Clara And Krickitt And Carly And Blair

 

Clara And Krickitt And Carly And Blair

This is about Clara, one of my favorite kids ever. It's from April 28, 2012.

Clara had a pretty good week by my reckoning! On Wednesday, she earned a 99% on Test # 9 in my eighth grade Bible class. On Thursday, she, along with Catherine, Cory, and Rene, presented their Bible projects based on the Parable of the Talents, in Middle School chapel and did a terrific job! Last night, I was in the audience as she earned rave reviews as Penny in our WCS drama production of Neil Simon's classic, You Can't Take It With You. And tomorrow morning, Clara will join many of our other eighth graders at the airport boarding a jet for a school trip to our nation's capital. What a whirlwind schedule for this barely teenage girl! Talk about packing life into every minute!

But in spite of all those things I just recited, I think my favorite Clara moment came very early this Saturday at about dawn. Yesterday, my eighth graders took two quizzes, one on a DVD called The Last Chance Detectives, made by Focus On The Family, and the other covering the reading of Luke 22:1-38. As I graded both of her papers, I saw Clara added the identical prayer request:
Please pray for my future husband
I have honored her request and I'm pretty sure I know where it originated. Early in the year, I told my eighth graders about a book my father used in marriage counseling called The Vow, which has recently been made into a highly successful, and I have heard, tear jerking movie. Dad had several copies and he gave me one. I told the kids about how Krickitt, the young woman the true story revolved around, would pray daily that God watch over her future husband who she had yet to meet. Clara liked that and I promised I would bring her the book so she could read it. I couldn't find it; I remember loaning it to a student several years ago and it must not have been returned. Clara is an avid reader and would have devoured The Vow but for the time being, it's enough she remembered that reference. Clara's unknown, except to God, young man will be one lucky guy in a few years.

I really like the bunch of girls who are fellow eighth graders with Clara this year. I don't think I've ever seen a group of young ladies who are into romance as much as they are, the love being in love stage. Many of them, as I've mentioned before, had crushes on the actors in Last Chance Detectives and its sort of prequel McGee And Me, a twelve episode set of Christian-based DVDs we also watched. And yet, what is neat about these girls is that they like the concept of love and marriage but they don't seem to be enamored with the boys at our school and I think that's healthy. I would guess the lovely Miss Clara is not the only one who wants the Lord to watch over the anonymous young man who in ten or fifteen years will proclaim publicly he will always be there no matter what. I think that's what their folks have taught them. I've always been haunted by Carly Simon's beautiful ballad, That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be. Marriage isn't easy, especially when you see the marital disasters Simon so plaintively reflects upon. Tom Hanks once said the secret of his marriage was who he married- what a simple thought with the most profound consequence. So whoever you are out there who God is preparing for Clara, you are on notice. You have so much to live up to!

*For the first time in all my 1700 plus blogs, I am dedicating an entry. This one goes out to the awesomely amazing Blair Moon who one day will find the most fortunate guy in the world to be her one and only.*

Applicable quote of the day:
"When I first wrote it I thought it was an unusual thing for people to break up, and now all my friends are divorced."
Carly Simon (on That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux7HgO9QhAc

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Mixed Signals

 

Mixed Signals

A number of years ago, I bought a new remote for my television. After three or four failed attempts to program it, the remote sits unused and I have to walk up and manually change channels. At least I still can watch TV. It wasn't always the case as you'll see in this entry from June 14, 2009.

They disappeared. When I turned on my television Friday morning, CBS, NBC, ABC, ....vanished! I knew it was coming; we all knew it was coming. The government has been reminding us for well over a year that the signals transmitted by television networks would be changed to digital and there were limited options. My television is one we bought for Mom and Dad close to ten years ago; I inherited it when Dad passed away. I sort of investigated getting one of those converter boxes but decided I might as well invest in a newer model. Four weeks ago, I purchased a 19" Emerson flat screen for about $150 which I think is a pretty good deal. But, when I got ready to hook it up, I discovered I would need a Phillip's screw driver to attach the set to a small stand with three screws. I don't have a Phillip's screw driver and I still don't. I meant to take care of it but I kept putting it off. The Friday, June 12 deadline passed and now I sit in my living room, surviving my third day without television. It's eerily quiet in here!

