When God Wants To Bless You

The P20 Educator Conference was a huge success, and coordinators tell me that the dates are already set for the same week next year. If you're an Idaho teacher and you missed it, plan on attending next year.

The high point of the conference for me was an interview with MK Asante, hip-hop artist, author, university professor, and keynote speaker. After his first keynote, I approached him about interviewing with me, and he was generous enough to give me twenty minutes of his time after the conference. As it turned out, the interview took a surprising twist. I'm going to have to keep you in suspense on that one for a little while, but I'll have stories here soon.

Earlier in the day yesterday, I also had the chance to visit with my friend Janet and marvel about the way that God picks up the threads of our lives--all those "random" things we've done for so long--just when we finally surrender control of it all. What we'd tried to make sense of but couldn't, the trials, the work experiences, the family craziness, God had a plan for all along if we would just let go. For both of us, the winding path of a life spent following the Lord has begun to seem more visible and more compelling lately. The destination and the goodness of it and the way to it seem more designed.

On the drive home from the conference, I had a good hour and a half to think about my eventful days at CSI. I kept thinking, "God must want to bless me. Look what He gave me!" I'll share more about the specific blessings soon. But just think about that. A day when you know God wants to bless you! Maybe that obedient surrender that my friend and I were talking about has to happen first. Then God can bless.

"If you love me, keep my commandments," He says in John 14:15.

And, "'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11).

I believe God offers that love and care to all of mankind. And this one, also from Jeremiah: "'Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'"

Blessings,

Wishing for a Magazine That Doesn't Exist. . .Yet

I love magazines. Sometimes I think that I blog because I'm pretending I'm a magazine mogul. It's been a lifelong regret that my college class schedule didn't allow me to take the Magazine Publication class offered at my school. It's the one that got away.

Reading the most recent issue of Christianity Today has me enraptured all over again. What is it about magazines in print form that still charm us, even when everyone's getting their news and gossip online?

Musing in this vein caused me to wonder, is there an excellent magazine for Christian teachers in public schools?

I've seen many publications for Christian teachers who teach in Christian schools. I've seen dozens of fine publications for teachers of all sorts who teach in public schools. But where's a magazine specifically geared toward public school teachers who hold to the Christian faith?

Why would such a magazine be important? For the same reasons blogs like this one and books like Dalene Vickery Parker's are important. Because Christian teachers in public schools need encouragement and help from each other. Sometimes they need perspective. Sometimes they need legal advice. Sometimes they need assurance, or fresh ideas, or a reminder why they're in this calling to begin with.

Could such a magazine make a go of it? Would it succeed and thrive? I don't suppose anyone in publishing would recommend launching a print magazine of any kind right now. The market for magazines is not steady, with print subscriptions down significantly. Online subscriptions are on the rise, though, experts say. One of the biggest hurdles is competition from free online media, complete with video content. According to Thad McIlroy on The Future of Publishing, "The shift of ad dollars to the web is perhaps the biggest problem facing broad-circulation magazines today."

I don't know if my imagined magazine would succeed in print form in today's market. If someone would launch it, though, I know what it should look like.

The magazine would be glossy and image-filled. Everything in its pages would offer encouragement, beauty in the midst of harsh realities, and direction for Christian teachers in public schools. Profile articles would follow teachers who are navigating the stormy waters of America's schools well. Intelligent reporting would cover the news on religious freedom issues, education trends, and conferences worth attending. And many voices would be heard, with many perspectives on the issues that face teachers today. It would be a magazine for every Christian who teaches in public schools.

I don't know why the blog post on this topic right now. Like I said, it's on my mind. But so is Luke chapter one, where two women were blessed by God and given children miraculously even as their little corner of the world experienced a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Maybe this magazine is not a reality yet, but maybe God will bring it to pass. Maybe I need to start praying.

What magazines do you love? Does a magazine like the one I'm describing exist? Please leave a comment.

