When The Story Ends (part 2)

Yesterday we went to a Celebration of Life for my wife’s aunt and uncle. He passed away a couple years ago, but they wanted to have the celebration for them together when she passed. It seems that I am at a point in my life where I am losing friends faster than I am making new ones. This probably isn’t true, but it feels like it.

It wasn’t really a sad time; they both lived into their 80s and had a good life. It just isn’t the same without them. Their youngest son gave a wonderful life summary. As crazy as he is, he has always been good with words. He ended with a quote from, of all people, Dr. Seuss.

On the surface, Dr. Seuss is known for a collection of children’s books that are silly, thoughtful, fanciful, outrageous, and educational, all at the same time. Some books like Green Eggs and Ham are just plain silly. I am told that book was written as a challenge to use only certain words given to him. But others taught us about prejudice (Sneetches) care for nature (The Lorax) forgiveness & redemption (How the Grinch Stole Christmas) and even counting & colors (1Fish 2 Fish). There was much more to the man than is seen on the surface.

The quote he used was “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” It’s an amazing little quote if you really ponder it. Things end. Situations change. If we dwell on the loss, we will always be sad. Today was the last day of this year’s work season for me at the State Park. It will be strange not working, but oh the stories I have from this year! It is in remembering the fun times, the journeys, the serendipitous happenings, were we can smile and be glad we were part of it. Grieving is a part of healing. But don’t settle there. Take time to recall the joy, the laughter, and the triumphs in the season you just finished. Many times what seems to be extreme chaos looks totally different when viewed from the hindsight vantage point. Take time to reflect, admire, and appreciate where you have been. God promises the journey will be worthwhile.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good

of those who love him, who  have been

called according to his purpose.”  

Romans 8:28 NIV

When the Story Ends

Have you ever had a book with a story so inviting, so captivating, that you struggle to put it down? I have a student in one of my classes that is never seen without his book. I joked with him today when I had to ask him to put it away during science class that "I know his pain". There have been times that a book is so intriguing that I struggled to put it down. I would think about it as I did other chores. Sometimes I might even dream about it. Books can be amazing, how they can captivate the mind. Yet there was one moment that I always dreaded - The end of the book. Oh, I was glad the hero finally won, that there was plot resolution, and that the evil characters had been thwarted. But there was also that feeling of sadness that it was all finished. It sounds silly, and it may be a reason that I really enjoy book series, but it is still a real thing.

And that’s how I am feeling now. Once again, life’s relentless forward motion has gained another of my friends. Two days ago, one of our volunteers at the homeless and under-resourced ministry we help at, passed away. Louis was a joy to be around. He and his wife really needed the groceries, meals, extras that we gave out every week. But I think he came mostly because he wanted to help. He would always be there on Wednesdays to help pack and hand out groceries. He would sing the songs with a gusto usually reserved for worship leaders. One of his favorite songs was “Oh There’s Nothing Better Than You”. He would say the verse of the month almost every time we met. You could get a $10 gift card to the Dollar Store if you could quote it from memory. You can only get one gift card a month, but that never stopped him. He would even help others, especially children, learn it. I don’t think I ever saw him complain. Even though he had lost part of his leg to an infection, he always had a smile and something good to say.

And now he’s gone. His story with us has ended. But it’s really not The End. He has started a whole new story. Happily, this one will last a good while! For eternity! God speed Louis! Save a spot at the table for us!

Have you ever had a book with a story so inviting, so captivating, that you struggle to put it down? I have a student in one of my classes that is never seen without his book. I joked with him today when I had to ask him to put it away during science class that "I know his pain". There have been times that a book is so intriguing that I struggled to put it down. I would think about it as I did other chores. Sometimes I might even dream about it. Books can be amazing, how they can captivate the mind. Yet there was one moment that I always dreaded - The end of the book. Oh, I was glad the hero finally won, that there was plot resolution, and that the evil characters had been thwarted. But there was also that feeling of sadness that it was all finished. It sounds silly, and it may be a reason that I really enjoy book series, but it is still a real thing.

And that’s how I am feeling now. Once again, life’s relentless forward motion has gained another of my friends. Two days ago, one of our volunteers at the homeless and under-resourced ministry we help at, passed away. Louis was a joy to be around. He and his wife really needed the groceries, meals, extras that we gave out every week. But I think he came mostly because he wanted to help. He would always be there on Wednesdays to help pack and hand out groceries. He would sing the songs with a gusto usually reserved for worship leaders. One of his favorite songs was “Oh There’s Nothing Better Than You”. He would say the verse of the month almost every time we met. You could get a $10 gift card to the Dollar Store if you could quote it from memory. You can only get one gift card a month, but that never stopped him. He would even help others, especially children, learn it. I don’t think I ever saw him complain. Even though he had lost part of his leg to an infection, he always had a smile and something good to say.

