I am Redeemed

Today I just want to leave you with a song that really spoke to me all throughout Revival this evening.  We have been blessed with a wonderful speaker whose messages have spoken to so many individuals.  You can feel the Holy Spirit working in the students, children, teachers, and the campus as a whole.  I pray that this song speaks to you in some way too.

 And if this video doesn't work for some reason or you don't have time to watch it, I pray that you will at least look over the powerful lyrics below.

"Redeemed"

Big Daddy Weave

Seems like all I could see was the struggle
Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past
Bound up in shackles of all my failures
Wondering how long is this gonna last
Then You look at this prisoner and say to me "son
Stop fighting a fight it's already been won"

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be
I am redeemed, I'm redeemed

All my life I have been called unworthy
Named by the voice of my shame and regret
But when I hear You whisper, "Child lift up your head"
I remember, oh God, You're not done with me yet

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be

Because I don't have to be the old man inside of me
'Cause his day is long dead and gone
Because I've got a new name, a new life, I'm not the same
And a hope that will carry me home

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, 'cause I'm not who I used to be

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, yeah, I'm not who I used to be
Oh, God, I'm not who I used to be
Jesus, I'm not who I used to be
'Cause I am redeemed
Thank God, redeemed 

Please continue to pray for the campus throughout Revival.  I hope you had a lovely Sunday.

MIA

Happy Saturday!

The weeks are beginning to blur together  I feel like I have been back here at school way longer than I probably really have been.  I can barely remember anything that happened this week…but let me try.

Yesterday I took advantage of my free Fridays and went home for the day.  I literally don’t have any time to go home on weekends before Winter Break…but then the opportunity came up for me to have at least one day at home I had to seize it.  (Plus I was out of clean clothes and laundry here is very expensive.)  So I slept in for a while and then made the trip home.  I had two home cooked meals, got to see my parents and brother, and spent some time with some adorable little ones.  I always love when I go home and the little ones greet me with excitement.  They get so nervous when I walk out of the room. “Sarah, are you leaving already?” It’s absolutely precious.  Anyway, it was a quiet day with some time to relax at home.   Let me just tell you, it was MUCH NEEDED.

Today I had to get up in time to be back at school for missions training.  The MIA training started at 9, which meant I needed to leave early to be sure we were back in time.  I was really worried about the training session and what all would be done, but the Lord truly blessed the entire session.  Sure, some of it was more interesting than others, but overall I learned a lot and was able to grow stronger as a team.  We learned some songs to sing with the children and they have been stuck in my head all day.  But I love the songs so it is all worth it. I am very excited about going on this trip.  I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for the time we spend in Indy.

After training got out I went out to dinner and did some shopping with friends.  But, we quickly realized how tired we all are and decided to instead now relax in the apartment watch Big Bang Theory.  Complete bliss.

Well tomorrow begins Revival on our campus.  I am SO EXCITED!  This year’s speaker is Susie Shellenberger, whom I have been a fan of since I read an amazing devotional by her years ago.  I can’t wait to see the Lord energize and speak to students on campus this week.  Though I am extremely excited about Revival, I am also preparing myself for it to be slightly draining.  Revival brings with it a change to schedule, which always throws me off a little.  Plus some of the topics discussed and the services can be emotionally draining at times.  All of that to say, as excited as I am…I am also praying for strength this week, to be able to truly embrace and enjoy the services that are to come.  I want to be able to open my heart and listen to anything the Lord wants to say, not be boggled down by the strains of the week.

I am exhausted.  I almost fell asleep at 8 tonight so I think I will end up calling it a night early on.  I pray everyone has a wonderful week.  And if you can, please keep our revival services in mind.  Pray for the students and the campus this week as we listen to all that the Lord has to say.

