I Found God in the Valedictorian...

Our local paper had a great article highlighting local valedictorians from the Class of 2000 and what they are doing now (10 years later). All of them had B I G aspirations: a surgeon, a researcher, a movie star, a psychiatrist. Many of them continued in the field they chose when they were just 18, but some found a different path altogether...

Consider the valedictorian of Ohio's New Richmond's Senior class of 2000, Ben Wilson: He started college aiming towards becoming an orthopedic surgeon... But mid-way through his freshman year, he discovered that God had a much different plan for him. Instead of leading him toward a fact-paced and high-paying profession, God put upon his heart the idea to become a minister. I can only imagine the comments he might have received from people - "You won't make any money doing that." ... "Can't you just help out your church on weekends and be a doctor during the week?" ... "You did all of that work in high school 'just' to be come a pastor?" Insulting comments...? Uncomprehending responses...? People who just didn't understand why he was forgoing a career as a D O C T O R where there was money and prestige and excitement...?

Regardless of whatever input he received from those around him, Ben became a Youth Pastor at a local church. His response to those who would question his decision not to become a doctor: "We could say that God kind of changed my life and was working there, but I discovered if I were to do this for the rest of my life, I would not be happy. Money wasn't going to make me happy."


The important thing about this story is that Ben LISTENED to God in his heart. He heard a message - radically different from his own life plan - and he LISTENED and OBEYED.

My friends Bess and Jason adopted a little girl from China a few years ago. It was nearly a 3-year adoption process. I love her testimony regarding the adoption: They already had twins and a younger son; their family could be complete. But God placed small "coincidences" all around them: Commercials about adoptions suddenly seemed louder. Their daughter brought home a book about a girl adopted from China from her school library (the kids had NO idea their parents were considering it). They met a couple at a conference who sat right behind them and shared their own adoption story... from China! The "coincidences" piled up, and Bess and Jason realized that God was audibly speaking to them - directing them to find their 4th child in China. The process was long and discouraging - China tightened up access to their orphans, and at least an extra year (and duplicate paperwork!) was tacked on to Bess & Jason's quest. But they were patient and stalwart... and God rewarded them. Their daughter, Josie, has completed their family. :)

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

God has plans for each and every one of us - good plans... GREAT plans. Our job is to pay attention to His signs and obey. He "talks" to His children ALL of the time! It might be a small voice in the back of your head warning you "DON'T DO THAT!" or encouraging "YOU CAN DO THIS!" It might be in the form of specially-placed people in your life who open your eyes to a new path you hadn't considered. It could be a book, a show, a teacher - God's methods of reaching you are endless and creative. And while His ways might not make sense to you at the time, you can be sure He has your best interests at heart; you ARE one of his masterpieces, after all!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

Valedictorians should be filled with knowledge... They aced their classes, absorbed all of the facts/dates/right answers... They scored the highest... Their GPA lead the curve. You should be able to say THEY HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS... THEY HAVE "THE" WISDOM.

But true WISDOM comes from God:

Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God;
only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning.
Proverbs 1:7 (Msg)

Learn about God. Listen to God.
Hear that little voice in the back of your head.
Open your mind to the "crazy" idea that might just be the best thing for you...

Because God's plans are far better and more "exciting" than anything you can imagine. ♥

I Found God At The Bus Stop (re-run)

In honor of all of the parents watch their kids head back to school - especially this year, where I saw my youngest off onto his first school bus to kindergarten, I'm re-posting one of my favorite posts: Finding God at the Bus Stop. I wish I had been as contemplative THIS year - but in truth, we almost missed our first bus - it came early! :) Anyway - I hope you enjoy this Everyday Places rerun:

You know - it goes against a parent's very nature...

Let's walk our 5-year old to the bus stop. Sling an oversized backpack stuffed with school supplies on their little backs - throwing them completely off-balance. Put them on a giant vehicle with no seatbelts (let alone the Federal-approved, safety-tested carseat that has been a constant since the child was born!), driven by a complete stranger to a school with only 1 adult per 25 kids!

Yet every September, parents of kindergarteners gather at the bus stop with their cameras in one hand and the small fingers of their child in the other... waiting tearfully... and sometimes fearfully for the big, yellow bus to come around the corner. And every September, those cameras capture the brave 5-year olds who climb that first enormous step onto the school bus and turn around to flash a smile at the proud parents waiting at the curb.

The parents brains are swimming with
How in the world did my baby grow up so fast?!
What if they can't find their classroom?
What if they are scared?
What if the teacher won't let them go to the bathroom?
What if they cry all day long?
What if a kid picks on them?
What if they pick on someone else?


