Culture and Worldview

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A Teacher’s Thoughts on Senseless Evil


Sometimes, teachers and students can complain about the security measures that have been implemented in schools in response to the world in which we live. Locked doors, key cards, surveillance cameras, safety drills, student uniforms and staff IDs to help identify outsiders. Today reminded me that horror and senseless evil happen regardless of the safety measures we put in place. But we don’t just say, “Why bother?” As parents, as teachers, as adults who love the kids in our lives, we will do whatever it takes to do all that we can to keep the kids we love as safe as possible.

So that is why we keep doors locked and make visitors sign in and have video cameras and do safety drills. Because days like today happen in a broken world, and we want to be as prepared as we can be to deal with the senseless actions of broken people. As a teacher, every time we have an intruder drill, I remind myself that, as the adult responsible for my kids, I am responsible for being willing and able to lay my life down for them if it is required.

Just this week I studied John 10 with my 10th graders, and we studied about Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who was willing to lay down his life for His sheep. As teachers, our kids are our sheep, and many today gave their lives to try to protect their sheep.

We are brokenhearted for the teachers, students and parents in Conn., we will pray for all involved, we will keep our own kids a little closer, we will take our own safety drills a little more seriously, and we will remember that God is near to the brokenhearted. I pray for their comfort and peace.

For parents looking for ways to talk to your children, here is a good article.

For believers looking for ways to talk about a good God and an evil world, here are some good thoughts.

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Black Friday: Go Forth And Shop


For those ranting about the idolatry and consumerism of Black Friday, I have two things to say.

First, remember that lost people are gonna act lost, so don’t be surprised when they freak out, fight over toys, break in line and cuss you out. That’s what lost people do. If that shocks you, you need to hang out with more lost people.

Second, Christians can be Light, even when shopping. Some of my favorite family memories surround Black Friday. It was a rite of passage for the girls in our family to finally be old enough to go shopping with the “women folk” that day, and I loved spending time with my mom, aunt, and grandmother, shopping and people watching.

Christian shoppers, go, stand in line.
Be pleasant.
Fellowship.
Be a good steward of the money God’s given you by getting some GREAT DEALS.
Buy some toys and clothes for some needy kids while you’re at it.
Be ok with it if you miss out on the doorbuster.
Be kind to the people who are working at 2:30 am and getting cussed out in the process.
If you do see a Christian acting a fool and letting their idolatry of “stuff” hang out for the world to see, then rebuke them in love.
But maybe after you’ve both had some sleep.

And get a grip, 21st C. Pharisees. God knows the heart; don’t assume idolatrous consumerism of all participants. It offends me and I have no intention of even shopping. It offends God because you presume to know the hearts of men, and that’s God’s job.

Happy Black Friday!

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Grace, Karma, & My Students


Last week I blogged about my first period class laughing at me and my sock monkey hat hair. The next day I read it to them as an example of how a change in perspective can lead to a change in your entire day.

Well, knowing they’d been blogged about was more than they could handle, so they’ve asked me each day since then when I was going to write about them again. Here ya go, sweet kids.

The other morning I had another slightly rough start to my day (this is becoming a theme), and was a bit down as I headed to class after morning carline. As I round the corner to my room, I see my first period in two lines, arms in the air, whooping and cheering like cheerleaders to my starting basketball player.

I’ve never been cheered into class before. Amazing boost to my soul and reminder of one more reason I love my job so much.

But as I smiled and sat down to take roll and start the day, I silently asked the Lord, “What did I do to deserve this?” To which He replied, just as quietly, “Nothing, my child.”

And He took me back over some of the highlights ofmy stellar high school career:

Once, on a below freezing morning, a teacher in a fully lined wool pants suit asked me to remove my sweatpants from underneath my skirt because wearing them was a uniform violation.

With all the respect I could muster for the following statement, I replied, “I’ll take my pants off when you take off yours.”

It did not go well for me.

If you came to class unprepared, you received an Academic Progress Report sent home. Three of them equalled a Saturday school. I collected so many for missing assignments and forgotten folders that my dad once asked me if I realized most people only went to school five days a week. He was convinced I was running for President of Saturday School.

I nearly failed 2nd quarter of freshman English on principle because I thought Jane Eyre was the most ridiculous book I’d ever read and I refused to finish reading it.

