Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Educator Devotionals for Lent

Dear Christian educators,

Lent begins on Wednesday, March 2nd - Join our educator devotionals for the 40 days of Lent. For each of these 40 Days during Lent, we will go to the Scriptures with a verse a day that will encourage, equip and empower through with God’s Word.

Lent is the season of 40 days (not counting Sundays) which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Eve. Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lencten, which means spring. The season is a preparation for celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord on Easter Sunday. Historically, lent began as a period of fasting and preparation for baptism by converts and then became a time of penance by all Christians. (from the United Methodist Book of Worship)

This year I will be again hosting a proactive view of living an educators' life during Lent. Although, we may be "giving up” something we enjoy, let us use these 40 days to see the beauty of the Fruit of the Spirit in our school communities.

Would you like to join me in this 40 days of reflection into God’s Word for encouragement?  It will be a short and sweet daily message in this pattern:

  • A word based on the Fruit of the Spirit
  • A reflection of how the word can be profitable in the classroom
  • An educators’ prayer
  • An image with the verse for the day

I will host the verses on this blog, and on the

There's nothing better than being in the Word with our brothers and sisters.


Prayerfully yours,

Karen C. Seddon
CEAI - Christian Educators Assoc. Int.
State Director for Florida
407.892.5651
....an unqualified recipient of His unconditional love



2 Timothy 3:16 -17- All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.


Christian Educators Association International is the only professional association in the United States specifically for Christian educators in public schools. CEAI protects our members first in prayer, next with excellent professional liability insurance and other benefits while helping them live out their high calling as a Christian in the public school. 





Christian Educators Association International is the only professional association in the United States specifically for Christian educators in public schools.  CEAI protects our members first in prayer, next with excellent professional liability insurance and other benefits while helping them live out their high calling as a Christian in the public school. 

Sunday, January 3, 2021

Heaps of Stones


Do you have a Scripture verse for the year? I never had one until 2020. Many people have an anchor Scripture for the year, but it was never something that the Lord placed on my heart until last year. The verse that I said everyday (and sometimes multiple times in the day) was Ephesians 4:32 - Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. This Scripture is packed with reminders and admonitions. For instance, when I needed help with relationships, it was clear that God wanted me to be more tenderhearted and forgiving. Tenderheartedness is not natural for me but having this written on the "scroll of my soul" (Beth Moore) gave me the ability to hear God's will for me. Forgiveness is key to understanding our relationship with the Lord. He has forgiven us through Christ. How can we not forgive others? Well, it's not easy, but it is what God expects from us. I am most grateful for having this Scripture all year through our crazy 2020.

Now that it's 2021, I commend a Scripture for the year to you. Ask God to place a particular portion of His Word on your heart to memorize and carry around with you everywhere you go. This year the verse that I am going to say daily is a blessing for educators everywhere.

Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is in your midst,

a mighty one who will save;

he will rejoice over you with gladness;

he will quiet you by his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing.



I have memorized it and have said it multiple times each day with great joy. This is a Scripture that even makes me a bit giddy because God is so good. In ancient times, God instructed Israel to make heaps of stones as a memorial to Him. I am most blessed to have a prayer garden and a meditation garden around our home. The Prayer Garden began with pathways of prayer benches each representing the Fruit of the Spirit. As I sit at each of these 9 benches, there are 2 or more special people I will pray for by name. During our stay-at-home time in the beginning of the pandemic, we built the Meditation Garden. I have Scriptures that I have memorized or am working on as a reminder of the gift of God's Word to us. Now I have added "heaps of stones" as a memorial of His goodness to us. 


Deuteronomy 27:2-3
So it shall be on the day when you cross the Jordan to the land which the Lord your God gives you, that you shall set up for yourself large stones and coat them with lime and write on them all the words of this law, when you cross over, so that you may enter the land which the Lord your God gives you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you.

Joshua 4: 1-6

When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man,  and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests' feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’”  Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe.  And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.

I am going to say and pray this Scripture for educators everyday throughout 2021. Because this school year has been the most difficult in our lifetime, we need a reminder of His goodness. Let's begin with the first of four thoughts from this precious verse.


