Be still and know that I am God. Psalms 46:10

Can you hear it? Be still close your eyes and listen carefully for the songs of the angels on that not so silent night. Imagine you are a shepherd, the lowly, dirty, simple, shepherd, who has been awakened by the host of Heaven's messengers, singing and declaring the greatest news to ever be proclaimed on earth. "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10-11. Can you hear the sounds of the angels, and the excitement and awe of the shepherds.

Can you feel it? Can you feel the confusion of the shepherds? Why us...of all the world, why has God chosen us to be among the first to see the Savior of the world? Can you feel the excited butterflies? Shepherds have never been invited to the palace, never been in the presence of a king before. Yet, here you are about to walk in to see the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Most of all can you feel the grace and love surrounding you as you walk into that little stable and look upon the face of your God? He has chosen you, the shepherd who has so very little, to be the first to worship sweet baby Jesus.

Can you hear the sounds that consumed the skies of Bethlehem on that not so silent night or are the sounds of cash registers ringing, wrapping paper tearing, oven timers dinging, and the hustle and bustle of the season drowning them out? This is a question I am consumed with this Christmas. I realize so much now how much time flies. Before you know it, you will have all unwrapped your last gift and everyone will be looking around the room saying "Well I guess thats it" and Christmas will be over until next year. I just don't want to miss out on the Christ in Christmas. I want to remember the glory of His coming, and I want to remember the reason He left the throne room of Heaven "making himself nothing taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death -even death on a cross." Philippians 2:7-8

Some "Oh my" moments...

"Oh my" moments....

1. My students were so excited about Christmas last week, and they just couldn't stop talking about all things Christmas, including their elves. If you are not familiar with the elves, let me quickly clue you in from the eyes of a child: After Thanksgiving, when the Christmas season has officially begun, Santa sends you an e-mail, and tells you he is sending an elf to your house to check in on you until Christmas. The elf reports to Santa, and tells him if you are being good or not. Every night while the you are snug in your beds the elf finds a new hiding place in your house, so you never know where he might be. (well I assume this at least close to being right because as you will see I am not very well informed on the elves) SO as my students are telling me about their elves, some students didn't know what they were talking about. Well being the genius that I am I said " Oh you get them at the store in a little kit," or at least something to the affect that you get them at the store (which you do, they come in a little kit with a box and a stuffed elf but the kids of course don't know that). To this they immediately replied, "NO! You only get them if Santa sends you an e-mail!" I quickly tried to cover my mess up with something that sounded a bit like "Oh yeah I am sorry I must be thinking of something else. Get busy you have work to do, you shouldn't even be talking." Ah I am terrible!!

2. Today I was at freezing cold afternoon carpool, and I had put my walkie-talkie in my coat pocket. While I was waiting on the next car to pull up, I put my hands in my pocket. I quickly learned this was a mistake because due to the large object in my coat plus my large hand, my hand got stuck. I mean STUCK! I was so scared that I would have to have the two other teachers on duty help me get my hand out in front of all of these parents. Thankfully I was able to dance around a bit and wiggle it free. I took the walkie-talkie out needless to say.

3. Filling up my car with gas seems to always be an adventure with me. The first pump I pulled up to the card thingy wasn't working, so I attempted to move around to another. Well with the way the pumps were angled and my not so amazing driving skills, it took me a few attempts (reverse, drive, turn, reverse, drive) to get my car where I thought it should go. When I look up, I see this old man in a truck staring at this ridiculous sight...ugh must I have an audience?!? I begin to step out and realize I am nowhere close to the pump and at a crazy angle, so I laugh and say "You have got to be kidding me!!" The whole time I am being watched...it was awful, but I couldn't stop laughing!!

Christmas Confessions

Christmas Confessions:

I must confess a few things this Christmas. Please join me and leave a few of your own.

- I try to make some cute Christmas treat or some yummy new recipe or make a fun Christmas craft every year and fail miserably every time! Cuteness doesn't come easily for me, so I resort to buying things. And even though I fail every time, somehow every year I forget about the failures past and completely believe that my creation will look just like the picture in the book or on the internet. One of these days!

