I've been at work now in the school year for two weeks, and it's time for some reflection. I began the year with lofty goals in terms of my approach and perspective, and I must look inward consistently if I am to intentional about accomplishing those goals. Looking back, here's what I've noticed about myself:
1. The busier I get, the more me-centered I get in my perspective. Everything seemed to happen at once over the last two weeks. School started, taking up 8 hours of my day. My grad class started, and I finally saw my course syllabus indicating a harsh workload over the next 4 months. I agreed to take on a position of organizing Sunday School for high school students at our church. None of this is bad. But I spent the last two weeks feeling busy, and I fear I allow myself to be more critical of temporal things and less grateful for eternal gifts when that happens. In short, my perspective began to suck. I've got to adjust that in some way.
2. My best hours go to my job. That means my wife and daughter get whatever leftover energy I have. I don't like that at all, and I don't know how to fix that.
3. I've done a better job up to this point of reaching out to my co-workers, especially those with whom I've traditionally disagreed. I'm less likely to avoid people with whom I have no relationship (or worse, a bad one).
4. I've done a poor job of thinking well of my bosses when I disagree with them.
5. I've been too tired to keep myself spiritually and physically healthy. This week, I worked out zero times (goal is 4 a week). I got zero blog posts written (hoping for 2-3 a week). I read the Bible and formally prayed on one evening (should be daily). I was encouraged last night, though, listening to a fellow teacher talk at a party. She said it's just like getting yourself back into shape for a sports season. You're not in game shape right away; that takes awhile. I love the analogy, and I think it's true. I'm definitely not in game shape right now, but I'll get there. In the mean time, it will be a challenge (but a necessity) to stay healthy.
The journey continues tomorrow. . .
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Dangerous Words of Inclusion
I didn't plan on writing two posts today, but then I read the Des Moines Register and found some of the most dangerous and reckless words I think are possible. (see article: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090823/NEWS/908230354/1001&theme=/apps/pbcs.dll/oversikt?Dato=20090823Kategori=NEWS)
The article is about the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's national assembly voting to allow sexually active homosexuals to be clergy in the church. And I want to begin this post by saying this isn't a post about homosexuality or gay marriage or culture wars. This post is about passionate faith.
The article quoted leaders and other members of the ELCA in support of this, and this is where I find the troubling statements:
1) "We have to acknowledge there are a variety of ways to interpret Scripture. Where we get in trouble is when someone says their's is the only way."
2) "The way that I interpret Scripture. . ."
3) "I just feel we need to be inclusive. . . It's about equality and honoring all people."
To number 1 & 2 above:
There are not a variety of ways to interpret Scripture. You can read it and decide it's true, or you can dismiss it. There is no responsible way to be in between. The Bible specifically discusses active homosexuality as a sin. To choose to ignore that part is effectively creating God in the image an individual wants God. You simply cannot pick and choose based on what you like. If you are a Christian (definition: Christ-follower), the Bible is fact. It is not to be altered. If you don't want to follow all of it, don't call yourself a Christian. Be a Buddhist, a Muslim, an atheist, or create your own title for what you are. But you can't have it both ways.
Are there difficult parts of the Bible? Absolutely. There are parts I didn't like for the longest time. No sex outside of marriage, for instance. Or the fact that God is sovereign, and that means he allows some awful things to happen to people when he could prevent it. Or the whole, "Love your enemy / Turn the other cheek / Forgive 70 times 7 times" idea. There are days I want to hold onto my hate, get even, or at the very least, complain to whoever will listen. Even homosexuality as a sin is burdensome. Wouldn't it be so much more convenient and easier to get people to follow Christ if they were allowed to live however they wanted?
But when I decided that Christ is in fact God, then the Bible became fact to me. I developed a passion and love for its words, even the parts I didn't understand or didn't like. Anything else would be lukewarm, convenient faith. And that would be a tragedy, for every individual, regardless of what they believe. I pray that those reading believe Christ or would come to believe Christ. But if you don't, don't carry around the title of Christian.
In Response to Number 3:
Inclusive? Really? Christ was anything but inclusive. Christ was demanding towards those who claimed they wanted to follow him. Therefore, I really don't think that the best place for "inclusion" is in choosing leaders for the church.
This is not a gay/straight issue. This is a sin issue. I don't believe anyone knowingly and remorselessly engaging in sin is fit to lead a congregation. If a man is not passionately seeking to love his wife sacrificially every day, I don't think he's fit to lead. Same with an individual who isn't married but is having sex. Same with someone driven by pride, regardless of how much good comes from the work from which they seek to put themselves on a platform. There are no perfect people. But a leader of a church should be repentant of the sin in their life and working towards Christ-likeness. A leader should be seeking to eradicate any way their life isn't Biblical. Is this demanding? Absolutely. And leadership should be demanding.
