The Passage I Hate

There is a verse that's giving me fits right now. I so wish it weren't there. You see, I've got 41 days left in my career and things are getting really stupid and stressful at my school. From no pencil sharpeners to Mexican walkouts to no toilet paper, the working conditions are abysmal.

And I have the sick days to use that would extricate me from this morass. It's a very painless process to inform the dean that I'm gonna be out. It can be done clinically and easily.

But with every fiber of my being screaming for a break, God whispers in my ear through Paul's pen:

"Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ." Eph. 6:5

So, you see, I can't. I'm serving Christ, not just DISD.

Diversion

There I am at Bachmann Lake on Friday, awaiting the takeoff of a beautiful 747 (see blog entry below). But as I waited, God sent a little reminder that His creations are pretty good, too. I'm not a duckologist...to me this is just a duck. But as she (has to be a she...too beautiful) swam by, I couldn't resist taking my eyes from the sky and snapping off this shot.

One Man's Toy

The above airplane belongs to the 5th richest man in the world. He's a Saudi prince and this is one of his toys. It has been at Love Field recently because its interior was redone by a company there. Now a lot was done to the exterior as well, but it's the inside that staggers the imagination. Gold and marble to the max. Plasma TV's everywhere, including the restrooms. The bill? A mere $80 million. Eighty million just on the interior. That's more than I make in two years!

I invited a couple of Christian friends to join me on the inside of the plane today. We were unanimous in our assessment: this poor man has issues with his priorities.

Well anyway, the aircraft is off to Paris tonight, then on to Saudi Arabia after some sleep for the crew. I got this shot as it was tucking in the wheels.

March Madness

Point: I was informed Tuesday that it was time to take my annual physical that all bus drivers take. Usually, the way this is handled is that I go over to the bus headquarters and let the staff physician knock it out in 10 minutes. (If you have a pulse, you can drive.) But for reasons known only to Lucifer, this one was farmed out to a local clinic.

I arrived at 4:10. I walked out at 7:00 having not seen a doctor yet. Hungry, mad, exhausted, I was beyond exasperation.

But at least they will let me do it the old-fashioned way tomorrow...allowing me to get a day off from teaching (heh-heh).

Point: How terminally ignorant is the DISD? Get this. We have to buy our own pencil sharpeners. Reason? "They're not in the budget," said the dean of instruction.

#%@#+%&!!!!!

This....is a "winglet".

Have you noticed them before? It's actually called a "blended winglet". They are retrofitted on an aircraft's wingtips and give the appearance of a wing with a curl at the end. I got this picture of one yesterday at the maintenance area for Southwest Airlines. This one had some paint damage and was going to be tidied up before being re-attached. They run a cool $150,000 each.

Some folks think the airlines have put them on because they're cool looking. Nay, nay. This little design change increases speed, takeoff climb, turning ability, and even lowers emissions somehow. But the biggest plus is fuel savings. The 500 737's that are fitted with winglets in the world today save 50 million gallons of fuel each year. If every commercial aircraft had them, the savings would be $1.8 billion a year.

Maybe we can somehow attach 'em to SUV's.

Such Fun...

It's not what you know, it's who you know. Two Decembers ago, I'm sitting alone in a far corner of DFW airport...waiting for random jets to taxi by. A car pulls up behind me and out steps Stan Steadman. Stan is in charge of the 911 dispatchers in Lewisville and a confirmed aviation nut.

All we did for the next hour was talk planes. He was super nice and I got his email address. Later, I wrote him and thanked him for the time well spent. He wrote back, saying he noticed the scripture I used for my email signature. Turns out he is a fantastic Christian. Since then, we have shared prayer requests and gotten to know each other very well.

Fast forward to today. One of Stan's buddies is Jay Oros, a former detective for the Lewisville PD. Last November, Jay was hired by Southwest Airlines to head up security for their corporate offices. Jay had seen some of my photos and wanted to get me "airside" at Love Field. Today, the three of us met at noon and spent an hour and a half around the runways and taxiways there. And that's how I got the above shot.

I think my next blog entry will be about a small chunk of metal that some Southwest jets have that costs a mere $150,000. I know I've got you on the edge of your seat.

March Musings

1. The seasons are changing. There are trees and bushes that are blooming and their fragrance is a reminder that with nature, as with God, there is renewal.

2. Got a call today from an old teacher friend of mine who retired ten years ago. He and his wife spent their free time RV-ing around the country. Two years ago, he lost her to breast cancer. He admitted he's looking for another wife who shares the thrill of the road. Joy isn't joy unless you can share it with someone.

