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New Orleans ESL / TESOL Masters, Doctorates, & PhD Degree Programs
What is a TESOL Degree?
TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) encompasses teaching English as both a second language and a foreign language. Earning a TESOL Degree prepares students with the skills and knowledge to help non-English speaking people communicate.
TESOL programs generally focus on second language acquisition, particularly among children and adults who live in English-speaking communities, but who come from another language background. However, a variety of unique variants might be available.
ESL (English as Second Language) typically refers to teaching English in countries where English is the primary language.
Some TESOL degree programs may focus on teaching English in communities where it is not the primary language. Others may prepare students to work with specific age groups, skill levels, or cultural backgrounds. They may also be offered at the masters, doctorate and graduate certificate level, both online and in the classroom. So whatever your interests, lifestyle or goals, there could be a TESOL program for you.
What Is the Difference Between ESL and TESL?
ESL, TESL and TEFL programs are all focused on teaching English and are therefore often confused. They fall under the umbrella of TESOL, which stands for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. This encompasses a wide variety of areas, from early childhood to adult education, both domestic and abroad.
Where TESL and ESL differ is in their area of focus or in the specific teaching settings. Understanding the differences between each of these might help you to narrow down the TESOL programs you consider.
- TESL stands for Teaching English as a Second Language. This generally refers to people who may live in an English-speaking community, such as the majority of the United States, but whose primary language is not English. These programs frequently focus on students in the K-12 age group.
- TEFL stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. This refers to teaching students living in non-English speaking communities or foreign countries to speak English. This might be in an international school setting, with an organization, in an international university setting, or even within corporations.
- ESOL stands for English to Speakers of Other Languages. While this has a lot in common with TESL, it often refers to programs outside the K-12 setting, such as classes for adult students either in a college, night school setting or elsewhere.
While these definitions are a great starting point, it is important to note that they may vary when applied in different communities. Some people may use ESOL and TESL interchangeably. It is important to follow up with your program to be sure of all the relevant details.
Other important considerations when choosing your preferred TESOL graduate programs is the population you may want to work with. While not all programs may focus on specific groups, some may allow you to pursue an interest in early childhood education, secondary education, urban education, or some other relevant category.
Read program listings carefully and contact schools to learn more.
Types of Graduate TESOL Degrees
Identifying the particular focus of your ideal graduate TESOL programs isn't the only part of the decision. You may still have to figure out what type of TESOL degree you want to earn!
Whether you're looking for master's in TESOL programs, doctoral programs, or at a graduate certificate in ESL, your preferred schools may award different types of degrees upon completion of their programs. Depending on the type of degree, each program may have different approaches and requirements. Below is a brief overview to help get you started.
Top Schools with ESL/TESOL Degrees* in New Orleans
|Degree Awarded
|Master of Arts in Education and Human Development in Special Education for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners
|The George Washington University
Master's in TESOL
Many TESOL masters programs are designed to help students with little or no TESOL experience, or who seek a credential or endorsement to that effect. However, that's not always the case! Other programs may be tailored toward developing the skills of current, experienced language teachers.
The three most common types of TESOL master's programs are listed below.
- MAT in TESOL (or Master of Arts in Teaching), sometimes referred to as an MST or Master of Science in Teaching, are practice-oriented masters in TESOL degrees. The programs generally emphasize expertise in one's subject area, and the instructional and classroom management skills to use that expertise in a school. A primary difference between MAT/MST programs and other education masters programs is that these are geared toward active teachers, not research or administrative roles. As such, these TESOL masters programs generally do not focus on research in the coursework.
- Master of Education in TESOL Programs (MEd) may incorporate or even focus on classroom skills, as with the MAT. However, they may also build toward administrative roles, or performing education research to support the development of TESOL practices.
- Master of Science in TESOL (MS TESOL) programs may vary widely on an individual basis. However, in general, these has a lot in common with MEd programs. The differences between the two may be minimal.
These and other TESOL masters programs may vary on an individual basis, especially with respect to required elements. For example, some may require observation or field experience like student teaching.
Often these Masters in TESOL programs are geared towards the requirements in that state for teaching licensure. However you might also find a program designed for active teachers which may not require field experience.
Typically master TESOL programs take about two years of full time study and require a bachelors degree. For more information on the focus of a program, the requirements for completion, and other details, reach out to the school.
PhD in TESOL
A doctorate in TESOL program generally looks toward a few specific leadership and research objectives. It may help foster new linguistics and education research to further TESOL as a field and improve classroom strategies. Or students might learn to design and implement new instructional programs and materials.
Doctoral programs also may prepare students to conduct research related to TESOL pedagogy or pursue leadership roles within an educational community as a TESOL authority.
While other options might be available, generally, students might earn one of two types of doctorate TESOL degrees.
- TESOL PhD programs tend to focus, in addition to language education practices, on contributing to and understanding the body of TESOL research. Topics could include pedagogy, linguistics, or other contributing areas of discipline. A PhD in TESOL may have a variety of practical applications. Graduates might pursue administration or leadership roles, classroom teaching, or research.
- TESOL EdD programs (Doctor of Education) typically focus more strongly on understanding and applying language acquisition research in an education setting, rather than conducting it. These programs might help to prepare you to use data to make decisions to help a classroom or school become a more effective learning environment for ELLs.
In some cases, doctoral TESOL programs might be combined, offered in conjunction with, or be referred to as Applied Linguistics. While programs may vary, this might indicate a program's focus on applying linguistics research to classroom teaching strategies and to encouraging second language acquisition. Schools vary, so follow up directly to learn more.
TESOL Graduate Certificates
Graduate Certificates in TESOL might be offered at the masters or doctoral level. As they're not degree programs, they generally require fewer courses and might be completed a little more quickly, depending on your course load. Often, because of the reduced number of courses, these programs focus specifically on one topic, like teaching certain populations, assessment, or pedagogy.
Some TESOL graduate certificate programs may be designed to act as educational endorsements for licensed teachers, potentially enabling teachers in other disciplines (for example, a Spanish or Language Arts teacher) to move into a TESOL role. In other cases, they might be aimed toward current TESOL teachers who want to expand their knowledge.
Individual graduate certificate programs vary, so for more information on the contents of a given program, and the options available to enrolled students, get in touch with them for more information.
Licensing and Accreditation for TESOL Graduate Programs
Before earning your TESOL degree, it's important to consider any licensing or state certification requirements you need to meet. In order to teach in a TESOL classroom, you'll probably need to hold a teaching license in that state. That's generally a given. However, requirements beyond that may vary between states.
Some places might require (or express a preference for) TESOL-specific certification or licensure, or an educational endorsement. An educational endorsement is the part of a teaching license that indicates what subject areas you are qualified to teach.
Generally, one must pursue at least bachelor's level education in a given subject area in order to be endorsed. However, some certificate programs are designed to meet these standards and provide students with an additional secondary endorsement to their licenses.
These and other requirements may vary. For more information on the qualifications you might need and how your selected ESL graduate program might support them, get in touch with the school in question.
ESL and TESOL Program Formats
When considering TESOL graduate programs, choosing a format that fits into your life could be a major factor. One thing to keep in mind when considering what program format you might prefer: how it affects the program requirements.
For example, if you're looking for a program that supports you in becoming a licensed teacher for the first time, you'll likely have field experience requirements including observation and student teaching. Studying on campus versus online could have a big impact on how that is handled.
ESL and TESOL Schools
TESOL graduate schools offer programs anchored in the community. These are typically associated with a local campus, and often use a more regular class schedule with face-to-face instruction.
Studying on campus could give you access to variety of resources, both in general and within your specific program. For example, some universities utilize classroom simulation labs, which could give you hands-on experience using classroom technology. They might also offer a variety of teacher resources to help you practice your curriculum planning, just like you might do in the field.
And if you're more interested in the linguistics and pedagogical research side of TESOL? Studying in a graduate TESOL school, you might have the opportunity to get involved with that research, working alongside your peers and instructors to advance language instruction practices.
