The only thing to do is start another journey

One of my favorite authors is Lawrence Millman. In one of his books, he mentions that when you reach your destination, the only thing to do is to start a new journey. I am reaching my destination and starting a new journey this week.

I wrapped up another school year today. The students finished yesterday with finals and today was a work day for teachers. We had to complete reports and turn them in to the appropriate parties today. I have two inservice days next week, so I still have more to do as a teacher, even though I won't be teaching.

Next Saturday, I leave for Alaska. I will be spending about 3 weeks there. We travel by boat from Vancouver to Anchorage, then travel by car to Fairbanks via Denali, and then to the Kenai Peninsula. I am looking forward to this trip! I will be taking a sled dog ride (though it won't be on ice or snow), a kayaking trip, hiking in Denali, fly fishing, and doing some biking. I am very excited about this trip! We see a lot of Alaska in our few days there. We will be in Ketichan, Skagway, Fairbanks, Anchorage, Denali, Homer, Seward, and Juneau. I think I would be fine in just one of these places for the three weeks!

I might steal just to buy some more

I am addicted to sudoku.

Ft Davis/Davis Mountains Loop

Today, I went hiking. It was about 7-8 miles. I did a figure 8 loop between Davis Mountains State Park and Ft. Davis NHS. The loop began in the state park and followed the trail north next to the Interpretive Center. (A map can be found here). The trail follows a canyon and makes a quick climb up a ridge.


From the ridge you can see the McDonald Observatory. The picture below shows Limpia Canyon heading west from the park toward Mt. Locke, the home of the observatory.



It then closely follows Skyline Drive to the edge of the state park. Along the way, it swings by a couple of scenic overlooks and even a restroom. At the edge of the park, the trail crosses the fence line into the NHS.

Inside the NHS are several trails that form a loop. When entering the park, I followed the North Ridge Trail to the Tall Grass Loop. Along the trail, you can begin to see the fort.

View of fort from North Ridge Trail Note the parade grounds in the
center and Officers Row to the right.

Post Hospital from ridge trail

Upon reaching the fort, I followed a short trail to an abandoned military cemetery. When the fort was abandoned in 1891, the graves were dugup and moved to Ft Sam Houston in San Antonio. I then went to the visitors center to pay my entrance fee. At the visitors center, they show a short video on the history of the fort narrated by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

I walked the grounds of the fort, seeing the post chapel and some of the officers quarters before heading toward Hospital Canyon. The trail in hospital canyon meets up with the North Ridge Trail just before reaching the state park.

Post Chapel

Officer Houses

Back inside the state park, I finished the figure 8 loop by following the mountain bike trail to Keesey Creek. This trail drops over the ridge and slowly descends into Limpia Canyon before it turns up Keesey Creek and back to the main park road.

During the day, I saw several mule deer, tons of birds including a pair of quail, squirrels, and even a few flies. It was a great day of hiking and a good trail to follow if you are ever in Fort Davis.

4 Days Left

Only 4 days left in the school year. We have tomorrow off for Memorial Day. When we return on Tuesday, we start our final exams. We have 3.5 days of final exams. Noone knows what is going to happen Friday afternoon as we have a 4 hour period between the last final and the last bell.

Tomorrow I am going to go hiking in the Davis Mountains. I will be hiking between Davis Mountains State Park and Fort Davis. I have been to the state park before, but only when I was a little kid. I was at the fort just about 2 months ago. I do not think I have hiked between the two before though.

7:00 AM is NOT too early!

Last summer, I went to Nevada. I was in the town of Baker, Nevada eating breakfast at the only restaurant in town. I was ordering breakfast (french toast) and the waitress asked if I wanted a beer with my meal. I opted for the coffee. Turns out that 8:00 AM is not too early to start drinking in Baker. This morning, I was in a coffee shop in Midland and the cashier asked if I would like a piece of cheesecake with my coffee. I politely declined. Turns out 7:00 AM is not too early for dessert in Midland!

Take me out to the ballgame

This past weekend I went to Fort Worth. On Friday, I went to Dallas to take an aptitude test for the Navy. On Saturday, my brother and I went to the Rangers - Astros baseball game at the Ballpark at Arlington.



The starting pitchers were Padilla for the Rangers versus Oswalt for the Astros. The game began with a flag presentation honoring military personnel and their families. It included a speech from a Major General in Iraq.

The game began with the Astros batting first. They got off to a 1-0 start in the top of the 1st. The following picture is of first pitch.



However, the lead didn't last long as the Rangers scored 2 in the bottom of the 1st to take the lead, which they did not give up. The picture below is of Oswalt's first pitch in the bottom of the 1st.

Despite getting the loss, it was fun going to the game and getting to watch the Astros. I have always been a 'stros fan and pulled for them long before they won the pennant. It was, however, my first game to watch in person in which Biggio was not in the lineup.


The final boxscore.



The game did conclude with a concert by Robert Earl Keen. I hadn't seen him in concert in a few years. I think the last time was at a concert in College Station at Wolf Pen Creek.

Wrap it up

I took my ASTB yesterday for the Navy and my scores were good. My application as been sent off and now I will just wait until I hear back, around July 1.

Tying a knot of internet bullies

The boy scouts are well for tying knots, camping, and doing good deeds. They have updated it to now include reporting bullying. Here are the new requirements for Tenderfoot, 2nd Class, and 1st Class.

Tenderfoot: Explain the importance of the buddy system as it relates to your personal safety on outings and in your neighborhood. Describe what a bully is and how you should respond to one.

2nd Class: Explain the three R's of personal safety and protection.

1st Class: Describe the three things you should avoid doing related to the use of the Internet. Describe a cyberbully and how you should respond to one.

In case you are wondering what three things you should avoid on the web, they are: Whenever you go online: (1) Don't respond to inappropriate messages or Web sites. If you stumble across information or images that you don't understand, it's OK to talk about it with your parent or guardian; (2) Don't share information such as your address, telephone number, school name, or your parents' work address or telephone number, and never send any photos via the Internet unless you have permission; (3) Never agree to meet anyone who has contacted you online unless your parent or guardian goes with you.

And I thought it was to never pay for wifi!

The Boy Scouts of America started in 1910. Back then, scouts had to learn important skills like how to pack an animal and how to signal using semaphore. When I was in Scouts, semaphore was long gone, but I still learned it and use it in writing form. I learned nothing about the internet and it has caused much trouble when I am on the trail and I run into an internet bully at 10,000 feet and I am cooking my oatmeal or some rice and beans.

One upping Amos Moses

If you don't know who Amos Moses is, he was a character in a Jerry Reed song by the same name. He would hunt for alligators in the Louisiana swamp by hitting them on the head with a stump. Well, this guy does better than that, he wrestles alligators and then drives around with them in his car!





"Texas Highway Patrol officer Steven Stanfield stopped William Johnson, 30, along State Highway 35 after Johnson made a U-turn and almost hit another vehicle. It was then that Stanfield noticed an alligator in the back seat of Johnson’s blue Buick, with no restraints on it."

"they learned Johnson had followed the alligator into a ditch and wrestled it into the back of his car."

