Check out my coaching blog! It's giveaway time!!

www.coachjenniferbennett.blogspot.com

Make sure to leave a response in order to qualify for the drawing!

Jen

Thought I would include some pictures of my "office" since this seems to be where I spend a lot of my time! I don't know about you (maybe because I'm just weird again!!), but I like to see what the "offices" of other people look like!

Luke and I had the opportunity yesterday to go and see Casting Crowns at the St. Pete Times Forum. It was great! We were presently surprised with free tickets via our friend's brother! It was so nice to get away and just enjoy some time in another area besides Clermont. It was also really nice to not think about work stuff, doctorate stuff, etc. It was a great encouragement to just worship God-which is something that has lacked the past few months. As I've mentioned before, my life is just too crazy. I really don't like it this way. I really need to begin thinking about what I need to do in order to not make it be so crazy. I guess it would be helpful if Luke and I were not so involved within our school. Here are all of my responsibilities:

* English Teacher (AP, 12th, 11th, 10th, 10Honors)

* English Department Chair

* Leading English department in curriculum review-will be purchasing new curriculum next year

* Helping to lead with the development of standards, scope and sequence, curriculum guides for the school

* Leading the student leadership program we hope to implement in a year

* Hired as the new Curriculum Coordinator for next year

So, in addition to grading papers, putting together lesson plans, reading a variety of literature texts for the different English classes I teach, and working on my doctorate, I seriously have time for nothing. Oh Lord, help me!

Anyway (back to the good thoughts!), the concert was a breath of fresh air and while we were there, we finally did something that I have been wanting to do for a very long time-we sponsored a child from Africa through World Vision. His name is Amadou and he is 11 years old (I wish I had a picture to show you!). I have really been wanting to do this for quite some time, so I am just thrilled that we have finally committed to this. A dream of mine has always been to go on a mission trip to those areas where families are in desperate need of life's necessities. So many times I want to help and make a difference, but yet, I tend to have no idea as to where to start. Do you ever feel like this? I figured this is the first step in moving towards what God is wanting me to do within this area, along with a step in possibly one day visiting countries who are in desperate need of so many of the things we tend to take for granted.

I sometimes wonder exactly what God is going to do in my life. I'm very happy with what He is currently doing, but I often think about how God is going to put together my educational background, coaching training, teaching experience, youth ministry experience, speaking skills, desire to write, heart for the poor, etc. I just can't help but wonder. Anyway, just a thought.

Well, I better run! Hope all of you are doing great!

Why does it always seem that the week goes by slower when you have had a day off? I don't know about you, but everytime we get a Monday or Friday off, it seems as though the week drags on. It's definitely what I am feeling this week.

Anyway, this past weekend Luke and I were not only able to get lots of school work done, but we had the opportunity to head down to Lakeland to meet up with my brother and his soon to be wife. They were in the area taking engagement pictures. Before we met up with them though, Luke and I decided to take a look at Florida Southern College because so many of my students are looking at attending school there. All I can say is, WOW!! I think Luke and I want to work there one day! The campus is located right across the street from a beautiful lake-lake Hollingsworth. While we were there, there were TONS of people walking the three mile walk around the lake. The houses were beautiful and it was just an incredible site to see. As Luke and I drove around, we became very aware of this "gem" in our backyard.

I have to admit-Luke and I are weird! We LOVE going and looking at college campuses. Maybe that's why we were destined to get our Doctorate. When we were in Charleston last summer, we made it a point to visit the College of Charleston. We just love looking at college campuses. One I still can't get over is Palm Beach Atlantic. The campus is WONDERFUL! You are surrounded by water and many of the dorms have water views! It blows me away! Another great college campus is Covenant College. This college is situated on top of Lookout Mountain in Georgia and the view is just amazing. Needless to say, I think we are destined to work on a college campus one day. Or better yet, maybe we need to start our own college tour company for students. Hmmm, that's actually not a bad idea! :)

Another "weird" thing we enjoy doing is taking our Saturday morning drives. We love getting up in the morning, grabbing some breakfast, and then driving around for a bit looking at houses and anything else we might see along the way. I know this may sound weird, but we LOVE it. It is our weekly Saturday rountine.

