Moi Thoughts

It is typically expected of a teacher to walk in their classroom knowing and understanding without a doubt the material they are getting ready to present to their students. Or so it seems from the student's perspective. In viewing professors and their colleagues, they seem so intelligent, so informed, so confident, and so well put together. However, from the perspective of a new instructor who is still learning the ropes, yes, I do try to have it together when I walk in the class, to know my material without a doubt, and to be 100% competent as an instructor.

Nevertheless, there are moments when something takes one by surprise or pops up unexpectedly. Especially in a technical type class. In those moments a student will pop up with the solution, or the class as a team will figure out the problem and how to correct it. At that time, the teacher becomes the taught. Those are prime moments because one learns incredible things such as life lessons, technical tips, destressors and the list goes on. We all have so much to offer each other and something yet to learn.

My students teach me things consistently: how to handle academic dishonesty issues with grace, confidence, and strength, how to reach out sincerely and compassionately to a student whose 2 year old child has been diagnosed with lymphatic leukemia, how to overcome such obstacles and find a way for that same student to succeed in the midst of adversity, how to see the uniqueness and character each one adds to the mix in a classroom and so much more. I love my students, they never cease to inspire me. Sometimes they inspire me to scream and pull my hair out, but most of the time.....they inspire me to dig past the surface and see the incredible, growing, learning individual they truly are and all they have to offer. Most of all they inspire me to be the best person I can be and then to be the kind of teacher they will talk about the rest of their life. A teacher who truly cares.

Thanksgiving time is a time of reflection. When this season comes around my mind starts to take a journey through the past months. It tends to take pit stops to take a second glance at all of the significant and, yes, insignificant events that I’ve experienced through the year. This mind journey is not one’s typical road trip, but is a trip of remembrance. It is a trip that makes me identify all of the opportunities throughout the year that have presented me with a chance to be thankful and to express that thankfulness.

It is my personal belief that there is a serious epidemic in our society today and that is simply an epidemic of un-thankfulness and un-gratefulness. Therefore, my personal mission is that I will be thankful for all of the occurrences in my life, big or small, sad or happy, eventful or uneventful. Why? Because every situation is an opportunity to learn, to grow, to feel and to experience. We cannot take those moments for granted as they are reminders that we are alive. I Thessalonians 5:18 tells us “18In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Bro. Booker preached a sermon at PTT titled “Just Doing Good.” It impacted my life in ways that I cannot express. He shared the story of a gentleman named Joe who took care of the less fortunate in horrible circumstances. Joe cleaned the gentlemen he lived with when they soiled themselves, when they were inebriated to the point of unconsciousness, and when they were violently ill because of their addictions. He fixed these men meals, cleaned their beds and made sure they were warm and well fed. One day, one of the gentlemen went to the local parish to pray and began to weep and cry out to God “I want to be like Joe. Please make me like Joe. Oh God, help me to be like Joe.” His groaning and wailing caught the attention of the parish minister who came and in his righteousness felt he needed to correct the praying man. Tapping him on the shoulder, the parish minister admonished “Sir, If I were you I would be praying that I could and would be like Jesus.” Looking up with tears streaming down his face, the praying man asked “Is Jesus like Joe?”

Oh, that people would see Jesus in me so deeply that they would pray to be like me. Not because of me, but because the life I lived exemplified a spirit of humbleness, thankfulness and all of the things that Jesus is. Matthew 25:34-40 “34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

What all do we have to be thankful for? So much. We are not owed the breath we breathe but God gifts us with it daily. If we have a place to live, clothes on our back, food to eat, someone to love and who loves us and if we know Jesus we are among the most blessed citizens on this earth. What am I thankful for? Life, Family, Friends, You. For the strength of God, for the miracles I’ve seen him perform this year. We’ve prayed that God would perform miracles among us once again and he has. The miracle of a friend who was shot and is missing half of his brain yet walking, talking, living life and recovering miraculously everyday. The miracle of my father’s eye that lost all sight due to a rupturing of the trunk and a diagnosis by physicians that stated “no recovery,” however , the great physician stepped in at “No Limits” and did what no earthly physician can do. Sight was fully restored in a moment’s time. The list goes on and on. Financial miracles, miraculous healings, miraculous revival, and seeing the greatest miracle of all, a soul set free. We have so much to be thankful for.

However many ways we can say “Thank You” we can never say it enough. Merci, Danke, Grazie, Gracias, Dank u, Obrigado, Tacka dig. Whatever language you speak, show your thankfulness this week and do something kind for someone. Give a little, get a lot. “Think of your fellow man, lend a helping hand, feel a little love in your heart……..”