I pray I am writing this in humility and in reverence to the text I hold dearer than any other. I'm not trying to win an argument. I just don't believe lukewarm faith in anything is good for anyone. And I especially think it's dangerous for those who claim Christ.
The article is about the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's national assembly voting to allow sexually active homosexuals to be clergy in the church. And I want to begin this post by saying this isn't a post about homosexuality or gay marriage or culture wars. This post is about passionate faith.
The article quoted leaders and other members of the ELCA in support of this, and this is where I find the troubling statements:
1) "We have to acknowledge there are a variety of ways to interpret Scripture. Where we get in trouble is when someone says their's is the only way."
2) "The way that I interpret Scripture. . ."
3) "I just feel we need to be inclusive. . . It's about equality and honoring all people."
To number 1 & 2 above:
There are not a variety of ways to interpret Scripture. You can read it and decide it's true, or you can dismiss it. There is no responsible way to be in between. The Bible specifically discusses active homosexuality as a sin. To choose to ignore that part is effectively creating God in the image an individual wants God. You simply cannot pick and choose based on what you like. If you are a Christian (definition: Christ-follower), the Bible is fact. It is not to be altered. If you don't want to follow all of it, don't call yourself a Christian. Be a Buddhist, a Muslim, an atheist, or create your own title for what you are. But you can't have it both ways.
Are there difficult parts of the Bible? Absolutely. There are parts I didn't like for the longest time. No sex outside of marriage, for instance. Or the fact that God is sovereign, and that means he allows some awful things to happen to people when he could prevent it. Or the whole, "Love your enemy / Turn the other cheek / Forgive 70 times 7 times" idea. There are days I want to hold onto my hate, get even, or at the very least, complain to whoever will listen. Even homosexuality as a sin is burdensome. Wouldn't it be so much more convenient and easier to get people to follow Christ if they were allowed to live however they wanted?
But when I decided that Christ is in fact God, then the Bible became fact to me. I developed a passion and love for its words, even the parts I didn't understand or didn't like. Anything else would be lukewarm, convenient faith. And that would be a tragedy, for every individual, regardless of what they believe. I pray that those reading believe Christ or would come to believe Christ. But if you don't, don't carry around the title of Christian.
In Response to Number 3:
Inclusive? Really? Christ was anything but inclusive. Christ was demanding towards those who claimed they wanted to follow him. Therefore, I really don't think that the best place for "inclusion" is in choosing leaders for the church.
This is not a gay/straight issue. This is a sin issue. I don't believe anyone knowingly and remorselessly engaging in sin is fit to lead a congregation. If a man is not passionately seeking to love his wife sacrificially every day, I don't think he's fit to lead. Same with an individual who isn't married but is having sex. Same with someone driven by pride, regardless of how much good comes from the work from which they seek to put themselves on a platform. There are no perfect people. But a leader of a church should be repentant of the sin in their life and working towards Christ-likeness. A leader should be seeking to eradicate any way their life isn't Biblical. Is this demanding? Absolutely. And leadership should be demanding.
I pray I am writing this in humility and in reverence to the text I hold dearer than any other. I'm not trying to win an argument. I just don't believe lukewarm faith in anything is good for anyone. And I especially think it's dangerous for those who claim Christ.
More on Sports
I watched the film Gridiron Gang on Friday night. It's a film that I thought looked a little too cheesy in spots when I saw the previews, but thanks to the invention of Netflix, I can give films like that a shot with little loss. Former professional wrestler The Rock stars as a juvenile detention center worker who decides to create a football team with the "inmates" to try to teach them life skills. And it is cheesy in spots - my guess is The Rock had to really hold in his laughter during some of his "inspirational" pep talks. It was entertaining, though, and certainly worth my weekly Netflix choice. Also, it reminded me of what I now consider the most important truth about life I learned from playing sports.
That vital idea is the importance of shared life experience in building relationships. The concept is not found only in athletics; it's just the first place I learned it. Through sports, especially football, I grew close to people who were nothing like me and who I never would have picked as friends. Because we spent days going through difficult practices together, and our Friday nights were spent fighting for the same goal, we became close. We developed relationships. I still have many of them today.
That idea has continued to prove itself throughout my life. The people I've developed close relationships with have been people with whom I've shared a signficant amount of life experiences. As I look at those people, I realize that a majority of them don't agree with me on a number of things. Over half have a significantly different worldview and believe very different things about God (or his absence in the world).
The application of this idea for adults now, especially for those who claim Christianity and the goal of showing the love and power of God to those who don't see it, is that we will have a much bigger chance to have that impact through shared life experience. And I'm not sure Christians have a great reputation for seeking shared experiences with non-Christians. Christ did.
