Like Son, Like Father

One of my favorite students and his dad! This s from May 24, 2011.
Phillip became my FACEBOOK friend this morning at 5:22. Normally, I don't notice stuff like that but that's very early for a young man who just finished his freshman year in college. It made sense, though, when I realized he was in Europe on a mission trip and they are slightly ahead of us, time-wise. He's an interesting young man. I taught Phillip in both eighth grade and his sophomore years and although he was very bright, I never saw any more than normal interest level in what I was teaching. He was just a very polite and quiet kid who was an excellent soccer player on our school team. All that changed sometime last year. His senior year Bible teacher at WCS was very involved in mission work and lit a fire in Phillip's heart to tell the gospel on far flung continents. And now, he's across the Atlantic, talking about the Savior. At the risk of a copyright violation, here is his last FACEBOOK post :
Phillip Zamora
Good day today! Had a reading lesson with a woman who is Hindu; she told me that this was the first time she has read about Jesus.
You know, I wasn't spanning the globe telling the lost about the Lord when I was a teenager. We did not have the same opportunities young Christians have today but I can't truthfully say how much I would have embraced the missionary call back then. I also wish I could say I was the Bible teacher that sparked Phillip's interest in being a soul winner but I can't say that truthfully, either.

I can tell you that Phillip was the center of one of the happiest Mom moments in my recent memory. Phillip's wonderful mother, Mary, is one of my fellow teachers. Several weeks ago on a Monday morning, she told me she had the best news ever. Her husband had never become a Christian while Phillip or his older sister, Nicole, were kids. On that Sunday morning, Mary's significant other took the biggest step any of us will ever take and took Jesus as his Savior. Guess who had the honor of baptizing Phillip's dad? Phillip!! I don't think I have ever witnessed that scene in all my years where a son baptizes his dad. Now, Phillip not only has the parent-child relationship with the man who raised him, he has the brother-brother relationship with a fellow believer. His family is now totally complete and united and let me tell you, Mary is one thrilled and proud momma/wife/sister in the Lord. Jesus taught that His family is comprised of those who do the will of the Father. Phillip will be helping expand THAT family in Switzerland tonight while we are sleeping back home in the USA. God bless you, Phillip: go with God.

Applicable quote of the day, # 1:
"We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God."
  John Stott

Applicable quote of the day, # 2:
"Here am I. Send me."
Isaiah

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
http://www.hawleybooks.com/
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com

Automatic Reset

Less than a week from DST! This is from OCTOBER 27, 2013!
The best day of the year is only one week away. You now what it is- the advent of the latest Daylight Savings Time switch. This year it comes November 3 and actually, I found by googling the correct way to say it is that DST ends on November 3. Either way, it means an extra hour of sleep and with me, as it always coincided with the start of basketball season, it is most welcome! I've written before that I do not really understand how it works but I accept it. I heard a guy on the radio say something really dumb last year. He said, and it was about this time of year, "The days are starting to get shorter!" Listen, I'm no astronomer but even I know that every day from mid June to mid December is progressively shorter.

Besides the additional one hour of nocturnal bliss, there is one other reason I'm excited about the time change. This will sound idiotic to you but I know I can't be the only one in this category. You see, as of November 3, 2013 at 2 AM CST, the clock in my Honda Fit will again be accurate. That's right. Since March 10, 2013, my car clock has been one hour behind. Some years, I have my student teacher aide go to my car and change it- they can always figure it out- but for some reason, I didn't have Megan do it last spring. My mind gets used to calculating the hour difference and adjusts. (I need to make a confession here. The digital clock in my apartment is set 21 minutes ahead and has been for years and I'm not sure why.)

Some of you might think that is absolutely ridiculous and I don't blame you. Why don't I just get out the owner's manual and figure out how to reset the clock? Well, that would take a minute, maybe a couple of minutes- funny how it becomes a time issue. And I rationalize it by telling myself it isn't hurting me and eventually, it will correct itself. I would guess if I look at myself in the mirror of reality, I would discover other areas in which I employ a similar lifestyle strategy. We all know the excuses:
It's not that big a deal.
I'll get around to it.
I can live with it.
All of those are true with my clock and it's really a small matter. But in other segments of my existence, it can be deadly, especially in spiritual matters. Assuming there is more time or it's not that important or it will take care of itself can have eternal consequences. And I'm every pretty sure there's no reset every seven months in the afterlife.

Applicable quote of day:
"What interests me about clocks is that everything is hand-made, and yet to the person looking at the clock, something magical is happening that cannot be explained unless you are the clockmaker."
Brian Selznick

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com

Dressing Like Jesus

We survived another Homecoming and it was a good one. In schools now days, Homecoming refers to a week long series of activities and not just a football game/bonfire/dance and possibly a parade if you live in a small town. At WCS, Homecoming week is marked by a different schedule and daily assemblies which pit classes against each other in competitions. It's great fun culminated by the big football game which we won and crowning of the senior royalty, this year being Queen Christina and King Rashard, two of my favorite kids ever! Only fifty-one weeks to plan for next year's celebration!

