So, I’ve begun to design shirts using Bonfire. This is just a little side hustle and I’ll profit minimally, but I wanted to get all the links in one place...
There’s no other motivation behind this but to try my hand at simple shirt design.
All the shirts are only available for 15 days after I first post them. This will be a working post!
Native Texan: https://www.bonfire.com/native-texan/
TX Life: https://www.bonfire.com/texas-life/
Carnivore: https://www.bonfire.com/carnivore-1/
Not Today Satan: https://www.bonfire.com/not-today-satan-15/
What now?: https://www.bonfire.com/what-now-2/
AG2G: https://www.bonfire.com/ag2g/
thoughts of a Junior High football coach on Jesus, life, and sports.
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Christmas: Zechariah and Elizabeth (and "Little" John too)
Seeing as I am a history teacher and a super history nerd. I thought we could use the anticipation of Christmas to take a look at some of the supporting characters of the Christmas story. I want to investigate them from a Biblical perspective as well as a historical perspective.
So let's get started....
This first article, let's take a look at some background characters: Elizabeth and Zechariah.
Biblically, Luke introuduces us to the couple in his first chapter. Luke 1:5-25 gives us some background on these two individuals. We see that Zechariah is a priest and his wife, Elizabeth, is a descendant of Aaron. We see that these two are righteous and blameless. We are also informed that Elizabeth is unable to have children. Luke closes out his introduction of them making sure to tell us these two are "advanced in years" aka OLD. The best estimations put them both in their sixties at the time of the story.
Historically, we know that Zechariah was from a small town, so he may have easily been seen by others as a "hick" of sorts. He wouldn't exactly have been seen as the MVP of the priesthood. So, many wouldn't figure him to be used an as integral piece of the coming of the Messiah. Anyway, Zechariah is chosen to go in and sprinkle the altar with incense. He goes in to complete his duty and is greeted by Gabriel, the angel, standing next to the altar. Keep in mind, there are people outside praying, waiting for Zechariah to come out. Gabriel informs Zechariah that Elizabeth is pregnant. Not only that, but that it's a boy and he's to name him John. Also, this John is going to be pretty significant to the Lord, as well as the people of God.
So in disbelief, Zechariah questions Gabriel. In Luke 1:18, we seem him ask how in the world this is going to happen since he's an old dude (Kalon Reynolds' translation). So Gabriel, quite literally shuts him up. Gabriel silences him for his and silences him good, he silences him until his baby is born. Like so many of us, Zechariah missed the miracle. He was worried about the circumstance that he missed what was happening!
What Zechariah didn't realize was that John was going to be the person who paved the way for the Jesus, whom Gabriel was about to tell Mary, Elizabeth's cousin and Jesus' mother, about. We fast forward passed those verses for another article. In Luke 1:39-80, Mary goes to visit her cousin. The connection between these babies was evident by John leaping for joy inside of Elizabeth's belly. Mary hung out with Elizabeth and Zechariah for about three months and then went back home.
John was born some time after that. The people that surrounded her rejoiced, because they'd known the Lord had done a great thing in this barren woman. When the time came to name the baby, everybody (shockingly) tried to tell her she ought to name the baby after his daddy. That was the custom of the time anyway, and you know how people are with customs and traditions. Moving along, Elizabeth answered them saying the baby would be named John, then the people turned to Zechariah. Zechariah wrote on a tablet that the boy's name would be John. Immediately following, the Lord let Zechariah's tongue loose and he began speaking blessing and praising the Lord. Everybody around them freaked out a little and then they started to realize the Lord's hand was on this little boy.
So closing out the story of this elderly couple, Zechariah prophesied about the task that John had ahead of him, as the "prophet of the Most High."
In the upcoming articles, we will take an even more in-depth look at some other characters in the Christmas story!
So let's get started....
This first article, let's take a look at some background characters: Elizabeth and Zechariah.
Biblically, Luke introuduces us to the couple in his first chapter. Luke 1:5-25 gives us some background on these two individuals. We see that Zechariah is a priest and his wife, Elizabeth, is a descendant of Aaron. We see that these two are righteous and blameless. We are also informed that Elizabeth is unable to have children. Luke closes out his introduction of them making sure to tell us these two are "advanced in years" aka OLD. The best estimations put them both in their sixties at the time of the story.
Historically, we know that Zechariah was from a small town, so he may have easily been seen by others as a "hick" of sorts. He wouldn't exactly have been seen as the MVP of the priesthood. So, many wouldn't figure him to be used an as integral piece of the coming of the Messiah. Anyway, Zechariah is chosen to go in and sprinkle the altar with incense. He goes in to complete his duty and is greeted by Gabriel, the angel, standing next to the altar. Keep in mind, there are people outside praying, waiting for Zechariah to come out. Gabriel informs Zechariah that Elizabeth is pregnant. Not only that, but that it's a boy and he's to name him John. Also, this John is going to be pretty significant to the Lord, as well as the people of God.
So in disbelief, Zechariah questions Gabriel. In Luke 1:18, we seem him ask how in the world this is going to happen since he's an old dude (Kalon Reynolds' translation). So Gabriel, quite literally shuts him up. Gabriel silences him for his and silences him good, he silences him until his baby is born. Like so many of us, Zechariah missed the miracle. He was worried about the circumstance that he missed what was happening!
