No Ordinary Man - Week 24 of The Story

This week was an overview of many of the actions and events that shaped Jesus' ministry in the first two years. It was so much that I had difficulty trying to decide exactly which of the amazing things Jesus did to focus on. So I went to the Upper Story - "Who Is This Man?"

Jesus was completely man, but he was also God in the flesh. So I thought if we looked at the impact that Jesus had on History and Culture (well, some of it or we'd still be there) and then turned to face what Jesus said about Himself - the "I Am" statements - maybe we'd understand just Who He was.

Two sources you'd benefit from reading are Dr. D.James Kennedy's "What If Jesus Had Never Been Born" and John Ortberg's "Who Is This Man?" which is available now as a book, but before that was a series of messages at his church. They really help the reader understand Jesus' impact from both a secular and sacred point of view. I leaned heavily on both today.

By the way, I am blessed to serve with a selfless group of people at New Hope. All over the ministry of our church are many fingerprints. People work hard, give sacrificially, and show up to work and encourage each other. They lifted me today. Praise God.

Nailing Christmas

Our Christmas tree is up here at the Wilson house. That's giving us all the warm memories from many years as a family. Bunny did a great job this year decorating and we're really enjoying the season.

On our tree, if you examined it, you'd be able to find a time line of our family's history through the ornaments that hang from each branch. Over the years we've accumulated quite a few, and every one carries memories of where we were and what was happening in our family.

On two branches, there are felt ornaments with pictures of two little boys contained within them. Probably cost 25 cents to make, but to us they are priceless. In years past, sometimes the boys would move them to the back. But they always seem to find their way out front again. On several branches hang ornaments that are reminders of the years Bunny spent working as a manager of a Hallmark store in Macon Mall. We've got Snoopy and Woodstock, Frosty the Snowman, and all manner of reindeer - even Santa in a Corvette!

Bunny hangs one  each year that was one of her favorites when she was a little girl. There are others we got on shopping trips, or picked up because of what they said to us, like the one carved from any olive tree near Bethlehem. Then there are the dog bone ornaments for Daisy and Ellie the mini schnauzers and Chloe and Henley the Great Danes, faithful friends absent now but who we still remember in love. And there are some ornaments gathered while we've been here in Valparaiso - like the Flip Flops one that makes me smile. We try to buy one or two when we go on vacation, and you can find a fleur-de-lis and one that looks like St. Louis cathedral in New Orleans that reflect our latest trip.

It's so easy for us as we look at the tree to turn it into a sentimental journey. Christmas is that, but it so so much more, and to lose that in the memories would keep us from the one memory that makes all the difference.

So each year, among the family ornaments, midst the memories, we take care to place another ornament - a nail hung by a scarlet ribbon. It's placed near the inside of the tree, away from the lights and glitter, and you'd have a tough time spotting it unless you knew it was there. But we know it is there, at the center of it all.

It reminds us what we should be looking at every day, not just at Christmas.

Jesus.

15 We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God's original purpose in everything created. 16 For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels— everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.
Col 1:15-16 (MSG)

I love my family, and appreciate the blessings we've been given and the memories we share. But more than anything else, I want to remember, I want everyone to remember, to base our lives upon what God revealed through Jesus.

For everything, absolutely everything, not just Christmas, got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him.

Whatever you do this Christmas, don't miss that. Don't miss Him.

"Not too good, actually."

I was driving into the world's largest Air Force base on my way to my work at Eglin Elementary, my mind already on what the day was bringing - assessments, benchmarks, meetings, and more. So I rolled up to the security guard as I do every work day and handed him my badge. As usual I said, "Good morning. How are you today?"

The young man, an Air Force security policeman, stood there impassively and looked my badge over, and returning it said, "Not too good, actually."

I took my badge and dove away. It hit me about ten seconds later what he had said, and with a solid line of traffic behind me, there was no returning. It's been a source of prayer for me ever since.

If a young man like him, on duty and in uniform, feels free to express those thoughts to me, a complete stranger that could have been anyone, or a friend of anyone on the base (his boss, his bosses' boss, etc.), then how bad must his day have been?

Or was it just an unguarded moment?

Regardless, I'm praying for him, and for another opportunity.

From what I can tell from the Bible, Jesus never missed those sort of openings. He seemed to have an intuitive sense of just what people carried as baggage or struggled with as questions or doubts. One author tagged Jesus as "the Noticer" and I think that's a good frame to put Him in. He just saw hurts and read the hearts of the people He came in contact with.

I want to be that guy.

I know I can't fix people. Lord knows I'm still a work in progress. But the Holy Spirit can and does change people forever. I just want to be there when He does.

So pray for that airman. And pray for me, that I might see the heart of the One who gave His life for me completely replace mine.

All I Want For Christmas

I was there in my office at New Hope on a rare day off from school and spending some time getting reacquainted with the place. For years I spent hours a day in here, arriving at 9 and leaving at 5 or thereabouts. Then we realized how much it was costing to heat and cool a building for one person and I started to work at home, coming here when Bunny came up to teach piano. She'd be here two or three hours most days. It still felt secure, safe - a place that I had filled with prayers, labored over words and the Word, and met with people to counsel or just talk.

I loved my office. My study. And to a large extent, it was my sanctuary.

But now?

I feel like a visitor. The books who were loyal and true friends seem distant, like people from my home town that I used to know well. The collections - of unit mugs from different military units, things New Hope people have given me over the years that I treasure, toys I kept on hand for the kids who would drop by, all just seem like stuff. I don't spend enough time here for it to feel the way it did. My bivocational status as a teacher means I am making a difference in the lives of the students at Eglin and still reach out and care for people through New Hope. It is a big help financially for the church, and an opportunity to show that the preacher is practicing what he preaches. But it is a different type of ministry and I'm still adjusting to it.

For thirteen years I have preferred New Hope Baptist Church - the people that have made it up and the mission God has given us - over everything else in my life save my wife and family. I came here because I believed that God was sending me here to work with Him and His people to make a difference. And we have - we are. Just last week while Bunny and I were gone, the people of New Hope worked together to produce and deliver a Thanksgiving meal for everyone they could find in our community that needed one.

