I'm sorry...not that I did it, but that I got caught.

So it's come to light that Reggie Bush received hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of gifts while playing for the Univeristy of Southern California. I suppose this sort of thing happens pretty often even though it's strictly prohibited. What gets me is NOT the fact that it is going on. I'm sure plenty of amateur athletes receive gifts and bribes under the table. What gets me is the way that Pete Carroll (the coach) and RB respond.

"I'm absolutely shocked and disappointed in the findings of the NCAA. I never thought it would come to this." Pete Carroll

"I have a great love for the University of Southern California, and I very much regret the turn that this matter has taken, not only for USC, but for the fans and players." Reggie Bush

I wonder what Pete's disappointed about. I'm thinking he's disappointed that this all came out. What turn did this matter take that Bush regrets? The fact that he got caught?

This got ME thinking about what WE think when we choose to do something we know is wrong. How do we justify it in our mind? Do we make excuses? Do we think about getting caught? Do we think about the cost? Does anyone plan on getting caught? Does anyone ever really "get away" with anything?

Is this what He intended?

I've been thinking hard lately about how biblical my life is.

What if you asked "church goers" if they live a biblical life. Ask em..."Does your life match up with what the bible says?" I think that the vast majority would say yes. I'm thinking they should say no. Me included.

The question that's been bouncing around in my mind is "Where am I missing it?" What part of my life would make Jesus sick to his stomach? What part of scripture am I ignoring? What non biblical behavior am I justifying? Is this what He intended when he chose me before the foundation of the world?? holy? blameless?

Am I living the safest life I could possibly live?
Am I seeking this middle road?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7MdYV8gRws&feature=related

Am I alone in this? Can anyone relate to what I'm feeling?

Friends, please be bold and show me where I'm missing it.

What do I have to do?

I've been thinking and talking with some close friends about salvation and how it goes down. I've been reading through the book of Luke with the boys at bedtime and what Jesus says to people about how to get right with God. For instance...

In Luke 5:20, these guys bring their friend to be healed (he was lame) and Jesus heals him AND forgives his sins.

Luke 8:47 says that this "sinner" woman kisses and washes his feet with her hair. Jesus says her sins are forgiven.

3 words...Rich Young Ruler

If this rich young ruler came to you and said, "What must I do to be saved?" What would you tell this guy? Pray a prayer? What does Jesus say???? Give away all your STUFF!! What? That's not the Romans Road.

What about Zacchaeus? Dude gave half of what he had to the poor and paid back all the people he cheated 4 times! What did Jesus say? Salvation has come to this house!!

Check out Luke 10:25-28 Jesus says to inherit eternal life is to love God with all and love your neighbor like you love yourself.

A lot of times we present salvation as a simple agreement with God.

What else did Jesus say?

Build em up

How many people have you complimented today?

How many people complimented you today?

It's so easy to tear each other down. My students tear each other down constantly and it wears on me. They say things like, "You're such a retard!...Just kidding!"

When I confront them about it, they say, "It's ok we're friends!"

Strive to build up people around you. Find something good to say!

Ephesians 4:29

You must let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Romans 14:19

So then, let us pursue what makes for peace and for building up one another.

Colossians 4:6

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer everyone.

How do you do it?

Today something happened to me that was pretty neat. I couldn't help but share.

During 6th period, we were reviewing for the final exam. One of my students asked if he could talk to me outside so we went next door into an empty classroom.
The topic of our conversation kind of surprised me. He asked why I was always happy. He said I am always smiling, never have bad days, never seem to complain, never talk about fighting with my wife, or gripe about my kids.

In my room, I have lots pictures with Cort, the kids, and my family. I've noticed him looking at these pictures before.

He said, "Mr. T, I just wanna know how you do it."

Praise God! One of my students saw a difference in me.

Before I tell you how I responded, I'd like to know how you would respond to a similar question.
Let's say someone notices that there's something different about you and ask about it.

