Commencement Speech

To the graduating Class of 2017, Congratulations! 

To the Hopefuls, I'd like to share these words from the New Testament, Philippians 4: 8. the Apostle Paul's advice and wisdom for his day, applicable to this day. 

Finally brethren, whatever is true...

Emotions, evident this week on faces of grief and shock at the tragic death of two young soccer coaches and two other young lives, to exhilaration and pride at graduation, to thankfulness and anticipation for the next years after retiring from a long and satisfactory career in teaching, swing from one side to the other. 

Life is measured in moments, some sad, some happy, some overwhelming, some celebratory, some unforgettable, some lodged in our memory forever. At 18 years of age, awareness of these very feelings may give us a tinge of fear and excitement for the future, anticipating more of life. In this day, this time, I take from Scripture these words from the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4 as sound advice, goals to work towards. I  pray for you, faith in the journey. 

We feel, provide empathy, compassion, stand tall in pride, satisfaction and gratefulness. Our truth settles in. Some things are good, some things are not, some things are very hard, some things we just take for granted, some things fill us with hope and joy! The Apostle Paul tells us to dwell---to dream on the Truth, to seek it. Life is also fleeting, unpredictable. Try not to take anything for granted but live as if everything is a wonderful gift, even if it is only with you a short time. Be Truth among the false realities of so many. Rise above. 

Whatever is honorable...

Congratulations graduates of 2017. I hope you received your diploma with pride and I honor you for your achievement. My hope and prayer for you is that you use the rights and freedoms you possess as a citizen of this great country, in an honorable and respectful way in return. God gave us minds to think for ourselves, to seek truth and justice and to live by those very same principles in accord with one another, even those we may disagree with.  Honor those around you and respect others. Build relationships and in that, people will hopefully respect you for your own passions. In that, God enlarges your surroundings and places you in opportunities to make Him known. Learning to trust in God comes from taking those tiny faithful steps. Integrity is who you are when no one is looking. Keep the faith. 

Whatever is right...

Discernment--something I ask God for every day, to know which direction, which word, what is true, what is honorable, what is the right thing---and most importantly, what is not. God also gives us people in our lives to dialogue with, to help us discover the right way. God's Word is infallible and true. God is good and righteous. Everyone makes mistakes, chooses wrong, has regrets. Forgiveness is right, trying again is right. It brings us closer to God, the One who makes all things right. Keep trying and learning. Strive to be right. God covers all our wrongs. Be that same grace for others. Believe it for yourself. 

Whatever is pure...

Allow God to filter you. You will know what to leave behind, who to leave behind, who to add, what to add, how to grow. Start fresh, new every day with a grateful heart, and a prayer to be worthy of His love. He sees us as pure through the blood of Christ. If we live defeated by our problems and situations,  that does not reflect the Light within us. Plant your feet in one place, don't straddle, be double-minded. You won't please everyone, learn to see eternally. The enemy is real. Keep vigilant. Be in the the world as His follower but not of the world. Allow God to do your battling. Victorious now and forever, your belief brings you in the winner's circle. What is filtered out can now be used for His glory, your story. Fly above the crowd and seek the right sustenance. Purity is healthy living. Live Pure. 

Whatever is lovely...

Every day I am greeted by one of my special needs students, "Hi pretty!" Greeting all the girls, women on campus that way, I know how it makes me feel, that I am glad to be there, that she loves me and knows she is loved. Gardening, a passion of mine, I see the lovely in every new unfolding bud or swell of a fruit. It starts as a seed planted, and then nurtured to grow and give back. To be lovely is not about the external, but the internal, what our thoughts are, again, what we are dwelling on, dreaming of. Fill your mind with thoughts of love, of kindness, of service. To pray for  one another--that is a lovely thing. To pray for those against you, that is even more lovely. God smiles and nods, "My beloved, I adore you and promise to never leave you nor forsake you." Isn't that just lovely? 

What ever is of good repute...

What do you associate with, fill your mind with, hang out with?  There are a bunch of apps that will give opinions on things, Yelp for instance. Even our local community Facebook pages stream with experiences good and not so good, neighborhoods to watch out for, teams to pick for your kids and schools to attend, churches that are friendly. Maybe the high school experiences and choices left some notches, some scars, some things you think can't be erased. Good reputations and character are built over time. Choosing to follow God, He transforms more than just the heart, but can and does erase the past and make all things new. Be someone reputable. Encourage one another in that same goal. We are all a work in progress. 

Be excellent, worthy of praise...

Everyone wants to hear those words, "Good job!" God tells us to do our work as if we are working for the Lord, and actually we are. Everyone likes to be appreciated, thanked and given good feedback and comments. Constructive criticism, correction and positive suggestions all help us to grow. Be wise in listening and considering and then always pray and ask to be mentored, sponsored, taught, discipled. That is the way towards excellence. No one starts at the top. No one climbs up the mountain by themselves. Praise Your Maker and give thanks to those that walk beside you. Humbleness and gratefulness go together, an example of a leader and a difference maker is one who recognizes the importance of teamwork. Spend time in worship. Alone time with God finds excellence in the making. Prayer changes you. Worship anoints you and glorifies God. Draw near and He will draw near to you. (James 4:8).

