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Hope To Alaska : A Blog from the Bench

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 As an educator for over twenty years, I have learned the painful parts of the work they do not teach in educational methods courses.  The mourning and grief, which comes with losing students and fellow educators, and some of the most gut-wrenching loss is when it is by suicide. When you get a license to teach in Alaska , you are required to take classes in Suicide Prevention courses, and there are mental health supports available through grants for schools. However, the continued loss of educators and students (or their families) highlights this is not enough to stop this epidemic of hurt.  Therefore, I am reaching out to all my fellow educators today. I want you to know that you matter. I truly believe you get into this profession because you love kids, and you want to make a positive impact on the world. I also know there are many days the work and the policy can get in the way of learning, and you can feel like your hands are tied. You can give all your time and energy to your stu
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You are on a Journey to Jesus Today

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Don't Stop Believin-You are on a Journey to Jesus  Each of us is on a Journey to Jesus today Whether you are believers or strangers to The Way We each have a part in His beautiful redemptive story  In His death, in His love, and in His abundant glory Don't Stop Believin-You are on a Journey to Jesus today Whether you question His authority or celebrate His existence Whether you seek His love daily or there is only resistance  Whether you have been raised on His word as truth and as light Or you have found Him in pain or beside a river one night Don't Stop Believin-You are on a Journey to Jesus today So get off the midnight train going anywhere and join this gospel train spreading hope everywhere "It is Finished" means it has only just begun  because Jesus' loves always goes on, and on, and on Don't Stop Believin-You are on a Journey to Jesus Today He wants to draw you closer today and even more tomorrow  He desires to comfort you in your pain, your fear
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ACF Church: A Community of Lights

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 Merry Christmas! This is the season we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is my favorite season of the year because the joy is almost tangible everywhere you go. People tend to be kinder, sweeter, and jollier. I love the lights, and I get to openly listen to Christmas music instead of just in my headphones. This season has some extra sparkle to it, as I rejoice in the reason for the season alongside a community of believers who love Jesus and His people.  ACF Church in Eagle River is focused on reaching out to the hearts of the community. One of the ways we do it is through the free Christmas Light Show. I want to highlight that this would not be possible without the generous hearts of volunteers. Volunteers and staff have been setting up lights in negative temperatures and snow for weeks. The cold was brutal, the snow created obstacles, and the electrical breakers required extra TLC. The first day of the event was December 1, 2021, and seeing the kids' eyes spark
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RUN to your Father

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The last week of every month we have baptisms at ACF Church, and it is my favorite Sunday. I love celebrating with God's children, in this outward expression of faith. When an ACF Kids kiddo makes the decision to be baptized, I am especially excited to witness and rejoice with them and their family.  Today we had multiple children choose baptism including Sadie. Sadie is one of our ACF Kid Captains and serves on Sunday mornings. She is my special helper and assists in setting up rooms, plays games with our preschoolers, and greets everyone with her beautiful smile. She showed up ready to be baptized today, which is a decision she did not take lightly. She had asked me about baptism a month ago, and I asked her to pray over this important step in her faith every night until it was time for our next baptism. She was bubbling, and...well I will let her tell you.  I stood in the foyer after baptisms and was overcome with emotion as I witnessed a daddy-daughter moment. A moment when the
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One of THOSE days

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I have been called to serve alongside an amazing group of people in ACF Kids. We have an empowered team who do life together, pray over each other, love on one another, all while equipping small and mighty disciples to amplify the grace of Jesus to the churched, unchurched, and de-churched. Every day I see God moving in the classrooms through these beautiful souls. However, there are days when you see God moving in unexplainable ways. The days when your heart feels emotions that are too great for actual words to describe. I suppose this is what King David felt as he danced and shouted praise in the Psalms. Today was one of  those  days. One of those days...when an Elementary Team Captain, Michael Everett, decided to show his love for Jesus Christ through an outward expression of faith. He was BAPTIZED! The whole team rallied and showed flexibility and grace as they covered rooms so he and his wife could go upstairs for the baptism. He shared that he has been praying over this decision
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C.O.U.R.A.G.E. is Leadership

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Aristotle called courage the first virtue because it makes all of the other virtues possible. Courage is a characteristic of great leaders, and followers tend to lean into those who are bold and confident in decisions. Courageous leaders are willing to take risks and embrace failure as lessons for future attempts. Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the willingness to move forward anyway. If I am honest, I do not describe myself as courageous. I am risk-averse to a fault at times. Although others have stated I am brave for being willing to take risks and journey into the unknown, there is a fear hidden beneath the surface. Although some of the decisions I have made seem like acts of courage, often they are terrifying leaps of faith deemed necessary for survival or as an act of pure obedience to God.   Perhaps, I am more courageous than I give myself credit for, but honestly, I believe it is only because of my relationship with Christ that I can embrace risks. I battle with fear,
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Self-Reliance is God Defiance

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 One of my favorite essays is Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson. I used to have students in my high school English classes explicate it the first few weeks of the course. The purpose was to get them to recognize their own ability to think, express themselves and a need to be who they were created to be in class. I wanted each of my students to recognize the power within and freely bring their unique perspectives into the discussion. In fact, my only rule of the classroom was to "Be Yourself."  However, as I sat in service at ACF Church, self-reliance took on a new meaning. We discussed Exodus; specifically, the chapters focused around Pharaoh's hardened heart, and it became clear how self-reliant I have become. I used to think this was such an essential characteristic for a military wife, mother, and woman. In fact, I was told once by a powerful woman in my life, "Never depend on anyone or anything. You must be willing to fight for yourself and never lean on anyon
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