Online TESOL Programs
Online TESOL graduate programs use technology to enable students to pursue graduate education on the go. They also aim to provide many similar resources and benefits to what you might find in a campus program. This could include research and library services through online databases, academic and career support, registrar assistance, and social opportunities through forums and social networks.
One advantage to studying TESOL online could be the format itself. With technology being increasingly present in classrooms at every level, studying online could grant you first-hand experience to what that might be like for students. Plus, with the flexibility of online learning, your graduate program might balance more easily with your busy teaching schedule.
And without worrying about a commute, you could consider great programs that might otherwise have been out of reach.
Top 1 Results for TESOL Graduate Programs in New Orleans
Sponsored Listings
- OnlineOnline
The George Washington University
Master of Arts in Education and Human Development in Special Education for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners
The program is nationally recognized by National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and leads to certification in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and special education (SPED).
Sponsored Listings


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Dr. Kevin Trutna
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- (530) 283-0202 x232
You can find out about the members of the FRC administration and about administration initiatives, policies, perspectives, and accomplishments by following the links below.
Superintendent/President, Administration
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Feather River College provides high-quality, comprehensive student education and opportunities for learning and workforce preparation and achievement in a small college environment. The College provides general education, associate and bachelor's degrees, certificates, transfer programs, and life-long learning for a diverse student population by serving local, regional, national and international students through traditional face-to-face instruction as well as distance education. The College also serves as a cultural, and economic leader for all communities that lie within the District and embraces the opportunities afforded by its natural setting.
Feather River College cultivates engaged citizens striving for a resilient, solution-based society. As a campus community, we aim to foster the values of education, service, and stewardship in our students, staff, and community. We will continue to develop our educational and co-curricular offerings to support our students' pursuit of sustainable, fulfilling, and dynamic lives.

subset: commoncrawl


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LilBallerx30 wrote:sorry for the interference, but whens NBA fantasy gonna start? 1 1/2 months left
I DARE you to start it yourself...
j/k you can start a new Fantasy NBA thread anytime. Usually Migya handles it but I don't know if he comes around here anymore. One Warning: Thou who starts a thread, will be editing it for eternity.
Oh and count me in.


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There probably isn't a limit to what can be spent in pursuit of building the ultimate home theater system, but that hasn't stopped some people from making an honest go at finding one. Over our many years of involvement with the home theater industry, we've been fortunate enough to see some pretty elaborate setups, some coming in for as much as $1 million once design fees, construction, supplies and equipment are factored in. But $1 million is chump change compared to the cost of the theater Jeremy Kipnis built on his property in Connecticut. Get ready to check out the most bad-ass home theater on the planet.
From our perspective, any home theater that can recreate the movie theater experience in such a way that you forget you're only footsteps away from your bedroom is both remarkable and worth the expenditure if you can swing it. The issue for most people – aside from financial constraints – is the lack of space needed to build something truly grand. Our homes are just not designed for anything approaching the size and scale of your local Cineplex.
Kipnis has an almost fanatical love of music and film that runs in his blood.
It would be easy to label Kipnis as just "some whacky rich guy" with too much time and money at his disposal, but that would be a mistake because he approached this project for all the right reasons. Kipnis has an almost fanatical love of music and film that runs in his blood. He has decades of professional experience as an engineer and design consultant, and an infectious desire to build systems that deliver an experience that can rival any of the grand venues that inspired him as a child.
According to Kipnis, who was raised in a home of professional musicians, the journey has been a "40-year quest to recreate his childhood experiences in venues like Radio City Music Hall" in both his home and those of his clients. Among those clients is Sean "P.Diddy" Combs, who hired Kipnis to design a six-room system for his NYC apartment.
But, arguably, Kipnis built the best for himself. "The room where we installed our Ciné Beta experience was originally designed for my father who used
it to practice, and hold concerts. It has no parallel surfaces, and was technically sound as a performance space," explained Kipnis.
"The building is separate from my home and even has its own balcony, where people used to come and sit and listen to the musicians play. As a child, I got to experience a lot of wonderful music in a great acoustic environment, and that certainly influenced my decision to pursue a career as a recording engineer."
Not surprisingly, Kipnis spun that passion into a career. He started as a recording engineer at Chesky in 1990, and owns his own record label, Epiphany Recordings. He has been writing about home audio and home theater for more than 30 years. Manufacturers such as Sony started using him as a beta-tester for its commercial-grade projectors, and he brings an almost encyclopedic level of knowledge to any discussion regarding music and movie reproduction.
His expertise includes large-format still photography (a student of Ansel Adams and Youssef Karsh), 3D 4K Cinematography and audiophile recording and engineering. His longtime love of cinema & television fueled the design and creation of the Kipnis Studio Standard (KSS) — The Ultimate Home Cinema, which he creates for select clients around the world. He is a six-year Guinness World Record winner for "Most Complex Home Theater & Video Gaming System" in the World (2008 – 2013).
But as much as he loves consulting and helping consumers design the most "authentic and realistic" systems for their homes, Kipnis is a music and movie fan first. His music and film collection actually requires almost every inch of wall space in his cavernous Ciné Beta venue (the room's ceiling is only 8 feet at its lowest point by the projection room, but rises to 18 feet in the main room).
Before you start counting your own media collection to see how it stacks up, spare yourself the disappointment and try to imagine the effort involved in accumulating 125,000 records, 16,000 LaserDiscs, 14,000 CDs, 12,000 DVDs, 10,000 reel-to-reel tapes, 9,000 cassette tapes, 8,000 HD-DVD and Blu-ray Discs, and more than 20,000 pieces of sheet music.
Kipnis' Ciné Beta requires so much electrical power that he had to consult with Connecticut Light & Power to install two separate, external power transformers. The transformers sit on his own property, adjacent to the building housing the system.
According to Kipnis, the power issue "took more than a year and a lot of bureaucratic red tape and money" to sort out. The electrical bill racked up by the two transformers is more than $1,200/month – as much as some people pay for an entire year (and you thought audiophiles who spend $1,000 on a power line-conditioner were crazy).
So what do you get for $6 million?
Kipnis wouldn't provide a more detailed breakdown, but the redesign of his space, electrical, acoustic treatment, and equipment ran close to 50 percent of the total cost. The theater sits on a half-meter-thick concrete foundation and requires a rather sophisticated HVAC system to keep it comfortable; especially with 72 tube amplifiers simultaneously emitting serious BTUs all the time.
At the heart of this IMAX-like experience is a professional-grade Sony SRX-T110 4K 3D projector that can reproduce 4096 x 2160P lines of resolution on a curved, 200-inch diagonal Stewart Snowmatte laboratory-grade unity gain screen, which was custom made for the system. Kipnis also uses a Meridian 810 Video Reference 4K 3-chip LCOS projection system that has a staggering ANSI rating of 4,000 lumens.
"The experience with video games, especially first-person shooters, is really quite extraordinary."
"The video playback quality with both film, television, and video games is actually superior to what one would see in their local theater; albeit in a much smaller venue and sitting a lot closer to the screen creating an almost wraparound-like effect.
"The experience with video games, especially first-person shooters, is really quite extraordinary," remarked Kipnis. "We had groups of teenagers come through when we first added gaming consoles to the system and they were blown away by the experience of playing games such as Gears of War, Call of Duty, and some of the better racing titles. Almost all of them experienced higher scores than what they usually achieved at home and they told us that the sensation of being in the middle of the action made them more aware of what was going on."
"More than 4,000 people have come through our facility so far, including studio executives who wanted to see their content played back through our system," Kipnis explained. "People think that this can only work for movies or video games and that's wrong. Television programs are shot with some of the best cameras available and we've watched programs like Lost with the people from ABC and they were stunned by the quality."
The system uses 16 sources; including Blu-ray, HD-DVD, LaserDisc, media servers, video game consoles, and a turntable for those 125,000 records we mentioned earlier.
For the audio end, Kipnis ordered 72 tube amplifiers from McIntosh (MC-2102 and MC-2301), which deliver 96,000 watts of power to a 12.12 surround sound system – the original configuration that Kipnis envisioned when he started planning the system.
