18 Inches

 There are approximately 18 inches that exist between a person’s head and their heart. When we think about our head, we typically reference our brain. The brain is the control center for our body’s movements, and oversees the various body systems such as nervous, digestive, and respiratory, regulating their daily interactions and ensuring we remain healthy. Conversely, the heart’s purpose is viewed as being two fold. The physical responsibilities are pretty direct, pump blood throughout the body to provide oxygen so that we continue to exist. On the other hand, the heart holds the significant role of being the figurative soul of a person. What we think in our brain and what we feel in our heart should match, in my opinion, yet where there is only 18 inches that exist between the two, physically, there are miles that exist from how we should be thinking and how we live out our lives each day. 

In particular, when we think about the heart our thoughts center on love. I mean, last week delivered us Valentine’s Day, the day set aside to give your heart to the one you love. When we talk about how much we love someone, you might hear someone swoon , “ I love you with all my heart” and when a young man asks his love to marry him he says that he will “give her his heart forever”. The Bible goes a little further telling us to '... love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ Matthew 22:37. The key to this verse is that Jesus charged His disciples to love God with their heart, their soul, and their mind. I think it is safe to say that Jesus was telling His disciples and us to love God with our heart and our head or for the purpose of our conversation today, the brain. 

As we stated in the opening paragraph of today’s FTM, there are only 18 inches between the head and the heart, yet if we are to love God with all our heart and our head the majority of us need to work on closing the gap between what we think in our heads and what we should be thinking from our heart. You see, if we believe what Jesus was teaching us about loving  God with all our heart, soul, and mind, then we also have to take into consideration the rest of Jesus’ directive on love. After answering the question about which was the greatest commandment, Jesus added, “And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:39. If we, as believers, hold to the truth of the red letters being the actual words of Jesus, then it behooves us to love God above all things and then in conjunction with that command we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. That is where the disconnect between head and heart seems to live. 

In general, we as flesh and bone humans tend to do pretty good with loving those who love us first. That is a “no-brainer”, pun fully intended! But what about those who don’t love us or look like us, and even those who actually do us wrong? The words of Jesus are pretty clear here as well, “... Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,... Luke 6:27.  And just a little further in Jesus’ conversation He explains how to love our enemies, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Luke 6:31. Loving our enemies is a tough ask, but Jesus didn’t leave us alone to decipher this out in our own head. Jesus actually explains that the type of love that comes from the heart is one that doesn’t judge or condemn, but instead it is a love that forgives and gives mercy and grace just like God does for each of us. (Luke 6:37-38)

Anatomically, I don’t think there is much any of us can do about the 18 inch distance that exists between our heads and our hearts, but I firmly believe that we can close any gap that exists between the connection between what our heads think and what our heart should be telling us to do! It’s 18 inches, by living out the life that Jesus modeled, we can eliminate that gap. 

Coach Carter

Peanut Butter or Jelly - Hope

What child is born and goes through their formative years stating that when they become an adult their plans are to be addicted to alcohol or drugs? How many kids have you asked the age-old question, "So, what do you want to be when you grow up?" and the response was, "homeless"? I don't believe there is a child out there that has ever started school with the idea that they want to fail all their classes and eventually drop out of school. It's hard to imagine that through the playful, carefree world of a six-year old's mind, that they could be dealing with a mental breakdown just a few years down the road. Yet, these are real challenges, among others, that children face today. We need a solution that can take care of all of these societal woes, but what is that elusive silver bullet? I suggest that what many kids today are growing up without is hope.

 

So, exactly what is hope? Well according to the dictionary hope is "a desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment". Or in a more biblical sense hope is a byproduct of our faith in God, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1. If I may, I'd like to share a visual to "hopefully" clarify the concept of hope. Think about making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for a minute, whatever technique you use, I believe we can all agree that if you have jelly on a piece of sandwich bread and hold it up vertically a certain amount of the jelly will roll or slide off the bread. Conversely, if you hold that same slice of bread up coated with a firm coat of Skippy, the peanut butter is going to stick to the bread like glue. We are confident that peanut butter is going to stick to the bread, that confidence or faith is where hope is created and where we build our trust in an unseen future. 

 

Coming from the lens of nature or nurture, I would suggest that hope falls more in the lane of a nurtured skill or trait. I believe hope dwells in each of us, but how it is developed in us, is dependent on who nurtures or fails to nurture a mindset of hope in us that truly makes the difference. Looking back at our verse in Hebrews, faith provides us with confidence about things that we can't see. A first-grader can't see what their future holds, but we have to be responsible as adults to build their hope for a brighter tomorrow. Regardless of today's circumstances and challenges, it is our responsibility to nurture hope in that child's life. Holding on to hope won't happen without faith. "But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31. As the prophet Isaiah aptly explained waiting on God or in other words, trusting in God builds our faith in God, which in turn creates that peanut butter type of hope. We just believe it is going to stick. 

