Why Literature Matters

 As an English teacher, I have heard a variety of derogatory things. First, the general teacher comments like "those who can, do; those who can't, teach." I have also heard "Go experience life instead of just reading about it." The most common statement I hear is from students who tell me that "reading is boring." Books, reading, stories, and literature can and often is seen as archaic and unnecessary. Students want to know why they have to read and learn about fiction in school. They tell me all the time "It's not like I am going to use this in my life." I would argue that statement is very incorrect. Not only is it used in life, but gives instruction for life and what life will look like.

Let me give you the example I use with my students. In modern America, we don't have arranged marriages. We allow each individual to choose who they are going to marry. This is just natural, and we of course believe this is the best option. From a purely logical and pragmatic sense, it is a horrible idea. Arranged marriages make more sense. Young people who are attempting to choose a mate, a lifelong commitment, are not rational. They are using emotion and are not seeing the picture clearly. Most individuals enter relationships before their frontal cortex is fully formed. They don't have the life experience to make the kind of wise, rational decisions required in this kind of commitment. The further parents have moved away from the process of choosing a mate, the higher the divorce rate in our country rises. Parents, who deeply want what is best for their child, would make a better choice of mate, based on shared values, compatibility, and maturity. As a father, I would pick a husband for my daughter who was kind, loving, hard-working, and would be supportive in every way. Why don't we see this in American culture?

The answer is Romeo and Juliet. We all read Romeo and Juliet, and the story is told and retold in our culture in a million different versions. Juliet reaches marrying age, and her parents find a good suiter. Paris is well-off, respectable, and comes from a good family. What does Juliet do? She runs off and marries the bad boy, the hot guy from the rival family. Their love is so powerful, they are willing to die to protect it. Their death brings the feuding families together. It has become the ideal. In reality, the story is about a girl and a boy who decide they are madly in love after meeting once, get married the next day, and are dead by the end of the week. Not a good model for a relationship, but somehow it has become the way young people act about love. It is repeated in love songs, romantic comedies, sappy romance stories, soap operas, and teenage dramas. The couple that defies the odds to be together.

Here is the point, literature shapes our society. We are defined by our stories, and it has been that way since the beginning of human history. Our identity is shaped by the stories we hear and relate too. By reading, learning, and thinking, we have a better opportunity to shape our lives, our communities, and our culture in positive ways. The stories that are being shared in schools, homes, churches, and the marketplace today will shape the next generation. The things we tell the younger generation will impact their identity. This is why there is such a fight over children and schools. The stories we tell matter. The narratives we communicate to our students today are the truth that they live tomorrow. Now, more than ever, being an English teacher is critical. If students do not get a balanced, accurate view of life from the stories, they are simply being manipulated. Teaching should be making students into informed, free-thinking, responsible adults. It should not just be creating smaller versions of our ideas and ideology to further our political or social goals. We need to be honest about the power and impact of stories in our lives. Our future may depend on it.

Why Secular Humanism Can't Solve Any Issues

 In the world we live in, we are surrounded by a progressive political ideology that is driven by a secular humanistic worldview. To summarize, this is a belief that man is the highest evolved being, there is no being above man and we are capable of moral and ethical good on our own. This idea is the basis for Malsow's Hierarchy, that man left to his own devices will seek his good and the good of his fellow man. It states that mankind is essentially good and will seek the best if given the opportunity Often, they view crime as wrongdoing as done in a sense of desperation.

The view culminates in progressive ideology, and the problem lies in the fact that their entire system of thinking is dependent upon humans being good. Secular humanism believes in nothing higher than man, so for them, good must come from man. This is the key to their entire system, so they must believe that mankind is generally good and noble. The belief in the nobility of man leads them to push in the direction they do, and they cannot question their root belief or everything falls apart.

The fundamental issue is that mankind is not good. Christians understand that mankind is sinful and ruled by sin. The good that exists in the world is external to man. God causes good, and the existence of God can only be attributed to God. The good that man does is the result of God's grace, and for man to be good, man must be redeemed and Spirit-filled. The Bible teaches that all have sinned, and that sin brings death. Left on our own, we are filled with all sorts of evil, and often the good we do has selfish and dark intent.

