Don't Get Stuck

3 Ways To Get Unstuck

Various Selected Scriptures - Do yourself a favor and click here to watch this hilarious yet powerful sermon

In this sermon, guest speaker Jeremy Foster talks about the topic of being stuck.  Foster discusses Paul being stuck in prison while he writes the book Philippians.  It is then discussed how Paul, while being stuck, continues to accomplish his goals of spreading the good news of the gospel.  

In Philippians 1:12-14 Paul writes: And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News.  For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ.  And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God's message without fear.

Even though Paul was stuck in one of the worst places, he used his situation to positively change the lives of those around him.  We might not be stuck in a physical prison like Paul but maybe you are stuck in depression, addiction, anxiety, and many other types of "prisons".  Here are 3 signs that you are stuck:

1. You start faking it - You tell everyone that everything is fine when inside you are struggling.  Jeremiah 6:14 says: "They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. Peace, peace they say, when there is no peace."
2. You'll deal with it later: - Putting things off because you don't believe it will change anything or make a difference.  Matthew 7:7 says: "Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you."
3. You give up: - Losing all hope because you don't see how to get out of your situation. Philippians 4:13 says: "I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength."

If these are the signs of being stuck, how can those of us in education become unstuck. Here are 3 ways to get unstuck and make a difference in your schools.

1. Stop faking it: - Everyone is fighting a battle we know nothing about.  Unfortunately, we cannot help each other out if we do not understand the battles people are facing.  We have students coming to our schools that are experts at faking it.  We have coworkers, families, and community members that are experts of faking it.  I am guilty of this myself as I tend to keep everything to myself.  We must create a family like culture in our schools that is built on positive relationships.  We must establish an environment where everyone feels empowered to share their stories so that we can all unite together to conquer any battle that comes our way.
2. Deal with it now: - Most of us have experienced situations that could have been avoided had they been dealt with immediately. The longer we postpone dealing with issues the longer those issues have to grow.  This makes is much more difficult to get unstuck and move forward.  One of the most important factors of dealing with items immediately is communication.  When we get everyone involved we can make well educated decisions from individuals who have experienced similar situations. Dealing with issues now will allow us to get ahold of the situation before the situation gets ahold of us.
3. Don't give up: - In education we have several eyes that are watching our every move.  We say a lot of things to our students, parents, community members, and each other.  Although our words can and will have a lasting impact, it is our actions that can have powerful ramifications on an individual's life.  It is easy to tell someone not to give up. It is much more difficult to model not giving up.  We must not give up because our student's lives depend on it.  We must battle through every moment so that we demonstrate to our students that they don't have to stay stuck.

Final Thoughts:

Our profession is overworked and underpaid.  Many people have stated: "I would never do what you all do for that much money." This is because they do not understand our greatest reward.  When we bring a smile to a child's face.  When we are the only ones who tells a child we love them.  When we are the only ones who don't give up on a child.  When we walk hand-in-hand with a child to help them overcome many obstacles.  We are truly making a difference in what I believe to be the greatest profession.  How will you prevent yourself from becoming stuck? We can't help others move forward to the future if we are stuck in the present.  How has a teacher, coach, administrator, or other school employees helped you get unstuck? I would love to hear your story or connect with you on Twitter.  Thank you for taking the time to read this.  Have a blessed day!

The Blessing of Being Wholehearted

3 Advantages of Being Wholehearted

Joshua 14:6-15 - Click here to watch the sermon

This sermon discusses a man named Caleb who asks Joshua to give him the land that the Lord had promised him.  In the book of Numbers, Caleb and Joshua were two of twelve spies that were sent out to scout the land of Canaan.  All of the spies had a good report of the land but all except Caleb and Joshua said the land was fortified and filled with terrible warriors that would be impossible to conquer.  Caleb and Joshua wholeheartedly believed God would grant them victory to take the land but the other ten, halfhearted spies caused everyone to lose heart.  Years later, Caleb would inherit the land that God promised due to him following God wholeheartedly.

Before covering the 3 advantages of being wholehearted let's look at the signs of those who are halfhearted.  Those who are halfhearted:

1. More concerned what others think
2. Focused on life on earth over eternity in heaven
3. Rationalize sin over fearing God
4. Weak faith
5. Only look to God when you need something
6. Wonder....Why them and not me?