Feeling that the 12.12 system was too much for the room, Kipnis scaled the system back to an 8.8 arrangement. He feels that, for most people, the scaled down speaker setup make mores sense from both a space and cost perspective. Kipnis has, however, reincorporated the extra channels back into his system as front height speakers. He suggests that they could be also be used above the listener to create something similar to Dolby Atmos for those clients that have enough room.
His choice of loudspeakers might surprise those who think that a system with a $6 million price tag must use the latest and greatest from such audiophile brands as Wilson or Magico. Instead, Kipnis assembled a collection of Snell THX Music and Cinema Reference loudspeakers that were originally designed for George Lucas and Tomlinson Holman.
The system consists of 12 full-range loudspeaker arrays and 12 subwoofers with a combined measured frequency range of 1 – 102,500 Hertz, and the ability to play both extremely loud (135 dB/SPL) and soft sounds (near 0 dB/SPL). The two possible configurations are set-up in a circle that surrounds the listening position, completely immersing the listener in the event.
It might be easy to assume that anyone spending $6 million on a home theater must be either a nutcase or a show-off. But design visionaries like Jeremy Kipnis are just trying to push the envelope to see just how close man can get to the ultimate home entertainment experience. Kipnis' motivation is simply pure, unadulterated passion for music and film.
For those with the deep pockets required, Kipnis' Studio Standard systems are as good as it gets right now.
For more from Jeremy Kipnis – including a closer look at some of the hardware he uses, his advice to those of us building on a smaller scale, and his plans for the future, read on for our Q&A with the home cinema master.


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Archive for the 'El Salvador' Category
Journalist Allan Nairn on Obama's trip to El Salvador and visit to the tomb of Archbishop Romero – Democracy Now!
From: Democracy Now!
"The U.S. is like the killer who shoots his victim and then brings flowers to the funeral" – Allan Nairn
As Obama Completes First Latin America Tour, Anniversary of Slain Salvadoran Archbishop Romero Evokes Legacy of U.S.-Backed Crimes.
Interview with Allan Nairn, investigative journalist who has reported extensively on U.S.-backed death squads in Latin America.
President Obama has returned from his first trip to South America since taking office. Obama faced protests in Brazil, Chile and El Salvador as he sought to boost regional trade and improve security ties. In El Salvador, hundreds of demonstrators called for Obama to renegotiate or dismiss the Central American Free Trade Agreement, which has devastated El Salvador's agricultural sector. Obama was also confronted with the legacy of U.S.-backed repression in Chile and El Salvador. Today marks the 31st anniversary of the slaying of Salvadoran Archbishop Óscar Romero, who was killed by members of a U.S.-backed death squad. We speak with investigative journalist Allan Nairn, who has reported extensively from Latin America since the 1980s.


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Marywood University Policy & Procedure Information
University Website Policy
Policy Statement
The Marywood University Website Policy is an information resource for both external and internal users. The goals of the Website Policy include:
provide comprehensive information about Marywood University and its diverse programs and services;
provide information about events, calendars, activities occurring at the University;
provide access to business, academic and administrative services;
provide prospective students a vehicle for learning about the University and the admissions process, as well as an avenue for connecting with admission personnel and for applying for admission to the University;
provide current students, faculty, staff and administrators with information and resources related to their roles at Marywood and access to online services;
provide external constituencies with access to information and services that enable them to take advantage of opportunities tailored to their needs;
provide opportunities for alumni and others in the Marywood community to maintain contact and linkages to the University;
provide linkages for all constituencies to Marywood through social media;
present information about Marywood in a dynamic and evolving electronic format.
Organizational guidance and approval in a reasonable and timely manner for the Marywood University Website is made by the Website Management Committee.
Each department is responsible for appointing and supervising a web content editor who maintains the departmental website in consultation with the divisional representative to the Web Management Committee and appropriate web professionals.
To present a unified and consistent image of the University, all institutional websites must adhere to guidelines approved by the Website Management Committee regardless of where the site is hosted.
The provisions of the University's Computer Services-Conditions of Use policy will also apply to the Website.
Related Policies
Related Committees
01/10/97 - Recommended by the College Committee on Policy
02/06/97 - Approved by the President with publication of the President's Memo
03/21/00 - Revised to include references to the Webmaster and to delete CWIS
12/09/11 - Revised by the President of the University as recommended by the Policy Committee of the University


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Oil slipped towards $108 on Tuesday, declining for a second day on worries about demand growth in a well supplied market as the United States and Europe grapple with fragile economies.
The International Energy Agency, which advises industrialised nations on energy policy, issued a bearish report on Tuesday, showing improving supply, more limited increases in demand and rising global inventories.
Continue Reading Below
The IEA said Iran's production and exports had both rebounded in October, adding to growing global supply.
Oil also came under pressure from other asset markets with uncertainty over the euro zone's debt problems and caution over a U.S. fiscal policy standoff pushing the euro to a two-month low and depressing European shares.
Brent slipped 98 cents to $108.09 a barrel by 132 GMT after settling below its 100-day moving average of $109.19.
U.S. crude declined 47 cents to $85.10 after ending 50 cents lower.
"What we can see now is that the market is well supplied," IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven told an oil conference in London, underlining the bearish outlook for oil.
OPEC Secretary General Abdullah al-Badri, attending the same conference in London, agreed:
"There is no shortage anywhere in the world."
U.S. lawmakers return to Washington on Tuesday with a seven-week deadline to reach agreement on scheduled tax hikes and budget cuts that threaten to trigger another recession.
Both Democrats and Republicans generally agree on the need to avoid the jolt of $600 billion in deficit-reduction measures agreed in August 2011. But they disagree whether to extend tax cuts for everyone as Republicans want or just for those earning below $250,000 a year as the president wants.
In Europe, global lenders held back from giving further aid to debt-stricken Greece but gave the country two more years to make the cuts demanded of it.
Brent has stayed over $100 through most of this year despite a weakening demand outlook, touching a high of $128 in March, on worries of a disruption in supply from the Middle East as tension escalated over Iran's disputed nuclear programme.
The United States and Europe have imposed sanctions on Iran to choke off Tehran's oil revenues and pressure it to halt the programme, which the West claims is aimed at building atomic weapons. Iran says it is intended for peaceful uses.
About 8,000 elite and regular army troops will participate in an Iranian military drill, backed by bombers and fighter planes in manoeuvres taking place this week that involve the biggest air drills the country has ever held, Iran's English-language Press TV said.
The announcement comes less than a week after Washington accused Iranian warplanes of firing on a U.S. drone.


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During my college life in the mid-seventies I carried on a long distance love affair. Most of my readers know how problematic such an arrangement can be; but when you're in love, no obstacle is so high that it can't be overcome. And we were in love.
On one of those storied warm and dry summer evenings that would prove instrumental in transforming the sleepy little city of Colorado Springs of my day to the urban sprawl of today, my girlfriend and I sat in the bus station waiting for the 9:15 to Denver.
The crowd was fairly sparse that night. A thirty-something woman sat alone reading a book on a bench that made up one side of a U of which ours was the horizontal member. The remaining bench of the triad was vacant. An older couple sat on one of several benches behind us; he read a newspaper while she knitted something from out of a large tote at her side. Paula and I held hands, quietly recounting the events of her visit and making plans for the future.
At some point during this serene public happening, a twenty-something man staggered his way into the depot. Quintessential in his attire of bellbottom jeans, sandals, paisley shirt, turquoise jewelry, and long unkempt hair, the stranger moved about the room hesitantly as if he were in two different places at the same time. He ended his meanderings standing before us in a state of calm agitation.
With each twitch, shiver, shake, and shift of his body, my admiration of the human brain grew. I marveled at how his brain worked deftly through what had to be nearly insurmountable adversity in order to keep him erect. He paused as if trying to remember something before he spoke.
"Hey, man,…d…an…to…y…am…id?"
"What was that?" I replied.
He blinked a few times, and repeated, "Hey, man, …d…an…to…y…am…id?"
This time Paula answered, "I'm sorry, I don't understand you."