And now he’s gone. His story with us has ended. But it’s really not The End. He has started a whole new story. Happily, this one will last a good while! For eternity! God speed Louis! Save a spot at the table for us!

There’s Not an App for That

 We live in a world that is changing quickly. In my lifetime I have seen the telephone go from a wall hung device that you had to rotary dial (oh, and Google “party line” sometime) to a pocket friend who can find anyone on your list with just a voice command. When I was in grade school, if I wanted to find my friends, I road my bike to various locations and searched. When I found the other bikes, I knew where everyone was. Now they can send me their location by dropping a pin on a virtual map. Speaking of maps, we all used to have various maps in the glove compartment of the car. Funny, I never ever remember finding gloves in there. When we were first married, my wife liked to plan these awesome summer road trips for the kids. She had this ginormous atlas (her word not mine) that covered the whole United States. It would have pencil tracings, towns and locations circled, and even notes in some places. Now we just type in an address and Seri tells us how to do the rest.

It seems that now there is an app for anything you need. Need insurance? There’s an app for that. Need a discount coupon? There’s an app for that too. My phone is filled with little apps to do all the little things I want to do. From email to Big Box stores, theme parks to current weather, there’s an app for that.

And that’s where the problem occurs. Apps are fine for the mundane, trivial, and inconsequential parts of our lives. Yes, they do often make things easier. but they can often get in the way of what’s really important. Relationships are still build on day to day personal communication, trust, and commitment to growing together. Husbands and wives need to be able to communicate without distractions. Our children need to know that they are more important than technology. They need us to listen. There’s no app for that. Our relationship with God is not something you can put into an app. A schedule can be a reminder, but it is still up to us to pray, search the scriptures, and meditate on spiritual things as we worship with single-hearted devotion with our Creator. No, there’s no app that can cover that. Just the Scriptures, a lot of prayer, & Jesus. So use the apps, by all means. Just don’t forget 

National Read a Book Day

 

Today is National Read a Book Day. So when was the last time you read a book? For children, it is not as big of an issue. They still have book time in their school schedules. Even those too young to read usually don’t have trouble finding someone to read to them. I mean, what grandparent doesn’t want to read their grandchildren a book? It’s part of what we do.

I remember when the Harry Potter books came out. Everyone was talking about them. People ordered them months ahead or stood in line for hours to get one. I casually ignored it, like water off a duck’s back. Then the first movie came out and I did find it interesting. I think I liked the creatures best. One of my 7^th grade students, Sarah,  was a huge fan so we often talked about it at break or other times. Her father was a good friend and our school IT guy so even we sometimes talked about it. She said that the movies missed so much, as movies often do. I was encouraged to read the books. I laughed and told her that I had no intention of buying a whole set of children’s books. The kind, young student that she was, she offered to loan me the books so I could read them. I read the first book in about a week and a half. Slow by her standards, but not bad for a science teacher who had to shuffle around time slots to read and still grade papers. Then I read the second and the third. By the time Christmas rolled around, I found myself in that terrible book limbo world dreaded by all book aficionados. I had to wait for the last book to be written! Yet I found myself craving more. I realized this was the first time since college that I had read a book for sheer pleasure. All my reading had become texts, books, and journals related to my teaching. So I looked for more. I read a trilogy about Nicholas Flamel and a series called The Dragon Keeper Chronicles (again, courtesy of Sarah). I started searching through my wife’s collection. I read the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, all in one summer. I even started Moby Dick before I had to come up for air. (Moby Dick is a great read, but not one to take lightly!)

Nowadays I do mostly Audible books because reading has become more tedious with trifocals. I have also decided to not start a series until all the books are written. A few years ago my son-in-law got me excited about a series of books that he had read. It wasn’t until after I had finished the first book that he decided to tell me that the author had written 10 books and then died before finishing the last one. Fortunately his widow found another author who compiled his notes and finished the series. It turned out all fine and good in the end, but, never again. I’m sticking to one shot wonders now. (Ok, maybe a trilogy, but no more than that.)

So when was the last time you read something for fun? I encourage you to find you genre, and whether by old style book or modern mp3, make a goal to read at least one book before Christmas. You can thank me later.

