Want to be the best

I desire to be the best at anything I do, competitive is not a word I often think to describe me, but I guess, in all seriousness I am. I want to be the best, I want to be better than I was before. The bible says, "Godliness with contentment is great gain." I want to be content in all circumstances, but struggle with myself to be perfect. I think most would describe me as a worrier, somewhat mellow and hardworking, I find it difficult to sit, I find it wasteful and listless, I want to do and be. I have the ability to tell my kids, my students and even my husband to dream and to follow them. But in life I find I am often a watcher, not a doer, a helper, not a leader, and a sidekick, not a leading lady. I am a fantastic Robin but not so great at Batman. I allow fear to follow and haunt me. My prayer, Lord allow me to be the best at whatever situation you place me, content in my circumstance and lead in example by doing this well. AMEN!

my goal

As I sit and reflect on the year, I think of all the years…this life is full of events that are interconnected to people and others life events. Goals…they are important to become successful, but what is success, is it achieving the goals, mastering a skill, getting a job, making money, what? I say my goal this year is to find joy in the small successes and work hard to enjoy moments. Spend time on things that matter and focus energy on those things. Be more positive and bleed that into others. BE SUCCESSFUL…that is success. This past year there has been heartache, loss, tragedies, and so many unimaginable life events that I have thought countless times, WHY, What, and how? But life is loss, and then gain, life is overwhelming joy and tremendous loss. I have watched people abuse each other, use each other and literally break each other. I want to help mend hearts by being what Christ called us to…like him, laying down our life, I have seen this year more than any other why he hung out with prostitutes and addicts, they don’t judge. Everyone has a story, some don’t have as many pages and some won’t bring as many tears to those that read it, but everyone has a story, life is hard and painful and sometimes unfair, but the bottom line is, we can make ours and others easier and palatable by simply being kind, sometimes saying nothing is the right choice, sometimes doing nothing is the right choice, sometimes people just want to be heard. I tell my students all the time, and it is time I hear it and utilize more this coming year, "communication is the key to any successful relationship" people want to be heard, listen. Sometimes we listen with our eyes, sometimes our ears, sometimes both and sometimes listening is in a hug or a tear, but listening is NEVER breaking down and criticizing, don't be cruel, don't hate...listen.

Classroom Management

I often sit in my classroom and think of each student and their need. This one needs this, this one that, and then I try to imagine ways to structurally design lessons and classroom procedures that will enable all for success. I think of all the inspirational teacher movies and imagine how it will be. I want the students to cheer my name and chant how wonderful I am, WRONG!!!

I reflect again on those movies and remember first the teacher was hated and scorned before they loved them. Why is this? Why is it that when you show a child discipline, firmness and firmness, they get frustrated and angry and secretly love and respect you. How you ask do I know this? Well I have been in the classroom for 3 years as a teacher and 12 as a substitute before that. I have seen the "cool" teacher that lets them listen to music, and climb on desks and do a dance, the inconsistent teacher that says one time NO and another time YES and they are always doing things that make you believe they are serious right now and then not so much later and then again the teacher that has worked hard to pave the road of discipline, procedure and yet has the kind hand when necessary to show they care. Which would be imagined to be the most successful? If you guessed that the disciplinarian you got it. Now which one is the most well liked, if you guessed the "cool" one, WRONG!!! I have found that they do think that same teacher that provides discipline and structure is the cool well liked teacher.

After so many years I have discovered that

SATURATE-
As I sat this morning in my classroom I began to think about the saturation process of things. I believe that as Christians we go through phases, baby- that needs milk, maybe even some high nutrient milk, not watered down or diluted, pure natural, MILK. And then we begin to get solids here and there a little at a time as Hunger increase. But we also go through various saturation times as we begin new seasons in our lives, ministries or careers. Saturation is the act of soaking thoroughly or an impregnation. I love this term. We become impregnated with dreams and visions of what God has for us. We believe for things. Saturation period is a time of hope and believing. When you are expecting a baby you are pregnant and your body goes through changes and so does your home and entire life, but you are excited and hopefully and “preparing” for the new arrival. I believe that right now I have been placed in this saturation tank. I am impregnated with ideas, thoughts, visions and dreams of the future and a hope for what God has for us. I am excited to think about the impending school year, the opening of healing rooms and so many other things that God may have for the Shorey family. When one is saturated it is also defined as no longer being affected by external influences, WOW. I want to be saturated with HIM I want him to soak me to the point that no one, nothing else can have influences on me, more specifically negative influences. Amazed by him and love, grace and mercy. What more could he have for me. WOW.

