Praying for the Persecuted

I don't understand persecution. I wonder if anyone living within the United States really can. One of the most important things we can do for the persecuted preach is pray... At least that's what I've heard. My head knows that this is true - that praying is the right answer to the anguish we feel for our brothers and sisters in Christ right now. But I'll be honest - sometimes my heart doesn't feel like praying can really help. Thankfully our God is gracious and He hears me despite my lack of faith.

I believe that the Holy Spirit takes my doubts and weakness and turns them into something beautiful. But it's powerful when someone takes your anguish and your confusion and puts words to it. That's what happened to me on Sunday. Our Archbishop (remember that Adam and I are attending an Anglican church) has called the Anglican community to pray and support our brothers and sisters in Christ (especially in Iraq and Syria). Our clergy wore red in recognition of the martyrs and we prayed special prayers for those persecuted. I've been using these prayers on my own this week and I've found them extremely helpful, so I thought someone else might as well. The opening prayer is written below. If you'd like to see the call to prayer from our Archbishop or if you'd like to have a copy of all the prayers we prayed on Sunday, you can visit the website for the Anglican Church in North America.

Heavenly Father, we bring before you today the people of Syria and Iraq, asking you to be their defender and help in their time of need. Walk with them in their suffering and loss, and give them strength to face the days ahead. We pray for release of the captives, and freedom for those held hostage. We pray that you would intervene against the violence and evil your people suffer. We pray for your provision for the hungry, the homeless, and the bereaved. We pray you to aid your people who are called by your Name, Jesus' Name, and is is in his Name we ask these things. Amen.

Stop, Continue, Start: 2014-2015 School Year Goals

It's that time of year again! Teachers begin in-service on August 25th and the first day of school will be September 3rd. It's been a great Summer, but I'm excited to see my kids and to get back into a daily routine! I'm again using the "Stop, Continue, Start" method for thinking through my school year goals. (You can read last year's goals here.) One thing I love (and hate!) about teaching is that you will never "arrive." There is always room to grow! So here we go...

Stop

• Allowing my students to give less than their best - specifically regarding their academics and behavior in class.
• Working from home. Well... at least not as much!

Continue

• Writing "main idea notes" on the white board and practice problems on the Smart board. I started doing this at the very end of last year. My purpose is that I want students to know where to look for certain types of information. There are certain things that I expect them to write in their notes word-for-word, so I want these things on the white board so that they are visible throughout the entire lesson.
• Math Games/Activities ... I do my best to keep our lessons as interesting as possible! This might include doing math on note cards posted around the room, Vocabulary Spin game, Round Robin practice, Math Toss, etc.

Start

• Unit Planning ... I am a lesson-by-lesson girl right now, but it has come back to bite me more than once. I don't expect that I'll plan every lesson from a unit before it starts, but I want to do a better job of looking at the big picture before diving in.
• Focusing each prep period on ONE thing. I'm working on assigning each prep period a task. There will always be fires to put out throughout the day, but I'm hoping that I can manage my time better by having these goals in place.

My classroom will be ready on Monday (we had renters all Summer and they've cleaned our floors), so I'm excited to put it back together and start decorating!

Why I want to Be a Runner

Earlier this Summer my sister, Kayla, sent me a text. It read something like "Download the 'Get Running' app now! Start running with me." My response was along the lines of "Uhh... Have you met me?!" I have never been a runner... Ever. I never even ran the typical mile in my middle or high school years. But, alas, what's one to do when her sister (who is quite literally a thousand miles away) asks for a partner and encourager? Well, in my case, you download the app and start running of course! The app talks you through a Couch to 5K program - three workouts every week. There's a wonderful British woman who tells you when to warm up, run, walk, etc. She even tells you when the halfway point is so that you can turn around if necessary. And she's awesome! Did I mention she's British?! So we started off week 1 with eight runs - 1 minute a piece with walking in between each one. Now I've completed week 5 which ended this morning with a 20 minute run - no walking in between. I'm really excited as this was a huge step for me!

As I've been going through each week, I started thinking about whether I even wanted to run or not. There are other ways to exercise, so was this really how I wanted to spend my time? Here are the reasons that I think I want to be a runner...

1. I want to be in shape.
2. It's cheap! -> Until it gets cold, I can run outside with no cost. Score!
3. My muscle tone is improving.
4. I can spice it up. -> There are a TON of trails and paths around here. And although I run close to home most of the time, running is a sport that can have virtually any scenery.
5. I can run almost anywhere. -> Visiting family?  Weekend away? No problem. I can still run.
6. I want to run with others. -> I've typically wanted to hide when I thought someone might ask me to run with them! I have always been afraid that someone could figure out how weak I was (notice the past tense ;)).
7. I want to BE a RUNNER. -> I know that sounds silly, but there's a certain respect that I've had for runners. I'm sure that respect is partially due to the fact that I felt like I couldn't run, but even still. It's a reason for me.

Writing out this post and thinking through these reasons is positive motivation for me. I can think about these things when the workouts get tough or the couch threatens to pull me back. Adam and I have learned a lot over the past few months about how our bodies and minds work together - either for good or for evil - so I hope I'm putting that into practice by completing this post. Week 6, bring it on!

#summerloving

There are just over two weeks until teachers return to CCA, which means my Summer is almost over! I can hardly believe it! Adam encouraged me to take the Summer completely off (i.e. not to take a part time job), so here's what I've been up to...

• Boston Outings: One day we rented bikes to ride along the Charles river. Another day we rented bikes again and rode to the Arnold Arboretum and Forest Hills cemetery. Then last week we visited the Museum of Fine Arts (free on Wednesdays after 4 p.m. -> score!).

• Trips: We met our Gosnell family in IN/IL to see extended family over 4th of July weekend. I also traveled to TN to help throw one of my best friend's bridal shower. I'm thankful to have been able to see both families this Summer and I'm already looking forward to seeing everyone again at Christmas! (Also, I'll be back to TN in September for the WEDDING!)

• Crafting (all for school, haha): I recovered several canisters for storage, made a poster for birthdays, and I'm working on a door decoration. I'll probably take pictures of everything once I get my classroom set up!

• Running: Kayla asked me to start running "with" her, so we're doing the same program from afar :) It's the "Get Running" app (literally the only app I've ever paid for) which follows the Couch to 5K program. I've completed the first four weeks and week 5 begins today.

• School-related: During June, I attended a week-long math conference. And one week in July, I taught part of a Summer class for a few of our incoming 9th graders. I've also planned the first couple of days of school, updated most of my 10-month plans, and created my syllabi. I've also worked on some changes to my lesson plan template,  HW policy, and grading.

• Reading: I haven't done as much reading as I probably should have. I finished "The Picture of Dorian Gray," by Oscar Wilde today and I'm hoping to finish "Adopted for Life," by Russell Moore before school starts.

Overall, it's been a great Summer! When all my activities are listed like this it makes me feel like I've accomplished something :)