It's Sunday morning and within minutes I'll be getting ready for Sunday school.  I have a new DVD player that I need to hook up in our classroom.  We're doing the Beth Moore series Breaking Free, and the last few weeks have been a little tricky because the DVD player in our room has been acting up..

So my goal this morning is to get our classroom organized and straightened a bit before the ladies arrive, dusting our end tables, straightening book shelves, lighting candles...I love when the women walk in to a clean, cozy room.

Next weekend I'm flying to Charlotte, North Carolina, for a speaker/writer conference.  I have so much to do before I leave.  I am meeting with several publishers while I'm there to present my book proposal.  Please say a little prayer for me.  I still need to get the finishing touches done on a couple of chapters, and the contents of the book have brought many tears as I have written.  I'll share more with all of you when I feel God saying, "It is time."

My goal is to have the proposal finished and printed by Tuesday evening.

Because...

Before I fly to North Carolina, I have to go to Frankfort, KY, for a literacy training workshop for a few days this week.  Summer is winding down....which I still believe is very sad for our kids.  School begins August 3rd. :(  When I return from North Carolina, I have two more days of curriculum workshops to go to on the 25th and 26th of July.  Thankfully, they are in town.

My goal is to NOT go crazy in the next two weeks. :)

Olivia needs help getting packed for her last youth group trip of the summer (she will leave while I'm out of town and that's weighing heavily on me).  Please pray for her safety and the safety of the group as they will be in an inner-city area doing mission work several hours from her.

My goal is to have Olivia all packed and organized by Tuesday evening and to not worry about her while she is away. 

I took a new job for this year.  I am moving to the high school in our town to be a reading specialist for ninth grade students.  I prayed so hard all spring, debating about whether or not to simply sub this year.  My passion is writing, and deep inside my goal is to be a fulltime writer someday.  However, the Lord opened every door that I prayed He would close, and I knew that walking through them was something I needed to do this year.  Olivia has one more year until she'll be in the building where I'll be teaching, and truthfully, I want to see it from the inside out.  I want to have a chance to make a difference there.  It is a school that has been in crisis, and so the state has stepped in this year.  I love to read.  I love to see kids who love to read, so I am excited even though I am a little overwhelmed.  God seems to stretch us by placing us in overwhelming situations, doesn't He? 

My goal is to be the best teacher I can be this year while still balancing other parts of my life that I am most passionate about (my time with God, my time with friends and family, my writing time).

But when I lean back on a pillow like I'm doing right this minute and I close my eyes and think about what really matters, I think of Jesus.

I think of Him hanging on a cross for me and suddenly all of this craziness in my life at this minute seems to be just that....

craziness.

I take a deep breath and remember that my ultimate goal has nothing to do with lighting candles, packing suitcases, writing proposals, or getting my classroom ready.

My ultimate goal has everything to do with seeing Jesus one day and winning the prize of Heaven.

Ahh.....I feel better when I close my eyes and see this goal.  Everything else seems a lot less pressing.

When I press on, the things that are pressing on me seem to lose their power.

I hope that you'll take a few minutes today to close your eyes and see Jesus.

And remember that in spite of all that is going on in your life...

the goal of Heaven matters most.

Don't let anything hold you back from pressing on toward the prize of Heaven.

Phil. 3:12-14

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.