I believe there is also a great deal to be gained from those who think differently, especially an understanding of their perspective. Too often those with whom we disagree are the enemy, and we attempt to have a contest about who can shout the loudest (usually through newspapers, media, or in one-sided conversations in which we mock this "enemy" where they won't hear and won't get a chance to respond).
I don't want to sound like I believe "inclusion" is an answer for Christians. I'll write more on that in my next post. I simply believe what a lifetime of experience (especially in athletics as both a coach and player) has taught me - deep relationships come from intense shared life experiences.
That vital idea is the importance of shared life experience in building relationships. The concept is not found only in athletics; it's just the first place I learned it. Through sports, especially football, I grew close to people who were nothing like me and who I never would have picked as friends. Because we spent days going through difficult practices together, and our Friday nights were spent fighting for the same goal, we became close. We developed relationships. I still have many of them today.
That idea has continued to prove itself throughout my life. The people I've developed close relationships with have been people with whom I've shared a signficant amount of life experiences. As I look at those people, I realize that a majority of them don't agree with me on a number of things. Over half have a significantly different worldview and believe very different things about God (or his absence in the world).
The application of this idea for adults now, especially for those who claim Christianity and the goal of showing the love and power of God to those who don't see it, is that we will have a much bigger chance to have that impact through shared life experience. And I'm not sure Christians have a great reputation for seeking shared experiences with non-Christians. Christ did.
I believe there is also a great deal to be gained from those who think differently, especially an understanding of their perspective. Too often those with whom we disagree are the enemy, and we attempt to have a contest about who can shout the loudest (usually through newspapers, media, or in one-sided conversations in which we mock this "enemy" where they won't hear and won't get a chance to respond).
I don't want to sound like I believe "inclusion" is an answer for Christians. I'll write more on that in my next post. I simply believe what a lifetime of experience (especially in athletics as both a coach and player) has taught me - deep relationships come from intense shared life experiences.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Today's thoughts on HS athletics
Last night was a rewarding night for me. Three players that I coached when I was a head coach two years ago stopped by my house to see me before they went to college. They left for the University of Iowa today. I didn't coach them or teach them in their final two years of high school, but we've maintained a relationship in the interim. I'm not sure what they learned from me in the two years I coached them and had them in the classroom; but at the very least I think they learned that they could trust me to talk to and treat them like real people, and that they could do the same with me. We didn't talk about anything important last night; but we were talking, and I think that's the important thing.
I'm having fewer and fewer of these conversations now that I'm not a head coach. And I miss them. As a freshman coach now, I only get to have the athletes for one season. Many of them I don't ever teach in the classroom. Whatever lessons I have for them (or trust I try to build) is limited to a 4 month time period. I have some players from my time here at Mason City who have made it a point to voluntarily converse with me, but the number is smaller than it was when I had the influence of a head coach.
I spoke with a football coaching friend of my this week. He's a head coach, and he's got a plan. He's tired of seeing some of the attitudes he often faces with high school athletes, and he realizes he has a voice as their head coach. He's created a list of around 10 life skills that he wants to emphasize this year with his players. Things like accountability, respect, leadership, etc. And he's really going to teach them. He's not going to post them on a wall as window dressing. He's not going to mention them one day and hope it sinks in. Because he realizes that coaches only get what they emphasize, he plans to take practice time each day to focus on one of these traits and how to improve it. He also wants to spread this to the junior high and elementary students in the district, providing their teachers with short lesson plans for class on Friday's for them to discuss the character trait being emphasized that week by the football players.
I've become a bit disillusioned by high school sports as of late. Maybe even for the past couple of years. That's likely surprising coming from a high school coach, but it's true. Often it's tough to see what the payoff is for kids or adults. I see kids being taught to love personal glory and love the cheers of people they don't know. I see adults pouring out emotion in fairly unhealthy ways in an attempt to see wins. I see tons of money influencing so many aspects of athletics. I see athletes (of all ages) being asked to spend hundreds of hours year round focusing on their sport. All for what? What's the payoff? In the scheme of things, what is being gained?
I'm jealous of the football coach mentioned above, because he is getting to produce some real gains in people. He has that opportunity. He's got a lot of similar ideas to what I've done or wanted to do as a head coach, and he's doing them. He's making it worthwhile for the adults involved, for the players, and for the community. He's making sports matter. I miss that job a lot.
I don't know why I don't get to be a head coach right now. It's tough to believe I can have as much influence without the opportunities that position afforded me. As a believer in an omnipotent and sovereign God, I've got to believe there is a reason. That doesn't mean I have to like it. I can only go about seeking excellence (as discussed in an earlier post) in the situations I'm granted now.