They say, "Why do you act the way you do?"
What do you say to them?

Before you can correct someone else, check yourself!

Matthew 7:3

"Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”

Building a Tower

Genesis 11

1 The whole earth had a common language and a common vocabulary. 2 When the people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. 3 Then they said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” (They had brick instead of stone and tar instead of mortar.) 4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise we will be scattered across the face of the entire earth.”

5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the people had started building. 6 And the Lord said, “If as one people all sharing a common language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be beyond them. 7 Come, let’s go down and confuse their language so they won’t be able to understand each other.”

8 So the Lord scattered them from there across the face of the entire earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why its name was called Babel – because there the Lord confused the language of the entire world, and from there the Lord scattered them across the face of the entire earth.

How much of our time and energy is spent trying to make a name for ourselves? We want to be remembered. We try to do something worth remembering. We try to develop a reputation. We throw our energy into trying to be popularity, sports, academics, jobs, etc. so that we won't be forgotten. I saw one of the senior T shirts the other day and it said "class of '10 You Won't Forget." I started to tell the kid, "Yeah, Right!" but held my tongue and just thought about it.

If you build a "Tower of Babel," God will set things straight!

My claim to fame used to be football. People knew who I was. I was recruited and all that junk. I thought I was hot stuff. Really humble and all. You know. In college, I started at linebacker for 4 years. As a junior, I was voted the Defensive MVP of our team and this really helped my humility. Coming back for my senior year, I had high hopes for the season.

Although I had achieved some individual success, I had never played for a winning team.

As a senior, I split time with another linebacker. Not exactly what I had hoped for, but we went undefeated! We were playing in the playoffs in South Dakota the first week of December. Talk about cold! The temp was in the teens and the wind was blowing in the 20s!

Late in the game, I dropped an interception that probably would have won the game for us. We went on to lose the game. This was one of the last plays of my football career. I left the game with a bitter taste in my mouth. I always took pride in my play and to finish like that hurt.

Looking back, it's clear to me that I took too much pride in my play.

This is what it came down to...

Luke 14:11

"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

INAM

Leaving a Legacy

So we've been talking the last couple weeks about leaving a legacy. Asking and trying to answer questions like...

• What is a legacy?
• What are some examples of people who have left legacies?
• What are they remembered for?
• Should we be deliberate about leaving a legacy?
• What do you want to be remembered for?
• Do you need to change anything to be remembered for this?

I asked 100 of my students what they wanted to be remembered for. Here's what I found: (number of students in parenthesis)

(36) the way I treat other people

(24) my talent/ability

(22) my personality

(14) being a good person

1 person said "because of her faith, she was different"

I made a couple of observations about the results

1. no one said popularity, looks, or being rich
2. relationships took priority over more shallow things like ability and personality
3. only one person made a direct reference to their relationship with God

So what do you want to be remembered for?

Top Indicators of a Disciple

What are the most evident characteristics of a follower of Jesus?

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been tossing this question around in my mind and I've come up with a few things that SHOULD set us apart from people who don't know him.

• How we treat people who treat us badly or who have no way of ever reciprocating.
• How we use our money
• How we react to bad situations

I'd love to hear your thoughts on these three.

What would you add to the list? take away?

Have you seen anyone really living these out lately?

How students think #4

While giving a speech about evangelist Billy Graham, a sophomore told his class that BG currently resides in West Carolina.

Geography anyone??

...because he won't messs w/ you if you go! right?

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-419040

bruce wayne thomas

Church Sign #2 I kissed a girl...

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-419019

Katy Perry, you're welcome here any time!
as long as you clean up your life first.

BTW: stop, drop and roll won't work...

Church Signs #1

Church Signs - Sometimes I wonder what we are trying to accomplish with the messages we put on our signs. Make people come to church? Show the town how clever we are? Make people think? Make people laugh? Scare people?

