Show "N Tell

“Be strong and brave, child.  God will be with you wherever you go.” ~ Joshua 1:9

Ms. Malone, a first year Kindergarten teacher, was excited about introducing many of the teaching activities she recalled from her own early school experiences.  Show & Tell had always been one of her favorites.

It wasn’t just about giving the kids a reason to bringing prized possessions to class.  The exercise was socially rewarding and academically helpful for young children and it created a fun, relaxed learning arena for everyone.

Bruce Kelly’s hand shot straight up.  “I’ll go first,” he shouted obviously anxious to show off the Davy Crockett coonskin cap he’d worn to school.  Several girls cried when Bruce claimed the cap was made from a real raccoon, which Ms. Malone said she seriously doubted.

Next came Jaquie with her collection of Happy Meal toys.  Joseph interrupted.  “Wow!  That’s a lot of cheeseburgers worth of toys,” he said to giggles and a high-five from his best friend Alex.

Liam proudly displayed his superhero figure collection.  There was a story for every one of them.  Ms. Malone though not overly interested, still nodded her approval.

As if she had eyes in the back of her head, Ms. Malone turned and pointed at Billy telling him to quit throwing his baseball in the air.  It was supposedly signed by Shoeless Joe Jackson.  No one believed him since the signature was printed in block letters.

Morgan showed off her Mr. Potato Head to little enthusiasm since she forgot to bring a potato. Adam brought in his new ant farm even though most of the ants were already dead, and Jasmine showed girls the proper way to sip tea with her plastic tea set.  Boys weren’t allowed near it since they crawled with cooties.

Ricky, who'd already shown off a ship in a bottle that he didn't make but claimed he did, yelled out, "My father has a letter from Barbara Bush thanking him for picking up litter."

A shy boy named Samuel sat near the back praying that his classmates would exceed their allotted time, then proceed to recess, lunch, and one of the mandatory films elementary school students were forced to watch.

No such luck.  Ms. Malone’s eyes locked on his; she knew his time had come.

Samuel reached under his desk as his fingers tightened on the paper bag.  With precious cargo in hand, he made his way to the front of the class.  A sea of shiny faces watched expectantly as Samuel opened the bag and removed a chain with his Dad’s army dog tags and a camouflage shirt.

Ms. Malone just assumed he was showing off his gear.  But when Bruce Kelly asked what his Dad did for the Army, Samuel replied, “I’m not sure.  I’d ask him, but heaven is just too far away.”

Lord Jesus, protect their children and the soldiers who protect us.   Walk beside them and calm any fears. Encircle them with Your light and keep them from harm.  And when his/her service has ended, lead them safely home again. Amen

Lessons from a Unicycle

“Don’t be discouraged.  The work you do will be rewarded." ~ 2 Chronicles 15:7

“Dad, can I get a unicycle,” Gracie asked, pointing to the now ancient one hanging in the corner of Nathan’s garage.   The single-wheeled contraption that had brought him such joy as a child hung deserted on the wall.  Its once glossy red paint was blistered with rust; its seat a ghostly form of its previous self.

He brushed it’s rough surface as if that could take him back to the happy days of youth, when his mother was still alive and, without computers or television, kids shot marbles and built tree houses.  On days when his chores were done, Nathan would walk the dog from his perilous seat.  The appeal of such a machine was simple: clean with no gears, no chain and only one contact point connecting its rider to the ground below.

“Of course,” Nathan replied. “Then maybe you can teach your Mom.”

Two hours later and $95 lighter, Gracie’s new 16” unicycle was ready for the first fall.  “Watch this Grace,” Nathan told her, “center yourself and then start . . .”  He crashed before he even started pedaling.  “And don’t do that!”

The summer of 1984 he’d learned how to fall – and to get back up again, hundreds of times.  Even today as Nathan tried to demonstrate, he learned the lesson again – a little slower and more painful 40 years later (later he found a bruise the size and color of a small eggplant on his calf), but educational the same.

Gracie’s still young enough that riding a unicycle is a novelty.  Five years from now she’ll not likely boast about her unicycling prowess, especially if she’s no more skilled than her Dad.  Even today Nathan can barely make it to the end of the block before falling.  Yet as the breeze blows briefly through his thinning hair, Nathan thought about how great God is . . . before falling yet again.