If you look at the world through a lens of man being good, it leads you to defund the police, let criminals out of jail, and increase welfare. The thought it, if you give the man what he needs, goodness will take over. If you distribute wealth from a secular mindset, then everyone will become productive. You can have open borders because no one will be a criminal. You can replace the police with a social worker because people just need help. You can trust people to do what is right if you believe that deep down, they are good.

If you have a Christian worldview, then you understand the the only thing that keeps us from doing the wrong thing is the consequences. We do the right thing with incentives. Apart from Christ, only a system of rules and laws will preserve any order. The natural man, apart from Christ will only seek the good of himself. If you create a system in which a natural man can benefit others while benefiting himself, that will work. You cannot expect a natural man to give of himself with nothing in return. This is why the rich and wealthy protect their assets against taxation. This is why people hoard resources during a pandemic. This is why people steal, vandalize, assault, and kill others. People are naturally selfish and self-serving. The only hope for mankind is Christ. The only hope for civilization is law, consequences, incentives, and justice.

The secular humanist is incapable of making the right decisions because they don't understand what they are dealing with. They want to "tax the rich" not understanding that selfishness and greed will motivate the rich to tie up all of their wealth in untaxable assets. They want to get rid of guns, not understanding that violent men only fear the threat of violence, and a man protecting his family with a gun is the only deterrent to a violent man with a gun. They don't understand that asking nicely and using rational arguments against evil people will not help. They don't even understand that they are evil and selfish and sinful, they don't have a context for that type of thinking. The result is, they are ill-equipped to deal with modern society.

Right now in America and the world, Jesus is the only hope. We must pray for revival and awakening, too many have moved too far from God. Evil will not only increase but continue to be called "good". The secular humanist will continue to redefine the world to fit their ideology. The things once held sacred will be profaned and outlawed. The things once outlawed will be celebrated. The humanist will not, can not solve the problems of modern America until they acknowledge the God they continue to deny.

How To Get Unstuck in Life

In my various roles and responsibilities, I find that many people are stuck in life. They feel trapped in a bad situation and don't see a way out. Sometimes it is finances, sometimes relationships, sometimes jobs, and sometimes it is just life circumstances. The feeling is often the same. I have been stuck, in dead-end jobs, in financial hardship, and even on the couch with a messed up back. These are situations that are hard on your mental health and leave you drained and overwhelmed. There is hope and there is a way out. As a life coach, I have walked with many individuals as they have looked for the next steps. I have also served as an employment specialist and job coach. There are some principles to help you get out of the mud and back on the road.

First, you need to be honest about the situation you are in. Don't blame someone else if the problem is you. Don't blame yourself if the problem is someone else. If you have money issues, be honest about your situation in regard to income, spending, and saving. Take an accurate assessment of where you are. This sounds simple, but it is harder than it sounds. Many of us struggle to be honest with ourselves. We want to save ourselves from the shame of our failure. We don't want to admit that someone we love is causing the problems. We don't want to acknowledge where we are and how we got there. It can be hard to admit our failures, our inadequacies, and our insecurities. It is critical and the only way to get back on the road is to admit how far off the road you have gone. Be honest with yourself.

Next, you need a goal. It is not good enough to know that you are not where you want to be. You need to set a goal of where you do want to be. It is important to be realistic about your goals, but don't be afraid to dream. I still have a goal of having my books read and used all over the country. I don't have a goal to be a best-selling author, but to empower people and churches to live out their calling. That is a big dream of mine. That is where I want to be. I also want to continue in my teaching career, continue my education, and continue to serve local churches. I have my goals and dreams in each of these areas. This gives me a vision of where I want to go.