There is always a unique theme for the kids to wear costumes depending on the day and their grade level. This year we had decades day, holidays day, character day, favorite team/sport day, and of course, blue and gold Friday! Our dressing up goes all the way down to the littlest one. I was upbraided by a tiny girl, in the sweetest possible way. I asked who she was and she said Belle. I asked, "From Frozen?" With four year old incredulity, I was admonished, "NO! Beauty And The Beast!" I'll never learn! Perhaps the greatest reaction came with the appearance of  the Dr.Pepper Guy from the college football playoff ads who in actuality was our own WCS Head of School, Mike White! (Rumor has it even his sophomore daughter Madison was fooled!) But all good things come to an end and inevitably, so did Homecoming 2017. Like I mentioned, we'll do it again next year, Lord willing!

This is the following Sunday so we are five  days back into our normal routine of schedules and school uniforms. I actually like Homecoming as a teacher and don't find it distracting. I simply treat it like any other week, which in reality, it isn't. One thing I find interesting as I reminisce is the different approaches our kids take to dressing up for the annual rite of passage. Some plan like it's a wedding for just the right outfit, almost like they're going to the prom or a wedding. I'm convinced moms are increasingly involved in the process! Some coordinate with a group of friends- some of our teachers do as well, especially our science and fine arts departments. Some do the bare minimum so they don't have to wear their school uniform and some do indeed wear their school uniform. To each their own, even as teens and barely teens.

At times, I have asked my students a question along the line of, if you could be somebody else, who would you pick and why? Homecoming gives a small taste of taking on another identification even if only for eight class periods. This afternoon, as I walked into my fitness club to swim, I was met by the receptionist, Roxana Castillo, one of my very favorite former basketball players. I was wearing scrub pants and an Eddie Bauer jacket (THANKS, DAVE AND SALLY!) and when she saw me, Roxana exclaimed, 'Coach Hawley, you look like a doctor!' Well, I've never wanted to be a doctor but I don't mind being mistaken for one! Roxana even said it might help my dating life! In the end, I just am who I am, at least physically. But, there is great news spiritually! In Jesus, I can be brand new! Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that,
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 
Like the kids during Homecoming, we can choose who to be, except this time, it's eternal! We won't change day to day or on a whim. Who we are, if we choose to be, is HIS! Paul even gives instructions, telling us we put on Christ in baptism ((Galatians 3:27) and that we should clothe ourselves with Jesus, in Romans 13:14. That's the kind of dress protocol we can all live with, forever. No waiting til next year. No pretending to be a super hero or a ballerina...... or even a doctor. The role of the Good Physician has already been taken, and praise God that it has been.

Applicable quote of the day:

Every day each of us wakes up, reaches into drawers and closets, pulls out a costume for the day and proceeds to dress in a style that can only be called
preposterous.Mary Schmich

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com

The Stranger In The Blue Honda Fit

There's a bunch of us! This is from October 26, 2013!
Early this afternoon, I drove up to school to write a letter of recommendation for one of our seniors and afterwards, planned to lift at my fitness club, several blocks away. As I came to the corner of Fondren and Willowbend, I saw the light was green for my right turn. I slowed down and clicked on the signal. Lo and behold, there, stopped in the turning lane to make a left onto Fondren, was a car identical to mine; 2010 pale blue Honda Fit! I smiled and waved. The lady in my auto twin waved back, hit me with two thumbs up, and flashed the biggest smile I've seen in a very long time. I glowed from that encounter, carried out through two closed car windows, for the rest of the afternoon.

I really like my car. It carries many memories for me. It was paid for by my mother and father who lived frugally and invested wisely and left their children some money when they passed on. It holds great memories of wonderful basketball trips with three of my teams of middle school girls. (We had a teacher several years ago who insisted on saying the color was periwinkle, a distinction I tried to ignore!) You know, I have no idea how the lady in the other feels about her 2010 pale blue Honda Fit- I hope she has similar good feelings. If I saw her in the grocery store, I would not recognize her but for four or five seconds at a stop light in Houston, we recognized each other. It's amazing how I made a connection wordlessly with someone I'll likely never meet.

In 1968, Catholic priest Peter Scholtes wrote a  song entitled "They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love.'' I remember knowing it by the title ''We Are One In the Spirit.'' Popular in devotionals and church camps, Scholtes' short hymn became popular quickly. It was based on Jesus' teaching to His apostles in John 13:35 where He teaches them,
"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
What a great way to identify believers! In our school, and in many others, visitors must get a name tag at the front desk with a picture of their drivers' license printed plainly for all to see. As a safety precaution, we have to know who belongs and who doesn't. But in the world, Jesus says we should not need a picture ID for the populace to recognize who we really are. It should be obvious by the way we treat each other and the love that radiates from our daily walk. And while driving a Honda Fit is nice, it's not mandatory. Somewhere in Houston tonight, there's a nice woman who gave me something to write about. I'm grateful and keep repping your Honda Fit! I'll be watching for you at the corner of Fondren and Willowbend!

