The Case For Authority

 

The Case For Authority

It won't be long until we let our girls referee in practice. It is always interesting! This is from February 8, 2014.

Yesterday, we finished taking notes in all five of my classes about Jesus clearing the temple of those who were, the Savior claimed, turning it into a den of robbers. I made the point that the religious leaders in their accusations did not accuse Jesus of doing anything wrong. I would have to believe the market atmosphere in God's holy house must have made many of these men cringe. Instead, they demanded to know where He got the authority to purify the Court of the Gentiles. There is a big difference. I made the point that I would never go to another teacher's classroom and give a detention to a student who was under the supervision of another adult. I also asked their reaction if I should happen to come to their house for dinner and I ground them for being disrespectful to their parents. They laugh and tell me I don't have the authority to ground them. I ask 'what if I'm right about the disrespect?' The kids reply that it doesn't matter: I still don't have that authority..... and I absolutely agree with them.

The favorite example I used had to do with something most of them are familiar with- referees and umpires. Most youngsters play a sport at some time in their lives and are very aware of the officials in stripes (basketball/football) or blue as in baseball and softball. I ask how many of them hear people in the stands/bleachers officiating free of charge- all of them do. (Undoubtedly included in that group would be some of their moms and dads!) So, I ask them what would be a game be without any officials. They rightly respond, a fight. Then I inquire what would happen if every person entering a basketball game was given a whistle so they could officiate from the bleachers. They laugh as they try to imagine the scene but they correctly surmise that there would be no game under those circumstances. Several officials in charge trump three hundred refs who come with built-in biases and prejudices towards one team or the other. I tell them how hard it is to referee. During the spring, I am going to require all of my middle school girls to officiate one of our three on three games in our morning practices so they will discover the difficulty of trying to control a contest by blowing into a small piece of plastic. The concept I pray that my students ultimately grasp is that someone has to be in charge; we have to cede authority to others in arenas of our lives. By inference, I hope they will come to acknowledge it should be Jesus. And not just if they happen to be in the temple.

Applicable quote of the day:
"The trouble with referees is that they know the rules, but they do not know the game."

Bill Shankly

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Steve-Martin

 

Steve-Martin

This is about one of my favorite people,  from February 9, 2014. Emilee now is my financial advisor and a true blessing in my life!

As I was leaving our Sunday night service this evening, I was passing through our courtyard, heading to our adjacent WCS building to finish lesson plans. I spied a fellow congregant heading in the same direction. We had this very short conversation:
"See ya, Martin."
"Bye, Steve."
That, in all likelihood, means nothing to you but it's kind of unique in the orbit of my life. You see, Martin is Emilee, a lovely  and amazing young married woman who once upon a time was a member of the high school basketball team I coached at Westbury Christian School. She is also the only player (or female) I refer to by her last name and the funny thing is, that's not even her last name anymore. When she tied the knot, she took her husband Ryan's last name. But I'm a slow learner. And what is also interesting to me is that Emilee is one of the very few females who played for me who calls me by my first name. To the other 99+%, I remain simply as Coach....and that's not a bad thing!

In case you're wondering, I came to call her Martin, her maiden name, because we had two other players with the same name at that time and we had to differentiate. With me, it just stuck. The very day Emilee graduated from high school, she started calling me Steve and I liked the confidence and audaciousness it exhibited in her. Do you know what's funny? I call our Westbury Christian School chaplain, Dr. Robert Farrar, by his first name and he is eighty-six years old/young. And yet I have yet to call my high school basketball coach, Dale Neal, by his first name to his face...and he was only twenty-five when he had the dubious honor of coaching me. I think it's fascinating that Jesus is rarely called by His name in the Gospels and usually then only by demons or blind men seeking healing. Instead, Jesus is referred to as Rabbi-Teacher-Master-Lord. I have no idea why that is. Maybe it was the culture of the time or the extreme respect afforded Him by His disciples. What we call another speaks volumes about our relationship and our comfort level. Nobody ever called me Stephen except my mother when she was angry and the ladies in my apartment building office. I'm comfortable with Steve and it fits me but if you want to go with Coach, that's good, too. But if we refer to Jesus by one of the titles listed above, it carries a caveat. In Jesus' own words, in Luke 6:46, He poses this question:“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?"Like I mentioned before, how we address others defines in some sense our relationship. I pray mine with Jesus passes the Lord, Lord test! Some days, I just misspeak.

