Pursuit of Happiness

Tags

Administration, happiness, leadership

The following is my response to a post written by Dr. Troy P. Roddy entitled, “Happiness and the school administrator”.  The article was written in a way that caused my own personal reflection after spending the last three years as a Junior High Principal.

It’s a pretty interesting thought process: Am I happy as an administrator?  Is it “true” happiness?  Is it “synthetic” or manufactured happiness?  Am I simply content in my job?  As Dr. Roddy questioned, “Do administrators, essentially, inadvertently replace happiness with another emotion, like maybe satisfaction?”  I would absolutely, without a doubt like to answer in the affirmative, “YES, I am happy as an administrator!”…next question.  I reflect that true leadership can be void of happiness.  True leadership is completely selfless, giving, striving for the success of others, exhausting, and stressful.  As a school administrator, does the budget process make me happy?  Does the continual process of having to let people go make me happy?  Do unsupportive, complaining parents make me happy?  How about discipline?  For those in the private sector, how about declining enrollment?  What about the fact that being an administrator is a very lonely position to be in.  As with all things in life, there are two sides to every story, right?  Name one job/career where the individual is completely happy, all the time?  Not even employees at Disneyland can claim this.

In the movie, Pursuit of Happyness, Will Smith plays a down-and-out father struggling to make a living for his family.  The never quit attitude is what shines in this movie.  If there is one word that defines the outcome in the pursuit of his dream, it would be DESPITE.  Despite the obstacles he faced, he continued to move forward.  Despite the rejection he faced, he pressed on.  Despite his wife losing faith in him, he fought for a good life with his son.  Despite not having money to pay rent, he found the motivation to reach for his dream.  Despite it all, he found HIS happiness: Pursuit of Happyness

As a school administrator, being in leadership means that despite all of the aforementioned problems, distractions, and frustrations, a school administrator presses on to find his or her happiness in what they do.  To all school administrators, if you can not reflect and find true happiness in what you do, find a different career.  How can one continue as an educator if the result of all you do is manufactured happiness?  Those that read my blog understand that I am a Christian, and am not shy about sharing my faith.  My faith in Jesus Christ in all ways defines who I am and what I do.  Therefore, in Christ, I am happy.

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!  Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!  There is no want to those who fear Him.” (Psalm 34:8-9, NKJV)

My ultimate salvation rests in the fact that Christ died to set me free from the bondage of sin.  Yes, constant self-pity and woeful frustration as an administrator is sin.  Why live in a state of constant dis-repair?  Are there many things that can drive you batty as a school leader?  Yes there are.  Are there also just as many, if not more things (and might I mention, people) that make you truly happy to be in the position you’re in?  I submit that there are!  It is 100% up to the individual to decide whether or not they are going to be happy and find happiness in what they do!  It is a constant pursuit.  You’ll never find “nirvana” in school leadership.  In like fashion to my post, It’s an uphill climb, being a school administrator is a constant “climb” towards your goals or standards for which you are striving.  Each goal or standard achieved needs to be viewed as a mini-victory, which should ultimately bring you true happiness.  Did your school’s test scores improve?  Have you seen improvement in your new teachers?  Did you get “that one student” to genuinely smile today?  Were you able to collectively resolve conflict with those parents you’ve been struggling with?  Do you mentally store those notes of encouragement and compliments you receive through out the school year?  Were you able to successfully collaborate with “that teacher” who just wouldn’t buy in?  Plain and simple, short and sweet…those are VICTORIES.  And victories should make you happy, period.

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the JOY that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2, NKJV)

To be or not to be…That’s an easy one!

Tags

Hamlet, meaning of life, purpose, Romans 12, Shakespeare, To be or not to be

“To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether ’tis Nobler in the mind to suffer
The Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune,
Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them: to die, to sleep
No more; and by a sleep, to say we end
The heart-ache, and the thousand Natural shocks
That Flesh is heir to?…” (Act 3, Scene 1, William Shakespeare’s Hamlet).

The age-old philosophical question, “To be or not to be.”  Since Shakespeare first penned this question, humanity has been pondering its meaning.  Some will tend to interpret this speech as Hamlet contemplating suicide vs. dying in battle.  Others tend to look at it from the perspective of endurance vs. action.  Regardless, most will attach their own meaning to this question as they contemplate their own life and it’s meaning.  Especially for those that feel they’re caught in monotony.  Do I continue on in the mundane tasks I’ve been doing all my life, or do I take action and step in to the unknown and create a new adventure?  According to one source on Hamlet’s speech, he writes, “‘Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer..Or to take arms’ seems clearly to ask whether it is better to be stoically passive to life’s troubles or heroically active against them.”  There will come a time when everyone will ask themselves this question.  Are you called to something greater?  Do you feel you’ve been created for a higher purpose?  I recently read a portion of Scripture that made me think through this dilemma:

