You Poor Little Rich People

Most people work during the holidays. Some even work on Christmas and New Year's. While it may not be fun, these are the lives we choose for ourselves. If we do not show up we will most likely get fired for not doing our job. Most individuals who report during the holidays have really important jobs. Doctors, firemen, policemen, politicians. Wait, what? Politicians? But they are too good to have to work up until Christmas. I mean, c'mon! It's one of the two most holiest holidays according to Sen. Kyl a Republican from Arizona. Hey, Mr. Kyl did you know that the 300 million Americans that live here are not all Christian? Crazy, I know. Nevertheless, even if we were all Christian would it matter? NO. Here's why: One, you are an elected official who serves the people. Right now there is a large legislative agenda on the table including the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell and you're worried about Christmas?? I love Christmas, but even I know when some things are a little more important than that. I'm sure your families will all be there before, during, and after Christmas.
Before you complain about working up until Christmas do me a favor. I want you to think about those individuals who will not be home for the holidays, most notably those soldiers who are still off fighting for our freedom. Some of those soldiers are no doubt waiting on the Senate to change a dumb policy that should never have existed in the first place. Also think about those who don't even have a home and may be spending Christmas on the streets. Or those kids who won't get any presents, or those who will be in a soup kitchen, or those who are in prison. Do you get the picture yet? NO ONE, and I do mean no one, will feel one bit sorry for your work schedule. Last time I checked the Senate is in session roughly half a year? Hmmm. Public officials should be working for their people, not enraging them, please stop being babies. While not all Senators have been complaining, there should be none! You know, a lot of people do not like politicians, this definitely does not help your cause.

A Problem with Professing

My last real semester of college is turning out to be one of the most frustrating of my career. It is influenced, no doubt, by the increasingly growing case of senioritis that has been developing since the first time I set foot on campus. But now, the end is in sight and it cannot come soon enough. However, with just under a month left, the finish line has never seemed further away. In many ways this is the most challenged I have felt on an academic level in some time. And ironically, it is not the academics that are tripping me up. We have all encountered problems we cannot solve, equations that will not balance, and papers that do not meet the desired word count. All of those can be figured out with just a little more effort, though. What do you do when you really believe you are not the issue?

If you have ever taken a college class with a real, elbow patch, same outfit every day professor, then you know how large their egos can be. AND more importantly, you realize that their training is in academia, NOT teaching. Just because you are an expert in an area does not mean that you can teach that to a room full of students and expect them to understand it. And what's worse is that they are too egotistical to even start listening to suggestions on how to improve the class. Professors may have it the easiest of all the people on campus and yet they tend to not want to work harder on the one thing they should be doing best: instructing. Lecture, lecture, lecture, lecture, lecture, lecture, lecture, and yes, more lecture. In a class of hundreds of students maybe this is the only way to present material, but maybe not. Surely in the many many years that these higher education institutions have been in existence there have been some suggestions on how to spruce up the learning process. But undoubtedly in those situations the professors would not want to take away from hearing their voice for less than the allotted 75 minutes.

I want to make a pledge to my future students who walk into my classroom. There will never be a time when my preferences or wants are more important than yours. It does not matter if I think something is interesting, YOU have to find it interesting as well. And if many of you do poorly on a test or assignment I will not be ignorant to the fact that maybe it was because you did not study hard enough, it is probably because I did a poor job of teaching you the material. I will also make it so that grades are not life or death for you and you can focus on improving in progressive steps rather than stressing about acing every single assignment in order to do well. It is a new age. Students care less, they need more effort from all instructors to engage them in the material. If you think that's not a fair deal then do not enter the profession.

December 17th will mark the end of my student career and then I begin the transition into my professional career. I have never been more ready to begin a new journey and to start changing the way students learn. Some may say I am an idealist and what I want to do in the classroom cannot be done due to time and curriculum constraints, but that is when I say to those nay-sayers, it can be done if you try hard enough. It will be challenging for sure, but if I know in my heart that I am doing my best to give my students the most effective lessons possible, then I will have done my job.

Heroes

The other day while listening to my professor speak of one of his heroes, Kurt Vonnegut, it got me thinking about my heroes and what the word hero actually means. We all know about Superman and Spider-Man, but those are super heroes. Not the everyday heroes that can go overlooked. For many of us heroes come in the form of parents, grandparents, teachers, and it goes on. Normally, they are people who have been close to your life in some way, shape, or form. I believe that heroes must alter or affect our life in some way to be rightfully deemed a hero.

