Friends

A couple of weeks ago, I got a text message from one of my oldest friends.  His ministry has taken him in a different direction—he’s in missions, so we don’t get the chance to hang out very often.  He asked a simple question; do you want to grab coffee on Monday the 19^th.  I immediately said yes.  What surprised me was how much I looked forward to this meeting since that text.

We met at 7:00 in the morning, early, yes.  We spent an hour talking about our ministries, our families, just catching up.  I was reminded how much I enjoyed his company.  I was reminded how much I missed just chatting with him.  We fellowshipped over coffee and much too quickly, our time came to an end. 

Something we all need is a friend.  In the world of social media where people talk about having 567 “friends,” we often overlook the need for human interaction.  One thing that this generation is losing or perhaps has already lost is the ability to look someone in the eye and connect on a personal level.  There is something about us as humans that crave this friendship. 

The Bible speaks about friendships.  In Proverbs, the book of Wisdom, we find that if a man wants to have friends, he must show himself friendly.  In short:  be the kind of friend you want to have.  Are you a good friend?  Are you there to lend support?  Are you there when needed?  Are you friendly?

Proverbs also tells us that as iron sharpeneth iron, a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.  

Sometimes, friends tell us exactly what we need to hear in exactly the way we need to hear it.  They tell it like it is.  My wife has a friend that she always goes to for clothing advice.  She’ll try on an outfit and ask me if looks okay.  I’ll tell her yes, it does.  Her response?  She messages her friend for advice.  Laura knows that no matter what, this friend will be brutally honest.  We need this!  We need someone who will tells that, no, we shouldn’t wear that outfit because we aren’t 17 any longer.  (Not that my wife would ever do that, she totally rocks every outfit she wears) 

Perhaps one of the saddest stories in the Bible is about a man named Amnon.  I won’t go into all the details of his story, but in II Samuel, we find this phrase: “But Amnon had a friend.”  Oh my.  Friends are important.  This friend gave Amnon some bad advice.  This advice caused Amnon to take action that would eventually lead to a civil war in Israel.  All because of a friend. 

Be careful with your friends!  Make sure you make good choices about who you allow to be your friend.  Friends may let us down, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be the friend they need.  Remember what Jesus said to Judas Iscariot in the garden that night.  “Friend, wherefore are thou come” (Matthew 26:50).  Judas wasn’t being a friend to Jesus, but that didn’t stop Jesus from being Judas’ friend. 

This Thanksgiving be thankful for your friends.  But don’t just be thankful for them, tell them that you are thankful for them.  Don’t save those flowers for their funeral, give them their flowers today.  Don’t just wish your 567, oops, 568, Facebook friends a happy Thanksgiving, but call a friend and tell them that you are thankful for them. 

Be the friend that you need.     

A Little Early Morning Poetry

Occasionally, I will try my hand at poetry.  Here's something I wrote this morning.  My prayer is it would be a blessing to you.
 

As I was stretching before my early morning run,

I noticed lightning flashing across the sky. 

Softy, I prayed, “Dear Lord, hold back the rain.”

Off I went, down the street and around the corner,

Talking to my Lord, sharing the burdens of my heart,

While my feet steadily pounded the pavement.

One mile down, peace settled in my heart;

Our talk continued as I begin to pray for this town.

Up Cedar Street, past the Justice Center-may justice be done.

Past City Hall, praying for the city government,

May they be wise in their decisions as they lead.

Past the funeral homes, bless those poor families. 

Back the way I came, praying on the other side of the road

Lord bless these houses and the people that make them home.

Turning the last corner onto my street, I come to a stop.

Stretching, water, breathing.  I consider the run I just had. 

A good pace, a good time, so proud of myself.

Then I hear that still, small voice: “what about ME?”

How often we forget to thank the Lord for answered prayer! 

Thank you, Lord, for holding back the rain!  Thank you, Lord for safety!

Forgive me, Lord, for not thanking You like I should. 

Tom Otto

10/2/18

What's in Your Toolbox?

When I was a boy, I, like a lot of other boys, trailed along behind my father trying to "help" him in his projects.  One of  my regular jobs was to fetch tools.  I was a first class fetcher.  I could get the right screwdriver, pair of pliers, sockets, or saw on command.  The one request for a tool that I would dread was for a hammer.