Applicable quote of the day:
"People get very thoughtful when they are in cars. I no longer care for cars. I don't collect them."
Mick Jagger

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com

Cone Responsibility

We have our first game in six days! This is about my team of four years ago, from October 24, 2013.
We had our first encounter with another team today. After school, my middle school squad practiced with our high school junior varsity girls. We didn't keep score, instead working on situations. It was good for both groups. I warned my kids that the age difference would show up in size and strength and aggressiveness- it did. We acquitted ourselves well, I thought, and I enjoyed seeing the improvement in some of my former players who are now freshman and sophomores. The new young ladies who play for me discovered the validity of my statement that playing is exhausting and the only real way to get in shape is to actually play.

I really love this bunch of kids I have this year which is saying a great deal because I really loved the bunch I had last year. When I was a high school coach, I had kids with me for four years and in several cases, five. There is less turnover and more maturity but at the same time, more distractions. This season, I really rely on the four returning players; seventh graders Lizeth and Sydney and eighth graders Madison and Jenna. I run almost everything we do by them- I trust them and their judgment. I also know they have experienced a season before and know what to expect. When we do conditioning, we usually run relays. I put a traffic cone in the middle of the floor, put one of the vets in each of the four corners, and let them choose teams. (Several years ago, I read that American swimming relay team members always swim better times than they do in individual races, with the conjecture being they go harder knowing others are relying on them. I made the assumption it works in running sprints as well.) We run in sets of thirty touches of the cone and tagging your next teammate. Sometimes, for variety we add closing out and running backwards or several cones to touch before we get to the center one. Basketball is a game of short bursts so we try to do a maximum of starting and stopping.

Other coaches may disagree but I feel the perfect number on a basketball team is twelve because it's the number which breaks down perfectly into groups of three or four, the ideal numbers for drill work. Yesterday morning, we had a dilemma. Elizabeth is hurt and in a boot- she's out for six weeks and can't run. That left us with eleven which is not divisible by three or four. I pulled aside the two eighth graders and told them they would have to be a two player team. They knew what that means- they would have to run 1/3 additional sprints than the other girls with half the recovery time. The response of Jenna and Madison?
"Yes, sir."
That was it. Their lot was more difficult and more was demanded of them but they trust me and they knew it was for the good of the team. They did not complain or make excuses when they did not win. They simply competed as best they could while at a distinct disadvantage.  I made a big deal of it with the other kids; if the girls who've played before can sacrifice, we all can sacrifice. In Philippians 2:14, Paul writes 'Do everything without complaining or arguing.' Some translations us the term grumbling. The point is the same; do what you're asked for the benefit of all. That's not a popular sentiment culturally anymore but it's mandatory to have a healthy team and it all starts at the top. Well, as much of the top as girls who are twelve and thirteen can be! Sometimes, that's a lofty peak.

Applicable quote of the day:
"Life isn't fair. It's true, and you still have to deal with it. Whining about it rarely levels the playing field, but learning to rise above it is the ultimate reward."
Harvey Mackay 

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com

The Wall

If you read regularly, you know about the mural in my room. Here is the entry I wrote when we began this journey in 2005.

The idea was planted about ten years ago. Like most thoughts in education, it is borrowed. In the mid-1990's, I went to a Christian school in-service in Nashville at Ezell-Harding. After the general meetings, we had specific subject sessions. My area choice was the Bible department, even though most of my teaching load was still in social science. I only remember one thing from but it was a big one for me. The Bible teachers at Ezell-Harding, Joey Spann and Mike McPherson, had transformed the wall of their classroom into a Biblical timeline. The design and painting were all student driven. I was fascinated, not so much with the artistic quality of the work but with the concept itself. The idea has bounced around in my mind for years.

Last Spring, we hosted a prospective student open house at Westbury Christian School. Our classrooms would be toured so I drafted my artistic students into creating a mural, based on the life of Moses. The drawings, in chalk and marker, were sketched on long rolls of paper and stapled above my dry-erase board. The response was so favorable I decided the time was right to turn the wall in Room 258 into the Sistine Chapel. Working with Karen Keese, our art instructor, I came up with a plan. Karen chose five gifted students as the budding DaVincis. At the beginning of this school year, we made a trip to Lanier Middle School in downtown Houston to view their hall length mural, based on medieval literature. Karen took pictures and the kids gained a vision of what we wanted. As often happens in school, urgency is the rule of the day. Contests, competitions, and projects rightfully took precedence over decorating my wall. But today, we got started! Five students- Meg, Gina, Boss, Alyssa, and Joseph- will draw the mural in pencil and then begin applying brush and paint. The mural will be at the front of the room where the chalkboard used to reside. Each student is assigned a section and scene from the life of Jesus, which will be tied together into one flowing form. All we have now are pencil outlines. What will it look like in May? I have no idea but I'm excited. I am excited for my students to see the unfolding of the Christ-saga as seen through the eyes of their peers. I am excited for parents considering WCS to see what our gifted kids are capable of. I am excited for the Alternative Certification Training candidates who use my classroom to see the influence of the Lord in a Christian school atmosphere. Mostly, I am excited for ME! I have to admit I'm selfish in this area. I love my classroom; it's my second home. Paul wrote in 1st Corinthians 2:9, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." That's what I am fired up about. I can't see it, hear it, or conceive it but I KNOW it's going to be terrific! I can't say I understand the thrill of becoming a father but this will have to do for now. There won't be a sonogram but I will keep you posted!

