The Book And Its Cover

 

The Book And Its Cover

Sometimes, we don't realize the value of the things we possess. This is from August 29, 2014.

I had coffee with one of my former students this morning at a nearby Starbucks. She was early and I was late but that's ok- she didn't send me to the office to get a tardy slip. The wonderful young lady is visiting relatives in Houston before returning to her very big Midwestern state university next week. She had a present for me- a large mug with her college's logo on it for my morning coffee. I had one for her as well; one of the key chains made by Thuy and her sisters while I was in Vietnam. I'm not sure she ever put it down, rolling it through her fingers during our entire visit. I'm pretty sure she likes it. 

We talked about my trip. She's from China and before I made my journey, she gave me some very solid advice about how I might approach teaching English. We spoke of college life and her future plans and cultural differences in our two countries. I reminded her about an e-mail she sent me as a student about an idea I had for chapel with our kids from China. I thought it was a good idea but it wasn't and she was the only one who had the guts, very respectfully, to tell me so. I told her how proud I was of that and I think she blushed a little bit when I did. She told me it's not easy being a believer in China or at some institutions of higher learning in the US. She told me about walking out of a lecture in a class of four hundred students as the professor berated those of the faith. She spoke of her morning routine of reading the Scriptures and praying. I was captivated by her stories of life after high school, as a student living in a foreign country even as some of her classmates assume she was born here.

But the highlight of our time together was her revealing the importance of something I witnessed but never comprehended the significance. Each year at our WCS graduation, our seniors are presented not only their diploma but also a Bible from the elders of the Westbury church of Christ. These Bibles come embossed with the name of the grad and to be honest, I've watched the tradition so many times, I take it for granted. Not anymore. She told me how much that Bible means to her, how she never conceived she would possess a Bible with her name on it. She told me how she opens it and searches for answers when life is difficult. A friend told her that the Bible should occupy the highest place in her room due to its value. I came to the conclusion that the Bible I don't remember her receiving is her most treasured possession. I was almost embarrassed as I listened because  I've owned countless Bibles and a number with my name stamped on the cover but I have yet to give any of them the respect they deserve. I have repented. One more thing she told me that I took away from our reunion this morning. She revealed that the Bible is much more understandable to her in English than in her native language. Maybe I need to start learning Mandarin to see if the converse is true for me! I have so much to learn.

Applicable quote of the day:
"One of these days some simple soul will pick up the Book of God, read it, and believe it. Then the rest of us will be embarrassed."
Leonard Ravenhill

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Chained To The Past

 

Chained To The Past

I'm wearing the chain you will read about as we speak! This is from June 3, 2018.
Back in the spring of 1996, when I was teaching and coaching at Friendship Christian School in Lebanon, Tennessee, I participated in the first baptism that was not my own. A young lady named Leigh Leftwich, who was in my seventh grade Bible class, asked if I would immerse her into Jesus Christ. I did the following Sunday in one of the local congregations. We were both excited as Leigh, who would become my high school basketball manager, was now my sister in Christ! Since I was part of her big day, Leigh presented me with a gift; it was a pewter cross with the words Jesus Christ Is Lord on the front and the same message on the back in Braille. Although I'd never worn jewelry, with the exception of my high school ring which I lost, I made the decision to put the cross on a silver chain. I also made the promise to Leigh I would never take it off my whole life. Well, I should have added intentionally. The cross fell off several times and it disappeared for good in 2009, probably when I was swimming. With the help of Karen, my amazing sister in law, I procured another cross, although this one bears no words/initials. The chain has had its own issues. On a number of occasions, the clasp has broken, needed repair, and had to be removed from my person. That brings me to three days ago. 

Sometime after Christmas, the clasp again ceased to function and the chain/cross became unwearable. It wasn't until this past Thursday that I was able to take it  to a little watch shop where I've gone before. (For you in Houston, it's right at the spot where Bellaire crosses Bissonet.) They weren't really busy and the nice lady had it ready to go in five minutes for only $15, which I think is a pretty good deal. As I was showing the lady the problem, she asked, "Would you like me to clean the chain?" You have to realize there were several dynamics at work. One was I was in a semi-hurry and I didn't know how long the process would take. The second factor was that she didn't mention any cost to the step. I didn't want to pay extra and I would look cheap if I asked so I replied, "No, thank you, ma'am!" It was one more thing to cross off (bad pun) my summer to-do list, # 48 to be exact, with quite a few numbers still to go.