I've reread what I've written above twice now, and I can't seem to find a conclusion to write. Maybe that's because there is none. It's tough to have a nice neat ending to a writing about real life. Especially in a writing that meanders as much as this post. I guess the conclusion is I do believe sports can be important, and I do believe that responsibility and opportunity is often mismanaged at many levels. And right now I have no idea what my place is in any of it.
I'm having fewer and fewer of these conversations now that I'm not a head coach. And I miss them. As a freshman coach now, I only get to have the athletes for one season. Many of them I don't ever teach in the classroom. Whatever lessons I have for them (or trust I try to build) is limited to a 4 month time period. I have some players from my time here at Mason City who have made it a point to voluntarily converse with me, but the number is smaller than it was when I had the influence of a head coach.
I spoke with a football coaching friend of my this week. He's a head coach, and he's got a plan. He's tired of seeing some of the attitudes he often faces with high school athletes, and he realizes he has a voice as their head coach. He's created a list of around 10 life skills that he wants to emphasize this year with his players. Things like accountability, respect, leadership, etc. And he's really going to teach them. He's not going to post them on a wall as window dressing. He's not going to mention them one day and hope it sinks in. Because he realizes that coaches only get what they emphasize, he plans to take practice time each day to focus on one of these traits and how to improve it. He also wants to spread this to the junior high and elementary students in the district, providing their teachers with short lesson plans for class on Friday's for them to discuss the character trait being emphasized that week by the football players.
I've become a bit disillusioned by high school sports as of late. Maybe even for the past couple of years. That's likely surprising coming from a high school coach, but it's true. Often it's tough to see what the payoff is for kids or adults. I see kids being taught to love personal glory and love the cheers of people they don't know. I see adults pouring out emotion in fairly unhealthy ways in an attempt to see wins. I see tons of money influencing so many aspects of athletics. I see athletes (of all ages) being asked to spend hundreds of hours year round focusing on their sport. All for what? What's the payoff? In the scheme of things, what is being gained?
I'm jealous of the football coach mentioned above, because he is getting to produce some real gains in people. He has that opportunity. He's got a lot of similar ideas to what I've done or wanted to do as a head coach, and he's doing them. He's making it worthwhile for the adults involved, for the players, and for the community. He's making sports matter. I miss that job a lot.
I don't know why I don't get to be a head coach right now. It's tough to believe I can have as much influence without the opportunities that position afforded me. As a believer in an omnipotent and sovereign God, I've got to believe there is a reason. That doesn't mean I have to like it. I can only go about seeking excellence (as discussed in an earlier post) in the situations I'm granted now.
I've reread what I've written above twice now, and I can't seem to find a conclusion to write. Maybe that's because there is none. It's tough to have a nice neat ending to a writing about real life. Especially in a writing that meanders as much as this post. I guess the conclusion is I do believe sports can be important, and I do believe that responsibility and opportunity is often mismanaged at many levels. And right now I have no idea what my place is in any of it.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
My great challenge
I don’t want to come off in this post sounding like I hate being around people. I love being around people. I just love controlling which people I’m around. Meeting new people is not something I’m great at or excited about, and I’m almost obsessive at times about controlling my environment when at all possible. I enjoy being around others, I really do – they just have to be ones who are just like me or who I find to be interesting. (That’s sound awful as I write it, but it is what it is. I didn’t start this blog to be politically correct, but to be honest.)
Having said that, tomorrow marks a great challenge for me. For the past two and a half months, I really haven’t had to see any people that I didn’t voluntarily want to see. June, July and August are major perks for teachers. Ninety percent of my energy over that period of time has been spent with my soon to be two year old daughter.
Highlights have included:
- several visits to YouTube for videos of Kermit, Cookie Monster, Ernie and Elmo hopping, eating, counting, singing, and dancing on the moon
- blowing bubbles, lots of blowing bubbles
- hiking with Coach, our yellow lab
- napping
- reading about Spot the dog, some very excited hippos, a cat that can’t seem to stay out of trouble, and many farm animals making noise.
It’s been one of the best summers of my life. Also, I’ve found more peace than in years past. I’ve read and studied a lot, written some, and I feel like I’ve got as good of perspective on life as I have had in a while. Tomorrow I find out how solid of a foundation that peace and perspective is standing on.
Tomorrow the school year starts for me. That means people. Lots and lots of people. People who don’t love we with the same passion that my wife and daughter and dog do. People who aren’t looking for ways to make my life better. And many people I don’t agree with. It’s easy to maintain a loving, Christ-like attitude towards others when you don’t have to be around them. Tomorrow I actually have to be around them.