 

There is a vast sea of children growing up today with a sense of hopelessness. They do not have the ideal home setting that we falsely imagine ever child is reared under. The pressure that Hollywood places on our children to be someone else other than who God created them to be is a false narrative. Social media presents an unattainable image of the ideal person, family, and life. Trust me this world is not that perfect and the people living in it aren't perfect by far, self included for sure! Even in education today, we many times miss the mark, by not finding the strengths and aptitudes of the individual and then supporting them to find what it is in life that they were born on purpose to fulfill through God's plan for their unique individual life. 

 

I believe that you were born on purpose for a purpose. Within that purpose each of us is called to be a messenger of hope. As an educator, God has provided me with a grand position to be that teacher of hope in a young person's life. For those of us that were not called to "teach", it is your duty to foster hope in our student's heart and mind. For those that are not a part of the education career field, you are not off the hook! We are all teachers, you can "teach" hope through whatever area of life you serve. In your workplace, through your friendships, on the team’s you coach, or in the settings where you volunteer your service, you can allow your faith to be seen not just heard, and may your faith foster a mindset of hope within all that you come in contact with each day. "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." Romans 15:13.

Coach Carter

Building a Fire

 

Building a fire is a skill that most folks are not just born doing successfully. The phrase “building a fire" is definitely the appropriate terminology, because you just don't light some wood and presto you have a fire. There is a skill set to it that is developed through several trial and error experiences, basically a trial by fire. (Pun intended). Learning how to build a fire can definitely come in handy especially when we are in need of light or when we are in search of warmth and heat. In the same manner, understanding that in our own lives we are responsible for building a fire inside ourselves and then sharing the light and warmth of what we have created with those that we meet and with those we do life with each day. 

 

As stated, I am no expert on the subject, but I do believe the following steps can be agreed upon by even the most experienced camper or woodsman. After prepping the area, you first have to gather dry leaves and grass which serve as tinder or fluff which ignites easily. Small twigs are then placed like a fort around the tinder and at that point the fluff can be lit. The leaves and grass burn quickly, but at that same time the small twigs catch the fast burning flames and suddenly they too are on fire. As the twigs are burning, larger sticks can now be added, and the process continues until you are adding logs on top of logs into the blazing fire. I may have over-simplified the whole process, but I think you get the picture. What starts out as a spark from a lighter quickly becomes a roaring campfire. The warmth of the blaze pulls us in as close as possible so we can warm ourselves on a cold, winter night. The light from the flames illuminate the darkness of the night giving us comfort and a sense of security. And to think, it all started with a spark.

 

We have the same opportunity to build a flaming fire inside our heart and soul. As we accept God as our Savior, we are in essence gathering the tinder and twigs to illuminate Jesus in our lives. Hearing about what Jesus did for you and I on the cross and accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior is the spark that lights our internal fire. From there we read His Holy Word, we listen to sermons and Godly mentors who add the larger twigs and logs to the fire, and then as we develop our personal relationship with our Creator through prayer and meditation, the light of our fire begins to illuminate the room drawing those that are lost in the darkness towards His light in us. And to think, it all started with a spark. 

 

We are to be His light. In John 8:12 Jesus proclaimed "... I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” If we are truly followers of God, then His light should be visible in us and others should be able to see God through the life we are living. Jesus charges us to be His light to this dark world, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matthew 5:16. I challenge you today to ask yourself "Am I shining His light in my life each day?" There are myriad ways to shine that light, but the key is that your fire is building and warming those around you. The flames from your internal fire should illuminate a path to Christ. To think, it all starts with a spark. That spark is love. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16.

Coach Carter 

 

Be Prepared

Throughout my career in education I have had the opportunity to both teach in the academic classroom and coach on the athletic field whether it was a court or a mat. Over the years I have consistently drawn a comparison between the two, teachers in the classroom are in essence coaches and the role of a coach is centered around "teaching" athletes the ins and outs of the moves, plays, or skills associated with that particular sport. That being said, it only stands to reason that the athletes I've coached and the students I've taught in the classroom were both preparing for the test. In the classroom that may have looked like a pencil and paper format while in the athletic realm the test came in the form of a competition or match. That preparation is our focus today, in life we are prepping and studying for when it is our turn to step up and perform. 

