And I have a second ziplock with lots of different sized ants crawling all over a dead cockroach.

I will listen to what the LORD God is saying, for He is speaking peace to His faithful people and to those who turn their hearts to Him. Psalm 85:8

He replied, “Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding.” Judges 13:18

As I wade hip-deep through the muck of Judges this month, it is all pretty much beyond my understanding, God’s ways with His straying and stumbling peoples.

Although, I guess even my ways are beyond understanding. Just before I went to bed last night, I turned on my flashlight iPhone and took an empty oatmeal can out to the little river of grey water muck that lines both sides of the street to catch sewer cockroaches for my class this morning.

I am teaching about Opens or Warm-ups that tie into student background knowledge. And although my four-inch cockroaches don’t exactly match the warm fuzziness of the inspiring article we read Thursday: By now your students will be buzzing with the understanding that yours is no ordinary classroom. The startling expectations, the joyful learning, and the quiet thrill in their heart is evidence enough that it’s going to be a remarkable year, at least it will get their attention.

And Our Father wants our attention.

And if one is seeing, really seeing (which is the overarching theme of today’s lessons), the glorious thread weaving throughout all of the Old Testament craziness is His kindness and patience. Man, that Sampson was a big goofball who careened through bad painful choice after bad painful choice and yet, somehow, at the end of it all, bound and blinded, he at last came to the end of himself and turned his heart to his sovereign Lord.

And if sunsets settling over the Rincons don't do it, then our loving Father will turn to cockroaches or locusts or the death of dreams to draw our eyes back to Him and His unending love.

  

And once again the sun rises.

Jesus knew that the Father had put everything into his hands, and that he had come from God and was returning to God, and he got up from table, removed his outer garments and, taking a towel, wrapped it round his waist; he then poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel he was wearing… John 13:3–5

I will listen to what the LORD God is saying, for He is speaking peace to his faithful people and to those who turn their hearts to Him. Psalm 85:8

So I am kind of thinking crazy crazy day today. Nicole is leaving for a two-month jaunt around the country and I am taking her to the airport after swimming. And then I need to swing back home to pick up Manuel for school because the Teamsters are still striking. And I have breakfast duty this morning. And my co-teacher is in Phoenix today so I am picking up all of her classes and I am picking up Uncle Jim because he is coming to family dinner for the first time in more than a year and btw can I pick up two bottles of sparkling prosecco to celebrate Dustin’s birthday?

And there is a lot of pick up’s today, a wrapping of a towel around my waist and washing feet today, but it is so perfectly fine. Because, really and truly, I know what I know. And with that deep understanding I can walk peace throughout the day. 

Even though the classroom projector is broken. And the internet went out again yesterday. So once I step foot inside that building I am out of contact with google for ten hours. And my phone, which will be turned to Mute is not taking messages so that will mean yet another trip to Verizon on Saturday. So texting is all I got. Who would have ever thunk that about me? And I wasn’t very clever for a friend’s birthday today, even though I wanted to be. And I decided not to swim this morning but to sit quietly in the dark except for the sparkly lights.

And I think of Jesus on that last night. And there is a lot of calm, a breaking of the bread and passing of the cup. And promises of a future. And there is the despair as well, the weeping in the garden. And at each moment, the Father met Him.

And I am all about an angel of the LORD coming and strengthening me if I start to falter.

My fixed psalm for the day is: Be still, then, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:11

And my fixed prayer for me on Wednesdays is that I will not lean on my own strength and understanding, but in all my ways I will acknowledge You and have a heart of thanksgiving and be filled with Your wisdom and grace.  And may I live in the joy of the Holy Spirit.

Selah.