Most challenging for me, as I’m sure it is for many of you, is showing love to those who have wronged me in some way. Or those whose actions I don’t respect. Especially those in positions of authority or leadership. And there are some in positions of authority to me who I feel have been deceptive and reckless.
Teachers are excellent at complaining, especially with other teachers. And I am no different. In fact, I’ve had a couple of conversations with fellow educators in the weeks leading up to the beginning of the school year, and I’ve already found myself falling into a “Shannon must be comfortable”-centered attitude in those discussions. It is a trait, if I believe any of the things I say I believe, that must be changed.
In a sermon I heard recently by John MacArthur (http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/42-87), he explains that in a world full of different religions and many who don’t believe in any God, perhaps the best way for Christians to gain credibility is through love. But it’s got to be supernatural, God-inspired and strengthened love. The entire world loves those who are nice to them, those who agree with them. The calling for Christ-followers is to be different. That calling is to deal with being wronged or disagreed with or just plain annoyed as a part of living in the world and as an opportunity to display a different kind of love. But it must be a real love, not a love motivated by the desire to be a “good Christian,” whatever that is.
Tomorrow the year begins. It’s like New Years Day for educators, and I’ve got a long list of resolutions. How effective will I be? I’ll keep you posted.
Having said that, tomorrow marks a great challenge for me. For the past two and a half months, I really haven’t had to see any people that I didn’t voluntarily want to see. June, July and August are major perks for teachers. Ninety percent of my energy over that period of time has been spent with my soon to be two year old daughter.
Highlights have included:
- several visits to YouTube for videos of Kermit, Cookie Monster, Ernie and Elmo hopping, eating, counting, singing, and dancing on the moon
- blowing bubbles, lots of blowing bubbles
- hiking with Coach, our yellow lab
- napping
- reading about Spot the dog, some very excited hippos, a cat that can’t seem to stay out of trouble, and many farm animals making noise.
It’s been one of the best summers of my life. Also, I’ve found more peace than in years past. I’ve read and studied a lot, written some, and I feel like I’ve got as good of perspective on life as I have had in a while. Tomorrow I find out how solid of a foundation that peace and perspective is standing on.
Tomorrow the school year starts for me. That means people. Lots and lots of people. People who don’t love we with the same passion that my wife and daughter and dog do. People who aren’t looking for ways to make my life better. And many people I don’t agree with. It’s easy to maintain a loving, Christ-like attitude towards others when you don’t have to be around them. Tomorrow I actually have to be around them.
Most challenging for me, as I’m sure it is for many of you, is showing love to those who have wronged me in some way. Or those whose actions I don’t respect. Especially those in positions of authority or leadership. And there are some in positions of authority to me who I feel have been deceptive and reckless.
Teachers are excellent at complaining, especially with other teachers. And I am no different. In fact, I’ve had a couple of conversations with fellow educators in the weeks leading up to the beginning of the school year, and I’ve already found myself falling into a “Shannon must be comfortable”-centered attitude in those discussions. It is a trait, if I believe any of the things I say I believe, that must be changed.
In a sermon I heard recently by John MacArthur (http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/42-87), he explains that in a world full of different religions and many who don’t believe in any God, perhaps the best way for Christians to gain credibility is through love. But it’s got to be supernatural, God-inspired and strengthened love. The entire world loves those who are nice to them, those who agree with them. The calling for Christ-followers is to be different. That calling is to deal with being wronged or disagreed with or just plain annoyed as a part of living in the world and as an opportunity to display a different kind of love. But it must be a real love, not a love motivated by the desire to be a “good Christian,” whatever that is.
Tomorrow the year begins. It’s like New Years Day for educators, and I’ve got a long list of resolutions. How effective will I be? I’ll keep you posted.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
more on motivation
When I started working at a new school once again two years ago (my 3rd school in 6 years), I was determined to build a solid reputation early through my actions. I wanted to be impressive from the get-go. I had a high level of respect in my previous two teaching positions, and that level of respect allowed me a great deal of freedom in the way I taught. Also, I had always been a head coach. When I took the job with my current school (Mason City), the only available basketball coaching position was that of freshman coach. While I was thankful for many aspects of my new job, the two things it lacked that I wanted were the freedom and respect I had gained in my other jobs and a head coaching position.
I went in with the attitude that if I could be impressive, eventually I could obtain these things. If I could make myself known as a talented, hard-working teacher and coach, my time would come. It seemed like a good idea. Looking back, this approach was dead wrong.
I realized this in church on Sunday morning this week. Part of our pastor's sermon included reference to Titus 2: 9-10: "Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things."