Then from what appeared to be nowhere, a flash of lucidity that would only last a moment, like the glow of a firefly, managed to part the clouds in his mind; a luster returned to his dull bloodshot eyes. He looked at Paula, then me, and back at her. Convinced we were genuinely interested in what he had to say, he straightened his head and said, "Hey, man,…do you…ant…to buy…sum… acid?"
"Oh," Paula and I responded in stereo, "no, no thank you."
Our disinterest with his wares didn't seem to bother him much. He collected himself, made some calculations in his head to negotiate the necessary turn, and stumbled over to the woman with the book. We watched to see what sort of pitch he would use on her.
"Hey, man,…d…an…to…y…am…id?"
She looked up from her reading. "What?"
"Hey, man,…d…an…to…y…am…id?"
The would-be salesman heaved a deep sigh, tried to stand more straight, and said, "Hey, man,…do ya…want…buy…sum… acid?"
The woman scrunched up her face, and said, "No." She paused as if convincing herself she was even having the conversation, shook her head slightly, repeated, "No," and plunged back into her book.
By this stage, the doings of the curious fellow fully engrossed us. We were careful, however, to avoid gawking at him. Instead, we discretely followed his erratic movements, periodically exchanging glances of amusement. Eventually he made his way to the cluster of benches behind us. Paula peeked around surreptitiously and nudged me. He had landed in front of the older couple. He hovered there a moment as he had done with us and the woman, and recited his script.
"Hey, man,…d…an…to…y…am…id?"
The old man let the top of his newspaper dip slightly, and peered up at the stoned quest. His wife stopped her knitting and also attended the stranger. Her husband said, "What's that?"
Flailing his arms, the hippie complained, "OH, WOW, MAN!," and hurried for the exit, catching himself on a trash receptacle here and a pole there on his way out.
In the morning, a couple of weeks later, I was sitting in the same station waiting for the 10:15 from Denver, when a voice came from behind me: "Hey, man, wanna buy some acid?"
I turned to find my dad in his three piece business suit. Knowing I'd be there waiting for Paula, he had snuck in from his office only a block away. He always does cool stuff like that; sometime I'll have to tell you how he came home one evening with a 45 rpm recording of Hey Jude when it first came out because he had heard it on the radio during his lunch hour and liked it; or, because another girl I had liked had a near obsession for carnivals and carnies, my dad went to a carnival one afternoon and took the owner out for a cup of coffee just to learn what it was all about. I'm telling you, they don't make many fathers like mine anymore.
Do you see God's love at work in my father's actions? God's love says I understand your situation because I have come to your level—your world. My dad left his own adult world and comfort zone to enter my world to try to see things through my eyes. Similarly, but at a scale beyond comprehension, God took on flesh and dwelled with us. Not that God needed to learn something about us—the infinite/ personal God knows everything and is unchangeable—but lowered Himself that we might be assured of His great love for us, and confidently trust Him. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way: Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.[NET]
God's love also protects. It recognizes our weaknesses and our blindness, runs interference for us, and opens our eyes to the dangers ahead. My father went before me to see what I probably didn't see in my twitterpation, so he could effectively guide me to safety. As the Psalmist avers, our Father in heaven loves us the same way: Indeed, you are my lamp, Lord. My God illuminates the darkness around me. Indeed, with your help I can charge against an army; by my God's power I can jump over a wall. The one true God acts in a faithful manner; the Lord's promise is reliable; he is a shield to all who take shelter in him. [NET]
My father's actions illustrate for us why we can confidently walk with King Jesus by faith in His kingdom; God is faithful to His promises to keep us secure and progress us in His kingdom, even in our ignorance or self-deceptions.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Incident at a Bus Station
During my college life in the mid-seventies I carried on a long distance love affair. Most of my readers know how problematic such an arrangement can be; but when you're in love, no obstacle is so high that it can't be overcome. And we were in love.
Posted by Bruce Kokko at 11:49 AM 1 comments
Saturday, January 21, 2012
I'm Sorry....
When I was a young dad, I over-reacted or some such thing—I don't exactly remember—to something my toddler son had done. So I knelt to look him in the eye, gave him a hug and a kiss, and I told him I was wrong and I was sorry. Another adult who witnessed this little father-son moment, told me emphatically, "Ah, don't ever apologize to your children. When they're twenty-four, they'll be able to sort it all out for themselves."
The Bible has a lot to say about forgiving others, and rightly so. We all love to be forgiven; indeed, we fully expect others--almost as a right--to overlook our indiscretions. But there seems to be a great silence on the subject of asking others to forgive us for something we've done to them. We don't like to do that, nor do we want to talk about it. Let's face it; we don't like to admit when we are wrong.
God calls us to repentance. As Christians, we usually don't mind talking about confessing our sins to God; after all, that's expected; we discuss it with great humility and importance; yet the concept of repentance somehow gets lost between the sky above or the dark corner of our prayer closet and the person two feet away. Why? I propose that, quite ironically, repenting to God often serves to exalt us, whereas repenting to another person—especially one we have to live with each day—is, well, humiliating. Besides, confessing to God is really abstract compared to that neighbor of ours; we can only imagine what God's expression might be and we are fairly certain He will be accepting of us, not necessarily so the person we have wronged. God would never take advantage of our moment of weakness, but another person might.
The famous thirteenth century theologian, Thomas Aquinas, made a careful distinction between attrition and contrition. The former says "I'm sorry" such as you might mean when caught filching a cookie from the cookie jar; you are only sorry you got caught or for being stupid enough to get caught; and given another opportunity you would steal a cookie, again, but with better stealth. We shouldn't limit this to trivial situations such as going off our diet. Sadly, people use the same approach for murder or adultery or saying something hurtful either at or about another person. Attrition is self-serving humiliation.
Attrition is the type of apology we use out of expediency. King Saul when confronted by the prophet Samuel for disobeying God said he was sorry only to try to smooth things over with everyone. We can use attrition as a defense mechanism during arguments; it can be a means of garnering sympathy from our opponent in order to move him to capitulate or at least cool his aggression; or, dripping with qualifiers, we can employ attrition to spread the guilt or shift it wholesale—"I'm sorry, but…."
Contrition knows that what we have done is an effrontery to God, so that when we repent we truly mean not to do it again and, as much as in our power, to make amends for what we have done. A contrite heart wants to be taught to change, accepts guilt unqualifiedly, and seeks restoration of the broken relationship for God's sake and the other person's benefit. When Nathan confronted King David with David's horrible sin, David repented with a contrite heart and accepted the loss of his son as a consequence of what he had done. David did not attempt to smooth things over, but understood the depth of his sin against God.
We should understand that contrition is a means by which God makes us more like Him so that we can fully share in the Divine nature. Through contrition, we in essence ask God to make our heart pure and our spirit upright. Contrition serves as one means of seeking God's grace.
Any time we wrong someone, which always amounts to putting ourselves ahead of the other person in some way, we wrong God. In every case we should tell both the person we wronged and God, "I'm sorry" with a contrite heart, and seek forgiveness—we repent. We shouldn't tarry in this because the opportunity could be lost forever.
If we claim to be Christ followers, we are living sacrifices; our life is an altar before God. We delude ourselves if we believe our life to be a pure offering to God when we have left wrongs we have done to another unresolved. Jesus said, "So then, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your gift."[NET]
Posted by Bruce Kokko at 1:57 PM 1 comments
Sunday, January 15, 2012
What Does it Mean to Honor Our Parents? (Part 3)
What should we make of the rather enigmatic closing statement of my last posting? Certainly practical and pragmatic are synonyms. Even though they both deal with observable facts and situations, pragmatism, at least in my mind, connotes expediency. When it comes to the actual practice of loving our neighbor, God demands that we place the needs of him or her ahead of our own. And rarely is such self-sacrifice expedient.
Therefore, we love our neighbor as God has loved us. Jesus taught us through his parable of the good Samaritan that everyone is our neighbor. But our parents are our first neighbors and hold a special place in our life: we are to honor them.
The Hebrew word for honor is kabad. It means to grant the appropriate measure of authority due and to highly value and to care for and to respect. Kabad also has the meaning of weight. Kabad was translated in the Greek, as by Paul in Ephesians 6:2, as timao. Timao means to ascribe great value to something, revere, or to venerate.
