To the ends of the earth

And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.  Romans 8:27


One of the many reasons I enjoy working at my school is the diverse group of students I interact with each day. As I walk through the halls, meet with my classes, coach my team, or just sit in the lunchroom I see students who represent almost every corner of our planet. Many of these students are from families who sacrificed a great amount to move to the United States and some were born in another country and have come to our school with little knowledge of the English language. There are others who were adopted from far away countries by an American family and each of these has an amazing story. I am always interested in the stories of where they are from and what has lead them to where they now live.

Last semester I had a young Asian girl in one of my classes who has a uniquely American last name. From the first day of the semester I wanted to know her story. This young lady is a very small person who is less than five feet tall and has a very bashful but kind personality. It was evident from the first time I spoke with her that her family, regardless of where they are from, has done an excellent job of raising her to be a confident and kind person. One day, while sitting in church, I noticed this girl sitting with an American family that I see in church each Sunday but had never noticed my student as being part of their family. The father of this family is a very large man who stands well over six feet and four inches tall. When I saw my student with this family I immediately noticed the height difference between her and, who I would soon find out, her dad. After the church service I walked over to the family, introduced myself as their daughter’s teacher, and talked for a few minutes with the dad. A few days later at school I asked my student about her family and she quickly became less shy and told me all about the family that traveled to China when she was only eight weeks old to adopt her. She told me about the pictures she has at home of her enormous dad walking around the streets of Beijing with her in his arms. She told me about the special relationship she has always had with her dad and joked that their size difference had remained about the same since those first few days together in China. I told her that I could tell she has a special relationship with her dad and that her story was amazing. She said to me, “It’s cool to know that someone would come to the other side of the earth to find me”. I have heard families talk about traveling across the world to adopt a child from another country but I had never heard a child be so thankful that a family, especially her dad, would come so far to find her. I realized that she not only sees this large man as her dad but as a hero that traveled across the planet to find her as a baby girl. They obviously have a bond that was formed because of the sacrifice of a man for a little girl.

I have thought about her comment since that day and she soon become one of my all-time favorite students. Her comment also made me think about our Heavenly Father who waits patiently for us, gently pulls at our heart to accept Him, and will search for us to the ends of the earth. And just like this young girl’s father, when He makes us one of His own, He will never let us go. 

Chad

Full of Light

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.  Matthew 6:22

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,  Ephesians 1:18

One of the great qualities that my children have in common is their eyes. Their eyes are not exactly the same color but they have each been blessed with beautiful eyes. When my son was born the first thing I noticed about him was his blue eyes. It seemed like everywhere we would go people would stop us and comment about his blue eyes. My daughter's eyes are equally beautiful with a little bit different color, but they tell all you need to know about her. Her eyes tell what is in her heart.

Our eyes tell what is inside of us and we are told in Matthew 6:22 that our eyes are the lamp of our body. If our eyes are healthy, our whole body will be full of light. I don’t believe this means our vision is perfect but people can look at our eyes and see the depths of our heart. Our eyes are mentioned over 500 times throughout the bible. We are warned about allowing our eyes to view anything that will harm our heart and soul and we are told to let others see Jesus in our eyes. Our eyes are the most important part of our body. We have to work daily to protect our eyes from the harmful visions that are around us in our world. We also have to work hard sometimes to make our light shine through our eyes regardless of the pressures of life or the trials we may be going through.

I prayed today and asked God to open my eyes to the bad in this world and to give me the strength to stand against it and to protect my family and friends. I also asked Him to always make my eyes shine so others will see the Jesus that lives in my heart. Also, to use my eyes to see what is inside another person’s heart. He will help us look past the outward appearance and see the depth of a person. Ask Him to open your eyes so others will see His Son, but also so you will clearly see the plan He has for you.

Chad

Finish

You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? Galatians 3:1-3

One of the most difficult jobs of an offensive line coach is to train your guys to finish. Being able to finish a workout, a drill, a play, or a game requires being physically conditioned, understanding your job, and having a nasty attitude sometimes. With most guys, I have to constantly do drills and point out when they did not finish a play. Many times, as we are watching film of practice or games, I will see a player start exactly the way I want him to, but something happens during the 3-4 seconds of the play. He loses the technique that made him successful at the start of the play and worst of all he loses the intensity that gave him a good start. The defensive player will get away from his block and make the tackle. If the offensive lineman had only finished the play our team would have been successful. Instead of celebrating a great block and a touchdown, we are listening to the defense celebrate. All he had to do was finish in the same strong way he had started.

