Maggie's Test

 

Maggie's Test

There are things about certain kids that stick with you. This is one o those things and one of those kids! It's from May 20, 2014.

 I'm in the middle of grading final exams and I need a break. My eyes are weary and the task can be absolutely numbing. I have roughly 1400 pages to grade by hand and I'm half way completed.  I have to be finished with the grades entered into the computer by Friday so I'll make it.... but I need a break. That brings me to Maggie. I've known Maggie since birth as she is a member of my congregation and has been at WCS all her life. I taught her brother, her folks are friends of mine, and to top it off, we are neighbors. I have a little change holder she made for me out of clay when she was a small girl. I'm not quite sure where it is but that has more to do with the state of my apartment than the beauty of her pottery skills!

Before finals, we had several days of review in all our classes. My last day to give a regular test was last Wednesday and I used it. I have come to the conclusion that there is never surplus time when teaching and if the parents are paying for it and God is expecting me to use it, I have no excuse for wasting one second. I should have also mentioned that for seven school days previous to last Wednesday, our kids taking AP classes had their end of the year exams for their subjects. Last Tuesday afternoon, Maggie and a number of other students took the three hour AP Human Geography final. That meant she missed the final day of notes and material that would be covered on the next day's test in Bible 1. As I always do, I announced on Wednesday that anyone missing the day before could choose to delay their test and take it with Cindi McLeod who proctors all of our makeup exams but that I always believe they are better off taking it with us as I do a intense review right before I hand out the papers. I also tell them that if they choose to take it on time, I will grade a little less stringently as they are at a distinct disadvantage. I think there were three others besides Maggie in her 6th period class who had the AP exam twenty-four hours previously and all decided to take Test # 11 on Wednesday, which in all honesty, is easier for me. Making sure all tests are taken before finals can be a pain.

I didn't get around to grading the tests until Saturday as finals' reviews took precedence. When I came to Maggie's class and then Maggie's test, I found she had penned her favorite Bible teacher a note at the top of the first page. It read:

I did take the AP Test but don't grade it any easier  PLEASE

As a teacher, let me tell you how refreshing Maggie's request was. We live in a world of excuses and whining in academics and sports and you name it. I know there are times and situations where guidelines need to be relaxed and hard and fast rules need to be not so hard and fast. But making exceptions has become the new normal in so many aspects of our lives. Not with Maggie. She didn't want a crutch or a helping hand- she just wanted a chance to succeed on her own with the opportunity to prove to herself that she could excel without lowered expectations and I did exactly as she asked. That in itself is success, my friends. Coming to the realization that you are the one ultimately responsible for your own triumphs and setbacks is a huge mile marker on the highway of maturity and Maggie just moved a little further down that road. I probably should mention one other small detail about this awesome young lady and her test; she made a 100. I'm pretty sure that's Maggie's new normal.

Applicable quote of the day:
“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” 
Napoleon Hill

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Future Generations

 

Future Generations

Most of my students assume I was born in Nebraska but as you will see, that is not the case. The following is from April of 2007.

One of my students, Lauren, just returned from a trip to New York to explore modeling possibilities. At worship services, her mother asked if I had ever been to the Big Apple. "Been there? I was born there!" Actually, it was Brooklyn and we moved when I was young but there is just something about the locale where we first see the light of day. Many famous people were born in New York; not so many where I was raised in Nebraska. Communities try to link themselves to favorite sons or daughters as a matter of civic pride. Sometimes the link can be financial if the birthplace becomes a tourist attraction. But what if the celebrity is fictional and is still two centuries away from birth? Sound crazy? Not to the good folks of the very real speck on the map, Riverside, Iowa. With a population of less than a thousand, Riverside has proclaimed itself the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk, commander of the Starship Enterprise from the Star Trek television show and movies. Star Trek creator Gene Rodenberry once made mention that Kirk would be born in a Iowa village. The citizens of Riverside made the next logical step by announcing that Kirk will be born in their Washington County hamlet on March 22, 2228. It has to be true- there is a plaque to prove it! (Perhaps not coincidentally, William Shatner who brought the role of Kirk to life, has March 22 as a birth date. Ironic.....or fate?) With no opposition from the Star Trek copyright holders, Riverside now plays hosts to Star Trek gatherings in a hope to bring badly needed income into the local coffers. There is talk of building a Star Trek museum in Riverside. In the great state that gave us Field Of Dreams, it has a certain appropriate feel to it.