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1-2, NKJV)

The answer to Hamlet’s question is pretty simple when you think about it (that is, if Hamlet were a Christian).  The portion of Scripture clearly states how we are to approach life.  First of all, as a sacrifice.  Hamlet, whether speaking of suicide or dying in battle was talking about sacrifice.  In Christ, we are to give up the desires of this world for the Kingdom of God.  We are called to be holy.  Leviticus 20:26 states, “And you shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.”  Our service to the Lord needs to be completely based upon His Word and will for your life.  You may have to step out, or even away from your old, mundane routine to experience the freedom of living a life dedicated to Christ.  My goal is to completely embrace what the Lord has for me.  I don’t need to question my existence.  He created me for greatness.  My response is not to question or “philosophize”.  My response is to put one foot in front of the other and act.

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” (Romans 12:1-2, The Message)

It’s Time To Give Up

Tags

gold, Manifest Destiny, Pioneers, sacrifice, self-denial

“Eureka!”  The cry that started it all.  Gold was discovered in California.  In the era of “Manifest Destiny” people risked it all to get to the West and get rich.  They loaded up everything they could on to their wagons and hit the trail, not knowing it would be some of the most difficult terrain they would have to traverse.  But the risk was worth the reward in the promise of a new life, expansive land, and all the gold they could get their hands on!  As the pioneers of old traveled across the great plains, they realized that in order to make it to the “promised land”, they would have to make some sacrifices.  Soon enough the trails were littered with personal belongings that they had to let go.  Stuff that was weighing them down.  In order to cross the plains, rivers, and mountains, they had to unload a lot of the baggage they thought they “needed”.  What they soon realized was that the end of the road was more important than simple belongings that they could always regain once they were settled.  They had to be willing to give up the things that would free them up to pursue their dreams unencumbered.

How true this is in our own walk in Christ.  All too often we continue to carry the unnecessary baggage in our pursuit of righteousness.  In Christ, it is absolutely necessary to give up.  We must give up the sin that so easily entangles us.  To give up the worldly desires that can keep us from accomplishing our mission.  Every individual needs to determine for themselves what it is that they need to release.  It could be the tangible items that takes our focus off of Jesus.  It could be our job, money, cell phones, music, drugs, sex, or even our relationships with those that do not have Christ in their line of sight.  1 Peter 4:1-3 says, “Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.  For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.”

Jesus made it very clear what we need to do.  “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26)  We need to give up!  This may sound very defeating to those who do not understand.  Back in 2007, I spoke at my school’s high school graduation.  In my encouragement to the graduates, I used the old stand-by, Winston Churchill’s “Never give in” speech.  In 1941 Churchill stood before a crowd at his old school and proclaimed:

“This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” (October 29, 1941)

How true this is in the Christian faith.  No matter what the world may throw your way, never give in to its desires.  Satan will come at you from all directions to persuade you to give in to anything that is not of Christ.  However, before you are strong enough to face the persecution, you need to relent, give up, and sacrifice yourself to the One who will set you free.  In so doing, you will uninhibited to serve Jesus Christ and stay focused on the prize.  “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14)

There is one final consideration in this process.  Do you think the pioneers really understood what it would cost them to travel west?  Do you think they understood that pain, hunger, and even death were awaiting them out on the frontier?  Some may have and decided to go anyways.  Others probably did not and were caught off guard when the trials came.  They were blinded by the prospect of land, gold, and the promise of a glorious life out west.  These are the ones who did not count the cost.  So often, Christians can be blinded by the happiness, grace, smiles, hugs, and encouragement of the church that they forget that walking in Christ comes at a cost: everything.  Jesus explains this to a couple who wanted to follow Him.

“And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.  Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, ‘Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.’  And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’  Then another of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’  But Jesus said to him, ‘Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’” (Matthew 8:18-22)

Jesus was being extremely blunt with these two.  Simply put, He was explaining that if they wanted to follow Him, they would have to give up everything and gain nothing.  My pastor made a great analogy in using the Armed Forces commercials to make this point.  The Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine commercials are some of the best on tv.  They show pristine uniforms, shiny weapons, and a glorious life of traveling the world in pursuit of freedom for all.  Do you think they would get as many recruits if they showed the horrors of war?  If they showed images of American soldiers covered in blood and dying on the battlefield?  Probably not.  Yet all recruits must count the cost of being an American soldier: everything.  Are you willing to die for what you believe in?  Are you prepared to lose it all in the pursuit of eternal salvation and glory in Christ?  Now is the time.  It’s time to give up.  Throw your hands up and surrender to God Almighty.

“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.  If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.  On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.  But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters.  Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.  For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?  Now ‘If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?’  Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.” (1 Peter 4:12-19)

Loud and Clear

Tags

death, grace, Oswald Chambers, resurrection, Romans, sin

photo credit: christianbackgrounds.info

I have had many experiences on Sunday morning when I felt as if I could have been the only person in the sanctuary.  The message presented spoke so clearly to my heart that it’s as if the message was written for me personally.  Ever have one of those moments?