Do you know how many different types of hammer there are?  A quick Google search will show that there are a plethora of hammers depending on the job.  No wonder, when my Dad would send me for a hammer, I would drag my heals in bringing him one back  Does he need the claw hammer?  The sledge hammer?  The ball peen hammer?  We're not roofing, so that rules out the roofing hammer.  Or would he want a mallet?  Perhaps the tack hammer?

When I was in college, I had a professor that taught my very first computer science class.  She had a favorite saying during that first semester.  She told us that first day, "I'm going to give you a new tool for your toolbox."   I remember rolling my eyes at her statement.  As the semester progressed and we would learn new programming technique after technique, she would say "Another tool for the toolbox."

This professor became my academic advisor (one of the best choices I made in college).  When I would complain about  general education requirements (who needs Theatre Appreciation, anyway?), she would gently smile and say "It's just another tool for the toolbox."

As a grown man, I've come to appreciate the many tools I've added to my toolbox over the years.  All those general education classes that I considered a waste of time are now a great help to me.  While I am ministering to people, I can rely on this knowledge to build conversations that help me get to know people and their needs better.

Over the years, I hope that I've helped people add a tool or two to their own personal toolbox.  I've adopted a saying of my own.  I make this statement quite a bit:  "If the only tool you have in your toolbox is a hammer, every thing begins to look like a nail."

Just as a hammer isn't the right tool for every job, we need to be able to use a variety of tools in dealing with the situations around us.  Whether someone is hurting emotionally or physically, whether someone needs scolding or encouraging, we must learn to use the right tool for the job.  Too many times, we rely on one tool over and over again because we never take time to add any tools to our toolbox, or we have yet to realize the need for more tools to begin with.

In our Christian school, we have 26 students.  Each of those students are unique.  Many of them have siblings in the school, but I cannot deal with them each the same way--even if they are siblings.  One student requires a bit of encouragement.  Another requires a bit of a heavy hand to remind them that there are rules to be followed.  One student needs a friendly smile from time to time.  There's one student that only needs a verbal reminder to behave.  We need a variety of tools to successfully build and shape these young lives.  Could you imagine building a house with only a hammer?

Do you rely on the same tool over and over again?  Are you not getting the results out of your relationships that you desire?  Perhaps you need to take a time out and develop some new tools for your tool box.

The Dangers of Running

One of the Apostle Paul’s go to illustrations in his writings was to compare the Christian to an athlete.  To people alive in Paul’s day, especially in the Roman Empire, athletics were a very important and large part of everyday life.  It was something that Paul’s audience could relate to.  In fact, many historians attribute part of Rome’s collapse to their addiction to sports entertainment.  I’ll just let that sit there for a moment.   

In his writings to Timothy, Paul talked about running his race, in his writings to the church at Ephesus, Paul talked about wrestling.  In our text tonight, Paul again refers to running-- 

Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

We all have a race to run.  There are a couple of prerequisites to running this race we call the Christian life: first, set aside ever weight.  This weight could refer to worry, anxiety, stress, depression, discouragement, etc. Set those things aside.  Second, set aside the sin that besets us.  We all have sin that troubles us more than others.  I’ve never been tempted to experiment with illegal drugs, but on the other hand, gluttony is a problem for me.  Especially when someone brings out the Little Debbie Snack Cakes. 

I’ve begun training for a 10K in October.  I’ve ran this race before, and I’m looking forward to running it again.  Early in the morning, you may see me out running the streets of our fair city.  I was reminded on one of these runs, that there are some dangers to running. 

Let’s look at a couple of them.  

If You Run, you may trip and fall.  Tuesday morning, at 4:30, I was out running.  I was running a street that I have ran hundreds of times before, in fact, I ran that street just a few days prior to Tuesday morning.

I was in the zone.  My first mile was almost done, I was feeling good, my pace was right where I wanted it, my breathing was on point, I was in a spirit of prayer. 

Then it happened.

Someone had left their trashcan on the sidewalk from the previous day.  It was casting a shadow onto the sidewalk and I didn’t see that there was a section of the sidewalk that had sunk a bit.  The edge of the sidewalk reached up and grabbed my big toe.  I found myself launching through the air.  Gravity soon took control and I found myself slamming onto the sidewalk. 

It took my breath away.  I felt the pain of road rash on my knee and shin.  I fell because I was running.  It’s a danger, a risk, that I accept.  As a Christian, there’s a danger that you might fall.

