Grace Before Peace

A choice... "Sarah, just think, I could be in heaven soon!" How does one respond to that? July 2018 was the beginning of one of those times in my life when I had a choice, a choice that could make an impact broader than my blind eye can see. When faced with the excitement of a saint about to enter into their eternal reward my choices were, I could live out what I say I believe and be excited with her or I can run away in fear, unbelief, and cry out in selfishness for this time to not come. With a matriarch like my Bema leading the way, setting the example of living out your faith, my choice was a much easier and joyful than I imagined. On going learning... I can remember months after my mother passed away and even now nearly 20 years later my human heartache creeping in saying, "Why MY mom? I needed/need her! I have so many things to say, to ask, memories to make. WHY?!" I can never get far down that path of thinking before I hear this whisper to my heart ...

Not all college assignments were dreaded, for the most part I actually loved college, loved learning, loved being given a challenge to overcome. However, something I hated in my college education classes was the reflections! Literally hundreds of them that I have written over the course of 4 years and 14 years of various teaching roles. Answering the same questions over and over with each lesson prepared and lesson taught. What was your objective? How do you plan to meet that objective? How does it tie to previous learning yet build knowledge for the next lesson to be learned (scaffolding 😝)? Did you meet your objective? How did you adjust your objective and lesson to accommodate for various learners or unexpected situations?? Reflect, reflect, reflect Fast forward 14 years from college graduation, almost cried out loud typing that out!! 😢 Pretty sure a new wrinkle just popped out on my forehead too.😰 Anyway, today I find myself longing for more time to just reflect! I don’...

Better late than never... This morning as I was coming in to school for the second time (the first time was at 7:30am to prep my classroom  for my students before going to observe my mentee across town) as I walked in just a few minutes after the tardy bell I saw a student hurrying in to class and with an guilty smile on his face and a fresh Starbucks in hand said "Good Morning Mrs. Bartmier, I am little late." I had a couple of options for my response: Option 1) "Really? I hadn't noticed! Hope that Starbucks is good because another tardy on your attendance is a downward spiral that leads straight to detention." Option 2) "Well better late than never, lets get to work." Not sure which response is politically correct according to the Danielson frameworks but I went with option 2. When I started this blog I had every intention of posting at least monthly and yet here is it a year after my last post and a fresh no bake cookie in hand... Better late...

"Just wanted to let you know I was praying for you today to finish this school year strong and encouraged..."  27 O Jacob, how can you say the LORD does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights? 28 Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. 29 He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. 30 Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. 31 But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:27-31 (NLT) 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is wit...

Monday evening, I am finally setting down from a busy day of getting my family off to school, teaching high school, going to a t-ball game, getting my kiddos in bed, and laundry... Oh the never ending laundry. You know what I am talking about... those piles and piles of clothes with the pungent aroma, definitely a not so scentsy like fragrance wafting into the air. No matter how clean and organized my house is if it doesn't smell fresh I can't handle it.I turn in to a crazy person hunting down whatever is causing the funk; toys flying, crawling under beds, and furniture being moved until I find the stinky sock keeping my child's room from smelling... well less dirty sock like. I know, I know.... I am not totally naive to think that I will ever truly keep a fresh scent in my boys room but I'll give it my best effort! Tonight as I tucked the kids in I grabbed the laundry basket and every stray dirty sock and underwear I could locate (yes I found them in the toy box, leg...

   Today begins a new journey for me, but yet not so new. While I am a new "blogger" I have been a journal-er since I was 10 years old. I was given my first journal as a gift from a church friend,  I had never journaled before but I knew immediately this idea of expressing ones thoughts, dreams, fear, prayers, and greatest desires through the written word would be a life long passion for me after my first entry.     I have filled several journals over the years, some with sweet quiet time memoirs from God's word, some with sweet innocent childhood fantasies, and some with great sorrow; page after page of tear stained words. While I don't linger on the these writings, on occasion I am drawn in to the writings of my childhood and get mesmerized by the constant thread of God's hand all the way through my teens, college days, and early married years. I am amazed, humbled, and inspired by His constant hand holding mine through every path I have traveled.   ...