And I believe that Bunny and I are doing everything we can do to see God's church move forward and reach more people in years to come. But the last couple of years have been tough and tougher. I sit here on a Sunday night praying that God will draw near and let me know how I can see His name glorified again in a growing church. The people I dearly love need that. I need that.

I know what I want for Christmas. I'm praying that Jesus will come alongside each of us and give us what we need to reach others in our circles of influence with His love. I'm praying people who have cooled off, tuned out, or been turned off to religion come to New Hope this Christmas season and see what a church family that's directed by God's will and sold out to making a difference looks like.

If you're reading this and that fits you, then come. Come worship with us. Come serve God and your neighbor with us. Come and experience the grace that is New Hope.

God Isn't On Vacation

Bunny and I walked back to the hotel feeling a little down. We were away from home, missing family and friends, and even though we are enjoying the rest and the city, well, you know. We got back and the room hadn't been cleaned which is very unusual, so we called to find out when they were coming. The desk clerk said she'd send someone right up. That someone was Jaime R. (last name withheld for privacy)

Jaime moved here from "the country" where her Daddy helps launch boats on the bayou. She moved here for work, and she's still working out a 90 day probation  So she was efficient but a little stand-offish when we tried to reach out to her. She didn't want to talk about holidays or family. But Bunny and I kept at it, and got her to talking. When I said I was a pastor, she sort of seemed moved emotionally. 

It turned out she had more than homesickness going on.

She asked for prayer and Bunny and I gathered her hands in ours. That's when we found out that she is having a sonogram due to a possibility of breast cancer on December 8th. Her Mom had an aneurysm earlier in the year which she survived and Jaime did not want to tell her about the cancer, but needed to tell someone. And we were God's choice. 

God's timing, friends.

God's provision.

Pray for Jaime Richardson. Pray that she might be found cancer free. Pray for her family, for her job here at the hotel. Pray that God would show her every day in every way just how much He loves her.

I guess God doesn't do vacations. :) Or maybe He does. :)

And I guess we know why Bunny and I were here in New Orleans today.

Think of all the things God aligned today so that Jaime might know she is loved and we might know God can use anyone, anytime.

What could He do for you?

What could you do for Him?

May He richly bless your Thanksgiving tomorrow,

David

still amazed at God's work -

Memorial message for Bill Standifer III

A friend passed away recently and I was asked to speak at the memorial service here, and at one later in Marietta Georgia. It was the first time I have ever done two messages for the same person and I wondered what to do. Should I simply repeat what I had said the first time, write a new message, or blend the two ideas. In the end I chose to approach using different Scripture but use some of that which I had written previously.

Bill was a friend, a part of our New Hope family, and I wanted to do the best I possibly could each time. The first memorial service had me in tears, but by the second I was able to do what I was there to do - help the family through the valley of the shadow. Below is the picture, obit and the second message.

“Bill” is survived by his wife of 5 decades, Harriet, three sons, Chip, Ross and Terry, and four grandchildren, Grafton, RJ, Crawford, and Hunter. 

Born in Eufaula, Alabama, Bill had a happy childhood with many friends in Atlanta, Georgia. Bill graduated Georgia Tech in Electrical Engineering and entered the Air Force, where he enjoyed one of his great loves, flying. After two highly decorated tours in Vietnam, and postings in Texas, California, North Carolina, England, Nevada, Virginia and Utah, as an F-4 and F-16 pilot and instructor pilot, he retired to North Florida with 25 years of service. Not easily idle, Bill followed this with another 20-year career at Wintec, Inc, in testing, where he got to regularly apply his engineering, planning, and analysis skills. 

Bill led a happy life of fun and adventure enjoying travel, camping, flying and play, with current annual passes to both Disney and Universal. He never missed a chance to ride a roller coaster – even when there were no grandchildren around to provide the excuse. 

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalms 139:13-16 (NIV)

Here we are, again. For some of us this is our second opportunity to draw aside from the world and its cares and to spend some time thinking about, considering, and honoring the life of  William Standifer III – or as he’d prefer – Bill. And I expect for most of us we are still working to come to grips with what happened. Not that anyone expected Bill to live forever, no one does, here. But even though we knew Bill had health problems, really serious health problems for a long time – problems that profoundly affected the life he wanted to live, taking away some of the things that brought him great joy. We just thought that Bill would work whatever process the doctors gave him with the same relentless efficiency he showed in so many areas and that he’d be here a good while longer.

So when the events of the last few weeks began, and the dominos kept falling, we all prayed as hard as we knew how. At the end he just slipped away from us or maybe more appropriately, he flew behind above the cloud cover. I know this, he fought as hard as he could. He had said “I’m a fighter pilot. We don’t quit until the bullets are striking the cockpit.” His love for his sweetheart and his family was so strong. But while the will was strong, his equipment just failed. And now we are here, today.

As I drove up here yesterday I was thinking about home. Crossing the Alabama line near Lanett and reentering the land of my birth, even in the darkness of a November evening, I felt a difference even if the land didn’t change all that much. Something had. That’s funny in a way, since I have been gone 13 years now. But generations of my ancestors made their home in the red clay hills of Georgia, so I guess even now, there’s a part of me that it calls to as home. And yet for me, I suspect for many of you, and certainly for the man we come to remember and honor today, we live our lives in motion – in pursuit of the goals we have, of the things that matter most to us. 

Our birthplace matters to us, not just as a point on a map, but as writer Sarah Dressen penned:

“Home wasn't a set house, or a single town on a map. It was wherever the people who loved you were, whenever you were together. Not a place, but a moment, and then another, building on each other like bricks to create a solid shelter that you take with you for your entire life, wherever you may go.”  Sarah Dresssen

Many of you in this church today provided the shelter for Bill Standifer.  No matter where his life took him, you were the “bricks” that God used to build that foundation, that shelter he took with him his whole life. When I thought about his life over the last few weeks, I realized that Bill was always loved. Some of you here loved him for decades. Loved him well. Loved him extravagantly, giving and giving with your hearts wide open. I know Harriet stands at the head of that line, and rightfully so. And certainly their sons are lining up behind their Mother. But look around you and see what a life like Bill’s does. What it calls forth from others.

The Bible tells us that we were loved before we were even a gleam in our Mother’s eyes.