Revelation 2:5 “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”

When we fall, and we will fall, we need to remember from whence we fell.  It may shake us up.  It may take our spiritual breath away, it may knock the wind out of our sails, but we need to get back up. 

I’ve fallen while running before.  It was a cold, wintry Saturday morning.  There was some snow on the ground, but not too bad.  I was training for a half marathon that spring.  I was supposed to run 10 miles that day, but about two and a half miles in, I found a patch of ice that was hidden under the snow. 

I landed full on my left knee and it started swelling immediately.  I decided that I was going to get up and go.  I could not stay on the ground.  I had to get up, so I did.  I took a few halting steps, putting just a little bit of weight on my left leg, testing the knee.  The old male ego kicked in and I decided that I was not calling my wife to come get me.  So, I started hobbling my way back home.  I’d run a bit, and then walk a whole lot and run a bit more.  Eventually, I got home.   

Tuesday morning, as I was flying through the air, I thought of that day.    And I knew what I was going to do.  I hit the ground, jumped up, checked for blood, and took off running again.  You got to get up.  I was not going to lay there like the star of some infomercial (Help!  I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up!) 

In our Christian lives, when we fall, we’ve got to get up!  Galatians 6 talks about when our brother falls and how we should help him up, because it could be us next time!

Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

We need to help our brothers up, because one day, we may be the one on the ground!

The second danger in running is the dangers of dogs.  I don’t care how many times a dog owner assures me that their dog is friendly, that their dog won’t bite me.  If I’m running and I come across a dog, I’m wary of it—hey don’t judge me, it’s Biblical!

Philippians 3:1-2 “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.  Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.”

Amen!  There is a reason I support the leash law in Franklin!  I was out running with a friend several years ago.  We were going through a neighborhood when a large dog began to chase us.  Devin and I looked at each other and increased our speed.  Devin said, “I hope we can outrun that dog.”  I told Devin “I don’t have to outrun the dog, because I can outrun you.” 

I’ve been chased, I’ve been nipped at, I’ve felt dog saliva on my calf muscle, so I’m a bit cautious when it comes to dogs.  In our Christian life that we are running, we need to beware of dogs as well. Notice what Paul is talking about—dogs-evil workers, those who cut up (the concision)

Mt 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

We need to be aware of those fake Christians who will lead us astray.  Those who will nip at us, bark and growl at us, and try to chase us of the course that we have been given to run.  Let me tell you something I’ve learned, “Good doggie” doesn’t work.  You’ve got to be stern, “No!  bad dog!  go home!”  That dog isn’t going to listen to you if you try to placate it.  See what the scripture says will happen if we try to placate those false prophets:

Second Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

The apostle was concerned that if the church at Corinth was not stern with those preaching a false gospel, then they would accept the teacher and his teachings. 

The third danger of running is the Danger of Exhaustion.  If you run, you’re going to get tired.  That’s a simple fact. Sometimes when I run, I get tired, my legs start to give out, my feet start to complain.  I don’t have to convince my legs and feet to keep going, I’ve got to convince my mind to keep going.

Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

There’s nothing like crossing the finish line at a race and receiving your finisher’s medal.  At that moment, your fatigue and exhaustion evaporate. 

You may be weary tonight, you may be doing right, but you’re tired.  Someone asked me one time, how can your 13.1 miles?  I jokingly replied, “Mind over matter.”  I keep putting one foot in front of the other because in my mind, my legs don’t matter.

By the time I get to the end of my training plan for the 10K coming up, I’ll be tired of training, but I need the training just like we as Christians need the Lord to correct us from time to time.  Sometimes we get weary of the Lord dealing with us.

Proverbs 3:11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:

Be grateful for the correction of the Lord.  That means He loves you! You don’t discipline someone else’s children, do you?  Look at this verse from Revelation:   

Revelation 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Don’t grow weary of being corrected by the Lord.  Get right!  Correct the issues that God is chastising you over and repent!

