Saturday, April 16, 2011

"Oh, wow. Upside down."

Hearing that comment, I leaned over and looked at the TV in the other room. Sure enough, another canoe was upside down in Kenduskeag Stream at Six Mile Falls.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Sub--stantiated

On the first day that I subbed at a local high school, my role was confined to covering the start of classes while the teacher finished up a meeting and returned to the room. For all of the periods except one, that meant I had just enough time to greet the students and take attendance before the teacher returned. In one period, though, I was there for about fifteen minutes before the teacher got back, and it was the only period for which no lesson plans were left for me.

It was a rowdy group--I had been warned about them so I had prayed and prepared what I would do--and as the period got started I addressed them. I said, "In my experience, I have always expected the best from others, and have expected them to have the proper motivations to do the right thing. In particular, when I ask someone a question--whether I know that person or not--I expect an honest answer."

At that point one of the young men in the front row said, "You haven't been here before, have you?" The rest of the students chuckled.

I responded, "No, I haven't. But it does not change the fact that I expect honesty. And the temptation for you may well be significant to pull my leg or yank my chain or mislead me, but I still expect honesty. In fact, I have been a teacher for 17 years, and that has always been my expectation."

Two things happened at that point. First, when I said that I had been a teacher for 17 years, everyone in the room sat up a little straighter and got a little more quiet. Second, the lad that I had been told would be the most difficult interjected impatiently, "So what's your question?"

I replied, "What are you supposed to be doing in this class? Your teacher did not leave any plans for this period." The lad stood up, walked over near the teacher's desk, picked up a book and called me over. He began to explain what I needed to do. "We have journals. You write this sentence on the board and we copy it down in our journals. Then we make corrections to it. You turn the page and check our corrections."

As this young man spoke, two of his classmates on the other side of the room shrugged their shoulders, threw up their hands and hollered, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?" His look shut them up and he continued to explain the lesson to me. I looked at him, thanked him, and called on the class to get their journals. As I went to the board to begin writing, their teacher returned.

Just over a week later, I filled in for a social studies teacher at the same high school. In my last period of the day, I met the eldest brother of the young man that explained the lesson to me the week before. As I called the attendance list I noticed the last name, which is a little unusual. I said, "You are a brother to _____?"

He said, "Oh, you know my brother, huh? How do you know him?" As he acknowledged being the older brother, his classmates laughed knowingly, for indeed the younger brother has built quite a reputation for himself.

I replied, "Yes, I met him last week when I subbed for some of his teachers (for indeed that young lad had been in almost every class I subbed for the week prior)." As the knowing laughs continued, I pressed on. "In one of your younger brother's classes the teacher didn't leave any lesson plans. Your brother was the one that stood up and showed me what the class was supposed to be doing."

The older brother was stunned, as were his classmates. We talked further, and I described how it had unfolded. He finally shook his head in disbelief and said, "Wow, I gotta tell my dad about that! He won't believe it!"

"Believe it," I said. "Your brother did well."

Later in the period, while talking to the older brother one-on-one, I said, "_____ is a very smart young man. I hope you won't embarrass him in telling your dad about how he helped me last week."

The older brother replied, "Yes, my brother is very smart, especially with hands-on stuff. He goes to the technical high school in the afternoons. But, no, I won't embarrass him. I'm just glad he did the right thing." My final comment to the older brother was that I hoped he would encourage his younger brother to step up and do the right thing more often, and that I enjoyed meeting them.

Pondering these exchanges, I see more confirmation that my idea to start taking the necessary steps to become certified as a teacher in Maine is a good one. I have been reminded how much I love teaching and interacting with students, taking advantage of the opportunity to influence them in godliness, whether they see it that way or not. It is my desire to be used of the Lord in the lives of young people. I pray that these opportunities and steps of faith will yield a bountiful harvest of disciples of Jesus Christ, to him be the honor and the glory alone and forever.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

What did you expect, profundity?

