Mrs. Brown's World

Crazy Love

2010-06-04T05:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I said I wanted to learn to love well and God responded ... He gave me a book to read that confirmed my suspicions that I needed to draw closer to Him and let Him help me love. Francis Chan's book, Crazy Love, is an amazing explanation of God's radical love for us and the the radical love demanded as our response. I am not a book reviewer ... I no literary critic ... I just want to bear witness that this book can change your life ... it can convict you ... it can inspire you to love God more deeply and pursue him with all of your being.

I want to love well

2010-05-31T19:09:00.000-07:00

During faculty devotions Jennifer Taylor, a colleague of mine, encouraged the faculty of Houston High School to love well as we went about teaching lessons, coaching athletes, and fine-tuning the performances of artists. At graduation she commended the class of 2010 on their collective ability to love well. Loving well is a theme that not only a theme of Jennifer's speeches, loving well is something that Jennifer does. It is something I want to do well, too. It is my newest passion.

Now, I am not great at it. If loving were swimming, I would still be wearing floaties. If loving were riding a bike, I would still be using training wheels. If loving were driving, I would still have my learner's permit. But ... I know it is important ... and I have some great examples, including The Greatest Example, Himself.

Consider 1 John 4: 7-12
"Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us."

Loving well is of ultimate importance ... it is the way that God's love is perfected in us and evidence that He lives in us. The most challenging thing for a goal-oriented person such as myself is that the way to become loving is to get to know God and let Him enable me to love ... "love is from God." He must live in me and his love must flow through me. My efforts are a poor substitute.

It really makes sense: the GREATEST commandment is to love God ... the SECOND is to love my neighbor as myself. The first is primary, the second is derivative. "'...You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your mind, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" Once I love God with all that I am, I will know him. Not to sound overly dramatic, God's love is lavish, that when I spend regular time with him I find that his love overflows into all areas of my life. Loving my neighbor will be natural.

My problem has been that if I think I need to be more loving, I tend to try to act more loving instead of drawing closer to God. Silly me. I am impatient. I get tired. I get hot. I get hungry. All of which tend to make me cranky ... which makes it very hard to ACT loving. God, however, IS love. He is long-suffering. He never gets tired. I don't think he gets hot or hungry or cranky ... and I am promised that if I love him with all that I am, I will know him, and I will love others ... and I will love well.

Hide and Seek - given as a faculty devotional 05/17/10

2010-05-18T06:24:00.000-07:00

I was blessed to grow up on a quiet street with six families who had children my exact same age. We waited for the school bus together in the morning, played together at recess, and bounded off the bus together in the afternoon. Of course, the most joyous bounding off of the school bus took place on the last day of school. That was the beginning of three long months of sleeping late, watching cartoons, and roaming through our neighborhood. We rode bikes. We caught fireflies. We reenacted scenes from Star Wars …even though some of us had never seen the movie. We had a blast … but some of the best times were playing hide and seek … especially once we were allowed to stay out after dark.

After fourth grade the old neighborhood-wide rule of “be home by the time the streetlights come on” was changed to “come in for dinner when the streetlights come on” and then you can go back out until 10:30. (I guess the parents all wanted to be able to watch the evening news and then go to bed, knowing that their chicks were all back in the nest.) So, during those couple of hours between sunset and 10:30, we would have neighborhood-wide games of hide-and-seek that were nothing short of tween madness. We could hide anywhere that was part of the participants’ parent’s properties … so long as it wasn’t actually in anybody’s house. So trees, tree houses, beds of pickup trucks, the backsides of sand piles, were all free game. My favorite part of hide and seek was being so quiet and hiding so well that when the seeker approached me, I could jump out, yelling, and scare the seeker as I made a break for base. Ahhh, good times.

So, what does this have to do with a devotional? Well, I want to encourage you to hide and seek this summer. At this time of year, it is apparent, that we all need renewal. Hide and seek is still one of the best ways to spend a summer, especially if we want renewal!!! …. But the hiding and seeking I want you to do is part of a special version of hide and seek. This time, we are going to hide from all the other distractions in our lives and we are going to seek God.

Jesus had to hide sometimes when he wanted to seek God. In Mark 1:35 we are told “In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.” Jesus advised his active workers to take time to hide and seek renewal. Listen to Mark 6:30-31. Keep in mind this takes place upon the return of “the twelve” when Jesus sent them out in pairs to teach and drive out demons. “The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.” I know some of you can relate! … and I am certain that somewhere in your soul you know that the Holy Spirit is saying the same thing to you. Listen to the appeal of Jesus found in Matthew 11: 28-30. “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” How great is that? If we will hide and seek Jesus, we will find him. On top of that, we will learn from him AND we will find rest for our souls.

