2010 was a God-given adventure

2010 was certainly an adventure in following God. I compiled a list like this last year, and I wanted to do one again to track the rollercoaster God brought Brad and I through this year.

January--rung in the new year with friends from First Baptist of Lake Orion.

February--unexpectedly contacted Dr. Hubbard, administrator at Inter-City Baptist, about teaching at IC in the fall

March--was offered the job at IC, took more time to pray about the decision, and accepted the position, completely stepping out on faith that God would provide for the details

April--traveled to Florida for spring break with my family. Sunshine and vacation are always blessings. :-) Had to inform administration/teachers/students about our decision to leave Genesee. Saying goodbye was extremely difficult.

May--continued teaching at Genesee Christian and enjoying the last weeks I had with my kiddos and fellow teachers.

June--officially left Genesee Christian as a teacher. Brad was offered a job at Mercedes-Benz Bloomfield (not in music, but it paid the bills). We also adopted our cute little 7-week-old blue pit bull, Padawan. (She's now 71 pounds, but who's keeping track?)

July--house offers fell through left and right in Lincoln Park, but God provided a bungalow in Southgate for us to rent. He also brought a local pastor and his family to rent our Ortonville house. Huge double blessings. I began packing--again.

August--we moved from Ortonville to Southgate (fourth move in two years), and I began working at Inter-City Baptist School, my alma mater. The blessing of this month is that God brought us smoothly into the house and that the school year began well.

September--traveled to Oxford for school camp with the Sr. Highers. Getting to know them was so much fun. Our school finally got into full swing once we got back. God has really opened some of these kids' hearts to Him, and these students are huge encouragements to me every day.

October--This was a rough month financially, with some unexpected expenses. But God provided for us every step of the way.

November--Brad was offered a position with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in corporate fundraising. He accepted and moved back into a "musical" field. Having a husband who loves his job makes our home so much happier.

December--We celebrated our first Christmas in the new house. Being closer to my family was a blessing this year so that I could spend more time with my out-of-town family. I love them.

Like 2009, 2010 brought us closer to God in realizing He provides for us if we follow Him in faith. I've had the opportunity to step out in faith and point many of my family members to God's provision when plans fall into place. Both Brad and I love where we are, and I'm thankful for the God who has good plans for us.

Happiness is...

There's a song I learned long, long ago that goes something like this: "Happiness is to know the Savior, living a life that's in His favor, showing His love with my behavior, Happiness is the Lord."

I thought of that tonight while I was reading the January issue of Real Simple magazine. These authors were waxing eloquent about feeling happiness, the science behind happiness, and the psychology of happiness. Their definitions of happiness were about feelings and fun and "being all you can be." All were vain, empty definitions and methods of finding happiness.

Then I was reminded of Solomon. That man looked at everything for happiness--women, riches, kingdoms, etc. And how does he sum up everything? "The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person." Solomon tried it all--he could truly say, "Been there; done that."-- and he came back to God every time.

This has been a rough week, so I'm glad God brought this article across my path. He reminded me that circumstances will not determine my happiness. I can only truly be happy when I am living the life He wants me to live. Only God can grant true happiness. As I go into Christmas break, I'm praying I don't get caught up in the commercialism of Christmas (though I do love it) but rather focus on the true happiness He has for me--the message that Jesus traded the glories of heaven for a humble life on earth just so He could die for sinners. But He didn't stay dead. He rose and intercedes for me in heaven.

A living God who beat death and hell and has good things planned for me if I follow Him--now that's happiness.

Taste and See that the Lord is Good

Wow. I am in awe at my God right now. This last week can be summed up in one verse--"To Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20). In just a few short days, He's answered every part of my prayers above and beyond what I thought possible.

1. He provided a cute house in a pitbull-tolerant city. This house is in excellent shape, is incredibly clean, and has abundant room for our little family.

2. He provided renters for our Ortonville house. I prayed for long-term, responsible renters, and God gave us a local pastor and his family who want a 2-year lease. I never would've imagined that our renters would be fellow believers. What an incredible blessing that is.

3. He provided perfect timing. We'll move out mid-August, they'll move in Sept. 1. That gives us plenty of time to fix the things we need to in the house with no stuff cluttering the way. Plus, we have a 2-year lease, and they have a 2-year lease. Our first-time homebuyer penalty ends in 2 years.

My God worked out every single detail, and I cannot do anything but praise Him for providing yet again.

"Be Still And Know..."