Oh, c'mon! We are swamped with the vain pursuit of the profound. We post status updates on Facebook that are tersely worded or even mildly mysterious, hoping for a "like" or twenty, anticipating expressions of "attaboy" or "Amen." Is that the praise we seek? Is that the fulfillment we desire? Is that the treasure we pursue? Are we trying to be profound? Are looking for the "historical" moment or comment to end all others?

Good grief. This was supposed to be a post that mocked affectations of the profound. Where did I go wrong?

Ham Sub

I've had one day each of the last two weeks to sub at Brewer High School. I've enjoyed it both times and would not mind doing it again. When I first told some friends and family that I was going to be a sub last week, I was asked what kind I'd be. My wife's response: Ham, definitely. :-)

Lord, help me to be a good ham sub. I want to taste like my Savior--sweet, compassionate, loving--so that my students will see You.

Some Closure

I found out earlier this week that my former employer has found its new headmaster for the 2011-2012 school year. That it is someone from out of state and previously unaffiliated with the school makes it a little easier for me to swallow (a lot easier to swallow, in fact). I wish him success and feel that another cord has been severed that will free me even more to move on with my life. It brings some more closure to that chapter in my life. Thank you, Lord.

A lack of curiosity killed the cat

If only the cat had shown more curiosity and found a way out of his trying situation, he might have survived and thrived!

I had quite a time trying to post on here recently, as the "publish post" button didn't work. If I had lacked the curiosity to figure out why it wasn't working I would've stopped trying. But this cat did not want to stop at failure!

Everything online takes considerably longer on dial-up connections, which is something one does not really appreciate when usually able to access the 'net at high speed. As a result, trying to determine why I could not publish a post consumed more time than I wanted to spend on it, yet I did not want to be forever separated from my blog, either. I persevered and found a way.

Job hunting and finding is similar in that it takes persevering and finding a way. The temptation is to throw one's hands up in the air and say to heck with it, but anything worth doing, anything worth finding, is worth the dial-up time spent searching for it or for a way to do it. I think this could also be called "patience" and "perseverance."

Show the curiosity. Find a way. Trust that God will supply a bountiful harvest, but work for it, too! Don't let a lack of curiosity kill the cat.

But the Amen Must Be Sung

I grew up in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, singing from the blue, hardcover Trinity Hymnal. My mother was the church organist and she practiced hard to play well at a good pace. I liked her playing, and I loved the hymns.

While the Sunday morning service was considerably more formal, the evening service often included a time for congregants to choose favorite hymns and spiritual songs, and many folks at my church could say the first line of the hymn they wanted to sing and Mum (and others) would know the number without checking the contents pages in the back of the book. Amazing Grace was #402. Great Is Thy Faithfulness was #27. We always sang the Amen for the planned hymns, but not during the evening song service.

I knew many hymns by heart, and one occasion when they served me best was when Mum was dying of cancer. She was in the hospital, heavily medicated and often agitated. Due to her condition, she did not often know that I was visiting when I stopped by after school. During a number of my visits, Mum would become upset by the tubes and other paraphernalia attached to her and would try to pull them out of her arms and body. The only idea that came into my head at those moments was to sing a hymn to her, so that is what I did. She always calmed down right away, and I would continue singing, humming, or whistling as many tunes as I could recall for as long as I could. I sang the Amen to let her know one song was done before starting another one and to give myself time to think of the next one to do.

At her memorial service, we sang her favorite hymn, How Firm a Foundation. For several years afterward, I confused another hymn with the word “foundation” in it for Mum’s favorite, and found I could not sing it without choking up. Now there are two that do that to me, even 24 years later!

