Plank Eyed Saints

If you read and study the Bible, you know there are many instances in which future events, especially the coming of Jesus and his actions, are foreshadowed or sort of preparing us for the Messiah. I recently finished Jesus’ Family Tree and came across scripture in which Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant.

“Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly” Matthew 1:19. In Jewish custom, Joseph and Mary were considered married, though the marriage had not yet been consummated. The point is that they had not been together physically and yet, she was pregnant. Jewish law allowed, because of her perceived unfaithfulness, that Mary could be placed before the elders for judgment and stoned to death. But Joseph wanted a quiet divorce. This is before the angel comes to him and tells him the wonderful news about Mary and how she became pregnant. So Joseph must have been hurt and may have wanted vengeance or justice, rightful under Jewish law. Yet, he chose mercy or grace.

Compare to the story from John as the Pharisees test Jesus and the adulterous woman. “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”  They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” John 8:3-7

Of course, Jesus was both God and human on this earth, but Jesus showed mercy or grace to a woman caught in adultery. Though Mary and this woman are not the same, the perception of the Hebrews of both would have been equal for the elders would have seen both as adulterous women who could be stoned under Jewish law. Yet Joseph and Jesus (of course) showed mercy or grace.

We are faced many times throughout life with people who deserve to be stoned, yet how do we react? Do we throw those stones? Or do we think about the log in our own eye while looking at the speck in other’s eyes? Maybe it’s even a log in their eye, but never forget our eyes stay permanently logged. If not for the grace of God and his son’s death at Calvary, we would deserve our own stoning.

Day 50: A Nice Round Number

Day 50

I am finished with the day to day thing. I will just write, but I wanted to finished this with 1 John 4:4. Children and anyone else who is reading this 'Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world'. Never forget that.

Day 49: Come as You Are

Day 49

Come as you are is a good song by Nirvana, a band from the early 1990's. It always reminded me of Just as I am, a Christian song about coming to God no matter what you've been through or what you've done.

You really do not get cleaned up before going to God, you go to God and then get cleaned up. You come as you are. David Crowder, a Christian artist, recently released another version of Come as You Are and it is much different from Nirvana.

Below are the lyrics. Never forget that you are never too far to turn back.

"Come As You Are"

Come out of sadness

From wherever you’ve been

Come broken hearted

Let rescue begin

Come find your mercy

Oh sinner come kneel

Earth has no sorrow

That heaven can’t heal

Earth has no sorrow

That heaven can’t heal

So lay down your burdens

Lay down your shame

All who are broken

Lift up your face

Oh wanderer come home

You’re not too far

So lay down your hurt

Lay down your heart

Come as you are

There’s hope for the hopeless

And all those who’ve strayed

Come sit at the table

Come taste the grace

There’s rest for the weary

Rest that endures

Earth has no sorrow

That heaven can’t cure

So lay down your burdens

Lay down your shame

All who are broken

Lift up your face

Oh wanderer come home

You’re not too far

So lay down your hurt

Lay down your heart

Come as you are

Come as you are

Fall in his arms

Come as you are

There’s joy for the morning

Oh sinner be still

Earth has no sorrow

That heaven can’t heal

Earth has no sorrow

That heaven can’t heal

So lay down your burdens

Lay down your shame

All who are broken

Lift up your face

Oh wanderer come home

You’re not too far

So lay down your hurt

Lay down your heart

Come as you are

Come as you are

Come as you are

Day 48: If You're Not in Charge, Be a Good Follower

Day 48

As you climb the ladder to the top, you will be under the leadership of someone who is, well, the leader. You have two choices, you can undermine what that leader is attempting to do by under cutting, publicly questioning, and doubting. Or you can help them to be as successful as they can be. I guess there is a third choice, you can leave that job, but you will continue that climb until you are in charge.

Then, you will remember how you were when it came to questioning the leader. Because now you are the leader, you will understand that the same thing is going on to you now. But if you remember what it was like as the underling, what it felt like to be treated inferior, it can help you not be just a good leader, but a great leader.

Once you have been the leader and you go back to being not in charge, you have a different perspective of leadership. Often you do not question and you can empathize with what the leader is going through, but because you have been the leader before, you still wonder if you could not do a better job. That's ok, it's normal, but you should never under cut the leader you are under.

Challenge: Help your boss be successful today. Maybe it's by doing your job, maybe it's by stopping negative talk, and maybe it's doing something extra, but do what you can.

Day 47: Jesus Washed His Disciples' Feet

Day 47

After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:5

I like to read. I read my Bible, but I also read books that help with historical and cultural context of the Bible. Recently, I finished a book by John MacArthur called The Upper Room. It explained scripture for what we know as The Last Supper.

While reading, John 13:5 overwhelmed me. (Jesus) began to wash his disciples’ feet… MacArthur explains the cultural impact of this scripture. Because people in that area wore sandals, there was water in a bowl used to wash your feet when entering a house. Often, a slave would do it, as no one of worldly worth would wash your feet. It was beneath them to do so.

