It is 10:05 a.m. this morning and I am sitting in a room with a bunch a 9th grade choir students. I am a substitute teacher, an adult with a pulse. That is what is needed and so here I am.
This is not my first substitute teaching opportunity. I have had many in the last couple of months. The money is pretty good and I don't have to extend a lot of energy, especially today as I am subing for only two hours.
I am looking at the clock and it's now 10:31 a.m. This is good for now class is half over. The students are nice and respectful for the most part, but I am a sub. There really is nothing to do except sit and make sure that no one is killing anyone else. I am thinking this is so boring and questioning is this what my life has become? Sitting in a high school choir class with nothing to do except babysit? Wow! What a life.
The class is now almost over and the student leader comes and asks if I will tell the other students that they need to pick up and put away their choir folders. She asks me because she doesn't think her peers will listen to her. So I ask them to pick up after themselves and generally speaking they do. The bells rings and I have one hour to go!
The bell tolls again and it is time for 4th period. The students shuffle in and stand in their appointed positions on the platform risers and after a little jostling, messing around, and some instructions the piano in the room stirs to life and the voices of this choir rise as one as they start practicing a song they will perform at a competition later in the spring.
I am sitting there in my chair enjoying myself. They are singing a song from Brahms and it has something to do with rising your voices to the Lord who sits on high (this by-the-way is in a secular high school).
They continue and all I can think is what a wonderful example of God loving me. Is being a substitute teacher a great job? Not really. Is it exciting. No, again I say no. Will I get rich? (Laugh with me). But as I am sitting there listening to the words I can't help but be thankful that God helps me to keep going.
I was blessed by God today and it wouldn't have happened if I had turned down the opportunity to sub today.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
Who Do You Fear?
A couple of weeks ago me and two friends were talking and one of them brought up that it was a little weird to have cameras all over the church grounds the he goes to. He also said that when you enter the building you have to sign in at the front desk and get a visitors pass. On top of those things the school part of the building now has large fences that are always locked. All of these things that his church has done are for security reasons.
We live in an era of school, church, and university shootings. Because of this organizations spend a great deal of money to try and make sure that a shooting doesn't happen to them. We lived in Denver when the Columbine shootings took place. We had friends that were there that day, and had some girls from the school over to our apartment to make ribbons. Our eldest son was in kindergarten that day and the whole school that he attended was on lock down the whole day. We know first hand how tragic these things can be. And yet I wonder if the church should be different from other organizations when it comes to taking various security measures.
In Matthew 10:28 Jesus is speaking to his disciples as they are being sent out to preach and He says, "Don't fear those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in Hell." Jesus knew that he was sending His disciples into areas and to people that would be hostile to them because of what they were going to be preaching. Jesus was encouring them by saying in effect get your priorities in order: don't fear people becuse they can only do so much, but God can do much more.
We no longer live in the fear of God. The website Foundations for Freedom defines the fear of God as, ..."that awesome reverence of the Lord deriving from being sensitive to His glorious, holy, and majestic Person resulting in respect and obedience." I am not sure how many Christians have a proper fear of God and one of the ways it shows is by the way we try to make ourselves feel secure. We spend an enormous amount of money and time on home security, car security, airport security, and now church security. I do believe that this shows that we are more fearful of people and what they might do to us, than of who God is.
I am not suggesting that we post signs on the roads that go past our churches or homes that say, "Come on in and kill us", but isn't it time that we draw a line in the sand and witness to the people of our communities that we will not be fearful of someone who walks in with a gun and kills our bodies? The fact of the matter is if this happens we get to go to Heaven sooner than what we thought we might.
Why do we seemingly cling to this world so much? We who are Christians, who believe in the birth, perfect life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, have an eternal home in Heaven. We have a God that loves us and will never leave us high and dry. He forgives us of our sin, He has given us a planet that we can enjoy and a universe we can explore. He provides us with water, food, clothes, and the air we breath. He has provided salvation and a Heavenly home for us. What do we have to fear?
Oliver Cromwell said, "I've learned that when you fear God, you do not have any man to fear." The community of Amish believers in Pennsylvania that were tragically made the target of a man that went on a shooting rampage a couple of years ago is the best example of Cromwell's quote. They have taken no measures to make themselves feel more secure because they fear the Lord not people. The surrounding community and many other people outside of the community don't understand this. The Amish of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania are being wittnesses to Cromwell's quote and Jesus' words. It's probably not easy for many of them, but they live without the security measures that we put too much faith in and the world has taken notice. We have a lot to learn from them.
We live in an era of school, church, and university shootings. Because of this organizations spend a great deal of money to try and make sure that a shooting doesn't happen to them. We lived in Denver when the Columbine shootings took place. We had friends that were there that day, and had some girls from the school over to our apartment to make ribbons. Our eldest son was in kindergarten that day and the whole school that he attended was on lock down the whole day. We know first hand how tragic these things can be. And yet I wonder if the church should be different from other organizations when it comes to taking various security measures.
In Matthew 10:28 Jesus is speaking to his disciples as they are being sent out to preach and He says, "Don't fear those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in Hell." Jesus knew that he was sending His disciples into areas and to people that would be hostile to them because of what they were going to be preaching. Jesus was encouring them by saying in effect get your priorities in order: don't fear people becuse they can only do so much, but God can do much more.