I will admit that I am guilty of almost all of these signs of halfheartedness.  To fully receive God's blessings we must wholeheartedly seek him.  Here are 3 advantages to being wholehearted:

1. Being wholehearted benefits our family
2. Being wholehearted builds our faith
3. Being wholehearted builds our future

Being Wholehearted Benefits Our Family:

I attended high school in a small town where most teachers and administrators used the school as a stepping stone to advance their careers.  This resulted in individuals giving a halfhearted effort because they knew they were not committed to staying.  This also caused those who were committed to not follow the administration wholeheartedly.  We must make sure to unite together and serve our schools wholeheartedly so that our school "family" can thrive.  When we are all serving our students wholeheartedly everyone from the students, faculty/staff, parents, and community will benefit from our dedication.

Being Wholehearted Builds Our Faith:

Have you ever worked in a school and felt like some of the decisions being made were a bit questionable? Or perhaps you, like myself, made a questionable decision.  When we do not completely "buy in" to our school's mission and vision we can start to let doubt creep in.  This allows us to start questioning decisions that are being made within the school.  When we make the choice to serve our schools wholeheartedly it will build our faith because we will begin to see the benefits from giving all that we have for our students. When we see the results from serving our schools wholeheartedly, we will have battle tested faith that will allow us to conquer any obstacles that come our way.

Being Wholehearted Builds Our Future:

The choices we make everyday will impact those that follow us.  In education there are unlimited amount of eyes that are watching our every move.  Students, parents, families, community members, social media followers, coworkers, and many others will be scrutinizing every choice and action we make.  Serving wholeheartedly in our schools will help us make better decisions for our students.  When we all show up to school to serve students wholeheartedly we are building towards the future on today's successes.

Final Thoughts:

This post was a little longer than normal but this topic really hits home with me.  I would not be where I am at today if it weren't for the couple of teachers that made the decision to serve me wholeheartedly.  There were three teachers that poured everything they had into making sure I was successful.  There will be days when we are tired, aggravated, and times we want to give up.  When you feel like giving in just remember that there are children that show up to school everyday because you are their only hope.  Some of our student's lives depend on our dedication.  How do you serve your schools and students wholeheartedly or how will you start serving wholeheartedly? I would love to hear your thoughts and discuss this post with you.  Please leave a comment or reach out to me on Twitter. Take care and God bless!

Believing a Big God for Big Things

3 Ways To Accomplish Big Things

Joshua 10:1-14 - Click here to watch the sermon

In last week's sermon we learned that the Gibeonites tricked Joshua and the Israelites into forming a sort of peace treaty that allowed the Gibeonites to live amongst the Israelites. In this passage, the king of Jerusalem unites with other kings/nations to attack Gibeon in fear that the Israelites might soon conquer them as well.  Gibeonites plea to Joshua for help and the Israelites stay true to their treaty and help defend Gibeon and their people. In this passage Joshua believes for big things in 3 ways:

1. Believing a Big God for Big Things - Lord said to Joshua "do not be afraid of them, for I have handed them over to you. Not one of them will be able to stand against you" - Joshua 10:8
2. Battle for Big Things - So Joshua and all his troops including all his best soldiers, came from Gilgal - Joshua 10:7
3. Boldly Pray for Big Things - Joshua spoke to the Lord and asked for the sun and moon to stand still - Joshua 10:12-14

Let's look at how we can apply these methods into our schools and classrooms!

Believing a Big God for Big Things:

How many times have you witnessed a school or a person within the school become complacent and progress comes to a screeching halt? I am guilty of this myself.  I will fall into a routine of being comfortable which leads to me not giving my best.  In order to accomplish big things in schools and in our classrooms we must take big risks.  Just like the Lord told Joshua in 10:8: "do not be be afraid".  When we take big risks we are truly believing in our God for big things.

  
We usually hear in education that we want to set high expectations for all.  The thought behind this is that the higher the expectations the higher the performance.  We also want to encourage our students to be risk takers and not afraid to fail.  The best way to develop this mindset is to model it for our students. How will you take big risks this coming school year?

Battle for Big Things:

Ever have an idea for your classroom or maybe for the entire school only to have it shot down by others? I remember a time when I thought of an amazing plan (amazing to me) to reduce our discipline issues.  My idea fell on deaf ears and I felt like I didn't have a voice and was undervalued.