"Johnson also is accused of attempting to steal his boss’ large-screen television on the same night. The plot allegedly was foiled when his accomplice saw the alligator in Johnson’s car and dropped the TV, damaging it"

This guy is now a personal hero of mine.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351565,00.html#

He'd fly through the air with the greatest of ease

I think this may be the news story of the year.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article3799493.ece

Hopes were fading last night for a Brazilian priest who floated aloft on Sunday tied to 1,000 giant party balloons and has not been seen since, though several of the helium-filled balloons were found floating at sea. Father Adelir de Carli, 41, soared into the sky from the southeastern town of Paranagua, sitting in a harness attached to the white, red, yellow, green and pink balloons, and wearing a thermal outfit and helmet. He was trying to draw attention to his campaign to provide rest stops for long-distance truck drivers, and to enter into Guinness World Records. A known adventurer, he had already made a previous similar flight with 500 balloons in January that reportedly took him as high as 5,000 meters (16,400ft). But bad weather this time pushed his makeshift contraption out to sea off Brazil’s southern coast, and in his last contact with police on Sunday night he said that he was encountering problems. Parishioners in his church were praying for him.

What a crazy story.

Teacher of the Year Award

I got something BETTER than a teacher of the year award, I got the Mr. Woods special at Whatabuger. One of my students from last year is working at Whataburger. Today, he was at the fry station. I ordered a #8 (2 piece chicken strip dinner) and yelled at him "Lupe, take care of my #8!" He nodded and smiled. When my box came out, I opened it and low and behold, 3 strips! He gave me an extra strip! This teaching gig is finally paying out!

Why I remain chaste

I do not write this to judge anyone, but to share my reasons for remaining chaste. I hope to be able to encourage other people who are choosing to remain chaste and deal will the same problems I do.

First, I am a graduate, never married, and am still a virgin. Seems a rarity in society today. Movies and TV shows seem to stigmatize virgins as if something is wrong with them. We hear in daily conversation that "you just need to get laid." As if that is the ultimate solution to our problems!

I remain chaste because God tells us to. I do not use saving myself for marriage as my main reason. The reason I do not is because I may not get married. It seems that if saving myself for marriage was my reason, I might remain chaste for my entire life and never receive "my prize." Saving for marriage is certainly a valid reason, and is one of my reasons, but is not my main reason. On Dave Ramsey's show one day, he was talking about a saying he uses with his children about premarital sex. He tells them to not ruin the great things with the good things. Meaning, yes sex can be a wonderful thing, even outside of marriage, but is even better in marriage. My main reason though is because God tells us to.

We see this idea of remaining pure for God in a lot of verses. First, Jesus tells us to be holy as our father is holy. Paul also tells us in Ephesians 5 to be imitators of God. He explains this as including sexual immorality. This shows that to be holy like God, we are to remain pure. We are to not conform to this world, but to prepare and live for God's kingdom. We are shown in movies and tv shows that having sex outside of marriage is normal. As members of God's people, this is not normal for us. We are called to live a higher lifestyle. Christ died for us while we were yet sinners, but he didn't save us so we could remain sinners. God's great love for us demands a response beyond our faith, and that is to live a holy life. Paul tells us that we are no longer slaves to the law but slaves to righteousness. We are a new creation, called to live for God. How can we do this if we live sexually immoral lives?

Another reason is the reason God gave us sex. Obviously an important reason is procreation. Another reason though is to join together a man and woman. In the bible, we see that a man and woman become one flesh in marriage through sex. The old testament repeatedly shows two people becoming joined together through sex. It often uses the phrase of a man knowing his wife. He is knowing her in a way no other man should know. Their flesh is uniting as they become one. Clearly, this should not be done outside of marriage. The law says that if a man sleeps with a woman, that woman has become his wife. I do not want to be married right now, so I will not participate in the act of becoming one with a girl.

This purity does not extend to just our physical actions, but also our hearts and minds. Jesus says that sin is committed not just when a man has an affair with a woman, but when he lusts for her in his heart. This introduces a hardship on people who are trying to remain pure. Our daily life is full of sexual images. Seeing these on a daily basis creates a struggle for me. It is often said that noone is hurt if both people consent to having sex, but this is not a valid reason. While noone may be physically hurt, our spirit and heart is hurt. God commands us to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. When we commit sexual sin, we are not loving God through our strength, our mind, our heart, or our spirit. Our actions reveal our heart. I hope to share some things that help me in times of struggle.

First, fleeing the central. This is a saying I heard at Breakaway many years ago. The speaker was saying that if you cannot be on the internet without looking at sex sites, then stay off the internet! If being with a group of friends causes you to sin, stay away from that group. Flee what is tempting you to sin. Jesus says the same thing by saying that if your right eye causes you to sin, cut it out and cast it into the fire. In high school, I had friends that wanted to go to the strip joints as soon as they turned 18. This never really appealed to me, so I chose to not go when I turned 18, and still haven't been. I choose to not watch movies with a lot of sexual scenes, as I know if could easily lead me to sin. If I feel tempted while on the internet, I try to get off and go for a walk or do something to get away from the temptation. I have some friends who used internet blockers and had someone else setup the password.

Another thing that helps me is to be around like-minded people. Now I certainly have friends who had premarital sex, and being chaste isn't a requirement to be my friend, but my closest friends are people who I am in agreement with. I do not think that I would be able to date someone who does not share in my ideas of being chaste while single. This is not to rule out anyone who had sex before, but it would be important that they are now of the same mindset. This is because of the importance of sex in marriage. We saw the importance God places on sex. How could I potentially marry someone who does not agree with how God binds us together? Most of my friends are of the same mindset as me, which is a great encouragement. It is a great help to be able to share my struggles with a friend who understands and supports my decision.

Finally, prayer. God does not expect us to be able to do this on our own. I must often ask God to give me strength to help from falling into temptation, both with my body and on my heart.

I will also add in the benefit this can have in a marriage. I cannot speak from experience, but have heard many people say that sex is more rewarding when it is reserved for marriage. As Dave Ramsey mentioned, don't ruin the great things with the good things.

I hope that my thoughts are clear and can be of encouragement. I invite anyone who wishes to share their thoughts on this topic. I often think that it isn't fair that I miss out on something enjoyable just because I am single and struggle with remaining pure. It is only because of God that I have been able to remain chaste. I will end with a message of hope that Paul gives us. This will not be an easy task, but will be worth it. Living for God is not without a promise.

quote:

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3Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

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Romans 5:3-5

Walking Away

Last month, my principal called me into her office. She wanted to talk about a possible promotion. It turns out that she wanted to offer me the department chair position at the school for next year. It is quite an honor as a second year teacher. I do not even meet the minimum requirements for the position (3 years of experience) and my principal wants me to take the job. Just this past week, the resigning department chair at another school in town said he wanted me to apply for the department chair at that school.
Instead of taking these promotions, what if I just walked away from it all?

Standing on the Promises

This morning, we had a guest speaker at church. The speaker was from a program called Walk Through the Bible. He spoke about their program and walked us through the Bible from creation to the birth of Issac. One of the things he focused on were the promises given to Abraham. God gave Abraham one command, to leave his country. But God promised 7 things. He talked about how we often view the Old Testament as being a bunch of commands. But he said that it is a book of promise. Indeed the Bible is a book of promises. If we follow the commands of God, he will bless us.