This kind of hide and seek reminds me a little bit of the hide and seek Jim and I used to play with Jack when he was about three. We would play in the house and every time Jack would hide, he would go stand in the bathtub … and no matter how hard he would try to be quiet, he would giggle. There was no question of where Jack was … but … to build anticipation Jim and I would make a big deal out of going through the house, loudly announcing all of the places we were seeking but not finding, Jack. The giggling would grow louder. Finally, we would go open the bathroom door, wondering loudly “If Jack might be in the bathroom.” When we would open the door, Jack would yell “RAWR” … something he learned from his mother, I am sure … and, then he would be overcome with giggles. We all would. Those were moments of sheer delight. We were parents and a child and we were enjoying being in relationship with each other. Jack also loved playing the game in reverse … he loved coming to look for us … and he loved finding us … with, of course, a loud “RAWR.”

I may be wrong, but I think this is an illustration of one way we are supposed to become like little children … allowing ourselves to be totally enthralled in the prospect of both finding our Father and being found by our Father.

So, this summer I encourage you to become like a child and hide from your “adult” responsibilities and seek God. Enjoy Him. Love Him. Learn from Him … and be renewed.

Happy 2010!

2010-01-01T07:20:00.001-08:00

My resolutions:
I will turn forty this year. When considering New Year's Resolutions, I first thought of last minute accomplishments and time/gravity-induced flaws that I might want to correct before reaching this milestone ... but I really don't want to focus that much on me. It is depressing ... it is not enough ... and it is not what life is about. I am who I am and, although I try to be eat healthy, exercise, and be a better person each day than I was the day before, I am an imperfect person. If I focus all of my energies on trying to perfect that which cannot be perfected, I am simply wasting my time and sentencing myself to certain failure and frustration.

So, this year I am going to embrace this life God has given me with every ounce of my being! So here are my resolutions:

Love with abandon! Laugh often! Learn all you can!

Do good even in the face of evil!

Count your blessings!

Make the most of what you have! Be thankful!

Find joy in the little things and be completely blown away by the big things!

Love God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength!

I think 2010 is going to be a good year! Embrace it!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-26T07:46:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas! It is the second day of Christmas and it has been a long time since I have blogged! I am in a reflective frame of mind as always during this time between Christmas Day and the end of a year ... I love this time of celebration of the birth of Christ and preparation for the start of a New Year. It feels me with so much hope ... for myself and mankind in general. These few days always find me searching my soul for the areas I should set my resolve to improve in the New Year. So, the next few days will find me, not only enjoying time with my family, but also spending time in prayer and meditation over the areas of change and increased dedication to which I need to commit in 2010. So, if there is something about me that you would like to see changed, pray that God will get that message across to me, because I will be listening. =D

Do Hard Things

2008-11-26T12:42:00.000-08:00

I was browsing through books at amazon.com, looking for Christmas gift ideas for my 11-year-old son, Morgan, and I came across a book for teens called Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris. Being a high school math teacher, I was immediately drawn to a book with such a challenge! I read about the book, decided I could not wait to order the book, found a bookstore that had it in stock, and purchased both a print and audio version of it that day. Three days later, I have finished listening to the book and have thoroughly enjoyed the Harris' website, The Rebelution.

No, I did not mistype or make up a word ... Alex and Brett did! They combined the words rebel and revolution to describe the movement they want teens to join against society's low expectations for teens. Teens are encouraged to make the most of their lives by challenging themselves to do five different types of hard things:
1. Things that are outside of your comfort zone.
2. Things that go beyond what is expected or required.
3. Things that are too big to accomplish alone.
4. Things that don't earn an immediate payoff.
5. Things that challenge the cultural norm.
Character, competence, and collaboration are the means by which teens can do these amazing things through Christ.

Teenagers are capable of so much more than societies expects. They are not just our country's future, they are our present. Join the rebelution!

Great new blog to follow

2008-11-25T18:02:00.000-08:00

My son, Morgan, is going to be hosting a blog called "100 Miles Per Hour in a School Zone." Morgan is an amazing kid who is gifted and ADHD so he is frequently going 100 MPH when everyone else wants him to 20 MPH ... so he has to constantly adjust his natural speed to the world's expectations and he actually does a really good job most of the time. Because the host of a blog must be at least 13, we are officially co-hosting the blog, but he is the creative lead.