In 1990, the publishers of Trinity Hymnal released a revised collection of hymns, nicknamed “the red one” for the primary option for binding color. A number of new tunes were added and some less popular ones were subtracted. The key for many hymns was lowered as much as possible without making accompaniment more difficult, and guitar chords were added where possible. Naturally, the hymns were renumbered. Amazing Grace is #460, and Great Is Thy Faithfulness is #32. Some of the King Jamesian expressions were modernized (I still sing “thee, thou, thy, and ye” in most of the hymns, and How Sweet and Awesome Is the Place just does not work for me), and the Amens were removed. As an agitator for more upbeat and contemporary music in the church at that time, I was very pleased with a number of the changes. However, I was not happy that the Amen would no longer be sung.

One of my favorite inclusions is #455, And Can It Be That I Should Gain. The depth of theological riches on display in that hymn brings an aching joy to my soul, and to sing it with the throngs of God’s people to the praise of my Lord is to taste heaven itself. “Long my imprisoned spirit lay fast bound in sin and nature’s night; thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray; I woke, the dungeon flamed with light; my chains fell off, my heart was free; I rose, went forth, and followed thee. Amazing love! How can it be that thou my God, shouldst die for me?”

As hard as it is to select one favorite or even my top five hymns, I think that what follows is a pretty good attempt to round out those top five: It Is Well with My Soul (#691), Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing (#457), Jesus! What A Friend for Sinners! (#698), and All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name (#297; Diadem). It is very hard to sing these hymns without a hearty Amen at the end!

I pray that when my life is done that I will have been faithful to God to the end. I pray that the truth of God’s redemption will be known in my life as expressed in that stanza above. And if I am called by him to endure illness or hardship before going home to glory, I pray that my soul and mind will be comforted by the hymns as Mum was those many years ago. I want these sung at my funeral, the ones from the revised Trinity Hymnal, but the Amen must be sung.

But the Amen Must Be Sung

I grew up in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, singing from the blue, hardcover Trinity Hymnal. My mother was the church organist and she practiced hard to play well at a good pace. I liked her playing, and I loved the hymns.

While the Sunday morning service was considerably more formal, the evening service often included a time for congregants to choose favorite hymns and spiritual songs, and many folks at my church could say the first line of the hymn they wanted to sing and Mum (and others) would know the number without checking the contents pages in the back of the book. Amazing Grace was #402. Great Is Thy Faithfulness was #27. We always sang the Amen for the planned hymns, but not during the evening song service.

I knew many hymns by heart, and one occasion when they served me best was when Mum was dying of cancer. She was in the hospital, heavily medicated and often agitated. Due to her condition, she did not often know that I was visiting when I stopped by after school. During a number of my visits, Mum would become upset by the tubes and other paraphernalia attached to her and would try to pull them out of her arms and body. The only idea that came into my head at those moments was to sing a hymn to her, so that is what I did. She always calmed down right away, and I would continue singing, humming, or whistling as many tunes as I could recall for as long as I could. I sang the Amen to let her know one song was done before starting another one and to give myself time to think of the next one to do.

At her memorial service, we sang her favorite hymn, How Firm a Foundation. For several years afterward, I confused another hymn with the word “foundation” in it for Mum’s favorite, and found I could not sing it without choking up. Now there are two that do that to me, even 24 years later!

In 1990, the publishers of Trinity Hymnal released a revised collection of hymns, nicknamed “the red one” for the primary option for binding color. A number of new tunes were added and some less popular ones were subtracted. The key for many hymns was lowered as much as possible without making accompaniment more difficult, and guitar chords were added where possible. Naturally, the hymns were renumbered. Amazing Grace is #460, and Great Is Thy Faithfulness is #32. Some of the King Jamesian expressions were modernized (I still sing “thee, thou, thy, and ye” in most of the hymns, and How Sweet and Awesome Is the Place just does not work for me), and the Amens were removed. As an agitator for more upbeat and contemporary music in the church at that time, I was very pleased with a number of the changes. However, I was not happy that the Amen would no longer be sung.