A Call to Christian Teachers

'. . .your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left. And you will defile your graven images overlaid with silver, and your molten images plated with gold. You will scatter them as an impure thing, and say to them, “Be gone!”'

Isaiah 30:20b-22

The headlines are bleak. The world is shifting. It's easy to be discouraged by the way Christians specifically and Conservatives generally are being actively targeted. The Left is stepping up its game. Where is God?

The passage from Isaiah 30 is a glimpse of God's heart for Israel, and by extension, for Gentile believers. The world can shift its values, but we are asked not to follow--not to turn to the right or to the left. In fact, we are to live lives that are purer and higher, defiling our own idols, scattering them, disowning them. In a time when the world has disowned the concept of Sin, we are asked to be iconoclasts, smashers of idols.

The idols we have allowed ourselves have to go. Whatever it is that takes our eyes off God and our God-given calling has to go. A big thing can be an idol--envy, lust, self. A little thing like an iPhone can make a very pretty idol, too.

The world doesn't know where it's going or what it's doing. It just wants to go anywhere, so long as it's away from God. It'll take us all with it if it can. We have to stand somewhere and draw a line. We have to walk a path that God has blessed: "This is the way, walk in it."

We have to make the decision for ourselves. I can't force you and you can't force me. I hope that when I'm no longer here and my children have to choose to live for God or live for idols, they'll choose the right path, the one Way.

And these are things I can't mull over with my students, since I am a public school teacher who abides by the law. If it means so much to me to light the way to God for others, how can I stay in this line of work? How can I be at peace when I have to hold my peace to keep my job?

The answer is faith. One of my heroes is Christian missionary martyr Jim Elliot, who said,

"Wherever you are, be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.”

We must do all for the glory of God and do it diligently. Examples abound of Christians who said not a word but were lights for the Gospel.

Another missionary hero, Olympic athlete Eric Liddell, said,

“I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast! And when I run I feel his pleasure.”

Are you a writer? Write for God, every word, whether it be a grocery list or an editorial. Are you a teacher? Teach for Him. Your students may not hear you speak of your God, but they will learn of Him by knowing you. Faith makes it possible. Teachers, we can't see the path to its end, but there will be a voice behind us saying, "This is the way, walk in it."

And we do not walk by sight. We walk by faith.

Teaching as Calling

Matthew 10:5-10

"These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support." (NASB)

Many times in my teaching career, I've wondered about God's call on my life and my conviction that teaching is part, but not all, of that calling. There's a part of me that longs to speak the Gospel to the lost and to edify the body of Christ more actively. Working in the public school environment, it's difficult to see how I'm doing either. "I'm not going anywhere, I'm not preaching, I'm not healing the sick, I'm not raising the dead, I'm not cleansing any lepers or casting out demons!" It takes faith to believe that He is, even so, at work in me and through me as a light to a dark world.

Teachers are often asked to consider their motivation for teaching. Are you in it for the money (Okay, that's just a joke. Moving on.)? Are you in it to help others? Are you in it for personal fulfillment? Are you in it for love?

I've often struggled to answer these questions honestly, even for myself. Saying I do it for the students is not enough for me. I do see in my interactions with students the gifts that God has given me--and many areas where the gifts need to be matured. God has given me a talent for teaching. He is also reminding me constantly that I have more to learn about using that talent effectively. The students are part of that process. They challenge me, motivate me, puzzle me, entertain me, put one over on me, annoy me, charm me, and teach me. The students are both my frustration and my delight every day.

Saying I teach for personal fulfillment may be closer to the truth. Every day I see God's blessing in giving me a profession that is intellectually stimulating. I am able to read and write and converse and challenge myself and be challenged by others, and I get paid to do it! I think, I grow, I change, I laugh, I cry, I learn. I learn to depend on God. Now that's a life I want to live, job or no job.

