Lack Of Interest

 

Lack Of Interest

I don't understand the banking system! This is about my own personal struggle with investments, from June 9, 2010.

A little over two months ago, we settled our parents' estate and each sibling received a check. Mine was reduced by $2000 for LASIK surgery which my folks paid for seven years ago, my best investment ever. Without going into detail, the dispersal of funds made me wealthier than I have ever been which is saying little. At Christmas, I spoke with my nephew, Zach, a financial planner, about my finances and making my money work for me. Christian school teachers have no retirement fund to speak of and even though it's years away, I know I need to make some changes past simply depositing my salary into a checking account. So, my first step was opening a savings account, the first one in my name since I was in grade school. After six weeks of this lump sum racking up interest for me, I looked at my bank statement. In the interim, my inheritance had exploded by the incredible total of...38 cents. I knew intellectually interest rates are low but I had no idea there would be that little profit from my investment. Looks like I need to diversify!

One of the best known teachings of Jesus is the Parable of the Talents. You know the story. A master is leaving for a time and gives three servants money to use for him, basing the allotment on their respective abilities. The one with five talents made five more and the one with two also doubled his money. But the one talent servant buried his, venturing neither time nor effort nor risk. The master richly rewards servants 1 and 2 but condemns the last man. Calling him wicked and lazy, the master tells him he should have at least deposited the money with bankers so he could have earned some interest on what he was entrusted with. Instead, he only received back what he had awarded initially, and it wasn't enough. There had to be some proof of the servant being an asset and there was none. 

Do you ever feel like you're the third guy, wasting your gifts from the Lord that were bestowed on you at birth? Does it ever seem like you squander the opportunities or fail to enter the wide open doors the Father has placed in your path? Rarely do I feel like servant A or B. And, I don't really feel like  servant #3 when he buried what the master gave him. Instead, I feel like the third worker had he, as chastised by the master, put his talent in the bank at my current rate of interest. I have this feeling that my interest accrued in the kingdom of heaven approximates the 38 cents on my Chase Bank savings account. I mean, I have something to show but it isn't what it could be. Hebrews 4:13 tells us that, ''Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.'' I will never be saved on my own merit or earn my way into heaven but I know- and you know- that much is expected of the children of the Most High. I can return the investment to our merciful accountant at a higher rate and with larger dividends than I am currently yielding....and we never know how near we are to the final audit. We need to keep our affairs in order. 

Applicable quote of the day:
''Save a little money each month and at the end of the year you'll be surprised at how little you have.''
Ernest Haskin

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Scrapper Nation

 

Scrapper Nation

Nashville, Arkansas  was my favorite place in the world when I was a kid. Their high school football team, the SCRAPPERS, are legendary in Arkansas.Many of my family, including the woman who would become my mom, walked the hallowed halls of NHS. This is from March 1, 2014.

Yesterday, I was dropping my keys into the basket at Chancellor's Tennis Center's front desk, preparing to swim, when I heard a voice calling out to me. I was wearing the shirt seen above in a shot from last July in Can Tho, Vietnam. (I'm only about 6'1" but I'm a giant in Vietnam as I pose with Nguyen on my right and Dat on my left!) A young man, whom I take it is a tennis instructor at Chancellor's, told me he was from Nashville, Arkansas, the proud home of THE SCRAPPERS as my shirt attests. I told him Nashville was my mom's home town. I mentioned my mother's maiden name (Chesshir) and he recognized it. He told me his name but it was not one I was familiar with in Howard County, Arkansas. We shook hands and I left feeling I had made if not a friend at least an acquaintance and it was all because of the shirt.

(Short comedic detour here: One of the funniest interchanges I have ever seen occurred at this very same spot several months ago. I was depositing my keys when a gorgeous woman of Asian descent walked off the adjacent tennis courts. An American guy who was also in the lobby was visibly impressed. He walked up to the lady and obviously hoping to score some points, greeted her with ''你好,'' (Nee how!) Her short and sweet reply- 'I'm Korean.' End of chapter as guy slinks away with any chance of romance dashed in the wink of an ethnically challenged eye.)