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalms 139:13-16 (NIV)

So that “solid shelter” I spoke of that Bill had around him began even before he was born. God placed him in a loving family, a giving home, and that solid foundation was there for him growing up through childhood.

I sat down with Terry and Harriet a few weeks ago  to talk about how they wanted Bill to be remembered – in the memorial  services in Florida and here, and while we did just that, they did a lot more for me. They went back and charted Bill’s life all the way from his birth in Eufaula, Alabama, his childhood in Pine Lake Georgia, and from venue to venue – or really – from HOME TO HOME - until the end. They shared their hearts with me, and I learned a lot more about the man we remember today. I’m going to share some of what I learned today, because I think it will help many of us put today in perspective. To understand what it was like to move all over the world, but always be AT HOME.

So as I said, Bill was born in Eufala Alabama and given that big name – William Standifer the third. I believe it was Harriet that told me that even that decision was one not taken lightly. That Bill even as a baby had tests to pass and passed them. Moving to Georgia brought the family into the American dream and into a growing area with lots of opportunities. Bill’s family did everything they could to make sure he had what he needed to succeed, and succeed he did.  

But from Eufala, to Atlanta, through Georgia Tech and out with a degree in electrical engineering, Bill never forgot who he was. A lot of people do, you know.  But Bill had brought with him his faith in God and he had been blessed to find the one true love of his life – his beloved Harriet.  Most of us who know them think of them together, say their names together, because they were as truly One as anyone we are likely to ever know.  They were going together when he was 18 and she was 17, after he started out dating Harriet’s sister. He soon corrected that mistake and always made the point that “I got the better sister.”

Bill’s upbringing had taught him that a man was measured by his integrity and devotion to what really matters, and he showed that those lessons – even in childhood – were well leaned by making and honoring commitments again and again and again throughout his life. If he said he would do something, you could take it to the bank. So his pledge to “love, to honor, to cherish, until death do us part” was only the last one he lived up to.

The commitment to serve his country was one he certainly fulfilled. He was only going to be in for five years, but once he got into fighters, he met his other passion –flying. And from then on until his retirement the couple’s path began to take them to places all over the world. I absolutely loved hearing Harriet tell about the days a young family spent  “living like the locals” in England, driving all over Europe in an Austin Healey, weekend flights to Paris and back for $25 round trip, and their Europe on $5 a day adventures. What a life! 

When they came back to the States even Terry was a proper English lad who wowed his chums at school when he told them “my dad eats snakes, flies fighter planes, and we just got here from England.” Skeptics were converted when every word turned out to be true. I suspect that wasn’t the only time someone heard about the life Bill, Harriet, Ross, Terry, and Chip had together and wondered if it all could be true. But it was.

In that same Psalm 139 is written this: 7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.  Psalms 139:7-10 (NIV)

I can’t imagine what Bill saw during his time in the service, but with 100 missions in the Vietnam War where losses were running at 40% of aircraft during the first couple of years flying out of Thailand, I know he lost many friends while carrying out his missions.  Harriet told me there were some songs that were played at the funerals in chapel she still didn’t like to hear. So I suspect there was a lot he didn’t care to talk about either. He was true to his oath to protect the Constitution against all enemies foreign or domestic though, believing that giving the Vietnamese people a chance to make their own choices about freedom was the right thing to do. 

Here at home Harriet did what she could to raise the boys and waited for her love to return. And he always did. But one of his friends told me that there were times when they simply had to trust God with their very lives and fly into “hell.” God went with Bill there too.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.   Psalms 139:7-10 (NIV)

The family lived the transient life of a military family while stateside, bouncing from assignment to assignment back and forth across the nation. Everywhere they lived, Bill and Harriet tried to help the boys see it as a great adventure. It surely must have been. Terry told me that those ants his dad ate – well while camping Bill shared that knowledge with the boys. “They taste like cherries” is what Terry told me, but he did say to make sure to get the biggest ants you could find.  Bill would find a way to get an adventure started wherever they were. At Nellis it was hunting for rocks and at Hill it was skiing and hunting for fossils. He taught the boys how to work on cars, and a lot more.

The end of his Air Force career came sooner than Bill would have liked it to. He had hoped to get a squadron of his own, but the glut of qualified people meant a lot of good men had to leave and Bill left as a Lt. Colonel.  There were people at Hill that were upset about his being passed over, and some were upset about Bill not getting his “last flight” in his beloved F-16. They didn’t know that Bill had already taken his last flight. For those of you not familiar, a last flight is where a retiring aviator can take their plane up and pretty much do whatever they want until the gas runs out. I’ve seen a couple of those and they are spectacular. Aileron rolls the length of the runway, pulling back on the stick, standing the plane on its tail going straight up out of sight, or cutting the pylons in the parking lot – most are flashy look at me events.

Bill’s last flight would have seen tame to those folks, but for him it was the most exciting flight he could imagine. He flew to Enid Oklahoma , to Vance AFB where Ross was stationed and pinned his wings on. That was Bill. He gave himself away. He was building the “shelter” for his boys, teaching them what it meant to be a part of a home so that they in turn would do the same if God led them to do it.

Decorated Pilot, instructor pilot, test director, he moved into the next phase of his life, a stint at Eglin running the test wing and then a short retirement and a long career with Wintec.  I was interested in how that transition went from a sociological point of view. Fighter pilots always seemed to have a certain worldview that sometimes didn’t play well with others. But Bill by this point had a path traced clearly of giving himself away.  No surprise then that he went on there to have an accomplished record spanning 20 years, or that the people he worked with became more than coworkers. At the service in Florida I had person after person tell me about little ways and big encouragements Bill made their lives better.

Bill made people better – made them want to be better. His quiet confidence made you feel as though if he believed you could do something then darn it, you could do it. Harriet talked about her decision to by a plane and learn to fly, and how she had doubts, but Bill would have none of it. She said “Bill gave me the confidence to do things I never would have done.” I could sure understand why someone would feel that way. I know that when we would be over in the fellowship hall on Wednesday nights, we’d get into some spirited discussions about one point or another and Bill wouldn’t say a word. But you could tell he was taking it all in. From my point of view, I felt he was giving me his respect while quietly encouraging me to bring the Truth to target. To where we live. He could be a tough audience there, but quick to laugh over lunch.