Maybe the lessons she will learn from falling will stick with her longer than the bruises she’ll incur from this misguided fatherly adventure.

Riding a unicycle is like life.  To be successful and enjoy the ride, they both require tremendous balance and focus.  And there is always something new to learn!

By the end of her short lesson, Gracie could only stay upright in place while holding onto Nathan. She couldn't complete a revolution of the wheel without the unicycle skidding out from under her.

But she’ll learn with time.  And when Gracie finally reaches the point of wheeling out of the school yard on her unicycle, she’ll have also achieved at least two goals: she’ll have a charming means to stay active and healthy and she’ll know what’s required to learn something very difficult.

Lord Jesus, help me choose the more difficult path, and grant me the courage and determination to stand firm in my endeavors. Please give me the strength to outlast my trials.  I know You have great plans for me!  In Jesus name, Amen

Endless Gift

“Use your God-given gifts purposefully." ~ Peter 4:10-11

For most of her 20 years as an elementary school teacher, summer vacation was Monica’s time to relax by the pool.  So she questioned the sanity of standing in the schoolyard of an unfamiliar school, supervising recess, wearing herself ragged for a summer teaching job?

The extra paychecks were nice, but she clearly lacked the energy of her younger colleagues.  Like Gina, who in her early twenties, made keeping up with the kids look effortless.  And her kindness sparked memories of when Monica was an eagerly zealous student teacher years ago.

Charging in on the first day of school, she thought she nailed it.  Traditional teacher outfit, check.  Inspiring, radiantly colored bulletin boards, check.  Name on the blackboard in perfect penmanship, check.  Greeting each of them with a sweet Disney princess voice, check.

 “Let’s get all our first day wiggles out,” she told her class of roughly 25 first graders.  As the students vibrated around the room, Monica joined them, getting out her own first day jitters.

Two hours in, things were going smoothly.  Nobody spilled too much juice or milk during snack time and only a few kids shed tears during the goodbyes with parents.

Monica asked the class to take out their crayons for the day’s lesson.  All of them obeyed - except Georgina, a girl with two long, dark braids.  Why had she not brought the crayons from home that were required of all first graders at this school.

“My sister has my crayons,” she said.

“Honey, you should each have your own crayons,” Monica explained in a delicate voice.

“There’s  8 kids in my family,” Georgina said quietly, her big brown eyes never leaving the Monica’s face.  “We have to take turns.”

The rookie teacher had completely misjudged the situation.  The next morning she brought a pack of crayons and left them on Georgina’s desk.  She was elated!

That event had energized her by teaching a valuable lesson - every child has a unique set of challenges.  It would become Monica’s lifelong mission to help her students overcome them.

With recess nearly over Gina started chatting with Monica.  “How long have you been teaching?” she asked.  Monica explained that she’d started twenty years ago at Ramona Elementary.

“I went to school there twenty years ago!” Gina said.  Monica looked at her again, this time really seeing her.  Those big brown eyes …  “Did you used to have two long braids?” Monica asked.

Gina gasped.  “You!  You gave me the crayons!” I became a teacher to help students like you did. Even doing something that small … it mattered."

That summer, Monica threw herself into teaching with a renewed sense of purpose.  Gina had taught her the same lesson once again.

Almighty God, thank you for all our teachers; for the way they give of themselves each day in the classroom, serving and instructing our next generation.  Fill them with courage, strength, wisdom, peace and joy.  Amen

A Lesson at the Drive-In

“Obey the Lord our God and everything will turn out well for you." ~ Jeremiah 42:6 

As a kid, I loved going to the ‘Golden Spike’ drive-in movie theatre.   My parents would often take me and my little brother Joey on Friday nights.  It was a great respite from the summer Nebraska heat.  Part of the attraction was that the movies didn’t start until after sunset, so we got to stay up way past our bedtime.

The parking lot was terraced into small mounds so we could park our car upwards toward the giant screen.  A post with a speaker was nearby, and Dad would back our station wagon in and hang the speaker on the door.  We always tried to arrive early enough so that we could ride the train that pulled carloads of excited kids around the parking lot until it was time to watch the coming attractions and snack bar ads.

