Question 17: Does my level of involment in my church demonstrate that I love an am commited to God's family.

It has only been with in the past 18 to 24 months that I have been actively involved in my church. I have been a long time church goer. But it was only a Sunday morning thing.

I have started serving with the AWANA group and in the church nursery. I am doing this to serve my church family but I am still working on deciding what my mission is.

So to answer the question: I hope my service shows my love for the church and the church family. I need to do more and I will strive to serve others in everything I do. It is a constant growing experience.

16: Are relationships the most important thing in my life? How can I assure they are?

I believe relationships are a very important thing in my life. I do not have any conflicts or broken relationships that I know of. Ones that needed repair I have taken steps to do so.

I am taking great pains not to gossip. If I am not part of the problem or part of the solution I try not to comment. This is hard. When you are sitting with a group of people and the talk begins it is difficult to not comment. But I would not want people talking about me in that way so....

I have spent more time REALLY asking others how they are doing. Listening to what they have to say. I have apologized for any hurts I have caused and taken action to make it right.

Are relationships THE most important thing in my life. I can't say that they are. I am working toward less focus on myself and more about others. I have done this by getting involved with service and planning on my mission. Whenever I am given an opportunity to serve others I do not turn it down. If is something I can do I will. No matter how inconvenient it is for me.

“Do all the good you can,By all the means you can,In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can, At all the times you can,To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.” -- John Wesley.

I want to do that. By doing that I can assure relationships and people are the most important thing in my life.

15: How do I start treating other believers like members of my own family?

The truth is I would do anything for my family. Sacrifice my time, talent, and treasure for them. I would give everything I have to help them. I would put my life on the line for them.

So, if I would do that for my own family. Then that is what I should do for other believers.

I have done this on occasion for fellow believers and friends. But I need to make it part of my everyday life starting today.

Question 14: How do I intend to stay focused when God feels distant?

There are times of closeness and distance in all relationships. Christ himself felt distance when he was on the cross. "My God, My God why have you forsaken me?" And of course God had not forsaken is one and only Son. That was something Jesus had to do on His own. A mission that had to be completed by His choice.

God pulled Himself away from Jesus so His purspose could be accomplished. If God would do this to His own son of course he would do this to me. If God feels distant then it is for a reason. Something needs to be accomplished. I need to learn something. I will have to remind myself of this.

Question 13: What is more pleasing to God right now, my public or private worship?

I don't think either stands out as being better than the other. I think I can imporve with both of them.

Like I said in question 12 I need to read the Bible on daily basis. The other for my private is that we need to pray as a family more. My wife and I need to pray as a team.

For my public I am involed with the church and serving. I am not commited to any of the service I am doing. I think I am still searching for where I fit best and what I should do in the church. I will continue to try new things till I find the right service fit for me.

Question 12: What things can do to grow closer to God.

This is a simple one for me. I need to read the Bible more. I have read through it twice in my life but I do not read on a regular daily basis. If I spend a half hour a day I can read though it every 6 nonths. 15 miniutes a day I can read though it once a year. That is the goal I am setting for myself.

Question 11: How can I remind myself to talk to God more often through out my day?

I currently pray on my way to work. At that time I thank God for the day and ask Him to help me love him and others throughout the day.

Then again when we do the pledge and have a moment of silence in the morning. At that time I ask that He bless everything I think do or say so that I have Him guiding my every step. Then I pray for the students in my class that God would meet their needs what ever they are.

Then my nightly prayers which include family and friends. Thanks and praises for the day. Praying for our troops. Our church leaders. Our political leaders. I pray for specific people I am hoping will see the revelation of God in their life. Then I pray for the areas I am working on and where I need to grow.

To remind myself to talk with God more I could use the bell system at school and pray breath prayers every time I hear the bell. Short breath prayers like "He is with me." "God bless us all." or part of a song. Something short and to the point. This would refocus my mind on Jesus through out the day.

Question 10: What area of my life am I holding back from God? What am I afraid of?

Money. I seem to have no problem trusting God in all other areas of my life. Money and finical issues seem to be where I loose trust. "Will it really be alright if I sacrifice this?" I always ask that question.

It is really the one area I should trust more. I am not good at handling the fiances. It stresses out my wife a lot. I should really just hand it over...but...I'm afraid.

Afraid of what? Afraid of not having enough when I need it. Afraid of just not having enough.