Once you know where you are and realistically where you want to go, it is time to make a plan. Seldom do good things happen without a plan. Making a plan is critical to getting unstuck because it will show you where to step and where to go. A journey without a map is wandering, and wandering gets you lost. A plan is a map for your life. What will you need to complete your goal? In my goals, blogging is one way to move forward. By blogging, I put down my ideas, improve my writing, build an audience and I refine my ideas. In my professional life, I continue to study and attend training classes. I am looking towards another Master's Degree and I have applied for the program. These are steps that I continue to take to progress forward. Perhaps your plan is to get more education, so the first step is to research options. Maybe you need to look at job openings and begin to look for opportunities. Maybe you need to make a plan to decrease spending or increase your salary. Looking at your goal, what are the steps you need to take to get there. It will probably be more than one step. It might take weeks, months, or even years. You may have to get a lot of parts into place. Even if it seems like it will take forever, it is better than doing nothing.

Finally, as you begin the journey to get unstuck, remember the plan and the process. Find support systems. Share the goals with others and ask them to help you. As you begin to complete the steps for your journey, it will seem less daunting. Achieve small victories. Celebrate the first chapter complete, the first class done, and the first $20 saved. Watch the progress you are making and remember that no matter how hard it gets, there is nothing worse than that feeling of being stuck. Being unstuck is worth the struggle and the trials.

I know you can do this. You can achieve great things, the hardest part is getting started. Once you do, things will keep going and you will find tasks being checked off. There is no time like the present to start. I am cheering for you, I am excited to see how far you can go!

When You Don't Know What to Do (Or When It's Just Not Working)

There are days when I feel like I have no idea what I should do. Some days I wonder if there is really anything I can do. Let me explain. As a High School teacher, there is often a struggle. Some students just aren't interested in what you are teaching. There are a variety of reasons for this, and for the most part, I knew this was the case. I teach an English class, and some students don't like English. There is a lot of reading involved, and most students don't like reading. My job is to get them to do things they don't really want to do. There are some days when I am successful and many days when I have no idea what to do.

I also am the interim pastor at a small church here in Iowa. The church is small, the town is small, and the surrounding communities are small. The church has been through some hard times with losing pastors, plus Covid. All of these things compounded making it hard to see growth in the church. I have studied church growth, and I have tried many of the things I have learned over the years to build and grow a church. We have seen some people come and go over the two years I have been there. I am just not sure what to do.

What do you do when you don't know what to do, or what you thought you should do isn't working? Maybe it is in your job, you are not getting the results you want. Maybe it is in your personal life, you can't figure out what you are doing wrong. Maybe you can't find a way to get your health to improve or your finances. There are lots of areas where things begin to go wrong and we can't figure out the right answer. What do you do? What do I do?

Sometimes, I have to put my 'life coach' hat on with myself. As an experienced life coach, I can tell you that this is true for everyone at every time. We all wish we could get consistent results every time we did something. We all have these struggles in multiple areas of our lives. The fact is, life is not a constant. That means that it doesn't stay the same, life is a variable. There are so many things that change the parameters that you can't just expect a 1 to 1 ratio. We want life to be like a vending machine. You put the money in, and the drink comes out. Life is more like a slot machine. You put the money in, pull the handle, and hope for the best.

What do we do? First, don't give up. When you are doing the right thing, but not getting the results, don't quit. If you are trying to get healthy, eat right and exercise. You won't get healthy if you give up and eat junk food. It may take longer, it may be harder, but don't quit. In some areas, there are shades of gray, like teaching high school or fighting depression. Don't give up, keep doing the right things.

Second, be cautious of shortcuts. If you find a program that promises to fix your problems, it will probably only succeed to separate you from your money. Shortcuts rarely have positive long-term outcomes. It may work in the short term, but things often end up worse than they started. A quick fix is seldom quick or a fix.

Finally, don't be afraid to ask for help. Look for help, find answers. Understand that the road to any improvement will be long and bumpy. As you continue to do the right things, learn as much as you can. Learn about what you are trying to accomplish, see what others have done, and look for principles. Read books, look at data and information, and take classes. Keep learning and finding new answers. It is a long road, it is bumpy and hard, but hard work pays off in the end. Quitting doesn't fix the issue, shortcuts won't fix it, and being impatient won't fix it. The only way to really address the issue is to do the right thing and gain new skills.

Listen, I know it is hard and there is lots of struggle. The only way forward is to keep going forward. Don't give up, and when you get to the end and look back, you will see how far you made it. Along the way, others will be blessed and you will make a strong impact. Keep going, don't quit. You got this.