Then of course, there is the Danger of Blisters.  Sometimes those shoes will rub your feet the wrong way.   Sometimes you’ll develop a blister.  Your skin will get irritated because of chaffing.  When I fell Tuesday, I got road rash.  It hurts and itches.  In this Christian life, we’re going to get irritated with the world—or, at least we should get irritated by the wickedness of this world: 

Second Peter 2:7-8 “And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed [his] righteous soul from day to day with [their] unlawful deeds;)

Lot was vexed.  He was irritated by the wickedness around him.  It was chafing him in an uncomfortable way.   Just as you and I can get irritated with the wickedness around us.  It doesn't matter if you get irritated, what's important is how you respond to the irritation  

Once, I got a blister and after a while, it popped.  I didn’t fix the issue that was causing the irritation, and a callous started to develop. 

Too many times, we Christians will get irritated at the world and grow calloused to their needs.   Jude reminds us to have compassion:

Jude 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22 And of some have compassion, making a difference: 23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

There are dangers in running, but I don’t let the dangers of running keep me from running.  We must run this race set before us. Are you running?  Or have the dangers of running knocked you out of the race?  If so, let me tell you what to do.  Get up and start running again. 

Reflecting. . .

Recently, a couple of dear friends of mine have been diagnosed with cancer.  One has reached the halfway mark of the treatment plan and the other will soon be starting their treatment plan.  A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to write a Survivor Story for the local office of the American Cancer Society (ACS).  I was honored to be asked.  As I have been spending time in prayer for my friends, I felt like I should share what I wrote for the ACS.  I hope it is an encouragement to you such that you will want to get involved in the fight against cancer. Here is what I wrote for the ACS:

April 20^th, 2015 is a date that I will never forget.  It was a Monday.  The previous Friday I had experienced a sudden flash of pain that truly scared me.  It scared me enough to call my family doctor. Monday was as soon as I could get an appointment.  That Monday morning, I explained to my doctor that some time before I had found a lump on my testicle but wasn’t overly concerned about it until the pain the previous Friday.  My doctor examined me and said the words you never want to hear: “You have Cancer.”  I learned something that day, when a doctor says cancer, it’s always with a capitol C. 

What followed that appointment was a series of ultrasounds, CT scans, x-rays, blood work, and a flurry of doctors’ appointments.  By that Friday, I was being for prepped for surgery.  At this time, all I knew was that I had been diagnosed with a tumor that my surgeon and I decided needed to go.  A few weeks after my surgery, I had a follow up with my surgeon.  My tumor was biopsied, and it was diagnosed as a mixed germ cell tumor.  It was mixed with two cancers, one was very aggressive and very malignant. 

Shortly thereafter, I met my oncologist.  The very first appointment was and still is a bit of a blur.  All I can remember is her saying this “Mr. Otto, you are one of the lucky ones.”  I can also remember me thinking “I’m lucky?  I’m lucky?  I’ve got cancer!”  I was about to say something when she continued to say that I was one of the lucky ones because of research, they knew how to cure my cancer.  She said that with chemo, I’d have a 97% chance of complete remission, and without chemo, I had a 1 in 3 chance of the cancer reoccurring; and since my tumor was the aggressive, malignant sort, I could most likely make that a 2 in 3 chance.    

After my chemo was completed and my checkup scans continued to be clear of any signs of cancer, I decided that I wasn’t going to be the only “lucky one.”  I had been involved in Relay for Life a little before this, but I decided I was going to do two things:  raise money for research and raise awareness in my community.     That’s why I Relay—I want more survivors, I want a cure.

Thank you for what you do for Relay for Life.  Together, we can find a cure.  Until there is a cure, together we can raise money for research so that more and more cancer patients can be part of the “lucky ones.”  I beat my cancer because people like you donated time, effort and money to raise funds for research.  Without research dollars raised in our communities, my oncologist may not have had the knowledge to treat my cancer successfully, because of that knowledge, my wife and I are able to watch our three boys grow into fine young men.  Thank you for being part of my cure and for being part of the cure for countless others in our community.  Thank you for celebrating, remembering, and fighting back on the behalf of all Survivors. 

Tom Otto

Cancer Survivor

As you go about the rest of your day, would you mind saying a prayer or two for my dear friends?  I'm trusting that the Lord will bring them through this with victory over their cancer.  I've been in their shoes, and they aren't easy ones to wear.  For more information on Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society, please visit these websites: 

Relay for Life     American Cancer Society

   

Where'd the Summer Go?

Here we are, sitting at day two of school at Faith Baptist Academy.  I find myself wondering, where did the summer go?  It seems like only last week, we were dismissing for the summer break! 

