Author: jesusluvsall

Jesus follower, English teacher, interested in other cultures, travel, and sharing the love of Jesus.

A Relaxing Summer Friday

~ jesusluvsall ~ 11 Comments

Yesterday after I did onboarding with the public school system here, I hung out at. Can you guess? Yes a coffee shop.

One of the fun things for me for me about hanging out at a coffee shop in the summers is seeing fellow educators I usually only see in passing during the school year. When we run into each other in the summer it is time to catch up on life,

Yesterday I ran into my friend who is a French professor at the university in my city. We met in the coffee shop when she was speaking German with her husband. When I hear other languages being spoken, it draws my attention. I greeted them in German that day and we chatted.

Back to yesterday, it was wonderful to see my friend again. Last summer was the shutdown so no hanging out at the coffee shop. It had been a long time since I chatted with my friend. We talked about Europe, places we have both been to there, French food, and teaching language.

Life is so interesting when one day i can interact with a fellow educator who is trilingual-English, French and German- and the next day teach English for friends from Cuba and Mexico, I get to practice my Spanish with them too. I will also see my Brazilian friend and practice Portuguese.

It is funny that I am trilingual as well but in English, Portuguese and Spanish, So my French professor friend and I have to talk in English with each other.

Life is back to normal for me. I wonder if I should say that because my life has never been normal. lol

What will you do this weekend?

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

June Is Here-Now What?

~ jesusluvsall ~ 11 Comments

Here we are in the month of June. June has been a month of new adventures for me. It has also been a month of God doing something new in my life. So each June I tend to have a sense of expectancy about what will happen.

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A few examples:

June 1997 I had my first trip to Romania.

June 2010 I had my one and only trip to Mexico which led me to study Spanish.

June 2013 I had my first trip to Brazil which led me to study Portuguese.

One change will happen today. I will go do my employment paperwork for the school system here. My morning class had been a collaboration between the community college here and the public school system. It will only be with the public school system and I have been hired. But I knew that was coming.

Either today or Monday I will find out about starting a new medication. But that does not seem so exciting to me.

So I thought I would share an idea and get feedback. I have written short stories in my other blog- encounterswiththeancients.com. My idea is to make short films from them and post them on YouTube. Let me know what you think.

So June is here. I have had 5 of my 11 international ministry trips in June. I wish I had one this year too but COVID is still an issue in many places. So it will be staying at home.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Survived the Doctor :)

~ jesusluvsall ~ 32 Comments

Yes, I survived the doctor yesterday. He was friendly, easy to talk to, and informative. Just waiting for him to have liver function tests come back before starting a prescription.

I wondered if the x-ray tech thought I could do yoga. lol

For example, for some x-rays, the x-ray tech wanted me to have my toes pointed inward. While doing so for several x-rays, I wondered why I had to do yoga poses. lol

I may have told some jokes to the nurses. At the nurses station as I was leaving, I told the nurse I was talking to that sometimes I have to stop driving because the tires on my car get dizzy. She thought I was serious at first but the other nurses laughing told her it was a joke.

As the four vials of blood were being drawn, I wondered if they were for tests or for a vampire. lol

The best part was the conversation with my friend on the way there and back. We discussed our Life Group from church, shared humorous stories, and talked about life. It was good to get to know my brother in Christ better.

So pending liver function tests, a new med will be on my list. I survived the doctor. 🙂

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Wellness Wednesday- Today Is The Day

~ jesusluvsall ~ 32 Comments

The day has arrived. This afternoon I will have my appointment with a Rheumatologist at the University Medical Center. First appointments with a Rheumy can be a bit of a wait. It feels almost a bit anti-climatic.

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My friend from church will drive me to my appointment. That is real friendship driving one hour to and one hour back from an appointment for a friend. 🙂 The reason I am not driving is fatigue. I am not sure if I would feel like driving the one hour back home.

