Free Dinner

Whenever I see the word free, I tend to look closely. Now that I have your attention...
My friends and I went to eat at Chili's. When we got ready to pay, the waiter took forever getting us our check. I was growing impatient when he finally strolled up to the table. "Someone already took care of your ticket," he grinned. I stared at him to see if he was joking. He was completely serious. I scanned the room searching for the person who had just purchased my Diet Coke and burger. No one looked familiar. My friends didn't recognize anyone either.

Just a random act of kindness? Someone from church? Someone who knew one of us? The suspense is still killing me. So if you happen to be reading this, Mystery Buyer, thank you. I hope God blesses you as you bless others.

And to anyone else who would like to buy my dinner, I'll be more than happy to pray for blessings in your life as well. Aww, heck, I'll pray for you even if you don't buy my dinner.

Back to School

My new kiddos came to school on Tuesday. Their sweet innocent faces entered the room timidly. The first day they were fairly quiet. By the end of the week, though, they seem to know everyone. And they want to talk All the time. So I have to be Stern Teacher. It's not my favorite personality, but necessary for setting the tone for the rest of the year. Later, I can become Awesome-Fun Teacher. I like that one better.

On the first day my students wrote down a "special event." One girl wrote that God had answered her prayers because she wanted to have me for a teacher. Today she was in tears and told me I was mean. Just goes to show you, be careful what you pray for...you just might get it.

No Child Left Untested

You know the test that us public ed teachers spend January-April preparing the kids for? The test for No Child Left Behind? The reason for my sleeplessness and cranky bouts? We finally got the results back.

Week after week, we practiced, reviewed, practiced more, and reviewed more. I prayed over my students, especially those who were having difficulty. Sometimes I even laid hands on their precious little heads. "Miss Ford, what are you doing?" some would ask. Shh, I'm praying for you to have supernatural wisdom, I would think to myself.

Well the praying paid off! All of my kiddos scored satisfactory on the test. Did I say ALL of them? Yes, even the ones who didn't seem to be paying a bit of attention. And who says you can't pray in school?

How???

I didn't think it was possible. When I received the gift from one of my students, I thought that this would be the ONE thing that even I could keep alive. Sadly, I found my cactus plant with third degree burns, barely clinging to life. Normally I had kept the plant indoors. However, when I bought a new patio table and chairs I relocated it. Big mistake! I imagined my darling little plant sunning itself on top of the new table. Giving it water (for the week) I thought the cactus was hardy enough that it could take the summer heat. Apparently it could not withstand the 107 degree weather. Now it's fighting for its life in the ICU next to the kitchen sink. I'm hoping this baby makes it. Cuz if not, I'll be wanted for plant murder. (Not my first offense either.)

God Moments (Part 1)

The first time I realized, without a doubt, God is real, I was on a mission trip to Mexico. My brother Justin was taking some people from his church to witness to a small Mexican village called Aldama. He asked me if I wanted to go, and I agreed. However, as the trip grew closer, my finances were dwindling. Because of the lack of money, I wouldn’t be able to go on the trip. Incredibly, Justin called me before I could tell him the sad news. He was calling to tell me that an anonymous donor wanted to pay for my trip. This was quite possibly the most generous gift I had ever been given.

So I humbly accepted and went on the trip. During our time there, I could sense the presence of God…but that wasn’t the kicker. One night the group was sitting around talking about the day and thoughts or ideas they could take back to their church. I was especially tired. I didn’t attend my brother’s church, so it didn’t make much difference to me what they were talking about. One man, Ken, was upset by some of the church members. “We need to tell them that they need to do this and that …” He continued on for a few minutes. I felt lightheaded for a second, and that’s when it happened.

The Holy Spirit began talking through me! My lips were moving. My vocal cords were producing sound. But I was not in control of it! “God, what is happening?” I thought as words continued to come out of my mouth. I can only compare it to being hypnotized. It was like sitting there watching yourself, when you can’t control your own actions.

After I stopped talking, my senses came back to me. Everyone was silent and staring at me. And I realized what I had just said. Not word for word, but the general idea was this: “Words mean very little. You need to show it in your actions. Be an example to others. ” Ken had tears begin to form in his eyes. “You’re right,” he said.

The next day Ken told Justin to tell me that my words had changed his life. I sat there speechless because it wasn’t my words, but the Holy Spirit speaking through me. He also told me that Ken was the anonymous donor that paid for the trip. Again, I was dumbfounded. God had used him to bless me, so that I could bless him back. That’s a full-circle blessing!