One of my favorite inclusions is #455, And Can It Be That I Should Gain. The depth of theological riches on display in that hymn brings an aching joy to my soul, and to sing it with the throngs of God’s people to the praise of my Lord is to taste heaven itself. “Long my imprisoned spirit lay fast bound in sin and nature’s night; thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray; I woke, the dungeon flamed with light; my chains fell off, my heart was free; I rose, went forth, and followed thee. Amazing love! How can it be that thou my God, shouldst die for me?”

As hard as it is to select one favorite or even my top five hymns, I think that what follows is a pretty good attempt to round out those top five: It Is Well with My Soul (#691), Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing (#457), Jesus! What A Friend for Sinners! (#698), and All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name (#297; Diadem). It is very hard to sing these hymns without a hearty Amen at the end!

I pray that when my life is done that I will have been faithful to God to the end. I pray that the truth of God’s redemption will be known in my life as expressed in that stanza above. And if I am called by him to endure illness or hardship before going home to glory, I pray that my soul and mind will be comforted by the hymns as Mum was those many years ago. I want these sung at my funeral, the ones from the revised Trinity Hymnal, but the Amen must be sung.
I grew up in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, singing from the blue, hardcover Trinity Hymnal. My mother was the church organist and she practiced hard to play well at a good pace. I liked her playing, and I loved the hymns. While the Sunday morning service was considerably more formal, the evening service often included a time for congregants to choose favorite hymns and spiritual songs, and many folks at my church could say the first line of the hymn they wanted to sing and Mum (and others) would know the number without checking the contents pages in the back of the book. Amazing Grace was #402. Great Is Thy Faithfulness was #27. We always sang the Amen for the planned hymns, but not during the evening song service.

I knew many hymns by heart, and one occasion when they served me best was when Mum was dying of cancer. She was in the hospital, heavily medicated and often agitated. Due to her condition, she did not often know that I was visiting when I stopped by after school. During a number of my visits, Mum would become upset by the tubes and other paraphernalia attached to her and would try to pull them out of her arms and body. The only idea that came into my head at those moments was to sing a hymn to her, so that is what I did. She always calmed down right away, and I would continue singing, humming, or whistling as many tunes as I could recall for as long as I could. I sang the Amen to let her know one song was done before starting another one and to give me a couple of quick moments to think of the next hymn.

At her memorial service, we sang her favorite hymn, How Firm a Foundation. For several years afterward, I confused another hymn with the word “foundation” in it for Mum’s favorite, and found I could not sing it without choking up. Now there are two that do that to me, even 24 years later!

In 1990, the publishers of Trinity Hymnal released a revised collection of hymns, nicknamed “the red one” for the primary option for binding color. A number of new tunes were added and some less popular ones were subtracted. The key for many hymns was lowered as much as possible without making accompaniment more difficult, and guitar chords were added where possible. Some of the King Jamesian expressions were modernized (I still sing “thee, thou, thy, and ye” in most of the hymns, and How Sweet and Awesome Is the Place just does not work for me), and the Amens were removed. As an agitator for more upbeat and contemporary music in the church at that time, I was very pleased with a number of the changes. However, I was not happy that the Amen would no longer be sung. Naturally, the hymns were renumbered. Amazing Grace is #460, and Great Is Thy Faithfulness is #32.

One of my favorite inclusions is #455, And Can It Be That I Should Gain, though I must be utterly honest and say that I love the hymns so much that it is very difficult to pinpoint just one favorite, or even a top five. Still, the depth of theological riches on display in that hymn brings an aching joy to my soul, and to sing it with the throngs of God’s people to the praise of my Lord is to taste heaven itself. “Long my imprisoned spirit lay fast bound in sin and nature’s night; thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray; I woke, the dungeon flamed with light; my chains fell off, my heart was free; I rose, went forth, and followed thee. Amazing love! How can it be that thou my God, shouldst die for me?”

