Blog Archives

Learned Helplessness

1/28/2024

Learned helplessness runs rampant among people of all ages. it is especially potent in children.

Take a few minutes to watch this video:

Now for some questions:

In what areas of one's life might there be learned helplessness?
Who initiates learned helplessness? Teachers? Peers? Bosses? Parents?
How is learned helplessness avoided?
How is learned helplessness reversed?
Is the opposite also true? Do people learn how to be capable by feeling success?
Where are you in different subject matter? Academics? Relationships? Spiritual matters?

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Quote: Hoggattism

1/27/2024

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"Teach history; influence the future."
(D. Ed. Hoggatt)

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Takeaways from Observing Student Teachers

1/26/2024

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I posted these articles, last year, amid observations of student teachers from Pittsburg State University in Southeast Kansas. I felt like some student teachers were just missing some of the confidence they needed to give them stamina in the field of education. They student teachers were quite capable, but needed to tweak their skills to become more than capable. If you are a teacher or are going to be a teacher, the following series of articles may speak to you:

Takeaways from Observing Student Teachers I
Takeaways from Observing Student Teachers II
Takeaways from Observing Student Teachers III
Takeaways from Observing Student Teachers IV
Takeaways from Observing Student Teachers V
Takeaways from Observing Student Teachers VI

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Apply the Word: Greeting

1/25/2024

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If we want to show someone that the church of Christ is in the Bible, or if we want to say anything about greeting, we automatically go to Romans 16:16: “Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.” In fact, turn to Romans 16 and we’ll take a closer look.

Don’t you think the church building should be a welcoming place? The building can be as warm and pretty as we want to make it…but it isn’t until we have a warm and friendly church (the people) that people will feel accepted. I imagine that every one of us has visited a church service or Bible class where we did not feel accepted. It didn’t feel like you belonged there. It didn’t feel like the regulars knew you were a visitor. That church was cold and unwelcoming, and you felt distant and ignored.

As members of the Lord’s church, we must not allow that to be the case. We are familiar with one another passages in Scripture. In fact, the command to “love one another” is the most frequently written. Plus, believe it or not, “Greet one another with a holy kiss” comes in second as far as the number of times it is repeated. Two apostles write in five letters to “Greet one another with a holy kiss.”

Hopefully, by now, you understand that this is simply a way to tell us to greet each other with warmth. The word holy emphasizes that this kiss (or handshake or hug) has no sexual overtones, but that it is a pure and meaningful greeting. What we need to see, however, is that it is an imperative. Through inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we are commanded by Paul and Peter to take initiative and approach people. Don’t wait for somebody to make the first move. A friendly person acts first.

Too often, we make it into a game. We test our friends. We say to ourselves, I’m not talking to anyone until they talk to me first. We test them. And that’s a game we will lose every time!

Follow along with Paul in Romans 16 (because the 16th verse doesn’t stand alone). If you are good at counting, you may find as many as 16 times that the apostle uses the word greet in just the first 15 verses. In fact, he greets by name a total of 26 individuals or groups.

But let’s not become so rigid. It is a command, but that’s not the only reason we should each become greeters. We should never think, The only reason I’m being friendly to these people is because Paul says I have to. We could easily create a list of practical methods by which we can improve our greeting skills, but there are some great reasons for the command. Let’s see four of them in action.

First of all, when we greet people, it is because we want to acknowledge them. I don’t care how introverted or extroverted a person is, no one wants to be ignored or unnoticed. It’s interesting to break down Paul’s list of 26 people and groups in Romans sixteen. In verses 3-7, Paul extends his hand to break all kinds of cultural barriers. Half of the people on his list are either slaves or women. They have very little to offer in regards to their status - very little influence or power, but Paul reaches out to them. Some are Gentiles. Some are Jews. Some are even Romans (since we’re in the letter that is written to Romans), but Paul acknowledges them all. Every person on that list is important and needs to realize that Paul cares enough to mention them by name.

Next, when we greet people, we commend them. The example for this is in the first two verses of Romans 16. Just look at how the apostle treats Phoebe when he recommends her. It is the kind of behavior from us that turns someone’s bad day into a good one. You know from experience that a friendly smile or a cheerful greeting can brighten your day and make it easier to bear. How does it feel to know that somebody is genuinely happy to see you? No one should feel lonely, neglected, or overlooked in the church of Christ.

