Permission to Slow Down

-

I’m a warm weather kind of person.  Anyone who knows me well is not at all surprised by that statement. I don’t like being cold and I always feel like I have more energy when the sun is shining.  I think I could be perfectly happy living in Southern California or Texas where the temperatures don’t fluctuate much throughout the year and the worst part of winter means you wear a hoodie outside.  Alas, that is not where I live and today, the second day of spring, March 21, 2018, we are getting blasted with several inches of snow here in Loudoun County.  I can’t say I’m thrilled about it, but one positive is that the snow forces me to slow down.  Knowing what was coming for us today, and that Loudoun Schools would be closed (therefore cancelling several huddles and meetings I had for the day) last night I felt permission to turn off my alarm for this morning and sleep in until (gasp) almost 7am.  For one reason or another, I haven’t been able to do that in weeks, and I woke up feeling so refreshed. 
I will still send some emails and reach out to students today, knowing that they are likely sitting at home watching Netflix.  And in a bit, I will head outside to shovel my driveway.  But I will also take some time to rest, and read, and maybe do something creative.  I’m not sure if it’s my personality or a product of living in this area, or a combination of the two, but I often struggle to relax as a voice in my head pressures me to “get going and be productive!”  After I get a few things done this morning, though, I trust that God will use this snow to dampen that voice enough so that I can curl up on the couch with a blanket, some tea, and a book.  I don’t tend to wish for snow now that I am no longer a school teacher, but today I will appreciate the rest and quiet it provides and the chance to reflect on God’s goodness lately, because He is so good.  Every day.
Here are some highlights from this past week:
Playing Train Wreck with the Huddle at Brambleton Middle School

Awesome discussion with the students at Farmwell Station Middle (see last post)
Wachichi (a favorite game) with the huddle at Potomac Falls HS
Character Coaching with the Potomac Falls Girls Lacrosse Team
 
Attending the FCA Remarkable Girls Conference with one of my BWHS Leaders 

Got to chat a bit again with Mo Isom, our speaker for the Remarkable Girls Conference.

The girls enjoyed hearing from University of Maryland soccer players who are balancing sports and faith in college.

Our Loudoun FCA staff and volunteers had a blast at the RGC, clearly!











Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What's it like to work with Loudoun students?

-
Over the past two-ish years since I started this FCA journey, I’ve had the opportunity to meet FCA staff from all over the United States and the world.   It’s always interesting to talk to people who are doing ministry in different places.   There are times when it’s helpful because you learn that many people face similar challenges to do ministry in their places.   But there have also been times when I realize how different Loudoun County is from other parts of the US (and even other parts of Virginia!).   Virginia might be considered a southern state in the general sense, and parts of Virginia definitely fit into “Bible-belt” culture, but Loudoun County certainly does not.   Compared to other counties in the southern part of the state, Loudoun is far more diverse, affluent, and highly educated.   It is not the norm to call oneself a Christian here.   Our schools have a wide variety of cultures and religions represented, and although that can create some challenges for ministry, it’
Read more

The Idolatry of Safety

-
My favorite scene in C.S. Lewis’s book, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe is when the children are learning about Aslan, the Christ figure in the books, for the first time.  In the scene, Susan, Lucy, and their brothers are talking to Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, who inform them that Aslan is likely not exactly what they expect: “Aslan is a lion – the Lion, the great Lion." "Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he – quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"... "Safe?" said Mr. Beaver ..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.” He’s not safe.  But He’s the King.  How often do I live in a way that equates safety with God’s goodness?  I mean, this is crazy thinking, right?  But don’t we all feel this way sometimes?  Even though the Bible clearly says that following Jesus means taking up your cross (which doesn’t sound very safe to me)
Read more

Step by Step

-
Image
Tomorrow morning I leave for my first FCA camp of the summer, Virginia Leadership Camp.   My role at this camp and our upcoming multi-sport camp at the University of Richmond is Huddle Leader Coordinator.   I love this role because it means I get to the camp early and train and equip the college athletes who will then lead the middle and high school students attending the camp.   If I’m honest, over the past couple of weeks, I’ve spent more mental energy stressing about filling these Huddle Leader roles than I have spent praying about it, forgetting that the battle is not mine, but God's (2 chronicles  20:12 ). What if, every time I start to feel my anxiety elevate, I pause and praise God in the midst of the battle? What kind of great blessing would I see then, both for our camp in and in my own life?   I believe the enemy knows that students’ and coaches’ lives are changed at camp and he will do whatever he can to discourage us before we even get there.   I need to remind myself
Read more