As hard as it is to select my top five hymns, I think that what follows is a pretty good attempt. It Is Well with My Soul (#691) is another wonderful hymn, as are Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing (#457), Jesus! What A Friend for Sinners! (#698), and All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name (#297; Diadem).

I pray that when my life is done that I will have been faithful to God to the end. I pray that the truth of God’s redemption will be known in my life as expressed in that stanza above. And if I am called by him to endure illness before going home to glory, I pray that my soul and mind will be comforted by the hymns as Mum was those many years ago. I want these sung at my funeral, the ones from the revised Trinity Hymnal, but the Amen must be sung.

But the Amen Must Be Sung

I grew up in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, singing from the blue, hardcover Trinity Hymnal. My mother was the church organist and she practiced hard to play well at a good pace. I liked her playing, and I loved the hymns. While the Sunday morning service was considerably more formal, the evening service often included a time for congregants to choose favorite hymns and spiritual songs, and many folks at my church could say the first line of the hymn they wanted to sing and Mum (and others) would know the number without checking the contents pages in the back of the book. Amazing Grace was #402. Great Is Thy Faithfulness was #27. We always sang the Amen for the planned hymns, but not during the evening song service.

I knew many hymns by heart, and one occasion when they served me best was when Mum was dying of cancer. She was in the hospital, heavily medicated and often agitated. Due to her condition, she did not often know that I was visiting when I stopped by after school. During a number of my visits, Mum would become upset by the tubes and other paraphernalia attached to her and would try to pull them out of her arms and body. The only idea that came into my head at those moments was to sing a hymn to her, so that is what I did. She always calmed down right away, and I would continue singing, humming, or whistling as many tunes as I could recall for as long as I could. I sang the Amen to let her know one song was done before starting another one.

At her memorial service, we sang her favorite hymn, How Firm a Foundation. For several years afterward, I confused another hymn with the word “foundation” in it for Mum’s favorite, and found I could not sing it without choking up. Now there are two that do that to me, even 24 years later!

In 1990, the publishers of Trinity Hymnal released a revised collection of hymns, nicknamed “the red one” for the primary option for binding color. A number of new tunes were added and some less popular ones were subtracted. The key for many hymns was lowered as much as possible without making accompaniment more difficult, and guitar chords were added where possible. Some of the King Jamesian expressions were modernized (I still sing “thee, thou, thy, and ye” in most of the hymns, and How Sweet and Awesome Is the Place just does not work for me), and the Amens were removed. As an agitator for more upbeat and contemporary music in the church at that time, I was very pleased with a number of the changes. However, I was not happy that the Amen would no longer be sung. Naturally, the hymns were renumbered. Amazing Grace is #460, and Great Is Thy Faithfulness is #32.

One of my favorite inclusions is #455, And Can It Be That I Should Gain, though I must be utterly honest and say that I love the hymns so much that it is very difficult to pinpoint just one favorite, or even a top five. Still, the depth of theological riches on display in that hymn brings an aching joy to my soul, and to sing it with the throngs of God’s people to the praise of my Lord is to taste heaven itself. “Long my imprisoned spirit lay fast bound in sin and nature’s night; thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray; I woke, the dungeon flamed with light; my chains fell off, my heart was free; I rose, went forth, and followed thee. Amazing love! How can it be that thou my God, shouldst die for me?”

As hard as it is to select my top five hymns, I think that what follows is a pretty good attempt. It Is Well with My Soul (#691) is another wonderful hymn, as are Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing (#457), Jesus! What A Friend for Sinners! (#698), and All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name (#297; Diadem).

I pray that when my life is done that I will have been faithful to God to the end. I pray that the truth of God’s redemption will be known in my life as expressed in that stanza above. And if I am called by him to endure illness before going home to glory, I pray that my soul and mind will be comforted by the hymns as Mum was those many years ago. I want these sung at my funeral, the ones from the revised Trinity Hymnal, but the Amen must be sung.