Common Sense

He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.

Proverbs 2:7, NLT

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I often say that common sense is the greatest oxymoron because there's nothing "common" about it. It does seem that Americans don't exercise much common sense. I hadn't thought to pray that I wouldn't lose mine. This is a great promise...I just need to stay honest and "walk with integrity." Awesome goals.

Which gift? Every gift!

Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!

2 Corinthians 9:15, NLT

Having fun...the Bible says so

So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 8:15, NLT

Be courageous

Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14, NLT
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Being courageous is not easy. But with faith and love, it will be easier. In these troubling political times, I feel like I am on guard, which is different from being paranoid (which I try not to do). I need to hold tight to this verse.

Patient Endurance

Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

Hebrews 10:36, NLT
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How does Air1 know what verse I need on a given day? Today, I needed to be reminded of both patience and endurance. Thank you, Lord, for knowing what I need before I even know I need it and for filling that need.

Hope

And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.

Psalm 39:7, NLT
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Amen!

God's workmanship is marvelous

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous-how well I know it.

Psalm 139:14, NLT
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I do marvel at the detail that God put into every living creature. It's amazing and wondrous. Praise God!

Thanksgiving at Thanksgiving

And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:20, NLT
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I can do that! I don't do enough of it. Thanks for the reminder.

Travel imparts new vigor to the mind

“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” – Seneca

Seneca was a Roman philosopher and advisor to Nero. He's been around a while and it's nice to know this philosophy is not new. I so firmly believe it!

Let's Party!!

Come, everyone! Clap your hands! Shout to God with joyful praise!

Psalm 47:1, NLT

How to pray

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

Colossians 4:2, NLT

What to wear

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Colossians 3:12 NLT

Results

I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer.

Psalm 120:1, NLT |

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Yesterday's entry was the promise that even if you don't know what to pray for, the Holy Spirit will intercede and today is the promise that if you pray, those prayers will be answered.

God is sooo good!!

When I don't know what to pray

I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!

Isaiah 65:24, NLT

(Today's Air 1 verse)

Combine that with this one:

We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

Romans 8:26

It just tells me that I can pray when I don't know what to pray for and there's a double promise: the Holy Spirit will intercede for me and turn my lack of words into prayers for the right thing and God is going to answer my prayer, even before I utter it. When a friend is in trouble or feeling pain, I feel so helpless and often times that helplessness comes down to not knowing how to help and not even knowing what to pray for. But it's okay. Just spending time with God and letting him know that friend is on my mind and thanking God for helping that friend is enough. Together, they will take care of it all. Praise God!

Someone Special

"You are my favorite hello and my hardest goodbye."

Seen in Mt. Blue Drug on a wall plaque for sale.

...and don't think you know it all

This Bible verse has several powerful and different messages all wrapped up into one:

Live in harmony with each other. Don't be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all!

Romans 12:16, NLT 

I love all the messages. I need to live all the messages.

Strong and courageous!

So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.

Deuteronomy 31:6, NLT

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Yep it was another Air 1 verse. I'm not feeling particularly weak or cowardly right now, I wonder if something is coming that I need to be strong and courageous for. Even if nothing's coming down the pike immediately, I know I need to remember this.

Six Little Stories

1.  Once all villagers decided to pray for rain, on the day of prayer all the people gathered,
but only one boy came with an umbrella.

That's FAITH


2.  When you throw a baby in the air, she laughs because she knows you will catch her.

That's TRUST


3.  Every night we go to bed, without any assurance of being alive the next morning
but still we set the alarms to wake up.

That's HOPE


4.  We plan big things for tomorrow in spite of zero knowledge of the future.

That's CONFIDENCE


5.  We see the world suffering, but still we get married and have children.

That's LOVE


6.  On an old man's shirt was written a sentence 'I am not 60 years old....
I am sweet 16 with 44 years’ experience'

That's ATTITUDE

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Shared with me by Daddy W, Dr. Mary's dad who must be a twin separated at birth from my dad. They're both engineers (ask them what time it is, they'll tell you how a watch works) with a good sense of humor and a lot of love for life and for their family. Thanks, Daddy W!