The last few years he spent a lot of time with his beloved grandchildren, sharing with them the things he loved to do – flying, shooting, riding roller coasters. He loved his family, was very proud of every one of them. I know having all boys might have seemed to some a loss but Bill always said the best way to have girls in the family was for your sons to marry them, and he was very thankful for his daughters in law. In return, you got a long up close and personal look at just what marriage is supposed to be.  

The Bible says “For this cause a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” Terry told me that his Mom and dad “didn’t tell us how to live – they showed us.” Yes they did. They went through times of great joy and times when life seemed very tough. But in doing it all, no matter where the map found their house, they continued building a home.

Let me finish quickly by pointing out this: Bill knew where he was. Because he was grounded by his parents as their only son, and shown the love of God early and often, Bill knew exactly who he was. He was God’s creation, given life by the Creator and offered an opportunity to follow His Son and live a life in freedom.

Bill knew where he was going. Whether it was winning the love of his life, raising three fine men, carving out a dream career as a fighter pilot, helping Wintec – Bill had a plan and he worked it. Well, so did God. There were many times in his life that except for God’s grace he could have been taken. Even in probably his deepest felt loss – not getting the squadron command he had worked for – God was at work. You see Bill had a heart attack at work. But his doctor was minutes away and the help he needed was readily available – which they would not have been had he still been in the Air Force. Bill got some extra years. Many of us got a blessing from those years. And as the end drew near, Bill knew where he was going.

The Bible records Jesus saying: 1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.   John 14:1-3 (NIV) That place is called home. It’s not tied to a place. 

If one writer said:

"Home wasn't a set house, or a single town on a map. It was wherever the people who loved you were, whenever you were together...”  another with a deep Christian faith wrote this. “I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now...Come further up, come further in!”― C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle

Bill has fought his last battle too, and because of what God did through Jesus and Bill's belief in that work - Bill won his battle over death. "O death where is your sting? O grave where is your victory?" Bill is home. He has reached altitude beyond anything we could imagine.

As much as Bill loved you all, as deeply as he enjoyed flying, roller coaster rides, walks on the beach – as much as he loved this life – he is home. Where the One who loved him before we knew Bill – any of us knew Bill – had prepared a welcoming filled with love, peace, and healing. If Bill were here today, he’d want you to know that he’s home. He’s healed. And he’s loved. 

My encouragement to you? Look for a foundation beyond bricks and mortar. Seek for love beyond circumstances or feelings. Embrace the love of the One Who loves you with an undying love and Who will never let time or distance separate you from that love. Trust Jesus with your life and live as one who having received, love, gives it away. 

Amen

In Honor of Bill Standifer

The following is the message I delivered at New Hope at the memorial service of my friend and New Hope family member William (Bill) Standifer III. Bill was an amazing man who blessed a lot of people by just being who he was. It was an honor to share these thoughts at the service. I'm thankful I will get the opportunity one day to see Bill again.

8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8 (NIV)

I chose that Scripture to use today because to me, it fits the man we are here to remember.

It’s hard to believe we are here today. Not that anyone expected Bill to live forever, no one does, here. But having known him for years and having seen the iron discipline he practiced at the table – “I want the tilapia with no seasoning – none. I want salad but no dressing, no cheese, no croutons…” I guess I was  believing that the engineer was working the process well enough that he’d be here a good while longer. So when the events of the last few weeks began, and the dominos kept falling, we all prayed as hard as we knew how. At the end he just slipped away from us or maybe more appropriately, he flew behind above the cloud cover. I know this, he fought as hard as he could. He had said “I’m a fighter pilot. We don’t quit until the bullets are striking the cockpit.” His love for his sweetheart and his family was so strong. But while the will was strong, his equipment just failed. And now we are here, today.

I sat down with Terry and Harriet last Sunday to talk about what would happen today, and while we did just that, they did a lot more for me. They went back and charted Bill’s life all the way from his birth in Eufaula, Alabama to the end. They shared their hearts with me, and I learned a lot more about the man we remember today. I’m going to share some of what I learned today, because I think it will help many of us put today in perspective. And I think looking at the route Bill plotted for himself and for his family might help us make better decisions about the paths we are on.

Alright, so everyone knows a few fundamentals of navigation- on a map, north is always up, the sun rises in the east, and compasses usually point towards magnetic north. What you lack is the knowledge that for many is the hardest to get- where you are. If you know where you are, and where you are going, then all you need is a true reference point to triangulate on and you are set. Let’s take that basic knowledge and use it here today.

The first thing you would know about Bill Standifer is that he knew where he was. From Eufala, to Atlanta, through Georgia Tech and out with a degree in electrical engineering, Bill never forgot who he was. A lot of people do, you know.  But Bill had brought with him his faith in God and he had been blessed to find the one true love of his life – his beloved Harriet.  Most of us who know them think of them together, say their names together, because they were as truly One as anyone we are likely to ever know.  They were going together when he was 18 and she was 17, after he started out dating Harriet’s sister. He soon corrected that mistake and always made the point that “I got the better sister.” The Scripture said “to act justly.” Bill did, by making and honoring commitments again and again and again throughout his life. If he said he would do something, you could take it to the bank. So his pledge to “love, to honor, to cherish, until death do us part” was only the last one he lived up to.

The commitment to serve his country was one he certainly fulfilled. He was only going to be in for five years, but once he got into fighters, he met his other passion –flying. And from then on until his retirement the couple’s path began to take them to places all over the world. I absolutely loved hearing Harriet tell about the days a young family spent  “living like the locals” in England, driving all over Europe in an Austin Healey, weekend flights to Paris and back for $25 round trip, and their Europe on $5 a day adventures. What a life! When they came back to the States even Terry was a proper English lad who wowed his chums at school when he told them “my dad eats snakes, flies fighter planes, and we just got here from England.” Skeptics were converted when every word turned out to be true. I suspect that wasn’t the only time someone heard about the life Bill, Harriet, Ross, Terry, and Chip had together and wondered if it all could be true. But it was.