Often times, we talk about being saved by faith and that works are not required. This is true for receiving the promise of eternal life. The Bible is very clear that believing in Christ is all that is necessary for salvation. However, if this is all we ever do, we are denying ourselves of the many other promises God wants to give us. By trusting God and following his commands, we will find that God is faithful to us and will fulfill his promises.

Will you follow God and accept his promise?

And the life everlasting

The Apostle Creed is a statement of the beliefs of Christianity. We often recite it in church services. It reads

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit

born of the Virgin Mary.

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried.

On the third day he rose again.

He ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand

of God the Father Almighty.

From thence he shall come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting.

Amen.

Something that has always been hard for me to understand is everlasting life. In my mind, eternity is a concept I cannot grasp. It is hard for me to imagine living forever and ever and ever... Forever is a long time! I believe that I will live with God forever in heaven, but I cannot understand forever. It gives me a headache to think about it!

One thing that gives me comfort is the words of the song Hymn of Promise. Written by Natalie Sleeth, it was sung at her husband's funeral shortly after being written. It speaks of life and death, winter and spring, and faith and doubt.

In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree;
In cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see. 

There’s a song in every silence, seeking word and melody;
There’s a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity;
In our doubt there is believing; in our life, eternity,
In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

When I was young, I use to sing this song all the time. I would often tell my grandma I was going to sing a solo and get out my hymnal and sing it to her. A while back, we sang this song at church. Because it speaks so much about what I do not understand, it was impossible for me to sing without tearing up. I my doubt there is believing. At the end of my life I will find eternity. I do not understand it now, it is something only God can see. Praise the Lord! Help my unbelief!

Return to Service

Today was the first day back after Spring Break. The students were good today. We were studying the amplitude of waves. Tomorrow we will be studying earthquakes. Our primary focus will be on waves produced by earthquakes. I am hoping it will be enjoyable.

Tonight I am eating dinner at Schlotzsky's. I didn't plan on it, but they have free wifi. I planned on having internet at my place tonight, but I still do not. I got rid of my cable internet and attempted to buy an aircard from Sprint today. However, the network is still not updated, so it would be as fast as dial up. I will remain internetless for a while longer.

Return from the Caprock

I returned yesterday from the Caprock. I ended up spending the entire trip at Caprock Canyons State Park. I felt there was too much to do there to cut it short by a day to go to Palo Duro Canyon.

Click to see a map of Caprock Canyons and the Trailway.

I arrived at Caprock Canyons Sunday afternoon. I got my permits and hiked back to North Prong primitive area. I spent the night camped there. That evening, I first heard the howls of coyotoes which I would hear for the rest of the trip. The next morning I got up, broke camp, and began hiking along the Upper Canyon Trail. I reached Fern Cave, which turns out is an overhang with a natural seep that waters the ferns growing on the wall. I then hiked out the Hayes Ridge overlook trail. It was incredibly foggy, but I did see several mule deer along the trail. I then drove to the north end of the Eagle Point trail. I wanted to hike to the natural bridge on the map. I got to the location, but didn't find the bridge. I continued searching until I came to where the trail crosses the creek, knowing that I was too far. I went back to where I thought the bridge was. After standing there a little bit, I realized that I was standing on the bridge! It was under the trail, about 50 feet long and 8 feet high. I then drove to the trailway, specifically a trailhead called Monk's Crossing. I hiked about 5 miles south past Clarity Tunnel and set up camp. I would be spending two nights at this location. The next day I hiked 12 miles to the South Plains Terminal in the town of South Plains. I then turned around and hiked back, making it a 24 mile day in 40 degree weather and strong panhandle winds. I was tired when I got back! On the way back and spotted a bobcat down the trail. The next morning I broke camp and hiked the 5 miles back north to the Monk's Crossing trailhead and headed home. It was a great 4 day trip, doing about 45 miles. If you are heading to the panhandle soon, I recommend Caprock Canyons State Park.

Spring Break

Yesterday, at 3:40, Spring Break began. Unfortunately for my students, their spring break was cut short by 30 seconds. I was standing by the door and thought that when the bell rang, it would be an excellent time to tell the students to have a good spring break and to be safe. All I heard was "Mr. Woods, MOVE!" I made them say please before I moved. I then went out on the bus run where I worked to convince students that they had to come to school on Monday. I told them that spring break was canceled because they got low marks on their math benchmark exam. Sadly, none of the students appeared to be that gullible. What other job do you get paid to mess with students all day? I love my job.

Today has been a pretty simple day. I spent the morning preparing my lesson for the first day back from Spring Break. We are currently in a unit about waves. Not just ocean waves, but also light, radio, and sound waves. The first day back will be review and talking about amplitude, followed by AM and FM radio. Tuesday will be about seismic waves. I will begin by saying that Tuesday is baseball day and we will be watching Game 3 of the 1989 World Series. That was, of course, the game that was interrupted by an earthquake. We will watch the ABC footage of the earthquake.



We will be watching a shorter clip.

After I prepared the lesson, I spent some time cleaning around the apartment. I ordered and received a new tent this week. It is my first new tent. My old tent was an old LL Bean two man dome tent. I had used it since I joined Boy Scouts as it was one of the troop tents. I acquired the tent when the troop ordered new tents. It has served faithfully for many miles, but I feel it is time to retire from backpacking. I ordered Eureka's Backcountry 2 man tent.


I will be trying it out this week. I will be going to Palo Duro Canyon and Caprock Canyons. I have never been to either park, so I am looking forward to exploring the canyons of the Texas Panhandle.

Evaluation Day

Today I was appraised by my principal. We had a lesson on simple machines, focusing on lever types such as levers, pulleys, and wheel and axles. After class, the principal said it was one of the best lessons she had ever seen, but that isn't the point of this story.

A few weeks ago, a fellow teacher of mine, who is also a black belt in karate, mentioned that he would like to break coconuts in my class one day. Since we were doing a lesson on levers, I invited him to come today during his conference period. After I invited him, I received notice of my impending appraisal this week. I went to both assistant principals and invited them to come and watch the other teacher break coconuts. My AP mentioned needing to appraise me. I said it would be a great time to appraise me since she could also watch coconuts break! She said OK. I immediately told the other teacher that I was being appraised "so don't mess up!"

Today, we started class with the breaking of coconuts. Quite a crowd gathered, with principals, teachers, and even a police officer in attendance. With 6 different adults in the classroom, those students weren't going to get away with anything! The coconuts were broken and pieces of coconuts were passed out to all the students. They loved it and so did the AP.

The moral of the story is when you are being appraised, find someone else to teach your class.

I am a slave

I recently read an article in National Geographic Explorer about the Komi people. You can read the article here. It was an awesome article and made me want to get outside. So yesterday, I hiked Slaughter Canyon at Carlsbad Caverns NP.

Part of the article talked about why the people choose to continue to live the life they do. One of the reindeer herders was quoted as saying

"They have given up living all the time with their reindeer. We Komi are still vödzyny—nomads. I'm proud that I speak Komi. I prefer this way of living—always moving with the animals and our families. I lived in town once and worked. I know what town is. Living with the oleni, making everything we need, and requiring very little else—that means we are free."

