Mountains of Bloomsburg Introduction

   Dark. All you see is dark. You open your eyes, now you see fog all around you. You cannot see any other people or any other things. After you stand there for a while you decide to move on because standing there is not doing you any good.
   You keep walking and you see beautiful trees. They are some of the prettiest trees you have ever seen. Next there are creatures you have never seen before. There are lions with the heads of eagles, birds that look like they are on fire, men with goat legs, and so many more creatures. 
   After walking a while you come to a town. There are many children playing, people working, and people worshipping. You walk up to a man and ask, "where am I?" The man replies, "you are in the Mountains of Bloomsburg. I've never seen you here before, what is your name?" You tell the man your name and he shakes his head, "are you new here?" You say, "I've never been here before." Then you tell the man where you are from. The man says, "I've never heard of that place either but you are welcome to stay here. If you have any questions my name is Ron." You nod your thanks and walk on.
   Suddenly you see a lion with the bead of an eagle above you. You cover your head thinking that this is the end. The lion like creature lands and cocks its head at you, "who are you?" Your mouth drops open. This creature can talk! You finally get your voice back and tell the creature your name. "You are not from here are you?" You shake your head no. 
   The creature begins to pace while talking to itself, "very strange, what is he up to?" The creature stops pacing and freezes. You look around wondering if this is normal.
The creature glances at you. "I don't know what Gottes is up to but he says I am to take care of you and answer any of your questions."
   You begin to ask questions of the creature. You find out his name is Jordan. He is called and Engel and he works for Gottes. Gottes created this world. You look around and see a long, dark mountain range. You ask Jordan, "what is that place?" Jordan replies, "that is the part of the mountain that Ubel is contained to. The people of the village have decided to never go there lest they be tempted to betray Gottes." 
   You ponder that for a little then say, "I don't belong here, I'm from somewhere else." Jordan says, "I know you are from somewhere else but you were brought here for a purpose." "What is that purpose?" You ask. "I do not know, I do not try to understand Gottes." Jordan replies. "Would he be able to take me back?" Jordan nods. "Good then I'll ask him to send me back." Jordan smiles, "you can ask but you may not get the answer you want." You sigh, "is there anyone else who could send me back?" Jordan glances at the dark mountain range, "Ubel may be able to but he is crafty. He used to be an Engel but then he betrayed Gottes."
   You think about it then realize that you must get back. A plan begins to form in your head. You are going to go to see Ubel.
   If you actually came to this land would you want to leave? What other questions would you have asked the Engel? Would you trust Ubel? How does this story relate to the Bible?

   Proverbs 3:5-6

Blessings In A Hard Week

   We have all had them: a week where it feels like murphy’s law applies to you. Over and over the hits just keep coming. That happened to me one week. Believe it or not, the week started out with me on my first vacation (without having volunteer teaching) in 12 years!

Sunday, I woke up and went to church in South Carolina with my boyfriend’s family. Now, I had a crazy good experience there but that’s a blog for another time. The thing was the temperature was very hot down there. Like even the pastor who lives there was saying it was crazy hot. We had decided to go jet skiing that day…and we were beginning to regret it as we waited at the pier in the hot sun.

   BLESSING: jet skiing is fun, brings a cool breeze, and is exfoliating. It was so nice just being on the water, seeing wildlife, and playing let’s see who can hold onto the throttle the longest without letting go with my boyfriend.

   Monday we were headed back to Pennsylvania. We were projected to get back at 7pm. Well, because of the traffic, we made the mistake of going through Washington D.C. during rush hour, which is not only confusing but also incredibly annoying and I do not recommend. We didn’t get home till close to 8:45pm.

   BLESSING: I got to see some D.C. monuments from a distance. I spent some time getting to know my boyfriend better and see him in a stressful situation (so I know how he handles them). We were thankful to have gotten home safely and that we were able to relax.

   Tuesday, I went back to work. Which was hard enough as is, but while there I also remembered that my co-teacher was going on vacation that day (she had a half day). This meant I had more kids in my room than originally planned. Then I had an allergy shot. After my shot I just wanted to go home and rest because I was still tired from traveling. But I had agreed to go shopping with a friend so I tried to kill some time between my shot and meeting her. Well, because of work conflicts, she had to cancel.

   BLESSING: I got some recharging alone time. I got one more week with some of my older students. And, because my friend canceled, I was able to have a phone call with another friend which was a blessing.

