Bloggin' for the kids!!!!!!

Well, today I said goodbye to 2 of my classes of Preschoolers. It really isn't goodbye, because thay will always be in my heart and prayers.I am so amazed at how every year God brings everything together(He makes everthing beautiful in His time Ecl. 3:11)It has been a good year for us. Well, starting in June I will be doing most of my blogging to my 3 and 4 year olds,so you are welcomed to visit me if you have a childlike heart(that's what you need if you want to enter the Kingdom of God) To all my little friends: I love you and miss you already..but I promise to stay in touch!!!

Coming down the home stretch.............

Today, we made posters in preschool, a tradition I have been doing for several years.I am a "saver" and so I collect items throughout the year that have a special "memory" (ex. helper name,name tags, picture with mommy on the first day etc.) Yesterday and today we put all these pieces together to remember our first year of school. As happy as I am at all the awesome things God has done in the lives of the children, there's a sadness that I feel. I have actually shed tears this week at the thought of letting them go, but I know that it's the only way they'll reach their potential in God, so my role will change on June 1st, from "Teacher" to "Prayer Warrior" (they are both challenging jobs)What a Big responsibility it is to care for God's little lambs,and yet what joy to watch them open up and blossom right before your eyes!!!All the "weeping" is worth it because the shout of Joy has come. And so, on Tuesday and Wednesday, when I open my doors and let the little butterflies go,I can sense a big smile from my Heavenly Father as I now pray that this will be another "generation for His Glory"!

The Lord is my Shepherd...........

In Psalm 23, David begins with a very profound statement: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want". In another version it says" The Lord is my shepherd, I have everything that I need".This means that if Jesus is our Shepherd, if He is our Guide in life, then there is nothing on this earth that I need besides Him. I have learned that as much as I love my husband and family,the calling of a teacher of His little ones, and all the abundance of blessings He has provided, Christ and Christ alone will satisfy my soul. His nearness is my good....In His presence is FULLNESS of JOY and at His right hand pleasures forevermore.....He is my portion and my cup, my lot is secure in Him!!!!!So, getting back to Psalm 23,its all about Him. When Jesus is the Shepherd of my soul, I have all that I need for this day, so I don't have to go looking for the things of this world to satisfy me( it's all in vain anyway).He brings true Joy, everlasting Peace and Hope that does not disappoint us!!!!!

Children are a gift from the Lord

Today,I spent half my day with 12 three year olds and 18 four year olds! We went on an "end of the year" picnic. Sounds pretty hectic, does it not???? But as a mother of five, and a Teacher of forty-three three year olds, it was a BLAST!!! I think spending time with children keeps your heart young. It makes the impossible, possible. Like Mrs. Masick(our 4-year old teacher) and me jumping on the trampoline for at least 30 minutes with the kids lining up to jump with us!!!(Got my wigglies out)Or the challenge I received from a little friend as I stood at a climbing wall, and he said " Mrs Ellis, you can't climb that" (I think I climbed it at least 3 or 4 times today). There's just something special about children that makes life FUN!!!!That must be why Jesus told His diciples not to send the children away, "for such is the Kingdom of God". I am so much richer in God, because of the many little feet that have crossed my path.Just a funny story to end :Yesterday,as we were preparing to pray at our circle time, I asked if anyone remembered where Hubert went, and Brice said " I know where: King kong" and Julian,( his buddy sitting next to him) started to beat his chest and make gorilla sounds.( I think he meant Hong Kong) :)

A heartfelt " Thanks" to my family..........

As Mother"s Day came to an end last night, I sat in my living room, quietly reading over the cards my family had given me,and tears of joy flowed from my eyes as I pondered the goodness of God for such a gift as "Motherhood". I am so grateful for my husband Don and his love and care for me and all his family. Thank you, Don for the beautiful poem you wrote me....your words fill my heart with love.And to Jeremy and Rachel, Sam and Priscila, Hannah and Enoch and baby Isaiah, Laura and Lew, and Charissa, thank you for your beautiful gifts: the many bouquets of flowers, the cards, the chocolates( I will share them with Dad) the music, DVD,my love angel,and most of all, your kind and encouraging words!!!! My heart swells with joy to be privledged to be a part of all your lives. And Lord, how could I ever in words thank you for what you have done for us. As Lamentations 3 says" Your mercies are new every morning, GREAT is Thy FAITHFULNESS" I love you all so much!!!!