I found his last line very interesting, being free. Because they make everything they need, they are completely free.

I am not free. I live in a city, am dependent on farmers for my food, am dependent on factories for my clothes, am dependent on the city for my water. I would love to be more independent. Growing up, one of the only skills I learned was hunting. I can take an animal and process it into meat. I have not learned how to tan the hide. I did not learn how to make clothes, but can sow on a button. I would love to grow vegetables and herbs, but do not have a yard. I would love to be able to tan a hide and make clothing out of it. I would love to be free.

Another week come and gone

Another week has passed me by. I cannot say I have much to show for it. I have 5 pages of notes from a conference, a few new books, a paycheck, a dirty apartment, a positive professional evaluation, and lots of memories. Another 40 years of this would be perfect...

I am having a hard time deciding what I want to do next year. While contracts have not come out yet, I have no reason to think I will not be getting a contract from my school. Today, when I left my principal's office, she said "thanks for all you do." The assistant principal said "and stay one more year!" The principal responded to him, "what do you mean stay one more year? I hope he stays several more." That was nice to hear! I have a few other schools who have asked me to come to their campus. It is nice to be wanted! At the same time, I have so many other things in life I would love to do. I have no idea what I want to do in a year.

Lost in Austin Again

I returned to Austin this week after a night in Midland. Last week I was here for the Inclusion Works! conference. It was an excellent conference about special education. This week I am here for a conference on Title I. We are staying at the Hilton at Bergstrom Airport. According to my mother, this building was formerly the strategic air command center during Vietnam and Desert Storm. These photos would seem to agree with her.

Satellites in my eye

Two nights ago, the Navy shot down a satellite that was going to crash. It contained a chemical called hydrazine. The Navy said that the satellite needed to be shot down so that the hydrazine would be destroyed before returning to the earth. It is toxic when inhaled, however only one person has ever died from it. Now it is going to form nitrogen gas and water. It did make for a sweet video!

Just an Ordinary, Average Guy

Joe Walsh sang a song about being just an ordinary, average guy. A guy who has to pickup dog do, drinks beer with friends, and drives a Dodge. This past Sunday, the preacher at my church talked about being Average, and how that is a good thing. Sadly, our closing hymn was not Joe Walsh.

In the sermon, the pastor said that it is OK for us to be average. That God called average people, like Moses, Gideon, and Jeremiah's, to do his work. In part of his message, he said that it is OK that we may not read the latest Max Lucado book or attend the latest spiritual conference. That perhaps it is better that we look to the tax collector than the pharisee for how to approach God. However, I felt that he ended his message short. I will continue with my thoughts.

God does call ordinary people. Few people who are called by God are called because of their righteousness or greatness. Moses was called after killing an Egyptian and running from his home. Levi/Matthew was called despite being a tax collector. Paul was called despite being in his words, "the biggest sinner of all." Peter and James were called despite being fishermen. These ordinary people became followers of God and become righteous by the grace of God. Not because of what they did, but because they put their faith in God and trusted him.

But these ordinary people didn't stay ordinary! They did extraordinary things for God. Moses led God's people across the desert to the Holy Land. Paul, Peter, James, and Matthew became leaders of The Way, taking the Word to new places and were willing to become martyrs for the sake of the Gospel. Jesus tells us that we will not be ordinary people. People will hate us, we will have to leave our family behind, we will do things greater than he did. But we do not do it on our own or alone. Jesus sent us the Spirit to dwell in us and to guide us. This promise to the Disciples applies to all who place their faith in Christ and pick up their cross and follow.

However, even though we are called to something higher and are made righteous with Christ, we are not to boast of what we have done. The tax collector is still our model for how to approach God. Humbly approaching God saying "God be merciful to me a sinner." We are only saved by the grace of God. We must approach God with the knowledge that our extraordinary life is a result of Christ's work on the cross. An act of selflessness and love we could never even dream of matching.

So being average is good. God calls average people. But don't stay average! God calls average people to do above average things by their living below average lives.

Ground Control to Major Tom

Tonight, I saw the space station and space shuttle. They passed over Midland tonight, moving from northwest to southeast. They were visible for 5 minutes. It isn't much, just a bright light in the sky, but it is neat knowing that there were 10 astronauts in there looking down at me.

Hit the road, Jack!

That's just about what my principal told me! I am being sent to Austin for two conferences this coming week. I will be in Austin from the 20th through the 27th. The first conference is called Inclusion Works! It is a workshop on special education. Inclusion means including special education students in regular classroom environments. I am playing a part in that. This year I am co-teaching. Meaning I have a special education teacher with me in my classroom. We have no direction in what we are doing. We asked for training at the beginning of the year and this is our training. The second conference is called Change Summit II. I am not sure what is meant by the name. It is a conference for Title I schools. Title I means that we have a large population of students who are low-SES. It is measured using the free or reduced lunch forms. My school is 40+% free or reduced lunch. It is three days with each day focusing on a different topic. Day 1 is The Role of Assessment in a PLC. Day 2 is Building Background Knowledge for Academic Acheivement. Day 3 is Discipline and Working with Parents. I am not sure what either conference will entail, but I am looking forward to them.

All in the Family

All in the Family was a TV sitcom in the 70's. I don't think I have ever seen it.

The dictionary has many definitions for family.

1.	parents and their children, considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not.

2.	the children of one person or one couple collectively: We want a large family.

3.	the spouse and children of one person: We're taking the family on vacation next week.

4.	any group of persons closely related by blood, as parents, children, uncles, aunts, and cousins: to marry into a socially prominent family.

5.	all those persons considered as descendants of a common progenitor.

Family has many different connotations that are used by people. People live with their family (1). People often marry to start a family (2). People work to support their family (3). We gather for dinner with family (4) on holidays. And of course, the family (5) reunion. When I think of my family, I usually only think of the first definition. My family consists of my parents, grandparents, and brother. These are the people who I grew up with, who took care of me, and continue to care for me.

When I think of my extended family, I don't really use any of these definitions. My extended family would be the reverse of fifth definition. My extended family are the ancestors of me. These are the people I am directly related to, my parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents, etc... I do not consider aunts and uncles and cousins to be my family. My uncle is part of my dad's family, but he is not in my family. Is this harsh?

I do not think so. I think it is a reality. A reality for me at least. I did not grow up with my aunts, uncles, and cousins. I grew up with my immediate family. I had to talk to aunts and uncles on Christmas and saw them once every fews years. I do not know these people.

Recently I spent some time with my grandfather. He was showing me an old photo album. I enjoyed seeing the photos of my dad when he was younger and my grandparents when they were younger. He then moved into the old photos and news clippings from the family in Iowa. His family (and my grandmother's) lived in Iowa for over 100 years and continue to live in southern Iowa. I really did not care much about people who were aunts, uncles, or cousins. But when he showed me pictures or articles about my great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents, I was facinated. I am sure this is because of my views of "extended family," but I noticed that family really is important to me, but I have a different definition than some people.

My family is a direct link to my past. I know that each member of my family has a family that is not the same as mine. But my family is my family.

Who is in your family?

Don't do as I do.

