White Christmas

Christmas was wonderful!!!  We woke up to a blanket of snow covering everything.  There is really nothing like waking up to a surprise snow on Christmas morning.  The decorations were perfect, the food was perfect, the presents were perfect, but most of all the people were perfect.  Not because we as a family are perfect, but because we are perfect through the grace of Christ.  Because of him we are as white as the snow that was falling outside.  After the presents were opened and the food was eaten it was the love of family, having all things in common through Christ, that truly warmed my heart.


The Lord has healed and kept my family united through many rough battles and circumstances.  We have two new additions, of which, we could not be more thankful for in my husband and my sister's husband.  We are a work in progress but I can see the hand prints of God all over us molding and shaping us as he so desires. 


I also see the Lord working on Kurt's side of the family.  Specifically in the life of his older brother Shane. Earlier in December Kurt and I got a phone call from his parents informing us that Shane had been in a really bad car accident in Montgomery and is on a ventilator.  To make it short Shane was driving on 231 from Wetumpka to the Air force base in Montgomery for drill when a Dually Truck crossed over into his lane and hit him head on.  There are no break marks to show that either car slowed down.  Both cars managed to hit each others passengers side (there were not passenger's in either car) giving both drivers enough room to survive the crash.  Shane came out with a concussion, shattered femur, and possibly damaged tendons in his knee.  We are so blessed to have him with us this Christmas and all the praise and credit goes to the Lord who despite the painful road to recovery is going to do great works through him. 


I think about the hope the Lord has given to both of our families throughout the various seasons of life and remember where this hope started out.  It came to us as a baby in a manger, as the reason for Christmas.  So, what better way to be able to celebrate Christmas than with the evidence of that wonderful gift surrounding me!  I don't think it could get much better than that and I am so thankful and blessed. 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New year!!!  I pray the Lord does a mighty work in your life and blesses you in the coming year!

         

Great Love

 "We can do no great things; only small things with great love." 


This quote from Mother Teresa is one of my favorite all time quotes.  For one thing it is short, to the point, and easy to remember.  For another thing it speaks directly to me.  I feel like she is my mama giving me a talking to because she knows exactly what I am thinking. 


I am a big picture person.  By big picture I mean BIG picture.  I think of these great and wonderful things that I want to do one day: write a book, adopt a child, have this life altering impact on my students, work in women's ministry, get a masters in bible and trust me the list goes on and on and changes frequently along the way ; ) Each time my ideas begin to explode or I begin to feel like an overwhelmed failure because I am not accomplishing any of these great things that I dream up, I hear a gentle whisper that says, "Sweetheart, don't you know? (Can you hear him chuckle a little to himself and shake his head?) You, can do no great things; only small things with great love."  Then I, feeling a bit foolish at this point, am able to slow down and remember that it is not I but God who accomplishes any great things, and it is the small love driven things that truly make a difference in the world.  It is never about what I do, it is about how I love the way Christ loves.  This perspective gives me such great peace and joy, so why do I always forget? 


I think I forget because I am human.  I want to be great.  I have been painfully reminded of this through Beth Moore's study on Esther that I am currently doing.  We have been taking a close look at Haman's (Ironic that his name is one letter away from human) character and unfortunately I can identify.  To get the recognition and honor of the world that I crave, I must do "great" things, as a result that is what I find myself striving for. 


I am not suggesting to accomplish some things on my list of dreams would be a bad thing.  It would be a good thing to adopt a child or write a book, but only if the path that leads me there is paved with the bricks of small things that I am doing for others with GREAT love.

P.S.  I had to edit this and make the font black (I don't know why it won't do it auotmatically).  So I apologize if this shows up twice on your blog feed.

Outdoor therapy

It is truly amazing what some perfect weather, the sweet smell of grass, and a cool soft breeze can do for the mind.  Having lived the apartment life for a few years now I often miss the luxury of a yard.  Your own little outdoor oasis.  I did not realize how much I missed it until today. 