Applicable quote of the day:
"The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection."
Michelangelo

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com

Out Of Step

I love memory verses and I love having a colorful classroom. Sometimes, things don't according to plan, even in Bible class. This example is from February 21, 2007.

It started out fine. Yesterday in class, in conjunction with Febreze Day, we did a little art work. As we do several times per year, my students wrote out a memory verse in CRAYOLA MARKERS on an 8 1/2" by 11" sheet of copy paper. The selected scripture was from 1 Peter 2:21 . I reduced it a little, dropping the first six words so it would fit on the sheet comfortably. The kids transcribed:
"Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps."
I explain this verse was the basis for Charles Sheldon's 1896 novel, In His Steps, from which the phrase What Would Jesus Do? was popularized. As the eighth graders and sophomores personalized their masterpieces, I encouraged them to add artwork to illustrate the thought. Many added footprints or shoes while some incorporated a road or pathway. Their imaginations are superior to mine as are their drawing skills. As is our custom, we cover one of the classroom walls with the verses. My student aide, Devin, would normally affix these Picassos in an orderly manner but she was preparing for a band performance. Not wanting to fall behind, I tore Scotch tape, six pieces per picture, and let the kids hang their work themselves. There is a board that runs along the wall, waist-high. I told the kids to tape the drawings, side by side, with the board as the bottom edge. The pictures had to touch each other. At the end of the board, which is roughly twenty feet long, we would begin a new level. My sophomores dutifully went to work and then my first class of eighth graders built on their foundation. Three more classes followed until one hundred sheets came to reside on one side of Room 258. It happened gradually and I can't say exactly where but one sheet got out of line. Since the papers had to adjoin, the next one was out of alignment and then the following one, etc., etc., etc. By the time we got done, it did not look like the quilt-work I had envisioned. In fact, it is a semi-mess. The rows are uneven and there are half inch gaps between some of the verses, some of which are slanted, even to an untrained eye. I could pull them down and let Devin tape them more precisely- let me tell you she would be thrilled with that prospect- but that would ruin the point. It is very easy to get off track in almost anything we do.

In one of Peter's more famous verses, he speaks of the necessity to follow the example of the Savior, down to stepping where he stepped. One person leaves a narrow trail. He didn't say we should follow in the apostles' steps or the prophets' steps which would have cut a much wider swath. What did Jesus, Peter's mentor, say about the street of salvation?
"But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matthew 7:14)
When we wander away from his lead, we veer off course. It would seem easier to only follow one set of prints but nothing is easy for us. It might take some distance before the error is evident. Baseball fields are marked from the back corner of home plate. An incorrect angle in the line won't show up at once but as you near first base, it can't be ignored. If no correction is made, the foul line is feet out of whack by the time you reach the right field fence. We need to get in line and stay in line. When we stray, and we will, it is much easier to make the course adjustment quickly, before we completely lose our way. The kids did a good job with the artistic part of the project but I they made a glaring oversight. None of the drawings of the feet in the pictures portray nail holes. Maybe it is easy to overlook the first part of that verse; we follow in the steps of Jesus because he suffered. We'll cover that tomorrow; one step at a time.

Applicable quote of the day:
"In a career, you can be off two or three degrees off course and walk into a wall, instead of through a doorway."
William S. Frank


God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com

Eyes, Hands, And The Internet

Technology is a double edged sword! This is from February 14, 2013. I had a visitor in my classroom yesterday afternoon. Sam Abels, our WCS go-to guy on computer issues, along with Spanish instruction, dropped in to configure LanSchool for me. This year saw Westbury Christian make a giant tech leap as every student grades 8-12 was issued a laptop back in August. With new technology comes new issues, sort of an educational Brave New World. Being technologically deficient gave me the jitters as the 2012-2013  year began but for the most part, it's been pretty smooth, at least for me. Wiring each classroom for Internet has allowed me much better access to wingclips and YouTube videos which greatly enhance my ability to visually make a point from my desktop computer via the large screen projection system. I'm still learning how to incorporate the students into my lesson plans online so it's pretty much restricted to two usages: using a  website with various Bible translations for quizzes and memory verses and Microsoft Word to take notes for tests. I really like discussions with the youngsters typing their notes; it's a blessing to our international students and it makes the kids seem very professional.

Recently, however, I've become suspicious of some of my students staying on task. I've seen a dramatic drop in test grades in the past few weeks and as the tests are taken from class notes, I came up with two scenarios. First, I've lost my ability to convey information and ideas which I don't think is the issue. The second option is that some of my learners are not where they are supposed to be on their laptops when we are discussing the ministry of Jesus. Choice B seemed most likely so that is where Sam came in. LanSchool is a management program for student computers, allowing teachers to monitor each laptop in the classroom. In my case, I had Sam show me how to only allow only www.biblegateway.com to be accessed in Room 258 as well as Word so they can take notes without the ability to play games. Two days in and so far, there have been few glitches except for my forgetting to turn off the system when each period is over so the students can use the Internet in their next class. Is it working? I guess I'll find out when the next set of tests are graded.

