Surviving? I think THRIVING!

Here is my wonderful husband pictured. This is the day he preached his first sermon in big church! :) Yay! And because my wonderful mom wasn't there, I had to take on her role and document this momentous occasion with a picture. Smile. This is him, Bible in hand, looking all pastoral on me! Kinda crazy... I know!

So, Jacob had been stressing for 2 weeks about giving his sermon. Since the moment the pastor (one of our great friends) told Jacob (the now interim youth "minister") that he would be going out of town and would need Jacob to fill in for him.  Bless his heart... he was a bit nervous. Not merely the fact that he would be preaching, but what God had laid on his heart to tell the church.  He wasn't planning on giving a lovey-dovey, everyone hug and get-on-with-life kind of sermon.  He was planning on relaying the message that he has been pounding into the youths' head to the adults of the church.  This message is TUPOS meaning the impression you leave on someone by your words, actions, and the way you live your life.  He spoke out of Titus 2. Everyone should read it. Titus is a tiny book filled with wonderful nuggets of truth on how we, as Christians should live, and how we should "do church."  Jacob directed his sermon at the "leaders" of the church - the older men and women who are encouraged/commanded to teach the younger generations and the younger, recently married men and women who are called to live a life of love and self-control.  So, YES, Jacob survived his first sermon from the pulpit.  He survived in front of life-long Southern Baptists.  But not only did he survive, HE THRIVED. He made us (including myself) laugh, he made us think, he made us accept conviction, and called us to a higher standard of Christianity. My husband THRIVED! And I rejoiced in my heart and out loud (of course) because of the wonderful man God is transforming him to become. It is awesome to sit in the congregation and watch your husband be COMPLETELY used by the God of the universe. Clear speech. Clear thoughts. Minimal sweat and nervousness (hehe). It was an awesome experience I pray I never take for granted. I am a proud wife. He THRIVED.

On another note, I have survived my first semester of being a real, post-secondary interpreter!!! WOW!!! I can't believe the semester of classes is over.  I interpreted things I never thought possible: Biology, Biology Labs, History (at rapid fire pace combined with a bit of perversion from the teacher), MATH, and... GEOMATICS!!! I did it. I survived. But, like Jacob has, I believed God has allowed me to THRIVE. Yes, I made mistakes. Yes, I didn't sign everything exactly perfect and I found out that my spelling skills are AWFUL!!!  BUT, the students succeeded, they understood, they accepted me, they trusted me, and they requested me again! I call that THRIVING! I am so blessed and know that it is only because of God's grace that I can do this.  Everyday I pray that God would be in control of my heads, my though process (changing the message from English to American Sign Language), and that the students would understand at the same level as their hearing peers do. I take my job very seriously and feel the same burden a teacher does. It is up to me to deliver the information accurately, appropriately, and with a good attitude.  It's a hard job, but I love waking up and interpreting everyday. YES, I have A TON to learn and am excited about that process, but I have proved to myself that I am able. I am not inadequate. My God is bigger than my lack of knowledge in science and math. I am blessed with skill and will be a great interpreter as I continue learning.

So... me and Jacob are Survivors, but our Jesus has made us THRIVERS!!!