I am so excited for all of you out there in the blogosphere ... I know what a great kid I have ... now you will get to know him, too. I hope you will drop by his blog every now and then to see what life is like at 100 miles per hour in a school zone.

~Staci

Connect2All Missions Club Ike Relief Effort

2008-10-18T13:09:00.000-07:00

1. Attention All Houston Christian Students & Missions Club

Community of about 500 families along Galveston Bay NEEDS IKE RELIEF. FEMA hasn’t come. They need:

twin sheets
pillows
blankets
crockpots
skillets
bath towels
hand towels
wash towels
English/Spanish coloring books
English/Spanish Christian books

Deliver these to Mr. Malouf’s room A211 ASAP. We are taking these things to them on Sat. Oct. 25th. We will have a chance to share the gospel too, please pray for the Missions Club.

2. Missions Club – Please meet in Mr. Malouf’s room on Tuesday Oct. 21 DURING LUNCH for the IKE relief collection and outreach.

What if there was no God?

2008-09-26T18:26:00.000-07:00

A group called Axis asked our students at Houston Christian High School this week the question "What if there was no God?" How would that change your life? Well, it turns out that some researchers recently asked the same question to 128 politically active church-goers. The findings were quite amazing. There seems to be a conservative-liberal split in what life would be like if there were no God. Conservatives fear they would face a world filled with chaos and liberals fear they would world without meaning ... frankly they are both right ... a world without God would be both chaotic and meaningless.

Fantasy World Not Necessarily Paradise

2008-09-11T18:37:00.000-07:00

The two men in my life (my husband and my son) spend a great deal of their free time playing World of Warcraft, an on-line fantasy game. My son has dabbled around with other on-line games, by my family is, apparently, a WOW family ... and we are not alone. It seems as though many people are opting to socialize virtually rather than in reality. Frankly, it is kind of cute to see my husband and son sitting side by side in our study on quests/missions/raids/whatevers together ... not really what I dreamed of my husband and son doing together ... but father and son togetherness none-the-less.

Anyway, it seems that if people can choose to be Night Elves or Magical Druid Knights and fly with their magic pet monkeys ... well, then people would treat each other without the normal prejudices ... but, apparently, in fantasy games, a study has found that people bring their reality-based prejudices to their virtual worlds. It is a really a shame that people are still racially biased ... especially in a fantasy world where people go to escape the junk of life.

From a research perspective it is interesting that this means that virtual behavior may provide a more accurate indicator of actual social behavior rather than idealized behavior as one might expect in a "fantasy" world. This means that more social experiments might be conducted in fantasy worlds as a means of learning about real world social behavior ... the question is whether or the scientific community will accept avatar behavior as representative of human behavior. There seems to be a need for some more evidence to substantiate the link between "virtual" prejudice and "actual" prejudice ... it could be that prejudices are exaggerated in a "virtual world."

It would be interesting to see a study in which participants are asked to participate in fantasy world for so many hours, during which time, the social experiment is conducted. Then, some other assessment should be conducted to determine the participants' actual behavior in an analogous situation or at least attitudes/prejudices toward social groups of interest (race, gender, etc.). Then, some sort of relationship could be established between the level of prejudiced displayed by an individual and his/her avatar.

OK ... so no matter how nerdy you may think my guys are for playing WOW ... keep in mind that while they are playing fantasy games, I am fantasizing about conducting a following study to a study measuring social biases of people playing fantasy games ... I am the nerd who fantasizes about being the nerd who studies the nerds ... sigh!

~Staci

Good-Bye, Nicole

2008-08-23T18:17:00.000-07:00

The following is an article written in memory of a cheerleader, Nicole Lynn Armand, at my former high school, Brazoswood, by Nicole's employer, Buddy Scott. Nicole recently lost her battle with cancer and she will be missed by so many members of my Brazoswood family and my hometown, Lake Jackson. Good-bye, Nicole. Rest in the arms of Jesus.

Teen’s spirit, life will live on

By Buddy Scott
The Facts

Published August 23, 2008

The funeral of Nicole Lynn Armand, 16, living with her mother, Sandy Armand-Wells, and stepfather, David Wells, was Tuesday of this week. The service was at Family Life Church with the Rev. Craig Taylor officiating. This column shares a bit of the inspiration of that service.