You know, part of me wishes I had kept Sam out of it and dealt with the issues myself. I feel like I don't trust the kids like I should and I know it's not all of them. On the other hand, removing temptation is a scriptural strategy! I try to put myself back in the desk as a sixteen year old sophomore if we'd had the Internet. Would I have stayed on task with notes or would I have been looking around online for the latest Nebraska High School Class B basketball rankings? I'll have to plead the Fifth which means you can surmise the answer. Jesus taught if our hand or eye causes us to sin, we need to get rid of it. I asked my 8th graders last week if that meant bodily mutilation. I asked how many of them knew other kids whose phones got them into trouble- all acknowledged they did. Maybe that could be what the Savior was talking about in a modern setting. I'd probably get into legal trouble if we did any eye gouging for Internet wandering so maybe its's just better to reduce that capability on their laptops. The word Jesus uses for sin in the NIV in Matthew 5 is stumble. We all know that the Internet can trip anybody up. Hopefully, I've moved at least one obstacle for one hundred ten teenagers for forty-six minutes. Well, I should say Sam did.

Applicable quote of the day:

The Internet is the first thing that humanity has built that humanity doesn't understand, the largest experiment in anarchy that we have ever had.
Eric Schmidt

God bless,

Steve
Luke 18:1

www.hawleybooks.com

E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com

Drew, Dough, And The Resurrection!

The one and only Drew White!

Drew is now a seventh grader!! This is from March 28, 2013!
Over the past several years, I have penned a number of devotional entries about the White family. Mike, our Westbury Christian upper school guidance counselor, was the inspiration for his gift in tying all of my 200+ ties. Mike's wife, Jennifer, is our WCS lower school administrator. She makes the best meat loaf in Houston, and had a unique entry to the world of dating which I have all my students analyze. Their daughter, Madison, now a WCS fifth grader, was the topic several times as I discussed her mission of supplying Barbie dolls to little girls in Honduras whose folks could not afford them. Mike and Jennifer also have a son, the incomparable Drew. Ever since he started coming to our summer basketball camp, Drew shoots an imaginary shot when we pass by, complete with a retracing, or reversal of the form. Every coach loves that! Last night, Mike sent me a story about Drew and I asked if I could run it. What a testimony to the purity of youth, the creativity of a Godly teacher, and the retelling of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Here it is:

I don't know if this is useful or not.  I just thought this was funny.  When Drew was in K3, Tammy Farris was his teacher.  She had a very creative way of teaching about Jesus' burial and resurrection.  She brought a can of crescent roll dough, the kind that you unroll from the can and then separate each triangle and roll them individually.  Each student received a triangle and a mini-marshmallow.  The students dipped their mini-marshmallow in melted butter and rolled them in cinnamon.  Then, she had the students place the mini-marshmallow on their dough and roll it up into a crescent roll.  Finally, Tammy baked the rolls.  When the rolls were done, the students opened up the roll and marshmallow was gone.  Just like when the disciples approached Jesus' grave, He was no longer in it.  

Casey Farris (Tammy's husband) was the principal and just happened to stick his head in the door.  He said, "Hey guys, what are we doing today?"  Drew, not really having a clue Casey's role was so important, didn't miss a beat.  He whipped his head around and said, "We're cookin' Jesus!" and turned back around to the task at hand.  I chuckle every time I think of that story, but love the innocence of a 3 year boy.  He was wrapped up in his task and loved every second of it.  He probably didn't fully grasp the importance of the resurrection, but that really didn't matter.  He had a great teacher in front of him who loves the Lord.  She wanted Drew and his classmates to know Him, too.  As funny as Drew's statement was, he got a great foundation that day.  I'll forever be indebted to Tammy and all of the Godly teachers Drew and Madison have had who have taught them about the Lord.  I'm a very blessed man.

Applicable quote of the day:

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”

Pablo Picasso  God bless, Steve Luke 18:1 www.hawleybooks.com E-mail me at steve@hawleybook.com

Children Of The Father

Cana

Isabel

This is about one of my favorite families in the world. It's from March 17, 2012.
It's become a tradition. For three consecutive years, Cana has put on a yard sale with all the proceeds going to children in Haiti and Honduras, in conjunction with our ongoing project at Westbury Christian School. Today was the day for 2012. She was in full swing by the time I arrived about 9:45 this morning. I told Cana that I knew God really loved her because every day she hosted her event, the weather was perfect; she smiled the sweet smile of the innocent fourth grader. Today, Cana received some help from little sister, first grader Isabel. Both of them deposited money into their WCS Honduras/Haiti bottles based on what was sold. (Older brother Nathan got into the act when the crowd had been whittled down, washing my car with vacuuming help from Isabel.) It was a family affair, with parents Rachel, who works in our Development Office, and Troy, a contractor, pitching in.

It was a pretty typical yard sale with the typical ebb and flow of customers. I brought a few things to donate- vacuum, Dust Buster, nick knacks- and was put on the spot when asked the value. (I always go low- don't want to hurt anyone's feelings!) I engaged in conversation with a charming Hispanic lady who purchased a bag of clothes and some toys for her adorable children, a five year old girl and her three year old brother. As she was preparing to leave, she indicated Cana and Isabel and said to me, "You have beautiful daughters!" I quickly explained my connection with the family and that Troy, the father and husband, was inside at the moment, and we shared a laugh. But I'm not going to lie. I came away from the nice woman's comment with sort of a glow. I don't know if anyone has ever assumed that any child before belonged to me and the lady was right. Cana and Isabel are beautiful daughters- they just don't belong to me.

