1Corinthians 10 is a reminder of how we, and people of the past, often feel trapped by the world around us as we search for an escape.

These days I have been amazed at how lifes challenges continue to bombard me through busy schedules, negative students, hot days, limited electricity, but God's Word and words of hope still manage to get through to me.

Escape is impossible on our own, but through Christ anything is possible. During this Lenten season remember to look not at the challenges from friends, work, busyness, family members, but to look further down the road at the Resurrection promises that wait for us.

Lifes challenges will never end, and neither will God's promises of protection and hope in eternity with him. If we can find that balance between doing our work and other tasks before us and trusting that God has control of everything, then we can hear his music to guide our dance steps even in the midst of a storm.

May His music always be stronger than Satan's lies and confusing myths. Let us find a way to dance to the cross together!

God is my Rock and Foundation

It’s been awhile since I wrote in my blog.

I was talking to a teacher colleague and friend yesterday and shared how I’m not a social person. Yet as a teacher I have to express myself so often that by the time I get home, I’m “talked out”. I’ve even started to notice that my teenage kids spend more time in their rooms these days and I think they are much like me.

With my teaching this academic year, I have committed myself more to planning my lessons in writing and developing notes for some classes. I’ve also had more writing for my women’s fellowship group since I’ve been leading devotions these past several months. I think that’s why I haven’t written much, I just feel “wrote out” and dry.

That’s not to say I don’t think about what I’m reading or journal sometimes about the sermons or chapel lessons I hear. On the other hand, I also have written fewer status posts on facebook.

I feel it’s important to have something to say, but sometimes I feel like I’m repeating myself a lot, especially when I lead devotions or write my blogs. Yet, I have to admit, that what I’m saying often does need to be repeated.

In our women fellowship devotions yesterday I shared a devotions from one book that chooses a hymn for each day and writes about the faith of the author and the meaning or story behind the hymn. Yesterday’s reading was about Joseph Gilmore, who penned the words to He Leadeth Me. The words were written as a poem during the US Civil War. They focus on Psalms 23.

These past weeks and months have demanded I place more attention on my lessons so that my classes are more organized and focused since discipline issues have taken more of my attention during individual lessons. Through it all, I have expected God’s guidance.

That expectation is one of the benefits of the intensity of my faith in God. God is my cornerstone to the foundation my faith is built on. I’m not afraid to question God, and I don’t doubt that He is who He is or that my questions will erode away any part of my faith. My faith in God has been tested over the years, but I have never wanted to disbelieve. There have been a few times where I wanted to set God aside so I could have a little “fun”, but it never took long before I realized that life without God beside me is no “fun”! Sometimes I was turning back to God's presence in a few short hours!

God is always there for me, leading and guiding me through life’s challenges and providing me encouragement and incite when I need it the most. He doesn’t care that I might be boring or repetitive or that I might shout a little and make some mistakes along the way. He keeps pushing me along when I feel unmotivated and loves it when I depend on Him. Where ever you are in your life and walk, I pray that you too can rest on a strong foundation of the Bible and the Truth and hope it offers. As a history teacher, I’ve noticed what happens to civilizations that lose an understanding of Truth and hope…eventually they either have a revolution or fall. In order to rise again they have to turn to God and have a vision. I’d like to say that they have to always focus on the Christian God, but I must admit that some civilizations have adopted other forms of belief, but I believe that that’s also why their forms of government continue to struggle. I can’t imagine life without a belief in God; I can’t imagine trying to live through life’s challenges without the hope and peace He has to offer. May you too rest in Him and never be afraid to depend on Him.

God, it's started again...

Tension again, cars burning, people dieing,

Shots in the air,

What's happening out there?

"Stay at home, don't go out."

Shots in the air,

What's happening out there?

School cancelled, events postponed

God, why has it started again?

School work sits,tests and projects postponed,

It's hard to read today,

When there are shots in the air.

What's happening out there?

God, why is it happening again?

Don't shut down,

Keep the pessimism away.

Let optimism and creativity rule,

Even though there are shots in the air.

Remember, God is in control.

God, let our dreams of peace, when neighbors can live without fear and suspicion, become a reality again.

This poem was written during the August 30-31, 2011 crisis. After my summer in the US I returned to Nigeria with the determination to live with a more pro-active perspective. This was written after I realized I was starting to shut down and just go on auto-pilot where I just live by responding to comes before me instead of thinking ahead to what needs to be done and planning ahead with more creativity and purpose.

Crisis 2010

This is day six of the most recent crisis in Jos. This is my second time around so I don't feel the stress quite as much and yet our life has been turned upside down a bit.

This was our second day at a new residence. My husband is concerned that we live so far away from the school where all the kids attend and where I teach so we have moved to a different Lutheran compound and may be here awhile. When we drove here yesterday the drive that usually takes under 25 minutes took about three times that.

There were many security checks as we passed through the areas where the crisis began. As we drove through the check points most passengers had to get out of their cars and walk, with their hands above their heads, until the got to the other side of the check point. Our police escort and the military we passed allowed us to stay in our car.

This new compound is just across the street from the school so I feel like Amson is quite relieved that we are here but the kids miss their friends and it's an adjustment to be uprooted. One nice thing is that my sisters-in-law came with us and the two other families on the compound have kids the similar ages to our kids so they can connect.

The other changes we're dealing with are that is that the flat we are staying in doesn't have light so by 7:00 pm it's dark. We are fortunate that the upstairs' neighbors are open to us charging laptops, cell phones and hanging out at their house.

There is still no news about when school will start. The first few days there was a 24 hour curfew and now it's from 5:00 pm to 10:00 am so it's a little hard to start school between those hours, though I suppose we could get creative if the curfew doesn't change soon!

Even though it's not easy on our family to be spread out between two compounds, our main concern is that peace can be maintained and that those who have been completely displaced and are left with only the clothes on their back, literally, can have their needs met and can heal from the terror they experienced.

I also reiterate what I said in my previous blog, in spite of all the craziness in the world I still believe that God is in control. I think it was during the second day of the crisis when one colleague called to see how we were and asked if I felt safe. I replied, "I feel safe in God's hand, but not man's." Perhaps those who have lived through a natural disaster have another impression, but I pray that they too can look to God for hope.