The Chaotic Days

Today in chapel we had a couple come in and speak on “The Dating Plan.”  Since I am not in a relationship, most of the message did not really apply to my life.  But, one thing that stuck out to me was when the speaker kept referring to times in her life that were “chaotic.”  She talked about times when her life felt like it was spinning out of control and how those times were when she was not following God’s plan for her.  She kept using the word “chaotic” over and over again.  That word stuck with me.  I kept thinking about how lately this semester has been smooth sailing.  I’ve barely had any homework, my practicum hours haven’t started yet so I’ve had extra time to sleep, I’ve had time to exercise, and spent many nights playing card games.  I was thinking how comfortable my schedule seemed to be.  I was thinking that “chaos” was far from what my schedule was this semester. 

Doesn’t it always turn out that right as you say “My life isn’t chaotic”…you have an EXTREMELY chaotic day?!

While I was taking an online test (which always makes me more nervous…anytime it is an open note/online test I immediately feel a pressure to get a perfect score) our online school system we use crashed and I lost my test.  By the time I could get back into my test I had to be in a lab and then later when I entered my test it only gave me 8 minutes. Long story short, and several e-mails later to my very helpful professor, I got it sorted out and finally took the test.

Then I had to tutor and volunteer at a local church.  On my way to tutoring I got an e-mail from a professor informing me of a quiz we will be given tomorrow.  Now I had not read the chapter yet, or began studying as I would have had I known about the test before.  Let’s just say surprise quizzes are not my friends.  And since I was busy this evening I was not even able to begin studying until late in the evening.

Now any time I get an e-mail that tells me news I do not enjoy it sticks with me…especially when I can’t do anything about it.  So all through tutoring and volunteering it was sticking with me that I really needed to be studying.  Eventually I tried to push that aside and focused on the tutoring session.  Tutoring went pretty well…let’s leave it at that. ;)

Lucky for me I absolutely adore where I volunteer at on Wednesday nights.  I had so much fun teaching the lesson this evening.  The curriculum had some really cute games and science experiments that I think they enjoyed.

Well when I got home for the day and had a late dinner, I did my studying and finally thought I was done for the night.

Then suddenly all these little things piled up.  You know how sometimes when one thing is wrong or stressful all the little things seem horrendous?  I think I was in this place at this point.

Now I have been working hard to have my planner extremely organized.  I mean with such a chaotic day I needed to make sure I was remembering everything.  Then I got another e-mail that a time had changed for an event and well that just threw me for a loop.  That really shouldn’t be a big deal...I realize this.  But I just reach a place on days like this where everything seems so stressful.

Then I sit down and talk with my roommates and a joke starts up and slowly some of the stress begins to crack away…

Moral of the story?  Don’t ever say your life is too easy….not chaotic. ;)  Just kidding. The truth is that all throughout the day I found myself becoming more and more frustrated.  But in the midst of the frustration I kept being reminded of Bible verses and songs.  I was reminded that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  I was randomly singing “I Surrender All.”  God has a way of showing me lessons in each and every day.  So instead of dwelling in the chaos, I’ll just remember the blessings.  I’ll remember God gently reminding me that He is in control.  And for that I am thankful.

Hoo Goes There?

Well another relaxing weekend comes to a close.  This weekend was absolutely wonderful.  I was able to accomplish all of my homework, got to spend some time with my family, and enjoyed a lazy day today.  What could be better?!

Saturday my family came for a visit.  They treated me to lunch and bought some things I needed for the apartment.  It was good to be able to catch up with them.  It's so hard to share with them the many things going on here in quick texts and e-mail...so there is always so much to say when we are together.  I may talk non-stop...hopefully they don't mind.  Saturday evening I went to Mr. ONU.  This year's show was especially good.  I'm pretty sure the whole hall was laughing hysterically.

This weekend I also worked on a couple projects for fun. I’ve really been enjoying using my new clipart lately and was inspired to make my dad a new sign for his work. I am absolutely in love with making signs that allow me to use my clipart.  My poor roommates might get bombarded with signs all over our apartment soon. Hopefully they won't mind too much. :)

The clipart is from Scrappin Doodles and font is from Nymphont

 This afternoon consisted of wrapping up some last minute homework and enjoying some online shopping. My birthday is a little over a month away so I'm ready with my list! ;) After a couple of hours of lounging around my roommate and I walked a couple of miles at the new indoor track on campus before officially closing ourselves off from society to enjoy a night of complete laziness.  We made ourselves dinner (somehow I always manage to burn myself when I make dinner) and watched the movie Won't Back Down.  This movie was completely unbelievable.  I was yelling at the tv part of the time, crying like a baby sometimes, and cheering others.