Psalm 46 was an incredible encouragement to me today and completely fits the "dust" that is swirling around my life right now.

¹God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
²Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
³Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.
⁴There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
⁵God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
⁶The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;
He raised His voice, the earth melted.
⁷The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
⁸Come, behold the works of the LORD,
Who has wrought desolations in the earth.
⁹He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariots with fire.
¹⁰"Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
¹¹The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.

At first, I was looking for the verse "Be still and know that I am God," and then I looked at the context. I love how this chapter is describing God as our refuge--the world could fall apart, but then God calls me to "cease striving and know that I am God."

Let me explain the situation. In April, I accepted a history teaching position at Inter-City Baptist, my alma mater. At the time, Brad and I stepped out on faith--we had just bought a house in Ortonville so we had to figure out housing and Brad had no job. Since then, God provided a job for Brad, and it seemed like a house in Lincoln Park (we're renting out our house and then renting from my parents). The bank had accepted the offer my parents put forth, but then the house appraised for less than the offer. So my parents adjusted the offer (a whole $3K less than the original offer) and the bank said no. My parents offered $1.5K more, and the bank still said no. So the bank put the house back on the market, and we're left waiting--with about 8-ish weeks before the start of school.

So the past few days, I've been struggling with worry--will we find a renter for our house, but more importantly, will we find a house Downriver before then so we're not homeless? God's provided jobs for both Brad and me, so I know He'll work out housing--but waiting is so hard. Today, I was sitting on my couch watching my sleeping puppies and enjoying the sunshine coming through my living room's bay window, when the verse "Be still and know that I am God" popped into my head. I'm certainly not facing the end of the world, but the worry for my housing is constantly in my mind. I think God placed this chapter on my heart today to remind me of what I already knew--cut out the worry, be faithful to what He has for me today, and let Him work out the details. God will work out a house for Brad and me and a renter for our house up north, so in the meantime, I'll "cease striving and know that [He is] God."

I love what I do.

Being a teacher can be very stressful. I have spent countless hours grading papers and preparing lessons over the past two years. I have had to say "no" to my husband, dogs, family, friends, and fun things to finish things for school. I have cried and prayed for hours over my students and their families. Sometimes I wonder why I do what I do.

Some people look at teachers and say, "You teach because of June, July, and August." While, yes, vacations are a great reasons to teach, I would never be successful at this job (or keep my sanity, at that) if I taught for the vacations.

I was reminded of the real reason I teach while at lunch on Monday. I sat across from Bekah Barr, GCS class of '09, and we talked about all the ways God was working in our lives. The words of John came to my mind, "I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth" (III John 4). The reason I teach is seeing my students go on to live lives for God.

I've been part of Christian education my entire life--from Christian elementary and high school to Christian college to then teaching at a Christian high school--and I've seen too many times how Satan can get a hold of lives and turn them away from God. My heart has broken over friends and even family members who have succumbed to Satan's deceptions. But as I sat across from Bekah, I remembered all the students who have remained faithful to God and my heart overflowed with thankfulness.

I truly have no greater joy than to live Christ to my students (through His strength) and see them make their faiths real. I thrill to hear how God is working in my students and how they are striving to live for Him. I love teaching in Christian education, and no matter how stressful or dramatic things may be at times, I would never want to be in any other occupation.

Happy Father's Day!

I am very, very thankful for my father, Robert Raymond Hopkins. God blessed me with an awesome dad who guided me in the way I should go. He beat the foolishness out of me so I could become a woman who loves God and serves Him. I love you, Dad!

Smart cars are not smart for Michigan

The Smart car dealership in Bloomfield was offering a free 48-hour test drive of any Smart model. So Brad took advantage of the offer. We've been driving around this silly car for two days, and I have to say, this car is not smart for Michigan.

First, it's made very cheaply. I felt every bump in the road (and in Michigan, we have lots of bumps) and heard lots of road noise. The sound system is also really cheap. Sometimes I couldn't understand words to music because the bass and treble blended together. Our '99 Stratus has a better sound system. I say Smart should get rid of the heated seats and get a better sound system. Besides this, the dashboard is awkwardly set up, and the door is hard to open and snapped back at me if I didn't open it to just the right angle. With minimal trunk space, we constantly had to worry about things that would fit in the car.

