The Game of Life

Over the holidays, I’ve enjoyed spending time with my niece and nephews. My six-year-old niece insisted that my twin brother and I play the game “Life” with her, and who can say no to her deep brown, pleading eyes?

So of course I said yes, despite my last – and only – experience with the game. I was probably eleven at the time, and I ended up with two sets of twin boys and dead broke. I figured my odds could only improve.

I was wrong. I inherited a skunk farm (which cost me a pretty penny), owned a goat that ate my neighbor’s prize orchids, and had to get dentures.

Ridiculous game.

To my relief, my niece quickly grew tired of it, and we moved on to something else, but the experience left me thinking: How awful would it be if real life were just a game, subject to random chance?

I am thankful that it isn't. Instead, our lives are orchestrated by a sovereign God. I like what Ephesians 1:4 says: “… he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.” God has an individual purpose for the lives of each of His children.

Ultimately, our lives are part of a bigger plan, God’s story of redemption. And at Christmastime, we are once again reminded of that beautiful, miraculous story of baby being born of a virgin – fully God and fully man – coming to earth to redeem lost mankind.

Praise God that life isn’t a game of chance. Sure, we will have our ups and downs – a goat may eat prize orchids or the tire in your car may go flat on your way to work.

But at the end of the day, our focus should be glorifying the one true God with our lives – wherever He has asked us to live, work, and serve. After all, isn’t that what the shepherds did – glorify and praise God and tell others about Him?

Wishing everyone a blessed Christmas!

Tap into Your Creativity

Whether you’re a business professional, stay-at-home mom, teacher, athlete, or other hard-working professional, there will always be days that leave you feeling hum-drum: bored, bland, or weary.

We have to get imaginative to turn ordinary tasks into something more enjoyable. And quite frankly, that isn’t always easy. 

Especially as a teacher, I face this challenge. As the school year progresses, students grow comfortable with their class routines; a routine in itself is a good thing, but the problem arises when comfortable crosses the line to "checked out." 

Seventh-grade, middle-school keyboarding is a perfect example. Learning the home-row fingering and practicing typing drills are important but can become tedious, so I try to give my students a break from their typing textbooks every once in a while.

One exercise my students have come to enjoy is a story scenario (“code” for composing at the keyboard, which sounds much more like work). Italicized below is my scenario I gave the students last week. I asked them to finish the story, and I’ve listed the first few words of some of their imaginative responses.

Like any other school day, Jordan rolled out of bed, slipped down the stairs, and slouched over his bowl of Fruit Loops at the breakfast table. He had just shoved his chair back to rise from the table when he saw ….

·         The door open

·         A brown and black spotted bull

·         Nothing

·         A giant robotic rooster

·         The gunman coming to the door

·         A zombie

·         A random pie monster

·         A monkey

·         Nine men in bio suits who said, “You have to come with us.” (This is a personal favorite!)

·         A shadow

·         The school bus driver staring at him through the wet window with a weary look (Someone was paying attention to our English discussion on adjectives...)

·         A huge TV

·         His sister

·         His favorite super hero

·         Something not normal

Yes, these are middle school student responses! Their eyes were shining, and their hands straining as high as they could to get my attention to read their stories to the class.

I think there’s a lesson for us here: First, try to break up the everyday once in a while to keep life fresh and interesting; and also, don’t be afraid to turn ordinary tasks into something creative. You never know just what inspiration you might find or talent you might tap.

Pumpkin Patch Reminders

Yesterday, my friend invited me to go with her to a pumpkin patch. Believe it or not, I had never been. (I thought pumpkins grew on the store shelves at Publix and Walmart. Just kidding.)

So, she introduced me to a “real” pumpkin farm where rows of pumpkins line hay bales, sit on counters, and rest in rustic carts. I was like a kid in a candy store. I couldn’t decide which one I wanted.

There were gourds and pumpkins of all colors, sizes and shapes, Cinderella pumpkins, and pumpkins so large I probably would have had to roll them to the car (had I the desire or money to buy one).

 

Some pumpkins were all covered with warts, so that they looked more like a storybook witch’s nose than a pumpkin.