Then I think about what we actually accomplish! Turn people away? I don't know.
I do know that we need to examine this area of church activity.

This is the first of many church signs I'll post in this space.

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-419061

What message is being sent here?

How students think pt 3

A 7th grade male student recently made a very revealing statement to his math teacher (not me). This student was known for saying whatever came to his mind. On this particular day, he announced to the class,

"90% of the time, I think about war. The other 10%, I think about sex."

Bad Service

Yesterday evening we went to eat at a Mexican food place. The service was just plain bad. There's no other way around it.

• Our waitress asked us if we wanted more chips 4 times before she actually brought us more.
• We were constantly waiting for her to bring us more to drink.
• My sister's guacamole had a hair in it.
• My uncle didn't get all of his order.
• I had to go and track her down to get a to box
• and our ticket

What is the appropriate response in this situation?

Do I tip? If so, how much?

Do I talk to the waitress about what went wrong?

Do I talk to the manager about the service?

and If I could ask a cliche question, What would Jesus do?

The Most Dangerous Place to raise your kids!

Post a guess as to where this place is and why you chose that place.

Hint: the speaker talks about missionaries.

Then watch this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p70jEpIm5A8&feature=related

How teens think pt 2

A student the other day told me, "I thought Teddy Roosevelt was black."

How Teens think pt 1

This will be the first in a series of posts that will quote students that I know.

In class the other day, free time turned into a discussion on the origin of life, God, religion, etc. (which it does occasionally) and a student (10th grader) started to speak with some authority (he acted like he knew what he was talking about).

As the class listened intently, he said, "God created the universe."

At this point, I remember thinking, "This might turn into a productive discussion."

He continued, "God saw that the world was boring, so he created man." He paused to think as another student made a comment. Then he said, "Then God created Eve so Adam would have someone to have sex with."

I put my head down on my desk.

We should all make shirts like this one!

Interesting message to put on a t-shirt...no...V neck sweater.

I've seen lots of shirts that declared to the world, "I'm gonna do my relationships God's way," but this one is definitely the strangest.

Some I've seen...

• Modest is hottest
• No bing bing without a ring ring
• Someday my Prince will come!

What others have you seen?

I've seen it all

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vUyObQxV_o

My life is not about me.

to husbands or future husbands:

Stop "being" married for what you can get out of it!

Abandon your own desires!

Throw all your energy into serving, satisfying, and fullfilling your wife!

Get the spouse you want by being the spouse you want!


I wish someone would have told me this before I got married.
I don't know whether I would have received it, but it couldn't have hurt!
I've spent most of my married life trying to be served, get satisfied, and be fullfilled.


One more reason why it's not about me.

Fail

Yesterday the boys were hungry so I offered them trail mix. They agreed so I poured some out on their little table. Out of habit, I popped an M & M and ate it. About that time, I remembered my "sacrifice" of candy. I considered spitting it out, but I said "forget that!" and ate it. No big deal I guess.

I wondered to myself at the time (and still do) how this small compromise would affect me the rest of the way. I sure don't plan on "cheating" again, but I sure didn't plan on eating that M & M. Will this small thing open the door for more? Only time will tell.

BTW: I was asked yesterday if Sunday was exempt from your sacrifice. It's my understanding that traditionally you could do whatever you normally do on Sunday. Just so you know, I am trying to deny myself in the candy way every day.

My Sacrifice

So I challenged the Youth to give up something in an attempt to deny themselves.

Luke 9:23
Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

I have chosen to give up candy. My biggest sacrifice in this area will be giving up Reese's. My students at school have learned that I like these and buy them for me often.

The first afternoon I got to craving some chocolate and peanut butter so I ate 3 apples to try and kill the craving. It worked. I was stuffed.

As I'm thinking about this "dependence" that I have on choc n PB, I'm struck by how pathetic it is. The fact that I'm such a slave to my desires...my stomach...it's childish.

Luke 16:13
"No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."