To properly honor our parents begins with knowing the authority that they are due. If we love God first, then we seek Him to define our parents' due authority. We glean the following from our conversation thus far.
As pre-adult children we must obey our parents, learn from them, and depend on them; indeed, it is an obligation for parents to provide for their children (I Cor. 12:14-15). But I interpret Paul here to mean pre-adult children. Once children separate as adults from their parents, such children are obligated to meet their own needs, and, in fact, be prepared to meet the needs of their parents. As pre-adult children then, God has given our parents supreme authority over us. Consider Luke's account of the child, Jesus:
Now Jesus'parents went to Jerusalem every year for the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. But when the feast was over, as they were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but (because they assumed that he was in their group of travelers)they went a day's journey. Then they began to look for him among their relatives and acquaintances. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts,sitting among the teachers,listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Jesus were astonished at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were overwhelmed. His mother said to him, "Child,why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously." But he replied,"Why were you looking for me? Didn't you know that I must be in my Father's house?" Yet his parents did not understand the remark he made to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. But his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and with people.[NET]
Jesus was without sin, so He did not wantonly dishonor His parents by staying behind in Jerusalem. One can only wonder how powerfully the divine nature in Christ moved Him while He sat amongst the Doctors outside the temple. But it was not the right time for Jesus to pursue His calling this way because he remained under his parents' authority, as shown by Jesus honoring His parents by going with them and thereafter obeying them.
When we pass into adulthood our relationship with our parents shifts from one of authority to duty; we are no longer obligated to obey them, nor are we to depend on them. But we have the duty to care for them and heed their advice, which might still amount to obedience. The word kabad means weight; hence, honoring our parents means bearing the weight of duty to our parents that God has placed upon us; in this way we honor God whose weight of authority should not be superseded.
We satisfy our duty to care for parents and so honor them as adult children by, as first priority, readily providing for them financially, and giving them shelter, food, clothing, medical care, and company (both with us and their grandchildren).
In our modern world, now so big, that last obligation can be overlooked. But in light of spirit of Proverbs 17:6, we have a duty to be with our parents and allow them access to their grandchildren as much as possible.
Our parents are forever older than us, and that experience is a treasure. We have a duty to our parents to consider their advice in matters. I struggled with a difficult conflict with another person and told my parents of the situation. They advised me to take the high road and wait for the proper time to challenge the person. It was immediately evident to my heart that they advised the proper action, even though I wanted desperately to confront the person. No matter how old we get, or how much formal education we might have on our parents, our parents deserve our ear because they have experienced more than we have. And this duty of respect becomes even more crucial if our parents are true Christ followers.
Do we ever have to obey our parents as adult children? Must we always heed our parents' advice? As with all matters of the Kingdom of God, the answer is found in our first love for God. Even as pre-adult children there can be, and I say this with sadness, demands made by our parents that we should never obey. And all such rogue demands can be traced to inconsideration of the principles and meanings of one or more of the other nine Words of God. Again, our first obligation is to love God.
Yet, even though we no longer have to obey our parents as adult children, we might still need to obey our parents in some instances. Sometimes God clearly uses our parents as vessels to direct us, as in the situation with my parents I related earlier, or as in the case of Jesus and his mother, Mary, at a wedding in Cana, as recorded in the second chapter of John's gospel.
Now on the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no wine left." Jesus replied,"Woman, why are you saying this to me? My time has not yet come." His mother told the servants, "Whatever he tells you, do it." Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washing,11 each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants, "Fill the water jars with water." So they filled them up to the very top. Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the head steward," and they did. When the head steward tasted the water that had been turned to wine, not knowing where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), he called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the cheaper wine when the guests are drunk. You have kept the good wine until now!" Jesus did this as the first of his miraculous signs,in Cana of Galilee. In this way he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.[NET]
Jesus obeyed His mother, and demonstrated to all of us the honor due our parents. His apparent initial balking at her request was not resistance but a way of defining the meaning to what would transpire: the kingdom would come in power (the impossible made possible), redemption (the sacrifice in death--blood symbolized by the wine), resurrection (the water transformed into the best wine), and how the Law would move from outward practices (symbolized by the water in jars reserved for ritual hand-washing) to the pouring out of love in the hearts of the dwellers by the Holy Spirit (the wine). It was not yet time for all of this to happen—Jesus spoke truthfully--but stood poised at the door. Jesus obeyed His mother because it served God's purposes for Him at that moment; it kindled the coming of the kingdom of heaven, which is His glory.
God demands us to honor our parents, and He measures out the proper weight of that obligation for us both as pre-adult and adult children. If we profess to be followers of Christ, then we dwell with God in His kingdom. And as kingdom dwellers we must love God above all else, and through that preeminent love, love our neighbors. And this love for our neighbors starts with our parents who are our first neighbors.
Posted by Bruce Kokko at 2:53 PM 0 comments
Sunday, January 8, 2012
What Does it Mean to Honor Our Parents? (Part 2)
One of my readers asked me why I referred to the commandments as words (e.g., the injunction to honor our parents as being the fifth word). Well, I wanted people to think about it, and it's my understanding the Hebrews used this vernacular. Mainly though, I wanted us to see what Jesus meant when He reprimanded the Pharisees for forsaking the word of God for their traditions. God revealed something about Himself when He verbalized what we commonly refer to as the ten commandments. By following the Hebrews on this by calling them the ten words, makes it more difficult to take for granted what God has done. The ten words are not merely a set of rules, but a concise verbal picture of the necessary state of the kingdom of God. The ten words clearly describe what the relationships between the human members of His kingdom and Himself and each other must be because the unchanging God is holy and is Love.
If we don't fully understand the basis and purpose of the ten words, we will end up taking up a post-modern approach to answering the dicey question of what it means to honor our parents; we will resort to privatizing our interpretations rather than seeking to please God first and last (see last week's posting). The fifth word under investigation here, as with the other nine words, must flow from a heart that seeks to love God first and therefore love others, rather than one covering its backside by attempting to follow all the rules.
We must love God first because it is through this exchange of love between us and our Creator that we learn to understand the heart of God expressed by the ten words and be empowered by God so to love others effectively and completely. It is for this reason--and it is no accident--that God gave us the first four of His ten words:
1) You shall have no other gods before Me.
2) You shall not make an idol.
3) You shall not worship an idol.
4) You shall keep the Sabbath holy.
We cannot analyze this in depth here. But summarizing we have: we must acknowledge God alone because there can be only one god. A multiplicity of gods would only mean there is no ultimate authority, which is tantamount to no authority at all. And to love God is to obey Him because of His authority that He expresses through a love for us; our obedience must be to God, alone; therefore when we make idols for ourselves, either consciously or not, we end up dividing our heart--one cannot serve two masters; by worshiping an idol, we really seek to control the god we have created for our selves--we no longer love God on His terms; finally, God has given us the Sabbath as a time to set aside all of the things in life that distract us to focus on Him, listen to Him, seek Him, and learn from Him because He is the necessary source of understanding and power by which we will succeed in living the ten words and be the kingdom where He dwells with us.
The remaining six words describe how this preeminent love for God will express itself to others; in other words, how the love that begins with God defines and empowers the love that drives and defines the relationships within His kingdom:
5) Honor your father and your mother, so you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
6) You shall not murder
7) You shall not commit adultery
8) You shall not steal
9) You shall not give false testimony
10) You shall not covet your neighbor
When Jesus summed up the Law and the prophets—that is, what defines the purpose and governance of the kingdom of God—He said first to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength--every part of us placed in submission to God--which, of course, are the first four words. This preeminent love for God is essential because it must define, dictate, and drive the second purpose Jesus tells us for the Law and the Prophets: to love our neighbor as our self--to obey the remaining six words. And the second purpose is like the first because the same love unites them all.
The reader should ponder these six words. What he/she will discover is every possible cause for failure to love each other--that is, every cause for failed relationships--can be explained by failure to obey the last six words. If we fail to honor our parents, no doubt we have failed to love them or others as God has loved us.
Let's put some meat on that last point by asking the question: Is it possible to attempt to love our neighbor at the expense of a preeminent love for God? Or to narrow it for our discussion: Is it possible to honor our parents at the expense of our first love for God?