Our family brought our own snacks to save money!  It was a cheap night of family entertainment.

Joey and I would change into our pajamas before the movie started; we’d be sound asleep before the movie ended.  Mom and Dad sat in lawn chairs in front of us to catch the summer breeze.   My brother and I would lie on our stomachs in the back of the car to watch the movie.

On the night I remember, the theatre was particularly busy.  A long line awaited us moving slower than three-legged turtles.  It seemed to take forever.  When it was finally our turn to pay, the young man in the ticket booth shouted, “That’ll be $1.50 each for you, your wife and any kid seven or older.  Kids six and under get in free.  How old are the boys?"

My Dad replied, "One’s seven and the other’s five.  I guess I owe you $4.50."

The man in the booth winked at my Dad.  “Hey mister, they both look under seven to me.  You could’ve saved yourself $1.50; I wouldn't have known the difference."

Then my Dad said something I’ll never forget.  "Yes, that may be true, but my boys would have known the difference."

There’s little value placed on truth today.  Deception has become commonly accepted in advertising, in politics, in sports, and the list could go on ‘ad infinitem.’  Setting a good example for young people (whether as a parent, teacher coach, etc.) is the key to building good character.

Kid’s listen to what you say … but they BELIEVE how role models behave.  And someone who does one thing but expects or demands the opposite from a child is more likely to have discipline problems and more likely to punish excessively in an effort to overcome the influence of his or her own poor modeling.

Dear Lord, I want to be the best role model possible to my children and to the members of my church.  Give me wisdom to know when to speak and when to listen to those around me, that You may be honored and glorified in all that I do.  Amen

Foster Caring

“Whoever welcomes one of these children, welcomes Me." ~ Mark 9:37

When the most stable thing in your life has plastic eyes, there's a real problem.

Some kids have it worse, but her home was violent and chaotic.  Mom would serve the meal and dad would ruthlessly criticize.  Kelsie ate in mock oblivion; anything to keep her eyes off their hating faces.  Nothing could drown out the shouting.  Even at six, Kelsie knew "Armageddon" was coming to their house soon.

The night they were “removed,” she and her younger brother Cody were told they wouldn’t be going back home.  Terrified at the thought of Foster Care, Kelsie began mentally preparing herself for how best to protect them from an uncertain future.

That first day in their Foster Home was awkward.  The people tried to make them feel comfortable but she had no idea how they did things.  She was afraid but tried not to be “needy.”

The new family seemed nice enough.  They smiled a lot.  In her world, there’d been no smiles, no gentle eyes, no cheerful looks.

Their other kids seemed fine with two new ‘siblings.’  The family ate and prayed together nightly at a dinner table.  She quickly learned some formal manners and the ‘how-and-why’ of teeth brushing.

At her bioparents’ place they didn’t own many clothes, so they kept wearing the same things every day.  In this home, there were lots of clean shirts and pants and underwear.

These parents showed a genuine interested in what was happening in her world.  They asked to see her homework and if she did well on a test or an assignment, they displayed it proudly on the refrigerator.  No one had really listened to her before.

Tonight they went for Slushies after soccer practice.  When Dad hit a pothole, Cody spilled his cherry drink all over himself . . . and the back seat.  Dad stopped the car and immediately opened the door on Cody’s side.

Kelsie gasped as if there wasn’t enough oxygen in the air.  From deep within the respite of her subconscious, she remembered the ceramic vase she’d accidently knocked from the table . . . the screaming that ensued . . . and the beating her bio dad inflicted.  This could end badly she thought.

Foster Dad looked at Timmy, wiped the mess from his shirt and laughed.  Then he did something strange.  Taking what was left from his own cup, he poured its contents on the seat too.

“Now it’s rainbow flavored,” he said with an impish grin.  “Accidents happen.  We don’t cry over spilt Slushies.”

Kelsie relaxed for the first time in months – she was finally home.

Here’s three quick tips for exceptional parenting: 1) tender (appropriate) touch; 2) unhurried time; and 3) encouraging talk.