I am somewhat hopeful for a diagnosis today. Hopefully a treatment plan can begin. But I am not getting my hopes up. It is wait and see. So off I go this afternoon for another appointment to be x-rayed, have blood tests, and be examined. Other than that it should be a good day. lol

After the appointment, I will reward my friend with a steak dinner at a restaurant for driving me there.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Why Jesus Sometimes Delays- John 11

~ jesusluvsall ~ 12 Comments

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When we hear about a loved one being taken to the emergency room or being in the hospital our first impulse is to rush over. We want to be there for them and show our support.

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Jesus received word that his dear friend Lazarus was sick. Lazarus and his two sisters Mary and Martha were friends of Jesus. They sent word to Jesus:

“Lord, the one you love is sick.”

At this point any of us would have immediately gone to them, but Jesus did not.

So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days

Jesus had told his disciples

“This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

Jesus waited two days until he started out to Judea where Lazarus and his sisters were. His disciples were concerned saying:

“a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”

Jesus replied with an analogy.

“Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

Jesus was there to show the light of God, to show what God is like. Waiting two days to leave after hearing Lazarus was sick and returning to Judea were part of that. Things were being set up for the greatest miracle of Jesus before his resurrection.

Jesus had a teaching moment with his disciples.

After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

His disciples did not get it.

“Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

Jesus then told them

“Lazarus is dead”

As we will see later in this chapter, if Jesus had left when he first received word, he might have made it there before Lazarus died. Also Jesus could have simply just said the word and Lazarus could have been healed without Jesus coming there. So why did Jesus delay?

“for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

Jesus delayed because he knew he was about to perform his greatest miracle up to that point. The reason in doing so was for his disciples and others to believe.

When we suffer, Jesus might move right away, he might delay, he might let it get worse. Any way that Jesus responds is for others around us not only for ourselves. We do not see the big picture. Jesus does. It is for us to trust him while we suffer.

If God answering seems to be delayed, we need to be careful not to assume God is not with us and does not care. We need to trust God.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Music Mondays- Memorial Day Edition- Thank You Jesus for the Blood by Charity Gayle

~ jesusluvsall ~ 19 Comments

It is Memorial Day here in the USA. We remember those who gave their lives defending our freedom. I am thankful for those who have served our country. Our freedom is not free of cost. It cost hundreds of thousands people their lives from the Revolutionary War to now.

Jesus gave his all when he died on the cross for us. I am thankful Jesus made the way for us to be forgiven, have relationship with God, and have eternal life.

When God Speaks to Us Through His People

~ jesusluvsall ~ 31 Comments

Have you ever had one of those conversations that you realized God arranged for you? That happened for me this morning in church.

My Rheumatology appointment is this Wednesday. After having seen various specialists the past five years, I must admit in the back of my mind I have had doubts about my upcoming appointment.

This morning in church I was talking with a few women who asked me what my appointment is for. I briefly shared with them about my experiences trying to get a diagnosis. One of the women is a retired nurse. She shared with me about how her son has gone to the same clinic I will be going to and how great they have been.

As she shared with me, I realized I am going to the right place. When I walked to the worship center, I thanked God for that brief conversation.

If we are open to God’s leading, he will direct our paths even in little things like the conversation I had this morning,

Now I will go home and take a nap. 🙂

How is your Sunday?

Thank you for reading. God Bless.

Getting Back to the Old Normal?

~ jesusluvsall ~ 10 Comments

The shutdown lasted long enough for life as it was during the shutdown to become my new normal. I led my Life Group through a study in John via Zoom, taught in Zoom, got used to staying home most of the time, and watching church online.

We had a plan for Life Group to study through Acts in the bible, but then there was a sudden change of interest to study Revelation. When it occurred, my response was let me think about it. As I thought about it, I shared a group study guide for Revelation suggesting we go back to taking turns. Why?

The past few weeks, God has been showing me it is time to return to my old normal, My old normal was coming to Life Group about 50% of the time because of ministry opportunities such as cultural celebrations, invitations to visit people from other countries in their homes etc.

My weekend groups have started and now it is time to begin visiting people again. This afternoon I will meet a new friend from Brazil at a coffee shop.

I am grateful for the different opportunities during the shutdown, but it is time to return to the ministry God has called me to.

Thank you for reading. God Bless.