The Other Side of Teaching

On Wednesday I gave a brief glimpse of a minority of students that I have to deal with, men and women who are not sure why they are in Bible college and after a few days of classes are trying to figure out how to get by with the easiest courses. They check with their colleagues who advise them which professors to avoid. Some of the professors they need to avoid are also teaching the core courses, so eventually they will have to take their classes. 

But today I received a postcard from a former student that was one of the finest young men I ever met. 

Shawn Inchaustegui and his brother Anthony were born and raised in Mexico. Their father, Pecos, married their mother who hails from Wichita, Kansas. Pecos attended and graduated from MCC many years ago as a fellow student along with Dr. Rick Wright. Pecos is a big guy, jovial, and full of the love of the Lord for his people in Mexico. His wit and sense of humor and love for people he passed on to his boys. They were both special while they attended MCC. 

Both boys married MCC girls and now have families of their own. Both are involved in ministry. 

In class I often reminded the boys they needed to take their skills, their mastery of Spanish, and their knowledge of Mexican culture back to Mexico and evangelize there. So today I received this card from Shawn. He and his family have joined with New Mission Systems International, a premier organization in doing missionary work. That in itself is exciting. I am acquainted with some of the great leaders this organization has and they are among the best. So the training Shawn will receive will be the best. 

The card brought tears to my eyes. I had to say, "Thanks, Lord. It is worth it all." 

Shawn wrote: 

We pray that this card finds you both in wonderful shaped and delighting in our Papa's goodness. You always have been such a blessing in your belief and encouragement of God's call for my life. Dr. Paddock's ringing words: "Go back to your own people." The dream is coming true and we are getting close to our return to Mexico to being our work  as we live for God reaching out to the youth of Mexico.

Those are the words that stir the heart of a teacher and missionary. If I were to claim no other victory for 14 years at MCC, this one would be worth it all. 

Jesus or economics

I teach a course called Life and Teachings of Jesus. It is a core course in our curriculum so every student who plans to graduate has to take it. 

The other day I had a student come in to drop the course. His rationale was interesting: 

"I really don't need Jesus, but I can see micro-economics helping me out down the road." 

At least he was honest. He reflects the attitude of many. It is a matter of priorities. Micro-economics certainly tops ancient history. 

Another disappearing trillion

As the Bush administration came to an end, a bill for nearly 1 trillion was approved by the Democratically controlled Senate and House. As Obama comes to power he has convinced his fellow Democrats to spend another trillion dollars. We do not know where the first trillion went, except into the pockets of bankers and the politicians that they support. The issue of people losing homes over mortgages disappeared with the morning dew. 

Now we are going to give the same people another trillion dollars. Sounds good on paper, but the average person will never see a single Lincoln penny of the money. Instead it will wind up in the pockets of the bankers and politicians. 

Gran Torino

In spite of his age, Clint Eastwood has not lost his touch as a actor. The movie Gran Torino tells about a Korean veteran who finds himself in a neighborhood of Hmong people from Vietnam. For him all Asians are alike and he has a strong distaste for them. Events in the movie bring about a change of heart. 

This is a powerful movie regarding race relations and the problems of inter-ethnic warfare in American cities. It also uses very strong language. If you are uncomfortable with profanity then this movie is not for you. 

The conclusion is classic Clint Eastwood, but not what you would expect. To tell anymore would ruin the movie for you.  

Rick Warren’s The Purpose of Christmas

Jesus offers you The Peace of God

 

Rick Warren is famous in Christian circles for his books The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church. His notoriety has increased greatly because he was asked to offer the invocation at President Obama's inauguration, much to the delight of the gay community. Someone told me once that a book was worth reading if you found one gem in it. Following is the gem I found in Rick Warren's The Purpose of Christmas.

Rick Warren writes:

"Once you make peace with God, you'll begin to experience the peace of God in your heart and in your mind. The more you pray, the less you'll panic. The more you worship, the less you worry. You'll feel more patient and less pressured. The Bible promise, 'You, Lord, give true peace to those wo depend on you, because they trust you."

"What robs you of your peace? Most of the culprits fall into one of three categories: uncontrollable circumstances (like illnesses, deaths, and layoffs), unchangeable people (who refuse to cooperate with your plan to change them), and unexplainable problems (when life seems unfair). People respond to these peace robbers in one of three ways: They try harder to control everything, but they're guaranteed to fail at that. They simply give up with a fatalistic attitude, feeling controlled by their circumstances. Or they gain true peace of mind by responding to situations the way Jesus did and depending on his Spirit to empower them to do that.

"You've probably heard of the Serenity Prayer, which was made famous by Reinhold Niebuhr, but you may not have read the entire prayer. The first third of the prayer is often quoted and written on posters. But to experience the serenity mentioned in the first third of the prayer, you need to follow the steps laid out in the rest of the prayer:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things

I cannot change; courage to change the things

I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; enjoying one

Moment at a time; accepting hardships as the

Pathway to peace; taking, as He did, this

Sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make all things right

If I surrender to His Will; that I may be reasonably

Happy in this life and supremely

Happy with Him forever in the next."

Alaska Cold result of Global Warming

I just finished reading an article from the Anchorage Daily News describing the power of the cold weather they are experiencing. It is some of the worst in Alaskan history. Anchorage rarely gets this cold.  In places around Anchorage it was down to 47 below and no hope for respite. 

Of course the global warming contingent will tell us that this is the result of global warming. I bet if the ice age were to come again, the global warming gang would claim it was the result of global warming. 

You can read the full story online at:

 

http://www.adn.com/anchorage/story/646174.html