Time for school again

School is starting once again next week. The students have started to move into campus which means that the streets are packed with parents and things. I was just thinking today that I miss the quiet of the summer campus. It is nice to enjoy the campus without the thousands of students running around. But, I am excited about the season ahead and the possibilities of seeing more come to know our Jesus.
We will have many new contacts with new students and new opportunities to share the life that is in us. I pray for many open hearts. It seems students are open to so many things and desire to know that which is genuine. I pray for many people to be gathered into His truth. There are so many things trying to capture their attention and minimize the reality of knowing God.

words to the song

My Beloved: Kari Jobe

You’re My Beloved
You’re My Bride
To sing over you is My delight
Come away with Me
My love

Under My mercy
Come and wait
‘Till we are standing face to face
I see no stain on you
My child

You’re Beautiful to Me
So Beautiful to Me

I sing over you My song of peace
Cast all your cares down at My feet
Come and find your rest in Me

I’ll breathe My life inside of you
I’ll bear you up on eagle’s wings
And hide you in the shadow of My strength
I’ll take you to My quiet waters
I’ll restore your soul
Come rest in Me and be made whole

We are His beloved

There is a new CD that I just got by Kari Jobe . I think she is incredible, her voice is beautiful and her song "My Beloved" is awesome. It really ministered to me. As a person who loves to worship Jesus, and who understands the importance of telling the Lord how I feel about him and pouring my love out to him, this songs has great importance b/c it is written as if the Lord is singing to me. It is amazing to hear how the Lord feels about us, to know he loves us. Let the Lord sing His love over you while listening to this song and others on her myspace.
It is just such an amazing thought to think about His great love towards us.

all my young fun family

Just to be fair I really need to post a photo of my niece(Kate) and 2 nephews(JR and Joey). The two that look very Italian live in Texas and were just here a couple of weeks ago. So, we did a cute little photo, but they just weren't into it like we wanted. They have a lot of energy and basically run non-stop. We had a lot of family time and playing in the park time.

my nephew

Yesterday, I got to spend about 5 hours with my nephew, JR. He is only 7 months now. We had such fun and life is so simple when around him. I think I was just enjoying the quietness and joyfulness of being with him. He has such a fun laugh and smile. He sits up now and imitates my sounds. He loves standing, but can't do it on his own yet. And, he loves me and gives me lots of kisses.

winds are blowing

There were some very strong winds blowing here in my yard last night. It was not just in my yard, but all over and the lights even went out.
(Psalm 104:4 )He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.
What are the messages that He sent to us last night?

sardinia

I just returned from a wonderful time on the island of Sardinia. It was great to just enjoy the beauty of God's creation and be fully engulfed in the smells and the sights. I loved my times of exploration of places that were off the main roads. There is so much history there and so much diversity of views. You have the ruins, the sea, and the mountains. Along with these are the winding roads that seem to go to the most amazing places.

Getting ready

Now, I am getting ready for a fun trip to the land across the ocean.
I am flying out to London on Monday and then to Sardinia. I went there last year for a few days and was so in love with it that I had to return. This time for 7 days and a different part of the island. It is like paradise and I can't wait to see more.
Check back for some more updates.

Many words

Today, I read about 30 ten page papers and several other papers and certainly find the abundance of words is overwhelming.

Ecclesiastes 5:7
Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.

So...I will stand in awe of our God instead!!!

time to reflect

Today I was reading in a book by Henri Nouwen. He made a good statement that I wanted to share.
" A life that is not reflected upon eventually loses its meaning and becomes boring."

What a great reason to ponder what is going on in our life. When we do we take time to find meaning and significance in what we are all about.