I wish the television scenario was not emblematic of my life but it is, more than I care to admit. I'm content to be pretty close or almost there. I'm not alone; the FCC reported 800,000 calls to their hot line on Friday! We know something is around the corner or creeping up and we are content to let it creep. You know, I'm close but.... Jesus told a teacher of the law that he was not far from the kingdom of heaven...but he wasn't there. Jesus told a man we call the rich young ruler that he only lacked one thing to gain eternal life. That man went away sadly; he was so close to heaven but he could not make himself finish the deal. Who would stop that close? I can't believe that guy! Oh, and can I borrow your screw driver?

Applicable quote of the day:
"Imagine what it would be like if TV actually were good. It would be the end of everything we know."Marvin Minsky

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

The Princess Bride And MookDa's List

 

The Princess Bride And MookDa's List

In classes, I tell my students that it is my belief that the Lord chose Joseph as carefully as Mary when selecting earthly parents for the Savior. I mentioned this entry from August 2, 2006 as part of the discussion. In coming days, I will share some of our kids' responses to these thoughts.

My brother, Dave, penned two entries while I was in Honduras on a mission trip. In his second installment, Dave quotes a line from the movie, The Princess Bride. One of our elders, Mark Hall, posted a comment speculating on the number of times The Princess Bride had been viewed in comparison to more well-known blockbusters. This past Sunday morning after worship service, I mentioned the comment to Mark, adding that I had never watched the movie in question. At our evening worship service, Mark walked up and placed his family copy of The Princess Bride in my hands, informing me he had probably seen it fifty times. With a recommendation so strong, guess what I did Sunday night? It was good. I thought parts of it were very silly but that is coming from a critic who thinks Napoleon Dynamite is the finest comedy of all time. What I found memorable occurred in the first several minutes of the fairy tale, as told by a grandfather to his grandson. Buttercup, a young lady played stunningly by Robin Wright, falls in love with the farm hand, Westley. From that moment on, her love never wavers in spite of separation and the belief that Westley was dead. True love was all that mattered to Buttercup, the essence of an unwavering romantic believer. And in the end, well- I don't want to spoil it for the two or three of you who haven't seen this 1987 semi-classic.

Every year for Christmas, my folks purchase a subscription for their children to a periodical called The Christian Chronicle. In the August edition, there was a human interest story, just a few paragraphs, but I was captivated by its charm. It seems a missionary from Trinidad, Parker Henderson, was spending time with Christian friends in Malaysia. Parker just happens to have a thirteen year old grandson. His friends just happen to be parents to an eleven year old girl named MookDa. Parker, perhaps encouraging some future romantic interest, displayed photographs of that grandson to MookDa, who appeared unimpressed. But looks can be deceiving, especially when it comes to eleven year old girls. Reasoning with a maturity belying her age, MookDa proceeded to put her beliefs on paper, a thesis on marriage, if you will. Typing out her standards for Parker, MookDa assembled a list of a dozen qualities of, quote, "the kind of man that I require." Among others, her qualifications included:
1. he must be a Christian
2. he must be intelligent
3. he must NOT be lazy
4. he must enjoy singing
5. he must read the Bible everyday
To say I was impressed would be an understatement. I work with young people about that age and that type of logic is not universal. What registered most with me was what she did not say. When I hear girls speak of boys they like, one of these descriptions creeps into the conversation: cute, hot, fine, so fine. MookDa, even at eleven, already is looking past the obvious to the eternal. I don't know MookDa, her parents, Parker Henderson, or his grandson. (Parker's brother, Obert, was one of my college Economics professors.) But if in ten or so years, the young man and young lady fall in love, I will believe it was ordained by the Lord. MookDa will never have to resort to Match.com- she knows what she wants. Undoubtedly, her parents have demonstrated an ideal model of a Christian marriage. I kind of scoff when I hear that match made in heaven stuff. I promise, I won't be scoffing should this romance come to pass.

