MY BLOG POSTS
How to Drive a High School Teacher Crazy
1. Ask, “Are we doing anything today?” every day.
2. When you miss a day, ask “Did we do anything yesterday?”
3. Every time your teacher introduces a new concept, ask “When will I need this in real life?”
4. Ignore the note on the Homework board, the information on the online lesson plan, and the repeated verbal reminders and react in shock and horror when you’re told to clear your desk for a test.
5. Assume all your teachers get together and plan how to make your particular life miserable.
6. Grab your backpack and stand by the door, like a prisoner waiting for his release, at least five minutes before the bell rings.
7. Ignore the directions for an assignment and then get angry when points are deducted for failing to follow said directions.
8. Go ahead and have a loud conversation in the middle of class, while your teacher is trying to teach a lesson that you might need in real life and will definitely need on the test.
9. Vehemently deny having had a loud conversation during class when you receive a disciplinary note for that infraction.
10. Never consider that your teacher really does have your best interests in mind and might – possibly – know a little something you don’t know.
Resolved to Rejoice
I planned to write a first-post-of-the-year about how awful 2014 was. I had it all planned out in my mind: Lots of whining and “nothing is going my way” and “woe is me” stuff. Pretty powerful. Incredibly pathetic.
But God has been working on me, and He has made me see that the problems with this year weren’t problems with my circumstances. They were problems with my attitude.
Things aren’t going my way, and instead of dealing with that reality and accepting that the world does not revolve around Krista
McGee, I have gotten angry. That self-centered anger has colored everything thing I’ve seen and done; it is like a hundred-pound weight that I have chosen to drag around everywhere, upset that it’s there, but refusing to throw it off.
I don’t want to bring that weight into 2015. And, contrary to the lies I have been feeding myself for months, I don’t have to. My circumstances may not change (and honestly, they aren’t that bad), but my attitude can.
The battle is in my mind – in the thoughts I allow in. If I dwell on what is not true, not honorable, not just, not lovely or excellent or good (Phil. 4:8), I will not be able to rejoice (Phil. 4:4), and I will not have the peace that passes all understanding (Phil. 4:7). But if I do what those scriptures teach, I will experience the joy that comes, not from life going the way I way I want it to go, but from God.
Because the battle is in my mind, I need to consciously change how I am thinking. I need to declare war on the negative thoughts 
that vie for my attention. So I downloaded an app called Fighter Verses – it has one verse a week to memorize. I make that verse my lock screen, and look at it throughout the day. When the “woe is me thoughts” enter, I replace them with my verse for the week. I dwell on that, meditate on it, let it fill all those spaces in my mind that have been fertile ground for anger and discontentment.
It is a battle, and I know that it will continue. But I am resolved to choose to seek God and not my own selfish desires. I am resolved to rejoice.
My 10 Favorite Books of 2014
This is TOUGH, folks. I read a lot, and I like most of what I read (if I don’t like it after 50 pages, I stop reading). So I limited this list to what I read most: Christian fiction. And it is in no particular order. I loved, loved, loved all these stories!
Please share your favorites with me as I make my To Be Read list for 2015!
I love Jenny B Jones, and I was thrilled to see that she is writing again, after what – to me – was a lengthy hiatus! Though this is a continuation of her Katie Parker series, which I have not read, I had no problem jumping into Katie and Charlie’s sweet story. Jenny’s trademark wit and oh-s0-believable characters puts this book on my “will read again” pile.
This book. The ONLY thing about it I didn’t like is that the next book in the trilogy isn’t out until JUNE, and I got – hair flip – an advanced copy, so I read this baby almost a year ago. I am DYING, Mary! Still feeling readerly whiplash from all those plot twists, but so ready to find out what happens next!
I am a sucker for first love lost/found stories, and this book adds an interesting twist on that storyline. It is sweet, with depth and humor and so much heart. Becky Wade sure knows how to write a great love story!
