2014: Less Stuff, More Happiness

So in spite of the fact that the weather in my part of the country finds us pining for for electric underwear, hand warmers, and even a single ray of sunshine...yes...in spite  of these facts, we try to turn our frozen sluggish minds out of hibernation and focus on more positive things like a New Year.

Just to make you New Year's Resolutioners have turquoise fuzzy feelings about me, I'm going to get some reflection and projection out of the way.

Reflection:
Another year is gone by and I just had another birthday. I'm stubbornly trying to convince myself that I'm not getting old, but my birthday cards haven't been very consoling. I found this tucked away in one of my cards...it hasn't seemed to help my self esteem.

 


 Projection:
I show this short video clip in my speech class every year. Though I've seen it many times I was impressed in a new way when I showed it to my class several days ago. I'm most impressed with the idea of surrounding yourself with just a few of your most favorite things. Why pick through 20 shirts each day when you'd be most happy simply wearing your 5 favorite ones? I'm committed to getting rid of the extra clutter in my life that I don't need. I'm going to focus on quality rather than quantity. (This is NOT a "New Year's Resolution"...just an inspiration)

When Students Become Their Teacher's Heroes

I'm feeling a lot of peace and good will this Christmas season, especially since my cell phone provider sent me a little happy birthday note today...never mind the fact that its not my birthday.

"Dear NSA agent spying on my blog, Please tell Straight Talk that their birthday greeting was a neat little PR ploy that failed. I'm not going to feel loved until one of their customer service agents from India gets on the phone and sings Happy Birthday to me IN ENGLISH!"

In all reality I've been thinking about heroes. The stories of the real heroes among us simply don't get told enough. I hear more stories about who won the last volleyball tournament, shot the biggest buck, or has the nicest car than anything else. When was the last time you walked up to a group of young people after church in time to hear them saying, "...sheesh...DUDE...did you see the way  _(enter name)_ was freaking loving people last week...man...that was INSANE the way he...."

I hate to break it to you boys, but anybody can become an amazing volleyball player. Give me six months and I could be playing with the best of you, but I know that it will take a whole blasted lifetime AND the help of Jesus to weed the selfishness out of my heart. In that light I would like to tell you a story of incredible disregard for self.

I once had a student that really enjoyed photography. As a young girl she longed for a good SLR camera. After saving her hard earned pennies for some time, she was finally able to purchase the quality camera she always wanted. If I understand things correctly she is now employed in some type of photography work (at least part time). I know how important her camera is to her.

In spite of how much her camera means to her, she recently gifted it, lock stock and barrel, to a place of need. I know she could have sold this camera for several hundred dollars, but throwing "great stewardship," good business values, and profit motive to the wind, she got nothing in return. I am not the recipient of the gift, but I know the recipient and the giver. I understand the giver felt God asking her to give her camera away...so she did. That's Kingdom values and Kingdom economics at work folks. 

As a teacher, there is nothing that makes me more proud than hearing stories of students doing "Full Bore Kingdom Living" (FBKL). I'm both convicted and inspired...inspired to live by the same set of values that cause people to give when it makes no worldly sense and to love a category of people that the world tells us we should ultimately hate/kill.

Sometimes students become their teacher's heroes!
     

Gettysburg Address: A Civil Spirituality

One hundred fifty years ago today...Abraham Lincoln shuffled with head bowed on to the wooden platform at Gettysburg. Turning is tired eyes toward a war torn audience, he delivered what has probably become the most famous two minute speech. (I'm not sure if there was really shuffling, head bowing, and tired eyes, but...there probably was)

Since that time Christians, conservative and liberal alike, have claimed the speaker and his speech for God Himself.

With all due respect to Abraham Lincoln, who I believe was one of our greatest presidents, I'd like to remind Christiandom of a few things.

While Lincoln grew up in a very religious family, according to our knowledge, he was never a confessing believer. In fact he was quite skeptical as a young man and never joined the church. In spite of this, Lincoln was very familiar with the Bible and eloquent in religious language as a result of his upbringing and endless reading. As he grew older he attended church with his wife and certainly seemed to believe in the existence of an all powerful God.

Incredible power is embodied in a potent civil spirituality. The historians among us know what I'm talking about. A huge portion of Lincoln's lasting presence as a leader is sourced in his incredibly potent civil spirituality. This potent civil spirituality is woven into the fabric of his most famous speech..."that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom."


Quoting another blogger... "For the Christian, the new birth speaks of forgiveness, conversion, and eternal salvation through Christ alone. Lincoln’s new birth served the purposes of nation, civil spirituality, and war, however noble that war’s aims. Lincoln was probably the most skillful proponent of that kind of civil spirituality in American history. But what is lost when the new birth becomes tied to a nation’s history, rather than a redeemer’s saving work?"