As I thought about the summer, I realized that it was a whirlwind of activity.  We sent a letter out to our church family reminding them of this.  Here is part of it:

What a summer!  I cannot believe that it is almost Fall.  We have accomplished so much together this summer--Camp Meeting was a tremendous success and such a blessing to so many preachers, pastors, missionaries, and evangelists who traveled to be here at the meeting.  Its success is in large part due to your help, prayers, and sacrificial giving.  Thank you!

We had so much fun with the church picnics, between all the good food, the prayer time, and the fun games, I don’t know what the best part was! Then came camp season.  A week at Camp Victory for both the teens and the juniors was just what our young people needed.  Between the isolation from worldly things and tremendous preaching, the Lord worked in our young peoples’ hearts.  Again, this was made possible to your generous help with the Bake Sale, both in baking things and buying things. 

I can’t fail to mention Vacation Bible School and how proud I am of all our teachers and volunteers.  The lessons were so well done, and the crafts and games were great fun for everyone.  Topping the day off was that young man bowing his head and asking Christ to save him, what a wonderful day!

As I have been reflecting on this summer a question came to mind.  During the fun of summer break, the family vacations, the lazy mornings where you slept in late, did you make a difference?  The Book of Jude tells us that we should make a difference in people's lives. 

So, did you?  Did you make a difference in someone's life this summer?  Can you think of one person that you positively impacted in some way?  Did you go out of your way to help someone?  Did you smile at that stranger while you held the door open for them?  Did you impact someone's eternity?  Did you take a moment to hand them a tract and invite them to Church? 

Did you talk to someone about Jesus?  You don't have to be a pastor to do that, in fact, some people won't talk to a pastor, but they'll talk to their friend, neighbor, or family member. 

Perhaps you made a difference in a negative way.  Perhaps there was that one person you had a, ahem, disagreement with, that you never got settled.  Perhaps there was that family reunion where you purposefully ignored Aunt What's-Her-Name because she made you angry last year. 

In our lives, we can impact people positively or negatively.  We should strive to be a positive impact on the people around us.  That's one of the greatest opportunities I have as principal of a Christian school.  I am excited about the returning students and overjoyed for the new students--I'm beside myself with anticipation about the impact I may be able to make on these young people.  If I'm being honest, I'm also concerned about those students who chose not to return to us this year.  Did the impact I made last year influence them for the cause of Christ?  The truth is, we won't know until we step into Eternity. 

Make a difference in some one's life today.  You never know how it will turn out--like throwing a rock into a pond...the ripples go out in all directions. 

Splitting Hairs

My wife and I recently started watching a long running sitcom together in the evenings.  One of the main characters is a unique individual, with equally unique character traits.  In one episode, several of the other characters began to argue.  The main character left the room, went into the kitchen, and turned on a blender full of ice.  When one of those characters that were arguing asked what he was doing, the other character say that he was attempting to drown out the sound of the arguments. 

In the last several weeks, I’ve really wanted to do something similar.  I have heard of people—good, solid, Christian folks who were arguing with other people about some silly things.  Let me give you a couple of examples. 

Example one, two churches were arguing over who was serving the Lord’s Supper correctly.  Really?  You’re going to argue over that?  Sure, I have my beliefs on the Lord’s Supper, and that’s what we practice at my church.  May I just say, with all due respect, that I don’t care if your church serves communion with saltine crackers or gluten-free, pita bread hand torn into pieces.  I don’t care if your church practices closed, open, or some in between style of communion.  I don’t care if you use Welch’s Grape Juice or the store brand. 

Example two, two brothers were arguing over which Bible college was better.  Obviously, they went to two different schools.  Each was loyal to their Alma matter.  These two brothers weren’t just having a lively discussion on the merits of the two schools but were having a heated argument about why one school was right and the other was wrong. 

Example three, there was a group arguing about what group of churches was right and which ones were wrong. This arguing quickly devolved into name calling and a couple of broken friendships.

Example four, a dear friend and missionary asked me if it would be okay if he wore a bow tie to church.  He was told at a previous church that he was in that he could not wear a bow tie at that church, so he wanted to make sure it was okay at this church.  Really?  Is that a doctrinal issue now? 

