A Father's Good Gifts

As I think over this past year, and all that Christ has done with it, I am overwhelmed.  Who am I that He should bless me so abundantly in spite of all the detours that I have taken from His plan?  Yet like any good father, He enjoys giving His children good gifts.

Christ has used A.D. two thousand eleven to heal relationships and to continue to show me the man that He wants me to be.  One of the most profound methods of these revelations is also one of the most fabulous blessings that He has showered upon me.  In June of this year, through a series of miraculous happenings, I took the position of math teacher/assistant chaplain at Advent Home Learning Center.  Advent Home, located in the beautiful Hiwassee River Valley, is a boarding school/group home for troubled boys, many of whom have learning challenges.  Through this experience, I have, in many instances, been the student and not the teacher.  Many of the character defects that irk me the most are those that I myself have overcome or am still overcoming.  I have also been blessed enough to witness the Holy Spirit lead a couple students to repentance through discussions that I have had with them.  I daily thank God for giving me the opportunity to help prepare these precious boys for not only their earthly lives, but, more importantly, their eternal lives.  Two thousand, eleven has truly been an "Anno Domini": Year of Our Lord!

When I look back over the way that God has blessed me through this year, I naturally ask the question: "What does He want in return?"  The answer is really quite simple.  He wants me.  He has blessed me not because He wants something in return, but because He is love, and He loves me as His son.  But, as any father, He would like me to love Him as well, and so out of deep gratitude for His self-sacrificial love for a sinful wretch like myself, I commit myself, my passions, and my desires to Him.  I ask that He replace them with His passions and desires, and as a result, I have been given a passion for the lost.  And this brings me to my final thought: as much as I am looking forward to this New Year, I pray that it will be our last, and that God will continue to use me to to hasten His Son's coming.  I hope that He has blessed you as richly as He has me, that you will have a blessed New Year, and that we will celebrate the next one on the sea of glass.

Hail to the Chief

As I walked down the hall to the rotunda, excitement filled the air.  I listened as numerous languages met my ears.  Almost as soon as we moved from the hallway to the pillared rotunda that housed perhaps the most important legal document in the history of the world, the talking ceased and everyone stood in silent reverence.  That day, as I left the National Archives, I began to think. 

How is it that we instinctively become reverent in the presence of a piece of parchment, and yet, when we enter the throne room of the Creator of the universe through worship, we fail to recognize His ompnipotence and awesome holiness?  I have been guilty of the same sin.  As I kneel in prayer, I allow my thoughts to wonder to the events of the day, or what is on my to do list, or even the hunger in my stomach.  As I enter the sanctuary, I socialize and visit with friends.  And yet, I treat the such menial things as the US Constitution and the flag of the United States with an almost undue reverence. 

I imagine that this tendency may have something to do with the fact that worship is not a tanglible object like the Constitution or our flag.  However, the Israelistes had a very similar struggle even though they had a very physical representation of the incredible power and holiness of God.  When it came time to move the Ark of the Covenant, rather than following the guidelines given by God regarding its transportation, they threw it on the back of a cart pulled by oxen.  Then, to make matters worse, Uz put his hand out and touched the Ark.  Uz was so proud of his possition as a Levite, that he failed to ensure that he was treating the earthly throne of God with the care and reverence that God required.  Could it be, that we have grown too comfortable with God's presence?  Is it possible that a re-examination of our condition, a realization of our dependency upon the transformative power of God, and humble confession is what we need to regain our focus and our reverence for the presence of the Ruler of the universe?  I pray that God will give me a proper respect for His holiness. 

Above and Beyond...

Wow!  The Lord is good!  The past few weeks have been absolutely incredible.  I have seen Him work in so many miraculous ways.  If you remember, in my last post on this blog, I was unsure of where God was leading me and I surrendered my future to Him to do with as He thought best. 

It was just a matter of days after I wrote that post that my mom encouraged me to look into what positions Advent Home Learning Center (a biblical rehabilitation center for troubled boys) had available.  I was doubtful of my chances at securing a job there considering the fact that I have yet to finish my college degree.  But as Peter, I cast my net on the other side. 

I went to Advent Home’s website and found an opening for Resident Care Staff and submitted a cover letter and my resume.  That very evening, I received a phone call from Dr. Blondel Senior, the executive director at Advent Home.  We talked for about half an hour on the phone, and in the course of the conversation, Dr. Senior mentioned that he had noticed on my resume that I am a physics education major and that they were looking for someone to teach math and science.  At first, I thought that he had misunderstood, so I clarified.  I said, “yes, I am a physics education major, but I have not graduated yet, and am not certified to teach.”  But his response was that that would not be a problem so long as I taught under the supervision of one of their other certified teachers.

