Glad There's God

Tough day today. The students seemed to react to a lower barometric pressure or something. But it was a day for idiotic questions (Are we going to have to work on Halloween?) and idiotic answers (No, I don't have my supplies...yet.)

Students smarted off, sassed, talked instead of worked, tripped other students as they walked down the aisle, and generally made me ponder slitting my wrists.

I'm in charge of the "Courtesy Club" at school, a lovely little organization that sends flowers to sick or grieving staff members. Last week, I arranged flowers to be sent to the funeral for a staff member's uncle, something that normally I wouldn't do...this is generally reserved for parents, grandparents, children, and siblings. But this niece was insistent that our school send flowers. So I did.

Today, she interrupted my class to ask me why no flowers were sent. I showed her the paperwork from the florist that showed I had done my part. She said none were there at the funeral. But she did say she would make some calls. She returned later (again interrupting my class) and said she had called the church...the flowers had arrived AFTER the funeral. I apologized profusely (for something that wasn't my fault) but the lady kinda smirked, turned and walked out.

Good thing God is in control. He understands days like this and has promised us relief and refuge. "Come ye who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." If you take that out of the King James, it reads, "I welcome you even though the world has beat you down. The things you experienced today are fleeting, not permanent. Remember that because I allowed my Son to be murdered by a mob, you don't have to assume that it will always be this way. Let you mind and body relax in the comfort that glory awaits you. And once you experience your first 10 seconds of this glory, it will all be worth it. Every tough day, every brutal moment, every dashed hope, every physical and mental pain. All worth it.

"For our light and momentary afflictions are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." (II Cor. 4:17)

Let's Try This

For reasons known only to Al Gore (creator of the 'net), my blog completely disappeared today. Therein was lost an amazing amount of worthless musings and philosophy. So, I guess we start over.

God answers prayers. He really does. It's taken me many years to figure out that the greater your faith, the more prayers get answered. I believe we cheat ourselves by cautiously entering into prayer...almost hesitantly, as if expecting no results. (Caveat: I haven't solved this problem completely...just getting better at it.) I think God expects ridiculous faith. Faith that dismisses human logic and known laws of probability.

I bring this up because Carole and I have been praying for a 5 year-old boy named Tyler Stewart. Just a couple of weeks ago, it was discovered he had a brain tumor. Today, at St. Jude's Hospital, surgeons began what was to be an extremely delicate procedure to remove the mass and expected it to be a 5-6 hour process. Well, it only took 3 hours and the news is cautiously good. Preliminary reports show it to be benign.

The next two days are very important for Tyler. Doctors will be checking on bleeding and also on how his motor skills are. Please lift him up in prayer. God can handle it.

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

1. The glimpse of heaven produced when hundreds of well-trained voices sing praises to God.

2. The sound emanating from the pipes on my former Dodge Ram when cranking up.

3. Mashed potatoes.

4. The smell of new tires. (Weird, ain't I?)

5. That sweet NASCAR feeling you get when you stomp the gas and pass a car on Hwy. 281.

6. Apple-cinnamon anything.

7. Good kids. Whether they're mine or someone else's, it's pure joy to be around respectful, mannerly, clean-cut kids.

8. Thanksgiving. (Hasn't this surpassed Christmas due to the very nature of the holiday and the lack of commercialization?)

9. Drums. I dig drums, man. They're the most, man.

10. The way a flannel shirt feels the first time you wear it. But not the second time, because by then it has shrunk one full size.

Friday = Euphoria

One of the things I might miss when I retire is the pure, sweet joy generated by coming home on Friday after a tough week.

I usually reward myself by not grading papers on Friday night. That stack can wait until Saturday. My mind and body are too worn out for incredible stimulation of writing "53" at the top of papers. It's amazing how just the simple fact that, "Tomorrow, I don't work" perks me up. I'm cool with the world on Friday evening. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming.

Next blog entry may be on the polar opposite of this...the dreaded Sunday night feeling. Ugh. I better hurry up and retire.

Grammar and other Relatives

It is with some risk that I even bring up the subject of grammar. Because somehow by insisting on proper grammatical usage, one sets himself up as somehow superior...too good to be mingling with the masses. But if someone doesn't get on the grammar bandwagon, soon there will be no standards at all, just a mishmash of words thrown together in goofy patterns.

