Diary of a Wimpy Teacher

This month’s book for my Book Club was Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Now before you go and judge me, let me clarify something. This Book Club is for adults. It’s just that we like to stretch our minds, our horizons and we like stretch pants, too. But that’s another matter. What I am trying to say is we like to read all sorts of genres...even children’s books. And I must say, I found this book surprisingly entertaining…especially since I am stuck teaching in a middle school setting right now for the remainder of the year. Eighteen days and counting!


Since I escaped semi-retired from teaching five years ago, I have landed some interesting jobs. Specifically, I have worked as a secretary, nurse, babysitter, tutor, part time GED instructor, Pre-K substitute teacher and 3rd grade substitute teacher.

However, to date, I have never been as challenged as I have been since getting suckered into accepting this current teaching position.

Middle school is not for wimps!

Where else will can you be mowed over by a rolling backpack, critiqued for your choice of clothing, ignored, referee drama, counsel a broken heart, and administer medication to self all before 8:30 am? I'm talking about ME here! I tell you it's a battlefield!

The first day of this job, realizing I was not in my comfort zone, my oldest son texted me and said "Don''t worry, Mom you''ll do fine. If you feel out of place, insecure, strange or just plain awkward you are not alone. Middle schoolers are hopelessly awkward. You are in good company." Such wisdom and truth in those words.


Greg Heffley (main character in Diary of a Wimpy Kid) says "Middle school may be the dumbest idea ever," Nell Minow , a movie critique says "The reason that middle school is so agonizing is that it is the time when we first realize that we would really like to be cool at the same time we are struck with the horrifying realization that we have no idea how to get there. It is a time of agonizing self-examination, growing uncertainty about everything we thought we knew, diminishing willingness to rely on our parents, and the terrifying conviction that everyone else seems to have it figured out. It is the time of the great hormone divide, where boys who look like they are 10 share a classroom -- and a locker room -- with kids who look like they could be in college. It is a time when we rethink everything we thought we knew about who we are and what we want from our friends. So much suddenly seems GROSS and EMBARRASSING. Everything suddenly seems so disgusting we end up projecting all of those feelings onto some weird object like a piece of moldy cheese, which then assumes urban legendary status with the power to cooty-fy anyone who touches it. And in the middle of this we are also expected to live through algebra and PE."

So, what to do as I walk among the aliens middle-schoolers? How to survive?

I think the best thing to do is find the humor, the joy in the madness. Knowing that "One day middle school will end and become high school. And after that, it just becomes life. And all those things you think are important now won't be anymore." (character 'Angie Steadman' from the book Diary of a Wimpy Kid)

Simply

Fear less, hope more;

 eat less, chew more;

whine less, breathe more;

 talk less, say more;

love more, and all good things will be yours.

-Swedish proverb

One thing I have been practicing for a while two years now, is living more simply. Buying less. Consuming less.  Not that I intentionally chose this path, this detour. But, I must say, this quiet way, this way I trod is certainly a lot less stressful than the other path I was traveling.


Learning to live more simply is a process. There has been a lot of grace along the way. Lessons I am learning here are priceless. I am realizing just how rich I am for the first time ever and believe me, my bank account has nothing to do with it.


Living simply means appreciating daily living. It also means giving up things/practices that prevented or hindered peace in my life. Letting go of clutter in my closet, as well as in my mind.
Letting go of things I thought I had to have. Forgetting about what others might think. Forging ahead.
 
Simply.

Thankful

It isn't what you have in your pocket

that makes you thankful,

but what you have in your heart.
anonymous

Right on!

It is not any longer possible that we sit in some command center telling other people how to go forth. I'm speaking in particular to those of you who are clergy. You cannot preach about, encourage or motivate or mobilize people into mission unless you model what missional proximity looks like. You cannot sit in some ivory tower spending days and days preparing sermons which are seeking to motivate people into mission unless you yourself are prepared to embrace that similar commitment to proximity. Do you follow what I'm saying? I'm not just talking about proximity like our building is on the street corner on the main street with a gigantic sign and everyone knows that we are there. I'm talking about personal, relational, and geographic proximity to people.  -Michael Frost

Handy Man - Part 2

My handy-man Guy shoveling in the dirt for the garden!

One of the benefits of working at a new school is the fact that I get to meet a lot of new people. One of my new acquaintances is Mrs. Chancey. Today I congratulated this sweet, blushing bride after she announced it was her wedding anniversary.

As she talked about her sweetheart, her face lit up and she even blushed a little.  It was obvious that she was deeply in love. Was it their first anniversary? Fifth? Tenth? Twenty-fifth? Guess again. Today she celebrated forty years with her husband. Forty years and still madly in love!  I think that it is just the sweetest thing to listen

to someone share about their love, their committment, their marriage. When we have more time one day, I'd like to hear more about their long-lasting romance.