In a previous post, I talked about how I often make observations about people in my professions doing things I do not like and make note of these things. This is to not be nit-picky, but so that I do not do the same thing in the future. This started in college when I attended a valve distributors show at A&M. The show was obviously designed for the vendors and clients, but my professor was in charge of the show and wanted us to attend. He registered us and we had official name tags and everything. Upon arrival at the show, vendors would see that I was a student (it was on the name tag) and immediately have nothing to do with me. I had no money, so no attention was given. We were there to get to learn about the industry since we would be working with these people in just a year or two. I only had one vendor who would even give me the time of day. I spoke with my dad about this and he told me "Remember how it felt, and when you are in their position, act accordingly." That was some sound advise.

Today, I added a few tidbits of etiquette to my toolbox.

• If you are in a position of leadership and meeting people you have never met before, introduce yourself

• If you are in a position of leadership and need to know some information about people below you, go to the people who know the info. Don't waste everyones time by demanding the answer from those who don't know.

• If you are in a position of leadership and upset with someone else in leadership, don't try to sabotage everyone else's work just to "get back" at that person.

• If you are in a position of leadership and assign people to do a job, give them the information they need to complete their task.

Remember how it felt and when you are in their position, act accordingly.

Climbing the Corporate Ladder

I am continuing building my portfolio of experiences in my professional career. This week, it was attempting to continue working on a team project when the person overseeing the team changes. This assignment began last semester. The assignment would primarily affect 2 campus, but 2 other campus would only see a minor change. The two campus that would not really be affected by the change did not feel that it was major enough to need to join the team. They gave their consent to any decision we made. The team was made up of two people from the two main campuses and a date was set to meet and complete the assignment. Before that date occurred, the district person overseeing our team was transfered and no one replaced the position. We canceled our date until we could find out what was happening. We met with the former overseer who said that as long as both campus agreed to the changes, no district approval was needed. We set today as our date to meet. Subs were arranged and everything seemed ready to go until yesterday afternoon when someone from the district was found to oversee our team. They wouldn't let us meet until people from all campus could meet. This was unnecessary and had already been resolved. When we left yesterday, we were "on hold." We arrived this morning, and thanks to some last minute phone calls by my boss, we were given the green light. The reason we couldn't meet was because the overseer had several questions that they wanted answered, but never bothered to ask the team members! Today, while working on the assignment, several people stopped by asking why the other two schools weren't there. We told them that this was taken care of several weeks ago. The two schools were not going to be impacted and already gave their consent. The assignment was completed, and I added a new experience to my portfolio. So overseers, if you have a question about your teams, ask them!

Life Mimics Art

Two friends of mine are going on vacation to Bangkok. This morning they were in Seoul on a layover. I was talking to him on the internet and he was joking about people walking the wrong way on moving sidewalks. I told him that I had seen a Donald Duck cartoon about this. While searching for the cartoon, I found that life mimics art.



Now that's funny.

Stranger in a Strange Land

I often feel like a stranger in a strange land. I have rarely felt like I was in a place I belong. I rarely feel like things I am doing are things that I completely agree with. When I look at society, I feel almost polar opposite of what is normal. As you know, the outdoors is a huge part of my life. It is what I long for and is where I am most comfortable. However, I am in disagreement philosophically with a large portion of those who share the outdoors with me. I love music. I am almost always listening to music. However, I am often in disagreement philosophically with the music I listen to. Yet I keep listening! I do not think I have ever found a political party or politician that I really agreed with. I disagree philosophically with society. Our society is focused on consumerism, sex, and wealth. I do not live for any of these things.

I imagine most of us could agree with this. Few of us would feel like we fit in with everyone around us. Most of us continue to seek to find our place in the world and our never satisfied.

God tells us that this world is only temporary. The Bible tells us that we are made for a different place, this is not our home. But this world was made by God. It was corrupted by man, but it is still God's creation. I will cherish His creation while preparing for my future home. I am a stranger in a strange land.

For Dust You Came And To Dust You Shall Return

Psalm 51

1Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

2Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

3For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

4Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

5Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

6Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

8Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

9Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

10Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

11Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

12Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

13Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

14Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

15O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

16For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.

17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

18Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

19Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. It is a time to reflect on our mortality and the necessity of a Savior. I attended a service tonight at the United Methodist Church I am a member of. The pastor's sermon centered on Psalm 51 and 2 Samuel 12. In 2 Samuel 12, David is confronted by Nathan about David's adulterous relationship with Bathsheba. After being told a story of a rich man stealing from a poor man, David says the rich man must die. Nathan then says "You are the rich man!" David realizes what he has done and acknowledges his sin before the Lord. God grants mercy on David, but the child of David and Bathsheba dies. While the child is sick, David fasted and wept. Upon learning the child dies, David rises, dresses himself, worships the Lord, and eats again.

All of us have and continue to sin. Our sins are against other humans and against the Lord. We deserve death for our iniquities. Tonight on Ash Wednesday, we acknowledge this. But the story is not over! Jesus Christ came to Earth to die in our place. By His sacrificial death on a cross, Christ opened the lifegates by dying in our place. Our sins, though many, are forgiven by God because of what Christ did. All we must do is repent and believe the gospel. Gospel, meaning good news, is that Christ died for us, while still sinners, so that we may be reconciled with God, become one of God's children, and live a life for his glory.

When we become God's children, we are changed. The Holy Spirit, the very spirit of God, enters into our heart. We are called to live for him. Your sin is no longer who you are. You are free from it. Repent! Turn away from the sin! It is a hard battle, but one worth pursuing. Oh to long for the joy of not having sin in my life!

During the imposition of ashes, when the pastor places ashes on your forehead, the traditional saying is "from dust you came and to dust you shall return." However, my pastor said "Repent, and believe the gospel." What welcoming words! My sins, though many, can be forgiven. Just repent and believe the gospel! Praise the Lord for granting to me grace daily, so that I may forgive myself for the sins that he has already forgiven.

Time keeps on tickin'

Time is always marching on. It is hard to believe it is already February. In just 4 months, I will be preparing to leave for Alaska. In 3 months I will be wrapping up another semester of teaching. In 2 months, I will be another year older. In 1 month, I will be getting ready for a hiking trip during spring break. In 30 minutes, I will be asleep.

All Creation Waits

As you may have seen from my writings, I love being outside. Given the opportunity, I would be outdoors than stuck inside. I enjoy reading books and articles about people's adventures outside, one of my favorite authors being Lawrence Millman. Most of his writings are about the Arctic regions. However, like other writers of the outdoors, such as Edward Abbey, Millman often writes poorly of Christianity and of God. It is often written that Christian missionaries have destroyed native cultures and that God has nothing to do with nature. It would be hard to defend the actions of some missionaries. The culture of the Native Americans was destroyed by the government and missionaries in an effort to "civilize" the people. An atrocity which we can never correct has been committed by our country and the affects are still felt today. However, I would argue the complete opposite about God's role in nature. The following are excerts from Abbey's Desert Solitaire.

"An increasingly pagan and hedonistic people (thank God!), we are learning finally that the forests and mountains and desert canyons are holier than our churches. Therefore let us behave accordingly" (p. 60).

"'Ralph Newcomb', I say, 'do you believe in God?'
'Who?' he says.
'Who?'
'Who.'
'You said it,' I say" (p. 180).