A little part of me dies when I hear a sports announcer say, "Joe Torre spoke to John and I before the game." Aaaarrrrgggghhhhh!!! Why couldn't Mr. Microphone simply think, "Joe Torre spoke to me", therefore I will say, "Joe Torre spoke to John and me."?

Or this classic: "Us guys are going to the party." Would you say, "Us are going to the party?" I hope not.

Admittedly, grammar rules are obscure and nebulous. Admittedly, some folks are good at numbers and not words. But can you see how the entire scope of communication is hanging by a thread (or a dangling participle)? If the last person who can speak correctly dies, does ebonics take over?

Staying Ready

I'm reading a book by Greg Laurie on whether we are living in the "last days". He thinks we are and makes a credible case. One of his points is that Jesus, when asked about the last days, said they were akin to labor pains. Interesting comparison.

We all know that labor begins with pains pretty far apart, but progresses to a point where they are quite close together. Laurie says that when we see tragic, cataclysmic events in increasing proximity to each other, Jesus' return is imminent.

Consider the past 4 years, beginning with 9-11-01. Consider what has happened in the past 10 months: tsunami, hurricanes, earthquake.

Whether there is validity in his theory remains to be seen. I tend to agree with him. I think that, barring an early exit of this life, I will be alive for the second coming. Regardless, we should live a life of anxious expectation with a sense of urgency when it comes to sharing Jesus with others.

One thing is for sure, we are closer than we were yesterday.

How to Take Winning Shots

1. Let you hair grow a little long in the back. Artistic guys do that, ya know.

2. Wear the ballcap backwards. This shows a certain rebellious attitude and commands instant respect.

3. Utilize a huge lens. The bigger the glass, the better the shot.

4. Wear a tee shirt over a long-sleeve shirt. Again, this connotes that a real artist is at work.

5. Note the delicate grasp of the left hand. It's not gay. It's the mark of a genius getting a shot right.

Sorry. I Can't Get Over This Pick

I know I've already railed against the president I've voted for twice over this Supreme Court nominee. But I need to vent again. I just can't get over how foolish this is.

We judge how foolish an act is by the importance of the circumstances. If I unexpectedly burp during a meal, it's foolish...but of no long-lasting consequence. This nominee business is at the other end of the spectrum. It will have enormous impact for decades to come. Harriet Miers is 60ish. We can assume that she has at least 20 years, if confirmed, of incredible influence on this country's law.

Miers stands to slip into the seat that Sandra Day O'Connor has been warming. And O'Connor was repeatedly the swing vote in critical cases. And Miers has no paper trail. It staggers the mind that Bush has treated such a blockbuster situation with so little thought.

Throughout the past 6 years, I have dismissed most of the criticism of Bush's intellect that has become so familiar. Yes, he obliterates the King's English upon occasion. Yes, he doesn't come across as a guy who reads books before pillowing his head at night. But I assumed that because he went to Yale and because he was dead-on in many of his conservative beliefs he must have more cerebrum activity than he lets on.

But to treat this appointment so cavalierly is to akin to lighting up a smoke at the gas station. You may get away with it or you may change the look of the neighborhood forever.

George Will made a good point in his recent column. He said that if 100 legal scholars were to each list 100 of the most qualified jurists for this Supreme Court vacancy, you would end up with 10,000 folks not named Harriet Miers.

Bush also said that he had not discussed abortion with Ms. Miers. Huh? If he's lying, that says something about his veracity. If he's telling the truth, it means he's so out of touch with his conservative base that he would ignore the most controversial social issue of the day.

This whole thing smacks of poor judgment and poor advice. As I said two days ago, the only hope for the true Republican conservative is that Bush has blindly tossed a dart in the general direction of the target and managed to hit a bulls-eye.

Weird or Eccentric or Harmless?

Older son Brett is arriving tonight for a weekend Scrabble tournament. That's his thing.

Younger son Blake will travel long distances to take in an Oak Ridge Boys concert.

Daughter Brooke knows more about hockey than any male alive, including the Great One.

Wife Carole collects life-like silicon dolls.

I hang out at airports with a camera, getting high on Jet-A fuel fumes.

Where did we go wrong?

Bush Misses the Mark

Yesterday, George Bush picked Harriet Miers to replace O'Conner on the Supreme Court. I can't believe he would be so careless with his religious constituency.