I hope everyone had as wonderful a weekend as I did, and that everyone is energized to start a new week tomorrow. This weekend has been amazing...so why shouldn't this week be too?

Lovely Lesson Plans

I am officially obsessed with clipart.  Scrappin Doodles has to be my favorite place to buy clipart right now.  I was able to purchase several new packets of clipart the other day and I am so excited to put them to use.  I’m hoping to find a few more places that sell good clipart soon, but haven’t had any luck yet.

Well let’s move on to some "working to be a teacher" things.  So far I have only completed one lesson plan this semester.  I need to complete one more lesson plan this weekend…homework I can actually enjoy. :) I’m writing a lesson plan for first grade math on the number zero.  It should be pretty interesting.   We are focusing on how to use the textbook to create our lesson plans rather than always looking up ideas online.  As wonderful as it may be to be able to find ideas online, when it comes time to create 6 lessons a day for 5 days a week, our professor shared how important it will be for us to use the textbooks we are provided.  I just love being an education major…I honestly can't describe in words how much I love teaching.  I am so anxious to be back in a classroom.  

Well today I was extremely productive, did laundry, relaxed, and had a wonderful evening out with friends.  Tracy, Stephanie, and I tried out a new Mexican restaurant in town.  It took us WAY too long to find the place, but it was delicious.

 

This picture is horrible quality…but we had a wonderful dinner with lovely conversation.  I love these girls.

After dinner and some dollar aisle shopping at Target we stopped by the Rec Center for some exercise and Skee Ball.  I go to the best school with the best friends.

My Fabulous Mood

I prefer to write a blog post with a mission.  I like to have one specific theme in which I can tie a bunch of different subjects into.  Maybe I look at it too much like writing an essay?  But anyway, I really don’t have too much to share today but wanted to make sure I was still putting forth the effort to post.

My classes are going really well.  One of my classes is Wellness in which we are required to work out two times a week.  Yesterday we ran our mile and a half to have a starting point to improve on throughout the semester.  Let me tell you, I am S-O-R-E today.  But it’s the good kind of sore.  The kind where you know you have been pushing yourself. 

One of my classes in particular right now is just amazing. The teacher is very upfront and practical in all that he shares.  He tells us realistically how much work teaching is going to be.  He shares with us an easier lesson plan we can use for his class and for our student teaching.  He welcomes us into the “real world” as he tells us that we don’t need to be worried about aligning our standards to lessons because a lot of time the curriculum will already do that for us. I have honestly learned so much from this class in the three days I have attended, that I cannot wait for the semester ahead.  I think that this class will be a lot of work at times, but I am so excited to get more experience in the classroom.  I feel like I can hear stories and learn many different ways in which I can teach, but that until I actually get into the classroom it won’t do me as much good.  I am itching to get back into the classroom and soak up as much information as possible.

I am definitely enjoying the beginning of the semester.  It has been peaceful and easy-going, one can only hope it would last all semester. ;) I have greatly enjoyed all the extra time to work out, read, play card games, watch tv, and search the internet for teaching ideas.  I love this time of the semester and find myself completely blessed.  Well I am in a fabulous mood and am starting to feel slightly guilty that out of the people in my apartment right now none of us are speaking to each other but are instead on our computers….so perhaps it is time to end for today and actually be social.. :)

Sunday Mornings

Today is my first Sunday back in town and was my first Sunday in a LONG time to go to church here.  I feel EXTREMELY blessed to have a church both at home and here at school that I enjoy.  I was really excited to see this church again and hear the message.

Well last night we ended up playing card games for 3 hours, and it wasn’t until very very late that I finally went to bed.  Needless to say when my alarm clock went off this morning I wasn’t quick to get out of bed.

