Turn Your Clocks Back

ClockOn the surface this can seem a little odd. To be on time, we have to actually turn time back. The reason for turning our clocks back once a year is to have more daylight hours at the beginning of our day opposed to the darkness that the changing season brings. As the days get shorter, we use this trick to adjust our lives to have the beneficial use of the sun more than we would if we didn’t “fall back”.

Today, I am announcing my petition to have the practice of turning our clocks back greatly expanded. Instead of just turning our literal clocks and watches back, my petition will suggest that we also adjust the clocks for the following:

Nov 01, 2009 | 6 comments | View Post

Time to Reboot?

 reboot1Just turn it off, and then back on. How many times have you heard this advice? If you’ve ever worked with computers or other complicated electronic gadgets, there comes a time when the only suggestion to correct a problem is to reboot. Just turn it off, and then back on.

Rebooting gives equipment the opportunity to reset itself to the ideal settings to carry out the ideal functions it was designed for. What happens internally is a mystery to me…but I know it works. :)

It seems to correspond with us in our carrying out the ideal functions we were designed for. Sometimes to move forward in our purpose we have to reboot; turn everything off and then back on. Sometimes when it’s obvious that we are not functioning at the highest level, we may need to reboot.

May 06, 2009 | 1 comment | View Post

You Can Do This!

raceSelf-limitations are just that; limitations we place on ourselves. The idea of being excellent in our service, revolutionary in our approach and far-reaching in our aims, can sometimes seem unattainable. Many times we relegate ourselves to staying within our zones of comfort because of quiet fears that we do not have what it takes to do more.

As teachers and leaders, the evidence is conclusive that to be most effective we must be able to grab and hold the attention of others and have a vision of taking them to places they have never been before.

Mar 09, 2009 | 4 comments | View Post

The 6 Million Dollar Man (or Woman)

“We can rebuild him — we have the technology”6-million-dollar-man

That’s the catch phrase from the 1970’s hit show named the 6 Million Dollar Man. (I’m dating myself :) ) The show was built around the bionic improvements made to a man who suffered severe injuries in an aircraft wreck. With 6 million dollars they were able to replace both of his legs, his right arm and left eye with bionic improvements of the same.

The character of the TV show, post surgery, could run at superhuman speeds, had super human strength and super human vision. In essence, he was an improved man with a greater ability to do good for mankind.

Improving on what one has is no less needed today. My lists for improvements for the New 6 Million Dollar Sabbath School Teacher are as follows:

Feb 16, 2009 | 9 comments | View Post

Memories and Regrets

memoriesThere are 2 things pretty certain in this life:
1) You’re going to be remembered for something
2) You’ll probably have some regrets

All of us are making silent, lasting impressions upon the many people we interact with from day to day. When people reflect back upon us will they do it with a sense of gratitude for knowing us or a sense of relief that we are not in their lives?

If the members in our classes had a discussion about us 5 or 10 years from now, what would they say? Would they have fond memories from being in our class? Will they rehearse positive, helpful lessons they heard from us. Will they recall a godly example and a character worth emulating? Only we can determine that.

Jan 30, 2009 | 5 comments | View Post

In Search of Teaching Excellence

Ex”cel*lence\, n
The quality of being excellent; state of possessing good qualities in an eminent degree;
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary

I remember a sports shoe commercial many years ago that featured Michael Jordan and Spike Lee. In the commercial Spike Lee was trying to determine what made Michael Jordan so good at the game of basketball. The key phrase used throughout the spot was “Is it the shoes?” While Michael simply answered “no” to the questions, the implication was that it was more than the shoes. Through closer investigation we learned that Michael Jordan worked tirelessly at his craft and that success was not instantaneous, but rather a process that he was dedicated to.

Similarly, when we see Sabbath School teachers that excel, we are tempted to ask in our own way, “is it the shoes?” Just what makes a person a teacher of excellence? Is it genetic? Is it the setting? Is it the topic? Or is it fate? Like Michael Jordan, teachers that excel share some of the same attributes.

Apr 22, 2008 | 0 comments | View Post