Bush was elected twice mainly because religious folks voted for him. His second victory was even seen as a mandate from the Christian right. Now he has picked an unknown with no record to a position with mind-boggling power.

She may turn out OK. About all we know is that she does attend an evangelical church. But why is Bush not picking a seasoned judge with a thick, conservative resume? Doesn't he owe us that?

The word is that Bush wanted someone that the liberals won't vote down. She is female, of course. Important Democrats have not reacted with dismay over her choice, and that is scary.

With so much on the line, from abortion to gay rights to individual freedoms, Bush should have shown loyalty to what got him there. Here's hoping he lucked into something good.

True Stories from the Hood

I'm gonna type this verbatim from two bus referrals of this week:

Driver comments: "When I was stopped at a red light, Ernesto yelled out the window at a vehicle next to us, screaming 'Crackhead' at the driver. Then he tried to mess with the air-conditioning vents, even though they are clearly marked 'Don't touch - Hands off!' He refused to sit down even though I was yelling at him to take a seat. Please put him off my bus for a long time."

Action taken: Conference with student.

One day later...

Driver comments: "Ernesto boarded the bus, went to the rear of the bus but didn't sit down. I asked him three times to take a seat. He refused. Then he began making his way to the front. I asked him what he was doing since he was going against the flow. He yelled back, 'None of your business!' He continued to force his way through people to get to the front and then left the bus. I recommend he be put off the bus for the year because of his previous trouble and his totally disrespectful attitude. He should also be prohibited from even stepping into my bus because he likes to temporarily board the bus and call for his friends to join him in taking a DART bus. All this does is make boarding impossible for the rest of my riders."

Action taken: Removed from the bus one week. Return to bus 10/3/05.

Apology

I want to apologize to legions of you who are fans of my blog.

I've been busy.

My total student count sits at 192 now. Last weekend I had a stack of papers 6 inches tall to grade. Plus, it was the end of the six weeks and grades had to be averaged.

It is taking a toll physically and mentally. I'll try to make it up to you. In the meantime, say a prayer for me as I cope with this ludicrous situation.

This was going to be a post to elicit sympathy for me. After an exhausting week with my overcrowded classes, I basically spent the weekend grading papers.

But we just returned from a Bible Study and as usual, we went around the room asking for prayer requests. There was Stella, telling us about her friend, June, who has been battling cancer for a long, long time. June begins a new round of chemo this week. Nine treatments.

There was Fran, informing us that her sister, Jan, has a very arthritic spine, beset with bad disks and bone spurs. Jan battles pain every day, but needs two more years of work in order to qualify for her retirement package...and her insurance situation is miserable.

So let's put it all in perspective. I will survive school with God's help. But I have no problems. Just blessings with some of them disguised as problems.

Typical Saturday

7:15 Woke up, having enjoyed an extra two hours of sleep.

8:00-10:00 Finished mowing the yard and weedeating...had started the task las night.

13:00-1:30 Graded papers with 20 minutes off for lunch.

1:30-2:15 Carole and I tried to take a quickie nap, but weren't really sleepy.

2:15-6:00 Graded papers until I was cross-eyed.

6:00-8:00 Ate supper, then returned to grading papers...got about 60% of the papers I brought home graded...

8:00-9:00 Worked on family finances

9:00-10:30 Created a question sheet for students on Monday and a test for Wednesday. Then did lesson plans for next week.

I am totally overwhelmed by school this year. The stress created by 185 students is crushing. If one has to spend a "relaxation" day this way, followed by a church day with more grading, well, you can see I'm tired of all this.

Only 30 more weeks to go!!

Good News!

Grandson Zach had an MRI today to ascertain whether there was anything left over from a traumatic birth experience that might show up on his brain area.

He's clear! He has overcome so much in his short lifetime (3 years) and today's news is so encouraging.

Sometimes I can't get enough of God's power. Over and over again, prayers are answered. The more I see of His hand in our lives, the more confidence I have in turning "stuff" over to Him.

When Zach is much older and is fulfilling our dream that he be a warrior in God's army, he won't remember much about today. But parents and grandparents won't ever forget.

Etc.

News and tidbits:

1. Brooke and Michael are home from Vancouver. I can't wait to get their impressions. God is so good to have protected them on their honeymoon. Always a bit nervewracking to have your kids off by themselves in a distant land.

