Three Faithful Men

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the GOD we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." (Daniel 3: 16-18) -- Wow, what a statement of faith!
Many self-help books and organizations suggest that a company or individual come up with a mission statement. A mission statement defines in a paragraph or so any entity's reason for existence. It embodies its philosophies, goals, ambitions and mores. They go on to say any person or company that attempts to operate without a mission statement runs the risk of wandering through the world without having the ability to verify that it is on its intended course.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego put forth a very powerful mission statement to King Nebuchadnezzar. When the King required that his subjects bow down to a golden image of himself, these three men, refused. They had a mission statement, We serve One God only. He has the ability to save us. If He does not we will not serve any other gods. These men did not hesitate to make a decision that would have directly affected their lives.
Based on the faithfulness of these men...I will work on a mission statement for myself in the next few days. I pray that it will show my faith in God as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did. I also pray that it will set a course for me in my search for a new job, and in my family and personal life.

Roaring Lions

Have you ever seen the movie "Ghost in the Darkness"? If you haven't it is about two rouge male lions who kill for "sport" or "fun" rather than for their need for food alone. It is based on a true story. I was amazed at how these lions worked in tandem to hunt and kill workers attempting to build a railroad. They were ruthless in their approach and they even kept "trophies" of their kills. They were finally defeated by a determined man, using skills and weapons he had at his disposal.
Today in the real world many of us are stalked by a lion ourselves. It is not a physical lion. It is not a big cat with a mane and large powerful claws. The lion that is stalking us in none other than SATAN (aka: the devil). I Peter 5:8 of the Bible tells us, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." Satan does not want to destroy us because he has to, he does it for fun. He is out to destroy our souls and our lives just because he can. He does it for the pure joy of it. He does it out of his hatred for GOD.
Like the lions in "Ghost in the Darkness", Satan is a bloodthirsty creature, out to hunt us down. But unlike the lions in the movie, this "lion" cannot be killed with weapons or our own wits. Only with the full Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) can we defeat this enemy. I pray that you are watchful for the attacks of Satan and that you are prepared when he does attack.

Questions Students Ask???

These are true questions that former students of mine have asked me over my 12 year teaching career...Feel free to laugh or cry.
1) Since I taught History or Social Studies I got this question a lot...just fill in the blank with any famous person. "Is ______________ still alive today?" (ex: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln etc...)
2) "If you go into space can you see the different colors of the countries?" -- this while looking at a globe.
3) "If I look really close at the map, can I see people moving?" -- Cheerleader asked this one, when I told her "Yes", she looked even closer.
4) "Did we win World War II?" -- No, Hitler is alive and well and we speak German!
5) "How did babies breath inside the mother's stomach before there were umbilical cords?" -- My response, "We used Scuba Gear." Her reply, "How did we get that in there?" -- I told her to go talk to her mother.
6) "Did America win the American Revolution?" -- God Save the Queen.
7) "If Hawaii is in Mexico, how come it took my family 14 hours to fly there." -- This was after doing a study of maps, and the inset map of Hawaii was shown near Mexico. -- My response, "The airlines just flew you in circles for a while so they can charge you more money for fuel and food."
8) Similar to #7, "If Alaska is under the United States like Mexico, why is Mexico hot and Alaska cold?" -- My response, "Since America has more money that Mexico, we can buy more air conditioners to keep it colder."
9. "Why can't the government just do a fund raiser, like car washes or sell candy, to raise money, rather than charge taxes?" -- actually not a bad question, the way the government spends money.
10. "Mr. E, why did you give me a zero on this paper, when I didn't even turn do the work and turn it in?" -- Hm mm, let's see, zero work = zero grade, make sense.
Teachers have a hard job...Go out and thank one for their efforts and pray for their sanity.

My First Thought

Today's thoughts is about Decisions! Every decision affects someone. Some times it affects only you. Other times it affects others around you, especially those close to you. Recently I made a decision to leave the teaching profession to seek a career change. This decision would not have been so dramatic if not for the fact I did not yet have a another job already lined up and in place. So now I am seeking new employment. Thinking this decision of mine, would save my mental health (already an improvement), I did not realize the impact it would have on my wife and family. Before I started my most recent teaching job (I held this job for 9 years), my family and I struggled from pay check to pay check, barely meeting bill payments and putting food on the table for a growing family. It was a hard time, but GOD always took care of our basic needs and helped us through it. Now it is a possibility we may be back there again, at least temporarily, until new work comes through for me. I don't think I was selfish in my decision, but I really hate the position I put my family in. --- So before you make a decision you think may only be about you, think again...and realize those you love may also be affected. --- Wish me luck on my job hunt!