I wonder if our Father in Heaven gets that glow about us. I hope so! Five times in 1st John, the apostle used the term children of God in describing believers. My favorite of the five comes from chapter 3, verse 1, where he puts it this way:
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
WOW- two exclamation points in a row! I don't feel I'm worth even one exclamation point but God does. And I know two little girls who definitely deserve two exclamation points plus a great deal more. All you have to do is just ask Troy and Rachel.

Applicable quote of the day:
"The father of a daughter is nothing but a high-class hostage.  A father turns a stony face to his sons, berates them, shakes his antlers, paws the ground, snorts, runs them off into the underbrush, but when his daughter puts her arm over his shoulder and says, "Daddy, I need to ask you something," he is a pat of butter in a hot frying pan."
Garrison Keillor

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com

*To see where the funds from the yard sale are going, please check out these websites!*
http://missionlazarus.org/
http://hopeforhaitischildren.org/

The Daily Report

During the year, I spend quiet a bit of time in our lower school, down through the five year old kindergarten.  It's a different world for a high school teacher when you walk into the kindergarten and pre-kindergarten domain! The following, from April 12, 2006.

I hate trash. I try to pick it up whenever I can at school. We do a pretty good job at Westbury Christian but we could, like almost every other school, do better. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, I arrive at 6:00. The parking lot is deserted and if there is litter in my path, I try to do my part to beautify our facility. Yesterday morning, there was a piece of paper lying close to my parking spot. Stooping down, I retrieved it and was about to toss it in one of the playground garbage cans when I looked at it. Much of the world's trash is deliberately dropped but I think this piece of paper was left behind unintentionally. It was an official document, sort of. The only way I can do it justice is to reproduce it below:
Westbury Christian School K3 Daily Report
Date ________________

_________________ would like to share his/her day with you.
Behavior:
I had a fantastic day _________________
I had a good day ____________________
I need help learning to ______________________________________
______________________________________________________Snack:I ate ________ did not eat _________
Lunch:
I ate everything _______ most _______ some _______ none _______
Comment: __________________________________Nap:Slept _____ rested ______Comment: _______________________________Ooops! I had an accident today. Please replace my extra clothes _______

I had fun today: ___________________________

There was a name written on the yellow sheet of one of our three year old kindergarten students. Going down the check list, this young lady had a good day, ate her snack, ate most of her lunch, and slept at nap time. Our little one also had fun making a bird's nest! I would say, all in all, a most impressive performance! Her teacher, Stephanie Lang, told me each child receives one of these scorecards at the completion of each day. I could never keep up with that! Maybe I need one of these for my life. At the end of the day, I could recreate my eighteen waking hours. Did I behave well? Were my food choices healthy ones? Did I get sufficient rest? What was the most fun I had? It would do me good to evaluate myself. Too often, I just let one day roll into the next without holding myself accountable. Children are constantly monitored in school for signs of progress. As Christians, we should take the responsibility to monitor ourselves. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves." I know one three year old who had a good day on Monday- I have the paper to prove it! I just wish I was as sure about myself!

Applicable quote of the day:
"One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child."
Maria Montessori

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com

Homecoming, Ike, And Jackie

We had Homecoming last night at WCS. This is about our big event nine years ago delayed by a natural disaster! It is from November 2, 2008.

Our Homecoming football game was supposed to be played on Friday, September 12. There was a minor inconvenience, locally referred to as Ike, which required the moving of the big date to this past Friday night. On an absolutely gorgeous evening, our Wildcats beat FBBA 35-0 to keep our playoff hopes alive! Seniors Jasmine Mathews and Kevin Perry were elected Queen and King by the student body and wore their crowns with regal splendor. As you can tell, many of our kids came with painted faces to cheer our squad on to victory. The bottom shot is of Jackie Marini, senior cheerleader and Queen candidate. Jackie, even though she did not wear the tiara on Friday, is a princess. Several years ago, we had an incident develop one morning. The situation involved property of Jackie's that went missing and was recovered in the locker of another student. Sometimes, first glances are deceiving and this was one of those occasions. The other student had very innocently moved Jackie's belongings to protect them but at first blush, it looked bad. Jackie went to bat for her classmate and was instrumental in keeping him from a possible suspension from school. Psalm 106 speaks of Moses intervening on behalf of the Israelites before the Lord and it making a difference. On that day, Jackie was a difference maker. Every other day, she's just one terrific young lady.

Applicable quote of the day:
"Because homecoming came first, there was the homecoming court. The five guys on homecoming court were disqualified from being in the prom court. So being prom king was being sixth most popular."
Andy Richter

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

www.hawleybooks.com

E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com

White Gold

The World Series is near! The following, from March 4, 2007, may be my favorite baseball related lesson ever!