I saw this on another blog and thought it was interesting. These are all of the states that I've been to. My family loves to travel and we were blessed growing up by family vacations that were roadtrips; therefore, have been to numerous states here in America. I have 13 more states to go to have visited all 50 states and plan to visit a few of those in 2008.

Want to see your map? Check it out here.

For my Master's program, it is a requirement that I have a mobile computer system with a built in webcam. Therefore, I am laptop shopping. The Apple MacBooks keep catching my eye, although, I am clueless how to use a Mac. They are sleek and the OS X Leopard system is definitely an eye catching system.

My concerns are: are they compatible with microsoft windows programs, (I teach a Microcomputer Literacy class for which I have to have a computer that will run Office 2007), are they user friendly (are they easy to get around on and if one is familiar with windows will they feel comfortable with a mac?), are they more compatible with graphics/music programs than educational programs (will they work smoothly for paper writing, research, and the usage of word processing, excel type programs), would a student/educator need simply a Macbook or a Macbook Pro, and would this be the most efficient system to use for a Master's program? (I know...this was a serious run-on sentence.)
My other option is a Dell Notebook. The issue about ordering through Dell, at least for me personally, though is that it can be an incredibly confusing process for a technically challenged individual. Microsoft programs, no problem. Operating systems, what? Dell takes one through this huge process of building their own computer and having to choose everything they need on it. It is a terrifying process and since I don't know what I'm doing, I tend to choose the most expensive options, just to make sure I have everything I need. Windows Vista is an ugly program, or so has been my experience with it so far. It has plenty of kinks in it, which I've read that Microsoft is attempting to fix. However, a completed Dell system is more in my comfort zone. One of my preferences is a detachable keyboard and a wireless mouse for easy access while working on large projects.

You may wonder what exactly I will be using my system for? Well, on the educational side of the coin, it will be used to participate in on-line discussions, research, paper writing, and video web conferencing in addition to numerous other processes that go along with the pursuit and instruction of higher education. Personally, it will be used for graphics, music, video creation, photography, networking, blogging, ebay selling, and personal business activities. Therefore, I need a good system that is not going to break the bank. I need a system that can merge both of my worlds and which runs efficiently while doing so. Is it possible to create or buy such a system? I'm sure, although, I have no clue about how to go about efficiently doing so.

Somehow, when shopping, my eyes tend to alight with anticipation on what turns out to be the most expensive items in the store. My family identifies this affliction as me having champagne tastes on a beer budget. The feeling strikes me that this is probably what this whole laptop dilemma is going to turn out to be. Help!!!

"It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you." ~Dick Cheney

"In war, there are no unwounded soldiers." ~José Narosky

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." ~Elmer Davis

"When our perils are past, shall our gratitude sleep?" ~George Canning

"Valor is stability, not of legs and arms, but of courage and the soul." ~Michel de Montaigne

"Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die." ~G.K. Chesterton

"In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot." ~Mark Twain, Notebook, 1935

Thank You Dad, Bro. JK, Bro. HG, Bro. JS, Reilly, Jon, Josh, Jeremy, Matt, Tony, Kevin, Joey, and the many more that I do not know by name. I respect, honor, appreciate you and pray yet for many of you more than words can express. To fight for and work to protect the security, freedoms, and heritage of me and mine, the sacrifices you have made will never be taken for granted. Even when I may not understand, I will not slander your name or demean your cause, neither will I let others in their conversations to me. You deserve my respect, my gratitude and you have it.

Reading in the news about Pakistani's Opposition Leader, Benazir Bhutto today took me on a trip down memory lane to the years when my Grandmother was a missionary in Pakistan with Bro. and Sis. Hanscom. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071109/ts_nm/pakistan_dc;_ylt=Alf8IZoUVOeTWmyfXsUFrHis0NUE

The last bit of time my Grandmother spent over there was fraught with drama as the Pakistani government had been informed that she was an American spy and was seeking her out to silence her. Sounds like the plot of a political novel, hmmm? Well it's a very true story and was quite a tense time in my childhood for my parents. I was small but remember meeting her at the airport when she finally made it safely back to the states. Not until I was older did I know the story in it's entirety.

Someday I would like to write about her life in a book and share her adventures as she has lived an extremely full, adventurous, and blessed life. Born Edwina Nuss in Terre Haute, IN, August 24th, of 1920 she lived in a strongly German environment. Growing up she loved God, but did not quite know where to find him. She married my Grandfather, who became extremely abusive to her in the latter part of their marriage and ended up leaving her for another woman. Once she found God she was completely faithful to him, despite the hell she lived in at home.