WHIRRRRRRRRR!  I wish I could start the blender in all these instances.  May I take a few minutes to explain why I don’t care how your church serves communion, or what Bible College you prefer, or what camp you are a part of?  Pay attention, I don’t want you to miss this.  Ready?  Here we go:  it’s not any of my business.  I’m not a member of your church, so I don’t get a say.  I’m not going to go to either of those Bible colleges, nor send my children there, based on your testimonies.  I don’t care which camp you side with, I try to get along with everyone. 

If more Christians today practiced this philosophy, can you imagine what would be done for the cause of the Christ?  How many more souls could be reached?  How many more ministries could be helping people in the name of Jesus? 

We’ve (myself included) have gotten pretty snooty when it comes to our practice of Christianity.  We get very comfortable critiquing other folks, when it really isn’t any of our business to begin with.  If we were more careful to mind our own p’s and q’s, we’d be far better off.  The Bible speaks very eloquently about this—the mote and beam?  We are quick to point out our brother’s mote while ignoring the beam in our own eye. 

You may not tie your necktie the way I do.  You may prefer a double Windsor to a half Windsor.  You may wear a bow tie.  You may prefer a belt to suspenders or vice versa.  You may use one curriculum in your Sunday School while I use a different one.  Don’t care, don’t care, don’t care.  As longs as you believe in the Book, the Blood, and the Blessed Hope, we’ll get along quite well.  Who knows, we may just learn some things from each other—if we aren’t too busy looking down our noses at each other. 

Oh, you may be wondering what sitcom my wife and I are watching together.  Well, I’m not telling.  You’ll probably go out of your way to tell me why it isn’t appropriate for a pastor and his wife to watch that show.  May I summarize:  None of your business. 

How Can This Be?

How can it be May already?  Wasn't it just November?  How can it be the end of the school year?  I'm sitting in my office, and the school is too quiet.  Most of my students have finished all of their work and are enjoying the afternoon off.  But the yearbook shows all the things we've done this year. 

It's too quiet.  There are supposed to be sounds of learning and fun happening.  I'm supposed to be hearing students giggling when they aren't supposed to be.  But it's quiet.  In just a two days, we will close school for the summer.  My first year as a principal will come to an end.  As I reflect on this school year, there are things that I would have done differently.  There are things that I believe I handled exactly right and would do it again.

I think of the students that have been a part of my first year.  There were challenging days with some of them, that's for sure.  However, I truly think there were more rewarding days than challenging ones.  I think of those students that were only here for a short period before their family moved away.  I pray that we were a positive influence on them while we had them.  I think of the students that won't be coming back next year.    My heart breaks for those students!  I worry about them moving on.  Have we given them enough?  Are they equipped to enter a different environment and maintain their testimony?  Only time will tell.

I think of my staff.  These dedicated teachers that give of themselves day after day.  Being stressed out, getting frustrated, perhaps even angry, yet, the next day, they are ready to do it again.  Our school secretary balancing the school schedule and my schedule and keeping me where I'm supposed to be and doing what I'm supposed to be doing.

I ponder on chapel this year.  Did the messages help the students?  Was I too hard?  Was I not hard enough?  Did I pray enough?  The answer to the first two, probably; to the third, probably not.

As I sit here, typing this, I find myself looking forward to August already.  The new students that we have enrolled, those yet to be enrolled.  Smiling faces, expectant looks, new shoes and pencils.  It'll be great.

But first, we have a program and a kindergarten graduation to do.  I should go work on my 2 hour and 45 minute sermon--I've got to give these students enough to last them over the summer.  :)

Another School Shooting?

Every time I hear of a shooting at, around, or near a school, my heart leaps in my chest.  My immediate thought goes to my children.  But not just my three boys.  I’m the principal of a small Christian school in Franklin. 

We have twenty students ranging from Kindergarten to 10^th grade.  Every time the news tells me of another shooting, those 20 faces go through my mind.  I find myself walking the halls of our school, peeking into classrooms, counting heads, testing outside doors to make sure that they are still locked.  I worry about these children, as if they were my own flesh and blood. 

When they miss a day because of sickness, I pray for their healing and recovery as it were one of my sons sick in bed.  When they are tardy, and we haven’t heard from their parents, I worry and have my wife reach out to them to make sure that they are okay. 

Do I worry about someone deciding to shoot up our school?  Sure.  Every single day.  So, what do I do?  Most every morning, I stand outside greeting the students as they are dropped off.  I look at their little faces to try to determine who’s having a bad morning.  I try to talk to those students just a little bit more than normal, to let them know that I care. 

