swath of hodge podge

Church:

My spiritual director directed me to Church on Sundays. He told me he didn't care where, but I needed to worship somewhere on the Sabbath. He's not bossy, and this is the first time he's told me something to do. So, I worshipped at the Benedictine Church today. I arrived late, so I got to sit in the front row. The sermon was on worry, and how our lives are centered on things they shouldn't be. We like a kind, good God that's far away-- not too close. We don't want a God who interferes with our plans. I wouldn't know anything about that-- the Hebrews wanting a mediator/prophet because they were afraid they'd die in front of the living God. And, come to find out, we do die when come into relationship with Yahweh. They're on to something.

Hike:

It's a gorgeous day! I decided to celebrate it with a hike: me, the glorious weather, and Crowder's Mountain. It was a festive outing. My fellow hikers were cheery and chirpy. There were lots of puppy dogs exploring with their masters. One dog was carrying a pack. I told his owner, "I like to see a dog earning his keep." The owner just laughed, and the dog kept trotting. Lots of kiddoes asking, "Are we there yet?" and receiving motivational speeches from their caretakers. The hike made me realize that I need to kick my training up a couple of notches: my legs were wobbly after the measly two-hour hike. I need to throw some weight-training into the mix, longer runs and trail runs. I need to up my time in the pool too. The hike also made me excited for the half marathon (Edge to Edge) I'm going to run in June on Vancouver Island with M. It's going to be amazing. And, I need to get my booty in shape so I can thoroughly enjoy myself.

Planning:

After meeting with the Curriculum Specialist last week, I'm very excited and motivated. She helped me find these creative lesson plans to teach the African curriculum sans the boring, schmoring book. Yay! for me and my students. The book is drier than the Sahara we've already studied! Tomorrow I'm teaching on cell phones in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a way to discuss economy and sociology of the region. I'm finding pictures on Google Images and gearing up. And, in English I'm teaching on Descriptive Writing with Columbia Spaceship crash. It should be a fun day. I just wish I had better crowd control-- I was not prepared for this large of classes and the immaturity and lack of motivation of my students. She's coming again this week, and we're going to plan my South Africa unit. These lessons are the kind of lessons I envisioned teaching, but with about half the students and all of them on grade level.

Super Bowl:

Go Cardinals!

Miscellaneous:

As you can tell, dear reader, I'm feeling rejuvenated. I was listening to some codger wax on about the Christian life and realized he had it all wrong. Holiness isn't about being good; holiness is about being completely and truly alive. Now, that's exciting! It's a surrender to Aslan not a consent to a dull, dreary life. Obedience to Aslan is adventure. Learning to love is going to be a lifelong pursuit for me.