In the verses above Paul is writing to the Galatians. They had started out strong in their faith and believed in the saving power of Jesus because of what they had witnessed and heard about. They were spreading God’s word and living lives that were pleasing to Him. As time had passed, and they probably faced many difficulties, they began to become more concerned with following the Jewish laws. They were losing focus on what had saved them and began to think they could do it their own way. They had been saved by the power of Jesus and not because they were following the laws. As Paul says to the Galatians, “After beginning by means of the spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh”?

As Christians we sometimes have the same attitude. We were saved and we started out strong. We did all the fundamentals correctly. We read our bible, we prayed, and we were excited about what God was doing in our lives. But as time passed and the excitement wore off, we began to forget the fundamentals. As we were faced with difficulties we tried to handle them on our own instead of trusting in the God who had protected us and provided for us for so long.

I prayed today that I would refocus on the fundamentals. I prayed that I would regain the intensity about Christ that will allow Him to make a difference in my life and in the lives of the people I meet.


Chad

The Warrior's Arrow

Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. 4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. 5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. Psalm 127:3-5

For a warrior to have the best chance of surviving a battle he knew to always have a quiver full of arrows. As he defended himself, his home, or his city he knew that some arrows would hit their intended target but others would get caught in the wind and miss. Others may hit something else and veer off course from their target. As parents, all we can do is point our children in the right direction and let them go. They may miss the intended target, may get caught in a sudden gust of wind and veer off course for a while, and may hit the bulls eye. All God asks us to do is point the arrow, let them go, and let Him control the flight. Sometimes the warrior had to hold his arrow back until the target was in better sight and the shot could be made. It took a lot of strength and patience to hold the arrow in the ready position and wait for the right time to shoot. Parents have to hold their children back sometimes until the wind has calmed down or the target is in full view.

God also uses our children to teach us how to love someone unconditionally, how to sacrifice our comfort sometimes, how to truly have faith, and most of all, to pray continually. In Psalm 3, God tells us that children are a heritage and a reward from Him. Without them we do not learn to have faith, to trust, and to give totally of ourselves. I pray every day and thank God for putting my children in my life. Of all the people on this earth, He chose me to be their dad. I also pray that my wife and I have pointed them in the right direction, carefully chosen the correct time, and let them go when they were ready.

At this time of year many parents, including me and my wife, are preparing to send a child to college. For most of us, this time of life has arrived much faster than we had expected and we probably think of something each day that we have forgotten to teach our child before they leave our house. I prayed today to have faith that God has prepared my child for this new stage of life. I also prayed for God to use this time in the life of my family to draw us closer than ever and for the bond that holds us together to grow even stronger. I pray He will do the same for your family.

Chad

Give All You Have

41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44

I read the verses from Mark and I realized that this story is talking about much more than giving part or all of our financial earnings. God directs us to give a percentage of the financial blessings He gives us back to Him, and we all should. However, in these verses I think He is talking about much more than money. In those days a widow was left on her own to care for herself. As a lady, she would not be allowed to work or own land. She had no way to earn money for food, clothing, and shelter. The two coins that she gave as an offering were not only all she had but were also probably all she would get for a long time. It took a lot of faith for her to give away all she had without knowing what her future would hold. The wealthy people in the crowd only gave a small portion of their financial wealth but the widow gave all she owned. She did not hold anything back. I believe God also wants us to give all we have in every area of our lives. He wants us to give all we have to our jobs, our sports, our schools, our teams, our families, and to Him. Don’t hold anything back for another day. Do your best and give all you have today and let Him worry about tomorrow.

I can picture in my mind, the plate where the people were placing their offerings. It was probably filled with large coins worth hundreds of dollars, expensive jewelry that could be sold for a large amount, and the two small coins. The two copper coins were worth only a few cents but I bet they shined brighter than all the others in the plate. If we give all we have, in everything, we will shine brighter than all the others and the lost people will be drawn to us. 

Chad