August 1, 2008 by joelpno81.

Just finished working Freshman Connection at Orange Park High, and I have to say that I’m incredibly excited about this upcoming school year. I’m glad to say that I’ve associated myself with the teachers that are chomping at the bit to get back to work…we love our jobs and we love our kids. It’s interesting, because I had a weird first year trying to figure out whether I’d be able to handle teaching as a career. I worked two jobs…as a teacher and as a worship director at Murray Hill. It was CRAZY, as the first year of teaching is overwhelming and there are so many things to learn. But around the end of the year, I got the hang of it. I realized that I was in control of my classrooms and we were having a great time and learning a lot. Now, I have the opportunity to do it right and start strong.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still terrified by how busy I’ll be this year. I’m still also the worship director at Murray Hill, which has many responsibilities I have to balance, and I’ll also be taking classes on Monday nights (4 hours each week with an online counterpart) to get my certification. So, it’s gonna be hectic and crazy, but it’s also gonna be rewarding. Just know that if you ask me how I am doing, I’m quite likely to say “great, but tired”. However, in March I’ll finish school and then do spring break realizing I have a huge chunk of time back for the rest of the year.

Here’s to another year of teaching kids and hopefully changing lives. In only 16 days.

Until then, TO THE BEACH!!

Posted in personal/career | 1 Comment »

July 26, 2008 by joelpno81.

1) I LOVE People. I enjoy their company, getting to meet them, and the general social process. Sometimes, this can be a bad thing. Sometimes, I can get hurt.

2) I laugh loudly and often, and I don’t know how to be another way

3) I care. I want to make a difference, and I take action to make this want a reality.

4) I don’t like mean people or people who rub it in when you’re wrong and have apologized.

5) I can’t stand manipulative people. Ugh!

6) Drama is inevitable. Whether you’re 12, 16, 18, 22, 26 or 40. I’m doing the best I know how, and it’s clearly not good enough for some people. I just wish they’d scrutinize themselves as much as they scrutinize me.

7) Selfishness is perhaps the thing that bothers me the most. It’s so against the way life was intended to be.

It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to feel alone and abandoned. It’s okay to be insecure. It’s okay to be angry. It’s NOT okay to use these things as a crutch of safety and avoid change when change is clearly needed.

9) I have a constant yearning to be better. I’m very self-aware.

10) I’m not good at first impressions, and that sucks.

Posted in discovery | 2 Comments »

December 31, 2007 by joelpno81.

many of you know that i turned 26 on december 29th. it has always been busy and crazy having a birthday in the same week as christmas, but it has come to be something i quite enjoy. but this birthday was unique…it didn’t feel like any other i’ve had.

when jay asked me if i’d help his small groups move some boxes and furniture from a storage unit to an apartment for a lady in the church, my initial reaction (in a whiny, fully sarcastic tone) was “but it’s my birthday”. but needless to say, i was happy to help. i’ve been on a break for the whole week and frankly, i was starting to get bored.

what we expected to be a 2 hour move turned into a 5 hour move, but it’s WHY we were doing it that made it so interesting. we were moving boxes for a lady from the church that has been blessed by the efforts of some tirelessly selfless people. she was homeless, due to some very bad circumstances and some bad decisions leading up. she was living in her car, trying to find a job and get her feet back on the ground. and she wasn’t getting very far on her own.

then, she started getting help. she was encouraged and listened to openly by members of our church. then, somebody found her a job. then, an apartment. THIS was the apartment we were moving her into. so box by box, we were helping a broken person find hope.

finding hope is really what we’re all about, so it was a pleasure in so many ways. the story isn’t over…we have more to do. if you’re from murray hill and you’re reading this, get ready because you might well be enlisted to do what you do best… but for me, what better way to spend a birthday–by giving rather than receiving? unintentionally, i realized that i have more than i could ever want, and that my time was best spent in a team effort to rebuild the life of somebody who has been beaten and broken by a cruel world.

in fact, it’s about the best birthday i can remember.