Who would proclaim the birthplace of a hero in a tiny out of the way hick town centuries before it would come to pass? Who would come up with a crazy prediction like that? (I know you are way ahead of me on this one.) In Micah 5:2, it is prophesied that there would be a mighty one born in Bethlehem, an obscure Judean village. The scholars knew this scripture well, quoting it to Herod when he became worried about the rumored baby the Magi were seeking. Hundreds of years before it would come true, the birth of the Savior was foretold. I can't tell whether they had any conventions or nailed up any plaques in Bethlehem. I don't even know if the people there paid the words of the prophet any heed. But what a baby...and what a Messiah! No fiction, no actor, and no sequels. Just the most perfect script that only God could write. None of us will be around in 2228. What are the odds of a baby boy being born in Riverside, Iowa on March 22, 2228, which just happens to be a Saturday and the 297th birthday of William Shatner? Based on population trends, I am guessing the odds are slim but it could happen. More incredible things have come to pass in off the beaten path places. Just ask some shepherds in Bethlehem.


Applicable quote of the day:
"Most legends have their basis in facts."
Captain James T. Kirk ( from the episode And The Children Shall Lead)


God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

The Milk Man

 

The Milk Man

One of the principles of the Christian life is to serve. If you are not sure where to get started, I can offer a suggestion; Be Like George! To find out how, read this entry from January 7, 2007. 

The phone rang last night and George was on the other end. George, an elderly brother in my congregation, needed help this afternoon and asked if I was available. Normally, I would have had to decline due to school work responsibilities but since the semester doesn't begin until tomorrow, I accepted his offer and met him at our church building at 1:30 PM. I have worshipped with George and his lovely wife, Reba, for nine years but I learned more about him in three hours today than in the almost decade since Houston became my home. I found out he was in the military and graduated from Texas A+M. Like me, he has lived in Nebraska, as well as Oklahoma and Kansas. George and Reba were married in 1949, the same year as my folks and they have one daughter. He had a successful business career and his family has been a part of our church since its inception in 1963. That's a profile that would fit many folks. What I really learned about this afternoon was George's mission. He is in charge of the food pantry at our congregation, the Westbury church of Christ, that feeds and clothes five hundred families per month. I was along with George as we picked up milk that was donated by Borden's at two different downtown supermarkets. His old pickup has 168,000 miles, racked up almost exclusively from back and forth trips to grocery stores. As we filled up six refrigerators in our pantry with milk, cottage cheese, and eggnog, George told me about the work that is part of his life. Bread, vegetables and fruits, and milk are distributed on Tuesdays and Thursdays as the poor come to be fed. We also try to feed them spiritually by setting up Bible studies with those who are willing. Translators from our Hispanic congregation assist when interpreters are needed. George rattled off his list of volunteers who help him but he admitted you almost have to be retired to be the leader of this sort of effort. George is eighty-one years old and says he is trying to groom a replacement. A clone won't be easy to find. George took the reins several years ago from Bill Sellars who was also in his eighties when he relinquished the post. I am convinced George won't hand it over to just anyone. The problem is, the Georges of the world are a rare breed.

When I was a high school basketball coach and someone in our admissions office would tell me there was a new girl interested in playing basketball, I never became too excited. You don't win championships with players that are interested. You win with players that are committed. Missions like a food pantry don't survive easily. A committee probably won't get the job done. You need a small core of committed people, or more often, just one, who make that work their priority, their passion. Interested people aren't passionate, they are....interested. Commitment in a food pantry becomes a passion for the poor which in reality is a passion for the Lord. Jesus, in his Matthew 25 treatise on entry into heaven, greeted those joining him with these words:
"I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink..." 
Jesus will come to visit George about five hundred times this month. George will be ready with the bell peppers and the eggnog and the loaves of bread. This month, Jesus will be white and black, Latino and Asian but George will still recognize him. And George, the Lord has a long memory. He will never forget your face, either.

