I've been reading through Galatians this summer, taking it a few verses at a time and really breaking it apart. This morning I woke up feeling really thankful, so I decided to begin my Jesus time by reading through some scripture about thankfulness. The book of Psalms is filled with verses on thankfulness, but this morning I found a verse in Hebrews that really stood out to me. Hebrews 12:28-29 says "Since we are receiving a kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. Our God is a devouring fire."
In Galatians I've been reminded of the freedom that we have in Christ when we become Christians. This means we are not bound by law, how AMAZING! I've also been reminded that as Christians, he is our father and that means we are heirs to THE THRONE OF GOD. This is what Hebrews 12:29 is talking about. We have been promised the unshakable kingdom. Can you imagine what God's love is like for us? He has given us the freedom to live in him and made us his children.
We should be thankful and worship our God for what he has done for us...the amazing love he has for us! We should want to wake up every morning and say PRAISE GOD for what he has done, he has given us another day to live, and so many wonderful blessings. Why would we not want to spend time with him...he gave us life and made us who we are.
The last part of Hebrews 12 says "He is a devouring fire." Think about a fire that is taking over a house or a building. It is massive. God's love is like that for us, but he is so holy that he destroys everything that is not holy like a fire destroys a house. Sometimes it is so hard to fathom the greatness of our God.
This morning all I can do is worship, I thank God for ALL that he has done for me. I thank him for letting me be a part of his kingdom, a heir to the throne. I thank him for being who he is and pray that he helps me, little ole me, to strive to be the person he has called me to be and bring glory to HIS name!
7.16.2009
7.14.2009
Decorating Help!
My summer project has become decorating the interior of our house, but doing it as cost effective as possible. I've spent a lot of time looking at Homegoods, Ross, and even Walmart for cheap but great decorating pieces for our house. Once school starts back, I'm not going to have a lot of time to work on things. I need a little help though, I don't know what to do in the corner of our living room. Our tv has to go where it is and we aren't looking to buy a new tv stand right now. Any ideas on how I can decorate around it. I feel like this corner of our house is blah...
7.09.2009
Walmart is Rediculous!
I'm not usually the person to get all upset when I have to wait forever when my car is getting worked on. I've come along way in learning patience and today as I sat in the Walmart Tire and Lube waiting area for my car to be fixed, God tested me.
Matt has been doing a lot of extra freelance lately and hasn't had time to take either of our cars to get the tires rotated and balanced. We have been traveling quite a bit lately and both cars have needed this done for a while. We are leaving Saturday to go to Boone for a wedding and to D.C. in a few weeks, so I decided today to help him out and take my car to Walmart to get the tires done. We both have a warranty on tires from Walmart, so we take our cars there to get tires done. The Walmart in Knightdale is super ghetto and doesn't have a tire center anymore, so the closest Walmart that has a tire center is the one on 64 in Raleigh near the beltline. I don't particularly love this Walmart, but I thought I would be brave (of course after Matt promised me several times that I would be ok, no one was going to get me) and I went.
When I pulled into the tire center, there were no other cars there...so I thought, "sweet, this will take no time." The guy came out and asked me why I needed him, I told him and after explaining what I needed several times, he finally said ok, gave me a little ticket, and told me he would page me when he was done. I walked around Walmart for a few minutes, felt unconfortable for many reasons and decided to go have a seat in the tire center waiting area. After about 30 minutes of waiting the same guy came back, mumbled something to me about how I needed to replace a tire on the right passenger side, and told me that I probably wanted to get it fixed. I called Matt out of frusteration...now, I know I'm a girl and I don't know a lot about cars but I've learned pretty well from my dad when my tires need to be changed. Matt told me that since I haven't had new tires in a few years maybe the guy was right, and so I told the guy to go ahead with it. (Matt couldn't really tell me one way or the other, he was at work and already feeling sorry for me for having to go to THIS Walmart, he just wanted me out of there) The guy got a bit of an attitude about having to re-enter my transaction and walked away. By now, 45 minutes had passed and my car still hadn't been touched. I was starting to get a little frusterated by now because other cars that came in after mine were getting worked on...I didn't say anything and patiently waited. The guy came 5 minutes later and said he was going to lunch, I asked when my car was going to be ready and he said "I don't know, I'm going to eat...somone else will take you car." I figured someone else was taking over my car right then...