The following week, I met with Dr. Senior and some of the other staff at Advent Home for a more formal interview.  At the end of the interview, I was offered a job teaching math and science.  I am technically teaching under the supervision of a certified teacher, but in all reality, it is my classroom.  I am doing what I have long felt called to do: shepherding young men, helping to restore in them their Creator’s image.  I have also been asked to serve as a sort of assistant chaplain.  I will be giving morning devotional talks in the mornings and one-on-one Bible studies with the young men who wish to prepare for baptism.

The Lord has not only given me a clear direction as to where and how He wants me to serve Him, but has also provided a way for me to continue my education.  I thank Him for His awesome care for me and for giving me an opportunity to work with these young men who He loves so much.  It is very humbling.  Please pray for me as I begin this incredible journey.

I Won't Worry; I'm As Strong As a Mouse!

In his second epistle to the Corinthians, Paul said that he was "well content in weaknesses...for Christ's sake; when I am weak, then I am strong."  This is a text that I have long struggled with.  I mean, I understood that he was saying that when he didn't have control of the situation, he was FORCED to rely on Christ who is always far stronger than we are.  But come on, How many of us can honestly say that we are perfectly happy when all control is ripped out of our hands?  Paul was.

But I am beginning to have a small understanding of where Paul was coming from.  For the past year, I have been laboring to build myself a future, one that I was and still am convicted He has planned for me.  But on God's "to-do list," perfecting my character so that I more fully reflect my Creator's image has a much higher priority than building my earthly future.  And so, here I am, jobless, in debt, with no way to continue my education.  As in the case of Judah and Jehoshaphat in 2 Chron. 20:17 He's telling me, "You need not fight in this battle; station [yourself], stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf..."  He wants me to learn to allow Him to become my strength both in and out of weakness.

I have fully committed today to let God take control of my future and to be content to leave Him in control.  I will join Abraham, Moses, and Paul in allowing God to be both Architect and General Contractor of my future.  He's promised in Jeremiah 31:17 that my future is bright, but as the "three worthies" before Nebuchadnezzar,  I am prepared to leave Him in control even if He doesn't work it out according to my desires, because I will more fully reflect the Creator's image.

A Poodle's Salvation

"For all of us have become like one who is unclean and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment..." Isaiah 64:6

My mom's dog has this awful habit of rolling in and eating the excrement of neighbor cats from the backyard when left alone.  Why this prim and proper toy poodle has taken such a fancy to this one disgusting activity is beyond me, but she has.

Last night she was mistakenly left outside, and by the time we realized she was out there, it was too late.  It was caked in the fur on her ears; she had it around her mouth.  The smell was nauseating.  As I tried not to vomit as I bathed her, I began to grumble about what a revolting animal she was.

The very moment these words left my mouth, the Holy Spirit spoke to me.  He said, "That's how I see your sin.  You may find it pleasurable at the moment, but your pride, selfishness, lust, covetousness, and rebellion are just excrement.  You're rolling in feces.  But I want to bathe you so that you can come back inside."  Lord, wash me; cleanse me of my filth and cover me with the perfume of Your righteousness.

Higher Than the Highest

“Higher than the highest human thought can reach is God’s ideal for His children.” (White, Education 18)  This is the avoidance of mediocrity; however it’s also more. Identifying one’s best, and making it better is the pursuit of excellence, and it’s what we as educators have been called to develop in ourselves as well as in our students.  This is the type of teacher that I want to be; I want to be a teacher that doesn’t just “toe the line,” but who, in everything he does, looks to give his students the very best education available.  This is all fine and good, but how am I going to do it?

To answer this question, I have to state my philosophy on education.  “To many, education means a knowledge of books, but ‘the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;’ the true object of education is to restore the image of God in the soul. “ (White, Testimonies to the Church 8)  If I succeed in teaching my students all the works of great minds like Newton and Einstein, yet am unsuccessful at teaching them a love for God, and a passion for the Gospel, then I have failed.  Sure, I’m here to teach science, but the science is not of eternal value.  If I teach the science, but fail to teach the “fear of the Lord,” then I have given them something that is useful in the temporal life but have failed to equip them for their eternal life.  However, if I can help develop in them a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, then they will have all eternity to learn science directly from the Creator.  Deuteronomy 5:6, 7 tells us how this is to be done; it says, “These words which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.”  There are two key points in the text.  One, it’s to be a relationship.  It says, “[they] shall be on your heart.”  Two, they are to be taught in the course of everyday life.  The science is an opportunity to get into my students lives and show them the love of Christ.