Second, the car weighs about two pounds. Ok, not really, but it's really light. Last night, we got caught in pretty high winds and were being pushed all over the road. I realized very quickly that this car would be picked up instantly in a tornado. It also wouldn't stand a chance in snow and ice. The wipers were pretty useless, and the passenger side wiper smacked against the window frame.

The only advantage to this car is the gas mileage. We traveled about 600 miles on a 9-gallon tank of gas. That was mostly highway driving, but still, that's pretty awesome. If I had a job that I had to commute more than 30 miles one-way to and lived in a pleasant climate, I'd consider buying the car. But otherwise, this car is very, very impractical for Michigan.

"Responsibility is the way to get things done..."

Tonight I was reminded of a Patch the Pirate song I used to sing while growing up. "Responsibility is the way to get things done/ Responsibility is the best for everyone./ To do the things that we ought to do/ to take a job and to see it through/ Responsibility is the way to get things done."

The situation that reminded of this song was an incident with a pitbull in a friend's neighborhood. I don't know the situation, so I'm not commenting on the problem or how it was handled. I've encountered a prejudice against pitbulls in recent weeks because I have two pitbulls, and I'm moving back to the Downriver area. I can't live in certain cities because they have pitbull bans, and I would much rather live in a different city that give up my dogs. My two pitbulls, Stella and Padawan, are the sweetest dogs you could encounter. They are patient and play well with kids and other animals. They are obedient, and they follow whatever Brad and I say. But the key behind their behavior is responsibility.

Responsibility is defined by Webster's dictionary as "the state of being responsible, accountable, or answerable, as for a trust, debt, or obligation." A growing trend in our society is the exact opposite--run from obligations; don't be accountable. The news screams of people's irresponsibility--dog bites, parents running from families, debts left unpaid (ie credit cards, taxes, or mortgages--and when I mention mortgage, I mean that people sought to live above their means not the misfortune of losing a job). Our world would be quite a different place if people would just buck up and take care of their responsibilities.

How does responsibility come into play with my pitbulls? I'm accountable for my dogs' actions. Therefore, Brad and I took the time to train them (painstakingly and heartbreakingly at times), and we take precautions like putting the dogs behind a fence and having them on leashes when out in public. Pitbulls are naturally a powerful breed, and they get a bad reputation because people are irresponsible and either neglect or take advantage of that power. If someone is going to have a pitbull or any other big and strong breed, he/she needs to make sure the dog gets lots and lots of good exercise so that the dog doesn't vent it's cooped-up energy on negative behavior. Pitbulls are sweet and loyal dogs when the owners are responsible with them. Any dog breed can turn vicious (I've encountered many a cranky Cocker Spaniel or Shih Tzu) if the owner is not responsible--except you probably won't go the hospital because of a Cocker Spaniel or Shih Tzu bite. All the more reason for pitbull owners to take care of their dogs! I get so frustrated when people automatically write off my dogs as vicious simply because of their breed. Punish the deed (irresponsible owners), not the breed.

Responsibility is ultimately a Biblical principle (isn't it interesting how Biblical principles, when followed, make the world a more pleasant place?). God calls us to be good stewards of what He's given to us (Matthew 25; I Peter 4:10). That means I need to care for my family by paying for/keeping up my house, cars, and even marriage, or paying my electricity/gas bills, etc. I need to exercise my powerful puppies. I need to pay my taxes (whether they are high or low is a whole different topic) and be an informed voter. I need to develop the talents God has given me.

Responsibility, though tough at times, is very much worth it in the end. As the song states--"Responsibility is the best for everyone."

Padawan

On Sunday, Brad and I adopted this 7-week-old pitbull puppy. We tossed around ideas for her name for a few days until we settled on Padawan. For those of you who have not seen Star Wars, a Padawan is a Jedi-in-training. Originally I thought this name was dumb, but it completely fits her. She's been learning everything about life from our 3-year-old pitbull mix, Stella. My Stella and her Padawan have taught me several things this week.

1. I am selfish and impatient.

Now, I knew this already. But to successfully train this little pup, I need to get up at 4AM to let her out, keep my eyes on her at all times, and be consistent though she whines through the night. To stay calm through all of this is a challenge as well. But if she's going to be a good puppy, I need to keep up every part of this training.

2. A dog knows more than I do sometimes.

Stella has been invaluable in training Padawan. She has been calm. She has been patient. She has been a good example of what a dog in our house should act like. Padawan loves Stella, so she'll do whatever Stella does. (On a side note, I'll never get a puppy without an older, well-behaved dog.)

