The Answer Is, "TOMORROW!"

 

The Answer Is, "TOMORROW!"

We all need reminders! This is from May 17, 2018!
Over the years at WCS, we've refined the way we collect the change the students collect in their bottles for our Honduras project, which is now the Honduras-Haiti project. The kids basically used to come to my classroom and dump the pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters into receptacles from which we would sort and count. A number of years ago, I began sitting in the high school lobby where all the middle and high school kids can see me. We've brought the receptacles to them! This is a voluntary program- we hand out the bank bottles in January with most of our kids accepting the challenge of helping the less fortunate in nearby poverty stricken nations. We put a blurb in the announcements during the last two regular weeks of the year as a reminder that I will be awaiting them, along with members of my basketball team. (We forfeit a few minutes of our workouts each morning.) So, for ten school days, from 7 AM to 7:42 AM, I'm the first person many of our kids see at school. I park myself right in front of the door with clear intentions. Most forget especially in the early days but they have a stock response for me:
"TOMORROW!"
Over the years, it's become a running punch line! Sometimes, I'll kid the kids with, "That's what you said yesterday!" It's in fun and my guess is we usually return about about 75% from the high school students. But just in case someone doesn't understand, we've started posting a marker board beside me with tomorrow spelled out in a number of languages, as our school family includes many nationalities. As you might guess, we get a lot of smiles..... and hopefully some unconscious reminders to bring us some pennies!

But you know what tomorrow is? The last day. No more tomorrows after tomorrow. Then they'll have to come find me as we'll be on a completely different schedule for the remaining four days of testing. That's not all. It's the last day of basketball together for this team I love so much. It's the last time classes will meet. Finals are not administered by the teacher and in high school, the testing sites are alphabetically arranged. It's the last day of junior high for 8th graders, the last day of high school for seniors, and the last day for many parents to have a child enrolled in the education system mandated by society. The problem is, though, that not everything runs its predicted course. I ask my students what they are doing after school today and they give some answer but the truth is, none of us know. That's what makes life so great and maddening simultaneously.

Several days ago, I read the FACEBOOK post of a former student in Georgia who spoke of a second grade child she knew from school who drowned on Mother's Day this past Sunday. No way her family ever dreamed they would be burying their baby this week. Life has no guarantees of tomorrow. James wrote in the fourth chapter of his epistle that we should always say, "If it's the Lord's will,..." when referring to the future- we just don't know what it will bring. The question for us then becomes;
"Who have I wronged and not corrected it?"
"Who do I love that haven't I told I love lately?"
"Who am I still in debt to?""Who hasn't heard the good news about Jesus Christ?"
Like it or not, those are time and chance issues if we let them be. Make the time, and don't take the chance of letting the clock run out on your opportunity. And, don't forget! Bring your bottles since tomorrow, in ten hours, I'll be out there picking up pennies for the last time this school year! Let me add a PS- Lord willing.


Applicable quote of the day:
Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It is already tomorrow in Australia. 
Charles M. Schulz

Gd bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

No Good Option

 

No Good Option

Jesus said the poor will always be with us. This is from March 23, 2014.


I met a man outside a local chain pharmacy ten days ago. Earlier that day, I had ordered some pictures to be developed from my camera's memory card and I was there to pick them up. He was in a wheelchair and told me he had been hit by a car while riding a bicycle; he didn't tell me how old he was when it happened. He asked if I were a preacher- I was wearing my cross outside my shirt- and I told him I teach Bible at Westbury Christian School. He then told me something that really floored me. This guy I just met told me he can't read or write. My guess is that he is in his 40s. I was shocked- I'm so used to working with educators and kids who are excellent readers, even in kindergarten, that the thought of an illiterate American shocked me.... but it shouldn't. Ironically, the pictures I picked up will go out in letters tomorrow to family and friends who support me in my work to improve English skills.... in Vietnam.