 

The Apostle Paul made several analogies referencing running in his epistles to the churches in Corinth and Ephesus. Although the Olympics had not yet been established, Paul and the people of this area were familiar with the Isthmian Games, a precursor of the Olympics, which most certainly would have involved numerous track and field type events. Relating a life of committed service to Christ to the training associated with running a race would have been relatable to the citizens of the day. Hence the following call for self-discipline shared by Paul found in I Corinthians 9:24-25 "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." So, to my earlier point, whether you are preparing to take a test or if you are preparing to run a race, the training involved is the key to success on your test or race. 

 

To actually have a chance at winning a competitive race the commitment to training is essential. I'm talking Rocky Balboa style training. Up early, relentless reps, and ultimately pushing yourself beyond the limits of what appeared possible. Taking a day off is not even an option and cutting corners negatively impacts one person, you. Now compare that to studying for a test such as the ACT. To have a chance at competing at the highest level on the ACT test, you have to be committed, you study hours upon hours, and you don't take days off when you know you should be studying. I don't suppose Paul ever prepared for the ACT, but I think you get the idea, in your walk with our Creator that same type of commitment is required. 

 

How exactly do we "train" as a disciple for Christ? And what exactly is the "race" that we all must run? Good questions, to which our running coach Paul gives us the answer through two scriptures. In a continuance of the aforementioned scripture from I Corinthians 9, Paul explains how to prepare for the race that we all eventually run. "Therefore, I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.  No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." I Corinthians 9:26-27. If we are in training for a race or if we are studying for a test we have a target, a goal in mind, that guides us and directs us so that we aren't just running around aimlessly. God's Holy Bible tells us how to train and gives us a study guide by which we prepare for the test. We spend time intentionally worshiping God, we actively seek His will for this life we have been given to live, and we purposefully spend time with our "life coach" through focused prayer. We practice and prepare so that when we are faced with a choice of right vs wrong we will make the right choice. We train and study so that when we are asked about our faith we won't be disqualified because we haven't prepared. Then if we have trained and studied we will be able to humbly say, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." II Timothy 4:7-8. The race of life is a simple one to explain. We run the course of the life that we have been given to live. We make choices each day that impact the trajectory of the course we will run. At some point you must choose which course you will run, that is the free choice our Creator gave us and a choice that you will make and one that I must make as well. My prayer is that you will choose to finish the race that God planned out for you. Practice, study, and then run the race! In other words, "Be Prepared". 

Coach Carter

What Is Wrong with the World?

When I think about the title of today's Flat Tire Thought, the phrase comes to mind "The more things change the more they stay the same." Over 100 years ago in 1910, the London Times sent out a request asking their readers to submit essays responding to the following question, "What is wrong with the world? The responses varied, but the finger-pointing was not so very unique. The government is failing us, people are lazy, greedy, self-centered, or you fill in the ______ with whatever adjective comes to mind. You see what was going on 100 years ago is pretty much the same thing that was going on 200 years ago, 500 years ago, and honestly down through modernized history. If the truth was being told, I'd guess the caveman would have pointed his finger at the Neanderthal in the next cave over if he had been asked what was wrong with the world back then.

 

At the turn of the century the advent of television had not been achieved yet, so most people still read the paper or listened in on the family radio for the news of what was going on in the world. As do most people today, after reading the news, listening to a broadcast, or just talking to the cashier at the local grocer's checkout, folks just seem to shake their heads and lament, "What is wrong with the world today?" Well the responses to the London Times were filled with explanations of what the problem was with the world today and pretty much most everyone was able to point out who exactly was behind the downfall of early 20th century society. That is until the editors opened the letter from the English writer and philosopher G.K. Chesterton. Mr. Chesterton's letter back to the London Times read, "Dear Sirs, I am." In essence his brief response was saying I am what is wrong with our world today. 

 

The world we live in today is no different from the world that had shaped the journalistic view of the London Times in 1910. Drug addictions, human trafficking, mental stability, crime, hatred of our fellow man, may come in different forms, but the fact is the world hasn't changed that much. What I wonder is, how many of us today share the same sentiments of G.K. Chesterton? "I am the problem with the world today." If I am concerned, if I see injustice, or if I just don't like the way things are headed, then it is up to me to do something about it. Shaking my head and pointing my finger will not fix anything. Blaming someone else or a group of someone elses won't help either. I'm reminded of the famous words of Gandhi, "Be the change you wish to see in the world". It is easy to ask why doesn't somebody do something about this or that, but it takes a great deal of desire to help others or step up and take ownership for the condition of the world we live in today. 