Applicable quote of the day:
Our creator is the same and never changes despite the names given Him by people here and in all parts of the world. Even if we gave Him no name at all, He would still be there, within us, waiting to give us good on this earth.

George Washington Carver

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

The Answer To The Question Is The Blood

 

The Answer To The Question Is The Blood

This is about one of my favorite little ones from one of my favorite families who for the past two seasons has been on mybasketball team!! It is from February 26, 2018.
I always sit behind Koral's family in Sunday AM and PM worship services. She's four and a half and pretty awesome. I see her at school, too, but I'm not sure she has reached the point of understanding  I'm the same person from church. Her dad works with me and her mom is the quintessential volunteer private schools depend on. I've taught her two older sisters and coached her slightly older brother in basketball camp. Several years ago, I wrote a sweet blog about Koral decorating my hand with stickers one night at our evening assembly. Like I said, she is the definition of adorable.

Often, Koral is facing me in service as, like many small ones, she uses the pew bench as a working table. About three weeks ago, she did something that greatly impressed me. We were congregationally singing and she pitched right in with the repeating phrase:
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
I was amazed she knew the line- maybe she was simply repeating what she heard- but I thought it was pretty neat for a child her age. I was always good at memorizing songs we sang in worship but I can't pinpoint when it began. But I love that she loves a song I loved when I was small.

When I was growing up, there were songs I would classify as invitation songs, meaning they were usually sung right after the sermon and the congregation was invited to ask for prayers/confess sins and for those not yet baptized, to be immersed. (I was immersed by Dad in the spring of my seventh grade year- wish I could recall the invitation song that morning!) Three of my favorite hymns of  that nature all had the same theme and as I meditate on them, I realize they all have this in common- they all are questions.
What can wash away my sin? 
Would you be free from the burden of sin?
Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power?
But the answers to all three are the same, with different phrasing:
Nothing but the blood of  Jesus. 
There's power in the blood. 
The last of the three is an answer worded as a question:
Are you washed in the blood of the lamb?
Those three lines are repeated throughout the hymns. And they should be. The blood of Jesus, the ultimate sacrifice cleanses us from the filth of our sin. The question will always be whether we have chosen to accept this precious gift. The answer is simple; you can even ask a four year old I know.

Applicable quote of the day:
Only the blood of Jesus can cleanse us, yet if we withhold ourselves from that blood, we will be unclean forever.
A.W. Tozer

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Steve's Famous Chili Recipe

 

Steve's Famous Chili Recipe

I'm often asked if I cook. The answer is always, 'Sort of.' The following explains my non-committal response. It is from March 26, 2006.

I can't cook. I do have the three pieces of equipment necessary for every bachelor: a microwave, a George Foreman Grill, and a crock pot. My mom used to try to give me recipes and tell me how simple they were but I always refused. Anything that requires effort to cook or clean up has never been an option. The above mentioned kitchen appliances are so easy even I can use them with a minimum of time and skill. Once a month, I make a weekend batch of chili in my Rival Crockpot. This was one of the weekends. With no culinary experience, I made up the recipe myself. Yesterday, I concocted my special blend of ingredients for a NCAA basketball tournament watching feast. It makes enough for two days so tonight, I will finish the leftovers. On the chance there might be other non-cooks like me in the reading audience, I thought I would share my recipe. (It's not really famous but it seems like every dish has a modifying adjective so Famous works for me!)

Two chicken breasts, George Foreman-grilled and cut up
One 64 ounce can of V8 Vegetable Juice Cocktail.
Two cans pinto beans (drained)
One can red kidney beans (drained)
One can black beans (drained)
One can tomato sauce
One packet chili seasoning (mild)
One green pepper (chopped)
One onion (chopped)
A dash of Tabasco Sauce
A dash of barbecue sauce
Mix ingredients and cook for three hours. Sprinkle cheese on top and eat.

I have a confession. I hate wasting time so I bring the V8 Juice to a boil on the stove before I pour it in. I figure it saves at least thirty minutes of crock pot heating time so if you use the speed up process, you can cut out a half hour.