Yet, as the Disciples argued over positions of power under the new kingdom of Jesus, he got up, walked to the basin, and washed his disciples’ feet. Disciples’…plural. He washed Peter’s feet who would deny Christ three times not soon after. He washed all of the disciple’s feet, all whom would stand by, some running, not speaking for him as he was murdered.

Yet, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet.

Including Judas Iscariot. If you believe that Jesus was God incarnate, then Jesus knew what was to happen to him. He also knew that all of the disciples would desert him, and one of them would even betray him to his death.

Yet, he washed their feet.

A few years ago, I helped with Samaritan’s Feet at the Final Four in Indianapolis. They provide shoes for young people who need them. But before giving shoes, we take their shoes and socks off, wash their feet, and put oil on them. At first, it was hard to do. I had too much pride. But it became easier and a rewarding action of my life. Could I actually wash someone else’s feet though? It would be hard to do so publicly, and imagine if it were someone you knew had wronged you or will wrong you.

How often do we hold onto some wrong that we cannot let go? Big or small, we have all been wronged and yet we will not let go of that anger or bitterness. I know I’ve done it and I fight it every day.

Yet, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet.

Day 46: Be There

Day 46

What do you do to be a successful parent? As a teacher, I...don't...know....

I have seen perceived great parents with great kids.

I have seen perceived great parents with troubled children.

I have seen perceived bad parents with troubled children.

And I have seen perceived bad parents with great kids.

I don't know.

I feel that my parents were great parents and my sister and I turned out ok, at least I did. Just kidding sis. But the one constant thing that I remember growing up was that my parents were there. No matter what was going on, they were there. I may not have always liked that they were there, but now as an adult and as a parent myself, I am so glad that they did that.

So what do we do as parents? I don't know, but I will be there for my kids. I will be open about what I want for them, I will be open about what I think they should do, and I will be open to listen to them as they grow up and have their own opinions.

I will protect them for the rest of their lives. That may mean infringing on their privacy, or waiting for them to ask.

But I will be there.

I have come to the conclusion that all parents, even the best, mess up their kids in some way. We can't help it, we're humans and we often want to force onto our children all of the things we want for them, I've just decided that I will mess them up as little as possible, or try.

And I will be there.

I love them and I understand that I can protect them to an extent, but part of their growth is allowing them to fail, to fall, to hurt....

And I will be there.

Day 45: There is a Time for Everything

Day 45

(back row: Uncle Wayne, Grandma and Grandpa Hunter; Front row: dad and Uncle Phillip

My father likes this scripture from the Old Testament, I like it too.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

1              There is a time for everything,

    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
4     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

Day 44: There is Always a Flip Side

Day 44

"When one door closes, another one opens". "For every ending there is a new beginning".

These are just a couple of quotes that are pretty familiar to all people, but I wonder how often we consider this truth. There is always a flip side to any given situation. Often when you are amidst despair, you are unaware of those that may be happy. And definitely when you are ecstatic, you may be unaware of those who are down.

In dealing with athletics after every single event there is one side happy and another that is not. Especially at the end of a season or career you will see this. The other night, the team I help with won their second sectional in a row and the ecstasy felt by our team was quite visible. But, also, if you looked, you would see the agony of defeat in the other team. Now I will say that it is dependent on the quality of the opponent and how they conduct themselves in how I feel towards them in their defeat (I expect it's that way with everyone).

But it is quite interesting that in most every situation, there is a flip side. There are people that are not feeling your happiness or your depression. A few years ago a friend of mine passed away, and I can remember being upset. I remember thinking that the world should be put on hold in dealing with the mourning of this passing. Yet, when I was out in public, I noticed how everyone else continued on with their life, enjoying the moments.

There was a cruelty in coming to that realization.

I guess what I am attempting to say is that no matter how bad it can be, it will get better. You will be different, you will learn (if you are smart), and it will hurt from time to time in remembering. But it is respectful to understand and appreciate in times of good that there are those not so happy in that given moment. Maybe directly involved in your situation or somewhere else, but someone isn't feeling what you are feeling.

Be aware...that's all.

Challenge: When feeling bad, know that this too shall pass. When feeling good, appreciate how blessed you are at this given moment and help someone who is down. Reach down and pick them up.

Day 43: What Will You Do?

Day 43

Sports help you learn to deal with success and adversity. There are so many studies that can prove that, but most of us have anecdotal evidence where our mental toughness has been challenged as adults, but we learned in our youth through athletics to persevere. In sports, you are forced to deal with both success and adversity, if you are lucky you are forced to deal with both. But what will you do when you face real adversity? Yes, sports are used for all types of analogies to real life, sometimes incorrectly, but if there is not carry over from what you learned through athletics, then what does it matter? It's like studying for a test. If you study, then do poorly on the test, what was it all for?

This year, Corydon Central H.S. boys' basketball team was dealt some major adversity. Their best player and Indiana State bound Bronson Kessinger was injured in a game just past halfway of the regular season. In that injury he ended up with a broken leg and wrist ending his high school career much too early. A career that has been followed by many basketball "experts" throughout the state and highlighted by many successes.