Applicable quote of the day:
"The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor."
Vince Lombardi

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

The Guidance

 

The Guidance

I still get lost! This is from April 1, 2018!
Ron Rose has something in common with a number of my Facebook friends- we've never met in person, at least I don't think we have. We do share 143 common friends so sometimes you can almost feel like you know someone in person.  I've become a daily reader of his morning posts about people he meets while drinking coffee. Like all good writers, Ron has the gift to be able to draw the reader into the story and in his case, the character who makes up his daily vignette. On Friday morning, his posting had to do with Jesus' words from John 16:13. Ron quoted from the NLT so I will as well:
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.

Man, I need that guidance! To believe there is wisdom and truth I can be led to perceive with more clarity by the Holy Spirit is such a comfort to me. When I rely on myself, I flounder. When I lean on the Spirit, my footing is sure. 

Two days ago, I drove to downtown Houston- no school due to Good Friday! I was on the hunt for gifts for my players to be given at our end of the season party. Twice, I took wrong turns. It wasn't my GARMIN'S fault- I just wasn't paying good attention. Five years ago, I would have become very upset at losing my way but not anymore. You see, I know my GPS will always guide me back to the right path, even when I mess up. The GARMIN can take my mistakes and still get me home. It might, and usually does, take longer but the end result is the same.

Several years ago, I wrote a blog about a wonderful girl who often swims when I do at my fitness center. (If interested, here it is: http://stevehawley.blogspot.com/2016/03/swimmers-and-sting-and-scott-and.html)  She is a terrific athlete and her mother coaches her, sometimes from an adjacent lane. I happened to see them today at the pool and mentioned I was writing a sequel to her story; mom and daughter beamed! This is what I had been meaning to write: As the young lady swims her workout, her mother is always talking into a small machine as she walks by her lane on the concrete deck. I thought it was something like a dicta-phone where they can review the comments when they leave the pool. But recently when our paths crossed poolside, she told me what it really is. She holds a microphone and talks to her daughter, who wears an earpiece, while she's swimming. My guess is she is helping her child constantly make adjustments while she sprints through her laps. You know, you can't see yourself swim but someone above and out of the water can and suggest the corrections which make your journey easier and your times improve. My swimming buddy, who is now twelve, has continued to get faster so Mom must be a wonderful coach! I already know she's a great mother!

Here's where I have a confession to make, and it's just coincidental that today is Easter Sunday; I really don't comprehend the influence of the Holy Spirit in my life. I know the Scriptures and all the references but the moving of the Comforter through my existence remains mysterious to me. I can give examples, like the voice on my GPS or the swimming prodigy being led by her mom, but that's about the extent of my childlike grasp. Faith leads me to unwavering belief that he is with me and walking with me but I can't explain that faith to a non-believer. Believers, maybe! And when I look back at the verse Ron shared, I'm reminded that Jesus promised the Spirit would guide us into all truth, not all understanding. That I understand. But some day, I'll know. And we'll know. We just don't know when.


Applicable quote of the day:
The Spirit-filled life is not a special, deluxe edition of Christianity. It is part and parcel of the total plan of God for His people
A.W. Tozer

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Google Perspective

 

Google Perspective

I love Google. Without a doubt, it has changed the way I think, read, write, and wander on the Internet. The following, from January 11, 2007, is about using Google to explore my childhood in an unexpected way. In the intervening  fifteen + years since it was written, there have been tremendous advances in satellite imagery for the common person. Check out Google Earth Street View where I can take a leisurely stroll around York, Nebraska, even seeing people on sidewalks!