But there was something else I considered in that split second when I was given the option in the jewelry store. While I knew the chain was no longer bright and shiny, there was part of me that appreciated what made it appear to be twenty-two years old. It's brand new appearance had been replaced with twenty-two years of experience. That chain was with me snorkeling at Roatan when I saw the stunning beauty of the nature the Lord gave us. It was around my neck counting pennies and when I moved to Houston. It was under my tie at my mom's and dad's funerals and at the dozen-plus weddings I have preached. It accompanied me on twenty, soon to be twenty-one, missions to Honduras, Haiti, China, and Vietnam. It walked the sideline with me through twenty-two high school and middle school basketball seasons. And it's stood with me as I taught the Bible to, I think, several thousand students. So, part of me doesn't want to wash all that grime/residue away- it gives the chain character, at least to me. There is historical precedent. Many were unhappy with the restoration of the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, making Michelangelo's masterpiece much brighter than intended. I can't claim to be on his level but with that train of thought, I decided to leave it as is. Jesus told us to carry our crosses and I know He didn't mean around our necks. Too many wear religious pieces without the adherence to the teachings of the Son of God. My prayer is that I never do. I confess I've sinned wearing this cross and chain but it's also a reminder to me of whose I am. I'm chained to His love through His blood. That's a bond which cannot be broken. 

Applicable quote of the day:
A strange thing is memory, and hope; one looks backward, and the other forward; one is of today, the other of tomorrow. Memory is history recorded in our brain, memory is a painter, it paints pictures of the past and of the day.
Grandma Moses

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Rebekah And Danita

 

Rebekah And Danita

 I once taught a girl at WCS named Danita Akuna.  After her ninth grade year, she moved to Canada with her family.  Danita is brilliant, a term I use infrequently, and the sweetest young lady. This is from October 16, 2013.

My classes have covered Creation through Joseph and we'll start on Moses tomorrow before jumping into the Gospels shortly. On each test, we have a discussion question trying to get deeper into the materials we just covered. On our last exam, the question had to with Rebekah helping her favored son, Jacob, deceitfully obtain the blessing from her blind husband, Isaac, when it rightly belonged to Jacob's older twin, Esau. The students were instructed to write how Rebekah pulled off the charade with no pangs of conscience from her youngest son. Then, they were to discuss whether or not Rebekah, who came from a family of shady characters, was actually justified based on the protection of the family, a fulfillment of prophecy, and the utter carelessness of Esau, the next titular head of the clan. The following is from the test of one of my ninth graders, Danita. She is a tremendous student academically and a world class human being. It is used with permission of Danita.

I’m on the both sides on the matter. First, I say Rebekah was wrong, because Esau deserved his blessing from Isaac. It was a tradition, and no one could change that. Even if Esau made bad decisions, no one knows if he would change his ways and become more responsible when the responsibilities were placed on him. She could help Esau and support him and make Jacob assist him with the financial decisions on the family business. This would avoid these problems that they faced; Jacob running for his life, betrayal between the brothers although they reconciled, a mother never seeing her child again, and family being separated and divided. All these things happened because of greed, unreasonable thinking and favoritism.

On the other hand, I also think Rebekah did the right thing but used the wrong process of achieving her particular goal. Instead of her thinking about the present, she thought about the future. She knew that if the blessing was given to Esau, there was a big chance that Esau would destroy and squander the family’s wealth. This possibility was assured when he married pagan women who didn’t believe in God. Rebekah knew that if she allowed Esau to take the blessing, she would regret it later in the long run and she put all those thoughts into consideration. Esau had sold his birthright for just a common meal- that kind of man is not in any position to lead their family into a successful end. When Rebekah helped Jacob get the blessing, she knew that Esau would later come after him so she sent him away. She was wise and smart to do that because if Esau had killed Jacob, the blessing and future of the family could have also died. This is why I say that Rebekah was both justified and not justified in what she did.

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Unless Something Weird Happens

 

Unless Something Weird Happens

I cannot tell you how much Laura Godard means to our school. Living overseas since this was penned on June 1, 2018, Laura stepped in and helped us survive a tragedy among our staff early in the year. She and her husband have relocated back to Houston!