Purpose or Passion

The last several months I have believed that I had a calling, but not quite sure what it might be. As a pastors wife, you walk in your current situation as if it is your calling and you will find satisfaction. I believe that it is important for us to value to process. I heard a preacher say the other day to value the process to achieve our calling and purpose. I know that ultimitely our calling is defined as what you have been trained to do, I would argue that a calling is whatever you are purposed or have to do. Some become mothers unexpectedly, Some become pastors and hate it, some become teachers and loathe it. When you are truly called, you are thrust into something that is not necessarily conforatable, but you are good at.

I believe that while the last few years I have walked in the calling and purpose of the season in which I was in. I want to have a renewed passion. I believe that my problem has not been the "calling" that I was in, it was the passion or lack of that was the issue. To be passionate and to be called can become one in the same, you should be passionate about your call. You need to become passionate about the process. Passion is not something that you just have, it is something you gain as you become empathetic toward the purpose or cause. For example, when one person sees the starving children in Africa on television they may think to themselves that they want to do something and five mins. later that child and the country are both forgotten. take that same person to Africa and hand them a small starving child and they now may have a passion to help and to do something. Passion can be birthed through a vision. The bible states that "without a vision the people perish" I believe also true is without a vision passion dies. When we realize that when we truly become passionate that is when lives are changed. I know, that we say we want people saved but if we become passionate about it, lives will be changed and people will be saved. Find your purpose, passion and calling.

Shouldn't sweat it, but...

So every day we pretty much have the same morning and evening routines, we are not ready to get up and the kids are and we are ready for them to go to bed and they are not. It seems no matter what it is in life that children always want more, you give them a trip to the park and they never want to leave, you give them ice cream and they want more, you never are going to be done if you don't simply say "NO".

I love my girls and Lord knows there are days that I would just not have laughed without them but they are exhausting. My 5 year old has a tantilizing tone that she maintains in the wee morning hours, "I got to go potty!!!" as she shrieks this across our 850 square foot apartment every nerve in her father and I's entire body screams out in pain and annoyance. Why, you might ask does the child simply not go, well the gate is up, however I might add she still does this even when she has full access to the restroom. I take her to the restroom and drag my weary self from the bed, to the child, and put her back and try to steal a few more hours of sleep, but much to my shugrin, her father and I again feel our angry nerves when she, in the same tone, beckons, "I want something to eat!!!"

Alright we are currently trying to teach her the difference between wanting and asking. So put aside the fact that she is in a tone that is nearly unbearable at noon let alone 6 am., I am willing to put that aside, why are you telling me you want, ask me!!!!

Anyway as she makes these requests throughout the day, her favorite thing to ask after each need and desire is fufilled to her liking or to the extent in which she realizes I am going to and she asks, "What do I do now?" grrrrr. never satisified, always bored and ever wanting.

I realize in my frustration how annoying this is, however in reflection I realize that children are simply a reflection of the things in ourselves that annoy us. I always want more, money, time, sleep, etc. but on with life and the bills keep coming, the mornings get earlier and time keeps moving. I realize that one day she will be grown and gone and my mornings quiet, of course it will be then that I am unable to sleep past 5 am but hey who sweats the small stuff.

Faith????

Where has faith gone?



When I was a child I had childlike faith and I believe that Christ tells us to come to him as a child because of the faith. I recently got on facebook and though I have pastored for several years off and on with my husband I never realized until recently that people truly have so little faith.



When people want to get better, they ask for reference of meds, or a doctor. When people want financial problems solved, they go to conference. When they want their marriage fixed, they either go to couseling or re-marry. Why is it that faith in God is not longer the center of focus for christians today.

I recently had a friend post something that they were hoping, needing and expecting a miracle in. Suddenly post after post of people giving advice on how to fix it, things to do, people to call. This troubled me. People were not agreeing with the belief for a miracle but rather trying to offer solution. I know we as humans want a quick fix, if we are fat, we want a pill, or a surgery, if we are an addict we want a quick solution to deal with it. If we have a sickness, give me drugs. We then wonder why God isn't working.

Because we are not asking him to.

That is as simple and basic as answer that I can give. No one expects miracles. Yes people will "let" people pray for them, and will even ask for prayer but it seems today it is because it looks good. Why have we come to this. I remember when I was little I watched people get healed and there were praises and great declarations. I want, wish, hope and pray that we can become a people that will rise up in agreement with others when they want a miracle, not cower and believe in the ailment. If you truly want to help, pray, believe and find that childlike faith deep, deep down and thank God for the miracle that he has done.

Shout to the Lord with a voice of Triumph!!!!