“Eww,” I said, pointing to one completely disfigured and covered with warts.

“What do you mean?” my friend asked. “Warts give it character. It’s beautiful.”

I finally settled on a stout pumpkin with a curved, prickly stem and a multi-colored, little gourd with a pointy bottom (so hence, it rolls around on my desk).

Aren’t you thankful God isn’t picky in choosing His children? He loves us – tall or round, smooth or blemished, warts and all.

And our flaws do give us character, as my friend reminded me. A pumpkin patch would be boring if all the pumpkins were identical. It’s the variety and the imperfections that make pumpkins so unique and interesting. No one pumpkin is just like another.

Praise God He can use us – in spite of ourselves and our flaws – and that He’s uniquely designed us with a specific purpose in mind, one that will ultimately glorify Him.

Psalm 139:14 – “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”

The Teaching Life

My dear readers, I have not forgotten about you, but I have started teaching, and my life looks radically different than it did before. Translation: I work something like a 50-60 hour work week - before I bring my work home with me.

Now I understand why teaching is a calling, because it isn’t just a job; it is a way of life.

How does this affect my writing?

*Winces.*

Let’s just say I’m squirreling away antidotes and character ideas for summertime. And after only two weeks of teaching, my storehouse is already looking fairly healthy. I’ll share one of my personal favorites with you.

Homework over the weekend? Whaaaatttt???

It’s hard to believe that students are already complaining about homework after only two weeks of school. Last week, my American history class thought that if enough of them complained, maybe they wouldn’t have homework over the weekend. (Don’t bother explaining to them that your work as a teacher never ends, and don’t expect them to appreciate the care you take and hours you put in to provide them a quality education. They really don’t care.)

So, I suggested we review the meaning of democracy and republic.

• Democracy: rule by majority opinion
• Republic: rule by elected representatives

Hmm, the classroom is not a democracy, is it? Nope. It’s more like a republic where an elected official (i.e. the teacher chosen to teach the class) makes the decisions with the best interests of the group at heart.

Certainly, that person takes the time to listen to what the people have to say, but in the end, he or she makes the best decision based on the information available.

Oh, and let’s not forget to review the pitfall of democracies… Right, the majority opinion is often wrong.

Ok, let’s move back to the lesson now.

The challenge

Whether you’re a teacher or someone with demands pulling on your resources, finding the time to recharge your battery and make time for what you love can be hard.

Your work should be rewarding, and you should certainly give it your best, but your work alone isn’t everything.

Make time for the people who matter and prioritize your pursuits. I know I am learning how to find the balance myself.

So what’s the status with book 3? Well, the rough draft is on my desk. My goal is to publish over the summer in time for an early fall release (in plenty of time for Christmas).

Any hints about the plot, you ask? Let’s just say plenty of adventure, surprises and life changes are in store.

Time for a new adventure

So far, 2013 has been a year of goals met and adventures had. I quit my day job to spend more time writing. (And by the way, the first rough draft for book number three is done!) My brother and I hiked 22 miles in the Grand Canyon. A week later, I helped chaperone a youth mission trip to New York to run a Christian day camp.

Now, I’m starting a new adventure: full-time teaching at a private Christian school. Frankly, I never thought I would be a teacher. People have told me I would make a good one; I just wasn't sure education was the job for me.

But if I’ve learned anything from the last several years, it’s that God’s plan is not what I mapped out – It is better.  

So here I am, making lesson plans, plotting out the first semester, and getting excited for school to start. Reality hit me when I was shopping last week, and a voice behind me said, “Miss Hogrefe, you’re going to be my 8^th grade teacher!”

Appropriately, I was reading in Isaiah today, and chapter 41 verse 10 reminded me that no matter what lies ahead, my God will always be there to help me.

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

What about you? Are you beginning something new? Perhaps you are persevering through a difficult time or maybe working hard to finish a major project. Regardless, the future holds new adventures and challenges for each of us.

The time is now to get ready and go in the strength of the Lord.

Go Farther: Lessons from the Grand Canyon

Have you heard the story about a little boy and his father who were playing football together? The son was getting ready to throw the football to his father when the boy shouted, “Go farther, Daddy!”