Laura Godard is one of my favorite colleagues ever. On top of being a wonderful instructor- she was just named "WCS Upper School Teacher Of The The Year"- she, along with her husband, are the parents of two of the  very best students I've ever taught, Rebecca and Caleb. Several months ago, she told me an amazing story. I asked if she would put it into blog form when she was ready. Today was that day. You might need some Kleenex!

“Unless something weird happens.”  That was my answer to a student in my seventh period Algebra class who asked me if I would have his test graded by later in the day.  I like to keep up with my grading, and my students know that they can usually expect to check their test grades online later in the day if they take a test.  So my answer was basically “yes” with what I suppose was my slightly unspiritual take on, “if it is the Lord’s will.”

Perhaps the Lord was chuckling as I said that, because something really weird was about to happen.  Later that evening, my sister phoned and insisted on talking to me right away, even though I was in the middle of a treadmill run.  I knew from the moment I said hello that something was up. She had news for me that (as I was soon to discover) there is no easy way to introduce:  the two of us have a long-lost, full-blooded brother! A brother! A full brother! I have never experienced a flood of emotions like I did that moment on the phone. Shock. Confusion. Questions. I honestly felt like the room was spinning…I literally could not think…as evidenced by the fact that this math teacher needed help from her sister to add five to my age to calculate our brother’s age!

But after a moment of shock, confusion, and questions, something amazing happened.  I experienced the truth of Romans 8:28, that, “we know in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  In an instant, I loved my brother.  Someone whose name I did not know, whom I had not even known existed until a moment ago.  I was overwhelmed with thankfulness for such an unexpected gift from God.

It has now been a few months since this discovery, and Daniel and I are forging a wonderful sibling relationship that is richer because of its unusual and late start.  They say you cannot choose your family, but Daniel is exactly the brother I would choose.  As I look back over these extraordinary events, I am thankful for so many things.  I am thankful for the courage of my parents to choose what was best for Daniel at the time of his birth, even though it must have been so difficult for them.  I am thankful for all of the people who cared for my mother when she needed it the most. I am thankful for Daniel’s adoptive parents, who lived out James 1:27, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” I am thankful for the love, support, and kindness of my husband and children as they patiently walked with me through a time of great upheaval.  Most of all I thank God for watching over my brother during all of the years of our separation. I keep thinking back that when God was watching over my sister and me in our home, he was also watching over our brother, far away in a different home. He cared for Daniel and watched over him and loved him.  What a wonderful reminder that I can trust God to watch over everything.  He is all-seeing, all-knowing, and all-powerful.

When I got to my seventh period Algebra class the next day, my emotions were still too raw to tell my students about what had happened.  But a few weeks later, I asked them if they remembered the day when I said I would have their tests graded that night, “unless something weird happens”?  I told them the story and reminded them, and even more so myself, that sometimes weird things happen, but we can trust God to work for good in all things. God bless, Steve Luke 18:1

Olaide's Pursuit

 

Olaide's Pursuit

This is about one of my favorite players ever. It's from August 25, 2014.

In January of 2013, I wrote an entry on this site called The Value Of The Ball. It spoke of how the girls on my team did not esteem possession of the basketball as highly as they ought, leading to a number of complications, including defeat. Only two kids remain from that squad, Lizeth and Sydney, who are now eighth graders. We start practice first period the first week of school so we get a head start on the other schools we play. The flip side is that our practices are short, typically only thirty-five minutes. This puts a premium on organization and getting things done quickly. I like this new bunch of girls. Six are returning from last year and eight are brand new, with the emphasis on new! I use the vets, some of whom are only eleven, to demonstrate and teach and they have taught well. We add something new every morning, sometimes multiple skills involving simple drills. Simple, that is, until you have to perform them. 

Today, we added several wrinkles; a crossover dribble move and a drill where you have to navigate cones around the lane to make a layup in as few dribbles as possible. Sydney did it in three, earning us a team prize tomorrow! Right before concluding our workoout, the experienced kids demonstrated a full court layup drill with two basketballs. The next shooter in line is the rebounder but the caveat is that you can never let the ball hit the floor after a shot. My six returnees flawlessly ran the drill, even handling a "Change directions!" command in mid-stream. In two minutes, the ball never touched the floor with the exception of dribbles. Having watched nervously from the sideline, we switched groups to the eight rookies. I let them go about forty-five seconds and the ball hit the floor every time it was shot. As we stacked it up, we laughed that it was an exact representation of how these now older kids did twelve months ago. They'll get better.

