it's 8:36 and i'm sitting here trying to tune out the murmur coming from the first period class. my student teacher, Maura, is floating around the classroom helping students on their writing assignments. she's gotten much better over the past few weeks. there's only s much you can REALLY learn in a 3 month time span but i really think she's getting the hang of it. there's still much to be learned but practice makes perfect right...ehhh...not so much as a teacher...a good teacher practices...and then thinks about their practices...and tweaks their practices...so they can practice some more....there's never really a "perfect lesson"...at least not as an English teacher....there is never one right answer....although Mastery sometimes will make you think there is....
that's another conversation for another day.
yesterday, we took a spring walk thorugh center city down to capogiro...our favorite gelato place. God, who am I that you are mindful of me? when i consder ALL that You've done in this world....You created it! the stars...the sun...the moon...the heavens..the earth...the birds...the trees....who am i that you are mindful of me? it really is amazing when i think about what God has done. He's called me now...He's preparing me for something greater than i can ever imagine or think. He's watering the seeds which have been and are being planted. He's growing me up....and i'm SO grateful that He's led me thus far. He could have left me a long time ago, but He remembered me all this time.
i looked at the man sitting in front of me. my soon to be husband. my soon to be covering. my soon to be seed-giver. my soon to be provider. my soon to be....June is a little over a year away but it's so soon at the same time. i'm waiting patiently for God's official blessing. i'm waiting patiently for Bishop to say those words: "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife". Wow. we will, before our friends, family, church, and God, make life-long vows to each other. for better or for worse. in sickness and in health. till death do us part. we will promise to love each other with the love of Christ. we will promise to continue to make God the center of our lives, of our union, of our relationship.
i know that God is going to get the glory out of this union. there's too much power.
Bishop said something really intersting at Bible study the other night. the enemy is strategic. warfare is VERY strategic...at least if you're planning to win. Bishop talked about how the enemy strategically went after certain parts of his church...first deacons...then the worship team...and the Holy Spirit told him that the enemy is now coming after pastors....wow...i really had to digest that. at the same time, it made much sense. the enemy would LOVE to see us fall and falter. if there's any church he'd want to attack violently, it would be Spirit and Truth because of the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of Truth preached. it's unadulterated. it's pure. it's about Jesus Christ and Him crucified. it's the real Word of God. it's the Word that destroys yokes and sets captives free. there is such an annointing upon the lives of the people in that church. the devil knows what he's doing....Bishop said, if i was the enemy, i'd be coming after this church too!
but the enemy is ALREADY defeated. the enemy has no right to the people of God. we WIN! we always WIN. we have the blood of the lamb and by it we have overcome the enemy. spirits of death, defeat, anxiety, worry, depression, oppression, fear...they have no control or no authority. in the name of Jesus, i am victiorious! we are VICTORIOUS!
yesterday afternoon, we had a 5:00 p.m. appointment to go and see the Horticulture Center in Fairmount Park. i had no idea it was there. deac. annell got married there almost 15 years ago, but she mentioned that it had closed. i ruled out the idea of having anything there but i mentioned it to ron. he did the footwork on it, got in touch with the sales rep, AND found out that they include up to 200 gold chiavari chairs in the rental price (SCORE! lol).
the first couple of places we scoped out were no bueno. the contemporary arts museum in delaware was....a whole bore, too far, and definitely NOT our style. the waterview on delaware avenue across the street from the sugar house casino...ehhhh....i could completely do without....boo. then i thought about what deac annell told me about a month ago after we got engaged. she said...don't worry about cost. of course...don't try to have this extravagant wedding, but think about the type of wedding you'd like to have if cost wasn't a factor. she caught me in the bathroom...i was changing clothes...on my way to take pictures of dominique's baby shower. deac renee was also in the bathroom...of course, in true yvonne fashion, i had a mini-breakdown. i really hadn't told anyone i was worried about cost. i'd already written it off that we were going to have a cheap wedding in the reception hall of the church. deac. renee chimed in and said, "i see the glory of God all on you....don't be discouraged...because you have the glory on you". they both encouraged me that it's going to be beautiful and that God will get the glory. that instead of trying to do it cheap or down size it, that this really will be a display of what God can do. deac annell said that deac bill (her husband) had lost his job while they were engaged and she didn't have a job. her mom was dead and her father gave her minimal money for the wedding. she says that everytime they tried to do something cheap, God blocked it. she said it was the beginning of her life as a woman of faith. God is faithful. God is faithful. He's able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all we can ask or think.
ron was late picking me up yesterday and asked myself, "is this a sign that we shouldn't go for this place?"....when we pulled up, i had a feeling "this is it." that feeling was confirmed as we entered th greenhouse which was set up for a bar mitzvah. beautiful greenery....simple, yet elegant with a flair. i LOVED it. then she led us outside to outdoor ceremony space overlooking a fountain...OMG! OMG! OMG! it was the perfect place that embodied US. a walk through the park...by the water...where we first kissed...(just do it already! lol). evening wedding...cool breeze....magical. and i felt peace. when she started giving the numbers...i felt peace...because i know that i have asked God in faith to provide the means necessary to secure the date, and pay for this wedding in full without strain or stress. wtihout debt. He will get the glory....i'm so thankful. God knows exactly what He's doing. EXACTLY.
funny thing is...Pastor Donna said it to me to and i wrote her off. she said, "we're kingdom folks...and you need to display the glory".
i'm praising God in advance for what He's going to do....not only on that day, but also i'm praising Him for what He's going to do through our marriage. like Bishop said a few months ago...when you're getting married now, it's not for you...it's for the Kingdom. our marrige will exemplify Kingdom living, Kingdom principles, Kingdom power.
Ron, i'm so thankful that God is a merciful God and that even though we've fallen, He does not condemn us. For that, i can praise God. He knows the plans He has for us...and my God....they are glorious plans....that we should yield completely to Him...that we should submit to Him...that we should bear witness about Christ...that we should display the glory of God...that we should walk in authority and power, preaching, teaching and healing in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
i feel Him even right now. i thank Him. I THANK HIM. not just for a wedding...i thank Him for life more abundantly now that Jesus Christ has shed His blood so that i might be redeemed. i thank Him for a renewed spirit of boldness and courage to walk upright and never doubt His promises. God is NOT a man that He should lie nor the son of man that He would repent. God is sovereign. i thank Him for using me. i thank Him for sticking with me through my mess. i thank Him for helping me clean it up. God you're merciful. all glory. all honor. all power to you.
HALLELUJAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
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