Effort is a Skill

 As a High School teacher, I have seen how vital, and often rare effort is. I have come to the conclusion that effort is a skill. It has to be learned and instilled. We have assumed that everyone can make an effort, but I am starting to think that isn't true. I think you must be taught how to put forth an effort. In years and decades past, it was assumed we could all put forth a good effort because we were expected to. We learned early and often to put forth an effort. As time has passed, technology has increased and people have more leisure, I think we have passed the tipping point where we can just expect people to know how to put in a good effort.

The expectations have been lowered, the excuses have been made, and the participation trophies have been given out. We have done too much to shelter and protect kids in our modern culture, they don't know how to try. They expect to be given what they want, they want a handout. There is a concerted lack of effort on the part of many of the students. It is more than not caring, it's like they don't even know how to care. They don't understand the reward of hard work, they take little pride in a job well done. They rush through everything and do it halfway so they have more time for idle things.

This is not the case across the board, and there are some who have learned effort. I am not talking about specifics, I am talking only in generalities. I am sure it has also been a slow fade over decades to where we are today. To be honest, there is not going to be an easy fix either. We have arrived at the place we are today be millions of choices over years. It didn't happen overnight and it won't be fixed overnight. The only option we have is to recognize the error and begin to push back the other way. To begin to celebrate hard work. We must return to the day when the heroes are those who do great things, and not internet celebrities and media influencers. The culture can be saved, but it is going to be a long and difficult road back. I for one am worried, because it will take effort, and I am not sure we have enough left to get back.

Anxiety

 Anxiety is on the rise for many people, and I am one of them. When I was younger, I never struggled with anxiety. These days, however, the amount of pressure that I am under (and often put myself under) has caused me some trouble. As a teacher, there is a great deal of pressure from every side. Working with a room of High School students can be stressful, and the ones who are defiant cause anxiety to increase. Add parents and society at large, combined with the pressure of test scores and student achievement, I struggle with anxiety every morning.

It feels like we are all constantly in the public eye, thanks to cell phones and social media. People can take pictures and videos of you almost anytime. Cameras are everywhere, and any mistake you make is quickly posted. If you park badly, your car will be posted all over social media with comments about how stupid and incompetent you are. If you posted something wrong when you are young, it comes back to haunt you. Add cancel culture and the eagerness of many to be offended, and anxiety is just a reality.

I have found that many people deal with anxiety in very unhealthy ways. The younger generations that I work with have dealt with anxiety through forms of abandonment. They don't care, they don't try, they don't participate, and they don't show up. The concept of "quiet quitting" is an example. When the anxiety gets too high, the pressure to perform in order to get ahead, they quit doing any extra. They do exactly what is expected of them, and nothing more. I believe this is a result of the pressure and anxiety combined with the feeling of always being watched and on display.

There are healthy ways to deal with anxiety. First, understand that anxiety is a part of life but it doesn't have to be a driving force. Like anger, sadness, or regret, these negative emotions can be felt but not allowed to control your life. If you feel anxiety, understand that it doesn't have to control you. You push through it and move forward. Anxiety doesn't control you. As you feel the anxiety, call it what it is, a feeling. On a deeper level, anxiety is a low-brain emotion. Anxiety exists to keep us safe and give us pause. It should be the feeling you have when you are walking through the woods and see a bear. Your first instinct should be to not get mauled, not to pet the bear. These emotions are in the lower parts of your brain, the fight or flight areas. These are instincts, but they don't have to control you. In the higher parts of your brain, you have rational areas that can think through the issues. Bears are dangerous, but a room full of high school students who don't want to listen is not a threat to my health and safety.

Anxiety is a low-brain reaction, and faith is a high-brain reaction. A great way to push through anxiety is to remember what the Bible says. We remember what Paul tells us in Romans 8, and if God is for us, who can be against us? We remember what Paul says in 2 Timothy, that God has not given us a spirit of fear. God has given us the ability to push through our anxiety through rational thinking, faith, and perseverance. Keep moving forward, trust God, and know you have it within yourself to overcome.