Well, I had one this past Sunday.  My pastor is currently teaching through the book of Romans.  He spoke on the first half of chapter 6 which talks about being “Dead to sin and Alive to God”.  Granted, I’ve read this portion of scripture many times in my life, yet this morning was different.  The simple answer for it being different was the way it was presented.  It came across as a follow-up to the Easter message of Jesus’ resurrection.  Beyond that, to use the title of a recent movie, the Lord spoke extremely loud & incredibly close to my heart.

In my last post entitled “Are you allowed to do that?!”, I had requested people’s opinions about tattoos on Facebook.  The discussion blew up and was directed at how people view tattoos from a biblical perspective.  It led to a lot of good discussion on the subject of sin.  Quite a few mentioned scripture pertaining to how the Lord views an individual.  “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7b, NKJV)  This is exactly where I ended up as my pastor was speaking on Romans 6.  All too often, I continue to look at the things I’ve done (my sin), and dwell on them.  Sometimes for a little too long, which leads to a digression in to the “whoa-is-me’s”.  Romans 6:1-2 states, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”  The idea is that when Christ died on the cross, our sins died with Him.  Jesus didn’t die on the cross so that we could continue to dwell on our past sins like a pig in the mud.  Jesus died so we could be clean.  This concept of grace is lost on so many people, including myself.  We tend to justify our sin because we know God will forgive us.  What a horrible way to live your life!  I had a friend in high school tell me that she wasn’t ready to live sold out for Christ because she wanted to develop a good testimony.  In other words, she chose to fulfill her worldly desires rather than find peace and security in Jesus Christ.

“Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:4, NKJV)  We as Christians sometimes forget that we are resurrected as well.  We focus so much on trying not to sin that sin becomes our sole focus, rather than our new life in Christ.  Though a difficult task, it’s what we’re called to do.  Oswald Chambers wrote the following:

“You no more need a day off from spiritual concentration on matters in your life than your heart needs a day off from beating. As you cannot take a day off morally and remain moral, neither can you take a day off spiritually and remain spiritual. God wants you to be entirely His, and it requires paying close attention to keep yourself fit. It also takes a tremendous amount of time. Yet some of us expect to rise above all of our problems, going from one mountaintop experience to another, with only a few minutes’ effort.”

The idea is that walking in Christ is a difficult road.  We will stumble.  We may even fall.  But the grace of God that is extended to us is to help us up, dust us off, and keep us going FORWARD.  Reveling in your sin is about as good as falling down and saying, “I’m good.  I like it down here.  My leg hurts, my ankle is throbbing, but this will do just fine.”

“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.  And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.  For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:12-14, NKJV)

There is a moment in my life that I need to focus on a lot more.  The moment I was baptized in the Jordan River in Israel.  I remember the water being extremely cold, but it didn’t matter.  I was about to go through my own personal resurrection.  It’s the moment I was lifted out of the water.  That’s what I want to focus on.  It was in that moment that I became clean.  That’s the moment when my “old man” stayed buried beneath the water, never to be seen again (I walked in to the river a dead man, but walked out ALIVE in Christ!

“From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did.” (Romans 6:11, The Message)

As I was writing this, a good friend of mine was completing a study of his and used the following within his message.  I felt it a perfect fit to Romans 6 and a solid way to end my thoughts this time around. “The only way to effectively combat the pleasures of sin is by having a superior affection for something else.  The gospel allows us to see the far surpassing beauty of God, and it gives us the strength to pursue what makes us truly happy: HIM.”  God bless you!  Rak Chazak Amats!

Are you allowed to do that?!

Tags

Christian, Tattoo

Christian tattoo artist, Matt Laster. Owner of Devoted Ink (devotedink.com), a Christian tattoo shop in Temecula, CA.

I have been wanting for some time now to write about my tattoos.  Yes, you read that correctly.  This Junior High Principal has tattoos.  Even still within the Christian community, there is a stigma concerning tattoos.  “Are Christian’s allowed to have tattoos?!”  Every time I hear that, I have to smile.  That’s what is funny about our society.  Christians are placed under the microscope and examined for any possible flaws they may have.  When one is found, that individual is scrutinized, placed on the chopping block, and the guillotine is released.  Well, before you release the lever, allow me to give you my explanation as to why I have tattoos and what they mean to me.