What Zechariah didn't realize was that John was going to be the person who paved the way for the Jesus, whom Gabriel was about to tell Mary, Elizabeth's cousin and Jesus' mother, about. We fast forward passed those verses for another article. In Luke 1:39-80, Mary goes to visit her cousin. The connection between these babies was evident by John leaping for joy inside of Elizabeth's belly. Mary hung out with Elizabeth and Zechariah for about three months and then went back home.
John was born some time after that. The people that surrounded her rejoiced, because they'd known the Lord had done a great thing in this barren woman. When the time came to name the baby, everybody (shockingly) tried to tell her she ought to name the baby after his daddy. That was the custom of the time anyway, and you know how people are with customs and traditions. Moving along, Elizabeth answered them saying the baby would be named John, then the people turned to Zechariah. Zechariah wrote on a tablet that the boy's name would be John. Immediately following, the Lord let Zechariah's tongue loose and he began speaking blessing and praising the Lord. Everybody around them freaked out a little and then they started to realize the Lord's hand was on this little boy.
So closing out the story of this elderly couple, Zechariah prophesied about the task that John had ahead of him, as the "prophet of the Most High."
In the upcoming articles, we will take an even more in-depth look at some other characters in the Christmas story!
Thursday, February 22, 2018
What’s Going On? 2018
I feel like the writer inside me has been asleep for quite some time. I’ve had so much going on in life that I have not had any time to sit down and organize my thoughts (or at least pretend to organize them) since December when I wrote *What a Difference a Year Makes*.
Life has been just flying by.
Then moments happen. A young man walks into a school and kills a number of people. The headlines take over the thoughts in our head. We go to work or we go to school wondering what’s next. Are we going to be? Is there someone in my office with a gun? Is there someone coming down the hallway to exact revenge on their classmates?
I’ve had those feelings. Not just this week, but in 1999 as a junior high kid, during and after Columbine. In the early part of this century in high school. During college, I wasn’t sure how safe I was at the movie theatre. And now, now I’m a teacher and I’m in charge of over a hundred kids at various times of the day.
I’ve been in a lock down **DRILL** during football practice. What did we do? We got up next to the field house and awaited the all clear.
I’ve sat and had a real conversation with my students about how they should feel safe. They shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not they’d go home. By God, they’re my kids. They may be your babies, but they’re my kids and in that sort of situation, it’s my job to get them home.
I had that conversation with one of my classes. I don’t like people not feeling safe. I know how uneasy it is right now going to school. The whole nation is grieving, in many different ways (some you can’t tell). People are making all kinds of claims in person and on social media.
People are tearing each other apart, sitting behind a screen.
Unity, despite division, doesn’t exist for this country. It doesn’t exist on either side of the political party line. It barely exists within the political party or within any other form of human life.
Why?
Corruption.
Our hearts are corrupt. Our world is corrupt. Our country is corrupt.
**WE ARE CORRUPT**
We live in a messed up world.
Social media has become the festering cesspool of our corrupt world. What used to be pictures of our kids and our meals has become everyone’s political platform and everyone’s whipping post. The sad thing is, it’s where a lot of true colors shine.
Is strict gun control the solution? Is more awareness in the mental health realm? Is equipping our schools to be battle grounds? (See: America’s Safest School or whatever that video flying around Facebook is called)
The questions could keep coming and I’d still have the same answer for you.
**NO**
We are constantly searching for solutions. We turn to our leaders and when they offer no help we bash them and berate others. We ball our fist and say it won’t happen anymore but it does, because we don’t try.
America has become a crying toddler.
Not so fast, my conservative/Republican friends, I’m not just speaking about Millenials or Democrats here.
I’m talking about nearly the entire population of the country.
In the past week, I’ve seen more “Conservatives” speak out, in a backhanded sort of way, against the value of the deceased or of school children’s lives than I’ve seen liberals speak out against guns.
Everyone makes tragedy their own political agenda.
Left. Right. Moderate. Whoever.
We play the blame game, then we start to play up what’s going on for our motives.
When tragedy strikes, especially gun-related tragedy two things are almost as sure as death and taxes.
Left-leaning people are going to call for guns to be controlled or eliminated. Right-leaning people are going to rally behind the fact that it wasn’t the guns fault.
I’m a gun owner. However, I have to say that the representation of us that is made on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can sometimes...for lack of a better term...miss.
As can the representation of Christians as well.
But I digress. I just finished reading back through a post that I made on July 6, 2016 called *What’s Going On?*
In it I discuss the events that were unfolding that summer. Lots and lots of murders and incidents involving police officers.
I don’t think the most recent school shooting differs a whole lot from this.
Since 2016, we’ve had many incidents and tragedies occur. Many of them with guns as the centerpiece.
Mankind has been at constant conflict with each other since the Fall of Man.
Why did Cain kill his brother Abel?
His heart was corrupted.
What corrupted it? Sin.
Why do I think the bad things that I think? Why do I occasionally cuss? Why do I struggle with the things I struggle with?
Sin.
You’ve probably read this a million times by now, but our problem is sin. Corrupted hearts.
We were created to be like God. Sin corrupted that Creation. Jesus redeemed the Creation, but we’ve not reached the end of that corruption.
We are well on our way though.
The old saying is true, “it gets worse before it gets better.”
I used to shudder in fear at this statement, but we are truly living in the final days.
Jesus will come back to claim His Creation once again.
I’d be crazy to not tell you that you can be a part of that redemption. You must accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, just by saying prayer.
Until the Lord comes back, I think we’ve got to make the most of where we are living right now. We must allow the Joy of the Lord to inhabit our lives. Not just on Sundays and Wednesdays, but every day and every where you go.
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