- Despite the fact that more times than not my kitchen adventures don't turn out like they should, I get very excited about being in the kitchen. Much of my excitement comes from the simple fact that I get to where my apron. This year I have a new Christmas apron, so I just had to try it out. I also prefer to look cute while baking so that my apron is a nice accessory. I mean the majority of the time, the places where the apron covers is not where the mess gets, but they are still wonderful and fun! OH and if you want to make my day...just stop by my house with a roll of cookie dough and some icing and make some cookies with me just so I can wear my Christmas apron:)

- I love to GIVE wrapped gifts. I don't care how they are given to me, but if I am giving a gift, I want it to be wrapped and not bagged. I just love the way they look, especially under the tree. The thing is I am HORRIBLE at this task that most girls master when they are like 12. So I go through more wrapping paper than I ever need because of all my attempts to get it just right...well at least to get it good enough to give away to someone.

- White Elephant: Ok so let me just say this is something I learned about myself last year at a Christmas party that is probably not healthy. I don't get upset when I get a rotten gift because I just enjoy the game and watching people (one of my favorite past times). BUT I do secretly want the gift that I brought to be one that is desired by all:) I consider it a success to have my gift stolen at least once but truly I want it to be maxed out, stolen as many times as is allowed! I also want my gift to be picked because of cute wrapping, and if you remember my previous confession, this is quite the challenge.

- I have never been one to really snoop for my gifts. I love surprises too much...even though I know all that I am getting because I shopped for them lol. I try to forget and not think about them, so I will be "surprised".

- My perfect Christmas date would be: Going for a nice drive through pretty neighborhoods at night that are all decorated for Christmas with a nice warm Starbucks hot chocolate or caramel apple spice with a cute boy who makes me laugh.

- If I start my Saturday morning off by sitting on the couch and turning on the TV, chances are I won't get up because I will be far too busy watching Christmas movies that I have seen year after year. I have tried very hard to not fall into this trap this year!

- As much as I dread the cold, Christmas just isn't Christmas without it! I must admit I love the smell of outside in the winter. And I love love love to cuddle, and cold weather is the perfect excuse to sit a little closer!!

- As busy as the Holiday season gets, there can NEVER be too many Christmas parties! I mean I love any reason to party, to get people together to laugh, eat, hug on each other, and have a good time!

I hope you all have a spectacular Christmas season, and I look forward to celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior with many of you in the coming weeks!

Love you all more than you know!

What Christmas quirks do you have?? Share them with me please as your gift to me...it will help my self-esteem to know I am not the only one:)

I am carried to the table, seated where I don't belong...

Sometimes I find that all I can see is an overwhelming amount of imperfections that I can't seem to get past, and I live in the guilt and shame and weight of them all. Satan in his scheming and sneaky ways loves to magnify these imperfections so that we become consumed by the fact that we are not worthy of the love and forgiveness of Christ, and the picture he creates of all of our dirt and muck is all we can see. Sometimes I struggle to see past my dirty, mucky picture of myself to see my Savior with His arms reaching out drawing me to Himself. And then the Father in all His grace and love and mercy sends little reminders through songs to remind me that I am a new creation! I am quickly learning that if I don't start living in the freedom of Christ, then it is me saying what Christ did on the cross is not good enough. "Christ did not come to condemn the world but to save it." Jn3:17 Save it from the bondage of sin. There are two songs that God has sent my way to remind me that yes, I am absolutely, completely unworthy and NEVER will I be able to attain such worth, but His Son died and shed His blood so that I could be made holy, new, beautiful, royal, and free all through Christ and in Christ alone! Words have been hard for me to come by lately, which isn't completely new but even worse here lately, so I am going to just share some of the music that has been quite eye opening these past couple of days...

"Carried to the Table"

By: Leeland

Wounded and forsaken
I was shattered by the fall
Broken and forgotten
Feeling lost and all alone
Summoned by the King
Into the Master’s courts
Lifted by the Savior
And cradled in His arms

I was carried to the table
Seated where I don’t belong
Carried to the table
Swept away by His love
And I don’t see my brokenness anymore
When I’m seated at the table of the Lord
I’m carried to the table
The table of the Lord

Fighting thoughts of fear
And wondering why He called my name
Am I good enough to share this cup
This world has left me lame
Even in my weakness
The Savior called my name
In His Holy presence
I’m healed and unashamed

"I Am New" By: Jason Gray

Forgiven beloved

Hidden in Christ
Made in the image of the Giver of Life
Righteous and holy
Reborn and remade
Accepted and worthy this is our new name

and today in class...