(Oh, and thank you Sarah.)

Work Like Someone Is Watching

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24. 

One day when I was a new teacher the principal came into our Wednesday chapel waving a $5 bill. Now it may not sound like much, but back in the 80’s that was actually worth something. He said he had left a candy wrapper on the ground as an experiment. Almost everyone walked right by it. There was one jr. high student who didn’t. The principal called him up the front, shook his hand and handed him the fiver. The young man was both ecstatic and embarrassed at the same time. He didn’t pick it up because he thought he was going to be rewarded; he did it because it was the right thing to do. 

It left an impression on me. As I walk around our high school campus I try to do the same thing. I figure if it’s in front of me, it’s part of God’s good work for me to do today. (See Ephesians 2:10.) Sometimes kids say, “Ew, that’s gross!” I just smile, and tell them hands wash, and you’re not supposed to put your fingers in your mouth anyway. 

I’m glad my mom and dad taught me to always work like someone is watching, because, well, God is always watching. But more importantly, you never know who else might be watching. You can be an example to those around you. I’ve noticed that if you start cleaning up, people will often stop what they are doing and help. Maybe it’s out of guilt, but that doesn’t matter to me. I’m not doing it for them anyway. Noticed or not, let’s just keep doing the right thing day by day. Eventually, it will start to make a difference. 

You Do Worship

 

“Snitch’s get stitches.” “Mind your own business.” Why are we always on the extremes? When it’s important people don’t say anything because “they don’t want to get involved”. Yet the minor things all get air time.

 This is especially true in worship. Have you ever had someone grill you about your church worship? Why don’t you raise your hands? Why do you only raise one hand? Why aren’t you singing? Why aren’t you doing what we do?

  Now I don’t recommend that you answer with “get out of my face” but really, why is it their business? They have no idea what is going on inside. If I want to stand quietly, it’s my choice. If I want to raise one, two, or no hands, it’s my choice. I have seems so many people turn away from church because someone was tried to be made to worship a certain way. Sometime it’s blatant, almost a shaming thing. Sometimes it’s more tacit, only a subtle hint. Frankly the great majority of us have no room to talk. We have major business to do with God and should focus on that. (Interestingly, the small minority seem to know how to keep quiet.) How ‘bout we educate ourselves about what worship really is and confidently come before God with an our heart. Here are some ways to do that.

1. Do a Bible study about worship
2. Ray and seek God’s guidance
3. Worship God in spirit and in truth.
4. Practice being in the moment - avoid distractions.
5. Talk about it with a trusted friend.
6. Decide for yourself.
7. Be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading.

 Find your way of worship (according to the scriptures please) and come before God as a loved child. But remember, allow others to do the same thing!

 Ok. Rant over.

Blessings!

National Authenticity Day

 

National Authenticity Day is celebrated on August 16 every year. This is the day of recognition of the power of authenticity, a term that goes beyond just “being yourself.” It is dedicated to people who decide to do things their way rather than simply check the box. (http://nationaltoday.com/national-authenticity-day)

Being yourself. What does that really mean? Is it even a good thing? It brings up many questions. We live in a world of many masks. Ask someone, How’s it going? The answer is almost always, “good”. Even if the world is falling apart, most people will not admit it. On the other hand, most people who ask that question really don’t want to know the truth. They are just using it as a greeting. Finding a person who is truly “what you see is what you get” is a rare thing. We often think we have to “be” something else for other people. I think it’s a good thing that we can encourage one another to “be yourself” and stop faking or hiding. There would surely be less mental illness. When we let the masks drop, we are able to forge deeper lasting relationships. We not only find out who others are, but we find out who we really are. We will become stronger, wiser, and more stable. We will form bonds greater than we could imagine. Hey, my wife has seen me at my worst and still loves me. That’s gotta mean something.

Unfortunately, some use “just be yourself” as a reason to not grow or better themselves. Yes, there are too many boxes we are expected to check. Yes, many times people want us to do things their way. As a teacher I have to always be conscious of the fact that there are students who don’t process things like the rest of us. I recently had a chemistry student from another country get excited that I would let them show their work in several different ways. I their country, they said it was usually “my way or the highway”.

Yet, as a Christ follower, I need to yield who I am and give in to God’s plan. I may have to change some things. I may have to add or leave something behind. All the while I can be sure that I am not giving up my authenticity, but instead creating a new and better “self”. Today, spend a little time to refresh “who you are” for yourself. Be authentic, just like God created you!