The question is interesting because one of the main reasons children are to honor their parents is because the parents are to be the primary source of educating them of whom God is, His faithfulness, and, therefore, the need to believe, trust, and obey Him—that is, to walk in faith. Indeed, God likely placed honoring our parents as the first of the last six words because of their role in focusing the new generations on God. So do our parents carry ultimate authority? Can they ever demand too much of their children?
Well, Jesus, by his admonition recorded in 10:34-39 of Matthew's gospel, does seem to suggest the possibility of putting our parents before God:
"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man's enemies will be the members of his household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it,and whoever loses his life because of me will find it."[NET]
Luke in 14:26-33 of his gospel records it this way:
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn't sit down first and compute the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish the tower, all who see it will begin to make fun of him. They will say,'This man began to build and was not able to finish!' Or what king, going out to confront another king in battle, will not sit down first and determine whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot succeed, he will send a representative while the other is still a long way off and ask for terms of peace. In the same way therefore not one of you can be my disciple if he does not renounce all his own possessions."[NET]
Much can be seen in Jesus' words, but clearly it is possible for us to put our parents before God. As with all earthly attachments—even those right and proper—we must willingly give them up for God. Our possessions, aspirations, relationships, and yes even our parents can become idols to us. And we justify turning our parents and family traditions into idols by isolating the fifth word from the other nine.
For example, I know a person who will not be baptized or take communion because he was taught this by his father, and so does not want to dishonor his father. That person has placed his father ahead of God, which is actually dishonoring to both; the person has placed his familial relationships before the kingdom relationships; the person hasn't properly assessed the cost of following Christ, and has left himself outside the kingdom. The reason is it hasn't ended there for the person, other relationships have also suffered. You see, misappropriating love in one area of the kingdom, if left unchecked, will always distort all the other areas, eventually.
We are now ready to tackle the meaning of honoring our parents in more specific and practical ways--the place I suspect you have patiently awaited. But I have spent two blogs bringing us to this point in order to instill in us we can only love others (e.g., honor our parents)on the basis of a preeminent love for God. Therefore, practical must never mean pragmatic.
Posted by Bruce Kokko at 2:12 PM 0 comments
Monday, January 2, 2012
What Does it Mean to Honor Our Parents? (Part 1)
Last month I was asked to teach a class on the time of life when we have aging parents. Presumably this should be from a Biblical perspective; so the question became for me: What does the Bible teach concerning our obligations to our parents? Or, what does it mean to honor our parents?
The fifth of the Ten Words given by God to us through Moses is "Honor your father and your mother (Exo. 20:12 [NET])." That it is included in the most sacred and definitive revelation of God should awaken us to its importance; indeed, in case we miss this point, the Lord later tells us: "Whoever treats his father or his mother disgracefully must surely be put to death (Exo. 21:17 [NET]."
This admonition also serves to instruct us of at least one way it means to honor our parents: to never make light of them, or besmirch their character or reputation, disown them, curse them, defame them, ridicule them, belittle them, disavow them, or hate them. This provides a useful locus of our quest, but to honor our parents encompasses more. But before we can explore the meaning of honoring our parents further, we need to understand more clearly the purpose of the ten words God gave us so we can place the fifth word in the proper context.
If we see the ten words as purely legal concepts, then it is possible to stack them up against other legal constraints and begin trading one off for the other. This is exactly what the Pharisees were doing with the legal concept of Qorban.
In Mark 7:1-13 we read:
Now the Pharisees and some of the experts in the law who came from Jerusalem gathered around him. And they saw that some of Jesus' disciples ate their bread with unclean hands, that is, unwashed.(For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they perform a ritual washing,holding fast to the tradition of the elders. And when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. They hold fast to many other traditions: the washing of cups, pots, kettles, and dining couches. The Pharisees and the experts in the law asked him, "Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with unwashed hands?" He said to them, "Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written:'This people honors me with their lips,but their heart is far from me. They worship me in vain,teaching as doctrine the commandments of men.'Having no regard for the command of God, you hold fast to human tradition." He also said to them, "You neatly reject the commandment of God in order to set up your tradition. For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,'and, 'Whoever insults his father or mother must be put to death.'But you say that if anyone tells his father or mother, 'Whatever help you would have received from me is c(q)orban'(that is, a gift for God), then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like this."[NET]
As the Priests became more corrupt in Israel after the return from exile in Babylon, as exemplified by their pandering to Hellenism, a group during the time of the Maccabees (second century BC) called the Hasidim (or Chasidim) arose that held to strict conformity to the Laws and traditions of Israel. The Pharisees and the Essenes descended from the Hasidim. Now, the Priests were supposed to be the interpreters of the Law, but they became increasingly less trustworthy because of their political and social aspirations (a characteristic of them in even Jesus' day), so the responsibility of interpreting the Law shifted to the Scribes. These Scribes, who were the Elders referred to in the Mark's narrative (above), meticulously dissected the Law at the atomistic level, writing provisions upon provisions to insure that no Law was disobeyed. An example of this was the ritualistic handwashing the prompted Jesus' response in the above account.
Don't miss what was happening. The Scribe's legalism functioned to protect the national ethnic status of Israel from all (e.g., the Greeks) who might attempt to assimilate it into their own culture. We might think this to be what God wanted. But no; God gave Israel the Law that they would represent Him to the rest of the world, so that the outside cultures would recognize him as the one, true, and only God (e.g., see Is. 42:18-25). The original Law was meant to point everyone to the Kingdom of God that God had created us to dwell with Him. The legalism that arose in the short time before the advent of Christ devolved into an expression of national pride that by its very nature was exclusionary. In the hands of the Scribes the Law lost its purpose of revealing God's holiness in the Kingdom of Heaven and served to isolate Israel from the rest of the world. And in the pride expressed by their legalism, they actually failed to be holy in the way they and all of us must to dwell with God in His kingdom.
In the hands of the Scribes, the Law became a incapacitating legalism. The handwashing ordinances were but one example of this. Vows constituted another example of this extremism in interpreting the Law. A vow once given had the legal clout to prevent a person from touching something that was his own property for his own use, or from another person availing himself of same property. The interesting thing about this is a vow was binding even if the person did not use votive words such as "given to God" (Qorban) or "let it be established". The reason being that it was understood that the person's hand was always on the Qorban; the Qorban sanctified the vow—even to the extent of overriding the fifth word.
Jesus teaches us that the Law is not a static outward practice, but must be an inward condition of the heart; He directs us back to the original purpose of the Law as the necessary nature of all who would dwell in His Kingdom. We see this in the follow-up of the above narrative in 15:10-20 of Matthew's account:
Then he called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand. What defiles a person is not what goes into the mouth; it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles a person." Then the disciples came to him and said, "Do you know that when the Pharisees heard this saying they were offended?" And he replied,"Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. Leave them! They are blind guides. If someone who is blind leads another who is blind, both will fall into a pit." But Peter said to him, "Explain this parable to us." Jesus said, "Even after all this, are you still so foolish? Don't you understand that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach and then passes out into the sewer? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a person. For out of the heart come evil ideas, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are the things that defile a person; it is not eating with unwashed hands that defiles a person."[NET]
The ten words God has given us define the necessary heart condition of everyone who truly walks in the Kingdom of God. When we miss this vital connection, we lose our way just as the Pharisees lost their way. If our focus is on the outward practice of the Law, we actually end up breaking it. Case in point: a person dishonoring his parents by failing to care for them financially because he had been prevented through a vow that redirected the funds. If God's Law were in that person's heart, he would have never made such a vow, even though he legally could, because to do such a thing would dishonor his parents and ultimately displease God.
The Law is not about distinguishing ourselves from others, as a kind of spiritual hauteur and elitism--whether we be Jewish or Christian--but the condition of the heart of one who seeks to love God and therefore please Him only.