A wise woman

This morning, in my quiet time, I read Proverbs 14:1 "A wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands." So I asked myself this question: How do I build my house? If we look to God's word, love is one of the essential ingredients, but not the world's concept of love, but Agape Love, God's unconditional, sacrificial,love. Another ingredient could be humility, before God and our families,knowing apart from Jesus, we can do NoThing(John15:5) Kindness is a good quality for building, but I can see that none of these are possible apart from the Grace of God. In my sinful nature it is so much easier to tear down my home with anger, resentment, frustration,pride. So how is this even possible, to be a home-builder? Zechariah 3:6 says:"It's not by might nor by power but by My Spirit" says the Lord.What are you O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain with shouts of "Grace, grace to it" I am encouraged to be obedient to God's word and walk in His Love,humility,kindness, all the while crying out for His Grace,His mercy,His help!!!!Thank you Lord, that it is by Your Grace,that we builders in our homes. Teach us to be wise, so that your Light can shine through us.

A word from Thomas.........

In the book "Imitations of Christ" by Thomas A Kempis, he says " When the Lord lived on earth He was looked down upon by people, and in the hour of His greatest need, He was left by His friends to bear insults and shame. Can you dare to complain when Christ was so willing to suffer and be despised? Do you expect all to be your friends and patrons, when Christ was surrounded by enemies and slanderers? If all goes well with you on earth, how can you expect to be crowned in Heaven for a patience you never practiced? How can you be Christ"s friend if you will not be opposed? Therefore, you must suffer with Christ and for Christ if you want to reign with Him." What an awesome word for today, just to realize that not everybody is going to love me or be my friend. Jesus did learn obedience" from the things that He suffered",so why should I always want the easy road in life? Lord help me to accept with joy, all that comes my way, knowing that I can store up treasures in Heaven by obeying you here on earth, reguardless of what men think of me, and doing it all for Your sake, by your Grace, to bring You Glory!!

Happy Heart Hubert

This morning, I posted a picture on my fridg of a little friend, Hubert, who is now on route to Hong Kong. When school started in September, Hubert spoke no English, so when Mom and Dad left him, a gut wrenching, blood curdling scream would fill the room and our heads would pound with pain. Mom decided that she would stay a few times so she could translate for him,but after a while we realized he was getting too comfortable and Mrs. Rubio and I knew we had to break the ties so Dad brought Hubert to school and only after a few fits of screaming, with lots of prayer, Jesus calmed the storm!!!! As we said goodbye to Hubert yesterday,I couldn't help but think of the miracle God has performed in the heart of this little boy!!His joy radiates to all who see him, and he has become a follower of "Jana Alayra" a Christian musician for kids.When Hubert sings, He plays his pretend guitar and belts out all the words in english!!!His parents are truely amazed at this transformation,and I lift my hands in praise to you, Lord !!!!!! Thank you for what you have done in this family!!! Keep them safe on their journey........

A Busy Time

I am sorry I havn't written . It has been a very busy time in our Preschool. Every year I work really hard with the little children to teach them what it means to "Honor your Mother". We work on projects, cards, and gifts, and then we have a "Mommy Party" where I invite all the moms to come and be blessed!! We started our celebration yesterday and just finished our third party today.(Whew,I made it) My theme this year was "Blooming for Jesus" and I talked about the importance of planting God's seeds( His Word, His ways) in these childrens' hearts NOW while they are young!!! We water them with our prayers, fertilize them with Faith, give them sunshine with our loving dicipline,and most importantly, set the example by loving God with all of our hearts. The children did such a great job showering lots of Love and we ended the time singing" I love you so much, I love you so much, I can't even tell you how much I love you" It was fun and even though My body is exausted, My heart swells with Joy! The scripture the Lord put in my Heart was" The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered" Proverbs 11:25 Thank you Papa!!!!

Habakkuk is my friend..............

God's word is so good, like food to our soul, water in the desert.In the midst of unexpected trials, like bad brakes on Laura's car, and a flat tire -car breakdown with Charissa on route 108 this morning , our Heavenly Father revives us through His Word! Habakkuk 3:17-19 says"Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail,And the fields yield no food;Though the flock be cut off from the fold,And there be no herd in the stalls-Yet will I REJOICE in the LORD!!!I will JOY in the GOD of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He makes my feet like hind's feet, He will make me to walk on high places. I think the biggest battle is not when the trials come, but early in the morning when we are preparing for the battle, by not allowing the enemy to distract us from having a quiet time with God or during the quiet time, itself. If, by the Grace of God, we "hide God's word in our hearts" then we will be able to embrace these trials "as friends" and rejoice, just as our friend Habakkuk did, and we will leap "like a deer" over the obstacles that come our way.