I always try to make a teaching point as we close. I asked them how they would handle an infant if they were babysitting. Would they ever drop the child or let them hit the floor? Of course not- a baby is precious! In basketball, having the ball in your possession is everything but young players, and sometimes older ones, are careless with it. I told them about Olaide, a young lady they don't know who played for me in the dark ages. OK, it was only thirteen years ago but it seems like an eternity now. I was Olaide's coach in both her seventh and eighth grade years as well as her varsity coach in ninth grade. She was a good athlete but did not have as much basketball background as my other players. But this is what she did. Every time she was in a shooting drill, she NEVER let the ball hit the ground! That may not seem like a big thing to you but to a coach, it is huge beyond description. You see, there is no such thing as a bad second shot- most rebounds are in the lane- and Olaide put herself in that position constantly. Why don't all players do that? IT'S TOO MUCH WORK! IT TAKES NON-STOP EFFORT! And not many kids are up to that level of desire. Do you know that effort is now considered a skill by college recruiters/pro scouts? Times have changed.

Olaide is a pharmacist now and is the kind of young lady who will undoubtedly change the world. I stay in touch a little bit through her brother, Sheyi, who now sits in my Gospels class. (I also taught and coached a third sibling, Tosin, who rewrote the Parable Of The Good Samaritan more hilariously than you would think possible!) I would imagine Olaide pursued her graduate studies in pharmacy with the same attitude as she pursued the ball. Nothing was ever half-way with Olaide. What did Jesus call that half-way demeanor? Luke warm? No place or praise for half hearted efforts in the classroom or in the athletic arena or the family or the community. Especially not in the Kingdom of Heaven. We can't let our efforts to shine the Gospel drop silently to the ground. Treat the Word like it's the most precious thing on earth. It is.


Applicable quote of the day:
"The one thing I do that nobody else does is jump three and four times for one rebound."
Dennis Rodman

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

New Direction!

 

New Direction!

I'm not sure what's trending in middle school girl world now but these guys are old news! This is from August 24, 2014.


This week in all five of my classes we discussed the meaning of the words prequel and sequel. We did so in the context of the New Testament books of Luke and Acts. Basically, a prequel is part 1 and a sequel part 2. So, Luke is the prequel to Acts and Acts is the sequel to Luke. See? If you were in my classes, you would (hopefully) understand! I said that to say this: tonight's entry is a sequel. The funny thing is there was a thirty month gap between part 1 and part 2. But it's about girls and girls never change..... until they do.

There was big news in Houston last Friday! It wasn't NASA/Space Center news or the oil business or a visit by the pope. No, it was much bigger- One Direction came to town! The five man put-together boy band from England/Ireland which has captured the hearts of young ladies the world over performed at Reliant Stadium forty-eight hours ago and thousands upon thousands of pre-teens and and teens and their folks filled the mammoth arena. In fact, one of the lead stories on the news was the health of the girls who got in line very early on a very hot day. It would take more than a heat stroke to keep them from screaming and crying over their idols! Two of my players, Lizeth and Sydney, were there, with Sydney's mom acting as chaperone-in-chief. They were so excited! Sydney, who does her nails in a manner that Da Vinci would envy almost as often as I eat supper, did a special painting just for the concert! The concert even came up in class this past week. We were talking about arranged marriages as perhaps Joseph's and Mary's was, and I asked Lizeth if she wanted her parents to arrange a marriage for her. Her response?
"NO!!!!!!!!"
So I changed the question: "Well, what if it were Harry or Niall?" (For the uniformed, those are the two band members girls seem to believe the cutest.) Lizeth's new answer, filtered through the lens of 1D as they are commonly initialized?
"MAYBE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I'm sure I will hear all about it tomorrow!

In the first paragraph, I told you this was a sequel so I guess I need to get around to the prequel part. You see, I had another student in my classes on Friday with some One Direction history. On March 12, 2012, I penned a devotional on this site called One Way! It centered on one of my 8th graders that year, Kaitlyn, whose obsession with One Direction far surpassed that of Sydney and Lizeth and any other middle schooler currently enrolled. I'm not saying that's all she talked about but............................ (If you are interested, click here: http://stevehawley.blogspot.com/2012/03/one-way.html) But now, Kaitlyn is a junior in my Gospels class and was unimpressed with the hoopla with her former heartthrobs. I even asked her if she would go to the concert if she had free tickets- she would not. You know, she still looks like Kaitlyn but something has really changed since she was in 8th grade!!!

