The Value of Influence

In 2nd Timothy chapter 2, the apostle Paul gives this admonition to a young man that he has taught and essentially poured his life into:
1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also

A little over a month ago, I was talking about some of the most influential people in our culture.   And, I contend that while we may look to politicians and celebrities as trend-setters at large, the people with whom we interact personally have a dramatic impact on shaping our lives.   And, that, of course, includes those who labor so diligently in the classrooms across America - our teachers.

There's a new study, a huge study, that has been conducted over the past 20 years.   The New York Times reported about it.  It leads off by saying:

Elementary- and middle-school teachers who help raise their students’ standardized-test scores seem to have a wide-ranging, lasting positive effect on those students’ lives beyond academics, including lower teenage-pregnancy rates and greater college matriculation and adult earnings, according to a new study that tracked 2.5 million students over 20 years.

Now, I don't necessarily advocate tying teacher salaries to student test scores, but this does indicate to some degree that someone who is devoted to teaching well and leading well can have a definite influence on the people that he or she leads.

In fact, some financial values are placed on the impact of a good teacher.

Replacing a poor teacher with an average one would raise a single classroom’s lifetime earnings by about $266,000, the economists estimate. Multiply that by a career’s worth of classrooms.

“If you leave a low value-added teacher in your school for 10 years, rather than replacing him with an average teacher, you are hypothetically talking about $2.5 million in lost income,” said Professor Friedman, one of the coauthors.

And, the Bible challenges us to seek to be excellent leaders, recognizing that God will call each of us, at some point in our lives or multiple points throughout our lives to influence someone else.  Hebrews 5 says:
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. 

 
 

I Love Lamp

James chapter 1 says this:
19 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger ; 20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.



The words have been posted on Facebook and comprised a hash tag on Twitter today - "I Love Lamp"...when I first saw it, I thought it was maybe a reference to a Montgomery high school my daughter attends - but then realized the people posting weren't connected to the school.   It's actually a reference to a line uttered by Steve Carell in the movie, "Anchorman" with Will Farrell - a line that was inserted into a script on a teleprompter and read out loud by a Green Bay weatherman - the video, yes, has gone viral - and the weatherman is actually making light of it on his blog, much as Rick Perry made light of the embarrassing gaffe where he attempted to name 3 departments of the Federal government he'd like to see eliminated.


I was thinking about how we are prompted to speak, and to speak incorrectly or inappropriately, to speak words that are harmful, that perhaps can make a permanent impression.   I think that we allow ourselves to be baited by the devil, or the power of sin, and we become prompted to say the wrong things.   Our mouths are connected to our minds, and if we don't exercise the proper self-control and don't think before we speak, then we can say things for which we'll be sorry and that can do damage.


I do think that we are set up by the power of sin and the enemy of our souls, who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy - James 1 tells us to be slow to speak, but factors such as time, tension, and tiredness can keep us from reading the prompts in our minds before the say the words.   Time -when we're rushed we can sometimes respond in a short or uncivil manner.  Tension - when an atmosphere exists where it's ripe for conflict, harsh words can be said.  Tiredness - sometimes we just need to rest, realize we're not functioning at our best, and reset our lives.    So, when these factors exist and we don't examine the prompts in our minds, i.e., think things through before we say them, we can make verbal errors.   Self-control comes as we neutralize these factors, rely on the Holy Spirit, and meditate on God's Word.

Lessons from Iowa

The news is well-known - Mitt Romney edges Rick Santorum by 8 votes in the Iowa Republican caucus.   Ron Paul finishes a hearty third with 22% of the vote.  Newt Gingrich finishes 4th, followed by Rick Perry, who's going back to Texas to re-evaluate his campaign, Michele Bachmann drops out, and Jon Huntsman sits it out.