The second purpose of my teaching is to pass on this pursuit of excellence to my students, to teach them to be motivated and to not only put forth their best, but to improve upon their best.  To do this I must teach them to seek learning for themselves.  As I was writing this, I received a text message from one of the students that I tutor at Collegedale Academy.  She told me, “I don’t need you tomorrow.”  At first, I joked with my roommate that the text message hurt my feelings, but he quickly corrected my view point.  He said, “But isn’t that what you’re trying to achieve?”  I realized that he was right.  I have achieved success as a teacher when my students no longer need me, when they can seek out the desired information on their own. 

            These two concepts of nurturing a relationship with the Savior and of encouraging a pursuit of excellence are the foundation of my career as a teacher.  “As [I] awaken a desire to reach God’s ideal, [I] present an education that is as high as heaven and as broad as the universe…an education that secures to the successful student his passport from the preparatory school of earth to the higher grade, the school above.” (White, Education 19)  And, in doing so, I will be a caring person, an informed facilitator of learning, a reflective decision-maker, and a committed professional.

God's Equation for the Restoration of His Image

Education – it has played an important role in each of our lives since birth.  Our formal education for most of us began when we were about four or five years old.  We rebelled against having to “go to school.”  But, for most of us we continued this drudgery on through high school and into college.  We all of some idea of what education is, but is that perception one that has been influenced by Scripture, or rather by secular society?  Are we really including in our students’ education what God has intended to be included in their education?

After God gave the Children of Israel the Ten Commandments, he instructed them on how to educate their children.  Deuteronomy 6:6-9 says,

“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

God desires that His Law become a part of our heart.  He wishes that it no longer be seen as a law, but rather that it become second nature out of an ever present desire to be like Him.  He desires that our actions reflect His.  He desires that we reflect our Creator’s image.  And our education and that of our students is to revolve around this purpose.   One of my favorite authors who was also a revolutionary in the field of education at her time wrote, “To many, education means a knowledge of books, but ‘the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;’ the true object of education is to restore the image of God in the soul.

If we were to approach our students’ education with the mentality that we are to aide our students in the formation of characters that reflect that of their Creator, then our students would not only have an education preparing them for heaven, but they would also incidentally gain those skills found beneficial in earthly life: care, honesty, and initiative.  The teaching of academics, or “book knowledge” while also necessary for life is merely an excuse to simultaneously train the student’s character. “As he [the teacher] awakens a desire to reach God’s ideal, he presents an education that is as high as heaven and as broad as the universe…an education that secures to the successful student his passport from the preparatory school of earth to the higher grade, the school above.”

The Beginning and the End (Which is really just the beginning)

"Let Us make man in Our image..." (Genesis 1:26)  This was our beginning.  God had spent the past five days speaking the world into existence.  Up until this week, our planet had been an undefined mass of matter.  But the Son, pre-incarnate, had very carefully called every air molecule, every beach and blade of grass, every fish and bird, every beast into being.  Finally, he has come to the most magnificent part of creation week.  They (the God-head) decide that they want a being like them to take charge of this planet.  They want a being that has the power to love, the  power to choose.  The same God whose mere voice has actuated life into every other living thing on the planet decides to kneel down in the freshly created dirt, and form this being He calls man with his very own hands.  When He's finished, he leans in even closer, touches his lips to the man's, and with a kiss, breathes into the man the breath of life.

Unfortunately, this man chooses to doubt his Creator, the very being in whose image he is created.  He eats of the fruit that His master has forbidden from his touch, let alone his consumption.  He is no longer the perfect image of his Creator.  Instead the image has been tarnished by doubt, pride, selfishness, and disobedience.  While he may feel wiser, he holds knowledge of something the God never intended should enter the mind of this magnificent being: the knowledge of evil.  His perfect body begins the degeneration that is the result of sin.  He recognizes his mistake and repents and calls out to his Creator, and God has a plan.

Humanity's Creator takes on the imperfect, degenerated body of man and walks the planet that He so lovingly built and sin has so maliciously corrupted.  He relieves the suffering of those plagued by the results of sin.  He demonstrates the Character of the God whose image humanity should be bearing.  He takes the very wages of sin, death and separation from God, upon Himself so that any who might believe and repent might be restored to the original masterpiece that is the image of God.  But humanity is ungrateful for the Creator's sacrifice and demands the most horrific death imaginable to his corrupt mind. 

On the third day, the Father calls the Creator's name and the earth shakes as it's Creator throws off the chains of death.  He has proven to the universe that it is not impossible for man to bear the perfect image of God.  He has vanquished death and sin and breathes into humanity hope of a better future.  He points man in the direction he is to strive, takes his hand, and says, "Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."  He has restored to us the privilege of bearing the image of God!