“To act justly, and love mercy…”

I grew up in a family of veterans. My father and mother both served in the Pacific during WW2. My father say a lot of combat with the 24^th infantry division and my mother got to Australia, the Philippines, and Okinawa. Neither wanted to talk about what they saw.  The only thing I ever got was that “It’s not like the movies, son.”  I can’t imagine what Bill saw during his time in the service, but with 100 missions in the Vietnam War where 382 F-4s were lost in combat, and were running at 40% of aircraft during the first couple of years flying out of Thailand, I know he lost many friends while carrying out his missions.  Harriet told me there were some songs that were played at the funerals in chapel she still didn’t like to hear. So I suspect there was a lot he didn’t care to talk about either. He was true to his oath to protect the Constitution against all enemies foreign or domestic though, believing that giving the Vietnamese people a chance to make their own choices about freedom was the right thing to do. Here at home Harriet did what she could to raise the boys and waited for her love to return. And he always did.

The family lived the transient life of a military family while stateside, bouncing from assignment to assignment back and forth across the nation. Everywhere they lived, Bill and Harriet tried to help the boys see it as a great adventure. It surely must have been. Terry told me that those ants his dad ate – well while camping Bill shared that knowledge with the boys. “They taste like cherries” is what Terry told me, but he did say to make sure to get the biggest ants you could find.  Bill would find a way to get an adventure started wherever they were. At Nellis it was hunting for rocks and at Hill it was skiing and hunting for fossils. He taught the boys how to work on cars, and a lot more.

The end of his Air Force career came sooner than Bill would have liked it to. He had hoped to get a squadron of his own, but the glut of qualified people meant a lot of good men had to leave and Bill left as a Lt. Colonel.  There were people at Hill that were upset about his being passed over, and some were upset about Bill not getting his “last flight” in his beloved F-16. They didn’t know that Bill had already taken his last flight. For those of you not familiar, a last flight is where a retiring aviator can take their plane up and pretty much do whatever they want until the gas runs out. I’ve seen a couple of those and they are spectacular. Aileron rolls the length of the runway, pulling back on the stick, standing the plane on its tail going straight up out of sight, or cutting the pylons in the parking lot – most are flashy look at me events. Bill’s last flight would have seen tame to those folks, but for him it was the most exciting flight he could imagine. He flew to Enid Oklahoma , to Vance AFB where Ross was stationed and pinned his wings on. That was Bill. He gave himself away.

Decorated Pilot, instructor pilot, test director, he moved into the next phase of his life, a stint at Eglin running the test wing and then a short retirement and a long career with Wintec.  I was interested in how that transition went from a sociological point of view. Fighter pilots always seemed to have a certain worldview that sometimes didn’t play well with others. But Bill by this point had a path traced clearly of giving himself away.  No surprise then that he went on there to have an accomplished record spanning 20 years, or that the people he worked with became more than coworkers, as we can see by their attendance here today.

Bill made people better – made them want to be better. His quiet confidence made you feel as though if he believed you could do something then darn it, you could do it. Harriet talked about her decision to by a plane and learn to fly, and how she had doubts, but Bill would have none of it. She said “Bill gave me the confidence to do things I never would have done.” I could sure understand why someone would feel that way. I know that when we would be over in the fellowship hall on Wednesday nights, we’d get into some spirited discussions about one point or another and Bill wouldn’t say a word. But you could tell he was taking it all in. From my point of view, I felt he was giving me his respect while quietly encouraging me to bring the Truth to target. To where we live. He could be a tough audience there, but quick to laugh over lunch.

The last few years he spent a lot of time with his beloved grandchildren, sharing with them the things he loved to do – flying, shooting, riding roller coasters. He loved his family, was very proud of every one of them. I know having all boys might have seemed to some a loss but Bill always said the best way to have girls in the family was for your sons to marry them, and he was very thankful for his daughters in law. In return, you got a long up close and personal look at just what marriage is supposed to be. “For this cause a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” Terry told me that his Mom and dad “ didn't tell us how to live – they showed us.”

Yes they did.

I started out pointing out that “If you know where you are, and where you are going, then all you need is a true reference point to triangulate on and you are set.”

Let me finish quickly by pointing out this: Bill knew where he was. Because he was grounded by his parents as their only son, and shown the love of God early and often, Bill knew exactly where he was.

Bill knew where he was going. Whether it was winning the love of his life, raising three fine men, carving out a dream career as a fighter pilot, helping Wintec – Bill had a plan and he worked it. Well, so did God. There were many times in his life that except for God’s grace he could have been taken. 

Even in probably his deepest felt loss – not getting the squadron command he had worked for – God was at work. 

You see Bill had a heart attack at work. But his doctor was minutes away and the help he needed was readily available – which they would not have been had he still been in the Air Force. Bill got some extra years. Many of us got a blessing from those years. And as the end drew near, Bill knew where he was going. The Bible records Jesus saying “I go to prepare a place for you.” I wonder what hangar Bill is operating out of now.

He knew where he was and where he was going and he had that one point to triangulate from. God’s love and the arms of his sweetheart. Those arms had to let him go, but God never will.

Can I encourage you today to examine where your flight plan is taking you? To really take a look at just what you are using as your fixed reference point? To weigh what you are committed to against how much those commitments really ultimately matter.

"But Wait, There's More!"

Random thoughts after a long day so take them for what they are worth.

- Teaching teachers is worse than herding cats says the man who taught his first Professional Development class today. I could have sent some to time out.
- Seems some folks are very testy about anything that suggests we need to up our game. It seems obvious to me that if students graduate from high school and cannot read the employee manual that changes need to be made, but maybe it's just me
- "Textual Complexity" won't sell. We need another term that has some sizzle.
- Teachers are tired right now. Seems like everyone is running to catch up and really wary of anything that has a hint of making their day harder. It seems just when they get into a routine and feel like they are getting comfortable someone pops in with "But wait there's more!" with "more" being something else to prepare for.
- Technology rocks! Made some believers today after the official Professional Development session with an impromptu exposition of the tools I use in the classroom.

-Oh and by the way, early release days are very very tough and are counterproductive if the goal is to help kids learn.

Got to help a friend and fellow New Hope family member move tonight with a host of other New Hope family members.

It's a good tired.

Where's the Advil? :)

Ok. /out

It's A New School Year At It's Like Herding Cats

Tomorrow will mark the end of the first week of the 2012-2013 school year, and I am really enjoying the class. Last year I began the year at Mary Esther as a long term substitute for a teacher out on maternity leave.After the first nine weeks I was hired for a "split" class at Eglin of 3rd AND 4th graders. It was really tough at first and never easy. But I gave the kids everything I could, and I'll remember them forever.