I have read many different explanations against tattooed Christians.  As so many will point out, there is one definitive verse in the Bible that proclaims very “clearly” that we are NOT allowed to get inked.  The verse in question states, “You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 19:28, NKJV).  As I have been raised to do, I always put scripture in context.  Too many will take portions of scripture and interpret them how they choose, not how the Lord intended.  The following is one of the better explanations of this scripture and its context, and one I am in agreement with:

The Hebrew word translated tattoo in the NASB, qaaqa, is only used once in the Old Testament. Qaaqa is defined as a “cut, incision” or “gross cutting of the skin.” While the Anchor Bible Commentary suggests that its etymology is unknown, Strong’s believes it comes from the word koa which has the sense of cutting off.  Yet in context, it could possibly refer to painting or scarring of the skin – both which were non-verbal signs of mourning.  I believe that this is the proper understanding of qaaqa. I do not think it refers to cutting or gashing oneself, for that concept is referred to earlier in the verse by using the word sehret which refers to an “incision.”  Strong’s suggest that its primitive root is sarat which can be translated “to cut in pieces.”  Self-mutilation of the body is clearly outlawed in numerous other passages which speak of Israelites gashing their bodies as part of their mourning rites (Deuteronomy 14:1, Jer 16:6, 41:5, 47:5, 48:37). Lacerations may have been inflicted to increase mourning, offer blood to the departed spirit, and may have been included in the rites of Baalistic fertility worship, especially when Baal appeared to be deaf to the pleas of his followers (1 Kings 18:28).

I believe the key principle in Leviticus 19:28 is: God does not want His people to be idolatrous. The emphatic theme of Leviticus is God calling His people to holiness. This particular portion of Leviticus explains standards which Israelites were to uphold in maintaining their relationship with the one true God. Kittel portrays the idolatrous nature of tattooing in the Israelite culture by stating, “When a person was tattooed he became dedicated to the god and became its servant, as well as came under its protection, so that he should not be harmed.”  Since tattooing was done by the pagans as a sign of ownership and devotion to their gods, God did not want the Israelites to be identified with this idolatry.”

I believe that tattoos do not inherently desecrate the structural aspect of the IOG [Image of God], nor do I believe that tattoos inherently violate the conscience of a believer, since they are not bound by the Old Covenant. Leviticus 19:28 is part of the Old Testament Law which Christ superceded (Ephesians 2:5). We are free from the Law, and are now under the Law of Christ which does not reiterate the prohibition against tattoos.  I further believe that the timeless principle of Leviticus 19:28 remains clear: God’s people are not to be idolatrous.

Lorne Zelyck, “Under the Needle: An Ethical Evaluation of Tattoos and Body Piercings” in The Christian Research Journal (Vol. 28/ No. 06/ 2005).

Every single one of my tattoos (roughly 18) have meaning to me, whether personal, patriotic, or religious.  I have had multiple conversations directly related to my tattoos with both friends and strangers.  In fact, it just happened today.  I was picking up lunch and a gentleman noticed the ink on my arm and simply said, “Praise the Lord!”  We were able to have a conversation about our faith, love for God, and encourage each other in the Lord.  On another occasion, I was at Disneyland and a gentleman approached me and asked me why I chose those particular tattoos.  It gave me an opportunity to share my faith with him and what I believe.  Not too long after that, a young lady approached me and said, “That’s the coolest Christian tattoo I’ve ever seen!  Can I take a picture of it?”  Okay, that was a little awkward.  Another very cool meeting took place when I was on a trip to Boston.  I was touring the USS Constitution/”Old Ironsides” (the world’s oldest commissioned naval vessel) and one of the stationed seaman noticed my leg and said, “Thank you for honoring the country I love and serve.”  To which I responded, “No sir, thank YOU for serving our country.”  I admit that it brought tears to my eyes and pride to my heart to have him thank me, when he was the one most deserved of thanks.  Here he was, serving our country, could be sent overseas and potentially lose his life, and he was thanking me for the tattoo on my leg.  And some will say that tattoos don’t have meaning?!  There have been plenty of other conversations that have taken place due to my ink.  I am pretty sure there are plenty of people who have seen my tattoos and have immediately judged me.  I don’t hold that against them.  It’s their opinion.

I love my tattoos, and more importantly the joy it brings when I am able to share with people why I have them and what they mean to me.  They are a symbol of my faith, my patriotism, and my family.  There is not one tattoo on me that I regret.  I requested, via Facebook, people’s thoughts and opinions on tattoos.  Here’s some of the responses I received:

On the side of Agreement:

“I am an artist and it’s another way to express my creativity. I believe a lot of people get tats as a reminder for various memories, statements, or spontaneous moments (which can create a memory in itself!) It is special to the person.”

“Personally I find it difficult to witness to non-believers; my tats are a great starting point and have allowed me to share our Lord with others who otherwise wouldn’t have given me the time of day!”

“I believe that tattoos CAN be used to glorify God and to edify the Church, however that does not mean we have license to go mark ourselves up with whatever we want. We must be mindful of what we display on our bodies because we are reflections of Christ to the world, and if we are marked with profane or grotesque images, I think we’d be doing a pretty lousy job of representing Him.”