I played around with Google tonight. Using the Maps link, I typed in addresses of the homes I grew up in as a little boy. What an amazing feature! The satellite images when you zoom in look to be only several hundred feet off the ground. It was eerie doing a tour of York, Nebraska from space. I saw the ball fields I played on and followed the paths I walked to school. I pinpointed the exact spot where I had my only car accident and I could see the concrete slabs that were my own personal basketball courts, adjacent to our houses. Everything is neater from the atmosphere, much more of a pattern than is discernible at eye-level. You can't see peeling paint or tell if the grass needs mowing. There was also another qualification for a community missing from the photos: people. The town could have been deserted. I'm kind of glad. It would bother me to see strangers standing in the yards of what still feel like our houses.

At times, we need some distance to get an accurate view of life. In the middle of a crisis, it's hard to see the overall picture. More details don't always provide more clarity. Sometimes too much information clouds the image. From the satellite camera, I can see the entirety of York, Nebraska at once. I think that is how God sees His children when we are in our daily-weekly-monthly binds. The Almighty, from His vantage point, understands the fluidity of our lives when we get bogged down in the minutia and the latest crisis. I admit, I live day-to-day without putting much thought into the future, either near or distant. Maybe there is some merit- I live in the present- but maybe I get caught up worrying about the little stuff instead of seeing myself in an overall scheme. Google is pretty good about zooming in and zooming out. The Lord, as always, has it perfected. And I bet He doesn't even have to get on the Internet to find me!

Applicable quote of the day:
"Never write about a place until you're away from it because that gives you perspective."
Ernest Hemingway


God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Sequel to the Prodigal Son

 

Sequel to the Prodigal Son 

Tomorrow, we do the same assignment in my Gospel classes! This is from March 29, 2018!
Yesterday, we covered the stories of Luke 15, one of which is the Parable of the Prodigal Son, in my eleventh grade Gospels class, Test # 6. The discussion question was this:
Write a sequel to the Prodigal Son. Tell what the family will be like in ten years. 
Like most assignments, the students' level of effort varied. This is what Rachael wrote! It took a great deal of thought!

The father becomes ill and it’s almost time to work out the inheritance.

The older son is still set in his ways and becomes furious at the thought of how his younger brother was put back in the inheritance. The father has tried to reason with the older son multiple times but he remains greedy, oblivious, and full of hate for his brother. The younger son is now married and has three children. The older son is married but childless. The estate was going to be split evenly, but after the last meeting with the older brother, the father secretly switched it and gave the younger brother ⅔ and the older ⅓ and a note. When the father died and the will was revealed, the older son became furious and his fury continued to grow as he read the note from his late father. The note read:

Dear Son, I know that with time you will learn just as your brother did. I understand that you must be upset with my changes to the estate, but give it time and you will grow with wisdom; when that time comes, all my words to you will have meaning and clarity.

The older son ripped the note, took his share, and went off to a nearby city. A few months went by and the older son remained hateful. He created a plan to get back at his brother. He snuck in at night and took two of the kids and leaving a note for his younger brother. The note read:

You don’t deserve the children you have, you don’t deserve a good wife, and they all will come to realize how wicked and irresponsible you are. The child you have left will miss his brothers and begin to hate you, as he should. You will never be the man they believe you to be. You may have received more of the estate, but just wait; it’ll be gone before you know it. Your wife will leave you and take the child. At that time I will write to her and she will receive her other children. Nobody will be there when you hit rock bottom! You will be stuck and I will be prosperous. After reading the note and explaining the situation to his wife, the younger brother searched for his children everyday, but he kept working hard, never neglecting his role as a father or husband.  He continued to grow in wealth, thinking of his father. He wanted his children to have wonderful lives filled with the same love and acceptance that his father showed him when he came home. Three years went by. The older brother got divorced, was hated by his nephews, and lost all his money. Finally, the older brother let his nephews go free, and they found their way home. Their father rejoiced and threw a huge party. After the party, the younger brother explained to his sons the reasoning of their uncle. The boys hatred for their uncle grew and the amount of their hatred was evident. Their father sat them down and told them to love their uncle- he was lost but he was still family. The younger brother explained that when we are lost, we are not capable of thinking or acting correctly. That did not excuse what their uncle had done, but if their uncle ever came home and repented, they would love and accept him. Three more years went by and the older brother, who had been sleeping on the streets with nothing to eat, had an epiphany. He made up a speech, explaining that he had sinned and wasn’t worthy of being called his brother. But, he would ask for mercy and ask if he could be kept as his brother’s prisoner; at least then he would have lodging and food. He started to make his way to his brother’s house, but his brother saw him a long way off. He ran to him and hugged him! The older brother began his speech, but was interrupted by his brother ordering his servants to immediately put a robe, a ring, and sandals on his older brother. His three nephews came to him and all kissed him on the cheek. They had a feast that included the best food they had. The younger brother invited everyone in town, including his older brother’s ex-wife. Having known what the feast was for, she wore her best clothes and ran up to the house. She said to the older brother, "I’ve waited for you to become the man you were meant to be, and now that time has come!” The older brother embraced her and started crying. He was home and he was whole!