Well, after an hour and a half my car was still sitting and several other cars had been worked on, including some cars that needed tires. Finally, I got up told the guy at the counter I had to leave and asked for my keys. Now, I was hoping they would ask why, start working on my cars...someithing! No one volunteered to go ahead and work on my car or anything...no one even apoligized, they just told me what I already knew...the guy working on my car went to lunch and they didn't know when he would be back.
I got my keys and I left Walmart without having my tires done, I patiently got in my car and left. Although I was pretty proud of myself for not getting all upset over my tires not getting fixed, I wasted about two hours driving all the way to Walmart and sitting there. I do know one thing, we will NEVER go to that Walmart to get our cars worked on again!
Matt has been doing a lot of extra freelance lately and hasn't had time to take either of our cars to get the tires rotated and balanced. We have been traveling quite a bit lately and both cars have needed this done for a while. We are leaving Saturday to go to Boone for a wedding and to D.C. in a few weeks, so I decided today to help him out and take my car to Walmart to get the tires done. We both have a warranty on tires from Walmart, so we take our cars there to get tires done. The Walmart in Knightdale is super ghetto and doesn't have a tire center anymore, so the closest Walmart that has a tire center is the one on 64 in Raleigh near the beltline. I don't particularly love this Walmart, but I thought I would be brave (of course after Matt promised me several times that I would be ok, no one was going to get me) and I went.
When I pulled into the tire center, there were no other cars there...so I thought, "sweet, this will take no time." The guy came out and asked me why I needed him, I told him and after explaining what I needed several times, he finally said ok, gave me a little ticket, and told me he would page me when he was done. I walked around Walmart for a few minutes, felt unconfortable for many reasons and decided to go have a seat in the tire center waiting area. After about 30 minutes of waiting the same guy came back, mumbled something to me about how I needed to replace a tire on the right passenger side, and told me that I probably wanted to get it fixed. I called Matt out of frusteration...now, I know I'm a girl and I don't know a lot about cars but I've learned pretty well from my dad when my tires need to be changed. Matt told me that since I haven't had new tires in a few years maybe the guy was right, and so I told the guy to go ahead with it. (Matt couldn't really tell me one way or the other, he was at work and already feeling sorry for me for having to go to THIS Walmart, he just wanted me out of there) The guy got a bit of an attitude about having to re-enter my transaction and walked away. By now, 45 minutes had passed and my car still hadn't been touched. I was starting to get a little frusterated by now because other cars that came in after mine were getting worked on...I didn't say anything and patiently waited. The guy came 5 minutes later and said he was going to lunch, I asked when my car was going to be ready and he said "I don't know, I'm going to eat...somone else will take you car." I figured someone else was taking over my car right then...
Well, after an hour and a half my car was still sitting and several other cars had been worked on, including some cars that needed tires. Finally, I got up told the guy at the counter I had to leave and asked for my keys. Now, I was hoping they would ask why, start working on my cars...someithing! No one volunteered to go ahead and work on my car or anything...no one even apoligized, they just told me what I already knew...the guy working on my car went to lunch and they didn't know when he would be back.
I got my keys and I left Walmart without having my tires done, I patiently got in my car and left. Although I was pretty proud of myself for not getting all upset over my tires not getting fixed, I wasted about two hours driving all the way to Walmart and sitting there. I do know one thing, we will NEVER go to that Walmart to get our cars worked on again!
7.06.2009
Summertime
I am a horrible blogger, I know that, but I am enjoying my summer so I thought I would post about the wonderful things I've been able to do while I've been enjoying my summer break. I finished at Apex Middle on June 11th. I haven't wasted anytime since. Last summer I was bored out of my mind and I was determined that this summer would be different. Bare with me, this post may be a little long...
The first week of my break, I went to Myrtle Beach with my mom, surprised Anna at Caswell, and took them to Provisions. We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly and my mom loved eating at Provisions.The last part of that week, I spent in Asheville with Matt celebrating our 1st Wedding Anniversary. We stayed in a Bed & Breakfast in Asheville, ate dinner at a great Italian resturant, visited the Biltmore, and took a spontaneous trip to Boone. We really had a great time relaxing. I was excited for Matt to stop work for a few days, he needed a vacation. I can't believe we've been married for a year, what a blessing it has been! Here's a few pictures from our anniversary trip weekend.
The second week of my break, I ended going to a workshop in Chapel Hill for my new school. It was on classroom management, actually pretty worth my while, and it lasted all week. Hopefully I'll be able to use some of the stuff I learned with my new students in the fall. I'm pretty pumped about it.