Father in Heaven, help make me a better parent.  Help me to understand my children, to listen patiently to what they have to say, and to nurture in them the gifts that You’ve placed.  Let goodness and mercy follow them throughout their lives.  Amen

Sermon Snoozer

“Some people will listen but not understand; look but not really see." ~ Matthew 13:14

Time flowed like molasses at the North Pole.  Adam snuck a casual peak at his cell for the umpteenth time.  A minute had passed since he last checked an hour ago, or so it seemed.  He was witnessing an excrutiatingly slow death in the pulpit.

After a lively worship service, the preacher read Isaiah 6:1-8.  He spent about five minutes setting the scene and explaining background about King Uzziah.  Then he made three points.

First, Isaiah saw God in the temple.  Second, Isaiah heard God in the temple.  And third, (can you guess it?) Isaiah obeyed God in the temple.

Judging by the restlessness and yawns all around him, Adam was not alone in being able to predict each step before the preacher got to it.  They reached the end long before the preacher did.

The problem wasn’t that the Minister had been short on preparation, or that he was insincere.  It was that he was utterly, bone-crushingly predictable.

Adam entered Fellowship Hall literally ‘thanking God’ that this agonizingly, painful ordeal finally ended.  He found his usual group of friends and sat down for the usual post worship service jibber-jabber.  He wasted little time voicing his annoyance.

“I’ve come here for nearly a dozen years,” he began.  “And in that time I’ve heard something like 600 sermons, but for the life of me, I can’t remember a more boring one.  I think I’m wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all.”

Adam was on a roll; he wasn’t about to stop until others were complaining right along with him.  Charlie, a kindly older gentleman, spoke first.

“I’ve been married for 30 years now.  In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals.  There were some I didn’t really like.  But I know this … they all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work.  If she hadn’t fed me those meals, I’d be dead today.”

“Likewise,” the wise elder continued.  “If I’d not come to church for nourishment, I’d be spiritually dead today!’

We live in a culture that finds everything boring eventually.  Attention spans are shorter.  We skim, multi-task, and click.  We like, we snap, we tweet, and move on to something else.

But the Gospel is timeless, not entertaining.  It is true, not trendy.  It has depth, not just overnight ratings.  It is God’s word to all of us, told in the story of Jesus.

While sermons will always be boring to someone, Jesus warns us to be careful how we listen.  Perhaps part of the problem is our readiness to hear the Word, and forgetting that it proclaims a divine message.

Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer, may the words from Your mouth and the meditations of Your hear, touch my heart and inspire my spirit.  Through faith, help me see the invisible, hear the inaudible. And believe the incredible!  Amen

Butterflies Are Free

“Happy are those who remain faithful under fire; their reward will be eternal life." ~ James 1:12

Six year old Katy was full of life, energy, and curiosity.  So it wasn’t unusual at all that she found a caterpillar and wanted to keep it.  “Pleeeaze Mommmy, Pleeeaze?” she begged.

Mom saw a great opportunity to teach her young daughter about the butterfly’s lifecycle.  So she gently placed the worm-like insect into a large jar.  Katy gathered fresh plants to eat and a stick for climbing.  To Katy’s enjoyment, it (known now ‘Callie’) grew rapidly.  So fast, that it constantly shed its skin, a process Mom called “molting.”

One day Callie climbed up the stick and started acting weird.  Fearing the worst, Katy immediately summoned her mother.  “Do you think we should take Callie to emergency care?” she asked.

“No honey,” Mom chuckled.  “Looks like Callie’s about ready to form a cocoon.  That’s the stage when she rests and starts changing into a butterfly.”

Katy watched every day, waiting eagerly for the butterfly to emerge.  One day a small hole appeared in the cocoon and the butterfly started struggling to break out.  Callie looked desperate; like she wasn’t making any progress!

So Katy decided to help.  She took a small scissors and made the hole larger.  A butterfly quickly emerged, its wings damp and folded against her body.

She continued to watch it, expecting that any minute Callie’s wings would expand and she’d take flight.  Didn’t happen!  In fact Callie would never fly, spending the rest of her shortened life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.

A prime teaching moment.

Before a butterfly can emerge from its chrysalis, it must struggle.  Each time it lunges to escape, acids are being removed from its wings.  When Katy innocently broke the chrysalis open, the butterfly began dying from those acids.