We're proud to see our smallest kids start that long journey of "SCHOOL" - yet fearful because this is a journey that we, ourselves, have traveled. We know what lays ahead on this road... the fun times, the hard times, the studying, the games, the tests (both academic and social), the angst, and the joy. We've seen and done it all. Some of us wouldn't go back and repeat school life even if we were paid a million dollars... yet we still have to send what is most precious to us - our children - through this journey because we know how important it is and that it is a necessary step in their life.

Did you ever wonder if this is the way God feels when a new baby is born?

Everyone one of us is a precious child of God - loved by Him before we were ever born:

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;

you formed me in my mother's womb.

I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!

Body and soul, I am marvelously made!

I worship in adoration—what a creation!

You know me inside and out,

you know every bone in my body;

You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,

how I was sculpted from nothing into something.

Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;

all the stages of my life were spread out before you,

The days of my life all prepared

before I'd even lived one day.

Psalm 139:13-16 (The Message)

God has marvelous plans for each of His children - but He also know how hard it can be on Earth - He lived it through His own son, Jesus. Yet God still places His children here to go through the journey of life... knowing that sin will tempt them, that tragedy might strike them, that hardships will try them. But knowing all along that the amazing experiences each child will have on Earth will be worth the trip.

So when you make that long walk to the bus stop and give up your child to the journey of school, remember that God is with you AND with your son or daughter. He is walking alongside you both, holding your hands, guiding you, and loving you. Just like always.

I Found God At The Bus Stop...

You know - it goes against a parent's very nature...

Let's walk our 5-year old to the bus stop. Sling an oversized backpack stuffed with school supplies on their little backs - throwing them completely off-balance. Put them on a giant vehicle with no seatbelts (let alone the Federal-approved, safety-tested carseat that has been a constant since the child was born!), driven by a complete stranger to a school with only 1 adult per 25 kids!

Yet every September, parents of kindergarteners gather at the bus stop with their cameras in one hand and the small fingers of their child in the other... waiting tearfully... and sometimes fearfully for the big, yellow bus to come around the corner. And every September, those cameras capture the brave 5-year olds who climb that first enormous step onto the school bus and turn around to flash a smile at the proud parents waiting at the curb.

The parents brains are swimming with
How in the world did my baby grow up so fast?!
What if they can't find their classroom?
What if they are scared?
What if the teacher won't let them go to the bathroom?
What if they cry all day long?
What if a kid picks on them?
What if they pick on someone else?


We're proud to see our smallest kids start that long journey of "SCHOOL" - yet fearful because this is a journey that we, ourselves, have traveled. We know what lays ahead on this road... the fun times, the hard times, the studying, the games, the tests (both academic and social), the angst, and the joy. We've seen and done it all. Some of us wouldn't go back and repeat school life even if we were paid a million dollars... yet we still have to send what is most precious to us - our children - through this journey because we know how important it is and that it is a necessary step in their life.

Did you ever wonder if this is the way God feels when a new baby is born?

Everyone one of us is a precious child of God - loved by Him before we were ever born:

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;

you formed me in my mother's womb.

I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!

Body and soul, I am marvelously made!

I worship in adoration—what a creation!

You know me inside and out,

you know every bone in my body;

You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,

how I was sculpted from nothing into something.

Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;

all the stages of my life were spread out before you,

The days of my life all prepared

before I'd even lived one day.

Psalm 139:13-16 (The Message)

God has marvelous plans for each of His children - but He also know how hard it can be on Earth - He lived it through His own son, Jesus. Yet God still places His children here to go through the journey of life... knowing that sin will tempt them, that tragedy might strike them, that hardships will try them. But knowing all along that the amazing experiences each child will have on Earth will be worth the trip.

So when you make that long walk to the bus stop and give up your child to the journey of school, remember that God is with you AND with your son or daughter. He is walking alongside you both, holding your hands, guiding you, and loving you. Just like always.

I Found God On The School Bus...

...Or rather, my 6-yr. old son did! :)

Turns out, last week, my son and his friend did a bit of witnessing to two girls who were trying to say that God didn't exist. All the way home, they told about the Bible and what they knew about God - and didn't back down at all!

If my six-year-old can have the confidence and steadfastness to witness to near-strangers (we don't know these girls), how could I not make sure I'm a witness for God, myself?!

Out of the mouth of babes... we learn a valuable lesson!

:) Take care of you today!
~Mags