January

One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, ‘What’s a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?’

He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: ‘Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.’

To stress his point he said to another guest; ‘You’re a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?’

Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began…)

Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can’t make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental.

You want to know what I make? (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.)

I make kids wonder.

I make them question.

I make them apologize and mean it.

I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.

I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn’t everything.

I make them read, read, read.

I make them show all their work in math. They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator.

I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know English while preserving their unique cultural identity.

I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.

I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under God, because we live in the United States of America.

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.’

(Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.)

‘Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn’t everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant… You want to know what I make?

I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make, Mr. CEO?

His jaw dropped, he went silent.

For all teachers including mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and your spiritual leaders/teachers – Pastor’s/Priests/Clergy/Rabbis, etc.

Here is the original…

And here is the second generation…

Ever in search of a comfortable place to lay, my dogs would find a way to get warm laundry out of the drier like this smart dog…

Been a while since I’ve posted one of these, but something just popped into my head.

If I were rich, instead of working, I would go to high rise office buildings and ride to a top level floor just before lunch. I’d get on the elevator, wait for it to fill up, push all of the buttons, then get out.

I could spend months doing that without it getting old.

This could very well be a picture from my wife’s classroom.

Because so many of my new online friends are ministers, preachers, or regular church attendees, I have a new feature that I would like to keep up with once per week. I am going to be posting a few questions that I have always wondered about and many new ones that arise as I make my way through the Bible.

So preachers, ministers, teachers, elders, deacons, etc, etc, add me to your feed reader and submit your answers, and tell your preacher / minister friends to do the same. It will be interesting to see different viewpoints and interpretations and get answers to questions that I can’t be the only one wondering about. I will try to get all questions up by Saturday night.

Week One Questions

1. Was God literally walking in the Garden of Eden? How can / should this be interpreted?
Gen 3:8

6. I think this question was answered in a sermon a few months ago, but I will pose it again for alternate responses and for those who have wondered the same thing. Why was Jesus baptized? He had no sins to forgive. Mt 3:13-15

You may see all of the questions in this series here.

The church service this morning was great. What a perfect way to start the new year. It was a shortened sermon in order to fit in some first-of-the-year-business, so take about 15 minutes and listen to the podcast. (It should be available later this week.)

The topic this morning was “Holy Because God is Holy”. Christopher made the point that the “overriding quality of God…He is always Holy”. Last year was not an easy year for many people, myself included. While it was certainly better than 2007, there will still challenges. I am sure we can relate to the difficulties of trying to be holy in the face of the challenges and struggles we face. But God never falters. He is always holy.

We will continually fall short of His standards. We will screw up, suffer weakness, entertain doubt, and question ourselves and His love. Nevertheless, He wants to have a relationship with us and He continually pursues that relationship. 2008 brought my wife and I friends that have helped us grow our relationship with God. At the same time, our relationship with each other has blossomed fantastically (and we just celebrated 9 years last month!).

2008 was a year for us to get off the sidelines and into the game. We have become much more involved and have been blessed as a result. This morning, Christopher read this quote from D.L. Moody, “A holy life will make the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns, they just shine”. So in 2009 I aim to talk less, listen more, and shine brighter.

In years past, I have not been big on making resolutions, because I know I won’t keep them very long. But I will admit, I am usually tempted to write out a list. The new year brings hope that we can make changes in our lives, kick certain habits, adopt other habits, and do a few things differently. January 1 gives us a clean slate on which to write a new story.

This year, I decided to write out a list of resolutions that I plan on keeping. I tried to avoid listing those things in which I think I may not be successful at keeping. If I don’t think I can do it, why waste my time? So, here is the 2009 list of New Year’s Resolutions that I believe I can keep.

1. Don’t wreck a Ferrari
2. Avoid frivolously spending more than $1,000,000.
3. Poke fun at Tucker, Trey, and John more often.
4. Don’t send any inappropriate text messages to friends “accidentally”.
5. No adopting any more animals.
6. Write less than 7 books.
7. No fighting wild bears.
8. No flaunting my looks.
9. Avoid getting my hair caught in anything.
10. Eat more ham.