In essence, struggle is necessary for a butterfly’s survival. Then in the quiet, when its battle has ended, the butterfly can come out and share its beauty with the world.

We humans aren’t that different.  Sometimes we need to struggle, to rid ourselves of the acids that make up anger, fear and sadness.

It’s even harder watching someone we love struggle.  It could be a spouse competing in the workplace, a child wrestling with schoolwork, a friend crippled by a painful divorce, or a family member battling an incurable disease.

While it is instinctive to want to help (and we often do by giving unsolicited advice), sometimes we must learn to wait; let the process unfold on its own.  If you, or someone you know, is battling to shed their cocoon, keep in mind, true love may require that you allow them to struggle for a season, to gain strength to become that beautiful butterfly.

Lord of creatures big and small, just as a caterpillar struggles to free itself from the cocoon to become a butterfly, teach us that prayer through struggle frees the soul, mind and spirit to Your divine presence and love.  Amen

Spider Persuasion

“God’s plans are better than your plans." ~ Isaiah 55:8

It was Sophie’s first day of high school; the day she’d pined over all summer.  Sleep Zombies had robbed her of a good night’s sleep: she’d stayed up half the night trying to assemble the perfect outfit.  This morning’s headache suggested this wasn’t going to be one of her best days.

She arrived early for her first class.  As others filed in, nobody sat next to her.  The only vacant chair in the room sat empty at Sophie’s side.

Feeling rejected she wondered: Do I look funny?  Scary?  Weird?  Maybe something’s hanging from my nose or I drool and don’t realize it because I lack self-awareness.  Maybe it’s my breath?  What else could keep people sitting next to me she pondered?  The anguish she felt consumed her the rest of the day.

Mom offered sound advice as usual.  “Let others sit down first.  Then make your choice to sit by someone you’d like to get to know better.  Find someone who might be having a bad day, and BE the one to make a friend.”

She always made it sound so easy.

Sophie promised that things would be different this time.  With a prayer in her heart and mounting confidence, she pictured herself with an abundance of friends, and reminded herself that choosing to be positive and self-assured would attract others to like her.

What happened next surprised them both.

Contrary to Mom’s advice, Sophie showed up earlier than most; and out of habit decided to sit in her regular chair on the edge of the room.  As a few of the other students filed in, the pattern threatened to repeat itself.

Just then, she noticed a scary spider crawling up the chair in front of her.  It was black, a little hairy, and the size of a quarter.  Creeped out, she took her folder and tried to push it off.

Instead of removing it from her space, it fell onto Sophie’s lap.  Terrified, she jumped up, shook her pants, and bolted to another spot – right next to a girl she’d like to know better.  Before long, a second girl took the empty chair at her other side.

Admittedly she thought the answer to her prayer would show up in the form of an idea, or an added measure of courage to do or say something witty or inviting.

But this blessing showed up as a spider.

This is the essence of how God sometimes deals with us.  When we ask for things to be better, He creates conditions in our life that move us out of our comfort zone and prepare us to receive the very thing we’re praying for.  Odd how that works!  It’s a God thing.

Dear God, I trust You with all my heart.  Wherever You want me to go, I will go.  Even if it’s not where I’d plan to go.  If I lose my hope, please remind me that Your plans are better than my dreams.  Amen

Blinkers

“You are like light for the whole world." ~ Matthew 5:14

A photo essay sprawled the opposite wall, each snapshot depicting lake scenery: stunning sunscapes, brilliant waterfowl and floral bouquets, idyllic cloud formations.  A small flat screen TV hung in one corner showing mind-numbing commercials.  She was too anxious to read any of the dozen or so paperback books she’d brought on vacation.  Tapping her foot impatiently, her eyes never left the window.

Suddenly there was a quick flicker and crackle of light, too fast for the naked eye.  Dana stole past her Mom who was asleep in front of the television and on bare tiptoes she left the cabin, her nightgown flapping in the breeze.  This is what she’d waited for.

As her eyes adjusted to utter blackness the soft warm glow of a single firefly sliced through the darkness with its sugary light.  It softly buzzed through the blackened air illuminating the sky.  Then came a second, and a third.  Soon hundreds danced as if charmed by the flute of a great magician.

