What Was the Question?

One of my crazy college friends recently posted this.

My teacher once went around the room giving us a problem to solve. She said, "Eddie, tell me something you are not good at using the letter "N"." I said, "Spelling."

On the surface, it may seem kind of confusing. Well, unless you know him. Then you just kind shrug your shoulders, turn it sideways, and finally decide that he was serious. I mean there is an ‘N” in spelling. As a teacher, it makes total sense. He answered the question, just not in the way the teacher intended. It actually happens pretty often. Most of the time the fault rests with the actual question. I have seen many test questions that on the surface are fine but can truly be quite ambiguous.

Math question during Covid:

23 students are at the beach. 34 more students come. How may students are at the beach?          

Answer:  Too many for Covid 19

I mean they’re not wrong…

Last week on a test I asked a question about possible interactions of two environmental factors. What I hadn’t planned for was one student’s answer of “they might not interact”. Touché! He got the points.

One of the best classes I have ever taken in college was Tests & Measurements with Miss Pohl. It taught us about using data, how to display it, and even how it is often manipulated. Yet for me, the most productive part was learning how to write clear, pointed, unambiguous questions to measure what had been learned. Too many times we ask questions that don’t really reveal what we are looking to find. We also need to carefully analyze the answers we are given. Often, they are more telling than they seem on the surface.

It’s the same with rhetorical questions. Parents & teachers often ask, “What were you thinking?”. Focus on the answer. It might just make sense in a youthful convoluted way. It may not have been what we wanted, but usually there is a solid thought process going on.

So how can we help others communicate with us? Here are some suggestions.

·       Think out your questions carefully. This takes work!

·       Repeat the answer back so they know you understood. It may be when they hear it out loud, they realize they need to add clarification.

·       Ask additional questions if necessary to make sure you have their whole answer.

·       Try to see the question from their perspective.

You can learn a lot from asking questions. Just make sure you are asking the right ones!

 “Ask and it will be given to you;

seek and you will find;

knock and the door will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:7 NIV

What Is Your Secret? Hidden In Plain Sight.

Everyone likes a secret. It makes us feel special when we know something that others may not know. Who wouldn’t want to know KFC’s “secret recipe”, the formula for Coca-Cola, Ford’s trade secrets, or Mr. Crab’s recipe for Crabby Patties? The list goes on. If we can just find the recipe, the solution, that hidden secret, then our lives will be changed.

The fact of the matter is that most secrets aren’t secrets. They are just good ideas hidden in plain sight. We can often overlook the obvious while straining to find “the answer”. Our new HS Principal, Don Davis shared his “Secret of Success” with our students at our first Chapel.

1. Get to class on time in the morning.

2. Do what the teacher says.

3. Get to your next class on time.

4. Do what the teacher says.

5. Repeat

 

Some secret, isn’t it? It is actually just an often ignored piece of common sense. That what most good secrets are – common sense hidden in plain sight.

 

For our last anniversary, my wife and I took a trip to Bodega Bay. I love the ocean; she loves Alfred Hitchcock. It was a wonderful win-win. While we were there, we stopped by at Jack London Ranch State Park. Mr. London was an interesting enigma to be sure, but he had many great ideas that some would call his “trade secrets”. The funny thing is that he would willingly share them with anyone who would listen. As we toured the house, we were taken to the room where he often slept. Above his bed was a length of twine just within arm’s length, with clothespins every few inches. When he woke up in the middle of the night with a great idea, he would write it down so he didn’t forget it. It was a great system, but not much of a secret. So what secret are you searching for? Victory over a habit? A more powerful prayer life? A more effective Bible reading schedule? Maybe it’s time to get back to the basics. The ones hidden in plain sight – in the scriptures!

Why Do We Say Thank You?

