Wednesday, August 17, 2011
What's in the Book Bag?
It's that time of year when teachers return to the classroom to prepare for the arrival of the students. Rooms are cleaned and rearranged, posters are sticky-tacked to the walls, supplies are carefully purchased, and desks and chairs are strategically placed in the room. We pause and take a deep breath and slowly exhale as we steel ourselves for the onslaught of students and their book bags on Monday morning.
Great effort is placed on preparing the classrooms and buildings for the school year. But how do we prepare ourselves for the students? Are we ready for the baggage that they bring to school with them? It's one thing for students to leave their book bags in their lockers; it is an entirely different thing to expect them to disassociate themselves from the psychological and emotional baggage they lug around everyday.
A sincere smile, a thoughtful word of encouragement, or a few extra minutes of instruction after class can help the student refocus and grasp the wisdom and knowledge they so desparately need. It's one thing to tell someone to get over their problems and it is quite another thing to offer help and support as they struggle with issues that are beyond their years.
So as you finish the Monday morning preparations, stop and take a deep breath. As you slowly exhale pray for wisdom and understanding. These are the qualities that will make us better educators, Christians, and human beings.
They're here...
Sunday, May 8, 2011
A Crash Course in Bus Driving
In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins reports his findings on what it takes to be a great organization. One of the things he points out is that you have to have the right people on the bus and in the right seats. It is important to have the right people who are in the right place based upon their giftedness and abilities. We want people to be in their "wheel house" so they can swing away and do what they do best. You don't have to micro manage the right people, you just set them up for success and let them work their magic!
There are times in the history of organizations when the bus becomes stuck and the engine will not start. Those are the times when you have to get off the bus and push!
A number of years ago, my wife and I were camp counselors. One of my jobs was to take the day campers back to town at the end of the day. It was pretty straight forward; load 40-50 kids on the BIG BLUE BUS and drive them to the park in downtown Vero Beach and wait for their parents to pick them up.
On one particular day, I completed my mission and stopped at the grocery store on the way home. When Donna and I got back on the bus... You guessed it, the engine would not start! Being the strong, young and cocky husband, I decided that I was going to push start the bus and impress my young wife. I KNEW that if I could just get the bus moving inertia would take over and the engine would start.
Donna had never driven a stick shift vehicle of any kind, so I gave her a CRASH course on how to hold the clutch in until the bus began to move and then pop the clutch. I gave her specific instructions not to let the engine stall out once it started.
I managed to get the bus moving and yelled "Pop the clutch!" Amazingly the engine started and the bus began to chug away from me. It suddenly dawned on me that I never explained to Donna how to push the clutch back in and disengaged the transmission. To this day, Donna still remembers the look of panic on my face as she watched me in the side view mirror. I ran after the bus, jumped through the doorway, changed places with her and stopped the bus. We still laugh about it to this day!
Sometimes you just have to get out of the bus and give it a push to get it started. You've got all the right people and they may even be in the right place, but the bus is not moving. You can find a new direction or a new path, but you just have to get the bus moving again. Trust me, the more people you have to help you push the bus, the better! Inertia will take over!
So surround yourself with a great bunch of people! It makes pushing the bus a lot easier!!
There are times in the history of organizations when the bus becomes stuck and the engine will not start. Those are the times when you have to get off the bus and push!
A number of years ago, my wife and I were camp counselors. One of my jobs was to take the day campers back to town at the end of the day. It was pretty straight forward; load 40-50 kids on the BIG BLUE BUS and drive them to the park in downtown Vero Beach and wait for their parents to pick them up.
On one particular day, I completed my mission and stopped at the grocery store on the way home. When Donna and I got back on the bus... You guessed it, the engine would not start! Being the strong, young and cocky husband, I decided that I was going to push start the bus and impress my young wife. I KNEW that if I could just get the bus moving inertia would take over and the engine would start.
Donna had never driven a stick shift vehicle of any kind, so I gave her a CRASH course on how to hold the clutch in until the bus began to move and then pop the clutch. I gave her specific instructions not to let the engine stall out once it started.
I managed to get the bus moving and yelled "Pop the clutch!" Amazingly the engine started and the bus began to chug away from me. It suddenly dawned on me that I never explained to Donna how to push the clutch back in and disengaged the transmission. To this day, Donna still remembers the look of panic on my face as she watched me in the side view mirror. I ran after the bus, jumped through the doorway, changed places with her and stopped the bus. We still laugh about it to this day!