Now, let's look at how evangelicals voted:  According to CNN, 58% of those voting indicated in entrance polls that they were evangelical, down from 60% in 2008.   But, their choices were split: 32% for Santorum, 18% went for Ron Paul, 13% each for Romney, Gingrich and Rick Perry, 6% for Michele Bachmann and 1% for Jon Huntsman.

So, there are some storylines emerging out of Iowa:
Romney - the value of consistency...he's been working at it since before 2008, he's not so emotional, stays focused, and has remained at around 25% of the Republican electorate.   That's good, in one respect, but he can't seem to break that threshold and perception of "we are the 25%".
Santorum - the value of hard work...with limited resources and a pickup truck, he's criss-crossed the state and remained hopeful, even though he lost his last election - his re-election attempt to the US Senate by 18% to the son of the former governor of Pennsylvania in a tough election year for GOP candidates.
Paul - the value of passion...he has motivated his supporters, especially young people, who really feel they, and their candidate, can make a difference.
Gingrich - the value of an active mind...Newt's full of ideas, and can articulate them fairly well - but sometimes his ideas have been characterized as off-base, and his intellect has led to periodic arrogance.
Perry - the value of a position...but position isn't everything - he's in his third term as TX Governor, but has proven to be less-than-prepared for the national stage - but he's well-financed and could pick up votes from supporters of...
Bachmann - the value of ideology...she's knowledgable, strong on social issues, and comes across as strident at times...she's pulled out, but I believe will continue to be a challenging force in the GOP and the House.

Thy Word is a Lamp Unto My Feet

From Psalm 119, which extols the power of God's Word:
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. 106 I have sworn and I will confirm it, That I will keep Your righteous ordinances. 107 I am exceedingly afflicted ; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your word. 

Yesterday, you heard a portion of a conversation about how phrases from God's word have been incorporated into our language:  When the Boston Globe profiled a work by linguist David Crystal in November of 2010, it opened up with: 

In the past week or so, anyone following the news might have read that Jon Stewart is “a thorn in the side of politicians”; that Senator Harry Reid of Nevada won reelection “by the skin of his teeth”; and that people in the newspaper industry “see the writing on the wall.”

In the book, “Begat: The King James Bible and the English Language,” Crystal identifies 257 familiar idioms, that he credits to the stature and popularity of the King James Bible.

A relatively familiar phrase from the Scriptures is found in Hebrews 13:2 - 'Be not inhospitable to strangers, lest they be angels in disguise..."

Author Eric Metaxas, in a recent column entitled, "Does Anyone in the Media Ever Read the Bible?", he cited a misappropriation of that Bible verse in an obituary for a bookstore owner: 

"[George] welcomed visitors with large-print messages on the walls. 'Be not inhospitable to strangers, lest they be angels in disguise,' was one, quoting Yeats."

Eric said,

Yeats!? Did you catch that? I choked on my toast. Did the Times actually just say that "Be not inhospitable to strangers, lest they be angels in disguise" was from Yeats? Unless I had fallen down a rabbit hole, that quote was from the Bible. It’s from Hebrews 13:2 and it’s quite famous. If you didn't catch it, don't feel too badly, because you are probably not The New York Times. You are probably not America's "paper of record", proud owner of 106 Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism -- more than any other newspaper.

The Times issued a retraction.   Eric made 2 observations...first, regarding the fact that multiple news sources ran the story with the errant attribution:

First, have you ever heard the old adage, "a lie goes around the world, before the truth can get its boots on." Here's yet another example of the truth in that statement, especially in this hyper-electronic age.

Second, it's no secret that Manhattan and Hollywood cultural elites are deeply secular. There's a reason many of them consider the middle of America "fly-over country". Since at least H.L. Mencken, many secular elites think those who actually read the Bible need to be educated away from such nonsense. So the ignorance they often show about religion can be staggering. I remember two prominent instances.

