Answered prayers.

Learned a big lesson last week. When you pray, you'd best be expecting an answer.  Allot of crazy stuff happened last week.  Started off with me praying about following God's will.  Then he answered my prayer.  Monday morning I found out I'm not going to be working at good old Perry next school year.  My principal told me he wouldn't be recommending me for re-employment.  I know how I would of taken this previously, but it honestly felt like a relief.  Don't get me wrong, i hate the prospect of unemployment, but if you earnestly say to yourself and pray for his will to be shown.  Maybe being scared isn't something that worry about when his will is shown.  Now is my opportunity.  Instead of being frightened, I'm excited.  What does God have in store for me.  On the same day I found out that I was going to have an article written about me in the Stillwater  Newspaper titled head of class.  Fired and named area teacher of the month all on the same day.  God does work mysteriously, and with a sense of humor.  Then at the end of the week Kurt, my buddy I've coached with before begins talking with me about coaching at another school.  Whammy....  Like I stated before, its hard for me to picture God exposing me to Afghanistan and Niger, without a grander purpose in mind.  I pray that I become a vessel through which he can work.  As brother Monroe says a "Soul Winner".  I know before that i would have let anger fill my and tarnish my soul.  I remember anger, I've drank it, tasted it, lived it.  At one point in my life it consumed me.  I know I have reason to be angry.  The reason I'm being fired is because my principals son is getting a D in my class and the kid doesn't like me.  Several kids don't like it that they have to work in my class and are dropping out.  He uses this as an excuse to fire me.   It is a struggle teaching and trying to push kids to learn.  I know what lies in front of these kids and it scares me for them.  Teaching is tough.  It would be easy to just let things slide, easy to look the other way.  Be their buddies, but I can't teach that way.  I have a passion for teaching, a passion for these kids.  To lessen my teaching would be to betray the importance I feel about it.  Crazy thing is I can see several students do realize and do appreciate my teaching.  I do know I am doing the right thing, God has pressed that into my heart.  I pray for these kids here at Perry.  Many do want the easy way, to do as little as possible, and that isn't the way that is going to bring them success in life.  This generation of student is different.  I look at the obesity I am now seeing.  It is scary.  I look at how tough it is to teach from the heart and my heart burst open, yet all I can do is control what I teach, how I teach and keep my head up.  God has put me here for a reason.  he has put conviction in my heart for a reason.  I just pray that as I find out that reason that he strengthens me and prepares me to please him.  It is through him that I was given life,  Through him that I find grace.  Through him that I find strength.  In my weakness, in my sorrow he is there to lift me up. 

Dear God please answer my prayers, guide me, show me your will.  Thank you for the many ways you have blessed me and my family.  I am excited about the future, I'm learning from the past.  My past doesn't define me, yet it did create me.  It did shape and mold me.  Through Christ I am reborn and I pray that through him I learn to serve to glorify him.  In the Name of Jesus I pray.... Amern