—–

“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

-John 21:15 (NIV)

Posted in discovery | 3 Comments »

December 27, 2007 by joelpno81.

i got the news on 12/25 at about 9:00 pm…and it was very sad news indeed. kim alford lost her struggle with liver/colon cancer on the morning of christmas day, leaving behind her son (AJ) and her husband (Alister). i’m not sure, but i believe aj was about 11 years old.

it doesn’t seem fair, and it surely doesn’t seem right. it’s times like these that make me doubt. because kim alford did nothing but good. she was an overwhelmingly supportive and encouraging person and worked a job that made a difference in the lives of others. she was a true difference-maker, and orange park high school will never be the same without her. neither will AJ or Alister. and it’s not fair.

i wish i had a good answer for it. i wish i could have some sagely perspective, but death is an issue i’m still very novice in dealing with. i’m sad, then i’m angry, then i just sort of deal with it. and i’ll be fine. i knew and loved kim, but i didn’t know her nearly as well as veterans at orange park, or much moreso, her family.

i do know one thing. kim died without many regrets, because she lived her life knowing that each day was precious. she made a difference NOW, because later was no guarantee.

perhaps the finest tribute i can pay to her is to live my life the same way.

Posted in personal/career | 1 Comment »

November 21, 2007 by joelpno81.

i’m currently sitting in the beach condo belonging to my roommate’s parents. it’s a nice place (a luxury style 2,200 SF 3BR 3 BA condo with 4 flat screen TV’s and a panoramic ocean view). and it’s funny, because I have come across a striking comparison while I sit here. inside, there are leather couches and 61” televisions, crown molding and faux-finished walls, slate tile and granite counters; it’s all very tastefully designed.

on the balcony, there is a small table and four chairs…that, and the atlantic ocean along daytona beach shores.

on the inside, there’s man’s design. and it is VERY well designed. luxury at its best, honestly. on the outside, there’s God’s design. simplicity at its finest.

do i have to tell you whether i’m in the living room facing the TV or on the balcony, watching the waves?

—

“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.” Psalm 19:1-4 (NLT)

Posted in discovery | 3 Comments »

October 27, 2007 by joelpno81.

So, I’m self-actualizing again. (In other words, I’m learning a little bit more about how God wired me up). Yes, I know that sentence ended in a preposition, but get over it…it works better that way.

I get to spend about an hour a day with 100 teenagers. It’s got its ups and downs, to be sure. Most people that don’t teach think we’re crazy, and those of us that do know it’s true. But I get to spend an hour a day learning about the circumstances, background, culture and families that shape the lives of these kids. I get to see why some are on track to greatness, and others are on track to hard times. And it’s the craziest thing; several times a day I look at a kid and say “Wow, look at him/her go!” I see a destination and they are on-track. Some to becoming successful people. Some to a good college. Others toward emotional stability. Even some toward putting others before self. And, several times a day, I get to feel the “wow” of it all. (Not that I’ve had anything to do with their development to this point).

But, just as many times a day, I have to look into the eyes of a kid that has been beaten down by life. A kid that doesn’t believe they can. I see a kid that is hurt, shaken and torn by a world that can be downright cruel. Kids that have been abused, neglected, abandoned and patronized. And it breaks my heart. If you see teachers that are emotional, take into account the things they see everyday. We try to be thick-skinned, but we got into this because we love kids and want to make a difference.

I hear, quite often, that kids today don’t have any respect or values. That they need to be taught manners. Statements like these make my blood boil faster than anything you can possibly imagine. Because-while they contain underlying truth-these thoughts are stemmed from a pure ignorance of situation. Children do not need respect and values even nearly as much as they need to be respected and valued. Unfortunately, the parents and role models often choose themselves over what is best for their children. The kids are lied to, tolerated and demoralized. Then, when these kids come into contact with others, they are distrusting, resentful and disrespectful.

Please take the time to steer the kids you know and encounter in a direction that leads upward. You have to love them. You can’t just correct them any more than I can correct a kid’s math homework. You have to show them by your example, and let them know that you love them enough to care about what is best for them.

Our principal once said that he hears teachers say, “I’m here to be their teacher, not their parent, counselor, pastor, friend, role model and mentor.” Then, he said something that shook me to my core and made me realize why I wanted to do this so badly. He said, “I have news for you. YOU have to be ALL of those things to them, because THEY don’t have anybody else. More than anything else, I want you to care about your kids like they were your own. If you don’t care, you have no place being a teacher.” (paraphrase)

How incredibly true…

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

Posted in intentionality/missional living | 2 Comments »