There is only one way the tennis instructor made any connection with me and Nashville, Arkansas: he recognized the t-shirt. I could have been wearing Astros or Texans or Red Sox gear and he would  have said nothing. But, he was certain that I in some way was affiliated with this little town in Arkansas. And the amazing thing is that I did not have to say a word. People notice little things about us all the time and we do the same in regards to strangers. I try to be extra careful when I'm wearing Westbury Christian clothes, a point I make constantly with the girls on my team. Jesus talked about His followers being the light of the world/a city on a hill. Well, lights and cities are visible to the naked eye and as I was reminded, so are t-shirts. Visual and verbal clues can be very revealing as to who we are. Peter's Galilean accent gave him away on the night Jesus was betrayed. But in Acts 4, just a short time later chronologically, Peter was recognized as having been with that same Jesus he denied knowing. What assumptions does the world make about me based on how I dress and speak and act?  I can't answer that question. I do know The Nashville Scrappers of Nashville High are known as one of the dominant small town football programs in the state of Arkansas. I hope I am a good ambassador for my relatives still abiding in the home of my ancestors. Shirts don't lie!

Applicable quote of the day:
“Who you looking for
What is his name
you can prob'ly find him
at the football game
it's a small town
you know what I mean
it's a small town, son
and we all support the team”
― James McMurtry

God bless,
Steve/related to conservatively at least 1/2 of Nashville, Arkansas
Luke 18:1

Mom And The Girl In The Checkout Line

 

Mom And The Girl In The Checkout Line

I love driving to Nashville, Arkansas to visit relatives. This is about my favorite relative from that small town. It's from May 10, 2014.

This morning, I made my weekly run to a nearby grocery store to stock up on fruits and vegetables for the coming seven days. My timing was good and I hit one of the checkout lines when it was empty. The young lady, in her early twenties I'm guessing, was extremely pleasant and as she scanned my produce, asked,
 "Are you cooking for your mother tomorrow?"
 I explained my mom had passed away and she quickly apologized. I told her it was not necessary, that Mom had lived a good and long life. She then asked, "Wife?"
No, ma'am.
"Kids?"
No, just me, although I mentioned I work with the Chinese speaking part of our congregation and we eat together after services.
I turned the conversation around.
"How about you?"
She told me she had purchased something for her mom but she was not sure it was going to go over well. She told me her mom wanted the gift to be money but the young lady left me with the very distinct impression that giving her mother cash was a very bad idea. And I immediately felt very sad for her. As I walked out the door, I got the attention of one of the managers, pointed to the young lady, and told him she does a good job. It was the least I could do. I take it she deals with heartache on a daily basis.

As I exited the store, I missed my mom. I missed her because it's Mother's Day tomorrow, the fifth since her death, but that really wasn't why. I miss her because I just had a reminder of how good I had it. I/we had a mom who put the family first, who put her husband before herself, who lived for but not through her kids, and at the top of her priorities was her relationship with God. All her skills and gifts and abilities, and she had many, emanated from the connection with the Lord. She didn't spend much because we didn't have much but she could stretch a dollar like a Slinky. Any cash she might have had went for the well being of the family, the less fortunate, and the works of the Savior so I cannot relate to the young lady at the store. I asked her to hug her mom for me since I can't hug my mom any more and she promised to do so. And I pray the mom likes her daughter's gift, whatever it may be, on the day set aside for all the women who risked death by bringing us into the world. That's the best gift Mom gave me.

Applicable quote of the day, # 1:
"An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy."
Spanish Proverb

Applicable quote of the day, # 2:
"Men are what their mothers made them."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Love Is A Battlefield

 

Love Is A Battlefield

Several years ago, I asked a class of 8th graders which would they choose if offered;  to be the richest person in the world or to have a happy marriage. Every girl took the marriage. The few males who would even offer an opinion? Well, I don't have to tell you their response, which has to be viewed through 13 year old boy colored glasses. The following is from February 11, 2007.

Yesterday, I saw a tent erected in a strip mall behind my apartment and then another one popped up today. I thought it was the wrong time of the year for fireworks but then it hit me. Valentine's Day is this week! The tents are makeshift markets to sell roses to those inclined to impress their love interests. Love is big business, even at school. Our upperclassmen sell flowers, balloons, and singing telegrams as fund raisers. It makes for great fun as well as interruptions during quizzes but we'll survive. Tests and memory verses have been decorated with tiny hearts in recent days. I've noticed some of the girls on my middle school basketball team have begun wearing finger nail polish and earrings to school. Another player has seen a jump in her Bible grade, mysteriously coinciding with her coming into possession of a new boyfriend. Anything to get them to study!