Sometimes you just have to get out of the bus and give it a push to get it started. You've got all the right people and they may even be in the right place, but the bus is not moving. You can find a new direction or a new path, but you just have to get the bus moving again. Trust me, the more people you have to help you push the bus, the better! Inertia will take over!
So surround yourself with a great bunch of people! It makes pushing the bus a lot easier!!
Sunday, May 1, 2011
In Search of Meaning: The Grinding Out Our Faith
"There is no need to suppose that human beings differ very much one from another: but it is true that the ones who come out on top are the ones who have been trained in the hardest school." (Thucydides - The Peloponnesian War)
I found this quote in a book about education reform. In order to reform education, we must make sure the foundation is strong, solid, and impervious to elements that would make it weak. True education is not free nor is it cheap. It is expensive and worth our best effort both as a teacher and a student. One must sacrifice expedience for experience.
An education cannot be given, it must be earned. Learning can be frightening because it involves failure; we learn best by making mistakes. If we equate learning only to an honor roll or a test score we have lost the meaning of such things as tenacity, responsibility, accountability, discipline, and human connectedness.
Some of the strongest metals come from the hotest furnaces. So it is with education; it is forged in the furnace of human interaction and personal discipline. As wisdom literature says, "as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17).
It would be idealistic to presume that we can protect our children from the ugly side of humanity. Yet we must instill in them such things as virtue, civility, strength of character, and a deep personal faith. With these qualities students can confidentally face the challenges of a world that is in need of strong and stable leadership.
"Consider it all joy, my bretheren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of you faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (James 1:2-4)
Have faith, God is only perfecting what He started in us!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Worry is Rust Upon the Blade
"It is not work that kills men, it is worry. Work is healthy; you can hardly put more on a man than he can bear. But worry is rust upon the blade. It is not movement that destroys the machinery, but friction." (Henry Ward Beecher)
I was sitting at my computer contemplating how to start the engine of my mind. I just finished reading the historical writing about the Jewish people under the leadership of Joshua, and I was stuck as to what to write. Then a friend of mine (John Wilck) sent an email with the above quote. Voila! The dots connected in my mind; now, if I can just connect them for you.
What jumped out at me in the book of Joshua was the phrase, "Be Courageous!" I wrote about this a couple of weeks ago, but I felt there was something that I missed. In the first chapter, the Lord repeats this theme to Joshua 4 times:
Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. (v.6)Israel faced no small task in claiming the promised land. This was a bloody time of battle after battle. It was not the time for the people to worry and question God or His leader; it was a time for COURAGE, TRUST, and ACTION! Joshua finally grasps the concept of what God was saying to him when he addresses the people in chapter ten following the defeat of the five kings:
Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left; so that you may have success wherever you go. (v.7)
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (v.9)
Anyone who rebels against your command and does not obey your words in all that you command him, shall be put to death; only be strong and courageous. (v.18) (NASB)
Joshua said to them, 'Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies with whom you fight'. (v.25) (NASB)Sometimes there are things in our lives that we need to just untie. We may need to let go of some of the "stuff" from the past so that it doesn't dictate our future. Change is difficult for humans -- it's not our normal modality of cognitive operation. But if what we are doing keeps bringing about the same painful results... well, that just leads to insanity!
Be Strong and Courageous and Never Give In!!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Our Business Is To Educate
"Mediocrity is the antithesis of greatness - Good enough is never good enough."
Anyone who has come by my office in the past couple of weeks remarks about the new picture. It's a photo of a guy lifting a huge piece of timber over his head and putting on a stack of fire wood. It looks like something from Survivor! The caption underneath says: With true leadership, good enough is never good enough.
If you were stranded on an island and needed a signal fire, how big would you want that fire to be? I don't know about you, but my fire would use every piece of combustible material I could get my hands on - if it didn't move, it burned!
In recent days I've had some really good conversations with some true teachers. They recognize that the business of education is facing some pretty stiff challenges. They also realize that now is not the time to complain or give up; it's time to find new ways to challenge and motivate students. They are bringing their best to the classroom in order to encourage students to bring their best effort so that true learning takes place each day.
In essence, they are modeling the words of the Apostle Paul: To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some (I Corinthians 9:22).
THANK YOU! True teachers never stop at good enough!
Anyone who has come by my office in the past couple of weeks remarks about the new picture. It's a photo of a guy lifting a huge piece of timber over his head and putting on a stack of fire wood. It looks like something from Survivor! The caption underneath says: With true leadership, good enough is never good enough.