Thirdly, this is how we express affection. A holy kiss, as in verse 16, is more than a dead-fish handshake or a robotic greeting. Just as a kiss is an intimate exchange, our greeting should be more than a routine that we go through just because it’s a command and we have to do it in order to comply. Human touch is valuable to people. Shaking hands, hugs, pats on the shoulders - all are desirable for human interaction. Jesus reached out to people who were otherwise untouchable. Physically, lepers were contagious, but that didn’t stop Jesus. Kids were annoying to some, but Jesus wanted them close by. He even ate with tax collectors and treated them like friends. If you were visiting a congregation who welcomed you and made you feel special - perhaps even like a member of the family - wouldn’t you be more inclined to return?

And finally, related to the first three reasons, in our greetings, we help others (as well as ourselves) overcome isolation. The church took a hit when COVID swept the world into quarantine, and some people never returned, preferring instead the perceived peace that comes with a quiet Sunday morning at home. There are so many ways to communicate with people today, but some of those things that we might think keep us connected may actually contribute to isolation. Instant messages, social media, cell phones, smart watches, virtual meetings are all ways that keep us connected to other people 24 hours a day, yet they have kept us away from each other. Some of us are more isolated and disconnected than we’ve ever been. We need to be the ones to overcome the temptation to stay away from people - especially people in our church family - in such a way, opting to send a digital message through the cloud instead of establishing a direct contact in person.

Those are the reasons, but now for some practical suggestions to wrap things up:

Every member is a greeter.
Come early and stay late.
Be impartial as you greet others.
Greet strangers before friends.

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Quote: Words

1/24/2024

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“He that thinketh by the inch,
but talketh by the yard,
deserveth to be kicketh by the foot.”
(unknown)

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Silver Dollar City: Fire in the Hole, Lights On

1/23/2024

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After 50 years, our beloved Fire in the Hole, the original indoor roller coaster, has been shuttered. Due to mold and decay, it became easier and more cost-efficient to shutter the ride and rebuild it with new tech on the other side of the park. It was my favorite ride at Silver Dollar City in the Ozark Mountains.

And only now do we finally get an idea of what it was like with the lights on. Don't get me wrong: I like the mystery of not knowing all of the inner workings of things, and I don't want all of the mystery to be revealed...but now that the ride is shut down, it seems appropriate to finally get this video.

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GLI: Lesson Selection in Process

1/17/2024

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This July, I will facilitate and present for a teacher seminar with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. The title of the seminar is American Environmental History. I guess I'll have to do some preparatory studying. I am the master teacher for this session, and I will work with scholar and author Dr. Catherine McNeur of Portland State University. What a privilege and honor!

Dr. McNeur has already recorded 12 lectures on the subject, but in July, she will present live virtually. Following her presentation, I will interview her and relay questions from participants. Once the first hour is finished, I will present a second hour specifically for pedagogy. In other words, she will teach the history, and I will relay methods for teaching environmental history.

Right now, I am beginning to look for GLI lessons that might fit with this topic. The first three below were suggested as possibilities:

Weather: Hurricanes Past and Present
Geology and Earthquakes
The Love Canal Hazardous Waste Disaster

I can relate to the hurricane topic by sharing photos from the 2011 EF5 tornado that swept through our hometown of Joplin, Missouri. I can also speak to earthquakes by talking about my own Earthquake! simulation unit.

Additionally, I've identified four more possible lessons that might fit. Depending on the contents of these, they may also be applied:

The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Exploring the Louisiana Purchase, 1804-1806
Ask Me about My Life as a Pioneer: The Goals, Results, and Legacy of the Homestead Act of 1862
Interviewing Mount Rushmore
Visions of New York City

I really only need a couple of lessons to present to teachers in July, so I need to get started in finding something that fits comfortably.

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Quote: Words

1/15/2024

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“Language, like clothing, is best when it is clean.”
(unknown)

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Sermon: no Fear, No Hesitation

1/14/2024

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My sermon begins at 24:45 in this video:

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Apply the Word: It Snows!

1/13/2024

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She lies beneath almost two miles of water just off the coast of Antarctica. Finally discovered on March 5, 2022, 107 years after she sank, the Endurance was a ship owned by Ernest Shackleton and intended to continue studies around the frigid continent at the bottom of the world.