Every afternoon, I stand outside and watch their parents come pick them up to make sure that the leave just as safely as they arrived.  Those students that had a rough day?  I normally talk with their parents to let them know—I’m not tattling, I just want the parents to know that I know what their student is going through. 

Do I think that this epidemic of violence against the most innocent portion of the population is entirely to blame on guns?  No.  Do I think it is entirely the fault of violent video games?  No.  Do I think it is entirely to blame of absentee parents?  No.   I think it’s a combination of all of these and more.

You’ve probably heard countless people say this “when I was a kid. . .”  and they normally go on to say how everything was better and it was always rainbows and lollipops when they were kids and there were no problems. 

My generation grew up with violent video games (remember the furor over Mortal Kombat?)  My generation grew up with working parents, we were probably the original latchkey kids.  My generation grew up with guns in the home.  Yet, we didn’t see these senseless acts of violence that we see all to frequently today.  Our problems were different.  Someone from my generation can most likely tell of someone in their class or the class behind them or ahead of them that committed suicide as a teen.  Someone my age can probably tell you of someone they went to school with who died while driving drunk.  Though the problems are different, the root causes may just be the same.

In our society, there is a definite lack of respect.  A respect for life.  A respect for a difference of opinion.  A respect for each other.  A respect for authority.  A respect for self.  Respect comes from an understanding that each of us has value.  Young, old, black, white, citizen, immigrant, poor, male, or female.  We all have value. 

Nothing in our society will change until we all see the value in each other.  That kid whom no one likes because he’s weird?  He has value.  The poor kid who doesn’t speak the best English?  He has value.  That girl who doesn’t fit in with the cool kids?  She has value.  That guy working two jobs to keep a roof over his children’s head?  He has value.  The mom who relies on government assistance to feed her children because she can’t work?  She has value. 

We want things to change?  Stricter gun control is just putting a bandaid on the situation.  So is arming teachers.  So is putting police officers in schools.  We need to treat the root cause of the problem to solve it.  We need to start teaching our children that everyone has value.  Everyone is worthy of our respect.  Not only do we need to teach this to our children, we need to live it in front of them.  Actions speak louder than words.   We need to start valuing the people around us, when we do so, they will start to see the value in themselves.  Then things may start to change for the better. 

Lessons from Running

 

Finishing my 3rd Half-Marathon

 

I’m training for a half-marathon.  If you do not know, a half-marathon is 13.1 miles.  I’ve ran 7 half-marathons before.  This will be the third post-cancer.  I’m excited about it.  Training for a half is probably what you think it is—a lot of running, three times a week you may see me out and about running around our town. 

You don’t start your training by running 13 miles at once.  Even though I have experience running half-marathons, I still start my training at the beginning.  Two miles one day, two and half the next time, and then a 5K on Saturday, building up to a 12-mile run just before the race.  This last weekend, I was scheduled to run 7 miles.  I typically get up early on Saturdays and run my long run.  However, this Saturday I was busy, so I could not run.  My fallback plan is early Sunday morning before church, however it was raining at a pretty good rate, so I did not feel safe running in those conditions (safety first, nothing ruins a training plan like a twisted ankle or getting hit by a car). 

Plan C was Sunday afternoon between services.  We came home from church, and fixed lunch.  After about an hour, I pulled on my running clothes (layers in winter, always layer) and laced up my shoes.  Remember, I’m typically a morning runner so this was out of my comfort zone. 

I had an amazing run.  Those 7 miles felt great.  That may be a foreign concept to you, but they really did.  The first couple of miles went by quickly.  I was breezing up hills and rolling right down them.  It was over before I realized 7 miles had past. 

This morning, I was slated to run 4 miles.  I got up early and set out on a familiar route.  I struggled.  The first mile was sluggish.  The second mile my legs were like “nah, I don’t think so.”  My breathing was ragged, and my heart rate was up higher than normal for a run.  Mile 3 was terrible and mile 4 was almost impossible.  But I finished the route. 

Immediately, I begin to think about the differences in the two runs.  My 7-mile run was much better than my 4-mile run.  You would think the opposite was true.  I begin to compare the differences.