If you were stranded on an island and needed a signal fire, how big would you want that fire to be? I don't know about you, but my fire would use every piece of combustible material I could get my hands on - if it didn't move, it burned!
In recent days I've had some really good conversations with some true teachers. They recognize that the business of education is facing some pretty stiff challenges. They also realize that now is not the time to complain or give up; it's time to find new ways to challenge and motivate students. They are bringing their best to the classroom in order to encourage students to bring their best effort so that true learning takes place each day.
In essence, they are modeling the words of the Apostle Paul: To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some (I Corinthians 9:22).
THANK YOU! True teachers never stop at good enough!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Never Give In - Never Give Up
"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." (Winston Churchill, 1941)
History is the rear view mirror for humanity. We either learn from it or we are doomed to repeat it (ironically, Churchill is one of the people credited with saying this). In spite of all of his flaws, Churchill was one of the most influential people of his generation. His life demonstrated the essence of his speech.
He lost a considerable fortune in the crash of 1929. While in New York in 1931, Churchill was hit by a car. He suffered significant injuries and experienced severe depression as a result. Dubbed a failure in WWI, he later returned to Parliament and led his country to stand against Hitler's Nazi regime with the help of the Allied forces. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature and eventually knighted by the Queen.
In How the Mighty Fall, Jim Collins calls people like this "individuals who are constitutionally incapable of capitulation." Collins goes on to say "failure is not so much a physical state as a state of mind; success is falling down, and getting up one more time, without end" (p. 123).
Wisdom literature says, "for a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity" (Proverbs 24:16, NASB). There is a certain tenacity that is required to live in the present moment; it's the same fortitude that enabled historical figures to keep getting up. It takes faith, or unlimited trust to say "if I keep getting up, things will change, things will get better." There is always tomorrow, there is always hope, there is always faith to say "Never Give In - Never Give Up!"
Have faith my human friends! God is with you when you are down - He is with you when you stand back up.
History is the rear view mirror for humanity. We either learn from it or we are doomed to repeat it (ironically, Churchill is one of the people credited with saying this). In spite of all of his flaws, Churchill was one of the most influential people of his generation. His life demonstrated the essence of his speech.
He lost a considerable fortune in the crash of 1929. While in New York in 1931, Churchill was hit by a car. He suffered significant injuries and experienced severe depression as a result. Dubbed a failure in WWI, he later returned to Parliament and led his country to stand against Hitler's Nazi regime with the help of the Allied forces. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature and eventually knighted by the Queen.
In How the Mighty Fall, Jim Collins calls people like this "individuals who are constitutionally incapable of capitulation." Collins goes on to say "failure is not so much a physical state as a state of mind; success is falling down, and getting up one more time, without end" (p. 123).
Wisdom literature says, "for a righteous
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Managing Change: The Myth and Falicies
"Don’t manage - lead change before you have to." (Jack Welch)
Have you ever wondered why there are so many books written about managing change? One of my classes in college was entitled "Managing Stress." It was just a different name about the same subject. Change causes stress, so if we can manage the stress brought on by change, we can some how manage the change process. Good luck with that... Managing change is like trying to grab a handful of jello. Just when you think you have a grasp of it, it jiggles and slips through your fingers.
The thing is, if we know that life is all about encountering change on a daily basis why don't we plan for change? It seems we spend most of our days reacting to events rather than planning for the future.
"Whether you prevail or fail, endure or die, depends more on what you do to yourself than on what the world does to you." (Jim Collins - How The Mighty Fall)
I've come to realize that it takes more energy to react to change than it does to plan and maintain flexibility. So here's to planning the day, the week, the month, and the year. Determine what is of prime importance and most valuable, look down the road of tomorrow, anticipate the next move, and pray for wisdom and understanding. It's easier to steer a moving car than to turn the wheel of one parked on the curb.
"Lead from the front." (Major Dick Winters - Beyond Band of Brothers)
Have you ever wondered why there are so many books written about managing change? One of my classes in college was entitled "Managing Stress." It was just a different name about the same subject. Change causes stress, so if we can manage the stress brought on by change, we can some how manage the change process. Good luck with that... Managing change is like trying to grab a handful of jello. Just when you think you have a grasp of it, it jiggles and slips through your fingers.
The thing is, if we know that life is all about encountering change on a daily basis why don't we plan for change? It seems we spend most of our days reacting to events rather than planning for the future.