But overall, and on a more serious note, 3. I am a Padawan in God's eyes.

I think of all the things that frustrate me about Padawan--no matter how many times we praise her, she still goes potty in the house; no matter what time we take her outside, she may still go potty in her cage; no matter how much food we give her, she still tries to eat Stella's food; no matter how many times we stop her, she still chews (gently) on things she shouldn't--and I think, that in someway, I do that to God. God encourages me in the right way; He corrects me when I do wrong; He cleans up after my "messes"; He provides for all my needs and many of my wants--and I still fail Him. I'm a sinful human who will never be perfect until Christ returns.

But praise the Lord, He is patient with me. Oh, how patient He is. No matter how many times I mess up, He lovingly sets me on the right path. My dogs are consistent visual reminder to me of how my heavenly Father keeps training me, the Padawan.

"When will we use diagramming outside of English class, Mrs. Schick?"

For once, I was excited when one of my students asked me this question because I had a fabulous answer! I never realized how useful sentence diagramming was until I sat under Sue Hermes at Clearwater Christian College. I endured her Advanced Grammar class my senior year, but she influenced me to study a new way of meditating on Scripture--diagram the verses. This idea has resurfaced in recent weeks when Pastor Moreno has discussed the grammar behind the texts of his sermons. I diagrammed the verses in my notes, and Brad thought I was a huge nerd. "Yes, I am a nerd," I told him, "But I am a nerd who now understands her Bible more fully."

I shared this answer with my seventh grade English classes, and both of them just stared at me like I was crazy. However, I've used several verses as examples for their diagramming review sheets, and some of them have begun to see what I mean about the value of diagramming verses. I was encouraged by my review with them today because I found myself meditating not on adjective and adverb clauses, but on the content of the verses.

First, I meditated on Colossians 3:4, "When Christ who is our life is revealed then you also shall be revealed with Him in glory." This verse was more than an excellent example of an independent clause with both adverb and adjective dependent clauses. I thought, "Wow, one day I'll be revealed with Christ in His glory." As I've been reading through John, I've noteced Jesus constantly reminded his disciples and listeners about the importance of God's timing. He wouldn't perform miracles or disclose certain information simply because it wasn't God's time for Him to do so. This verse reminded me that Christ is just waiting for the perfect time when He will reveal Himself to the world as the King that He is, and I, His child, will come triumphantly behind Him. I'll get to physically follow my Savior and proclaim to the unbelievers, "See? We Christians were right all along!"

Second, I was encouraged by Romans 5:6, "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly." Again, God's timing is mentioned. The more I think about this verse, the more excited I am for what Christ did for me. I was helpless; I couldn't please God on my own and certainly couldn't seek Him. Yet Christ died for me, the ungodly, so that He could lift me out of this helpless state. I can now live for Him, find my hope, joy, and peace in Him, and seek to glorify Him with my life. I can love my jr. highers only because of Christ's work in my life.

So to my English students, sentence diagramming does have a purpose. It has an eternal purpose, and I love that I can point you to Christ through it.

Dashboard Dust--Everpresent

My school year is coming to an end this week. Growing up, I never realized my teachers looked forward to summers as much as I did. As excited as I am to be free of the responsibility of another year, this school year's end is bringing a whole new change. My husband and I are moving back to my roots--Allen Park, Michigan. I'm returning to the school I grew up at, to the church I grew up at, to many of the people I grew up with, and I'll be taking over the room of the man who first inspired me to be a history teacher.

This change inspired the title of my blog--Dust on the Dashboard. Have you taken a moment to notice that ever-present, ever-annoying dust that is especially nasty in the Michigan summer sun? I equate the dust to the many different avenues God uses to change me into who He wants me to be. The changes in my life are ever-present (and ever-annoying, as my sinful attitudes want to think) as the dust on my car's dashboard. I'll reflect on my life one day and think, "Wow, everything is great. My job is going smoothly, my house is in order, my students have been on track, and my husband is wonderful!" and then, God smacks me with a change. Just like when I clean the dust off my car's dashboard--it's clean for about a day, and then the dust is back.

All this "dust" has been challenging me. I have to be flexible to God's plans. God has moved Brad and me twice, going on three times, in our two years of marriage. He's blessed me with incredible students who challenge me everyday (in good ways!), and He's given me students who challenge my patience and love everyday. God's used many forms of "dust" to change me the past few years, and this blog will be the continuing account of the other forms of "dust" I'll encounter.