I think now, after 9/11, most people would undoubtedly say that firemen and service men like them, are heroes. A fair statement. I also believe that a hero is one who does not acknowledge or accept the fact that they are a hero. You would be hard pressed to find a fire fighter after 9/11 who agreed with the fact that they were a hero. They would most likely tell you that they were "just doing their job." There is also that sense that these individuals are not trying to be a hero. Listening to interviews, I have decided that people just want to help other people. They don't say, "I went into that burning building just so I could be called a hero and get a medal." I hope that I would be a person who would go in that burning building to help someone else just because they needed help.

So I ask you all to think about who your heroes are, why they are your heroes, and if you feel like you are living your life in a way that is heroic. I think if we all strive to be everyday heroes, people would be better off. The main thing is don't try too hard, listen to your instincts, understand what your conscience is telling you, and try to stay off the wrong side of the road. Finally, if you are ever in that unique situation in which you are the hero, take it like a hero, humbly, graciously, and respectfully.

This is the year!

It's September and that means only one thing, FOOTBALL!!! Tonight the Saints and Vikings open the NFL regular season. Old Man Brett is on his goodbye tour this year and Cajun Man Drew is on his repeat tour. Next year, a lockout is appearing more and more possible so we should all really try and enjoy this season lots and lots. As is the same with every fan of any sport and any team, the common mantra when starting a new season, this season is always the year when it's your team's turn to win it all. So while I'm saying there's always next year for the Cubs at this time, this is definitely the year for da Bears! But not really. For maybe the first time I am trying to realistic about this team's chances. While I think they'll do better than the 7-9 projection of Sports Illustrated, I think a playoff berth would be just fine, nothing more. I say this now, but we all know if they do indeed make the playoffs it's Super Bowl or Bust!

The defense added Dr. Peppers in the off-season and as long as the linebacking core can stay healthy, I like the defense to be improved from last season. The offense is the biggest question mark in possibly the entire NFL. Cutler has talent, lots of talent, but he just has no sense when it comes to making some throws. Pass it to the man in blue, man! The addition of Mike Martz will for sure make the team more pass happy, but if the QB can't get the ball to the receivers then that won't matter. SOOO we shall see. They open with the Lions and I am hoping that they win, a loss to Lions at the beginning of the year will just ruin all hope for a successful season.

I have this theory that making predictions will A: make me look dumb when the season ends, and B: only cause bad things to the teams I would have picked to be successful. So I will just throw a few things in without saying anything concrete. As always the Colts are going to be one of the premiere teams, they will be until Manning retires, I think the Jets are going to return a strong team as well. I like the Ravens to be a force on both sides of the ball with the addition of some big names at Wide Receiver and Joe Flacco's cannon. As for the NFC North, it is tough this year. The Vikes, Pack, and the Bears can all be quality teams and the Lions are even improved. Some have the Packers in the Super Bowl and crowning Rodgers as MVP, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Until Rodgers can do something in the playoffs, people in Green Bay will always know who the real MVP is. (Good call on that one by the way.)

I would just like to add a little bit on the College football season beginning as well. I love me some college football. After many years of undefeated season after undefeated season, Boise State is finally appearing to have gotten some respect in the polls. Pre-season they were ranked 3rd and after beating 10th ranked VA Tech, they are close to overtaking OSU at the number 2 spot. Go Broncos! If they do not get a title bid with an undefeated season this year I will lose all faith in college football. Also, TCU beat a ranked opponent and are now ranked 4th. How about a rematch of the Fiesta Bowl last year except this time it's for the National Championship? I can dream. I urge you all to find a big comfy couch, some snacks, a t.v. with little glare, some friends, and enjoy the season!

And on the Third Day...

Not being one who has been to many concerts, I truly believe that not many would top the one that Third Day gave in Terre Haute on Friday night. I think it is amazing that a band so hugely popular in their genre would even stop in this city in between shows and do one here. They even said it was the smallest crowd they had played for in a long while, but that did not make them seem any less enthused about performing for all of us. I thought the smaller sized crowd and venue was absolutely ideal. There was not a bad seat in the house and the whole experience was much more intimate.

The set list they played was almost perfect. While they negated to sing one of my favorites, all of the songs they sang were great. I almost never feel that way about concerts, or CD's, or set lists. There are always at least a couple songs that are just not what you like, but Third Day somehow evaded that. The only bad thing about the concert is that it ended. Also, Mac Powell has such a great voice live. Singing live has become somewhat of a lost art with all that can be done with altering voices now. It was refreshing to hear a band with true talent that almost mirrors their sound in the studio.