Kurt is the new baseball coach for Hillcrest Middle School.  Now, all you coaches out there know this little fact that I am slowly but surely learning.  The baseball field (or any other sports field for that matter) is your Jewel, your pride and joy.  Its appearance is a direct reflection on you and your team.  A field primed to perfection can intimidate the visiting team, make star players wish they played for you, and even give you a little job security ; )  Therefore, in the midst of basketball season field preparation is underway.  Kurt's Dad, a coach himself, understanding this dire need took his veterans day off and hauled his top of line lawn mower and seed spreader from Brewton to Tuscaloosa.  Kurt was up by 7:30 on his day off to eat breakfast and head up to the field for a day of cutting grass, spreading rye grass, fertilizing the seed,  fixing pitching mounds, moving back stops, and having basketball practice in between.  Of course I came along to help!  This included a lot of following, watching, sitting, and some reading mixed in there.  Oh wait, I did move some bags of seed and ride on the four wheeler with Kurt while he was spreading seed : )

While I do think this is a little amusing I thoroughly enjoyed my day.  I always love being outside.  I love smelling the grass, the clear blue of the sky, the way the breeze feels around me.  I love being outside in the woods, at the lake, at the beach, in a garden, at a park, or on a ball field.  It just always has a way of calming me and clearing my head like nothing else does.  Today was no exception and definitely provided me with some great outdoor therapy after a very frustrating few weeks (more like whole semester) with my methods placement.  I do not think it is any accident that I can feel God's calming peace the most in the presence of his creation.  Thankfully, after years with out a yard of my own it looks like we just acquired a really big one!

I have been a blog neglecting the ol' blog lately. You might be looking at the "Loving God and loving people" title pop up on your blog feed going now who is that again??? The truth is I have absolutely not been able to get my brain to coherently organize thoughts since this semester has started.

News flash: college is all sunshine and roses till your senior year methods semester hits (all you teachers out there know what I am talking about). Its all about this theory and that theory, this method and that method. Then, there is your placement. Can someone say reality check?

I am usually a very positive person. If there is a bright side to something you can be sure I will find it. That said, I left my placement today thinking, "Laura, what in this great big entire world, have you gotten yourself into?!" There really are just those days where I walk away questioning my future career as a teacher.

I felt so negative and put down the rest of the afternoon. But, after feeling sorry for myself for a little while I realized something. I am not doing this alone. I am not doing this by my own power. Whatever good comes from me as a teacher (or in general) is not my work but God's work through me. No matter how overwhelmed and hopeless I might feel in a situation my Lord will never leave me or forsake me. So, instead of whining and feeling sorry for myself, all I have to do is stop trying to drive! Give Him the reigns and he will do mighty works. That realization never gets old. I praise Him for that! This has no doubt been rough semester, but I can feel Him pulling me closer, shaping me, and teaching me. It is funny how tough times will do that!

On a side note, I am doing the Beth Moore Esther study and loving it! I highly recommend it to anyone looking for some encouraging time with God. As He usually does, God has placed this in my lap with the most perfect timing.

Hope y'all are having a wonderful fall! God Bless!

Laura

Vacation is over...

Well, I have been absent from the blogging world for pretty much all summer. We were in the middle of moving apartments and did not have Internet. Plus I really did not do much this summer, and it was one of the best summers ever!!! Kurt and I went to the beach twice, once with him family and once with my family. Besides that we spent some VERY much needed time together. So, there was really nothing exciting to post on. Sorry to all of my six followers, I am sure I was greatly missed ; ) But summer is a distant memory now with school and football in full swing (ok maybe not SO distant with temperatures at a sweltering 90 degrees).



I have officially started my forth year of college. I. Am. A. SENIOR! That just does not sound right. It literally feels like just yesterday I was stepping foot on campus for the first time, crying when my parents drove away, and meeting Kurt Prater at coffee house in the campus view room. I was such a mess back then. Correction, I am still a mess, but I love Jesus a whole lot more now and I let him take care of my messes. : )


Now campus feels like my second home and I am married to that Kurt Prater boy I met at coffee house as a bewildered freshman. It is amazing how many things can change in that four year span of college. But what a great four years it has been!!!

Ok, that's enough of memory lane. I am now in my methods block for education and loving it, but boy is it busy! My placement is for a 12th grade class so that is definitely an adventure and a reality check after my sweet 6th graders last year. It is going to be a great experience though. Hopefully it will toughen me up.

