They're back...

Well, I'll get pics of our Thanksgiving and Joey's visit up shortly. Not here (school), not now (conference break).

Quick links to the guys who were missing in action, but have recently reemerged in blogworld.

Drumroll please...

1. Sylas (a mutual friend of ours in El Dorado... although we have never really interacted with him together... and Dustin has a funny story of a class they had together)

2. My cousin Travis (who I recently found has some cool pics on Facebook)

That's all I have for you...

4 Months Tomorrow! =)

Blogland,

As my students sit here taking their Math tests, I take a quick break to post. Hopefully, I can put forth something more substantial over the break.

Well, the subject of this post is actually not referring to the adorable baby boy.

Dustin and I will have been married 4 months tomorrow! Before long, we'll even even celebrate our 1 year of knowing each other when we ring in the new year! At CAL Elementary Chapel, they asked me to share a blessing (in front of 600 kiddos and teachers - I got nervous) and I went with that one. They put a HUGE picture up from our wedding and my kids all waved at me when I got up to talk about "Mr. Butts". Well, I didn't bawl like my wedding day, but I truly do praise the Lord for this blessing and all of the many changes from this year!

Another thing I'm thankful for is our church. The Lord is at work and we are praising him for the recent baptisms and how He is growing us and using it to convict, encourage and teach us. I am LEARNING so much from a book study with some sweet ladies. Also, we will be spending Thanksgiving with my sister Joey (coming tomorrow) and a family from church!

Well, I should be off to grading now! Enjoy the above picture of sweet Baby Jake! For those church friends who are new to this blog and stop by (despite my inconistency), Baby Jake is the much-prayed-for son of my dear TX friends, Erin and Chad. You can catch their blog over at GerltHouse.

Erin, your kids' thankful feathers from the Butts are on the way... Yea! :)

Theology Breakfast for 5th Graders

Happy Friday (and Date Night Day, for some of us)
I don't have time to post today. What's new? However, I'm going to copy and paste my 5th grader's questions from our Theology Questions Box. Why do we have one of those, you ask? Great question! On December 4th, I've decided to ask Blake White, Eron Plevan, Kevin Peek, and my dear Dustin Butts to join my 5th grade class for a Christmas/Theology Breakfast. As I told the kids' parents, I have multiple purposes for this event. I don't have the time right now to explain how that morning will look and how we will approach the plethora of questions, but for now I'll leave you with 4 of my main goals and with questions to make you think, laugh, and ponder alongside us.

I have four main goals for this event:
1. I would love for these kids to see examples of godly men who love God’s Word and love to talk about it and study it because they LOVE GOD.
2. I would love to get some help in answering some of the tough questions.
3. It will be great for these men, training for ministry, to have an opportunity to take deep theological issues and explain them very clearly for children.
4. Most of all, I want God to be glorified and cherished. After all, God is more precious than anything else in life!

So, just for kicks, I'm going to let you know the questions that I have received so far... straight out of the theology box, copy and pasted from an e-mail to my theology panel:

Are Pharisees and Saducees still alive?
Did God destroy Pompeii like he did Sodom and Gomorrah?
If God can’t look upon sin, then how did Jesus live with sinners?
Why do we get baptized in water? Who started that?
Are we supposed to be nervous when we share the Gospel?
Was Judas Iscariot hung by his neck? It seems like two passages contradict…
Will we see our pets and animals in heaven?
If Jesus is God, why is Jesus praying to God if He is God. Is He praying to Himself?
Why don’t people live as long as they used to?
If time is different to God, how do we know the exact age of the earth… do we?
In Genesis, it mentions the behemoth. Some people say it is a dinosaur. Some people say it is an elephant. What is it???
How do we know that the Bible is true and the stories really happened?
The Bible says that Jesus will be sitting on the right hand side of God. But isn’t Jesus God, so how can he be sitting on the right hand side?
Is there a record of a Pharisee or Saducee becoming a Christian?
How did Seth (Abel died) have kids if there were no women?
*again* How did man reproduce after Adam and Even if they only had a boy?
Why can’t Jesus know when the End will come? Is he just going to say, “I’m ready”?
Was Elijah John the Baptist?
Why do people say Jesus was perfect when He questioned God on the cross?
What does the kiss (Judas to Jesus) really mean?
What happened to the Ark of the Covenant? When?
In Mark 7:27-30, it talks about bread, crumbs, and dogs. What does this mean?
If you divorced your wife or husband and marry someone else, why is it committing adultery?
Will we know the people we see in heaven?
From heaven, can you see people in hell?