Finally, in verse 9 of Philippians 4, the Apostle Paul tells us, "the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things and the God of peace shall be with you." In that, I wish you peace, dear graduates, peace in your heart and to be a peacemaker in word and deed, for in that,  true success comes and multiplies out, one life at a time to a whole new generation of hopefuls.  

God Bless you,

Considerably, Coleene 

P.S. It took me a long time to learn all these things. I am stubborn. I pray you will trust earlier and gain perspective on the eternal prize from the get-go. 

Sidewalk Prophets

The Words I Would Say

   

Granola Bar Wisdom

If you have been following my writing for long, you will know that I seem to find inspiration in the oddest things. If I am able to communicate God's love somehow through obscure insights, then that is strictly a gift I attribute to God himself; me...just the vessel He fills.  I am thankful he has allowed this venue (writing)  for me to share and grow because I enjoy it immensely and cannot imagine getting through these last six and half years without the ability to pour my soul out on this  keyboard, scribble poetry in my journal, and in turn share with family, friends and beyond. Yes, it has been that long since my spiraled notebooks of phone numbers and general info became prayer and scripture logs after the fire in '03. I especially love one particular notebook where I highlighted so many answered prayers, color-coordinating the prayer request with the answer. It is such a blessing to me to look back and see the things I prayed for and how God supplied our needs.  No, all things did not work out as I had planned (emphasis on the I).  That's just it.  The more I submitted to what God knew was best, the better I was able to deal with loss and cling to the promise of restoration and a new hope.  He brought that to me in a new job, new friends, eventually a new home that really feels like home, a new commitment to my church, and new family goals.   Our purpose on this Earth is to always glorify God and to make him known to the lost.  I pray this blog and other  places I share,  will continue to do that as well as be a fun, safe place to learn something new or catch a scripture God may be wanting you to hear today.  

  

Since school started, I have been really watching my calories and eating healthier and using the treadmill almost daily.  I am in no real hurry to get my weight down.  As long as it is a slow steady pace in the right direction, I am OK.  I have been doing that; about 7 1/2 pounds so far.  I have never  retained a high metabolism and my shorter frame seems to  really hold on to every bit.  Of course Ted is doing most if not all the cooking and he has dropped 15 pounds already... (don't you hate that!).  Well, on to the granola bars.  It was easy to give up the donut at Sunday school.  Surprisingly, I haven't had a grande mocha frappachino with whip in almost two months; I have even sacrificed bacon on Saturday mornings.  What I cannot seem to give up is my Nature Valley Granola Bars, the Oats 'N Honey recipe in the green wrapper.  They are actually fairly healthy for you, only 180 calories and high in fiber. (am I in denial here?)  I crave them!   I like the crunch and the texture with the sweetness mixed in.  They are convenient.  I slice up an apple, throw a yogurt in my bag and a NVGB as I will call it and there is part of my breakfast and lunch too! By 3 or 4:00 when I usually want a Starbucks...I head for my Club Store box of NVGB's.  Then of course, in those last waning hours when you just need a little something in front of the TV...I sneak another...sometimes taking it upstairs to munch on before I climb under the covers. .  ADDICTED...The oats in my bed sheets prove my point!  

Now comes the part where I turn this into a devotional.  Do you ever CRAVE more of God in your life?  Does He satisfy that need for crunch, texture and sweetness?  The scriptures give us plenty to take a bite from and chew on.  Have you spent time in the book of Proverbs lately; these golden sweet nuggets of goodness and wisdom?  Let’s take a look at a few verses: 

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”  Proverbs 1:7   This is not saying we should be afraid of God, it saying that we need to recognize that God is God, and we are not…that we possess that “awe” when we approach him in prayer…

for He is Holy.

As a mom, I like this one, “Hear, my son, your father’s instructions, And do not forsake your mother’s teachings.”  Proverbs 1:8.  A great reminder that God has set up a pretty cool system called a family, a picture of Himself and us as His children.
 

As a writer and lover of God’s Word, I like this one, “My son, keep my words, and treasure my commandments within you and live, and my teaching as the apple of your eye.  Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.” Prov. 7: 1-3

And haven’t we seen this quiet a bit in the last year… “ He who trusts in his riches will fall," … Prov. 11:28a.  And another…  “Better is a little with righteousness than great income with injustice.” Prov. 16:8. 

Let’s get physical, physical, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flows the springs of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put devious lips far from you. Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.  Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established.  Do not turn to the right or to the left; turn your foot from evil.”  Prov. 4: 23-27  In other words...Pay Attention! That's not so easy in this world of distractions

You might contemplate this one as the holidays approach… “Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it than a house full of feasting with strife.” Prov. 17:1”

Are you worried about H1N1?  “A joyful heart is good medicine.” Prov. 19:22.

The Proverbs are stock full of little chunks of wisdom from King Solomon, written to his son with intention to instruct him to live life skillfully with honor to God, his parents, and fellow man.  Munch and crunch on all these satisfying morsels of truth.  Have you noticed there are 31 chapters in Proverbs?  I challenge you to add a chapter a day to your daily reading log.  What is your favorite proverb?  

When I leave  this world, I hope my children  know,  that with all my heart I cherish this   next verse,  and pray this legacy will  be passed down.  I ask God daily for the help to    reflect His wisdom and strength from his Word, that  I have etched on to the tablet of my heart.

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

 

Good                            
Reason            
And                                
Necessary                                       

Obedience                           

Lies                                      

Amongst                              


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