We can only imagine the ordeal - a wooden ship, laden with supplies and men, intended to stand up to the icy waters. As the temperatures dropped below zero and into the double-digit negative numbers, standing on deck could be deadly. For months, the crew had to wait for ice to melt and break up before they could continue moving the ship into position.

At some points in the expedition, the boilers were extinguished as Shackleton knew forward progress was futile. They would have to drift with the ice that penned them in place. We can only imagine the sounds of the ice against the sides of the vessel - the groans of the ice as pressed tighter and tighter against the wood. The eerie scraping sounds of the huge ice floes as they became thicker and thicker with the sub-zero weather.

It would be natural to worry about the safety of the ship. Could it stand up to the stress caused by the pressure waves that pressed the ice floes, squeezing the ship even tighter. On October 24, 1915, a large mass of ice slammed into the stern, tearing the sternpost away from the hull planking. Around the same time, the bow planking caved in. Water flooded into the engine room and the forward hold. Manual and steam-powered pumps failed in their efforts. Three days later, with the ship listing significantly against the ice, and their relentless efforts to fight nature, Shackleton finally gave the order to abandon ship.

The men were adrift on an island of ice. They were even able to visit the ship to salvage some much-needed supplies. Sadly, there was too much to carry when Shackleton realized their only hope was to move to the other side of the floe. He ordered the crew to work through all of their belongings to determine which items they could carry. He would only allow them to carry two pounds each.

It was a little bit like attending their own funerals as they separated, dug holes in the snow, and buried their possessions - tied bundles of letters from their wives, trinkets and keepsakes they had gotten in England before leaving. Sentimental things. Personal things. The only personal items they could possibly carry were little lightweight photos of their wives and sweethearts.

At the same time, Shackleton wondered what he should do with the ship’s Bible. Bury it or carry it? A gift from Queen Alexandra, it was too heavy to take along, but how could he abandon such an important item? One of the other men retrieved the Bible in hopes of staving off bad luck, but for now in a heart-wrenching decision, Shackleton compromised and tore a single page from the Bible.

Sixty-six books. Two Testaments. History, poetry, prophecy, Gospel, letters, and revelations. Which page would you choose? His selection may surprise you. Stranded and isolated on an island of snow and ice, all around seemed hopeless. Nothing but white and cold. Which page would you choose?

Shackleton selected the flyleaf with the queen’s inscription, the 23rd Psalm, and a verse from the Book of Job. The queen had written, "May the Lord guide you through all dangers by land and sea. May you see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep," and you're probably familiar with the 23rd Psalm, but verses from Job? Here's what the verses said: "Out of whose womb came the ice? And the hoary frost of Heaven, who hath gendered it? The waters are hid as with a stone, And the face of the deep is frozen" (Job 38:29f).

In fact, it calls to mind the entirety of God's reply to a very distressed man in Job 38 and 39. Let's just pull out chapter 38 for now:

Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind and said,

“Who is this who darkens the divine plan
By words without knowledge?

Now tighten the belt on your waist like a man,
And I shall ask you, and you inform Me!

Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding,

Who set its measurements? Since you know.
Or who stretched the measuring line over it?

On what were its bases sunk?
Or who laid its cornerstone,

When the morning stars sang together
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Verse 8ff:

“Or who enclosed the sea with doors
When it went out from the womb, bursting forth;

When I made a cloud its garment,
And thick darkness its swaddling bands,

And I placed boundaries on it
And set a bolt and doors,

And I said, ‘As far as this point you shall come, but no farther;
And here your proud waves shall stop’?

“Have you ever in your life commanded the morning,
And made the dawn know its place,

Verse 13ff

So that it would take hold of the ends of the earth,
And the wicked would be shaken off from it?

It is changed like clay under the seal;
And they stand out like a garment.

Their light is withheld from the wicked,
And the uplifted arm is broken.

Verse 16ff:

“Have you entered the springs of the sea,
And walked in the depth of the ocean?

Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
And have you seen the gates of deep darkness?

Have you understood the expanse of the earth?
Tell Me, if you know all this.

“Where is the way to the dwelling of light?
And darkness, where is its place,

That you would take it to its territory,
And discern the paths to its home?

You know, for you were born then,
And the number of your days is great!

Verse 22ff:

Have you entered the storehouses of the snow,
And have you seen the storehouses of the hail,

Which I have reserved for a time of distress,
For a day of war and battle?