Is my chili any good? I have no idea- nobody has ever eaten it but me. I make it the way I want it. It might be too spicy for some and too bland for others but I don't care. It doesn't affect anyone else so I don't have to take into consideration their wants and wishes. That works fine for my famous chili but the real world operates on a different system. My actions do have an impact on the lives of my neighbors, my students, my co-workers, and my family. I see young people wreaking havoc on their own futures because of selfishness. When you believe the world is subject to your wants and whims, heartaches and frustration are on the horizon. Growing up in a large family was a blessing for me because every action could have repercussions within the unit. Teaching a child their place in the family as well as in society was stressed in the scriptures. What a tremendous responsibility God placed on parents to be the molders of each generation! It is no easy task, even for the righteous. A number of Godly characters from the Bible raised notoriously rotten children. All kids are different and it requires massive amounts of ingenuity, love, and prayer. Family time around a good bowl of chili can only be classified as a step in the right direction! (Feel free to make your own modifications!)

Applicable quote of the day:
"Next to jazz music, there is nothing that lifts the spirit or strengthens the soul more than a good bowl of chili."
Harry James

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Family Anger

 

Family Anger

I was blessed as a kid and didn't know it. This is from February 6, 2014.
Today, we were finishing notes about Jesus clearing out the temple over the animal sellers and the money changers in the Court of the Gentiles. I told the kids that anger is sometimes legitimate and called for, as the actions of Jesus were, but it's a double edged sword and lethal without purpose and self control. I told them I used to get mad easily in class and it would carry over to basketball practice which was idiotic on my part. I told them I would find myself looking for stuff to get angry about with players I really loved which was incredibly stupid. As I do daily, I showed a film clip in all five of my Bible classes. The one I used today was taken from the movie Fireproof which you can watch here: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Adn9AqotCFw
(You may have to copy and paste but the 2 minute clip illustrates my point.)

In the 155 second vignette, Caleb, played by Kirk Cameron, escalates an insignificant disagreement with his wife, Catherine, over a candle and a pizza into a verbal altercation which teeters on the edge of becoming physical. In one of my classes as I wrapped up my summation of the Fireproof segment, I stated that I never heard my parents argue or even have a disagreement. A young lady sitting close to me whispered, "I wish I could say that." I don't know if anyone else heard it or even if she would remember those words coming from her lips but it shook me a little bit. I grew up in a world devoid of conflict and bitterness. Our folks may have argued but if they did, it was in private. I should state here they did disagree over dressing (Mom liked it made from cornbread and Dad preferred white bread as did I) and my mother loved Stamps-Baxter church songs while my father gravitated to the more stately hymns. As far as any personal knowledge on my behalf, that was about the extent of their fighting. I left school this afternoon under the impression that some of my students struggled to come to grips with that level of domestic tranquility.

This afternoon, my brother, Dave, obviously enjoying a number of consecutive snow days from school in Kansas, listed on FACEBOOK some things he missed and didn't miss necessarily from his days on earth. I added some items from shared childhood experiences and we shared a social media laugh without ever actually talking. The ones Dave posted having to do with our early lives were, as I would expect, happy memories. No fightings or beatings or separations or threats or screamings or slamming doors or accusations or violence or belittling. The odd thing, that is how I thought everybody lived. I was sadly mistaken. I left the teenagers in Room 258 with one piece of marital advice and prefaced it with the disclaimer that I've never been married but here it is anyway:
Never marry an angry person. 
I hope someday they'll remember so their list can be at least somewhat like Dave's. Life is too short to be miserable and afraid.

Applicable quote of the day # 1:
Speak when you are angry - and you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret.

Laurence J. Peter

Applicable quote of the day # 2:
How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.

Marcus Aurelius

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Sally, Shirts, And Stripes

 

Sally, Shirts, And Stripes

My sisters-in-law, Sally and Karen, have  had great impact on my life. This entry, from July 19, 2009, is about Sally and my clothes.