"Whether you prevail or fail, endure or die, depends more on what you do to yourself than on what the world does to you." (Jim Collins - How The Mighty Fall)
I've come to realize that it takes more energy to react to change than it does to plan and maintain flexibility. So here's to planning the day, the week, the month, and the year. Determine what is of prime importance and most valuable, look down the road of tomorrow, anticipate the next move, and pray for wisdom and understanding. It's easier to steer a moving car than to turn the wheel of one parked on the curb.
"Lead from the front." (Major Dick Winters - Beyond Band of Brothers)
Sunday, March 13, 2011
That Which Sets Us Apart: Education for Our Time (part 2)
"Coming from a parental perspective, I'm probably more interested in cultivating my child's moral nobility, integrity and spiritual virtues than their academic education. I'm beginning to think that not only is this more difficult to grasp for the student than academics, but it's just as difficult to teach because it involves the teacher (and parents) striving for the same qualities." Kimberly Altman
This comment was posted by my daughter regarding Education for Our Time. She humors me by reading my notes and leaves a comment or two now and then . We usually chat about our views on life, education, family, society, and faith. She is one of my many sounding boards. But her comment above gave me pause to reflect on what is the main point of education.
If we as Christian educators and as people who profess faith in Christ fail to instill a sense of "moral nobility, integrity, and spiritual values" in our students we are offering nothing more than a mere academic education; we fail to fulfill our calling and purpose.
Our task is not easy, but accomplishing something like this never will be. It's a choice we must make everyday; to bring our very best into the classroom and in our interactions with our students. We do not strive to teach a valueless education, but one that is unapologetically value-laden. Let us teach our students values that will last them throughout their lifetime.
"...From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more." Luke 12:48
This comment was posted by my daughter regarding Education for Our Time. She humors me by reading my notes and leaves a comment or two now and then . We usually chat about our views on life, education, family, society, and faith. She is one of my many sounding boards. But her comment above gave me pause to reflect on what is the main point of education.
If we as Christian educators and as people who profess faith in Christ fail to instill a sense of "moral nobility, integrity, and spiritual values" in our students we are offering nothing more than a mere academic education; we fail to fulfill our calling and purpose.
Our task is not easy, but accomplishing something like this never will be. It's a choice we must make everyday; to bring our very best into the classroom and in our interactions with our students. We do not strive to teach a valueless education, but one that is unapologetically value-laden. Let us teach our students values that will last them throughout their lifetime.
"...From everyone
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Education Needed For Our Time
To live in frugal circumstances, to consider how we may shoulder our brother’s burden before we lift our own, to work in unself-advertising solitude for a long time, to accomplish a task that we have been given, always to tell the exact truth, and to tell it fearlessly whatever the circumstance – such are the modes and habits of composing noble lives . . . (An Education For Our Time - Josiah Bunting, III)
An Education For Our Time is a story about a man who wanted to create a unique college. The college had an endowment so that all of the students were admitted on scholarship. It was a grueling process to gain acceptance, but the experience would be unforgettable and life-changing. The school was dedicated to educating young adults in character, civic and personal responsibility, and living with purpose and intention. I was so mesmerized by the ideals and purpose that I began to research the college. It was then that I discovered that it was not a real college; the whole thing was fictional. I was so disappointed! Not to mention embarrassed...
I have been pondering several questions: How can we best prepare our students for the future? What are the qualities, or virtues that we can teach our students? How can they learn the "habits of composing noble lives?" Most importantly, how can we help them encounter God on a personal level? If we can answer these questions, then we can create a Christian Education for our Time... and it will not be fictional.
An Education For Our Time is a story about a man who wanted to create a unique college. The college had an endowment so that all of the students were admitted on scholarship. It was a grueling process to gain acceptance, but the experience would be unforgettable and life-changing. The school was dedicated to educating young adults in character, civic and personal responsibility, and living with purpose and intention. I was so mesmerized by the ideals and purpose that I began to research the college. It was then that I discovered that it was not a real college; the whole thing was fictional. I was so disappointed! Not to mention embarrassed...