3. Friday, I get to go "airside" at Love Field. Airside means inside. A friend of a friend is gonna let me have access to the runways and hopefully I can get some cool landing shots. Unfortunately, rain and cold is causing me to cancel a similar experience scheduled for Saturday at DFW. But hey, we need the rain.

4. Carole is so blessed to have recovered from the flu so quickly. I certainly didn't want her to spend her week off in bed.

5. I used to love this time of year for the thrill of severe weather. Used to get all pumped up when a line of storms was approaching. Maybe I'm wiser now. I've seen what hail can do to my house and my pocketbook. I live in an area outside the earshot of tornado sirens. Severe weather is serious business.

5. 53 days left and counting in my career. 6500+ down, 53 to go. Should I be writing a book already on my experiences in a large, urban middle school? Would people believe me when I pull back the curtain on some of the ridiculous stuff I've seen and experienced? Like the time a girl told another girl that her mother's head was shaped like "a Russian bullfrog"?

Carole is Better!

There's this medicine called "Tamiflu". If you've got the flu and can start this drug before 24 hours has elapsed, it'll do wonders.

Carole was the typical flu patient...nauseated, fever-stricken, and achey to the max. We got her on Tamiflu Monday afternoon. She felt some better by Monday evening and quite a bit better by Tuesday. No fever since Monday. She still hurts behind her eyeballs, kind of typical for a flu patient, but is up and about today. She's not well enough to be out running errands, but she's incredibly better than she was Monday morning.

What a crazy name for a medicine...Tamiflu, pronounced "Tammy-flu". Would they name a drug "Ellenmeasles"?

Ugh, the Flu

My beautiful wife is the healthiest person I know. She eats right, knows the latest findings on nutrition and medicine, and gets a flu shot every year.

Uh, she's got the flu. Maybe airline travel is to blame. Airplanes are notorious for the air they recirculate through the cabin. We took a short trip to San Antonio Saturday morning, spending less than hour in the cabin. And then back again yesterday evening. By bedtime last night, Carole was sick.

By the middle of the night, she had 101.5 fever. We were blessed to get her in to see a great internist today and she will be taking something called Tamiflu, a drug that is supposed to cut in half the days spent in the grips of influenza.

Poor Carole. She finally gets a free week and this happens. I promise to give her the best care I can. It may not be based on knowledge of medicine, but it'll be borne of great love...and that is the best I can provide at the moment.

Post-script: If you are a sports fan, the above plane is the team plane of the Houston Rockets. Brett and I observed it arriving in San Antonio on Saturday.

Miracle Workers

I rarely recommend a television show since I rarely get involved in a series. I tend to watch historical and scientific documentaries.

But Monday night, ABC showed a new program called "Miracle Workers". The show's premise is to take hopeless medical cases and turn them over to doctors who use cutting-edge techniques. The first show featured a Houston lady who pretty much had no disks in a portion of her spine. The bone-on-bone that was left pressed on nerves, causing her immense pain.

Also featured was a guy who lost his sight at age 12. He had been given penicillin even though he was fiercely allergic to the drug. The ensuing complications seared his corneas. He was married with three kids, but had never seen his family members.

To make a long story short, both got the desired results. The lady is now pain free. The guy can now see.

I can't wait to see the next show. This is much better than the usual garbage the networks feed us.

How Much Does God Control?

Lately, I've heard Oprah mention that "there are no coincidences" and "there's no such thing as luck". I think to a Christian, these statements do have some validity.

When something wonderfully fortunate happens in my life, I'm hesitant to attribute it to blind luck. When something terribly unfortunate happens, and I'm the only one suffering, I wonder if it falls in the category of God's discipline.

Now, is God involved to the extent that He's the reason my pencil lead breaks? I think not. To a degree, things in our lives are simply the natural course of affairs.

But I'm convinced God is involved more than we think, particularly if we have asked Him to be. I have no reservations praying about seemingly ultra-mundane things...such as my 4th period class coming in ready to work or good weather for a trip. To me, that acknowledges God's power and His care and His love. And when 4th period DOES come in ready to work, I don't view it as happenstance and I really DO thank God for it.

So, score one for Oprah.

Excellence

I don't really have a blog. I just wanted you to click on the above photo. It's about as good as airline photography gets.