I couldn't believe the headline, trumpeting Baseball's First Billionaire. No athlete is worth that much! Beginning to read the account, I was confused because the player, Matt White of the Los Angeles Dodgers, was someone I had never heard of. A twenty-nine year old journeyman, the left-handed pitching White is on the Dodgers' Spring roster but no lock to be with the team when the regular season begins. Sometimes, we forget that athletes exist in lives outside the spotlight, where character is defined by more than the talent to throw a ball. It seems that Matt White has an elderly Great Aunt Josephine who several years ago needed money as she prepared for life in a nursing home. In an act of family loyalty, he purchased fifty acres of her Massachusetts' property for $50,000. White paid scant attention to the land until this fall when he considered building a house on the plot. Searching for a good location, he kept noticing sheets of rock that seemed to be everywhere. Calling in a geologist, he learned the material is known as Goshen stone, in demand for building and landscaping. White has been informed that there is approximately twenty-four million tons of this deposit on/under his turf. With the going rate for Goshen stone being $100 per ton, a little calculation tells us there might be $2.5 billion on Great Aunt Josephine's former fifty acres. This is a guy who is a struggling career minor leaguer, a marginal at best major league prospect. No one actually expects Matt White to become a billionaire. Still, one name does come to mind; Jed Clampett. But the Clampett clan's oil fortune in the Beverly Hillbillies sitcom was only about twenty million dollars, or a drop in the quarry compared to the Goshen stone windfall. The interest alone from Matt White's mineral deposit could dwarf the riches of Jed-Granny-Ellie May-Jethro. Plus, this baseball player is much more cultured than the least-welcomed neighbors in Mr. Drysdale's neighborhood.

I could write for days about this story. How many spiritual applications could we come up with? For starters, Matt White is in this position because he followed the Bible teachings to take care of your family, especially in regards to widows. Isaiah 58:7 lists a condition of God's attentiveness to our petitions as this: "not to turn away from your own flesh and blood." How about Jesus' Parable of the Treasure Hidden in a Field, in Matthew 13:44? That piece of land, like this one, was not inaccessible. How many others walked its paths, never dreaming of the vast wealth it contained? Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to this prize that others overlooked. How about distractions? The Messiah told us we can't serve two masters. White's lifelong goal is at risk because of the media's fascination with his human interest angle, bombarding him with interview requests while he needs to be focusing on conditioning and working his arm into game shape. Matt White wants to be judged for his baseball ability while the rest of us are enthralled with his potential to suddenly become fabulously rich. His great discovery can derail him from his career. This past week, my classes studied the Parable of the Rich Fool. I asked my students if they would rather be A: poor but wise or B: rich and foolish. Not surprisingly, many chose option B. We have this belief that money can solve all our problems. I believe it may cause Matt White headaches he never considered the first time he kicked that slab of white rock. How about the Parable of the Talents? The master expected the servants to invest what he gave them. Two did, successfully, while the other simply buried it in the soil. How many of us leave our abilities under the surface, never putting forth the effort to excavate the gifts the Lord has graciously bestowed on us? Matt White can leave that Goshen stone untouched and it will be like so many of us, an unbelievable vein of untapped potential. WHEW!! So many lessons, so few hours until school in the morning! I hope Matt White makes it. Maybe the Lord entrusted him with these tremendous riches because He knew the sudden wealth and fame would be in good hands. I am confident of one thing. I bet somewhere in a Massachusetts' assisted living center, Great Aunt Josephine is being taken care of in a manner befitting her position.

Applicable quote of the day:
"Fear of death increases in exact proportion to increase in wealth."
Ernest Hemingway


God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
http://www.hawleybooks.com/
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com

Don Meredith And Time Travel

While I don't believe in time travel, it's a fascinating concept! The following is from February 23, 2006.

I love to read. Having time to do it is another matter. Years ago, I read one of the best books in my memory. In 1992, Harry Turtledove authored Guns Of The South, a novel of alternative history. The premise of Guns requires the reader to tolerate time travel. White separatists from South Africa go back to the time of the American Civil War, attempting to rearrange the future by manipulating the past. Arming the Confederacy with AK-47 rifles and knowledge of Union troop movements based on historian Bruce Catton's writings, the Afrikaners try to alter the outcome of the War Between The States. The men from the 21st century hope that if the South prevails, apartheid in Africa will not be overthrown. It is a fascinating concept. You have to suspend reality to swallow the story but it opens a Pandora's Box of possibilities. I had a birthday last week. My folks' gift to me was What Ifs? of American History, edited by Robert Cowley. What Ifs? is a collection of essays by historians who contemplate life in the United States IF key moments in American history had alternate outcomes. What if FDR had made overtures to Japan in November of 1941 and Pearl Harbor remained a peaceful Hawaiian paradise instead of a buzzword for war? What if John Kennedy had decided against a November trip to Dallas in 1963? What ifs can go on for eternity. Historians love getting the last word...but there is no last word. There will always be another thesis, angle, or twist to the accepted truth. All history is revisionism. Historians write and no one wants to keep reading the same spin on the same events that happened before any of us saw the light of day. It's a lucrative business!

