glasses

My new glasses! Aren't they sweet?! Just a tad vintage? Maybe "fighter-pilot goggle"-like?

Just kidding, these are the ones I bought.

Wow...look at that beard. At least you can see I'm wearing my ccc shirt.

Not a bad pic, just a tad out of focus.

The pièce de résistance...my proof to me I need a haircut, beard trim, and some more exercise...racquetball anyone?

A bit ego-centric?

school about to begin

Yes, it is that time of year again: monsoon weather in phoenix, heat still there, sun still rising early, and children about to head back to school. DVHS is where I call home for my teaching career at this stage. I do love it there. I am looking forward to another good year. I am teaching 3 classes of freshman level algebra and 3 classes of junior level algebra. My schedule is as follows:

Per 1 - Algebra 3-4
Per 2 - Algebra 1-2
Per 3 - Algebra 3-4
Per 4 - Algebra 3-4
Per 5 - Lunch
Per 6 - Algebra 1-2
Per 7 - Algebra 1-2

I can already tell you that my second hour is going to be the most challenging. LORD give me grace! Oh how at times like these I wish I was more merciful and understanding of others. Pray for Deer Valley's population, would you? Pray the LORD would reveal Himself in ways that could only be explained as that He showed up. Pray for CCC (Christian Club on Campus). Pray for CCC's leadership. Pray for Diedrich Wasserbauer and I as we sponsor CCC. Pray that it will have an impact for the Kingdom of our LORD, Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory!

school begins again

The summer is over and Deer Valley High School is back in session. We started this past Monday to have class again, and there is always a period of time where nothing is settled and students get their schedules changed left and right. I've gained and lost numerous students just over the past five days. I have to do and redo seating charts and the pages where I write down homework grades for me to then take and put into the computer. With that said, change is a delight at times, though. I am enjoying being back at school. I truly do love teaching. I feel blessed to be at DVHS and I'm looking forward to what the LORD has for me this year. CCC (Christian Club on Campus) will hopefully get started here pretty soon, marking the first time that we've had the club up and running as we'd like it to in the fall. We didn't truly get going last year until the spring semester rolled around. I am truly excited about the LORD using the students involved in CCC's leadership and just those in attendance. I am excited about Him using Diedrich and I to reach the leadership and take them to a new and deeper level of understanding their God and His Gospel. I am also excited about being able to have the classes that I do throughout the school day. I have all Algebra 1-2 and 2-1 classes. 2-1 classes are dropback classes for students to keep moving forward even if they are a semester behind for whatever reason. I have classes all six hours instead of having a prep hour. It means more work, but it also means 20% more pay, which my family could surely use. After being told that we weren't going to receive a raise, I ended up receiving a 2.11% raise, a flat cash increase, and the 6/5th contract on top of that. The LORD is proving to me over and over again that I made the right decision to stay at DVHS this year. It wasn't for the money, since I signed a contract that had the same amount on it as last year's pay, and it wasn't just because I live across the street, though that was a factor. I truly believe that the LORD led me to the decision because of CCC and my desire to serve Him in my neighborhood. So many things to look forward to because of what the LORD is doing and how He's providing in ways only He could be responsible for. All glory to Him. Please pray with me that He would be glorified on Deer Valley's campus more this year than ever before!

new/updated blogs

Another reason that I've not posted on here as much lately is that I've been working on two more blogs. I have one that I've had in my possession for 4 years, have done absolutely nothing with it (http://pseudobass.blogspot.com), but have now added to it and plan to continue to post new things there that are specifically of a spiritual nature (not that I'll stop putting spiritually-minded items on this blog). I also added a blog to my possession (http://dvccc.blogspot.com) which will be for the Deer Valley Christian Club on Campus. I hope to get the student leaders to post during the school year about dvccc happenings and personal growth deals. I think that one could really turn into something great, that is, if the students get on board with me in doing it. May the LORD be honored. Check out the other blogs and let me know what you think. I have also linked to them on the side bar of this blog.

dvccc

dvccc met again last night at Deer Valley High School. We were in room 400 last night (Wasserbauer's room; he's the club's original supervisor). We had 16 students, 2 supervisors, 1 adult speaker, and 1 adult helper. The speaker was great, and we enjoyed our time playing games, as well. I wrote down a quote from the speaker, but I left it at home, and I'm at DV, so I'll post it later. It was a great evening that God granted to the group. Praise the Lord.