If we want to accomplish big things in our schools and classrooms we must be prepared to battle.  God can prepare the way for us but we are still called to battle.  God told Joshua that the victory was already his but yet in Joshua 10:7 we see that Joshua and his best soldiers marched from Gilgal.  Teachers are the ones working in the trenches and they know what schools should be doing to make sure students are successful.  What are you willing to battle for?  How far are you willing to march to battle for your students?

Boldly Pray for Big Things:

Ever felt like something was just too impossible to happen?  Maybe you have exhausted all options with a student, parents, coworker, or administrator.  Maybe you were told that there's not enough money in the budget or simply told that something will never work.  In order for us to experience big things we must boldly pray for big things.  

In Joshua 10:12-14 Joshua spoke to the Lord in the presence of Israel for the sun and moon to stand still.  Two things stand out: 1) This bold prayer was public. When we speak our bold ideas in front of others it can build the faith of others and we can gain much needed support. 2) Joshua asked for something that had never been done.  In order to accomplish something that has never been done we must pray and do things that have never been done.  What bold prayers will you make to accomplish big things?

Final Thoughts:

There are so many brilliant minds in education.  It makes me wonder how many of these brilliant minds have been capped (excuse the pun) due to their ideas being shot down, neglected, or undervalued? I believe there is one reason for working in education and that is to do everything in our power for kids.  Many of us have amazing ideas that will transform our student's lives and we must be willing to: 1) believe in a big God for big things, 2) battle for big things, and 3) boldly pray for big things.  I would love to hear about how others are accomplishing big things for their students.  Feel free to leave a comment below or reach out to me on Twitter.  Have a blessed day!

Asking For Directions

3 Principles For Making Decisions

Joshua 9:1-27 - Click here to watch the sermon

In this passage, kings in the area had formed an alliance to fight against Joshua and the Israelites.  One group, the Gibeonites, had a different plan in mind.  The Gibeonites had a plan to trick Joshua and the Israelites.  They pretended to be from a distant land by dressing in worn out clothes, carrying worn out possessions, and depleted provisions.  Joshua and his people would end up believing the Gibeonites story and there was nothing they could do about it because they had made an oath with them.

Joshua and the Israelites did not seek the Lord's decision which leads to the 3 Principles to Making Decisions:

1. Pray Instead of Letting Fear Guide You - Joshua knew there were surrounding nations plotting against him so he could have easily welcomed any allies
2. Pray Instead of Moving Too Fast - Joshua only asks two questions and just looks at what the eyes can see, doesn't look beneath the surface
3. Pray Instead of Assuming You Know - Joshua did not seek guidance from the Lord

Pray Instead of Letting Fear Guide You:

How many times in education do we let fear guide our decisions? Joshua was facing 7 nations that were stronger and larger (Deuteronomy 7:1).  What "nations" are individuals in education facing?  Fear from parents, communities, coworkers, bosses, just to name a few.  Our decisions will have a lasting impact on our students, families, community, and our schools.  We must make sure that we turn to God instead of letting fear guide us.  We can accomplish this by not worrying about anything and praying about everything (Philippians 4:6).

Pray Instead of Moving Too Fast:

When Joshua was talking with the Gibeonites he only asked two questions: 1) Who are you? 2) Where did you come from?  How often do we make decisions based on such little information?  When the Gibeonites responded to these questions, Joshua simply believed them.  Proverbs 14:15 says "only simpletons believe everything they're told! The prudent carefully consider their steps." Whether we are disciplining a student, adopting a new policy, or responding to a parent complaint; we must pray instead of moving too fast.

Pray Instead of Assuming You Know:

Joshua and the Israelites concluded that the Gibeonites passed the eye test so they established peace with them and made an oath to let them live with them.  Joshua and his men assumed they knew the truth but did not seek God's guidance.  Have you ever made a decision about a misbehaving student before knowing all of the details? Has a boss ever made a decision that they thought was best for everyone?  Ever received an email from an angry parent that hasn't heard all sides of the story?  Situations like these happen all of the time but we must go to the Lord in prayer to seek his wisdom.  James 1:5 says "if you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you".

Final Thoughts:

Going into next school year I will be a first year principal.  I will be faced with many tough decisions every single day.  If I attempt to answer questions and make decisions on my own, our students, faculty, staff, families, community, and school will suffer.  Proverbs 3:5-6 says "trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight".  How will you seek the Lord's guidance in your school? How will you trust God to make the decisions? Leave a comment below or feel free to reach out to me on Twitter.