A few weeks ago, I ran a post about some very influential teachers in my life. Today, I continue that reflection. I am sure I will miss some folks, but here are the ones that come to mind, for a variety of different reasons.
My pastor growing up, Bud Shivers. He came to my church when I was seven. One of his sons and I were best friends, so I not only saw him in preaching mode, but in living mode. He was funny, loved life, loved his family, loved his people, and loved God. He taught me about dealing with grief as his wife slowly was taken by awful cancer. He showed me about moving on through grief. He encouraged me, too, as I just was getting started in this vocation of mine.
There were many other as life went on:
“Rev” – my BSU Campus Minister at UGA, who pushed me beyond what I thought I could do to what God wanted to do.
Hank Dunn – who taught me how to have a Quiet Time, when I should have already known.
Barry St. Clair – who taught me so much about student ministry by training and by example, and who is was at least the catalyst God used to give me a love for Eastern Europe and its people.
Peter Lord – who showed me what a relationship with God should be: intimate. Obedient, and Spirit-powered. I have re-spoken his “Why I?” message so many times, I have lost count, and will likely use it again. I can even do it with his accent! (He grew up in Jamaica).
Dave Busby – a miracle man. Dave and I would be the same age if he were still among us. Early on, his body was ravaged with polio, and later on, he was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. I saw him speak with incredible power and strength, and then nearly collapse in a chair as soon as he was done – yet you never knew how sick he was when he was speaking. God used this man of His to stretch my thinking (and the thinking of thousands of others) and see Jesus in ways I have never thought about. If I remember right, he was forty-seven when he passed away. But still, his message linger on my iPod, and, more importantly, in my soul.
Influential teachers are very special people. They do more than transfer information. They transfer their lives, their message. They may not have a lot of worldly investments, but the investment they make is in lives - a commodity far more valuable.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Monday, December 22, 2008
One Hot Baptism
Yesterday I put my foot in the hottest baptismal water I have ever experienced. I have now done both extremes: Cold when the heater failed, and reeeaaaallly hot when the heater went berserk. It was funny if you weren't standing in the water, as the video attests. To save embarrassing the other brave souls, this is only my intro, but you will get the idea.
It was way hotter than the hottest hot tub or therapeutic whirlpool I have ever put my foot in. It reminded me of the old Eddie Murphey routine on SNL as he mimicked the godfather of soul doing a song about the "Hot Tub." The most appropriate line in that "song" was, "Haaaayy! Too hot!" You know where to find it.
By the way, another pastor (who baptized four in the firewater) finished after the service, and a large amount of ice had been added to get it to more normal temperature. (And yes, we are getting a thermometer and are adding one more duty to our baptismal committee's responsibilities... "Check the water temp.")
A baptism to remember.
It was way hotter than the hottest hot tub or therapeutic whirlpool I have ever put my foot in. It reminded me of the old Eddie Murphey routine on SNL as he mimicked the godfather of soul doing a song about the "Hot Tub." The most appropriate line in that "song" was, "Haaaayy! Too hot!" You know where to find it.
By the way, another pastor (who baptized four in the firewater) finished after the service, and a large amount of ice had been added to get it to more normal temperature. (And yes, we are getting a thermometer and are adding one more duty to our baptismal committee's responsibilities... "Check the water temp.")
A baptism to remember.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Thanks to the Teachers (part 1)
I was reading 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 this morning. It started me thinking about those who have taught me. Here are the first two that came to mind, both from Sunday School.
Mr. Blackwell taught the boys Sunday School class I was in when I was ten. What a man of patience. There were about eight of us that came every Sunday, and assorted others who were members of the every-other-week club or the once-a-month club. I am sure that on some days he felt like our number was ten times reality, but he patiently taught us. He also inspired us to do every thing we could (show up, on time, give, read Bible, study lesson, attend worship) so we could score a higher percentage than the other three classes (one boy’s and two girls) thus becoming the “Banner Class” for the week. (I suppose that today this is seen as engendering unhealthy competition, but it got a lot of us started on developing disciplines that we would need all through life.)
