You Alone are Father.

Back in middle school, I was introduced to this song called "You Alone". I have vivid memories of Rick, my brother, on guitar and me singing as we led youth group worship on Sunday mornings singing this exact song. I remember loving it b/c it was so easy to learn for there are only 4 lines and then it repeats over and over. It focuses on 4 main attributes of God. He is our Father. He is good. He is our Savior. He is God. Listen to it here, while you read the lyrics below.

"You are the only one I need

I bow all of my at your feet

I worship you alone.

You have given me more 

than I could ever have wanted

I want to give you my heart and my soul. 

You alone are Father.

You alone are good.

You alone are Savior.

You alone are God."

It wasn't until church on Sunday as my roommate, Maggie, was leading us in worship that I really started contemplating these words. I sat down in the middle of worship and journaled the following...

"Here I am singing a song about God as my father and my earthly father's birthday was yesterday and I can't stop thinking about him. This song reminds that YOU alone are my father. My earthly father has died and gone (Isaiah 40:8) but you are still there as my heavenly father. You are good. You are my Savior. I wonder if these words are synonymous. Fathers are supposed to be good. Fathers are supposed to be their little girls' saviors. How much more then will my heavenly father, the one who created my earthly father, be all of these things and more?"

I tend to idolize my father. He was a wonderful example of a father. But, he was just a man. When I type these words, there is a pang in me like I shouldn't be saying it. It's true though. While he was great, he was just a man. Isaiah says that all men are like grass and they will come and go, yet the character and word of Christ will last forever. Even when we have good examples to follow, we must remember they are just men and someone bigger than them created them and made them for who they are.

Even though my father has been gone for 5 years, still when I hear the word father in reference to God, I think of dad first. I must remember that behind my wonderful daddy, stands his creator. HE will not be shaken or moved. HE will withstand sickness, cancer, my emotions, etc. HE is father. HE is good. HE is savior. HE is God.

Perfect Night?

     It’s Christmas Eve. The fire is lit, packages wrapped, Christmas breakfast brunch made, and everybody is tucked into their beds awaiting Christmas morning. Yea right! This is what you see in movies like Miracle on 34^th Street, but really I imagine it more like this…kids still up fighting over whose hot chocolate is better as one gets spilled all over the counter and gets on the tissue paper of someone's present. That someone is not happy and will undoubtedly end up in tears before the night is over, while mom and dad are furiously trying to finish wrapping presents without the presence of little eyes watching over them:) Finally, to calm everyone down the family decides to read the christmas story from the Bible, but of course only child really cares about the story while the others are playing with each other or toys nearby...not exactly the same picture as the movies huh?

     Sometimes, I read the christmas story with this same expectation of the perfect night. Let's recall some key facts that might remind how us unsettling a night it might have been. To start off, Mary and Joseph were not this happy couple that had dated for 3 years and been engaged for another year. Reality says they were probably in an arranged marriage and just met one another before her pregnancy! Can you imagine bringing a child into this world with a man you barely know? If that isn't enough, remember that Joseph had thoughts of divorcing Mary after the pregnancy was known. Again, can you imagine the parents of our Savior entertained thoughts of divorce?! How different of a story would that have been? Then after Christ is born, the king of the country hires out all his military personnel to look for YOU, and not just search, but orders to kill!! This was not the most peaceful time the country had known.

     

     When I remember these things and think about the chaotic and restless reality of that night Christ was born, I am somehow comforted by my own crazy nights. Remembering Christ came into this world at a time of unrest (politically, spiritually, and every other kind) and yet I have my own times of unrest in this season all the time! God, I continually need you as my Prince of Peace to reign in my heart and mind this season. May your peace seep through all the crevices of our lives.

4th Thursday no matter what...

After spending the last 2 Thanksgivings away from home, I realized the following differences:

US Thanksgiving	DR Thanksgiving
Holiday!	Work day…granted it was a half day!
Sleep in and stay pajamas until about 11am!	Up and at ‘em at 6am…not in my pajamasJ
Help mom cook	Ate pizza for lunch
After lunch watch the Cowboys play with dad (this was the best part of my day)	Come home and sleep b/c I now finally have a break!!
Come home from relatives and have a relaxing evening watching a movie or more football!	Start cooking mashed potatoes for intercultural Doulos Thanksgiving dinner where we eat everything from traditional turkey and mashed potatoes to roasted pig and Dominican potato/egg salad. Beautiful night!!

Not one is better or worse, but just different from each other. Last year, I was able to grasp this fact and actually delight in the differences, but this year was hard. I haven't put my finger on it as to why yet, but I promise I will keep wrestling with it until the Lord brings something out in me. 