After almost twenty-five years of marital bliss survival with my husband, I have come to one conclusion. The secret to a happy marriage is good communication. That means a lot more listening and a lot less talk. For two stubborn, headstrong people, I would say that has been one of the major hurdles in our relationship. But, there is hope. By the looks of things lately, I would say we are geting better in that area. Here's a recent exchange between us.

 Me: "Guy, I need a raised-bed garden. I want flowers. I want vegetables." 

Guy: "OK, darling. I'll get right to it."

At least, that's the way I remember the conversation.

Handy Man - Part 1

Guy building frame for raised-bed garden

my Guy...

  likes working with his hands

 can engineer and contruct anything with incredible ease

listens to my wonderful  hair-brained ideas

 transforms my dreams to reality

i love my handy-man

stay tuned to discover what handy-woman (aka Me)

and handy-girl (aka daughter) add to handy-man's creation!

"That's My King" by S. M. Lockridge

Dr. S.M. Lockridge preached a powerful message about Jesus. He went through all of the wonderful and awesome things about our Savior. Pause the music on my playlist in the sidebar and click this link to hear the audio of this inspiring message!
That's My King

The Bible says

He’s the King of the Jews

He’s the King of Israel

He’s the King of Righteousness

He’s the King of the Ages

He’s the King of Heaven

He’s the King of Glory

He’s the King of Kings

and He is the Lord of Lords

Now that’s my King!

David says

The Heavens declare the glory of God

And the firmament showeth His handiwork

No means of measure can define His limitless love

No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supply

No barriers can hinder Him from pouring out His blessing

He’s enduringly strong

He’s entirely sincere

He’s eternally steadfast

He’s immortally graceful

He’s imperially powerful

He’s impartially merciful

That’s my King!

He’s God’s Son

He’s the sinners’ Saviour

He’s the centrepiece of civilisation

He stands alone in Himself

He’s august

He’s unique

He’s unparalleled

He’s unprecedented

He’s supreme

He’s pre-eminent

He’s the loftiest idea in literature

He’s the highest personality in philosophy

He’s the supreme problem in higher criticism

He’s the fundamental doctrine in true theology

He’s the cardinal necessity of spiritual religion

That’s my King!

He’s the miracle of the age

He’s the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him

He’s the only one able to supply all of our needs simultaneously

He supplies strength for the weak

He’s available for the tempted and the tried

He sympathises and He saves

He guards and He guides

He heals the sick

He cleansed the lepers

He forgives sinners

He discharges debtors

He delivers the captives

He defends the feeble

He blesses the young

He serves the unfortunate

He regards the aged

He rewards the diligent

And He beautifies the meek

Do you know Him?

My King is the key of knowledge

He’s the wellspring of wisdom

He’s the doorway of deliverance

He’s the pathway of peace

He’s the roadway of righteousness

He’s the highway of holiness

He’s the gateway of glory

He’s the master of the mighty

He’s the captain of the conquerors

He’s the head of the heroes

He’s the leader of the legislators

He’s the overseer of the overcomers

He’s the governor of governors

He’s the prince of princes

He’s the King of Kings

And He’s the Lord of Lords

That’s my King

That’s my King!

My King

His office is manifold

His promise is sure

His life is matchless

His goodness is limitless

His mercy is everlasting

His love never changes

His word is enough

His grace is sufficient

His reign is righteous

His yoke is easy

and His burden is light

I wish I could describe Him to you

He’s indescribable

He’s indescribable

He’s incomprehensible

He’s invincible

He’s irresistible

I’m trying to tell you

The heaven of heavens cannot contain Him

Let alone a man explain Him

You can’t get Him out of your mind

You can’t get Him off of your hands

You can’t outlive Him

And you can’t live without Him

The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him

but they found out they couldn’t stop Him

Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him

The witnesses couldn’t get their testimonies to agree

And Herod couldn’t kill Him

Death couldn’t handle Him

And the grave couldn’t hold Him

That’s my King!

He always has been

And He always will be

I’m talking about

He had no predecessor

and He’ll have no successor

There was nobody before Him

and there’ll be nobody after Him

You can’t impeach Him

and He’s not going to resign

That’s my King!

Praise the Lord

That’s my King

Thine is the Kingdom

And the power

And the glory

The glory is all His

Thine is the Kingdom

And the power

And the glory

For ever

And ever

And ever

And when you get through with all of the forevers

Then

Amen.

My King

The Bible says my King is the King of the Jews. He’s the King of Israel. He’s the King of Righteousness. He’s the King of the Ages. He’s the King of Heaven. He’s the King of Glory. He’s the King of kings, and He’s the Lord of lords. That’s my King.

I wonder, do you know Him?

My King is a sovereign King. No means of measure can define His limitless love. He’s enduringly strong. He’s entirely sincere. He’s eternally steadfast. He’s immortally graceful. He’s imperially powerful. He’s impartially merciful.

Do you know Him?