One Final Assembly

Today I endured my final Black History Month program. I've never been quite comfortable with the idea of devoting a month to celebrate one race over the others...seems counter-productive to the idea that we are all Americans equally, with none inherently superior.

With regard to the programs, I've seen it all. Once we had John Wiley Price as our speaker, and he railed against Anglos throughout...and this was after he did not stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

In the '90's, there was never any "history" to our programs. Just vulgarly gyrating dancers exhibiting what I assume was their culture.

Today we had DISD board trustee Ron Price enlighten us. Ole Ron is a character. He is a convicted wife-beater, but is nonetheless allowed to sit on the school board. He is well-known for being, shall we say, disingenuous. Knowing beforehand that he loved to stretch the truth, particularly about himself, I listened keenly. Here are the gems:

"I am the chairman of a $2 billion company." (Name of the company, sir?)

"The Alamo was fought because of slavery." (Just check any Texas history book)

"Stewardesses (sic) make $100,000 a year."

Uh, maybe our assemblies should be Price-less.

Three's

3 Favorite Holidays
1. Columbus Day
2. Thanksgiving
3. Memorial Day (summer is here!)

3 Favorite Stooges
1. Curly
2. Moe
3. Larry

3 Favorite Cartoon Characters
1. Foghorn Leghorn
2. Yosemite Sam
3. Tweetie

3 Surprising Favorite Places
1. Hawn Fwy. Service Road at Hillburn (this is where I sit in my bus every morning and prepare mentally and spiritually for what lies ahead)
2. On my lawn tractor in the summer. I used to wear radio headphones until I realized that I was zapping my hearing by cranking up the volume so high. Now, I use it as prayer time...sometimes 2 hours of prayer time.
3. Seat 1 and Seat A on my bus. Sometimes after my elementary school bus run in the afternoon, I get back to Hood in time to stretch my body across the first two seats. I close my eyes and relax for the first time since 7:30 AM. Most days it's only for 10 minutes, but it is rich, sweet time.

3 Great Voices
1. Luciano Pavarotti. People hate the guy for his vanity, but few can quibble that voice.
2. Ann Murray. Something about rich alto voices that make me turn into a lover-boy. And I'm 57.
3. Dave Edmonds. Sings bass in our praise team at Highland Oaks. Such an effortless effort producing smooth, rich low notes. I want his voice in heaven.

3 Saints
1. My mother-in-law.
2. Anne Thomas. Was one of my Sunday School teachers growing up. An humble servant of the Lord. They named a street for her at Christian Care Center.
3. Carl Ketcherside. The greatest example of intellectual brilliance, humble character, and courageous attitude I ever witnessed.

T-minus 63 and counting...

I think I've got the days counted right. Pretty silly thing to do when you think about it. Happiness isn't predicated on attaining earthly milestones. But I'm starting to sense the sweet relief I'll feel when I'm done with the madness known as public education.

Today, I have one of the finer cases of laryngitis in recorded history. I can make a sound or two, but they in no way sound like speech tones. To top it off, I'm administering the TAKS writing test to my 1st period class. So far, they've been very understanding.

I'll take tomorrow off to see if there can be some improvement. A teacher without a voice is like Elvis without a chocolate cake.

Uh, 62.5 days now.

A challenge to the men of my family

I just watched Dirk Nowitzki win the 3-point shooting contest for this year. With that still fresh on my mind, I hereby suggest a similar competition with the men of my family. Except for Ralph. Not to suggest he's a woman. But you know what I mean. Ralph is excellent in other fields besides athletics.

I hate to brag, but not really. I once scored 63 points during a game in the fog one evening on Ambler Blvd, Abilene, TX. I saw all the shots go in; some of my teammates and opponents missed seeing some of them because of the meteorological conditions. It was their loss.

I have never had trouble scoring or beating my sons or my brother in basketball. Charles, not John, of course.

Now I am limited by a left leg crippled by a combination of nerve damage and a land mine I stepped on in Vietnam. I wear a leg brace with more titanium than the Eiffel Tower. But I can still bring it.

I am very interested to see if (1) Brett can still shoot given his advanced age and belly, (2) Blake can do something besides dunking over shorter opponents, and (3) if new son-in-law Michael (Detention) Hall can stand up to Perkins mystique.

Blake, it's up to you to arrange the shootout. You have the keys to DC's facilities. I'll wait a year if I have to. If I'm still alive.

My Wonderful Family

Time for payback since my family has been so nice to me in their blogs.

