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Welcome to "The Country Schoolmarm"! Get yourself a cup of coffee (I take mine strong with vanilla creamer), grab a seat, and chat a while! Isn't that what country friends do? Now, all we need is a porch...

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Of Praise and Puppies and Feet...



Luke 18:16 "But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God." 
      Every Wednesday, I ask for student volunteers to lead class devotions.  They have to prepare ahead of time, and the class needs to give that student their full attention as if he/she was the teacher.  For most classes, I have to make a schedule to get them to do it.  This class brought joy to my heart.  They practically knocked each other down trying to get to the calendar to sign up.  It  is already full into November.  AND, you would think it would be mostly girls wanting to do it.  Surprise!  It's the boys!  Oh, my heart!  One boy, who can be a stinker, has his day in a few weeks.  He has already consulted me about what he would like to talk about!
     This little guy sitting in my rocking chair is leading.  He did a FABULOUS job.  He had an outline of what he wanted to say.  He started with the Plan of Salvation and worked through to how a Christian should live his/her life.  He had 3 scriptures to support each point and questions to ask the class as well.  I will have to scan and show you his notes.  I was just blown away.  It also give me such great joy to see them sitting, eagerly looking at scripture, using their highlighters and post-its to mark scripture they want to remember.
God is so good!  I have to remember these guys and girls are kids.  HIS kids.  And because they are kids, they will misbehave.  So do I!  We all have a sin nature.  But I can't let the calling out or silly things that they do cloud who they are as children of God and how God can shine brightly through them, whether they raise their hands in class or not!
  

     This is my "furry child" Bailey.  She does not make me want to get up in the morning.  I want to be cozy like her.  She likes to take my "warm spots" when I get up.  She is a definite "warm spot" stealer.  So, when you visit, be aware, if you get up, a furball may steal your "warm spot".

    So, my last musing is "Feet".  I am not a big stickler about kids sitting straight in their seats unless undivided attention is needed, we have a guest, it is Chapel, etc.  Kids have wiggles.  Teachers have wiggles.  Hard resin chairs are not comfortable.  The students have clipboards, and I frequently let them work around the room.  Movement keeps us all from getting sleepy 'cause I'm not sharing my coffee with a bunch 10 year olds.  No way!

     Well, I am sitting at my desk while they are working on a map of Europe (They are fascinated by the tininess of Luxembourg.  We call it a little "peanut".)  I just look up.  At first, I am hugely amused by the many sitting arrangements this dear boy can get himself into.  These pictures were taken in a span of 10 minutes.
Then, I look around.  I see all kinds of missing feet and legs from under the tables.  I see kneeling and foot tucking.  I laugh at their various contortions. (See how many you can spot.  There are 4 students at each table...)
Well, I look down at my own foot. Tucked under.  Hmmmm. Well, if you can't beat them, join them! At least my shoes were both the same!


Have a wonderful weekend!
Blessings,
Heather

14 comments:

  1. What a blessing to see them scurry to sign up for the devotions! Bailey is just so adorable all cozy in the blankets! To cute :)
    Have a great weekend!
    ~The Olde Willow~

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    1. Jen,
      She is cute and a good buddy. It was a huge blessing to see them sign up and now how they take it seriously. They keep watch on that calendar for their weeks! They leave post-its for the next month. Too cute. They need prayer as they plan in respect to the heart behind their messages. My fear is their natural desire to please and impress... Thank you for posting! Blessings!!!!! Heather

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  2. Such a cute post..
    Hugs for you all xxx

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    1. Thank you! We love hugs!!! Hugs back!
      Heather

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  3. Love it. Sounds like a sweet class. I would love to be able to sit in on those devotion times. Would be such a blessing.

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    1. Out of the mouths of babes... :) I wish you could visit!

      It is always a blessing to see the Word through a child's eyes. Sometimes they make simple sense out of something we adults make too complex. Sometimes instruction in Godly living is more easily accepted from a peer. I love those kid devotionals, "Sticky Situations". It is one that the students frequently use.

      Sometimes the students need a little guidance, but his devotional was really well done! God is really using this time, especially in the light that our one classmate does not necessarily know the Lord, and he has sooo many questions. He just soaks it all up! So awesome.

      If we could please pray for my dear student, that would be greatly appreciated. And that God would give us all in our class the right words when a witnessing opportunity arrives.

      Blessings! Have a wonderful night!
      Heather

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  4. I'm just thrilled to read this Heather! How marvelous is God's grace to answer prayer for these children! THis is the best education they can have to encourage one another in the Lord and share His Word!
    God bless you all!
    Christine

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    1. Christine,
      You are so right about answered prayer. Especially as I pleaded for prayer for this class in the summer because I was worried about them. Thank you for the reminder of God's grace and goodness. They still need prayer, and I need to remember these joys even after a day dealing with them (Super in the morning, drove me to tears in the afternoon!). It is a joy to hear that they want to share! You are right- beats reading, writing, and arithmetic any day of the week...

      I hope you are doing well! Hugs and love to you, dear friend!
      Anne of Lancaster County

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  5. What a wonderful post.
    I got goosebumps.
    I just love hearing about our kids/teens seeking and having a heart for the Lord.
    Just blesses the coks right off me.
    Im a foot tucker too.
    Share coffee...No way!
    O.k maybe the maxwell house but not my DD! :)
    Love your warm spot stealer too.
    Have a happy joyful bless the socks(preferably mismatched right off of ya) week!
    Hugs
    Granny T


    www.grannytracescrapsandsquares.com

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    1. oh how embaressing..SOCKS!
      so sorry. I am BAD speller teach.

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    2. It is all write, my deer... I new what you ment... ;)

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    3. You are tooo funny...

      Yup. Mismatched socks, foot tucking, no coffee sharin' gals, aren't we?

      DD is the only coffee I can drink without sugar. I think sugar spoils the "nuttiness" of it, if that makes sense? There is one we can walk to from school, but we needed to curb that habit. It was really bad for all of the teachers when it first opened. Steve always takes me to DD when we go to Shupp's Grove or antiquing. It is a special treat!

      SO, for your homework, you must correct your misspellings and then copy them each 5 times CORRECTLY. (Yes, you all laugh, BUT that is the homework I assign, and you would cry if you saw how many kids write their words 5 times INCORRECTLY. Yeah, kid. That'll help you for the test...)

      Blessings to you, Dear Friend! Hope you start feeling better!

      Cordelia. With an "a".

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  6. Hello Heather, What a great post! Those kids are awesome & Bailey is the cutest! Blessings, Anna

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    1. You are too sweet, Anna! Thank you for stopping by and commenting. Bailey is my good little buddy. She is very snuggly. She sleeps in between my legs at night. If I try to sleep on my side, she paws at me and pushes my legs until she has a little niche. Cute but pushy!!! ;)

      I hope this finds you well!
      Blessings to you!
      Heather

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