How the Corydon Central team came together from that point as one and how Kessinger enjoyed the successes of his teammates is truly touching. I help coach Silver Creek boys' basketball, so I wanted us to win, I wanted us to win enough that I would not just give up the sectional championship for a nice ending to a horrible start of a story, but if any other team could have won, I would have chosen them. I am sure that does not mean much to the people or the team from Corydon Central, but if I were an outsider, they would have been who I was pulling for. That's no consolation now, I know, but I became a fan of theirs.

I became a fan of Coach Jamie Kohlkmeier and his staff, including old friend Greg Robinson, and how they rallied the players in a way that was admirable and inspirational. You could see that they truly became a team, a selfless team playing for each other and for their senior teammate, Kessinger.

If you are on Twitter, that's where most teens are running away from mom, dad, and grandparents on Facebook, you will see many of Kessinger's teammates profile pictures with him in it. Him dressed in street clothes, unable to play, clapping with a prideful smile on his face, happy for his teammates. His reaction and their using the picture as a profile shows the love, yes love, that teams enjoy and embrace and can make athletic teams special and experiences you will never forget.

So what will you do? When you face true adversity, not the adversity of losing a game or ending a career, but when you may be crippled or when a loved one is no longer capable to be along side you in whatever you choose to do, what you love to do together?

Will you crawl up in a ball? Will you give up? Or will you be like Corydon Central's boys' basketball team and regroup, retool, rethink, come together and compete, to fight, and become closer in that situation than you ever would by winning a game.

Day 42: Don't Stand Still

Day 42:

(I thought I would add some writings that I will do for church, can't hurt)

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:12

We have been taught often in the church that we are part of the body of Christ. We are the hands and feet of Jesus, we have been put here to do his work. I have wondered, often, what am I here to do for the Kingdom of God and I have learned that I can usually communicate well. Maybe not always, but I can speak and write to relate some ideas to others.

Call it over 20 years of teaching and coaching, but communication is what I do, unless you ask my wife, and dependent on what day it is, she might disagree with my assessment of what I can do effectively.

But what I want to do is to write occasionally on some scripture that I come across that sticks with me, and it happens often. I want to write about that scripture and what it means to me and to us as followers of Jesus. I want to share how God’s word has opened up some new idea or truth to me.

So I am going to write, and speak when I can, and I value your feedback, both positive and negative. With my writing, I will explain my thoughts and work through how the scripture relates to me and my struggles. In doing so, I will often offer a challenge. It will be a challenge for myself, but one that I hope you take upon yourself also.

Because the Bible is full of scripture that starts with “get up”, “go up”, and “take up” meaning we have a faith of action, not of just sitting and listening once a week, though Brother Jay does a wonderful job. We are called to do something, to be Christ in an ever increasing sinful world.

So I ask myself; what have I done, what have you done to be an active member of the body of Christ? I am not questioning you or your faith, I am questioning mine. What have I done today, the last week, the last month to follow 1 Corinthians 12:12?

By writing, I hope this is a way to work to accomplish more.

Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. 1 John 4:4

Day 41: Man Plans and God Laughs

Day 41

Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21.

Man Plans and God Laughs.

There is nothing wrong with preparing for life. There is nothing wrong with looking to the future and scheduling what you will be doing. There is nothing wrong with preparing for every single possibility that you may think could happen, but understand that the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.

It is then when your plan has changed, when something occurred that may have come out of left field when you will find your true measure. Are you flexible? Will you let it stop you? Or will you be like water and find the low spot? Even if something has stepped in your way and it looks like a "stop" sign, will you continue on in a different way?

Man Plans and God Laughs.

Plan and prepare, but understand that you are not in control. Ultimately, you will either be allowed to do what you planned, or you will deal with a different idea.

Deal with it and laugh along with God.

Challenge: If you are dealing with a situation you were not expecting, pray, use it, don't fight it. Embrace it, pray, grow, and become better because of it.

Day 40: Never Quit Learning

(basketball camp in Iceland)

Day 40:

Never quit learning. That should be all I have to write here, but I will write more. The most ignorant I ever was is when I was about 16-23 years of age. I thought I knew everything there was to know in the world but was actually clueless. It was amazing to see during those years how much more intelligent my father became. But really, who really was becoming wiser? Me or Dad?

Socrates said something to the effect that the most intelligent you are is when you realize you know nothing. Now I am not saying that you should float never believing or standing for anything, on the contrary, do those things. But know why you believe what you believe.

Never quit learning.

And question everything.

By questioning everything, it will force you to continue looking for answers to the questions that you and others have. Visit historical places, visit many different places whether historical or not, be a traveler of the country and the world.

Read.

It is important to continually have a book that you are reading. Reading expands your vocabulary, it grows your mind, and it informs you of anything you want to know. But when reading, make sure you that you also read articles or books of those that you disagree with the point of view. It is important to know what both sides of an issue think, and why they think that way. Read magazines, books, Internet articles, read everything you can get your hands on.

Never quit learning.

Question everything.

Read.

Challenge: Pick up a book  of something that interests you and start reading it.