To make a long story short (sorry, sometimes I tell more than is probably necessary) by the time all three of us were ready to go to church this morning we were running a little later than we should have been.  Then we get to my car, which is completely covered in ice.  So we spray the de-icer, scrape some, and wait until it’s finally clear enough that I can drive.  So now instead of being a little behind we are VERY behind.  I HATE being late.  I hate when other people are late, I’ve always viewed it as being disrespectful.  So when I am late I look at it the same way.  I don’t want to be disrespectful to others.  The later we are running the more anxious and frustrated I am getting.

When we finally get to church and find a parking spot we are definitely late to church, but are lucky that we have friends saving us seats.  Well, in the end the people who were holding our seats ended up giving them up.  So now we are not only late but trying to hunt around for a spot.  This church is rather large and hard to see where there are three empty seats.  My frustration level is rising and I find myself further and further away from the attitude I should be having at this point.  After all, I’m supposed to be entering into a time or worship.

Now we found seats and it wasn’t as much of an issue as my frustration made it out to be, but I promise I do have a point to this story.  As I begin to sing the songs of worship I suddenly felt convicted.  I chose to woke up later than usual, my roommates and I chose to take longer than necessary to get ready, we didn’t give ourselves enough time to account for ice (when clearly it is winter), and on and on.  My mood was not one of an eagerness to hear a message and open up my heart to what God might want to say to me, but instead I was all caught up in my morning rush and the frustration that came with it.  I suddenly realized that instead of looking at having to scrape my ice as something that was going to cause me to be late, I could have been focusing on how pretty it looked when sitting inside the car.  Instead of being frustrated as I tried to find a seat I could have realized how absolutely amazing it is that the church was so packed with individuals ready to praise the Lord that it made it harder to find a seat.  I could have viewed the task to seek for a seat as a reminder of how lucky I am to be in fellowship with so many individuals.  Suddenly I was viewing the morning differently.  Suddenly I was realizing how differently I should approach Sunday mornings…a time when I should be preparing for worship.

Friends, I am nowhere near perfect.  Obviously.  I am blessed, however, to have a loving God who is willing to remind me when I am wrong, to correct my ways, and guide me in a better direction.  Oh and the ironic part?!  The sermon was on control and how we have to be willing to surrender ourselves to Him again and again.  Perhaps it is time for me to surrender my mornings, to take a new perspective.  And more than just my mornings I should be continuing to surrender each aspect of my life.  Where will I live after graduation? Where will I student teach? Will I marry?  Life will always have questions, but I am so glad I have a God who will take control and lead me.

Well if you have made it this far I am very impressed.  Friends, please surrender your life to God.  Give up your ways and let Him have His.  We may not always like to hear His corrections, but His ways is always for the best.

God Bless,    

Out of this World :)

Well the school year is officially in full swing. I’ve already completed some assignments, attended classes, and am (somewhat) ready for the semester ahead. It usually takes me a week or so to get adjusted to my new schedule and feel more comfortable with it, but I am slowly getting there. I might have already mentioned this before, but this semester I do not have any classes on Friday. So yesterday began my first long weekend of many to come this semester! I slept in, lounged around in sweats, watched some tv, made a lovely lunch, and worked on some homework. One of my assignments was to make a nametag that we would consider using in our own classroom.  I decided to go with an outer space theme (though I doubt that would be my actual classroom theme…someone had already used owls) for my nametag. Of course we were supposed to make it personal for us, since it will be the nametag we use in class each day.  I am pretty happy with how mine turned out.

To make this nametag I used clipart from ScrappinDoodles

After finishing my nametag I met up with a couple of my roommates and we took advantage of our amazing new Rec Center.  I love all of the brand new equipment we have…it makes workouts so much more enjoyable. :)  Plus I love that Pandora now has workout stations, allowing me to be more motivated.