Monday Night Football is no longer free. Starting this fall, the games ABC has carried since 1970 will move to ESPN. I don't remember specifics of any MNF games growing up but I remember the announcers: NFL great Frank Gifford, the loquacious Howard Cosell, and my favorite, former quarterback Dandy Don Meredith. Actually, I only recall one thing any of them said. Dandy Don verbalized it but I doubt the quote originated with him. It's not quite the Gettysburg Address but it has its own depth of meaning: "If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a Merry Christmas." That was life in a nutshell to the former Dallas Cowboy star. Truer words were never uttered by an athlete turned broadcaster. I laughed today, listening to a man prominent in Canadian hockey explaining why our Northern neighbors fell apart in the Olympics. This is word for word; "I'm not making excuses BUT..." We are tough on kids when they make excuses but adults are no better. "I would have accomplished this or that but the boss-teacher-coach-parent, etc. didn't like me. I could have made straight A's- played in the major leagues- married the homecoming queen- won American Idol if I had wanted to." We've all heard it. We've probably let something along those lines escape from our own vocal chords. Historians rewrite history; the rest of us do it with our own biographies. We feel better when we think how it might have been. Time we waste on that line of reasoning is time we could use to improve what lies ahead. Our future is moldable, our past is set in stone and baked in the oven. To the Christian, the future is Jesus and the past doesn't count. The long ago has been washed down the drain at Golgotha along with sins we wish had never been committed. What if someone could go back to the past and change our future? The simple explanation is that God did just that by making the sacrifice that would alter the eternal fate of his children. It was set in motion by Adam and Eve but we were involved in the master plan, too. Revelation 13 tells us that Jesus was ''slain from the creation of the world.'' I can't fathom God and his relationship to the clock but he acted at just the right time by sending his Son. That would make the story line of another great book. We call it the Bible.

Applicable quote of the day:
"I know where I'm going. I want to see where I've been."
Baseball legend Jimmy Piersall (explaining why he ran around the bases backwards on a home run following his release from an asylum)

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
http://www.hawleybooks.com/
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com

Dressed To Coach

You know the old saying, 'Clothes make the man.' If you are a long time reader, you might recall how my lovely sister in law, Sally, convinced me over the course of several years to completely revamp the way I look at dressing for work. It took patience (on her part) and numerous trips to Jos A Bank along the way but now even I admit I'm at least a decently dressed guy. During the academic year, I bring shirts/pants/ties/shoes/socks/belts to school each week and my teacher's aide lays out what I'll wear the next day. This year my aide is Cristina, an amazing young lady, and her choices have been earning me rave reviews for dapperness. But her wardrobe selections only cover Monday through Thursday. Like many schools with uniforms, WCS celebrates a Spirit Wear Friday in which faculty/staff and students can wear approved WILDCAT gear with jeans. I resisted for several years but have become a convert to the Levis-Westbury Christian t-shirt, again due in large part to Sally. But I have this quirk- I won't wear polo shirts. And most coaching tops fall into the short sleeve with collar genre. When they are issued to me, I always give mine to another faculty member, usually a volunteer or adjunct coach. During games, I dress nicely in my school garb with dress shirt/pants/shoes/tie. For me, there is no in-between the extremes of t-shirts and the Jos A Bank look. That is, until last Friday.

Two weeks ago, our Athletic Director, Mark Krimm, handed out a new pullover to all of our coaches. Mine is shown above. They look sharp and don't have the typical pointed down collars. So, I took, for me, a leap of faith and wore it for Friday's Spirit Wear. The compliments came almost, to quote a movie title, fast and furious! It seems the new look sported by many of our coaches is a hit. I was asked if you can buy them in the Wildcat Store but alas, they are reserved for those who patrol the sidelines of our fields and courts. Throughout that Friday, one comment stood out. It came from Caelan, a senior and one of our multidimensional Wildcat athletes. His statement to me?
"Now you look like a real coach!"
A real coach? I chuckled. I have more coaching experience by far than anyone on our staff. What I take that Caelan meant was that he'd never seen me dress like his other coaches dress which I'm sure is true. In that light, I take his seven words as a very nice compliment!

Without an exhaustive concordance check,  I can't recall the Scriptures speaking of the wardrobe any of the main characters with one exception. Well, also maybe not including  Adam and Eve and their fig leaf and we know the soldiers gambled for Jesus' clothes at the cross. The exception in my mind is John the Baptist. My students all know he wore camel's hair and a leather belt, living out in the wilderness. He could have dressed like a priest- he was the son of a priest but he followed God's calling and set the stage for Jesus. But John also dressed like Elijah, the prophet of old who many believed John was. It doesn't look like any of the other seers dressed like Elijah or John. They had their own ways and their own manners. But they had this is in common with John and Elijah- they spoke the word of God. I ask my students if John could could get a preaching job today and the consensus is he would not- too many red flags! At the top of the list, he didn't dress the part. Neither do I, most days. I can blend in now when I need to visually but I hope my effectiveness rests on my words and actions and not my new threads..... even if they are kind of cool! And I can attest, much less scratchy than one made of camel hair!

Applicable quote of the day:
If you see me walking down the street, you're gonna see the same guy as you do on stage, dressed the same, looking the same, and nothing changes. I'm just one person.
Daryl Hall

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com