"'Newcomb, for godsake where do we come from?'
'Who knows?'
'Where are we going?'
'Who cares?'
'Who?'
'Who'" (p. 185).

My love of nature comes because of my knowledge that it is God's creation. When I am in nature, I see the work of God and praise him. Being in nature makes me want to thank God even more than I already do. When we look in the Bible, we find that this is exactly what should happen. Paul writes in Romans 10 that the songs of praise that nature sings to God proclaims to us that God is real. He quotes Psalm 19, which reads

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. 3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, 5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. 6 It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.

Paul, in Romans 10, writes that the people have heard of God because he is shown to us by creation. There are of course many other ways we see God, but one way is by creation's praise. In another Psalm, # 148, we see that all of creation sings praises to God, in the same way that we do.

1 Praise the Lord. 2 Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his heavenly hosts. 3 Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars. 4 Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created. 6 He set them in place for ever and ever; he gave a decree that will never pass away.

7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, 8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, 9 you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, 10 wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, 11 kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, 12 young men and maidens, old men and children. 13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens. 14 He has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his saints, of Israel, the people close to his heart.

God gave us creation. In Genesis 1 He gives dominion to man of all creation. But that comes with a great responsibility. God's gift to us does not mean that it is our job to pave the world and turn all usable space into cities and strip malls. Jesus tells us that God cares for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. They do not live on asphalt! Wilderness is important to us. It shows us God. It returns us to what is important in life. It is no coincidence that Jesus tells us to look to wilderness to see what is important in life. That worrying about tomorrow is not necessary. Even Christ retreats to the wilderness to spend time with the Father.

If you have not experienced God's creation, go out and see it. Go to a national park and spend the night under the stars. Go to a local park and enjoy the birds and the animals. Conserve our natural resources so that the birds of the air can eat and the lilies of the field will be beautiful. Creation is singing of the glories of God. Join them!

Remember this at your Super Bowl Parties!

Beware the bowl: Double dipping spreads bacteria

Story Highlights

• Clemson students examined effects of double dipping
  
• 3-6 double dips spread 10,000 bacteria from eater's mouth to remaining dip
  
• Research didn't get into the risk behind bacteria transfer

"I like to say it's like kissing everybody at the party -- if you're double dipping, you're putting some of your bacteria in that dip," Dawson said.


http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/02/01/double.dipping.ap/index.html


So only double dip if you are at a party of hot people and you want to kiss everyone there!

Scramble! Be Flexible!

I arrived at school today and found that my lesson could not be done. I was planning on giving a test but my co-teacher was absent. So I dug through the file cabinet and pulled out a lab on Galileo's Experiment. Galileo did an experiment to test the rate of falling objects. According to the story, he dropped two balls of different masses from the Tower of Pisa. He found that they hit the ground at the same time. My students reenacted this experiment using wooden blocks and sponges. They also dropped paper and had to explain why paper did not behave as expected. We also watched this video from the Apollo 15 hammer and feather drop.

My students LOVE space and get very excited. I am disappointed as well at the quality. We can send a man to the moon but our video is horrible!
The lab went great and the students loved it. Just another day in the life.

Trying to get better

I am working really hard at getting healthy. I had a relapse of a nasty cold. Sunday - Tuesday were the worst days. I am getting better and hope to be fully healthy by the weekend. Under the recommendation of my mom, I bought some Campbell's microwave soup for work. It does not taste very good. I do not recommend it.

So, are you married?

I am tired of constantly being asked this question. During a profession evaluation, my appraiser actually asked me is I was dating anyone or if I wanted help meeting some of the single teachers at my school. When I visit back in places I use to live, I am often asked this. When I talk to my family, they always ask if I am "serious" with any of my friends who are girls. Last year, when I moved to Midland, I was visiting several churches. At one, several people introduced themselves and I did the same. They then asked if I was married. One gentleman came, introduced himself, and then asked "you single?" It was refreshing to get to say yes for once! He invited me to visit the single adult Sunday school class he and his wife taught. Last week I was at a science teacher meeting for two schools. I had prepared a few handouts and a teacher from the other school commented "figured you were single since you had all this extra time." I was speechless. Questions of my marriage status or dating status occurred as recent as this past Sunday. I was not at church this Sunday since I was out of town. My friend who is in the choir with me missed the first service, but arrived for the second service. Since she was not at first service, someone asked where she was. Someone then quickly asked where I was, insinuating an obvious connection. Luckily the choir director jumped in and set the record straight. What is wrong with being single?

I am sure few people would say that there is anything wrong with being single. However, as cliche as it is, actions speak louder. A look at my culture shows a strong focus on marriage and families. The largest characteristic of me is my religion. I am protestant. As watching the evening news shows, the largest issues for the mouthpieces of the protestants are homosexuality and abortion. Not really issues I deal with on a daily basis. Some of the larger mouthpieces are Focus on the Family and American Family Association. Both organizations tout the importance of marriage and children, and of course the big buzz word, family values. Now I do not think that these organizations are trying to tell singles that they are wrong, on an activism site of the AFA, it says singles are welcome, but I do think that promoting family values leaves out those who do not have a family of their own. The obvious "ideal" Christian family would be a married couple with children, not a single male. What would living family values mean for a single?
Many churches are built around families. Few churches that I have been in have had a strong young adult singles ministry. Most ministries in a church focus on children, families, married adults, and divorced singles. I do not fit into any of those categories.

Since my religion is the biggest part of who I am, let's take a religious look at singleness.

1 Corinthians 7:7-8, “I wish everyone could get along without marrying, just as I do. But we are not all the same. God gives some the gift of marriage, and to others he gives the gift of singleness. Now I say to those who aren't married, and to widows – it's better to stay unmarried, just as I am.”

Often times, singles are comforted by the idea that singleness is a "gift from God." Are we born with the gift of singleness which God chooses to trade for the gift of marriage on certain people? So I do end up getting married in the future, am I forsaking the gift God has given me? On the opposite side, since I have not gotten married, have I shunned the gift of marriage which God attempted to give me? May it be not! In my opinion, Paul is not saying that I am stuck in singleness because it is the gift God has given me, but that Paul is saying to be content in all things. Let's look at the text in context.

1Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry. 2But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. 3The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. 5Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6I say this as a concession, not as a command. 7I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.

8Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. 9But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

So if Paul is truly saying that my singleness is a gift from God, would Paul also be saying that my gift is not stronger than temptation? Instead, I believe Paul is speaking more of being content with where you currently are. You can read more about my contentness in an earlier post. If you feel led to marriage and are married, live for God. Paul gives numerous directive to wives and husbands. If you are still single, then live for God. That is being content! Living for God in ALL situations!

Another things that people often comfort singles with is that "God will show you the perfect one he made for you." This is clearly an unbiblically supported view. This is not found anywhere in the Bible, instead it comes from Greek philosophy taught by Plato. The Bible does not speak of how to find the perfect spouse, but how to love your spouse. There are many people we could marry. Finding the perfect person does not make your marriage perfect. However, how you live with the one you marry does make a bigger difference. In a perfect world, we would all have that one soulmate, but we live in a fallen world.