After she and my Grandfather separated (he married his other woman), she began to evangelize and preached many tent revivals throughout Kansas, the Texas Panhandle, and New Mexico. Men still come up to my family to this day and state that they were won to the Lord by my Grandmother or are in the ministry because of her ministry. Amazing!

After I was born she began to feel the call to missions and went to Pakistan. She has some incredible stories to tell and taught in the bible school in addition to traveling to the villages to teach. Once the government decided she was a spy her ministry over there began to put her life in danger. The missionaries took her to the hills and hid her until it was safe to spirit her out of the country. She tells of how when she got to the airport to leave all she had on her was a $100.00 dollar bill and she needed change to call my father. She asked a security guard at the airport for change and he became suspicious so she needed to get on the 1st possible plane. She basically bribed him with the money to get on the next plane and get out of the country, which left her with no money to get home on.

Grandmother had layovers in different countries and finally made it to NYC but had to change airports and had no money for the taxi fare. Suddenly an elderly, well-dressed lady appeared and invited her to ride with her to the other airport. My Grandmother told her she had no money to pay the fare and the lady vehemently put her at ease, stating she had to go there also and would have paid the fare no matter what. Upon reaching the other airport, my Grandmother turned to thank the sweet lady and she was suddenly gone. Grandma has always believed that maybe the Lord sent her an angel to get her to where she needed to be. She flew on home with no further obstacles.

Later in life she became a missionary in Bomme Hills, Africa (don't know if I spelled that right) and had incredible stories to tell about her time there also. However, those are tales for another day.....;)

Talk about a lady of formidable strength and faith....

When I moved home in 2002, I was a mess. Broken, bruised, confused, and coming out of a church situation that I had almost allowed to destroy my soul, my life was filled with bitterness and resentment. It was never a part of my life plan to come back to the midwest. As far as I was concerned, I had shaken the dust off of my feet from these flatlands and had never planned to return. However, God had a different plan.

Upon my return home, illness and depression set in like a fury. Looking for something to fill my time and keep me occupied so that I would not wallow in my emotions over the situation I had left, I decided to fulfill my dream of going back to school. The first few months were a complete adjustment and incredibly busy as I averaged 18 to 22 hours per semester. In the process, in an attempt to battle the demons in my mind, I began going to the church late at night to pray. Through this period of time I began to remember just what a true friend the Lord was. God began to heal things in me, as I began to turn my burden over to the Lord, that I did not even realize were there.

During this process, God began to give me a burden for the students at the college that I attended, so I started to befriend them and proceeded to invite them to church. Sometimes, progress would be made and someone would come, but other times it was as though there was a spiritual war going on that could not be won. God laid it on my heart to fast every Monday and sometimes, other days throughout the week. Finally, in 2005, a young man that I had brought to church who had left the college and then returned told me that he had received the Holy Ghost and been Baptized in Jesus Name. Finally, a breakthrough! He moved back home and the process began again. My burden became greater, and I began to pray that God would send strong youth/individuals from our church to the campus and give them the same burden. Also, my most intense prayer became that God would show us the key to the campus and give us someone on the inside who could reach where we could not.

In the spring of 2006, God led me to a sincere, young, african american man, to whom I began witnessing about the Holy Ghost and Jesus Name Baptism. We had some intense discussions. I invited him to church numerous times but at the time he was attending church at a baptist church in town. I continued to pray, invite and be a friend. He left for the summer and came back in the fall with a different perspective. At a church meeting over the summer he had experienced the gift of the Holy Ghost. He came to church and began a bible study on campus. He struggled with Jesus Name baptism for a year but kept coming and began to bring students from his bible study with him. God had dealt with me to invite a young lady from Brazil to church and I began to pray for her but had not yet invited her when one Sunday she showed up with this gentleman and another student from the bible study.

To make a long story much shorter, the gentleman I first witnessed to and another student from the bible study were baptized in Jesus Name a month ago. Two more students have received the Holy Ghost and six have been coming consistently this semester and bringing brand new visitors from the college almost weekly. They preach the Acts 2:38 message to just about anyone who stops them on campus to say something as simple as "hello.":) We now have 6 students of various nationalities who are consistently coming on Sunday Mornings and are excited that this has become a missions opportunity as they are now reaching out to their families at home.

The young gentleman teacher has invited my father to teach his bible study in the dorms tomorrow night on speaking in tongues and Jesus Name Baptism. What a fantastic opportunity! God is moving and mighty revival is breaking out on our campus. God answers prayer. This is just the beginning and we are excited to see what God has in store for these students. To God be all the glory! Thank You to the precious people of AFT for catching the vision and burden and praying, fasting, loving and reaching for these malleable, young souls.

*four of the students are pictured above.