I really try to keep up with tithing and giving a little more in other areas. One time I had forgot the checkbook. I was sitting in church thinking 'I can't tithe this week. I don't have the checkbook.' Then I thought what about the cash in my wallet? I argued with with myself that I couldn't use that. I needed it for a trip we were taking and I didn't get paid before we left. Then the thought 'Trust God' came to me. But I could not bring myself to put the cash in the offering. I did not trust. The next day at work I got a back pay check I was not expecting. It was like God telling me "See, I will provide. Just trust Me."

I know I should trust more in this area. I will try harder and pray for God to help me.

Question 9: Since God knows what is best, what areas of my life do I need to trust Him more?

The answer is simply all areas. If I or anyone else could just turn over our entire life to God what a different world this would be. But it is part of our fallen human condition that we try to control everything.

My main focus right now is to trust God with my job situation, where I live, and how I should serve. Those things are in my prayers every day.

As C.S. Lewis said "The more we let God take over, the more truly ourselves we become - because He made us. He invented all the different people that you and I were intended to be. It is when I turn to Christ, when I give up myself to His personality, that I first begin to have a real personality of my own."

Question 8: What could I start doing today as if I'm doing it for Jesus?

My job my job my job. This is the one I should dedicate to Jesus everyday. I pray every morning during the pledge and moment of silence. My prayer is: God bless everything I think, do, or say so that I have you guiding my every step.

It is so easy to get distracted and forget where your mind should be focused. So easy for my pain to start and get frustrated. So easy to just get caught up in everything.

I will make a great effort to start doing my job for Jesus today.

Question 7: How in my daily life can I become more aware of Gods glory around me?

I think I do this quite often. I love living in the desert and looking at the stars. The universe is so massive it shows how big God is. He knows every star by name.

The mountains, the oceans, the wind, snow, and rain. How it all works together. How we are the only planet the exact distance from a star to support life as we know it. The universe declares His truth so no one has an excuse. This could not be an accident.

Question 6: Since life is a temporary assignment how should I start living my life?

The words of John Wesley go through my head when I hear life put in these terms. "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can."

So since life is a temporary assignment I must try to live up to John Wesley's standard. I have started doing this to a small extent by serving in ways that I can. I am working very hard to not miss an opportunity to serve when they present themselves.

What has happened to me recently that I now know was a test from God and what are the greatest trust God has entrusted me with?

The class I had for the 2008 - 2009 school year was a great test for me. I had a group of girls in that class that had some serve emotional problems. I spent a lot of time dealing with the personal issues and the back biting. By the end of the year I had a strong emotional attachment with the entire class and learned a lot about my classroom management.
This year it has been reported to me that those girls have grown a lot and are doing much better. So together as a group we grew. They helped me become a better teacher and I was there when they needed a caring adult role model.
My greatest trusts are the family the Lord has given me. The classes of kids I am entrusted with every year. The talents God has given me. Everything I have is because of Him.

Question 4: Considering everything in life has eternal consequences what is the one thing I should start doing and the one thing I should stop doing?

What is the one thing I should stop doing? I have spent more time pondering this questions than the others. I think maybe it is because I am afraid to admit my faults or weakness. Pride is something we all fight. I kept going back to where you spend your time, treasure, and talent is where your heart is.
My talent I use in my job, with my family, and I serve with it within my church. I would like to write more because it is the talent I enjoy the most and is very therapeutic for me.
My treasure I have gone through phases in my life where I have used it very well to help and serve others. Although I have never been very good at managing my treasure. So I need to start manging it better and using it better.
And my time is the most important. Time is the only thing that once is is spent you cannot get it back. This is the one area I really need to improve on. It seems to be an easy fix because there is an area in my life I could cut back on greatly and that cut would supply me with a lot of time. That one thing is T.V. watching. It is so easy to come home from work and fall exhausted into a chair and spend 3,4,5, even 6 hours in front of the T.V.
The T.V. is not bad or evil. Many good and educational things exist in the medium. But it is about choices and limits. If I cut out a 1 hour news program how much writing could I get done? If I cut out one half hour middle of the road sit com could I volunteer somewhere? And the hardest for me one 3 hour football game how much playing could I get in with my kids?
So my simple answer is to stop using my time on things that will not matter in eternity so I can focus on serving and helping others.
How am I going to do that? 1: Cut back on my t.v. watching by not adding any new programs to my regular schedule and cutting out the marginal ones. 2: Find a management tool for the family fiances. 3: Pick one program outside of my church to donate my time, talent, and treasure to.