Ryan's Ramblings

Reading...Why?

"It is impossible to read too much, but always keep before you why you read.  Remember that 'the need to receive, recognize, and rely on the Holy Spirit' is before all else."  

      -Oswald Chambers, Approved Unto God

 On the front wall of every elementary classroom I ever taught in I posted the slogan, "Readers are Leaders."  For seven years of my life I enjoyed the immense privilege of working as a teacher of elementary school students.  Reading was a high priority in my classroom.  I did everything I could to encourage my students to read.  I read books aloud to them, I talked with them about books that I was reading, I celebrated the books they were reading... I modeled for them a love of reading.  (It was easy, because I love to read.)  I told my students that if they ever had a spare moment in the classroom I wanted them to do one of three things--they could either (1) Read, (2) Read, or (3) Read.  (Fourth graders love this kind of stuff.)  I believed that reading would make my students better readers, better writers, better communicators and ultimately, influential people (leaders).

As a Christ follower, reading plays an important role in my spiritual formation and growth.  I love reading the Bible, books about the Bible and books about God's presence and work in and through the lives of people around the world.  My reading habit goes beyond the "religious" genre.  I read poetry, fiction, memoir, history, philosophy, biography and sometimes (but not often enough) I even read the directions.  As a Christian, I read so I can grow in Lord and so I can help others along the way in their spiritual journey with Jesus. 

Reading is a good thing and it is important, but Oswald Chambers reminds me that for a Christ follower there is something more important--the Holy Spirit.  Reading feeds the mind, but the Holy Spirit feeds and guides the heart.  The life of the mind, with all of its search for truth, analysis of facts, diverse viewpoints, critical thinking and intellectual creativity is delightful, but is subsidiary to the life of the heart.  Reading, learning and knowing are good (and from God), but "... 'the need to receive, recognize, and rely on the Holy Spirit' is before all else."  I like what Paul says in Ephesians 4:30 regarding the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian:

"His [God's] Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself." (MSG)  

As a Christian read all you can, but always keep before you the question, "Why do I read?"  Do you read to acquire knowledge?... to gain power?  (It has been said that "knowledge is power.")  Do you read to become more Christlike?  Do you read to gain wisdom?  Do you read with your heart in mind?  The writer in Proverbs 4:23 refers to the heart (not the mind) as the "wellspring of life."

Why do you read?  Do you read to "lead" or to be "led"?  As Christians, I believe that we are called to do both.  In the life of the mind and in the life of the heart we are to rely on the Holy Spirit "before all else," allowing God to make us "fit for Himself."

I still like the slogan, "Readers are Leaders," but thanks to Oswald Chambers I have a new slogan to add to the wall of my classroom and/or office:

"It is impossible to read too much, but always keep before you why you read."

2020...oops, I mean 2010

This morning, as I was making an entry in my journal, I accidently typed the number 2020 in as the year on the date rather than 2010.  The year 2020 looked weird to me and seeing the numbers on the paper caused me to pause a moment and think about the fact that in just a very short time I will be typing 2020 for real—that is, if the Lord allows me the privilege.

My typing of the year 2020 sparked some thoughts and questions in my heart and mind:  “Where will I be and what will I be doing in 2020 and what am I going to do with the next ten years of my life?”  This led me to the broader question of, “What am I going to do with the next twenty-five years of my life?

It has been nearly a quarter of a century since I graduated from college and if I am granted a life of three score and ten years (or four score, if I have the strength) then I have twenty-five more years of life to work, serve the Lord and live on this earth.  In some respects I am only half way through my working/professional life.  I find this thought encouraging as I truly feel that I am just getting started.

I have just enough experience in life, work and ministry to know that there is so much that I don’t know.  I am hungry for learning and growth, and I am committed to helping others along the way in their journey of life and faith.  I have finally realized that I can do all things through Christ and can really mess things up without Him.  I want to be a good and Godly husband to my wife, father to my two precious daughters, friend, brother, son, leader, teacher and person.  I want to finish this DMin degree in leadership (…just a few more chapters to write…) and I want to be available to God—“Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.”

As I think about life and time on this earth my mind goes to Moses’ words in Psalm 90.  He reminds me that life has its share of trouble and sorrow and as David Roper says, “Time flies and so do we.”  However, at this moment, I have the luxury and opportunity of time, life and health and I need to remember that each moment of every day matters.  Moses says that it is in the numbering of our days, the recognition of their presence, worth and privilege, that we gain a “heart of wisdom.”  I want to live wisely and well.

Moses says to number our days—not our weeks, months or years—but rather, our days.  Just as a DMin dissertation is written one word at a time and a building is built one brick at a time, so our lives are determined, established and lived one day at a time. 

So today I am going to quit thinking about ten years from now, or even twenty-five years from now, and instead I am going to focus on... today; I am going to borrow the words of Moses and pray: “May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon me; and establish the work of my hands,” and with the help of the backspace bar and the delete key I am going to change the typo of “2020” in my journal to “2010.”