And there it is, in the section I've bolded. Paul is writing to Titus, a young leader, about what to tell to servants/slaves. He says to tell them to be impressive. Be honorable and dependable and one heck of a worker. But the motivation isn't so that they wouldn't get beaten or that they would be treated better. It wasn't so that they would get trusted with more or given their freedom. The message was to be impressive and honorable and dependable so that "they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things." Or in another translation: "so that in every way they will make known the teaching about God our Savior."
Getting rewarded for your work isn't bad. Look at the Old Testament Joseph and how important it was for his people that he be rewarded for his devotion as a servant. But if the reward is my motivation, my heart is in the wrong place. And so is my treasure.
I believe at this point I have some respect, a little bit of freedom, and no head coaching position. But I don't care quite as much about those anymore. This year, I seek to be impressive in all that I do so that I might adorn the doctrine of God in all things.
I went in with the attitude that if I could be impressive, eventually I could obtain these things. If I could make myself known as a talented, hard-working teacher and coach, my time would come. It seemed like a good idea. Looking back, this approach was dead wrong.
I realized this in church on Sunday morning this week. Part of our pastor's sermon included reference to Titus 2: 9-10: "Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things."
And there it is, in the section I've bolded. Paul is writing to Titus, a young leader, about what to tell to servants/slaves. He says to tell them to be impressive. Be honorable and dependable and one heck of a worker. But the motivation isn't so that they wouldn't get beaten or that they would be treated better. It wasn't so that they would get trusted with more or given their freedom. The message was to be impressive and honorable and dependable so that "they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things." Or in another translation: "so that in every way they will make known the teaching about God our Savior."
Getting rewarded for your work isn't bad. Look at the Old Testament Joseph and how important it was for his people that he be rewarded for his devotion as a servant. But if the reward is my motivation, my heart is in the wrong place. And so is my treasure.
I believe at this point I have some respect, a little bit of freedom, and no head coaching position. But I don't care quite as much about those anymore. This year, I seek to be impressive in all that I do so that I might adorn the doctrine of God in all things.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
evolution in schools
I've grown weary of the seemingly never-ending debate going on about evolution and creationism being taught in science classrooms in public schools. The discussion started after Des Moines Register columnist Rekha Basu wrote a piece about some in the Spencer school district trying to inject opposition to Darwinism and a course on the Bible into the curriculum (see article here: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090712/OPINION01/907120306/1001/NEWS).
The Opinion page has been buzzing with letters in response from both Christians and non-Christians. Today was no exception, with four letters printed criticizing a previous letter. The back and forth continues.
I do get tired of some of the mindless commentary made by those attacking Christians (though much of it is not mindless and illogical); however, that's not my concern. You can hardly blame someone without the Holy Spirit in them to not be offended by those suggesting God exists. My commentary today is for the Christians in the midst of the debate.
One thing that needs to be made clear is that we're usually talking about what gets taught in a science classroom. The basis of science is that it is an attempt to explain the natural world. Scientists ask what physical explanations can be made for something happening, and they go about suggesting and testing ideas. By definition, they cannot factor in God in their explanation. God is beyond the natural world. I think we need to get less worked up about the absence of God in the science classroom curriculum. Science doesn't deal in that realm.
If we were to begin including God in the exlanation of how things work, science textbooks would need to only include one word: God. Why is the sky blue? God. Why do things fall to the ground? God. How did that leg heal? God. There are many Christian scientists, many of whom believe God is responsible for Creation. But that is not a scientific response. I think it's time to let this one die. Sure, I'd love for every kid to be exposed to the idea that God created the universe. But that doesn't belong in a science classroom.
Perhaps we should stop asking our science teachers to go out of their sphere of influence to talk about how glorious God is and how his glory shines through the creation, and instead we should start relying on Christians to stay in our biblically commanded sphere of influence, our calling to reveal these things to all the world.
And to reveal them with the motivation of saving souls, not of proving that we are right.
The Opinion page has been buzzing with letters in response from both Christians and non-Christians. Today was no exception, with four letters printed criticizing a previous letter. The back and forth continues.
I do get tired of some of the mindless commentary made by those attacking Christians (though much of it is not mindless and illogical); however, that's not my concern. You can hardly blame someone without the Holy Spirit in them to not be offended by those suggesting God exists. My commentary today is for the Christians in the midst of the debate.
One thing that needs to be made clear is that we're usually talking about what gets taught in a science classroom. The basis of science is that it is an attempt to explain the natural world. Scientists ask what physical explanations can be made for something happening, and they go about suggesting and testing ideas. By definition, they cannot factor in God in their explanation. God is beyond the natural world. I think we need to get less worked up about the absence of God in the science classroom curriculum. Science doesn't deal in that realm.