Applicable quote of the day:
"Men and women are equal in love. They are equally vulnerable and equally powerful."
Elizabeth Rapaport

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Painless Generosity

 

Painless Generosity

It's easy to be generous if no sacrifice is required on my part! This is from September 3, 2012.

Every Sunday morning, I'm part of two worship services, one in English and one in the Chinese language. After the English service yesterday, Dr. Robert Farrar, our WCS chaplain, asked me if I had seen Larry Hale, who is in charge of securing the collection so it can be counted. I told Doc that I hadn't. He explained there was a lady who had not finished her check in time to drop it in the offering so she gave it to Doc so he could get it to the proper place. I told him that I would be glad to place it in the Chinese offering as it ends up in the same treasury, anyway. And so Doc gave the sister's contribution to me which is how it ended up in our Chinese total. As I made a few comments before the offering to our Mandarin speaking group, I made the point that even though I was dropping the check into the shiny plate, it was through no generosity of my own. It didn't cost me anything and it was not sacrificial, at least not from my end. I just dropped the rectangular piece of blue paper from an unknown bank  and an unknown lady into the receptacle and others took it from there.

Sometimes, I think we must have a different view of our giving than God does. We fail to give of our best, what used to be called first fruits. Let me give you an example. At the beginning of inservice, our administration gave all of our WCS faculty a brand new Nike polo shirt, monogrammed with our school logo/insignia, and they looked very nice. I took one but because I don't wear polo shirts, I knew I would never put it on. Last week, one of our staff suggested I could give it to a young man who is an adjunct coach working with our middle school boys' basketball program. This coach has no Westbury Christian gear and could definitely use an official WCS shirt. He was very surprised and grateful for the gift. Did I do anything extraordinarily kind or generous? Of course not; I was never going to wear it myself and it was just occupying space on my desk.  I think our giving sometimes falls into that kind of category; leftovers, after thoughts, painless. And it's just not money; I believe our time is similarly dispensed as part of our walk with the Lord. Remember how David was offered all the elements of an offering to the Lord for free- his reply should be a reminder to us:
But King David replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing."
(1 Chronicles 21:24)
I just met with Charlotte and her mother at a nearby IHOP as we went over the details of her wedding, only thirty-three days off. Charlotte (and Tyler) honored me greatly by asking me to officiate what most girls consider the biggest event of their lives. What would this bride, who will be stunning, think if I wore ragged clothes and worn out shoes while she is adorned with the most beautiful dress she will ever wear? I hope that's not how the Lord sees my returning to Him what already is His. God gave His best for me by offering His Son. How in good conscience can I not reciprocate in kind?

Applicable quote of the day:
“I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusement, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our giving does not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say it is too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot because our commitment to giving excludes them.”
C.S. Lewis

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Never Too Late

 

Never Too Late

We talk almost daily about forgiveness in my classes. Most of the time, the object of our forgiveness is another person. Sometimes, it's a company as in this entry from January 18, 2009.

As I've mentioned, a number of my students blessed me at the holidays with presents. One of those was Laura, a girl in my fifth period sophomore Bible class. Laura, an excellent student, presented me with a gift card from BLOCKBUSTER. Since I do not have a membership to that video/DVD outlet, I decided to use it in Wichita while staying with my family. Shortly into the visit, I told Scott and Karen- who love movies- that I had a gift card and would treat them to a free film. Scott offered to drive. He gritted his teeth when I mentioned that the freebie would come from BLOCKBUSTER...and I knew why.

