When it comes to storytelling, the writers of Lost have nothing on our Lord. He weaves hints, parallels, symbolism, foreshadowings, and callbacks throughout his narrative with the skill of a master. So exciting.
I have no words. Just watch.
Author Archives: Brandon Adams
The Classroom Quotables Collection
In the vein of “Kids Say the Darndest Things”, the following is a series of quotes lifted directly from the four years of math class I taught, grades 7-12.
1.
Student #1: “Mr. Adams, do you have any siblings?”
Me: “Yes, a younger brother.”
Student #2: “Did he turn out better?”
2.
Me: “So, any material from your math class that you’ve been struggling with?
Student: “Not really.”
Me: “Nothing that you’ve found annoying lately?”
Student: “Just you.”
3.
Student: “You’re mean, Mr. Adams.”
Me: “I’m not mean. I just have expectations for you, including doing work.” Student: “That’s how you’re mean.”
Me: “Well, I’m not sure what I can do about that.”
Student: “You could quit your job.”
4.
Student #1: “Mr. Adams, why do some people laugh at funerals?”
Me: “Maybe the deceased person wants their loved ones to be happy even at their funeral. I would.”
Student #2: “I’m going to dance on your grave, does that count?”
Christmas is Bigger Than Your Opinion Of It
It was on a December 27th (long enough ago that I got the news over a corded phone) that my family was ending.
At least the blow waited until after the 25th, but is there really ever a “good time” for such things?
The result was a double whammy for Christmas. Not only was the month now historically connected with tragedy in my mind, but every family gathering since has screamed its ongoing incompleteness. The count in the room is always short.
Others have similar stories (and I’ve heard a lot worse). Christmas has a way of reminding you of what you’ve lost, or never had to begin with. A brief week of sanity before going back to the grind, fear, and disappointment.
So I’m the last person to tell anyone to “just get over it and celebrate”. The Bible defends our grace-given ability to approach God with our pain. Psalms is full of it. Jeremiah vents to God even though he knows exactly why God is inflicting his nation. Even Jesus does not try to hide his sweat and blood from his Father.
So please don’t hear me saying that God doesn’t care about our disappointment. It matters to him.
BUT.
But.
It eventually occurred to me that instead of taking my disappointment to God, I might instead be letting it usurp his throne.
Thinking It’s Up to You: Another Wave We Mustn’t Look At
The lesson of Matthew 14:22-33 should be rote for us by now. Peter sees Jesus walking on the water, gets out of the boat, and walks out to meet him – until he starts paying more attention to the waves instead of Jesus. That’s when he starts to sink.
Keep your eyes on Jesus, the lesson teaches us (echoed by Hebrews 12:1), and not on the wind and waves of your circumstances.
Great lesson.
Unfortunately, we’re all still rather bad at it.
Sometimes I wonder if that’s because we don’t realize all the many forms that “looking at the waves” can take.
What an Unbelieving Air Force Sergeant Taught Me About Obeying God
During my time in the Air Force, I had a boss named Sergeant Carlson.
He was the kind of leader you talk about years later and would still gladly shake his hand. He had a gift for balancing the needs of the mission with genuine concern for the troops under his charge. We knew he really cared. We also knew he wouldn’t hesitate to snap us back in line if we needed it. (As with any young punk, there were days when I needed it.)
A season came in which I was not performing well. I got two Letters of Counseling (LOCs) in a short span, one from Sgt. Carlson, one from another sergeant in our office. My mistakes had grounded a couple jets from their scheduled sorties. I had earned both reprimands straight up, and thanks to God, I had enough maturity to accept them with humility.
But inside, the story was different: one reprimand was a lot easier to accept. You can probably guess that it was Sgt. Carlson’s.
He Hasn’t Forgotten Our Frailty
If you’re asking “Just what is God like?”, few books of the Bible answer more directly and generously than the Psalms.
Yesterday I was reading through Psalm 103 (one of my favorites) and found myself stopping on verses 13-16:
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
I stopped reading. A lump had taken up residence in my throat. Yes. This is me. Dust. Temporary. Fragile. It’s what I am, and moreover, it was how I’ve been feeling lately.
And God knows.
He knows.
Prayer for Change: a Haiku
How to Stop Feeling Alone in a Room Full of People
This has been one of the worst things I’ve experienced, and Jesus doesn’t let me take the easy way out of it.
We all can feel alone even when surrounded by our greatest fans.
You probably know how this goes. Moments come where we feel something unshareable, something that seems to set us apart from the gathering. It might be a pain, or it might be a joy. Whatever it is, we know the others aren’t feeling it. It’s stuck inside us.
It’s the worst feeling.
Finding someone like-minded to us is cause for celebration, along the lines of finding a vein of gold on your property. But they seem few and far between. Our struggles pull us toward isolation.
This is often our God-shaped hole. There are parts of us that are just too deep for any human to reach. Those needs belong on the broad shoulders of God.
However…God Himself did not intend for humans to live alone. In a stunning act of humility, He designed us to need each other as well. (It’s also one of His tools of sanctification…
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Is Christ Your King or Genie?
Great perspective.
A King is so much more than a dispenser of favors. A king is a judge, legislator, and military leader. A benevolent king also does dispense favors and treats his subjects with mercy. Lucky for us sinners, our God is a just yet merciful king. …
via Is Christ your King or Genie? — Messy Buns & Latin Chant
Being a Goody Two Shoes in a Wrong-Footed World
“Hey, Brandon,” she said, bouncing up to the counter – not a coworker, but the girlfriend of one, whom I didn’t know from Adam – “Do you know the difference between a cheeseburger and a [sexual reference]?”
I groaned.
No. I don’t know the difference between those things, and I’ve as much desire to find out as to go dumpster-diving on Main Street during rush hour.
I looked at them with what I hoped was a world-weary half-grin.
“C’mon. Enough for one night,” I said.
They relented good-naturedly.
I’m trying to be gracious. I don’t want to be THAT Christian, the one who gets all debilitated because unbelievers act like unbelievers. You have to let this stuff slide off your back in environments like this.
Plus, I actually enjoy this particular coworker. He’s got solid character (albeit a one-track mind) and I consider him a friend. Burning bridges over this stuff doesn’t necessarily help when you’re trying to share Christ.
But this stuff does get tiring.
Brandon J. Adams 