2. DISD is trying to kill me. With the addition of 7 more students yesterday and three more today, I now have in excess of 180 in my six classes. When I look out at the kids, I just see a sea of faces. Everything a teacher must do to be effective is strained to the limit by extra bodies. Particularly when some of those extra bodies have no interest in education.

By the end of each day, my voice is dead from lecturing and my bod is exhausted from dealing with the problems incurred with so many students. Luckily, I get to unwind by driving two school bus routes.

I'm getting through this by telling myself that this is it as far as DISD is concerned. I will hopefully get a job at Dallas Christian next year. If not, I'll stay home and help Carole with Maddie and drive a school bus for Rockwall...or Dallas County Schools again.

3. The lady who will evaluate me this year is an assistant principal who is so inept in English that she thinks "attentative" is a word. She will no doubt criticize my teaching skills as I wonder why someone who murders the language should be evaluating ME.

4. I've added a request for rain to my prayer list. This drought is getting ridiculous. September is supposed to be one of our rainiest months. No rain yet and none in the forecast for the next 7 days. My property is beyond parched. We need a hurricane to come up one of the interstate highways to Dallas, but praying for a hurricane now is, uh, kinda stupid.

Weird Guy

My family was polite enough not to say anything to my face. See, I had gotten up at 5 AM on Labor Day to pursue my hobby and an elusive picture. I wanted to catch the silhouette of an airliner with a rising sun as a backdrop. So I hustled out to DFW and was in place as the sun rose. Unfortunately, I may have been in place, but the aircraft didn't cooperate. The above shot was the best I could muster, and it was taken about an hour after sunrise.

But I had a blast. Even though I had traded sleeping late for this opportunity, I was really digging the early morning atmosphere at the airport. Plus, I was way out of earshot of the less than complimentary things the rest of the family was saying. I guess no one understands another's hobby unless one has the same hobby. Too bad I can't work up a lick of excitement over Scrabble.

A Tribute to Carole

My wife and I got Brooke married yesterday. The new couple is off to Vancouver for a few days to start their marriage off in style. The wedding was glorious and wonderful...mainly because my wife sweated the details and got it right.

I can't tell you how many nights' sleep Carole lost due to the incredible task of overseeing the planning of what amounts to three hours of Brooke and Michael's lives. It's nothing that a man could pull off. Shoot, we guys don't even know what to call things that are inherently wedding-related. They have this stuff that goes on the ends of the pews called "tulle", a homonym of "tool". When Carole told me about the "tulle" on the end of the pew, I started hunting for a power screwdriver or a wrench. First I'd ever heard of it.

So hats off to my beautiful wife for a beautiful daughter and a beautiful wedding. This will be the final one. No more for us. Thank you, Carole!

Faith Time

I'm down.

The anarchy and apocalyptic behavior in New Orleans has buffeted my heart, leaving scars that may never go away.

The kind of stuff I've been seeing on TV reminds me of attitudes I see simmering just beneath the surface every day at my school and the neighborhoods in which I drive a school bus.

Chief among these attitudes is the concept that nothing is ever wrong unless it gets you caught. You can do whatever, say whatever, try whatever...just don't be stupid enough to get caught. It's this type of moral vacuum that overwhelms me sometimes, and the enormity and complexity of the problem renders no easy solutions.

Of course, Christ is the answer. But where do you begin? I try to demonstrate Him to my students as a group and to individuals one-on-one every day. But when dealing with traditional poverty and poverty of the soul, I feel outnumbered.

I've quit watching the horrible inhumanity going on in New Orleans. Let me know when it's safe again to flip the channel back to CNN.

Meanwhile, I'm gonna go to work on my hope factor.

What Next?

The words and pictures from the Katrina devastation area cut like a knife. I've got something of a survivor's complex...you know, when everyone except you dies in an accident. Why them? Why not I?

Listen. Those of us who are "haves" must help the "have nots". If there were ever a time to grasp how rich we are, this is it. Comfort is a blessing. Food and water are blessings, yea even extreme gifts. Knowledge that you can sleep in your bed tonight is rich.

The church must rally. In the past, it seems our brotherhood have been late responders rather than first responders. We have been all too consumed, sometimes, about whether we should work hand-in-glove with other churches in matters like this...pondering finer points of theology while folks go on suffering. I pray that Christians of all stripes will mount the most massive aid response in history, one that will dispense help and generous doses of love.

Roll up you sleeves. Let's get after it.