 

First Day of School

Here is a link to a little note that I sent out to the TCIS staff on the first day of school.

Download First Day of School Aug 2010

The Best Time

I used to be an elementary school teacher and I used to note and talk about days like Arbor Day with my students.  One year we even planted a tree in the middle of the school playground.  Last Friday was Arbor Day in my home state of Idaho.  I like trees.  I like the paper they supply, the wood they furnish for homes and the beauty and shade they provide in life.

An Arbor Day related quote I recently came across has me thinking this morning.  Here it is:

"The best time to plant a tree is twenty-five years ago. . . The second best time is today."

In our lives there is not much that can be done in and with the past, especially with those things that we regret.  If we are smart we will learn from the past and then let the rest go.

In Lamentations 3 I find some amazing words from the story of God.

The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words.

I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss.

Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!  His mercies never cease.

Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.

I say to myself, "The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!"

What we did or didn't do twenty-five years ago may or may not be easily dismissed by us.  But I am convinced that God is not nearly as hung up on our past as we are.  His mercies are new every morning and He wants us to look to Him and live in Him today.

Arbor Day has come and gone in Idaho.  Jesus tells us that "Today is the day of salvation."  Because of God's mercy, today is the best time for us to look to Him.  Let God plant a tree of hope in your heart today.

Don't

The last half of Ephesians chapter 4 is chock full of a whole bunch of "don'ts."

• don't be rebellious
• don't lie
• don't pretend to be something you're not
• don't seek revenge
• don't stay angry
• don't drive angry (sorry, that's not from Eph. 4, it's from the movie, Groundhog Day)
• don't steal
• don't use foul language
• don't talk bad about people
• don't hold a grudge

All of these "don'ts" are good advice--even the "don't drive angry."  But I think they pale in comparison to the "don'ts" of verse 30 in Ephesians 4.

"Don't grieve God.  Don't break his heart.  His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself.  Don't take such a gift for granted." (MSG)

Maybe you should read that again...

Do you realize the immensity of that verse?  What a gift.  You were made to have the Spirit of God living within your heart and throughout your life.  Anything less simply breaks the heart of God.  You were made for so much more. 

You know as well as I do that there are many more "don'ts" that we could add to the list above.  Even the most harmless of them become grievous if they grieve God.  Take Paul's advice--if you are even thinking about dabbling in something that will be detrimental to the most intimate part of your life...Don't.

The Day After Easter

The other day I was talking to a friend of mine that lives in China.  She is a teacher and said that she was looking forward to a four day Easter weekend.  She had Friday off for Good Friday and Monday off for Tomb Sweeping Day. 

Tomb Sweeping Day?  Of course I Googled it.  Here is what I found:

“Tomb Sweeping Day or Ching Ming Festival  ("Pure Brightness Festival") is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the 106th day after the winter solstice, which occurs on April 4 or April 5 of the Gregorian calendar.  It marks the middle of spring and is a sacred day of the dead.  For the Chinese, Tomb Sweeping Day is primarily a festival for remembering, honoring and worshiping ones' ancestors.”

This year, due to the calendar, Tomb Sweeping Day falls on the Monday following Easter Sunday.  That is today for me.  This morning I didn’t wake up to a day off.  I am headed to work--hopeful.  I don’t plan on spending the day in the graveyard offering food and worship to my ancestors.  Rather, I plan on living for and worshiping Jesus. 

Because, as the angel at the tomb said, “He is not here.  He is risen!”

Teachable

Proverbs 12:15 says,

"Fools think their own way is right,

but the wise listen to others."

I try to read a chapter of Proverbs every morning.  I have been doing this a long time and every day I am challenged to consider my ways and to incorporate some of the wisdom that I find in the book into my life.

I find it amazing that Solomon, the writer of Proverbs and the wisest person who ever lived, says time and again that it is the wise who seek counsel and it is the wise who listen to others.

In other words, the wise among us are those that put away their pride and who are teachable.

Last February I spent a week at an orphanage in India and during my days there I had the privilege of teaching some Math and Science lessons to a group of 5th graders who lived at the orphanage.   What a delight that was for me.  The students sat up on the edge of their seats drinking in every word of "wisdom" that I had for them.  They were ready to answer questions, participate in the lessons and they were quick to listen.

There is a time to talk and a time to listen.  Listening puts us in a position where we are able to be taught--teachable.

I have so much to learn from the Holy Spirit, King Solomon and those precious orphans in India.  As I put away my pride and live in a teachable manner, I hope that I am a delight to the ultimate teacher--God.

Tuesday Night

It is almost eleven o'clock at night.  I just got home from work for the second time this evening.  I got called away from my home earlier in the evening to go and help solve a problem at one of our school's campus dormitories.  It is late, I am tired and I should be justifiably "grouchy" about putting in a sixteen hour day, but instead I am brimming over with gratitude towards God.

