Much Vision, Little Time

Next month will be my 28th birthday. That's twice my students' age, half my parent's age, and maybe, just maybe, a third of my life.

When it comes to parenting, my heart hurts sometimes because, as a teacher of various ages (and a human being), I've tasted the sweetness of loving a child and how precious these young souls are. What a privilege it must be to be a parent. They're the elite. I don't want to join the elite when I'm old. I didn't want to be an old man when my kids graduate college. But God has seen fit to dash our preconceived notions of what life should or would be like.

I'm a man of much vision but little time. Yet I see God bringing to pass His purposes in my life. He is fulfilling the callings and desires of my heart; he's just not being too terribly quick about it. Still I wonder if I'll be like David who dreamt of building a temple for the Lord. Though God was pleased with his heart, ultimately Solomon was the one who brought his father's dream to fruition.

In the latest issue of Relevant Magazine there is an article I've been putting off reading until just the right time. Tonight I read it and wept. I don't know the last time I've been so moved by a piece of writing. It was simply the firsthand account of this guy facing the death of his mother. She had been sick for a while and was now in the hospital on life support. She had previously made her wishes known that she didn't want to be kept alive artificially if it came to that. The article tells of the day when the inevitable caught up with the family and they had to say their goodbyes. Besides stirring in me emotions of what it might be like for me to lose my own loved ones, the article made me think about how very short life is. I really am not guaranteed one more heartbeat.

Each moment is a gift from God--such an honor, such a treasure, yet such a weighty responsibility. I'm alive. I exist. I have dreams. I have talents. I have to answer to my creator when it's all over. I know that I can't do it all. As with David, it truly is the heart that counts. It may be enough just to want to.

Doing Life Together

CFB Young Adult Ministry – a group for 18 to 25-year-olds
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Starting November 9th
There's a place for you at Colton First Baptist Church!

Bible Study Series: Doing Life Together
Sunday mornings @ 9:15 a.m. in the Uth Room
(corner of La Cadena & F Street in Colton)
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Greetings!

It's amazing how God works! A couple of months ago I would never had thought I'd be director of the Young Adult Ministry at Colton First Baptist. But now that I am, I'm getting more excited about it every day. There certainly is a need for a young adult ministry at CFB.

I remember my first years out of high school. It was as if my church had forgotten all about me. There was nothing for me there, no place where I could fit in. I was too old for youth group, too young for the men's group, and half of the singles crowd were in their thirties or divorced. The only place I found at church was in ministry. But one can only serve so long before getting burned out from not also being on the receiving end of ministry. Eventually I became a wanderer, trying to find a church where I could serve and grow and be a part of a local body of believers. I know from experience that it is not an easy thing to do.

I also know that God is faithful. He led me here to CFB and He's called me to a new season of ministry. And I want to be faithful to Him, to seek His direction and His vision for our group. I don't know what He has in store for us but I want to get on board with the work He's doing.

What I do know is that I want the young adult group to be a place where we can be ourselves, have a sense of belonging in the church, and have the freedom and encouragement to become all God wants us to be. I would love for you to join us on Sunday mornings as we start just doing life together.

I will be out and about this Sunday after each service. Feel free to come by and say hello. I would love to meet you.

Blessings!

"My Heart's Content"

I’m hearing echoes of who I was before I met you
I’ am the same both now and then
I’ve just suspended who I am
I’m seeing pictures of dreams I had and tried to make true
I’ve excavated lost visions
It’s become more than a mission

This moment is more than the passing of time
It could be sacred, I could be sorry.
I could surrender my soul.
I feel the need to take hold of what’s mine
Hot winds of summer, Harvest is coming.
Sow a seed deep in my soul.

I’m afraid dozens of reasons can tempt my heart’s content
I pretend to be happy here
I’m waiting as the rain clouds clear
I’m getting used to a cubicle that is not what was meant
My mind sees more than I can see
There are new doors ahead of me

There comes a time to leave behind
A day to run away and find

The Narrative of History

I found this email to a mother of a student I had the the 7th grade world history class I taught. I thought it might be interesting.

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Mrs. ------,

Thank you for writing. Feedback from parents is always helpful for me; it helps me to see where I may need to make adjustments in my classes. If I am understanding your question correctly, you want to know what relevance the Big Idea Project has to World History. I'll try to answer your question as best as I can.

In my view, History is a narrative, a story, a retelling of what has happened. In World History we talk about events that have happened in the world from the time people kept a record of them until now. I don't believe we can get a proper understanding of these events without looking at the people who were involved, whether effecting events or being affected by them, and the ideas that influenced them.

World History covers an extremely broad spectrum. It provides the context for every other discipline of learning: math, language, art, science, music, medicine, theology and everything in between. The ideas of all these disciplines have overlapped, interplayed, shaped world events and affected our heritage as human beings. Of course, in our class we simply go over the highlights, particularly those pointed out in the curriculum text book. In the first semester we got an overview of the Ancient, Greek, Roman and Medieval world up until the Reformation. This semester we picked up from that point and are now setting the stage for modern history. In the last weeks we covered the formative years of England, America and now France, as well as the exploration that expanded our view of the world.

We are about to get into chapter nineteen of our text book: Science and Industry in the Modern Age. It covers the development of science, industry and technology and shows how people with ideas and inventions have changed our world. I thought this would be a great time to give the class a fun, hands-on assignment in which they can be the innovators and inventors. That is why I chose to give the class this project on big ideas. Along those same lines, chapter twenty is about music, art, and literature, after which there will be a Master of Music Essay due.

What I want the kids to walk away with more than anything is the idea that we can make a difference in the world as so many others have before us. Yes, I want to introduce them to the major people and events of the past. But I also want them to know that history is being made as we speak. The story of history continues to be written with the lives of ordinary people just like us.

I realize I have been long winded, but I hope I was able to address you concerns. If I can be of any more help to you please let me know.

Sincerely,
Mr. ----------