Later my roommates and I celebrated making it through the week with dinner out at one of our favorite restaurants, and then enjoyed an evening of games with friends. I learned how to play Phase 10…I’m seriously addicted. Maybe we will have time for some more tonight. ;)

Well I have work in a few. Thanks for reading :)

   

Comfort

Well break is definitely over.  I feel like I have been going nonstop since I left my house yesterday around 6.  I REALLY need to learn the importance of packing lighter.  Last night I spent an hour and a half unpacking my clothes and another hour and a half on everything else.  Of course it always take me longer because I cannot just unpack….I typically use that time to reorganize everything as well.  My dresser was what I naively started with and that took way more time than I had thought.  I am pretty sure I packed away as many clothes to take back home as I did those I brought with me here.  OH well….I guess at least it evens it out, right?  My original goal was to accomplish all of my organization last night and just enjoy today to relax and bum around the apartment.  But since unpacking took so long I had quite a few errands to run and still needed to organize my desk and part of my closet.

You would think that since I have been working so hard to organize that I would be all set for tomorrow, right?  Yeah…the past hour I have spent talking with my roommates and avoiding any form of work.  You would think that part would already be done….

Well tomorrow begins my last semester of regular classes.  I only have 13 credit hours this semester (not sure how I managed that one) but this semester is still looking to be a challenge.  I will be teaching MANY lessons in the classroom, will be preparing for student teaching, and have 48 hours of practicum to complete.  Plus I still plan to tutor and get some hours in at work.  But I am very excited for this semester.  As scary as it might be at the changes that are coming and coming very fast, I am so excited all that this semester holds.  Plus I know that God has a master plan.  He is always in control of my life and I couldn’t be more thankful.  The beginning of a new semester is always stressful for me.  I find myself so consumed in organizing my binders and notebooks, ensuring I have all the assignments for the semester written down in my planner, etc that I often find myself anxious at the many unknowns.  I'm a planner and not always knowing what to plan makes me nervous.  As anxious as I am about a new semester, it is always comforting knowing that God already knows all that is to come...what an amazing comfort.

Well I have a migraine that is getting worse and I really do need to finish up a couple more things before classes start tomorrow.  Surely with only 13 credit hours I can blog more this semester, right?!  Here's to hoping!

    

Owl Teach You-It's Official

It’s Official!

I am so excited for everyone to see my new blog. I have spent all day trying to make some last minute tweaks and changes. I am sure I will make some other changes eventually but the major aspects are done at least. Plus it now has it’s own web address.  I am seriously so excited! :)  I hope you enjoy!

Change

As you can clearly see, I have changed the name of my blog.  I wanted to create something that fit more of a theme.  Plus when I originally started this blog I just couldn't think of a better title.  Like I shared yesterday, I now have a Twitter.  My mom came up with my cute Twitter name so I wanted to make my blog reflect that theme too.  I am sure the teacher part is self-explanatory, but the owl part is because I have recently become completely obsessed with owls.  The cute clipart ones...not the real ones.  :)

Well today I spent the day in Schaumburg with my dad and brother.  We had a lovely lunch and dinner out and did quite a bit of shopping.  I picked up a few things I need for school, took advantage of the MASSIVE sale Bath and Body Works is having, and couldn't resist a couple of pieces of jewelry I found on sale at Charming Charlies.  It was fun to have a day out and just shop and relax.  But I love the restaurants in Chicago.  Maggianos and Portillos in one day...perfect!

Let me just post a couple of pictures of the Illini game I went to yesterday before I go.  I received free tickets to a woman's Illini game with the men's tickets my dad bought.  So Kayla and I went to the game and had a fantastic time.  We yelled until we lost our voice, got on the big screen (let me tell you that girl FREAKED out), and enjoyed a wonderful game with front row seats!

Do you see how close we were?!

Well I don't have as long of a post today as I did yesterday...but I am in desperate need of some sleep.  It's almost the weekend! 