April 14

I am sitting here reading my paper and thinking about my dream last night. It was one of those fun dreams that had lots of things in it, but no real connections. I was driving with some friends and we went from sunshine to snow and then down a road that took us to some international place. As we stood thinking about where we were, we neglected to look at a most amazing view. The view was very intricate and a mixture of styles. An old lady noticed I was going to take a picture and asked if I wanted a print of it. She said it was Irish and Spanish. I waited for her to bring it to me, but as I thought of what she said I was confused. There was a huge drop off the road to see the amazing city. My friends were standing on the edge and I was worried. For some reason my camera did want to take the picture. The one guy that was with me started being recognized by people walking by. So...what does it all mean??? And, should I even ponder it or just enjoy the nice trip I took while I slept.

St. Patrick

I arise today

I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation.
Through the strength of Christ's birth and His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today

I arise today through the strength of Heaven

Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In preachings of the apostles,
In faiths of confessors,
In innocence of virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.
the rays of the sun,
the radiance of the moon,
the splendor of fire,
the speed of lightening,
the swiftness of the wind,
the depth of the sea,
the stability of the earth
the firmness of rock.

worship and physics

Quantum physicist & inventor David van Koevering says:

The fingerprints and signature of God are seen in the science of sound, and in the purpose, results and physics of worship. The physical characteristics of our universe - from the cells of the human body to the stars reveal God's glory, and they tell us how we can advance His kingdom through worship!

snow abounds

Here in State College, PA we have an abundance of snow on the ground. It has been so fun watching it just fall and fill the empty spaces. I went out on my cross country skiis and enjoyed the blowing wind and freezing temps blowing on my face, but making my skiis slide all the better.
We also did get a day off of Penn State classes last week.
Now, I am working hard to put together a test for my students in the non-verbal communication class. The question is how hard I want to make it. Mostly, I just want to know that they understand things and are ready to move on.

Now it is February! Wow, what a fast January. But, it is finally cold
outside and snow has fallen.
I just spent some time with my nephew, JR, tonight. He is so cute and
simple. God is holding us closely and comforting us just as I hold him
to keep him in a safe place.

Back in the classroom

It is that time again for fun in the classroom. We are now into our second week of classes and all is well. I am teaching one new course called non-verbal communication. It is a lot of fun and a great way to learn more about how we communicate and being better at it.

For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge—I Cor 1:5

purpose in life

God want us to live a life that is called out and with a purpose.
What is your purpose in this life and how is it different today
than when you first came to know Jesus?
Solomon: After talking about the futility of life when lived as though this world and all it has to offer is all there is, Solomon gives these concluding remarks in the book of Ecclesiastes: "Here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Solomon says that life is all about honoring God with our thoughts and lives.

God keeps His promises

"I [Spurgeon] can bear willing testimony to His faithfulness. Not one good thing has failed of all that the Lord has promised! Every example of God's love should make us believe Him more. As we see the fulfillment of each promise, it compels us to say, 'God has kept His promises and will keep them to the end.'

the landlord

There is another dimension of my life I don't talk about much because
it isn't always fun, but I am a landlord. This past week consisted of a
few landlord moments. I had to replace a dishwasher in one unit and
a bad shower in another...not the shower, but the plumbing needed to be
fixed. While I was over there, I did get to catch up with my tenants. I do
enjoy my tenants there. They are a lot of fun and a good mix of people.
Most are either recent post grads or grads finishing up. Overall, there
are a bunch of smart people and some very handy people too.
I did hear a good story from a neighbor of something that happened in
their house. The drains weren't going down well and one day they opened
the basement door only to find a very fowl smell. The sewage had been
backing up due to a tree root in the front yard. I can't even imagine and don't
want to imagine the smells!!

thanksgiving week

My week included a lot of travel. First, I went to Delaware for some turkey and food and family time. then I moved on to NJ and Phila. I visited some friends and drove back to State College. On Sat., I drove over to Lewisburg to see my good friends and hang out on the family farm. It is always fun to go there and enjoy the fresh air and wide open skies. One last trip was to good old Indiana, PA. I went to school there and stayed around afterwards. It is the place that I still call home in many ways. I love the people there and feel very welcome when I return.
Now, I am home again and back into the work of teaching and keeping up with students.