Eternal Promised Land

21 Friday Nov 2025

Posted by The Book Chamber in God, Grace, Gratitude, Mercy, Thankful, Thanksgiving

Hope each of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving… Hope you enjoy my Thanksgiving Thoughts 2025…

If you would like to print and have a paper copy of this, click here: Eternal Promised Land

Eternal Promised Land
The seasons turn, slow and certain,
teaching us patience with what we cannot rush.

Every day… the road runs from daylight to dusk,
a long stretch of maybe and mercy.

Some days bloom with abundance,
others with the quiet courage to keep going.

Heart and mind remember…
the ache of effort, the weight of small beginnings.

Chasing dreams that never pay in gold,
and still, the sun keeps rising and setting.

The field of life doesn’t promise…
it just invites.

There is no perfect harvest,
but we continue to plant seeds in faith,
and gather with the trembling awe of joy.

Setting a table of bounty, warm before us…
the stories we reflect on are warmer still.

Knowing that living life has a way of letting you learn…
our Promised Land isn’t here on earth.

But for the time we are here,
it’s in the moment we look around,
and realize we have enough.

Thanksgiving…
it’s in the pause before the meal,
in the laughter between old hurts,
and in hands that still reach for one another.

For our promises are kept in the hands of the One
who reaches for us, and gives us…
our Eternal Promised Land.

© J Clay Norton, 2025

To view previous year’s Thanksgiving thoughts, download here:

2018 – Thanksgiving Grace

2019 – Home

2020 – Pause and Reflect

2021 – Nature’s Touch of Time

2022 – Blessings Counted

2023 – Gathering in Grace

2024 – A Heart of Thanksgiving

As you step into your role today, remember that you are not just an educator and leader but a shaper of the future. Your actions and decisions profoundly impact the lives of those you guide. Go, be the great educator and leader that our future needs.

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… X @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

Want to share this leadership thought with others? Click on one of the social media sharing buttons below and help spread the good…

Don’t Be a Leadership Turkey This Thanksgiving Season…

14 Friday Nov 2025

Posted by The Book Chamber in Actions, Effective, Gratitude, Leader, Leadership, Rest, Students, Teachers, Thankful, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

business, Education, Educational Leadership, Leader, Leadership, Learning, Respect, school, Teachers, teaching, Thanksgiving

Let’s be honest, this time of year can roast or fry even the best of us. The stretch between Reformation Day (aka Halloween) and Thanksgiving often feels like a sprint to the Christmas break finish line in sight. Evaluations, budgets, conferences, holiday events… and somehow, we’re all still smiling or plastering a smile through it (mostly).

But here’s the truth… leaders get tired, too. And when we’re tired, we start making “turkey” decisions… reactive, rushed, and more about survival than purpose. So, before you end up flapping around in exhaustion, here are a few reminders to help you lead with grace (and a little gratitude).

1. Don’t Gobble Up Every Task

Not every email needs a same-day response (unless it’s from someone you know you need to answer, or your mom, but she would have just called). Not every initiative needs your personal touch right now. Hand off a few side dishes so you can focus on the main course. Nobody wins when the leader tries to cook the whole Thanksgiving dinner alone.

2. Season Your Leadership with Gratitude

A quick thank-you can change the flavor of your entire culture. Send that email. Write that note. Tell the people you work with they’re appreciated, not just for what they do, but for who they are. Gratitude spreads faster than burnout, and it sticks around longer, too (kind of like all that food you just seasoned).

3. Step Away from the Stove

Model what balance looks like (kind of like your plate should look this Thanksgiving: a little bit of everything, and at least some green food). If you never unplug, your team won’t either. Breathe. Leave on time once this week. Don’t take your work home (your family will appreciate it more than you know). Go for a walk (you’ll need it after all that food). Read something non-work-related. Schools don’t just need strong leaders; they need healthy ones (especially after Thanksgiving).

4. Lead from a Full Heart, Not an Empty Plate

As the semester winds down, remind yourself why you started in education. Visit a classroom. Laugh with a student or a teacher. Celebrate a small win someone has. Your presence needs to be seen as grounded, grateful, and human, and it will speak louder than any email or meeting agenda ever will.

So, this Thanksgiving season, don’t be a leadership turkey. Be the calm at the center of the chaos, the gratitude in the room, and the reason everyone around you moves through the rest of the semester inspired instead of exhausted.