If we were to begin including God in the exlanation of how things work, science textbooks would need to only include one word: God. Why is the sky blue? God. Why do things fall to the ground? God. How did that leg heal? God. There are many Christian scientists, many of whom believe God is responsible for Creation. But that is not a scientific response. I think it's time to let this one die. Sure, I'd love for every kid to be exposed to the idea that God created the universe. But that doesn't belong in a science classroom.
Perhaps we should stop asking our science teachers to go out of their sphere of influence to talk about how glorious God is and how his glory shines through the creation, and instead we should start relying on Christians to stay in our biblically commanded sphere of influence, our calling to reveal these things to all the world.
And to reveal them with the motivation of saving souls, not of proving that we are right.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Psalm 34
I'm bad at prayer. Always have been. I was so bad that a couple of years ago I devoted one of my precious summers to studying prayer with the hope of understanding it better. I do, and I've been better since then, but I still think I fall into the "hopelessly mediocre" category of pray-ers. I also have a couple of hang-ups on issues concerning prayer that I'm sure will get brought out sooner or later in this blog.
I read in Psalm 34 today why I shouldn't be bad. I knew all these things before I read that Psalm today, but they were all piled together in a beautiful sort of poetic format. David has a way of doing that. Anyway, here I found a list of promises for those who trust in God through prayer. It's a staggering list. I want to share it today, because it makes me feel like a fool for every time I haven't prayed. I think it's great motivation, and I hope it makes me and others struggling better at this awe-inspiring and necessary activity. So here's the list:
Promises from Ps. 34 for those trusting in God through prayer:
- delivered from all fears
- will be radiant after looking to Him
- not ashamed
- heard by the Lord and saved
- the angel of the Lord is near
- able to taste and see that the Lord is good
- blessed
- will have no want
- shall not lack any good thing
- eyes of the Lord are on you
- will have many afflictions, but will be delivered by the Lord from all of them
I read in Psalm 34 today why I shouldn't be bad. I knew all these things before I read that Psalm today, but they were all piled together in a beautiful sort of poetic format. David has a way of doing that. Anyway, here I found a list of promises for those who trust in God through prayer. It's a staggering list. I want to share it today, because it makes me feel like a fool for every time I haven't prayed. I think it's great motivation, and I hope it makes me and others struggling better at this awe-inspiring and necessary activity. So here's the list:
Promises from Ps. 34 for those trusting in God through prayer:
- delivered from all fears
- will be radiant after looking to Him
- not ashamed
- heard by the Lord and saved
- the angel of the Lord is near
- able to taste and see that the Lord is good
- blessed
- will have no want
- shall not lack any good thing
- eyes of the Lord are on you
- will have many afflictions, but will be delivered by the Lord from all of them
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Doing the Expected
I'm now in the middle of reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck. It was another book I wanted to get done with before the end of summer, and now I regret not starting sooner because it's a 600 page book. I'm almost 200 pages through, and Steinbeck has written some beautiful things.
One thing I came across today is the idea of acting how one is expected to act. The story is set around 1900, and at this point in the book is in the Salinas Valley in California. At this particular point in the story, an educated Chinese American reveals to one of the main characters that he is, in fact, educated and can speak formal English. To all others, however, he speaks broken English and succumbs to common Chinese immigrant stereotypes. The main character (Sam Hamilton), a deep thinking, hard-working, kind Irish immigrant, asks him why. Lee, the Chinese character, tells that it's what people expect from him. Life is easier for him if he does what others expect him to do instead of breaking out of that.
Hamilton sees this in himself as well, commenting that he tells a lot of jokes to visitors to his farm because people come to his farm expecting that. "I try to be funny for them even when the sadness is on me," comments Hamilton.
This is a truth I see a lot of in high school students. Some continue to fail classes because their peers expect them to put forth little effort. Others are constantly making one-liners because they are expected to provide entertainment. Looking back, I see a lot of that behavior in my self as well in high school. And I'm sure it's common in the adult world as well. Once people expect something from you, it's easier to maintain that expectation rather than rock the boat and change.
There are a million things to be said about this topic, but when I first read this section this morning, I wondered about what is expected of me when people come and see me, especially where I work. I'm not sure I've come up with an answer, but what has bothered me is what didn't come as an answer. I'm not sure that what people expect of me when they come to see me is a God-centered approach to all areas of my conversations. I'm just not sure if people immediately think, "That is a guy who is really connected with God in everything he does and says."
I had that reputation once, at least to a certain extent. While working a summer camp in Pennsylvania when I was 21, a few weeks into the job a friend of mine approached me and asked if we could talk. He had a question concerning religion in his relationship with a girl, and he prefaced the conversation with, "I know you're a religious guy. . ."