Scott has no love lost for the video giant. A number of years ago, he turned in a movie a day late into the slot and assumed they would simply pay the late fee when they made another rental. Instead, Scott began getting letters and calls from the company, threatening them with bill collectors and damaged credit. Scott took care of the situation but the scenario repeated itself when Karis, a college student at the time, turned in a movie late. There were again letters and calls warning of dire consequences simply for a late fee. I don't know if Scott took a vow never to enter BLOCKBUSTER again before he died ...but he might as well have. But, then, he could not foresee THE GIFT CARD.

As we entered the store, providentially only a block from their house, Scott stood in line to see if his membership was still valid. The young man at the register could not have been nicer. And, imagine my brother's reaction when the BLOCKBUSTER employee informed him of the following:
"Mr. Hawley, I see it has been more than one hundred days since you rented anything from us. We want you back in our store so your rental tonight is free! We want your business!"
I immediately put my gift card back in my wallet! Scott had a dilemma. Does he hold onto to his anger or does he give them another chance? The guy at the counter wasn't the same one who caused him grief in the first place- I'm sure it was a company policy- and he sincerely wanted Scott to resume his role as a customer. (I should interject that Scott and Karen have gone the NETFLIX route.) How can you stay mad at someone who so obviously is trying to win you over? I teased Scott as we left the store but we've all been there. Do we ever stay mad because we like to be mad? I had a teacher's aide several years ago who freely admitted she enjoyed being angry; she would let it go when she had fulfilled her quota of glee. But as we mature in the faith, we must let our anger go and move on. I'm not sure if we are under obligation to forgive corporations....but we are to forgive one another. In the meantime, since I still have Laura's gift card, Scott and I will venture back into his favorite business come Spring Break. Reconciliation is a slow process!

Applicable quote of the day:
"Most of us can forgive and forget; we just don't want the other person to forget that we forgave”
Ivern Ball

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

The Ten Spot

 

The Ten Spot

This is about one of my favorite people in the world. It is from March 26, 2014.

Right before we stacked it up at the beginning of first period basketball practice this morning, Natalia asked if she could use her phone when we were done. I asked her why and she said she would rather not tell me. As it's my job, I asked why and she told me it had to do with her $10 dollars and she wanted it to be her surprise. That made perfect sense to me and after we finished, I saw her talking to an unseen someone and I made sure I did not eavesdrop.  The $10 had to do with the Talents Project my 8th graders are working on in their Bible class. Each student is given ten dollars to spend doing good. They have to turn in a typed report on why and how they chose their method of spending, how it made a difference, and how they themselves were changed by the experience. The only restrictions are they cannot put the money in their Honduras/Haiti bottle or in the collection at their place of worship. It's a test grade. Some of the kids do brilliant work, most do very good work, and always a few are unimaginative and waste the chance to learn some valuable lessons. That seems to be about what Jesus was saying in His parable.

Natalia came to see me after school this afternoon. She wanted to tell me the purpose of the phone call and how it turned out. She wanted to volunteer at one of the many local hospitals and use her money to buy things for the patients she would be ministering to. One problem, or actually two. Her call this morning led to the discovery that there is quite a bit of paper work due to be able to volunteer and............. there is a four month wait, a huge obstacle when the deadline is thirteen days off. We spoke of other options and she'll end up with a good use for her bill- she's creative and very bright and she wants it to be special. Changes of plans often end up with superior results! But Natalia found out a truth about charity today which I've learned from my mission trips; kindness can be complicated.

I showed my classes the clip below today and I hope you'll take two minutes to watch it. Although the title has the word prank in it, the kindness and gentleness the young man shows to the less fortunate, who are genuinely grateful, is eloquent. The best line, spoken by the third man on the street, is this:
"I used to eat like this."
I pray to God none of these students ever have to utter those words of despair.