As I drove away, I asked myself which situation the man faced would be hardest for me to deal with personally, the inability to walk or the illiteracy. Truthfully, I can't fathom either option since I've been walking and reading since my memories began. I mean, what would I do if confined to a wheelchair? On the other hand, I tried to grasp what I would miss if I couldn't read or write, which I do most of my waking moments! In class this past week, we took notes over the paralyzed man brought to Jesus, carried by four friends and let down through the roof of a house to gain access to the Savior. We note that the first thing Jesus did WAS NOT heal him, the obvious reason for the man's coming, but the Master forgiving the man's sins. I make the point that Jesus took care of the biggest issue first. After I state it like that, I ask the kids what the lame man's # 1 problem was, paralysis or sin? They correctly answer sin but I'm not sure that's what he was thinking as he was being lowered in front of the man he hoped could set him free from his handicap.

As we look at the story, I tell the students about my nearly cutting off my thumb when I was working at York College. I share what the orderly said when he took the towel off of my hand ('OH MY GOD!') and how that did not help my demeanor at all. I ask them what they thought my reaction would have been if the doctor had come into the emergency room and wanted to take care of a mosquito bite on my face instead of the possible losing of a thumb or going into shock from blood loss. They think that's pretty funny. The good doctors always addresses the biggest need first and of course, Jesus was The Great Physician. I ask the kids, without raising their hands, what the biggest issue is in their life and throw out that it might not be what the world would expect. But God knows and Jesus died to provide the cure. And you don't have to go to WALGREENS to fill the prescription.... but you do need to see the doctor.

Applicable quote of the day:
“Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope.”
Kofi Annan

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

When Darth Vader Played Isaac

 

When Darth Vader Played Isaac

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4SyrQ_aIss 
 (copy and paste this clip!)
I love film clips to illustrate my points in class! This is from September 27, 2013.

We are in the middle of the Jacob and Esau saga in my Bible classes. We've taken quizzes over the arranged marriage of their parents, Isaac and Rebekah and the subsequent selling of the Esau's birthright for a simple meal. (I made the comparison of swapping a Jumbo Jack burger from Jack In The Box for a brand new Jaguar. I asked the kids how they would describe someone who would do that and the word that came to mind was stupid.) Yesterday, we took a quiz over the hoodwinking of Isaac by Rebekah and the younger of the fraternal twins, Jacob, to illegitimately get the blessing from Isaac that rightfully belonged to the older brother, Esau. On our test next Friday, the essay will revolve around whether a not a case can be made for Rebekah actually doing the right thing instead of just being an interfering mom playing favorites. Esau, who in Hebrews 12 was called Godless and had already married two pagan women, was obviously unfit and his elevation would go against prophecy. I told the students the story of Jacob and Esau and next week's episode where we throw Jacob's father-in-law (and Rebekah's brother)Laban into the mix would be a great soap opera except it seems so outlandish that no one would take it seriously!

Everyday in my classes except for test days, I show a film clip that goes along with our topic of the day. Last night, I found this hilarious bit on YouTube  You have to suspend your sense of reality temporarily as in this scene, the stealing of the blessing, is played out by characters from Star Wars. When we finished, I asked my laughing classes what was inaccurate from a Biblical perspective about this portrayal. The answer was..... nothing. Take three minutes and watch and giggle. The longer I teach, the more thankful I am of technology and the realization that there is more than one way to tell the Biblical story in a way that kids will enjoy- and remember.

Applicable quote of the day:

Oh, what a tangled web do parents weave, 

when they think their children are naive."
Ogden Nash

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

The Marriage Manual

 

The Marriage Manual

We are entering into wedding season! Often when I preach a wedding, my students stand in for the real life couple so I can practice. This entry is from 11-15-06.