I struggled to get any assignment turned in that was both on time and up to my ability, and often received progress reports about living up to my potential.

I got caught smoking cigars in the hot tub at Disney World on my Senior Trip.

I did absolutely nothing to deserve the precious kids who love me and let me love them. I was a middle of the road student with a rebellious streak a country mile wide.

See, that’s the thing about Karma. The world looks at our messed up world around us and KNOWS it’s wrong. The concept of Karma (what goes around comes around) makes sense to the human mind. Scripture even tells us we will reap what we sow.

But grace trumps Karma. Every day.

Grace knows my calling is to pour my life into those kids, to connect with them, to not waste my own pain and problems by using them to help them understand they don’t have to make the mistakes I’ve made. that they can serve the God of grace in their lives right now.

If there’s nothing else in my life I want them to “get,” it’s that we each have a responsibility to listen and to learn and help other make better choices themselves. Christ died to make a way for us to keep the Law that condemns. Knowing what it says is good. Doing what it says is even better, but being who God created you to be is the best of all.

So there, kiddos, I blogged about you. Love and blessings to you all! 😊

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Sincere, Hypothetical Question for my Pro-choice friends


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The abortion debate seems to have been boiled down to the talking points of a woman’s right to choose how to treat her body vs. an unborn child’s right to life.

I still hold to the belief that an unborn child is dependent upon a woman’s body, but not a part of it.

With that in mind, here is my sincere, sci-fi hypothetical question for my pro-choice friends: if a procedure, as equally invasive as abortion, were created to remove the fetus so it could be implanted into a woman desiring a child, would you then support making abortion illegal?

In other words, if “adoptive transplantation” were possible, would you then support legislation making abortion illegal?

Why or why not?

REMINDER: This is an emotionally charged subject on both sides. Comments that are attacking, abusive, condescending, or otherwise disrespectful will be deleted. Honest dialogue only occurs in safe places; let’s keep this site one of those places. Thanks!

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Thinking Aloud About Praying in Public


Thinking out loud can get a person in trouble. Me be the person doing the thinking can add to the trouble; I tend to start my train of thought in a very different train station than the average person where I live.

But this whole war over public prayer with the Freedom From Religion Foundation really has me thinking about prayer, especially public prayer. The issue was reignited in the Chattanooga area in August when the Foundation filed complaint against a local football coach.

Then there was an issue over prayer at UTC football games. Now UTK has issued a statement to inform the public that, per legal advice, they have no reason to discontinue prayer before ball games.

My first, fiery response to the whole thing was decidedly redneck and all things that are wrong about tradition and religious culture. “We pray at ball games down here! No one has a problem with it here. Why don’t they go back to Wisconsin and leave us alone?” There’s my moment of confession; everything redneck and Southern Confederate heritage oozing out of the overflow of my heart. Massive heart check required.

But that thought made me think a little deeper; why do we insist on praying at public events?

Is it because it’s tradition?

Is it because we have a superstition that someone will get hurt if we don’t pray?

Is it because we want to summon our god to be on our side?

Southern redneck public prayers don’t exactly have the best track record of displaying the glory and majesty of the God we serve.

Jesus had some things to say in Matthew 6 about praying in public:

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Just some food for thought as I’m thinking through the Freedom From Religion yuck.

What’s being proven with making a stink about praying before a ball game?

Are we reducing prayer to a magic charm when we insist it take place a certain way?

What’s wrong with observing a moment of silence? That’s what UTC decided to do, and it seems to be a mutually respectful compromise.

I understand that some people see this as further encroachment upon our religious freedoms and this is the issue at which some have chosen to draw the line of saying “no more.” I’m just not sure which religion people are practicing that requires they pray at the beginning of public events. Sometimes it feels as if this whole fight is based not upon protecting our religious freedom, but about insisting our religion is right.

But what causes us to think that we have the “right” to pray in public at all? Is having a moment of silence preventing us from practicing our religion?

My questions are based more on the global perspective of knowing the friends and family of people who have died for their faith around the world. Knowing the loved ones of martyrs changes your perspective of the term religious freedom.

What would our nation be like if we spent on private prayer all the time we spend filing litigation to protect our right to pray over public events?

What will Americans do if we are ever really faced with the loss of religious freedom?