“I have three of them…And each one has a spiritual or very heart touching moment attached to it. I believe man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart.”

On the side of disagreement:

“Disagree. If God wanted you to have it on you He would of created you with it. People have good intentions on some of their tattoos, but do you really need to tattoo a symbol on your body to remind you of a special time in your life that you consider ‘unforgettable?’”

“We have complete liberty in Christ!! That said, Paul wrote, ‘all things are permissible, BUT not all things are profitable’. I personally find no profit in a tattoo so I don’t have one. I want to be set apart from this world in every way I can. But I would hope my life itself would demonstrate a difference greater than bodily adornment.”

“Desecrating, an act of defiance, going with the crowd, not art…I don’t know how else to explain it…all tattoos on all people is in bad taste and poor judgment. Tattoos tell me what kind of person they are, I won’t say what I think the person is.”

As anyone will agree, whether for or against tattoos, it is ultimately a personal decision, with personal meaning.  I think we can all agree as well that some people make their tattoo choices too quickly.  With that in mind, here is my advice to anyone wanting a tattoo: 1) Are you of legal age to get a tattoo?  Breaking the law is not acceptable at any time, for any reason.  2) If you live with your parents, would they approve of this decision?  We are to honor our parents (Matthew 19:19)  3) Would you still want this tattoo when you are older?  And I don’t mean a few years down the road.  Will you want this when your 50, 60, or 70 (by then, your butterfly will have turned in to a droopy moth)  4) Will your tattoo bring glory to God?  For this is the greatest commandment that we are to live by (Matthew 22:37-38).  5) Allow a significant amount of time to pass prior to finalizing your decision to get the tattoo.  Personally, I have waited weeks, and in some cases, months before moving forward.  You really need to spend time thinking about WHAT you’re getting done and WHY you’re getting it permanently inked on your body.

You may not agree with me on this subject, and that’s okay.  I respect your opinion, IF you can clearly give me an understanding as to why you believe what you believe.  In that, we can mutually agree to disagree and still respect each other.  So before you jump all over someone for having tattoos, simply ask them why they have them.  You might be surprised by the answers you get.

* Read more about Matt Laster and Devoted Ink here.

* Read the full article by Lorne Zelyck entitled, “Under the Needle: An Ethical Evaluation of Tattoos and Body Piercings.”

I love you most!

Tags

bridgekeeper, cross, Good Friday, love, sacrifice, salvation

Whenever I am given the opportunity to visit with my Nana (now 92 years old), we always end our visit with the following exchange:

Me: “I love you.”

Nana: “I love you more.”

Me: “I know you do, and I can’t compete with that.”

There is something about those words that always resonates with me.  No matter what I do or what I say, there is nothing that can make my Nana love me any less.  Much like my relationship with my Heavenly Father.  He has said from the beginning of time, “There is nothing that you can do Cameron, that will separate you from My love.  I gave up My only Son for you.  It was My purpose, and His, that He die on a cross for you.  Why?  Because I love you most!”

“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.” ~ John 3:16-18 (The Message)

There is an allegory that has been written and rewritten time and time again about how much God loves us through the sacrifice of his Son.  It’s the story of a bridgekeeper and his son.  One day, the bridgekeeper brought his son to work with him to show his son what he does for a living.  The son loved trains and the moment he saw the power that his dad had by raising and lowering the massive bridge, he loved his dad even more.  He thought his dad was the greatest man in the world!  On this day, after he had raised the bridge for the last scheduled ship to pass by, he and his son took a lunch break.  They walked out on to a catwalk that overlooked the river.  As they ate lunch, dad continued to tell his son stories of the trains that passed above the river, the people who traveled by, and the gliding ships that sailed along the river below.  As he was in the middle of one of his stories, the shriek of a train whistle blew in the distance.  He had lost track of time and realized that the next scheduled train was due to pass over the bridge any minute.  He told his son to stay put while he raced back to the control room to lower the bridge in time for the oncoming train.  As he had been trained to do, he glanced to his right and to his left, looking for oncoming river traffic.  Nothing was hindering him from lowering the bridge, until he saw something that made his heart stop.  His pride and joy, his son, had apparently tried to follow his dad back to the control room and had fallen into the gear box of the bridge.  With the train fast approaching, he is at a loss of what to do.  If he were to leave the control room, race to his son’s aid and pull him out of the gear box, there would not be enough time to get back to pull the lever that lowered the bridge for the train to pass safely across.  If he were to leave his post, the train and all it’s roughly 150 passengers would plunge in to the river.  If he stays and does his job, his son will surely die.  With a tear-stained face, he makes the decision to sacrifice his only son to save the lives of those strangers.  He pulls the lever and lowers the bridge just in time to allow the train to safely pass by.  As he looks out to see the train, he notices all of the people on the train.  A woman reading a book as her husband sits across from her reading the daily newspaper.  The conductor moving about the train checking on his passengers.  A little boy, looking much like his own, eating ice cream.  What all those people didn’t understand in that moment was that this father just sacrificed his only son so that they could live.  They didn’t even recognize this man.  They didn’t even look his way.  No one seemed to care that his son’s body had been bruised, beaten, and ultimately crushed so that they could go on with their lives as they see fit.  As time passed on, this dad would eventually come to the realization that through his son’s death, many lives were saved, and that brought him joy.