Classroom Management

Kaysue, a student in my classroom management class back in 2011 (?) wisely said, "Taking a college course in classroom management is like taking swimming lessons at the gym." I use this quote every semester in my class. Finding the balance between theory and practice is important for safety and comfort as well as success in both swimming and classroom management.

I shared that quote yesterday with my colleague Walter and he shared one back. He had a student, Patricia, who was a whitewater kayaker. She said, "Kayakers look for the path not the rocks." Now that sounds like a great analogy for the difference between proactive classroom management and reactive classroom management. I'll be using that in future semesters!

Do not fear bad news

They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.

Psalm 112:7, NLT
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We got a weird memo today via email from the UMaine System office. And then I got this email from Air1. I didn't even pray the prayer when the answer to the prayer showed up. God is good!
PS I didn't think the memo was bad news, but couldn't figure out what it meant. I still don't know what it meant, but if it was bad news, I'm not fearing it.

Integrity

Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord.

Psalm 119:1, NLT

A glad heart makes a happy face

A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit.

Proverbs 15:13, NLT

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Bring on the emoticons!! :-)

St. Raphael Choir Motto

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God

Philippians 1:3, NLT

(well...that one and "Make a joyful noise.")

Live a quiet life, minding your own business

Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before.

1 Thessalonians 4:11, NLT

Perfect Peace

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

~ Isaiah 26:3, NLT

Confidence, Hope, and Faith

I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God. Bend down and listen as I pray.

Psalm 17:6, NLT

AMEN!!

Sinking ship analogy

"An entire sea of water can’t sink a ship unless it gets inside the ship. Similarly, the negativity of the world can’t put you down unless you allow it to get inside you." Amen to this!! My life is so much happier because I choose to keep negativity out of my life. Being an optimist doesn't mean you can't be a realist, you still see what's going on around you, you just choose to look at it through a positive lens. This quote seems to be attributed to Goi Nasu but this explanation of why it should be attributed to anonymous is interesting. Thank you to Kim K. for posting it on her Facebook page so it could brighten my day today.

Every Step You Take

The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
    He delights in every detail of their lives.

Psalm 37:23 (NLT)

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Thank you again, Air1. Last night walking home I felt tiny little slips on icy patches a few times. I really had to humble myself because sometimes I think that the reason I haven't slipped and fallen on slippery spots has to do with how I walk or "good luck." Thankfully, most times, I shout, "Thank you, Lord!" when I almost fall but don't. But sometimes I get a little cocky. Though this verse has more to do with my whole life than just the physical steps of walking, I know that even in my whole life, God has guided crazy little things that I didn't notice in the moment but that later on I realized had a major impact on who I am or where I am. For example, why did I take French in high school instead of Spanish when everyone else was taking Spanish AND I was living in Texas where it actually made sense to know a little Spanish. Looking back, I don't remember it being a conscious decision, so I don't remember what influenced it. But when I got to Lamplighter where they actually taught French to the students and wanted us to reinforce it even a little bit in our classroom, I was grateful for that decision. I am so grateful that God delights in every detail of my life and I hope that I can give that delight back to Him in some tiny way through my appreciation of his love and caring.

I can't do it alone

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5, NLT
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From Air1 as usual. For the last few days I'd been struggling with this. I'd realized that I'd been "depending on my own understanding" for quite a while now (thank you Proverbs for the right words to describe my struggle). I'm reminded of the expression about the man who wouldn't stop sawing long enough to sharpen his saw...when the going was getting tough, I was erroneously thinking I didn't have as much time to pray when in fact that was the very time I should've been praying more. Thank you, Lord. Help me to trust in you more and spend more time with you.

"...reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching."...I need to do that!

And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching.

Titus 2:7, NLT

Thank you again Air 1. And this came not long after I read the student evaluations of my teaching for last semester, so this is a great verse with great timing. God is like that. ;-)