The alarm went off as usual this morning.

I sprang from my slumber and began to awaken the sleeping children.

Returning to my room, curious as to why my phone was not on, (I have it set to come on at 6AM which works as a great alarm as the morning emails are received) I turned the phone on.

The time was 5AM!

The kids (all three of us) were slightly annoyed but rejoicing in the fact that we could sleep for one more hour.

If you are a freshman or a parent of a freshman at the sports banquet you are just a notch above the caterers and servers (in the opinon of some Varsity parents).

Ridiculous.  Get a life!

I’m sparing you from the extended details because I care about you.

Note to self: If (when) the # 1 daughter plays a varsity sport I’m spending most of my time at the sports banquet encouraging the players and parents of the freshman team.

Speaking of sports banquets . . . the # 1 daughter was awarded MVP of the freshman volleyball team.

Way to go Freshman!

I’m comfortable in my masculinity to tell you that one of the best Christmas Albums ever is We Three Kings by The Roches.  (If you have iTunes you can search for the album and sample the various selections).

Star of wonder in the heavens
wonder what you want of me
should I follow you tonight
Star of wonder, star of wonder

I am just a lonely shepherd
watching from a distant hill
why do you appear to me
star of wonder if you will

In the morning they’ll come looking
for the shepherd on the hill
what would make here leave her flock
for surely she must love them still

Star of wonder in the heavens
are you just a shining star
or should I follow you tonight

Star of wonder, star of wonder
shining bright

Click on the link: star-of-wonder if you care for a listen.

Have you listened to any of The Beatles lately?

Both of our kids are Beatles fans.

I’m not sure what that says about them or us.

I know I’m particularly fond of one song, especially this part of the song:

And when the broken hearted people
Living in the world agree,
There will be an answer, let it be.
For though they may be parted there is
Still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be.

Let it be, let it be.
Let it be, let it be.
Yeah, There will be an answer, let it be.

No message notes this week due to the Sunday relief work focus and relief report.

I was an emergency sub Thursday and Friday for a teacher whose son passed away.

I pursued the sub thing because of potential downsizing due to the economic situation here in Stockton.

Now, I’m wondering if that was just the impetus to have a “way in” to minister and be a positive influence in a “secular” classroom.

The principal informed the kids of the situation late Thursday afternoon and though I wasn’t planning on returning Friday, when the kids asked me if I would come back I knew I had no choice.

The problem for me was I would have teach MATH for a second day!

Make no mistake in just two days I could mathematically mess those kids up for life!

So I needed a plan – a strategery . . .

My strategery was simple:  I would call upon the smart kids in the class to provide answers to the questions that came up in class hoping that would pass as an engaging teaching strategy and not something else . . .

One of our church kids was in another class and it was nice to be in the award assembly on Friday because he was given an award.  (Wouldn’t have even been there otherwise)

I’m sure once you develop a routine and teach a subject a few years that the job of teaching becomes “easier” but from my point of view (at this point in the experience) it’s hard work.

In the stack of keepsakes I found and official looking document.

My handwriting on the cover said:

Don’t Open

Top Secret

Important Papers

Belongs to Randy Wray

As the author of the document I felt justified in opening the document and to my complete surprise (because I don’t remember it at all) I found the following paragraph (presented without editing):

I Randell Wray am going to do the following when he gets older:  Go to college 4 years so I don’t go in the army.  Be a school teacher of 5th grade.  Be a baseball coach to.  I will get married when I feel like it.  I will never smoke or drink.

And to make it really official, I signed my name at the bottom.

Interesting picture of how I envisioned my life (especially when that picture is compared to the actual picture)

But wait – there’s more.  Page two of this document revealed the following text:

I Randell Wray will try to be a good student and not get bad grades anymore.  I will come home every day and study for 2 hours at the most and learn my lessons.  I will not fool around in class either.

And to make it really official, I signed my name at the bottom.

Clearly I was forced to write that second page!

As we all know anything written under duress does not count.

Jesus and I went to fifth grade together.

And if you liked my poem, you are sure to love his:

The Fat Ghost and the Thin Ghost

There lived two ghosts
in a haunted house.
They live with a mouse.
One of them was as thin as a pin
The other one as fat as a cat.
They were the opposite.

Talk about a gold mine of blog fodder!

I’m going to selectively share some of the treasures my mom saved and gave back to me.

Today’s selection comes from my fifth grade year when it seems I was a published poet.

Everyone in the class submitted a poem – there’s even a poem in there by Jesus!

So take a sip of that latte, adjust your beanie, roll up the neck on the turtleneck and start snapping your fingers . . .

My Ape (by 5th grade Randy)

My ape is late.
My ape is a saint.
My ape is covered with paint.
My ape is in the zoo.
Poor little ape!  Boo-hooo!

Parents tend to keep things over the years that belonged to their kids or were given to them by their kids.

My mom has been sorting through some of this stuff and “returned” some of these items to me last week.

She wanted us to have certain things as keepsakes.

The special part of course is you understand more the things your parents treasured and you understand the things that greatly amused them.

Not every keepsake is a constant source of joy.  Some reminders bring pain.

It’s a necessary part of life and a necessary reminder.

We take the bitter and the sweet . . .

The rain still falls . . .

The sun still shines . . .

Message notes from Sunday:

TUNE MY HEART

Since God knows my needs, I pray the Lord’s prayer not to pester God for more blessings.

• I pray the Lord’s prayer to be attuned to what God needs to accomplish in my LIFE.
• I pray “may what you want be done here on earth” to be attuned to what God needs to accomplish in His WORLD through me.
• I pray “give me the food I need for each day” so I will be guided by His Spirit and not my STOMACH.

DISCIPLINE OF DENIAL

Because of the excessive abuses by others and the popular desire to satisfy every human appetite we don’t give much thought to the discipline of fasting.

• Like giving and praying, the spiritual discipline of fasting is an exercise in self-restraint and SELF-CONCEALMENT.

Matthew 5:16-18 (NCV) When you give up eating, don’t put on a sad face like the hypocrites. They make their faces look sad to show people they are giving up eating. I tell you the truth, those hypocrites already have their full reward.  So when you give up eating, comb your hair and wash your face.  Then people will not know that you are giving up eating, but your Father, whom you cannot see, will see you. Your Father sees what is done in secret, and he will reward you.

• Fasting is the VOLUNTARY DENIAL of food in order to focus on the GREATER PURPOSE of God.

I am to practice the discipline of fasting not so that I can change a circumstance necessarily but so that God can change me.

DISCIPLINES OF DISCERNMENT

• Jesus believed his followers would GIVE.

“God I rely not upon my own wealth to sustain myself and provide for my needs but on your ability to sustain me and provide for my needs oh God, my PROVIDER!”

• Jesus believed his followers would PRAY.

“God I rely not on my own ability to sustain myself, but in Your ability to sustain me oh God, my ROCK!”

• Jesus believed his followers would FAST.

“God I rely not on my own efforts to fill my life, to gain strength and endurance, but on your ability to fill my life oh God, my STRENGTH!”

The more you practice the discipline of giving, prayer and fasting the more your heart will beat in perfect rhythm with the heart of God.

You’ll experience what the psalmist described as the essence of contentment.

Psalm 63:1-5 (NCV) God, you are my God.  I search for you.  I thirst for you like someone in a dry, empty land where there is no water.  I have seen you in the Temple and have seen your strength and glory.  Because your love is better than life, I will praise you.  I will praise you as long as I live.  I will lift up my hands in prayer to your name.  I will be content as if I had eaten the best foods.  My lips will sing, and my mouth will praise you.