I have been practicing for Emily and Josh's wedding in my Bible classes. Yesterday, my 10th grade Gospels classes went through the whole wedding ceremony. Emily DeWitt was played by Corley Carter, Rachael Mumbach, and Jackie Marini. The role of Josh Wood was handled by Asa Davis, Christian Broussard, and Jordan Walker. Twice, we used the church auditorium for the run through but in my eighth period class, we cleared a center aisle from the desk rows and turned Room 258 into a wedding chapel. (I bet Emily, when she spent two years in that same room as one of my students, never envisioned what would transpire within those walls in the coming years!) In conjunction with the wedding, I have allowed the students to cast their vote and select the tie I will wear during the ceremony: they chose a grey-silver number given to me last year by Destiny Ngwaubala. Today, I had all my classes read my devotional entry entitled The Princess Bride And MookDa's List. This piece centered around an eleven year old Malaysian girl who compiled a list of qualities she will require in a husband. MookDa presented her manifesto to a missionary who mentioned that she might have some interest in his thirteen year old grandson. After reading, I had my classes commit their own list to paper in the same fashion as MookDa. I have selected four of the students' lists. These four represent the diversity of our school. Chaul is from China, Eduardo comes from Mexico, Waltia lives in The Bahamas, and Glory is a first generation American whose parents are from Nigeria. Here are their thoughts:
Chaul
1. He must have a job.
2. He can speak both Chinese and English.
3. He could be an American citizen.
4. He will be a college graduate.
5. He must play the violin or any other stringed instrument.
Eduardo
1. She has to love me.
2. I have to love her.
3. I have to feel that everyday, I love her even more.
4. She has to accept me for who I am.
5. I have to feel something special for her, something that she makes me feel without pretending to be someone else. Someone that just being herself makes me happy.
Waltia
1. He must be a Christian and not abusive.
2. He must be smart and graduate from college.
3. He must be tall!
4. He must have dreams and determination.
5. He must be a horrible singer so I can sing better than him.
6. He does not have to be cute because looks do not matter.
7. He has to have great teeth.
8. He especially has to have a good sense of humor.
Glory
1. He must be a Christian and truly fear God.
2. He must be Nigerian or first generation American-Nigerian.
3. He loves me for me and is willing to work at the relationship.
4. He must be handsome.
5. He must have wealth to give me security.

I thought all my classes did a good job. I was again struck by the difference in the thought processes of boys and girls. Many female students mentioned employment requirements and many boys listed cooking ability. The girls had more sobering answers, ofter citing they would not marry an abusive man or anyone with a temper problem. In five years, will all my students have the same checklist? Probably not...but at least they are thinking. I just wish I still had Emily's list from five years ago: we could find out if Josh really fit the bill. I have the idea he would do just fine.

Applicable quote of the day:
"Before marriage, a man will lay down his life for you; after marriage, he won't even lay down his newspaper."
Helen Rowland

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Changing Viewpoint

 

Changing Viewpoint

 This is from May 13, 2018!
We've been turning in coins since this past Monday in our 20th annual project to help poor children in Honduras and Haiti. Over two decades, we've tweaked the process a bit but it still comes down to our students collecting  in bank bottles and then turning them in at the beginning of May. On Thursday, we began sorting which is the fun part. My sixth period junior Gospels' class invited our two third grade sections to help us separate the metal money into pennies/nickels/dimes/quarters. My eighth period eighth graders continued the sorting. In all the years of doing this, I've seen some odd things show up: buttons, money from every nation on earth, unspent 22 bullets, etc. Three days ago, we had a first- a tooth! It appears to be an adult tooth so if your child goes to WCS and you are missing a molar, let me know!

I pretty much let the kids organize themselves when we sort. They scoop a bunch of coins and they go from there.  Sometimes, they push their desks together and work in twos or threes. In my eighth grade section, Jack aligned himself with Christian and Sam. As I wandered the room as they were commencing, I heard Jack exclaim, "This is great! I am learning so much!" I need to explain. Jack is a first year student from China and very bright. I asked what he meant and he told me he was speaking about the coins- I took it that his two classmates were informing him of the value of each. I asked if he didn't spend US money. Jack told me that he did but really only that of the paper variety. I can relate. Coins I've received in other countries from purchases are meaningless to me- Vietnam no longer even uses any metal money. I thought it was neat that Jack had turned in his bank bottle that morning so it was a win-win day. He made the lives of children in poverty a little better and he has a better grasp of our monetary system.