The end of my 2nd week through the end of my 3rd week of summer break has to be by far my favorite so far. The weekend began with a surprise 50th birthday party for Merrie Johnson (our camp director from Caswell/good friend) and a wedding for a great college friend. Matt and I had a great time celebrating these events and I was able to stay at Caswell through Wednesday. During this time God reveled a lot to me. Matt and I both are learning a lot about what it means to worship God with our marriage, but also to worship God with our individual lives. We've learned that there is no way we can worship God with our marriage if we don't spend time alone with God daily. We've both known this, but last week while we were away from each other it became so evident that we need to work on this. God is so good, Afshin reminded me that as a child of God I must love him with all of my soul...which means giving him EVERYTHING daily. It was awesome to come home from Caswell and learn that Matt was learning the same thing. Anyways, may have to do another blog post on this later...I could go on and on. My sister, Anna, is having a wonderful summer and I was able to spend some sister time with her and hear about what God is teaching her this summer at Caswell. At the end of the week we celebrated my mom's birthday and the 4th of July at my Aunt Kim's beach house in Myrtle Beach. We had a great time and Matt even got to do a little surfing. I love my family!
There is so much more of my summer left and more adventures to blog about. This weekend we are headed to Boone for another wedding. My roommate/friend from college, Allison, is getting married. Can't wait to see great friends from ASU and enjoy some mountain weather!
The first week of my break, I went to Myrtle Beach with my mom, surprised Anna at Caswell, and took them to Provisions. We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly and my mom loved eating at Provisions.The last part of that week, I spent in Asheville with Matt celebrating our 1st Wedding Anniversary. We stayed in a Bed & Breakfast in Asheville, ate dinner at a great Italian resturant, visited the Biltmore, and took a spontaneous trip to Boone. We really had a great time relaxing. I was excited for Matt to stop work for a few days, he needed a vacation. I can't believe we've been married for a year, what a blessing it has been! Here's a few pictures from our anniversary trip weekend.
The second week of my break, I ended going to a workshop in Chapel Hill for my new school. It was on classroom management, actually pretty worth my while, and it lasted all week. Hopefully I'll be able to use some of the stuff I learned with my new students in the fall. I'm pretty pumped about it.
The end of my 2nd week through the end of my 3rd week of summer break has to be by far my favorite so far. The weekend began with a surprise 50th birthday party for Merrie Johnson (our camp director from Caswell/good friend) and a wedding for a great college friend. Matt and I had a great time celebrating these events and I was able to stay at Caswell through Wednesday. During this time God reveled a lot to me. Matt and I both are learning a lot about what it means to worship God with our marriage, but also to worship God with our individual lives. We've learned that there is no way we can worship God with our marriage if we don't spend time alone with God daily. We've both known this, but last week while we were away from each other it became so evident that we need to work on this. God is so good, Afshin reminded me that as a child of God I must love him with all of my soul...which means giving him EVERYTHING daily. It was awesome to come home from Caswell and learn that Matt was learning the same thing. Anyways, may have to do another blog post on this later...I could go on and on. My sister, Anna, is having a wonderful summer and I was able to spend some sister time with her and hear about what God is teaching her this summer at Caswell. At the end of the week we celebrated my mom's birthday and the 4th of July at my Aunt Kim's beach house in Myrtle Beach. We had a great time and Matt even got to do a little surfing. I love my family!
There is so much more of my summer left and more adventures to blog about. This weekend we are headed to Boone for another wedding. My roommate/friend from college, Allison, is getting married. Can't wait to see great friends from ASU and enjoy some mountain weather!
1.21.2009
My "Kids"
I updated our mattandmagan.com website today, but thanks to the Nelson Family I realized that I haven't updated my own blog since November. Since I'm in the updating mood. I'll give this one a go as well...
I talked a lot in my post on our website about my 60 kids at school. Well, over the past few days I've been thinking about how they really are my kids. You know, I see the more than their parents do during the day and my heart has really been burdened for them lately. Some of them have great home lives, some of them don't. Last week they wrote problem/solution papers and I let them write about any problem they have. One of my kids, who I will call "O," since I can't tell you his real name wrote about his parents being divorced and how he really wants to go live with his dad in NY, but his mom has raised him. His dad lives in Brooklyn & it would not be a good thing for "O" to go live with them. I've been praying for him since I helped him write his paper. Yes, I had to help him. He reads on about a 5th grade level & I know I'm doing good when I get him to sit down with me to actually put something on paper. My heart just breaks for him, because his family life is not great and he can easily get into trouble at school. But, there is just something about "O" and when he's in my class, he doesn't misbehave. I love this kid!
