Boxing Day, 2012

"Space, the final frontier..."

     OK, How many closet Trekkies will read this. I can't call myself a Trekkie, but I watched Star Trek, The Next Generation, and a little of Voyager and Deep Space Nine. But the idea of a final frontier has always challenged me. I wonder if confronting something that's bigger than oneself is a universal of human behavior. Have you ever wanted to do something of eternal significance?

     I was just talking with my wife today, explaining how I want more of God's presence, God's power, God's plan in my life. I grew up going to church, but at one point, in college, I started following Jesus. Since that time, I've tried to live out my life in light of God's love and Jesus' sacrifice -- to live worthy of the upward calling of God in Christ. My behavior BC (before Christ) wasn't always that good, so I have a strong recollection of what I left behind to follow Christ. Also, I can still see some of the pinnacles of my walk with Jesus of about 30 years. Sometimes, I find myself walking in the shadows of those peaks and forget that you can't have peaks without valleys.

"What are you willing to do to...?"

     For the past three years, I've worked as a tutor at a major midwestern university. That work has rekindled the fire of my competitive nature. I really want to be the best. I work with student athletes whom I really admire. They are full time students and full time athletes, putting in 70-80 hour weeks striving for both academic and athletic excellence.  The have great discipline -- which is required to excel at that level (on and off the field of competition). Even though I desire the best, I often feel distracted by the mundane aspects of my life. As a result, my performance is less than spectacular.  I know that to follow my first love -- Christ -- requires 100% devotion. God held nothing back in demonstrating His love for us. It cost Jesus His life. What am I willing to do to demonstrate my love for Him?

     Maybe it's the weather (snowy and cold at the present); maybe it's recent examples of where I have performed at less than my best (at work and relationships). Whatever it is, I am contemplating a new start with Jesus. I'm encouraged by my Chinese sister, shares my passion, and by a biography of William Wilberforce by Eric Metaxas (a Christmas present from my mother). Wilberforce devoted his life to the abolition of the slave trade in England in the 19th century. As Metaxas puts it, because of Wilburforce, we no longer see human slavery as 'ok'.

     A few years ago, I was asked (and consented) to be the Prayer Commissioner for Upward! soccer. I remembered that Jesus was asked for a miraculous healing by a Roman centurion. Jesus commended the faith of the centurion. That stirred me to enlist a group of 100 people to pray 100 days for the soccer players, coaches, and other aspects of the ministry. I'm thinking of reviving this idea as I refocus on my faith journey with Jesus. What does God have planned for me for 2013? for you?  I don't have an answer, but Christ does.

Happy Boxing Day!

The Purpose of This Blog

I embarked on a career in education in August of 1982. Since then, I have taught students as young as 3 and as old as 50. I have taught preschool to grad school, science to linguistics to PE. I have taught in Maryland, Missouri, Oregon, and Tennessee; in China and in Thailand. I teach because I care.  Teaching has always been my job; people are my passion.

Over the past 30 years, the face of education has changed a great deal, as have the students and the society.  When I was growing up, students worried that their parents would talk to their teachers and they'd find out all of the monkey business they (the students) were up to.  These days, it seems that teachers worry that the parents will talk to their students and the parents will complain to administrators and school board members about the 'monkey business' they (the teachers) are up to

The purpose of this blog is to provide me an outlet for opinions I've kept to myself the past 15 years or so.  I will try to remain neutral; I will definitely remain impersonal; but I will be as honest with my opinions as possible.

Reader beware -- I am not, nor have I ever been -- politically correct.