So what does this mean for me? That society is focused on marriage. Focused on how to find a date, on how to attract women, on who to marry, on how to recover from divorce, on how to love your spouse. That is great for those people. How about we also focus on how to live for God as singles? This should not be about how to honor God in a dating relationship, but how to honor God in day to day living. If you are currently single, you may be very content. If you are not, then begin living for God in all times. I have laid down my desire of marriage. Does this mean I do not want to be married? No! But it is not my first priority. If the possibility of marriage arises, I will deal with it. But in day to day living, my focus will be on God. After all, God doesn't immediately strike down those who are willing to die for His name. It just means that we put him first.

New Year on the Trail

Happy New Year!

One of my favorite things to do is to go hiking. This year I will celebrate the New Year at Big Bend National Park. I am leaving in about an hour for a 3 day trip to Big Bend.

I have made several trips to Big Bend and have yet to be disappointed. As a child, my family made several trips together to state and national parks all over the state, including Big Bend. One spring break at A&M, two buddies of mine and I spent the break hiking at Big Bend. We had 6 nights and saw many different areas of the park. We spent two nights along the river, two in the mountains, and two in the desert. My favorite trail of that trip (and in the park) was the Marufo Vega trail. The trail goes through the mountains and around one of the canyons. It drops down onto the Rio Grande to a sandy beach. We camped on the beach behind some cane. We had just laid down to sleep when we heard a splash in the river followed by something wading through the river to our camp. We heard an illegal immigrant in the river right under out camp on the other side of the cane. After scrambling around our camp in the dark in our underwear and boots, we finally worked up enough courage to counter the illegal. The illegal immigrant turned out to be a burro who was as scared of us as we were of him. He ran across the river back to Mexico. We don't need any Minute Men! Us Aggies can successfully defend the border! The last trip I made was last spring with a friend of mine. We spent two nights in the park. The first night was on the river and the second night was in the mountains. It was her second back packing trip and she enjoyed it and did well. We also climbed Emory Peak, the highest point in the park. I am not sure what I will do this trip. I will talk with the rangers and see what they recommend. I want to camp on a 4x4 road tonight, but I am not sure which road. Perhaps the Old Ore Road. Tomorrow I am considering hiking the Chimneys Trail. It is a trail I have never hiked and was recommended as a good winter hike in a guide book.

I love hiking. I love being outdoors. Standing on a ridge and looking for miles in all directions and not seeing a single sign of civilization is one of the great feelings of freedom. It is also a very spiritual experience. I stand in awe of God when I am in the middle of His creation. One of the more famous songs for staffers from Philmont is I Don't Mind. One of the lines of the song says "Cause there's no reason to pray When you wake up every day to the sunrise over Cito Peak." I have always disagreed with this line. To me, being in creation gives me even more reason to pray. Being a Christian, I feel called to protect and conserve God's creation because he gave it to us. He made it for us. When I look around at the world today, what a poor poor job we have done of being stewards of his gift.

While I am not sure what I will be doing, one thing is for sure. I will be where I want to be, on the trail under wide open skies.

For Friends and Family.

That's what they say the holidays are for, time for friends and family. Be sure to spend time with the people who mean something to you and you want to spend time with. Often we only spend time at holidays with family. This may be the immediate family or extended. For me personally, my immediate family is my family. I did not grow up or spend much time with my extended family to consider them family. They are kin, but hardly family. This Christmas I will be spending time with both my friends and family. I would love to spend a holiday with just friends. Friends are very important to me and I love my friends and love spending time with them.

What time is midnight yell, church style!

A common joke at A&M is a fish asking what time midnight yell is. My mom took a similar phone call today at the church she works at.


Caller: Will your church be having Christmas Eve services?

Mom: Yes we will.

Caller: And what day will those be on?

Mom: They will be on Christmas Eve

Caller: Well that isn't a Sunday.

Mom: No Ma'am, it isn't.

Caller: But yall will still have services?

Mom: Yes Ma'am, at 7 and 11.

Caller: OK, thanks.

*Click*

Mom: [hysterical laughter]

Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus went to Target because there was no room in the Walmart parking lot.

This morning on the radio, a DJ in Kerrville was reading an essay about the "war on Christmas." In the essay, the DJ chastised retail shops for not using the word Christmas in their advertising campaigns. He encouraged everyone to say merry Christmas and not happy holidays. This is just a sample of the numerous claims of an attack on Christmas, usually dealing with retail stores.

The American Family Association, AFA, annually calls for boycotts of stores that do not include the word Christmas in their advertising. Gap has been written about for the last two years. You can read about the fight here. Gap is guilty of having 172 references of "holiday" in their stores and websites but onyl 3 references of "Christmas."

This story is bound to make the AFA smile. Cleary, the Scottish know how to celebrate Christmas! The article is titled All Wii Want for Christmas. The article talks about how popular the Wii gaming system is and how hard it may be for people to buy it for their children for Christmas. It mentions Christmas 21 times and holiday 0. It provides information about the best way to get a Wii so your kid won't be disappointed on Christmas morning. It also has a review of popular Christmas gifts in the past. A nice walk down Memory Lane.

Has Christmas really become so materialistic that Christian organizations are upset that it is losing its materialism? Is the AFA really complaining because the word Christmas is not used in the secular sense? Stores are not using Christmas to spread the message of Jesus, but instead to make money! Is this what God really wants out of his holiday? A fight over if we can get a Wii or not? A fight over if the sign at Walmart says Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? Is that why Jesus was born 2000 years ago?

2000 years ago a child was given to us. A child that was prophesied about for hundreds of years. Isaiah wrote

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

Luke tells us that during the reign of Caesar Augustus, Joseph took his virgin bride-to-be (who was with child) to Bethlehem to be registered. During the time, Mary gave birth to a child who was called Jesus, which means He will save. And he did save! This child grew up to be the most perfect man to ever live. This man, whose biological father was God himself, came to save us from our sins and allow us to have ever lasting life. 33 years after his birth in a stable, he was hung on a cross. His death was the atonement for our sins, allowing us to be reconciled to God, from whom our sins separated us. His resurrection 3 days later conquered death and gave us eternal life, all who believe in him and take him as their savior. For without Easter, there would be no Christmas. King Jesus now reigns in heaven and in our hearts, having overcome the prince of this world, Satan.

What are people really fighting for? Are we fighting so that God's name will be known throughout the world or that we can feel powerful. Are we fighting for God's glory or our own? To fight for the word Christmas to be placed in store advertising is to fight for your own glory. To fight through prayer and devotion to prepare for the coming of the Christ child is to fight for God's glory.

Who are you fighting for?

Mr. Fancy Pants Living the SOPH Life

Well, I wouldn't fit this description. I would be Mr. Cargo Pants living the POSH life this week. We have been staying at the Double Tree Hotel in Austin. There are at least 3 in Austin, we are at the one at 35 & 290 E. We are staying at this hotel because the teacher conference we are attending is here. I have not been impressed by the high society life. Numerous things have caused me to desire the cheaper if not simpler life.
I am a huge proponent of free wifi. Mainly because I don't want to pay to have internet when I travel. I prefer just finding open networks and accessing the internet. Many hotels, and even motels, have free wifi. Arriving at the hotel, I turned on my computer, found the network, opened Mozilla and Double Tree wanted $10 a day to access the internet... That's OK, I have a modem and just dial in, right? Sure! But Double Tree wants $0.50 per call... Are you kidding me? Here we are in a fancy pants hotel and they charge for local calls? How about some water? Sure! $2 per bottle in your room. Continental breakfast? You bet! $9.00 for your cereal and milk. Give me a $60 a night motel that has free wifi and free donuts over this place anyday...

