bird of paradise

~T.S. 2007

Be Still, My Soul

"Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side;
bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
leave to thy God to order and provide;
in every change, he faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul; thy best, thy heavenly Friend
through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.


Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
to guide the future as he has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be bright at last.

Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
his voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.


Be still, my soul; the hour is hast'ning on
when we shall be forever with the Lord,
when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.

Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past,
all safe and blessed we shall meet at last."

~ Katarina von Schlegel

I'm not always a huge fan of rhyme, but I like the comfort from this old hymn I came across....

coaching

I realized that I love coaching! Maybe almost more than teaching! :)

It is such a beautiful way to interact with my students outside of the classroom. I'm able to relate with them on a different level, and they're able to see more of who I am due to the relaxed setting. Great relationship-building times!

The soccer team did an excellent job this weekend! I was so proud of their enthusiasm, teamwork, encouragment, improvement, and sportsmanship! Rah rah rah! Way to go, ladies! They came in third overall in the Ontario Christian Schools tournament. :)

*s*p*r*i*n*g*

I am totally amazed at the beauty of spring.
Living with four seasons again has been such a delightful treat!

I think my favourite spring things so far have been:
- hearing the joyful chirps of birds
- smelling the fragrant flowering trees (I really need to get out and get some pictures of them!)
- observing the speed of which a bare tree branch can bud and produce healthy, glowing leaves!
- enjoying the longer days (and warmer weather of course)
- feeling encouraged and reminded of the cycles and patterns God has established in His creation!

children of the world

Young Honduran boys - who live in the Tegucigalpa's city dump - participate in a sports afternoon organized by Maycol (fourth from left), who lives at the Micah Project.

Rest

"Become a devoted admirer of Christ. The more deeply you appreciate and worship Christ in his perfection, the more confidence you will have in him. You will be less likely to trust in yourself. Rest must be rooted in faith. Don't try to simply plug rest into the problem. Be worshipful."

~ Smith, Winston T. Rest. Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2006.

This is one of the many very powerful quotes from Smith's short booklet on the Sabbath (literally, "cease" or "stop"). I have been once again reminded of the need for Sabbath rest in our lives....Not only is rest commanded / required of God, but it also has profound implications for where our trust lies and how we live our lives.
On what / whom is our rest, trust, and security based?

Side note: "New Growth Press" and "Resources for Changing Lives" both have published some very excellent quality material. I encourage you to take a look...and be prepared to grow!

Ascended Advocate

"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."


Hebrews 4:14-16, NKJV
An appropriate Ascension Day reflection....