I have neglected this blog for several months because, as I'm sure it has been for most of us, life has been so busy. I also felt that I had so much to say that I did not know where to begin. I believe I may have found a good starting point here. I have posted below my Finley address because some have asked for it. I am overwhelmed not only that I was selected, but also that God would have used the words He gave me. Please pray that I will be a faithful steward of whatever attention this brings and direct any honor to Jesus, where it truly belongs.
I could, right now, very easily compose a long
list of faculty and staff members at Hoover High School who are deserving of
this award—there are so many caring and dedicated and skilled people there! And
so, I was genuinely flabbergasted in the assembly last month when the award was
announced, and everything just sort of went into slow motion for a while, and I
could not really believe it was all happening, that he had actually said my
name. But now that I have gotten my mind around it, my main impulse is just
to say, “Thank you!”
First of all, I need to thank my
family, and especially my wife, Sara. Sara, the longer I live the more I
recognize what a gift you are—without you I am not complete. Robert and Elise,
thank you for helping me learn what is really important in life. You know I
love to read, but you have taught me far more than books. I have often been a
slow learner. I appreciate who you are, and I love you. Thank you.
Next, I need to thank this
community. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to touch the lives of some
of your young people, and thank you for not only sponsoring here excellence in academics,
the arts and athletics, but also for caring about character. I’m thankful that
character was woven into the culture of this school system early on by such people
as Coach Bob Finley. I can tell you how much it has meant to the students I
have nominated for Finley awards through the years to receive that letter from
our principal telling them someone has noticed them and appreciated. I want to say
to these students who are here tonight receiving awards that we teachers
appreciate you, and we depend on you. Thank you, and congratulations!
And now finally, and most
importantly, I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I must tell you
that, if there is any good in my life, it came out of those times when I was following
Him. I don’t consider that I “have my act together.” I’m just trying to follow
Him. He has even given me the desire, strength and wisdom to follow, when I have
allowed Him to. So, any honor is really His.
I suppose that, over the years this banquet
has been held, many who have spoken have set out to define the word character. I wish I had the benefit of all
those ideas. Lacking that, I will offer a definition I am sure many are
familiar with, and here it is: character is who we are when we think no one
else is looking or that no one knows our true identity (as, for example, when
we are on the Internet or when we are in traffic). In those moments we are,
simply, what we really believe, and what we really believe about the way things
are will come out in our thoughts and actions. So, over the next minute or two,
may I give you three of my core convictions or beliefs that I believe have a
direct bearing on character? And let me say at the outset that I have not, in
any sense, mastered these.
Core Conviction #1: I believe people, all people, are important. I
believe we are going to be truly surprised someday because many who are now last
will be first, and many who are first will be last. If all people are
important, then I should make time for those whom God brings into my life and
get connected with them at their points of need. Now, points of need are always
right under a teacher’s nose. But let me
give you another great example of what I’m talking about here: My friend Jack
Lavallet has a very demanding job, no less than five children (whom he and his
wife Teri have adopted or fostered), and heavy responsibilities outside of
work, for example, at church. Jack is confined to a wheel chair and has limited
use of his hands, but he gets it all done, and he is never in too much of a
hurry to find out how things are going in the lives of those he encounters—he then
remembers what you tell him and will ask
you about it the next time he sees you. He believes people are important.
Core Conviction #2: I believe words are important, and powerful. (You
know, I just love to say that as an English teacher!) This can work both ways,
though—words can do great harm or great good. Words can wound for life or
discourage to the point of despair; they can start wars, dissolve marriages or
relationships, get you expelled from college, get you fired, destroy a life-time’s
work or land you in a prison cell. They can embarrass or shame the speaker (or
texter or tweeter, as the case may be) for a lifetime. Often when a word leaves
our lips (or key pad), it is gone forever. Irretrievable. Out there in the
public domain. Think about this for a minute: anything you say can end up on
YouTube in less than a minute. I believe someday we will give an account for every
word. I have in my classes what I call the “room-full test.” I let students
bring in their favorite songs to analyze, and I tell them it must pass the
“room-full” test. This means they are to imagine everyone whose opinion they
care about, including their grandmothers, youth pastors and future employers,
lined up around the walls of the room listening in. The question then becomes,
“would you be comfortable sharing your song?” That seldom fails to answer
questions about propriety. So, the wrong words may cause harm. *****On the
other hand, words can heal, reconcile, restore, encourage, and here’s a
great word: edify. We must choose
how we will use our words. I believe that there is some fundamental aspect of
God’s very nature and of ours that requires, and inherently values, words of
the proper kind and source. I think words are important, that they shape the
human soul, and that we should be selective about the words we immerse
ourselves in. A person of character would be careful and kind with the words he
(or she) uses because words have great power for good or for evil.
Core Conviction #3: Finally, I believe that
work is sacred. Again, this, to my understanding at least, goes back to our
being created in God’s image. God works, He creates, and then man is His
masterpiece. (Incidentally, in the Greek, the word for masterpiece is similar
to our word poem; so, that makes us
God’s poem, his workmanship.) God then sets man in motion to manage His
creation, to work, in other words. So, I believe that work can become an act of
worship when it is done as unto God with all care and concern and joy and
skill. I must care deeply, therefore, about the quality of the work I do. I
have been fortunate to have worked around those who continuously strive to
improve their craft and skill in teaching, and that has inspired me, especially
as it concerns the application of technology. Now some may say, “Well, OK, I
get the point about work, but I don’t really work yet, for I am merely a
student.” To you I would say that your biology class can become the most
spiritual activity you do all week. So could taking out the garbage and, well,
you get the idea. Your greatest challenge in this area, at least from my
perspective in the classroom, seems to lie in your being able to set boundaries
for, and finding a proper balance in, your use of technology. That’s ironic
because technology can also be one of your greatest advantages. I believe work
may actually become a sacrament or an act of worship and communion with God.
So,
then, I believe people are important, words are powerful and work is sacred. Sometimes
the most obvious truths become the most obscure or the most overlooked. I think
of these beliefs more as ideals than as rules. I haven’t mastered these. They
are goals, guiding precepts, points of clarification. Because life and
character, for me, are not about rule-keeping; they are about following a
living Saviour.
I appreciate the opportunity I have had to
share these thoughts with you this evening. Thank you for your kind attention,
and God bless.
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