I was privileged to have Nicole on my staff as a receptionist. We developed a deep mutual respect. I was awed by how dependable, dedicated, smart, motivated and full of faith she was. Sometimes, I felt as if I was on holy ground when I was with her. She was such an amazing inspiration to every life she touched.

Aubrey Williams, 18, Kelly Scott, 18, and I wrote a piece we titled: What Nicole Would Like Her Friends to Do. Aubrey and Kelly read it to her friends at the service:

1) Live loyal to Christ, the one who replaced Nicole’s mortal pain with heavenly splendor ... and don’t blame him for not answering prayer according to human design. Trust our Lord to know best. Like Nicole, worship God with trust.

2) Build a reputation that gives hope to family members and friends when you, too, leave this world.

3) Be comforted, knowing that you will once again see Nicole’s beautiful smile, heart and soul.

4) Remember her as Nicole Lynn Armand: The excited cheerleader who loved life. Not Nicole Lynn Armand: The girl who had cancer. (Cancer didn’t define her; it never conquered her spirit.)

5) Be supportive of Nicole’s family.

6) Be supportive of research that’s fighting to conquer diseases.

7) Always remember the inside jokes and memories you shared with Nicole.

8) Continue getting together with friends, keeping Nicole in your thoughts.

9) Get beyond this and go back to school strong.

10) Pursue your passions and accept no limitations to the good, the true, and the beautiful before you.

11) Walk through this world —both in school and in life — with decency, dignity and integrity. Be respectable, and you’ll be respected.

12) Volunteer: Be valuable to God and others as you prepare to leave a lasting legacy.

13) There’s no number 13. Just do the above, and it’ll be cool beans!

Aubrey and Kelly concluded the reading by saying, “OK ... so let’s live true to what our friend, Nicole Lynn Armand, wants us to do.”

(Note: When Nicole was impressed by something, she said, “Cool beans!” When she was happy about something that was beautiful or felt really nice, she exclaimed, “Fantabulous!” And when she wanted to express surprise, she said, “Jeez!” Keeping that vocabulary lesson in mind, you are prepared to read the following piece:)

I compiled the passages and titled the piece: Three Cheers from Jesus, according to Nicole’s Expressive Version of the Bible, and I printed it in honor of all cheerleaders and all audiences they lead in cheers.

There are three verses of scripture in the New Testament where Jesus says, “Be of good cheer.” What message is in them for you?

“Behold, the disciples brought to Jesus a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.” And the disciples surely said, “Cool beans!” (Matthew 9:2, NEV).

“When the disciples saw Jesus walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure,” and they all surely said, “Jeez!” (Mark 6:49-51, NEV).

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world!” And to that good tiding of great joy, even to this day people should say, “Fantabulous!” (John 16:33, NEV).

Nicole and Jesus had something in common. She, too, overcame the world. As Kelly said, “Cancer never conquered Nicole’s spirit. Between treatments, she worked for His Love, attended cheerleading practice and cheer camp, volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and Walk for Life, and hung out with her many friends.”

Facts correspondent Buddy Scott is director of His Love Counseling Services in Lake Jackson.

Hope Heals

2008-08-19T17:41:00.000-07:00

A recent study shows that hope fights symptoms of depression. Hope, as defined by this article, is not just optimism, the overall belief that good things will happen. According to the article, "hope involves having goals, along with the desire and plan to achieve them." The great news is that this type of hope can be taught. If having goals or the desires and/or plans to achieve them does not come naturally to a person, that person can be taught how to have hope.

As a teacher, this excites me. Helping a student to set an academic goal, to find the motivation to achieve the goal, and to develop a plan to reach that goal, can not only help that student get a better education, it can help his or her mental health. I just hope more research is published on HOW to teach people to be hopeful, especially in the classroom. Who knows ... maybe as I study Educational Research and Educational Psychology further I will research developing this type of hope in students.

Fortunately, there is another type of hope that anyone can receive right now ... straight from God through the Holy Spirit if you will just trust in God ... and the Holy Spirit is the best counselor/teacher there is ...

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

Back to Work!

2008-08-11T19:20:00.000-07:00

It is August! For me, this means that lessons are being planned and my classroom is being readied for students! I love back to school time! This year is extra special! This is my first year to teach at Houston Christian High School. I have been in several days of in-service ... and I have actually enjoyed it. The love that the staff members have for the Lord, each other, and the students permeates every activity. The common passion for maximizing spiritual and academic development in our students is energizing and unifying.

For me, school is always best when the students are there ... so I am really excited ... things are only going to get even better on Thursday when my students arrive.