 

Everyone likes a thank you. It pleases us. It makes us feel appreciated. We consider it polite. You hold open a door, “Thank You”. Give a little child a piece of candy, “Thank You”. We are usually taught from an early age to say these words. We often look at it as a requirement or necessity. So is there a chance we can over use it – that it becomes “expected” instead of freely given? I have seen people get really bent out of shape because they did something (usually trivial at that) and the person ”forgot” to say thank you. Never mind the fact that the other person may be stressed, deep in thought, or otherwise distracted. Their silent “lack of gratitude” is often met with a very loud and somewhat haughty, “You’re Welcome!” Seems a bit self-serving and nitpicky to me, but hey, I’m just a country boy at heart. So is a thank you required all the time?

A thank you is really meant for extra, unexpected, or undeserved favors. We thank others for helping us or doing something nice. We thank God because He freely gives us everything we don’t deserve. We should serve Him not to gain favor, but to say thank you. Nothing we can ever do will come anywhere near to repaying what He has done for us.

Does obedience deserve a thank you? No, not really. But it can be encouraging non the less. I don’t really expect a thank you for simply doing my expected duties. In fact I find it embarrassing that we have gotten to the point where people are surprised when you actually do what you are told and complete the expected task. If it’s expected, why would I need a thank you? After all, I am getting paid to do the job. Nevertheless, I will always graciously accept any thank you I get, I just think it’s kind of silly.

The Bible talks about this in the light of us being servants. We can never repay what Christ has done for us. He doesn’t say, “Thank You, He says, I Love You.” We are the ones that should be saying thank you. And we can, by being good servants. (The “well done good and faithful servant” comes later.)

“Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’ . Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

Luke 17:7-10

What do You Fear?

 Fear is an interesting concept. It can keep us alive; It can paralyze us. Healthy fear starts with a correct fear of God. Proverbs 9: :10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding”. When we fear God, it leads to understanding and obedience, which leads to preservation of life, both physical and spiritual. A healthy fear of electricity can lead to understanding, which can lead to being able to harness its power safely. I fear gravity, so I am careful when walking high trails or working on roofs and ladders.

Understanding fear can be very freeing. I often summarize a situation and enumerate all the possible outcomes I can imagine, both good and bad. Think: What’s the worst that can happen? If I can accept any outcome, It allows me to go forward and work through the problem rationally. Sometimes the answer is to not do something, but now it’s out of caution and wise thinking, not based on fear.

Fear can also be crippling. It can make people freeze, causing them to not act at all. This leaves then at the mercy of whatever is happening. It robs us of experiences and adventures. It can cause us to not do the right thing. We can be bound by the fear of what people think, fear of failure, and even the fear of death.

One of the things Jesus did when He died for us was free us from the fear of death.

  ^“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” Hebrews 2:14-15 NIV

With no reason the fear the shadow of death, we are free to follow Him and serve Him wherever we are needed. There are some things I choose not to do (like skydiving or alligator wrestling) but I still don’t want to let fear master me. So what are you afraid of? Let’s get out there and live freely!

What’s In It For Me?

At the end of Field of Dreams, Ray finally has to ask, “What’s in it for me?”. Yes, it was his whiny, selfish moment, but it needed to be asked. It finally let him find out what his whole journey was about. 
I recently had a similar moment. I had to choose between a possible financially beneficial job change, or stay where I was and step out in faith. God was more than clear that I needed to stay. But that still didn’t stop me from asking, “What’s in it for me?”. 

So what did I find out?

1. I get to continue to rely upon God for my provision instead of being self-sufficient. (God has been providing for us all these years. Seems a shame to stop now.)

2. I get to be a foundation stone as we rebuild. (It’s actually nice to be needed.) 

3. I get to lay up treasure in heaven instead of building a corruptible kingdom on Earth. 

4. I get to be a help to others. 

5. I get to see lived changed on a daily basis. 

6.I get to do what I love. 

Yesterday the cheerleaders were practicing. As I walked by reviewing my “1000 things to do today” list in my head, two of the young ladies yelled, Hi Mr. Cross! Later, two of the football players walked by and said “Hey, Mr. Cross”. They noticed me and were happy enough to see me and send a greeting! 
Ya, that’s what’s in it for me. 😊

“Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭103‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