The first was when I heard that patting-ourselves-on-the-back anthem "We Are the World" on FM radio 25 years ago. In his solo, Willie Nelson warbled: "As God has shown us, by turning stone to bread..." Did Willie really sing that Jesus had turned stone into bread? Yikes. Um, that's not quite what happened, Willie. What actually happened was that Jesus refused to turn stone to bread. And do you remember who tried to get him to turn stone to bread? That's right, Willie: it was um, Satan, as in Lucifer. As in it was a bad idea...

The second was when a secular Manhattan friend revealed that he didn't know who had come up with the Golden Rule. When told it was Jesus (Matthew 7:12) he didn't believe it. And this is a brilliant man, who knows just about everything there is to know. But in the world of Manhattan cultural elites, the Bible is mostly thought of as a quaint and useless artifact, like that old colonial butterchurn near the fireplace in your country home. Did it really ever make butter?

So, how well do we know the Bible?   Do we recognize the incredible effect it has on the way we speak?   Hopefully, it will be a powerful governing agent of the way we think and act.

Resolution without Resolve

I would think that a large majority of Bible reading plans begin the new year somewhere in the book of Genesis - you may already be in chapter 10 by now, but that's OK - it means you may have already come across this passage in chapter 2:
15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. 16 The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely ; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."

So, here we have Adam placed in the Garden, Eve fashioned for him, and they are endowed with God's confidence in them that they will carry out the plan of God, the Creator.   But, they were given an "opt out" - a choice: they could eat from all the trees freely, but one and only one tree was forbidden to them.   And, that choice became a snare to them.   

As Pam Smith will share on TMH next week, there are 5 leading new year's resolution, the majority of which are never kept, and most abandoned by the end of the first week.   They are: lose weight, eat better, stop smoking, exercise more, and get out of debt.   

Just like Adam and Eve lacked resolve to follow God's commands, even though He had given them the ability to walk in His ways and given them an abundance of trees from which to eat - thousands vs. just one - the solitary tree became a unit of temptation, and the serpent capitalized on it.   So, when we make resolutions - if they are practical and attainable, then we have to recognize, that with God's help, activating our ability, that we can reach the goals, or at least make progress.   But, because we lack resolve, the root verb of the word resolution, we often fail in our attempts.   

God, through His word and by His Spirit, can give us the fuel for our resolve.   And, as we rely on Christ and make quality decisions, intentional choices, we can see Him do the work He intends.


I think of a recent use of the word "resolution" outside the context of the New Year - it was a resolution that was stated by the men in the leading roles in the movie, "Courageous", and it went like this:

I DO solemnly resolve before God to take full responsibility for myself, my wife, and my children.

 

I WILL love them, protect them, serve them, and teach them the Word of God as the spiritual leader of my home.

 

I WILL be faithful to my wife, to love and honor her, and be willing to lay down my life for her as Jesus Christ did for me.

 

I WILL bless my children and teach them to love God with all of their hearts, all of their minds, and all of their strength.

 

I WILL train them to honor authority and live responsibly.

 

I WILL confront evil, pursue justice, and love mercy.

 

I WILL pray for others and treat them with kindness, respect, and compassion.

 

I WILL work diligently to provide for the needs of my family.

 

I WILL forgive those who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged.

 

I WILL learn from my mistakes, repent of my sins, and walk with integrity as a man answerable to God.

 

I WILL seek to honor God, be faithful to His church, obey His Word, and do His will.

 

I WILL courageously work with the strength God provides to fulfill this resolution for the rest of my life and for His glory.

Do you possess the resolve to live out this resolution?   It was recited by the men in the movie, but women can embrace the principles, too.  I pray we would be people of resolve, who do more than make and break resolutions, but who would spark a revolution in our hearts.

Who is My Neighbor?

In Luke chapter 10, Jesus had an encounter with a certain attorney, who thought he was doing OK in living his life, but Jesus showed him otherwise.   Let's pick up in verse 25 And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life ?" 26 And He said to him, "What is written in the Law ? How does it read to you?" 27 And he answered, "YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND ; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." 28 And He said to him, "You have answered correctly ; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE." 29 But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor ?"  Jesus then told the story of the Good Samaritan, depicting a wounded man - two people walked by, the other tended to his needs and attempted to facilitate healing and restoration.   Jesus said:  in verse 36: "Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' hands?" 37 And he said, "The one who showed mercy toward him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same."