What an amazing visual of the sacrifice that God made for us.  The major difference is that He did not have to make a last-minute decision to kill His only Son so that everyone else might live.  He knew from the beginning of time, that this would happen.  He knew before the world was formed that His only begotten Son would take the world’s sins on His shoulders on that Friday afternoon.  His Son would be bruised, beaten, and ultimately crushed to save the lives of everyone else.  What breaks His heart is when so many choose to not even recognize what Jesus did for them.  This is the event that all of history is based upon.  It’s the event in which time splits between BC and AD.  Oswald Chambers wrote, “The cross is the central event in time and eternity, and the answer to all the problems of both.”  Yet so many will pass by without even glancing in the direction of the cross.  Why?  Because they’re afraid their sins will be made clear.  They will see themselves for who they really are.  They will be put on display.  Well, you don’t have to worry about that because someone took care of that for you.  Someone else was put on display so that you wouldn’t have to.  Someone else took your sin, so that you don’t have to be ashamed of who you are.  Jesus died for you!  Embrace the cross for what it is…the blood-shed bridge that allows you to cross over eternal death to everlasting life and salvation.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.  He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.” ~ Psalm 23 (NKJV)

It’s an uphill climb

Tags

climbing, education, encouragement, mountain, philiosophy

“There is no subject so old that something new cannot be said about it.” ~ Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky

Or is it, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”?  Whatever the case may be, we as educators need to constantly be evaluating and evolving our craft to reach our students at any given point in the school year.  This has to be done.  Just because we’re in the latter portion of our school year, doesn’t mean that we can continue to do what we’ve done all year and wait for the end to come.

“The nature, condition, and needs of the student provide the focal point for Christian educational philosophy and direct educators toward the goals of Christian education…A distinctively Christian philosophy can never lose sight of the importance of human individuality as it seeks to relate education to the learner.” ~ George R. Knight

I believe too many view the school year as a “hill”.  We made it to the top of the hill at semester.  Now all we have to do is cruise down the other side until we reach the bottom at the end of the year.  Rather, we need to view our school year like Mount Everest.  The ultimate goal is to get to the top, and the top is the end of the school year.  We need to view our school year and our students with this perspective: This is the first time in their lives that they are at this point in their educational career.  Whether they are in Kindergarten or 12th grade, they have never been at this point, right here, right now.  So what are you going to do to help them reach the pinnacle?

The needs of our students are constantly changing.  Who they were in September may not be who they are now.  We need to constantly be looking at ways to reach our students every day.  In one of our morning devotions this week, one of our teachers spoke to how we approach God, either through Revelation or our own Imagination.  Likewise, how are we approaching our own personal philosophy of education?  Is it our expectation that students will climb the mountain by themselves to reach the pinnacle of knowledge as we wait for them at the top?  Or, are we climbing with them?  They may run in to some terrain that is unfamiliar.  They may not have the tools to overcome the difficulty of the climb.  Not because they are lazy, but because they haven’t been given instruction or trained properly to overcome those obstacles.  When adventurists climb Mount Everest, they are aware that at any given moment, the weather can change.  Even when they are just a few hundred yards from the peak, they may have to change course, or even turn back.  You know what?  It’s the time of year when we all start to get weary from the “climb”.  Energy seems to be fading.  Our student’s mental muscles are fatigued.  The challenge before us is to be right by their side, providing the encouragement, knowledge, and when needed, an extended hand to help pull them up.  Remember, just because you’re a veteran climber, your students may not be.  This is still new territory for them, and for some, they are facing an uphill climb that seems daunting.  What are you going to do to assist them to make it to the top?

As we look at the major events in history, they were forged by those who decided to look at the impossible, and move forward without weighing the impossibilities.  They are the one’s who first put their feet it the dirt and created the pathways for all else to follow.  This needs to be your mentality in your classroom.  Back in September you said, “Let’s climb this mountain!  I know it’s scary.  I know you may not feel equipped for this challenge.  But you know what?  I am, and I’ll be with you for the entire climb.”  Now you need to reassure them and say, “Let’s finish this!  We’re almost there.  I can see the peak, and when we get there, it’s gong to be the most satisfying experience you’ve ever had.”

