Steve and Jenny Valentine

There are many things in life that can be "out of place" without causing a much of a problem. For instance, In my classroom at my school there is a great chance during the day, with 56 kids in the room, for some stuff to be misplaced. Sometimes papers are placed in the wrong pile, supplies not returned, or books not put where they belong. When this happens it puts a small inconvience in the day. Now if I were to misplace one of my students this would be a different conversation. When things are not in their place in the classroom, though, I have not only myself to blame but also those 56 little ones that blur in and out of my room. My first tendency is usually to blame them. Funny though, many times it was me who misplaced something. Yet day by day my first response is to turn to the kids when something goes missing or is not in its place. What about in my own llife? My spiritual life (I say this loosley believing that my life in Christ has everything to do with everythin...

I'm reading a book right now and there is a chapter about stress. The author quotes another author saying this, "Our reaction to stress is an important key to longer, better living. When we feel stressed out, will we give up or keep going? Will we see it as an irritation or a challenge? Will we blow a fuse or let it charge us up? We hold the key. We can decide whether stress will work for us or against us--whether stress will make us better or bitter." This got me thinking...how do I handle stress, and especially, how have I handled it lately? Steve and I have felt stress (good and bad) in the past few weeks with weighty decisions we have been making about the future. When we first made the decision to go to Florida, I do not feel like we handled stress very well. This past week, however, after sorting through some things, I feel like we have handled stress a lot better. We are doing better at keeping things in perspective. I resonate with the above quote...becaus...

5:50 and I spring to my feet. Knowing I should have been up 20 min ago to have enough time to grab breakfast and hit my knees to pray before the day, I hurry along to the bathroom. I get dressed and ready for the day in record time. I then proceed on my morning routine and head to the bedroom to give my wife a kiss and tell her to have a good day. I leave the apartment, race down the stairs and jump into the car just to find myself sitting to let the car warm up. In that moment of sitting I realize two things: one, that I had not gotten nearly enough sleep and I am very tired; and two, I am almost out of gas in my car. I think to myself, I can't stop I need to get to work because I have a meeting starting at 7:00 and stopping for gas would make me late. I leave the parking lot, pull out on the street, pass the gas station on the right and get on the highway with hope that I made the right decision on not filling up. Cruising along and doing quite well, I think to myself I knew I c...

Below is the letter we sent out for Valentine's day this year: O Obedient was the word that kept coming to mind as we started to think of ideas for this letter. What is obedience? Obedient can be defined as obeying or willing to obey; complying with or submissive to authority. You may be wondering why obedient? Steve and I have found ourselves in a place where we desire to live as obediently as we can, by God’s grace, in submission to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our desire as husband and wife is to honor the Lord with each and every decision we make. Not the type of obedience that is done out of ritual or for religious purposes, but rather, Biblical, God honoring obedience. In this we have found joy and great reward. B Being the only girl growing up (Jenny of course), as well as the youngest; I was treated very special and always made to feel very important on Valentine’s Day! I want to tell you why Valentine’s Day is one of my absolute favorites! My parents tried t...

After a nerve racking couple of weeks, we finaly received confirmation that I had been accepted to seminary. I was overwhelmed as I began to think about the future. My mind tore through all the thoughts as though I had to come up with the answers to every question and have every detailed planed out. When would I start? How much does it cost? Where are we going to work? Oh no, we need a truck!!! How big of a truck do we need? 16ft? 22ft? 28ft? Do I need my CDL? So, I really didn't think about getting a CDL. I did, however, think that I would need a cool trucker hat and Jenny and I would need CB radio call signs like The Professor and Pretty Lady J . Not to mention, learn all the trucker lingo and find out all the stops between here and Orlando that we could stop at and hang out with our fellow truckers. Ok, so a bit ambitious and a little wierd I know, considering our truck will be about 16ft, only have 6 wheels and say Penski Rental on the side. None the less my mind became very ...

I got home early today from work, as I do on every Thursday, and when I sat down in my favorite place in our den, I looked out the window and noticed something very different. It took me a minute to figure it out though. Usually when you look out our sliding glass doors in the den, you see two big trees and then more apartments. Not very interesting, but I always enjoy seeing the squirrels play in the trees (we have crazy squirrels around our apartment complex). Other than the crazy squirrels, I most enjoy hearing the birds chirp. If you know anything about me, you know I like to hear birds chirp...for several reasons. Hearing birds chirp remind me that, "For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father...

It's interesting to think about how much our lives have changed in just a few days. Although we have been dreaming, thinking, planning and wondering about how life would be for us in the next year, it was in a moment this past Wednesday that solidified those changes. That day couldn't be more incredible and perfectly written...we both didn't have to work due to the ice storm that swept across the DFW area. We enjoyed a slow, relaxing day together and then in the quiet of the afternoon, we found out the news that would change the course of our upcoming months and years. I was diligently working on the Valentine cards we are sending out this year while my husband sat next to me doing various things on the computer, when all of a sudden he yelled! It instantly stopped me and he kept yelling, "I'M IN, I'M IN, I'M IN" as he jumped up from the table! I looked at his computer screen to see what he was yelling about, I just had to see it for myself. Of cou...