The next day, I had several more cultural awakenings as I did with Jack. Hellen, also from China and like Jack, every bright, asked me to help with the meanings of the four basic coins as we sorted in her class. Then, after school, Amy came to me with her bottle and that of another student. Amy is from - you guessed it!- China, and was in my class last year. She told me that she had made a poster and stood outside a store and asked (her word) 'consumers' to add their change to her bottle. (Let me say in no way do we  suggest or advocate this at all- she did it because her heart was touched by the stories and pictures of the children.) I just was charmed by her use of the English language. Everyone I know would have said customers or shoppers but everyone doesn't have the tender heart .... or vocabulary of Amy.

Interestingly, our 8th grade Bible test Friday covered the story of the widow giving two very small coins to the temple treasury. Jesus remarked to the disciples that she gave more than the others as she gave out of her poverty and they gave out of their wealth. In fact, as you recall, she gave everything, 100% of what she had to live on. To the apostles, she was probably simply one more little old lady but because of the Savior's awareness, we have perhaps the greatest display of generosity found in the scriptures! I wish I was more aware of what goes on around me. I've taught kids from China for two decades and had no idea they had some currency issues. It should have at least crossed my mind as I've somewhat been in their shoes. There are things that I've always known as I was exposed to them from birth; the love of God, stability in the family, etc. Sometimes I lose sight of the fact that a number of the kids who sit in front of me have no knowledge of the foundations my mother and father built my earliest life upon. Those are foreign concepts to kids who aren't foreigners. (I now only use the term international student after a conversation with a child from another country!) Looking back, I'm glad we weren't rich because my parents taught me the value of pennies/nickels/dimes/quarters and not just that a quarter is worth twenty-five cents. The two pennies of the widow can't be simply defined as an amount. They were an investment in eternity. I should help my students, now matter their nation of origin, learn to make those investments thirty-six weeks of the year... and we are down to the last two. Pray for us.

Applicable quote of the day:
“Every blessing, just like a coin, has two sides” 
Sunday Adelaja

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Anything But Random

 

Anything But Random

This is about  young man who came to my mother's funeral, even though we are not technically related. It is from May 28, 2013.

There was one of those envelopes that you just know is some sort of announcement or invitation in my mail box last Friday afternoon.... and it was. One of my former students, Michael, is getting married to a lovely young lady named Laura in Arizona in less than three months. They providentially met at Harding University where for some reason I failed to meet my spouse but I guess you have to say providentially about that as well. Michael was in my eighth grade Bible class at WCS a number of years ago before his family relocated to the Dallas area. And what a terrific one he belongs to. His folks are the kind of folks every congregation needs to thrive and spread the Gospel. Michael's brothers and sister rounded out a wonderful family and our church was the less when his dad's financial firm transferred him to the Dallas area. Over time, I've seen Michael as his folks have come back to visit their myriad of friends in Houston. Even after they moved, Michael would collect pennies for the fund raiser we do for Honduran orphanages. And he gave me one of my favorite ties, a blue Biblically based neck wear; goes with anything!

There's one more thing about Michael's family. His mom, Suzanne, is from Nashville, Arkansas, the same little town where my mom was born and raised. Suzanne graduated from Nashville High, just like my mom, and knows my first cousins, my Uncle Bill's kids. Because of that Arkansas connection, Michael's younger brother, Mason, refers to me as Cousin Hawley. Suzanne would often mail or bring me newspaper articles about my Nashville kinfolk and I always appreciated those gestures. (A sidenote: like all of you who know her, I became very careful opening anything from Suzanne as her mailings invariably include a healthy share of that shiny confetti stuff!) Suzanne and her husband, Paul, obviously raised their children not just to be strong in the faith but to be gracious and kind to others. Let me give you the best example I know.