This year I am just teaching third grade. I'm thrilled to have sixteen students that I get to see learn and grow.

You come into the classroom every morning and look at their chairs, knowing that they'll be there in an hour or so expecting you to lead them to learn, encouraging them to push past where they are and move forward - always forward.

This week has been a lot of introducing procedures, explaining how we do things, and rehearsing skills we will use all year. The last two days I have introduced some work designed to assess where the students are now, so I can work to put together plans that will meet each of their needs. We've done some work in Science, Math, Reading, and Writing. As a result I am beginning to have an idea of who might need some help catching up as we launch next week. We'll get them all where they need to be by the end of the year.

Yesterday Bunny and I got the news that the grandchild our son and daughter-in-love are expecting a BOY! It was right before the bell rang to start school and I saw it pop up on the phone "It's a Boy!" and I blurted it out. Then I had to explain what it was about. All the kids just grinned.

We'll have more of those moments this year where our family lives spill over into our school family. Kids bring it all to school with them. Most of them are military dependents and have parents who either have been deployed or will be. They've all lived at other locations. They've all had to leave friends behind. They'll tell me about new puppies, rabbits and fish. I'll hear about movies and video games. By the end of the year we'll know a lot about each other.

 I look out at them and want them to have the best year ever. I can see my own sons when they were in third grade and now look forward to my grandson heading to third grade someday. I want him to have a teacher that will do whatever it takes to make sure their students succeed. Someone like me.

So the year begins with a smile and a prayer that God will give me everything I need to make this the best third grade class in the history of Eglin Elementary.

Nobodies To Somebodies

We're in week 8 of "The Story" - a 31 week walk through the Bible, and this week finds us in the time of the Judges. There's lots of rich insight available in this part of the Scriptures. In preparation to preach it, I focused on Gideon. Personally, the story spoke to me about how God chooses the least qualified so that no one can confuse Who should get the credit when the victory is won.

Unfortunately, I didn't feel like the sermon ever got off the ground. It just didn't seem like it was connecting with the congregation. I'll have to do a better job of prayer and preparation this week and ask God to redeem my efforts today. This is where being bivocational is tough. You really have to manage not just your time, but your energy and passion.

Then too, it may be that what I thought were impactful points from the text did not hit the heart of the congregation today. So much of what we do as preachers is just trying to be faithful to the text and to the Spirit. I think I did that, so I guess I should stop whining and trust God. :)



Music - We have been enjoying a return to hymns at New Hope and have really done a good job bringing them to the congregation with our awesome praise band. But "On Jordan's Stormy Banks" never really came together because our timing was all over the board.

The rest of the music - How Can I Keep From Singing, O Praise Him, He's Got the Whole World In His Hands, and Amazing Grace really went well.

In closing, consider this - if God can use cowards, murderers, prostitutes, drunkards, and the like to do great things, why should He use us?

If we are available that is.

Pray for me as I go back to school tomorrow and seek to be God's instrument of grace to the kids. I'm excited to be teaching third grade and am ready to see them achieve everything they possibly can.

Trembling Steps In Faith

We're into week 7 of The Story at New Hope, and this week we learn or really relearn about Joshua and the Israelites as they enter the "Promised Land." So much had happened in their past that it must have been hard to just focus on the future, but somehow they did. And in Joshua Chapter 3 their first steps of obedience were met with a miracle from God.

¹³ And _j when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, _f the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall _k stand in one heap"

They continued to take those steps all the way to Jericho, where God asked them to do the incredible to achieve the impossible. They were to walk around the walled city for 7 days and on the seventh God would give them the city. I can't go forward without pointing out that Jericho is one of the cities most investigated by archaeologists and that the battle we are reading about is supported by what they found.

The task God set before them was impossible. A walled city filled with fighting men that had a years' worth of harvest just brought in, and a perpetual spring supplying all the water the people would need for up to a year's siege. They would be overcome by walking, shouting, and the blowing of horns.

It was one of those times when you have to decide whether to follow God no matter what or not. Looking over their shoulder, we can see they have had lots of examples of God doing the impossible for them. But in this case, the key to the impossible requires their doing the ridiculous. And they did it. In faith.

Obedience unlocks the deeper blessings of God.

That's still true today.

A baby can change everything

We just finished a great week here with our oldest son Adam and his wife Shonda. I really hated to see them leave. Over the years Bunny and I have become more aware than ever of just what family means and how precious these times when we get together truly are. I miss them already, but I'm glad they got back to Georgia safe and sound.

Yesterday was Adam's birthday anniversary. His birthday happened on August 11th, 1978 in Macon, Georgia.

Adam changed everything.

Sure I had thought about being a father - had always thought I'd be one - but on that day when Bunny and Adam rolled out of the delivery room - I was his Daddy.

I didn't feel up to it at first. I mean that yes it had happened, but I had to grow into the job.

I went back to my job and it wasn't good enough - now that I had a family to care for. That began my real effort to progress in my job. It caused both Bunny and me to look at our priorities and decide that we were going to give Adam (and later Sean) everything we could give them to help them have every chance to succeed as they grew up.

Decisions began coming at us that would have never happened before. Adam was being cared for by a private day care person. One day early in he had a scratch on him that we didn't get a good explanation for. We decided to take the ridiculous step of having Bunny quit work and stay home - which she did until both boys were well on their way in school. With the boys grandparents we placed both boys in private school to give them that head start. I returned to college to get the degree that I should have had before Adam was born.

Time and time again we prayed for wisdom and acted on what we believed God would have us do.

I looked at Adam yesterday and saw a great husband, a good man who tries to do the right thing in every situation. Around the first of the year we believe he'll get the same shock I got when he holds his son or daughter in his arms. The difference is that he's been through fires I never had to go through, survived them, and he's taking the right steps way before I did. He's returning to college this fall to get a degree that will mean a lot to his family going forward.

I could not be more proud of him.  I have been so blessed with an awesome wife and two great sons.

But today I'm remembering the baby that changed everything.