What happened to Kaitlyn? Almost three years, that's what. She's growing up; she's serious about school and college and career and my guess is that a crush on a boy band does not move her dreams down the track. Some of you ladies reading tonight might have had the same feelings for New Kids or NSYNC, for Leif Garrett of David Cassidy, or etc. etc. It's called maturing. We do it physically, we do it academically, we do it socially. We should do it spiritually but that one's trickier. We grow in our faith but sometimes we slip back. We make strides in our prayer and study life but then we get busy. We try to witness to others but we get discouraged. The writer of Hebrews likened a stunted spiritual development to the difference between edification by milk versus solid food. I kid you not- sometimes  I feel like I'm back on the baby diet. It will be interesting to see how Sydney and Lizeth feel about their favorite group when they are one year from graduation. I never thought Kaitlyn would grow out of it! But Kaitlyn gives me hope. She knows what she needs to do to get where she needs to go. And she's heading in the right direction. (Sorry- couldn't resist!) 

Applicable quote of the day:
"Feel free to insult me, but you don’t have the right to insult our fans."
Louis Tomlinson (One Direction)

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

What My Dentist Said Today

 

What My Dentist Said Today

You hear all sorts of stuff when you go into get your mouth worked on! This is from May 29, 2018!
This is a continuation of last night's entry. Today, I continued to scratch stuff off my to-do list. I wrote a bunch of thank you notes, a big task for me this time of year.  I spent quite a bit of time with Ann Stone, our church accountant and keeper of my mission funds, preparing for my VISA application which I will hand deliver to the Vietnamese consulate in the morning. But the main item on the Tuesday list was a dentist appointment. It's been, if I'm correct, seven years since I had any real work done. My long term dentist, Dr. Campbell, retired and then my next dentist retired after only about a year so I'm on my third in two years. I really am blessed with my new dentist, the first woman of the estimated eight I've had in my life. She is kind and has a good chair-side manner, always apologizing when she thinks I'm in pain. (That seems a common trait of all in the profession!) The procedures took a little less than two hours, on both the upper and lower part of the right side of my mouth. It required a good number of shots for pain but after several hours, I'm able to move my face again. One more visit in three weeks and I'm done for the summer. Here's where we should always add, LORD WILLING!

I mentioned that this was sort of a sequel to last night's devotional. Yesterday, I witnessed a mom in a grocery store continually curse at her children in the most vulgar way for at least ten minutes and I was appalled. My new dentist, it turns out, is also a mom. She has two teenage sons who are still in school this week. While my temporary crown was setting and there was a gap in the process, she stepped out and had a phone conversation with one of her two boys who apparently had arrived home from school. It was one sided and I could not really tell what the topics were. (You have to remember I was a captive audience and not an intentional eavesdropper!) But this really impressed me in the two or three minute chat; five times she said, "I love you, son." Five times. When she came back in, I told her as best I could considering my oral condition that I could tell she was a good mother from what I was privy to in the phone call. She was startled that I heard- I guess you have to tune out stuff in an office. Then she made this statement: "My sons are the most important thing in my life." I could tell they are her priority. She related their summer plans, her rules for their use of money, and the conditions of having friends over. And I left the office this afternoon feeling like she's a good dentist but a world class mom. Her kids hit the jackpot in the mother lottery.

Sometimes as teachers, we talk about the tough lives our students are navigating. I often wonder what the outcome would be if the child were being raised in a more stable setting, if situations were reversed with a functional family. Jesus spoke many times of the value of children. The Bible is full of stories of moms and dads who prayed for children and then raised them according to God's plan. It starts with love, I'm convinced. A child who is wanted and guided and respected has a much better chance in the world. I'm coming from the viewpoint of someone with no children but I'm also not blind. A child who is constantly told they are loved has a huge advantage over the one who is the target of constant profanity. I'm pretty sure that's an advantage with no expiration date. My choice of dentists hinged on our school insurance. She is setting up her children to be covered by the best insurance policy of all- the love of a parent.

Applicable quote of the day:
Let France have good mothers, and she will have good sons.
Napoleon Bonaparte

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1