   Things happened Wednesday but I am going to skip it as Thursday was a bomb of a day. The day started out well enough. But I got out of work later than I was supposed to. Luckily, the party I was attending was later than my boyfriend thought. I was minding my own business driving down the road when my car made a bang chink chink noise. I didn’t notice anything strange until I tried driving after I stopped at a red light… I made my way to Sheetz and parked. Sure enough, I had a flat tire. Well, I had never changed one and for some reason my lug nuts were not cooperating. I was on the verge of tears.

   BLESSING: I got paid for my extra work. A man came along to help me change the tire and helped me fill my spare. I was able to attend the party, which I thought would drain me. But the party was actually really relaxing, and I was able to get to know my boyfriend’s friends.

   Friday rolled around and I was not sure I could handle much more. I was driving on my spare tire in the morning and a light came on on my dashboard. I went to Sheetz to fill up my spare tire again, but the light didn’t go off. So, I contacted my mechanic and he said he could probably fit it in that day. The problem was I had work all day. Then I contacted my boss and asked if I could leave to get it fixed. She said they would make it work! When I got to work, the internet was not working. Music is usually what helps me get through the insanity of work and keeps me out of my head. That meant I had to fix my thoughts on the things of God. Later, I traveled to get my tire fixed. It only took one hour for me to get to the garage, get it fixed, and get back! I worked then went to the first meeting for soccer this season.

   BLESSING: The internet was fixed within an hour, and I was able to fix my thoughts on God and have my music time. I was able to get my tire fixed quickly because of people working with me and understanding. I did not lose money. I got to see the soccer girls and catch up with them. And oddly enough, I had energy to play with my students and interact with the soccer girls (introverted girl here).

   All that is to say, yeah depending how you looked at it, this was a pretty crappy week. But instead of focusing on the negative, instead of wallowing in pity, I chose to focus on the positive. I was trying to follow Romans 12:12 without knowing it. The verse says: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Let’s just say, my patience was definitely tested that week. And I learned how to better communicate with God. Would it have been nice if my week just went smoothly? Yeah, but would I have learned as much or grown closer to God? No.

   So, when problems arise what is your attitude? What are your thoughts like when these times come? How can you follow Romans 12:12 better in your life.

The Crutch

   We all have one at one point or another in our lives. It's a weakness, a sickness, an event, a hurt, or something else. It's a crutch. What is the job of a crutch? According to Oxford Languages a crutch is, "a long stick with a crosspiece at the top, used as a support under the armpit by a person with an injury or disability." A crutch is to be used to help someone get healed. It keeps you off your injury until you are better.

   Yet, what if you never let go of the crutch? What if you are too afraid that you will get hurt again that you never let it go? Then the crutch holds you back. What is it that is holding you back? Is it a specific sin like gossip, lying, hate, addiction, etc.? Is it fear? Maybe you are afraid you will never be good enough, never be loved, never be able to let go of that one thing, etc.? Is it a lack of faith? Faith that God will provide, faith that God is with you, faith that he loves you, etc.? If you refuse to let go of the crutch you will never become who God created you to be. You will be diminishing your mission and the purpose God has given you.

   How then do we let go of our crutch? Proverbs 3:5-6 gives us the answer. It says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." We need to trust in God and admit that we have this crutch or weakness. If you don't admit you have a problem and know it, you cannot let go of it. 

   Then you need to trust that God is in control. You need to have faith that you can let go of the crutch. Let go of the fear and believe that God is with you. Believe that you don't need to hold onto what's holding you back. Instead, hold onto Jesus. He's the only one you need and hes not a crutch. He's real. He's with you. He is for you. He doesn't want to hold you back. He wants you to grow, to walk, to run, to fly. You just need to trust him and let go.

   So, what is your crutch? Are you willing to let go of your crutch? How can you trust God more today?

Held During Anxiety

   There is one time in the year that my dog freaks out the most: when we go on vacation. That's because he needs to travel in a car for 30 minutes to my Aunt and Uncles' house. He does not like car rides. He will whine, cry, growl, bark, cut our legs with his nails, etc. The thing I didn't understand is I am holding him. I will literally hug him, and he will still be freaking out. It did not make sense.

   Then I thought about how I have anxiety too. I whine, cry, growl, and get upset when problems come into my life. Yet, I am being held by the Lord. He is literally wrapping me in a big hug, and I still have anxiety.

   In those times I remember Isaiah 41:10 which says, "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." I don’t need to fear because God is with me. In the highs and lows he's got me. He loves me. He helps get rid of the fear in his great strength.

   So, do you believe that you are held by God? When fear and anxiety appear in your life what do you do? Who do you turn to?