dvccc

The second meeting of dvccc that was open for all students was last night. Last week we had between 20 and 30 students show. This week we were down toward 15 students. While authenticity is not based on numbers, the more students that dvccc can impact with the Gospel the better. The dvccc student leadership and I had some great prayer before the meeting. We talked about the need to ask for things that could only be explained by God having done it. We are looking for the supernatural to take place in our lives and in the lives of the students dvccc will be able to reach. Some of the leaders really seemed to be getting it and cared. Others might take a while longer. We're all at different places, and God is good. I didn't lead very well when a situation arose that, in my mind, shouldn't have even been an issue. Our speaker was supposed to be one person, or another, both of whom I knew already, but neither were asked about speaking because the student didn't come through who was supposed to ask them. So she got someone else who was never mentioned to me, and I was taken off-guard, and I was rude. I was jerkish. I had to apologize to him later, and I did. I ate crow. I was totally wrong. He told me that he felt I was wrong to act the way I did, that he had felt God laying something on his heart that day to share, and that he didn't want to do it anymore because of me. Yeah; I messed up. I apologized, but he still felt like leaving, so I didn't object. The Lord does what He will. A few other students shared what God was laying on their hearts lately, and there was a youth pastor (Nate Sams, 23) from New Heart (about 43rd Ave & Greenway in Phoenix) who got up toward the end and shared what he'd been studying in Galations 5. A few of the things the students had said they would do, they didn't, and I let my expectations in man defeat me and my attitude toward the evening. But God...that's a good phrase...but God still did His thing. He alone changes hearts, even despite me. *Lord, forgive me for trying to take Your place as Sovereign and Judge. May all honor, glory, majesty, power, authority, and dominion be Yours, before all ages, now, and forever. Amen.*

dvccc

The first evening dvccc leadership meeting took place last night. We had 8 students show up. We've got some great stuff that they're planning for Monday, 1/22, which will be our first meeting that the leadership is opening up for anyone to come to. We will have leadership training/planning again, starting at 5pm, and then the second session for everyone starting at 6:30pm. There will be a game, a skit, a praise time, "Preston's Corner," and an invited speaker. It looks like it will be a great time of fun and fellowship. Deer Valley Christian Club on Campus is a go.

separation

Now, you might not think this is normal of a follower of Christ, but I believe in the separation of church and state. It is absolutely wrong for a government to force all the people into the same religion and to, therefore, control that religion. It is also wrong for a religion to control the government, therefore forcing the country, with differing peoples, to do only that which the leaders of that religion desire. Both of those scenarios are what the founding fathers were referring to, since they had seen and been apart of countries where either scenario was in full swing. We fought to get away from that, to have religious freedom, and we shouldn't head back to it. But the issue in today's society is not either of these scenarios. I am being told that I cannot be referred to as a "sponsor" of the dvccc, Deer Valley Christian Club on Campus, but can only take a "supervisory" role. This is now the district's policy to not allow a sponsor but just a supervisor who does not participate within the religious club. Should I not be allowed to interject or answer questions from students just because someone has a Bible open? Freedom of religion would allow for any religious club to be held on campus, and I believe this should be so. And if the teacher that "sponsors" that club should want to help lead and guide discussion, I am completely behind that, as well. Sure, keep a sense or propriety, but allow the freedom of speech to come through, as well. *Lord, I don't know what it is that You are doing here, but I am trusting You to do Your will and Yours alone. May whatever happens through this situation bring You glory alone. May my heart, in the middle of this, back up actions of grace and love so that Your character will be shown off and hearts brought into Your kingdom. Your strength alone can accomplish this. You alone are worthy of all praise.*

ccc

DVCCC had a meeting at my house again today, Wednesday. There were only three students that came, and Amy joined us. It was nice to have Amy here with us. She's always brutally honest about me, to me and to others. We watched some SB Emails (Strong Bad Emails, www.homestarrunner.com), talked about what they were studying, how it was changing their lives, where they were seeing answers to prayer, and who they were sharing with. This was our first time doing the "core questions," so they were unsure about answering, but we got some good responses. We had a good time just getting to know each other a little, and talk of the Lord and His glory.

ccc

I've now got a leadership application with a parental consent form for CCC. Diedrich Wasserbauer (CCC sponsor, English teacher, room 400) and I will then be able to go through the applications and decide who would be best to serve as leadership in this DVCCC. How great is our God?! *Lord, only You can change hearts. I ask for the hearts of the students, teachers, and administrators on Deer Valley's campus to be reached through You using even CCC to show off Your character to bring Yourself glory.*

ccc

I am, right now, an unofficial sponsor for the Christian Club on Campus. I am excited about what the Lord is going to do on our campus here at DVHS. We met yesterday after school to talk about vision, get into the Scripture (ii timothy), and encourage attendance at the Monday morning meetings. I'm going to be praying for specific, big things that only God can do so He can prove that it was Him and show His character off. How cool is that? More updates on CCC will be coming.