Where is the way that the light is divided,
And the east wind scattered on the earth?

“Who has split open a channel for the flood,
And a way for the thunderbolt,

To bring rain on a land without people,
On a desert without a person in it,

To satisfy the waste and desolate land,
And to make the seeds of grass to sprout?

Does the rain have a father?
Or who has fathered the drops of dew?

Verses 29ff:

From whose womb has come the ice?
And the frost of heaven, who has given it birth?

Water becomes hard like stone,
And the surface of the deep is imprisoned.

“Can you tie up the chains of the Pleiades,
Or untie the cords of Orion?

Can you bring out a constellation in its season,
And guide the Bear with her satellites?

Do you know the ordinances of the heavens,
Or do you establish their rule over the earth?

Verses 34:

“Can you raise your voice to the clouds,
So that an abundance of water will cover you?

Can you send flashes of lightning, so that they may go
And say to you, ‘Here we are’?

Who has put wisdom in the innermost being,
Or given understanding to the mind?

Who can count the clouds by wisdom,
And pour out the water jars of the heavens,

When the dust hardens into a mass
And the clods stick together?
“Can you hunt the prey for the lioness,
Or satisfy the appetite of young lions,

When they crouch in their hiding places,
And lie in wait in their lair

Who prepares feed for the raven
When its young cry to God,
And wander about without food?

You are marooned on an island of snow and ice, and these are the words you select to carry with you. These are not the verses you were thinking, are they? We would have selected a passage about warmth and comfort, but Shackleton wanted to remind his men that God was the author and creator of snow and ice. While it may seem as if God had forsaken this place and abandoned them, he wanted to remember that they were never away from the mind of Almighty God.

Here is a place in Biblical history in which God challenges Job to look at nature and learn from it. They need to - just like we need to - look out the window, feel the wind against the door, admire the snow, respect the cold, and stand in awe before their Creator.

We might be tempted to be like the thin, hungry boy trudging through the cold, looking for food. Looking up to see fresh flakes falling, he begins to cry. Wringing his frozen hands, the boy cries, “It snows! It snows!”

Or perhaps we are like the warm boy who looks at the same snow through the window of his house. Hearing the jingling bells of a sleigh and seeing his friends playing in the drifts, the boy claps his hands and shouts, “It snows! It snows!”

Two boys experiencing the same thing, but showing entirely different emotions. Shackleton could have chosen different verses out of Queen Alexandra’s Bible. His selection was an interesting one. He could have chosen a page that describes God as a source of comfort and joy, or he might have chosen something that shows God to be a consuming fire and a source of great sorrow for the convicted. Snow, like God, can be a blessing or a curse. It is either beautiful or it is treacherous. We have seen and no doubt understood both. The storm is only a storm for the one on the outside looking in.

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Quote: Words

1/12/2024

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“It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.”
(Mark Twain)

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Apply the Word: Dealing with Bullying

1/11/2024

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I remember when my parents first signed papers to buy that house. I had just started college, but I was home for the weekend. We sat in a restaurant, enjoying a meal, when strangers, Bill and his wife Billie, approached our table to inform us that we were their new neighbors. They were an older couple, and they were certainly unique. They gave the air of being better than others in the neighborhood. Their lawn had no weeds. Their cars were meticulously upkept. They had set ways of doing the laundry and vacuuming their carpets. They were especially attentive to the cleanliness of their dogs after letting them outside.

Through the years, my parents, my brother, and I went through several ups and downs in our relationship with Bill and Billie. One time, we arrived home after dark. No sooner had we gotten into the house when Bill was on our front porch ringing our doorbell. He was not happy. Dad went out to greet him.

As it turns out, Bill was extremely displeased with my younger brother's car - a Ford Mustang that Bill felt was too loud. Worst of all, Bill could not stand that the alarm on the car would chirp the horn when my brother set it. It simply could not be tolerated any longer.

My brother joined them on the front porch to try to explain. He never revved the engine and the radio was always turned down in the neighborhood. The only thing left was that pesky alarm. When I peeked through the blind, I saw the redness of Bill's narrow throat spread to his entire face. He shook and he raised his voice. To his credit, my dad remained calm and tried to calm Bill, as well. But it wasn't working. We were doomed to be feuding forever with out across-the-street neighbors.