We no longer live in the fear of God. The website Foundations for Freedom defines the fear of God as, ..."that awesome reverence of the Lord deriving from being sensitive to His glorious, holy, and majestic Person resulting in respect and obedience." I am not sure how many Christians have a proper fear of God and one of the ways it shows is by the way we try to make ourselves feel secure. We spend an enormous amount of money and time on home security, car security, airport security, and now church security. I do believe that this shows that we are more fearful of people and what they might do to us, than of who God is.
I am not suggesting that we post signs on the roads that go past our churches or homes that say, "Come on in and kill us", but isn't it time that we draw a line in the sand and witness to the people of our communities that we will not be fearful of someone who walks in with a gun and kills our bodies? The fact of the matter is if this happens we get to go to Heaven sooner than what we thought we might.
Why do we seemingly cling to this world so much? We who are Christians, who believe in the birth, perfect life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, have an eternal home in Heaven. We have a God that loves us and will never leave us high and dry. He forgives us of our sin, He has given us a planet that we can enjoy and a universe we can explore. He provides us with water, food, clothes, and the air we breath. He has provided salvation and a Heavenly home for us. What do we have to fear?
Oliver Cromwell said, "I've learned that when you fear God, you do not have any man to fear." The community of Amish believers in Pennsylvania that were tragically made the target of a man that went on a shooting rampage a couple of years ago is the best example of Cromwell's quote. They have taken no measures to make themselves feel more secure because they fear the Lord not people. The surrounding community and many other people outside of the community don't understand this. The Amish of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania are being wittnesses to Cromwell's quote and Jesus' words. It's probably not easy for many of them, but they live without the security measures that we put too much faith in and the world has taken notice. We have a lot to learn from them.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Speeding into Sin
For Spring Break this year our family decided to go to North Carolina and visit friends. It was a very good vacation. It was busy, but I think we all got to spend some time with people that we spent so much time with when we lived there.
On the way down there, and then back home I was struck by how many people speed. I have noticed this before of course, but this time for some reason it really struck me as proof that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
There are signs posted all over the place as to what the speed limit is, and as Ted Koppel of ABC's Nightline once said about the Ten Commandments, "They are the Ten Commandments not the Ten Suggestions.". The same applies to speed limit signs, they are limits to how fast you can drive, not a speed suggestion. And yet so many people throw caution to the wind and drive much faster than what they should.
Of course there are those that know they are speeding and don't want to get caught so they buy police radar detectors. Then there are those that just don't care. But when a police car enters the scene it is amazing how many people don't even drive the speed limit, they drive a little under the speed limit.
What really amazes and saddens me is how many Christians speed. If there are people out there who should know better it's us. But I have seen many little fishes speed by just like everybody else.
I think our relationship to God (whether you actually know Him or not) and sin is a lot like speeding. There are some people that just don't care. They will cheat, lie, get drunk, do drugs, swear, steal, ect, ect. every single day and won't think anything of it. There are those people that will take a calculated risk at not getting caught at whatever activity they are involved in hoping they won't get caught. All these people are wanting is to get a little ahead, live a more exciting life, show that they are above accountability, "the rules don't apply to me!".
If you speed enough you will get caught and you will be held accountable. The faster you go they stiffer the consequence. Sin is just like that too. Though God sees sin as sin, no one sin greater than another, the consequences of some sin is greater than some others. God weeps over sin, and Satan just laughs. But even he will be held accountable one day, just as you will if you continue to speed.
On the way down there, and then back home I was struck by how many people speed. I have noticed this before of course, but this time for some reason it really struck me as proof that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
There are signs posted all over the place as to what the speed limit is, and as Ted Koppel of ABC's Nightline once said about the Ten Commandments, "They are the Ten Commandments not the Ten Suggestions.". The same applies to speed limit signs, they are limits to how fast you can drive, not a speed suggestion. And yet so many people throw caution to the wind and drive much faster than what they should.
Of course there are those that know they are speeding and don't want to get caught so they buy police radar detectors. Then there are those that just don't care. But when a police car enters the scene it is amazing how many people don't even drive the speed limit, they drive a little under the speed limit.
What really amazes and saddens me is how many Christians speed. If there are people out there who should know better it's us. But I have seen many little fishes speed by just like everybody else.
I think our relationship to God (whether you actually know Him or not) and sin is a lot like speeding. There are some people that just don't care. They will cheat, lie, get drunk, do drugs, swear, steal, ect, ect. every single day and won't think anything of it. There are those people that will take a calculated risk at not getting caught at whatever activity they are involved in hoping they won't get caught. All these people are wanting is to get a little ahead, live a more exciting life, show that they are above accountability, "the rules don't apply to me!".
If you speed enough you will get caught and you will be held accountable. The faster you go they stiffer the consequence. Sin is just like that too. Though God sees sin as sin, no one sin greater than another, the consequences of some sin is greater than some others. God weeps over sin, and Satan just laughs. But even he will be held accountable one day, just as you will if you continue to speed.
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