I only have two credit cards and one is from KOHL'S. Every month, KOHL'S sends coupon to their card holders with the possibility of 15%, 20%, or 30% off the next purchase. Several weeks ago, I peeled the sticker and...30%! It was like winning the lottery! Since there is a KOHL'S near Dave and Sally's house, I decided to cash in my discount in Kansas, buying a few items for school. As Sally and I discussed my purchases and whether I should buy a suit that was on sale, I realized my beautiful sister-in-law is of the opinion that I have no sense of fashion. She may be right- our viewpoints on men's clothing are diametrically opposed. My 30% coupon was applied to a pair of Dockers pants and two oxford dress shirts, one white while the other is from CHAPS, white with small blue checks. Since I normally wear solid or pinstriped shirts, I wasn't sure what tie I should wear to worship with the blue checked oxford. Did you know there are websites that match shirts and ties in acceptable combinations? I discovered it's proper to wear a striped tie with a checked shirt so I did. I'm back in Houston now but my fondest dream is that Sally would have applauded as I went out the door this morning; I live for her approval!

Like I said, I know little about fashion. I have heard that vertical stripes make one appear taller while horizontal stripes have the effect of adding a few pounds. I now know when it is permissible for a man to wear stripes for his neck wear. But, that use of stripes is strictly superficial. There was one for whom the term stripes had a different connotation. In his first epistle, Peter wrote that the Savior, "Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.. " (1 Peter 2:24, NKJV) The apostle tells us that the stripes/wounds of Jesus liberated us from sin. The agony He bore in the beatings, the mockings, the crucifixion made our salvation possible. Just three verses previously, Peter writes that the sufferings of Jesus serve as an example that Christians are to follow. Paul penned in Galatians 3:27 that, "all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." We're promised the wardrobe of Jesus? That's an outfit I can live with. No more websites or color schemes, checks or solids. The stripes of Jesus will always match the clothing of Christ, even if we've had a checkered past.

Applicable quote of the day:
"I have always dressed according to certain Basic Guy Fashion Rules,including: ‘Both of your socks should always be the same color.’ Or they should at least both be fairly dark."
Dave Barry

God bless,

Steve
Luke 18:1

Forever Doesn't Last As Long As It Used To

 

Forever Doesn't Last As Long As It Used To

I am absolutely no marriage expert even though I have preached  about 15 weddings. Marriage is supposed to be til death do us part. Sadly, it sometimes ends up poorly. This is from October of 2010.

I read the news yesterday and it saddened me. Country music singer Randy Travis and his wife of nineteen years, Elizabeth, have divorced. The former spouses are also business partners- she is his manager- and will apparently continue that relationship but the one that matters has been shattered. Websites and gossip shows are always filled with failed celebrity marriages but this one particularly bothers me, if only for one reason: Randy Travis performed, and is probably most noted for, the best marriage song of all time, Forever And Ever, Amen. I guess the final lines to this classic have lost their luster:
If you wonder how long I'll be faithful
Just listen to how this song ends.
I'm gonna love you forever and ever
Forever and ever, Amen.
I guess the cynical part of me now has a different final chorus to think about when it comes to considering the love of a man and woman, Michael Martin Murphey's, What's Forever For:
So, what's the glory in living?
Doesn't anybody ever stay together anymore?
And if love never lasts forever, tell me
What's Forever For?

The Bible uses the term forever 290 times (in the New International Version, at least) and never once in the connotation of marital bliss. Still, the concept of the sanctity of marriage as well as the superiority of its permanence is constant. This morning in our worship service, the focus was on our teenagers. These youngsters, along with their folks, just completed a True Love Waits program based on the Song of Solomon. The young people, with the public blessing of moms and dads, pledged their sexual purity until their wedding. The parents gave their children a ring to symbolize the commitment and the congregation pledged our support as well. These kids are on the right track but we all know that there are derailments lurking. In the great chapter of love, 1 Corinthians 13, Paul wrote that even after everything else was gone, love, along with faith and hope, would remain with love being the highest virtue. That sounds like forever to me, even if it's not a line in a song.

Applicable quote of the day:
“Divorce is the psychological equivalent of a triple coronary by-pass. After such a monumental assault on the heart, it takes years to amend all the habits and attitudes that led up to it.”
Mary Kay Blakely

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1


Forever and Ever,Amen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgJXbIP83A8

What's Forever For?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UalVQCCTNPg