Fences

 

Fences, to me, are a delightfully enigmatic concept. They can exist as rigid impassible barriers or as mystical electrical fields. The can be made of wire, stone, wood, or other hard materials. They can be electrified or have razor sharp edges of barbs to help get their point across. They can be used to keep things out or to keep things in. They can be pretty, dainty or cute. They can be huge, ugly, and intimidating. They can be tall, short or in between. They can be a totally invisible wire hidden underground, yet still extremely effective. Just ask my son’s dog. (Well, you might have to ask my son. I don’t think the dog talks.)

Even their placement is often an exercise in logistics. Should they be placed directly next to, close to, or ten feet away for whatever has merited a fence in the first place? All things that take deliberate thought.

One commonality of fences is that in some form or another, they are meant to protect someone or something. For the most part they do their job quite nicely. They keep people from falling off cliffs, habitat areas safe from being trampled, and our precious children and pets from running into traffic.

So if fences are meant to keep things away, why are they such a draw? Children (and some adults I might add) seem to be drawn to climb or even sit on fences. I’ve even seen some individuals that totally ignore the barrier, often to their own peril. It’s the reason for multiple signs, paint colors, and even guards in some places. I suppose it may stem from our innate desire to explore and investigate, but I suspect it has more to do with the rebellious nature of our fallen condition. We humans do seem to hate being told what to do, even if it’s for our own good. Still, for my part, I’m good with fences. They keep me out of trouble and it definitely makes a good place to lean your fishing pole on.

The Daily Grind 2: Time for Chimes!

Watching the gears move on a grandfather clock can get very boring, hearing the tick-tock, tick-tock, of the mechanism over and over again. The gears seems to spin in endless circles, going nowhere. When I was a child, I loved investigating the workings of the larger clocks. But it didn’t take long for my attention to drift. At least until it got to the top of the hour. Westminster Chimes has always made me pause. You listen for the tune, and then count the bells for the hour. It brings a smile to my face just thinking about it. The big show was at 12 o’clock. Each clock has its own surprises. The clock at Small World in Disneyland is one of my favorites. No kid can resist the magic of the hourly clock parade.

It’s these special moments that make the “daily grind” worth all the effort. During Spring break we got to take three of our granddaughters to Disneyland. My wife made princess dresses for them to be made up as Aurora and Ariel in the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. The littlest one was just pure cuteness no matter what she wore. Seeing their smiles, hearing their laughter, and even seeing tears of joy makes all the hard work before seem trivial. Who doesn’t want to hear, “Best Day Ever!” from their grandchildren. There were even some tear from the adults when memories came flooding back during parades and the evening night shows. It was a weekend to cherish.

I am reminded of the advice a business man once gave our group while I was on summer tour with a college Gospel Quartet. “Work hard; play hard.”  I didn’t understand it then, but it has come in helpful as an adult. I know some people whose idea of vacation is doing absolutely nothing. Now that may work for them, but I would rather get out, explore, adventure, and see new things. Sometimes I need a vacation because of vacation, but that’s the fun part. Work hard; play hard. It can make the daily grind that much more fulfilling!  

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 NIV

The Daily Grind - Making a Difference

This Year will be 40 years of teaching, mostly in the Christian School environment. There have been many times where I have questioned how much I was really accomplishing. Indegene.com mentions that, “Research on the forgetting curve shows that within 1 hour, learners forget an average of 50% of the information presented; within 24 hours, they forget an average of 70% of new information; and within a week, they forget up to 90% of what they "learned.”¹ Month after month, year after year, we do the same labs, projects, worksheets, etc. On the surface, it could get very discouraging. 10 %? That’s not very much bang for your buck. Yet occasionally, we get to see the effect of the ripples that we send out every day. A student comes to visit and says “you’re the reason I went into medicine”. And they really are doing a good job. They blame you for other good things they have learned. And you keep going. Because you made a difference.