I have so many other great kids at my school. I'm going to be sad to see them go in June because I've taught some of them since last December when I started at Apex Middle.
Speaking of the spring, keep us in your prayers. We are thinking about buying a house when our lease runs out. We want to live closer to our friends & church in North Raleigh. But this also means I would need to think about looking for a new school, Apex would be about a 45-50 minute drive for me everyday. Who knows, so much to think about. The cool thing is, God is in control and we don't have to worry about all of this craziness!
I talked a lot in my post on our website about my 60 kids at school. Well, over the past few days I've been thinking about how they really are my kids. You know, I see the more than their parents do during the day and my heart has really been burdened for them lately. Some of them have great home lives, some of them don't. Last week they wrote problem/solution papers and I let them write about any problem they have. One of my kids, who I will call "O," since I can't tell you his real name wrote about his parents being divorced and how he really wants to go live with his dad in NY, but his mom has raised him. His dad lives in Brooklyn & it would not be a good thing for "O" to go live with them. I've been praying for him since I helped him write his paper. Yes, I had to help him. He reads on about a 5th grade level & I know I'm doing good when I get him to sit down with me to actually put something on paper. My heart just breaks for him, because his family life is not great and he can easily get into trouble at school. But, there is just something about "O" and when he's in my class, he doesn't misbehave. I love this kid!
I have so many other great kids at my school. I'm going to be sad to see them go in June because I've taught some of them since last December when I started at Apex Middle.
Speaking of the spring, keep us in your prayers. We are thinking about buying a house when our lease runs out. We want to live closer to our friends & church in North Raleigh. But this also means I would need to think about looking for a new school, Apex would be about a 45-50 minute drive for me everyday. Who knows, so much to think about. The cool thing is, God is in control and we don't have to worry about all of this craziness!
11.03.2008
So, What's Up With Magan Keith?
Ok, so I had a blog a while back. Matt created it for me right after we started dating and I never did a great job of keeping it up. And then we created our own "website" for our friends and family to keep up with us...that hasn't worked too well for us either. This past weekend we saw Sara Caulder and she mentioned that she would love for us to keep up with our website so that she could keep up with us...I then realized that I'd created my own new blog back over the summer and I was determined to keep it up. Did I? Nope, I didn't even make a first post...so why I am trying now?
I've been really busy with school this semester. It's basically been a first year teachers nightmare (Even though this isn't really my first year of teaching), because I've been teaching 2 subjects & I was asked to do it the 3rd week of school. I spend a lot of my time working on school work, keeping up our house, and trying to spend time with Matt. I don't really ever make time to just "chill." So I'm giving this blog thing another try. Matt & I are going to try to give our website another try as well...just for you Sara!
Like I said, school has been a little hectic this year. I've really been praying that God would just show me his plan for me. All my life I've never wanted to do anything but teach. Recently I've been thinking about whether or not God has something else for me. Maybe not right now, maybe not even in the next few years, but one day. Who knows what God's plan is, but I would really love to be a part of something huge. Something dealing with youth and ministry. (Maybe something like what I did my last summer of camp for Merrie) Who knows what His plan is, but I have learned the hard way that right now God's plan for me is to teach and to be my best at it. I have students that need their lives changed and the least I can do is be an example for them.
Other than being busy with school, we've enjoyed married life this fall by going to ASU football games, hanging out at the state fair, visiting family, and joining our first church together! We recently joined Journey Church in Raleigh and have enjoyed every minute of it so far.
So, there ya go. That's what's happening with me.
I've been really busy with school this semester. It's basically been a first year teachers nightmare (Even though this isn't really my first year of teaching), because I've been teaching 2 subjects & I was asked to do it the 3rd week of school. I spend a lot of my time working on school work, keeping up our house, and trying to spend time with Matt. I don't really ever make time to just "chill." So I'm giving this blog thing another try. Matt & I are going to try to give our website another try as well...just for you Sara!
Like I said, school has been a little hectic this year. I've really been praying that God would just show me his plan for me. All my life I've never wanted to do anything but teach. Recently I've been thinking about whether or not God has something else for me. Maybe not right now, maybe not even in the next few years, but one day. Who knows what God's plan is, but I would really love to be a part of something huge. Something dealing with youth and ministry. (Maybe something like what I did my last summer of camp for Merrie) Who knows what His plan is, but I have learned the hard way that right now God's plan for me is to teach and to be my best at it. I have students that need their lives changed and the least I can do is be an example for them.
