Monday, January 11, 2016

Being a Christian Teacher in a Secular World




It is no secret.  I am a Christian. I neither hide it nor deny it. I profess it often only because it is such an integral part of who I am. Many of my choices are based on my beliefs. Sometimes my choices do not reflect my Christianity very well. I tend to over rationalize, become a ball of anxiety, and judge others when their work is not up to par based on my opinion. Yup, I have flaws. In fact, I am a flawed ridden mess, but I have a God who loves me and works on me each day. On the days where I leave my house determined to be better, I usually fail miserably at my attempts. It is on the days where I place everything in His hands that I actually manage to get things (or a portion of), right. I'm far from where I want to be but I'm also very far from where I used to be. I am here simply by His unmerited grace.


I must admit, that this post has been a draft for over 2 months. I've come back to it over and over again only to have it remain a draft.  I had this burning desire in my heart to connect with others in the blog world through my faith and not just through teaching.  Recently, I joined a group on Facebook for Christian teachers. I shared with them my struggle with getting this post completed and they encouraged me to finish it. I am so glad I listened to them. If you're a teacher who follows blogs and all teacher related stuff on social media, you may have noticed that there is a big push to find your "tribe". I'm part of many different tribes that I LOVE; they each serve a purpose. Being the multi faceted person that I am and that most of us are, we tend to be able to fit into many groups because, well, we wear many hats. I have found that my child of God and follower of Christ hat trumps them all. Why? Because if I have placed Christ at the center of my life, well then everything in my life literally revolves around Him. So essentially, I have found my tribe! 

I originally intended for this post to go in one direction, and as I type my mind is wandering and going somewhere else.  After connecting with amazing Christian teachers on Facebook and Instagram (I heart Instagram #ThanksKelliAlaina), I thought "Hey! Why not create a monthly link up for us?".  We can blog about a specific topic related to our faith and link up so that we can all "hop" around and read may inspirational blogs to fuel our faith and keep us connected. I thought of this because I spend a lot of time on social media and on blogs talking and working on business. How awesome would it be if I could connect with other like minded teachers on another level-If we could encourage each other through our faith and inspire one another in the seeking of His face and purpose for our lives?  I know for sure that I need more of Him. 

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord.

At first, I was going to put this post out as a one time thing. I was going to write how I'm a Christian teacher in a secular world and how I handle all the changes in my classroom and give pointers on how to stay grounded and hopeful even when the odds are stacked against us. But I like this idea better, because it is continuous and gives me yet another opportunity to include Christ in my business. After all, I owe it all to Him. 

Monthly Link Up

I will be creating a link up and a monthly graphic.  The posts will go live every last Thursday of the month. I will always let you know the topic we will be covering well in advance . This month's post will go live on January 28th. 

January Topic

Over the last few months, I have been working on my Bible Journaling. This summer, my husband took me to a Christian bookstore near and dear to our hearts and I got to buy my very first Journaling Bible. I loved it so much, that I then encouraged the women in our church to try it because it is truly such a beautiful experience. I bought them all journals and pens in hopes that they could get started with the idea of lettering and illustrating their faith on a journal before they tried it on their Bible.  Over the last few weeks, I have seen many teachers take up Bible Journaling and it has made my heart leap with joy.  
This month that will be our topic. 
Let's encourage each other in our journaling journey. Lets discuss what we have so far. Are you new to it? Considering it? Are you a seasoned veteran?  What Bible do you use? What materials do you love? Show us your beautiful journaling and what it has done for you and your relationship with God. 

I am so excited about this!  I hope you are all able to jump on board and share your faith with the world. 

***Email me at buggyforfirst@gmail.com for the January graphic***

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