Under the Shade Tree

Don't know whether I was running on fumes Sunday or what, but I came home after and went straight to sleep. I was awakened about 2:30 by a call from Willie Jackson, the man who lives at the blockhouse with his wife that we helped with some of the money he needed to purchase a used engine for his car. Willie came to New Hope today and worshiped with us. He's looking for odd jobs to get that engine in so he can have better transportation than his bike and take a job. What he needed to get it done was the fluids to fill the engine and transmission with and a special tool that's used with the fuel system. He got the tool but still needed the fluids.

So a while later I got up and went to Autozone and explained what I was looking for and why. One of the employees helped me find the oil, filer, and transmission fluid - which was on sale at a very low price as a kit with a pan, funnel, rags, and hand cleaner for less than the oil alone! He apologized for not being able to offer me a case discount on the transmission fluid.

Then he gave me a 10% discount, because "people need to help people." And God uses people to do just that.

When I got to the blockhouse, Willie was pulling the old engine in true shade tree mechanic fashion - under a shade tree with the hoist over a limb.

I explained to Willie how God made sure he got more than what he needed.

It was a moment of grace. It was one of those times when I remembered what I had just preached - God often works in ways we would not have anticipated, using people who we wouldn't have chosen.

Pray for Willie as he completes the engine swap and thank God for reminding us once again just how great His grace truly is.

It's A Small World

The mail comes, and within the usual bills, offers for vinyl siding, and credit cards are three items from the corners of the world. A case for Bunny's new phone from China, a postcard from one of her friends who is in South Africa, and a new picture of "Mookie," our sponsored child from Compassion who lives in Rwanda. I'm just blown away how the world has shrunk within my lifetime.

Growing up, we wandered our "neighborhood" which was all those acres and acres that surrounded us. My brother and I went so far deep into the woods that I doubt as a grown adult I'd dare to do today without sufficient firepower and secure mobile phone access. We never felt scared - only the thrill of discovery.

Seems ironic that kids can't go out of sight today in their own neighborhoods, but we can connect with the world so easily.

Few years ago at New Hope, we were focused on "Doing Something" for people overseas. And we did! We helped drill wells, provide clean water, medicines, shoes, baby formula and whatever else we could think of.. We promoted the sponsorship of kids like Mookie and many of us responded.

It was all good. And we still do some of those things today. To know that people across the world are alive and well because of what you and your friends did together with God is an awesome feeling.

Then we focused more on where we live and tried to help kids with back to school items, participate in raising money for the Relay for Life, helping people with needs here, and cooking and delivering meals to people in need in our little town. We've given thousands of dollars away doing that and helped a lot of local people. And we've been blessed to see God at work.

It's a small world.

And it needs to get smaller. I need more and deeper connections with the people in my life, and I need to see the same come to fruition as part of what New Hope is and is to be. We're not "sticky" enough.

Now following this warning is an authentic flaw in my character. I know, some people believe that pastors should be above all that stuff - past it - so mature it doesn't affect them. Well, I have been working on this and praying for help with it since I have become a Christian. God hasn't seen fit to remove it from me. Maybe it's to keep me praying. Maybe it's my "thorn." All I know is that it's real, and I wish it wasn't. So you've been warned.

Here's a problem. I am a certified unsocial person. Every personality test any of the sales organizations I worked for gave me returned results like INTJ (Myers-Briggs) which is interpreted in part to mean that an individual like that:

INTJs spend a lot of time inside their own minds, and may have little interest in the other people's thoughts or feelings. Unless their Feeling side is developed, they may have problems giving other people the level of intimacy that is needed.


So God called me to be a pastor and before that I was in sales. Yep. What a sense of humor He has.

I've struggled trying to step out of that and can do pretty well at it some/most of the time. But there's always a tendency to "button up." And I do have trouble remembering to make connections and keep them alive - two things that my wife Bunny does as easily as breathing. I need her to remind me, and then I have to actually act. It's not natural for me, but it is something I know matters and I try to push past my reluctance and reach out. But it does hurt my effectiveness and there may be people I know or have known and loved for who they are that don't know that because of it.

Again, I am praying my way through it, working on it, and accepting the help of others with gratitude. (Except when I don't - ask Bunny about that)

Pray for me, that I would be, and help others to be "glue" to cement relationships and help individuals become friends and family. I do love the people God has surrounded me with. Lord help me to show it better. I have to believe that there are others out there like me - who want to be "salt, light, and sugar."

A Witness In Wood

I took this picture a few years ago. It was at this desk, where a man built a career. He rose from salesman, to territory manager, to manage a district for a major multinational company. He'd leave his family late Sunday night or early Monday each week and drive all over the Southeast, returning on Friday. Later on, he'd fly to distant places and meet a salesman that he'd hope to help become better. But every Friday, he'd be home.

Saturday night he'd study his Sunday School lesson at this desk, preparing to teach the class he led for decades.  He was the picture of an expository Bible teacher, and could have been a good preacher if God had led him there. His calling was broader - husband, father, servant, Sunday School teacher. I can remember the men in his class and the respect they had for him as a teacher. But it wasn't just his teaching they were looking at - it was the way he lived his life. There are lots of ways to teach. He led by precept, principles, and by his practices. 

He retired from his career, and came home. Enjoyed his wife, his kids and his grandchildren - had a garden, and a shop downstairs. He and one of his long-time friends started a little business building furniture and fixing things in homes. They had a ball helping people, though I doubt they made anything from it. Still every Saturday night would find him sitting at this desk, preparing his lesson. Broadman's Commentary, Standard Sunday School Lessons, Open Bible, Amplified - were the tools of this teacher. In retirement, he did more around the church and around the house. He continued to encourage his pastor, to love his family, and to serve as an example of a true Christian man for us all, until His maker called him home.

In the aftermath, Bunny was struck with the realization that both her parents were gone. Having been through that myself years ago, I knew the feeling of having no "roots" or "pillars" to lean on that losing your parents can bring. There are still times when it sneaks up on me, and Bunny still misses her Mom and Dad a great deal. They were such a blessing.

When Bunny's oldest brother asked her what she would like to have of the things left behind, initially she couldn't think of anything. Then I remembered Curtis' desk. It was such a part of who I saw him as, and Bunny remembered him sitting at it from when she was a little girl. She had recollections of going up to him sitting there to ask him for a new dress, of the crazy "finger in a box" toy, and the silly "goofy glasses" her very reserved daddy would pull out and create laughter. This simple piece of wood was so tied to both of our memories of him - who he was, we quickly agreed we'd love to have it. So she asked with the stipulation that if one of her brothers wanted it, they should have it.