The LORD your God is in your midst, a Mighty One Who will save. 

Each day that you arrive at school, remember the LORD your God is there with you. He is mighty to save you from anything the day will throw at you. You are His! As Christian educators, you have the Holy Spirit living in you, walking and talking with you every day, everywhere you go. It most certainly includes your school day which is the all-encompassing portion of your life. Call on Him daily. Pray for the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and remember that God is with you and for you. Be a blessing to those you interact with at school that they may somehow see Him through you.


He will rejoice over you with gladness;

Isn't this beautiful? Can you imagine God rejoicing over you with gladness? What a reminder for us that He made you and your students and everything He makes is good. Our God is the creator of the whole universe and He even said it was good before He rested. What a gift to remember to rejoice as He rejoices over you. Do you take the time to rejoice over your students or colleagues? Maybe 2021 is the year to rejoice over our schools as the Lord rejoices over us with gladness. All our schools could use a little more rejoicing and gladness. Amen?


He will quiet you by His love;

Be still. He will quiet you by His love. Each day brings its own worries. Cast them upon Him because He cares for you. I can feel His quieting when I say and pray Scripture. We often want to hear from God and the way to hear His voice is through His Word. It is the way to understand what He wants from us, how he cares for us and how He loves us. He loves us so much that He can even quiet us by His love. When your heart is troubled, call upon Him to quiet you. There is nothing more lasting than His remedies. I think of quiet times in school and know there are not many, but in those rare and wonderful times when you can be alone and just sit a moment, look to Him for your peace for He has promised that He will quiet you by His love. 


He will exult over You with loud singing.

Can you imagine this? God is going to delight over us with loud singing! What will that sound like? How will we react? What will we do? It reminds me of the chorus of Mercy Me's "I Can Only Imagine." 

Surrounded by your glory
What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for you Jesus
Or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in your presence
To my knees will I fall?
Will I sing hallelujah
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine

When you get to eternity, He will be singing over you! Wow! Dearest Christian educator, whether you are a paraprofessional, a teacher, a coach, an administrator or whatever position you are blessed to have, please know that I will be saying and praying this Scripture over you each day of 2021. May the Lord bless you with personal word for this year or feel free to use this one also. After all, this word is for you.

As always, I am prayerfully yours,
K


Note: To more fully understand the 16-9 Movement, please read the first blog entry by clicking here.

PS. Don’t forget to spread the word about the 1:16PM Prayer Movement and Around the Word in 180 Days:
      Go to www.one16pray.com  and www.aw180days.com for more information.
      Visit,  "like", and add comments the 1:16PM Facebook page and the Around the World in 180 days Facebook page.
      Sign up for text message prayer prompts from Remind  

May God bless you in the 2020-2021 school year.



Christian Educators Association International is the only professional association in the United States specifically for Christian educators in public schools.  CEAI protects our members first in prayer, next with excellent professional liability insurance and other benefits while helping them live out their high calling as a Christian in the public school. 

Wednesday, December 23, 2020

An Advent Challenge - Day 24 - Luke 24

 

Come and sit awhile and rest in the Word of God.
Listen to Chapter 24

Luke 24 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Resurrection

24 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.

On the Road to Emmaus

13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29 but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them.30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate before them.
44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

The Ascension

50 And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.



Merry Christmas, dear friends.

As always, I am prayerfully yours,
K


Note: To more fully understand the 16-9 Movement, please read the first blog entry by clicking here.

PS. Don’t forget to spread the word about the 1:16PM Prayer Movement and Around the Word in 180 Days:
      Go to www.one16pray.com  and www.aw180days.com for more information.
      Visit,  "like", and add comments the 1:16PM Facebook page and the Around the World in 180 days Facebook page.
      Sign up for text message prayer prompts from Remind  

May God bless you in the 2020-2021 school year.



Christian Educators Association International is the only professional association in the United States specifically for Christian educators in public schools.  CEAI protects our members first in prayer, next with excellent professional liability insurance and other benefits while helping them live out their high calling as a Christian in the public school.