Please copy and paste this link to see the short clip I mentioned!
http://www.faith.com/video/Once-You-Figure-Out-Why-Hes-Wearing-the-Suit-It-Becomes-Clear/

Applicable quote of the day:
“No one has ever become poor by giving.”
Anne Frank  Diary of Anne Frank 

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Pete And Press

 

Pete And Press

Holidays aren't the same when your parents have passed away. I was blessed with terrific relationships with my folks but not all are so blessed. In daily prayer requests from my students, petitions are penned asking for better communication with their folks. Some of my students in the past have had no living biological parents so that is an even heavier burden for a teen to bear. The following is about one of the most famous American athletes and his not quite so famous father. This is from 12-28-06.

It's the season to cash in the gift cards. Yesterday was Macy's and today was TARGET. I have $75 left on various Starbucks cards so that will take awhile. This morning, I headed to BORDERS to redeem a gift from a student. Several times I was approached by employees who offered their help but true to form, I rejected their overtures. I couldn't find the book I had my heart set on but just as I was about to leave, there it was in a new hardcover display: MARAVICH, a biography by Wayne Federman and Marshall Terrill. My gift card didn't cover the total cost but it was worth a few extra dollars. I know the basic story of Pete Maravich but I'm interested in the details. The leading scorer in college basketball history and chosen as one of the NBA'S 50 Greatest Players, the player nicknamed Pistol Pete should have had a happy life ....but he didn't. His teams did not win championships and his flashy style turned many off. He had a contentious relationship with his father/coach and his mother, after battling depression, committed suicide. He struggled with alcohol and his career was shortened by injury. I'm only one hundred pages into this well-written book but it has confirmed what I already knew. Pete Maravich was programmed by his father at birth to become a basketball star. In that sense, he was successful. The Pistol was well ahead of his time in terms of ball handling and flamboyant play. His signing at LSU sparked basketball mania in Louisiana, a state dominated by football. But there were always critics who accused him of shooting too much and his dad, Press, of favoritism. His teammates in the pros often disdained his unorthodox brand of offense and he at times feuded with his coaches. For all his glory, it just seems there was no fairy tale curtain call for this magnificently talented athlete. It needed a happier ending.

It's easy to be critical of parents, especially from the hindsight biographers possess. Press Maravich would seem to be an easy target. He saw basketball as the ticket to his son's better life, just as it allowed him to escape from the steel mills of Pennsylvania. Pete showed no interest in studies and scraped by with a minimum of effort, apparently with the blessing of his father. Juggling roles of player/coach/father/son is difficult in any case and with the Maraviches, volatile eruptions seemed to be the norm. Pete knew basketball because his dad lived basketball and the son inherited the hoop gene from the father. Kids model what they see at home. Press Maravich gave his son the opportunity, as well as the DNA, to achieve fame and financial stability and he loved his more famous son with all his being. I haven't reached the end of the story but I bet he wished he might have helped Pete to be more balanced in his approach to life off the court. Late in his life which was stunningly cut short by a heart attack at age forty, Pete made peace with himself and his dad after he turned his life over to God. What a shame that he seemed a tortured soul for so much of his four decade existence on earth. Parents make choices and children make choices. Great parents can have horrible kids and horrible parents can produce marvelous children. The Bible is full of advice for dads in regards to the treatment of their offspring. You can divide the guidelines into two categories:
1. Love them.
2. Teach them.
It looks really easy to me but I'm sitting in the stands in this arena. Bless all of you who have taken on the responsibility. And bless my dad who taught his kids how to live, although in a much more private venue than Press Maravich did. And bless my brothers who have taught and coached their sons, in the classroom, on the field/court, and in the game of life. And while you're at it, bless the mothers, too. They have a little bit to do with the outcome as well.

Applicable quote of the day:
"There is nothing wrong with dedication and goals, but if you focus on yourself, all the lights fade away and you become a fleeting moment in life."
Pete Maravich

To watch a clip of Pete Maravich while at LSU, click below!


God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1