I don't know why I did it. I jumped up from my perch at the window, and I came outside. Dad wanted me to go back inside. Apparently, none of this did not concern me (After all, I was the good kid, right?). Bill was decidedly upset that I came out to join the ranks against him. He was so flustered.

But in the moment, I saw an opening. Thinking that if Bill could find one member of our family acceptable, the others might come along for the ride. I simply extended my hand to him as I said, "Bill, if I have done anything to offend you, I apologize."

Oddly, he shook my hand, looked at my dad and my brother, and said, "That's good enough." We ended the evening, laughing and smiling with each other. The feud was averted, and the two families would continue to be friends from that time forth.

Just as I am! Without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidd’st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am! And waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am! Tho’ tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
With fears within, and foes without,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am! Poor, wretched, blind –
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea all I need, in Thee to find,
Oh Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Just as I am! Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
...

These are the words of Charlotte Elliot, an invalid lady with something on her mind she felt an impulse to put onto paper. The year was 1834, the place – Brighton, England. Unable to attend a community and family event, Charlotte spent a sleepless night. Oppressed with a sense of helplessness, she wrote the formula of her faith in those six verses and published the song two years later, with a reference to John 6:37.

The truth is many of us don’t understand Charlotte’s song. We sing it, and we’ve memorized it, but it’s possible we’ve never actually heard it or understood it. One man, my friend Bill, seemed to understand.

In 1997, Billie succumbed to bone cancer and died at the age of 81, leaving Bill alone with his thoughts and memories in an empty house.

During roughly the same time period, my parents were quickly dealt a set of circumstances that would be the hardest challenges they ever had to face – the loss of parents. In 1995, in the midst of our move to Joplin, four hours away from home, Dad lost his mother, my grandmother. Though it was long expected, it was not easy.

Two years later, in February, they received a call telling my mother that my granddad had been rushed to the hospital. He died the next morning of massive heart and lung arrests. Just two months later, his wife and my mother’s only surviving parent died, as well, suffering from many ailments, including a broken heart.

Sharing a similar loss, my parents and the skinny old man who lived across the street became closer than ever, adopting each other as a sort of surrogate family. Bill started attending worship services and Bible classes with them, all the while listening to what the speakers and the songs and the prayers had to say. Yet, Bill had never obeyed the Gospel. With his life turned around, the old Bill seemed to have been left behind and Bill appeared to have adopted a new life of believing and accepting God’s Word but had yet to obey God’s entire plan for his own salvation: he still had never been born again to walk in the newness of life.

After a while, I received a phone call from my parents. Dad was uncharacteristically serious on the other end of the line. He had information to tell me concerning Bill. He told me that after the sermon that Sunday morning, the church stood and began singing Just As I Am.

Bill suddenly stopped singing, looked pensive, and said aloud, “Just as I am….Hmm.” He put down his songbook, stepped into the aisle, and decisively walked to the front of the auditorium, where he expressed a desire to have the old, sinful self washed away and become a child of God. Following a statement of belief in Christ as God’s Son, Bill was immersed in baptism. At the age of 74, Bill died that day…but was reborn. I wrote a poem to Bill, to commemorate the history of our relationship. It is the poem he displayed in a frame in his living room, and it is the poem selected by his new wife - a long-time member of the Lord’s church - to be printed on the back of his funeral program when he died. It said:

Once, you were a stranger
Someone I did not know;
We both existed on the earth
Not friend, and yet not foe.

Once, you were my acquaintance;
I barely knew you at all;
As neighbors, we waved and said, “Hello,”
But rarely would we call.

At one time, we counted each other as friends,
With handshakes and great conversation;
You there and me here, still separately living,
Sharing little more than creation.

I found in you a man of great thought,
Some wisdom I had uncovered.
An adopted grandfather, you became,
Love and respect discovered.

A part of the family, with a special place,
Filling in for missing others,
But the greatest transition was still to come,
The moment that we became brothers.

How I long for a time, when we will stand
In line for Heaven’s reward,
The three of us holding each other by hand,
My brother, myself, and the Lord.

That song, Just As I Am, is often sung to encourage individuals to respond to the invitation of Christ. The idea behind singing the song after hearing a message preached is that someone in the audience will think about the verses, be pricked in the heart, and make the decision to live his or her life apart from worldly ways.

