :) 

First, a little about me... 

• I'm a Christian:
• I am not perfect, I can be hypocritical (I try not to be but it is reality), I am NOT judgmental, I am a sinner... but I am saved by the PERFECT grace of the One and Only God.

•  I'm a teacher: 
• Sixth Grade Language Arts
• ALL the thoughts, opinions, ideas, etc... expressed in this blog are my own and do not represent that of my employer.

Obviously, there is more to me than that but those are the most important...and everything will reveal itself in time...if you keep reading!! 

~ Charity