 

May I clarify one final point. It isn't about who is right or wrong on the condition of our world. We each have our own opinion and at the end of the day we are not the judge and we will not be involved in the final judgement. Our job involves what we can do to make the world in which we live a better place. If you see something that makes you shake your head, then chances are you need to do something about it other than just shake your head. And rest assured I am not pointing my finger at anyone other than myself. I've got work to do and I am thankful that God has given me breath in my lungs and ground under my feet so that I can make a difference each day. Am I doing all I can? Nope. Can I do more? Yep. Challenge for the day, what will you do when God calls on you to step up and make a difference in this world that is hurting and in need? Will you point your finger and say "What is wrong with this world?" Or will you do as the prophet Isaiah did in Isaiah 6:8 when God called out looking for someone to step up, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’ 

 

Coach Carter

Hide & Seek

 

Sunday mornings with two of the granddaughters is definitely a juggling act! Trying to get a three and a five-year-old ready for church isn't as easy as it was back when we were younger for sure! Fixing breakfast, dresses buttoned up, and ponytails tightened, I'm not sure if it should be described as a battle royal or an episode of Survivor! Nevertheless, after getting both girls ready, Missy and I got to turn our attention to getting ourselves ready. As I was running around cleaning up and cleaning myself up, I overheard a game of Hide & Seek developing in the other room. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10, ready or not here I come! The challenge is on, is Ella a better hider or is Cha-Cha a better finder? Back and forth, round after round all of a sudden, they were occupying themselves! Shew, thank you to whomever created Hide & Seek, it definitely makes the lifesaver category for us this morning!

 

The goal of the children's game "Hide & Seek" is to be able to hide in a way that nobody can find your hiding spot. The better you hide the more likely you will win the game. Serving as a messenger for God, the objective still has something to do with hiding, but in this case the better you hide something the more others should be able to see it! Let's dig into this paradox a little bit more and find out how it's possible to hide something deep inside us, yet by doing so, it only makes it that much more visible. 

When King David wrote the following words, he gave us the key to hiding something so well that it would be easily visible, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." Psalm 119:11. In other words, David was saying something like, "God, I'm going to tuck your teachings, your commands, and your guidelines for how I should live my life deep within my soul and by doing that I will be able to live a life that is pleasing to You and benefits others." The more we "hide" God's word in our heart, mind, body, and soul, the harder it will be to hide His love from others. 

 

It isn't a matter of trying to show our faith to others, being religious on Sunday isn't what I'm talking about at all. When we develop a true relationship with our Lord and Savior, a relationship where we spend time in His Word, listen to His Spirit, seek His will for our life, and build a relationship that models the life of sacrifice that Jesus displayed, then we will not be able to hide God's mercy and grace. It will be who we are, our new DNA you might say. Live each day with God’s word hidden deep in your heart, and the whole world will see His love in you and through you! Ready or not here I come!

Coach Carter

"This Little Light of Mine"

If you find yourself out in the woods on a moonless night, one of the first things you'll start searching for is a source of light. Flashlight, headlamp, candle, torch, or even a Bic lighter would be a welcome find and obviously a benefit in the dark of the night. Hopefully, if you are a night walker, you head out prepared with a source of light in hand. A flashlight can illuminate a dark pathway, a candle brightens a dark room, and the light that shines from you can provide God’s light of hope to others that may feel trapped in a dark hopeless place. 

 

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it." John 1:5. Light, in its literal sense, allows us to see in the darkest of settings. Light, in a more symbolic sense, can help others to see in times where life is dark and lonely. The important thing to remember here is that light can brighten a room to the point that the darkness disappears. Darkness, on the other hand, cannot decrease light. It should be an encouragement to understand that God's light of grace and love shining in us and through us can't be extinguished by any amount of darkness this world casts in our direction. Our responsibility is to let it shine!

 

Just as the children's song proclaims, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine", we choose to let God's light shine in our lives. Jesus charged his disciples to be more like a city on a hill rather than a candle under a basket. Once again, the goal of light is to brighten dark places and to share light with those who need His light.  Who needs the light? "Whosoever believes in Him", would be a good place to start (John 3:16). So, I suppose the question is how do I allow my light to shine? Good question, with a great answer!

 

Isaiah 60:1 challenges us to “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you."  Isaiah 60:1. If you have accepted God as your Heavenly Father then you have some good news to share. How you share the light of God's good news with the world you live in is your choice. Service to others, sacrifice of self for the benefit of someone else, giving of your time to help others, making the decision to forgive when the world tells you to get revenge, or loving others in the same way that God loves you are all ways you can be God's light to a darkened world. Waking up in the morning praising and worshiping rather than griping and complaining, stepping up instead of stepping to the side, and living out the life that God purposed you to live are high wattage light opportunities. In other words, live out a life that resembles the life Jesus modeled here on earth. You are to be God’s light to this world, let it shine!

Coach Carter