I usually dust off a few love stories from Steve's Files of Romance this time of year. Actually, I bring up some of the times I have been a jerk to the fairer gender. I hope the young men will learn from my missteps and I hope the girls take warning that guys can be rockheads. Once, I quit dating a girl because I couldn't stand her perfume. On another occasion, I switched the female I was pursuing because of a car. I broke up with a girl through the United States Postal System because I didn't have the guts to look her in the eyes and tell her the truth. Then, there was the time when I used one sister to pass the word to her sibling that it was over. That was probably the low point of my dating integrity. I could have been a test case for Dr. Phil. Then again, most of us of the male persuasion will do an injustice at least once to someone who cares for us deeply. Many of us need to repent.

With an eye toward the calendar, the memory verse I assigned this week is 1st John 4:10-11. The world tosses love around with incredible carelessness but the apostle defines the term from a spiritual perspective:
"This is love: not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."
We would not know what love is without God, the creator and sustainer of life. His love for us is the flawless example of how we should treat each other, romantically, platonically, and within our families. When we love as God does, we don't concoct lame excuses or avoid the truth. We treat the other party with the gentleness we would hope for ourselves. Perfume and cars don't become obstacles. Sisters and letters don't take the responsibility for being honest with another child of God. Maybe I could have been happy with any of those young ladies but I'm not sure if they could have been content with me. I'm sorry and I feel better now. I just hope I'm forgiven!

Applicable quote of the day:
"No man is rich enough to buy back his past."
Oscar Wilde

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

The Search

 

The Search

Technology is such a mixed blessing and I am usually out of the mix. The following is about a discovery that was right at my fingertips but took me months to find. It is from May 16, 2006.

I am beginning to have a problem. I faithfully write five of these devotionals per week and the total number of entries is adding up. My dilemma is remembering which illustrations I have used. I teach by telling stories and as time elapses in a school year, I can't recall which ones I have told to which class. Yesterday, my article here concerned one of my students, Hana Bae, and the golfer, Michelle Wie. Something told me I had already used their resemblance in an entry but I wasn't sure. I tried to scan my past blogs but they are, in aggregate, roughly the length of several books. I plunged ahead but worried that my story might be similar to one already written. To my amazement, I have discovered the answer to my redundancy issue! I have found a little device on my control panel for blogspot that searches all my entries for me. It is sort of like Google for my blog! I can type in any word/words and find out if that term has previously been mentioned in any of my writings. For example, I search for Westbury Christian, and find my school has been mentioned in sixty-nine entries, including this one. It also informs me of the date of each usage. I have a new weapon in my battle with my memory...and it was always right there at my fingertips. (I searched for Michelle Wie today- no previous referrals. It was a fresh reference!)

Wouldn't it be great to have one of those little devices for our speech? What did I say? When did I say it and who heard me? In what context did I say those words? Do you ever try to recreate your conversations, backtracking to make sure you haven't dug a deep hole for yourself? We all have because we talk too much. We know what James 3 says about not being able to tame the tongue. Those with the best chance of getting their words under subjection are those who don't need a little device like I find on my blogspot control panel. The great thing about a blog is that if I look back and find some words I don't like in retrospect, I can push the backspace button and they disappear forever. No one is the wiser but me. It doesn't work that was with our voices, does it? Our words tend to hang around like nuclear waste, like a schoolgirl's note to her best friend in fifth grade. They don't dissipate with the passage of a little bit of time. Search buttons won't be coming onto the market any time soon to correct our obsession with talking too much but there is a helpful remedy for all of us that is readily available: Be Quiet.

Applicable quote of the day:
"It was impossible to get a conversation going. Everyone was talking too much."
Yogi Berra/ New York Yankees

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

Check, Please!

 

Check, Please!

I like to think I am improving in some aspects of my life but some things in my existence just never seem to change, even with the best of my intentions. This is from Easter Sunday, 20012.

I was late to worship service this morning. I have a Sunday morning routine, part of which is writing two checks for contributions in both our English and Chinese services. There was a problem this morning- I couldn't find my checkbook. Everything stopped while I searched. I went from one room to the next. Finally, I prayed that I could find it and immediately I did, in very plain sight. Guess what my reading for April 12 was this morning in my One Year Bible? (If you read yesterday, you'll see I've caught up!) It was Luke 15, the three parables of lostness: the Lost Sheep, the Lost Son, and of course, the Lost Coin. In the third one I listed, a woman loses one of her ten silver coins and frantically puts her life on hold until it is found. When she finds the money, she throws a party! In fact, all three of these parables that Jesus combined in Luke 15 end with celebrations. Today, much of the world celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ two thousand years ago. But to have resurrection, you have to have death. Death entered the world through sin. That's where you and I come into this story. We were the lost coin, sheep, and son. On Thursday, I asked my students if they thought their moms and dads would let them be put to death to save someone else's life, someone who might even possibly hate them. There were no affirmative answers. Thank God that He had no such qualms when it came to His Son. Yesterday, I spoke of my obtaining a piece of Arkansas real estate where my body will someday be laid to rest. My physical body will never leave that tomb living and breathing, walking and talking. But there was One who did. THANK GOD!