Since 2019 my wife and I have been helping 2 nights a week and Wednesdays at a place the helps feed and clothe low-income and homeless individuals. At times it gets grueling - sweeping & mopping floors, unplugging toilets, and picking up trash outside. If you only look at the unending list of things to do, it can become a chore. It can get frustrating or even depressing. 

But then you focus on the people. The once grumpy old man who now smiles when you arrive as he helps the children learn verses so they can get a Dollar Store gift card. He’s even shared a short message in the service. The group that used to talk during the worship songs who are now singing along and refer to it as “church”. The young homeless man you helped with clothes and a Bible who you haven’t seen in 2 months, who now shows up and tells you he found a place to live and a job. The lady who smelled so bad no one wanted to sit next to her, who is now singing praise songs because she gave her life to Christ. Receiving fist bumps & hugs, and high-fives from thugs. It doesn’t get any more real. And for that reason, you get up, wind the mechanism, and let the gears grind for yet another day. Just like a set of gears, one turn here may only equal ½ turn there, but that ½ turn can turn into two turns, then 4, and on, and on.  Because making a difference in just one life, is making a difference.

 

1. 6 ways to overcome the forgetting curve. Chartwell Content. Accessed September 13, 2021
https://medium.com/@CWContent/6-waysto-overcome-the-forgetting-curve-354151c355c

 

The 21st Century Caveman

 

Recently a student equated one of my magnificent classroom wisdoms to “something from a 16^th century caveman”. I assume he is referring to it being old and outdated. Seriously,  1500’s? I don’t think you could call Da Vince a caveman. I mean, were there even cavemen in the 1500’s? Do peasants count as cavemen? Do they have to live in real caves? Truthfully, I’m really not even sure what he meant. Still, as usually happens, it got me thinking about cavemen and in particular, cavemen of the present era. So just what is a caveman?

The Oxford Dictionary of languages says;

cave·man – noun

1. a prehistoric man who lived in caves.

2. a man whose behavior is uncivilized or violent. "You can't change my mind by caveman tactics”.

 

I personally do not know anyone who lives in a real cave. I think we’re all too spoiled with running water, indoor plumbing, and electric appliances. It is definition #2 that makes me pause. Lately I have seen both uncivilized & violent behavior, which can often go hand in hand. I only drive 4 miles to work, but I would say I see exhibitions of uncivilized behavior and/or violence several times a day. People yell that you are “to slow” or “in the way”. At sporting events, parents get violent with referees during their child’s games because they didn’t like the call. This week I found out one of our local Walmart stores has closed the self-checkout lines because of rampant theft. Hardly a day goes by without a report of someone attacking another person.  It might be road rage, an argument over a parking place or even someone just being tired of standing in line. I would say these all count as uncivilized. It has, unfortunately, become ridiculous. So are they all really 21^st century cavemen? Well, not really. You see, violence and uncivilized behavior is nothing new. It started with Cain and has continued to the present day. It comes standard in the human condition. So what is the cure? We must be changed on the inside. We must love the unlovely. We treat others the way we want to be treated. We overcome evil with good.  Caveman or New Man? It’s your choice.

 

 

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

 

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21 NIV

 

Do Miracles Still Happen?

One of my students recently ask, “Do miracles still happen?” I love the thought processes of teenagers. According to Oxford’s English dictionary a miracle is defined as: a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency. In other word, it’s a God thing. So are there miracles happening today? I believe there still are (see The God of the Impossible ) but not as frequently as before. There are several reasons for this.

1. The early Church saw many miracles used as signs to the believing Jews.

2. The early Church was in its formative years. Many of the New Testament scriptures were still being written. The Holy Spirit had been given and needed to be manifested evidently.

3. There was great need.

Honestly. I think this is the main reason why we as modern American Christians do not see many miracles. We don’t really need anything. We have all the modern conveniences and then some. We have more food than we can use. We have extras of everything. We have Amazon to drop anything else right at our door. We don’t have to rely on God because mostly, we rely on ourselves. Unless you are jobless or homeless you have an over-abundance. When you look at conditions in other countries around the world, even our homeless aren’t doing that bad. Google Haitian Biscuit for an eye-opening revelation into true poverty.