I have been pondering several questions: How can we best prepare our students for the future? What are the qualities, or virtues that we can teach our students? How can they learn the "habits of composing noble lives?" Most importantly, how can we help them encounter God on a personal level? If we can answer these questions, then we can create a Christian Education for our Time... and it will not be fictional.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Reason For Being
"Really believe in your heart of hearts that your fundamental purpose, the reason for being, is to enlarge the lives of others. Your life will be enlarged also. And all of the other things we have been taught to concentrate on will take care of themselves." (Pete Thigpen, Executive Reserves)
I recently read a story about a young child who suffered from polio. His journey began in August 1943 when he was nine years old. In the hospital, he met a nurse named Susan. Nurse Susan spent a lot of time working with the boy, caring for his needs and encouraging his heart because all he could see was the ceiling. He said her message was simple: "Your future ... is hidden on the ceiling, and you can find it if you look very hard. Look for what you will be doing as you grow up. It's all up there ... all you have to do is to study the ceiling. When you see your future it will start to happen."
Nurse Susan encouraged his imagination by putting pictures on the ceiling. She taught him to play checkers and chess by projecting a game board on the ceiling. When he found that he could wiggle his toes, she rigged a bell that he could ring with his toes. As he made progress Susan created more things for him to do.
The young boy survived his encounter with polio. He went on to become the president of the Hudson Institute as well as the founding president of the Fielding Institute. His name is Frederic M. Hudson.
As impressive as Mr. Hudson's resume may be, I would really like to have met nurse Susan. She must have been an extraordinary person to inspire a nine year old boy to fight and overcome polio and dream of what he might become.
I just completed about 20 hours of interviews with an incredible group of people. They are the teachers and staff at my school. In those conversations and in subsequent chats, I was reminded how much they love what they do. They are the "nurse Susan's" in their sphere of influence!
Teachers = Encourager's of the Heart!
Encourage someone to dream of what they might become!
(The story about Frederic Hudson is from 'Credibility' by J. M. Kouzes and B. Z. Posner)
I recently read a story about a young child who suffered from polio. His journey began in August 1943 when he was nine years old. In the hospital, he met a nurse named Susan. Nurse Susan spent a lot of time working with the boy, caring for his needs and encouraging his heart because all he could see was the ceiling. He said her message was simple: "Your future ... is hidden on the ceiling, and you can find it if you look very hard. Look for what you will be doing as you grow up. It's all up there ... all you have to do is to study the ceiling. When you see your future it will start to happen."
Nurse Susan encouraged his imagination by putting pictures on the ceiling. She taught him to play checkers and chess by projecting a game board on the ceiling. When he found that he could wiggle his toes, she rigged a bell that he could ring with his toes. As he made progress Susan created more things for him to do.
The young boy survived his encounter with polio. He went on to become the president of the Hudson Institute as well as the founding president of the Fielding Institute. His name is Frederic M. Hudson.
As impressive as Mr. Hudson's resume may be, I would really like to have met nurse Susan. She must have been an extraordinary person to inspire a nine year old boy to fight and overcome polio and dream of what he might become.
I just completed about 20 hours of interviews with an incredible group of people. They are the teachers and staff at my school. In those conversations and in subsequent chats, I was reminded how much they love what they do. They are the "nurse Susan's" in their sphere of influence!
Teachers = Encourager's of the Heart!
Encourage someone to dream of what they might become!
(The story about Frederic Hudson is from 'Credibility' by J. M. Kouzes and B. Z. Posner)
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Something Worth Struggling For
"Credibility is not something I decided to have. It is something that I struggle for. I struggle for the consistency - in my managerial life and throughout my life." (Kirk O. Hansen, The Business Enterprise Trust)
To be credible is to be believable and reliable; to be trustworthy and dependable. As the author of the quote so aptly puts it, "it is something that I struggle for" in my personal life.
People are looking for it when they purchase a new car, when they go to work, when they go to school, when they call customer service, and when they look for someone to share their life with. From the simplest things to the most complex things, we want something, or someone outside of ourself that is credible, dependable and stable.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians, "Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on (v. 3:12) ... one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead (v. 3:13) ... I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (3:14)"
What Paul is saying is that the journey towards God is worth the struggle; it's worth the effort. Even though he had not reached his target, Paul recognized it was worth it. He tenaciously pressed forward and upward knowing he could depend upon God. His present struggle could not compare to the "surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus (v. 3:8)".
Each of our journey's are different. Some are more challenging than others. As Paul's words encouraged the Church at Philippi, may they encourage us ... stand firm in the Lord. In so doing, we model credibility to others.
To be credible is to be believable and reliable; to be trustworthy and dependable. As the author of the quote so aptly puts it, "it is something that I struggle for" in my personal life.