Meanwhile, check out this picture of my roommate putting up our Christmas decorations in a tank top and shorts while the sun is shining!! Only in the DR... I must say our decor this year is super cute, so stay tuned to see those...

Who knew?

     Remember that at Doulos, we are an expeditionary learning school which means that each grade takes one topic each semester and focuses on that concept for about 8 weeks. This means they go into this topic really deep and it gets integrated into all their other subjects as well. As a 6th grade class, in science their expedition is studying the coral reef. Ok, here is where I enter my confession about knowing nothing on coral reefs...seriously I thought they were a rock and not a living thing!! Wow has my knowledge increased over the past week! During an expedition, our students learn under experts and do some sort   field work to give them hands-on learning opportunities. This past week our kids went to the other side o f the island, Samana, to study the reef through observation up close and personal. The DR is one of the places in the world that has a live coral reef around the island. Our objective throughout the week was to learn more about this living animal, why is it dying around the DR, why is it important to the DR, and what can we do to preserve it. Here is what I found out this week about this fascinating animal:

What is a coral?

• A coral is a living animal made of coral polyps. When several corals build their skeleton (hard outer shell) they form a massive structure that is called a coral reef. This reef is home to many fish, plants, and other microscopic creatures. It's literally like an underwater city. 

How does a coral eat?

• A coral eats by the help of these tiny algae that live inside their polyps called "zooxanthellae" that use photosynthesis to process energy from the sun into sugar. At night the corals' polyps come out and also feed on plankton that swim by.

What does a coral need to survive?

• Corals require a certain temperature to live in, which is why most corals are found in the tropics around the Equator. If the temperature is too hot or cold, they will die.
• Corals can only live in saltwater not freshwater b/c they need the salt to form their calcium carbonate skeletons. This is the same material our bones are made from as well.
• Corals live in relatively shallow water b/c they need sunlight to make their food. Thus, they need clear water for the sunlight to penetrate through the waters.

Why are the reefs dying around the world and specifically in the DR?

• Trash!! This is a huge problem for the coral reefs b/c trash gets in the way of the sunlight being able to penetrate the waters and when the sun can't get through, the corals have trouble making their food through photosynthesis. Plastic also traps the corals and then they can't breathe, eat or reproduce.
• Global warming is the effect of the increase of temperature on our planet. Like mentioned above, the reefs require a certain temperature and if that temp is increased they die. 
• Reckless tourism hurts the coral as well like when snorkelers, divers and tourists step on the coral when in the water. Ships and boats come in over the reefs and set down their anchors on top of the reefs which kills the reef by breaking off parts of the coral.
• Poor fishing practices kills the reef b/c fishermen sometimes uses poison in the water to stun their fish as an easy catch or use explosives which blasts the coral.

What's the big deal with the coral reef in the DR?

• Tourism is huge for this country, especially when you have beautiful white sandy beaches and coral reefs that are home to some really beautiful fish and creatures. People come to this country for the beaches, snorkeling, whale watching, deep sea fishing, etc. This is where a major part of the country's money comes from, so if the reefs die and there are no more fish to look at b/c their home has been destroyed, then tourism will decline as well as the money. When money declines, people's livelihood declines as well. Not the prettiest picture for an already underdeveloped country huh?

What can we do to preserve this phenomenon of nature?

• Educate, Educate, Educate!! People can't change their ways if they don't know what they are doing is harmful. Education for the local fishermen, education for the tourism agencies, education for the locals all over this country about throwing away your trash in trash cans NOT THE RIVERS!! You would be surprised how filthy our rivers are in Jarabacoa and how people don't think about where that river and it's contents flow next!! It goes straight into the ocean and becomes destructive for many creatures.
• Donate for their to be more research done, so we can keep learning about this animal. Here in the DR, there is a branch of an organization called Reef Check, who we work with yet there is only one main marine biologist and he has his work cut out for him. He encouraged our students this week that if this study inspires them to stick with their schooling and study marine biology. In fact, one of our seniors will be headed off to the states next year to study marine biology b/c she was impacted and fascinated when she went on this trip in 6th and 10th grade. She will be returning to the DR after school to work with Reef Check. Neat huh?

Well, that was a lot of information, but after I learned it all I just had to share it with someone! Thanks for reading and learning something new! Check out pictures from the week here!