They also brought along their friend Trevor Morgan. Now usually opening acts can be a little lame and you just want them to finish so the main act can come on stage, but Trevor was different. All of his songs were also enjoyable, and his rendition of the Psalm 23 was absolutely amazing. I urge everyone to look into him. I had the chance to talk to him a little bit after the show and while he is not uber famous, it was still exciting to talk with someone who is sharing his great talents and love for God with the world.

Even if you are not a fan of Christian music, Third Day is definitely a band that can be liked by anyone. They have a wide variety of songs, powerful messages, great vocals, and what's better is that they all seem like really genuinely nice people. I want to thank them for coming to the Haute and putting on such a great show, I will definitely look to be seeing you again in concert.

Judgment Day

There is an old saying that almost every one has heard, "Don't judge a book by its cover." Meaning that you cannot tell what something is like based solely on appearances. We have heard this before, but do we take it seriously? I know I have judged people too quickly sometimes or judged them wrongly and have felt bad about it later. It is common nature to judge too quickly and to make assumptions about situations or people before one even knows them. What we are missing is tolerance. Some may say we are missing acceptance, but one need not accept something as long as they are able to aptly tolerate it. There is a story about Jesus meeting a woman at Jacob's well that fits well with this practice.

Jesus sat down by Jacob's well in Sychar where he encountered a Samaritan woman getting water from the well. Knowing full well of her sins and the woman's standing in her town, Jesus spoke to her anyway. Maybe even bigger than that was the fact that he was a Jew and she a Samaritan. In the process of speaking to her, Jesus reveals to her that he is the Messiah and if she drinks his water, she will never be thirsty again. Jesus accepted this woman for who she was, he did not reject for who he thought her to be, and in this case knew her to be before their encounter.

I believe that people pass judgment because it is easy. It can be hard to make an effort to try understand all points of view, all ways of life, and all decisions, but if more people did that, there may not be so much hate in this world. There are always going to be disagreements because all humans are different. I think we were all made different by God so that we could practice these habits in life. We don't always have to be right, or understand everything that happens, but making that effort is what makes the difference.

Another major part of my life is teaching social studies. The main focus in social studies is practicing good democratic values such as: tolerance, valid arguments, open mindedness, and others that go along those same lines. Looking at our democracy today, I do not see those values being emitted by the ones who it should be coming from. It is no wonder that this world still has not found the solution. There is no leader big enough and strong enough to preach these values... but wait, there is. Some people are just not listening.

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." - Galatians 3:28

Why Would He Do That??

We live in a world that is occasionally marred by tragedies, both natural and not, that shift the way we life. The one that most would say comes to mind is 9/11 and also Hurricane Katrina. These events allow for people to reflect, count their blessings, and adapt to a new situation. After events as these, there are inevitably those who ask, "How could God let this happen?" I am reading a book currently called The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. He briefly brought up this situation in one of his chapters and I thought it was a good twist on the question.

I think what people should be asking instead is "Why did we let this happen?" Maybe God is showing us how messed up our world still is and we need to take further steps to improve it all the time. There are always warning signs before terrible tragedies and if we ignore them, and many times that is the case, then what else can He do? I'm reminded of the story about the many who was in his house and a great flood came.

Before the flood comes, a man in a truck stops by at the house of another and asks him if he needs a ride to safety, the man replies, "No thank you, I am a praying man, a Christian and I believe God will protect and save me." Eventually the water rises and a boat comes by and asks the man if he would like to float to safety with them. The man replies, "No thank you, I am a praying man, a Christian and I believe God will protect and save me." The water floods his entire house and the man is on his roof when a helicopter comes by and asks him if he would like to be saved and flown to safety. The man replies with the same sentence as he gave the previous two rescuers. The man drowns and when he gets to Heaven he asks God, "I pray every day, live life as best I can to praise and believe in you, why didn't you save me?" God replies, "I sent you a truck, a boat, and a helicopter, what the heck were you waiting for?"

God knows about the tragedies that are going to strike us, and not being cruel, I believe He does His best to try and warn us about them before they get here. Whether we take heed of what He is trying to tell us will determine how severe the damage is. There are many issues facing the world right now and people know they exist but what is being done? Are these issues even being taken seriously? Global Warming is often scoffed at, but whether or not it is true, shouldn't we be trying to make our planet a healthier and cleaner place to live anyway? Let us not put all blame on God for tragedies. If there is something amiss the first person to look at when determining how to change something is yourself. There may be things that are definitely out of our control and some things we have no knowledge of, but what happens when we do have that knowledge could determine what happens next.