Lastly, I LOVE going to open houses! I love to stop and see what other people's houses look like. Some call it being nosy, I just say it's curiosity! :)

So, what are some "weird" things you enjoy doing? I'm sure you have at least a couple! :)

Can I just be honest? I have to admit-I am a HUGE proponent of Christian school education. This wasn't always the case. But after working in both a public school and a private Christian school, I have to say, God willing my future children will be attending a Christian school.

Now, with that said, I will say that Christian schools are not perfect. Here's the deal-I hear many people talk about how they truly believe that if you send your child to a Christian school, in turn, you are "guarding" them from things that they need to learn to face. I also hear many people state that they want nothing more than for their children to be "shining lights" within the realm of a public school. Let me tell you-Christian schools need students who can set the example for others. Christian schools are far from perfect. But with that said, when a student has the opportunity to attend a Christian school, you can be sure that on a daily basis your child is being exposed to the Word of God and the reality is, we all need as much as we can get.

If you haven't read the book, Kingdom Education by Glen Schultz, let me encourage you to do so. Schultz really presents some incredible thoughts when it comes to Kingdom Education. Here's the deal-by the time students graduate high school, we should have given them as many opportunities as possible to wrestle with the questions of life so that when they hit the college campus, they are ready to not only stand against the junk that they will face, but they are also ready to share the love of Christ with those that they come into contact with.

Anyway, food for thought. If I tried to write about everything that Schultz presents in his book, I would be here forever. Go check out the book and then let me know what you think!

Woohoo!! Luke and I have been offered the positions of Dean of Students (Luke) and Curriculum Coordinator (Jen). We are so happy! We've been feeling for some time now like the Lord is really planning on keeping us here for some time and this is just confirmation. We are both so happy to be working at the same school and in turn, we are just thrilled that the Lord has finally opened up positions of leadership for us! God is good!

Soon I plan on sharing with you some words of encouragement I heard the other night at a meeting for Christian women who are professionals in the world of work. It's a Christian women's group that meets monthly and me and a co-worker headed out and just really enjoyed it. They are also planning a girls night out that includes massages, chocoloate, facials, etc! So, needless to say we are trying to gather women from the school to go with us! Anyway, more info on that coming soon!

Just thought I would share the good news with you!

Well, things didn't turn out exactly as we had planned. Let's just say that Toby and Jack (our dogs) were all set to have a clean shave and bath, but in turn, Jack specifically, came out a little patchy. This picture does no justice to just how bad my little Jack looks! If you look close enough, you will see that Jack has quite a few bare spots on his body. Apparently, Luke did not see these bare spots until it was too late. Of course, when I first saw Jack, I could not help but gasp. Needless to say, he's playing it for all it's worth!

So, what life lesson can we learn here? Even though Jack looks horrendous and in turn, will cause anyone who see's him to gasp, I still love him and accept him just as he is. What's even more beautiful about this is that this is exactly how God sees us. Even when we are all "patchy" looking and just really messy, He still loves us and accepts us. He doesn't care what other people think-He knows us intimately and in turn, loves us regardless of what we look like and what anyone else thinks. And what's even better is that in time, those ugly bare patches are overgrown with God's love, forgivness, joy, grace, and mercy. So much so that pretty soon, not only will He not see the patches, but neither will anyone else because we have been cleansed with the blood of Jesus.

So, sweet little Jack, here are my words of encouragement. I love you regardless of what you look like-you are still my sweet little boy (yes, I call my dog my boy) and before you know it, those bare patches will be gone and you'll look just like you usual cute self!

Yeah, I'm not sure about this. Apparently, these are the celebrities I look the most like. Again, I'm not sure about this.



Here's another deal-me being morphed into Tiffani Amber Thiessen.

CRAZY!!!

I'm concerned. I'm embarassed. I tend to speak what I think. I tend to have people who disagree with me. Let me explain.