Finally, some anxiety needs some medical attention. If you have crippling anxiety, know that is a medical issue and you need to talk to your doctor. Our brain is a very specialized tool, and sometimes the calibration is off. The neurotransmitters can be unbalanced causing anxiety and depression. This isn't something you can just overcome with willpower, so talk to your doctor. There are tools and resources to help you, like medication or types of therapy. Know that this will not take 100% of the anxiety away, but it will get you to a place where you can begin to use the higher brain functions of faith and perseverance. Sometimes it takes a combination of things to get through the day, so don't be ashamed if you need those tools.

Life is hard, and anxiety is real. My goal today is not to downplay or dismiss what you feel, because your feelings are real. My goal today is to encourage you that even though you feel anxious and it is hard to get going, you can do it. God has given you what you need, and moving out of that "fight or flight" and into using our faith and confidence we can find in Christ. You can do this, just one step at a time.

When Bad Things Hit You Like a Brick

 Bad things happen in life. Bad things happen in life to everyone, and sometimes things are really, really bad. I sometimes get asked why God allows these things to happen. I have even been asked by people if God hates them. The reason is simple, yet very complex. God allows us freedom and freedom can cause pain. Let me unpack.

God allows you to make the choices to do what you choose. He allows you to choose to do good, to be kind. He allows you to love and support and care for people. He also allows you to do harm and make bad decisions. All of the bad things in life come as either a direct or indirect result of sin. I am going to use an example to help illustrate this point, our friend the brick.

If you take a brick and throw it straight up in the air and it comes down, it can hit you in the head. This is a result of gravity, a natural law that God put in place for many good reasons. Without it, we would float away and all die. Gravity is necessary, and God allows you to throw the brick. The natural consequences are that it comes back down and hits you in the head. You can blame God, but it is not God's fault, you have no one to blame but yourself. If you are honest with yourself, many of the issues in your life come down to your actions. The decisions you make, or sometimes your inaction, result in the situation. It may be harsh to say, but it is true. You threw the brick and it hit you in the head.

More sinister is when someone else throws the brick. People have the freedom to be awful, and often bricks get thrown. Bricks get thrown a lot, and sometimes we get blindsided by bricks flying out of seemingly nowhere. This is where a lot of our pain comes from. It can be easy to put this on God, but it is the freedom that God gives all of us. We can desire that God will limit the freedom of others, but none of us want God to limit our freedom. We each want the freedom to do what we want, but we expect God to stop others. We don't want others to lie to us, but do we lie? We don't want others to talk badly about us, but do we talk badly about others? Either we all have freedom, or none of us have freedom. If you want the freedom to do what you want, others get freedom and sometimes that freedom is abused and causes pain.

The last flying brick is the most complicated to understand. Sometimes in the course of life, bricks get thrown, tossed, knocked over, or flung great distances. It can seem like no one's fault, but the bricks suddenly come flying from nowhere and hit us. Illness, accidents, and hardships are not the direct action or result of us or someone else. These things exist because of the flaws in the world, flaws that result from sin. Death itself is a result of sin and all the negative things can be tied to sin, death, and the knowledge of good and evil. The world as it exists is filled with pain that can be linked to evil. For example, many cancers are caused by pollutants and chemical exposures, many of which are the results of companies cutting corners and causing pollution. These pollutants enter the air and water and as a result, people become ill. These indirect things cause us problems, but every one of them is the result of the fallen nature of the world. They are not necessarily the result of our decisions as individuals, but they are the result of the freedom of choice given to mankind. Everything ties back to the first wrong choice and escalates with every wrong choice that has been made since.

In fact, it is a miracle that anything good actually happens to us. With all the bad choices we make, with all the ways we hurt one another and ourselves, it is a gift of God that we have the blessings we do. God continues to give us good things, even when we do horrible things. Romans 5:8 says that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. We betrayed God, and He gave us a way to fix what we broke. That is amazing, and every blessing we have is a direct result of His love for us. Every bad thing in our lives is the result of the poor choices we make. I am not sure how I have so many blessings, since I made so many horrible decisions. I am thankful that I have so few bricks that come into my life.