It's here. We brought it down from Georgia a couple of weeks ago.

Every Saturday night I go in my office and sit at that desk as I prepare the powerpoint for tomorrow's message and go over the lesson for Bible Study. I am very conscious of the legacy left me through the memories of Curtis Clinard. His love for Christ was real and penetrated every area of his life. 

So when I sit down, it's as if his hand is on my shoulder. And how I wish it was.

Thank you again Curtis. You trusted me with your precious daughter, encouraged and guided me through my married life, and continue to give me a standard to aspire to. I could not have asked for a better Father In Love. See you later my friend. Say hello to Ballard for me, and give Dot a kiss.

Works In Progress

Every week when we go out to deliver food in our little town, we greet people we have known for a while and we meet new people. Every one of them has a story. Sometimes they'll share. Here's one from last week.

"We met Jimmy Varner and Edwina Pittman at the blockhouse tonight.  Jimmy is disabled after suffering a stroke and being paralyzed on his left side.  He does have some movement now in his leftarm which he demonstrated for me tonight.  He also has high blood pressure and gout. 

Edwina used to be his girlfriend, but he moved another girl into their house, so now she's not.  Now she's his caregiver.  I got their whole story while I was there.  I believe she is probably a person of faith and she said God is still working on her.  I told her I am still a work in progress, too.  Edwina asked to put Jimmy on our prayer list."

 Don't you know there were smiles in heaven when two of God's children shared this moment of grace. This pastor's heart was sure warmed by reading what one of our New Hope folks had said.


That my friends, is grace in action. Well done, brother.

Friends, we are ALL works in progress. We're being "conformed into the image of Christ." Sometimes you meet people who don't want to admit that, but I'm blessed to be a part of a church that's a work in progress too.

Come and walk with us at New Hope as we experience The Story - a 31 week walk through the Big Story of God's love for mankind. You'll find yourself understanding the Bible in a deeper way as you make connections to the bits and pieces of what you already know and place them together and let the Holy Spirit show you the depth of God's love.


New Hope - a great place to know, to grow, and to go and share God's love.

Hunger Doesn't Take Holidays

Things have changed. Things are changing.

It's a challenging time to be alive, and to be called into ministering in Jesus' name.

Everyone knows Jesus. But not many KNOW Jesus in a way that would result in a changed life. And years of most churches as "holy huddles" has left folks on the outside not looking in -
or really even looking in that direction.

But we're called to love our neighbors whether or not it's easy, whether or not anyone even notices we are doing it.  To do that as if the person we were caring for was Jesus himself. Regardless of who is physically before us.

Wednesday we delivered food to people in our little town. It was July 4th. The town and most people in it were enjoying a day off and the events of the day with a big annual fireworks show at the end of it. When I was looking at that day on the calendar a few weeks ago, I wondered whether we should just take the evening off. I had a list of reasons including both truth and suspicions. It was true that the folks at New Hope could have enjoyed a break. We don't have many people, but we have people who work hard and give of themselves every week. It might have been true that lots of the people we regularly deliver to were not going to be there. Might have been. 

When we packaged the meals, we cut the number by 15 because we really thought some people wouldn't be home. We'd never delivered on a holiday before. 

As we delivered, we had people tell us "we didn't realize you guys would be here today." Walking away from the house of an elderly woman who received the 6 meals as she does every week, I shook my head wondering if we were wrong. Maybe people would be home after all.

It happened again and again. "Oh you are here!" "Don't you know it's a holiday?" or some variation. When we met up with Frank and Diane Weech at the low priced rentals we call "the Blockhouse", we only had 8 meals left. We wound up leaving what meals we had with them, then going back to church and getting more meals twice to meet the needs. We learned something - Hunger Doesn't Take Holidays

We're headed for a breakdown

The last school year - It was the hardest 9 months of my life.

There were times I came as close to quitting as anyone possibly could. Emotionally, physically (working 80 hours a week wears you down), and mentally - the grind of trying to motivate, inspire, correct and yes teach was exhausting.

The pay is laughable. Praise or encouragement is hard to come by. The system is set up to beat you down, not build you up. Don't believe me? One of the best teachers I have ever seen did not receive a "Highly Effective" rating because she didn't preempt a student's misbehavior during an evaluation. Oh she dealt with it, but to he highly effective she needs some version of that "Inception" scope. Others reported that on one visit what they did was rated unsatisfactory and on another the same techniques were rated effective. Teachers who had taught for years effectively were genuinely concerned they might be let go. It's a new system and I know it'll get better, but it was tough.

Coming from outside and knowing nothing about what teaching really was, I got through by prayers - my own and those of others for me, by my wife's unconditional support, and by help from my colleagues.

Some of that help came from two veterans - Edie Smith, a gentle soul who taught 4th grade Math and Science, and Hal Tihart, who was the only other male classroom teacher (he taught third grade). I went to them for insight, for understanding, for direction. And each in their own way was a huge help. Both went out of their way to try to get a first year teacher through the crucible. They have my thanks, and my undying respect for what they gave to me, and what they have given to hundreds of students.

They both retired last week, victims of the changes that have come to the classroom. Neither would have left on their own. I know that because I heard it from them firsthand.

Between them they had decades of experience. And they loved teaching kids.

We're losing people in droves who remember what education really is. 

There's a breakdown coming.

Don't misunderstand me. I love teaching and am leaning forward as the winds of change blow. In many ways I'm running out front of the changes to use today's tools to help today's kids learn and grow.

But we need people who have seen these winds come and go and know what will work and what won't. We need folks who have the essence of teaching down so well that they can go where the needs are and teach whatever they need to teach. Who love the classroom and focus on seeing kids becoming what they were created to be. Who aren't interested in looking cool or being the kids' friends.

We need people who consider teaching a calling, not a job.

My fear is that they will be replaced by people on their way somewhere else. Who'll see teaching as a step on the way to other goals. Who aren't interested in investing decades of their lives to change society one child at a time.

I'll be praying I'm wrong. Please pray for those who teach.