Priests Ministering with His Presence

Hey Everyone,

I just finished my quiet time this morning and wanted to share my journal entry from today. I keep a journal going occasionally. I wish I could write everyday. Today’s connection in God’s Word was one of the stronger ones He’s given me. It prompted the entry. I pray it encourages you to read more about the Tabernacle and ark of Testimony yourself.

God Bless,

Victoria

March 14, 2009

Last summer I ordered Beth Moore’s study “A Woman’s Heart: God’s Dwelling Place”. I have been learning a lot. She did a lot of work! She takes her readers through passages that help us understand the significance of the Tabernacle. This has been an answer to a desire in my heart…a question I’ve had. What can I learn about worship today from the design God gave the Israelites? Since God’s character never changes, what is the significance of all the details he required them to do to prepare for the meeting face to face? How does all this point to Jesus coming, the church today, and His return?

I hope this informs me, molds me, and encourages me to stay the course! My prayer is that I can pass on what little I know about the greatness of God to encourage and teach others. That is my prayer. Today’s reading about the ark of Testimony struck a chord in my heart. The importance and propriety of the Levites' role in carrying the ark (1 Chronicles 15) was amazing. Beth had built on the idea that we, God’s children today, are priests. We get to carry His Presence in our ‘ark of Testimony’, our heart, based on Jesus’ work as High Priest atoning for our sin. I get that! What a gift! It’s humbling!

I can enter the presence of God, sing songs, shout for joy and proclaim his glory. I can minister and care for others and this “temple” as the Levites cared for the tabernacle... How am I doing with that? Is God glorified in what I do, how I serve, and who I am?

Thank you; Lord, for allowing me the privilege of life! To eat, to work, to sing, to run, to play, to embrace others! You are my righteousness and my rear guard! (Isaiah 58:8)

Amen!

Work over February Vacation

A New Song:
Roy, Josh, and I are working on a new worship song to share with our churches. Roy and I have been crafting this song for several months, waiting for slots of time to continue to piece it together. Josh came on board to help with vocals. I'm very excited about it! To me the song tells about all of us coming together to sing of God's greatness. No denominations. No rules. No death, tears, or heartache. Believers, one day, will join as one to sing around the throne in heaven. That's not a dream. That's not a goal. It is a reality.


My Continued Study:
From Beth Moore’s
“A Woman’s Heart: God’s Dwelling Place”

I’ve been studying from this resource for the last month or so and am enjoying it immensely. Beth has a great way to study. She relates God’s Word in many applicable ways and uses today’s experiences to show a correlation to what Israel experienced in those accounts.
I chose this study because I am researching ‘worship’, the honorable and true worship of God, Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jesus’ Father. Our triune Creator. I’ve come across this reference a number of times. Here is Beth’s explanation of what acceptable worship is. This comes from page 121, (©2007 Life Way Church Resources).


She asks her readers: What is the only form of true worship according to John 4:19-26?


Here's her quote:

"What is worshipping in spirit and in truth? When God created humans, He gave them something no other creature had received: a spirit. This spirit makes us in God’s image because, as you have just read, “God is spirit” (vs. 24). Our spirit gives us the capacity to know and experience God. Our soul, on the other hand, is the source of our emotions and personality-that which represents our conscious selves. The third component of the triune human is the physical body.
When God says that we must worship Him in spirit, He means that the only acceptable worship is that which is motivated and controlled by our spirits. The body and soul may accompany the spirit in worship, but they can never acceptably over throw it. Our bodies and souls may express praise as long as they only accompany a deep spiritual longing to know and reverence God. Only the spirit can provoke and control worship for it to be acceptable. We can clap our hands or lift our hands as an accompaniment to worship if we are so led by the Holy Spirit, but the body can never acceptably take the lead. We can weep, laugh, or shout hallelujah from our souls as an accompaniment to spiritual worship, but the emotion and personality can never acceptably take the lead. Any variance from this balance would be “strange incense” (Ex. 30:9. KJV).
Spiritual worship comes from our very core and is fueled by an awesome reverence and desire for God. Spiritual worship is focusing all we are on all He is, both personally and universally. It is the incomparable expression of both awe and affection for God. And it is one of the highest privileges we can experience on this earth."

Also read Leviticus 10:1-3,10 where Aaron’s sons burned ‘unauthorized fire’.