Mr. Scott was the teacher of the older boys class in the High School department. Each Sunday, fifteen or twenty of us would crowd into the room, and this very brave man would actually attempt to lead us. He wasn’t the “man’s man” kind of guy. He was pretty mild-mannered, but we knew that he cared about us. He was more interested in us than he was “getting through the lesson.” Every Sunday, he’d give us five to ten minutes to catch up with each other. We had five different high school represented in our class, so this was important. Many times, Sunday was the only day we saw each other. (I often wonder at teachers who lecture for forty-five minutes to children or teens. I don't know adults that have attention spans that long!) After that talk time, he’d call us back to the topic of the day and we would get it done. The most impactful times, though, were when, in those first five or ten minutes, an issue would surface that needed to be addressed. Pushing the lesson aside, he’d help us get God’s perspective on it. I remember especially when a student from one of our schools had died in a tragic automobile accident. Teaching a bunch of high school guys about death and handling grief was more important than the lesson that day. There were other days when the discussion might not have been so grim, but was just as important. He would gently lead us to see how our thinking often differed from God's, and why God's idea was better.
Sunday School teachers (or small group leaders), for the most part, your students won’t remember what you taught them, but they will remember you, and whether or not they sensed that you cared about them. Life is transferred, not taught.
Mr. Blackwell taught the boys Sunday School class I was in when I was ten. What a man of patience. There were about eight of us that came every Sunday, and assorted others who were members of the every-other-week club or the once-a-month club. I am sure that on some days he felt like our number was ten times reality, but he patiently taught us. He also inspired us to do every thing we could (show up, on time, give, read Bible, study lesson, attend worship) so we could score a higher percentage than the other three classes (one boy’s and two girls) thus becoming the “Banner Class” for the week. (I suppose that today this is seen as engendering unhealthy competition, but it got a lot of us started on developing disciplines that we would need all through life.)
Mr. Scott was the teacher of the older boys class in the High School department. Each Sunday, fifteen or twenty of us would crowd into the room, and this very brave man would actually attempt to lead us. He wasn’t the “man’s man” kind of guy. He was pretty mild-mannered, but we knew that he cared about us. He was more interested in us than he was “getting through the lesson.” Every Sunday, he’d give us five to ten minutes to catch up with each other. We had five different high school represented in our class, so this was important. Many times, Sunday was the only day we saw each other. (I often wonder at teachers who lecture for forty-five minutes to children or teens. I don't know adults that have attention spans that long!) After that talk time, he’d call us back to the topic of the day and we would get it done. The most impactful times, though, were when, in those first five or ten minutes, an issue would surface that needed to be addressed. Pushing the lesson aside, he’d help us get God’s perspective on it. I remember especially when a student from one of our schools had died in a tragic automobile accident. Teaching a bunch of high school guys about death and handling grief was more important than the lesson that day. There were other days when the discussion might not have been so grim, but was just as important. He would gently lead us to see how our thinking often differed from God's, and why God's idea was better.
Sunday School teachers (or small group leaders), for the most part, your students won’t remember what you taught them, but they will remember you, and whether or not they sensed that you cared about them. Life is transferred, not taught.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Christmas and Young Voices
I took these pictures during rehearsals (which give me more flexibility to move around-which I like much better) and then during the performance. The faces tell the story. Enjoy.
Yes moms and dads (but no one else). Email me and I can send you the pictures, if we can figure out who is who.:-)
Yes moms and dads (but no one else). Email me and I can send you the pictures, if we can figure out who is who.:-)
Monday, November 3, 2008
Not a Political Solution
Over the last month or so, I have had lots of political discussions. Not that I enjoy these, or seek these out, like some do, but they are inevitable unless you live under a rock or something. I have talked with folks my age — not “old” but definitely “older.” I have also spoken with some young adults getting ready to vote for the first time. Conversations, and conversationalists, have run the gamut from unbridled idealism to deep cynicism.
If you are like me, you are likely tired of the commercials. I think there should be term limits for Congress, time limits for campaigns – a year before the election seems reasonable, and perhaps a “pull the plug on commercials” about four days before the elections. I am tired of the disingenuous-ness of the commercials from both sides. (By the way, I learned the meaning of “disingenuous” during the Clinton Presidency. I think it had something to do with a girl named Monica.)
I have heard all the promises for the future, and all the criticism of the last eight years. Don’t believe the promises, and recognize that the losses of the last eight years are not result of the decisions of one man, a few persons, party, or whatever. I heard a coach speaking after a resounding loss explain why his team had done so poorly: “It was a team effort.”