We live in relative peace and safety. There will always be crime, but we don’t usually go to bed in fear of government roundups, drug lords extorting money from us, or being attacked in the grocery store over a squabble for the last loaf of bread. We have a Constitution, Due Process, and other laws to hopefully guarantee our safety.

4. Our sight are set to low.

We often just let things happen. There is very little prayer and almost no desire to see God do above and beyond what we see on a daily basis. We are sadly, content. We have what we need and spend far too little time even thinking about the needs or afflictions of others.

Do you want to see miracles? Put yourself where there is true need. Busy your time with helping those who are desperately in need of a solution. Pray for miracles in tough situations. I do not wish tragedy, despair, homelessness, or extreme want on anyone. But it is there that you often see God’s finest work.  When we reach the limits of what we can humanly do, there we find that Devine intervention.

… You do not have because you do not ask God. James 4:2

Take My Advice…

Have you ever ask anyone for advice? Was it helpful? Did you follow it? I remember a time about 4 years into my teaching career, back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, when I was looking for direction. I wanted to teach, but I also wanted to do church music. Most people claimed that you can’t do both. I had a good friend who was a music  minister for a large church with a well know pastor (well, at least in my circles). I had mentioned that I was going to go ask the pastor for advice. My friend gave me a word of advice of his own. He told me that this person was accustomed to people doing everything he said. My friend’s advice was, “Don’t ask advice from him unless you planned to do exactly as he instructed”. Anything less would result in essentially an “excommunication” from help and support. I took my friend’s advice and didn’t ask the Pastor for his advice. Incidentally, I got to do both teaching and Church music at my very next ministry venue.

 Moses showed us a better way.

Moses' father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. But select capable men from all the people--men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain--and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied." Exodus 18: 18-23 NIV

 When his father in law came to him, he gave him advice, but prefaced it with “If you do this and God so commands”. Now there was some good advice! Advice is a great thing. Proverbs 11:14 says, “For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers”. Get good advice, but reason through it. Most importantly, find out what God say about it!

 

What Do You Have That I Would Want?

 

As a summer State Park employee, one of the great perks is free camping. Pismo State Beach is one of my all-time favorites. We love the beach; I love fishing for surf perch. At some point in the week we will walk to the Pier and visit the shops. One of the things on my list is to have fish & chips. I even have a favorite spot. On one trip, the group decided to try a different restaurant, something that was not to my liking. We ordered our meals and I was sitting there half tired, half moping, when one of the managers walked buy. “Why so glum? He said. I just kind of shrugged it off. “I hope you find your happy place”, he added as he smiled and went on to another table. My meal came and it was worse than I had feared. Not only was I not at my favorite spot, but they had brought a marinara sauce instead of tartar sauce. Could it get any worse? Being the patriarch of the group, I decided to suck it up and make the best of it. When I tasted the sauce, my taste buds began to tingle. My nostrils flared. (Ok, I know that is probably not an appealing visual image, but work with me here.) They had mixed horse radish sauce into the marinara! It was incredible! I soon found myself at the counter feeling reminiscent of Oliver Twist. Please sir, may I have more? It just so happened that the server was the manager form earlier. He smiled at me. I had found my happy place. It turns out, he had what I was looking for; I just needed to experience it. The taste was all I needed.

Contrast this with one of the saddest experiences I have ever had while teaching. One of my colleagues was trying to share the Gospel with a senior young lady who’s family was from another faith. Her words were bitterly piercing, but true. “What do you have that I would want?” She replied. Some of your model Christian kids swear in the locker room. I don’t. Other cheat on tests or assignments. I don’t. What do you have that I don’t have.” It was a devastating condemnation of our current “Christian” society. So many Christian’s walks do not match their talk. So how about you? What do you have that someone would want? If they spend time with you, will they desire the peace, love, and joy that you have in Christ? If not, what is the point of it all?   

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16  (NIV)