When the person stood on his vow at the expense of honoring his parents, he gave lip service to God, as Jesus said, but his heart was far from Him. When our heart is truly fixed on God, then we want only to please God. Paul asserts this driving prinicple constantly throughout his writings. In I Timothy 5:3-4, Paul couches the fifth word in terms of pleasing God:
Honor widows who are truly in need. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they should first learn to fulfill their duty toward their own household and so repay their parents what is owed them. For this is what pleases God.[NET]
We must see ourselves first and last as dwellers in God's Kingdom as we grapple with the command to honor our parents. If we understand the fifth word as purely a legal injunction, we will treat it--consciously or not--as a series of static amendments instead of what it really is, which is an expression of love for our neighbor born out of a preeminent love for God.
[More on this next week]
Posted by Bruce Kokko at 7:50 AM 0 comments


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text:
Marybeth Hicks
Math no longer defined as misery
Experience of 18 years contradicts
When it comes to obedience, mom nails it
The message is clear; daughter back safely
Moment of Truth about our motives
Not just a game to lunatics in stands
Chaperone duty is not an easy process
Big man inside boy is slow to emerge
Scared coed transformed in only one semester
Teen would rather be cold than puffy
A world mom hoped to avoid
Adulthood at first means apprenticing in legal limbo
Where is the outrage of risque photo?
New strategy in culture war against profanity
Elusive bliss teases moms as laundry, chores grow
Teary lesson as daughter heads off to college
You look great...for your age!
Only things plastered are walls of house
Turning off TV saves electricity, limits shock
Tearful end to pursuit of innocent curiosity
BlackBerry is tool, not source, of mom power
Welcome to Manipulate Mart
No photos, but memories just the same
Singer's toilet talk shows she's not a mom
Graduation won't end this longtime friendship
In my book, words right and wrong aren't gray
Joining the ranks of the non-complainers
Therapy session is painful, instructive
The color of trouble
My dirty little secret: An hour of daytime TV
Putting the brakes on poor communication
Atomic scientists need to stop the clock
Silence is golden, except when it's not
Teen gets context of mom's message
School play is tween version of let's pretend
Learning about girls starts early for only son
No offense, but tact has lost its tongue
The apple doesn't fall far from the (talkative) tree
Stressed out senior needs mom's support
Some real puzzlers regarding children
Research proves it: Teens don't use brains
Permissive parents always bug my pest guy
Wisdom gained by accident makes for a safer driver
Naked guy sells more than just bluejeans
Overprotective? Who me?
Friendship struggles all part of the game
Bickering just part of group dynamic
Macbook's one hot portable
College interview a test for both parent and child
A pause to enjoy the dog days of summer
No avoiding the saddest day of summer
Seventh grade, time to draw line in the sand
Life isn't fair tell that to my children
Mom's random act of coolness
Why women can't sleep? Why ask why?
Take it from Mom: Being right takes time
Opening night puts real star on stage
Busting the myth of the teenage monster
Lesson one: Mom has feelings, too
Daughter in an emo frame of mind
An ordinary day is a precious gift, indeed
I'm the computer geek around my house
Painting looks easy if Debbie's in charge
Painting looks easy if Debbie's in charge
Mom said becomes weapon in little hands
Smart mom sometimes just leaves son alone
Barbie's hip Scene no place for 8-year-old
High-tech world with little real connection
Eavesdropping in the dark as son breaks speech barrier
Emergency room is filled with experts
Perfect example of an imperfect mother
Suburban home is sweet indeed
Mother swears there will be no more cussing
Big sis passes on lessons to freshman
Happy campers' memories will fade
Nobody's perfect not even the Tooth Fairy
Great coach offers Dynamite summer
Mom as slumber-party policewoman
I'm bored summer season turns busy
This is a promise, not a threat
A new year, but the same yearbook
Rich in possessions, poorer in wallet
Space reserved for rude drivers only
Son's hoop dreams have a real hero
Growing confidence is always in style
Playground lessons tough, like asphalt
Puzzling parenting
Mom leads and reads by example
Mom may be the happiest camper
What the dog knows about parenting
Subbing turns mom into fly on the wall
The hard work of bringing up geeks
What if teenagers made the rules?
Sage advice to a mom about Instant Messaging


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Judges – Design
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Jeffrey Zeldman
Founder of studio.zeldman
Photo of: Cynthia Savard Saucier
Cynthia Savard Saucier
Director of Design at Shopify
UX and UI
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Val Head
Author of Designing Interface Animation
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Vitaly Friedman
Editor-In-Chief of Smashing Magazine
Apps and Development
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Gavin Ballard
Founder of Disco
Photo of: Ellen Li
Ellen Li
Product Designer at Shopify
(Developer Experience)
Marketing and Branding
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Ezra Firestone
CEO of Smart Marketer
Photo of: Melissa Gonzalez
Melissa Gonzalez
CEO of Lionesque Group
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Best Offline Marketing Event
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Customers abandon carts for various reasons, but setting up a recovery notification or email campaign can save merchants lost sales. We're looking for abandoned cart campaigns that turned potential buyers into customers.


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Carriage House Plans Small New Lots Windows House Plans Luxury Carriage House Plans Small House Nowadays locating a spacious house with roomy bedrooms is hard because big houses are usually quite pricey. Possessing a little house provides you some advantages. You can readily get your dream minimalist house and land package with the assistance of a good, dependable home builder. You may make things a great deal simpler, if you're able to decorate your house with minimalist viewpoint and you'll feel a lot more comfortable and peaceful with your environment. Thus, if you would like to design a house that feels more open, don't neglect to add more windows. Be Able To Adjust The Lighting Levels In All The Rooms Homeowners today need to understand that appropriate lighting should be present in your residence's every room, to make it possible for you to be productive. If you are in possession of a little home then the situation gets more difficult.
Developing a contemporary, contemporary home is a desire of several people because the style is so common. Examine various designs of how your new residence could look. Rooms will merely contain essential furniture. The bedroom is the best location for relaxation. How to decorate minimalist style, you produce a compact bedrooms that make a chic sanctuary within your space for onthego breakfast and. A minimalist bed does not need to be uncomfortable. Minimalist decorating has an identical effect, reducing the total amount of brain activity that occurs inside the room. The colors which you choose, the total subject of your decor, and the space available in each and every room are all essential considerations. The decor that you select for your house should match the design features and architectural details, if you prefer to attain a really modern, contemporary appearance.
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Through the years, I was lucky enough to talk with Marvin Miller on several occasions. Here, in the moments after hearing that he died at age 95, I think of one long conversation in particular. This was 10 years ago. It was 2002. It was when many people believed that baseball would, once again, be ravaged by a strike.
There was, to me, always something surreal about being able to pick up a telephone and just call Marvin Miller and talk baseball. It was, in some odd way, like picking up the phone and calling Copernicus to talk about the universe or calling James Madison to talk about the Constitution or calling J.K. Rowling to ask a few Harry Potter questions. Miller is where it all began. Miller was the sun and the moon of one of the great sports fights of the last 100 years -- the fight for players' rights and players' salaries.
This was a difficult fight for many reasons -- but perhaps most of all it was difficult because people just didn't think players were being treated too badly in the old days. Hey, they were getting paid for playing baseball (and football and basketball and so on). The lot of them were paid better than the working man, and the best of them were getting paid more than the President of the United States. Yes, they were bought and sold and traded like cattle, and, yes, they simply had to rely on the benevolence of baseball owners when negotiating contracts, and, yes, they had no freedom of movement and could be discarded the instant they had run out of use. But, they got to play a children's game for a living -- it was hard for most people to get beyond that.
Even many players themselves sheepishly accepted the table scraps for the right to play the game they loved. After all, the best thing anyone could say about a player was simply this: "He would play the game for free."
Marvin Miller saw through all of that. He was a hardened union man, through and through, and in a slow and methodical way, he reshaped sports. The timeline is extraordinary.
1966: Elected head of Major League Baseball Players Association. Worked at first on a few basic rights, such as padding walls for player safety. But he always had his eye on bigger things.
1968: Negotiated first collective bargaining agreement ever between players and a league -- won a few rights, such as the first raise of the minimum salary since the 1940s.
1970: The next collective bargaining agreement won the players the right to arbitration -- a way to settle disputes through an impartial third party rather than just allowing the owners the last word.