Set in antebellum Nashville, this book has so much that I love: a plain heroine (even “regular” girls need love stories!) whose faith, intelligence, and compassion wins over the hero (Jane Eyre, anyone??). I so enjoyed getting dropped into my home state and seeing it as it may have been a century and a half ago. Better than sweet tea!
Heather Burch is unbelievably versatile. Her last books – the Halflings trilogy – were amazing: supernatural YA Christian fiction. This one is a total departure from that genre: contemporary fiction with a historical flavor. Burch is a master storyteller, and I hope she has another book coming out soon. I am definitely a fan!
I bought this book the day it came out. Francine Rivers and 1950s Hollywood?? I couldn’t wait to dive in. And I wasn’t disappointed. She remains one of my favorite authors – able to blend amazing stories with deep truths so beautifully. Francine Rivers points to Christ in every book she writes, and I LOVE that about her.
Denise Hunter can write a great story. I love her fictional Chapel Springs: its residents, its quirks, and its stories. So good. But beware – this book is hard to put down!
What’s better than a good mystery? A good mystery set in 1930s England with smart, clever Drew Fathering solving it. I love this character! He and fiance, Madeline’s, banter is reminiscent of William Powell and Myrna Loy in “The Thin Man” films (if you’ve never seen these, you MUST! Now. Go!).
This is the fourth in the Alaskan Courage series, and they just keep getting better! Pettrey makes Alaska so real, you’ll get a chill as you’re reading. The plots move fast and the characters feel like friends. The next in the series comes out in less than a month. I can’t wait!
Katherine Reay’s debut novel, Dear Mr. Knightly, was so fantastic – contemporary novel saturated with Jane Austen references? Yes, please! But it was so amazing that I wondered if Reay could possibly do it again. But she did! This has more of a sister-romance than anything else – very Jane and Cassandra, Eleanor and Marianne. I loved the depth of character Reay brings, the humanity, the faith. A heartwarming read for Austen-lovers and (gasp) non-Austenites alike.
The Best GPS
A friend of mine told me about the Waze app last year – it’s a GPS that not only tells you the best way to a particular destination, but also which routes have traffic delays at any given time. Others using the Waze app can add their comments – an accident reported an hour ago might be cleared now; a police officer is hidden under an overpass; get into 
the left lane early because the right lane is closed. It’s fantastic. While the app can’t make traffic delays go away, it can make those delays bearable – and it can tell us how to get around the worst part of them.
For example, we were driving back from Tennessee yesterday when we hit terrible traffic on I-75 north of Atlanta. It was frustrating to go from 75 mph to 15. Especially when the traffic was backed up as far as we could see, and we had no idea what was going on, how long it would last, or anything. But then, I opened up Waze, saw there was an accident 4 miles ahead. Waze rerouted us around the accident itself. It still took longer than normal to get through Atlanta. But not as long as it could have taken. Plus, there is something comforting about knowing there is an end in sight, rather than just seeing the long lines of cars stretching far into the horizon.
It made me think: God’s Word is a lot like that app. Infinitely better, of course, seeing as it was written by the Creator of the universe and all. Here’s what I mean: In this life, we are not guaranteed paths that are free of all obstacles. In fact, we are told over and over again that we WILL face trials, temptations, difficulties. Sometimes, when we see those, we can get frustrated, upset. We can want to get off God’s path – it’s so hard! – and just go our own way. But those paths are always dangerous.
When faced with “stand-stills” or unexpected delays in our “travels”, we must look to God’s word. In that, we can find direction. The Psalms and Proverbs tell us time and again that if we put our trust in God, He will make our paths straight. The epistles give us practical helps for how to live – what to do, what not do – so we can avoid the worst of the difficulties. Every book in God’s amazing word is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (II Tim, 3:16).
So if the life path you’re on right now seems to be at a stand still – or even if it’s not! – open up God’s word, ask for direction. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Prov. 3:5-6)