Journal:

Today I will serve God by...

Student's response:

I will help God write the Bible.

As we lined up for lunch, one little girl was not standing in line correctly. So I told her to come stand by me. Usually this just means they are to follow me instead of getting to walk in line with their friends. Unfortunately I just assumed that this student understood that. So, I am at the kitchen window, passing out lunches, and my students come up to me "Miss Davis _____ is still in the room." And of course my immediate response is "Well what are they doing up there?" Then the poor girl walks down in tears "You just left me up there. You said stay here, and then you forgot about me." AHH the one time she actually does what I tell her to the 1st time. Not to mention I never said stay here.

My sweet 2nd graders never cease to amaze me:)

Everyday I am learning.

Ah this journey of first year teaching is proving to be quite exhausting but amazingly rewarding. I literally go to sleep before most people eat dinner...don't judge! Anyways, I have some students that I but heads with on a daily basis. One student struggles to get work done and has melt downs everyday and another can't stand getting corrected yet does the same things everyday that causes me to have to correct her. I am working on being disciplined in praying for wisdom for these two precious children, who I truly love and want to see succeed and overcome these obstacles. I know that there are several who have things going on at home that are causing these behaviors at school, so I hope and pray that I am able to reach out to them somehow. I never imagined how hard it is to find the fine line between discipline and love and compassion. Again to be wise enough to know when to love with a firm "hand" and to love with compassion and grace is something I am striving for and believe can only truly come the Lord.

I am constantly learning from everyday and desire to become a better teacher with each success and failure. I have learned this week that I am not much different than my students and the things that I discipline them for are some of the same things I do today and/or did as a student myself. Examples, yesterday I was walking and reading something at the same time and almost ran into someone, which I would have, of course, told a student to pay attention to where they were going. I struggled to pay attention to the teacher in grade school all the way through college, so much so that I prayed that I never got called on. I never really got into trouble in school and didn't have many of the same problems that my students do, but I do realize that at times I do a lot of the same things I correct my students for. Does this mean I will be let them slide more with these...NO lol I do not want them making the same mistakes I do, but I will remember more that I am the same way and have more compassion in my correcting.

Story of the week:

Sweet boy in my class at carpool comes to me as I am getting ready to load him and his little brother and says: Miss Davis, my brother said he likes you because he likes your elbows. Which embarrassed his little brother, so his little brother began hitting him with his lunchbox. Ah this is what makes my job better than the rest. I always hoped someone would admire my elbows lol, it is now a requirement for my future husband ;).

I love to see sweet people get married!

Ah it has been so insanely long since I have blogged, but I do want to let you know a little about my life lately:) Well I mainly just want to tell you about a couple of lovebirds that I know that got married last Saturday! My beautiful college roommate, and I can't even say how sweet it was to see two amazing people get married! I just love weddings in the first place, but when it is two people who desire nothing more than to serve the Lord, it is just exciting and wonderful!! It is exciting because I know that God is going to bless their marriage and use them in ways they never dreamed!! They have set a standard for so many of their friends, and I thank you for this. I pray that my friends will never settle, and that they will strive for a love and a relationship like Steph and Jake have. I pray that my friends will fall in love with the characteristics of Christ that they see in a boy/girl first and foremost, that it is the first thing they see because it is so real and so consuming in their lives. I mean I just can't help but to think that Steph and Jake will have an impact in the lives of other married couples as they see how they are allowing Christ to be at the center of their relationship. And lastly it has shown me personally that it is worth the wait, and if I can't have that then I don't want it at all. Please understand that I am not saying I want a relationship just like they have, but that I want a relationship that is just right and real because it started from the beginning centered around Christ and that it is very evident to people on the outside. Ramblings maybe but thats just me and so yeah...point is don't settle and it is worth the wait because God will bring you together in His time and that is all I want....to be in the center of His will, seeking a love for Him that will maybe one day overflow into a marriage.