People are looking for it when they purchase a new car, when they go to work, when they go to school, when they call customer service, and when they look for someone to share their life with. From the simplest things to the most complex things, we want something, or someone outside of ourself that is credible, dependable and stable.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians, "Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on (v. 3:12) ... one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead (v. 3:13) ... I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (3:14)"
What Paul is saying is that the journey towards God is worth the struggle; it's worth the effort. Even though he had not reached his target, Paul recognized it was worth it. He tenaciously pressed forward and upward knowing he could depend upon God. His present struggle could not compare to the "surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus (v. 3:8)".
Each of our journey's are different. Some are more challenging than others. As Paul's words encouraged the Church at Philippi, may they encourage us ... stand firm in the Lord. In so doing, we model credibility to others.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Faith For Such A Time As This
"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have attained royalty for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)
I am sure that these words echoed through Esther's mind as she silently humbled herself before King Ahasuerus waiting for his permission to speak on behalf of the Jewish people. She had carefully thought about what to say as he offered her up to half of his kingdom. Esther was mindful of the circumstances in which she lived, but unsure of the outcome. She trusted in something that she could not see or comprehend, and carefully and thoughtfully moved forward one step at a time.
So it is with people of faith. We may not be able to fully understand what is ahead of us. But we place our trust in the unseen reality of God. He will order our steps and instruct us as we follow Him.
Hope brings unending possibilities that we cannot see. Trust brings confidence to keep moving forward.
I am sure that these words echoed through Esther's mind as she silently humbled herself before King Ahasuerus waiting for his permission to speak on behalf of the Jewish people. She had carefully thought about what to say as he offered her up to half of his kingdom. Esther was mindful of the circumstances in which she lived, but unsure of the outcome. She trusted in something that she could not see or comprehend, and carefully and thoughtfully moved forward one step at a time.
So it is with people of faith. We may not be able to fully understand what is ahead of us. But we place our trust in the unseen reality of God. He will order our steps and instruct us as we follow Him.
Hope brings unending possibilities that we cannot see. Trust brings confidence to keep moving forward.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Be Strong
"Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the Lord." (Psalm 31:24)
Those two words, "be strong," occur about 45 times in Scripture. They are often followed by "and be of good courage" or something similar. It is clear that we need to be reminded of this truth on a regular basis. In the face of daily stress, personal challenges, and a rapidly changing society we need to hear "be strong" and "take courage" in the hope that God will do what is ultimately best for us.
I know that some of you are facing huge challenges that are far above your ability to withstand. And for the rest of us, our "smaller" challenges may seem like mountains. Take courage and be strong today: "Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)
Blessings in all you do today!
Those two words, "be strong," occur about 45 times in Scripture. They are often followed by "and be of good courage" or something similar. It is clear that we need to be reminded of this truth on a regular basis. In the face of daily stress, personal challenges, and a rapidly changing society we need to hear "be strong" and "take courage" in the hope that God will do what is ultimately best for us.
I know that some of you are facing huge challenges that are far above your ability to withstand. And for the rest of us, our "smaller" challenges may seem like mountains. Take courage and be strong today: "Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)
Blessings in all you do today!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Educator's Prayer
"Conventional wisdom has it that management is not a popularity contest.... I contend, however, that all things being equal, we will work harder and more effectively for people we like. And we will like them in direct proportion to how they make us feel." (Irwin Federman)
For those of us in education, consider inserting "teaching" in place of "management." In over 20 years of Christian education I have heard educators say “students don’t need to like me in order to learn.” While we are not in education in order for students to like us, we can connect better with them if they feel we respect them and value them as a learner. Even more so if they like us.
Education is about making a connection with the student rather than just pouring out information hoping some of it will sink in. There will always be students that rub us the wrong way and test our patience. But as they are, some of us once were.
May God grant us the ability to change the students that can be changed, the patience to endure those who struggle, and the wisdom to do no harm.
Students are as human as their teachers.
For those of us in education, consider inserting "teaching" in place of "management." In over 20 years of Christian education I have heard educators say “students don’t need to like me in order to learn.” While we are not in education in order for students to like us, we can connect better with them if they feel we respect them and value them as a learner. Even more so if they like us.
Education is about making a connection with the student rather than just pouring out information hoping some of it will sink in. There will always be students that rub us the wrong way and test our patience. But as they are, some of us once were.
May God grant us the ability to change the students that can be changed, the patience to endure those who struggle, and the wisdom to do no harm.
Students are as human as their teachers.
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