Because true leadership isn’t about doing more, it’s about leading well, living whole, and making sure the people around you know they matter.

And if things still get a little crazy? That’s okay. Even the best turkeys need a break from the oven once in a while. Step out, cool off, and come back ready to serve, with heart and maybe a little leftover pie.

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… X @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

A Sacred Work Prayer

22 Friday Aug 2025

Posted by The Book Chamber in Christian Worldview, Education, Educational Leadership, Encouragement, Gift, Grace, Jesus, Kindness, Know Your Why, Leader, Leadership, Respect, Sacrifice, Servant, Teacher Appreciation, Teachers, Thankful, Value

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Education, Educational Leadership, Leader, Leadership, Learning, Respect, school, Teachers

Well, the start of school is here. Many are in full swing of five weeks now, a few a couple of weeks, and colleges just started… So, I wanted to wait until everyone was back to start sending out blogs again. I hope you had a great, restful summer, and you school year has started well.

For my first blog of the new school year, I thought I would write a prayer of sorts to get us thinking about the role of what we do, who we do it for, and why. Yes, what we do is a sacred work. I hope you enjoy. If you want a printable copy, click here: A Sacred Work Prayer

A Sacred Work Prayer

It is a privilege to speak,
of the work educators do.

For the lives enriched and challenged,
by their hands, their voices, their countless prayers.

Lord, give us wisdom, give us courage,
to stand beside those who educate.

As they lead in their schools,
for the betterment of society.

We pray for our schools,
let grace dwell among all who shape the future.

Day after day teachers give of themselves,
yet they are not alone…

For we walk with Jesus, the Master Teacher,
the One who never leaves, never forsakes.

Remind us daily this work is sacred,
a testimony to the power of education to change lives.

We remember those teachers who have gone before us…
who encouraged us, supported us, shepherded us.

Now strengthen us to serve,
to be salt and light in our schools.

That families and children,
may be profoundly blessed.

Thank You, Lord, for the gift of teaching,
may we not squander what You have entrusted to us.

Thank You for making us part,
of the ministry of Your grace.

As we model Your love,
to those we educate.

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… X @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

Stick A Fork in It – It’s Done!

16 Friday May 2025

Posted by The Book Chamber in Appreciation, Educational Leadership, Leader, Leadership, Learning, Teachers, Thankful

≈ Leave a comment

Well, here we are, the end of the 2024-2025 school year…

Another year down, a year wiser, a year older, and another graduating class to remember…

Ecclesiastes 3:1 – “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” The end of the school year marks the packaging of academic efforts, the closure of one phase of learning, and the beginning of another. It’s a time to reflect on the experiences gained, the knowledge acquired, and the growth achieved. It is the time we have been given…

I hope you have enjoyed the blogs this school year. Some have special meaning to me, and the others were an opportunity to write about leadership and actually have people read it… well, I am very appreciative. Thank you.

For our traditional last blog of the year, here are the five most-read blogs from this past school year. Just click on the link to read again or read for the first time…

As for my favorite… I’m going with this: Squeezing Every Drop of Potential: Leadership Lessons from a Tube of Toothpaste

Again, I would like to thank the readers of The Book Chamber Blog. Thank you for reading my thoughts, rants, or whatever you might call them. Your comments and feedback are always welcome.

And… As always, A Thank You to teachers everywhere who are in it for the students. You are the reason why education will always have a chance to help society.

If you are wondering what the most read blog is since I have been writing… Here it is… Is the “Leadership Force” strong with you? There must be Star Wars fans out there…

As summer vacation nears, make time for yourself and your family. In the end, that is what is most important. And as always… if all else fails and you need something to do, read a book.

We will pick back up in the fall.

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… X @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

The Book Chamber

~ J Clay Norton, Ed.D.

Category Archives: Thankful

Eternal Promised Land

Don’t Be a Leadership Turkey This Thanksgiving Season…

1. Don’t Gobble Up Every Task

3. Step Away from the Stove

4. Lead from a Full Heart, Not an Empty Plate

A Sacred Work Prayer

Stick A Fork in It – It’s Done!

Share this:

1. Don’t Gobble Up Every Task

3. Step Away from the Stove

4. Lead from a Full Heart, Not an Empty Plate

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: