For close to 15 years my wife has worked in public education. She’s taught in public schools both here in California and in New Jersey. She’s an awesome elementary school teacher and God has blessed her with a tremendous amount of gifts when it comes to teaching. Both parents and children have been impacted by her teaching. I’ve witnessed first hand her teaching abilities in the classroom.
Over the last several months one of the hot topics in California has been public education and the budget cuts that have and will take place all over the state. We’ve seen this before and have heard about the cuts over the years. She’s always been safe from any district budget cuts until this year of course. My wife and at least 58 other teachers in her district have been issued pink slips. I know there are other districts that are also issuing pink slips.
You never think about the possibility of loosing your job until it happens to you. I think that’s what’s exhausting. It becomes real when your one of the ones facing the possibility of unemployment for whatever reasons. What’s even harder not only for my wife, but for others, is that there are some really good teachers who care about the promises they made to themselves and to the kids and parents they serve every day that when they come to work that they are more than just prepared to teach; that they’re ready to make a difference in a child’s life.
When we relocated back to So. Cal we very much trusted that God would provide for our family. Even before we made the move back my wife was hired by the school district she currently teaches in. This is how we knew that we possibly were making the right decision to come back home. God has always been at the helm of any transition we’ve been part of over the years. Every move we’ve made my wife has been blessed with a teaching position or other employment. This is how I know that she’s more than just a gifted teacher. This is also why we aren’t stressing yet. Although tempting.
Faith is more than our bandage right now. It’s our strength. It’s always been our strength. And with the given events in the other parts of the world like Myanmar and the loss and suffering that others are enduring in our own country in the mid-west, because of weather it puts things in perspective. It keeps me from making this post all about the issues and politics at hand especially when it comes to public education right now. It keeps me from thinking of the worst case scenarios for myself in my current call as a pastor and for my family.
My prayer for those who teach and who’ve been affected by the state wide budget cuts is that you will find the strength and hope needed that God will provide for you as God has provided always for my wife and family. My prayer is also that those who’ve been called to make the tough decisions will listen to God and will take into account all of the scenarios not only for those who are good at what they do as teachers who will eventually find new employment, but the kids and parents who were looking forward and hoping to have the best of the best teachers who do more than just teach. Parents and kids who were looking forward to the blessing of being blessed by teachers who care about making a difference in a child’s life.
I know I’m a few days late on the mother’s day reflections. Mom died a bunch of years ago. Some days I miss her. Others, she’s mud to me. Still grateful to God for her though. It makes me happy though that I get to plant seeds in the hearts of our kids that mom rocks and deserves more than just a day. Enjoy this little piece from the skitguy dudes.
Pentecost is a time for celebration within the life of the church. The birthday of the church, the day when the God of the universe fulfills God’s promise of Holy Spirit power for his people. Monday is usually a day where I think about church and what happened during worship on Sunday and my sermon. One of my thoughts yesterday I tried to convey was that when God’s Spirit comes upon God’s people that its usually a noisy event.
What if there’s no noise though? What if we don’t feel the noise of pentecost? As Monday is now here and the celebration of mother’s day is behind me, I think about some of these questions. And I wonder that if I have these questions, maybe others in my church have the same kinds of questions about their own lives when it comes to the power that God has promised us through the gift of his Holy Spirit.
I think to often that people are judged on whether of not a person has God’s Spirit within them by how much they are doing within the life of the church or by whether or not they act a certain way. I think this can really hurt a community of faith. Another thought that I had coming away from yesterday is that I wonder if we in the church forget that when God promised the gift of God’s Spirit, that it wasn’t meant to be a private gift. It was a gift meant for the whole people of God to be shared. It’s a gift that empowers us to do the work of proclamation, sharing with the world, the love and grace of Jesus Christ.
It’s also what keeps us above water and Its what keeps us smiling at the noise within the life of the church, even if there isn’t a whole lot of noise going on. What I enjoy about Pentecost is that God’s Spirit is always at work. Always moving and always creating some noise. It means though that we need to stop, watch, and listen to the noisy parts of the church that people often forget to pay attention to in the day to day things of church and community.
I’m jazzed that the movie is finally here. I loved being a kid watching silly cartoons like speedracer. Other movies on my list? Iron Man, the Hulk, and whatever else that’s coming out that will make me wish I was a kid again, sitting and eating a bowl of cereal on a Saturday morning in the early 80’s.