Carole: My bride and roommate for nearly 34 years. She is so beautiful. I don't know how she does it, but she looks very much like she did in 1972. I catch myself looking at her when she's not aware of it...and I thank God that I could be so blessed.

She is also enormously intelligent. This is both good and bad. It's good when I need her input. It's bad when her smartness makes me look stupid.

She is the finest mother our kids could want. She can raise a baby better than any woman alive.

And I get to spend eternity with her.

Brett: Ah, the firstborn. Were it not for the way blogs let folks open up more than usual, I might have a different take on this guy. But through his blog, I have discovered incredible sensitivity toward his family and toward his fellow man. The way Brett is so single-minded about serving God really warms my heart and brings joy that a lot of parents never experience.

I love how he dispenses financial wisdom that normally comes from someone much older, and how that wisdom is anchored around giving to God.

He is probably the wittiest person on earth, and seems to effortlessly have something funny to add to any remark. What a gift!

He married well and has blessed us with two wonderful grandsons.

Thanks, Brett...for all you've done and will do to make us proud.

Blake: Son #2 has his father's good looks, mixed with incredible caring and love for those around him. My mistake with Blake was to always underestimate him throughout his life. He knows how to overcome adversity and triumph over tough times.

I can't really pinpoint why I've sold him short. Was it because that always happens with the 2nd son? Was it because it seemed things came easier for Brett? Was it all those broken bones in junior high school? Don't know, but he has proved me wrong so many times.

He and I share so many values in life. We both approach discipline the same. We agree on how to budget. Because we both teach, our outlooks on education are the same. If ever I'm locked in an elevator for four hours, give me Blake as a fellow prisoner and the time will fly by pleasantly.

He also married well, and has blessed us with our beautiful granddaughter.

Thank you, Blake...for making me proud every single day.

Brooke: This kid has never experienced a single day in life when she wasn't beautiful...much like her mommy. She is a fierce Christian warrior and would have made a great apostle.

None of our kids went through such a transformation as Brooke. She went from being an extremely shy, quiet child to an effervescent, talkative extrovert within the course of about four years. Still don't know who or what flipped her switch.

I don't know anyone who is as fiercely Christian as Brooke. She gives Satan fits. She has every reason to live off her good looks and be a lazy, conceited snob. Instead, she is full of compassion, love, and energy for good works.

She didn't marry until the perfect guy came along...and Michael is indeed our 3rd son. I can't wait to hold their kids in my arms.

Thank you, Brooke...for showing the rest of us how to live life in a godly manner.

He Shoots, He Scores!

The main reason I got up at 5:40 on this Saturday morning to stand in the 20 degree wind chill at Love Field was to try and photograph one of Southwest Airlines' special scheme planes.

Success!

Faith or Works?

Our salvation is dependent on Christ's blood, for sure. But what is our role in the salvation process?

According to Paul, we are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8). According to James, faith without deeds is dead. (James 2:26) What's a Christian to do?''

What I'm about to offer is easy to type, difficult to live out. For indeed, from our infancy we are drilled that reward comes from work. Those who don't work deserve no reward. To get something undeserved makes us uncomfortable.

But here's the deal.

Works are not a condition of salvation. They are a consequence of salvation. Any true believer (emphasis on "true") cannot keep from being a servant. An inert Christian is not one. Much as Peter and John in Acts 3 said they couldn't help but speak about what they had seen and heard, if we're truly saved, our servanthood will be spontaneous and joyful.

A State of Readiness

I'm convinced we are in the "last days". This morning, I watched Dr. Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist on TV, and he said he thinks all the prophetic criteria of the last days have been met. I'm not so sure, but he's a lot smarter than I.

Most scholars who study this say that one sure sign will be nations ganging up on Israel. This is surely happening now, witness Iran.

What does this mean for a Christian? Excitement and urgency. Our reunion with our Savior is nigh! The everlasting defeat of Satan and sin is imminent! The time we have left to save the souls of others is rapidly filling up the bottom of the hourglass.

Each day I awake now, I sense this could be THE day. Hopefully, this means more commitment, less frivolous talk, more prayer and Bible reading. More of saying those things that need to be said to loved ones, less concern about material possessions.

Since singing ruins my voice for a few days, during worship I tend to just close my eyes while hymns are sung...and soak up the lyrics. This morning, the singing was so good at Highland Oaks that I let myself imagine the "choral anthems" ringing in my ears as all saved believers praise their King.

Bring it on.