I have done some reflecting on past Presidential terms, and have concluded that every one of them has their pluses and minuses. According to my memory (which may not be faultless, but is better than most politicians or corporate executives when having to testify on Capitol Hill) here are some of the things I remember. You may rate them positively or negatively. Your option.
Kennedy (D) : Cuban Missile Crisis, Bay of Pigs, Vietnam
Johnson (D): War on Poverty, Vietnam Escalation
Nixon (R): Vietnam—eventually getting us out, Watergate
Ford (R): I don’t remember anything
Carter (D): Iran Hostage Crisis, Recession
Reagan (R): “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,” Iran/Contra
G. H. Bush (R): First Gulf War
Clinton (D): Great Economy (but the debt was 5 trillion when he left office), First World Trade Center Attack, Missed Osama, Monica, Somalia (Black Hawk Down), Genocide in Rwanda
G. W. Bush: (R): 9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ignoring Darfur, Economy…
I say all that just to point out that no party has a corner on righteousness or wisdom, and no one politician, be he/she President, Cabinet member, or member of Congress, causes anything alone – good or bad. Neither does any person or government have the power to “fix” all the problems of the world.
The solution to our problems is not political. It is spiritual, rooted deep in the hearts not only of the “voted on” but the voters. It doesn’t come down to one election, but how we live, every day. The root of personal and global problems are deep in our hearts, our hearts. We are selfish to our cores, and the Bible identifies that as sin. It is pride. It is thinking, “I am the center of my universe,” or really, “I am the god of my life.” (No you aren't.)
So vote tomorrow. Vote as you believe God is leading you. Trust Him with the results. But remember, it is a heart issue. An issue that only a relationship with Christ can fix.
Bible Verses to Consult: Psalm 146: 3-4, Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 1-3, 5:8, 6:23, 10:9&10.
If you are like me, you are likely tired of the commercials. I think there should be term limits for Congress, time limits for campaigns – a year before the election seems reasonable, and perhaps a “pull the plug on commercials” about four days before the elections. I am tired of the disingenuous-ness of the commercials from both sides. (By the way, I learned the meaning of “disingenuous” during the Clinton Presidency. I think it had something to do with a girl named Monica.)
I have heard all the promises for the future, and all the criticism of the last eight years. Don’t believe the promises, and recognize that the losses of the last eight years are not result of the decisions of one man, a few persons, party, or whatever. I heard a coach speaking after a resounding loss explain why his team had done so poorly: “It was a team effort.”
I have done some reflecting on past Presidential terms, and have concluded that every one of them has their pluses and minuses. According to my memory (which may not be faultless, but is better than most politicians or corporate executives when having to testify on Capitol Hill) here are some of the things I remember. You may rate them positively or negatively. Your option.
Kennedy (D) : Cuban Missile Crisis, Bay of Pigs, Vietnam
Johnson (D): War on Poverty, Vietnam Escalation
Nixon (R): Vietnam—eventually getting us out, Watergate
Ford (R): I don’t remember anything
Carter (D): Iran Hostage Crisis, Recession
Reagan (R): “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,” Iran/Contra
G. H. Bush (R): First Gulf War
Clinton (D): Great Economy (but the debt was 5 trillion when he left office), First World Trade Center Attack, Missed Osama, Monica, Somalia (Black Hawk Down), Genocide in Rwanda
G. W. Bush: (R): 9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ignoring Darfur, Economy…
I say all that just to point out that no party has a corner on righteousness or wisdom, and no one politician, be he/she President, Cabinet member, or member of Congress, causes anything alone – good or bad. Neither does any person or government have the power to “fix” all the problems of the world.
The solution to our problems is not political. It is spiritual, rooted deep in the hearts not only of the “voted on” but the voters. It doesn’t come down to one election, but how we live, every day. The root of personal and global problems are deep in our hearts, our hearts. We are selfish to our cores, and the Bible identifies that as sin. It is pride. It is thinking, “I am the center of my universe,” or really, “I am the god of my life.” (No you aren't.)
So vote tomorrow. Vote as you believe God is leading you. Trust Him with the results. But remember, it is a heart issue. An issue that only a relationship with Christ can fix.
Bible Verses to Consult: Psalm 146: 3-4, Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 1-3, 5:8, 6:23, 10:9&10.
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