But there's more to my motivation for teaching. The way I view my life in Christ, teaching is one of the gifts God is developing in me as part of a larger whole. It is part of the journey and part of the destination, but there is more. What is that "more"? God knows. It's an overall path, set out with purpose and care before I ever came to be. I hope you know this sense of God's purpose for your life. It is written all over the Bible, intertwined with themes of God's love and wisdom and grace.

What if I don't have a clear sense of where I'm going on this path God has given me to walk? That's the essence of faith--"the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1 NASB). I believe God is preparing me for intense ministry. It doesn't matter what that ministry is--He knows, and He is already watching over it. Teaching? It's part of the preparation for service. It is also service now. And there are some parts of the puzzle that I can know now.

For one, I am ministering to "lost sheep." Matthew 10:42 says,

“And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”

Teach those kids. Give them a drink. God is watching over these simple actions of service. Do them in His name.

For another, I have received freely. "Freely give." In teaching in the public school, I show the world that God has given freely to me, and that the great gift of His salvation prompts me to give freely to others through sacrificial teaching. And teaching is a sacrifice, or else no one would ask why we do it.

For another, I know it's not for the money anyway. "Do not acquire gold." "Or even two coats." It's not about the paycheck. The paycheck is not enough. God is enough. His salvation is enough. I will share it however I can.

Don't be frustrated or ashamed when you wrestle at times with doubts about your motivation for teaching. Don't leave the profession simply because you can't see the good you are doing. As Christians, we ought to look at the world as a place where the invisible is more important than the visible.

In Colossians 2, Paul urges believers to think less about functions of earthly society--the celebration of feasts and what other people think about our celebration or abstinence from celebration--and more about the world to come:

"Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day—things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ."

Other people may concern themselves about why you do what you do. Your task is to leave their judgment to God and set your eyes on the invisible--the coming kingdom of God. Ask Him to give you peace about your calling. He will be faithful to complete it in you.

Welcome

Am I alone?

If you have ever wondered if you are the only Christian teacher trying to honor God while teaching in a public school, I hope this blog will encourage you. The Bible verse near the blog title speaks to me of the sense of spiritual bondage that can go with this territory:

". . .the word of God is not bound." II Tim. 2:9b

While we as teachers are not literally imprisoned like Paul was, our words are to some degree bound. There are laws we have to follow. There are things we can and cannot say. If you have chosen to teach in the public school system, you most likely know and accept these facts. So how can a Christian really be devoted to the service of God and not proclaim Him? Paul assures us that we may be bound, but the Word of God is still free. God doesn't need human authority to move. How you will see this promise fulfilled as you abide by the law of the land may surprise you. Believe that God will accomplish His purpose, even in an environment where red tape is more prevalent than copier misfeeds.

Another verse that has helped me came to me during an important transition in my career. I had been a stay-at-home mom for several years after not being rehired to my teaching job. Being honest with myself, I didn't even know if I ever wanted to teach again. But God didn't see it that way. Without my ever putting out a resume, I found myself preparing for a job interview that fell into my lap. I had been meditating on the Book of Acts, and God seemed to be telling me, "Get ready. I have a job for you."

It had been so long since I had worked full-time that I did not immediately think "job" meant a teaching job. I thought maybe I would be asked to teach Sunday School or start a women's Bible study. My husband was the one seeking full-time work.

Then he called and told me he had just completed his interview at a charter school--and not been hired. "They just hired a history teacher," he said, "but they need an English teacher. I told them to talk to you."

Me, teach high school? I had little experience teaching students above fourth grade. And I would have to pursue a second teaching certificate. And was I really ready to teach again?

In His goodness, God reassured me. The verse He sent was Acts 18:10,

"For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city."

It was a reminder that I would not be the only Christian on staff if I took this job. It proved to be true. I can look back on many times when coworkers, fellow believers, listened to me, prayed with me, and supported me through tough times. I was not alone. Neither are you. God has led you to your present place, and He will lead you when it's time to move on.

I hope you will seek help and encouragement in Christ Jesus for each new day. You are a beacon to a darkening world.