Applicable quote of the day # 1:
"We live and die; Christ died and lived!"
John Stott

Applicable quote of the day # 2:
"Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won't stay there."
Clarence W. Hall

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

The Camera Man

 

The Camera Man

This is about one of  the best purchases I've ever made! It's from May 31, 2014.

If you know me, you are probably aware I make no major purchases by myself. When I bought a new car, I took Brian Burney with me. When I purchased my two laptops, Michael Fonville handled the whole affair. When I needed my first cell phone and calling plan, it was Lisa Berglund to the rescue. When I acquired my first camera for my first mission trip to China, Gary Keese pored through some ads after picking my less than knowledgeable brain, and chose a  CANON PowerShot SX100 for my overseas adventures. It served me well until it fell out of a cab I was entering in Can Tho, Vietnam. It sustained damage and held on for a while but it entered digital camera eternity last fall. It lasted almost six years; I'm not sure what that would be in the human life span but it paid for itself in utility. I had mentioned to Gary through his wife, Karen, who is an amazing art teacher at WCS, that I needed a new camera before I leave for Vietnam on July 9. Gary, who is in charge of all the photography and yearbooks at one of Houston's public schools, and I spoke several times at church services and I knew he was doing homework on my behalf. After Wednesday night Bible study, Gary asked me if I wanted to go camera shopping on Thursday night- I did! So after he cooked Filipino fried rice- he was a missionary in The Philippines- for me and his daughter, Kellie- one of my all time favorite students- we headed out to the Best Buy near the Galleria, armed with a Sunday Houston Chronicle advertising insert! I wasn't leaving empty handed.

As we entered the store and made our way to the Canon area, Gary engaged an employee, a young man named Dennis. In all honesty, I pretty much stayed out of it. Gary knew the questions and Dennis had the answers and when he wasn't sure, he checked. I had my eye on the Canon SX50 HS shown above but it's always wise to review your options. Once the decision was made to purchase the SX50 HS, there were questions. Did I want the bundle and the insurance? Gary again asked the questions and helped me choose the package best suiting my needs and again, Dennis was extremely helpful. We made it to the checkout counter and I told Dennis I wanted to pay by check. He laughed and told us some of the employees don't even know how to process checks. (OK, I'm still in the Stone Age when it comes to payment options!) 

And as he rang up my stuff, the three of us engaged in small talk. We found out Dennis has worked at Best Buy for two years and is a college student. Then, our conversation took an almost mystical turn. Dennis mentioned he was born in Brooklyn- I was born in Brooklyn! He told us that when he was a boy, his family moved to Nebraska- we moved to Nebraska when I was small! Then he ended up in Houston where I now reside. I told him the camera was for my upcoming mission to Vietnam and Gary and I exchanged some Honduras remembrances. You guessed it- Dennis' parents were born in Honduras where I've made eleven mission trips including my first five! Gary asked about his faith in the Lord and Dennis related he is a member of a congregation of the churches of Christ, just as Gary and myself are. That sealed it. With Dennis, it was like looking in a mirror! Well, except that I am considerably older and we are of different races. But so many of the moves in his life mirror moves that I have also made. I bet there might be thousands of Best Buy employees in Houston and yet the one Gary and I collided with might be the one with whom I have the most in common. I don't think it was coincidental. Proverbs 16:9 tells us 'We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.' (NLT) Truthfully, as Gary and I left, I found I had gained almost as much as enjoyment from our interaction with Dennis as I had with my new camera, which will require considerable getting used to on my part. In the next several days, I'm going to fill out those online surveys that ask about your experience and maybe even write a glowing letter to Dennis' manager about his incredibly valuable employee. I will have to be careful about going overboard, though. Nobody likes it when you brag about yourself!

Applicable quote of the day:
“Life is like a camera. Focus on what's important. Capture the good times. And if things don't work out, just take another shot.”
Ziad K. Abdelnour

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1