Still in School

I loved school, but not because it was school. I really just liked the opportunity it provided for me to learn. There were books to read, people to observe, assignments to explore.

Because I was an underachiever, I was labeled a Daydreamer by my teachers. Today they may have labeled me ADD. Lessons would begin with me focused on what the teacher was presenting, but it wasn’t long before my mind had drifted down another road. Sometimes I would be distracted by the artwork on the walls or nature outside the window. Other times I would just wonder about things and I would let my imagination fly free.

You might ask, how could she love to learn if she didn’t pay attention to the teacher. I don’t have a certain answer. I only know that for me daydreaming is exploring, exploring is a way to discover, and discovery is learning.

When I graduated from high school and then college, the word commencement was frequently used. A commencement is simply a beginning. It seems funny to put the name of commencement on a time when we consider our learning finished and our life beginning. However, maybe life is learning. In fact I know it is. How do I know? Because I am still in school!
I learn every day. My mind and my heart is open to wander about the classroom of my life. In this every day, now vacation or weekend classroom, I am taught from books, people, and experiences.

It is in this most marvelous, living classroom that I not only learn about the world and people, but mostly about God, my Loving Creator. I could have gone on and on with the names by which I know Him, the names I have learned He is called and fits very well.

I will never stop being a student or should I say, disciple, of God the Father, Jesus the Christ or the Holy Spirit. They are my instructors. My learning will go on throughout eternity and I will never tire of learning more about Him. I do love learning!

There are many books I can read about the amazing person of God. Those written my men (and women) who speak only from their own experience may come close to the truth of who He is, but there are also many who far from the truth. The only book worthy of using as a study guide to God is the bible. You may argue that it was written by men, but the bible, alone stands as a true testament that it is God-spoken.

People can also be inspiring as well as disappointing in their example of being God-like. I include myself, because at times I can be either. Still, there are glimpses into the face of the holy Supreme Being through the unselfish powerful love acts that we witness. We are touched deeply and are called to change.

Experiencing God’s presence in the everyday events or the extraordinary events in my life is a huge teaching opportunity. Like the old saying goes, “Experience is the best teacher.” These lessons require God-focused glasses. God’s presence surrounds me, and I must alert to His revelation of Himself. It is a surprise and a delight to discover something new every day!

I have now been learning for 23333 days. I expect to keep learning for an eternity! I am a student, disciple, learner, apprentice, scholar, and follower. I am not an expert, but by now I am no longer a baby. I am loving this life school to which I belong. I love to learn!

Inexhaustible God and Father, You are awesome and amazing! I search for you in all my days. You teach me marvelous things and take my hand as I explore Your beautiful creation. I am so sorry for the time I fail to thank you for your presence in my life. Forgive me! I thank you now for being my teacher and guide. Thank You for making our world so deep, so wide and so high that I can never come to its end! Teach me more, Lord! And please bless all the teachers I know who strive to be like You. Amen.

Books, Books, Books

I love books. Old and new, books send out a sirens call to me, drawing me to bring them home to my already overflowing bookcases. Will I ever have enough?

I heard recently that a book given as a gift is really and invitation to a conversation. The giver wants to enjoy the experience of the book with the recipient. I know that is true for me. When I give a book I really want to know what you think about it. Did you enjoy it? Or not? What did you learn, if anything? One thing I always want to know is that you did read it.

For the past few summers I have spent my reading time immersed in the Black, Red, White Trilogy by Ted Dekker. It took me three summers to really get a grasp of the story and the underlining message. I now have a pile of books to look into this summer, accumulated from the past three that I spent revisiting the dual worlds in the Trilogy. I do not know what I will choose to read this summer, but it would be fun to share with you!

I have heard that to be a good writer you should read, read, read, and write, write, write! I am doing my part and I do hope that my efforts are rewarded.

Father, You are the Author of the greatest book given to mankind! I love Your words and Your story! You give wisdom and life through all the laughter, tears, struggles, failures and victories that fill Your pages. I can never compare to You ! No other author that I enjoy compares to You. Thank You for reaching out to us with Your words. Thank you for the gift of communication and relationship! You gave me Your word so we might have a conversation. Help me to turn to You for that revealing time after I read Your Word! Thank You!

Summer

How did you celebrate the first day of summer? Did you even know that today is the summer equinox?

Every morning I do a devotion time with my two curious granddaughters. It is always fun to share a little bit about the world with them, so today I announced the begining of Summer and pronounced it official. They widened their eyes and looked astonished because they have been out of school for two weeks now. They believed that their summer began the day they got out of school, but it didn't.

Summer is usually associated with vacations and trips to the beach. Summer reading programs at the library and Vacation Bible Schools keep kids and parents busy. For me, summer is warm outside and cold inside. I wear sweaters to the store because store owners seem to want to bring Jack Frost back to town. I go outside to warm my toes and nose from the artificail arctic blasts of the air conditioners. Watermelon, icy cold drinks, and light dinners give me a lift in summer. It isn't that I go on a diet during the summer, but it is too hot or I'm too busy to chow down a big meal. Summer, even here in Florida, brings a change that tells my inner clock to slow down, relax, and enjoy Gods' blossoming world. So, I always seem to reach for a good book.

Summer books are a different kind of reading than winter books. I tend to look for a tale of epic proportions, one that can't be put down easily. I love books that let me escape. My summer reading choices are ones that bring to life characters and places that truly transport me away from the every day. I choose to become one or more of the characters and live out their adventures in my imagination.

In the past I have become well acquainted with the historical fiction of Eugenia Price. Her Savannah books took me back to the old south and I struggled through issues of slavery and civil war. I hated, and yet loved, learning about the superior mindset that gave the white slaveholders an excuse for owning people as their property. I faced my pride and my judgemental spirit. I was changed.

This summer I have been given the book, The Shack, by William P. Young. I will read it, but then I intend to go back to the Black, Red, and White trilogy by Ted Dekker for the third summer. I can't explain its fascination, I only know I want to be with those characters and in that time and place. I continue to learn from the experiences and thoughts of the characters who journey between worlds. No "Why" is explained for this journey, but there is much to learn about myself within these pages. Maybe next year I'll be invited into a different fantasy. Careful selection will be the key to good summer reading that will change me into better person. I think I'll go read and get my granddaughters to sit down with me with their books.

What do you like to read? Do you read differently in the summer? Share a good book and don't forget to read THE Good Book! Now, that is a book that will change you!