•  In the 7-miler, my hydration was on point.  I sipped some water every 2-miles.  It was spot on.  This morning?  I didn’t even carry water with me. 
•  In the 7-miler, my nutrition was spot on.  A healthy lunch gave me the fuel I needed for the run.  This morning?  I didn’t eat anything before I left on the run.  It’s called breakfast for a reason (breaking your fast). 
•  In the 7-miler, my legs had been primed for a run.  I stretched before my run Sunday afternoon.  This morning, not so much.  A few toe touches and I was out of the driveway. 

You’d think that after training, running, and finishing 7 half-marathons, I would have theses simple keys to a successful run down pat.  But no, I made some simple mistakes that cost me later.  We can apply these same lessons to our spiritual walk with the Lord. 

Are you hydrated?  The scriptures tell us to be full of the Holy Ghost.  The scriptures also warn us about quenching the Spirit.  Do we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us and through us or are we dried up, wore out Christians?  As I run, my body consumes water and I need to replenish it, if I don’t, my body begins to fatigue easier.  The scriptures remind us not to be weary in well doing. 

Is your nutrition, right?  Not only does my body consume water, but it consumes nutrients as well.  I was well fed before my 7-mile run—not a heavy meal, but a nutritious meal, half way through the 7-miler, I chewed some energy chews to resupply my body.  Spiritually, we need the Word of God to feed our souls.  We need good healthy meals and we need refills during the week.  This is the importance of our daily devotional life.  If you’re depending on your pastor to feed you during services, you’re going to starve the rest of the week. 

Are you primed to walk with the Lord?  Before starting any exercise regime (whether it be running or what not), you need to stretch.  Begin each day with a prayer time.  It doesn’t have to be long, it just needs to be effective.  Talking with the Lord will prime you to serve Him that day. 

Thursday, I’ll be running again.  This time my schedule will be for 5 miles.  You can rest assured that I will take advantage of the lessons I learned (again) this morning. 

It's what time?

As usual for a Sunday evening, last night I laid down at 10:00 PM or so for a good night's rest.  As usual, it took me about 3 minutes to fall asleep.  Then the unusual happened.  At 1:30 AM (really late or really early, depending on your perspective), I was wide awake.  It took me a minute to figure out what time it was and that the alarm clock had not gone off. 

I lay in bed for a few moments and then all of a sudden, BAM!  No, Emeril was not in my bedroom.  I was attacked by doubts and fears and worries.  Just out of the blue, all these little voices in my head started screaming for my attention.  After tossing and turning for a while, I finally got out of bed and knelt down in the living room and began to pray. 

About 2:00 I got off my knees and went back to bed.  I was feeling quite drowsy at this time.  As I lay there waiting for slumber to overtake me, those pesky voices came right back.  Wouldn't you know it?  Worried about financial matters, worried about the upcoming tax return, worried about my wife (she's been sick for a while now, wonder what's wrong), worries, worries, worries.  After a few minutes of this mess, I got back up and went back to my spot in front of the couch.

Guess I wasn't done praying.

I prayed a while longer.  I had a sincere heart-to-heart with the Lord  I prayed for a long time.  I wept a bit.  I confessed a few things.  I gave some things over to the Lord.  At that point, I was wide awake.  I decided to go grab two things:  my Bible and my flashlight.  After getting them from my desk, I returned to the living room and sat on the couch. 

 I read a portion of scripture from Romans.  I read a portion of scripture from Genesis.  My soul still wasn't quite satisfied, so I followed some advice from a long time ago--I turned to the Psalms.  I read Psalm 27 for some reason.  Maybe because a bookmark was close by or maybe the Holy Spirit led me to this passage.  Verse 14 says this "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD."  

As I pondered those words, I felt peace enter my heart and soul.  Those little voices?  They had gotten very quiet for some reason.  At this time, the clock showed 3:00 AM.  My alarm goes off at 4:00 so I can head to the gym.  At peace, I whispered another prayer, asking for an hour of sleep.  I went to my bed, I laid down, and I drifted off to sleep.  At 3:59 and some change, I awoke feeling so very refreshed.  Honestly, it felt as if I had slept the whole night without interruption. 

I'm going to preach this text Wednesday night, if the Lord will allow, so I won't go into too much detail here.  But take this with you:  trust the Lord and He will strengthen your heart.  When you're weak, rely on God's strength.  When your tired, rely on God's stamina.  When you hear the little voices in your head telling you everything's wrong, rely on God's Word to tell you why everything's going to be okay.