Happy Birthday to Lew

Today is Lew's Birthday!!!!!He is our son-in-law to be.I must say, God has been so good to us to bring such a Christ-Like man into Laura's life . His gentle spirit makes him great(like David, in the Psalms) and his joyful, happy heart makes God smile.Believe it or not,I am a blogger because of Lew. It seemed like an impossible task on this earth that I would ever enjoy anything with a keyboard! But then along came patient,gentle, Lew and he actually pursued me last Saturday,saying"Mom, let's set you up with a Blog sight. Thanks, Lew!!!! You truely are a gift from God, to Laura and to our whole family. We pray that God"s Grace will pour out on your life like rain,and this will be the best year ever!!!!!!

Flowers are smiles from God

One of my favorite things that God created on the earth are His Glorious display of flowers ,especially in the Spring. Not only the beautiful colors, but the fragrance, too! Years ago I made a little cross stitch picture for a friend and it said"Flowers are smiles from God" and it has stuck with me for many years. It seems like my Papa in Heaven always sends a bouquet just at the right time,through a little friend at school (dandilions....smile) or a sister in Christ, my Hubby, or one of my children. But God knows, and I always can sense a smile of encouragement from Him, and I always send up a prayer of Love and Thanks to Heaven for the gift.Corrie Ten Boon had a saying ......When people give you a compliment,receive it graciously as a flower,and at the end of the day, offer a beautiful bouquet of love up to Jesus. Thank you Lord for all of the smiles of love and encouragement you have sent to me this week through my precious friends!! You are sooooo good.

We love, because He first loved us (1 John 4:19 )

When I think about this verse, and the great love God has for me, His sacrificial and unconditional love it is hard for my mind to understand but my heart leaps for joy!!!!His love is the reason why we pray, for when you truely love someone you want to talk to them, to get to know them better, to please them. And so it is with our Precious God. He loves it when we take time from our busy day to be with Him, to get to know Him better, to show Him our need for His Love and Grace. In "Desiring God" by John Piper he says"Love is the fruit of the spirit, and the Spirit is given in answer to prayer{Luke 11:13).Love is the outworking of Faith(Gal.5:6) and Faith is sustained by prayer(Mark 9:24).Love is rooted in Hope(Col.1:4-5) and Hope is preserved by prayer.............Prayer opens the wonders of the heart to the wonders of the Word of God(Psalm119:18)If Love is the path of fullest Joy,then let us pray for the power to love"that our joy might be full" Lord, teach us to pray,with our hearts filled with Your Love

Is your heart glowing???????

"The bride of Jesus radiates the brightness of the Kingdom of Heaven wherever she goes.She is set on fire with the love of the Bridegroom and enkindles hearts everywhere. No one is a bride of Jesus who is not like a flame glowing with zeal for the Kingdom of God. Yet she does not glow in and of herself, for like everyone else she is a poor, erring sinner.But she lives in union with Him who is flaming Love and who has become her Bridegroom. She becomes the grain of wheat that dies so that it may bear fruit........Jesus, the sourse of life for all men,is the Fire of God , the Sun of the whole world ,the Hearth of Love . Will He not inflame the heart of His bride as well????? So, How is your heart doing?????

How Gearge Mueller started his day............

This morning , as I was reading "Desiring God" by John Piper, a wonderful example of how my day should begin came through the words of George Mueller:"Isaw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord.The first thing to be concerned about was not, how much I might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord, but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished.Wow!!!!! Even back in Gearge's day, He learned the blessing of "choosing life" or as I would say a "happy heart" at the start of his morning. I pray this today for all of my family and friends:That you would choose Life,by loving the Lord your God,by holding fast to Him and obeying His voice(Duet.30) His joy will be your strength,whatever come your way!!He loves to see His children "walk in His truth",His word His ways.

How time flies!!!!!!

Wow,it's hard to believe it is already May, my last month of teaching school (until the fall) All my little ones are preparing to move on to the next stage of life......and I as their teacher have to prepare them and then let them go.It is always a bittersweet time for me, like watching little caterpillars turn into butterflies and then opening the jar and watching them fly away.....I love what I do,and thank God continually for the job He has assigned me to for this season of my life.My heart's desire is that all the seeds Mrs. Rubio and I have planted in their precious hearts will continue to grow and that Jesus will be glorified in these children(even when I am long gone) "Teach us to number our days,O Lord,that we might present a heart of wisdom"Ps.92