Luke and I just returned from a high school basketball game. It was an intense game. The two teams were competing for the district championship. Well, let's just say there was lots of yelling going on. There was good yelling and then there was bad yelling. I'm all about cheering your team on, but I'm not so fond of yelling out at the ref's when you feel as though they have either made a bad call or in turn, have failed to make a call. I'm also not so fond of yelling at the opposing team and in turn, saying things that are just not nice. This is what Luke and I experienced tonight. Yelling-yelling from parents. First off, the game was between two Christian school teams. As the yelling was taking place, I couldn't help but think about being above reproach. You know, those verses found in
1 Timothy 3:1-4

Yes, I know these verses are talking about those who desire to be a leader within the church-specifically deacons and overseers, but I also know that these are qualities that we can apply to our lives. And yes, I understand that maybe the other team wasn't being so nice to the opposing teams players and in turn, the fans were not being nice, but does that really give us any right to stoop down to their level and in turn, yell at the ref's and the other teams players? I don't think so. If there is one pet peeve that Luke and I have, it's parents who tend to have no self-control at sporting events that involve kids. I just don't get it. So, needless to say, I mentioned tonight that I was embarassed and in turn, was looked upon as though I was crazy for even feeling that way.

And please, don't tell me that I will understand when I have children. I can't tell you how many times Luke and I have heard this. In all honesty, it drives us bonkers! I've heard this way too many times as a teacher. When I hear this, I can't help but think-so, are you telling me that I will never understand, nor will I ever be considered a professional in the field of teaching until I pop out some babies? I don't think so. So please, don't tell me I'll understand once I have children. What I do know is that I will not allow my children to throw temper tantrums at sporting events or in anything else that they may want to throw a fit about. And I also know that I will always seek out the thoughts of my children's teachers before I allow myself to believe that my little precious children are always angels and that in no way could the teacher be right about what they have said or done. It's just not happening.

And here's another thought, I can assure you that children can be raised in a house that is less than 2000 square feet. But, that's another story for another time. I think I need to go to bed! :)

Well, here I am sitting at my desk at work, ready to go home! I could be grading some papers, getting things ready for next week, etc., but I would rather not. I'd much rather blog-write my own and read the blogs of others.

I came to realize today just how blessed Luke and I are. God truly has been good to us. One of my co-workers had to leave work this morning because she received a phone call from her husband stating that he had just lost his job. My heart goes out to them. They just bought a new house and like yesterday, they purchased a new car. Then, at lunch, I was talking to another co-worker who was telling me about one of the girls we work with and how she is busy spending her weekend moving into a new house. She and her family had to move out of the house they were renting because it was being forclosed on. So, they are now renting another house, but deep down inside, they want nothing more than to own their own home.

As I heard these stories, I couldn't help but think just how blessed Luke and I are. So many times I allow my mind to get caught up in the worries and anxieties of this world, all the while forgetting how truly blessed we are. You know, it's so easy to worry about tomorrow when the reality is, what good is it going to do you? So, as I sit here at my desk, I can't help but be thankful. Thankful for the home Luke and I have been given. Thankful for the car that runs well. Thankful for the job of teaching and being able to minister to students. Thankful for my dogs, cheap grocery store pizza, etc. Just thankful!

On another note, can I just say that Luke and I are doing REALLY well with our New Year money saving resolution! We are completely amazed at how much money we are saving by not eating out! It just blows us away! Now, don't get me wrong. Being that we had to take a few trips to Miami due to the health of my grandparents, there were a couple of times we had to stop and get something. But even with those few purchases, what we are saving is amazing! It just motivates us to keep on going!

So, here are my plans for the weekend:

Friday:
This evening-would really like to go to the high school girls basektball game-but really need to work on one of two assignments that are due this weekend

Saturday:
1. make our usual Saturday morning drive, probably grab some free breakfast using one of the many free Chick-fil-a coupons we have

2. wait for my brother and his fiance to arrive in Clermont. We are going to go look at houses in the area with them (love looking at houses-no really, I do!!)

3. work some more on my doctorate work

Sunday:
1. go to church

2. come home and work on doctorate assignments along with getting prepared for the school week

WOW! Doesn't my weekend sound like fun! What does your weekend look like??

Jen