I don't really have people start conversations with me like that much anymore. Perhaps that was a different environment where I was closer to a lot of the people I worked with. The staff was younger, and we worked hard all day together, played hard at night together, and spent our days off together.
Whatever the reason, the same way people come to Hamilton in East of Eden for both help and laughter, I pray that soon people will come to me with an expectation of being around someone God-centered in all he does.
One thing I came across today is the idea of acting how one is expected to act. The story is set around 1900, and at this point in the book is in the Salinas Valley in California. At this particular point in the story, an educated Chinese American reveals to one of the main characters that he is, in fact, educated and can speak formal English. To all others, however, he speaks broken English and succumbs to common Chinese immigrant stereotypes. The main character (Sam Hamilton), a deep thinking, hard-working, kind Irish immigrant, asks him why. Lee, the Chinese character, tells that it's what people expect from him. Life is easier for him if he does what others expect him to do instead of breaking out of that.
Hamilton sees this in himself as well, commenting that he tells a lot of jokes to visitors to his farm because people come to his farm expecting that. "I try to be funny for them even when the sadness is on me," comments Hamilton.
This is a truth I see a lot of in high school students. Some continue to fail classes because their peers expect them to put forth little effort. Others are constantly making one-liners because they are expected to provide entertainment. Looking back, I see a lot of that behavior in my self as well in high school. And I'm sure it's common in the adult world as well. Once people expect something from you, it's easier to maintain that expectation rather than rock the boat and change.
There are a million things to be said about this topic, but when I first read this section this morning, I wondered about what is expected of me when people come and see me, especially where I work. I'm not sure I've come up with an answer, but what has bothered me is what didn't come as an answer. I'm not sure that what people expect of me when they come to see me is a God-centered approach to all areas of my conversations. I'm just not sure if people immediately think, "That is a guy who is really connected with God in everything he does and says."
I had that reputation once, at least to a certain extent. While working a summer camp in Pennsylvania when I was 21, a few weeks into the job a friend of mine approached me and asked if we could talk. He had a question concerning religion in his relationship with a girl, and he prefaced the conversation with, "I know you're a religious guy. . ."
I don't really have people start conversations with me like that much anymore. Perhaps that was a different environment where I was closer to a lot of the people I worked with. The staff was younger, and we worked hard all day together, played hard at night together, and spent our days off together.
Whatever the reason, the same way people come to Hamilton in East of Eden for both help and laughter, I pray that soon people will come to me with an expectation of being around someone God-centered in all he does.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Excellence Defined
I wrote down a definition of excellence a few weeks ago from the Compassion International blog that I'd like to share today. If you're not familiar with Compassion, it's a great charity. I won't go deep into what they do here, but they are certainly worth looking into.
Anyway, on their blog they listed what they are aiming at when they say they are pursuing excellence. I've read a ton of leadership and personal growth books, and I like this definition the best. It will be on my classroom wall once school starts in the Fall. There are 5 points, and each one deserves individual attention in order to be fully understood.
Excellence. . .
1. is answering God's call to the best of our abilities with the gifts and resources He has given us.
2. is carrying out God's work with an attitude of enjoyment.
3. is exceeding the expectations of the world and striving to meet God's standards.
4. honors God.
5. requires a grounding in Christ, the source of all strength.
While goal-setting is good, as is having a vision for where one wants to go, the more I study, the more I realize that if one is living a God-centered life, success comes in the journey. I will never "arrive" or accomplish success. I can live each day successfully if I am pursuing excellence as it is defined above.
I can become teacher of the year, acquire another graduate degree, or go undefeated as a coach. None of that, however, would be successful or fulfilling. They are only good if I go about reaching those goals each day with excellence in mind.
Anyway, on their blog they listed what they are aiming at when they say they are pursuing excellence. I've read a ton of leadership and personal growth books, and I like this definition the best. It will be on my classroom wall once school starts in the Fall. There are 5 points, and each one deserves individual attention in order to be fully understood.
Excellence. . .
1. is answering God's call to the best of our abilities with the gifts and resources He has given us.
2. is carrying out God's work with an attitude of enjoyment.
3. is exceeding the expectations of the world and striving to meet God's standards.
4. honors God.
5. requires a grounding in Christ, the source of all strength.
While goal-setting is good, as is having a vision for where one wants to go, the more I study, the more I realize that if one is living a God-centered life, success comes in the journey. I will never "arrive" or accomplish success. I can live each day successfully if I am pursuing excellence as it is defined above.
I can become teacher of the year, acquire another graduate degree, or go undefeated as a coach. None of that, however, would be successful or fulfilling. They are only good if I go about reaching those goals each day with excellence in mind.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)