My mother died four years ago this spring, on March 31st. Mom suffered from Alzheimer's and had not known any of us for years. We moved her to Wichita after Dad's death eleven months prior to be in the same city as Dave and Scott. We arranged for her body to be taken to Nashville for the visitation and burial the next day in the family cemetery. Michael was a freshman at Harding at the time. He heard from his grandmother about the passing of Mom and drove the  180+ miles between Searcy and Nashville to be at the visitation and funeral the next morning. I was dumbfounded. Michael did not know Mom and I doubt he knew any other of my relatives. But he took the time, as a nineteen year old, to drive close to four hundred miles round trip, just to be there. I gained a huge new measure of respect for that young man and the family who instilled that level of empathy in their offspring. Truthfully, I struggle to make it to funeral homes even ten minutes away from where I live- it's too often inconvenient. That's why I'm not that big a fan of the term random acts of kindness. Not that I'm against behaving in a gracious manner when the unexpected shows up at our doorstep; that's exactly what the Good Samaritan did. But I believe there must be a deliberateness in how we carry out the Lord's commands. Look at what Paul wrote in Colossians, chapter 3, verse 12:
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Clothing ourselves is not a random act. (Well, I have been accused of randomly picking out what I wear without thought.) We dress ourselves painstakingly at times, seeking the median between fashion and comfort, affordability and vanity. Dressing ourselves spiritually cannot logically be less a priority than selecting fabric and buttons, shoes and colors. I don't know if Michael will be wearing a tux when his lovely bride walks down the aisle to meet him in August. But, I do know he's already picked out his eternal wardrobe- compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. I'd say he's a lock to make the only best dressed list that has any significance.

Applicable quote of the day:

"What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?"
Jean-Jacques Rousseau

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

The Honest Man

 

The Honest Man

Billy Joel sang, 'Honesty is such a lonely word... ' It isn't to the man I speak of in this entry from August 7, 2014.

My first year of traveling to Vietnam in 2011 was on Korean Airlines  but on my last three journeys, I've flown Singapore Airlines. My change in carrier had to do with my friend, Sherry Ann Sabado, who lives in Singapore, booking my flights as well as booking a hotel for me for a day. Sherry Ann picked me up, a weary traveler, at the airport at 6 AM twenty-seven days ago. We went to breakfast but she had to go to work after she got me checked into my hotel, the very nice Furama City Centre. I had not changed any money so gave me a bill 'just in case' and I thought she said, tired as I was, that it was the equivalent of $1 US. I should have remembered that US and Singapore currency is very similar. There was a mix-up with my bags which stayed in the lobby for three hours before being brought to my room. When the gentleman porter came and delivered the two suitcases, I thought I would just give him the $1 left for me by Sherry Ann. A look of horror came over his face as he took the bill and he told me in an anguished voice, "Sir, this is $50!" He realized my mistake and refused to take advantage of a traveler who he knew was confused. His kindness was multiplied as the money would have come out of the fund meant for the poor in Can Tho. Thanks to God this man was so kind hearted and I pray the Lord will bless him for his honesty. (I did tip him $1 and thank him profusely!)

We live in a world where many people get away with whatever they can. There was a news item today that a US Senator was dropping out of the race to retain his seat after it came to light that he had plagiarized large sections of his final paper on his Master's degree several years ago. I doubt when he was cheating that he thought about getting caught or considered any ramifications should he one day hold public office. My guess it will haunt him if he ever tries to get back into the political spotlight. But the man I met in the hotel has no such fears. What was especially heartwarming about the gentleman in Singapore was that no one would have ever known. I didn't even know! My guess is that tip might have been the equivalent of at least a day's wage but it didn't matter. Jesus taught in Luke 16 if we can be trusted with a little, we can be trusted with much. I hope my friend whose name I do not know gets a chance to prove how right Jesus was. Honestly, I do.

Applicable quote of the day:
"Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom."

Thomas Jefferson

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1