If you get a chance to read this and study with her, I highly recommend it. The study is helping me to get a better perspective on the purpose of the tabernacle and how it relates to us today as worshippers.

Enjoy and God Bless,

Victoria

Beth's site

Our work in progress...rough video.

Online Learning

I have recently begun an online science class with Lesley University called 'Try Science'. Lord willing I will apply for the Master's program in the fall and start earning my next degree. I don't know what the Lord has in mind for music in the fall. It just seems like the right time to pursue this other dream I have always had and have FINALLY found the program that seems to fit my needs and interests. PTL!

One of our assignments is to write a science autobiography, no doubt to help each of the participants get to know one another since this is all done online. I am very impressed with the thought and organization of this class and program. I am looking forward to uncovering and learning a lot.

Here is my lengthy article. I hope it speaks to why there should be Christian scientists and how God's revelation, which is ongoing through His Spirit is always timely and truthful.

Introduction:

Hello Everyone! My name is Victoria (Vicki) Norris. I live and teach 4th grade in Casco, Maine. I am married and am the mother of two young men, ages 18 and 20.
I love to run, sing, play guitar, and write songs.
I've been a songwriter since I was a kid.
Two of my classes have worked with me to write two school songs. You can hear our current one at:
http://www.sad61.k12.me.us/cres/

My classroom web page has information as well.
http://www.sad61.k12.me.us/~vnorris/

I collect tea pots...love tea. Can't drink coffee. I rely on a good dose of Irish Breakfast when I'm in a pinch to stay up and get some work done.
Love chocolate and pizza.
Music resides in my soul, while curiosity rules my mind. I ask way to many questions for some people.
I'm a Type A...over-achiever, usually.
This year in my class I have many Type A's...the 'GT' kids. They will love the experiments but will want to know the correct outcomes :)
Now, in my district, I have served as a science curriculum coordinator for K-5. We have recently put a hold on curriculum work as we look at our structures in the district, but I believe that I will still be serving in a leadership position and have opportunities to not only help my students but also my peers. I've facilitated a couple of professional development opportunities and would like to bring what I learn from my Lesley classes to my district's personnel.

This program looked like a great opportunity to help my district. The website gave me a lot of information to get excited about doing experiments and connecting those experiences to learning more about my students. I hope to network with other teachers and help them in turn. I love the idea of online working in its flexibility, but I will miss the face-to-face interactions as well. Again, I'm looking forward to the experiments and seeing what everyone else is doing.


As I said, I'm looking forward to 'Trying' Science to see if I can continue on in the program to learn more about how to help my colleagues and students.

It's nice to meet you all.

Personal Information:

There are many experiences that I’ve had in science both as a child and as an adult learner that have fed my wonder for the subject. Even up to last spring when I attended the NSTA conference in Boston, science never ceases to engage my imagination and interest.
My interest in science began when I was growing up, discovering my backyard, playing outdoors, hiking in the back woods, and living near a pond where the Canadian Geese arrived every year with clear proclamations. Growing up in Massachusetts was a lot of fun. My backyard was my playground and I loved the outdoors. I climbed trees, rode my bike, swam, and went camping with the family. We had science projects in elementary school that I enjoyed. Embedded in the goal of displaying those projects at the annual science fairs, my curiosity and learning flourished while working on topics like the human heart and honey bees. As I continued my education in Junior High and High School what I remember most are the hands-on labs. There was always reading to be done, but the labs and discoveries were the most memorable. We made batteries, dissected sheeps’ eyes, frogs and even cats! I got a lot out of my senior year by taking Anatomy and Physiology and discovering all those muscles in the felines we looked at. And oh, the smell!
My father was a key supporter of my education, along with Mom. Dad is an electrical engineer. He works for MIT Lincoln Labs in Lexington. I believe I get my curiosity from him. We’d spend hours working on math homework, so often used in science, that I believe I inherited the step by step methodical look at things that carries on into my teaching today. I’m very concrete-sequential.
So when I went to Gordon College knowing it was a liberal arts school, I was happy to take some science core classes. In fact I took extra in order to fulfill the minor in science. Now I didn’t do so well with the readings. My mind can only carry so many facts and data. It was a challenge to keep up with, one of the reasons I did not pursue Veternarian Medicine as I wanted to as a child. The reading was about two thirds of the work. The labs were the other third. I don’t remember much except the interests, curiosities, and some pictures of experiences, like seeing lobsters’ blue blood and how I could not get myself to yank off it’s legs in order to prepare it for its death. But the sights and colors and intricacies were fascinating! Like the cats! So many details. I have to believe in a design for these things. And photosynthesis! Could that just be something that evolved? Out of nothing? No way! The exchange of energy to sustain life? I have a lot to learn but ideas like evolution challenge my thinking! So many experiences have fostered a sense of awe. This sense of awe shapes my faith.