“No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.  I will not leave you nor forsake you.”…”Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” ~ Joshua 1:5,9

Proper Expectations

Tags

adolescence, education, expectations, high school, junior high, potential

“The foundation of every state is the education of its youth.” – Diogenes Laertius (3rd century A.D.)

When you walk in to the classroom, what are your expectations?  Do you have any?  Do you expect that every child will be proficient by April when the state tests roll around?  Do you expect that all your students will pass your class, or do you aim for at least 50%?  Whatever your expectations are, do you base them upon your standards of academia, or your students?  In order for you to truly be successful in the classroom, I suggest that you get to know your students.  Do you truly know them?  What they like or don’t like?  What their situation is at home?  What are they involved in after school?  Do you have any idea about their “sphere of influence”?  I recently spoke to a group of youth pastors at a conference, and posed these same questions to them.  The difference is that they are only given about 4 hours per week with the kids in their “classroom”.  Teachers, we have 35 hours.  So what are we doing with the time we’re given to reach out to these students and help them achieve their potential?

In my 13 years as an educator, I’ve spent 12 of them in private Christian schools.  Society has the perception that we have a bunch of solid, good, or even outstanding young men and women that don’t ever deal with the issues of life.  Yes, our kids have a different view of the world.  One that is based on the Word of God.  Do they still succumb to the pressures of life, absolutely…partying, fighting, abuse (physical and/or emotional), pornography, drugs, cutting, alcohol, destroying property, bullying, and the list goes on.  These are some of the issues that the kids in Christian schools deal with.  For those of you in public education, I’m sure you can relate.  I think a lot of people wonder why.  Why do we constantly have to teach our students about the dangers of sex, drugs, and the rest of the things on the aforementioned list?

I recently read an article entitled “Beautiful Brains” by David Dobbs (October 2011).  In the article, Dobbs defines why kids (ages 12-18) constantly struggle with the above.  Simply put, he calls it “sensation-seeking”.  Due to their not yet fully developed brain, they are at a stage in life where they seek the things that will give them a rush…Junior High teachers, ya with me?!  For us whose brains are “fully functional”, a.k.a. adults, we easily misinterpret and mislabel these kids as “irresponsible”.  We do that because we don’t have an understanding of how a “tweeners” brain works, or doesn’t work.  Dobbs explains in his article,

“We’re so used to seeing adolescence as a problem.  But the more we learn about what really makes this period unique, the more adolescence starts to seem like a highly functional, even adaptive period.  It’s exactly what you’d need to do the things you have to do.”

“Yet teens gravitate toward peers for another, more powerful reason: to invest in the future rather than the past.  We enter a world made by our parents.  But we will live most of our lives, and prosper (or not) in a world run and remade by our peers.  Knowing, understanding, and building relationships with them bears critically on success.”

“Why don’t they listen?!”  Ever said that?  I have.  I’ve become discouraged many times when my students wouldn’t listen to my “sage” advice.  But I know what I’m talking about.  I’ve got life experience.  Why don’t they understand?  The answer is simple.  They don’t listen because you’re not speaking their language.  They constantly seek the sensation of their own experience and their peers because that’s what drives them.  Will they eventually wise up?  Of course.  We did, didn’t we?  But it takes time.  Most importantly, it takes understanding who they are.  Are you willing to do that?  If our expectation that the 12-18 year olds in our presence are to act like adults, then we are mistaken.  They’re not adults.  They are, as my dad always told me, “My son, you’re almost an adult”.  My dad understood that I would make mistakes.  I would seek the sensations that would sometimes get me in trouble.  But he knew that I would learn from those mistakes.  Like my dad did with me, we need to meet our students exactly where they are.  We need to stop viewing them as messed up, immature, hopeless, lazy, irresponsible, not-going-to-amount-to-anything, wretched teenagers.

In the end, if you’ve genuinely spent time getting to know your students, and established high, yet proper expectations for them, you will receive the eternal rewards that every teachers looks forward to.  These are some of mine:

“You genuinely cared for me.”  “You knew me on my deepest level.”  “You treated me like an adult, even though I wasn’t.”  “I may not remember anything you taught me, but I remember that you loved me for who I was.”  “Thank you!”

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” ~ Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

Forgotten rewards

Tags

Administration, Coach, education, Parents, Professional, Teacher

“You know parents are the same.  No matter time nor place, they don’t understand that us [educators] are going to make some mistakes.  So to you, all the [educators] all across the land, there’s no need to argue, Parents just don’t understand.” – Will “Fresh Prince” Smith

Ok, ok…I changed the lyrics just a bit.  But for some reason, I feel that I can relate.  All too often I feel as if parents don’t understand, or want to understand, that I am a professional.  This is what I do.  Yes, I made a conscious choice to go into education and do this for a living.  Is that the hard thing to believe?!  This was a choice.  I chose to dedicate my life to the study of education for the purpose of being able to mold, shape, guide, direct, and in some cases, change the heart of your child.  I made the decision to teach, coach, and ultimately administer in your child’s school.  Unfortunately, there is a stigma that comes along with being a principal, teacher, and/or coach.  Parents tend to believe that you are there as a “volunteer”, who is simply giving some of his or her time to “help out”.  Rather than TRUST in who I am as a Professional Educator who has dedicated his life to his profession.  Parents don’t realize that the purpose of the degree that hangs on my wall is a relative to the one that hangs on any doctor, dentist, mechanic, or lawyer’s wall.  It’s a symbol of dedication, determination, and success in what I do.  I have been proven worthy by a highly accredited institution to do what I do.