You're talking, but are they listening?

This week I am in teacher in-services. The content has been great but the delivery is often lacking. I find that it is hard to focus when the deliver is distracting. Usually I make note of issues I see in speakers, not to be nit-picky, but in order to improve myself. Below is my list from this week.

• Don't stereotype (particularly about males vs females or Texans)
• Make sure your A/V works. Failure of A/V loses the audience
• Leave pointless politics out of your speech (Bush really isn't responsible for $3 gasoline and if he was it has nothing to do with education)
• Give room on the table to work (I have to take notes on my lap because the table is too small)
• Don't make people sit with their backs turned. If I have to turn my seat 180 degrees to see the speaker, I certainly can't use the table and I feel uncomfortable. Either provide screens in the back or don't use circular tables.
• Don't give notes that don't follow your speech. It is very confusing when I have to jump around in your notes and if there is critical information missing.
  

Dashing Through the Snow

I love snow. We have had some snow here the last few days. It hasn't been very cold so the snow doesn't accumulate for long, but I love to watch the snow. Anytime it snows I open my windows and watch it or go outside and watch it.

For some reason, many people here do not like the snow. They stay home and do not do anything. They talk about how cold it is. The sanctuary was almost empty this morning at church because of a few inches of snow and a temperature of 35. There wasn't even any ice on the road! I do not understand people who complain about the snow. It is so pretty to watch. I love to play in it. When I see it snowing, it makes me want to do more!

I hope I never "outgrow" loving snow. I would love to live some place where there is lots of snow that stays all winter long. I also hope I never complain about the weather.

I was reminded of a Bible verse today by a friend.

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe
Philippians 2: 14 - 15

How often do we go through life complaining? And at what do we complain about? We complain that it is sunny or cloudy, hot or cold, too dry or too wet, too bright or too dark. Has our complaining ever changed the weather? The rain falls on the righteous and the unrighteous so we are left with little to complain about. To me, weather and the changes in nature illustrate the beauty of God's creation. I enjoy the outdoors because of the weather, not in spite of the weather.

Go out and enjoy the snow!

The Need for a Leader

I had two recent conversations with administration at my school. One was during my annual appraisal. During out post-observation conference, my AP (assistant principal) mentioned that she felt I was nearing my peak. I know she meant this as a compliment, but it seemed funny to me that she said I was nearing the best. What seemed funny was that after two years, I had become the best teacher I could ever be and it would just be all down hill from here. Obviously this was not the point she was trying to convey, but it is what stuck with me. The second conversation was with the principal. She was talking to me about some ideas she has for the future and mentioned that she wanted me to lead some of it because she felt I was a blooming leader.

This got me thinking about how I improve my ability as a teacher. What resources do I utilize in improving my teaching skill? The main one I use is reading. I do a lot of reading about science teaching and what should and should not be done in science classroom instruction. Most of my profession reading is of research papers. Not the most exciting reading, but I found it very informing. The other resource is other teachers. I have one teacher at my school who I am fond of and admire his teaching. He teaches history and works with AP students while I teach science and work with regular students. However, I still often talk with him about teaching and have borrowed several of his strategies. Despite him being an award winning teacher (he was a finalist for state teacher of the year) he is looking at options outside of teaching. He has become frustrated with several things and while he wants to remain in education, wants to be out of the public school.

These two resources have not been enough. I want to continue to improve my trade but have not found a great resource for that yet. I would love to have a mentor who I could work with and learn from. My mentor teacher my first year was an English teacher. I learned a lot from him but feel I would benefit even more from a science mentor teacher. I feel I would have a great resource who I could discuss my ideas with. They would have the experience and knowledge to help me understand what I am doing wrong in my teaching and how I can improve.

There is a need for a leader. I want to be a follower, I just need someone to lead me.

Welcome Thanksgiving Break!

As of 3:40 this afternoon, the students were officially on Thanksgiving break. They were quite excited all day, but we managed to get some work out of them. In my classes, we did a critical thinking activity that NASA produced. You may have seen it before. The students are acting out the following scenario.

You are a member of a space crew originally scheduled to rendezvous with a mother ship
on the lighted surface of the Moon. Due to mechanical difficulties, however, your ship
crash- landed on a lighted spot some 320 kilometers from the rendezvous point. During
landing, much of the equipment aboard was damaged, and since survival depends on
reaching the mother ship, the most critical items available must be chosen for the trip.
Below are listed the 15 items left intact and undamaged after landing. Your task is to rank
them in terms of their importance to your crew in allowing them to reach the rendezvous
point. Place the number 1 by the most important item, the number 2 by the second most
important, and so on, through number 15, the least important.
• Box of matches
• Food concentrate
• 50 meters of nylon rope
• Parachute silk
• Solar-powered, portable heating unit
• Two .45-caliber pistols
• One case of dehydrated milk
• Two 50 kg-tanks of oxygen
• Stellar map of Moon’s constellations
• Self- inflating life raft
• Magnetic compass
• Fifty liters of water
• Signal flares
• First-aid kit including injection needles
• Solar-powered fm receiver/transmitter

The students did the activity twice. The first time by themselves and the second time with a group. After that, we went over what the NASA engineers thought were the correct answers. They are located here.

The students love to talk about space and were very engaged in the activity. In just about every class, the students asked about why the flag is shaking in this picture.


We had a good discussion on it and they understood the explanation. I liked the fact that they are asking questions about things that seem unusual, such as a flag waving when there is no air!

I also have a mentoring class that meets once a week. Last week we discussed the history of Thanksgiving, defined what being Thanksgiving meant, and made a list of things we were thankful for. This week they made collages of what they were thankful for. Some made theirs serious, others made theirs humorous.

Most afternoons I volunteer to work on the bus run. Our primary job is to keep people who are off campus, off campus and the kids on campus safe. A few of us teachers volunteer for it because we have a lot of fun doing it. We get to visit with our students, visit with other teachers, kick some students around, and it makes a great stress relief. Today was one of our many days when we become "actively engaged" with students. We had a few students who had left campus and attempt to return. We stopped the students and attempted to send them off campus. One of the students finally left when his friend came up behind me. As I turned and told him to leave campus, he hit my arm and began yelling about how I couldn't touch him. I stepped up into him and told him to leave campus. One of the police officers was walking up from behind the student. The student stepped back and pushed off the cop who at that point grabbed the student and said "don't you dare touch me. I will take you down and arrest you." He was escorted across the street. The officer said he was hoping to see me get in a scrap. I told him that he stopped the fun too soon!

Tomorrow I will be finally getting some of my personal errands done. My dry cleaning will finally get done, the recycling will be taken in, and I will get my hair cut. Have an enjoyable Thanksgiving and remember to give thanks for the many blessing God provides us daily.