Duty of Delight

    In our devos this week at Fronton (the beach we were camping at), we as teachers decided to talk through the stories of Jesus and water. Personally, I always feel that when I hear the story of Jesus calming a storm or walking on water it's meaningful, but when I hear the story as the ocean waves are rolling in behind me and I can see the visible power of the ocean before me the story has a completely different meaning. I believe the stories this week had this same effect for our students as well. Our last day we decided to get up super early and have a sunrise devo, which is magical and majestic in it's own b/c it's just AWESOME!! Throughout the week, us teachers had been noticing alot of self-centeredness in our kids and not considering others before themselves, thus in keeping with our devo talks being our Jesus and water, we decided to talk about the ultimate example of someone considering others before themselves...Jesus washing the disciples' feet. We took buckets down to the ocean and washed our students' feet and then they had the opportunity to wash each others' feet. For the most part, they were serious and took it heart, yes they are 6th graders and washing your friends' feet has the potential to be funny and silly, but we attempted it anyway and I think for some of them they really understood the message. I remember my first time to engage in this activity was in high school and how impactful it was to read Christs' words and then immediately follow after his example. Let me remind you of His words:
  
  "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them." John 13:14-17

This is our charge from our Lord and Teacher to follow His example. This isn't a suggestion friends, this is a charge. Not something light and fluffy that we just need to consider. Our lives are supposed to be one of service to others. I have to admit that I forget the weighted importance of this passage and I think it's just something cool and different that Jesus did for his disciples, but that was not the intent! Are you catching this? If our words and lips confess that He is our Lord and Teacher, then we will want to do nothing else but consider others before ourselves, b/c that is what He did for us. Are you doing this in your life? This was a reality check for me and I ask that you check yourself this week as well. I am reminded of John Piper's book called Dangerous Duty of Delight b/c sometimes I think my life is a checklist of things or duties that I have to do, but really it's a duty of delight. Yes, we are called to a life of a high standard and we have certain duties, but they are duties that we should delight in, not complain about. Take that heart friends.

Better Late than Never...

  Ok, so today is November 12 and I am just now returning from a week long camping trip on the beach with my 6th graders. As I sit down to write I open up my post list and realize I never posted my entry from Outdoor Education Week! Yes, that was back in September when I went with my 6th and 7th graders on a 3 day camping trip to Manabao, but better late than never right? Here it is...
    I'm sitting in my room right now, resting on my bed, after I have showered my filthy self from all the dirt and grime from camping with my students. No more dirt under fingernails, greasy hair or bleeding magi (devilish insect) bites. That has now been replaced with clean clothes, blow dried straight hair, and shaven legs! As appealing as the latter sounds, I actually really enjoy the dirt and grime. Is that normal? Normal to enjoy 36 middle schoolers screaming b/c they are having so much fun in nature? Normal to enjoy the sweatiness of middle school boys? Normal to enjoy the conversations of kids around a campfire? For me, yes.
    I got to see change and transformation in my students this week that I have never seen before. Literally, to see 6th and 7th grade boys worshiping around the campfire with an abandonment from peer pressure or what others think is beyond me. Seriously, middle schoolers closing their eyes to focus on the words of the songs we are singing is beautiful. No wonder the Lord is so satisfied when we are most satisfied in Him!!
 

process = progress?

I sit this morning with my Dominican coffee in hand, wondering what was my life like this time last year? The word "process" has been resurfacing it's head since I got back and I find myself wanting a tangible representation of "proccess". Now, I don't know if that really exists, but I'm out to find it. This morning I decide that process works over time and if you want to see process then I need to go back in my journals and see where I was this time last year. Here is what I came up with...a then and now chart if you will.

2010 Revelations	2011 Revelations
Church is alive and active and the teaching spurred several of my journal entries	Church is still alive and active; Spanish worship still cuts to my core with the lyrics
The Lord was speaking loud and clearly in my life through my small group, creation, and His Word.	I find myself listening more to my devotional by Oswald Chambers than I do digging straight into Scripture. Good thing our small group is doing an inductive bible study over Matthew!
I cried out to the Lord for I felt my time with Him was getting pushed aside because business.	I still struggle with business and balancing it ALL. I don’t know if we are supposed to balance it ALL, but I do know that time with Him is a priority.
I wrote a lot about my family and relationships; I analyzed, thought about my friendships, and prayed those would match to Christ.	I see growth in my family and relationships; I see growth on my part and others; I praise God for relationships that keep me anchored to Christ.

So, my question is does process = progress? I like to think so, but I know that we do have seasons of digressions, but if we are constantly choosing Christ first, then I hope I am always progressing towards Him. This is becoming a theme in my life and for this semester at hand. STAY IN THE PROCESS...DON'T RUN FROM THE PROCESS. Sometimes the process is really hard and requires a lot from us. Sometimes the process changes everything we know to be true around us. Sometimes the process is just to stay the course. Whatever your process is at the moment, stick with it!