Applicable quote of the day: Every parent is at some time the father of the unreturned prodigal, with nothing to do but keep his house open to hope.
John Ciardi

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Max And Mel

 

Max And Mel

Two great voices! This is from March 27, 2018!
I read the Bible through each year. In days gone by, I would use the book form of The One Year Bible, which is still what I give to my players for their Christmas present. In recent years, I've begun reading it by way of the Internet on a website called oneyearbibleonline.com. It has the advantage of letting me choose my translations and switch each year if I choose and I do choose to do so. It also has the same feature of dividing each day into an Old Testament passage, a New Testament passage, a Psalm, and a Proverb. This year, I'm reading The Voice. It's different but I'm learning like I hope I always do. Here is what today looks like:

March 28
Deuteronomy 9:1-10:22
Luke 8:4-21
Psalm 69:19-36
Proverbs 12:2-3  

We recently were on Spring Break so with more time on my hands, I took a slight detour in my reading schedule. Instead of reading my laptop each morning, I decided to listen. There is a feature that allows you to hear your daily reading.  As there is no audio feature with The Voice , I had to go to an alternate translation. I went to the NIV because I wanted to listen to Max, as in Max McLean. The aforementioned Max is a well-known narrator of the Scriptures along with a myriad of other talents and endeavors. I could listen to him all day! Sometimes, I just need to use my ears instead of my eyes. Max can make genealogies fascinating. He can make the intricacies of the regulations of the Law of Moses intriguing. He can make borders and names of cities come to life! And that's just the Old Testament! The New Testament is even better! It takes more than twice as long to go through a day's worth of the Bible orally but it's worth it. If I had the time, I would do it every day of the year. I probably should just make the time.

I love to read and I love to read the Bible. When you have read something many times, I think your mind and eyes start skipping over the familiar. That's what I think has happened to me somewhat. You can't skip words when you are listening. I don't like reading genealogies but I know the ones in the Bible are there for a reason. When I hear them, it reminds me those names were real people who lived real lives and changed the world they lived in. I also love the correct pronunciation of names and find, assuming Max is correct, I've been saying most of them wrong my whole life!

Last night as I was eating supper, I watched a fascinating short documentary on Mel Blanc. Even if his name is not familiar, his voice is. Or, I should say his voices. You see, Mel Blanc is considered by some the greatest voice actor of all-time. He was the voice of Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester and Tweety Bird, Yosemite Sam, and the list goes on. How many characters did he give voices to? A bunch, many I'd never heard of! (I thought it was fascinating that his son related how he didn't really like cartoons and often never watched the ones he made!) But here's something I think is amazing. Max McLean is the voice of every character who speaks in the Bible, every one! That includes God the Father, Jesus, and even Satan. He is the voice of Peter and Judas, David and Nabal, Jacob and Esau, Moses and Pharaoh. What a legacy! What a responsibility! Some of us hear better than we read. Paul wrote in Romans 10:17 that, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. On some days, it comes to me by hearing Max. 

To listen to Max McLean narrate Deuteronomy 3, click or copy and paste the link below:
https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/Deut.3


Applicable quote of the day:
The human voice: It's the instrument we all play. It's the most powerful sound in the world, probably. It's the only one that can start a war or say 'I love you.' And yet many people have the experience that when they speak, people don't listen to them.
Julian Treasure


God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1