Children sometimes overestimate their abilities, but I think adults tend to do the opposite. We cheat ourselves into believing, “It’s too hard; I can’t do it,” and opt to sit on the sidelines instead of tackling challenges that seem larger-than-life.

My brother and I just returned from hiking Havasu Falls, Grand Canyon. The trip taught me a few things about pushing limits.  

You can go farther than you think you can.

As I trained for this trip over several months, I took frequent 2-4 mile rucks around my neighborhood with my 20-pound backpack. I hoped that this steady practice plus a dose of adrenaline would be enough to help me hike down the canyon to Havasu Falls. (The trail is supposedly 8 miles down to the Indian village and another 2 miles to the campground. It’s really more like 11 miles total, according to my brother’s GPS.)

What I never expected to do was hike out 11 miles the next day. My plan was to get to the village early and catch a helicopter ride out.

However, when we arrived, we learned that the helicopter sign-up didn’t open until 6 a.m., and the first flights didn’t take off until 10 a.m. – and there really was no guarantee you would get on board.

That left us with two options. Sit in the hot village for four hours waiting for the helicopter and risk having to hike out in the heat of the day if we didn’t get a flight; or just hike out.

We opted to hike out for a total of 22 miles in 2 days. 

You can push yourself harder than you trained.

Not only can you go farther, but you can also push yourself harder. Both down and up, my brother and I hiked the trail in 4 1/2 hours. The first day, we started hiking around 5:30 a.m., and the next day, we started at 4:20 a.m. Both days, we woke up around 3 a.m.

*Groan*

You are tired. You are sore. You are beat. You just put one foot in front of the other, and keep moving.

But it is so worth it.

The winding, steep mountain trail leading back up the canyon wall to the parking area was 1.5 miles high. Coming down was slippery; going up was the ultimate cardio workout.

You have to keep a good attitude, and humor helps. Along the path, my brother joked, “Pain means you’re alive.”

Thanks, Dave. Yep, I’m still alive.

The bottom line is that you can do all things through Christ. He is our source of strength.

My favorite verse is Isaiah 40:31 which says, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

Ask yourself what areas in your life could use a good stretching. And if you're looking for an adventure, may I recommend Havasu Falls?

Crunch, Crawl, and Climb till you find your dream

For years, my brother and I have talked about hiking the Grand Canyon, and finally, we just decided to do it.

We each signed up for one of those bonus miles credit cards to help pay for our plane tickets. (If you want some serious advice on how to use bonus mileage offers to your advantage, check out The Art of Non-Conformity blog of Chris Guillebeau, the man who finished his quest to travel to every country in the world this year. Specifically, the following two posts might be helpful:

·         How to Use Frequent Flyer Miles to Go Anywhere

·         The 5 Million Frequent Flyer Mile Challenge

Then, we started training. Or, I should say, I started training. My brother is probably in the top 1% of Americans who are supremely fit. I’ve been on the fitness track ever since I graduated from college, but I would never call myself a fitness buff.

The two biggest challenges we’ll face are heat and altitude. Florida excels in the heat department, but it scores an F for “Flat” on the altitude scale. So, I purchased my rucksack (50% off – so proud of myself for finding that good deal), filled it with bricks and water, and have been hiking around my neighborhood for the last several months.

Yep, I get stares.

So what. People who stick to their goals often raise a few eyebrows.

Whatever mountain (or canyon) personifies or embodies your dream, I want to encourage you to go for it. Just remember, the path won’t always be easy. In my own opinion, there are three Cs the journey will require:

1.       Crunch: Whether physical crunches to burn your abs or wallet crunches to create your budget, pain and sacrifice are often requirements for achieving goals.

2.       Crawl: Don’t expect immediate results. Practice and perseverance are twin companions for those who are training to reach their dreams.

3.       Climb: Remember that with God, all things are possible. After the mountaintop, there might be a valley, but He is always right there by your side to see you through whatever successes or failures you face.

Be a “goal-getter.” See you back here next time – hopefully with some stunning pictures to share.