We did something that we haven’t done for a long time. Okay? Never. We went on a cruise. It wasn’t a huge trip. Only to Ensenada. Royal Caribbean does a decent job. As for Ensenada, nothing to write home about. It was neat in that we did the cruise with some really good friends from an old fellowship group we were part of years ago. As for Mexico, It was different being on the tourist end of things. A little awkward in some ways. Every trip I’ve taken to Mexico has been involved with the church, responsible for a youth group, helping try to provide an experience that God would use to open their eyes to something new about the world down the street from us. As for the cruise? It was neat having a weekend away from kids and to spend some time with the wifey. Although we missed them tremendously. As for taking another Ensenada cruise? Maybe somewhere else next time. Will post a pick or two soon. Got to kick it into church mode.
I was driving to work this morning and was listening to the radio about a girls softball team who did something that the church forgets to do sometimes. Two players who set aside their own egos and acted with grace in a situation that called for them both to throw in the towel. When the unexpected happened they both recognized what had taken place and “considered” someone else better than themselves. Trust me when I say that if you don’t sob like a baby after reading this article, then please read Paul’s words here and then read the article again. Click here to watch the video.
Spent the whole day with a couple of nice folks today. It wasn’t over coffee or a meal. It was sitting with them in a court house waiting for a close relative of theirs to be arraigned. What was interesting about my experience was that it felt like another side of the call to serve in ministry that isn’t talked about a whole lot in seminary. Another side that is definetly like serving as a chaplain in a hospital.
Ministry to those facing the possibilty of a long term prison sentence in some ways is like spending time with folks in the hospital. Same feelings in some ways are expoused. If you’ve been a chaplain you understand what I am talking about. I wished I could of been able to do something. I had written a character refernce for this person. I met the attorney. I spent time with the family. I even just sat for a while waiting. Just being present. Being still.
When I arrived back to the court house after lunch, I was able to see this relative who’d we been waiting for all day. Of course from a distance and with several inches of glass in between us and the courtroom. I couldn’t help but catch this persons glance. The eyes of this person spoke volumes to what they were experiencing sitting on the other side of the glass. The tears being held back and the need to be strong as preparation for the journey this person was about to face is nothing I ever want to face. Nothing any one should have to ever face.
I quietly put both of my hands together gesturing that I’d be praying for this person. The person caught my gesture and did the same. That was about it. All I could do. As we left the couthouse again all I could was share with these couple of folks that I’d be there for them if they needed something and to keep me in the loop about their relative. I’d try to visit this relative of theirs when I was able. The imprint of today will be with me for a long time.
Again, I learned something today that I didn’t learn in seminary.
Can’t fix everything.
Just listen.
And be still.
Of couse as I left the court house, two cats in navy blue clothing given to them as gifts by the court, who were being released from prison, walked through the front doors of the courthouse and into the beautiful heat freedom filled day. Both threw their arms into the air and shook each others hands and walked off into the sunset with a smile. Freedom does have that ability to make us smile.
What if pastors were to live honestly before the people of God? Lives unashamed of revealing to the world the reality that we don’t have it all together. We think, feel, and breathe the same kinds of things that every other person sitting in the pews encounters on any given day.
I was talking with a close friend of mine this afternoon and the discussion came up that the pastor needs to be able to reveal to his or her congregation a kind of authenticity that makes a clear statement that we don’t profess having it all together. To go one step further, that within the proclamation of the word, the good news of Christ’s love, that every sermon I preach should include my willingness to be authentic as a way of illustrating the message of God’s love. Transparency of mind and spirit, coming to the table, letting it all hang out, making the word come alive for the sake of the gospel being heard and received in a way that convicts the hearts and minds of God’s people.
My preaching professor in seminary always commented that he’d rather have folks leave church after every sermon with two or three ideas that were easily remembered as opposed to an exegesis of the word “chair.” I wonder if the pastor should take it one step further? How about two or three ideas that reveal God’s heart for God’s people and that are made applicable through the pastors willingness to be authentic?
What does it really mean to be authentic when it comes to preaching?
It means that somehow with God’s help, power, and the Spirit of God always working in the preparation of the sermon, that I somehow tell the ego that burdens me daily to take a hike. Get honest. Be real. And don’t be ashamed to allow my heart to speak through the word God has given me on any particular Sunday.
Now in my quest to becoming the lean mean machine I am I was recently driving through the good old Antelope Valley and noticed a sign that was advertising , “the four minute workout.” Now mind you I’d love to only workout for four minutes. I have lots to do every day. Its hard enough to get on the treadmill for at least thirty minutes. Now if you’re interested, you can even buy the machine for a little over $14,000.00. I think I will stick to my treadmill and to my snappy snap fitness work out facility with the cool snap fitness staff who make working out a blast.