1975: The reserve clause -- which gave the owners the rights to a player in perpetuity -- was finally knocked down, which led to free agency, which led to an entire shift in the way sports leagues (not just baseball) operated.
In less than 10 years, the system had been turned upside down. Miller had been threatened and insulted, torn apart in the media and targeted by angry owners, but he pulled the union through it all. Of course, the fight was not over, not even close to over -- the union has been running as a powerful entity for the almost 30 years since Miller stepped down.
But the fight had been turned. Players had won the basic right to have their talents valued by the open market rather than by the altruism and goodwill of a single baseball owner. And Miller was the leader. It is astonishing that the man leading the owners during this time, Bowie Kuhn, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame but Marvin Miller was not. But, in some ways, that's just a remnant of the old fight and the old bitterness.
Even when you list the extraordinary ways in which Marvin Miller helped change baseball, it does not capture the difficulties of the task or the willfulness that was required. Miller had to fight at every turn. He had to fight the owners, of course. He had to fight the fans, many of whom were not with him. He had the fight the media, many of whom were not with him, especially the powerful columnist Dick Young, who wrote about Miller as if he were a cult leader (he would call Miller "Svengali" in his column).
Miller had to fight the players themselves, many who were not with him. He had to be the truest of true believers -- he had to cling to the basic notion that baseball players deserve precisely the same rights as auto workers, even though they were already making so much more money and working under infinitely better conditions than auto workers. He had to believe that what the owners were doing -- stifling opportunity, trampling individual rights, artificially suppressing salaries -- wasn't just unfair, it was un-American.
In this, Marvin Miller was the right man at the right time. He was, no matter what else, a true believer.
* * *
And this is why that 2002 conversation with Miller was so amazing. Because, by 2002, many people believed that the tide had turned, that it was now the players who were too powerful and the owners who were having their rights trampled. There was talk of teams being too poor to meet payroll. There was talk of the players being responsible for the steroid era by refusing to submit to drug testing. There was talk that salaries had gone so out of control that the average fan was being priced out of tickets and many teams in smaller markets simply did not have the money to compete.
It's probably not hard to imagine any of that, since those very conversations go on now, too.
In 2002, there was a potential strike looming. And I called Marvin Miller for a column that would run in The Kansas City Star. He was 85 then. But it's worth reprinting some of those quotes, because they so clearly show: He was still every bit of the true believer.
"Fans," he told me right off the bat, "have absolutely no right to have any say in the terms and conditions of players."
It was an open challenge in what would be, like all exchanges with Marvin Miller, a frank and pointed conversation. Miller was not giving an inch. He was not giving one-tenth of an inch. As a sportswriter, you are used to dealing with some of the most competitive people on earth. I don't know that I've ever spoken with anyone more competitive than Marvin Miller.
"It's a different world," I suggested.
"No," he said bluntly. "It's the same fight."
"Many fans seem to think the players have become the bad guys," I told him.
"When people tell me that fans are against the players now, I say, 'Who cares?' "They have never given a damn about the players. As is their right. But they didn't care when the players were getting paid peanuts. They didn't care when the players were pieces of property the owners could throw around. Nor was there any fan movement whatsoever when baseball, for I don't know how long, wouldn't hire non-white players, no matter their ability. Where was the fan anger then?"
"There are people who blame the players for not cleaning up the game by submitting to steroid testing," I challenged.
"Do you want someone searching your car without proper cause?" he asked back. "Your house? No. Of course not. But you think it's fair for people to search your bloodstream or bladder? That's absurd."
For every question, there was an emphatic answer. For every proposition there was suspicion. For every search for middle ground, there was a powerful push back. But, through it all, I don't think he raised his voice once. Through it all, I don't believe he ever said one word that hinted at arrogance or dismissiveness. He was just explaining things, patiently, with some humor, without doubt. Steve Fehr, who has worked with his brother Don as special counsel for the MLBPA and now with the NHL, watched Marvin Miller talk with players many times, and that ability to simply talk with people was what struck him, too.
"He was just so eloquent," Fehr says. "He could always calmly articulate the situation, whatever it was, and he could talk on the player's level."
When I told Miller that people seemed against the MLBPA, he shrugged -- same as it ever was. "People don't know the issues," he said. "They don't understand. Even President Bush doesn't understand. He said he would be 'outraged' if there was a strike. Ask the President if he's in favor of a tax that would discourage companies from paying higher salaries. Ask him that. He's as ignorant as the rest of them."
"You mean the luxury tax."
"Luxury tax. That's a very clever name. Luxury tax. It sounds harmless. Of course, that doesn't describe what it is. It is a penalty, and a large one, which is designed to prevent clubs from hiring people and prevent them from paying people what they should get on the opening market."
Well, some people would say that the game needs a luxury tax or a soft salary cap to help competitive balance.
"For them to say this is about competitive balance is a lie. And I can prove it to you. They say some teams can't afford to pay the good players, right? That's the essence of the competitive balance argument. ... Well, if they cared about competitive balance, they would demand that revenue sharing money go to payroll, right? They would put something in place that ensures everybody that owners will spend that shared money on players. ... The owners share revenue now and almost none of that money goes to payroll. Their whole argument is a lie."
Some players -- current and former -- seem to feel like the union has already won so many battles, it should be willing to meet the owners more in the middle.
"I remember when we were trying to do away with the reserve clause. I marveled at the fact that something like that could be in players' contracts. ... But even more, I marveled at the fact that, when I brought it up to the players, they gave me a response which, in effect, said baseball couldn't survive without it. They had been brainwashed to believe the reserve clause was good for baseball."
Yes, maybe, but what about fans? They cannot even relate to the money these players make. How can you expect them to relate to the players' plight?
"I don't expect that. Fans never have related. Here's what I would say to that. Fans don't seem to understand that the largest pocketbook issue that faces them is the tax money being used for essentially free stadiums for wealthy owners. That's hundreds of millions of dollars in cities where schools are crumbling and highways and bridges need repair.
"Players make what they deserve to make on the open market. That's all. And let me say this again: Fans have their rights. But they should have nothing to say on what a player earns. I liken it to an automobile company. Somebody might buy six or seven Chevrolets in his life. Automobile companies ought to listen to the things he has to say about how a car looks, how it runs, how it stands up. All important things. But I don't think a car buyer has any right to have any input whatsoever on the wages and benefits of automobile employees."
At this point, he dismissed the gloom and doom of some owners -- "I can't tell you how many times I've heard that this or that is the end of baseball," he said -- and he expressed some disdain for people who decided that the players and owners were equally culpable in their fight. I imagine that he would express that same disdain for people who look at the current hockey fiasco and blame the owners and players both.
"Yes, I hear people say, 'A plague on both your houses.' You know what that is? That's lazy thinking. It's intellectual dishonesty. That's people saying, 'I don't care about the issues. I don't care who's right. It could be that what the owners are offering is terrible, it may be outrageous, but take it anyway because I don't want a stoppage.' How awful is that?'"
* * *
No, Marvin Miller never did reform, and never did relent. He lived the twilight years of his life on New York's Upper East Side, his number still listed, still sharp and engaged. And he lived it believing what he always believed -- that players had to rely on each other, that management is always looking to take something away and that fans didn't really understand what was at stake.
"Let me tell you a story," he said that day in 2002. "Joe DiMaggio had two of the greatest back-to-back years ever (in 1936 and 1937). He tried for $40,000 a year. The Yankees, of course, would not give it to him. DiMaggio held out, as futile as that was at the time. Eventually, he had to come back, his tail between his legs. He took what they were offering in the first place.
"When he came back, the fans booed him. OK? You tell me what's changed."
Well, a lot has changed -- much of it because of Marvin Miller. You can see the numbers. You can see how much larger player salaries are than they ever were, how much more control players have over their own lives than they ever did.
But Miller never bought it. Some -- even some who greatly admired Miller, such as Bob Costas -- thought Miller could have acknowledged the advances, tempered some of his views, given just a little philosophical ground. But, looking back, no, I don't think so. He could not have given ground and still been Marvin Miller. He was a true believer to the last. And it's the true believers who change the world.