So, today, I offer nothing profound ... and I don't even point you to an interesting study. I am simply excited and wanted to share that excitement with you ... and I am grateful, so grateful ... and I guess I wanted to share that, too.

Joy will last!

2008-07-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

It is goofy, but I have named my heart Joy. I work out so that Joy can get her exercise in the hope that Joy will last. Even if I don't want to workout, I know Joy wants (and needs) to get moving. Yet another study has indicated that regular cardiovascular exercise is good for heart health, even for people older than me!!! So, today I am encouraged to continue running mile after mile on my elliptical machine ... not so much that I can fit into a pair of skinny jeans but so that Joy will last!

Worth More Than a Thousand Words

2008-07-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a graphical display of data is often worth more than a thousand words ... and the numerical descriptors of the data it represents ( I know, I can't believe I said it, either.) Starting with Minard's graphic depicting deaths among Napoleon's army to Florence Nightingale's series of graphics depicting the effect of improved hygiene on reducing deaths among the British troops in the Crimean War, graphical displays of data have been used to describe the effects of various factors on the health of a variety of populations. Today the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology have brought the graphical display of disease-related data to the 21st Century with their health maps that can be found here. They provide a graphical display of various public health issues throughout the world. Mousing over your area of interest will provide you with a brief explanation of the health concern and one click provides you with greater detail.

How cool is that! I admit, I love Statistics, and I am a big fan of public health ... so I may find this tool a little more exciting than most. But, if you are doing research on any public health in any place in the world or if you are planning to travel anywhere, you might find this tool helpful.

By the way, if you are interested in learning more about
Florence Nightingale's use of graphical displays of data,
check out this site.

Thank you for indulging my inner nerd!

What on Earth is a Millennial?

2008-07-09T16:51:00.000-07:00

Well, if you are one of my students, then you are! I looked up the definition and there is some disagreement on the exact years, but, basically, a Millennial is a person born between between the mid-seventies to the mid-nineties. There are all kinds of generalizations made about the Millennial generation ... some true and some not so true.

Today I was looking for some SAT/PSAT review materials on the College Board website and I came across a report of the results of a study done on the Millennial generation. I found it to be very interesting and I thought you might find it interesting to ... so, here's the URL:

http://professionals.collegeboard.com/data-reports-research/trends/studentpoll/millennial

You will need to copy the address into your address bar ... but it is worth it if you want to learn more about your generation!

Sad News

2008-07-08T18:42:00.001-07:00

My son's new puppy, Kayla, started having seizures yesterday. My husband and I took her to a vet independent of the Humane Society for a check up and hopefully, a suggestion for treatment. She said that things looked very bad for Kayla ... she showed the signs of Distemper, a viral infection that affects the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and neurological systems of dogs. We took Kayla to the Humane Society vet for treatment. He wanted to keep her for a couple of days. Apparently, she got worse and they had to put her to sleep today.

I am very sad. She was such a sweet little puppy. I am so sad that she won't be part of my family and that my son has lost her. I am happy, however, that we did not know that she was sick so that she could have a family who loved her before she died. I would go through the heartache again so that she could be part of a family.

So, now we are watching Hootie to see if he gets sick. His vaccinations are up to date so he should be fine ... but he is old and a cancer survivor so there are risks. Hopefully, his instincts to keep his distance and establish his authority served him well.

New dog!

2008-07-05T17:23:00.001-07:00

My son adopted a new dog today. She is a cutie. Her name is Kayla. All the people in the family adore her ... our thirteen-year-old dog, Hootie, however, is still asserting himself as the dog of higher rank. I guess it makes sense that Hootie would be the only one who would be slow to warm up to Kayla ... he is the only one whose role in the family is threatened. I guess we will all have to make sure that Hootie knows that there is plenty of puppy love for them both and that his spot in our family is secure. I guess that is what every member of every family wants to know ... there is enough love love for each member and each member's place is secure.

Well, I better go make sure there is peace among the pooches!

Hello and Welcome!

2008-07-03T14:17:00.000-07:00

Hi! I am so excited to be starting a new phase in my life as a Houstonian and as a teacher at Houston Christian High School. God has blessed me with a fourteen year career at Brazoswood High School, my alma mater. Now, He has led me to a new ministry at Houston Christian High School.

Why am I blogging? Well, I want a place to share studies, articles, ideas, etc. with my students (and any other interested parties) and a blog seemed like a reasonable way to do this.

So, welcome to my world! I pray that you are blessed by what you find here!