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Hello again! Sorry for the severe lack of posts lately. I have been very busy with student teaching, and that has taken a lot of my "free" time. Also, I have been trying to actually live my priorities, um, in order, meaning doing the most important thing first. A new concept, I know:) Blogging just hasn't made the cut until now. I still love you all, I just knew you could wait to hear what's happening with us. The last reason is because Matt and I have been trying to spend a lot of quality time together before his TDY (Temporary Duty), for which he left today.

That brings me to the two most recent news-worthy events: TDY and Laryngitis.

Matt left this morning for San Antonio. He begins T-6 transition there tomorrow. He is currently driving there, towing the boat and hauling more stuff than he ever imagined. He thought he would live really simply while he is there. Choosing to bring the boat, however, meant choosing to bring the life jackets, the skis (all four of them), the spare tire for the boat, a friend's wakeboard, and various equipment for upkeeping the boat while he's there. He's also hauling the bike of a friend who will also be in transition. The friend is flying his plane down there instead of driving. Hopefully Matt will be able to catch a flight back here once in a while in exchange for Matt driving and boating the friend around San Antonio.

Matt will be in San Antonio until early to mid May. The drive between us is about 6-7 hours, so we should be able to see each other a few weekends. In fact, I have Spring Break next week and I will be going down to visit him then. It should be a nice trip, and I am excited to see San Antonio for the first time.

As for the Laryngitis, that's me. My voice was pretty hoarse yesterday, but still audible. Last night it grew worse. Today there was little voice to speak of, unless I had rested it for a couple hours. When I rest it for a while I can speak a couple of sentences before it goes fairly silent. If I "yell" it reaches the volume of a decent whisper. According to the Mayo Clinic website, though, whispering is even worse for your voice than actually speaking. Today I began walking around with a small white board in hand to convey messages. This is great for adults, but doesn't work so well for the kindergarteners. They just look at me and say, "I still don't know what you're saying." There's no telling how long this might last, so for now I'm keeping my mouth shut. Feel free to email me:)

On another note, regarding my Laryngitis, I really believe this may be a battle for who I will serve with my voice. Yes, there are certainly environmental (shouting for kindergartener's to be quiet for several weeks) and physical (my allergies and the acid reflux I've had in my throat for the last week or so can contribute to Laryngitis) reasons for theLaryngitis that I am experiencing. What Matt and I have been learning, though, is to look at the fruit a situation would bear. If a situation bears good fruit, it is most likely working for the glory of God. If the fruits are sour, though, it may be the Enemy attempting a stronghold in you.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control." Gal. 5:22-23 **I'll come back to this later.

In my Bible Study, I have learned that our beliefs are even more powerful as spoken words than merely thoughts. They are very potent. Therefore, Laryngitis, an inability to speak, is certainly a threat to the power of our words. God used many people in scriptures to reveal a greater potency of words we speak than words we simply think. This is especially true for prayer.

"It is written: 'I believed; therefore I have spoken.' With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak." 2 Cor. 4:13

Scripture also demonstrates the power of our words over our own selves:

"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." Prov. 18:21

A cursing tongue brings death and destruction (as its fruit); a praising tongue a life of freedom in Christ(as its fruit).

"The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell." James 3:6

It is harder to make your mouth obedient to Christ than any other part of you.

"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?" James 3:9-11

"For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:45

Our words are the truth of our heart.

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Cor. 10:3-5

I have several ideas rolling around in my head about this:
=The fruit of Laryngitis is an inability to speak the truth. The words I speak are potent, therefore, an inability to speak strips me of some amount of strength. The Enemy could be trying to defeat me. This comes at a peak time in Bible Study -which I know he doesn't like, and the very day Matt leaves for TDY. Without my voice, he sure could try to stir up some miscommunications and misinterpretations between us. We know all to well how dangerous those are.

=The fruit of Laryngitis is also an inability to speak against God or for the Enemy. In this way, if my words were about to get me into trouble and corrupt all of me along with my mouth, Laryngitis is actually a lifesaver! It could be God's way of saying something about my voice needs to be changed and put in check so that it can be used to glorify Christ. I have (clearly) been shouting a lot at school, at fairly innocent children. Is my voice too prideful or controlling? Is Laryngitis a way to prune my voice (take away the nasty, dead parts and leave only healthy leaves and blossoms remaining)?

=At the same time, God does not allow us to be sifted unless we need to be sifted. And his plans are complicated and huge. I'm grateful he created me with a mind to analyze even though I certainly can't understand the magnitude of all his mysteries.

I leave you now with two wonderful scripture passages.

First, Luke 22:31-34. Simon Peter was sifted. Remember how he was asked about Christ and denied him three times. Christ, however, knew "when" (v. 32) he would turn back and that this season of trial would allow him to strengthen his brothers. In v. 31, the "you" in the original Greek is a plural, collective "you," meaning all of us. Satan will ask to sift us all, and Christ -if we believe Him- will use the process for purification.

Finally, Isaiah 6: 1-8. The angel touches Isaiah's lips with a live coal from the alter. There were many alters in the Jewish synagogue, but it is believed that this atoning coal came from the alter of sacrifice. Atonement, forgiveness, can only come from the sacrificial blood of Jesus.

"In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." Heb. 9:22

The coal purifies his lips. This reminds me of the Last Supper, when Jesus washes the disciples' feet. Once humbled enough to allow Jesus to do this, Peter asks for Jesus to wash his hands and his head as well. Jesus says, "A person who has had a bath [cleansed in baptism] needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean." (John 13:10). Similarly, the coal need only touch our lips. The words from our lips have the power to save our whole selves. If our lips are pure, so will our heart (from which the words of our mouth overflow) be.