Bill understood the message – that even though you didn’t ask, Christ’s blood was shed for you, and you have but to contact it, through baptism, to be forgiven of every single sin in your life; that no matter how big your problems and your enemies or your physical afflictions, Jesus Christ’s blood will still welcome you, forgive you, and clean up your life; that there is no excuse for not responding; and that I can approach the throne of God just as I am, but that I become something greater when I put off my old self and I am crucified with Him, that my body of sin might be done away with, that I should no longer be a slave to sin (Romans 6:6), remembering that my gift from God is eternal life in Christ Jesus my Lord (Romans 6:23).

Just as I am! Thy love unknown
Has broken ev’ry barrier down;
Now to be Thine, yea Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

The last verse of Charlotte Elliot’s beautiful hymn states that Christ, and Christ alone, has loved humankind and has broken down every barrier. The sooner an individual finds that path to Christ, the sooner the individual, too, can come to the Lamb of God and enjoy the benefits of being in His kingdom! The quicker one discovers that the path is unobstructed, and the faster one figures out that however unworthy you are Christ will still wrap His arms around you and welcome you home as a child of God, the sooner you will find yourself relieved of burdens.

It all began with an apology. Bill would never have come to know Jesus, had he not first known my family…and he would never have been as close to us as he came to be without first there being an apology and a handshake.

The word forgive/forgiven/forgiveness appears some 56 times in the New Testament (and 67 times in the Old). We won’t go through every verse here, but we could see it plainly laid out for us in Matthew alone.

Jesus talks about praying for forgiveness and forgiving others in His model prayer in Matthew 6. He heals people who are paralyzed, lame, blind, deaf, etc., and forgives them along the way. In Matthew 18, he tells Peter to forgive 70x7 times. Then in Matthew 26, while initiating the Lord’s Supper, Jesus says of the cup, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.” He goes on to die as a sacrifice for all of mankind, but for forgiveness to occur, there must be an apology.

I suppose there can be forgiveness without an apology, but that’s more for the forgiver’s peace of mind, isn’t it? Real forgiveness comes with an apology. In the quest for salvation and the freedom from sins, that apology is admission of guilt, followed by repentance and obedience to Christ.

None of us knew that my apology and handshake with Bill, years earlier, would result in a new citizen in the church-kingdom. My advice to you is to look out for how you react when someone approaches you in anger. They may not be doing it to bully you; they may simply be looking for you to apologize for something you have done. Perhaps it is not only forgiveness that we seek, but that we seek opportunities to show others how to find forgiveness, as well.

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Into the Storm

1/9/2024

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If you are a senior at Pittsburg State University in Kansas and pursuing a degree in education, this might be your professional semester. Seven are on my roster to observe and coach for this semester, so I will spend some time (mostly in Southwest Kansas, with one in Northeast Oklahoma) in the upcoming weeks.

Our kickoff orientation meeting was yesterday, where we met one another and heard about the requirements of the semester. It can be a bit overwhelming for student teachers to see all of the requirements laid out, but as it has been proven, it can be done.

This semester, I will supervise a single elementary teacher candidate, as well as six others who have varying interests. I'll see PE and Music teachers, Family and Consumer Science, English, and Technology classes this time around. Who knows:? I might even learn something.

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Quote: Words

1/8/2024

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"There must have been some reason
nature made man's ears to stay open
and his mouth to shut."
(unknown)

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Sermon: Wholly Messiah

1/7/2024

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My sermon, based on Matthew 1:1-17, begins at 26:50 in this video:

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Teacher Institute Participant, 2019

Summer Residency Participant, 2018

"The Bus Stops Here" Grant, November 2018

Summer Residency, 2018

Recognized 2017

Since 2017

MSTA Media Award, KOAM-TV's "Manners Matter", Featuring Our Class, May 2017

Third Place, 2016 Film Festival

Recognized 2016

Slide Certified, 2012

2009 Outstanding Class Website

2005 Nominee

2005 Joplin Teacher of the Year and Missouri Teacher of the Year nominee

2004 Recipient

2002 Excellent Education Program

2001 Nominee

1996 Outstanding Classroom Video

Grant Recipient, 1993

Fireside Chats

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Checks & Balances

Links to external sites
on the internet are for convenience only.

No endorsement or approval of any content, products, or services is intended.

Opinions on sites are not necessarily shared
by Mr. Hoggatt
(In fact, sometimes
Mr. Hoggatt doesn't agree with anyone.)

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