So the piece of paper in a fancy frame doesn’t impress you.  Okay, I understand that.  How about the success of your child in school?  How about the smile on their face when they receive good grades?  How about the idea that they walk away every single day having learned something new?  I wish I could provide you plaques, trophies, ribbons, and medals for all of my accomplishments in my career.  The unfortunate thing is that students don’t like to sit on shelves and collect dust.  An educator’s trophy walks away to move on to better things.  My trophies have gone on to play college football, become doctors, teachers, and honored military men and women.  My accolades don’t shine in a fancy case, they become respectful men and women, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers.

It’s okay that you don’t understand.  It’s difficult to comprehend why someone would do all that an educator does without financial or celebratory reward.  Sometimes, I think about that as well.  Why do I continue to do what I do?  Sometimes it seems that no matter what I do, I’m yelled at and disrespected by parents who have forgotten that they too were once considered an accolade by one of their principals, teachers, or coaches.  They’ve forgotten that all they are and who they’ve become can be attributed to a forgotten educator who has never forgotten them.

So what keeps me going after 13 years of being a teacher, coach, and principal?  The words spoken to me by hundreds of my trophies…”Thank you Mr. Stevens.”

“The Fear-of-God builds up confidence, and makes a world safe for your children.  The Fear-of-God is a spring of living water so you won’t go off drinking from poisoned wells.  The mark of a good leader is loyal followers; leadership is nothing without a following” ~ Proverbs 14:26-28 (The Message)

Sorry Francis, but it’s time to use words.

Tags

Christian, gospel, quotes, speech, St. Francis of Assisi

St. Francis of Assisi

This past weekend, a good friend of mine flipped one of my most favorite quotes.  St. Francis of Assisi stated, “Preach the gospel to all the world, and if necessary use words.”  By this he meant to live out our Christian lives by our actions.  It’s when we open our mouths…well, you get the point.

In today’s age, it is absolutely necessary to use our words along with our actions.  Let me make this very clear to all the Facebooker’s & Tweeter’s out there.  When we want to provide inspiration, encouragement, or that “boom” factor to all our “friends” & “followers” what do we do?  We post a quote, song lyric, inspirational message, or verse from the bible.  Hmmm, interesting that those are all WORDS.  People can be infected by words, changed by words, and even manipulated by words (just ask your local politician).  So it is vital that we, as Christians, find our voice.  Yes, I will show you the love of Christ, but “if I’m not speaking life in to you, I’m killing you” (see previous post: So much to say, yet nothing’s communicated).  If I don’t speak Jesus to those that are fallen, or that simply don’t understand, I’m guilty of sentencing them to eternal damnation.  This isn’t a game of charades.  You will be remembered by what you say, and even more importantly in today’s world, by what you post. Do you realize that you’re leaving your mark on the world? When you read through History, we judge an individual’s character by what they said through their personal journals or diaries.  In my Nana’s day, she listened to those she admired on the radio.  Not too long ago, we paid attention to those we loved on the television.  Now, we’re reading again, but this time it’s blogs, posts, and tweets.

We need to understand how important our words are.  In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered one of most profound speeches in American history with only 270 words on the battlefield at Gettysburg.  In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke out to America that it would “rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed.”  Even last night, I noticed someone post on Facebook, “insert inspirational quote”.  We all understand the importance of our words and the affect they can have on our lives.  It simply comes down to a matter of who is willing to listen.  In fact, I read a great quote just last night.  Mark Twain stated beautifully, “The difference between the right word and almost the right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.”  Don’t forget that the things you’re posting and tweeting are etched in to your digital footprint and will follow you for the rest of your life.

The final aspect to consider are those whom we respect, admire, and emulate throughout time.  They are the one’s who put action behind their words.  Words are just words, unless they inspire action.  Yet, words can also steal, kill, and destroy.  They can take your breath away, or rob you of your character.  They can encourage or kill someone’s spirit.  In the end my Christian brothers and sisters, it’s vitally important to speak up for Jesus Christ and the freedom that you’ve been given.  Be a complete Christian.  Bridle your tongue from being deceitful and arrogant, and show love to this world by the way you live your life in Christ.

Rak Chazak!