5:00 Club and Bracing Yourself for 10 Minutes of Misery

Hey, hey!

Awhile back, I was contemplating SLEEP (**fixed the link - sorry about yesterday) and our lack of it and pondering the need to strive to get at least what our body needs to be pleasant.

Now... I am thinking through my morning routine.

I used to call myself a morning person. BEFORE I became a teacher, I guess.

I'm still a morning WORKER, but the decision to wake up early is a decision. Every day. To my shame, I keep "joining" (so to speak) and then quiting and joining ranks with the I (rested Jamie) set my alarm for 5:00, but then I (grumpy, sleepy Jamie) seem to snooze it fairly often, only to find myself super frustrated when the rest of the morning is chaotic club. Can anyone relate?

On that note, I direct you to an archived post of Girl Talk...

Go check out this post about The 5:00 Club.

All I have to say is... I was talking with Dustin about this article this morning and we decided to move our alarm clocks to the other side of the room.

We have caffeine goals, I have cleaning goals and now... I'm joining the 5:00 club. Morning fights, as Erin and I call them... Not aiming for perfection, but a more disciplined life. The post mentions how the time may be different (will be) for different women in different seasons of life with different responsibilities and schedules. However, the goal is waking up earlier.

Want to join?
JB

P.S. The Mahaneys have a special encouragement for new mothers... Also, this practice may not be realistic for moms with young children who still get up at night. You are already a part of the midnight club and the 3:00a.m. club, aren’t you? No mother of an infant should be condemned by this post.

Dustin's Chai Tea

As requested, Dustin's Chai Tea:

Take a small pot and fill it about 2/3 full of water.
Bring water to a boil.
Turn off heat. Add 2-3 bags of Chai Tea (We use Celestial Seasoning, Original India Spice...)
Let it sit for 5 minutes.
Remove tea bags.
Add milk (fill nearly to top of pot)
Add sugar to taste (2-3 tablespoons)
Stir until sugar dissolves.
Turn heat back on for 1-2 minutes.
Remove from heat and pour carefully.

DISCLAIMER: Following the recipe doesn't guarantee results. It is a trial and error process. I can't make it quite like Dustin's. With enough sugar and practice, however, you can get it pretty stinkin' close to Starbucks quality... and save a few bucks!

2 Posts I Recommend (and quotes from each)

1. OT Thoughts on God's Mercy
(by my favorite poet)

We question and probe, always asking "why?" rather than trusting, like David, that God is always in control, always right, always good. We are quick to scream out "why have you forsaken me?" but never quite get to "you give and you take away, blessed be your name!"

2. Reflections on the need for Christians to be NORMAL
(by a friend of ours from church)

Excepting our bold moral and verbal gospel witness, we shouldn't be known as "the Christian wacko" because we ask everybody in the office if they've seen "Omega Code 2" or eaten a "Bible Foods Granola Bar." When your Christian-culture synapses start firing like Gettysburg riflemen, take a few deep breaths, and sit in a darkened room for a few minutes. Then, emerge normal. Repeat as often as necessary.

Letters From the Haggards

For the past week, I've heard snippets of talk and seen a few blogs regarding the situation with Ted Haggard. I hadn't heard the story of what happened. I always seem to be a little behind on current events. I had just heard people's responses and had to gather bits of information as I went. Until, finally, my interest has been sparked enough to go back and learn what happened. The thing that caught my attention the most, however, were these letters.

See for yourself.

(HT: Stepping In Faith)

Mohler Would Like Camp Buckner!!

When I hear DODGEBALL, I think CAMP BUCKNER. A quick run through blogworld before I head out made me grow in appreciation for our seminary president.

I love dodgeball. I stunk at it, but it was a blast.

If you worked at Camp Buckner for any length of time, the following things probably come to your mind: Ranger Dog Carols with Brent Dawson directing, Ryan Bebee, Paige, camo, camp-out...