Rambles and Resolutions

One of the resolutions I made for myself this year was to make some changes to improve my blog.  I follow a lot (and I am not exaggerating) of teacher blogs.  When I have free time I find myself drawn to my google reader to see who has updated their blog. I have found so much inspiration from the teachers I follow.  My hope is to one day have a blog similar to all that I follow.  I want to have a blog that shows my ideas and products.  Teachers are obviously not known for making a lot of money and I think it is so inspirational to see how teachers use the products they make for their own classroom and sell them to earn more income for their family.  Plus they give out freebies…which I take every advantage of, seeing as a college student doesn’t exactly have the budget to buy frequently.  Through these blogs I have seen ideas I can use in future lessons, have obtained classroom organization ideas, and learned more about the different opportunities and struggles that teachers face.  I know that I have talked some before on the different blogs I follow, but I just learn so much more with each passing day.  With that being said, my goal this year is to significantly improve my blog…but that is definitely something that is going to take me some time to figure out.

Part of improving my blog also includes finally following the trend and getting a Twitter.  Eventually maybe I will be fancy enough to add a button that links to my Twitter from here…but honestly I am going to be taking things one step at a time.

But back to the ideas I’ve obtained from blogs.  One of the things I kept seeing was different ways to decorate classrooms.  I couldn’t stand the wait any longer.  My lovely church allowed me the opportunity to decorate a few rooms.  I went a little (lot) overboard.  But I just love how it turned out!  My church’s children program has recently grown.  I am so excited to see how many more children we have each week.  God is definitely working in the lives of these children and I had so much fun decorating a space that the children will hopefully enjoy.

Now I cannot take the credit for all the signs you see around the classroom, as I did take ideas from blogs that I follow. (One of the things I have to work on is being able to link up the readers to the blogs where I found the ideas.  Such as being able to tell you where I found this font at.)

So up first we have the room I decorated over Christmas break.  I did the youngsters room (ages 3&4).  I went with a polka dot theme.

  

Okay to be honest I am not thrilled with the bulletin board you see in the picture.  I ended up changing the YOU later (but forgot to take a picture) and now I love it.  But of course all that I have for you is the old picture. Oops!

  

I would also love to add some new curtains to fit the room but I do not know how to sew…maybe eventually I can convince someone to do it for me. :)

 

This wall is composed of a Bible verse for each letter of the alphabet.  Each verse is short and sweet and has a picture to help the kids understand better.

 

Here is my attempt at the classic Where are We? sign.

And up next is the junior church room.  I actually decorated this over Thanksgiving break, but I was so busy that I never posted pictures. (Shocker...I know)

   

I love the pennants!

  

I created an alphabet wall for this room as well.  If I were to do it again I would have printed it on colorful paper...but I guess we learn from trying.

 

I tried the ruffled border that I kept seeing on Pinterest and I love how it turned out!

Well if you have made it to the end of this post I am very impressed.  Sorry to ramble for so long...but thanks for reading. :)

This time last year...

Today I was cleaning my closet and stumbled across the journal I kept for my class while I was in England.  I flipped to January 1st last year and suddenly remembered what an incredible day that was.  I know I said I wouldn’t reflect on last year…but just allow me to take a short trip down memory lane.  Going to England was such an amazing trip and time in my life.  I absolutely love to travel and hope for many trips like this in the future.

We climbed 502 feet to the top of the Tor.  I remember how long it seemed to take to get to the top but how incredible the view was, making it totally worth the climb.  I specifically remember looking over and seeing this heart shape that had been formed in a field.  I remember thinking how incredible God’s beauty was, something that it always important for us to remember.

We also visited the Glastonbury Abbey.  I thought that it was going to be so incredibly boring.  I’ve never been so wrong in my life.  This was one of the coolest things we were able to see on the trip.  There was so much history and beauty, even in the ruins.  I could only imagine the magnificence of it during its time.

The cheddar caves were another delightful surprise.  Not only did I learn more of England’s history and get to explore a unique city, but I also had so much fun taking random pictures with my friends.

 

Last year on this day I didn’t know what was in store.  I didn’t know how many adventures were going to take place on that day, let alone that year.  I can only imagine what this year has in store.  I already had a wonderful day today spending time with family.  We did some shopping and just relaxed....pretty wonderful if you ask me. :)