Other than being busy with school, we've enjoyed married life this fall by going to ASU football games, hanging out at the state fair, visiting family, and joining our first church together! We recently joined Journey Church in Raleigh and have enjoyed every minute of it so far.
So, there ya go. That's what's happening with me.
1.31.2008
Life as a New Teacher
I know it's been a while since I've posted and last time I promised to keep my blog updated....I'm sorry. Last semester was a blur and student teacher was very busy, however, not as busy as life is now in the real world, or maybe not as hard as it is, I'm not sure which I would say. I began teaching the day after I graduated from college, literally, and have only stopped since then because I've been sick twice.
I've been learning a lot about God's soverignty lately. He has completely rocked my world over the past 4 months. So much that I can't explain everything, but I can give you a glimpse of just a few things; Matt got a really great job, I got a really great job, Matt's parents were a blessing enough to let me live with them for free so that we could have money for "us" when we are married, and wedding stuff is falling right into place. I also believe that God is on the brink of doing something huge in my dad's life, something I've been praying for since I was sixteen. I don't know what yet, but our God is huge and he can do anything.
So while I'm on the subject of talking about God doing huge things, I've been out of school sick for 5 days out of the month that I've been teaching. I've had strep throat and the flu and out of all of this, I've been praying "God what are you trying to teach me from this." Not that he is trying to show me something extraordinary by allowing me to pick up everything the snotty nosed kids bring in,but I've been in bed for 3 days this time and I think this was God's way of getting my attention to give him some of my time. I've never admitted it, but spending an hour or even thirty minutes a day in the real world, is so much harder than being in the Caswell bubble. Not that I don't want to take time to spend time with the Lord and learn, I just don't find time. I don't make time, I know I don't and I want to change. I have just began reading a book that my good friend Sarah Caulder recommended a few months ago, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. I really hope this book helps me to learn to set aside time as I grow to desire God's word and time with him daily!
Another thing I'd like to do is take time to update you all on my life, to blog or journal a few times a week, geez or more than once every 6 months. We'll see how I do, stay posted and keep praying that God will continue to reveal himself to me daily as I begin this journey to be transformed into the Mary in this Martha world that he wants me to be!
ps- Matt is in the process of making a mattandmagan.com site for us to keep all of our friends and family updated on our lives as we plan for the wedding and then to use for people to keep up with us as we begin our lives together as "The Keiths," hopefully it will be up soon as well!
I've been learning a lot about God's soverignty lately. He has completely rocked my world over the past 4 months. So much that I can't explain everything, but I can give you a glimpse of just a few things; Matt got a really great job, I got a really great job, Matt's parents were a blessing enough to let me live with them for free so that we could have money for "us" when we are married, and wedding stuff is falling right into place. I also believe that God is on the brink of doing something huge in my dad's life, something I've been praying for since I was sixteen. I don't know what yet, but our God is huge and he can do anything.
So while I'm on the subject of talking about God doing huge things, I've been out of school sick for 5 days out of the month that I've been teaching. I've had strep throat and the flu and out of all of this, I've been praying "God what are you trying to teach me from this." Not that he is trying to show me something extraordinary by allowing me to pick up everything the snotty nosed kids bring in,but I've been in bed for 3 days this time and I think this was God's way of getting my attention to give him some of my time. I've never admitted it, but spending an hour or even thirty minutes a day in the real world, is so much harder than being in the Caswell bubble. Not that I don't want to take time to spend time with the Lord and learn, I just don't find time. I don't make time, I know I don't and I want to change. I have just began reading a book that my good friend Sarah Caulder recommended a few months ago, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. I really hope this book helps me to learn to set aside time as I grow to desire God's word and time with him daily!
Another thing I'd like to do is take time to update you all on my life, to blog or journal a few times a week, geez or more than once every 6 months. We'll see how I do, stay posted and keep praying that God will continue to reveal himself to me daily as I begin this journey to be transformed into the Mary in this Martha world that he wants me to be!
ps- Matt is in the process of making a mattandmagan.com site for us to keep all of our friends and family updated on our lives as we plan for the wedding and then to use for people to keep up with us as we begin our lives together as "The Keiths," hopefully it will be up soon as well!
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