And as a teacher, I think the WAR AGAINST PLAY is pretty interesting. Mohler is pro-play and pro-dodgeball ("Just give the kids a ball and let them loose. Isolate the bullies and let the other kids play, and play hard.") I think he would be pro-Camp Buckner.

And once again, for the record, we are NOT a cult. =)

UPDATE ON DR. PEPPER POST: See the comments section for yesterday's post for an interesting and helpful discussion about caffeine intake and my goals. So far, so good.

Need advice...

So... I have tried (and I use the word loosely) many times to stop or cut back drinking cokes, namely my beloved Dr. Pepper (and a morning cup of Joe).


Read this: http://www.medic8.com/healthguide/articles/caffeine.html and then shoot me some comments answering any or all of the following questions:

1. Should I stop "cold turkey"? Should I just cut back?
2. Do you drink cokes? If so, how often?
3. Is it really all that bad?
4. Say something profound to convince me of my need to stop.
5. How much water do you drink?

I want to be healthier. I stinkin' LOVE Dr. Peppers though. It's tough.

Help! Okay... D.E.A.R. time is over for the kids and I'm off to teach Science. I welcome your comments.

Happy Friday!!

Friday is a holiday in our classroom. Everyone comes in smiling, because they know that we treat it like a holiday in Mrs. Butts' classroom. =)

We usually have a fun writing prompt, and the occasional short video or party, on top of all of the rigorous academic demands of the day! Today, we had a HORSE visit our class. Our student of the week brought a horse to school. We usually have geckos, hampsters, or dogs come to recess with the student of the week. Nope. This girl brings in Krispy Kreme donuts and a horse. It was a HAPPY Friday.

All of that to say, as I wrap it up here and head home with a smile on my face because it is finally the weekend... Happy Friday to you. Enjoy.

For Your Friday

Colossians 3
14And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

How Much Sleep Do You Need? AND Mental Clutter

I'm hitting my grading during today's conference period. The easiest way to keep up a blog when life gets busy is to quote others.

I am curious though... how much sleep do YOU need? Do share.

I met someone yesterday who sleeps less than 5 hours a night. Amy (mother of 5 kids under 9) over at http://www.humblemusings.com/ says,

"I need lots of sleep. Through trial and error, I have discovered that nine hours is optimum sleep for me. This is difficult with the lifestyle I’ve chosen. I rarely get nine hours. I am busy. I work hard and sleep light.
Even though I’m tired, sometimes I lie awake at night. Amy Carmichael said that the wee hours are 'when all life’s molehills become mountains.' I make lists, sort mental clutter, and think about tomorrow’s agenda. I try not to worry. Worrying is sin. The good news is that exhaustion usually overtakes me before I can fall too headlong into this sin."

I appreciated that she was honest about needing 9. I'm discovering I'm pretty grumpy and slow to move when I don't sleep enough. Her Carmichael quote also jumped out at me. It is so easy to have mental clutter. I think we women struggle with this more than guys (or rather, in a different way). Anyway.. just related with this lady and her humble musings, though I'm Mrs. Butts, no kiddos yet, but 21 little darlings at school.

Cast your comments... how much sleep do you need? Do you get it? Should we try to arrange our lives where we get it?

Boring Testimony?

"I often feel that I have a boring or even uninspiring testimony. Like most believers, I have sat through (and sometimes endured) courses, seminars and Bible studies that have taught the value of a good testimony in evangelizing the lost. Many of these have taught evangelistic techniques that begin and end with a riveting testimony, as if God can only save through such a testimony. Of course, like any long-time believer, I have heard some incredible and inspiring testimonies. I have heard about women who were prostitutes giving their lives to the Lord and becoming active in ministry to women. I have met men who were drug dealers, living lives that would cause the most hardened of us to pale, but who were convicted of their sin and, through God's grace, were saved. Compared to these, my testimony seems bland. It seems boring.
My testimony goes something like this: I was born into a Christian home. I was a pretty good kid and never got into any real trouble. Sure I lied a little bit and stole some pocket change from my mother on occasion, but I never did anything really bad. At some point during my teenage years I became a Christian. I do not have a crystal-clear idea of when this happened, but I do know that by the time I graduated high school I was a committed Christian. The end. Not surprisingly, no one has ever offered me a book deal or a spot on the speaking circuit to share that testimony with others."

Interested? Read more.