Kurt is coaching all three sports at the middle school this year! : o We are excited but things are going to be busy busy busy! Go Patriots!

That is what is new with us since I went on my hiatus from blogger. It is good to be back!

Smelser Beach trip

I keep thinking that not much has happened since me last post for me to talk about but it just hit me that is completely not true!

First of all Kurt and I spent the last week in June at the beach with his family. Picture this, 15 people (give or take a couple) in a three bedroom condo! Needless to say things get interesting, but I love it!

For those wondering, yes, I did go to Gulf shores, and yes, it was covered in oil. Kurt received a text message from a cousin that was already down there saying the beach was covered! Apparently, from what we heard the day we got down there was the worst oil cover yet for that area.

I knew Kurt was up to something when we hit Foley. After being on the road for 5 hours on lots of little two lane roads and getting a ticket in Bay Minette, Kurt says, "Hey I think I want to eat at Lambert's." I of course jump at the offer because our family had a tradition of stopping there on our way to the beach every year and I hadn't done that in so long! We had enjoyed a wonderful meal of catfish and good ole' home cooked veggies when Kurt informs me he wants to go walk around the outlet mall. Not, "Hey lets stop in Nike and maybe look at the Bose store," but "I want to WALK AROUND the outlet mall." Once we had gone in and out of a couple stores and are leisurely making our way around the enormous outdoor mall I look up at me sweet sweet husband and just get a feeling he is up to something. I suddenly remember the text message from that morning, and called his bluff! Sure he may have wanted to go to a few stores but his real agenda was stalling me from seeing the beach. This turned out to be just what I needed.

Thankfully when we got there, finally, the rest of the family had gone out to dinner. I went to the balcony and took one look at the beach and I quickly felt tears come to my face. It was this helpless heart broken feeling as I looked out on this paradise that I visited every year. As a child I built sandcastles, in those awkward middle school years I learned how to boogie board, swam to the sand bar, and played football on the beach with my friends, as a teenager I went on walks and sunk my toes into the soft white sand, soaked up the sun and relaxed in the breeze. Perhaps the most memorable was as a college student when I was proposed to on the sparking white sand that was drenched in the colors of a breath taking sunset sinking down into a blue green sea. These memories flooded my mind as a stared horror struck at the brown oily mess in front of me. It was as if this place was part of me, had grown up with me, changed with me, and even helped shape me. It is a place I love and it is being defiled.

This feeling of helplessness makes me step back and remember God's sovereignty. As terrible the explosion and oil spill have been God is still in control. Not me, not the Manager of the BP corporation, not the guy down the street, but GOD. The God who caused the ten plagues to rain down on Egypt so that Pharaoh would let His nation go. The God who promised Abraham to make him a father of many nations, and the God who sent his precious son to save a world of lost sinners. God is in control and I am not. I am very thankful for that!

The Lazy days of Summer (update of random happenings)

During my recent down time I have read Stephanie Meyer's latest book, The Host. I highly recommend it to anyone! It might take you a few chapters to get into it and fully understand what is going on, but it is definitely worth it! Unfortunately this one is not about Vampires. It is about aliens, yes aliens. I have never thought myself much of the Sci Fi type. I don't really even get into Star wars that much but I was definitely enthralled with this book. Just like vampires she makes aliens seem, well, normal. Now as usual after finishing a good book I am looking for yet another one that won't let me down.

On the topic of books, I also finished Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. I have probably been working on that one since January! This book was very challenging for me. It contradicted things that I have been taught, by American culture, to think and believe, but then again if I really look closely does Jesus not do the same thing? If you have read or chose to read this book in the future I challenge you to take your time to really think about what Claiborne is saying and the biblical truths that he is applying to his life. Don't just dismiss it for some radical Christan crazy talk.

My parents came to town over the weekend to take advantage of the extra bedroom that we have for the month. We had a great time playing cards, watching mine and Kurt's wedding video, eating some yummy food and just having a good time together with out an agenda. It has been a long time since we have just been able to sit back and relax with each other with out wedding planning to do. But weddings are done and it is so nice to be able to enjoy each others company!

Kurt and I are currently gearing up for a beach trip with his family. We leave on Saturday and I am ready for some fun in the sun and a cramped condo!