Great question for us today - who is our neighbor?   And what makes a good neighbor?   That is not limited to where you live, but it does include geographical location.   So, are you a lighthouse in your neighborhood - do you choose to show charity to those in the location God has placed you?


The real estate website Zillow has released a new survey.  The annual poll asks U.S. adults which celebrities they would most like to be their neighbor, and with whom they wouldn't want to share a fence.  Here are the results:

Most Desirable Neighbors for 2012		Worst Neighbors of 2011
Name	Percent	Name	Percent
Tim Tebow	11	Jersey Shore Cast	28
Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt	10	Charlie Sheen	21
Jennifer Aniston & Justin Theroux	9	Lindsay Lohan	14
Jennifer Lopez	6	Kim Kardashian	13
Beyoncé & Jay-Z	5	Nancy Grace	3
Nancy Grace	4	Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt	3
Kim Kardashian	4	Anthony Weiner	2
Other	11	Other	2
None of the above	42	None of the above	14

No surprise - good for Tim Tebow.   I think it's interesting that Brangelina and Kim Kardashian ended up on both lists.   And, you have 1 married couple and 2 cohabiting couples on the good neighbor list.   Good challenge for us - even if you have neighbors that may not share your values, that doesn't remove our responsibility to be neighborly.    God has called us to show mercy - to demonstrate the fruit of the spirit to people with whom we come in contact.   And, those in your neighborhood present a great place to start.

Toward Admiration

From 1st Corinthians chapter 11: 1 Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ. 2 Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you.

Can you say that - follow me as I follow Christ?  This is a challenging thought - does the way we live our lives produce a desire for others to emulate our attitudes, our posture, and our behavior?    I was thinking about the whole question of living an admirable life, in light of the latest Gallup poll on Most Admired Women and Man that was recently released...

No surprise, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama continue to be named by Americans as the Most Admired Woman and Most Admired Man living today in any part of the world, according to the Gallup organization.  Clinton has been the Most Admired Woman each of the last 10 years, and Obama has been the Most Admired Man four years in a row.   It's not uncommon to see a current or past President at the top of the men's list or a First Lady - present or past - in the top slot.   In fact, that's certainly the case this year.

Most Admired Woman of 2011:

Most Admired Man

I must call attention to the highest-ranked non-politician on the men's list:  Rev. Billy Graham...listen to this - He has never finished first, but has been in the top 10 more than any other man -- 55 times since 1955. He has finished as high as second place, which he has done on eight occasions. After Graham, Reagan is next with 31 top 10 finishes, while Pope John Paul II, Jimmy Carter, Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Harry Truman, and Bill Clinton have had 20 or more.   2 other religious leaders appeared on the men's list:  Pope Benedict and Morman church leader Thomas Monson.   And, as I have stated numerous times, I believe Oprah to be a religious leader; perhaps one of the most influential spiritual leaders of the last 25 years - placing #2 on this year's list.

So, what makes a person admirable?   In the Gallup universe, position plays a key role, no doubt...witness the huge margin of victory for Obama and Hillary.   And, publicity is also a key factor - if a person has high media visibility and is known for positive exploits, that is a huge plus.   But, in order to qualify as "admirable", there has to be some sort of character traits worthy of emulation, I believe.  

From a Christian worldview perpsective, I think Billy Graham is a great example of character for us as Christians - a holy life, lived without hypocrisy, inspiring others, firm in conviction, but loving in delivery.    In the culture at large, faith may not be a qualification for making the list, but in the kingdom of God, if we are to be truly admirable, living lives worthy of imitation, reliance on the power and presence of God is what can mold our character so that we can be able to point others to Him.