The Narrow Road: A Very Unpopular Belief
This is where I share my philosophy, hopefully with care and essence.
I’m a believer in truth…absolute truth. God’s truth. Not relative truth. I believe the world has order, that I can discover this order, that it can be revealed. Science to me is a revelation of His design. Some people call it Creationism. Some call it Intelligent Design. Those are the labels. Some people will say… “Oh dear, she believes in fairy tales.” In fact one of the negative experiences I have had was recently at the Boston Conference. In the midst of discovery and collegiality and learning, there was a session that mocked Intelligent Design. I was in a room with over a thousand educators, reporters and scientists, holding a very unpopular belief. They made fun of the view. They mocked and rolled their eyes. How many scientists have felt that before? How many have followed their ideas of faith and been ridiculed by their peers? Science is concrete, yes. But it is also the vehicle for discovery, an exposure of purpose. My discovering the patterns, functions, and systematic ideas behind relationships in this natural world define my faith in the unseen. How many scientists have sought to do the same?
Perhaps I have an unpopular belief, but I find myself in good company. In time, I believe that I will see solutions, results, and explanations of things in the natural world that will be the final revelation of truths…God’s truths. And either I’ll be satisfied or it won’t matter. Either way the journey will be interesting, engaging, and full of questions. What is a better method of learning? Start with what you know and build from that foundation, working towards discovery and wonder. It all comes down to faith. Faith in your own ideas or faith in someone else’s. The experiences that I have had shape that faith. I am grateful for them.



Suggested Reading:
Hebrews 4:12-13
The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel

2008 RECAP

Hey Everyone,

Just wanted to update you on the music end of things.

First a recap:
Last year at this time I was beginning to plan for the music video that was to be filmed in February. It was a big step for me as an artist getting into another medium and God was gracious. Roy and I, with many helpers and behind the scenes prayer partners, made my dream a reality. The video is posted on You Tube and has over 1000 hits. That's pretty cool for an elementary school teacher.

Small gigs in the spring were fun and led into the Arts Festival in Windham in June. We had the huge event at Windham High School and many people traveled from far and wide to join us. It was a huge success.

During the summer months, away from school demands, I worked on a writing project and some worship music. That project needs some more TLC, perhaps this summer in order to finish with clarity and vigor!

This fall I've been working on ruff cuts to the new music and still writing a bit at a time. Perhaps this winter will see some fruit of those labors. I've made a couple visits into Portland to the Maine Songwriter's Org's song circle and gotten some good feedback.

Now during the holidays I work on recouping after a busy start to the school year. Gigs would be great but they are not the only way to invest in one's art. I do look forward, however to the not so quiet times that get me networking again hopefully with the new material...all in God's timing.

That's the news from Casco, where the snow is beginning to fall. Winter is here.

Take care and God bless you through the holidays!

Victoria

Back to School-Fall 2008

Intensity. That's what Back-to-School is. It is also a clean slate, fresh start, a new year.
I've been busy getting things up and running in the last month or so. Usually from now until Christmas, it's hectic.
I'd love to be playing out more, but I'm limited in time for promotion. So I trust God that there are things going on behind the scenes that are still encouraging people.

This summer I was able to bring several song ideas to the production table. Song crafting takes time and many need rewriting. I have 2-3 strong possibilities for 'getting out there' but have limited funds.
So would you pray for me about that? I don't want this to be a score card. In that my art is based on how many songs I can distribute, but I would like to believe that I am following Christ’s lead and if it's a dry season, so be it. He makes many promises about finishing the work, providing for his people, and loving them with an everlasting love.
So, like a soldier in the barracks, I wait for the call. Even though 'waiting' is a command, I tend to measure my fruitfulness in volume. Is there anyone of you that feels that way?...heaven forbid and I hope that I'm the only one.

I had help at WBC to get a demo done for school. This is a song that my fourth graders and I worked on for our building last year. It's on our school website.
http://www.sad61.k12.me.us/cres/

Have a listen...it's rough, but we enjoyed doing it.





Victoria