At the International School in South Korea where I work, we board nearly 220 students.  I got called into one of our high school dormitories this evening to assist the Residence Director with a potentially serious situation.  The issue was resolved rather quickly and as I was walking out the front door of the dormitory, headed for home, I noticed the dorm students gathering in the recreation room for a time of late night Bible study and prayer.  I decided to stay.

As the kids gathered and sat on couches, chairs and pillows throughout the room many of them said "hello" to me and acted surprised to see me in their "home."  The evening devotional time was simply a time of silent prayer as the R.A. on duty strummed quietly on her guitar.

As I sat there praying with a bunch of 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade boys and girls from different places, experiences and cultures throughout the world, I quickly realized that I was in a place that many would call "holy ground." 

Tonight I sat and prayed with children of missionaries whose parents are serving in very "dark" places in the world.  The kids know much better than I of struggle and sacrifice and they know what a privilege it is to be attending school and living in safety in a dormitory with friends and adults that care about them and love them.

I prayed with teenagers who are essentially, "on their own."  They have been living away from their upwardly mobile, affluent parents for years and they are tasked with the responsibility of achieving educational success and subsequently a "ticket" to the good life of Western Education.  They are alone except for the fact that they have dorm parents, good friends and God.

For me there was something special about praying with these kids tonight.  As I prayed, I wondered what the students were thinking about and praying for.  Tears filled my eyes as I remembered the joys, the pain, the fears and the questions that filled my teenage heart so long ago.  Tonight God reminded me that He was with me then and he is with the students in the dorm now. 

God also reminded me that He is with me now too.

It is late. The house is quiet.  My wife and daughters are asleep and I have had a long day.  I am tired, but I am not feeling alone, discouraged or justifiably grouchy.  Rather, I am at peace.  I know that God is with me, He loves me and I am thankful.

By the way, He loves you too.  G'nite.

Taxi Thoughts...

I had just spent a fantastic three day vacation, with my family and some friends, on a beach on the Southern tip of the South Korean peninsula.

I was in a taxi with my daughter Becca and her friends, on the way from the hotel in Busan to the train station.  We were beginning the journey home.  In the back seat the kids were all bemoaning the fact that they had to go back to school and do lots of schoolwork, projects etc.  This made me think about my own responsibilities that I had to face upon returning from vacation.  As I listened to the kids and to my own thoughts of anxiety and dread regarding the "real life" responsibilities that I had to return to, I realized that the good time that I had just had was beginning to recede in my mind.

I don't think this is right.  Real life and worries should not be allowed to consume our minds so that we forget the blessings of God in our lives.

There is always a real life to return to after a time of goodness, joy and blessing in our lives.  God does not want us to allow these pressures to overshadow his presence in our lives.  I want to remember the blessings, continue to smile at the memories of Busan and savor the time that I had together with my family and my friends in that place.  I can't allow the pressures of real life to cloud my thinking and blind me from the goodness that God has bestowed into my life.

As I think about it--most people in the world will never have a time like I just spent in Busan with my family and friends.  Along with that, most people in the world will never have the opportunity to feel the pressure and responsibility of the challenges that I am facing in life.  I have a challenging yet fulfilling job; I am working on a graduate degree and have some deadlines looming; I have many relationships and friendships to maintain and invest in...all of this is weighty...but oh such a privilege. 

I pray that God will help me to see things this way.  I now understand a bit better Jesus' comment that "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven."

God help me to live a life of gratitude and to keep my mind and heart fixed on you.

Life to the Hilt

“Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be in the will of God.”—Jim Elliot

These are the words of a man who lived his life in the light of the Resurrection.  Just over fifty years ago Jim Elliot and four missionary companions were speared to death on a remote river beach in Ecuador, South America.  The missionaries were there to share the gospel of Jesus Christ—the Risen One—with the Auca Indian tribe.  They gave their lives to share with others about the God who is greater than death.  In the light of the Resurrection, they found the freedom to truly live.

How are you living your life?  Are you living in freedom?  As the sun rises over the empty tomb on this Easter morning are you living in the light of the Resurrection?  Are you living to the hilt your life and your situation in God?  Regardless of where you are, what your condition, or whom you are with—you can live your story fully and completely for Jesus Christ—leaving the details to be played out in the eternal light of the Resurrection.

Today, the Auca Indian tribe exists as a community of Christ followers.  The warriors who brandished the machetes and spears so long ago are now preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to their own people and to neighboring tribes.  Some of the warriors have passed on from this life and are now walking the streets of heaven with Jesus, Jim Elliot and the other missionaries.  In the light of the Resurrection, their story continues—and so does ours.  Eternity will tell the stories of our lives.

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain that which he cannot lose.”—Jim  Elliot

He is Risen!  Live life to the hilt.