Dana danced among them as if she were inside an ornate Christmas tree.  Twirling faster and faster, she savored the last beauty she'd see until dawn.

The never failed to appear at this time during the summer.  Despite the desperation of this moonless night, she appreciated the darkness.  Without it, who could enjoy the fireflies’ glow?

Its calming presence lets her soul run free.  Her worries silently burned into smoke as the specks of light began to dim; their mating dance of light and love complete for another night.

They never failed to amaze her; always making her world a little brighter.  As Dana made her way back toward the cabin, she thanked God for creating such delightful creatures; little “blinkers” that shined their own light to make the gloomy meadows look like the starry skies above.

She recalled something Robert Fulghum once wrote.  “I’m not the source of light but I can reflect light into the darkest places of this world; into the wickedest places in the hearts of men.”

Lightning bugs inspire Dana to want to share her own light, even if it isn’t that bright and tends to blink now and then.  She doesn’t know how much light she’s absorbed over the years, but Dana won’t keep it hidden under a basket.  She will shine it; she’ll share it.  She’ll use it to bring as much goodness, love, joy, and wisdom into this world as she possibly can.

May you always shine your light as brightly as you can.  May you always share it with others as well.  Remember too that God doesn’t ask you to illuminate the entire planet.  He just wants us to make our little corner of it a bit brighter.

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.”  In joy, in sorrow, in our certainty, in our searching, in this moment right now … light.  So teach us what that might mean for each of us, O God; for who we are; and how we live: and how we pray.  Amen

The Luckiest Guy on the Planet

“God gave each of you special abilities; use them to help each other." ~ 1 Peter 4:10

Ten year old Danny had reason to be angry.

Five weeks ago he woke up fiery hot.  A purple blotchy rash had started to appear on his body.  He remembered nothing of the next few weeks, missing everything between Father’s Day and the 4^th of July.  He woke again to a shocking certainty.

Patiently, but efficiently, the doctor explained that Danny had developed a very rare but serious bacterial infection known as Necrotizing Fasciitis (Flesh-Eating Disease).  The bacteria quickly invaded his system causing life threatening damage to his lower extremities.

“To save your life,” the doctor stated matter-of-factly, “your legs had to be removed.  Otherwise son, you surely would have died.”

Danny’s gaze fell upon two stumps heavily swathed in thick bandages.  His frustration cresting, Danny snapped that he would have preferred to die than end up with no legs.  “I’m useless,” he snarled.  “What’s the point in keeping me alive?”

Two weeks had passed since that painful realization; 14 days he’d spent refusing to leave his bed or any attempts at therapy.

His parents arranged a visit from Danny’s MLB baseball hero in hopes it would brighten his spirits and encourage him to give rehab a try.

Danny was thrilled at meeting his idol.

The player told the boy, “I want you to get well; let them teach you to walk again.”
Danny replied, “Miguel, if you’ll knock a home run for me today, I’ll learn to walk again.”

Miguel promised.  All the way to the ballpark he felt a deep sense of obligation and even apprehension that he’d not be able to deliver his promise that day.

He didn’t knock one out of the park that day.  He crushed two.

Barely a season later, Miguel was diagnosed with colon cancer and forced to retire as a player.  But on that hot, muggy day he was showered with kind words and numerous gifts.  Forty thousand fans, the governor, the mayor, and many other celebrities paid their respects at the ballpark to one of America’s great heroes.

He accepted the gifts, shook hands with the dignitaries, and waved to the crowd.  Silence fell over the stadium.  Miguel took a deep breath.  Just as he stepped to the mike, Danny, now eleven years old, walked out of the dugout, dropped his crutches, and walked to home plate to hug his hero.

Almost too choked up to speak, Miguel exclaimed: “Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the planet.  I played the game I love for fans I adore.  God made an investment in me with talents to encourage others.  Today, God gave me the blessing of this young boy to inspire me.  To my Savior be the glory!”

Lord, there are so many of us that are hurting, people who need Your love, souls who need Your encouragement.  Help me use the gifts and talents you invested in me to bless them.  Amen