He’s the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizon of this world. He’s God’s Son. He’s the sinner’s Saviour. He’s the centrepiece of civilization. He’s unparalleled. He’s unprecedented. He is the loftiest idea in literature. He’s the highest personality in philosophy. He’s the fundamental doctrine of true theology. He’s the only one qualified to be an all sufficient Saviour.

I wonder if you know Him today?

He supplies strength for the weak. He’s available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes and He saves. He strengthens and sustains. He guards and He guides. He heals the sick. He cleansed the lepers. He forgives sinners. He discharges debtors. He delivers the captive. He defends the feeble. He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate. He regards the aged. He rewards the diligent. And He beautifies the meek.

I wonder if you know Him?

He’s the key to knowledge. He’s the wellspring of wisdom. He’s the doorway of deliverance. He’s the pathway of peace. He’s the roadway of righteousness. He’s the highway of holiness. He’s the gateway of glory.

Do you know Him? Well…

His life is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His Word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous. And His yoke is easy. And His burden is light.

I wish I could describe Him to you. Yes…

He’s indescribable! He’s incomprehensible. He’s invincible. He’s irresistible. You can’t get Him out of your mind. You can’t get Him off of your hand. You can’t outlive Him, and you can’t live without Him. Well, the Pharisees couldn’t stand Him, but they found out they couldn’t stop Him. Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him. Herod couldn’t kill Him. Death couldn’t handle Him, and the grave couldn’t hold Him.

Yeah! That’s my King, that’s my King.

Amen!

Seven Way King

My King was born King. The Bible says He’s a Seven Way King. He’s the King of the Jews – that’s a racial King. He’s the King of Israel – that’s a National King. He’s the King of righteousness. He’s the King of the ages. He’s the King of Heaven. He’s the King of glory. He’s the King of kings and He is the Lord of lords. Now that’s my King. Well I wonder if you know Him. Do you know Him? Don’t try to mislead me. Do you know my King? David said the Heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament show His handiwork. My King is the only one whom there are no means of measure can define His limitless love. No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shore of supplies. No barriers can hinder Him from pouring out His blessing. Well, well, He’s enduringly strong. He’s entirely sincere. He’s eternally steadfast. He’s immortally graceful. He’s imperially powerful. He’s impartially merciful. That’s my King. He’s God’s Son. He’s the sinner’s saviour. He’s the centrepiece of civilization. He stands alone in Himself. He’s august. He’s unique. He’s unparalleled. He’s unprecedented. He’s supreme. He’s pre-eminent. Well, He’s the loftiest idea in literature. He’s the highest personality in philosophy. He’s the supreme problem in high criticism. He’s the fundamental doctrine of proved theology. He’s the carnal necessity of spiritual religion. That’s my King. He’s the miracle of the age. He’s the superlative of everything good that you choose to call Him. Well, He’s the only one able to supply all of our needs simultaneously. He supplies strength for the weak. He’s available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes and He saves. He’s strong God and He guides. He heals the sick. He cleanses the lepers. He forgives sinners. He discharged debtors. He delivers the captives. He defends the feeble. He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate. He regards the aged. He rewards the diligent and He beautifies the meek. Do you know Him? Well, my King is the key of knowledge. He’s the wellspring of wisdom. He’s the doorway of deliverance. He’s the pathway of peace. He’s the roadway of righteousness. He’s the highway of holiness. He’s the gateway of glory. He’s the master of the mighty. He’s the captain of the conquerors. He’s the head of the heroes. He’s the leader of the legislatures. He’s the overseer of the overcomers. He’s the governor of governors. He’s the prince of princes. He’s the King of kings and He’s the Lord of lords. That’s my King. Yeah. Yeah. That’s my King. My King, yeah. His office is manifold. His promise is sure. His light is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His Word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Well. I wish I could describe Him to you, but He’s indescribable. He’s indescribable. Yes. He’s incomprehensible. He’s invincible. He’s irresistible. I’m coming to tell you, the heavens of heavens cannot contain Him, let alone a man explaining Him. You can’t get Him out of your mind. You can’t get Him off of your hands. You can’t outlive Him and you can’t live without Him. Well, Pharisees couldn’t stand Him, but they found out they couldn’t stop Him. Pilot couldn’t find any fault in Him. The witnesses couldn’t get their testimonies to agree. Herod couldn’t kill Him. Death couldn’t handle Him and the grave couldn’t hold Him. That’s my King. Yeah. He always has been and He always will be. I’m talking about He had no predecessor and He’ll have no successor. There was nobody before Him and there’ll be nobody after Him. You cant impeach Him and He’s not going to resign. That’s my King! That’s my King! Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory. Well, all the power belongs to my King. We’re around here talking about black power and white power and green power, but it’s God’s power. Thine is the power. Yeah. And the glory. We try to get prestige and honour and glory for ourselves, but the glory is all His. Yes. Thine is the Kingdom and the power and glory, forever and ever and ever and ever. How long is that? And ever and ever and ever and ever. And when you get through with all of the evers, then, Amen.